[ENG] APAIMANEE 2086

ลำดับตอนที่ #5 : [2063] Airport Attack/Imprisoned Witness

Early 2063, after the airport attack.

When Apaimanee came to, he saw blood everywhere. It took him a moment to register that it was his own blood on the ground.

He was lying face-down in front of a Thai restaurant that only tourists craving their last Thai food meal in Thailand would visit. The restaurant was blown to bits, scattering bits of orange paint everywhere. To his right, a man laid dead from two gunshot wounds.

It was eerily quiet, as if he was the only one left alive.

He tried to get up, but found that his right hand was no longer there. He tried to remember what happened, but was met with a splitting headache.

He stopped thinking. His body was numb. He could feel no pain, or perhaps the pain was too much and his brain gave up on processing it.

The young man laughed. He was so close to getting to Neo-Tokyo. He wondered if his flight had already left, and whether he would have to re-learn how to play a guitar with a prosthetic hand.

He could register the sound of footsteps approaching. He hoped it was a medic. It was not.

His body was flipped over, and lights from the ceiling irritated his eyes.

“At least one alive. Good enough.”

He could not see the person’s face clearly, but he knew it was a woman with curly hair.

“I better get you out of here before they come for a double-check of the bodies.”

Apaimanee blacked out.

When he came to, he found himself in a cold room with a thick blanket draped over his body. The ceiling above him was white. He could smell disinfectants.

He tried moving his right arm, and was surprised that there was a hand attached to it. The young man got up, but was dizzy for a moment before he could get a good look at himself.

His four limbs were all replaced with prosthetics, and he had neat stitches on his body. There was an alarm above his head that blinked red. He wondered if he should turn it off, but then someone entered the room.

“Good morning.”

It was the same woman from the airport. She was beautiful, with lustrous black hair and pearly skin.

“Where…?” That was all Apaimanee could muster before breaking out into a violent cough. The woman fed him some water. “Where am I? What happened?”

“I need to ask some questions before I answer any of yours. Do you still remember who you are? Your own name?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

“What is it?”

“Apaimanee. I was headed to Neo-Tokyo before… And where did my arms…?”

“It’s a long story. You should eat something light and probably go to the bathroom before I start talking.”

It was his first time peeing into a collection bottle. At least he operated his new hands well enough that he did not spill. When he was done, the woman took the bottle away, gave him some more liquid, then started talking.

“The airport’s been raided and taken over. When I saw that you were still alive, I took you out of there.”

“You saved my life, basically.”

“Yes, but somebody else gave you a transfusion, connected all these prostheses, and replaced your skin. My job is to make sure everything functions, get you used to them, things like that. Anyway, it’s a miracle you made it out alive.”

“Thank you, but what about the airport? And which organization do you belong to?”

“As I said, the airport’s been taken over. I can’t tell you who I work for yet, but rest assured that I’m not with those people that hurt you.”

“What were you doing there?”

“You ask a lot of questions, do you? Alright, I was there to spy on the bombers and assess their strategic prowess. Happy? Now let’s talk about your limbs.”

Apaimanee was sure he only lost an arm, but apparently all his limbs were damaged and had to be replaced. They did not hurt as much as he thought it would, but it was still hard work to make them move.

“Can I contact my brother?” The young man asked.

“Not yet. Not until you’re completely safe. And if you’re wondering, I did not see a phone on you when I took you out of the airport.”

Alarms went off in his head. He gulped and did not say a word after that, even when his protheses started to hurt. The woman seemed to notice his wariness and gave him a weak smile.

“I know this is all hard to process.”

“I need to let my brother know I’m alive.”

The woman did not say anything else. She left the room, then came back with soft food and more water.

She never answered when he asked what her name was, so Apaimanee resorted to calling her ma’am or big sis.

He spent hours sleeping, and he did not know how much time passed before he thought of asking where his arms and legs went.

“By this time, I think they’re already medical waste.” She replied.

Apaimanee suddenly felt like a part of his heart had been gouged out and scattered, never to come back again.

“It’s alright, though. You’ll do fine with your prostheses. See, I went through cybernetic enhancements myself.” She rolled up her sleeves, and he could see thin lines where the enhancements met her natural flesh. “It’s always difficult at first, but eventually you’ll get used to it. You’ll walk again.”

“Will I still be able to play the guitar?”

“It will require practice and perseverance, not going to lie. But you will play the guitar again.”

Apaimanee stared at his arms and felt a strong sense of discomfort, as if staring at somebody else’s arms. Or maybe it was the sensation of being stuck in somebody else’s body.

“Can you at least explain what happened during the airport attack?”

She told him that a bunch of mafias posed as staff members, hijacked the caretaker droids, and carried out the attack. It was probably aimed at the ministers boarding the Neo-Tokyo flight.

The young woman held his hand in hers and stroked him palm. Apaimanee could feel the touch on his artificial flesh. His heart fluttered.

It was probably at that moment that he thought it was alright to not see his arms ever again. As she said, they were already medical waste, and he would feel even worse seeing them.

She told him the story of how she got her enhancements. She was twelve at the time, and was used as a tool for money laundering. When she found out that she was being used, she tried to ask for help, but ended up getting silenced. Her mentor took the dying girl in and gave her cybernetic enhancements, and that gave her a new life with a new identity.

“Do you still see your mentor?”

“Oh, he’s dead.” She said with a hint of joyful pride, which Apaimanee failed to notice because he was too preoccupied with the pain creeping up his legs.

He lived in a room without windows or any other forms of entertainment, and yet maintained his sanity. He conversed only with the young woman who refused to tell him her name. When he began his physical therapy, he was taken to another room.

The place was not an underground dungeon, but an apartment for rent. The room was exceptionally large, so he guessed it was one of those old apartment buildings from when Bangkok was not so crowded. It had a kitchen, a balcony, three bedrooms (one of which was his), two bathrooms, and a living room. She was the only other person living here.

The balcony overlooked a small run-down badminton court. Beyond the bounds of the apartment complex was the road, crowded with wires and hand-written advertisement signs.

Apaimanee focused on gaining control over his prostheses for a week. He was able to do simple household chores.

“Do you have a screen I can borrow? I want to see how a touch screen reacts to my fingers.”

“I don’t have any.”

The young man was stunned into silence with her simple answer.

“I saw you using your phone.”

“Yes, but I can’t hand it over to you. Work protocols.”

“I’ve never seen you leave this place… What exactly is your work?”

“I’m about to leave.” She said, dodging the question. “My job is to watch over you until all is safe, and now that everything’s settled down, I have a new job coming up.”

“Uh-huh. So, when can I see my brother?”

“When I know that the people targeting you have been dealt with.”

“You said they were targeting the ministers.”

“That’s because I didn’t know who you were, Apai.” She sighed. “If I had known you’re from that family, well...”

“You’re not making any sense!”

“Do you want to go home?”

“Not really. It’s suffocating in that house. But my brother! I need to see him and let him know I’m still alive.”

The young woman sighed and sat down on the couch, patting the space beside her. Apaimanee calmed himself before sitting down. He liked her. She was nice to him, albeit being too mysterious.

“I know it’s frustrating to be in the dark. Here is the thing: I’m looking into those involved with the airport attack, and although they’re made up of a rag-tag bunch of people with a gazillion different agendas to push, it’s certain they’re targeting the current regime and those involved with it. Including your family.”

“So, you knew. But if they’re after my family, then my brother isn’t safe.”

“I think it’s best you don’t leave. I’d be devastated if anything happened to you en route. Your family have the money and resources to protect themselves.” She touched his cheeks gently. Her eyes glittered. His heart pounded in his chest, and his cheeks grew hot.

Yet, he slapped her hand away. The young woman did nothing in response, her charming, gentle smile not wavering in the slightest.

“It’s frustrating, I know. But, would you do it for me, and for yourself, and for your brother waiting for your safe return?”

“I’m going to need more explanations than the one you gave me.”

“Well.” She went over to the speakers in the wall and played some music. It was some kind of traditional folk song one could hear in places like a spa or massage parlors. “I don’t have much else to disclose. How about I teach you all the neat tricks you can do with your new body parts?”

Apparently, Apaimanee now had extendable fingers, among other cool things his artificial arms could do.

“Who paid for these?”

“My boss. I wanted to save you and he helped, thinking that we could ask what you knew about the attack, but you’ve been out for too long. We already figured things out by then.” She sipped on a bottle of vitamin water. “By the way, how is your sense of touch? My limbs are insensitive to pain, but I’m sure yours are sensitive to all kinds of touch.”

“I haven’t paid attention.”

“I see.” She handed him a can of fruit juice. “How’s the can? Cold?”

“Yeah, it’s cold.” After some struggling, he managed to open it. “Wait, this is soju.”

“Yes, peach soju. I only stock up on alcohols.”

Apaimanee shrugged and downed the soju. He coughed, the alcohol stinging his throat despite how light it was.

“So, what’s that thing you’re drinking?”

“Tap water. I’m just reusing the bottle.”

She wanted to drink some soju herself, so they ended up sharing a few cans of different flavors. Apaimanee felt light-headed from all the drinking, but she could really handle her liquor. Her face was flushed, but she made no sign of stopping.

“Do you have a girlfriend? Boyfriend? Friend?” She asked.

“No. I’m into girls but they aren’t into me.”

“Pfft.”

“What’s so funny?”

“No, it’s just strange. You’re hot for a sixteen-year-old, and yet you said girls aren’t into you.”

“They think I’m a snob! I refused to attend one socializing event, and everybody thinks that I think I’m too good for them or some shit.”

“I think you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk. See, I can… huh?” His vision blurred. His hand grabbed on to something, probably her arm. It was firm, just like his arms, but her skin was soft. The next thing he knew, he was already kissing her.

He really was drunk.

“I never knew you had a crush on me.” The young woman laughed, one hand playing with his hair.

“Ugh. I just…thought your lips looked really nice…”

He could not remember what followed after that. The next thing he knew was that her weight was on his hips. Her body felt heavenly. Through his artificial nerves, he could feel her silken smooth skin. His finger traced the fine lines where her real flesh met her artificial ones.

When Apaimanee woke up, she was gone. It was night, and she did mention that she had a job to attend to.

He sat up on the bed, realizing he was naked, and he felt that it was all wrong.

“What the fuck am I doing?”

His guts told him to leave the room. He put on some clothes and tried to leave through the front door. It would not open, and the alarms went off for about half a minute before everything went quiet. He tried the windows, but all of them were barricaded. He tried the balcony, but as soon as he stuck his hand over the railing, the shutters went down and cut him off from the world.

The room was on the eight floor of the apartment. If he jumped, he would die. If he climbed, the shutters might push him off the ledge. Not a good way to die.

He found that he was stuck on the balcony and could not get back into the room. He waited there for hours. The night was hot and humid, but at least the floor was cool.

The young woman finally returned.

“I knew you’d try to run.”

“I was trying to get to the convenience store.”

“If you needed snacks, you should have said so, not climb out the balcony. Anyway, it’s not the first time a guy ran away from me.”

She unlocked the doors and let him through.

Apaimanee watched as she shut off the defenses using a set of switches. He could see the first few, but the movements got complicated after that.

“You have tight securities.” He said when she was done.

“Of course. I have a VIP guest here.”

Apaimanee gritted his teeth.

“Is it to keep others out, or is it to make sure that I never leave?”

The woman plopped onto the couch, sitting with her legs crossed. She did not say a word.

“You really do intend to keep me here.”

“What good is knowing the answer?” The young woman raised an eyebrow.

“I thought you were on my side.”

She played with a loose thread hanging from her sleeve.

“Crystal is the name of those behind the airport attack. They have a leader, which we’re still trying to hunt down.”

Apaimanee took a step backwards. The young woman continued.

“I have no intention of letting you leave this place. You’re welcome to try.”

She made no move to get up.

“My reason for picking you up is simple. You’re a witness that I must protect. Nobody else in terminal E of that airport made it out alive, except for you. You can’t leave this place until we gather enough evidence to drag the man behind the attack into the light. And,” she got up, “I want a successor.”

Apaimanee got to the door and opened. Nothing happened. He rushed outside, but the gate was closed. He could see people passing by, and some homeless people were leaning against the wall right across. He called out, but they ignored him. Everybody batted him a glance and quickly looked the other way.

He tried to climb, but felt a bullet grazed the side of his body. It came from a mounted gun on a post, and looking above, he could see electrical wires. Rows of them, ready to zap him the moment he touched them.

“You’re kidding…”

It was no simple apartment complex; it was a prison.

His limbs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground. He could hear her footsteps approaching. She was holding her phone, pressing and swiping with her fingers.

“What did you do to me…?”

“I turned your limbs off. Prostheses are so cool, aren’t they?” She towered above him. “I wasn’t done talking when you left. If you want to keep your memories intact, I suggest you comply, or else I could just press a button, and then your memories go woosh.”

“You still need me as a witness.” Apaimanee gritted his teeth.

“Yeah, until I figure out how to get that memory chip into and out of your head.”

He trembled.

“Anyway, let’s go back inside. It’s so hot out here.”