Mind Games

Chapter 62 - Ghosts

The two women stood in front of each other, face to face.

Two women killed by the same man, 18 years apart.

"Are you Amanda?" She asked.

The woman shimmered, then solidified, before she answered. "I am Amanda's memories, her feelings, her perceptions, her attitude... If that makes me Amanda, then Amanda I am."

"I understand your anger." The other woman said. The woman who was real.

"Life hasn't been fair to me either. I've been hurt, betrayed, abandoned... I've tried to get past all that. I've tried to find my happiness in myself. And I thought I did."

"Until that man came along and made you hope for something more." The apparition said with a knowing smile.

Crystal looked at the door wistfully. Through which the man left after he thought he killed her.

"Yes..." she replied.

"Aren't you angry?" Amanda asked, curiously.

Crystal turned back to her. "I'm sad  really." She said. "I thought there was hope. I thought there could be love. Now my life is a blank slate again."

"And you still aren't angry?" Amanda persisted. "He killed his own sister. He killed you. He is heartless. You think he feels remorse?" She scoffed. "You think this will be the end?"

Crystal frowned.

"I know my brother." Amanda continued angrily. "He will develop a new app. He will continue to fuck people's lives. If they get in his way, he will kill them. And you don't think he needs to be stopped?"

Crystal looked down at her cat pensively.

Tiny Snowball, who tried in his own way to protect her.

Snowball looked at both the women wisely.

"He would've hurt your cat." Amanda hissed. "He would've killed your cat. A harmless animal. He would've if he had the time. He is an evil man. He has to be destroyed."

Crystal's gaze hardened as she looked at the fluffy little animal.

"Yes, he is a monster..." she muttered.

"Why did you bring me back?" Amanda demanded.

Crystal blinked, confused. "I... I'm not sure... I disabled the app... But you... I had to talk to you. You are his sister. I thought you would know."

Amanda smirked. "Know what..."

Crystal smiled sadly. "Why.... why would he do this."

Amanda laughed coldly. "Let me tell you something about my brother. He cares about himself. Only himself. He will not let anything or anyone get in his way."

The apparition took a step towards the real woman.

"You thought he loved you? He just used you, friend."

Crystal felt tears well up in her eyes and she felt ashamed of herself. Ashamed that she had been made a fool. Again.

Digital eyes looked into real ones.

"You know what you have to do." It said calmly. "You have to stop him. You owe humanity to stop him."

Crystal blinked her tears away.

She felt torn. 

"I will let the world know about his app." She said resolutely. "His career will be destroyed."

Amanda laughed. "Really? Are you so naive? You think no one would be interested in his technology? No one would want to use it for espionage... terrorism... war...?"

Her eyes narrowed. "This technology is not safe in anyone's hands, friend. You stopped the app. Great! But all this while my brother didn't realise the potential of what he had created. Now he does. Think of what he could do with this technology. He didn't care about people who died because of the app. You think he would care about people who could die because of terrorism or war?"

Crystal closed her eyes tightly. Wishing this was all a nightmare.

She opened her eyes and the apparition continued boring it's gaze into her.

"There is only one way to end this. End him."

Crystal felt her thoughts spinning. "I can't... how can I...?"

Amanda smiled. "You don't have to. Let me."

Crystal looked at the figure uncertainly. "I can't reactivate the app. It's too dangerous."

Amanda laughed. "I see you don't trust me."

Crystal hesitated. "I'm sorry... I don't."

Amanda leaned towards her with a smile. "Don't re-activate the app, silly!" Her eyes gleamed. "Just give me access to him."

Crystal thought of the man. Her knight in shining armour. Who would save her from this safe but bland bubble that she had created for herself.

The man who used her. Then tried to kill her.

The man who embodied all the people who had used her and then dumped her in life.

And her sadness rapidly curdled to anger.

"Yes." She hissed. "He has to be destroyed. Kill him!"

Amanda smiled.

The programme's algorithms marked it's current subject.

Task successful.