A lone wanderer—a man with an AI embedded in his head. I wondered what anyone who stumbled upon me in this desolate place would think. Would they find me suspicious? Honestly? I would be suspicious if they didn't find me suspicious.
I glanced down at my outfit: a full-on sci-fi suit. Yeah, subtle wasn't exactly the vibe I was giving off. That wouldn't do. With a thought, I materialized something less conspicuous.
Moments later, I was clad in a sleek black jacket with a glossy, leather-like finish that exuded polish. Underneath was a fitted gray shirt that hugged my frame smoothly. Complementing it were matching black pants and sharp, stylish shoes.
The ensemble was entirely dark-toned—because honestly, black just hits different.
Underneath, I still had the suit on, of course. It fit tightly to my body, so it didn't bother me much.
Satisfied, I started walking toward the unknown, guided by nothing but instinct. I say "instinct," but really, it was a gut feeling that this direction might lead to people. I didn't take a vehicle for two reasons: one, I wanted to seem as unthreatening as possible to any humans I encountered, and two… well, vehicles probably weren't exactly commonplace if society was barely scraping by. Or maybe that was just me overthinking things again—like usual.
Truthfully, I had a lot of questions weighing on me. Where was I? How had I ended up here? Was there a way out? And the big one: did death in this world mean real death?
Of course, I couldn't just blurt these questions out. I'd need to probe carefully. But those questions had been gnawing at me since the moment I arrived and I was beginning to lose my patience, and soon, probably my sanity as well if unresolved.
Luckily, it seemed I wouldn't have to wait long for some answers. A pickup truck came rumbling toward me from the distance.
So, people do have working vehicles. Good to know.
"Sylvie, monitor for hostile intentions," I said.
"Understood," she replied, her voice calm and steady in my head.
The truck pulled up close, and three men came into view: one behind the wheel and two riding in the back.
"Hey! Identify yourself!" one of the men barked, aiming an assault rifle at me.
I raised my left hand slowly while keeping my right, which held a plasma rifle, at my side. "I'm a traveler," I called out.
I was somewhat nervous, but not for the reasons one would expect. My life wasn't in any danger. Sylvie was far faster than whatever projectile that flimsy thing could let loose. The reason I gave her the order to observe for hostile intents was that it also granted her permission to temporarily override control of my own body if need be.
Now, most would say that was a great risk to take, and they would be right. I was just the kind of person who took such risks without a care.
That aside, what I was actually nervous about was not letting it reach the point of an actual confrontation, as it would be pretty nice if these men kindly guided me to a settlement, if not simply drive me there.
The man narrowed his eyes, pointing his weapon at the plasma rifle. "What's that in your hand?"
"A self-defense weapon," I answered plainly.
For a moment, the man just stared before breaking into laughter. The other two quickly joined in.
Did I say something weird? Probably.
"Kid, where are you from?" the man finally asked, still chuckling.
This was it—the moment of truth. "Would you believe me if I said I have no idea?"
"Why bother with that when I can use this little guy?" he said, hopping off the truck and walking toward me cautiously. He extended a hand, revealing a sleek black cube.
"What's this?" I asked.
The man scoffed. "What kind of backwater are you from to not recognize a Truth Cube?"
"Uh… a pretty eventful one," I said vaguely, recalling my brief yet chaotic experiences so far.
"Figures. Probably a black zone," he muttered.
"Should I pretend to know what that means?" I asked with a dry smile.
"Doesn't matter. You'll get all the answers you need in the city."
City? Finally, some progress. Still, I noticed how nonchalant he was about my responses and the fact that I was so ignorant from his perspective. Was my case a common one or was there something else at play?
"Place your palm on it," he instructed. After confirming with Sylvie that it was safe, I complied.
"Now, answer the next five questions truthfully, got it?"
"Got it." The cube glowed blue as he continued.
"First question: Are you human?"
"Do I have to stick to 'yes' or 'no'?" I asked, just in case the questions got tricky.
The man shrugged. "Not really, but it speeds things up."
"Fine. Then, yes, I'm human."
The cube shifted to green, and I saw the tension leave the man's shoulders. "Why are you here?"
I hesitated, then opted for the truth. "I just found myself here suddenly."
The cube turned blue. Seeing that, the man blinked, muttering something under his breath. His unease was evident to me.
The other two men jumped off the truck and joined us, watching closely.
"Have you ever killed before?"
"Killed, yes—but not humans."
That got a reaction. Shock flickered across their faces as they exchanged glances.
"What exactly have you killed?" the man pressed.
"Well, I don't know their names, but one was a giant head with massive arms. The other looked human… except its legs were literal barrels."
The cube flashed green again, confirming my honesty, or so I hoped it did. It seemed to be alternating between blue and green for truthful answers.
The three men froze, staring at the device as if it had just insulted their mothers.
"Holy shit," one of them muttered. "Mark, I think this guy's a noble."
"You don't fucking say!" Mark shot back.
Then, as if on cue, all three men straightened, stiffening like soldiers.
"Markus Kennyl, 11th South Wing Division, Section Captain—reporting, sir!" the one questioning me barked.
You've got to be kidding me. What kind of misunderstanding was this?
In the back of my mind, I swear I could hear Sylvie laughing.