Chapter 16:

Around The Way Girl

Machine Heart


With much effort, K-111 got up and together with Sophie, left the house, then set out for the eastern part of the suburbs.

His building was in the southern part of the suburbs, and it would be quite a while before they reached their destination.

Plus there was another problem; Sophie was a Machine Woman, and considering that their existence was kept hidden even from the Machine Men themselves, if she was seen, it would be a big problem.

But the girl had a plan for that as well.

"Listen, if we went through the wall area, it's very unlikely that anyone would see us.

It's full of old abandoned industries, at best we might risk running into some wandering Citizen, but we can make it, what do you think, Kei?

"My name is K-111."

Sophie looked at him strangely.

"Do you by any chance not like the name I gave you?

K-111 looked at her, and with a confused air said: "Of course I like it, why are you asking? Anyway let's walk, the sooner we get there the better."

The two crossed several streets, and after a while they finally arrived.

They found themselves in front of a gigantic wall composed of old rusty iron and missing pieces of plaster, so high that the sky beyond it could not be seen.

"Wow! It's huge seen from down here, I've never gotten so close in my life."

"The place where I used to train was next to the wall, so it's all too familiar a view for me."

"Is it near here?"

"Nah, it's on the opposite side, we won't pass by it.

Anyway, let's hurry, the road is still long."

"How boring you are..."

They thus began to walk down the last, outermost street of the metropolis.

To their right they were coasting the imposing city wall, while to their left, an infinity of old factories separated from each other by small, claustrophobic alleys stretched for miles.

They joked that that was the end of the world.

"What do you think is out there, Kei?"

"I've never honestly thought about it, my life and work only take place here in the suburbs, i have no interest in what might be out there."

"Instead, in my opinion there could be freedom out there."

"Freedom is in the center, and it's reserved for Citizens."

"In my opinion it is not.

The fact that there is an impassable wall is itself a limitation to freedom if you think about it."

"That wall could exist to save us from what's outside, don't you think?"

"That I would rule out.

Remember that this is not the only barrier present, there is another one.

And it certainly doesn't serve to protect us."

"In fact it serves to protect them from us."

Sophie at that point pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket, lit one, and after taking a drag, said with the smoke still in her lungs: "You're really pessimistic you know?

Talking to you is really boring."

"Me pessimistic? The smoker spoke.

Do you want to die young by any chance?"

"Are you crazy? Cigarettes haven't killed for 60 years, can you tell me where the fuck you've lived until now?

Do this, try it yourself, you'll like it."

K-111 took a cigarette, turned it over in his hands a little, then put it to his lips and lit it.

He took out the first puff that tasted like gas, then took another drag, throwing the smoke straight down into his lungs.

He coughed.

"Ahahahaha, you can tell it's your first time, you're a total klutz!"

"Coff coff, you said it didn't hurt!"

"In fact it contains no harmful substances, however, the effect is still the same."

"I just don't understand the point of it..."

"Of course! You know what's the best way to enjoy a cigarette?

A little music."

"Yes but here there is only the sound of our footsteps, I don't think you can call it music..."

"Are you retarded by any chance? You have a state-of-the-art player in your pocket, and it has a shared mode."

K-111 shut up in embarrassment, picked up the instrument and handed it to the girl.

"Now I'm going to set it up so that it can only be heard in one ear for both of us, so we can talk equally."

The music started and the two began to walk in rhythm with it.

"Ahaha, can you imagine if someone saw us now? That would be pretty embarrassing don't you think?"

The boy stopped.

"Someone is already watching us."

"Huh? Where?"

"Behind the next alley, there's a man staring at us."




Sophie zoomed her view, and saw him.

He was a homeless man, watching them closely from the corner of the interchange.

"Kei, that man is..."

"I know, he's armed."

"What do we do now?"

"I can take out a guy like that with my eyes closed, come with me."

K-111 took her by the hand and dragged her behind him.

"Come out."

The guy popped out, making himself visible.

He was shabby and dirty, it was obvious that he had been living in one of those industries as a vagabond for quite some time.

"That's a girl isn't it? What is she doing here?"

"It's none of your business, go back to where you came from."

The man had an iron pipe in his hand and was getting closer and closer.

"Do you think I can pass up an opportunity like this? It's been so long since I've seen a beautiful girl in the flesh."

"How dare you look at her like that? I thought I had already shown you what an end to the filthy perverts in this town.

Well it doesn't matter, pigs like you never seek them out, even if I take you out now, no one would see me."

The boy launched into the attack but something stopped him.

Unauthorized targeting.

He stopped in front of him.

"Go ahead and try, I'm a Citizen, I'm your superior, you can't even dream of trying to touch me."

He tried to punch him but again.

Unauthorized targeting.

"Now you have piss me off, boy!"

The man struck K-111 violently in the head, knocking him unconscious on the ground.

"Oh no, Kei!"

"Now we come to us young lady..."

"Are you crazy!? There was no need to do such a thing, it couldn't have hurt you at all!"

"You are just machines, I have no empathy for you.

Now stop talking, get undressed."

Sophie tried to defend herself using a rule from her job.

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't work without first receiving payment."

"A payment? And what are you, a whore?"

"I'm an S, sir..."

At that point the man pushed the girl to the ground, and after climbing on top of her, violently ripped off her shirt, leaving her in her bra."

She stopped resisting; it was not the first time and by now she knew it was the best tactic.

"The target was not authorized by the boss, I can't touch it."

"I don't give a shit what you say-"

"Are you going to disobey C.C. again? You know very well what would happen if you did."

"Who the fuck are you? What do you want from me?"

"Who am I? I am K-111."

"I am K-111!"

The struggle with the voice echoing in his head seemed endless.

"Wait, what do you want to do with that?"

"You know, I don't like warm bodies at all, I will open your stomach with this tube, take you inside and once you are cold, then I will consume my meal."

"Stop please, I will do whatever you ask!"

"You are only an object, and I can use you as I see fit, you are just a beauty toy."

"KEI! HELP ME PLEASE!"

"Ahahaha, it's useless for you to call him, that guy is pretty much dead by no-"

"Dangerous subject identified, eliminate."

A very strong knee strike from behind hit the man's mouth squarely, knocking out all his teeth.

This also flung him away from Sophie.

"How vid you gev vack up?"

Said the man, who by now could no longer pronounce the words correctly.

"You see, stupid piece of shit, I am the author of the "Human Lake".

No one can afford to try to rape a girl in front of me.

You are considered a danger to society now.

BESIDES, SHE IS MY GIRLFRIEND.

YOU DARED TO LAY HANDS ON HER, AND NOW YOU WILL DIE LIKE A SHITTY ANIMAL!"

"Kei..."

"I'm youv uperior, you van't-"

K-111 grabbed him by his long, dirty hair.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP."

He smashed the rest of his face against the asphalt.

"YOU LISTEN TO ME, YOU DARE TO LET EVEN ONE MORE LETTER OUT OF THAT SHITHOLE AND I SWEAR I WILL MAKE YOU DIE THE WORST WAY A HUMAN BEING HAS EVER DIED."

"Vuck you."

The boy flung the bum against a wall, and then put himself on guard.

"You are no longer able to speak, but I haven't broken anything yet, so you can fight.

Bring it on, big man."

"Bav choive voy."

The man also put himself in a kind of fighting stance, somewhat different from the one assumed by his opponent.

"I wav a chamvion vack in vime, you sholvn't vallenge me"

"THEN FIGHT."

The man delivered the first blow, which was barely dodged by K-111.

And so all the subsequent punches he threw toward the boy were dodged with some difficulty and clumsiness.

The man smiled, with his mouth still dripping with blood, believing himself to be definitely ahead of the game.

"Perfect, now I've warmed up enough, let's begin."

A direct uppercut to the stomach bent the man over himself, until he fell to his knees.

"Uh? Weren't you a champion? Perhaps it was my mistake to believe that you could be my opponent.

Get up, you will at least be as good as boxing bag."

He pulled him up, and began to batter him in the face with punches.

Uppercuts, hooks, jabs and straight were digging into the man's face, dimpling his features, until his face was completely full of knuckle holes.

Then he fell to the ground lifeless.

K-111 looked at Sophie.

"Sorry, I said I would defend you."

"Never mind Kei, did you get hurt ?"

"Nah, it's not the first blow to the head I've taken after all, it's not that painful.

I've cut him up pretty bad… Disgusting."

"By the way, did you happen to say that i'm your-"

"We need to hurry up and hide the body and get the hell out of here, if anyone found it we'd be in trouble."

"Right, you're right."

The boy picked up the man's body and threw it inside the building he had come out of.

"Welcome home.

Now let's run, hurry."

The two ran for a while, but then Sophie stopped short.

"What's the matter, do you feel sick?"

"No, I'm fine."

"So what? What is it?"

"We arrived, it's here."