She walked quickly down the stairs and out into the street. The slushy
snow clogged the gutters and the sky was too cloudy to see the stars.
Tori pulled out a cigarette and her lighter. She lit it and took a long draw. She hadn't chosen to smoke because of it's popularity, it just gave her something to while away the long lonely hours and to occupy her hands from hacking into more bank accounts. She was trying to forget.
Her coat had been stolen from some posh store along main street, of course, among many other items living in her apartment: the three computers, the money to keep the rent. She threw the cigarette into the snow and heard it hiss.
What had Second_Sight wanted? Was it just some other hacker trying to get in touch with the infamous Morse, her online alias? Tori wanted to give up that persona. Her recent popularity online had unnerved her. She walked the wet streets of Albany, heading for the goal of Bug's directions.
At an alleyway she stopped, seeing two thugs swapping dirty money in the shadows. She ignored their jeers, her attention distracted. For no apparent reason, a weak brush of yellow was painted along the inside of the alley, heading out to the other side of the street. Tori paused a moment, the continued walking down the main street. Follow the yellow brick road. Who knows where it might lead?
Her fingers reached for the plain silver crucifix around her neck, hanging low in contrast to her black halter-top. She was a strong atheist, but the cross was an heirloom from her father's side, the polluting side.
Without thinking she found herself on the other side of the street next to another alley, this time empty. Another yellow stripe lured her into the shadows.
"Screw it." She mumbled, and turning into the alley, following the line to its destination.
She came out the other side finding a road packed with cars and two police vans. A yellow line crossed the road, barely visible in the moonlight. A club thumped opposite the road from her. The words SPHERE pulsed in bright pink light above the windows. It made her eyes hurt.
Ignoring the signs about under age drinking and DUIs, Tori walked in, dodging the security guards and knowing she could blame Bug for any fee she had to pay.
The bar was at the back. She'd have to find her way through the crowd of turned on people in order to get there. She pulled off her coat and tossed it into the crowd, not truly fond of it. It revealed her in the black halter neck stopping at the bottom of her rib cage and a short black mini- skirt sitting on her hips. Fishnets snaked up what leg was visible from her tall boots.
Tori stretched and clicked her shoulder into place and began her way through the crowd. She saw no one she knew, and parts of people she had hoped to never see but eventually she found a seat at the fluorescently lit bar and took a seat on one of the black leather seats.
She twisted her homemade eyebrow bolt and waited for service, trying to ignore the strange glances from the others at the bar.
"What will you have?" the bartender asked. He had a ring through his nose and weird contacts in.
"Beer." Tori grunted.
"I.D?" he asked.
"You think I'd come in this sick place if I wasn't over twenty one?" she growled. He narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow at her, then handed her a random bottle of amber liquid and moved to the next person. Tori gave an inward smile; she was making friends fast.
She looked around for Bug, knowing he was probably already off trying to get laid. She sighed and looked back at her frosted beer bottle.
"There's my girl." A voice said behind Tori. She turned around in the chair and saw Bug leaning against a wooden pillar. A girl dressed scantily with a pink feather boa was standing behind him.
"Bug." Tori greeted stoically. He stepped forward, taking the seat next to he. The girl in the boa followed, stroking his shoulder. "And you must be the Rose I've heard so much about." Tori addressed her. Bug hadn't stopped going on about his new girlfriend. Tori couldn't see why anyone would fancy Bug, he fitted his name perfectly. His large blue eyes were very pale giving him an almost blind look. His thin nose seemed to sink into his face like a triangle between his eyes. His lanky limbs made him look even more like a preying mantis, the fact that he'd recently dyed his hair green made it worse.
"A pleasure, I'm sure." Rose said, placing a fake-nailed hand on Bug's low shoulder.
"Told you this place was better." Bug sneered at Tori.
"This place is a dump. I'd rather go party in the sewers than here." Tori snarled back.
"Hey, hey, you're supposed to be gracious." Bug winked.
"After what you did to that guy in Scream..." Rose added without much of a point. Tori shook off her comment and turned to the bar, taking a long sip from her beer bottle.
"Why don't you two just go shag in the background. I'm fine with whatever hell you throw at me." She said, putting the bottle down. Bug smiled thinly.
"Gladly." He said, throwing a arm around Rose's bare shoulders and starting away.
"Scream was my domain, Bug!" Tori shouted after him. "You just fucked that up when you spiked my drink with a little too much MJ!" She shook her head and looked back at her drink.
The music thumped at her back, but she knew she wouldn't dance. No here. Not where she could easily get carted off and raped at a moments notice. A few more people less scantily clad hooked onto the bar, ordering swiftly from the tender.
"Fucks." Tori sighed and cracked her neck stiffly. The tender came over and placed a large dark drink in front of her. She cast him a cynical look.
"From the gentleman in the long coat." The tender grinned stupidly, pulling off his Lincoln top hat and bowing, revealing a slightly out of shape mohawk.
"Tell him I don't want any shitty beer." Tori breathed dangerously, but the barman had already swept away to another customer.
Tori sighed and pushed the beer to one side putting her elbows on the counter and cradling her neck. Black sleeved arms closed around her, locking her in a leathery fence and a voice whispered in her ear.
"I suppose you're not one for European beers then." A male voice said softly and Tori whirled around. A handsome young man, a few years older than her fake age stood there. His pale blonde hair was spiked like a few others in the club but his eyes... They were the rough color of an alpine lake, unless it was some trick of the light played on by the buzzing blue lasers in the club. His dress wear was hardly suiting: all black leather and high buckled boots.
"I stick with the crap we have here." She smiled sarcastically.
"Care to dance?" the man asked, extending a hand.
"I'm not a dancer." She shot back but the man pulled her up anyway, close to him, eyes meeting hers.
"Fine then." Tori remarked, smoothing herself along his body. She turned around, back to his chest. He curled an arm around her waist and ran a finger over her exposed right shoulder.
"What's this?" he asked, flattening his hand over her tattoo on her shoulder as she turn back towards him.
"Morse code." She smiled coyly.
"And..." he inquired, leaning close to her.
"If I told you what it said... I'd have to kill you." She said, satisfied. He leaned down close to her ear.
"Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." He smiled, sending shivers down her spine. He pulled her close to him in a strong grip. "This close enough?" he added, a grim smile tracing his lips.
"You..." Tori breathed, frightened for a moment. "How..." A hint of understanding warmed her cold green eyes and she pulled away from him, heading for the exit. She only gone ten feet when his strong hands caught her arm and whirled her back into his grip, back to his chest again.
"Believe me, Victoria. I have a five barrel gun in my pocket and I'm not afraid to use it to kill as many people in this club." He said sternly.
For a moment Tori wanted to throw him a provocative joke, but she didn't.
"What do you want with me?"
"The question is: what is it you want?" he asked. Tori was still for a moment, but she knew she'd tell him the answer in the end.
"What is the Matrix?" she whispered, barely making a sound. He read her lips over her shoulder and smiled briefly.
"Do you want to know?"
"Why? Are you going to shoot me if I say no?"
"It wouldn't be a waste." The man said. "If you want to know, come to the West Bridge at eight o'clock tomorrow evening. Make sure they don't follow." He finished and pushed her back into the crowd. By the time she turned around, he'd disappeared.
Tori pulled out a cigarette and her lighter. She lit it and took a long draw. She hadn't chosen to smoke because of it's popularity, it just gave her something to while away the long lonely hours and to occupy her hands from hacking into more bank accounts. She was trying to forget.
Her coat had been stolen from some posh store along main street, of course, among many other items living in her apartment: the three computers, the money to keep the rent. She threw the cigarette into the snow and heard it hiss.
What had Second_Sight wanted? Was it just some other hacker trying to get in touch with the infamous Morse, her online alias? Tori wanted to give up that persona. Her recent popularity online had unnerved her. She walked the wet streets of Albany, heading for the goal of Bug's directions.
At an alleyway she stopped, seeing two thugs swapping dirty money in the shadows. She ignored their jeers, her attention distracted. For no apparent reason, a weak brush of yellow was painted along the inside of the alley, heading out to the other side of the street. Tori paused a moment, the continued walking down the main street. Follow the yellow brick road. Who knows where it might lead?
Her fingers reached for the plain silver crucifix around her neck, hanging low in contrast to her black halter-top. She was a strong atheist, but the cross was an heirloom from her father's side, the polluting side.
Without thinking she found herself on the other side of the street next to another alley, this time empty. Another yellow stripe lured her into the shadows.
"Screw it." She mumbled, and turning into the alley, following the line to its destination.
She came out the other side finding a road packed with cars and two police vans. A yellow line crossed the road, barely visible in the moonlight. A club thumped opposite the road from her. The words SPHERE pulsed in bright pink light above the windows. It made her eyes hurt.
Ignoring the signs about under age drinking and DUIs, Tori walked in, dodging the security guards and knowing she could blame Bug for any fee she had to pay.
The bar was at the back. She'd have to find her way through the crowd of turned on people in order to get there. She pulled off her coat and tossed it into the crowd, not truly fond of it. It revealed her in the black halter neck stopping at the bottom of her rib cage and a short black mini- skirt sitting on her hips. Fishnets snaked up what leg was visible from her tall boots.
Tori stretched and clicked her shoulder into place and began her way through the crowd. She saw no one she knew, and parts of people she had hoped to never see but eventually she found a seat at the fluorescently lit bar and took a seat on one of the black leather seats.
She twisted her homemade eyebrow bolt and waited for service, trying to ignore the strange glances from the others at the bar.
"What will you have?" the bartender asked. He had a ring through his nose and weird contacts in.
"Beer." Tori grunted.
"I.D?" he asked.
"You think I'd come in this sick place if I wasn't over twenty one?" she growled. He narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow at her, then handed her a random bottle of amber liquid and moved to the next person. Tori gave an inward smile; she was making friends fast.
She looked around for Bug, knowing he was probably already off trying to get laid. She sighed and looked back at her frosted beer bottle.
"There's my girl." A voice said behind Tori. She turned around in the chair and saw Bug leaning against a wooden pillar. A girl dressed scantily with a pink feather boa was standing behind him.
"Bug." Tori greeted stoically. He stepped forward, taking the seat next to he. The girl in the boa followed, stroking his shoulder. "And you must be the Rose I've heard so much about." Tori addressed her. Bug hadn't stopped going on about his new girlfriend. Tori couldn't see why anyone would fancy Bug, he fitted his name perfectly. His large blue eyes were very pale giving him an almost blind look. His thin nose seemed to sink into his face like a triangle between his eyes. His lanky limbs made him look even more like a preying mantis, the fact that he'd recently dyed his hair green made it worse.
"A pleasure, I'm sure." Rose said, placing a fake-nailed hand on Bug's low shoulder.
"Told you this place was better." Bug sneered at Tori.
"This place is a dump. I'd rather go party in the sewers than here." Tori snarled back.
"Hey, hey, you're supposed to be gracious." Bug winked.
"After what you did to that guy in Scream..." Rose added without much of a point. Tori shook off her comment and turned to the bar, taking a long sip from her beer bottle.
"Why don't you two just go shag in the background. I'm fine with whatever hell you throw at me." She said, putting the bottle down. Bug smiled thinly.
"Gladly." He said, throwing a arm around Rose's bare shoulders and starting away.
"Scream was my domain, Bug!" Tori shouted after him. "You just fucked that up when you spiked my drink with a little too much MJ!" She shook her head and looked back at her drink.
The music thumped at her back, but she knew she wouldn't dance. No here. Not where she could easily get carted off and raped at a moments notice. A few more people less scantily clad hooked onto the bar, ordering swiftly from the tender.
"Fucks." Tori sighed and cracked her neck stiffly. The tender came over and placed a large dark drink in front of her. She cast him a cynical look.
"From the gentleman in the long coat." The tender grinned stupidly, pulling off his Lincoln top hat and bowing, revealing a slightly out of shape mohawk.
"Tell him I don't want any shitty beer." Tori breathed dangerously, but the barman had already swept away to another customer.
Tori sighed and pushed the beer to one side putting her elbows on the counter and cradling her neck. Black sleeved arms closed around her, locking her in a leathery fence and a voice whispered in her ear.
"I suppose you're not one for European beers then." A male voice said softly and Tori whirled around. A handsome young man, a few years older than her fake age stood there. His pale blonde hair was spiked like a few others in the club but his eyes... They were the rough color of an alpine lake, unless it was some trick of the light played on by the buzzing blue lasers in the club. His dress wear was hardly suiting: all black leather and high buckled boots.
"I stick with the crap we have here." She smiled sarcastically.
"Care to dance?" the man asked, extending a hand.
"I'm not a dancer." She shot back but the man pulled her up anyway, close to him, eyes meeting hers.
"Fine then." Tori remarked, smoothing herself along his body. She turned around, back to his chest. He curled an arm around her waist and ran a finger over her exposed right shoulder.
"What's this?" he asked, flattening his hand over her tattoo on her shoulder as she turn back towards him.
"Morse code." She smiled coyly.
"And..." he inquired, leaning close to her.
"If I told you what it said... I'd have to kill you." She said, satisfied. He leaned down close to her ear.
"Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." He smiled, sending shivers down her spine. He pulled her close to him in a strong grip. "This close enough?" he added, a grim smile tracing his lips.
"You..." Tori breathed, frightened for a moment. "How..." A hint of understanding warmed her cold green eyes and she pulled away from him, heading for the exit. She only gone ten feet when his strong hands caught her arm and whirled her back into his grip, back to his chest again.
"Believe me, Victoria. I have a five barrel gun in my pocket and I'm not afraid to use it to kill as many people in this club." He said sternly.
For a moment Tori wanted to throw him a provocative joke, but she didn't.
"What do you want with me?"
"The question is: what is it you want?" he asked. Tori was still for a moment, but she knew she'd tell him the answer in the end.
"What is the Matrix?" she whispered, barely making a sound. He read her lips over her shoulder and smiled briefly.
"Do you want to know?"
"Why? Are you going to shoot me if I say no?"
"It wouldn't be a waste." The man said. "If you want to know, come to the West Bridge at eight o'clock tomorrow evening. Make sure they don't follow." He finished and pushed her back into the crowd. By the time she turned around, he'd disappeared.