This is Rom from the Packrat Sprawl making waves and coming to you live and direct from the Red Light District in the Echelons. We are on our way to the Hack tech and ware nightclub tonight looking to hook up with a source. I got a few more hours on the outside to roam free and see what I can see, then I am once more sequestered inside and need to ask Anj the leader of the Processing Centre and the Runners to be able to go out. Lets enjoy this last night out. There are somethings I want to see before I get to Hack tonight. So lets see what we can find.
It was 8PM, two hours after curfew and the drug dealers and prostitues were just queuing up for the night. It was still early for the hardcore action to go down but the younger hosts were out until the Zone Police picked up their patrols and arrested teenagers who were underage and caught on the streets after curfew. Rom walked by the door of The Hole X rated magazine shop and saw his host friend Alex outside with his white puffy coat and dark pants, his hand down the front of his skin tight jeans trying to entice any onlookers. Rom watched him from the window at the street as Alex paraded back and forth in front of the window to The Hole. He called out to the street as a man passed by and eyed him.
“Hey you, yah you in the suit. I know you want to hit this. I can get you on the cheap. It will make your night. I have an A+ rating. Try me on for size honey!” called out Alex and sauntered up to the man at the sidewalk. The man stopped as Alex circled him leaving his one hand at his zipper and the other he reached out and touched the man’s cheek. Rom listened to see if he could hear the two of them.
“Hey honey, yeah. What is your name gorgeous?” asked Alex.
The man hesitated and moved his briefcase from one hand to the other as he brought his hand up to his collar. The man didn’t answer.
“Don’t be shy. You know you want it. That is why you stopped,” eyed Alex as he put his hand under the man’s chin and leaned in close.
Rom chuckled from behind the two.
Alex reached in and took the handle of the man’s briefcase and held it. “Come on, you have had a hard day at work. I know you are looking for a little relaxation. I could give you a much needed massage. Come on let me ease that tension on your face.”
The man thought about it for a minute and smiled. “Sure, how much for a massage?”
“Oh, I can give you way more than that. 400 credits for a screw. 200 for suck. If you want I can throw in the full body massage for free, honey.”
“That is a mighty steep price for someone so inexperienced,” said the man.
A look of fear passed Alex’ face. He set the briefcase down slowly and took a step back.
“Do you know who you just propositioned, Mister Host? Let me see your host card before I haul you in for the night. You forgot to ask your question,” said the man.
“Are you the Zone Police?” Alex remember the question suddenly and took another step back as he put is hand in his pocket.
“It is a little too late to run. I will catch you.”
“Try me!” cried out Alex and bolted. He screamed out to the other hosts who were in front of The Hole. The warning scattered the remaining few along with Rom who took the corner and peeked out. The Zone Police officer pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket and ran after Alex who had already disappeared. Rom watched the officer on the corner as he turned back to The Hole.
“What are you looking at? Move along before I arrest you,” called the officer.
“I am going,” said Rom as he put his hands in his pockets and slowly strolled down the street having to pass the officer. He looked at him closely in the face and then called back. “You won’t catch any of those hosts with that tactic. They are too smart for that. He clocked you were an officer long before you stepped up. Its the shoes,” said Rom and waved back as he crossed the street and disappeared down an alley.
Rom gave it about 5 seconds and then bolted down the alley as the officer ran after him. Rom called out as he touched the wall and zipped around the corner. The Zone Police officer stopped in the alley. Rom peeked around the side of the wall. “Like I said, too slow!”
The Zone Police officer ran at him as Rom lingered at the end of the alley. The officer shouted at him but Rom just teleported away at the last minute.
Rom reappeared in front of the Hack nightclub. It was open 24 hours every night and every day. It never closed. It was the hacker hub. Illegal stuff went down here as well as dancing, music, data sales and the pawn shop which graced the bottom floor. Rom pulled a handheld out of his pocket as he moved up to the bouncer showing his cybernetic arm job tattoo on his forearm at the door.
“You sort, I know you. Go on inside. No funky Packrat crap on those machines. Traceback unless you go silent with the fix,” said the bouncer.
“Thanks for the warn. I will be careful,” said Rom as the bouncer opened the door and it slid back for him to enter. The minute the door opened he was assaulted by loud blaring electronic music that was swelling around him. He had to walk down a short corridor to get to the main room. There was a dance hall on this floor and a DJ and large online monitor that showed hacking activity on the big board. Rom glanced to the left and saw who was at the DJ booth and the computer terminal at the back. It looked like Acolyte, the leader of the Acolyte hackers was on the computer today for the entertainment. Rom continued to the right and walked to an area which had shelves and took it to the back to the pawn window. He pulled the handheld out of his pocket and engaged the slot under the window with bars on it. He rang the bell and a man with a shaved head and optical sesnsor over his eye came up to him from behind the window.
“What can I do for you mate? Your name is Rom if I have that correct. I have seen you here before. You selling?” asked the pawn owner.
Rom put his handheld in the slot and closed the door pushing the drawer in. The door opened behind the pawn window and the dealer took the handheld out and looked at it. He touched the screen and engaged it looking at the settings, the RAM and the accelerator.
“Nice one you go here. Are you really wanting to sell it?”
“Not selling. I need an upgrade to the RAM. I know you have some of that black market stuff that can jack my deck as fast as a hardline terminal. I need that done tonight. I got some business with the Packrats coming up,” said Rom.
“Did Faid okay this? I am not going to upgrade you without some authorization. Fooling with a hacked deck can get me locked up. You want me to bait this thing I need more than just your word,” said the dealer and put the deck back in the slot and tried to shove it back through.
“How about this?” called Rom and rolled up his sleeve and put his forearm up to the window between the bars so the dealer could clearly see it.
“That looks like Black Hole job. Don’t think I have ever seen one so elaborate before.”
“Scan it. Determine for yourself. It is real. It will sort,” called out Rom loudly trying to ensure the dealer heard him over the blaring music. Rom pressed his arm against the glass and the dealer brought up a scanner with a red light and shined it over Rom’s forearm with the large rectangular tattoo of circuitry that concealed his nanomachine induced cybernetic skinjob on his forearm. The tattoo glowed against the black light in the club. The dealer moved the scanner back and forth twice and then keyed in the data to a computer. It registered immediately. The dealer’s eyes got wide as he read the results.
“This says it is a Black Hole job. How did you get one of them to skin you up right good. Those are some DNA keyed cybernetics and can store data even?”
“And memories” replied Rom pulling his sleeve down. The dealer put the scanner down and picked up the handheld again.
“Alright. You sort. I can give you a RAM upgrade in about 20 minutes. Leave the deck with me. Costs about 1000 credits to get it done. Just come back in 20 minutes and I will have it ready. This thing is hot as it is. I do this it will make it completely illegal. Don’t let the Zone Police catch you with it once I am done upgrading the deck.”
“Good. And don’t try to steal any of my data while you are in there. It is all locked down. Nothing on that deck that is not in my arm already,” said Rom and smiled tapping on the glass.
“Not a problem. You know where I am. We all have our secrets. Yours are safe as are mine. See you in 20,” said the dealer and took Rom’s handheld to the back.
Rom turned and walked down the hall past the dance floor to the stairs and up to the second floor where the hardline terminals were. The room had a display board and there was some game being played across the screen. Rom watched it for a moment and realized it was Darklight, a relatively new virtual reality game with the avatar Omnibus with her 6 arms and elaborate white long hair. She was spinning around on the screen as a player’s skills were modified and was about to go into battle. The game distracted him for a moment then he walked to the four rows off hardline terminals in the back. He picked out his terminal and sat down. He clasped his hands together and cracked his knuckles and then laid his fingers on the keyboard ready to attack. He had not punched a single key when a hand came down on his shoulder. It was Anj from the Processing Centre in the Packrat Sprawl. Rom turned in the seat as Anj took a step back in his elaborate white oufit and tapped his watch.
“Tick tock. Almost on my clock. I will be needing you back at the Sprawl in an hour. Your lock down starts on my schedule not yours,” scolded Anj.
“I got 50 more minutes out which is my time and mine alone. I can do anything until I have to answer to you again. Out of my face!” bitched Rom and turned back to the computer. Anj reached in and grabbed Rom’s collar and dragged him up to his feet and slammed his back into the wall.
“Hey! I don’t like that mouth of yours.”
The two of them glared at each other until Faid with his bright shock of red shoulder length hair walked over and put his arm between them.
“What’s the problem?” asked Faid as he broke the silence. “Anj, disengage…”
Anj shoved Rom back releasing his collar. “This Level 9 hacker just mouthed off to me. He has another hour before he gets sequestered back at the Sprawl and has to ask to be let out. He had his five days. He is under my watch now.”
“Did you mouth off to him?” barked Faid and grabbed at Rom’s hair. He gave it a yank. “Anj, let me deal with it. He will be back in on time and under your control. There will be no mouthing off them. Get me!” shouted Faid as the music spun up louder.
“Fine. Just be back in an hour. Do not be late or you will not get out again for a long time and that means no Packrat Underground either,” Anj stepped off and Rom followed him with his eyes as he walked down the stairs.
Faid put his hand on Rom’s shoulder and led him back to the hardline terminals. He plastered his hands on Rom’s shoulders and shoved him into the chair violently. Faid gripped his shoulders and squeezed pushing down. He leaned over and whispered in Rom’s ear as he looked at the hardline terminal screen.
“You mouth off again to Anj like that and you will never leave the Sprawl. You answer to me, Mister Level 9 hacker. If I say you don’t go out then you never go out again. My Packrats, my rules. I hope you understand this Black Hole skinjob Rom? This sequester is as much mine as it is the Black Holes. You cross me, you cross them and I will help them wipe you all over the pavement. You don’t screw with the Black Holes. And you don’t screw with me or any of my peoople. Do we have an understanding?” Faid dug his fingernails into Rom’s shoulders.
“Yes, I understand,” Rom whispered with fear in his voice. He gulped trying to remain silent and not breath too loud in case Faid decided to kill him right then and there. Faid was known for being a killer. Rom would stand no chance against him if Faid were being serious about his threat.
“You are a Packrat because I say you are. This is to protect you as well as to protect my people. This is my game. Follow the rules, hacker!” Faid slapped Rom in the back of the head hard. Rom sat silent for a moment and then turned in the chair. Faid was gone.
Rom sighed and settled in. He only had time to write a few lines of a post for Packrat Underground. He put out a message to his followers that there would be an action next week but he was unsure of what or where. If Faid didn’t let him out the action could not happen. He sent the message and checked the screen. 20 minutes was up. He logged off the terminal and went back to the pawn broker who was waiting for him. There was another customer in front of him.
5 minutes ticked down as he waited. Rom tapped his foot trying to hurry up the guy before him. “Come on, I don’t got all day.”
“Just be another minute,” said the guy and then walked off finishing off with the pawn dealer.
“Someone is impatient,” said the dealer as he put the handheld in the slot and pushed in the drawer.
Rom took the handheld out of the slot and engaged it looking at the diagnostics for the machine. The setting said the RAM had been increased and that the deck had a different kedek cell.
“Where did the kedek cell come from?” asked Rom as he looked up at the dealer.
“I threw it in to be nice. Keeps your deck cooler with the boost in RAM. The cell you had in there would have fried the device running that fast. This way it should be fine.”
“How much do I owe you again?”
“1000 credits.”
Rom pulled his credit card out of the deck and put it face up on the glass with his palm plastered against it. The dealer held up his deck to the glass on his side and it ripped off the 1000 credits from Rom’s card due to the proximity. The dealer’s deck chimed and he looked at it to ensure the money was transferred.
“You sort. All set. Have a good night. Hope you see you tomorrow,” said the dealer.
“I doubt it,” called back Rom. “I doubt it indeed.”
Rom left out into the night. He walked down the block to The Hole and saw Alex once more outside with his hand down his pants. He stepped up to him.
“Seems you didn’t get hauled off?” asked Rom.
“No, that Zone Police officer wasn’t serious. His cover was bad. I clocked him down the street. I got an eye for it,” said Alex.
“Well, just keep your host card up to date and you should have no problem.”
“It is after curfew for you. You better get in. You have a new squat somewhere now?”
“Yeah, I got a new place. Safer. I better get going,” said Rom.
Alex waved him off and went back to the window resuming his prancing looking for a john. Rom walked to the corner and then teleported back to the underground subway tunnels area in the Packrat Sprawl. He went to his sleeping met in the living quarters and deposited his dirty tan trenchcoat on his sleeping roll and then went to the Processing Centre. Anj was standing at the door looking at his watch as Rom walked up. Anj was counting.
“15, 14 13, 12…”
Rom walked into the Centre and sat down at the back table. He engaged the computer and pulled an optical sensor from the desk and put it in his jack over his right eye. Anj strolled forward still counting. Rom pulled a vial of neurocine out of the cylindrical synchlovere machine after opening the cover. The neurocyne, a psi inducer drug glowed lavender in the glass vial.
“7, 6, 5…”
“Don’t be such as arsehole,” Rom bitched as he set the oscillation on the optical sensor and held up the vial of neurocine looking for nanomachine movement in the vial.
“3, 2, 1…. Watch your mouth. Your time is up. You are on my time now,” barked Anj. “I got five batches of neurocine that need to be prepped and nanomachines added then you have dylon to inventory and I need you to take the inventory files to the Waste Area to Naito for the next Waste quorum. You got that?” ordered Anj.
“You own me. I know that. Don’t be a bitch about it!” said Rom as he started in to his task processing neurocyne.
Anj slapped his hand down on the table and pulled on Rom’s ear. “This is my Processing Center and I run it the way it needs to be run. You follow my rules as a Runner. You were lucky I let you out for a week. Faid didn’t want me to even do that. You need to show some respect kid.”
“Stop bitching Anj or he will not listen to you,” shouted Faid from the door of the Processing Centre. “Let the kid be himself, don’t be an arsehole!”
Anj glared as Rom set the vial down and put his hands behind his head and just laughed. Faid pointed at Anj from the door. Anj glanced over and then stormed off to the refrigerator and yanked the door open. He pulled out a metal rack case of vials and set them down on the desk Rom was seated at.
“How do you like that? Not laughing now,” ordered Anj as he released the rack case with all the different vials. There were about 60 vials now in front of him.
“Now I am going to be here all night!” cried out Rom exasperated as he slumped over and rested his forehead on the table, his hair falling against the desk.
“You asked for it!” called out Faid from the entrance and then chuckled walking off.
Rom sighed deeply and slapped the desk then raised his head and picked up a vial starting in on his task. It was going to be a long night.
All Hail. the Packrat Code!
