《Skyfall // Deca Machina》


 The Owl, In The Sky.

    Hi. I''m The Owl. Don''t be alarmed, I''m just as human as you. I think, speak, eat, and cry. If you''re reading this, maybe we could get to know each other sometime? I promise I won''t hurt you.


    Read the words above me. I''ve learned over time that by moving my tongue carefully enough, I can carve words into the ceiling by applying precise angled force, it heats up and pushes the metal aside just enough to make little engravings. In case you couldn''t tell, I have some sort of power. That''s why it''s necessary for me to be contained like this, in the sky.


    I''m not alone though, I have the handlers. Doctor Brighton has been with me since birth, he''s raised me and taught me so many things. He gave me my life. The other handlers, some of them burned and melted, but most of them fell over and died. I have a feeling it''s my fault, but I know it''s not. Doctor Brighton told me they weren''t taking the right precautions, and I''m inclined to believe him! I mean, he''s still alive, right?


    I hear a familiar voice in the hallway, maybe 50 meters away. "Stop here. I''ll need to set you up for biometric scanning." instructed Brighton. His voice felt less harsh than usual, I think the new handler is going to be a girl. I wonder if she''s going to be another quiet one? Oh, I can feel her throat vibrating a bit, looks like I''m about to find out. "Understood." she said plainly. Her footsteps stopped dead, and I don''t know if it''s a coincidence but her feet were aligned perfectly.


    I felt the ambient tingle of digital communication. The scanning of a fingerprint, the sensor taking in the shape of her finger and storing it, associating it with an identity arguably unique to only her. And then the retina scanner. That little beam of infrared that passes through her eye and captures a full profile, once more adding to that identity. "Klara McKenna. August eighth, twenty-three oh eight." she enunciated clearly into the machine. With that bit of speech, a full voice bank of her was constructed, across the whole range of volume, pitch, and emotion. I''ve gotten used to hearing what the electrical signals mean, what the computer is doing. It''s so inhuman, but listening to its voice is meditating for me.


    A quiet buzzer rang. Fourteen pairs of feet clear fifteen metres away from the door, and turn, toes pointed away. I''ve been told that this place is so confidential, they aren''t even allowed to see the door open. The door was closed exactly ten seconds after it opened, and I could no longer hear Doctor Brighton''s footsteps, nor Klara''s.


    The sky is a special structure designed to stop me or anyone without authorization from perceiving anything within it. Truth be told, this little pitch black room of mine is the only place I can see. Every object in this room is black, even the water I''m standing in is pitch black. The room is perfectly cubical, with all surfaces being five metres across. The only two objects in the room are my pool positioned in the corner, which has a two metre water level, and one metre both length and width. The temperature of the water is always at 20 degrees celsius. And the lights on the walls, floor, and ceiling. 1 metre panels in the centerpoint of each, making six total. The lights can only be activated by a handler, and they shut off if my heart rate increases too much. Don''t be alarmed though! It''s all done for my safety, and the safety of my handlers.


    ...


    I may have left out an important detail, though. Considering that this is one of many memories I am experiencing as my life flashes before my eyes, before my certain death snuffs out anything remaining in my heart and mind. I impart my experience onto you, in hopes that if you can perceive my story... I will make it out of this hell alive. One of the major "turning points" in my life is approaching. I will survive this one, I can tell because there are more memories ahead, foggy, but they exist. But unless you perceive it within your own mind, this story of mine means nothing. So allow me to continue to show you, all of me, every single piece, down to the final letter.


    ...


    The mechanical slide teased my eardrums with a soft, slightly painful expansion as the airlock door opened and the air pressure rapidly increased. It''s kept low to aid in keeping the temperature low in my room. It limits my brain activity by depriving me of oxygen- but again trust me, this is very necessary, this is all entirely needed in order for me to exist in a safe state of being. Because otherwise I could be a danger when left alone due to the power I have and - "This is The Owl. The primary subject we''re charged with maintaining. He has the ability to manipulate matter and energy using his mind, and this can activate involuntarily. Do not step past the grooved lines in the floor, you can feel them with your feet." explained Doctor Brighton. His voice is so stern. Almost as if he''s afraid of me, but why would he be? Everything is in place. The visor bolted into my skull, the wires woven through my nervous system, through my heart and brain. And every organ in my body is digitally regulated.


    "Forgive me if this is out of line. But are you serious?" questioned Klara. Her nails scratched against her thigh, clutching up into a tight grip on her lab coat. Her eyes widen as they look at me. Did Doctor Brighton not explain to her the procedures yet? "I will only tell you this once. Do not question or doubt anything I say from this point onward. We are dealing with a supernatural entity, and you can die if you step even a millimetre out of line." Brighton replied sternly, in that monotone teacher''s voice of his.


    His hand was on the side of his head now. The device in his mind talked to the lights and they turn on, lighting me up in their harsh glow. I haven''t felt light in so long it felt like fire on my pale cheeks.


    "Doctor." Klara quavered, gripping his wrist. He turned to fully face her, with neither sympathy nor patience. She rose her hand and pointed directly above me at the ceiling. "There are words carved into the ceiling." she pointed out, nearly stammering. "I want you to take a minute to observe your surroundings. Consider carefully what I''ve told you, and tell me when you understand that it''s true." ordered Brighton as he pulled his wrist from her grip and stepped into the wall, leaning against it facing me with his icy blue eyes. Does he know I can see him looking at me? Is he.. are they both waiting for me to say something? Should I speak, or is it better if I stay quiet for the ease of Doctor Brighton''s job, and for Klara''s sanity?


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    "Hello. I''m The Owl. I know I may seem frightening, but trust me; I bleed as red as you, and my heart can be torn by words alone." I tested, facing Klara directly.


    Klara''s eyes locked onto me as if witnessing god itself speaking to her. I could see a slight derealization flash across her face, only to be quickly washed over by a stern formal gaze, dead-faced. "Klara McKenna. From here on I will be your handler alongside Dr. Xavier Brighton. Good to meet your acquaintance." she replied sternly, giving a brief nod in my direction. The strands of scarlet hair bounced and wavered with that small movement of her head... so entrancing.


    "Good. You understand." said Xavier, as he pushed off the wall with his fingers and waved his hand in front of Klara''s face, pulling his index in a come-here motion. "This is the blackroom, effectively The Owl''s holding cell. It''s blast proof, tested to withstand 12 megatons without any damage to inside objects or components. So if The Owl goes rogue, he is to be sedated and placed in here until further notice." he explained further. Brighton shot me a glance, as if expecting me to take it from here.


    I nod in understanding, and with a push of my toes, I hover out of the water until my feet were standing flat on its surface. In the harsh lighting, my figure revealed itself. My frail body, bunkered down by a skin-tight black suit, covering up to my neck. My hands encased in metal boxes, holding them firmly in place. My fingertips stuck out, with small openings to allow my nails to be trimmed. This prison does not come off. A darksilver wire frame lined the suit, and secured a series of weighted magnetic plates to my body.


    To demonstrate, Brighton utters "Lock." In response, the magnetic weights energized, and folded my body into a fetal position in a loud snap. It looked like it hurt; it did. With my back side now revealed, a device was embedded into the back of my head. Silvery coating, with a white X shaped light on its surface. "That device you see on his neck is the controller of the Active Restraint System. It''s interfaced with his brain, and through internal components, his full nervous system. It can control every organ in his body, regulate his thoughts, and place him into a state of near death if necessary. I made it myself, and it is the reasonwhyit''s even safe to go in this room. Understand?" instructed Brighton, gesturing to my restrained figure as he spoke.


    "Unlock." Klara blurted, without a thought crossing her mind. Instinct. The pressure on my body relieved, and I unfolded, without so much as a wince or a whine. Klara watched me. Though her once fearful gaze looked more sympathetic now, and beyond that, angry. Why would she feel rage on my behalf? No- No, that''s not worth thinking about. "Yes, that''s the emergency restraint system. The words lock and unlock activate and deactivate it respectively." rattled Brighton.


    ...


    My memory is fading out right now.. it''s like what happens between now and my turning point is a haze. Maybe it''s not relevant. But time is about to skip forward into another event, from your eyes. These have already been lived through long ago, after all.


    ...


    The fuzzy buzzing of Brighton and Klara speaking with each other.. I can''t really hear them yet- I don''t have full conscience. Oh, oh it''s coming back! "One more thing, Klara. During transportation, The Owl needs to be put into near death. Having his mind active outside the blackroom or this testing chamber is dangerous." explained Brighton once more.


    "Is there a system in place to ensure this doesn''t kill him?" Klara asked. I could see them both again. I was in the testing chamber. Twenty by twenty by twenty metres of sturdy walls, just as blast proof as my room, and comes with a large vehicle door and two man doors. I have my conscience back now, I might as well answer. "My body has a built in life support system so long as some of my brain is intact." I answered, surprisingly monotone. I must sound a bit scary talking like that. She didn''t even answer back. "Klara, as a safety precaution, you need to manually enable audio or visuals from inside the chamber via the control panel." said Brighton as he slightly leaned over the control panel and punched in two switches.


    "Apologies, I thought it was already on. As I was saying. I have a built in life support system as long as some of my brain is intact." I repeated.


    "What kind of life support system is this-" Klara started to inquire, until Xavier cut her off abruptly. "Turn your attention to the monitor." he directed.


    At this point something is keying in for me.. I''m usually so focused on the things around me, but now- like a switch, it''s just me. Two halves of a metal enclosure lower down from an apparatus above me. Lasers guide onto my body, and my muscles actuate on their own to get in position. I hover with my arms and legs spread like a star, head facing dead on forward. Listen closely, these words are important.


    Pierce skinas the IV punctures my arm, and the primary administration, the diameter of a knitting needle, punctures my chest and pushes directly into my heart.Encase in metalas I became hyper-aware of the immovable walls holding my body still,waves of intense painthrough my chest and now full body; as the agent is pumped into my heart,followed byas my veins carry the liquid conscience,euphoric reliefthe complete loss of any pain holding me down, I am flying, all weighing me down is gone even if only in this moment, the blinding lights,followed bythe welcoming fuzziness that embraces my full body asloss of consciencesets in. My body is moving rapidly, thoughts racing faster than I can think, metal is ripping and people are screaming out in terror, or is this my own terrified voice I hear.Followed byas the reality sets in, mymind and bodyfloating high above this world, like the ultimatum of all circumstance giving the world its final decision-full conscience.The decision is made, the procedure has been laid out, there is no going back. The world has been flooded with shreds of my will now that it has been shown the depth of my mind; These shreds of which will take root and mold the world to my will. In this moment I know what they will call it.Skyfall. A fitting, literal name, for the sky falling and flooding the world. Though I know neither I nor those subject will remember this event. It''s an unspoken truth, an underlying reality that will set in to everyone I meet, the shreds of my will collaborating with their own mind to form bonds, to form friends, love, conflict, all of which will inevitably result in the procedure''s final- Fade.


    ...


    This was a short period. The moment from when the variable entered, Klara, to when a second variable caused the procedure to fail; Skyfall. The details of what happened after the apparatus was lowered still evade me. We''ll need to figure the rest out ourselves.

 The Owl, Skyfallen.

    You made it past the first turning point. Well, we did. But as I said, that one was predetermined that I will live past it, and when it will occur. As for the next one, I''m not so sure. Only time will tell whether this is the end for me.


    ...


    I feel tired. So.. so tired. I''m not in the sky, but I''m in my pool. I''ll just listen to them instead.


    The monster stopped dragging his heels after 2 long minutes of heavy sighing and groaning. A slight grin perked around those sunken cheeks of his and he walked to the edge of the street, toes teasing the liner of the canal. Fresh water flowed through, perfect purification system. "Is that a dude in there?" he cracked up, stretching out a muscular finger to point at my pathetic figure, obscured by the surface of the water.


    "Maybe it used to be. It''s a corpse now." stated the lightning in his monotone voice. I can feel his exhaustion second hand.. I wonder what fuels a person like that? The lightning nudged the monster with a slight push and spoke, "Let''s go. We need to find the others."


    As the monster and the lightning begin walking away, one was left behind; the prey. She yelled to them, "Demi, Claive! I see bubbles, he''s alive!" her finger pointed to me stiffly, shaking. Feeling fear for someone she''d never seen before. I think Brighton told me people like that are easy to control, I shouldn''t be that way. The monster promptly whipped around and briefly gripped the lightning''s arm, "CLAIVE, HELP ME GET HIM OUT! FUCK, WHY DIDN''T YOU SAY SO SOONER!" the monster- Demi, desperately yelled as he sprinted into the canal where I rest, water ever so peacefully flowing into my lungs. I soon felt a set of strong hands grab my arms, followed by another splash, two feet in- then his whole body, then the hands gripping my ankles. They exerted such great force as they pulled me out.. The monster, and the lightning, Demi, Claive.


    A burning sensation harsher than light, and a shiver as the cool water meets the warm summer air. I''m outside, aren''t I? Towers housing hundreds of minds extend into the sky around me. Water, power, and compressed air flows underway. The power flows through the sky as well, the airborne conductors remind me of insects; transmitting invisible signals to one anothe-


    "Hey! Hey, come on! Wake up!" the panicked prey called out to me, slapping my face with small hands. I respond by allowing my mouth to open. The water flowed out from my lungs, out from my mouth, joining the slowly evaporating pool under my head. I''ve never rest my head on something so rough before. Uneven rock of some kind. Is this the asphalt Brighton spoke of?


    "Dude. Talk to me! HEY!" the prey shook me now, roughly. I dislike it. "Hello. I am The Owl. I eat, think, bleed, and cry; I promise I''m human, just like you. Don''t be afraid." I greeted her. I spoke so clearly and calmly, I could see the shock on her face. I know why too. Most people would be coughing or choking right now, well- dead actually.


    "I think he just escaped from an asylum." Claive half-joked, staring at me with visible concern. I needed to ease this concern. "No- I come from the sky. You can ask my handlers, I believe- No, actually you wouldn''t have access to communications with them.." I mutter, fingertips fidgeting inside the metal cages locking my hands and wrists in place.


    Demi waded past Claive and the prey who were huddled around me, he pushed them away and grabbed my wrist firmly, before tugging me up. Pain flashed through his back as he strained to pull me up. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can stand.¡± I assure him as I get myself up the rest of the way, my heavy body hovering up to a standing position. I stood taller than any of them, even Claive by a couple inches. I feel like some sort of obelisk, outfitted in dark metal, covered head to toe in technology, and they¡¯re wearing fabric. I think this one is called cotton, and polyester. Natural and synthetic components, but-


    ¡°If you can stand then follow us. We have friends to find. Come on.¡± Demi ordered, and the pack kept moving, with or without me. I decided to follow them and my feet dragged after them, one foot in front of the other. I¡¯m not really sure where I¡¯m going or how long I¡¯ve been walking. There¡¯s so much space, the air flow keeps changing, and the temperature too. Even the light levels change, and-


    ¡°Hey Demi, wait up! He¡¯s standing still again!¡± Shouted the prey, as she tugged at my wrist. ¡°Dude, move. I¡¯m gonna have to leave you behind next time, I¡¯ve done this seven times now.¡± Now that I think about it, it probably has been that many. I¡¯ve been so lost in thought I can¡¯t really tell what¡¯s going on or what I¡¯m doing. But I¡¯m trying to focus more now. I¡¯m walking and I¡¯m still near them. The world is getting smaller, I can tell because there is less open space. I asked them, ¡°Why is the world shrinking? There¡¯s no open space left, are we allowed to be here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a residential area for Rex-U students, of course it¡¯s packed. You aren¡¯t even allowed to drive here- Are you blind or something?!¡± Demi snapped at me. I felt a lump rise in my throat.


    ¡°Demi, take a look at the dude. He has a visor on, probably can¡¯t see through it. Hey, uh- Owl, right? Cool if I take that visor off ya?¡± Claive asked politely, taking a look at the others then back at me as he awaits my response. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t come off. Feel free to try though,¡± I respond. I felt his hands on my face in turn, trying to slide the visor up or down, but it didn¡¯t move at all, it¡¯s bolted into my skull after all. He gave it a rough pull next, and I scrunch up my face in pain. My arms wanted to move but this mobile restraint system makes it pretty hard.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, Claive. Let me try.¡± Demi chuckles, before walking over and rolling his right wrist. Weird, why is he pulling his fist back like that, is he holding something I can¡¯t s-


    I feel dizzy and my head hurts, like something just hit me really hard. I can also hear a string of angry words slowly growing in volume as my conscience comes back.. Demi seems really mad, and he¡¯s holding his fist in pain. I hear a lot of laughter too- Everyone¡¯s facing Demi and laughing.


    But the invisible one is still watching me like a hawk. He hasn¡¯t spoken a word to me or anyone else yet. I could hear his voice buzzing when I was still in the water, but the moment he seen me, the hawk became invisible.. Until now. ¡°Ava and Shula could be in serious danger right now. Come on.¡± The Hawk demanded, his words stern and clear enough to make the whole group go dead silent. I initially thought Demi was the leader here, but the command he has doesn¡¯t take anger or a rough demeanour. I can feel the unspoken respect. It¡¯s almost.. intimidating.


    ¡­


    This Hawk seems to be a suppressed memory. I can tell I know a lot about this person, nearly everything about him, and he¡¯s incredibly important. Not only to my life going forward, but to shaping the person I am at this point. I can say for certain he will be involved in the next turning point.


    ¡­


    A door squeaks open, a shambly hinged metal door, not like the mechanical ones in the sky. Panicked and angered voices ring inside, muffled. Everyone is rushing ahead of me. If I focus closely, I can hear something that occurred before they intervene.


    A bungalow with a black exterior. Weathered from the flood, but generally intact. As for the inside, all of the water pipes were burst, and any sealed beverages had cracked open. Most of the liquid in the house had been frozen and was now slowly spilling all over as it thawed. The ceilings and walls were charred, and all the highly flammable materials in the house had been burned considerably. Traces of my power lingered on the scene. Two bodies sat at a dining table, one a cold hearted nymph, the other a burning heart eating itself alive with its own bitter rage.


    The nymph stared down below the charcoal covered table, hands resting on her thighs. ¡°Shula, before you start at me, I was busy. I couldn¡¯t attend the funeral, I had deadlines to meet.¡± Her guilty words made her rage burn hotter. The burning heart mocked her voice with her fingers raised doing air quotes, ¡°before you start at me I was busy. I had deadlines to meet.¡± As she- Shula finished she stared on at the nymph, Ava, I can¡¯t tell if she wanted to kill her, or was just fed up. ¡°Excuses!? That¡¯s what you feed me right now!? DO YOU FEEL, ANYTHING!?¡± Shula shouted out, gripping the table as she leaned over it. All she got in response was Ava¡¯s cold, apathetic glare, and her venomous retort. ¡°Of course I do. Just not for you, or our parents. Why are we even talking about this? I told you last time we messaged each other, you know how I feel. I have my life, you have yours. I don¡¯t care about yours, or theirs, I have my own to worry about.¡± Deadpan, unfeeling.


    Shula went silent. I could feel the rage eating her alive, and smell the singed tips of her hair, it was awful. ¡°Ava. Take that back, right fucking now.¡± Warned Shula. The silence between them grew for ten seconds, only to break with another unfeeling retort. ¡°Or what. You¡¯re gonna beat me senseless? You¡¯ll just regret it later, and nothing will change between us. So can I go now?¡± Ava mumbled, lifting her head to finally look her sister in the eyes. Past this point I can¡¯t see anything.. we¡¯re back to the present. It seems like I didn¡¯t zone out this time though!


    ¡°Balor, I¡¯ll take the charge; I¡¯m a good shot.¡± Demi whispered to the Hawk, walking past him with a firearm drawn. Long barrel, initials D.G carved into it. Some sort of semi-automatic handgun? The hawk- Balor, strides past me with his own handgun pointed at the ground, and Claive files right behind him, with the prey staying behind. I still haven¡¯t learned her name. I can hear many men shouting, mocking, teasing, grunting further in the house, and the voices of Ava and Shula, Shula is fighting them. She has most of them on the ground, but one has a crowbar. A bullet crashes through his skull, stirring up his brain and turning his thoughts into a slurry. He disappears from my perception. Five more get the same treatment, except for one who got six shots fired into his chest before the headshot. That one was Balor¡¯s doing, he must have been very angry.


    ¡°Hey- Owl, I¡¯m talking to you. Are you ok? Do the gunshots scare you?¡± The prey asked me, her small hands resting on my shoulder plate. I didn¡¯t notice at first. I hope I haven¡¯t frightened her. ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I was just watching them, I wanted to see what was going on in there.¡± I explained. She looked even more confused now, though. She¡¯s about to speak but I¡¯ve already started talking again, ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your name? I¡¯ve been calling you the prey in my head, but following the pattern I don¡¯t think that¡¯s right.¡± I admit sheepishly, hanging my head down. Ah.. charcoal-encrusted wood flooring.


    ¡°Korami. My name is Korami Reyes. I¡¯m part of the scourge, which is this bunch of people you just met.¡± She faced away from me for a moment, and peeked around the corner of the entrance hall. ¡°Hey! You guys need me over there!?¡± She called out. ¡°Yeah! Shula¡¯s hurt bad, we need first aid!¡± Balor called out. Korami was gone from my sight now, but I could still see her. She knelt down next to Shula on the ground. A large wound was in her abdomen, from a knife, and she had several lesser knife wounds on her arms. I couldn¡¯t understand what Korami was doing. She was using absorbent material, bandages, and tying them.. Usually when someone is hurt like that, you would use a recovery device. It seals up the wounds and removes any harmful bacteria- does she not have access to it,


    She¡¯s back in sight now. Shula is hanging onto Balor, using him as a support, and Ava hangs behind with a scowl cemented into her face. She wasn¡¯t hurt though, so I do wonder what has her so sour. My head sure is spinning right now¡­ Not even a second to stop and figure out where I am. No time to gain awareness. ¡°Stitches and Stones. Seems like the safest place to go right now.¡± Korami replied, what she was asked I can¡¯t remember. I zoned out again, didn¡¯t I? Ah.. here it comes again. I¡¯ve been zoning out a lot since I left the sky,


    ¡­


    At this point, I can¡¯t tell whether my awareness and level of conscience has dropped this low due to the lack of the drugs they usually had me on, or if it¡¯s just my memory being spotty. It¡¯s likely a mix of both, but there¡¯s a gap in my memory until I got to.. Right. It was a doctor¡¯s office. Stitches and Stones medical, based off the saying ¡°Sticks and stones will break my bones, but your words will never hurt me.¡± We went there to get Shula proper treatment, that recovery device I mentioned. It¡¯s a handheld machine that can enhance our natural healing process to the point lethal flesh wounds can be closed in a minute with little to no scarring. Only licensed doctors can own them, though.


    ¡­


    As I come to, I¡¯m leaning on the tinted glass just outside the doctor¡¯s office. Staring across the road at another building, it has a sign overhead with a pair of scissors- barber shop, whatever that means. I can feel the warm rain landing in my hair, and the cool breeze blowing through it. The sun isn¡¯t out anymore, and the thoughts seem to have quieted down. Finally.. I can get a picture.


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    Around me was a grungy street, cigarette butts and garbage swept under the curbs. People huddled in blankets in the alleys nearby, with burning rolls of plant matter and other compounds in their mouths. The smell made it over, it¡¯s disgusting really. A short woman walks by me, she¡¯s holding a phone in front of her face and scrolling through videos. Rolling machines pass by rapidly on the street in a organized network, following neat lines and moving at a consistent speed, roughly 60 kilometres per hour. The sun hadn¡¯t set, but any light was blocked out by the maze of concrete towers enclosing the street. I look down at my feet and see they¡¯re pointed a bit asymmetrical. I fix them, facing forward at the same angle. ¡°Hahah.. So I¡¯m really not in the sky anymore, am I?¡± I turned my head as I heard the door next to me open with a digital chime. ¡°Oh, hey.¡±


    Balor walked out with his hands pocketed and took a few seconds to stare at the barber shop I¡¯d been glaring down for the past hour. The door closed behind him with a clack, and right on the mark he spoke up. ¡°So what¡¯s so interesting about that barber shop over there? You¡¯ve been giving it the thousand-yard stare.¡± He asked me. I half shrugged in response. ¡°Not sure. It¡¯s just only set in for me that I¡¯m here, in.. Where am I exactly?¡± I trail off.


    ¡°You¡¯re in the city of Deca Machina, at a small clinic called Stitches and Stones. It¡¯s in district 9.¡± Answered Balor.


    I only heard Deca Machina. I¡¯ve heard that name before- Brighton told me about it. It¡¯s a land where every single person has what he calls brain-rot. Constantly in conflict with one another, fighting, despairing. It¡¯s a breeding ground for malice and suffering.


    ¡°No- No, no I can¡¯t be in Deca Machina. That can¡¯t be right, that¡¯s the one place I never w-want to be.¡± I stammered, knees locking together. ¡°No, really you¡¯ve got the wrong idea. As long as you stick with people like us,¡± Balor declared proudly, thumb to his chest with a closed fist, ¡°You¡¯ll be safe, no worries at all. Aside from this recent incident,¡±


    ¡°What incident?¡± I cut him off. ¡°The sky falling. There was this weird fog that fell from the sky, and a bunch of people passed out for a hot minute. Weird time to go for a swim, don¡¯t you think?¡± He teased. His words felt like a joke, but I could tell they were pointed at me. This guy, Balor, he knows something I don¡¯t. His eyes, that slant in them, it¡¯s mockery. ¡°I didn¡¯t go for a swim though.. that fog was probably some sort of drug being tested on the people down here. I know they do tests on Deca Machina to try to stabilize the population- with the suffering and all.¡± I stated defensively, puffing my chest out a bit as I stood with straight posture. He was taller than me.. slightly.


    ¡°Well not to sound rude here, but Ferrum¡¯s drug tests are usually announced to the public by Pharmatech- and those are optional. That stuff is highly regulated y¡¯know?¡± Balor rattled off, scratching the back of his head with a friendly grin. It was fake. I could feel something in him, forming.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I got here, I swear. I don¡¯t know anything about the sky falling, or the fog, or why I¡¯m in the canal,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re breathing pretty fast there, kid. You alright? Let¡¯s go inside. Gira will explain everything to you.¡± Balor assured calmly, taking my hand and bringing me into the clinic. My breathing didn¡¯t slow down though. I¡¯d been dragged right into hell without ever realizing it.. Life all goes down hill from here, doesn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Who¡¯s Gira..?¡± I ask. ¡°Demi. Demi Gira.¡± He replied.


    Balor pushed me a little, leading me to walk down the hall. I took the first door on the right. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s time we break the ice, we found this kid in a canal and he¡¯s been in a daze ever since we met him. I checked on him outside, he¡¯s come to now. So, Owl, tell us a bit about how you got here.¡± Balor gestured his slender yet dense arms out to me and backed away. This is called ''giving me the floor'', I think.


    ¡°I think this is the wrong room, Demi isn¡¯t in here.¡± I observe.


    ¡°Nah, you got the right roooom.¡± Shula slurred from her patient bed, she was on some sedatives. I could use some of those right now- wait, she¡¯s smiling at me.


    Seeing Shula¡¯s excited grin and Ava¡¯s unimpressed dismissive glare really riled something up in me, I wanted to give them something.. To flip that cold and bitter dynamic between them. Maybe something fresh is what they need. Not only that, but Balor is getting angry at me for some reason. I gotta find a way to ease that, it¡¯s like he thinks I¡¯m lying right to his face! Just what does he know that I don¡¯t?


    I calmed my nerves with a deep exhale, then took a short breath and started off ¡°Well, at first I was in the sky¡¯s testing chamber. They¡¯d finished the trial runs of the system and were about to activate it. I lost consciousness during it though, and then woke up inside that canal you found me in. I didn¡¯t come here on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Do you have an actual name?¡± Ava accused, ¡°It¡¯s not like ''The Owl'' is any kind of real name, like come on.¡± I purse my lips up a bit as I process what she just said- I guess she has a point. Most people have a first and last name. ¡°Oh, right. No I don¡¯t, just my designation.¡± I reply with an awkward smile, ¡°Is it a bother to call me that? Everyone else does, it should be fine right?¡±


    Shula laughed and winced, ¡°Man, didn¡¯t even ask if I was okay. Rough huh?¡± She teased. I¡¯m getting teased a lot.. Why? Do they hate me? ¡°Ah, of course. Sorry. Are you feeling alright Shula?¡± I asked genuinely, glad she was giving me a second chance. ¡°Ahah, you didn¡¯t really have to ask, I was just joking.¡± She replied a bit awkward, ¡°But yeah I¡¯m good. That machine patched me up real quick.¡±


    ¡°Aha, humans are surprisingly durable I guess, aren¡¯t they?¡± I remarked with a slight smile.


    All three of them stared at me deadpan, jaws dropping slightly as if I just swore at a baby. ¡°Ah um.. I was.. joking?¡±


    ¡°Ghe.. GhAhAHAHAHAHA!¡± Ava burst out laughing, covering her mouth a little and shutting her eyes as some small tears formed in them, ¡°Oh my god, this guy is too good. Really,¡± she stammered before breaking into another fit of laughter. ¡°Ah um, I didn¡¯t mean to be funny. Nice!¡± I half smiled, mostly forced. It felt a bit awkward, like they were still a bit afraid of me. Room felt quiet.


    Shula narrows her already droopy eyes in my direction. ¡°Hey. Ava¡¯s right you know, the Owl isn¡¯t a name. You don¡¯t look like a bird¡­¡± Shula snapped, shoving the topic of my name right back in my face. And here I thought I could escape it. It¡¯s not my fault I don¡¯t have a name, I wasn¡¯t given one. What is this feeling? I feel tight in my chest, my face is scrunching up, my throat is tightening like I want to yell, ¡°We gotta call you something, right?¡± She suggested, genuinely, without a hint of mockery. Her eyes softened too¡­ like marshmallows.


    I bit my bottom lip a little and faced away, the guilt for getting irritated with her hitting me all at once, even if I didn¡¯t show it. ¡°W-well. I¡¯m open to suggestions.¡± I mumbled.


    Open to suggestions? I lurched back, falling over into a chair and whacking my head off the wall behind me. It was like something just rewired inside my mind, I¡¯ve never felt this before.. it¡¯s terrifying and exciting at the same time?


    ¡°Tedd? Or how about Ted, or Tehd, or Tead, or Tedh-¡± Shula rattled off. ¡°Shula, you¡¯ve been saying the same shit over and over again. God, whatever¡¯s in that medical device I want some¡­¡± Muttered Ava jealously. Ironically of course. I hope that was ironic. I really hope that was ironic.


    As I came to again, hearing her say the same name over and over again.. I can tell she¡¯s under the influence of sedatives, but some of my best ideas come when I¡¯m sedated. So maybe this is a sign that Tedd is gonna be my new name. ¡°Tedd. I like that, you can call me that.¡± I affirmed with a gentle smile, a huge contrast to the panicked scowl I¡¯ve had on my face the past 4 minutes.


    ¡°Very well then sire! By the power invested in me, I dub thee Tedd the first!¡± Shula proclaimed in the most pompous British accent you¡¯ve ever heard, throwing her hands in the air in grand celebration.


    Something was very loud, it was coming from me. I haven¡¯t.. Hehe.. I haven¡¯t- HA.. I haven¡¯t done this be- HAHA, bEFORE- "GHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHA- Augh- Auughh-- haaaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FUAh.. ahh.. hahh.. Ok I''m good.. HAHAHAHAHAHA! AhhAHHAA! Guahhh.. Fuuuck- AHAHAHAHAHA-" I laughed and cried hysterically, doubling over and half falling off the chair. Until I couldn''t breathe, and then some more.


    Shula glared daggers into me, and Ava looked down mockingly at her with two hands pressed firmly into her own mouth, almost like she¡¯s trying to prevent- HAHAH, air from- ¡°pff.. PFF- AHAHAHAHAHA!¡±


    ¡°HEY! Stop laughing at me, birdbrain!¡± Shula called out to me ripe with embarrassment. I could feel the heat radiating from her, literally. It was radioactive. The people in this room might suffer minor radiation burns later on-


    ¡°GYAHAAAAAAA!¡± I thought it was over, I was wrong! She nothing but pouted and stared at me, waiting in agony for my laughing fit to me over.


    It was then the door flew open and the harsh stomping of Demi shook my body, ¡°The fuck are you doing lying on the ground-¡° He demanded, only to be interrupted by my violent, uncontrollable laughter. ¡°By the power invested in mEEE, I dub you, Demi Gira the first!¡± I began rolling once more.


    ¡°Hey do I need to shoot him?¡± Demi asked real quick, eyeing Shula, Ava, then Balor-.. weird, Balor has been silent this entire time. I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s here again.


    But Demi never reached for his gun, actually I think I see a little smile growing on his face, how cute! He¡¯s all crossing his arms now trying to act tough but I can tell he wants to crack up too. That and I think he¡¯s been listening behind the door this whole time.


    ¡°Ha, Demi are you smirking right now?¡± Shula teased, deflecting the mockery away from herself with a snide grin. ¡°Oh shut your yap,¡± Demi grumbled and turned away, taking a couple steps toward the door.


    ¡°Wait..¡± I began, and paused for a solid 10 seconds. Everyone went silent and Demi stopped in his tracks, slowly craning his head to look down at me again. ¡°Demi laughed? He can do that?¡±


    ¡°HEY ASSHOLE. I¡¯LL HURT YOU.¡± Demi shouted with exaggeration, but I know better than anyone he¡¯s totally yelling to mask laughter. Ahhh.. aha. I¡¯ve found a wonderful bunch of people, haven¡¯t I? I have to wonder, what could a feeling like this be. I¡¯m seeing the world in a different light too. Usually I just have a feeling of where people are going, what they¡¯re saying.. Now I can actually see Shula¡¯s lips moving into a grin, I can see the shift and slouch of Demi¡¯s tall frame as he takes a step.. Is this what it¡¯s like for other people when they talk about seeing? How amazing- I almost forgot to reply, I hope it hasn¡¯t been 10 minutes again. ¡°You¡¯d hurt- TEDD THE FIRST!?¡± I jab back with the same pompous accent at Demi and hover back up to my feet. I think Ava and Shula just metaphorically shit themselves though, they haven¡¯t seen me fly y-


    ¡°Hey, pretty neat how you got up there. How did you do it, some kinda electromagnetic field tech? I¡¯ve seen agents who use those to hover before.¡± Balor interjected, I could hear his voice laced with venom. This is.. where my little spark of happiness ends, isn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Is that his name? Has he like, gone even more crazy, or.. Oh. Ohh, I get the picture.¡± Demi smiled evilly, stepped between me and Shula with his hands tucked in those ripped hoodie pockets. The kind your phone always falls out of, thumbs out. ¡°You named him huh? I see the queen had to pass on her throne on her deathbed- To Tedd the Firs-¡° Demi started up, before getting cut off by her words like a hot knife through butter, ¡°Say another word and I WILL hurt you, Demi!¡± Shula warned. He quickly took a knee, looking up at Shula with playful menace. ¡°Your majesty, I shall hold Tedd¡¯s coronation at sunrise!¡± Demi jested in the same noble snark.


    ¡°Demi!¡± Shula roared, the flames of hell rising as she stood up from the patient bed, shambling on her two monstrous legs, ¡°I will rip out my own stitches, pour water on your bed so you can''t sleep, then fill your entire apartment floor with pins so you can''t sleep on the floor!¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s fine, I can¡¯t sleep with your loud ass snoring either way so at least it¡¯s a win-win now!¡± He shot right back, flashing his teeth at her. ¡°Worry not my queen, the prince, Tedd the first, will take over during our war..¡± He concluded nobly.


    I¡¯d been so focused on their comedic routine I didn¡¯t notice I¡¯d laughed so hard I faded out of consciousness.. Well, that is a downside. I can¡¯t hear them anymore. But I have to say, this is the most fun I¡¯ve had throughout my whole life. Is this what real fun is like? I return to conscience either way.


    I was woken up by Demi clearing his throat. Or do I call him Gira? ¡°Hey, so you¡¯ve got a proper name now, Tedd. It¡¯s certainly better than loony, or psycho, or retard-¡°


    ¡°You mean what we¡¯ve all been calling him this entire time..?¡± Balor interjected.


    ¡°Hey, ease off on him a little, he¡¯s definitely coming off some crazy shit they had him on in there. Get yourself up, Tedd. I¡¯ve decided I¡¯m gonna keep you around.¡± Demi offered as he extended his hand down to me.


    I rose my arm up, and he gripped the cage my hand was held in. Despite the barrier between our hands, I felt something new, something embracing. Friendship? Something similar, deeper, yet not as close. ¡°Ah.. Wait, Gira. I was supposed to talk to you. Balor told me you would explain¡­¡±


    Gira placed a hand in front of my face and I felt my words slip away with that one simple gesture. ¡°Nah. Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯re a strange one, I¡¯ll admit. I got no clue what¡¯s going on in that fucked up head of yours, but you¡¯re good in my books. So welcome to the scourge..¡± Began Gira as a grin slowly crept up across his face, ¡°The worst of all delinquents in Deca Machina, a scourge to all the horrible things this city lives and breathes.¡± He said to my face, his mouth inches away from my ear. He rest a hand on my shoulder, skeletal yet muscular, he gripped me. ¡°And now you¡¯re one of us, and Ferrum is gonna be up your ass from now, until the day all of us die.¡±


    ¡°..Ferrum? Deca Machina..? Right.. they told me about Deca Machina, it¡¯s¡­¡± I started to descend back into my pit. ¡°It¡¯s this city. The place I grew up, the place we all did. And Ferrum is the place that held you captive and probably fed you mountains of bullshit about this city I call home, so before you start telling me how shitty my home is, maybe take a look around first. Figure it out yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You know, Tedd. Demi doesn¡¯t usually give someone that chance. Usually if you disrespect something he holds close, you¡¯re on his shit list. I have to wonder, what makes you so special.¡± Balor observed with a twinge of envy. A twinge only I could pick up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know. But I¡¯ll give it a try. I know not everything Ferrum said is true. They didn¡¯t tell me fun existed here, or friends, or the scourge, or any of you.¡± I said with joy, genuine joy. ¡°Thank you for giving me this chance. All of you.¡± I slowly turned my head around, facing everyone, my smile only growing as I felt their gazes on me. Not one of judgement, analysis, just ''Hey, who even is this dude?''


    ¡­


    Very well then. This interval of my life contained no turning point. You knew this though, I¡¯d imagine. The next interval may hold¡­ A potential for me to explore myself in a way that was taught for me never to even think of. A taboo of sorts.

 Tedd, the Scourge-Carrier

    War receipts. They are a semi-plastic metallic ''receipt'' which each recount a life lost, and they have the badge of the fallen officer embedded within. Engraved is something the fallen was known for, or something important to them, listed similar to items purchased at a grocery store. And at the bottom is the one responsible for the loss of their life, listed as the price. In this case, the price came as a shock to both myself and all my newfound friends. A new turning point has opened up for me, I didn¡¯t foresee this one. If I¡¯m being honest.. It scares me.


    ¡­


    I think I just slept. I don¡¯t remember much from the past eight hours. Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t done that before, you know, sleeping. I¡¯ve been sedated or put out of consciousness before, but I¡¯ve never done it naturally. It feels so freeing, like I just gained a bunch of energy, feels easier to move, easier to breathe¡­


    ¡°Morning. You slept 15 hours, man. You missed breakfast, but don¡¯t worry I¡¯m the best. I saved you a hash brown.¡± Teased a familiar voice. I smelled something fresh and warm.. It¡¯s like mashed potatoes but it has crispy edges. ¡°Do I have to feed you it, or can you just use that power of yours? The one you stood up with,¡± Balor asked kindly, holding the hash brown in a napkin.


    Cut¡ª Cut, cut. That look on his face, It¡¯s not genuine. He has an ulterior motive feeding me this hash brown. I recoiled from him, ¡°How do you know about my power..?¡±


    ¡°Well, things were moving around you in your sleep. It was pretty freaky, you and anything we placed near you moved up and down in the air with your breathing.¡± Balor stifled a laugh, ¡°Gira brought a truck tire in here and you moved that too.¡±


    ¡°I-I suppose.¡± I said in defeat, as I stuck my tongue out and slowly curled it back. The hash brown slid out of his hand and into my mouth. I faced away from him slightly as I ate it; I hate when people watch me eat. But I could feel him watching my jaws move, my lips, my tongue. A heinous gaze, as if he were analyzing me. I knew what those signals in his mind meant. Most of them were hidden though, unlike most people who I can read like a book. It¡¯s like he¡¯s letting me see bits and pieces, like he has control over me. I swallow my food. ¡°Balor. Who are you?¡± I asked stiffly.


    ¡°I¡¯m Balor, the scourge¡¯s one and only intel guy. I know a lot of people and a lot of places, so I¡¯m the guy who tells Gira and Kiara what they need to know. Not too bad, right?¡± He explained calmly, ¡°And really, loosen up. I¡¯ve been told my voice is scary but that¡¯s all it is, I swear.¡±


    The feeling I had, it¡¯s not fading despite his reassurance. Maybe it really is just all in my head. But my gut tells me no. I¡¯m nervous and in shock, I know. Going outside, meeting all these new people. I can¡¯t possibly know enough to not trust someone when I¡¯ve known him for not even a day. But-


    ¡°Thanks for the food. What was that called? A hash brown? It¡¯s kind of like mashed potato breakfast, but more chewy.¡± I asked lightheartedly. Why did those words come out of my mouth? It¡¯s like I said that on autopilot. That hasn¡¯t happened before, is that normal? To just say words without planning it?


    ¡°A hash brown is made from shredded potatoes, washed in cold water, then fried with butter.¡± He explained casually, as if it were so totally normal to ask a question like that. While eating the hash brown I suddenly felt metal binding up against my teeth. My head jerked down and I reflexively spat it out and gagged. What was that? Balor is looking where I spat. ¡°Yikes. My bad, I had something else in my hand, you must have taken that too. I guess that power of yours isn¡¯t too precise is it?¡± He observed, picking out a red card from the pieces of hash brown and wiping it off on my shin plate. He held the card to my visor. ¡°Hey bud, can you see this?¡±


    ¡°I can. It¡¯s a synthetic metal card with words engraved into it.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Deacon Hysmith, deceased August 2nd 2308. Killjoy executive. Time of death, 2:31am. Place of death, Pall Street, District 9. Cause of death, blood loss. And a quote too,¡± Balor cleared his throat, ¡°When life gets rough, let it polish you until the diamond underneath shines as bright as your unyielding soul.¡± He recited, pausing a few seconds to look at me. ¡°The price, Demi Gira.¡±


    ¡°What does any of that mean..?¡± I stammer slightly.


    ¡°It means this executive was attacked on August 2nd at 2:31am and died of blood loss, all in our territory no less. Over 50 others fell all the same. And Killjoy is blaming us for it.¡± He explains, pulling the card away from my face and lodging it between my collarbone and my magnetic chestplate.


    ¡°But we didn¡¯t do that did we..?¡± I ask half-rhetorically.


    ¡°Hard to say. I mean, you were passed out in a canal and everyone else was passed out when it happened. So who really could have done it?¡± Balor theorized, his voice bitter, trying so desperately to stay calm under the pressure of his own friend being blamed for the death of so many.


    ¡°It¡¯s three in the morning, Balor. Why are you up?¡± Demi grogged out, leaning on the doorframe of the patient room. ¡°Gonna wake Shula up with food that good-¡­¡± He trailed off, his jaw shaking for a moment before slamming shut. He stomped over to Balor and snatched the card from his hand, scanning it intensely. ¡°What the fuck is this? I didn¡¯t see any corpses on Pall street,¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been to Pall street in a while, Gira. We¡¯ve been roaming. Somehow, between now and then.. 57 killjoy operatives, all brutally murdered in our well-known territory.¡± Balor stated gravely.


    ¡°Demi- What¡¯s Killjoy?¡± I interrupted.


    He inhaled deeply, swallowing his fury. He knelt down in front of me and sat, cross legged, hand planted firmly on my shoulder, slanted green eyes glaring into my visor. ¡°Tedd. Killjoy is the most powerful criminal organization in all of Deca Machina. They could outgun Ferrum¡¯s forces if they went to war. We¡¯ve been in a stalemate for seven years, because the Scourge comprises 60% of the city¡¯s population. A war with them is very, very bad. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± He told me sternly, tightening his grip on my shoulder.


    ¡°I- I do. Killjoy is a powerful enemy, they have technology on par with Ferrum, and they have enough firepower to wipe out the majority of Deca Machina¡¯s population. A-and they just declared war on you.¡± I stuttered.


    Demi looked up at Balor, and Balor looked down at Demi, returning the same look. ¡°Gira, I¡¯ll go and keep watch outside. I¡¯ll contact you via mindwire if I see anything. Keep Shula and Tedd safe for me, alright? I have a feeling this kid¡¯s gonna need a lot of attention if we wanna keep him around. He¡¯s clueless.¡± Balor slandered, with such an understanding to his pointed words. I could tell no one but me was seeing his true intention. It stung. Balor faded from my view within seconds as he left the building, door swinging shut with a chime and a gentle clack.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotta say, Tedd. You picked a shitty time to come to Deca Machina.¡± Grumbled Demi, before he shuffled out of the patient room and into the seating area. I could feel the rubbing of metal, the compression of springs, the loading of explosive cartridges. That was Demi¡¯s M1911, I believe. I¡¯m not so naive that I don''t know what a gun is, it¡¯s a tool for ending lives.


    Kiara¡¯s familiar petite figure with quiet steps enters the room. Her hair is shaped differently, bunched up using a plastic double-clawed device which uses a tensioned piece of metal to lock it in place. A hair clip, I believe. Still, I recognize her because she¡¯s the prey. ¡°Gira, I got the news,¡± said Kiara. She held a piece of paper in her hand with ink stained into it. This is a paper document¨C Not used since 2002, over 300 years ago. I know because Doctor Brighton told me, he supposedly has the last existing paper document. ¡°Kiara, what¡¯s that? I thought those didn¡¯t exist anymore.¡± I ask while pointing at her vaguely.


    She replied with a cross look. ¡°Not the time for humour. Elaborate.¡±


    ¡°The paper documents in your hand. They have many inefficiencies, not limited to how easily they decay and rip, I hope nothing important is on there-¡±


    ¡°Alright Tedd. I¡¯m not in the mood to explain things right now. Killjoy can track anything with a digital presence.¡± She stressed. Demi nodded in reply and held his hand out, and on command Kiara handed him the papers. He tucked his head down and studied them intensely. ¡°The warehouse? That¡¯s the only spot on the map you didn¡¯t find them crawling on the cameras? Seems too good to be true, they know all our other hiding spots, even the basement of that laundromat.¡±


    ¡°Gira, I saw a squad of eleven on this street. They know where we are, they¡¯re coming armed. It¡¯s either we leave now, or the Scourge sees its last day today.


    Demi dropped the maps and swept his hands over his face. He¡¯s touching his face in response to a stressful situation. Maybe that¡¯s his stress habit. Like how I forget where I am or what I¡¯m doing. ¡°Guys!¡± Demi shouted out loud, his voice booming through the building. The Scourge rounded up near him within the minute. Balor, Claive, Kiara, Ava, and Shula, standing at ready, expressions serious as stone. Not even Balor or Claive had their usual blank expression on. I was definitely wrong about who was in charge- It¡¯s Demi Gira, no question about it.


    ¡°We¡¯re heading to the old Barnum Auto refurbishing warehouse. Load your guns and follow me. Eleven Killjoy operatives are hot on our trail. Tedd, this part is for you. Listen.¡± Demi ordered, and I stared straight at him. ¡°Listening. I promise.¡± I assured him, and he nearly cut me off. ¡°Don¡¯t slow us down. We won¡¯t come back for you if you can¡¯t keep up. So keep up.¡± He commanded in a half growl, face an inch from mine- You know just to make sure I heard it. That irritated me, I¡¯m not sure why. I got commanded to do things all the time in the Sky. But this seemed over the top. I¡¯d want to keep up whether he told me to or not. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, Demi.¡± I muttered.


    ¡­


    He hit me. Ava is holding Shula¡¯s wrist, she looks like she¡¯s about to kill him. Demi is glaring at me. He turned away and left the building through the back door. He held it open as everyone else filed out behind him, and he left last, not even stopping for me. My feet started moving faster than they ever had before, I felt them cramping because I¡¯ve never moved like this. Quickly. My restraints feel like they are piercing my skin with each heavy step, my body leaving the ground for brief moments.


    Running.


    By the time I caught up with them, they were all crouching, and weren¡¯t making a sound. I tried to be as quiet as I could, but each step of mine was loud. I¡¯m encased in metal, weighing me down. ¡°Demi.¡± I whisper. He didn¡¯t hear me. I weaved through Shula and Balor, and got right next to him, crouching while I moved forward just like them. To fit in. ¡°Demi.¡± I called again, raising my voice slightly.


    ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t make a sound.¡± he hissed to me, and held up a hand. Everyone else stopped. We¡¯re behind a large structure, a jersey barrier I believe. It¡¯s made of composite material, a man-made rock called ¡°cement.¡± It¡¯s old, not nearly as durable as the FCM series, but it¡¯s impressive for primitive technology. On the other side are eleven people all carrying large guns, I believe they are the Killjoy operatives. I understand why he hit me now, and why he told me to shut up.


    Demi points to a large building ahead of us. Barnum¡¯s logo is half broken off, but I recognize it. ¡°When they leave, we move in.¡± Demi whispered, pointing to the group and then pointing to the warehouse. The Scourge nods in unison, aside from me who nodded half a second after the rest. I wonder if they think that¡¯s weird, nodding so late in?


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The heads and shoulders faded from view, and I couldn¡¯t hear their footsteps. Demi spoke up, ¡°Alright, the-¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Balor cut him off, before turning his whole body to face me. ¡°Tedd. Is the coast clear?¡±


    This has to be the most jarring thing I¡¯ve ever heard. He knows about my power, he doesn¡¯t trust me, he views me as some kind of¨C nevermind. And he¡¯s trusting me with not only his safety but the scourge?


    ¡°Balor.¡± Demi growled, before gripping his shoulder, nails digging in as he forcefully pulled Balor to face him. ¡°Fall the fuck in line.¡± He ordered whilst glaring into his eyes.


    Balor¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, I could feel something terrifying rising in him, like Demi was about to die where he stood. Balor shook him off and swatted his hand. ¡°Lead the way then.¡± He replied shortly, glaring right back at Demi. Begging to give him a reason to put him into the floor right here.


    Kiara stormed over, teeth gritting as she turned her head between the two. She jammed between them and pushed them both away. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for you two to butt heads. Come on. I scouted ahead, the warehouse is clear and that squad from earlier is headed away.¡±


    I stare at the warehouse. The door is clearly closed- the latch is settled into the closed position and holding the door shut. Why does it feel open? No, this is the time to trust them. I¡¯ve been trying to trust myself, and really where does that lead me? My feet are moving one after another again, subconsciously. The door draws near. Claive goes in first and holds the door open from the inside. I feel like we aren¡¯t alone now that the door is open. Like a monster breathing down my neck, I feel the structure daring me to enter. The scourge all stepped in before me, leaving Claive to stare at me with impatience, and slowly back off as if to shut the door on me.


    This was my chance to quit while I¡¯m ahead.


    ¡­


    My memory becomes foggy, like a turning point is approaching. I won¡¯t lie to you and say I can¡¯t feel the grim reaper¡¯s cold bony hands wrapping around my throat. Impending doom is the only apt descriptor I can think of.


    ¡­


    I¡¯ve had my second to think it over, though. I¡¯m not too far in to give up and go back to them. I just don¡¯t want to. My feet carry me through the door and past Claive.


    ¡°What took you so long to walk through?¡± Claive asked as he walked up alongside me and let the door fall closed behind him. ¡°I-¡± he cut me off in a low tone before I could say a word. ¡°You can tell something is off too, can¡¯t you?¡±


    My head slowly turned, and I stopped inside the lobby before we followed the rest of the group into the main storage area. ¡°But I thought I was just overthinking it? You guys have this all planned out, r-right?¡± I stammer, as I began to lose confidence in my own self doubt.


    Claive¡¯s arm suddenly pressed into my chest as he guided us both into a wall with a quiet pace. My ear against the wall now, I heard it all. The progenitor is angered, as he speaks to the soldier before him. ¡°Repeat it back to me now.¡±


    The soldier cleared his throat, speaking through a voice modulator. Not even I could discern an identity from a voice like that. Male? Female? Human? ¡°Step one. Wait for the scourge to come within view. Step two. Tell the guards stationed outside to relocate behind the building.¡± My heartbeat.. it¡¯s faster. I can see his helmet. Black with an emblem of a robot with a top hat on the side, lit up by a green LED. Lens so dark I can¡¯t see his eyes. ¡°Step three. Wait for the scourge to enter the lobby, then come back and meet you. Step four. Wait for your signal to attack. Step five, incapacitate all of them, and kill one if possible. My life is expendable in this scenario.¡±


    Pump, pump, pump, pump. I can feel my blood pressure rising. My veins want to explode. I¡¯m not listening at the wall anymore, my body followed Claive into the warehouse on autopilot. The signal- What was the signal?


    The subtle chime of a coin landing on the ground. ¡°EVERYBODY RUN!¡± I screamed out at the top of my lungs, holding my arms out as if to protect something. But my voice was drowned out by a deafening ring. A concussion grenade. Demi is next to me, locking arms with the Soldier. He comes crashing down, and the Soldier¡¯s rifle bashes across his head. When he hits the ground, I hear a quiet crack over the ringing in my ears, and a muffled scream. A small figure drops down from above, the Soldier staggers backwards. He holds the rifle in front of his neck, while Kiara, mounted on his shoulders, wrenches a seven inch blade towards his neck with a rage I¡¯ve never seen from one so quiet. Claive¡¯s Beretta rose up and aimed dead on, but the Soldier was a step ahead. Took a bullet through the chest, and threw Kiara overhead. She took a bullet through her back, and landed roughly on the ground.


    Why is Balor so still? He has a gun too, right-


    Claive dashed to the side as the Soldier¡¯s rifle rose, and he closed in, taking steady strides and shooting. Claive maneuvered between the storage bunks, bullets grazing his arms. Yet unlike the others, he seems so focused, why?-


    Behind the soldier, a long pipe crashed into the side of his head, with a bloodthirsty Shula on the other end. The soldier staggered- or I thought so, until a blade emerged from under his barrel and he impaled Shula¡¯s collar with it, and as if on instinct, charged forward and bashed Shula onto Ava who was close behind with a chain. Probably planning to stun and strangle him. The two came crashing down, but as he¡¯s preoccupied I finally understand why Claive was so calm.


    Laying bleeding on the ground, he had the perfect angle. A streaking silver bullet flew through the Soldier¡¯s skull.. and he fell. It was over. Just like that. I know why Balor is still as well. He was the first one to be shot, he was so close I never noticed.


    Rippling waves of anxiety, intense pain flood through my body as the realization hits. All of the Scourge is downed. All of them. I am the only one left.


    Except the progenitor, poised high above me, leaning on the guard post of an upper storage bunk.


    The bunk lights shot on, illuminating the progenitor in a grand spotlight.


    Jet black hair sharp like a razor, parted away from his eyes, the picture he sees is clearer than mine. A black fedora, tipped just above the brow line so his expression can be seen. Black suit wrapped snugly around his top, framing in his pale face, and the piercing glare in his dark eyes. Brown tailored fabric lines his legs.


    The progenitor stopped speaking to me a couple seconds ago. Is he waiting for me to respond? As I tilt my head up to face him like he¡¯s God, I wonder, what do I even say?


    ¡°I have a tendency to leave people speechless, but well.. not like this.¡± He finally said, dropping his raised arms and letting his hands drop into his suit pockets. Was that a joke? Did he just make a joke after nearly killing- causing the death of these people?


    I fall into more silence. I can¡¯t speak. 10 seconds? 20, 30? Is he testing me right now? ¡°You know, they¡¯re bleeding out. Personally I don¡¯t mind if they die as long as he gets to see it happen. Chin up, Demi Gira!¡± The progenitor called out.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to rip out your eyes and force-feed them down your fucking throat, Kaito.¡± Demi croaked. I can feel the adrenaline rushing through his body, numbing the pain. He began to stand, pushing off with his hands and sprinting at Kaito.


    ¡°Stay down, you putrid animal.¡± Kaito, the progenitor, commanded. Three shots rang out in quick succession, and Demi¡¯s knees shattered with loud cracks. He fell to the ground yowling in bitter agony, clawing at the floor with his nails. Murderous rage burned in his eyes. I couldn¡¯t hear my own thoughts over his screaming. All I could see now, the smoke rising from Kaito¡¯s six shooter and the clink of the empty shells as they bounced onto the ground floor.


    His eyes turn their attention back to me. ¡°I¡¯ve had my fill. I¡¯ll let his pain play in the ambience for now, but you, really who are you?¡± He questioned me once more. I don¡¯t know what to do, I¡¯ve never been in this situation before. Should I be angry? Sad? Should I be scared? Should I just shut everything off?


    A shock rippled through my right chest plate as a .44 round smashed against it. I stumble back a step, and his full well-dressed figure comes into full focus again. ¡°There, that should wake you up. Come on, you¡¯re basically edging me here. You¡¯re ruining my moment, seeing the scourge suffer in front of me is a pretty big deal. You know who these guys are, right?¡± Kaito condescends to me. He squats with his arms resting on his knees. I can¡¯t go any longer without answering him.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m I am the Owl. I bleed, I cry, and I laugh. I¡¯m more like you than you- No not you, you¡¯re different, you aren¡¯t really smiling right now, no, you are- you¡¯re-¡± I stammer.


    ¡°T-T-Today, junior! No, seriously.¡± Kaito waved his six shooter at me, ¡°Speak up. I can¡¯t tell what the fuck you¡¯re saying.¡± He said bluntly. For some reason I didn¡¯t feel a sharp edge to these words. Odd.


    A sensation of euphoric relief washes through me, as I realize I have control of the situation. He''s approaching me with curiosity, cautious because he doesn¡¯t know me. That means I have the right- the option to be angry. I have every right. He isn¡¯t approaching me with knowledge of who and what I am. We stand on equal ground here. He¡¯s just another guy. I¡¯m just a stranger. This entire world is a stranger. I have the right to feel now, the right to exist as myself.


    My arm rose up toward him, plates and all. ¡°I am¡­


    Dihydrogen Oxide. It¡¯s an oxidation reaction. Which means it¡¯s a form of combustion. Isn¡¯t it funny that you can make water out of fire?¡±


    I ask, as the air becomes warmer. The sun shining through the window is what it must be, he would be thinking about now.


    The tips of my light brown hair levitated in the breeze, droplets of condensation forming around the strands.


    ¡°No shit, we used hydrogen fuel up until around 8 years ago when Mindcloud services came up and running. I¡¯m guessing that means you aren¡¯t friends with these people, are you?¡± He asked, narrowing his eyes. He¡¯d been thrown off.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t take much heat to ignite either. I wonder what a hydrogen explosion would look like? If you filled a whole room with hyper compressed hydrogen, then just set it all off at once?¡± I ponder, as loss of conscience sets in. I lose awareness of my body, as the hydrogen concentration in the air around me becomes my sole focus. I become hydrogen. I become the electrons bouncing between particles, I become the movement, the heat.


    A stray signal came through, unaccounted for. A warning. I felt rapid movement in the air as a figure the size of an adult male descended, and moved rapidly towards me. Likely heading for the exit. His blood was pumping at unsafe speeds, likely adrenaline.


    ¡°I am Full Conscience.¡± The only thing I know and will ever know about myself, is that I am the accumulation of everything I do, know, think, and say.


    The sizzling flames rush through the warehouse, oxidizing the welds holding it together like acid eating through skin. The top of the warehouse shot off, shattering into sections of rust-torn metal. The foundation walls cracked, large chunks of dusty concrete and rusted-through rebar crumbling and crashing down. Heartbeats of killjoy operatives surrounding the warehouse ceased as fast as they had spiked. A mushrooming cloud of rust, concrete particles and steam billowed above me. The floor was cracked through, and below me was reduced to gravel. All that remained were the Scourge, and miraculously, Kaito.


    All of them conscious, staring at me as I held out my arm, and my levitating hand slowly fell back to my side. And then it faded. I had so much awareness, so much purpose, and now I forget. What does any of it mean?


    ¡­


    Why do I still feel like I¡¯m in the midst of my own death? This should be the end of the turning point. According to my memory, I¡¯m safe now. So what is this electrifying cold flowing through me, making my whole body shiver with fear?


    ¡­


    A quiet laughter broke the quiet of the settling dust, and the groans of my dying friends around me. ¡°Haha, aha. So. I think we got off on the wrong foot.¡± Began Kaito. I heard a metallic click. And footsteps. Why is he coming closer? I nearly killed him, and everyone protecting him is dead. ¡°That murderous tone in your voice, that condescending, you REALLY wanted me dead. Yet I¡¯m standing here, alive.¡± He stated. The cold metal point of his barrel presses into the back of my head, and I can¡¯t move. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to kill you.¡± I muttered, my breath shaking. I bit my lip.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to kill me? What about rip my arm off, cut me, not even a scratch?¡± He taunted. The barrel presses in harder¨C it hurts. My skin is almost breaking. ¡°I¡¯m not like you, K-kaito.¡± I stutter. The trigger presses in half way with a light click. ¡°No. Unlike you, I follow through on my intentions.¡± He spoke coldly into my ear. The trigger pressed in all the way, and nothing came out. The barrel only spun. ¡°But unlike you, I¡¯m not a monster. I¡¯m a human being, and I won¡¯t hurt people unless they give me reason.¡± He grabbed my hair firmly and turned my head to face the corpse of a killjoy operative, half buried under a collapsed wall.


    ¡°Unlike you. You may cry, think, bleed, and laugh just like us. But you are not human.¡±


    And just like that, his footsteps move away. His soul so crushed he didn¡¯t even have the energy to shoot me right there. Or does he understand my situation, and not want to? I don¡¯t understand him. What did he mean?


    ¡­


    So that¡¯s what it was. The life or death situation here was never a high octane battle between my power and theirs. It was in the aftermath. Kaito outplayed me and held my life in his hands before my eyes. And he chose to let me keep it.

 Tedd, The Obelisks Subject

    Power. At a glance, I have more of it than anybody else in this world. After all, I can bend the world to my whims. It doesn¡¯t pan out like that though, does it? This power doesn¡¯t bend to my whims, so to whose will is this world truly bending to? Only the Obelisk would know the answer.


    ¡­


    Ten minutes have passed since Kaito left the ruins I created. I am still. The Scourge, they still breathe. Most of them are unconscious. Shula is the only one holding on. She¡¯s been calling me since he left, in between wincing. Her hand is pressed tightly into her wound, but it¡¯s still bleeding on the other side. ¡°Tedd. Tedd!¡± She yelled out, with all the volume she could muster.


    Her voice shocked me into action. I stepped quickly over to her and knelt. My face hovered over her fiery red eyes, and her silky blonde hair. I couldn¡¯t say she has fair skin. Some scarring, likely from combat, and poor skin-care. Not like Brighton, who always boasted about his pristine healthy skin. ¡°Shula. Please tell me what to do. Everyone is hurting and most of them are passed out. I¡¯m scared.¡± I pleaded. Puddles of tears formed at the bottom edges of the visor secured into my face. One dripped down to my lips, and it tasted mildly like salt.


    With the little strength she had, or does she have more than I think, Shula reached a hand up and lightly smacked my face. ¡°Contact emergency services. You can use my phone. The passcode is 1337. H-here.¡± She directed me before removing a small, thin black device from her pocket. She placed it on my lap. It lit up, and on the screen was a timestamp reading 6:37 PM in white text, over an image of Shula and the other Scourge members, standing around a bright yellow Barnum sports car. ¡°Why can¡¯t you? You know how to use your phone, right? Please, I can¡¯t use this!¡± I cried out. But reality sunk in quickly. She¡¯s out from blood loss. She didn¡¯t have enough awareness to call them, that took all her strength. Everyone else is out too. They don¡¯t have long before brain death occurs. I have maybe 5 minutes. But how?


    At the moment panic set in, something else intruded in my mind. A memory or a vision? A perception. I¡¯ve never met this person before. The Obelisk. Who are they, where are they, and why can I see them so vividly? Tall, pale skin, piercing black eyes. Neat black hair, long and braided in the back. I sometimes feel more machine than I am human, but the Obelisk perverts both the concept of humanity and machine.


    ¡­


    ¡°Just tell me what happened. I¡¯ll hear no excuses, no reasoning, and no theories.¡± The Obelisk asked. His voice is smooth and cut clear like polished granite.


    The response of his subjects is unclear. I can¡¯t hear them, and I can¡¯t tell where they are, or who. But they felt cornered, and afraid. Slightly angry, maybe confused.


    The Obelisk silences his subjects with the formation of a fist. ¡°To my understanding.. he spoke to the machine, using what he calls, full conscience? This doesn¡¯t bode well for Deca Machina, if you¡¯re telling the truth. The Owl was meant to be released from his cage in time. Not on his own.¡±


    ¡­


    As the vision faded, I remember my friends are in front of me, dead. Five minutes have passed, right? That vision felt like an eternity, with how much information¨C 6:37 PM read the screen, not even enough time for the screen to turn off. Air rushed into my lungs as I inhaled sharply, and my eyes shot wide open, so wide I could see the technological etchings on the back of my visor, right in front of my eyes, lit up brightly by my will to save them all.


    ¡°One Three Three Seven.¡± I mumble. Her phone unlocked, without even bringing up the keypad. Not voice activated.. No, talking to myself just helps me focus on it. ¡°Every phone comes with a distress signal.. this will get them to us quicker than dialling via phone.¡± I mumbled once more. The phone blared out a loud tritone alarm, and radiated radio waves a hundred times stronger, carrying lightning speed information through the airwaves. Directly to Pharmatech¡¯s emergency response team.


    I can already hear the air vibrating up above, as the emergency drone screams through the sky teetering just below the speed of sound. The drone came to a stop above the wrecked warehouse, not making a sound, not even acknowledging our presence. But it¡¯s a machine, it doesn¡¯t need to. One by one, it plants itself over their bodies. Adjusts them flat on their backs. Removes foreign materials from their bodies using hardlight tweezers, and sews up their wounds using a hardlight thread. When hardlight thread is done its work, your skin is patched together, essentially woven into itself. It heals on its own within a day, like a tiny papercut.


    The drone restarted the hearts of any who had stopped, and out came a receipt for the service bill, separate for each Mindcloud ID.


    I collapsed onto my back and I wanted to sigh and rest. My body is telling me to stop and leave the rest in the hands of circumstance. My hands want to scratch my face until I bleed if not for these cages. But if I focus even slightly, it¡¯s clear none of them were treated properly. The way those wounds were treated, they¡¯ll open again in a few minutes. They only have enough time for another emergency service to get to them. But why? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to give them full treatment on the spot? We have the technology and resources for it, and then some. The entire medical fleet is comprised of automated drones- ¡°Tedd.¡± Claive called firmly. I roll my head on the ground to face him. ¡°Tedd. The rest are going to die in give or take thirty minutes. I¡¯m in no shape to stand. I¡¯m going to dial up a friend for help, okay? I need you to help her when she gets here. Please.¡± Claive explained, staring directly into my eyes while he pulled out a strange device. It flipped open and had a keypad to operate it, and a small screen with barely any pixel density. To my surprise though, it¡¯s a phone. He punched in a phone number, each press of the keypad returning a satisfying muffled click. It sent out a communication signal, up to standard with all modern protocols despite its archaic appearance. The other end picked up at the 13 second mark.


    The drone¡¯s voice came through faintly. ¡°Lynn¡¯s aid solutions. How can I assist you?¡± the Drone greets. I heard Claive about to speak, then the drone cut him off before he could say a word. ¡°Again.¡± The drone- Lynn deadpanned. This is the first time I learned one of their names so quickly. I heard Claive¡¯s teeth grit before he responded. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for an attitude today. The scourge is on death¡¯s door. 8811 Beetle Street, Barnum Storage Warehouse 3. Either get here as soon as possible or just, don¡¯t bother.¡± Claive growled. ¡°We¡¯re gonna talk about how high demand my services are with you later. For now, just keep me on the line and make sure no one dies before I get there.¡± Lynn griped. It comes as a surprise to see someone has a conflict with Claive, he¡¯s the most composed of them all, by far.


    While we wait, I notice the strength of his grip on the phone increasing as time passes, and I can hear blood flow in his hand almost slowing to a halt. I truly thought I¡¯d never see him lose his composure, but the pressure on his teeth is growing as long as the silence as we wait for Lynn to arrive. Maybe it¡¯s just me, but I think she¡¯s taking this long on purpose. Beneath my visor I close my eyes again and listen for the machine. It says only 30 seconds have passed since he called. It feels like it¡¯s been at least 30 minutes. What is this? Why does time feel so slow when it always feels so fast?


    ¡°Tedd, buddy. You¡¯re shaking like a wet dog. Calm yourself down.¡± Spoke Claive, as he roughly patted me on my shoulder. That snapped me out of it. I think.


    The ambulance rolled onto the scene. Arguably the most manoeuvrable piece of automotive design in Deca Machina, Brighton once said. He did design it. Draws directly from Ferrum¡¯s power cloud, one of three services that are allowed to do so. Moves on a set of six wheels all of which can steer as needed, and lowerable tracks in the centre chassis for uneven terrain. For air or water access emergencies, it can hover a foot off the ground, or fly using hardlight propellers and pulse jet steering.


    This one must be illegally owned though, with the pink and white abstract design painted on and the two side mounted gun turrets. Inside is a woman I feel I¡¯ve seen before. And startling enough, I think she¡¯s seen me. But that¡¯s insane. No one has seen me. Jet black hair, waist length. Blonde around the roots. Wonder why you would ever dye blonde hair-


    ¡°Hey! I need your help loading the wounded, we need to get them on life support stat!¡± Lynn shouted. Is she shouting at me? Or to Claive, or did she bring someone? She¡¯s already moving as she shouts to me, rolling a stretcher out of the tall back and pulling it to Demi. All by herself, she heaves him on, and runs him back¡­


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing, aren¡¯t these your friends!? Help me, gearbox!¡± She shouted to me. In reference to my XB-ARS. Why does that nickname feel so familiar? Like I¡¯ve heard it before. I¡¯m pathetic, aren¡¯t I? My body isn¡¯t moving, even though I¡¯ve been given direction. Just do what she says. Come on. Come on, Owl. You perfect example you. You¡¯re capable, more than capable, oh it¡¯s so revolting!


    I tucked myself into the back cab, body secured against the doors from the lurching speed. Where my injured friends are secured in place, my injured friends which I watched her haul in all by herself, while I didn¡¯t move a single muscle. The Obelisk must be looking down on me with shame. Or maybe it¡¯s comical to a perversion of both humanity and machine like him?


    I am so overstimulated. I cannot think. Just allow me to retreat into my pool once more. Sink, envelop in liquid, become uniform. I am nothing.


    ¡­


    This feels wrong. I was supposed to die there. This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen to the scourge. They¡¯re all supposed to be alive, still supporting me and fighting alongside me even now, in my final moments. If they¡¯re here now, why does it feel like they¡¯re about to be ripped away? Reliving my own life should come with a sense of awareness, knowing what happens next. It did at first. Why does it feel like these aren¡¯t even memories? Am I even here? No, asking that kind of question will make me lose myself. I need to stay focused on these memories, or else I won¡¯t make it out of this alive.


    ¡­


    Brighton adjusted his tie as he stepped out of the elevator. Klara hung her head in anticipation. Shoulders scrunched, heart racing faster than my own. The Obelisk sat upon its rightful podium overlooking Deca Machina, and these two handlers charged with carrying out his divine order. Judging by the Obelisk¡¯s expression, his granite lips and obsidian eyes, his mood is foul. ¡°Now, I¡¯m not saying this is her fault. But I have made it clear to you that new hires are not welcome. This is a solo operation. And this happened the very same day she got here. Now I¡¯m not implying a correlation,¡± Brighton ranted with his teeth near closed, staring down the Obelisk as if to sin in front of the very Machine that allows him to breathe.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking right?¡± Klara interjected, raising her posture. All the anxiety, the tension, all of it melted away once she understood Brighton planned to pin the entire event on her. ¡°I did exactly as instructed. It¡¯s completely unacceptable that YOU were not prepared for this scenario. Why would you bring in a new hire into a situation like that? I walked into that room and there was writing on the walls, and I watched you use a machine on him that folded his body in a way I¡¯m surprised didn¡¯t fucking KILL him!¡±


    Brighton ran his fingers up his face, nails leaving red marks on his pale skin. His eyes were closed firmly, as if he¡¯s struggling not to lose his shit. But there was an anger surpassing his in the room, thus his reason for holding it in.


    The wolf stood by the Obelisk¡¯s side with a visor near identical to mine. It¡¯s not bolted into his head. It¡¯s coated with lead, and stays on his face with magnets implanted in his skin. Pools of dark red blood were building around the bottom edges of his visor like bloody tears. The gritting of his teeth was audible, and the room fell silent. ¡°I would highly recommend that you two begin making sense, now.¡±  The wolf snarled. The tips of his jet black spiky mess he calls hair curled and stood on end.


    The Obelisk doesn¡¯t exude the aura of a patient man, yet he bears no discipline to the Wolf¡¯s aggravation. Xavier¡¯s thin fingers comb through his hair in a feeble attempt at managing his own stress, and he grips his forehead as if trying to tear out his own skull. ¡°Begin making sense? You¡¯re joking, right? We as handlers are tasked with raising an adolescent with supernatural powers and a type of neurodivergence I can¡¯t even understand. The Owl is the most difficult project we¡¯ve undertaken yet. And you call OUR actions into question when this disaster happens?¡± Xavier chastised, slowly walking towards the Obelisk as his ever so icy demeanour shattered like crashing ice caps. This only angered the wolf further, previously snarling he was now ready to tear bloody throat. ¡°Wipe up that gory mess under your visor. It¡¯s disgusting. And mind your manners, your teeth are baring.¡± The Obelisk spoke down to the wolf, before turning his cast iron attention back to Xavier. ¡°You mean to say this situation is my doing then, Dr. Brighton?¡± He asked the handler with utmost respect, despite Xavier¡¯s uncontrolled anger. ¡°What of you, Dr. Mckenna? Your input is required, on the cause of this event.¡±


    Klara looked into his obsidian stare. I could tell by her shaking knees she felt she was being judged by Deca Machina itself. But that¡¯s who he is to them. He is to me as well, and I have never seen him. The Obelisk¡¯s towering significance is something I can only hear echoes of from afar, in times like this where the world is faded from my reality, and the reality of others is-


    ¡­


    ¡°Tedd! I don¡¯t know where in that brain you are right now but snap out of it,¡± yelled a muffled voice from behind. Lynn was banging on the door. She couldn¡¯t open it. My weight on the door was tripping the automatic lock to secure people inside in the event of a crash. As her voice brought me back to the moment I stood off the back of the cab and the doors swung open behind me.


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to lose focus right nnn, right now.¡± I stuttered. I placed my hand cages on a stretcher¡¯s pull bar and attempted pulling it out for her. I couldn¡¯t get it to budge, silly considering it only takes 8 pounds of force to pull, ¡°Move it gearbox.¡± Without hesitation, Lynn reached up and grabbed a handle between my shoulders and yanked it. I fell crashing down to the ground, the impact jarring my head. How did she know about that handle? It¡¯s what the handlers would use to transport me. It requires authorization, but it activates my power and makes me weightless for easier transport. How does she know about that?


    Claive shot a disgusted glare over to Lynn, yet he didn¡¯t say a word. He grabbed the handle of Demi¡¯s stretcher and rushed him into a medbay. It was astounding how he¡¯d hook everything up by himself, almost like he¡¯s used to doing this all on his own. ¡°Agh-.. Fuck-¡± Claive winced as he staggered half way back to the vehicle. Pools of blood form across his chest, and a small stream trickles from his mouth. I know this feeling very well, and I¡¯d guess he has spots in his vision about now. This is my fault isn¡¯t it? Because I can¡¯t activate it on my own, I¡¯m stuck weighed down with these wires in my body, and I can¡¯t help. I¡¯m a dead weight and he¡¯s getting hurt because of me. ¡°Lynn. We need to talk, now.¡± Claive called out weakly, just as Lynn was walking to her control room. ¡°What. If it¡¯s about me throwing gearbox over there onto the ground I don¡¯t wanna hear it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad then. You¡¯re not going to touch him like that again, do we understand each other? Nor are you going to yell at him or call him that dumb ass nickname. And may Deca Machina help your soul if you purposely delay your services again, now help my family. Do your thing, and I¡¯ll take care of Tedd. Capiche?¡± Claive snapped as he staggered over to Lynn and stood over her, pointing to the back of the vehicle. Something I never thought I¡¯d see. He actually defended me.


    Lynn scoffed at him, ¡°Yeah. Whatever. This is the last time I¡¯m gonna help you if you¡¯re bringing him around, so I¡¯ll make it count.¡± with anger bottled in those soulless silver eyes of hers. Silver eyes. I remember them being brown the last time I saw them. Wait, last time?


    Lynn¡¯s body moved fluidly and with purpose as she offloaded the Scourge. But the empty look on her lips said she didn¡¯t care whether they live or die. So what¡¯s motivating her as she rolls up her grey sleeves, bunching up the skin tight material above her elbows. What motivates her as she hooks up wires into those metal slots inside her grey skin, each marked by a number and letter tattooed in white, from 1-A to 5-C?


    Claive¡¯s fingers tap me twice on the cheek. He¡¯s been looking for my attention for a while, hasn¡¯t he? ¡°Huh? Sorry, I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡± I monotoned. ¡°You¡¯re not getting off scot free either.¡± Claive reminded me, and with one hand on my shoulder, he pointed to the last empty bed. ¡°My wounds opened up. Just walk me over there. I can take care of myself after that, I know how these machines work.¡± He assured me. And with trembling legs, I acted as his crutch and guided him to the bed. I watched him with a fumbling hand, close the white half-dome over his body, and under the bed lit up green. I could faintly hear his voice beneath it, ¡°I¡¯ll be out for a few days, bud. Take care.¡± Before the machine put him to sleep, and began the full recovery process with a gentle hum.


    And once again I am alone. This loneliness, it¡¯s not like the calm that my pool gives me as the cold water holds me so gently. It¡¯s as if a pit is forming in my stomach, and my whole body wants to collapse in on itself. Thi- this is normal though. Everyone in Deca Machina suffers. Feeling like this is what life is really supposed to be, maybe?


    ¡­


    Klara interlocked her fingers in silence, staring below the Obelisk¡¯s eyeline as she finished contemplating her words. ¡°Sir. May I speak freely?¡± The Obelisk nodded in response, laying his palms flat on the table and looking directly into her eyes. The lump in Klara¡¯s throat went away, and she took a long breath before speaking. ¡°Through the six years I¡¯ve been charged with handling The Owl, I¡¯ve learned a lot about him. His personality is either nonexistent or so undeveloped he couldn¡¯t even tell you who he is. He doesn¡¯t even know what his own power is aside from what we tell him. The level of psychological control we¡¯ve instilled is inhumane, and personally I¡¯m glad he escaped, no one deserves to live like that. But, that said. There is no feasible way he could have consciously done that. He just doesn¡¯t know how.¡± explained Klara, her scarlet eyes flickering as her mindwire implant assisted her in recall. The Obelisk leaned back in his seat. The Wolf swallowed his anger and turned to face the wall. ¡°Your assessment is correct, Klara. I understand. Go on.¡± the Obelisk prompted.


    ¡°This can only mean one thing. An entity outside of the facility knew what we were doing, and influenced the Sky¡¯s final operation without our knowledge. The problem is out of our hands, sir. It¡¯s up to you at this point.¡± She finished, with a hint of hesitation as she threw the blame onto the Obelisk himself. But he had no sign of anger or disagreement on his titanium face, only a half nod, before his mouth opened briefly to say, ¡°Xavier, Klara. You are dismissed.¡±


    ¡­

 The Sky, My Home

    I would need time to process what has happened, if not for the fact I¡¯m merely reflecting on my past self. But something is missing and I need to dig deeper. More parallel processing will be needed, this time my present and past.


    ¡­


    Demi¡¯s head craned beside Balor¡¯s ear. ¡°Hey. Balor. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s into you, might wanna try your psychopath rizz on someone else.¡± He prodded, flashing Balor a shit eating grin. Startled, Balor¡¯s arm swung around like a spring trap, only to miss Demi completely. ¡°What the,¡± Balor held his breath for a moment, before the back of Demi¡¯s hand lightly slapped the side of his face. ¡°Come on. We¡¯re getting the fuck out of here. And Lynn, if Claive doesn¡¯t come back to us by tomorrow I¡¯m coming to shoot you in your fat fucking face, sound good?¡± Demi threatened with an idle nod, before he waved his hand up in the air, and let it fall towards the door. The scourge filed out past him, the door swinging open for them one by one, all of them holding the door for the other as they walked out. Demi was the last one out, and he stood there holding the door for me. ¡°Why are you-¡± I began, though Demi cut me off. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid man, just come on. You¡¯re with us now.¡± He assured me.  I walked out the door, one heavy step after another. It lands shut with a digital chime.


    ¡°So, Tedd.¡± Demi began. I heard a swingy tune in my head, or was it playing outside? The swinging bass like a pendulum, the ambient electronic buzz, the trill of the piano, is this music? Where is it coming from? It makes me feel alive! ¡°I think it¡¯s about time you tell us why we¡¯re alive right now. We all saw what happened at the warehouse.¡± He asked me with slight hesitation. I could feel the wariness in his voice. He went from seeing me as some lost animal, to a threat, from just one event. I don¡¯t want them to see me as someone who would hurt them. ¡°I don¡¯t know a lot about it myself, Demi. I promise I would tell you if I knew more.¡±


    ¡°I get a feeling you do, Tedd. Because Balor here told me a couple things. That power of yours, you can use it at will.¡± Demi pushed. And before I could speak he kept on. ¡°We don¡¯t know what it is, he doesn¡¯t know what it is, you don¡¯t know what it is.. and it killed an entire team of Killjoy operatives, and disintegrated a building.¡± He said sternly.


    I felt something rising in me that made my blood run hot, and I stopped walking. ¡°Stop right there, Demi. Listen to me.¡±


    Demi stopped on command and turned to look at me, arms folded sternly over his chest. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    I spoke in the words of the one who raised me. ¡°I will only tell you this once. And this goes for you too, Balor. And any of you who think for one reason or another, I am lying or withholding information from you. Do not doubt or question anything I say from this point onward. You are dealing with a supernatural entity. You can die if you step even a millimetre out of line.¡± I instructed, doing my best to mimic that teacher''s voice of his. But I didn¡¯t measure up.


    I took a long, deep breath. ¡°I will be honest and transparent about my power and what it can do, and anything I know about it. But all I know is I can move things around, and¡­ do things.¡± I stutter.


    Demi¡¯s gaze toward me as I spoke was so sinister I genuinely thought every word I spoke brought me closer to death. ¡°Aight then. Don¡¯t be fucking stupid with it and we¡¯re square. I appreciate the honesty dude, I honestly thought you were about to lose it on me.¡± Demi replied nonchalantly, then turned and kept walking. And the rest followed, even Balor.


    ¡­


    Of course I know nothing about it. I altered my own memories during the last period. There is no going back from that. Transparent? Really? A message to my former self, how are you going to be transparent with your power if you don¡¯t even understand your own mind?


    ¡­


    ¡°Tedd are you dancing?¡± Shula observed, barely holding in a giggle. I hadn¡¯t noticed but my arms were swinging in little circles while I walked, and my body was teetering around. ¡°Well- No, I- I don¡¯t, I-¡± Shula placed a hand over my mouth and started laughing out loud. We stopped walking, and I kept moving without even realising. ¡°That¡¯s gotta be the weirdest dance I¡¯ve ever seen. What¡¯s it called, Iron man?¡± Demi teases, standing in front of me and leaning down with his usual mocking stature. ¡°I um..¡±


    Balor cuts in, raising his finger up between us. ¡°Let¡¯s call it the blender.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the blender.¡± Demi agreed, chuckling and turning away from me. But I needed to grab his attention again, so I spoke up. ¡°But those people inside that building. They feel weird, like their nervous systems are all moving slower, their cognitive ability is lagging behind based on their movements, it¡¯s not human.¡± The scourge proceeded to look at me like I was insane. None of them had words for me except for Balor. ¡°Let me be blunt Tedd, what the fuck are you talkin¡¯ about?¡± Balor instigated. ¡°That strange compound flowing through their veins. Is that- Ethanol alcohol?¡± I ask hesitantly. It was odd to say the least, that¡¯s not a naturally occurring substance in the human body. And I don¡¯t see any reason why it would be beneficial to introduce from an external source-


    ¡°Tedd, that¡¯s Zev¡¯s. People go there to unwind, and alcohol¡¯s pretty damn good for that.¡± Balor explained, barely holding in his laugh. He placed a hand on my shoulder, ¡°Kid¡¯s never been to a bar before. Know what- we¡¯ve had a rough day today, let¡¯s head in. Drinks are on me everybody!¡± He called out with his grand smile, and led me into the bar with a push on my back. As the glass doors slide open, I¡¯m assaulted by a head-pounding noise. Machinegun drums, bass like bombs dropping on the floor, and the melodic scream of a chopped up song of ones and zeroes. It feels like my ears are going to bleed. I wish I could just see the world from outside this head of mine.


    ¡­


    Forgive me for the interruption. By this point, it¡¯s come to my attention that my story is being perceived by another conscience, possibly multiple. So I can talk to you now.


    Consider this me saying hi, from a couple years in the future. If you stay with me and I truly do make it out alive, I promise you, I will make you proud. I will not disappoint you. I will not let you down. I will blow you away.


    ¡­


    My mind was interrupted by the clacking of Ava¡¯s snowy white heels, and her small hands slamming onto the only empty table in the bar. Aside from a lone drone speaking to another, she was inscribing his words on a small page. ¡°Cade, what the fuck are you doing alone?¡± she demanded with such sternness I found myself frozen, and she wasn¡¯t even speaking to me. The inscriber drone- with the pen, was rushing away from the table, clutching her notepad tightly in one hand, other hand on her mouth. Was she laughing? One green stripe on each shoulder, a Level 1 service worker. Her uniform was cut off below the chest, revealing pale grey skin down to her hips. ¡°Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d catch you ogling at a waitress, Gearbox.¡± came Balor¡¯s voice from behind me as he walked past, marching over to Ava before she could say another word. He placed a hand on her shoulder, ¡°Ava. Care to introduce-¡±


    A snap rang out as the back of Ava¡¯s hand cracked across Balor¡¯s face, whipping his head to the side. A nasty red mark in the shape of her knuckles formed on his face, and a string of her curses overpowered the head throbbing music filling the room. Her clacking heels chased down the drone, and her nails dug into her back as she grabs onto her shirt. A terrified choke came from her as her collar pressed into her neck, lurching her backwards and the jealous rage stayed bitter in Ava¡¯s curled brows and grinding teeth.


    ¡°You so much as look at my man again, I¡¯ll fucking tie you down, rip off your discount nails and feed them down your fucking throat!¡± Ava hissed in the poor drone¡¯s face. She reeled her arms up in response, scrambling to push Ava off her with terrified shock crinkling up that beautiful face of hers.


    Ava didn¡¯t let up. She swung her free hand into the drone¡¯s stomach and sent her gasping for breath, then switched her grip from her shirt to her hair, nails digging into her scalp and nearly drawing blood as she dragged the choking and wheezing drone across the floor with swagger, hips swinging with grace despite her acts of violence.


    She stopped upon the nearest table of five, whose drinking and laughing was interrupted by Ava swinging her entire body as she smashes the waitress¡¯s face into a plate of french fries. ¡°You bitch, you listen when I¡¯m fucking talking to you!¡± She wrenched her head up then slammed it back down into the shattered porcelain, then again, then again, until the ketchup was mixed with her blood. ¡°He is MINE. You touch him, you speak to him, you look at him, you fucking talk to him, YOU DIE!¡± She roared next to her ear, pressing her face harder into the table. She was about to keep going. She would have, too, if it weren¡¯t for a drone¡¯s set of tired arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her gently from the unconscious, bleeding drone.


    ¡°Hey, Ava. I¡¯m sorry. She was just taking my order. I didn¡¯t mean to make her smile like that.¡± Said the drone, his grip around her round waist loosening along with his meager confidence.


    ¡°Sorry? You¡¯re sorry for making me do this, Cade? Why the fuck make me do it in the first place then?¡± Ava trembled. ¡°I.. I hurt her. I wouldn¡¯t have had to do this if you weren¡¯t trying to make another girl smile. Even you said it. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s face you want to bring a smile to, because to you I¡¯m the most precious thing in your world, so why!?¡± She clambered, tears welling up on her pale skin under her soft pink eyes. ¡°Look, it¡¯s really not as bad as you think it is. You¡¯re overreacting, when is the last time you slept without your starry active?¡± The drone- Cade asked with a gentle patience woven into his voice.


    Ava grabbed his sleeve in response and pulled it all the way up, then held Cade¡¯s arm out for us to see. Covered in scars of many shapes and sizes, and his arm had so many ports and receivers on it I had to wonder where his blood flows. ¡°Like you have room to talk.. You¡¯re fucking wired all the way through. Fucking look at this you guys,¡±


    How long ago did the music stop?


    No more machine gun drums and ear piercing treble. Only the rapid pumping of alcohol through blood, and the disgruntled breathing of the many drones staring at us. One of them muttered under their breath, but loud enough to be heard. ¡°You crazy wired bitch.¡±


    His mockery was joined by another. ¡°She¡¯s asking to get executed. Doing shit like that in here,¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m already posting it myself.¡±


    ¡°Lemme share that too,¡±


    Ava¡¯s breathing became louder, as she stared daggers back at everyone looking her way like a cornered animal. Among the drones, the hearth¡¯s gaze was most intense. The hearth stood at the back end of the now silent room, disco lights no longer spinning, so his short, side swept deep red hair and silver eyes were striking as they stared at us. All of us, not just Ava. He adjusted his collar, and swept his hand down the smooth black sleeveless leather encasing his top, with a rose pattern embossed into it. His voice clear and smooth like fine champagne, ¡°This isn¡¯t a good look on the Scourge. You know the rules, if you have a fight take it outside, and never lay your hands on my staff. Who¡¯s taking responsibility?¡± He demands, placing down a pearly glass mug he finished shining, still warm from the soapy sink water.


    Balor raised his hand as he stepped in front of Ava with her handmark still red on his face. ¡°I will. I¡¯m the one who brought us in, after all.¡± He spoke up. His voice faded into a concerned groan as he looked down at the waitress. ¡°Miss, are you awake?¡± He asked her cautiously, placing his fingertips on her back.


    A quiet sob came from the table as the waitress stood, blood dripping from her chin, eyes shut, her whole body trembling. ¡°Easy now,¡± Balor warned, as he took her in his arms. ¡°Head to the back, doctors will be waiting for you. This isn¡¯t your fault, and Ava will be dealt with accordingly.¡± Balor stated bitterly.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°..What will be dealt with accordingly?¡± Came Shula¡¯s quiet panic, cracking like kindling before the bonfire. She raised her voice as she asked again, ¡°What just happened?¡±


    Shula pushed through to see the waitress, face bloody, cut open from shattered porcelain. She didn¡¯t have anything else to say. She took the poor drone¡¯s hand and rushed her to the back, while glancing with silent rage behind her sister. She mouthed something to her that I couldn¡¯t make out, but Ava understood just fine. Ava stormed out of the bar without another word. It¡¯s rainy though.


    Balor¡¯s jittering hand clenched into a fist behind his back, half bitten off nails digging into his palm. His patience is being tested isn¡¯t it? And here I thought he was-


    ¡°Zev. I apologise for this, truly. I can promise you we won¡¯t be bringing her around again.¡± He spoke kindly, breaking the silence just before the tension in the room reached its breaking point.


    The hearth, Zev, leaned over the counter. ¡°Right then.¡±


    Balor raised a finger, ¡°Aand, drinks for everyone here are ALL on me for the rest of the night! Enjoy it while it lasts folks, this is a one-time.¡± He invited with a grin, turning around and projecting his voice through every corner of the bar.


    The disgruntled murmurs quickly shift to a round of applause as the head throbbing music resumes back to full volume, and I realise I¡¯ve been standing still, living their lives. I could have said something, done something there, but I didn¡¯t. Why didn¡¯t I? I just let someone get hurt. But last time I did something, I killed people. I¡¯m not human. I don¡¯t get to interact with them as if I¡¯m one of them.


    ¡­


    I expected this period to be a moment of further reflection, but it hasn¡¯t panned out that way. Ava getting violent was out of the ordinary too. As far as I know, she is the passive one and Shula is the aggressive one. It¡¯s out of character to say the least. I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut and watch for a bit, and I won¡¯t alter any more memories from this point forward. Something is going on that I don¡¯t know about, and that¡¯s odd because I know everything. These are my memories after all.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hey Tedd, you alright after all that?¡± Balor asked me, hand once again on my shoulder. Does he not understand how much I viscerally hate it when he touches me?


    I smile in response for a few seconds, tilting my head over to face him. But the longer I look at him, and feel his condescending hand on me, the more it just pisses me off. My face decays into a frown. ¡°Balor. Seriously? You let her slap you and then do that?¡± I accuse.


    Balor looked to Demi and Kiara before answering me. ¡°..what was I supposed to do? Throw her into the floor, pull out my gun and shoot her? Her boyfriend is right there, and he pulled her back before she killed someone. And I de-escalated the situation as best as possible.¡± He explained irately, gradually leaning into my face, before he paused and snickered at me. ¡°You¡¯re really gonna come at me here, Gearbox?¡±


    I raised my voice and pressed my head against his, ¡°My name is Tedd. Don¡¯t call me gearbox.¡±


    ¡°Or what?¡± Balor responds quietly, pressing his index finger to my chest and pushing me away. ¡°You¡¯ll come up to me and talk shit to my face in front of my friends? Because were we on the street right now, you¡¯d be picking your teeth off the ground for saying that shit.¡± He reminded me. But what gives him the right to say that? Or any of them? I don¡¯t see magnetic plates on any of them, I don¡¯t see wires routed through their heart and brain. I don¡¯t see the visors on their heads, limiting their view of the world around them to their imagination.


    ¡°Or I¡¯m gonna set you straight- all of you. Because I just watched every single one of you let that happen.¡± I piped up with righteous naivety, standing up tall in front of Balor. I was still an inch below him. But his face softened, not a spot of rage despite my provocation. ¡°Look, Tedd. I know you¡¯re confused and angry. This must be really overwhelming for you.¡± He patronised me, placing his fucking hand on my shoulder again. I wanted to swat it off so badly, but I shrunk into my head because he was right. I¡¯m overwhelmed, and-


    ¡°We can talk about it later, alright..? Feel free to sit down, we¡¯re gonna be on the dance floor, but you don¡¯t have to join if you don¡¯t feel comfortable.¡± Balor¡¯s words echoed, as if he said them to me five minutes ago. My body was hunched as if sitting down. They were already long gone now, weren¡¯t they? Their bodies were jumping, swaying, and twirling while I sat still like an inhuman statue. They were all enjoying themselves, while I was fighting off a strange urge to cry. If I had to describe the emotion, it¡¯s a certain self-loathing confusion that I feel every time I see people talking and interacting with each other. Come to think of it, I wasn¡¯t aware of that feeling until now, was I? I¡¯m probably overthinking it in that case.


    ¡°Two hours pass fast when you¡¯re bored, don¡¯t they?¡± Mumbled Cade, black hair woven between his fingers which gripped his sweating forehead. A nearly empty glass containing ethanol alcohol and mango extract rolled around in circles in front of him, his fingers guiding the bottom around. ¡°Are you tired or something? You haven¡¯t had anything to drink.¡± Cade slurred, breath reeking of alcohol as he engaged me further. But what is the difference between engaging me and a brick wall? I¡¯m not human like the rest, a conversation with me is beyond useless. I cannot contribute anything of relevance to their lives, their minds, so far disconnected from my own.


    ¡­


    Hello. I am the Owl. I think, I SPEAK, I FEEL, I CRY, I EAT, AND I BLEED, AND I CRY, AND I THINK, AND I THINK, AND I CRY, AND I FEEL, AND I FEEL, AND THINK, AND THINK,


    and I know. I¡¯m human, just like you. Just different, just like you. Just different, just like everyone. Just like everyone. Just like no one. Just different, but not different like you, different like me.


    ¡­


    ¡°Fucking jackass, if you¡¯re with them you must be way too important to talk to me, huh. If you¡¯re so above me, how come your whole body is shaking like you¡¯re so fucking scared of me you can¡¯t even answer a question?¡± Cade pressed further, tearing out a few strands of his black hair and slamming his fist into the table.


    I lift my heavy head and face him with the visor bolted into my skull. ¡°I don¡¯t get tired. My daily maintenance ensures I never need to eat or sleep-¡± I shut up quickly, as something clicked. I don¡¯t have maintenance anymore. And since I¡¯m human, that means that without food and sleep, my body and mind will naturally reduce in their efficiency. I correct myself, my voice cracking from holding my breath. ¡°Actually, yes I am tired. And yes, I haven¡¯t drank anything.¡± I corrected myself, and let out a sigh as I resumed breathing normally, and my sitting posture slacked down to its natural slouch.


    ¡°Oh shit, my bad dude.¡± Cade blurted, jumping back in his seat as he watched me suddenly stop shaking and straighten myself out, and stare directly at him. ¡°You just reminded me of someone, so I lost it,¡±


    ¡°Reminded you of who?¡± I inquired, straightening myself once again and staring intently at him.


    Cade¡¯s eyes twitch again, and his body jerks back. Flinching, right? ¡°That girl who beat the shit out of the waitress. Ava Frithia. Also my supposed girlfriend, but like I¡¯ve only known her for 8 days and we¡¯re just hooking up.¡± He prattled on, saying things I don¡¯t really understand nor care about- aside from her name and the fact the two have a relation to one another.


    I shake my head idly and interrupt him with another question. ¡°You¡¯re the one I should have been mad at then. Why didn¡¯t you-¡±


    He swiftly pulls down the neck of his hoodie, revealing several scars in the shape of human teeth. He then lifted his hoodie up from the bottom, revealing long white scars along his stomach, and some thin red scab tissue. He then pulled up his sleeves, one after another, revealing bruising which thinly wrapped around his wrists. ¡°Because I can¡¯t say no to her.¡±


    My eyes widened in shock and confusion. A small part of me felt a heat resonating from my groin, as I envisioned her causing this to him, as I envisioned him letting her- I shook my head violently. This isn¡¯t an arousing situation. He doesn¡¯t want this. The heat from my groin is only growing, and I find myself entranced by his scars, especially the recent wounds that were still red, and the bruises. I kept a cool composure, appearing angered- confused, and no, I should be. This shouldn¡¯t be an appearance, it should be genuine- I should be disgusted by this.


    ¡°Dude?¡± Cade questioned, his voice shaking ever so lightly.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you say no?¡± I asked genuinely.


    ¡°Because,¡± Cade sighed, then clenched his fist tightly. ¡°I let her wire me. She¡¯s in my head. She has full control over my mind. If I wanna say no, she can just change me. Make me want it, like it, say yes. If I wanna be a certain way in public she doesn¡¯t like? She can change me. Just like,¡± Cade snapped, ¡°That.¡±


    ¡°How? Are you saying she- put wires in you? Piercing your skin with the conductors of an incomplete conscience that is not your own,¡± I began, glimmers of hope shining through my monotonous manner as I thought maybe, just maybe, he¡¯s like me?


    Cade laughed at me in pity. ¡°No. Worse, I already had wires in me. I just gave her the fucking keys. I uploaded a copy of my conscience to her starry,¡±


    ¡°What is a starry? I heard you mention it earlier when you pulled her away from that drone, I mean that waitress.¡±


    Cade narrowed his eyes at me when I said ¡®drone¡¯, then leaned into the table. ¡°You know about wires, right? It¡¯s the STARYX brand mindcloud implant, full frontal lobe, visual cortex, and cerebral cortex as well. Its features are geared towards cog art, but-¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡± I halted him. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re saying. Can you start from the beginning? Or at least point me in the right direction?¡±


    ¡°You know, if you had an implant too this would be a lot easier.. I find it hard to believe you don¡¯t.¡± Cade accused me. ¡°You¡¯re geared up head to toe, and that visor¡­ not to mention Ferrum¡¯s logo is visible to anyone with basic cog wires under your collarbone there.¡±


    ¡°Cade,¡± I raise my voice.


    ¡°Turn around, dude. I have an idea.¡± Cade insisted.


    ¡­


    I am human. I promise. Deca Machina, why is this so frightening? This no longer feels like a memory. This emotion feels so intense. Apprehension. Curiousity. As if I¡¯ve randomly stumbled upon a major point of relevance in my life. I thought this period would be one of self reflection, and would have no relevance to Full Conscience.


    ¡­


    I obey Cade and turn around in my seat, revealing to him the back of my neck.


    A startled and excited gasp escaped him. ¡°H-H-Holy¡­ Holy mother of god! That¡¯s a motherfucking Brighton implant! Do you know how rare those are? No, how did you get it? I¡¯ve only heard rumors! The most potent wire around, so goddamn sought after because it¡¯s a full-nervous implant, but isn¡¯t even connected to the mindcloud servers- Using a portion of your brain as a control centre, it can access the entire fucking network, but rejects inbound traffic like Ava rejects men with good intentions!¡±


    My head is really spinning now. Brighton. Dr. Xavier Brighton, my handler. Any information regarding his works is classified, how would the public know about this¡­?


    ¡°Jesus you really don¡¯t know.. what, did someone sedate you and sneak a Brighton implant in you without even telling you what that shit does? You do realize, you¡¯re probably the only one in all of Deca Machina who is completely immune to the system controlling all of us?¡± He was envious of me, wasn¡¯t he? Because I can¡¯t be controlled, or something. I don¡¯t think he understands though. I can be controlled. I¡¯m aware of when it¡¯s happening and all, but that only adds to the pain when I¡¯m watching myself be strung along like a puppet. I¡¯m not immune. I¡¯m everyone¡¯s robot to program. A public experiment.


    ¡°Cade. I know who Dr. Xavier Brighton is. I grew up with him and he is the one who pierced my skin with his wires, encased me in the metal I wear.¡± I reiterate. Now I haven¡¯t told him this before, but it feels like I¡¯ve said it a million times.


    He shook his head. ¡°There is so much you need to know, dude. I can¡¯t put it into words.¡± He mumbled, clearly on cloud nine as he marvelled at the X mark on my visor and the back of my neck. He began reaching for my neck and rolling up his sleeve. I jerked around, pushing my seat out with my feet, staring at him in a standoff. His arm still stretched out, holding a black magntic bead attached to a wire pulled out from one of the ports on his arm.


    I spoke sternly, ¡°What is that, and what were you about to do to me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He lurched across the table, grabbing onto my hair and turning my head so my neck was facing him, before he pressed the bead into a port below my neck. What is this feeling? It¡¯s so strange.


    ¡­


    Fuck. Fuck, fuck FUCK, FUCK! I¡¯ve lost connection to my memories! I know I¡¯m not dead, I know I¡¯m not dead yet. I don¡¯t see any memories beyond this point though. I could very well be dead.


    Am I dead? This is not how my life goes, not at all. This event wasn¡¯t even supposed to happen. This is the part where I fight Balor and then reveal him for the antagonistic and deceptive piece of shit he is. Not get zapped out of consciousness by some random guy. This guy doesn¡¯t even hold relevance to my life, he¡¯s-


    I¡¯m dead aren¡¯t I? My Active Restraint System has a feature built in which is capable of placing me into a state of near death. As I mentioned earlier. But without the life support systems in the sky, how am I supposed to come back? Seeing as I¡¯ve seen my entire life play out once already, I know my body doesn¡¯t have a natural life support system like I thought in the past. That was them.


    And right now I don¡¯t have a life support system, and the off switch to my BRAIN was just flipped by a random guy at a bar.


    I didn¡¯t expect this to be how my story ends.


    Thanks for joining me. Looks like I didn¡¯t survive after all. What the hell.


    I can¡¯t put into words how goddamn bitter I am that after all this effort, I still couldn¡¯t make it through¡­


    Goodbye.


    ¡­

 Ava Frithia, Our Conscience

    Wait a minute. If I was actually dead and my brain was deactivated. I wouldn¡¯t be able to think right now, would I?


    No.. no no, no, no no, oh fuck! Did I just do what Cade mentioned earlier and let him wire me? No- even worse, all my memories are gone. These were never memories at all were they? These periods of my life I thought I was recalling, that was just a warped perception of my life I had due to the drugs they had me on, wasn¡¯t it? I felt like I was an outsider looking in, when I¡¯ve been the goddamn subject I was observing all along. FUCK!


    ¡­


    ¡°Heha, good morning to you too. I guess Cade did a good job bringing you here, didn¡¯t he? By the way, He doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Ava teased, her soft face hovering a mere inch above mine. She had bright pink eyes, luscious black hair. God, the volume. So thick and smooth, not a single stray hair in sight, it almost glowed. Perfectly shaped eyebrows, thin, attentive- finely trimmed. Two silver rings  on her right brow. Pearly white skin, not a hint of human tone left. The pure alien beauty of an albino goddess.


    So here I am, in her bed. Her bead is attached to the back of her neck, her lips brushing mine, her weight crushing me as she lays on me, but it¡¯s nothing I¡¯m not used to with what I wear every day. Her hand rubbed my cheek. It¡¯s so cold. Yet I don¡¯t want it to leave. I don¡¯t want to leave. ¡°I want to stay with you forever~¡± I murmur lovingly, my body overwhelmed with feeling so my mind cannot think.


    ¡°You can! I¡¯ll be with you forever. Don¡¯t worry, I can see what you¡¯re thinking, you don¡¯t have to try to explain.¡± She assures me, wrapping her arms around my body, encased in metal. ¡°You¡¯re scared, but I won¡¯t hurt you. Unless you want me to.¡± She invited me, swinging her hips on top of me, and claiming her seat. This warmth in my groin again, what is it?


    ¡­


    What?


    ¡­


    ¡°R-really? You aren¡¯t scared of me..? You don¡¯t think I¡¯m inhuman, or strange, or-¡±


    Her finger muted my lip. ¡°I think you¡¯re really cute, and smart, and you make me feel safe.¡± She praised, a grin crawling up her face as she watched my body relax, as she felt my mind give way to her every word.


    ¡­


    Stop. Stop it. This isn¡¯t something I want. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on. Or where I am. I see bright lights, I see her face, I see her chest, I see her hands on mine, I see her lips moving as she speaks, I see her piercing pink eyes. Where am I in this picture?


    ¡­


    ¡°Hey.. hey wait. Where a-am I, if it¡¯s okay to ask that?¡± I stutter, as I watch her face so closely, analysing it like a computer for the slightest hint of disapproval. Anything I could latch onto. I knew this wasn¡¯t what I wanted. I know I could break through, I knew I could still choose. I just have to find my choice. I just have to last until it becomes clear. Until it becomes clear.


    ¡­


    You know you¡¯re going to hurt her. Regardless of how you do it. If you wait for your evidence that she isn¡¯t what you want and then seperate from her, you¡¯ll hurt her. And if you do it right now before you know, you¡¯ll hurt her less. Why are you doing this?


    Because I¡¯ve never felt accepted before.


    What about Adam?


    He was imaginary. What we had was a connection, and a crucial part of my life, Adam kept me mentally afloat when I was so alone and afraid.


    He hurt you too. You hurt him too.


    Who is Adam?


    He doesn¡¯t matter anymore. You have someone who truly cares about you in your arms right now. You need to let yourself care about her in turn. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s


    ¡­


    ¡°Hey, look. It¡¯s fine. Look. I¡¯m here now. I¡¯m here. It¡¯s okay.¡± She assured me, curling my head into her arms, into her chest.


    ¡°W-where am I though?¡± I stammer again. God, her words of assurance feel so good. Why am I even asking where I am? I¡¯m with her. That¡¯s all that matters.


    ¡°You¡¯re in my house, my little Owl.¡± She assured me softly, stroking my sweat-knotted hair.


    ¡°Where is cay, where is Cade?¡± I stammer. My breathing sped up, as I took in the scent of lavender. A black roof is above me, with LED strips stuck on. Controlled by the wires inside her body, commanded by her mind linked to them, just like mine.


    ¡­


    Good god. Don¡¯t you remember what the Obelisk said, what YOU also said?


    ¡­


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t exist, remember?¡± She laughed it off, and pressed her face into mine, something wet from her lips dripped onto mine, something fleshy and moving- her tongue. It¡¯s disgusting.


    ¡°I spoke to the machine, using what I call, full conscience.¡± I repeated to her. The lustful gaze in her eyes contorted. ¡°And I said, If you touch me again, I will stop pretending to be someone else. I will stop pretending to be the person you want me to be, and I will violate my own desires and wishes for the sake of personal growth.¡±


    Ava slowly moved her body off of mine. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying to you, you know. About those Brighton wires of yours. Rejects inbound traffic like I reject men with good intentions.¡± She said in defeat, and slinked off me. She began sliding her black leggings back on, then pulled her black hoodie back over her noticeably large frame. I could have sworn she was smaller. Was she using cog art to slim herself down, or just change her bone structure?


    Wait. I know what cog art is? When did I learn that?


    ¡­


    Deca Machina, what just happened to me?


    This period was an odd one. It seems I got disconnected from my past self for a moment, thanks to something taking over my neurological processes. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m back now. I hope I didn¡¯t confuse you too much, you¡¯re probably the only one following me in this deep after all.


    ¡­


    With a sudden click, Cade is sitting in front of me again, hands wavering as he carefully moves back from me. ¡°Dude, you¡¯re in reality right? I gotta ask just to be safe. What¡¯s my name? Where are you right now?¡± Cade questioned, staring at me intently.


    I coughed, and fell over staring at the table, my face an inch away from planting into it. ¡°I¡¯m in Deca Machina, at Zev¡¯s, a local bar in District 9. I came here with the high profile criminal organisation known as The Scourge. You are Decade Gene, a cognitive arts dropout who is in a one sided open relationship with a third year cognitive arts student, Ava Frithia, of whom-¡±


    Cade shoved a hand over my mouth. ¡°Good. Good, you know. Fuck.. I guess I do know a thing or two.¡±


    ¡°Cade what did you do?¡± I press, bringing my arms up and comfortably leaning into the table. Sucks I can¡¯t move my fingers though.


    ¡°I wired you. Only way to do that to a Brighton wire is a direct connection to the access port. Blocks inbound traffic, so a physical connection to the internal system is the only way.¡± He explained. ¡°So, do you know anything new?¡±


    My eyes widen behind the visor magnetically secured to my skull, with an electromagnet far too strong to be removed by anything of this world. I thought it was bolted into my skull before, but that wouldn¡¯t really make sense. A spark of knowledge whittled across my brain. ¡°I actually do. I can talk to any device with wireless capability using my thoughts. My thoughts translate to reality, like when I used it to dial with Shula¡¯s phone.¡± A smile grew across my face the more I spoke. The more I normalised it.


    ¡°Now I uh.. I got a big ask from you. I wanna unwire myself from Ava. But there¡¯s only two ways to do that. Shut off the controller, or shut off the reciever. Our brains. Since you have a Brighton and all, something like a starry should be easy to shut off with a thought. It has division level clearance to the mindcloud network. You can shut her off for me right?¡± Cade pleaded. But he realises what he¡¯s saying right? He¡¯s asking me to kill her.


    ¡°Cade,¡±


    ¡°I know what you saw while you were wired to me. That¡¯s what it¡¯s like for me, man. At her command I become like that and there¡¯s nothing I can do to stop her. This isn¡¯t a relationship, it¡¯s a dependency and she owns me.¡± He begged further, clasping his hands around each other. I had to. After living through that, I can¡¯t imagine being subject to that. No, I can imagine it. And I hate it.


    ¡°Alright Cade. I¡¯ll do it. Even with the Brighton though, I need a frame of reference to know where she is and access something as complex as a wire.¡± I affirmed.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna wire you again. You.. know how to get out of it now though. At the end there when you snapped out of it, your Brighton overloaded my bandwidth. Entire mindcloud database versus a subscription based low tier mindcloud service and a homemade wire, well¡­¡± He trailed off, as he pulled the bead out from his arm again, and attached it to my access port.


    ¡­


    Disconnected again am I? Why do I always feel like I¡¯m looking back, when I know damn well I¡¯ve never left the presence? I¡¯m not disconnected. I¡¯ve always been me. Me is all I am.


    Ava is terrified.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡­


    Hidden in the corner of the dance floor, masked by a cognitive veil. I felt her shudders as she watched her sister look in her direction, terrified she might know exactly where she was. Shula looked pissed. Ava could see why too, and without using cog assist. That poor girl wasn¡¯t even trying to hit on Cade, she was just greeting him. And like always, Ava flew off the handle at the first sign she could lose something important. Because she¡¯s never been important. And the moment she loses control over the things in her life, let¡¯s be honest, the people in her life, let¡¯s be more honest, her boyfriends, she won¡¯t matter anymore. Because she¡¯s only relevant if people have a reason to judge her, or a reason to start shit. She¡¯s useless and outside of creating conflict has no real way to engage with the world. No passion. No curiosity. No knowledge. Just beliefs and grudges, fears and boundaries, she would probably kill herself if not for the things that make her feel relevant.


    ¡°Ava.¡± I call quietly, ¡°I can see you.¡±


    ¡°Tedd?¡± She clambered.


    ¡°Yeah. Ava. I uh¡­ Cade told me some things about you. I need you to unwire him and let him go.¡± I ask nicely, stepping beside her as I speak. The disco lights shone through me of course, I¡¯m not really there. I¡¯m at a table with Cade, barely within sight of the dance floor.


    ¡°No. And I¡¯d suggest you stay out of my relationship. You¡¯re inside my wire right now, I could cause you brain death from here.¡± Ava threatens, turning to face me directly. Only she saw people walking through me, and rays of light obscuring my figure. But my pale glowing eyes revealed themselves to her. She¡¯s the first to see them.


    ¡°Ava, you¡¯ll hurt yourself if you do that. I¡¯m giving you a chance. Come on-¡± an ear piercing ring cut me off, along with a bitter cold that shot through my nerves. My body stiffened up as if I were frozen solid, and it felt like I was too. Fine. I¡¯ll let you see a bit of what goes on in my head, since you¡¯re so eager to reveal how vile yours is without hesitation.


    Die.


    ¡­


    I shrugged Cade off me, and the bead disconnected from my access port. I heard a couple screams from over by the dance floor, and someone shouting about someone bleeding from her nose and ears. I know what happened.


    I disrupted her wire, and it likely spiked her blood pressure and heart rate, perceiving it as imminent death. Her brain is shut off. Nothing left in it. Pray to Deca Machina her conscience is stored too, because that certainly wiped her memories. Only her wire would be able to turn it back on. Lucky for her, a wire can operate your vitals automatically. That part of your brain can¡¯t be shut off by your wire, not any normal wire. Mine can, but that¡¯s different.


    So she looks dead, but really, her conscience and most of her subconscious are shut off, with only life support systems online.


    A malicious smile rests upon my face. I had the power to spare her, and I tried to. She refused to comply, she refused to stop hurting him. She was incorrect, a defect that refused to remedy itself. So I made the logical decision. ¡°I removed the defective conscience from society.¡±


    Standing over me were the faces of my friends, no doubt wondering-


    ¡°I know you fucking did this shit.¡± Kiara spat, gripping the back of my head and lifting my hair up, revealing the cerebral access of my Brighton wire. ¡°I know what the fuck this is too, I was banking you didn¡¯t know what the hell it was or how to use it. That¡¯s what we get for trusting you right?¡± She raved in an obviously false joy, hand twitching on the back of my head. She let go and stepped away from me, mumbling something to Shula as she walked past. Shula stood still over me. Her palms were bleeding. Demi had a hand on her shoulder, so did Balor. ¡°The moment you step out of this building, Tedd. I am going to kill you.¡± She started coldly, tears fighting not to form. ¡°So you better fucking run as fast as you can while these two are holding me.¡±


    Balor looked down at me with a crooked grin, overjoyed at this outcome clearly. ¡°You should listen to her, Tedd.¡±


    I stood from my seat without speaking. My heart was racing, but it wasn¡¯t anger or righteousness I felt. It all faded to guilt, fear, and pure humiliation. I had no right to even talk right now. Ava was in Shula¡¯s arms, still dripping some blood and unconscious.


    Step by step I approached the exit, and with a swing the door opened before me. I left.


    ¡­


    This is the turning point, I believe. The first time I hurt people I cared about, and the first time I hurt someone while in a sound state of mind. I can¡¯t blame what I did to her on rage or panic. I did that knowing what would happen to Ava.


    In a previous period, I mentioned exploring myself in a way I was taught to never even think of, a taboo.


    This taboo is the capacity to feel anger, or malice, directed at someone other than myself. And past this point, that mental inhibitor is gone. So please don¡¯t hold this against me. After all, I am only human, and I can only suppress it so long.


    ¡­


    What happened to Ava? I can¡¯t very well ignore her after what I did. And I know about my wire now. So I can probably spy on her mind or something, since she¡¯s unconscious and all. Can¡¯t reject a connection if she isn¡¯t even awake to receive it.


    ¡­


    This is going to need to stop. I¡¯m losing access to my memories when this happens. I¡¯ve managed to synchronize myself to the moment my conscience wires into another, so I can remain aware just long enough to know I¡¯m about to lose sight.


    But who am I kidding. I¡¯m lying to myself. Ava is what I need to focus on right now.


    ¡­


    A bungalow with a black exterior. Weathered from the flood, but generally intact. On the interior, charred holes in the walls reveal all of the water pipes burst and had icicles forming below. Sealed beverages had cracked open from freezing. The ceilings and walls were charred, and all the highly flammable materials in the house had been burned considerably. Traces of my power lingered on the scene. Two bodies sat at a dining table, one a cold hearted nymph, the other a burning heart eating itself alive with its own bitter rage.


    Her house is destroyed, and she has no idea why. The walls and floors are burnt and charred pieces are still falling as she looks around. As if the house caught on fire, right? Then why can she see through the burned holes, burst pipes, and icicles hanging down from the underside? Her sister sat at the table opposite her.


    She can¡¯t remember anything she said. The whole memory has faded. Everything but Shula¡¯s disappointed glare. The resentment in her eyes. Her sister didn¡¯t even want to speak to her. No, her sister wanted her to disappear. And she wanted to disappear too.


    I rest my chin on her head, pushing down her silky black hair. ¡°Well, you got your wish. You disappeared, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re brain dead. I¡¯m the only thing keeping you alive right now.¡± I half tease, though I had to bite back tears. Dr. Brighton told me it¡¯s best to laugh things off when something terrible happens. But I¡¯m the only one laughing, because I won. I ended it. What kind of sick person enjoys this, the feeling of completely holding power over someone, and using it to judge them and punish them? If it were me, I would use this power to love someone.


    ¡­


    Then why don¡¯t you?


    ¡­


    ¡°Oh.¡± She dreaded. ¡°It¡¯s you. Tedd.¡±


    The moment she knew I was there, she left her little memory. The floor under my feet shifted into knee deep snow, the air conditioning sped up, until it picked up from a strong draft to a bitter gale, so cold I already felt my nose freezing and my lips cracking. The house around us crumbled down, charred walls and ceiling blowing away in the wind like snowflakes and revealing dark gray skies. Ava stood up from where she sat and turned around to face me with different eyes. Glowing, white, like polished titanium. ¡°Disappear?¡± She laughed, and leaned into my face. ¡°No. Look around you. I¡¯m,¡± She breathes in deeply, a crazed grin slowly creeping up her cracked lips.


    ¡°Everywhere!¡± Ava shouted into the blizzard, and thousands of eyes stared at me from the depths of the storm, each pair her own. My head ached, like they were all poking and prodding at me to learn everything and anything about me. My darkest secrets. My fears. My love life?


    I step forward, making contact with her. The moment my body touched hers, the eyes slammed shut, and the whirling snowflakes froze in time. ¡°No. You¡¯re here.¡± I stated, and let my head drop onto hers. It was warm, despite the snow weighing me down almost as much as my plates. ¡°That starry of yours. You put an illegal module in it, didn¡¯t you. That¡¯s why your mind is covered in snow. You know this is stopping you from processing emotions properly, right?¡±


    Ava stepped back from me, and in her wake, a wall of dense snow rose up to block me from her vision. It multiplied itself, expanding left, right, and into the sky, until as far as I could see was a barrier between us.


    ¡°Ava. Ava, listen to me.¡± I rest my head on the wall, squinting my eyes under my visor. It¡¯s getting really cold. I don¡¯t want her to die.


    Her mouth formed on the outside of the snowy wall. ¡°I¡¯m not going to die. I fucking know what the IC3QU33N module does, okay? Cade made it himself. He gave it to me before we were dating. Tedd, do you know how shitty my life was before this? I couldn¡¯t even walk outside without feeling everyone¡¯s eyes on me. Seeing how disgusting I was. Watching application after application get denied. Assignment after assignment, failed. Like the world is looking for a reason to push me away. Because I can¡¯t fucking do anything right. I¡¯m supposed to be smart and successful, my IQ is 35 points higher than my sister, and she actually graduated from Rex-U with a Level 1 Military Clearance for District 9. I was forecasted to get an Executive placement. By my third year, I still hadn¡¯t even qualified for Workforce!¡± She vented. Her words drove nails into my mind one after another. None of this checks out.


    She sobbed, as droplets of ice formed around the wall between us. ¡°But when I met Cade, when he gave me this, everything changed. I know why they hold me back. I know why they look at me that way. They¡¯re afraid of me because I¡¯m better. They don¡¯t want ME to win.¡± She grimaced.


    My confused frown grew to an angered scowl, then my mouth opened slightly, then closed and my face was blank. My nose twitched. ¡°What?¡± I ask plainly, having not understood anything she just told me.


    ¡°Did you not hear a single thing I just said?¡± The mouth in the wall spoke dully.


    ¡°No, I just¡­ It¡¯s really stupid. Why would people be disgusted looking at someone pretty and popular like you? Jealous maybe. And I know for a fact our education system is designed to help people succeed. If you¡¯re having this level of difficulty, there¡¯s an outside factor of some kind preventing you from giving school your attention. Ava. Is there something you aren¡¯t quite telling me?¡± I prod, pressing my hand into the snowy wall before me.


    ¡°No. There¡¯s nothing else to it, Tedd. I know I¡¯m the girl everyone wants gone. You can see it in their eyes, hear it in that fucking venom that laces their words when they speak to me.¡± She deadpanned.


    I felt something deep within my chest. A bitter pain, yet it was so warm. My eyes soften behind that visor of mine, and a feeling of complete warmth surges through me. I reach through her walls, and I touch her hand with the exterior of my wrist cage. ¡°I don¡¯t want you gone, Ava.¡± I spoke truthfully.


    What just happened to me? Cade told me exactly who she is. She hurt him. She cut him. She wired him, and he doesn¡¯t have a way out. He¡¯s the victim here. She hurt him. But he let her hurt him, right? And he¡¯s not stopping her either. Why isn¡¯t he stopping her? He made the ¡°IC3QU33N¡± module and put it in her wire, and also let her wire him. Why is it starting to sound like there¡¯s so much more to this story than I¡¯ve been told?


    I don¡¯t think she¡¯s really the one at fault here.


    There are people in the world who will say they feel scared, people who will say they feel hated, and people who say they feel misunderstood to mask the fact that they just want attention.


    Or are there? Do they just want attention, or is their problem simply too complex for you to understand? Is wanting attention the only way you can process it without going insane from trying to unpack it all?


    I watched as my thoughts bled into her, and the snowy wall came crumbling down. And just like a TV shutting off, I was blinded by a brief blip of light, before it went black.


    ¡­


    Disconnected again, but now I¡¯m back, as predicted. I¡¯ve found a way to maintain full awareness of when I disconnect and reconnect, and retain knowledge of events in between.


    Think of it like this.


    My connecting to my past to relive my life is like me joining someone else¡¯s game, and controlling their avatar. Whenever the connection gets cut, their avatar is all that¡¯s left, and I¡¯m not in the picture anymore.


    So I went a step higher. I hosted the game itself. Both the avatar and my connection to it now run directly through me.


    In other words, I¡¯ve disconnected my conscience from spacetime, and now I can see the whole continuum like a cosmic flow chart, except the flow chart is a hyperrealistic series of memories and I can barely tell whether I am remembering the past or living in the present. At least I can see ALL of it now. I didn¡¯t want to resort to this, but I desperately need to understand.


    Why did I die so young?


    But that¡¯s so bullshit, right. I¡¯m still alive. I¡¯m telling you this story. Right? Then again, it ends the moment you stop reading, and so do I, and all I¡¯ll ever stand for.


    ¡­

 Only Human, After All

    Good lord. I¡¯m starting to get scared. This life, these memories, these feelings. It¡¯s happening so fast, and I had no time to catch up. I¡¯m meant to be the grounding principle guiding you through my life. And look at me. Just breaking down in front of you as I struggle to watch myself. I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡­


    I¡¯ve run far enough away that I can¡¯t hear the machine gun drums anymore. Shula won¡¯t be able to chase me this far. If I tune into her wire I can see she¡¯s still at Zev¡¯s with her sister. Strange, considering she implied she was going to run after me and kill me. Funny how she¡¯s having second thoughts now that Ava woke up, isn¡¯t it? Maybe we shouldn¡¯t be making threats when we don¡¯t even know the full situation. Absolute monkey. Ava¡¯s brain is back online too, running at full capacity. ¡°And she was previously registered in my mind as the Nymph, right? That changed. She is now the Soul. I¡¯m not sure what that means to me.¡± I rambled under my breath, the metal soles of my boots making small splashes as I stumble zig-zagged across the sidewalk, avoiding stepping on every crack. ¡°Well I have some ideas. I had a strange feeling when I was inside her wire. I saw a part of her I don¡¯t think anyone else has seen. She isn¡¯t as full of herself as she presents.¡± I continue muttering, voice raising from a mumble. My head lifts up as I walk, and I can¡¯t feel the rain on my neck anymore. A familiar dizziness washes over me, as my perception shifts from myself to another. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s my wire or my power doing this, but I hope I find out soon.


    ¡­


    ¡°Demi, right? Hard to mistake that acid green hair for anyone else,¡± He laughed. Who¡¯s he?


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡± Demi answered warily, eyeing this unfamiliar man up and down. The alcohol is skewing the details, but he was tall, built, and had a very striking pair of pure gold rimmed smart glasses. ¡°Everyone knows me though. So you need me for something, or..¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°This establishment is hardly the place for any of that.¡± He waved over to the hearth, ¡°Put his tab on me.¡± He gestured kindly to Demi.


    Demi¡¯s eyes perked up, ¡°Well alright.¡± He chuckled. ¡°How are you, I¡¯m Demi. Friends call me Gira, last name.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€, or Sho if that¡¯s easier.¡± He introduced, before knocking on the table, and two shots were slid over. He took both, holding them between his fingers. He then threw them both in the air, and with insane precision- He stopped one just enough for the G-force to allow the liquid to fall in his mouth, swallowed the shot, then caught the glass and let the other fall, and stopped it just enough for the liquid to fall, then caught the glass. He placed the two glasses down smoothly, closing his mouth with a slight sour look.


    Demi¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Holy shit dude. I¡¯ve seen a lot in my life, but I have NEVER seen that. Where did you learn that?¡±


    ¡°Learned it from a doctor at Rex-U. He¡¯s gotta be the second smartest guy I ever met. I was studying for the theory part of my Level 3 Intelligence Officer.¡± Sho began, casually stating his rank as a Level 3 without a hint of pride. Maybe to discourage eavesdroppers from hearing? Or did he just not care?


    ¡°Excuse me, your what?¡± Demi replied with shock.


    Sho brushes off his excitement as if it were nothing, and continues on. ¡°He¡¯s like the prized jewel of Rex-U. He¡¯s never in a class for more than a week, he¡¯s a doctor in everything under the sun, and he got signed off the same day he walked in for my course.¡±


    ¡°So how did you learn a bar trick in class?¡± Demi prodded, curiosity piqued.


    ¡°The guy got bored. He pulled out a small bottle of vodka in class, and no one batted an eye. Slid two shot glasses in front of him, filled both half way. He explained to me how the liquid will fall if you stop the G-force of the glass, and if you time it just right, you can have it fall right back in both. And then he juggled them.  It made an illusion, that they were circling in the air without the vodka ever touching the shot glass.


    What I do is just an imitation, granted I had to practice two whole nights before I got it right.¡± Sho explained in full, a sly grin on his face as if he were proud to have even met this genius in question.


    Demi was awestruck, grinning stupidly. It must have been ages since he was told something that didn¡¯t involve a threat or someone getting hurt. That childlike grin on his face, I feel it hasn¡¯t been present since he founded the scourge. ¡°You¡¯re a Level 3 then? As in- You¡¯re the top ranking in military intelligence? You run the whole damn show?¡± He inquired further, he just wanted to be sure. Absolutely sure. That was a crazy claim after all.


    Sho gave but a chuckle in reply, then turned to face Demi, mouth close to his ear in a whisper. ¡°I got fired, man. I was flirting with an executive, the professor¡¯s daughter. He caught us making out after hours in his classroom. It was a week after I¡¯d graduated and we¡¯d just had a potluck celebration in the class for everyone who passed, we stayed behind and one thing led to another. And another led to the military intelligence director¡¯s father watching his daughter get-¡±


    Demi burst out in a sudden fit of laughter.


    He shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Next morning, mysteriously all my licenses and privileges were revoked.¡± Sho finished, raising a brow at Demi as he started to fall off his chair in hysterical laughter. It was almost like he hasn¡¯t really laughed in years.


    When he recovered from his laughing fit, Demi hobbled himself back up on his seat. ¡°That¡¯s gotta be competition for the most insane story I¡¯ve heard at this place.¡± He confessed, out of breath.


    ¡°If that¡¯s all it took, wait until you hear the story about how I exposed a stalker who was watching me at the bar through my wire. He went from the centre of attention to the laughing stock, and all it took was one, simple, trick.¡±


    ¡­


    A gut wrenching stake of panic ran through me. I stumbled into the nearest alley as I felt my heart rate jump. Did he know I was listening, or is that a real story? As my forehead leaned on the wall and the rocky texture itched my skin, I felt a sensation like a wire inside my brain severing itself. How do I describe what I¡¯m feeling right now, as my breathing becomes so rapid and hoarse that the back of my mouth feels like a desert? How do I even live like this. I¡¯ve been shoved into a world that hates me and I don¡¯t know how to tell it- how to tell it, I don¡¯t mean any harm. Please. Please give me a sign please someone please someone please please please someone please someone please give me a please give me me me give me give me give me a sign please someon-


    ¡°Hey. Kid, are you okay?¡± A stranger asked me, kneeling down in front of me as I hyperventilate on the cold pavement, staring desperately at the back of my visor, for once wishing I could finally see through me own eyes, and not through this machine that utterly controls me.


    The phantom stranger looked upon me with sympathy. Not pity. As if he had been in this exact same scenario not too long ago. But how could anyone, anyone possible relate to me? I¡¯m not human, after all, I¡¯m- ¡°You¡¯re only human, kid. And judging by that wire you¡¯ve got, that brain of yours must be fucked up.. God, I don¡¯t even wanna know what it is or how you got it. But take this. Trust me, it¡¯ll help.¡± The phantom stranger assured me, as he held out a device, glowing with numbers and symbols. It had a percentage marker on it, one marking the amount of fluid left inside it, the other marking the amount of power left inside it. ¡°It¡¯s a nicotine module. I can install it into your wire, seems to have more ports than stars in the sky.¡±


    ¡°Nicotine?¡± I said in shock. ¡°That¡¯s a banned substance. How do you even have something like that?¡±


    The phantom stranger chuckled at me, and moved around to my backside, and opened up a hatch I didn¡¯t even know was there. He inserted the module, and closed it with a satisfying click. ¡°Wait a couple seconds.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Haaah.. Haah.¡± I fell back against the wall, as my head spun, yet it was so empty. The hurricane of thoughts that race around inside me suddenly faded, and I could see the plain wall in front of me for what it was. The details of the world faded, and suddenly, I was in my own body.


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re feeling better now. See? You¡¯re only human. All it takes is a basic stimulant and you¡¯re normal.¡± The phantom stranger explained. He stood up, and gestured for me to do the same. I followed, and I stood, shakily. My legs felt almost numb, but it was a feeling I could tell I would get used to quickly. I grin, as a sudden revelation shot through me. ¡°I am human, aren¡¯t I? There¡¯s nothing wrong with me. Those assholes up in the sky conditioned me to think otherwise, but they aren¡¯t really in control of me anymore, are they?¡±


    ¡°Fuck no, kid. I don¡¯t know what the sky is, or who put a wire like that in you, but I assure you, we¡¯re all in the same boat down here. God, what happened to you?¡± The phantom stranger inquired.


    ¡°For my whole life, which is about 21 years, I was isolated inside a small space. A large laboratory, it¡¯s like a whole community in there, but I still felt so alone. The people in there weren¡¯t really my friends, and my parents, or that¡¯s what I call them, they weren¡¯t around me a lot. The more I grew, the more I was alone, and this wire of mine, and my people watching is the only way I could interact with others. You want me to be honest, stranger? I haven¡¯t had a real relationship with another human being not once in my entire life, aside from people trying to guide me, or me depending on others. And it¡¯s fucking stupid, and I¡¯m done.¡± I admit, shaking my head. ¡°And now here I am, locked up in these restraints. Still alone, even though I¡¯m out in the open.¡±


    The phantom stranger let out a hearty, theatrical laugh. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s fucking insane, I don¡¯t even know what to say. I¡¯ve been pretty alone throughout my life too, but I¡¯ve always had my friends if no one else.¡±


    I laugh in return. ¡°The only real friend I had was taken from me when I was ten, and by the time he came back to see me again, they¡¯d already wired me up so fucking bad I was afraid of him.¡±


    ¡°Actually, actually insane. The name is Quinn, by the way. Quinn Sterling.¡± He stated, and extended a hand for a handshake. Insulting gesture, to be honest.. Considering my hands are caged up. Though he kept it extended, expectantly, as if he didn¡¯t notice that my hands were caged inside-


    What the fuck is happening?


    I start to move my fingers, feeling them move as if they were never caged. I feel metal encasing them, heavy metal. Though each finger moves, individually, the machine that encases them moving along with it. ¡°Quinn? What did you do? My fingers, they¡¯re moving?¡±


    Quinn Sterling smirked at me. ¡°Well, I heard from a bird that you think your hands are caged. They aren¡¯t. You have some pretty heavy-ass gauntlets on, but the moment I put that module in, it changed shape, and your fingers are encased in metal sure- but they move. Like some mecha gloves.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me.¡± I grin defiantly, and lift my hand, grasping his, and shaking it. ¡°Good to meet you, Quinn. I¡¯m Tedd.¡±


    ¡°No last name, none at all?¡± Quinn jested, removing his hand and wringing it around as if he just placed his hand inside a vice grip. He probably did.


    ¡°No. Just Tedd. They didn¡¯t afford me the luxury of a real name, so I just got a name from someone I met down here. Shula, from the Scourge. But I fucked up and nearly killed her sister, so guess what, she hates me now, and so does everyone I¡¯ve met since I¡¯ve came down here. Actually, I think you¡¯re the only person I haven¡¯t made enemies with.¡± I went on, as a spark grew inside my chest. A spark of confident apathy, I¡¯ll call it.


    ¡°Well, news for you, Tedd. I don¡¯t really give a shit about anything or anyone, but one thing I don¡¯t like seeing is a kid having a panic attack inside his own mind while hugging his knees on the side of the street. So if you ever get in that head of yours. Call on me. I¡¯d give you my mindwire ID, but with that wire of yours, you already know don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your ID is.. Oridryn, right?¡± I ask confusedly. It was a strange name after all.¡±


    ¡°Goddamn right, and don¡¯t forget it. I¡¯m the only one in the world with that name, so you remember, if you see it, that¡¯s me.¡± Quinn said with a finger pointed in the centre of my visor. ¡°I¡¯ll be off now, Tedd. I hope we meet again, toodles~¡±


    ¡­


    Oridryn? Why is that name so familiar to me? No, it doesn¡¯t matter. The fact is, this was an unforeseen event. I was supposed to be contacted by Shorell from here, and led to Lynn¡¯s office, where we had a deep conversation about what I¡¯m supposed to do next. Lynn is supposed to be the one and only place I can go where I feel safe in this time period. I¡¯m not supposed to be sufficient on my own. I never was. Not until now. So why, why am I gaining this level of full conscience so early?


    ¡­


    As the door to Zev¡¯s opens again, I briefly catch the machine gun drums and techno melody leaking out noise pollution into the street. Shula, Demi, Sho, Ava, and Kiara pop out into my peripheral vision. I guess I¡¯d better get the hell away from them, after all, I wouldn''t want Shula to make good on her promise. So I tucked back into the alley I nearly lost myself in, and I watched as everyone passed right by me. I shuddered slightly as Demi and Shula specifically walked by me as if I was a ghost. And as Balor walked by, part of me thought he looked my way- But I could tell not even he knew I was there. All of them flood by, and as I peek my head out of the alley, they¡¯re all walking by ahead of me.


    ¡°So much for- Tedd the first.¡± I mumbled. ¡°You won¡¯t ever have to talk about it, so long as you reject the issues you face. Push them away, attack them. Pretend they won¡¯t come back. You know I¡¯m not going anywhere, right?¡± I spoke with more volume than I realized, facing my friends who were walking away from me. Yet not one of them turned their heads. They all stopped at an intersection, and Balor pushed a button on a traffic light post. The walk indicator blinked on, and the storm of rushing traffic ceases. The Scourge crossed the road, and just like that, the storm of traffic resumed, and they were out of sight, but still living in my mind rent-free.


    ¡°Hey dude. You look like shit.¡± Sneered a familiar voice from behind me.


    ¡°Oh. Cade. The one who got me into this mess in the first place. I have a few choice words for you. Go swallow the barrel of a gun.¡± I respond apathetically.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be so quick to tell me to fuck off. You want to have friends, right? You just got off on the wrong foot. I assure you, the scourge doesn¡¯t hate you. Ava is their weakest link after all. Only reason why they¡¯re all so sour is because Shula is so important to them, so to see her hurting, it pisses them off. If you make up with one of those two, you¡¯ll be in their good graces.¡± Cade explained with a devilish grin. ¡°You know, I can help you.¡±


    ¡°You can help me? Cade, you have done nothing but lie to me thus far. You¡¯ve been manipulating Ava. When I went inside of her wire, I-¡±


    Cade cut me off, putting a finger to my lips. ¡°Yeah I know, I manipulated you too. Lied to you actually. There are a multitude of ways to un-wire yourself from someone, including blocking them on social media, or just flat out placing their inbound traffic on a firewall in your wire¡¯s settings, even the most basic wires have it.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you!?¡± I shouted out, rage flashing through me as I grabbed Cade¡¯s hoodie and swung him, slamming him into the alley wall. ¡°Cade, I almost KILLED her! I almost killed someone, you made me almost KILL someone I care about, someone my friends care about! You made her out to be a monster, when she¡¯s just someone who¡¯s hurting because she depends on YOU!¡± I ranted, my grip on him becoming tighter, and only now do I notice I have a hand gripping his neck.


    ¡°Ack-¡± He choked, ¡°Tedd- Tedd, you¡¯re-¡±


    I let him go and back off quickly as soon as I realised. ¡°Sorry- I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t realize I was-¡±


    Cade moved in as soon as I let up, stabbing a needle into my neck. I didn¡¯t have time to react, it flowed quickly, and I soon fell down, only able to look up at him and listen. ¡°I was helping you in the long run. And it looks like you¡¯ve realised those hands of yours aren¡¯t caged at all. I wanted to show you what you¡¯re capable of with that wire. What¡¯s the point of having so much power if you don¡¯t even know you have it? You¡¯re a god in this world of wires and cognitive manipulation, Tedd. And you¡¯re using it on yourself too. You thought that visor was bolted into your head, when it¡¯s only an electromagnet. And you thought your hands were caged, when they¡¯re only restrained by armored gloves. Which are controlled by your wire as well, mind you.¡±


    ¡°Cade..¡± I murmur. ¡°You know an awful lot about me for someone I¡¯ve never met. Who are you?¡±¡°Tedd, if I told you that, it would be no fun. But I think there¡¯s a certain enemy who you need to deal with now. Does killjoy ring a bell?¡± Cade moved in closer to me, whispering so quietly yet his voice was so loud.