After a few more hours of preparation; showing the twins the schematics and features of Vantz’s car and going over the layout of the area in Southandro once more, it was a little after one a.m. Caiden loaded his gun and placed it in a shoulder holster under his jacket. As soon as everyone was ready, they got in the car and took off toward the Red Rabbit Strip Club in Southandro.
***
The trio eventually arrived in Southandro. The area looked and felt dangerous, but even still, its streets were buzzing with activity from the locals. Despite its reputation, there seemed to be encouraging signs of development and budding business opportunity. There was an eclectic mix of both dangerous and artsy looking residents to compliment the dicey bars and clubs. Some of the buildings nearby were either boarded up or abandoned. Others looked well-constructed, some luxurious even. Even stranger, there was very little Psi-Corp presence in the area. The stoplight at the intersection they pulled up to seemed to take longer than it should have done, but it allowed them to get a decent look around.
“I think I’m gonna get out here and make the rest of the way on foot,” he said.
“Okay. Please be careful,” Hitomi said, concerned.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful for sure. Keep the phone close and listen out for me,” Caiden said as he smiled assuredly and closed the door.
The twins pulled off and headed to the rendezvous point. Being an expensive car, it attracted a good deal of attention. People were gawking and marveling at such an exquisite model of vehicle. Man, I hope they’ll be okay. They better not scratch it or Vantz is gonna kill me, Caiden thought. He made his way toward the strip club via the route he drew up as planned. There was a sweet lingering scent of baked goods; presumably from a pastry shop somewhere close. As he crossed the street he came across just that, a small hole-in-the-wall pastry shop named ‘Southandro Sugar n’ Spice’. The scent alone was enticing enough to draw a diverse crowd.
As he got closer he noticed that it was packed with people waiting in line to get their hands on the weekly special, advertised on the outside of the shop. In the middle of the line, he noticed a stunning woman. She had almond shaped eyes that tilted downward toward the bridge of her nose; they were light hazel. She had long shimmering black hair that extended to the middle of her back, with well-trimmed bangs. She stood somewhere between five-foot-eight and five-foot-nine. She had a wheatish complexion. Caiden could see that she had a tattoo of an angel on the right side of her neck. He couldn’t help but stare. Her beauty was such, that he lost concentration.
He received a text from the twins. We’re here at the spot. Keep us posted. Be Safe, the message said. “Shit. The hell am I doing?” Caiden said as he snapped back to reality and continued to the Red Rabbit.
The small streets behind the main buildings were perfect for many things, none of them reputable. As he walked, he noticed a glowing light down an alley to his left, which turned out to be a fire lit in a barrel. It was surrounded by a few vagabonds and junkies attempting to keep themselves warm.
“Hey there, handsome. You looking to get something good tonight?” A seductive voice called out to him. He turned and saw a disheveled prostitute slithering her way to him in an attempt to seduce him.
“I’m all set,” he flatly replied.
“Whatever, motherfucker! I would’a been money well spent for you,” she replied angrily.
She was clearly high on something. Caiden ignored her. Turning the corner, he saw the glowing red sign for the Red Rabbit Strip Club. There was a long line outside; most of the clientele was male, of course. Many of them were in business suits, most likely looking to blow off steam after work by getting high and chomping at the bit to score some solicited sex with a willing dancer.
Just as I figured; it’s too obvious for me to go through the front. I’m gonna have to find my way through the back entrance, he thought to himself.
He made his way further down the street, past the series of buildings attached to the strip club and circled around the back. A black limo with dark tinted windows sat atop a small back street away from the main strip. Behind the limo stood two large guards, with dark shades and security earpieces. Behind them was a strange man with greyish black hair and a lean slender face who slowly emerged from the shadows of the alleyway. He had on a white lab coat and some compu-glasses.
Caiden was quick to notice a small amount of blood that was splattered on the left pocket of the coat, but decided to keep moving and mind his own business. As the strange man slowly walked to the car, he examined Caiden, who was several feet away.
“Excuse me young sir,” he called out with an odd inflection in his voice. Caiden stopped in his tracks and turned around, subtly readying reaching for his pistol in case the occasion called for it.
“I’m sorry young sir, I didn’t mean to bother you, it’s just that you look very familiar,” the man politely rambled on as he walked out from behind the limo.
“Well I don’t know you for shit,” Caiden snapped.
There was an eeriness about this man that was difficult to put into words. He sensed a hidden depth of madness; an intense amount of evil fiercely emanated from this strange old man. He was dangerous; Caiden knew this for sure.
“Dr. Stein, we must leave at once,” one of the guards urged.
“Yes, yes, I know that. You, young sir, look awfully familiar. Very much like a protege of mine in the past” Dr. Stein stated pointing at Caiden, now fully focused on him.
Caiden took a look at his surroundings, as well as the three men near the limo in front of him; he was watching for any sudden movements. His hand was close to his gun and he was ready to strike at any second. In an effort to manipulate the flow of this confrontation, he decided to engage in the conversation as a way to end it without incident.
“What happened to this protege of yours?” Caiden asked.
“Hmm, yes. I guess you could say we had a bit of a, well, a bit falling out you could say. It’s a shame, really. She was quite brilliant. More brilliant than any other student I’ve ever known,” Stein said as he thoroughly examined Caiden from a distance.
After some more uncomfortable silence, Caiden spoke. “Okay, so this has nothing to do with me and this is getting really weird so I’m gonna leave now,” he stated as he began to back away.
Dr. Stein did not reply. Instead, he elected to observe Caiden as he walked away, studying him down to the molecule. As soon as Caiden was out of sight, Dr. Stein strolled back to his limo with a sadistic sneer that stretched from ear to ear.
“Michael?” Dr. Stein called out. A silhouette appeared out of thin air near the far end of the alley. It was difficult to make out who or what it was, but it began to walk toward Dr. Stein.
“Yes, Sir?” Michael responded.
“Follow that boy, but do not engage. I repeat, do not engage. I need to know more about that young man,” Dr. Stein said, rubbing his hands together.
“Affirmative,” Michael answered, and in an instant, he disappeared to fulfill his orders.
“Sir? May I ask why you had the Kni… Uh, I mean, Michael do such a thing for one meaningless citizen?” one guard asked.
“Synchronicity, my son,” he replied.
“Sir? I don't follow,” the guard said.
“Things are going to get very interesting from here on out, my good man. That child is the son of a legend. I can feel it! I know it. I can tell by the golden color of his eyes. There’s only one other person I know that had those same intense eyes and fierce expression! Even by today’s standards, where there have been many mutations in genetics that lead to people having different more diverse eye colors, it is extremely rare, if not impossible, that anyone would have golden eyes like she did. And that boy had the same exact eyes. Her son is alive and well!” Stein replied with unmatched maniacal glee.
“Very well, sir,” the guard said, still confused.
They eventually took off. A street light above the alleyway flickered and revealed a hor
rific scene left behind by the strange man. It appeared to show the body of a dead woman with her clothes ripped off and bright red blood trickling from her neck. Her eyes were wide open and her panties were ripped in half. It looked like she was raped and then brutally murdered. There was a barcode tattoo on her left wrist. Under the barcode it said ‘Red Rabbit’.
Mystified by such a weird encounter, Caiden sent a text to the twins. Guys I’m almost at the club. Ran into a strange guy, name’s Dr. Stein. Remind me to look him up once we get back. Something’s off about him and I need to know more.
Will do, they replied. The back entrance of the strip club was nowhere near as busy. The bouncer covering that entrance took advantage of the inactivity and decided rush off to grab a quick smoke break. Caiden wisely made haste toward the entrance. He casually walked through the kitchen. The cooks seemed bewildered by his presence, but none cared enough to question him, soon turning their quick gazes back toward their work. Past the kitchen, he came across a few offices. The lights were off and the door was ajar, and he heard some commotion inside.
Upon closer inspection, he saw a middle-aged man and a younger woman, presumably a stripper at the club, having sex on the desk; documents and papers were scattered across the floor. Caiden shook his head and kept moving. Soon, he approached another door. The closer he came, the louder the bass from the club’s music got. The door opened and a sonic boom of music and cloud of smoke came bursting through.
There were naked women everywhere. There was a stage with transparent fiberglass flooring and inbuilt flashing neon lights. On it were numerous poles. As the women gyrated, their skin appeared to shift from color to color. Every wall inside the club had strategically placed mirrors. Some were deliberately protruding from the walls at strange angles, giving the club an otherworldly, cavernous feel.
This was emphasized by the elaborate lighting scheme that bounce off the walls and the marble floor. There were large trusses filled with laser lights that emanated intricate patterns, smoke machines, and automated holographic light programs that traveled across the room in pre-sequenced patterns, creating a breathtaking, alluring ambience.
A topless woman with perfectly augmented breasts carrying drinks walked by and winked at Caiden, maintaining intense eye contact with him as she passed. Caiden responded in kind, gazing at her as he felt another stripper brush and press against his groin. She pressed her behind against him for a while, slowly tilting her head into the skin of his neck without saying a word. It was their job to sell lust in the Red Rabbit. This place is nuts! he thought to himself.
He politely shifted her to the side and kept moving, looking out for anyone conspicuous. He came across a section of the club dedicated to VIP areas. There were four VIP sections that the club had to offer. Each VIP section held at least thirty people and came with its own bar, exclusive bartender, and personal servicing. The VIP sections were made accessible by a staircase that led off to the different rooms. It was blocked by a freakishly large bouncer standing in front of a velvet rope.
What am I supposed to do now? I don’t even know who I’m looking for, Caiden thought, frustrated that Knight-1 left him no clues about who he was meeting with, other than a name. Luckily, each VIP section corresponded with the host who hired the section for the night. Customers had the option to put anything they wanted on the holo-display in the front of their section. This was a popular practice among high-rolling club goers. This was especially true for gentlemen's clubs, as most of the time, those custom named sections indicated what kind of exclusive, kinky, or interesting activity was happening there.
“Flirtatious Fellatious VIP. Lurid Mania VIP. Ah, here we go! Sex Gives You Magic VIP. I’ll assume that Wizard’s in there somewhere. A wild guess is better than no guess at all,” Caiden said to himself. He sauntered toward the ‘Magic’ VIP section when a large bouncer stepped in front of him.
“You have a reservation here?” the guard grunted.
“I’m here to see Wizard,” Caiden responded.
The guard made an attempt to push him back. “If you don’t have a reservation, you aren’t allowed here,” he said as he became more aggressive.
“I highly recommend you get your hands off of me, unless you like walking around with broken wrists,” Caiden said with a dead cold stare.
“What? I can’t hear you,” the bouncer said jeeringly, as Caiden prepared to break the guard’s hand.
Before anything else could happen, the bouncer put his finger to his ear, responding to a command coming from his security earpiece. “Yes ma’am, I’m sorry. My apologies,” he said. The bouncer unhooked the rope and allowed Caiden to pass.
Lucky me. Caiden relaxed, stepped over the velvet rope and made his way into the VIP section staring down the bouncer as he passed by.
As soon as he stepped foot into the section, he stopped moving. He felt a strange tingling sensation in his spine. He was being watched, and he could feel it. Every hair on his body stood on end. Even the music seemed to slow down. He surveyed the crowd of people and saw one of the most beautiful women he had seen in a long time. This ‘woman’ was too perfect to be human. A faint angelic halo seemed to encompass her as she gestured to him with her index finger. I found you, he thought.
Shortly after they made eye contact, reality seemed to revert back to normal. From her booth, she stood to welcome him, shook his hand and sat back down. Her posture was perfect; she had the elegance of a princess. Her ankles were crossed and her elbows were on the edge of the table, her hands were folded under her chin. She leaned over to get a closer look at Caiden.
“Caiden, I presume? Or should I say, ‘Rez Fayte’?” she said. Her voice was silky smooth with a robotic inflection, slightly digitized.
“Caiden’s fine,” he replied, irritated. The name ‘Rez Fayte’ was becoming a bit of a touchy subject; an annoying trigger word for Caiden over the last few days.
“Please, forgive me. My name is Jana Cero, but everyone calls me Wizard. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” she politely replied.
“Nice warm welcoming party you had at the entrance,” he said begrudgingly.
“I apologize, he was supposed to be let go some time ago, and management has failed to do so,” she responded while shaking her head.
“You own this place?” he asked.
“Not completely. I’m more like an investor and financial advisor,” she said.
Caiden stared at her with extreme intrigue and intense skepticism. “You’re not human, are you?” he asked bluntly.
“How perceptive,” she said, impressed. “How could you tell?”
“You’re too perfect; flawless in every way physically, plus your voice is too beautiful, and I can hear the slight digitization in it. You’re an android, right?” he replied.
“Very interesting deduction, Caiden. But what does being human actually mean nowadays?” she quipped. “Purebreds, Hybrids, enhanced Purebreds, androids; are any of us really human at all? These propagated internal wars between ZOBE and The Sentience; what are they really for? To me, the difference between one’s humanity lies in their character, their morality, their actions, and their beliefs. Without good grounding in any of these important factors, one’s humanity is null and void,” she replied.
“I can’t disagree. I guess that means that we live in a city filled with monsters and addicts,” he replied.
“Touché young sir, touché.” she said as she smiled and took a sip of a neon red liquid from a wine glass.
Wizard was truly a unique android. Her Intel Core Matrix, or ICM for short, was a scientific and technological marvel. She was the first and only android designed with the prototype ICM program ‘New Day New Age’. The NDNA intelligence program was discontinued for reasons unknown. All the other models developed thereafter were only derivatives of hers. The sister program that derived from NDNA was called the C22 software.
Wizard miraculously attained consciousness and self-awareness shortly after she was designed
some twenty years prior. Her 'awakening' was still shrouded in the shadows of wonder and mystery. She was one of the original founding members of The Sentience; an organization of self-aware robots, androids and more recently, Hybrids. She was also a leading revolutionary in the civil war-of-sorts against terrorist acts committed by ZOBE. After the tension died down, Wizard defected from The Sentience, due to their growing isolation from society. She changed her physical appearance and lived on as a highly regarded private courier and information broker. Renowned for her vast knowledge, connections, and fearlessness, Wizard has carved out a niche business platform for herself, netting lucrative profits for her work.
During her travels, it was purported that when Wizard met Knight-1, they went into business together and had been trusted partners ever since. Wizard’s current modified body had her standing at five feet and eleven inches. She had a slender frame, but beneath it was a terrifying athletic ability and strength granted to her by her android body. She also housed many a different gadget and weapon in various parts of her body, and was known to put them to good use. She had beautiful, glowing brown skin grafted to her android frame. Her hair was full and soft; it was a bleached white mohawk. Her hair was accented by entrancing ice-blue eyes, and full, soft lips with glowing silver lipstick. It was sometimes hard to remember that she wasn’t even human, and that she was an AI that had achieved complete human consciousness, somehow.
Her outfit consisted of a black, low-cut tank top, showing a considerable amount of cleavage. She also sported patent black leather pants. On her left thigh was a small, military grade utility pouch, custom built to fit like an accessory piece, and attached by a leather strap. Her knee-high boots were also made from black leather. They were three-inch heels, giving her already impressive height a boost. The toes of the boots were a glimmering platinum. She had a silver belt that hung loosely at her waist at an angle, looking like it was less for her pants, and more of an accessory. She also donned a black leather biker jacket with a large collar that was decked out in reflective sequins in a diamond pattern. Around her neck was a small thin silver chain that settled in her cleavage near the opening of her shirt.
Neon District: ALPHA (The Neon District Trilogy, Book 1) Page 10
