Chapter 5: Ch.3- Urban warfare

The snow-filled streets on the outskirts of CyberAscen were a fractured landscape of misery and despair. Everywhere people scurried to find shelter from the chaos and violence, but few found refuge. The night sky shimmered with the sparks of gunfire, and the smell of smoke was thick in the air. As the citizens cowered in fear within their homes, a battle was waged between the Neo-Shang and the CyberAscen forces. 

Cyborgs stalked the streets, their advanced weaponry ignored building walls like death itself. There was no mercy to be found, no quarter given. Every street corner was a battleground, every alleyway a warzone. The days passed without respite, but even during warfare, hope remained. There was something special about today. It was holiday time.

Amid the oppressive gloom of a war-torn city, one small spark of hope remained. In the depths of CyberAscen, an underground bunker was tucked away where a small group of people gathered, sheltered from the carnage outside. They were all imbued with a deep feeling of dread, knowing that the robotic armies could launch an attack at any moment. Yet despite the danger, they lit candles and decorated their shelter with festive banners. They had decided to celebrate the holiday season no matter what happened.

As the city around them erupted into violence and destruction, here in this hidden sanctuary there was still hope and a chance that maybe someday, everything would be restored.

The war had been raging for close to thirteen years now, with no end in sight. Despite countless attempts at peace negotiations, nothing ever seemed to stick. People wondered if a truce would ever be achievable, some theorized that perhaps one of the sides needed to disappear for peace to even be possible. They were right, a truce was impossible. The interest of the two cities was just too incompatible.

In a corner of the bunker, a little boy and a girl played with their worn-out toys in the dingy shelter. Their laughter echoed through the dark, metal walls.

The girl looked around. Everything about the bunker felt weirdly cozy today, the decoration made the bunker cute in her mind. 

The girl smiled wickedly and revved a toy car in her hands. She was going to be a robber, and this was just the start of her career. She closed her eyes and imagined herself speeding away with her loot, outrunning the cops while laughing.

The boy grinned as he picked up his own toy, a hard plastic robot with flashing LED eyes. It felt like his fingers were made of lightning as he manipulated its joints and limbs. He could already feel himself jumping from rooftop to rooftop.  genius avenger with the intent of bringing justice to the citizens.

They nodded at each other as their respective characters dived into the darkness, ready to fight for what was right. They were in this together, the two of them shared a common enemy.

"It's time to pray kids, get your ass here"

A deep voice boomed from their right. The two of them stand up, eager for their next mission. With a unified cry, they shouted back, "Yes sir!"

Their laughter echoed through the bunker and joined with the other laughs from other kids. Everyone was strangely happy, at least compared to the usual.

Every bunker in the city counted with technology that made it impossible to locate them. No sound escaped. Here they could escape from reality without worrying about their life.

"Hey! No running in the halls, you knuckleheads!" An old man chided as they approached.

"Yes sir!" They said cheerfully.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me 'sir'!" He exclaimed, his grey-tinged mohawk shaking with indignation as his robotic leg clanked along the floor.

"Yes sir!" They shouted back with a mischievous glint in their eyes.

The old man rolled his eyes and shook his head, not wanting to acknowledge their petty provocation.

"Fine, whatever. Just get here already"

The two of them sat down together on the hard, concrete floor of the bunker. The walls around them were cold and grey, illuminated by the dim blue fluorescent lights overhead.

All was quiet as they bowed their heads and began to pray, their voices were soft but steady. They thanked God for their blessings and asked for guidance in the days to come. 

In this time and age, religion was merely extinct, but with the start of the war, old religious beliefs that had been forgotten for years suddenly resurfaced. The old man was one of the new delivers, after his daughter and son-in-law died he started praying for the two kids that he now had to protect.

His lips moved inaudibly as he silently prayed for strength and courage for his charges, and also for the well-being of everyone he loved. His prayer finished, and he rose and gave the two kids a spanking in the neck.

""Hey!""

"Stop acting like you are praying"

""H-how do you know!?""

"Tsk!"

The old man moved through the bunker with his furrowed eyebrows, he beckoned for the two kids to follow him. Together, they went to the center where people were gathering in anticipation of the holiday that celebrated the end of a long and difficult winter. The kids couldn't contain their excitement as they joined the crowd, they communicated with the other children very loudly.

The old man seemed to know every person in the bunker, he shake hands and offered words of encouragement to those who were present to celebrate. As he made his way through the crowd, everyone seemed to recognize him and greet him with smiles and hugs. He led the two youngsters to the front of the room, so they could get a better view of the festivities.

The old man looked at the two kids, then motioned for them to join in the merrymaking. As they took part in the celebration, he could feel the joyous energy radiating through them. He stood by and watched, a unusual satisfied smile appeared on his face. He felt proud knowing that he had helped bring about this special moment.

This old man used to be a soldier, but he retired long ago, and his sense of justice couldn't agree with the corruption and the immorality of the government. He and some friends founded an ONG. This bunker was founded by his ONG in collaboration with the government of CyberAscen.

The kids looked at him with wide-eyed amazement. They had never seen him smile before. 

Delighted by cheers and laughter engulfing him, the old man closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the moment. He took a big breath and never exhaled again. A bullet traversed his head tearing through his skull and ending his life in an instant.

He lay motionless on the floor, and the cheers and laughter of the crowd began to fade away and were replaced with screams as a soldier invaded the room.

*** 

Who am I? What was my name?

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[System name is denominated as S-16578]

No....that's not my name...

[Negative, S-16578 is correct]

Shut it...That isn't my name. Why can't I remember my name anymore...? What was I even doing...?

[System current task is to eliminate target F_12]

Why...? Why would I want to do that?

[That's System wish]

It is? That's my wish?

[Afirmative]

I see...so that's my wish.........mother..where is she..?

[System mother is currently marked as departed]

Departed...? That's right...Mother....they ate her.....everything. They laughed at me. I couldn't stop it... I-i was scared...Hehe, was it that f-funny? Maybe it was...that's right, how long has it been...?

[Since your mother's departure, a total of 2 years have passed]

2 years...how? It was just a moment ago... I know...I can feel it...

[Negative, 2 years did in fact pass]

Impossible....explain....now.

[After system's mother's departure, system was translated to the Akasha facility where tests were done to guarantee system's well-being, 2 weeks later system was deployed in the frontline where she spent 11 months. The remaining year was spent in system training]

I don't believe...you, you are lying.

[This assistant does not lie]

Brother, where is he...?

[Unknown]

Kids...I see kids playing...I want to play too...how old I am?

[System age is close to thirteen]

Thirteen...? You are lying...I'm tall! I'm not a brat! I'm tall.

[This assistant does not lie]

Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar...........you aren't cute, and no one will marry you...I want to play with the kids...

"Don't kill her! Please!"

What was that sound...tears...why crying...? Cold...? Oh, it's the holidays...so much snow, incredible, why won't you play...?

"Stop! Please, please don't!"

Familiar, this reminds me of something...long ago. There was snow too. Father..brother..sister..aunt...friends... I...was...crying...I...

"Stooppppp!"

.

.

.

I felt the cold wind blow against my face stinging my cheeks as snowflakes danced across the sky. The gun that I had in my hands, was raised toward a small figure standing before me. I tried to remember why I was here, but my thoughts were foggy and unclear. A little girl eyed me with her eyes wide with terror. What's wrong why are you looking at me like that? Oh, there is a boy behind her too.

They look at me for some moments at immediately start running, I could only stand there, watching helplessly as the girl and the boy disappeared into the distance. I slowly lowered my gun and gazed out into the snow. Why are they running? Is there something behind me?

I turned my gaze back to the bunker behind me. The room was a nightmarish sight. Everywhere my gaze swept, there were bodies strewn about and pools of blood that seemed to never end. The decorations hung limply from the walls. What happened here? A party? So many decorations...bodies too, but is not hallowing, what happens?

Perhaps...was it me?

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