Breathe

+Daunte looked over some messages on his computer screen while seated at his stained wood table. He tapped the screen with his finger and tapped it once more, still leaning forward. He then paused at what he saw, then leaned back, the leather grumbled to his movement as the seat tilted back to the change in weight distribution, a faint resonance from a faint ticking noise filling the spacious room in the process. He set his chin on a hand reading his computer screen, the light from the screen reflecting off of the fluid in his eyes.

It was a report describing some activity that went on that day. He smirked for a moment as he scanned the black text lining a grey background. After a moment, he groaned and murmured, "You will be found sooner or later."

A green light turned on right next to the flat monitor. Craig said, "Yes? What is it?"

A masculine voice responded, "Sir, it's Elaine."

Daunte whispered sarcastically, "Great."

He reached up to the screen and tapped it, saying, "Fine, send her in."

He turned to the double door beyond a short walkway with two pillars on either side, the same clicking noise resonating in the marble interior of his office. He didn't bother folding his hands, he already knew she was going to be a pain. This was just one of his offices he worked at. It was located in a building just a short distance away from the main government House. There were few buildings that offered filtered air and, consequently, no need for an oxygen mask. Convenient.

The door opened. Elaine didn't seem to go for everything automatic. No matter, it just made the door make a resonating humming noise. Elaine wasn't exactly modelling material given her height. She wasn't either overweight or underweight though. She wore glasses that matched the colour of her long straight hair. The good news was that she dressed the part of a politician. Her footsteps were quieted by the carpeted walkway, but her reflection in the marble floor on either side - whether it be floor or wall - moved with her. No shadows accompanied her, the cold lights made sure of that everywhere in the room.

As she neared him, she showed that she meant business and she wasn't entirely happy either. No surprise there, she didn't appreciate the real world - which meant she didn't exactly appreciate him. Daunte hoped this meeting would end quickly. Daunte asked while pretending to not know, "Elaine, what brings you here?"

She stopped before the chair on the other side of his desk and replied, "You know damn well what I'm here for."

+Daunte folded his arms knowing him being in this particular office would always be subject to a visit from the political parasite and replied, "I could probably guess, but I'll let you tell me anyway."

"The project cannot go through. It's not fully tested yet."

She wanted to end the project, go figure. If she wasn't a politician in office, Daunte would be pressing the security button by now. Daunte responded, "Elaine, I've told you many times before you cannot intervene in the affairs of me and my investments."

"Do I need to even mention what my constituents are saying?"

"Tell me who they are, by all means."

Elaine wasn't falling for it, though Daunte expected that she wouldn't give out murderer’s names anyway. She spat, "You sick bastard."

"Well Elaine, we can't have anarchy on our hands, can we?"

"At what cost? We're talking about hundreds of thousands of people's lives at stake. What if it kills them?"

"Then it's really not my problem. They have only themselves to blame."

Elaine rolled her eyes in impatience. Daunte tried once again, if this attempt would be any more successful than any other, to talk sense into her, "Listen, you know as well as I do that there are thieves out there. People who break the law. Why do you defend them anyway?"

"There are honest people that live here too!"

"Elaine - listen. I have been quite patient with you for quite some time now. I wasn't even required to tell you anything, but I thought I could trust my politicians."

"I was voted in by-"

"Our money Elaine. Our money. Without out us, you wouldn't be where you are now."

"This is ludicrous-"

Time to lay down the law, "I'm going to be blunt with you Elaine. We brought you in to power. The voters are just that, voters. Nothing more and nothing less. They'll scream, whine and bitch non-stop no matter what you do. Many of your colleagues learned to move on. I don't understand why you have such a hard time, but quite frankly Elaine, I don't even care. You're a politician. It's about time you started acting like one."

"I will not-"

"Cross me Elaine, and there will be one more vacancy in that house."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I have the power to do that, do I not?"

Elaine opened her mouth to protest further, but she knew it would get her into deeper trouble. She closed it again.

Daunte didn't smile, but did offer a word of encouragement, "That's more like it. You'll be voting to approve a bill to grant 4.2 billion to this project. Tested or untested, it's going forward." He then emphasised, "Don't disappoint me Elaine."

+Elaine hated everything about Daunte - and Daunte knew that. She would have loved to tell him to shove the bill right up his ass, but he was right. There was nothing she could do to stop him. She didn't know everything about the project, but she knew enough that it would risk everyone's lives in the entire city and possibly surrounding area's. If she voted against this bill, there's no telling what he could do to her. She wasn't going to put her neck on the line to find out either. She knew more stealthy ways to fight pigs like him.

She took a step back and Daunte unfolded his arms, resting them on the desk and looked up to her, intimidating her to drive the point home. She turned and walked half way to the door without saying anything. Daunte interrupted her and said, "One more little incident Elaine," Elaine stopped, but didn't turn around. Daunte continued, "and I'll see to it that you are put on the communist watch-list."

It's very unlikely that you were put on the watch-list and not be in prison. If she was sent to prison, then she couldn't do anything helpful from there on. She then walked to the door, opened it and left, knowing the best thing to do at that point was to get out of there. The door closed behind her and Daunte sat back in his leather seat. The grumbling noise made a light reverberation in the room once more. He turned back to the computer on the side of his desk. Two round metal bars were in front of it. He tapped the top of one and they separated with a thin black material in the middle, revealing a digital keyboard. He tapped the screen once, then started typing.

---

Everything was swimming around. I could see complete darkness all around, but I just waited for the dizziness to subside for now. That's all that I wanted was for my head to stop swirling. I burped out a quiet moan as a result of trying to make the sensations go away. It was then that I got frustrated because the dizziness wouldn't go away fast enough. So I winced, trying harder to make the sensations subside.

I sighed at that point, knowing the sensations have gone away enough for me to think. I was alive. That was good news. I opened my eyes and strained to make anything out in the darkness, but I couldn't. It was pitch black. When I moved an arm, something held it back. I pushed with my other arm, but it was the same deal. Legs told me I wasn't going anywhere too. Great. The bad news was that I was alive. There was no telling what will happen at this point.

There was no sound either. I tried to twist and move my arm, but I couldn't get it to budge. Whoever put me here restrained me good. I said, "Hey."

No real echo. In a dark room that doesn't echo. At least that gave me something to go on. I then realised that I had been stripped down to my outfit and mask. No toys to work with. Wasn't a surprise.

+I hated being called someone who was even related to the U.A.A., so I replied, "You're a complete dumbass."

He chuckled with a smile, "Ignorant to the very end."

He got up and walked towards the girl with the pony tails. I replied, "There's no way to prove I'm bugged because I can tell you for a fact that I am Larry and I am not bugged."

I realised how stupid that sounded. Too late now. The girl with the pony tails walked around Geoffrey and said, "You walked into our neck of the woods completely loaded with transmitters. It's fortunate some of us got out alive before all hell broke loose."

I realised she was acting earlier. Didn't matter at this point, I just wanted to get out of this alive. I relaxed my head against the table, knowing that this was going to be a mental game anyway. I could move my eyes around sufficiently if need be. But what the hell did she mean 'all hell broke loose'? "What?" I asked, seeing if I could get any information out of her.

"I don't think I need to explain it at all, I'm sure you knew the plans this whole time." she replied. So much for that idea.

I decided to see if I could prove my way out of this one. I said, "OK, prove I am wired."

Geoffrey walked to the side of the table and replied, "That will be your biggest mistake so far."

The girl stepped away as if to observe. He pressed a few buttons on the side of the table. I was looking forward to this one. There was no way that I could be-

I shrieked in horror and pain as I felt electricity racing through my body like pins and needles. When it stopped, I gasped, having not expected it. He explained, "A simple controlled EMP. Anything that is electronic will possibly be destroyed in you. You are riddled with nanotechnology transmitting to U.A.A."

"Bullshit."

The shock came back and I gritted my teeth in pain as the pins and needles returned. After what felt like several minutes, the electricity stopped. I took two sharp breathes before I could calm myself down again. It felt like my body had developed a bad sun burn all over inside. I still didn't believe them so I said, "Show me."

Geoffrey said, "Looks like their reconstructing themselves again after each wave."

I looked to the left of me and saw Geoffrey with a small device of some sort in his hand. I figured it was a medical scanner. The girl said, "Excellent. Maybe we can get him to talk this way."

+My theory of them being U.A.A. was making less and less sense, so I said, "What the hell?"

It was apparent that he didn't see any point in hiding whatever it was they were hiding. The girl approached and looked at Geoffrey. He handed her the scanner. She pressed a button, then shoved the device onto my mask. I read the scans, my eyes adjusting to the close-up view of it and it was reading the recovery rate of the nanotechnology they were telling me I had in my body. The counts were increasing as well. Shit. I was infested.

I said, "You planted them, didn't you?"

She replied, "Oh really? Why would we plant any nanotechnology that would transmit to the U.A.A. Look again smartass."

She pressed a button on the side of the health scanner and it switched to read that it was all transmitting to a well-known U.A.A. anti-piracy operations hub. I was shocked as it didn't make sense they would be injecting something like that in me. I decided to put my U.A.A. theory to the test.

"You must part of the U.A.A. then. The both of you." I accused.

She withdrew the device and handed it back to Geoffrey. She then said, "I don't normally like 20 questions, but I have always wanted to make a U.A.A. agent squirm."

She then looked at Geoffrey and nodded. I felt the electricity return, the pain more severe then the last. It was starting to feel more like knives and daggers at this point. I gritted my teeth again in agony until that wave was over. I tried my best to not show them pain at least. She explained, "You can answer my questions or you can fry to death. Either way is fine with me."

Fuck. I realised that if I was in her position, I'd be the same damn way too. I decided that now would be a good time to go along with whatever the hell she wants to know for now. It doesn't make sense that my information would be incorrect about Geoffrey this whole time since the information was from ages before I got my last two colleagues in my group. The only way is if the stupid theory he pushed on to me was actually true for him. The only thing that has stayed the same was my supplier for years and years. Almost since the beginning.

"Fine, go ahead and ask." I said.

She paused as if not expecting this, then asked, "Are you a U.A.A. agent?"

I replied, "A lie or the truth would end the same anyway, what's the point in answering that?"

+No pain. She must have thought I had a good point. She looked at Geoffrey again and looked back at me. I didn't get to see how Geoffrey reacted. She then asked, "What are you doing with my technology?"

What? "What are you referring to?"

"The warp balls. I am the only one who can access them in this whole city and I recognize my sig in them."

"I had nine. One was a test and the other kept me alive during the raids."

It seemed that the truth was working so far. Though I started to doubt they were U.A.A. Something about her wording made it seem that way when asking me about the warp balls. The only theory that stood was social engineering techniques. She asked, "Who supplied you with them?"

"Re-packaged from another scener. I did them a favour and this was what I got in return." I answered.

She murmured, "I told the fucking idiot not to give them out!"

She looked at me more directly and said crossing her arms, "Guess hair spray doesn't equate intelligence."

I didn't say anything. She knew who game them to me. If she was U.A.A., she would never have known who game them to me. Any theory that stood at this point seemed more like a joke at this point.

"What's the pass on your laptop?"

Funny. I responded, "Why? Problem with the encryption?"

Electricity ran through my body, but for a smaller duration. When it was over, I gasped again, the knives and daggers leaving again only leaving behind a slightly more raw body. "The pass." She ordered. OK, I guess I deserved that one.

I decided to take a bold risk. I answered, "C2, 4Q, Alpha, 9B, Screwdriver, Ampersand, 12, Dollar Sign, Closing square bracket, 0, HJ, Asterisk, Semi-Colon, XRT, Carrot, 4925AFM."

Suicide in just about any circumstance to give out such a pass. If they were U.A.A. agents, it would be the end for me right now, but given the turmoil, most of the information location-wise would likely be incorrect at this point. My communications information were still heavily encrypted even with the pass. If they weren't U.A.A. agents, my database of cracks would prove I was really Larry from Junkers. She looked past me and Geoffrey as if waiting for something to happen. I realised that they weren't the only ones in the room and my laptop was probably also in the room. A voice I didn't know replied, "I'm in."

+I said, "Check out the crack directory. You'll see I've got a hell of a collection for a U.A.A. agent."

Even Geoffrey was looking in the direction of the voice at that point. The voice replied, "Holy shit!"

The girl only blinked. Geoffrey seemed to grow upset over this and said, "Remove the transmitters, but keep him locked up. I want to know what the hell is going on."

I wondered why they wanted me locked up still, but the cold metal on my throat told me I wasn't about to find out right away as everything turned dark again.

---

"Doctor Williams, you're appointment is here." A man on the other end of a speaker said.

Doctor Williams, a well established scientist hired by the U.A.A. research wing to oversee several projects related to the operations - namely anti-piracy operations. He was responsible for organizing ways to develop new ways to combat air piracy. The best part was the fact that he worked for the U.A.A. That was because they kept pushing the boundaries to where he could develop for them. His studies revealed fascinating things that would otherwise be illegal to even pursue. Sure, some consider half the stuff he did immoral, but this was about science and discovery, not morals. He had a client to please, of course, but that was par for the course. What he specialized in, oddly enough, fit perfectly with the U.A.A.'s agenda. Doctor Williams was on top of the world as he had near exclusive rights to a lot of developments. Some of these developments that would be considered illegal if researched elsewhere. It was a dream come true. Large entity gave him space to work and no interference with the government as well as an endless supply of money. His obligations outside of work were few. He wasn't tied down with a relationship or family, nor was he much interested in that sort of thing. His only relationship was with his work. He even got along well with the workers around him. He felt that, unless absolutely necessary, there was no point in pressuring his work force excessively. Morale was, strangely enough, a good way to keep productivity levels high.

Everyone, that he knew of, knew the values of trying to eliminate piracy altogether at whatever cost. It was destroying lives. Costing lives? That was for the PR department. Everyone knew the piracy thing had to stop regardless. Doctor Williams thought that eventually, he'd see the day when piracy ended. He looked forward to that day. Piracy was like a disease to him, it needed to be cured. he felt that he was in the process of finally getting to that day.

Doctor Williams was the only man in the white, silver and well lit room turned to the speaker. He said, "Mmm, yes, send- send him in."

+He had the occasional stutter, particularly when he had a lot on his mind. He was a balding person. He could definitely hide the fact that he was balding through the cosmetic techniques of the day, but he felt that the aging process also added a certain character to ones self. The silver hair also aged him, but he stopped the wrinkles from forming. Unfortunate for him, he wasn't ever really exposed to the sun, leaving him nearly pale white in the process.

Was he ever nervous? Rarely. It didn't matter much to him who got sacrificed in the face of science, just as long as he can further his studies. It was science, namely physical and psychological sciences, fascinated him and intrigued the U.A.A. He could find new ways of interrogating people. Strangely enough, they wanted him to find more humane ways of convincing people - it saved time and money. Did truth potions exist? Hardly. But thanks to him, there were ways that were just about as good.

He knew it would take a bit for Daunte to get through the cleansing process. Can't have any contaminations in the labs. Dr. Williams wore a white lab coat and white gloves. Everything he wore was white actually, right down to his poofy overshoes. Dr. Williams turned to a table next to the speaker. He then picked up the clipboard and pulled the pen out from the top, remembering to skim through a checklist of the daily routines. He had a large number of assisting people. This wasn't a simple five-man operation.

He then signed his name at the bottom, figuring everything was right. Usually, these things were done right anyway. Hardly needed oversight by the time it got to him anyway. He set down the clipboard down on the table again just as the door opened just outside the main room.

Daunte stepped into the rather empty room. Daunte, in a way, looked like he had shrunk in the white outfit. Nothing made him look taller in the suit he was now wearing. Daunte walked into the small room which contained a computer you had to stand in front of to operate, speaker and the table with a chair. He asked, "What's the progress?"

Dr. Williams replied, "I always liked your straight-forward approach on these things."

Daunte just watched him. Dr. Williams continued, "Follow me."

Dr. Williams led him out of the small room through a doorless exit. Daunte followed given the narrow passages in that particular area. Dr. Williams explained on the way, "I've been doing some additional side-research to compliment what your project will entail. Consider it a sort of plan 'B'"

"A plan 'B'?" Daunte asked.

They both entered a larger hallway with a slidewalk. They each stepped on to the slidewalk and the slidewalk guided them along the longer hallway. Dr. Williams continued, "Yes. Given the scope of this project, I felt that it would be beneficial to add to it."

"I want you to emphasise on the project at hand, not dabbling into modifications."

+"Oh, but it's not modifications. We are sticking to plan quite closely. The problem is, things like this require some time to implement on a full scale version."

""You were telling me that small scale experiments were complete."

"Yes, they are complete - albeit wi-with varying degrees of success."

"Doesn't matter, I want this project done as soon as possible!"

The slidewalk turned into stairs as it moved downwards through an automatic door. It didn't faze either one only Daunte had to look down and Dr. Williams had to look up at him to continue the conversation. Each one was holding the railing as well. Williams said, "Some processes just take a while on the full scale. In laymen’s terms, some chemicals need time to react a certain way."

Daunte rolled his eyes. Dr. Williams said, "But, I've been dabbling for some time into post mortem states on the human body."

"Post mortem?"

"After death. I realise that this project may result in a few fatalities, so I've been expanding in this area."

"What for? If a person is dead, a person is dead."

"Ah, yes. But are you possibly overlooking something?"

"What's there to overlook?"

"In the early 2000's, there have been studies done on reviving animals; dogs for instance."

Daunte raised an eyebrow and said, "Continue..."

"Well, a lot of research was underground research, but I have also applied it to other studies like mind control; of which was also studied in the mid to lat 2000's."

"Are you going where I think you are going?"

"Reviving the dead, yes."

"Have you been reading up on old fashion fantasy novels again?"

Dr. Williams glared at him and said, "I am a serious scientist. I may look to science fiction for a little inspiration, but I wouldn't go that far."

Daunte smirked in amusement. The descending hall melted into a large room. Daunte asked, "So if we can revive the dead, how the hell does that help us?"

"We can technologically change these people’s minds in the process."

Daunte was then intrigued by the proposition. He asked, "Will they be improved somehow to help stop counterfeiters?"

"That's the most fascinating part. I believe we can get them to breathe the air outside. No need for a mask. A distinct advantage!"

"Interesting. Anything else?"

"They don't exactly gain a whole lot of strength as one could possibly expect, but some of their senses heighten as a result. Hearing, sight, smell. Everything is heightened. There's even a possibility that they can sustain multiple gun blasts from your standard laser pistol."

"Excellent! Is there any confirmed results so far?"

+"Well, that's a bit of an interesting aspect of this as well. It seems that this only works on the freshly deceased. As the corpse decays, so does the mind. It becomes less and less likely to recover."

"So there is none that actually worked."

"Th-this is what I wanted to ask of you. With your permission, I'd like to use our little friend to do a fresh test."

A smile crept up onto Daunte's face. He replied, "Absolutely, I just need one favour to ask."

"Oh? Wh-what's that?"

"I'd like to do the honours."

The stairs turned back to a slidewalk again. The white themed walls kept expanding outwards. Dr. Williams replied, "Very well. I am actually experiencing a surplus in resources and would like to utilise these resources in other projects such as this one."

It didn't occur to Daunte to really keep pressing him on the main project at hand. He was looking forward to the prized moment of punishing a pirate at that point. Daunte said, "Of course. When is a good time to do our little execution?"

"Well, w-we can do this right now if you'd like. I have him in holding at the moment."

"Take me to him."

As they moved along the slidewalk, Dr. Williams looked around and saw that they were approaching a transport vehicle in the massive area. The room housed a massive satellite dish that made anyone walking by it look like fleas. The antenna was a metallic grey colour with a few green portions that appeared to be painted on. The grey theme continued throughout the rest of the dish with the occasional square seen through the other side way above.

Dr. Williams glanced at someone who was carrying a white briefcase in the process of getting on. Dr. Williams said, "Tim?"

Tim glanced up, stopping what he was doing and asked, "Yes?"

+Dr. Williams and Daunte walked off the slidewalk one after the other and approached him and the levitating cart. Dr. Williams asked, "Could we u-use the cart? We are in a bit of a rush."

Daunte nodded, agreeing even though no one else was paying any attention to him. Tim got off the cart again and said, "Oh, sure thing!"

He presented the cart and said, "Go for it."

Dr. Williams replied, "Thank's Tim."

"Yup, no problem." Tim replied as he walked towards the slidewalk instead.

Dr. Williams and Daunte boarded it. Dr. Williams, of course, was driving - he knew the way. An extra hum was emitted from the cart. The cart turned around and travelled towards the massive satellite. The dish made football fields look green postage stamps in comparison. For that moment, Daunte's mind was off his primary goal. He looked up at the massive dish and said, "It's a beautiful thing in its own way... isn't it?"

Dr. Williams peaked at it himself for a second, then said, "Yes, yes it is."

"It'll be even better when we can get this thing operational. A new chapter will be written in the history books."

Dr. Williams smiled and said, "Greatest invention ever created. It will potentially bring stability once and for all for all man-kind."

"It will."

Daunte stared at it for the last few moments before they entered a large hanger-like exit. Daunte turned back away from the large dish. He had more immediate business to think about. Daunte asked, "How long?"

Dr. Williams replied, "A little while. Our special holding area has some distance away from your technological wing."

Daunte nodded. Sure, he's visited a time or two in the outer reaches of the labs - sometimes in special meeting rooms, but most of it was just for an update on various projects underway. It was why the occasional lab technician, mostly people dressed in white like Dr. Williams, would look up and watch the hovering cart passing by since it was unusual for him to be seen this deep into the laboratory network to begin with.

Daunte leaned over and pressed a button on the dashboard. A portion of the dashboard moved away, revealing several small circles with white halo's around them - each with a symbol on them. He pressed one of them and a slit opened up at the back of the revealed section. A thin clear piece of hardened plastic rose out of the slit. An image of a symbol appeared with a message below that read 'Scanning...'

After mere seconds, the image faded away and was replaced with a moving image of several runners in the usual oxygen masks were running along a race track. Daunte pressed one of the halo's a couple of times and the images flipped to different ones on each press. He stopped on an anchor-woman appeared on the screen and Daunte leaned back in his seat again, the wind that would normally just brush against his hair didn't phase it one bit.

She continued, "...but the controversy didn't end there. Violent riots spread throughout the country as a result of the ruling and protestors accused the government of selling off their rights to large corporations. That, in turn led to the opening of one of the most famous international debate's in history."

+The image switched to a large indoor stadium. In it, two people stood a distance apart. A close-up of him revealed him talking at his podium. The anchor woman continued, "This debate was held between Matthew Branson and Phillip Carey. Phillip Carey is seen speaking, arguing pro-anarchist war cry's."

Her voice stopped and Phillip said, "We, as a nation, cannot continue to live in a free society if our basic necessity is controlled by private organizations who have a financial interest and a monopoly over the very air we breathe. This would mark the end of democracy as we know it. For far too long, our rights have been stripped away by our government. Each right has been stripped away for what they claim is our best interest. But many of us know that this is truly not our interest - but of the interest in private businesses who have no incentive to look out for the interest in the people. People who the government have sworn to represent."

Phillip was cut off and Matthew on the other side of the stage at his podium was seen talking - each with their own oxygen masks. The anchor-woman said, "Matthew Branson, a hero in his time, argued down the anarchist in a clear and thoughtful manner."

Matthew's voice was then heard, "Phillip has been spreading lies about the situation and doesn't even understand the very concept of what our world is facing today. Several generations ago, our air was breathable. Therefore, you couldn't make a business model out of it. These are different time's now. Living in the past doesn't help the future. If you even believe half of the things he is saying, you are an anarchist who are tearing the very social fabric apart that our forefathers have created in the first place.

Let's face reality, the air on this planet is no longer breathable. The government did step in and prove incompetent in handling the situation and asked us to provide a solution. We stepped in and did the job right. When you want someone to handle your health properly, you want someone who will get the job done right. This is little more than following the right footsteps as history has dictated. You want to live modestly healthy, you pay a modest fee. You want electricity, you pay the electric company. Now, it's unfortunate we can't just breathe the air around us, so we must pay our air companies money to breathe air.

Phillip argues that paying money for such a basic necessity is wrong. Only a sensible person would see right through this and get the facts right. A new product and a new marketplace is only good for the economy. If we have people pirating air and getting people to breathe air for free, this will only serve to ruin the economy and send our great country down the road to disaster.

Furthermore, why would you trust some foreigner you've never met with your life? When you put your life into someone else’s hands, you better put it into the hands of a professional. A study conducted by the U.A.A. suggests that a frightening 85% of flawed oxygen tank related deaths are the results of piracy related offences. Simply put, pirates are costing lives. We never cost a person's life. Never. We've proven that at the start, we've proven that throughout the phasing out of the inferior governmental service and we will prove it still for years and years to come.

+This is why piracy kills. These pirates Phillip is glorifying are all murderers. As such, it is only fitting they get what they deserve in the first place. Capital punishment is for people who murder or attempt to murder. There's no difference in the offence if we're talking about a gun being used, or an air tank being used.

We have even tested this in court. We were fair. We went all the way to the high courts in the U.A.A. vs Pirate case and the courts agreed with us after the financial process and said that they agree that capital punishment is justifiable for murder."

The image flipped back to Phillip and the anchor-woman explained, "Nevertheless, the anarchist continued his fear mongering relentlessly."

Phillip's voice returned, "...about forefathers. I'd argue that our forefathers are rolling in their graves right now! You heard it yourself, he bribed the courts and he isn't even ashamed one bit that his organization sent someone to their death. Their death. For what? They failed to prove that, as they like to put it, 'the pirate' was the cause of anyone's death in the first place. Not a shred of evidence was even brought forward. Yet they won the case in what everyone will really see as the day the corporation officially bought our countries legal system. We have been continuing down this slippery slope. In fact, we aren’t on the slippery slope anymore, we have fallen off the cliff and our remains are rotting away on the spits below. He is someone who would argue that rotting is a healing process and convince us we are getting better, but indeed, we are, by far, not.

What he fails to mention is-"

His voice was cut off, the image flipped back to Matthew again and the anchor-woman's voice returned, "Then the be-all and end-all argument by Matthew Branson, our national hero, was made, ending the debate in a glorifying victory."

Matthew's voice faded in, "...but I say to you, if you cannot trust the U.A.A., you cannot trust anyone. If you put your fate into the hands of pirates, you will die like the pirate that you are. You cannot live without the U.A.A., so simply pay us with our rightful money, and we will give you your rightful air. Pay us with our rightful money, and we will pay you with your rightful life. It's as simple as that. Thank you and goodnight."

The anchorwoman came back on, but Dr. Williams said, "Amazing footage, isn't it?"

Dr. Williams then put a card on the side of a dashboard, and a mechanical voice said, "payment received."

Daunte nodded, "It's almost priceless."

Dr. Williams pulled the card back out and put it in his pocket. He asked, "Aren’t you going to pay for that too?"

+Daunte shook his head and said, "I'm the president of the U.A.A., I helped them in many ways, this was the least they could do in return."

"Oh."

After a short pause, Dr. Williams reported, "We are almost here."

Daunte replied, "Excellent."

Daunte leaned forward and pressed a circular halo on the control panel. Dr. Williams eyes widened, but he tried to relax just the same after what Daunte told him. The piece of plastic sank into the slot again and the control panel lid slid back over top of the small control panel. The slot disappeared and the dashboard looked solid once more.

Dr. Williams relaxed and commented, "No alarms, no needles, no restraints."

Daunte looked at him and Dr. Williams concluded, "You've got it good."

Daunte replied, "You're about to make it even better doctor."

Daunte smirked, anticipating what's coming next like a kid being told he's about to get candy. Dr. Williams slowed the cart down, approaching a heavily guarded door. The cart stopped and one of the guards approached them. Despite the mask and dark grey uniform which included body armour, his smile grew visible. He said, "Dr. Williams, welcome. What brings you here?"

Dr. Williams didn't smile back. He tried to be dead serious and replied, "Business. Strictly business. I come with Daunte to perform the execution."

The guard chuckled, obviously not even aware of Daunte's presence. The guard replied, "With Daunte, you know, your sense of humour isn't going away-"

Daunte leaned over and the guards smile vanished. He stiffened up and said, "Yes sir, we will open the way, right away sir!"

He marched to the side of the door which was wide at about 15 feet wide, but still only 8 feet tall. There were several other guards, but only four right at the door. The other guards were scattered around the area, most of whom were peering at Daunte's presence while trying to appear to be vigilant. No one wanted to say anything to each other, even though most were tense to talk about the unusual circumstance. None of them were informed of this nor would they have been in the first place if it was more planned in advance.

+The guard that talked to Dr. Williams talked to the guard next to the door. The guard next to the door, who, like every other guard wore an identical uniform, nodded and turned to the wall. He put his gloved hand on the wall and a panel opened up. He inserted a small jack into a little socket. After a second, there was a long buzz echoing through the cavernous, yet well lit hall. The doors slide apart, revealing an almost equally large blue lit hallway inside. Dr. Williams got off of the cart and Daunte followed suit.

They both walked towards the door in silence. As they entered the smaller hallway, the door closed from behind. The blue hallway turned red in the process. Daunte asked, "Did he honestly believe you were joking?"

Dr. Williams replied, "Well, you're never around here, so it's quite a shock."

Daunte pressed, "Sense of humour?"

"Umm, never-nevermind that. P-pointless."

Daunte nodded as they walked. Dr. Williams explained, "Now, I need him fatally wounded without injury to the head-"

"Takes the fun out of it, doesn't it?"

They turned a corner, the light being consistent but the hallway shrunk in width.

"If he is to be valuable in the future, the head must be preserved. Otherwise, he'll be a wasted specimen."

"If that's an attempt to make me care, you are mistaken."

"You are under-estimating the potential in all of this. Who knows what he has been holding back?"

Daunte listened. Dr. Williams continued, "If we have full control of him, he'll be capable of many things to our benefit."

They stopped at a door. Dr. Williams put his fingers into his breast pocket and pulled out a small stack of cards. He fanned them out for himself as Daunte echoed while soaking in the information, "Our benefit..."

Dr. Williams picked a card and re-stacked the other cards again in his hands, putting them back in his breast pocket. He replied, ""Yes, our benefit."

Dr. Williams then slid the card at a card slider. A green light appeared next to the slider and a small tablet slid out from the wall. Daunte asked, "What exactly do you plan on doing to him? Turn him into a zombie of some sort?"

Dr. Williams put his hand on the tablet and a line of green light moved down his hand on the other side while he said, "And you accuse me of reading too many stories..."

The light stopped at his wrist and the door opened; this time, without a sound. Daunte glared at Dr. Williams, not taking the joke well. The area beyond was dark with the exception of two lit areas, revealing a tiled floor. Each lit area was about seven meters apart, both on the right side. An armed guard stood at the furthest one.

+They didn't say anything as they entered the small area. As they approached the first light, Daunte stopped. A door was beyond the light with a window. Inside was a plain white room under a flickering white light hanging from the ceiling. The light wasn't what Daunte stopped for.

Dr. Williams shadowy outline stopped part way to the second one. He turned and asked, "Shall we continue or shall w-we wait for another time?"

Daunte looked up at him, then down at a trail of dried blood that led from the bottom of the door, around the corner and towards him in the darkness. There was a burn mark at the bend of the trail. Daunte looked up at him and Dr. Williams explained, "An-another experiment."

Daunte asked, "What other experiment?"

Dr. Williams replied, "T-test experiment. I d-did say I have been l-looking into the matter for some t-time."

Daunte sighed for two reasons. One, Dr. Williams hadn't told him everything and two, his footwear would have to be cleaned. He continued. Dr. Williams turned and led him to the second lit area. The guard turned to their presence. Dr. Williams commanded, "You're piece."

The guard reached to his side. A click was heard and he revealed a laser pistol. He handed it to him, gripping the barrel of the gun. The grip was shiny and black. Dr. Williams hesitated, but took the gun anyway. He held it like he was holding a dirty diaper. He turned to Daunte and said, "Like I said, nothing to the head."

Daunte snatched the gun. Dr. Williams twisted around and told the guard, "I need a team to take the specimen away."

The guard replied, "Yes sir."

The guard walked around the two of them and towards the exit. Dr. Williams untwisted and looked to Daunte who asked, "What are you planning on doing to him specifically?"

Dr. Williams responded as a dim light momentarily appeared from the exit, then vanished, "I plan on modifying him to specifications that'll please you."

"Total control?"

"Total control."

"If anything fucks up, I want him terminated remotely."

Dr. Williams paused, then responded, "As you wish."

+Daunte motioned to the door which was similar to the previous room, but had grey concrete walls instead of tile. Dr. Williams reached into the darkness and a beep was heard.

The door with a window in a similar shape to the window of a passenger seat window from an airplane rose up into the ceiling. Beyond, Wally sat at a desk with his hands folded. He looked up, but it was obvious he couldn't see them. Daunte said, "I want some privacy."

Dr. Williams nodded. Daunte entered the room and Wally jumped out of his seat, walking backwards away from Daunte. The door closed behind. Wally said in panic, "What the fuck do you want from me?"

Daunte paused and looked behind him at the closed door. Wally swallowed when he saw that he was armed. After a frightening pause for Wally, Daunte turned back and glared at him.

Daunte asked, "Did you really think you could kill me?"

Wally didn't say anything, but the raw fear vanished from him and turned to desperation. The room itself was bigger than Daunte expected. It was roughly twenty feet deep and 15 feet wide. The desk was in the middle of the room. Wally darted forward and grabbed his metal chair. Daunte just watched. Wally stepped away from the table and threw the chair as hard as he could at Daunte, grunting in exertion. Daunte moved to the side as the hurled chair whizzed past him. It made a loud banging noise as it smacked against the floor and hit the concrete wall, narrowly missing the door in the process.

Daunte approached, still without emotion. Wally stepped forward and kicked the table at him, toppling it in the process. Daunte held a hand out as the table started to tip onto its top. He pushed it back to its side, legs facing Wally. Daunte walked around the table and kept approaching Wally who was backing up into the corner. Wally looked around for anything else, but of course, there was nothing else he could throw at him. Wally bit his lip and charged at Daunte. Daunte stopped and let him punch him in the stomach.

The impact didn't faze Daunte at all but Wally choked back a scream at the impact. Wally gripped his hand in painful bliss as he fell to his knees. Daunte reached down and grabbed his neck with his free hand. Wally chocked in the process as Daunte lifted him up with one arm. He then pinned him against the wall as if Wally weighed nothing. Wally's feet were no longer touching the floor.

+Wally gripped Daunte's hand and forearm, trying in vain to stop his control. Daunte waited for his eyes to open, his grip easing up enough to not restrict airflow. He looked into his eyes. Even in such a moment, Wally could almost feel an unseen icy force griping his soul. Daunte pushed the muzzle of the laser pistol into Wally's gut, making him feel as though he were impaled on the intruding device. Daunte whispered in a voice that could have frozen his soul, "It was a pleasure doing business with you. I look forward to your extended services."

A laser pulse discharged. Daunte watched Wally's eye's go abnormally wide. He exhaled at that moment and his eyes, with the rest of his body, went limp in his grip. A smile trickled onto Daunte's face for a quick moment, but he then let go of Wally. Wally's corpse crumpled onto the floor.

Daunte looked back at the door. He sighed and straightened his white upper garment. He approached the door, his footsteps making a bare echo in the room in the process. He stopped two feet short of the door and waited for the few seconds it would take for Dr. Williams to return to pass.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada License.