Life Inc.
Chapter 2
“Citizen 04-07-8967 has been successfully decommissioned sir. Signal is no longer present on system.”
“Very good. Carry on.”
***
When Harry woke, he chose not to open his eyes right away, taking in his surroundings with his other senses instead. He was lying down on what felt like a sofa, he could feel the back of the piece of furniture pressing into his right side. A blanket covered him up to his armpits, tucked in carefully around him. He was pleasantly warm and comfortable. The place smelt homely, but he could tell he wasn’t in the home he was used to.
“Ow,” he groaned, the thumping in his head making itself known as he became more aware. There was a low, throaty chuckle from somewhere beside him and Harry’s eyes fluttered open, his green eyes meeting intense blue eyes. “What happened? Who are you?” he asked sleepily, fingers threading in his hair and pressing against the source of the pounding, wincing as he did, scrunching his eyes closed again. He heard the stranger stand up and pick something up, moving across the room.
“You hit your – wait!” There was a loud crash and Harry’s eyes flew open again in shock, staring at the boy with the crystal eyes and the smashed bowl on the floor which he had clearly dropped, the water it had contained pooling around his feet. “You can see me?”
Harry nodded, confused and a little afraid. “Why wouldn’t I be able to see you?” he asked carefully, trying to sit up but realizing his head hurt too much.
“Your chip, you must have...can I see something?” The boy asked, equally as tentatively, taking a step forward. Harry shrunk back into the sofa, but the boy held his hands up to indicate that he meant no harm. Harry nodded slightly, figuring that in the state he was in, he didn’t really have a choice but to trust the stranger.
“You never told me your name, or what happened,” Harry reminded him quietly as gentle fingers parted the curls around the back of his head, just before his neck started, fingers running along a inch long scar that he had never noticed before. The fingers barely touched him, but he flinched in pain all the same.
“Sorry! I’m...I’m Louis. I’m sorry...about everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yeah, the bowl smashing and hurting you and accidently knocking you out,” Louis grimaced, reluctantly pulling his hand away, trying to ignore how good it felt to be touching Harry, to see those green eyes actually registering his presence.
“You did this?” Harry asked, eyes widening.
“Not intentionally! You were crossing the road and there was a car that was speeding and it was going to hit you. I pulled you back put we carried on going and we fell over. You hit your head twice on a parked car as you fell. Here and here,” Louis explained, placing his fingers on the places so that Harry knew. “There was a little blood, but not much, so I cleaned you up.”
“You saved my life,” Harry murmured, staring up at Louis with wide eyes. There was a pause as they both looked steadily at each other. Louis broke the connection first by standing up, unable to take the intensity of the boy’s gaze.
“It was nothing,” he mumbled. “I’m going to get something to clean that up.” He gestured to the mess on the floor, disappeared for a minute and then returning with all the things he needed.
“I’m Harry, by the way.” Louis nodded, not wanting to scare the boy by telling him that he already knew that. “Why were you surprised I could see you?” Harry asked, finally managing to haul himself up a little, wrapping his arms around himself.
“It’s complicated,” Louis sighed, knowing that he should explain, but he had no idea how to go about it since he knew so little himself. And what if the teenager reacted badly to the thought that Louis could now be the only person who knew of his existence for the rest of his life?
“I’m not going anywhere,” Harry reasoned, a small smile tugging at the edges of those lips Louis had wasted so much time daydreaming about. Louis shifted uncomfortably with Harry’s eyes on him, gathering the shards of bowl together in a dustpan.
“I’ll go and get you some painkillers.” Louis hated himself for running away again, but he had been completely unprepared for the whole experience – one minute he was walking home, the next Harry Styles was passed out on his couch. He didn’t know what to do with himself with Harry directing those innocent eyes at him. He leaned against the kitchen counter for support, taking deep, shaky breath, silently yelling at himself to pull himself together. He snatched up the painkillers and the glass of water he had gotten out earlier and, steeling himself, returned to the living room and handed them to the teenager.
He could tell that his bizarre actions hadn’t gone unnoticed, but he was thrown completely by Harry’s next quiet question.
“What have I done wrong?” There was a vulnerability in Harry’s voice that Louis simply couldn’t run away from this time. He sighed and sat down on the chair he had pulled up next to the sofa earlier, staring at his hands.
“You haven’t done anything wrong at all,” Louis reassured him. “It’s me.” He glanced up, their eyes meeting again. “The reason is I was surprised that you could see me is that everyone is chipped at birth –”
“Chipped?” Harry asked, brow furrowing. Louis chuckled slightly.
“I was getting there. As soon as you’re born, you’re taken and literally a computer chip is inserted into you, right...here,” Louis’ hand gently reached around to the back of Harry’s head, hovering over the inch long scar, his breathing hitching slightly at their proximity. “It’s all organised and controlled by the Company: Life Incorporated. I don’t know how, I don’t know why. What I do know is that somehow, it controls you. It can monitor and change and create and delete information in your brain and in your central nervous system and what passes between them.”
“So why wouldn’t I be able to see you?”
“When I was born, I wasn’t chipped. I don’t know why. But I guess people only register people with chips, which is everyone else. I’m the only one who can’t been seen, heard, touched...” Louis trailed off, emotions slightly overwhelming when he realized that this was the first time he’d had a conversation with someone.
“You’ve been alone all this time?” Harry asked, reaching out to rest his hand on Louis’ forearm. Louis stared at it, the feeling of skin on skin alien to him, marvelling at the difference in the colour of their skin.
“I think your chip broke or malfunctioned or was knocked out of place when you hit your head,” Louis murmured, unable to tear his eyes away from the contact with the boy he loved.
“So, I guess it’s just you and me then,” Harry chuckled, pulling his hand away and lying back again, seemingly unaware of the effect he had on Louis.
“You should get some more sleep,” Louis sighed, standing up. “I’ll wake you up for dinner.” He was about to leave the room when a small voice made him pause.
“Thank you Louis.”
“Very good. Carry on.”
***
When Harry woke, he chose not to open his eyes right away, taking in his surroundings with his other senses instead. He was lying down on what felt like a sofa, he could feel the back of the piece of furniture pressing into his right side. A blanket covered him up to his armpits, tucked in carefully around him. He was pleasantly warm and comfortable. The place smelt homely, but he could tell he wasn’t in the home he was used to.
“Ow,” he groaned, the thumping in his head making itself known as he became more aware. There was a low, throaty chuckle from somewhere beside him and Harry’s eyes fluttered open, his green eyes meeting intense blue eyes. “What happened? Who are you?” he asked sleepily, fingers threading in his hair and pressing against the source of the pounding, wincing as he did, scrunching his eyes closed again. He heard the stranger stand up and pick something up, moving across the room.
“You hit your – wait!” There was a loud crash and Harry’s eyes flew open again in shock, staring at the boy with the crystal eyes and the smashed bowl on the floor which he had clearly dropped, the water it had contained pooling around his feet. “You can see me?”
Harry nodded, confused and a little afraid. “Why wouldn’t I be able to see you?” he asked carefully, trying to sit up but realizing his head hurt too much.
“Your chip, you must have...can I see something?” The boy asked, equally as tentatively, taking a step forward. Harry shrunk back into the sofa, but the boy held his hands up to indicate that he meant no harm. Harry nodded slightly, figuring that in the state he was in, he didn’t really have a choice but to trust the stranger.
“You never told me your name, or what happened,” Harry reminded him quietly as gentle fingers parted the curls around the back of his head, just before his neck started, fingers running along a inch long scar that he had never noticed before. The fingers barely touched him, but he flinched in pain all the same.
“Sorry! I’m...I’m Louis. I’m sorry...about everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yeah, the bowl smashing and hurting you and accidently knocking you out,” Louis grimaced, reluctantly pulling his hand away, trying to ignore how good it felt to be touching Harry, to see those green eyes actually registering his presence.
“You did this?” Harry asked, eyes widening.
“Not intentionally! You were crossing the road and there was a car that was speeding and it was going to hit you. I pulled you back put we carried on going and we fell over. You hit your head twice on a parked car as you fell. Here and here,” Louis explained, placing his fingers on the places so that Harry knew. “There was a little blood, but not much, so I cleaned you up.”
“You saved my life,” Harry murmured, staring up at Louis with wide eyes. There was a pause as they both looked steadily at each other. Louis broke the connection first by standing up, unable to take the intensity of the boy’s gaze.
“It was nothing,” he mumbled. “I’m going to get something to clean that up.” He gestured to the mess on the floor, disappeared for a minute and then returning with all the things he needed.
“I’m Harry, by the way.” Louis nodded, not wanting to scare the boy by telling him that he already knew that. “Why were you surprised I could see you?” Harry asked, finally managing to haul himself up a little, wrapping his arms around himself.
“It’s complicated,” Louis sighed, knowing that he should explain, but he had no idea how to go about it since he knew so little himself. And what if the teenager reacted badly to the thought that Louis could now be the only person who knew of his existence for the rest of his life?
“I’m not going anywhere,” Harry reasoned, a small smile tugging at the edges of those lips Louis had wasted so much time daydreaming about. Louis shifted uncomfortably with Harry’s eyes on him, gathering the shards of bowl together in a dustpan.
“I’ll go and get you some painkillers.” Louis hated himself for running away again, but he had been completely unprepared for the whole experience – one minute he was walking home, the next Harry Styles was passed out on his couch. He didn’t know what to do with himself with Harry directing those innocent eyes at him. He leaned against the kitchen counter for support, taking deep, shaky breath, silently yelling at himself to pull himself together. He snatched up the painkillers and the glass of water he had gotten out earlier and, steeling himself, returned to the living room and handed them to the teenager.
He could tell that his bizarre actions hadn’t gone unnoticed, but he was thrown completely by Harry’s next quiet question.
“What have I done wrong?” There was a vulnerability in Harry’s voice that Louis simply couldn’t run away from this time. He sighed and sat down on the chair he had pulled up next to the sofa earlier, staring at his hands.
“You haven’t done anything wrong at all,” Louis reassured him. “It’s me.” He glanced up, their eyes meeting again. “The reason is I was surprised that you could see me is that everyone is chipped at birth –”
“Chipped?” Harry asked, brow furrowing. Louis chuckled slightly.
“I was getting there. As soon as you’re born, you’re taken and literally a computer chip is inserted into you, right...here,” Louis’ hand gently reached around to the back of Harry’s head, hovering over the inch long scar, his breathing hitching slightly at their proximity. “It’s all organised and controlled by the Company: Life Incorporated. I don’t know how, I don’t know why. What I do know is that somehow, it controls you. It can monitor and change and create and delete information in your brain and in your central nervous system and what passes between them.”
“So why wouldn’t I be able to see you?”
“When I was born, I wasn’t chipped. I don’t know why. But I guess people only register people with chips, which is everyone else. I’m the only one who can’t been seen, heard, touched...” Louis trailed off, emotions slightly overwhelming when he realized that this was the first time he’d had a conversation with someone.
“You’ve been alone all this time?” Harry asked, reaching out to rest his hand on Louis’ forearm. Louis stared at it, the feeling of skin on skin alien to him, marvelling at the difference in the colour of their skin.
“I think your chip broke or malfunctioned or was knocked out of place when you hit your head,” Louis murmured, unable to tear his eyes away from the contact with the boy he loved.
“So, I guess it’s just you and me then,” Harry chuckled, pulling his hand away and lying back again, seemingly unaware of the effect he had on Louis.
“You should get some more sleep,” Louis sighed, standing up. “I’ll wake you up for dinner.” He was about to leave the room when a small voice made him pause.
“Thank you Louis.”