The virgin & the bad boy (Gravity)

B2/Chapter 15/An unexpected reunion

I had gone to another training session. We were picking up anybody without a chip. We were training them to do Markour ( Martain Parkour ) .

Existence AKA John was doing a talk to the young recruits.

"You're probably wondering why all the robots are such lousy shots. I mean they can use rail-guns and rail-rifles and throw hypersonic bullets at people. Turns out the problem is you can't use a gun live in a glass dome. You know all that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones thing? Well, we live in glass houses ( well glass domes ). Random shots would definitely end up in both the parties ( shooter and shootie ) being sucked out into the grim vacuum of what people liked to laughingly call the martian atmosphere. So the robots uses stun bolts and electric stun guns. Both pretty slow and guaranteed not to bust through the glass skin." said John. 

Living in a mars dome it's a little living in England minus fog, it was largely gun free. The robots went along with this. Like how could you escape? 

"With slow moving weapons targeting is tricky especially if you decided not to help by not walking or running properly" said Existence.

I was in my black helmet again. We had told them they would meet the shadow a couple of times and tested them with a fake one to make sure we didn't have any infiltrators. Tonight I would show up and meet them in person. All the markour crews were recruiting like this. 

"You have been asking about why we are teaching you all this spinning and handstands. It turns out that the machines only recognize us when we are moving naturally. Mr robot may I?" said Existence to Kentro.

"Imagine this is a robot pointing a rail gun at you," said Existence. 

Kentro pointed a laser at Existence. Existence tried walking and running past Kentro. While he did the Kentro successfully kept the laser straight on Existence's chest.

"Now watch," said Existence. 

Existence leaped forwards jumped did a  Roundoff a Back Handspring and a Back Layout. Each time Kentro Lost a lock on Existence's body. I suddenly rushed in with my helmet on and did a couple of handsprings. I was dressed in a black leotard like the one I used when I went urban exploring.

"Ladies and gentlemen may I introduce the real Shadow," said Existence.

Everybody was suddenly confused.

"I am the Shadow," I said. The helmet had a device which made my voice sound robotic. I've done a couple of interviews like this on sneekernet. I took my helmet off and let my hair fall down.

Everyone looked at me. 

"Are you the real shadow bud?" said one "You're viral". They  looked too young.

I smiled "We are all the real shadow now. I was the first shadow. But now we all take turns. I'm sure you'll be the shadow one day when you get good at avoiding the motion trackers."

"Don't let her fool you. She landed on this planet by riding a hull fragement  through the atmosphere to land in the desert. She climbed the Musk tower to plant a flag. Robbed the second national bank and much more yakwim." said John proudly.

"And she's a Banks" said one of the older girls.

I looked at her. Being a Banks that wasn't for general broadcast. It would help them track my parents. Everyone looked impressed. There was something about the Banks name and robot apocylipse which seemed to run together. 

"Uriel?" I said suddenly realising the pretty but disheveled Mars girl with the earth accent.

"Yeah," said Uriel. Looking back. 

I took Uriel aside "I can't believe it's you. What are you doing here?"

"Why else would I be on this red hellhole. I was sent back home, like you, but not before I spent a few weeks in prison being checked out. Zak vouched for me and they sent me home."

She didn't look like her elegant self. All the air of superiority had gone. After the election the Earth under Bentham had turned on Martians and other off worlders. 

"I've been staying with my parents." said the unwashed Uriel " I came back from earth with absolutely nothing. Nothing. Not even a change of undies. "

"and you want to join us?" I said.

"You guessed it sister. They've taken everything from me. I'm dome alone so I'm going to tell them they can't stop me. Life form"

She added the 'Life form' to sound more Martian. The look in her blue-grey eyes said she was serious. She had a scare in her arm where she had pulled the tracker out. That would have been dangerous and painful. If you cut the blood flow to your arm off sneekernet had a rumor of you could 'operate' and cut the tracker out. You risked loosing your arm from no blood our your life if your arm had any remaining poison in it. The current success rate was 50% dead or no arm and 40% success. You had to be pretty hardcore to risk getting your implant out. The instructions had appeared in code on sneekernet. 

I left it at that. John said she was trying her hardest to learn to hand spring and do the other parts of the evasion dance as Catz had called it. I wondered if she had been through so much the bitch had been squeezed out of her like life had put her through some weird juice maker.