Ink Chain

-Freya-Lynn Ellisc- (Chapter 1)

     November 18th, 2640

     I sat at the café table, staring down at my transmitter. A small hologram of Mother Liel, my old orphanage manager lit up in the air just above the device. Her long silver-glowing hair rested behind her and reached her lower back. In her arms was a little boy, no older than 3 with a pacifier in his mouth, napping.

     "I promise, I'm trying my hardest to figure out that damn question but- "Mother Liel placed her hand over the baby's ear. She gave me a stare, telling me to watch my language with her eyes. "S-sorry. Uh... that darn question. I don't even know why he assigned it, it's so weird. Especially to me." I took a sip of my coffee and took a bite of my blueberry croissant.

     "Can you tell me the riddle? Maybe I could help." She rubbed circles into the baby's back, letting out a small chuckle. "And would you stop fussing with your hair?" I didn't realize I had started playing with a lock hair on my shoulder.

     As I sat alone in my thoughts, the baby on Mothers' shoulder fussed and rubbed his eyes. She rubbed his back as he started to scream, and his pacifier fell to the ground. "Oh, shoot! Sorry Freya," I smiled and chuckled. "I think we have to cut this call short. Call tonight?" She hung up abruptly before I could even say goodbye. Can't blame her, I wasn't easy as a baby and I'm sure neither is he.

     As I stared down into my coffee cup and sighed, thinking of the question assigned to me.

     "Begins with him and her ends as your champion. May she lives on". What is that even supposed to mean? Maybe something romantic, considering "he/her". Maybe an Olympic winner, considering "champion". Whatever it meant, I had 2 weeks to find out.

     I stood up from my out-door café table and gathered my backpack and belongings. I shoved my transmitter into the front pocket and pressed a button under the table. A little robotic box named ARI, (Assistance Robotic Intelligence), rushed and screeched towards my table.

     "May I am-a-assist you, ma-ma-ma'am?" His words glitched a little. His voice box seemed to be broken. I called over another worker, a human worker.

     "Hello ma'am, your robots' voice box is glitching a little..." The woman looked down at the robot and sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Do you know what happened?"

     "Yeah, the little guy got some coffee dropped on him last week," she kneeled and pat the little robot on his top half. "I don't know what to do other than trash him." I bent down and nodded toward the woman, asking silently for permission to have a look. "Oh please, be my guest."

     I turned the robot around and opened his back hatch. Inside was a messy circuit board and rusted bolts. I pulled a pair of gloves from my bag along with small metal tweezers. I gently removed the board and looked at the gears. Obviously, stained.

     I took a few napkins off the table and tried to wipe away the dried and sticking coffee. The smell of old coffee was both satisfying and yet disgusting. It got stuck to my gloves a few times, but I managed to clean out the gears in a matter of 20 minutes.

     Once I finished cleaning, tightening bolts, and fixing gears, I stood up. I looked down at the ARI and pressed his power button.

     "Hey ARI, can you take my dirty coffee cup to the kitchen please?" I reached on the table behind me and placed the cup on the ARI's head tray. His head tray secured a small wall around the dish and an analog smile appeared on the ARI's face screen.

     "Of course, ma'am! Please enjoy your day and come again to The Armory Cafe!" He zoomed away, his little wheels skidding on the hard floor.

     "Thank you for fixing him! I'm not going to lie, he's my favorite ARI in the shop." She smiled towards the kitchen and turned around, realizing something. "I'm so sorry, I feel like I should pay you! You fixed an ARI that would cost us more than I make in a week."

     I shook my head, gesturing it was unnecessary, but I was unsuccessful. She pulled out a transmitter from her apron.

     "What is your symbol! I need it to transfer the money!" I look up at her, letting the sudden realization set in. That damn symbol, the country dictator, the only thing that determines where you can go to school, go out to eat, even where you park.

     I lifted my sleeve to show my symbol, the symbol of fear.

     The poor woman's eyes widened at the sight and she shuttered a little. Whispers began to ring through the café, eyes were on my arm. The waitress scanned my arm, a transaction notification came through the transmitter in my bag. She smiled and dropped the transmitter into her apron pocket.

     "Thank you, ma'am," I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I pulled a pocket board from my backpack and threw it on the sidewalk. ARI rolled out behind her. "Have a good day, you two."

     The hover ball changed into a skateboard and I skated away, leaving the frightened café behind me, and riding towards the large "Basal Technical University of Defense".

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     My name is Freya-Lynn Ellisc. I'm a 19-year-old Lethal Tech student living in Lunaris, Irwanie. I guess you could say I'm a "loner" which wouldn't be that far off. I don't hang around people, they're afraid of me. And they're right to be.

     I have long red hair, normally braided. My hair reaches my lower back, longer when let loose. Which is close to never. My eyes are deep emerald green, matching the grass on a moonlit night. Or that's what Mother Liel says. My skin is a light tan which is normally covered by sweaters and jackets. No reason, I'm just very susceptible to the cold.

     Let's talk about the reason you're here. Let's talk about the symbols.

     In 2400, everybody in Lunaris was assigned a symbol by the government. This symbol decides your social status. In detail, your grades, your job level, and how well you do financially.

     If you had the symbol of money, you earned money well. If you had the symbol of love, people tended to feel attracted to you easily.

     I was given a not-so-happy symbol. I was assigned the symbol of Fear. People were very afraid of me, and because of it, I was given special treatment.

     I got a good job, a position in the top class at Basal Tech, and a large house on the hill. Specifically, Nob Hill; the wealthiest hill in Lunaris. I live next door to, not only the principal of Basal Tech but his daughter and my classmate, Nova Basal.

     She's stuck-up. She's self-absorbed. She's convinced not only the other kids in the course but herself that she's the strongest symbol in the class. The strongest student in the school. But she's nothing but the daughter of a wealthy man.

     But what do I know? I'm just the freaky loner of the Lethal Tech course.