Lucky me. Caiden relaxed, stepped over the velvet rope and made his way into the VIP section staring down the bouncer as he passed by.
As soon as he stepped foot into the section, he stopped moving. He felt a strange tingling sensation in his spine. He was being watched, and he could feel it. Every hair on his body stood on end. Even the music seemed to slow down. He surveyed the crowd of people and saw one of the most beautiful women he had seen in a long time. This ‘woman’ was too perfect to be human. A faint angelic halo seemed to encompass her as she gestured to him with her index finger. I found you, he thought.
Shortly after they made eye contact, reality seemed to revert back to normal. From her booth, she stood to welcome him, shook his hand and sat back down. Her posture was perfect; she had the elegance of a princess. Her ankles were crossed and her elbows were on the edge of the table, her hands were folded under her chin. She leaned over to get a closer look at Caiden.
“Caiden, I presume? Or should I say, ‘Rez Fayte’?” she said. Her voice was silky smooth with a robotic inflection, slightly digitized.
“Caiden’s fine,” he replied, irritated. The name ‘Rez Fayte’ was becoming a bit of a touchy subject; an annoying trigger word for Caiden over the last few days.
“Please, forgive me. My name is Jana Cero, but everyone calls me Wizard. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” she politely replied.
“Nice warm welcoming party you had at the entrance,” he said begrudgingly.
“I apologize, he was supposed to be let go some time ago, and management has failed to do so,” she responded while shaking her head.
“You own this place?” he asked.
“Not completely. I’m more like an investor and financial advisor,” she said.
Caiden stared at her with extreme intrigue and intense skepticism. “You’re not human, are you?” he asked bluntly.
“How perceptive,” she said, impressed. “How could you tell?”
“You’re too perfect; flawless in every way physically, plus your voice is too beautiful, and I can hear the slight digitization in it. You’re an android, right?” he replied.
“Very interesting deduction, Caiden. But what does being human actually mean nowadays?” she quipped. “Purebreds, Hybrids, enhanced Purebreds, androids; are any of us really human at all? These propagated internal wars between ZOBE and The Sentience; what are they really for? To me, the difference between one’s humanity lies in their character, their morality, their actions, and their beliefs. Without good grounding in any of these important factors, one’s humanity is null and void,” she replied.
“I can’t disagree. I guess that means that we live in a city filled with monsters and addicts,” he replied.
“Touché young sir, touché.” she said as she smiled and took a sip of a neon red liquid from a wine glass.
Wizard was truly a unique android. Her Intel Core Matrix, or ICM for short, was a scientific and technological marvel. She was the first and only android designed with the prototype ICM program ‘New Day New Age’. The NDNA intelligence program was discontinued for reasons unknown. All the other models developed thereafter were only derivatives of hers. The sister program that derived from NDNA was called the C22 software.
Wizard miraculously attained consciousness and self-awareness shortly after she was designed some twenty years prior. Her 'awakening' was still shrouded in the shadows of wonder and mystery. She was one of the original founding members of The Sentience; an organization of self-aware robots, androids and more recently, Hybrids. She was also a leading revolutionary in the civil war-of-sorts against terrorist acts committed by ZOBE. After the tension died down, Wizard defected from The Sentience, due to their growing isolation from society. She changed her physical appearance and lived on as a highly regarded private courier and information broker. Renowned for her vast knowledge, connections, and fearlessness, Wizard has carved out a niche business platform for herself, netting lucrative profits for her work.
During her travels, it was purported that when Wizard met Knight-1, they went into business together and had been trusted partners ever since. Wizard’s current modified body had her standing at five feet and eleven inches. She had a slender frame, but beneath it was a terrifying athletic ability and strength granted to her by her android body. She also housed many a different gadget and weapon in various parts of her body, and was known to put them to good use. She had beautiful, glowing brown skin grafted to her android frame. Her hair was full and soft; it was a bleached white mohawk. Her hair was accented by entrancing ice-blue eyes, and full, soft lips with glowing silver lipstick. It was sometimes hard to remember that she wasn’t even human, and that she was an AI that had achieved complete human consciousness, somehow.
Her outfit consisted of a black, low-cut tank top, showing a considerable amount of cleavage. She also sported patent black leather pants. On her left thigh was a small, military grade utility pouch, custom built to fit like an accessory piece, and attached by a leather strap. Her knee-high boots were also made from black leather. They were three-inch heels, giving her already impressive height a boost. The toes of the boots were a glimmering platinum. She had a silver belt that hung loosely at her waist at an angle, looking like it was less for her pants, and more of an accessory. She also donned a black leather biker jacket with a large collar that was decked out in reflective sequins in a diamond pattern. Around her neck was a small thin silver chain that settled in her cleavage near the opening of her shirt.
“Anyway, I believe you sought me out to retrieve an important
