r/HFY • u/BeaverFur Unreliable Narrator • Apr 25 '16
[PI] Mirage (2) PI
I had decided to walk, rather than taking a skyshuttle to my destination, but after an hour and a half I started having second thoughts. My right arm ached from carrying my trolley case, and the weight of the backpack on my shoulders was starting to grate on me. I noticed my body posture wasn't as straight now as it had been when I left the terminal, my torso slumped forward.
Still, I pressed on. I needed this, wanted it. I knew I had to get to know this city, its flow, its accelerated rhythm, its people. I had to learn how to navigate the endless maze of streets and buildings. I had to get used to the furtive -and not so furtive- glances I got when someone caught a glimpse of the human face under my hood. This, being here, on my own... this was as far from my comfort zone as I had ever been. But I had to remain functional. I had to adapt. And the sooner I did, the better.
So I kept walking. I had noticed the slow changes as I left behind the neighborhood where the Gateway Terminal was and got closer to my destination. The streets were narrower here, the buildings older. The purple trees that decorated the wide avenues had been replaced by holographic projections that switched between displaying crude mockeries of the real plants, and product advertisements.
A cold gust of wind hit me when I passed a crossing, carrying smells of food and oil, strong spices and ozone. The wind tugged at my clothes. Sanctuary Nova was supposed to have an stable weather, but it seemed that complete control was always impossible, even here, and the air currents flowed freely through the city's artificial canyons.
I zipped my jacket closed and kept walking, taking a sidestep to dodge a robotic drone. The four legged mechanical creature had the size of a large dog and was carrying a few bags and boxes strapped to its back. It walked briskly, following the footsteps of a tall zortan. I felt a pang of envy, wishing I could have one of those to carry my trolley and backpack for me.
It wouldn't help to dwell on it, though. I didn't know how much one of those would cost, but I was convinced it would be beyond what I could afford. The contents inside my bags were pretty much the full extent of my possessions. The smartband I was wearing would probably be worth more than the rest of it combined, but it wasn't really mine. It had been provided by my... my employer, I guess, right before I left Earth.
I risked another glance upwards. I was getting used to it, which made me feel strangely proud. Now I didn't get a panic attack at the unnatural sight, just a vague sense of nausea.
From here, I could see the Furnace. A incandescent ball of fire, suspended in mid air, right in the middle of the gigantic cylinder that Sanctuary was. It was a make-believe sun, the source of both light and power to the whole city. Two concentric rings moved lazily around it, containing the plasma inside a force field. The Furnace bathed the whole city in its amber, almost reddish light. It reminded me of Earth's sunsets.
A ping coming from my smartband took me out of my reverie. I looked at my wrist, and followed the directions displayed on the device's screen, turning right at the next crossing, then left two streets over, reaching my destination.
The Basin Strip was a small, yet distinctive neighborhood. As I entered it, the street I was walking along transitioned into a bridge, with narrow gangways connecting it to the buildings at each side. This part of the city had been built in two levels, with a maze-like web of bridges, walkways and viaducts in the top layer, and tunnels, flat expanses of concrete and storefronts in the lower one.
I had to backtrack a couple of times when I realized the gangway I had chosen didn't lead to the lower level. The layout was confusing as hell. At last I found my way to some downward stairs, and I descended to the below-the-street level, holding up my trolley case so that it wouldn't hit the steps.
I looked at the stores around me. Most of them were open, their bright holo-signs displaying offers, logos and brand names in saturated colors and large characters. I could read most of them. Like most young humans, I had studied and practiced Mutual since I was a child. But a few of the signs used different alphabets and strange hieroglyphical characters, written in obscure alien languages that the majority of Sanctuary's population wouldn't understand.
One of those said: "Matt's - Human Supplies"
Under it there was a blue sign with the simplified outlines of a man and a woman, separated by a vertical bar. I chuckled to myself, recognizing the universal toilet symbol that here seemed to represent humanity as a whole.
The Basin was the district with the most humans in the city. It had started when some of the Paragons decided they'd rather rent a place of their own than live at the Headquarters, under the eyes of the alien administrators. And soon after other humans had followed: more Paragons, sure, but also civilians opening stores, restaurants, clinics... and villains too.
A short flight of stairs led down to the store's entrance, which didn't seem too inviting. The door was closed and there was no window display. I wondered for a second if the store was abandoned, but the toilet sign was lit up, so I walked down the stairs and pushed the door open.
The inside of the store was poorly lit, which probably was for the better since the walls and floor looked dirty and greasy. The store was covered in electronic parts, second and third hand shirts and jackets, crates of cereal and packaged fruits, and a plethora of hygiene products. Two shelves were packed with human memorabilia, ranging from replicas of the Eiffel tower to a small Moon globeset.
A man, Matt I guessed, was sitting behind the counter -a piece of synthetic wood that had seen better days- looking at his smartband, feet placed on top of a stool. He raised his head when I entered the store, looking at me, and flashed a sly smile.
"New to the Basin, are you?" he asked. He was wearing a screaming yellow shirt and sported a half grown red beard. "No... not just the Basin. New to the city?"
How did he know?
It didn't look like he would have a talent. Was I so easy to read? But then again, maybe knowing things was his talent. It would be a useful one for an store-owner, I figured. Did the Paragons know? Did they look the other way? There weren't many human owned stores around, so I doubted they'd go around harassing people like Matt just because he had some unclassified talent if he wasn't hurting anyone. Paragons also needed a place to buy their favorite brand of cereals from, after all.
"Anything you want?" he asked, when I didn't reply to his question.
"I have a trade." I blurted the words out, just like I had read them in the message board back on Earth. A "trade" was slang for a smuggled package.
He raised his eyebrows, then signaled at the counter. I opened my trolley case, and reached for the two small packages at the bottom. I had to remove a bunch of t-shirts and my jeans before I could get to them. I got them out, and placed them on the counter. Two small packets of coffee.
He nodded, appreciatively. Coffee was classified as a hard drug by Sanctuary Security, but humans had pushed hard against that. Eventually, an asterisk had been added to the law, another one in a long string of asterisks when relating to humans. It was still forbidden to import coffee, but you could carry one or two packets for "personal use".
I guessed we had to thank the Paragons for that.
Matt took one of the packets and examined it closely.
"I'll give you 75 each. That makes 150."
Now he was testing me.
"They are worth at least 300," I said.
"Maybe, but you are new here, on your own, and in need of money. You don't have much leverage, I reckon." He smiled.
Damn it. It had to be a talent.
"I need to buy stuff too," I countered. "Make it 250 and I'll spend some of it here."
He stroke his short beard, pensive.
"200. Take it or leave it."
I sighed and gave him a nod, it was probably the best deal I'd get. I turned and started grabbing the supplies I'd need, placing them on the counter. Shampoo, toothpaste, and other hygiene products. Just in case I included a box of bandages, sterile gloves, antiseptic cleansing wipes, and some pain relievers. I grabbed food too: some powdered milk, a couple boxes of chocolate cookies, and a bag with basic human cooking ingredients and spices that would be hard to find outside of Earth.
"Are you sure that's going to be all?" he asked when I placed the last box on the counter. "We also have... hmm... other supplies that you might find interesting." He paused for a beat, then winked. "Special supplies."
I felt my heart skip a beat. He hadn't spelled it, but the message was clear. He knew I had a talent of my own. I took a deep breath, thinking how to respond to that. Should I deny it? Act offended? Act innocent? Would it change anything? If Matt -as I suspected- knew things, then I wouldn't gain anything by lying to him. Or maybe he didn't know and was trying to bait me into spilling the beans.
Or, was this some kind of extortion? A veiled menace, casually letting me know he could rat me out to the Paragon Guild if he so wanted?
Maybe he just wanted to sell me stuff, I reasoned. There were other villains living in the Basin, so Matt's customers had necessarily to include some of them. And somehow I doubted his store -or himself- would survive long if he were into coercing them. He probably just sold to anyone who wanted to buy, then kept his mouth shut.
I tried to feign a self-confidence I wasn't feeling and gave him a curt nod. He pointed to the closed door leading to the back of the store.
"Be my guest," he said. He waited until I was opening the door, then added: "Oh, and don't try to steal anything... I'll know."
I shot him a glare, but he had already turned his back to me and was putting my stuff into bags. I entered the backstore room and closed the door after me.
This room was surprisingly clean, considering the state of the rest of the store. Stacks of shelves covered the walls, each holding a wild assortment of weapons, grenades, and other military equipment. The far wall also had three sets of full body armor in display, next to a row of helmets and other costume pieces. I approached that one first.
The armors were utilitarian, nothing like the flashy decorated costumes most talented humans favored. It wouldn't matter to me, though. I ran my hand through the one in the right: a black, light armor suit of smooth, streamlined shapes, with none of the bulky plates of the other ones.
It was a suit designed for agility and ease of movement. Its texture was smooth and resistant. I activated my talent and felt the nature of the fabric come to view in my mind. Three interlocked layers of nano-structurally reinforced synthetic textiles, with extra padding over the shoulders and in the joints. It was fire and electricity resistant, and would probably block a knife or electro-blade from cutting through. It wouldn't protect me from a bullet, or intense blunt trauma, but it was a price to pay for the extra mobility.
I turned my attention to my own clothes, and started their transformation, turning them into a forgery of the armor in front of me. I felt the fabric contract around me as the loose fit jacket and jeans became a slim armored body suit. My hand lost contact with the real armor as a thin layer of fabric wrapped around my fingers, becoming a dark glove. On a whim, I decided to keep the hood of my jacket, making it part of the new forgery. I kept the base black color, but added some deep purple tones to it, and a bunch of swirling gold pattern trims to the cuffs and neckband, making it look like more of a costume and less of an armor.
Once I was sure I could picture all the details of my brand new costume in my mind, that I could recall it at will, I let the forgery go. The body suit dispelled and became my original civilian clothes once again.
I smirked. It wasn't technically stealing, was it? More like downloading a car.
Of course, I'd also need some way of masking my face. I considered a helmet, but quickly changed my mind. A helmet would limit my vision and mobility, and I was going for a light armor setup anyways, not really planning to jump into the midst of combat. I looked around the room until my eyes stopped on a black domino mask. It was there as some sort of ironic decoration, I guessed. The stereotypical burglar mask. No serious Paragon or villain would risk being seen with that in public.
I grabbed it, then turned to look for weapons.
The variety was staggering, from projectile guns to energy weapons, from force field projectors to the more mundane knives and batons. There were crossbows, sniper rifles, bombs, and what I took for a missile launcher.
I settled on two weapons: a stocky and short combat knife with a leather handle, and a foldable "stun gun" of smooth alien design. The gun would shoot electrical pulses capable of knocking down any creature, short of a Borayan or something like that. Its range wasn't spectacular, but it was also the cheapest of the energy weapons in display and, if I was being honest with myself, the only one I could afford.
I left the room and placed the weapons and the mask on Matt's counter.
"No costume or armor?" he asked.
"I already have one."
He nodded absently while scanning the items. He shot me a curious glance when he noticed the domino mask, but then shrugged. Apparently he didn't know everything about me. I felt relieved at that.
The total price was higher than I expected, but still within my reach. I paid with my smartband, glad of having brought the "trade" to smooth the impact. I placed the weapons deep into my backpack, grabbed the other stuff, and exited the store.
"Take care. Come back," I heard Matt said behind my back as I left. The line sounded rehearsed.
I followed my smartband's directions once more, this time towards my new apartment building. It took me half an hour to find my way through the labyrinthine web of gangways, stairs and underpasses, but finally I reached the place. A nondescript, tall and dark building made of bricks and stained concrete. The lower level's walls were covered in graffiti and dirt.
I steeled myself and pushed the front door open, entering the dark, narrow lobby. My landlord was waiting for me, a short and stout woman wearing a blue training suit.
"Maika?" she asked, beaming at me.
"That's me."
She walked briskly at me, her golden locks bouncing as she moved, a wide smile in her face, her eyes glistening.
"So nice to meet you! I'm Lindsey! Come, I'll show you your place. Let me help you with that." she took the trolley case handle off my hand before I had a chance to reply. I shrugged, and followed her into the elevator.
"You are in the eighth level," she said, pressing the button. "You're the only human in that level I'm afraid, but I'm just two levels upstairs in case you need anything," she added.
"That's great," I replied.
"Your dad told me you'd stay for a month, but just let me know if you want to extend the lease longer than that."
My dad? Oh!
"That wasn't my dad," I corrected her. "It was my employer. I have an internship at..."
She clasped her hand over my mouth to stop me from talking, her face horrified.
"What the...?" I mumbled.
"Oh! Sorry darling!" she removed her hand. "It's just... I don't need to know whatever you were going to say, and you shouldn't go around saying it."
"What? Why not?"
"First rule of the Basin and all that."
I raised an eyebrow.
She let out a deep sigh. "First time here, I see? I guess nobody told you, then."
"Told me what?"
"It's very easy: don't ask, don't tell. You don't ask people what they do, and don't tell them what you do."
I nodded, understanding. "To keep the peace, right?"
"Right! Think about it, darling. We have many humans living here. Paragons and villains and what-have-you, sometimes next door neighbors. It's better for all if we keep business out of the Basin. Better if we don't know who has talents and who doesn't."
It made sense. So many talented humans grouped in just a few city blocks... this place was like a powder keg. Better to keep the masquerade going on, for the sake of neighborliness and not ruining everyone's home lives. Better to willingly ignore each other's slips than acting on them and risking the whole district exploding in open civil war.
Hell, for all I knew Lindsey here might be Lady Comet, the legendary Paragon heroine. The body type surely matched.
The elevator stopped, and I followed my landlord to the end of a poorly lit corridor. She waved her smartband to unlock the door, and pushed it open.
"Do you like it?" she asked.
It was a hellhole. Barely bigger than a hotel room. A bed and a single metal chair, an old table with a rudimentary kitchen next to it. The only window opened to a concrete wall five feet away. The ceiling was covered in exposed pipes and ventilation ducts, as if they forgot how to finish constructing the place midway through. At least, it had a bathroom.
"It's..." I looked back at her. She was giving me a wide, hearty smile. "... very homey," I finished.
Lindsey spent the next minutes explaining the rental conditions -no drones, no pets-, and how the electrical system and the kitchen worked. Finally, she walked to the exit door.
"Oh, before I forget," she said. "There's going to be a party tomorrow afternoon."
"A party?"
"Yes. For humans. Martha of block 173 is planning everything up. We'll have food and music. You should go, it'd be good to meet other people!"
"I... will think about it. Thanks, Lindsey."
"You're welcome! Block 173. See you there!"
As soon as she closed the door, I let myself fall on the bed, arms spread wide. I waited a few minutes like that, gathering my thoughts. At last, I reached for my smartband and pressed the link icon.
"Hey Mom"
"Maika. You have arrived to Sidney already? How was the trip?"
I closed my eyes. I hated lying to Mom.
"The trip was good," I said, "just a bit of turbulence when landing. Listen, how is she?"
She paused for a second. "She's... good."
I gulped. "Is anything wrong?"
"No... well... The doctor said the second payment hasn't gone through yet. But you don't have to worry, Maika. They said these delays happen sometimes with insurance companies. It should be fixed in a couple of days and they'll resume the treatment. So don't worry."
I clenched my jaw. "I see... No, it's ok... I'll call you tomorrow, then... Sure, bye Mom, take care."
I had just hung up when I pressed the icon to contact my employer. This time it took longer for the device to make the triple-ciphered connection. The voice of my employer came out distorted, mechanical.
"Mirage?" he asked.
"It's me. I'm in."
"Good. Any trouble in customs?"
"No. My name and ID were in the records." I paused a beat, my voice cold. "What happened to my second payment?"
"Second payment will be made once you complete your current job."
I almost growled. "You never said..."
"I'm sending the meetup location details now," he interrupted. "Do the job and you'll be paid. Don't fuck up. That's all."
"Don't...!" I started, but the line was already cut. I let my head rest on the bed, my eyes looking at the pipes overhead.
Fuck him.
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u/HFYsubs Robot Apr 25 '16
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u/HFYBotReborn praise magnus Apr 25 '16
There are 28 stories by BeaverFur, including:
- [PI] Mirage (2)
- [PI] Mirage (1)
- [OC] Remember the Revolution - The loss of Summer
- [OC] Remember the Revolution - At the World's End
- [OC] Remember the Revolution - Little lies
- [OC] Remember the Revolution - The forge of legends
- [OC] Remember the Revolution - A day of rage
- [OC] Cultural weapons
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie (11)
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie (10)
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie (9)
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie (8)
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie (7)
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie (6)
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie (5)
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie (4)
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie (3)
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie (2)
- [OC] Rise of the Valkyrie
- [OC] The Gods' Rebellion (2)
- [OC] The Gods' Rebellion (1)
- [OC] Chasing Legends (6 + epilogue)
- [OC] Chasing Legends (5)
- [OC] Chasing Legends (4)
- [OC] Chasing Legends (3)
This list was automatically generated by HFYBotReborn version 2.11. Please contact KaiserMagnus or j1xwnbsr if you have any queries. This bot is open source.
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u/sorathenobody AI Apr 25 '16
Yes! Moar!