CHAPTER ONE
Lex opened his eyes and slammed an arm down on his alarm. Though he'd retired early the previous evening, he hadn't slept a wink and was exhausted. The last thing he wanted to do was report to work. For a moment he wished he didn't have such an important position so he could message in sick. He stared at his stucco ceiling which seemed to be yellowing with age.
"I gotta quick smoking." He muttered before swinging his legs out of bed.
He rolled himself a spice joint and lit it before standing at his bay window and gazing out at the city below him. It was barely sunrise and the streets were quiet. As he watched the newspapers being delivered to a newsstand down the block, he pondered why it was considered normal for everything to start so damn early. The paper made him think of Ellie briefly though she'd quit the paper years ago after writing the definitive history of what was considered the New World. She stuck to novels and children's stories now.
Lex wished the sun wouldn't come up. Wished it would stay dark so he could curl up under his blankets and hide. He knew the day would bring even more thoughts of the rest of them. The Mallrats. The thoughts would come and then the depression would follow. It happened every year this time. Lex watched a leaf fall from a tree and join the pile of dead leaves on the frost ridden ground. Was it five years already?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Morning Lex,"
Lex nodded at Lynn as he sat to read the paper. "The Cafe' on the Corner", named for it's location was quiet this morning. He always came in here for breakfast before starting his day. Conveniently located a block from his flat, he often had dinner and night caps here as well.
"The usual?" Lynn poured him a cup of a dark steaming liquid.
Lex shook his head. "Just the Teak. Not hungry."
Lynn nodded as she walked away.
He stopped to sniff his mug before drinking. Teak: the new coffee. A unique blend of herbs and tea leaves that gave the same result as caffeine. The smell reminded him of Taisan and her herbal tonics. Her smile flashed through his mind. Damn it. Lex scowled to himself. If he didn't need the energy jolt he would have gone with Tocum, a hot chocolate substitute. He dropped the paper and quickly drank his Teak, burning his tongue slightly. It was going to be a shitty day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What's new in the world today boys?" Lex announced his arrival as he hung up his leather trench coat.
His colleagues in the office acknowledged him with nods of the head before going back to their paperwork. Lex sat at his desk and stared at the Techno symbol engraved on his name plate. He was a Techno which was the word for policeman in the New City. A Techno Lieutenant to be exact. Of the three jurisdictions in the city, Lex was more or less responsible for areas that bordered the old city. The bad parts of town, the seedy area. Mega thought Lex would be better at dealing with the roughneck's that lived there having been a sheriff in the old city. Lex didn't mind. He felt more at home in the slummier parts of the city. He knew the people and how to talk to them. He knew who was a real trouble maker and who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Hey boss."
Lex looked up at his assistant as a folder slapped down on his desk.
"What's on the agenda Keiran?"
The dark skinned boy of fifteen leaned on the desk. "Another report of stolen crops from the greenhouse in sector six. Looks like they got a better description this time. Domestic squabble in sector seven." The boy rolled his eyes. "Surprise, surprise. Missing kid in sector four..."
"How old?" Lex stared at his knuckles.
"Ten." Keiran cocked an eyebrow. "Runaway?"
Lex sighed. "Possibly. Or maybe he just forgot to tell his mom where he'd be."
"It's a girl."
Lex narrowed his eyes, his thoughts of the young girls lost to the dark side. "Then we check the clubs."
"The clubs?"
"Young girl trying to make a buck," Lex nodded. "She'll prob'ly try dancing."
"Speaking of dancing," The boy smirked. "Guess which club in sector seven had another fight in the wee hours."
Lex chuckled. "The Palace. Surprise, surprise."
"Technically the night crew filled out the report but she insisted on talking to Mega and he said for you to handle it."
"Anything else?"
"Um.." Keiran flipped through the folder quickly as he shook his head slowly. "No... though Mega did want to move up the Badlands recovery. Sometime next week."
Lex cringed as he stood up. Three months was never a long enough period of time between their excursions into the dark side aka the Badlands. The large Techno guard did a sweep and clear to recover dead bodies and burn them. It reduced the smell seeping into the New City. They also picked up stray children under the age of five and brought them to the children's home. And though it wasn't a practice smiled upon by many, it was a time to pick up suitable slaves for the New City.
He had to hand it to him, Mega was a smart governor. He knew what made the people happiest of all was the illusion of freedom. And they were free to live, work, earn money, spend money, be entertained, couple up and have families; all within the parameters of the law. Mega based many civil rights on income and job title. Number of offspring, servants and slaves were among these civil rights. No one could have more children, servants or slaves than they could afford to feed or look after. So someone with a job as waitress was permitted to have one child, one servant and one slave because that's what her income provided. Lex on the other hand could have three kids, three servants and up to four slaves while being single if he so chose.
There was a difference between servants and slaves. A servant was a job which like any other job a person could apply for, be fired from or quit on their own. They were paid through the city government like everyone else and were required to preform their job to the best of their abilities if they wished to keep it. There were live in servants and servants who worked by day only. They couldn't be mistreated or fired without good reason. A slave had no rights and certainly wasn't paid. Slaves ages ten and up were brought in from the Badlands and had to be approved by Mega before being placed on the market. He only wanted non threatening people serving his citizens. While some people thought this a cruel practice in which they refused to participate, being a slave was a pretty decent deal compared to life in the Badlands. Some desperate mothers sent their children into slavery so they could be fed. Others volunteered for the chance at a better life. After five years of servitude a slave could be granted freedom and a chance to become a citizen of the New City if their master so chose. While it was a non written rule that slaves should be treated humanely, it wasn't an actual crime when one was abused. It was one of those issues that most chose to ignore rather than fight. Some people had a slave or two, some had none while others had their maximum limit. A topic not addressed in polite conversation.
Lex and Keiran headed for The Palace first. Lex felt they could kill two birds with one stone. The main entertainment room was pretty empty save for one young girl dancing for a couple patrons while another schmoozed up to a drunk at the bar. Both wore underwear which could have been considered dental floss. Lex would have found himself aroused if he wasn't painfully aware of how young the girls were. There was yelling coming from the director's office out back. Lex tugged Keiran who was staring starry eyed at the girl dancing.
"She's got trouble tattooed all over her man." Lex led the young boy to where the yelling was coming from.
"Just get rid of it damn it! I can't afford to lose her for months while she's up the duff with some jerk offs baby!"
There was a low mumbling.
"Do what you hafta do and get out!"
Something glass hit the wall and shattered as the office door flew open. A young medic ran out and smashed into Keiran. He didn't stop to apologize as he rushed down the hall and through another door which he slammed. Lex sighed before pushing the door open.
"Hey Ebony."