I'm not one hundred percent sure exactly when or how I should talk about these, but I think the best way to incorporate them is one by one as the events we spoke about occur. This first one, which covered the evening after Marcus and I became an official couple, was difficult to administer. I left it never wanting to speak to him again, but ultimately, I'm glad I did this interview. I learned some pretty important information that was withheld from me for far too long...

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Interview Session #1 Transcript

(Audio recording begins)

Y/n: Are you sure you want to do this? If you're not ready, we can wait.

DD: Yes. I have to. You deserve to know the truth.

Y/n: That's true, but you also need to own up to your mistakes.

DD: Oh yeah, that too.

Y/n: (Sighs). Okay, go ahead.

DD: Solitude wasn't unusual in my life. Most of my days were spent tinkering with gadgets, working hard to create something new. I sat at my wooden desk, which bore the remnants of the day that passed. A crumpled paper here, an empty soft drink there. My life wasn't the picture of glitz and glamour.

You know, it used to be a lot better than this before Donald kicked me out of-

Y/n: That's not the point, Douglas.

DD: Fine, fine, fine.

That day, Marcus went to school like normal. I saw him briefly in the morning, reminding him of his agenda: learning as much about Adam, Bree, and Chase as possible so that we can capture them. There was no loving exchange of words, no hug or "good morning." That just wasn't the relationship we had.

That day, Marcus was planning to hang out with you after school. You guys were on some sort of date. I'm sure you remember it. I assumed he wouldn't be home until dinner time, so from 7:30 AM until about 5:00 PM, I was alone. And I decided to make good use of my time.

Y/n: Of course you did.

DD: Hey, you said you wanted to hear me out!

Y/n: Okay, fine. Continue.

DD: So, there I was, at my desk. It was about 4:00 PM, and I had finally finished my latest invention. A chip, for you.

Y/n: A what now?

DD: I said-

Y/n: I heard you!

DD: Just let me finish, y/n.

I wasn't a good guy. I wanted to achieve my goals, and I didn't care who I hurt in the process. To me, you were an integral part of my plan.

I wasn't going to give you bionics. Instead, I included three things on your chip that were very important to achieving what I desired.

First of all, a tracking app. Once you were in the picture, I never fully trusted Marcus. If the time came for me to use you in my plan, I didn't know which one of us he would be more loyal to. To ensure I would be successful no matter what, I needed to give you a chip with a tracking device on it. That way, if he refused to let me involve you, I could find you.

Y/n: Yeah, because that's totally not creepy at all.

DD: (Sighs). Second of all, the triton app, which I'm sure you're familiar with by now.

Y/n: You don't say!

DD: I wasn't really sure if I would need it, but I wanted to have the ability to use it on you if it was necessary for my plan.

Y/n: So, you can use the triton app on someone even if they're not bionic?

DD: Not initially, but I tweaked the app for this purpose. You're welcome.

Y/n: Why would I be thanking you?

DD: Oh, never mind.

Lastly, I included a camera-like app that allowed me to see everything that you see, and take pictures whenever I wanted to. I included something similar on Marcus's chip as well. I had asked Marcus to put a camera in your house just like I had him do in the lab, but he refused. So, I put the next best thing on your chip. Thus, I could learn more information about you and the kids, and he had no idea.

Y/n: This is so messed up.

DD: I know. And I'm sorry. I know you're not ready to forgive me, but I still mean it.

Y/n: Carry on.

DD: (Sigh). My one issue is that I needed to find a way to get the chip inside of you. I didn't really know you, so there was no discreet way for me to do it. Which left only one contender for the job: Marcus.

Y/n: But he wouldn't-

DD: He didn't want to. He came home just after five, smiling as he walked in. He was really happy. I figured he must have enjoyed spending time with you that afternoon.

Y/n: (Chuckles slightly).

DD: For the first time in a great while, I offered a greeting upon his arrival. After registering my words, he rolled his eyes and came over to me. He had learned by that point that if I was exceptionally friendly towards him, I probably wanted something. He shot me a look, non-verbally asking me to cut to the chase.

I sighed, bracing myself for his potential reaction, and said: "I need you to do something for me tonight."

"Okay, what is it?" He replied, not expecting my request to be anything close to what it actually was.

"I finished building a new chip while you were on your date. All it has on it is a simple tracking device," I lied. "Tonight, I need you to install the chip in it's owner: your little girlfriend."

As soon as I revealed that the chip was for you, his eyes shot wide open, and he firmly planted his feet on the ground in opposition to my request.

"You said we were leaving her out of this," he stated firmly.

I smiled. I knew exactly what I had to say to get my way.

"I am," I reassured him. "This is just a precautionary measure. You say all the time you just want to keep her safe. Well, what better way to make sure she's okay than to know exactly where she is?"

His expression softened slightly, but I hadn't won him over yet. "No worries," I thought. I knew exactly what I had to say.

I continued, "I understand this is challenging for you. You want what's best for her, and you don't want to take any chances. Navigating all these feelings must be so hard, so I understand that it can be difficult to trust me on this." I smiled before finishing: "But's why I'm gonna be so proud of you for doing this. You see, you and I, we're a team."

My last sentiment spoke to him, and all of a sudden, he relaxed his posture and took the chip from my hand. "Okay, Dad. I'll do it tonight after she's asleep."

I smiled again, "That's my boy. How about we get pizza for dinner?"

He smiled back, nodding in agreement. And with that, we walked upstairs to our living room area, ready to place an order.

Y/n: He wanted your approval. He just wanted you to be proud of him.

DD: I know. You shouldn't be mad at him for doing this, y/n. He only did it-

Y/n: I'm not mad at him. I'm mad at you.

DD: I understand that. But you-

Y/n: You know, I don't really want to talk about this anymore today. Can we pick this up tomorrow?

DD: Yes, of course. Have a good rest of your-

Y/n: Goodnight.

(Audio recording stops)

End of Transcript

I couldn't bear to speak to him for one more minute. My blood boiled at the thought of his actions. I could visualize his stupid face, putting on a fake smile and handing out half-hearted sentiments just to get Marcus to do his bidding. He deserved better. He deserved so much better.

And to think- I had a chip inside me the whole time? How was that possible? And how did I not realize it? I had so many thoughts and questions, but those would have to wait until later. It's time to go back to the story, which picks up on the day when my best friends went to space.

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Hey everyone!! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! And I hope you guys like these interviews as an addition to the story! I have a lot of plans for how they will tie into the story going forward, so I'm really excited!

Thank you guys so much for reading! I love you guys so much and I would love to hear your thoughts on this installment! See you guys next Sunday!
-XOXO, Anna 💕💕