Augmented (A Nircean Tale)

           

Kafka

Augmented

A Nircean Tale

By Joshua Barrow

Planet//Nirce

December 14, 2122

         "Ok, Ben, we know where she's being held and you know how to get in." Esmerelda said. Grabbing my hand while placing a small metal drive in my palm. "This is an activation beacon, it'll start her systems, allow her to move. They've replaced her arms and legs with their own brand of Appilane Cybernetics and without this activation, she'll remain paralyzed, so to speak." She kissed my cheek, "Bring Sahir back to us."

         I simply nodded, clutching the beacon.

         An hour later, I found myself standing on the roof of the Appilane Cybernetics building, just above the operations sector where Sahir was held captive. Nine weeks had passed since they apprehended her, and in truth, I had convinced myself that she'd been executed. However, through laborious research, bribery and interrogation of Appilane staff, Esmerelda and I zeroed in on Sahirs whereabouts. As it turned out, rather than taking her out, the Appilane decided to "fix" her and turn her against us.

         The most worrisome aspect wasn't that they wanted to weaponize her for their own gain, but rather, Sahir was fully aware of the destruction she were capable of given the physical advantage of cybernetics. She never wanted that kind of power as she didn't want to give her anger a viable vessel. Frankly, I pitied the men she would target.

         I opened the hatch on the roof and dropped in, crawling through the ventilation shafts. I kicked through a few grates before finally locating the room. I laid in the ducts and peered through an open slot, over-looking the room Sahir was being held in. She laid on a cold steel table, clothed in a medical operating gown. She laid completely still, save for her chest methodically rising and falling.

         "Well Ms. Illitari," a lab coat walked into the room, holding his clipboard. "Looks as though your immune system is taking to your new limbs very well!" He stood next to her table, muttering, as he glanced over the board. He grabbed her wrist, "You're going to be very useful, sweetheart."

         Don't touch her, I thought. My blood began to boil, as I imagined the things he'd probably done to her. They removed her natural limbs entirely, replacing them with lifeless steel and titanium.

         Leaning back in the duct, I wielded the weight of my body, lunging into the vent, and popping it out.

         The lab coat whipped around, startled by the falling grate, and as he did so, I slid through the hole and flung myself at him, knocking him to the floor. Disregarding my intended stealthy approach, I sat on top of him, punching him until he'd black out.

         I stood up, wiping the blood from my knuckles on my jeans.

         "Sahir?" I asked, nudging her arm. Her eyes opened, signaling that she had been conscious.

         She couldn't speak, but her eyes remained fixed on mine. I could see what she felt; the violence that laid just beyond her irises, glazed over in rage and misery.

         I caressed her cheek, hoping to quell her anger, however futile it may have been. Retrieving the beacon from my pocket, I prepared to activate her-then I stopped.

         Sahirs eyes darted back and forth between the beacon and my eyes, confused as to why I hesitated.

         "Sahir, listen to me." I took a breath and grabbed her hand. "There are innocent people that work here. I know what you'll do." Her eyes flashed wild fire, brimming on the edge of furious contempt.  "I'll get you out of her, but I can't activate you yet." I angered her further, but I was supposed to be her moral compass and regardless of the circumstance, I planned to uphold my position.

         Ensuring she wasn't attached to some sort of life support, I picked her up, cradling her. Her body was now far heavier, however, my own arms had been just as augmented, allowing me to haul her. Her legs were just as smooth, just as warm, as they'd always been, and to the naked eye, she'd been the same Sahir I'd always known and loved.

         "Tink."

         I heard a metal ball flung against the door. The Appilane Security had obviously been alerted to my presence.

         "BOOM!"          

         I clutched Sahir, pulling her in close. My H.O.M - the Heightened Observance Module implant, which allowed for my rapid perception, making events appear to my mind at speeds one-hundred times slower than actuality- kicked on, revealing the jagged pieces of shrapnel zipping around the room. Like small razors, they nicked my shoulders and lodged themselves deep into my back as I spun away from the blast.

         Four guards rushed the room, rifles trained forward. With Sahir in my arms, I swung toward them, kicking the rifle from the first guard before throwing my knee into his stomach. The other guards opened fire, their rounds deflecting off of me, and a few ricocheting off Sahir.  I glanced down, her eyes begging me to plug in the beacon. I refrained.

         Charging the other guards, we rammed them with our bodies. I flung Sahirs arm outward, clubbing one of them in the face, rendering him unconscious. The remaining two retreated, understanding their ineffectiveness.

         "Esmerelda," I spoke into my communicator. "Things got loud, we need an evacuation."

         Several more guards had appeared down the hall away from the room we stood in. I kicked the door closed and propped Sahir sitting up against the wall to the right before sitting down next to her. I drew my hand gun, waiting for the guards to breach.

         However, the wall adjacent to the hallway our enemies were marching down, blew open, with brick and mortar peppering the inside of the room. Through the hole, I saw Esmerelda piloting our escape shuttle.

         Before making our getaway, I looked at Sahir, once again staring into the hate filled pools that'd replaced her eyes. "I know, hun." I kissed her forehead. "I know."