Cosmotic Calendar Year 2030 – Age: 10 Years Old

“A little more to the left,” Rodge said, forcing me to extend my arm further into the small crevice of the window.

This was a usual sight to see as I was the most capable of all the kids. Likewise, being the most capable came with many perks: more food, more clothing, better footwear…

However, stealing this time was a bit different from all the previous times. This apartment happened to have a full-defense system ready to activate at any moment.

I was scared beyond belief at the lasers suddenly turning on, and claiming my right hand. I had someone to provide for, it would be difficult to do that with only one hand.

Still, I didn’t have much choice, I needed to eat and someone failing to pull their weight will be thrown out of the gang.

Rodge was the oldest person here. We had no choice but to listen to him or our protection would not be guaranteed.

Rodge taught us how to survive, and by us, I mean ‘the slum kids’.

However, every lesson taught required a price to be paid, and half of whatever you stole would always go to Rodge. I wasn’t that mad at losing half of what I stole since I knew that Rodge had to give even more to the adults.

I guess the bitter pill is passed down from boss to employee, to other employees.

Rodge was kind of a rarity.

It was rare to see someone make it into their teenage years and not leave the slums or die. Us, slum kids, were not widely appreciated in recent years.

Still, we weren’t exactly trapped in the slums either, there was always a way out for those willing to try.

I once asked Rodge why he didn’t leave, but he seemed reluctant to answer. Everyone has their own reasons I guess.

I didn’t care about others much… I didn’t have the luxury to.

I had a sister to feed, and I wasn’t about to ruin my only source of income for mere curiosity.

“I got it!” I yelled as everyone silently cheered at my flexible arms.

If we didn’t steal anything valuable, we wouldn’t eat so I guess there were many kids depending on me to eat these days.

Yet, sometimes I was forced to turn a blind eye to the starving states of others. I was just as helpless as them, if I didn’t produce I would soon starve like everyone else.

Only I wouldn’t be starving just myself, but also my four-year-old sister.

I slowly retrieved my left hand from the window crevice, holding inside a small piece of crystal-quartz.

The moment my hand exited the window, Rodge snatched the crystal.

“This will be a big payday, we can eat for days when we submit this,” Rodge said nursing the crystal as if it was a girlfriend he had not seen in years.

I watched Rodge nurse the crystal with gusto.

Quartz was the energy that managed to replace electricity after all. It was everywhere, but crystallized Quartz was another matter entirely.

Rodge was clearly being conservative, that crystal could feed us for months without a problem – even after the adult’s shares.

Rodge and everyone else began kissing the crystal. It was like staring at security for the first time, and everyone appreciated security.

I could not blame them; it wasn’t every day you met someone stupid enough to leave a Quartz-crystal near an open apartment… window.

Suddenly, I had a bad premonition.

“This is too stupid,” I said.

“Yeah, whoever did this is an idiot,” Tim, a kid in the back, replied.

My intuition was warning of incoming danger so I voiced my concern.

“Or maybe we are the stupid ones?” I asked.

Everyone froze at the realization, the next moment we all scattered but it was too late. The mechanized sound of screws tightening assaulted our ears.

*Pew*

*Pew*

Two of my friends were instantly vaporized by ionic beams. I hopped from the window just in time to avoid the beam that flew over my head.

My heart was pounding, my feet aching from the landing, and my vision blurry from the tears threatening to fall.

“Come on!” Rodge said already disappearing around an alley corner.

I didn’t care about anyone else, I just wanted to live. It wasn’t the first time I was running for my life, but this time did feel a bit more serious than all others.

I chased after Rodge without any hesitation, slapping away the hands of those that asked for my help. There was no time to help everyone, and if you couldn’t help everyone, it was only fair that you didn’t help anyone.

Before turning the corner, I glanced back with panic on my face.

I instantly regretted looking back. There, I saw a mechanized marvel of humanoid features vaporizing the children that could not run away. I glanced to my sides and saw only Rocky, and Sam running alongside me.

From the twenty children that came, only three remained.

Still, I didn’t have time to care about who survived and who didn’t, only catching up to Rodge mattered at this moment. Everyone knew that the mechanized robot would chase us to the ends of the Earth to retrieve the crystal.

This was obviously a trap to lure us out. Slum kids were protected by law, but Corporations don’t always follow the Laws of weakened Government Systems.

I could hear the Corporation Robot chasing after us.

I could run in another direction entirely but that would be forfeiting my share of the loot. There was not much difference between starving to death, and dying at the hands of a Corporation robot.

I chose the path of less suffering.

“How much farther?” Rodge yelled from the front.

Rodge obviously survived this long because he was a gifted runner.

“Two alleys down,” I yelled back panting.

I wasn’t nearly as gifted with physical capabilities as Rodge, but what I lacked in muscle, I made up with the brain.

I saw Rocky falling a bit behind, but I couldn’t help anyone at the moment, I could barely help myself. I saw Rocky tug onto the shirt of the running Sam, pulling him backward and tossing him onto the ground.

Sam didn’t even get a moment to protest, a beam instantly vaporized the fallen Sam. My heart ached at the sight, Sam was a kind kid who recently joined the gang.

Yet, I knew Rocky did what was necessary or we wouldn’t have made it to the next corner. Rocky was that type of person, loyal only to what kept him fed and clothed – that was me.

Still, he was my best friend nonetheless. Maybe out of necessity, or maybe out of pity, I had a hard time deciding which it was.

I would classify our friendship as a muscle and brain type.

Rocky’s hands got dirty so my hands could stay steady while building the tools that would save our lives.

Rodge was the first to arrive at the alley, Rocky and I were just a couple of seconds behind. We turned around, our backs facing the dead end of the alley. We slowly backed away from the sounds of metal clinking with measured steps.

The Corporation Robot entered the alley, both arms holding onto the edges of the alley walls, carving a claw mark into the concrete instantly.

I slowed backed off some more, any sudden movements would lead to immediate vaporization. Corporation Robots could only vaporize those that ran away or fought back.

Its primary objective forever remained to capture children within the slums. Once captured our memories would be wiped and we would be sent to one of the many Military schools across the continent.

It wasn’t a bad alternative, but not everyone could bear losing their memories and everything that made them who they are.

As we slowly backed away, I counted the steps until the Corporation Robot was in the perfect position.

‘Just a bit more,’ I thought eagerly.

Just one more step and I would have a higher chance of making it out of this alley alive. However, things could never be that easy.

I noticed a sharp, silver gleam from the corner of my eye – a dagger.

Rocky took a dagger from his pocket and slowly walked behind Rodge.

“Rocky, No!” I yelled causing the Corporation Robot to flinch slightly.

This flinch was enough to disrupt my slow, backward steps. I felt my feet sink into the ground, I had triggered the trap a fraction of a second too soon.

‘Fuck!’ I internally cursed while jumping for cover behind a nearby trash bin.

The Corporation Robot fired several beams before a massive electrical surge from the nearby walls fried its motherboard.

I built the semi-conductors that fried the Corporation Robot, but I could not indulge in the feeling of victory.

I could not tell how long I was down for, maybe five minutes or a couple of seconds.

When the smoke slowly cleared, I saw Rocky standing next to Rodge.

Rodge’s entire left arm and a part of his chest were completely vaporized. Rodge was coughing up mouthfuls of blood at a time.

Sadly, such a sight was not new to me, but I could never get used to it.

Rocky shook his head in my direction “He won’t survive much longer, you should have let me done what was necessary,”

I didn’t reply to Rocky; I knew he was right. A Quartz-Crystal meant that Rodge would turn against us sooner or later.

Would you give a lottery ticket to an adult just to get the loose change in return?

The idea wasn’t feasible even for ten-year-olds like Rocky and me.

I slowly walked over to Rodge’s side. He took care of us, only took what was necessary, he cared for us like an older brother.

Rodge tried to speak several times and eventually I put my head close enough to hear his last words.

“ple--- please… take… c-c-care of my … sister,” he said.

“I will!” I promised knowing it was a lie, but it was better to comfort a man on his dying breath.

Rodge gave me a reassuring smile, I guess he could tell to some degree that I was lying.

“What did he say?” Rocky asked.

“He said to take care,” I replied after recovering the crystal from Rodge’s corpse.

There was no need for any more conversation, Rocky and I sped through different alleys trying to get as far away as possible from this location.

Other Corporation Robots would soon arrive at the sight of the disruption. At least, for today, I got to return home with all my body parts intact.