❝ everyone from my time is dead. i don't belong here; i don't belong anywhere. ❞
Ninety-seven years ago, the earth became soaked in radiation, leaving few survivors. Some of them were stuck up in space, not knowing when it would be safe to return. O...
Just a PSA: this whole chapter takes place before the bombs to wrap up the flashbacks :) It's pretty long, but this explains everything and will answer all your questions. The last part is kind of rushed because I felt like I was kind of dragging it out, and I wanted to get to the good stuff. I hope you enjoy!
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Washington D.C. 7 days before the bombs
SWEAT COVERED LANE FROM head to toe as her exhausted mind fought off ALIE's advances for the eighth day in a row. It was a constant battle of wills, but Lane was determined to keep ALIE out. She had been put through her worst fears, her worst memories, and anything else ALIE could think of, but Lane kept the most important one away from her; the access code that would allow ALIE to get into every system in the world to carry out her extinction plan. Lane could feel ALIE tugging and tugging at that memory with a relentless force that made her brain feel like it was turning to mush; like there was a giant wave being held back by glass that was on the verge of busting.
"Get out of my head!" Lane screamed as her voice began to get hoarse. "Get out!"
"Your resistance is what makes this painful, Elaine," she heard ALIE's voice in her brain. "Let me in, and this will all be over."
"No, you'll have to turn to my brain to nothing before I give you the fucking code!" Lane yelled. "Just kill me already, you bitch!"
ALIE appeared before Lane's watery eyes. She felt some of the pressure in her head subside. ALIE turned to Doctor King, who had been taking notes and researching ways to get the code without Lane willingly giving it to them.
"This one is strong," ALIE leaned over her. "Maybe even too strong for me."
"If you were real, I'd rip your fucking lungs out," Lane said through her teeth.
She was in so much pain. Her skin was as hot as lava, and she had been strapped to that stupid lab chair for eight straight days. Her throat felt like sandpaper from all of the screaming, and she was forced to relive every horrible moment of the past few weeks over and over and over; finding her dad dead, watching her mom die, stabbing those men to death, being betrayed by Willow, letting Colton get shot in the head, all for two little Latin words.
"There's no need to be rude, Elaine."
Lane breathed heavily as she watched ALIE interact with her favorite puppet, "Any solutions, Doctor?"
"Well, if we inject her with another liquified chip, it might be enough to keep her neural activity high enough for a few minutes after death for you to get to the code, but it's a very limited window."
Lane was so exhausted. Death sounded... nice. She wouldn't have to keep carrying the burden of this code; the fate of the world was literally on her shoulders. She felt a tear escape her eyes. She tried her best. She resisted for as long as she could, but ALIE wasn't going to stop. She was never going to stop no matter what Lane did to keep her out. Lane knew this would eventually end with her losing her life, but at least she would see her parents and best friend again. At least this nightmare would finally be over.
