"... It has been a popular question amongst a lot of you, being: how will the City power its anti-radiation fields? Will it drain the City's power sources? I am here to tell you, with great pride, that we have figured out a sustainable and effective solution. It will have opponents of course, claiming inhumanity and whatnot. But we must keep in mind that it is the future of humanity on the line..."

~From The Engineer's public speech; Garden of Glass, 2087

Jade

Dwelling on what happened in the factory would cripple her mind and soul.

So she kept moving.

Every now and then, Keith would turn around and give her an encouraging smile. Instead of feeling happy or warm, she felt herself harden. Jade didn't want his pity or sympathy. She wanted this nightmare to be over with.

Once, her foot slipped; she managed to grab the ledge at the last second, hanging from her fingers.

Jade looked downwards. It was a dark alleyway, littered with metal garbage cans and shattered CyberScreens. Something about the place drew her towards it, visions of a man running, jumping, falling.

Dying.

A man in CCPC uniform and Mechanical Eyes dragging his body away.

Keith was standing above her, hand outstretched to help.

She shook her head firmly. Swinging her other hand upwards, she got a stronger grip, and hauled herself upwards.

"Impressive," Keith stated with raised eyebrows.

"CCPC training. I'm a cop, Keith," she replied simply.

"Not anymore."

Jade scowled in response but didn't say anything. He was right, but she wasn't willing to admit that right now.

So they continued moving.

°°°°°°°°

He stopped next to a metal hatch. It was identical to dozens of others they had passed on their way, but this one seemed to interest Keith. He flipped it over without the slightest grunt, even though it looked really heavy.

Once again, Jade wondered how much of him was human.

He was already heading down the hatch. She followed, climbing down a ladder that rattled with every step she took.

As she pulled her foot off the last rung, she turned around, and her breath stuck in her chest.

The place was a technological maze, littered with computers and computer pieces, machines, tools, everything a tech geek would wish for. Even though it was relatively small compared to some other rooms she had stayed in, she had never seen so much technology in a room before.

It was all scattered across the floor, all the drawers open or broken, the computers in pieces, the pieces in even smaller shards.

Keith stood in the middle of it all, and for the first time since they met, Jade saw despair on his face.

°°°°°°°°

"What happened here?"

"Someone found this place, obviously. They stole all of my notes and research."

His cybernetic fingers were shaking and his skin was unusually pale.

"We have to leave, Jade. We have to go away."

"Where this time? That's it? We're going to keep running? What happens when they find us?"

"I'll kill them! All of them! I'll do what I have to."

She marched right towards him and stood right in his face.

"What happened to you? You weren't always like this, were you?"

He dropped his gaze.

"It's the pollution. A while ago, I began some research. Why do most of the people of Cilyber require cybernetic transplants? Muscles become weaker, eyes lose their vision, ears their hearing. The people attempted to cover their imperfections with metal and plastic."

"What's causing all of that pollution?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems something that's supposed to keep energy out is keeping everything else in at the same time. So through the years, and despite factories trying more efficient energy sources... The pollution stacked up. Now no one cares anymore, and everyone is getting harmed."

"How much of you was affected?"

He looked at the floor.

"Arms and legs. Right eye. Liver. Plastic heart."

He looked directly at her.

"The filth always finds a way. A way to every mechanical arm and leg. To every artificial mind and to every plastic heart. We were ALL affected. And I... I'll never be able to go back to who I was before."

She raised her eyes to meet his. "I can help you," she said softly. "Just show me who you were."

"Are," Jade corrected, smiling.

°°°°°°°°

She was buzzing with warmth as they searched Keith's old place, checking to see what the intruders had taken and what they had left.

They had obviously taken Keith's research, and a few of his computers as well.

He grunted with indignation as he looked at a large, dusty table, now bare.

"My main computer. I called it my 'monster computer'. Of course they've taken that too. Along with all of my tablets."

Jade was frowning at the floor. There was an uneven lump below her. The tiling on the floor was fashioned to look like boards, obviously fake, but as she tapped her foot on the lump it thudded as though it was hollow. Real wood.

She tilted her head in curiosity, and knelt down. She tore at the plank, but it wouldn't budge.

"Keith, help me out!"

He was at her side, clutching the plank with metal fingers. It popped up in an instant. He winked at her, and she made a face at him.

Jade turned back to the plank. Removing it exposed a small hollow space containing a metal box. It shone with a bright silver, perfectly smooth from all sides. A lid with two small locks lay on its top like a hat. She reached out towards, only to be stopped by Keith, who shook his head.

"Let me check it first."

He ran a scanner over the box. It didn't read anything, and Keith flung the lid open.

There was a small tablet at the bottom. He held it in his hand, his eyebrows furrowing as he read it again.

And again.

Jade tapped her foot impatiently.

"Well? Let me see."

He handed it over reluctantly, still frowning, still confused, still hesitant.

Jade received the tablet with shaky hands, took a deep breath and began to read.

Keith. And you, Jade, if you are also reading. As you may have noticed, we have found your little hideout. And your little secret alcoves with your little secret computers. Quite ingeniously hidden, I must say. Your research was also very interesting. I'm sure we could find a use for them.

Jade scrolled down, holding her breath.

As you also may have noticed, we can track your movements. If I wanted you dead, you would've already been in the oven. Like your Diamond and Sapphire.

Just hand in the girl, avoid the bloodshed. Save your research. And maybe learn a new thing or two about your... Obsession.

We'll be contacting you soon with further details.

Yours Truly,
~R

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well well well, hello there!

Welcome back to Cilyber. Things escalated pretty quickly this week, huh?

Sorry I'm a little late to upload, had a few important things to do yesterday.

Don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter of Cilyber, maybe even share the story with your friends! I'd really appreciate that.

#CilyberSaturday