Author's Note: I hope that people will start to enjoy this story as they
have Victim. I'm very sick right now so I don't know if my thoughts will
translate well onto paper. I came up with the idea for this story last
week at work, but just started writing it today. Well, here's chapter 2!
The sun beamed down on the elite from the heavens, smiling at the rich as if they were gods. It cast its golden rays across their faces, illuminating them in an ethereal light. They knew that just below their feet lay turmoil, and frankly, they could care less. They had more important things on their mind, like shopping and buying the most innovative, expensive new gadget, than to bother with the common person. Life had dealt the lesser a different card, and it was not the fault of the rich, that lower Midgar was poor.
The houses in this section of Midgar were all Costa Del Sol style homes; with crème colored adobe finishes and tiled roofs. It was a beachy atmosphere, even though there were no beaches anywhere near to them. It didn't matter though, the people who lived on the upper plate traveled to Costa Del Sol regularly without worrying about gil.
The crystal water reflected in the young man's eyes as he lay on a lounge chair next to his swimming pool. The perfection of the liquid proved just how truly spoiled the young man was. Not a speck of dirt in his life, he never had to worry about anything in life. And that was precisely his problem.
He sat in his swim trunks, navy blue and without a shirt, revealing his perfect abs. He was a well-built man, barely twenty, with uneven, blonde spiky hair and a deep tan. Having worked out for years and obtaining the perfect body, he found himself in a rut as far as life went. He had finished high school two years ago, but had not gone to college or gotten a job. He knew that he didn't have to, he was going to inherit Midgar University from his father, and he would be set financially for life.
He had never lifted a finger in his life. He had been a bachelor, coasting through school with purchased grades and using women. Every girl that saw him instantly fell in love with his flawless features, and he could have anyone he wanted. Everyday he had a new girl by his side, but today he had three, all sitting beside him on his deck, stroking his hair and offering him drinks. He appeared uninterested, however, and just sat there, reading a newspaper, while the women around him desperately tried to get his attention.
But he was unsatisfied. All his life he had been given everything he asked for, waited on hand and foot, never having to take orders. Sometimes he wished that he could give it all up for a day to figure out how regular people lived. He often thought about venturing down to the lower city in search of an average life, but would soon think better of it.
He was privileged, and he wouldn't last a minute in the harsh world below him. He had everything he needed right where he was. And in another month he would gain control of the university as his father retired to their summer home in Costa Del Sol, where his father and father before him had gone before they died. The young man too, would find his death in that house.
He always hated going there as a child. His father would always tell him about his grandfathers and how they died there. It creeped the young boy out. He had nightmares of being murdered by the ghosts of his ancestors, and begged and pleaded not to go each year.
Now he would be on his own, inheriting a fortune and a campus. He wasn't a business major, he knew nothing about running a college, but he knew that he had advisors for that sort of thing. He lay back in the sun, letting its warmth caress his perfect form.
The women around him did not interest him. He had found long ago that senseless tramps could not satisfy him. He could have sex with them easily, but a commitment with the brainless sluts was out of the question. Sometimes he wished that he could meet a down to earth girl, someone not bratty and spoiled. He had a vision of his dream girl that he kept locked inside his head and no one knew about her.
Suddenly his sun was blocked out by a large shadow hovering over him. He quickly sat up, pushing the girls aside as they tumbled to the cement. His father stood over him, his hands on his hips and a look of despair plastered across his face.
"Is this what you're going to do with your life?" His father asked, his voice deep and gruff. "Sit around by the pool all day and let life pass you by?" He leaned closer to his son, just inches from the younger man's face. "Why don't you start helping me with the family business? Or find yourself a nice girlfriend, you haven't ever had one of them." His father teased, glaring at the floozies surrounding his son.
It was true; the young blonde had never had a girlfriend. Every girl he met was the same, a brainless bitch with her father's credit card. No one suited him. He wanted someone that he could take care of, a girl that needed him, not just wanted him. The girls around town, they just wanted him to further their financial status, they didn't really love him.
The young man did not answer his father, just turned to look the other way. He gazed out across the pool, over the adobe wall and out towards the mountains beyond. He wished that he could just fly away over the mountains and leave his life behind. He wanted to be a common person, just like those in the lower city.
"Cloud? Cloud are you listening to me?" Thaddeus said, slapping his son across the face. Cloud was brought back to reality with the sharp reprimand.
"Ow! What was that for?" Cloud demanded, rubbing his cheek.
"For being a louse, that's what!" His father growled, standing up and towering over the young man. "Now get off your ass and do something productive for once!" He added, throwing his hands in the air.
Cloud jumped up and followed his father, without dismissing the girls, who giddily followed his every step back towards the mansion. He slammed the sliding glass door in their faces, leaving them outside to whine and beg to be let in.
"What do you want me to do, pop? Get a job and then quit in a month?" Cloud asked angrily as he followed his father into his office.
The older man sat down behind his mahogany desk and took out a cigar, placing it between his lips and lighting it. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, being sure to take in the tobacco as concentrated as possible. He blew smoke towards his son, who cringed and turned away.
"Whatsa matta? Don't like smoke?" His father asked, leaning back in his chair. Cloud glared at him and shook his head.
"No. I don't. Why? Are you gonna make fun of me for it?" Cloud retaliated sharply.
"Son, I'm hurt that you think that way. I'm not out to get you, and I don't bite. I just don't want you to end up like the other people in this town, all spoiled and living life without purpose. You have so much potential, I just want you to make something of yourself." His father said sympathetically. Cloud rolled his eyes and groaned.
"Since when did you take an interest in my life?" Cloud snapped.
"Since always. I always dreamed that you would be bigger than life."
"You have to have a life in order to be bigger than it." Cloud quipped. His father laughed.
"You have a life, son, what are you talking about?"
"No, pop, I don't have a life. I've never worked a day in my life, I've never done anything for myself and no one looks at me for who I am, they just see me as a giant gil sign!" Cloud whined.
"But that is your life. That is what we Strife's are all about. We don't have to lift a finger; we have the world at our beck and call. Don't you like that?" His father stood up and walked around the desk to place his hands on Cloud's shoulders.
"No, that's not what I want." Cloud stated coldly, looking up at his father through disapproving eyes. "I don't wanna be like you, I don't want to inherit a life, I want to make one of my own."
"Then do it. No one's stopping you. You can just leave all this behind." His father walked over to the large window behind his desk and waved his hand across the city.
"You're stopping me. You're handing me a life, YOUR life. If I walk out, you'll disown me." Cloud hung his head staring at his feet.
"I'm not stopping you, Cloud. You think I am but I'm not. I just want you to be happy and if this isn't what you want," He leaned over his desk and propped himself up with his fists, bowing his head, "then I won't stop you." Cloud walked over to his father and put his arm around the man's shoulders.
"Pop, I'm not going to leave you. I'll take over the business, I just...want to be my own person, not a pawn of the industry."
"But you won't be, son, you'll have more control than anyone else in the city. Then once you have the university running how you want it, you can start looking for a wife, or anything else you may want." Cloud rolled his head back and laughed.
"Right, a spineless, brainless chick with no conversation skills whatsoever. No thank you."
"Hey, leave your mother alone." His father mused, pointing a finger at his son. Cloud laughed.
"I wasn't talking about mom." He laughed.
"I know, I know. But still, find yourself a brainy girl, if that's what you want. You've got the campus, go find a smart one." His father advised.
"That's not what I meant." Cloud corrected, walking away from his father and setting his sights on a bookcase. "I want a down to earth girl, someone unspoiled by greed and money, an average girl who wouldn't deplete my savings account." Cloud joked, turning back towards his father.
Thaddeus walked up to the young man and placed his hands on Cloud's shoulders. He nodded his head in agreement and looked up at the heavens to say a silent prayer to his departed wife.
"Tell you what," He began, patting Cloud on the back, "you take the next couple of weeks off from this house and go find yourself, go wherever you want." He pointed a scrupulous finger at his son, "Just make sure you come back in time for the inheritance celebration." Cloud laughed and hugged his father.
"Don't worry, I'll be back in time." And with that, he turned and left the office.
Thaddeus strolled back over to his desk and sat down, rubbing his forehead with his index and middle fingers. He wanted his son to inherit the family business, but he also didn't want to hold the boy back from anything he truly wanted. He was torn. He thought that sending Cloud away for a few weeks would calm his nerves and set him free. Then he could return home ready to take over the university.
"Cloud, just don't screw up." He said quietly to himself.
Cloud anxiously packed his bags in preparation to leave home. He had thought a lot about where he should go, and finally decided to go to lower Midgar. He wanted to see how the most common of common people lived, how simple their lives were.
He wanted to be looked at incredulously and as if he were just another run-of-the-mill average Joe. He hoped that no one would recognize him and that he could be treated just like everyone else. An intense excitement burned inside of him as he thought of the women he would meet. He wanted someone he could save, someone not bent on spending massive amounts of gil on random impulses. But he didn't know where to meet a girl like that.
Another thing he had always wondered about was strip clubs. There weren't any low-level seedy clubs on the upper plate, only expensive call girls. He wanted to know what average men did on a typical night. He felt that now would be as good a time as any to experience an average night of drinking as well.
He had been drunk before, many times. In high school him and his buddies would go out drinking and partying every weekend, but they always had high-class liquor, which he knew would be unheard of in the lower plate. He and his friends would drive around in their fancy cars, speeding through traffic and yelling at everyone they passed, picking up women anywhere they went. The police wouldn't bother them, they knew Cloud's father, he practically owned the whole police department with all the donations he gave, so they wouldn't dare touch a hair on his head.
He wondered if regular beer could have different effects on him than the alcohol he was used to. For his first night on the town, he would find the seediest looking strip club he could find.
He finished packing and slung his bag over his shoulder, taking one last look at the room he had called home for twenty years. There was no longing in his expression, only the fringe of adventure in his cerulean eyes. He turned to leave the room, finding his way out of his house, and into a world he would soon meet.
It had been difficult getting to the lower plate. No trains or any other means of transportation traveled there from the upper plate. No one from the high-class society would ever want to converse with those of the lower class, and those in the slums were not allowed to visit the elite.
His only chance at getting to the lower plate was to leave the city entirely; taking the number four train out into the Midgar Plains. He then returned to the city through the gargantuan double doors that barred his entrance. Those of the lower city had keys to unlock the doors, but Cloud found himself at a loss. People who lived in upper Midgar took the train up to their homes, no one walked through the slums.
He waited for a long time until someone finally came to let himself in. Cloud looked at the man, hoping he would be able to slip through the door with him. The man, dressed in a cheap, inferior suit, looked at Cloud down his nose. He sneered at the spiky headed blonde as he turned his key, making the doors before him rattle open.
"Lost my key." Cloud said with a shrug.
The man nodded in feigned acknowledgement, allowing Cloud access to the slums of Midgar. Cloud entered slowly, as if something would jump out and attack him. He stopped on the other side of the gate to take in the scenery. He had never seen such a dump in his entire life. His garbage can was cleaner than this place. He cringed when a whiff of the town entered his nostrils, rendering him dizzy and nearly making him pass out.
He struggled to act calm and blend into his surroundings as if he had lived there his whole life, but he could tell by the looks on the faces of the people he passed that he was clearly an outsider. He walked the desolate streets searching for something to do. He needed a place to stay but first off he wanted to find a strip club.
After walking for what seemed like an eternity, he entered an urban part of town, where piled junk was nowhere to be seen. The buildings were dirty and many were dilapidated but a few of them had flashing neon lights and large banners out front to draw attention. Cloud looked above his head at the large banner stretching from one side of the street to the other. 'Wall Market', it said, in large bold print. He looked down the street at the colorful lights to decide where he would go next.
His eyes rest on a large pink neon sign that read 'Sevenstone Strip Club'. Cloud figured that was as good a place as any and began to walk towards the entrance, trying to focus on where he was going and read the running marquee at the same time.
TIFA LOCKHEART...8:00...EVERY NIGHT...
Cloud had no idea who that was, but he figured she must be important judging by the size of the crowd outside. He walked up to the bouncer at the entrance and tapped his shoulder. The large black man glared at him and raised his chin. Cloud cowered back a little in order to ask his question.
"This is Sevenstone, right?" The bouncer looked at him as if he were the stupidest man alive. He shifted his weight and pointed to the sign above his head.
"Can't you read?" He sneered, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
"I'd like to go in." Cloud declared, sticking out his chest in defiance. The bouncer raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah? You and about five-hundred others, get in line, pal." He snarled, turning back towards the next person in line, who had begun to almost hyperventilate.
"Hey...hey...you can cut in front of me!" The thin man at the head of the line said. Cloud was a little taken aback that someone had recognized him, but he guessed that it was for the good if it would allow him to get a thrill for the night. The bouncer gave him a cold, hard stare and moved the velvet rope aside, allowing Cloud access to the club.
It was about 7:30 and the place was packed with horny men cheering wildly. Girls danced on stage while others served drinks, waiting for their turn to dance. Cloud found a seat at the bar and sat down to watch the women. He ordered a common beer from the bartender and began to sip on the bitter liquid, trying to cover up his disgust.
It was dark in the room, the lights focused on stage, the greens and pinks outlining the girl's every curve, every flaw. No one seemed to notice the distinct scars beneath their breasts from their implants, everyone who was watching was too drunk to care. Suddenly the lights dimmed greatly, and a voice was heard over the loud speaker.
The sun beamed down on the elite from the heavens, smiling at the rich as if they were gods. It cast its golden rays across their faces, illuminating them in an ethereal light. They knew that just below their feet lay turmoil, and frankly, they could care less. They had more important things on their mind, like shopping and buying the most innovative, expensive new gadget, than to bother with the common person. Life had dealt the lesser a different card, and it was not the fault of the rich, that lower Midgar was poor.
The houses in this section of Midgar were all Costa Del Sol style homes; with crème colored adobe finishes and tiled roofs. It was a beachy atmosphere, even though there were no beaches anywhere near to them. It didn't matter though, the people who lived on the upper plate traveled to Costa Del Sol regularly without worrying about gil.
The crystal water reflected in the young man's eyes as he lay on a lounge chair next to his swimming pool. The perfection of the liquid proved just how truly spoiled the young man was. Not a speck of dirt in his life, he never had to worry about anything in life. And that was precisely his problem.
He sat in his swim trunks, navy blue and without a shirt, revealing his perfect abs. He was a well-built man, barely twenty, with uneven, blonde spiky hair and a deep tan. Having worked out for years and obtaining the perfect body, he found himself in a rut as far as life went. He had finished high school two years ago, but had not gone to college or gotten a job. He knew that he didn't have to, he was going to inherit Midgar University from his father, and he would be set financially for life.
He had never lifted a finger in his life. He had been a bachelor, coasting through school with purchased grades and using women. Every girl that saw him instantly fell in love with his flawless features, and he could have anyone he wanted. Everyday he had a new girl by his side, but today he had three, all sitting beside him on his deck, stroking his hair and offering him drinks. He appeared uninterested, however, and just sat there, reading a newspaper, while the women around him desperately tried to get his attention.
But he was unsatisfied. All his life he had been given everything he asked for, waited on hand and foot, never having to take orders. Sometimes he wished that he could give it all up for a day to figure out how regular people lived. He often thought about venturing down to the lower city in search of an average life, but would soon think better of it.
He was privileged, and he wouldn't last a minute in the harsh world below him. He had everything he needed right where he was. And in another month he would gain control of the university as his father retired to their summer home in Costa Del Sol, where his father and father before him had gone before they died. The young man too, would find his death in that house.
He always hated going there as a child. His father would always tell him about his grandfathers and how they died there. It creeped the young boy out. He had nightmares of being murdered by the ghosts of his ancestors, and begged and pleaded not to go each year.
Now he would be on his own, inheriting a fortune and a campus. He wasn't a business major, he knew nothing about running a college, but he knew that he had advisors for that sort of thing. He lay back in the sun, letting its warmth caress his perfect form.
The women around him did not interest him. He had found long ago that senseless tramps could not satisfy him. He could have sex with them easily, but a commitment with the brainless sluts was out of the question. Sometimes he wished that he could meet a down to earth girl, someone not bratty and spoiled. He had a vision of his dream girl that he kept locked inside his head and no one knew about her.
Suddenly his sun was blocked out by a large shadow hovering over him. He quickly sat up, pushing the girls aside as they tumbled to the cement. His father stood over him, his hands on his hips and a look of despair plastered across his face.
"Is this what you're going to do with your life?" His father asked, his voice deep and gruff. "Sit around by the pool all day and let life pass you by?" He leaned closer to his son, just inches from the younger man's face. "Why don't you start helping me with the family business? Or find yourself a nice girlfriend, you haven't ever had one of them." His father teased, glaring at the floozies surrounding his son.
It was true; the young blonde had never had a girlfriend. Every girl he met was the same, a brainless bitch with her father's credit card. No one suited him. He wanted someone that he could take care of, a girl that needed him, not just wanted him. The girls around town, they just wanted him to further their financial status, they didn't really love him.
The young man did not answer his father, just turned to look the other way. He gazed out across the pool, over the adobe wall and out towards the mountains beyond. He wished that he could just fly away over the mountains and leave his life behind. He wanted to be a common person, just like those in the lower city.
"Cloud? Cloud are you listening to me?" Thaddeus said, slapping his son across the face. Cloud was brought back to reality with the sharp reprimand.
"Ow! What was that for?" Cloud demanded, rubbing his cheek.
"For being a louse, that's what!" His father growled, standing up and towering over the young man. "Now get off your ass and do something productive for once!" He added, throwing his hands in the air.
Cloud jumped up and followed his father, without dismissing the girls, who giddily followed his every step back towards the mansion. He slammed the sliding glass door in their faces, leaving them outside to whine and beg to be let in.
"What do you want me to do, pop? Get a job and then quit in a month?" Cloud asked angrily as he followed his father into his office.
The older man sat down behind his mahogany desk and took out a cigar, placing it between his lips and lighting it. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, being sure to take in the tobacco as concentrated as possible. He blew smoke towards his son, who cringed and turned away.
"Whatsa matta? Don't like smoke?" His father asked, leaning back in his chair. Cloud glared at him and shook his head.
"No. I don't. Why? Are you gonna make fun of me for it?" Cloud retaliated sharply.
"Son, I'm hurt that you think that way. I'm not out to get you, and I don't bite. I just don't want you to end up like the other people in this town, all spoiled and living life without purpose. You have so much potential, I just want you to make something of yourself." His father said sympathetically. Cloud rolled his eyes and groaned.
"Since when did you take an interest in my life?" Cloud snapped.
"Since always. I always dreamed that you would be bigger than life."
"You have to have a life in order to be bigger than it." Cloud quipped. His father laughed.
"You have a life, son, what are you talking about?"
"No, pop, I don't have a life. I've never worked a day in my life, I've never done anything for myself and no one looks at me for who I am, they just see me as a giant gil sign!" Cloud whined.
"But that is your life. That is what we Strife's are all about. We don't have to lift a finger; we have the world at our beck and call. Don't you like that?" His father stood up and walked around the desk to place his hands on Cloud's shoulders.
"No, that's not what I want." Cloud stated coldly, looking up at his father through disapproving eyes. "I don't wanna be like you, I don't want to inherit a life, I want to make one of my own."
"Then do it. No one's stopping you. You can just leave all this behind." His father walked over to the large window behind his desk and waved his hand across the city.
"You're stopping me. You're handing me a life, YOUR life. If I walk out, you'll disown me." Cloud hung his head staring at his feet.
"I'm not stopping you, Cloud. You think I am but I'm not. I just want you to be happy and if this isn't what you want," He leaned over his desk and propped himself up with his fists, bowing his head, "then I won't stop you." Cloud walked over to his father and put his arm around the man's shoulders.
"Pop, I'm not going to leave you. I'll take over the business, I just...want to be my own person, not a pawn of the industry."
"But you won't be, son, you'll have more control than anyone else in the city. Then once you have the university running how you want it, you can start looking for a wife, or anything else you may want." Cloud rolled his head back and laughed.
"Right, a spineless, brainless chick with no conversation skills whatsoever. No thank you."
"Hey, leave your mother alone." His father mused, pointing a finger at his son. Cloud laughed.
"I wasn't talking about mom." He laughed.
"I know, I know. But still, find yourself a brainy girl, if that's what you want. You've got the campus, go find a smart one." His father advised.
"That's not what I meant." Cloud corrected, walking away from his father and setting his sights on a bookcase. "I want a down to earth girl, someone unspoiled by greed and money, an average girl who wouldn't deplete my savings account." Cloud joked, turning back towards his father.
Thaddeus walked up to the young man and placed his hands on Cloud's shoulders. He nodded his head in agreement and looked up at the heavens to say a silent prayer to his departed wife.
"Tell you what," He began, patting Cloud on the back, "you take the next couple of weeks off from this house and go find yourself, go wherever you want." He pointed a scrupulous finger at his son, "Just make sure you come back in time for the inheritance celebration." Cloud laughed and hugged his father.
"Don't worry, I'll be back in time." And with that, he turned and left the office.
Thaddeus strolled back over to his desk and sat down, rubbing his forehead with his index and middle fingers. He wanted his son to inherit the family business, but he also didn't want to hold the boy back from anything he truly wanted. He was torn. He thought that sending Cloud away for a few weeks would calm his nerves and set him free. Then he could return home ready to take over the university.
"Cloud, just don't screw up." He said quietly to himself.
Cloud anxiously packed his bags in preparation to leave home. He had thought a lot about where he should go, and finally decided to go to lower Midgar. He wanted to see how the most common of common people lived, how simple their lives were.
He wanted to be looked at incredulously and as if he were just another run-of-the-mill average Joe. He hoped that no one would recognize him and that he could be treated just like everyone else. An intense excitement burned inside of him as he thought of the women he would meet. He wanted someone he could save, someone not bent on spending massive amounts of gil on random impulses. But he didn't know where to meet a girl like that.
Another thing he had always wondered about was strip clubs. There weren't any low-level seedy clubs on the upper plate, only expensive call girls. He wanted to know what average men did on a typical night. He felt that now would be as good a time as any to experience an average night of drinking as well.
He had been drunk before, many times. In high school him and his buddies would go out drinking and partying every weekend, but they always had high-class liquor, which he knew would be unheard of in the lower plate. He and his friends would drive around in their fancy cars, speeding through traffic and yelling at everyone they passed, picking up women anywhere they went. The police wouldn't bother them, they knew Cloud's father, he practically owned the whole police department with all the donations he gave, so they wouldn't dare touch a hair on his head.
He wondered if regular beer could have different effects on him than the alcohol he was used to. For his first night on the town, he would find the seediest looking strip club he could find.
He finished packing and slung his bag over his shoulder, taking one last look at the room he had called home for twenty years. There was no longing in his expression, only the fringe of adventure in his cerulean eyes. He turned to leave the room, finding his way out of his house, and into a world he would soon meet.
It had been difficult getting to the lower plate. No trains or any other means of transportation traveled there from the upper plate. No one from the high-class society would ever want to converse with those of the lower class, and those in the slums were not allowed to visit the elite.
His only chance at getting to the lower plate was to leave the city entirely; taking the number four train out into the Midgar Plains. He then returned to the city through the gargantuan double doors that barred his entrance. Those of the lower city had keys to unlock the doors, but Cloud found himself at a loss. People who lived in upper Midgar took the train up to their homes, no one walked through the slums.
He waited for a long time until someone finally came to let himself in. Cloud looked at the man, hoping he would be able to slip through the door with him. The man, dressed in a cheap, inferior suit, looked at Cloud down his nose. He sneered at the spiky headed blonde as he turned his key, making the doors before him rattle open.
"Lost my key." Cloud said with a shrug.
The man nodded in feigned acknowledgement, allowing Cloud access to the slums of Midgar. Cloud entered slowly, as if something would jump out and attack him. He stopped on the other side of the gate to take in the scenery. He had never seen such a dump in his entire life. His garbage can was cleaner than this place. He cringed when a whiff of the town entered his nostrils, rendering him dizzy and nearly making him pass out.
He struggled to act calm and blend into his surroundings as if he had lived there his whole life, but he could tell by the looks on the faces of the people he passed that he was clearly an outsider. He walked the desolate streets searching for something to do. He needed a place to stay but first off he wanted to find a strip club.
After walking for what seemed like an eternity, he entered an urban part of town, where piled junk was nowhere to be seen. The buildings were dirty and many were dilapidated but a few of them had flashing neon lights and large banners out front to draw attention. Cloud looked above his head at the large banner stretching from one side of the street to the other. 'Wall Market', it said, in large bold print. He looked down the street at the colorful lights to decide where he would go next.
His eyes rest on a large pink neon sign that read 'Sevenstone Strip Club'. Cloud figured that was as good a place as any and began to walk towards the entrance, trying to focus on where he was going and read the running marquee at the same time.
TIFA LOCKHEART...8:00...EVERY NIGHT...
Cloud had no idea who that was, but he figured she must be important judging by the size of the crowd outside. He walked up to the bouncer at the entrance and tapped his shoulder. The large black man glared at him and raised his chin. Cloud cowered back a little in order to ask his question.
"This is Sevenstone, right?" The bouncer looked at him as if he were the stupidest man alive. He shifted his weight and pointed to the sign above his head.
"Can't you read?" He sneered, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
"I'd like to go in." Cloud declared, sticking out his chest in defiance. The bouncer raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah? You and about five-hundred others, get in line, pal." He snarled, turning back towards the next person in line, who had begun to almost hyperventilate.
"Hey...hey...you can cut in front of me!" The thin man at the head of the line said. Cloud was a little taken aback that someone had recognized him, but he guessed that it was for the good if it would allow him to get a thrill for the night. The bouncer gave him a cold, hard stare and moved the velvet rope aside, allowing Cloud access to the club.
It was about 7:30 and the place was packed with horny men cheering wildly. Girls danced on stage while others served drinks, waiting for their turn to dance. Cloud found a seat at the bar and sat down to watch the women. He ordered a common beer from the bartender and began to sip on the bitter liquid, trying to cover up his disgust.
It was dark in the room, the lights focused on stage, the greens and pinks outlining the girl's every curve, every flaw. No one seemed to notice the distinct scars beneath their breasts from their implants, everyone who was watching was too drunk to care. Suddenly the lights dimmed greatly, and a voice was heard over the loud speaker.