M0X13

TH3 N30N D15TR1C7 - 2042/11/1 - 19:00

                                                    Velma Evangeline Turner

     Burning rain fell from the sky, pelting against my umbrella like flimsy daggers. The bitter scent of smoke filled my lungs, rising from the nearby noodle shop. They were burning. Again. There was a fire every week, a downpour every night, and some form of crime every day. The flickering neon signs lit up the dull streets with a colorful glow, their cyan and magenta hues reflecting off of the wide puddles and buckled roads.

     I kicked up water as I walked towards the subway, little squeaks of mice scurrying for warmth and shelter sounded below me. I am just another nobody in this nowhere city. Where the hell is Coltan?

     A blonde boy of a tall stature stumbled out of the 'burning' noodle shop. Unharmed. Must've just been their shit oven again. He was clutching a wrinkled plastic cup, waving at me. There he is.

     "Why were you in there?" I inquired sharply, my fingers tracing the base of my umbrella. Coltan took a sip of whatever was in the cup and exhaled.

     "I had to get some noodle water!" He sounded like a confused bat.

     "Noodle what?" I stifled a laugh. I shouldn't laugh at my friends. The state was in a perpetual economic depression, so I wouldn't be too surprised by the weird crap people buy nowadays.

     "Noodle water. It's cheaper than Oxy Water. Although it tastes like a sewer smells, it's still hydration." Oxy Water. It was the only legal bottled water sold in the Neon District. Created by one of the corporations. It's extremely expensive and is enhanced with numerous minerals. I shrugged at him.

     "Okay... let's go. They're waiting for us. It's curfew... The Watch can't catch us." I muttered, beginning to cross the vacant street, passing a busted pipeline on the sidewalk. It had been broken for weeks, but no authority seemed to care. Coltan followed close behind me, one of his hands stuffed inside his sweatshirt pocket, the other still holding the cup. My long coat wavered behind me as I walked. We'd be there soon. Wynter will be fine.

      I quickly typed in the door code on the keypad. The door of my apartment -- Wynter's apartment, slid open with a gentle hiss. I shuffled inside, Coltan followed suit, closing the door behind him. The apartment was a small, solid gray concrete room. Not a window in sight. Thin LED lights laced the ceiling, a gray shelf wrapping around nearly the entire room. Embedded in one of the countertops was a futon, where Wynter was laying. Her olive skin seemed to glow under the lights, her eyes closed in a hopefully comfortable slumber. Her raven hair was sprawled out around her head. I looked at her left leg, or at least, where her left leg should be. We had been caught by some gang the other day, and they severed her leg. We had managed to dress the wound as best as we could... but in order to be seen as a human, she would need enhancements. Our best shot was Amery International, but everyone knows how fishy that place was. Amery was a massive corporation specializing in genetic and prosthetic augmentations. Their motto, 'Embrace the Future' always gave me chills. The main headquarters was on the more expensive side of the city, next to the authority building and the Executive Apartments, where Coltan's father lived.

     I sat on the hard shelf-like surface next to Wynter's bed. She groaned, seeming to have awakened, slightly. Coltan looked at the girl expectantly, as if he needed to say something to her. He looked anxious, more so than he did when we were outside. He crushed the cup in his fist, like a stress ball. I wonder what's wrong.

     "Is it day-" Wynter began weakly, before the pain from her injury hit her, and she sucked in a sharp inhale, her brown eyes tearing up a bit.

     "No. Relax, it's okay, Coltan got fresh gauze. Right, Coltan?" I smiled at him, with a slight edge in my voice. He tended to forget or avoid things. He bit his lip, laughing nervously.

     "Yeah... about that...." I was just about ready to throw the stupid potted succulent next to me at him. Maybe that would knock some brain cells into place.

     "What the hell do you mean, 'about that'?" I gritted my teeth, standing up. Wynter mumbled a bit.

     "It's fine, guys, I'm fine. I don't need a l-" I slammed my hand over her mouth. I could hear heavy footsteps in the hallway. It was The Watch. The way curfew worked was that if any minor is outside of their own apartment past 18:30, they would be escorted to a 'sleep station', which is basically a glorified jail cell, where the child will wait for their parents or guardians in silence. If they heard more than one person in a studio apartment, they can and will break in, and take me and Coltan out. Worst of all, if they see Wynter's leg, she will be dragged to either be removed or to receive a painful enhancement. This is why we're taking her to Amery tomorrow. It's better than The Watch's services. The Watch's leader was a cold-hearted woman, a hostile glare always seemed to stick to her eyes.

     Eventually the murmuring and footsteps passed, and I let out a sigh of relief, removing my hand from Wynter's face. She gasped, glaring at me. Coltan had stayed dead silent ever since I snapped at him.