(A/N: Hey all! I'm back! After a short reprieve, I'm back to writing, fresh from a brief stint in Writer's Block Land. Hope you enjoy this humble offering, from me to you! Oh, and this takes place WAY WAY before JGR.....we're talking like 50+ years.....consider this a history lesson...)
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Tokyo-To. The place of infinite possibilities. A place divided by a rivalry over a decade old. Two districts. Two gangs. Two causes. Only one victor. This is the story of the War Of The Streets....
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April 17, 2065
"YO!" Bass yelled over to his companions, Treble and Volume, "WE GOT BACON, Y'ALL!" He finished his "Pump Up The Bass" tag as fast as he could, before taking a backwards leap onto his hoverboard. He dug his heel in, the netrium engine roaring to life and taking off down the narrow alley. He couldn't see Treble and Volume, but he knew they'd make it. He moved his back leg slightly, narrowly grazing past a STOP sign. The police sirens were getting louder. His gaze flicked downward, toward the nose of his hoverboard. Damn. His batteries were getting low. He'd have to lose the Keisatsu quick. He stomped down on his tail, sliding his foot to the front. The board lifted off the ground just enough to catch on a fallen light pole, sliding up towards the rooftops of Benten. They'd never catch him now....
It was a few hours before he got back to the Jettna garage. Treble, Bass, and the rest of the gangs were there as well. The Jettna were made up of three gangs of three people each. There was Sound Machine, composed of Bass, Treble and Volume; Freesome, made up of Luna, Frap, and Kaz; and Psychotrik(pronounced Sy-kah-trik), with Undro, Trex, and Nero. It had been a little over a year since Sound Machine had joined the other two in their war against the Rudies. There had been heavy "casualties" on both sides, with each losing two gangs in the past seven months or so. But instead of using guns or knives, the two rivals decided on a different way of eliminating the other, with a process called "ten-tagging". Quite simply, if a Rudie or Jettna was tagged ten times, they were "out", so to speak. Never again could they strap on a pair of skates, or jump on a hoverboard. Pure hell, for any true Jettna or Rudie. That was why they were fighting. Because even with the production of Kogane-Cho, a new district, Tokyo-To would never be big enough to accommodate both sides......there could be only one victor......
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Indy laid a hand on his growling stomach, looking longingly towards the door once again. "Where's that pizza, man? I'm hungry!"
"Really now? Tell us again, Indy, cos we obviously didn't hear you the last TWO-HUNDRED times you said it!" Rayo snapped.
"Calm down, you two," Taeb sighed, "we're all hungry."
"Yeah," Jessup said, "It's been like two hours or something since we ordered. Man, Kazaki pizza sucks!"
Like the Jettna, the Rudies were split into three gangs; The GGs, with Indy, Doc, and Taeb; Poison Jam, with Rayo, Tank, and Onik; and the Noise Tanks, made up of Jessup, Roland, and Wyle. Like the Jettna's hoverboards, the Rudies had netrium powered roller blades, but unlike the quarrelsome Jettna, the Rudies were willing to "live and let live", but wouldn't just give up their territory. They would fight to protect it. But, as everyone knew, there would be only one victor.....
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"Listen up, troops!" Captain Shigeru Onishima III paced back and forth down the line of statuesque soldiers, all saluting him. Policing was in his blood. His father, and his father before him had been captains in the TPD, and he hoped one day he could pass the torch on to his son. "I understand we have a few rookies with us, but understand that I won't be coddling you. Homicide, theft, arson, violence....all of them down to an all-time low." The soldiers before him began to cheer, but were cut off by a raised hand from their captain. "However! Vandalism has rocketed up fifty-six percent in the past three years. You'd think that with all the serial killers, all the armed bandits, all the rapists and psychos out there, we could put away a few little kids with spray cans! However, since they seem to be too smart for you, the SWAT team, the police dogs, and everything else we've thrown at them, I've requested additional funding for...other means. Call it overkill, but I've purchased a few things that guarantee their capture, and will once again bring peace back to Tokyo!.............OK, you can cheer now."
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"Where the hell'd you go?" Treble inquired, "We were worried sick about you."
Bass shook his head wordlessly and plopped down onto the couch.
"This is gettin' way too hot," Nero sighed, "How many more times before one of us gets caught? I mean, shit, this has been going on for, what, twelve years now, with no end in sight. We're exactly where we started when this first broke out. We gotta do something those Rudies'll never be able to recover from...."
Bass had to admit. He was intrigued. As always, the diminutive Nero had a point. They had to do something. The Keisatsu were getting smarter. He sat up, looking over at Nero. "I'm listening. Go on."
Nero gave one of his grins, the one that suggested whatever he was thinking was going to get someone killed, Jettna or Rudie. "I'm not suggesting anything all TOO drastic yet...just give 'em a little warning...something to make 'em look over their shoulders more. Maybe a harmless little ambush. Take it farther than just this tagging crap. I say we do some damage, and let these punks know who they're messin' with....."
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Jessup shivered, pulling his jacket up more. It had to be about fifty degrees out, and it didn't help that he was alone, even if it was in his own territory. Why did Taeb have to suggest that they split up? Who cares if they covered more ground this way, he was scared as hell. He vividly imagined being caught and surrounded by a group of Jettna, only to get ten-tagged and sent packing.......what would he do then?
He pushed the morbid thoughts out of his mind. What were the odds of the Jettna coming here at this time of night? His mouth formed into a relieved grin, and he focused on finishing his "For The Future" tag, depicting a netrium roller blade crashing through a broken hoverboard. Soon...soon his tag would be more than just art. It would be fact. The war would be over soon....he could feel it.
"Well well well..." as soon as Jessup heard it he froze. Just from hearing those three little words, he knew a few things. 1)It was a Jettna; 2)There was more than one of them; and 3)If he didn't run, he was gonna get hurt.
He didn't even turn around to see who it was before he took off, dashing as fast as he could towards the light at the end of the alley.....right into another Jettna. The huge hoverboarder caught him, keeping Jessup in a tight bearhug, cutting off his air. So, he thought, this is it. They're gonna ten-tag me and I'm gonna live my life as a department store cashier. But he discovered that he couldn't feel the wet slipperiness of paint on him....but he couldn't breathe. The huge Jettna wasn't letting go, and black began to stain the sides of his vision. No, they wouldn't. Would the Jettna resort to....murder?
"Awww.....a little Rudie, all alone." The speaker, a smallish Jettna, walked right up to him, his grinning face just centimeters away from his victim's. "Why aren't you with your buddies? Don't you know it's dangerous out here?" His fist rushed towards him and glanced off the side of Jessup's nose with a dull crack. The Jettna hit him again, in the stomach. Then again. And again. The Rudie was unconscious long before the hoverboarders stopped their brutal assault.......
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Pizza boxes were stacked high against the back wall of the Rudies' garage. The partying was done, now replaced only by worry.
"So none of you have seen Jessup?" Taeb asked, gazing around at the shaking heads.
"Damn," Onik muttered, "we split up and told him to meet back up at the garage at nine. It's already ten-thirty!"
"I say we go look for him," Wyle piped up, "He could be in some sort of trouble."
As if on cue, a body was thrown through the window landing in an unmoving heap on the floor, his clothes and skin stained crimson.
All of the Rudies rushed forward, toward what could only be Jessup. They crowded 'round, trying to aid their fallen comrade.
"SHIT!" Taeb yelled, panicking, "HE ISN'T FUCKING BREATHING! SOMEBODY CALL 911! JESSUP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!! SOMEBODY FUCKING CALL 911 I SAID!!
Jessup....Jessup don't die....don't die Jessup....don't fuckin' die on me, bro.....Jessup..........."
Minutes later, sirens were heard echoing throughout the streets of Shibuya-Cho, but long after the Rudie had been taken away, the sounds of music and celebration filled Benten.....
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(A/N: A little sample of what's to come. Questions, comments, or whatever welcome, JUST PUT IT IN REVIEW FORM! K?)
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Tokyo-To. The place of infinite possibilities. A place divided by a rivalry over a decade old. Two districts. Two gangs. Two causes. Only one victor. This is the story of the War Of The Streets....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 17, 2065
"YO!" Bass yelled over to his companions, Treble and Volume, "WE GOT BACON, Y'ALL!" He finished his "Pump Up The Bass" tag as fast as he could, before taking a backwards leap onto his hoverboard. He dug his heel in, the netrium engine roaring to life and taking off down the narrow alley. He couldn't see Treble and Volume, but he knew they'd make it. He moved his back leg slightly, narrowly grazing past a STOP sign. The police sirens were getting louder. His gaze flicked downward, toward the nose of his hoverboard. Damn. His batteries were getting low. He'd have to lose the Keisatsu quick. He stomped down on his tail, sliding his foot to the front. The board lifted off the ground just enough to catch on a fallen light pole, sliding up towards the rooftops of Benten. They'd never catch him now....
It was a few hours before he got back to the Jettna garage. Treble, Bass, and the rest of the gangs were there as well. The Jettna were made up of three gangs of three people each. There was Sound Machine, composed of Bass, Treble and Volume; Freesome, made up of Luna, Frap, and Kaz; and Psychotrik(pronounced Sy-kah-trik), with Undro, Trex, and Nero. It had been a little over a year since Sound Machine had joined the other two in their war against the Rudies. There had been heavy "casualties" on both sides, with each losing two gangs in the past seven months or so. But instead of using guns or knives, the two rivals decided on a different way of eliminating the other, with a process called "ten-tagging". Quite simply, if a Rudie or Jettna was tagged ten times, they were "out", so to speak. Never again could they strap on a pair of skates, or jump on a hoverboard. Pure hell, for any true Jettna or Rudie. That was why they were fighting. Because even with the production of Kogane-Cho, a new district, Tokyo-To would never be big enough to accommodate both sides......there could be only one victor......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indy laid a hand on his growling stomach, looking longingly towards the door once again. "Where's that pizza, man? I'm hungry!"
"Really now? Tell us again, Indy, cos we obviously didn't hear you the last TWO-HUNDRED times you said it!" Rayo snapped.
"Calm down, you two," Taeb sighed, "we're all hungry."
"Yeah," Jessup said, "It's been like two hours or something since we ordered. Man, Kazaki pizza sucks!"
Like the Jettna, the Rudies were split into three gangs; The GGs, with Indy, Doc, and Taeb; Poison Jam, with Rayo, Tank, and Onik; and the Noise Tanks, made up of Jessup, Roland, and Wyle. Like the Jettna's hoverboards, the Rudies had netrium powered roller blades, but unlike the quarrelsome Jettna, the Rudies were willing to "live and let live", but wouldn't just give up their territory. They would fight to protect it. But, as everyone knew, there would be only one victor.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Listen up, troops!" Captain Shigeru Onishima III paced back and forth down the line of statuesque soldiers, all saluting him. Policing was in his blood. His father, and his father before him had been captains in the TPD, and he hoped one day he could pass the torch on to his son. "I understand we have a few rookies with us, but understand that I won't be coddling you. Homicide, theft, arson, violence....all of them down to an all-time low." The soldiers before him began to cheer, but were cut off by a raised hand from their captain. "However! Vandalism has rocketed up fifty-six percent in the past three years. You'd think that with all the serial killers, all the armed bandits, all the rapists and psychos out there, we could put away a few little kids with spray cans! However, since they seem to be too smart for you, the SWAT team, the police dogs, and everything else we've thrown at them, I've requested additional funding for...other means. Call it overkill, but I've purchased a few things that guarantee their capture, and will once again bring peace back to Tokyo!.............OK, you can cheer now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Where the hell'd you go?" Treble inquired, "We were worried sick about you."
Bass shook his head wordlessly and plopped down onto the couch.
"This is gettin' way too hot," Nero sighed, "How many more times before one of us gets caught? I mean, shit, this has been going on for, what, twelve years now, with no end in sight. We're exactly where we started when this first broke out. We gotta do something those Rudies'll never be able to recover from...."
Bass had to admit. He was intrigued. As always, the diminutive Nero had a point. They had to do something. The Keisatsu were getting smarter. He sat up, looking over at Nero. "I'm listening. Go on."
Nero gave one of his grins, the one that suggested whatever he was thinking was going to get someone killed, Jettna or Rudie. "I'm not suggesting anything all TOO drastic yet...just give 'em a little warning...something to make 'em look over their shoulders more. Maybe a harmless little ambush. Take it farther than just this tagging crap. I say we do some damage, and let these punks know who they're messin' with....."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessup shivered, pulling his jacket up more. It had to be about fifty degrees out, and it didn't help that he was alone, even if it was in his own territory. Why did Taeb have to suggest that they split up? Who cares if they covered more ground this way, he was scared as hell. He vividly imagined being caught and surrounded by a group of Jettna, only to get ten-tagged and sent packing.......what would he do then?
He pushed the morbid thoughts out of his mind. What were the odds of the Jettna coming here at this time of night? His mouth formed into a relieved grin, and he focused on finishing his "For The Future" tag, depicting a netrium roller blade crashing through a broken hoverboard. Soon...soon his tag would be more than just art. It would be fact. The war would be over soon....he could feel it.
"Well well well..." as soon as Jessup heard it he froze. Just from hearing those three little words, he knew a few things. 1)It was a Jettna; 2)There was more than one of them; and 3)If he didn't run, he was gonna get hurt.
He didn't even turn around to see who it was before he took off, dashing as fast as he could towards the light at the end of the alley.....right into another Jettna. The huge hoverboarder caught him, keeping Jessup in a tight bearhug, cutting off his air. So, he thought, this is it. They're gonna ten-tag me and I'm gonna live my life as a department store cashier. But he discovered that he couldn't feel the wet slipperiness of paint on him....but he couldn't breathe. The huge Jettna wasn't letting go, and black began to stain the sides of his vision. No, they wouldn't. Would the Jettna resort to....murder?
"Awww.....a little Rudie, all alone." The speaker, a smallish Jettna, walked right up to him, his grinning face just centimeters away from his victim's. "Why aren't you with your buddies? Don't you know it's dangerous out here?" His fist rushed towards him and glanced off the side of Jessup's nose with a dull crack. The Jettna hit him again, in the stomach. Then again. And again. The Rudie was unconscious long before the hoverboarders stopped their brutal assault.......
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Pizza boxes were stacked high against the back wall of the Rudies' garage. The partying was done, now replaced only by worry.
"So none of you have seen Jessup?" Taeb asked, gazing around at the shaking heads.
"Damn," Onik muttered, "we split up and told him to meet back up at the garage at nine. It's already ten-thirty!"
"I say we go look for him," Wyle piped up, "He could be in some sort of trouble."
As if on cue, a body was thrown through the window landing in an unmoving heap on the floor, his clothes and skin stained crimson.
All of the Rudies rushed forward, toward what could only be Jessup. They crowded 'round, trying to aid their fallen comrade.
"SHIT!" Taeb yelled, panicking, "HE ISN'T FUCKING BREATHING! SOMEBODY CALL 911! JESSUP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!! SOMEBODY FUCKING CALL 911 I SAID!!
Jessup....Jessup don't die....don't die Jessup....don't fuckin' die on me, bro.....Jessup..........."
Minutes later, sirens were heard echoing throughout the streets of Shibuya-Cho, but long after the Rudie had been taken away, the sounds of music and celebration filled Benten.....
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(A/N: A little sample of what's to come. Questions, comments, or whatever welcome, JUST PUT IT IN REVIEW FORM! K?)
