The virgin & the bad boy (Gravity)

B2/Chapter 8/John, dear John.

First Foot Print City.  Six months previously

Six months ago someone had discovered our team meet up.

"Who said you could have a meeting?" the voice said. 

People moved aside and I recognized John. He was walking.

"She did," said Catz pointing to me.

"John !" I said moving up.

"Scar?" said John "you're... your.. alive?"

"When is the world going to learn there is nothing which can stop me." I said "You, however. Like John, you can walk yakwim!!"

"It's been two years," John said.

Yeah, two years of spinal gene therapy will do that do you.

"Split!!!!," shouted Reduction. This was the sign we used to spot the police. We rushed to the nearest walls and rushed up them like water running backwards over a waterfall. There was about fifteen of us.

"The Tower" shouted John.

We flowed like a pack of sky wolves over the rooftops. It was beautiful being back. Running free leaping from roof to roof over the narrow martian streets. I was so strong I could make amazing leaps. We hooped and hollered from ledge to ledge. I ran point and we all made or individual ways towards a support tower we called 'The Tower'. There was a huge smile plastered on my face. I looked around John was running with us but he was taking longer safer routes. There was a grim determination on his face. We ended up reaching the tower and climbing up it's carbon fiber lattice. Near the edge of the dome we strung out on the cleaning walkway and sat down to catch our breaths. We always stopped here in the old days - the view was fabulous, the entire city was below you. It was about a ten-story drop to the top of the buildings. It looked terrifying but you could walk away if you fell and absorbed the impact with a roll.

"What were we running from?" asked Reduction.

"Nothing," said FoxbaseFive "I got tired of standing around."

We all laughed.

"So you've been feeding on blondes," I said to John referring to his nurse-based fling. The ocean of panic and pain had faded into the past quickly in this nostalgia ruled the run.

"We split up over a year ago," said John. His words hit worse than fists in a fight. 

"I'm sorry," I said. 

John Strugged he was older and wiser "Live and learn, princess, live, and learn. how is your Earthman?" 

I looked at him "Dante is dead. His ship exploded" I had said I pulled a face. For a moment I wondered about throwing myself off and see if in falling I could join him.

"I'm sorry bud," said John.

"Don't be. He was killed by the fuckers who have their hands round our planet." I said everyone looked at me "I will not cease in my mental fight, no sword will sleep in my hand until Mars is a green and pleasant land" I said.

"Right on," said Foxbasefive.

"Fuck the robot scum," said the others in agreement.

I found myself surrounded by a halo of applause. That will make you do weird stuff.

I looked out at the city. "We need numbers. We can't use the adults they are all tracked. So I'll tell you what.  We need all the free-running crews of Mars. The Top overs, the Kickbackers, we are going to get every free-running crew and we are going to come together to fight!"

The Top overs and the Kickbackers were rival crews in FirstFootPrint. We hated each other but together we pretty much ruled the city's skyline.

"I have a couple of handles." said John " I got some thumbs on tumblr when I announced the you know..." he meant wedding. He had broadcast that on every channel and even rival gangs would be positive if you got killed or dropped. Or in this case, engaged to the girl behind the shadow.

"OK, That's your job," I said looking out at the big towers near the center of the city's dome. " My job is to tell the world the Shadow is back. I'm going to tag Musk tower."

There was general combined shock and pleasure at this. Musk tower was a huge building but it was generally thought impossible by every crew to reach. There was too much space around it to leap. We had all spent many hours eating pizza in Tony's Pizza shop discussing it. I had tried a couple of times - it was out of reach. If I did it soon while I was still fitter and faster from Earth's hard pull,  I might make it.

"The center of town is hot it's where the robots are dense," said Topside.

"That's just going to make it all the sweeter when I hit it," I said.. smirking.