[2073] Escape/island trip

Late 2073

Butterfly was away on a mission, and it was the perfect time to escape.

“Where are we going, papa?”

“To the beach. You wanted to see her hometown, didn’t you?”

Apaimanee only took a small bag.

“I’ll show you what I can do, papa.” Sin tapped on the panel of switches nimbly, as if he had practiced a hundred times. The father and son inactivated the security system, then slowly headed out.

The mounted guns did not shoot. They snuck out through the gate. Apaimanee held his son’s hand, casually strolling down the dirty streets. He pulled his cap over his face, and did the same for his son.

They turned into an alleyway, and saw the girl waiting with her flowers.

“You’re here.”

Her parents sat beside her. They should be in their mid-thirties, but they looked much older.

“Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

The group made their way through the slum, and took a roundabout route to the train station. They boarded and changed trains a few times. The girl and her family did not know what was going on, and followed Apaimanee’s instructions.

Apaimanee himself had only come here once or twice, on a mission, but at least it was enough to get them on the right route. They could see the ocean off in the distance.

“We should take a break.” He said. “Let’s get off at the next station and find something to eat.”

They got off and ate in a restaurant. Halfway through the meal, Apaimanee felt a chill run down his spine. He looked around carefully, trying not to seem panicked.

A group of cyborgs entered the restaurant. They were casual enough that he would have thought they were just another group of passengers, but in this hot weather, they wore long coats and carried large sport bags.

“We’re going.” He whispered, but it was too late. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a figure wearing invisible camouflage. The man instinctively covered his son, but the target was the girl’s parents, sitting across from them.

With a neat slit to the throat, they died before even realizing what hit.

“Butterfly?!”

“That’s me.”

Apaimanee grabbed the girl and Sin, then ran.

“You know you can’t outrun me.” He could hear her, almost as if she was whispering into his ears. “What’s the matter? Why did you run? If you wanted a beach trip, you could’ve just said so.”

“You’d never let us.” Apaimanee did not stop running. He stopped near the tracks, turning to his son. “Get to the island. She knows where to go.”

“Papa, why did mom try to kill us?”

“Go!”

The girl took the crying Sin’s hand and ran. Apaimanee took out a gun and shot the people following them.

“You can’t win. You can’t even beat Chan.” Butterfly approached him slowly.

“I know, but I will try.”

“Why did you betray me? I thought we were family.”

Apaimanee gritted his teeth.

“I thought so as well. But that apartment complex is no place to raise a kid.”

“You remember, don’t you?” She said, her voice grim. “I don’t know what happened, but you remembered everything.”

“What are you talking about?”

Butterfly laughed.

“Or perhaps, you realized I murdered your family except for your beloved little brother. No matter. I’ll take our son back and we’ll be family again.”

Sweat trickled down Apaimanee’s temples. He knew that even after all these years, he was still no match for her.

Yet, he had one last trick he borrowed from Chan. Butterfly furrowed her brows.

“You have that boy’s collar.” It prevented her from controlling his body.

Apaimanee broke into a run, and she chased, firing bullets at him. He felt one graze his leg. He knew she could hit his head if she wanted to, but she did not.

Chan tried to construct a scrambler that could disrupt Butterfly’s cybernetic enhancements, but failed to do so. In the process, he made some improvements to his own. That collar became Apaimanee’s lifeline. He could sense Butterfly hot on his heels. One slash at the collar, and it would all be over. So, he ran. And jumped. And rolled. And climbed. Bangkok’s complex topography served him well.

“You can’t run forever. I know the city better than you.”

Apaimanee did not need the reminder.

He ran to the top of an abandoned building, half swallowed by the rising sea. He saw a speedboat and made a bet.

He jumped. He waded through the air, and the speedboat’s driver noticed. The driver overrode the autopilot and sped towards Apaimanee.

He crashed into the water’s surface and found himself at a loss for directions. He could not swim. Butterfly could, and she jumped after him, aiming for the boat. Apaimanee felt something yanking his arm, pulling him up from the water. Before he was fully out, the boat sped away, and his feet skidded on the waves.

He coughed violently, trying to get the salt water with all its pollution out of his system.

“What the fuck was that? You’re not some kind of criminal, are you?” The speedboat’s driver asked. Apaimanee tried to regain his breathing, only to keep coughing. “Ugh, I guess I can ask you later.”

From the rear mirror, he could see that Butterfly did not swim after them.

Apaimanee managed to regain his breath.

“Thank you for that.”

“Yeah, no problem. What the fuck was that crazy stunt?”

“It’s a long story. Where are you headed to, anyway?”

“Nowhere? I’m just taking my boat out for a ride, and you showed up.”

“Do you know of an island called Koh Kaew Phitsadan?”

“Koh Kaew what now? I don’t, but I’ll ask some locals. As long as you can guarantee that crazy person won’t be following us.”

Apaimanee was just in time to catch a boat returning to the island. He saw Sin and the girl there, huddled in a corner. The captain quickly ordered the boat to leave the port.

Apaimanee could still feel Butterfly’s presence. He felt that she could appear from the water at any moment, like a sea sprite or a mermaid or an ogress. But their journey was quiet, almost as if that death chase was a dream.

Maybe he was more trouble than he was worth. Maybe Butterfly knew she could kill him at any time, should he return.

He washed himself and got a change of clothes. Despite that, his skin was covered with rashes from exposure to the seawater.

He went to a corner of the deck, where Sin and the girl were waiting. Apaimanee closed his eyes and held his son close. The girl sat down to his side, and he held her as well.

“I’m sorry about your parents. If I hadn’t proposed this, you’d still be living with them…”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I…I’m actually scared when they tell me to go out and spend nights with people.” Her body trembled. “It’s okay most of the times, but I still remember that one house with many, many robots, and they’re all scary… They never blink, and they just stare. Just like my parents when they’re dead.”

“Shh. It’s fine. Nothing can hurt you now.” Apaimanee kissed her forehead. “You have me here. You’re braver than the fear. You’re stronger than the pain.”

“I’m a horrible daughter, though. I betrayed my parents. I’m an ungrateful child. I…” Drops of tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m just happy to go back to my hometown…”

They stopped talking and fell asleep. When they woke up because of Sin’s nightmare, the girl seemed to have forgotten about her loss. It was probably the shock.

The boat crossed the Kra Isthmus Canal checkpoint, and entered the Andaman Sea. The wind felt different as soon as they left the checkpoint and set course for Koh Kaew Phitsadan.

She and Sin enjoyed the boat trip. Days later, they were at a small island with pearly white sand and emerald sea, a true tropical paradise, if not for the huge amount of marine litter on the beach.

The fishing boat moored on the sand, and the people got off to unload goods they traded at the city.

“I’ll take you to the Old Master.” The girl said and took Apaimanee’s hand. The young man was carrying Sin with his other hand.

“Alright.”

They walked up the hill. The path was surrounded by lush, green foliage. They arrived at a small house with a wide dirt court in front. It was surrounded by greenery on all four sides, and they could hear insects chirping.

Sin was wide awake, running ahead of the group. The girl caught up to him and held his hand, taking him to the house.

An old hermit emerged from the house.

“Come on in.”

Apaimanee entered the house. It had few furnishings, only a kettle, a cushion, an altar table set with Buddha statues, and a large electric fan.

The Old Master waved them into another room separated from the first by an old, wooden door. The room had some medical equipment, which seemed too advance considering the state of the rest of the island.

“Old Master is our magic doctor.” The girl said.

“I have no magic, just an old man.” He beckoned Apaimanee to an examination table. “You’re injured. Let me check on you.”

Apaimanee laid still as the Old Master fiddled with his protheses, pulling out a few small devices, then smashing them on the ground.

“Just in case.”

“Were those tracking devices?”

“Yes. It’s a built-in version that comes with your arms, to track you as long as you still have your limbs attached. I assume someone will come after you.”

“She won’t come so far.”

“Papa…” Sin waited at the door. “Are we going to stay here from now?”

“Yeah. We’re going to stay with big sis. She’s your new family. Aren’t you happy?”

The Old Master went outside to talk to the girl in private, then returned and waved Sin out.

“I heard part of the story. Madame Butterfly, was it? I heard about her almost ten years ago, when I was still regularly traveling to the city for trade. Back in the days, she was involved with organ trading.”

“What?!”

“Yes. Organ trading is an option for those who cannot afford lab-grown replacements. Lungs, kidneys… Oh, and there’s a market for collectibles like hands, scalps, or eyes.” The Old Master shook his head. Sin was outside with the girl, so he did not have to hear the conversation. The old man moved this device and that. “You have a missing kidney, and your eyes are replacements.”

Apaimanee opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

“You will be safe here, at least. What will you do now, young man?”

“I…” He felt like crying. “She…killed my family. And she took parts of me away, and I’m never getting them back.”

The Old Master nodded.

“You can still stay here and put all that behind you as well. End the cycle of hatred, start a new life… That’s up to you, of course.”

The young man sobbed, tears rolling from his eyes. The old man stroked his head, saying shush, shush.

“I don’t know what to do…”

“You know what? Let me finish patching you up, check your little son, and you can have a walk around the beaches to clear your mind. Get something to eat, drink some coconut juice…”

“That sounds very good.”

“Right? Relax. You still have your son.”

Apaimanee came out, and hugged the girl and Sin.

“Papa, let’s drink coconut juice! She said it tastes better than the canned ones!”

“Sure.” He smiled, and at that moment, his heart was already made up.