[2086] To town/daylight robbery

February, 2086. The next day.

Sin decided to return the next day. His brother begged to come along.

“I want to visit dad too! Come on!”

“I’m not stopping you, but I really doubt your not-a-horse can fit on the yacht. And if they walk, it’s a long trip back and I’m worried they might drown half way through.”

“I fit just fine! Look!” Nil hopped onto the yacht. “Feels a little cramped, but eh, this will do.”

Sin stared incredulously at the not-a-horse, but then shrugged and boarded the yacht.

“Is Su not coming?” The boy asked as he looked around for the black bird.

“Su will be joining us later. They have something to finish with the Old Master.”

“Huh. You wanted that little bird to fly across the sea on their own and you’re worried about Nil drowning.”

“That’s not for you to worry about.”

The woman watched as they leave. Sin kept his eyes locked with hers until she was too small to be seen.

He still loved her. He knew it was no longer puppy love; he really did fall in love with her, and held on to those emotions for the past years as he grew up.

But she was also his father’s wife and mother to his half-brother. His feelings were a mess, and he could not let them go.

“I’m so excited!” Sud bounced around the boat. “I’ve only ever known the island.”

“You’ll do fine as long as you don’t play pranks on people. City folks aren’t as nice as those on the island.” Sin smiled. “You know, all those years ago, I watched the island get smaller and thought of how much I suddenly missed you.”

“Wow, you actually missed me?”

“Yeah, you and your mom both. I lived a sheltered childhood life myself. When your father and I first came to the island, we were running away from Madame Butterfly. I’ve been cooped up in the apartment all my life, and I don’t even know what the sand feels like or how vast the ocean is. Thinking about it now, I’ve really seen a lot. You will see and experience a lot, too, once you leave home.”

“I thought you were born on the island. There’s so much about you that I don’t know!”

“You were only with me for three years. How could you have known?”

They sailed for a couple of uneventful days. Sud was seasick and was always on deck, sleeping or puking. Sin gave him some medicine and urged him to eat some candies and drink more water. When it got bad, Nil would carry the boy and trod alongside the yacht.

February transitioned to March. They finally reached Malee’s seaside abode. Sud was weak and exhausted, and he was happy to see land.

“Ugh, I’ve spent too long on that island. The pollution around here is making my skin itch.” Nil wrinkled their nostrils.

“Really? You’re itching?” Sin eyed the not-a-horse, with their scaly artificial skin. “Alright, do you want to stay in the stables or in the house?”

“Haha. Very funny.”

Sin led them inside and introduced them to Chan, who also eyed the not-a-horse.

“We don’t have stables here, but I can take you to milady’s main mansion in the city. She keeps a few prized horses there.”

“For the nth time, I am not a horse!”

“Really? You don’t look like a chihuahua to me.”

“Young lad, the world doesn’t consist of just people, horses, and chihuahuas, alright?!”

After a round of greetings, Sin asked about Malee. Chan replied that she would not be coming for a few days due to work, and he had to go back to guarding her after he was sure Sin settled down alright after the trip. They arranged lodgings, and Sud started asking for Apaimanee.

“He’s working. He’ll be back sooner or later.”

“How much longer is that, then?”

“I don’t know.”

Then, Chan tapped on his shoulder. The two engaged in a conversation through their internal line for a few seconds, before Sin turned to his brother.

“Sud, something urgent came up and I have to go as well. If I see your father there, I’ll tell him that you’re waiting. For now, stay here with Nil. The security here is top-notch, so don’t worry about anyone breaking in.”

“Can I go out to the sea?”

“Do you really want to go out in that?” Sin gestured to the ocean, where globs of industrial waste trapped in sea foam drifted along. “Stay here, for Nil’s sake. The mafia could find him.”

“Boo, that’s no fun.”

“You decided to tag along on your own accord, right? Then you live with the consequences.” The older brother patted his younger brother a few times. “I’m going now. There’s food in the fridge. Don’t get take-outs.”

“What are those?”

“Never mind. There’s food in the fridge.”

Sin and Chan left the house. Sud was left in the living room with Nil. Through the glass panels, they could see the pier and the ocean, but it was nowhere as beautiful as the ocean they saw from Koh Kaew Phitsadan.

Sud ran around the house and touched all the cool gadgets, under Nil’s supervision. He soon grew bored of the automatic faucets and self-cleaning toilets, so he sat down to eat whatever was in the fridge. After heating the food up, he took a bite.

“Is this what city food taste like? I dunno, it’s not what I was expecting.”

“What were you expecting? A lavish meal? This is just a boxed meal from the ration distribution center. Don’t expect too much out of it.”

“Aren’t you gonna eat?”

“Eh, I’m not hungry. I’ll just get some water.” Nil got some water from the faucet and drank from a bowl. Sud glanced at the digital clock in the kitchen, then a wide grin spread across his face.

“Hey, Nil, when does the usual working day end?”

“Six? I dunno.”

“Let’s go out!” The boy got up from the chair and rushed to the door, only to be yanked by the hair.

“No!” Nil was pulling his hair with their teeth. “We are not going anywhere!”

“Who said we’re going? I’m going!”

Sud managed to slip through and climb over the fence. Nil trotted helplessly in circles in front of the closed gate.

“Oh, darn, fuck it, I’m so screwed. I hope Sin can come here ASAP and open this damn gate!” They contacted Sin a while ago, but the young man was off grid.

Meanwhile, Sud went for a walk outside. It was a quiet seaside neighborhood. The streets were clean and devoid of people. He wanted to see some activity, and so went further away from the house.

Soon, he heard clopping noises behind. Nil was running after him, so he began to run.

“Hey! Stop, Sud! Stop!”

He did not stop, but ran faster. He slid into a small alley and was out of the cyborg’s vision, but he knew that Nil could track him through the bracelet he wore. He had to go further away, and so he did, running through tiny alleys too small for the cyborg to fit through.

“Hey, boy! Where are you going?!” Someone shouted out to him from the dark.

Sud instinctively stopped, and saw a man approaching. He was dressed modestly, and nothing stood out in particular.

“I’m on a walk. Do you know where the market is?”

“The market? Okay, I’ll bring you there.” He glanced at the boy’s golden bracelet, then led the way into another larger alley.

The buildings seemed to squeeze at them from both sides, and along the way, there were small shops scattered inside the alley. Some of them sold wares on a piece of cloth, while some were food carts. Many eyed the man and the boy, but let them pass without making a move.

“Are you sure this is the right way? Seems awfully small.” Sud followed him closely.

“Yeah, this is a shortcut that locals use.” The man replied. “Trust me, it’s faster this way.”

“Okay!”

The boy followed him without another word. They arrived at a small alley next to a warehouse.

Suddenly, the man turned around and grabbed the boy’s arm, throwing him down. Sud went dizzy, and the next thing he knew, the man was trying to remove the bracelet from his wrist, to no avail.

The boy cried out in pain and tried to break free. His mouth was muffled by the man’s hand, and he felt like he was going to suffocate. Just then, he heard the sound of Nil galloping.

A few seconds later, the man was sent flying. Nil stomped onto his chest, which probably broke a few ribs. The cyborg horse dragged the man to a nearby the trash collection post before coming back to check on Sud.

“Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

The boy started crying, holding his wrist. Nil awkwardly stood there for a few moments, then nibbled the boy’s hair.

“Hey, buddy, I’m here for you now. But we better get out of here soon.”

By that time, they were already out of the peaceful neighborhood and in the slum.

“Umm, yeah, let’s.” The boy felt a chill run down his spine. He wanted to be out of the area, the sooner the better.

They were a step too late. When they turned around, they saw a drone hovering behind them. Including the wingspan, it was around one meter in diameter, and it was slim, with four propellers and something that resembled a gun.

“What the fuck?” Nil pushed the boy back with their large horse frame.

“You can’t hide from us, Nil.” A man spoke through the drone’s speaker. “Come with us quietly like a good steed and nobody gets hurt.”

“Oh, cut it with the horse joke already!” Nil shook their head. Sud tugged at their tail, which resembled that of a fish.

“Who are they? How did they find you?”

“My worst enemy. Probably found me through the face recognition AI. I didn’t know the AI could recognize non-human faces, though…ugh.” The cyborg took a few steps back as the drone approached. “Alright, I’ll go with you, but only if this boy is free to go home.”

“Fine. Boy, come over here.”

Sud slowly did as told, raising both hands up.

“Good. Take a right turn at that intersection, and you’re free to go. Don’t try anything funny now, the both of you.”

More drones came and watched their every move. Sud felt his legs shaking, and his knees were about to give out. He made his way slowly to the intersection.

“If you try to hurt him, I’ll blow myself up along with the data, get it?” Nil stomped in place.

“Yeah, we knew you had the guts when you left your previous body as a rotting corpse inside your room. Almost had us all fooled.”

Sud made it to the intersection, but before he made that turn, he spun around.

“Nil! I’ll get help!”

“Shut up and just go!” Nil shouted back. Sud nodded and started running. The mischievous boy was out of sight, but Nil still had their doubts.

“Alright, time for us to go now.”

The flock of drones dropped a net over the horse cyborg, and Nil lost consciousness within a second.

Meanwhile, Sud made a beeline for the seaside residence, but as he ran past an alley, something emerged and tripped him over. The boy fell face first and slid across the ground. Then, a hand picked him up by the back of his collar.

“Let me go! You don’t wanna mess with the port mafia, do you?!” He struggled to free himself. The person holding him was a small old man with white hair, but with extraordinary strength, most definitely enhanced.

“I am with the port mafia. You’re coming with me.”