A kick in the balls, fat belly rolls quiver, and the left side of his jaw cracks. Motherfucker really thought he was about to get lucky. The last thing he expected was my foot in his filthy mouth. What kind of girl did he take me for?
Security alarm screams. Two more goons approach down the hall. Wired. I quickly short-circuit their feed, and now they’re blind. Cheap implants. Come on, man. Don’t make it too easy.
I pry open the elevator doors with surprising strength. I look at my slender hands wrapped in skin darker than the last. Looks like someone’s jungle fever is through the roof.
I don’t like getting the shaft, but if it leads out of this hell hole, then I don’t mind. I hear them yelling some bullshit down the hall, so I dive into the abyss.
“Where do you think you’re going, Alexis?” The smooth voice crackles in my brain.
Mercury. This guy is good.
“Oh you know,” I reply. “I thought I might go out for some fresh air. Take a break from all the poking and prodding by the mad docs.”
“You know you’re in possession of property that belongs to Tatsu industries. You won’t get very far.”
“Wrong on both accounts, honey. I didn’t tell you motherfuckers to put me in this body. And as far as not getting away, you can call your dogs off ‘cause, baby, I’m already gone!”
Heads are gonna roll when they figure they left a security hole the size of Jupiter: the sewers. Now, I’m not a prissy kind of girl, so I ain’t afraid to get down and dirty. Which is precisely what I do. Hey, sometimes you gotta crawl through shit to get somewhere.
The light at the end of the tunnel is a burst of joy. It opens into a heavenly sight of blue sky and thick vegetation.
I jump and fall in the water with a splash then quickly swim out onto the shore. I hear the buzzing drones approaching. Kneeling, I press the side of my temple. In my mind’s eye, I can see what they see in multiple wavelengths. With surprising ease, I gain control of their navigation systems and unceremoniously crash them onto the side of a building.
Neat trick. This body is much more advanced than the last one, and it’s no wonder they want it back real bad. Well, they’re gonna have to try a little harder because I kind of like it, so I’m gonna keep it for a little while longer.
“So Alexis…”
“Oh, it’s you again, baby. Did you miss me?”
“What are you doing this weekend? How about we have dinner and get to know each other a little better? I got some memories to share with you.”
I laugh. The nerve. “Oh baby, that’s sweet, but you ain’t my type. I prefer my men a little less stabby. I guess you’re just gonna have to find somebody else to hold it for you. As far as memories are concerned, I can always make new ones, so you can keep the ones you have.”
“Alright, I get the hint. I just thought you and I really hit it off the first time we met.”
“It was love at first sight, right through the heart.”
“I’m a romantic that way. I’m also very persistent.”
“I’ve noticed. I’ve also noticed that you’ve been trying to triangulate my location. You will succeed in twenty-three seconds, if I don't log off, which probably gives you enough time to check your social credit score and see if something is amiss.”
“Fuck! Listen bitch-”
“Bye, honey. Better luck next time.”
I scramble into the woods. Not blindly. I can see it all mentally in a three-dimensional grid extracted from satellite networks. Advanced mil-tech, for sure. The terrain and its biomass- including people- are clearly visible in high definition. I see myself from above, a red hot vector in the render, the singular point moving through the stream of data. I don’t know who I am or what I am. Frankly, I don’t care. I’m free, and that is all that matters.
Mood Music
Say Aha by Santogold
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