A meeting at midnight

After a while, Kevin returned to his room to get some rest and prepare for his trip to the surface. But despite his best efforts, he couldn't catch a wink of sleep.

The disturbing call that he'd received from above kept him awake all night till his alarm went off at midnight, indicating it was time for his departure.

The surface was a dangerous place, crawling with machines. It had been 4 months since anyone in Subcity had seen the sky. Going to the surface was strictly forbidden.

Though Kevin's cyborg system had been designed to counter the machine threat, he was still too inexperienced and ill-equipped to be allowed to venture outside. Dr. Stacey would've never agreed to it if she knew, but Cassandra had readily agreed to help him.

Kevin knew he was taking a huge risk by going outside without informing Suzy or her mom, but he was tired of just waiting there and biding his time. AISHA was still out there, and he wasn't going to rest till he found her.

The machines had taken everything away from him—his friends, his family, and even his humanity. He was a boy with nothing left to lose except his pathetic life, and this made him throw all caution out of the window.

AISHA's smiling face flashed before his eyes, and he clenched his fists to stop his anger from boiling over. "I'm gonna tear you to pieces, you fucking bitch! I'm coming for you!"

Re-checking all his systems, Kevin headed for the market to meet Cassandra outside the arcade.

Cassandra was already waiting outside the arcade when Kevin arrived. This time, however, she wasn't wearing her flashy red gown, but something far less conspicuous—a plain black tee paired with laser threaded grey jeans and a pair of aero-lite sneakers. It almost looked like she was out for a morning jog.

As soon as she spotted Kevin, her face lit up with a smile, and she casually put an arm around his shoulder. "I was almost beginning to miss you," she whispered in his ear. After a brief friendly hug, she pulled away from him and added, "I heard what happened outside the hardware lab. I've revoked Shane's elevator privileges."

Kevin wasn't even thinking about Shane misbehaving with him. He had already taught that arrogant son of a bitch a lesson he'd never forget. Right now, Kevin was more worried about the person who'd made that call from the surface.

Pulling up his communication channel history, he showed it to Cassandra. "Someone from the surface tried to contact me. It sounded like he and his companions were in danger."

Cassandra knitted her eyebrows and set to work, checking out the call details. It was an audio call from the surface, but the device used wasn't a communication bracelet. She couldn't track the location of the caller or find out his name, but she managed to dig up something interesting.

"All calls made via communication bracelets display a 5-digit alphanumeric code, but this one has just 3 letters and one number."

"What does that mean?" Kevin asked.

"It means that this guy was using military-grade hardware. The call was made using an old satellite transponder. Only resistance fighters use that."

"So, this guy who called me is a part of the resistance, right? But what's he doing up there? Aren't all resistance fighters supposed to be hiding from the machines?"

Cassandra nodded meaningfully. "You're partially correct. Most of the resistance fighters came here to seek shelter, but a few chose to remain on the surface to blend in with the civilians and spy on the machines. They used to send us detailed reports, up until 3 months ago, when they abruptly cut all communications."

"So there are people living on the surface? And the machines don't attack them?"

"Life on the surface is worse than death. The people living outside are nothing more than slaves. They have to obey every rule laid down by the Prime Android and follow a specific routine every single day without fail. Even the most minor violations lead to severe punishment."

"I don't get it," Kevin said. "Why didn't the machines just kill everyone on the surface? It's not like they have morals."

"It's because the Prime Android wants to govern them. She thinks people should be subservient to the machines."

"So, killing the Prime Android should fix this, right?" Kevin asked.

Cassandra chuckled inwardly and put her hand on Kevin's shoulder. "You're getting way ahead of yourself. The Prime Android isn't just some stupid robot. She is smart, cunning, and equipped with state-of-the-art weapons. She controls not just the robots, but all the androids on Technoria. Her eyes are everywhere on the surface."

Kevin listened quietly as she went on to describe in vivid detail what life on the surface was like. The world had changed completely, but it took time. Six months had rolled by since the day of the first attack. But for Kevin, only a couple of days had passed since his brain had been in the cryopreservation chamber all this time.

The resistance fighters and the researchers in Subcity had some idea about what was happening on the surface, having seen many things firsthand. However, all Kevin could rely on were second-hand accounts. For him, the world out there was completely unknown.

After carefully listening to everything Cassandra had to say, he finally spoke again. "I guess I need to go out there and see for myself."

Cassandra nodded wistfully. "The surface is a dangerous place, even for a cyborg. If Suzy and her dad find out that I helped you go outside, they're gonna be livid."

"I don't care about Dr. Zhao. I've already repaid my debts by taking out that Neutralizer. I don't owe him anything."

"Dr. Zhao can be a hard-ass sometimes, but Suzy really cares about you. She'll be super mad at you when she finds out that you went to the surface without telling her," Cassandra replied. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"She doesn't have to know," Kevin answered. "I really want to do this. I wanna see what's out there."

"Alright, if your mind's made up, I won't try to stop you," Cassandra said. "Come, there's a secret maintenance shaft inside, leading to the surface. It's already 12:25 am. You don't have much time."

Kevin followed her inside the arcade and she quietly led him to one of those old pinball machines attached to a plastered green wall. "Come on now, I can't move this thing alone, hon."

"I got this. You don't need to strain yourself," Kevin hurriedly replied, grabbing hold of the machine with both hands.

Cassandra dusted her hands and backed away smiling. "Ah, a chivalrous young man, in this day and age! You must be a keeper."

Kevin blushed slightly but continued pulling the pinball machine. It was loosely secured to the wall by two thick wads of black double-sided tape, one at the bottom and the other at the top. Since he had mechanical arms, it took him little effort to detach the machine from the wall, ripping out a good chunk of the plaster along the way. He moved it over to one side and cleared the way for Cassandra.

Cassandra stepped forward, holding out a device that looked almost like a flashlight, but with a much pointier tip. When she pressed the little red button in its middle, a concentrated red laser beam shot out from the device and burned a deep hole in the wall. She continued tracing a large rectangular perimeter with it, moving her fingers artistically, as if she were holding a delicate paintbrush.

After she had carved out a large rectangle, she turned off the laser beam and walked up to the wall. She tapped the wall lightly with her left palm and it slumped to the ground, leaving behind an opening wide enough for a couple of people to pass through at once.

"All done here. Follow me," she called out to Kevin.

Kevin followed behind her and passed through the opening on the wall. "What was that thing that you just used?" he asked, staring at the laser device in her hand.

"Oh, this is a miniature precision laser cutter. It can cut through, concrete, glass, wood, and even sheets of steel," Cassandra answered, dangling the device carelessly between her fingers.

Behind the wall lay a small, narrow tunnel, with metal grates on each end. This used to be part of the old sewage system which had been closed off a long time ago.

Twisting the ring on her middle finger, Cassandra turned on a concealed flashlight bright enough to light the whole tunnel. Since the tunnel had been closed off long ago, it was clean and dry and didn't have any pests lurking around.

Cassandra led Kevin to a narrow shaft housing a steely grey ladder, which connected the tunnel to the surface. This was the maintenance shaft which was reserved exclusively for the sanitation engineers.

"There's a hatch on top. It opens from either side. The code is 37BA. This is your only way in and out of Subcity," Cassandra explained staring at the titanium hatch. "You have exactly 1 hour and 50 minutes to explore the surface and return. Stay out there a minute longer and you'll be inviting death."

Kevin was a bit shaken up by Cassandra's ominous warning, but he didn't let it show. "I'll try to return within a couple of hours. I just need to track down the source of that communication request."

"There's no trying, Kevin," Cassandra said, looking straight into his eyes. "The surface is a dangerous place for both humans and cyborgs. All those people who're living up there are thralls to the machines. They didn't choose to stay there of their own free will. They now belong to the machines. And if they try to run they'll meet a fate worse than death."

"I'll not let those bastards hurt anyone else!" Kevin exclaimed.

"I'm not letting you go out there if you're just gonna get yourself killed." Cassandra crossed her arms and backed away, frowning. "The deal is off."

Kevin lowered his gaze and apologized. Cassandra was taking a huge risk by helping him sneak outside and his one foolish mistake could ruin everything.

"I won't do anything reckless. You have my word."

Cassandra let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around him. "I really hope I'm not making a mistake. Come back in one piece or I'll never forgive you," she whispered, caressing his locks. "Set a timer and listen to your assistant AI. I won't be able to contact you when you're out there. Stay safe and don't invite trouble."

Kevin acknowledged with a nod and began his climb up the ladder.