The second sun set swiftly over the rugged horizon, while the neon signs hummed and flickered to life in Spica B's wake. Aaliyah-6 crouched against the ridged metal gate, hoping the Omnis wouldn't notice she was there. But they're called Omnis for a reason. She cringed at the metal scraping sound her gun made against the cracked pavement, and stood up quickly. Pain shot through her upper thigh where she had been shot earlier that day, and Aaliyah-6 hissed, almost imperceptibly. Almost. The Omnis rounded the corner in a fury, scattering paper as they flew by. She checked her pocket to make sure it was still there, and sprinted in the other direction, her heart in her throat. To be caught out after curfew was a punishable offense, as Aaliyah-6 knew too well. And she was already late for the drop-off.
Another offense and she would be sent to die in the oxygen-depleted atmosphere of some planet 260 light-years away, if she didn't die in transit first. It was rumored that the human race originally came from that place, but not all rumors are true. They also said that people grew their own food.
Snapping to from her daydreaming, she turned her head to see them following her from a distance, matching her speed. 'That's the most terrifying part,' she thought, 'knowing that at any moment they could decide to speed up and arrest you, they just choose not to'. It wasn't easy to escape capture, but it was possible if she could gain enough distance not to drag them with her. The Omnis couldn't think four-dimensionally, that was illegal. She would only need 30 minutes to be far enough away by the time they and her future/past self arrived at the same spot, and to be in curfew, but it would work. She slowed down slightly, and they took notice and matched her new speed. It was a risky bet, assuming they wouldn't attack her now, but it was well known throughout the lower district that they hardly ever abducted people far away from their central power supply.
Aaliyah-6 rolled up her sleeve and set her 'watch' back thirty minutes, leaving the initiator up. The next warehouse on her right cast a long shadow, and she quickly slipped around the corner of the building. Simultaneously, she began sprinting and slammed the button down, sending herself half an hour back. The Omnis rounded the corner, only to find a swirling cloud of dust.
The jolt from the time jump sent Aaliyah-6 to her knees, causing her to cry out in pain. She gritted her teeth and stood up again to face the horizon. Being late for pick up never served her well, and she certainly couldn't get medical help. Spica B was just high enough to where she could see, with Spica having set an hour ago. The few people remaining in the streets were taking their radiation suits off and folding them back into their neat little cubes. They then filtered off the streets and into their assigned flats, locking the doors behind them. She watched the vendors pack away their wares momentarily, then began to walk swiftly towards where it was scheduled that she would pass off the package.
