“Good to see you Jack! I’ll have your steak ready in a moment. Medium well done right?” I asked. The group that entered was a regular and the big man I just addressed gave me a wave while they took their customary seat. I generally reserve their preferred table during mid day since they come in almost every day. It makes them feel special and I get regular customers. Win-win situation right there.

“Yeah. Give me some extra gravy too. You never give me enough you bastard!” Jack jokingly shouted back while shaking his fist. His group was looking a bit peaked so I had one of the servidrones bring them some iced tea.

“You’re getting fat. I’m just looking out for you. Look, you could barely bend over. Any more and you’ll have to get MicroSmart shoes. Last time you tried tying your shoelaces you almost fell off your chair” I replied while seasoning a new slab of steak for the barbecue.

“I’m not fat! I’m just a little husky, is all.” He replied lamely while his friends around the table were laughing uproariously. One of them almost snorted out the tea he was drinking from laughing.

“Well, if you’re husky then I’m totally jacked then.” I flexed my non-existent biceps at them while jiggling my eyebrows. Another round of hilarity ensued with two more people doing the tea-snorting exercise. The conversation around the table devolved into a loud discussion on the benefits of making Jack lose weight while the object of the discussion defended his position of just being ‘husky’

Business was moving along briskly this afternoon and my hands were constantly moving. Even with my limited menu, people had taken a liking to the taste of my food. I’ve always been very thankful for my mother in introducing me to cooking early in my life. I don’t even know what I would have done if not being a cook somewhere. I can’t even imagine owning the hole-in-a-wall eatery I have now ten years ago.

I’ve been in business for a little bit more than four years and I’ve built good relations with the security groups around the area. Some people tend to get intimidated when visiting my eatery for the first time. I had to ask the men and women of my regular clientele to at least keep their various implements of their profession concealed while dining.

A delicious aroma started wafting around the dining room to the appreciation of the guests. The steaks I was currently working on are spiced with some of the best basil and rosemary that I could get from Hellion IV. It’s quite expensive even at small amounts but the taste it could produced when applied correctly makes it worth the money.

I might not generate as much money as the other eateries around the district but I still make a good living. I’ve enough to pay my bills and have something tucked away for savings and a night out once in a while.

As the afternoon progressed, small groups of people were coming in and out of my place and I did my best remembering people and greeted them with enthusiasm. Guests always appreciate it when they get good service and pleasant workers. Even if I get a surly customer I still try to be patient and understanding. People would say that I’m a people person and I try to live up to that reputation. Having a good reputation always helps out your business.

Finally it was quitting time and I flicked and ‘closed’ sign and served my few remaining customers. I normally serve something light for dinner time like soup and some low-calorie meals. I try not to get vat or infused meats for dinner time. Nobody really likes having a heavy stomach before sleeping. Well… most people.

It was ten thirty when I finally wore my jacket and locked the eatery with a packaged faulty servidrone for repairs tomorrow at hand. I live about four kilometers away so I normally get there in a couple of minutes. Gallant Street, the street where my eatery is located, is winding down too. It’s primarily a restaurant area so most people move to Hibiscus Street which is where most of the beers and tits establishments can be found.

I look a lungful of the night breeze and just stood there for the moment. I am tired but content. I had a good day and if the SecNet broadcast was any indicator, I’m going to have a better week coming up. Ceres will be hosting The Galactic Fighting Robots League finals this year and it will be held at the Agrippa Coliseum. My eatery is nowhere near the entertainment district but with the number of people projected to be attending the fight as well as the boost to tourism, a lot of people would be walking around Ceres for a couple of weeks. I bought streaming rights for an arm and a leg so that I could have an exclusive showing at my eatery. I just installed a huge vid screen at the main dining area and the event came at the right time. The tickets at my place were sold out after making a couple of calls to my favorite people. I gave first dibs to Allied Security and Gauntlet Protection Services. Jack and his group were good people and I felt him and his friends would appreciate being able to see the match without having to shell out for the streaming rights themselves. Of course, I’m expecting that they’ll be ordering food so they’ll still be spending some money but not as much if they have to get it themselves. I also gave a few tickets to some of other restaurateurs I’m friendly with. Never hurts to building relations with your peers.

Deciding that I would best spend my time ruminating at home, I called for a car on my ArmCom. I’m a couple of generations behind the newest model but the one currently strapped on my left forearm is still very much suited for my needs. New ArmComs are expensive so I tend to buy them when the prices are more modest. An older ArmCom would still last me a couple of years before it becomes too outdated.

My ArmCom beeped and informed me that the streets were busy due to a special event happening at a popular bar in the entertainment district so the nearest available car will arrive in ten minutes. I clicked on the ‘willing to wait’ option and just leaned on my eatery’s wall and relaxed.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Gallant Street is a nice place. All of the establishments in the area are all non-members of the Restaurateurs Guild. All of us are either too poor to pay for membership or just don’t want the hassle of being in a big group. In the interest of catering to a burgeoning interest in non-guild affiliated restaurants, Ceres reserved a couple of areas around the capital, Illustratum, for new and upcoming restaurant ventures. The guild has no problem with this because if these new places want to expand or franchise out, they would have to work with the guild. In fact, they promote us small guys because the sooner we become successful, the sooner we join the guild if we want to keep working in the food industry.

The eateries around the street are all small with about ten to fifteen tables in their dining rooms. We have our own association and decided to project a certain theme and feel to the place. Storefronts were all faced with faux brick walling and iron wrought workings grace the doorways and entrances. We eschewed the standard lighting fixture and paid for some Victorian-styled metal lamp posts. Of course they’re electric-powered lights but we chose a soft yellow hue and dimmed it a bit to give it that lamplighter feeling. The street is cobbled with imitation stones and trees in perpetual autumn colors line the middle thoroughfare. All the maintenance comes to a pretty penny but pooling our resources together, our small association can afford it. It also means that if your food doesn’t sell, you have to get out quick. Debt would be close behind. That’s why I’m so friendly to my customers and willing to buy better spices.

It was still a couple of minutes before my ride arrives so I decided to take a quick stroll around the block to stretch my legs a bit. I like walking and the night is so nice it would be a shame to waste it. I just passed a couple of eateries when I heard a soft cry coming out a corner.

Now, I’ve lived enough years to know that entering a dark alley, even in a nice place like this, in the middle of the night is stupid. This is not a setup for a great thriller novel or vid. This is real life. I have no plans in getting myself involved with anything going in there so I decided to walk by briskly planning to avoid looking in the alley. I’m a good person, I think, but no knight in shining armor so the best I could do is to re-strap my ArmCom on my right forearm and run the recording function. I’ll just steady my arm and hope I get a vid of nothing dastardly.

I was moving along almost passing the mouth of the dark alley when I heard another whimper. A whimper that sounded like it came from a child. A small girl.

Again, I’m not stupid but dammit, you just don’t walk away from a child in need, even if you’re not sure a child IS in need. I know I was going to regret my decision but I was committed.

I stopped on my tracks and got a good look in the alley. Though it was dark, I could still make out the form of what I suspect is a small child cowering down beside the wall while being surrounded by two adults. I could see another form on the ground and can guess that it’s also an adult. Probably dead or unconscious.

One of the adults who I think is a man had his back on me started reaching out for the trembling child. The little girl has the look of such horror on her face that it made me so angry somebody is causing her so much fear.

“Hey! What’re you guys doing?” I shouted. I was standing in the opening of the alley being illuminated by the street lights.

The man and the other shadow which turned out to be a tall, muscular woman quickly turned to face me. The little girl also looked at me and with a soft voice said,

“Please help me…”

The man gave the girl a kick making her tumble with a cry of pain. The large woman started running towards me. I could see that she was pulling something out of the jacket she was wearing. It doesn’t take a genius to know that it’s a weapon of some sort.

My earlier anger quickly dissolved and was replaced with dread. The last time was in a fight was when I was eight years old and that were just two kids slapping each other until they cried. The woman running towards me is not going to slap me. I was momentarily frozen as my body was wrestling with my fight or flight response. I know I am going to run as fast as my legs can carry me. I’ve always been a quick kid and I think I still retained some of my speed in my adulthood and could give these two a good chase before losing them. I hope.

Imagine my surprise when I stepped with my left leg in preparation for my pivot and run but I did something completely different. Cocking back with my right arm, I quickly threw the servidrone at the woman as hard as I can throw. It was a good throw. The spherical drone flew straight towards the surprised woman who tried to bring up her arms but was too slow. The drone smashed dead on her nose. I could see the spray of blood as her nose was crushed. Her head snapped back dropping her into a heap on the grimy pavement. 

I was still staring at the downed woman when I heard the curse of her partner. I almost died because of my inattention. The man was about to stab me when I turned to look at him. My involuntary step back from the violence coming approaching me saved my life. The swing missed my throat but the man was not done. He stepped forward and with his free left arm, grabbed the front of my jacket and pulled and threw me deeper in the alley. I ate pavement as I slammed on the ground face down. My body took most of the damage so my mental faculties were still functioning. I scrambled forward while making a quick glance back. The man was walking towards me, knife quite visible even with the limited light.

I tried to get up as quickly as I can but a snap kick to the face knocked me down. The entire left side of my face felt like it was on fire. I tried concentrating on getting up again and focusing on my attacker. My left eye was a bit blurry but I can still see him well.

“You stupid fucker. Didn’t your momma teach never to poke into the business of others?” He said. The man has a rough, gravely voice. I expected him to be angry but he sounded like he was talking about a vid he just watched.

I was sitting on the ground and tried to explain but the man’s right fist rocked me flat. He hit me again at the already swelling left side of my face and now blood is streaming down from a cut. My left eye was quickly closing and I’m in pain, dizzy, and nauseous.

“Acting like a hero but couldn’t do shit. Not so cool now are you?” The sinister voice said. I flipped over and tried crawling away since standing up is out of the question. I could barely concentrate on moving forward.

“The asshole is enjoying this.” I thought. He was taking his time breaking me apart piece by piece. A painful jolt and a snapping sound broke my concentration. Pain like none I’ve ever felt before exploded from my right leg. I screamed like the devil itself until something smashed on my face again. This time I could feel and hear my jaw breaking as I was momentarily stunned. I could hear or see nothing for a while. What I know if that pain has overcome my thoughts and I tried getting away from it. My body continued to crawl while I could hear something faintly droning on the background. At the back of my mind, it came to me that the man was still talking but I wasn’t hearing anything. I was in so much pain that nothing else registered. I kept crawling even when something slammed on my right ribs. I don’t know if I broke anything or if I screamed or not but continued to crawl until I came upon a soft, warm something. It felt good. I crawled until I embraced the soft, warm thing. Everything is hurting so much and I was slowly losing my consciousness.

“I’m going to die. This is it. I’ve always hoped to die in my sleep when the time came. This is so painful. Please let this pain end…” I thought. I was drifting away and in a moment of clarity was able to recognize that I was embracing the terrified girl who also has a shiner on her right eye. She was staring at me with a pleading face, tears streaking down on her cheeks. She grabbed my hands and was shaking in terror.

“I’m so sorry girl. I’m no fighter. I cook for a living. I hope you make it out of this.” I tried to project that thought and forced my face to at least give her a small smile. I have enough courage for that at least. I could hear fleshy thuds and guessed that the vicious man was still attacking my body. Good thing I couldn’t feel anything anymore.

The last thing I saw before I died was the man’s mouth still moving with his left hand holding my bloody head up by the hair. He was about to slit my throat when mercifully, I finally died.