Everyone Who Gets the Implant Changes

It’s not the first gun I’ve ever been on the wrong end of. Hell, it’s not even the most dangerous weapon I’ve ever had pointed at me. That doesn't mean it can’t send me to an early grave, and from the look of pure desperation on the kid’s face, I don’t doubt he’ll pull the trigger.

Panicking won’t help me, though. My life’s entirely in his hands, so I take a deep breath and try to sound as calm as possible when I speak. “You win. My suit’s outta juice anyway. Let me go, and I won’t bother you again.”

“N-No.” His voice betrays his youth, an octave higher than you’d expect for someone so tall, with that slight squeakiness that teenage boys all have that makes you feel embarrassed for ‘em. “You’ll tell them where I am.”

“And let someone else claim the bounty? I’ve got a reputation to maintain, ya know. If word got out that the nation’s top xyronin fumbled a job like this, I’d never get high-paying gigs again. We’re on the same side now. I’ll give them fake intel, put them off your track. How about it?”

He’s not buying it, but he also hasn’t shot me. His brow furrows, and I can almost see the gears turning in his mind, trying to decide if he can trust me. Before he can reach a conclusion, however, his arm jerks up into the air, and the air warps behind him as a stealth field disengages. The other xyronin holds his wrist in one hand, and with the other, she presses a Xyrite crystal to his neck.

To my chagrin, her face is a familiar one. Upturned nose, high cheekbones, large green eyes, and a small, self-satisfied smirk. Her hair is dyed to match her eyes and tied back in a ponytail. To complete the ensemble, her skintight black and green power suit shows off her figure, leaving very little to the imagination.

And what a figure it is, not that I’d ever admit it to her.. Everything’s just the right size—not too small, but not too big either.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Ayame Saionji,” I say. “That’s the third time this month you tailed me, isn’t it? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you had a crush on me.”

“Eww! As if. Sorry, but I don’t have a thing for old guys with gross scars on their faces.”

“Yeah, well it’s not like I want some snot-nosed brat with an odd taste in fashion following me around either.”

We’re both exaggerating. I’m in my late twenties, and she’s… Well, it’s not polite to speculate about a woman’s age, but she couldn’t be more than a few years younger. That comment hurt, though. My scar is one of my best features. It makes me look rugged and handsome.

“What’s wrong with my fashion?”

“That tiara-style implant is so gaudy.” I swipe my finger across my forehead to imitate the Xyrite band that runs between her temples.

“Look who’s talking! Those horns of yours are soooooo last decade. You look like a rejected character design from a tokusatsu show.”

“And you’re obviously too immature to appreciate a classic—”

The kid speaks up, interrupting our spat. “Excuse me.”

Now that my attention’s back on him, I realize he’s still technically holding a gun. Saionji would have disarmed him by now if she were competent. Taking advantage of her inexperience, I grab the gun from the kid. Another mistake on her part to let me have it.

I let out a low whistle as I turn the gun over in my hands. “Damn, son! Where’d you find this? Something this old should be in a museum. I bet a collector would pay quite a bit for this beauty.” Under the guise of appreciating it, I peek into the chamber. It’s empty, but I don’t let Saionji know that.

“What are you going to do with me?”

“Relax,” I say. “We’re not kidnappers or anything. Your father just wants you back home is all. Offered a reward big enough that half the city’s lookin’ for ya.”

I expect the kid to blurt out a squeaky, “You can’t!” but to my surprise, he makes a cringy sniffling noise, and tears fall from his eyes.

Saionji releases his wrist and hands him a tissue, then shoots me a death glare. “Good going, you made him cry.”

“He’s probably faking. Don’t let your guard down.” Even though I project confidence in my words, I don’t actually think he’s faking. He’d have to be the world’s greatest actor. It’s hard to keep up the tough guy act in front of such a pathetic display, so I sigh and rub the back of my head with my free hand. “Come on, kid. Is it really that bad back home? Seems plenty cushy from the outside.”

“It’s not—” he hiccups, sniffles some more, and then blows into the tissue before he can speak again. “It’s not like that. I’m just scared of the implant surgery. That’s why I ran away.”

“Then don’t get it,” I say. “What’s the big deal? Plenty of people never get implants.”

“That’s not an option for me. Someone like you wouldn’t understand.”

I’m about to snap back when Saionji shakes her head. “Better let me handle this. Look, Hosokawa, I get it. My parents made me get the surgery before I was ready too. None of my classmates had it yet, and I didn’t want to stand out any more than I already did, but they insisted. I needed it to inherit the company, they said. My future employees wouldn’t respect me if I was, in their words, inferior.”

The kid’s eyes go wide. “You too?” But then he shakes his head. “No way. If that were true, you’d be in a boardroom right now, not chasing people down in a power suit.”

“Maybe I would be, if things had gone according to their plans, but it turns out this implant is actually quite useful. I was never able to fool my parents before. They seemed like gods who controlled every aspect of my life, but once I had the implant, I started to see that they were human, flaws and all, and I exploited those flaws to win my independence.”

“But that’s what scares me the most.” The kid hung his head as he spoke, making it difficult to hear. “Everyone who gets the implant changes.”

I groan. “Not this again. Look, kid, the implants don’t control your mind or anything. They’re just little computers that can analyze things for you. They’re not capable of controlling your brain.”

“But everyone becomes so… mean after getting implants.”

Saionji purses her lips but says nothing, so it falls to me. “That’s because the implants make ‘em smart enough to realize that, in this world, being nice doesn’t pay off.”

He blinks. “They’re mean because they’re… intelligent? I thought it was the other way around, that ignorance and superstition made people do terrible things.”

“Works both ways.” I shrug. “The sweet spot is in the middle—smart enough to realize people mostly mean well, but too dumb to realize they’ll still screw you over if it’s in their interests. Implants make people better at statistics, so they get a good idea of how things might end up.”

“That’s so depressing.”

“Maybe, but it’s reality. Better to know than remain ignorant. Besides, nothing stopping you from choosing foolish kindness after you have the surgery.”

“Better to know than remain ignorant.” He looks up at me. “You know, I never left Minato before. It was difficult adjusting to life out here on my own, but I’m glad I learned what the world’s really like.”

I don’t have the heart to tell him he’s still living in one of the safest and most comfortable places in the world. “Oh yeah, what do you like most about it?”

He pauses before answering. “The wind. It’s strong, and it stings at times, but it feels real.” Maybe the kid’s not so bad after all. “As soon as I felt it, I knew I wouldn’t survive a winter out there. I just needed some time, but I think I’m ready to go back.”

That’s my cue. As Saionji leads the kid back toward her bike, I point the gun at her. “He’s coming with me.”