Chapter 34: Butterfly Effect Part One

That night the two girls slept more peacefully than they had in a while. A bath was always good for reducing stress. The next morning came quickly and Ai and Mai once again got dressed in full body suits and headed back outside. This time though, since they would be gone for most of the day not only did Ai put a padlock on to the bunker hatch but she also covered it with a large rock and covered the edges with debris. 

"Today we should head to a hospital and grab the equipment we need. We will need many surgical tools and anesthetics. We have enough things for sanitizing them so we don't need to worry about that but the other stuff is a must. We will also get some water to use for bathing at least once a week. These kinds of luxuries are things we can only do now. but once we move on it will be different." Ai said as they walked. 

"We are going into the city then?" Mai asked. She was nervous since Ai had said before that the city was overrun with machina. 

"We will be fine. Just do not pull the trigger too quickly. Use the axe first. If we can, we will grab some swords. They are much better. If I remember there should be a shop that sells real swords in the city as well." Ai would prefer a sword since they were easier to handle than an axe. This was especially so for those with a smaller frame like her and Mai. "On the way back we will grab someone for testing." 

Mai nodded in understanding. She knew she could not go any further in her studies until she could put her knowledge to practice. This was the same for Ai as well. She needed new eyes as references in order to begin building her cybernetic eye. 

"Mai are we monsters?" Ai asked as she thought about what she was going to be doing.

"I think in order for us to progress and understand what we are dealing with we need something to practice on. So calling us monsters is a little much. Revolutionaries?" Mai knew that Ai and her thought processes were not that of a normal human. But she has already killed people before and seen the disgusting side of humanity. Using such people as test subjects seemed like a fitting use for the scum who would end up going out and causing harm to others. At least as a test subject, they would be useful to mankind.

"Revolutionaries…. Now, this is an interesting concept." Ai, let out a laugh. She had never thought of her idea as a revolutionary thing. In her past life, there were plenty of people doing the same thing in order to better humanity and push humanity to its limits in order to fight on even grounds with the machina. Ai, just wanted to have her left eye back so she could see through it again. With a cybernetic eye, she hoped to make one that would allow her to see things she that could never imagine. 

As the girls left their street they became more cautious and even stopped talking amongst themselves. This was because the street Ai lived on was basically her territory now. Anything outside of that area was not. She did not feel safe once she left the street and knew she would need to be a lot more careful.

As they walked they stayed close to the areas that they could use for cover. At the same time, they kept an ear open for any sounds of machina. They had passed many dead bodies and also searched a few homes finding a few bottles of water. These bottles of water were enough for Ai and Mai to be able to bathe a few times. They would not be able to wash their hair but they could at least take sponge baths to keep the dirt off them. 

Of course, these bottles were hidden at the bottom of their bag. If they revealed them for any reason they would be basically signaling people to come and try to rob them. Water was as precious as gold during these times. 

It took about an hour to reach the city. Ai was amazed at how familiar the scenery was. Collapsed buildings, ever burning fires, complete destruction all around. The whole area looked to be void of life. They walked the streets, looking at everything as they passed by. There were many dead bodies lying about, some of which were caught in the radiation storm while others looked to have been dead from either machina or humans. It was also possible that there were those who had died from hunger or other natural causes as well. 

"Ai, I do not see..." Mai's words were cut off when Ai grabbed her from behind covering her mouth. Ai eyes were wide in fright. This was the first time Mai had seen Ai so frightened since she knew her. 

"Whatever you do, do not scream and follow me..." Ai couldn't figure out what was going on. She was not sure if she was seeing things or not, but she could have sworn she had seen a new type machina. The same exact type that killed her in her previous life, in the reflection of one of the still intact windows. 

Not wanting to take any risks, Ai quickly pulled Mai with her into a collapsed building to hide. The two huddled together under a small overhang surrounded by walls on three sides and a pile of debris. Ai kept peeking out over the side of the wall to see if she could see anything but her vision was blocked by debris. With no other choice, Ai turned to Mai and said: "Stay here… I will be right back. I will not go far but I need to confirm something. If you hear me scream do not come to me and run back to the bunker do you understand?" 

Mai looked into Ai's eyes that showed a serious but frightened expression. The pale face of the girl in front of her, looked as if it had seen a ghost. Mai did not say a word and only nodded her head and huddled in the corner trying to stay out of sight.

***

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