Let’s Kill The Heart Of The Golden Age [Yu_Kanda_YK & Corax] (18+) [Private]

[Corax]

Let’s Kill The Heart Of The Golden Age

 

 

About Aurea :

Aurea, the capital of the new world is one of the very few which survived the atomic war being part of the ‘Golden States’ , which were fighting together as allies in that war. In 2100 it became the official capital of the world. The little island developed far and gained a high economic status and importance soon.

Aureas centre is called ‘Aspicere’ and that for a reason. Inside the walls of the 500 m high tower in the middle of the island are huge neon-colored camera eyes watching over the people. Every house and every wall is equipped with those eyes. Huge ones, medium ones, small ones and those which can only be seen properly buy using microscopes. Every critic or notion of rebellious acts against the government- which is composed of one person, who is to adore like a god and is called the Cor of Aurea - is considered as crime. Whatsoever, no one has ever seen this dubious person and no one even knows for sure if the Cor does or does not exist. He or she might as well be a fairytale made up by the secret service to keep the people of Aurea in control.

Aurea has three districts. One of these is the inner circle around the tower, which is called Fortuna. Fortuna’s population is made of the rich and famous people. The standards are high, the schools excellent, the people brainwashed till perfection and the admiration for the Cor endless. Even the imagination of another government or the disappearance of the eyes which are integrated in the walls is causing a general anxiety. Who would guarantee them their safety if not the secret service and their way of watching every little move and every word they say ?

Behind Fortuna comes the main- district, the place where the poor people live, since there isn’t a middle class in Aurea. The main-district is dirty, healthcare amiss and there is much crime, prostitution and gamble there. Many people suffer from depression and a low standard. One half is dreaming of getting inside Fortuna or even Aspicere. So they try everything to become someone needed over there. The other half hates the government so deeply, that anyone of them would rip out the heart of the Cor with bare hands, if they would ever stand next to that human being.

However, the main-district is surrounded by a huge and protected outer wall. Weapons and armed men are guarding it day and night, their faces turned away from the main-district.

Behind the wall lies the third district – Noxa. Noxa is basically a prison. A punitive district, filled with opponents of the government. One could get the notion that it is the smallest district, but it isn’t. There are more people in that district than in Fortuna and Aspicere together. There are no proper houses and people build their homes with what they find in the trash. They use the metal of old cars or pile old cathode ray tubes to build something that has a faint sight of similarity with a house. There is no organisation, no civilisation and no law. Not even the ‘eyes’ are there to watch every moves they make. The only rule is, do not come to close to the wall and stay right in the district. Noxa is a place of anarchy, deprivation, anger and hopelessness. It is life’s terminal. To bypass time and survive, people have built different gangs under different leaders and fight each other, because the guards and the weapon technology on the wall have proven themselves as too strong for them.

 

The Story :

Aurea in 2175;

X is the son of the commander of the secret service of Aurea living in the Aspicere tower. He owns everything he dreams about and everyone is particularly nice to him, as if he was born a real prince.

The private university in Aspicere, which is only open to the children of men working in the high ranks of the secret service, is taking good care of his education. He can have simply everything and his father is planning to make him take his place when he gets retired. He loves his luxurious life and that everyone is following his order and doing what he wants them to. Even though he was never allowed to see the Cor, that person is the only living creature he thinks of as greater than himself and his father. Clueless and naive as he is, he never questions anything. Unaware of how the people in the main-district live and certain that the prisoners are treated too nicely for dishonouring the Cor- he would suggest death penalty- he thinks that Aurea is the one and only place to be, to party and to enjoy life.

Until the day had come which changed everything for him. A hacker stole his identity and while using it, he hacked the secret services database steeling a lot of their information and shutting down all ‘eyes’ in Aurea for twelve hours, eleven minutes and seventy seconds.

X was interrogated immediately to tell them what he had done and what they could do to make the eyes work again as fast as possible. But since he didn’t do it, he couldn’t tell. They tortured him, but this didn’t make him come up with the solution for their technical problems. When they figured out how they can make the eyes work again, X was found guilty without a trial and they made him ready to transport him into Noxa. He cried out to his father for help, but he only denied him.

In the criminal and rough environment of Noxa, he thought he won’t survive a day. And it didn’t take long and the first members of a gang were about to violate him, when someone suddenly massacred them, pulled him over his shoulder and brought him into something that seemed like people would live in there. Michael Stahl, the stranger, shows him to his gang and plans on using him for his goal. Growing up in the main-district, living a fearful and hard life, Micha was thrown into Noxa with 12, living most of his life in the prisoner’s district. In X eyes his manners are barbaric, his attitude violent and rude and he didn’t seem to have anything other on mind than killing the Cor and every single one of the secret service men, finally destroy the regime and the watching eyes.

 

 

Character:

 

 

Michael Stahl

 

Age:

28 years old

Height:

1.92 m

Hair colour:

silver-blond

Eye colour:

left eye: blue; right eye: green

Occupation:

Gang Leader

Character:

Michael - called Micha by everyone - seems like a rather grumpy fellow. He is stubborn and ambitious to reach his goals no matter the cost. He doesn’t seem to be interested in relationships with people when they don’t have anything to do with the advancing of his gang or his plan. Steadily accompanied by loneliness, no matter if he is surrounded by people or not, he can be described as an introvert who thinks too much. His way of thinking as much as his worldview is painted in the darkest shade of black possible. Micha suffers from a general disgust for the human nature and society; one could say he is a misanthrope. Most of the time he seems to be silent and doesn’t care about anything to the people around him. They fear him and they respect him, but no one really knows or is attached to him. From time to time his anger, his hate and bitterness show their faces. That's when he loses control over his fury. He does not regret, nor does anything shock him anymore.

Biography:

He was born in the main-district to a poor mother. She didn’t know who his father was, nor did she ever talk about him and would get mad if he would just mention the word father. He never went to the kindergarten, or to a school which would have been worth calling it a school. He learned reading and writing by himself, as well as maths. His skills in informatics, chemistry and martial arts he learned from the weird gambler who felt free to live on the balcony of their one-room apartment. Some months after his ninth birthday, his mother froze to death during the winter, because they couldn’t pay for oil or anything to keep them warm. He then had to leave the apartment together with the balcony guy, because they weren’t able to pay the rent. That was when he lost his mother and everything important in his life. There was no funeral and no grave he could visit. Having no place to return to every night, he travelled around the main-district with balcony guy starting to realise the game which was played with the people in Aurea. His hate grew and with ten he left balcony guy, for he didn’t want to do anything against the government with him. Surviving alone he soon found other depleted beings who had only the hate left in them. He then arranged secret meetings to destroy the government. While at first the secret service men didn’t take the little kid and his mates serious. They only did when he started to build self-made weapons and bombs, at the age of twelve, in the garage owned by an old man whose son was killed for his jacket. When the men of the secret service arrived, they knocked him down and the next thing he remembered was being thrown out of a transporter into stinking muddy ground. Micha now lived in Noxa. As a twelve year old surviving was hard and over the years he had a huge, dramatic and horrible collection of traumatic experiences as other people had of stamps. He never gave up though and fought himself to the position of the leader of one of the most powerful gangs in Noxa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Yu_Kanda_YK]

 

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[TD=align: center]Name[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Luca Cole[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Age[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]23[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Height[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]1.81m[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Hair Colour[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Blond[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Eye Colour[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Gold[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Occupation[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Undergraduate[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Character[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Luca is a naive little fellow with an overconfident attitude. He is intelligent, as expected from the son of the commander of the secret service of Aurea. Influenced easily by others and loyal to a fault, he accepts his father's plans for his future without an argument. Due to his sheltered upbringing, he is clueless and unaware of the condition outside Fortuna. He holds on strongly to his beliefs and is particularly stubborn. He believes that living luxuriously is the only way to live and the prisoners, whom were treated too nicely for his taste, should be given the death penalty. He is demanding and expects people to follow his orders. He is serious and bad-tempered.[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Biography[/TD]

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[TR]

[TD=align: center]Born into an elite family, Luca is the son of a CEO and a commander of the secret service of Aurea. His mother, CEO of the Cole Corporation​ is a busy woman who spends little time with her family, leaving the upbringing of Luca to a hired nanny. His father, commander of the secret service is in charge of keeping the people of Aurea in control. Being the sole Cole heir, his parents were strict in his upbringing. They made sure that he received the best of bests including the best education. He has been living a luxurious life ever since he was born. Money is abundant and available at the tip of his fingers. He could have everything he wants if he demands it.

Being the son of the commander of the secret service has its perks. He learns that everyone around him willingly does what he orders them to do. They treat him like a prince and this turned him into the overconfident self that he is right now.[/TD]

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[/TABLE]

 

 

 

He had built his identity with so much care and so much passion, trying hard to prove to his father how excellent his son is only to have it stolen and used to hack into the secret service database to steal information and effectively shutting all 'eyes' in Aurea for a whole twelve hours, eleven minutes and seventy seconds. When the 'eyes' were shut down at that time, he still had no idea that his identity had been used. He had been reading an advanced book happily, greedily absorbing as much information as he could get before his next lecture when the university announced the latest news to its students. It had been a chaos after that. Some of them were crying while most of them were anxious about the situation. Were they still safe? What if those prisoners manage to escape and start taking everything from them?

 

Wanting to know what was going on, Luca had gone to the headmaster's office and demanded entry. It was granted instantly to him, which caused his hackles to rise. He was suspicious as to why it was so easy for him to enter the headmaster's office this time when all these while, the headmaster was always too busy to see him. He strode in with confidence, his head held high, and approached the old man behind the table, only to have strong hands shoving him and pulling his hands to his back. A click was heard and he struggled against the handcuffs placed around his wrist.

 

"What is the meaning of this?" He cried angrily like a snake hissing its displeasure. "I am the son of Aethelred Cole! Release me at once! Or I shall let me father know of this and have you thrown to Noxa." There were three men from the secret service, all dressed in black. The first two were bulky in built. They stood in silence, both flanking Luca on each side while the third secret service agent, a lean man in his thirties, conversed with his headmaster, completely ignoring him.

 

A short exchange between the headmaster and the supposed leader of their little group later, he was dragged bodily to the tower where interrogations usually took place. They detained him in a dark smelly room with only a table and three chairs. He took a seat sulkily, rattling the handcuffs, bruising his pale skin in the process. What was going on?

 

It was minutes after that two officers entered but none of them were his father. They asked him a series of questions on what he had done to shut down the 'eyes' and how to turn it back on again. When their interrogation produced no result (Of course, there were not any. It was not Luca who did it. But they did not believe the truth he spoke), they took him into a torture room. He never knew torture rooms existed until now. He had heard rumors but now that he was in one, for once, he feared for his life.

 

The torture began as soon as they repeated their questions and he had no answers for them. Why could not they understand that it was not him who shut down the 'eyes'? They whipped him, slapped him, punched his guts and kicked him in the shins. The pain continued as he wept and writhed pathetically on the cold cemented floor. Where was his father? He screamed as the whip landed on his back once more. He could feel his vision clouding but he refused to give in to weakness.

 

Minutes later (it felt like hours to Luca), they finally found out how to turn the 'eyes' back on again. The pain stopped and he was hauled to the medical ward to be treated. This puzzled him greatly. Perhaps they have found out that he was indeed innocent?

 

After his wounds were bandaged, his hopes shattered as they shackled him once more and led him to the trial room. Blank eyes stared at him from every corner. Some of them whispered and pointed fingers at him but he never caught what they were saying about him.

 

His parents were there, waiting for him. His mother had a thunderous expression on as he approached. She slapped him in front of so many audiences, the sound echoed throughout the silent room. "From now on, you are no longer my son," she declared before walking off. No one stopped her as she stormed out of the room.

 

Luca looked to his father, silently pleading to his father for his help. He hoped that his father had hired a good lawyer to defend his case. But when he saw no one, he was devastated.

 

There was no trial as he thought. It was just a show, to let the people see the face of the one responsible for causing the chaos that lasted twelve hours, eleven minutes and seventy seconds. They were all pointing their fingers at him. No one believed him.

 

No, this is not true. Please let this be a dream so that he could wake up and laugh away this nightmare.

 

Feeling a sob threatening to escape, he was dragged once more to a truck specialised for delivering prisoners to Noxa. He went down on his knees as his father watched him with cold eyes from a distance, as if wanting to see the bastard that was his failure of a son one final time. He begged his father, pleaded to him, telling him that he was innocent. His words fell on deaf eyes. The doors to the truck closed and the abyss cocooned him, reminding him of what awaits him on the other end.

 

He whimpered, his tears leaking out of his tear tracks. There was no one to listen to his pleas. Even his God has abandoned him.

[Corax]

Lying on something like a mountain of discarded metal, Michael Stahl looked up to the night sky. Not a single star was there to be seen. Only the moon with its pale, mystic shine watched over the prisoner’s district Noxa and the loads of trash. With his sunglasses on, not moving, he listened to every single noise around him. There were no extraordinary sounds. One could hear the rats crawling inside the rubbish-mountains, some screams and shots were to hear far away from where he lay, as well as the trucks which were used for transporting new prisoners into Noxa. Every night they would open a small gate for the column of trucks to get into the district. They would throw the humans out five hundred meters beyond the wall and leave Noxa again in a hurry; that was what they always did.While they were 'unloading' the trucks, the open gate was always surrounded by armed men in large numbers. During his first year in the district, they had seemed like dark legions to him. And his twelve year old self could just stare in fright, his mouth wide open and unable to move his body in any direction. Now they didn’t impress him with that anymore, nor did he felt frightened. He had lost his sensation for fear long ago. Too often had he feared for his life before. Michael had even lost his pity. When he thought about the trucks and the people who were thrown onto the muddy, stinking ground, he didn’t feel a thing anymore. Not even his rage would come to him in moments like these. It was just everyday life for someone in Noxa. His feelings were numb and inside of him it looked almost empty. The only thing left was a slashed black picture in an old dirty golden frame. His hate !

The eyes behind the sunglasses moved to an old cathode ray tube that stood out against the discarded metal. Its screen was broken and inside of it something lived. Micha knew very well what lived there. He had given it the name Jonas. Jonas was something that looked a little like a strange mix of a rat and a rabbit. It was aggressive and had bitten him once, leaving him another scar to adom his powerful body; the smallest scar of them all. There was nothing he didn’t know in the area around that specific tower of rubbish he was lying on now. If someone would take a piece of rusty metal away, he would recognise it in an instant. This was his place. He went there nearly every day, when he needed a quiet place or to get away from the members of his gang, who always surrounded him in his quarter. As the one in charge and responsibility, they would always come up to him. If anybody asked him when the last time was that he had slept through a whole night, he couldn’t tell.

Suddenly he heard screams nearby. Normally there was not much activity in this area, that was the reason why he would lay there in the first place. Yawning he raised up from his lying position, the moonlight reflecting on his silver-blond hair. He could hear people running, heavy breathing and some persons shouting insults and threats. Without making too much noise he climbed to the tip of the mountain of trash, overviewing the area. There was one person encircled by four others. It was obvious that the haunted one was a newbie. Micha saw how they punched and kicked him. Saw his struggle and the four men yanking on his clothes, while hitting him. A sigh escaped his mouth and he left his place, climbing back down on the dirty ground. Automatically he pulled out the hunting knife and joined the fight. Like a machine constructed for killing only, he massacred the four men who were about to violate the new prisoner. Blood dripped from his knife to the ground and he didn’t realise standing on some of one man’s internal organs which were sliding over the earth like eels. He must have made the impression of a monster. The knife still brandished he stood there, tall as he was, watching down on the guy lying in the mud. His facial expression changed from grumpy into grim and irate. That man on the ground was not from the main-district. Not even an ordinary man from Fortuna. This person was related to the secret service and must have come right from Aspicere. What exactly his position was and who this person might have been, he didn’t know. But that much he knew, he wouldn’t have mind if he had suffered at all. Nevertheless he would have use for him. Anyone related to the secret service was worth to keep him alive for his knowledge about the inner work of the government. The Information this guy could give him, could make an aggravating difference.

Without hesitation and wasting another minute, he pulled him over his shoulder like a potato bag and began to walk, ignoring the blond man hanging over his shoulder.

A red sign showed that they entered the quarters of his gang. About two minutes later, they reached a huge construction with a faint similarity to a house. Micha shoved the Persian carpet away, which was there in replacement for a real door. They stood in something like a little hall. On the other side of it, there was a pile of blankets and pillows, in which an old leather car seat was placed. In the right edge of the room, behind a curtain, was a little table with some gadgets and an old TV screen.

In the middle of the hall was a bonfire. Three men sat around it. A small, muscular one with dreadlocks, holding a skinned rat on a stick into the fire; a slim, average one with a tattooed bald head, who was starring at the other mans rat envious and on the other side of the fire, the face directed to the Persian carpet door, a tall red head with a long, brown scarf used as a headband. The ends of the scarf were on the floor and he was drinking something out of a steel cup, not caring about the others in the hall. In front of the TV screen was a little boy, not older than eight, with an oversize hat and an adult’s coat, writing something. “Let me have some of your rat Niko. Don’t be that way.... come on ..... the rat-tail maybe, I am damn hungry.” The bald head begged to the one with the dreadlocks. “Screw you Jazz. You were stupid enough to drop yours into the blaze. Deal with your hunger now.” The two of them began to argue. Micha ignored them and both of them seemed to not notice his entry. The guy with the expressionless face, the cup and the scarf however, did and nodded to Micha. He nodded back walking ahead to the car seat. Careless he dropped the blond guy to the floor before the seat. It didn’t bother him if the elite man got hurt by dropping him like he wouldn’t even be a living creature. Why should he bother ? Saying nothing he sat there watching over the hall. “Hey guys, enough with thät rät now, just shäre it. Look what the boss cäme bäck with.” The one with the scarf interrupted the arguing. Niko, holding the bald head in stranglehold abruptly stopped while Jazz cut off the yelling and tried to weasel out of the grip; when Nikos rat went down from the stick into the fire and they started to fight all over again. Micha rolled his eyes, followed by a facepalm. He’d rather be on that rusty mountain now, without this childish bunch of men. When he let his head sank towards the headrest of the seat, the kid came over from behind the curtain. “I wasn’t able to get the channel to run properly. I tried to, but the antenna didn’t get the signal.” His gang was one of a few who were able to fix and build things they found in the trash. And even though they weren’t supposed to get any signal, not even to get access to the propaganda TV program of Aurea, Micha made that TV screen work. Sometimes, with a bit of luck, they were able to see the news. Benjamin, the little boy, who wanted a task in the gang that badly, was supposed to write everything useful or informing he saw on the news down and report it to him. That he did. Faithfully; ten hours a day and he wouldn’t stop, only when forced to. He handed over a sheet of paper to Micha. His different coloured eyes were moving behind the sunglasses. The letters looked as if the writer had just learned to write and there were misspellings in almost every word, but he could guess what it ought to mean. “We were just able to see some pictures today. Most of them had shown that ogre of an elite boy, who suggested the death penalty for us. This ....” but before the little boy had even started with the storm of insults, he realised the person next to the feet of the gang leader and he knew him right away. “That’s him ! That’s him !” he pointed at the person on the floor. “Let’s kill him !” Benjamin exclaimed outraged.

Once again and finally, the three men around the fire paid all of their attention to their gang leader and the guy who he had brought with him. The tall, silver-blond man cleared his throat looking down to the little boy. “You did a great job Ben. Leave us now.” He said. That was the first time he spoke since he captured the commanders son. “No ! I wanna see how you’ll kill him ! I won’t go.” The boy protested. Michas deep bass voice rang out once again:” Leave ! Now !” Stubborn Benjamin crossed his arms in front of his chest :” I wanna see him die !” he protested and stole Michas sunglasses right from his nose. The man sighed, took the sunglasses back and assured the kid:”I won’t kill him. If I do, I’ll let you watch. Now leave.” Still not fully satisfied Benjamin left the hall and instead of him, the three other men raised from their places, watching down on the captive as if he was an especially disgusting insect. Niko spat on the ground next to the blond man, while the guy with the scarf didn’t do or say anything at all and Jazz hissed with violently shining eyes :” Why don’t we give him the death penalty hmmm ? He deserves it, doesn't he ?” “No !” Michas voice was like a sudden thunderstorm, making Jazz back off.

And now, for the first time, he seemed to acknowledge the existence of the secret services commanders’ son. Leaning forward, his head came closer to the man on the ground. His hand moved and his fingers clawed into the blond thatch of the other, pulling his face up violently, forcing him to look into his face. “You are a famous brat as it seems. The one who wanted us all killed for offending your little heart by despising the Cor. You would have been a fitting commander of that corrupted secret service indeed.” He grinned, cold and bitter. “I’m going to ask you some questions, simple questions. You will answer me truly. If not I might grand that child’s which and Benjamin can kill you by himself. He’d be delighted, don’t you think ? Or I might as well introduce you to the ‘Mountain Sailors’. I am sure they’d be interested to buy you, for selling you like a whore afterwards.” The ‘Mountain Sailors’ weren’t a gang. They were neutral tradesmen who would trade with everyone who had something to offer. They never took part in a fight and also had some people who took care of the wounded in Noxa. But they mainly were business people. Micha pulled the head of the man back and came even closer:” So don’t you dare lie to me.” He let go of his hair and leaned back in the seat once again. His eyes sticking on the blond man, he began to ask him questions:” Why are you here ? I don’t believe that someone like you would even get the idea of doing something this people would consider a crime. So how come that the commanders child becomes a prisoner of Noxa ?” Michas voice sounded nice and even melodic, just as if he would talk to the other man in a cafe. There was yet a fake smile on his lips for some seconds. When he dumped down the smile, the sing-sang voice and the calm friendliness all together, letting them splinter on the floor. “What are you up to ? Didn’t they listen to your great suggestions ? Did you want to find a way to set death penalty for us your way ? Do you want to collect evidence of how unworthy we are to make the people in Fortuna support your little idea ?” The seriousness was seemingly cut into pieces when he laughed a joyless laugh. “I have a bad message for you then – everyone can come inside Noxa but no one ever came out again. Not alive, not dead. No one, never ever ! If you'll get closer to the wall than 500 meters, they’ll shoot immediately. And if not the guards, the technology will see that you’ll die before even coming close to that wall. You won’t survive a day on your own out here.”

[Yu_Kanda_YK]

It seemed like the darkness surrounding him stretched on for a very long time as the truck rattled a few times, throwing him off his feet whenever it went over a bump or into a hole. Standing became futile so he settled in a corner, wiping his tears furiously. He tried screaming at first but the driver had threatened to shoot him if he did not shut his trap. Fearing for his life, he had switched to crying instead. At least, the driver could not take that away from him. The sobs had stopped halfway to Noxa. How pathetic for a man his age to cry over something he did not do. That was just it. It was not his doing! No one believed that he was not the one to shut down the ‘eyes’. It was as if the world was against him. And now he was getting thrown to the very prison that he hated so much. The Cor must be laughing at him right now.

 

The truck finally came to a stop and the door was opened, forcing Luca to cower in a corner. The driver hauled him bodily and tossed him to the ground and spitting next to him. Rude. He scrambled up only to be pushed down and received a kick. The driver spat, “trash” before opening the door to his truck and got in. Luca picked himself up once more and slammed his fists against the passenger door.

 

“Open up. Let me in. Don’t leave me here with all these scums. You know what they’ll do to me!” He screamed in frustration. The driver did not even glance at him as he sped off through the gates with Luca chasing after him. Running five hundred meters for an intellect like Luca was tiring. He was by no means an athlete. Most of his time was spent on studying and working as a secret service agent. When he finally arrived at the gate, it was almost closed. The armed men guarding the gates pointed their guns at him, forcing him to retreat the distance he had ran or risk them shooting his head. They did not shoot him for chasing after the truck did not mean that they would not shoot him now if he ever crossed the five hundred meter line.

 

The gates closed with a bang and realisation hit him like a bullet train. He was truly alone now. In a prison that he despised so much. In an unfamiliar place with only the piece of clothing on his back. What was he to do now? There was no one who would be willing to help him. He was truly alone. Like a prince thrown into the dungeons. He sank down to his knees and hit the ground, venting his anger as if the ground had done him wrong.

 

Luca failed to notice that he had attracted a few inhabitants of Noxa. They surrounded him in mere seconds, forcing him to look up in trepidation. What were they going to do with him? Someone grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, almost choking him in the process. He coughed and the rest of them were staring down at him like he was dirt. He was no dirt! He was the son of the commander of the secret service! He struggled against the strong grip, kicking the prisoner in the gut. The brute did not even budge, only let out a small grown and tossed Luca to the ground. He winced as his hips slammed against the muddy floor. That is going to leave one hell of a bruise. Another of his cronies grabbed him by his jaws but Luca retaliated by kicking him in the groin. Ha! The other stumbled backwards, hissing profanities. This was his chance.

 

Scrambling to get back on his feet, he sent a prayer to the Cor to protect him. He ran as fast as his two legs could carry him. Immediately, the prisoners gave chase while shouting threats, telling him all the gory details on what they would do to him if they ever get their hands on him. He picked up his speed but it was not enough. He was exhausted and a heavy body slammed his lithe frame down. Kicks were given from every direction as the heavy body removed himself to throw his own punches. He tried to curl himself into a ball to make it hurt less. The one who he had kicked in the groin started yanking at his clothes. No! He screamed at him to stop but the other was not intending to. He hissed that he was going to rape Luca till he bleed and then he would enjoy pulling his intestines out for giving them the shit of the time.

 

Luca could only stare at him with horror and struggled with renewed vigor. Is that how it is in prison? To kill or to be killed? He would never survive in this hellhole. More punches later, he closed his tear-filled eyes. Please let him die already. He opened them again when he realise someone joining in, holding a knife. Is this the end then? He was going to be stabbed to death. Gutted, as promised by the supposed leader of their gang.

 

The killing of his attackers was swift and surprised him. Was this person not their gang member? He came to the conclusion that this person was his savior. But why would a prisoner save him? There must be an ulterior motive. He was sure of it. He was about to run for life once more only to be thrown like a sack of potatoes over the other man’s shoulder. Luca groaned as he felt the pain all over his body at once. He struggled to get away from this dangerous men who managed to massacre four men by himself. Was he going to use him as a sex toy as well and then kill him?

 

The silver-blond-haired man ignored him in favour of getting to his quarters. There were noise around him when they entered. Where was he? A stench invaded his nostril, making him feel like he was about to throw up. He heard conversation between two men about eating rats and his face went green. Do they survive with rat as food here? He would choose death over eating a rat!

 

Thrown carelessly to the cemented floor, Luca yelped. At least he could have thrown him to a couch or something. He could already feel more bruises forming on his pale skin. How dare he! He wanted to get up from the cold floor but stilled when someone mentioned that this person in front of him was their boss. Great, he had to be caught by one of the bosses in Noxa.

 

He froze once more when a kid started yelling bloody murder. Luca winced. His ears hurt from all the screaming. Do these people only know how make loud noises? Where was the peace in this house? Luca heard someone saying death penalty. While he may have suggested death penalty to be given to the prisoners, he did not expect that he would be a prisoner. No, he refused to call himself a prisoner. He was still a member of the elite and he refused to be grouped with these hideous creatures. Well, the boss was not hideous per se. In fact, he could be considered handsome if not for his dirty appearance.

Luca groaned. He must have hit his head somewhere. What was he doing admiring this brute’s looks? Stockholm syndrome, much?

 

The boss, thankfully, decided that Luca should live. But Luca rather he died if he was going to end up being raped or used as a punching bag. He could endure only that much. Raped and stolen of his virginity in Noxa, what a story to be told to the young!

 

The large man closed up the distance between them, causing Luca to hold his breath. Is this it? He was really going to get raped?

 

His once beautiful tresses now caked with mud and a mixture of other things which he would prefer not to think about, was yanked violently and he was forced to stand in an awkward position, his hands clenched into a fist by his sides. The bitter grin sent a shudder down his spine, promising torture and pain in his future if he did not gave this person the right answer.

 

Killed by this Benjamin or sold as a whore. At least, if he were to be killed he would still have his dignity intact. Used as a whore was not an option. He would sooner than later find a knife and stab himself instead.

The boss asked a series of questions that his head was starting to hurt once more. Which question was he expected to answer? All at once? Ridiculous! He may have a good memory but to remember to answer all of the questions, it would be crazily impossible!

 

Before he could answer any of the questions, the boss started spewing words at him which he failed to absorb at first. When the words finally sank in, it was if his whole body was going numb. This was his fate. The Cor had decided that everything that he has lived for for the past 23 years was of no use. Thus, he was thrown into this dirty prison that would now be his new home. If he ever survived that is.

 

But going by the looks of it, within only a few hours, his death must be creeping near. But at the very least, he should try to explain his situation to this man and his gang, right? Maybe they could help? He highly doubted that. What could prisoners do to aid him?

 

“I was accused wrongly of shutting down the ‘eye’ which I did not do, okay?!” He answered. These prisoners would never believe him. After all, the people of Fortuna did not either. Who would? No one! No one would believe him again. He had lost everyone’s trust in him and in the process, losing the trust he had in the people around him. They had all sucked up to him just because he was the commander’s son. But now that he was labelled as the one who shut down the ‘eyes’ of Aurea, the culprit, his friends turned into his enemies in a span of a few seconds. No one backed him up on his innocence. Not even his father.

 

He hissed, trying to shove the larger man away when he became increasingly irrate having the man’s face too close to his own. Did the man not understand the concept of personal space?

 

“I will survive of my own if I have to. I would rather die than live with you filthy prisoners of Noxa!” He exclaimed with gritted teeth as he pulled his tattered clothes close to his body. Gathering all of his strength, he gave one final (weak) shove against the man, hoping that he would get the hint.

 

Filthy prisoners. Filthy place. Filthy everything. He refused to be a filth!

 

Luca slipped from underneath the man and stormed out of the room, his head held high. So be it. He would show that brute that he could survive. He would show the man even if it meant he was on his own.

[Corax]

The men surrounding the commander’s son murmured. “Someone managed to shut down the ‘eyes’.”

There was no condemnation in their voices. They were surprised and curious who might had done this and more importantly, how he had done that. Micha watched him, curled his lip and smiled. “Of course you did not do that. But I’d like to meet the genius who did and congratulate him. Let me guess, he stole your identity ?” The other man didn’t listen. He appeared to be trapped in his own thoughts. When he suddenly clamoured, naming Micha and his fellow gang members filth, proclaiming that he would be able to survive on his own, he rushed out of the headquarters.

The tall man on the seat sighed, definitely annoyed. He gave a look to the three men:”Get him !”

Without hesitation the three of them ran after the evader. A little irritated Micha got up from his seat strolling across the hall, shoving the carpet aside and walking down the way. He hadn’t a long way to go, to see a scene that made him laugh out in real amusement. The elite man, once more lying on the ground, the red head pulling Benjamin away from him and Niko as well as Jazz watching down on him with faces saying that they loathe him. Micha went closer to the others and now he saw what just had happened. Benjamin must have jumped from the roof of that old camper, throwing the man to the ground and stabbing him in the shoulder with his pocket knife. Blood welled out of the left shoulder of the blond guy, while Benjamin tried to escape the grip of the man with the scarf to stab the opponent again. Micha couldn’t help it, there was nothing else he could do but laughing over that blond diva. Still laughing, he threw handcuffs over to the bald head, who fixed the hands of their captive with them. The gang leader could remember the night when he got that handcuffs. It had been a day, where his fear had been long gone. In that very night he had managed to kill a truck driver , stealing his weapons and the handcuffs. Of course he had to run as fast as he could after that, because a blaze of gunfire had come back from the wall as an answer. Three bullets had hit him that day. “Ben, leave it be now and go back home to Clara and Clara’s mum. They will be worried. “ he commanded. “I don’t ... why should I. This guy, I just impeded that he could escape you. I am old enough and I ....” another protest by the stubborn kid in the oversize clothes. Micha interrupted him: “Listen, you are doing a great job here, but you are too young. Besides, Clara and her mum need you. You have to protect them, not me, not Scott, not Niko or Jazz, Clara needs your protection. You are a strong gentleman, aren’t you ?” The black haired kid didn’t seem too happy, he procrastinated with a long sound, which should tell the others that he was thinking. “Alright. I’ll protect Clara, she is only seven and she needs a man to protect her.” Scott let go of Benjamin, who was about to leave for his home, when Micha added:” And don’t try to murder the captive every ten minutes now.” “I can’t guarantee that.” the child answered boldly. When Ben was gone, Micha stepped forward, looking the blond man in the eyes. Then he started bursting out in laughter again. “You are totally able to survive on your own out there, I see that now.” He said his voice overflowing with sarcasm. He tried to cut the sarcasm out off his voice and get back a serious look again, but the grin refused unwaveringly to leave his face. “This was an attack of an eight year old with a pocket knife. You didn’t even see that one coming. How are you supposed to face a group of grown men ?” Micha wanted to know. “Let’s face it, no matter how much you deny it and refuse to accept that you’re a prisoner now, it won’t change a thing. If you leave the sector of my gang, you’ll have to fight other members of that gang I saved you from a while ago and probably members of many other gangs. Most gangs in Noxa don’t have any goals. They fight, they fight, they rape, they fight, they steal, they fight, they sleep and they eat. The only thing you’ll get going out there, will be scars and bruises all over your porcelain-face. “ he pointed out the facts clearly. “I founded this gang just for one course; I want to reach my goal. I have no interest in your body or you as a person. I just want your information. So if you cooperate and tell me everything I want to know, you couldn’t be safer anywhere in Noxa than here. When you have nothing left to tell me, I’ll let you go. You can choose if you stay under this gang’s protection or rather force your luck in Noxa on your own. By then you might have learned a little about what it means to survive here and if you choose to stay with us, you might as well get out of here soon. Assuming your information will be useful. That would be a win:win situation. I’d profit from you, you’d profit from me. “ Micha ended his objective explanation. “We talk again tomorrow.” He assured the blond man and turned towards his own men then. “Scott, take care of his wounds and let him rest afterwards. Niko, Jazz carry him inside. “ with this words he reversed and made himself ready to go back into the headquarters, when he gave a last look to the elite man on the ground. With a jovial smile and a teasing voice he said: “By the way, I just want that you are aware of that you look way filthier than we do, Pretty. Have you taken a look into the mirror lately ? And we also don’t stink like rotten fish. In what kind of mud did they throw you, Cinderella ?”

He then walked away; his broad and strong back towards the others, disappearing behind the carpet.

“You carry the cockroach !” Niko ordered Jazz with an unfriendly expression. “Ehhh ? What ? Why me ? Why should I carry the cockroach ?” the bald man refused. “Because it was your fault that I don’t get dinner today, plus, I don’t want to dirty my hands on him.” Jazz moaned and muttered:” Your hands are dirty, idiot;” but he unwillingly obeyed, pulling the secret service man over his shoulder. “I just wish he was a real cockroach you know, I am hungry.” Jazz told his mate. Niko made a shocked and disgusted face. “You know what I always wanted to tell you ?” he asked. “No, what ?” “You are the most disgusting, gross, savage being I have ever met. Humans don’t eat cockroaches.” Followed by Scott they entered the hall again. The captive was shackled to the light post with an ankle chain. The light post which was also the retainer for the curtain separating the TV screen part of the room from the rest. Scott treated the wounds of the man from the Aspicere tower properly and left the hall after that. Niko followed. Jazz had the honour to give a pillow and a blanket to their captive and so he did. Well, he threw both into the elite man’s face calling him “little shit”.

Micha didn’t pay attention to the captive or his men anymore. He sat in his seat, yellowed, old papers on his knees, a pencil in hand. He was about to finish the plans for a machine he wanted to construct. He bit his lower lip from time to time or was chewing on the end of his pencil, when he was concentrating and thinking of what he had to do. The night slowly passed by, he didn’t realise. It was 4 am when he fell asleep without noticing, pencil in hand, papers on his lap.

[Yu_Kanda_YK]

Luca sped up, his footsteps hitting the ground lightly in a run. Hearing the shout only made him go faster, pumping his legs to move with haste. Why did he end up being caught by this brute? And why won’t he let go of him? It was not like, the gang would need a man who has no experience whatsoever in the dump. Or were they planning to use his intelligence?

 

Gritting his teeth, he did not expect to find himself slammed to the ground, his already caked with mud hair dipping into the wet soil again. Grimacing, he was about to get up but was stopped by a small body of a child sitting on his back. The blond was about to flip over to get the kid off his back. What happened next was a blur to him.

 

A knife pierced the skin over his shoulder. Luca cried in agony as he felt his vision clouding. Was this how the kids in prison were taught to survive? Were they taught to kill? Blood oozed out of his wound without his permission and he shut his eyed tightly, feeling nauseated from the sight of so much blood. His blood. Which should stay inside his body rather than paint the ground red.

 

The weight of the small body was lifted from his while he was surrounded by three men. What were they going to do to him? Were they going to kill him too? They should hurry and get the deed done quickly so that he could stop suffering from the pain in his shoulder. There was nothing which could stem the blood flow but his own dirty palms. He would not want to risk an infection but he rather he stop the blood and worry about possible infections later or he would faint from the volume of blood lost.

 

He could hear laughter above him. Feeling deeply humiliated, he hid his face behind his blond tresses, hoping that they would leave him alone already. Handcuffs were placed around his wrists and he struggled a little before giving in. There was not much strength left in his lithe body. He should have taken up some sports to build up his muscles if he knew he was going to end up in prison. But not for long! He was determined to prove his innocence and get out of here. And when he did, he was going to find out who dared to tarnish his reputation and ordered a death penalty for that person. Or maybe make him suffer first just as Luca did before killing him off.

 

Listening to the conversation going on above him, he was glad that at least, the boss would not want his death. That made him feel safe, only a little. Screw that. He would never be safe in Noxa. The boss most probably wanted to use him as an ex-secret service agent. And maybe have him expose all of their secrets. Over his dead body!

 

When the leader of the gang focused his attention on him, he found himself retreating by scurrying backwards with his butt but found the movement only made his wound worse. The man towered over him. Even without the advantage of his height and the fact that the man was standing while he was flat on the ground, the man would still tower over him. The boss leaves off the impression of ‘you’re beneath me’. If circumstances were different and Luca was still in Fortuna, perhaps the man would not be as confident as he is now.

 

When the man pointed out the obvious, the fact that he was stabbed by a kid, he winced. More humiliation thrown his way. Wasn’t it enough for him already for today? His ego could only stand so much.

 

And he was right. The leader wanted him for his information only. Like he said, over his dead body. And he doubted the silver-haired man would let him go. Like he said all the prisoners do are fight and rape and steal. Why would this man be any different? All of the prisoners were no different. They were all the same and deserved the death penalty.

 

On the other hand, the boss was offering him protection from the other gangs. And he could at least guarantee his safety in Noxa from the men outside his gang (he did single-handedly kill a number of men previously). Even if he was attacked by this current gang, at least there were only four men rather than the whole of Noxa, right?

 

Seriously, was he considering this option? His brain must be damaged somewhere when he got hit. Because he was deciding to stay with this man and his cronies. Not like he had much of a choice anyway. So for now, he would stay. Temporarily, he reminded himself.

 

But there was the condition where he was supposed to part with the information only the secret service knew. He did say over his dead body but… If he wanted to stay safe in Noxa, he would have to share. And by sharing is endangering the people of Fortuna. Would he be able to do so? However, the people of Fortuna did accuse him of shutting down the ‘eyes’ wrongly. This is revenge. To get back at them for throwing him out to prison without a trial.

 

Problem is he was going to get himself into Fortuna again. The temporary stay in Noxa should not have changed his mind and he should still protect those from Fortuna. He may be an ex-secret service agent but not for long. He would get back in their good graces soon. The people of Fortuna may be all fake friends of his but what’s to say about the prisoners? They could not be trusted at all either. In this world, there was no such thing as trust. He learnt it the hard way.

 

His mind warred as he thought of how best to deal with the situation. Nonetheless, the leader decided to treat his wounds for now and talk more about it the next day. That would leave him a night to come to a decision. When the boss, who had yet to expose his name to Luca, was about to leave, the blond’s body almost sagged. From relief or defeat, he had no idea.

 

The man turned around to look at him for the last time and left the biggest insult in his life. Sure he was aware that he was filthy with all the mud stuck to his body but to call him Cinderella! Who was he to call him that? First of all, he was no woman. Second of all, he does not clean cinders! And thirdly, there was no prince to whisk him away. Okay. The last one was not important. Where did that thought come from anyway? But really, Cinderella?

 

His subordinates named Niko and Jazz argued on who should carry him inside and it was making his headache more unbearable. One of them, finally hauled his body inside and he was by no means gentle. Why would he be? He was not born to be groomed into a gentleman like Luca was. And he most likely hated Luca's guts. So causing him pain would only give this prisoner pleasure.

 

Jazz (maybe?) tied him to a light post with a chain. As if he could escape when his body was this exhausted, he scoffed. The least they could do is treat him like human and let him roam about to remove his boredom from sitting on the cold hard ground all night. Luca missed his warm bed already.

 

Another burly man entered from his periphery causing him to recoil. However, the man only took out the first aid kit and started cleaning him in silence. He worked methodically and made sure to wrap his wounds in fresh dressings. At least, they have that. He would think that they wrap their wounds with whatever meagre clothing they have.

 

The man who carried him before was nice enough to hand (rather, threw it into his face is more like it) him a pillow and blanket. This surprised him and he uttered out a small thanks. He would take whatever he could get without a single complain. It was better than sleeping on the ground without anything to cover him from the cold wind whipping around his face.

 

Luca watched carefully as each of them left him alone. Sleep was hard to come by as he lied flat on his back, contemplating his life. Where does he go from now?

 

Should he escape tomorrow after regaining sufficient energy from sleep? Or should he stay and offer them highly guarded information?

 

Maybe, just maybe when he woke up next, this would only be a dream, a horrible one. And he would wake up in his dormitory and laughed at himself at the ridiculousness of the situation.

 

Right. The likelihood of that happening was zero to none. Not with that painful wound in his shoulder to remind him of the reality every second. This was real and he should accept it as soon as possible. That would make his life easier.

 

He should just give them all the information. That would teach those in Fortuna a lesson. His sleep-addled mind provided. Yeah, that was a good idea.

 

Luca drifted off into a fitful sleep, dreaming of running from something continuously. Little did he know, that was his life now. Running. To keep running. And never turn back.

[Corax]

Faint sounds urged in his ears, cutting the picture of his obscure dream into pieces. The sounds grew louder and Michael opened his eyes blinking. Sleepy he straightened himself up looking around in the hall to locate the cause of the sounds. Niko dragged boxes with different kinds of rubbish in and out, while Scott sat in front of the fire making scrambled eggs. Next to him he was able to see Jazz who scoffed his food down without chewing. The captive was there, chained to the light post but the curtain was pulled away and Benjamin was sitting there trying to get a signal for the TV screen. As far as Micha could tell the kid had left the elite guy alone.

Only then he realised that he had fallen asleep in the seat while he was drawing and thinking. Forthwith he laid down pencil and papers on the armrest of the seat. He stood up, leaving his sunglasses right there as well. As a morning grouch he ignored everyone and strolled out of the backdoor giving the impression of a zombie.

When he left the ‘building’ or better the caricature of a building, the sun shone in his face. Bright and warm; exposing every little dirty detail of Noxa district. It was like stage lighting for the rubbish mountains. When he had been a teenager he often felt that the summer sun was some bloody morbid joke to mock them. He couldn’t say that this feeling vanished completely but he got used to it. The sun does also shine when you live between junk and have lost all your rights.

His eyes of two different colours took a look at all the rain barrels. The water in the black rainwater tanks was for washing, while that in the blue ones was for drinking.

Ignoring the rain barrels he went over to some kind of pool filled with water. He had managed to build a machine with a pump that would clean the water. If he wouldn’t have impressive skills when it came to engineering his gang would suffer under even lower standards. Glancing into the sun he sighed and dropped his clothes onto the ground before jumping into the cold water of that giant bath. He dived under holding his breath. Despite the sun was shining the water was definitely too cold to be pleasant but it was always like that actually. Coming up again he leaned on the verge of the bath staring into nowhere, thinking. Could this guy really be of use to him ? Maybe he didn’t even know much himself and only had have that high status for the reason of being son to the commander. And even if he knew enough, would he really give him the information without force or torture ? He had to keep in mind that this was a fanatic. A person who thought one should kill a human being for talking bad about that guy they called the Cor. Striking his drenched silver-blond hair back he tensed up his muscles. He had to get the information and so he would. There was no way in which he would let this possibility get away from him. Determined he left the bath after washing himself.

Dressed in his white muscle shirt, the pants he wore the day before and with his hair still drenched he entered the hall again. When he walked towards Scott, the red head handed over two plates with egg he just roasted before. Micha walked over to the chained secret service man passing over one plate to him, wordless. He waited until the other would take it and then sit down on a wooden box filled with old cables. Moving his feet and not touching his own food, he sat there straddle-legged starring at his opposite. “When you have eaten, I will show you were to take a bath. You are definitely in need for a bath.” He said monotonous with a gloomy expression. Drops of water were running from his silver hair over his neck and shoulders. “Afterwards we will talk business.” Micha added contracting his eyebrows. After a minute of giving the other a despiteful look, his face turned to neutral again. “But first things first ....” he suddenly said. “Tell me your name ! If not I will have to call you whatever suits my mood. Prince charming maybe ....” his voice sounded ironic saying that. Micha watched straight into the golden eyes of the elite man with his own blue and green ones. Sure, there were many entries concerning the commander’s son in Benjamin’s notes. But that kid had only once written the name down and that in handwriting nearly illegible and probably totally wrong.

While keeping the look into the eyes of the other guy up, he realised that it was a handsome man indeed. Most likely that he had many female admirers who wanted to be with him back in Aspicere. Including the fact that he was born into a powerful position, certainly every second woman had a crush on him. And now he was here, in Noxa; his fancy clothes dirty, without any rank or privileges. Poor thing ! Micha grinned. All the arrogance, all the trust this man had in the Cor and being a fanatic didn’t save him from the repercussions this insane ideology he followed brought with it. He couldn’t help but being a little mischievous in that moment. Micha hated the human nature. He learned to hate it when he was a child. And he knew early that there was no loyalty, no truth or selflessness in human beings. People only did things for their own good. They were egomaniac, all of them. One more than the other, but in fact no one ever cared for the other without ulterior motives. When he was a child he had loved those old hero movies he would watch, in what they called a cinema in the main-district, every week. The actors looked a bit like the elite man sitting there on the ground in his hall. He had loved the movies and the heroes on the screen. Now he only could feel disgust thinking about hero movies and heroes. Those movies were betrayal, nothing more or less. It was just something that wanted to capture you and pull you into an illusion so deep that you drown in it and would start to believe that there were such things as good hearted people. Screw that ! He couldn’t believe he had ever liked something like that now as a man.

[Yu_Kanda_YK]

Rudely awoken by sounds so early in the morning and the sun streaming in through the dusty window, Luca blinked his eyes open and groaned. His back and his neck was stiff from sleeping on the hard floor and there was a sheen of sweat covering his forehead. The room was warm as compared to his air-conditioned dormitory in Fortuna. Pushing his body up, pain flared on his wounded shoulder causing him to wince. He looked around, watching the people in the house puttering about, performing their daily tasks perhaps.

 

The kid from yesterday walked past him, not even throwing a glance his way as if the event yesterday was forgotten. Luca doubted that was the case but the kid had left him alone. For that, he was grateful. Not sure as to what he was supposed to do, he trailed smooth fingers over the chains on his ankle. The chains were thick and made of metal. Sighing, Luca knew there was no way of breaking them unless the prisoners decided to let him go.

 

The boss stirred awake while Luca watched in fascination as the muscles rippled. He briefly wondered if he stayed long enough in Noxa, would he be able to gain muscles like his. Luca’s gaze wavered when the man left.

 

For once, the sense of security provided by the man left his body. Without him, what would the rest of his underlings do? Would they start hitting him? Or would the kid stab him again and maybe deliver one last blow that would end his life? The blond cowered in his spot, as if waiting for something to happen. However, no one bothered him and he was left to his own thoughts.

 

The words spoken by the leader yesterday came forward in his mind and he was once more torn in between. He wanted to survive and return to Noxa unharmed but at the same time, he did not want to betray the secret service. What happened to pledging to kill oneself if information was handed to the public, regardless whether it was by accident or on purpose?

 

Yet, he was a coward. The survival instinct was strong within him and he only desired to live as long as he could. He is still young and has yet to graduate from university. He has yet to serve Aurea fully as a secret service agent. Also, he has yet to travel the whole of Fortuna. He knew of a few beautiful places and some good restaurants he has not visited. He wanted to live long enough to do so.

 

Luca finally realised either options would end with his death anyway. It was either by the hands of the prisoners of Noxa or the people of Fortuna. Laughing bitterly, he decided to let things run its course. If situations were dire and his life was at risk, then he would offer them information they need. But not all. He would select carefully which one of them should he give while the rest kept locked in his brain.

 

Startled out of his thoughts, he was faced by the leader of their mini group of prisoners. A plate was thrust in front of his face. The food was by no means like those served in Fortuna. The eggs looked horrible to his eyes. His stomach, on the other hand, has a mind of its own and grumbled in response. He had missed lunch and dinner yesterday. Missing another meal would only cause the acid to eat away the lining of his stomach.

 

Taking the plate with shaky hands, he grimaced at the sight once more. There was a spoon but no fork or knife. Do they expect an elite to shovel food down his throat? On the floor with no table? The least they could do was offer him a seat at the desk so he could eat properly. These prisoners do not have any table manners at all! He glared at the egg as if it had offended him. His stomach growled louder this time. Embarrassed, he hoped no one heard it and started scooping up some egg to push it between his lips.

 

The man who offered him his plate of food took a seat before him and he refused to think about him sitting beneath this person. A lowly position as if he was lower than a prisoner.

 

Hearing that a bath was in order made him eat faster. Yes, a bath would be nice to wash off all the grime which had dried up on his skin and in his hair. It would be a pain to remove them without the expensive shampoo his mother bought for him but he would take what he can get to be clean once more.

 

Straight to the point. The man only needed him for the information he had. He was a tool and not a human here. Luca looked down and almost sighed but braved up instead. Peering at the man before him indignantly, he wanted to show the other that he was not afraid of him. He was a mere prisoner while Luca is from Fortuna.

 

Luca was not going to tell him his name at first but to be called Prince Charming by people of Noxa felt like an insult to Luca. “My name is not Prince Charming. I am Luca, Luca Cole, the son of the commander of the secret service and the CEO of Cole Corporation.” He was not going to tell this man that he was disowned by his very own mother. He believed that if he could prove his innocence, his mother would probably grovel at his feet, begging him to forgive her. Like that would happen. She was a proud woman. She would not go that far. She would most probably brush the incident of shutting the 'eyes' off and start treating him like her heir once more as if nothing happened.

 

Looking into the man’s eyes as he said this, the blond-haired male found himself drowning in the pair of mismatched eyes. It was as if the man was looking into his soul and he felt naked under that gaze. He squirmed uncomfortably hoping that the other would get the hint and look elsewhere. He scooped up the last of his egg and shove it into his mouth before placing the empty plate by his side.

 

Luca waited for the other to finish so that he could take a bath. And maybe escape through a window when no one is looking. Could he survive out there in Noxa by himself though? After all, a child had successfully outran him and stabbed him in the shoulder. Was it worth the risk to escape from here? At least if he stayed, this man promised to protect him.

[Corax]

Death glares from all the people in the hall were the reaction of Luca Cole’s introduction. Niko spat on the ground in a despiteful manner and Benjamin bashed the table with a clenched fist.

The atmosphere got charged up with the immeasurable desire to kill. The only one showing no reaction was Micha. He sat there, stared into the other mans eyes, piercing his soul. After a minute, he released a short but cynic laugh. With a flick of his tongue and a shook of his silver-blond head he stood up from that old wooden box. Saying nothing he reached inside his pocket to take out the handcuffs once again. Without caring for the wrists of the other man he locked them. Hereafter he opened the ankle chain and forced the other man up. He shoved him forward in the direction of the back ‘door’. Walking next to him, he abruptly grabbed his neck with his strong, manly hand, pulling the blond’s ear closer to his mouth. With a cruel and cold smile on his lips, he whispered:” You are lying to yourself, aren’t you ? Aren’t you trying to calm yourself down with denial ? You’re so pathetic !” His bass voice was condescending. “Luca Cole, son of the commander of the secret service and the CEO of Cole Corporation.” He repeated the other mans words, now grinned in a sardonic way, showing his surprisingly white teeth. “You are no longer the CEO of Cole Corporation. Nor will you ever be a man of that secret service again. Your family abandoned you, if not so you wouldn’t be here. Your dad is the mightiest man, after the Cor, in Aurea, if he had have any trust or faith in you and if you meant anything to him, he would have saved you don’t you think so ?” Micha tightened the grip on Lucas neck. “You never meant anything for them. They don’t care for you or people in general. They care for ideology, power and the ‘Cor’ alone; if the Cor does even exist. As long as you are good for their ideology and power you are important to them. If you don’t fit in any longer, you’ll get selected to live your life in Noxa, worth nothing to them. Deleted !” The tall man pushed him outside and the sunlight beat down on their faces. “You know I’m right you bloody fool. It is interesting to see how brainwashed and blinded one can be. Do you still believe in the Cor ?” he asked and let go of his neck. Pointing at the cold bath he went over to sit on an empty barrel. “There you can have your bath. I wait right here for you.” Micha kicked a stone aside that lay in front of the barrel.

People like this Luca guy were the problem. They were full of themselves and full of thinking that what they do or say is the one and only truth. And if they are able to justify their doings with their worldview, they could do whatever they want to others. There were always people like him and his parents. In Michas gang there were past 1500 members. And his gang wasn’t even one of the largest. About 200.000 people lived in Aspicere tower, three million in Fortuna. In contradiction to that the population in the main-district counted 65 million. And Noxa ? No one had ever counted the population of Noxa. In fact, no one was ever interested in them at all. They just deleted all knowledge and personal data about the people in the database of Aurea in Fortuna. It was just as if they’d never existed at all. And that was, what had also happened to that Luca Cole. He never had existed as a citizen of Aurea at all to the government and his beloved Cor. All he was now was one of the, at a rough estimate, nineteen million no one would count. Nineteen million unorganised beings battling each other rather than the opponent, bearing the own misfortune and don’t fight for their rights and for getting out of Noxa. It was ironic, because fighting was what most people there were doing all the time. He never got it. Never understood how one could just resign like that. No matter if it were the other gangs who fought each other, the mountain sailors who tried to get the best out of the situation for them with trading or the silent brotherhood, a group one could compare with apocalypticists in ancient times; hating everything about the situation people forced on them, but doing nothing because they believed one would come for their rescue and the unrighteous would be damned. Obstinate optimists who clinched on hope waiting for a wonder. With these three groups it was obvious that they wouldn’t win against the guards or crush the wall. Micha sighed, looking up into the sun again until his eyes couldn’t take it any longer.

[Yu_Kanda_YK]

Handcuffs were placed around his wrists ad he struggled a little only to find that they would cut into his wrists. With a wound on his shoulder already, he did not want to make new ones. After all, it would be futile and a waste of time to struggle anyway because this burly man and his gang members could catch him again if he escaped. Well, at least the chains around the ankle were removed. This allowed him to move more freely.

 

Luca was dragged to stand and he hissed in pain. The man could have been more gentle. However, what do you expect from people of Noxa? The other shoved him roughly in the direction of hopefully, the bath. He needs one right now after looking at the sorry state that was himself. His ear was pulled and he howled, not used to being treated that way. How dare he.

 

Stumbling a little, he thought of what his parents would say if they catch him walking ungracefully. They would most probably think, 'what an embarrassment!' That would be horrifying. He shook his head. Does it matter really?

 

The other started spewing things he did not like to hear and he protested weakly. Because, deep down, even though he did not want to believe it, he knew that his parents had abandoned him. He would not be able to return to the secret service. However, half of him believed that someone would find out that everything was just a misunderstanding and they would come and fetch him out of prison. Then he would take action against those who dared throw him to Noxa and left him to defend himself.

 

He soon saw a bath and cringed in disgust. What is this? A bath? What a joke! He dearly missed the huge bathtub he had at home with golden lion shower heads and a basin made of gold. The tiles were always sparkling white. But this! This bathtub they have, it was rusty in a few places and he could actually see grime hiding in the corners.

 

Shuddering, he knew he had no choice. It was either a bath (a terrifying one but still a bath) or he was going to stay in dirty clothes stained with soil and blood. Coming to a decision, he started stripping off only to notice that the other occupant sitting on a barrel and watching him. Feeling self-conscious but unable to do anything about the situation, he stripped and left his clothes on the ground. Was this man not going to offer him clean clothes? Not that he would like to wear them but at least, they would be clean, right?

 

Luca stepped in and his body trembled violently. It was so cold! Like ice. His teeth chattered. He tried to clench them to make the chatter go away. It did not work. The least they could offer was a hot bath. Feeling uncomfortable as he was watched by another man as he was taking a bath, he glared at the other, his cheeks colouring a little. This man is a pervert.

 

Still looking fiercely at the other, he voiced out, "you could have given me a hot one and some new clean clothes. What am I supposed to do if I freeze? And I am not going to get into the dirty clothes on the ground. It's stained with blood and earth." He sneered and looked away, as if expecting the man to do his bidding.

[Corax]

While he was thinking about how to convince other gangs to fight for his matter he remembered the last meeting he had had with a high ranked person from the mountain sailors and his chess game with his friend of the brotherhood. In fact he needed them. He might not need the whole groups but he needed some of them. Some of the sailors knew medicine and there were quite talented and strategic people under the members of the brotherhood. But they were damn stubborn. Micha had even lost the chess match against him because he wasn’t able to focus on it. Suddenly he felt a glare coming from the pool like bathtub. Now he looked into the face of the other man and recognised that he had blushed a little and seemed to be uncomfortable, right to Michas amusement. “What exactly do you think I haven’t seen ? I am only here because I said I wouldn’t let you die. I could have let one of my men watching over you instead and spare the time but I fear that they hate you enough to take the chance and drown you.” He then started to pay him no mind again. What if he had a concrete plan ? When he got the information from this Luca Cole and knew how to get into Aspicere tower, would they listen to him then ? Maybe some of the sailors would. The brotherhood was too pacifistic. They were repulsed by violence. Again the former rich man disturbed his thoughts. This time however, Micha didn’t laugh. His face looked stern and his fist clenched hard enough to let his fingers make a cracking noise.

“Freezing? Did you just say freezing ? I’ll tell you who really freezes to death and has to fear about that every winter : The citizens of the main-district; people of Aurea who the Cor is responsible for. Thousands freeze doing the winter every bloody year ! People become criminal to get their hands on something to keep them even a bit warmer. Living in a house with broken windows and no fireplace or heater when it is -30°C, that is when you indeed fell cold. Does the Cor or the people of Fortuna give a damn what lies behind the invisible border ? No they don’t ! So don’t dare to tell me about freezing !” He talked calmly and sonorous, as if he would read a bedtime story, but there was pure coldness and bitterness in it. The silver-blond raised from the barrel staring into nowhere. “Why should I care about what you will wear. I don’t care rather you get into the dirty clothes again or go naked. It’s summer afterall, it won’t do you any harm and the only thing I said was that I’ll help you to stay alive, not that I’ll play the babysitter for you. If you want clothes, get some. Haunt down rats and use their fur or make clothes out of leaves – oh, sorry there aren’t any trees near – it’s non of my business.” With an apathetic look he met Lucas eyes. “If you don’t want to do any of that and think that you need my help with it, beg me and apologise for your disrespectful, insolent behaviour. Maybe I - because I am just too good hearted - will get you some clothes you fit in then. If you don't, stop bothering me with it.”