Jason, My Love

As Rose’s chauffeur drove her down the street, she fought back tears, staring blankly out the window. The car was dead silent. Rob, her driver, glanced at her in the rearview mirror, absently rubbing his cheek. It still stung from earlier. Rose noticed him looking at her, and every time their eyes met, he quickly snapped his attention back to the road. She sighed.

“I’m sorry for hitting you, Rob,” Rose said, her voice trembling. “It’s just… just…”

She couldn’t hold back anymore and began to cry softly. Rob pulled a tissue from the glove box and handed it to her. She took it and blew her nose.

“I understand,” Rob said gently. “Seeing an Error kill himself like that is a lot to take in. I forget sometimes that you’re still a soft, sensitive child. You don’t like blood, and it was… very gruesome. We live eternally with the chip, so death doesn’t exist for us. But for them, it’s permanent. Such a shame. Why don’t they just make something of themselves and join the system?”

Rose only sobbed harder. How could he possibly know that the man who jumped wasn’t just an Error to her but a close friend? How could she tell him that she had been with him not too long ago? Her mind flashed back to a few days earlier...

***

The rebel hideout was dimly lit, a chaotic sanctuary filled with people sporting brightly colored hair, tattoos, and clothing made of leather and mesh. The air was thick with the hum of machinery and the tang of burnt wires, as computer screens and factory equipment cluttered every corner. On the back of each rebel’s neck was a silver circle, a marker of defiance. Their circle was a sticker, so you couldn’t tell who had a blue square and who didn’t.

Weapons were passed around quickly and methodically, the rebels moving with practiced precision. They were calm—this wasn’t their first time. In the back of the room, a machine hissed as it released bursts of steam and heat. 

Standing beside it was Rose, but not like before. She wasn’t in her normal fancy dress. Instead, she wore leather pants and a black jacket with a hood. Her red hair pulled back into a pony tail. She had soot on her face from some hard work. Her leg bounced nervously.

Jason, not yet covered in blood, sat behind her in a chair, calmly. Her foot bouncing annoyed him. He gave a devious smile and then walked up from behind and grabbed her waist. She jumped and pushed him away.

“Get off of me!” she said, “This is serious!”

“Trust me sweetheart,” he said in a smooth tone, “I’m ready to out run the world if I have to.”

“Good because you’ll have to.”

She couldn’t relax, not even for a moment. She was tense, her sharp eyes locked on a man beside her, his face partially hidden by pink goggles as he fiddled with a small controller. This was Becker.

“Can’t you hurry up?” Rose snapped, her voice tight with urgency.

“This is what ‘hurried up’ looks like,” Becker replied without looking at her.

“They’ll be here any second!”

“This better activate it!”

“It will,” a voice called out from behind the machine. Spike, a wiry man with green hair and a nose piercing, emerged from the steam. He checked over the machine’s components with meticulous care, his movements efficient but calm. Stopping at a thin silver pole within the device, he gave it a firm pat. “It has to,” he said firmly.

Across the room, one of the computer screens flashed with a radar pulse. Red dots appeared on the screen, moving steadily closer.

“Keepers inbound! Thirty seconds!” someone shouted.

The room erupted into action. Rebels scrambled to their positions, weapons raised and trained on the front door. The man with the pink goggles glanced over his shoulder and gave the device in his hands a frustrated shake.

“It should be cool by now!”

“Why isn’t it?” Rose demanded, her voice edged with panic.

“Twenty seconds!” the voice warned again.

At that moment, the machine emitted a loud hiss and spat out a black disk. Jason grabbed it and stared at it for a brief moment, mesmerized. It was a vinyl record.

“Ten seconds! They’re here!”

Jason snapped out of his daze and tossed the record to Rose. She caught it, quickly and pulled out a toothpick looking device. It scanned the front and back of the disk. It flickered green and Becker’s computer flashed green. He pulled out a thumb drive and tossed it to Jason. He stuffed it into his pocket. Rose took a gold box from a desk and stuffed it into a bag and slinging it onto her back. Sike placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You know what to do. Good luck.”

“I—”

KRAKOW!

The door exploded in a fiery blast, sending debris flying. Smoke billowed into the room, and a storm of laser bullets followed, zipping through the air like angry hornets. One hit a rebel square in the chest, sending him flying to the ground.

“No!” Rose screamed.

“Return fire!” Spike shouted.

Chaos erupted. The room turned into a battlefield as rebels fired back at the invaders. From the smoke emerged the Keepers—men in black uniforms with silver boxes strapped to their forearms and varying silver stripes on their shoulders. They moved through the barrage of bullets with unnerving ease.

One Keeper, a man with a strong jaw and a buzz cut, moved with precision. Through the smoke we see him: Dex. He fired at a rebel, hitting him in the leg. The rebel crumpled to the ground, and Dex pounced on him, tearing the silver circle from his neck.

“They’re wearing blockers!” Dex growled, “We won’t know who is who, until we get them off!”

“Fuck you!” the rebel spat back.

Dex smirked coldly. “Don’t worry, we actually need some of you alive.”

A rebel from across the room too aim at Dex’s head before he could fire, his body bursted into sparks from a powerful blast. Dex turned to see Sasha behind him with a smoking gun.

“Let’s get to work.” She said.

He pressed a button on the silver box on his arm. Electricity surged Dex’s suit and into the rebel’s body, rendering him unconscious.

Jason grabbed Rose by the arm, pulling her away. “Come on!”

They bolted through a doorway, disappearing into the shadows. Dex saw them fleeing and gave chase. A rebel emerged from cover, weapon drawn, but Dex was faster.

POW!

The rebel fell, a bullet between his eyes. Dex caught the collapsing body and used it as a shield, charging forward.

POW! POW! POW!

Two more rebels stood in his way. Dex hurled the body at one, knocking him down, and struck the other in the chest with a flying kick. Neither stood a chance. Without pausing, Dex pressed on, relentless in his pursuit.

Jason and Rose sprinted down a narrow corridor, Dex close behind. Laser fire zipped past them, one shot grazing Jason’s shoulder. He winced in pain but didn’t slow.

“Stop!” Dex shouted. “Stop in the name of the law!”

Jason and Rose didn’t stop. They ducked into a room at the end of the hallway.

Inside, a broken window framed the night sky. A wire stretched from the window to the roof of a neighboring building. Without hesitation, Jason and Rose grabbed batons, hooked them onto the wire, and zipped across.

Moments later, Dex burst into the room. He spotted them halfway across the line and didn’t hesitate. Hooking his sleeve onto the wire, he tested its weight and launched himself after them.

Jason and Rose hit the rooftop hard, rolling to absorb the impact. They scrambled to their feet just as Dex gained on them. Jason pulled out a knife and slashed the wire. The wire whipped back and cut Jason on his arm and chest. Blood gushed out immediately.

The wire went limp and Dex fell, his body hurtling toward the side of the building across the chasm. WHAM! He hit the wall hard, his hands scrabbling for a hold. At the last second, one hand found the ledge.

Dangling above the drop, Dex looked down at what could have been his end. Teeth clenched, he pulled himself up onto the roof. By the time he steadied himself, Jason and Rose were gone.

Dex sucked his teeth, seething with frustration. Just then, a gust of wind and lights hit him in the back. He turned to see a flying squad car behind him. The window lowered to reveal Sasha.

“They haven’t gotten away yet,” she said opening the other door, “You ready for a hunt?”

Dex smiled. “Always.”

***

Jason and Rose stumbled into the nearly empty train car, both out of breath. The faint hum of the train filled the silence as they entered. Rose dropped heavily into a seat, letting the weight of the bag on her back pull her down. Jason remained standing, his eyes scanning the door behind them, tense and alert.

"How is it?" he asked without turning around.

Rose opened the backpack, her hands steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through her. She peered inside. "It's still intact," she said. Her voice carried a mix of relief and determination. "Your arm and chest! You're bleeding!"

"It's nothing we can worry about right now."

"You'll lose too much and you'll be delirious!"

"We need to focus! I'll be fine. Better than some of our friends right now."

It was quiet for only a moment before Rose spoke again. "All that's left now is to make the drop. I'll be covering you from the roof, but you have to..."

"ATTENTION! THIS IS THE PEACE KEEPER DIVISION," said a loud voice from outside. "PREPARE TO BE BOARDED AT THE STOP!"

They looked out the window and saw several hovering keeper cars following the tram. "Damn it!" said Rose. "How'd that damn dog catch our trail? We're trapped! Maybe I can explain to them that they have the wrong people! I can pull some strings..."

"Not this time, Red," said Jason. He pulled out his gun and shot open the train window. Glass shattered, and air rushed inside, whipping their hair back and forth.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" yelled Rose.

"Give me the box," said Jason.

Rose's eyes grew wide. "No!" she exclaimed. "You can't leave me here! I want to go with you!"

"I've got a role to play, and so do you. Now, it's time for my monologue."

With tears in her eyes, she handed him the box, and he placed the flash drive inside it. "You better come back alive!" she said.

"Hold on to this for me."

Jason pulled her close and kissed her. For a moment, she felt fireworks go off in her chest. Then he let go and sprinted toward the window. He jumped out and landed on a nearby roof. He pulled out his gun and started firing at the cars, catching their attention. Rose watched helplessly as he took off into the night, flashing lights behind him.