Journey to Stratus (1)

As the woman basically man-handled Atlas, he was able to get a better view of what was restricting him. It was a stasis cuff, a full body restraining device most commonly used by the internal police against infected.

Even if he was used to being treated like scum, to be handled like a mindless beast was a new all time low.

The woman carrying him approached a jet black utility vehicle, before opening the back doors with her free hand, and gently placing him inside.

There were seats lined along the sides, and different types of fire arms mounted on the walls. It was surprisingly clean, and new-looking, with the metal giving of a sort of shiny gleam. Anyone would be hard-pressed to find metal this clean down here, and even then this much would probably cost millions of carnz. Not to mention that Atlas was almost certain that this was no regular metal either.

As the woman was about to walk take a seat in one of the passenger seats, the elder man stopped her.

"Sit behind with him. If he was able to steal an index, he could be capable of freeing himself," he said dismissively, before looking towards the kid they had come with.

"You too," he added, giving a disgusted look at the child before getting into the vehicle.

"Yes, sir,"the woman replied, before walking towards the back. After both her and the kid had entered, the vehicle began moving.

"Where are you taking me," Atlas asked, trying to squirm himself into a more comfortable position.

"The capital," the woman replied, trying to find a comfortable position as well. Although she was seated on one of the seats lined along the sides, she was way too massive to properly fit in them, making for a sort of comical sight.

"Capital? What, you mean district 1?" Atlas asked.

Even though the undercity didn't really have a capital, what with it just being one massive city, some people liked to refer to the first district as the capital. It was by far the most advanced district, which earned it such a high citizenship tax.

Even in Atlas's wildest dreams, he couldn't imagine living there.

"No, the capital, Stratus," she replied.

~Stratus?~

Atlas remained silent for a moment, trying to remember where he had heard the name before.

"The surface," the kid seated at the far corner added, whilst looking out the window.

"The surface?!" Atlas blurted out, before looking towards the woman for confirmation. The surface was something like heaven for undercity dwellers. Or at least that was what it seemed like from the rumors they passed around. Though Atlas's excitement quickly died down as he quickly remembered the situation he was in.

"Why?" he asked, now more wary.

"You're to be put on trial," she explained.

Atlas's eyes opened wide at this, a cold shiver running down his spine.

"What the fuck did I do? It's not like I fucking wanted this! I told you, it came to me! Do you understand English? I didn't steal it!" Atlas shouted in outcry, his heart pounding. He quickly attempted to access his index, though that only earned him an electrical shock from the cuffs that bound him.

His reaction was not without reason. To people who lived in the undercity, trial was synonymous to death. Trials here were nothing more than a formality to sell citizens off as test subjects. The RSB paid a pretty penny for 'death-rowed' individuals to run 'ethical experiments on. After all, the government down here was twisted, and human lives were nothing more than a chance at money.

It was effectively death... but in the worst manner possible.

"You're being put on trial for the exact same things you're spouting right now," the woman replied calmly, just looking down at Atlas as he struggled to free himself from his bindings.

"To have gotten your hands on an index naturally would mean you are claiming to either be an Avaris, or Tainted. Either way, you will need to face the tribunal," she continued.

"Avaris? Tainted? Look, if you let me go now, I'll just give it back. How about that?" Atlas asked, still attempting to find a way to escape.

"Pathetic," the kid at the corner snarled, giving Atlas a cold glance before turning to look out the window once again.

"You little piece of s-"

"Just calm down. I don't know how the government works down here, but I assure you that the tribunal is fair. If what you say is true, than no harm will be inflicted on you. Besides, the only way to remove an index from it's holder requires a piece of your brain to be extracted. I don't think that's something you want, mieze," the woman said, her tone betraying the slightest hint of pity.

After she said that, Atlas stopped struggling, and his body relaxed. He looked up at the woman with an examining glare before looking back down to the floor.

~I need to find a way to escape,~ he thought to himself.

He had been under the impression that these people would be better than the scum of the undercity since they dressed nicely and seemed more civilized. But he had come to accept his mistake.

He had gotten his hands on something that someone as filthy as him shouldn't have. And he knew that this trial was nothing more than an excuse to rip the system out of his brain.

Even if his chances were slim, the moment they let him out if these cuffs, he would fight his way out. For now, he just had to plan how it would go down.

~She has my blaster... and probably my amulet as well,~ he though to himself, having noticed his blaster in one of the holster's of her uniform whilst he was examining her. Though he was aware that wouldn't have helped him anyway as there were much stronger weapons mounted on the walls. Some of which he had never seen before.

He quickly stole a glance at the wall, noting the weapons that were lined there. A few blasters, an ion sniper rifle, a long blade made from white steel with weird inscriptions lined along it, and a massive battle axe made from the same materials.

~Even with the new skill I got, I doubt it'll be enough to take on three of these guys. My best bet is the sniper rifle,~ he thought to himself.

"Mieze, don't do anything stupid. The commander is not a kind man, and even if you had an army with you, you'd still perish," the woman warned without even looking at Atlas, her voice laced with the same pitying tone as before.

"Stop calling me, mieze," Atlas whispered to himself. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he could guess it was probably some sort of slur.