3 Upse
2034
Unknown
New Cinalia
A mirage is held captive by the space it resides on. The heated air appears to ripple upwards and then tear itself down. As it collapses, a dark green figure ejects from its confines. The figure lies still for several moments before shivering, then projects vomit from its mouth. It chokes and turns over onto the gritty waste covered earth. Crimson streaked bile is forced from torn lips and a swollen nose. Sia's eyes water as she tries to regain control of her body.
Her head is pounding and her body is aching all over. Her ears are ringing, and she can't fully remember why. When she finally stops convulsing, she sits back and looks around at her surroundings. ExplorerTech is located at the perimeter of a thriving city. ExplorerTech was located not too far from a nice green park that residents walked their dogs in, and many employees traveled there to eat their lunches on a pleasant day. Its walls are now gone, replaced by crumbling blocks of limestone, glass, warped metal, wires, and pipes of varying size. The basic layout of the building is gone.
"Oh my god. I'm dead," Sia's eyes widen in shock, and she sits there for quite some time.
The desolate landscape distresses her more and more as time goes by. It is barren of living creatures as far as her eyes can see. She can't distinguish the difference between this moment and floating out on the ocean, among hundreds of lifeboats, while only hers is bobbing along with a passenger. She's stranded.
Then he shoots her.
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER LOADING...
DOWNLOAD COMPLETE
ANALYZING DISK SPACE...
UPLOADING MEMORY FILES...
ERROR: THE PROGRAM FAILED TO INITIALIZE PROPERLY...
PERFORMANCE TROUBLESHOOTER RUNNING...
ERROR RESOLVED
CHANGING SIZE OF VIRTUAL MEMORY...
UPGRADE COMPLETE
UPLOADING MEMORY FILES…
TURNING ON VISUAL EFFECTS…
STARTUP PROCEDURE ACTIVATED
---------
"Make sure those ropes are tight, Boy."
"What are they wearing? What is that?"
"What is that?"
"Do you recognize her?"
SUBJECT 001'S HEARTBEAT IS ACCELERATING
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
"Is there any scarring? Check her shoulders and ankles!"
I hear voices nearby and am confused why people are crowding the locker room. ExplorerTech Industries doesn't have that many janitorial staff on payroll. Did I fall asleep in the cafeteria? I roll my cramped neck and realize I'm not sitting up. Did I fall asleep on the ground?! A hand pushes down on my head. It's so painful I open my eyes and blink as dirt and rocks threaten to blind me.
"Mmmmm!"
My head...my arm. My arm burns. I can't move it.
IMPAIRED BRACHIALIS ANTICUS DETECTED
SEVERED MUSCULOCUTANEOUS NERVE DETECTED
INCAPACITATED PHYSICAL CONDITION
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
"Don't move! She's awake," a female voice hisses at someone.
A knee is placed on my back and pushes down on me. Hands are holding down my shoulders. It's uncomfortable to breathe.
'What is going on?! Where am I?!'
"Aaaah. No!" I jerk and try to buck the person off my back, but the hand on my head is joined by another and they tightly hold me in place.
---
"There aren't any claim symbols on her. Sign of a powerful group. Healthy, given clean clothing, these items are high end. Look at these boots. They are very high end. She has hair. Sign of a clean and luxurious colony. She must be separated from them and lost."
A greying man holds a black boot and black glove in each hand showing them off to the four other people in the shack. He places those down and lifts a large green piece of clothing. "None of this clothing is ripped or have any symbols. They must assume she won't make contact with outsiders, so she does not need to be branded in any way."
"How did you encounter her?" a young man asks.
"Men in the wastelands is a bad sign. I allowed Zayn to shoot two warning shots. One to the arm and one to the ground behind them. The wailing was a woman's cries. She tried to run and did not get far. Fell over and hit her head on something. Her hair was already coated in blood. Someone has beat her head in. Maybe not lost, maybe she was attacked," the old man replies while analyzing the zipper and seams of the green jumpsuit.
A bald woman runs in with a split lip and breathlessly says, "She is awake. She is trying to overpower Lin and Vanessa."
Three of the five people leave the shack and stride toward the ruckus happening farther away at the perimeter of their camp.
"Heeeeeeeeeelp! Get off me! Somebody heeeelp me!"
---------
OPENING LEXICON DATABASE...
COMMENCING SEARCH OF TERM: HELP
~Offering assistance
~Needing assistance
ANALYZING VISUAL IMAGES...
COMPILING TRUTHS...
- Accelerated heartbeat
- Incapacitated physical condition
- Subject 001 is restrained
- Subject 001 is making forceful body movements
- Subject 001 is verbally requesting help
FACT: SUBJECT 001 IS DISTRESSED
FACT: SUBJECT 001 IS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE
RESPONSE: NANO INFIRMARY PROTOCOL INITIATED
tRainQuilT646 RUNNING
---------
"Stop moving or we kill you!"
"Heeeel-" Sia stops yelling as a sharp object is held at her neck.
She feels wide awake now and remembers everything that happened before she woke up on the filthy ground.
She had assumed that she was dead and cast out into this barren hell to repent for her sins. Until someone had shot her and chased her through the barren hell. A demon? Whatever demon tribe has captured her...they've stripped her down to her underwear and don't understand boundaries. She doesn't have a weapon! Why are they so aggressive?!
The three leaders of the Wanderers watch as Vanessa shuts the woman up.
"Sit her up," an old woman calls to Vanessa.
Vanessa pushes the knife closer to Sia's neck threatening more harm, then pulls it away. She pulls her up roughly, and Sia feels an odd sensation course through her body. She feels sick. Vertigo?
"I should vomit on this --" she begins to think before an odd hum sounds in her head.
Her eyes water and she barely notices the other figures facing her.
"Which colony are you from?"
"Where were you headed?"
"Who do you belong to?"
"Who made your clothing?"
The old woman asks question after question, but Sia does not respond. The old woman turns to the men standing beside her.
"She is trained well. She may not give up any information unless physically tortured. She is barren of scars. She must be important. Scarring her may make trading with her Master difficult."
"Blood need not be spilt to gain answers. There are many ways to bring fear to your heart. Ways to die that leave no mark. Your Master would never know how you perished. That head wound could have been the cause," the grey old man walks closer and closer to Sia as he speaks.
The middle-aged man beside the old woman stays quiet. He watches Sia's reactions closely and narrows his eyes at her unresponsiveness.
'This colony must be very rich in resources and intelligence. The woman has not blinked this entire time. What sort of place can train a woman to be calm over torture and death? This could be a very rich deal for us all.' He thinks all this to himself as he ogles the peculiar woman.
Meanwhile, Sia is slowly dying inside as she realizes the loud humming in her ears has made her deaf.
"Oh my god. They hit me so hard I've gone deaf," she thinks in her mind.
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
"…"
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
Sia holds her breath as she hears a soft computerized voice speaking to her within the humming. Something has transported her to a place to be tortured both physically and mentally. She didn't even believe in Hell, but this must be it, and it will break her.
'I'm not that bad of a person. I repent. I repent. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Forgive me for all I have done wrong.'
SUBJECT 001 IS EXPERIENCING TACHYPNEA
tRainQuilT646 RUNNING
RESTRICTING ACCESS TO RESPIRATORY SYSTEM. REGULATING BODY FUNCTIONS
NANO INFIRMARY PROTOCOL TERMINATED
Sia's breathing becomes steady and normal.
'What...is...going...on?', she fearfully thinks.
SUBJECT 001 IS DISTRESSED
SUBJECT 001 IS FULLY CONNECTED TO SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER
UPGRADE COMPLETE
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #1: ENSURE SUBJECT 001 STATUS REMAIN STABLE UNLESS COMMANDED OTHERWISE
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #2: ENHANCE SUBJECT 001 BODY
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #3: ENHANCE SUBJECT 001 MIND
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #4: EXTEND INTELLIGENCE FACULTIES
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #5: DOCUMENTATION
'STOP.', Sia thinks.
The hum in her head is the only sound she hears.
'Continue.'
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #6: PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION WITH EXCLUSIVE SURVEILLANCE DATABASE
'Why?'
SUBJECT 001 IS CONNECTED TO SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER
'What? No, I'm not.', Sia would remember if she swallowed a computer.
RETRIEVING AUDIO AND VISUAL FILES....
PLAYING 18MARCH2018...
Sia's mind flashbacks to the explosion in the lab. The lab door exploding off its hinges into her body. As she is being crushed by the heavy metal door, the visuals are all black. The visuals freeze and rewind. From her peripheral vision, she can see the flames that had filled the entire room. The visuals freeze right before the door collides with her face.
The perspective changes and you can see her frozen figure and the door from behind. The memory plays through, but instead of darkness, Sia sees herself get hit by the door and hit the desk before it cuts out. The images rewind, and everything zooms in until just before she hits the desk and a metal object disappears into the back of her head.
SUBJECT 001 IS CONNECTED TO SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER
Sia feels sick. The device on the desk was embedded into her skull after she fell on it. How hard did that door crush her? Why was the room flaming?! How did she survive that explosion? The humming in her brain begins to subside.
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
'What? You said that before.'
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
'I'm okay?'
The humming ceases, and the first thing Sia notices is she is no longer outside on the filthy ground. Now she is in a room that looks like it is in an abandoned building.
"Are you ready to compromise with us? We just want to establish trading with your colony. They have trained you well. You should not fear Luka's words. He was just trying to gather information on your people before welcoming you into our camp. He would never act on those words," a middle-aged man tells her.
She jerks and looks to the doorway of the room at the oddly dressed man. He looks homeless and is wearing rough looking clothing that is torn in some areas. He is malnourished. Sia licks her lips when she sees how chapped his are.
"What?"
"I am Conti. We can lead you back to your people. Were you attacked in the night and separated from them? We have not made contact with any groups in some days. Do you recall what direction you were traveling?"
Sia is speechless. This man does not look or sound demonic in any way. Seems like she has been kidnapped by homeless people after surviving an explosion. She has a computer stuck in her head, and her arm is covered in blood but it works perfectly. She should be dead. Colonies...Traveling...
Sia holds her arms around herself and backs away from him. Conti remembers the water and bandages he brought for her wounds. He pulls them out and takes a step towards her, but stops when he sees her backing into a corner.
"These are for your injuries.", He says while placing a plastic gallon container, only a quarter of the way full, and 2 small rolls of gauze on the short table near the door then left.
Sia stays near her corner until he leaves. Then she snatches the materials up and brings them to her corner. Sniffing the water, she doesn't notice anything weird, but can clearly see drops of dirt at the bottom of the container.
"Ha. Contaminated water. Great."
She pours it on her dirty legs and feet. After setting that down, she dabs at her bloody arm with a dry piece of gauze, but just as she suspected whatever had been there is gone. Her skin is perfectly fine.
She refuses to touch her head. She has decided she needs all the fluids she has right now and has no time to vomit. Just thinking of what is back there makes her want to gag. Finally, she wraps her arm, and sits in the corner. Awaiting what will happen next.
------
2035
Rubble, Brook
New Cinalia
NANO INFIRMARY PROTOCOL TERMINATED
Sid shakes his head and pulls his limbs in close to himself. Rolling and rolling until he quickly scrambles to his feet before the metal structure above him crashes to the alleyway below. His watch alarm goes off, and he quickly deactivates it. Five minutes left before everyone is expected at the rendezvous point.
The buildings and ground all around him are demolished and still crumbling. Carla does her job well. Sid's wobbly jog turns into a sprint out of the ruins. He takes a shortcut through backyards. He did not encounter anyone else as he hops fences.
"I must have been out for the rest of the ten minutes. Damn. I don't remember that jump being so far."
When he sees a body of water he slows down and lowly mutters, "Sid, give me a topographical map of the area."
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF Brook, New Cinalia TRANSMITTING...
"Focus on the river and our rendezvous point. We need to get to SUBJECT 002 – 011."
CONFIGURING NAVIGATION PATH
Sid begins running and knows when he has arrived at his destination when he hears loud voices squabbling nearby. He slows down and puts his hands on his head to take deeper breaths. Following the loud voices, he smiles as he gets close enough to hear the words being spoken.
"Just start the ferry, send them over, and I'll stay posted here until he shows up."
"He told us to leave if he doesn't get back on time. If he misses this rendezvous point, he assured us he would make the second one across the river." Carla is trying to reason with the male.
The rest of the crew is ushering the civilians onto a dirty, rusted ferry that rumbles beside a destitute dock.
"Exactly, so he will be crossing here eventually. I'll meet you all at the second rendezvous point as soon as possible. There is no need to delay our plans. The Savages retreated earlier than we predicted; they could be circling around the territory as we speak."
"Get on the ferry."
"You are jeopardizing these people's lives. Go!" the stubborn man turns his back on Carla, puts his backpack back on, then grabs Sid's backpack and water jug.
"Grrrr..." Carla lifts her rifle as if she wants to strike him with it.
The stubborn man starts walking away from the area, seeking out a good hiding spot to wait when he hears footsteps. Carla holds her rifle towards the noise.
"Where are you going off with my stuff, thief?" Sid asks with a smirk.
"Big Brother, what took you so long?" Robert says with relief.
Carla lowers her weapon and grins. "You deal with this clown. I'm ready for a ferry ride."
Robert tosses Sid his water jug and walks over with his backpack in hand. "Is there a problem? Did they wound you?"
"Tsk, I'm a pro," Sid says before gulping down the murky water.
"So, everything went as planned?" Robert glances at the other man's dusty clothing and bloody forehead.
Sid notices his eyes on the blood on his head and neck and pours the rest of the murky water over his head.
"'S not my blood. Like I said I'm a pro. In and out job. I go in, and take them out."
"Actually, we took most of them out. You just flipped a switch," Robert says before walking away.
"A death switch!" Sid yells indignantly before opening his backpack. "Hey, this isn't my backpack. Did you steal my backpack! Hey!"
The men join the others right before the ferry takes off. The ride across is uneventful. As they rumble down the river, the Leader of the Savages is spitting blood into the grass watching them escape. He grunts and walks in that direction with a little more than a quarter of his men remaining. As he passes by a wounded savage, he shoots the invalid in the back and moves on; eyeing the rest of his force for weakness. The subordinates check the corpse for ammunition on reflex, then continue to march behind their leader.
"So, Sid, tell us about the place you come from again. I want to hear that "bree-dge" story.", Carla asks as she leans against the boat railing.
"It's a bridge."
"We're what...two weeks give or take now. This hasn't altered us much," Carla continues. "I wanna see that "bree-dge". I've never heard of something that big shining as bright as you say. It keeps people off the rotted water? No rats. No rations. No rubble."
Sid gazes at the dark brown water and frowns.
Unknown
New Cinalia
A mirage is held captive by the space it resides on. The heated air appears to ripple upwards and then tear itself down. As it collapses, a dark green figure ejects from its confines. The figure lies still for several moments before shivering, then projects vomit from its mouth. It chokes and turns over onto the gritty waste covered earth. Crimson streaked bile is forced from torn lips and a swollen nose. Sia's eyes water as she tries to regain control of her body.
Her head is pounding and her body is aching all over. Her ears are ringing, and she can't fully remember why. When she finally stops convulsing, she sits back and looks around at her surroundings. ExplorerTech is located at the perimeter of a thriving city. ExplorerTech was located not too far from a nice green park that residents walked their dogs in, and many employees traveled there to eat their lunches on a pleasant day. Its walls are now gone, replaced by crumbling blocks of limestone, glass, warped metal, wires, and pipes of varying size. The basic layout of the building is gone.
"Oh my god. I'm dead," Sia's eyes widen in shock, and she sits there for quite some time.
The desolate landscape distresses her more and more as time goes by. It is barren of living creatures as far as her eyes can see. She can't distinguish the difference between this moment and floating out on the ocean, among hundreds of lifeboats, while only hers is bobbing along with a passenger. She's stranded.
Then he shoots her.
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER LOADING...
DOWNLOAD COMPLETE
ANALYZING DISK SPACE...
UPLOADING MEMORY FILES...
ERROR: THE PROGRAM FAILED TO INITIALIZE PROPERLY...
PERFORMANCE TROUBLESHOOTER RUNNING...
ERROR RESOLVED
CHANGING SIZE OF VIRTUAL MEMORY...
UPGRADE COMPLETE
UPLOADING MEMORY FILES…
TURNING ON VISUAL EFFECTS…
STARTUP PROCEDURE ACTIVATED
---------
"Make sure those ropes are tight, Boy."
"What are they wearing? What is that?"
"What is that?"
"Do you recognize her?"
SUBJECT 001'S HEARTBEAT IS ACCELERATING
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
"Is there any scarring? Check her shoulders and ankles!"
I hear voices nearby and am confused why people are crowding the locker room. ExplorerTech Industries doesn't have that many janitorial staff on payroll. Did I fall asleep in the cafeteria? I roll my cramped neck and realize I'm not sitting up. Did I fall asleep on the ground?! A hand pushes down on my head. It's so painful I open my eyes and blink as dirt and rocks threaten to blind me.
"Mmmmm!"
My head...my arm. My arm burns. I can't move it.
IMPAIRED BRACHIALIS ANTICUS DETECTED
SEVERED MUSCULOCUTANEOUS NERVE DETECTED
INCAPACITATED PHYSICAL CONDITION
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
"Don't move! She's awake," a female voice hisses at someone.
A knee is placed on my back and pushes down on me. Hands are holding down my shoulders. It's uncomfortable to breathe.
'What is going on?! Where am I?!'
"Aaaah. No!" I jerk and try to buck the person off my back, but the hand on my head is joined by another and they tightly hold me in place.
---
"There aren't any claim symbols on her. Sign of a powerful group. Healthy, given clean clothing, these items are high end. Look at these boots. They are very high end. She has hair. Sign of a clean and luxurious colony. She must be separated from them and lost."
A greying man holds a black boot and black glove in each hand showing them off to the four other people in the shack. He places those down and lifts a large green piece of clothing. "None of this clothing is ripped or have any symbols. They must assume she won't make contact with outsiders, so she does not need to be branded in any way."
"How did you encounter her?" a young man asks.
"Men in the wastelands is a bad sign. I allowed Zayn to shoot two warning shots. One to the arm and one to the ground behind them. The wailing was a woman's cries. She tried to run and did not get far. Fell over and hit her head on something. Her hair was already coated in blood. Someone has beat her head in. Maybe not lost, maybe she was attacked," the old man replies while analyzing the zipper and seams of the green jumpsuit.
A bald woman runs in with a split lip and breathlessly says, "She is awake. She is trying to overpower Lin and Vanessa."
Three of the five people leave the shack and stride toward the ruckus happening farther away at the perimeter of their camp.
"Heeeeeeeeeelp! Get off me! Somebody heeeelp me!"
---------
OPENING LEXICON DATABASE...
COMMENCING SEARCH OF TERM: HELP
~Offering assistance
~Needing assistance
ANALYZING VISUAL IMAGES...
COMPILING TRUTHS...
- Accelerated heartbeat
- Incapacitated physical condition
- Subject 001 is restrained
- Subject 001 is making forceful body movements
- Subject 001 is verbally requesting help
FACT: SUBJECT 001 IS DISTRESSED
FACT: SUBJECT 001 IS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE
RESPONSE: NANO INFIRMARY PROTOCOL INITIATED
tRainQuilT646 RUNNING
---------
"Stop moving or we kill you!"
"Heeeel-" Sia stops yelling as a sharp object is held at her neck.
She feels wide awake now and remembers everything that happened before she woke up on the filthy ground.
She had assumed that she was dead and cast out into this barren hell to repent for her sins. Until someone had shot her and chased her through the barren hell. A demon? Whatever demon tribe has captured her...they've stripped her down to her underwear and don't understand boundaries. She doesn't have a weapon! Why are they so aggressive?!
The three leaders of the Wanderers watch as Vanessa shuts the woman up.
"Sit her up," an old woman calls to Vanessa.
Vanessa pushes the knife closer to Sia's neck threatening more harm, then pulls it away. She pulls her up roughly, and Sia feels an odd sensation course through her body. She feels sick. Vertigo?
"I should vomit on this --" she begins to think before an odd hum sounds in her head.
Her eyes water and she barely notices the other figures facing her.
"Which colony are you from?"
"Where were you headed?"
"Who do you belong to?"
"Who made your clothing?"
The old woman asks question after question, but Sia does not respond. The old woman turns to the men standing beside her.
"She is trained well. She may not give up any information unless physically tortured. She is barren of scars. She must be important. Scarring her may make trading with her Master difficult."
"Blood need not be spilt to gain answers. There are many ways to bring fear to your heart. Ways to die that leave no mark. Your Master would never know how you perished. That head wound could have been the cause," the grey old man walks closer and closer to Sia as he speaks.
The middle-aged man beside the old woman stays quiet. He watches Sia's reactions closely and narrows his eyes at her unresponsiveness.
'This colony must be very rich in resources and intelligence. The woman has not blinked this entire time. What sort of place can train a woman to be calm over torture and death? This could be a very rich deal for us all.' He thinks all this to himself as he ogles the peculiar woman.
Meanwhile, Sia is slowly dying inside as she realizes the loud humming in her ears has made her deaf.
"Oh my god. They hit me so hard I've gone deaf," she thinks in her mind.
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
"…"
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
Sia holds her breath as she hears a soft computerized voice speaking to her within the humming. Something has transported her to a place to be tortured both physically and mentally. She didn't even believe in Hell, but this must be it, and it will break her.
'I'm not that bad of a person. I repent. I repent. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Forgive me for all I have done wrong.'
SUBJECT 001 IS EXPERIENCING TACHYPNEA
tRainQuilT646 RUNNING
RESTRICTING ACCESS TO RESPIRATORY SYSTEM. REGULATING BODY FUNCTIONS
NANO INFIRMARY PROTOCOL TERMINATED
Sia's breathing becomes steady and normal.
'What...is...going...on?', she fearfully thinks.
SUBJECT 001 IS DISTRESSED
SUBJECT 001 IS FULLY CONNECTED TO SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER
UPGRADE COMPLETE
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #1: ENSURE SUBJECT 001 STATUS REMAIN STABLE UNLESS COMMANDED OTHERWISE
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #2: ENHANCE SUBJECT 001 BODY
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #3: ENHANCE SUBJECT 001 MIND
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #4: EXTEND INTELLIGENCE FACULTIES
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #5: DOCUMENTATION
'STOP.', Sia thinks.
The hum in her head is the only sound she hears.
'Continue.'
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER PRIORITY #6: PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION WITH EXCLUSIVE SURVEILLANCE DATABASE
'Why?'
SUBJECT 001 IS CONNECTED TO SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER
'What? No, I'm not.', Sia would remember if she swallowed a computer.
RETRIEVING AUDIO AND VISUAL FILES....
PLAYING 18MARCH2018...
Sia's mind flashbacks to the explosion in the lab. The lab door exploding off its hinges into her body. As she is being crushed by the heavy metal door, the visuals are all black. The visuals freeze and rewind. From her peripheral vision, she can see the flames that had filled the entire room. The visuals freeze right before the door collides with her face.
The perspective changes and you can see her frozen figure and the door from behind. The memory plays through, but instead of darkness, Sia sees herself get hit by the door and hit the desk before it cuts out. The images rewind, and everything zooms in until just before she hits the desk and a metal object disappears into the back of her head.
SUBJECT 001 IS CONNECTED TO SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER
Sia feels sick. The device on the desk was embedded into her skull after she fell on it. How hard did that door crush her? Why was the room flaming?! How did she survive that explosion? The humming in her brain begins to subside.
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
'What? You said that before.'
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
'I'm okay?'
The humming ceases, and the first thing Sia notices is she is no longer outside on the filthy ground. Now she is in a room that looks like it is in an abandoned building.
"Are you ready to compromise with us? We just want to establish trading with your colony. They have trained you well. You should not fear Luka's words. He was just trying to gather information on your people before welcoming you into our camp. He would never act on those words," a middle-aged man tells her.
She jerks and looks to the doorway of the room at the oddly dressed man. He looks homeless and is wearing rough looking clothing that is torn in some areas. He is malnourished. Sia licks her lips when she sees how chapped his are.
"What?"
"I am Conti. We can lead you back to your people. Were you attacked in the night and separated from them? We have not made contact with any groups in some days. Do you recall what direction you were traveling?"
Sia is speechless. This man does not look or sound demonic in any way. Seems like she has been kidnapped by homeless people after surviving an explosion. She has a computer stuck in her head, and her arm is covered in blood but it works perfectly. She should be dead. Colonies...Traveling...
Sia holds her arms around herself and backs away from him. Conti remembers the water and bandages he brought for her wounds. He pulls them out and takes a step towards her, but stops when he sees her backing into a corner.
"These are for your injuries.", He says while placing a plastic gallon container, only a quarter of the way full, and 2 small rolls of gauze on the short table near the door then left.
Sia stays near her corner until he leaves. Then she snatches the materials up and brings them to her corner. Sniffing the water, she doesn't notice anything weird, but can clearly see drops of dirt at the bottom of the container.
"Ha. Contaminated water. Great."
She pours it on her dirty legs and feet. After setting that down, she dabs at her bloody arm with a dry piece of gauze, but just as she suspected whatever had been there is gone. Her skin is perfectly fine.
She refuses to touch her head. She has decided she needs all the fluids she has right now and has no time to vomit. Just thinking of what is back there makes her want to gag. Finally, she wraps her arm, and sits in the corner. Awaiting what will happen next.
------
2035
Rubble, Brook
New Cinalia
NANO INFIRMARY PROTOCOL TERMINATED
Sid shakes his head and pulls his limbs in close to himself. Rolling and rolling until he quickly scrambles to his feet before the metal structure above him crashes to the alleyway below. His watch alarm goes off, and he quickly deactivates it. Five minutes left before everyone is expected at the rendezvous point.
The buildings and ground all around him are demolished and still crumbling. Carla does her job well. Sid's wobbly jog turns into a sprint out of the ruins. He takes a shortcut through backyards. He did not encounter anyone else as he hops fences.
"I must have been out for the rest of the ten minutes. Damn. I don't remember that jump being so far."
When he sees a body of water he slows down and lowly mutters, "Sid, give me a topographical map of the area."
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF Brook, New Cinalia TRANSMITTING...
"Focus on the river and our rendezvous point. We need to get to SUBJECT 002 – 011."
CONFIGURING NAVIGATION PATH
Sid begins running and knows when he has arrived at his destination when he hears loud voices squabbling nearby. He slows down and puts his hands on his head to take deeper breaths. Following the loud voices, he smiles as he gets close enough to hear the words being spoken.
"Just start the ferry, send them over, and I'll stay posted here until he shows up."
"He told us to leave if he doesn't get back on time. If he misses this rendezvous point, he assured us he would make the second one across the river." Carla is trying to reason with the male.
The rest of the crew is ushering the civilians onto a dirty, rusted ferry that rumbles beside a destitute dock.
"Exactly, so he will be crossing here eventually. I'll meet you all at the second rendezvous point as soon as possible. There is no need to delay our plans. The Savages retreated earlier than we predicted; they could be circling around the territory as we speak."
"Get on the ferry."
"You are jeopardizing these people's lives. Go!" the stubborn man turns his back on Carla, puts his backpack back on, then grabs Sid's backpack and water jug.
"Grrrr..." Carla lifts her rifle as if she wants to strike him with it.
The stubborn man starts walking away from the area, seeking out a good hiding spot to wait when he hears footsteps. Carla holds her rifle towards the noise.
"Where are you going off with my stuff, thief?" Sid asks with a smirk.
"Big Brother, what took you so long?" Robert says with relief.
Carla lowers her weapon and grins. "You deal with this clown. I'm ready for a ferry ride."
Robert tosses Sid his water jug and walks over with his backpack in hand. "Is there a problem? Did they wound you?"
"Tsk, I'm a pro," Sid says before gulping down the murky water.
"So, everything went as planned?" Robert glances at the other man's dusty clothing and bloody forehead.
Sid notices his eyes on the blood on his head and neck and pours the rest of the murky water over his head.
"'S not my blood. Like I said I'm a pro. In and out job. I go in, and take them out."
"Actually, we took most of them out. You just flipped a switch," Robert says before walking away.
"A death switch!" Sid yells indignantly before opening his backpack. "Hey, this isn't my backpack. Did you steal my backpack! Hey!"
The men join the others right before the ferry takes off. The ride across is uneventful. As they rumble down the river, the Leader of the Savages is spitting blood into the grass watching them escape. He grunts and walks in that direction with a little more than a quarter of his men remaining. As he passes by a wounded savage, he shoots the invalid in the back and moves on; eyeing the rest of his force for weakness. The subordinates check the corpse for ammunition on reflex, then continue to march behind their leader.
"So, Sid, tell us about the place you come from again. I want to hear that "bree-dge" story.", Carla asks as she leans against the boat railing.
"It's a bridge."
"We're what...two weeks give or take now. This hasn't altered us much," Carla continues. "I wanna see that "bree-dge". I've never heard of something that big shining as bright as you say. It keeps people off the rotted water? No rats. No rations. No rubble."
Sid gazes at the dark brown water and frowns.
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