Arlene
Zyon is obviously not fully human. And that makes him dangerous.
In this world there are only two sides. Humans and AI machines. He obviously belongs to the latter.
They, could be watching me right now through him. My fingers grip the leather hilt of my knife tighter.
"Come on you can't be serious, what are you doing?" Zyon's face is pale and drawn.
"Don't move," I growl.
The edge of my blade is honed sharp. I point it at him, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"Look Arlene I think there's a reason we found each other. It can't just be a coincidence."
I take this with a pinch of salt. Yes a cryptic message brought me out here. But it might as well have been a trap.
"You're not human true or false?" I say to him,
His face falls, he stares at his hands which are still covered with grease.
"I…I'm human I know I am,"
I wait in silence, letting him know I don't believe him.
He continues desperately, meeting my eyes fiercely, "I have no memories. But I have a feeling if you explain things to me I can figure out why I'm here. The girl that pushed me off the plane said this is my second chance to fix everything. That must mean I'm meant to be here!"
I huff out a bitter laugh.
A flow of breeze blows strands of my hair that have come lose from my ponytail into my eyes. I shake my head.
"I'm sorry Zyon, but that's not good enough for me,"
I plan on making it a swift kill. I dash forward, aiming for his throat.
"She said I have to find the Logic Code!" Zyon yelps,
I stop my blade stops inches from his neck. Shock vibrates through me. My heart thunders in my chest and blood roars in my ears.
His words bounce around in my skull.
"What did you just say?"
Before he can answer, all hell breaks loose.
"Well, well. Look what we have here!"
A loud voice booms from above us as an invisible aircraft reveals itself, flying low overhead. It's nose is facing us and I can see the pilot through the front glass.
A guy hangs out of the door with a weapon trained on us. He's wearing the purple and gold uniform of the enforcers. And there's a platinum collar around his neck. The mark of the sympathizers.
They must have snuck up on us in stealth mode. And now that they're visible the almost imperceptible hum of the high tech engines of the aircraft hums through the air.
My stomach tightens painfully.
"This is really turning out to be a shitty day." Zyon mutters, he sounds resigned and genuinely weary.
I can't argue with him on that one
* * *
"How'd you track me?"
I ask the enforcer. We're en route to Civic city, the capital of the AI machine's metropolis. My hands are cuffed behind me and I'm on the floor eyeing the rifle lain across his lap.
Below us are ruined skyscrapers overgrown with wild vegetation, and abandoned buildings and monuments. Left over effects of the war.
It's like the backdrop for a zombie post-apocalyptic music video, except there are no zombies.
I'm trying to keep him distracted so he doesn't call in my arrest via his comms device.
The enforcer grins at me.
"We were flying by when our readings picked up an EMP blast, we decided to check it out, Lucky day for us we found the leader of the rebel faction just hanging around in the wastelands."
His teeth are white, straight and even. Everything about him is genetically enhanced. Plastic surgery made his skin flawless and his face too perfect.
"Lucky day for you indeed" I echo, while I use the pin I keep hidden in my bracelet to pick at the locks of my cuffs.
"Your tin can masters will definitely give you a raise for this, bravo to you."
"Technocolus is what they're called you brat!" The enforcer snaps, his face fuses purple, "It's humans like you that give we the loyal ones a bad reputation. I can't wait until you rebels are all expunged from this earth,"
I ignore his holier-than-thou, brain washed ass kissing crap,
"Technocolus is a terrible name to be called, I think I like tin cans better."
His expression is full of disgust, like how dare I try to be free from the glorious rule of the sterile AI machines? The Technocolus as their worshipers and slave dogs call them.
"You and your pal here just happened to be in the wastelands for no reason? Is that where your new hideout is?" He asks,
I sneer at him, and glance at Zyon, who has been quiet since we got arrested. He's fascinated by the hovercraft, staring intently at the console in the cockpit.
"It's like it's talking to me," he murmurs.
Is he losing his mind? I wonder.
I need to get him and myself out of here. Everything has changed now. The thing I'm feeling in my chest is painful and delicate. A fragile beginning of hope.
Zyon knows about the Logic Code. Could he be the key that was promised to us? Finally a concrete way to stop the Technocolus. I can only dare to dream. I'm observing him with a new light now.
The enforcer pokes him with his boot, Zyon turns to him slowly as if in a daze. His eyes are unfocused.
"Who are you pal? Obviously you're a rebel? Though you look too clean to be one,"
Zyon takes a moment before answering.
"I'm a friend of hers,"
"A friend of hers?" The enforcer repeats with a raised brow,
"Yes."
"She had a knife to your throat,"
Zyon shrugs,
"My therapist says confrontation between friends leads to stronger bonds afterward,"
I snort at this,
The enforcer mutters something under his breath and brings out a scanner from his pocket.
"Best to check for your face in the system then,"
The hovercraft lurches, and the scanner almost drops from his and,
"Hey watch it what's wrong with you," He yells at the pilot.
Zyon is sweating now, and there's a look of intense concentration on his face, "It's like I can feel it, it's almost alive,"
Something is going on with him. Has he finally cracked?
If he truly is without memories and all he's seen so far is rabid half robot animals, a girl that has threatened to kill him at least three times and now being arrested, the strain must be getting to him.
The enforcer points the scanner at Zyon. The rectangular pad beeps a little and whatever the enforcer sees causes his jaw to drops.
He looks at Zyon and the tight skin of his plastic surgery forehead goes taut as it tries to wrinkle in confusion.
"I can't believe it! You're one? I thought those weren't meant to exist!"
The hovercraft lurches again, this time around with more force than before. Blood drips from Zyon's nose,
"He's a symbiote! He's a symbiote! Call it in!"
Those are his last words, I manage to spring the locks free of my cuffs and I use his distraction to ram my body into his crushing his nose with the heel of my palm with a satisfying crunch. He howls
I start to dive for his gun but it skitters under his chair. I grind my teeth and slam my foot into his side. He's already unbalanced and he flails before falling out of the open door behind him. Zyon yells something and then we start to dive for the ground at an alarming speed.