Rainy nights were a blessing in the city, though the first rain often carried acid due to high pollution levels, and direct contact with it could lead to respiratory and skin diseases.
As a kid, I didn't know that and also had no other option other than to do my deliveries under the rain with no protection. Even though it didn't taste or smell good because of the sulfur, I would still have fun speeding up in a pool of water just to see it splash on the snobs from downtown.
Despite all the bad side effects, natural rain was still good for the city. The rain washed the chemicals from the air, making it more breathable, and for a while, people could remove their masks—those who didn't have them attached to their faces—to feel the wind against their skin.
I thought about having mine implanted, but then I wouldn't be able to kiss anyone again…
Outside the slum station, I was happily breathing the cold, humid air after I took mine off. It had been a while since I'd done that in public.
Oddly, the main street was empty. No drunks, peddlers, or cops—it was like a ghost street. No cars, no sound of people arguing, no muffled music coming from the strip clubs, just the sound of my boots against the ground.
Looking up at the 18-story buildings with thousands and thousands of dark squares covered in bars was odd. Usually, the slums were brightest at this hour, but tonight it looked like no one lived there.
As I walked further into the concrete maze, I knew something was up. The Trinity's eyes weren't on their usual alleys, and all the doors were closed. Only silence was out in the slum.
Something was happening.
The narrow alleys, cramped by the close proximity of buildings, seemed almost designed to enable illegal activities. Usually bustling with people coming and going, synthetic prostitutes working, and Trinity dealers on every corner, they now stood empty.
In the back of my mind, I had the vague memory of this haunting emptiness. A few years ago I remembered seeing something like that, but not what caused it.
Walking by the dumpsters on the side of my building, a loud noise coming from above made me shrink and cover my head.
Gunshot. After the first one, a scurry of fire came from the buildings around me. Once it started, it kept going non-stop. It sounded like a war, bright lights slicing the air above me in all directions, but I couldn't see the shooters.
Looking for cover, I hid between some dumpsters. My house was just one left turn away.
Carefully, I put my head out to take a peek above the metal boxes and into the small yard surrounded by apartments on all sides.
On the ground, I couldn't see anyone.
The apartment's stairs were built in front of the building, totally visible from the outside but with zero lighting. I scanned them to see if I could spot whoever was shooting but had no success.
As I couldn't be sure if the coast was clear for me to move, I waited for the shooting to stop.
To get more cover, I decided to push one dumpster closer to the edge of the alley. I would have to cross a corridor to enter my building, but then I would be completely exposed to the yard.
Shots were fired for a minute more, and I saw some come out of the staircase in my building. A second later, a body dropped by the main entrance. I heard bones break and peeked to find a Force agent using combat armor.
What are they doing here?! A red alert sounded in my brain.
I had to get to my apartment immediately, but I couldn't go up the stairs. There were 15 floors and fuck knows how many agents on the way.
The fire escape.
Climbing the safety stairs was my only option. Ironically, it wasn't safe at all—it was just a metal ladder attached to the wall on the back of the building. Covered by the night and the rain, it would be the fastest way in.
As I pushed the large metal dumpster to block the alley behind my building, the shots paused.
"This is our land! You dirty pigs are gonna die here!"
As they resumed, it got intense and now right above me.
What were the cops doing here when the City Tower was surrounded by rebels of the Mask? They should be there securing the Mayor, not fighting the Trinity in the middle of the slum.
There was literally no chance of winning in our territory—unless they knew something.
The Force's presence in my neighborhood made me ten times more nervous. My palms began to sweat, and I jumped on some boxes and a lettering to get to the objective.
Climbing cold metal ladders with slippery hands wasn't my favorite activity. Amazing how things can shift meaning under new perspectives—earlier the rain was a blessing, but in my current adventurous situation, it made me regret being born.
Fucking pigs, always in the way.
On the other side of the building, the fight was intense. Below me, I could hear Trinity members running to circle the cops.
I kept my pace steady, leaving the outside chaos away from my thoughts until the gunshots turned into a steady rhythm that pushed me up.
The higher I got, the louder I could hear the shots, until it became one pistol coming from my building.
From the main stairs, you couldn't see the back. The apartments were centered in the middle of the floor, circled by a narrow corridor. My place was on the opposite side of the fight, right in a blind spot—for that I was grateful.
As I reached my floor, the pistol sound got clear and loud.
Still on the ladder, I could see the silhouette of a person aiming down at the other end of the corridor.
If I was quick, I wouldn't be seen.
Holding tight to the metal bars, I waited again for the right moment to move. From that distance, I couldn't see if it was a cop or a Trinity member—and it wouldn't make a difference. In the heat of the moment, either one would shoot me.
At least the rain stopped pouring on my head, letting me hear a bit better. The person was talking to someone.
"Force Command, they have entered my building."
Shit!