Year Zero, A Cyberpunk Story

It all started with a revolution. It was a small thing. Most people don't even realize it happened. It started with the corporations taking over tasks the government didn't want to do. Within years it was common for those same corporations to dictate policy. Soon, government became obsolete. Oh, sure. It's still there, but it's run by the biggest baddest company there is. Hera Corp. With their victory they began advancing new radical technologies. It's them you thanks when you plug yourself into the internet. It's them you love when you replace your real eyes for robotic replications. It's them you praise when your A.I. robot does all the mundane work for you and you can lay about and watch TV.

But some of us, out here, on the edge of life know better. They control you. They dictate your actions. You are slaves. But us? We fight them. We use their weapons against them. One day we'll be free again.

--Anonymous

"Hey there little brother." A familiar lovely voice echoed in the little boy's head.

"Lydia! You're back!" Small arms encircled his older sister. Too small of hands for a twenty-year old but not for the little fourteen year old he once was. "How did it go?"

His older sister fluffed her neon pink and purple hair. ""Just like always. You hungry?" She was always quick to change the subject. He shook his head wordlessly. He remembered this. This was the day she died. But he couldn't say a word.

"I have to go back out. You'll be a good boy right?" Lydia ruffled his brown hair before pulling down a box of microwaveable mac-&-cheese.

"I'll be good." There was a slight pout in his voice. Why couldn't he had asked her to stay?

"Right." Lydia said as she finished making him dinner. I'll be home before you know it. The door to the small apartment had turned a terrifying red color while she had been talking. Little Leon tried to tell her not to go, but she walked towards it without noticing the smoke pouring out from under the door or the heat. NO. He thought in his mind as she opened the door and was engulfed by flames.

"No!"

Leon awoke with a shout. He was sitting up in bed, tangled in his sheets and covered in sweat. Always the same nightmare. It had been six years, but still the same dream. A dream of fire and burning. It was all made up of course. Lydia had left him at home. It wasn't until he had turned on the television the next morning he realized she was dead. The small club the resistance operated out of had been burned to the ground. All fourteen members of the resistance had died. Not the that TV said what they really were. They were just unfortunate clubbers that died from a freak accident.

After Leon saw the news he knew they were going to come after him next. He had ran. And ran. And ran. He still hadn't stopped running. Not yet. Right now he was in a dirty run down apartment in the heart of LA. Off to the left of the bed was the blue glow of his computer, humming along happily. To the right was the door to the apartment and a small bathroom.

Leon ducked into the small bathroom for a quick shower and shave. His roots on his platinum hair were showing a little he observed as he toweled dried in front of the mirror. His black eyes stared back at him. They were eerie, always unchangeable. He hated them. Lydia had black eyes too. He tossed the towel into the shower and stalked back to get dressed.

Leon quickly disassembled his computer setup and stored it into his duffle bag. He left the key to the room with the counter boy and left in search for breakfast. He stopped at a promising cafe. He sat down at an outside table, ordered a coffee and a waffle and sat back to watch traffic go by.

It had been years since they had gotten out. But yet it felt like the same day. The cold dark, the smell of oil and sparks. The burning in her veins....then the screams that could only be her scream. Only from the thing she had become....a monster....

Avery shot up in bed, a cold sweat pouring down her face. She panted, covering her eyes as she fought to get control. She looked around the apartment, her auburn hair sticking to her face as she tried to wipe the cold sweat away. "always the same nightmare....when will it go away dad?" she said, looking the photo on the side table. It was of her and her father, a tall man with bright green eyes, same as hers. She was tall as well, thin but shapely. That had been three years ago. Now she was more muscle toned and had this nightmare as an arm....she shook her head, getting up and heading to the shower. After a hour she was ready to go, grabbing her gear and heading out the door. She wore her jeans, black blouse with a trench coat over it all and her favorite boots. The coat was always on. It was the one thing she found that could hide her arm the best. She walked out of the apartment building and headed down the street, lost in her thoughts of how her life had become like this.

Avery wasn't like other girls in the outer rim. She had once been in the main city, living the good life. Until the day her father had been hit in a rebel attack. The bomb had been planted in his coworkers office, but he had gone in first. The blast took his legs and her left arm with it for she had been with him that day, helping him in his like she always had. He was gone now, the loss of blood and his legs being too much for him. Avery felt it had been a case of wrong place at wrong time. He had saved his coworker, so to her, her father had been a hero. But her arm...that was a whole another story. But more on that later.

Avery looked at her arm, the nightmare fresh in her mind. The posion in her veins, the motor oil smell filling her nose as sparks flew around her shoulder. She made the hand into a fist, cursing quietly. Then she sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "Sorry Dad....you would be worried sick if you saw me like this..." She walked into a cafe that was a few blocks from her place, shutting the door behind her. She looked around then found a table at the back, sitting down and pulling out her phone. She was waiting for her geek to meet her. Her replacements needed to get checked out and she hoped he had an answer for the nightmares.

Leon was snacking on his waffle. It practically oozed syrup. Just the way he liked it, from when he had been a little kid and now as a young adult. Sugar always made the nightmares less frightening. And daylight. Yes, daylight always helped. Leon swallowed the sugar drenched piece of waffle and took a sip of coffee. So far nothing that unusual had happened. He did watch a shifty looking girl go into the cafe.

Leon had a bad habit of not entering strange buildings. Reason one: Limited exits. It was something his dearly departed sister should have heeded, but now she was dead, so it no longer mattered for her. Reason two: You could watch everything from outside. Which lead directly back to reason one. Reason three was there for ascetics. It's just so much nicer outside. No drugs, less people, fresh air. What more could a guy want?

Leon went back to his waffle. He was taking his time. There was no rush. He had the whole day before he had to find somewhere new to stay the night. So he took the time to enjoy his waffle. After all, it's the small things that make life bearable.

Avery ordered a cup of tea then went back to her phone, her fingers tapping on the table top. Then the front door opened and a young man walked in, smiling ear to ear. He looked around then spotted Avery, waving at her and walked over, sitting down with a thud. "hey foxy. Where have you been hiding?" Avery glared at him and he frown. "hey, what's with the long face? Aren't you happy to see me?" she sighed and said "Dante....your late. And I would like to get this done. You have answers for me? And new parts?" Dante nodded, moving his red hair out of his face as he pulled a package out of his side bag and handing it to her. "new parts and the files you wanted. Want me to fix ya up?" Avery shook her head, putting the package away. "no....I can handle it..."

Leon watched for a while more. Three more people went inside. One woman. Tall, bleach blonde, too much makeup for this early in the morning. Two men. One older, graying hair, glasses, a slight limp betrayed an old injury. One younger, too happy, carrying a messenger bag which was full and slightly heavy. He ignored them once they vanished from his view.

One person sat down at the table next to him, meeting up with the three people already there. All were girls and they were all dresses up for a night on the town, even though it was the morning. But that's life in the city for you. They were all smiling and laughing. Must be friends then. Leon finished his coffee and waffle. Time to settle up the bill. He grabbed his bag and went inside himself.

"Enjoy your meal?" The cashier asked. It was a skinny guy, shorter than Leon. Black hair and black eyes. Typical brooding goth type.

"Yes. Thank you." Leon replied.

"The total is 24.50." The cashier said. He looked Leon up and down. Probably wondering if he swung both ways. Leon just passed him the money. As he was stuffing his wallet into his pocket he noticed three things.

First. Two of the outside people had moved inside, but not to talk to anyone, rather to stand by the back exit.

Second. They were not your average people. They were corporate goons If the newly displayed Jackets that displayed the Hera Corp logo on them were anything to go by.

Third. They were also outside.

Aww, Hell.

Avery suddenly looked up and said "Dante...I think you better get out of here..." She nodded to the guys in the jackets and Dante said "COuld be nothing...but I better go. Don't want to risk getting spotted." Dante had gone white, his blue eyes looking worried.
"YA...I'll go out the back...I'm guessing you're going too..." She nodded, reaching into her bag. "Go Dante. Before they spot you." He nodded and got up, slipping into the hallway and into the kitchen and out a side door, luckily no one was watching that door. Now you might be wondering why Dante was so freaked out. Well, when a guy fakes his death to get out of the labs of Hera Corp, its a good idea not to get spotted by their muscle. Especially when you were their greatest, youngest mind. Oh, and you steal a lot of information before you dump your car into the river with a body burned too much to be tested to be you.
Avery stood and walked over causally. She leaned against the wall by the cashier and smiled at the young man paying for his meal.
"Don't look, but there might be a problem outside. Now, if you want to live, go out the back." She said through her teeth to both men, hoping they would take her seriously. She knew what these guys meant, and that lives could be lost unless she acted in time.

Leon's black eyes had just flickered back away from the Hera Goons when someone else slid up next to the counter. It was the girl from earlier. The red head that he thought was shifty. He tensed even more, if such a thing was possible. Was she a Hera Goon too? Suddenly his bag with all this equipment seemed too heavy, dragging him down. He wouldn't be able to make it past all the Goons with it, but it couldn't be left behind.

"Don't look, but there might be a problem outside. Now, if you want to live, go out the back." The red head said much to Leon's surprise. She wasn't a Hera Goon. Was she resistance? He looked down at her with a frown. So did the cashier. But the cashier was so blissfully unaware of the danger.

"Excuse me?" The Cashier said confused. "What..."

Leon was sure he was going to ask what the problem was. He cut him off. "It's Jack." Leon said quickly, distracting the cashier. "My name. It's Jack." He knew the red head was right. They had to leave. Or rather, he had to leave. They wouldn't bother the poor cashier too much. At least Leon hoped. He took the recipt he was going to leave on the counter, flipped it over and scrawled a fake phone number down. "Call me."

Leon then turned to the red head and spoke. "Sam, You know you should just talk like a normal person. I'm late, I know." He rolled his eyes for good measure. He also took a step towards her which also took him closer to the kitchen.

She smiled and said "You're always late, that's nothing. We should get going before we miss the others..."
Avery took his arm, her metal arm wrapping around his arm. From the look in his eyes, this guy was also worried. Meaning he knew why they were here. Which also meant that he might have a few of the answers she was looking for. Maybe.
She turned him and said "We should go thru the kitchen...wrap your arm around me. If we are lucky they might not see us leave."
She had her other hand in her bag, holding onto her back up plan. She tossed her hair back with her head, her bright eyes showing a touch of emotion.
"Oh, and if you have any ideas what they are after I am all ears"

Leon stiffened as the red head took his arm in his. Already he was having second thoughts. Her metal arm made him slightly lightheaded. Cyborg. His brain supplied. Not like he needed it. Most cyborgs work for Hera Corp. They were the perfect belnd of machine and human. Most had their brain re-written a long time ago to serve the Mega-Corporation. And here he was, arm in arm with a cyborg surrounded by Hera Goons.

He looked down at the girl as she tugged him towards the kitchen. She was still talking, and he forced himself to do as she told him. He didn't want to be here, but he had no choice. To get away he'd have to make a scene and that would end up with bad results. So even if she was a Goon, she was his best chance of getting out of here. He'd follow. For now.

Leon brought his captured arm around her arm and smiled slightly. He wasn't sure if it was a smile or a grimace. "You're right. As always. Lead on." He motioned with his free hand while covertly watching the Goons. They still haven't moved but... He couldn't help but feel like they were here for him. After all, they hadn't moved until he boxed himself in.

"Just walk." Leon hissed under his breath to her as they moved. His free hand no clutched his shoulder bag until it was white. This wasn't going to end well. Not well at all. The red head was a trap, but he had no choice. But better to know it's a trap before you walk into it than to walk in blindly, right?

She notice him flinched at her arm and then she reliezed that he might think she was with Hera Corp.
She said quietly "Don't look so nervous and relax....I'm not a goon of Hera....I just got very unlucky..." She pulled him into the kitchen and then stopped, cracking the door open again and looking to see if the men had moved.
"Alright, get going. If they are after you they will notice any minute you're gone. I'll stall them as long as I can while you get out of here." She looked at him, still standing there.
"Um...what? You should be moving like right now."