The Run

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It is just another day at the facility, the lower-class bots and human workers carrying out their tasks as usual. The room where the prisoners are kept is dimly lit with silence resting peacefully. Outside in another room, all the upper bots stand in a line with their chargers plugged in, stillness dominating this room as well. Back in the inmate section, all the pods are lined up in rows, and there is a slight mist contributing to the room temperature. The sun is shining brightly outside with a few rays creeping into the room through the half-drawn blinds. This tranquillity could have prevailed smoothly if not for that sudden slight spark in one of the pods.

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With a bluish-white flash, it starts filling with smoke. Kera is plugged into her regular deep sleep, but something interrupts her head gear programming. ‘She had been running harder than ever with the monstrous creature behind her. It didn’t matter that her feet were bleeding because of stepping on multiple thorns in the forest. She knew it would be her last day if she couldn’t escape it.’ This intense struggle was the only thing trying hard to pull her back in but she was waking up. With an instant trickle down her spine and a sudden jolt, she opens her eyes. For a few seconds, all she could see were flashes of white light. Then slowly, the surroundings started piecing themselves together and she found herself cramped into a small compartment with glass walls. ‘This was no forest, and there was no monster to run from.’

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Shivering with cold, her head felt like she had hit a hard rock. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her body and looked around the room, confused. She was seated on a small recliner chair, now releasing grey smoke from its side. Slowly she pushes herself to sit up and in an instant the pain shot up her back, occupying her mind. Gathering more courage, she tried again and putting her feet down, she sat up. For a few moments, she felt completely helpless and paralysed. Her body seemed to not be responding to her brain and as she tried taking a small step towards the translucent door, no wonder within seconds, she was hugging the shiny-white floor. Her head suddenly felt heavy and as she tried to reach up to hold it, she felt a hard metallic surface. It made sense now; she was wearing a metallic headset and she half-heartedly rubbed against the gear to push it off her head.

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The heaviness soon subsides a little and she is able to stand straighter with the support of the translucent walls. She starts to feel a little claustrophobic and decides to leave the room. Slowly pushing the door open, she limps out of the pod and stands for a few minutes just breathing in and out to release the smoke from her system. After a few moments of leaning on the wall, she closes the door, and something catches her eye.

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A small plate stuck on the door reads,

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Pod - 1379

Kera Bane

Class A

Year (2042 – 2052)

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She reads that with a dumbfounded expression on her face; realising that she’s not able to regain any memory of herself or where she is. Maybe my name is Kera? What does Class A mean? she wonders. What are the numbers below?

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While thinking about it, she starts walking down a darker hallway. The end of the hall is marked with a door comparatively bigger than her pod door. She pushes it open with a heavy sound and carefully steps out peeping out from behind. The hallway is darker and even quieter than inside the room. There is a board hanging outside the room labelled ‘Inmate Ward 3’. Somehow reading that doesn’t make her feel very safe and she knows that she needs to leave this place. It feels like it won’t turn out pretty if she gets caught. There is a surge of bright light visible at the end of the hallway. She quietly tiptoes towards it, subtly peeping into a few rooms as she passes by for any signs of life. She glances at a room full of hundreds of robots. To her, they looked like they were sleeping, sort of taking a midday nap. They all look the same with identical features except for the numbers marked on them, looking like they were made in a series and every version was better than its last. It almost seemed like they’d suddenly open their eyes and bow down to the robot labelled ‘Hollow 99.’ At that moment they seemed more human than Kera felt since she opened her eyes.

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Reaching the end of the hall, she slowly pries the door open and comes face to face with the backside of a beat-up robot that looks like it’s mopping the floor. It has a long mop coming out of its stomach and it rolls on its wheels slowly while cleaning the floor. She clasps her hand on her mouth immediately and thankfully the robot does not hear anything. She goes back in and waits for the robot to leave. This suddenly makes her wonder how different this robot was from the ones she saw before. They somewhat looked superior to this one, like this one was so old that all it could do was clean. The one’s before looked much more modernised with their hovering on the ground, but this one had brown rusty wheels. Once the robot was gone, she came out the door. Following a few exit signs, she decides to take a backside ramp all the way down to the bottom of the building. After walking for quite some time, she reaches the bottom and sees a vast desert in front of her eyes.

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The dry redness of the scenery is completely contrasting with the brightness inside the building.  It takes Kera a few minutes to adjust to that sight full of all sizes of rocks, and sand as thin as the wind that’s blowing it. Far away in her vision, she can see a civilisation of sorts. It feels like the closest thing to any answers she can get and thus is where she decides to go. Walking all the way there through the desert seems like a better idea than taking the lone road she can spot there. It looks like the obvious route where she may get caught. So, with a determined mind and a thirsty throat, she starts walking towards her destination.

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…

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*Back in the facility*

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There are almost ten robots in a single row with around ten rows in the room. They all look pretty much identical except for the fact that there is a different number printed on every robot. Apart from that, they have an all-white metallic body, and they hover on the ground instead of standing or being placed there.

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There is a beep and one of the robots lights up with its big blue eyes suddenly opening.

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“This is Hollow 2.0

Malfunction in pod 1379.

Prisoner missing.

Find inmate Kera Bane.”

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“This is Hollow 2.0

Malfunction in pod 1379.

Prisoner missing.

Find inmate Kera Bane.”

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The robot keeps repeating this, leaves its charging point and hovers out of the room towards the exit. The first plan of action is to search the entire facility. Hollow 2.0 does so by going to every floor and scanning every room and ward area through its radar and finally concluding that the missing prisoner is not inside the facility. It realises that the prisoner might have escaped and thus it needs to carry out the next protocol.

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“Initiate Protocol 2.1

Check the city and report back.

Find inmate Kera Bane.”

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“Initiate Protocol 2.1

Check the city and report back.

Find inmate Kera Bane.”

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Repeating this, as usual, Hollow 2.0 proceeds towards the city to look for Kera.

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…

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On the outskirts of the city, Kera almost reaches the entrance where she sees extreme security. This is the first place where she sees a human population and it relieves her as much as it alarms her. She decides that hiding behind a big rock was the safest option at that moment. She hadn’t seen any signs of life in the building before and looking at so many humans gave her a great sense of relief to know that she was not the only one. It was then she realised how scared she had been since she woke up. It had been just a series of confusing events and she was determined to find some answers here.

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There’s no way I’d just be able to walk in, I need a cover, she thought. Just as she was working the wheels of her brain, she saw a vehicle hovering towards the gate. It was a weird-looking car. It seemed like a normal, open cart that they transport goods in but that was hovering a bit above the ground rather than touching it fully.

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“You always say the same thing!” the man in the cart exclaimed at the woman.

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“But you never listen to me!” the woman argued back.

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“When have I not listened to your useless tantrums, tell me.”

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“What happened the last time we had to take Chip to the doctor?”

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“Oh, for god’s sake, Chip is a robot, and the doctor is just a technician!” “That’s it, I’m stopping here. You go back home by yourself.”

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“Fine, whatever.”

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The vehicle comes to a stop a few feet away from Kera’s hiding place. Kera was not going to miss this chance and the moment her way was clear, she ran towards the vehicle and carefully jumped in the back, hoping no one saw her.

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The back was full of random mechanical tools like screws, pliers, bolts, screwdrivers, etc. It was all covered with a big black sheet and so Kera snuck under it in case someone checks the vehicle. Soon she felt the vehicle move and then, without doubt, stop again a few seconds later. She crunched her eyes shut. Somewhere outside, she could hear a faint conversation between the guard and the man driving the cart. To her relief, it started to move again, and she felt the gate open up in front. Once she felt some time pass, she slowly removed the cover and peeped out to see a very busy marketplace.

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She crawls out of the slowly moving cart and carefully jumps out, so it doesn’t look suspicious to the outsiders. She had planned to just walk around for some time to see if there is any place she vaguely remembered. She sees an abandoned cloth on the roadside and picks it up, using it as a cloak to hide her face. While walking she encounters a lot of anxious shopkeepers.

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“Hi there, miss, would you like to look at our new insurance policies?”

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“Hello there, want a new arm for your robot?”

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“Hi dear, would you like some stylish switches for your house?”

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“You miss, would you want protection from foreign robot invaders?”

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To all these questions, she just replied with a “no, thank you” and kept walking further. After a few kilometres was when she came across a small old chamber with a door. It looked like any other boxy structure she could see out there, and there were so many of them. It could hardly pass off as a house and yet something about it seemed intriguing. It was pulling her in, wanting her to enter like it was hiding away some secrets within.

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It seems to be like a house but isn’t it too small to be one? She thought to herself.

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Just when she was about to enter, she heard a noise from afar and a loud scratchy one saying,

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“Protocol 2.1 initiated.

Check the city and report back.

Find inmate Kera Bane.”

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…

 

Just hearing that name alarmed Kera. She knew instantly that something was not right and that she may be in danger. Hurriedly rushing into the house, she closed the door behind her and waited for a few seconds till she heard the mechanical voice passing by the house and further down the street. Once she felt safe by her coverage, breathing heavily, she opened her eyes to a dark yet bright room. Everything was white and bland, with no sign of any kind of life. It made her feel just as anxious as safe. There was this cold, eerie feeling lingering in the air. All she could see were white walls at two arm’s length and a white, luminous button in front of her foot. This looks like a small cubicle. Wasn’t this supposed to be a living quarter? Did I assume wrong? She wondered for a few seconds until she stepped forward and heard a clicking sound.

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Looking down, she had stepped on that button accidentally and in the blink of an eye, the entire place started expanding. It suddenly turned into a beautiful house with a living room, kitchen, hallways with doors (behind which there would be rooms, she assumed), and a garden on the backside. The living room, which was the first thing she walked in, seemed well-maintained. The stillness made it look like no one had touched it for weeks like it was tidy because of not being dirty in the first place. She couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed. Just to confirm what her eyes had just shown her, she walked back to the switch on the floor and stepped on it again. Just as she had suspected, the entire house turned back to that small four-walled cubicle, like before.

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She was just processing this information when the door suddenly opened again and in walked a man. He seemed almost the same age as her and his good-looking features and still face made him a little mysterious. He was wearing dirt-covered shoes and his clothes were white with blue stripes running down his feet and he carried a sort of tablet with a toolkit in his left hand. A thin black coloured thread hung around his neck with a weird-looking pendant on it. The moment his eyes landed on her; his expression turned into complete confusion. They just stood there for a few seconds, him seeming to absorb her presence. Then suddenly his expression changed into something familiar,

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“Kera?”

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“What?”

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“You, Kera Bane. But how?”

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“I’m Kera? Do you know me? Who are you?”

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Kera saw something flash across his eyes, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. The man seemed just as confused as Kera, but he still had the upper hand in the situation. Finally, he looked her straight in the eye and said,

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“You don’t remember me? I’m Jared. Ring any bells?”

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“Not really, but you know who I am. Don’t you?”

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“Yes of course I know who you are, you’re my best friend. But you aren’t supposed to be here. At least not so soon.”

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“What do you mean by that?”

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“You’re supposed to be in the Nador Facility, aren’t you? Do you not remember what happened? What are you suddenly doing in my house?”

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“Is this your house? Have I been here before?”

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“Yes, of course, you have. We used to hang out here all the time with my brother, remember?”

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“Your brother?”

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Kera’s question somehow seemed to make this man, Jared, sad because he suddenly looked too tired to be standing. Removing his shoes slowly, he stepped on the switch again and the entire house came to life. He then casually walked to the living room and plopped down on the sofa. His head hung a little lower as he let out a small sigh. It appeared that he was having trouble talking about this, but he slowly gained his composure and said, “Yes, my brother, Tony. He passed away two years back and I don’t think you remember him, but he was very fond of you.” Jared gave Kera a weak smile as she walked over to where he sat. He did not give her any more information on what happened to his brother, and it didn’t seem like he wanted to. Kera didn’t push him any further as well.

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As they sat there, she suddenly remembered the reality of the situation.

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“Hey if you say you know me, can you tell me more? I don’t seem to remember anything; I don’t even know what that place was, where I came from.”

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She knew that there was no evidence to trust a stranger with anything he said. She had no means of confirming how they knew each other but for some reason, it felt right, like she was supposed to be there.

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“This might come off as a little shocking but the place you just came from was the Nador Facility. That is where they keep all the criminals to serve their sentence.”

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“Criminals? What do you mean?”

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“Are you sure, you’ll be okay knowing this? It might be too much for one sitting.”

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“I’m sure about this, I want to know.”

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“Okay, so a few years back, around 2036 to be exact, you were the president of a gaming company. You used to create small virtual reality games that were popular around town. Out of all your games, there was one that was especially loved by the public, it was called ‘The Run.’ It started as a simple hurdle run game where people had an obstacle course and a destination to reach. The game was very nerve-wracking and thrilling, to be honest. As time passed, within two years, the game had gained so much popularity that there was no one living here that hadn’t played it.

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But popularity comes with a price. As the game progressed with different levels and obstacles, it became more and more action-packed. Soon people were running each other over with their cars for the sake of the game and there were quite some brutal incidents that took place. I don’t think you realised it, but the game was slipping out of your control and there finally came a day that you had to shut it down. But by then, too much damage was done, and the authorities had decided upon a trial. After the trial, you were sentenced to ten years in prison, and you were locked up in the facility.

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I don’t know a lot of what happened after that since outsiders are not allowed to visit but I’ve heard terrible things about that place. I heard they put you to sleep with your worst nightmare playing in your head. You are made to repent your crimes by the means of reliving them or something.

This is as far as I know about what happened.”

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It was a lot for Kera to take in at once. It felt like she used to be a completely different person before she woke up. All of what she just heard sounded so terrifying for her as well as the people that got trapped under her game. For a few minutes, she just sat there, taking in all that information. It was so hard to believe that all this had happened, and she remembered nothing of it.

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“But Kera, you weren’t supposed to be out for another 2 years. I did not expect to see you here at all.”

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“I think some malfunction happened in the place I was kept in. When I woke up, there was smoke everywhere and I had no idea of what the reality was. One moment I was in a forest running for my life and next, I was on a chair in a smoke-filled room.”

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“You were in your own game? There used to be a level in your game that was set in a forest and some kind of monster used to act as a stimulus for the players to run and provide that thrill.”

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“Yes, I did have a creature running behind me, but it was more realistic than how it would have been in a game. It felt like I was present there in real life and if I didn’t run, it would have been my last day alive.”

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“Dear god, that sounds terrible. This must be exactly what I heard about that place. It may also be the reason a Hollow bot has been roaming around town since morning.”

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“A Hollow bot?”

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“Hollow bots are those robots that take charge of the Facility. The facility has very minimal human security. It mostly consists of these series of Hollow bots that secure the area. The malfunction in your pod must’ve been the reason why this robot has been out there all day.”

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“This is quite a lot of information for me so instantly, but I need to know more. Jared, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do now. I need to escape this place but at the same time I need to know more about my identity.”

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Kera seemed needy as she asked Jared to help her unravel who she was. She also knew that he was someone she had just met, but his kind behaviour all the while was making all her doubts subside slowly. She knew he was the only one who could give her any sort of information at that moment. She knew no one else and she wanted all the help she could get from Jared. If there was a single chance that he knew more about what happened to her, she was ready to take whatever risk for that information.

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…

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After some thought, they decided to visit Kera’s old workplace in hopes of jogging her memory. They left the house and walked in a more secluded area, away from the usual hustle-bustle of the streets. As they walked, Kera was somehow lost in thought, just following Jared so he could lead her to their destination. She thought about all that had happened till now. Not only the things that she had to experience but also the information she had just received, her previous life, and its consequences on the public. They walked for some time through the less-busy parts of the city. As she looked around, she saw all kinds of things from the human population to robots and devices that looked like they were controlled by machines. There was so much here that she didn’t know about and so much to learn from. There were opportunities out everywhere, yet it seemed like the world wasn’t living at its maximum potential.

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As she wondered all this, Jared came to a stop in front of an abandoned building. Kera stood there closely looking at every aspect of it. It seemed so distant yet so familiar. She was wracking her brain for any memory, or any piece of information hidden deep inside.

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“Anything?” asked Jared.

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“Not really.” Kera sighed.

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…

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As they walked to a nearby alley wondering what to do next, a loud mechanical voice echoed through the air. Jared suddenly looked up, but it was too late for any of them to run away.

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“Protocol 2.1 initiated”

Check the city and report back.

Find inmate Kera Bane.”

 

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“Inmate found.

Taking the inmate back to the facility.”

 

A Hollow robot came hovering towards them, its arm slowly stretching out of its sockets and the hands stretching into a claw-like grip. It came towards them with a good speed, almost catching Kera in the process but she somehow managed to jump out of its line of vision. Exactly the next moment, its arms came to catch Kera again without giving her enough time to dodge but as she stood there waiting for the worst to happen, the robot’s arms went past her and tried to catch Jared. He tried to escape when they realised that Kera was standing confused, and the robot wasn’t trying to catch her. In a few moments, the robot’s programming pointed to the fact that Kera was a different human than the one it was trying to catch. For a few moments, the robot faced confusion. It had to catch Kera, but his scan showed that she was incapable of any harm. It was the other human with her that seemed harmful and full of contempt. This was when the robot decided to take matters into its own hands.

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“Scan complete.

Threat detected, there is a possibility of harm.

Eradicate the threat.

Catch the human.”

 

“Scan complete.

Threat detected, there is a possibility of harm.

Eradicate the threat.

Catch the human.”

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As the Hollow bot kept repeating that, Kera found it very hard to comprehend what was happening. Why was the robot trying to catch Jared instead of her and why did it think Jared was a threat? Hollow 2.0 was still on Jared’s tail, not giving up any chance to catch him. Jared ran around an abandoned cart and hid behind it, blocking himself from the robot’s vision. Kera just stood in a corner watching this,

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“Not me you idiot, catch her. She’s the real culprit. She’s Kera Bane.”

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“Why are you urging the robot to catch me?” Kera screamed out, confused.

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“Why won’t I? You killed my brother. You are the reason my life is like this.”

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“What are you talking about?” Now, she had no idea what was happening.

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“Remember my brother Tony? He used to be addicted to your game. When I realised that it wasn’t very good for a sixteen-year-old, I came to you as your friend. I told you all about my input on the game but you, drowning in power and money, completely disregarded my concerns. I tried to stop Tony too, but it was too late. The next thing I knew, I was conducting his funeral.”

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“I…I…I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

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“Of course, you didn’t, I had the perfect chance to get you caught and put back in the prison, but I don’t know why this robot is trying to catch me instead.”

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“Inmate innocent.

Scan complete.

Threat detected, there is a possibility of harm.

Eradicate the threat.

Catch the human.”

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“You’re a robot! You can’t turn against your programming. Why are you not catching an escaped prisoner?”

 

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“Inmate innocent.

Catch the other human.

Threat detected, there is a possibility of harm.”

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“To hell with this, I’d rather go to prison for murder than live a torturous life like this!”

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One moment Jared was hiding under the fallen cart, the next he came out running towards Kera. It all happened in a matter of a few seconds, Jared running, eyes bloodshot, his face covered with tears, and a broken piece of glass clenched in his hand. A small trickle of blood ran down his hand with droplets spilling on the ground as he ran. His heart clenched, beating faster and faster, and with every falling drop, he came closer to Kera. In the blink of an eye, Jared stood inches apart from her, his hand still holding the broken glass. Only this time, the other end of it had surged through Kera’s stomach. She felt a sudden sting like someone hit her with a jolt of electricity in her gut.

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As she stood there pressing her stomach, looking down on the river of blood bursting through, her blurry eyes saw the Hollow bot clenching and pulling Jared away. All she could focus on was her short, rapid breathing. There was no one in that alley to come help her as she lay in the pool of her blood.

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“Kera, I’m sorry.

I just don’t know how to escape from this torture of not having Tony around.

I’m sorry for all this, please understand me.

I’d rather die than live like this.

I’m sorry.”

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She could hear a voice constantly screaming from somewhere far away but fading away with time. To an extent, she felt free as she was giving up on her life. She felt relieved from her past and all the pain she’d caused to multiple people. She wasn’t sure if she would have been able to continue living life with that guilt. She lay there feeling liberated as she took her last breaths and very slowly closed her eyes.

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…

 

 

*GAME OVER*

TOUCH THE SIDE OF THE GEAR TO RESTART

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…

 

“Aww, man! How come I died again?!”

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Kera exclaimed as she removed her headgear. Slowly her surroundings became clearer, and her table clock came into view.

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2:48 PM

17th June 2062

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“Oh my god, it is past lunchtime! I’ve spent three hours on this game, mom’s going to kill me.”

As if on cue, Mom screamed out to Kera, “Kera this is the last time I’m going to call you for lunch, or you won’t get it.”

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“Coming Mom!”

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“Hollow shut the lights and game player.”

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…

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“Yes Kera, switching off lights and game player.”

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…

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*The room turns dark*