Aida
I stepped in after Kenger and watch as he brandishes a brass key, I watch as he methodically locks the door. He turns around facing me, I gasps and lay a hand on the wall to steady me. where his eyes used to be where nothing but pitch-black hole in his empty socket.
"Kenger, your eyes. What happened?"
"I got punished for a crime, the things that always happen here when we break the law little rabbit. Don't worry about me, I am fine, you shouldn't have come back here. Coming back here will give people the wrong idea little rabbit"
"I don't I have a lot of options anymore Kenger, I'm having trouble up there."
"What type of trouble? Did you steal from anyone? Kill anyone?"
"No. I think I found Yu, but I'm not sure it's him. He is an heir-born, a Jiangh'an, I'm being forced to move away, go somewhere or worse."
"Why am I not surprised, that boy can only be one of them." Kenger spats out, running a hand in his cloudy puff of hair.
"Who is forcing you to move?"
"She's one of the Tiangchi."
"Min Tiangchi."
"You know her?"
"I know of her, tread carefully. How much is she offering?"
"A billion credits to disappear,"
"They're serious in this, this is not good. Take it little rabbit, run as far away as possible, you can't fight them. I couldn't fight them, in the end they took my sight." He says bitterly, suddenly looking worn out and sad.
"What did you do?"
"It's what I didn't do, listen child the Tiangchi's are more than they seem, more than heir-borns, this is a game you can't win, take the credits and run for your life. I lost someone dear to me, because they defy the orders given. Whatever they want with Yu, you can't help him, he's lost."
"But it's Yu, you can't expect me to abandon him."
"He abandoned you Aida, I helped keep you alive because I promised your parents that I would. Not all orphans in the bottom-deep get what you have, you've an opportunity of a lifeline, grab it and run."
"My parents. I thought you said you don't know them. You lied to me, my whole life Kenger, why?" I dash away tears and glare at him.
Static sparks at my finger tips and fifteen-year-old Yu pops out, his hand slides into mine.
"I will never abandon Aida, old fart."
"Stop clinging to the past Aida, the Yu you know is long gone." Kenger runs a finger on the edge of Yu's image. "Look forward to the future, forget everything and live your life."
Yu's image flickers replaced by Imsy, she wrings her hands, her words comes out too fast for me to catch up.
"Hold up Imsy calm down, what's up?"
"Something is wrong with Jinx, I lost her signal, she isn't in where you left her, I think she's in danger. We need to help her."
"Can you determine her last signal Imsy?"
"Yeah, here" Imsy waves a hand and a map of the bottom-dark hovers in the air. I widen my eyes on the very place it was, and shook my head. She should've have been safe in the inn, how did she end up there? I turn my gaze on Kenger, questions in my eyes.
"She'd be safe in the Inn, unless she ventured by herself in the street, no one will violate the territory treaty."
"Come on let's go Imsy."
Kenger opens the door and leads back into the bar. I stride towards the exit.
"Be careful little rabbit, something big is at play, and I fear that you will be marked in so many ways."
"Thank you old fart, " I smile fondly at Kenger and rush outside, my cruiser is parked in front of the entrance, I jump in and Imsy rush out of there and towards the south-east of the bottom-deep, the very place any bottom-darklander worth their salt in survival stays away from.
Imsy drives into dark-lane cave, figures jump on the cruiser trying to make it stop, a guy in a hoodie jump on the roof bashing it with a rock, he grins showing off jagged broken teeth, I activated the cruiser defense and watch in satisfaction as he yelps and fell off the roof, murder in his gaze. One by one they fall off as some of their comrades got electrocuted. Imsy lands on a rusty but strong landing pad, I jump off and walk up the metal staircase that leads into the huge, behemoth of a monster mansion in front. Music streams out through filtering the air, three huge bouncer stand in front of the doors, as they let in the long queue of patrons. One of them grabs hold of a guy and brandishing a dagger and chuck him down, I watch his body sail in the air, he screams and slams the ground with a wet snap, his limbs contorted. I grimace and continued on, even though I am shaken. My instinct were telling to turn around jump in my cruiser and fly out of there. But the thought of leaving Jinx in a place such as this weigh on me like a guilty cloak shackled to my shoulders. I set my jaw and face the huge intimidating bouncer.
"State your business."
" Tell the crow that the raven's here."
"This way follow me," the smaller of the three bouncers drawls in an Iralian accent.
I meet his muddy-neon eyes, and find nothing untoward in it, I nod and follow him out of there and up a steep passageway, we com to a stop in front of a floor to ceiling painting of a man with glowing eyes, and a bulky build, his clothes speak of long opulent days gone, only squalor remains now.
"Be careful with her, don't let her make a deal with you, pay in credits only Aida."
"You know my name?"
"I know your parents, they were good people, one of the ones who shed everything they had for the cause, and I'm glad you're not tangled in this mess of a cause, sometimes I don't know if we're fighting for the same thing." He waves a hand, a ping echoes and the painting moves to one side and I stepped in, it move back in place enclosing me in eternal darkness.