Parallel: United Front

Chapter 16: Deal With the Devil

July 27th 3039 A.D

Slums, Outer Ring,

Kudan

The slums of the Outer Ring, a perpetual shame for every domed city. These cesspools of the lowest of the low were so ugly, most cities pretended they did not exist. Aside from the most basic amenities, these regions were largely left to fend for themselves. Chaos inevitably spread among a people for whom rage and fear were the only emotions they had left. Without a reliable law enforcement system, crime exploded, claiming dozens of innocent lives daily.

The authorities in the inner city turned a blind eye to cries of the desperate, all too pleased to let the riff-raff cull themselves. Ironically, the ones who finally brought a semblance of order to the madness were the children of those who cried for help, most of whom had turned to a life of crime to survive in a world that had offered only death and suffering to them. These individuals formed alliances, eventually growing into large gangs whose hands even reached the inner cities.

The formation of these influential gangs finally caught the attention of those big suits in the cities. They began to realize that the riff-raff outside could actually have some uses besides being complete wastes of space. After all, although these men were literally rich enough to have the world at their feet, they always wanted more.

They could never have enough power and money, so they turned their gazes to the slums. With the help of these gangs, they could carry out underground transactions as well as smuggle in contrabands for their high profile parties. These gangs also regularly churned out desperate people willing to do anything for credits, even venturing into highly dangerous areas to retrieve or excavate highly precious jewels.

All in all, these gangs turned out to be worthwhile investments, thus they rewarded the gangs for their services. Parts of the slums which these gangs ruled over were renovated, not too much, but enough to make those in other districts incredibly jealous. Some gangs even had large establishments like night clubs and massage parlors which hedonistic young masters from the inner cities frequented when they wished to avoid the public eye.

Unlike the inner cities, there was no such thing as freedom of the press in the slums. If a reporter was caught taking pictures of a gang's client, it would truly be fortunate for the reporter's body to be found the following day.

Dee explained all these and more as she led the Dayle, Raines, and Arthur into District 3D-40, a rather opulent district compared to the slums they were coming from. The difference was obvious too. The streets were wider, the roads neater, with pretty neon lights on establishments attracting passersby.

Even though the sun hung bright overhead, Dee still had to elbow her way past several drunkards and hecklers. It seemed she had built up quite the reputation in these streets, as even though she received many catcalls, no one actually dared block her path outright.

"This district's controlled by Vega's gang, The Mambas," Dee explained as she came to a stop in front of a building called 'Escape' judging by the massive neon signs. Two men stood by the entrance, massive seven-foot builds large enough to block the entire doorway. Both these men had definitely undergone cyber enhancements, one of them even sporting a complete robotic arm. Despite being faced with these intimidating presences, there were no visible signs of worry on the young woman's face. "Here to see Vega. He in?"

Rather than answer her question, the guard on the left jerked his chin at the trio behind her. "The peanuts?"

"They're with me," Dee explained. "Vega's expecting us."

The guard glanced at the Fireteam. He could tell they were professionals from the way they carried themselves. His gaze paused on the Radi, whose lips were curled in a snarky grin. Although he felt like bashing that asshole's face in, he too was a professional. He stepped aside, not forgetting to drop a warning as they passed, "Don't try anything funny. You'll be dead before you can defrag anything."