“There we go!” he said, backing up a step.
A holographic face slowly began to cover hers, completely changing her facial appearance. Nami’s usual platinum-blond hair changed to brown. Her magenta eyes turned green. Her holo-face even had a few freckles. Hitomi couldn’t believe she was looking at her twin sister. She slowly reached out to touch her face.
“Whoa!” she blurted out. As soon as Hitomi’s hand touched Nami’s, the holo-display rippled a little bit.
“Hmm, looks like I gotta re-calibrate the motion and sensory settings on the straps. Don’t wanna blow your cover right away,” Caiden said.
After a few more minutes of adjusting the settings on each pair of holo-straps, he opted for another test. Nami’s activated and operated at a much more efficient level than before. Impervious to touch or motion, the holographic face stayed in place and responded to every small facial movement she made. Caiden then placed Hitomi’s holo-straps on her cheekbones. Her hair became a radiant pink, her eyes turned to a crystal blue and she had caramel colored skin.
“Now we’re up and running,” he said.
“Wow! This is really useful. Why didn’t you tell us about these sooner?” Nami asked angrily.
“If I told you about them right away, you would’ve wanted to try them out. Then, you would have been more willing to leave here unprotected. And with Chimera crawling the streets searching for you, it would only be a matter of time before they tracked you down. The holo-straps are almost fool proof. But the downside is that after every use, it needs to be reprogrammed. I’m not sure why that is, but that's how it is for now. Either way, I couldn’t have you guys putting yourselves out there because, even with the disguise, you’re still at risk. I couldn’t chance that,” Caiden said.
“I guess you’re right. So, when are we heading out?” Hitomi said.
“In an hour or so. Gotta get ready,” he replied.
“Ooh, can we shower together?” Nami asked.
Caiden merely shook his head before saying, “No.”
CHAPTER 28
---usr/systems/server-x/ENTER THE BAZAAR---
Just as the trio were set to leave, Caiden received a video call. He answered it on his holo-watch.
“Hey there, gorgeous,” the female voice said.
“Oh, hey, Yvora. What’s up?” Caiden responded, taken aback, not expecting her to call.
The twins, who were in the bedroom getting dressed, perked up and scurried out to the living room as soon as they heard the woman’s voice. Caiden shuffled back and forth before walking away from them with his back turned, obscuring the twin’s view of who he was talking to.
“You okay? You seem awkward. I guess that’s par for the course, though,” she said with a laugh.
“I’m okay, really. What’re you up to?” he asked.
“Oh, I was just calling to say thanks again for the other night, I had a really, really damn good time with you,” she said. He went red and looked away in embarrassment. “You’re so cute being your awkward self,” she jeered earnestly. “Anyway, I was just calling to check in and make sure you got home safe, but I didn’t wanna seem stalker-ish, that’s why I decided to call you later in the day. I figured someone as nerdy as you would be up hacking some network anyway,” she said.
“Ha! You just can’t help yourself, huh?” He grinned.
“No, I can’t.”
“Hey, so, we’re still on for later this week, right?” he asked.
“Of course, we are, silly. I couldn’t ever deny my biggest fan in the world, now could I?” she asked.
“You really are a funny one,” Caiden said. “Cool, I’ll give you a call soon. Okay?” he said.
“Don’t keep me waiting,” she said seductively. The sudden change the tone of her voice took Caiden by surprise, making him cough a little bit before he could speak.
“Okay, um, good. See ya!” he replied through his cough. She shook her head at him and smiled before ending the call.
After his miniature coughing fit, he smiled to himself while looking down at the floor for a few moments. As soon as he turned around he saw the visibly upset Nami and Hitomi. They began grilling him mercilessly.
“What the hell was that about?” Nami asked.
“What do you mean?” a confused Caiden fired back.
“Who was that on the call, Caide?” Hitomi probed.
“Well, she—”
“You’re usually so dark and moody, and you’re so intense, you rarely ever smile! But here is this girl, who you talk to for five seconds and all of a sudden you’re all giddy and stupid now!” Nami angrily and immaturely ranted.
“You guys are funny,” Caiden replied.
“You hookin up with her?” Hitomi exclaimed jealously.
“That’s it! That has to be it! There’s no other explanation for it! Who is she? What’s her name?” Nami asked.
“Whoa! Chill out for a sec! When did you become private detectives? And why does it even matter?” he replied.
“OMG, I knew it!” Nami yelled as she pointed to him.
“Okay, okay! Sheesh! Her name is Yvora, Yvora Blue,” he caved in while still smiling.
“How long have you known her? What is she to you?”
“Where did you guys meet? Did you bang her yet?” the twins asked excitedly and angrily.
“Okay, wow,” he said, typing in the security codes for the condo. “Who I see is none of your business,” he said mockingly.
“What’s wrong with us, huh? Are we not woman enough for you?” Hitomi asked. “You’ve seen our bodies, remember?” she confidently remarked as she stepped closer to him.
“You liked what you saw then. I definitely can’t forget how har—”
He cut her short. “Yes, yes, the both of you are plenty woman enough. I mean, it’s obvious you guys are very attractive,” Caiden fumbled.
“Okay, so?” The twins stood together, almost posing, as if to show themselves off.
“Well, it's just that now you guys are, um, like the little sisters I never had,” he replied. The two were noticeably chastened by his remark. “Look, I—”
“Nope!” Nami shot back. As he turned to Hitomi, she and her sister childishly stuck their tongues out at him. Caiden inadvertently laughed at how adorable they were being.
“So, you think it’s funny, Caide?” Hitomi asked.
“No, not at all. Look, I’m sorry, okay? I get it. You guys have been miserable because you’ve been stuck here since you got away from The LoveMaars, and now you’re getting cabin fever. But look on the bright side, we’re going out now, right? We’re gonna have fun!”
“You gonna invite what’s her face, too?” Nami asked.
“No. It’s just us three,” he said.
“Okay, we forgive you,” Hitomi replied, pinching his cheeks. The twins liked to have Caiden all to themselves. It made going to the event that much more special to them.
After Caiden powered down the place and secured the area, the trio left Home-base and took a series of hidden walkways. He was happy to take the girls out so they could enjoy themselves for once. They were nearing the entrance of the bazaar. Caiden, equipped with his newly formatted NOVO Lenses, and the twins, with their datashades, made their way to the Darkside Bazaar. There were makeshift light posts, merchant tents, thudding bass from the music, and thousands upon thousands of busy consumers walking around.
“Here we are! The mecca of the underground economy is here, right before your very eyes!” Caiden said. The twins were mesmerized.
A makeshift arch, consisting of assorted scrap metal, stood as a proverbial entrance gate. It was covered in neon lights that read, ‘Darkside Bazaar’. The bazaar was basically one massive, quarter-mile pop-up shop. Clothing stands, produce stands, illegal drugs tents, and, designated areas for sex-related business were housed there. The wonderful scent of barbecued food wafted under the noses of the trio, causing them to salivate and stomachs to rumble. The excitement was electric. Inhabitants o
f Darkside were out in droves. The Bazaar also attracted many people from out of town, as well. Men and women were dressed to the nines and joining in the festivities.
“Hey, pretty ladies and gentleman! Would you like to invest in some meteora fruit from the famed Rune Village?” one merchant called out to them.
“Ooh! We haven’t had those in so long, right sis?” an energetic Nami looked to her sister.
“Wow, yeah, I could definitely have me a few,” Hitomi replied.
“Yes, yes, of course! Come this way,” the merchant said, waving his hand.
“Iyav’s Produce Stand, huh?” Caiden asked.
“Why, yes, sir. You’ve heard of I?” Iyav said with a strange accent.
“Yeah, heard you charge a fortune for all your stuff. You know you’re in Darkside, right? Not everyone has money like that,” Caiden asked skeptically.
“Ah, yes. But business is business. My team and I take great risks to get our hands on these special fruits ya’know. Look, I’ll cut you a deal. I’ll charge you twenty Creds each for two meteoras, yah?” Iyav said, targeting the sisters.
“Bullshit, I can get exotic fruit from another produce stand here for a quarter of that price. Let’s go, guys,” Caiden said defiantly.
“Wait! Okay, okay, okay. How about I give you these two fruits for free, but in exchange, you tell others about my stand, huh? Whaddya say?” Iyav said.
“Thanks, Iyav,” Caiden said, grabbing the pieces of fruit. He and the twins wandered deeper into the market place.
“Sheesh! The nerve of that asshole! Oh, this is so good,” Hitomi said.
“Yeah, it’s fucked up that even though these merchants know the state of Darkside, they’ll still try to rip people off. You gotta con the con-man here,” Caiden said.
The twins were thoroughly enjoying the fruit. “Oh man, it makes me miss home so much,” Nami said.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get home soon. Right, Caide?” Hitomi said while putting her hand on Nami’s shoulder. Caiden nodded confidently.
“Oh, look! What is going on over there?” Nami asked.
“Oh, yeah, that’s one of the many dance parties taking place,” Caiden replied.
“Wow, it looks like those people are getting a little too serious, wouldn’t ya say?” Nami said.
“They might as well just fuck right there on the dance floor. Hmm, that would be kind of interesting,” Hitomi chimed in.
“Those folks are professional ravers. You wouldn’t get a quality conversation out of any of ‘em, they’re all high on some strong stuff. Probably mania or some other mind-altering drugs. Trippy, man,” Caiden said.
“Some spectacle,” Nami said.
“Ah, perfect. The fine goods section of the bazaar is a little further ahead,” Caiden pointed to past the crowds to some tents.
“This wasn’t a part of the market place before?” Hitomi asked.
“Yeah it was. But what makes this place so unique isn’t just the fact that it’s an illegally run market place; it’s that the organizers purposely rearrange the areas of commerce. One; to give all merchants a fair shake at gaining new customers in the areas of the bazaar that get the most foot traffic. Two; There are secret, undercover agents lurking these grounds too, and a lot of the material is being brought here and sold illegally. By switching the locations of the store tents, it makes them harder to track,” Caiden said.
“That’s really clever,” Hitomi replied as the three of them entered into the fine goods section.
It was noticeably different than the previous sector. It was mellower and the booths were also larger. There were black market cybernetics in one booth, rare metals in another, and booths that specialized in manna. It was also where most of the high rollers were found.
“Big money items are sold here. And this is also where I’m gonna gather the materials for the weapons I promised you,” Caiden said.
They approached the rare metals booth. “Welcome to Guy’s. How can I be of service?” the merchant said.
“Guy, is it? I’m looking to purchase close to sixteen kilos of NT, broken down into bricks. You have that?” Caiden asked. Nami and Hitomi, through their holo-disguises, looked at each other in confusion.
“Um, what did he say?” Nami whispered.
“I dunno, man, just wait and see,” Hitomi replied under her breath.
“Hmm, I believe we do. But that’s gonna cost you, young fella. And despite them two pretty girls with you, you look too young to be a high roller like these other patrons,” Guy said. “Hmm, that amount is worth seven hundred thousand Creds.”
“Two hundred thousand Creds,” Caiden countered with a deadpan stare.
“What?? Do you know how much we had to go through just to get this shit here, youngin? That offer’s practically blasphemy!” Guy exclaimed.
“I also know that despite whatever danger you claim to have gone through to get your hands on that new titanium, you manage to either steal it and come here to sell it, or you acquire it for dirt cheap but inflate the prices by an average of at least four hundred percent, allowing you to make a tidy profit.
“I could go through the normal channels and get what I need for the same ridiculous price you’re charging me, but this is Darkside, buddy. The reason why this place is so popular is because we make shitheads like you eat your prices and get the stuff we need for much cheaper. So my offer of two hundred thousand Creds stands,” Caiden said firmly. The twins looked on in anticipation.
“How ‘bout four hundred and fifty thousand Creds, then? That should do it!” Guy responded.
Caiden gave Guy an unconvinced look. He gestured the numbers two-zero-zero with his hands.
“Hmm,” Guy grumbled. “Aww hell! Yunie! You heard that order, right? Give the man what he asked for,” Guy said begrudgingly, as he called to the back of his merchant’s tent.
“Already got it prepped for him. Shit this stuff is heavy! You sure you’ll be able lug this stuff around for the rest of the night?” Yunie, the merchant’s assistant, asked as she brought everything to the counter.
“I’ll be fine,” Caiden said. Guy acrimoniously held his Cred codec up to receive Caiden’s payment.
“Two hundred thousand Creds all there. Thanks for doing business with me,” Caiden graciously said, bowing his head.
“Ugh, whatever, kid. Get outta here,” Guy replied.
As Caiden picked up the heavy-duty utility case and walked off with the twins, a small smile crept across Guy’s face. He was more amused by his interaction with Caiden than he initially let on. Yunie gave Guy a comforting smile.
“Remind you of someone?” Yunie asked.
“Huh, maybe,” he replied.
Just as their transaction was completed, Caiden and the twins saw a few of the patrons scurrying off in one direction.
“What’s going on?” Hitomi asked one of the passersby.
“New cage match going on at the other side of the Bazaar! Big money on the line,” the stranger said, before scurrying off.
“Okay, I wanna go see this!” Nami stated enthusiastically.
“Sis, you sure about that?” Hitomi asked as they both looked at Caiden.
Caiden sighed. He didn’t want them to run around unsupervised. “Be careful okay? Are your datashades fully functional?”
“Let’s see, shall we?” Nami replied as she tapped the futuristic earpiece. The twins pressed the power button on their devices and a holographic display visor emerged in front of their eyes. Caiden activated the NOVO Lenses. Upon activation, his eyes glowed the signature turquoise color. His visual display offered him several options to choose from. He looked up, selected the E-CHAT application, and sent Nami and Hitomi a message.
Caiden:You guys get this message?
Nami:Sure did.
Hitomi:Yup!
Nami:Wow! This is even cooler than I thought it would be!
Caiden:You haven’t used datashades before?
Hitomi:Nope.
Nami:We�
��ll be in touch if anything happens now that we have a direct link to our favorite lover boy! Let’s go see the fight, sis.
-End Chat-
“If anything comes up please be careful,” Caiden said.
“Yes, ok, Daddy! Ooh, I kinda like callin’ you that.”
“Nams, behave. Let’s go,” Hitomi interjected, before grabbing her sister’s hand and running off to go see the fight.
Caiden shook his head and smiled to himself. He decided to head to the booth that sold manna. He figured, that with the extraordinary properties of manna, the girls’ weapons would have an advantage over conventional ones.
“Welcome to Rejedj’s Essence. How may I be of service?” the merchant asked. He had a similar accent to the merchants from the fresh fruit stand.
They both must’ve traveled from a city in the Sun Desert just to get here to sell their products, Caiden thought.
“I’m looking to buy twenty ounces of liquefied manna,” Caiden replied.
“As you know, sir, manna does not run cheap. But you have an earnest look in your eye. How does ten thousand Creds sound?” the merchant asked.
Damn. Thank god for hacking, Caiden thought.
Caiden understood that out of all the goods here at the bazaar, manna would run significantly higher with much less negotiating room to bring the price down. Manna was a much sought-after substance due to its extraordinary energy qualities and its many uses. Caiden raised his Cred codec to the tent’s automated Cred codec to pay for the manna.
“Thank you for your patronage, sir,” the merchant said.
“Thanks,” Caiden replied.
Caiden put the manna inside the utility case alongside the titanium. Upon closing it, he happened to notice three strange men heading toward a VIP negotiation tent. Thinking nothing of it, he ignored them and carried on with his business. But there was something about these strangers that didn't feel right, so he inspected them again as they made their way through the busy marketplace. They were wearing gaudy blue velvet robes with a marigold trim. Under their robes were regular street clothes. There was something familiar about their appearance. It hit him. Those guys are from the Zealots of the Blue Earth! he realized. The ZOBE members waited outside the tent. A tall, athletically fit man stepped outside of the tent. He had a dark brown comb-over and cybernetic implants on his temples, hands and shins. The implants in his temples made his eyes glow a vivid orange color.
Neon District: ALPHA (The Neon District Trilogy, Book 1) Page 27