Furious knocking pounded away at her door, startling Nell awake from her trance of the day. Smoke slithered from the cigarette stuffed into her mouth as she stared at the door, eyes wide. Who could be knocking, and so angrily at that? Well, I can name a lot, Nell thought.
“I know you’re there! OPEN UP!” A voice snarled from behind the door.
Nell hesitated to act.
What if they wanted to hurt her? Well, if they did, they probably would’ve busted the door down already. Is it the bank? No, she took out all the funds she could so she wouldn’t owe them a cent. Lawyers? They’d have sent a subpoena by now. Either way, it looked like they weren’t patient. Nell scrambled from her couch and to her front door, clicking on the panel to the side to slide the door open.
There she was greeted with a woman who was unlike anything she’d ever seen. She was tall, gaining a good head taller over Nell, with beautiful dark bronze skin. Her dark hair was organized into a mohawk of sorts; the sides were neatly buzzed while the remaining strands on top were wound into tight locs that jutted down the nape of her neck. Her face was square yet sharp with defined brows, a razor-like gaze, and high noble cheekbones. Not only that, but she definitely looked like she carried some muscle. Her arms were well-defined and her abs were visible from under her wire-mesh shirt. Nell was sure the woman could sock her right to the sun if need be.
But what stood-out the most was the cybernetics she sported. All of her fingers were replaced with black steel and Nell could spot that her shoulders were supplemented with some form of strengthening cyberware by the shine from the same dull steel color. Not only that, but there was a glimpse of more cybernetics on both of her legs, just barely peeking through where her boots ended and the pants began. To Nell, who didn’t have any cyberware, it was shocking. But to the average Richmond citizen, it was par for the course.
Nell stood for a few dazed moments before she finally managed to find her voice. “Er, how can I help you?” To Nell, something about having to tilt your head up to look at someone was massively intimidating.
“You’re a nuisance,” The woman said bluntly. “You know, you aren’t the only one in this building.”
“Uhmm, I’m . . . sorry?” Nell cautioned, gingerly taking a drag from her cigarette. Frankly, she didn’t even realize she was making people upset. But to be fair, for most of the past six blurry months she couldn’t comprehend half the things she was doing. Not to mention how thin these walls probably were. What could she have done . . . ?
However, her thoughts got interrupted as the woman leaned against the doorframe with a heavy thump, causing Nell to yelp. How big was this lady?! She could knock down the entire building with whatever she’s packing!
The woman narrowed her eyes, thoughtfully surveying Nell’s personage. Something about it felt so intrusive, so . . . intimate. Nell’s skin prickled at the feeling. She instinctively sank closer behind her door. Then, the woman spoke with a slow and methodical drawl. “People have been complainin’.”
“About what? I haven’t left this place in . . . like . . .” Nell trailed off. As soon as the words left her lips, she realized just how embarrassing they might be and instead stifled it behind a cloud of smoke.
“Noise. Stench,” the woman replied. “Jesus, just standing here I know what they mean.”
Nell glanced over her shoulder at the piles upon piles of take-out containers, still smoking cigarettes, and broken bottles flooding her apartment. Living in such a hovel might’ve blinded her nose a touch.
“ . . . Oh.”
As she tilted her head, she full exposed her non-scarred side of her face. The woman’s eyes widened with realization.
“Wait a minute . . . You’re that corp that got fired a while back, aren’t you?” She stood back to her full height and crept closer. Her gaze sharpened into needle-like daggers with a new-found fury. Nell sank. “Nell Miller, wasn’t it? The one selling drugs?”
She helplessly nodded, even if it was technically incorrect.
Uneasiness in her veins quickly shifted to that of fear to fuel her thundering heart. Here she was, perfectly exposed to somebody who could very easily pound her into a pulp and face zero consequences. After six months, she finally was face to face with the ugly underbelly of Richmond– she would finally get what she deserved.
A harsh, biting hand grabbed her by the chin and tilted her face to her scarred side so the woman could get a closer look. She looked just about ready to crush her jaw into two. Both of Nell’s hands shot up to try and push her hand away, but it wouldn’t budge an inch. She should’ve seen it coming. Biological muscles and cybernetic ones? Not even a bulldozer could move her!
Her right eye, now narrowed to a blood-shot squint, watched the woman frightfully.
Yet, something seemed to change in the stranger. Her sharpened scowl dulled out and her grip laxed. What was once resentment and anger bubbling behind her face flattened out to a look of uncertainty and pity the more she studied the rising peaks of scars and methodical ridges of stitches. Slowly, she released Nell and put her hand at her side. Nell stared, surprised.
“Seems like someone already beat me to the punch. Can’t beat a mug like that,” the woman elaborated in a grumble. Her gaze flickered up to glance over Nell’s shoulder and quickly shot back down. “All that stuff a few months ago, y’know, explains all of . . . that. It’s like life fucked you up.”
Nell took a desperate drag of her cigarette now that she was released and let out a smoky grim laugh. “You think?” For once, the woman’s tight grimace dissipated to reveal a lop-sided smirk.
“I have a sneaking suspicion.”
Nell felt the tension ease between them, but that nag of fear still whispered in the back of her mind. Was this woman up to something? How did she go from almost killing her to now cracking jokes? Was this a ruse? Something to lull Nell into a sense of safety? The now awkward stretch of silence growing between them after the joke only fanned the flames of doubt.
“So,” the woman finally broke the quiet, huffing a tired sigh. “Y’know, I don’t care what you did, the past is the past. Just– watch it, be more considerate of everyone else. Wouldn’t wanna break down your door like some gummed out maniac for real. And wouldn’t want my neighbors breaking down my door like gummed out maniacs because I didn’t do my job.”
Nell gave a light laugh and nodded. “Got it.”
“Neon. See ya around, neighbor.”
With that, she whisked off and Nell shut the door. She turned to lean her back against it, letting out a heavy breath from deep in her lungs. That could’ve ended terribly. She felt like her skeleton was about to shake out of her body. But turns out, it wasn’t all that bad. That lady wasn’t all that bad, either. For sure, she expected her spine to be broken or her kneecaps twisted inside out. Nell was lucky that she was so understanding and felt bad for some down-on-her-luck corpo. Well, former corpo.
Nell gladly put out her cigarette and threw herself on her couch to take a long, long nap.
----------------------------------------
Nell’s slumber was light and unsettling, like the rest since her termination. She was plagued with images of her fellow board members sneering down at her and her hovel of an apartment. Not just them, either. Her former neighbors, her friends old and new; everybody turned their noses up and laughed, mocked, and spat out insult after insult. She could hardly take it, but at the same time she begged for her rightful punishment.
The next morning was like any other, waking up with an aching body pleading to be dulled. Drearily, she rose to her feet and stumbled to the kitchen for . . . something. She knew that cracking open another bottle certainly won’t help, but its coaxing melody ringing from the cabinet drew her in like a siren.
But, that decision would be brought to a standstill as a heavy knock came to the door, jolting her to jump. When she went to answer, she didn’t expect to see that same woman from yesterday standing there impatiently.
“Oh, er– Hey,” Nell croaked.
“Hey right back. Jeez, never changed, huh?” The woman commented. She pointed at Nell’s shirt, which was the same one she was wearing yesterday. And the weeks prior.
“This? Yeah, um . . .” Nell quickly diverted the conversation. “Why are you here again? I didn’t tick the neighbors off, right?”
“No! They’re pissy, but not to that extent,” she said with a chuckle. “Nah, I’m really here to take you out to breakfast, over at Soren’s.”
“. . . What?”
“I wanna chat,” Was her excuse. “And you look like somebody who needs it, after all. You smell like alcohol and curly fries have been your breakfast for the past week!”
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That wasn’t far off, Nell thought, but refrained from replying to save what little reputation she might’ve had left.
“So? You game?” Her neighbor offered. All the tension and toughness from the day before seemed to belong to a completely different person. Now, she was polite and personable– even charming.
“Um . . .”
Nell looked over her shoulder. Her barren kitchen begged her to take the offer. “Yeah, sure.”
Her neighbor grinned. “Neon. Need time to change, or–”
“Let’s just go,” Nell grumbled. She pushed past her before new questions could be asked. The woman chuckled and promptly went after her, matching Nell’s set gait with ease.
The two trotted down the stairs and out of the complex, getting spat out on the busy street of Richmond. Despite living here for the past six months, Nell hadn’t gotten a good look at the neighborhood, and frankly, she didn’t realize just how different it was to her old one. Instead of neat gilded roads and pedestrians wearing designer clothes, it was filled with potholes and gangers loaded with cyberware. Corporate ads that were once treated like artwork were defaced with crude scrawlings. Even the ambiance was a completely different tune despite being the same city Nell brushed it off before she could think too hard to try and keep up with the woman now miles ahead down the sidewalk.
“So . . . Why are you doing this? I don’t even know your name,” Nell admitted. She looked up at the woman out of the corner of her eye. The whole situation in general was . . . bizarre. Nell’s mind was riddled with uncertainty and doubt and demanded an answer.
“Like I said, you look like you need it,” the woman explained. “Best thing to get you out of a slump is none other than Soren’s Egg-n-Bake. Saved me once or thrice.”
“And . . ?” Nell couldn’t believe it. Something else had to be afoot.
The woman gave another small chuckle. “Never heard of love thy neighbor? Even if you might’ve been Satan in disguise, nobody should live in a shithole like yours. I felt bad. Plain and simple.”
“And to answer your second point, my name is Erica Normandy.” She held out her cybernetic hand. Nell glanced down at it tentatively. It was the same one that threatened her barely twenty-four hours ago. But instead of glinting menacingly in the harsh light of the complex, it now seemed warm and inviting under the scarce sunlight. Nell decided to take it and couldn’t help the shudder run up her spine from the unexpected chill of metal.
“I’m Nell Miller.”
“I knew that,” Erica said flatly. Nell quickly took her hand away and glanced off, embarrassed.
“Yeah, I, uh, forgot about that,” she mumbled. Erica flashed a smirk, but not one making fun of her; more so amused by the situation. Nell matched it with a small smile, probably the first in quite a long time. Erica’s attitude sure was infectious, that was certain.
It didn't take long for the two of them to arrive at Soren’s, as it was just a couple blocks down the street from their building. It was quite an interesting dive, at that. It was a flat cinder block covered head to toe in rows and rows of graffiti. Ranging from hurried signatures to full on murals, it was a vibrant flurry of color. Next to the only untouch part of the building, the door, was a bright neon sign reading “Soren’s” in twisting cursive.
Erica grabbed the door and ushered Nell inside. The interior was much the same as the exterior. It was covered head to toe in graffiti, but this time, there was much more decoration to pair with the eccentric paint job. Taxidermies, moving paintings, crystal chandeliers, and full on animatronics clung for purchase on the walls and dripped dangerously close to the heads of the patrons. Speaking of, even the customers were equally varied: Blue-collar workers coming in before they head to work, gangers sharing drinks while coated in blood, even some suits were coming in to get their to-go orders. They all were packed together like sardines to share in the one uniting factor Soren’s had to offer.
Nell was practically in a daze trying to take everything in. When her mind managed to discern one thing, it got distracted and puzzled by another. Erica grabbed Nell by her wrist, breaking her from her comatose state, and dragged her through the crowd in order to reach the bar. Luckily, there were two more seats left that the two quickly snatched up.
“Hey! We’ll get two Egg-n-Bakes!” Erica called over the bar. One of the cooks glanced up, brows furrowed.
“What?”
“Two Egg-n-Bakes!” Erica shouted, louder.
“WHAT?”
“SHE WANTS TWO EGG-N-BAKES!” Nell bellowed for her.
“Why didn’t you say so? Coming up!” The cook replied and turned his nose back to work.
“They need to invest in some damn Hear-Heards,” Erica huffed, shaking her head. “But thanks.”
“No problem,” Nell mumbled back. Once again, the two settled into an awkward silence traditional for two strangers-turned-acquaintances. Well, the sound of milling customers filled the air, but it didn’t stop the growing tension between the two as they picked their nails and tugged on their metal fingers.
Nell urged herself to speak. But, no words escaped.
To Nell’s dismay, Erica sat on her right side. With the condition that eye was in, she couldn’t sneak a glance to see how Erica was behaving. Was she nervous and awkward like her? Or was she at ease? Was she irritated and regretted dragging Nell along?
Erica cleared her throat. Nell snapped to attention.
“Did you actually do what the news said? Sell drugs, or something?”
That was the first time somebody actually asked Nell that question. Everyone jumped to their own conclusion, whether or not it was actually confirmed or denied. Not even buzzards with their endless questions ever asked that. It felt bizarrely refreshing even when the memory was stale from endless reflection.
“I . . . No, I didn’t. It was made up by God knows who.”
Erica seemed satisfied by that answer. Nell’s heart fluttered in relief.
“So, how’s retired life?” She inquired instead. She swiveled in her stool to face Nell.
“Shit.” Was Nell’s blunt reply.
“Really? Couldn’t tell,” Erica retorted in the same dry manner. However, there was an amused glint in her eye. “What I meant was . . . what’s got you down? Most people move on from that kinda thing after six months. The buzzards have, at least.”
Nell gave a rueful laugh. The list was practically endless. Does she have five hours cleared up?
“Y’know, people use words to speak, right? That means nothing.”
Nell heaved a heavy sigh to prepare herself.
“Waltaire was like my child. My pride and joy, that.” She idly traced a grease stain on the countertop. “I was one of the first investors to get it up and running, I was the one who helped it grow up. They probably wouldn’t even be here right now if it wasn’t for me.”
“Shit, really?” Erica awed in disbelief. Nell gravely nodded. She could recall with such ease the joy that came with the discovery of her newfound success.
The fresh wound of betrayal slashed right through it now.
“Yeah. I put everything I had into the company. Everything.”
She craved to go back to Waltaire, to the life she used to live. She wanted to know that her entire life wasn’t wasted on the one thing she defined it by.
But she knew it didn’t work like that.
Nell’s voice shook with grief. “Now I have to live with nothing. It’s what I deserve.”
Silence stretched between the two once more. Customers continued to eat. Cooks continued to cook. Soren’s continued operating, despite Nells’ confession.
“. . . So?”
Nell whipped around to face Erica in surprise. “W-What do you mean?”
Erica was staring down at Nell, a new fire lit in her eyes. “So what?”
“So what? I have nothing, Erica, I have nobody.” Nell said bitterly.
“You’re alive, aren’tcha? You got an apartment, which a lotta people can’t say they have.” She guffawed. “And you got me. At least to me, that’s something. And y’know what else?”
Nell lifted a brow, waiting.
“Nobody deserves anything. So what if you got some skeletons in the closet? So what if you’re broke? So what if you have ‘nothing?’ That doesn’t mean you’re dead! You’re still alive, Nell, and you still have a lot of it left!”
Nell’s head was suddenly forced to turn and face Erica as she grabbed her by the nape of her neck. The fire in her eyes flashed into a bright blaze. “I’m not about to let that go down the drain.”
“W-Well, what else do I do? Not like I can just get another gig at a corp!” Nell exclaimed. “My career is over. Done and gone.”
“Who said anything about corps?” Was Erica’s coy reply. Nell’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Ever heard of Fire Fighters?”
“The relics of a functioning bureaucracy?” Nell quipped.
“No. I mean the mercenaries that get hired by all hosts of folks.”
“Isn’t that illegal?”
“Was it back in ancient Greece? Rome? The Middle Ages? Any other time in recorded history? Besides, is anything illegal nowadays?”
Nell couldn’t help but huff a laugh. “Alright, you got a point. But wait . . . Are you saying you are one?”
“Got hired to deal with you, didn’t I?”
Suddenly that made all kinds of sense. If you wanted to deal with insolence, especially the kind Nell was making, you don’t send the smallest guy because he’s convenient– you send in the big guns. Would also explain why Erica was so aggressive, too.
“So? You wanna be one?”
“A Fire Fighter?” Nell leaned back, staring at her hands. She picked at a bit of flesh on her nail.
“Got nothing to lose. You really gonna rot away till the end of time?” Erica pressured.
Part of Nell agreed whole-heartedly with the latter part of Erica’s statement. At this point, it was game over; she was just waiting for the ending screen to load. What’s even the reason to try again? Just so she can lose again? Might as well just spend that time smoking, drinking, and staring at the ceiling until she passed out into the worst sleep of her life.
It’s what she’s been feeling for the past six months. So much so, it's become second nature.
But now, something’s different.
Now she didn’t have the same thought of guilt and self-loathing crowing in her ear or the walls pressing in on her till she cracked. Instead, she had Erica’s voice lulling her out with words of confident assurance. She saw Erica’s hand out-stretched, inviting her to escape the pit she dug herself into. She finally could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
For the first time in ages, hope was here. Weirdly enough, in the shape of a woman named Erica.
Nell wouldn’t let it go to waste. She was always an opportunist.
Smiling, she looked up at her ticket to a second chance. “Not anymore, I’m not.”
Erica matched Nell’s grin. “You busy tonight?”
“No, why?”
“No better time like the present to start.”