Chapter 30

Vincent POV:

An aroma of cheap, grilled meat flooded into my nose. My face twitched, and my eyes fluttered open. I sat up from my sleeping mat and observed what was going on. The twins were sitting in the center of the cabin and waving a piece of paper at the small fire that they set inside the place. If that fire jumped out of that little metal pot that they surrounded it with, we could be in a whole lot of trouble. There was a faint ray of sunlight peeking in from a small window on the right wall. The window was open, so the smoke flew out, and we would breathe without suffocating. I rolled onto the hard wooden floor and kept rolling until I reached the mini-indoor-camp fire.

George greeted me, "What's the up sleepy head? It's been almost four days since we came here, and you still haven't got used to getting up a bit earlier, have you?" I shake my head in agreement.

"Make sure you eat your fill. Today's the start of the Evolution Games!" Bill said excitedly. It was the first time I saw him showing a positive emotion. He looked just like George now. I mean, they were twins, yes, but their faces finally matched each other.

I asked them a question, "How much did the meat cost?"

George smiled and said, "I'm not tellin' you. Think of it as a gift."

I sighed, "Another one? You already gave me the bottle of soda."

"That was a trade. You gave us your pastries, remember?"

"Of course I remember. You think I got his far in my life with a shitty memory? Anyways, how much for the meat?"

He sighed and said, "For your share, six million credits."

I laughed, "Nice joke. Now, tell me, how much?"

"Six million credits." He crossed his arms over his chest.

I looked at the meat and then back at him. "For fuck's sake," I stabbed a piece of meat with my skewer and swallowed it, "You win." George smiled and so did Bill.

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Flin POV:

I've tracked them down. Three kids. Two twins. One light brown hair with emerald eyes. I see them through the tiny opened window on their right wall. They were eating grilled meat. The light-haired one just woke up and is rolling his way to the indoor stove. The fire was dangerous.

*RING!*

I picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Flin! Do you have them in your sights?" My boss was on the line.

"Yeah."

"Good! Now, tell me exactly what you see the emerald eyes doing." 'Emerald eyes' is the code name for the clone kid.

I peered into my binoculars, again. I see that emerald eyes was stabbing meat on the grill and swallowing it. I said, "Emerald eyes is swallowing meat."

"What?! my boss thought about it for a minute, "I'm not gay. How did he end up gay?"

"He's eating grilled meat," I paused and then asked, "Do we need to call him 'emerald eyes'? We both know his real name"

"First, that is a great clarification. Second, yes. It sounds like we're in a spy movie! Why get acquainted with the vernacular that they use in the movies?!"

"'Cause, it's annoying and tiring saying four syllables every time when his real name is only two."

"..." he thought about it. "You're right, you fuckin' genius! Let's call him by his real name."

"My pleasure."

"Now, keep your eyes on Vincent."

"OK." I cut the call and returned back to looking at little kids eating meat.

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Micheal Grey POV:

*BEEP*

That fucker. He can't just cut the phone when he's talking to his boss! Well...he doesn't really have any respect for me, so it checks out. It's been a day since I've gotten back on my feet. Feels good to be moving and groovin' and...going on a date with the love of my life! Today was the day that I would go on a date with my dear Angela! Today was also the day where I go up on stage and present the participants the Evolution Games. But, that can come later.

I'm dressed up in a classy suit. Black and white tuxedo. I wait next to my car. Angela should be here at any moment, so I got in my car and drove outside of the building, and parked out front. I got out of the car and leaned on it. Suddenly my phone started to vibrate. It was Angela! I picked up the call.

"Micheal, I-"

"Angela! I've been waiting for you! Don't be shy and c'mon down!"

"Micheal, y-"

"I'll be waiting!" I cut the call. But, as soon as I cut it, Angela called me back again. I sighed; she wasn't going to cancel the date was she. I laughed out loud; that would be ridiculous! What am I even thinking? I answered her call.

"MICHEAL, LISTEN TO ME PLEASE!!!" She yelled through the speakers.

"Holy shit! Chill, chill. I listen, you talk, okay?"

"Micheal, we have to cancel the date."

"Wai-" *BEEP!* The call died. What the fuck just happened? Did I do something wrong? I can't take a fucking 'no' for an answer!

I went back to my office, passing by the ginormous portrait of me, and slumped into my chair. I thought about this for a while. It was still noon and the function started at night, so I had plenty of time. And, so did she. Was she going on another date? Nah, that's not possible. Who would go on a date with her? She was gorgeous, fit, reserved, and emotional. Shit! That's what every guy wants. I opened a permanent marker and walked over to the gigantic window. I breathed for a second and proceeded to draw a table with two columns on the glass. One column was for leaving Angela alone, and the other was for busting her on a date with someone else. I began to write down the pros and cons of each one. If I let her alone, then what would the pros be? I would be respecting her privacy. She wouldn't find me desperate and clingy. Halfway down, I realized that I didn't need two columns, so I drew a large X over the right one. Now, what were the cons of not leaving her alone? Let me see, I would be violating her privacy. That's a given. She may or may not find me clingy. That's more of a fifty-fifty coin flip. I would be embarrassed in front of her if I was found out. But, that's only an 'if'. What else? Oh! I wouldn't be able to tell what she was doing or who she was with. "..." Fuck it. I grabbed my car keys and skedaddled.

***

I sat inside my car and turned on autopilot. An AI-generated, robotic-feminine voice rang out, "Please, set destination."

My pleasure, "Take me to where ever Angela is!"

The system's interface seemed like it was blinking in confusion. "Who is 'Angela'?"

I slapped my head; I forgot to calibrate my car. "Angela is my girlfriend. G-I-R-L-F-R-I-E-N-D. Write that down next to her name for me, will ya?"

The system blinked again, "Yes. 'Angela is my girlfriend. G-I-R-L-F-R-I-E-N-D.' has been added to contacts and destinations."

"Good, now let's go!" I shouted excitedly.

"I cannot do that, sir!" I beeped.

"Well, why the hell not?" I asked.

"Your seat belt is not properly fastened, sir."

"But, the commercial said that you'd be soooo safe that I wouldn't need one!"

"Yes, sir. But, this is protocol. The company does not want to be sued for any potential damages due to their false advertising."

"Understandable." I clicked my seatbelt into place and waited for the car to move. "Why aren't you moving?"

"Would you like the windows down or up, sir?" The way she said 'sir' after every sentence was so forced that it made me cringe.

"I would like them up." The windows stayed where they were. "Now, go!"

"Sir, would like the AC on or off?"

"Can't you just go?" I was practically begging now, "Please, this is the most important thing that you can ever do for me!"

The system didn't give a shit about my dropped ego and said, "I don't understand human emotions. Now, please tell me. Would you like the AC on or off?"

"Fuck you! I'll just get into another car!" I popped open the lock and pushed the car door to open. But, it didn't open. I tried again. It didn't budge.

The system talked, "I am hurt by your profanity, sir. You will not leave this car until you apologize. Now, would you like the AC on or off?"

I stared out the window and said, "I thought you didn't have human emotions?"

"That was twenty-eight seconds ago. I just received an update that includes human emotion stimulation."

I banged on the glass window, "PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!" To my horror, a slow but definitive metal plate cascaded down. I was barred in. What the fuck did I buy?! I calmed myself down and said, "Give me the AC...please?"

As if by magic, the AC started on full blast. What the hell happened to my life?