Old-Fashioned Neo-Ronin

New Heaven

Imagine the infinite, a white infinity. Hovering over the infinite, there are also infinite glass cubes. Glass cubes the size of cells, each with a bed in the center and a toilet at one end. In each cube, a man or a woman, all dressed in white, except for black numbers on the back of their clothes and on the left side of the chest.

Although the cubes are perfectly aligned in infinity, side by side, only a few centimeters apart from each other, no man or woman can communicate with the person next to them.

The temperature is mild. There is no smell. The only source of light is the white infinity itself, which at night turns into an infinite black so that men or women can sleep.

Obviously, all of this is being projected into the minds of the men and women who have been imprisoned and are currently in the New Heaven Penitentiary Complex. In reality, they are in less comfortable and apathetic cells than those designed by the prison matrix, lying on their beds, tied by their feet and arms, with tubes attached to their excretory organs. They receive intravenous feeding three times a day and remain with their heads attached to a small device resembling a helmet but with many wires, wires, and wires leading to a small control core in each cell. Each prisoner is entitled to "sunbathing" once a month. They are disconnected from the prison matrix and lie down, tied up, with a large simulated solar lamp over their bodies.

This is the life of the prisoners of New Heaven. This is how all men and women remain in their sentences. Except for one woman:

Yelena Goncharov.

Who remains in her own, unique prison matrix. She lives in a simulation of the real world without realizing the truth.

Yelena is also known as "Crimson Death," "Polkovnik" or colonel, and "Devyatyy," "The Ninth" in her language.

A few months earlier.

- Wake up! Wake up! – a strong Russian accent.

- What? – the woman tries to figure out where the voice is coming from.

- Come on, come on, get up! – the man insists.

- Where is this voice coming from? – the woman looks around, getting out of her bed.

- Come on, Yelena, it's me, Alexei. You need to wake up.

- I'm already awake. Stop talking in my head – a strong accent as well.

- No, Yelena, you're arrested. You're in New Heaven. They got you.

- It can't be. I've been living normally for the past few months. Hidden, yes, but I've never been captured.

- I needed to warn you before unplugging. Otherwise, the shock would be too great – Alexei explains.

- Unplugging? No, wait...

And, in a gust of air, Yelena is thrown through the window of her apartment, shattering the glass. Her skin is torn by the shards, and she glimpses the height of 54 floors. Falling, and falling. And the heart beating as if it were about to jump out of her mouth.

- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Until her body finally meets the busy avenue. Blood splatters. And Yelena wakes up in her New Heaven cell, with a helmet on her head, accesses in her arms, tubes in her anus and vagina, but at least untied. Next to her, Alexei.

- Mne zhal', there was no other way – a man of medium height, shaved head, unshaved beard, tattoos, and cybernetic engravings on his arms. He wore shiny blue pants and a black military vest. Alexei was facing Yelena's prison matrix core panel.

- "There was no other way," I thought I was going to die – Yalena gets up from the bed, removing all kinds of devices from her body – You'll have to explain to me exactly how I ended up here.

- Not now, we need to get back home. I managed to hold off the alarms until now, but I don't know how much time we still have – Alexei helps Yelena to get up.

- Do they still use lousy androids to take care of this place? – Yelena looks for new clothes to wear – It's incredibly stupid, if you ask me.

- Here, brought this for you – Alexei reaches his backpack and hands over a change of new clothes – Thought you'd like to escape in style.

- Spasibo. Even though it's the first time I've seen this white outfit, I already hate it – Yelena changes right there, not seeming to care about Alexei. Her body is neither thin nor fat, wide hips, medium bust. Her blonde hair stirs now that she's finally awake. She looks at New Heaven's prison uniform. "No. 998" – For one, huh?

- This is not the time for jokes – Alexei hurries – Get dressed!

- Eto daleko? – Yelena asks.

- No, let's go!

Yelena finished dressing, the outfit similar to Alexei's, except for phrases written in white on the pants, in Cyrillic alphabet.

The two head towards the infinite white corridor of synthetic smooth stone. They pass by cells and more cells. "997," "996," "995." Corridors and more corridors. "990," "980," "970." No sign of life in this place, except for the imprisoned men and women. If one can call it life. Along the way, several androids lying on the ground, with holes at chest and head height, which seem to have been caused by laser tubes or laser guns, if you prefer.

They reach the main door. Locked.

- Give me the tube – Yelena opens her hand toward the man.

- Didn't think you'd ask, Polkovnik – Alexei hands over the tube and immediately pulls another from the backpack.

Yelena shoots at the holographic panel of the door, which instantly opens with a thud. Two New Heaven private security agents were waiting for them.

It wasn't a long or pretty shootout. Yelena shot as soon as the door opened, and the laser hit the right shoulder of one of the agents, dismembering him. Alexei jumps backward, avoiding a shot at the exact moment. He hits the left eye of the last agent next.

- I can't believe they still use common ammunition; this must be older than walking forward – Alexei noted.

- Really. Let's go!

Yelena looks at the agent struggling on the ground, suffering the loss of his arm, and finishes him off with a point-blank shot to the temple. They climb into the vehicle the agents had left behind and disappear into the chaos of the city, flying low and leaving only the red blur of the taillight wherever they go.