57 The Greater Good
SUBJECT 001 HAS STATED THAT THEFT IS ABHORRENT YET SUBJECT 001'S CURRENT ACTIVITIES ARE CONTRADICTORY TO THAT VIEWPOINT
"Priority number 1...right?" Marcus shoves a backpack into the trunk of an abandoned car from the back seat.
His legs are hanging out the back seat of the junker. The door has been removed from the rusty frame, while the remaining doors have grimy windows that are smeared with dirt. He checks the rear view window and over his shoulder out the windshield, through the smudged glass he's cleaned with his jacket sleeve. The coast is clear.
'Lying and stealing is bad, but this is life and death. It's normal to lie and steal if death is the likely consequence, okay? If it wasn't... I wouldn't be doing this,' Marcus shoves one last time and the backpack slips through the small opening between the collapsible seat and the trunk.
He shifts around to grab the other backpack on the concrete ground outside the car. He picks it up and turns to prop himself up on his knees. With one good push, the backpack slips into the trunk.
'Okay, so we should get back to the Merchant quarters now,' Marcus leans his forearm on the headrest of the backseat and gives the area outside the rearview mirror a cursory inspection.
His eyes sweep across the damaged cars at the edge of the car lot, and the torn apart wrecks in his field of vision. Not that anyone would be following him.
'I'm pretty inconspicuous,' Marcus smirks before sitting back on his heels and breathing a sigh of relief.
EQUIPMENT ACQUIRED
EXIT STRATEGY PENDING
'Yeah... I think the Priya has to hang on until the morning, less crazy insects out and more--'
A large calloused hand grips the back of Marcus's collar and yanks him out of the car.
"Ugggggh!" Marcus chokes for a moment while he hurtles backward out of the car.
DANGER
Marcus's arms wrap around his head to cushion his skull from making contact with the concrete. He lands heavily on his side.
CRACK
The sound of glass shattering is heard, Marcus cringes as the small bottles of morphine within his jacket break into pieces. Liquid seeps into the shirts beneath his jacket and down the top of his jeans. The assailant kicks Marcus. The young man cringes as he feels the glass that has shattered in his pocket being driven into his side. He presses his hands down to his side and curls up around the injury.
LEFT LATERAL ABDOMINAL INJURY DETECTED
SILICA HAS PENETRATED THE SUPERFICIAL FASCIA ALONG THE EXTERNAL ABDOMINAL OBLIQUE
NANO INFIRMARY PROTOCOL INITIATED
The assailant doesn't continue their attack, "So, you really are a thief?"
Marcus's eyes widen when he hears that familiar deep voice. The pain recedes as the nanotechnology repairs his body in record time, but Marcus feigns injury.
"What do we have here?" The guard with the short ponytail kicks away Marcus's legs and leans into the old junker to peer into the gap between the seats.
He reaches in and tugs out a heavy backpack, "Jackpot. What did you think you were going to get away with?"
Marcus scrambles up from the ground and moves out of range of the guard. The guard roughly unzips the backpack and snorts. He drops the backpack, causing the contents of the tattered backpack to spill out onto the ground.
"Food, night vision goggles, bandages...you planning a trip or something?" The guard glares down at Marcus.
"Just staying prepared...It's a crazy world. Is it a crime to store supplies on the side? You can just attack anyone here? What the hell is wrong with you?!" Marcus holds a hand to his side and points a bloody finger at the sneering guard.
"Sure it is! Especially when that supplies don't belong to you!" The guard dips forward and grabs Marcus's index finger in his large hand.
Marcus grimaces as his finger is twisted and his arm is awkwardly held above his head. He stops feigning injury on his side and raises his other hand to grab the bicep of the man.
"F*ck me, you really thought no one would notice you steal all this gear? How dumb are you? Only the mercs are allowed to handle the night vision gear here. Limited supply," The guard takes a step backward and Marcus is dragged forward.
The angry guard kicks at the opened backpack, "And these snacks? No one gets these from inventory with the rationing going on. How did you score those?"
"Aaah...AAh...it was in a truck. It was all stuff I got from some armored trucks, please," Marcus whines against the guard's tight grip.
'Dammit. What do we do?! He's going to get us in trouble...if they take this supplies back we'll never get to Priya in the morning. I'll probably be kicked out into the storm. She needs those bandages. Dammit! The morphine is all gone. S*it!'
"I know you types! You scout out groups for how many women and children there are, and plan an attack while they're vulnerable!...." The guard pulls Marcus in to shout in his face but receives a glazed over look from the young man.
S.I.D. REQUESTS TO ELIMINATE THE THREAT
'NO! That'll ruin their trust of us even more!.... We can't kill any of these people.'
Marcus's head rattles from left to right when the guard shakes him back to attention, "Oh, this getting too boring for you?" The guard pulls his sidearm from his holster.
S.I.D. REQUESTS TO SUBDUE THE THREAT
'You promise not to kill him?'
The guard clicks the safety off his weapon and holds it to Marcus's head.
"I'll give you till the count of 5 to tell me why you're really here. 5..."
The touch of the cold metal to his temple tenses up his form. He stops struggling against the guard's tight grip and his mouth goes dry. Surprisingly, his knees remain still and continue to bear his weight.
THE HUMAN WILL NOT EXPIRE
"4."
'Okay. Help me. Help...this guy is a psycho.'
"3."
Marcus's body is taken over by the Synthetic Intelligence Developer and fakes a loud whimper while dragging the hand clutching the guard's bicep down the arm to caress the male's shoulder.
INCREASING STRENGTH IN LOWER EXTREMITIES AND LEFT HAND FOR 50 SECONDS BY 20%
"2."
Marcus's fingers dig into the flesh of the shoulder.
"Ack!" The guard's entire stance shifts and the strength of the grip on the gun reduces as he cringes and brings his arm back towards his body.
The grip on Marcus's finger vanishes as the guard presses a hand to the attacked area. Marcus's body wrenches the gun from his grip and pistol whips him on the side of his jaw. The male stumbles back a few steps and collides into the rusted car, but doesn't collapse.
"Oh!" The guard prods at the cut on his jaw
OPPONENT UNDERESTIMATED
INCREASE STRENGTH BY 30%
***
Sia swirls in a circle and absorbs the feeling of being in immersive mode once more. She runs her hand along a white, unblemished wall and sadly smiles at the solid feel of a smooth wooden door under her palm. The deafening silence of this space is comforting after being stuck underground with all the noisy Warts dwellers.
"Please, Apex help me! Help me! I need you! I need you bad!" Sia remembers the last moment she was here and shutters at the difference flashing red and green lights can have on an atmosphere.
Sia lifts her chin and concentrates on what she wants while focusing her eyes on the blinding white ceiling. Two triangular visual prisms pop into existence and lower to come within reach of Sia.
"Uuuh...Why are there two?" Sia hesitates to reach for the two objects.
They stop lowering at eye level and Sia notices that the left device is emitting a flashing light every second, while the right device displays the underground garage and moving figures. Sia bites her lower lip. Her hand reaches up to grasp the device with the peculiar flickering light.
She leans against a wall a few steps from the other floating device and holds the prism up to her face. When she peers into the device with the screen closer to her face she notices a shape writhing in the darkness, but the lights give her a headache. She lowers the device and blinks her eyes a few times.
After a moment, she lifts the device once again and tries to see what was occurring. The lack of sound is definitely making this more difficult than it needed to be.
"This would be easier with sound!" Sia lowers the device and lets it dangle at her side placed against her outer thigh.
Sia jumps and drops the device to the ground as screaming is projected from the ceiling. She covers her ears with her hands and cringes, "Can you turn that down?!"
There is no reaction to her question. What could the Synthetic Intelligence Developer's systems be preoccupied with? The screaming stops momentarily as a rush of water is heard. Sia drops to her knees and reaches for the device with one shaking hand.
The lights are no longer flashing. It appears that the screen is showing a recording from a surveillance camera positioned high up in a corner of the room. The fluorescent lights illuminate a black medical recliner chair with metal armrests. Across the chair are multiple restraints that prevent the dark form lying across the reclined examination chair. The tiles around the base of the chair are split and cracked.
The creature is being sprayed with jets of water from two different angles. It is being hosed down. The creature is trembling. When the water collides with his form the impact shifts him to the side. The white tiled floor is obscured by light green sludge.
There is a medical cabinet and an exam table in the background. But Sia can't see any other items or people standing in the camera's field of view.
Sia presses her fingers to the screen and mimics the movements she would make on her smartphone to zoom into an image. The image adjusts and a long appendage can be seen wriggling in the light green sludge. Sia shutters and taps the screen twice, nothing happens.
"Zoom out," Sia orders, but the device doesn't comply.
The dark form is glistening under the lights except for the deep white holes in its flesh that are seeping green fluid. Scaley skin appears to have been peeled away along the top of its skin to reveal white muscle and bone. The water digs deep into its wounds and triggers a deep, terrified wail to erupt from the tortured being.
She circles her finger around the screen and taps a few times before shaking the object. Amid her frustrated attempts was the correct gesture, the device zooms out. She slides her fingers over the top of the reclined medical chair and uses her fingers to zoom in like before. The image adjusts.
EEEEEEERR
Sia closes her eyes and grinds her teeth as a loud siren noise erupts from the ceiling, but it ceases after a moment. Sia blinks away tears as she looks back down at the viewing screen. The first thing she notices is that the water is no longer spraying, but the next moment she gasps.
Glaring up into the camera are dark brown eyes.
"Priority number 1...right?" Marcus shoves a backpack into the trunk of an abandoned car from the back seat.
His legs are hanging out the back seat of the junker. The door has been removed from the rusty frame, while the remaining doors have grimy windows that are smeared with dirt. He checks the rear view window and over his shoulder out the windshield, through the smudged glass he's cleaned with his jacket sleeve. The coast is clear.
'Lying and stealing is bad, but this is life and death. It's normal to lie and steal if death is the likely consequence, okay? If it wasn't... I wouldn't be doing this,' Marcus shoves one last time and the backpack slips through the small opening between the collapsible seat and the trunk.
He shifts around to grab the other backpack on the concrete ground outside the car. He picks it up and turns to prop himself up on his knees. With one good push, the backpack slips into the trunk.
'Okay, so we should get back to the Merchant quarters now,' Marcus leans his forearm on the headrest of the backseat and gives the area outside the rearview mirror a cursory inspection.
His eyes sweep across the damaged cars at the edge of the car lot, and the torn apart wrecks in his field of vision. Not that anyone would be following him.
'I'm pretty inconspicuous,' Marcus smirks before sitting back on his heels and breathing a sigh of relief.
EQUIPMENT ACQUIRED
EXIT STRATEGY PENDING
'Yeah... I think the Priya has to hang on until the morning, less crazy insects out and more--'
A large calloused hand grips the back of Marcus's collar and yanks him out of the car.
"Ugggggh!" Marcus chokes for a moment while he hurtles backward out of the car.
DANGER
Marcus's arms wrap around his head to cushion his skull from making contact with the concrete. He lands heavily on his side.
CRACK
The sound of glass shattering is heard, Marcus cringes as the small bottles of morphine within his jacket break into pieces. Liquid seeps into the shirts beneath his jacket and down the top of his jeans. The assailant kicks Marcus. The young man cringes as he feels the glass that has shattered in his pocket being driven into his side. He presses his hands down to his side and curls up around the injury.
LEFT LATERAL ABDOMINAL INJURY DETECTED
SILICA HAS PENETRATED THE SUPERFICIAL FASCIA ALONG THE EXTERNAL ABDOMINAL OBLIQUE
NANO INFIRMARY PROTOCOL INITIATED
The assailant doesn't continue their attack, "So, you really are a thief?"
Marcus's eyes widen when he hears that familiar deep voice. The pain recedes as the nanotechnology repairs his body in record time, but Marcus feigns injury.
"What do we have here?" The guard with the short ponytail kicks away Marcus's legs and leans into the old junker to peer into the gap between the seats.
He reaches in and tugs out a heavy backpack, "Jackpot. What did you think you were going to get away with?"
Marcus scrambles up from the ground and moves out of range of the guard. The guard roughly unzips the backpack and snorts. He drops the backpack, causing the contents of the tattered backpack to spill out onto the ground.
"Food, night vision goggles, bandages...you planning a trip or something?" The guard glares down at Marcus.
"Just staying prepared...It's a crazy world. Is it a crime to store supplies on the side? You can just attack anyone here? What the hell is wrong with you?!" Marcus holds a hand to his side and points a bloody finger at the sneering guard.
"Sure it is! Especially when that supplies don't belong to you!" The guard dips forward and grabs Marcus's index finger in his large hand.
Marcus grimaces as his finger is twisted and his arm is awkwardly held above his head. He stops feigning injury on his side and raises his other hand to grab the bicep of the man.
"F*ck me, you really thought no one would notice you steal all this gear? How dumb are you? Only the mercs are allowed to handle the night vision gear here. Limited supply," The guard takes a step backward and Marcus is dragged forward.
The angry guard kicks at the opened backpack, "And these snacks? No one gets these from inventory with the rationing going on. How did you score those?"
"Aaah...AAh...it was in a truck. It was all stuff I got from some armored trucks, please," Marcus whines against the guard's tight grip.
'Dammit. What do we do?! He's going to get us in trouble...if they take this supplies back we'll never get to Priya in the morning. I'll probably be kicked out into the storm. She needs those bandages. Dammit! The morphine is all gone. S*it!'
"I know you types! You scout out groups for how many women and children there are, and plan an attack while they're vulnerable!...." The guard pulls Marcus in to shout in his face but receives a glazed over look from the young man.
S.I.D. REQUESTS TO ELIMINATE THE THREAT
'NO! That'll ruin their trust of us even more!.... We can't kill any of these people.'
Marcus's head rattles from left to right when the guard shakes him back to attention, "Oh, this getting too boring for you?" The guard pulls his sidearm from his holster.
S.I.D. REQUESTS TO SUBDUE THE THREAT
'You promise not to kill him?'
The guard clicks the safety off his weapon and holds it to Marcus's head.
"I'll give you till the count of 5 to tell me why you're really here. 5..."
The touch of the cold metal to his temple tenses up his form. He stops struggling against the guard's tight grip and his mouth goes dry. Surprisingly, his knees remain still and continue to bear his weight.
THE HUMAN WILL NOT EXPIRE
"4."
'Okay. Help me. Help...this guy is a psycho.'
"3."
Marcus's body is taken over by the Synthetic Intelligence Developer and fakes a loud whimper while dragging the hand clutching the guard's bicep down the arm to caress the male's shoulder.
INCREASING STRENGTH IN LOWER EXTREMITIES AND LEFT HAND FOR 50 SECONDS BY 20%
"2."
Marcus's fingers dig into the flesh of the shoulder.
"Ack!" The guard's entire stance shifts and the strength of the grip on the gun reduces as he cringes and brings his arm back towards his body.
The grip on Marcus's finger vanishes as the guard presses a hand to the attacked area. Marcus's body wrenches the gun from his grip and pistol whips him on the side of his jaw. The male stumbles back a few steps and collides into the rusted car, but doesn't collapse.
"Oh!" The guard prods at the cut on his jaw
OPPONENT UNDERESTIMATED
INCREASE STRENGTH BY 30%
***
Sia swirls in a circle and absorbs the feeling of being in immersive mode once more. She runs her hand along a white, unblemished wall and sadly smiles at the solid feel of a smooth wooden door under her palm. The deafening silence of this space is comforting after being stuck underground with all the noisy Warts dwellers.
"Please, Apex help me! Help me! I need you! I need you bad!" Sia remembers the last moment she was here and shutters at the difference flashing red and green lights can have on an atmosphere.
Sia lifts her chin and concentrates on what she wants while focusing her eyes on the blinding white ceiling. Two triangular visual prisms pop into existence and lower to come within reach of Sia.
"Uuuh...Why are there two?" Sia hesitates to reach for the two objects.
They stop lowering at eye level and Sia notices that the left device is emitting a flashing light every second, while the right device displays the underground garage and moving figures. Sia bites her lower lip. Her hand reaches up to grasp the device with the peculiar flickering light.
She leans against a wall a few steps from the other floating device and holds the prism up to her face. When she peers into the device with the screen closer to her face she notices a shape writhing in the darkness, but the lights give her a headache. She lowers the device and blinks her eyes a few times.
After a moment, she lifts the device once again and tries to see what was occurring. The lack of sound is definitely making this more difficult than it needed to be.
"This would be easier with sound!" Sia lowers the device and lets it dangle at her side placed against her outer thigh.
Sia jumps and drops the device to the ground as screaming is projected from the ceiling. She covers her ears with her hands and cringes, "Can you turn that down?!"
There is no reaction to her question. What could the Synthetic Intelligence Developer's systems be preoccupied with? The screaming stops momentarily as a rush of water is heard. Sia drops to her knees and reaches for the device with one shaking hand.
The lights are no longer flashing. It appears that the screen is showing a recording from a surveillance camera positioned high up in a corner of the room. The fluorescent lights illuminate a black medical recliner chair with metal armrests. Across the chair are multiple restraints that prevent the dark form lying across the reclined examination chair. The tiles around the base of the chair are split and cracked.
The creature is being sprayed with jets of water from two different angles. It is being hosed down. The creature is trembling. When the water collides with his form the impact shifts him to the side. The white tiled floor is obscured by light green sludge.
There is a medical cabinet and an exam table in the background. But Sia can't see any other items or people standing in the camera's field of view.
Sia presses her fingers to the screen and mimics the movements she would make on her smartphone to zoom into an image. The image adjusts and a long appendage can be seen wriggling in the light green sludge. Sia shutters and taps the screen twice, nothing happens.
"Zoom out," Sia orders, but the device doesn't comply.
The dark form is glistening under the lights except for the deep white holes in its flesh that are seeping green fluid. Scaley skin appears to have been peeled away along the top of its skin to reveal white muscle and bone. The water digs deep into its wounds and triggers a deep, terrified wail to erupt from the tortured being.
She circles her finger around the screen and taps a few times before shaking the object. Amid her frustrated attempts was the correct gesture, the device zooms out. She slides her fingers over the top of the reclined medical chair and uses her fingers to zoom in like before. The image adjusts.
EEEEEEERR
Sia closes her eyes and grinds her teeth as a loud siren noise erupts from the ceiling, but it ceases after a moment. Sia blinks away tears as she looks back down at the viewing screen. The first thing she notices is that the water is no longer spraying, but the next moment she gasps.
Glaring up into the camera are dark brown eyes.
RECENTLY UPDATES
Fantasy
Action
Eastern
Contemporary Romance
Action
Action
Contemporary Romance
Action