Precipice Chapter III: RE: INTEGRATION

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

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A few days later, Avery was finally cleared to leave the city hospital. The call from the nurse was brief, simply describing Avery’s condition as “stable enough.” Normally Nikolai would question the nurse on the fidelity of her lack-luster conclusion, but the memory of Avery’s tears silenced any medical concerns he had. At this point, getting her out of that environment of stress and loneliness would do far more for her than leaving her strapped to a hospital bed.

Upon arriving in his TRUEcorp vehicle fifteen minutes later however, Nikolai was starting to question the gravity of his choice.

Avery came wobbling out of the sliding electric doors at a snail's pace, a long frame crutch attached to her right side to help balance her. It seemed no one had been available to help her out of the lobby as would be custom for any new amputee patient. Unlike other patients who were leaving, she held no belongings.

You know the alternative, Nikolai reminded himself. It will only be for a little while.

“Hello, Avery,” Nikolai called out, walking up to her onto the concrete walkway. “You're looking better.”

Truly she was despite everything she had been through. Her skin was back to a normal flush - no longer that sickly yellow as her body had adjusted to the new implants for her stomach, leg and arm. Her eyes were bright and aware, and the surgeons had even managed to find hair implants to help regrow what they had to remove to open her skull for surgery and install her new bio-mechanical interface.

Apparently the light brownish-red hue was her natural color, and now hung just around her cheekbones. Her clothes were borrowed red scrubs from the nurses, as her old clothes had been cut away when she arrived to quickly access her worst injuries.

Avery’s cheeks flushed scarlet as he approached. Good circulation, he noted.

“Hi, Nikolai,” she said. “Thank you again for this, I -” Suddenly, her left foot, the one now entirely metal, flexed and forced her to topple forward.

Nikolai jumped to catch her, just barely getting her right arm in time before she face-planted.

“Sorry,” she said, her eyes downcast as she righted herself. “I went through PT but I’m still having these…what were they called?”

“Post-augmentation jitters,” he clarified, helping her to the vehicle’s open door. “They usually only last a few days, but with your case, I wouldn’t be surprised if they last for another week.”

Avery groaned, pausing her shuffling to take a breath. “Is it because I’ve never been augmented before? Everyone was making such a big deal out of it.”

It’s so much more amazing than you realize, Nikolai thought, watching her movements closely with a trained eye. He didn't know a single human in TRUEcit who didn't have augmentation or physical upgrades already in place before the age of two. Even at birth, every citizen had a unique ID chip installed.

But Avery, and every other survivor he’d been made aware of so far, were all chip-less and completely flesh made.

Where did they come from? How did they end up here? Was there more beyond these rotting streets and glistening high-rise buildings that they weren’t aware of? What might have survived?

“There’s many factors involved,” Nikolai finally replied. He didn’t want to overwhelm her. He’d seen patients' minds break after a rigorous implantation process if they took everything on too suddenly.

Avery nodded, satisfied enough with his response. She then looked up and around at the city street for the first time. Her eyes widened upon the animated holographic ads that flickered against the shining chrome skyscrapers and lights, and they only grew bigger when they noticed his vehicle.

“Your car floats?” She asked quite loudly, her lips parting in her awe and surprise.

Nikolai frowned, looking between her expression and his ‘floating’ vehicle. “Is this not what you use to travel where you’re from?”

Avery snorted. “Maybe in sci-fi novels, but not in the real world, no.”

Nikolai’s lips twitched. Floating cars had been a thing for several decades. It was needed with the constant destruction of infrastructure from the onslaught of natural disasters and wars. His vehicle in particular could traverse some of the most rugged terrain if he needed it.

He now wondered whether she had simply lost her mind, or if she was from another part of the world that hadn’t caught up to their technology…but that didn’t make sense, as everything beyond TRUEcit had been ravaged. At least, that’s what TRUEcorp had found in their research.

“Well, you get to experience it in the ‘real world’ now,” Nikolai said with a teasing air, hoping to lessen the impact of the clear changes to her world she was experiencing. He helped her the last few steps to the car before easing her into the passenger side, her expression only becoming funnier as she beheld the dashboard and seats.

“Everything is so…glowy.”

Nikolai couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head slightly as he shut her door and walked to the other side, sliding into the driver’s seat. His brain was running at a thousand miles an hour with every new detail she revealed through her words and actions.

Surely she’s just delusional, right?

“I’m assuming your vehicles didn’t implement navigational features and live street tracking alongside heating and cooling panels?” Nikolai asked.

“Um, I mean, we did have some of that, but it didn’t look like this! How does this thing even move?”

Nikolai frowned. Hm, so the technology she is referring to doesn’t seem that far removed from ours. My earlier theories aren’t dead yet. She might just be from the sticks.

“It’s powered by several small turbines. Initially engineers tried magnetic railways, but with how often roads and highways got destroyed, it became apparent that we needed a way to traverse everything and anything with or without paved paths.”

Avery side-eyed him, a little smirk twisting her mouth.“I’m going to pretend I know what all that means.”

Nikolai smiled and set the vehicle into forward drive, feeling the low hum of the turbines waking from their passive state. Immediately, Avery jerked in her seat, looking out of the window and down as the car lifted up further from the street.

As they cruised away from the hospital, Nikolai couldn’t help himself from looking at Avery from his peripheral vision. Her excited and awed expression reminded him painfully of when he first came to the city from his home in the sticks - the outskirts of what could be called TRUEcit, but really was an entity all on its own.

The sticks - as it was so fondly called - were nothing more than the backwater remains of the old boundaries of the city. Homes were stacked precariously on top of each other, tin roofs slanted and caving in from lack of structural upkeep and the onslaught of floods and earthquakes. Most made a living by looting scrap yards or scavenging inside crumbling infrastructure further out and selling it to recycling plants who would turn the material into something else to be used in the city.

Nikolai had spent many a night in the scrap yards as a kid working to help feed his family. He never wanted to be in that place ever again.

“Nikolai?” Avery’s hesitant voice snapped him out of his thoughts, memories of wading through trash fading out to be replaced by her face. “The doctors said I could eat regular food now…would it be okay if we stopped somewhere?”

Get it together, Nikolai.

“Oh, yes. Sorry, I should have asked if you were hungry.”

Avery smiled gently. “It’s okay. I just feel bad for being such a burden. You really didn’t have to take me in, you know?”

That same feeling that had overtaken him at the sight of the bodies piling against the seawall hit him then; something fluttering like a tiny inescapable flame at the core of who he was. No matter where he had been born, what his upbringing was like, or where he was now, he knew that part of him would never - could never change.

“I could never leave another human being to suffer alone. My only worry is that I might not be able to help you in all the ways you need,” he said honestly, slowing at a blinking stop light before a turn.

Avery blinked a few times, shaking her head slightly before looking out her window away from him. “Maybe you’re right, but the kindness you’ve shown me is more than enough until I…figure out what the hell happened to me.”

Nikolai opened his mouth then closed it, finding himself at a loss for words. Avery’s arrival to TRUEcit was something beyond normal comprehension, and had little logic involved to help explain it. He could imagine most people in this city turning these people away out of fear for their “otherness”, or maybe even out of wariness for the people’s own predicaments.

And yet, here he was, offering this total stranger - an outlander in every sense of the word - his home and his aid in her first steps here.

Maybe I’m the delusional one, Nikolai wondered.

There was a quiet, thoughtful space between them for some time that neither broke until Nikolai pulled up to one of his favorite spots: a little noodle shop called the Dragon’s Scale.

“I hope noodles are okay? I figured soup would be the easiest for you.”

Avery nodded, her mouth slightly curving up on one side. “This seems familiar.”

Nikolai put the vehicle into standby mode, the turbines slowing down so that the car could hum just a few inches off the ground. As he got out on his side he took note of the few patrons sitting outside the noodle shop with a sweep of his augmented eyes. Several wore business suits, while most wore varying labor workers outfits from construction to plumbers.

A clicking noise alerted him to Avery trying to open her door, to no success. He walked to Avery’s side and opened the door for her before she hurt herself trying to open it herself. She gave a small cheeky smile, one that Nikolai couldn’t help but return.

Avery is surprisingly positive for someone who recently fell out of the sky, Nikolai observed.

“I think your door handle is broken,” she said as he helped her out of the seat and into a standing position.

Nikolai laughed. “No, it’s just fingerprint coded. Only I can access the doors.”

This made Avery pause, pushing back a bit on his arm that kept her upright. There was a wariness in her expression that tugged at some buried memory in Nikolai’s own mind. “So, if I were left alone in the car, how - ”

Immediately, Nikolai raised one of her hands up close to his face, turning her palm upward so he could scan her unique fingerprints into his security bank. Every curve and broken line singed into his hardware, his memory, until a loud beeping sound came from the closed vehicle behind them.

He blinked a few times, not quite sure why he had so easily given her access. I am definitely going mad. “Try it now.”

Avery looked up at him, then back to the car. Slowly, she outstretched her free hand and gripped the door handle to which the beeping ceased and the door popped open.

She turned to look back at him. “I -” Avery paused, her observant gaze piercing through any walls Nikolai thought he had put up between him and his past - the reason for the security locks on his doors. “Thank you. I won’t open the door for anyone but you or myself.”

A tension he hadn’t realized he’d been holding eased throughout his body then. He opened his mouth, but he felt no words rise from his throat; a side effect he was learning was common in Avery’s presence.

She smiled, gripping his elbow in her two hands and tugging him - to the best of her abilities - toward the noodle bar. “Come on, let’s eat.”

Nikolai nodded, deciding to follow her lead as they walked arm in arm to the counter.

A short, stout man by the name of Mr. Nakamura, the owner of Dragon’s Scale, greeted Nikolai upon them taking two seats at the end of the bar. “Ah, Mr. Garcia! Long time no see. The corporation keeps you busy, eh?”

Nikolai nodded and smiled. “You could say that,” he said, grabbing one of the menus from a rack and handing it to Avery to inspect. “And you, Mr. Nakamura? How’s business these days?”

The man grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Business is very good these days! No one offers prices like I do. Hm?” Mr. Nakamura took notice of Avery then, a curious glint gleaming in his dark eyes. “Is this a new friend?”

Avery looked up from the menu, her cheeks warming at the man’s attention. “Ah - uh, hello.”

Nikolai gestured between Avery and Mr. Nakamura. “Avery, Nakamura. He’s the owner of Dragon’s Scale.”

Avery gave a shallow nod of her head. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

Nakamura laughed. “Ah, please, Jim is just fine.”

Nikolai raised one brow in surprise. “Jim? That’s your first name?” And why the heck has he never told me?

‘Jim’ Nakamura shook a hand at Nikolai. “No, no. You must call me Mr. Nakamura. Only Avery may call me Jim!”

Nikolai sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as Avery chuckled.

“What can I get you?” Jim asked, leaning forward on the counter.

He took both Avery’s and Nikolai’s orders and quickly got to work, shouting at his employees in the kitchen from time to time. Around them, the sounds of the city bustled on as steady as the thrum of a heart beat.

Once they got their food, Nikolai and Avery settled into a companionable silence, enjoying the warm broth and soft, but chewy noodles. Avery’s occasional hums of satisfaction gave Nikolai all the assurance he needed that he brought her to the right place.

The peace, however, was short lived. A tap on his shoulder had Nikolai swerving in his stool, taking in the faces of three TRUECorp employees standing behind him.

“Hey there, Nik,” one of them said. Nikolai recognized the tall, balding man as Jakob, one of the senior researchers in his division that was working at the company before Nikolai arrived. The other two at his shoulders Nikolai didn’t recognize.

“Hello, Jakob,” Nikolai replied, looking between all three men with a wary eye. “What can I do for you?”

Thankfully, Avery kept slurping her noodles, not turning to look at the men.

“Don’t worry, Nik, this isn’t business. Just wanted to say ‘hello’.” Jakob smiled, though the warm gesture didn’t reach his eyes which were staring quite shrewdly at Nikolai. That gaze extended to Avery’s back, taking in the frame crutch supporting her right side and the nurse scrubs she wore. “Who's your friend?”

Avery paused, turning enough to peer at the man over her shoulder. Nikolai tensed, but kept his composure.

Business my ass, social calls don’t come with security details attached, he thinks, taking notice of the security pins on the men’s uniforms behind Jakob.

A lie came easily to Nikolai’s lips. “A friend from the sticks. She was injured during a structural collapse in her home, so I offered to pay for her hospital stay.”

Jakob looked over at Avery one more time before returning his eyes to Nikolai’s. “Is that so? I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you at TRUEcorp in a while, especially after that incident at the sea wall.”

Nikolai could feel Avery’s gaze burn into his side while Jakob’s insatiable stare pricked his spine.

“I filed a request for temporary leave that was approved the previous week, as I found this to be a more immediate issue.” Nikolai shrugged, trying to roll off the tension in his body. “Besides, the corporation was most amenable to my wishes.”

Jakob nodded approvingly, giving a brief side-eye to the guards beside him. “Indeed, we value our family in TRUEcorp.” There was a pause, and then Jakob dropped the volume of his voice, his expression turning more sincere. “Be ready to receive summons from the higher ups. We will want all hands to properly investigate these…survivors.”

Nikolai didn’t miss the way the man emphasized survivors, nor the unsettlingly fervent glint in his eye as he said it.

Again, I question the sanity of my choices.

“I will be waiting,” Nikolai said.

The three men left then, not bothering to order any food or to appear as Jakob had said: just saying hello.

Nikolai relaxed back into his stool and turned to his empty bowl of ramen, his shoulders unclenching. Beside him, Avery’s piercing gaze narrowed in thought, a small hum coming from her throat.

Nikolai didn’t want to entertain her curiosity, but his own at what she was thinking won over. “What?”

Avery sipped thoughtfully on her broth. “Nothing. This just reminded me of something.”

Nikolai gave her his full attention then. “Of what?”

Avery shook her head, smiling faintly. “I feel like I’m in Blade Runner.”

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Not long after, Nikolai was back at his apartment with Avery in tow.

Here, in this environment, she became more guarded - wary. She walked slowly and with a far-away look as she gazed upon the gray concrete walls and smooth surfaces of the main room which held the kitchen, sitting area, and office all in one compact space.

Her eyes lingered on different objects as she moved through the apartment. A half finished cup of coffee on the island in the kitchen area, a TRUEcorp pad sitting out on his desk against the far wall, the square burgundy couch dividing the space between front and back with a rare discarded book with yellowing pages open flat on its spine.

Nikolai grimaced at a half eaten apple she thankfully didn’t notice sitting behind the cup next to the sink. He hadn’t had company over in a very long time.

“My bedroom is off to the left, and the bathroom is connected to the kitchenette on the right,” Nikolai explained as Avery slowly lowered herself to the couch and peered at the book. “The couch folds out into a bed you can use. I do have a privacy screen we can put up if you want this space more enclosed.”

Avery shook her head, finally tearing her gaze away from the book. “No, that’s fine, Nikolai. Really, I…just - thank you.”

Nikolai shoved his hands in his pockets. “You’re welcome. I suppose…ah, bollocks, let me get you some clothes. I know they won’t be the perfect fit but I can order you something more to your liking tomorrow.” He quickly walked away into his bedroom, the windows glittering from the lights of the city. A small balcony jutted out from the north side of the room, one of hundreds along the apartment highrises.

He picked out a few shirts and pants that he assumed would fit her, including a comfortable pair of sweats he usually used when working from home.

Upon walking back toward the living space with his offerings, he stopped at a familiar, heartbreaking sound, his foot hanging just over the doorway. Slowly, he leaned forward, taking in the scene.

It was Avery hunched over, head in her hands and elbows resting on her knees. Her back spasmed and heaved with dry, quiet sobs.

It didn’t sound like grief, he realized. That pain didn’t echo in her vulnerable display. Instead, it was frustration tinged with confusion and utter disbelief. The shock and seriousness of her situation seemed to have finally come crashing over her.

Nikolai quietly walked past the doorway and picked up a discarded blanket on the back of the couch, gently and slowly enveloping it around Avery’s shoulders. She stiffened at his touch, but eased into the blanket as it draped over her.

Without uttering another word, Nikolai returned to his room, giving Avery time alone to process her new reality.

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A few days passed like this: Nikolai making offers to make Avery more comfortable, and Avery graciously accepting while keeping a yawning distance growing between them. Despite his continuing efforts, her self-imposed solitude persisted.

He couldn’t be sure if it was the environment or just the fact that she was processing everything in a different way than he had expected. She was cordial, yes, but the easy camaraderie they had shared previously seemed to be vacant.

Little by little, day by day, Nikolai continued to gently converse with her and learn a few more things about her. She was voraciously curious with an inquisitive mind. One of her first requests had been access to books, though physical copies were scarce. When he told her that, her expression had been one of distant grief.

Without books she turned to the morning and evening news which were now packed full of interviews and images from the incident at the sea wall. At these times she was the most quiet - the most distant. Nevertheless, Nikolai remained at her side offering what comfort he could.

In between those tense broadcasts, Avery took in the daily happenings around the city: a robbery in the upper city gone wrong, a record breaking tropical storm making landfall a few miles down the coast, a protest for better company wages, and another small quake in the sticks while TRUEcorp celebrated another successful quarter.

Here was when Avery would talk more openly, asking questions while making comparisons to what she remembered about her world - her life. Again, where she came from didn’t sound too far removed, but at seeing the environmental and man-made destruction wrought by Nikolai’s people, Avery could only shake her head in horror.

Nikolai would ask his own questions in response: What was a forest like? Did the air where she lived smell sweet? Was every lake and river clear from city trash and poisonous waste?

And she would answer every one in as much detail as she could provide, much to Nikolai’s delight.

But then one day, on a dreary evening at the apartment, a call interrupted their newfound routine.

Nikolai answered the chiming from his audio cerebral implant with a mental flourish from his seat at the bar.

“Hello, Junior Researcher Nikolai Garcia here.”

The voice on the other side was brusque. “Report to the office for assignment by 21:00.”

Nikolai glanced at the time on his datapad and his eyes widened. “I have just enough time to make it in. Will you be ok?” He asked Avery who was sitting next to him drinking a cup of herbal tea.

Avery’s eyes narrowed over the rim of her cup. “Yes…is everything alright?”

Nikolai sighed equivocally. “Work’s finally called… with zero notice.”

“Oh…”

Nikolai smiled, noticing her discomfort. “It’s okay. I’ll be back soon.”

Nikolai hoped that statement would remain true as he zipped up his company jacket and headed out the door into the nighttime cityscape.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Firstly, I want to apologize for the long gap between chapter 1 & 2 and now 3 & ( hopefully soon ) 4. I know me and Ian don't have the largest of audiences so it can be argued we shouldn't be worried about gaps in our chapters at all, but both of us love our work and the supportive audience we DO have, so it weighed heavily on our minds as the weeks went by with no updates.

I won't speak on Ian's behalf, but on my end I was sick several times, both with flu-like illnesses and a mental health dip. On top of this there were family matters among other personal reasons for not finishing this chapter quicker. And even more recently, an injury to my dominant arm that I'm still working through today.

I don't plan on ever quitting writing, nor stopping my journey on Vocal! So don't be worried if I vanish for long stretches like this! <3

Secondly, I want to say thank you in advance to those of you who will read and comment on this, regardless of the time gap. It really makes this project all the more fun and exciting for Ian and I. Reading your comments over just the last two chapters was a huge boost for both of us!

Make sure to keep an eye-out for Ian's Chapter IV, coming soon!

With much love,

Amanda S.

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Also, don't forget you can listen to our playlist we made for the story! It will be tinkered with as we continue to hammer out the finer details. (: