Ch. 2 Old Midgar

Honk! Honk! "What the fuck are you doing ye asshole!"

"I'm fuckin walkin ere that's what!"

"Well fucking walk right ye retard!"

"Blow me!"

Vincent sat up suddenly awake by the noise outside. A Shogun Retro Model T Car almost ran over a pedestrian, and a traffic jam had ensued. The noise was unbearable as people were yelling and honking their horns. 3:20 AM. Oh my God! Has this whole city lost their damn mind! Vincent was in a dingy small one room tenement in Old Midgar in the part of the city they called the slum. It used to be an old factory town that built chocobo carriages, until it was bought out by the Shogun Corporation and they started building new automotive factories. These factories dragged the area down into poverty and produced heavily pollution in the air. Vincent rubbed his eyes irritably. He had been gone for a week and settled here, the only place he could afford to live. He pulled out the picture that he and Donny took before he left and involuntarily smiled.

God Damnit! I haven't got a decent night sleep since I left. But he had to admit, being outside the world was an incredible adrenaline rush. He had never heard so much cursing in his life in just the past five seconds. It made him think about how little he knew about the world, and he wanted to know as much as he could.

"Man, no job yet…maybe I should work for the Shogun guys at the factory. I don't think I can handle being shut in that dark factory all day though…maybe I should check out that new corporation, Shinra was it?" Vincent said to the walls. He got dressed knowing there was no way he would go back to sleep. He put on his black leather jacket that he bought on instinct and headed outside. Well the 1500 Gil that I got for selling that chocobo to that farm outta last me awhile here. He walked out into the hot early morning air. The two men were still cursing at each other and the road was still clogged. He bypassed the stoppage and walked toward a local bar. It was a small joint that was on the corner a block away from his tenement. He stepped in and sat at the bar and ordered a beer. He had been there quite often, waiting for his interviews and to let the disappointment drown out when he didn't get the job. So he befriended the barkeep.

"You know Vincent, you can get a job over wid Shogun," said the barkeep. He had a dirty sweat shirt on with brown stains on its white texture. He was a middle aged man, short, stocky, and bald. He was cleaning a dirty mug while smoking a cigarette.

"Yeah I know, Moe. But I wouldn't last a day in that hell hole," said Vincent in a low tone. "Maybe I can get a job with that new company, Shinra."

"I guess, yeah I head about dem, they are in tough competition with Shogun from what I hear in da streets, kind of like a corporate war going on wid dem."

"Really, huh…I don't know, how about a Scotch and Soda though."

"Damn boy, you sure you can handle that…"

"Yes I can, just give it up...Shinra, war or not I need a job. Thanks Moe, damn that's strong."

"I told you it was too strong, you a damn light weight. Stick wid the beer. Yeah Vincent, you gotta get a job. Around ere ders two types of guys, bums and bums wid jobs. If I was you, I'd just go to dat farm you talked about."

"No, I can't stay there; I gotta live my life out. Plus they couldn't afford me there anymore. All the boys who reach seventeen leave anyway, sometime or another. They all come here too, to live the city life. I just didn't expect it to be like this."

"What da hell did you expect it to be?"

"I don't know, glamorous, exciting, and fun."

"Dis is glamorous…" Moe said as he pointed down the bar. There was a drunk asleep at one stool, and another bunch of drunks staring into the blank nursing their beers like someone was trying to steal it from them.

"Yeah…a sure, glamorous. Yeah that's funny. Alright Moe, I'll see you later, I'm gonna hit up that Shinra place."

"Arwright see ya later Vincent." Vincent stumbled out as the Scotch and Soda went to his head. Man I had some fermented beer back at the farm, but this is way too strong. It goes straight to my head. He walked out of the bar and looked around. Two drunks were sitting at the curb and were glaring at him. Another was asleep at a bench across the street. He saw smog coming out of the model Ts and the lights of the neon signs reflecting from the pools of water gathering by the curb. 'The big city,' thought Vincent. Nothing like what I thought. Well, I better get that job or else I'll be stuck here forever. He starting walking down the street toward the employment office that he had spent the better part of his week inside.

It was dingy and dark. Surprising enough, it was open 24 hours a day as a government precedent to try and lower unemployment. Vincent had been here several times, and each time it was a new jerk at the desk. He saw a balding middle age man reading a newspaper under a dim lamp. The fan moved slowly and provided little help to cool the air. The man glanced up and quickly glanced down again, ignoring Vincent. Vincent walked inside and stood in front of the man with a serious look on his face.

"You want something," asked the man without looking up.

"I want contact info on Shinra Corporation."

"It will cost you 200 Gil."

"What! It only cost me 100 last time!"

"Demand suddenly skyrocketed…if you don't like it, you can piss off."

"Fine, here you go," Vincent threw the money down while muttering curses. The man secretly pocketed 100 and put the other 100 in the old rusted cash register. He then went into the back room to look for the info. Vincent saw that he ripped him off, but he needed that info. Slowly his puerile naïve-ness he got used to at the farm started to grow up into an old realistic perspective. 'That is just how life is in the city, I guess you do what you have to to survive,' Vincent thought. It took him awhile to realize that aspect of the city. He didn't want to; he missed the purity of the farm. But he told himself that this is the real world, and it just wasn't possible to go back. Besides the city excited him, it let the adrenaline flow through his body where the farm just provided him the same boring routine.

The man returned with a folded up piece of newspaper. 'God damnit! I could've just found it in the paper! Damn, how could I be so stupid!' thought Vincent irritably. The man sat back down and threw the piece of paper on the table and then went back to his paper. Vincent angrily took the paper; very much aware he had been ripped off twice by the same man.

"Thanks a lot pal," Vincent said in a very deadpan voice. The man gave no reaction and continued to read as if nothing happened. 'Screw this, I'm outta here,' thought Vincent harshly. Let's see here, 2012 Corporate Square, that's not far from Shogun headquarters. It's only a couple of blocks away from here. Alright, let's go then. He started walking down the street. He passed the occasional drunk and bum, paying them no attention and always looking forward toward his destination. That is the best way to travel on the streets without getting confrontation from the locals Vincent learned. Eventually the early signs of dawn started and the streets began to fill with shop keeps, customers, and business men. Cabbies woke up from sleeping in their vehicles and shops and were sorting their stock for the day. Vincent bobbed and weaved through the crowd and headed toward the Corporate Square block entrance. He started noticing the steadily increase in the standard of living, cleanliness, and suits walking around. I guess this is where the high class lives…this is where I wanna be. Looks like Shinra could be my ticket to it. He then saw the sign he was looking for, it was big red letters on black granite. Shinra Corporation, a company of the future.

Vincent's stride increase steadily and he was heading toward the entrance. Just as he was about to enter the front door, someone grasped his shoulder and threw him back heavily. He tottered and almost fell. He angrily turned around yelling, "What the hell is your problem you jerk!"

"You have business here?" asked a powerhouse in a suit. He wore black sunglasses that revealed nothing but a blank stare of intimidation. He towered over Vincent and looked at him with a stone cold manner.

"Yeah, I'm here for a job."

"You have an appointment?"

"No."

"You have to have an appointment to enter."

"Where do I make an appointment?" asked Vincent becoming steadily impatient.

"At the front desk."

"Alright, thanks," Vincent said as he made his way to the front door again, but then again the man stood in his way. "Hey, move you..."

"You don't have an appointment."

"Yeah I'm gonna make one at the front desk."

"You don't enter without an appointment."

"Then how the hell am I suppose to enter you jack ass!"

"Please sir, if you would please exit the premise."

"No, I won't! Not till I make an appointment!"

The man picked up a radio from his belt and said softly into the receiver, "We have a code 6 here at entrance 1." Suddenly two other equally large men came out of the door almost instantly.

"I'm going to have to insist you leave the premise sir."

"Fine, I'm outta here," Vincent said with a sneer. Why can't I get a break! What the hell was that ogre's problem? Damn, what crap luck I got. What pricks, just see I'll show them one day. You'll be working for me one day asshole! As he was leaving under the three men's stare he saw them open the door for a man in a trim suit. Vincent looked down at himself and realized what he looked like, a bum without a job. I guess I have to be a bum with a job so I can look like that. Man, if only I can get in the front door I know I can get a job here. But that's what I have been doing for the past freaking week! Vincent was seething as he headed towards Moe's bar, kicking garbage in his way angrily. Damn, this crap luck has to end soon.