Where Can I Run 

         Bright was smoking her cigarette by the window ledge, her favorite place in the world. The neon city of Centaurus shined bright enough to illuminate her apartment, which was good because her power was out. She didn't turn around for anything, not even when the water dripped in an annoying way or her neighbors yelling next door. 

         She stared out into the city, this ruthless city. It began to rain, and the beatings of water against the window made her cold, so she got a blanket to curl herself up in. Back against the wall, knees tucked in, ashtray nearby.

         Yeah, she thought, What a life. Music set the mood for her, too, off into the darkness, the radio was playing, but she could barely make out the lyrics. You don't know what love is. Just then, her eyes started flashing red. She was getting a call from Olive. She looked at the touchscreen on her wrist to press "ANSWER." 

         "Hey." greeted Oliver; the connection was being made, so her greeting came off as static at first. 

         "Hey…" replied Bright listlessly.

         "How's the-that quiet life-life treating y-you?" The connection was stronger though the static interrupted some of the words. 

         "Hmm…" answered Bright as she flicked some of the ashes in her cigarette into the ashtray. She took another hit before she answered, "It's fine, I guess. Just weird not goin' out." Bright looked towards the city again as if it was looking at her. She got uncomfortable at the thought and moved away to lie on the couch in the darkness.

         "Yeah-h-h, your takin' this 'low profile' shit v-very seriously."

         "What and you're not? Not after what happened?"

         "Can't. Or won't, I guess. Don't know, Bright, some of us can't run off and start a new life. Or try to, at least." The connection was stable now.

         Bright sat up in annoyance, "So why'd you call?" 

         "Know it's been a couple of months, but this crew I'm in…they need a Techie, and I wanted to let you know there's a spot for you if you ever wanna get back in." Bright scoffed, knowing Oliver didn't want to know how she was really doing. People in this city never fucking learn. 

         "Oliver, I 'prciate the call, but I told you already I don't wanna keep doin' this anymore. Don't wanna steal from Prometheus again. You know why too. The last job fucked me up really bad. We barely escaped with our lives, Oliver. Our fucking lives." There was no response for a bit, only Bright's breathing. 

         "Just gimme a call when you realize you can't run away from your problems, even when you're living with them." The line disconnected, and Bright was listening to the rain battering against the window. Fucking bitch she thought. Her door opened, and Charles, her boyfriend, walked in, soaking wet from the rain. "Hey! You're up late," he said; the sound of his jacket rustling meant he was hanging up his coat. 

         "Yeah…just wanted to make sure you came home. Alive." Bright walked back to her spot and lit a new cigarette, this time, her back was against the window. The smell of smoke filled the apartment, which Charles caught the whiff of and coughed harshly. Fuck fuck, Bright thought; she forgot Charles had asthma. "You're good, Bright. Implants still need to take their effect." He walked over to the light where she was, and Bright immediately got up: Charles was bruised. 

         "Charles! Again?? It's been the hundredth time this week!" She got up and examined his face. He had cuts on his face, a busted-up lip, black right eye, and his clothes were covered in mud. She activated her fingertip implants and examined his abdomen, lightly touching it. Her system had detected some broken ribs. "Charles…" she sniffled, tapping his chest defeatedly. "Why does this keep happening to you… to us…" She pressed her head against his chest, on the brink of tears. 

         Charles lifted her chin up, looking straight into her ocean-blue eyes. "Don't worry about me, Bright. Got everything under control. Prometheus not only gave me free implants for my health, they told me I'll eventually upgrade and get some military-grade hardware shit! I'll protect us from anything!" His voice sounded so confident it broke her heart. He was going to plant a kiss on her, but she walked away and faced the window, her back staring back at him. "I'll get cleaned up now…." He said and walked to their room, leaving only Bright and the city alone. She felt Centaurus looking at her and felt their head shaking in disapproval. Can't run away from your problems, even when you're living with them. 

         Bright went on a walk early that morning before Charles got up. The smell of wet rain hit her instantly. She immediately grabbed her gas mask because it meant some acid was left behind, and she was right. The occasional tiny marks on sidewalks were left behind, including some old buildings that weren't up to standard. Rhino, a company out in Ross, had been mining for metals for a long time, and this is what happens. It keeps going for so long. All around her, people carried masks: corpos, children, and regular adults. Some had the privilege of not wearing a mask, meaning they had implants in their nose to block the smell; lucky them. There was one dead homeless person at the end of her street; her eyes were rolled back with dried blood coming out of them. No one cared, though; everyone went along with their business. News reporters would stop by, showcasing the "dangers of not wearing your mask." No one would ever listen, though, because Rhino wouldn't help the public. 

         Bright stopped by a local flea market to pick up some grapes and headed toward the cemetery. She entered and walked past broken pieces of cement; fragments of letters could be seen. She walked past an undertaker and a couple, maybe around their late 30s, pleading with the undertaker.

         "Please, mister. If-if you could just make an exception and wait for our check, we-we c-c-could pay for my grandma's grave. We just need a little bit more time-"

         "Sorry, ma'am. I'm afraid we can't do that…." Bright kept her head down and walked faster when the woman began screaming and crying.

         She got to her mom's grave and sat in the wet rain. It was the first time she'd been there in a long time, not after moving in with Charles. The smell didn't reach this part of the city, so she took off her gas mask and was able to breathe in some fresh air. She looked at the grass for a while, though, and didn't dare to look at her mom's name. "Hey, mom," said Bright finally. She waited a couple of seconds before responding, letting the wind pass by. "Olive called yesterday…wanted me in this new crew she got." Bright started picking off the grass one by one, wanting to do something with her hands. "Don't know if I'm ready to get back in the game. I know you wouldn't want me to anyway but still…." There was a pause, and she continued. "Hmph…when you said you wanted me to work at Prometheus, bet you didn't expect me to rob 'em, ay? Funny, ain't it? You wanted me to be rich, famous, sittin' on top of the world, and make a difference. Instead, I chose to go underground, get myself into trouble with the law, morally and even with…you guys."

         Bright stopped playing with the grass. "Can't find Luck, Edge or Dad…keep tryin' to see if they're in Luyten, or Wolf or in any state but…I got nothin'." Bright tried looking at the headstone but immediately looked back down. "I'm sorry for not visiting you. I'm sorry for not making that dream come true. Always saw the letters you sent to Charles, but I couldn't bring myself to open 'em, didn't want you to get in trouble too." She wanted to say something else but stopped herself; she couldn't say it. She got up, left the grapes on her grave, and left. Without even saying goodbye. Again. 

         The smell of acid had finally let up, so masks weren't needed. Traffic wasn't as bad, and everyone at this point had gotten to their jobs; accidents had been cleared up too. Few people were on the streets, just vendors selling whatever or people taking casual walks. Bright was heading back to her place when a car pulled up behind her, and two massive men grabbed her from behind, covered her mouth, and dragged her to the car. Bright was kicking and screaming, trying to get free, but the strength of the two men was too much. She was put in the backseat, two men sat between her, and the car drove off. Bystanders in the street didn't flinch, didn't seem to care. Why would they? Things like this happen all the time.

         The car was dark inside, all the windows were tinted to the max, and two people were in the front. "Hello, Bright." said the man in the passenger seat. "Missed you a whole lot." Bright recognized the voice; it was Beetle. He was a Helper for Bright's old crew and provided information whenever cargo was being shipped or when someone needed to hire a couple of mercenaries to assassinate someone. He was never part of their crew fully; he was just the middleman with his own dealings. 

         "Haven't seen you in a couple of months. Thought you were dead. Finally came out of your shell to get the whiff of Centaurus." chuckled Beetle. His two henchmen squished Bright so much she couldn't even reach for her weapon, couldn't even move her arms. "Where's my money?" he stated, voice so smooth it was hard to hear if he was being friendly or menacing. 

         "Don't got it." Bright replied in an intimidating way but fell on deaf ears. 

         "Hm." was all she got from Beetle and whispered to the driver's ear. Bright couldn't make out the words, so she had to act quick. "Got a corpo watch here. Worth anything?" Beetle offered his hand to the back seat. 

         Sorry Charles, she thought. It was a gift he gave when he got his first check at Prometheus, spent all that money on her that day. The henchmen lifted the pressure off of Bright as she removed the watch and gave it to Beetle. He examined it, checked the achite fragments it had on it, and put it in his pocket. "It'll do," he turned to the driver, "Drop us off at the next block." Bright felt relieved and tried to relax, but the henchmen put pressure on her again. She had nothing against Beetle; he had to do what he had to do to make a living. She could relate to that, and he didn't hate her either. These two were close in a way, or in a way, two criminals could be close without even thinking of betraying each other. Which is why she needed his help.

         "Ignorin' that lil stunt you pulled on me, need your help." Remarked Bright. 

         "On?" 

         "Charles has been getting jumped a lot. Need to find out who's been doin' it, who's been callin' the shots." Beetle moved around in his seat; whether it was because he was uncomfortable with the question or trying to get comfortable, she couldn't tell. 

         "How? Said you don't got any seeds." 

         "Got an emergency stash, back at my place." There was a slight hesitation when she said that, and she felt instant regret. 

         "Right. We'll go there, but I'm followin' you up. Don't wanna lose you again." The rest of the car ride had the same music playing on her radio last night. You don't know how lips hurt.

         Both walked into the apartment, and Bright darted to her room. She grabbed a box underneath her bed labeled "OUR TRIP TO GINETERA!!" It was always Charles's dream to go to a different planet. It was always saving up since he was a kid when Elciprises first announced it was habitable back in 1969. I'm sorry, Charles, promise this was the last time, she thought as she grabbed about a couple of Raspiurium coins worth a thousand each. This wasn't the first time she stole money from him. She slammed the box shut and slid it under the bed. She walked out to see Beetle examining some photos on the fridge. There were various photos on the fridge: mostly Charles's family but only two were Bright's. One was her smoking on the window ledge in a seductive pose, with the pink smoke blending into the luminous night matching the white wig she was wearing (a photo Charles took), and another was her as a child with her family. Still, it was wrinkled and clearly an old photo. One was missing, though, and Charles was holding it. Bright slid him the two coins, and Beetle picked them up, putting the photo down. Beetle examined the seeds, making sure they were real, and put them in his pocket, satisfied. 

         "From what I heard, his boss has been hirin' the Crows to mess up him e'ry night walkin' home." He leaned against the fridge as Bright was trying to process the information.

         "His boss? Head of Prometheus or-"

         “Yup, the big man Zenobia Zannopolus.” Fuck, Bright thought. She sat on the kitchen table, thinking of every possible solution to get Charles out of trouble. Beetle walked next to her and sat with her, trying to comfort her. 

         "Never knew the guy? What? Charles don't talk about his job with you?" 

         "Nah, he doesn't. Since the Third State War, corpo employees aren't allowed to discuss shit openly to the public unless they are authorized to." 

         "Charles seems to love you. Feels like he would break their rules to discuss even the tiniest of-"

         "Dumbass, he's got implants…." Bright interrupted with a quiver. Beetle nodded his head and stayed silent. Bright walked to the counter where Beetle left the photo of her and her old crew. Everyone was smiling; they had just pulled a big score against Titan and celebrated at the Nirvana Club. The only one who wasn't smiling was Olive, who was just sipping her drink, but everyone thought she did it to hide her smile. Bright put it on the fridge again with one of the magnets and stared at it. 

         "Whatcha goin' do?" asked Beetle, reminding her he was still here.

         "Only thing I can do, tells Zenobia to stop his attacks on Charles." 

Beetle scoffed, "Fucking stupid plan." Bright didn't care, though. She still stared at the photo. 

         "It's suicide, Bright. They're doing this on purpose. Tryin' to bait you." 

         "I know." She began to walk out, but Beetle grabbed her by the arm. 

         "It's not your fault, y'know." He grabbed her tight; he knew that if he let go, he would never see her again. 

         "Beetle…" she whispered. "No matter what people say, no matter what sweet words they wanna whisper in my ear… that shit won't make me feel better." She tugged her arm back and left the apartment. Beetle was left alone and walked towards the window to see the shitty city that ruined everyone's lives. 

         "Nice knowing ya, kid…."

         Bright has traveled downtown to the corporate offices of the city. It wasn't hard to miss Prometheus; it was the tallest building in the district. Thirty-nine floors controlled every single thing that ran through this city, from what political figures were elected to the police. This place has the potential to help humanity, but it always seems like they want to shape what they see fit. Bright pushed past all the suits walking around on their phones, making business deals or talking to their mistresses, or whatever shady shit went down here. She entered the office and went straight to the elevator. The receptionist was typing something on the computer when she perked up to see Bright storm through the door. "Ma'am!" She called out but Bright ignored her. The receptionist tried to call security through her neural network, but Bright stopped and focused on the receptionist. Bright's eyes turned green. She had entered her neural network and cut off all communication signals. This gave the receptionist a raging headache, and she collapsed on the floor, rendering her unconscious. Everyone in the lobby witnessed this and didn't move in fear. Bright entered the elevator and went to the top floor, but before she did that, she entered everyone else's neural networks and rendered them unconscious. She could have killed them all, but she wanted to send a message. Wanted to remind Zenobia how powerful she was. She knew he was watching. 

         As the elevator went up, each floor made her anxiety go up even faster. Her heart was beating too fast, and her ears were getting hot. She rummaged through her hair, trying to do something to calm down. She clenched her fists and began tapping the floor. She started getting scared. Hmm, she thought. Have I made you proud, mom? I caught the attention of Prometheus. Ha. They want me. Just then, she got a message from Charles. 

           C: Gonna stay late for work again :( 

         B: That's fine. 

         C: Not mad? 

         B: I'll see you later 

          Gonna get you out of this Charles. Promise. 

         The doors opened, and the entire floor was dark and empty. The windows had completely turned black, and not one bit of light entered the office. Bright checked what time it was, and it was barely past noon. She turned on her night vision and walked down the aisle, past all the empty chairs and desks, to the main office. She could see the chairs were pushed out as if the workers had just run out. A phone rang across the office, but it was far off, into the darkness. It was faint, but as she got closer to Zenobia's office, it got louder and louder. It was playing that same song. Do you know how a lost heart fears. She reached the door, and the phone stopped; she opened it and saw it was night. Again, the time said it was past noon, so she was even more concerned until she realized it was the exact view from her window ledge. The exact same neon colors that lit her apartment. A big red chair covered the center view, and she knew who was sitting in it. 

         "Please, close the door." Said Zenobia, continuing to stare out into the "city." Bright did as she was told and turned off her night vision filter. "Sit down, please. Make yourself at home." Bright again did what she was told and sat on the chair. There was an eerie sound coming somewhere, which made her move around. The chair finally spun around, and Zenobia faced Bright, finally face to face. His suit matched the chair, all red except his shirt and tie, which were black and white. 

         "Cianna," he smiled. "To what do I owe the pleasure." Bright responded with a disgusted face. She didn't like it when people used her real name. "Oh, my apologies, I can't use your real name. Mommy, daddy, Luck, and Edge can only use them, right?" He got up and went to a tabletop on his left to make a cup of coffee. "How would Charles feel? Knowing you hide oh so so much from him." His sarcastic tone dripped with venom, and Bright had to play this safe. The machine poured two cups of coffee, and he personally poured in milk and sugar. He sat back on the chair and slid a cup towards Bright. "Try some," he said. "I have a few friends that give me some of the best beans in the world." Bright never took her eyes off of him. She kept the same emotionless expression. Zenobia continued to sip elegantly until she spoke. 

         "Stop playin' these games, Zenobia. Know what you're tryna do and it won't work." 

         "Oh? And what is it I'm 'tryna do?" 

         "Showing off what you have on me. Won't scare me though; it's no secret Prometheus spies on the public, 'specially if they're people of interest." 

         "Or terrorists." 

         "I ain't no terrorist." 

         "Is that what you tell yourself? Causing an entire power outage in a district? Blowing up a Prometheus facility? Leaking personal information from our entire clientele list? Just to make a quick buck." Zenobia politely placed his cup on the desk and then clasped his hands. 

         "Don't talk about ethics with me. A company with so much potential to help Ephoris uses all its power to spy on people, provide weapons so that gangs can kill each other, and provide unethical implants. Y'all really don't make it easy for us folk." 

         "Hmm. Your friends would agree, wouldn't they? Or at least one of them would." Bright closed her eyes in frustration. 

         "What I did was a favor for the public. Had to show that gods aren't human, and humans aren't gods. You bled that night, and I showered in it."

         "But your greed got them killed right?” Bright clenched her fist tight. “But let's get to the point, shall we?" Ignoring her tangent. "Why are you here, Ms. Bright? Because if it's to prove your point again, then you came to the wrong place." 

         Bright turned back and looked Zenobia right in the face. "Leave Charles alone. He ain't got nothin' to do what I did." 

         Zenobia raised an eyebrow. "He's got everything to do what you did." He spun towards the window and stood up, overlooking the city. "Everyone that follows you winds up dead. Your friends, your mother, and one day Charles will meet that fate. Death follows you, Ms. Bright, a fate you can't seem to escape. It's a curse that we at Prometheus will continue to provide until you submit." 

         "Submit to what?" she asked, with slight concern.

         "Working with us." He didn't even turn around to say it. He still looked out into the view she saw every single night. 

         "Why would I ever work for you? After everything I caused your company, you'd still want me to wear a suit?" 

         "The amount of damage you caused to my company is insurmountable, yes. But I am not stupid. I recognize talent when I see it. Hmph, even students in our academy can't come close to what you did in the lobby," He finally turned. "I'm offering you a chance to redeem yourself, a chance to save those around you. You're a danger, a parasite, a poison, and we want to rectify it."

         "I don't have any reason to believe you," Bright growled, leaning closer towards the desk. The urge to murder Zenobia was tempting her.

         Zenobia shook his head, "Do you know how many chances I had to easily end your life? Too many to count, but I wanted you here. Sure, my methods seem extreme, but in this city, you gotta do what you gotta do to get what you want." 

         Bright sighed heavily, now thinking of all the times Prometheus had the chance. From the apartment, so when she walked outside, even in the lobby. He had a point. "So, torturing Charles every night? Just to get me here?" 

         "It's not like you love him, Cianna. Let's be real; you're only with him because he was your ticket out. Don't act like you strolled in here to save his ass." Bright scoffed at his words but didn't protest. "You feel like you owe him everything."

         "That obvious to you?" 

         "More now that you aren't putting up a fight about it." Bright looked around, her legging shaking. She felt nervous, not because of what she would do but say. 

         "Show me what I want then."

         Zenobia opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a photo, and slid it to Bright. Bright looked at it and couldn't believe what she saw: a recent photo of her family. The photo was black and white, but she recognized Luck's and Edge's faces. They were both smiling, swinging on the swing sets with her dad pushing them; they seemed so oblivious. Bright grabbed and held it close to her chest; she wanted to feel like she was hugging them. 

         "We know where they are, and they are safe." Bright looked up and saw Zenobia offering his hand. "Do we have a deal?" Bright looked at the view behind her and saw the city staring back at her. There was no rain in this reconstruction, and no tiny drops of acid no longer staining the windows. The mask the city held was no longer there; she felt it smiling back at her. 

         "What's the job?"

         Zenobia's hand fell a little, "We want you to work on a secret project code-named Red Sun, and with your Techie expertise, we believe we can make it a reality. But to count on your discretion, you'd have to cut all communications from this world and start immediately. You won't see anyone for a long time." That last part was sincere, as if Zenobia felt sympathy for Bright. She looked at the photo and clenched it. She shook Zenobia's hand firmly, and a determined smile came from him. Zenobia led Bright to the elevator to the 13th floor. As they entered the elevator, Zenobia pressed something on his touchscreen wrist, and all the light was coming back to the office. The reconstruction was fading, but Bright didn't see the room's sunshine as the elevator doors closed, she heard the last lyrics of the song she kept hearing the past two days. You don't know how heart burns.

Cianna Bright was never seen again.  

You have seven new voicemails. 

Landlord: Ms. Bright? Hello? Yes, uhh, I'm trying to reach you and let you know your rent is past due. 'Fraid I gotta kick y'all out in a few days if it's not on my desk in the next couple of days. Umm…I personally don't wanna do it, you kids don't cause a ruckus so please just Long pause city is crazy, I know that. Always tough to get a job but I hope y'all are doing okay. I'll save your stuff, keep it safe when you and Charles come back. Alright, take care now. Bye.

Charle's Mom: Bright? Are you doing alright? You missed Charlie's birthday yesterday. He kept telling me you would show up, that you were just busy taking care of some stuff but I think he was lying. Listen, you can talk to me if you can't go to Charlie. I'm always here for you. But anyway, his dad's birthday is this weekend so if you want to pop by just let me know so I could make an extra plate for you. Please take care my love, wherever you are.

Charles: Noise in the background Hello! Bri-fuck straight to voicemail. SHIT! Things breaking in the background Bright…wh-where did we go wrong? Was it the jumps? I told you they would stop. I told you it would be taken care of so you can come home now please…I have been staying at my parent's house, hoping you'd call and ask where I am…I-I kinda know of the life you had before, y'know being a Techie and stuff… Are you in danger? Am I in danger? Just it-it's hard to figure any of this shit out. Please just let me know if you're okay… Long pause, and the line disconnects suddenly 

Oliver: Hey kid, know what happened. You fucking idiot, why the fuck did you let them get to you. You seriously threw everything away to work for Prometheus, everything! Did you forget the shit we been through, the shit I taught you! No-no of course you don't because your just like every other fucking rat in this city. I hope I don't fucking see you in a suit anytime soon, because if I do, I'm putting you in the fucking ground myself. Imagine what Kota would think if he saw you now… he'd be so fucking disappointed. This number can no longer be reached. 

Beetle: Can't blame ya kid, the corpos have their ways. Don't wanna talk to you for too long, know how you corpos are busy 24/7. Just hear this advice: this is Prometheus we're talking about so you know they can manipulate shit. Don't trust anything they say, don't trust anything they give you and especially don't trust anything they promise you. Enjoy that new life you have Bright. 

Prometheus Assistant: Cianna Bright, just wanted to remind you your implant appointment is next week. Also Mr. Zannopolus wants the blueprints for Red Sun by next week, or at least an idea. That's all for now, take care. 

Karla's Kosmic Readings: Your daily Kosmic Reading has been updated for this month! This month's cards are the following: Shifts into a robotic voice The Broken Mirror, The Clock & The Eclipse. Reverts to a human voice Thank you for your time and have a wonderful day!  

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