Scans and Ian

Chapter One

It was a dim early morning, and not exactly a lively sight. Everything was coldly asleep, except for one awake below a cave. Through the various layers of security set up and going down below to the basement was a room decorated with unfinished machinery and circuitry. Strips of bulbs were hung about in tangled bundles to make these dark surroundings visible, and visibility was very much needed for the tasks the cave's dweller was performing. Hunched up next to an ashy, slightly rotted oak desk, his hands were busy operating on a board of machinery. Eyes were focused on every tiny pin, diode and capacitor, hoping to not mix then up and cause a small yet blinding explosion. Finally, after such undeserved labor for such a grueling and arduous task, he put all the parts back together, covering it back in its case. He was finally done fixing his phone.

The phone was probably the most important thing to have those days. It was the door to everything, food, luxury and some form of human interaction. He squeezed one of its buttons, and the phone's blue light rose to strike his deprived and hungry eyes. He just stared at it for the four or five seconds it shined, until it went completely red with black text, saying;

"UNIDENTIFIED PARTS DETECTED. Please scan at your nearest store."

That nearest store was at the capital. What was the capital? Besides being a measly few miles away, the capital was small, yet the most important area in the entire world. More important than multiple countries, though such a term was redundant at the time. In the center of the capital was a tall tower which contained the servers that held control over the entire world. The tower had all of the security measures in check, there was no chance of the servers ever being damaged; and right beside the tower was a humble, small tech store. Unfortunately for Ian here, his work wasn't done and now he had to go to that store to scan the phone in order to verify it to these servers, like with all technology. For one of the few times ever, Ian had to go outside.

Being outside may sound like a healthy time, but not in those days. On one hand, there were the parts outside of the capital. It was complete desert all around. it would be rare to find even a corpse, let alone any living thing. The advantage was that it was barren, so hopefully Ian wouldn't have any trouble crossing. On the other hand, was the capital, which seemed like a polar opposite to the area surrounding it. It was completely futuristic, surrounded and handled by robots and drones. Ian didn't know much about the capital, though he did know that his phone was the only way of getting inside regardless.

So, wearing protective clothing, he came out of his house and set up a forcefield with multiple scans and measures. This was all for security, but it was an absurd amount of security, even for him. There was probably more security set up for his cave than even the servers at the capital. He bent down to press a button on his boots. They glowed and he whizzed away to his journey. For about 15 minutes, the journey was relatively uneventful and he was clearing distance efficiently. Until, he suddenly stopped and spotted a meek pigeon going the same path he was. It was the only sign of life he had ever found in this desert; in the few times he went outside; and it got completely obliterated by a semi-visible forcefield. Inferring that his path was blocked, he had to go through a detour.

His left was a path down a plateau obscured by hills and the sun and it led to the backside of the capital. It was usually completely empty, besides some animal skeletons decorating the place. Ian expected it to be a safe path to go through, but of course nothing seemed to be going his way today. As he moved down to the plateau, he saw multiple tents made of rags haphazardly pitched, while there was scrap and junk all around. The vast plateau was transformed into a narrow path that he had no choice but to cross. Walking down, he caught glimpses of stares snarling at him. These people were obscured in their little homes and dens, but their eyes were enough warning that he should not be here. Even if he decided to change his mind and tweak his boots again, he would be caught dead if he tried to bend down even slightly. Straight posture, a brisk pace, and social awareness was what he had to remember for now. That did protect him for a brief while, until... WHACK! A metal bat struck the back of his skull and his life flashed before his eyes as he fell down to the hot soil.