“Maybe that wasn't a good idea. Some organizations are pretty crafty. They might be misusing your money.”
“You see, I'm not fool. I have all my investments checked. He's a brilliant man and as kind as they come.” Moriarty seemed all too confident in his words.
“Oh really. How can you be so sure?” Scarlet raised an eyebrow at the notion.
“Sometimes you can just tell. He moved here yesterday from a town far in the east. It would be a pleasure if I could introduce you to him. Perhaps the day after tomorrow but I'll warn you in advance he is remarkably shy. Not to brag but Anastasia was able to have a rather long chat with the lad.”
Scarlet smiled as his ever so posh voice. “That would be nice. But I have a few questions and a favor or two I was hoping you could help me with.”
“I'll do anything I can. If it weren't for all of you I wouldn't have anything to begin with.” Scarlet knew he was giving her too much credit. “I'm looking for someone. He's genetically augmented, the last time he was see he was six foot nine. I have his fingerprints and a few photos but I really don't think it will help. He's supposed to be extremely intelligent so he's changed his appearance without a doubt. All I really have is DNA and his last known height.”
“So you want me to make a checklist of all the people he can't be? I'll get everything and anything I can to look for him. Also while you're in town Anastasia wanted to spend some time with you if you have the time.”
“Well if you can help me find him I'll do just about anything.”
“Last thing I want to say is Morrie lives in the next town over. She said if you're ever around that you should drop by.”
A small smile spread across her face. She felt the sweet sting of memories.
“I’ll stop by. And thanks.” She knew this was going to be a long job.
She left and made her way to the slums. She watched the buildings shrink and become nothing more than big chicken coops.
She smirked the at kingdoms of trash. The drug lords had tried so hard to make something of themselves. The only thing they had left was information and information was power, the drug lords had to find some way to stay relevant.
They hadn't changed at all. Same old deals with a few face. Buildings made of trash and scraps were everywhere. Like grains of sand in a beach.
Scarlet looked around and eventually guessed just about where she once live. She kept her sharp eyes ready.
She looked at the people as they looked at her. She didn't look like she belonged. Scarlet walked to the door or perhaps is was a large window of the house. She knocked and smiled when the door slightly slid open.
She could see the makeshift lock on the door.
“What you want.” Hissed the raspy voice of an old woman.
“How much for the house?” Scarlet looked the building up and down as if she was impressed by its craftsmanship.
Scarlet doubted there was a single nail in the building. Mostly just sharp scraps slammed together with sap and rocks.
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“Who the hell said I was selling?” Scarlet knew she was interested.
If she wasn't she would have never of opened the door much less carry on with the conversation.
“How about two thousand marks and you walk out with whatever you want right now.”
The crooked toothless smile on her face told Scarlet all she needed to know. Scarlet was happy to know this was the biggest perches of her life.
The woman reached out watching with her hand ready. Her had was shaky and pale. Scarlet handed her the money and the door opened.
She pulled a cart along and snickered as she left. Scarlet looked around inside and made sure there was nothing worth stealing.
She shrugged and closed the door. She carved her name into the door and the date. She left a little warning and left to buy wood and steel for her home.
Scarlet could see a few people pick up her trail. She walked and before they knew it she was gone.
Scarlet spent an hour to get to a part of town here the wood wasn't scraps from old homes. Five security guards stood at the entrance to the lumber store. Scarlet looked around and looked up what was on sale.
She walked around for about an hour slowly collecting the parts she'd need for her new home. Once she got everything she needed she walked to the delivery trucks.
She looked for the meanest looking guy and walked over to him.
“Hey, how much to deliver at the flats.” His once stone cold expression became grim.
“Gosh, well how far in?” “Just about a mile.” Scarlet watched his lips flatline.
“How about two hundred?”
“Sure.” Scarlet helped him toss everything in the truck and smiled to herself.
She kept the tools she had just bought in her bag. Scarlet kept her eyes open as they sputtered along in the truck. Eyes were examining the truck wondering if they should try. Would the cargo be worth the risk.
“Left here.” Scarlet commanded.
They stopped and Scarlet pushed everything out of the back of the truck.
She passed him his payment and he hurried off. Scarlet looked around quickly and got to work. She could see a few children had began to stare at her.
They probably didn't know what she was doing. Scarlet shoveled garbage out of her home. She began to collect a gathering of children. They watched Scarlet slowly build the frame of a house and add steel plates to the outside.
When she finished she it the sky was getting dark. She tossed her sleeping bag on a makeshift bed frame and closed her steel plate that she called a door. She set up an alarm system and lay in bed.
She closed her eyes waiting for sleep to take her somewhere beautiful. She felt a warm breeze wash over her.
She looked back at the creatures that had spread across the world. She could hear the jets flying over her rain down artillery. The creatures leaped down from the building landing on people that were trying to run away. Scarlet turned to see one of them looking at her.
She sat up in bed and looked around in the darkness. She felt a chill run up her spine. She turn on her flashlight and looked for something to explain this sensation.
She grabbed hold of her necklace and closed here eyes. She woke and hugged her bed.
“That's it. I'm going to say hi to Morrie today.” Scarlet got out of bed and brushed her teeth. She looked out her door and could see a few more people that there should be in the area.
Scarlet locked most of her gear in a box. She unlocked the door and started walking away. She could see a few people had their eyes on her. She knew beyond a dough that someone would try to get into her home. She walked out of the slums and found what seemed to be a bus stop.
She sat down and only ten minutes later a bus arrived. She knew the windows were ballistic glass. The entire bus was made like a tank. Scarlet walked through the first pair of door and waited.
The doors locked behind her and a scanner checked her for weapons. She knew the scanner was too old to pick them up.
She walked in and paid the two marks. She took a seat near the front and waited. She pulled on the wire that let the driver know someone had to get off.
The bus slowly screeched to a stop and arrived at the drop off. Scarlet walked the rest of the way to the neighborhood Morrie lived in.
She looked at the massive fences that lined the homes. She noticed that the houses behind the fence didn't have dividing fences. She arrived at the gate and looked at the device that was recording her.
The black seemingly steel fences surrounded everything.