“Then I guess I have seven more lives to go, then,” Caiden replied.
“Man, you’re nuts!’ Vantz said.
CHAPTER 35
---usr/systems/server-x/DANGEROUS TREK HOME---
By the time the White Knight had regained control of his limbs, Caiden was long gone. Still alive, still kickin’, Caiden thought to himself. The rain continued to pound the pavement. His insurmountable exhaustion left him clinging to the last threads of his consciousness as he struggled to move forward. Limping down the busy street, he checked his surroundings to ensure he wasn’t being followed. He waved down an oncoming taxi and slowly climbed inside while he hunched over, tenderly holding his torso. I feel like my guts are gonna spill out, he thought.
“Where ya headed?” the cabbie asked.
“BlackLight District,” Caiden replied.
“Sure thing, ma friend” the cabbie said as he turned around briefly to look in the backseat.
“Holy shit! What the hell happened to you?” the cab driver asked.
“Typical day,” Caiden sarcastically replied.
Caiden began to think about Yvora. It was the first time in his life he could remember losing someone close to him. Even worse, he had watched her die and was powerless to do anything about it. He felt overwhelmed by guilt and sadness. He wanted to die. He wanted to rid himself of any memory of Yvora. If there was anything to make the pain go away, he wanted it. No, he needed it.
“Hey, Cabbie. You got any painkillers or something?” Caiden asked.
“You had yourself a rager, didn’t you?” the cabbie joked. The cab driver was in his mid-twenties. He had high cheek bones, was slender, with a mohawk that leaned to one side. He had monolids and had skin on the lighter side.
“Whatever, man. Do you have anything?” Caiden asked, losing his patience.
“Okay, okay. Gimme a break! Sheesh! You’re a lucky man. I just so happen to have a small stash of stuff. That is, if you’re into that sorta thing. You’re not a cop, right?” the cabbie asked.
“Fucking far from it. Gimme something, man!” Caiden yelled as he grimaced in pain.
“Man, you need to relax. Work on your people skills. Anyway, I have some Mania powder, some potent stuff there, couple vials of regular mania, some Green Lizard, Red Rage, and some Sky Blue,” the cabbie replied.
“Which one is the best painkiller, man?” Caiden asked, irritated.
“Well, the others I mentioned are pretty hardcore, highly addictive stuff that will definitely numb the pain, but you’ll be strung out for sure. But soon, you’re gonna need more of it. Real easy to go through a load of ‘em. Sky Blue is a lot less addictive. It's more for the casual party goers looking for a little something, but not a lot of it,” the cabbie said.
“Why aren’t you trying to sell me on the more addictive stuff, then?” Caiden pointed out.
“I’m a dealer with a conscience, I guess you could say,” the cabbie replied.
“Gimme the Sky Blue, then,” Caiden requested.
“Okay, man. But you know you’re gonna have to pay for that, right?” Caiden gave him the kind of look that could kill a man.
“What? You think I can feed my family and pay bills from being a lowly cabbie? You can’t be serious,” he said.
“How much?” Caiden asked.
“For you, since you look like shit right now, I’ll give you a whole pack of Sky Blue for half of what I normally charge. Just gimme sixty Creds for it.” The cabbie examined Caiden through rearview mirror. Caiden put his cred Codec up to the cabbie’s codec scanner and the Creds were transferred.
“Nice doin’ business with ya. Oh, hey! I know I said Sky Blue is the least addictive of the other ones I mentioned, but still, be careful. Sky Blue will have you tweakin’ out, hallucinatin’ and shit, especially for green users like yourself. You look like the type to have never done drugs in your life. You’ll probably find the meaning of the universe on your first try or some shit like that,” the cabbie said. Caiden greedily snatched the packet of ten Sky Blue pills from the cabbie and sunk back into his seat.
“People skills man, people skills,” the cabbie reiterated. “So, you sure you don’t wanna go to a hospital or somethin’?”
“I’m sure. Just take me to Darkside, please,” Caiden replied.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you never told me about going to Darkside, man! Why there of all places?” the cabbie asked.
“None of your business,” Caiden coldly replied.
“Shit! Well, alright man, I’m taking the mid-town bridge so we avoid traffic, I don’t wanna keep you any longer than I have to,” the cabbie stated.
“Gee, thanks, asshole,” Caiden replied.
The cab driver waved him off. “Name’s Zolaaf, by the way.”
“Caiden.”
“Oh, see? You can be polite when you try!” the cabbie said jokingly.
“Well, Caiden, just sit back and relax.”
Caiden sunk deeper into the backseat. The ride was smooth, soothing even, so much so that he fell asleep for a few minutes. Darkside was about fifteen minutes away when Caiden was jolted awake by the cab which came to an abrupt stop to prevent rear-ending another driver. As he peered forward, he saw slow moving traffic ahead.
So much for avoiding traffic, Caiden thought to himself. With nothing else to do, he inspected the cab and began sifting through the displays on his holo-watch. He tried to keep his mind off everything that just happened. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a strange insignia ingrained on the door interior. Thinking nothing of it, he kept tinkering with his holo-watch. He then looked back at the insignia, recognizing it. This belongs to Chimera! Caiden summoned his gunblade from his forearm.
“Hey, you prick! What the fuck do you have to do with Chimera?” Caiden asked.
“What? What do you mean?” Zolaaf suspiciously responded.
“Don’t play dumb with me! What’s your affiliation?” Caiden asked.
“Alright, okay, okay. I guess you got me. Damn, you really are sharp. They weren’t kiddin’! But instead of worrying about me, you should probably worry about yourself right now,” Zolaaf said.
Caiden heard a series of car horns, alarms
