Descension

CHAPTER 9

Ben sits in silence across from the other prisoner. His eyes narrow as he looks up and down the man's figure: everything below the lower half of his face is completely cybernetic, crimson sparkling along every curve and angle of his body, geometric swirls and lines tattooed symmetrically along his tan face. One side of his scalp is shaved, and on the other, long, roughly tousled dark brown curls of hair hide half of his face, the amethyst glow of a cybernetic pupil glistening dimly in the shadow.

"Is red not your color?" The prisoner grins as he speaks, his voice husky, accompanied by what sounded like a New Zealand accent.

Ben's lip arches in disgust as he watches the prisoner sit back comfortably and flaunt his scarlet metal body, rolling his eyes, "You're the type to be in here," Ben mutters.

"Why? Because I'm a cyborg?" The prisoner asks rhetorically, leaning forward, "But you of course don't deserve it because you've kept your body pure." The prisoner raises his fingers in air quotes before leaning back.

Ben avoids eye contact with the prisoner, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"I've got nothing against purists. My girlfriend is like you." The prisoner nods fondly. "All natural." He snickers. "Should be busting me out of here in five."

"What?" Ben's eyes widen as his jaw drops.

The prisoner reaches forward and stabs a sharp finger into the lock of the cuffs between Ben's wrists. The cuffs snap open and fall to the floor. Ben looks down at them, then back up at the prisoner in disbelief.

The prisoner holds his cuffed hands out to Ben, "Unlock me."

Ben tilts his head and raises a brow in reluctance before bending down and picking up his broken cuffs. Ben slams a sharp point of his cuffs into the lock of the prisoner's, shattering it.

The prisoner sighs and shakes his hands out, "Might want to brace yourself!" he grins.

Suddenly, there's a slam to the back of the van. The prisoner grabs Ben's wrist and pulls him towards the wall. Ben roots his feet to the floor of the van, pressing against the wall furthest from the doors, his eyes wide in anticipation. An earth-shattering explosion resounds throughout the small confines of the van, Ben gasping as he throws his hands over his ears.

"Joaquin!" a young woman with a heavy slavic accent beams as she clings onto the side of the van where a door's hinges used to be, her long, jet black hair fluttering behind her. She's pale, more than Ben, even, and her eyes are a piercing gray.

"Dannika!" The prisoner, Joaquin, pulls her into the van, then into a starved kiss.

Ben stands at the back of the van, his lips pressed together tightly as he turns his eyes away. "Hey, how about you two get a room instead of a wrecked van?" Ben chides.

Dannika scoffs as she pulls away from Joaquin. Her sneer turns into astonished recognition as his features dawn upon her.

Then, her face shifts into a grin, "You're Ben Anderson!" Dannika gasps.

As the van begins to slow down, Joaquin steps between them, his eyes cemented onto the road, "Whoever he is, I can't have him telling anyone about my latest prison break." He smirks, "Ready to jump?"

"What? No! I-I, can't!" Ben stammers, taking a step back.

Ben stands frozen between the back wall of the van and the two of them, freedom lying just beyond.

Joaquin sighs as he walks over to Ben and wraps an arm around his waist, moving towards the opening of the van. "Watch your head."

Ben wails as Joaquin throws him out of the van, cocooning his head in his arms as he rolls onto the magnetic road. Joaquin and Dannika land not far from Ben, running past him as he scrambles to his feet.

"He's slow for an engineer." Dannika hisses to Joaquin.

"Radiochemist!" Ben shouts as he stabilizes his legs.

They all simultaneously gasp as a blaster bolt whizzes between Joaquin and Dannika's heads, followed by one that just narrowly misses Joaquin's feet.

"Let's go!" Joaquin shouts.

They take off into the tall ecru sea of grass, sprinting away from the distant shimmering skyline of Genesis to the cold, dark blocks of concrete that make up the dense urban maze of Mizu. Ben's throat burns with sharp breath, the pain leaching into his lungs and calves. His eyes sting with overflowing adrenaline that manifests into tears, the droplets sweeping away with the wind.

"Here!" Dannika hops onto a speeder hidden in the grass, Joaquin getting on behind her.

Ben skids to a halt, hesitating as he gazes upon them. The only thing he knows about them is that they're criminals headed straight for the slums of the Ternary.

Joaquin turns around, holding his hand out to Ben. "It's not getting any earlier!"

Ben sighs. I don't have a better option. Without another second to lose, Ben grabs onto Joaquin's cold, abrasive hand. He hops onto the speeder, holding onto the sides of the seat as they take off. Ben pants for breath as he slowly relaxes his muscles, looking over his shoulder only to find the tips of golden grass in his vision.