53

[Wiggle]

Agony.


That's all he felt, nothing but complete pain. It was as if every inch of his body was being crushed, and then being burned, over and over again. He had lost consciousness more than once and felt himself being carried by someone, which caused him even more pain. They spoke in a language he didn't understand, and after a while placed him on a bed and wheeled him into a building that was air conditioned and the cool air did nothing but to spike his pain, causing him to grit whatever teeth he had left.


Suddenly the stretcher stopped and he felt the presences disappear until they were replaced by new people. He tried to speak, but couldn't manage a single word.


"He's lucky to have survive this long." A male voice said. "Almost every bone in his body is completely crushed, and we'll have to amputate all four of his limbs, rebuild his spine, and replace most of his organs with the latest in cybernetic organs."


"Is he fit for Project Alpha 83?" An more stern male voice asked.


"It's hard to say, his record, what's not censored is very impressive. But he'll have to relearn how to walk, talk, and do everything again." He said. "It'll be a hard road, but I think he could do it. There's no one better, and this isn't a volunteer program."


"Do it."


Those where the last words he heard before falling unconscious. He awoke a few weeks later in a bed surrounded by at least a dozen doctors. He was hooked up to at least a dozen machines that monitored each of his cybernetic organs to ensure they were working properly.


"Where am I? Who am I?" He croaked.


He reached up, and grasped the handrail on the side of the hospital bed and pulled himself up. There was a soft crunch and he released his hand, and noticed that the handrail had been crushed. He looked amazed at his hand and flickered his gaze to the doctor who took a step forward.


"You are 53, son." He said. "Welcome to Project Alpha 83."


53 sighed and looked down on the busy intersection below, waiting for his target. He glanced around him once more to make sure there wasn't anybody there, and smiled to himself. It was a clear night, and there was a light breeze out of the east. This city was always lively at night, and for some reason, 53 always enjoy just sitting there and listening to the sounds of the city. He turned his attention down to the slum streets below, where his target should be showing herself at any time. He was only here to watch her for now, to discover the best time for him to do what he needed to do. He wanted an opportunity to do it when there was no one else around, killing unnecessary civilians could hurt his payment, and he didn't wish for that. His mechanical eyes continuously scanned the people below searching for any sign.

 

[Elwin]

"You're awfully skinny miss.."


Zeph turned her head sharply, as she swallowed the measly scraping of meat she could get off the bone. She hadn't eaten for days and had managed to scrounge some food from a nearby bin, hoping not to grab any attention. Which ultimately failed. Expecting a threat, Zeph grabbed onto a knife that was pushed tightly against her leg in a black leather sheath. She breathed out with ease as a small child looked at her curiously, his head cocked to one side. Some prude woman, with a face like a raisin frowned at Zeph.


"Come on Charli, don't speak to the gutter." Zeph choked with disbelief. She stood up, wiping her mouth to look up at the woman. "I beg yer' pardon? You wanna' watch yer' manners in front of your little one you stuck up bitch." The woman scoffed at Zeph, pulling her child away from the frail girl.


Zeph sighed, feeling disheartened. She hated people and what they did to innocent children like that boy. There was no doubt he would grow up to look down on people like her like his Mother. After a moment of thought, she started to walk away, cooling herself down. Zeph's next plan was to make some money and have some proper food. But it was much easier said than done.


Zeph felt a drop of water hit the tip of her upturned nose. She looked up at the sky. Dark grey clouds had covered the sun, filling the air with a thin mist. "Oh great..." She back to run, as the rain picked up, sticking her coal black hair to her paper white face. Her home was too far from here, so she resided into an alley where she could at least hide beneath a building before the rain stopped.

 

[Wiggle]

53 lit a cigar up and took a drag and then exhaled. He took the smoldering cigar out and glanced down at it and crinkled his face into a frown. He had no idea why he even did this, he gained nothing from it, and his cybernetic lungs filtered his breaths and his kidneys filtered his blood good enough to just make it a fashion statement. 53 shrugged and glanced down at the ground and scanned again. It didn't tak him long, but he focused in on a girl who wore her black hair long, and a mother and her child.


"Come on, Charli." Came the voice from the lady. "Don't speak to the gutter."


53 snorted his derision and watched the girl as she watch the pair leave. 53 furrowed his brow and zoom in on the girl's face. A quick scan revealed a match to his target. He grinned and watched her closely, and suddenly his skin felt wet and he glanced up at the sky. It was sprinkling, and his HUD told him that it was supposed to rain. He grunted and looked down just in time to watch the girl duck into a nearby alleyway to get out of the coming storm. That was his queue.


53 had been sitting on the edge of a building, with his legs swinging over the edge. In an instant, he had leapt from the roof, grabbed an exposed steel beam, swung and let go, and fell to the ground. He impacted the ground with a pronounced thud and stood up straight and brushed the dirt and dust from his clothing. He glanced around, made sure that nobody had seen him and took a final drag on the cigar and flicked it away. He exhaled and made his way towards the alleyway that the girl had entered. He smiled and suddenly his image shimmered and he disappeared as he activated his cloak. He had a few moments until it overheated and shut down, but that'd be more than enough to do what he needed. He entered the alleyway, and made his way towards the back were the girl hudded under the opened lid of a dumpster. The only thing that gave him away was his footsteps.


"Zephyra Orion." He said. "You've fallen a long way to be eating someone's trashed leftovers, haven't you?"

 

[Elwin]

Zeph froze. Was she hearing things? The voice was clearer than her mind could produce, she was sure of it. "Who..." It felt as if all her insides had fallen out of her body. "Just..Just warnin' ya now. I am armed." She tried her best to sound unafraid; confident. But her stutter gave her away.


Unsheathing her knife, Zeph held it with a tight grip. She was trembling, but tried to control it. Peering round, Zeph could see nobody. Maybe it was all in her head? She hadn't eaten properly for days, barely had a drink of water and she was deprived of an undisturbed nights sleep. Yes, that's what it was. She was losing it.


Zeph slowly crawled from beneath the lid of the dumpster, holding her knife as she pushed along the floor. As she had thought, there was no one there. Zeph couldn't decide what was scarier, whether someone had actually been there or her going crazy. Still on her knees, Zeph crawled away towards the exit of the alleyway.

 

[Wiggle]

53 crossed his arms over his chest and watched the girl. She was obviously frightened by the disembodied voice that appeared from thin air. Her heart rate and breathing spiked as she reached for an old combat knife and held it in front of her, as if that old thing would do anything for her. She visibly trembled and 53 watched as the knife in her hand shook with her body. She was terrified, and 53 couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her. She had no idea who she was or who and what she came from. Reduced from a rich politician's daughter to nothing but a gutter rat crawling around in the slums searching for her next meal.


"Who..." She stammered, her voice trembling just as much as her body. "Just....just warnin' ya, now. I am armed."


"As am I." 53 replied. "You'd be a fool to live here in this scumpit and not be armed, but in all honesty. Just a toothpick isn't much, not sure that you can even call yourself armed. Surely you've got a pistol, or something?"


53 kept an eye on the heat meter on his hud. It was about halfway warmed up, and starting to tip towards the overheating end. He shrugged it off and focused on the girl in front of him. She had started to inch her way from the dumpster with her knife held in a defensive way, ready to attack. She started towards the exit to the alley, and where he was standing. He lifted one leg and allowed her to get about halfway under him before he dropped his leg and pushed her to the ground. He laughed and pressed his full weight of 250lbs on her back, and stepped off behind her. His mechanical limbs were made of a titanium alloy that weighted the same amount as a organ human limb, but was four times as strong as bone. The power that his mechanical limbs was strong enough to break bones as one would a pencil. 53 turned on his heel to the girl and picked her up by the back of the shirt. When he lifted her up, she swung the knife wildly at him, slicing the artificial skin on his arm. 53 grunted and threw the girl at the dumpster she had just crawled out from.


The knife clattered on the ground, and 53 bent over to pick it up. He examined it for a moment and laughed, and flung it at the girl. The knife flew through the air and embedded itself in the dumpster behind her. 53 took a stepped towards her as his HUD began flashing, telling him that his cloak was overheating. It suddenly powered down and revealed 53 in his glory. He was an average looking man, well built, and with blond hair and icy blue eyes. He wore black combat fatigues with the symbol of the Agency stitched on his combat shirt. He was armed to the teeth, with two silenced pistols, and a rifle slung across his back.


"Do you know who you really are?" He asked. "People have been searching for you for a very long time Zephyra Orion, your father was a fool to speak against the Agency. Did you know you could've been living in the Upper City rather than the Slums if he had only kept his mouth shut?"

 

[Elwin]

Clueless would only be described as an absolute understatement to the emotions that rushed through Zeph's brain. It felt as though words were entering one ear and coming straight out the other, but leaving enough of the odd word to scatter her brain into paste.


"Of course I ain't got a pistol.." She choked. Was she talking to her own head? It couldn't have been. As Zeph kept herself moving forward she felt a sudden force agonize her back. The weight was indescribable; ambiguous. The suffering female yelled out her torment as tears of frustration pushed there way from the corners of her eyes and rolled down her flushed cheeks. Another wave of turmoil hit as Zeph felt her full body weight being lifted from the ground. The sudden shock resulted in her frail arms being jolted sideways; with a knife in one hand. Whatever force was attacking her certainly didn't like this as the jerked her body forward, like some kind of trash bag, which then struck the lid of the dumpster, pulling the thing off its hinges.


Zeph spluttered, rubbing her face with a flittering hand. Her rusted brown eyes were smeared with damp black make-up and her cheeks beamed a vibrant crimson. Lifting her head, Zeph looked straight forward. Before her, a man had appeared. The first thing she noticed was his awfully professional garb and his cutting blue eyes. The next practical thing to notice was his array of weapons. He wasn't going to use them on her? What had she even done? Zeph always liked to make it her honest duty to stay out of trouble. Well, except for the odd thievery. Maybe a pick-pocket here and there, but nothing that would go noticed. Zeph met his gaze, then turned her own down to her own body. She was an outright mess. Her thermal black top now sported a large rip across the front and the knees of her camo trousers were all scuffed up.


"Do you know who you really are?" He asked. He sounded much too authoritarian when speaking about her, which Zeph despised. "People have been searching for you for a very long time Zephyra Orion, your father was a fool to speak against the Agency. Did you know you could've been living in the Upper City rather than the Slums if he had only kept his mouth shut?"


"I...excuse me?" A thin black eyebrow raised at the towering man. What in the world was he talking about? This was insane. Zeph covered her mouth to cough.


"I think you av' the wrong person, mister." She frowned. "I don't have a Father or a Mother. They died long ago, before I could sit up by myself." She was unusually calm when saying this. Years of emotional training did certainly pay off in normal circumstances. This was hardly a normal circumstance however and it would only be natural for Zeph to show fright. But her headstrong will kept her collective.


"Look..I.." She started to raise from the ground; her legs were jelly. "I don't care what you have t' say to me.." She was on two feet now. The man didn't hold too much height, not for the intimidating soul he tried to be anyway. He was still taller than Zeph herself though. She remembered that her knife had pierced behind her head, which she tried to back up and grab discretely. Discretion, however, didn't quite work out as she stood aimlessly tugging at the knife, trying to retrieve it from the dumpster. Her frustration built up until eventually she pulled her hand back, another angry tear escaping from her eye.


"I'm sorry if I ever did steal anything from you okay.." She yelped, breaking down into a pathetic sob. "Just please don't play with me' mind like this, I'll pay you back every penny or food I took from yer'.." Zeph's legs gave in and she dropped back to the floor on her knee's, scuffing them even more.

 

[Wiggle]

"I...excuse me?" She said. "I think you av' the wrong person, mister. I don't have a Father or a Mother. They died long ago, before I could sit up by myself."


53 watched her closely, his eyebrow raised.


"Look, I....." She stammered, raising from the ground. "I don't care what you have t' say to me."


He watched as she struggled to her feet, and try her best to wretch the knife from the dumpster free. The girl wasn't very tall and only came up to 53's chest, and the way she spoke kind of pissed him off, but he could help but feel sorry for the girl. She had literally nothing, and was worth nothing. Her status had disappeared long before she could form memories and thoughts. She started crying again, and furious tears fell from her eyes. He was thankful that he rarely had to deal with people who cried like she did, normally they fought back, ran or beg for their life, or even offered their bodies or their wealth to him. But 53 already had wealth, he was paid handsomely for his work for the Agency, even though he was given everything he needed to survive.


"I'm sorry if I ever did steal anything from you, okay? ..." She yelled before breaking down into a furious sob. "Please don't play with me mind like this, I'll pay back every penny and food I took from yer..."


She trailed off as her sobs caught up to her and she sank to her knees, scraping them against the dirty concrete. 53 let out a sigh of impatience and approached the girl and in one go, wretched the knife free from the dumpster. He stooped down in front of her and lifted her chin up to meet his eyes. He berated himself on the inside, his mission was to take her back to the Agency. What they would do with her there was not his business, and he didn't wish to find out.


He studied her eyes and then reached into his pocket and pulled an energy bar out of it, peeled the packaging back and handed it to the obviously hungry, wet and cold girl. The knife he snapped in two and tossed the pieces aside. He watched as she devoured the bar, and then pulled a picture of her as a baby out, complete with her parents.


"I'm not lying to you." He said. "These are your parents."

 

[Elwin]

Zeph grabbed the bar with haste, then lifted it to her mouth. She paused for just a moment, to evaluate her decision. It could be poisoned. This threw the girl off a bit, but her growling stomach soon changed her mind as she ate the whole thing in about two bites. A minute or so later and she hadn't died. Like it would have really mattered anyway. Zeph watched as the stranger broke her knife. What was he planning on doing? He took away her defense, but gave her food? Just earlier he was flinging her against a dumpster... a few seconds had gone by and the man presented her with an image. Zeph leaned over, wiping the crumbs from the side of her mouth.


The picture showed two strangers; a man and a woman, with a baby sat comfortably in the middle. The baby was certainly newborn, couldn't have been any old than a few weeks. But it had a full tuft of fluffy black hair. The baby's eyes were large and an icy blue. Zeph shook her head, leaning back from the photograph.


"You've got it all wrong, you see. That little baby there, well its got blue eyes. Mine are brown." She rolled her eyes, with a slight sarcastic attitude. You couldn't really blame her mistake. What would an uneducated homeless woman know about baby's eyes? Zeph leaned in again taking another look. There wasn't too much of a doubt that the baby did look like her. It also had that grey undertone white skin that made Zeph look like a walking zombie.


She frowned and snatched the picture, looking closer. "I'll give you that mate, them folks behind that little baby don't half look like me." She scratched her head then dropped the photo. "Good try, but you're wrong. So leave me alone, cos' I ain't got anything you could what. I ain't got anything I could want."


All Zeph wanted really was to get up and leave. This oddball had thrown her around like a piece of meat then fed her. What did he think she was? By the look on his face, he clearly thought he was high and mightier than her, no doubt. Just the kind of attitude she despised.


"If you don't mind.." She started, wiping her sore eyes, "I'm gonna' leave you to find your person what you are lookin' for.." She suddenly jumped up. Pain traveled through her back like a sudden wave of electricity. But Zeph's survival instinct had kicked in and she wasn't ready to die. The girl started to run towards the exit of the alley; slipping on the wet concrete as she turned the corner.

 

[Wiggle]

"You've got it all wrong, you see. That little baby there, well its got blue eyes. Mine are brown." She frowned and snatched the picture, looking closer, noticing the skin tone. "I'll give you that mate, them folks behind that little baby don't half look like me. Good try, but you're wrong. So leave me alone, cos' I ain't got anything you could what. I ain't got anything I could want. If you don't mind, I'm gonna' leave you to find your person what you are lookin' for.."


With that, she jumped up, and ran out of the alley, slipping on the wet concrete as she rounded the corner. 53 sighed and watched as she disappeared and then turned back to the dumpster. There was a drop of blood on the side where she had hit when he threw her, so he wiped it up with his finger and pulled a small datapad from a pocket and wiped the blood on it. It beeped as it tried to match the DNA in the blood. A few seconds went by and suddenly the device beeped again and the screen lit up, revealing it was a hundred percent match. It was indeed the Chairman's daughter. 53 opened the comlink to the Handler, and began transmitting his thoughts through.


<I've found her.> He thought. <She's a bit stupid, obviously from living on her own and no education.>


<She is the Chairman's daughter.> Came the reply. <Do you have her in custody, or dead?>


<That's a negative, Osprey. She evaded capture, but I'm pursuing.>


<Keep me informed, 53.>





53 stood and brushed off his pants before climbing the building beside him. He made it to the top, and looked around, scanning for the girl once again. He found her a few minutes later, searching for food again in an abandoned market stall. 53 lept from the building and made his way to her, his footsteps as light as a feather.


"Do yourself a favor and don't run again." He warned. "You're going to come with me."

 

[Elwin]

The air was cool against Zeph's rosy cheeks as she rushed further into town. It seemed as though she wasn't being followed, perhaps he had just tried to trick her and frighten her into whatever he had wanted. Well it didn't work. Zeph was smarter than that, or so she thought. Her aged black boots dampened as they splashed through each passing puddle beneath her; simultaneously wetting the ankles of her trousers.


The streets were pretty lifeless. It was a cold dreary day which was reaching its end. The markets had closed up for the day as well as various stores. There wasn't too much open in this area anyway. Mostly swarmed with poverty, many businesses could hardly keep their doors open for more than a few months. It was a trap; with the cheap rental prices, merchants thought they had a steal.


Zeph slowed down into a few steps before she eventually stood still. Perhaps now she could get on with her day. Although it was definitely easier said than done after such an unusual ordeal just minutes prior.


The pale girl's stomach groaned achingly. She looked around at the stalls. Most were empty but a few had left behind the junk of their stock. Zeph moved into the quiet area, shivering slightly from the cold air. She could see her breath before her. For a few minutes, Zeph discretely browsed the discarded vegetables and packaging (most of which were rotten). She didn't want to be challenged by anyone else if she found something. A few metres from her was the door to the local tavern. Drunks fell from the doors onto the ground singing and chattering at the loudest volume. She didn't like to admit it, but Zeph often felt on edge at the sight of anyone larger than her. She was feisty upfront, but only to mask how she felt inside.


Two men from the tavern stumbled out, tripping on the step. This resulted in a fist fight between the two. They threw each other into empty market stalls, swinging badly aimed punches. Zeph stepped backwards, panicking a little and ran to the other side of the street center, where she watched from a distance.


At the sound of a voice; clear, calm and crisp, Zeph jumped a little turning her heel, rapidly. She leaned against a stall, facing the same man who had tried to trick her earlier. He had followed her. Zeph's heart raised, as she clutched the metal edge of the stall.


"You're back...?" She shook her head, as if she was trying to release herself from a nightmare. "Stop followin' me! Stop followin' me or..or..I'll yell an' that tavern over there will hear me an' you'll be in deep shit, I tell ya', I know the owner man and he is twice your size!" Well this was a complete lie. Zeph didn't know anyone in the whole world and the sound of a yell or a scream was nothing the residents of the area hadn't heard before. It was terrifying really.

 

[Wiggle]

"You're back...?" She shook her head, as if she was trying to release herself from a nightmare. "Stop followin' me! Stop followin' me or..or..I'll yell an' that tavern over there will hear me an' you'll be in deep shit, I tell ya', I know the owner man and he is twice your size!"


The girl was obviously frightened by him, as evidenced by the step back she took and her grip on the steel stall behind her. 53 sighed and moved closer to her, pulling a metal tube out with a slim needle on the edge. He hovered his thumb over the button, and grabbed Zeph by the arm. She screamed, and 53 jabbed the needle into her neck. The syringe let out a soft "tss" as it emptied it tranquilizer contents into the girl's bloodstream and her scream slowly tapered off until her head was rolling as the tranquilizer relaxed her muscles. She fell to the ground, and 53 tossed the used syringe over his shoulder.


"Hey, whaddya doing over there with that woman, mister?" A slurred voice asked.


53 glanced lazily over to his right at the men who'd stumbled out of the bar. They both advanced on him, and were suddenly joined by three others, who had heard the scream from the woman. They all glanced down at the girl who was sprawled across the dirty and wet concrete and then back at 53 with fire in their eyes. They started advancing on him, their fists clenched.


"We're tired of ya Upper City cats coming down here to poke fun at the poor slums folk." One said. "We'll kick your ass so you don't ever come down here again."


The man who spoke swung clumsily at 53, who simply sidestepped and answered with a right cross of his own, which struck the man in the face with a sickening crunch, most likely breaking his face. The man fell to the pavement, unconscious, and 53 brushed his hands together and looked over at the others awaiting for them to attack. The group glanced down at their fallen comrade and up at 53, and then produced weapons. A few had sharp knives, and a few blunt weapons. They swarmed 53 and he ducked an attack from one with a blunt weapon, pulled his gun and fired into the man's chest killing him. Another slashed his blade at him, and 53 caught his arm, and snapped it in two and stabbed him with his own knife, while his hand still grasped it. The man screamed in agony, until 53 pulled the knife from his abdomen and struck him in the throat, silencing him. The other two dropped their weapons, and turned to run, only to be met with two extremely well placed shots from 53's silent pistol.


He holstered the gun, and turned to the girl, which he picked up and threw over his shoulder.


<I have the target.>


<Alive?>


<Yes, for now.>


<Good. Go to the LZ.>