In the Deafening Silence [ BELLDOM AU ] [ COMPLETED ]

Map of Your Head

Following Morgan through the tunnel systems once again I find myself keeping pace with Matthew who walks a couple feet behind the leader and the other man. He appears to be showing a lot of emotions for he still seems scared but not as much as he did before, and he also seems grateful for me coming along with him. I look at him and smile lightly as the two men in front of us stop at a doorway.

"First, we'll need to see your inner workings to get an idea of how well this is going to work." Matthew nodded his head and unzipped the jacket he wore and slipped off the undershirt as I noticed the scares lining every inch of his chest and stomach. There seemed to be no end to the amount of damage he has taken from being transformed into a killing machine and it shows as I continue to scan his exposed skin. "They kept it simple like we asked. Okay, Matt, are you ready?"

"Yes, Morgan," Matthew responded as he climbed onto the lone table in the room, laying on his back. I went to his side and asked if he felt alright. "My breathing is erratic and my processing unit is not functioning properly. Otherwise I feel alright." Laughing lightly at his monotonous tone, I laid a hand on his shoulder and felt his cold skin.

"I definitely will not miss your horrible sense of humour," I stated as Matthew looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. He said he was not joking and I once again giggled as I shook my head. "I just want you to feel okay during this whole thing. If you ever feel like it's too much let me know. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Thank you, Dominic." Stepping away from the table I went back to Morgan's side where he was tapping at a keyboard as the other man worked around him, plugging wires into the right sockets and outlets. The tall, brown haired man handed me the chip and told me to put it into the opening above Matt's heart when he asked me too. I watched as codes appeared on the dusty computer screen and saw the other ends of the wires being placed into Matthew's back and chest.

"Alright, go ahead and place it in." Walking over to the table, I saw a small piece of metal over Matt's left shoulder and lifted it up, seeing four openings for microchips. Two were already taken up so I took the one farthest from them and slid it in as I watched Matthew grimace slightly at the pain. "Come on back, Dominic. I'd like you to enter the last code."

Morgan told me what to type in and I did exactly as he said. I saw Matthew's chest stop moving and his eyes close as two words rolled across the computer screen. System Reboot. I'm hoping at this point that this plan works and that we can actually save some life's and start anew. If what Penelope had told us about the chip making Matt human again then I wish to properly meet him.

"You can stay here if you like, Dominic. Nick will be outside the door for the rest of the night." I thanked Morgan for allowing me to stay and told him to let me know when they're planning on leaving. "I will come get you in the morning with Tom. Take care my friend."

//

The night dragged on as I forced myself to stay awake and keep an eye on Matthew, hoping that nothing bad would happen to him. The hum of the computer created white noise in the room, making me think about all the bad stuff that has been happening to me. First watching my co-workers being executed in front me, fleeing the city with my family and watching them die from the flu, then seeing Chris and his wife dead, meeting Penelope and having to see her die. It was all to much for me too handle. I just needed something to stop all these thoughts and images from appearing in my head.

Resting my chin in my hands, I glanced to the computer screen and noticed new words were moving across the dark background. Override Complete. I stood from my chair and saw Matt trying to sit up but having trouble because of the wires protruding from his back and chest. Rushing over to the man, I started unplugging them from him and helped him off of the table.

"How do you feel, Matt?" I questioned as he took his hands out of my mine and looked to me like he didn't know me. "I'm Dominic. Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" Matthew said as he knitted his eyebrows, making me laugh at the way he acted. He had a more human like tone to his voice and he stood with a slight slouch in his back, making him look more human than he ever did before. "Where's Penelope and Thomas?"

"Tom is waiting for us but Penelope... she didn't make it," I said softly as the man dropped his head and grimly nodded his head in understanding. Placing my hand on his bare shoulder, I directed him to the chair and told him to sit. "Do you know what's going on? Do you know what you have to do?"

"Yes, but I'm scared. This means a lot to so many people. It feels different now that I'm able to explain myself and show my feelings and emotions. I don't want to mess it up for you or for all those people who are suffering."

"You won't. I promise," I reassured Matt as he looked up at me with now soft grey eyes. "I won't let you."