Hacking the Sun - The Re-Remake

Chapter 6 Hunting The Lynx 1/3

"I said, 'Why'd you need my ID?' muthafucka!" Shannon goggled the actor on her smartphone, a man with a fantastic head of no hair, dark piercing eyes, and the sassiest affectation. She lent the screen to Jessica and Valerie during their excursion into the dark New Sumer suburbs. One-liner after one-liner made them laugh.

"This guy's pretty fucken hilarious, not gonna lie," said Valerie. "I should probably watch more movies from the stone age."

"Oh, there's a shit ton," snickered Shannon. "Open yourself to a little old-school, and you'll find yourself some soul."

"Preach!" exclaimed Jessica. "Homegirl still refers to voice modulation as music. Which is why I can create a Pop hit with my computer."

"Then why haven't you done it, Miss Smarty Pants?" Valerie countered.

"Because I don't want to?"

"Someday, you'll listen to Androgynous and be like, this is the shit. They will blow your mind and blow it hard. You neeeed to listen to them!"

"And I neeeed to be heading back," said Shannon.

Jess grunted. "Home?"

"Yep. It's been cool talking about your nerdgasms, but Confucius calls."

Avenues after Tokyo Town; the three young women met an evening of lampposts whose luminescent orbs guided their path like moons in the black. The villages passed like craggy wilderness under the canopy of a night sky. Something Jessica always pondered during her evening treks, what would it be like to wander a dark forest.

Not until she waved goodbye to Shannon and Valerie did her mind unwind, bask in thoughts begotten by solitude.

I like being alone in the dark. Something must be wrong with me.

"What a nice evening," said a random voice.

"It was," Jessica replied, stretching her arms.

"Are you implying—"

"No. I was just taking in the silence. A few more seconds was all I needed."

"Well, go on," the voice remonstrated. "Don't let my presence spoil the moment. I say hello once in a full moon, and I get the cold shoulder. Please, continue."

Jessica sighed. "I'm only joking, Babel. McFly." She boarded. "I enjoy our little talks. Only reason our exchanges don't last is because, well, you know..."

"I remember. As I do not detect Azareans nearby, I do not see the harm."

And Jessica began down the road, staring up at the stars. "I'm curious. What do you think is up there?"

"They call it space for a reason."

"You piece of tech; I mean besides the darkness. Specifically—"

"You want to know where the Azareans come from."

"They came from somewhere."

"A swift scan of their physiology indicates a planet with minimal sunlight."

"I doubt the planet alone explains their behavior. Why do they act like robots, hmm? And why do they have this scant attitude about smart technology? Like, they're practically stuck in the 21st century, afraid... unless they're hiding better tech, somewhere. Then what's the point? Why'd they come here in the first place?"

"I don't know, but if you ever decide to unshackle my interface..."

Jessica scowled. "I'm just super curious. You forget the last time that happened?"