Chapter 10: Outing.
I kept quiet, pegging the clothes onto the line once again. That same uncomfortable silence fell between us, stagnating the mood. The silence must have bothered Holo, as she quickly picked up the conversation once again.
"I assume you have a plan…" She stated frankly.
I turned to focus my attention back to her. "Huh?"
"A plan… we still share the common goal of accessing the information stored on your arm, do we not?" She asked curtly, seeming slightly annoyed.
"Oh, right… Well, back at my apartment I've got ample amounts of software to deal with heavy file encryption." I muttered placing a hand on my chin in thought.
"And how far is that from here?" She asked, hopping off the duct with a spry leap.
"About a thirty minute drive via the Skyway, but considering our current situation. I'd say about an hour and a bits' travel." I explained, recalling the travel distances with ease.
"I see, and this Skyway, why can we not access it?" She asked, her tail swishing slightly beneath her nightgown.
"Well, we don't have a car for one. You see, the Skyway is a vast network of elevated highways and bypasses that operates as a fast track for motor vehicles to reach the many sectors of Lower LA. This way you can travel without having to deal with the congestion and tight streets of the city. Look there…" I stated, pointing up into the gray skies.
Holo's eyes followed to see the section of the massive concrete and bitumen super structure, running above the high rise of Sector five.
"That's just a small proportion of the network, it was first introduced about six years back as a way to help manage the traffic flow between the sectors. It's probably the most efficient way to travel anywhere in Lower LA." I said with a small smile, a little proud of the endless works provided by human ingenuity.
Holo raised a hand to her chin as she thought. "Hmmm...Lower LA? So I assume there is an upper?" She asked with a curious smile.
I nodded. "Yes, that's correct. Lower LA and Upper LA make up the city of Los Angeles. The lower proportions of the city are where most of the corporately owned manufacturing and export plants are located, as well as the workers who operate them. Upper LA is a sky city of sorts, suspended on massive concrete pillars that hold the city far above the smog, produced by the industrial activities of Lower LA. Up there is the financial hub of the city, where stock is traded and bought amongst the various companies and corporations that have staked their claim in the upper regions."
Holo cocked her head. "So Upper Los Angeles is simply a financial institute? That seems a bit excessive." She stated with a confused grimace.
I snorted at the truth behind her words. "And you'd be right, it's more of a matter of prestige really. The higher up you are, the more power and privileges you have at your disposal. Although, the upper quadrant of the city isn't entirely for financial purposes, it contains various housing districts for the wealthy and upper class. Not to mention the large tracks of farmland that provide the vast majority of the city's food supply. However, the demand for food still requires produce to be imported from other areas.
Holo nodded. "I see, and that would be handled by the various trading companies I suppose?" She asked, before turning to look at me once again.
I shrugged. "In a sense, yes. Most imported goods that are brought into the city are handled by different companies, but these are often used as proxies for major corporations as a way of tax evasion."
Holo cocked her head again. "Oh? How so?"
I rubbed my head, thinking of the best way to explain. "Well… various imported goods are subjected to tariffs and government taxation. In order to avoid losses and increase their profit margin, a major corporation can employ various means of hiring a smaller company to handle their goods, so the fines and taxation won't affect their profits directly. They'd usually contract several of these smaller companies and firms in order to lessen the load, so no single organization takes the full brunt of the tariffs. Does that make sense?" I asked, wondering if I had lost her along the way.
Holo stared at me blankly for a moment before giggling. "You sound just like a merchant!" She exclaimed before letting out a soft laugh.
I placed my hands on my hips, an amused smile starting to form on my lips. "Heh, I often have to negotiate with those who deal in trade and economics. So I hear a few things about the current state of things, a lot of it orbiting corporate matters." I muttered with a small shrug.
A smile of thought appeared on Holo's lips. "It seems these corporations are quite omnipresent throughout this world." She noted, her fingers tracing her lower lip in thought.
I nodded in agreement. "And you'd be right about that, a lot of people don't know it but power struggles occur every day amongst the major corporate players. Corporate espionage and underground stock wars occur on a daily basis, all of it overlooked by the public eye."
"And just who are these major corporations?" Holo asked, gradually becoming more curious.
I scratched my head. "Currently the three major players are Avion Incorporated, Sycorax Industries and Pegasus Horizons. In all, their combined manufacturing would cover at least Seventy Three percent of global products. But if I had to guess, I'd say Pegasus Horizons comes out in front."
Holo's ears twitched at the mention of the last one. "Pegasus Horizions? You were in their employ, correct?" She asked softly.
I nodded, my eyes becoming steely. "I was, yes…"
Holo was silent for a moment before speaking. "So… what gives them such an edge over their competitors?"
I thought about it for a moment before responding. "Well… I'm not an economist, but I mostly think it's due to the diversity of their products and services. Pegasus Horizons produces items ranging from regular household goods, to military grade arms. However, you could consider them to be a jack of all trades. Their products aren't always the best on the market, but due to the sheer expanse of their brand, they don't need to be. You couldn't walk two meters without seeing the PH logo somewhere." I said, becoming a little dryer towards the end.
Holo's ears twitched again and a wry grin crossed her face. "You sound as if you have a grudge."
I felt a flush of embarrassment coming on and I quickly averted my gaze. "A-anyway, we're done here. I'm sure Nora has something else for us to do." I stammered, picking up the two now empty washing baskets.
'Not that you did any work anyway.' I noted sourly.
Holo snickered. "You know, you're quite cute when flustered." She said with a teasing grin stretching from ear to ear.
Despite my irritated glare, my cheeks were turning a brighter shade of pink. "Can it wolf!" I growled at her.
Holo's face quickly fell, a small frown replacing her features.
"I told you not to call me that…" She muttered with a pout.
I sighed, calming myself down, before heading over to the rooftop door. "So, are you coming or not?" I asked.
The wolf glared at me before following in tow with a small "Hmph!"
I opened the door and watched as Holo stormed past, refusing to look at me. She began descending the stairs in a sulk, while I stood alone at the door.
"You could at least carry one of the baskets." I muttered sourly, before I heard Holo's footsteps stop dead. There was a brief moment of silence before Holo came racing back up the stairs, out the door, and push her index finger towards my face in accusation.
"And you could at least shut your mouth!" She snapped before crossing her arms and storming back down the stairs.
I let out another long drawn sigh. 'God she's immature sometimes.' I thought, wondering if it really was such a good idea to be paired with her at all.
I began descending the stairs myself and Holo was nowhere to be seen. I figured I didn't need to watch her constantly, she at least seemed to have decent enough common sense not to reveal herself for what she was. I made my way back to laundry to deposit the two empty baskets, still finding no sign of Holo anywhere.
'She really has stormed off… maybe I was a little short with her…' I thought, starting to worry as I entered the laundry to find Nora neatly folding the last of the clothes.
"All done Nora." I said placing the two baskets out of the way.
Nora turned to face me with a small smile. "Already? Thanks, you saved me a lot of trouble." She said with mirth, before gazing over behind me.
"Um… where is Miss Holo?" She asked softly.
I blinked. "Oh? Holo? She er... headed back after we finished up the laundry. I suppose she's around here somewhere." I explained, scratching my head.
"Oh…" she said meekly and I started to gather that something was wrong.
"So… was there something else you needed?" I asked, thinking I was beating her to the punch. Nora simply blinked a couple of times, as if waking from a dream.
"Hmm? Ah, yes. I was hoping you could go down to the marketplace sometime today. I need you to take the payment for the shelter's weekly groceries. I'll give you the credits for it, but they won't deliver until I've paid. I'd go down and do it myself, but I've been a busy looking after the shelter."
I smiled. "Sure, it'd be nice to see those markets again. Just give me the order details, store address and the credit disk and I'll head out right away." I said with a friendly tone.
Nora nodded. "Right, I'll go get them." She said, moving past me as she headed for the door.
Suddenly, an idea sprung to mind. "Hey Nora, do you have any spare credit disks? Preferably an unmarked one…" I asked.
Nora turned to face me with a mystified expression. "What for?" She replied with innocent curiosity.
"It's just a precaution, I hear there's a bit of credit fraud going around lately. So a backup disk would be great." I explained with a smile.
Nora pursed her lips for a moment. "Alright, I think the shelter has some…. I'll take a look." And with that she was gone…
"Thank you!" I called as I headed out to the lobby, deciding to head back up to room twenty five to retrieve a few personal effects. Passing through the shelter's lobby where I expected to see Nora, I found Holo instead, decidedly sitting upon the lobby desk with a look of dull irritation. Sitting on the floor just across from her was Enek, a large artificial pink tongue sticking out of the construct's mouth, simulating the panting a real dog would have done. The two seemed to be locked in a battle of concentration, each party focusing solely on the other.
Even when I walked between them, neither one seemed to be aware of my existence. I glanced between the two of them before turning to Holo. "So just how long do you intend to keep sulking?"
Holo shot me an unamused look. "Honestly… how could you refer to me as something like that scrappy thing over there?" She muttered with a huff.
"What? Enek? Sure he's an older model, but I wouldn't call him scrappy." I chuckled dryly.
"It's annoying, much like someone else I know…" Holo griped, glancing towards me for the briefest moment.
'My life wasn't going to get any easier if she'd continue to act like this.' I thought with a sigh.
"Alright, listen. I'm going to be heading out to-" I was cut off by the wolf.
"To run another errand for the shepherd girl, yes yes. I heard." She snapped grouchily, turning her head away from me with a huff.
"Well, in that case, I'm sure you wouldn't mind accompanying me right?" I mused, playing off the wolf's curiosity.
Holo slowly turned back to face me, her eyes gleaming at the prospect. And I could already tell her answer.
I gave her a wry smirk. "But, if you don't want to I'll just go by myself." I said with a shrug.
A small smile tugged at Holo's lips. "I see, so you wish me to accompany you to this… marketplace thing, correct?"
"Well, you aren't under any obligation to…" I muttered, still smirking.
Holo snorted. "Well, I dread the thought of being cooped up here without the ability to leave. I wish not to contain myself to another prison. And if I am to learn of this world, what better way to learn than walk the streets with you at my side!" She chuckled before lightly punching me in the arm.
Even though the punch was light, I still jerked violently at the impact before rubbing my arm instinctively. I didn't break my light hearted composure, trying to prevent Holo from returning to that sour mood of hers.
Just then Nora returned, carrying what looked like a small folder and several compact credit disks. And a somewhat uncomfortable expression flashed across her face upon seeing Holo.
"Oh, hello again Miss Holo. I didn't know you'd be down here." Nora muttered, glancing between the two of us.
Holo simply grinned at her and raised her hand in greeting, while I turned to face her with a kindly smile.
"Holo wanted to see the market, so she's tagging along with me." I said with a shrug before adding. "So, is that the invoice?" I asked, peering at the file.
Nora nodded, "Yes, and here's the payment for it." She explained holding up one of the small black disks in her hand. "The other is the unmarked disk you asked for." She continued with a small smile.
I beamed as I moved over to take the objects from her. "Fantastic, I'll get it done as soon as I can." I stated with enthusiasm, taking the objects in hand and pocketing the two black disks.
"I really do appreciate all your help Lawrence." Nora thanked softly, before delivering that signature smile of hers.
I couldn't help the cheesy grin that spread on my face. "Heh, don't mention it. I'll just pick up a few things before heading out." I said as I headed for the stairs. Holo hopped off the desk with a light spring, her bare feet touching upon the floor.
The young girl was quick on her heels, and Norra watched as the two of us disappeared from sight. Upon entering room twenty five, I quickly retrieved my gun and holster, covering it up with my jacket once again.
"Do you think you'll really need that thing?" Holo asked with an arched brow.
I looked back to the slender wolf girl who stood in the doorframe. I gave her a wry smile. "It never hurts to be prepared." I said, before retrieving Zheren's palmtop computer from the room and placed it in one of my many pockets.
"Can't we just go already?" Holo muttered, growing impatient.
"Ok, ok." I groaned, striding past her and heading back to the shelter's lobby. Upon reentering, Nora had disappeared somewhere, so I went to open the door, calling
"We'll be back soon." Letting the young shepherdess know we were leaving.
"Hold on a second." Nora called in response, before appearing, a pair of worn cork thongs in hand. She ran towards us before offering the shoes up to Holo.
"I noticed you didn't have anything for your feet… so I thought it best to get you something." Nora muttered somewhat anxiously.
I glanced between the two women as Holo stared down at the shoes. Holo slowly rose up her hand to touch the outstretched gift.
"I…" Holo muttered, before taking them with a small puff. "Thank you." She muttered, before slipping the pair of thongs. They fitted perfectly.
"They're just an old pair of mine… but I'm quite happy for you to use them. I wouldn't want you walking the streets on nothing but your bare feet. You might think me young and vain, but I will not hesitate to help those in need. Whether they be god's children or not. " Nora muttered softly.
Holo just stared at the young blonde for a moment before her lips curled up into a small smile.
"You must be a woman of great faith… I'll be sure to return these to you." Holo muttered happily, wriggling her toes within her new thongs and Nora smiled in turn.
I opened the door slowly, smiling as I let out a small puff of relief.
'Thank god they made up.' I thought, before turning to look at the two girls.
"Alright, we'll be off." I said, stepping out onto the street, Holo's soft footsteps following behind.
Nora waved us out. "Take care." She said softly before shutting the door behind us.
Holo and I stood upon the steps of the shelter, the narrow street laid out before us. I took the lead, walking down the first couple of steps as Holo was still taking in the sights and sounds of the street.
"Well? Let's be off." I said with a smirk, flipping out Zheren's old palmtop computer and begun to browse through this morning's news. Holo blinked, realizing she was being left behind and was quick to catch up, the soft pattering of her cork shoes tapping against the pavement. We descended further and further into the ever tightening streets of Sector Five, the morning crowds becoming more dense as we grew closer to the sector's main market. As the crowds grew, so did Holo's anxiety. She moved closer and closer to me, until she was tugging against the back of my jacket.
"What's the matter with you?" I asked in a somewhat harsh tone, craning my neck around to get a good look at the wolf.
Holo looked up at me with a pained expression on her face. "There… there are a lot more people that I anticipated…" she muttered, almost audible with the surrounding bustle of the crowd.
"Well, that's just something you'll have to get used to, LA has a population of over twelve million and at least seventy percent of that dwell in Lower LA. So large crowds are a constant factor." I explained, understanding her fears.
'It must be pretty overwhelming for her…' I thought, moving around by her side.
"Not to mention noisy." She grumbled, her ears twitching beneath her hood.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well… yeah, I suppose. Don't worry, you'll get used to it." I comforted, edging closer to her to help alleviate her fears.
Holo hummed in thought as her brow darkened. "So anyway, what is this marketplace we are heading towards?" Holo asked, hoping to take her mind off the large crowd around her.
"Hmmm, well Sector Five deals in a lot of goods, mainly food and clothing. However the marketplace is a trading hub for almost any given product, provided it's legal of course…" I explained with an amused smile.
"What kind of goods?" Holo asked, her interest piqued.
"Food, electronics, software, tools, clothing, cosmetics… you name it, they most likely got it."
Holo pursed her lips. "I see, and where would one acquire the non-legal goods?"
I chuckled awkwardly. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about that in polite company." I said in a hushed voice, glancing around at the people around us, realizing we were staring to attract some odd looks.
Holo fell silent, glancing to the people around us who had now lost interest and continued with the monotony of their routines. I continued explaining as we walked.
"So anyway, you'll often find many marketplaces throughout the various Sectors of LA. However the main market in Sector Five is one of the largest area of free trade in the city." I explained as we walked along a road, that abruptly forked into two separate streets. Between the fork was a large steel and brick building, at least seven stories tall. It was almost completely covered in neon lighting and over saturating advertisements, droves of people bustling in and out of the complex's entrance.
"And speaking of that market…" I said, directing Holo's attention towards it.
Holo blinked as she stared at the building ahead of us, a look of growing curiosity marring her features. We approached the building, entering through the wide doorway and into the cold air conditioning of the marketplace. Holo shivered at the sudden temperature change, before looking out at the sight before us. Rows upon rows of stalls had been set up, some sheltered by thick tarp or canvas, others enclosed in cheap plastic walls. Merchants of all kind stood at the forefront of their patches, hollering their bargains, products and special offers. Each competing against another for the most buyers. Rows of people hurried up and down the ground floor of the complex, often bunching up at various stalls to see the latest goods. And far above them were hundreds of colorful signs and advertisements, placed wherever there was space available. The whole scene could be described in one word... chaotic.
"Well Holo, you wanted to see the markets… and here it is…" I stated with a wave of my hand.
I turned to look at her and almost burst out laughing at the wolf's dumbstruck expression.
"It's… quite crowded…" She managed to say from her agape mouth.
I snorted. "You should see it during its peak traffic periods, there's so much noise you can hardly hear yourself think." I snickered, watching her expression change to a look of horror.
"This place is so vast!" She exclaimed. "How will we ever find the place to deliver Nora's payment?" She asked, looking up at the layers upon layers of department floors.
I opened up the clipboard Nora had given me, a small stack of invoice papers inside. "Well let's have a quick look… hmmm… Murphy's Exports, level five." I muttered, my eyes scanning the invoice for the address of the business.
Holo craned her neck to look up at the fifth floor of the complex. "And just how do we get up there?" She murmured.
"Just make sure you stay by me. We wouldn't want you getting helplessly lost in this crowd, now would we?" I teased with a smug grin.
Holo glared at me, her lips beginning to pout again. "My senses are far keener then yours I'll have you remember, I'd recognize your stench well before I'd spot you." She retorted with a snicker.
"Ha! Touché." I exclaimed, walking further into the vast market, Holo quickly following in tow. We headed towards a nearby escalator, a stream of people stepping onto it to ascend to the next floor. Soon Holo and I were at the foot, preparing to move onto the metal steps.
When Holo suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"What!? What's the matter?" I exclaimed.
"T-these steps… they move!" She stammered, clearly taken aback by a mere escalator.
I ran my hand through my silver hair, letting out a small sigh. "It's an escalator Holo… they do that…" I deadpanned, as people around us started giving judgmental looks.
Holo's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink before she folded her arms in a huff. "Well… you should be more considerate and warn me next time! I know not of such things as moving stairs. " Holo griped in a pout.
"…Escalator." I corrected nonchalantly.
"Whatever." She muttered in a sulk.
I had to stifle a grin, turning away from her as she threw her little tantrum. I had to admit, it was rather fun teasing her... and she looked pretty cute when embarrassed… Shaking those thoughts from my head I refocused on the task set out before us. We rapidly ascended through the levels, the crowded escalators doing the majority of the work in our ascent. We passed a multitude of shops and stalls, each floor specializing in a particular good or commodity. Soon the two of us stepped out onto the white concrete floor of level five, various produce shops and delis lining the walls of this floor. Holo paused for a moment to look over a nearby railing, observing the bustling commotion we left back down on the ground floor.
"It's amazing to think that such a place exists." Holo muttered, probably thinking aloud.
"Mm, did you notice the advertisements playing? In the top right corner?" I asked, glancing towards one of the large LCD panels suspended high above the ground floor.
Holo followed my glance to squint at the large glowing panel, it was playing some kind of colorful add for a sweet sugary drink. She focused her attention to the top right…
"It's... a blue winged creature?" She asked uncertainly, unsure what I was implying.
I nodded. "A Pegasus to be precise… now look around… can you see anymore?" I asked, already knowing what her answer would be.
Holo frowned at me, wondering if this was some kind of test. She began looking around and her skeptical frown slowly turned to a look of realization as she spotted them. They were all around us, upon the escalators, the products, the advertising screens, public terminals, everything. No matter where Holo looked, she could spot at least one blue winged horse. I knew this for I had twigged to it long ago.
"Why? Why are there so many of them?' Holo asked, somewhat alarmed by the fact that she was surrounded by the blue winged horses.
I simply smirked and began walking again, heading towards the address stated on the invoice, talking as I walked. "What you're looking at is the logo for Pegasus Horizons. I wasn't kidding when I said you couldn't walk two meters without seeing one. You said it was amazing that this place exists. Well… that's only because they allow it…" I stated, pointing over to a nearby winged horse icon.
"I didn't realize the sheer scale of it all... it's rather frightening… yet… it seems if no one is bothered by it…" Holo noted, glancing at the people around us.
"People see that logo on a daily basis, most of it on well trusted and widely used products. They don't give any thought to it, and why would they? To them it's just a logo and nothing more." I explained with a shrug.
"And what is it to you?" Holo asked, her stone like tone taking me off guard.
"Well… I…" I muttered, thinking of the best way to put it.
"I just try and stay clear…"
We continued walking, moving with the crowd as we searched for the place addressed within the invoice. I was glancing through the small clipboard, casually flicking through pages as we walked. Holo came up beside me, craning her neck to gaze upon the invoice.
"So this is the debt the shepherd girl owes this company?" Holo inquired with a tone of curiosity.
I nodded. "That's right, this is an export firm. Nora has the produce delivered to her door and in exchange she pays for the goods and services." I explained and Holo blinked.
"And how does one pay? With those Credits?" She asked, her hood rustling softly as she spoke.
I reached into my pocket, before pulling out one of the small credit disks and showed it to her. "This is a credit disk, which stores a certain number of credits that are used as a universal currency for the transaction of goods and services. Notice the number along the top?" I asked, as Holo peered at a small LED display upon the disk like object.
"I see, and that represents it's value?" She noted, with an interested gaze.
I nodded. "Top of the class, credits were originally used by major companies and corporations to deal with high end exchanges between each other. Think of it as a form of debt exchange." I stated, slipping the disk back into my pocket.
Holo furrowed her brow. "If it was used to handle corporate debt, then why are they now used so widely?"
"Eventually these company credits spilled onto the market and began to replace older now outdated currency. Soon enough, credits became the only thing you could use for the equivalent exchange of corprate goods. And you've got to remember, these major corporations and companies were worldwide at this point. So people didn't have much of a choice than to switch to the newer currency." I continued before gazing up at a massive advertising screen. The visage of a blue winged Pegasus dominating my vision while the words 'Expanding your Horizons' stretched beneath it.
"People never get much of a choice…" I muttered.