After performing the job without a hitch as expected, there was hardly anyone who knew the Lower Hives like Saba did. He received his part and departed, resolving to never do that again.
Time passed, and Saba was now strapped for cash. It turns out that working for a syndicate makes it hard to find any other job, even though he had only done a few jobs for the syndicate; word got around fast.
Saba faced his meal ration, the third time he was eating the cursed thing, but it was the only thing that kept him full. With a resigned sigh, he shoved a handful into his mouth.
The next day, he went looking for Echo.
It wasn't particularly difficult to find Echo; if he wasn't at his hideout, the next place would be the nearest pub or the betting ring, no doubt betting on his robot winning a fight and most often losing his money.
He had worked as a scavenger at a landfill before all of this, taking whatever was valuable and selling it or recycling until the government declared it state property.
'Damn snobs.'
Saba spotted him at the edge of the fighting ring cheering loudly for his robot dog; organic ones are hard to find nowadays.
Saba tapped on his shoulder, causing him to turn and start shouting. "I'm going to win this-" His eyes widened for a bit before he displayed a knowing smile.
"It's not going to be a onetime thing anymore, ya know that, right?"
Saba suddenly had a revelation, and he didn't really know how to feel about it.
"You knew this would happen, didn't you?"
Echo just shrugged.
"Around these parts things tend to follow a pattern.
'Turns out he is smarter than he looks.'
Echo pivoted and started walking, beckoning with his hand for him to follow.
'Here goes nothing.' 'It seems he is pretty excited; he forgot the fight; am I really that important to him?'
While the pair were winding through narrow streets, hawkers were selling the latest tech: bionics all the new hype in this age. His gaze wandered to the sky, or at least what would have been the sky if they weren't underground; all he saw was a dome that shone luminously. He had been in the Upper Hive a few times as it wasn't exactly illegal for people who lived in Lower Hives to go above ground, though most would probably return underground since they couldn't afford to live above ground.
Not to mention the unwanted attention and stares, that memory was up there among some of his worst, and he had some awful ones. But still it had been mesmerizing… while it still lasted.
"I'm taking you to meet the boss." Echo's bass voice disturbed his train of thought.
Saba raised his eyebrow quizzically. Echo flashed his characteristic smile before saying.
"We've been expectin' you to come around."
Saba kept to himself as they moved.
Moving along, they reached a hovering platform, which they stepped onto. Echo typed the location on his watch and waited.
Levitating in the air, the platform soon zoomed up, paused for a moment and then travelled horizontally. There were lights made by projectors that showed which lane the platform was supposed to be travelling in.
They soon arrived at a rooftop, where Echo got off.
He said nothing and just continued walking, causing Saba to follow him.
'Damn, all of this has a certain air to it, then again I have to see this through.'
They eventually came upon a spot on the rooftop; it looked bare only concrete. All except for one keypad that lay on the rooftop.
Stooping down, Echo gestured for Saba to look away as he entered the password.
A circular roof space beside the keypad turned translucent.
"Well, get going."
Hesitating at first, he jumped up and down the hole.
He caught sight of Echo jumping down after him just before the light from above disappeared. He just hoped Echo wouldn't tumble on top of him. He landed and rolled out of the way, moving to give Echo space to land.
They were in a well-lit chamber with four doors on every wall.
Echo led him to a door on the left.
Pushing the door open to reveal dazzling lights he struggled to adjust for a moment. He noticed people dressed in chaotic, individualized styles, a mix of tech and good old fabric.
Unlike him, he pretty much stuck to cotton and nylon partly because he couldn't afford the other stuff.
All over the room game consoles were set up with customers already wired up to it.
Saba's eyes widened in shock as he recognized just what kind of consoles they were.
'All these are Fever game consoles.'
'Declared illegal and practically wiped out from the system.'
He looked around taking in the sheer scale of the illegal operations.
'Fever games were declared illegal for a reason even in lower Hives where the rules were less enforced.'
'They transmitted every sensation felt in the game into your body.'
'The keyword here was every. Pain included.'
'A player getting shot in the virtual world feel the physical equivalent. Though this didn't deter them on the flip side it attracted them. While playing the game pain and pleasure lose their boundaries intertwine, the result. Pure chaos in the mind.'
'Some may die as a result but even upon survival one is never the same.'
"Do all your customers come down the hole in the ceiling?" Saba asked.
Echo smirked.
"Nah, only the special ones with special needs."
Saba spied the people who were currently wired to the consoles, some were currently suffering spasms their faces a mix between pleasure and pain.
The face of confusion.
They soon approached a raised platform in corner of the hall where Echo shouted over the noise while they took a seat.
"Hey Boss!"
Saba gave Echo a quizzical look.
'Yes, the boss' name is Boss.'
A man was seated at the edge of the platform, feet dangling. The first thing Saba noticed was the replacement for an eye.
That fact aside, he looked young.
Saba was a little surprised at how young he looked.
'Maybe only a few years older than me, and here I was expecting a grizzly old man surrounded by cigar smoke.'
Thinking it might have been the product of watching too many movies, he shook his head internally.
A wide grin split Boss' face before speaking.
"If it isn't my favourite Transporter, Saba."