It was a mistake to come here

Kala and Elli moved cautiously through the dark and damp sewers, their footsteps echoing off the walls. The sound was eerily amplified in the narrow and confined space. Elli, who had always been wary of enclosed spaces, tried not to think about the walls closing in on her.

"I know that we need more men for the plan to work, but are you sure about these? You found them on a forum, for god's sake." Kala asked.

Elli replied, her voice low. "Social media is a great way to find people who think like us."

Kala raised an eyebrow. "And you trust them?"

Elli shrugged. "I trust their intentions, but we'll have to see if they're capable."

Kala nodded, not entirely convinced. She was only here because Ethan had asked her to help. She wasn't sure she trusted these people who were just strangers on the internet.

"We better hurry before the cops get them," Elli said suddenly. "They think that because they use a not frequently visited website, that the cops wouldn't know."

"They sound like a bunch of out of shape guys who just glue themselves to their monitors all day and just talk but don't do sh*t, at least to me," Kala remarked, voicing her doubts.

Elli sighed and picked up the pace. They had to move fast if they wanted to reach the others before the cops did.

As they walked, Elli tried not to think about the dank and musty smell of the sewers or the rats that occasionally scurried past them. She focused instead on the mission at hand. They had to rescue these strangers who shared their beliefs, and they had to do it quickly and quietly.

****

A dozen people gathered in a dimly lit room, the abandoned factory offered them refuge from the watchful eye of the government. They sat around a makeshift table, shrouded in shadows, their faces obscured by the lack of light.

One of them spoke up, "So how do we topple the government? There are only a dozen of us."

Another sighed, "I don't know, but we have to do something."

A third interrupted, "What? We can't do sh*t. It was a mistake to come here."

"Calm down, you worry too much!" someone else said, trying to soothe the frustrated member.

"We have to do as the ones that upload videos about it. If they didn't show us what the MIND+ really is, we all would install it, don't we?" A few murmurs of agreement followed.

"Who are they anyway? Hackers?" someone else asked.

"I heard that it is a resistance group." another replied.

"Resistance nowadays? Come on, we aren't in the nineteenth century," someone scoffed.

"We should find them, and ask them," another suggested.

"And how would you find them, huh? No need to answer, I know you haven't got a clue. I told you it was a mistake to come here." the naysayer spoke up again, his voice tinged with frustration.

"Online there is a rumor that they have an eye tattoo on their forearm, right where our ID chip is," a quieter voice chimed in.

"Well, we didn't get any closer with that info, if it's even true," the naysayer retorted.

They all fell silent, defeated, as they contemplated their situation.

"But we still have to do something. I don't want to raise my children in this kind of world," a determined voice spoke up, and the others nodded in agreement.

The group sat in silence, lost in thought, searching for a way to make a difference in their oppressive world.

****

After what felt like an eternity, Elli and Kala finally reached their destination. They emerged from the sewers into a dark and deserted alleyway. Kala signaled for her to stop and listen for any signs of danger. Elli listened carefully, but all she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Kala motioned for her to follow, and they moved quickly and silently down the alleyway. They turned a corner and found themselves facing a rundown building with a single light shining from a window on the second floor.

As they entered the dimly lit room where the single light originated, they found the meeting. There were about a dozen men and women sitting around a makeshift table.

Everyone froze with fear at their arrival. Only one person had the presence of mind to sprint away, leaving the others sitting there in silence.

'Probably there goes the only one who had potential' Kala thought.

"Ayo, who are these?" one of them finally spoke up, his voice filled with suspicion.

"Everybody calm down. We are not the police," Kala said, trying to sound reassuring.

The group started to murmur between themselves, unsure of what to do next.

"We don't have time, guys. If I found you on the forum, others will too," Elli said urgently, pulling up his sleeve to show them his eye tattoo. "If you want answers, then follow me. Quickly!"

They had just finished discussing what to do when they heard the sound of sirens approaching. Elli's heart sank as she realized that the cops had finally found them.

"We don't have more time," Kala said urgently, grabbing Elli's arm. "We need to go now."

The group ran after the two woman through the streets, their hearts pounding with fear.

Kala and Elli led the way, with the group following close behind. They finally reached the manhole cover and quickly climbed down into the dark and musty sewers.

As Kala poked her head out of the sewer, she pulled the manhole cover back into place just in time as a police car rolled up.

****

Arvish and Maria drew closer to Eferdom, the city that Arvish had once called home. As they approached the massive wall that surrounded the city, Arvish found himself looking at it with a mixture of longing and disgust. He had spent his whole life trapped within those walls, yearning for the freedom.

As he glanced down at his prosthetic hand, he was reminded of how much he sacrificed already to live a free life. But Arvish was determined to fight for his freedom with everything that he had.

"So, how do we get in?" he asked, turning to Maria.

Maria pointed to a small, protruding circle below the wall. "That's an emergency exit for the resistance," she explained.

As they neared the circle, Maria attempted to open the heavy iron door, but to her dismay, it refused to budge. Frustrated, she looked to Arvish for help, unaware that his prosthetic hand was non-functional.

Despite this, Arvish stepped forward and lent his strength, using his normal hand to assist Maria in prying the door open. With their combined effort, they were able to succeed. Maria gave Arvish a suspicious glance, but refrained from saying anything further.

Arvish believed that it's better to conceal the fact that his prosthetic hand is not functioning properly, as he feared that the resistance group won't see any use for him if they found it out.

The smell that hit Arvish as they stepped inside was overwhelming. The stench of sewage was strong, and Arvish had to fight to keep from gagging. He looked at Maria, who seemed unfazed by the smell.

"The resistance is in the sewers?" asked Arvish incredulously.

Maria grinned at him, her eyes shining with excitement. "What's a better way to hide than under your enemy's nose?" she asked. "No one comes down here because all the maintenance jobs are done by robots anyway."

Grimacing, Arvish followed Maria down the narrow passage, careful not to step in any of the filth that lined the walls. As they walked, he couldn't help but wonder what they would find on the other side of the wall. Would he be welcomed as an ally, or treated as an enemy?

Despite his doubts, Arvish was determined to press on. He had come too far to turn back now.