No Sleep

1

Rip off an arm for five-hundred thousand credits. Xander squinted at the hologram next to their booth. It was too loud in the lounge to make out what the anchor said, but the news ticker gave him enough information. The KaiHue Inc. logo popped up before showing surgeons working on mechanical arms and legs. The surgeons beamed about the new project. Xander scoffed and went back to drinking his glass of water.

"You wouldn't do it for five-hundred thousand credits?" Lupita asked. He shook his head as he chugged the drink. "Five-hundred thousand, Longshot."

"Yeah, nah," Xander said. "I don't care how much money it is. It's weird."

"Of course you don't care about the money."

"What's there to gain out of trading in your arms and legs?"

She twirled a straw in her drink. "Two million credits if I traded each arm and leg."

"I get that. But think about it. Why the hell are you getting paid for it?"

"Longshot, please. KaiHue is partnered with Ini. They're not gonna do anything bad. I get a bionic arm and five hundred thousand credits." Lupita turned the channel. Xander shrugged. The two continued to talk in the dim lounge. 

It was a small, warm, family-owned lounge that soldiers in training from Poeno favored the most. They stayed up later to celebrate their graduation on their own. This was the first time they weren't just Lupita and Xander, but Lieutenant Ulva and Lieutenant Long. It didn't matter whether they were in uniform or not. It was a title he felt in his heart.

They headed home once it was one in the morning. The Poeno District stayed awake well past midnight. Beggars and hustlers gambled on every corner. Every advertisement fought for your attention with neon lights and attractive models. Cars flew down the streets so fast wind smacked Xander's face with every passing. The sidewalks were lined with litter here and there, but they could walk home safely. Some nearby neighborhoods did not have that luxury.

The residential area was a little quieter than the rest of the neighborhood. Xander dropped Lupita off at her house before arriving at his apartment. He trotted up the stairs instead of using the elevator. His door opened automatically when he was a foot away. The Security and Satisfaction System greeted him over the speakers and illuminated the apartment. Clothes sprawled all over the living room floor and furniture. He put on an old Ini Corps cap off his couch and grinned in the mirror. His charming smile was more fit for a handsome waiter than a man in armor. Xander never looked sloppy, but the stubble on his sharp, sepia-toned chin and his bloodshot eyes showed a need for sleep.'Victory At All Costs!' was written in the top corner in marker. He kissed his hand and patted the corner.

The TV popped on with the same news from earlier in a different package. This time, Cooper Moriah, the poster boy for the Ini Corps, boasted about the military advancements the operation could bring. At first, the surgery would be operated on soldier volunteers. Only two soldiers would be chosen. The procedure would become available to the general public after the trial runs succeeded.

Cooper's gold skin glowed as if the sun were in the studio the ad was shot in. The words upgrade and military were delivered with a smile every single time. The Eluki flag waved behind him in shimmering red and black. His uniform was polished and decorated with a stunning array of pins. An obligatory Elukian salute ended the advertisement with a surprise. Cooper had a mechanical hand of his own.

Xander scratched his chin at his childhood hero's smooth iron hand. He rolled up the sleeves of his sweatshirt and twisted his forearm. The orange and yellow lighting in the ad replaced the sun like wires would replace the patient's veins. Flesh and blood can sweat and shiver to regulate body temperature. Can a mechanical arm keep up with the reactions of a human body? Would the technology overheat on a hot summer's day? Or fail to operate in the dead of winter?

The water beaded on his skin in the shower. He questioned the upkeep of the "upgrade." Would his limbs rust with time? Was the material stainless steel? What if disinfectant spray got in the cracks and messed up the hardware? He refused to carry around cleansing wipes for the rest of his life in case some greasy fingers touched his hand. Skin was easy to clean. If there was something wrong on or beneath the skin, then there were discreet ways to hide it. An arm full of electricity was sure to fizzle and pop when it malfunctioned. Who's responsible for a fire caused by an upgraded arm?

Maybe the upgrade was hyper-realistic. But if that were so, then what would be the point? The only advantage that would bring is to those in need of prosthetic limbs. Prosthetic limbs were already working like natural ones at this point. That didn't look like the purpose of the upgrade according to the example. Cooper's hand was shiny metal. The fingers were long and slender. It shone more like a new ring than a useful limb. The attraction was elegance.

The cons outweighed the pros. He didn't understand the appeal of trading in a limb for money. It didn't matter if they let him rule the world. That was his arm. That arm has been with him his entire life. He wasn't going to replace it. Sure, there might've been "enhancements" but how far can an arm bend before it breaks?

His finger hovered Elian's contact. What part did his genius brother have in these upgrades? Probably a whole lot, considering Elian's recent realignment of ethics. Xander stared at the contact for a second longer, kissed his teeth, and pressed Lupita's name on his phone.

"It's 1:30," she answered.

"You're not gonna sign up for that upgrade thing, right?" he asked.

"It's five hundred thousand credits for basically no cost."

"At no cost? It's your fucking arm!"

"I get a replacement."

"Yeah but, it's not like you're gonna win. What's the point?"

"That's exactly the point. If I win then I'm rich with the gift of an arm. If I don't, then I don't."

"Okay but, there has to be a catch."

"Enough of the conspiracies, Longshot. It's not like I'm volunteering you. Go to bed." The line went silent.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he sunk down in his bed. It really wasn't his problem. It wasn't his decision to make, but the feeling in his stomach almost made him dial her number again. She wouldn't answer him anyway. There was nothing he could've said to convince her. Unless he gave her enough evidence.

The top search results for KaiHue Inc. talked about the "Upgrade Initiative" as they called it. Something about the logo rung a bell. He kept clicking the next page button to see what other press they received before the news broke out that day. Wonderful customer service, wonderful customer service and once again, wonderful customer service. An alert popped up on the screen that told him to go to sleep before he could see the next page. His Security and Satisfaction System monitored his screen time when it got unhealthy, especially this late at night.

Really, the S.A.S.S. monitored everything in his apartment. It was an obligation as an Eluki citizen. If one did not want the system in their house, then they had to consult their local maka department with credible reasoning. S.A.S.S. controlled the thermostat, the lights, the water appliances, and responded to humans like it was a part of the family. It was connected to all phones, all iawatches, and security cameras around the house.

And as he zoomed in on the bottom corner of the alert, he saw the friendly kaiju logo of KaiHue Inc. He leaned back and took a deep breath. The revelation wasn't exactly what he was looking for, but there was still something unnerving about the progression of the company. The back of his brain itched. He ignored the alert and kept scrolling.

The fifteenth page finally gave him what he was looking for. "KaiHue Inc. Takes and Sells Customer Data to Third Party Companies: How Big Brand Companies Make Money Off of Your Life" taunted him at the top of the screen. The company must've tried to erase all the news around the situation. He wondered how this managed to slip through the cracks. The bottom of the website had links to other articles showing KaiHue in a bad light. Xander hovered the mouse over "KaiHue and Its Anti-Union Employee Treatment" before S.A.S.S. invaded the screen with a message:

GO TO SLEEP

NOW.