History of Violence

"What do you think happens after we die?" Ben asked.

"Don't say that," Marvin said.

"Do you think there's an afterlife or something?"

"Ben, we're not gonna die."

"I just wanna talk about something," Ben said. "The longer I'm quiet, the worse my thoughts get. I start to imagine horrible stuff happening to me."

Oh. What a strange time to open up.

Marvin appreciated it, though; it was refreshing to hear Ben talk after his long hours of silence. It was the dawn of the second day of being captive, and perhaps the last day they'd be alive.

"I guess I don't believe in an afterlife," Marvin said.

"None at all?" Ben asked.

"I mean, maybe there's a digital afterlife, but you need to go there manually."

"Like what you got going on," Ben said. "Uploading your consciousness."

"Yeah."

"Why don't more people do that?" Ben asked. "Was it 'cause of the ethics revolution?"

"Yeah," Marvin said. It was one of those gradual, century-long movements that was hard to categorize in history class, but everyone knew of it. During the revolution—or the many sub-revolutions—the world had come to believe that humanity was at its best when unaugmented with cybernetic implants. Cyborgs and consciousness-uploading had gone out of style, and people started living "purely" again.

"Do you think you're alive?" Ben asked.

Marvin raised a nonexistent eyebrow. What a loaded question. He'd never considered himself not alive, but now that he thought about it, he didn't have any biological basis for being alive. He was a highly advanced piece of electronic equipment. 

"I guess I'm not alive like a plant is alive," Marvin replied. "But…" I'm human, aren't I?

How could he be one but not the other?

"Me personally, I think you're alive," Ben said. "I think we gotta stop defining life as our biological processes. Life is simply the act of giving a shit about yourself."

Marvin couldn't help smiling. "So is an AI alive?"

"You can ask an AI to kill itself and it will. Can't do that to you or a plant or anything else."

"How's a plant gonna kill itself?" Marvin asked.

"That's the point!"

"So what makes it different from a rock?"

Ben tapped his foot on the ground. "You know what, I don't know. But you get my point, right?"

"I guess," Marvin said. "Do you believe in an afterlife?"

"I think so. Maybe our souls get converted into energy and that's what makes the prayer tags glow."

"That's not much of an afterlife," Marvin remarked.

"It's better than your version."

They talked a bit longer, but soon the energy dwindled. The empty workshop and dead machines did nothing to help. Marvin expected the Sawblades to have come in by now, but who knew what Gerard was making them do.

At length, Marvin asked, "Do you wanna finish your Centium story?"

"It's done," Ben replied.

"What happened after you told Renee?"

"She found her parents and we left Centium."

Marvin stopped himself from protesting. There was obviously a reason Ben wasn't telling the rest of it. Painful memories probably. It was like if Marvin had to recount his own murder to someone.

Except, a few seconds later, Ben immediately spoke up.

"Okay, I'm lying. Obviously"

"What?"

"I'll tell you what really happened."

"I'm not forcing you to," Marvin started.

"I'm doing it for myself," Ben said. "If we're gonna die here, it's better I get this off my chest."

Marvin cringed, wondering if he had said something wrong to pressure Ben. Too late now, though. If Ben was set on telling him, he'd do well to listen.

-----

Two years ago

"What is this?" Cam demanded.

He and Ben stood beneath the neon light of the boba shop sign. Ben had been confused why Cam had asked to meet here of all places, but now it became clear. This was the edge of Centium territory. Neutral grounds between them and the Manhunters.

Ben looked at the picture Cam was showing him. A wooden prayer tag with some very familiar words written on it. He swallowed his nerves.

"I… I just wanted to show Renee."

"I wasn't the first to find this, Ben," Cam said. "Diana Kane's been informed. She'll be here tomorrow."

Jeez, it was that obvious? On that tag, Ben had not only said Renee's parents were alive, but he'd suggested—no, implored—her to leave Centium for them. The most incriminating words possible.

If it had been Darren, the leader of Centium, who knew, Ben would've given up then and there. But Diana was navigable. Yes, she was the heir to the kingdom, but she was also strangely close with Renee. Sometimes, when Ben saw them together, he almost believed they were friends.

"We could convince her to let Renee go," Ben said.

"No, we can't. She won't."

Ben's eye twitched. "Why do they care so much? How is one kid gonna help them?"

"She might actually make all the difference," Cam said, his expression darkening. "Things aren't looking good for us. The Manhunters are making moves."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Stop being vague."

"The Manhunters might try to force us out of Nagatown. Renee's one of the best thiefs we have on site. We'll need her."

Us. We. The words made Ben's stomach turn. They were orphans who happened to be under Centium care. They weren't gangsters.

"What's Diana Kane gonna do?" Ben asked. "About me, I mean."

"I don't know."

But that look of pity said otherwise. There would be some sort of punishment. Ben wasn't as useful as Renee. He was expendable.

What if Renee doesn't want to leave? What if what I think is good for her ends up hurting her?

Ben wasn't sure if he was just trying to cope with the context. No good would come from getting involved in a gang war, no matter how Renee felt.

"The real question is," Cam said, "what are you gonna do?"

Ben didn't know. Band up with Renee, kowtow to Diana, and apologize for their mistakes? He would hate himself forever.

"It's cold," Cam muttered. "Let's go inside."

The two of them entered the boba shop and sat down at a pink table in the back. The robot barista greeted them with an overly cheerful wave.

"I don't know what they'll do to you," Cam said. "This has never happened before."

"But it's like treason, isn't it?" Ben asked.

"I don't know. Nothing's really come out of it yet."

But it was the attempt to leave. The mere suggestion that Centium so despised. Ben was sure those words went unspoken by Cam.

"Do you really think Renee is better off with her parents?" Cam said. "She's never met them before. Sure, they're rich, but who knows how they got that way. And there's gotta be a reason they abandoned her."

It was all valid, but could a life with these strangers possibly be worse than a war with the Manhunters? At least Renee was guaranteed to live.

"What about a debt?" Ben said. "People have done that before, right? We could pay Diana to leave."

"Everyone in debt is either still in debt, back with the gang, or dead," Cam said. "Their lives are ruined."

"How much is it?" Ben asked.

"Millions. You'd have to win Mecha Realm to pay it back."

Ben blinked. "And if we never pay it back?"

"They'll show up at your door eventually. You get a choice—either join again and take on the worst tasks, ones that'll for sure kill you, or have your brain sold to the Memory Bank."

Ben felt a chill grip his heart. The sudden sense of self-preservation made him realize it was time to admit the truth: this was more than just Renee. He was the one who wanted out. It was him who hated this life. His compassion for Renee, while genuine, was a projection of his own fears.

"We can still convince Diana," Ben muttered. "Renee and I."

"Ben." Cam's voice was steel. "I know you want out as well. But trust me—just take whatever Diana throws your way and let this blow over."

"There's no harm in talking to her first." Ben felt like a broken record.

"You can still reasonably defend yourself right now," Cam argued. "Once you talk to her, you're confirmed a traitor."

Ben found his left beg bouncing up and down. He heard the words and let them pass through his ears. He wouldn't give up without trying first. 

I can do it. I can get us out.

"We should head back," Cam said, checking his watch. "Get Renee in the loop as well."

Ben pursed his lips and nodded.

The walk back to their apartment was quiet. Cam asked several times if Ben was okay, and Ben said he was fine every time. It was strange. He wanted to hate the older boy, but he could only feel thankful that they were returning to the same place. The shared solitude was nice after such a stressful talk.

Stressful, yet utterly unproductive.

The night passed, and the next day, Ben woke up feeling more determined than ever. Diana Kane was not a threat; she was a door, an escape from impending destruction. If Ben played his cards right, one meeting was all it would take.

Renee was still asleep. The sky was still dark. Ben slipped out of the apartment, hurrying down the street to the nearest hovertram station. He would ride the monorails to Sector 12 and make the short walk to Centium's base of operations, the Altaitent.

The streets were sparsely populated at this time of day. Some bikers zoomed by, and some people were on morning strolls, but Ben felt isolated enough. It was him versus the world, it seemed.

I am doing the right thing, he told himself.

The horizon borders were beginning to glow yellow and orange when Ben turned onto Nagatown's second largest street. It was more than a block wide, flanked with the tallest buildings in a dozen miles' radius. Smooth, gray pavement and pristine store fronts were barely obscured by the few people out and about. Up ahead, the tram station arched over the sky, connecting two skyscrapers on each side of the road. The monorail passed below the arch. A tram was currently there, stopped below the station, and Ben could see several people get on through a glass bridge.

However, even closer to Ben was a row of orange barricades and cones, blocking the street. Ben squinted, trying to discern what kind of construction was going on. He made out a group of figures dressed in black gathered under an overhang, but they weren't working.

A gang barricade? he wondered. He turned right and headed into an alley. The station was clearly still running, and he knew an alternate route.

If the Manhunters were setting up roadblocks, a skirmish was soon to follow. Just another reason to leave Centium. As Ben submerged deeper in the darkness of the alley, he quickened his pace.

When he passed the halfway point, when the light at the end started expanding, he suddenly heard a second pair of footsteps behind him.

He spun around. Another boy was approaching, one whose gait was unfortunately very familiar.

Oh great. But before Ben could run, Cam called his name.

"You're not in trouble!" Cam shouted. He stopped a few feet away from Ben, leaned against the wall, and sucked in a breath. Ben backed away cautiously.

"Nothing I say's gonna change your mind, huh?" Cam said.

Ben shook his head warily. Cam would have to stop him by force, and Ben knew he was a faster runner.

"What do you plan to say to Diana Kane?" Cam asked.

"I'll tell her about Renee's situation," Ben replied. "She likes Renee. She'll let us go."

"And if that doesn't work? Are you gonna take the debt?"

Ben faltered. He wanted to say yes, but they were talking about millions of dollars here. How could he make that much money before the deadline?

"If I have to," Ben said, gritting his teeth.

"No, you won't," Cam said. He pushed himself off the wall and stood up straight. "Here's what's gonna happen. I'll say it was my idea. I told Renee that her parents were alive and gave you guys the idea to leave Centium."

Ben's mouth fell open. "But how… You'd just be dragging yourself into this."

"If Diana thinks it was me, you have a much better chance of negotiating yourself out of Centium. I can work off part of the debt."

Ben widened his eyes. A part of him wanted to protest that this wasn't about him, but who was he kidding? He was the one who felt sick to the stomach every time Centium sent him on a mission. Did he even know how Renee felt about leaving Centium?

Shut up, he told himself. This was for the best.

He turned back to Cam. "You're serious?"

"Yes."

Ben looked up at the thin sliver of sky, feeling a weight slide off his shoulders. Why would Cam do this for him? He didn't deserve half of it.

"How do I repay you?" Ben asked. He vowed he'd find some way to. In no world should Cam sacrifice so much without getting something in return.

Cam let out a tired chuckle. "I'll think of something later." He gestured forwards. "Now let's—"

Ben frowned, wondering what had made the older boy pause. He turned around and followed Cam's gaze. Three figures were obscuring the light at the end of the alley. Black suits and red compound goggles. Ben turned back and looked over Cam's shoulder to see three more Manhunters blocking the way. One of them was a woman with long, brown hair: Veronica.

Ben took a deep breath and tried to steady his heartbeat. Veronica was chill. She'd been nice at the prayer grounds, aside from…

Ben realized with a start just what Veronica had said at the prayer grounds.

"Cameron," Veronica shouted, voice resounding in the dark corridor. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Ben risked a glance at his friend. Cam's eyes were wide with fear, his jaw clenched tight. He knew what this was about more than Ben, that was for sure.

"We gotta run," Ben whispered.

"For the tram," Cam agreed. 

Three Manhunters were blocking the way, but they didn't take up the whole width of the alley. There were plenty of places to slip through. However, Ben and Cam needed to bait them closer.

"Who are you?" Cam shouted back.

"Your friend can tell you," Veronica replied. Both walls of Manhunters steadily approached them.

"I don't think you ever told me your name, actually," Ben said, trying to hide the fear in his voice. They're Manhunters. They're small fry.

Usually, that reassurance worked. Today, it only made him more scared.

"Well, my name hardly matters," Veronica said. "You know why I'm here."

Ben shifted so both sides of Manhunters were in his periphery. Cam did the same. A few more seconds now.

"You know what you did, Cameron," Veronica continued. As the two Manhunter walls converged, the figure beside her stepped into the light. He was much younger than the others and had scruffy brown hair and the beginnings of a mustache. Ben would later know him as Gerard.

"I hope you understand you had this coming," Veronica said.

The Manhunters were within five feet on each side, and slowing to a stop. There were at least five windows to slip through. Go low, go high, far left or far right… Everything was viable. Ben met Cam's eyes.

Now.

Ben lunged forward, vision tunneling on the gap between the right-most Manhunter and the wall. For a moment, he felt like he was flying as both his feet left the ground. Then he hit the earth again, and he was in the gap.

And the next thing he knew, something smashed into his side, pummeling him against the wall.

Ben gasped for air, vision swimming. He slumped to the ground and rolled across the wall. Someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backwards.

No no no no—

Sounds of a similar struggle could be heard on his left. Someone tossed him across the alley, and someone else caught him, put him in a headlock, and forced him onto his knees. Ben thrashed out, but he was firmly held in place.

Strands of brown hair brushed against his ear.

"Pay attention now," Veronica said quietly. "You could learn a thing or two."

She stood and brought Ben up with her. As his vision began to focus, he saw Cam slumped against the wall, blood trickling out of his nose. He looked at Ben with wide eyes, eyes that acknowledged that they'd failed.

"This is what we're gonna do," Veronica declared. The other five Manhunters closed in around Cam like vultures. "You're gonna take one hit for every thousand dollars you cost us."

Cam sucked in a breath but said nothing.

"One-hundred-thirty-six punches," Veronica mused. "It's really not that much." Her voice suddenly grew bright. "You might survive! You'll spend a week in the hospital, then you'll go out to get revenge. Keep up this cruel cycle."

"Leave him alone!" Cam shouted. Ben felt his heart drop. How could Cam be protecting him, even thinking of him in a time like this?

"This is about you, not him," Veronica snapped. She addressed the other Manhunters. "Go ahead."

Gerard was the first to swing. His fist connected with Cam's cheek, throwing the boy's head to the left with a sickening crunch. Cam coughed and slid further down the wall. His head slowly rolled back to its original position.

The others went. One punch after another, one crunch, one crack, one cough, one wheeze. They became a mass of black and red. Cam was barely discernible.

Ben didn't comprehend what was happening at first. It didn't even register in his mind that he should look away. One moment he was heading down the street to the tram station, the next minute he was being held captive by the Manhunters and his friend was getting hurt. This wasn't real.

Only when he heard the squelches, the whimpering, and his heartbeat thundering in his ears did he snap to reality.

"Stop!" he screamed. He tried to elbow Veronica but found thin air. "Stop!"

The punches continued. Blood was seeping from that side of the alley to the opposite wall. Ben squeezed his eyes shut. He tried stomping on Veronica's feet, tried biting her arm, tried headbutting her. The woman held firm.

"Kill me instead!" he cried. "Just stop!"

"Open your eyes!" Veronica demanded. Ben felt his eyelids being dragged upwards. The scene of the alleyway replaced the darkness. Five Manhunters and a husk of a boy.

The Manhunters' rotation was slowing down. Ben could hear quiet, labored breaths; Cam was still alive.

Hang in there, Ben implored, tears welling in his eyes.

Gerard approached Cam and wound his fist back. His prosthetic hand was soaked in blood, but he had a manic grin on his face that made Ben want to puke.

Just then, a high-pitched ringing cut through the air. Not a siren, but more like the sound of metal scraping metal. Ben winced and Veronica nearly let him go. The other Manhunters covered their ears and looked to the end of the alley.

Two new figures had arrived, wearing heavy, bright-colored robes and boasting silver swords that extended out of their right hands. The figure on the left, the shorter of the two, wore a flat, black conical hat that made her unmistakable: Diana Kane.

Ben blinked, refusing to believe this stroke of luck. He kept his focus on his friend's breathing. Stay alive, Cam. But those breaths were so faint, so shallow, that he wasn't sure who they belonged to.

"Back off," Diana said. Her voice was quiet and not exactly commanding, but that made it all the more eerie. Ben could feel Veronica's grip loosening.

"We outnumber you three to one," a Manhunter snarled.

"I can see that," Diana said. She gestured for her guard to halt as she alone strode forward. A string of magenta plasma ignited around her blade.

The Manhunter who'd spoken exchanged looks with another, and the two of them charged forward.

"Wait!" Veronica shouted.

Diana slashed her sword arm upwards, carving the first Manhunter in half. Then she slashed sideways, decapitating the other. She'd barely broken her stride. Ben had believed she was a proficient mech pilot and well-trained in combat, but this was legend incarnate. Every rumor about her was true.

"Take another step and I'll kill him!" Veronica shouted, turning Ben around to face the Centium members.

"If you do that, every one of you is going to die," Diana said. "If you just leave, though…"

Veronica's arms began trembling. Ben held his breath; an opportunity was surely coming where he could escape.

But then, to his surprise, Veronica released him. Ben glanced to his right and saw Gerard was already backing away. The remaining two Manhunters quickly followed suit.

"Ask him what he did," Veronica spat, nodding to Cam. "He had it coming."

"Sure he did," Diana said.

Veronica spun on her heels and led her Manhunters out of the alley. Ben watched them fade into the light, then turned to Diana and her bodyguard. They might as well have been angels.

"Ben, right?" Diana asked. There was a slight smile on her face; she knew Ben was close with Renee. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Ben muttered.

Diana's bodyguard knelt down beside Cam and felt for a pulse.

"How is he?" Diana asked.

"He's still breathing," the guard replied. "He'll make it, albeit with a few implants."

Ben wanted to collapse in relief. I'm so sorry Cam. This is all my fault. I should've never tried to go to the tram.

"Implants?" Diana repeated.

The guard nodded.

Diana tilted her head to take a long look at Cam. Ben forced himself to as well. In the darkness, it was hard to tell what was right or wrong with the older boy. Nothing particularly disturbing was visible. That was a relief.

Diana pursed her lips. "The surgery's not worth it."

And with a swipe of her sword, she cut open Cam's throat.

-----

"There was no negotiating after that," Ben said, voice trembling. "Renee and I took the debt and left. I… I told her the Manhunters killed Cam."

Marvin was silent for a moment. He pictured the Ben he used to know, the cheerful, talkative outsourcer. He pictured Renee, always so animated and lively. He imagined Diana Kane, the shadowy figure who had invaded their workshop.

"I'm so sorry," Marvin whispered at length.

"They're hypocrites," Ben murmured. "They'll force anyone to stay in their gang until it costs them. We were all expendable in the end. Even Renee."

Marvin nodded. And the heads of each snake were monsters of their own. Diana Kane, Veronica, Gerard, Jacques. There was no moral high ground there.

Marvin wanted to say something more, something to comfort Ben, but he couldn't find the words. So he did the next best thing he knew to do.

"Can I ask… is that why you froze back then?" Those three times they'd confronted the Manhunters or Centium.

"Yes," Ben said.

Can't blame him. Marvin couldn't imagine what that kind of trauma did to someone.

"I know it's not good," Ben continued. "I just can't control it."

"It's okay."

"I want to help, I really do—"

"It's okay, really," Marvin cut in. He wasn't going to reprimand Ben, especially not now. However, he couldn't deny that if they were to escape, they could not have Ben freezing again. So Marvin said, "You probably know this already, but… if you keep freezing, one of us might die. You might die."

Marvin immediately winced as the words left his mouth. What was he thinking? Ben had just confessed a traumatic life story and he was telling him to get over it?

But it was the truth. That may have not been what Ben wanted to hear, but at this moment, they needed to do everything they could to survive. That meant trying to get Ben to change.

"I know," Ben said.

Marvin felt a jolt of panic. These were robot thoughts. Utilitarian and devoid of empathy. "I'm sorry," he began. "I didn't mean it like that—"

"No. Thank you," Ben said. "It's different when you hear it from someone else, you know?"

Marvin swallowed. I was too blunt.

But before he could continue to apologize, he heard a door slide open on his right. He turned and silently cursed. Gerard had walked in. Gerard, in the flesh, alone. If Marvin's hands were free, he would have rushed down the Manhunter right then and there.

Gerard paused in front of Marvin. "Steve. I talked to an acquaintance of yours today."

Marvin felt his phantom skin prickle. Who could it be? Caroline? Sienna? Bob?

"Now, what exactly are you?" Gerard asked. "No more bullshit answers."

Marvin narrowed his eyes. He's seeing if what I say correlates to whatever my "acquaintance" said.

They'd all refer to him as a cyborg, no? He was about to say that, but he caught his tongue at the last second. Would Caroline really call him a cyborg in a negotiation? She'd try to overhype him, he suspected. Something like what she'd done with Centium.

"I have a killer crane implant," Marvin replied. He didn't dare say more.

Gerard scoffed and crossed his arms. "You're coming with me. We've got a job to do."