78Chapter Two: City of Greed
Bing!
Slowly, the elevator doors creak open, accompanied by a slight chime as if it were telling its occupants to get out. As the trio exits and the doors slide closed behind them, a moment of silence follows as they scout the room the room they were now currently occupying. That silence proved to be fleeting, as it was quickly broken up.
"Siro...what the hell was that back there?"
Hands in his pockets, he breaks from his stride to look over his right shoulder, only finding himself perplexed at the less than thrilled look Sagiri happened to be wearing on her face.
"Wait, what was what? I didn't even do anything."
"You didn't forget when I said that you leading was fine as long as Seth and I got to name the squad, did you?"
Scratching the back of his head, Siro's confusion gradually gives way to the realization of why she was wound up all of a sudden. She'd given Siro the rundown on how they had to make sure they didn't wind up being seen as some kind of joke or the laughing stock of not just the city, but the game itself before they registered. Her whole reasoning was about how nobody was going to want to work together with them, or align with them on common ground if they weren't taken seriously or respected by anybody in there. And even though the whole production group running things were supposed to be entirely impartial, Sagiri didn't fully trust them not to indirectly get them unwanted attention if they had no interest.
"Okay, okay, look. I know you wanted to do the whole 'Triple Threat' thing because we have that short, medium, and long range bit going for us, and that's cool, but I just wanted to improve it a bit. I mean, it makes sense since our names all start with 'S', and the 'Threat' part's implied, so it's like saying we're all threats too. It just came to me, okay?"
Her arms now crossed in reaction, she looks up at the ceiling and lets out an exasperated sigh while Seth simply takes a pair of quiet steps to the side. His smirk being far from lost on either the leader, or the young woman in front of him who may or may not have needed to refocus her priorities.
"So you thought if you made it into a bad play on words, you'd sound clever? Oh for the love of...listen, Siro. If we're not on the same page all the time, we're going to get eaten alive in there. Hell, maybe literally for all I know. You can't just impulsively change things up without letting us know if-"
"You lecturing somebody for being impulsive? Damn, that's a new one." Seth slipped out, unable to resist the opportunity.
"...I'm letting that slide, Seth, don't interrupt me." Sagiri shot back sharply. "Like I was saying, I get that it's not dangerous right now, but we're risking our lives just by going in there. If you're thinking of doing some stupid shit, let us know first so we can talk you out of it."
A deep breath and a quiet 'sorry' escapes him as Siro finds himself unable to resist looking slightly downwards while he walks towards the newly spotted metal door across from the elevator. The room itself was rather small and empty, devoid of both other people and the weapons they'd brought with them. Although it seemed slightly odd to him at first, with how many people there had been accompanying them before they were even on the actual site, it was likely just a connecting point between the elevator and the city entrance. This suspicion was further supported when he noticed a button with a rather easily understandable 'press for access' sign above it in more different languages than any of the trio was familiar with.
"Since apparently I need to get my thoughts and plans out more clearly, I'm pressing the button to get through here and want you guys to follow me." Taking a page from Seth's book as he does so, Siro motions the other two over before pressing the button. Even though he noticed Sagiri was trying her hardest not to just tell him 'fuck you', at least he knew that she could tell he got her point. At least, that was what he told himself as a buzzer went off and she went through the newly unlocked door ahead of him before he'd finished even opening it.
What followed was a more fortified looking room with solid steel sliding doors accompanied by some kind of flip switch on the far wall across from them. Siro could spot what looked like their weapons on some sort of modified luggage claim not too different from those sort of things you'd see at airports, albeit on a smaller scale. There still appeared to be no one in sight besides the three of them, giving off an oddly oppressive atmosphere of sorts. He could feel his stomach clench and tighten a little as the faint sounds outside of the door filled his ears, and a slight smell that reminded him of a mix of gunpowder and smoke seeped in. Looking back, he could tell Sagiri and Seth noticed it too. As Siro slowly picked up his rifle and his hammer, the realization once again came to him that as soon as they went through those doors they'd be inside the city, and every hour might as well be a roll of the dice.
Looking over to his right, he saw Seth displaying almost a scowl of disappointment after picking up and examining his beretta. Momentarily pausing before deciding to ignore the less than subtle complaints about the staff 'scratching up his pistol' that his normally sarcastic comrade was muttering, Siro turns his attention to a now silent Sagiri. The amount of focus she had as she went over each of her kunai one by one just in case they'd received even the slightest hint of a scratch or dent on the way down was almost disturbing. Sure, he knew that she was just being thorough, but the way that her gaze fell over them as she checked wasn't something Siro had seen before. It was almost as if she was checking them like they were her children. Her oh-so-slightly sharp and dangerous children. Not that he'd ever be stupid enough to say it, of course.
Biting his lip so hard that he has to stop from drawing blood, he takes a step towards the door to their left as whatever knot had been in his stomach felt like it'd progressed all the way up to his chest. With a glance backwards to ensure they'd grabbed everything that the three of them brought with them, Siro jerks his head towards the door and steels himself.
"Hey...are you guys ready?"
Adjusting the hood on his faded blue sweater, Seth playfully pats Siro on the left shoulder and lets out a (possibly semi-forced) laugh.
"Come on man, it's us, you know we're good to go. We're more worried about you being ready. Otherwise I would've flipped that thing and let that alarm you forgot to notice snap you out of your daydreaming earlier."
Unable to help from smiling a little, with his arm extended to pull down the switch, he turns to his right to make eye contact with Sagiri, as if seeking the green light to go. One that he knows she'll give even before she nods her approval. And with that, he flipped the switch to unlock and open the door.
BWEEEEE!
BWEEEEE!
BWEEEEE!
The warning alarm began to go off, telling them rather clearly to step back as a red light flashed off and on above the doorway. He wasn't sure what else it was, but Siro almost thought that he'd heard the sound of a large metal shutter opening on the other side. Neither of them were really quite sure how long the entire event lasted. What felt like minutes was most likely 10 seconds at absolute most, but after it seemed the sound of the alarm would never leave their minds, the doors slid open in front of them, exposing the group to the clouds and city ahead. As the shutter closed behind them, he looked up to find a number of seemingly remote controlled turrets and soldiers on what seemed to be constant standby looming overhead. However, that wasn't what caught them off guard.
It was the smell.
They'd seen on TV how parts of the compound had trouble with electricity, or how even with people somehow setting up makeshift businesses to try and get a few extra bucks and stick around more, certain supplies seemed to always be in high demand. There was no surprise at how damaged some of the buildings had been as a result of what was 25 years of almost constant fighting, but this...this was something else. As much as the footage and recaps that they'd seen for ages before coming here had tried to capture the look of the city, none of it could capture the feeling of actually being in there, or the sense of nausea that filled you the moment you first breathed in the air.
He'd been right earlier to notice the smell of gunpowder, but it was more than just a smell of that, it was more than just the smell of smoke. Even this edge of the city that they were standing on smelled of blood, of charred hair and scorched skin from the flames they could almost see in the distance. In no uncertain terms, it was the smell of death. And as they walked slowly and cautiously forward, it took Siro a rather short period of time to notice that the people who were 'sleeping' to their left weren't going to be waking up again. There was no reason or way that people would have decided to try and come back the way they'd left though. Everything was sealed off behind them. "Unless...", Siro thinks to himself, "They never made it past here at all.".
"All right! Fresh meat again! I thought she got 'em all today."
The voice breaks Siro's concentration like a baseball through a window, and makes the trio instantly spin hard to their right. Initially uncertain of where the male voice came from exactly, Siro spots a man stepping out from behind what almost looks like a metal dumpster, knocking on it to get their attention as he walks oh so slowly towards them.
Even before she can get a proper glimpse, he notices Sagiri narrow her eyes in the man's direction and tense up, doing little to hide her almost instant distaste for the stranger in front of them. He was a big on the scraggly side, Siro thought, with dried blood around the bottom of his grey jeans, and a worn leather jacket that made him look not too different from some kind of 40 year old biker. The beard on his face was uneven and patchy, and appeared to already be starting to grey. Slowly, he continued walking towards them, his hands up like some sort of mock offering of peace. Still, the fact that he'd already called them 'fresh meat' wasn't exactly putting Siro's mind at ease.
"Relax everybody, I'm just here to talk. You know, make some friendly chitchat, be all buddy buddy, maybe even see what you guys brought in to help me out."
His tone was calm, but there was a disingenuous air about his mannerisms. He wasn't somebody that the group remembered seeing from the live web streams, or the recap episodes on TV. Despite being some sort of self-proclaimed expert on this kind of thing, Seth didn't really seem to know anything either. And that wasn't even taking into account him being alone.
"What about the rest of your group though? It's nice of you to not want to start anything and all, but nobody gets to manage in here by themselves though. That's just how the rules go, isn't it?" Siro asked cautiously, pointing to the display on his wrist, as the man stopped in front of he and Sagiri.
"Oh right, right of course. You see, they're out recruiting, just like me. Officially you can only have so many people in a group, but if you get a bunch of groups working together unofficially, you get as many as you want. It's a pretty simple deal, really. You go get the supply drops they bring in for us, and we use it to pay off other squads so they leave you alone. I'm thinking you guys don't have any deals right now, so it's win-win."
The offer seemed more fishy than the older man had likely intended it to, which was kind of telling considering what Siro thought he was trying to offer him. Realistically, the three of them would wind up taking on all the risk and the work, while this guy and his buddies just got to split everything up and relax. Not to mention, he sensed more than just a little bit of a threatening undertone to his words.
"So really, you just want us to be slave labour for you guys so you don't try to kill us, right? Does that about cover it?"
The man crosses his arms and gets almost a disappointed look across his face as if he'd expected them to simply agree without even asking any questions. It was just making things look more likely that his guess was right on the money when it came to the creep's intentions.
"Now, now, don't say it like that. When you put it that way it sounds all sinister. I'm not the bad guy here, you know. Besides, if I'd wanted to kill you guys..."
He extends his arm and lightly put his hand on Sagiri's throat, as if to mime choking her.
Without thinking, Siro lunged forward.
"Get the hell away from her!"
His fist flies forward, catching the man in the side of the jaw and knocking him down onto the cracked pavement as he lets go of her neck. For a moment, Siro actually holds his position while his mind takes the time to catch up with and process his body just acting on its own. That is, it would, if somebody else didn't respond first.
"Goddammit, Siro!"
Looking over to his right, he finds Sagiri glaring at him angrily, her eyes piercing more than any of her knives or weapons could hope to be. In the time between Siro punching the man, and her yelling at him, she'd jumped to the side, while Seth had stayed on Siro's left and just glanced down shaking his head with a look that just had 'you messed up' written all over it.
"Wh-what? I was just trying to stop him from strangling you! Look Sagiri, I seriously thought he was going to-!"
"He was just screwing with us, dumbass!" She snaps back, her eyes showing disbelief and surprisingly only a hint of rage. Truthfully, he liked to think his friend was holding back on that since she knew his actions were done with good intentions, but both his brain and mouth knew better than to try and interrupt her to press the issue. "What if he was lying about being alone? What if he's armed? I get what you were doing, but you've gotta think. If I didn't think I had it under control, I would've decked him myself."
Feeling slightly embarrassed at not giving her the benefit of the doubt, Siro's gaze shifts over to the ground by his feet. Was it true that she could've handled things on her own if it came to that? Probably. Could she have had a better read on the situation than him? It was certainly possible. Even so, he wasn't really comfortable with chancing anything on 'if', and certainly not when she was involved. She could keep yelling at him later if she felt inclined to do so, but when he looked back to her and told her "Sorry, you're right", he knew that neither of them thought he fully regretted punching the man.
Sagiri regains her composure after a moment of silence, before trying to get her head back into the situation at hand. "Let's just get going. I don't want to be hanging around the entrance all day."
Click.
Click.
"Uh...guys?"
Seth spoke up, his voice seemingly having an oh so slight bit of concern in it as Siro soon realized what he'd forgotten.
The man in front of them was back up. His jaw still looking sore from Siro's punch, and his demeanor changed entirely, he had a pair of handguns pointed straight at Siro and Seth. It didn't take a psychic to guess that they were most likely loaded. They'd seemingly been modified somewhat though, as they had forward face blades welded on under the barrels, almost like some miniature version of the old bayonets infantry used to have. The tinge of curiosity on if the guy was their original owner was however quickly replaced with Siro thinking that just maybe he should have really waited to act, followed by thoughts of 'Too late for that now'.
Spitting out a few drops of blood, and with his patience now wearing more thin than melting ice, he makes his intentions known without any further delays.
"That's how you guys are going to be, huh? I tried being nice and you pulled a stupid stunt like that. Let's make this simple. Hand over your weapons or I swear I'll blow both of your damn brains out."
Exchanging glances with each other following quite possibly the least veiled threat of all time, the two friends almost freeze up momentarily. Siro considered himself far from familiar with knowing the feeling of peering down the end of a gun barrel pointed right between your eyes, which he thought was a fair consideration to have considering that this was certainly a first. Sagiri was right though, and as he realized just how serious the man was, a sickening, sinking feeling crept over him.
"I didn't even do anything though, man..." Seth almost stammered out, in a tone that suggested he thought he'd said it too quietly for the man to hear. He didn't.
Eyes starting to bulge out as he threatened pulling the triggers, the creep in the leather jacket's face starts to turn as red as a fresh tomato. "Smartass, slide that pistol over first, then get dumbass to pass me that rifle. Now!"
Finally getting the slightly obvious hint that he should probably just shut up and do what he's told, Seth slowly unclips his beretta and its holster before sliding it along the cracked and bumpy ground towards the thug's feet. It took Siro what felt like forever to remove the rifle that was hanging over his back. All he could think about was the idea of everything just ending there and then, him dying before even getting a chance to begin, before he could prove that this would be worth it. And the thought of the bullets shredding him and Seth's insides apart was a visual that remained even as he slowly slid it halfway across the concrete to him and looked the man in the eyes.
"Okay, okay, here. You've got our guns now, alright?" Siro started, taking an extra step back. "So, that means you won't kill us, and we can go like you said..."
Tilting his head, and moving the part of his jaw that was sure to start bruising any time now, the guy before them smiles to himself and gives almost a sort of quiet laugh without so much as even breaking eye contact. There was something most unsettling about it though, and Siro didn't find himself feeling any more relaxed or at ease than he had earlier. In fact, it almost seemed fair to say that he felt even more anxious and concerned than previously. Something about this guy didn't exactly give off vibes that suggested it was what one would call a 'smile of comfort'.
"You've got me all wrong, pal." He started, as he kept his aim on Seth and Siro, even as he slightly lowered the handguns. "I'm just not going to blow your heads off now."
Seth holds his hands out in front of him, as the realization hits him, almost as if trying to call some kind of time out as he does so. "Wait, wait, wait, let's not get carried away here."
Unfortunately, Seth's words seemed to reach deaf ears as he simply continued.
"I'm still going to kill you, that's for sure. I'm just gonna unload on you everywhere else instead before - urk!"
A kunai appeared lodged in the lower part of the man's throat, forcing him to drop his guns and fall down to his knees.
As dark red blood began pouring from the deep wound, Siro spun his gaze around to see Sagiri standing there. Her arm was still partially extended, and her face blank as she just stared ahead at the man in front of them as he struggled vainly to try and breathe. With both how tense the situation was, and with an almost overwhelming worry that he was about to die, Siro had almost forgotten about his best friend being only slightly to the side of them.
"...Sagiri?"
She didn't answer. As he tried to look at her again, she turns her head and looks down, either refusing or unable to make eye contact with him. The sounds of choking and gurgling as their attempted killer bled out and choked on his own blood before finally succumbing to his injury did no favours to things either. He wasn't sure just how long the middle aged man's final moments had lasted, but Siro knew one thing. The entirety of the scene would be an event that he would never forget.
For what seemed like an eternity, the trio stood there. Silent in the realization of not just what had happened, but of what kind of place this city truly was. They'd thought that simply watching it on TV had given them an idea, they thought that they understood when they first stepped foot out through the doors. This was a place where as soon as you thought you had things figured out, it would creep up and show you just how little you knew. Gradually, Sagiri walks step by step towards the body, now lying on its side before looking down solemnly.
"We should...probably take his guns with us. We'll need any edge we can get. Seth, you grab them."
Still reeling a little, Seth looks down at the handguns, then back at her again, shaking his head in confusion.
"Hold on, so what, just because I have a pistol means I should grab more? Do you think it just works like that? Hell, how are you so calm right now?"
Siro listens on Seth's question before silently thinking to himself about just how wrong he was. She wasn't calm, that much Siro knew. No matter how much she tried to hide it, Siro could tell just by looking at her. Her eyes, always full of determination, still averted their stare and wouldn't meet his. As she slowly bent down to pull her kunai out of the man's throat, her right hand was clenched up into a nervous fist, while the entirety of her left was involuntarily shaking. When she finally pulled it out and wiped the man's blood off on his jacket, she first flinched at the sound it made. And after that, she just stared down at it.
He should have been relieved to still be alive, this Siro knows. However, he can't bring himself to feel any happiness. Even though the man tried to kill him, even though he almost died, all Siro felt was a combination of deep sadness and self-loathing. It was his fault, he did this. If he'd thought before he acted, if he'd trusted that Sagiri had a handle on the situation, then maybe everything would have been different. Now a man was dead, and it was all because of his own actions that his best friend had been forced to kill him. This time it's Siro who finds himself unable to meet her gaze as he gradually approaches her.
"I'm sorry, 'Giri...I'm so, so sorry..."
His voice quiet and breaking, he doesn't know if she hears him, even though thinking she has brings some sort of minuscule kind of comfort with it. Furthermore, he doesn't know if she'll be able to forgive him. All he can do, Siro thinks, is make sure to never be that careless or impulsive again.
Quietly, she removes the man's gun holsters and slides the bladed pistols back inside. Sagiri motions a somewhat reluctant Seth over to claim them as he collects his own beretta. Remembering that he still has yet to retrieve his rifle, Siro turns around and picks it up by the strap, hanging it over his shoulder for the time being while he tries to gather his thoughts again.
"We should get going." Sagiri says, slowly standing up and putting the kunai back into its holder before looking over her shoulder. "He might've had friends nearby, and I don't think we want to be here to meet them."
With a slow nod and neither of them disagreeing with her logic, Seth and Siro find themselves taking one last look at the corpse by their feet before following her down the streets to try and put some distance between themselves and their current location.
In an alleyway adjacent to the trio, a figure watches them pass in silence. A spectator with front row seats to the recent events that just transpired. It's another day, and just another poor sucker biting the dust, she thinks. Any excitement is good though, and as she grips the blade in her hand and turns back down the alley to go finish her 'work' for the afternoon, she can't help but grin in anticipation.
Next Chapter...:
With reality setting in, and the uncertainty of how to proceed being all too troubling, the group decides to try and pool their knowledge of the program to find some help. Seeking out those famous among viewers for assistance may seem a safe bet, but what happens when the infamous are the ones seeking them instead?
Chapter Three: The Crimson Raven