Friday, 4/26/2216

The first week passed about as well as expected. I had no idea what I was doing, but it turned out I didn’t have to. I just fed the orders the the various production facilities and notified the shipping agent when they were complete. The only differences were that I was physically in an office, and that I made the agendas in the morning now.

“You want to go somewhere tonight?” He kept trying to do this. I suspected that the in person presence in the office was Seitaro’s doing, so he could keep an eye on me. An in person eye. Not that I minded. I was getting used to this situation.

“We can go to that bar.” I said. Let’s see how he feels about that.

“Are you kidding me?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t even want to go to that bar, I can’t imagine how you feel.”

“I feel fine pussy.”

“For real?”

“Yeah.”

“For real for real?”

“Yes, it’s just close to here, and my apartment, and it’s extra cheap. That’s where I’m tryna go.”

Seitaro hit a vape as we walked over. He offered it to me but I declined. As we turned onto the block we came upon group of kids beating another kid up. I froze. Seitaro, being Seitaro, decided to intervene.

“Yo! Leave that boy alone.” He said, gripping one of the youths by the back of his shirt and pulling him to the side. The rest of the pack backed off, cautiously.

“Fuck you grandpa.” One of the bigger ones said.

“Yeah go eat Eddy ass.” Another chimed in. They seemed to range in age from maybe 13 to 16. I am a reasonable and rational adult and am therefore terrified of teenagers, but Seitaro never developed the fears of mortal men.

“Woah! You kiss your mother with that mouth?” He said with a laugh, taking a bold step forward.

“I don’t got a mom.” Said the big kid, but he shuffled backwards.

“I don’t care if kicking that kid would bring her back. That's a human and you’re gonna stop.”

They paused and looked at his suit. For a moment it looked like they would turn on him until he put his hand in his pocket. It clicked in their primitive brains that this was a dangerous fight to pursue and they finally backed off of their prey.

“Fuck you wagey!” They yelled as they ran off. Seitaro laughed. Certified mad man.

“Hey kid you ok?” He bent down, offering a hand to try and help the bleeding kid up.

“Fuck you wagey!” The little scumbag yelled and took off after his assailants.

“That’s why I hate kids.”

TV Party looked like it always had. The spot that had been covered in blood and brains a week ago was wiped clean. The same bartender sat on a stool, refusing to make eye contact. A few regulars were even milling about, talking or watching from a choice of streamer propaganda, mainstream media propaganda, WIBA ball, or Europa. I looked around for K, but she wasn’t there. I would’ve been concerned, but if Seitaro had a problem with her he would’ve acted by now. I knew he was watching everything I did.

“Hey you alright? Hey Kriss?”

“Fuck you bro, let’s just drink.”

. . .

“Alright, fine, but that AI shit, just doesn’t slap like human shit do. I’m deadass. You need pain to rap.” Seitaro said as we stumbled out of the bar at 2am.

“I feel tha’, I really do, I’m jus’ sayin’ though…” I replied, good and drunk. We started walking back towards my apartment. I was briefly worried about the kids from earlier showing up but they were nowhere to be seen. The streets were, thankfully, as empty as they usually were.

"Yoooo. You want some blink?” He asked before inhaling deeply from his vape.

“Huh?” That was a blast from the past.

“I got some. I know you been doing real good with the shock, I’m real proud of you, but also not all the digis are off limits.”

“Oh… nah, I’m good.” I had something else now.

“Listen…” Seitaro said haltingly, voice heavy with concern. “Heroin might be legal… but it’s got its problems too.”

“Problems? Everything’s got problems. I got a problem with no shock. I got a problem with the war. I got a problem with ChingWei getting—” I paused. I physically couldn’t say it. The NDP was stopping me. The anger subsided. “Nah… my bad, I don’t have a problem actually.”

There was a long pause. Too long. We stopped walking.

“Hey, I didn’t ask to be born into this world.” Seitaro finally said, quietly.

“Bro I don’t blame you. I really don’t.”

“I blame me.” He said sadly.

“You had orders”

“I chose to have orders.”

I punched him in the mouth as hard as I could.

“DAMN RIGHT YOU DID! What did ChingWei ever do to you?”

He lay on the ground dumbstruck before spitting out a huge glob of blood.

“Not a single thing, not one single fucking thing, Im sure he was the nicest sweetest guy in the whole solar system but that’s life Kriss!” He slowly pulled himself up to his feet before lunging forward and punching me in the gut. I keeled over as he continued “is it fair that there are winners and losers? No, not at all, but it’s not about being fair, it’s too busy being real, and in the real world you do what you can, not what you want.”

“Maybe we can!”

I tried to punch his chin but he stepped back so I tripped forward and connected awkwardly with his chest.

“Or could or something, if that information got out about the war… if… they” I puked all over the street and his shoes. He grabbed me by my shoulders and brought me over to a nearby stoop.

“Hey, it’s ok. Just breath,” He said as he sat me down, sitting next to me. “You just tried to say something the NDP prohibited, that’s what happens.”

I cried. A terrible snot filled whining wailing cry.

Seitaro sat down beside me and put his arm around my shoulders, dragging me in close. “It’s ok buddy, it’s ok, let it out.”

I let it out.