3 Upse (1/2)
2034
Unknown
New Cinalia
A mirage is held captive by the space it resides on. The heated air appears to ripple upwards and then tear itself down. As it collapses, a dark green figure ejects from its confines. The figure lies still for several moments before shivering, then projects vomit from its mouth. It chokes and turns over onto the gritty waste covered earth. Crimson streaked bile is forced from torn lips and a swollen nose. Sia's eyes water as she tries to regain control of her body.
Her head is pounding and her body is aching all over. Her ears are ringing, and she can't fully remember why. When she finally stops convulsing, she sits back and looks around at her surroundings. ExplorerTech is located at the perimeter of a thriving city. ExplorerTech was located not too far from a nice green park that residents walked their dogs in, and many employees traveled there to eat their lunches on a pleasant day. Its walls are now gone, replaced by crumbling blocks of limestone, glass, warped metal, wires, and pipes of varying size. The basic layout of the building is gone.
”Oh my god. I'm dead,” Sia's eyes widen in shock, and she sits there for quite some time.
The desolate landscape distresses her more and more as time goes by. It is barren of living creatures as far as her eyes can see.She can't distinguish the difference between this moment and floating out on the ocean, among hundreds of lifeboats, while only hers is bobbing along with a passenger. She's stranded.
Then he shoots her.
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER LOADING...
DOWNLOAD COMPLETE
ANALYZING DISK SPACE...
UPLOADING MEMORY FILES...
ERROR: THE PROGRAM FAILED TO INITIALIZE PROPERLY...
PERFORMANCE TROUBLESHOOTER RUNNING...
ERROR RESOLVED
CHANGING SIZE OF VIRTUAL MEMORY...
UPGRADE COMPLETE
UPLOADING MEMORY FILES…
TURNING ON VISUAL EFFECTS…
STARTUP PROCEDURE ACTIVATED
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”Make sure those ropes are tight, Boy.”
”What are they wearing? What is that?”
”What is that?”
”Do you recognize her?”
SUBJECT 001'S HEARTBEAT IS ACCELERATING
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
”Is there any scarring? Check her shoulders and ankles!”
I hear voices nearby and am confused why people are crowding the locker room. ExplorerTech Industries doesn't have that many janitorial staff on payroll. Did I fall asleep in the cafeteria? I roll my cramped neck and realize I'm not sitting up. Did I fall asleep on the ground?! A hand pushes down on my head. It's so painful I open my eyes and blink as dirt and rocks threaten to blind me.
”Mmmmm!”
My head...my arm. My arm burns. I can't move it.
IMPAIRED BRACHIALIS ANTICUS DETECTED
SEVERED MUSCULOCUTANEOUS NERVE DETECTED
INCAPACITATED PHYSICAL CONDITION
SUBJECT 001 DEFINE STATUS
”Don't move! She's awake,” a female voice hisses at someone.
A knee is placed on my back and pushes down on me. Hands are holding down my shoulders. It's uncomfortable to breathe.
'What is going on?! Where am I?!'
”Aaaah. No!” I jerk and try to buck the person off my back, but the hand on my head is joined by another and they tightly hold me in place.
---
”There aren't any claim symbols on her. Sign of a powerful group. Healthy, given clean clothing, these items are high end. Look at these boots. They are very high end. She has hair. Sign of a clean and luxurious colony. She must be separated from them and lost.”
A greying man holds a black boot and black glove in each hand showing them off to the four other people in the shack. He places those down and lifts a large green piece of clothing. ”None of this clothing is ripped or have any symbols. They must assume she won't make contact with outsiders, so she does not need to be branded in any way.”
”How did you encounter her?” a young man asks.
”Men in the wastelands is a bad sign. I allowed Zayn to shoot two warning shots. One to the arm and one to the ground behind them. The wailing was a woman's cries. She tried to run and did not get far. Fell over and hit her head on something. Her hair was already coated in blood. Someone has beat her head in. Maybe not lost, maybe she was attacked,” the old man replies while analyzing the zipper and seams of the green jumpsuit.
A bald woman runs in with a split lip and breathlessly says, ”She is awake. She is trying to overpower Lin and Vanessa.”
Three of the five people leave the shack and stride toward the ruckus happening farther away at the perimeter of their camp.
”Heeeeeeeeeelp! Get off me! Somebody heeeelp me!”
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OPENING LEXICON DATABASE...
COMMENCING SEARCH OF TERM: HELP
~Offering assistance
~Needing assistance
ANALYZING VISUAL IMAGES...
COMPILING TRUTHS...
- Accelerated heartbeat
- Incapacitated physical condition
- Subject 001 is restrained
- Subject 001 is making forceful body movements
- Subject 001 is verbally requesting help
FACT: SUBJECT 001 IS DISTRESSED
FACT: SUBJECT 001 IS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE
RESPONSE: NANO INFIRMARY PROTOCOL INITIATED
tRainQuilT646 RUNNING
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”Stop moving or we kill you!”
”Heeeel-” Sia stops yelling as a sharp object is held at her neck.
She feels wide awake now and remembers everything that happened before she woke up on the filthy ground.
She had assumed that she was dead and cast out into this barren hell to repent for her sins. Until someone had shot her and chased her through the barren hell. A demon? Whatever demon tribe has captured her...they've stripped her down to her underwear and don't understand boundaries. She doesn't have a weapon! Why are they so aggressive?!
The three leaders of the Wanderers watch as Vanessa shuts the woman up.
”Sit her up,” an old woman calls to Vanessa.
Vanessa pushes the knife closer to Sia's neck threatening more harm, then pulls it away. She pulls her up roughly, and Sia feels an odd sensation course through her body. She feels sick. Vertigo?
”I should vomit on this --” she begins to think before an odd hum sounds in her head.
Her eyes water and she barely notices the other figures facing her.
”Which colony are you from?”
”Where were you headed?”
”Who do you belong to?”
”Who made your clothing?”
The old woman asks question after question, but Sia does not respond. The old woman turns to the men standing beside her.
”She is trained well. She may not give up any information unless physically tortured. She is barren of scars. She must be important. Scarring her may make trading with her Master difficult.”
”Blood need not be spilt to gain answers. There are many ways to bring fear to your heart. Ways to die that leave no mark. Your Master would never know how you perished. That head wound could have been the cause,” the grey old man walks closer and closer to Sia as he speaks.
The middle-aged man beside the old woman stays quiet. He watches Sia's reactions closely and narrows his eyes at her unresponsiveness.
'This colony must be very rich in resources and intelligence. The woman has not blinked this entire time. What sort of place can train a woman to be calm over torture and death? This could be a very rich deal for us all.' He thinks all this to himself as he ogles the peculiar woman.
Meanwhile, Sia is slowly dying inside as she realizes the loud humming in her ears has made her deaf.
”Oh my god. They hit me so hard I've gone deaf,” she thinks in her mind.