The Peak of the Tower

I snap back to reality, waking up in a cold sweat. That dream was half memory, half nightmare. There never was a young bright-eyed man ready to replace me. I spun stories to try to rationalize the complex reasons that must’ve led to my termination. Yet, in hindsight, there was only one good reason to explain my termination—greed. The avarice of a disgusting man who wanted me to pay severance to fatten his coffers.

“That’s right,” I mutter to myself. “I left that life behind long ago.”

I wasn’t always part of the Police force. It was only four years ago that I occupied the position of a humble analyst for one of the biggest techno-weapons corporations in the city, Paladin Enterprises. Yet, the day I was let go was one of the most bittersweet moments of my life. It’s not to say I had never seen it coming. I ignored the signs. I thought myself to be invincible as one of Paladin’s precious assets. But it’s simply the nature of technology corporations to phase out old technology as more promising technology becomes mainstream.

This is the case with weapon technology as well. I worked in the infrared weapons division of Paladin, specializing in tried-and-true infrared homing missiles and infrared optics. Following the start of the Great War, Paladin experienced an unprecedented demand for its weapons, especially for infrared missiles to shoot down unmanned drones. In fact, I was one of the many individuals hired during Paladin’s “growth spurt” to help the organization keep up with demand.

But then… the war ended… and so did the demand for infrared weapons. When we no longer looked across the ocean for our enemies, we started to make enemies of our neighbors in the city. This led to the rise of weapons not meant to wage wars in foreign places, but rather, to execute short, efficient raids on rival organizations. These weapons would later be known as electromagnetic technology, an attractive alternative to infrared, that I even incorporated into my own kit.

Though electromagnetic weapons and equipment are more expensive and fragile than their infrared counterparts, another trend encouraged even the most pro-infrared buyers to make the switch. By installing a lattice of tiny fans onto the hull of the aircraft, electricity will be generated by harnessing the power of the wind itself while in flight.

This result led to a cleaner, and more importantly, colder kind of fuel, making the temperature of the aircraft’s engines much cooler as a result. These wind-driven aircraft could evade the detection of infrared weapons entirely. To combat this, directed-energy weapons that use a concentrated beam of electromagnetic energy would be used to manually target and shoot down enemy vehicles.

This meant that infrared missiles were now only useful against industrial buildings, which still generate heat in the fuel extraction or goods manufacturing process. Even in the cutthroat Crux city, the destruction of industry is an act of terrorism, which would result in the Police cracking down on the perpetrators with their full might. Even Paladin, who championed infrared weapons, was forced to decommission its infrared missiles for fear that the weapons be stolen and used to frame their organization for a public attack they never orchestrated.

I suppose I too was decommissioned along with the rest of the infrared weapons at Paladin…

I gaze out the window of my dorm, soaking in a glimmer of sunlight in between the massive metal spires that surround me before climbing out of bed and walking toward the bathroom.

“This is my new life now,” I repeated to myself over and over again, splashing water onto my face.

Suddenly, the faucet gasps as the stream of water sputters to a trickle. Oh, no! Did I forget to prepay my water bill for the month? Even the poorest folks buy premium microbially infused water. Said water contains microbes that devour microplastics and harmful bacteria. They are safe to ingest and even continue to break down toxic substances found in one’s gut.

I need to resolve this immediately! This microbial water has been proven to extend life by an average of three and a half years! It’s truly life-giving water. A commodity so precious that all buyers must pay for an allotment ahead of time! Otherwise, I’ll have to purchase groundwater that’s chemically treated. Disgusting!

I close the dry faucet as I leave the bathroom. If I want to experience the life-changing technology offered by Crux city, then I’ll have to execute another mission to afford it!

After gearing up, I enter an elevator and covertly have the elevator scan the ID on my wrist tablet to ascend to the top of the building, a floor not listed on the elevator at all. Yes, the Breakpoint briefing room sits atop the Police headquarters building, the very organization we must hide our identity from. Poetic, isn’t it?

I walk into the briefing room, filled with LED screens, and the eyes of six figures follow me as I take a seat.

“So, the rookie finally awakens!” the jolly chubby man chuckles. Even in the morning, Sinclair’s penchant for cracking wise remarks shows no signs for abating.

The stoic Jen, staring at one of the LED screens, does not acknowledge my presence, eager to be briefed on our next mission.

Eccentric Val simply grins at me, waving her phone in a heart-shaped pattern as an act of appreciation for the data provided by installing her hacking device at the school.

Veteran Harbinger acknowledges me, “The squad is all here. Let’s begin our debrief,” he authoritatively announces, directing our attention to the front of the room.

The final figure, sitting at a big desk at the end of the room, was none other than Police Chief Bryce Nalix. A stern middle-aged man with graying slicked-back hair and sharp rectangular glasses. The Chief of Police is the very person sponsoring our squad. Behind him is Secretary Sahara, a young woman with small, red-framed circular glasses and short black hair, carrying serious demeanor while always remaining by the chief’s side.

“Indeed, we are honored to be joined by our new recruit in light of these dark times,” Chief Nalix affirms, with all eyes on the room falling to me at my mention before he diverts our attention to the screen. “I think you’d want to deal with this next target personally, Dreadnought!”

I glance at the screen… no way.

I-Is this going to be my next target?