( 1 ) "This isn't my home, but it is to those I care about." -Jensen
On a quiet night in 2066, a lone pastor walked through the fog and rain as he stepped into the Church of Augmentation on the east side of Austin, Texas. The massive multi-story structure welcomed him as he walked through the atrium of the church and found himself beneath two griffons standing tall and locking claws with one another. The pastor eyed the sight and shrunk a bit. He didn’t know what to make of the mythological beings welcoming him to the newest church in town. To him, their presence seemed more demonic than natural.
The atrium spanned upwards higher than the roof of the building as a glass dome covered the entire surface of the ceiling. Support beams stretched from a mural encircling the perimeter of the dome. Painted figures stood in positions below each support pillar with their arms wrapped around a painted beam that slowly shifted into the real support structure holding up the ceiling. Each person holding a beam looked distinct, as though the artist had taken extra care to render the details on each individual. The glass and support columns stretched all the way to the center, where a large open aperture allowed the rain to fall down along the side of the raised glass circle in the center. He could see open grating allowing the rain to cascade from the sides of the circle. A painting of the sun rested in the center of glass. The rain fell into a large sculpture in the middle where a tree house of metal and wood stood in the center of the room. The leaves swayed and the pastor reached out to touch them. A crisp sensation met his fingers as he felt the leaves and concluded they were real. A small pond formed within a deep indentation surrounding the tree house and spread out to the pool between a constructed grassy area with benches and tables.
“My God,” the pastor as he knelt down and stroked the grass. The interior of this church is more beautiful than the exterior of my own.
A small set of lighting illuminated a glass wall at the back of the church. Through the wall, the pastor was able to see the interior where services were held in a large auditorium with ascending seating facing down towards a stage at the bottom. Instead of a podium, there were two semi-circular tables in the center of the stage area. They remained disconnected between their separate ends by only a few feet. A beautiful reflective surface hung at an angle above the semi-circles facing towards the audience seating. The pastor could see that, at this angle, the meeting tables made a perfect eye shape with the spherical logo of the Church of Augmentation resting in the center on the floor. The logo consisted of a robotic hand reaching out to hold a human hand gently beckoning. At first, the pastor thought he saw the sun behind the logo, but upon closer inspection, he realized there were two small figures holding up a single light source in the distance of the image. He wondered what it meant.
The pastor stepped to the side of the entrance to the main service area and stopped in front of a wall covered in photographs from the grand opening of the church. He saw many people celebrating with one another as they smiled and posed for photos. The pastor laughed when he saw some of the images where several members had painted over one another instead of painting the side of the church. He examined a few photos were several people had painted mechanical parts of their body with various bright colors as they proudly showed them off. “So that’s where some of my congregation went,” he said to no one.
A church plaque stood in the middle of the wall of photos. It was laser-etched in tones of silver and black. The sheen off the smooth surface invited the pastor to rest his hand upon it as he read the words in his mind.
On this August 23rd, 2066,
the Austin, Texas, Church of Augmentation was dedicated
to the brave pioneers in technology
who strive to bring us closer to a happier and more peaceful
world of tomorrow.
We welcome members of all faiths and philosophies
to an atmosphere of peace and openness with one another
We protect and nurture those of various backgrounds,
including but not limited to, varying beliefs,
genders, sexual orientations, nationalities, cultural backgrounds,
and technological expression.
Welcome home.
The pastor sighed as he looked around. “Can’t help but feel something’s missing.”
A soft, gentle voice spoke up behind him. “What do you think is missing?”
The pastor turned around and stared. He didn’t know how to greet the small, bipedal pony mare standing with benevolent eyes as she held her hands down in front of her. She smiled serenely with light aqua eyes that matched her mane and tail. Her coat color was very light peach, almost close to a natural human skin tone. The pastor found himself blushing for a second until he realized that pony nudity wasn’t as revealing as human nudity. A small red flower bow sat in her hair and a lavender collar and red tie hung on her neck. The collar was not connected to a shirt of any kind.
“Oh...hello,” he said extending his hand. She took it in her own and he noticed her grasp was firm. He could feel the strength of the grip before she let go.
“I’m Coco. Coco Pommel,” she said as her tail flicked from side to side. “I am the Arbiter of this branch. Are you interested in the Church of Augmentation?”
“Very much so,” the pastor said. “I’m Pastor Anselm.” He was about to explain what church he was from when Coco’s words repeated in his mind. “What does an Arbiter do?”
“An Arbiter is responsible for guiding church members when it comes to tough decisions related to good will and morality. I also mediate disputes between members and function as a speaker from a Pod Pal perspective during the round table discussions every week.”
“And Pod Pals…?” Anselm started to ask. Coco responded quickly.
“Are robotic companions created by Technomancer Industries, often for specific purposes such as assisting certain individuals, functioning as a foster parent for orphaned children or protecting those in need.”
“Ah,” the pastor said as he nodded. “We get closer to the future every day.”
“Future’s already here,” Arbiter Coco said. “How may I help you today?”
Anselm smiled at her comment. “I’ve been leading a congregation in the area for about ten years. I didn’t get a chance to come to the dedication ceremony for this church and thought I’d stop by.”
“Oh thank you! What do you think of our church so far?” Coco asked as she gestured to the large atrium.
“Definitely good at catching the attention. How much did all of this cost?”
“I don’t know the exact number, since I’m not the Treasurer. I couldn’t hazard a guess.” Coco walked over to a table on the transplanted grass lawn and gestured for the pastor to sit with her. He took a seat across. The white marble table had a very cool touch under his fingers.
“I’ll have to ask later. I’ve just wanted to know more about this church and its mission here in the community.” Anselm clasped his hands together on the table. He stared at Coco with weary eyes but betrayed nothing more than a calm, practiced smile.
“Of course,” she said. “I saw you were reading our dedication plaque. It helps summarize the major goals of our congregation.”
“I did see that,” Anselm said. “However, I felt something was missing. I think I may have figured what that is. What exactly do you worship?”
Coco Pommel tilted her head a little and brought a hand up to her chin as her eyes narrowed in concentration. “I’m having trouble understanding the question. Would you mind elaborating?”
The pastor’s eyes blinked a few times in silent frustration. He regained his composure. “Every church has a god or deity that the congregation worships. Someone to focus their prayers and life towards. The question is rather simple. What god do you worship?”
“Oh that’s the question!” Coco said. “Okay, I understand now.”
"Ah. So..."
“We don’t worship anyone.”
Pastor Anselm sat across from the robotic pony and thought about she said. She sat smiling at the opposite end of the table, waiting.
Anselm spoke. “What do you mean you don’t worship anyone? Every church has a god.”
“We don’t,” Coco said. “We have a philosophical belief system that focuses on supporting those in need. This church wasn't made to uplift a god. It was made so that people could focus on uplifting one another."
Anselm looked around at the interior of the church atrium as he tried to comprehend what Coco had said. He stared at the mural above and looked at the rain falling down onto the top of the tree house in the middle. Coco followed his gaze and her eyes lit up. “Oh did you see our mural? It’s called Tears of the Sun. It’s a representation of everyone responsible for the founding and construction of our church. There is Technomancer Industries CEO Melody Noble and next to her is her partner Vinyl Scratch. They’re holding the first beam. After that, it’s Corpus Christi Regional Director Princess Luna. Behind her you can see a representation of the artificial intelligence SYS-TER in the form of Princess Celestia, the white horse of the sun. It goes down the line of hierarchy in the company until you see me there at the end! Hooray! Notice how I’m one step away from Melody Noble at the end of the sequence as it starts back up again...”
“Miss Pommel,” Pastor Anselm said. “This is what I want to talk to you about. Why is a corporation financing the construction and operation of a church?”
“Oh that’s not accurate, actually. Melody Noble sponsored the construction from her own private funds, but the operation and ongoing costs are covered entirely by donations and work from within the church. I, for example, own several pieces of real estate that help pay for the ongoing cost. Each piece of real estate is low-cost apartment housing for those with augmentations, Meta-Frames or Pod Pals. Oh, and a Meta-Frame is a synthetic body, like my own, re-purposed for wear and use by a human operator for the purposes of protection, skill enhancement or specialization in a field of work, like construction.”
“So the church members...pay for the cost of the church through their rent?”
“Yes. It covers all the costs and then some. It’s a very efficient system.”
Pastor Anselm had to open consciously close his mouth after hearing the explanation. He was so stunned he took almost a full minute to gather his thoughts before he could respond. “So your church was sponsored by the CEO of a corporation, encourages membership from those with technological advancements, includes robot membership, welcomes a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and beliefs, and does not have any gods or saints that it worships?”
“All correct except for the last part!”
“Which part?”
“We have a saint. Only one,” Coco said. Anselm was in the process of asking a followup question when Coco asked “Would you like to meet him?”
Pastor Anselm looked around the room. “Is...he here?” He stood up and scanned the murals on the walls.
“He’s not on the walls, actually. He requested that he not be included anywhere in the imagery.”
“Really?” Anselm asked.
“But he is available if you’d like to speak with him. Shall I call him?” Coco said as she stood up.
The pastor’s gaze stopped at a point far above the atrium. There was a window on the topmost floor balcony. The form of a man, shrouded in a dark black coat, stood staring down through a window past the falling “tears of the sun” coming down from the oculus in the ceiling. He did not move, even when spotted, and did not blink once. The pastor turned back to Coco. “P-Perhaps another time,” he said. He shook Coco’s hand. “Thank you for the discussion.”
“Oh. Okay,” Coco said. “Would you like to set up an appointment later with the leader of our congregation?”
“Is he the…?”
“Saint? Yes.”
“Maybe...maybe later,” Anselm said as he stepped towards the entrance. He turned back to the office upstairs, but no one was there.
Coco Pommel stepped into the small bedroom located at the topmost floor of the Church of Augmentation. “Adam, do you always have to be so intimidating whenever new people show up?” Her eyes narrowed a little.
A human form sat in a chair with a glass of liquor in a metallic hand. His arms were jet black forms of muscle and sinew recreated in winding forms of durable synthetic elements and steel. His hands looked permanently gloved in black armor. His hair was short and had a subtle spiking effect to it as it pointed backwards. Anyone who saw his features would notice a permanent beard and goatee, courtesy of the engineers of Technomancer Industries. He stared at Coco with hazel eyes encircled by progressively smaller bands of neon green light. He took a sip of his drink before responding.
“Coco, you handled yourself well enough without me. I just wanted to keep an eye on the guy,” Adam Jensen said.
“He’s a pastor,” Coco said. “We’re trying to win hearts and minds here. That Batman-like stare you have doesn’t help.”
“Who’s Batman?” Jensen asked.
“Who’s B...” Coco said as she stopped herself and held her head in frustration. “Adam, it’s only been two weeks since you got here and already this job has been made harder because you aren’t functioning like I was told you would by the Austin engineers!”
“I’m doing exactly what's needed,” Jensen said. He stood up. “This congregation needs protection from any threat out there. Sometimes those threats weld Molotov cocktails. Other times they use words.”
“His name is Anselm. He’s part of a local church,” Coco said.
“I know. I heard the entire conversation through your audio channels,” Jensen said as he went to pour himself more drink.
“What?” Coco said. “I...I didn’t give you permission to bounce off my audio.”
Jensen looked up. “Oh...I’ll ask next time. Sorry.”
Coco grunted in anger. “That isn’t right, Adam! Why are you so difficult?”
“I’d like to use the excuse that I was made this way, but even the engineers said that wasn’t entirely the case.”
Coco threw herself on the bed and groaned. It creaked with her weight, but held, thanks to its reinforced box springs. “Why is there a bed here, anyway? Where is your recharge Pod?”
“I hid it.”
Coco turned to stare at the human-looking robot. “You hid it?”
“It’s somewhere on the grounds. I only have to recharge once every two weeks anyways.”
“Wow...that’s a long charge time. How many upgrades do you have?”
Jensen smiled and then went to his drink.
“Why did you hide it, Adam? Do you not trust me? I’m your co-worker!”
“It’s not about you.” He put down his drink and turned to face her. “A year ago this month someone attacked a Technomancer employee in Corpus Christi. They killed her supervisor and critically burned her with a Molotov cocktail. They were from Human Family First. It’s the same group who has many well-known members in prominent political, religious and community positions within Texas. Especially here in Austin. And at some point, one of those members is going to make their way to this church.” He looked out the small slit remaining in the window through makeshift metal plating which had been nailed into the wall. “They could be anyone. And the only ones I know I can trust are those who stand to lose something if the Family attacks these grounds.”
Coco put her hand over the plating. “You act like we’re at war.”
“Aren’t we?” he asked.
Coco sighed and put her head on the cold makeshift barricade. “Well this weekend we have a community function here at the church. I need you to be there. You can’t keep making excuses not to attend the church services. I announced two weeks ago that you’d be here and many people want to meet you.”
“I’ll think about it,” Jensen said. “Maybe watch from afar. Through binoculars or bounce off the visual input from any Pod Pal or Meta-Frame in the area.”
“You can hack eyes too?” Coco said in disbelief. “You are treading some morally gray areas here, Adam!”
Jensen pulled an item out of a drawer and examined it. He set the small black cylinder down on the table and clicked it on. A blue light issued from the side. He placed his finger on the scanner atop it and looked around the room. “Still clear,” he said.
“What’s that?” Coco asked, looking down at the object.
“Anti-bugging detector and scrambler. I’ve been using it every day since I’ve been here. Never found anything.”
Coco’s expression became very nervous. “Why do you have that?”
“Coco, listen to me,” he said. “I wasn’t just sent here to participate in the services.”
“I can see that,” she said, poking the device with her finger. “So why are you here?”
“Technomancer’s local Emergency Reclamation and Safety Engineering team contacted me back when I first came online. They’re saying that they have eyes in the local police department who have caught word that Human Family First is going to make a move against a high-profile target in the city. They don’t know the exact location or date, but increased communication between members lower in the hierarchy points to a potential attack some time this month.”
Coco’s pony ears dropped to the sides in fear. “But, they make threats all the time! They usually don’t follow through...usually.”
“You’re right, but a particular phrase kept coming up in the chatter these past few months: ‘Bleed the Queen.’ Intel suggests that it’s a reference to Technomancer Founder Melody Noble, since she is the ‘Queen’ of the company. They also mention someone they’re sending against their target. Someone with a nickname ‘The Mechanic.’”
“That sounds unsettling,” Coco said. “I wouldn’t want a Human Family First mechanic near me at all...But why attack now? What’s so special about this month?”
“There’s three things I can think of. One: Remember that attack that happened a year ago? It was in response to attempts to repeal anti-augmentation legislation passed here in Austin called the Human Purity Act of 2065. The Act finally was repealed a few months ago and as a result, H.F.F. is furious. Also, this month holds both the birthday of Melody Noble and the same month that she founded her company thirty-four years ago. The only thing I can think of is that Miss Noble has plans to visit the United States to check on her companies. The whole process is highly secured. She arrives at the airport in a private plane. She gets on a chopper and lands on the rooftop of her various company buildings. She patrols the grounds for most of the day, then she flies out, usually back to the airport and on to the next place. Each point in that sequence is heavily guarded by her personal bodyguards Adagio, Sonata and Aria, not to mention the nightmare that is Vinyl Scratch when she’s angry.”
Coco curled up into herself. “Vinyl can get angry? I’ve never seen her angry.”
“Of course not. The last person who tried to attack Melody Noble ended up getting a one-way ticket to a psych ward after the hell she was put through by Vinyl Scratch. Last I heard, the person had been pleading with Vinyl to forgive her so she can find some piece. But Vinyl never forgives.”
“Okay, I don’t need any details,” Coco said as she shivered. “I don’t want to think about any more cruelty today. But I need you to consider this: if you don’t attend those services starting this weekend, people are going to suspect something’s up and it’ll be hard for you to make any leads at all.”
“I’ve already got a few leads,” Jensen said. “But you’re right. I should investigate anywhere that I can. I’ll tell you what: consider me booked for the event this weekend.”
Coco gasped. “YES! Okay good! We need to get you a suit and a nice tie befitting of a church leader...”
“Coco, I already have a suit.”
“And you look like you’re going to take out a tower full of terrorists every time you wear that trench coat, combat vest and tactical pants!”
“Good,” Jensen said. “And they’re not called ‘tactical pants.’ They’re just...pants.”
Technomancer’s Emergency Reclamation and Safety Engineering team sat in a van parked outside Jollyville Creek Apartments. The side of the van had been painted with the name Princess Cleaners, complete with a phone number which would direct a caller towards a secretary at ERaSE’s central office, who knew to answer a certain way when that particular phone rang.
The three women sat at various cramped consoles as shades of blue, purple and green lighting fell upon their faces from the readouts on the monitors.
“We haven’t had movement in over an hour from inside,” Paula, the tech specialist, said as she examined feed from a motion tracker to to the bottom of one of the shoes of her target. Earlier, she had discussed with her co-workers “What if someone happens to step on a tracking bug and take it with them? That’s not illegal now, is it?” She examined the screen and analyzed the movement patterns of the target. “Doesn’t seem to be doing anything but moving around in his bedroom.”
“What about the Pod Pal?” Gene, the robotics expert, asked. She turned back to her screen and looked at the information she had on the apartment tenant’s robotic companion. She was a Cheerilee unit, often commissioned to work with students at a local elementary school. The kids loved her and always brought her tons of gifts, which she took home to her human companion. She never talked about him, and the kids mentioned to the other teachers that she would always dodge any questions about her relationship with him. The team found this out through their own questioning of her co-workers and tracked them back to their apartment, which Cheerilee had not left for almost a month. She refused to go to work, even when called in, and had been removed from consideration for teaching at any point in the future. Gene knew something was very wrong with this picture.
Paula looked back at the information. “No speech towards her. No speech from her. I haven’t heard her talk once but the way his movements progress through the apartments suggests that he is moving around someone I can’t see.”
Hix, the negotiator, stayed in the corner as she stared out the small tinted window at the back of the van. She rubbed two small bucklers strapped to both of her forearms. Slow pulses of blue energy traced the indentations of the bucklers each time she touched their edges. “He’s doing something to her. I know it.”
“We established that,” Paula said. “Now we just need proof.” She sat back in her chair and accidentally pushed Gene further towards her screen before she uprighted herself. “Sorry,” Paula said.
Gene pulled up a video of Cheerilee taking the elementary kids on a field trip to Six Flags. The kids laughed when the Bugs Bunny mascot acted like he was proposing to her. Gene smiled. “I hope she’s okay.”
Paula turned around and saw the video. “Why do you do that to yourself, Gene? You’re just gonna get worked up again.”
“Because someone has to care about her,” Gene responded. “I didn’t come all this way out here to retrieve company property. I came out here because Cheerilee deserves a chance to be happy. Like all my sweethearts.” Gene took a screenshot of Cheerilee smiling from the video and put it in her investigative folder, increasing the portrait photo number to three hundred and three. “Every day I take a few photos from these videos to remind myself of what I’m fighting for.”
“Gene...” Paula said as she leaned over to look at her friend. “You’re setting yourself up for heartache. What if this is just like that time with Cadance…?
“It won’t be,” Gene said. “We’ll get there in time.”
Hix spoke up from the side of the van. “Gene, you’ve always wanted to be the hero.” She turned to stare at the small woman. “Just find me a reason to go in-there and I’ll take care of this. Probable cause is all I need.”
“I don’t understand this guy,” Paula said. “He must know that if the company suspects maltreatment of a Pod Pal, then we have legal right to search his property. He signed a contract. He had to have read it.”
Hix made a short laugh. “Not everyone reads about what they’re getting themselves into.” She looked outside and sat up quickly. “Someone just looked out the patio window. It wasn’t him.”
“Was it Cheerilee?” Gene asked as she strained to stare out the window. Her eyes were not adjusted to the low light.
“No, it was a human male,” Hix said. “Not our human companion for sure. This guy had a completely different body build. She pushed herself against the window. “Cheerilee’s coming outside on the patio.”
All three women resumed their stations as Hix pulled out a portable viewscreen and examined the outside of the house. She pressed a button and her view appeared on each woman’s screen. They stared at a large man as he drunkenly pulled the Pod Pal out onto the patio. Hix zoomed in to the sight of Cheerilee’s face as the man pulled her to him, connecting his face with hers in one long, very sloopy kiss. She tried to pull herself back the whole time until he finally let go and she fell to the patio. Gene flinched. Paula looked angry. Hix stared. She pressed the button for enhanced audio.
They immediately heard a voice call from inside. “What is your problem, man? You can’t just be handling my stuff like that!” A thinner, lankier bald man stepped outside. He looked down at Cheerilee. “You’re gonna pay for the maintenance if it’s broken!”
It, it, it, mouthed Gene as her teeth gritted together. “Her name is Cheerilee...” she said through clenched teeth. She swore under her breath.
“Look, man,” said the larger male, “You don’t need to be like that. I just wanted to have a little fun before he gets here.” Big Boy picked up Cheerilee by the arm and yanked her to her feet. She yelped. Cheerilee was pulled so hard, she ran into the guy. He caught her and held her steady. Gene exhaled loudly.
“Don’t...don’t break my stuff before The Mechanic gets here,” Slim Jim said. All three women looked at each other for a split second at the mention of ‘The Mechanic.’ “I don’t want em' to get pissed at me. Let’s just walk inside and sit this thing down until they get here.They're paying me for the rights to do the surgery. They let me keep what’s left. Then I can get a better one. Maybe one that’s not so defective.”
Gene slammed her hand down on the table. Both women turned to look at her. They stared at their screens and saw both men and Cheerilee looking in the direction of the van. They all froze, but Gene noticed something that caused her to gasp.
“Cheerilee’s eye is missing,” Gene said. “That bastard took her eye...”
“Physical proof of abuse and probable cause on video,” Hix said. “Wait till they leave and then we exit.”
Big Boy strained his neck to look around the parking lot. “What was that?”
“Oh shit,” Slim Jim said. “What if it’s The Mechanic? They probably saw us jerking around!” He grabbed Cheerilee and pulled her inside. She resisted and backed away.
“Please stop,” she finally said. Gene put her hand up to her mouth as Cheerilee continued speaking. “I don’t want to be given away. Keep me, but don’t...don’t give me to The Mechanic.”
“Hey,” Slim Jim said. “You don’t need to speak, remember? Be thankful we aren’t taking out your memory core. I’ll turn it in to the company after it gets rewritten and then you can live in whatever body you want. But we’re taking this one.” Slim Jim said as he grabbed her arm. “See, I have been thinking about your well-being this entire time. You should be thanking me.”
“Rewriting my brain will kill me,” Cheerilee said. “The personality dies.”
Big Boy looked at Slim Jim. “Hey, these things can’t die. What’s she talking about?”
Slim Jim pulled her inside and looked at Big Boy. “They’re programmed to say that. They don’t really die. It’s all an act, man. They want to condition you to act a certain way. But if you don’t and you keep your independence, you can see all the flaws in the system. Like when you’re called on-stage to assist with a magician and you call out the tricks they use because you aren’t agreeing to play by their rules. Oh!” He snapped his fingers. “That’s it, man! I’m getting Trixie next time! Maybe I can get a few shows out of that bot before The Mechanic comes back for the procedure. We could record em’!”
“Yeah!” Big Boy said. “Hey, my little cousin’s birthday party is next month. Trixie could perform there and then we de-brain her. Easy.”
The two men walked inside. Gene turned to Paula. “Let me take the big one. I want him to provoke me so I’ll have a right to defend myself.”
Hix spoke up. “Calm down, Gene. We do this the right way.”
“No. Let me hurt them,” Gene said.
Hix leaned up close to Gnee. “And then what? You gonna put them in the hospital? Gonna break some bones?”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
“Then when the defense attorneys cry foul play, we lose Cheerilee because we exceeded our authority. You want that? You want Cheerilee to be put under the knife of whoever this Mechanic is?”
Gene flinched and looked down. “No.”
Hix put her gloved hands on Gene’s. She gripped them tight. “We have to do this the right way. The legal way. Then we nail em’. And they won’t have anywhere to run.”
Gene controlled her breathing and calmed down. “Okay,” she said finally.
Hix turned to Paula. “Let’s suit up.”
The three women put on defense vests with the acronym ERaSE in bold yellow letters. All three of them checked the clips on their shock pistols and loaded them in. Two of the weapons pulsated with glowing blue light tracing the indentations, but Gene’s was red with a faster pulse.
Hix looked up at her. “Put it to non-lethal, Gene.”
“I...” she looked at her gun. “That was a mistake.” she flipped a switch and the color faded from red to light blue as the pulse slowed. “Sorry.”
Paula sighed. “Gene, I need you to stay here.”
“What?” she said.
“You’re not thinking clearly. You’re gonna make a mistake. We can’t have that. Please." She held Gene’s hand. “For our sake, we need you to stay in the van.”
Gene looked at Hix, who nodded in agreement. Gene holstered her weapon. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Paula said. “It’s been a tough night, but we got the evidence we need to nail these bastards. Our prosecuting attorney is going to have a field day when we bring in all of our proof.”
“Yeah,” Gene said and managed a slight smile. “Okay.”
“It’s clear outside,” Hix said. “Ready?”
“Yeah,” Paula said. Hix and Paula holstered their sidearms and opened the outer door. “Watch our backs, Gene, okay?” Hix asked. Gene nodded. They closed the door and she locked it from within.
Gene went back to the console and checked all the cameras she had set up. She sighed. “Not again,” she said as she shook her head. “Always the van...”
Hix and Paula knocked on the front door of the apartment. There was silence from the inside. They knocked again. There was no reply. Hix motioned for them to stand at the sides of the door as they moved out of the way of the entry.
“James Halberd, we know you’re in there. This is ERaSE. We need you to open up right now.”
“I ain’t talking to you!” Jim yelled back.
“Jim,” Hix said, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. We know you’ve been abusing your companion. Either you let us come in and reclaim her with no police involvement or we call Austin P.D. and they drag your ass to jail.”
Gene watched the encounter play out from the safety of the van. She kept her view focused on Hix and Paula near the front door. She switched to another view and saw Jim ducking behind a hallway with Big Boy on the phone. Jim had his hand around Cheerilee’s mouth. You moron, Gene though. That doesn’t keep her from speaking. The voice box is at the bottom of her throat.
Something crossed in front of her view. The camera refocused and she saw someone in an armored bodysuit hanging on to the railing. She gasped as she saw them crawl up onto the ledge and stare at Jim. It had a featureless face. Jim, Cheerilee and Big Boy all gazed back with shock. The person stepped in through the unlocked patio door as Hix yelled from the entrance.
“I’m calling the cops right now, Jim. You wanna stop me?”
The mystery person stared at the front door. Then motioned for Jim to come closer. Jim brought over Cheerilee and started to whisper something when the person grabbed him by the throat.
“HIX!” Gene yelled through her comlink in her ear. “We have an intruder inside the apartment! He’s choking Halberd!” There was an audible snap through the directional microphone as Gene gasped.
“Breach!” Hix and Paula said as they quick-drew their weapons. The blue pulse sped up and turned red as they both fired at the door lock. Hix and Paula kicked open the door at once at it flew off its hinges and landed on the interior of the room. The intruder was standing and lifting Cheerilee up by her throat. She gagged as she fell from their grasp and hit the ground. The intruder sprinted towards the window.
“STOP!” Hix said as she turned and fired. The window exploded as the intruder leapt off the balcony and rolled to a stop on the ground below. They regained their footing and started taking off through the parking lot.
Gene pulled out her pistol, set it to red and burst through the back of the van as she took off full tilt towards the fleeing suspect.
“GENE! DO NOT PURSUE!” Hix yelled.
Gene aimed her shock pistol and fired two blasts towards the suspect. Both shots went wide and ignited the grass in front of them. They stopped, turned quickly, and eyed Gene. She stopped running and the two were caught in a stand-off. She couldn’t see their face, but she knew they could now see hers. They turned and started running. Gene aimed carefully this time. She held her breath. She pulled the trigger.
The blast sailed so close to the head of the individual that it seared the side of their mask, catching it ablaze. They hit the ground and yanked off their mask as they got up and immediately started running without it.
Gene realized she had compromised their disguise and took off running towards the unmasked intruder. I have to see their face just once! She thought. She pushed herself to catch up with them and saw them turn around a corner. She had almost caught up. She reached the corner.
A hand came out and slammed her in the chest. She gasped as the air was knocked out of her lungs and fell back onto the ground. Hard. She lay immobile as she stared up, spots filling her vision. A face peered down at her as a hand clamped down on her throat and yanked her up. She hung without her feet touching the ground as the grip tightened around her throat. She tried to fight back, but she had almost no strength left. Her gun was on the ground, too far away to help.
There was pressure in her throat. Her airway had closed. She kicked out helplessly and gagged in desperation. All the way watching the unmasked face of the person who was killing her.
A shot seared the tree above them as Gene was dropped to the ground. The tree caught on fire as the intruder sped off and disappeared into the night. Gene kept gasping for air, but her throat would not open up. Her vision started to fade and she fought against it.
Hix and Paula rushed to the scene. Paula started to tear up. “Dammit, Gene! Why did you have to be a goddamn hero?!”
Hix examined her friend quickly. “Her airway has been crushed. We have less than 3 minutes to perform a tracheotomy or she’ll suffocate.”
“We have a medical kit back in the van!” Paula said as she started to run towards the run. And stopped.
Cheerilee had gotten up and was pushing herself to run towards the scene with the medical kit from the van. “HOW…?” Paula asked. Cheerilee slid to a stop next to Gene’s fallen form.
“I figured you’d need this,” she said. Her mouth wasn’t moving. It had been damaged badly. She pulled out the kit and tore open an alcoholic pad. She wiped away the space on Gene’s throat as she gagged for air. “Hold her down. Don’t let her move. She is going to pass out but she can still breathe when we open the airway.” Hix held her down. Cheerilee turned to Paula. “Call for an ambulance. Tell them we’re at the corner of Taylor Draper Lane and Jollyville Road.”
Paula clicked a button on her earpiece. “Hello? Yes, my friend is dying! She’s been attacked and her airway is crushed!” She gave the directions as Cheerilee placed her finger at the spot she needed to find.
“Do you have a knife?” Cheerilee asked.
“No,” Hix said. Both she and Cheerilee turned to see Gene’s shaky grasp as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a Swiss Army Knife. It fell onto the ground as she lost her grip. Hix picked it up. Cheerilee turned to the fire still burning in the tree above them.
“We need to hurry because that fire is going to spread. Give me the knife.” Cheerilee reached out. Her hand was shaking. She put it down and reached out with her other hand, which was motionless. “My synthesized organic components are shutting down. My airway was crushed and I’m suffocating. But I can operate for a while with lessening functionality. If I shake too much, you have to take over.”
“How are you so calm?” Paula asked as tears filled her eyes looking over the body of her dying friend.
“I’ve faced worse. We have less than two minutes to get this done.” Cheerilee placed her finger on Gene’s neck and found the space under her adam’s apple. “You cut in the one-inch space beneath the Adams apple and the bump below it, in case I can’t do this,” Cheerilee said she started to make the incision. She stopped and pulled away. Her body started to shake. Hix took the knife from her and continued the incision.
“It’s open. What next?” Hix asked.
“Pinch incision. Insert your finger to open it,” Cheerilee said as she cradled herself in her arms. “We need a tube to insert into the incision. If she passes out, you blow into the tube twice, wait five seconds, then blow once, and repeat one exhale into it every five seconds to get her lungs working again if she stops.”
Paula looked between both dying individuals. “Cheerilee how can I save you?”
“You can’t. The last step requires a breathing tube,” She opened a plate on her throat, which had been crushed. “You can have mine.”
“WHAT?” Paula yelled. She saw a series of transparent tubes in Cheerilee’s neck.
“The bottom half of my breathing tube is undamaged. Pull it out. I’ll die. Gene lives. But my brain can be rebooted later. Albeit with some damage.”
Paula cried and couldn’t focus.
“PAULA!” Hix said. “I have to keep this incision open! You have to do it! Take the tube from Cheerilee’s neck!”
Paula put her hands into the opening. She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry if this hurts.”
“I stopped feeling pain a long time ago,” Cheerilee said. She managed a smile. “Now save your friend. And thank her for me. I’ll see you all after the reboot.”
Paula pulled and got what she needed. Cheerilee fell back and stopped moving.
They inserted the breathing tube. Gene had stopped breathing, so they did exactly as Cheerilee had told them until she started breathing on her own again, even though she did so with difficulty. Hix and Paula talked to their friend to keep her calm.
The ambulance came and carried Gene to the hospital. Paula and Nix followed in their vehicle with Cheerilee’s unmoving robotic body.
Paula spoke up. “We’re getting them both to Technomancer Industries as soon as we can. Gene saw that bastard’s face and we need to know who we’re looking for. I’ve got a friend who can find them.”
“And Cheerilee?” Hix asked.
“We’ll thank her with a newly repaired body. I just hope the damage isn’t permanent...”
They sped off after the ambulance as the mystery person watched from afar. He dropped Big Boy’s body down into a ditch and walked away.
–-- –--
Author's Note
Extra Story Details
Writing Time for This Chapter: Approx. 7 hours and 24 minutes
Draft Number: 1 Draft
Setting: Austin TX Church of Augmentation, Jollyville Creek Apartments
Themes: Artificial Intelligence, Robot Rights, Crime, Hate Groups, Religion and Religious Perspectives, Philosophy, Abuse, Self-Sacrifice
Note: This is an "A" story, written first during a day of writing.
Story Notes:
I didn't plan for it, but by the end of my writing session, Cheerilee turned out to be a hero. And I love it, even though it was a tense scene to write (and I'm sure it was tense to read).
I got the Tracheotomy procedure from here:
http://www.tracheostomy.com/resources/surgery/emergency.htm
