Cynetic Wolf

The roof was a modest space, gray, dark, and dreary with heating and cooling arrays covering most of it. Several ancient smokestacks lined one side and what appeared to be a generator. Not much else. No way down.

We weren’t in the middle of the country. This was no rural town or village. We were smack in the middle of an industrial park surrounded by at least a dozen abandoned warehouses, skyscrapers dotting the horizon. We were in Caen, the center of everything.

I had to find a way down. But how? My stomach seesawed and I was still a full meter from the edge. We were three stories up, only three stories... Jaw clenched, I lowered my heart rate.

Get a grip, Raek. How’d I survive before cybernetics? And how had doctors added nanoSTEMs—the all-important biomechanical cells—to my body in the first place? Was I an IVF baby? Or maybe a secret experiment... Who knows.

Stop procrastinating!

At the far side of the roof, I swore. This was a terrible idea. While the warehouse might be three stories, it had high ceilings. We were twenty or thirty meters up, not the usual ten. Shoot.

On the third side, I got lucky. There was a lightning rod half a meter from the ledge, similar ones dotting the other abandoned buildings in the distance.

That could work. But somehow, I had to climb down. All. Thirty. Meters.

My stomach pirouetted the second I looked down. What are you waiting for?

I clenched the metal pole. It was cold, wet, and slick, just my luck. Testing my grip, I found I could hold it well. Swinging my legs over the side, I held my breath, squeezing with all my might. Why’d it have to be heights?

Climbing was surprisingly easy. When I reached the bottom, I jumped down.

The place was weird. Concrete and faded gray cement as far as the eye could see. The industrial park was empty. Speaking of, I needed to move. If anyone saw me—the Initiative, the DNS, even a nosy Nelly—they’d be suspicious.

I ran. My connection kicked in thirty meters from the building. I didn’t have much time. They might have a perimeter guard or remote sensors.

My SmartCore pinged coordinates. I was on the southwest side of the city, Caen City Industrial Complex 4, three kilometers from downtown, but six from the outskirts.

I sprinted away from downtown and toward the edge of the city. Twice, lights illuminated the area and I jumped behind recyclers. The first was kids joy riding, techno blasting as tires squealed around tight corners.

The second was a closer call. A cruiser flew around the corner, sirens blaring. I dove behind the green composter before their headlights hit me. Where were they going? Did it have something to do with me?

Soon, it became more residential. Everything was new. Mansions everywhere, pristine lawns and flashy electric cars further distancing themselves from the two-room hovel I’d grown up in.

Once I was a solid two kilometers from the base, I relaxed. I’d made it, fingers crossed. Slowing, I opened the map again. Walking would be less conspicuous. I checked the news, both the elite web and our animote access portal.

Nothing interesting until the last site, my picture plastered at the bottom right.

WARNING - Armed and Dangerous

Interesting.

Raek Mekorian is considered armed and extremely dangerous. A wolfish criminal attacked and killed four innocent cynetic officers last weekend and has been sighted in and around the Greater Caen Area. If you see this individual, be sure to geotag your position and ping the DNS. We’re monitoring all major channels, comms systems, and media, and have teams on standby. Be vigilant and report any suspicious behavior to your local DNS precinct.

There was a video of my escape, pictures of the dead officers appearing alongside their families.

That didn’t help. I had to disappear. I missed Fitz...

“First things first,” as Mom said, I needed a new look.

At the end of the street was a drain cover. If there was anywhere I could disappear and have time to think, it was the sewers. Prying the top, I peered down. Nothing, thermal or infrared either.

I hopped in, replaced the lid, and scurried down the ladder. Somehow, my nose downregulated. Jumping off the rickety ladder, I landed in a puddle. Ugh, gross! It reeked. I reduced the sensitivity further, and after a moment, could breathe again.

Which way? The tunnel continued on forever both ways. While the tech above ground had been modernized, invisible infrastructure was always the last thing to change. No sensors or cameras. Thank you budget cuts.

Wading out of the freezing water, I found a dry elevated path above the sludge.

I had to shave. Pulling the knife from my boot, I paused. I’d never cut my own hair before. After what I’d been through though, should be a breeze.

Balancing the hunting blade on a thin horizontal pipe like a mirror, I knelt, checking my reflection. I looked like hell. Gritting my teeth, I pulled the edge of the smaller knife along my scalp. It was less awful than I’d expected, easier too.

I was getting the hang—“Ahh!” A small cut opened on my skull, blood dripping down my cheek.

Dang, I’d gotten cocky. Jumping to the lower platform, I dunked my head in the icy, disgusting stream and swore. Anything to survive. I had to rely on myself now.

When the bleeding stopped, I tried again, slower this time. It took forever, but after three more dunks and a couple scrapes, it was done. I hardly recognized myself in the knife’s reflection. I was bald, totally bald. Ugh...

Would it be enough?

It was one-thirty in the morning and I was exhausted. But I couldn’t sleep, not yet. I needed a plan. Needed to meditate. I needed one of those miracle moments, a stroke of genius. Fitz was dead. It was just me now.

Focus.

My breath slowed as I drifted deeper into my subconscious. Concentrating, I let my mind wander and explore my SmartCore. It didn’t work. Nothing happened. Two hours later, I opened my eyes, frustrated, discouraged, and empty-handed. I was scared and confused as ever.

Drained, I slumped on the graffitied wall with a sigh. What was I going to do?

* * *

Wait, what was Fitz saying? I couldn’t make out his voice over the roar. He was talking to Lilia, a serious look on his face. His eyes were slits. Why was he with Lilia?

She yelled something my brain didn’t process. What was happening? Was this VR? Not again. Lilia walked to Fitz and kissed him, a hard, passionate one. His eyes widened, shock turning to grinning desire. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

My senses seemed fine, it wasn’t VR. But what was the roar? Was it raining?

A waterfall rushed over the side and into the abyss. It was beautiful, Fitz and his lover kissing on the edge of nature, the edge of the world. The view was breathtaking, flecks of water reflecting misty rainbows across the chasm.

Lilia sprang, pushing him. Fitz stumbled backward, tripped, and fell over the edge.

‘No!’ I darted forward, but it was too late. He tumbled faster and faster in the torrent of gravity and rushing water. ‘Fitz!’ I shouted. I couldn’t lose him, not again.

As he was about to smash the rocks below, his voice boomed, ‘Memorize it! Memorize it. Mem—’ His final words cut off as he slammed into the rocks.

An explosion of light and noise engulfed everything.

I leapt as my eyes flew open. That was it. I knew what I had to do.