INSERTED (Being Edited)

1) Looking Back (Glen)

Looking back. The one thing I force myself not to do. I don't have many memories due to the chip inside the frontal lobe of my brain. But my childhood, or the childhood I never had, is one thing I'll always have burned into my memories.

I'm standing on a sidewalk of what's left of New York City with a bag strapped around myself. Inside of my bag lies a knife, pistol, and a laptop. The laptop is the most important thing I have in my possession. The laptop has the power to change me into something I would rather not become again. I'll never be able to fight what can be done to me. After all, you can't fight yourself, can you?

Most of all the big cities in the United States are in major poverty since Greyson took power of most of Northern and Southern America. He hasn't gotten to Europe yet.

He will.

Greyson lacks the resources and people he would need to take over more than this continent. I figure that's what his goal will be after he's done everything he plans to do with us. Somewhere along the line I figure into plan. I have all along.

It's this chip I have in my damned head. You see, the chip inside of me is different than the one in most of the other chipped soldiers he has wondering around these days. The one inside of me is far more dangerous than even Greyson's new found scientists could imagine. I have my father to blame for that.

Even though my father's plan for the chip was very different from what Greyson, the outcomme didn't go the way my dear father intended. The chip was supposed to cure diseases, to make people with missing limbs be more able and alert, to help people. The intention was never to enslave. But the hold Greyson had on my father was great. If my father didn't do exactly as Greyson wanted of him, he'd kill everybody my father held dear.

In fear, my father turned the very chip with so much helpful potential into the world's greatest weapon. By the time my father decided to get rid of the only two chips he'd ever created, and all the research he could destroy with it, it was too late.

Now I, and I alone, have one of the original two inside of my skull. Everyday I pay for the sins of my father, and there is never release from the things I have done because of it.

I hear footsteps behind me and grab for the pistol I have in my pocket. These cities aren't safe now of days. People are sometimes just as bad as the man who forced them into this life.

"Excuse me Sir? Do you have spare change? It's just me and my three daughters. We haven't eaten in days. And President Greyson doesn't send the food truck in here for another two days. Please?" I turn to her.

"I have no change to spare." I walk away from this dirty, skinny, and frail women with three children.

In this world I've learned that sympathy and kindness will be the death of you. I can't save anyone but myself. In turn it will make the world a lot safer place. I walk into a back alley and sit next to a trash bin. I haven't slept in days. Greyson almost found me out near Pennsylvania but I got out of his reach doing things I'm not proud of. But it's better this way, it has to be. I haven't eaten for days either. I've learned to survive on less though.

I pull out a bottle of water from inside my bag and take a sip. I need to get out of this city. It's more risky to be here than anywhere else. Greyson monitors big cities more than rural areas. I had to come here to see somebody though. I came here hoping for a new gun or two. God knows, I needed one. Turns out he ain't here. He was most likely six feet under at this time. Marcus Rooker was his name. He was an underground salesman, which was against the laws under Greyson's control.

Greyson had found Marcus out and put the dealings to a stop. He either killed the bastard or chipped him. Being chipped was as good as being dead in my mind. Maybe even worse. I'd rather be dead than have this thing inside my skull. Death is a weak way out though, I can't let myself be weak. I wasn't going to let myself off the hook so easily.