Now, for the second chapter... (Both Amy and Bailey are over 21...you know, the people who evaluate these stories can be picky, so I'm just throwing that out there) Anyway, on with the story!
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While Amy soaked in the tub, Bailey couldn't tear his eyes from her, but his mind was on the computer that had made her real for him. Of course, Kit Daniels had to have known what his prototype was capable of. Was this what he had created it? So, when the prototype was returned, Kit would most likely know what Bailey wanted to ask before he even finished the question. Bailey feared, however, what the man's answer would be.
Amy sighed as the water cradled her, soothing a soreness she'd never felt before, but it was such a delicious soreness, and well worth it. Having only been created today, she still had a lot that she wanted to experience. Through eyes that were barely closed, she viewed Bailey as he sat there, his mind adrift. It wasn't difficult to figure out what he was thinking about. Even if she did see him again, even if she was able to keep her memories of their five days together, she would still be stuck in the same darkness she'd been created from, stuck there for however long it took for the ones who had created this prototype to gather their results. The darkness of that place frightened her, almost as much as the thought that once the creators were finished with their examinations of the prototype, they might just erase her from existence. It was hard to fathom, even for her, that she could possibly just be gone as if she'd never been there.
Bailey glanced at Amy and noticed that she seemed tense, afraid.
"You're thinking about what happens at the end of the five days, aren't you?"
She opened her eyes and answered, "Yes. I'm scared."
"I'm hoping that Mr. Daniels will agree to bring you back to me. I don't care about computers or anything like that."
"I'm scared of the darkness."
Puzzled, Bailey repeated, "The darkness..."
"While I was on the screen, it was all around me, except for a window through which I could see you. When they take the prototype, they'll unplug it, and there will be nothing but darkness."
Bailey tried to imagine being trapped in pure darkness, unable to escape, unable to do anything, lacking a physical form. Trying made him shudder. Then he remembered something Kit Daniels had said about any questions he had. He stood up suddenly, and Amy looked up at him quizzically.
He excused himself, "I need to make a call real quick. I'll be back in a minute."
He picked up the phone before realizing that they hadn't given him a number to call. He looked around, and his eyes settled upon the advertisement. Reading the number off of it, he dialed, and waited while it rang. A man picked up on the other end.
"Mr. Kingman, how are you?"
Bailey hadn't even introduced himself, but the man seemed to know exactly who had called. He stammered, "Um, yes. Mr. Wicket?"
"One and the same. What can I do for you today?"
Bailey hesitated, and then asked, "I'm wondering...what happens to the prototype while you're testing the results?"
"We'll just gather the information from it, and it will sit in a clean room until the results are determined."
"What about after the results? What will happen to the information on the prototype?"
"I imagine that all the information will probably be erased once the results are determined."
Bailey's mouth went dry. That meant that Amy would be erased.
"Once the test is over, instead of getting another of the same model, would I be able to get this one back, hopefully with nothing erased from it?"
Mr. Wicket was silent on the other end for a moment, and then he replied, "I would have to ask Mr. Daniels about this. Unfortunately, he is away on business for a few days, and unreachable by phone at this time. However, when he returns, I will be sure to ask him for you. I'm sorry I can't answer your question right now. Is there anything else?"
Bailey sighed, "No, thank you," and hung up the phone. For about five minutes, he could only stand there, his hands gripping the counter tightly to keep steady.
Amy heard Bailey's side of the conversation on the phone, and no longer felt like soaking in the tub. She stood up and grabbed a plush, light blue body towel from the towel bar on the wall, dried off quickly, and walked over to where Bailey stood, his hands gripped so tightly on the counter that his knuckles had turned white. He stared intently at the counter as if the meaning of life could be found somewhere inside the flecks of gray and gold. He started when she slipped her arms around him.
"They're going to erase me, aren't they?"
Bailey didn't immediately answer, but his lack of a reply was answer enough for her.
He suddenly turned to face her, "They can't erase you if I take you from here. We can just run, find somewhere where they can't catch us."
She simply shook her head, "No. I wish it were possible, but it just isn't. With such advanced features, they wouldn't just hand it over to you unless they knew that, if you were to run with it, they could effectively stop you. Then we both would cease to live."
"Then what are we going to do?" Bailey was frustrated at his helplessness.