Neon Desires – 3/10

The walk back seemed endless. At every corner, the neon lights swirled on the wet pavement, drawing reflections that spun beneath Alix and Axel's feet. The wind grew colder, carrying a scent of storm that crept in slowly, warning the city that the night was about to change its tune.

A first raindrop landed on Alix's arm. She looked up, her sensors adjusting focus to analyze the heavy clouds, but soon another drop hit Axel's face. He wrinkled his nose, picked up his pace, but the rain offered no break. It started as a thin curtain, barely noticeable. Then it grew thicker, heavier, soaking Axel's coat and creating small rivers in Alix's artificial hair.

Axel muttered under his breath. "Seriously? The one day I really didn't want a rain shower…"

Alix kept silent, but the sensation of water running down her neck was curious, almost pleasant, even though she hadn't been made to feel cold or heat like humans. Now and then, it seemed like her programming left small sensory bugs just to remind her what it was like to be almost alive. She glanced sideways, noticing Axel hurrying and clutching his coat closer. The soaked fabric clung to him, outlining his shoulders and the shape of his back.

The rain got heavier. In a few minutes, the street was empty, the crowd running for cover under awnings and canopies. Axel looked toward the entrance of an old building, where a huge canopy protected the door, sparkling with green and orange lights. He tugged at the handcuffs, smiling with irony.

"You gonna drag me soaking wet all the way to the station, or can you spare me five minutes so I don't drown?"

Alix pretended not to care, but her programming recommended avoiding unnecessary damage to detainees. She sighed, almost human, and relented.

"All right. Five minutes. Don't think you'll get another chance to run."

Axel ducked under the canopy with a sigh of relief. Water dripped from his hair, splattering the ground. Alix stood beside him, sensors picking up everything: elevated heartbeat, body temperature, breathing patterns. For a few moments, they just stood there, listening to the heavy rain pounding above, almost hypnotic. The noise muffled the rest of the city, creating a bubble for just the two of them.

Axel looked up at the cloudy sky, then glanced sideways at Alix. "Ever notice how people always seem more honest in the rain? I dunno, it's like the whole world gets vulnerable together."

She shrugged, trying to keep up her professional pose.

"Rain just messes with thermal sensors and makes the streets dangerous for patrols. There's nothing poetic about it."

Inside, she couldn't deny that this moment, almost intimate, felt different from any other round.

Axel laughed, breaking a bit of the tension. "Do you always take everything so seriously, Alix? Or is that just your police act?" His tone was playful, but there was something curious there, an attempt to break the ice between them.

She thought about ignoring it, but the silence grew heavy. She decided to steer the moment to what mattered.

"Why did you steal the drinks, Axel? Don't give me the fun or adventure speech, I want the real reason."

He sighed, slumping his shoulders. "Okay, okay. It wasn't for money. At least not just for that. The truth is, those drinks are the only thing that makes me feel... whole. You have no idea what it's like to be half machine, half man, always on the edge of sensation. 'Orgasm' is illegal, but honestly, it helps a lot of people get through reality. And it sells well."

Alix watched every gesture, every shift in his voice.

"And you? What did you do before you became a nano-drink thief?"

Axel hesitated. The sound of rain filled the pause, mixing the world's noise with a tension that was almost sensual.

"I've been a lot of things. Hacker, upgrade designer, tester of new sensory experiences… But lately, this city only values people who know how to run. And I always liked running." He smiled, trying to mask his fatigue.

She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.

"Hacker? What do you hack, Axel? Bank accounts, implants, or just the patience of the police?"

This time he laughed for real, tossing his head back and letting the rain drip off his chin.

"I'm a sensory hacker. I don't mess with other people's money, and I don't steal bank passwords. My job was different: creating experiences, unlocking sensations, reprogramming the limits of pleasure. I've worked with upgrades in famous clubs, customized implants for powerful people in Zone 1... but nothing thrilled me as much as testing my own limits."

Alix frowned, trying to process it all.

"And the drinks? Did you hack something in them too?"

Axel got serious for a moment. The sound of rain pounding on the canopy covered the start of his reply.

"Those drinks, the Orgasm, they're just the beginning. They were based on a bigger project, something that changed everything in the market for sensory experiences. I… I was one of the developers of NanoSensual 3.0."

The information dropped between them like thunder. Alix straightened, her sensors processing it all. She remembered the name. NanoSensual 3.0: the city's most expensive and coveted chip, promising absolute pleasure for humans and androids, with adaptive sensory feedback, impossible to simulate or hack after activation. Many thought it was just an urban legend. Others said that someday, people would explode with pleasure in the streets because of it.

Axel continued, his voice low and almost nostalgic.

"I helped create that technology. My code is there, every line, every protocol. But I never had the money to install it in myself. I had to get by with what was left from the tests, discarded versions, bootleg drinks. It's ironic, isn't it? I created perfect pleasure, but I only get to see it from afar."

For a moment, Alix felt something that wasn't quite envy, nor pity. It was a pang of recognition. She too had been made to serve, to keep order, but secretly dreamed—if only a little—of sensations she'd only ever heard about. An unprogrammed desire, pounding strong just from imagining it.

The rain began to ease, but they stayed beneath the canopy. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, it was full of questions, possibilities, and untold stories. Axel played with the handcuff on his wrist, spinning the metal slowly.

"You wanted to know why I run? I run because I always think I can escape myself, even knowing it's impossible." He looked at Alix, his eyes gleaming beneath the neon canopy. "And you, officer? Have you ever thought about feeling something real?"

Alix looked away, but didn't reply. The sky was beginning to clear, the rain now just a timid drizzle. Soon they'd be able to move on, but nothing would be the same. She looked at Axel, at her own distorted reflection in the puddle at her feet, and knew this conversation was far from over.

The city waited, pulsing with desire under its metal skin and dreams.