LT Cane: “The hell? No way that's possible… Sir! Are you seeing this? Scanners are showing two hundred plus contacts and counting, the attack characterization system can't even ping them all!”
CPT Mercer: “Shit, get Delta station on the con now, verify this. No way in hell the Chinese drone swarms have penetrated that far into our airspace.”
LT Cane: “Watchdog-1 to Delta Station, our scanners are showing suspicious activity within your grid. Can you run a diagnostics check and confirm a system’s malfunction? ….Sir… I'm getting static.”
CPT Mercer: “Is the station still broadcasting l-”
DELTA OBSERVER: “WE ARE BEING OVERRUN! I REPEAT! WE ARE BEING OVERRUN! THEY'RE AT OUR GODDAMN DOOR!”
LT Cane: Delta Observer, confirm again, did you say the Chinese have overrun your position?!”
DELTA OBSERVER: NO! It's something else! Monsters! Something! I-I- Rameriz! Keep the door closed! KEEP THE-”
CPT Mercer: “Delta Observer, report, can you confirm the status of Chinese forces?' Delta Observer, please respond!”
- Cataloged Audio recording between AFRICOM HQ Observer to Delta Observer station.
AM Chapter 2/b: Happy Birthday
“Die.” With that word, Isaac pulled the trigger on his MK-1 Sidewinder. Chambered in 45 ACP, with a capacity of fourteen shots plus one chambered, the weapon roared, the aluminum bullet exiting the groovedbore barrel and entering into the head of the man Isaac called father.
A clean shot. One done without pity, without remorse. The drunken alcoholic hitting the floor of the dank alleyway with a thud.
For a moment, there was silence, and no breath left Isaac’s mouth. His green glare unwavering at the sight of the corpse he once called father.
Finally the barrel of his gun pointed at the floor, the seventeen-year-old clenching his jaw with not a single soul bothering to care about the all too common sound of gunfire.
Murderer.
The word kept playing in Isaac’s mind.
Murderer.
Suddenly his HUD beeped, the heads-up display implant showing the time as 0000am. January 1st. 2131 the start of a new year and simultaneously… his birthday.
[HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM CORDEL TECHNOLOGIES!!!]
The words hung in front of Isaac's face, a grim reminder that he was now an adult.
Isaac’s shoulders slumped, his jaw going slack, his eyes glancing down at the silver gun he held in his hands. His birthday gift from his father now turned tool of murder.
“Fuck…” Isaac let out before simply turning around and walking away.
****
Isaac frowned, waking up, his eyes fluttering rapidly as he attempted to adjust to the bright light of the white room he found himself in and the rhythmic beep that seemed to irate his ears.
What?
“Mom! Isaac's awake!”
Isaac spun, his head shifting to the brown-haired green-eyed Middle School girl looking up from her gamepad.
“Lily? Where am I?” Isaasc asked, his voice quivering with confusion before his brow furrowed. “Shouldn't you be in school?”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Mom pulled me out after the EMS people got you.”
“E…MS? What?” Isaac went wide-eyed, his heart stopping for a moment before his hands began to rummage around his body, feeling every inch of himself in a panic.
Isaac broke out into a cold sweat, the last memory he had prior to waking being the hard pavement that filled his view and then suddenly-
“I died… I'm dead!” Isaac let out, his vision blurring as an escalating beeping bounced off the pristine white walls.
“Uhm. Mom! MOM!” Lily ran off, the child racing out of the room as Isaac began to scream, his hands pushing against his face, the feeling of his nose, teeth, a fraction of a second when pain encompassed his enter being.
I…
Then Isaac noticed it, his wrist sporting a new black drawing beneath his metal medical wristband.
“A… pawn?” Isaac rubbed his wrist, attempting to erase the ink that had mysteriously-
That man.
Isaac's vision shifted back to that night, the well-groomed man smiling with glee as he tossed Isaac off of the skyscraper.
THAT BASTARD!
But… How did he survive? Suddenly a sinking sensation blossomed in Isaac's chest, a feeling he hadn't felt since… his father.
“Isaac! Isaac! Oh thank God!” A voice cried, a bald sickly woman rushing into the room and hugging Isaac.
“M-ma?” Isaac stuttered, his face caught by the woman's scrawny spotted hands with his gaze locked onto her tearful green eyes.
“Isaac! Are you ok? How are you feeling? Do you hurt? Do you-” Alleigh winced, coughing, the woman retreating away to dab at the black ichor that hugged her mouth.
A symptom of rustlung. An incurable disease that was common to Under Well miners and sea scavengers that rummaged beneath the stilted city of Neo-New Orleans. The disease left its victims wracked in pain, limited lung capacity, and black lines that coated out from their chest.
“Ma? What are you doing out of bed? Where's Doctor Li-”
“I'm fine! Just…. You had me so worried. I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you!” Isaac's mother cried as a HELPMate marched into the room.
Isaac's mind began to spin, between wondering how he got here, his mother crying, and the flashes of the mysterious stranger smiling at him…
The silver bipedal robot in charge of patient care paused in front of Isaac.
“Good morning Mr. Carter. Your heart rate is 160. Your temperature is 98.7. And your condition is stable Yellow.” The Bot said in a kindly tone as its mechanical red eyes shifted to snatch Isaac's wrist. “Are you feeling stressed Mr. Carter?”
“I-i-i-” Isaac let out, clutching his chest.
“Baby! Isaac, are you ok?!” Isaac's mother screamed, worry evident on her face.
“P-p-payment-pay-” Isaac stuttered, his breath coming out short.
“It seems Mr. Carter is experiencing symptoms of a panic attack.” The Bot stated flately before reaching down and clasping the man's shoulder.
“I-I- need to talk to a doctor! I need!” Isaac let out, attempting to sit up but doubling over as a tingling sensation cursed through his body.
“Administrating benzodiazepines.” The Bot said, its hand shooting out and injecting a needle into Isaac's neck.
After a moment, the beeping in the room died down.
“Honey? Isaac, are you ok?” Alleigh asked, her hand stroking Isaac's head.
“I…” Isaac blinked, the pain in his chest subsiding his eyes staring at something unseen by the others.
With a whirr, the metal armband was removed, the beeping in the room silencing.
“You are free to leave. Thank you for utilizing Metro Health.”
Isaac blinked. What?
The bot turned and made to leave, yet paused as Isaac reached out.
“Hey! Wait! Did you do anything to me? Touch my cyberware? Run a diagnostic?” Isaac asked, the HELPMATE pausing.
“No, Mr. Carter. Besides providing an MRI, IV, and administering 25 milligrams of benzodiazepines, no further medical aid has been administered.” The Bot reported. “If that is all sir, I have other patients to see.”
“Wait! What about payment? Hows-” Isaac began but was suddenly cut off.
“Oh honey, that's all been taken care of!” Isaac's mother said, placing her small hand on Isaac's wrist. “The very kind man that brought you here took care of it fully.”
KIND MAN?!
“Did… you see him?” Isaac asked cautiously, his eyes narrowing.
“No, he tookcough off before I arrived. According to the doctors, the man brought you in after you collapsed.” Isaac's mother explained, barely choking back tears between coughs.
“Ah… right.” Isaac said, his mother breaking out into a coughing fit. “Are you ok mom? Lily-”
“Hm?” The girl said, looking up from her gamepad.
“-take mom back to her room. Have doctor Liam look at her.”
“Okey dokie.” Lily replied, grabbing hold of her ailing mother much to the woman's protest.
“I'll visit you in a bit ma.” Isaac called out, reassuring his mother with a smile that quickly turned into a frown as he eyed the floating words overlapping over his Heads up Display.
[System Online]