Free Prisoner 3-57: Nuke Town by Simon Smith-Wilson Page A

years since I last saw him.
    His
eyes looked dead.
    I
had met Arthur the day I had escaped the prison on the moon colony. I
had saved him and a group of survivors from a hospital roof. We
hadn’t got very far before the aliens caught us, but I have
been through my fair share of conflicts with this old man. I was
starting to consider him my friend, until I went mental and killed
everyone.
    ‘ Hey,’
I replied.
    I
wasn’t sure what else to say.
    ‘ I
don’t blame you, you know?’ said Arthur.
    ‘ You
don’t?’ I raised an eyebrow.
    ‘ No,’
he replied with a shake of the head.
    ‘ I
killed Stephanie,’ I told him, flatly. ‘She was like
family to you.’
    ‘ Yes,’
he sighed deeply, ‘she was a good girl.’
    ‘ You
are not angry?’
    ‘ I
am a bit gutted, but I hold no grudge.’
    ‘ Why?’
I had to know.
    ‘ She
wasn’t real,’ replied Arthur.
    I
think the look of confusion upon my face said it all.
    ‘ Stephanie
was just a memory,’ he continued. ‘She was an artificial
intelligence that was created for me.’
    ‘ I
don’t understand.’
    ‘ You
created a psychotic version of your sister. Rose went mad and killed
everyone. If you have strong feelings the game will create things to
test you. I loved Stephanie like she was a daughter. I loved Lily
even more.’ I remembered Lily. The old lady had been the first
person to be kind to me in over six years. She had died during a
mission on Earth. It was the same mission where I had nearly been
killed myself. The same alien that killed her had cut off both my
hands. ‘They both died during the evacuation of Earth.’
    ‘ Lily
wasn’t real?’ I asked.
    ‘ No.
She was created from my memory,’ he smiled at the memory of his
deceased wife. ‘I created them because I didn’t want to
be alone. Life in the real world is hard, 3-57.’
    ‘ So
I have been told.’
    ‘ No,’
he replied, with a shake of the head. ‘You have no idea what it
is really like. Crime happens constantly. Murder and rape are
everyday occurrences. The ships are overcrowded. There are news
reports of riots every single week. Pregnancy is illegal. Forced
abortions and prison sentences are the punishment. The government has
even started executing people. The ships are cold, damp and there is
hardly any food.’
    ‘ That’s
why you are in here?’
    ‘ Yes.
At least until we reach the new home.’
    I
had heard of this before, but still didn’t know what this place
was.
    ‘ What
is the new home?’
    ‘ We
are heading towards a new home. It is going to be a new Earth. We
have to make two more Star Jumps using the time gates, but they
reckon we could be there in thirty or so years.’ I didn’t
say anything out loud, but what good would reaching this new Earth be
for Arthur. He would most likely have died of old age by then. ‘I
know what you are thinking.’ He chuckled to himself. ‘I
won’t be alive to see the new Earth. I never planned to be, but
Jane, Lena, Alisha, Iaso and Saul all have a real chance of making
it. The longer they stay in the game the better quality of life they
have. I want them to make it. That is why I am going to give
everything I have to keeping them alive.’
    ‘ Why
are you telling me this?’
    ‘ You
are not a bad person, 3-57. Sure, you act tough, but you are not
insane. The game twisted your brain and messed with your mind. If
Jane and the others are going to have a real chance of surviving this
mess they need you. We always needed you. The reason we lasted so
long in the last game was because of you. You fought hard for us. I
know they are all pissed now, but they will come around. Jane doesn’t
hate you. She wants to trust you. The woman mourned you for months.’
    ‘ She
did?’
    ‘ She
did,’ he confirmed. ‘We need you to step up and lead us
again.’
    I
took a deep breath in.
    Things
could never go back to how they were.
    Did
they have too?
    ‘ Okay,’
I said, ‘wake the others up and get ready. A new fight is about
to