"Jamie"and Moxie
Keeping your head low was a good skill to have in this city. Sure most people knew how to stick to themselves, stay out of trouble. It's easier staying out of trouble than it is getting out of it.
Jamie was in trouble.
With a hood pulled down over his face, he trudged through another alien street. They all looked similar enough though, and while some were much more dangerous than others, none were particularly safe either. He pushed through another puddle, his shoes soaked through, his feet chafing. His breath was a little hoarse, steam vapor emanating from his nostrils as he kept up the brisk pace. The small figure by his side was also hooded, though no breath could be seen coming from her.
They walked silently, stopping almost simultaneously at a rather loud outburst a bit down the way. A small group of individuals were arguing, a droid of an odd fashion standing between them and a vehicle. The thing had four legs, three glowing eyes and a bulbous metallic "head" of sorts. Jamie could hear the metallic whirring of it's head swiveling between each of the men's faces. They hurled insults and complaints at the drone, it's one claw-like appendage still securing a facet onto the corner of their transport. A toll-tag; a device placed by some gangs or businesses on unwitting loiterers cars, should they park in the wrong spot. Apparently, that was the wrong spot.
The drone completed it's task and took a step towards the group, who at first stepped back, before regrouping. Some sort of scuffle seemed imminent, and Jamie just sighed. With nothing but a shared look and a gesture with his chin, the two took to a descending staircase. They didn't want to be around when things went bad, it'd just slow things down.
They walked and walked, for what seemed like hours, under neon lights, past strangers and cigarette smoke. Past thugs working their corners, past all fashion of automated and sentient machinery alike. They walked and walked and kept walking. Who knew being dead would be so tiring?
The long underpass they were currently tracing was one of the darker corners of the city. A pleasant small wafted through the air, many food vendors running stalls under the highway. It was nice to be dry for a bit, so the two sat down to eat some fried noodles. A rust-eaten bench brushing elbows with other faceless customers. The young looking droid kept an eye out for trouble, and Jamie filled his empty stomach. Physical currency was such a pain, no wonder people seldom used it; living in a way that's hard to track was not his forte. He sighed again, something he found himself doing a lot of recently. He paused to look at his companion, her hand making a dull clicking noise, as she tapped her fingers on the back of her opposite palm. He trusted her, which some might seem an odd thing to do; but he was still unsure about their recent life choices.
She had been haring things, seeing things. Seeing a way up, a way out. He had no reason to think something like that existed. Well, of course rationally it had some end, this city was made by people after all, if only in the beginning. There weren't enough resources to create a true infinity, but the chances of anyone making it up there. That's what he didn't believe in.
Still though, it was something worth dying for. Rather than the profit of his superiors.
He finished his meal for the day and deposited the trash into a smoldering barrel. He was going to miss solid foods, it was one of the nice things working for a group with money. That grey paste everyone usually gets stuck with on the lower levels was less than savory.
He shrugged off the idea with a shudder, and began moving again. Some sort of new resolve, or perhaps resignation in his steps. He was already on the right level, he just needed to find the right address. Should everything work out right, his sister would be there waiting already. If they were lucky they might just make it through that factory alive.
Another sigh escaped his lips, falling out like a pen from the hand when tired of writing. There weren't many words left to describe his feelings in any eloquent manner.
"Shit sucks."
And they kept walking.
Andrea
The knife plunged through her cheek. The bubble popped, and she sighed.
Andrea sat up from her perch on some piping, and wandered back towards the wall of the opposite building. Standing in the skeleton of a metal beast, she dug the knife out of the plastered and cracked wall. The photo of some android woman pinned, a good old fashioned wanted poster. It was strange what some people wasted paper on; she had seen so many of these posters and yet hardly did she see the ones on them brought to "justice".
Regardless she meandered to her seat, blew another bubble of strawberry gum, and threw the knife. It landed just shy of the wanted woman's left shoulder. She was photographed leaving a vehicle of some fashion, her synthetic hair plastered to her forehead by the rain. Andrea popped her bubble. She was patient, but this was getting to be quite enough; she wasn't fond of a hazy schedule. Knowing where to be and when, and being there when said meant a lot to her, for whatever reason. She was told to wait here for a few days, and days away from work were far and few between. Soon enough they'd be checking up on her, just to make sure she wasn't up to something.
Which was rather unfortunate, because she was presently up to something.
She returned her attention to the street, elevated above the floor on whatever these pipes were used for. Nestled into a small gap between two buildings she had a decent view at the factory entrance. She wasn't particularly sure on what to expect when they got in there, or even how they'd do it. She had expressly chosen to not snoop around too close; if she messed up all three of them were sunk. She dangled one foot over the shelf of copper tubes and tapped some sharp fingers against her knee. The other hand curled up into a ball and used as a chin-rest.
There were so many unknowns, but the things she'd been seeing. The voices prodding her brain and tugging at her gut; she couldn't ignore them anymore. Everyone wanted more than what they had, but chances didn't come easy. Why should she believe they had any? People would consider her crazy to try something like this.
Just as she considered the odd woman wandering around the factory rather insane herself.
She didn't seem to carry any particularly impressive arms. Of course looks only meant so much when every part of you can be replaced.
Was she going to get herself killed? Did she see the same things Andrea and Moxie had?
More importantly would she be a jeopardy to their chance at ascension?
Andrea made a clicking sound with her tongue. She hadn't variables like this.
With a crack of her neck she descended from her perch to the wet concrete. Her wings flashing into being for just long enough to cushion the fall. Her brother better show up soon or she might need to start hiding bodies.
