Chapter Three: The Collaboration

A furious banging on the door wakes me from sleep. I’m disoriented, sore, and my head feels like it’s going to explode. I squint as I look around the storeroom, the light is blinding.

“I need an override code for storeroom 17C,” a voice shouts from the other side of the door. I panic. I need to get out of here. I search for my communicator but can’t find it anywhere; it must have fallen out of my purse during the chaos. I quickly enable the door control panel for the door that leads into the alley, unlock it using the code I input, Lykar’s birthday, and push into the alleyway. I look towards the street and see Enforcers and Investigators; they look like they are searching for something. A sickness heaves up from my gut and I fall to my knees, emptying the contents of my stomach onto the pavement. I don’t know if it’s the hangover, my worry over Nemo, Friz, Pex, and Golox, the fact that I’m missing my first day at Hox Enterprises, or all three that is making me sick. I gingerly stand and pull my respirator back down over my face. My mouth feels dry, and I still feel queasy. I turn and slowly walk down the alley away from the swarm of agents on the street. I reach a split in the alley and decide to take a left. I wish I had my communicator; I’d be able to see updates on the explosions from last night.

“Stop!” A voice echoes behind me. I glance over my shoulder and see an Enforcer following me. He breaks into a run, and I take off. “This is a closed zone, you’re under arrest for trespassing!” I keep running, ignoring his orders. I turn left, then right, then left again. I can hear his heavy footsteps pounding the pavement behind me. He is gaining on me, and my vision is becoming starry. I feel like I need to vomit again. I turn left and stop. I’ve trapped myself. Walls rise around me on all sides. I spin and see the Enforcer approaching, blocking my exit.

“You’re under arrest,” he says. I think I see a smirk under his visor. I look around for anything to defend myself with. I’ve heard the stories of what the Enforcers do to women. There’s nothing to grab.

“Hey, traitor!” The voice distracts the Enforcer enough for me to charge past him. I check him with my shoulder, and he stumbles backward. “You, come on!” I track the location of the voice and see a woman poking out of a manhole cover. “Hurry!” She throws a smoke grenade at the Enforcer, and he’s engulfed in a heavy cloud of black smoke. I take the opportunity to run to the woman and, without thinking, grab the ladder and slide down to the metal platform below. The woman closes the cover and activates an off-marker magnetic lock.

“He won’t be bothering you anymore. Name’s Chi,” she says, sticking out her hand. She has a firm handshake. Chi is muscular and petite. Guns and grenades line her belt, her curly black hair held away from her face with a thick black headband. She wears a leather vest and tight leather pants.

“What’s someone like you doing running from the Enforcers anyway?” Chi eyes me. I wonder if she’s second-guessing saving me. “What’s your name?” she asks.

“Eiona. I was out with friends when there were explosions, and then the Enforcers showed up.” I feel sick again. The adrenaline has worn off and my head is pounding. I lean over the railing of the platform and somehow there’s more in my stomach to empty over the edge. I freeze when I feel a hand on my back. It’s gentle, rubbing small circles between my shoulder blades. I look back and see Chi looking at me with concern.

“Have you seen any updates?” she asks when I finish vomiting. I sit with my back against the railing. I’m feeling lightheaded and severely dehydrated. I shake my head, each movement sending a shooting pain through my brain. Chi’s expression darkens. “Let’s get you back to headquarters and you’ll see.” She helps me up and supports me as we walk along the platform to a set of stairs.

After a long, arduous walk and three more stops, we come upon a heavily armored man with a high-powered rifle on his back and one in his hands. From the looks of them, they are Klineburg LS-32s, low-recoil laser rifles with a fire rate of seventy-five rounds a second. Even with the way I’m feeling I recognize the powerful weapons. I interned with Klineburg while at the Academy, and those weapons are unforgettable. Chi tells me to wait where I am and walks up to the guard. His stern expression turns into a smile as she approaches him.

“Morning, Chi. Got a new recruit, I see,” the guard’s tone is upbeat.

Chi laughs. “Could be. She’s a survivor from the explosions last night, found her running from an Enforcer over by the Tank.” She gestures in the direction from where we came. “She’s going to need to see the medics, and then we can test her.”

The guard looks at me and laughs. “She does look a bit pale. Bring her in.” Chi thanks the guard and heads back to me. I feel like I’m swaying, but I’m not sure. Chi puts my arm over her shoulder, and we walk towards the now-open door. The guard smiles and nods at us as we pass by. Through the door, the space opens into a grand station. I recognize it from images shown in my history class at the Academy. I’m inside a subway station. The ceiling rises ten, maybe even fifteen meters above me into a dome with intricate designs in the tilework. Old trains still sit on the tracks on the far side of the circular station. Along the walls are stalls, stocked from military supply shops. Hundreds of people are going about their business in the open space at the center of the station. None have a C.I.I., and very few are staring into the screens of communicators. They’re interacting and communicating face to face, all dressed in dark leather clothing. Chi notices me staring and tells me that the leather they wear is reinforced and interfaced to a central CPU that will mend any tears. It will also harden any spot that’s been repeatedly struck in a fight to protect the body. She leads me through the crowd towards the old train cars. She explains that the Medic is set up in the cars as it provides the most space and is mostly out of the way. I look around and see that the halls entering the main rotunda are also lined with stalls and little houses. Chi waves and smiles at a few people as we walk past. It seems to be a tight-knit group, as I get a few confused and suspicious looks from the same people smiling like fools at Chi.

“Don’t worry about the looks,” Chi says as we near the Medic. “Every newbie gets them.” I nod. Exhaustion takes over me and I don’t have a response. Outside the train cars are several stands with screens. Chi hits the welcome button and signs me in. Nobody else is waiting outside, so it doesn’t take long for a medic to come out of the train car and guide me to a bed. Inside, the train car smells sterile. The residual antibiotic odor lingers in my nose as I collapse into the bed. The sheets are crisp and white, the pillow offers hardly any support, but after sleeping against a door it all feels like a cloud.

“What happened to her?” I hear the medic ask Chi. Her voice is soft. “Temperature is good, heart rate is high, and blood pressure is low.” The medic calls for an IV and a panel of tests I don’t quite catch.

“She was out on the Strip when the explosions went off. Not sure how she escaped, but she hasn’t had anything to eat or drink since then, I’m guessing,” Chi’s voice fades in and out. “Vomited three times down here. I’m not sure how many above ground.” The medic repeats what Chi said into a computer, and I feel a pinch and a cold sensation run up my arm.

“We’re going to get her fluids and some food,” the medic says. “Did you tell her what happened?” Chi is silent. “Good. We’ll bring her up to speed when she wakes up. Go get your breakfast and some rest, Chi.” Footsteps fade as I close my eyes and let sleep take me.

I must be dreaming. I am outside the polluted confines of Avalis. There are plants, trees, and animals all around me. I bend down and run my hand through the grass, and it’s real. Is there land like this anymore? I wonder as I look at the beauty all around me.

“Eiona!” Lykar is calling me, running towards me with a basket full of fruit. “You’ve got to come see this!” He takes my hand and leads me through the grassy field to a small encampment full of people working together. There are builders working on houses, farmers pulling wagons full of food, children and elders grinding wheat into flour. A community like before the Invasion. Could this be what life was like?

“What is this place?” I ask, looking around in awe.

“It’s the beginning,” Lykar says. He bites into an apple and smiles as juice runs down his chin. “It’s your beginning.” I’m confused, and just as I am about to ask him what he means, the world around me dissipates into static. When I open my eyes, I’m on the sidewalk of a busy street. Vehicles are racing around on the ground, loud noises coming from them. People have headphones in and are talking to the air. There are some trees growing from patches of dirt along the road, but no one seems to care about them. They’re small and dying. Where am I? A man bumps into me and keeps walking as if I am merely an obstacle on his daily commute. I watch him as he disappears into a sea of faces. This place feels more like Avalis. Could this be the beginning of the Invasion? A woman stops in front of me and asks if I am okay, that I look disoriented. She looks like Chi. I nod and start to walk with the crowd. A large screen playing on the face of a building advertises an injectable drug that nine out of ten doctors claim will change your life. Another screen advertises the newest communicator device, and another advertises a gross-looking meal.

“Eiona?” The crowd has stopped at an intersection and the vehicles are speeding by. I turn and see Zylen. “What are you doing here?” he asks, as if I am intruding into his room.

“Just checking it out. What about you?” I ask. He looks at me, confused, like I shouldn’t be here. The vehicles stop and the wave of humans surges across the road. “Also, what’s with those Cycles End outfits?” I ask, laughing. Zylen doesn’t laugh. He looks around, scanning the crowd, then back at me. He’s acting weird, but I guess that’s what a bunch of credits and an easy life will do. I try walking away from him.

“Eiona,” Zylen says as he grabs my arm and spins me around. He looks scared, a look I haven’t seen on him in several spans. “You shouldn’t be here.” He looks around. “You can’t be here. They’ll find you.” He motions with a slight tilt of his head. Without moving my head, I scan the crowd with my peripheral vision. At first, I don’t see anything. “Look harder.” He urges me. “I’ve got to go.” As he begins to walk away, I see a strange, shadowy figure walking towards me. “Get out of here,” Zylen says as he disappears into the sea of people. I turn away from the shadow and begin to walk quickly down the sidewalk. I freeze. Another is walking towards me. It’s tall and wispy, swirling smoke with long, slender, tendril-like arms and legs, its features distorted. I spin, looking for a way out, but they’re coming from all directions, and—

“We need a stabilizer over here, STAT!” The voice cuts through the sky and echoes off the buildings. I look around and my surroundings have already started to fade. “Administering stabilizer now!” I feel a sharp pain in my left shoulder and flashes of white explode across the sky. “Again!” Another stabbing pain, this time in my right shoulder, and when I open my eyes there are six concerned faces looking over me. I gingerly turn my head from side to side and take in my surroundings. The first thing that hits me is the strong odor of antiseptic and hospital-grade cleaning supplies. It takes a minute to focus. I see the sterile white of the medic’s chamber. A baby-blue curtain is pulled around my bed, the beeping of monitors resonating in my brain.

“Eiona?” The medic at the foot of my bed speaks clearly and sternly. I bring my attention to her. “Eiona, what day is it?” I stare at her. It should be the second rotation of the new cycle. I say as much, and I’m met with the medics exchanging glances. “No, unfortunately, Eiona, it’s the end of the fifth rotation of the new cycle. You’ve been unconscious. We needed to embed you in the Mainframe to prevent too much harm to the conscious mind while you were in surgery.”

It’s all coming too quickly. “Surgery?” I manage to ask. My mouth feels dry and my throat feels raw. “Water,” I croak, reaching out for a glass from one of the medics near me.

“Yes, you had a ruptured spleen and appendicitis,” the head medic says, pulling up a scan of my body. The 3D scan hovers above me in the same position I’m currently in. I see some areas are green, others are red, orange, or yellow.

“Initial analysis upon admittance indicated severe dehydration, anemia, hypotension, lacerations across the torso, infection in the dermal layer around an embedded shard of metal, a ruptured spleen, and acute appendicitis that required immediate surgery.” The medical analysis is very thorough, and each part of my body lights up while the diagnostic computer describes my treatment.

“We will leave you to rest. Dinner will be brought to you,” the head medic says. She looks at me and gives me a soft smile. “I’ll let Chi know you’re awake. You should be up and walking by the next rotation. Our treatments are top notch here.” Her smile broadens and she turns to leave.

I prop myself up on the pillow and muster the strength to thank her. My voice is hoarse, and I end up coughing more than speaking. I take a sip of water and lay back into the bed. If I’m going to stay here any longer, I’ll need Chi to bring better pillows. I close my eyes and replay the fading memory over and over. Once I get a new communicator, I’ll be sure to write down the strange dreams. While I’m recalling the details, Chi walks through the privacy curtain hiding a large, soft-looking pillow.

“The medics say you’re still recovering, so I thought I’d just drop this off,” she says, handing me the pillow. It’s soft with great support. “Once you’re one hundred percent, I’ll show you around and get you up to speed. Sound good?” She stands awkwardly by my bedside. I try to speak but my throat is screaming at me, so I sip my water and nod. “See you tomorrow.” Chi smiles at me and leaves.