Dusk
Elite
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2005
- Posts
- 2,715
- Location
- In the Auction House, selling my shit.
- Avatar Name
- Trinity Dusk Trinity
Parts 7 & 8 to this story can be found here.
We'd recorded the location of the Fort Ithaca teleporter on our data pads before going to search for my brother. Callum advised us that it may be best to look for a group of Ubers in the area, given that it was his contact with such people that led to Vin leaving Sandra with the shop at Port Atlantis.
"How do we search for Ubers?", I enquired.
"I've got a basic scanner", came the reply from Callum.
The two of us went into a nearby Service Centre to see who was about while Michelle and Liam waited outside. Inside we were greeted with the sight of many terminals, various items of manufacturing equipment and a pair of auctioneers who were struggling to keep up with the demands of the people around them.
While Callum started scanning people I took a little more notice of our surroundings. The service centre had brown border wallpaper with a gold pattern. It looked hideous. Like something out of the 1970s. I'm sure I had a meal in an Indian restaurant that was decorated like this once. Not that it was a bad meal, to be fair. So while Callum reported that no-one here could pass for an Uber, I was just starting to dream of Mango Chutney, Samosas and Chicken Tikka Chaat.
"Hmm...", I drooled. "I fancy an Indian."
"I dunno about an Indian", answered Callum. "But I might know where we can get a beer." Seeing my puzzled expression he continued, "C'mon, we should search the nearby bar."
We met the others outside and walked the short distance to Bar Ithaca. We entered through a doorway to be met with a wall of laughter and noise. The packed bar, hot, dimly lit and with a large plasma screen on the far wall next to the counter, had a strange smell about it."
"Ah! The un-mistakable aroma of cannabis!", enthused Liam in a theatrical-sounding voice.
I looked further. "My god, half the people here are stoned!", I remarked just as a skinny, bearded man breathed, "'ello shh-exy" at me.
"That man stinks of booze!", I gasped.
Callum just laughed. "So do you fancy a beer, whiskey or a spliff?", he asked.
I don't do drugs in any shape or form. I've seen the habit get the better of too many people before now so it's not a vice that I need. Alcohol, on the other hand, is another matter.
"I'll have a beer", I said. But instead of going to the android barman, Callum went to the man stood next to it. Bottles of beer were produced, opened and passed around. Despite the noise I could hear the android barman reprimanding this other barman.“ You must not consume your own beverages in this bar sir", was repeatedly said and repeatedly ignored by everyone.
"Where did the booze come from?", I asked the man behind the bar. He explained that officials of Genesis Star Corporation get regular large shipments, but occasionally these shipments "go missing".
"And the cannabis? Is that in these shipments?", I responded.
"No, no, no", the man laughed. "A few of the lads grow that at a secret location near here."
"So can I get a decent balti around here?", I asked.
"Indian food? I get asked that one all the time", he replied. "Sadly not. Quite frustrating really, but there are rumours of a pizzeria opening soon nearby."
I started to drink my beer. It was the first alcoholic drink I'd had in months and it tasted good. More so because it was ice cold. When it's hot there's often nothing better than an ice cold beer being poured down your throat. At this point I noticed that many people were watching the plasma screen. It looked like a "reality TV" type programme, but starring Feffoids. This needed explaining so I asked the barman.
"Oh, it's 'Feff-Camp Classic' on EBN", he informed me. "This one is hysterical!"
He continued, "The Feffs had been watching and enjoying an international hunting competition on a batch of stolen plasma screens - another shipment that went missing."
"Anyway, they were settling down to watch the semi-finals when the organisers announced the hunt list. The feffoids were on that list!", tittered the barman.
"What happened?", I asked.
"What happened?", the barman replied. "They went ape-shit mad! They even invaded Fort Fury in protest, tried to smash the place up. It was the stuff of legends."
I could see the irony. And I could see why the Feffoids were upset at going from being fans of a competition to the subjects of it's hunt. It still seemed a little strange having these mutants watching TV like everyone else though.
A few beers later and the atmosphere had changed slightly. Feff-Camp Classic had ended and now the jukebox had taken over. "Rock The Casbah" blasted out as Callum tried to get my attention.
"I've found a group of Ubers over in the far corner", he yelled, struggling to make himself heard over the noise.
"Okay, I'll come and take a look", I screamed back.
I walked over towards the group of Ubers with Callum. We'd lost Liam somewhere in the bar and Michelle was practicing her pole dancing. Strange music to do that to but she was having fun so why not?
As we approached the group the smoke-clouded atmosphere was getting more intense. The place had an industrial feel to its decor but obviously air conditioning hadn't made it out here yet. I looked at the group of six or seven people in turn but did not recognise any of them. I shook my head at Callum to indicate this. I then turned to head back to the bar only to see a familiar face...
"Vin!!!", I shreaked.
His jaw dropped. "T? What are you doing here?", he puzzled through the noise of the bar.
I answered but he seemed to have trouble hearing me. After I'd tried again to make myself heard, he pointed to the nearby stairs. He led me up the stairs onto an outside balcony where we'd be able to hear each other.
"You son of a bitch!", I cursed at my brother, while thumping him in the chest.
"What?", he puzzled.
"You promised me you'd keep in touch. YOU PROMISED!"
"I sent messages to you. Do you know that I had a huge mining find out here?", he asked.
"Oh yeah", I answered. "You, and Sandra."
"Oh...", he muttered, now not so able to make eye contact with me.
"I met her by chance in PA", I replied. "She wanted to cut me to pieces at first. She thought I was one of your 'whores'."
While I was relieved to have found Vin, I was furious that he'd not kept in touch.
"Seriously, sis. I did send messages to you", he claimed. "I sent three. One when I arrived, another a month later then one after the mining find."
I walked up to him and hugged him.
"I'm so happy to see you", I told him through tears that had started to well up inside me. "You went, then just after that Johnny left without saying anything. I had no-one."
"I'm sorry, T", he told me, "...but I always said Johnny was no good for you."
Then came a bombshell.
"He's here", Vin told me. "Johnny is on Calypso."
We'd recorded the location of the Fort Ithaca teleporter on our data pads before going to search for my brother. Callum advised us that it may be best to look for a group of Ubers in the area, given that it was his contact with such people that led to Vin leaving Sandra with the shop at Port Atlantis.
"How do we search for Ubers?", I enquired.
"I've got a basic scanner", came the reply from Callum.
The two of us went into a nearby Service Centre to see who was about while Michelle and Liam waited outside. Inside we were greeted with the sight of many terminals, various items of manufacturing equipment and a pair of auctioneers who were struggling to keep up with the demands of the people around them.
While Callum started scanning people I took a little more notice of our surroundings. The service centre had brown border wallpaper with a gold pattern. It looked hideous. Like something out of the 1970s. I'm sure I had a meal in an Indian restaurant that was decorated like this once. Not that it was a bad meal, to be fair. So while Callum reported that no-one here could pass for an Uber, I was just starting to dream of Mango Chutney, Samosas and Chicken Tikka Chaat.
"Hmm...", I drooled. "I fancy an Indian."
"I dunno about an Indian", answered Callum. "But I might know where we can get a beer." Seeing my puzzled expression he continued, "C'mon, we should search the nearby bar."
We met the others outside and walked the short distance to Bar Ithaca. We entered through a doorway to be met with a wall of laughter and noise. The packed bar, hot, dimly lit and with a large plasma screen on the far wall next to the counter, had a strange smell about it."
"Ah! The un-mistakable aroma of cannabis!", enthused Liam in a theatrical-sounding voice.
I looked further. "My god, half the people here are stoned!", I remarked just as a skinny, bearded man breathed, "'ello shh-exy" at me.
"That man stinks of booze!", I gasped.
Callum just laughed. "So do you fancy a beer, whiskey or a spliff?", he asked.
I don't do drugs in any shape or form. I've seen the habit get the better of too many people before now so it's not a vice that I need. Alcohol, on the other hand, is another matter.
"I'll have a beer", I said. But instead of going to the android barman, Callum went to the man stood next to it. Bottles of beer were produced, opened and passed around. Despite the noise I could hear the android barman reprimanding this other barman.“ You must not consume your own beverages in this bar sir", was repeatedly said and repeatedly ignored by everyone.
"Where did the booze come from?", I asked the man behind the bar. He explained that officials of Genesis Star Corporation get regular large shipments, but occasionally these shipments "go missing".
"And the cannabis? Is that in these shipments?", I responded.
"No, no, no", the man laughed. "A few of the lads grow that at a secret location near here."
"So can I get a decent balti around here?", I asked.
"Indian food? I get asked that one all the time", he replied. "Sadly not. Quite frustrating really, but there are rumours of a pizzeria opening soon nearby."
I started to drink my beer. It was the first alcoholic drink I'd had in months and it tasted good. More so because it was ice cold. When it's hot there's often nothing better than an ice cold beer being poured down your throat. At this point I noticed that many people were watching the plasma screen. It looked like a "reality TV" type programme, but starring Feffoids. This needed explaining so I asked the barman.
"Oh, it's 'Feff-Camp Classic' on EBN", he informed me. "This one is hysterical!"
He continued, "The Feffs had been watching and enjoying an international hunting competition on a batch of stolen plasma screens - another shipment that went missing."
"Anyway, they were settling down to watch the semi-finals when the organisers announced the hunt list. The feffoids were on that list!", tittered the barman.
"What happened?", I asked.
"What happened?", the barman replied. "They went ape-shit mad! They even invaded Fort Fury in protest, tried to smash the place up. It was the stuff of legends."
I could see the irony. And I could see why the Feffoids were upset at going from being fans of a competition to the subjects of it's hunt. It still seemed a little strange having these mutants watching TV like everyone else though.
A few beers later and the atmosphere had changed slightly. Feff-Camp Classic had ended and now the jukebox had taken over. "Rock The Casbah" blasted out as Callum tried to get my attention.
"I've found a group of Ubers over in the far corner", he yelled, struggling to make himself heard over the noise.
"Okay, I'll come and take a look", I screamed back.
I walked over towards the group of Ubers with Callum. We'd lost Liam somewhere in the bar and Michelle was practicing her pole dancing. Strange music to do that to but she was having fun so why not?
As we approached the group the smoke-clouded atmosphere was getting more intense. The place had an industrial feel to its decor but obviously air conditioning hadn't made it out here yet. I looked at the group of six or seven people in turn but did not recognise any of them. I shook my head at Callum to indicate this. I then turned to head back to the bar only to see a familiar face...
"Vin!!!", I shreaked.
His jaw dropped. "T? What are you doing here?", he puzzled through the noise of the bar.
I answered but he seemed to have trouble hearing me. After I'd tried again to make myself heard, he pointed to the nearby stairs. He led me up the stairs onto an outside balcony where we'd be able to hear each other.
"You son of a bitch!", I cursed at my brother, while thumping him in the chest.
"What?", he puzzled.
"You promised me you'd keep in touch. YOU PROMISED!"
"I sent messages to you. Do you know that I had a huge mining find out here?", he asked.
"Oh yeah", I answered. "You, and Sandra."
"Oh...", he muttered, now not so able to make eye contact with me.
"I met her by chance in PA", I replied. "She wanted to cut me to pieces at first. She thought I was one of your 'whores'."
While I was relieved to have found Vin, I was furious that he'd not kept in touch.
"Seriously, sis. I did send messages to you", he claimed. "I sent three. One when I arrived, another a month later then one after the mining find."
I walked up to him and hugged him.
"I'm so happy to see you", I told him through tears that had started to well up inside me. "You went, then just after that Johnny left without saying anything. I had no-one."
"I'm sorry, T", he told me, "...but I always said Johnny was no good for you."
Then came a bombshell.
"He's here", Vin told me. "Johnny is on Calypso."
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