Open Wounds

"Cass, pull up security details around the city. Especially around the Hive."

One by one, encrypted security drone footage, eye cams, hidden cams emerged right in front of me. Hundreds were deployed onsite waiting for my return. If only I could just access everything I need in this level of network but I can't. Funny how my extra layers of security backfires at me.

"Cass, I need you to mirror my DNA to a hostile assigned per area. Clean up the footprints of the changes. Incorporate this camouflage tech we just used this week for the security drones. We're going in."

And just like magic, the pathway was cleared.

"Hey, how about me?"

Ariel interrupted.

I forgot.

"Oh! Yeah. You. Everything's well for you too. We'll enter tomorrow at sunrise. Let's get some sleep. We'll need all the energy tomorrow"

I had to lie.

0345h of November 8, 2031. I could still hear her breathing. She sleeps so soundly. What I'm gonna do terrifies even me. It's too dangerous. If my trojan would be spotted the mirrored DNAs would be reverted and I'll instantly be vulnerable on all sides. All the more reason she should stay out of this. This is my battle from here on.

Slowly, I carried each step towards the door carefully. Carrying nothing but that hope that one day all these troubles shall come to an end again.

"So, you'll leave me?"

Oh, shit. I kind of underestimated her.

"Yes. The world needs you to be out here, Ariel. And the world needs me to be in there. Something's not right. I can feel it. The world's in danger again." I said to her as I squeezed that knob.

"Why, Joe?! These people have disgraced you after everything you've done for them. Let it go! Let's go somewhere far, start a new life with me. On another place or planet. You can do it right? Just away from everything or anyone. Let's start off on the right foot this time. That's what you wanted right?"

"Ten years ago..." I stared at an empty spot in the room listening to ever word she said.

"But things change, Ariel. Time molded me into something far more complex than who I was. This world still deserves another chance or at least the innocent lives that lives on it. The same chance you had; without prejudice and doubt. I'm no longer that boy outside that window across the street, Ariel. I do not run away anymore. This is me now going out there. If this is goodbye, I am happy to see you again." Then I went out the door.

She got off the bed and went after me. I let Cass erase my existence from her sight from the moment I got out of the room.

"Joe! I know you're still here. You better come back at one piece, Joe Madrid. You better!"

"Sounds familiar" Cass whispered..

I was hoping for it though. Then I went on removing her hearing access as well. She will no longer hear my conversations with Cass but she'll still be on my server so I'll be able to locate her in case. Her new identity still stays fir her safety.

I wish I could just disappear instantaneously and sneak through the checkpoints but DNA scanners were way more complex than a human's eye. It's not that easy to fool. It can see through my invincibility technology since it scans more than what lights reflects on like heat signatures and biological prints registered worldwide. I've been in a battle against nature itself but this is way harder when human greed joins the enemy team. I knew I had to be extra careful. No room for errors. I'm all humanity had left.

Just as the Sun peeked through the clouds, the gates were opening for merchants, citizens, delivery trucks, and so on. After all, business was very good in my city. I could affect the region's economy if they closed it off for a couple of days. I joined the line for the entrance as that old man. Inch by inch, my heart pounded.

"Here goes nothing." I stepped in.

I'm finally in range with the DNA scanner. I breathed deep and deeper to calm myself down. I shouldn't give them any hint not even a sudden rise of my heart rate. I still had about three kilometers left 'til I could reach the Hive. The only tool I could use was inside my underground lab. I just hoped they hadn't reached that deep yet. So far no alarms, no weird stares at me, and no sudden change of the guards' positions. Each step out of its range were oxygen for my lungs.

And finally, I'm off the first scanner but my eyes couldn't help but notice the big difference these few days had done to the people of the city. Fear were apparent on their eyes. Their movements were limited. Everywhere had this awkward silence. Those so called guards, soldiers, or law enforcers who were the very people that should protect took advantage of their authority. Those nutjobs took whatever they wanted from my peoples' shops and it made it look like they deserve every bit of it just because they lived in the very city I own. They too paid for the a sin neither of us committed. The hate and the disgust I felt almost made me forgot my goal and just confront them.

"I'll make these nutjobs pay. Cass, keep an ID of these dumbasses. We'll deal with them as soon as we're done here" Cass then marked their DNAs and saved them in our archives.

"Also save a copy of the live footage from inside the city since the day they landed. They'll regret they ever set foot inside my city."

"Thought you'd never ask." Then she did.

I continued to walk getting past of all the abuse they did to my people. I could hack into their defense system and shoot them open but that would expose abnormalities in their system and lead to the discovery of my trojan and it's game over from there. So with a heavy heart, I continued on my mission.

Then suddenly,

Jets landed from all corners of the city carrying hundreds of men.

"Joe, more are coming."

Cass intercepted comms from an encrypted frequency.

"𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥."

It blew my mind. But how? If they already spotted the trojan, I would already have been dead on the spot. But no, Cassandra's link was biologically encrypted and hosted right from the core server which only I could access. Even reverse tracking method wouldn't work on it due to the proxy servers we had made. It was getting pretty weird. I was still standing, unharmed, and alive but nothing felt absolutely right.

[𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍... ]