Edge of the Game (Part 4)

Author's Note:

If you have not read the first three parts of this story, then please do so before you read this final part 4. This is a collaborative short story!

Part 1, written by Komal.

Part 2, written by Rowan Finley.

Part 3, written by Komal.

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Part 4, below:

Ava shook, hardly conscious, until she heard a voice.

"What a wild time we've had trying to catch you!"

It was the voice of the scientist who had come up with the Rechanneling Initiative. Continuing his diabolical monologue, he stared at Ava who was strapped to a hospital bed.

She moaned, not able to form any words or even open her eyes.

"The goal was to wipe you all of emotion and memories in order to develop a special military force that had nothing to hold them back. The kick-ass assassins! But you! You resisted the whole entire time! A renegade! A resistant rebel! An outlier and boy did you almost just ruin the entire plan!"

Ava's neck felt very sore from where Liam had jabbed her with the syringe.

"Now, the only option is full restraining since you can't be trusted like all the others who have developed just fine! Why do you have to be the one to screw up my whole plan? But now... Now, it's GAME OVER!"

The scientist jeered at her with creepy intensity. He looked at Ava as if she was a feral animal that had finally been caught.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In several rooms over from where Ava was, the scientist's newly hired lab assistant handed a flash drive to Liam.

"This one's yours."

"What do you mean?"

"Your memories. They're all here."

"That's all in the past. I don't care! This life is much easier. I am one of them and I like it that way! Don't you get it? I don't want to remember anything!"

"You have to trust me on this! I have spent a long time figuring this out."

The assistant's eyes tried connecting with Liam but he was void of any real reciprocity of understanding. The assistant put in the flash drive into a laptop on the counter.

"Here, I'll watch it all with you. You doing this, is the only way..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chi and Sam were on the other side of the world. They both held machine guns. The bullets bolting from their guns seemed endless. Their eyes were empty. They had been stoically compliant for the last ten years. It was as if it was all they'd ever known.

Chi looked over at Sam for a half second, while still firing away at the tanks.

"Want some sandwiches after this? I'm a bit hungry..."

"Sure. Lunch sounds good. Let me take that helicopter down real quick."

He casually shot down the helicopter that was whirring around like a housefly.

They finished up their militant assignment with ease and pulled over in their jeep to eat their lunch.

Chi took a bite of her ham sandwich.

"Have you ever wondered where we even came from?"

Sam burped slightly under his breath and popped a bunch of grapes into his mouth.

"Nah. Never thought that was important..."

Chi nodded.

"Yeah... You're right. It sure is a nice day to go blow stuff up..."

She patted a large box of fiber containers which held dozens of grenades. Both of their watches buzzed abruptly. A notification read:

"Return to headquarters immediately."

"Oh... looks like we won't get to use these today..."

Chi patted the fiber containers again as if they were little puppies and then yawned.

"Guess the party's over - wonder what's going on at headquarters that they need us for now..."

Sam's face appeared to be very unamused and bored. Sam added.

"I guess we'll head back now then. Yay... another flight..."

He added with sarcasm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ava finally opened her eyes after hearing more mumbling and rambling. She swallowed, as her eyes began to focus.

"What happened?"

Ava's heart sunk. Trying to move her arms which were still strapped down, she felt a wild rush of all sorts of emotions and memories that felt foreign and uncomfortable, like they were unwelcomed friends from long ago...

"What happened? Well, you lost the game, Ava! This ten-year-chase that you've been on... dodging my men... wreaking havoc all over the place... You lost because I will never let you go now! ...but I don't know how you got your USB... that part still has me a bit bepuzzled shall I say..."

The scientist laughed and then he looked at her again.

"Who gave it to go, Ava?"

The door flashed open.

"I did!"

Three gunshots hit the scientist in the back. He slumped down to the floor with a grotesque-looking face, as if he was a gargoyle frozen in time.

Ava looked at the person with the gun in horror and surprise.

"Ms. Lockhart?"

It was their orphanage headmaster from the old orphanage that had closed down. Ava remembered her now quite vividly that her memories had been restored with the USB.

"It's me... I knew that something was horribly wrong when the government took you all away in that plane. I've spent the last ten years trying to figure it all out. Once I figured out the diabolical plan, I worked toward becoming the scientist's lab assistant. I knew the only way to get you all back with your memories was by working from within!"

Liam stepped out from behind Ms. Lockhart.

"Hey Ava. I'm back... really back now... and Sam and Chi and all the others will soon be too..."

He clutched his USB flash drive as if it were a gemstone and smiled at her with what felt like a foreign rush of joy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The end.