💾 Archived View for yujiri.xyz › writing › henrys-quest › chapter4.gmi captured on 2023-05-24 at 17:59:48. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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I show up at the address Tina gave at 17:30. It's a bunker. I knock, hear some voices inside, then the door opens and Tina beckons me in.
It seems to be her house. I see others dining in the entry room, who pause and give me defensive looks. I follow Tina to a side room that I assume is hers.
She closes the door behind me. She whispers, "Hi! That's my family in there. Don't mind them. I told them I was bringing a boyfriend over to hang out. They won't want to interact with you, and you should be glad for that."
"They don't like boyfriends?" I ask.
"They don't like me, and I don't like them. I keep my distance from them myself, when I can."
The idea of disliking one's family is very dissonant to me. Maybe it's because I've lived most of my life in such a small community that liking everyone there was basically required to keep one's sanity, but I've always thought that liking one's family was a given. "How come?" I ask.
"It started when I started my transition, cause I asked my parents to pay for my HRT but they didn't wanna which made me mad because they paid for Ben's cyprotherapy which was twice as expensive too! They were like " - she does a mocking voice - "ohhhh HRT isn't medically necessary" - she returns to her normal voice - "shut the fuck up you dunno what you're talking about." Her volume has raised a bunch since she started talking. Her family must be hearing her now. "Heck, I couldn't convince them my transition wasn't some kind of fetish thing. They probably think we're fucking in here or something. Well fuck 'em, I don't care what they think anymore. So I had to get a job and that turned out to be working Vincent's storefront. And he pays me a slave wage considering the fact that I'm the ONLY person at his storefront EVER, I'm literally the only reason he gets ANY sales. But he's an exploitative piece of shit so he pays just barely enough to afford my HRT, which he knows because he's the one I buy it from cause he's the ONLY person in town willing to sell it to me. I'm dying to move out so I don't have to hear my family's crap anymore but that's so far out of reach, cause all the housing in Xenia costs a damn fortune and Vincent's not letting me save anything! Ugh! I dunno when I'm gonna get out of this mess or how, and it makes me really depressed sometimes."
She talks so fast that when she finally stops I'm out of it for a few seconds, processing it all.
I whisper back, "Um, you were whispering when I got in here, but I'm pretty sure they heard most of that."
"Oh well, it was worth the catharsis. And it's cool cause I can do that without consequences with you here cause they won't wanna admit they overheard me in my room. Shush me if I start yelling when we're talking about incriminating stuff though."
I nod.
"So, tell me about your situation?"
I tell her my name and that I'm from a small nameless village that most people don't know about, how I got here from Duncan, and why I can't go back the same way.
"Perfect, you're a visitor! I thought you might be cause you seemed unfamiliar with stuff here. That's good cause it means you can commit a crime to get the Cerebrolink, as long as you get out of the city before you get caught. Xenia law enforcement doesn't normally pursue outside the city cause they're not powerful enough anymore. A trend I very much hope continues."
"Yeah, I was thinking about stealing it..."
"Right right right. I could easily arrange for you to break in after hours and grab the Cerebrolink. But the hard part is getting you out of Xenia. And it has to be right after, before an investigation starts. And I have to call the police next morning when I get to work or else they'll know I helped you."
I show her the gun I took from the flunky. "I can use this... I don't want to actually shoot anyone though."
"Right. Don't worry, you shouldn't have to. So, here's the lucky part: Vincent owns a private car. I think, with that ability you have, it should be possible to steal his. And I sure wouldn't mind seeing him suffer."
"Okay. So I need to break into his house, threaten him into giving me the car keys, then head back to the parking lot?"
"He actually keeps it parked outside his bunker, not in the gate parking lot. Cause he uses it for getting across the city. But yeah."
"Great. That means I'll only need to keep him from calling the police for a few minutes after I leave."
Tina nods. "When you're ready to start your heist, meet me outside Vincent's Cybernetics. I'll open the shop and make it look like you broke in. Then you grab the Cerebrolink and head straight for Vincent's house."
"Got it."
Tina's excited, mischievous smile turns to a longing look. "Before you go, though, I wanted to ask you a question about the world outside. Does your home have bandits?"
"Nope. Not at home. But-"
"Ha! I knew the government media was lying. I bet it's actually a way better place than in here!"
"Well, it's not entirely a lie. Duncan's ruled by bandits, and Black Rock was too last time anyone from my village was there. I think my village is the exception."
Tina makes a big frown. I think she really wanted to believe the whole bandit thing was a lie. Seems like she can't come up with anything else to say.
"And, as for it being a good place to live... I mean, the people there are good, but there's only 15 of them. Including me. I always felt like things were really dull there."
"Oh, I bet it's fine! You're probably just pessimistic cause the grass is greener on the other side. Life in Xenia isn't so exciting either, you know."
"I mean... fair enough. It might be better than Xenia, I dunno. Everyone I asked in Duncan said it's better to live there than Xenia, and Duncan seems basically like my home except you have to pay taxes, and there's more people but... the same lifestyle, from what I could see."
"See, I'm right! I knew it! The outside world is better than Xenia."
I shrug. "Do you think you'll leave Xenia someday?"
Tina gets a pensive look. "... I don't know, actually. I feel like life outside would be better *for me*... but... it distances me from my dream."
"What's your dream?"
"To heal the planet."
"Um... you really think that's possible?" Everyone back home treated it like a foregone conclusion that the planet is doomed. Humanity ruined it, ruined our own societies, and the only ways people have been able to persist in this ruined world are just making it worse. Personally I've always imagined that humans will go extinct in a few hundred more years, but I'm no expert.
"Oh, of course everybody says it's impossible because everybody's dipshit pessimists. They all wanna give up and just let the planet die so their descendants won't be able to live on it. Giving up is selfish!" She's shouting again. "Look, I don't know how, but I'm sure it's possible. My dream is to get together enough interested scientists and people with resources to find a way to save the future. That's my dream. And a remote village with 15 people in it... isn't where I can do that."
I nod. I still think it's a pipe dream, but I can admire that. I mean, my own quest was supposed to be a pipe dream, and here I am.
"Well..." Tina says, "we should execute our plan soon. Save your dad."
"I'm ready."
"One thing first though: you might wanna go meet your buddies at the gate and let them leave."
"Huh?"
"Since the three of you came together, the guards might not let them leave without you, without you telling them it's okay. They might think it's a betrayal. Unless you told them you have plans to stay here."
"Oh. Didn't think of that. I'll go let them leave, and then I'll meet you outside Vincent's Cybernetics." This errand isn't essential to my mission, but I don't want to cause more problems for Astrid.
"Gotcha. I'll be at the shop waiting for you."
---
I show up at the city gate to authorize Astrid and the flunky to leave. But before I can say anything with the guard, he's waving me over and shouting, "You, 176-328-5!"
The shout sends a chill down my spine because it makes me think I'm in trouble, but, now that he's commanded me over I have no options except to obey.
"There's a search for you," he says. "You arrived with two other visitors and they're trying to leave without you. We need your permission to let them do that, since it was your ride too."
I relax, realizing I'm not in trouble. "Sorry, I didn't realize they needed my permission. Let them leave without me."
The guard raises his eyebrow. "Based on the information I've received, you're a visitor to Xenia on a shopping trip. How are you planning to get home if not with the rest of your party?"
Crap! They're so nosy. I don't know what happens if I can't answer this, so I try. "I have a friend in Xenia who's going to lend me a ride."
The guard types some notes into his phone. "Who's this friend?"
"Vincent... of Vincent's Cybernetics," I say, realizing I don't know his surname. It probably sounds really weird that I know him well enough for him to let me take his vehicle, yet still identify him by the shop he runs. I'm really worried that they're going to call him to verify, and if that happens, I'm done for. Another reason to get my quest over with as soon as possible.
"Gotcha," the guard says. "One last thing: can I confirm you're still planning to leave today?"
Wait, we can change it? When they asked us the expected duration of our stay I assumed that meant we had to leave. Maybe it's not a requirement, just part of their general practice of being as nosy as possible into everyone's lives to make it difficult for people to break laws without getting caught.
"Tonight."
The guard enters some more notes. "And you're free to leave."
I thank him and walk, till I'm out of sight, then run back to Vincent's Cybernetics.
There aren't many people around in the mall at this hour, since most of the shops are closed. I stop running just as I round the corner into the hallway with the shop. Tina waves me over to the end of the hallway.
When I stop panting, I say, "That conversation was so much more stressful than I expected..."
"Dealing with the police?"
"They pried me with a bunch of questions and forced me to lie that I'm friends with Vincent and he's agreed to lend me a ride out of town. I'm honestly surprised they bought it all."
Tina chuckles. "Yeah sorry, I probably shoulda prepared you for that better."
"Can you tell me if they're going to call him to verify? That's what's really stressing me out."
"They probably won't. They don't usually contact people you mention to verify everything like that - if they did, people would get too annoyed by being constantly asked to confirm things."
"Okay, thanks. I was so afraid of answering them, but even more afraid of refusing to answer..." I chuckle a little myself.
"Oh yeah, never refuse to answer. They treat that like instant proof that you're guilty."
"I assumed as much."
I notice she looks really tense, her face is red and stuff. "Nervous?" I ask.
"Yeah. Hell yeah, I mean, I've done a crime before, but..."
"You've done a crime before?"
"Uhhh... no time for that story. Let's just..." she takes a deep breath, then unlocks the door with her key and I follow her in.
"So," she says, nervousness now audible in her voice, "to make this look like a break-in, I'm going to have you take down that security camera and break it. I can't do it with my own hands or else fingerprint scans would implicate me."
I never noticed the security camera. It's really small and overhead, but looks over both the door and the counter.
I stand on the counter to reach it. It looks like it detaches easily from its mount for maintainence. I take it down and then step on it repeatedly until it cracks and I squash the electronics inside. This way, investigators can't access the footage already recorded which would reveal Tina helping me.
She retrieves the Cerebrolink Core A3 from storage and hands it to me.
I put it in my backpack. "I'll be able to save my dad with this. Thank you so much."
Tina doesn't look worried anymore, but elated. "OMG" - she pronounces the acronym literally - "this is gonna be so cool, the coolest crime I ever did, saving some guy out there and getting revenge on Vincent at the same time. Hey, fist bump." She holds out her fist.
I'm not familiar with the gesture, but I get through it awkwardly. Tina chuckles.
"Anything else we need to do here to avoid getting you in trouble?" I ask.
"Nope. Henry, this is probably the last time I'll see you. It was fun to meet you, and good luck."
"You too. And again, thank you so much." I run off toward Vincent's house.
---
I take a good look at the car I'm going to hijack before I start. It's smaller than the rover I came here on, with no large cargo area and only two seats (which look infinitely more comfortable). It also has a completely covered interior, unlike the rover, which I assume means it has air conditioning. That will be really nice.
I turn to the door of Vincent's bunker, triple-check the address, and point my gun at the lock. This is my plan for getting in. Modern guns vaporize stuff with a high-energy laser instead of propelling bullets with explosions, so it'll be quiet enough to avoid attracting faraway police.
My hands are sweating so badly from anxiety I can barely hold the gun. I readjust my grip. Okay, here goes: I shoot the lock.
Except, nothing happens when I pull the trigger.
My stomach sinks. For a moment I wonder if Astrid reassembled the gun wrong, but then I realize it must've always been broken. That's why the flunky wasn't scared when I took it from her. She knew this. She thought I was going to use it against her, and it would backfire. That's why she laughed like that.
It's a good thing Astrid didn't let me go for that plan where I'd try to kill the flunky on the way back and hijack the rover.
I need a new plan.
Damn it, why didn't I think of this back then and test it before we got into Xenia...
I don't know how long I spend sitting there, but I finally get something.
I knock on the bunker door.
I hear footsteps, and then Vincent's voice: "Who's there?"
"Package delivery," I say.
"I didn't order anything."
I expected this, but I planned out what to say, so I sound confident and forceful. "I got instructions to deliver to a Vincent, apparently this was supposed to be 3 months ago."
"3 months ago? What the heck..." I got him curious enough to open the door. I smile and point the gun at him immediately. "Don't yell," I say.
He doesn't yell. He looks furious but terrified, and willing to to do anything to avoid being shot.
"I need your car keys."
"You're stealing my car?" He looks even angrier, speaking through gritted teeth.
"Yes. I'm sorry it had to come to this."
"Like hell you are."
"Hey, I may not be able to convince you but I actually am sorry. I didn't want to cause all this harm to you. But I have to save my father."
He looks like he just realized who I am. "The crazy customer..."
"Yep. Now move."
I follow him back into his bunker. He gets the keys from a shelf and hands them to me.
Just then, a woman who I guess is his wife comes in from another room. I point the gun back and forth between them and step back a bit. I played out a hundred variations of this scene in my mind. I'm prepared.
"Is there anyone else in the house?" I ask.
"No."
"Do you want to change that answer? Because I'm going to have to search to make sure, and if you lied, I'll shoot you." I worked out this phrasing ahead of time to make sure it's clear to them that they are allowed to change their answer, and that they think I'm going to search (I'm not).
They both still say no, so I proceed. "Good. Now, to make sure that neither of you can call the police right after I leave, I need you to surrender your phones. I don't want to steal more than necessary, so I'll leave them on the ground a minute's drive away from the south gate so you can recover them."
I take their phones and then leave. It's time to get out.
---
My heart races as I start the car. I'm just a few minutes from escaping Xenia with the Cerebrolink Core A3. I drop both phones before leaving as promised, along with the gun.
The gate guards wave me into the parking deck just like they did on the way in. One of them follows me in and has me disembark. I show him my tag. "Visitor from Duncan, on my way out."
The guard reads my number, enters it into his phone, and then reads what I assume is the notes taken by the guard who let us in. "Did you sell the gun pieces?" he asks. "And buy the... Cebro..." - he seems unsure how to pronounce it - "the item you came for?"
"Yes, to both," I say.
"What store did you sell the pieces to?"
Oh SHIT, shit shit shit I didn't take note of any of the relevant store names on the map... wait, I remember Tina saying they don't verify this stuff. I can make up a store name.
"Benson's Electronics." Following the format of the only other store name I have in my mind right now.
"You nervous about something?" the guard asks.
"I... um... are you going to have to search me to make sure?" Maybe I can make him think I'm just like this because I'm uncomfortable with being searched.
"Nope. You may leave."
I'm so stressed from this last interrogation on top of everything else that I just feel numb now. No victory celebration in my head. I turn my face away and walk, in an awkward mix of trying really hard to go as fast as I can and trying really hard to look like I'm not trying to, back to the car, and head out.
Head out... I'm heading out of Xenia...
... I made it.