[center][color=f6989d][h3][u][b]    Ｒ Ａ Ｃ Ｈ Ａ Ｅ Ｌ    Ｍ Ｏ Ｒ Ｔ Ｏ Ｎ    [/b][/u][/h3][b]Ｔｈｅ ｇｉｒｌ ｋｎｏｗｎ ｋｎｏｗｎ ａｓ Ｇａｚｅ[/b][/color][/center]
A searing pain shot through Rachael's back, stinging profusely as her skin opened up to the stagnant, dank air. It wasn't the first, and it surely wasn't the last, but each time she experienced this abuse her eyes would start to water. They filled with salty, cold tears that gently trickled down her face towards the edge of her semi-numb lip; a place where she could taste the sadness and hurt she was expressing. As much as she wanted to wipe away the wet pain from her face, she couldn't do it, not when her hands were bound and lifted above her head.

[color=ca2f2f]"How the [i]fuck[/i] did you lose sight of her?!?"[/color] The violent question had just as much weight as the torture, ignoring every aspect of Rachael's disabilities as Julius demanded answers from his property. He didn't seem to care about his oppressive actions, he only wanted the answers. The gift of sight was given to her through his sources and he believed he had every right to question why it wasn't used to the best of it's ability. 

Another agonising snap came towards Rachael's back, a plastic coated cord with lengths of thin metal woven inside. The girl grimaced in pain, attempting to open her mouth in order to speak out, to answer the Leech. Haunting gasps were all that managed to escape, a sign that her body was tensing up too much. Julius noticed this, realising that it was going to be more difficult for him to obtain any more information and so he turned his head around to glance at one of the other gang members. His empty, narrow eyes pierced into the soul of his own underling, giving the man an order without even voicing a single command.

With haste and speed the chosen lackey rushed towards Rachael's side, reached up and unhitched the chain from the hanging hook. Rachael's body fell limp as she dropped to her knees, slipping to the side and hitting the steel floor with her right shoulder. She panted and shivered, breathing out continual cold puffs of air as they left a fog trail on the metal surface. A loose jacket was placed over her half naked body, causing her to tense up in into the fetal position, even as the others lifted up her arms to unbuckle the leather bounds around her wrist. Finally she felt as though she was being released from this horror show that Julius so enjoyed.

As she laid there she could feel the heavy vibrations of feet that came towards her, the sound pounding throughout the room. A boot stepped on her arm, forcing her to roll onto her back and look up to the ceiling. She could see a shadow blocking the harsh light, overpowering her with it's presence.

[color=ca2f2f]"Drop the mask..."[/color]

Rachael hesitated.

[color=ca2f2f]"Drop the fucking mask!!!"[/color]

The shield closed down over her eyes and a digital image distorted it's way into existence, revealing a face that instilled fear into the unarmed female. The thick, angular eyebrows; the solid, defined nose; and the wavy, walnut hair... all defining features that she recognised so effortlessly. If the man wasn't sick and twisted in the mind he would have made a pretty attractive squeeze. Still he crouched down to her gritting his razor like teeth, dangling a pistol above her forehead with the trigger millimetres from his finger.

[color=ca2f2f]"You're gonna find that Splicer for me, aren't you?"[/color]

Rachael nodded instantly, only to see Julius' upper lip twitch.

[color=f6989d]"I will! I will!!!"[/color] She was quick to answer, knowing that by not doing so she was only begging for him to dish out another flogging.

[color=ca2f2f]"And you are going to put a bullet in her god-damn-brain!"[/color] Rachael's teeth began to chatter at the thought of murdering a such close friend, a changling by the name of Elisha.

Elisha was such a good friend and Gaze didn't understand why she left like she did, why she used the thick crowds of Neon to her advantage, why she escaped the stranglehold of the Leech. Rachael was removed from [i]The Beds[/i] several years earlier but remained loyal to Julius, always returning and obeying his every order. Elisha didn't and she used this as an opportunity to find freedom leaving the helpless gearhead to explain why The Leaches were now down one worker.

His hand grabbed the back of Rachael's head clenching her hair into a tight fist, causing her to let out a slight shrill of pain, and lifted it up towards the Gang Leader. He placed his forehead against hers before raising his lips to give her a sweet kiss where they had just touched.

[color=ca2f2f]"You'll always be my favourite —"[/color] he whispered tenderly with a tone that felt more like a lie than the truth, [color=ca2f2f]"—but do not disappoint me."[/color]

[center][color=f6989d][h3]♦   ♦   ♦[/h3][/color][/center]

The blind girl wandered the streets of Neon, occasionally bumping into pedestrians when they didn't pay attention to where they were stumbling. Normally she would use her visor to help guide her way and avoid such unneeded confrontations, but instead she wanted to rely on her memory of the world around her. A simple tactic that she used to block out the tormenting memories of people like Julius, and thus allowing her to gradually regain the little humanity that she had left.

She listened to the ambient sounds, hearing through the music and voices a set of pinging steps that was currently in use by the general population. She knew exactly where she was, she had been here many times before. Her arms were wrapped around her body and holding in what little warmth she had. As she pulled out her right hand from the tight grip she reached for her wrist watch and tapped the screen; she needed confirmation from another source. A light beeping sound was announced before a digitally announced message called out to her.

>Location: Neon Magrail Network

The device was a godsend at times, helping Gaze know exactly where she was if she wasn't quite used to the area, but it was also a curse. The locator doubled as a beacon and sent back information on her whereabouts to Julius. Every little gift that she had to survive in this world had some way to hold her down, to keep her chained up and subject to the control of others. The one gadget that didn't fall into this category was her Magrail Boots.

Gaze entered the rail network, stepping onto the platform as her boots latched into the magnetic field. She felt a sudden rush as she began to accelerate forward; wind whipping through her hair, the sense of speed pressing against her body. It had a relaxing effect much like the feeling of running away from her problems. This was something she needed as she tapped the screen once more.

>Destination: The Slums

It wouldn't take long for her to reach the district, completely unaware of what nightmares she was walking into.