Several giant screens illuminated the streets of the city of Kal, the second-richest city on planet R2, a center of commerce and technological advances. On the screen a man proudly held an attention-grabbing device.
The crowd showed different emotions but the most shown were of surprise and happiness looking at the screen that projected an image of the tablet that represented the most significant advance of mankind.
While the tablet was the center of all dreams, it was also the focus of growing distrust. Rumors circulating in the darker corners of Kal and its environs were beginning to take hold. The tablet was said to be a prototype that had serious flaws that had not been disclosed to the public.
Some spoke of people who had mysteriously disappeared, others mentioned terrifying stories of failed teleports that had left them stranded in unknown places, far from the safety of home.
The official web pages denied all of this, labeling them as mere conspiracy theories, but the doubt remained alive in the minds of a few.
Despite the fears and warnings of those who dared to talk about the device, the desire to own the technology was uncontrollable. The tablet promised a future of knowledge and power that some could not even imagine. High-profile dealers and millionaires, always eager to access the latest fashions of the rich and powerful, were offering astronomical sums for the tablet.
There were those who dreamed of using it to explore unreachable worlds, to venture into the remotest corners of the universe that humans have not yet encountered, beyond the reach of law or government surveillance. These individuals saw in the tablet the forbidden. But, on the other hand, there were those who desired it solely for the status it conferred. Having a tablet meant being at the top of the social pyramid, a symbol of power, exclusivity and wealth.
At that precise moment, when rumors were still circulating without daring to do so. A thief whose reputation as the best in the business had been forged by impeccable achievements: masterpieces of stealth, robberies that seemed to defy any security system. This would be his last blow, the greatest of all, before retiring to another planet to enjoy a life of luxury.
Wearing a black suit, which absorbed light and allowed him to move like a shadow through the darkness. His backpack, carefully equipped with a variety of state-of-the-art tools, weighed lightly. Among them, a device that emits electromagnetic waves specially designed to block the alarms and alter the security cameras in his radal and which he used, waiting a few minutes before being able to continue on his way.
Security is difficult to avoid but not impossible.
He finally reached the room that guarded him, which was sealed with a complex system of security codes. The thief removed a palm-sized device from his backpack, connected it to the door control panel, and lines of data began to display on the device's screen.
A couple of seconds later, the device emitted a faint beep. Then, with a soft whirring sound, the gears inside the door activated. A second later, the door slid aside, letting out a faint whisper.
The interior of the room was dark, barely illuminated by the dim bluish light of the security systems. In the center was the tablet. It was protected inside a glass capsule, surrounded by lasers that projected a hypnotic pattern on the walls.
The thief smiled to himself. He had faced more complicated systems. Wasting no time, he unfolded another tool, a thin device attached to a nearby panel. His fingers worked deftly as he manipulated the controls. Finally, a subtle click broke the silence. The laser lines flickered once before shutting off completely.
He moved forward without a care in the world, his hand reaching into the capsule, opening the compartment. He stowed the tablet carefully in his backpack, making sure it was well protected.
He had succeeded.
Just as he turned to leave the site, a growing buzz filled the air. The laser jamming device he had used had reached its time limit. At that precise moment they fired at him, not hurting him but detecting him.
A patrol drone burst into the place. The thief frowned as he heard the alarms begin to echo deafeningly, while the lights flickered bright red, casting chaotic, distorted shadows on the walls.
The thief started to run, jumped over a workbench, kicking the drone in mid-flight. The impact sent him flying into a bookshelf. Without pausing to look back, he ran at full speed through the corridors of the complex. His breathing became heavy as a swarm of machines followed close behind, their engines whirring and their guns preparing to fire.
The doors in the hallway began to close automatically in front of him, forcing him to look for other routes and corridors. His eyes searched desperately for an exit until he spotted an open room. He slipped inside just in time, forcing the door shut by banging on the panel. The echoing pounding on the door soon followed, each impact louder than the last.
The thief's eyes moved frantically around the room. Near a corner, a small, dimly lit window caught his attention. It was positioned next to a ventilation duct, too high to reach easily. Wasting no time, he began stacking everything he could find: boxes, desks, even a rusty old shelf. The metal of the door began to heat up and twist under the pressure of the machines on the other side, as sweat began to run down his forehead.
Trying to calm himself as his heart pounded hard in his chest. He closed his eyes for a second, controlling the panic that threatened to take hold of him, and kept moving, not planning to stop.
When he reached the window, he didn't hesitate. He hit the glass hard, shattering it into pieces. Ignoring the small cuts on his hand, he pushed his backpack through the opening before propelling himself with all his might. The edges of the window ripped the fabric of his clothes and scratched his skin, but he managed to pull himself out, falling into the void.
A stabbing pain shot through his legs when he landed wrong, but he didn't stop to assess the injuries. He heard an explosion behind him: the door to the room had given way, and the swarm of machines was coming out of the window he had broken, now in fresh pursuit.
With his pulse racing and adrenaline dominating every muscle in his body, he grabbed his backpack and started running again. The lights outside flickered dimly, but the path was clear. He had to get to his lair before they caught up with him.
Every step was a challenge against exhaustion. The thief was fighting against his own body, which was begging him to stop, to rest.
All around him, the streets vibrated with the frenetic activity of people and flying vehicles, thinking he was safe he began to slow down a little. He felt the graze of one of the shots near his head, followed by more gunshots. In the blink of an eye, the crowd around him began to panic, running in all directions, as vehicles came to a screeching halt.
He took advantage of the chaos to blend into the crowd. They were being shot at mercilessly, no matter who was in their way.
The pain of his exhausted muscles grew stronger and stronger, but the threat of drones and gunfire was still there, relentless.
In a sudden turn, he darted into a dark alleyway, illuminated only by flashes of light from nearby stores. The shadows seemed to swallow his figure as he advanced. I knew there was only one option left. He had to use the tablet he had in his backpack. He knew it was a risk, that it might not work, but he could not afford any other alternative.
As best he could, he took the tablet out of the backpack. He looked at it in frustration as he noticed that it had suffered some damage to the screen. A curse escaped his lips, but as he felt another brush near his shoulder, he bit his tongue, forcing himself to swallow his words.
He activated the device and entered random coordinates. As the tablet lit up with a blinding energy that illuminated the entire alley, paralyzing the drones and forcing him to close his eyes.
He felt something crash against his body making him fall, the tablet was pushed away from his hands a few centimeters. The stranger's hands tried to grab it and shout something, he did not hear it, as he was more focused on holding the device.
He struggled to free himself. The tablet was within his reach, just a little further away. He reached up and managed to grab it, feeling it vibrate with a palpable energy, almost as if it had a life of its own. The device began to hum, the sound growing into an uncontrollable, overwhelming vibration.
Just as the stranger managed to grab one of his hands, the tablet exploded in a blinding flash, an explosion of light that engulfed them both. A cry of pain escaped from both of them, unable to withstand the intensity of the energy that overflowed all around them. The light itself was beginning to burn their eyes, even with their eyelids closed, the glare was seeping in, hurtful, painful.
In less than a blink of an eye, both disappeared, swallowed by the void left behind by the blast. Only the smoke was left behind, floating slowly, like a specter.
When the light manifested again, it dropped both of them into a completely different environment.
The thief was panting heavily. His breathing was labored. Struggling to open his eyes, still sensitive.
Not so far away from him was the policeman, he was also dazed, but his experience and discipline kept him more focused. Although he felt the latent pain in his body, he forced himself to get up quickly, and opened his eyes. The surroundings that greeted him confirmed that they were not in the city.
All around them, trees stood in shapes and sizes that defied all logic. Twisted trunks, branches stretching skyward in impossible patterns, peculiarly shaped plants, moss on some rocks or trees, with two suns in the sky, leaves of various colors.
A few meters away was the thief when he heard her whimpering. Without hesitation he approached. "This is your fault."
The thief, still in pain, gave a crooked smile. "Oh, right, like it was my idea for you to follow me around like a crazy bitch!"
"It is my duty." He replied, his jaw clenched as his chest rose and fell with labored breathing. "As a cop, I have to catch vermin like you."
"I'm not vermin, asshole!"
"And moreover, childish." The policeman rolled his eyes, his tone mixing irritation and weariness.
Before they could continue arguing, the ground beneath their feet trembled, a vibration that started out subtle, like a murmur beneath the skin of the earth, but soon became a thunderous roar. The stillness of the forest was shattered into a thousand fragments as a deep, guttural sound echoed through the air, causing them both to freeze.
In the distance, beyond the colossal trees stood two titans. Huge creatures, with scaly skin that reflected a metallic sheen in the dim light, fought savagely. Their roars shook the air.
"Shit...!" the thief exclaimed, his voice now a frantic whisper. His hands clutched at the trunk of a nearby tree, as if that might give him some sense of security.
The creatures tore at each other with primal brutality, their fangs sinking into each other's flesh, tearing off pieces that fell to the ground. Blood, a violet gushed from the open wounds, splattering the nearby trees.
"We have to move." Said the policeman, momentarily forgetting their enmity.
The thief let out a nervous laugh, which failed to hide the tremor in his voice. "Are we a team now?" His sardonic smile tried to keep up appearances, but his eyes betrayed the terror that consumed him.
"If you want to stay alive, follow me."
They both began to run in the opposite direction of those creatures, their footsteps echoing against the ground that was still shaking hard.
They hadn't planned to stop, but they did when an imposing presence emerged from the trees with a low, menacing hiss. From the dense vegetation emerged a snake, its body covered with iridescent scales that reflected the dim light with a hypnotic glow. Its eyes, two piercing yellow orbs, fixed on the two still people. Every movement of the snake made the dry leaves rustle under its weight.
The creature pounced on the policeman, wrapping its tail around one of his legs. Its pressure increased with every second, wrenching a grunt of pain from him as he tried to stand. Without giving in to panic, the man drew his combat knife in one swift motion, the blade flashing for an instant before sinking into the beast's scales.
Each blow resounded with a dull sound, an echo of desperate violence. The knife pierced the snake's scaly skin, tearing off fragments that fell to the ground. A thick violet liquid gushed from the wounds, soaking the policeman's boots and uniform with an acrid, unfamiliar stench. His face was twisted into a grimace, his breathing ragged and fierce as he unloaded lunge after lunge.
The snake let out a roar, vibrating in the air, and with a violent tug released the policeman. The creature retreated into the undergrowth, leaving behind a trail of blood that stained the vegetation a grotesque blue.
"We need to find a shelter!" shouted the policeman, still clutching his knife, as his breathing quickened.
"Y-Yes." Replied the thief, his voice trembling, unable to hide the fear that had taken hold of him.
The policeman pushed him forward. He was determined not to get caught, neither he nor his companion. The thought of being devoured by those creatures made him move forward without hesitation, while he kept his attention on everything around them. Every rustle, every whisper of the wind through the trees, made him more alert. He was not going to die before fulfilling his promise to return home and marry his betrothed.
After what seemed like an eternity of running, without a break for hours, they finally saw a cave, hidden in the shadows of a set of moss-covered rocks and bioluminescent lichen, glowing faintly. The entrance was small, but it was their only option.
They began to enter, which was a little difficult as it was narrow. Inside, to their surprise, the soft light from crystals embedded in the walls dimly illuminated the surroundings. Although the entrance had seemed small, the interior was much larger than it appeared.
The policeman, still breathing hard from running, dropped onto a large rock. Sweat covered his forehead. "Listen..." He said finally, his tone serious and low, almost a plea. "If we really want to get out of here alive, we need to work together. We're not going to get anywhere if we keep fighting each other."
The thief, equally exhausted, took several breaths of air before responding. "I don't believe you." He folded his arms. "I'm sure if I turn around now, you'll stab me in the back."
"I'm not stupid enough to kill you. What we are living through now is much bigger than our differences. We have no choice but to unite if we want to survive."
The thief watched the policeman for a few seconds, evaluating his words. Although he didn't like working with someone from the law because of his bad experience, he couldn't help but consider his words. Finally, he waved his hand, pointing to the entrance of the cave. "So, what do we do now, do we wait for the creatures to find us?"
"No. For now we stay here to regain strength. Then we'll plan what's next. And in the meantime, let's try to stay alive."
"I understand."
Immediately, his hands began to move, exploring her back and sides. She was gone. He turned abruptly, looking back as if he could magically find her in the gloom that surrounded them.
"Backpack?" He muttered, his brow furrowing as panic began to flare in his eyes. The usual composure he always tried to maintain was crumbling, revealing the true chaos that inhabited him.
The policeman, turned his head toward him, his gaze tinged with confusion. "What's up?"
"My backpack." He repeated in his agitated voice. "I don't have it. Do you know what that means? Everything I was carrying... My tools, my devices... it's all gone."
The policeman let out a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "What matters now is that we are alive. And if we want to stay alive, we need to stop thinking about what we have lost and concentrate on other things. There is no time for regrets."
The turned to him with a mixture of disbelief and anger distorting her face. "You don't get it!" His voice rising like a roar. "That damn backpack isn't just a 'thing' I've lost! It had everything we needed to survive! Tools, devices, my inventions - those things could save us, and now I don't have them thanks to this damn chaos!"
The policeman blinked, surprised by the intensity of his reaction. "Oh, Shit!" He finally whispered, realizing his mistake. He ran a hand over his face, understanding the magnitude of the situation.
The thief snorted, his laughter laden with bitterness. "Yes, shit!" He spat. He took a couple of steps to one side as if for the other. "Do you know what was in that damn backpack? Tools, state-of-the-art technology, advanced maps. A fucking flashlight that still worked. And you know where it is now?" she turned to him. "With those things. Those creatures. While you and I were running for our lives."
The policeman knew they could not move on without what he had lost, but he also understood that they could not stay there. They could not allow themselves to be dragged down by despair. "You know what? Let's rest for now, we can't go out knowing we're exhausted. When we're ready, let's go get your backpack."
"It's okay."
The policeman nodded and lay down again, looking for some comfort and rest, after everything that happened in a single day, he deserved even a rest.
"By the way..." Said the thief suddenly, breaking the heavy silence.
The policeman opened one eye and raised an eyebrow. "What happens now?" He asked, with a touch of irritation.
The thief sitting on the edge of a rock with his half-smiled. "What is your name?"
"What?"
"I said, what's your name? Or do you want me to call you corrupt, asshole, crazy bitch, nincompoop, cretin and...."
"I got it. Stop it. I am Rafael."
The thief grimaced. "Rafael, uh... Can I call you Rafita? Or maybe... Rafi?"
"Call me whatever you want, as long as you shut your mouth for a while."
"Whatever you say, boss." He threw up his hands, as if in surrender, but the wry smile was still intact. "By the way, my name is Oliver, although most of my 'friends' call me Ollie, but also Olivercito, if I'm in a good mood."
"Perfect." Rafael closed his eye. "Now shut up and let me rest."
A brief silence settled between them, interrupted only by the distant rustling of branches and the echo of their breaths. Oliver shrugged his shoulders and settled back to sleep.
To be continued...