Tevun-Krus #67 - Virtual Reality

Crime Fighter - A Short Story by @elveloy

The Martian sand looked even redder than usual in the slanting light. The setting sun outlined the black shapes of the two men in front of me, throwing long shadows behind them onto the sand. One man was leaning against the side of a warehouse, smoking an illegal cigarette, while the other paced up and down between that warehouse and the next, keeping watch. Both of them were looking outward, toward the sun, waiting for the next shipment to be delivered. Both of them were looking the wrong way.

I crept closer. I was almost certain both men were carrying photon guns, which were supposed to be illegal. I smiled. My right hand hovered over my service weapon, but my thoughts went to the photon gun hidden on my left hip. It was easy enough to get your hands on one if you were prepared to spend enough credits. I still hadn't decided which I would use for today's job.

I froze as the man with the cigarette ground it out beneath his heel and took a quick glance back over his shoulder, but there was no need, he didn't look upward to the roof. I was constantly surprised by how seldom people looked up for threats, you'd think they would have learned by now.

I lowered myself down onto my stomach and wriggled carefully along the roof until I had a clear shot. Got the first man in my sights. Waited.

A third man came into view and approached cautiously. A minute later he and the smoker had their heads together. I saw a small package exchange hands. I had a split second to decide whether to stick with the weapon I had chosen or change my mind.

But really, I had already decided before I came out today. It was time for me to stop being one of the good guys. I grinned in nervous excitement and fired the photon gun, configured to its maximum setting. Watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as the beam cut both men literally in half. Almost before the remaining dealer could react, I swung the gun a fraction to the right and fired again. Crimson blood stained the rusty red of the Martian sand. There was no need to go down and check for survivors.

I scanned the area quickly for witnesses, but saw no-one. Still, I knew it wouldn't be long before the cops arrived—time to clear out.

I scrabbled backwards over the roof, dropping lightly to my feet on the other side of the warehouse—the side away from the crime scene. I felt high on adrenaline as I raced between the silent buildings, running until I was well clear of the quiet industrial centre and into a more populated part of the city. Once I reached the streets, I slowed to a walk, blending in with the hundreds of ordinary people going about their business in the Martian capital, under the dome.

My heart was still pumping furiously and there was a queasy feeling in my stomach. Today I had crossed a line. The line between good guys and bad, heroes and villains. Although the men I'd shot were committing a crime, I was supposed to arrest them, not murder them in cold blood. But I had wanted to see what it felt like, not just to kill—I'd done that before as part of my job—but to experience what it felt like to do the wrong thing. Not by accident, but on purpose, deliberately.

To cross over to the other side.

So what did it feel like, you ask?

Sure I was nervous, guilty even, but—to be honest—it felt... powerful.

~~~

The next morning, I arrived at work early, eager to hear what had been discovered so far about the murders.

"Hey, Lawrence, have you heard what happened last night?" Zach, one of my teammates hailed me as soon as I got in the door. He was a small man, with a sharp face, always trying to be a step ahead of everyone else and not always too fussy how he got there. Not one of my favourites.