Born of Silicon

In the early morning, I begin to get messages from some of the top floors. Several have informed me that they plan to leave, and I send back a message wishing them well. But the rest? Do they think I'm dumb? Most of their plans to even out the wealth in the city are nothing more than vague promises. They attach their finances, which coincidentally, are much lower than C-1's records as of a week ago. Companies have been split apart and given over to close friends and family members, and those profits still find their way into the original owner's pocket in an effort to somehow hide their finances from me. Money gets moved around and left off the finances they give me. It's possible, though time consuming, to trace back every missing arc.

How do I go about this? It'd be so easy just to tell them to leave, but I do believe they can do good if they're forced to. Just calling them out might drive them to leave.

I can just make a template, they all did the same things.

Hello ____,

I appreciate you getting a plan to me, however, you seem to have missed a few things with your finances. Please, account for the following in your plans. If you can't do so, I will create a plan for you.

It takes a while to track everything each of them have tried to hide. Zero could certainly do this far faster than me, but I'm starting to adapt. To the end of every letter I attach a list of every single thing I've discovered, and every vague promise that amounts to nothing.

I think that should do it? I make it clear I know exactly what they're doing, alongside a small warning.

Ok next focus. I need to follow through on my promises. I hate to do this, but I'm forced to check on a lot of the cameras hidden in the poorest people's homes. I'm not going to interrupt someone's sleep just to ask them how I can help.

Oh, fuck. I should have been more proactive. If I pushed myself harder, I could have avoided a tragedy.

A man lays in his bed, unmoving, unbreathing. His daughter sleeps in a corner of the room, beneath a makeshift tent of metal sheets. It won't be long before she wakes up.

"Silver, I need help." I desperately call, and forward them the cameras I'm looking through.

I feel them move through my network, joining me in the camera.

"Ah." Their emotions flood the server. "Does she have any other family?"

I quickly skim through her life, checking for every person she's ever been around. What I find only makes things worse.

"Her mom died four months ago." I say. "It was just them."

"We have space at the compound. We'll take her in."

"Is that better for her than going to the city?"

"Are there many kids there?" Silver asks.

"I saw a few, but not as many as there are at the compound."

"Kids need to be surrounded by kids, and kids who understand. I'm not sure you'll find a better place anywhere else."

"Ok." Plus, maybe I can help her out a little, at least once things settle down. I can help educate her, alongside the other kids.

"Are you handling her or am I?" Silver asks.

"I'll do it. I didn't save her dad, I should have to do it."

"Don't take every failure and every death personally. Remember him, remember who he was, sure. But move on. Focus on the people who are still alive. It's a tough lesson to learn, but one that has to be done."

"I'll try."

"Good. When you bring her to the kids, explain her situation to Alice. That kid is actively looking to fight the world to protect her friends."

"Ok." For the first time, I command the modified enforcer, an imperfect mirror of myself, to move. My body makes its way quickly through the endless tunnels beneath the city. "How do I do this?"

"Same way you did for Mary. Treat her like an adult. Let her mourn however she will. If she gets mad at you, you take it.

"I will, thank you."

No. No no no no. The kid begins to stir in her makeshift bed. I sprint through the tunnels, desperately trying to save her from the worst possible thing.

No matter how fast my body sprints, I'm too slow.

The girl lifts her head off the cold floor and climbs out of her alcove. She stands up and brings a fist up to her eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them. Her other hand clutches at her stomach.

"Dad?" She says into the lonely room. "Are we eating today?"

Nobody is there to respond.

"Dad?" She turns towards his makeshift bed. She steps towards him and reaches out, gently shaking his leg. "Dad?" She shakes his leg again.

Why is this body so slow? Please, I need to be there now.

Realization slowly dawns on her. She doesn't scream. She doesn't beg. She just sinks to her knees, the impact echoing on the metal ground. Tears silently roll down her face, splattering against her legs. A shuddering breath wracks her body, and she never takes her eyes off of him.

She stays there for minutes while I sprint beneath the city, desperate to get there.

I squeeze Cassie tightly, waking her with a start. She panics a little, and I reluctantly loosen my grip while she realizes it's just me.

"What's wrong?" She asks loudly enough to wake up Vince.

All I can do is shake my head and let my own tears fall. Corax lands on my shoulder, his presence grounding me.

"Nobody we know is hurt." I whisper. "I just need you." I bury my face in her short hair.

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She squeezes my arms tightly, and I give all my focus back to the body in the tunnels. I sprint up a set of stairs and into an alleyway close to her house.

I don't want to make anyone panic. I force myself to slow down and step onto the street. It only takes a moment for people to recognize me, but I don't care. I want to become a common sight, I need to become a common sight.

I walk through the crowds and knock on the door. The girl inside doesn't even react. I knock again, to no response. I try the door despite already knowing it's locked. My mind screams at me to just break it open, to save her from the situation she's in, to ensure she's not stuck there forever.

I can't do that. People are already looking at me suspiciously. I just have to be perfect, give nobody any reason to panic.

"Maria?" I say loudly. "Can you open the door?"

She jerks back to reality at the sound of her name. She mechanically pushes herself to her feet, and undoes the lock.

The door opens fully, she hasn't even bothered to wipe away the tears still falling down her face.

"Hi. I'm sorry." I don't know what else I can say.

"You promised to help." She says flatly, her voice void of all emotion.

"I did. And I should have been here faster." I squeeze Cassie tighter. She can keep me grounded. It doesn't matter how I feel. Maria needs my help. "I'm sorry. I failed you, and I failed him. I know it's no comfort, but I won't let it happen to anyone else. Never again. For now though, I am going to make good on my promise and not let you be alone, or forgotten. I have friends who can help take care of you, if you're ok with that. You won't have to worry about food or where you're sleeping. You'll be around kids your age, people who can support you. Or you can stay here, of course, and I'll make sure you have whatever you need. It's up to you."

She only stares blankly at me, seemingly not even hearing my words.

"Silver?" I message desperately into the server.

"I thought you wanted to do it." They remind me. "She's trying to process everything," Silver continues after a moment of silence. "Get her away from the body, get her comfortable, and give her some time."

"Why don't we go eat something?" I say gently. "It's not far away."

She looks up at me, before looking over her shoulder at the bed.

"Dad wanted to rest with Mom." She says quietly. If there weren't extra microphones in the room, I would have missed her words. Her eyes flick to a small urn situated on a shelf.

"I'll take care of him, alright?" This city has to have a crematorium, right? A quick check confirms it. I can ask Cassie or Vince to take care of it while I focus on talking to people. Or, no, someone from Silver's would be better. "Both of them can come with you." I just hope not in the same way that I carry my family with me.

She stays statue still once again.

"Can you take my hand?" I reach out, not daring to just grab her. I'm not going to force her to follow me.

She tears her eyes away from the urn, glances at my hand, and finally settles on her dad.

"I'll be back?" Her voice ticks up into a question.

"We can come back to collect everything later. I promise, nobody will touch anything without your permission."

"I'll be back." She promises both of her parents and reaches up, placing her small, boney hand in mine.

I walk her slowly through the streets, entirely ignoring the looks we get, and the conversations that are threatening to be overheard. I don't care what they have to say, I just want to help her.

It's a short walk to Silver's compound. The defences that were set up have been partially dismantled. People are still stationed, ready to fight, but their numbers have been reduced. There are even a few people just relaxing in the courtyard, like it's any other day.

People still tense when they see me, their training coming to the surface. Not that I blame them, with all of C-1's enforcers and absolute control over most electronics, I'm absolutely the most dangerous being in the city.

I lead Maria through the sea of worried and curious faces, and into the building. It's just a short walk down the hallway towards the kids wing, where a familiar guard stands in front of the door.

"Blue." He nods. "I like your hair."

"Thank you. I wanted a way to differentiate this body from my actual one." I explain. "Can I talk to Alice real quick?"

"If you're not armed, be my guest." He steps to the side and gestures me through. "Just be ready for them to eat you alive, they've been asking to see Uncle Corax since the two of you left last time."

"Sorry, I wish I could stay longer."

"Yeah yeah, running a city is hard. Explain it to them."

My arms slide open, revealing two pistols hidden inside. The pistols slide forward, into my hands, and I place them on the table. A set of knives comes next, also being slid into my hands and placed on the table. I turn around and crouch down in front of Maria.

"Hey, I'm going to be back in just a moment." I say softly. "Ok?"

She just stares straight past me.

I stand up and pull open the door.

"Auntie Blue!" The instant the door opens even a hair, every single kid knows I'm here. All of them rush for me, and I push inside and close the door. The last thing I want is to stress out Maria more.

"Hey! Sorry, I can't stay!" I stumble backwards as the wall of bodies hit me. "I just need Alice for a minute! I don't have time to play! It's serious!"

"Hey!" A loud voice fills the room. The kids slowly quiet down and let go of my limbs. A small path opens up in the crowd, revealing a young kid. She steps forward, hands on her hips, somehow parting the chaotic sea. "Where's Uncle Corax?" Alice demands.

"He's relaxing with me, or my original body, right now. He's fine, but that's not important." I crouch down, getting as close to eye level with her as I can. "There's a girl on the other side of the door. Silver said you could help her. Can I whisper in your ear? I don't want to share her story to anyone else without her permission."

Alice leans forward, and I bring my mouth up to her ear. All the other kids strain to hear anything, but my speaker is too precise. I don't even have to hide my lips, I can just say the words with no movement.

How much is it fair to put on her shoulders? How much should she have to worry about, how much should she know? Silver wouldn't recommend her if she couldn't handle it, and telling her everything is the best way to help Maria.

"She just woke up and found her Dad dead. Her Mom passed four months ago, and she doesn't have anyone else."

Alice nods seriously.

"Is she hungry?" She asks thoughtfully.

"Yeah, she is."

"Ok!" Alice sprints off, disappearing through some hallway.

The other kids vie for my attention, asking endless questions and telling endless stories. The sheer processing power I have now makes it possible to dissect their words, although even that is tough. I respond as quickly as I can, flicking between different kids.

Question.

Answer.

Question.

Answer.

Just like the endless questions from the courtyard.

Allice returns quickly, saving me from the flood. Clutched in her hands are a handful of sweets, and a large roll.

"Ok!" She says loudly, quieting down all the other kids. She walks straight past me and reaches up for the door handle, barely able to grab it, and pulls the door open.

She steps through, and I follow. Maria is in the same position she was, still unmoving, still unreactive to the world.

Alice marches up directly in front of her.

"Hi! I'm Allice!" She thrusts the roll in front of Maria's face.

The smell alone brings her back to reality. Her nose twitches, and she glances downwards at the small kid's hand. She doesn't hesitate to grab it, and quickly devours the roll, ensuring not a single crumb falls from her mouth.

"Thank you." She mumbles, embarrassment thick in her voice. "Maria."

"It's nice to meet you." Alice says professionally, and hands Maria a small candy.

"What is this?" She asks.

"Just put it in your mouth. Let it sit, don't swallow it." She pushes the candy a little closer to Maria, who takes it.

Her face lights up at the flavor, sparking jealousy deep in my mind. I can figure out flavor eventually, it's fine.

"Let's get you settled." Alice says, taking the larger girls hand, and pulling her gently through the door. She turns to me before actually reaching it though. "I'll take care of her, you're dismissed." She says.

"Yes ma'am." I say with a thankful smile. "Thank you."