This is Rom from the Packrat Sprawl making waves and coming to you live and direct from the streets outside the Jester hacker guild. We are about to delve into the darkness. Anj took eyes off me this week after I won the bet that I could zip the Newsfeed onsite and he let me out of my confinement for the rest of the week. This means I can leave the Sprawl anytime I want and go to the streets, have my fill of the Echelons. With everything that has gone down since the Parliament voted to round up homeless kids and put them in labour camps in the kedek mines I am a little wary about being out. The Zone Police are everywhere. They were before but I have never seen so many of them out on the streets. Even their van which we call “the truck” is out each night over the last two days herding up homeless kids and taking them away. They are even separating teens from their families on the streets. Sure these kids may not be related to who they hang with in the dark but the relationships you make on the streets mean something. They can keep you alive.
Right now it is after curfew and the streetlights are on. Hopefully I can get off the street and down the alley and into Jester’s hacker guild before I get confronted by a Zone Police officer. Hold up, there is one coming this way. I guess I didn’t hide fast enough. Here he comes. Lets hope that I can talk my way out of this and don’t get rounded up. Anj would kill me if I don’t come back tonight.
Rom placed his hand on the wall and dragged it over the red brick as he moved into the alleyway. He didn’t look behind him as he dashed around the corner. The Zone Police officer followed him.
“Hey you, kid. Stop right there!”
Rom kept walking as he heard the Zone Police officer call out to him. Rom sped up.
“Stop. Right now! Turn around.”
Rom stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around as the Zone Police officer walked towards him. He confronted Rom as he slapped his night stick against his palm in his black uniform. He stood at lest 5 heads taller than Rom who was a scrawny teenager with a disheveled tan mowhawk that peeked out of his hood wearing a dirty tan trench coat. Rom looked at the officer’s face hidden behind a half face mask which covered his eyes leaving his mouth exposed.
Rom had on a radiation mask that covered his mouth and nose and a hood from his black sweatshirt was up over his head. His eyes sparkled as he opened them wide trying to look innocent. If the Zone Police officer asked, he was not going to tell him where he was going and he was not about to divulge that he was a Level 9 hacker. That could get him arrested if the Zone Police officer was in the know.
“Show me some ID!”
Rom went into the his pocket after the Zone Police officer put his nightstick out and backed Rom into the wall slapping him on his chest. He hit him so it hurt making Rom bend over slightly. Rom handed off his ID and the Zone Police officer put the nightstick under his arm and pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and shined it on the ID. The Zone Police officer put the nightstick in the holster and pulled out his handheld running the ID through the slot in the device.
“Says here your name is Eleric Stuart. Is that true, young man?”
“Yes, that is my name.”
“What are you doing in the Echelons? Your data says you are from the City. Why would someone from the City come to the Echelons? From the looks of you it seems like you have been sleeping on the streets. Did someone beat you up and take your citcard?”
Rom grabbed onto the opportunity and made up some story on the fly. “I was here with my father visiting someone in Haven 5. A group of punks jumped my dad. I am only 16. I got separated from him and haven’t been able to make it back to the City. I got this ID card from the Office of Affairs, another officer said I needed an ID when he caught me after curfew last week.”
“We can’t have a citizen roaming around the streets of the Echelons. Here use my handheld and call your father. I bet he is really worried about you.”
The officer handed Rom his handheld who took it and dialed a random number so the keys would click and the signal ring through. “Hi, this is Eleric. Is my dad there?”
The Zone Police listened to Rom lie into the phone believing his every word. Rom made the story good and then hung up after another minute.”
“Sounded like you talked to your father. I am glad for you. Can I get you a cab to take you back to the City? I wouldn’t want you to have to spend another minute out here with these vermin.”
“No, Its fine. I can find my way to the subway.”
“Here take your ID back. I will accompany you to the subway. It is right around the corner,” said the Zone Police officer and put his hand on Rom’s shoulder and they walked out of the alley.
Rom let the officer accompany him to the steps down to the subway. He waved and thanked him and then started down the stairs. He hung out half way down and then darted back up to the street after he noticed the officer had cleared out. He ran back to the alleyway and walked down and came up to the wall.
He placed his hand on the wall and felt it looking for a hidden panel. He found the edge and rolled up his sleeve and put it on the panel watching the light on the side of the wall above his head. The light was red. The panel scanned the cybernetics under his arm and then buzzed a hidden door open. The light turned green and Rom grabbed the door and went inside. There was a bouncer in the little room with a gun who leveled it at Rom’s forehead.
Rom put his hands on top his head and took a step back as the door to the outside closed behind him.
“Encryption key?” called out the bounder and put out his other hand. Rom took a hand off his head and pulled a long thin pin drive out of his pocket. He put it in the bouncer’s palm who grabbed it up and plugged it in a circular slot and then turned it to the left. The bouncer held there as a countdown clock over his head started ticking down 60 seconds. Rom waited not liking the fact that the key hadn’t registered yet.
The bouncer started tapping his foot as he planted the barrel of the gun at Rom’s skull.
“I’ll blow you away if this key doesn’t jive,” said the bouncer.
Rom didn’t move just put his hand back ontop his head. The key registered making a chiming sound and the door to the inside of Jester’s hacker guild creaked open. The bouncer pushed on the door and handed Rom back the encryption key.
“Had me worried there I might get blood on my new shoes,” said the bouncer and motioned to his shiny white shoes.
“Thanks,” said Rom and stepped inside. The door closed behind him and he was in a room surrounded by monitors, glowing lights and all types of computers. The room looked a little like a lounge. The light was low and there were two walls with code streaming across them. Rom crossed the floor walking past a few punks with shaved heads, and others with headgear on all engaged in the grydscaen. There were a group of people gathered around the Newsfeed monitor at the back of the room which Rom scanned looking for Jester.
Rom walked to the back of the room and then caught Jester at the side hunched over a laptop as he sat on the leather couch. Jester had shoulder length black dyed hair and an optical sensor over his eye. He was wearing a pair of skin tight black pants and a frilly see through skirt overtop with black platform shoes with six inch soles. Rom stopped in front of Jester and called out to him.
“Jester. I need to talk to you.”
Jester lingered for a moment and put up his hand signaling Rom to wait. He didn’t look up just kept typing on the keyboard. He held there finishing his task and then his head jerked up seeing Rom. He lifted the laptop off his lap and put it on the couch beside him and stood up.
“What brings you here, kid?” Been a while. I thought Anj and the Packrats had you under lock and key?” Jester walked over to Rom and put his hand on his shoulder and led him to the back of the room. Jester put a pin drive in the slot on the door and entered a 6 digit code on the panel then swiped an RFID card. The door opened onto his office. He motioned Rom to sit on the couch and then went behind the desk and sat down facing Rom.
“What can I do for you? Last time you were here we were looking for some young girl who was being molested. Did you find her?”
“Yes, my sister got away from the man who was abusing her. I stopped that. Have talked to her a few times since then,” said Rom as he pulled off his dirty tan trenchcoat and set it to the side.
“You want the computer. What are we looking for today?” asked Jester as he got up and crossed his legs facing Rom and leaning against the desk.
“I’m on a minister. Same minister that was up in my sister. Name is Kitazawa. I owe him some pay back. Know anything about it?” asked Rom sitting forward and clasping his hands.
“Hmmm, let me think,” said Jester and pushed off the desk bringing his hand up to his chin and pacing. “Kitazawa if I recall is the minister who put in that bill to round up the homeless kids. Attached some riders made the bill have to pass. He tied the Emperor’s hands. Pretty brave move. Could get him fired. He has some balls.”
“He also got some Zone Police officer’s son killed, “spat out Rom causing Jester to stop pacing.
“What did this Kitazawa do to you to make you angry? Sounds like you want to put a bullet in him or something.”
“Maybe I do.”
“Well you won’t find that here. I can get you information on this Kitazawa. Want me in it? Won’t cost you much. You have me intrigued. I will do it for a job. Do you want to work for me again, mister Level 9 hacker?”
“I used to work for you in the City before the government erased my memory. I am game with that.”
“Then I need you here an hour from now. The Jester hacker guild has the Corporation in our sights. I need a little ZenZen right about now,” chuckled Jester.
“What are you going to pin on ZenZen, the head of the Corporation?”
“Got a little rumor he has a mistress who had an illegitimate kid by him and he won’t take responsibility. I need in that.”
“Sure, what do you need me to do?”
“I need some money stolen from ZenZen’s bank account transferred to this mistress. Give the kid a proper upbringning. It seems the mistress has been living on the streets in the Echelons since ZenZen dumped her after he found out there was a kid involved. I guess she hid that she was pregnant then when she told him he just threw her away.”
“That is terrible.”
“The price of doing business with a scum bag I guess,” mocked Jester and then went back behind the desk.
“ZenZen is a member of the Triumverate that runs the Pacific Territories Elite government, correct?” asked Rom.
“And he is a corporate board member of the SenseNet and the CEO of the Corporation.”
“Having a kid out of wedlock would be bad for his reputation. Isn’t he married?”
“He divorced his wife a few years ago. Had a few mistresses he toyed with for a time. But I hear now he is into younger men. Seems he likes to pick up male prostitutes from the streets, wine them for a night, sleep with them and then chuck them to the curb the next day.”
Rom closed his eyes for a moment. He had a friend on the streets who was a host about his age who made good money but he also knew they had to deal with being beaten and ridiculed all the time just to make a living.
“Okay, count me in. If I can help this kid, I am happy,” replied Rom.
“Why are you out? I thought Anj had you on a short leash?”
“I won a bet and zipped the Newsfeed last night. He let me out for the week. Cost him 5000 credits.”
“That was you last night? That zip was about 5 minutes. To do that you must have been on site,” laughed Jazz.
“I was. Zipped them from the roof.”
“My boy, you are just full of tricks.”
“Get me Kitazawa and I will do your hack,” said Rom and stood up.
“Okay. You got an hour. Any machine on the floor is yours. In and out clean. No trace back. I got the account number. Shouldn’t take long.”
“How many credits are we stealing?”
“This is not stealing. It is redistribution of wealth.”
Rom grabbed up his coat and stood up as Jester walked over to him and opened the door. They walked back out onto the floor and Rom picked out a terminal.
“I got some scripts to write. Back in an hour. My computers are your computers,” said Jester.
“Right! Hack till you’re dead,” whispered Rom and sat down, throwing the coat at his feet. He engaged the hardline terminal and logged in with his avatar which came on with the word ‘gridscan’ in white letters plastered across the black screen.
