“Welcome to the GREATEST MEGACITY IN THE WORLD!*
Experience the astounding architecture, rich history and urban technological advancements only seen in our wonderful megacity! […]
[…] Although Nova York is highly monitored and numerous in corpo-police forces, there are still dangers that our awesome visitors should be aware of. Firstly, the number one cause of death among Nova York tourists is venturing into gang-related areas. We advise sticking to well-traveled and public places. Your safety is our priority, so with caution (and a little common sense) your visit will surely be both exciting and secure. […]
*All views present in the text above are based on marketing assertions and may not reflect objective reality.”
— Excerpt from the Nova York Tourism Center Brochure, 2489 Edition
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Even though the Sun was supposed to be at its zenith, it was the high skyscrapers that made the backdrop of Nova York shine bright even in the middle of the day.
All the surface of such a tall building was an investment. Companies and entertainment networks used the walls of the corporate architecture to promote their new product or a new single by a well-known artist.
I even noticed more than a couple of advertisements for adult toys. That had to be somehow against the law, right?
I did pass by a couple of children on these streets after all.
The further I went with Rin, the less people I saw. The streets turned into alleyways and overhead all I was able to notice were neon signs flashing on projected holo screens.
Is this what’s called a city’s ‘underbelly’? If so, then I would certainly needn’t fear being ambushed by Fran-Mili around here. What I would need to be cautious of, however, is being ambushed by everyone else instead.
I saw at least a couple of people eyeing Rin and I oddly, though I think Rin’s massive gun holstered on her hip scared them away.
Should I also go for something this show-y? Or something more subtle, which would be easier to hide?
“Where are we going exactly?” I asked Rin as we stepped over another puddle of a strange-looking liquid.
“To Mandy’s. She’s got the goods. For cheap too.” Since we started our walk, Rin changed the gum she was chewing to something much different. It was a liquid cigarette. With a quick bioscan of the smoke I was able to tell that it was supposed to taste like pineapple. The smell did not really match that assessment.
“Does she have HPP rifles?” I asked, hoping that the answer was yes. That was the type of gun I had the most experience with, and even though I knew how to handle most of the officially categorized weaponry, HPP rifles had a kick to them that I knew I was going to enjoy.
Going through the available memories of my time as a non-sentient synthoid made me realize that some things did make me feel a certain way, apparently.
After I asked my question, Rin looked at me like I was stupid. At least, that’s what I thought that expression meant. My facial expression recognition software - which was a mouthful, so I should shorten it to something like FERS to save up my processing power - concluded that Rin’s primary feelings when looking at me right now were disbelief and disdain.
“Of course she does. She has everything. But why would you need that crap? It’s overpowered and much too expensive for day-to-day use. You should stick with resonance-powered guns like my own baby,” she patted her holstered gun with gentle care and continued, “or something neutronium-based since you’re a synth.”
I listened to Rin’s advice and found it to be an intelligent one.
“I see. You have any recommendations?” I asked as we turned right. Now, the alleyway almost turned to a sewer, that’s how much tighter and wetter it became.
Just where were we going?
“I do, but first let’s see what’s at Mandy’s. Good stuff might be out of stock this time of the week.” She said as she went before me. It’s gotten far too tight to walk alongside someone comfortably.
“Are we getting closer?” I asked. Not that I was getting impatient, but this setting looked more and more dangerous. Enclosed space? Check. No people around? Check. Suspicious activity in the windows above? Check.
I strained my hearing and quickly scanned above us. I was able to see at least two silhouettes slowly following behind us through the building on both sides of this tight alleyway.
“We’re very close. It’s right behind the corner.” With that, Rin turned and I with her. The suspicious people stopped following us. I decided to share the news with Rin.
“We were followed by someone in the buildings above.” I said and waited for Rin’s reaction. It was much more subdued than I anticipated.
“Oh, right. I forgot to mention that this is a gang territory. It’s obvious we’re gonna be followed.” She casually mentioned. I did a quick scan of my social protocols and found no mention of what to do with gangs. I had to rely on Rin for advice. How strange.
“And it’s safe?” I asked as Rin suddenly turned and knocked on doors that were barely visible to a naked eye.
“Yep. The Hotshots and I have a deal. We’re good.” The doors opened, and a bright interior was revealed. Rin stepped in and I followed.
For a second, I wondered if I should trust Rin, as this area of the city was undoubtedly sketchy, but then I remembered Moose’s and Gabriel’s attitude towards her.
They weren’t arguing in most of the conversations I was able to find the three in, although it looked like it, but they were bickering. They were friends. If Gabriel trusted Rin, then I shouldn’t be afraid of being betrayed. Hopefully. The day was still young. I kept my body in a combat-ready state.
“Rin! What’s up, girl! I missed you!” A woman around Rin’s age came from behind a small counter. The whole room, although bright, was relatively small. So small, I was able to touch both walls if I were to outstretch my arms.
I wasn’t sure how this was supposed to be a firearms store, but then I got a priority notification regarding doors that were situated behind the small counter.
They were lined with lead. As were the walls near them. Someone definitely didn’t want anyone else knowing what was behind them.
“I missed you too, Blue! I heard you got engaged! Now, is that true?” As the girl and Rin hugged, and started to talk animatedly with each other about the other’s apparent engagement, I decided to check that girl named ‘Blue’ out. I wondered who ‘Mandy’ was then.
Even though the clothes she wore, that is a skirt and t-shirt with a picture of a cat, didn’t cover a lot of her body, I was able to notice a slight bulge on her thigh. She was carrying a weapon of some kind. I also noticed a tattoo, well hidden on the back of her neck. I enhanced the image of it, and it showed a shotgun slug with a pink ribbon tied around it. What a baffling image.
I also did a quick bioscan to assess her cybernetics and was surprised to find out that the girl had a whole cybernetic arm, but also augmented eyesight. That was usually a build for someone that handled a lot of gunfire.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
She didn’t have the build of a soldier, though.
“And who is this handsome hunk of meat? Your new girl?” The girl named Blue turned her attention towards me, as the conversation between her and Rin slowed down.
“What? No. She’s just some noob that I’m babysitting. We’re actually here to get her a gun.” Rin answered.
I wasn’t sure what I should feel, if anything. They spoke in a way not familiar to what I was used to. Maybe that was this ‘slang’ that I read about in my social protocols.
Should I use some slang words as well? To fit in? Or maybe I should clarify that I was definitely not a hunk of meat. Unless you meant a synthetic one that is.
“Hello. I would like to purchase a gun, please.” I decided to just go with my standard speech protocols. I could edit them some other time.
“Where did you get this one from? She sounds like a corpo.” Blue - which I was not certain was her legal name - stage-whispered to Rin. “Is she safe?” Then she whispered even quieter so a non-augmented human wouldn’t hear it.
“She’s fine, like Gabby. But it’s a whole story with this one. I’ll tell you some other time.” Rin shook her head and said, “Could we go in the back? She wants a gun and I told her this was the best place in the city to get one.”
“Of course! Follow me.” Blue said as she started to walk behind the counter. Rin followed her and I followed Rin.
Blue wrote down some code onto the datapad that was set deep into the wall near the door and then the passageway opened.
As we stepped inside, I was greeted with rows upon rows of firearms. Small guns, big guns, and guns that I was surprised to see outside a military facility lined the walls.
There was an entire section for neutronium-based weaponry right alongside a big cabinet filled with all kinds of bullets. I saw some incendiary ones and I knew that I would certainly need those. For what, I wasn’t sure yet, but it never hurt to have something that could cause a fire. It was a great tool for either making someone come out of hiding or to stir up chaos after all.
“I will never get tired of this view.” Next to me, Rin gave a sigh in what I guessed was contentment. I agreed with her assessment.
Guns were wonderful, especially if there were so many in one place and I didn’t need to be scared of being shot by one of them.
“Yep. It’s neat.” Blue said as she stepped deeper into this big room. It had to be at least a couple of meters long. “So, was there anything specific you wanted?” She turned to me and looked me up and down. “A rifle perhaps?” She asked.
Before I was able to say anything, Rin spoke up for me.
“Don’t listen to what she has to say. Just show us the neutronium-based handguns and rifles.”
Blue didn’t look surprised at Rin’s attitude or didn’t even question her. She just said, “Roger that, girl!”, and started to walk towards the end of the room.
I followed the two of them. What else was I supposed to do?
“Here we go! All of this,” Blue gestured at two racks that were wide enough to fit a sniper rifle horizontally. “Is neutronium-based. Take a look.” She started to open the cabinets and lockers where the firearms were held.
Compared to the rest of the arsenal in this backroom, this wasn’t a lot, but I was not surprised since neutronium-based weaponry was top-of-the-line. With that thought, I wondered how I was going to afford a simple neutronium-based handgun. I’ve never bought anything except the clothes I was wearing, so I had no idea how much a standard gun cost.
“Before we begin,” I started to say, “I would like to know what I can buy on a four hundred chips budget.” That’s how much money I had left.
Blue paused opening a rifle box and looked pointedly at my companion.
“That’s how much you got?” Rin glanced at me through her hair, which had fallen from her bun and slightly covered her eyes.
I nodded that, yes, that’s how much money I had.
I worried that I would not be able to afford a firearm. That would certainly put me out and probably not look good for Rin, since I was the one she introduced to this gun merchant. I checked my social protocols, and it wasn’t a good look for her.
“Alright.” With that word, Rin sighed heavily and closed her eyes for four seconds. “I think we should look at gunpowder-based guns, then.” She looked at Blue and said, “Sorry.”
“No problem. We still have a great selection for such a low budget.” Even though the girl’s smile didn’t waver, the force with which she closed the box left me with no doubt that she was displeased.
I guess she hoped for making more money than lousy four hundred chips.
We moved towards the entrance and near it were multiple cabinets filled with classic looking guns and rifles.
Some were almost too old to be functional, I wagered.
“These might be worse in quality than the neutronium-based guns, but they will still kill a human being.” Blue started the process of opening the boxes again.
Even though they weren’t what I dreamed of owning, I could still appreciate their simplicity. It usually meant ease of maintenance and reliability if one knew how to take care of them.
I looked around the couple of boxes that Blue opened, and I was able to recognize most of these weapons. Among them, the ones that made me most curious were Colt Nova 9 which was a gun based on a classic revolver archetype. It would definitely have a lot of power behind it and could easily penetrate lower-grade synthcotton. What it lacked was the magazine size. I would have to be precise and conservative with my shots.
There was also a M7 Carbine which was a rifle of sleek build and great utility. It was able to easily connect to the user's optical augments if they had any, and calibrate a shot with a high level of precision. It was also capable of turning into a sniper rifle if one had proper parts. The downside of this one was that it was in the lower range of power and didn’t pack as much of a punch as the Colt Nova 9.
I asked Blue about the prices of each one of them.
“Good choices!” She almost sounded surprised. I glanced at Rin and noticed a similar expression. “Well, the Colt costs 290 chips and the M7 is 380. I know that the second one is a bit close to the budget, but I’m able to offer a small discount based on the referral from such an esteemed client of ours!” She gestured grandly at Rin who seemed to preen under the attention.
I considered my options and the M7 looked to be the best choice. Not only was it modular and definitely more flexible in combat, but I was offered a discount. That certainly made the purchase more inviting.
“You know what?” Rin asked out of the blue, but I was sure that wasn’t a real question. “If you get the rifle, I’ll get you the Colt.” She offered.
I was surprised. She didn’t seem like a person capable of such a charitable action.
I raised my brow in question instead of speaking out loud. I had to practice non-verbal communication. Apparently, it made most of the way people communicated with one another.
“In exchange!” She exclaimed after a long pause. “For weaving your part of the payment for the contract I told you about.” She finished speaking and looked at me, awaiting my decision.
She meant the contract I was supposed to shadow her on. It seemed like a good deal, although I wasn’t sure if the payment for the contract would be bigger than what the Colt cost. On the other hand, I might need the other gun outside the rifle in a surprise combat and I would also get into Rin’s good graces. Probably, that is.
Considering all of those factors, I agreed.
“Alright. I’ll take you up on the offer, and I’ll get that M7.” I finished with a nod to Blue.
“Great! Another satisfied customer.” She clasped her hands and took out the M7 and the Colt out of the cases. “As with every purchase, we will provide two magazines for both the gun and the rifle. In exchange for a great review!” With that, a notification appeared in my ocular implant. It was regarding the review Blue mentioned. I was supposed to decide on a rating between 1 and 10, as well as leave a brief comment about my experience.
The review was on a website called ‘Vendora’ and there were so many advertisements popping out that I almost lost the view of the window I was supposed to put my review in, but ultimately, I managed just fine. I left them a nine-star rating because the path to get there was much more treacherous and suspicious than I liked. In the end my short comment looked like this,
“Great assortment and service. Questionable location.”
Which seemed to me to be genuine and fair.
After I sent the review, as Blue, Rin and I were walking towards the counter in the front room, I got another notification from Blue thanking me for the review and asking for payment of 360 chips, which was after the discount Blue mentioned before.
We reached the counter and Blue slid the weapons towards me. The rifle was in a dark acrylic box since apparently walking around with a rifle hanging from your shoulder was considered illegal, but having a Colt stuck on my belt was just fine. Strange laws.
“Here’s your purchase and additional ammo.” Blue handed me a bag with the magazines and I thanked her.
I left the store and Rin followed later since she had to say goodbye to Blue.
As we stepped onto a suspicious looking alleyway once more, Rin turned to me and said,
“Now that’s over with, don’t you have something to say to me?” She looked at me with a scowl marring her face. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say, but with a quick cross-examination of popular media dialog I was able to deduce she meant that I needed to thank her.
“Thank you.” I said and Rin instantly brightened, although her brows were still scrunched up together. Maybe that was just her face?
“Great! So, we’re taking a cab, I’m guessin’?” She asked and I nodded.
No way was I going to get myself into the tube of pain ever again.