Night in the City

Stepping into an identical copy of the transportation room, he observed that this one was much busier than the Springfield building he had come from. I guess that makes sense. This one has probably been around way longer. His train of thought was derailed by the sound of a bassy voice calling his name.

“Gamer, ID Number 12351?” The alien suit of black and gray metal in front of him stepped forward. It was segmented and curved, a little bulky though it looked like its movement was unaffected by it. He used Advanced Spy on the person in front of him, but didn’t get very much information.

“One Man Armory, ID Number I don’t know?” John offered his hand, but instead of shaking it a fist-sized drone popped off the armor’s shoulder and floated in front of him, scanning his face.

“Identity confirmed. Alright Ringo, guns and belt away in your pocket dimension. Without them you’ll look innocuous enough.” The drone retreated to its divot and settled back into place. A little off-put by the greeting, John complied nonetheless.

“How did you-” John began, but figured information on his abilities was on his file as well. “What about you? It’d be pretty difficult to make yourself look harmless wearing half a ton of metal.” The man seemingly ignored him again as he turned on his heel, silent for a few moments.

“Jarako is my home, my reputation precedes me. You’re an unknown… aside from being broadcast to half the sixth district after winning their race. Not much makes it out of the slums, hotshot.” He raised a hand to the side of his helmet and turned back to John. “The contractor awaits us.”

“Can we slow down a little bit?” John walked alongside his armored partner, “I’m John, is there anything easier than ‘One Man Armory’ that I can call you?” The glowing blue eyes on the faceplate looked through him for a few seconds before replying.

“Just call me One.” The same drone floated up and out of his armor again before a piece of clothing jumped out of a dispensary in the bottom of it. “That’s a jumpsuit fabricated to work with my armor, put it on under your clothes.”

“Does this mean I’m getting a high-tech suit of armor too?” Though the man’s flippant attitude had been a little off putting so far, he couldn’t deny that the armor was one of the coolest things he had ever seen.

“Not unless I think you need it. You’ve been seen changing clothes without actually taking any off, so I’m going to assume you can do your quick change artistry with that jumpsuit.” One turned back around to continue walking toward the exit; the drone regarded John for a few more seconds before retreating back to its master.

David appeared on John’s shoulder, studying this strange flying creature. It’s a friend, no need to worry, buddy. John absently stroked his pet’s head as he equipped the jumpsuit. The hawk considered this before disappearing again.

He saw bright lights through the doors, but was overwhelmed when they emerged from the building. He thought New York City was something, but the skyscrapers surrounding them (the building they had just come from included) put it to shame.

Giant neon signs covered at least one side of most buildings. One bore a silhouette of a scantily clad woman and scrolling words which included ‘sexual adventures’. Another had a pound sign followed by some asiatic language, and John remembered how excited Jenny had gotten over an amp from a ‘super futuristic’ Kingdom which was marked with similar symbols. I should see if I can find something similar when I’m done here.

The light washed over him and he felt a surge of admiration for this place, similar to what he felt upon entering Pride for the first time. Whereas that was because of enchanted music, however, this was because of the spectacle of advertisement in front of him. That it was night here when it had been midday on Earth escaped him.

Wind rushed by his face, and he looked up to see strange vehicles flying through the air. Looking at all of this with wonder, he couldn’t believe nothing like it was on Earth. “If travel between Kingdoms is so easy, why isn’t this kind of technology available on Earth?”

“The development of teleportation mirrors and their enchantments is a recently discovered, closely guarded secret by our guild. On top of that, there’s been a universal agreement between the biggest players of the Abyss for years to keep non-terran technology and life where it originates from. Bullied into existence by the Order at their peak and upheld by many now.” The sound of a car beeper was more like a whisper over the wind and the crowd, but a vehicle that looked like a cross between a ferrari with all the curves on its chassis and the hover cars above them based on its absence of wheels and method of propulsion pulled up. “We’re expected at the Anor building soon, get in.”

John raced toward the exotic car, sliding over the hood but still staring up at the technicolor multi-rainbow of buildings. “Why weren’t cars like this used in the race?”

“Yeah, you’re the champion of the slums. What you did there wouldn’t fly in any of the other districts,” One answered, revving the engine before they shot off.

That shone a new light on things. Based on what the character sheets had shown, he had assumed Houndiira was from some noble family. If she was a racer in the slums, that probably wasn’t the case. Should I visit her while I’m here? Is that weird?

“Alright kid, this is the big time. I’m going to need you to focus up. We have a pretty easy mission in front of us. When we get onto the train, I want you to stay alert. Consistently but discreetly check the entrance and exit of the car we stay in. Make small-talk with Anor, make sure she’s comfortable, and we’ll be done.”

“Right. Easy. I can do that,” John replied, shifting around in his seat. The interior was more spacious than he had been expecting, and there was a back seat that he hadn’t noticed on first blush. There was no seatbelt in the car which made the bulbous windshield in front of him a little threatening. “How do air traffic control and safety work here?”

“Vehicles are mostly automatic. I’ve got Hephaestus controlling this one, but it’s a dual type,” One answered, and John noticed that indeed his hands weren’t on the wheel. He knew Hephaestus was the name of a Greek god, but figured that wasn’t what was controlling this car.

“We are five minutes from the Anor building, sir,” a gruff voice interjected, assumedly Hephaestus. “It’s been requested that we land on the parking wing of the thirty second floor. We’ve been authorized with the passcode.”

“That should be fine,” One replied, and hearing them side by side John was surprised by how human the AI’s voice sounded compared to the armored man. The bassy, smooth voice he had heard from the armor sounded more robotic than the gravelly voice coming from the car.

Most of the rest of the ride was spent in silence as One leaned over to a touch screen in the middle, where a radio would be in a regular car. Thinner segments extended from the fingers of his armor, at least three per, and began typing in a flurry of movement. The Gamer recognized a website as it loaded onto the screen, but not much else as words in English and other languages flashed by.

He felt it ascend and slow, eventually stopping on a platform that looked similar to an aircraft carrier connected to the side of a mostly colorless building, a pillar of gray in a sea of neon. One opened his door, and John followed suit, stepping out onto the platform.

I wonder how high up you have to be for it to be hard to breathe. John looked over the waist high glass barricade to the ground below, dizzying himself until he looked away. “So this is it?”

“No, this is just a nice parking spot.” Either because of the armor or just from apathy, One’s tone betrayed no sarcasm. “She should be just inside. Stay out here and guard the car.”

“But shouldn’t I-” John called after him, wanting to see the interior of the building even though it was the most boring one in the skyline, his voice trailed to a mumble as the armored man turned toward the building without any further explanation, “get some experience too…”

Would a smart car even need to be guarded? John leaned against the hood of the car, which upon further inspection couldn’t be opened at all. I’m no mechanic, but if you can’t get to the engine, how would you service the car?

He spent a few minutes pondering useless questions such as this as he waited for his would-be partner to get their ward. Another ten minutes and One emerged alongside a demure girl with rusty hair. Her skin was a bleak, unhealthy gray. On her left arm he saw the edges of what he assumed to be a rather large scar, deep ridges curving along it. Freckles dusted her nose and filled the bags under her eyes.

The outfit she wore looked like it’d be more fitting in a steampunk setting than the cyberpunk paradise they currently occupied. A leather cloak with a canvas hood. Fur peaked out the edges of it. Looking closer at her, he realized there was a thin sheen of frost around her upper lip, the ice crystals twinkling in the city light. “Are you alright?” He used Advanced Spy on her to get more information. Isn’t she supposed to be a technomancer?

“Fine, thank you.” Her voice was quiet as she tilted her head down, unwilling to meet his eyes.

“The bullet leaves in fifteen minutes; we’re on a tight schedule, Romeo,” One explained, opening his car door. “Should be there with five minutes to spare. Anor, Gamer, get in the back seat.”

Jackie did so without complaint, and John was going to but thought better of it. Better not to question his partner in front of the person they were supposed to protect and reassure.

The door closed by itself behind them, and the car slowly floated upward before rocketing off again.