Too Broke For Afterlife

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I avoid her face and instead examine the desk.

All papers and folders are stacked neatly, there is not a single pen lying around. The white computer is polished.

I don't see any pictures or personal belongings. The only sign of personality is a bouquet of flowers inside a crystal vase.

I can feel Prisiclla's eyes lying on me. She is sitting in the tall chair, her hands folded on her lap. 

We've been sitting like this for a little while and I'm wondering whether the Mayor is waiting for me to say something.

But I don't have anything to say.

Well, except for 'Let me go!' and 'Where is Isabella?'. So I might as well stay silent.

She takes a sip from her tea without looking away. The filigrane porcelain cup looks so out of place surrounded by all this try-hard futurism. Like Priscilla is about to have afternoon tea with Darth Vader.

"You look angry. Did I do something to make you mad?"

She tilts her head to the side, looking at me innocently.

I grunt.

"Oh, a few things. For example, you're keeping my friend as a prisoner."

"I'm not. I already told you that I don't know where she is."

My fists press tightly together and I quickly push them beneath the table before Priscilla can see the tension and ready-to-serve aggression bubbling inside of me.

"But you hired security to hunt her."

"I do want to localize her, that is true. But isn't that in your interest as well? "

"Yes unlike you, I don't want to hurt her! You are evil."

I look up and stare into her face.

Priscilla raises her eyebrows.

"How am I evil? I haven't done anything bad to you or any of your friends."

She takes another sip from her cup. 

I try to calm down my breathing as I grow impatient.

"What about luring me out of the tunnel earlier?"

She sways her head from left to right as she thinks.

"I agree, that was a bit unorthodox but nothing that could be labeled as evil."

"But you're holding me here against my will!"

"I'm not. I never said that. The door is right behind you."

She tucks white hair behind her ear but when I don't get up, she raises her eyebrows.

"Do you want to stay?"

"I want answers," I hiss.

"To what questions?"

She leans back in her chair. I so want to punch her in the face.

"Is it true that you keep people in Heaven to harvest their KP despite it damaging Earth?"

"The way you're saying it makes it sound like a bad thing."

"Because it is!" I yell.

I jump out of my chair and bend forward. With my hands pressing into the desk, I stare at Priscilla angrily. "You're destroying the climate."

She doesn't seem bothered at all.

"Heaven is so much better than Earth. It's indestructible, everything is possible and nobody can suffer pain or loss. Doesn't that sound amazing to you?"

"But the planet-"

"The planet is fine. It will outlive the human race."

"And what about animals? Do they go to Heaven? Plants?"

Priscilla sneers. "Are you saying animals and plants are equal to humans?"

"No but they have a right to live!"

"They do live. Until they die." She shrugs.

"But-" 

Priscilla raises her hand to stop me.

"Look, Judy. This is the future of humanity. This is the happiness everyone deserves."But her lies meet deaf ears.

"It's not. This is you being selfish and power hungry. You want to grow bigger than Death and rule over everyone."

Priscilla slowly gets up from her chair and starts walking over to me. I back away.

"I am God."

"You're not. God doesn't exist."

She puts on a sad face. "It's a shame you think that. How am I not God?"

Okay, here comes the religious talk.

"First of all, you didn't create life. You didn't even create Heaven, you're just ruling over it."

"And?"

"Second, God has mercy. You use us as slaves to build your own utopia that only you truly benefit from."

"Oh Judy, I have mercy too."

Her hand slides into the pocket of her pants and I watch as she pulls out a small gun. It looks similar to the one Nox used to paralyse the scientists.

"For example, I could have killed you or Isabella the second I saw you. But I didn't. Because I'm nice."

She points it at me.

"But with all your accusations, I'm starting to get impatient."

I continue walking backwards but hit a wall. I'm stuck.

"Enough questions from your side. How about you answer some things for me now? For example, where is Parker?"

"Parker? Why?"

She smiles sweetly. 

"He is special, just like Isabella. You on the other hand are not special. I don't have to keep you alive. So why don't you use your last moments to help me?"

The gun comes closer until I feel the cold metal against my forehead.

Okay, Judy. Do not panic. Where panic is, there can't be logic.

I straighten my back and swallow the fear.

"Why are they special?"

"I said no more questions. Where is he?"

I shrug. "I don't know. Really. He didn't come with us."

She narrows her eyes, probably trying to figure out whether I'm telling the truth or not.

"Anyway, don't you have your NPCs you can use to find him? Like you did in San Andy?"

"Oh, don't worry. My team is already working on implementing face recognition on all NPCs. Soon the second they spot one of you, you'll be annihilated. 

Crap. I have to tell the others.

Given I make it out alive myself.

"Judy, if I were you, I'd team up with me. I've got the most power here. I can make or break you. Maybe there's a bright future ahead of you if you cooperate."

"Never."

"Oh well." She sighs and then unlocks the gun.

I try to slide away but she grabs my arm.

Her grip is inhumanly strong.

"You're leaving me with no choice, sweetheart. I'm sad to see such a bright mind wasted as rotting brain on my nice carpet but I'd rather not have to deal with you any longer."

"What brain? This is a robot."

She chuckles. "I know, I was just making a fancy metaphor."

"For killing me?" 

"No, I won't kill you."

Her finger presses against the trigger.

"Have a nap."

The shockwave rips through my head and devours my soul. And for the first time in days I feel pain.

I scream and fall to the ground.

My limbs start spasming like crazy. 

I can still see and hear but right now that's more torture than virtue as I have to watch the Mayor looking down at me, smiling.

"This is the newest technology, you're one of the first people to test it. What do you think?"

I try to say something but the uncontrollable movements make it impossible.

"Speechless, I see. Sadly, I'll have to lock you up now and this time I'll make sure nobody can escape. Let's see how much time it takes for you to talk and tell me where Parker is."

"I...don't..."

"You don't know, right. I don't believe that."

She calmly walks over to the desk and presses a button.

"I need two guards up here. Thank you."

Another voice over the intercom. "On the way."

The Mayor turns back around to me.

"Just one minute."

That's when the door gets thrown open but I can't turn my head to look. 

Priscilla seems to be surprised, those are not the guards.

"Who are you?"

She backs away and lifts her gun.

"Don't come closer or I'll shoot."

"You'd have to be faster than me," a female voice replies.

I watch as blue lightning flashes across the room. Priscilla falls to the ground.

F*ck, what'S going on here?

I hear the attacker mumble. "Easy."

Then she rushes over me and as she kneels, I can finally look at her.

She is dressed completely in black, a face mask covers half her face and the other half is hidden under a hood.

She pulls out a small flat blue box and then presses it against my forehead.

The box starts beeping and after a few seconds I feel the spasming decreasing until it's completely gone and I can move again.

I carefully sit up and stare at the girl.

"Who are you?"

She slowly pulls the hood down, blonde hair is tied together in a ponytail. 

When I see the blue eyes, I rip my own open. 

No...

It can't be...

She takes the mask off.

I know this woman. I know her better than anyone else ever will.

I've been staring into her face every single day.

"You..."

"Yes." She chuckles.

"Let's get out of here, I'll explain everything later."

She grabs my hand and pulls me up.

But as we run to the elevator there is only one thought in my head.

Oh my god.

I have been cloned.