Title: Transhuman
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Characters/Pairing: Garcia-centric, team - gen
Genre: Science-fiction/Drama
Summary: In a dystopian future, hacker Penelope Garcia finds herself being hunted by a corrupt organization. Fearing for her life, she must search for help in the strangest of places.
Author's Notes: Betaed by Windy City Dreamer.

Chapter Nine

Garcia choked back a tear. Was it too much to hope that there was one, single good person left in the world? They all had an agenda. They were all in it for something else. Kevin was all she had left.

The two of them were a few blocks from Avalon Towers, apprehensive at being caught out as nothing more than a couple of lowlifes from the slums. Though they were dressed in clean (and new) clothes, there was still that lingering fear that their identities were as clear as day to the people that walked these streets. They walked differently, talked differently.

'It'll be okay,' said Kevin, his voice filled with uncertainty. He, too, was upset at the revelation of Derek's betrayal. It was almost as though they wanted to trust him, even with all the warning signs flashing in neon colors. 'We'll find someone who needs some work done, and we'll…' he trailed off, as if suddenly realizing the daunting task ahead of them. Finding employment was a little more difficult north of the river. You needed a permanent residence, a resume, references. All those little things that didn't really seem to matter when you were spending your days running away from gunfire.

Garcia took inventory, counting the cash that was in the pocket of her new jeans. They had a little less than two hundred left, after the hundred she'd left with Derek. In the slums, it might have lasted them a few weeks. North of the river, she wasn't quite sure it would last them more than two days.

Survival would have been monumentally easier, had they a working knowledge of the area. Even rich people had their vices, outlets that weren't exactly sanctioned by the Corp Code.

'Surely there's someone that can give us information?' he wondered softly, as not to be overheard.

'What do we ask them? "Hi, we're new in town, could you point us towards the nearest illegal job hunting agency?" That's not gonna fly, Wonder Boy.'

Walking without really considering where they were going, the two soon found themselves at the entrance to a park. Garcia's senses were immediately overwhelmed with an abundance of green. Everything seemed so much brighter here, compared to the dull, dirty feeling that the slums gave most people. Still, she knew for a fact that she would rather be back there, where she knew the score.

Damnit. Why did he have to have an agenda? He'd seemed kind, at first glance, as well as being genuinely interested in what they had to say. He wasn't too hard to look at, either.

'We could steal a bridge pass somehow,' suggested Kevin, as they sat on a wooden bench. Garcia let her eyes drift to a bird that landed on the ground nearby. She didn't know what kind it was. The past few years hadn't exactly been conducive to learning about particular species.

Garcia shook her head. 'We don't steal. Not like that.'

There was a pause. 'Maybe we should have heard him out.'

When she said nothing, Kevin continued. 'He seemed legit in his desires to take down the Corp, and he would have given us food, shelter.'

'And then we'd get the death penalty for treason, instead of five to ten for hacking,' countered Garcia, all the while thinking that maybe it was better than the alternative. Maybe it was better to stop running, and take a stand. If they had something that interested the resistance group to the point where they would send a man to come and rescue them, then maybe there was a chance after all.

'Do you think we should go back?' she asked Kevin, after another long silence.

He put a hand atop of hers, gripping it tightly.

'I think we should at least find out a little more about what they're doing.'

***

'What if he's out looking for us?' asked Garcia nervously, as they walked back up the street.

'Then we wait, I guess,' shrugged Kevin, not entirely confident about the circumstances. He stopped. 'Hey, are we going the right way?'

Garcia looked around. She had thought that the streets seemed a little different, but truth told, she couldn't really be sure. With its clean buildings, and gridded structure, each part of the city was almost indistinguishable from the rest. On reflection, she realized that the same could be said for the slums, if you didn't know your way around. Two sides of the same coin.

'I think…maybe we were a little further north,' she said, turning to point in the opposite direction.

She stopped, stunned.

There was a gun pointed directly at her head.