Chapter 03 – Rudies' Prison
(Disclaimer – none of the GGs are mine, all were created by Sega, etc, blah,
although I made up the names and personalities of the Love Shockers. I don't
know much about radio building so please don't sue me if I get it all wrong.
Thanx! Oh, and muchas gracias to everyone who's reviewed the first 2
chapters of this. Note to Charles 'Rocketboy' Reilly – I know how you feel
about Mew, I'm sorry she's such a ditz in this, I'll try and be nicer to her next
time. Sorry!)
Gum sprayed viciously, trying not to think of the date. Today, she knew, the
other GGs were officially not on remand, but had been 'tried,' found guilty,
sentenced and banged up for who knew how long.
Her tags were beginning to feature ever-darker colours, vicious claws
and proclamations of death, doom and despair. She was particularly proud of
the one that depicted Onishima being decapitated in graphic detail.
She and Combo had tried to do something. But having actually
managed to catch most of the GGs, Onishima was not about to let them escape.
Anyone within ten feet of the police station who couldn't produce rigorously
correct ID, a police uniform and ten details about the types of coffee the
vending machine in the lobby served was promptly vaporised.
And now her and Combo were the only GGs left.
Not that Combo was any happier about it. He'd taken to looking sadly
out of the garage window at the rainy skies, and giving deep sighs at intervals.
This meant that Gum had to spray three districts all by herself, every day, and
fend off attacks from rival gangs, of which there were now a lot.
Things were starting to get a little desperate.
And every second, she'd be wondering what was happening to her
friends now.
Beat glowered at the plate of stew in front of him. He wouldn't give this to
Potts. In fact, if he did he'd get done by the RSPCA. But then, the Juvenile
Skaters' Correctional Facility had never been renowned for its cooking.
His fingers itched for spray paint. His feet itched for skates. And his
heart itched for Gum. He was glad she'd escaped, of course. And even if she
was in here, they couldn't talk; members of the same gang weren't allowed to
associate. But he could look at her…
The dining hall was crowded with ex-skaters, varying in age from about
eight to twenty-five. Even here there were the gang wars. The Noise Tanks
wore white uniforms. Poison Jam wore green. The Love Shockers wore pink.
Anyone else wore yellow. Except the GGs.
Because none of the GGs had ever ended up here before, they didn't
have a colour set for their uniforms. But for some reason, yellow wasn't good
enough. Instead, they had to wear grey, which marked them out as the gang
everybody hated, the gang that had kept winning, and the gang which had now
had its back broken. It wasn't a good situation.
Beat, as the leader, had been most at risk, and had been shoved around,
punched and tripped innumerable times in the last week. Only keeping his
mouth shut and his head down had saved him from getting hurt worse.
The GGs had been split into two halves. He, Slate, Mew and Piranha
were in one block, Tab, Cube, Yo-Yo and Garam in another.
Piranha was making the best of it: she could stand up for herself yet
somehow manage not to get smushed into the floor, but Mew just sulked.
Perpetually. Even the other inmates had stopped bullying her after a while
because there was just no fun in it.
And Slate…
Slate looked out of it, basically. He was thinking about something else.
Or maybe someone else. Not for the first time, Beat wondered what he'd said
to Cube. That looked like where all the trouble had started.
What was bad was that the other inmates had also heard somewhere
about how he'd got caught because he was thinking about a girl. It gave them
something else to taunt him with, and it hurt because it made him think of
Gum.
And on top of that there was the guilt about getting Cube fired, causing
them to go to Grind City, causing them to get caught…
Beat had to admit that the situation had not been handled well at all.
Cube heard the footsteps behind her, and her heart speeded up. The corridor
was empty. There were cameras trained on them in every room, but those
would've been taken care of somehow. If she walked faster, she might be able
to make it to breakfast…
"Hey, GG!"
Cube kept walking, not looking round, though she recognised the voice.
One of the Love Shockers who'd been heckling her yesterday.
"Hey, we're talking to you!" another voice called.
The footsteps speeded up, and someone grabbed her arm. The shock
made her hit out, but a long-nailed hand caught her wrist and pulled her back
against the wall.
"Where's your manners, GG?" demanded the first Love Shocker. Her
pink hair had been brushed down, but random spikes bobbed up everywhere
like a storm on a strawberry sea.
"Where's yours?" Cube retorted. She wasn't going to act afraid. These
were same as the girls she'd chased out of Shibuya hundreds of times.
"Oh, a wise guy. Just our luck, don't you think, Shar?"
Shar – the other Love Shocker – nodded. "Maybe she needs to get
knocked down a little." She had a squint, and nicotine-stained fingers and
teeth.
"I'm not surprised you're in the Love Shockers," said Cube. "No guy'd
stay with you for long, that's for sure." If they were going to beat her up, she'd
at least go down fighting.
Shar slapped her round the face. Cube's blood pounded in her ears.
First blow.
"At least our gang's still alive. Yours is totally smashed. I heard it was
all her fault, wasn't it, Dash?"
"Too busy screwing the leader to notice the cops. Was he a good lay?"
"I don't know how you'd judge; who's ever had you?" Cube could feel
the concrete against her arms, rough and cold. It would hurt to have her head
slammed into it.
Dash punched her in the stomach. Cube doubled over, glad now that
they'd got her before breakfast. She hated throwing up. She felt hands grab
her shoulders, push her up against the wall again, grip her wrists.
"Don't think much of the GGs anyway now they're inside. A bimbo – a
dweeb – a freak –"
"Did you see that one with the nose?" Dash giggled. Cube felt the
blood drain from her face. Slate – Coin – who?
"Look at her, she's gone all white." Shar gripped Cube's collar. "What,
you had him too? Who is he, anyway?"
Cube couldn't speak. Even as part of her brain cursed and tried to fight,
the rest opened up the gloom gates and let the tears flow. She tried to hold
them back, but the blinking gave her away.
"She's crying! I don't believe it! Some rudie she is. Guess Nose guy
was good after all."
"Then let's give her a makeover for him."
Cube winced as the fist hit her cheekbone. She heard them laughing,
but only dimly over the flood of fury that overwhelmed her. How could she
have started crying, for pete's sake? That was Mew's job. She tried to break
free, but Shar twisted her wrist and then punched her again. Great. She was
gonna get a reputation as a wimp before the day was out, and then by the time
her sentence was over she'd need a plastic surgeon before anything else.
She spat air as someone else hit her stomach, and then –
"Hey, leave her alone!"
A girl's voice. Cube felt the hands let go of her wrists, and opened her
eyes as much as she could. Another Love Shocker stood there, the glaring pink
of her uniform cutting across her tanned skin.
"Aw, come on, Kell, she's a GG!" Dash scowled and kicked Cube on
the ankle. "Give us a break!"
"You got breakfast to go to. Give it up." The last three words were spat
out like thorns.
Shar grabbed Dash's arm and the two raced off towards the dining hall.
Cube, leaning against the wall, taking deep breaths, watched the third Love
Shocker – Kell? – stroll towards her.
"If you're gonna beat me up, could you get it over with?" she asked.
She could feel her lip had split, and licked the blood. It tasted tangy on her
tongue. "I've got a full schedule today."
Kell grinned. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
"Then why'd you call off your goons?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"Why?" Cube got to her feet. She felt kinda giddy, but tried to walk
straight. All the things she'd ever heard about prisons were coming into her
head. She clenched her fists.
"The way I see it, if you've managed to take over two other territories,
saved the city from a demon, not been ground to a pulp by Onishima, and
survived falling through a building, you ain't the type of girl to start crying
because of a couple of bitchy remarks."
"I don't cry."
"Sure. Back there you just had something in your eye."
Cube glowered at her, but she grinned slightly and said, "Come on.
Spill the beans."
"Look. I'm a GG. You're supposed to hate me. Everyone else does.
Now leave me alone!"
"Why should I hate you? In here we need to stick together. Let's get to
breakfast."
Cube followed her down the corridor. She was suspicious of this
sudden show of friendship, but there didn't seem to be much else she could do.
Anyway, she needed someone to look out for her. The other GGs could try, but
they had their own fights to contend with.
"So, you gonna say why you cried?"
"No." Cube wondered if she was gonna get punched again, but Kell just
shrugged and said, "Sure, honey. Let's go."
Night fell. Beat lay on his bunk, staring at the sheet of unbreakable plastic
covering the window. Behind that was bars; he'd seen them when he was
brought in. And behind that was the real world.
He couldn't hear anything except prison sounds. Shouting. Crashes.
Clanging footsteps. No traffic. No music. No partygoers.
Beat sighed. He hated this place so much it hurt. He wanted to be out
there now, dashing over the rooftops of Benten-cho, painting the town, seeing
the bright lights. He'd be smelling the dry ice and takeaways, feeling the cold
air on his face, hearing Jet Set Radio pounding in his ears…
"Jet Set Radio!crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrProfessor K, bringing
youccccccrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhood! Get out therecrrrrrrrrr…"
Yes, he could hear it now, low, on the edges of his consciousness…
Wait a minute. Beat sat up. He could hear it. He could hear Jet Set
Radio whispering in the cell.
He looked over the edge of the bunk and saw both his cellmates – one
Poison Jam, one Noise Tank – sitting on the floor, fiddling with something
shiny and crackling. The Noise Tank connected one wire to another, and
Professor K's voice suddenly became clear.
"Seems like the GGs are out of the game for good! Only two left, and
the other gangs are closing in. Are we seeing the end of the Golden Age for
them? Maybe – tune in to Jet Set Radio for the latest news on da street!"
"How did you do that?" Beat asked.
"Go back to sleep, GG," said the Noise Tank.
"And now for somecrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…"
Professor K's voice was drowned by a wave of static. The Noise Tank
cursed. "Quit distracting me, okay?"
"Hey, I listen to it too."
The Noise Tank ignored him and turned back to his work. The Poison
Jammer was holding a torch which glowed weakly in the darkness. Beat
wondered how he hadn't noticed it before.
Suddenly the static cleared again. The last notes of a song faded out,
and then Professor K said, "Well, Shibuya's quiet at the moment. Just waiting
for a new gang to step in. Are the Love Shockers finally gonna get a place of
their own?"
Gum listened to the radio, and itched to throw it across the room. So she was
finished, was she? So the Love Shockers were taking over, were they? So she
was out of the game, was she?
She'd see about that.
It was – she glanced at her watch – three in the morning. The night had
only just begun. There was still time for a little painting…
Combo was asleep on the sofa, looking worried even in his dreams.
Gum wondered whether to wake him, but decided against it. He'd only tell her
not to go.
And she wasn't going to be put off by anyone. It was time to show
everyone the GGs were still live and kicking.
Outside it was pouring with rain. Icy drips slid down Gum's neck, but
the burning rage behind her ribs was all she could feel. Shaking a paint can,
she heard it rattle reassuringly, and began to skate.
When she reached her destination, she was soaked. Flicking a rat tail of
wet hair out of her eyes, she pressed the can and heard the hiss of paint mingle
with the hiss of the rain. A beam of colour tore across the wet walls. Gum's
fingers were as cold as her eyes as she painted the biggest tag of all.
The next night. Beat was losing track of time. He wondered if eventually he'd
forget what it was like outside for good. He'd be released, and he'd stagger
out, and put on his skates, and fall flat on his face. Course, he'd probably be
about forty by then. An adult. And then he wouldn't want to skate any more
anyway.
His thoughts were too depressing. He rolled over, and then the static
pulled back, and Professor K called, "Latest on the street – well, I guess some
GG somewhere was listening last night after all! The police station's had a
makeover, folks – GG graffiti everywhere! Bet Onishima's wishing he'd kept
up those extra guards!"
Beat wanted to cheer, but he didn't think his cellmates would appreciate
it. So Gum and Combo were out there, somewhere…
"Seriously, this tag's got class! Not a brick of the station's been left
untouched. So now the question is, are the GGs so dead
aftercrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…"
The Noise Tank scowled, and hit the Poison Jammer, who promptly fell
over. Beat leaned over to look at the makeshift (very makeshift) radio. "Why
don't you try –"
"I don't need your help," growled the Noise Tank.
"Where're you getting the power for this, anyway?"
"I got my sources." The Noise Tank looked smug for a second, then
said, "What's it to you, anyway?"
"Just curious. And by the way, if you connect that –" He pointed to one
wire. "To that – it might help."
"Yeah, right." The Noise Tank nevertheless connected the two, and
music filled the cell.
"Hey, thanks!" said the Poison Jammer. The Noise Tank hit him again.
"What?" The Poison Jammer rubbed his head. "He's helping us, ain't
he?"
"He's a GG," snarled the Noise Tank. "Remember? The gang we all
hate?"
"I don't see why," said Beat, who had decided he preferred to talk than
lie there thinking how awful his life had become. "I mean, we're all rudies,
right?"
"Yeah, but you're the rudies who keep on winning." The Noise Tank
hit the Poison Jammer again, who obligingly fell over again.
"So we're lucky, and skilful, and cool, and…" Beat realised they were
glaring at him, and said, "Sorry. But come on. We all want this radio, right?"
"Yeah." The Poison Jammer uncrossed his eyes.
"If you start going about teamwork and being friends," said the Noise
Tank, "I shall have to kill you."
"Okay, point taken. But we want the radio…"
Beat saw the Noise Tank's thoughts rolling slowly across his brain. We
want the radio. He can help us with the radio. But he's a GG. And I can build
the radio myself. Can't I? We want the radio…
"Okay, fine," the Noise Tank growled at last. "Let's get going."
By the time the wake-up call was sounded, they'd managed to get a
permanent link to Jet Set Radio, and all three of them were yawning. But Beat
didn't mind the lack of sleep. Jet Set Radio was back. Things couldn't be all
bad.
He studied the other GGs as they ate breakfast. Mew was scowling,
viciously chewing and ignoring everyone. Piranha was talking to a bunch of
kids in yellow – who were mostly okay, a lot of them never having come into
direct opposition with the GGs – and Slate was staring at his plate, a miserable
expression on his face.
Beat wondered how the other four were doing. He missed them, even
Yo-Yo. Although he was kind of glad he couldn't see Cube. She must hate his
guts.
Cube at that moment was walking down the corridor with Kell, actually feeling
almost happy. She hadn't had her face smashed for ages now. Kell had power
over the Love Shockers, and even the other gangs were wary of her – and by
association, of Cube.
Kell slung a casual arm around Cube's shoulders. "I'm really glad we
met up, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Specially as you saved my butt."
"Aw, that's all right. What's the good of having power if you don't use
it?" Kell stopped walking. "You're a really good friend, Cube, you know
that?"
"I am?" Cube couldn't see what she'd done for Kell.
"Yeah." And Kell pushed her against the wall and kissed her on the
lips.
Cube shoved her back. "Hey, knock it off, I'm not that sort of girl!"
"Do I care? While you're in here you gotta make sacrifices." And she
kissed her again.
Cube, angry, embarrassed and disgusted, lost her temper and slapped
Kell round the face.
There was a long, long silence. Cube looked around. Everyone who'd
been walking down from the female's quarters was staring at her in
amazement. And Kell stood there, one hand raised to her face, her eyes black
with rage.
"Is it too late to say sorry?" Cube said, wishing her back wasn't against
the wall. Again.
"Oh, yeah. It's too late for you, GG." Kell's voice was dark and
furious. "You know what happened to the last bitch who hit me?"
"I'm guessing you didn't give her a hug and a box of chocolates." Cube
felt her heart beat faster, like it did when she was grinding over the rooftops
with the cops in hot pursuit. Fight or flight, and she was gonna have to go for
the fight.
"Any guards coming?" Kell called, never taking her eyes off Cube.
"No." Another Love Shocker shook her head.
And then Kell hit out at her, and Cube dropped. The shriek as Kell's fist
punched the wall gave her confidence, and she pushed at Kell's feet, knocking
her off balance. Kell crashed to the floor, one hand crumpled, and scratched
out like a cornered cat. Cube felt blood run down her skin, but the pain was
drowned under the adrenaline in her veins.
The Love Shockers – everyone – were standing there, watching, not
saying a word, and even as she fought Cube wondered why. Surely the other
girls would've pitched in? But they all stood frozen as the fight raged.
Cube felt a fist slam into her face, and she hit the floor – and then Kell
was on her, pinning her arms with her knees, uninjured hand crushing her
throat.
"You are dead…"
Cube choked, tried to breathe, but the Love Shocker's fingers were
squeezing her windpipe. Lights were whirling in front of her eyes, she felt her
ribs rise as they struggled to find air, Kell was laughing, and then Cube,
desperate, reached round and dug her nails into Kell's leg.
It was a schoolgirl move, but Kell winced – and Cube pushed her off,
shoved her down, and then stood up, gasping in cool, delicious air, and waiting
for the next punch.
But it didn't come. There were running feet, and she saw guards
approaching – a shot – a sharp sting in her arm, and her eyes closed.
When she opened them again she was lying on a cell bunk, but something was
different. This wasn't her old bunk…the light was coming from a different
side.
She sat up, her head aching, and heard a voice say, "Nice one, GG."
Cube looked up and saw a Love Shocker, sitting on the opposite bunk.
"What's nice?" she asked. Her throat was so dry she could hardly get
the words out.
"You beating Kell. That bitch's been asking for it for years."
"But you're a Love Shocker. Surely…"
"Nah, Kell's our leader, you see. She pushed us around outside and
she's pushing us around in here. You're the first one to stand up to her."
Cube swallowed, and the bruises on her throat groaned. "I can see why.
Is that why the rest of you didn't help her just now?"
"Yeah. We hate her guts. When she gets out she'll find she's a has-
been." The Love Shocker's face cut into a grin.
"Why am I in this cell?" Cube looked around. Yes, it definitely wasn't
her old one.
"Oh, the guards figured you might have a problem with Kell, so after
they tranquillised you they swapped you for that girl GG who sulks all the
time."
"Mew…"
"Yeah, that's the one. Some cellmate she was, huh, Tasha?"
This was directed to a small girl dressed in yellow who was sitting on
the bottom bunk, knees drawn up to her chest.
"Oh, yeah, I'm San, and this is Tasha." San indicated the small girl.
"And we both know you're Cube."
"Yeah, that's me…So am I gonna get beaten up again now?"
"Shouldn't think so. Anyone who can defeat Kell isn't gonna have
much trouble."
"I didn't exactly defeat her…"
"Well, by tomorrow you will have. You're made, girl."
Cube didn't know whether to believe San, but at any rate she was away
from Kell. Good thing. And she'd be able to see the other three GGs. Beat.
Piranha. Slate…And she shivered.
Gum sat in the garage, twisting the tuning knob on the radio, rushing through
opera and country, hip-hop and football. She'd hoped that tagging the police
station would make her feel better, but no. Everything was still bleak.
"crrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…and that was the latest from
the…crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…and he SCORES! THE CROWD IS GOING
WILD!…crrrrrrrrrrr…President Clinton is attending summit meetings
with…crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…hey, watch it!"
Gum froze. The last voice had sounded like – like Beat.
"Shut up, GG…crrrrrrrrrrrr…just because you ruled outside…"
"Look, can we please co-operate?…crrrrrrrrrr… not sure we needed to
add all these extra parts to it…crrrrrrrrr…wanted Jet Set Radio, not the
Argentinian sports channel…"
It was Beat. Gum wondered if she was hallucinating, but it sounded like
him. Very like him.
And they were trying to get Jet Set Radio. If they had it…slowly a plan
began to form in her mind.
(Well? What do you think? Please r+r!)
(Disclaimer – none of the GGs are mine, all were created by Sega, etc, blah,
although I made up the names and personalities of the Love Shockers. I don't
know much about radio building so please don't sue me if I get it all wrong.
Thanx! Oh, and muchas gracias to everyone who's reviewed the first 2
chapters of this. Note to Charles 'Rocketboy' Reilly – I know how you feel
about Mew, I'm sorry she's such a ditz in this, I'll try and be nicer to her next
time. Sorry!)
Gum sprayed viciously, trying not to think of the date. Today, she knew, the
other GGs were officially not on remand, but had been 'tried,' found guilty,
sentenced and banged up for who knew how long.
Her tags were beginning to feature ever-darker colours, vicious claws
and proclamations of death, doom and despair. She was particularly proud of
the one that depicted Onishima being decapitated in graphic detail.
She and Combo had tried to do something. But having actually
managed to catch most of the GGs, Onishima was not about to let them escape.
Anyone within ten feet of the police station who couldn't produce rigorously
correct ID, a police uniform and ten details about the types of coffee the
vending machine in the lobby served was promptly vaporised.
And now her and Combo were the only GGs left.
Not that Combo was any happier about it. He'd taken to looking sadly
out of the garage window at the rainy skies, and giving deep sighs at intervals.
This meant that Gum had to spray three districts all by herself, every day, and
fend off attacks from rival gangs, of which there were now a lot.
Things were starting to get a little desperate.
And every second, she'd be wondering what was happening to her
friends now.
Beat glowered at the plate of stew in front of him. He wouldn't give this to
Potts. In fact, if he did he'd get done by the RSPCA. But then, the Juvenile
Skaters' Correctional Facility had never been renowned for its cooking.
His fingers itched for spray paint. His feet itched for skates. And his
heart itched for Gum. He was glad she'd escaped, of course. And even if she
was in here, they couldn't talk; members of the same gang weren't allowed to
associate. But he could look at her…
The dining hall was crowded with ex-skaters, varying in age from about
eight to twenty-five. Even here there were the gang wars. The Noise Tanks
wore white uniforms. Poison Jam wore green. The Love Shockers wore pink.
Anyone else wore yellow. Except the GGs.
Because none of the GGs had ever ended up here before, they didn't
have a colour set for their uniforms. But for some reason, yellow wasn't good
enough. Instead, they had to wear grey, which marked them out as the gang
everybody hated, the gang that had kept winning, and the gang which had now
had its back broken. It wasn't a good situation.
Beat, as the leader, had been most at risk, and had been shoved around,
punched and tripped innumerable times in the last week. Only keeping his
mouth shut and his head down had saved him from getting hurt worse.
The GGs had been split into two halves. He, Slate, Mew and Piranha
were in one block, Tab, Cube, Yo-Yo and Garam in another.
Piranha was making the best of it: she could stand up for herself yet
somehow manage not to get smushed into the floor, but Mew just sulked.
Perpetually. Even the other inmates had stopped bullying her after a while
because there was just no fun in it.
And Slate…
Slate looked out of it, basically. He was thinking about something else.
Or maybe someone else. Not for the first time, Beat wondered what he'd said
to Cube. That looked like where all the trouble had started.
What was bad was that the other inmates had also heard somewhere
about how he'd got caught because he was thinking about a girl. It gave them
something else to taunt him with, and it hurt because it made him think of
Gum.
And on top of that there was the guilt about getting Cube fired, causing
them to go to Grind City, causing them to get caught…
Beat had to admit that the situation had not been handled well at all.
Cube heard the footsteps behind her, and her heart speeded up. The corridor
was empty. There were cameras trained on them in every room, but those
would've been taken care of somehow. If she walked faster, she might be able
to make it to breakfast…
"Hey, GG!"
Cube kept walking, not looking round, though she recognised the voice.
One of the Love Shockers who'd been heckling her yesterday.
"Hey, we're talking to you!" another voice called.
The footsteps speeded up, and someone grabbed her arm. The shock
made her hit out, but a long-nailed hand caught her wrist and pulled her back
against the wall.
"Where's your manners, GG?" demanded the first Love Shocker. Her
pink hair had been brushed down, but random spikes bobbed up everywhere
like a storm on a strawberry sea.
"Where's yours?" Cube retorted. She wasn't going to act afraid. These
were same as the girls she'd chased out of Shibuya hundreds of times.
"Oh, a wise guy. Just our luck, don't you think, Shar?"
Shar – the other Love Shocker – nodded. "Maybe she needs to get
knocked down a little." She had a squint, and nicotine-stained fingers and
teeth.
"I'm not surprised you're in the Love Shockers," said Cube. "No guy'd
stay with you for long, that's for sure." If they were going to beat her up, she'd
at least go down fighting.
Shar slapped her round the face. Cube's blood pounded in her ears.
First blow.
"At least our gang's still alive. Yours is totally smashed. I heard it was
all her fault, wasn't it, Dash?"
"Too busy screwing the leader to notice the cops. Was he a good lay?"
"I don't know how you'd judge; who's ever had you?" Cube could feel
the concrete against her arms, rough and cold. It would hurt to have her head
slammed into it.
Dash punched her in the stomach. Cube doubled over, glad now that
they'd got her before breakfast. She hated throwing up. She felt hands grab
her shoulders, push her up against the wall again, grip her wrists.
"Don't think much of the GGs anyway now they're inside. A bimbo – a
dweeb – a freak –"
"Did you see that one with the nose?" Dash giggled. Cube felt the
blood drain from her face. Slate – Coin – who?
"Look at her, she's gone all white." Shar gripped Cube's collar. "What,
you had him too? Who is he, anyway?"
Cube couldn't speak. Even as part of her brain cursed and tried to fight,
the rest opened up the gloom gates and let the tears flow. She tried to hold
them back, but the blinking gave her away.
"She's crying! I don't believe it! Some rudie she is. Guess Nose guy
was good after all."
"Then let's give her a makeover for him."
Cube winced as the fist hit her cheekbone. She heard them laughing,
but only dimly over the flood of fury that overwhelmed her. How could she
have started crying, for pete's sake? That was Mew's job. She tried to break
free, but Shar twisted her wrist and then punched her again. Great. She was
gonna get a reputation as a wimp before the day was out, and then by the time
her sentence was over she'd need a plastic surgeon before anything else.
She spat air as someone else hit her stomach, and then –
"Hey, leave her alone!"
A girl's voice. Cube felt the hands let go of her wrists, and opened her
eyes as much as she could. Another Love Shocker stood there, the glaring pink
of her uniform cutting across her tanned skin.
"Aw, come on, Kell, she's a GG!" Dash scowled and kicked Cube on
the ankle. "Give us a break!"
"You got breakfast to go to. Give it up." The last three words were spat
out like thorns.
Shar grabbed Dash's arm and the two raced off towards the dining hall.
Cube, leaning against the wall, taking deep breaths, watched the third Love
Shocker – Kell? – stroll towards her.
"If you're gonna beat me up, could you get it over with?" she asked.
She could feel her lip had split, and licked the blood. It tasted tangy on her
tongue. "I've got a full schedule today."
Kell grinned. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
"Then why'd you call off your goons?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"Why?" Cube got to her feet. She felt kinda giddy, but tried to walk
straight. All the things she'd ever heard about prisons were coming into her
head. She clenched her fists.
"The way I see it, if you've managed to take over two other territories,
saved the city from a demon, not been ground to a pulp by Onishima, and
survived falling through a building, you ain't the type of girl to start crying
because of a couple of bitchy remarks."
"I don't cry."
"Sure. Back there you just had something in your eye."
Cube glowered at her, but she grinned slightly and said, "Come on.
Spill the beans."
"Look. I'm a GG. You're supposed to hate me. Everyone else does.
Now leave me alone!"
"Why should I hate you? In here we need to stick together. Let's get to
breakfast."
Cube followed her down the corridor. She was suspicious of this
sudden show of friendship, but there didn't seem to be much else she could do.
Anyway, she needed someone to look out for her. The other GGs could try, but
they had their own fights to contend with.
"So, you gonna say why you cried?"
"No." Cube wondered if she was gonna get punched again, but Kell just
shrugged and said, "Sure, honey. Let's go."
Night fell. Beat lay on his bunk, staring at the sheet of unbreakable plastic
covering the window. Behind that was bars; he'd seen them when he was
brought in. And behind that was the real world.
He couldn't hear anything except prison sounds. Shouting. Crashes.
Clanging footsteps. No traffic. No music. No partygoers.
Beat sighed. He hated this place so much it hurt. He wanted to be out
there now, dashing over the rooftops of Benten-cho, painting the town, seeing
the bright lights. He'd be smelling the dry ice and takeaways, feeling the cold
air on his face, hearing Jet Set Radio pounding in his ears…
"Jet Set Radio!crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrProfessor K, bringing
youccccccrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhood! Get out therecrrrrrrrrr…"
Yes, he could hear it now, low, on the edges of his consciousness…
Wait a minute. Beat sat up. He could hear it. He could hear Jet Set
Radio whispering in the cell.
He looked over the edge of the bunk and saw both his cellmates – one
Poison Jam, one Noise Tank – sitting on the floor, fiddling with something
shiny and crackling. The Noise Tank connected one wire to another, and
Professor K's voice suddenly became clear.
"Seems like the GGs are out of the game for good! Only two left, and
the other gangs are closing in. Are we seeing the end of the Golden Age for
them? Maybe – tune in to Jet Set Radio for the latest news on da street!"
"How did you do that?" Beat asked.
"Go back to sleep, GG," said the Noise Tank.
"And now for somecrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…"
Professor K's voice was drowned by a wave of static. The Noise Tank
cursed. "Quit distracting me, okay?"
"Hey, I listen to it too."
The Noise Tank ignored him and turned back to his work. The Poison
Jammer was holding a torch which glowed weakly in the darkness. Beat
wondered how he hadn't noticed it before.
Suddenly the static cleared again. The last notes of a song faded out,
and then Professor K said, "Well, Shibuya's quiet at the moment. Just waiting
for a new gang to step in. Are the Love Shockers finally gonna get a place of
their own?"
Gum listened to the radio, and itched to throw it across the room. So she was
finished, was she? So the Love Shockers were taking over, were they? So she
was out of the game, was she?
She'd see about that.
It was – she glanced at her watch – three in the morning. The night had
only just begun. There was still time for a little painting…
Combo was asleep on the sofa, looking worried even in his dreams.
Gum wondered whether to wake him, but decided against it. He'd only tell her
not to go.
And she wasn't going to be put off by anyone. It was time to show
everyone the GGs were still live and kicking.
Outside it was pouring with rain. Icy drips slid down Gum's neck, but
the burning rage behind her ribs was all she could feel. Shaking a paint can,
she heard it rattle reassuringly, and began to skate.
When she reached her destination, she was soaked. Flicking a rat tail of
wet hair out of her eyes, she pressed the can and heard the hiss of paint mingle
with the hiss of the rain. A beam of colour tore across the wet walls. Gum's
fingers were as cold as her eyes as she painted the biggest tag of all.
The next night. Beat was losing track of time. He wondered if eventually he'd
forget what it was like outside for good. He'd be released, and he'd stagger
out, and put on his skates, and fall flat on his face. Course, he'd probably be
about forty by then. An adult. And then he wouldn't want to skate any more
anyway.
His thoughts were too depressing. He rolled over, and then the static
pulled back, and Professor K called, "Latest on the street – well, I guess some
GG somewhere was listening last night after all! The police station's had a
makeover, folks – GG graffiti everywhere! Bet Onishima's wishing he'd kept
up those extra guards!"
Beat wanted to cheer, but he didn't think his cellmates would appreciate
it. So Gum and Combo were out there, somewhere…
"Seriously, this tag's got class! Not a brick of the station's been left
untouched. So now the question is, are the GGs so dead
aftercrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…"
The Noise Tank scowled, and hit the Poison Jammer, who promptly fell
over. Beat leaned over to look at the makeshift (very makeshift) radio. "Why
don't you try –"
"I don't need your help," growled the Noise Tank.
"Where're you getting the power for this, anyway?"
"I got my sources." The Noise Tank looked smug for a second, then
said, "What's it to you, anyway?"
"Just curious. And by the way, if you connect that –" He pointed to one
wire. "To that – it might help."
"Yeah, right." The Noise Tank nevertheless connected the two, and
music filled the cell.
"Hey, thanks!" said the Poison Jammer. The Noise Tank hit him again.
"What?" The Poison Jammer rubbed his head. "He's helping us, ain't
he?"
"He's a GG," snarled the Noise Tank. "Remember? The gang we all
hate?"
"I don't see why," said Beat, who had decided he preferred to talk than
lie there thinking how awful his life had become. "I mean, we're all rudies,
right?"
"Yeah, but you're the rudies who keep on winning." The Noise Tank
hit the Poison Jammer again, who obligingly fell over again.
"So we're lucky, and skilful, and cool, and…" Beat realised they were
glaring at him, and said, "Sorry. But come on. We all want this radio, right?"
"Yeah." The Poison Jammer uncrossed his eyes.
"If you start going about teamwork and being friends," said the Noise
Tank, "I shall have to kill you."
"Okay, point taken. But we want the radio…"
Beat saw the Noise Tank's thoughts rolling slowly across his brain. We
want the radio. He can help us with the radio. But he's a GG. And I can build
the radio myself. Can't I? We want the radio…
"Okay, fine," the Noise Tank growled at last. "Let's get going."
By the time the wake-up call was sounded, they'd managed to get a
permanent link to Jet Set Radio, and all three of them were yawning. But Beat
didn't mind the lack of sleep. Jet Set Radio was back. Things couldn't be all
bad.
He studied the other GGs as they ate breakfast. Mew was scowling,
viciously chewing and ignoring everyone. Piranha was talking to a bunch of
kids in yellow – who were mostly okay, a lot of them never having come into
direct opposition with the GGs – and Slate was staring at his plate, a miserable
expression on his face.
Beat wondered how the other four were doing. He missed them, even
Yo-Yo. Although he was kind of glad he couldn't see Cube. She must hate his
guts.
Cube at that moment was walking down the corridor with Kell, actually feeling
almost happy. She hadn't had her face smashed for ages now. Kell had power
over the Love Shockers, and even the other gangs were wary of her – and by
association, of Cube.
Kell slung a casual arm around Cube's shoulders. "I'm really glad we
met up, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Specially as you saved my butt."
"Aw, that's all right. What's the good of having power if you don't use
it?" Kell stopped walking. "You're a really good friend, Cube, you know
that?"
"I am?" Cube couldn't see what she'd done for Kell.
"Yeah." And Kell pushed her against the wall and kissed her on the
lips.
Cube shoved her back. "Hey, knock it off, I'm not that sort of girl!"
"Do I care? While you're in here you gotta make sacrifices." And she
kissed her again.
Cube, angry, embarrassed and disgusted, lost her temper and slapped
Kell round the face.
There was a long, long silence. Cube looked around. Everyone who'd
been walking down from the female's quarters was staring at her in
amazement. And Kell stood there, one hand raised to her face, her eyes black
with rage.
"Is it too late to say sorry?" Cube said, wishing her back wasn't against
the wall. Again.
"Oh, yeah. It's too late for you, GG." Kell's voice was dark and
furious. "You know what happened to the last bitch who hit me?"
"I'm guessing you didn't give her a hug and a box of chocolates." Cube
felt her heart beat faster, like it did when she was grinding over the rooftops
with the cops in hot pursuit. Fight or flight, and she was gonna have to go for
the fight.
"Any guards coming?" Kell called, never taking her eyes off Cube.
"No." Another Love Shocker shook her head.
And then Kell hit out at her, and Cube dropped. The shriek as Kell's fist
punched the wall gave her confidence, and she pushed at Kell's feet, knocking
her off balance. Kell crashed to the floor, one hand crumpled, and scratched
out like a cornered cat. Cube felt blood run down her skin, but the pain was
drowned under the adrenaline in her veins.
The Love Shockers – everyone – were standing there, watching, not
saying a word, and even as she fought Cube wondered why. Surely the other
girls would've pitched in? But they all stood frozen as the fight raged.
Cube felt a fist slam into her face, and she hit the floor – and then Kell
was on her, pinning her arms with her knees, uninjured hand crushing her
throat.
"You are dead…"
Cube choked, tried to breathe, but the Love Shocker's fingers were
squeezing her windpipe. Lights were whirling in front of her eyes, she felt her
ribs rise as they struggled to find air, Kell was laughing, and then Cube,
desperate, reached round and dug her nails into Kell's leg.
It was a schoolgirl move, but Kell winced – and Cube pushed her off,
shoved her down, and then stood up, gasping in cool, delicious air, and waiting
for the next punch.
But it didn't come. There were running feet, and she saw guards
approaching – a shot – a sharp sting in her arm, and her eyes closed.
When she opened them again she was lying on a cell bunk, but something was
different. This wasn't her old bunk…the light was coming from a different
side.
She sat up, her head aching, and heard a voice say, "Nice one, GG."
Cube looked up and saw a Love Shocker, sitting on the opposite bunk.
"What's nice?" she asked. Her throat was so dry she could hardly get
the words out.
"You beating Kell. That bitch's been asking for it for years."
"But you're a Love Shocker. Surely…"
"Nah, Kell's our leader, you see. She pushed us around outside and
she's pushing us around in here. You're the first one to stand up to her."
Cube swallowed, and the bruises on her throat groaned. "I can see why.
Is that why the rest of you didn't help her just now?"
"Yeah. We hate her guts. When she gets out she'll find she's a has-
been." The Love Shocker's face cut into a grin.
"Why am I in this cell?" Cube looked around. Yes, it definitely wasn't
her old one.
"Oh, the guards figured you might have a problem with Kell, so after
they tranquillised you they swapped you for that girl GG who sulks all the
time."
"Mew…"
"Yeah, that's the one. Some cellmate she was, huh, Tasha?"
This was directed to a small girl dressed in yellow who was sitting on
the bottom bunk, knees drawn up to her chest.
"Oh, yeah, I'm San, and this is Tasha." San indicated the small girl.
"And we both know you're Cube."
"Yeah, that's me…So am I gonna get beaten up again now?"
"Shouldn't think so. Anyone who can defeat Kell isn't gonna have
much trouble."
"I didn't exactly defeat her…"
"Well, by tomorrow you will have. You're made, girl."
Cube didn't know whether to believe San, but at any rate she was away
from Kell. Good thing. And she'd be able to see the other three GGs. Beat.
Piranha. Slate…And she shivered.
Gum sat in the garage, twisting the tuning knob on the radio, rushing through
opera and country, hip-hop and football. She'd hoped that tagging the police
station would make her feel better, but no. Everything was still bleak.
"crrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…and that was the latest from
the…crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…and he SCORES! THE CROWD IS GOING
WILD!…crrrrrrrrrrr…President Clinton is attending summit meetings
with…crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…hey, watch it!"
Gum froze. The last voice had sounded like – like Beat.
"Shut up, GG…crrrrrrrrrrrr…just because you ruled outside…"
"Look, can we please co-operate?…crrrrrrrrrr… not sure we needed to
add all these extra parts to it…crrrrrrrrr…wanted Jet Set Radio, not the
Argentinian sports channel…"
It was Beat. Gum wondered if she was hallucinating, but it sounded like
him. Very like him.
And they were trying to get Jet Set Radio. If they had it…slowly a plan
began to form in her mind.
(Well? What do you think? Please r+r!)