The Annihilation Code

Chapter One ➹ Atlas Contreras ➹

Five years later...

Once upon a time, there was a boy who was in love with the world. He'd admire every sunrise, he cried during every movie, he'd sing and dance along to every song on the radio even if he didn't know the lyrics, and he refused to kill spiders because he couldn't bear to harm anything, no matter how small. I miss him. He isn't dead, but he would've been better off that way. Bionic Corp ripped him apart piece by piece and limb by limb. They made him into a machine with a heart made of stone. Well, actually it's made of segmented polyurethane solution, but my point stands. The worst thing they did was force him to memorize a code, not just any code. It was a code, if spoken aloud, it would kill any cyborg who heard it. It's called the Annihilation Code. Maybe you've heard of it. Some people think its made-up nonsense, made to scare cyborgs into submission. I wish that was the case, but I can assure you it's far too real. You may be asking, how do I know all this stuff? Well, if you haven't figured it out yet, the boy was me. They forced me to kill my fellow cyborgs for them. That's how I got the code name Curseword because my words could end someone's life. Bionic Corp stole everything from me My innocence, my future, my voice, they were gone forever. Tonight I am going to take something from them.

I stood on a large shipping crate outside a small Bionic Corp warehouse and watched the guards as they patrolled around the building. I scrutinized their every move as I plotted the best way to break into the establishment.

"I've managed to hack into the facility's security system, but their firewall is pretty intense. I'm not sure how long it will take for them to kick me out." I heard my sister's voice through my cybernetic earpiece. "There are a total of nine cameras on the premises. Four outside and five inside. It looks like there is one on every corner of the fence and one in every room, including the hallway."

I typed her a brief message on my HoloWatch. Thank you, Marisa.

"Hey, what are sisters for if not accomplices in your quest for vigilante justice."

I would've chuckled if I still had vocal cords.

"Promise you'll stay safe, okay? I need you. Patch needs you too, though he probably won't admit it."

I promise.

She ended the call, leaving me all alone. I pulled up my scarf, so it covered my face, and donned my hood. I backed up, ran, then jumped off the shipping container and into the fenced-in area. If Marisa's evaluation was correct, I should be in the camera's blind spot. Just in case I hid behind another shipping container. I pulled up the building's blueprints on my HoloWatch. They keep all their spare cybernetics in the first room to the left. Lucky for me, there happened to be an emergency exit in the same room. I sent a message to Marisa. Can you shut off the fire alarms?

She messaged back. I'm working on it.

I skulked towards the building. Two guards rapidly approached. I dove into the shadows and cloaked myself in darkness.

"I can't believe I'm working overtime for the third time this week." One of the guards complained.

The other fiddled with the gun on his holster. "Corporate is mad about the break-in at the sister location, and they're punishing everyone for it."

Someone broke into the sister location? I'd tried to case the joint for months, but the security was top-notch. I couldn't even get close. I leaned in closer so I could hear more.

"We've had break-ins before, and they never punished us like this. What did they steal?"

"I heard it was a map."

"A map? A map to what?"

"I don't know, but corporate is pretty freaked out about it getting stolen."

"I heard a rumor they found the guy who stole it. You'll never guess who it was!"

"Who?"

I turned up the volume on my cybernetics, so I could eavesdrop better.

"Chase Huxley."

Who the hell is that?

"Who's that?" The guard asked.

"He's some teenage heartthrob. I think he's a model or something. My daughter is obsessed with him. She keeps a cardboard cutout of him in her room."

"Wow, she's gonna be devastated when corporate takes him out."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I'm not looking forward to that."

The guards disappeared around the corner and I lost earshot. The name Chase Huxley still didn't ring a bell but, he managed to piss off Bionic Corp, he must be the real deal. He might be a better thief than I am. Maybe, he could be a potential ally. If Bionic Corp doesn't kill him first. I finally noticed Marisa had been blowing up my HoloWatch with messages.
I've got it down.
You're welcome.
Hello?
Are you there?
Atlas?
Please be okay!

I typed up a response.
I'm fine.
I got distracted, that's all.
I'm sorry.

Never scare me like that again! She replied.

I didn't respond to that message. I won't make promises I can't keep. I forced open the emergency exit door and entered the building, reached into my pocket and pulled out an LED light. I positioned it in a way that blinded the camera. That should give me a few minutes before the guards come after me. I ransacked the warehouse for whatever cyborg parts I could fit in my satchel. I loaded the bag with cybernetic fingers, eyes, ears, and I even managed to cram a foot in there. My eyes drifted to the artificial voice boxes. I picked one up and traced my fingers up and down along its edges. A violent flashback seized my memories.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way. I know you didn't ask for the Annihilation Code. I must protect our fellow cyborg brothers and sisters, and this is the only way. I'm sorry."  I still heard his voice in my head. I couldn't seem to forget the last words he said to me before he ripped me to shreds, starting with my voice box. He's the reason I've never gotten it replaced. I chose to live without a voice because he was right. My voice was a weapon, and the world was safer without it.

I counted down from twenty in my head. Alternating languages with every number. This was my ritual for recovering from flashbacks. I hadn't triggered one in so long I'd thought I was finally over it. The problem was, although most of my body was cybernetic, my brain was still human, and it functioned the way human brains do. The voice box slipped from my grasp and clattered to the ground, causing it to break. 

"What was that sound?" The sound of one of the guard's footsteps rapidly approached.

Dammit. I slunk out the emergency exit and escaped into the night with whatever I had managed to snatch from the warehouse. Before I drove home, I sent a message to Marisa. I need you to find information on Chase Huxley.