inhale, exhale
Title: inhale, exhale
Author: Amata le Fay
Story: Omni
Flavor(s): Chocolate Chip Mint 5 (vulnerable), Peach Pie 9 (while I breathe, I hope), Dark Chocolate 12 (dependence)
Extras/Toppings: None
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1057
Notes: First RAT story, so here goes. All the information you need to know is in the post linked above.Oh, and please feel free to give concrit.
“I have to go.”
“So soon?”
Mark nodded and Becca threw herself into his arms. He wrapped them around her in a warm embrace, and the tears that brimmed her eyes did not flow over. “You knew this was coming,” he murmured, comforting and yet honest. “You had years' notice. As soon as you met me, you knew I'd have to go in. We all do.”
Becca sighed. “I just... I just thought we had more time, that's all.”
“Becca, your birthday's only a week after mine.”
“Six days.”
“What difference does it make?”
“It makes all the difference to me.” She looked up at him. “Couldn't you just... not go?”
“Becca.” Mark let go and sat down on the couch. “You know I can't.”
“But you can.”
“No, I can't.”
“I'm being serious, Mark. You must've heard the rumors-kids like us just saying no, walking away, running off to live in the
wilderness.”
“Wilderness?” Mark said with a laugh. “Becca, there's no wilderness in West Essex. The Ministry of Conservation's flipping out at us 'cause we mowed down all the forests to build factories.”
“You could hide in an abandoned building, then. There're probably Closter kids doing it right now.”
Mark laughed again.
“What? I'm being serious. I swear, there are whole communities out there devoted to living without the Omni.”
“Who, the Luddites?” he said, suddenly serious. “Becca, you can't seriously believe their ideology.”
“Course not. I love a machine just as much as the next person,” she replied. “Actually, probably even more.”
“Then why don't you want to go into the Omni?”
She sighed again. “It's not me, you idiot. I'm completely fine with it.”
“But you don't want me to go in.”
“No.” Becca sat down next to him on the couch and squeezed his hand. “I don't. You know the horror stories coming out, last couple of years. Matches gone wrong. People disappearing, even dying.”
Mark frowned. “My uncle said he's trying to get that under control-”
“Your uncle's the freaking Minister of Mechanics, of course he'd say that!” she said. “And besides, trying to get it under control isn't the same as having it under control. What if, while your uncle's trying to get it under control, you're that one unlucky person the Omni decides to screw around with and you end up dead?”
“What if I'm not?” he countered.
“Well, what if you are?” Becca's face began to flush as all her worries came pouring out. “And even if you're not, what if the Omni assigns you and me to different locations? What if we never see each other again? We can't apply for a marriage license-it's too late and they probably wouldn't even grant it anyway. The Omni wouldn't necessarily take our opinions into account if it thought splitting us apart was for the greater good. I don't-” She cut herself off.
He raised an eyebrow. “You don't what?”
“I don't-” Again, she cut herself off, sighing. “Dammit. It makes me feel so stupid and selfish and vulnerable, but I was going to say that I don't think I can live without you.”
There was a moment of silence as Mark reflected on what exactly he should say. He knew that Becca was serious, deadly serious. Sometimes it even seemed like he was the only reason she didn't go mental and jump off a building. That was a lot of responsibility to carry on your shoulders. He turned so that his whole body was facing Becca and leaned forward. “Listen, Becca. You are beautiful and brilliant and amazingly strong, and you can overcome any challenge anyone puts in front of you, with or without me. Now, breathe with me.”
She laughed indignantly. “What are you, my therapist?!”
Yes, a small part of him thought. Sometimes it feels like it. He tried to ignore that little voice in the back of his head screaming this isn't right, it shouldn't be like this, she shouldn't be this dependent on you, you shouldn't have to burden yourself with this. That thought wouldn't help Becca or himself. “Breathing will help clear out your mind. It'll give you hope. Now, come on. Inhale, exhale.”
“I've got a better idea.” Becca leaned even closer to him and pressed her lips against his. It was then that Mark was able to shut out all his doubts and just be Becca's boyfriend, because he loved her so much that none of the other baggage she carried with her mattered at all.
They broke smiling, and soon both of them were giggling like there was no tomorrow for no reason at all. Mark pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. It was a map of the Omni.
“I got this from my uncle,” he said. “Made a copy for you. I'm almost certainly going to be in R-001, and you're probably going to be somewhere in the 'M's. I don't know if it's possible for people in the rooms to get into the tunnel system-”
“Of course there is,” Becca said. “It'll probably be concealed doors, but those are pretty easy to spot if you're looking for them. Suspension-field feedback, disturbances in the simulation wavelengths, stuff like that.”
“Right,” Mark said, not really knowing what she was talking about but certain that she did. “So, I know there's only one day of overlap between our Omni sessions, but if you need to come over-y'know, feel free.” He folded up the map and slid it into her pocket.
Becca's eyes lit up. “Or, I could come over anyway, and together we could give the Omni hell until it's forced to agree to our terms! Or, y'know, overwhelm it with the sheer power of our love,” she added a little sheepishly.
Mark found himself grinning. “Sounds like a plan. I'll see you there.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “I'll miss you.”
“I'll miss you, too.” That voice in the back of Mark's head muttered that you're all she's going to think about until then, but Mark refused to acknowledge it. “Love you.”
“You, too,” she said, giving him a mock salute as he made his way to the door. She didn't even put up a fight, he realized. Oh, she'll do just fine without me, I'm sure.
Let us hope, said the voice mysteriously.