Cecilia fled awkwardly through the forest. She desperately sought the shelter of the caves. Doing her level best not to trip over exposed roots, slippery rocks, and fallen trees, she pushed herself to keep going. It was so close now. She could hear its smooth whirring and no doubt its weapons systems coming online. If she could just make it through those trees, she may be able to find a place to hide. Running at full speed, she barely saw the flash of movement in front of her. Like a jet plane slamming into a mountain, at full speed, she crashed into the chest of one of what people now called "the upgrades"
She bounced off the chest of the upgrade like a basketball on a backboard. Landing on the forest floor with a thud, the breath escaped her body and she lay there like a fish out of water. She sucked longingly for oxygen but couldn't get her body to respond. The upgrade leaned in and whispered into her ear, "had you upgraded yourself, you could just command your lungs to function right now. Better yet, you wouldn't even need oxygen." He stood up and regarded her with no discernable emotion. Facing the palm of his hand to her head, Cecilia readied herself for the deadly energy pulse that would flatten her skull.
Those who refused to upgrade to the new human hid like rats. The fact of the matter was, they were considered rats. Science had made good ole fashioned humans a burden. Advances in robotics and a wider acceptance of transhumanism made flesh and blood obsolete. Most of the remaining pure body humans choose one of two paths. Work and be chipped in the AI run cities, or refuse to be chipped and live off the grid in hiding. Those...