The two sat facing each other back in Malcom's closed restaurant, their gazes locked as they tried to process the revelation. Tom broke the silence first, his brow furrowed in concern. "You can't be serious, Sunny. Leaving the Ark all by yourself? It's crazy!" He said, unable to believe what his friend was proposing.
"I've made my mind up already," Sunny retorted firmly, his words gleaming with the same burning intensity that he had displayed when he listened to the music from earlier.
"I have to do this," he exclaimed, exclaiming how much he is ready to take this monumental step without fear or hesitation of what is about to come. He is the type of grown man who wants to reach his ambitions and goals without any obstacles in his way.
His expression hardened as he spoke in a measured voice. "We've spent our entire lives confined within these walls of glass and steel," said the serious Tom, his eyes betrayed any sort of amusement from his earlier jovial act as he suddenly felt a sudden pang of sadness at how another young man in his age is wasting their precious youth by leaving their safe haven they call home.
"But out there," he pointed dramatically with his thumb over his own shoulder, "is an inhospitable and dangerous world filled with terrors that can easily rip apart anyone unequipped to face it," he warned again, his tone covered with deep concern for his friend.
Frowning at the lack of support he was getting from his friend, Sunny became a little disappointed in what he had to hear from the waiter's mouth.
"Tom, you have to understand this isn't about fear and death. This is my journey to find out who I am as a human being and find my own purpose in life." Despite sounding cliche from the way he said those words, it nonetheless is a reason for him that has given him enough strength to continue and stay on course, regardless of how crazy his plans may be in the eyes of others.
Leaning back on his chair, Tom was flabbergasted and conflicted by his friend's decision, his brows furrowing as he was having difficulty trying to figure out what possible reason could make him willingly abandon everything he treasures just to seek something he seemingly has nothing but a vague goal.
"Couldn't you just do it here, man? Why go all the way out to face the unknown dangers?" He pleaded desperately, genuinely scared for his friend's well-being.
Sunny clicked his tongue in disdain and said, "Not everyone has the privilege of being born into luxury like you. I've been living a lie for too long," he stated, his eyes narrowing in frustration at the stark contrast of their lives compared to one another.
"The Ark provides us with everything we need, but there is always that little spark missing in our lives that we will never experience as long as we live within these walls," he declared with resolute finality in his sentence of what he had just said to him.
Tom was taken back by this: "Okay, I think I'm getting what you are trying to say." Putting his hands up in surrender, he smiled sympathetically at his friend's embarking on a dangerous mission: "I still don't agree with what you are doing, but if it makes you happy, then by all means go ahead."
But as the last few words left his lips, a sense of resignation crept over the waiter's face. "What about your family? Won't they be worried about it?" His voice tailed off as his eyes softened with an obvious mix of sadness and disappointment in his friend's decision to sacrifice the thing he cherished most for a dream.
Taken off guard by this, he mustered all the strength he has in answering this peculiar question, "You don't need to worry about that," reassuring his friend that he has already prepared a letter addressing all concerns in hopes of easing the heartache of his loved ones.
He already acknowledges and aware they will become severely distraught over his disappearance once they find out, "As far as I know, they want me to be happy and fulfilled in whatever path I choose." While Lei will agree with that, his father and Mei likely won't.
Brows raised, he leaned forward with anticipation, hearing the answer to the big question thrumming in his mind: "Good to hear, but what's your plan of action in reaching their headquarters?" Tom asked, expressing a level of scrutiny from the practical side of him as he was genuinely curious about the strategy behind his friend's plan.
"Because just walking into some random building filled with heavily armed guards without any kind of backing or support seems like suicide to me," he said with a dry chuckle, his expression turning more serious. "So what is it?"
"That's what I'm planning to do."
A sudden, brief silence filled the room as Tom digested the words that just left his friend's mouth. The air became thick from the awkward and tense moments that passed before he finally mustered up the courage to speak again.
"You can't be serious," he announced, unable to believe it, but when he continued to focus on the young man's orange eyes, Tom realized the guy wasn't joking at all. "I need you to explain that insanity to me again slowly and in language a sane waiter like me can understand."
Letting out a soft laugh, Sunny shook his head in bemusement as he folded his arms together across his chest.You really do have a knack for understatement," he joked, running his hand through the back of his own neck. "My powers are going to do all the work for me, but there is another reason why we were having this conversation in the first place."
"Do you know any option of getting in there peacefully or at least sneaking to that place without being caught? I do not wish for any form of violence to happen to those who are just doing their job.," showing a serious resolve to find other alternatives.
"Man, do you think I work there?" Leaning back to his seat, Tom felt exasperation from the question, "I'm just an ordinary waiter serving customers with food and drinks; that's it," said the latter, shaking his head again, growing more impatient with the absurdity of his conversation partner's ideas,
"I'm not some 007 spy agent who knows how to break into fortified facilities on a whim or create smoke screens out of thin air," speaking bluntly as he watched his friend disappointed by his failure to provide the required answer.
Then, out of the blue, another voice entered the conversation, like an epiphany dying to escape its captured prison inside one person's brain.
"I know a way," a recognizable figure walked towards them from their back, her metallic feet clanging noisily against the floor tiles as she made her presence known. "Isn't that right, Sunny?" Lei's smile wreathed from her human face before she sat between them at the table, prepared and ready to aid her loved one in this moment of crisis.
"AHHHHH!!!"
The pair screamed in surprise at her sudden appearance, having never expected her presence to intrude upon this moment of private introspection for the two of them at such short notice.
Making Tom jump off his chair in fear as his arms shot up in defensive pose, "Where the hell did you come from, lady?!" He demanded, sweat forming on his forehead from seeing her appear in blue. "Oh," blinking twice, his heart quickly returned to its normal cylinder rhythm after recognizing her.
Sitting down, Tom couldn't believe he got completely caught off guard by this development. "Anyways, what is this trick of yours to scare me half to death from behind my own back?"
Jokingly asked, bringing lightness back to the tension of the last minutes through dry humor as the Angeloid woman gave a quick small smile from her lips before returning to her intended topic as they have more important issues to tackle, especially in regards to Sunny's daring plan of escaping to earth.
Ignoring his question, she placed her open palm on the table. With confused looks plastered on Tom and Sunny's faces, they were then quickly wiped off when they watched unusual sparks of electricity emanate from the space between her hand and the metal surface below.
Causing both of them to retract instinctively back as the barely audible sound of the electric current being released echoed in the quiet room, leaving faint burn marks on the table where Lei had contact with it just moments ago.
"When you were speaking with Kara, I managed to steal a blueprint for re-modifying one's electricity within a machine to modify and transfer one's consciousness to another," she exclaimed before putting her hand back at her side.
"If I physically touch any Angeloid that comes into contact with me, they will be temporarily replaced with mine as long as I want it to last." Hearing this, Sunny felt a glimmer of hope shining through the dark clouds of despair that once threatened to engulf him.
Sunny smiled from their solution, his body brimming with anticipation of the task ahead as well as a deep sense of gratitude towards his loved ones who are willing to sacrifice themselves for his dreams.
"Then, that means you could take control of those patrolling guards." It was an easy solution, yet potentially dangerous if things go wrong, but when there is desperation brought to the table, suddenly even the seemingly insurmountable tasks become possible to achieve in the eyes of the one who dares.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Tom impatiently said, standing up from his chair with a determination to take action to help his friend fulfill his deepest desire, "Who's with me?" Extending his hand below, he looked at his companions with renewed spirits.
The sense of Adrenalin increasing as he was prepared to embark on doing something so reckless and stupid that their lives would be at stake, but he didn't care for any of that, not when he had friendship to fuel him forward.
"I am," Sunny responded, putting his palm over his friend's hand. "What about you, Lei?" He asked, looking at her inquisitively while hoping she would join them in this dangerous mission.
Since their chance of success depended on having as many pairs of experienced eyes working together in order to avoid any unexpected traps or ambushes from the unknown enemy waiting for them there.
Despite how hesitating his Angeloid friend is showing. But having known her for a long time, he completely trusts her unconditionally to do the right thing.
She looked left and right, averting her eyes from this dangerous plan of theirs. However, Lei finally remembered that this is what Sunny wants, and if it makes his heart whole, then she will sacrifice her own little convenience for a friend who has always been there for her, even when no one else was.
"Okay," she reluctantly agreed while trying to fight down the tears welling up in her eyes as she placed her hand over them, signing Lei's fate by agreeing to go along with this reckless plan for the sake of his wishes.
They placed their individual hands on top of one another, showing how determined they were to complete the task at hand with all of the resolve and resourcefulness they could muster.
Sunny smiled excitedly at his bright future, while Tom was grinning confidently at finally repaying the kindness his savior had done for him after being saved twice from Elvis and his band of crooks, including his precious restaurant, which he and Malcom had worked hard to create in such a wonderful place is good feeling to be reminded off.
But in the deepest parts of Lei's mind, she had a sinking feeling that none of their bravado and confident assurances would mean a goddamned thing when she would be labeled as a traitor for aiding someone in escaping the Ark.
No one among her sisters, from her knowledge, had ever gone against Singularity's commands and succeeded in doing so without paying the ultimate price. She won't know what is going to happen when she gets caught, but it is likely not going to be pleasant in the slightest.
