** Date: 08.06.1029 PNT // Saturday **

** Time: 06:33 // 6:33 AM **

** Location: Ecosystem Mika // Habitat Melissa // District 7 // Sector 1 // Lanyon Road **

As the three went down Lanyon Road, their eyes were blinded by bright neon words, images, and abstract forms. All of them were trying to catch their attention, and it worked for the most part. During the night, like moths, they all swarmed into the bars, nightclubs, strip clubs, and brothels, and now the leftovers stumbled out and made their ways to the stations, getting taxis or trying to find their way home by foot. Some stood in front of the bars, smoking cigarettes, and some sat around the Rigulasie Fountain. A water fountain that was ten meters high and had a radius of seven meters. It is a refurbished construction. Maria Rigulasie built it with remains of the old world. It was part of her Broken Foundation collection. Seven statues were built from old world trash, and this was one of them. This one was special because it had parts from the early AI age. Even though the use of AI is heavily regulated and use without permission is illegal, this statue was an exception. Because it was a very primitive chat model. People could connect to it with WiFi and tell the AI what kind of color, lighting, and patterns the fountain should use. “Dude, watch where you’re going,” a drunk guy said after he bumped into Joel.

“What? You walked into me,” he answered without hesitation. “How about an 'I am sorry', you dick?”

“Joel, leave it.” Rey tried to calm him down. “Dude is wasted. Let's just go.”

“Yeah, Joel, listen to your little cunt.” He said with a disgusting grin on his face.

“Nope.” Rey kicked him in the balls, pulled him down by his hair, and threw a knee into his face. “WHO ARE YOU CALLING A CUNT, YOU LITTLE BITCH!” The people around them started to look. And right next to them, two Peacekeepers. They locked eyes. The Peacekeeper gave them a slow nod. Apparently it was fine.

They kept walking down the road. Here and there they saw some other groups walking around aimlessly, drunk men still desperately looking for drunk women, stoners looking for a snack, some people just waking up and looking for coffee, and others looking to get home quickly. The subway, bus, tram, and monorail stations were brimming with people.

“Thank fuck we don’t have to be in there,” said Joel while pointing at a tram. The people inside were barely capable of staying inside, but somehow some still tried and managed to squeeze in. Suddenly the people rushed out of the tram, leaving one man standing. Yes, that one guy. The guy who has been at it since two in the afternoon. The guy who has to be carried home by his friends, while they hope he makes it without throwing up. This one did not make it.

“Fucking amateurs,” a dirty homeless man next to Rey said.

“Hi Rufus, how have you been?” She asked him.

“Well, you know, same as always…” He replied.

“You are not as drunk as you usually are; that’s good.” Ellis said.

“Oh shut the fuck up, Ellis, you dick.” Rufus said while making a waving gesture towards Ellis. “You dick.”

“Are you still mad because I didn’t give you the two bits?” Ellis asked. “You would have spent it on fucking drugs anyway. I am not enabling you. Get your shit together. You are an engineer, for fuck's sake.”

At least he used to be. He was really good, too. He got his PhD at the age of 24 and immediately got hired by Richter & Sons. A company that has been building robots and exporting them to all districts, other companies, and smaller businesses. At the age of 34, he got hired by the government. Two years later, he left. He never explained what actually happened, but apparently the government fucked him and everyone else. Now he is spending his time begging, drinking, doing day jobs, and sometimes fighting the holographic panda at the Panda Forest fast food restaurant.

“Fuck you.” Rufus said to Ellis while flipping him off. He walked away, towards the panda for another round. The group took a break at a bench. Because Joel needed to smoke a cigarette. The other two reluctantly had one as well. Both Rey and Ellis made him smoke faster because they were hungry. To the point that Joel threw his cigarette away halfway through.

“I don’t mind cleaning up after you, sir.” A street cleaning robot picked up the bud. “You probably just did not see it, but there is a trash can right there. Everyone is allowed to use them. Isn’t that fantastic?” He said, while pointing with a laser pointer towards a trash can, which was ten meters away from them. “I am no doctor, but your eyesight is a little bit concerning. Maybe you need glasses or even an augmentation.” The robot turned to the other two. “May I take your buds?”

“Of course, sweetie.” Rey said. She and Ellis gave the robot their buds.

They finally arrived. Arkas’ Kebab, their glowing safe haven in a cold ocean. They each made their order. After another fifteen minutes of waiting, they finally got their food. Greasy grilled kebab with tomatoes, cucumber pieces, onion, lettuce, cabbage, and sauce. Rey and Joel got theirs in a bread with garlic sauce, while Ellis got a box with chili sauce. The first bite felt like tasting a piece of heaven.

“Bro, look… I might be delusional because I am so high and drunk, but this… Imagine you didn’t have sex—no, you have not seen a woman in weeks; you walk through the empty, sexless, and loveless void that is your life. The situation is getting desperate and hopeless. And then there she is. Some girl you meet, you love her for the night, like really love her. But the next day she is gone, just like your feelings for her.” Rey said while eating her kebab. “I know I will regret it tomorrow.”

“I wouldn’t even be mad. I love those girls.” Joel said.

“Goodnight-Joint in the park afterward?” Ellis asked and the other two agreed.

** Location: Ecosystem Mika // Habitat Melissa // District 7 // Sector 1 // Elizabeth Park **

Usually the park was green and a joy just to walk through, but today was different. A gray veil covered the whole park. The group sat down on their bench, which was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Nobody was ever around, and it was actually quite clean. They rolled up the joint and talked. About Rey and the bartender, Ellis and Rosa, and of course Joel and his phone? More conversation about the evening, Joel's usual trash talk about Vikka and her friends. It was a calm ending for a long night. Ellis stared into the bushes. “There he is again!” he shouted. "Yellow dude."

“Who?” Joel asked and looked in the same direction. “I can’t see anyone.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Rey added.

Ellis rubbed his eyes; the man was gone, and the fog lifted.

“Well, still a good spot, though, to take a piss.” Joel walked into the bushes. “Oh shit!” he shouted and took a step back. “That’s a fucking corpse!”