Appa
The sight of Appa Industries' main building was nothing short of breathtaking. The sheer grandeur of Appa Industries' main building was enough to take one's breath away. Its silver-gilded facade soared towards the heavens, casting a long shadow over the city below. It stood tall and proud, as if purposely designed to taunt and belittle those who were not fortunate enough to call it their workplace. To the common folk, it was a symbol of opulence and excess, a stark reminder of the vast divide between the wealthy elite and the struggling masses. As rain cascaded down its gleaming exterior, tracing a path along the double-paned windows, the clouds above reflected off each droplet like tiny prisms and as the water flowed into its carefully crafted gutters and downspouts, it was almost as if crafted by the gods to spit on the poor. Case stood in front of the looming building, his heart pounding with anticipation and dread. He knew this should be an easy conversation with his father, something they had done countless times before. But for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that things were different now.
The constant sound of dress shoes filled the plaza, reminding him of the polished exterior of this place and its inhabitants. It made him feel like an imposter in his own city, surrounded by people who had never known hardship or struggle. And yet, as he looked around at the rain pouring down and the expensive vehicles starting up, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust. This was not the reality he had been living in for the past three weeks. The darkness lurking beneath the bright lights and neon signs of Centrallica was all too familiar to him, a stark contrast to the facade of wealth and success. His stomach churned at the memories that flooded his mind, but he pushed them away. There was no time to dwell on the past, his father had instilled in him a determination to always keep moving forward, no matter what obstacles came his way. But as he approached the revolving doors of the building, he felt weighed down by conflicting emotions - fear, resentment, and loyalty all battling for dominance within him. It was just another day in the life of Case Appa, caught between two worlds and trying desperately to hold onto both.
He stared at the puddles beneath his feet watching the water collect, his reflection rippling as every new drop hit it, a voice calling him from over his shoulder.
“Case?” A light feminine voice asked with concern.
Case snapped his head around in confusion.
A white petite woman stood looking up at him, her heels were black, her stockings tucked into the heels, her skirt was mid thigh length, a dress shirt tucked into the skirt, her red hair hung down the labels of her coat. He looked her up and down before sighing heavily.
“Did my father send you to find me Scarlet?” Case asked with frustration.
“No, I saw you from inside staring into the ground, so I came to check on you.”
“I’m fine, just have a lot on my mind lately, is my father in?”
“He should be, his meeting ended an hour ago, I don't have anything else on his schedule until two hours from now, why do you ask?”
“I need to see him, I need a favor.”
Case turned his head trying to avoid her eyes, Scarlet was sharp, there was a reason she was his fathers secretary, aside from the fact she was his father’s type she was also brilliant, his father had always had the motto of keeping women with brains around, his father often joked, that's why he married his mother.
“Ok, I’ll get you in to see him, but fair warning he might not be in a good mood, depending on how the meeting went” She said jokingly. Her heels clacked against the stones of the plaza, the rain splashed against the stiletto hitting the pavement, Case did not stray following her stride for stride, she reached into her purse scanning her badge on the security terminal.
“Scarlet Badgley, Identification verified, access granted” the terminal confirmed as she pulled her badge from the scanner.
The doors unlocked, Scarlet pushing the door open, light permeating from the inside, the walkway of the lobby shined, the neon tiles flipping between colors as they were stepped on, the air smelled of perfume and good cologne, walls followed the same color as the tiles on the floor, the first step they took turning the room green, the next turning the room blue. The room was dim aside from the tiles, he hurried behind her pressing the elevator button.
Case looked up at the numbers dropping, time slowed down, he felt like he was having palpitations. It’s not that he was terrified of his father, it’s more like he didn’t know him, his father was busy, he gave Case the best nannies and tutors money could be but never his attention, unless he was doing something that benefited the Appa name.
The elevator dinged, the doors opening slowly, Scarlet stepping in as they opened, swiping her badge, Case following suit, they climbed, floor after floor, his anxiety grew. The metallic shine of the walls felt like they were closing in on him, Appa heavy weaponry written on the walls of the elevator, he couldn’t catch his breath, the sight of Rissa’s blood splattering on the wall replayed in his head, he swallowed his vomit, the smell of gunpowder came across his nose once more, the sound of shells hitting asphalt from the machine guns his family produced, he doubled over putting his hands on the wall. He didn’t know where to even begin on how to accomplish the favor Nat had asked for, he didn’t want to be involved, he only wanted a night out with the boys.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Now arriving at the 99th floor” the terminal chirped as the doors opened. He collected himself pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Scarlet reaching her hand out to help him gather himself, she fixed his tie setting it straight, there were two large doors, a small desk off to the left a small lamp and terminal on that desk, a window and bathroom across from the desk, it was still raining, she walked behind the desk sitting and pressing the call button.
“Mr.Appa your son is here to see you” She said over the holocom. The room was silent, no response came, Case swallowed hard.
“Send him in” The voice kicked in over the holo. Scarlet nodded to Case, he gripped the door handles, the gold gilded knobs had the letter A monogrammed across them.
He stared at them, pulling them to swing the door wide.
The room was dimly lit, the room was full of windows, a desk stood in the center, a fire raged in the corner on a table top firepit, bookshelves lined the back wall of the room, and a stout leather chair behind the desk. He walked towards the window staring out over the city, the view was stunning the Hovercar’s sped by beneath them, racing each other into the rain, the city skyline stretching out, the rain had stopped the moons peaking through the clouds. A glass clanked behind him, Case peaked in the reflection to see two glasses of scotch sitting on the table ice floating in them, the condensation on the outside of the glass his father with his hand outstretched towards him, signaling for him to sit. Case knew better than to argue, he walked over grabbing the glass from the table and sitting on the couches that were lined up by the fire. He turned the cup in his hands nervously, he had never been in his fathers office the furthest he had been was the testing area for research and development on the 50th floor.
His father a tall blonde man, his beard was full, thick, his suit was one of a kind tailored, ready made to order, his pale skin and freckled hand stretching out from the cuff of the silk dress shirt, the rings on his hands shined, the rubies in them were immaculate. He struggled to meet his gaze, finally his father sighed, while sipping the drink.
“Why are you here?” His father asked with a stern tone.
“I need a favor,” Case said as his voice cracked.
“You didn’t get some street whore pregnant did you?” His father let out a boisterous laugh.
“That’s not it, I want to use your intel team to look into something.”
“What exactly are you looking into?”
“I want to know if there's any recent dealings with any nobility and mercenary groups.”
The air grew still, the aura of the room changed, his father was no longer smiling, his smile twisting into a staunch look as he glared at his son, Case’s eyes met his. He gulped.
“Why do you need to know that Case?” He asked, gripping the glass.
“ One of my friends suffered an accident and I’m trying to see who is responsible.”
“I’ve heard news of that hoodrat girl who you associated with was gunned down in the lower sections, tragic.”
“Don’t talk about her that way, she was my friend.”
“I’ve let this go on long enough, those inferiors are not your friends, I left you to your own devices, because a man should learn from his experiences, but you will never call those lowers your friends.”
“Lowers? They are people!”
“They are not people, they are livestock, they exist for us, they are not for you to get upset about, you're an Appa man, get over this and move on.”
“Why are you fighting me so hard on this, I never ask you for anything, every decision you’ve made for me in my life I have just gone with, without ever fighting it, my college you picked it, you tailored everything in my life for me, why can’t I at least pick my friends?”
“You’re not getting my point so let me make this clear, do not look into this any further, I am not discussing this.”
Case had never seen his father this angry, Nat was right something was off he thought to himself. Case stood silently walking over to the liquor cabinet, rinsing out his cup, a drive sat on the edge of his fathers desk, he bent over to tie his shoe, bumping the desk, the drive falling and hitting the floor. He stepped on it dragging it under his foot, he bent down to tie the other shoe sliding the drive into his pocket as he stood.
He had to pull the performance home, he hastened his pace towards the door in a huff, his anger performance had to fit, his father was too shrewd. He stomped his feet on the way to the door as he pushed his way through them, his heart beating loudly it felt as if it was coming out of his chest. He hurried to the elevator pressing the lobby button, the doors began closing slowly, he let out the air he had been holding.
“Holo call Nat” He said while trying to catch his breath.
The holo rang slowly, the first ring went unanswered, the second ring the hololine clicked over.
“Yo?” Nat said cautiously.
“Nat..,” Case said, breathing hard.
“What happened?” Nat asked nervously.
“I think you were right, something is off and I think my dad has something to do with it, or at least he knows about it, we need to meet.”
“Meet me in the lower districts at the diner on 7th, I have something I need to tell you too and watch your ass man I’ll see you there.”
The line clicked dead, Case stared into the reflection of the Appa logo in the metal, his sweat ran down his neck. What was on this drive, should he really be sticking his neck out further? This was essentially betraying the family wasn’t it? The questions raced in his head, he pushed them to the back of his mind, one thing’s for sure, there was no turning back, by hook or crook he would have to see it through, until the bitter end.