Stepping out into the bright sun, the dust rising from the dirt roads, Anita holds back a cough as she shields her eyes.
You would think with all this advanced technology they would put some resources back into the city, she thought to herself, I guess this neighborhood isn't worth it.
The buildings pile on one another, each looking like it's helping to hold the next one up. The streets are already filled with people heading to work, trying to find work, or just begging on the sides tucked into the shadows to avoid a burn from the sun.
Heading down the road, she passes a couple of familiar faces in the local shops. They wave as she passes. She may not be the friendliest person at first, but most people warm up to her after a while. Having done various jobs in the past couple weeks she has met quite a few of the shop owners here.
She sees the sign of one of her usual stops.
Solace's Delights.
"Any luck on that job hunt?" Ana, the shop owner says to her as she steps in to take a break from the heat.
It's only midmorning but it already feels like it's hitting 80 degrees.
"Unfortunately, I've only been able to find various day jobs, enough to keep me busy for a day or two before the job is done."
Anita remembers her first couple of days in Solace. The city was confusing, and she seemed to get lost at every turn. Hunger had driven her into a shop where the smell of fresh baked goods and convinced her to go inside. The shop had a couple of customers sitting at tables. No one even glanced up at her as she walked in, too preoccupied with whatever they were doing. The shop owner had welcomed her with no look of disgust as she had previously gotten.
I would love to see how good you would look if you had recently survived a crash, Anita had thought to herself as people gave her dirty looks and kept their distance.
She had asked Ana, now up close so she could see the name on the tag hooked onto her apron, if she had any small jobs that she could do to earn some money. Ana had given her the once over and told her that she had a shipment of various flours, sugars, and spices that needed to be put away. She had paid Anita well for the work she did that day. Before Anita left, Ana had given her some tips on cheap places to stay and how to find more work. Anita appreciated her help and stops by a couple times a week to check in with her.
"That's rough," she says as she hands her a small bag filled with sweet rolls. Anita takes the rolls in appreciation, it's not too often that she can afford anything more than rations, a disgusting dried powder that you mix with water. It tastes like shit but at least it gives some nutrients.
"Have you heard about the Apex Games?" Ana says.
"Games?" she asks with a look of confusion.
"Yeah, the Games are held by Syndicate and will be happening each week. Their first Game is next month. I don't know much about the details, but I heard you can make money if you win."
"Like a lot of money?" Anita says, curiosity peaked in her voice.
"I think so, like I said, I don't know much about them, but I do know that they will be held in King's Canyon once they finish construction."
"How far is that from here?"
"Well in a ship it's probably not more than a day trip."
"Good to know, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." she says as she heads out the door.
The Apex Games, I wonder what kind of games they are, she thinks to herself eating one of the sweet rolls Ana gave her, if it's anything athletic I'll have it in the bag.
Thinking back to her time at the IMC Military Academy where she graduated top of her class. She had been in top shape since she was a child. Her parents held weekly drills to help keep her and her brother in that condition to prepare them for the academy. Generations of her family had gone there, and they would follow in their families' footsteps. The physical tests during the academy were something Anita could pass with her eyes closed thanks to all that training at home. It felt like these games could be an easier way to make money than searching for work, day in and day out.
She heads toward downtown; the buildings change to look more polished and the streets are no longer riddled with scraps of garbage. Guards patrol the street, eyeing each person they passed. Everyone avoids eye contact to prevent any kind of interaction with the patrols. The last thing anyone wants is a fine for staring too long. Anita keeps her head down and passes the patrol without drawing any attention to herself. Another skill she has learned, thanks to the academy, is how to blend in with large groups of people.
As Anita enters the main square of downtown, she can see the sign attached to one of the taller buildings.
The Iron Crown.
She slows her pace as she gets closer to the building. She looks at herself in the reflection of the polished glass taking in the tired eyes of someone who just wants to find a way out of this place. She notices that look is common among the people walking past her into the Iron Crown. Most of them seemed to be better dressed than she was but she doesn't necessarily look out of place. Luckily, she had recently washed her clothes, so they weren't as dirty as they used to be. The blood stains had finally come off from the crash. Straightening her jacket, brushing off the dust gathered on her boots, she makes her way inside.
A dull roar of noise greets her ears as she enters. She stifles a grimace as she continues walking toward the front desk. Quiet is something she appreciates and doesn't really like being in places like this.
It's all for my family, she thinks to herself unable to hide the uncomfortable feeling.
She walks up to the woman standing at the front desk. Perfectly styled red hair frames her face as she looks up to greet Anita. Taller than Anita, the woman has a professional air around her and she carries herself that way. Her uniform, a dark blue suit with a gold nametag, is spotless and looks like it had been recently ironed. Not a speck to be found anywhere on her, Anita wishes she could say the same for herself.
"Hello, my name is Gemma. I'm assuming you are here looking for work?" she asks.
"Uh, yeah." Anita says. "I've never been here before."
"Well, you've come to the right place if you are looking for employment. So basically, how this works is we sign you up with an account that you use while you are here. All your information is stored on this chip," she says as she holds up a tiny piece of plastic.
"This chip will be how you access the tablets and accept jobs. This is also how you get paid from jobs. To withdraw your pay, you use one of the kiosks found on the west side of the room. After getting you set up, you will grab an empty chair anywhere you like, a tablet will be at the table. Use your account to log in and begin looking through the jobs. If you want something more specified, like if you have certain skills such as knowing other languages or specialized education, you can put that in your profile and get matched with specialized jobs."
"Okay, sounds easy enough."
"Name?"
"Anita Williams."
"Age, education?"
"34, IMC Military Academy."
Gemma's eyebrows raise with interest.
"Okay, any skills that I should add before completing your account?"
"No, that's okay I'll add the rest later. I've taken enough of your time," Anita says, a line had formed behind her and she wants to get away from other people as quick as she can. Gemma finishes making her profile and gives her the chip, her initials etched into the lower left corner of it.
"All the information is on there, just plug it in to the tablet and create a password and you can get started."
"Thanks," She says as she takes the chip and heads over to the farthest empty table. The least amount of people around, the better.
Plugging in the chip, the tablet turns on and a prompt to create a password appears.
Hmm, I know… JkSn2695. I've been using that password for years and should probably change it, but I don't think it's a big deal she thinks to herself.
The tablet takes a few seconds and then job postings begin to fill up the screen.
Let's see, something that isn't just another day job and actually pays well. Anita begins scrolling through the jobs.
Need someone to help clean my yard: 15 SC.
A baby flyer is loose in the neighborhood, need someone to clear it out: 100 SC.
Need someone to unload freight 4 days a week, 8-hour shifts: 45 SC/hour.
That last one didn't seem like too bad of a deal, she thought to herself, it seemed to be more steady work and I could use the money.
As she hovered over the link a small pop up caught her attention on the lower half of the screen. A small bar with the words
Want to earn big money? Get your foot in the door for the Apex Games?
CLICK HERE.
Interesting, she thought as she tried to look around to see if anyone else had gotten the pop up. There was only one person sitting close enough to her and his screen didn't look out of the ordinary.
She hesitated for a second and then decided to click on it. The screen immediately went black and instructions started filling the screen.
They read:
No one is to know about this, otherwise there will be consequences. If you think you have what it takes to do what you need to survive and make some money than in 2 days' time meet behind the out of service Hammond station in the old district at 2100. Don't worry about bringing anything except your chip. We will provide necessary items. If you agree to these terms press Y now.
Rereading the instructions one more time, Anita presses Y. A small thank you appears on the screen as the tablet begins to feel hot in her hands. She tries to turn it off to get the heat to stop but it still getting hotter. She pulls the chip out knowing she is going to need that later. The tablet starts smoking when she tosses it out of her hand and stands up abruptly. Her chair falls over in the process and everyone begins looking toward the commotion. A worker comes over and grabs the tablet with a towel and runs into the back room. Gemma comes rushing over.
"Oh my, are you okay? We have malfunctions every once and awhile but this isn't something I've seen before what happened?"
"I don't know I was scrolling through the jobs and it suddenly turned black and got hot." she says feigning a look of innocence.
"Well, I am so sorry that happened to you. Would you like a different tablet or do you need a new chip?" Gemma asks with concern.
"No don't worry about it. I was able to accept some work before that happened." Another lie. But she didn't need to know that.
"I'm glad you could find something. We are pleased to have helped you today. Come back anytime." She says as Anita heads toward the door trying to shake off the feeling that she might have made a mistake, but the money should be worth it.
Anita leaves the Iron Crown and begins to head home, unknowingly someone is watching her as she makes her way out of the square.
Perfect, the stranger thinks to themselves, she will fit right in with the others.
The stranger picks up their computer and leaves.
