“When you are met with a power beyond your understanding, what do you do? Either it’s a common flight or fight response. Or something else. Some people see an opportunity to take that power for themselves. Some want to understand it. And some are disgusted by it. What response is right, do you think? Personally, I believe that there is only one answer to that question. I believe that power is God.”
⎻ Transcript from a campaign ad for Alan Itch, a candidate for a corpo-senator role at the GUF (lost the election to Marjorie Dunn, future CEO of the GUF), the year 2230.
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“What the fuck did you just call me?”
That woman was pure venom. I’ve never disliked someone this much. I’ve disliked no one, period. This was a wholly new feeling for me. This anger and spite.
I wanted to punch her. That would be unwise, but so satisfying.
“You heard me.”
The woman’s body tensed. I could see her biceps bulge up and sweat appear on her face. Clear signs of aggression. If neither of us were to de-escalate the situation, this will turn into a brawl.
I’m not sure if I’d mind that outcome.
“Hey! Let’s talk this out, guys. No reason to brawl this early, right?” Tony spoke from behind the desk. When I glanced his way, his eyes kept flickering between me and Rin. He was sweating bullets.
When Rin moved, I tensed and got ready for an altercation, but none came. She simply walked closer to me and looked me in the eye.
“I’ll walk, for Tony’s sake. But I’m watching you, asshole.” Rin spoke to me. Her dark eyes were narrowed and sharp. She had a nasty grimace on her face like she smelled something foul.
Before I decided on my response, she moved away and went towards one of the tables. Her body language was still clearly agitated.
I turned to Tony. He looked so relieved.
“Thank goodness.” Tony sighed and looked at me. “Please forgive Rin. She has been having a hard time lately.” He continued.
Rin’s actions towards me were completely unwarranted. I was not sure if I wanted to forgive her. She called me a bitch. No one has ever called me a bitch before.
I couldn’t help myself from responding to her with the same level of intensity. I will not let people walk all over me like that. Verbally or otherwise.
“Right. I just wanted to ask some questions, if you wouldn’t mind.” I turned the conversation to a topic I actually came over to talk about.
“Sure. Shoot.” Tony said casually. Maybe Rin’s bad mood was not that uncommon around here.
“I believe this is the Contractors’ HQ. Am I right?”
“That is right. Welcome! Would you like to issue a contract?” Tony asked enthusiastically.
So, the navigation was correct. Strange that they didn’t bother to at least put up a small sign on the building.
“No. I was interested in joining the Contractors. Would you tell me what that would entail?” As I finished my question, Tony’s face lost its previous enthusiasm. He went quiet and I could not read his emotions. Then I noticed the whole place had gone silent as well.
“You want to join?” Asked Tony. His voice held a note of disbelief and a lot of suspicion.
I was missing something.
“I was told that the Contractors welcome anyone. That isn’t true?” Let’s hope Arthur did not send me to a bunch of lunatics.
“I suppose it is true. It’s simply that… we’ve had some bad experiences with new people recently.”
“I see. How so?” That’s tough. It’s not like this is my only solution to the money problem. Maybe I could find a job somewhere else if they won’t let me join.
“Just some double-faced people. Nothing that we couldn’t handle.” Vague. Not making me feel certain about this.
“Tony’s right! We kicked their asses!”
“Yeah! No one mess with us, or else!”
“Bullshit people with bullshit agendas.”
“Corpo bitches!”
Screams erupted from behind my back. Collective of different voices mixing in one powerful chant. Feet stomped the shaky floor and fists hit the table in arrhythmic nonsense. Sounds mixed and mashed and became one united chaos. All the people chanting were in agreement when it came to their massage.
Don’t fuck with us. That’s basically a summary of all the various chants that took hold of the crowd. While the people behind me – the Contractors, I assumed – did not have the most extensive vocabulary; they had massive spirits and passion. Looking back at them, I noticed they all halted their games and started speaking with each other passionately. They were a few quiet, odd ones, but overall, people seemed to agree with one unanimous voice.
They were united.
“You see them? Still want to join?” Tony’s voice shook me out of my musings. I looked back at him and noticed that he still looked wary of me.
“I do. Please walk me through it.” I leaned on the receptionist’s counter and set my hearing to block out background noises.
“Sure. But first, I’m gonna ask you something. Do you know what contractors do?” Tony reached under the counter for something. He pulled out a tablet and a device I couldn’t recognize. It looked like a small black printer with a screen on it. Some sort of interface, maybe.
I also noticed one of his hands. His right hand, to be precise, looked off. I checked with my heat vision and, as I suspected, it was a prosthetic. The temperature was much colder than in his left hand and upon closer inspection; the artiflesh used to cover it looked too perfect to be human skin. It was a mid-grade artiflesh, but it did its job. I’ve only noticed it now.
“I know very little. Just that if you join you could do different kinds of jobs and such. Someone recommended I check you out, and it seemed like a good enough idea.”
“Recommended, huh? Might if I ask who?” Tony perked up a little when I mentioned that I got referred to this place. Possibly having a spokesperson behind me would put some trust in these folks. Though, I’d be surprised if he or anyone here would know Arthur. His store was small and well hidden, after all. No way he got many clients in such a location.
“Do you know a man named Arthur? I went to buy some clothes from his store. It’s called the Old Man’s Leftovers.”
“Arthur? I don’t believe I know him. Perhaps some other contractors recognize this man, but not me.” Tony pointed at my old clothes that I was still hanging onto. “He sold you this? What do you need these rags for?” The longer we were conversing, the more relaxed Tony became.
“Those are my old ones. I’m wearing the ones he sold me.” With my free hand, I gestured to my coat and my new trousers. I felt weirdly good showing off how I looked.
“Really? Those are some good damn clothes. Fancy ones at that. Must’ve cost a good chip.” Tony whistled.
“Yeah. So back to Arthur. He said that contractors were honest and helpful people. And I should join.” Saying open-minded might’ve stirred this conversation to me not being quite human.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Ha! He was kinda right, I suppose.” He pointed to the people that were still conversing behind me. “Those folks are not bad. We are all sorts of all in this together, y’know. Working. Surviving. Keepin’ each other sane and whatnot. Even Rin’s not that bad. Believe me, you’ve seen her on her worst day. She’s not usually that bitchy.” Tony whispered the last word and then glanced at one of the tables.
When I followed where he was looking, I noticed he was looking at Rin. She was sitting at a table with somebody. She and a very muscled and ruffled-looking man were having a quiet conversation. Tony feared her; I mused.
“Can I join then? I have no other job prospects at the moment. This place seems nice enough.”
“Before we can speak further, I need to verify that you are not… involved with some corpos that mean us harm. You understand?” Tony spoke carefully and quietly. The information from Terra about contractors’ aversion to corporations rang true.
“I do. What would you need me to do? Are those part of that?” I nodded towards the devices Tony pulled.
“Yep. I simply need to check your fingertips and ID through our database. We will delete all your private information upon you leaving this building. Whether you join or not. Before we proceed, I will need you to sign this. This document outlines what happens to your data and the process of evaluation.” Tony clicked on his pad and then showed me the document.
I took the pad from his hands and started to read.
It was as Tony said. The machine he pulled out was meant to extract my fingertips and sample a tiny piece of genetic material. My ID would run through their database and match any connections I might have to corporations. After I leave this building, they would be legally required to get rid of all the sampled data and ID report. They would delete any signs of me being here right now.
The contract looked great, but there was one major flaw. It was meant for a human. If I were to go through this whole process, nothing would happen. I still haven’t received my ID, only a document stating that I was in the process of acquiring one. Plus, I had no genetic material and fingertips. My fingers only had a pattern similar to that of a normal fingertip to strengthen my grip. The device would come up with nothing.
I stood before a problem. Either I go away and figure something else I could do. Or I’ll say that I am a SSU. The first option was definitely safer. As safe as I could currently be, that is. The second one is a gamble. If they didn’t like SSUs, I could get in trouble with them. Even though I am a skilled fighter, I’m not sure if I could handle that many people at once. People that were clearly armed and experienced in a physical confrontation. If their steel and laser knives, various caliber guns and horrendous scars were anything to go by.
The smartest option would be to leave this be. To go. Alas, I remembered how they looked when they chanted. How united they were. This community was something I wanted. Even though I don’t know these people, they were together. Why couldn’t I belong as well?
“Actually, I don’t think this will be necessary.” I put the tablet down on the desk. It was black and smooth, the desk made from a material I had trouble recognizing. I brushed my hand on the surface, feeling the cool material under my fingers. I loved the sensation.
“Um, miss, what is the issue?” I looked at Tony. The poor man was confused. So many mood swings cannot be good for one’s health.
“Do you have any SSUs working as contractors?” Tony’s confusion turned to suspicious anger. His face twisted, and he physically recoiled. It was such a bizarre reaction that I couldn’t process the possible motive. I turned my hearing on high and became alert. The noises of the people behind me were still prevalent, although quieter. Either my question did not concern them or Tony’s reaction was his own.
“Why are you asking?” Tony’s voice came out strained and his right hand sneaked under the counter. I deduced it could be for a weapon, but after I heard a pulsing noise in a frequency range that I knew humans couldn’t hear, I knew he sounded some sort of alarm. I pushed myself off the counter and went for the exit, but a tall, muscled man blocked my way.
I did not hear him approach. That was not good.
“What is it, Tony? She makin’ trouble for you?” The man was of Asian descent and had black-as-pitch hair and eyes. Half of his face was covered in bandages, some of which he should change. His eyes did not betray his intentions.
Only his body told me what to expect. He was built of muscle upon muscle. All of them shaped and worked hard. His fists were big as a boulder and looked like a gun pointed at my head. His stance was relaxed but balanced. His feet pushed the weight on his toes.
He was ready to lunge at me and fight.
“She’s asking about SSUs that work here, Moose. Don’t know what that's about, but I don’t like it.” Tony spoke to this Moose guy as if I weren’t there. I might as well have disappeared.
“I just need an answer, so I can decide whether I want to join the Contractors or not.” I will need to defuse the situation. If I get into a brawl with him, others will surely join. I might win the fight with Moose, but I know nothing about him. Only that he’s quiet. Means he knows how to fight. There must be something else to him.
“What’s it to you? You’re anti-SSUs? There’s no place here for folks like that, lady. You better scram if you don’t want your face pounded.” Moose’s stoic expression turned sour and twisted. He spoke to me with such spite. It was like he was a different person.
Even though it did not seem like they regarded me with any smidgen of trust; I felt relieved. Moose’s words cemented that they held no bias towards people like me. Towards SSUs. This might’ve been a good choice. Coming here, that is.
“Actually, I am a SSU. Just wanted to make sure I’ll be safe here.” Moose’s face didn’t change much. He was still suspicious, maybe less angry. I also noticed that the people watching our exchange did not seem too perturbed by this scene. Confrontations like this must happen daily here.
“Really? We’ve heard this one before, didn’t we, Tony? The overalls guy, remember?” Moose did not stop looking at me, keeping me in his vision. The only motion was a slight nod towards Tony.
“I remember. Nasty business, that. Corpo spy got shooed away for good.”
“That’s right. You want to say what you are again, lady?” Moose leaned in, and I knew I had to prove it.
I had options. I could allow them to scan my fingertips and genetic material – that I didn’t possess – and they would come up with nothing. But a human with good enough tech could spook the results. It would be difficult, but doable.
Or, I could show them my knee wound. Although there were people with augments and prosthetics that could possess a similar-looking injury, they lacked one thing. My neutronium core. While their wound would have many micro-cables and make the usability of their prosthetic very difficult, I had none of those problems. The neutronium energy ran through the atoms that built me, powering me. Plus, I still possessed the full functionality of the limb because of the strength of the materials used to build my joints and synth muscles.
If they weren’t convinced by then, in the worst-case scenario, I could show them a glimpse of my core. It would make me very exposed and uncomfortable, but it would definitely convince them.
“Yes, I do. I can prove it. Not that I should. Considering how I’ve been treated since I’ve come here.” I don’t know where I found all that confidence, but I liked it. I was right, too.
“You can, you say? I’m interested. Show us then.” Moose took a step back, allowing me more movement. If I were in his place, dealing with an unknown would make me more cautious. While he was extremely protective of this place, and its people, it seemed, underestimating me was a wrong decision. Even if I won’t do anything underhanded, still.
I reached for my right leg, trying to scrunch my trousers higher, so I could show my injury. They were flexible, but not that flexible. I felt a weird sensation on my face as I attempted to scrunch up the right leg of the trousers. It was warm and made me want to hide my face. Was it an embarrassment? No way.
After a grueling battle, I raised it high enough. I glanced back at Moose and he wore an amused expression.
I got on one knee to get more comfortable and undid the makeshift bandage over my knee.
“Yo, Moose! Say yes, brother!”
“She's proposing or what?”
“What you makin’ her do?”
Multiple screams came from the hall and the contractors occupying it. Their laughs and jokes made me realize the position I got myself in. I could guess why people would find it funny.
Moose did not look like he heard any of the comments. Maybe he thought them to be as stupid as I did.
“Look.” I gestured to my wounded knee and Moose leaned in to see it closer.
I could not guess what went through his head. His expression went back to the stoic one from earlier. Once again, he became a closed book.
“Huh.” Moose grunted. Wonder what that meant.
“What you see there, Moose. Is she for real?” Tony’s voice came from my back. He was still behind the counter.
“I need an extra opinion on this.” Moose did not reveal his conclusions, but the need for an extra word meant that he had some reason to believe me. If they thought I was a fake, he would already do something about it. I was convinced of that.
“Yo, Gabriel! Come out!” Moose shouted at the top of his lungs. It was a scream straight from his belly. It reverberated through the hall and my body.
As Moose and I, with Tony behind me, waited for the aftermath of Moose’s loud scream, I noticed that the crowd behind Moose lost their interest in the situation. Many went back to playing their games and conversing with each other.
A minute and a few seconds passed in awkward silence between our trio, but then I heard steps coming from up above. The stairs were on the right side of the entryway and hidden in the corner. The steps on the second story marched towards the stairs and a silhouette started descending.
I turned my full attention to the figure that was probably the Gabriel person Moose shouted for before.
First, I saw long legs dressed in trousers similar to my own. Then the white shirt tucked into them and a blazing red jacket. This Gabriel person had blond luscious hair cut short and a radiant smile on his lips.
As Gabriel and I looked at each other, I instantly understood why the smile graced his rose lips. The neutronium hum I would get when near another core like mine was present.
A pulsating song of recognition overtook my senses, and I knew I found another one like me. Another SSU.
I felt my face tense as I smiled more than I thought I was capable.