The long, rusted ladder led to the surface. Zeph, his head throbbing, ascended first. The AI was trying to conduct a "background diagnostic" on Kaelen, but it persistently spat out errors.
"Warning," the AI muttered in a whisper, "Subject Kaelen is...an enigma. My sensors can't penetrate his bio-field. It's like peering into a lifeless star."
"Well, stop scrutinizing him then," Zeph retorted, shoving the manhole cover aside.
Fresh air - if you could call the scent of exhaust fumes and sizzling oil 'fresh' - hit his face. They emerged in the Lower City, the slums. Zeph hauled himself onto the damp concrete, followed by Kaelen who moved as silently as a ghost, neither grunting nor panting, just a shadow in human form.
They found themselves in a constricted alleyway behind a noodle shop.
"We need a game plan," Zeph asserted, wiping grime off his jacket. "We're penniless, without any identification, and I've got a supercomputer nagging me about my untied shoelace."
"We need cash," Kaelen stated matter-of-factly, his gaze fixated on a neon sign buzzing across the street.
"Alright," Zeph nodded. "I can hack an ATM. The AI claims it's easy as pie. We just need to find one that isn't guarded by—"
"Look," Kaelen interjected, pointing at a massive holographic billboard floating above the street.
Zeph looked up and his jaw dropped.
The billboard, which typically displayed ads for synthetic burgers, now showcased two faces. One was an ID photo of Zeph, grinning with a piece of spinach stuck in his teeth. The other was Kaelen, looking both bored and intense.
WANTED: CLASS A FUGITIVES.
CRIMES: Grand Theft, Assault on Police, Possession of Unauthorized Tech.
REWARD: 5,000,000 CREDITS.
STATUS: DEAD OR ALIVE.
"Five million?" Zeph squealed. "I'm worth five million credits? I've never even seen five credits in my life!"
"Correction," the AI chimed in. "The bounty is likely for the technology in your head. You are merely the vessel."
"Thanks for the clarification," Zeph replied sarcastically.
Kaelen was unflappable, staring at the number. "That's a serious amount of money. Every bounty hunter in the city will be after us."
"We need to lay low," Zeph suggested. "Change our looks. Head to the Outer Rim."
"No," Kaelen objected, turning to Zeph, his eyes looking as dark as coal. "We don't hide. We hunt."
"Hunt?" Zeph stepped back. "Hunt who?"
"The ones who put that bounty on us," Kaelen stated. "The ones in charge of this city. We have real power now, Zeph."
He held up his hand, a small whirl of black mist dancing between his fingers.
"We can take whatever we want."
A chill ran down Zeph's spine. This wasn't the Kaelen who berated him for stealing wine. This was a different man entirely.
Suddenly, three red laser dots appeared on Zeph's chest.
"Ambush detected," the AI blared. "Three snipers on the east roof. Two ground units approaching from the west."
"Get down!" Zeph lunged at Kaelen as a sniper round chipped the concrete where Kaelen had just been standing.
They rolled behind a dumpster.
"They found us quickly!" Zeph exclaimed.
"Bounty hunters," Kaelen snarled. He peeked around the corner. "They're after the payday."
A voice amplified by a speaker echoed down the alley.
"COME OUT, BOYS! DADDY NEEDS A NEW HOVER-CAR!"
Zeph glanced at Kaelen. "What's the plan?"
Kaelen smiled, a predatory grin.
"You go left," he instructed. "Distract them with your... chatter."
"And you?"
"I'm going to take them down."
Zeph hesitated. The AI was calculating the odds.
"Survival Probability with pacifism: 2%. Survival Probability with lethal force: 98%."
"Alright," Zeph sighed. "But try to keep it clean."
Kaelen didn't respond. He just melted into the dumpster's shadows and disappeared.
Zeph stood up, hands raised.
"Hey!" he hollered at the armed men approaching down the alley. "Can we discuss a payment plan? I have a discount coupon!"
The hunters laughed, oblivious to the shadow rising behind them like a specter, ready to strike.