I Am Alone

Chapter 14: Dancing Without Music

"Let's take your bandages off." Aphmau says as she crouched down near my leg, after a few weeks of getting spoon fed stew, her idea, I am very much ready to leave the house.

As soon as they were off I jump up and kick a bucket halfway across the room. Aphmau rolls her eyes and chuckles.

"Great. Now you can help me gather metal from the cave, we need some crystals for glass as well." She hands me a stone pick and I grin, grabbing her ungloved hands and spinning her around to face me.

"What are you doing?" Her cheeks are pink, and I feel my heart swell, but my intentions are not of the inappropriate kind.

"Can't I dance with a friend?" I ask and she smirks before she shakes her head.

"We don't have any music." She chuckles, but I'm not giving up that easily.

"So? Just start moving." I twirl her and catch her back into my arms, she giggles like a little schoolgirl.

"Aaron.... We don't have time for this....." I dip her like we were doing the waltz, and she squeaks in surprise. Her arms quickly wrapping around my neck as I support her back.

"We have all the time in the world, loosen up a little, it's not like we're rushing." She's bright red, and I dare to take a glance into those caramel colored eyes.

I get lost almost immediately, and before I know what I'm doing I'm leaning into her, she seems a little hesitant, but she leans into me as well.

We start slow dancing around the top floor, I feel something, something warm and familiar brush against my chest, it is her small, but strong hand.

"See? It's nice to just have fun once and a while." She just nodded and made a sound of contentment, I feel my heart start to race.

"Your right.... I guess I just.....wanted to go home." I grasped her hand as we turned to some imaginary beat, I felt her smile a little.

"I guess I didn't realize I already was." She looks up with me with a different kind of smile, one that makes my heart stop and wonder if I'm dreaming.

"Well.... I-I uh.... Am glad you think so," I sound like I have a rat clogged in my throat, I can't even form a complete sentence around her!

"Why are you so nervous? This was your idea." The smirk on her face let me know that she knows exactly why I was so nervous.

"Hard not to be when I have a gorgeous woman standing in front of me." My mouth moved before my thoughts, its like I was programmed to say things to her that I would never say to anyone else.

"Smooth. But charm doesn't work on me." She continues to smirk, while laying on my chest, I am board stiff, unable to relax.

"Then what does, you know.... for research." I smirk back, I start to relax, and a bold and probably stupid idea finds its way into my cranial space.

"Well....." She grows increasingly closer to my face, I get a little more confident that what I'm about to do won't get me killed.

"Having a fun loving personality helps." She's so close now, I grip her waist, she doesn't object, I feel my heart beating out of my chest, it was now or never.

"I'm glad you like it." I pull her into me, she jumps in surprise, and I hover my Implant over hers to reach for her other hand.

It glows a bright, burning red, and they connect. Aphmau tries to pull away and so do I, but they refuse to disconnect.

My head starts to pound, red streaks of lightning are surrounding both our arms, I get down on my knees as unrelenting pain shoots up my arm. Aphmau hits the ground at the same time, tears of pain welling in her eyes.

I feel the darkness crawl in as I hear Aphmau scream my name, but I can't respond, I'm already swimming in a void of darkness.

"So what happens when two Implants get close to each other?" I ask, I'm wearing a lab coat, fiddling with a concoction of blue liquid.

"Well, the magnets in them will attract and possibly put the being in a lot of pain, due to the quantum battery that powers it. But it would also send a signal to this lab, so we know that we sent someo- something to the wrong place." The deep voice that drilled into my arm spoke back. But he did not turn around to let me see his face.

"Why would that matter? Can't you have two Implants together?" I ask, and apparently, it was the wrong thing to ask.

"Don't ask questions boy, your just an Intern. Now, silence....."

I fumble back awake, my Implant glowing a warm orange color once again. Aphmau is still knocked out, I feel guilty, I never want to see her like that again.

I pick her up bridal style and set her gently on the bed. I put my finger over my Implant and hover it over hers. It flickers, but it seems that I drained the magnet in it.

Meaning, they wouldn't connect again.

But what was that memory, sending a signal to a lab, and if it was that man who drilled this.... thing into me.

Well, he would have to fight if he wanted either one of us.