Vantablack & Phosphor
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Vantablack & Phosphor
by Picturesque Outlaw Sun Jun 23, 2019 6:22 pm
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Last edited by Picturesque Outlaw on Sun Jun 23, 2019 6:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
Picturesque Outlaw- Human After All
- Posts : 71
Join date : 2019-06-10
Age : 31
Location : The Future -
Re: Vantablack & Phosphor
by Picturesque Outlaw Sun Jun 23, 2019 6:37 pm
Another day. Another shift. It’s only a little after lunch break, and the clock’s ticking is already grating into my skull. Deep breaths. In. Out. I can get through this. I can pretend that I don’t step inside this small room – this little prison of steel and bulletproof glass every day. I can pretend that I don’t work a repetitive, soul-crushing job where I do nothing but process passes for residents moving in and out of the shithole known as the Hastel District. "Bureaucracy doesn’t seem like all it’s cracked up to be," my sister says. No shit. Nobody ever grows up wanting to do this. Okay. Enough of this negativity. You can do this, Artemis, just find your center. Deep breaths. In. Out. Don’t look at the clock. Don’t pay attention to the thoughts that say the walls are getting smaller. And for the love of God, hold your tongue. Only a few more hours and you can leave. This is the home stretch. The buzzer sounds off and the door slides open with a hiss. A man walks through and steps up to the booth. I give my usual intro.
“Please present your documents.”
“I have them right here.”
He slides his papers into the deposit tray and they end up over on my side. I carry on with the routine.
"Your name and address?"
“Stanley Kinder. I live at 788 Cragturn Drive, apartment suite 106 off of 8th Street and Markin Avenue.”
“Says here your address is 9520 Chapel Row.”
You always have to look out for these kinds of discrepancies.
“Oh, I only lived there up until last week. I just recently moved into the apartment. I’ll get my information changed as soon as I can.”
“Everything checks out. You’re good to go.”
I give his papers the stamp of approval and slide it back to him. The other door slides open for him and he goes on his way. To think that I do this over a thousand times a day. I hardly get a moment to breathe before the next one comes in.
“Please present your documents.”
This one doesn’t say anything, and just sort of grumbles under his breath as he slides his crumpled mess of papers over.
“Your name and address?”
“I just gave you my identification and papers! Can’t you read?”
I dread this every day.
“I still have to ask, sir. It’s part of my job.”
My customer service voice is already rolling out in full force.
“Bradley Garner. 583 Ivy Road. Can I pass now?”
“And why are you coming to the upper districts?”
“Ridiculous! Why do you need to know that?”
“It’s to make sure you have the correct paperwork.”
“Do you know who I am?!”
“Sure I do. You’re Bradley Garner of 583 Ivy Road.”
“Right, and I need to get through that door so that I may meet my new business partners for a very important meeting!”
“So you’re on business.”
He could have just said so to begin with. I can already see him on the verge of blowing his top.
“Let me through, now. I am a very important person.”
“A very important person who’s missing his J-6 approval form.”
“My what?!”
“A J-6 approval form. It permits business-related visits into the upper districts for a duration of three days. What you have is an H-3 approval form with an expired date.”
“Then give me the proper form!”
“You’ll have to go to the office on Ironwood Street for that. We don’t carry forms here.”
“Check the back! I’m sure you have them!”
So first he’s under the assumption that I answer to him, and now he’s suddenly an expert on where we keep our documents, as well as which kind. Furthermore, there is no back. The only thing at the end of this booth is the door outside, and if I step outside I don’t plan on coming back for the rest of the day. I don’t even get a chance to turn around and do a fake check for papers that aren’t there – he’s already moved onto the next stage of his tantrum.
“I can’t believe the way I’m being treated! I have been nothing but patient this entire time!”
Pfft.
“What’s with that look?! You gave me a look just now, didn’t you? That’s it! I want to speak to your manager!”
“Other than the guards, I’m the only one posted here. The closest administration office that checks in with me is the one on Ironwood Street. Same place where you can get your J-6 form. You can also call them… but be prepared to be put on hold for a long time.”
“I’m not leaving here, unless it’s through that door!”
“Have it your way.”
That was all I needed to hear. I hit the silent guard alarm and Ward marches in, rifle in hand. We call him ‘Big Ward’ around here. He looks at me, and then looks at Bradley. He gives me one more look.
"Code Twelve, Artemis?"
"Code Twelve, Ward."
“Alright sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave the premises of the checkpoint.”
“I’m not leaving here, unless it’s through that door!”
Too bad for Bradley here, Big Ward doesn’t give second warnings. He knocks out Bradley in the side of the head with the butt of his rifle, and then carries his unconscious body over his shoulder and out of the room. Ward comes back in a few moments later whistling a nonchalant tune as he walks through. This man is my hero, and if I bought him a beer for every time he’s clocked a Code Twelve, not even a cybernetically enhanced liver would save him from alcohol poisoning.
“Gotta tell ya, Artemis, I love doin’ that.”
“And I love watching you do it.”
Wow, that came out weird. Shit, why did I have to say that? Ward pauses for a second and gives me the eyes of skepticism before he goes back to his post. I want to just bury my face into my desk at this point. At least the rest of the workday didn’t get any worse after ‘Mr. Important Person.’ Before I know it, it’s time to clock out and pick up dinner for me and my sister. Luckily, the usual place is just between work and home. After grabbing our food, I make my way to the apartments in the Vale District. As I step in front of my door I can hear muffled screaming from the other side. Cornelia must be watching another marathon of slasher flicks again. I slide in my access card and the door slides open – sure enough, the first thing I see is Cornelia sprawled out on the couch, her family-sized bag of chips in one hand, and television remote in the other. She doesn’t bother looking at me, but instead takes a few sniffs of the air. The smell of cheap takeout is enough for her to tell that it’s me, and then she greets me.
"Sis! You're home!"
“Yeah, I brought some takeout from down the block – they were having a special on orange chicken. You didn’t fill up on chips, did you?”
“Nah, I’ve always got room for orange chicken! Did you bring me my pink lemonade too?”
“They didn’t have it.”
“What.”
"The restaurant down the block doesn’t have pink lemonade."
“No, I’m sure they’ve always had it! What kind of takeout place would have the gall not to serve pink lemonade?”
“The one near our home. The place you’re thinking of that actually has it is on the other side of the district.”
“This is heresy! How do you expect the enchanting ‘Cornelia the Mystical’ to eat her chicken without pink lemonade? Go out - rectify your folly at once!”
“Corey, I just got off work and I’m not in the mood for your bullshit right now.”
“Aww, come on! Did you even ask them if they had it?”
"I did. They said no.”
Corey gives me a sheepish grin.
“Did you ask them to check the back?”
“Corey, I swear to fuck I’m gonna slap your head until it’s screwed on straight one of these days. I’m gonna get out of my work clothes and take a quick shower before I set up dinner. Also, you might wanna turn down that movie or at least invest in some headphones. I don’t want the neighbors coming over because they thought we were getting murdered again.”
Before I head off into the bathroom, there’s this little feeling that’s been bothering me since I got home. I open the freezer and see the gelato container I left this morning completely empty with a spoon in it.
“Coreeeey?”
“Yeeeeees, sister dearest?”
“Did you eat all of my gelato?”
“Ye.”
“You li’l shit.”
She pokes her eyes up from behind the couch and gives me her "innocent face."
“You picked a really good flavor.”
“Yeah I know. That’s why I fucking bought it. To top it all off, why did you just leave the empty container in the freezer?”
“To remind you to get more.”
“Uh-huh. How about you pay me back for the one you ate?”
“In due time, mein fraulein. Alas, my next paycheck isn’t due until Friday.”
“What about my lack of gelato now?”
“Methinks the sister doth protest too much.”
“I was looking forward to it when I got home from work! Now what am I supposed to eat?”
“We uhh... have chicken.”
Ugh… sisters.
Credits
Music Used:
Blue Darkness ~ A Sleepless Town - Hirofumi Goto
Fight The Future - The Anix
Under The Ocean - Super Monkey Ball 2 OST
Voices:
Epic_New_Moon - Artemis
KuripaChan - Cornelia
Mediaflare - Stanley Kinder
Daemon Archer - Bradley Garner
KorasiDuality - Ward
Music Used:
Blue Darkness ~ A Sleepless Town - Hirofumi Goto
Fight The Future - The Anix
Under The Ocean - Super Monkey Ball 2 OST
Voices:
Epic_New_Moon - Artemis
KuripaChan - Cornelia
Mediaflare - Stanley Kinder
Daemon Archer - Bradley Garner
KorasiDuality - Ward
Picturesque Outlaw- Human After All
- Posts : 71
Join date : 2019-06-10
Age : 31
Location : The Future -
Re: Vantablack & Phosphor
by Picturesque Outlaw Sun Jun 23, 2019 6:49 pm
“Gooooooood evening, Winddrift! We hope you’ve enjoyed tonight’s broadcast of the ‘Neon Variety Hour!’ Tonight’s ‘Neon Variety Hour’ is brought to you by Tabri Labs’ Synthetica Cybernetics! It won’t cost you an arm and a leg to get a brand-new arm and leg! Our other sponsorship comes from Eddie’s Smorgasbord! Come on down by 1721 Verden Street in Vale - that's one-seven-two-one Verden Street in Vale for the biggest selection of meat you’ve ever seen! Eddie’s Smorgasbord: Formerly living things! Now for our weather broadcast. Put away those umbrellas and free up your hands for nose-mining, folks, because we’re expecting a full week of beautiful clear skies and temperatures ranging in the mid to low region – with only an eight percent chance of robot uprising. Stay tuned, because after a short break, we’ll return with our guest, Sawyer Reynolds and talk about his new book: 'Finding Huck'-“
I think that's enough of that.
Five fifty-seven. I hope I haven’t been keeping the guys waiting. I see the Hellcat’s Pizza Parlor coming up as I drive to it. Parking’s not too packed today. Today’s the only day of the week where me and the boys aren’t busy being caught up in our schedules. The restaurant has a classic feel to it – no automatic steel door powered by a sensor, just a regular glass door. Makes you forget for a second that everything else in this city has a chip in it. The guys look over at me from their booth when they hear the sound of the bell above my head, and I find my seat.
“G’d’evening, gents. What are we having today?”
Chiaro is the one that answers me.
“We haven’t really settled on anything yet. But this asshole right here wants fucking pineapples.”
"He" of course being our resident wannabe fratboy Andy. The last person of our group, Stony, doesn’t seem to be too bothered with the decision. Stony doesn’t let a lot of things bother him. I wouldn’t have a problem letting him decide which topping we should get. After all, he works here and is allowed to give us a free one-topping pizza a week. Pretty convenient. Andy seems pretty set on the pineapples, though.
“Bro, what’s wrong with pineapples on pizza? They’re good.”
Chiaro doesn’t seem to be having any of it from Andy today. He never does.
“Let me guess, you eat your steaks well-done too?”
“Hell yeah, dude! Well-done steaks with ketchup! They’re the fuckin’ best!”
“Ketchup? On a steak? Andy, I knew you were a degenerate, but now I’m thoroughly convinced that your existence is a sleight against humanity. I don’t even know where to begin with you.”
“Dude, what is your deal? You on your period or something?”
“You piece of…”
This is getting pretty bad. I need to defuse this before Chiaro starts swinging. Those two just never see eye to eye.
“You guys do this every time. If you can’t agree on something, why don’t we just get pepperoni again?”
Andy scoffs.
“Jas, you got to decide last week. It’s my turn again and I say we all get pineapples. What do you think, Stony?”
“Y’all get whatever, man. It really doesn’t really matter to me.”
“See? You’re the only one with an issue here. Majority rules and majority says pineapples. Sorry, bro. Alright Stony, if you don’t mind…”
"Yeah, I got it."
“Great. Now we all get to listen to you talk about the last girl you picked up while we have to eat pineapples on pizza. Real great. I should have just gotten that special on orange chicken and stayed home.”
“You don’t have to eat pineapples on pizza, bro. You get to. ‘Sides, you know you love my totally awesome stories.”
“About you banging fat chicks? Yeah. Riveting.”
“Don’t knock on fat chicks, dude. They fuck like they ain’t ever gettin’ it again.”
Chiaro just sits there in silence the entire time Stony makes the pizza. I’m not really troubled by the banter Andy and Chiaro throw at each other every week. In a way, it’s refreshing. Out of all the things that could be happening, this is the most that ever goes wrong in our lives. I consider myself lucky that I’ve gone through my life without suffering so much as a scratch. Sure, I may work an average joe blue-collar job with just a little bit over to get by, but I can’t really complain. There’s not a whole lot else I could really ask for. Before long, Stony brings us our pizza and we all dig in. Chiaro’s flicking the pineapples off his slices while Andy starts up again.
“Y’know, Chiaro. Since we’re on the subject, I think the reason why you’re so irritable all the time is because you have a case of ‘pussy deficiency.’ It’s a real disease, I looked it up – and it’s brought on by a severe lack of pussy.”
“Guess I’m looking at the cure right now, then.”
“See? That hostility right there is the pussy deficiency talking. Just hear me out, bro. Give me like one night and I’ll hook you up. Once you’ve gotten laid I’m sure like… ninety-five percent of your problems will go away. Or at the very least, have you tried jerkin’ it? Ain’t no shame in it, man. It’s like… poppin’ the cork off some victory champagne. Alternatively, you could always look into doing the ‘raw chicken method.’”
“What the hell is the ‘raw chicken method?’”
“Nothin’ to it, man. You just get some raw chicken, put it in like a jar or a bag, heat it up, and then you just fuck it, dude. Feels like a real pussy. It’s a tried-and-true method.”
The three of us give Andy a skeptical look, Chiaro in particular has a stare of utter regret. I don’t really blame him, although I’m sort of used to hearing this kind of thing from Andy. Stony speaks up.
“Whoa, why would you even do that, man? That’s like… a waste of perfectly good chicken. Y’know they got robots for that kind of thing now, right?"
“Stony. My man. Do I look like the kind of guy that can afford a sexbot? Shit’s just not in my budget. I am, however, the kind of guy that can afford like two pounds of raw chicken. What about you Jaska? It’s been two months since your last breakup and you aren’t really taking advantage of the bachelor life. Why not let ol’ Andy here get you some action until you make the dumbass mistake of trying to go steady with someone again?”
“No thanks, I’m good.”
“I didn’t mean from me, dude, you can stop giving me that look. How ‘bout this – there’s another party happening later today. You crash it with me, and I wingman for you and get you like three girls in your bed, tonight.”
“I said I’m good, Andy.”
That’s just like him. Always running his mouth without a filter for whatever comes to his mind. Though I guess expecting Andy to be tactful is a little too much to ask for. I shoot the breeze with the boys for a little longer before we all call it.
"Alright, gents. It’s been fun, but I gotta get going."
Stony gives me a tap on the shoulder.
“Mind droppin’ me off at my crib, man?”
“Yeah, sure.”
We get into my car and head off towards Stony’s apartment which sits off the Hastel border, though is still technically part of the Vale district. The brilliant shine of the vast cityscape glows in full bloom, with the other cars streaking trails of fancy lights as they pass us by. Shopping corners and street markets with their neon signs line up on every side until I hit the highway. I don’t know what it is about a casual drive with a coral-colored sunset painted in the sky behind you that’s just so calming. Stony himself doesn’t really say much the whole ride – maybe he’s just appreciating the view of the city as much as I am. Then again, Stony wasn’t the type for words except when he’s giving his half-baked fortune cookie wisdom. I sometimes forget that we all met Andy through him. Deciding to take a crack at the mystery that is Stony, I try and strike up a conversation.
“Hey so uh, is your car still in the shop? I thought you had that fixed already.”
“Nah, man. My whip’s still at the mechanic. Homeboy Chiaro said it’ll be another two days.”
“Heh. I still find it hard to believe Chiaro actually found a job that doesn’t irritate him.”
“Y’all two used to work together, right?”
“We did. It was a… very educational experience.”
“Shit, I can’t imagine workin’ with him. I mean, I like him, he's my boy and all, but dude’s got a lotta issues to sort out. My job requires me to keep my cool.”
“You mean the pizza place?”
“Nah, Jas. The other job.”
"Oh."
“I guess you could say the pizza place, too. Boss Lady has the same kinda temper.”
“I ran into her at the grocery store one day; she’s actually really chill when she’s not working. She says she only runs a tight ship at work just to keep everyone in line. Apparently, she’s ex-military and also ex-police force, which explains why she is the way she is.”
“Shit, I’m glad I never met her as a cop. I know she wouldn’t go easy on my ass.”
“Hey. We’re here.”
“Aight. Thanks for the ride, dawg. Hey, we still on for the reptile expo later this week?”
“Oh yeah. Almost forgot. Yeah, I’m still down. See you then.”
“Cool. Peace, homie.”
…Nights like this? I couldn’t ask for anything better.
Picturesque Outlaw- Human After All
- Posts : 71
Join date : 2019-06-10
Age : 31
Location : The Future -
Re: Vantablack & Phosphor
by Picturesque Outlaw Sun Jun 23, 2019 7:12 pm
"You don’t think we could have picked a better time to do this?"
"Someone has to do this eventually, Carson. No time like the present."
"Damn old man couldn’t have picked a worse month to croak. How’s the kid holding up?"
"Just step... right through those doors... and you can ask him."
"Last thing I signed up to be at this job was a fucking babysitter, Lawry. Why don’t we
just give him a card and call it a day?"
"Henderson mentioned to me the other day that a more sincere and effective method of providing solace could be achieved by... by actual physical presence and displaying what he calls 'compassion.'"
"Remind me to fire him."
"Well, I wouldn’t be a man of science if I didn’t give every feasible theory a try. Shall we? As erratic as your conduct around the office is, I know for a fact that you have other things you would much rather be doing than standing... here... in this corridor."
"Fine. Might as well get this over with."
"Victor! Buddy! How are ya?"
"Oh, Mr. Carson. I’m still settling in. I’ve finished the proper paperwork two days ago. As of today I am the acting CEO of the company."
"That’s uh… great and all, but I’ve told you before you can drop the 'Mr.' Even more so now that you’re the boss man. Speaking of which, Lawry and I are sorry to hear about your father. Isn’t that right, Lawry?"
"Of course. You have our condolences."
"You two were my father’s most trusted colleagues. It means a lot to me that you both took the time off your busy schedules to come see me."
"Ha... What did I tell you?"
"Oh, cram it."
"As much as I appreciate your company, there’s still so much I need to take in, aside from my father’s passing and my newfound title. The two of you have worked hard in my father’s stead, so I’ll give you the rest of the day off. In the meantime, I’d like to be alone."
"Whatever you need, Victor. Sorry to interrupt you – we’ll be on our way now."
"Phew. Every time I talk to that kid, I feel like I’m gonna catch his 'weird.' Glad that’s over with."
"Why did he give us the rest of the day off? I... I don’t understand this at all."
"Come again?"
"Did you somehow upset him by being so informal? Why did he dismiss us from our duties?"
"Oh for the love o- Lawry. It’s a day off."
"I know what a day off means, Carson. I’m trying to fathom the implications and reason."
"Kid thought we could use a break. What’s there to think about? With how much slack I’ve been picking up in the last two weeks, I’d say I could use a full-blown sabbatical. I’ll settle for a day off, though."
"This is a travesty. I could be spending this time in the lab conducting research or drawing up more architectural blueprints. What... What am I supposed to do now? This is troublesome. Quite troublesome."
"Christ. You have a day off. That means no work. You can do whatever the hell you want. Find a hobby or something."
"What I would like to do is keep up with my own self-imposed quota. I’ve meticulously planned my schedule for today down to each-"
"Yeah, yeah. I know all about your obsessive itinerary. We’ve had that talk before. You can still work if you want for all I care – just don’t expect anyone to pay you for it. Me, on the other hand? There’s a fancy new bar that just opened up in Yisten, and I plan to get started on making one of the stool cushions memorize the shape of my ass. You’re welcome to join me if you decide to stop being a workaholic. A drink oughta do you good, if you ask me."
"I never thought you would be a proponent for taking time off work, Carson. Well, for someone other than yourself, anyway."
"The hell you mean by that?"
"Well, it’s just the way you... denied... Hutchins’s formal request for a time off when he came to you."
"Oh, that. That’s something else entirely."
"From what I heard through the grapevine, he asked to be relieved of his departmental duties for three days so that he could visit his mother in the hospital. You... You made him play golf with you and then you denied his request afterwards."
"Let me set the record straight. When he asked me, I told him I would consider it. I then asked him for a friendly game of golf after that. My request was unrelated to his in the sense that I didn’t make it a stipulation."
"Then what happened?"
"Well. He agreed. I rented out the entire Horizon Sunset Country Club, brought my expensive Rutherford Classic Collection clubs – of which there are only four of in the world, paid a nice girl to keep the drinks coming, and we played golf."
"I surmise there... there is more to this story."
"He didn’t want to be there, and I knew it. This wasn’t basic-ass VR simulated golf, either. I could tell by the look on his face that he was miserable being out there on the course in ninety-odd degree weather, and yet... he put up with it. All I heard from him was the standard pissant watercooler talk. 'Some weather we’ve got today, huh, Mr. Carson? Have you looked at the ledger I holocopied to you yet, Mr. Carson?' Ha ha ha. He didn’t have to do all that. Like I said, playing golf with me was never a stipulation for his request, so it occurred to me he was just trying to earn my favor by humoring me. Honestly… I don’t have any respect for a guy like him. I watched that man play the full course – sweating, tired, and shabby, without saying a single word in protest. All because he wanted his precious time off. Hell, I know he didn’t want to be there because I didn’t want to be there! I fucking hate golf!"
"Now you’ve lost me."
"Nobody enjoys golf, Lawry. Nobody except boring old men suffering from erectile dysfunction. It’s absolutely boring to watch, and it sure as hell is more excruciating to play. Why do you think the objective of the game is to play as little of it as possible? You’re still wondering why I turned down his request? It’s because if he didn’t want to play golf so badly – and I don’t blame him – he should have had the balls to tell me to my face 'no.' If he wanted his days off, he should have stood his ground. No, he should have demanded it. I respect people who go after their money and power. I respect people that take what they want. It’s all about conviction, Lawry. If you want to make it in this business, then the first step is to show some goddamn backbone. Hutchins was too much of a pussy to fight for what he was after. For fuck’s sake, his mom’s in the hospital! After the game, I thanked him for showing up, placed a hand on his shoulder and said, 'I’ll see you tomorrow.' You should’ve seen the look on his face. Still didn’t try to challenge me on it, though. At this rate, I may as well go the whole nine and just let him go. I really don’t need a man like that working under me."
"So if I am... comprehending this correctly, you went out of your way to purchase near-priceless golf clubs, rent out an entire country club, and play a game you hate just to teach a man a lesson that... that he will more than likely not grasp?"
"That is pre-fucking-cisely what I did. I’m glad you followed along."
"Carson, has it ever occurred to you that you may possess some... highly concerning antisocial tendencies?"
"…This coming from the guy who shows up at every boardroom conference as a hologram?"
Credits
Music Used:
Master Spy Theme - RAC
1759 (Outro) - Richard Spaven
Chicago Stealth - Perfect Dark OST
Voices:
rage226 (Andrew Laing) - Carson
HaydenVO - Lawry
jojo uchu - Victor
Music Used:
Master Spy Theme - RAC
1759 (Outro) - Richard Spaven
Chicago Stealth - Perfect Dark OST
Voices:
rage226 (Andrew Laing) - Carson
HaydenVO - Lawry
jojo uchu - Victor
Picturesque Outlaw- Human After All
- Posts : 71
Join date : 2019-06-10
Age : 31
Location : The Future -
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