Sweet Dreams
K, first part is written and I love my phone, its got a keyboard so no deciphering scrawls later ...
A woman sobbed quietly as her world collapsed around her. Stacks of AV disks surrounded her, their stored figures floating around her head as she slowly fell to pieces. No matter how hard she tired, she could not make the figures balance. The cred comp seemed to simply not want to cooperate. With a savage swipe, she swept everything to the floor. The cred comp shattered as it slammed into the old battered American refrigerator in the crappy kitchen of their shitty two-bedroom hovel. All the woman say was another figure to add to the outgoing column of their monthly spreadsheet. She collapsed on the kitchen table, the world blurred by the tears spilling from her eyes. The future wasn't bright, but what in this world was?
***
Part 1: Movin’ On
(June 27th, 2016) Mazetech Corpfarm #327, San Benito County, California
Alexa Markov stirred in her sleep, something pulling at her subconscious mind. An unnoticed battle between her subconscious mind and her need to sleep was being waged. Alexa's eyes fluttered open as sleep finally lost that last finger's grip over her. Her gaze floated over everything in the room, still in that semi sleep haze trying to pick out something that was out of place, trying to pinpoint what had woken her. Nothing appeared different. Her eyes rested on the red LED like display of the dataterm showing the time. It was about two o'clock in the morning. Thumping her pillow, she settled back down, closing her eyes again. She heard a noise in the corridor outside her room. Alexa's eyes snapped open as she listened to footsteps pass the door. Without even thinking, she flagged them as her father's steps. She pushed back the sheets covering her and quietly made her way to the door. Holding her breath, she turned the door handle. It opened noiselessly. She opened her door a crack, checking the hall. Noone! Tiptoeing along the corridor, she can't help but see the light from the kitchen spill out into the hall. Pressing herself against the wall and the kitchen doorframe, she listened, hardly breathing, to the noises coming from the only lit room in the house.
Edging forward, she could just about make out two figures in the room, reflected in the glass of the kitchen window. A distorted image in the window took a few seconds to decipher. Alexa watched as her father took her mother into his arms. She could just about hear her father trying to soothe his wife. He was whispering quietly in Elena’s, her mother’s, ear, and his hand was smoothing her graying hair as she buried her face in his chest, mumbling unintelligibly into his robe. Alexa struggled to hear what her mother was saying. Her body was shaking as she sobbed out her problems. Alexa couldn’t make out much. She listened instead to her father’s soothing voice. He was repeating phrases like ‘It will be alright’, ‘We’ll be alright’, ‘We’ll get through this, we always do’, and ‘Don’t worry’. Something was up and Alexa suspected it was something big.
She listened closer; she tried to pick out what her mother was saying. She could only make out a few words, given her mother’s emotional state. Something about bills, finance, not adding up. Everything clicked into place in her mind. It had been something she had never really given much thought to. Ever since their family had been kicked out of the corp farm she had grown up in, things had been tight, but she hadn’t expected to find her dad comforting her mom while her mom had an emotional breakdown. Alexa’s mind started checking off a list of possible ways to help with this situation. The most obvious was to get a job and contribute to the household. That was out of the question. Her dad had been lucky to get a job here as it was. There was nothing going in this dive and even if there were, the competition would be lined up around the block. There seemed to be only one other option left for her.
Alexa made up her mind and quietly sneaked back to her room. She made no noise as she closed over the door again. Pulling out a chair, Alexa sat in front of her dataterm. Baring her arm, she picked at an almost invisible imperfection in the skin. A rectangle of skin pulled away from the rest of skin on her arm, revealing a set of interface cables in a recessed metallic compartment in her forearm. Taking one of the cables, she pulled it until it started to grow. When it was long enough to comfortably reach the corresponding socket in the dataterm she stopped. Clicking the cable into place in the dataterm, she thought one single word, ‘Connect’. A dialog box appeared on screen welcoming her. She mentally called up the menu system. She was one with the computer; it echoed every thought she had. Thinking about her email brought it to the screen, another thought entered her username and password. Simply looking at a section of screen started a new mail. Alexa took a moment to think up the wording for this important message. Taking a deep breath, she started the mail.
Ana,
Things are bad here. Mom is crying in the kitchen. Dad is comforting her. Things have gotten real bad ever since Luka double-crossed us. There isn’t enough cred to pay the bills for the three of us so I had an idea. I’m going to follow in your footsteps. I’m coming to Night City. That’s okay, right? I reckon it will be easier on them. Mail me back as soon as possible, k Sis?!
Luv,
Alexa
Reading over the mail she mentally clicked the send button. Well, that was it, one way or another, she was going to join her sister in the land of opportunity, Night City. She figured that reducing the number of mouths at the table would go a long way to helping her parents survive on a paycheck a quarter the size of what they were used to and half the size they needed. Rent would go down as well, because they could move to a smaller apartment for just the two of them.
Alexa unplugged the interface cable and pressed a button in the recessed compartment. The cable was slowly pulled back inside by a small servomotor. She made sure it was sitting back in place, before smoothing the skin back over the plugs. Again, it was virtually impossible to tell that she was wired.
She settled back in bed. It could be hours before Ana answered. She also needed to be rested before she broached the subject with her parents tomorrow morning. Filtering out the soft murmuring still coming from the kitchen, Alexa let sleep reclaim her. Pictures of the perfect city that Ana had described to her filled her head as she dreamed about how her future was going to plan out.
***
(June 27th, 2016) ‘Kyr i Vikati’ Turf, Combat Zone, Night City, California
A shrill sound alerted her to the fact that she had new mail. She touched the hot spot on the screen to bring up her mail. Bringing up the on screen keyboard she entered her username and password. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth when she saw whom the mail was from, her little sister. Anastasia Markov, Ana to her friends, Tsarina to the gang she was aligned with, waited for her mail to load, anxious for news of the world she regretted leaving behind. She read the message, her heart falling as the words locked themselves into sentences. Silently repeating ‘No’ again and again, she thought back to the mails that she had sent to her little sister telling her how great life in the City was, how many lies had she put into those letters to make Alexa think she was doing okay out on her own. Nothing could be further from the truth. She had to stop this. She couldn’t condemn her sister to the same life that she had. Alexa would have to hang in there a while longer.
Hitting reply, Ana tried to think of the words that would somehow make it better, like she wasn’t turning her back on the only people in the world who loved her. A blank screen appeared in front of her. Running through possible messages in her head, she finally decided on something to say.
Lexa Honey,
I wish this was easier to say but let me start by saying that I wish that I was a strong as you, but I’m not. I wish I could talk my way out of anything like you, but I can’t. I learned that the hard way. I got myself into some trouble here and I can’t figure how to get myself out. I’d love see you but it wouldn’t be safe. I’m sure that things will get better soon, honey…
A hand brushed her short blonde hair away from the back of her neck. Shivers ran down her spine as she felt breath on the back of her neck. She hadn’t heard him come in. She had been too involved in writing the mail, letting her sister down. Her whole body was trembling as a man read her letter to her sister over her shoulder. A hand reached around her and deleted all her hard work. A hard voice whispered in her ear, breath tickling against her ear.
“Tell her you’d be delighted to have her come and stay with you.”
“No Johnny…” Ana started.
“Dusk,” he corrected.
“I’m not having her come stay, it’s no life for a sixteen year old girl.” Ana stuttered slightly, afraid to meet Dusk’s eyes.
“Send the message, Ana, don’t make me ask again.” Dusk almost bit out the words, his voice even harder than usual.
“No, Dusk, I can’t!” She struggled to get the words out.
The hand that had been holding back her hair wrapped itself around her blonde locks. Ana’s hands flew to Dusk’s wrist, tears springing to her eyes. With a hard pull, Dusk pulled her backwards and up, her feet leaving the ground for a few moments. Pain swept down from her head in waves. Ana was forced to stand on her toes to try and keep her feet on the ground. Taking tiny steps to keep her balance, she was forced to turn and face Dusk. His blond hair was falling over one of his dark brown eyes. His six and a half foot frame was tensed and seemed ready for anything. She was looking him straight in the eye and didn’t see his fist hurtling towards her stomach. Ana’s feet left the ground as the force of the blow rocked her like a boxer’s punch bag. Releasing his grip on her hair suddenly, she had no time to brace herself for the impact of hitting the ground. She crumpled up, sobbing quietly to herself as she held her stomach. A few hairs fluttered to the ground as Dusk brushed off his hand.
“Now, do I have to ask you again?” His voice had returned to its calm, hard state.
“No Dusk.”
Limping slightly, she took her place in front of the dataterm. Dusk settled down beside her, again brushing her hair back. Ana flinched slightly as Dusk pressed a kiss against the side of her neck. There were times that Ana couldn’t remember what had attracted her to Dusk, and other times, he seemed to be a totally different person, the person she had fallen love with.
“Don’t worry honey,” Dusk started. “I’ll tell you what to write.”
Ana nodded, not looking at anything but the computer screen. She started typing whatever Dusk told her, the only noise she made being answers to some of Dusk’s questions as he decided on the response.
Lexa,
Of course it’s okay to come visit. We’d be delighted to have you. I’ll have a bus ticket waiting for you at San Benez station. Just ride to the terminal in Night City and I’ll meet you there.
Luv,
Ana
As soon as the email was finished, Dusk reached over and pressed send. Ana closed her eyes, cursing herself silently. If only she could stand up to Dusk, if only she had held out longer, if only she had never gotten involved with him… The world is full of ‘if only’s. Dusk stood, looking down at Ana.
“That wasn’t so hard was it?”
Dusk used a single finger to raise her chin. Ana’s eyes stayed downcast. Her stomach still ached. Pain still ran down her leg. Her scalp throbbed in time with her heartbeat.
“No Johnny!”
“Dusk, not Johnny. Do I have to remind you of everything, Suka?” Anger seeped into his voice.
“No Dusk.”
“Now,” Dusk started in an almost artificially calm voice. “Get into your room and wait for me. I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.”
“But Dusk…” Ana started.
“You know it’s for your own good, baby.”
Dusk stroked her face and turned his back on her. Ana nodded and started for the bedroom. Dusk ordered a single journey bus ticket over the dataterm before following his input to their bedroom. An evil smile crossed his face as he turned to close the door behind them. A click told any eavesdroppers that the door was locked. The only things escaping that room that night were Ana’s cries and muffled screams.
***
A woman sobbed quietly as her world collapsed around her. Stacks of AV disks surrounded her, their stored figures floating around her head as she slowly fell to pieces. No matter how hard she tired, she could not make the figures balance. The cred comp seemed to simply not want to cooperate. With a savage swipe, she swept everything to the floor. The cred comp shattered as it slammed into the old battered American refrigerator in the crappy kitchen of their shitty two-bedroom hovel. All the woman say was another figure to add to the outgoing column of their monthly spreadsheet. She collapsed on the kitchen table, the world blurred by the tears spilling from her eyes. The future wasn't bright, but what in this world was?
***
Part 1: Movin’ On
(June 27th, 2016) Mazetech Corpfarm #327, San Benito County, California
Alexa Markov stirred in her sleep, something pulling at her subconscious mind. An unnoticed battle between her subconscious mind and her need to sleep was being waged. Alexa's eyes fluttered open as sleep finally lost that last finger's grip over her. Her gaze floated over everything in the room, still in that semi sleep haze trying to pick out something that was out of place, trying to pinpoint what had woken her. Nothing appeared different. Her eyes rested on the red LED like display of the dataterm showing the time. It was about two o'clock in the morning. Thumping her pillow, she settled back down, closing her eyes again. She heard a noise in the corridor outside her room. Alexa's eyes snapped open as she listened to footsteps pass the door. Without even thinking, she flagged them as her father's steps. She pushed back the sheets covering her and quietly made her way to the door. Holding her breath, she turned the door handle. It opened noiselessly. She opened her door a crack, checking the hall. Noone! Tiptoeing along the corridor, she can't help but see the light from the kitchen spill out into the hall. Pressing herself against the wall and the kitchen doorframe, she listened, hardly breathing, to the noises coming from the only lit room in the house.
Edging forward, she could just about make out two figures in the room, reflected in the glass of the kitchen window. A distorted image in the window took a few seconds to decipher. Alexa watched as her father took her mother into his arms. She could just about hear her father trying to soothe his wife. He was whispering quietly in Elena’s, her mother’s, ear, and his hand was smoothing her graying hair as she buried her face in his chest, mumbling unintelligibly into his robe. Alexa struggled to hear what her mother was saying. Her body was shaking as she sobbed out her problems. Alexa couldn’t make out much. She listened instead to her father’s soothing voice. He was repeating phrases like ‘It will be alright’, ‘We’ll be alright’, ‘We’ll get through this, we always do’, and ‘Don’t worry’. Something was up and Alexa suspected it was something big.
She listened closer; she tried to pick out what her mother was saying. She could only make out a few words, given her mother’s emotional state. Something about bills, finance, not adding up. Everything clicked into place in her mind. It had been something she had never really given much thought to. Ever since their family had been kicked out of the corp farm she had grown up in, things had been tight, but she hadn’t expected to find her dad comforting her mom while her mom had an emotional breakdown. Alexa’s mind started checking off a list of possible ways to help with this situation. The most obvious was to get a job and contribute to the household. That was out of the question. Her dad had been lucky to get a job here as it was. There was nothing going in this dive and even if there were, the competition would be lined up around the block. There seemed to be only one other option left for her.
Alexa made up her mind and quietly sneaked back to her room. She made no noise as she closed over the door again. Pulling out a chair, Alexa sat in front of her dataterm. Baring her arm, she picked at an almost invisible imperfection in the skin. A rectangle of skin pulled away from the rest of skin on her arm, revealing a set of interface cables in a recessed metallic compartment in her forearm. Taking one of the cables, she pulled it until it started to grow. When it was long enough to comfortably reach the corresponding socket in the dataterm she stopped. Clicking the cable into place in the dataterm, she thought one single word, ‘Connect’. A dialog box appeared on screen welcoming her. She mentally called up the menu system. She was one with the computer; it echoed every thought she had. Thinking about her email brought it to the screen, another thought entered her username and password. Simply looking at a section of screen started a new mail. Alexa took a moment to think up the wording for this important message. Taking a deep breath, she started the mail.
Ana,
Things are bad here. Mom is crying in the kitchen. Dad is comforting her. Things have gotten real bad ever since Luka double-crossed us. There isn’t enough cred to pay the bills for the three of us so I had an idea. I’m going to follow in your footsteps. I’m coming to Night City. That’s okay, right? I reckon it will be easier on them. Mail me back as soon as possible, k Sis?!
Luv,
Alexa
Reading over the mail she mentally clicked the send button. Well, that was it, one way or another, she was going to join her sister in the land of opportunity, Night City. She figured that reducing the number of mouths at the table would go a long way to helping her parents survive on a paycheck a quarter the size of what they were used to and half the size they needed. Rent would go down as well, because they could move to a smaller apartment for just the two of them.
Alexa unplugged the interface cable and pressed a button in the recessed compartment. The cable was slowly pulled back inside by a small servomotor. She made sure it was sitting back in place, before smoothing the skin back over the plugs. Again, it was virtually impossible to tell that she was wired.
She settled back in bed. It could be hours before Ana answered. She also needed to be rested before she broached the subject with her parents tomorrow morning. Filtering out the soft murmuring still coming from the kitchen, Alexa let sleep reclaim her. Pictures of the perfect city that Ana had described to her filled her head as she dreamed about how her future was going to plan out.
***
(June 27th, 2016) ‘Kyr i Vikati’ Turf, Combat Zone, Night City, California
A shrill sound alerted her to the fact that she had new mail. She touched the hot spot on the screen to bring up her mail. Bringing up the on screen keyboard she entered her username and password. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth when she saw whom the mail was from, her little sister. Anastasia Markov, Ana to her friends, Tsarina to the gang she was aligned with, waited for her mail to load, anxious for news of the world she regretted leaving behind. She read the message, her heart falling as the words locked themselves into sentences. Silently repeating ‘No’ again and again, she thought back to the mails that she had sent to her little sister telling her how great life in the City was, how many lies had she put into those letters to make Alexa think she was doing okay out on her own. Nothing could be further from the truth. She had to stop this. She couldn’t condemn her sister to the same life that she had. Alexa would have to hang in there a while longer.
Hitting reply, Ana tried to think of the words that would somehow make it better, like she wasn’t turning her back on the only people in the world who loved her. A blank screen appeared in front of her. Running through possible messages in her head, she finally decided on something to say.
Lexa Honey,
I wish this was easier to say but let me start by saying that I wish that I was a strong as you, but I’m not. I wish I could talk my way out of anything like you, but I can’t. I learned that the hard way. I got myself into some trouble here and I can’t figure how to get myself out. I’d love see you but it wouldn’t be safe. I’m sure that things will get better soon, honey…
A hand brushed her short blonde hair away from the back of her neck. Shivers ran down her spine as she felt breath on the back of her neck. She hadn’t heard him come in. She had been too involved in writing the mail, letting her sister down. Her whole body was trembling as a man read her letter to her sister over her shoulder. A hand reached around her and deleted all her hard work. A hard voice whispered in her ear, breath tickling against her ear.
“Tell her you’d be delighted to have her come and stay with you.”
“No Johnny…” Ana started.
“Dusk,” he corrected.
“I’m not having her come stay, it’s no life for a sixteen year old girl.” Ana stuttered slightly, afraid to meet Dusk’s eyes.
“Send the message, Ana, don’t make me ask again.” Dusk almost bit out the words, his voice even harder than usual.
“No, Dusk, I can’t!” She struggled to get the words out.
The hand that had been holding back her hair wrapped itself around her blonde locks. Ana’s hands flew to Dusk’s wrist, tears springing to her eyes. With a hard pull, Dusk pulled her backwards and up, her feet leaving the ground for a few moments. Pain swept down from her head in waves. Ana was forced to stand on her toes to try and keep her feet on the ground. Taking tiny steps to keep her balance, she was forced to turn and face Dusk. His blond hair was falling over one of his dark brown eyes. His six and a half foot frame was tensed and seemed ready for anything. She was looking him straight in the eye and didn’t see his fist hurtling towards her stomach. Ana’s feet left the ground as the force of the blow rocked her like a boxer’s punch bag. Releasing his grip on her hair suddenly, she had no time to brace herself for the impact of hitting the ground. She crumpled up, sobbing quietly to herself as she held her stomach. A few hairs fluttered to the ground as Dusk brushed off his hand.
“Now, do I have to ask you again?” His voice had returned to its calm, hard state.
“No Dusk.”
Limping slightly, she took her place in front of the dataterm. Dusk settled down beside her, again brushing her hair back. Ana flinched slightly as Dusk pressed a kiss against the side of her neck. There were times that Ana couldn’t remember what had attracted her to Dusk, and other times, he seemed to be a totally different person, the person she had fallen love with.
“Don’t worry honey,” Dusk started. “I’ll tell you what to write.”
Ana nodded, not looking at anything but the computer screen. She started typing whatever Dusk told her, the only noise she made being answers to some of Dusk’s questions as he decided on the response.
Lexa,
Of course it’s okay to come visit. We’d be delighted to have you. I’ll have a bus ticket waiting for you at San Benez station. Just ride to the terminal in Night City and I’ll meet you there.
Luv,
Ana
As soon as the email was finished, Dusk reached over and pressed send. Ana closed her eyes, cursing herself silently. If only she could stand up to Dusk, if only she had held out longer, if only she had never gotten involved with him… The world is full of ‘if only’s. Dusk stood, looking down at Ana.
“That wasn’t so hard was it?”
Dusk used a single finger to raise her chin. Ana’s eyes stayed downcast. Her stomach still ached. Pain still ran down her leg. Her scalp throbbed in time with her heartbeat.
“No Johnny!”
“Dusk, not Johnny. Do I have to remind you of everything, Suka?” Anger seeped into his voice.
“No Dusk.”
“Now,” Dusk started in an almost artificially calm voice. “Get into your room and wait for me. I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.”
“But Dusk…” Ana started.
“You know it’s for your own good, baby.”
Dusk stroked her face and turned his back on her. Ana nodded and started for the bedroom. Dusk ordered a single journey bus ticket over the dataterm before following his input to their bedroom. An evil smile crossed his face as he turned to close the door behind them. A click told any eavesdroppers that the door was locked. The only things escaping that room that night were Ana’s cries and muffled screams.
***