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Into The Rain

My eyes fling open and I quickly sit upright as a horrible noise screeches from the train's speaker system. In that instance, I frantically look around the car in order to address where the sound came from.

"ATTENTION ALL ALTAI OUTER METRO PASSENGERS," a loud, robotic voice erupts from the speakers, "THIS TRAIN WILL BE CONDUCTING A MANUAL IDENTIFICATION CARD CHECK IN THIRTY MINUTES. PLEASE REMAIN SEATED AND AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. THANK YOU."

"Wait, what?" I mistakenly ask myself aloud, "These trains do mandatory ID checks?"

"Of course they do!" a middle-aged man grunts from two seats behind me, "What? Ya never been on the monorail or something?"

I turn my head around but then suddenly wince from a sharp pain in my neck - I don't think my backpack was the substitution for a pillow.

"Um, no, actually," I reply to the man awkwardly, "It's kind of my first time outside of Kueski, so..."

He scoffs at me and grumbles, "Welcome to the outside world then, kiddo."

I thank him despite his sarcasm, then turn my head back around. Jerk.

I lift up my now flattened bag and unzip the top zipper. I rummage around its contents until I pull out what used to be a whole grain, strawberry jam-filled, breakfast bar I found underneath Mac's bed. Now it looks like a long, plastic-wrapped, bleeding pancake. I pull back the thin plastic covering the smushed tart, bring it to my lips, and nibble a small chunk out of it despite it smelling and tasting a bit funny. Oh, It's expired. This will have to do since it's the only thing I've eaten since yesterday morning. Lastly, I reach into my bag again and pull out a resealable can of soda I brought along with me: SUPER BLITZ! I haven't tried this brand before, so I hope it's good.

I crack open the can and take my first sip. Then, I take another sip. Then, another. Eventually, I find myself gulping down the contents of the can in large swigs one after another. I've never tasted something so unbearably sweet and fruity, and wanted more of it - This drink is just that good! I close my eyes in bliss as I suck down the rest of the can's liquid until it's completely empty. I crush the can in my left hand, then sighed happily. That has got to be the most disgustingly sweet, yet incredibly addictive drink I've ever had! I can feel my heart racing increasingly fast as if my brain has just been injected with pure, liquid adrenaline. I'm starting to feel incredibly awake now, and my left foot has just begun restlessly tapping the metal floor of the train. I'm getting the sudden urge to start sprinting up and down the aisles of the whole train, flailing my arms around like a lunatic. What the hell was in that soda?

After 3 minutes of sitting in my seat and doing nothing but tap my foot several kilometers per second, my energy high quickly fades away. My foot stops jumping and my body begins to slump in the seat, sending me back to feeling like I did when I woke up. I lift the crushed can of Super Blitz and silently read the list of ingredients... Five hundred milligrams of caffeine. Well, at least I won't be getting tired any time soon.

The awful screeching from the intercom system returns and is followed by, "ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS, MANDATORY IDENTIFICATION CHECKS WILL COMMENCE IN FIFTEEN MINUTES."

I shouldn't have chosen the seat closest to the speakers - That noise really hurt my ears.

"FURTHERMORE, THIS TRAIN WILL BE ARRIVING AT THE NORTH-EASTERN DUENBA STATION IN FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING ALTAI OUTER METRO."

My eyes dart to the right and I gaze out the window of the train car, talking to myself, "Wait, if we're forty-five minutes from Duenba, how come I can’t see it?"

"Ugh," the man behind me says, "Duenba don't look any different from what you're seein' right now, kid. It all blends together."

"Really?" I ask him.

"Yeah. Really."

"Um, I have a question then."

"C'mon, kid, I'm not your tour guide," he responds in an annoyed tone.

"S-Sorry! I was just curious as to why you're on the train."

He furrows his brow, sits up in his seat, and says, "Well if you MUST know, I'm on my way home from work."

"What do you do?"

"I work on an assembly line in one of the factories in Narch," the man quickly explains, "That's all I'm gonna say to you, so turn around and mind your damn business, kid."

"Aren't those assembly lines run by the worker automata now? I'm pretty sure that stuff is all automated."

"I said mind your damn business!" he says more angrily.

"Sorry."

I feel a bit of embarrassment hit me and quickly turn myself back around. I look out the window again and silently watch as the sky gradually becomes darker and darker with each passing minute. Water droplets hit the window for a bit until the rain begins to come down at a steady rate.

'I hope Mac is doing alright on Sobo,' I wonder, 'He said his mission was temporary, but he didn't tell me for how long.'

I look to my left at the door at the end of the walkway. I can see a silhouette of a man with a helmet on staring into this car. It's a Peacekeeper. I don't have an ID. The door begins sliding open and the officer enters shortly after. His visor glows a deep blue underneath the train's dim yellow lights. I'm starting to get nervous just by looking at him.

"Alrighty, everyone, you all know the drill," the cop says in a surprisingly higher pitched voice than I expected, "Get out your cards, hold them up for me to scan, and I'll get out of your hair."

Upon getting a closer look, I notice the officer's chest is slightly more round than I first saw... Oh, it's a woman.

"If you don't have your ID on you, then you can just show me your Jivit card," she finishes.

I pat my hoodie's pockets and feel my Jivit card inside. Thank God I didn't drop it.

The officer begins to slowly walk down the middle of the alley, scanner in hand. All seven passengers have their IDs held up for her to verify, including me.

The Peacekeeper scans each passenger's ID one by one, "Sandra Turno? Good. Buck Whittle? Alright. Natomi Son? Good. Vashique Elmberry? Great."

My arm is starting to get tired from holding my card up. This whole scanning thing feels a little unnecessary if you ask me.

"Hal Ezbern?" the cop confirms the man's name behind me

"That's right," he replies.

"Your ID is expired. Do you have a Jivit card, buddy?"

Hal frantically pats his dirty jeans and gasps, "Shit! I think I left it at the factory!"

The officer sighs and gestures for him to stand up, "That's alright, Hal. The boys upfront will get this sorted out for you, okay? No hard feelings."

The man stands up and angrily stomps to the front of the car, cursing under his breath until he leaves through the door.

"Okay then," the cop continues towards me, scanner ready, "Got an ID on you, kiddo?"

I look up at her and shake my head a bit nervously, and I hold my Jivit card up a little higher for her to scan.

"That's alright, hon. I can get the ID number that's linked to your Jivit account," she assures me with a soft smile.

The scanner hovers over my hand and beeps twice.

"Hmm," she hums to herself, "Miriam Solis: Adopted daughter of Mackalon Solis?"

'Miriam? What kind of boring name is that!?'

"Um, that's correct, ma'am," I lie to her.

"What's a girl your age doing on the monorail alone?"

"Um," I pause then say, "I'm going to Duenba to find my... Biological parents?"

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"Oh my gosh! That's wonderful, hon! Are you nervous to finally meet them?"

I give her a nod, saying, "Yes. I'm incredibly nervous right now."

"Don't be nervous, sweetie. I'm sure they'll still love you after all this time!"

"Uh, thanks I guess," I say, trying to avoid eye contact.

The officer holsters her card scanner and says, "Well, you have a great time in Duenba, Miriam!"

I say nothing else and watch the officer exit the train car.

"Phew!" I exhale in relief.

'Honestly, that would have gone a lot quicker if I would have just kept my mouth shut like I usually do, but oh well.'

My eyes dart to my right then upward a bit as something catches my attention - It's an issue of Altai Informative Weekly tucked in a conveniently placed cubby underneath my seat's window. I remove it from the wall, and I begin reading the table of contents out of curiosity:

ALTAI INFORMATIVE WEEKLY

3815 | 3 | 36 | Tuesday

22 MISSING AFTER DRUG BUST IN SOUTHEAST GLENZ DISTRICT

THINK YOU HAVE ERADO? HERE'S 5 WAYS YOU CAN CHECK

ALTAI POLICE GIVE DETAILS REGARDING NEW PET AUTOMATA REGULATIONS

INDUSTRIAL METAL BAND PROTEST AGAINST ALLEGED NOISE COMPLAINTS

DUENBA SKYWAY TRAFFIC TO INCREASE, STATISTICS FIND

'On second thought, maybe the news isn't worth my time right now.'

I gently fold the magazine and slide it back into its little compartment just before the intercom starts up again, making that same horrible screech.

"ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS," the robotic voice starts, "WE ARE NEARING THE WESTERN DUENBA STATION. PLEASE REMAIN SEATED UNTIL THE TRAIN HAS COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING ALTAI OUTER METRO."

'It's about time! I was starting to get claustrophobic.'

The train comes to a steady, yet loud, screeching halt as I watch Duenba station come into view. The sound and damp scent of heavy rainfall hit me as the tall windowed doors slid open, giving us passengers the OK to disembark. I hurriedly toss all my belongings back into my backpack (as well as my trash), and hop out of the car onto the shiny and drenched metal platform of the station. I immediately lift up my hood and make a Beeline to the nearest cover I see - A plain, metal bench that's thankfully dry.

'I didn't think the weather would get this bad,' I think to myself as I try to catch my breath, 'At least my clothes are waterproof; though, I can't say the same for my bag...'

I flip my soaked bag over to my front and unzip the main pocket before pulling out my Holodisk cellphone. I hesitate for a second for some reason then select Zac's number under the 'contacts' index. The pale blue screen displays, 'CALLING ZACKALON SOLIS,' then... Nothing happens. I try it again, it rings for a few seconds but fails again. I select Zac's number once more, it rings, and he finally answers.

"Hello?" I speak in a semi-loud voice over the loud rain, "Mac-I mean-Zac, can you hear me?"

The phone makes out, "Sa...ko? I can’t... you. Did... it to... ba?"

"I can't hear you, Zac. Could you speak up, please?"

"Troub... ring you. The... nection... rible. Call... when... can hear..."

And just like that, the call is lost entirely. I shout his name a few more times before giving up. I curse under my breath and punch the bench as hard as I can, wincing afterward. I curse a second time and wildly shake my hand in front of me as if to shake the pain out of my now aching knuckles.

I shout, "Damn it!" out of frustration and irrationally punch the same spot again, forcing me to yelp in pain this time.

"Stop hitting the bench, idiot," I say to myself to calm down, "It didn't do anything wrong."

I drop the phone back into my bag and look around the station at the local scumbags (Okay, maybe some of them are scumbags - I'm just irritable right now, alright?). To my surprise, the people here in Duenba seem emotionless and look as if they're feeling somewhat down - I mean, I'd be feeling down too if I had to live in this never-ending downpour my whole life. (This rain does eventually stop, right?) Anyway... I stand up from the cold bench and quickly spot a vending machine located near the exit of the train station. I move directly towards it and gaze into the thin plexiglass window at the machine's contents - Umbrellas. This food vending machine is selling... Umbrellas. Frankly, I would have loved to get something else to eat other than that pancaked fruit bar, but I suppose an umbrella will be useful right about now. My hand pushes my Jivit card into the card slot and after a few seconds, a red, polka-dotted umbrella appears in front of me all neatly wrapped in a thin plastic sheet. Pulling it out of its wrapper, I open my umbrella and hold it over me then twist myself around to head back to the bench.

"She's coming back," I hear from up ahead, "Run!"

Two young boys wearing all grey suddenly bolt out of the station with something in their clutches: It's my bag!

"Hey!" I shout at the duo, "That's mine! Give it back!"

The boys chuckle as they run down the sidewalk, dodging pedestrians and jumping over the multitude of puddles dotting the streets. I chase after them for a few moments until I slip in one of the puddles, causing me to trip into a second larger puddle face first. I'm completely soaked now. I lift myself up from the puddle as a few people just stand there and giggle at my misfortune, but I pay no mind to them. I shake off as much water as I can and reopen my umbrella before lazily making my way back to the bench at the station. I murmur and curse out those kids from under my breath during the walk back to my seat. My elbows are sore.

'Why does the universe hate me?' I ask myself in my head as I plop back down on the bench, 'Coming here was a stupid idea. I hate this place. I want to go home.'

I sit there, wallowing in self-pity, and stare at the floor. Those kids must have thrown out the fruit bar and my holodisk as both of those things lay there all soaked from the rain. I gently bend down and pick them both up before tossing the bar into a nearby trash can (I'm not going to eat that anyway.) I try turning the holodisk on. The now cracked screen flickers for a few seconds, displaying Zac's number, then shuts itself off.

"Great. Those stupid kids broke it," I start speaking to myself once again, "How the hell am I going to call Zac now? Are there even payphones in this part of the city?"

I stand up from the bench for the last time, stuff the broken Holodisk into my left pocket, reopen my umbrella, and make my way back out of the train station into the rainy streets of Duenba. As I walk along the wet grey sidewalk, I scan my surroundings. Tall black and silver skyscrapers loom over the narrow streets they rise from, and they're adorned with a multitude of bright signs, billboards, advertisements, apartment room lighting, reflective tower paint, etcetera... I notice a few Hovacar parking lots connected to what seems to be bridges made of metal grating and steel platforms overhead. The further I move down the street, the more and more platforms come into view that are located even higher in the air than the ones from before. I had no idea Duenba was denser than Kueski - the largest district in Altai! It’s like I'm walking through a rainforest except all the trees are crazy tall office buildings with no concept of personal space. As much as I find Duenba to be pretty sketchy, I can't help but admit that I feel somewhat at home... Or maybe it's the exhaustion getting to me - I dunno.

I spot a sign above a set of black windowed doors that read 'PAWN SHOP' in all orange; It sits right next to a fast-food vendor from across the street to my right. I look both ways before crossing the street - You know, like any other person should - and approach the doors. They slide open automatically to my surprise and short jingle signals my arrival into the pawnshop. The store is lit up with fancy antique lighting and decorated with multiple other antiques from the early colonization of Altai to stuff you can find in a garbage heap down some shady alley. The floor is covered with a thin, black carpet with an orange hexagonal pattern, and the ceiling matches. I close my umbrella and hold it against my waist before stepping in.

I go directly to the cashier without even taking my time to look around and ask, "Um, excuse me. Do you by chance have any Holodisk cellphones for sale?"

"Holodisk cells? Of course," The man behind the counter looks down at me with a smile, "Any specific model you're looking for?"

Upon closer inspection, I notice the man is an automata. His irises glow a faint teal and there are noticeable seams lining his jaw indicating a recent upgrade. I wonder if he even gets paid for working here...

"Do you have one that looks like this?" I ask, pulling out my broken phone and gently laying on the counter, "Mine's kind of broken, you see."

The android picks it up from the counter and inspects it from multiple angles saying, "Ah, this one was made in Kueski! I've never been able to get my hands on one of these models before."

"You don't have any replacements then?"

"Nope! But I'll tell you what, I'll buy this off you for... Twenty-thousand J."

"Uh, isn't that a bit much for a broken Holodisk?" I ask him, "If you really want it I could give it to you for free-"

"Heavens, no!" He exclaims, "I would never take such a unique Holodisk model for free! How does twenty-five thousand sound?"

"Alright, alright, fine," I give in and hand him my Jivit card, "Twenty-five thousand."

"Excellent! Thank you so much!" He happily takes my card and slides it into a payment device behind the counter.

"You're welcome, but could I get a replacement for that, please?" I ask him, starting to get impatient.

"Oh, that's right!" The cashier hands me back my card, "Give me a second."

I slip my card back into my pocket as I watch the android move to the back room.

After waiting a few minutes, I notice a line of seemingly impatient customers has formed behind me, and I start feeling anxious. Thankfully, the cashier returns with a shiny new 'Holodisk brand cellular device' in a clear plastic bag labeled, 'MODEL D-004-C.'

"Here you go, ma'am, one new Holodisk. This one is a more recent Duenba model. Not to mention it's waterproof," He places the bag on the counter and says with a smile, "That'll be fifteen-thousand."

I silently slide my card into the payment slot on my side of the counter. It beeps, and I pull it out, slipping it back into my pocket. The cashier continues smiling as I take the new cellphone from the counter.

"Pleasure doing business with you, ma'am."

Without saying anything else, I nod at the cashier as a thank-you and quickly exit the pawnshop before any of the customers could start complaining about me. I open my umbrella and continue my stroll down the shiny wet sidewalk with my new phone under my arm.

'I hope Zac won't be angry with me for selling his old Holodisk phone,' I think, 'This night's been pretty shitty so far, but at least I made a good ten thousand Jivit profit.'

After about twenty minutes of walking in a straight line down the street, I come across another bench next to a big white trash can. I plop myself onto it and begin unwrapping the new cellphone. When I turn it on, no 'hello' or 'welcome' message appears on the screen. The only text being displayed reads, 'INSERT CARD TO BEGIN' in bold letters.

"'Card?'" I ask the machine, "What do you mean 'card? Was there something included? Did I drop it?"

I look around the bench and down the sidewalk for a couple of seconds before the realization hits me: It's asking for my Jivit card.

"Oh."

I get out my Jivit card and push it into the Holodisk and the text disappears. After a few 'processing' messages go by, the contact index is shown and listed is Zac's number - Thank God! I quickly select it and the phone begins to ring.