"Wow! Thank you!" Nami said energetically. "Hey, aren't those buildings on Rochester Way, like, super-duper expensive apartment lofts? Why there?" She continued.
"Man, for ‘two of the same locked in a cage’, you guys sure are well informed," he said, rather impressed. "Technically, no one is even supposed to know about this place, so for any online deliveries I usually have them redirected to that address.”
"Fair enough. Thank you, again,” Hitomi replied.
"Don't mention it," Caiden said as he yawned. The exhaustion was really starting to kick in.
Caiden trekked up the stairs with the twins in tow. He opted for the couch, offering the twins his bed. After the long night, he was looking forward to getting a well-deserved rest. When they were sure he had fallen asleep, the girls covered him with a spare blanket they found in the bedroom. He looked peaceful. They both smiled at each other and gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek as they made their way to the bedroom. They slipped into the T-shirts Caiden had provided them with and crawled into bed. As both of their heads hit the pillows they held each other tightly, shedding tears of joy. It was the first time in what seemed like forever that they could enjoy the leisure of what would be their first bountiful slumber in a long time.
CHAPTER 5
---usr/systems/server-x/KNIGHT-1---
Deep in the dark, a name echoed off of the invisible walls. It started out softly; nothing more than a whisper. Then it gradually got louder, and louder, and louder.
“Rez! Rez! Rez!”
***
Caiden awoke abruptly to the delicious scent of a cooked breakfast. He was confused. He subconsciously mouthed the word ‘Rez’ before he came out from his mental morning fog.
“Good morning, sleepyhead! How’re you feeling?” Nami cheerfully asked.
“What time is it?” Caiden asked with rusty morning vocals.
“It’s a quarter past twelve in the afternoon. Have somewhere to go?” Hitomi asked.
“Um, no, not at all. It’s just, this is the first time I’ve ever slept this long,” He replied.
“Well, you did single handedly take down those massive Hybrid guards.”
“Yeah, and got zapped by a shock baton. Oh, and you also got shot too! It’s a miracle you’re intact at all! I’d say you deserve a nice long rest,” the twins replied in succession. He cracked a faint smile then fully sat up on the couch as the soles of his feet tentatively touched the cool marble floor.
“Take it easy! You’re still beat up from last night!” Nami exclaimed. “Is your wound okay?”
Caiden reached over to inspect the wound. As he peeled away the gauze, he saw that there nothing but a small scar, right where the flesh wound was. His eyes widened in astonishment as he used his previously damaged right hand to further inspect his injured left shoulder. In doing so, he realized he had completely regained full range of motion in his right arm with very little pain at all. The gunshot wound, which had been a deep flesh wound the night before, had almost closed completely.
“How is this even possible?” he asked himself.
“What? Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” The twins asked as they rushed to the couch. He pointed to the stitched wound. The twins were just as blown away and confused as Caiden.
“What the hell? When I stitched that last night, that wound was deep! How in the world did it close up so quickly?” Hitomi asked.
“Are you some sort of mutant?” Nami blurted out rather jokingly, but partially serious.
“I don’t know. For as long as I can remember, it’s always been like this. After fights, falls, or accidents, I would be all cut and bruised up. But within a day or two I would always heal up,” Caiden answered. “Even went to the doctors for all types of tests. Everything came back normal.”
“You’re just a remarkable guy, my sweet superhero,” Hitomi replied in jest, as her sister giggled at her.
“Whatever,” Caiden said, clearly frustrated.
“Hey, brighten up some! You’re alive and well! Have some breakfast; we made a bunch!” Nami said. She stood and playfully ruffled his hair.
Caiden begrudgingly rose from the couch and headed over to the kitchen to eat with the twins. Last night’s incident confirmed something that bothered him for a long time. He always had the feeling that he was not normal. He just didn’t know how to prove it, so he tried his best to carry on through his life as normal as possible. He was even moderately successful. But the memories of his extraordinary exploits never left his thoughts.
The twins were radiating with jubilation. Their smiles were complimented by pearly white teeth as they laughed, and talked, enjoying their freedom. Free of judgement, free of captivity, and free of pain and heartache. It was contagious. They ate, giggled, and floated about in a gleeful manner akin to that of a happy child. Despite his current circumstances, recent hardships, and near-death instances he faced, their smiles filled Caiden with an inexplicable energy.
After they ate, they headed to the living room to sleep off the impending food coma. Ten hours later, and the three of them were still exhausted from the previous night. At one point during their nap, Caiden awoke briefly, tired and confused, to find that that the twins had found their way close to him on the large couch. Their body heat was comforting. Uncharacteristically, Caiden rubbed their shoulder blades affectionately, stroking upwards to the base of their necks. They were out cold, but their bodies involuntarily responded to the affectionate gesture as they both smiled and sighed in their comfortable sleep as they snuggled up closer to him. The whispers of the dreamland
