With my enhanced vision, I noticed a man approaching us. Even as I observed the city footage, I remained aware of my surroundings an old habit. Wait, a habit? That's something living people have, isn't it? Or at least, that's what I thought.
"Here comes your escort," Henry said, gesturing toward a man in a formal suit.
"I'll be taking you to your assigned location," the man said curtly.
I extended my hand in greeting, but he only gave me a strange look and didn't reciprocate. Clenching my fingers, I lowered my hand. Didn't want to shake hands with a robot, huh?
"Well, I've got a lot of work to do, so good luck, Matthew," the doctor said before quickly disappearing down the corridor.
My escort didn't say another word and headed straight for the exit. Had people completely lost their manners? Still, I followed him.
As soon as I stepped through the automated doors, I finally saw the world with my own eyes. And, well… I had mixed feelings.
It seemed that people of the future had completely lost their sense of style. The fashion choices were just awful. Why was that guy wearing a pink tank top and neon green ripped pants? And why did another one have a different skin color entirely? I couldn't understand what had happened to human taste. I was never a fashion expert, but even I found this offensive.
The streets were packed with people, each uniquely modified some had glowing eyes, others had metal limbs, and some had entirely replaced their skin with something indescribable.
Time marches on, generations change, but one damn thing never will advertisements will always be plastered on every possible surface. Towering skyscrapers loomed at every corner, their massive digital billboards flashing ads for everything from cybernetic implants to artificial experiences. Holograms of half-dressed models flickered in the air, screaming at passersby to buy, buy, buy. The sheer sensory overload was blinding and infuriating.
My driver, in contrast, was impeccably dressed in a perfectly tailored suit. He barely spoke actually, he hadn't said a single word. He followed every traffic law, never exceeding the speed limit.
The car itself wasn't particularly surprising sure, the design had changed, but the general concept remained the same. The interior, however, lacked traditional buttons; everything was controlled through the interface.
Night City was the first city of the future I had ever seen. I had nothing to compare it to, but from what I had already observed, I could confidently say that almost nothing had changed. People were still the same they just added more metal to their bodies.
I still wasn't sure if I had a place in this time. Maybe I should start considering shutting myself down. Honestly, I didn't see much reason to keep going. The only thing keeping me moving was the hope of finding information about my family, to see if I could somehow help them. At the end of my life, I had left them with almost nothing. My savings were minimal, I didn't own any stocks or extra property just my home.
Error.!"?;;№""Й(№";..,??***
Suddenly, static filled my vision, and my body convulsed uncontrollably. Through my visor, I saw my arm flailing involuntarily. My consciousness was slipping.
System stabilized.
They said I was fine so why were these malfunctions happening? Was this going to be my life now? Was I supposed to live like this forever?
"Hey, I hope you didn't fry your circuits. Try not to die while I'm on escort duty, okay?" my escort finally spoke, his voice dripping with mock concern. Wishing me dead just not on his watch. How thoughtful.
"Don't worry I'll make sure to take you with me," I shot back, unwilling to tolerate his arrogance. Assholes like him had always been around, even in my time. I had listened to enough of their verbal garbage.
He let out a dismissive grunt and turned away, continuing down the road.
I already didn't like this life. But then again, I hadn't liked my old one either. No need to adjust, I suppose. Hopefully, I'd never have to see this guy again.
Turning my attention back to the city, I tried to distract myself, but my mind drifted to another memory the last time I had admired a view.
My thoughts were interrupted by the car coming to a sudden stop. Looking ahead, I saw a roadblock: two police cars were parked in the middle of the street, with several officers standing in front of them, weapons ready.
One of them noticed our stopped vehicle and approached the driver's window.
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My driver immediately rolled down the window.
"What's going on, officer? Why is the road blocked?" he asked.
"None of your business. Turn around and get out of here," the officer snapped, wasting no time in waving him off. Then he noticed me, staring for a few seconds. "Well, well… this smells like prison time. Where did you get a Militech police cyberbody?"
The officer immediately tensed up, keeping his weapon ready. I noticed every movement after all, I had practiced situations like this countless times.
"This is Militech corporate business. I'm an employee. If you don't want to die, step aside and let us through," my escort said, his tone unwavering before the lawman.
"I don't care what kind of business it is. That's a combat unit. Show me authorization documents," the officer insisted.
"Looks like you've forgotten your place. By tomorrow, you'll be scrubbing toilets and your career will be over," my escort shot back.
"I'm an officer on duty, and you've already broken several laws. There's not much stopping me from using my weapon," the officer replied, taking aim at us. That corporate arrogance vanished in an instant.
"Apologies, this is just a misunderstanding. This is a new model I'm transporting to the department for service," my escort said, softening his tone.
"What nonsense is this? Those autonomous cyberbodies are obsolete, they're all being decommissioned. Why would we need another one?" the officer asked, gearing up for a more aggressive interrogation until another officer approached.
"Collins, what's going on here?" he asked.
"Captain, this is a police combat unit," Collins replied.
"Let's see," the captain said, his eyes flickering briefly. "I see… everything checks out. Its serial number is in our system. It's being assigned to us. Matthew Carrington?" he asked.
"Yeah, that's me," I answered.
"So, you're a borg, huh? Why didn't you just say so? And what's with this model?" Collins muttered. "You must've been through some hell if they had to replace almost everything."
"Wrong. He's full chrome," the captain corrected, his eyes still flickering.
"How's that possible? Won't he go cyberpsycho?" Collins asked cautiously.
"No idea. That's a question for the higher-ups. Our job is to follow orders," the captain replied.
"Got it," Collins nodded.
"As for you," the captain continued, "we've got another batch of dumb kids and idiots who thought it'd be a good idea to rob an implant store right near our precinct. Genius move." He waved us off and left.
"You heard him. Best if you just leave," Collins added before walking away too.
"Damn it. Just my luck. Now we have to wait," my escort grumbled, slamming his hands on the wheel.
From his words, I understood that there was no other way through. Even in my time, the police always acted cautiously especially when dealing with armed suspects, no matter how untrained they were. Even a monkey with a gun can kill you if you scare it.
I found the right button and opened the door.
"Wait, where are you going? You can't just leave," he said, watching me step out of the car.
I had spent enough time lying dormant forty years lost in the void. And now that I was back in this world, why should I hold back? Rules have always kept people from going insane, but there are those willing to break them. I was tired of the old ways. Maybe it was time to try something new.
"Just stretching my legs," I said, shutting the car door.
Steel feet hit the pavement, kicking up city dust. As I looked around, I noticed onlookers gathering, hungry for a spectacle. I never understood that about people. A single bullet can end your life, so why rush toward your own demise with your mouth hanging open? Things would be so much easier if we didn't have to set up roadblocks just to keep civilians from indulging their curiosity.