No. 2: Through Thick or Thin

No. 2: Through Thick or Thin

"Sir. They've met." A woman reported. A tall man with graying hair walked briskly over to her and looked down at her screen.
"All three?" He asked.
"Yes sir."
He watched as three sixteen-year-olds walk down the streets, smiling with each other. The tall brunette boy was telling an animated story that made the other two burst out laughing.
"They have no idea." The woman muttered.
"Ignorance is bliss." He replied.
"Are they the ones?" She asked.
"Yes they are. They're our last line of defense. They're going to save the world. We have plans for them. Very high plans. Take them to the forest tomorrow. It's getting closer."

.:+++:.

Isabelle woke up with the smell of the rain, and the crisp breeze caressing her gently. She opened her groggy eyes and saw that she had left her tiny window open last night. Groaning softly she stretched and felt something dig into her side. Izzy looked down and saw Cliff's black notebook.
She ran her finger tips over the cover before picking it up. She had devoured the story eagerly, drinking in every word he had written. He hadn't struck her as the kind of guy that would write, but he sure knew how to tell a story that kept you flipping the pages. She had stayed up 'til two o'clock last night reading it, and was a little depressed when she had come to the end of it.

Beep, beep.

She scrambled for her phone on the nightstand and read the text message on the screen.

Venn: Hey, we're going hiking, wanna come?

After a moment's hesitation she typed in a response.

Izzy: What time?

Venn: Uh...15 min....

Isabelle shrieked for a moment before jumping out of bed and rushing to her closet.

Izzy: Half an hour!

Venn: What could you possibly need to do that would take half an hour?!

Izzy:....You do have a girlfriend right? You should know this by now.

Venn:....fine. Half an hour but not a second more!

Isabelle grabbed a pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt before hitting the shower.

She finished up with twelve minutes to spare, which she spent packing a lunch since it was already noon. She had exchanged her orange converse, for a pair of hiking boots and had on one of her favorite jackets zipped up along with a teal blue beanie cap to keep her ears warm.
When the boys finally knocked on the door, she grinned and grabbed Cliff's notebook before taking the stairs two at a time.

At the bottom of the stairs, she found Sarah standing in her way.
"Where are you going?" The slur in her words gave off the impression that she wasn't sober.
"Hiking outside the city. I should be back around supper time."
She pointed an accusing finger at Izzy that wavered.
"I want pizza tonight...and money. I need more money."
Isabelle sighed and edged her way around her.
"Okay, I left twenty bucks on the dinner table for pizza so, you'll be set for dinner if I'm too late."
Izzy dashed out the door before Sarah could say another word.
She screamed when she hit something hard right outside the door. As she felt herself falling, strong arms wrapped around her waist before they both hit the concrete. Her head hit so hard she heard a sickening crack and something warm dripped down the side of her face.
"Oh crap. Isabelle?"
The voice was getting farther and farther away.
"Isabelle look at me!"
She struggled to keep Venn's dark eyes in focus.
"What happened?!" Cliff's voice sounded at the end of the tunnel. Venn's eyes were joined by Cliff's grey ones but she watched as light dotted her vision until it got to much to bare and she shut her eyes.

.:+++:.

Everything was blue.
Everything she saw was blue.
No, as her eyes adjusted and focused, she saw out side some kind of glass encasing was a boy.
He had curly dark hair and eyes that were an odd amber color.
They made eye contact, his even gaze sent a shiver down her spine, but by the shock she saw on his face he didn't expect her to catch him watching her. She was about to say something when she became conscious that something was in her mouth, she looked down and saw wires coming off her body, she didn't see where they went, she was having a minor heart attack.
Where am I? What's going on God?! She screamed, but only bubbles came out.
The boy touched the glass with his finger tips. He mouthed something to her that she didn't get then ran off. Replaced by a woman in a white lab coat who went to work franticly typing on a monitor of what looked like an outline of a human body, it took Izzy a minute to figure out it was her own. The woman zoomed in on her brain and tapped another key. Immediately her eyes closed and she floated in oblivion once again.

.:+++:.

She woke up gasping for breath and was grateful to have it fill her lungs.
Her eyes were slightly blinded by the bright lights, but when she blinked several times they cleared up and she was able to figure out she was in an emergency room.
Nurses were rushing around and tending to other patients, one stopped by her and checked monitors she was hooked up too.
"You had a slight head trauma." The nurse said as she turned to me. "You passed out, so you weren't conscious for the stitches. Which you're probably thankful for."
Izzy managed to smile.
"Well anyways, we'll get you some pain killers, and then you're free to go."
She pulled the IV out of Isabelle's arm and left with one more smile.

Isabelle swung herself out of the bed to find she was still in the same clothes. Even her boots. So she figured she couldn't have been out for very long.
She slowly made her way out of the emergency room and into the waiting area.
Venn and Cliff jumped up when they saw her and rushed over.
"Are you okay?" Cliff asked, both boy's faces were full of worry.
"Yeah, get a cinnamon hot coco and I'll be right as rain." She said with a smile.
"Well I guess it's a good thing I already went and got that a few minutes ago." Venn produced a Starbucks cup of still steaming hot chocolate. Isabelle's eyes brightened at the sight of it as she accepted it from him.
"You are amazing. Thanks!"
"It was my money though..." Cliff mumbled quietly as he walked away. Izzy laughed as she saw the competition going on.
"You're both amazing. Now let's get my pain killers and get out of here. I still want to go hiking."
Venn looked at her with worry in his eyes.
"Are you sure? I mean you just had three stitches and you want to go hiking?"
Isabelle shrugged away his worry as she asked for her pills at the front desk.
"If I get tired then we'll stop. And if my head really starts to hurt you can carry me back." She joked.
"I really don't think this is such a good idea." Cliff chimed in.
She sighed as she got the feeling they wouldn't let her go now.
"Alright fine. But can we at least walk around? I don't want to go back home..." Isabelle hugged her middle as she followed the boys outside the ER.
They were so quiet for a moment that she had to glance up at them to make sure they were still there.
In truth, she didn't want to be alone. Because she knew that if she was alone, she would start to think about things, and the one thing her mind kept jumping to was that odd dream she had when she was knocked out.
It had to have been a dream, it was the only thing that would make sense to her. But then again, she usually never dreams that she's in a sci-fi show.

"Why don't you come over to my house..." Venn said slowly. "That way you can lie down if you need to and I'd feel much more comfortable if we were closer to a place where I don't have to carry you for miles. Not saying I couldn't do it I just-"
Isabelle punched his arm playfully.
"I got it. No need to boost your own self-esteem there."
Venn chuckled and took the lead. Izzy slinked back with Cliff and slipped his black notebook into his hand.
He looked up at her not down at his hand, she guessed so Venn wouldn't notice. She gave him a reassuring smile before taking a couple of steps ahead of him, so they formed a single line. Reminding Isabelle of a row of little ducklings.

.:+++:.

"Sir we have a slight complication."
The man walked over to the woman with raised eyebrows. Telling her to go on.
"Well the girl hit her head on the concrete and had to go to the ER. So that shoots down taking them to the forest."
The man sighed quietly as he watched the monitor. The three were sitting on the couch in the Russo Estate playing the Xbox.
"But...that's...not the bad news..." The woman fiddled with a brown curl and bit her bottom lip uncertain to continue.
"Please Anna," The man gestured for her to go on.
"Well...because the injury wasn't programmed, it messed up the system, and she...broke through..."
The man's eyes grew wide, though nothing else on his face showed shock.
"She woke up?"
Anna nodded.
"I was able to put her back under but I don't know how much she saw, and because of this, I can't make her forget it either. She's...breaking up the system."
"We need to get them out. Now."

.:+++:.

"Ugh..." Isabelle collapsed onto the couch, curling up into a small ball so the boys still had room.
Her head was ringing, she had already taken a pill but it didn't seem to have kicked in yet.
"You okay?" Venn asked.
"I'll live if that's what you mean. But I don't think 'okay' would be a good adjective to describe me at the moment." She said quietly as she closed her eyes.
"Hey, where's Christie? I would have thought you'd invite her over." She asked, opening one eye to look at Venn.
"She's got the flu so she didn't want to come over and give it to the rest of us. Though she says she's praying for you."
Isabelle nodded and closed her eyes again. She really wanted to talk about Cliff's book, but she knew he wouldn't appreciate it if she asked about it with Venn around. Probably because it's not usually something a guy would do. She thought to herself. At least, not one that spends most of his time in a gym.
"Hey Venn, could you do me a favor?" She asked, opening her eyes again.
"Sure."
"Do you have any food? I'm starving. I never did eat lunch."
He chuckled and put the game on pause.
"What do you want? We've got stuff for turkey sandwiches, or there's cold pizza."
She scrunched up her nose at the sound of cold pizza. Making him laugh harder.
"Alright, turkey sandwich it is." He said as he got up from the couch and went into the kitchen.
"Thank you!" She shouted after him.

Cliff fiddled with his controller at the other end of the couch and didn't say anything.
"So," Izzy spoke up. "How long have you been writing?"
"Uh...I don't know." He smiled down at his hands, though she was pretty sure it was because he was thinking of a good memory. "Probably ever since my sixth grade teacher had us write a short story for English."
Isabelle smiled and nodded.
"Well I really liked your story. You are obviously more talented in writing then I am." She stuck out her tongue to the pillow she held between her hands.
Cliff laughed and shrugged modestly.
"Yeah well..."
"So how come you don't want Venn to know?"
"Because I'd never hear the end of it. And I don't need that kind of crap right now."
She nodded in understanding. It's not that she was actually sure how he felt, but she knew how the world didn't let anyone be who they actually were with out shooting them down.
"Well, your secrets safe with me."
He met her gaze this time and smiled.
"I know."
"You know what?" Venn came back in holding out a plate with a sandwich on it for Izzy.
"Thanks." She said quietly as she sat up.
"I know exactly how to beat you in this game. Duh." Cliff stated so naturally that Izzy almost believed him.

The boys went back to their game playing, while Izzy dozed off every now and then.
The lights flickered on and off for a moment before going off completely.
The boys fell silent and didn’t move. Izzy woke up and sensed the tension in the air.
“What happened to the lights?” She asked.
“Some kid probably blew a transformer again.” Venn grumbled from somewhere to her left. “I’ll go check the breakers on the house.”
She could hear him get up from the couch and stumble around the house, but just then a light came back on.
"What was that...?" She whispered, the house all of a sudden becoming eerie.
"I've got no idea. I'll be right back." Venn said giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
Both Cliff and Izzy rose from their spots on the couch to watch him leave. Unconsciously moving closer to each other for the sense of security.
"Isabelle Grace Wood, Vencint Flynn Russo, Cliff Pierce Kentin."
All three froze.
Venn swung around from the corner he had walked past, Izzy jumped and grabbed Cliff's hand, squeezing it hard.
What they saw confused them.
It was a woman standing in middle of the living room.
Well, sort of. She didn't seem to be...fully there.
Also, what she was wearing was unusual. She wore a scientist lab coat, under which was a dark-green, skin-tight jumpsuit type garment.
"Who are you? Where did you come from?" Cliff demanded in shock.
"She's not from anywhere. Well, at least not here." Izzy said. Taking small, cautious steps forward, she looked like she was about to smack the woman.
"Isabelle! What-" Venn's sentence was cut off when her hand went clean through the woman's face.
His jaw dropped as he jumped clear over the couch and ran up to the woman, swiping his own hand through the non-existent person.
"Yes. I am a hologram. Now would you please stop, you're messing up the projector." The woman ordered. They both jumped back and walked backwards until they met up with Cliff again.
"Now, as to who I am. That is not important. But what is important is that you realize that this world you live in, Washington DC, the United States. None of it is real. Nothing. The world is controlled by us, scientists helping a race of people that are....unique in ways no one can understand."
"Excuse me?" They all said in unison.

.:+++:.

The three, stunned, and utterly confused children listened while their reality was broken down to nothing.
"We were able to form a virtual reality quickly and you've been living in here since you were six-"
"Six?! We were in here for ten years?!" Izzy almost screamed. "Why? Why us? I'm sure there are other kids that would have been better, or better yet you could have just left us the heck alone!" Anger boiled up in her as thoughts came to mind, and then the memory she had when she was knocked out.
Her eyes grew wide and she would have fallen to the floor, if Cliff didn't have fast reflexes.
"Oh dang. We don't happen to be floating in some kind of blue gel do we? With like scuba gear or something?" She asked, gaining her balance again.
"What? scuba gear?" Venn asked.
"What kind of blue gel?" Cliff inquired.
The woman sighed and nodded.
"Yes. You are, it's the only way your bodies will be able to function again when we bring you out."
"Is that why you're bringing us out?" She asked. "Because I woke up?"
"You did what?!"
Izzy ignored Cliff again and turned to the woman.
"Yes, it was not programmed. You're crashing the system. So we have to get you out as soon as possible before it causes any kind of damage to your brains."
"Wait, wait, wait." Venn spoke up, tired of being ignored. "So you're telling us that everything we've ever lived isn't...real? It never actually happened?"
The woman nodded. "Yes I do believe that is what I have been saying."
"So...my girlfriend is a figment of my imagination?"
"Yes. We programmed her to fall for you, we programmed her to be with you. Everything she did, we told her to do."
Horror and disgust over came the three.
"My mom..."
"Is also a program. We don't have much time we need to be going."
"No!" Venn shouted. "I don't think we're going anywhere right now. You can't just drop the whole 'you live in the Matrix' bomb on people with out them reacting so you'll give us twenty four hours here to figure stuff out. I don't care if my mom's a program I still have to talk to her....And Christie."
Tight lines formed around the woman's mouth as her gaze became cold.
"We don't have that much time. You have twelve hours at the most that is all we can give you. Say your goodbyes, and then it's best not to look back at this. It was never real and you had best move on."
The woman disappeared, leaving the three children stunned and angry.
"What a freakin' - Ugh!" Izzy cut herself off before she let foul language pour out from her mouth. She gripped her head, no longer caring if it hurt.
"Who-who does this?! And for God's sake if they had control over our lives then why did she make mine so bloody miserable?!" She collapsed on the couch and held her head in her hands, her breathing was fast and her pulse was racing.
"I think we need to come at this rationally..."
"Cliff, there is nothing rational about this." Venn snapped. "And Izzy's got a point. If they do really control our whole lives, then why did yours have to turn out so bad? They made that car crash happen! They made your dad die! It was all on them!"
"Don't you think I know that?!" Cliff yelled at him, his own anger threatening to over flow. "But I don't think yelling at each other is going to change that! We need to think through things or we're going to be running head-on into things we know nothing about."
Izzy drew in a shaky breath and nodded.
"Alright, you're right. We have to look at this with out the anger or all we're going to see is bad things."
"What could possibly be good out of all this?!" Venn was still heated. Cliff and Izzy exchanged glances knowing it would take both of them to calm him down.
"Maybe...we're the only humans left in the real world and they had to preserve us." She scrambled for something that would explain it but by the looks they were giving her she knew they thought she was insane.
"That woman was human." Cliff pointed out.
"Well...maybe she was a computer like in Terminator!"
Venn chuckled slightly, though the anger and hate was still obvious in his eyes.
"Yeah but wouldn't a human need to monitor us physically?" Cliff pointed out.
Immediately she knew the faults in her own theory.
"Yeah...the mechanics of it would be too huge. The world would have to be extremely advance in order to come up with that kind of computer. And then the whole thing she said about my injury not being in the program, and because of it the whole system's crashing. That in it's self tell me that it can't be to far advance then this world. So in essence it would just-"
"What the heck are you talking about?" Venn jumped in.
Izzy looked up at him startled that they were there.
"Oh...yeah you wouldn't know about that...." She mumbled.
"About what?"
"Um...that I'm ADHD and in order to keep my fingers from driving everyone else insane I work on cars."
They looked at her slightly shocked and then Venn snorted.
"Yeah...right."
"M-hmm..." She didn't try to prove it to them, they'd see soon but now wasn't the time.
"Well anyways, we only have twelve hours here. You guys had best say your goodbyes if this is all true." She said quietly.
"What about you? Do you have someone you want to say goodbye to?" Cliff asked.
She shook her head as she rose from the couch.
"Not unless you count the Starbucks on the corner." She said with a smile. "I'll come back around sometime tonight."
Before the boys could say anything, she grabbed her backpack and gave the boys a wave and walked out the door. But her hand in her pocket, curled up into a fist.