Chapter one
January 5th, 2164
A bright white light was still in my eyes, blinding me. A machine whirred and I began to regain my vision, I was sitting on a kitchen chair at my kitchen table at my home. I was at home. I tried to take in my relief but my mind was still racing and my heart rate competing with my mind in a race of the fastest. I looked around and saw that my kitchen was completely intact; spotless in fact a lingering smell of leaning supplies and lavender air fresheners accented the air with a sweet scent. In front of me on the table was a plate that was full of hot and freshly grilled salmon lathered in teriyaki sauce and complimented by a steamed baked potato loaded with sour cream, chives, and bacon. I dug in with my fork and shoveled the fish into my mouth furiously and mined into the baked potato with a silver spoon. I reached for the clear Coca-Cola glass filled to the brim with crisp and refreshing diet coke.832Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSZtXlLTmv
I chime played from the intercom speaker above the table and the table flickered on to a bright white screen. Red letters like I saw on my digital alarm clock began to form on the screen and the lights around me turned off and the hanging cone light above the table was the only light on. The letters stopped forming and it read against the white background ‘Hi Ted Finley, how are you doing?’
It took me a moment to process what was in front of me and finally I quietly mumbled “I-I’m great.” I mumbled.
“Ted what’s wrong. You sound uncertain of something.” The red letters formed on the screen again.
“Who are you!” I screamed at the T.V. screen spitting pieces of my salmon in the process.
“I’m your government issued A.I. Ada, here to keep you in stable physical and mental state. And I brought you home. Welcome home Ted.”
I was mad I had a mission to fulfill and she stopped me. “I don’t want to be home, I have a mission Ada, and I can’t afford to lose time.” I said in a loud and controlled speech.
“I can’t let you do that Ted. Someone wants to talk to you.” The red letters cleared out and the white background cleared and turned into a man’s face. He was an older man with a sculpted face and long nose. His piercing blue eyes pierced my soul through the T.V. screen. His eye pupils had a halo of blue irises surrounding the pupil he was wearing implanted optic enhancers that increased eye to hand coordination and overall sight and accuracy. His hair was swept to the side neatly like any old politician standing behind a podium; he leaned in towards the camera or face capture device that he was using.
“Hello, Mr. Finley.” His voice was clam and gravelly, “I have a secret to share Ted, open your ears because I’m only going to say this once.” He leaned towards his camera and revealed his facial features, he was sculpted but old almost ancient, he had narrow eyes and very thin lips.
“Who are you, where am I?” I said interrogatively my voice was strong and accusative. I was suspicious.
“Ted, why are you so tense your it’s your home soak it up, though I had to make use of a good ol’ needle, hidden in your turban.” He tapped his finger tauntingly against his temple, I tore my turban off and threw it on the ground I checked my left temple, there was a small hole punch that was almost microscopically small, remembering my headache from earlier that morning I checked my neck, and there was another hole in my neck probably from the collar of the blue shirt.
”All you need to know is that I am the lamb, I am your boss.” He fell back in his office chair hiding away most of his facial features were draped back into the shadows.
His glowing blue eyes pierced the darkness and met my gaze and he cleared his throat and said, “ Being the head director of Karma, a security company, I was rather upset when I found out that you authorized a prison break, I was pretty steamed, so to say. So tell me one thing did you authorize the prison break this morning? ” He said intimidatingly and crossed his leg over his lap and rest his chin on his thumbs with his hands clasped in front of his face.
I didn’t know what to say but I couldn’t say I didn’t authorize it because I did nothing to stop it. “Well sir, I had no choice, there was at least a thousand freaks out of their cages! What do you propose I should’ve done?”
He remained lounged back in his chair with his chin resting on his thumbs clasped together; he sat up, cleared his throat and reached for a tall and curved glass full of light brown bubby liquid, he picked it up with one of his hands and swished it around causing the ice to clink against the inside of the glass. He took a long and exaggerated sip. “ When you received the blue shirt you swore to pursue, contain, and guard the ‘freaks’ of humanity.” He used air quotes for the word freak.
“When you took the elevator ride up to the surface, you abandoned your duties and showed cowardice and weakness for this you have been discharged and you are now the most wanted man on Kadrid. My suggestion?” he gestured towards himself. “Turn yourself in Ted, maybe I won’t prosecute as harshly, but Ted the moment you sprint for the woods and disappear you won’t make it far, I’m everywhere and I’ll shoot you right in the back,” his voice slowly escalated in volume and it became more and more deranged and intense. “Disabling you as I relish every second of me crushing your skull underneath my brand new loafers, so just turn yourself in with the little dignity you have. See you soon.” The T.V. screen switched off and silence filled the air.
I was trembling in my chair, Kadrid is a big planet, two and a half times bigger than Earth and to be the most wanted man not only reminding me how powerful “The Lamb” is but if I turn myself in I will for certain will get the death penalty and then I think of my co-workers and what they’re going through and who was responsible for the prison break. I look around and got up and shuffled to my bedroom on high alert peeking behind every corner before cautiously tip toeing in. I walked into my bedroom and approached my dresser and unlocked the decorative rustic deadbolts and grabbed my black Kevlar backpack I used to use in the field. Bullet marks and black marks from flames charring the backpack and yet everything inside stayed intact, a med kit, a stun gun, multiple throwing and close range knives, a bullet proof vest, and a breach kit that contained breaching explosives, wire cutters of different sizes, and a hacking device disguised as a smart phone.
I walked into my closet and grabbed a black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, I took off my robe and put on my clothes.
As I rummaged through my backpack organizing all of my resources I found my old wallet, I haven’t needed a wallet or any sort of money since I joined the Karma security company, because they provided me with a home and the luxuries and needs of an upper class man. I opened my wallet and immediately something caught my eye, in a clear sleeve of my wallet was a picture of my fiancée Sarah she had long dark hair and very slender facial features, The day I got the house from the commissioner I went to her apartment in the city to pick her up and help her move into the house with me.
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January 1st, 2147
“Do you swear Ted Finley, that once you take this blue shirt you will vow to pursue, contain, and guard the stains of humanity from harming the people of Kadrid?” The commissioner asked holding a folded up blue dress shirt in his hands outstretched to me. He was wearing a blue dress shirt underneath his lightweight folded steel combat chest plate. He wore a dark blue hat that said Blue in white letters across the front of the hat. “I swear, sir.” I said quietly and proudly as I stood tall and erect with my hands to my side and my legs felt like they had been glued together. My heart rate was running marathons and I anxiously stood as correctly as I could.
“Well Ted, welcome to the Boys in blue.” Said the commissioner with a smile across his face that felt welcoming and warm. I reached out and shook his hand a little to fast and eagerly, with a huge smile spread across my face. I released my hand from his clasp and stood at attention waiting in anticipation for my first order. I could barely stay still and erect in stature until the commissioner let out a chuckle and said “Well Ted don’t know how to put it to you but, all Karma initiates get a day off to relocate to your new home in the Karma estates neighborhood. He held out a stiff business card that said Karma in big blue letters across the top and proceeded to note that all resources would be provided and an A.I. will be provided to take care of the homeowner.
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January 1st,
2147
The train station was clamoring with people running through the terminals in desperation pulling their suitcases and hauled backpacks on their backs. Inhumanity thrived as crowds of people fight for terminal seats and tickets, and people pushed over others in a hurry to terminals. I sort of just stood in the middle of the chaos as I squinted my eyes to read the message board that listed the monorail boarding times. Perfect.
The white numbers and letters flipped through different time cards and locations, there was a monorail boarding at 9:15 p.m. that was heading to Granite square, I look down at my watch, it was 9 p.m. I would make it there in perfect timing. I jogged to the ticket kiosk and bought my tickets for the low price of 15 dollars and the ticket dispensed into my hand and I clutched it in my hand and ran towards terminal 2 and took a seat and looked at my watch, 9:12.
I had a couple minutes to sit down and chill for a minute. I watched as people clamored by running passed terminals until they filed into they’re selected terminals. Swarms of people ran past my terminal and in between the gaps I could hardly see a younger man in a blue dress shirt and a black suit jacket and black slacks. He was surprisingly relaxed with his hands comfortably in his pockets with his thumbs hanging out, he just stood there for a moment with old and battered features, blue halos surrounded his blue pupils in his close set eyes, his strong chin and pointy long nose protruded from his face, he grinned kindly at me.
After a few moments of questionable staring into each others eyes, by the next gap he was gone, I leaned back for a few minutes until the one of the ride attendants came out of the train door and stood behind a desk and started waving passengers up and took their tickets and then pressed a button that opened the doors to the monorail, letting people in one by one.
After they announced first class boarding they announced second class and I got up and got in the second-class line behind a man in a black suit jacket. My hart dropped when I realized by faintly seeing his buzz cut haircut. The lined moved up until the man was turning his ticket in and boarded the train without a word said to the attendant.
I handed the ticket to the kindly lady with short brunette hair and thin features; she looked slightly disturbed like she had witnessed a murder, beads of sweat soaked her thin eyebrows and her lips were pursed like she was eating something sour. She opened her mouth very slightly and mumbled a quick thank you as I proceeded into the monorail and watched as she tapped the button to close monorail doors. I walked over and grabbed onto one of the handles on the ceiling instead of taking a seat, the monorail speed off at about 150 miles per hour and within 15 minutes I was at the station nearby my fiancées apartment, the pilot opened the monorail doors and a crisp and fierce wind blasted through the door as I stepped off the monorail and fell on the ground, not expecting the drop from the monorail and into the terminal to be so deep.
“Please mind the step.” I opened my eyes and looked up still on the ground to see the man with the buzz cut holding out his hand to help me up. I laid on the ground for a moment as passengers just stepped over my body proceeding to walk away. My vision was blurry and took a few moments to clear up and saw the man’s face, he had to be at least five years younger than me and I was twenty-seven! He was lazily chewing gum in his mouth with a smirk on his face as if he was entertained he smelled of strong cologne that smelled like fresh water.
After I could see more than just dots and blur I took his hand puked myself up taking in the dusty air that tickled the insides of my nose. I stumbled a little bit, I hit my head when I fell, sharp pain pulsed through my head like a horrible headache that would bring you to your knees wanting to shoot yourself in the head.
“Hey…” I said drowsily and with a slur. The inside of my mouth was bleeding and I licked the wound with my tongue, it tasted like a rusty steel blade held inside my mouth by childhood bullies, those Jagoff’s took a joke way to seriously, a group of jerks cornered me in an alleyway behind a movie theater and slid a knife in my mouth cutting the walls of my mouth, I chewed on the loose strands of skin, the open wounds wouldn’t stop hurting for days. I clapped my hand on the guy’s shoulder for support I stabilized my stance, my legs stopped quivering and I was able to stand still.
“Hey rookie. Perk up.” He smiled and brushed my hand off his shoulder, I stumbled and finally regained balance. “I am not your personal crutch Finley. If you are joining us you will have to be a big boy and learn to walk on your own.” He says in an insulting tone ending with a chuckle. His breath smelled sweet with bubble, gum lots of it.
“Hey who the heck are you?” I asked questioningly asking to myself what gives him the right to call me a baby and insult me like that. I leaned in closer toward him and poked my pointer finger in his chest making him stumble back a little distance.
“I,” he rebutted my poke with a shove sending me back further; he was stronger than me for sure. “Am your instructor, rookie.” He spit when he talked I think he did that on purpose. My heart rose up into my throat and I began to choke and stutter not knowing what I was going to say next. I just insulted the person who was supposed to train me. Ah crap.
I quickly changed the subject and asked where he was going. He gave me a disappointed look that just screamed ‘really?’.
We walked out of the terminal and past the bag checks that were used to transport luggage during long distance rides. The sliding glass doors opened as we approached it and we walked out on to the gravelly and crumbly asphalt. I kicked pieces of asphalt across the parking lot. He glance at me with the disappointed look and looked straightforward again. ” I’m heading home,” he points at the same apartment building that my fiancée lived in. “Bell towers.”
“That’s where I’m heading too, I’m helping my fiancée move out of her apartment.”
“I’m sorry…” he paused for a moment “ what happened? Is she leaving you?” he sounded concerned and caring in contrast to the usual taunting tone he usually spoke with.
“No, no, no, son I didn’t break up with her, I got a new house because im a ‘rookie’ remember.” I used a sarcastic tone when I spoke.
After walking on the sidewalk in silence only hearing the constant sound of leaves crunching underneath our loafers. As I looked around as we peacefully walked down the sidewalk growing closer and closer to Bell Towers, former brick buildings were now just ruins and walls of brick after a fire devastated the wallflower district of Chancellor city. Wind whistled through the cracks and oddly shaped holes that formed from an odd fire caused by an arson group, that burned down half the wallflower district into weird sculpture like shapes, oddly leaving the park that was the centerpiece of the wallflower district not untouched, but left thriving, new flowers blossomed, trees began to reach for the sky becoming bigger than some of the districts buildings and the branches reached out seemingly infinitely, ponds and springs rose up from the ground out of nowhere, and different species of mammal and avian life began to arrive.
Wallflower was definitely not the best part of Chancellor city, Outside of the Moon Meadow Park; the Wallflower district was a hoodlum. I walked past the ruins of brick buildings I saw the light of fires flickering on the walls of ruins. The homeless and sick gathered around barrel fires and conversed quietly and kept their eyes trained on me and my instructor as we walked past them. Some of them crouched and stood in corners draped in shadow whispering or talking hysterically to themselves.
“I never got your name sir.” I whispered to him as stepped a little closer as a man in a long light brown trench coat with black red bannered fedora that completely and perfectly encased his face in shadow. His hands frantically shifted in his pocket as if looking for something, after a moment of searching his pockets he buttoned up his trench coat quickly and then sprinted off in front of us.
Right after the shifty man was at a safe distance in front of us he leaned in and said, “You will call me...” he paused for a moment as he tried to come up with an alias, suggesting he was a new instructor perhaps just recently promoted. “Dent.”
We were nearing the Bell Towers just in time to see the man in the trench coat swing the door open past him and casually walked in as if he never ran away frantically. We were still about a hundred yards away only faintly seeing him enter Bell Towers. We soon reached the door of the Bell towers that was now illuminated by the neon glow emitted by a couple convenience machines that sold soda, fast meals, and candy. I decided to grab a soda before going to the apartment, so I said bye and properly opened the door for Dent and watched him disappear into the building.
I fumbled in my suit jacket as the wind blew my suit jacket to the side, fumbling for the seventy five cents I needed to buy a soda, I finally grabbed three quarters and inserted them one by one, not inserting the next one until I saw the green lit monitor displaying the amount of credit I had in the machine. After I inserted seventy-five cents worth of credits, set the temperature option to just below freezing, frosted, and hit the blinking pink light under a picture of a rocket ship shaped bottle of fizzy purple liquid, three bumps on the bottom represented a scouting ship’s booster jets, three fins spread evenly around the circumference of the bottle could be used as handles you could hold it by, I stood back with my hands in my light brown sports coat and listened to the continuous whirring that I could hear from inside the machine. The whirring stopped abruptly, this would usually mean that the bottle would drop into the receiving slot. But it didn’t. I sighed and leaned my head back in disappointment and felt the cold wind blast my Adam’s apple and tickled my stubble. I waited for a whole minute, staring at my watch. Then I had enough, I backed up a little back and shoulder charged the machine hitting it hard rocking it back into the wall a little bit. I stepped back waiting for the sound of the bottle dropping into the receiving slot, then I heard it once then to my surprise twice. I opened the slot and grabbed two frosty space ship bottles that read Fiiz Ship across the front in bold 1960’s style future font.
I twisted off the rounded triangular prism top that represented the top of the scout ship, a powerful pop filled my ears and cold pressurized air was blasted into my face like being at the launch site of a scout ship, which I have experienced before. I grabbed one of the guidance fins on the side and lifted the bottle to my lips and took a fizzy sip of the purple substance. It was like a bubble gum and grape infused flavor that danced on my taste buds and fizzled in my throat.
I capped my drink and held the extra drink in the other hand, that I plan to gift to my fiancée. I swung open the door and walked in, the mood immediately changed. Neon lights turned into a crackling light suspended above the staircase and crisp cold air turned into damp and uncomfortably warm. The staircase almost seemed haunting the stairs had a red carpet down the middle of it and the railing was made of a dark wood that was marbled with a pitch black substance. I ran up eleven heights of stairs before knocking on the door of apartment K-3, I knocked and the door creaked upon by force of the knock, so I walked in only to trip on a metal tripwire that was set up right in front of the door.
I fell on the ground and the unopened was knocked out of my hands like a football being knocked out of his hands after feeling the full frontal blow of a linebacker who was about to deliver a sack. The rocket bottle bounced forward a couple feet then bubbles began to fizz towards the top and it exploded with a quick bang, like a swift kill delivered with love from a pistol round. Purple liquid tainted the walls mixing with the brown java color of the wallpaper. A blunt pain ran through my chin and my whole lower jaw, I stood up to find that the room seemed barely touched. I turned around to see the deadbolt was disassembled in shambles on the ground, and the tripwire was merely a couple strands of piano wire intertwined to create a stronger cable that sustained perfect tension by two wooden stakes, the wooden stakes had simple shapes carved into each of them. I ran my finger along the carved trenches of the shapes, they were smooth and obviously not down by hand.
I walked over to the kitchen and on the copper colored composite plastic countertop that was littered with a dozen banana peels that just littered the surface of the countertop. This bugged the living clean freak in me and I cleared off the counter throwing the banana peels in the garbage. The pungent smell of bananas filled the air and I nearly stepped onto a field of shattered plates so I walked away and searched all of the other rooms not finding another sign of disruptive presence or struggle. I zoned out of my detective mode and my stomach dropped like I had just rode off the high point of a roller coaster as I realized that I still haven’t found Jen, my fiancée. My cheeks heated up and I began to sweat, I began to tear off the sheets of her bed. Nothing. I tore off the curtains revealing the distant Chancellor city skyline, I checked the fire escape and on the ground below it. Nothing.
After I desperately tore up the apartment and checked every nook and cranny of the apartment, even the cupboards of the kitchen. Nothing. I gathered up my strength and left the apartment with only a single taunting thought rang in my head. Not a damn thing. Nothing at all.
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I slung the backpack over my shoulder and pulled open the cupboard, where I hid an upward facing gun safe. I began to input the pass code, when I finished the monitor flashed white as usual and turned the wheel t unlock the gun safe. The monitor began to rapidly flash white with the red letters spelling you shouldn’t be doing that. The wheel sent a sharp shock through my arm, and fell back on my back, feeling the burn sting the surface of my flesh.
The T.V. in my bedroom across from my bed flickered onto the same white screen behind the red letters spelling out I can’t allow you to do that Ted.
“Bull crap!” I shouted at the television as I charged it with my shoulder knocking the T.V. down to the ground from its mount, crashing on the ground with pieces of plastic screen were spread across the carpet floor. I continued to quickly turn the wheel to unlock, feeling no shock except when the safe opened without blowing me to bits. I opened my backpack and carefully inserted my only MMP pistol.
It’s been a while since I’ve had to use this, I blew the dust off the handgrip and barrel I turned a dial on the side of the handgrip the dial is used to switch between the multiple barrel settings that altered how the 9mm rounds would be fired. Rotated round, rubberized round, electrically charged round, Lethal injection round, and shatter rounds. All of those were options alongside the regular round. My ammo was all held in a small but heavy burlap sack that contained hundreds of 9mm rounds. The burlap sack was lathered with grease that I constantly used to clean the barrel and keep it slick for maximum velocity. I collapsed the gun onto its small lighter disguise and hid it into a pocket on my backpack strip.
I grabbed the backpack and slung it over my shoulder and ran towards the front door, I tried to turn the handle but it wouldn’t budge I leaned my head against the door and banged on the door.
“Let me out Ada!” I banged on the door and tears rolled down my cheeks, my life was falling apart I just lost my house and I’m an outlaw. How did this happen? I screamed at the door demanding at it open.
“No.” Ada’s voice was back she sounded like she was chocking back tears, but still spoke in a clear and cold monotone voice. What is Ada?
“Let me out you robotic she-psycho!” I swung a dining room table at the door budging it, I felt a surge of hope and I held my tears back as I kicked the door open; the bright noon light hit me with blinding white light. I stepped out and breathed in the crisp air that was so refreshing. I reached inside of my backpack and reached for a slice of buttered bread and took a satisfying victory bite of the sweet buttered bread.
I walked down the steps of the porch and walked toward my driveway and got on my motorcycle and started it up with the hidden key underneath the wheel, It’s been a while sine I have heard this bike purr, like a tiger. The bike was a sleek dark silver sports bike the engine and other mechanical parts gleamed in the sun with its polished chrome, it had a HUD on the windshield that acted like a GPS.
The bike purred like a kitten about to kill a mouse, which is why I named the bike Kitty. I twisted the throttle and backpedaled the bike backwards down the sloped driveway, I then backed out and sped off out of the neighborhood with the backpack strapped onto my back, it is all I have now.
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