A Hunter drone.
I don't have time to think or act. A missile fires, streaking toward me. I shield my face and scream in panic.
"Pause simulation."
I slowly lower my arms, staring in confusion as Dabria walks past the immobile drone. The missile is right in front of my face, frozen in time.
I exhale a relieved breath. "This…is still Elysia? This isn't real?"
"No. You're not in Elysia. We came back, but I kept you plugged into a private drive. I had to know the truth. Test you out in an environment where you couldn't destroy everything we worked for. So no, this isn't real. The only thing real is your betrayal." She reaches behind my ear and yanks the v-drive out.
The building remains the same, but the drone and missile flicker out of existence. We're not alone. Dabria's main squad is present, staring at me with judgmental eyes. Keno is there as well, looking distraught. He shakes his head and drops his eyes as though ashamed to be associated with me.
My face burns and I tremble with the effort of not breaking down and sobbing like a baby in front of them. I haven't felt self-loathing of this magnitude since my mom died. I thought I could never feel like that again, but I was wrong.
Dabria watches me, nodding her head. "I wanted them to see. To know why no one can trust you, not even for a minute. You gave me your word, then broke it like it was nothing."
"It is nothing." I spit the words out bitterly, vision blurring with tears. "It's never been anything. I want it to be. But I can't stop. I tried—so many times. I tried to leave it alone. Leave her alone. But I can't. I don't have the strength."
"I know." She stares at me in contempt. "I've seen it. I know what they've done to you. What you've done to yourself. So, your holoband lock stays in place. You'll be escorted everywhere you go, even to the restroom. And you'll follow orders, or I'll destroy your DLP. Try to escape, and you'll be shot. Now, come on."
I scrub my eyes. "What? Where are we going?"
"Did you think we're here for nothing? I still have work for you to do."
She stalks down the hallway with me following on her heels. Two of her guards trail closely behind me. I feel their eyes on my back and know to them I'm less than nothing. They'd kill me on the spot if ordered.
Dabria stops at a door and gestures for me to enter. My heart pounds as I obey. But nothing I imagine prepares me for what's inside. A silhouetted shape shackled to a harness secured by a cable hanging from the ceiling. The broken, tortured figure held captive is more machine than man. Not a synoid. Not even an android. I gasp when I finally recognize what it is.
A Sentry.
Most of his humanity has been stripped away, leaving his cybernetic enhancements exposed. His head is mostly a metallic grinning skull, with flesh covering only the top portion of his face down to his nasal cavity. Wires protrude from his face and body, keeping his vitals intact. Even captive and subdued, he still exudes menace. I automatically take a step backward, chilled to the bone.
His eyes open when we enter, whirring and clicking as they focus. His voice rattles, varying in electronic pitch.
"What…do you want? I gave you everything you wanted to know."
Dabria places her hands on her hips. "Maybe you did, Pincer. Maybe you're holding back. We just don't know, do we?"
I jump back when the shackles jerk. Pincer struggles for a few long moments, cybernetic body straining against his bonds. Finally, he sags in defeat.
"What…do you want…this time?"
"I brought you a playmate." Dabria glances at me. "Specter this is Pincer. A Sentry created by Cyber Corp. He's been accommodating since being persuaded to cooperate. A lot of how we evade surveillance and hack advanced systems has come from him."
I swallow hard. If ever I forgot how dangerous Dabria is, she just reminded me. Just the way she says persuaded sends a shiver down my spine. I can't imagine the torment required to make a Sentry cooperative.
I try to keep my voice from shaking. "Why did you bring me here?"
"For practice."
"Practice doing what?"
A hard smile touches her lips. "You're a symbiont. I want to achieve symbiosis."
I stare in shock at the Sentry. "With him? That's impossible. It only works with synoids. I've tried to merge with a human before. Both of us nearly died."
"He's not a human, though. I think the similarities are close enough. And I'm not asking you, Specter. I'm ordering you to do this. Because if you can't, I have no use for you. And if you're not useful, I'm afraid we'll have to terminate our relationship."
I give her a wary look, knowing a threat when I hear it. "I'll…try."
"I don't need you to try, Specter. I need you to succeed. I'll be back to check on you in a while."
She walks out with her entourage in tow. Even Keno follows without a backward glance. The door shuts, leaving me alone with the Sentry. I look at him. He looks back, mechanical eyes glinting in the dim light. With most of his face missing, it's hard to read his expression.
But I still get the feeling he's just as scared as I am.
Chapter 12: 3N16MA
My hotel room pules with neon as if beckoning me to join the masses milling outside. Day or night, there is always something to do, some new entertainment to revel in. The life of a Haven resident is one of privilege with neverending opportunities. But I'm not from this world of pleasure and indulgent. My life exists outside of the bright lights, in the shadows where demons still lurk.
Kage stares from his holographic profile, eyes glowing from his chalky-white face. "Don't think that your meeting with the Collective has given you any leeway, Scyther. If anything, the pressure is even greater for you to produce results. So far, I'm not impressed."
I repress a shiver. "I'm monitoring Hel's com channel. When Specter makes contact, we'll lock on his location and track him down."
Kage's face twists into a furious mask. "And you believe Dabria foolish enough to let that happen? She has him locked out of the system, or he would have already connected with his DLP. You disappoint me, Scyther. You know I don't like to be disappointed."
A sharp, agonizing sensation flares in the back of my skull, like a laser searing into the flesh. I gasp, teeth gritted to trap the cry of pain that tries to escape. Kage could be anywhere but still can torture me whenever he chooses.
His voice is deceptively soft. "Do I need to motivate you, Scyther?"
I tremble in my chair; hands clamped on the armrests. "No, Kage. I will work harder."
"Good. I have work to do on my end. I will check on your progress soon. Don't disappoint me again."
"I won't."
The connection ends along with the explosive pain in my head. I heave a trembling sigh, wiping a hand across my face, smearing red across my fingertips. Another nosebleed. I ignore it. It's not the first or last.
Dismissing it, I down a pain pill dry and trying to focus on the problem. Dabria is an expert on evading surveillance, but according to Cyber Corp's records, she's practically become a ghost, near the top of their most elusive targets. It should be impossible. Between Cyber Corp, the HSSC, countless drones and cameras, and numerous spies all transmitting information that streams directly into the computer-enhanced brains of the Sentries, it should be impossible to stay off the radar for any extended amount of time unless you're in Hinterland or one of the other few blackout zones.
Dabria moves around too much for that.
"Holo, call Zen."
Zen's face flashes up on the screen. "Hey, Enigma. Can't sleep? Neither can I. Keep thinking about what happened."
"What do you mean?"
"You know. You fought Dabria."
"That wasn't Dabria."
"Might as well have been. You could have killed her."
"She taught me that if someone's on the other side, then that person is your enemy. In combat, you can't think about the particulars. So yeah—I would have killed her. But I didn't. Nothing to worry about."
"If yo
u say so." She doesn't look convinced, and I see the worry in her eyes.
"Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you feel sorry for me."
"Well, I do. I can't help it. This whole thing sucks."
"How does she do it?"
Confusion flashes across Zen's face. "What are you talking about?"
"Dabria. How does she avoid surveillance? I remember when she wore the tech hood…"
"Yeah, the edges were lined with sensors that cast electronic chaff, obscuring her features. A lot of people have those, especially outside the Havens. Hoods, masks, visors—anything to avoid being spied on. I have a few myself. Dabria's was cutting edge, but even then, there are other ways to ID people with their faces hidden. Posture and gait, ear shape, heartbeat signature, odor recognition…"
"It takes a blood and eyeball scan to pass from one Territory to the next."
"Exactly. Not that crossing Territories is any real challenge. But yeah—there should be no way to just vanish."
"So how is she pulling it off?"
"Easy. She's in the system."
I pause, standing up to pace the room. "You're saying she finally pulled it off."
"She was always after a way to travel unhindered. Slide behind the curtain, as she put it."
"Yeah, she also said recovering a cloaking key intact to was like finding the Holy Grail. They're designed to self-destruct at the slightest detection of tampering or removal. That's what we were after on the last mission…"
The memories flood. The Cyber Corp ambush was precise and brutal. An army of troopers led by Scythers cut us to ribbons. We fought the best we could, but we were hopelessly outnumbered. I tried to organize a retreat, but we were cut off by a heavily armed squad led by a Scyther. He targeted me while his men finished off my unit. Their screams rang in my ears as I toppled to the ground, perforated by the Scyther's inferno rounds. Fire, blood, and agony. My body literally falling to pieces. The only thing left was death…
"You okay, Enigma?" Zen's eyes glisten with sympathy. She was lucky that day, running coms from a remote location nearby. She was able to survive unscathed, and I don't think she's ever forgiven herself for that.
I blink. "Yeah. Fine. What was I saying?"
"The cloaking key. It's an access code to go dark when you need to disappear. Only available to the highest security clearance personnel. The president. Certain members of Congress. Heads of intelligence agencies like the HSSC and Cyber Corp."
"Sentries."
"What?"
"Yeah. Kane can go completely off the grid."
"Wow. Didn't know that." Zen taps on a digital keyboard that levitates in front of her. "Well, we have to assume that Dabria has a cloaking key. She's able to mask herself from surveillance."
I nod, idly chewing on a hangnail. "She always said that was the last hurdle to her ultimate goal."
"Access to the Vault. Her El Dorado. The one place with enough reach and power to destroy Elysia."
"Right. She's going to the Los Nuevos Haven. Syn City."
"Evading detection won't automatically get her inside the Haven. It's protective by the strongest forcefield in the world, backed by the most advanced security system invented. So, what's her way in?"
"Probably this guy." I pull up Kilgore's info and send it over to her.
She purses her lips, nodding approvingly. "Kinda sexy. In a mature, sugar-daddy kinda way."
I stifle a laugh. "You mean in a psychotic, mass-murdering kinda way."
"Hey, I like my men a little on the rough side." She taps on her keyboard. "All kidding aside, this guy is the most wanted man on several high-profile intelligence lists. There have been entire campaigns dedicated to his capture. Failure on all counts. This guy is either immortal or has the best luck in the world."
"Well, intelligence indicates Dabria either is or will be allied with him. So, finding out where he is will inevitably lead to her. They want to take both of them down at the same time."
"Use one fish to lure another. Makes sense." She looks up from the keyboard. "This guy makes Dabria look like a cute little puppy, Enigma. You sure you want to do this?"
"I have to do it."
She nods. "Okay. I'll run a search. Who knows? Maybe we'll catch a lucky break for a change."
"Get back with me if you find something."
Minutes later, I'm on the rooftop. Have to get fresh air in my lungs. As clean as the air gets in a climate-controlled Haven, anyway. Advertisements immediately drift my way like approaching nightmares, clamoring for attention to their personalized wares: new tactical harnesses, weapons accessories, digital upgrades, even combat armor polish. They know I'm not in the market for anything else. No surgical enhancements, no trendy new outfits, not even the latest enticing junk foods.
I block ads on my holoband, forcing them to wink out of existence or search for easier prey.
The city breathes around me. Always moving, always fluid. Bright lights, dark shadows. Sleek air vehicles hum overhead, digitally directed into coordinated sky lanes that weave between the massive, glimmering buildings. Trams glide on electromagnetic tracks, carrying commuters back and forth. Below me, crowds of people walk the streets, most accompanied by synthetic servants and counterparts. Nearly all have their eyes obscured by fashionable holovisors, tuned in to virtual worlds or entertainment and information streams, so they never miss a thing. Docilely accepting of the data they're spoon-fed, blissfully ignorant of what transpires in the Haven and beyond.
It's almost as bad as Elysia. For a minute I feel dizzy, unsure of whether or not I'm even in reality. Maybe Specter is right for burrowing into Immersion. At times I'm not sure what the difference is. When the world is synthetic, what does it even mean to be human?
A collapsible staff is in my hand. A click of a button and both sides pop out, forming the thin but sturdy weapon. It whirs in my hand as I go through my form, focusing my mind and body. Embracing the discipline. I move in ways I never could before, not even in my previous top form. I'm faster in my enhanced body. Stronger. Nearly flawless. I'm not even sure if Dabria could best me now in a sparring contest. So different than in the beginning. When I was a playful student and she a patient mentor…
***
I remember the sunlight. Not the artificial, waxen glow of the Havens. But real sunshine, bright and warm on my skin as I stalked the garden at the retreat where she trained us. She was hard at work, weeding with her back to me. I crouched low to the ground, creeping with a bamboo staff in hand. She never saw me coming when I sprang and whipped the staff forward, blurring as it struck.
Quivering, the vibrations rattling my hand when her rake blocked my attack.
Her head turned slightly in my direction. "Still at this game, child?"
I leaped back, automatically assuming an offensive stance. "How did you know I was coming?"
"Training." She stood, towering over me.
I attacked, awkwardly wielding my practice weapon. "I never made a sound."
She casually blocked my strikes. "You made many noises. That is the difference between the trained and untrained. In time, you will be able to move soundlessly. With much practice."
Her rake handle whipped out, catching my legs and sweeping them from under me. She was already back to weeding as I fell to the soft earth.
"Your sparring skills are equal to your stealth. Both need more practice."
I picked myself up, staring at her. She was in coveralls and a cotton t-shirt, black hair pulled back in an untidy bun. Sweat beaded on her bronzed skin. She didn't look like a soldier at all.
"You spend a lot of time in the garden."
"Yes."
"I thought warriors were supposed to spend their time fighting."
She wiped a grimy hand across her brow, glancing at me with a wry smile on her face. "One day, after you fight your battles, you will understand."
"Understand what?"
"That there is more glory in
this humble garden than any battlefield, and more pride in hands stained with earth than with blood."
***
The staff blurs in my hands. My muscles burn where the flesh and blood bond with the synthetic. Part of me is fire, the rest cold, numbed to pain and sensitivity. I strike and defend on the rooftop with an invisible partner, recalling when I did the same with Dabria, day after day. Week after week. Month after month…
***
It takes years to warrant Dabria's full attention. But I worked hard, training continuously, engaging in extra sessions until I could nearly match her skills. We sparred on a rain-slicked rooftop in a city at night, glittering lights flashing around us. Our staffs whirred and clacked as we fought, neither giving quarter. Back and forth we went, far longer than I ever lasted previously. But in the end, it was her strikes that penetrated my guard once again.
Her staff stopped just short of a crushing blow to my throat. "Well fought, Enigma."
I hurled my weapon away, face flushed with anger. "I thought I finally had you this time. But you got past my guard again."
She leaned on her staff, face composed. "There's no need to get upset. This is why you train. To get better."
I glared at her. "Yeah, like you remember what it's like to lose."
"You think so? Then you'd be surprised because I definitely remember what losing is like." She stared at something unseen, eyes unfocused. "It's nothing like a sparring contest, Enigma. Losing in real life cuts. Every loss takes something from you. Pieces of yourself you can never recover, no matter what you do or how much time has passed."
I feel the hostility drain out of me. "I'm sorry, Dabria."
She shrugs. "Such is the way of war."
"How many wars have you been in?"
"Only the Red War."
"What was that like? Fighting on Mars?"
"The closest thing to hell, Enigma. Had I been wiser I would have never have enlisted. But I wanted the glory. That chance to prove myself beyond my training. What a fool I was."
"But…you're a hero. A decorated veteran."
"A fool with medals." Dabria exhaled slowly, glancing upward as if for answers. Rain fell on her face like tears. "I suppose it's in my blood. My people were fighters long before the Cataclysm."
Syn City- Reality Bytes Page 14
