Chapter 22 - The Siblings (II)

There was an immediate need to incapacitate Io, but he hadn't quite figured out how. Io's control over his immovability ability was near-perfect, and he was able to adjust the dial of intensity minutely. Even if the immovability on him was to be loosened just a little bit, it wouldn't be enough for Uari to trigger any of his tricks or traps.

He cursed his past self a little for purchasing only weapons and accessories that required him to touch them to activate, then went back to plotting.

Wizah was busy setting up, fiddling with the Interface screens that popped up around her as the memory-wiping software powered up. At the same time, Io was busy gathering equipment from the room's cupboards, pulling out a torturous-looking helmet and probes, as well as additional restraints.

Huh. So Io couldn't use his ability while Uari was undergoing the wipe.

Uari was starting to feel cramped. He was still stuck in the semi-crouching position that he was in when Io froze him, and he still had the ability to feel. Wizah had thankfully dumped him against a wall, but muscles that shouldn't be clenched were clenched and he just knew that he was going to be incredibly sore when Io let go.

Io just dumped the helmet and probes on the Interface table, stuffing fingers in his ears when Wizah immediately began to nag at his 'lack of respect for medical equipment' as she plugged the helmet into the Interface.

Wizah spared him only a glance. "Set him up, Io."

The teenager stalked over, sticking his tongue out at her back briefly before turning to Uari. A bladeless scalpel sailed across the air and nailed him squarely in the back of the head. Io yelped, then fell silent at the death glare she sent him.

Uari was obediently dragged over to the exam chair. Io lifted him with a great huff, and positioned him, still crouching, on the chair. The sole, ominous light of the room swung across his face. Uari had never felt so much like a specimen.

"Heh."

Wizah peeked over at the huff of laughter, and a smirk stretched across her face. "He looks so stupid like this, doesn't he?"

"We should take a picture and harass him later once he comes back." "Yeah, that's a good idea, let's do that."

Uari resolved to pay extra attention to this fool pair of unruly siblings once he was able to move again. The sniggering and the flashes of their portable Interfaces finally, mercifully, ended. With a final, derisive, identical set of laughs, Wizah returned behind the Interface and Io stationed himself next to Uari's chair.

He was still giggling at the screen in front of him. Uari would give him an extra-strong wedgie later.

Io released him slightly and began to slowly manoeuvre his limbs around. It was just enough that he could relax those clenched muscles, but Io took a full ten minutes to reposition his arms and legs.

"Weak-ass bitch."

Uari began to pray for patience as they began to squabble again. At this rate, he would never get his memory wiped, and he would never be able to kick their asses.

Io finally got around to restraining his arms and legs properly, and Wizah hummed as she analysed the screens.

"Okay, we can get started now. Io, release him from Immovability."

Uari's plan had a very small sliver of time to work within: the moment Io released him, and before Wizah started the memory wipe. For the sake of safety, he would assume that the process would start instantaneously instead of having a booting-up period, which meant that he had less than a second.

The moment Io released him, Uari discharged one of his lustre rings silently. They travelled past the lustre-resistant material of his clothes, and were directed away from his precious brains by the presence of a conductive probe. He was aware that they worked by fiddling with the brain's electrical signals—therefore, it made sense that they could be disrupted with lustre.

He released as much lustre as he dared without drawing attention, and heard the telltale sounds of an Interface shutting down.

"What the hell, why did everything turn off?"

"Huh?? What did you do, you shitty sister—"

"What makes you think it's my fault?! It just turned off on its own!"

After some time, Wizah imperiously sent Io off to find their technical expert. It was a very dumb decision, because Io's Immovability immediately began to weaken with distance.

"I know you're trying to escape, but just stay there for God's sake."

She sounded exhausted. Uari could guess why.

"I don't want to do a memory wipe."

"It won't hurt."

"That's not the point."

"Ugh, what are you even trying to do? Just finish your mission or whatever. They said you freaking robbed my clinic." She stuffed a spare Interface controller into her mouth and crunched through the plastic shell. Uari wondered if the Gravts' grocery budget had merged with their budget for tech supplies.

"It was out of necessity."

"Heartless bastard. I hope you choke on your beans and die."

She sat on the seat Io had vacated, crossed her legs, and grasped her chin with one hand as she pondered something, starting at him. On the other side, Uari was working on stretching his hand as deep down his pants pocket as possible. The exam chair had forced Io to tie his hands down close to his body, and with a little reaching, he could just barely stick his hand in to grasp at another one of his weapons: a simple, strong laser that he could use to cut through the metal restraints.

He prayed that the strain of reaching into his pockets wasn't showing on his face even as Wizah gazed at him. She wasn't doing anything, so it might be working.

"Seriously, Uari, what are you doing?"

"Not escaping, heh heh—ouch!"

She had smacked him on the head at that. "Not that, you fool. It won't work anyway. What the hell are you doing back at base, trying to wreck everything that you yourself built?"

Oh, that. He forgot she didn't know that he didn't know. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to reveal it; it would only strengthen the idea that he wasn't doing them any harm, and probably prevent them from harming him too much.