The Annihilation Code

Prologue: 𐘾 Patch Contreras 𐘾

Do you ever feel alone in life? Do you ever feel like no one is there to listen to you? If you've ever felt that way, here's some good news, you're never alone. Literally. The Bionic Corp is always watching you. They listen to everything you say. At least, they try to.

I've been evading Bionic Corp for over thirty years. You may be asking yourself, how is this possible? Well, believe it or not, I used to work for them. I was one of their cybernetic soldiers; I was pretty damn good at my job, too. Until I found out about all the dark secrets the company was hiding. My real name is classified, so everyone around here calls me Patch. I got this name after my grand escape from the BC left me with only one eye. I'm not offended by the nickname. I'm very proud of my patch. It's a reminder that I'm the only person who's ever successfully deserted. Well, at least I was until tonight.

On this stormy evening, I was tinkering away in my workshop like I do every night. I've started my own small business of doing repairs for underprivileged cyborgs at a cheaper rate than Bionic Corp charges. I've never really been the charitable type, but I'm willing to do anything to screw over Bionic Corp. On the night my life changed forever, there was a faint knock on my door. "We're closed." I shouted, not looking up from my project.

The voice of a young girl responded. "Please sir, you have to let us in!"

I scoffed. "No, I don't."

She began to sob loudly outside the door.

Dammit, she's going to cause a scene. "Listen up kiddo, I'm putting my foot down," I literally stomped on the ground to make my point. "Nothing you say is going to convince me to let you in here."

"Please," she sobbed. "Catalina Contreras told us you'd help. She said you were the best person in the world at fixing cyborgs."

I flung the door open. "Who told you that name? Was it the Corp? Did they tell you to say that?"

The girl shook her head.

"Then where the hell did you get that name?"

The girl trembled. "She was our mother."

I scanned the girl up and down. There was no denying it, she was the spitting image of Catalina. I hadn't seen my sister in decades, but when I looked in this girl's face, it was like I was back in Chile, counting the sailing ships with my sister again, and I don't know what to do with these emotions and memories I've locked away for so long. "Come in." Is all I managed to utter.

She stepped inside the workshop. She cradled something wrapped in an old tarp in her arms, like it was the most precious thing in the world.

"Do you got a name?"

"Marisa." She whispered.

"What's in the tarp?" I ask with my arms crossed.

She set the tarp on the ground and gently unwrapped the precious cargo.

It took me a while to fully realize what I was seeing. It was a cyborg. His cybernetics were completely destroyed. Both of his arms and legs had been ripped to shreds, along parts of his face, and most noticeably, his voice box had been violently ripped out in a clearly intentional way. Why would someone do that? It was hard to believe there was a time when he was human. There was nothing but scraps left of him.

"I need you to fix him!" The girl held him in her arms.

I sighed. "There's nothing I can do for him kid, he's too far gone."

"Please he's my brother!"

"You stating his relation to you will not change the fact I don't know how to resurrect the dead."