EX//MACHINA: EXORDIUM

Chapter IV - Into the fire

— Didn't anyone find it strange? You disappeared for quite some time.

Peter asks the girl next to him, who continues what she was doing while thinking about her response. He was just leaning against the concrete wall, shining a flashlight in the direction of his companion's hands. She, in turn, wasn't paying full attention to the conversation, trying to focus on what she was doing in the poorly lit night.

— They found it strange, but Laura didn't ask too much. I don't think she cares.

— Oh... so, okay?

— And your ear? — she nods toward the mentioned part. — Earlier today you were covering it, but now it's normal.

She was right; the ear was injured hours ago. So injured that it would have remained deformed forever if it weren't for another of his inexplicable features. In just a few minutes, the wound had closed, and in an hour, skin had covered the injury as if it had healed. He didn't count how long afterward, but now it was as if that bullet had never hit him. That had quickly become another point of discussion with Vega, who had been too quiet to answer.

— I... I got hurt. Nothing serious, really.

Emma takes a while to show any sign of response, considering that there was something strange, but she decided to let it pass.

— Alright. Can you help me now?

Responding with actions, the boy kneels beside her and assists her as best he can with the wires. At times, he just holds them, at other times, he connects them when asked. Overall, he didn't do anything incredible, but they couldn't say he didn't do anything at all.

As soon as the girl finishes connecting the last cable, she asks Peter to turn on the power, causing it to come back to life. A large door begins to strain to open, with the motor responsible for its opening making an audible sound throughout the area. Turning on her flashlight, Emma reveals with light the passage they would enter: an old coal preparation plant. The exterior was marked with various silos that stored the ore in question, connected to the building by extensive conveyor belts.

The entire place had been abandoned for a long time, long before the fall of Ark. The overgrown flora indicated that this part of the region was already being reclaimed by nature. The concrete that made up most of the foundation was already tinged with yellow, showing its wear and tear, similar to the rust spread over all the metal parts.

— Great! You've done it. Now, where are the others? — Peter asks, curious about where the person named James and the girl from before where.

— Here! — an unfamiliar voice surprises him in response, heard right behind him. — I can't believe it's you. It's the damned Ark champion! Where have you been all this time, man?

Before he could answer, Amy walked past the group in silence, communicating only with a cold look she gave the boy at the same time James asked his question. Turning his gaze away and feeling a bit lost, he decided on impulse to be direct.

— I don't know. — Emma and the boy who had just arrived were surprised by the response. — I don't remember anything.

The redhead adopted an expression of confusion because Peter had commented on things he couldn't know if he didn't remember anything. She remembered him saying the same thing hours ago, but it still didn't make sense because it was about another subject. Besides, he had certainly given a plausible explanation as to why he was still alive until now.

Or maybe it wasn't so plausible after all?

Her mind seemed to wrestle with that thought as if it were an infection. Eventually, that issue seemed to disappear as if she had never started thinking about it.