I’m not a fan or supporter of violence. I think it ends up with every party losing in some way. The man who gets shot is dead and the man who shoots loses a bullet and his morality. Things would be better if a bullet was never needed. But, sadly, we don’t live in that perfect world.

Gunfire rattles from within the building as civilians scream and rush out. Fellow military police guide them to evacuate them from the vicinity. “What’s the situation?” I ask my superior. Captain Zheng sighs as the gunfire continues. Military police funnel inside as Captain Zheng fills me in. “A bunch of insurgents made it through the Golden Quadrant wall. They started opening fire and taking hostages in the office building here.” A window breaks as a military policeman is thrown out. He shatters onto the ground and medical work to quickly tend to him. “They’re probably trying to strike on the night before Wan Sui arrives to town.”

I cock my rifle, an automatic WS-200. Any standard issue weapon is as good as a mighty sword when put in the hands of a purposed heart. “What do you need me to do?” I ask. I see a smile grow on the captain’s face as he pats me on the shoulder. “Lieutenant Chen, you’re the best damn soldier I could’ve ever asked for.”

The soldiers from inside return outside as they haul their hobbling wounded onto stretchers. It doesn’t take a genius to know that the group was unsuccessful. “Captain Zheng! We have the insurgents on radio! We can communicate with them!” a soldier reports. They bring over a phone and the captain is put on. “What do you want?” the captain asks.

“We want a free America! One without a single one of you chinks running it!” the phone growls. The captain smiles as he remains completely calm despite the horrid situation. “What is something we can do to ensure that you release the hostages. I want you to be practical,” the captain asks.

There is a subtle pause as the captain puts down the phone. “Lieutenant,” he whispers to me, “I want you and a small group to get inside quietly and take care of them while I keep distracting them. Not a single hostage dead. Go.” I close the visor on my helmet and wave to a group of soldiers to follow me. The captain continues to entertain them as we move inside.

My group remains silent as we step inside. With the motions of my hand, I signal a movement towards the barrel of my gun. Fix silencers. We click them on and keep quiet. The only sound is the slight scrape of our boots onto the floor.

We make it through a side entrance as we maintain overwatch at every angle. We move as a single group. With me leading at the front, I raise my fist to halt. Two men. Take them out, I signal. I put one of their heads in my sight. We inhale. We exhale.

We shoot and the bodies fall to the floor. You, go to the power. Wait for my signal on radio to kill it. One of my men nods and moves while we advance our position. We’re close to the position of the terrorists, meaning we have to be extremely careful.

We crack the door open and get inside quietly. We see the hostages and the terrorists, though they don’t see us. “We want a free America! Dammit do you not understand?” their leader barks into his radio. We aim our sights into the terrorists, ready to shoot. I reach for my walkie-talkie and give the command. “Cut the power.”

The lights shut off and we pull our triggers. Heads pop and hostages scream as we take down the gunmen. “Move! Right flank!” I command. We advance like a pincer and squeeze them down. “Secure the hostages! Not a single one dies!” My men start to round them up and bring them out as I maintain suppressive fire. The last of the terrorists are huddled behind desks and cover as I continue shooting.

As soon as one pops out, I shoot him first. Then, within the shroud of darkness, I hear the sound of a cocked grenade. A single thought hits me head: if that grenade is thrown, a hostage could be killed. I couldn’t let that happen. I lunge forward and hold the spoon onto the grenade, ensuring it doesn’t go off. At the same time, I have to wrestle with the terrorist to ensure that it doesn’t slip from his hand. “Get out with the hostages!” I command.

My men funnel out as the terrorist gets on top of me, his hand reaching for my neck while the other remains clutched on the grenade. He grips and tugs at me, but I refuse to let go until the hostages are out. I feel as the air in my throat is halted while the blood in my head feels inflated like a balloon. Then, as soon as the last soldier exits the room, I throw the terrorist off me.

He’s holding the grenade. I’m not. With my pistol, I shoot him in the arm, resulting in him dropping and releasing the explosive. He looks down, and then he looks at me. “You fucking chink—” The grenade explodes and I duck behind a desk before the shrapnel hits me. The adrenaline wanes as I realize that my job is done.

I reach for my walkie-talkie immediately. “Captain Zheng, are all the hostages alright?” I wait for a second. And then two. My heart pounds as the anxiety of the situation pains me like a knife. “Lieutenant Chen,” he finally answers, “you’re a damn life saver. They’re all okay.” I give a sigh of relief as I lay onto the floor. Thank God.

The remaining terrorists in the building ended up surrendering as they’re brought in handcuffs. The captain slaps me on the back with laughter as I catch my breath outside. “Most of the idiots here ended up just charging at the insurgents like bullet sponges. You took an alternate route that nobody thought of. I swear, they don’t make good soldiers like you anymore.”

He hands me some water and I down it. My heart is still beating fast and I’m still shaking. “The hostages are okay?” I ask. He laughs and says, “one of them is mad since their ears are ringing, but that’s about it. Can’t make everyone happy, I guess.” I sit myself down as the captain sits next to me.

“You know, I’m supposed to send the best soldier in my unit to serve as security for when Wan Sui shows up to New Beijing. I know it’s a bit to ask for, since it starts first thing tomorrow, but would you want to take that billet? Besides, the current one I got is Long, and his idiot butt got shot just a second ago.”

I look up as a smile grows on my face. “Are you serious?” I ask. He nods. “A job like that will get you promoted in no time. Wouldn’t be surprised if you got two stars like me,” he laughs, pointing to his rank. “You were first in your class when you graduated from the military academy. Wanna bring the same energy?” I take his hand and his offer. “I’d be honored.”

I didn’t get much sleep that night. The next day, I’m arriving to the Wan Sui tower: a skyscraper taller than any other building in New Beijing. Our dress uniforms shine as the buttons reflect the sunlight. There are hundreds of cameras everywhere as the soldiers and I remain at attention.

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Wan Sui arrives in a large escort of cars. He exits his vehicle and is surrounded by his own slew of corporate bodyguards. Wearing and equipped with cybernetic body parts and enhancements, they look like soldiers from the future. Perhaps one day, soldiers like these would replace me.

They enter the building and we march inside as well. As soon as we enter through the doors, they shut tight. “Guard! Halt!” We stop marching. “Guard! Order arms!” We smack our rifles and bring them to our feet. “Guard! Dismissed!” With that, we can finally loosen ourselves and return to normal. I’m a little surprised that our role is less like bodyguards and more like a ceremonial decoration. Oh well, a parade is a parade.

“Thank you for your support,” a member of the company tells us. His face is partially constructed of metal, as with his throat. In fact, his voice sounds like that of a robot, like the one that operates the appliances in a home. “You are allowed to congregate within the lobby, but venturing upwards is prohibited. Thank you for your time.”

“Wait,” I ask, “how are we supposed to protect Wan Sui if we’re stuck here?” The other soldiers start laughing as they put down their rifles. “Second Lieutenant Chen, it’s not that big of a deal. Quit being a boot and just have some fun. They got plenty of nice booze in the bar here.” They immediately start going off and doing their own thing as I’m left with my rifle in my hand. What kind of job is this?

The lobby, for the most part, is extravagant with technology and prosperity. The kind that Wan Sui is known for. The rest of the guards are already filling their stomachs with drinks as they flounder and flirt with some of the elite women. “Hey. You free right now?” I hear one of them say. She entertains him and buys him a drink. And then another. All the way until he’s unconscious and out of her hair. Corporate women are harsh.

Something I also can’t help but notice is the amount of Wan Sui bodyguards standing around. Dressed with bionic modifications like knights in armor, they patrol and watch like hawks. I guess they really only needed us for ceremonies. No need for heroes.

Wan Sui, himself, heads upstairs as his posse of soldiers follows him. The door shuts behind him, and another slew of guards defend that point. As I approach them, they hold out their hands like medieval spearmen. “You are not permitted past this point, Lieutenant Adam Chen,” they say simultaneously.

The robotic servant from earlier tends to me as he gently bows. “We thank you for your concurrent service, but the matters of Wan Sui, as you may understand, are private.” He guides me back to the bars. “You are free to enjoy the proclivities and entertainment.” I brush him away from me as I sit myself down. “I understand,” I respond.

The servant walks away and I’m back to watching military policemen get belligerently drunk. The kind of drunk that leaves them either incapacitated or making a fool of themselves. The kind that makes me a little embarrassed to wear the same uniform as them. “Hey Lieutenant,” one of them slurs at me, “you want one?” He, himself, is wobbling and shaking around as I gently decline his offer. “No thank you. I don’t drink.”

“Bum!” he yelps. He falls over and the guests look at him with a sense of disgust. Then they go back to whatever their business was. I can’t help but sigh and ruminate in the disappointment in this job. It isn’t the laziness or sloth that I despise; it’s the humiliation. The fact that we’re nothing but little dressed soldiers for a group that can do more than afford their own private army. The fact that the entire job is to get drunk and ignore everything. And the fact that, in general, this place reeks of uncomfortable wealth. It’s not my kind of life. I move myself to the bathroom to take a breather.

I open the door to find the over extravagant architecture to continue. The sink looks like some kind of titanium contraption as does the stalls. The lights glow from small slits as if a pompous lord decided that showing his wealth and power in a literal bathroom was a good idea. Whatever. I wash my hands and face as I keep my rifle slung on my shoulder. Irritating thing.

I splash the water onto my face and rub my tired eyes. The last time I was tired was about a year ago. It was when… no… I don’t want to talk about it. It still worries me. With the sink automatically shutting off, I dry my face with paper towels. At least there’s one thing in this place that’s normal.

Then I notice the sound of scampering in the ceiling above me. I pause. It could be air, or creaking metal, or even just a work of my exhausted imagination. But I can’t help but have the feeling that it’s something else. Perhaps I could just tell that servant about it, I can rest easy.

Stepping out of the bathroom, I find him standing in the lobby. He’s scanning around, particularly at the inebriated guards. “Excuse me,” I say, “I noticed that there was some kind of scampering in the ventilation. Not to be an alarmist, but I think something should be checked.” I will admit, I sound a little crazy. It could easily be nothing.

“I understand your concerns. We have an issue with rats.” He then bows at me, essentially saying that I should leave. That’s a reasonable response, but I still have that strange gut feeling about something. “Hard to believe that rats would infest such a clean building, especially one belonging to Wan Sui. Wouldn’t he be hiring someone to take care of them?”

“Sir,” he responds, “I assure you that there is nothing to be worried about. Now, please enjoy the proclivities of—” I scoff and laugh at his robotic voice. “I don’t want to sit around and get drunk, like a fool. I came here to be part of the security detail. If I can’t even do that, then why in the hell did you have us be here?”

He goes silent for a moment. At first, I was afraid I was a little too loud, but the other guests are too busy with their conversations on work and life. “Sir,” the servant whispers in my ear, “I do not think that it is wise to start causing trouble. After all, you have a missing sister to worry about.”

I freeze. What did he just say? “H-how do you know that?” I angrily whisper back at him. He slowly grabs onto my shoulder and pushes me along, pulling me away from the rest of the lobby. “Wan Sui likes to have a lot of details in regard to the people working with them. As a result, it would be best that you cooperate rather than resist.”

We’re away from everyone now. In a secluded place where I’m not even sure people could hear me if I screamed. No, surely I’m just paranoid. After all, I was just curious. Even if something strange was planned, basic curiosity wouldn’t mandate violence. “I don’t like having my sister mentioned,” I still say. “Are you trying to intimidate me? Act like you have an edge since you know something?”

The servant says nothing. Suddenly, he grips onto my neck. “I do not like lying. That is the improper human which lies in me.” I feel the air in my neck remain trapped as I attempt to loosen his grip. But with his arm made of metal, he doesn’t give a single bit. “Wan Sui must die. It has been ordered.” Shit! This guy is strong!

For a while, this is nothing but a massacre as his grip tightens. I attempt to punch at him, but it does nothing. Then, I grab onto the metal part of his head and tug at it. With one strong yank, I manage to pull it off.

The servant releases his grip and falls to the ground, writhing in pain as his electronic voicebox glitches and stutters. “What’s going to happen to Wan Sui?” I demand. But after a moment, he finally gets stiff and still. He’s dead. Without a moment to lose, I get the hell out of there. I need to find a way upstairs.

Using the main way guarded by soldiers is a stupid option. I return to the bathroom to try and make it to the vent I heard earlier. Moving inside, I find a military policeman and a business woman. She shrieks as soon as I move inside as the military cop, with his uniform frazzled around, struggles to remain standing. “Move!” I command.

They get out of the way as I slam the butt of my ceremonial rifle against the ceiling. The fragile metal falls apart as I find the vent I suspected. It’s full of scratches, as if something moved in and moved fast. I look back at the military cop and he looks back at me. “Stay out of trouble,” I tell him. Then I hop inside and crawl through.