Era of Madness

Tyler's Love

Both Tyler and Harry were staying silent. The former didn't know what to say while the latter simply didn't have the strength to say much more. Despite this, Harry still decided to force some more words out of himself, asking Tyler this question:

"And you, hip, you said you also had a person you loved and that was taken from you... what happened?"

Tyler's face darkened a bit:

"Uh. So it became about me now? Well sorry to say, but my little story isn't near as interesting as yours" he said.

"I don't care, I told you mine, you tell me yours now" Harry insisted. "Please, I know that's kinda selfish, but I wanna remember that, hic, I'm not the only one in there living a shitty life"

Tyler scoffed:

"Talking about a bad reason to ask someone's backstory... but yeah, sure, why not after all" he said.

He finished his drink and started narrating:

"You know, when I was a kid, me and my parents, we kinda parted way" he said. "I don't remember the details, if they abandonned me or I'm the one who went away, all I know is that this day, I basically became an orphan"

He chuckled a bit:

"Eh, you'd think that since becoming an orphan ends up bad even in middle sectors, it'd be hell in sector V, right? Well, funnily enough, it wasn't the case, it was actually pretty cool, at least much more than with my parents. I gotta say, I quickly took the hook of it, robbing people and making little hiding spots or improvised tents with what I could find... yeah, I was definitly the most talented street rat you would've found there at this period"

He leaned back in his chair:

"But to be honest... uh, street rat life wasn't so bad, but it was really boring, you know? Stealing stuff, finding spots to hide and sleep, talking with tramps and other homeless children... other homeless people in genearal, actually, to exchange tips. Sure it was exciting condidering I was never sure to live long enough to see next week start, but... I wanted more, you see? An hyperactive boy like me was too energetic to stay like this for ever, or even to take a job that I knew would be soulless, repetitive, even more boring and not even well-paid"

"So what did you do?" Harry asked.

"Well, like in every real life story, I first considered my options. And the only realistic option I found was trying to join the program to become a special agent. Eh, it would've been cool if I became a badass cybord, right? Imagine shooting lasers with my hands, having my arms turn into gatlings, fly with reactors integrated in my back..."

"And how did it go?"

"Eh, first step, already a failure. Apparently, I didn't have the necessary genes to receive a cybernetic enhancement, or something like that. Eh, I barely had time to protest once that I got thrown out of the testing facility, the scientists there were somehow better at catching people than the cops of the sector"

"Yeah... I've worked in cybernetic technology for a bit, and they also use some form of Fefnir tech apparently. If your body wasn't adapted to it, I guess it's normal you got refused"

"Yeah... well, as I was outside of the facility, too stubborn to go away immediatly, I saw a funny scene: a blond girl around my age that was fighting with one of the guards of the facility to not get thrown out. I couldn't help but laugh when she managed to kick his jaw before getting thrown to the ground beside me. Eh... shouldn't have done that, she rushed toward me and before I could even think about escaping, I got beat up one-sidedly"

"Uh... so you got, hip, beat up by a girl? Haha, that's funny"

Tyler groaned:

"You higher sectors' bums, of course you don't know how many of sector V's women hit harder than men when they're angry" he said. "Anyway, some days later, we met again at an intersection in an alley. You know, I've always been for equal rights and equal fights- and to be honest my body was still aching from her kicks-, soooo I decided that this time I'd attack first"