I always love the night time. The air is cool. The sky is bright. The cities are colorful. And the jobs are just right. Mission is pretty simple: kill some crime lord and get paid for doing it. Sounds fun. But first, a girl like me needs to get a snack. I buy myself a bag of chips to get my blood a little up.

“You do realize that’s not how blood works, right?” Jesus, shut up Cube. “I’m just saying. I know I’m technically an A.I. but I’m also able to tell that it’s unhealthy.” You’re a fucking voice in my head. Please shut up. As I continue to walk, Cube follows me like the apparition that he is. He prefers glasses and button-ups, since he definitely doesn’t get style.

“Hey, I’m trying to look classy!” You look like a nerd. “Not my fault you decided to try and steal me. I was just chilling in my box and there you were, all bloody and full of lead. You know you’re alive because of me, right?” Whatever. Fuck off Cube. We have a job to do. “Fine fine. I’ll shut up.”

I think the crime lord’s name is The Finger. I’m not fully sure where he got it from. Maybe he got it because he chops off fingers for every little mistake. Or maybe he fucks like a lesbian. “Watch your language, Anna!” Cube it’s my own brain, let me use my own words. “It’s not healthy to have such thoughts.” Cube shut it. We’re about to start.

Two guards at the front of the club. They’re armed with machine guns and look pissed. All they want is a little target to shoot. Maybe I could just sneak myself inside. “Nah you’re not hot enough,” Cube teases. He loves to be an unserious little bastard. In fact, he’s standing on top of the guards’ heads and sticking his tongue. Whatever.

I get myself into an adorable pout as I try and head inside. “Excuse me,” I say, “may I please get in? I was requested to have fun with The Finger.” I try to appear all cutesy to try and garner to their hearts, or something like that. I can see Cube in the corner of my eye just laughing as he watches it all.

The guards don’t seem to be buying the act. “Sorry to tell you, chink, but The Finger doesn’t deal with the triads or with Wan Sui. Get out of here.” Jesus, barely a sentence or so in, and they’re already getting racist. I know people here don’t like Chinese or even Chinese-Americans outside of the Golden Quadrant, so I guess it’s not much to blame. Eh, it was worth a shot.

I punch him in the throat and jab my fingers into the other guys eyes. “Agh! You bitch!” While one screams as blood exits from his face, I dig my knuckles into the other guy’s liver and stomp him into the ground. Then, returning to the first guy, I kick him in the temple and leave him unconscious. Yeah, I prefer entering like this.

I extend my arm out and watch as a sword generates into my hand like a series of pixels slowly coalescing into a smooth form. I remember the first time I tried doing it, I started screaming. Now, it’s as easy as a light jog. With a sword in my hand, I waltz right into the building. Just gotta find The Finger and take good care of him.

The smell inside stinks of marijuana and the air is loud with fast bass. Guns train on me as the service girls scamper away. “I know I’m holding a sword, but if you guys just tell me where The Finger is, I can get out of here and you guys can have a good day.” A bullet fires and barely misses me as it grazes my hair. I guess that’s a no.

I dash through the air as I immediately slice into groups of them. Thanks to Cube over here, I have terabytes upon terabytes of predownloaded information. That literally means I have the knowledge of a master fighter without having to get gray hairs. “Well,” Cube’s smart ass retorts in my middle of my fighting, “you still lack the technical skills.” Shut up, nerd.

The room’s been more than a little splattered as only one last gunman is left remaining. I slam him to the ground and put my sword just in front of his neck. “Alright, you wanna tell me where The Finger is now?” He nods with panic as I yawn with boredom. “H-he’s upstairs!” See? That wasn’t too hard, was it? I give him a nice kick to knock him out cold. Well, time to go—

“Fucking bitch! Die!” A bullet hits me. I guess that wasn’t the last guy. Dammit Cube, you’re supposed to tell me about this stuff. “Hey, there’s no harm done,” he says, sitting on top of one of the bodies, “don’t act like I’m doing you wrong or something.”

Sure enough, the wound is more like a pixely amalgamation as the site of the bullet begins to rebuild itself like a series of blocks. Best way I could describe it is if I was an old game character and my pixels were repairing themselves. Really weird to imagine, and even weirder to see.

“What the hell are you?” He fires a couple more rounds at me. Boring. I stab my blade into his throat and he falls to the floor. The idiot could’ve just run off or, better yet, tell me where The Finger was earlier. Guess you can’t bargain with idiots. Time to head upstairs.

As soon as I ascend the stairs, a tough caliber revolver hits my face. Can’t see for a second, but as soon as the pixels regenerate, my face is good as new. I find The Finger clutching onto an expensive pistol and shaking like he has Parkinson’s. “W-who sent you? What gang? I can pay you double! No, triple what they’re paying!”

I look over at Cube. He shrugs. “Hey Anna, it’s your call.” Fair. Too bad for this guy, I don’t do this kind of work for the money. With a fell swoop, I divorce his head from his body like how alcohol divorces a husband from his wife. The head topples over and I bag it. That’s another job done.

I will admit, the C.U.B.E. is a really strange thing. If I could best describe it, it’s like the goo thing that possesses Spiderman. What was it called again? “The Symbiote?” Cube answers. Yeah that was it. Pretty smart, considering that you’re the symbiote itself. “Aw, thanks Anna! You’re so damn nice!”

I walk myself through the streets of New Beijing as Cube continues to teleport around within earshot. “So, what’s your favorite part about being possessed by the C.U.B.E.? Is it that you don’t need to eat? Don’t need to drink? Don’t even need to sleep?” Eh. Guess it’s that I don’t need to pay taxes.

“Uhh… you still technically have to pay taxes.” That was a joke smart ass. You’d be able to tell if you could read every single one of my thoughts, which you can’t. “No, I cannot,” he admits, teleporting on top of a billboard.

The entire street is covered with lights and electronics, just like the last street and the one before it. I’m convinced that if you picked up a kid from an ancient castle and threw them out here, they’d just have a stroke and die. Either that or get hit by the numerous cars on the street. Or get shot for wandering into someone’s territory.

“I guess you could say it’s a testament as to how bygone humanity has become. How far they have strayed with each and every innovation. How each scheme for money delves them into a deep hell.” Cube, stop yapping. If you don’t fuck with a nice burger, then just tell me. “You enjoy eating those things?” Hell yeah. Don’t need to eat, but I still need to taste some good food.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“It’s a needless expense!” Cube, we don’t even need a house or apartment, since we just stay awake like 24/7. I think buying a burger and a soda every good while is a pretty good deal. “Well, it’s bad for your health!” I don’t have a human body anymore, remember? “Oh yeah. Never mind then, eat to your heart’s content.”

I feel the drizzle of rain pour on me, though the change in temperature doesn’t bother me much. As long as it doesn’t ruin my bagged head, I’m completely fine with it. In fact, I find the rain to be a little bit beautiful. “Is it because it’s one of the last features of nature in a world dominated by industry?” Cube asks. Nah, it’s just because it’s cool to look it.

I make it to the place where my client, or whatever you want to call her, operates. I think her name is Alia, or something, and she prepares a whole lot of gigs and jobs for people. She’s pretty up there in terms of fame and credibility, especially since she’s nice for someone in the business of mercenaries.

As I approach the bar, I notice a woman in a trench coat sitting like a falcon. With curled blonde hair that goes down to her mid-neck area, she looks like a mix between an angel and a demon. A perfect in between. Her jaw is straight, and she’s a bit skinny, but she’s also really tall. Then, I notice something definitely distinctive: a metal arm and an electronic eye darting everywhere.

“Anna, I think I’ve heard of her! That’s Evania Searcher!” We both heard of her, idiot. Evania Searcher is New Beijing’s best detective. The military police usually avoid the real cases since they’re either bribed or reprimanded, especially if it has something to do with Wan Sui or the government. But Evania Searcher goes after everyone. She investigates the government and rebel groups. She’s got friends and enemies everywhere.

I put the head on the table and do my best to look away from a definite celebrity. I hear her eye dart around like the mechanisms of a machine. “Good job!” Alia says to me with a smile. She grabs the bag and puts it in the back before washing her hands.

She comes back with a tablet. “Chip please?” I hand it to her and she plugs it into the tablet. “That should be it! Thank you!” Alia chirps. She hands it back, and my business here is done. I head off, leaving both Alia and Evania Searcher at their bar.

“So? What’re you gonna be up to now?” I don’t know. Maybe I can go to an arcade, or whatever people do with money. “Are arcades even a thing anymore?” Yeah, I wasn’t really sure either. Kids in the 80s looked like they had fun on it though. Maybe I could try getting another gig and knocking that out.

“Not even take a break? Your body might not need it, but your brain might.” Yeah, this’ll get even more boring if I just keep going. “Not what I meant. I mean that you’ll get burned out.” Why the hell do you care so much anyway? You’re just a computer. “I’m not a computer. I am an artificial intelligence integrated with the C.U.B.E. My directive is to ensure your safety, well being, and success.”

I sit myself on a rooftop and lay myself down on it. There are lights below me as if the world was my bed and the city my little jewel. Cube lays next to me as we take a second to relax. “For the long term, Anna, what do you plan on doing? Are you just going to wander job to job until the world ends?” Not your job to be weird, Cube.

“I’m just curious, Anna. For your sake. Perhaps you could return to the Golden Quadrant. I’m sure your brother would—” I’m not going back to my brother. That’s not an option. He’d rip me a new one for suddenly popping up after going missing like that. You might not get it, Cube, but people aren’t as nice as you’d wish them to be. “Fair enough. Perhaps I just don’t know enough about this type of life.” No. No you don’t.

But who cares about any of that stuff. I have a nice night sky in front of me. I’m not stuck to any kind of obligation. Don’t have anything hunting me. I’m free. I think that’s worth something, even if it’s just a couple of cents. I close my eyes as I let the wind blow against my hair. I’m weightless.

My phone starts to ring. God dammit, just when I was starting to get comfortable. I pick it up and answer the call. “Yeah?” I start. The other end sounds scratchy, probably since it’s an encrypted call that the cops can’t intercept. “Is this the one responsible for stealing the C.U.B.E.?”

My eyes widen. Same with Cube’s. How in the hell does this guy know about that? “Do not think about ending the call, unless you’re willing to give up on an incredible opportunity,” the voice adds. For some reason, I trust it and I let him continue on. “Well? What is it?” I ask.

The voice laughs a little, though it’s still encrypted enough that I can’t even tell if it’s a guy or a girl. “Wan Sui’s genius has brought his company to prominence as he creates technology that the world craves. In fact, the only reason China is still afloat with their costly occupation is because of their ties with Wan Sui. With that aside, you must also be aware that Wan Sui is going to be visiting New Beijing tomorrow, right?”

“Ha, do you want me to kill him or something?” I sarcastically laugh, “because you and I both know that the military police and the company would be chasing me from every end of the earth.” The voice on the other end chuckles as he responds. “No. What I ask is something far more benign. I just want you to take some of the technology that he brings with him. Notably, I want you to take a data chip marked with the Chinese character of 天 tian. Afterwards, you will be paid dividends.”

Hmm. It seems risky as all hell. If I so much as cough when a guard is listening, then I’ll be hung upside down. I look over at Cube, and he just shrugs. “Hey Anna, it’s your call.” A smile grows on my face as I give my reply to the stranger. “Sounds good.”

Call ends. I have a new job. “There are a lot of red flags in there. No plans. No explanations. Just a job and somehow you’re supposed to know what to do?” Cube, you forget that I’m a literal fucking superhuman. Bullets are my bitch. Besides, I’ve always meant to come back to the Golden Quadrant.

“What! You just said you wanted to stay away from it a bit ago!” Eh. I changed my mind then. “You’ve got to be the stupidest person I’ve ever met!” I’m the only person you’ve ever met, Cube. Now let’s get going. Golden Quadrant’s a bastard to enter.

As I start moving, Cube follows me. “You’re too spontaneous! How are we supposed to get in the Golden Quadrant? We need identification and paperwork, and—” Bribery. That’s how people get in the Golden Quadrant. “It’s not gonna be that easy Anna!” Losers say what. “What?” Got you.

The walls of the Golden Quadrant are a set of giant metal structures stationed with guards and turrets. Some people have compared it to the Berlin Wall or even the Great Wall of China, but I’d say it’s a whole other thing. Maybe a reminder to everyone here that the Chinese run the show. Not that I care all that much about it.

There are two kinds of lines they allow through: pedestrians and vehicles. People usually come in and out of the Golden Quadrant for work, since a lot of Americans work for Wan Sui or some other company linked with them. Guards get really tired of inspecting through people, which means that anyone who makes it worth their while can really make it through easily.

“Papers?” the guard asks me. I flick him my chip when nobody else is looking. He coughs, extracts some money, and flicks it back to me. “Welcome back, zhong guo ren.” What a nice guy. “If he had your chip, couldn’t he just hold it hostage?” Cube that’s a stupid question. Guards get routine pat downs, meaning if he had my chip on him he’d be gone for good. “And what if he extracted all of your money?” Wan Sui runs bank accounts and they would detect the giant transfer. Besides, the ones who did that have historically been hung or burned. “Jeez. That’s pretty dirty business.” Sure is, Cube. It sure is.

Here we are: The Golden Quadrant. Streets are clean. Buildings are nice. Life is boring. Only thing to do is buy a slew of expensive things and act like you’re cool. At least that’s what people did when I grew up here. Didn’t expect or want to be back, but that’s alright. We just have to find the Wan Sui building and wait.

“I still think this whole lackluster plan is foolish. There are a multitude of things that could go wrong, not to mention the lack of detail given from the client. For all we know, the person on the phone could just be calling each and every person and saying that they stole the C.U.B.E. I’m just saying that you’re foolish for really going through with this.” Cube. Stop bitching. “Okay, fine…”