In a tavern filled with cacophony made by people having fun, filling their bottles with beer, making themselves drunk to death. They were drinking as if it was their last night. The sky was already dark and the moon was shining bright above sky tower located at the center of the city. In the crowd was two people having a conversation.

“Are we are really going to cross the walls, Soon?” It was Alfreo who asked. His almond eyes were intensely gazing the cold metal-coated walls that were high enough for Doves to cross.

Soon, who could pierce the paper he was holding with his eyes averted his gaze to Alfreo. They were eyes resembled burning charcoals. “You don’t have to come with me if you have weak resolve. You can just spend yourself in this trash city.” He again turned his eyes on the paper he was holding. “You’ll just get in the way.”

Soon was a bright child. Contradicted to his charcoal black hair, he was a like a light that shone bright to every child he met. He and Alfreo were childhood friends who always had each other’s back. But when Soon saw Alfreo almost dead just because he begged for food, he started hating weak people who could do nothing. Soon and Alfreo had lived their lives inside the walls. These walls were surrounding a massive medieval-like yet has high technology city. It was a city of trashes. That was what they had always believed. The laws inside were perceived as shackles for human rights. Every movement, every blink of eyes were reported. The leaders who were supposed to make things better for them were the most rotten ones.

I will do anything to achieve my goal. Soon told himself.

“You are making those eyes again, Soon.” Alfreo frowned. “Your eyebrows are crossing again and your face is getting wrinkly.”

Soon was flustered. He didn’t notice that the paper he was holding was already torn into pieces. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

“The Golden Law states that crossing the walls is the greatest taboo. Soon Phlox and Alfreo Paru, citizens who are living in the south tried crossing the south wall. These misbehaviors were considered criminal according to the laws of the city. The capital punishment will be performed immediately.” The Artificial Intelligence Officer who was wearing a white coat spoke in a never-changing tone. Its eyes were directed to Soon and Alfreo who were kneeling, shackled on the white floor.

“This is a wrong! Please don’t get Soon involved! He just got caught up!” Alfreo was clenching his fist. He kept struggling, trying to free himself. His wrists were turning reddish as he struggled.

“You have no right to speak. Any single noise can be used against you. Refrain yourself from making any noise. This is an order. You will have to be executed in this white room for your wrong deeds. This is the order of our God.”

“No! This isn’t his fault! I just forced him to come with me!” Alfreo’s eyes widened. The chains shackling him down were making an annoying sound.

The officer walked toward Soon who was kneeling down. It opened a small case and took out a syringe. Its emotionless figure turned into a widely grinning robot. AI officers are robots made to have human figures. They were robots who are ruling inside the White Prison, where people who dared to go against the laws face their punishments. “Please don’t!” Alfreo had his voice cracked.

“The first phase of the execution – torture will now begin.” The officer in white coat injected glowing black liquid to Soon’s arm. However, Soon couldn’t feel anything. It was as if emotions left his soul. Even experiencing the terror of their government couldn’t waver his emotionless expression. That is what he thought. But when the syrup was injected to his body, his mind began getting foggy. His sight started turning black, and when they opened, a scene of a woman in dirty dress who was kneeling in front of a man in black cardigan appeared playing.

“Please spare my child!” The woman kneeled even lower and bowed her head. Her forehead was almost kissing the rough ground.

The man took out a handgun from his pocket. “You should beg more your filthy slut!” His face wrinkled. His eyes widened and his brows crossed. His grip was too tight that even his hand trembled as he held the gun pointed to the woman.

“My mother, huh?” Soon still felt nothing. “She never let me see her face. I don’t even know her name.” Soon tried to life his arm and move a finger but he felt nothing. It was as if his body was somewhere else and the only thing he could do is to see everything. He knew that this scene was only an illusion created by chemicals playing his head. “Don’t worry, your son will be next.” A loud shot of gun echoed around Soon’s head.

Her mother was lying on the ground as the man left. Her blood was gushing, coming from her head. After that scene, Soon’s sight turned black again. He told himself that he just needed to ignore it and wait until the scenes vanish but when another scene appeared playing in his sight, his eyes widened.

It was a scene of his friend, Alfreo, screaming out of despair. His eyes were dripping blood. His face turned purple, swollen from the punched he received from the officer who was widely grinning and seemed enjoying.

“Alf…” Soon couldn’t muster a word to say. He felt a narrowing in his chest. Albeit he couldn’t feel his body, he knew that it was trembling.

The torture continued. The torture took out a sheer from the case he was holding . The grin he was making could bare be compared to the expression he was making earlier. It grabbed Alfreo’s fingers and removed his fingernails. His voice began cracking as he screamed.

“Stop! Please stop!!” Alfreo kept begging. His body was trembling. He was tired, bone tired. His body couldn’t handle all the suffering caused by the torture. His veins were almost popping put his body.

“S-Stop…” Soon felt a warm flow of water from his eyes down to his chin. He never thought that this days would come again, no, he already expected this. He had been bottling up everything until now. He knew that he will break soon, even his resolve.

While Soon became immobile, Alfreo lost his consciousness after the non-stop screams he did. Soon’s sight turned black again. The serum injected to his body began losing its effect. When Soon started seeing the reality again, he hoped that everything he saw was just illusions created by the chemicals. However, Soon snapped. His whole body clenched. It was as his bones were creaking. His eyes widened as he saw Alfreo, almost dead on the ground, bathed with his own blood. All of his fingers were removed.

Alfreo opened his eyes and saw Soon looking down. This isn’t your fault, Soon. I know you are thinking that you should have pushed me more. Alfreo tried to speak but he couldn’t open his mout to say a single word. He moved his right foot and made a sound using the chains that were tying him. Soon heard the sound and intuitively looked where it was coming. He saw Alfreo, forcing himself to smile.

Soon’s head began spinning. “Alfreo!!!” Soon’s eyes began swelling, bursting with unending tears. His voice began to break as he screamed.

“That’s good. You’ve gone mad now.” The officer left the room.

Huh? What’s happening? Someone… someone… please explain this to me. Soon’s resolve began to waver. He knew that his only weakness was Alfreo. “This is all my fault, right? “

“Who would have thought that this day will come, Soon. I thought I’ve seen a potential within you. But it turns out that you’re just a normal human.” A voice echoed inside Soon’s head.

“You! Why are you speaking right now?! Aren’t you a part of this plan too!?” Soon was screaming inside his head.

“Remember. I am Suego. I am you. And you are me. Ever choice I make are yours too.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I may be one of the choosers inside you but don’t compare me to those trashes who bases their choices to the tacit laws.” As Suego spoke, Soon’s consciousness was moved inside a never-ending white room. In the middle resided three people in black suits.

Suego, Weego, and Eed or also known as the “Choosers.” They reside inside one’s head. They were microchips implanted to people the day they were born that serve the purpose to manipulate people’s choices. The choices they made were all using the laws of the city as base. However, an anomaly happened. Suego, a microchip, a mere device that manipulates people, adapted to Suego’s personality. It was as if they became one. That’s why his choices weren’t solely based on the tacit laws.

“What will happen next?” Soon asked, he was kneeling down.

“Your friend will die,” Suego said. Anyone who could hear his voice will assume that he was making a serious face. Soon again felt his chest narrowing.

“We are here to make the choice. No, I am here to help you choose between things. But my priority is your life.” “Wait. I want to save Alfreo too!”

“Heh… interesting. You will basically die but you are still thinking about your friend? What is that? Power of friendship? It won’t save you.” Suego glared Soon.

“According to the laws, escaping from the white prison won’t only lead to your death. It will lead to the death of anyone who is connected to you.” Weego said. Her black eyes were shining as she read the book she was holding.

“Why not? Isn’t it thrilling to escape the white room? You will die thrilled.” Eed, who appeared to be muscular, smirked.

Weego suddenly close the books she was holding. “That’s absurd! What are you going to do if the AI officer catches him?”

“Shut up you trashes!” Suego shouted. Weego frowned and Eed clucked his tongue.

“Soon, you might be seeing me as a mere microchip, but believe me, I am you and you are me. We need to make a choice but remember that we should put yourself first. This world isn’t about how good you are as a person anymore. You need to eliminate all of your weaknesses. You need to make sacrifice to survive. Remember that.”

“But my friend, how is he going to die?” Soon began to feel empty. The trembling of his body was gone. It was as if all of his emotions had left his body again. Like a bottle full of holes.

“Your friend will starve to death. Well, that’s given. No one has ever escaped the white prison.” Weego then again read her book.

“Boring,” Eed said.

Soon felt his body getting pulled from the never-ending white place. His heart started beating faster. Suddenly, a deep manly voice appeared calling his name.

“Soon! Soon! Are your all right?” It was Alfreo. His face was too close to Soon’s face.

Soon held his head and stood up. “I’m all right.” He looked at the clear sky. They were now at the peak of the wall and about to execute their escape plan. Above wall was a cold air that could make anyone shiver. But Soon and Alfreo didn’t mind.

“What did your choosers said? I didn’t listen to them again.” Alfreo was smiling.

“I don’t remember.” Soon clenched his hands. “We should go now.”

I need to sacrifice anything to create a change. Right, Suego?

Soon held Alfreo’s hands. Alfreo smiled and looked at Soon’s eyes.

“It will be okay, right?”

They stood next to the edge of the wall, facing a wide wasteland. When they were about to jump, a loud serene rang.

“It’ll be all right.”

THE END