This is Rom from the Packrat Sprawl, coming to you live and direct from the streets of Haven 15 in the Red Light District. We are here in the park in the center of it all talking to other homeless kids and asking them how they are going to be spending the Cultural New Year’s celebrations. This is a yearly event that takes place about a month after the first of the year. There are cultural events and celebrations all over the Echelons. We don’t get all the fanfare like in the City but we can watch the celebrations on the Newsfeed. I usually come out to be a part of the crowd but I wanted to get some other voices out there today. So here we are.
The radiation levels are through the roof today so I shouldn’t stay out long but I couldn’t leave you guessing where I was today so here we are. Lets go see who is about and get an idea of how people are celebrating. I personally will be going to one of the Prophet shrines in the Zone for the celebration. The trip requires I go through the Shizuoko ghetto which is treacherous on high radiation days. I took my iodine pills, well only one today when three are suggested but I just couldn’t afford any more. The onsesies I buy from Wraith, the drug dealer on the street are all I can handle since panhandling is not a lucrative way to make any money on the streets. I could hack into someone’s bank account but I have graduated from that. The Packrats keep me busy and feed me and that Zone Police officer Xander Storm sometimes gets me iodine pills so all I have to worry about is feeding myself which the Packrats take care of most of the time now that I am now affiliated with them. Anyway, lets get down to business and do the thing. I know you are ready for it. So lets go.
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Rom took a left at the artificial trees marking the entrance to the park in the Echelons. All so much government propaganda, the park was a way to keep nature alive although all the trees were artificially grown. Nothing could survive the ground after the nuclear explosion in the Zone. With all the radiation in the air nothing could grow. There were a few kids in the area and a makeshift shanty town with cardboard boxes housing homeless kids. Rom eyed a group of teenagers and walked over to them. They were hovered around a generator which was using a kedek cell to keep out the sting of the cold, the purple cell glowing against the metal and red parts. Rom walked over and joined the group as the hum of the generator churned in his ears.
“Hey, what’s up?” called out Rom as he came up to the girl in the group who had on black leggings and a hooded jacket with cat ears on it. Her hair was brown and cut jaggedly as if by a scissor. Her ripped up shirt gave away the fact that she too was homeless, the arms of the sleeves draped down over her fingers ragged at the cuffs. She put her hands out to the generator and blew on them after she warmed them up a bit.
“I know you. Aren’t you Rom? I think you had a subway squat a few months ago. Are you still hanging out there?” asked a boy in the group with blonde hair and a knit hat on his head. He had a black plastic bag over his sweater trying to keep out the cold.
“Yeah. I abandoned the squat a while ago. It now houses another group. You keeping warm tonight?” asked Rom.
“Yeah, it is too cold and the Newsfeed says there is a radiation alert. I haven’t had my iodine pills for the day. I would have to trick for them but I just am not in the mood,” said the girl.
“You better stay safe with the johns. I hope these boys with you keep you protected out there,” eyed Rom as he gazed at the three boys in the group wanting to make sure they were looking out for the girl with them.
One of the boys put his arm around the girl. “Yeah. I go out with her when she is on them. I won’t let her get hurt or scammed.”
Another boy came up and joined the group. He had a patch over his eye and was playing with a knife cleaning his fingernails. He had a level of dirt on him and Rom could tell he hadn’t had a shower or a bath in a while. The knife was standard issue for the Office of Affairs clinic to keep the homeless kids safe. The knife usually came in the take-away kits they gave out if you stopped by and asked for condoms. The boy set one of the kit bags down near the generator and the girl in the group bent down and opened the bag.
“What did you get?” asked Rom curious as the girl rifled through the plastic bag. She pulled out a can of potted meat and some ration packs. A set of 6 condoms and a bottle of water and handed the bag to the boy next to her.
“There is lube in there,” she said.
“Wow, they even give out lube now? They really must be looking out for hosts,” chimed in Rom. “You celebrating New Year’s tomorrow?”
“Yes. Just got my host card reinstated. I didn’t pay my dues for The Hole, X-rated magazine show and the proprietor cut me last week. I have been saving up because I couldn’t trick for the week. I really needed that card,” said the boy who had brought the pack with him.
Another boy grabbed the bag out of the other kid’s hand and started rummaging through it. “Hey, there is a radiation scanner in here. Lets see what it says today.”
The boy pulled the black plastic monitor out of the bag and dropped the bag on the ground. He flicked the switch and the monitor started to tick. The beeping got faster as the rads were displayed on the screen. The ticking was fast as the device took a minute to spin up and read the radiation in the air.
“Wow, the rads are high today. Did the Newsfeed announce to stay indoors?” asked the boy with the monitor.
“Yeah, I heard something about it an hour ago. Said everyone is to stay indoors,” said Rom.
“Well, that doesn’t apply to the homeless. There is no indoors for us.”
“How long have you been on the streets?” asked Rom.
“About a year. Have been tricking for the last six months. Me and Jin Mei here are a pair. We go out together and I protect her.”
“Your name is Jin Mei? That is a City name. That doesn’t sound like something from the Echelons,” sparked up Rom.
“My parents were from the City originally but something my dad did miffed the government and they banished my family to the Echelons. We split up when we came here. My mom said she couldn’t afford me and my brother. Being female is alike a curse. My mom and dad still have my brother. They are in a squat down the street. They kicked me to the curb and I have been tricking for the last six months to keep food in my mouth,” said the girl.
“Yeah, dumpster diving is no fun,” said Rom and narrowed his eyes as he looked over his shoulder as the air raid siren went off warning of high radiation levels in this area.
“What are you doing for the Cultural New Year?” asked Jin Mei.
Rom brought his hands up to his mouth and blew on his fingertips as a cold wind brushed past them and the air raid siren let out its wail again. “I will be going to the Prophet shrine. I want to see the dragons dance for the celebration.”
“That sounds like fun. I hope they are not charging to get in. I would like to see that,” said Jin Mei.
The boy next to her with the radiation device whispered into one of the others boy’s ear and pointed to the side. There was another group of kids eyeing this group. Rom looked over and noticed the three boys staring. The two boys with Jin Mein flanked her being protective. Rom noticed the body language.
“Who are those kids who are staring you down?” asked Rom.
“Jin Mei broke up with her hustler boyfriend last week. Those three want pay back,” said the boy with the device as he glared back at the three.
“We best move on,” said another of the boys as one of the three glaring pulled out a knife and started flicking the blade.
“They want to cut Jin Mein in the face. Make it so she can’t trick. That would ruin her prospects on the street.”
“Don’t talk about that, Kenichi. My ex boyfriend will not do anything to me. We ended peacefully,” said Jin Mei.
“That is not what it looks like,” added Rom moving closer to Jin Mei as they huddled around the generator.
The boy with the device put it in his pocket and picked up the generator by the handle. “We best get going before they start something. They are moving this way.”
“Well, they have to get through us to get to Jin Mei. I am not going to allow them to cut her.”
The three boys came over and confronted Rom and the group. Rom moved in front of Jin Mei as Kenichi flanked Jin Mei with the other boy.
“What’s up?” said Rom loud blocking the three boys whose body language definitely stated that they were wanting to stir something up. The boy with the knife stepped up in Rom’s face and brought the blade up.
“Akira, back off. I am not your girlfriend any more. Your goons don’t frighten me!” shouted Jin Mei.
The boy with the knife, Akira put the knife at Rom’s cheek. “You want to get out of the way? Me and my girl have some business.”
The boy who had come from the Office of Affairs in the group with Rom stepped up and pulled his knife out as well confronting the kid. “Jin Mei has nothing to say to you. That knife does not talk. But this one here does,” said the kid and flicked the blade around and grabbed it leveling it parallel to the ground.
Akira dug the knife into Rom’s cheek. He held his ground as a trickle of blood released from the slash on his face. Rom’s eyes narrowed as he brought his hand up and released the aegis or manifestation of his psychic power. The energy swirled around his palm as he put his fist in Akira’s face.
“Back off. Or I will light you up!” cried out Rom. “These kids have nothing to say to you.”
“I got business with Jin Mei. My knife wants a piece of her face.”
“You will not cut my friend!” called out one of the boys with Jin Mei and grabbed Akira by the arm and whipped him around.
Rom sidestepped another boy from Akira’s group and got in front of him as the boy on Akira grabbed him in a head lock. Akira thrust the knife out and stabbed the boy in the stomach.
“Hey arsehole!” cried out Jin Mei as another of the boys pushed her behind him.
The boy on Akira brought his hand to his stomach and backed off hunched over getting in front of Jin Mei trying to protect her.
“We have had about enough of that!” cried out Rom and then sent a psychic blast at Akira and the other two boys with him, sending them to the ground. The boy who got cut walked over to Rom and put his hand on his shoulder as Akira and his goons were thrown 20 meters back on their arses.
“Stay away from me, Akira. I want nothing to do with you!” screamed Jin Mei.
Akira and the other two picked themselves up and walked away.
“He will come back for you,” said Rom as he made sure Akira disengaged standing there with his aegis lit around his hand.
Jin Mei raised the cut boy’s shirt up and looked at his wound. “You best get to the Office of Affairs so they can look after that cut. He got you deep.”
“Just a hazard of the streets. It is dangerous out here. Jin Mei we need to stick with you for a while. Make sure Akira doesn’t come back.”
“He seemed serious. Did you do something to him?” asked Rom.
“I told his lead john that Akira was cheating on him with another man. The lead had told him he wanted him exclusive if he was going to be his lead. The john quit after that. Akira lost his only client. He will have to start over from the beginning. The word is already out on the streets that Akira is not a loyal hustler. It will give him a bad rap. He has been trying to find another shop to work out of but no one wants to touch him now that he has that reputation,” said Jin Mei.
“Being a hustler without a shop to work out of makes your prospects not too good,” replied Rom.
“Yeah,” said the cut boy. “Akira is pretty much blacklisted. He will have to find black market clients and those can rough you up if you don’t play by their rules. They like the kinky stuff.”
“Yeah. Akira’s days as a hustler are pretty much over,” said Jin Mei.
“That means he will starve.”
“Yes, pretty much. That is what you get for not doing what your lead john wants,” said Jin Mei.
The air raid siren went off again and then a Newsfeed announcement rang though the air. “Radiation is at dangerous levels. Get off the streets. Find the nearest shelter. If you don’t know the closest shelter location, go to Newsfeed 1 and there is a listing of all shelters in this area,” said the announcement.
Rom looked off in the distance.
The cut boy spoke up. “Well, I guess we better get going. I know where the shelter is in this area.”
Yeah, come on Jin Mei. I need to get idiot here to the Office of Affair so they can see to his wound and I want you as far away from Akira as can be for now.”
“Sure, I’m coming,” spoke Jin Mei and put her hand on the cut boy’s back.
Rom and the group split up going to the Office of Affairs as Rom took a right to get back to the Packrat Sprawl. The area was surrounded by radiation proofing in his former subway squat. He did not get a chance to learn more about the Cultural New Year but he had helped a girl in distress. Living on the streets was dangerous not only for the radiation. You had to keep your wits about you and try to stay safe.
All Hail the Packrat Code!