Let there be light!

The bar was alive with the sound of people chatting and laughing, glasses clinking and music playing. It was a place where people came to forget the troubles of their lives and just enjoy the moment. But that all changed in an instant when the door was kicked in and everyone's attention turned to the entrance.

A figure stepped into the room, half-naked and brandishing a serrated blade in place of his missing right arm. It was Gorgon, the notorious leader of the One-Hand Gang. He surveyed the room with a cold, calculating gaze before striding towards one of the patrons and snatching the cigar out of his mouth. He took a couple of puffs from it, then swirled it in his mouth.

"Grab'em boys!" Gorgon barked, his voice echoing through the bar.

With that command, members of the One-Hang Gang surged into the room. All of them had some weapon instead of their right arms.

In today's society, weapon control laws were so strict that no one was allowed to carry anything for protection. The only weapons for the people in the bar were bottles and chairs, and for a generation that had never experienced confrontation, they were ill-prepared to defend themselves.

Within minutes, a portion of the patrons of the bar were herded outside, helpless and afraid. One of the gang members tried to drag a woman out by her hair, but Gorgon intervened. He pulled her hair to the side. She had a MIND+.

"Don't bring me ones with a mind chip, you moron," he sneered, slapping the gang member across the neck.

Amidst the chaos, Gorgon walked out of the bar calmly and coolly, taking a final drag from the stolen cigar before tossing it aside. A medical car pulled up outside, and one of the gang members poked his head out of the driver's side window.

"We got it, boss," he reported.

Gorgon surveyed the scene, pleased with what he saw. The gang's petrol cars were packed with men and women, that they kidnapped, and they even had a medical and food delivery car.

"Good job, boys. Now roll out," he said, his voice full of pride.

The gang members whooped and hollered as they piled into the cars and sped off into the night.

****

Arvish stood at the base of the towering wall of Eferdom, gazing up at its impressive height. The structure loomed above him, reaching a staggering 500 meters into the sky. Built from a black, glass-like material, it was meant to protect the people from the harsh weather. At least, that was what they were told.

He had a plan. He would make his way through one of the gates with his pistol, which he had obtained from one of the police officers who had attacked him earlier. But as he searched through his pockets, his heart sank. The pistol was gone. He must have lost it in the chaos of the factory.

With no other choice, Arvish knew he had to get up to the top of the wall. He had no idea what was waiting for him on the other side, but he was willing to take that risk. He began to ascend the wall on a maintenance lift.

A while later, a metallic hand grabbed onto the top of the wall. Arvish pulled himself up and as he stood at the summit, he looked out at the open world beyond. The land near the wall was barren and devoid of vegetation, almost like a desert. But farther away, Arvish could see mountains and forests in all their natural beauty.

At that moment, he felt at peace. He had accomplished something that he could never have dreamed of before. It was a long journey, but he hadn't had time to rest still.

The wall had no stairs or any other means of climbing on the outside of it. Only a few heavily guarded gates allowed entry and exit from the city. Arvish had decided to get up on the wall instead of using the gates for this reason.

As he stood there, he heard the sound of car engines rumbling, like the ones he had seen in old movies. Nowadays, only electric cars are allowed in the city.

The One-Hand Gang's caravan of cars approached one of the gate. At the gate, there were already a couple of gang members that seized the control of it. They opened the gate from the control room, then jumped up on the moving cars.

The caravan then went through the barren land and disappeared from sight. Arvish knew that he could have used the opportunity to escape with them, but by the time he would have reached the gate, it would have been swarming with cops.

He had another escape plan, one that he had been not too sure about. He looked down at his metal prosthetic arm, knowing that it would be his key to survival. With his prosthetic hand, he broke out a piece of the wall to use as a handhold for his other arm, then began his descent.

Arvish was making good progress, slowly but surely making his way down the wall. But then, his hand grew tired, and he realized that he had not calculated his physical strength correctly.

His hand slid, and he began to fall. In the air, he twisted and turned, desperately trying to grab onto something, anything that would stop his fall. But there was only empty space around him.

The ground was coming closer and closer, but he knew he had to concentrate. He steadied himself in the air, then tilted himself toward the wall, so he could get closer. It worked, and when he was close enough, he grabbed onto the wall with his prosthetic hand, and his fingers sliced an etch in the wall material, throwing sparks everywhere.

As he slowed, he looked down to make sure he had enough distance to land safely. But he was already dangerously close to the ground.

With a loud thud, he hit the soft ground, creating a cloud of dust and dirt.

"F*ck," Arvish sighed.

****

A man stood in front of the mirror, staring at his scruffy reflection as he adjusted his glasses. The room was dimly lit, and the walls were made of cold metal. He reached for his leather coat and put it on, adjusting the collar.

"This doesn't fit you, Ethan," leaning against the wall, Kala, a woman of tall stature and physical fitness, stood.

"I have an obligation to be the image of our association," Ethan replied. "The new members should see a leader they can look up to, even if I don't really like all this attention."

"The new members should see a leader," Kala repeated with a nod. "Oh, by the way, do you know that the guy made it out?"

"He made it," Ethan said, a hint of admiration in his voice. "Maybe he has some spirit, as you said."

"Do you think he'll find us?" Kala asked.

"I don't know," Ethan said, spinning to face her. "But we have more important things to do now."

They both walked out of the room, stepping over the door frame onto a balcony that overlooked a large hall. The walls were made of metal here as well, and a group of around fifty people waited for them in silence.

Elli the young woman who hacked the politician's social media account, stood in the group.

Ethan raised his right hand, pulling down his coat sleeve to reveal a bullet hole type of wound where the ID chip is implanted, with an eye tattooed around it on his forearm.

"Let there be light!" he shouted.

The people who had gathered there also raised their arms and shouted back, "That blemish the darkness!"

"I think they're ready," Kala said.

"Good," Ethan replied, his gaze fixed on the group. "We have a lot of work to do."