x
Inspiration; After her brother’s disappearance, groomed cyborg Artemis attempts to search for answers, but when she’s sent on a commission, she learns of the truth behind Apollo’s disappearance. Together the twins must decide; do they bite the hand that saved them many years ago, or continue being the agency’s pawns?
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDOUx49sOF
I never once asked to be brought into this world, or to become the half-human, half-cyborg they made me into. It was to save my life, they reminded me over the years. Both my brother and I had suffered the same fate, picked from the litter they referred to as the slums and rebuilt our bodies into these machines, purging us from sickness. We owed everything to the agency, and together we worked tirelessly as their assassins in the shadows.
But one day Apollo was sent on a mission without me by his side, and I’ve not seen him since. That was a few years ago, and yet still I’ve heard no word of him. The agency claims he’s missing in action, but I fear his disappearance might’ve taken a sinister turn. His portrait hangs in the gallery of those soldiers whose names will be remembered even if they’re never found. I’d rather he was still here beside me. I tried looking at the records kept by the agency, but every time I thought I was getting close to an answer, through the system I was hacking, I was ejected. Each time found by my subordinate, although they warned me about my reckless behaviour, my rank gave me leverage against them.
I’ve lived in the agency complex for as long as I can remember. Working our way to the top of the ranks we were given a nice studio apartment overlooking the vibrant bustling city of Neo Requiem. Cybernetics controlled the livelihood, from ID chips embedded in human skin, to cyborgs like myself. Led screens, bright lights and a society that ran through an online system, making it a city that rarely slept. But with the brilliance that came with the technology, it also brought poverty and disease. Starting in the Nova Town slums where Apollo and I were born, and luckily we’d seen only traces in the city. It was the job of the agency to hunt down those who may have contracted the disease and ensure their swift execution. We never saw a credit for our work, but by the same token, the agency never once charged us for repairs, food or accommodation. We cyborgs were just thankful to be alive after our near death experience with the sickness.
But today will be different, I coached myself, today I would locate my missing brother.
I hadn’t been drafted into the commission, which left me too much time to preoccupy myself. Time alone in my apartment only left me dwelling on my brother’s disappearance. After a couple of hours finding the boredom tedious, I couldn’t take it any more and went off to explore. The archives were hidden in the basement, passed layers of security and not even my rank was allowed access to. Thankfully I’d my tricks of the trade hidden in the pack resting on my hip. It made breaking into the archives child's play, and once jacked into the system, the agency records were at my fingertips.
The archives were abandoned, just as I hoped. A dimly lit room welcomed me, towering machines with flickering lights called me over, none other than the matrix housing every record of every member of the agency and the humans who dwelled in Neo Requiem too. Behind the matrix, sat the hacking unit, a single cranial helmet hooked up to the matrix through a jumble of coloured wires and only a stool to support the user. In minutes I was sat down with the helmet on, already jacked into the mainframe.
Inside the matrix, my cyberself searched through the documents, hunting tirelessly for any trace of Apollo. Once again I was met with the same error codes obstructing me from diving any further. Someone must have prevented these files from being opened. But who? I sensed foul play despite my folly.
‘Someone’s tampered with the system,’ a voice called, interrupting my hacking dive.
I cursed under my breath, my cyberself still stuck inside the matrix. There was no way anyone knew I was down here, I’d disabled the security camera and used a stolen ID chip to unlock the doors. As I ejected myself from the system, my vision slowly returned. I sneaked out the back door, avoiding detection from the subordinates walking in and hurried to the gallery. I stood staring up at Apollo’s portrait like I’d usually spend my time.
‘Artemis.’
I turned to see my handler standing a few feet from me. I greeted him with a nod as he joined me. Usually he’d wedge a stack of dossiers underneath his arm, but today he held only one.
‘For me, I hope?’ I asked, gesturing to the folder.
He only smiled and handed me the dossier without thinking twice. ‘Only if it will keep you out of trouble,’ he said. Before I could reply he was gone with only the thud of his boots for company.
I didn’t dare open the classified folder in the hallway, it was against agency policy to share your commissions with others, instead I hurried back to my apartment. Once inside, I bolted the door and hurried to my corner seat in the fishbowl window. I don’t know why I was hoping for the document to have details about Apollo, but I didn’t waste another moment pondering. Inside was a standard commission sheet, details of who and where the hit would take place. I spied the location, Nova Town, the slums beneath Neo Requiem where sickness ruled the land. Dangerous for any human or cyborg to step foot inside if not probably equipped. This counted only my second commission I’d been sent to the slums, the first time with my brother. But when I further inspected the document, I saw handwritten scribbles trailing down the page.
‘It seems the last group we sent were unable to make contact after arriving in Nova Town, find the target and ensure it’s eliminated. Everything else is secondary.’
The last sentence fueled my heart with anger. If there was a chance I could find Apollo I would take it regardless if it was my duty or not. I only had to ensure to fulfil the commission then search for him in the process when fate permitted me too. I spent only a few precious moments gathering myself for the commission, and hurried off my destination.
I was given no grief when exiting the agency, situated in the heart of Neo Requiem. Instead the bustling streets welcomed me, humans going about their mundane lives taking little notice of me. Dressed head to toe in all black, I doubt I’d raise any suspicions as I started walking until my home disappeared in the distance. I clung to the back alleys, avoiding the main streets where the prying eyes of security cameras lurked. I felt a comfort in the shadows until I reached the edge of the slums.
Nova Town was a hovel compared to the upper city, the distinct stench of decay clung in the air. Narrow streets littered with rubbish heaps and bodies, barely breathing, propped up against shabby homes. I walked past those lying there, deeming it unethical to ask questions without anything to trade, and continued on my way until I reached a dead end.
‘You shouldn’t have come here,’ a gruff voice said, ‘Your kind isn’t welcome here.’
I scoffed, ‘My kind?’ glancing back to see my adversary but a sharp pain hit me between the shoulder blades. I winced while fishing inside my jacket for a small handgun.
‘Surface dwellers. You come from above right? Unless you’ve got what we need, we ain’t interested.’
I turned, seeing his face for the first time in what had been years. My gun locked and loaded ready to put a bullet into his skull, until my hand started shaking. I realised I recognised his face. It was slightly dishevelled since I’d last see him, but his sapphire orbs were unmistakable. ‘Apollo.’ I pulled the hood away from my face and held up my hands.
He cursed under his breath, ‘They sent you?’ He holstered a makeshift weapon he was carrying. ‘You shouldn’t be here, please return to the agency.’
‘You know I can’t do that.’
Apollo ran his fingers through his beard, that was new. His eyes tired, almost sucken into his skull. ‘They sent you to find me.’
I recalled the document I’d read, looking at my brother standing before me. He matched the description of my target to the letter, but why would the agency want me to eliminate him? First the persistent error messages during hacking and now this. Someone was playing a cruel joke on me.
‘What happened to you?’ I ask. ‘I thought you were dead.’
‘I’m just as surprised as you are. The agency knew my squadron would defect after we learnt their truths. It was only a matter of time before they sent a commission for my head, I just never expected it to be you.’
I stepped closer to him, unsure if the walls were listening to our conversation. ‘What do you mean by truth? The agency saved us from his hell hole, granted us new life, and you’re telling me they’re hiding something?’
Apollo put an index to his lips, ‘Not here,’ he said, leading me into a nearby building. Once inside he pulled off his hood, revealing a deep scar on his cheek. ‘Do you not think it’s curious how many cyborgs exist? How many bodies have we executed over the years to serve their unknown purpose? They groomed us into the perfect soldiers, we are the scapegoats of their big scheme.’
The air between us fell silent, I shook my head in disbelief.
‘You’re lying.’
Apollo gripped my shoulder and said, ‘Look into my eyes and tell me when I’ve ever lied to you, sister.’ But I knew his conviction to be true. ‘The agency are using cyborgs to increase their standing in Neo Requiem, we’re pawns in their game. When one of us defects, another is called in to clean up the mess.’
The realisation hit me, ‘They sent me to execute you?’ my words slipped out like a question but all my mind could piece together that this was a mistake, or a punishment for jacking into the matrix. ‘Then what was it you learnt? If it’s bad enough to have you killed-’
‘It could be the end of Neo Requiem as we know it,’ Apollo cut me off. ‘The society we know will not exist. The agency wants control and with it they have plans to purge Nova Town and its sickness off the map.’
‘But why, innocent people will lose their lives. It isn’t their fault they’re sick.’
‘That fault lies with our own agency. They created a disease and a cure, but only the rich can afford such a drug. It was meant to deal with population control, but with the rise of cyborgs and body modifications keeping humans alive, they found themselves being questioned about the drug. Instead, they gave life to cyborgs, mutilating sick children into weapons and began executing those who’d speak against them.’
‘This is the big secret they’re trying to hide?’ I asked.
‘Would you trust a government that sought to slaughter half the population? No. If this was to come to the surface, it would just be the agency losing credibility. We cyborgs might lose our lives.’ He explained. ‘When we were given our commission we found another like us, he too learnt the truth. We were instructed to put him down but instead we joined his revolution.’
‘There’s no way I can return now I know the truth. Let me join you.’
‘But if you defect too, you’ll be hunted like I am. I can’t let that happen to you, it’s not the life I want for you. For now, you’re safe. Please keep it that way.’
I opened my mouth to refuse, but he was already gone, leaving me alone once more.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
