HUMAN

Chapter 7 - For You

19:12

After cleaning the stains from the noodles off the respirator mask and washing my gaiter, I hung them up in front of the window that blew in the night's fresh air. I crashed on the mattress. It was softer than I used to have back in the bunker. It felt like I was sleeping on a giant marshmallow.

"Damn." I sighed in relief. "Been years since I've felt this good!" I stretched and tossed the blanket over me. "Considering the potential risks that could've revealed your identity, the numbers do not add up as to how you weren't caught." Anna blurted out.

I smiled. "I have my ways, I suppose." Finally, I could close my eyes momentarily after a hectic day. "But those three Anthro girls almost made me crap my pants when they came over. I thought they'd pry into what I look like." Anna didn't answer. "Anyway, why didn't you speak at all when Gina came over?"

"I was busy accessing Vannie's laptop, searching for more information." I shot up from the bed. "That's great! What have you found?" "In short, Gina and Vannie work for an organization called the Special Investigation Unit, or SIU for short. I have authored an article about the organization and anything else that I found." She said.

"Although, explaining it now would take approximately 12 hours. I will transfer the information via USB, so you can read it later." Sitting up from my bed, I grabbed my bag and pulled out the pouch of USB sticks in one of the hidden pockets. "Alright, which USB?"

"Any of them that are not labeled." I dug through the pouch and found an empty one, then plugged the USB into a port that was hidden but now revealed. "It will take about half an hour to complete." I nodded, sat back down on the bed and clumsily dropped the pouch of USB's. "Dang it."

Picking them up, one labeled 'For You' caught my attention. "Interesting." I looked around the room and remembered that there was not a computer or laptop around that I could use. "Hey Anna, are there any computer rooms around here or something? I want to see what's on the USB." I said.

"I can just project the video into a holographic image." I turned towards the device. "Really? Is there another USB port?" Well, yes, there was. Looking at the USB in my hand and the device, I managed to fit it in after numerous failed attempts. "Can't tell which damn side is the right side," I muttered.

The device turned off briefly before lighting back up, the blue light at the edges shining brighter than ever. "Sup man. . ." A glitching hologram floated above the device. It was Max. "Max?"

"So uhh. . .God, how do I say this. . ? Umm, I'm very, very sorry for what I must do to you or have done to you. Since, you know. . .you should be only seeing this after you get out." He started off while packing some electronics in a bag I recognize was the one I have right now. I sat speechless and didn't peel my eyes from the hologram.

"But, I hope you see this message from me. You're probably facing a tough situation right now, and I understand that you may or may not hold grudges against me. . or your father. And for that reason, I'm not here to ask forgiveness. See these hard drives and USB sticks?" He held up a handful of them and stuffed them in a pouch.

"It's your task to keep them safe or hand them over to someone dependable enough." He said. "This is a majority of everything about humanity, from good to bad. Everything your father and I pulled from the internet, or what was left, is here. Including secret government stuff blah, blah, blah."

"Your father and I concluded that humanity. . .would not be the next race that would dominate this Earth, but similar to it. Now, don't ask me why because your father didn't explain it enough."

"Be wise about these USB's, and utilize them correctly. It is proof of the sacrifices we made and mistakes that should be avoided. History cannot repeat itself."