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Chapter 5: Reality
To be confined in a small area was not a good thing. In fact, your knowledge could only go so far. Then again, I wasn't a human. No. I was a freak, a mutant. A scientific creature that had a sentient mind. A life form that had feelings. I was not a human. I could never walk freely upon this massive land, observing and encountering new things without any sort of pressure or whatsoever.
That was what went on in my mind as we entered the checkpoint (how we managed not to get caught was beyond my comprehension). Up close, the dome was even more miraculous. The translucent wall that enveloped the entire conurbation had to be... god, who knows? Thousands of feet thick? After we had passed the main gate, the hover car hovered silently through a long tunnel with orange lighting. I glanced around at all the different vehicles. Their body design aroused my attention. They all had different colors... red, blue, green, silver, indigo, black, white, maroon, dark crimson...
"You look as if you are from outer space," Naiomi said as she made a lane change smoothly. "Relax yourself. After all, you said you don't want to attract unwanted attention, isn't that right?"
Sighing, I pulled my eyes away from the window. "I guess."
"You like steak?"
"What?" I blinked. "What's that?"
Laughing, she glanced over her shoulder to look at me quickly. "A type of food that is a delicacy for us who live in the Manotropolist. A red meat. Tasty, juicy, not to mention superb service."
I pondered a bit. Then I shrugged. "Sure. Whatever you eat is fine with me."
"Don't count on it. I usually eat vegetables, hardly any meat. I am a half-vegetarian," she explained. "Man, you don't eat any veal at all? How do you grow this tall and muscular?"
A wave of strange sensation flowed through my body. I felt my face burning up. "I am not exactly that big... don't complimenting me like this."
"Heh, it isn't a compliment. I am merely stating the truth."
I didn't say anything. A while later, we emerged into a busy highway built high above the ground. There were two wide lanes going in opposite directions from each other. Stainless steel blocks divided the long road in the center in half. I had never seen that much transportation of varieties. I could feel my heart beating faster than usual.
As we floated above the pavement using the anti-gravitational device built in the car, I could see high-rises towering over us. Those buildings had to be at least one hundred stories tall. The City was unusually dark. Probably because of all the artificial buildings blocking out the sunlight. An eerie dark orange glow shrouded us (funny how the outside world had almost the same light throughout the place). Suddenly, I didn't feel as if the outside world was a heaven. Squinting, I could faintly see all the graffiti on the walls sprayed by people on the lower levels.
"Does this city have a bad reputation with people damaging public items?" I asked as I looked at Naiomi's dark long hair.
"Well, that's normal. Manotropolist, same as other giant centers, has crimes roaming around. So my advice to you once you get out of this car is to mind your own business. Don't stare, and don't make a scene."
"I thought the army guys can handle this kind of situation," I frowned. "Aren't they powerful?"
"If you imagine two billion people living here decide to cause a havoc, not even the NSA can handle it."
I leaned back into the soft seat. I wondered if human nature was corrupted. Then again, what did I know? I was only a creation made by some geeky scientists...
Descending from the sky (sort of) down through a ramp, the light grew darker as shady shadows appeared even more evidently. The police cruiser of ours emerged into a small city street. I looked out the window again. On the ground, garbage was littered everywhere. I grimaced with disgust.
Another vehicle honked at us. I jumped at the noise. I heard Naiomi muttering a few well-chosen curses. Those words, I could not repeat and used as my own. We turned another corner and stopped short.
"Here we are. 'Steak 'O Juicy'. Now we are going to taste some well-cooked food."
"I thought you don't eat meat."
Naiomi gave a side-glance. "That's true. But since you are here with me, I might as well spend some of my hard-earned money. Heck, I need a break too, from all the greens."
I opened the door and stepped outside. Immediately, I gagged. A few pedestrians turned their heads and looked at me. Grabbing my arm, she hurried me through the main entrance of the restaurant.
"Didn't I tell you NOT to make a scene?" she hissed beside my ear.
"I can't help it. The air quality is the worst that I've ever came upon!" I complained.
The good thing was that fresh, conditioned air greeted me softly inside the store. I felt my lungs loosened up. There were different types of species sitting at their own table, chattering away in their own native tongue. Some were humans, but others were entities from outer space (that was what I thought).
The manager walked toward us with a notepad in one hand, and a pen in the other. He had an apron around his waist, full of grease and sauce stains. His fat stomach was hanging over his belt.
"Eh... how many?" he asked while scratching his messy yellow hair.
"Two people. And I want the usual spot."
Clicking his tongue, the man sighed. "Well, we don't have enough space for a specific table... how about-"
Naiomi brought out her Hyper Gun and pointed at his chest. "I said, I want my usual table."
"All right. All right. No need to get violent here. This way."
Shuffling among the crowds, I looked left and right, feeling uneasy. I had never encountered this many people before. I felt as if someone was watching me from behind...
"Here you go," he gestured at a small wooden table near the back of the room, beside a filmy window. "So what kind of food you guys want? We got fresh liver, pork, chicken, beef..."
I felt as if my stomach was turning upside down. Liver...?
"We'll have two top-notch steaks, if you can get them," she answered fluently. "Oh, and a glass of water for me, no ice, and no pills. If I catch you slipping pharmaceutical products into my food..."
Nodding, the manager slowly moving away while scribbling down orders. Naiomi pointed at a chair beside me. "Sit," she said.
"Yes, ma'am." I complied.
Chuckling, she shook her head with amusement. "God, you are too weird."
"How's so?" I was puzzled. "I am a carbon life form like you, with over sixty percent water in my body-"
Holding up her hands, she said: "No, no. I mean your personality. I've never met a guy like you whose character is so... I don't know... tame?"
You don't even know half of me, I thought with dolor.
"Hey, Naiomi. How come you used your weapon to force the poor man into following your orders?"
"Ah, in this sector, weapons are the only solutions," she winked as me as she settled comfortably into her chair. "Manotropolist is a rowdy city; full of violent crimes without any potent laws. Here, you basically have to act tough. Otherwise, you will be trampled by others who have more senses than you do."
I was appalled by the descriptions. "Somehow, I think my little metal room is better now..." I muttered subconsciously. My gaze drooped.
"What's that?"
"Nothing. Where are we going after the meal?" I tried to change the subject as quickly as I could. After all, I liked her. I wouldn't want her to be scared of my... 'ability' to obliterate things very effectively.
She tapped the table with her fingers. "The question, is where do you plan to go? Heck, you are the one who forced me into this situation. Though I forgave you already. I don't like those morons either."
"I honestly don't know where should I go," I answered as truthfully as possible. "I sort of want to settle down for a while, you know, until after this whole incident are forgotten."
"Well, there are some apartments near here that you could rent... but do you have credits?" Naiomi flashed out an electronic device that was sealed around her left wrist. "Money, money, money. You need to have the money to survive."
I groaned. Placing my chin on the table, I looked at her. "No. I don't have this 'credit' thing."
"Then you should get a job."
"I am not specified in any category needed for the employment that are available outside..."
She shrugged. "I can't help you then. I got you away from the NSA's and that's already a big debt you owe me."
Before I could continue, the manager puffed as he carefully navigate around the tables. He reached ours with two steaming plates in each hand.
"Here you go, lads. Juicy steaks for your taste buds," he sang as he set down the food in front of us. Then he left hurriedly to serve the other customers.
I observed the sizzling pieces of meat. I poked one of them with my finger, and flinched when the hot aliment burned my flesh.
"You... are unbelievable," the female police suspired with great sympathy. Then she picked up the fork and knife beside her saucer. She stared into my brown eyes. "Use the utensils. You know how to use them, correct?"
I laughed. This was the first time ever since I was out of my prison that I actually laughed. "Yes. I am not from the Stone Age exactly."
"Well, let's dig in!"
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Outside the cafe, the sound pollution came roaring in, as activities continued to move around. There were small amount of people walking among the streets where the Steak 'O Juicy was located. An uncanny light smog obscured the visual slightly. The ground was unclean, but that was normal for a place that existed for sixty years.
A group of armed soldiers dressed in black approached their target with order. Passer-by disappeared almost magically, as the men fanned out covering all the exits. Their long rifles were in their hands, locked and ready. Knives were placed in leather straps around their waists and grenades of various kinds were pinned on their chests. Magazines were safely in the pockets. They were a formidable force.
"Team One go west. Team Two go east. Team Three and Four follow me," the leader commanded as he waved his Blaster in a general direction.
They marched on, charging through every single building to search for Naiomi Goden and Jake Zero Zero One. People protested at such intrusions, but they all hushed up when the guards showed them the proper documents for the search.
Finally, they arrived outside the Steak 'O Juicy.
"Ready your weapons, men," the leader commanded. "It's time to see if the escapees are in here. If they are, capture them alive. If they don't cooperate, knock them out with stunners. If they are not here, we proceed to the next point."
~End Chapter 5~
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