Chapter Text
Beep.
Cold. The floor was always “cold”. They explained it as “a feeling of chill when the skin experiences anything below 65°”…How would anyone know what that means without a proper instrument to measure the number? How will one know the difference between 68° and 64°? Itawasa thought it was a bit mundane to think like that. But he only “woke up” a few weeks ago. What did he know?
Beep.
“I’m coming, Surume. Hold on,” Itawasa whispered, giving a smile no one would be able to see. His feet hit the ground with every step as he walked towards wall, the vent just being overhead. Like he did every night, Itawasa climbed the shelves, pulling the vent right off the wall, and without making a sound, crawled through to the room beside his. There, a giant tube filled with green fluid was there, waiting for him.
“See? I told you I would be here.”
Beep.
And there he was, still floating there- eyes ever so nicely closed. Surume was, as one of the scientists told Itawasa, another clone. The internal joy he felt when he found out he wasn’t alone in this was one of the happiest moments of his seemingly short life. Of course- the scientists couldn’t know that. Because he was going to do something against the rules.
He wanted to make sure Surume woke up.
Beep.
Itawasa knew that the noises coming from the machine were obviously not Surume talking, but when he was listening to the scientists on the first day he heard what the noises meant.
“This is a catastrophe. This one hasn’t even opened its damn eyes! What is the corporate head gonna do with us?!”
“Jean- calm yourself. Look. We have heart and nerve readings. The thing is alive. Plus- it has dreams! Not coherent ones- sure- but it’s SOMETHING! As long as this thing is making noise, it’s a chance.”
“Headquarters aren’t going to like hearing their plans are being delayed…”
Itawasa couldn’t understand a lot of their words, but from the little he could pick up and understand he knew: Surume had a chance.
Beep.
He stood right in front of the tube, hearing the hum of the machines behind it. There were three screens on: Two with zigzag lines that flowed across the screen and one that had colors and different shapes floating on the screen. The source of the noise was that last screen. They were constant noises, moving like a set pattern. A rhythm. It felt nice.
Beep.
Surume’s room was always so quiet. Sure, the noise was constant and sometimes it would get loud… but to Itawasa? That light noise was one of the only things comforting him in this giant and seemingly empty building. Those noises were proof that Itawasa wasn’t alone. Someone else could understand. Plus, the scientists barely stay in the room nowadays, especially since Itawasa openly asked who Surume was. If Itawasa didn’t keep Surume company, who would?
Beep.
Itawasa walked closer to Surume, carefully making sure he didn’t trip on any wires, whispering, “You know, Surume. The world is… what is the word… cold out here. I think. My skin thinks it’s below 65°. Though I can never tell without a therm-mo-meeter…” He went silent for a response.
Beep.
“You need to wake up so I can show you all that you have missed out on! Like… I can tell you that you should not leave your fingers in a door when closing… or watching out for the wires! I almost got the “strike” from the scientists when I made a lot of noise one time earlier this week…”
Beep.
“I don’t know if you can even hear me. Logically, you should not… the glass would have to be too thick. But…” Itawasa paused, walking up to the glass, and placing his hand on it. “Maybe you can feel my conversation?”
The tube was surprisingly… not cold. It was warm like the soupy dinners the scientists would feed him. It had a hum and low rumble to it, like a low A note. Itawasa laid his head onto the glass, hoping to feel Surume’s thoughts. It was to no avail. Everything stayed the same.
Beep. Beep.
The unprecedented noise startled Itawasa, causing his hand and head to pull away. “Did you… feel me?” He paused for a long time, looking at the screens around the tube and at Surume’s sleeping body. It was silent for a while.
Beep.
Maybe that was a mistake. He continued his silence to listen again.
Beep.
Itawasa put his hand back on the tube, hoping for the same results as before. He eagerly waited for Surume’s response. At this point, he was expecting a scientist just to appear and take notice of him. But he did not care. Surume was trying to speak in his own way.
“Please… let me know if you can hear me…,” he whispered, focused on Surume’s face.
Beep.
Disappointed, Itawasa sighed. “Well, maybe you are tired… I think you making your noises takes a lot of power. I know you are not as strong as me. Once you get out here, I will definitely help you out. Promise.” And before he could finish his message, the there was a click that echoed down the hall that was immediately followed with a bell, and then footsteps. Heavy ones too. No… more than one?
Itawasa realized it was probably the scientists coming to check to see if he was sleeping. And then locking up the door for the night.
“Oh- I think I overstayed my welcome…” He quietly sprinted towards the open vent to go back into his room, waving goodbye to Surume from the now closed vent. “Don’t wake up without me here, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow,” he excitedly whispered, like he did every night he had been visiting.
He crawled back, then just in the nick of time, slipped into bedroom and his bed before the scientist could even unlock the door.