Lauren's Letter.

A collection of one’s and zero’s, that is how the Core views humanity. A collection of worker ants that follow the instructions it doles out. Today was the same as every other day in the city of light, people being moved like pieces on a chessboard carrying out their tasks. Isaac is sat on the train.

Humming along the magnetic lines that snake through the mountainous peaks of skyscrapers. The buildings give off a magnificent sapphire-blue glow that rises from the reactors in their core, almost like that of blue sun.

The train is filled with commuters making their way home at 6 pm rush hour. Isaac sat in an extraordinarily average charcoal suit with a black briefcase, the standard uniform of all accountants in the city sat toward the back of the train. A lady sat across from him with a strange marking on her neck, something that might have been mistaken for the consequence of her sexual exploits.

The marking did not pique Isaac’s interest; he merely smiled and continued to look down at the hologram on his lap.

The train pulled into the station, Isaac tapped his wrist, and the hologram vanished. The marking caught his eye once more before a long strand of crimson hair covered it. The platform was in clouds; cars on the ground seemed like scurrying insects with tales of blue energy leaking from them like a scent trail.

Isaac walked to the series of conveyor strands that transport you to ground level, these tubes of blue light guide you from the buildings’ lofty height to the ground on a circular blue disc. Waiting for his disc to appear, Isaac took a moment to look at another individual’s neck. A middle-aged male, Clean crew cut, double-breasted suit in olive green. His complexion was pale, the marking was visible, and this unsettled Isaac cause it was in the same shape and the same spot.

The C shape with a smaller O inside was pronounced; Isaac stood staring as the disc formed in front of him with the gentle hum of a laser. Isaac was brought back to the world by this sound and traveled down to the ground. A short stroll brought Isaac to the Plaza, the apartment building for all the middle-class accountants. The retinal scanner was brighter than usual to Isaac today; he clicked level 10 in the elevator. As the car came to rest on his floor, he caught a glimpse of it.

Isaac burst through his front door, chucking down all his belongings as he weaved past his Holographic personal assistant, Alice. The door slides open as he approached the bathroom, and suddenly the floor to ceiling glass turned opaque to prevent people from outside a view in, a standard feature on all the homes in the building.

As he stood in the mirror, there it was, the symbol was clear as day, the Large C with an O inside the cup of the C. The mark perplexed him; he clawed at it; when it did not fade, he got found a razor to try and get at it. As he placed the razor against the side of his neck, he felt a lack of power in his hands; he was unable to apply pressure to make an incision in his skin. His hands glistened, the razor began to slip from his grip. Clammy and confused, standing in front of his vanity mirror, the doorbell’s tone rang right before Alice’s voice chimed behind him.

" Someone is at the door, Master Isaac. Would you like me to tell them you are not available?” She said in a calm tone.

“ I’ll go have a look, don’t worry about it, Alice, thank you,” replied Isaac.

Isaac pulled off his Blazer and walked to the door, undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt; the top button was on the verge of ripping off while he was inspecting his neck. In the doorway was the most beautiful woman Isaac had ever seen, Midnight hair, in a bob with bangs that fell in a mess above her browline, full lips with Mocca skin and athletic build.

The leather bodysuit hugged her body well; her hourglass shape was evident, with ample bosom. Isaac stood shellshocked.

" I’m glad I caught you at home, Mr. Anderson,” She said with a slim grin on her face; she was a cross between an angel and Lilith.

“Who are you?” Isaac asked meekly.

“I’m Isis; lovely to meet you. May I come in?” the grin still sending shivers down Isaac’s spine.

Isis slid through the doorway and pushed Isaac gently in the center of his chest; he backed up slowly, a galaxy of ideas rushing through his mind as the doors closed behind her.

“Have you seen it?” Isis asked.

“what are you talking about?” Isaac asked with a screwed face.

Isis pointed at the spot on her neck where the symbol was; hers was damaged, though. A scar was left where it looked like someone had attacked her with a panga.

Suddenly the temperature plummeted, a gaze shared between them filled the silence.

“I don’t know what that is…” Isaac mumbled.

“That is the Core, Mr. Anderson,” Isis replied. “ What are you doing with that Razor in your hand?” she grinned.

“you tried to cut it out, didn’t you? You couldn’t do it, could you. that is the power of The Core Isaac; they govern every facet of life on our planet,” Isis spoke in a hushed tone.

Isaac ran his forearm across his brow. A patch of moisture darkened his shirt sleeve. The moment was overwhelming; he stood idol, breathing slowly.

" I need to get you out of here before they realize you are awake.”

“what do you mean realize I’m awake?!”

Isis pulled out a dagger that gleamed in the light. Alice looked down and flashed red to signify defense protocols had been activated.

“Danger! Danger! should I intervene, Isaac?” Alice blared out.

“No, Alice, it’s okay… I’ll handle this,” Isaac said tentatively.

" what are you going to do with that, Isis? are you going to stab me?”

“no, I’m going to remove the system motherboard from your neck so we can get out of here without being traced,” she said calmly with a slightly sadistic smile on her face.

" The motherboard is supposed to make that mark invisible to citizens; it allows The Core to control citizens of the republic without anyone realizing it.”

“Am I being controlled?” asked Isaac.

" Until today, yes you were, the fact that you noticed the symbol is an irregularity that The Core has most definitely noticed… now let me cut that fucking thing out your neck, and let’s go before they come to detain us both,” Isis said sternly.

Isaac lay on the couch and bit down on his bundled Blazer whilst Isis cut a gash in his neck; she removed a chip the size of a square on a chessboard. Isis showed Isaac with a smile before throwing it to the ground and placing the heel of her boot on it firmly.

“How long has that been inside of me?” Isaac asked in shock.

“Since the moment you were born, they programmed your purpose into you,” Isis replied.

" you are not an accountant of your own free will, my friend; the Core has created a population of worker bees that don’t know they are working for the betterment of AI.” she continued to unravel Isaac’s entire world.

Isis rubbed the dagger against the couch and placed it in her pocket before offering her bloody hand to Isaac. Isaac grabbed her hand, unraveled the blazer, slipped it on, nodded, and shut down Alice with a simple closing of his fist, the gesture he had set for the system shutdown.

“Okay, let’s get the fuck out of here,” Isis said impatiently.

The door opened, and the two vanished, leaving behind blood stains on a white couch and Isaac’s life.

Minutes later, Core security officers arrived to find no one and a couple of bloodstains.

The lead officer Agent Tusker Pudge activated Alice.

“most recent video log” Pudge requested from Alice.

The video log showed Isis and Isaac leaving the apartment.

“fucking Isis, ill catch that bitch one day, and when I do, I shall deport her off-world myself.” Muttered Agent Pudge with a disdainful look on his face.