a mika. a very vivid imagination
ACT 1 (pt.2)
Systematic again weaved through the crowd, making his way to the first wooden stand. An older woman was there and on display she had a random assortment of food and clothing. Her face was dirty and her coat full of rips and tears. Systematic browsed quickly until his eyes came across a bottle of water. He tugged at his pocket, opening it and pulling out a round. “I’ve got 5.56, 2 of them for the bottle†he said waving the round. The old womans eyes narrowed and she beckoned “we can go f-†Systematic interrupted her curtly “2. rounds.†The older woman looked pissed and said with a haughty voice “the price has risen to 3 for that remark†Systematic started to turn away before she called him back with a “wait, sir†she pushed forth a gas mask and said “4 round for the bottle and the mask†Systematic turned back around and laughed in his head, it was the same variant he wore back when he was still in the riot forces, just green instead of black. Without saying a word he slid forth 4 rounds, took the mask and the water before walking away. He walked away from the crowd before unwrapping the scarf off of his head and sliding the mask on. Nostalgia and a feeling of comfort washed over him as the hard rubber brushed against his skin, he adjusted it to fit snugly and wiping the eye pieces clean. He loved hearing the sound of his breath, didn’t mind the slight difficulty in breathing, was hardly any different than breathing through the scarf he was so accustomed too. Systematic pulled his hood over the gas mask and set back towards the market, this time heading towards the bulletin board that was set up, looking for work.
As he got closer he noticed a woman leaning on the board nest to a rifle, arms crossed, clad in the blue-green Alpine signature camouflage, black ballistic vest over top of her uniform, glaring at syst as he approached. “Hey gas mask†she said rudely, beckoning him over. Systematic approached casually and responded in a sarcastic tone “Is that any way to talk to a stranger†Crow smiled and said “Gray, you piece of shit, you were just the person I was looking for.†Systematic rolled his eyes “Oh great, what is it now†Dropping the smile crow replied curtly “It’s regarding trypt, he got kidnapped by the flock during one of their raids on our outpost.†Systematic nodded his head “makes sense, he’s one of the few people that knows how to cook up the drugs they use.†Crow added on with “he’s been gone for close to a week now, we would’ve went and got him ourselves but I’m trying to avoid an actual conflict. Violence has been escalating since that raid and we’re simply not prepared for that sort of fight right now.†Systematic stared blankly when he realized what was coming next. Crow continued with “so, this is where you come in. No alliances, no affiliation but yet familiar with them. You can go in and trade for his release.†Systematic shook his head in disapproval, again letting his silence send his reluctance. “The reward will be worth it, 500 rounds of your choice, plates, weeks worth of food and a room at the Alpine.†Crow handed forth an envelope “just take this, it’s a map of the surrounding area with information on flock outposts and where we suspect trypt is.†Systematic laughed taking the note “I haven’t even accepted this yet†Crow raised her eyebrows “since when have you turned down a job? I’ll have someone here at the market to pick him up. Just escort him here safe and sound.†Systematic laughed again muttering “you’ll see him soon†before walking back towards Virus’s table.