Sector 2 was a different planet.
To enter, Ren had to pass through a Decontamination Gate. He stood in a glass tube while lasers scanned him for contagions, radiation, and unlicensed weaponry. A puff of citrus-scented steam blasted him in the face.
[SCAN COMPLETE. CITIZENSHIP LEVEL: CLASS F (PROVISIONAL). WELCOME TO SECTOR 2.]
The gates hissed open.
Ren stepped out and immediately felt underdressed. The air here didn't smell like ozone and regret; it smelled like climate-controlled jasmine. The streets were paved with solar-absorbing tiles that glowed softly. People walked by in designer suits made of silk and smart-glass, their augmentations sleek and hidden, unlike the exposed, rusting pistons of the folks in the Lower Decks.
Ren tugged his frayed hood down. He clutched the velvet box in his pocket.
"Just deliver the watch to the Golden Lotus Lounge," Ren muttered. "Get the credits. Get out before someone realizes I don't own a yacht."
He checked his reflection in a shop window. He looked like a raccoon that had broken into a laboratory.
"Confidence," he told himself. "Fake it 'til you make it."
[The Golden Lotus Lounge - Entrance]
The Lounge was a towering structure of black marble and gold neon. A velvet rope blocked the entrance, guarded by a Bouncer who was more chrome than flesh.
The Bouncer was a 'Minotaur' class cyborg—seven feet tall, horns grafted onto his skull, and arms the size of tree trunks. He was currently denying entry to a guy who looked like he owned three banks.
"No reservation, no entry," the Bouncer grunted. He picked the rich guy up by the collar and tossed him gently onto the sidewalk.
Ren gulped. He walked up to the rope.
The Bouncer's ocular sensors flared red. He looked down at Ren like he was a stain on the marble.
"Delivery," Ren squeaked, holding up his wrist-comp with the job order. "For... uh... Management."
The Bouncer leaned down. His breath smelled like engine oil. "Deliveries go to the back alley, rat. If you scuff my marble, I'll fold you into a suitcase."
Ren flinched. "Right. Back alley. Sorry. My bad."
He turned to leave.
[Rooftop - 600 Meters Away]
Viper lay prone on the edge of the adjacent skyscraper. Through her scope, she saw the Bouncer sneer at Ren.
Her finger twitched on the trigger.
"Target identified. Hostile entity blocking the Support's path," she whispered.
She could shoot him. But a gunshot in Sector 2 would bring down a corporate hit-squad in three minutes. She needed to be subtle.
She tapped her neural interface.
Accessing Local Network... Bypassing Firewalls... Accessing Bouncer Audio Feed.
[The Entrance]
The Bouncer watched Ren walk away, snickering.
Suddenly, a voice—cold, distorted, and terrifying—blasted directly into his auditory cortex. It bypassed his ears and vibrated his skull.
"Listen closely, you oversized toaster."
The Bouncer froze. He grabbed his head. "Who is this? This is a secure channel!"
"If that boy walks more than five steps away, I will upload a virus to your pacemaker that sets your heart rate to 300 beats per minute until your chest cavity explodes."
The Bouncer's eyes went wide. He checked his internal diagnostics. A red warning light was blinking on his HUD: [EXTERNAL OVERRIDE DETECTED: CARDIAC UNIT].
"You have three seconds. Call him back. Apologize. Let him in."
"Three."
The Bouncer's heart gave a painful thud.
"Two."
The Bouncer panicked.
"WAIT!" he roared.
Ren stopped and turned around, looking terrified. "I—I'm going! I'm going to the alley!"
The Bouncer vaulted over the velvet rope, landing in front of Ren. He was sweating hydraulic fluid.
"No!" the Bouncer gasped, forcing a terrifying, metal-toothed smile. "I... I was mistaken! Please! The front entrance is... perfectly acceptable! In fact, it is mandatory!"
Ren blinked. "But you said you'd fold me into a suitcase."
"A joke!" The Bouncer laughed hysterically. "A classic Sector 2 icebreaker! Ha! Ha! Please, sir. Come in. Do you need a jacket? Take mine."
The seven-foot cyborg started unbuttoning his tuxedo jacket.
"Whoa, no, keep your clothes on!" Ren waved his hands. "I'll just... go inside."
Ren sidestepped the frantic Bouncer and walked through the gold doors.
"Weird," Ren thought. "Maybe he's bipolar. Or maybe my 'Customer Service Aura' is finally kicking in."
[Inside the Lounge - The VIP Office]
Ren stood in an office that cost more than his entire bloodline. The carpet was so deep he felt like he was wading through fur.
Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged man named Mr. Finch. Finch was the manager of the Golden Lotus. Currently, Finch was shaking.
On Finch's desk was a holographic communicator. It was displaying a live audio waveform of Sylvia Sterling.
"He is entering the room," Sylvia's voice commanded. "Finch, listen to me. If you look at him with anything other than absolute reverence, I will liquidate your assets and reassign you to waste management in the radioactive zone."
Finch swallowed hard. "Yes, Madam Sterling. Absolute reverence. Understood."
The door opened. Ren walked in, looking nervous.
"Hi," Ren said, pulling out the velvet box. "Delivery for... Management?"
Finch shot up from his chair so fast he knocked it over.
"WELCOME!" Finch shouted. He ran around the desk and bowed at a ninety-degree angle. "Thank you for gracing us with your presence! The delivery! Yes! We have been waiting with bated breath!"
Ren took a step back. "Uh... it's just a watch."
"A watch?" Finch gasped, taking the box with trembling hands like it was a holy relic. "It is the concept of time itself, delivered by a master of his craft!"
Ren squinted. "Are you guys high? Is there a gas leak in this sector?"
"Offer him a drink," Sylvia hissed in Finch's earpiece. "The expensive stuff. The 2045 Amber."
"Can I offer you a refreshment?" Finch yelped. "We have a vintage 2045 Amber Whiskey. It costs four thousand credits a glass."
Ren's eyes widened. "Four thousand? No thanks. I'm on the clock. Just sign the receipt so I can get paid."
"He refused?" Sylvia's voice sounded disappointed, then fond. "Professional as always. Pay him. Add a tip."
Finch tapped his desk console.
[TRANSACTION COMPLETE: +2,000 CREDITS] [TIP ADDED: +500 CREDITS]
Ren's wrist-comp chimed. He looked at the number. 2,500 credits.
"Whoa," Ren grinned. "Thanks, Mr. Manager. You're... really intense, but you pay well."
Ren turned to leave.
"Wait!" Finch called out.
Ren stopped. "Yeah?"
Finch looked at the scruffy boy. He didn't understand why the CEO of the world's biggest corporation was obsessing over this slum-rat. But Finch valued his life.
"You have... a very pleasant aura," Finch stammered. "Please come again."
Ren gave him a thumbs up. "Sure thing. Weirdo."
Ren walked out of the office, whistling.
As the door closed, Finch collapsed into his chair, sobbing with relief.
[The Street - Outside]
Ren stepped back out into the clean air of Sector 2. The Bouncer opened the velvet rope for him and bowed.
"Have a wonderful evening, sir!" the Bouncer yelled.
"Yeah, yeah," Ren waved him off.
He checked his balance. 7,500 Credits total.
"I'm rich," Ren whispered. "I am actually rich. I can buy real meat. I can buy chicken."
He walked down the street, feeling invincible.
Behind him, in the shadows of an alleyway, a figure watched him pass.
This figure wasn't Viper. It wasn't Sylvia.
It was a man in a tattered lab coat, his skin pale, his eyes covered by a visor that streamed endless lines of green code. A small drone hovered over his shoulder.
This was Nexus, the Cyber-Saint. The greatest hacker in history. And Ren's former teammate from Timeline 4.
Nexus adjusted his glasses.
"Ren," he murmured. "Your biometrics indicate you are deficient in Vitamin D and your cortisol levels are 15% too high."
The drone beeped.
"Agreed," Nexus nodded. "He needs supplements. And a better firewall for his wrist-comp. That encryption is embarrassing. I could hack his bank account with a toaster."
Nexus cracked his knuckles.
"I'm going to upgrade his life. Whether he wants it or not."
Nexus raised a hand. The streetlights on the entire block flickered and turned green. Traffic lights shifted to give Ren a perfect, uninterrupted path to the subway.
Ren kept walking, not noticing that the city itself was parting for him.
"Man," Ren said, crossing the street without looking. "I really hit every green light today. I should buy a lottery ticket."