Cyberspace; The Ultimus Collection

Chapter 40, The Internet's Underbelly

Daniel and Catelin sat together on the living room couch, curled up in a big blanket. A bucket of popcorn was nestled comfortably between them, the salty aroma permeating the air. The two munched away while binging reality tv.

"Hey Daniel, I've got a question." Catelin announced, mouth half full of buttery popcorn.

"Shoot."

"Derick told me you were super quick to accept the guardian position. Why is that?"

"Oh! Well... um..."

"It's okay if you don't want to answer. I understand if it's, like, something personal."

"It's just that... in my old life, you know back in the real world, I was a nobody. I was barely getting by, living day to day. I wasn't the person I thought I would be, I didn't feel like I was accomplishing, or going to accomplish, anything. So when Derick presented me with this opportunity, I felt that I should take it. I thought 'might as well, I've got nothing else going for me'. I know it was a hasty decision then, but I think it was the right one. I've met a lot of good people and I've made a lot of good friends. I just hope I'm living up to everyone's expectations." Daniel explained, a hint of laughter in his voice. There was a brief pause. "Catelin, do you think I'll be a good hero?" He asked. Catelin turned to him and smiled.

"You already are one." The two smiled at each other before turning their attention back to their show. It was at that moment that they noticed Derick coming from upstairs.

"Hey Derick! What are you doing up so late?"

"What? It's nine a.m." Daniel and Catelin's eyes widened as they had come to realize their error.

"Ohhhhh, we fucked up, didn't we?" Catelin said, turning to Daniel.

"Holy shit, I thought it was two." Daniel whispered, lowering his head in shame.

"Well, I hope you've still got some energy because we've got work to do." Derick made his way to the front of the mansion and opened the door.

"Work? How? Leech is gone and there's no other super villains or anything like that. Everything is chill."

"The fact you think crime takes a vacation is both amusing and alarming. Now come on."

"Ugh!" Daniel begrudgingly complied. He slithered off the couch like a toddler before sleepily standing up.

"Oh, and Catelin. Get some rest and try to fix your sleep schedule." Derick advised.

"Yeah... I'll try. See ya, Daniel." Catelin sighed, waving goodbye. Daniel waved back before Derick pulled him out the front door. He continued to drag Daniel through the city until he managed to wrangle himself free to walk besides Derick. 

"Sooo... what's the job?" Daniel questioned.

"Rumors are that an infamous criminal is gearing up to escape prison. We're gonna go check out a potential partner of his to see if it's true."

"Ooooo! Infamous criminal, partners in crime, I smell a raid! Who's the big bad in question, hm?"

"The head of the Syndicate, one Alexander Woodstein." 

"Oh... well that just sounds... boring. I was expecting something like, tombstone! Venom! Lockjaw! You know, something more intimidating?"

"Sorry to ruin your expectations, but life isn't just a Marvel comic. And I'd advise you to take him seriously. He's killed a countless number of people, operating a fearsome criminal empire! He always slips away right before you can catch him! He's been called the plague, the devil's doctor, he is not one to underestimate! Got it!?" 

"Alright, alright, I get it! He's a real threat!"

"Good. Now get in." Derick stopped abruptly and stomped on a manhole cover. The large metal lid flipped into the air and crashed into the sidewalk. 

"Uhh.. what?"

"Come on, get in." Derick gestured towards the ladder leading down into the sewers.

"I still don't see exactly what you're-" 

"Get in the damn sewers Daniel!" Derick scolded. Without saying a word, Daniel quickly ran over and began his descent down into the bowels of the city. He slid down the rungs of the ladder and landed upon a wooden dock. The force of the impact rocked the gentle currents below, and waves of sewage splashed up onto the man-made shore. 

"Blech! This place is disgusting!" Derick soon rejoined Daniel down below.

"You haven't seen nothing yet. Daniel, welcome to the underground!" Daniel pinched his nose shut from the fowl smell. "Walk with me." Derick once again led Daniel into the unknown. "I apologize for being so... tough on you. When I got the call for this mission, I wasn't exactly thrilled."

"I can see why." Daniel gagged.

"This is nothing compared to what I experienced in the trenches. No, the real filth isn't the garbage, nor the sewage, it's the people."

"People?"

"Oh yeah! Daniel, this place is a whole district; made up from the interlacing network of pipes and tunnels we flush all our unwanted trash down. It's got its own laws and cultures, all pretty shady and shitty."

"Well, if it's so bad why don't we take care of it?"

"Because this place is the last remaining remnants of the chaos army, legally we can't do anything. Only under special circumstances do we have jurisdiction down here, but that doesn't mean we get treated any nicer by the locals." As if on que, a country bumpkin looking man poked his head out from what Daniel thought to be a condemned building. 

"Hey lowrider! What jungle did you have to go to get that there monkey!" He laughed. Immediately, Daniel's body tensed up. He glanced over at Derick, who had the look of death in his eyes. 

"Just ignore him and keep walking." He whispered. 

"Right..." 

"Oh come on now! Where you goin boy! Don't you ignore me!" The man continued to shout obscenities as Daniel and Derick left the scene. 

"I didn't want to get you involved with this filth. I knew this place was going to be a problem, judging based off of both of our races." Daniel looked down at his more tan skin, moving it around with his thumb before looking back up at Derick. "I wanted to see if someone else would take the job, but alas no one was available. Vincent was still trying to recover from his recent episode, Jax was still checking on the tomb, and G-1 was busy at the prison. I would've asked Alyson but sometimes these people can get a little overly aggressive and... handsy." This realization hit Daniel like a ton of bricks. Ever since he came to this world, he had only ever seen or thought of it as a welcoming place. A place with a strong sense of community and diversity, where anyone of any origin could come in and be accepted. Sure there were some bad apples, but to him that didn't spoil the bunch. But now he knew where the bad batch was hiding, spreading the mushed rot like wildfire. 

"I'm... sorry..." That's all Daniel could think to say. Being of Hispanic descent, he did have his occasional brushes with racism back home, but he couldn't recall back to a time where it was like this. A whole community of scoundrels who do nothing but perpetuate needless and unjust hate. 

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault. And it's not like you could've done anything to change this world or its outcomes. You can't change your race or mine, and you certainly couldn't have altered a war-bound history you weren't present for." Derick gave Daniel a half-hearted smile, trying to mask the obvious pain he was in. "Doesn't matter anyway, it shouldn't be as bad in here." Derick pointed up at the sign of their destination. A big flashy sign with tons of flickering lights. All together, they sleazily spelled out 'Clipjoint Casino'.