Gateway Worlds

New Beginningss -3

See what I did with the title to cover up my mistake in my last published section ;) You know you thought it was funny.

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The man in the shadows chuckled lightly, "Hmm, I think I'll call you Little Mouse. You've got the squeak, and the ability to hide in plain sight."

Maria spun in the darkened room attempting to make out anything that might be a man. Slivers of light pushed through broken seals around several other doors along the outer wall. The light was enough for her to adjust her vision. Finally, she found him hunkered in the back part of the room. "Who are you?"

"Name's Ribbons here, but more to the point, who you are, I don't know your face."

She hesitated a moment before replying, "I'm new."

"Ahh, right, I heard the gateway open, but I was a tad busy at the time. Welcome then, it appears you've wasted no time in making yourself at home?"

Maria laughed darkly, "They made me an offer I couldn't help but refuse."

"Yeah, I'd refuse anything that came from Smirnoff out of hand." The man slipped forward. Like Maria, he wore dark clothes that hid him perfectly within the confines of the darkened building.

"Why isn't there any light here?" She looked around again. From the outside there had appeared to be windows, yet inside was pitch black.

"We ran out of electricity in these parts long before I came here. Apparently, when they pulled back behind the wall they left the connections open, but infighting between the bosses soon severed the lines and no one has the inclination to repair them."

"So there is electricity here?"

"On this world, of course, the Utopians banished every sort of person here. We've got almost all trades and possibilities, problem is that most of those with skills live on the inside of the Wall."

"The wall?" She'd heard the term several times, and though she assumed it meant a literal wall, it sounded more like a social dividing line.

"Those on the other side of the Wall live in communities similar to those we used to have on earth. The rest of us are left on this side to manage."

"Why? What's the purpose of the division?"

"Those who want to live mostly normal lives and those who want power." He seemed rather forthright, so Maria settled herself to glean as much from her new informant as possible. "Not that those on the other side of the wall lack for ambition, but they have created a somewhat structured and normal society. On this side of the wall, we tend to live after the manner of faction mentality. If you're part of the group then you're taken care of, for the most part, but if not then you're on your own." She could see him turn to consider her, "Which brings us back to you. I assume you turned those two down in their offer to join Darius' little group?"

Maria nodded, "I have no desire to link myself with any one group, especially before I understand the implications."

He shrugged in the darkness, "Darius isn't that bad of a boss. Put in a full day and you'll have what you need to survive. He's not particularly forgiving either, but that's another matter entirely."

"Who are the rest of the bosses?"

Maria could just make out his grin in the darkness. His teeth appeared white, reminding her again of how little care Smirnoff seemed to give his gums. "Forgive me Little Mouse, but I don't have a lot of spare time tonight. Perhaps we'll meet again another day."

"Where are you going?"

"I've got business to attend. Good luck to you. I would suggest that you stay hidden until daylight. There are bosses and then there are Bosses, and I think you'd prefer those who don't skulk in the darkness."

"Is there a way to avoid them altogether? Can't I run solo?"

The man was already moving away from her, deeper into the building, "I suppose it's a possibility. There are quite a few female bosses if that's what you're afraid of."

"No, I simply want to maintain my freedom."

Ribbons nodded, barely discernible now that he was looking away from her, "I can understand that, but know this: choose your friends wisely. On this side of the wall, loyalty is generally bought with a price and for some, the price is higher than for others."

He disappeared around a corner a moment laterand Maria found herself alone once more. For the next hour, until she fell intoa not-so-fitful slumber, she considered the strange man's words. She'd seen themafia movies. There was nothing to censor those kinds of things, but they hadalways been presented as the sad degradation of society rather than an actuallifestyle. To think she was in the middle of it now made her nervous on manylevels.