A scientist ventures into the shadows
April 30
Dear Diary,
I didn’t sleep at all last night. How could I? I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders and my grandson’s life in balance. But in those restless pre-dawn hours, a plan began to take shape in my mind.
A desperate, dangerous plan — but the only one I could see.
I tried to find where those villains were holding my grandson. I had no clue where to start. I knew I couldn’t do this alone. I needed help from someone in this time of the world. Someone cunning and capable. And so, I ventured into the seedy underbelly of the city. It was easy to access the dark web of 2190 for information. What I found there both fascinated and unnerved me.
Did I help create this future?
The bar was tucked away in a grimy alley, the flickering sign above the door advertising Ace’s Tavern. When I stepped inside, the smell of stale beer and smoke assaulted my nostrils. The patrons were a motley assortment of humans and… others. Genetically modified, technologically augmented.
Some barely recognizable as human at all.
I scanned the room, my heart pounding, until my eyes fell on her. She was sitting alone in a corner booth, a half-empty glass of some fluorescent blue liquid in front of her. Her hair was buzzed short on the sides, the top dyed a shocking magenta. One eye glinted silver — a cybernetic implant. She looked up as I approached, her expression unreadable.
“I’m looking for a K.D.,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I was told she could help me.”
The woman took a sip of her drink, studying me. “Depends on the job. And on how much you’re willing to pay.”
I slid into the booth across from her, trying to hide my nervousness. “It’s dangerous. But it could change everything. It could save… it could save the world.”
K.D. leaned back, a hint of a smirk playing on her lips. “Well, isn’t that just noble? And how do I know this isn’t some kind of setup? That you’re not just another corpo lackey trying to lure me into a trap?”
I shook my head vehemently. “No, no setup. I swear. Look, are you… I have to ask. Are you human? Or are you…” I trailed off, unsure.
She chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. “What does it matter? You need a job done. I can do it. The rest is irrelevant.”
I hesitated, conflicted. Could I trust this woman, this… being, whose very nature I couldn’t discern? An android, without true loyalty or emotion? But what choice did I have?
“Okay,” I said finally. “Okay. I need your help to find and break into a fortress. To stop some very evil scientists from misusing my life’s work. And to save someone very important to me.” I took a deep breath. “His name is Elias. My grandson. They’ve taken him. And if I don’t do something…”
I felt the sting of tears but blinked them back. I had to be strong now. For Elias. For everyone.
K.D. was silent for a long moment. Then she downed the rest of her drink and stood. “Well then. Guess we better get to work…grandma.”
I bristled slightly at that but bit my tongue. I needed her. Elias needed her. Is this what the world needs? And so, I followed K.D. out of that disreputable bar and into the neon-lit night. Into an uncertain future, but one I was now determined to shape. For the better.
One way or another, I would make this right. I had to. Even if I had to rely on the unlikeliest of allies to do it. But first I needed some sleep.
May whatever gods exist have mercy on us all.
Lael
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