System Overworld: The Analog Interface

Chapter 10: Fifty-five

"Men! Follow after that mech!" Major Buccaneer ordered.

"That won't be necessary," I said as I climbed out the cockpit of my mech.

"But pilot Melders?" He questioned with much confusion.

"This is a high priority target..."

"The pilot of that mech uses weapons that require no ammunition and is also capable of stealth and flight, it's why he's considered high priority, it's why he will get away," I explained.

"Fine, we're headed back to HQ!" Buccaneer announced.

We returned to HQ and personally gave our report to the Head of the department of Defense and Protection herself, the honorable Ava Melders.

"So this mech escaped and what about the Chimera?" Ava asked sternly.

"Annihilated by my mech's dual hadron cannons," I replied.

"Excellent job, Devina!" A voice chimed in.

It was the Head of the department of Research and Technology, Professor Jeremiah Wellington.

"Thank you very much for dealing with that," he thanked me, whilst placing a hand on my shoulder..

"Why did a Chimera attack Devina and more importantly why did it come from your department?!" Ava questioned sternly as she got up from behind her desk knocking over her pencil holder.

"In the name of science of course!" He replied earnestly.

"That test subject was able to resist mutation until stage five, however it was deeply synced to it's anger. Not worry though, I'll also work on that," he explained.

Upon hearing that Ava seemed to only grow angrier.

"You used a slave trader, from the land of Aegis as a test subject!" She bolted.

"And you risked killing Devina, by bringing someone who naturally abhors her!" She continued.

"Ah but she didn't die and she got revenge!" He said happily.

"You're a sick man Wellington, get out of my building!" She shouted as she gesture to the door.

Jeremiah then shrugged his shoulders and left the office, Buccaneer saluted us and also left. Ava then came up to me and shrouded me into a warm embrace.

"I promised that I'd protect you from those Aegis swines..." She said softly.

"It's ok," I replied.

"It called you fifty-five didn't it?" She asked.

"Yes..." I murmured as I looked downwards at the floor.

"When I brought you here, I intended to protect you from all that, I'm sorry," she apologized as she gave a partial bow.

"It's ok," I replied.

"When I'm done with work, I'll join you at home for dinner," she said whilist smiling.

I left the office to head home after we both waved goodbye. Ava was the only reason, I lived in Avalon, she was also the reason I had a home as well as the opportunity to work and attend school. She was also the person who gave me my name, Devina Melders.

Originally I was from the land of Aegis. Aegis was a land similar to that of Avalon, however it didn't have the ability to protect it's citizens from the Chimera virus like Avalon did. Statistically speaking Avalon was an entire sixty-six percent better than that Aegis, also Aegis was known world wide to hold the most amount of virus infected citizens. This made the cost of living in Aegis really high, unlike Avalon which had four districts, Aegis had three. The first district consisted of the main family, who were the most powerful and most wealthy, there members consisted of the emperor and his family of twelve wives, thirty sons and twenty-four daughters. Then there was second district, this district consisted of families and tradesmen who worked under the emperor's family. Then there was third district, which consisted of the slaves who were bought and sold by the tradesmen of the second district, here was also where the most amount of Chimeras dwelled.

Aegis was obviously a weak nation, if any nation wanted they could easily destroy us. However, emperor Ali had agreed to give other nations rare metals from the thriving mines as well as food supplies for a substantial amount of money and the arrangements that they wouldn't be overthrown. Of course it was slaves like me that was forced to work in these mines and fields.

I was sold to a farmer along with hundreds of other slaves. We didn't have names since we didn't have parents to name us, what we had was a slave mark and number. I was KP-055, this number was burnt onto my back along with my mark.

I had began working in the wheat fields at the age of six. The work itself was grueling as the fields had workable land but the nation would often suffer long droughts many times a year.

The sun scorched the land and the ground blistered my feet. None of the slaves had any foot wear and we had to break the stalks of the wheat rather than cutting them as we had no tools to work with.

"Get up slave!" A man who rode on a horse shouted, as he whipped a slave.

The man was one of the sons of our master, he would often be on his horse as he whipped any slave who couldn't continue working.

"Come now, beating him like that isn't going to make him get up," another brother said as he came walking by.

"Oh yeah, then what do you suggest?" The horseman questioned.

A sly smile appeared on the face of the brother who was on foot.

"We both whip him," He said as he brought out his whip snapping a few times, captivating the attention of all nearby slaves.

The slave was an old man probably eighty-three years old and both brothers whipped him mercilessly and laughed whole heartedly as he bellowed screams of agony into the air.

His dark skin was riddled with red blistered marks as he trembled, trying to sob quietly to himself.

"You're crying are you?" The horseman questioned.

"Let me give you something to cry for!" He shouted as he began whipping him again.

The old man wriggled and squirmed with each shot groaning and sobbing in pain as the shots echoed through the fields catching the attention of every slave at work.

"You slimy slaves sicken me!" He announced, as the whip tore through the air.

As he whipped him faster and harder. I recoiled every time the whip struck his body. I began to tremble in fear, the other slaves also felt vivid emotions, mostly of fear and panic and some anger and disgust.

"What're you looking at slimes!" He announced, as he whipped the empty air, releasing a loud crack of sound.