“Sorry!“
I apologized to passer-byers as I shot through the air traffic. It wasn’t long until I made my way out my neighborhood. I could see all of the people walking from place to place even from here. People dancing on the streets, vendors selling their products under smoke and neon. Kids playing catch with glowing neon energy sphere's. Hell if i looked close enough, I could see the girls at the Red Light Neon Strip selling themselves and their illegal cyborg friends to the next Joe looking for a blow. All of them were continuing their daily lives like they did every day. I parked myself momentarily at the Barcode Gate. A sloo of cars was lined up at the gate exit, as well.
All of them were allowing the guards to scan their barcodes like they did every time they needed to leave the city. Each and every legal citizen that was lucky enough to have been born here was branded. They literally brand you as soon as your stripped from the womb, the codes even go into detail and tell your entire family history. Visitors get Temp-Codes, meaning they have a one-way ticket in, but once they leave, the bar code goes away. Those of us fortunate enough to be born in this cesspool is branded with a permanent barcode.
“Next! “ The guard called to me. I pulled up, allowing him to scan my code. “Look, guys, it’s the Rat-Herder kid.“ He snickered, signaling his coworkers over.
“C’mon man. I’m… Just trying to head to work.“ I eyed them with an annoyed expression on my face. I hated these shitbags. They gave me crap nearly everytime I passed through these terminals. You’d think ‘Oh ha-ha, the rat-herder boy is here ‘ bull-shit would get old. But no. They rather seem to enjoy it.
“That’s barely a job. Get out of here. And wash yourself up when you come back. You always smell like fresh Old-New York rat shit when you come racing back through here.“ He said to me while his homies hucked it up in the background.
“Haha, funny, riiiight.“ I looked over the countertop, my eyes lingered on his nametag. “You know, as many times as I’ve come through here I can honest to god say, that I’ve never once managed to get your name. Austin Tanner.“ I challenged, saying his name with emphasis. “How much do you guys make out here anyways, huh? Watching people live their lives while all you do is suck each other’s cocks all day. “
The guard named Austin suddenly stood to his feet. “The fuck did you say!?“ He glared while gripping the pistol on his waist.
“ Oooo. How scary. What are you going to do? Shoot me. In front of all these people?“ I turned my head to look back at the long line of others sitting in their cars and waiting to leave the city. “I absolutely love guys like you. Bet you feel really fucking tough with that pistol.“ I leaned over the handles of my ride, a smirk playing at my lips. “I tell you what. I’ll come by later, after your shift. With some of my Kagemaru boys. Your homies verses mine, since they think you’re a fucking comedian, huh. In a scrap. Man to man. Yeah? That sounds good to you?“
The guard's face, god it was priceless. This was always my favorite part. “Did… did you say Kagemaru?“ He said looking back at me lowering his hand from his pistol.
“The kid's bluffing. He doesn’t work for the fucking Kagemaru clan.“ One of the other guards said behind Austin.
“Only one way to find out.“ I taunted him blatantly. Gripping tightly to my bikes handles, the cars behind us began to honk their horns. It was obvious they were growing restless. The guard spared one more look at me before opening the gate up and allowing me to pass. No words were spoken.
“That’s a good boy. You learn quickly. Here’s a snack.“ I said reaching into my backpack and tossing a bag of animal crackers in his direction. I sped off into of Old-New York, passing right through the barrier.
“Just as ugly as usual.“ I thought inwardly while staring up at the mossy green sky.
Streaks of nuclear lighting flashed down from above, knocking over small chips of the old decrypt towers that once stood high for a civilization long dead. This place, dammit, it just never grew on me. I never got used to it. The ground was dirt brown, all over. Patches of grass breaking through the cemented sidewalks that were all crippled and crumbling. Mutated creatures rumbled around in the dark and mutated humans watched all those who passed through Old New-York from the shadows. Some were friendly, some weren’t. Guess it wasn’t really different than Kasaihana city in that regard.
I pulled into the Ranch. Isabel's face was the first one I saw. She sat mounted on top of an overgrown tamed white rat. Adjusting the creature’s saddle, she watched me soar in on my hoverbike. I could tell from the look on her face that she hadn’t been pleased with me being late. Her dad came out a bit afterward, his arms crossed as he scowled at me from a distance too.
“Hey, guys! Man, can you believe that traffic back there? It was ins-“
“You're late.“ Her dad cut me off. He was littered with tattoos. A large Yakuza styled tattoo sat over his shoulder it spanned the middle of his back. It was some kind of geisha lady. Back in the day, it's said he used to have his own Yakuza clan. However, the Chitori clan bought him out and his entire operation within the market thanks to the help of the Soramaru. This was a little after dad died. Isabel's dad was an older guy in his forties or so. Bald with a thick black mustache under his nose. He had a rather slender build that contrasted his beer gut. He was wearing a wife beater and brown cargo pants, a cigarette wedged itself in his mouth. His right eye was cybernetic. I heard he lost it in a gunfight when he was younger.
“I’m sorry Mr. Nakayama. It won’t happen ag-“
“I do not care.“ He held up his hand and silenced me again. “Yoshi will hear of this. You wish to be a Yakuza, but you can't do the one thing that your soon to be boss has asked you to do. How hard is it to come to work? On time! You’d be a shitty gangster. Just like you’re a shitty rat-herder.“
His words would’ve almost hurt if my train of thought hadn't of trailed away from it's tracks. I had other things on my mind. Things like that one girl who lives down the hall with the really big tits and model fat ass. Or, how Ron was wearing the same shirt that he’d been wearing for the past two weeks and it looked clean.
“Are you listening to anything I’m saying to you!?“ Nakayama asked assertively as he jacked me up by my hoodie.
“Y-Yeah! I was! I mean I am!” I said, blinking as if he’d snapped me back into reality. My mind seems to just wander off on its own during situations where I’m most uncomfortable. Feels like I’m always looking for an out when I’m getting lectured.
“Feed the rats. We have a buyer coming in a few minutes and I need them well fed.“ Nakayama commanded as he lowered me down. “And I haven’t forgotten about my report to Yoshi. He’ll be hearing from me shortly about your careless misconduct.“ Nakayama reassured me while he brooded his way back inside his home. Isabel approached me soon after, riding atop her large white rat. She named him, Snow.
“I told you dad was going to be pissed…” She eyed me in annoyance. I looked over at her with a ‘naw, no shit’ plastered to my face.
“Gee, Isabel. You’re a genius. You know what? It's almost like you can see into the future or something!“ I exasperated, sarcastically. She didn’t seem pleased though.
“Come on. We don’t have time to waste. You heard what dad said. We gotta get our best Rats ready for our new buyer.“ She said back to me.
“Don’t really get why someone would want to buy six of these things. The hell is he pushing around?" I said pulling along at my backpack.
“That’s a good question. Considering how each of these Rats can carry up to two tons of weight a piece. I can only imagine the type of cargo he’s lugging around the Sky-Lands.“ She led the way as we headed into the barn.
Isabel got to work right away. She was always better at this job than me. And i was more than happy with her keeping that title. Though... even i can't lie I do have a favorite.
" See I knew you liked at least one of them. " She said making reference to the large rat creature I'd just approached. We locked eyes, and i reached out to rub the fur on his head. The creature tilted his head down and allowed me to do so. A mutual agreement. " Admit it, you like Streak. " She said pulling her hair behind her ear.
" Shut up. " I said back to her, not wanting to acknowledge her rubbing this fact back in my face. Streak was pretty standard sized. That's not saying much seeing that the standard size for these things is around the same size as an SUV. He had all black fur, with a white streak coming down his side. He was the fastest and the most ferocious out of all of his brothers and sister. And the smartest if you ask me.
No one wanted to buy him really, mostly because of how aggressive he was. But for me? I didn't care. I had a lil bit in common with Streak. And he knew it, the way i brushed my fingers across his fur. His eyes made contact with my own golden spheres and we had a mutual understanding.
Streak was outcasted because he was angry. And why wouldn't he be? This world is a by-product of anger. His kind was once free to go where they pleased, but then they were used as test subjects. And after the war mutated them, now they're used as a superior method of a horse. I can see it in his eyes... He's angry.
I'm angry too.
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