System Reboot (Sequel to System Failure)

Chapter 14

Adam's POV
Alesa took me through the city and I was amazed at how little had changed while I had been in cyberspace. The streets were lit up the same, people milled about the same, the trees were in the same spots and the fountain that dominated the middle of the park was still ringed with mossy bricks. As we passed, I ran my fingers over the stones, smiling a little as the memories of the multiple mornings I had stood here waiting for Ty to show up. The tips of my fingers came away grimy and green and I grimaced, wiping them on my pants.

My apartment block hadn't changed either, apart from the hedges out the front getting a bit of a trim. As we waited for the elevator in the foyer, I looked around, vaguely recalling everything as I saw it, but my skin still crawled as we stepped into the metal transport container. I tried to keep as still as possible while my eyes darted around. Some vague thought in the back of my head said that I probably looked like a caged animal about to bolt but I couldn't help it; everything just felt so wrong.

I let Alesa lead the way to my old apartment even though years of walking to it meant that I still hadn't forgotten the way. She opened the door and stood aside to let me go first, and when I stepped over the threshold, it was like I had never left.

The curtains must have been drawn back earlier during the day because now, they allowed a view of the few street lamps in the nearby park and the small squares of light that glittered all over the multistory buildings that surrounded us. Inside the apartment, all of the furniture was in the exact place it had been when I had lived here, and the kitchen was on my direct left, and from where I was standing, I could see my computer desk and chair through one of the partly open doors. But the mere sight of it made my chest clench and heat up and I had to consciously push down the thoughts to leap into its mainframe and destroy it.

I stepped into the house, letting Alesa follow after me and close the door behind her. I pressed down a switch on the wall and the room became flooded with a warm yellow light that instantly calmed me. A few things jumped out at me that Alesa must have added as she was living here; a few books propped up next to the TV, a slightly different arrangement of the kitchen utensils, a blanket folded neatly on the couch and a sketch of someone that was sitting framed on the small table set up next to the blanket. I recognised the person drawn instantly, and it sent a sort of shock through me to realise how much I had changed.

"I didn't realise you were an artist," I said, turning my head a little towards Alesa but my eyes were glued to the sketch she had drawn of me.

"Oh, yeah, um, it's just something I did when I had spare time."

I glanced over enough to see her blushing as she hung up her Glitch trench coat on the same rack that I used to hang mine on. Part of my lips twitched up into a smile and I breathed in deeply and let it out, trying to relax. This was my old home. I should feel safe here.

I went to the window and drew the fabric curtains closed, pausing for a moment to stare out of the glass. The city was quiet and still, even though it was only a few minutes past sundown. I squinted my eyes to try and block out the light as I peered down into the park and saw that there were, in fact, a few people walking through it or sitting down in the benches. About half a dozen or so, but each of them had small pinpoints of light in front of their face, never noticing the other human beings or the world around them. My hand tightened around the curtain and I yanked it shut, forcing myself to release the fabric as I stepped back.

Turning around, I saw that Alesa was busy in the kitchen, putting water to boil on the stove and rummaging through the cupboards. "Do you want some help?" I offered, even though I knew that I wasn't that great of a cook.

She glanced around and gave me a smile that made my heart start jumping inside my chest. "No, it's okay," she said, shaking her head. "You just relax. I know it can be hard adjusting after you've been in cyberspace for so long."