Neon District: ALPHA (The Neon District Trilogy, Book 1)

by Chad Campbell

  The Second Door

  It was three months after the birth of Amiko’s son. She was in her living quarters, building new technology and writing down her findings. She looked anxious, but she was determined. To her left, was a custom-built automated drone cycle. She picked up a carrier with her son sleeping inside, and placed it on the drone cycle. She checked that he was strapped in securely. The cycle latched on to the carrier and pulled it toward the designated opening, using a complex system of hydraulics. Then, an aerodynamic polycarbonate dome encapsulated the carrier. The airlocks were sealed tight. Amiko took extra care to review the environment readings inside the protective seat that held her precious son.

  “Motion stabilizers; check. Temperature settings; optimal, check. Clean air flow systems; check. Drone defense systems; check. Setting speed and maneuverability to maximum. Typing in rendezvous destination coordinates now,” She said, making sure everything was in working order. Her plan for escape was nearly ready.

  "Miko, I—"

  "I can’t let them take you too. They don’t even know that this is your son! You can live free, hidden from the system, without ever having to look over your shoulder," Amiko replied.

  "Miko, Rez is my son! And you two are the only ones I want to spend the rest of my life with! Why can’t you understand that? I would do anything to be with you," Kubar said.

  "I can’t have you suffering for the rest of your life because of the mess I created," Amiko said.

  Kubar sighed. “But—”

  She showed him a small gadget. "This is a device that will induce selective amnesia. Please, just do this for me. I couldn’t bear to have you die because of me.” She began to sob. “I input a command in its programming to order you to change your physical appearance. There’s a name change command, and a new bank account with some money in it, for you to start over." Kubar was the love of her life. He gave her the most amazing gift she could have ever hoped for; her precious baby boy, Rez.

  "Will I— Will I even remember you? Or Rez?" Kubar asked. Amiko took Kubar by surprise, using the device and scrambling his memories. She guided him to a separate room. When she came back, her computer screen lit up, showing three names. The new IDs she’d created were ready. The first two read‘: Dana Nyx’ and ‘Caiden Nyx'. The third name was partially obstructed from view, and only the last two letters were visible; they were ‘CE’.

  Once again, the ethereal projection dissipated and brought Rez and Caiden back to the astral space. The door dematerialized into light like the previous one, and enveloped Caiden until he fully absorbed it.

  “That man was my father,” Caiden said, astounded.

  “Yes,” Rez responded.

  “Is he still alive?” Caiden asked.

  “I don’t know,” Rez said, looking down.

  “So, Mom erased her entire identity from the networks of the city, altered her appearance, and became Dana Nyx,” Caiden said.

  “That’s correct,” Rez replied. “Hey, next door.”

  They were transported to a memory of a time when they lived with their mother in Integro.

  ***

  The Third Door

  Caiden was a happy, healthy, and extremely gifted six-year-old child. His mother, now known as Dana, had provided him an excellent environment for his incredible mind to flourish.

  “Look, Mommy, look!”

  “What is it, honey?” Dana asked.

  “Look! I built a new toy!” Caiden held his invention up for his mother to see.

  “Wow! Mommy is so impressed! Show me how it works, baby,” Dana said.

  “Well, you’re always busy. And sometimes you don’t eat breakfast, and that’s a big no-no. So, I made a cereal machine that dishes out your cereal when you tell it to,” Caiden said proudly.

  “You are so remarkable son! Thank you!” Dana gave Caiden a hug.

  “Can I go outside to play now?” Caiden smiled.

  “Yes, you may. But stay in the front yard, okay?” Dana said.

  Caiden rushed to the front door. “Okay!”

  Caiden and his doppelganger found themselves back in the astral space again, the third door dissipating into particles of light and flowing into Caiden.

  “Door four?” Caiden asked.

  “Yup. Door four,” Rez said with sadness. Caiden was bewildered by Rez’s change in behavior. They walked through the door and saw Caiden, who was twelve years old.

  ***

  The Fourth Door

  It was raining. Thunder rattled the windows of their modest home as lightning lit up the dark cloudy sky. Caiden was upstairs playing video games. Dana rested on the window seat with a hot cup of tea in her hand. She was looking east, something she often did when she was lost in a sea of thought. She once had a life there, full of science and wonder. This life was also rife with dreadful sadness, heartbreaking sacrifice, and broken love. The only true happiness she ever got out of what lay east, was her beautiful child, and the bravery she’d acquired to do what was right and live out her life for his sake.

  The thought of her former love, Kubar, penetrated the troves of her guarded heart and her stomach dropped. She wondered if he was safe. Or if he was even alive. She clenched her jaw and willed the emotional pain away. Taking calming breaths to regain her emotional stability. She sipped her tea, closed her eyes, and thought of her shining light, her son. But still, she continued to look east. Footsteps could be heard coming from upstairs, then to the staircase, and now down in the living room with her. It was Caiden.

  “Um, Mom?” Caiden asked meekly.

  “Yes, baby, what is it?” Dana asked.

  “I’m sorry. I know you’re focusing right now, but there’s something that’s been on my mind for a long time. I dunno. I never really gave it too much thought until, like, a year ago and, well, I never wanted to upset you by asking. I’m kinda curious but, where is my dad?” Caiden asked innocently.

  Dana froze. Her heart strings were entangled in an knot. Her shoulders hunched forward and her bottom lip quivered. She was quiet and unable to respond. The pain was too much to bear. A single tear fell down her cheek.

  Rez and Caiden were back to the astral space. Door number four was successfully absorbed by Caiden.

  “Last door,” Rez said.

  “Yeah, last one,” Caiden said.

  ***

  The Fifth Door

  Psi-Corp had been sending out agents to inspect the landscape. Neon District had been working towards expanding westward. Integro proved advantageous for the administration’s goals. With each visit from Psi-corp, relations between Integro residents and the military police became more and more contentious. A young military officer, Daav August, lead the inspections.

  As Psi-Corp’s actions for expansion became much more aggressive, bloodshed would become inevitable. Knowing this, Daav followed his personal feelings and attempted to resolve the conflict peacefully with Amiko by going ahead of his platoon in the middle of the night to warn her of what was coming. He wanted to convince her to run away with him.

  Despite the change of her appearance and only a handful of minor run-ins with Daav, he had somehow managed to discover Dana’s real identity. When she had been living as Amiko as Zonos’s lead researcher, Officer Daav had been infatuated with her. Making many attempts to court her. They all failed of course, but they eventually became acquaintances. It only intensified his desire for her. Her eventual defection from the city affected him very deeply and he had been searching for her ever since then.

  Dana had just returned from a town hall meeting, where they had discussed what actions to take against the aggression of Neon District’s forces. She knew that this day would come. The townspeople were rife with fear that their once peaceful settlement would soon be destroyed. The residents banded together and were resolute in standing their ground. They had planned to take this to the courts, as they felt that they were the rightful owners of their settlement. Despite their determination, Dana couldn’t wrestle away the feelin
g of trepidation. As she put her key in the door, she heard a rustling in the bushes.

  “Who’s there?” Dana asked.

  “Amiko? Amiko, I knew it was you,” Daav said. He sounded happy to see her. Dana, however, was on high alert, with a shock baton already in her hand.

  “You! How did you find me?”” Dana replied.

  “Despite your appearance change, I could never forget your scent, those intense eyes, and that beautiful face,” Daav said.

  “You’re all the same! All you do is destroy! What do you want from me? Did Stein send you?” Dana replied angrily.

  “No, no! The only reason I came to Integro was because of orders. But then I saw you and, well, our guys are gonna be here in a few hours to drive away Integro’s citizens. I came here to warn you. There’s been terrible things happening back in the city. There’s corruption within Zonos even I couldn’t stand. And seeing you here, alive… Come away with me. We can leave now and never look back!” Daav said.

  “You think I would ever trust you with my life? I never want anything to do with Zonos ever again!” Dana yelled as Daav rushed to her to muffle her. He didn’t want anyone to find them out. Dana already had the door partially open, and Daav, with his hand still over her mouth, moved inside of the house to get out of sight.

  “Mom? What’s going on?” Fifteen-year-old Caiden yelled from the top of the steps.. Seeing Daav’s hands over his mother’s mouth sent him into a rage. He sprinted toward the soldier and tackled him. Daav, shocked by the child’s speed, agility, and strength, was winded from being bull rushed. Caiden pushed him up against the wall.

  “Touch my mom again and I’ll kill you!” Caiden yelled, possessed by anger.

  ”Daav found an opening, picked up Caiden, and tossed him aside. By that time, Dana had the shock baton ready, thrusting it into his stomach and activating it.

  ”Daav let out a horrifying screech as he went limp and slumped to the floor.

  “Caiden, get your stuff, baby, we have to go,” Dana said.

  He responded without question. They ran about the house, grabbing enough clothes, food, and water to last them for a while. They ran back outside, threw their belongings in the trunk, and got in the car.

  The projection rippled and flashed, interfering with the memory Rez and Caiden were watching.

  “What’s going on?” Caiden asked.

  “This is how the memory was constructed. Even I can’t figure out why it’s like this. But there’s more,” Rez said.

  The memory seemed to skip forward in time by an hour or so. Chaos had taken over Integro. Houses were ablaze. Psi-Corp soldiers, armed to the teeth, were firing at citizens. Pipe bombs were going off. It was a slaughter; absolute carnage.

  Caiden! Honey, listen to me, okay? I’m going to use this scrambler device now. It may sting a little bit, but when you wake up you will know what to do. A mother’s love never dies, Caiden. Don’t forget that. I love you!”

  “Wait, Mom, wait! I don't understand!”

  A flash from a few hundred meters east of them went off. A rocket-propelled grenade was launched! A bright explosion ensued! Just before the explosion, Caiden’s memories scrambled. Dana managed to push him hard and far enough away so he could clear the explosion. He was unconscious before he landed.

  Dana, appeared to be killed in the explosion. There was nothing left of her body to account for.

  The memory fast forwarded again.

  Caiden stirred. He was lying down, unsure of where he was. He looked around. He seemed to be inside some sort of caravan. It was scorching hot. He peeked outside and saw nothing but desert. He was too exhausted to speak.

  “Hey kid? You okay?” a man asked him.

  “Huh?” Caiden uttered.

  “Get him some water, quickly!” the man ordered.

  A young girl lifted Caiden’s head and gave him a drink of water.

  “Thank you,” Caiden said…” His voice was hoarse. “Where are we?”

  “We’re in the Sun Desert. This is my dad’s traveling caravan. We’re heading toward the Greenlands, where the prestigious WaaveBoard Academy is. Know of it?” the girl asked.

  ”Caiden tried to respond, but he was weak from exhaustion and went back to sleep.

  “Honey, let the boy sleep, okay?” Her father said.

  “Sorry, Daddy. He’s kinda cute though,” she finished under her breath.

  “He’s what?” the father asked.

  The memory fast forwarded again.

  There were kids outside in the schoolyard. Caiden kept to himself and retreated to a lunch desk. He sat there quietly eating his lunch and watching everyone else. A scuffle broke out. Two kids were arguing. It seemed at the disagreement was over a girl. She was in the middle, trying to push the two boys away when one of the boys threw a punch past her, hitting the other boy in the face.

  The blond kid who got punched clearly didn’t expect it, as he stumbled back a few feet and fell over. The other boy jumped on him and started pounding him relentlessly. Out of pure instinct, Caiden leapt off the bench and sprinted toward the fight. He sent a flying kick to the kid’s head, knocking the bully away and sending him somersaulting into a fence.

  The other children were shocked at the way the bully was dispatched, utterly in awe of the ‘new kid’, Caiden. He reached his hand out to the blond kid to help him up. As he stood up and brushed himself off, the boy smiled from ear to ear, unbothered by what happened.

  “Thanks, man!” the blond boy said cheerfully.

  “No problem,” Caiden said.

  “Name’s Vantz, Vantz Marling!” he said excitedly while holding out his hand to shake Caiden’s.

  “Caiden, Caiden Nyx,” Caiden replied with a small smile as they shook hands.

  The memory then faded.

  Rez and Caiden were brought back to the colorful astral space. Again, the final door dissipated into a burst of lights and flowed into Caiden.

  “Now I understand everything,” Caiden said. Rez smiled triumphantly in response.

  “You’re ready,” Rez said happily.

  “So, I guess this it?” Caiden said as he held out his hand to shake Rez’s.

  “This is only the beginning,” Rez said.

  Rez began to fade and turned into a powerful stream of purple tinted, polychromatic light. The astral space began to swirl as powerful winds accompanied the light. The purple light began to wrap around Caiden’s entire body. The rest of the environment around Caiden was being drawn to the light, like a vortex. The brighter the light shined, the more tranquil Caiden felt. It all made sense, even if he couldn’t explain it. It was liberating. Caiden’s entire body relaxed. Caiden began to absorb the light, as if he were absorbing all of Rez’s knowledge and wisdom with it. He felt a powerful boost of energy and strength.

  The noise, the powerful winds, the explosion of light gradually disappeared. The colorful astral space disappeared into blackness. Caiden was still floating, his body pulsating with purple light until it gradually stopped. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. For a brief moment, his eyes glowed and flashed a radiant violet color before glowing turquoise, then changing back to his natural iridescent gold.

  “Do not be afraid to confront the memories. Push forward, and never give up. It will not be easy,” a voice from the darkness said. Caiden smiled.

  “Thanks for everything,” Caiden said.

  “You are no longer Caiden Nyx. Your new chapter begins now, as Rez Fayte!” the voice said. A ripping sound reverberated throughout the darkness and a powerful beam of light shined down on Caiden, who had become Rez.

  “Go forth!” the voice commanded, and Rez flew toward the light.

  CHAPTER 37

  ---usr/systems/server-x/PRELUDE TO MADNESS---

  Rez woke up on his back, gasping for air! As his vision corrected itself, he saw the ceiling of his condo. Rez Fayte was back. Caiden Nyx was gone. It was close to ten a.m. Rez lay awake, on the floor in the same spot he collapsed the night befor
e. He traced his fingers over where he had been shot, stabbed, and where he had cracked ribs. He was almost completely healed.

  What a night, he thought. He remembered Yvora and the twins, but the pain didn’t bother him yet. He could take it, and tuck it away in the furthest part of his heart. He didn’t have time to be emotional or feel sorry for himself.

  He took whatever emotional pain he did feel and converted it into hatred for the system that took away his life, his mother, and Yvora. He spotted a small device on the floor nearby. He picked it up and remembered it was the device Stein used. Recalling the readings he got from his scans during their encounter, he took it with him to the lab downstairs. As he descended the stairs he received an encrypted email from than Knight-1.

  I see you have finally awakened! It’s about time, Rez. There’s something you might be interested in. Wizard detected strange frequency waves coming from Zonos Tower yesterday evening before a bizarre wave of violence swept the city-state in specific neighborhoods. This was no coincidence. We are sure Zonos is behind this and they need to be stopped. I’ve already sent over the data Wizard snagged from their network. I’m sure you’ve also gathered data on your own. This madness needs to end, but Rez, promise me you won’t do anything reckless. I will be sending reinforcements to the tower to help you if all goes well. You are needed for the revolution, so don’t die.

  Knight-1

  Attached to the email were Zonos Tower blueprints and two photos of what looked like large generators. One picture was labeled ‘Underground’, and the other one was labeled ‘Top floor’.

  “You always manage to contact me when I’m knee deep in shit. Thanks for the data you sent; it will come in handy. But I ain’t waiting for shit. I’m doing this my way,” Rez said aloud. The memories of Yvora were the only thing driving him forward. With or without help, Rez decided to become an avenging sword of justice.

  “Xandra, resurface two additional lab tables. Set lab ‘Table A’ up to construct new weapons via the blueprints I sent to the control arm’s system. I’ve placed the materials I purchased from the bazaar in the prep slots for creation. Equip lab ‘Table B’ with an intel scanner. I’m placing a new device on it for analysis. And lastly, put me in contact with Prime Minister Shino Honda on his private channel,” he commanded.