Core Punk

by Paul Bellow

  “Harrison’s more than his muscles,” I retorted as I flipped my hands through the air to dry them.

  She grinned. “You like him, don’t you? I figured you two were sleeping with each other.”

  “It’s none of your business, but we aren’t,” I said.

  “Whatever…”

  I tilted my head back and sighed like I was doing her the world’s biggest favor.

  “What can you do for me if I cut you in?” I asked.

  She smiled. “Now we’re talking. Do you need any skill upgrades?”

  “You have some?” I asked, surprised.

  She nodded. The easiest way to increase skills in the game was with upgrade modules. Orlando kept official ones under heavy digital security, but I’d heard rumors about unofficial mods that worked even better. Was Becky lying to get her greasy paws on my business, or did she have the advanced tech?

  “I have a dozen,” she said in a soft voice. “Mostly combat, but there’s one sex module.”

  She winked her left eye.

  “Let me think about it,” I said, playing it off.

  “How about I let you try one? Right now.”

  She reached into her left pocket and pulled out a cloth sack. After untying the piece of string sewn into the top, she emptied the contents into the palm of her left hand. The tiny pieces of black plastic glistened in the light.

  “I’ll give you one to start,” she said. “As a peace offering.”

  “Which is which?” I asked, glancing at them.

  “Hold on, I’ll send you the list.”

  A notification screen appeared.

  SKILL MOD: General Combat Tactics +10%

  SKILL MOD: General Combat Tactics +15%

  SKILL MOD: General Combat Tactics +20%

  SKILL MOD: Stealth +20%

  SKILL MOD: Sexual Prowess +69%

  SKILL MOD: Tracking +25%

  SKILL MOD: Foraging +25%

  SKILL MOD: Mechanical Repair: +25%

  SKILL MOD: Leadership: +75%

  “You want better combat tactics?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “No. I want the mechanical repair chip and the leadership one.”

  “No way,” she snorted. “I’ll get good money for that plus seventy-five. High leadership is a sure-fire way to the top of the food chain here in Shelter 12, and I think I have a client. You don’t think you have a chance of running your own shelter, do you?”

  The only way to assume control of one a shelter and control its resources was to have a high enough leadership skill. Usually, it took forever to develop, but a mod-hack would work just as well if I got my hands on it. I already had 25% leadership skill. The mod would max it out. Or would it? I’d never heard of anyone with a skill above 100%, but it might be possible. The mechanical repair boost was my main plan. I like to have a back-up, though.

  “Give them to me, or we don’t have a deal,” I insisted.

  Her nostrils flared even wider as her beady eyes darted back and forth.

  “Fine,” she relented, picking up two of the mod-chips.

  I held out my palm, closing my fist after she dropped the tiny pieces of plastic.

  “Thanks,” I quipped. “When I talk to my boss, I’ll mention your name.”

  “You best do better than that,” she said, puffing out her chest.

  I slipped the chip into the convenient slot between my thumb and forefinger, allowed it to load, then repeated the process with the second one. My skill modifications changed.

  Leadership: +75%

  Leadership: 100%

  Mechanical Repair: + 25%

  Mechanical Repair: 97%

  “Harrison doesn’t like you, but I’ll try to change his mind,” I said.

  Becky’s shoulders relaxed. She sighed, sounding empty and defeated.

  “I’ll let you know later tonight,” I said then turned to leave.

  She could wait until the next morning to find out my decision after all the teasing she’d inflicted on poor Missy. I would mention her to Harrison, but I wasn’t about to push the matter. As I walked toward the elevator, I pulled up information on my high-level leadership skill.

  Leadership: 100%!

  At this level, you’ve proven yourself to be a competent leader, and you’re ready to lead a group of your own people.

  No shelters are open currently but be ready to assume a leadership role in the future.

  Your continued cooperation is appreciated.

  I smiled as I reached the elevator. Little did the game know I’d hacked my skill and not proven anything other than I would do anything to become a leader. While I didn’t see Orlando willingly giving up power, I wanted to achieve control over my own shelter someday. Two women and a man passed me on the other side of the hall, but they didn’t stop? Would Harrison lecture me? I wondered as the elevator door slid open. I got in and pressed the button for the top floor.

  Harrison could be gruff, but I trusted him and enjoyed being around him. Such emotions were a rarity in Shelter 12. As the elevator shot up, I wondered how to bring up Becky wanting to work with him again. He wouldn’t like the idea no matter how I broached the topic, so I dove right in and see what happened. I didn’t really care.

  When the elevator arrived, and the door slid open, I got out and continued toward his room. The top floor still had functioning cleaning robots which meant the smell wasn’t as bad as the rest of the shelter. When I reached Harrison’s room, I stopped and took another deep breath to calm myself. Despite my best efforts, I found myself falling for him. I knocked. When the hatch opened, I smiled, taken aback by the look on his face.

  “Come in,” he said, stepping back.

  After walking in, I shut the hatch behind me then turned. Harrison paced the steel floor near his bed, not paying attention to me.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  He stopped and turned toward me. “No.”

  “What’s wrong?” I took a tentative step toward him.

  His room smelled of incense and sweat—a strangely soothing mix of scents.

  “You need to be more careful,” he said. “We almost got caught again. Orlando’s not happy.”

  “He’s never happy.”

  “This is serious!”

  His sudden tone change got my attention.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m trying to be careful. Becky wants to help again, and I think we should let her. She can act as a buffer between us and Orlando.”

  “She’s not working with us. Absolutely not. I told you to stay away from her.”

  “But she can help us,” I insisted.

  “I still don’t trust her.”

  “Do you trust me?” I asked.

  “Barely,” he muttered sarcastically.

  I smiled and stepped forward, poking his chest with a finger. “Very funny.”

  “We need to be careful,” he said. “I might have a buyer for the beacon, and I don’t want anything interfering with it. This sale is my ticket to a new life.”

  “Can I see the beacon?” I asked.

  He shook his head.

  “Please?” I begged.

  He sighed. “Why do I put up with you?”

  I had my suspicions why as I held out my chest in my tight, green t-shirt, but I said nothing.

  “Once I sell this piece, I’ll have enough resources to move into one of the better shelters,” he continued. “I’ll run my own shelter one day. Wait and see.”

  “You’re leaving?” I asked, sounding more alarmed than I would have liked.

  Over the last few months, I’d learned to hide my emotions from everyone, including Missy. The more others knew, the easier it was for them to control you.

  “Not right away,” he said. “Don’t worry.”

  “I’m not worried, but...I’d miss you.”

  We silently stared into each other’s eyes a moment.

  “Maybe I’ll take you with me,” he said.

  “And Missy?”

  He sighe
d. “You’re asking a lot right now, kiddo.”

  “We can’t leave her behind,” I said.

  “You should go. We can talk about it later.”

  I nodded. “Yeah…”

  As I crossed the room to leave, I felt his eyes on me, but I didn’t mind. He intrigued me. Outside, I went back to the elevator and waited for it to arrive. When it did, I stepped in and pressed the button for my floor. The door slid closed before it descended. As it went lower, I hoped Missy wasn’t too upset with me for being gone so long. She could be clingy.

  Overall, it hadn’t been a bad day. With Becky’s help, I could ramp up business and prepare to leave with Harrison when he made a ran for it. The skill modification hadn’t been a magic bullet to get him to listen, but I figured such a high skill level would come in handy.

  A bell dinged before the door opened. I stepped out into the hallway and hurried toward our barracks. Over the last two weeks, I’d noticed Missy retreating deeper into her own mind, spending hours if not days all alone by herself. She’d been making good progress before I’d started up my operation. I wanted to make sure she wasn’t using me as an excuse to slip into depression.

  While only a couple years younger than me, she acted less mature, but I didn’t mind. She’d faced a lot of hardships before showing up at Shelter 12. I slowed as I neared the door to our barracks, hoping she would be in a better mood. She needed to break from the past and think about her future. I might not always be around to save her.

  After a final deep breath, I opened the hatch and strode into the room like a boss. I walked between the two rows of bunks, heading toward Becky. She glanced up as I approached. I nodded as I stopped in front of her bed.

  “We’ll talk more later,” I said. “After I check on Missy.”

  Before waiting for an answer or any complaints, I turned and continued down the aisle toward the bunk in back I shared with Missy. The shelter had been designed to fit a thousand people, but due to Orlando’s mismanagement, we’d all been crammed into a tight space. Over six hundred people lived in Shelter 12 with new people joining, dying, or leaving occasionally. As the shelters in the nightmare game I found myself trapped in fought for the scarce resources, I’d pledged my loyalty to Orlando. Harrison rescuing me from the savages outside the shelter when the game had glitched and switched made it an easy choice.

  “Scout!” Missy screamed as she saw me approach.

  I smiled as she hopped off the top bunk and rushed over, throwing her wiry arms around me and squeezing tight.

  “Good to see you too,” I said, gently patting her back. “Are you doing okay?”

  She pulled back and nodded.

  “I see you got a shower tonight finally, that’s good,” I continued.

  She backed away and lowered her head, staring at the floor.

  “Becky was giving her shit earlier,” Heidi said from a nearby bunk.

  I pursed my lips together as I processed the information. Becky needed to pay. Missy was under my protection. I reached out and placed a hand on her soft cheek.

  “You stay here, okay?”

  “No,” she said, surprising me. “I’ll go too because I need to confront her and stand up for myself. Right?”

  She glanced over at Heidi. The other woman turned her head. I sighed.

  “Okay, but no stabbing! Do you hear me? No stabbing!”

  Missy frowned. She loved her sharp pointy daggers and the sense of protection they gave her. With the soldiers and others having advanced firearms, nobody bothered her or others who kept personal weapons on themselves. Orlando, the laziest leader, loved when his people killed each other when settling problems. It removed the weak from his herd of humans. With my heightened leadership skill, I saw all the mistakes he’d been making, and I formulated a plan of my own if I ever got into a real position of power.

  “Come on,” I said. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Missy followed close behind as I walked to Becky’s end of the room. I stopped in front of her bunk and put my hands on my hips while staring down at her and shaking my head.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You’re mean!” Missy said, poking her head over my shoulder.

  “And? Your point?” Becky asked. “Mean is what survives in Shelter 12.”

  When Missy stepped toward her, I held my arm up, holding her back.

  “Becky, you need to apologize,” I said.

  “Or what?” she snorted. “You’re running illegal boosters on your skills.”

  “That I got from you,” I countered.

  “Prove it,” she said then crossed her arms over her chest.

  We stared each other down a few tense moments.

  “You can go screw yourself,” I said. “Deal’s off.”

  “Suit yourself,” Becky said, turning away.

  “Come on, Missy. We’ve got better things to do.”

  As we walked back to our bunk, I lectured myself on taking the unauthorized skill mods from Becky. The boosts in my abilities had been nice, but she had a point. How could I prove they came from her if she turned me in? I planned on watching her closely as I climbed up the ladder after Missy, settling down on our lumpy mattress.

  While I’d made small gains in the black market, we’d not gotten anywhere. I wondered if Harrison was right about it not being worth the hassle to stick around Shelter 12. I laid back and closed my eyes, thinking of him and how he made me feel safe.

  “Are you asleep?” Missy whispered.

  “No,” I said, not opening my eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  She sighed, putting her arm across my stomach.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “I worry about you too, you know.”

  My heart melted a few degrees as she snuggled against me. In such a harsh, lonely, and unforgiving environment, I enjoyed knowing I could count on her. Well, sometimes. Thoughts of her faded as Harrison once again stormed into my mind like he owned the damn place. I smiled and relished my memories of him as sleep overtook me.

  Chapter 6

  I sat in my usual spot in a corner of the cafeteria the next morning, taking orders and talking to people. Thanks to Harrison and his one weird trick, I didn’t have to report to the waste treatment center anymore. Even better, Becky hadn’t threatened me before she left for work earlier, so I expected no problems from her. She knew Harrison would punish her for hurting me.

  Despite all my feelings of safety, trouble still found me. I stood as I saw four armed guards enter the cafeteria and look around. What now? They spotted me and crossed the room. I bolted for the door, hoping to hide out until Harrison could save me.

  “Stop!” a soldier shouted.

  I didn’t look back as I booked down the hallway outside the cafeteria, heading for the main elevator. With my all access clearance, I could lose them if I made it to the lowest level of the shelter. Reports had come in of more mutants hiding down there, but I didn’t care. I needed some time alone, a luxury in Shelter 12.

  As I stopped in front of the elevators, smashing the call button with my index finger, guards’ boots clicking got louder as they approached.

  “Stop! We have permission to stun you!”

  The elevator door slid open. I slipped in and pressed the button for the bottom floor. The door slid shut just as they reached it. I grinned and waved as the elevator shot down. With luck, they wouldn’t be able to call in and stop it before I reached the bottom. Not everyone could remotely control the main lift. I tapped my foot as I waited.

  When I reached my destination, the door slid open with a whoosh. I stayed in place and threw my hands in the air when I saw a half-dozen armed men waiting for me. How had they known? What would happen? Questions flew through my mind as they crowded into the elevator.

  “No funny business,” a gruff guard as he reached behind him to punch a button.

  All five of the grungy, unshaven men kept their rifles pointed at me as we shot back up the shelter. The elevator stopped at the eighth floor
, and the door slid open.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked.

  “Shut up,” the squad leader muttered.

  He pushed me out of the elevator and down a hallway. A few hundred feet away, they stopped, forcing me to do the same. One soldier opened a hatch. I saw Harrison and Missy sitting next to each other at a table in an otherwise empty room. Harrison shook his head and frowned as a guard hustled me into the room.

  “No funny business,” he said then shut the hatch.

  “What’s going on?” Missy asked.

  “Your stupid friend got us caught,” Harrison said before I could answer.

  “I don’t know what happened,” I said. “I’ve been so careful.”

  “Becky,” Harrison said. “Those stupid skill mods you got from her is what got you caught.”

  “Sorry,” I said, ashamed at having let him down.

  “We’ll be okay,” Missy said, rubbing her eyes. “Don’t worry.”

  “Both of you better worry,” Harrison muttered.

  Missy buried her face in her hands on the table, sobbing.

  “Don’t scare her,” I said, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder.

  “It’s the damn truth,” he said. “She’s old enough to hear it.”

  “Yeah, but you could be tactful about it. I’ll take the blame for this.”

  “That won’t matter,” Harrison said. “Orlando’s on the warpath.”

  “Oh?” I tilted my head. “Why?”

  “Some shelters to the south of us have teamed up to attack us,” he said.

  “Damn…” I let my voice trail off.

  Harrison nodded. “Things are gonna get bloody.”

  “Wonderful,” I said sarcastically as I took a seat next to Missy to console her. “Don’t worry. This isn’t your fault.”

  “It’s your fault,” she said, her words muffled by her hands.

  “Probably,” I said, feeling horrible.

  Despite Harrison’s warning, I didn’t expect Orlando to be too tough on us. If the other shelters were about to attack, he needed all the help he could muster.

  “We’ll be okay,” I said to reassure myself more than anything.