Prologue

Everyone is leaving the city, running as far as they can from it. There's a traffic jam on every road, people shouting at each other. They are as scared as they should be, crushing each other to get ahead. Why are they running you ask? That is a valid question, why do millions of people living in this city and neighboring cities run away from it leaving their homes, their belongings even their loved ones all to save themselves? Well, that might be because the government just announced that there is a nuclear bomb in this city. They are right. There's a nuclear bomb or rather a small version of a nuclear bomb made by my own hands, in the middle of the city. Which is going to blow everything in its wake including this city and the cities surrounding it. So running would be just useless, I stand on the rooftop of the building that contains this nuclear bomb. I am the one who has the detonator for this bomb. Yes, I am the bad guy who is going to destroy half of the country. Maybe the whole country, who knows? It is a prototype, I am not sure how much damage would it do.

Even if I don't use the detonator the bomb will activate in just ten seconds, there is a man just behind me who is pointing a gun right at the head of a friend of mine, a very dear friend of mine. He thinks I would just deactivate the bomb if he lets her go, isn't that just foolish? If the bomb goes off, she will die along with the guy holding the gun and I too would perish. Does he think I would throw my work of 5 years away just because of one girl? Well, let me tell you who this man is, the one holding the gun to her head. This man is the man you all talk about. You all know about him, you don't know him but you always can feel his gaze upon your neck. He is the man who knows everything about you, who is always watching you. This man is the head of the people you usually refer to as 'They.' And yes 'They' actually exist…

Wait—Wait—Wait, this is too far ahead in the story, isn't it? Let's rewind to the time when I was still living a normal life

To understand how we all got into this mess, let's go back about 6 years when I had just graduated from university, and I was unaware of all this mess. Just a simple guy, living a simple and perfect life. I was good at studies and sports as well, a prodigy I was called. A genius in both studies and other activities as well, and I knew with good grades I could land any job I desired or so I thought. Let's start by explaining what is educational system and how it affects our lives, or more precisely how it affects my life. I hate the education system, I started hating it the day I started my degree.

Did you know 99 percent of the population waste 10 years of their school life, 2 years in college, and 5 in University? That's 17 years of life that counts for nothing. They get their rolled degree in their hand throw some hats and take off from the University as if they have conquered the world. After a year or two of finding a job and getting paid 40k for a 9 to 5 job, they understand why they give you the degree paper rolled like a dildo. So, you can shove it up your--

Anyways, let's go back to year X-120, about 6 years from now when I was just 23 years old, when I was young and so full of life and ambitions. And there was a shortage of jobs because of the pandemic, The ANOROC virus. It started spreading in X-119 and job hunting became hard to top it off just three months ago working robots were invented by a company named—wait, I'm boring you, aren't I? Well, let's get to the point, I shoved my robotic engineering degree up my ass and went to 20 companies flashing my ass to them. That's when I found out how little this paper mattered. But, at last, even in that ass-wipe of a pandemic I got a job like they say the 21st time is a charm. 'Never listen to THEM'-'

I had just joined a Robotics company by bribing a guy from the company, all it cost me was 23 percent of my salary to his pocket for 14 months. It was a hot day on June 4th, 2020, my first day at work after getting through Matric, FSC, and doing my sentence in university for 5 years I had reached at last the stage of earning money and realizing my dreams, or so I thought. Turns out there is no such thing as earning money honestly, even to earn money you will have to bribe.

I rushed through the door hiding my face so that the sun couldn't burn me to ash, and entered a big building, S.S.H Technologies the board outside the building said. I entered and looked at the clock on the wall next to the door. I wore a dark blue coat black shoes, and a half-white shirt. I looked at the clock once again and stopped next to the cloak as I stared at its red shining pointers. "Shit," I mumbled to myself, "I'm late on my first day." Today was my first day, so I had to come early but I ended up being 10 minutes late. I rushed to the counter just below that red clock; a girl about 26 or 28 was standing on the counter. She wore simple office clothes, a black skirt and coat along with a red bowtie and white shirt. She had her brown hair flying backward due to the small fan she had fixed next to her face.

"Excuse me," I said with a smile, I just couldn't stop myself from smiling. She picked her head up from the register that she had in her hand and stared at me with her dazzling blue eyes. "Can you point me to the Robotics main lab?" I asked her humbly with a smile, one stare from her and I fell in love with her beauty, she was sitting on a spinning chair and she wore a mask to prevent Virus thing.

Her eyes seemed deep enough to suck up seven seas in it. I wanted to marry her that instant until she stood up from the chair revealing her masculine body and about 6'5 feet height she threw her mask away as she stood up. She had even more man-like faces than most men without a beard. My smile vanished as she pointed her finger to the stairs on the left and said in a masculine tone. "Elevator is out of service use stairs and on the 34th floor the first door you see will lead you to the Robotics lab."

I simply gulped my emotions in and turned towards the stairs. "Thanks," I forced myself to say and rushed to the stairs. 34 floors was nothing for me, I have always been good when it came to athletics. And my daily workout combined with that had made me stronger and more agile. I usually wake up before the sun, and after getting out from the bed I fix my bed sheet right away. I live alone, so I make coffee, and after drinking it my workout starts. The first thing I do is warm up, you see warming up is important before working out. After that, I go for crunches followed by pushups, plank, and pull-ups along with chin-ups and a few stretches. After these simple exercises, I take off my black underwear and wear a proper tracksuit. And run about 5 miles while reading a book along the way, the sun is almost in the sky when I finish my running.

After coming home I try to dry my sweat before going into the tub, now there is a trick to an early morning bath and it makes me look better as well as active. I try to throw a few bags of ice in the water, after staying in the cold water for about half an hour. I dry myself and without wearing anything I go into the hall and start my second session of workout. I do squats followed by lounges and then it turns for weight lifting, I deadlift not much but every day. And after bicep curls, and triceps dips I finish my workout with 20 minutes of Shadowboxing.

After working out butt naked I rush to shower again, and now I use the normal temperature of the water. My hair is very sensitive so I use a shampoo that I specially made myself using herbal ingredients same goes for the soap. After bathing I wear clothes, I use dark colors only for my pent coat. Like black, dark gray, or dark blue along with others.

After getting ready it's time for breakfast, I don't buy meat from the market. I buy a buffalo or a deer from a hunter who lives in the jungle just outside the city. I store their meat in the freezer and use it when needed. I buy vegetables from farmers directly and try to use butter made from cow's milk. I don't eat anything from outside; I even boil my water before use. I cook myself and after breakfast, I go to university, or I used to. Today was my first day at the job; I didn't work out nor did anything. Well, it is a one-time honest mistake. No matter what happens I'll never let go of this routine. It makes me sane.

'34th floor' the board said as I looked forward and stepped on the last stair. "First door," I repeated her words and looked around. The first door that I saw was right beside the stairs, on the right side of them. It was a double door, with 'Robotics' written on one and 'Lab' written on the other half door. This is the door I have been chasing after my whole life. From school to university and hundreds of interviews in different companies at last I have landed a job. And this door is what stands between me and my success.

I looked around and entered the room and—