by Cem Can
As I approached the port of Istankara Mega City, where all the good things I remember about life are, but which I still had to leave from time to time, there was only one thought on my mind: find that crook as soon as possible, hand him over to the Company, and make a fresh start. A clean record … Then no more running away. Maybe I’d settle down in another town, maybe a small and unspoilt one, make a simple life for myself, and I wouldn’t have to watch my back or hide my face for the rest of my life.
While the ship on which I was travelling – for the first time not as a stowaway – was waiting for permission to approach, I had a chance to take a long look at the city. It didn’t seem to have changed much since my last visit. The region had already lost all its natural resources, and what was left was being exploited by the ships that roamed the skies like carrion crows, and by the humans, cybers, and robots that were constantly on the move on the ground.
By the way, I have never seen a carrion crow in my life. It was thanks to the documentaries I watched during the long journey, that I could learn about these interesting creatures. That’s a nice thing about traveling as a registered passenger.
It was time for me to get ready for landing. I opened the locker at the back of the ship and looked at the clothes the Company had given me to wear, saying they might be environmentally appropriate. I had no intention of wearing any of them. My flight suit with the Company logo on it was comfortable, as if I had been wearing it since I was born.
Besides, I grew up in this city. Even though I had to leave it, I know every corner like the back of my hand: no one has time to check what others are wearing. The streets are crowded. Moreover, apparently the population had increased and now a hundred million people were stuck in the region. I think it really doesn’t matter who wears what.
Since I wasn’t going to change clothes, I stashed my gun, bullets, and stun darts in the special compartments of my jumpsuit. It is just as useful as it is comfortable.
I took another look at myself in the mirror in the closet. Every time I did that, it was as if I was looking at a different person. My reflection was not the same as yesterday; in fact, it was not the same as a week ago either. I might be exaggerating. After all, I’ve been watching documentaries and getting new information along the way. It must have affected my thoughts. What about my face? Had it changed too? I touched my face with my hands. Did it feel different from yesterday? Well, same chin, same nose…
The voice of the automated operator startled me.
“Istankara Harbour to Falcon 3, your documents have been approved. Port 82 is ready for landing. Please take your seats and fasten your seat belts. Docking starts in two minutes.”
I immediately took my seat and buckled up.
There was complete silence as the systems lowered the ship and the restraining chains attached themselves to the hull. Despite the thick metal cladding, I could hear the creaking of the static electricity discharge ropes. The landing was completed with a slight jolt. I glanced out the cockpit window.
Everything is as I had left it.
The port’s famous porters were already swarming around the pier where the ship had landed, looking for work. I knew that, as soon as the doors opened, I would hear the screams of the cybers.
I grabbed the bag I had prepared beforehand with the materials I thought would be useful. I pulled my hooded jacket over my flight suit and opened the hatches.
They started immediately.
The incomprehensible shouts of the porters were like the sound of a polyphonic orchestra. The clearest voices I remember were those of people crushing each other, even killing each other, for a few upgrades or body enhancements.
I walked down the corridor and measured our radioactive levels. As soon as I stepped outside, the robot attendant scanned me.
“Welcome, Mr. Namtar. All items on your person are licensed and Company-approved. We wish you a good time in our city.”
“Thank you.”
As strange as it was to thank a machine, it was even stranger to be greeted in such a way. The last time I was here, I exited the ship along with the bile and sewage discharge, and as soon as I finished my business, I left the city as a fugitive.
But this time my deal was solid. I had a Company-issued warrant. That meant near-immunity. I could understand why they had chosen me for the job. I was a notorious breaker and fugitive, and the man I was after was using my identity. According to the Company, he had sabotaged their system. First they thought it was me and came after me, then they realized it was someone else. In the meantime, they caught me and offered me a freedom deal, which I gladly accepted.
In fact, I was partly to blame for this impostor using my identity. I had been in so many different bars, that he could have broken my extra memory card in any one of them. Then he could have easily gotten his hands on three or five credits.
Once I found out that I was going to Istankara to catch the impostor, the man’s behavior made perfect sense. Using my name and memories, here he could open many doors, get what he wanted and hide easily. After all, I had been doing the same for years.
I left the safe zone of the harbour and mingled among the people. At that moment, a noise made me turn right. Not far away, two cyber porters were fighting over a three-credit load. The other clear memory I had from around here, apart from the crowd, was the fights between two punks. I think I turned into one of them later on. If the memories the crook had stolen from me gave him my thoughts, he wouldn’t be able to stay away from this kind of noise. Maybe he was somewhere nearby.
I activated the facial scanning lens provided by the Company. Even though I had memorized the man’s face during the long journey, the technology at my disposal could do better. In the meantime, I would watch the fight.
In a fight between two cybers, something always breaks. In this case, wires had popped out of the mechanical muscle connections of one of them just after a few punches. Well, that’s what happens when you invest in mechanical muscle instead of brains. Cheap labour and the cheapest upgrades always go to the muscular ones. Even if these guys worked every day for the rest of their lives, they would never be able to buy even one neuron of circuitry for their neural network development.
Here are a few metal parts already popping out!
I used to like watching these fights, but this time I wasn’t enjoying the flying wires and crumbling circuits. The moment I decided not to watch anymore, the scanning stopped. The impostor I was looking for was not here. Just as I was about to leave, one of the fighters fell to the ground and stayed there.
The ambulance and the police used to come in situations like this. Now the city was so crowded that nobody seemed to care if a few punks died or were left disabled. Now the scrap dealers were the first on the scene; they would pick up the useful stuff and leave.
It was time for me to go too. I knew where to start. Whenever I came back, I’d always stop by the Dogubank Business Centre and buy updates that would disguise me and make it easier for me to escape. As a fugitive, this would have been the first thing the impostor did.
I decided to hang out at the centre for a while. As he was three days ahead of me, someone must have seen him. If I couldn’t find any trace of him there, I would check out my favourite entertainment venues. It would have been enough for him to just give my name there, but of course I wasn’t going to let that happen. I intended to catch that jerk in a few days at the most and start my new and spotless life.
After a short walk, I reached the entrance to Dogubank; it had been a while since I’d been there. Like the rest of the city, this place was like a breathing organism. It was living, changing, transforming. Someone you met once could be unrecognisable the next time you visited. Or worse, they could already be in the boneyard.
How worthless life is in this city.
I passed through the central screening system, then I was greeted automatically and loudly. People who heard my name would turn and look at me. I started walking inside.
The second store on the left … Yes, I remembered this place, but the man at the door didn’t look familiar. So why was he still staring at me?
“Mr. Namtar?” he finally said.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“I didn’t think I’d see you so soon.”
Yes, right on the money! So the impostor had indeed stopped here.
“You’ve changed a bit.”
“Yes, I have. While I was in the neighbourhood, I had some cosmetic and software upgrades.”
“Very good, Sir. I found the devices you asked for the other day. They’ll be here in a few days.”
“You know where to send word when they arrive, don’t you?”
“Would I ever forget? I’ll bring them to Goat’s Place myself.”
Now that’s what I call hitting the bull’s eye. I should get to the place without wasting time.
“Thank you. You will be rewarded.”
“I know, Sir.”
I rushed out of the center and onto the highway. I hopped into the first autotaxi I came across, and for once I didn’t have to worry how far I had to go, since my expenses were covered by the Company. My mission was clear.
An hour later I arrived at the Goat’s, stopped in front of the large glass storefront, and switched on the scanning lens. My man wasn’t there yet.
Now I had to come up with logical answers to the questions that were popping into my head: Had he already been here? If he had only been there a few hours earlier, for example, it would be difficult to explain the change in appearance. Was Goat there? If he was there, could he have realized the guy wasn’t me and given him a good beating?
Think fast, fire up the coprocessor. Find logical solutions to problems.
Without wasting any more time, I went inside.
“Good evening.”
“Welcome,” said the man standing in Goat’s place behind the bar.
“I’m looking for a friend.”
“If I get a name, I can scan my database and help you.”
“Namtar.”
“Ah … I know of him. He last stopped by years ago. I wasn’t around then.”
“Yeah, Goat was here. Where is he?”
“My father passed away …”
“What happened? A fight?”
“No, Sir. Brain virus. It infected his artificial neural network. It didn’t take long to wipe out his entire system and render his internal organs inoperable. I told him not to mess with that shit.”
“What about you? Don’t you have any upgrades?”
“I don’t, except for one, Sir. I’m still ninety-eight percent biological.”
“That’s because you’re young. When you get a little older, you’ll be addicted too. You know what they say, every innovation is a step into eternity.”
“Yeah. A false eternity until a good breaker breaks you.”
“That’s true too … I’ll sit over there. Send over a stiff drink. And if Namtar comes, tell him I’m waiting and show him where I am. We are supposed to meet here. What he wants is inside this bag.”
“All right.”
I moved to a table with a direct view of the bar and placed the bag between my feet. I took off my hoodie and jacket and kept them on my lap. I took out my gun and put a tranquillizer dart in it. I was in a position to take the impostor down quite easily, even with the gun resting on my knees. The automatic sight would do the job anyway.
I just had my drink delivered when the door opened. I braced myself. Goat’s son raised his hand.
“Welcome, Detective.”
“Can you stop calling me that? I’m just a regular cop.”
“You must have had a hard day, you’re grumpy again.”
I cursed inwardly. The last person I wanted in there was a cop.
It doesn’t matter. The Company will take care of it. Aren’t they all on their payroll?
I took a few sips of my drink. I remembered getting very drunk here before, and enjoying my drinks, but this time I didn’t feel anything. I was completely focused on my task.
I was almost finished when the door opened again.
“Good evening,” said the man who came in. “No Goat?”
“Who’s calling?” the bartender asked.
“This is Namtar.”
“My father passed away, Sir, but there’s someone waiting for you. He brought your upgrades. At that table…”
He was pointing his finger at me. As soon as the man turned to me, I fired my gun. The arrow hit him right in the heart and the impostor fell to the ground. If what the Company officials said was true, the drug was supposed to keep him asleep for at least four hours.
“With two doses you can go the whole trip without a headache,” they added.
The man who said he was a policeman suddenly pulled out his gun and came at me.
“Freeze!”
“Detective, calm down!” the bartender yelled.
The detective ignored him, leaned over the body with his gun pointed at me and checked for a pulse.
“Listen to me, man,” I said. “I work for the Company. You can check my fingerprints or my face with your scanner. They’ll confirm who I am. This guy is a saboteur wanted by the Company!”
“He said his name was Namtar,” the bartender interrupted.
“He’s an impostor and a criminal. I am Namtar. If you calm down, I’ll pay my bill and you can verify my identity. You will see that I work for the Company.”
The detective objected, “Namtar is a breaker, he doesn’t work for the Company.”
Seeing the detective hesitate at the name of the Company, the bartender intervened.
“Let the man verify his identity,” he said.
I put my finger on the payment system and authorized two drinks to be deducted from my bill.
“Your drink is on me, Mr. Police Officer.”
“The guy wasn’t kidding. He’s exactly who he says he is!”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take this crook and I’ll make sure to tell the Company officials about your help.”
I left with the unconscious impostor, loaded him into an autotaxi, and went back to the port. I walked through the crowd and told the robot attendant that the transaction was complete. He nodded with a few seconds’ delay, and I returned to my ship. I handcuffed the man to one of the sturdy pipes. He would come to in a few hours. I had no intention of giving him a second dose, I wanted to talk to him and find out how he stole my memories. Who was he, really?
Within minutes, when the port handed over control of the ship to me, I took a few actions to set a course and the coordinates of the Company building as my destination. After that, it was just a matter of waiting.
I spent the second hour looking at the face of the person in front of me. It wasn’t the same as seeing myself in the mirror; he had my memories, but he wasn’t me. And yet, he looked strangely familiar.
At the end of the third hour, I got up and checked myself in the mirror, feeling as alien to myself as to the man lying on the floor with his hands tied.
As the fourth hour drew to a close, the me in front of me began to stir. I wandered a little more in my artificial neural network. Had I never looked in the mirror in my memories? I found a few moments when I had… A big hole… I couldn’t see my reflection in the mirror. Was it normal for memories to be wrong? Why was I not seeing my reflection in the mirror?
Finally the man came to his senses. Fidgeting slightly, he asked:
“Where am I? What happened to me?”
“You slept for a while, you identity thief!”
“Identity thief? What nonsense! Who are you?”
“I am Namtar. The real one.”
“Get outta here!”
“I don’t think you’re in a position to argue. You can take it up with the Company.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“I’ve been assigned to deliver you, the fake me, to the Company.”
“You’re the fake. Tell me your real name!”
“I don’t think I need to repeat it. You know it well. Now tell me: how did you steal my memories?”
“Whose memories did I steal? What do I want with the memories of a regular man like you? I’m sure they’re boring. I’d rather deal with the Company than with you.”
“Yeah, I know that. They told me you are a saboteur. The only thing I don’t know is how you got my credentials, my memories.”
“You keep repeating the same bullshit! I am Namtar. I didn’t steal anyone’s memories or identity.”
Maybe the drug hadn’t worn off yet. Maybe I’d have to push him a little. I’m sure he would start talking, then.
“I’ve beaten a lot of men at the Goat’s place. I don’t think the Company would mind if I beat you up a bit,” I said.
“I was either drunk in those fights or they were Company agents. Just like you … I would have kicked your ass too if you hadn’t sneakily shot me with a tranquilizer dart.”
“Those are my memories. I remember all my fights.”
“You’re starting to piss me off. Okay, you can pretend to be me to a certain extent, but don’t get too caught up in the role.”
“I just want to know what software you used to steal my memories. What virus.”
“Hey, that’s enough! I didn’t steal your memories! Once I get my hands out of here, I’ll make you as unrecognizable as any other corporate agent.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make you talk.”
“What, you are angry now?”
“No.”
“But you are going to hit me?”
“If necessary, yes.”
“I usually get very angry before I hit someone. Or are you the one who gets very angry?”
“I certainly do. In my memories, too.”
“Who or what are you really? You keep talking about memories. What memories? What’s important to you? Do you remember my mom, or the first time I ran away from this city? What about my dog? The day he died?”
“Yes. It was a rainy day in Istankara, as usual. He was caught in a rain of acid from the chemicals in the air from the Company’s burning pipes. I was sad.”
“Yes. I was sad. Even now, when I think about it, I feel sad and then angry. I hate the Company. What about you?”
“I don’t feel anything. I made a deal with the Company. My record will be cleared. I will make a fresh start and have no reason to be angry with them anymore. From now on I won’t do any dirty work anymore.”
“What kind of dirty business? Like sabotaging the Company and giving out loans to people?”
I paused for a while; I didn’t remember sabotaging the Company.
“I think that’s your job. Because that’s not in my memories,” I said and scanned my neural network for a while.
“They definitely uploaded my memories to you and erased whatever else was in your head. You think you are me. What are you doing? Are you scanning your neural network? I did the same thing and I saw that people were happy. Every time I sabotaged the Company, I saved someone’s life. That gives me joy. How about you?”
“I don’t have those memories,” I said, sharply.
I’d given up. The impostor who thought he was me wasn’t going to give himself away. And now that I had caught him, he couldn’t do it again. I was going to be more careful from now on and not give away the information on my memory card.
For the remaining three hours of the trip, I had to listen to the fake Namtar’s ramblings about happiness, sadness, anger, confusion, etcetera. Finally he gave up.
“It’s futile, it’s like trying to explain colors to a blind man …” he said and fell silent.
When we reached the headquarters, I put the impostor in front of me and made my way to the boardroom. As soon as I entered, there was applause.
“Another mission accomplished,” the chairman said. “It just keeps getting better and better.”
What was getting better? The system they had set up? The system of catching criminals and have them catch other criminals?
“Namtar!”
“Sir?” the man in front of me and I said at the same time.
“Can someone shut him up? Duty officer?”
“Right away, Sir.”
The fake me didn’t need to speak anymore. He was a criminal and had to be punished. After accepting the congratulations, I could start with a clean slate.
The mission chief stood up and came over to me.
“Falcon 3, close.”
…
System rebooting.
…
New mission in progress.
…
All systems active.
…
***
As I approached the port of San Angeles Mega City, where all the good things I remember about life are, but which I still had to leave from time to time, there was only one thought on my mind: find that crook as soon as possible, hand him over to the Company, and make a fresh start.
Cem Can is from Istanbul, Turkey. He is a computer engineer who did his university thesis on robots. He is currently a gamer, music enthusiast, and science fiction fan. Ah, and he is also an author with more than fifty published stories published in his own country. His first novel Arayıcı Günlükleri (The Searcher Chronicles), a space opera, has recently been published too. He sees himself as a dreamer who tries to write down his dreams. “I knew I couldn’t change this world; so I went to other worlds.”