Ryker didn't get much sleep that night, yet when he woke up, he wasn't as tired as he thought he would be. He still woke up early and made it out of the orphanage in record time.

"Probably because I didn't have to deal with a strange new voice in my head," Ryker said under his breath.

Ryker was finishing up his time at the nearby internet café. He got there early to check if he had any messages. He also wanted to do some research on any super teams that needed members. There was actually an opening for the local Sentinels branch. The Sentinels were a nationwide team with different echelons and regions. The Reno Sentinels were a low-level team that only operated in the city. Although, they were part of a syndicate, and they did need a member. The team didn't have any information on tryouts or recruitment, so Ryker decided that he would check back to see if the website was updated or perhaps show up to see if he could get on the team, Spider-man Style.

Ryker didn't comment on the Spider-man line because he knew who that superhero was, even though it was old and outdated.

He did receive a response from the client he was emailed about the tracking job. They wanted him to start the next day, which was perfect for him since it gave him time to do some other things. He needed to do the two other jobs he picked up, so he had some money for the next week because the big job didn't pay until the end.

One of the jobs was a simple activity of locating a specific piece of jewelry in a number of pawn shops in the downtown area. It was a decorated gold ring that had an inset of a green star opal. It wasn't anything seriously rare or expensive. According to the requestor, it had sentimental value and finding it would get Ryker a hundred dollars. The quicker he found the ring, the more it would be worth the trouble.

Apparently, the person knew they were in one of the stores but didn't have the time to check them all. After mapping them out, Ryker felt confident that he could hit all the shops in a day if needed. Although, he didn't think he would need to go to every one.

Ryker looked through all the stores with websites and located those with more jewelry than other items, then read through reviews to find which offered more money. There was always a chance that whoever sold it went to the first store, but if it was him, he would at least try a few to see if he could get a better price.

Ryker also used his time to locate the nearest Circuit City to where he was going to be. Many of them were spread across the city, so it wasn't difficult. There was another store a mile away from the downtown area he was going to be in, and it was the closest one to the other store.

When he walked off the tram, it was at a station two stops from the one he usually got off on, but it was eerily the same in its layout. It almost looked like it even had the same graffiti, but Ryker never looked at that stuff, so he knew there was no way he could know that. At least, it almost looked like the same graffiti, until his power said that.

Ryker was hit with a strange sense of wrongness when he walked down the steps. He paused but then realized it was because he had gone from a familiar situation to a completely unfamiliar one. The streets where he exited were all situated closer together. He felt cramped as he walked to the road that he wanted.

When he arrived at the first store, its façade looked to mimic a castle; a poor, cheaply built castle, but a castle nonetheless. It was fitting since the store was called Castle Pawn and Jewelry. This store had the largest selection of jewelry, but it wasn't known for giving good deals. None were actually known for giving good deals, but the next store he would head to was a little better than this one.

Ryker didn't bother to pick his weapon up. It would just garner him some mistrust as he went about his search. Even without it, the man behind the counter only offered him a glare when he walked into the store. He was an older man, round in the middle and with only a copse of light wispy greys combed over on top. Around the man's protruding waste, he had a leather belt that looked like it would be worn by a cowboy straight out of the wild west. The only difference was the holster, augmented to hold a more modern pistol.

The air was thick with the smell of dust and stale cigarettes. The walls were painted a dingy gray. They were lined with shelves and racks of merchandise, all of it used and priced to sell. The floor was a checkered vinyl that shined with the fluorescent bulbs overhead. The faint sound of music played in the background, but Ryker couldn't determine what it was.

With a smile and a nod to the armed employee, Ryker went straight to the jewelry display. Seeing the man armed didn't bother him; it was common practice. When Ryker got to the jewelry case, the man slowly made his way over.

He was clearly upset for having to move from his comfortable spot, but Ryker didn't care. What Ryker didn't notice since he started to eyeball the cases right away was that the man flipped off the safety of his pistol as he approached.

The man didn't like the way Ryker sauntered into the store. To top it off, he didn't like his slightly too dark skin, which he didn't think fit with Ryker's more European features. The man thought he looked like an imposter. One of the people that are slowly trying to change the color of his part of the world until he is the minority, and everyone looks down on him.

"Do you know what's crazy?" Ryker asked the man. The man flinched, slightly taken aback by his abrupt question. Ryker didn't wait for the man to respond. "That in this day in age, where people have amazing powers that can control wind and fire, or see the future, that people can still be racist." Ryker stared at the man for a moment. "There was an undead army that marched on the nation's capital, and I don't think any of those people cared about another's skin then. With power like that, it's probably more important to be worried if someone has a dangerous superpower than to be bothered by their skin."

"Can I help you find anything?" The man said, his voice higher pitched than he thought it would be.

"I'm looking for a specific piece of jewelry. If I can't find it, I'll need you to check if you have it anywhere else."

"We ain't got nowhere else; all our stock is out."

Ryker nodded and went back to looking for the ring. While he wasn't looking, the man tried to slyly switch his safety back. Ryker smiled as he slowly continued looking. He made sure to take his time so he didn't accidentally go over the ring and not notice. He walked all the way around, looking at each piece, but didn't see the ring.

Ryker headed out with another nod to the old man. It wasn't returned. The next pawn shop was only two blocks away, and he walked purposefully over. The next one wasn't as decorative on the outside and also didn't possess a special name.

When he walked in, Ryker was treated to a similar situation as the first. Sitting comfortably to the side of the store was another attendant pulling double duty as a worker and security. It was common when everyone could carry openly. Businesses usually only needed extra security for the possibility of supers.

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The man wasn't quite as old or round as the previous guy. Although, he did have a frighteningly similar belt and holster. Ryker made sure to walk in the same way, but the man didn't seem to have a problem with him like in the other store. At least his power didn't mention it.

"So, stay on your toes, 'cause you never know," Ryker thought. He almost laughed aloud. He thought it was stupid to have an omnipotent superpower, but he wasn't omnipotent.

Ryker went about perusing the cases with the jewelry. He was halfway down the third case when he spotted the ring. Ryker retrieved his camera and took a few pictures, ensuring that the store's workers didn't know what item he was capturing. Surely, the person paying him for the information wouldn't appreciate it if the price jumped from the time he took the picture to whenever they showed up to get the ring.

With one job ninety percent done, Ryker walked briskly out of the office. All he had left to finish the job was to upload the picture and send it to the requestor, then they would put the funds into his account. He smiled to himself, glad that he had taken the time to do his research. He now had to decide if he wanted to head to the nearest Circuit City or do the other job he pulled from the Bounty Board.

The other job he grabbed and signed up for was package retrieval and delivery. There was a chance the delivery was for something illegal, but the jobs posted on the boards were usually legit. After a moment of consideration, Ryker went with the delivery job first. It wouldn't take long and didn't pay great, but every little bit helped. If he knew that the location job would have gone so quickly, he would have looked for another job to do.

The pickup for the second job was about a mile away. With his increasing physicality, Ryker could have easily jogged the entire way, but it was a lovely morning, and he had extra time, so he decided a pleasant stroll would suit him better.

He made it to the location in under fifteen minutes.

The spot was an unmarked door on the side of the building. Ryker entered and immediately stopped. He was inside a small room with an open, chest-high counter to his left. There was a door in front, but he didn't bother to give it a second look. His business was with the old man behind the counter.

The old man stared at him behind his rectangular spectacles. His concrete-colored hair contrasted starkly with his dark brown skin. He was waiting for Ryker to initiate the conversation.

Ryker handed the man his ID.

"I've signed up as a courier to transport the package…" Ryker had to look down on a piece of paper where he wrote the package number he signed up for. He told the man the string of numbers and letters he had written down, then the man checked it with his log.

The old man rummaged to his right for a moment, then placed a manilla package on the counter. The package was stretched to its limits, filled with either whatever he was transporting or its protective packaging inside. When Ryker picked it up, he could tell that it was a little of both. It had a good amount of weight but crunched a little under his grip.

Ryker had done plenty of courier work in the past. It was one of the best ways to earn a little bit extra cash in between jobs. The pay was less than a minimum wage job, but it would be good for padding his pocket if there wasn't enough time for a second job. Ryker had done it every chance he could when he first started going to the Bounty Boards.

"Time of pickup is 11:17 am. Delivery must be completed within three hours. It is your job to ensure the delivery is registered as complete. Although, after three hours, we will reach out to the customer to ensure it was completed. Failure to ensure completion status will result in docking of pay. Failure to deliver will result in the submission of your name to the proper authorities. Do you understand and accept?" The old man orated the information in the most bland and slow cadence possible.

Ryker nodded, and the man handed him a clipboard to sign. He understood what it meant to not complete the delivery. He also knew that the term of proper authorities was used loosely in the case of deliveries. First, they would call whoever set it up, and if it was a delivery request from someone with ties to a shadier side of the city, you might end up wishing they told the police.

After he signed for the package, Ryker stuffed it inside his backpack. Some people made a living off stealing the packages. If it was an expensive item, he could have people after him while he made the delivery; it would be the first time it happened.

When he was done, the man had a card displayed to Ryker. The card had the address where the package was to be delivered. He read it and thought about the roads and numbers. He did know where it was. If he was correct in his distance assumption, it was about five miles away. He considered running it to get a real test of his growing physical abilities. Although he was still close to the tram, and there was another stop near where he needed to go, he figured it would be best to save energy and not get sweaty.

After all, he still needed to go to Circuit City to see if he could get some help.

The card didn't have any additional information about his destination, so he assumed it was a standalone building and wouldn't have to search for a random room. He appreciated that.

"Do you know where it is?"

"Yes," Victor stated with a nod. The man didn't say anything else. He took away the card and slumped back in the seat.

Ryker took that as his cue that their transaction was over and stepped out of the tiny office. He looked around to make sure no one was watching and saw that it was clear. He didn't know what he was carrying, so he didn't think he could be too careful.

While he made the delivery, Ryker made sure to give every alley a wide berth, periodically check to see if he was being followed, and occasionally take unexpected turns. When he made it to the tram, he stepped on at the last moment, eyeballing everyone else that was getting on at the same time. That included those that arrived before he did. He stepped off first and moved out of the station quickly.

He followed the same procedures to get to his destination as he did while he was leaving the courier office. When he arrived, he was surprised to see a door very similar to the one where he picked up the package. When he entered, it was much different, though. The inside reminded him of a doctor's office with the low-sitting wide chairs lining the walls. A desk with an attractive African American woman on the phone was at the far end. When she saw Ryker enter, she hung up the phone and waved him over.

Their business was conducted quickly and efficiently. Ryker handed her the package, and she inspected it to make sure it was in serviceable condition. The woman turned on her computer and maneuvered through a few screens. Ryker saw as she logged that the package was delivered and on time. It had barely taken him forty-five minutes to deliver it. He still got paid for the three hours it was estimated to take, so it was nice to get the extra money.

He left the business feeling a lot safer than when he arrived. He didn't see any sign that he was being followed, nor did he feel threatened at any point. But he hadn't done a courier job in a while, and it made him nervous. He didn't think he would do any more of those unless it was absolutely necessary.

With nothing else to take care of, Ryker headed back to the tram and rode it back to the Circuit City he planned on going to. His tram ride was much more pleasant than the last one; he was able to relax and just enjoy looking at the city's vista as he traveled along. When he arrived, he exited the tram to the familiar layout of the many tram stations throughout the city. Although, when he headed down, he quickly noticed that the new area looked much nicer than both the last few exits, as well as his usual one.

Ryker paused and thought about the map he saw on the computer before setting out for the day. He had to remember the layout of the area so he could go in the correct direction to the store. He wished he could afford a Bracer so he would always have access to a map. He could just program addresses in, but in the earbuds and then let it direct him.

Ryker arrived at the Circuit City a short time later, and it was attached to a large upscale mall. The mall's parking lot had large palm trees growing throughout the area, providing shade for the luxury cars haphazardly parked all over. It was after lunch, so the crowd rushing around the mall to do quick shopping or heading to the food court was gone, yet there was still a healthy number of vehicles in the lot. Ryker just assumed it was the prerogative of the wealthy and affluent to be able to shop and relax at all hours of the day.

The Circuit City loomed over all like a giant red beacon to those wishing to spend money on the latest and greatest tech. Ryker rolled his eyes as he walked by the red concrete poles in front of the building's door. The door slid open as he approached, and he entered into a sight that was simultaneously similar and different.