CHAPTER 5: BUSINESS IS BOOMING, PART 4
Almost 24 hours ago, a plane belonging to Membrane Laboratories was scheduled to make a trip across the globe to reach the city of Hillwood, where it was to make a delivery of cargo to the labs' sole stockholder and owner, a multi-millionaire by the name of Buckley Lloyd.
The cargo was of a top-secret classification of the company, containing something within that was of extraterrestrial origin, seen by very little human beings on the Earth privileged enough to come into contact with it. It was hijacked by a group of thieves that hijacked the plane and stole the cargo, sending it out into the Pacific Ocean to be picked up by boat.
The plane was unable to make any attempt to stop the thievery, forcing its pilots to return to its destination of Hillwood's Ansolabehere Airport empty-handed, having nothing to give up an explanation to their troubles. Though their negligence is a strike against their case, but CCTV footage of the plane clears them of any accusations of lies, leaving the matter now in the hands of others to resolve.
That being said, the pilots cannot help but feel a deep guilt and regret for their failure to retain their cargo, and those feelings have soon turned to fear in them, in the worry that their failure will result in a loss of their jobs. Quietly sitting aside on the sidelines of the runway as federal agents inspect the plane, they sip uncomfortably on coffee, trying not to acknowledge the hot water they were in.
But the silence eventually is broken as one of the two acknowledges the problem, speaking up regarding the issue.
"You think we're gonna get fired over this?" One pilot asked.
"Oh, I don't know, we somehow lost one of the most important secrets of our job from mid-air pirates, even though we could've seen it on camera, and we didn't do anything to stop it. What do you think's gonna happen to us?" The other pilot asked.
"Well, what were we supposed to do? Stop the plane and turn it around?"
"I don't know, we should've done something more. This isn't gonna look good on either of us."
"We did all we could. We gave the info regarding where the package went. All we can do, we've done. Now, we just hope that it helps the higher-ups that can handle it."
"It has been a big help, gentlemen, and we appreciate your full cooperation." A new voice said.
Turning their attention to the new voice, the two pilots were greeted by a man dressed in an expensive suit and firm posture, as if he were a man who has had his fair share of fights and wars. The man in question is a member of Hillwood's own superhero team of the Hillwood Heroes, known to them as Valiance, but to his employees who have no knowledge of his second life, they know him as...
"M-Mr. Lloyd, sir!" The pilots jumped.
"Please, call me Buckley. I'm not that big on formalness these days." Buckley Lloyd said.
"So, uh, we're not fired, are we, sir?" The first pilot asked.
"No. You boys did your job, and you couldn't have predicted anything like this happening. We weren't even sure that anyone else could've known about this shipment. Nonetheless, we're living in an uncharted era of humankind of superheroes popping up all over, and we must get with the times, starting with dealing with the problem on our hands."
Buckley Lloyd took out a map and pulled it open, which the pilots gathered behind him to read it with him.
"We looked over your flight plans and the area where the cargo was stolen, we estimate it as being somewhere in southern California. You men are of former military persuasion, don't suppose either of you are familiar with any cities in the area which could have taken the cargo by boat?" Buckley asked.
"In SoCal? There's plenty of spots. I can imagine they'd wanna take it somewhere that's not so populated, keep it hidden." One pilot said.
"We figured as much. That obviously eliminates Los Angeles and San Diego, and most other tourist cities."
"Maybe not all. They could've gone to Ocean Shores. That's a pretty empty area, and I think it's in the area." The other pilot said.
"What the hell is Ocean Shores?" The first pilot asked.
"It's this beach city that fell on hard times. It was basically a poor man's Huntington Beach; their tourist industry died down, and lots of people are moving out in exodus. You know, bad economy and all that shit. There'd be nobody to snoop around for it, or care."
"And you know of this city how?"
"Saw a VICE documentary on NewTube."
"Aw, you gotta be kidding me. You think the bad guys stashed it in this obscure California city you heard of in a NewTube video?"
"Don't be so quick to judge. The man may have a point. After all, this is a search spanning very wide, we need to make sure to comb the finer details as well as the whole." Buckley said.
With his boss overriding his opinion, the dissenting pilot conceded the argument in an instant, still desperate to keep his job despite its guarantee seconds ago.
"Oh. Well, uh, if you say so, sir." The pilot said.
"Don't worry, you two have been a big help. We'll be taking a look in this little Ocean Shores place. You've done well, you just take your rest while we take it from here." Buckley said.
"Yes, sir." The first pilot said.
"Yes, sir. Oh, and, sir? Sorry to hear about your daughter. That's some rough stuff." The other pilot said.
The condolences given to Buckley Lloyd were a bittersweet gesture from the pilot, kind in their words and meaning, but the mere mention of his daughter is enough to sour his friendly mood. The friendly smile he gave diminished to a somber face, taking a deep breath from out of it to compose himself.
"Thank you. It's alright." Buckley said.
As Buckley Lloyd departed to handle the greater affair of the stolen shipment, the pilots returned to their past conversation, now having a new topic to discuss of the cargo.
"Oh, nice. Bringing up a guy's dead daughter is a sure way to make sure we keep our jobs." One pilot said.
"Hey, he said we've still got our jobs. And even if he didn't, knowing we're thinking of the guy helps our case. It shows we actually care about him and all, the human compassion side, you know?" The other pilot asked.
"I've never had a boss that cared that much about me. I see no favor to return."
"Well, it definitely isn't from lack of trying on your part, I can tell. But anyway, what do you think it is that they're trying to get back?"
"You mean the cargo?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know, and I don't wanna know. This thing was top-secret, even for Membrane Labs. They stored this shit in a warehouse somewhere in Papua New Guinea to make sure nobody found it. You ever see Papua New Guinea? It's a total shithole there."
"All the more reason I'm curious. Coming from a guy who reinvented the wheel at least twice, this must be some heavy shit. With that level of secrecy, who knows what it is, and who knows what they could reverse-engineer from it?"
The millionaire Alex Gravity is attempting to buy up the entirety of Ocean Shores.
Already has he managed to recruit a group of individuals to be part of his plan, a team as of yet unseen and their purpose not yet known. Joining their ranks now is an individual with no job experience whatsoever, no socially redeemable qualities, and generally no reason for any person to want to be around him:
Lars Rodriguez, the town bastard of Ocean Shores.
Making a life for himself selling drugs and indulging in illegal activities for most of his adult life, the ability of Lars Rodriguez has not matched the needs for his community, save for the junkies and drug-experimenting teenagers who give him business. He has never thought that he would find employment with any major company...
...but he has somehow managed to luck his way into employment with Zero Gravity Zone, working directly under its head boss of Alex Gravity.
Escorted to a private back room, he was given a personal job offer for the eccentric millionaire, given the opportunity to put his antisocial behavioral disorder where it can serve his own purposes, with the added bonus of using his skating skills. It is the latter that Lars Rodriguez has brought the most surprise, not from the opportunity to use his skating skills, but for the particular board he was made to use:
A board with no wheels, yet suspended itself off the ground in defiance of the Earth's gravitational pull.
A hoverboard.
Taken to a private lounge reserved for VIPs of Zero Gravity Zone, Lars followed the millionaire owner of the park to a smaller area of the park where no one could disturb the group, and the new board could be made demonstration with. Lars has just barely gotten over the shock that the technology he holds in his hand exists...
...and the chance to use the board is a delight that he can barely comprehend.
"So let me get this straight: You want me to fuck shit up while I'm testing your cool-ass hoverboards?" Lars asked.
"Correct. These babies happen to be one of the main selling points of my business plan, and I want to make sure they get the best testing that money can buy. And what better way to test them than to put them through a handful of rowdy skaters who like to get rough?" Alex Gravity asked.
"Okay. How'd you make these things, anyway? I wanted one of these ever since I saw Back to the Future 2."
"Trade secret, my friend. But I do admit I love that movie, too, and it did play a big part on trying to make these things possible. That and, of course, Rocket Racer from Spider-Man. One of my favorite issues."
"You're a comic book nerd? Man, it fuckin' figures that the rich guys have the worst taste. And who said I loved those stupid-ass Back to the Future movies? Those fucking movies were boring as hell. I didn't get any bush, any nipples, or any ass out of that whole thing, except half of Michael J. Fox's ass in the third one, no fuckin' thank you, you wobbly-handed faggot motherfucker. Plus, the shithead didn't even fuck the bitch even as she was throwing herself at her. What is it with nervous white boys that makes them turn down pussy?"
"That was his mother."
"So? Shit, if she was my mother, I'd wanna fuck her, too. I'd go Sigmund Freud on her ass. Bitches in the 50s you could spank like a little kid, and they weren't even allowed to vote and shit, I could've done anything I wanted to that ho and gotten away with it. Then that fat fuckin' loser Harvey Weinstein ruined it all for us."
The sheer density and quantity of stupidity in Lars' speech caused Alex Gravity to turn to his other subordinates, who in turn looked directly back at him with the same expressions of disbelief and disgust. There is the immediate urge in all to break down his incorrectness and ignorance in all present, but they know that such efforts would ultimately be a waste on someone like him.
"I told you we should've thrown him back." One subordinate said.
Disregarding the input of the other members of his crew, Alex Gravity turned back to Lars to continue the main purpose of his meeting.
"Going back to business, we'll be needing you to get a decent handle on the boards, we're moving out the day after tomorrow." Alex Gravity said.
"Day after tomorrow? Why wait? You said you wanna smash up everything in Ocean Shores, what difference does it make how we do it in?" Lars asked.
"It makes all the difference in whether or not we attract the attention of other interested parties, particularly the press and the authorities, and how it fits into my plan."
"Ooh, your 'plan'. What is that, some stupid spy movie shit?"
"No. It's called capitalism, the thing that made this country great and made me rich. Now, do you want to keep arguing with me over the little details you have no control over, or do you want to try out the latest breakthrough in transportation technology?"
Deprived of the interest in asking his new employer any more questions, Lars then quickly stepped up to the half-pipe and climbed to the top of one of its edges. Dropping the hoverboard to the edge as he would a regular skateboard, pressing his foot down on it, the feel is no different from any other skateboard he has used, but, nonetheless, there is still a sense of hesitation that prevents him from using it.
Never using anything of this technology before, the human survival instinct that prevents him from skating on the board, making him ask the others for reassurance.
"Uh... This thing's technically untested science-y shit, right? Shouldn't I have, like, some PPE or something?" Lars asked.
"Oh, what's the matter? I thought you were supposed to be a much more experienced skater. Do you need to wear your little helmet and knee and elbow pads every single time you skate, like you're a little kid who always needs to be protected from the real world?" Alex Gravity asked.
"Hey, fuck you, man! I can skate just fine! I just wanna know if this shit's not gonna blow up on me or something!"
"The rest of the team's had plenty of time to use these, they've had no problems. Now go on, have a little fun."
Pushed to the edge by peer pressure as any malleable youth would be (ignore the fact that Lars is past a grown man, it is as heart he is still a youth), Lars defiantly ignored the sneers and laughs of the rest of the skating/demolition crew, putting his focus on the half-pipe to use his new board.
Stepping on the board as it sat on the edge of the half-pipe, Lars skated down it.
[Soundtrack Cue: The Prodigy - Serial Thrilla; Starting from 0:07]
Riding down the half-pipe, Lars' descent immediately feels different from that of a regular skateboard would feel in this motion; there is no resistance from the wheels or shakiness of the board that comes with any imperfections of the ground. Instead, he simply rides down without any resistance other than gravitational pull.
But even that force of nature does not keep it down or make any variables into its motion. Hovering off the ground, as the name of 'hoverboard' would imply its sole purpose is, its magnetic propulsion away from the ground makes descent not only smooth, but also ascent as well, seeming to not be hindered as Lars approached the other side of the half-pipe.
Rather than make a descent back down like on a normal board, Lars instead shot up into the air, high above what his normal height could be reached without the hoverboard. Looking back down, the air that Lars achieved is an impressive feat to see, sure to astound and astonish any other skater who would observe...
...but from Lars' position, it is not so easy to admire, for any human being at his height would be immediately scared for his life, as he is now.
"YO, MAN, WHAT THE FUCK?!" Lars shouted.
The air he has achieved comes to an end, as gravity finally reclaims what has broken its laws with a vengeance. Falling back down to the half-pipe, Lars quickly readjusted himself out of a panic, believing in some childish vain that, if, perhaps, he was able to reach the half-pipe again, he could safely prevent a crash.
And as the board reached the half-pipe again, his belief was proven right.
Trying a desperate gamble of a save and having it pay off, Lars' terror instantly turned to delight, high on an adrenaline rush in the apparent survival of the deadly situation that he saved himself from. An adrenaline junkie, like any junkie, is nothing more than a mess of a human being attempting to get another fix of the high that he needs...
...and Lars Rodriguez is no different. Skating back towards the other end of the half-pipe, Lars instead met the sudden ascent with anticipation and excitement, happily accepting the chance to gain the high amount of air again, and the high itself of achieving such a flight.
Launching himself up into the air again, he this time took the advantage of the aerial position to perform a series of tricks. One of the first he tried to make was not just a simple 360, but multiple revolutions in a single flight, reaching a full 5 and then 6 until a total of 2,160 degrees of rotation were made in one jump.
Landing back on the half-pipe once again, Lars skated his way to the other side again, launching himself up yet another time. This time, he tried to do a completely new trick altogether to test his luck, sacrificing any moves that could be made with the hoverboard...
...as well as the hoverboard itself.
Lifting his feet off of the board, Lars let it fall back down to the half-pipe, falling back down with it. As the half-pipe became closer and larger in his eyes as he fell towards it, he began moving his feet to the board again, attempting to ground himself on the board before he could reach the half-pipe again.
The feat is more than enough to gain surprised and suspended eyes from Alex Gravity and the group, who watch his ambitious stunt with great interest.
Just a split-second before hitting the ground, Lars successfully put his feet back on the board, moving back down the half-pipe safely and securely to the ground. After his last feat, he has no more interest in making any more shows of stunts, deciding to skate back to the middle of the half-pipe and conclude his skating session.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
And as the display of tricks is done, the efforts Lars has made have earned a just reward from Alex Gravity and his crew, gifted to him in the form of applause. Egotistical and self-centered as always, Lars repaid the gestures of approval with a wide smile and a melodramatic bow.
The last one to clap is Alex Gravity, who slowly approached Lars and laid his hands on his shoulders in a fatherly-like approval.
"You, Mr. Rodriguez, are going to be a fine addition to this team." Alex Gravity said.
Unamused by Alex Gravity's gesture, Lars rudely removed his hands from his shoulders.
"First, don't ever touch me like that again. That felt really rapey and faggy. Second, Mr. Rodriguez is a pussywhipped little bitch that just so happened to fuck me into my mother's cunt. Both him and her moved away somewhere else, and away the fuck from me. You call me Lars." Lars said.
"Fine, then, Lars. You'll still fit right in perfect. Now, after that little incident from earlier today, I suggest you don't go off wandering where you could make any more trouble, so consider yourself grounded, for today. I should be able to handle the cops by tomorrow to where they won't be a problem." Alex Gravity said.
"Wait, what? Then what the fuck am I supposed to do for two whole days? I got a trenchcoat full of drugs and no one to sell them to around here."
"Oh, my friend, you're in Zero Gravity Zone's VIP section, just for my own wrecking crew. I take good care of my employees and see that they get good benefits."
Alex Gravity reached into his suit and pulled out a remote control, pressing a button to activate the power in the room. Where the room was dimly-lit before and showed but a handful of the skate courses, the lights turned on to reveal more parts to the room, including a full entertainment center with a large TV and stereo.
Like a child in a candy shop, the sight is enough to bring joy to Lars' face, making him smile with his mouth wide open and eyes as well.
"You and the team should be comfortable here. Who needs drugs when you've got money?" Alex Gravity asked.
"Shit, why not both?" Lars asked.
Immediately running to the couch, Lars took the remote to the television and began scanning through its streaming services, seeking out a specific film to watch to pass the time. In the middle of the task, he dug out a bag of acid from his trenchcoat, opening the bag to place a strip on his tongue.
"Hey, man, you guys got 2001: A Space Odyssey on this thing?" Lars asked.
"Oh, my, a film choice that doesn't include nudity? And by the talented Stanley Kubrick? Has my newest crew member some taste after all?" Alex Gravity asked.
"No, man, I just like to watch this while fucked up on acid. The final scene with the weird-ass space miscarriage and the opera music? Hits so fucking hard. Here, wanna try some? See for yourself if you don't believe me."
Lars offered Alex Gravity a sampling of his hallucinogen, to which he rejected with an open-palmed hand.
"A cup of coffee in the morning is all the drug I need to get through the day, and maybe a sleeping pill. You enjoy yourself." Alex Gravity said.
Leaving Lars to his devices, Alex Gravity turned to the rest of his crew, instructing them to...
"Watch him." Alex Gravity said.
"No problem, boss. With that much acid, we probably won't even need to. He'll be out like a brick." One crew member said.
Leaving his crew behind to handle his own affairs, Alex Gravity left the crew to their task of watching Lars, who elected to seat themselves on the couch to relax while on the task of supervising him. In response, Lars offered his acid to the rest of the crew, hoping to partake in a trip with others during the film.
"You guys wanna hit some of this?" Lars asked.
The illegitimate business has reached its conclusion for the moment, leading us across Ocean Shores to a place of legitimate business unfolding, in a transaction of goods and funds that was itself considered illegitimate in the state of California, prior to the changing of state law, made in defiance of the War on Drugs that was the legacy of authoritarian presidents such as Richard Nixon and his ilk.
Departing from a marijuana dispensary, Otto and Twister left the store with a new, fresh serving of cannabis, following the waste of the last joint in their house made by Otto earlier that day. The trip from their house to the last dispensary in Ocean Shores is a lengthy one, making their day reach into the late afternoon, but the task they sought out to do has finally been accomplished.
"Thanks, Willie, see you next time." Otto said.
After departing the store, Otto and Twister sat themselves on the porch of the store, relaxing after their long trip.
"I still can't believe you wasted our last joint on Clio, and you dropped in the fucking pool." Twister said.
"Hey, Twist, I fucked up. I was high. That's, like, the one time in life where you're guaranteed to fuck up." Otto said.
"You sure sobered up pretty fast for allegorically being really high."
"That's 'allegedly', Twister. And I sobered up because of Tito's weird trick. He was right, I sharpened right up in no time."
"How would Tito know that? He smoke before?"
"I don't know, maybe. Sure would be funny to see him high. Imagine the kind of shit he and my dad would've gotten into."
"Yeah, maybe you should ask when you see him."
The reminder of the dinner brought Otto to a sour mood at the mention of seeing his father again, a fact which he still was not fully able to accept.
"Aw, fuck. I can't believe I said 'yes' to that shit for Tito. That guy's just too damn nice to say 'no' to." Otto said.
"Well, hey, you get to see your dad tomorrow. Maybe you could work out your whole thing then." Twister said.
"I'm not going tomorrow, Twist, I'm going the day after. Tomorrow is Eddie's party."
"Well, can't we get Eddie to reschedule his party? I mean, family togetherness is a lot more important, don't you think?"
"Twister, you dumbass, you don't ask someone to reschedule their going-away party. He's gonna move out of his house, and not be there anymore."
"Yeah, but don't you think maybe you should at least skip it? You know, just to see your dad?"
"And miss the party of the century? Hell no. Eddie's fucking loaded, and he's going to throw the best party ever before he leaves. We've been talking about it for weeks. I am not missing that for some stupid shit my dad planned at the last minute."
"Yeah, but... I don't know, man. He's... He's your dad."
"Jesus, what are you, my fuckin' family counselor? Is it a thing in your family to be overbearing concern-freaks, or is it just you and Clio?"
"Okay, okay, jeez, I was just saying."
"Whatever."
"So what's going on between you and Clio now?"
"Same shit, different day. More about how thinks that I'm wasting my potential, and I should try to make something out of myself. At least this time she was high enough to make the sales pitch tolerable."
"Do you feel like she's got a point?"
"Oh, great, and the fucking party continues."
"Well, I'm trying to work it out with you, man. Do you think she's right?"
"No. No. Fuck, no. I like my life the way it is, Twister. I get to do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want. Why would I want to waste time going to school or some shit to learn something I'm not gonna ever do again, anyway? You remember how we had to do that algebra shit with the triangles?"
"Tribadism?"
"Trigonometry."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot."
"Exactly. You forgot. They made us go through a year of that shit, gave us detention and suspensions whenever we fucked up at it, and, when we did get a passing grade, what did we get? Nothing. We forgot all that shit a decade later, we've never used it once, and our time was completely and thoroughly wasted."
"Yeah, but I think, that's like, to help find the super-smart kids that are good at it. We're just not. Maybe we were good at other things instead."
"Yeah, skating and surfing. What else do I need to know? That's all I want out of life. You always hear the big American Dream: Get a nice job, get a wife and kids, house with the picket fence and dog, and I'm like: 'Wait, who's talking about that shit? I just wanna go over here and do my own thing'. First, it was Dad trying to do this to me, and now my own fucking girlfriend is doing it to me."
"But doesn't she go to school, too? It's not like she's hypothetical or something."
"Hypocritical. And it's online college. And she also bitches about how much work it is, and how stressed out it all makes her. Well, if she's so fucking smart to go to school all over again, why the fuck is she too stupid to realize that she's causing her own problems? Don't buy into the system's bullshit. The only winning move is not to play."
"But that's the thing, man. We haven't played at all. And where's that gotten us? We don't really do anything, Otto. We're just stuck here, doing nothing."
"We get to skate and surf whenever we want, and nobody can tell us to do anything."
"Well, maybe that's not so bad a price to pay, dude. I love skating and surfing, but there's got to be more to life than just that. I mean... People need people, dude. We talk together, we work together, we do things together. We're just meant to go together. Things aren't as lonely to do when you're alone. Sometimes they can be, but not all the time. That's part of what makes us people. We share stuff. We're like a big family deep down. And your family sounds like it's trying to come to good terms with you and shit, but you aren't even trying to acknowledge that. I mean, I'm like your family, too, and I care about you. Clio does too, and she says what she says because she sounds like she wants to help, too. Maybe they all got a point, man. I look at how empty Ocean Shores is, and it only makes me think about it more. People need people."
Maurice 'Twister' Rodriguez has been a man of few wise words, but let it never be said that a broken clock cannot be right twice a day, and even a fool cannot have his own wisdom regarding the world. The point of the need for community and family are poingnant arguments made by the absent-minded amateur cameraman, and strong enough to sway any person in a cynical position.
Otto is a man more than cynical strong in his defiance against the system; a system which he cannot define, whether it be the American capitalist marketplace, its education system, or even the human condition itself, and he has far to go in his pursuit of finding enlightenment again. It is a slow but sure journey, everyone guaranteed to make their way there sooner or later...
"Twist, what the fuck are you talking about? Did you eat all of our 'shrooms again?" Otto asked.
...but in this instance, it will have to be later.
Disappointed once again that his voice seems unhead, Twister lowered his head in shame, frustrated in that he could not seem to reach his best friend again.
The dilemma between the two grows, but it is but one plant in development in this garden of events. Another seed is planted by the arrival of a black van pulling up in front of Otto and Twister, not bearing any marking of the company it belongs to. Pulling up beside the two, the van's driver leaned over to them to ask a question, making the peculiar inquiry of...
"You handsome young men looking to make a whole lot of money?" The driver asked.
Mistaking the offer as one sexual in nature, Otto decided to respond by sarcastically pointing his thumb to direct the van away from them.
"Hey, Pope Francis, you got the wrong address. The elementary school's that way, but it closed 3 months ago." Otto joked.
Otto then extended the middle finger of his hand to the driver, insulting him over the apparent sexual offer.
"And fuck you! We're not gay!" Otto shouted.
"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa. You guys got me wrong. I'm not a pervert." The driver said.
"That's what they all say."
"No, no, I'm an employee for Membrane Labs. Here's my card."
The driver then handed Otto a business card, which read the company name of Membrane Labs at the top, with his name and contact information at the bottom. Having all the reason to question the validitiy of the man's identity, the card offered sufficient evidence to sway his concerns, allowing him to go on for the moment.
"Hey, Membrane Labs, isn't that, like, the super-futurisitc science place where you make weird technology and stuff?" Twister asked.
"In layman's terms, yes. That's us, my friend." The driver said.
"What do you want?" Otto asked.
"Something of ours got lost around here and we're looking for it. We're not too familiar with the area, and we could use some help from the locals to try and find it. You boys look to be locals here, so consider yourselves the contestants in a big contest. The prize is a big bag of money with your name on it."
The promise of money now seemed to have true merit behind it, leading Otto and Twister to listen to the driver more carefully.
"Keep talking." Otto said.
"We're looking for something of ours around here, and we want it back. You find it, call that number and tell us. We'll come pick it up, and we'll reward you with a king's ransom. If that metaphor's too outdated, then let me say: We'll make it rain on you." The driver said.
"I get it, Travis Bickle. What exactly are we looking for?"
"You'll know it when you see it."
"What the fuck kind of answer is that? What did you guys even lose?"
"I asked my boss the very same question, kid. You know what he told me?"
"What?"
"Exactly what I just told you. Youl'l know it when you see it."
The man then drove his van off in search for the apparent missing item, leaving Otto and Twister to decipher what this strange meeting was about. Looking back at the business card, the two tried to understand what the driver meant regarding the missing item, and what they themselves could be looking for in turn.
The promise of a reward has still caught much of their attention, but the strange encounter makes them question even that.
"What the fuck was that all about?" Twister asked.
"I don't know, Twist. This city's got nobody left in it these days. I guess that means we got caught with the riffraff. You know what they say about weirdos: They're always the least welcome, but they're always the last to leave." Otto said.