![[Raven's Keep] Chapter 1](https://external-preview.redd.it/EGCjdePqbgvRky1hvGp6ig131svJ9U4ZGEq4DZYD1xI.jpeg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=68e9828ab779a33fd4f74985e53360923068359f)
[Raven's Keep] Chapter 1
The neon light cast a soft glow on his face. A gentle push. Reverberations of a voice. He felt heavy. His nostrils filled with the stench of piss, alcohol and vomit. He wanted to lie down wherever he was and not move at all. The voice grew louder but he could not make out the words. The speaker nudged him again and spoke once more. He tried hard to open his eyes and saw a blurry figure kneeling beside him, trying to wake him up.
“Sir, are you alright?” The voice was clear now.
He tried again, slowly this time. It was a security bot.
“Sir, are you alright?” it asked again.
He felt the cold, wet cement beneath him and tried to get up.
“Do you need assistance to get up?” it asked.
“I want to sit here,” he said, and sat up. He tried to remember where he was. His head throbbed. “Can you tell me where I am?”
“You are in Fifth Road, Sector Seven,” it answered.
“Sector Seven?” He was surprised. “What the hell am I doing in Sector Seven?”
“That I cannot answer, sir. You can check the logs on your implant. If you cannot, I can assist in accessing your log — with your permission, of course,” the security bot said.
“Do you have water, or something that can help me with this headache?”
With a clang, the right side of the bot opened. It handed him a bottle of water. He took it, opened it, and drank half in one go.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“I am designated Adrius Fifty-Seven.”
“So, Adrius — how long do you think I was down on the pavement?”
Adrius went silent for five seconds.
“I scanned the whole sector’s security cameras and scanned the faces of —”
“I don’t need the details. Just tell me.”
“It seems you have been here for five hours.”
“What time is it?”
“Three twenty-three in the morning.”
“How did I get here?”
“You were last seen at The Hidden Heart at seven yesterday evening. It seems you were assaulted there.”
“The Hidden Heart? Why the hell would I go there? I don’t remember any of it. I don’t even remember getting to Sector Seven.”
“You can check your log.”
He tried to move his hands, but any movement sent sharp pain through his whole body.
“It’s hard for me to move. Can you do it for me? I give you my permission.”
It took no time at all. “Your implant has been wiped clean.”
“What?” A stab of fear cut through the fog.
“Yes, sir. There is no log or anything on your implant — except for one file.”
He moved his hand anyway. It hurt, but he needed to see for himself. He touched the top of his wrist and slowly dragged down. His arm glowed with a greenish light. The system was empty — except for a single file named Open Me. He tapped it. Two words: Raven’s Keep.
“Can you give me something for the pain?”
“I am a security bot. I am not permitted to provide medical assistance. You need to go to a hospital.”
“Can you call me a taxi, then?”
“I have already called one. It may take some time — very few taxis operate in Sector Seven at this hour.”
He knew. People did not call it the Sector of Sins for nothing. There was no vice you could not find here, and the streets were dangerous even in daylight. That was why Sector Seven had more security bots than anywhere else — and why so many of them had been found dismantled in alleyways, nails driven through their memory units. He looked at Adrius-57 and wondered how long it had left before some gang caught up with it.
It looked like any other security bot — anthropomorphic, functional, unremarkable. Security bots had always been built that way, though Velt Industries did produce androids so convincingly human you could not tell them apart. The security models were probably just cheaper.
An autonomous taxi pulled up before them.
“I didn’t check my balance. Did they take my money too?”
“Your balance has not been compromised.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“It was my pleasure.”
The bot helped him into the backseat.
“Sir — before you go.” Adrius paused. “I know what is written in that file. It was not left by the people who assaulted you or extracted your data. If it were, they would have taken everything, including the file. Someone put it there afterward. Someone who wants to help you.”
He nodded. It made his head hurt more.
“Take me to Usher Building, Pit Road, Sector Three.”
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Chapter 2 is coming soon, first on my substack - J Maharjan | Substack