A Good Person

The scorching warmth woke her up. It was as if a bonfire was burning beside her. The human tried to rub her eyes, only to find her wrists stuck together by some sort of manacles.

Huh? What happened - She thought groggily, but before she could understand a mighty whoosh went off on her left, and the heat doubled. The burning sensation prompted her into action, inching across the buckled floor on all fours. Squinting against the yellowish glare, she searched for an escape.

She scanned the small room. All around were bodies. Naked, unconscious, chained and charred. The floor was tilted to one side, scattered with burning debris and shards of broken glass from the tiny windows at the top of the walls. It was raining outside, the soft splatter of rain drumming in the background. The only exit, a pair of double doors at one end, was warped by the heat of the fire. 

Again? Where am I? The inferno did not give her time to think. She could feel the flames licking at her bare skin. Sweat was pouring through every pore of her skin, running in rivers down her body.

A breath of wind blew against her face. Instinctively, she turned and crawled towards that direction. Sure enough, there was a small hole where the wall buckled inwards. Someone was blocking the way though. Under normal circumstances, one might be obliged to help a fellow human, but the only thing on her mind now was survival.

“Out… of my… way!” She grunted, using her body to nudge the pale, skinny body aside. Pushing a limb out of the way, she reached out and felt the cool air outside. With one last heave, she pulled herself out of her burning prison.

Only for a flash of green laser to impact right below her, send chunks of sizzling metal flying. With a yelp, she slipped and tumbled out of the crashed hovercar. 

Pushing herself to a sitting position, she flinched back as a tangle of limbs and metal parts tumbled past her and smashed into the nearest wall, breaking up into two figures with metallic glint reflecting off their body.

The two got to their feet wobbly, facing each other, their cybergenic eyes contracting and expanding as the programming tried to read the opponent’s next move. One of them, a towering cyborg with enhanced limbs and donning the standard blue uniform of an enforcer, got into a fighting stance; while the other knelt down with his hands on the floor, ready to pounce. Even as an observer, she could see what the two of them were thinking - a plasma gun lying on the floor between them. And as one, they lunged.

The taller one was faster. As his fingers grasped the pistol grip, he planted his other hand on the floor, turning himself to face his enemy. But he never managed to do that. The other cyborg, coming from above, smashed his head in with his fist, and the two fell down together, embracing each other like lovers. The survivor shakily got up, dropping the piece of brick in his hand. Prying the laser gun out of his enemy’s cold, dead hands, he fired another shot at the head, reducing it to a heap of melted metal.

“Didn’t expect that, did you?” He taunted the fallen body. There was no reply. Taking a deep breath, he looked up and locked eyes with her. His pupils widened for a second, although she didn’t know if it was in shock or a scan to assess her threat level. 

Probably a scan, she thought, as his eyes roamed her body. A wave of modesty took hold as she tried to cover herself with her hands.

“You are from the transport,” he said, breaking the silence. She weighed her options. She could try and deny, and hope that he would close an eye and let her go, but where can she go? In a world dominated by cyborgs and computers, there is no place left for humanity.

She nodded glumly. Surprisingly, he showed no sign of emotions. He peered into the hovercraft. “Is there anybody else in there?”

“More people like me. Mostly dead.”

“I see. What is your name?”

“Angie.”

“Well, Angie, I cannot let anyone know that I was here. I can bring you with me, but you will be a fugitive from now on. You will kill, you will suffer, you will live in the dark, and die painfully when the government inevitably catches you. Or, I can end you here. A quick painless death. What do you choose?”

“Take me with you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That was fast. Hold out your hands.”

Angie obeyed, and he placed a single laser shot through the manacles. The restrictive metal casing broke and fell apart. She rubbed her wrist gratefully as he repeated it for her legs.

“Let’s go then, the enforcers will be here soon.” He reached out to a door in the alley. Angie watched as his hand cracked open, revealing a mass of machineries inside. A swarm of tweezers and pliers and tools attached themselves to the doorknob, twisting and scratching until the door gave a click and swung back.

"After you," he said. Looking at the warm light coming from behind the door, she swallowed a glob of saliva. Every step I take brings me further away from the life I know.

And what kind of life is that? Something whispered in her ears. And it was right. There's nothing left for me here. Full of trepidation, she stepped in.

Her savior stopped at the door. Firing a shot at the wreck, he closed the door as an explosion engulfed the alley. The silent hallway rattled.

He gave her a slight nudge and she went forward, marveling at the technology around her. It was like going down a museum or a science center, somewhere she went to years ago. Pieces of tech gizmo were embedded into the wall, dozens of screens beeping and flashing.

He frowned. "Cameras… all of these are accessible by the enforcers. We need to get out of here fast."

An open doorway loomed out ahead. Peering in, she saw a pale figure lying on a built-in bed, a spindley robotic arm covering their eyes. Piles of unfinished projects covered a table at the side of the room, while the floor was strewn with trash. The figure stirred, and she quickly moved on.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" A voice called out in front. A pot bellied man with lanky hair called out. "This is no place for dirty, dumb Stocks to be hanging around."

He squinted at her, his eyes gradually moving lower down her body. Scratching his ass, he took a step closer, but stopped when he saw the cyborg following behind.

"Is she yours?" He asked him. "You ought to treat her better, you know? She looks like she could use a meal or two. Mom always told me to be a gentleman…"

He took out his laser gun. The resident flinched, his pig-like eyes widening in fear. "Woah, calm down there. There's no need to-"

A flash of green filled the corridor for a moment, and he collapsed into a pile of fats and meat.

"Keep going," he ordered from behind, his voice as cold and monotonous as ever. She shivered, wondering if the gun would be turned on her without a warning. She didn't trust the man, just like how he clearly kept his distance from her. Again, she wondered if she made the right choice going with him.

Of course it is, dummy, she chided herself. The fate of humans in this world is gruesome. If you are not toiling away, you are dead. Whole generations are born deep beneath the surface, spending their whole life underground, working, breeding, and ultimately dying, their remains recycled to provide for those still alive. Breathing in the non-artificial air, hearing the thunder in the distance. How many humans are fortunate enough to experience all these? For a mere second of freedom, nothing is too much to give in exchange.

"We have to hurry. Our ride is waiting outside." Reaching the end of the hallway, he opened the door. Rays of blue and red light immediately illuminated him as the sound of sirens and shouts seeped in.

Angie paled as he slammed the door shut and locked it. "Enforcers? How did they get here so quickly?"

"Simple. Elimination," he explained, taking a small device out of his great coat and placing it on the floor. "The alley we met had 7 doorways leading away from it. Obviously we did not escape by the main road as it is covered with surveillance cameras. 2 doors lead to eateries, and 1 to a massage parlor. There too many eyes there, and we could not have went there. The door at the end of the alley is the backdoor of the Doberman Complex, which even I myself finds it hard to break through. The last 3 doors leads to a office building - also filled with cameras - and an apartment beside it. All they need to do is blockade the 3 entrance of the apartment and-"

"This is the Hive City Enforcer Block! Come out now with your hands above your head!"

The man growled and muttered something under his breath. His fingers flew over the device, tapping one corner here, fiddling with a switch there.

Angie wrung her hands and glanced at the door. "Do you need help?"

"No," he snapped.

A small beep cut through the awkward silence. "Breaching charge planted. Detonating in 10, 9, 8..."

The man hissed in frustration. "Ok, fine. Yes. Place one finger on that button, another one there. Now swipe the screen - not that screen - and select the middle button."

The screen went blank. So did the man's eyes as his head drooped.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Wait wait wait wake up! This isn't time to - woah!"

Right before the timer hit zero, the device on the floor exploded first in a wave of blue light. The smell of burnt plastic filled the air. A sad whirl came from the other side of the door as the sirens abruptly stopped.

Angie blinked and wiped a layer of soot off her face. Beside her, the cyborg stirred. A slight hum ran through his body as he opened his eyes. "Restarting system. The EMP worked. Breaching charge disabled. Cameras disabled. We are clear to go."

"You could have warned me about it beforehand," Angie grumbled, getting to her feet.

He shrugged. "There's a maintenance tunnel to our right. Follow me."

At the first door, he stopped and knocked. A young woman opened the door by a silver of a hair. Her tired eyes regarded the two suspiciously. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. We are from the Healthcare and Sanitation Block, here for a routine inspection..."

She laughed. "You want me to believe they sent a two meter tall cyborg and a naked girl to check on poor old Krisse? What, do you think I was born yesterday?"

The cyborg made to raise this pistol, but Angie nudged him away. "I'm an escaped Stock, and he saved me. We are escaping from Enforcers outside. Please, we just need to use the maintenance tunnel in your unit to escape." As if on cue, a rythmic thumping came from the main entrance.

"And what's in it for me?"

Angie smiled helplessly. "We have nothing on our bodies. Or at least I don't, as you can clearly see."

Krisse rolled her eyes and closed the door, only for a small feet to slide in between the gaps. "Wait! Please, must everything be a trade? What about helping someone in need? Please, we will definitely be caught and punished if you don't help us."

Behind her, she could feel the cyborg getting restless. And for good reasons too. With a crack, the main door burst open and a small metallic object rolled into the hallway, spreading a thick white smoke. Krisse looked at the duo one more time. 

"Come in then."

She closed the door right as the first Enforcer came pouring out of the smoke screen. Her unit was cramped but homey. A small tea table took up most of the living room, a old faded frill covering the dented metal surface. Two beanbags and a stool surrounded the table. A soft, yellow light leaked out of a half closed door, presumably leading to her bedroom. The other door opened into the kitchen. A pot of soup simmered on the stove.

Angie's stomach growled.

"Hungry? I would have invited you for dinner if not for the circumstances, plus, your path is here," Krisse said, opening a small hole on the wall.

"Are you sure?" The cyborg asked skeptically. "Looks like a rubbish chute to me."

"It is the maintenance tunnel," she insisted.

"Smells like a rubbish chute too. You should go sniff it."

"The stench is coming from your friend over here. See, there's nothing inside," Krisse squatted down and waved a hand in the chute.

With one swift movement, the cyborg cut down on her neck. She collapsed like a sack of potatoes. He drew his pistol.

Angie smacked the pistol away angrily. His hands barely moved. "Hold up, are you going to kill her? She helped us!"

"And will sell us out if given half the chance."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I've been in business for twenty years. You, twenty minutes. She’s one of the lowest class of the Evolved. Her type is always in need of credits. She WILL rat us out once the Enforcers come knocking. I’m doing us a favor here.”

"Maybe you are right... But you can't punish her for something she has yet to do. It is not right."

He laughed. "What makes you think I care about doing the right thing?"

"You saved me. You could have just killed me back there. But you didn't. You showed mercy. You did it before. And I believe you can do it again, now."

He looked away, shaking his head. "I... I'm gonna regret this later. The amount of risks..."

"It's the right thing to do, Mister…"

“Call me Davout,” he said, bending down and squeezing through the tunnel. “Close the door.”

The girl followed, a grin plastered over her face. “You are a good person, Mister Davout. Thank you.”