Vastoria: The Sky Tower

Chapter Two

Earth was the jewel of the universe. There were no other planets like it. Our atmosphere was once rich in oxygen and the flora was once abundant. We knew that things were declining, but we didn't do much about it until it was too late. We still aren't doing anything about it.

It's not that we want our planet to die...it's that we have no cure. So, the population of our world has turned a blind eye. Ignorance is bliss.

My fingertip slid down on the smooth surface of the tablet. News broadcasts flashed across the screen, the stories ranging between CoreTech's latest developments and the activists that rebelled against the New World.

The last time I touched a piece of paper I had been six years old. It became a diminishing resource as the years progressed. The development of the Net was explosive. It created a chain reaction that not only caused the downfall of the worlds resources, but also the downfall of society as we once knew it.

That was nineteen years ago. Now we used technology.

It was everywhere. It was in our heads, in our hands, and some of us even lived inside of it. The Net wasn't just a thing, it was a place. People left this world for that one. It was coming to that point where more and more of us were going in and not coming back. Soon enough the world would be full of sleeping humans...but I wouldn't be one of them.

"More?" A voice roused me from my thoughts.

"Yes," I replied.

The young woman filled my mug full of coffee. It wasn't good coffee. I'd had good coffee, before, from the capital. It had been rich with flavor, dark, and the cream had been fresh. This tasted like water. I'm sure that it was water, with just a few tablespoons of coffee and a couple caffeine capsules.

"Anything new?" she asked, standing a little on her toes to look down at the tablet in my hands.

"Same old shit as the day before. Nothing changes, unless you live upstairs."

"Hah, good point."

She was probably a few years younger than me. Her dark hair was cut level to her chin. A pen was tucked behind her ear. Just as skinny as everyone else.

This was one of only two diners left in the city. No one wanted to work, and those that did, only did it because they couldn't afford the luxury of the capital. We were the poor and the helpless. We would be the first to die once everything is used up.

I took a sip of my coffee and stared down at the article of news that was blazing across the screen.

CoreTech offers deepest apologizes to users experiencing difficulties with the 18.0.2 firmware update. Offers of discounted upgrades are being made, up to 90%, to compensate for the damages inflicted. Although there have been three deaths so far, the lesser recorded damages fall under the category of minimal. These include loss of sight, slurred speech, and minor paralysis.

My eyes lifted, and I looked through the window beside me. Rain pelted the glass and filled the potholes on the street. There were a handful of buildings across the road forming a strip mall, but most were empty. Only three of the shops were still open.

Mac's store had groceries, and convenience goods. He was a good guy, didn't take crap from the thugs that were always growing in numbers.

Finnegan's Brewery was the only bar on this side of the city. Granted, it wasn't a very big city, but it used to have four. Now his bar thrived at night. It had good prices, and it was where I found a good number of clients.

And then there was The Armory. That was where George went, my friend, five years ago. He went in and never came out. In the back of my mind I knew he was never coming back, but I waited. That's what I was good at.

My mother used to say, "Alise, you're a good girl. You're patient, and patience makes you strong. But, being quiet for too long will get you nowhere."

She was smart, my mother, but her intelligence couldn't save her from dying when Tyren was born. It wasn't just her. Most of the women her age were getting sick, and their pregnancies were difficult. It was something in the air and water, said my father, and he was probably right.

I sighed when I realized I had no home, but that didn't bother me. My home wasn't where I spent most of my time anyway. I was only there yesterday to pick up a few things; clothing, my tablet, a bottle of pills.

I'd gotten the call from Eddie that a big fish was looking for a good time. It wasn't often that soldiers visited the city, but when they did it meant that they were looking for something different. We weren't like the girls in the sky.

Normally I would take a room at Eddie's parlor, on the east side of town, but it was full. I didn't want to lose this big payday, so I took Mr. Big Fish home. Tyren was asleep in the basement. He slept a lot these days. Ben, my father, worked at the central factory all week. He wouldn't be back until the next morning...I thought.

When he saw me with the soldier, in my room, I knew it was over. He wouldn't be able to pretend that he didn't know. I don't think I'd ever seen him so deflated, so hallow, since my mother's death.

I got the money, of course. I'd managed to give that soldier his money's worth long before Ben came home. It wasn't unusual for a girl like me to let these clients of mine linger. As if he'd been in this situation before, he'd excused himself quiet easily from the house before I was thrown out into the street.

I swallowed the dregs of my coffee-water and slid the mug away.

Even if he disowned me, I had too much love for what was left of my family. I'd keep on sending what money I could, and he'd take it, just like he'd been taking it for the last seven years. Only now, he didn't have to avoid me as I came and went. Now he could ignore me outright.