Soul Thief

by Candice Lim

  I pulled up when I was at the entrance of the ward. I didn’t have to do this. I already got an extra six Mind Files for the night. Danny’s crying voice made my stomach churn. He sounded so much different from the confident, charismatic guy I used to know.

  It made me wonder how much he’d bottled up within himself.

  It was already half-past one. I could turn around and go home. Another part of me wanted to stay. I wanted to find out what was going on with his mom.

  I doubted he’d tell me after what happened at Rain Bar this evening. I didn’t even think he’d ever go back and see me again.

  Closing my eyes, I eavesdropped the conversation behind the wall. I was clutching my backpack against my chest, feeling the hard corners of the beacon pressing against me.

  One more Mind File. I wouldn’t know if I could get any tomorrow. So why risk it? I wanted to get into Asianova National University of Science right? I wanted Cypher back, right?

  The doctors pressed the defibrillators against Danny’s mom’s chest. Clear. Clear.

  The ECG machine beat faster until it finally flattened into a soft whine.

  I aimed the beacon at Danny mom’s body and pulled the trigger. I tried to look away as Danny bawled his eyes out.

  “Come on. Hurry up,” I muttered to myself. The last thing I wanted was for Danny to know I was the Soul Thief. For Danny to know that I stole his mom’s Mind File.

  A gasp escaped from my chest when the Mind Drive registered the Mind File. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath when I tossed the beacon into my backpack and swung it over my shoulder.

  I wished I could take a last glance at Danny before walking away. I didn’t think I would be seeing him for the next few days. I wouldn’t be working the week after. It might be my last chance of seeing him.

  The urgency rushing through my veins catapulted my feet down the hallway. As I left, I overheard one of the doctors said, “We can’t capture her Mind File.”

  “It’s impossible!” Danny shouted.

  “Oh shit.” I didn’t know she was going for the New Body Insurance. Why had I overlooked this? Adrenaline shot through me. Picking up my pace, I raced down the hallway. My heart galloped in my chest. My head whirled with delirium.

  No, I couldn’t let Danny catch me. It’d ruin everything. Against my better judgment, I glanced back down the hallway and was met with Danny’s eyes.

  Danny didn’t chase me. The disappointed look in his eyes impaled my heart.

  I bolted through the automated door. I didn’t stop running until I got to the station.

  Danny didn’t deserve this. I hurt him twice.

  All in one evening.

  14

  Sleep came to me as soon as my head hit the bed. All this worrying had drained all the energy out of me. After the incident last night, I was afraid to set foot in Centerport Hospital.

  The mental picture of Danny standing in the hallway waiting for me flounced in my head. Of course, it didn’t happen.

  I decided to stay until three in the afternoon to get more Mind Files. I got a total of twenty-three when I returned to Wu Zhang’s lab.

  “Looks like you’re getting better at it,” Wu Zhang remarked and checked the Mind Drive I got for him. I rolled my eyes at his back and plopped onto the seat next to him.

  “I can’t wait for this to be over so that I could start my new life.” I rolled my stiff shoulders and heard a loud cracking noise. I must have been wrecking my back from lying on the crappy hospital benches.

  Wu Zhang sneered, “Can’t wait to settle for a mediocre life?”

  “Well, I just got an offer to pursue my studies at the Asianova National University of Science,” I bragged.

  Wu Zhang arched his brow. “Way to go, Kira. And what do you do after that?”

  “I haven’t thought that far out yet.” I should be thinking about it. I already got too many things in my head right now.

  “You’ll end up working for some companies and they aren’t half as prestigious as Zhang Robotics. You might as well work for me.”

  I couldn’t roll my eyes hard enough. “And wait tables at night for the rest of my life? I don’t really care who I work for. As long as I get decent pay for a living. I’m sick of living paycheck to paycheck. It’s pathetic.”

  “Welcome to real life. You’re going to hate so many things in your life.” Wu Zhang handed me back the Mind Drive that I shoved into my backpack. I got up, swung my backpack over my shoulder, and ready to leave. A sigh escaped from my chest.

  “You know what, real life doesn’t suck. It’s people like you who make a living hell out of someone’s life and ask them to suck it up, that sucks. With your power, you could make the world a better place. Instead, you chose to be an asshole.”

  Wu Zhang’s face darkened with anger. “Watch what you say, kiddo. Your attitude is going to come back to bite you one day.”

  I gave him a peace sign and exited through the automated glass door. A weight lifted off my chest after letting that out. Lucia was right. Life was too short to walk on eggshells with assholes.

  I plugged my earphones in and let the music carry me away from my problems as I traveled to Rain Bar. Once I pushed through the door and was met with Danny’s face, my stomach reeled. His face hard as steel, lacking the usual warmth that used to greet me.

  I stopped at the door, my feet rooted to the ground. I glanced at Lucia, who rolled her eyes at me. “Danny has been waiting for you for half an hour.”

  My mouth was dry. I gulped and walked around to the bar. I put my backpack away and removed my jacket. “Hi, Danny.”

  “Can we talk? Just you and I?” The coldness in his voice sliced through my heart. Lucia glanced between Danny and I, a blank look on her face.

  “I can’t. I’m working.”

  Danny got up and slapped his phone on the bar, making me jump. “How much they pay you? I’ll pay you double,” he said it so loudly the patrons from the nearby table shot me dirty looks. I looked away. My face blushed.

  Lucia stood between us. “Who do you think you are?”

  Danny’s eyes stilled on me. “You’re doing this for money right? That’s what you want, right? I’m giving you what you want right now. I want to know the truth.”

  A wave of hurt and anger sizzled through me. “Really? You think I’m doing this for money?”

  Danny shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know, Kira. I don’t…I don’t even know you. Is that even your real name?”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Please leave me alone. I’m trying to work here.”

  “I’m not leaving until I get what I want to know.” Danny pursed his lips. “I only want to protect you.” I almost pitied him when he said, “Please…”

  Lucia shrugged and weighed in. “Well, all you gotta do is let Synthea know you got an emergency.” I did as Lucia said. Uncanny thoughts spiraled in my head as I followed Danny out of Rain Bar.

  An awkward silence stretched between us. I could feel the tension vibrating in the air, pricking my skin. Finally, I couldn’t stand it.

  “I thought you want to talk. Why aren’t you talking?” I snapped, unable to hold back the spite in my voice.

  Danny pulled up by the street and looked straight into my eyes. I forced myself to stare back into his brooding brown eyes. “It’s really you…” said Danny in a hushed voice. “You’re really the Soul Thief.”

  Danny hung his head and shook in disbelief.

  “Are you aware that you could be sentenced for life imprisonment for consciousness trafficking?” said Danny. He sounded concerned more than reprimanding.

  I let out a nervous laugh. I got so many things in my head, the last thing I wanted to worry about was being prosecuted.

  “Do you have any evidence, Detective Danny?”

  “I saw you, Kira. I know it was you.” A brief pause. “Look, Kira. I don’t want to be the one to catch you. If you s
top right now, there’s still turning back.”

  I blinked my eyes, holding back the tears. It hurt me to see how hurt Danny was. I should’ve turned away and gone home. I sniffed and evened my breathing. “Did you really think I was doing this for money?”

  Danny’s gaze stilled on me. “I don’t know, Kira. I don’t know when you’re telling the truth and when you’re lying to me.”

  I pursed my lips and nodded. Tears burned my eyes and I wiped my face with my jacket sleeve. “You’re right. I’m not like Lucia. I’m not that kind of girl you’ll want to be going out with.” I sucked in a deep breath. “I have a degree in machine learning and artificial intelligence.”

  Danny’s eyes widened in awe.

  “I don’t look that smart right?” I sniggered.

  “No, I always thought you were smarter.”

  “A year ago, I lost my partner, Cypher, to an accident. Wu Zhang, the owner of Zhang Robotics came to offer me a deal that I couldn’t say no to. He agreed to help me resurrect Cypher. It comes with a price. In return, I’ll have to collect five hundred Mind Files for him.”

  “What does he do with the Mind Files?”

  I bit my lip. If I told Danny the truth, I would be violating the agreement with Wu Zhang. Plus, did I really want to tell Danny what Wu Zhang was going to do with his mom’s Mind File? I shook my head. “I don’t know. Wu Zhang doesn’t tell me a lot.”

  Danny nodded. “So you do have a boyfriend.”

  I shrugged. Was Cypher still my boyfriend when he couldn’t get over Britney yet? Three years ago, he wasn’t mine but Britney’s. Was I risking my life to resurrect Britney’s boyfriend instead?

  “What do you mean by that?”

  I took a deep breath. “Cypher’s Mind File is decaying over time. It’s my fault. You’re not really supposed to be decompressing his Mind File all the time. He doesn’t remember us…he remembers his ex.” My shaky voice betrayed my emotions.

  Danny reached his hand out to pat my shoulder, then he hesitated and dropped. I kinda wished that he did.

  “Wu Zhang isn’t who you might think he is. He’s a wicked man. He…” Danny hung his head. “He murdered my father.”

  My eyes flew open. “What?”

  “My father was a renowned detective assigned to investigate Zhang Robotics. That’s the reason why my mom insisted that I should become a detective like him. Wu Zhang loathed my father and plotted for this murder. One night, he went to this shop. Then, an explosion took his life. The whole thing was so carefully planned that it looked like an accident. I couldn’t do anything.”

  A wave of sympathy for him coursed through me. No wonder Danny couldn’t get over his day job even though he hated it. Suddenly hit me. “Did you say it was an explosion?”

  Danny nodded sullenly. A sick feeling twisted in my stomach.

  “You okay?” asked Danny.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose as uncanny thoughts flooded my head, making it pound. “That–that’s how I lost Cypher…”

  Was it really an accident? Or was it Wu Zhang’s well-plotted plan so that he could get me to slave for him? My head was spinning so quickly I thought I was about to pass out. It didn’t help that I only had an avocado sandwich this morning.

  Danny held onto my arm when I massaged my temples aggressively. “You look pale. Let’s sit you down.” My jaw dropped to the ground when he retrieved his key and opened the passenger door of the sleek black sedan in front of us.

  “This is your car?” I blinked quickly as Danny helped me into the passenger seat.

  “Yes, else it’ll be called theft.” Danny pulled the buckle over me and closed the door.

  So many questions plagued my head. Danny walked around the front of the car and got into the driver seat. Once he settled down, he opened a new bottle of water and passed it to me.

  I chugged half the bottle.

  “How are you feeling now?”

  I sucked in a mouthful of breath and nodded.

  “Did you say that you lost your partner in an explosion as well?”

  I nodded again. A burning lump of tears formed in my throat. The memories of the other night flashed back into my head.

  “It was a Friday night when we decided to watch a movie at the drive-in. Cypher left me in the car while he went to the shop. As he walked out, the explosion took his life.” My tears streaked down my face when I finished. I quickly wiped it with my sleeve.

  Danny’s fingers tapped on his tablet that he pulled out from the gloves box.

  “That was a year ago?”

  “Right.”

  The tapping stopped. Danny lasered into my eyes, his lips pursed. “I’ve got bad news for you. I think it’s a setup.” He showed me the forensics report on his tablet. “The forensics team found similar evidence at the scene. I think you need to reconsider what you’re doing for Wu Zhang.”

  My eyes glued on the screen until Danny took the tablet away.

  “As I said, he’s not as simple as you might think he is.” Blood drained from my face. A surge of anger catapulted through my veins. I couldn’t believe I’d been working for Cypher’s murderer. For free! It made me wonder if Michele’s death had been set up as well. She died too conveniently for Wu Zhang to get her Mind File.

  My fingers rolled into balls when I groped for the door. “What are you doing, Kira?” cried Danny when he grabbed onto the hem of my jacket, stopping me.

  “I’m going to confront that monster!”

  “No! If he could kill your boyfriend, what do you think he won’t do to you?”

  Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to calm myself. “Alright. What do we do now?”

  “You need to tell me everything you know about Wu Zhang. We can start from there.”

  I studied Danny’s face, seeking for signs of deceit. “Why do you want to help me? Especially…especially what I’ve done to your mom’s Mind File.”

  Danny’s lips parted, then he sighed. “We both know deep down inside, you and I yearn for a simple life. You know what I want to do. I don’t want to capture you. You don’t want to capture the souls either. If you help me close this case, I’ll help you get your boyfriend back.”

  “We have two weeks.” Danny frowned at me. “I got an offer to pursue my studies at Asianova National University of Science.” Now that I thought about it, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to do it anymore.

  “That’s in Corn City, right?”

  I nodded. Danny’s face fell, then steeled with determination. “Alright, we’ll do it in two weeks.”

  15

  The journey to the Cherrytown was in peaceful silence, punctuated by the soft music from the radio. The A.I. Ethics Department was at Cherrytown City, a half-hour drive from Centerport City. The night sceneries of the city blurred past me.

  My eyes were getting heavy and I yawned again. My mind was still whirling from everything I found out. I squeezed my eyes. I asked Danny a question to keep me awake, “What happened to your mom?”

  “Carbon monoxide poisoning.”

  A sick feeling rose in the pit of my stomach. I met her the morning before she passed.

  “She took her own life.” I shook my head. I remembered finding out Danny’s mom was a Transient Bot. She wanted to stay young. Ironically, she took her own life. Why?

  “She fell into depression after the passing of my dad. Nothing ever cheered her up anymore. I thought it’d be fine after she got her new Transient Bot and saw someone new. Apparently, you could get a new body but still stuck with an old mindset. She couldn’t see past the negative.”

  A sigh escaped from Danny’s chest. I nodded again.

  “At first, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to resurrect her again. After all, she chose to end her life. When I found out you stole her Mind File, it has been decided for me.” He gave a faint smile.

  Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to ask Danny about that.

  “Can you keep a secre
t?” Danny suddenly said.

  “What?”

  “I thought you were cute when I first saw your file.” Danny grinned sheepishly as his face turned bright red. It had to be the first time I saw him blush. His skin glowed under the golden street light. Danny looked so gorgeous I couldn’t stop looking at him.

  I shook my head when I remembered we were here for Cypher.

  “You were the reason why I decided to take on this case. I vowed to myself that I would be the one who would capture the Soul Thief.”