Blurry images danced across my closed eyelids, floating in and out of my vision like phantoms. The caved-in entrance to the school, bullet casings skittering along the floor as I crept through the dust-ridden hallways, the kitchen drowned in corpses and bathed in blood. My body felt cold as the eyes of the wendigo bored into my soul, even in death. I wanted it to go away. I wanted it to be gone. But in my half-conscious state, I could do nothing but stare back into the void, praying I didn’t blink first. Dread tickled the back of my neck as a low rumbling, growling noise, and what sounded like the screams of the damned registered to ears. I tried to close my mind, and allow unconsciousness to take me once more.
But those eyes never left.
—/—|—\—
I flinched awake as Ava looped my good arm around her shoulders, attempting to pull me off the ATV. Sunlight stabbed at my eyes, causing me to blink blearily. The first thing that registered to me was the pain, throughout my body. I felt like I’d been through a tenderizer, and my brain was pressure-cooked. Ava grunted as she tried to swing my leg over to help me dismount, which I tried to help with, but ended up kicking her in the side.
“Fuck!” She winced, holding her ribs. “Goddamn, dude, did you go to karate or something?”
I tried to say something but mumbled incoherently.
“Jackie Chan over here,” she grumbled, finally managing to pull me off the ATV. Ava grunted as I stumbled forward, just barely managing to keep me on my feet. My legs felt like jelly, and I could barely walk. “C’mon, just a few dozen steps, hombre.”
She led me through a pair of sliding doors, and past a small room littered with rusted, beat-up collapsible wheelchairs and walkers. I breathed in a sigh of relief as the air conditioner worked its magic and began warming my frozen tail and ears. The warmth seemed to have rejuvenated my brain, at least a little, making me feel more aware. I blinked furiously at the buzzing fluorescent lights, trying to mitigate the migraine I felt coming on. My focus turned to the walls in an attempt to find something more relaxing to look at. All I found were walls coated in outdated, wilting insurance and informational posters. Even the newest ones looked like they were at least twenty years old. The floor was covered in a layer of grime, and everyone looked like they hadn’t showered in a week—and by the smell of the waiting room, that could be completely true.
As we walked by, I scanned the people waiting to be seen. The majority of them were humans and Dragonborn, but there were a couple of orcs, a Vulpes here, what looked to be a dwarf there, and an Ornithean huddled in the corner, her wing at an odd angle. Everyone looked generally miserable—but the weirdest thing was that they were all staring at me like I had just bathed in blood. Self-consciously, I glanced down and immediately felt sick to my stomach.
As it turned out, I was covered in blood. My coat and pants were stained dark red, with heavier stained parts flaking slightly and leaving little chips of dried blood in my wake. My feet dragged a little, causing Ava and I to stumble. She glanced at me, concern flashing in her brown eyes.
“Hey, just focus on the receptionist, alright?” She urged, seeing the looks everyone was giving me.
I nodded and turned my attention forward. The receptionist was human, and blue light reflected on her glasses. Ava rang the bell on the counter, to which the receptionist replied with a motion indicating for us to wait. Ava’s brow furrowed and she rang the bell again. The receptionist motioned once more. Ava growled quietly, set her jaw, and began ringing the bell repeatedly. Each ding! hurt my brain, and I winced with every single one. I could feel people’s eyes on our backs, and I felt like I was going to die on the spot.
Finally, the receptionist snapped. “What is—?! Oh, my god,” she gasped, seeing me. “Go through immediately,” she ordered, shutting down solitaire and her fingers flying across the keyboard. “Go straight ahead, you’ll be helped there.”
I stumbled as Ava dragged me forward toward the thick double doors, which swung open as we approached. My mind barely registered the nurses ushering us through as I focused on making sure my legs didn’t give up on me. Little tidbits of voices poked at my ears, but barely stuck.
“…Kéron Summers. That’s ‘k,’ ‘e,’ ‘r…’”
“…birth is February 12th, 2133…”
“…I don’t know, I just…”
I found myself being laid down on a somewhat comfortable bed, which I didn’t protest about in the slightest. After a small amount of shifting, I was able to lay in a position that didn’t crush my tail. Everything felt surreal—as if it was all a dream. With all the bright, buzzing lights, the voices moving around me, and the exhaustion pulling at my mind, it might as well have been. A brown-skinned human peered into my face, concern scrawled across her features.
“It’s gonna be alright, Kéron. You’re gonna be okay,” she said fiercely. “And if you’re not, I’ll learn necromancy and kill your ass again. You hear me?”
I barely understood what she was saying, and chuckled loopily. My eyelids felt heavy, and everything sounded like it was being filtered through cotton. Death is basically a really long sleep anyway, isn’t it? I mused and smirked to myself.
“Wait, what? What did you—Kéron? What in the hell did you just say?” She growled, grabbing my lapels. “Kéron, maldito idiota, voy a encontrar tu trasero en el infierno y te arrastraré de regreso a la tierra de los vivos por la cola si mueres, bastardo.”
Apparently, I said that out loud. Oops. The human kept spewing Spanish at me rapidly, but my brain wasn’t having it. I managed a smile and a thumbs-up before my eyelids slammed shut, plunging me into unconsciousness once more.
—/—|—\—
My eyes opened to swirling colors and strong winds, buffeting my face. A strange scent lingered in the foggy air, but was overpowered by the sweet scent of Ether. It looked like I was standing in the middle of space, with nebulae and stars surrounding me. The first thing that occurred to me was that I was breathing. The second being that I was seemingly standing on a solid surface, despite being in the void. I glanced down at my feet, and noted the way the “ground” beneath me drifted as if it were made of mist. It occurred to me that I should check if I was in a dream or not—it certainly felt real enough, and people being transported to different dimensions during dreams was rare, but not impossible.
“Well, that’s good,” I muttered, my voice echoing all around me. A quick, hard pinch to my forearm had brought about no pain—which meant this was all a dream. A very lucid dream, anyway.
“This is not a dream,” a voice behind me said quietly.
I spun around and almost fell over, thanks to the strange gravity. My breath was stolen away as I took in the incredible sight before me—earth, and its two sister moons, were below me. I could see the outline of the PRA, partially hidden away beneath a massive cloud, and parts of the rest of the world, such as Europe and Africa. On the dark side of the moons were patchworks and spiderwebs of lights of lunar colonies. At that moment, I felt infinitely small. My brain finally registered that there was a large figure sitting, facing away from me. It had a coat of odd, off-white fur, and brown wings. Its fur bobbed and swayed in nonexistent wind, catching the lights of the cosmos, painting the edges of its fur golden. It almost looked like it was glowing. It was larger than the biggest stallions I had seen—even sitting down.
“It’s quite the contrary, Kéron,” he said, turning his head to fix me with a yellow-eyed gaze.
“Uh…” I felt lost for words. “What uh—who are you?” My hands felt weird hanging at my sides, so I shoved them in my pockets.
“You don’t recognize the similarities to your creators?”
I titled my head, trying to make sense of what he was saying. I don’t know what the doctors are giving me, but it’s fucking me up big time. “I mean.. sure?”
The dragon sighed and beckoned me forward with his tail. “Confusion is understandable. However, we don’t have the time for that. Everything as you understand it is going to change, Kéron. For you, Ava, and the rest of your nation—perhaps even the world.”
My footsteps echoed as I stood beside the fluffy dragon. His eyes had a certain sort of melancholy, and yet, peace. As if he’d seen the silver lining on a storm cloud he knew was going to wash away his crops. I flexed my fingers in my pockets and looked up at him.
“So what does that all mean? How do I know this isn’t all some big trick?”
He looked down at me with eyes as deep as the ocean, offering me a glimpse into infinity. “Follow the daughter of deceit,” he whispered, the stars fading away behind him. “She will be the catalyst.” The nebulae surrounding us were swept away as if caught in a massive gust of air, all the starlight slowly dying away, until only the sun remained. “I wish you luck, Kéron.”
The sun withered away until it was a pinprick of light, before fizzling away entirely. My stomach jolted as if my intestines had gotten hooked to a bungee cord, and I felt myself thrown back into the world of consciousness.
—/—|—\—
I woke up with a gasp, feeling disoriented and lighthearted, as if I’d just resurfaced after being underwater for too long. Ava’s head snapped to me, and she hurried over to my bedside, concern scrawled across her features.
“Gracias a Dios—Kéron, are you okay?”
I blinked groggily, rubbing my eyes. The strange fuzziness that had been lurking in my brain since my fall at the school had vanished, as well as the dull, throbbing pain throughout my body. I still felt sore, but the worst of it was gone. My left arm also felt better, if not a bit stiff. “I uh… I think so? Don’t feel like I’m gonna pass out and die anymore, I guess.”
“Dude, you have no idea,” she breathed. “I thought you might’ve died, because they peeled back your eyelids to check your pupils or some weird shit and you didn’t respond at all.”
“Might as well have been dead if I didn’t notice that,” I mused.
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t die.” Pain sparked from my shoulder as she punched me. “That’s for scaring the fuck out of me.”
“Fuck,” I groaned. “I just barely woke up! Gimme a break, for hell’s sake.”
A nurse tutted from across the room. “Don’t strike the patient or I’ll have to have you removed from the room.”
“Don’t worry, it’s cool because we’re besties,” Ava said with a charming smile. The nurse simply just glowered at her. “So,” she turned her attention to me, “you’re feeling better now? Didn’t have any like, weird dreams or anything? Shit like voices of the damned speaking to you, random people showing up and saying cryptic stuff?”
“Well, uh,” I scratched my face. “Now that you mention it, I did have a kinda weird dream.”
Ava squinted at me. “What kinda weird dream?”
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“Uh, I—”
A strange, metallic thudding noise interrupted my train of thought. Ava and I stared at the door as the sound grew louder.
“Sir?” A concerned-sounding nurse asked. “I’m sorry, but you can’t be back… sir? Ma’am? This is a private area.” Ava and I glanced at each other, her brown eyes filled with apprehension. “Hello?? I will call the police—” the nurse yelped, and there was a pattering of footsteps as they hurried away, muttering fearfully to themselves.
The metal thudding stopped outside of the door for a moment before it swung open, revealing a slender, humanoid robot. Its body was worn as if it had seen everything this world had to offer, yet it was well taken care of, with several advanced upgrades. The machine’s sensors flickered slightly as it stared at me, a sense of dread washing over me. Robots weren’t common in the Sprawl, much less Utah, much less the middle of nowhere. Especially not robots that looked as expensive as the one that was approaching my bedside.
“Kéron Summers. Ava Álvarez. correct?” It stated as if it was simply getting pleasantries out of the way while knowing exactly who we were. We both nodded our affirmations. “Nice to meet you,” it said, offering a stiff hand. Neither of us took it, and its arm moved back down to its side.
“I am THR-300. You can call me ‘Thor,’” the robot said. “I am here to inquire about your latest contract. What is the current status of your progress in fulfilling this contract?”
The overly perfect enunciation of its voice made my brain feel weird—almost like an audio version of the uncanny valley. I decided to speak up, so I could hear something that sounded like a real person. “Uh, the current status is FUBAR.”
“I am sorry, ‘FUBAR’ does not make sense to me.”
“Fucked up beyond all recognition,” Ava interjected.
“There is no need for expletives,” it said with a slightly more stern tone, turning its sensors to Ava. “How exactly has the situation become so undesirable?”
“Why don’t you tell me, Spaghetti Code? I’m sure that supercomputer brain of yours could figure it out,” she said snarkily.
“I lack the proper knowledge to answer your question,” it responded simply. “How exactly has the situation become so undesirable?”
Seeing that the two would get trapped in an endless loop of smartassery and brick wallishness, I interjected and began explaining the situation to the robot. I gave it the quick version, deciding to exclude how Ava and I got separated, how I came dangerously close to blowing myself up (even if it was a dud), and the cafeteria’s kitchen. I shuddered at the thought. Eventually, I concluded my story with how I self-destructed the jet so I could escape with my life. At that moment, I noticed the robot’s shoulders tense up, and its hands clench.
“What?” It asked in a much more human, much angrier voice. Dread settled over me like a storm cloud. The single nurse in the room immediately made herself scarce, the door swinging shut behind her.
Oh, shit, I thought. “Um, yeah. That’s why everything’s so fucked.”
“Do you have any idea—any idea at all—how much money those parts were worth?!” A male voice demanded through the robot’s speaker system, leaning over me. “Of course you wouldn’t. You couldn’t fathom the amount of money it’d take to manufacture even a hybridized Ether-diesel engine.” The robot paced away from the bed, its feet stomping heavily. “And you,” it growled at Ava. “Where were you in all this? Why was he all alone?”
She protested, “I never said I was alone—”
“You’d have to take me for a fool for me to believe you weren’t alone.” The robot tapped its chest agitatedly. “Do you know what that tells me?” It didn’t even wait for me to respond. “You’re incompetent. And do you know what they do to incompetent workers? They replace them.” The robot marched over to my bedside, and grabbed my collar, pulling me closer to its sensors. “I think I could replace a few—”
“Hey, wait, hold on a minute,” Ava cried, grabbing the robot’s arm. “Oh, my god, I can’t believe I didn’t realize sooner—you’re the Contractor, aren’t you?”
“In the chrome,” he said smoothly.
“Mierda,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. How can we—”
“Repay me?” He scoffed. “There’s no chance—unless you want to spend your lives as indentured servants underneath me. But as I said, you’re incompetent. And incompetent assets cannot continue to be in use.”
“Wait!” I shouted as he began raising his steel fist. “We can talk this out, can’t we?” My heart hammered in my chest, praying he’d hear me out.
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t flatten your face right now.”
“Uh…” Fuck! Why do you have to go blank on me now?! “Because of the tiny sliver of kindness left over in your cruel, shriveled, blackened heart?” Nice going, dumbfuck. “Wait, wait, wait, I didn’t mean it!” I cried as he raised his fist. Ava tried to pull the Contractor’s arm away, but his robotic frame was as solid as a tree.
The robot’s fist was poised like an executioner’s axe, prepared to snuff out every single scrap of light inside me. Begging was useless, and resistance was futile, so I simply grimaced and screwed my eyes shut, hoping that it was painless. I heard the sound of its joints moving, felt every muscle in my body tense, and—
“Hey!” Someone yelled frantically.
My eyes shot open, coming face to face with a shiny metallic fist that hovered mere inches away from my snout. A shaken-looking Dragonborn stared back at me in the reflection of the mirror-like fingers. I sighed a breath of relief and tried to ignore the trembling in my body. Glancing up, I saw the robot had turned its head. Curiosity overrode my shock, and I turned to follow its gaze to… I couldn’t believe it.
“Are you Kéron Summers?” Asked the fluffy, pale blue Dragonborn adamantly, seemingly ignoring the fact I’d almost gotten my face pancaked. I couldn’t help but stare. I knew who she was and where she came from, but it was so implausible. So miraculous that she’d turn up here, right now, asking for me by name. “Hell-o?” She said, her tail swishing side to side impatiently.
“Uh—yes, I’m K-Kéron,” I managed to get out.
“Fantastic!” She exclaimed cheerily. “And uh—robot guy, let him go. I need him.” Despite knowing he would, it still surprised me when the Contractor released his metallic grip from my collar. She strode over to the bedside, completely forgetting about the Contractor’s presence, and stared down, surveying me as if I were some sort of specimen. “I need you to do something. I’m sure it’ll be simple enough for you to complete.”
I felt like I was dreaming. My throat felt dry, and adrenaline pumped through my veins. “Uh… remind me; who are you?” I asked, partly so I could stall, and partly so I could get confirmation that this wasn’t a one-to-one doppelgänger.
“Who am I?” She asked, offended. “I’m—”
“Isabelle Snyder,” Ava hissed, finally making her presence known.
Isabelle fixed Ava with a nasty side-eye. “Yes, I’m Isabelle Snyder. You know who I am, I’m sure—unless you walk around with a blindfold and your ears plugged.”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Language,” the Dragonborn chided. “I need Kéron’s assistance, of course.”
“I stick with him no matter what. You need him, you need me,” Ava replied fiercely. “Why don’t you just go run to daddy instead of finding a buncha random ass scrappers in the middle of nowhere?”
“I don’t need to tell you anything,” she said, glaring at my friend. The tension in the air felt thick enough to cut with my claws. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t help but stare hopelessly. The Contractor’s metallic head shifted from side to side as he took in the two girls glaring at each other.
“Ms. Snyder,” he intoned, gaining her attention, “I’m afraid that you’re unable to acquire Kéron and his friend for whatever services you require. Unfortunately, they’ve underperformed, and disciplinary actions are in order.”
“What?” She turned to him, eye to optic. “What did they do that’s so bad that you’ve gotta punish them?”
The Contractor’s optics shifted slightly as the cameras refocused to see Isabelle’s features clearer. “They lost an incredibly expensive collection of—”
“I can pay double,” she said immediately. Ava and I glanced at each other, interest alight in our eyes. “How much would you say whatever it is they lost was worth?”
“Estimated worth is at eighty million dollars,” the Contractor said matter of factly as if that wasn’t more money than everyone in the room—except for Isabelle—would ever see in their lives. “That’s if the parts were in good condition—which they are not.”
“Well, that’s certainly something I could pay,” Isabelle replied, pulling out her phone. “It’s nice having someone who doesn’t give a hoot about what you do,” she mused.
The Contractor was silent for a long while, weighing her words. “But wouldn’t your father, and most importantly, the PRA notice the sudden loss of money?”
Isabelle snickered. “The PRA doesn’t care about Utah. We’re so far west I’m surprised they even send soldiers out here to check on us, and I’m sure I could sweet talk Dad.” She tapped on the screen and glanced at the Contractor expectantly. “So, you got a payment hub or something?”
After another long minute, the Contractor’s fists clenched and released erratically. “I can’t do this. I can’t get involved in any trouble with the government. Not after managing to get this far.” Without another word he left the room, slamming the door behind him, shaking the frame, and knocking dust from the ceiling. We all stared at the door, listening as his metallic footsteps thudded out of earshot.
“Well, do you guys want that eighty million?” Isabelle asked without missing a beat.
“Yes,” I said immediately.
“No,” Ava spat at the same time, fixing me with a look that could melt steel. Isabelle glanced between us as Ava stomped over to my bedside. “Kéron, I know you hit your head back there, and you’re probably not thinking properly, but can’t you see what a shit idea this is? She hasn’t even told us what she wants—you can’t just go and fucking agree to big numbers!” She whispered fiercely. “Besides, she’s with the government. You know, the cabrones who want to hoard all their money and focus on some dumbass war on the east coast?”
I glanced over at Isabelle, who had pure disgust scrawled across her face. “Does every word that comes out of your mouth have to be profanity?” She asked derisively. Ava opened her mouth to respond, but Isabelle cut her off. “Shouldn’t have expected more from a ‘buncha random scrappers,’ I suppose.”
“Hey, go f—”
I grabbed Ava’s shoulder and shook my head. I wished I could communicate with her telepathically, and tell her to keep her temper, despite Isabelle’s backhanded insult. Stay calm, I’d say. If we say something wrong, all she needs is one call to tell the Utahn government that we kidnapped her—then we’d be fucked more than if we took whatever offer she’s approached us with.
“What is it that you want us to do?” I asked, ignoring Ava’s incredulous stare.
“Glad to see one of you has sense,” she replied snarkily. “I need to investigate something out west. It’s incredibly important, and the less you know about it, the better.”
Out west? What could be… I didn’t like the thoughts coming to mind.
“West? What the hell’s out there?” Ava demanded.
“Language,” she said automatically, which made Ava snarl. “As for what’s out there, it’s more money than you’ll ever see in your entire lifetime—unless you turn me down.”
“We need details,” Ava growled. “Where are we going? What are we doing? You’re giving us the bare minimum of info, and you expect us to go with you. For what? Because you offered us money?”
Isabelle glanced to the side as if she was unsure of what she was hearing. “Yeah? I mean, why else would you do it? You practically live in squalor,” she said, motioning to the grimy walls, failing lights, and cluttered counters. “If you took this job, you could do anything you want, be anyone you want… go anywhere you want.”
Ava and I exchanged a look. “Can we have a moment?” I asked. Isabelle shrugged and left the room.
Ava put her head in her hands and walked away. “Kéron, you seriously can’t be considering this.” She turned around and motioned toward the door exasperatedly. “She’s a snake! A bootlicking bitch who’d give us up at the first sign of trouble. How can you be sure she’d pay us in the first place?”
“Ava, do you have any better ideas?” I asked sternly. “The Contractor’s pissed at us already, and I don’t think he’s gonna make it painless if he gets his hands on us. If we go with her, we get away from him, and minimize the risk of dying.”
“Yeah, but—”
“I know, I know. She’s a snake, a bootlicker, and a bitch. But you have to understand that she’s the better option at the moment for our long term health.”
Ava’s fists clenched so hard her knuckles were white, and her gaze was fixed on the door as if she was gonna kill Isabelle via sheer force of will. “Fffine,” Ava spat. “But if she betrays us, I won’t hesitate to kill her.”
“That’s fine by me,” I grunted, swinging my legs out of the hospital bed. My legs wobbled a little as I walked over to the door, but I was healthy enough to make it. The door creaked as I pushed it open. I stared into Isabelle’s turquoise eyes and said,
“We’re in.”