Surface R: Reunion

Part 02.1

PART 02

::TREY::

"My skin's itching all to pieces." Lori says.

His injuries are the worse we had in the last eight years. I'm getting worried about what Corrin said about wounds exposed to R. Particles being true. It's not a pleasant thought.

"Don't scratch it," I say instinctively. "My mom used to say that all the time to me whenever I fell into anything."

Meeko grins. "Did that happen often?"

"You don't wanna know how often." I smirk.

A few minutes, then Lori speaks. "I forgot what it's like to have mothers. It doesn't seem real anymore," he sigh. "Do you remember?" he asks his older twin.

Yeah, believe it or not, Meeko is older. Though I guess it doesn't really matter when you're twins. Sometimes, I think Lori is older. He definitely has the attitude that fits the description. But Meeko would throw a fit if I say that every time the opportunity allows it.

"It's only been nine years." Meeko says, but you can tell he's thoughtful now.

"I know. But it seems like this has always been how it was. Us. The Surface. Radiation. Living everyday as if it could be our last." Lori shakes his head. "you remembered when we used to play with action figures back then and we both wished to be like Superheroes, like the ones in Avengers?" he smiles at the memory.

I laugh at that. "Well, guess we don't have to pretend now, but even if you're able to go through things like Vision can, this is a little different from what happened in those movies." I muse. "Back then, I used to think nothing was more important than sports and having fun. Then, it happened."

"What do you think actually happened?" Meeko ask lowly.

"No one really knows for sure. I think... Well, maybe except Rhys. But I don't think he's figured out how to explain it in English." We all laugh. Rhys usually had his own language.

I'm glad to see the next corner. Not far beyond this is the perimeter fence and then home. A Five-star hotel, if you could believe it. We couldn't even pay to enter one back then, now we've cleaned out most of the debris and made a very nice base. Although it doesn't look much of a Five-star hotel any more than it looked like an oversized run-down motel. Still, the many rooms of the hotel worked to our advantage. It's like a rabbit warren, full of passages. If we're attacked, we can scatter and hide, then ambush.

I see Rhys and Cody as we enter the lobby. "Happy hunting?" The bronze haired, red-eyed genius ask, a smile tugging the corner of his mouth.

"Har-har," I smirk. "what factors as happy hunting in this case?"

Rhys pretends to think about it. "Well, Meeko had his fun. And you're alive," he teased, but there was some seriousness to it. "so that makes it happy."

I had to agree. "Close enough." I shrugged. "but next time, it's your turn."

"Hm," Rhys gives me a speculative look. "well, shall I take that as permission?"

Meeko gives me a stink eye. Whoops. I let that slip. "Er, no. Forget that I said anything," But I know he wouldn't.