The Revolution

Chapter 5

Note: Updated Grammar 071424

"Man this dose is hitting hard. Let's go for a walk, J." David Hancock said suddenly. Jackie had no real objections and the psychedelic fungi he had just smoked had him feeling real social. They both grabbed their bags and left David's fifth floor suite.
"This is really a nice apartment for a drink slinger."
"It pays to cater to certain 'deviences' around various Friends of Gaia Fogs." It was the first time David had hinted at making any money outside of the pub he worked in publicly.
Jackie, being the ever cautious person that he was knew what he was talking about, but didn't want to say out loud. There always seemed to be a camera around when he least expected it. Not to mention the listening and recording devices he could not see. The state of Grandville and the FOGs were watching everything.
The outside air was thick with storm sign. Stacy Fairgold had been running nonstop segments about being "Storm Aware" and supplies to have if a big storm happens.
David broke the silence first, "You asked about my bankroll, so tell me about your job. What does a financial analyst do?"
Jackie thought for a moment. How much does he need to know? For that matter how to explain it without boring his friend.
"Everything around you is part of a system. If you look at it one way, the flow of money is all around you. You pay for a sandwich, you leave a trail. And that trail connects you to that store. Then that store exchanges capitol for goods and services from another chain. That trail starts to look like a web. I get paid to determine the reason mass amounts of money move from one place to another."
Jackie suddenly became serious, "there are some odd things happening in the flow of money. Especially in the stock market. It's odd that The Collapse happened 2 months ago and the stock market moves on like it never happened. If I was a paranoid man, I'd wonder if there was some conspiracy to keep the stock market propped up, but that's just speculation."
"And you never know who's listening." David said, his voice hushed as if sharing a secret.
As if to prove his point a couple of Grandville City Police officers turned the closest corner to their north, their sand colored collared uniforms pressed and their black boots polished to a mirror sheen. As they passed, one of them stared at David with hard, suspicious eyes. The four men passed without incident.
Jackie pulled out a small flask of cheap wheat liquor and took a stiff shot from it. He offered it to David who waved it off. He had found his new focus.
David had walked over to a propaganda poster looking for army recruitment. It showed a twisted and evil looking man pulling strings around a cartoon rendition of Gaia. The caption said, "Don't let the Gaiacrats take your purity. Sign up today." This one still was slightly tacky from the paste adhesive used to affix a poster to a wall and still be somewhat weatherproof.
David seemed transfixed by the poster, lost in thought and somewhere else. His face was sullen and slightly angry. Suddenly he was back to his usual self.
"You know the recruiters put blades behind these posters so you can't pull them down?" David asked.
"I did not know that, but I believe you. Listen, is something bothering you? You sure stared at it for a while."
"Nah, just remembering my time in the Grandville regulars. It's not something I want to talk about."
Jackie was always impressed by David's sheer amount of life experience. Jackie had always thought that he had wasted his life a bit tied to the farm and then work.
"Must've sucked, huh?"
"It did." David said curtly.
They continued walking in the General direction of home. Every block had large cameras set up to have the fewest blind spots as physically possible. The presence of police and their weapons and vehicles was heavier than Jackie had ever seen before. It made his stomach do loops from anxiety.
"This storm is looking like a bad one, huh?" David asked.
"That's what Stacy said in her T Mail newsletter today."
"I don't remember so many storms being so destructive when I was a kid."
"Yeah. My brothers seem to always be complaining about the farm the few times a year I talk to them."
"You should get in touch more often. Family is important."
"I just don't have anything in common with them anymore. If I ever did."
From somewhere far off came the ascending klaxon of the Storm Alert System. One by one in a seemingly random order the others within earshot activated, causing a cacophony of high pitched noises that cut through Jackie and made him grit his teeth.
Jackie looked at David and yelled, barely audible over the sirens at this point, "Let's find some shelter."
"My bar is down the block. It'll be closer."
Jackie nodded, thankful for the shelter.