The ladder to the surface was rusted and long.
Zeph climbed first. His head was pounding. The AI was running a "background diagnostic" on Kaelen, but it kept returning errors.
"Warning," the AI whispered. "Subject Kaelen radiates… nothingness. Sensors cannot penetrate his bio-field. It is like staring into a dead star."
"Stop looking at him then," Zeph muttered, pushing open the manhole cover.
Fresh air hit his face. Well, "fresh." It smelled of exhaust fumes and fried oil. They were in the Lower City—the slums.
Zeph pulled himself up onto the wet concrete. Kaelen followed, moving silently. He didn't grunt or breathe hard. He moved like a shadow.
They stood in a narrow alleyway behind a noodle shop.
"We need a plan," Zeph said, wiping slime off his jacket. "We have no money, no ID, and I have a supercomputer telling me that my left shoe is untied."
"We need money," Kaelen said flatly. He stared at a neon sign buzzing across the street.
"Okay," Zeph nodded. "I can hack an ATM. The AI says it's 'child's play'. We just need to find one that isn't guarded by—"
"Look," Kaelen interrupted. He pointed at a giant holographic billboard floating above the street.
Zeph looked up. His jaw dropped.
The billboard usually showed ads for synthetic burgers. Today, it showed two faces.
One was a goofy ID photo of Zeph smiling with spinach in his teeth.
The other was Kaelen, looking 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 squeaked. "I'm worth five million credits? I've never even owned five credits!"
"Correction," the AI noted. "The bounty is likely for the technology inside your skull. You are merely the packaging."
"Thanks," Zeph said dryly.
Kaelen wasn't panicking. He was staring at the number. "That's a lot of money. Every bounty hunter in the city will be looking for us."
"We need to hide," Zeph said. "Change our faces. Move to the Outer Rim."
"No," Kaelen said. He turned to Zeph, and for a second, his eyes looked pitch black. "We don't hide. We hunt."
"Hunt?" Zeph stepped back. "Hunt who?"
"The people who put that bounty on us," Kaelen said. "The people who run this city. We have power now, Zeph. Real power."
He held up his hand. A small swirl of black mist danced between his fingers.
"We can take what we want."
Zeph felt a chill. This wasn't the Kaelen who scolded him for stealing wine. This was someone else.
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 tackled Kaelen just as a sniper round shattered the concrete where Kaelen had been standing.
They rolled behind a dumpster.
"They found us fast!" Zeph yelled.
"Bounty hunters," Kaelen growled. He peeked around the corner. "They want the payday."
A voice amplified by a speaker echoed down the alley.
"COME OUT, BOYS! DADDY NEEDS A NEW HOVER-CAR!"
Zeph looked at Kaelen. "Plan?"
Kaelen smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. It was a hungry smile.
"You go left," Kaelen said. "Distract them with your… mouth."
"And you?"
"I'm going to break them."
Zeph hesitated. The AI was calculating odds.
"Survival Probability with pacifism: 2%. Survival Probability with lethal force: 98%."
"Fine," Zeph sighed. "But try not to make a mess."
Kaelen didn't promise anything. He just melted into the shadows of the dumpster and vanished.
Zeph stood up, raising his hands.
"Hey!" Zeph shouted at the armed men walking down the alley. "Can we discuss a payment plan? I have a coupon!"
The hunters laughed. They didn't see the darkness moving behind them. They didn't see the shadow rising from the floor like a cobra.