Read SF in The City Anthology Online
Authors: Joshua Wilkinson
SF in The City Anthology (36 page)
He was right about that, and it really bothered me that he knew me so well. I tried to muster an excuse to kill him, but I kept hesitating. Even if he had committed atrocities, he deserved a trial, right? What if the JCNs wouldn’t find him guilty because the CA would tamper with them?
“You won’t pull the trigger because you’ve been told not to do so over the years,” Onofrio grinned. “People never think about it, but the entertainment they consume on a daily basis influences their perception of reality. Over and over, you have been taught by fiction that you won’t be any better than me if you take my life. That is, unless I do something like this…”
Before I even fully realized what was happening, my ex-boss had drawn a handgun out from under his desk and pulled the trigger. In my shock, I fired right back at him. While he barely pierced the side of my abdomen, the bullet from my weapon pierced his right eye, blowing part of his cruel brain out all over his home.
I sank to the ground, more than a little surprised by the whole encounter. Honestly, I didn’t think my mission would actually succeed. Now, I didn’t even feel any better about having killed Onofrio, but it gave me some consolation that I had learned about his hidden agenda for nanotube matrices. I decided right then and there that handling this new found knowledge carefully was my new life goal. Rather than taking on a defeatist attitude, I would announce to the world the dangers that beset them. The real question was how a blacklisted man guilty of killing a popular CEO (even though it was technically in self-defense – I wouldn’t have shot him if he hadn’t pulled the trigger first) could gain the public’s trust.
At the moment, bigger problems faced me than propagating the truth. Two CA VTOLs were visible on the horizon, and the sound of boots thundering down the hallway got my attention rather quickly. Choosing to take my last grenade, a H.E. weapon from World War III, I lobbed it into the hallway and made a break for the same balcony from which Mr. Näkki had jumped to his death. Looking over the railing, I could see a balcony pool just a few floors down, beside which the mangled corpse of Näkki lied.
Jumping just as the grenade exploded in the hallway, I aimed for the pool and successfully crash landed in its deep waters. As I drag myself out of the heavily chlorinated foam, my clothing heavy from absorption, I looked up and saw a man reclining by the water’s edge.
“Excuse me young man,” he spoke up, “but can you tell me why Mr. Onofrio has so many guests falling from his veranda? I already made a call to get this disgusting body out of my place, and I really don’t want to have to call security and have you thrown out, so please leave.”
My jaw nearly dropped as the portly “gentleman” just sat there, completely unconcerned by the evenings events. He ate Tanghulu
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and sipped a gin and tonic nonchalantly. Getting a closer look at him, I realized that he was Lee Ivan Park, or “Fat old LIP” as his detractors called him, the head of the CA’s Information Management Bureau. If I didn’t get out of this ritzy neighborhood soon, I would have a greater threat to my life than the wound on my side.
Running past the pair of Pixiu
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statues that guarded Lee’s pool area, I just nearly managed to dodge a comfort woman who was walking through his home, a piece of bread in her hand and a confused expression on her face. I later learned from a trusted source that the food she consumed had LSD in it, and she drowned herself in the pool before the night was over. There were more ways to make a person crazy than computerized implants apparently.
Breaking into the nearest apartment, this one unoccupied, I ran to the window and looked down at the street below. A small army of DOS (Defensively Optimized Soldiers) had surrounded the residential complex. They were the Neo Dawn branch – a particularly nasty bunch, even for an all cyborg brand of soldier. As a trademark, they used Totentantz 1800 bodies, which featured heads deliberately fashioned in the likeness of skulls.
It dawned on me that there was only one way out of this place – threw the sewer system. Hopefully I wouldn’t run into any of the drones that frequented this subterranean network. After a great deal of hard work, and a few threats directed at a maintenance man, I forced my way into this rank world and proceeded in the direction of Prefecture 68, hoping that a brighter future lied ahead.
***
It took me only a few days to get down a system for leaving my newfound home for food and water. At first I craved the fresh air above and sight of other people. Then the depression really kicked in. Yelling “yameru wa”
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at the top of my lungs, I once had a mental breakdown in that “underworld.” A change came over me. My desire to spread the word on Central Authority’s tyrannical ways began to fade.
Weeks passed before I had contact with any creature other than a rodent, and it was an A.I. doing a routine check on the quality of the sewer. Months passed, and I seldom made journeys to the surface for supplies. A nasty “friend” of mine would give me all the food and water I needed in exchange for advice regarding the management of his gang. Apparently my P.R. skills were still good for something, although I’m not sure that he ever learned a single thing from our talks. If he had, he would know that calling me “the Sewer Rat” was not the best mean
s for getting on my good side.
Then one day, I received packages in my dim lair. Opening up one of the crates, I found a box shaped watermelon inside – a truly expensive and gracious gift. My spirits rose as I read the hand written letter accompanying the delivery. In it, the writer described himself as an enemy of the CA who had heard about my wanted status. This man named Ángel Ehrli
chmann had piqued my interest.
Making a friend other than that criminal symbiote “upstairs” would do me a great deal of good, and for the first time in a great while, I felt a returning urge to fight back against the rulers of The City. It was a good feeling. Before the day ended, I had a letter sent to Ángel responding with an enthusiastic “Yes” to his request for assistance. The strange events that occurred afterwards demand another lengthier volume, so I will bid you adieu for now and send you another file detailing my conflicts with the CA. Until next time, remember this Buddha quote –“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”
[1]
A kotatsu is a low, Japanese table.
[2]
This is the Spanish word for “crap.”
[3]
This is Japanese for “idiot” as written in rōmaji.
[4]
This is Japanese for “friends” as written in rōmaji.
[5]
This is the Spanish word for “hovercraft.”
[6]
This is “lounge” in Korean, as it is written in “Romaja.”
[7]
This is the Japanese word for “souvenir” as written in rōmaji.
[8]
In Spanish, this means “flaming lightning.”
[9]
This is the formal form of “thank you” in Japanese. It is written in rōmaji.
[10]
This is the Spanish word for “woman.”
[11]
This type of dog is also known as the “raccoon dog” or “magnut.”
[12]
In Spanish, Ojo Negro means “black eye.”
[13]
This is the equivalent of “excuse me” in Japanese, as written in rōmaji.
[14]
This was a weapon used for disarming purposes by police during the Edo period of Japan.
[15]
A “white hat” hacker checks organizations’ security programs for potentially exploitable problems.
[16]
This is a Greek ice cream recipe with a chewy consistency.
[17]
This is a short Japanese sword, which worn in conjunction with a katana (though this youth does not do so) signified one’s identity as a samurai.
[18]
This is the Japanese word for “awful” as written in rōmaji.
[19]
This is a type of Japanese confection.
[20]
Ephesians 4:19 in the King James Version
[21]
Proverbs 20:19 KJV
[22]
See Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-18, Luke 19:45-46 and John 2:13-22.
[23]
Matthew 10:16 KJV
[24]
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 KJV
[25]
This is a fermented dark tea popular in China.
[26]
This is a Japanese cushion used for sitting.
[27]
A zaisu is a legless Japanese chair. In this case, it would form a backing for the person sitting on the zabuton. A kyousoku is an accompanying armrest.
[28]
Short for “Kuki Yomenai,” KY is Japanese slang for a person unable to relate to a social situation properly.
[29]
This is Spanish for “cool” as used in slang.
[30]
This is the most popular type of Japanese theatre production.
[31]
The biwa is a Japanese lute.
[32]
This is a space in Japanese homes to take off and leave shoes before proceeding into the rest of dwelling.
[33]
A mudrā is a ritual gesture from both Hinduism and Buddhism. The Abhaya mudrā is one of five mudras commonly associated with statues of Gautama Buddha, and it symbolizes protection.
[34]
The name of this Chinese tea means “Green Snail Spring.”
[35]
This is the Japanese word for “comic book artist.”
[36]
This Japanese term refers to self-published works, whether they are manga or prose texts.
[37]
Genesis 1: 26-27 in the King James Version
[38]
1 Thessalonians 5:23 KJV
[39]
Job 11:7 New International Version
[40]
Matthew 5:15 KJV
[41]
Anorak is a British slang term akin to “nerd” or “geek.”
[42]
The kendama is a Japanese toy which is made up of three wooden cups of varying sizes oriented on a wooden spike and attached to a ball at the center.
[43]
This is the Spanish word for “money.”
[44]
Also known as a tiffin carrier, this is a multitier box used commonly in India for “tiffin” (lunch).
[45]
This is a container commonly used to pack Japanese meals.
[46]
This is the Japanese name for the anime “Bubblegum Crisis” as written in rōmaji.
[47]
This Russian word is used to describe a person who asks too many questions.
[48]
This is an orange flavored soft drink from China.
[49]
This is one type of dueling sword used in competitive fencing.
[50]
Gyotaku is 19th Century Japanese fish printing method that still survives today.
[51]
Shirayaki is the name given to unagi (Japanese freshwater eels) that is prepared without tare sauce, with only salt added for flavor.
[52]
This is a popular type of Japanese nightwear that men or women can wear.
[53]
Arak is a traditional alcoholic drink that can be found in several countries throughout the Middle East.
[54]
This is the Yoruba (a Niger-Congo language) word for “freak.”
[55]
The previous births of Buddha are told in this body of work.
[56]
This is a Chinese treat that is made by placing candied fruits on bamboo skewers.
[57]
The Pixiu is a mythological Chinese creature that protects practitioners of Feng Shui. There are two types of Pixiu, distinguished by whether they have one horn or two. The kind mentioned here is of the one horned variety, Tian Lu, said to protect a person’s wealth.
[58]
This is Japanese for “I quit” as written in rōmaji.