After being processed the following afternoon, Gene followed the detective to his car. Before getting into the car he was finally freed from his cuffs, his wrists a little sore. As they drove through the streets of Locus, Gene's eyes were drawn to a glowing sign—Amber Dream. Its golden light spilt onto the street, inviting and mysterious.
A young, blond-haired kid was talking to a scantily-clad woman outside the entrance. Gene's eyes lingered for a moment, intrigued but it wasn't anything completely out of the ordinary. Shortly after, the car pulled up outside Gene's inn.
"Thanks for dropping me off here, but I'm going for a drink," Gene said before beginning to walk towards Clyde's Bar.
Gene heard a shout as someone grabbed his arm. The force made him stumble backward into the person. They grabbed Gene roughly and shoved him up against the wall.
"Let go! What are you doing? I haven't done anything wrong!" Gene shouted, his voice tinged with both fear and anger.
"Gene Starwind, listen up!" The man growled. "You need to stay out of our territory. We don't need some punk like you messing with our operations."
He pushed Gene hard against the wall. "Do you understand?"
Gene swallowed heavily, his mouth going dry. "Y... Yeah, understood," he managed to croak out.
The man nodded once. "I think you should leave Nebula and Locus soon. Remember, we're watching. Stay in your turf, and we won't have a problem." The grip loosened, and Gene stumbled, barely avoiding falling onto the hard concrete below. The man turned and walked off.
Still feeling anxious, Gene finally arrived at Clyde's Bar and was quickly greeted by Clyde.
Clyde frowned. "What happened to you?"
Gene looked down, ashamed. "Uh... some guy grabbed me and pushed me up against the wall," he mumbled guiltily. "He wanted me to leave. I guess he didn't like what I was saying or something," he explained weakly.
"Oh... Well, do you need any help cleaning up?" Clyde offered.
"No thanks, I'm fine. I just wanna get a drink," Gene replied as he took a seat at one of the tables. "Some whisky, please," he requested, turning his attention to Clyde.
Iris walked over, her face etched with concern. "Is everything okay, Gene?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.
Gene simply nodded. "Everything's great," he lied, offering her a light smile. He knew she probably wouldn't buy it, but at that moment, he needed her as a pillar of support. Just then, the front door burst open.