“Oh, wow! So, you are attracted to me, huh?”
Am I? Or am I just deprived? Caiden pondered. She then proceeded to undo his belt, and pull down his boxers. Caiden briefly looked down to see what was happening before he felt her hand push his torso back up against the wall. What the hell? Why am I letting her do this? This woman is nothing but trouble. It was becoming difficult for him to think straight. The conscious part of his brain that separated wants and desires from the moral implication of said desires was beginning to fade. This woman, though over aggressive, knew how to weaken the resolve of someone even as strong as Caiden.
“Wa-Wait! Wait! Hold on a sec!” Caiden said as logic slowly took over his desire. He gently pushed her away.
“What’s wrong? Want me to go harder?” she quipped.
“No, No. That’s not it,” he said. “You’re beautiful, obviously, but first off, you’re Vantz’s friend, and secondly, well, I just think… just not right now.”
She paused with an eerie smirk on her face before responding. “Okay,” Penny calmly replied, still with a lustful look in her eyes.
“Okay? That’s it?” a confused Caiden asked.
“Yeah, it’s okay. Because I know what you taste like now. I know that you know this isn’t over,” Penny confidently said.
Caiden was flustered, but he composed himself. He fixed his clothes; tucking in his shirt and zipping up his pants. Penny remained motionless. Still on her knees, hair to the side, finger tracing her bottom lip, examining Caiden hungrily with her eyes. Caiden turned around and walked out of the private room. He pushed his way past the large crowd and made his way to the bar in the White Room. As soon as he sat down, his emotions hit him like a freight train.
“Bartender! Get me a Ruby Red on the rocks!” he called out.
“Coming right up, sir.”
As soon as the drink arrived, he downed it in one big gulp. Penny had him distraught. He didn’t know if he wanted to have sex with her or run as far away from her as he could. The more he thought about it, the better running away sounded. Before he could call the bartender for another drink, he felt a light tap on his shoulder.
“Lookin’ for some company?” the silky voice asked. Caiden turned around to see Yvora Blue standing there.
“Uh, sure, seat’s all yours,” he replied.
He was nervous again, but this time it for all the right reasons. There was just something about her that was the polar opposite of someone like Penny. A magnetic charm complimented her killer looks.
“So, do you have a name? Or should I just call you Mr. Quiet?” Yvora asked with a mix of sarcasm and confidence.
“Caiden, Caiden Nyx”
“Well, Mr. Nyx, it’s very nice to meet you,” she replied, this time more formally and pleasantly.
“Bartender!”
“Yes, Ms. Blue?”
“Two Darkmoon shots, please,” she requested.
“Sure thing, Ms. Blue. Coming right up.” He returned with two shot glasses.
“So, where you from originally?” she asked.
“BlackLight District,” Caiden replied.
“Hmm, you don’t strike me as a resident of that borough. I live on the other side of the city in East Andromeda, close to Star Hills.”
Caiden took one brief look at her and gave her an awkward smile before turning away and looking down at the bar counter. Instead of being discouraged by Caiden’s strange and somewhat gauche behavior, she simply smirked and watched him for another moment or two.
“Um, you need something?” Caiden asked.
“Why are you over here by yourself?” Yvora asked.
“Well, what are you doing here?” Caiden countered.
“I came over here to talk to you. Help you take that antisocial stick outta your ass,” she sarcastically replied with an undertone of humor and a smile.
Caiden attempted a serious glare, but he couldn’t help but grin. He chuckled and looked down again. He was unbelievably nervous. Caiden’s grin turned into an incredulous look when he saw Yvora slip something into his drink out of the corner of his eye. He turned to her, catching her in the act.
"The hell are you doing!?" he asked.
"Trying to loosen you up," she replied, unintimidated by him. She was interested in Caiden and he couldn't understand why. He gave her a menacing and untrusting look.
"Don't worry, it's not gonna kill you. You should really lighten up, man. Tonight is a beautiful night,” Yvora said. She was enchanting.
Fuck it, he thought. He hoped that it might keep his mind off Penny. He downed the drug laced shot. The alcohol was made even stronger by the tangy citrus taste of the drug. He felt a warm burning sensation in his chest as the liquor slithered down his throat.
"What's in here?" he asked.
“Grove Street,” she replied.
“Never heard of it,” he said.
“It’s fairly new. Meant to give your drink a boost. Most people who take it say that they feel more alive, and say they’ve undergone an intense outer body experience like none other.” As she began to describe it, he began to feel it.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. he could feel the blood rushing through is veins. His pupils dilated. He no longer felt like he was in the club. Rather, it felt like his soul leaked out of his body and into an astral plane. He felt like his mind began to expand, becoming something more than a man in a human body, and became one with everything.
The smooth electronic dance music began to distort, but still sounded beautiful and symphonic. He could hear everything; whispers, footsteps, ice clinking in other people’s drinks. His vision became almost panoramic. The club’s lights began to bend, mold, twist, and blend into one another, forming in a kaleidoscopic explosion of blissful radiance and imagery. Yvora put her hand on his thigh and slowly traced it upwards. He felt every ridge of her fingerprints through his pants as she edged closer. He became more and more aroused and she was made well aware.
“Wow,” She said rather impressed and lost for words. She licked her lips as she grabbed his arm. "C'mon, let's dance."
"Cool with me," he replied.
Caiden felt very out of character. The Grove Street drug transformed him into an alternate version of himself; free and relaxed. It was an experience he never thought he could feel. He was never the partying type, and was hardly ever social, preferring to keep to himself. The DJ transitioned to another song and the crowd responded by ratcheting up in energy. He could sense the emotions of those around him in amazing detail. Caiden was smiling, not a sincere smile, but rather, an ‘under the influence’ type of grin. Caiden was lost in the moment. He was still very aroused, and an opportunistic Yvora pulled him close as she nestled into him and guided his hands to her waist.
She began to gyrate seductively. Her mouth opened slightly; she was getting off on the sensation as she turned to face him while dancing. She put her arms around his shoulders.
"Beautiful eyes you have there. I could get lost in them" she said into his ear, her lips brushing his neck. She was not shy, evidenced by her bold approach from the start. She appeared to be a woman who reveled in the thrill of risk taking. Not bound by conventional human fear, she seemed otherworldly. As bold her as approach was, it wasn’t overly aggressive or off putting the way Penny's approach was.
All that mattered was that he felt good; better than he'd ever felt before. Yvora’s hand found its way to his erection. He wasn’t sure if it was the drugs in his system or his own primal desires for physical intimacy, but he wanted her. There were no reservations this time, like there were with Penny. He let Yvora do as she pleased. He was too far gone in the moment. Hell, I could get used to this, he thought.
Vantz, off in the distance and surrounded by his female entourage, caught a glimpse of Yvora with best friend. He smiled, excited that his best friend was hooking up with one of the most beautiful woman in the city; a rising pop star, to boot. He ordered some more drinks for the group. Penny was off on he
r own in the VIP area, staring intently at Caiden and Yvora. She was smiling all the same; Turned on, even. She was unfazed by the turn of events. She grabbed the hand of another man who just so happened to be passing by and started to dance with him.
The Grove Street drug seemed to open pleasure synapses deep within Caiden that he had never felt before. He and Yvora locked eyes intensely while moving to the rhythm of the music. Their faces edged closer to one another. The distance between their lips was paper thin. Am I really doing this? Is this really happening? Is this some sort of dream? Caiden wondered. A rush of that warmth flooded his chest and stomach. Her body felt amazing as he gripped her hips. Just as their lips were about to touch, he heard a loud scream. The scream came from the direction of the VIP section; it was Cherry.
“The fuck!?” Caiden tried to get a better look.
There was a commotion in the VIP area and he immediately thought of his best friend. Vantz! He rushed away from Yvora and dashed toward the private section. The brief burst of adrenaline temporarily negated the effects of the Grove Street drug. The crowd was running away from the trouble and making it difficult for Caiden to push his way through, so he put his head down and bull rushed through everyone, knocking people down. He finally reached the section and leapt onto the platform.
“Vantz? Vantz!” he called out frantically.
Upon landing on the platform, the side effects of the drug crept back in. Caiden’s field of vision slowly distorted out of focus. The pulsing sounds of the blaring music and the frantic yelling of the patrons echoed inside his head. Things appeared to be moving in slow motion as the high began to return. He heard Vantz calling out to him.
“Caide! I’m over here!” Vantz cried out, before he was cut off.
Caiden saw Vantz being dragged through the crowd by a tall hooded figure flagged by two other similarly dressed individuals. Why are they taking Vantz? What could they possibly hope to accomplish by doing that? Caiden didn’t have time to think. He sprinted after the assailants and they were quick to notice. One of the attackers unsheathed their weapon and brandished a strange gun, preparing to open fire on Caiden.
The effects of the drug made the speed of the action appear slow from Caiden's point of view. He could see everything. In a split second, displaying his remarkable reaction time, Caiden jumped behind one of the large heavy metal tables, flipped it over, and used it as cover. The impact from the blast shot him back several feet, with innocent bystanders breaking his fall and sustaining injuries in the process. He saved the lives of those people by absorbing the shot of the gun with the table. Caiden was unharmed, but the force was powerful enough to sober up him immediately.
He peeked around the table and saw that the hand holding the gun was made from navy-blue colored metal with a unique serial number. The assailant was wearing a hooded cloak, but Caiden could see two glowing red eyes. Androids? What the fuck? The pause in action gave Caiden enough time to prop the table up like a shield and barrel forward toward the unsuspecting gunman. Using his momentum and superhuman strength, Caiden smashed into the gunman, sending him flying backward into his cohorts.
They momentarily lost grip of Vantz and Caiden seized the opportunity to land a vicious strike against the assumed leader of the group, ripping off his robotic arm. In doing this, the leader’s cloak was forcibly removed. It appeared to be male, with a metal, robotic face. Its body was slender, designed to be a candidate for skin grafts to make it look more human.
Without hesitation, the leader unleashed a powerful shockwave of kinetic energy from a circular device in the center of his chest. The force sent Caiden crashing into the bar. The androids grabbed Vantz and took off.
Not one to be deterred, Caiden recovered quickly, and ran in pursuit, destroying the metal exit door with a single kick. He ran down the alley where a hover vehicle shined a bright blinding light in his eyes. As it levitated, he saw the back hatch slowly closing with Vantz being held captive by the androids. The bright light forced Caiden to cover his eyes with his arm, but not before he was able to ID the license plate number on the vehicle; X3411. The hover vehicle shot off into the night. Caiden tried to pursue them on foot with no luck.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He was frantic. He initiated his holo-watch and called the twins.
“Cai? Are you okay? What happened to you?” Hitomi asked.
“No time to explain. Can you run this license plate? X3411,” he snapped.
“Okay, but can you at least tell me what’s going on?” Hitomi shot back.
“Vantz. It’s Vantz. He’s been kidnapped!” He said catching his breath.
“Oh my god! Nami and I will get on this right away. You need to head back here so we can come up with a plan,” Hitomi replied.
“Okay,” He ended the call.
“Oh my god, Caiden! Are you okay?” Yvora called out as she rushed over to him.
“Yeah, I’m fine, but Vantz… They took him,” he said.
“Who did?” she frantically replied.
“I dunno. Androids, it looked like. I’m going after them. I gotta go,” Caiden said as he rushed off.
“But, wait!” Yvora cried out.
She wanted to help in whatever way she could. She followed Caiden down the backstreets to the main road. By the time she caught up to him he had jumped in a taxi and had disappeared down the street.
CHAPTER 15
---usr/systems/server-x/THE CHROME PIT & THE PINK FLAME RIDERS---
The taxi dropped Caiden off at the edge of Darkside, as most did, since most of them dared not enter the dangerous neighborhood. He paid the fair, and sprinted to Home-base. His sense of urgency upon his return alerted the twins of his arrival.
“Caide!” the sisters said as they rushed to embrace him. “Are you okay?” they asked.
“No, they have Vantz!” he yelled abruptly as he made his way toward the lab space downstairs. The twins followed suit.
“Is there anything we can do at all?” a concerned Nami asked.
Caiden remained focused as he searched through his equipment before he stopped. He pulled up the holo-menu from his watch and made a call.
“Caiden, my dear, how goes it?” It was Wizard.
“The Sentience; they have Vantz, and I need to get him back. Tell me where they are!” he commanded.
“The Sentience? Kidnapping? Are you sure it was an android that did this?” She asked, doubtful.
“I saw red glowing eyes. They were wearing dark brown cloaks, and one of them had a navy-blue metal forearm with a barcode and serial number on it. It had to be them. Tell me where they are!”
“Damnit. I knew one day it would come to this. There’s a reason why I left the group to begin with. They were becoming increasingly repulsed by the idea of integration into society. My views weren’t getting through to them, and before it got any worse, I decided to leave before any major conflict happened between myself and them,” She calmly replied. “I’ve completely cut them off and they, me. I’ve no idea where they could be taking up residence at the moment. Last time I heard, their base of operations was rumored to be in Blue Emerald District. But they are known to have hundreds of safe houses all around the city. They could be anywhere for all I know. I could try to triangulate their positions based off a digital ping and try to use some of the cell towers as a beacon transmitter. But even I wouldn’t be able to decode their signal.”
“Would you be able to try?” Caiden asked.
“Working on tracking them as we speak. Uploading the process to your holo-feed to view in real-time.”
Even Wizard’s powerful and unique ICM could not find a signal that was even remotely related to The Sentience. “I’m sorry, Caiden. I do, however, know a person who would have a much better idea about their current whereabouts.”
“Who and where?” he asked.
“A good friend of mine named Athena. She usually hangs out near the Chrome Pit. Be careful. Her friends are particularly abrasive. Use caution when you approach her. I’l
l let her know you will be on your way shortly, yes?” she said.
“Thanks, Wizard. I owe you, yet again,” he replied graciously.
“Add it to my tab, sweetheart,” she replied with a smile, and cut transmission.
“Another wild night for you, huh?” Hitomi asked.
“Can’t be helped,” Caiden replied. He began searching one of his utility closets for extra ammo. “Armor piercing, hollow tips, ah, here they are,” he said.
“What are you looking for?” Hitomi asked.
“Shock rounds,” he replied.
“Are you sure those shock bullets will be enough, Caide?” Nami asked skeptically.
“A fair question. These rounds have over twenty-five thousand volts per shot. While it’s a lot, it isn’t sustained voltage. It only releases that much in a quick burst, allowing the charge to severely but temporarily incapacitate a target, but not kill them. A sustained voltage of something over one hundred and ten volts can be fatal because it can pump voltage into one person’s body indefinitely,” he replied.
They both eased up a little after that. “Are we sure Wizard is giving out the right information? What if she’s wrong? What if you get caught in a situation that you can’t escape from?” Nami asked, worry overcoming her.
Caiden squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. “I’ll be okay. If I see or feel that something isn’t right, I’ll be sure to pull back. But, Vantz, he’s the only family I’ve got. I gotta do something. I was there when it happened, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. Psi-Corp isn’t gonna do shit about it. I gotta do this. As his family, it’s my responsibility to get him back,” Caiden said.
Nami and Hitomi deflated. They knew he wasn’t one to easily deter. “Hey, try not to worry. I have you guys in my corner helping me out, right? Even if it’s from here. I’ll keep in contact with you throughout the night. I may need you guys at the hub to do some system infiltrating.”
They both smiled and he went upstairs to get ready. He wore all black jogger pants, black sneakers, a black shirt, and a long thin black jacket with a hood. Underneath his attire was a holster for his gun, and magazines of shock rounds; he was ready. He made his way to the garage and geared up his hypercycle. Caiden synced his holo-watch to the display inside his helmet.
Neon District: ALPHA (The Neon District Trilogy, Book 1) Page 16
