Ava and Aphrodite: The First Human in 8000 Years (Featured)

Chapter 34: Sylvie's Only Hope

Aphrodite sat, lounging in her chair in the jar, the lights weren't on and she wasn't very aware of her surroundings, naked and bandaged all over, with a cast on her arm, she wasn't in much of a position so walk around the scrapyard city. Thankfully she was still able to leave her jar with the aid of homemade crutches and at least walk around the facility, as long as Locke dressed her in insulating clothes.

She listened to the music that played from the small headphones she had connected to her ears, soft and calming violin music, something written by a talented musician from another age. A being from a time when art and culture still existed. No-where in the universe were these sounds being heard, this one localised area, it was the only place where this beautiful music played. She'd spent months recreating this music digitally, months creating a sound system that would deliver the beauty of the music to its best. But it wouldn't ever be as good as the real thing, a real violin, played by a real musician. She was 8000 years too late to hear that.

A door in one of the corners of the room opened up, Ava walked in, Aphrodite could vaguely see him through the window of her jar. The lights turned on automatically, Ava jerked back a little in response. Aphrodite gently pulled one of the earphones out.

"Tch! I'll never get used to that!" he exclaimed. He seemed ratty, of course he was, all things considered.

"None of these buildings were made with lights in mind. I put a lot of effort into installing them you know." Aphrodite spoke faintly through the speakers so Ava could hear from outside her jar.

"Right, you guys need a high amount of light to see." he crossed his arms, as if he was unimpressed. Lately it seemed like he was getting less and less impressed with Aphrodite, no doubt because of how her crippled self had shattered his paranoid delusions of humans being some sort of deity.

"Light is the bringer of life. That's what we humans believed." she croaked

"Is that what you believe?"

"I don't know. Not yet."

"What?" of course, Ava was having trouble hearing her, she couldn't throw her voice far enough for the microphone in the jar to detect it, she was still too weak. Her poor and croaky voice made it pointless for her to try and talk.

Ava walked up to her jar.

"Can I come in?" he asked. Aphrodite nodded in response, she braced herself for the cold wind that would no doubt disrupt the already chilly air around her. "Right." he tapped on the panel next to the jar and let the door slide open. He quickly hopped in and let it close behind him.

"Don't just stand there, you're making me nervous." said Aphrodite. Indeed, another seat was placed next to hers, not as comfortable as hers, but still, there for courtesy, just in case Ava ever needed to discuss something with her. And he definitely did this time.

And so he sat, but there was an awkward silence between them, the only noise was the quiet but elegant hiss of the digital violin music playing through Aphrodite's earphones.

"You've got those ear things again?" he asked

"Earphones," Aphrodite replied, "I made them from the vocal synthesiser Evos have. This music was programmed using a digital-"

"I get it." Ava chuckled, "but what about the music itself?"

"...You want to listen?" Aphrodite passed one of headphones over to Ava. Ava raised his eyebrow and took the earpiece with a little apprehension. He slotted the device into his ear.

The two listened to the music on repeat for several minutes, neither said a word. Aphrodite didn't want to say anything before Ava had time to listen to the whole piece. It seemed Ava was having trouble deciphering what he was listening to, a look of intense concentration awash his face as he listened.