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There is a darkness inside every heart. And concealed within that darkness lies time, and thought, and memory. Because of this, all of human history is not so much a collection of events, but a series of consequences arising from the thoughtless actions of a simple few.

Chapter Thirty Six : The ties that bind us.

Breaking the connection between them Phoenix was suddenly in Kato's face, screaming at him. “Stream it you idiot, don't upload it. If you want to force feed your mind a load of information then you need the hardware to back it up. A no-jack like you doesn't have the head space for that kind of thing!”

Left to wonder if what he had just seen had been a dream or a nightmare, Kato stumbled backwards and said. “What . . . what the hell just happened!”

“I just told you! What, weren't you listening?” Throwing her hands up in the air, Phoenix looked to Zane to explain it to him.

“What Phoenix here means is that you just downloaded the information contained in the files directly into your brain.”

“Shit.” Holding his head in his hands, Kato said. “Is that why everything inside my head feels like its been set on fire?”

Uncertain of what had just happened himself, Zane simply said. “Probably.”

Kato was incredulous. “Probably?”

“Listen kid, even the human brain needs time to form the neural pathways responsible for creating memories.” Seeking to convince Kato more then himself, Zane said. “Put simply, what you did forced a tremendous amount of information into your mind all at once. Now your mind is desperately trying to sort through that information, while at the same time its attempting to make sense of it all.”

“Does that mean if I had the hardware inside my head, I could download the contents of an entire library into my brain?”

“You could, but the neural feedback you'd feel in the morning would be a bitch.” Hoping that Kato wasn't getting any funny ideas about trying exactly that, Zane said. “Now lets get out of here, before whoever is watching us decides to interfere any further.”

Removing his visor, Kato was happy just to find himself back in Zane's workshop. He'd had enough of virtual reality to last him a lifetime, and he was eager to reconnect with the real world. Maybe even pay Midnight another visit.

“Zane.” Said Kato, asking the question that was suddenly foremost in is mind. “Why did you quit working for Exotica Geno-Works?”

“Kid,” Making a motion with his hand, Zane indicated that he should watch what he said around Phoenix. “How did you know I used to work for Exotica Geno-Works?”

“I don't really know. It was like the information was just there, inside my mind. I think I must have accidentally downloaded some data on a bunch of old . . . personnel files.”

It was then that a knowing passed between them. A silent understanding that went beyond the need for words. “Kid, the truth of the matter is . . . Exotica Geno-Works wanted me to retire. When I told them I didn't want to, it led to a difference of opinion, so to make a long story short, I quit, sold the rights to my research, and set up shop here. Simple as that.”

“Yeah,” He said. “Simple.” Kato knew there was something that Zane wasn't telling him, something about what he had seen and experienced. But if it was a secret worth knowing, then it was one he would have to uncover on his own.

Stretching just like a cat, Kato said. “Alright, my mind's made up. I'll go and spend some time talking to Midnight, then I'll make my way home.”

“Just talking?” Said Zane as he struggled not to laugh. “Somehow, I don't think Midnight will be interested in just talking.”

Watching as Zane picked up a transparent piece of plastic from a kind of printer he didn't recognize, Kato said. “Well then I can talk, and she can listen. Midnight's good at that too you know.”

“You don't say.” Glancing up from the electroencephalograph he held to Kato and back, Zane thought to himself. Since the dawning of time itself, humans have struggled to climb the ladder called evolution. This kid, he isn't just above us. He's on another level entirely! Zane paled as an all too familiar dread took hold of his soul. Markov, is this more of your doing? Did you truly manage to succeed after all these years, and is this kid really the one you spoke of?

Rubbing the crick out of his neck as he rose from his seat Kato began to stare at whatever it was Zane was holding and said. “What's that supposed to be anyway?”

“A scan of your brain from before and after you went Cyberside. Its some crazy stuff.”

“Damn.” Said Kato as just the thought of what it might contain was enough to make him sick. “When did you manage to find time to scan my brain?”

“I didn't so much scan it, as I simply intercepted it.”

Kato felt his blood run cold. “Intercepted it?”

“That collar that your wearing, it isn't used just for control purposes. Its primary function is to make a recording of everything you do, and I do mean everything. From where you go, to what you do when you get there. Its kind of scary if you take the time to think about it. There are thousands upon thousands of bio-computers out there, and all of them are just, walking around, while continuously feeding data into one big machine. And no one knows exactly why.” Holding the electroencephalograph out to Kato, he said. “Care to see what it says about you?”

“Thanks,” Kato waved it away. “But I don't think I'm up to seeing what the inside of my head looks like right now.”

“Suit yourself.” Shrugging his shoulders, Zane just pulled a lighter out of his pocket and said. “But if you ever find you need someone to back you up. Feel free to give me a call.”

The feathers in her hair starting to rise, Phoenix said. “Alright, what the hell does it say about him that's so interesting?”

Zane smiled. At least she had had the patience to wait until after Kato had left. “There are at least three kinds of geniuses in this world. The first, get to where they are through hard work and determination. The second, are the one's who are born gifted. They're the kind of prodigy that will appear only once a century.”

“And the third?”

“The third are the one's like him. The one's who can look at something and just,” Zane spread his hands. “Know.” Pulling a cigarette out of his pocket he lit it and said. “Ask them how they do it and chances are they'll just shrug their shoulders. But give them a task, tell them to solve an equation, and the things they'll come up with . . .”

Phoenix crossed her arms in front of her chest. Disbelief was hard set in her shoulders, in the line of her jaw. “You're just making that up.” She said. “Cause you want to scare me.”

“I only wish I was trying to scare you.” Letting the smoke begin to soothe him, Zane saw the fear she had tried to keep hidden from him, but underneath it was a kind of jealousy he had never seen before. “Isaac Newton saw an apple fall from a tree and discovered gravity. Einstein worked in a patent office before he developed his theory of relativity. In every age there are men and women who step beyond conventional wisdom and push the boundaries of how we think we see the world around us. That kid . . . he's begun to see things in a way the rest of us can only dream of.”

Phoenix's anger was making the feathers in her hair begin to shake. “That doesn't explain anything! And why the hell did you give him permission to come back anyway?”

“Its not something that can be explained in words. Hell, its not even something that can be measured. Call it instinct. Call it intuition. Call it genius in its rawest and most pure of forms.” Breathing deeply Zane pressed the tip of his cigarette to the electroencephalograph until it started to burn. “As for why I said he could come back. All you have to do is look him in the eyes. The man that kid will one day become, isn't someone you want playing on the other side.”

Riding alone in the service elevator that would take him home, Kato forced himself to reflect on the things he had learned. Laborers, Servants, Companions, Breeders. In a way, Lady had been right. Until now, he had never known just how privileged that he had been to live in the world above. The Chimeras who worked in people's homes, as servants and valets, they really were the lucky ones. All the others, those like Lady, who lived out their entire lives on the streets, who were often forced to do jobs that had been deemed to be too dangerous for humans; eking out whatever meager lives they could, they struggled simply to survive.

And all of this was built because of their labor. This entire age was bought and paid for with their lives and their blood. Pressing a hand, so different from a humans to the glass, Kato thought to himself. And in our hubris and our greed, we have the audacity to deem their sacrifice as noble. As if our existence were a price to be paid for being brought into the world, they use us, discard us, and when we have served our purpose what then? Will we too be relegated to the trash heap of history?

Staring at the self-contained world that was SynCity through the transparent safety glass of the service elevator, Kato spotted the central office for Exotica Geno-Works. As one of the three interconnected towers that were often referred to simply as the Pillars, the sheer size of it dominated the skyline. Rising above all the other buildings, its sloping sides had been designed to mimic a lantern made entirely of glass so that when one looked towards the apex all they could see was the sun resting in a great bowl of fire.

People said that the Pillars had been built as a symbol of man's determination, a shining beacon that would lead the way into a new era of human prosperity. Instead, as if to cast a perpetual shadow over all those who looked upon them, the Pillars seemed to exist solely to shine on those who were the chosen few.

Choosing to look at it them a new light, Kato began to see the Pillars for what they truly were. Not as a symbol, but as a reminder. That those who lived above would always look down on those who lived below.

We'll never matter to them, He thought bitterly. Not as long as they can make more of us. To them, we will always be; just property. The thought burned inside him like acid. If only it weren't for these damned collars. Kato grabbed hold of his collar with both hands, and with a strength born of desperation, sought to pull it free.

There was a subtle click as the collar surrounding his neck just . . . snapped open. It was a sound so profound that it served to redefine his entire existence.

Holding the broken collar in his hands he had an epiphany, a moment of absolute clarity.

He was a unique being now. A chimera who was free.

The thought had; possibilities.