His Synthetic Pulse

Chapter Ten

Whats this whats this 6 months later back and at it again jfc its so bad im so sorry

thank you so much for everything and all the support even though its been so long thank you thank you thank you!!!!

The staircase to the Surface stretched farther than my enhanced retinas could see. The darkness loomed like black, velvet cloaks, messing with my eyesight and obscuring the little light peeking from the top of the linoleum steps. It was there, sunlight. I could see it for the first time in my life. My heart skipped an excited, faux beat.

"We're almost there, Dave. Do we have a plan on what to do when we get out?" Dirk asked from behind me, turning to his brother.

"Head back to the apartment, probably, bro. Connect with 'Rezi and the others and they could escort us back, or something." Dave answered nonchalantly, peering through the darkness. I assumed it would be even harder for him to see, since his eyes weren't genetically enhanced like mine...

Because he was human and natural and he wasn't created in a lab.

I shook the thought away quickly, turning to Vriska and 412, smiling the best I could. "Are you ready to get out, Vriska?" She nodded too quickly, the cold grin stretching her lips not reaching her eyes. 412 just scoffed.

Dirk sighed next to me, deep in thought. "We don't have a real way to connect with your friends, Dave. Any cell phones or communicators have a low chance of still working." He explained, eyebrows knit together in confusion. "My best bet is just make a run for it to the apartment, like you said first."

"We'd be fine, but what about them?"

He meant me, Vriska, and 412. Hurt spread through my legs and into my gut at the idea that I was still just a them or an it to Dave. I guess that was silly, he had nearly only known me for a day, but he had known John. I had been something special to him, but he didn't recognize it. Why was I no longer special? What had I done that made him hate me?

"John can handle himself. He won't be hurt." Dirk listed, tapping my shoulder. I jumped. "Everyone else can just follow behind. I don't know their internal wiring or anything, but with what Equius said about Vriska and Cancer's defense system, I doubt they'll be hurt."

"I wish that was true." Dave muttered beside me.  Dirk didn't seem to notice the sentence lined with hatred, and I chose not to bring it up.

"Well, come on then, it's time to get out of here."

"Are we just going to run? That's a real fucking awesome plan, Pointy." 412 hissed, crossing his bloodied arms in defiance. Dirk only rolled his eyes.

"Our apartment is pretty close to the door to the Cellar, so just try to keep up and we won't be far ahead."

I spoke up. "Why would we need to run?"

Dirk only gave me a look that spoke, I'm sorry, patted me on the shoulder and began the ascension.

If the surface was so perfect, why did we need to run all the way to the apartment? I shook the dread building in my gut away and began to prepare myself. The light was becoming brighter, beginning to mess with my wiring. 412 groaned beside me, but Vriska remained as stoic as she'd been for as long as we'd began this trek. I swallowed my pride and grabbed her hand, giving her the most reassuring squeeze I could muster. Vriska squeezed back uncannily, but her eyes remained trained ahead.

The entrance got brighter and closer until I could barely see. It was frighteningly silent- I had imagined to bust out in the middle of a busy street, people bustling from place to place, cars honking. But instead, as my eyes adjusted, I realized the bitter truth of what I had been kept from.