Within Dreams

Two

Eto had hurriedly scarfed down his toast and arti-eggs, softening the food with a lukewarm cup of coffee. When Mrs. Emereldez left he had adopted a sense of trepidation about him. The whole mess she had brought to his attention stunk worse than his laundry did on laundry day after a particularly exciting week. For the first time in his life he didn't feel completely safe in his own home anymore. The Organization wasn't exactly a group to be trifled with. On the best day they were a church backed by the government, on the worst day they were a fanatical cult hellbent on driving the world even farther into the dumps.

Eto wasn't so old he could remember a time without their presence, but he could remember his father Shim's rambling about them. Apparently, not too long before Eto had been born, they had become prominent throughout the world. Seemingly overnight they had replaced Creationity as the dominant religion. His fathers main complaint seemed to always be about their greed, though. "Anytime someone earns a credit in this forsaken world, the Organization is there to take half of it. This part of town used to be wealthy, diverse. Now its a run down slum." The words stuck with him.

It would make sense that was all his father really cared about though, seeing as they weren't Creationist themselves. His father was a stout atheist for all Eto's life. His mother had died in childbirth and Eto assumed this is what turned his father to that particular mindset. The only reason he even knew Shim was at one point a Creationist was because Eto had once found the Holy Book that once belonged to Shim in their attic when he was 9. Inside the cover he had found a note from his mother to his father. Typical stuff, thanking God himself for their meeting, etcetera etcetera.

Eto just never saw the point in a God, though. If a God did exists, omnipotent and all powerful, why would it care about being worshiped or believed in? Eto knew he existed, he didn't need other peoples validation of that. Even worse, why make rules that say you can only get reincarnated or admitted into heaven if you vehemently follow said rules otherwise you rejoin the primordial void, an empty nothingness. Wouldn't an evil person just not give a fuck regardless? On top of that, if you're only behaving for incentives are you really a good person?

He shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. After dumping his paper cup into the trash shoot in the wall he headed back to his bedroom. He scooped up his wallet, and placed it in his back pocket. On the wall hung his black shoulder holster, along with his revolver in its place. Along the back was a sling, and resting it was his katana. He pulled the straps onto his arms and clasped the holster in place along his chest. He pulled the JMX-8 revolver from its place and gave it a look over. Primed to fire, fully loaded with 8 shots, and sighted. Good. Satisfied he slid it back into his holster, and slid out the katana. It was slender, and agile. Recently polished, and unused since. Once it was placed back he gave his side pouch a quick check to confirm its contents of 32 more shots for his revolver, and made for the door.

Before he opened his front door he placed his palm on it and swiped to bring up the camera again. Controlling it to slide left, then right. It was then he spotted it. Two men lingering at the end of the hall, smoking cigarettes. This would've seemed normal, except these men didn't live in this building. He could tell from the cybernetics they were fitted with. Their clothes were average, typical for the area. Almost too typical, in just sport shorts and baggy tees. But Eto could see what looked to be a deck implant wrapped around the right mans neck. That kind of tech was even out of Eto's price range, let alone anyone else who lived here.

He turned heel and made for the single window. Pressing the button on the side caused the blinds to hiss open and slide up into the wall. He peered out towards the city as his eyes adjusted to the neon glow. His part of the city never got natural sunlight as it was located under a mega complexes garden overhang. Looking down he could just barely see the road below, and people making their way to and fro going about their daily lives. He carefully climbed over the windows edge with one foot, feeling for the notch that ran along the side of the building.