Neon District: ALPHA (The Neon District Trilogy, Book 1)

by Chad Campbell

  "It was bad, but Mom… She always had a knack for sniffing out danger. She definitely possessed a rare ability of sorts. Without her, we wouldn't have made it here," Nami spoke with sadness and nostalgia in her voice.

  "Our grandparents always told us Mom was special. That she was one of the few who possessed the Eye of Rune," Hitomi added.

  "Whoa, Eye of Rune? Sounds like some sort of video game ability," Caiden responded with a hint of childlike energy.

  "What did the village say this Eye of Rune ability was like?" Caiden asked, extremely intrigued.

  "I dunno really. It's kinda hard to explain. Mom would always have these intense visions of stuff happening. Like, shortly before it would happen. Like a sixth sense or precognition or whatever, but she would always do something to prevent whatever bad thing she envisioned from happening, somehow. It was like she could almost see into the future," Hitomi stated.

  "And she did stuff like that all the time?" Caiden asked.

  "Yeah, especially when it came to Dad. It's like she always knew when he would go on a rampage," Hitomi said.

  "Mom really was amazing," Nami added sadly.

  “But moving to a new place, especially one as massive as this one, wasn’t easy either. Mom struggled to find a good paying job to support us,” Hitomi continued, changing the subject.

  “Still, we managed to participate in the ACTS online junior apprenticeship program for computer systems. We were both working our way toward a full scholarship to be full time students,” Nami added.

  That explains their detailed knowledge of the brothel’s layout and security systems, Caiden thought to himself.

  “That’s when Dad showed up again,” Hitomi said.

  “Yup, somehow, he found us and begged us to give him a second chance, and that he wanted us to be a family again. Blah, blah, blah,” Nami said, rolling her eyes.

  “Things went well for a while. He even seemed to be changing for the better. But bad habits die hard. He relapsed, and got mixed up in a bad drug deal. Ended up robbing a dealer from Chimera, of all people, and he killed him for his supply! Can you believe that? All of this over some shitty drugs!” Hitomi fumed.

  “We came home and found him dead on our floor. Totally OD’d from Mania just hours after he stole it. A short time after that, Chimera sent their goons to our house. At the time, Slavo just got on as the go to guy for the sex trade. He demanded the money. But we didn’t have it. So, he demanded us instead. That’s when Mom… She tried to save us. But that asshole Slavo killed her in cold blood!” Nami said as both twins began to tear up. “They kidnapped us, and held us hostage at the brothel, putting us to work to 'repay our debt we owed'. We’ve been there ever since until you showed up,” she continued.

  "Whoa, heavy," An appalled Caiden uttered. He was truly heartbroken. The twins father was a curse to them up until the end, and even in the afterlife. He couldn’t believe what had he heard.

  "I can only imagine how tough it must've been. How did you guys even survive in there? I mean, was there no relief at all?" A concerned Caiden asked.

  "Coping was nearly impossible most of the time. But we managed, in bits and pieces,” Nami said. “The only people we could turn to were each other and eventually CWR, whenever we had access."

  "We did what we could," Hitomi interrupted. "They had high rolling clients come visit us. They would make us do things. Awful things, just to satisfy their dicks. We were nothing to them but living, breathing sex dolls. We both became numb, numb enough just so we wouldn't feel anything. Always holding on to that thread of hope that maybe one day, just one day we’d get outta there."

  "When we tried to escape those couple of times, we had no money, no regular clothes, and because we were essentially foreigners, we had no idea where to run to once we got out, which is why we were easily recaptured. The only reason we weren't beaten, tortured or killed was because we brought in millions to The LoveMaars every week, all while not seeing a single cred of it, might I add. The other girls hated us for it. The men would hear stories of us and would pay big Creds for us and Chimera capitalized on it. But we were tired of it all. We wanted to fight back somehow," Nami added.

  "So, we did just that. They were stupid enough to give us access to CWR. We had no weapons or any place to go, but we would take our time to find out how we would escape for good. We knew that we needed funds. So, we set up a password protected site. More specifically, it was a site where other sick fucks who couldn't afford our prices could still 'fuck us'," Hitomi said.

  "How?" Caiden asked intrigued.

  "Neuro-Voyeurism," Nami said.

  "Hmm, you guys were able to manipulate the neurological sensing functions from your NeuraVisor and make whatever physical sensation you felt essentially open source for others to experience?" Caiden asked, in disbelief.

  "Yup! In a nutshell. Man you really are brilliant," Hitomi said, impressed with Caiden's quick and accurate analysis.

  “Clearly, so are you guys," Caiden returned the compliment. “So, how did you pool money? Even though Slavo is an ass, he did do a decent job securing all outgoing communication channels from airwaves to digital."

  “We were piggybacking off another server via a VPN. It wasn't always reliable from a connectivity standpoint, but it was encrypted. Slavo had no idea we were bringing in money weekly, on the side." Hitomi added.

  “He did catch onto us, like, hours before we met you. But again, our value for their business is what prevented us from being killed. I guess being pretty is good for somethin', right?" Nami said.

  “I’m so sorry. I'm so sorry you guys had to endure all of that, I really am,” Caiden apologized.

  “It’s okay. Anyway, enough about us. What about you? What’s your backstory?” Nami asked.

  “Me? Well, I don’t really have one; one that I can remember anyway,” Caiden replied, brow furrowed, and eyes flitting from left to right. “Actually, the first memory I can recall was when I was fifteen. I don’t even know why I’m tellin’ you this,” Caiden said as he hesitated.

  “You don’t need to be embarrassed. Look at us, you found us half naked in a brothel! It’s okay. Tell us more; we want to know about you,” Nami said assuredly.

  “Well, I don’t remember anything earlier than when I was fifteen years old. I remember waking up in a traveling Caravan a few miles outside of the city, on the way to a boarding school. That school was where I met my best friend, Vantz. His mom is the only mom I’ve known. That’s as far back as I can go,” Caiden solemnly replied.

  “So, you have no memory of your mother or father at all?” Hitomi asked.

  “None,” He said.

  “Wow,” an empathetic Nami replied. “Well then, what led you to all of this then?” she asked while pointing to the entire lab space.

  “I dunno. Just had a knack for it,” Caiden cryptically replied, cautious about revealing too much about himself.

  “I was looking for a space to build on my work. Got lucky, found out they were going to demolish this building last year, so I put in an offer under a fake name and bought it for cheap. I really lucked out with this basement, really. A lot of what you see in here is refurbished and remodeled, save for my computer control center,” Caiden said.

  “How did you build all of this up so fast?” Nami asked.

  “I spent a lot of time here by myself. I kinda already knew what I wanted to do. So, I built some large automated control and construction arms, and created an algorithm based on how I wanted the place built up. I uploaded those commands into the control arms, and I and those few machines laid down everything, piece by piece,” he replied.

  “Are you, like, some mad genius or something?” Nami asked.

  “Eh, not really,” he humbly replied.

  “Well this is a hell of a way to do it, handsome,” Hitomi said. “What I really wanna know is, why in the world did you risk life and limb to save us? Not that I’m ungrateful or anything,”

  “I was just returning the fa
vor,” Caiden flatly replied.

  “Wait. That’s it? Just a returning a favor? What are we, just mere pawns in your game or somethin’?” Nami asked confusedly.

  “It’s not entirely like that. Yes, at first I was hellbent on getting back at Slavo for putting me in danger by taking away his biggest money draw in you two. But I saw how he treated you two. And the sadness in the riddle you posted. And I really felt it. Even more than I could admit at the time,” Caiden said. “If I saw that someone was in need of help and I did nothing, then I would be no better than that dickhead, Slavo. I really wanted to get you guys out because everyone deserves their freedom. "

  The twins simultaneously gave an evil eye, of sorts. But he couldn’t take it seriously. They really are cute, he thought to himself.

  “What did he do to you?” Nami skeptically asked.

  “He found me on CWR, asked me to do a job syphoning money from Prime-1 Bank’s digital assets,” Caiden replied.

  “Prime-1? How much did he want you to take?” Nami was stunned.

  “Seventy-five million Creds. He somehow got a hold of my identity and threatened to kill anyone I ever cared about. So, I figured I’d teach his dumb ass a lesson. I got the money, but I created a bot that would release it to millions of others across the city, so he couldn’t get his hands on it,” Caiden replied.

  “Seventy-five million Creds? And you gave it back to the people? Just like that? Did you even keep any for yourself?” Hitomi asked.

  “I kept the money I received from Slavo as payment for the job. That’s it,” Caiden replied.

  “How noble of you. Well, in any case, we really appreciate all that you’ve done for us. We really do. But we also don’t wanna be any more of a burden to you either,” Hitomi stated.

  “Well, what are you planning to do then?” Caiden asked.

  “Head back to Rune Village. We have nothing left here. We, at least, have a home back at Rune Village,” Nami replied.

  “I’ll help you get there,” Caiden said with conviction. “If I remember correctly, getting to Rune Village is an extremely dangerous six-hundred-mile journey of wasteland and desert. In order to safely do that, we would need a good amount of supplies, and most importantly, a hover sander.”

  “But don’t those cost a fortune?” Hitomi asked.

  “Yeah, and they’re really hard to come by, let alone steal. Zonos, Inc. has Psi-Corp guarding those vehicles twenty-four seven. But they are by far the best vehicles to use to travel that damn desert safely without the need of a protective caravan. But now that I think about it, escaping the city undetected would be pretty difficult, especially right now,” Caiden said.

  “How so?” Nami asked.

  “Chimera. We figuratively shook a hornet’s nest. They’re definitely gonna hit the streets and utilize their influence in any conceivable way to find you guys, and probably me too,” Caiden said. “If we’re gonna leave the city, we need to be smart about it. Truth be told, if we want to escape with our lives, this is gonna take a couple months.”

  The girls looked disheartened. Realizing the gravity of their situation, their eyes showed their discouragement. They knew there was no easy solution.

  “Your best bet is to stay here, hidden. Lay low for a while. No one knows this location exists. There’s plenty of food here, encrypted access to CWR, and comfort and safety, at the very least. You won’t have to look over your shoulder.” Caiden said.

  “I guess we don’t really have much of a choice. You really are a lifesaver, Caiden. We really can’t thank you enough,” Nami replied.

  “Well, then. It’s settled,” Caiden said as he yawned.

  “We can pick up this discussion tomorrow. But for now, I’m dead tired,” he finished while forcing himself to his feet.

  "Okay.” Just then, Hitomi realized something. “Hey, wait! We, um… Well our clothes are, well, practically nonexistent."

  Caiden, realizing they only had on robes over their revealing clothing, stopped and stared at them intently. Man, these two really are beautiful, he thought to himself, before snapping out of it.

  "Uh, right! T-shirts. I can give you guys T-shirts for tonight," he said, stumbling over his words in an attempt to recover from the awkward moment.

  "Thank you so much. Um, another thing?" Hitomi started to ask. She began twirling her fingers and looking down at the floor in adorable fashion. "Do you think we could like, I dunno, borrow your Cred codec to buy some clothes online maybe?" she asked with an irresistibly sweet tone.

  "Hito!" Nami whispered shyly, as she tapped her sister on her hip. Hitomi glanced back with what appeared to be a facial expression saying, "Well, someone had to do it."

  "This place is essentially off the grid, we shouldn't have any problems accessing our money from the site we pooled it from. But it might be a bit safer to use yours, just for now." Hitomi continued

  "Since Slavo found out about your NeuroVoyeurism venture, it would be wise to assume that he may be monitoring the activity on that account,” Caiden surmised. “You don't wanna run the risk of being discovered despite my location being heavily encrypted. You also don't want him to know what kind of moves you're making, either. Accessing your account may give him an inkling that your desperate to get out of town, which would in turn result in him intensifying his search effort for you two. That would make it much harder for us to move freely and get you guys back home. Chimera has spies everywhere. There’s always someone watching. Using my money completely mitigates any risks, therefore solving the problem. Am I right?" Caiden said.

  "Well, yeah, exactly. That’s exactly right," Hitomi replied, taken aback by Caiden's shrewdness.

  "Of course. That's not a problem, I guess,” he replied nervously as he sifted through his pocket for a blank Cred codec to load some of his money on. Pulling one from his pocket, he loaded three thousand creds onto the blank codec and handed it over to them. “Here. There's more than enough on there for you guys to get what you need. I only ask one thing. Have them delivered to twenty-seven Rochester Way, BlackLight, ND, City-State."

  "Wow! Thank you!" Nami said energetically. "Hey, aren't those buildings on Rochester Way, like, super-duper expensive apartment lofts? Why there?" She continued.

  "Man, for ‘two of the same locked in a cage’, you guys sure are well informed," he said, rather impressed. "Technically, no one is even supposed to know about this place, so for any online deliveries I usually have them redirected to that address.”

  "Fair enough. Thank you, again,” Hitomi replied.

  "Don't mention it," Caiden said as he yawned. The exhaustion was really starting to kick in.

  Caiden trekked up the stairs with the twins in tow. He opted for the couch, offering the twins his bed. After the long night, he was looking forward to getting a well-deserved rest. When they were sure he had fallen asleep, the girls covered him with a spare blanket they found in the bedroom. He looked peaceful. They both smiled at each other and gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek as they made their way to the bedroom. They slipped into the T-shirts Caiden had provided them with and crawled into bed. As both of their heads hit the pillows they held each other tightly, shedding tears of joy. It was the first time in what seemed like forever that they could enjoy the leisure of what would be their first bountiful slumber in a long time.

  CHAPTER 5

  ---usr/systems/server-x/KNIGHT-1---

  Deep in the dark, a name echoed off of the invisible walls. It started out softly; nothing more than a whisper. Then it gradually got louder, and louder, and louder.

  “Rez! Rez! Rez!”

  ***

  Caiden awoke abruptly to the delicious scent of a cooked breakfast. He was confused. He subconsciously mouthed the word ‘Rez’ before he came out from his mental morning fog.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead! How’re you feeling?” Nami cheerfully asked.

  “What time is it?” Caiden asked with rusty morning vocals.

  “It’s a quarter past twelve in t
he afternoon. Have somewhere to go?” Hitomi asked.

  “Um, no, not at all. It’s just, this is the first time I’ve ever slept this long,” He replied.

  “Well, you did single handedly take down those massive Hybrid guards.”

  “Yeah, and got zapped by a shock baton. Oh, and you also got shot too! It’s a miracle you’re intact at all! I’d say you deserve a nice long rest,” the twins replied in succession. He cracked a faint smile then fully sat up on the couch as the soles of his feet tentatively touched the cool marble floor.

  “Take it easy! You’re still beat up from last night!” Nami exclaimed. “Is your wound okay?”

  Caiden reached over to inspect the wound. As he peeled away the gauze, he saw that there nothing but a small scar, right where the flesh wound was. His eyes widened in astonishment as he used his previously damaged right hand to further inspect his injured left shoulder. In doing so, he realized he had completely regained full range of motion in his right arm with very little pain at all. The gunshot wound, which had been a deep flesh wound the night before, had almost closed completely.

  “How is this even possible?” he asked himself.

  “What? Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” The twins asked as they rushed to the couch. He pointed to the stitched wound. The twins were just as blown away and confused as Caiden.

  “What the hell? When I stitched that last night, that wound was deep! How in the world did it close up so quickly?” Hitomi asked.

  “Are you some sort of mutant?” Nami blurted out rather jokingly, but partially serious.

  “I don’t know. For as long as I can remember, it’s always been like this. After fights, falls, or accidents, I would be all cut and bruised up. But within a day or two I would always heal up,” Caiden answered. “Even went to the doctors for all types of tests. Everything came back normal.”