“Ah, sir. It has come to my attention that we don’t have the required unnecessary underwater spinning blades in pipelines C-F.

What are you even talking about Clarence?

You know, the blades that keep people from swimming through the pipes to infiltrate the facility.

Clarence…Those are only in the media, do you think the Purewater Corporation actually puts blades in the water? I mean…it would be pretty cool but think of the budget they would need to set aside to install and maintain those. Not to mention the-.”

* Overheard conversation in the rec room of Purewater Corp. Facility 4 on Floor Fourteen. August 2053

***

The cool water surrounded me like the refreshing side of a pillow on a particular hot night. I sank in a slow progression, falling with my arms outstretched, my rebreather working perfectly.

The canned air was a bit stale but it was clear, at least it was better than what I found on the single digit floors.

It was serene. I opened my eyes to the blue water. It was almost blinding in the intensity, but it was beautiful.

Then the flood I unleashed crashed in, flooding the space with a heavy current, throwing me around as it spun in an almost whirlpool motion.

I swam for the pipe labeled EP11-AWD-LR, fighting the current at times and following it at others as it swam in a convoluted manner. I glanced up at one time and saw the Model 6 - D flailing, dark blotches of blood trailing after it in the water.

Gotcha.

I pushed as much as I could and made it to the pipe, the entire thing about two meters in diameter.

One I was in, I let the current take me. The rush of the water passing me drew out my strength and I rested to recoup some energy again.

It was while I rested like this that I fell asleep, the wound on my side feeling much better from the cool water.

…

…

…

Next thing I knew I was awoken by a low hum that increased in intensity as time went on.

Blinking into dark water, only illuminated by the screen that is vying for my attention.

I’ve never slept under water.

Was kind of pleasant, the water wrapping around me like a blanket.

I unclipped on part of the tablet and it floated into view, still attached by cable to my belt.

The screen read:

“Arise soldier, your mission isn’t over!”

I blinked in confusion.

The screen flashed and the text switched as Monitor continued on.

“You are currently in the middle of the artificial lake that the resort, A Wet Dream is based around. Just swim to the surface and you can make your way to safety.”

I shrugged, or tried in the water. In the end I moved my hand in front of the disabled camera and gave an uncommitted hand wave.

I liked it down here, it was dark. I didn’t have to run.

I had been awake for an entire day, running, fighting, socializing. It was a long time without the quiet rest I was used to.

I felt rested, like the time I napped above on the fourteenth floor and the time I slept floating through the water had given me a recharge. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t turn off the alarm and sleep in.

Reaching up to do just that the screen flashed, turning an annoyed shade of blue

“Don’t ignore me.”

I retracted my hand.

“Good. If you need a good reason to continue moving then remember two things.

First, you have a limited amount of air.

Second, while the Model Six - D is a poor swimmer, it can still swim.

You can take your time escaping but don’t just float around like a fish for the next twenty minutes or you’ll be a very oxygen starved fish.”

That was enough motivation for me. I also worried about what else would change on the tablet, if the camera is now operable then there is a chance it saw my face-no don’t think about that right now.

I grabbed the tablet and strapped it back on my leg before I paused.

Which way was up?

Looking down at the screen, it gave a helpful arrow and I swam that way.

After a few minutes of swimming I found the surface. The lights from above were a clear giveaway and I angled to meet it head on.

Breaking the surface I found myself not far from the shore, the tailored walkways and docks spoke of the resort’s dedication to comfort and detail. They were all done in rustic motifs with some having faux-fur of some tan variety and lots of horns.

I was tempted to remove my rebreather but a small wave hit me in the face after a moment. I would keep it on until I reached the shore itself.

There was no sandy beach anywhere to be seen, the sand particles too expensive to filter out on the regular for a resort on the eleventh floor, maybe a resort on a floor in the twenties would have the pristine white sand of the media for vacationers to enjoy.

I found a metal ladder disguised as driftwood and climbed out, the full weight of my clothes and tools not taking effect until I tried leaving the water.

The lake’s watery grasp held on for a moment before leaving and I hurled myself up the ladder, draining my small apartment’s tub worth of water back into the depths.

A small screen next to me flashed and I instinctively looked that way only to find a warning about leaving without toweling off.

Hmm.

So I sat on the edge for a while, letting the water drain. Slightly shivering. At least their air was pleasantly warm to begin with. Maybe they wanted customers to buy more drinks and hydration products.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

As I sat there I began to review the fights I had up till now.

The pistol I had was very useful in killing Model Threes and Fours but did nothing, or almost nothing, to the Model Six.

I had to run to escape things. I tried to rationalize my emotions. I hated having to run. I wanted to kill them, I wanted to win. I didn’t want those monsters still out there, somewhere in the Arcology in case someone else less fortunate than me ran into them.

I knew from reading about the Antithesis, they only got stronger as time progressed. They needed biomass to produce more Antithesis. I wasn’t sure how, but every set of media made it be the most disgusting, terrifying thing imaginable. Surely it wasn’t a flesh pit but who knows?

Looking back at the screen as if flashing a familiar blue, cutting off the monologue it had about berating me about not toweling off, the Monitor was back.

“Why was I trained with a pistol? Surely Sky and you could’ve pointed me to something deadlier.”

“Are you asking about our plan for you to use a pistol?”

“Well…yeah” I said, feeling bad for accusing it of a bad choice when I know they just gave me the closest weapon available and Sky trained me on it because it was what I used.

“Are you a warrior?”

“What? No. I am not a warrior or a soldier. Or a trained corporate security guard.” I said.

“I never planned on making you a warrior, Sky did. I have no indications on what Sky planned for you but…the pistol has its uses.

First, I will admit there were other options of weapons to give you. In that room full of bodies there was a knife, a semi-automatic machine gun, and what I could only assume to be a civilian grade taser.

I calculated that while you might’ve been able to make use of all weapons and have a chance to become something powerful in time in any…there wasn’t a point because I was not creating a warrior, I was not trying to create a Vanguard.”

I blinked at the screen for a moment. “There were options? I understand why to ignore the knife and taser but wouldn’t the SMG be better at killing things?”

“Potentially, in the right hands. A SMG has a higher fire rate but that is both a gift and a curse. But I wasn’t trying to make you kill the Antithesis, you did when you had to and it allowed for your continued survival. And that’s why I gave you the pistol. It is a tool for your continued survival, you’re not a warrior but a skill engineer. I witnessed you use your tools in an efficient manner.

Use the tools you have at your disposal. Play to your strengths.”

Taking what the Monitor said, I thanked the screen and stood up. Moving away from the dock, still dripping but at least some parts of my clothes were damp and not soaked.

I found the tab on the rebreather that engaged a low-powered vacuum to refill the tank slowly as I walked. I positioned it so it rested to the side of my neck, supported by my left shoulder as I walked.

The gaiter was still very wet and I didn’t feel like water-boarding myself so I left it scrunched on my neck.

As I continued past the rows of deck chairs and minibars I finally found the exit, through a lobby of some hotel. I didn’t bother checking since they all looked the same.

But as I was halfway through the lobby I heard a low chuffing bark from behind me.

Looking back I found the same Model Six - D glaring at me, one of its three eyes was swollen shut and it was dripping like crazy.

Really?

I was going to run away as it looked exhausted but the advice the Monitor gave me was still in the forefront of my mind so I instead backed up a meter, drew the pistol out of the waterproof bag and waited.

The Antithesis charged.

I watched as it pounded closer.

As it closed I waited, the creature focusing on my movement. Its triangle eyes squinting, trying to predict where I would move as I did every time we had this confrontation.

I didn’t retreat. Instead I shot to my right, hitting the emergency security door panel, causing an override. As the ceiling above opened and dropped the heavy door I shot the left corner of the panel, where the Emergency Fault sensors were.

The second shot disabled all the safeties causing the door to crash down at blinding speed, right on the neck of the Kentrosaurus.

The heavy barrier decapitated the creature, its two remaining eyes wide with shock as the head rolled to a stop at my feet.

It actually hit my foot and while the head was small for its body, it was still 25 pounds rolling into my shin. I was glad I was still wearing the work boots or some toes might’ve been crushed.

“Play to my strengths…huh.”

Stepping away from the leaking head, I turned back to the exit. I had safety to get to.

As I took a step the heavy weight of water and fatigue slowed my movements.

Adrenaline can only take you so far I guess.

I just need a place to rest.

Looking up at the lobby’s exit I realized something.

“Are there any Antithesis in the Hotel?” I asked.

“No. If you wish to rest a moment then I can send one of the elevators down for you”

“That would be great.” I said, dragging my tired limbs to the doors that opened with a quiet hiss.

The hotel was very nice. So much so that it had rooms with windows looking into A Wet Dream. The building was set into the surrounding walls that gave the lake resort the headspace of four or five stories.

I ended up on the third level of the hotel, calling them floors would be doubly confusing. It was clean. The carpet was a pale green which complemented the chic wallpaper. Every door was made of a dark wood that was actual wood.

The electronic lock clicked open as I reached for the handle of room 302.

Inside I found a lush room. One I saw often in the media from the richer influencers or in spy movies.

Soft bedding was framed in the same dark wood as the door and was aligned so that they faced the wall that was covered by a single screen.

Checking the connection, it seemed the screen was password locked to the room’s confirmation number which simply popped open. The flashing screen had news, a media section, and a familiar blue text box that simply had a hand waving at me.

I waved back.

“Don’t look.” I said, throwing a towel from the bar over the massive mirror to block it. Then I undressed, some of the tighter wet clothes had to be peeled off in uncomfortable folds.

Stepping into the shower, I noticed it was the size of my bedroom. Warm water cascaded in through a series of faucets. A small section was dedicated as a jacuzzi, the bubbling mass steamed. I slid into the warm water and my sore muscles protested for a second.

I soaked for as long as I could before perusing the provided substances.

I could smell like lemons, strawberries, sugar pleasure adventure…whatever that means, or gun smoke.

Seeing as I wanted to wash off my grime and smoke, I picked lemon.

My curiosity got the better of me and I opened some sugar pleasure adventure and wow. That was almost intoxicatingly sweet.

I closed the bottle but set it aside because who knew when it would be useful. Maybe Chelsea would like it. Dossi too.

Stepping after the warm embrace of the shower I toweled off. Then for good measure, I grabbed another towel and wrapped myself up.

Then I noticed the lush bathrobe and donned it.

I tossed my clothes into a small dryer while I relaxed.

“I have disabled the cameras in the room. Why do you wish to be hidden?”

I sighed. I…never want to discuss my issue but, Monitor was a lot easier to speak with. Maybe because they didn’t judge me? Maybe it was something else.

“I… I don’t like myself.” Trying to put words to a problem I faced since the Ascendency. “I hate to see myself because it reminds me of what I’ve done. It's worse if I see myself happy. I don’t deserve to be happy.”

“Why is that?”

“Because my naivety exposed eight innocent people to the worst of humanity. I wanted to give people who didn’t have a functioning body the ability to use a machine instead.” I only explained this once before to my therapist, Dr. Steri.

There was long silence before I continued. “Meshspace, a creation by Samurai with the backing of major corporations, was the next step of the internet. Now the internet is for more mundane things, in the past it was the fastest means of communication and a new frontier for innovations and ideas.”

I was getting ahead of myself but it was my expertise, what made living on the fourth floor easier. Escaping into the Mesh.

“Now the Mesh is the newest frontier with people connecting directly into the mesh via neural augmentations or full mesh suits that act the same way without the augmentation directly impacted in your body.”

I was imagining the virtual space as I knew it. Another Macroon with an almost infinite amount of floors set in different styles of architecture and design. My favorites were Retrofuturismo, Vaporwave, and Nanopunk.

I knew others who were major fans of the Cyberprep aesthetic. Having a perfect society in the virtual space was one thing but it reminded me too much of the potential of Macroon. What we could do if we tried to fix the real world instead of just escaping it.

“You are not to blame. You didn’t pull the trigger.”

Tears filled my eyes. I grabbed a soft pillow and buried myself in the soft bedding, sobbing.

***

I came to a now familiar beeping coming from the screen in front.

“Wake up.”

“What? Is it more Antithesis?” I asked as I peeled my face away from a slightly soggy pillow.

“Good, you’re awake. I can’t see into the room per your request and yes, the Antithesis are closing in but you have time to escape.”

I got up and retrieved my clothes from the dryer. They were slightly damp so I hadn’t rested for long.

Dressing and repositioning everything I saw the flashing of the blue screen behind me. “One moment, I’m changing.”

I pulled on the gaiter and hat. Once I was properly hidden I pulled the towel off the mirror and revealed my person. But not my face.

That done I left the bathroom.

Stepping out I saw the message from Monitor.

“I have been reviewing footage from around the hotel and I’ve spotted small pictures in some of the rooms. Are they relevant?”

The pictures filled the rest of the wall. They were full of families smiling at the camera.

“They are personal family photos except that one. That one is an A.I. generated generic family photo.” I said gesturing at the last picture.

“Ah. I didn’t create the picture, I can see the crude lines of editing that is the work of an Earthen A.I.

If these are popular, where’s your family photo?”

I paused. Was it that naive? Maybe. Innocent enough not to know how much baggage comes from some of these questions.

“Ah..” I stall as I open the door and split my focus between the hallway and tablet on my hip.

“I don’t carry a family photo because I don’t want to be reminded of them.” I said as I board the elevator.

“You see, most who carry their family with them either care a lot for their family, or want to appear as they do.” I think back to a couple managers at RuCorp and how they had smiling faces on their desks but never acted like how they were portrayed.

“I’ve been on my own for a while. I find the found family more important than blood ties. It doesn’t mean I hate my blood relatives, just…I get to choose and that’s important to me.” I exited the elevator to see a couple Model Fours exploring the Kentrosaurus’ body side of the security barrier.

“You have family?” I ask.

“Technically. All other A.I. made by my creators, the Protectors, are my siblings. But I don’t feel connected with them.”

And for the briefest moment I thought I saw “Especially now” at the end before it was gone.