Another Day as a Writer
"Wow, it's bright. Don't think I will ever get used to this." Felix thought as he woke up.
Stretching, he got up and got changed into his usual attire. Once done, he grabbed his boostpack from the closet. While he did technically make it to All City before without the help of one, Felix figured it would be a good idea to always have one to help him get out of specific situations, especially after everything that went down with Faux. Granted, he still needed a lot of practice to be on par with the others.
After adjusting the straps, Felix put it on and rolled his shoulders a bit. He then grabbed the phone that Bel gave to him before pocketing it. While it wasn't fancy by any means and was two years outdated, it still did its job. Plus, Felix wasn't one for very fancy things, primarily because he didn't like spending money on useless things since he wasn't rich by any means. Sure, he and the others had jobs to keep a steady flow of income, but that still didn't mean they shouldn't be frugal.
'Alright. Time to start the day.' Felix thought as he put his headphones on before exiting his room.
But he had to shield his eyes from the sun. Taking out the phone, Felix saw that it was seven, meaning he overslept a bit. Yet, it didn't bother him as he felt like once in a while would be fine. Once he felt his eyes adjust to the light, Felix took in a deep breath of the crisp morning air. Looking around the hideout, he realized that everyone was still in their room, either asleep or in the process of waking up. But he did smile when he spotted a white wing.
'A claustrophobic masochist. I can't say I ever expected to see that combination before. But hey, we all have our quirks.' Felix thought, smiling at the thought of one of his friends. While Solace was weird, he was still a good friend.
Rolling his shoulders again, Felix stretched a bit before activating his inline skates. He then grabbed the phone, opened up the music album, and browsed through the list before finally selecting one.
WHO GOT THEM MOVES, GOT THEM VIBES
WE GOT THE STRATEGY DO IT ALL NIGHT
DO IT ALL DAY, NO WASTING TIME
BIG UP THE CREW GET READY FOR THE RIDE
Smiling, Felix skated forward before jumping onto a railing, with his boostpack immediately activating, and started performing tricks. But unlike the previous times he practiced, Felix focused on perfecting his skill and usage with the boostpack. He kept jumping from rail to rail and powerline to power while trying to maintain as much air time as he could.
One Hour Later
'Tryce needs to set up a training regiment for the others to keep their skills up. The other crews already have one.' Felix thought as he landed in front of the crew's couch after performing a few tricks on the halfpipe. Deactivating his inline skates, Felix made his way over to the makeshift kitchen the hideout had. But once inside, he saw Solace eating his breakfast. "Hey, Solace."
"H-hey, F-Felix. I was just having s-some breakfast. B-but I can leave if you want some p-privacy." Solace said.
"It's fine, Solace. You don't need to leave. And besides, I rarely have breakfast. I'm just here to get some coffee."
"Ground or instant?"
"Instant."
"T-the kettle is warm. You just need the instant coffee. It's in the cabinet." Solace said, pointing to the cabinet across the room.
"Thanks, Solace."
Nodding, Solace went back to his meal while Felix went over to the cabinets. Grabbing a cup, Felix went over to the cabinets, opened them, pulled out the instant coffee, and poured himself some before going to the kettle and pouring the water. Once it was done, he took a sip and relished the bitter, warm taste.
"Is there anything the crew needs to do today together?" Solace asked, putting his dishes in the sink and washing them.
"Not that I know of." Felix answered as he continued to drink his coffee.
"Do you have any plans today?"
"I might head to Millennium Square and see if anyone is trying to take it from us. What about you?"
"I-I might partake-"
"Where?"
"Brink Terminal."
"Alright. But don't be afraid to call me or Vinyl for help."
"I-I will. If that is okay with her and you."
"It is. Don't worry. Contact us as soon as you can if you need help." Felix said as he finished his coffee.
"Will do."
Nodding, Felix put his cup in the sink before washing it. He then exited the kitchen and saw that the rest of the Bomb Rush Crew were in their usual meeting place. And by meeting place, he meant the spot underneath the platform near the foosball table.
"FELIX!" Tryce shouted while waving him over. Running, Felix rolled into a slide with his boostpack activating. And once he neared the edge, he boost-jumped into the air before having the boostpack propel him forward. He then landed right behind the couch.
"Morning, everyone." Felix said as he sat down beside Vinyl on the couch.
"Morning, Felix. How are you feeling?" Bel asked, never taking her eyes off her phone as she typed something.
"Good."
"Where's Solace?" Tryce asked.
"O-Over here." Solace shouted. Turning to where it came from, the crew saw him sitting underneath the foosball table. This caused Tryce to roll his eyes while Felix chuckled, and Vinyl smiled. Bel only took a photo of him before returning to what she was previously doing.
"So what's going on?" Felix asked.
"We need to go over a schedule of sorts." Tryce answered.
"For?" Vinyl asked.
"We're All City now. And that means we're going to have all the crews trying to take us down. Not to mention, yesterday, I overheard that some new crews are forming."
"Do you have any idea how many, where they were forming, and possibly where they will make their first move?" Vinyl asked.
"I think four, but I'm not sure. And I think one of them would be trying to make their move near the harbor that would take them to Pyramid Island."
"Then one of us should go there to keep an eye for Devil Theory. Despite Irene's attempts, there are still different police precincts after us. And we know Devil Theory is more than willing to lead others into a trap where they could get killed."
"True."
"Perhaps we can get DJ Cyber to have some members of Futurism to patrol the area. T-that is if he is willing. If not, that's fine." Solace suggested.
"I think DJ Cyber would be open to the idea since he doesn't like Devil Theory either and how they brazenly go so close to constantly breaking the Code of the Street." Vinyl said.
"I'll go ask him later." Felix said before turning to Tryce. "What else?"
"I feel like we need to start a training regiment to keep our skills sharp. We can't be caught slacking." Tryce answered.
"About time. All the other crews have one." Vinyl said.
"Are we going to practice here or in one of the boroughs?" Bel asked.
"I'm thinking here in the hideout and in Millennium Square." Tryce answered.
"Alright."
"How about Mataan?" Solace asked.
"I thought about it. And Mataan would be a good place to train. I just have to come up with a few exercises instead of just skating around."
"Alright. Anything else?" Felix asked.
"No. That's it. Well, at least for the important stuff, anyway." Tryce answered. "But bring an umbrella or jacket if you're going to stay out late since it is supposed to rain later."
"Alright." Everyone else said.
"Stay safe, everyone." Tryce said before getting on his bike and making his way to Versum Hill.
"What's on your guys' agenda?" Vinyl asked.
"I got a shift at the phone store in a bit." Bel answered.
"I'm heading to Millennium Square to see if anyone is trying to take it from us and practice a bit." Felix answered.
"Brink Terminal, for you know." Solace answered.
"What about you?" Bel asked.
"I need to go buy a few things. Then I'll be hanging out with a friend." Vinyl answered.
"Alight. Take care." Felix said before getting up.
Activating his inline skates, Felix jumped onto a railing before skating toward the halfpipe. Diving in, he began going side to side until he gained enough speed to reach the top. He then used the shortcut to get to Millennium Square.
Twenty Minutes Later
'Alright. Time for some practice.' Felix thought as he arrived at Millennium Square. Taking out his phone, he scrolled through the music list before landing on the one he wanted.
OPERATE, OPERATE, OPERATE
OP, OP, OPER,
OPERATE
Smiling, Felix stretched a bit before dashing toward the center of Millennium Square. Once there, Felix immediately jumped onto the railings and began performing tricks. While he always questioned why there were railings here, he wasn't going to complain since they were going to help him today. Jumping onto the first one, Felix performed three tricks before boost jumping to the next one.
Once he reached the looped one, Felix performed another three tricks before jumping off right before he reached the end. Using the momentum, Felic boost dash toward the billboards in front of him. He then skated on them before jumping into the air, boost dashing while performing tricks. Landing back on the ground, Felix quickly performed a manual to keep his score up while maneuvering himself back to the first rail. While not the most exciting, it would suffice in getting him up to par with the others in using their boostpacks.
Felix continued practicing this way for the next few hours. Occasionally, he would switch it up by heading to the nearby ramp and climbing the tower. Although, and not for the first time or last time, he was grateful that none of the Bomb Rush Crew were here to see his mistakes as he fell and landed on his ass or missed the following billboard by a wide margin.
'Still have a ways to go before I'm back to where I was.' Felix thought, leaning against the ramp as he chugged some water he had brought from a vending machine. Hearing the sounds of a skateboard, Felix put away his water before turning to it. And to his slight surprise and amusement, Felix saw that it was DJ Cyber. "Hey, Cyber."
"Hey, Felix. How's it going? Any problems adjusting to being alive again?" Cyber asked as he skated toward him before stopping a foot away.
"Going fine. A bit stiff sometimes, but that's probably because my body didn't move for a long time after what happened."
"That's good."
"What about you?"
"Still shaking off the rust from not skating and using the spider machine, but otherwise fine."
"How about Furutism?"
"They are still annoyed that you guys pushed them out of their turf. But I will say that they are training to make a comeback to take back Mataan. Otherwise, they are fine. One even got a promotion in her job."
"That's good. And tell them we'll be waiting for them." Felix said, causing DJ Cyber to chuckle.
"Oh, I will." DJ Cyber said. "How's the rest of the crew? Still getting used to not being alone?"
"They're doing fine. And a little. But it's nice having them around." Felix answered before an idea came to mind. "Hey, Cyber."
"Yeah?"
"Up for a little race?"
"Sure. We both could do with some practice. How's it going to be?"
"Let's start in front of the Taxi sign. We then go around all the way until we reach the tunnels and take a right to the back alleyways. Once past them, we head back and end the race by tagging the billboards up there." Felix answered, pointing to the four billboards where one had a walkway.
"Alright. Sounds good." DJ Cyber agreed.
Nodding, the two skated toward the Taxi sign. Once there, they got ready. And after a quick countdown, they took off. And right off the back, DJ Cyber took the lead, with Felix not far behind. Crossing the street, Felix jumped onto the railing to gain some speed and to gain a boost whenever the railing did a hard turn. However, DJ Cyber quickly matched the speed by jumping on the railings.
Seeing the bridge quickly approaching, Felix jumped and used his boostpack to cover more distance and get a head start. Yet, DJ cyber caught up to him after jumping off the previous billboard. And it seemed like he might pass Felix. But that all changed when the turn came. Both jumped right before they reached the end, but, unfortunately for DJ Cyber, he mistimed and passed the cables while Felix landed on them.
Now having the lead, Felix decided to press his advantage by continuously jumping to save time on traveling the whole cables. And after a few seconds, they reached the end where the bridge was. Unfortunately, it was Felix's turn to mess up his timing as he jumped too soon, causing him to come short of his intended landing spot. And this little slip-up was enough for DJ Cyber to catch up. They started skating along the railings, trying to gain the lead, yet reaming tied.
Soon, the split arrived. DJ Cyber went to the right while Felix went left. Jumping off the railings and toward the ducts, Felix landed on them and swiftly climbed them. Meanwhile, DJ Cyber jumped off the walkway and onto the cross-bridge below before turning around and using his newly gained speed to jump back onto the roof of the bridge. But despite the different routes, they reached the center at the same time.
Continuing forward, they tried to outpace the other while minding the edges since they knew if they fell now, it would mean an automatic loss. Soon, they reached the end, jumped off, and landed on the platforms, with Felix managing to land on the railing before DJ Cyber. After a few jumps, they landed on the building before quickly sliding to the railing, jumping on it, and getting to the top. Once there, Felix slid into a manual to the air vent and used it to propel himself high enough into the air and allow him to land on the walkway of the billboard. Not wasting any time, he took out his graffiti can and tagged it, making him the winner, albeit only by a slim margin.
"Looks like you're almost back to where you were before the accident." DJ Cyber said, landing next to him.
"Yeah. But I still have a lot to go." Felix said.
"Still. You're getting there." DJ Cyber said before leaning against the billboard. "And I need a lot of practice."
"Yeah, you do." Felix said, earning a light jab to the arm from DJ Cyber. "But you're also getting and can easily beat most others in a race."
"We'll see. Anyway. Now that we did that. Anything interesting happening?"
"Not really. I really have just been trying to get better with the boostpack."
"Yeah, you might be good, but you never know what it will come in handy. Anything else?"
"Tryce decided to implement a training schedule so we can keep our skills sharp."
"Good. You're going to need it if you want to remain All City." DJ Cyber said, looking down at the street and seeing a young kid practicing skateboarding. It reminded him of when he first tried skating and the many bruises that came with it. "Especially since new crews are already forming."
"Which reminds me. Tryce said that he thinks he overheard a crew forming that wants to make their turf at one of the harbors."
"Okay. And?" DJ Cyber asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's the harbor that takes them to Pyramid Island."
"I'll have a member of Futurism patrol that area." DJ Cyber said, already know what Felix was getting at. While he preferred to stay on good/neutral terms with other crews, Devil Theory was the one for whom he was willing to make an exception. And all it took was one run-in with them to understand why. Moreover, while most of them would be on even footing with Devil Theory and escape from whatever stunt they would undoubtedly try to pull, it would be pretty much a death sentence for the more inexperienced writers.
"Appreciate it."
"What else?"
"Nothing, really."
"How's Vinyl doing?"
"She's doing well. She's going to meet with a friend later."
"That's good."
*RRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG*
"Who is it?" DJ Cyber asked, curious.
"It's Solace." Felix answered.
"Is he fitting in well with the crew?"
"Tryce is still weirded out by him. Vinyl is on good terms with him, as usual. And Bel is... I don't know." Felix answered before answering the call. "Hey, Solace."
"H-hey, Felix. Is this a good time? I-I can call you back-" Solace began.
"It's fine, Solace. What's up?" Felix interjected while DJ Cyber chuckled. While he did find Solace's... quirks... unique, he liked how friendly Solace was and never wanted to bother anyone. Although, at times, he did wish Solace would stand up for himself more so others like the Eclipse Crew wouldn't pick on him as often.
"Well. I'm here at Brink Terminal, just taking part in my favorite pastime. But then I saw two writers tagging a billboard. Now they are skating around. I want to know if you want me to stop them."
"Are they trying to gain more rep and take it from us?"
"I'm not sure. They only tagged one billboard with their signature tags, and that's it. Now, it seems like they are just enjoying their time skating around the place."
"Is there any rule or something about that in the code?" Felix asked, turning to DJ Cyber.
"Not that I know of. I know if you want to gain the attention of the crew and challenge them for ownership of their turf, you need enough rep. But they seem to be just having fun." DJ Cyber answered after thinking it over, silently wishing there was a physical book of the Code of the Street.
"Should we go and check it out?"
"Yeah. I think it would be a good idea."
"Alright." Felix said before turning and uncovering his phone's speaker. "Okay, Solace. DJ Cyber and I will come over to check it out. We'll be there in a bit."
"Thanks." Solace said before hanging up.
"Alright. How do you want to do this?" Felix asked as he put away his phone.
"What do you mean?" DJ Cyber asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Want to call the taxi or skate there?"
"Eh, let's skate there. We could use the practice. Plus, it would make less of a scene."
"Alright." Nodding, Felix and DJ Cyber jumped off the billboard walkway and down the street below. However, as soon as they landed, they were surrounded by the police. Yet, while most would panic, they merely smiled while taking out their graffiti cans. After all, skating, tagging, and dealing with the police were simply another day of being a writer in New Amsterdam.