“darkness” is a web series based on the novel grydscaen: dark. It follows the characters and the storyline after grydscaen: dark ends. This web series will run for a few weeks and post on the grydscaen blog. copyright (c) 2018 natsuya uesugi.
Faid lingered outside The Hole X-rated magazine shop. Patrons were coming in and out wanting to get a glimpse of the porn magazines lining the walls and check out the hosts who worked out of the shop off the street. It was the only shop of its kind in the Red Light District and it was known for its sexy gay magazines and its lucrative host business. If you were a male host, this was where you wanted to work out of, not a brothel or a host club. The Hole was the center of the universe for a host.
Faid leaning against the The Hole window with his hand in the front of his pants and his zipper down. He knew how to play this game. Faid had been a host since he was 18, the legal age when you were eligible to work as a host, and had to get the license and vaccinations, as well as sign up at one of the legally regulated establishments to work out of. Faid was vaccinated against all sexually transmitted diseases. It is what allowed him to work. Getting the shots cost and had to be renewed each year along with his host card and paying the dues for The Hole.
He flirted with a man sitting in a white car which drove up and rolled the window down trying to hook up for the night. Faid wanted to find a gig and get paid. He tugged his shirt up showing off his cut hard abs teasing which got the guy in the car to open his eyes wide. The man motioned to Faid, flaming red dyed hair, tall and lanky with light skin. Faid was arrogant when it came to his looks. He knew he was hot. He used that to catch his johns. He was one of the higher priced hosts who had a reputation. Roping him was a score.
Faid’s sleeveless t-shirt showed off his arms. His looks and the fact that those porn magazines, the ones in The Hole, this week’s offering of Luscious School Boy magazine which had an ad in the front window had a picture of Faid on the cover in a boy’s school uniform. The man in the car noticed the advertisement in the window and Faid caught him looking. It was time to move in. He pushed off the wall and came over to the car.
“What’s up honey? How’s your night? Looking to hit this?” asked Faid as he put his hand down on the car window and touched the guy’s hand. Faid blinked his eyes a few times and licked his lips trying to entice.
The man took the bait. “You free?”
“For you honey, sure. Are you the Zone Police?” Faid asked having to protect himself. It was illegal to proposition a cop.
“Nope. No problem. I need someone for a little S&M.”
“You like it rough. I got an AA+ rating. Sure honey I can do that.” Faid picked up the guy’s hand and kissed the back of it then leaned in and touched his cheek keeping the flirtation going trying to rope him in.
“AA+ that is pretty rare. You do bondage then, S&M?”
“For you honey, I will do any little thing you say. 400 credits gets you a suck. 600 if you want more than that.”
“Get in. I’ll give you 2000 for the night.”
“On it,” Faid looked into the car and noticed a whip on the back seat and a leather mask, shorts and a harness. He blanched for a second hesitating and then took the bait walking around and getting in the passenger seat. Faid was a high priced host. It kept him in money to support his psi inducer drug habit. He was addicted to neurocyne which kept the aegis or manifestation of his psychic power in check. Prostituting himself and getting the vaccinations against all sexually transmitted diseases and a license to do it was just part of the job. Just another day in the slum-level Echelons. He closed the car door and the man drove them down the street in the Red Light District to a by the hour love hotel.
Rom was hovered over a hardline terminal in the Acolyte Forward Base in the Packrat Sprawl. He was soldering transistors onto a motherboard. He had been at it for 20 minutes at the back at his radio desk. He was making a device to boost analogue signals. Acolyte had drawn up the schematic and he had the blueprint out on the desk and was following diligently. He finished soldering and set the motherboard down on the desk and took the hard drive he needed and set it into the casing. He waited ten minutes and then added the motherboard and the rest of the electronics. He pulled the casing down closing the box, then added the screws ensuring they were tight. He plugged in the machine and then connected it to the radio terminal turning on the device. It hummed to life. He picked up the large blue headphones and put them on then assaulted the radio and set it to 550kHz, the low frequency band to the Jester hacker guild.
“Anybody there? Anybody listening?” inquired Rom over the radio.
The signal came in fuzzy with white noise and scratching. He raised the band by turning the dial and set it to 560kHz. The channel came in with a buzzing. He flicked the switch on his new device. Immediately the channel cleared up.
“Got it!” He smiled happily and picked up the mic on the stand bringing it closer. He had a subversive radio show that broadcast on different bands cycling so he didn’t get caught. It was a pirate show that talked about government overreach appealing to hackers. The government trolled the bands trying to find subversive content. Rom had been broadcasting for a few months, never more than five minutes at a time, never on the same band two times in a row, cycling and blocking, jumping as often as possible. The government just couldn’t keep up with him. He settled in the chair and started broadcasting for the night.
“This is Rom from the Packrat Sprawl, making waves and coming to you live and direct from the Acolyte Forward Base. Welcome to Packrat Underground. We are the resistance. Where hackers come to get a little taste of the now. Got something special for you today. You are going to eat it up…”
Acolyte the Level 8 hacker looked over from the side as Rom was engaged. He could hear his voice filter through the Base. Acolyte engaged on a terminal as Rom was talking and punched up an illicit search window. Faid had asked him to sniff Raven Allen the Psi Faction operative again because he found something funny on his profile. He continued and hesitated waiting for Rom to finish up broadcasting. What Acolyte was searching was actually Rom’s job for the day. Rom had been lazy all day not addressing his task. That just irritated Acolyte more. This was his base, he needed anyone on his turf to follow his rules.
“ZenZen’s credit card number is 465 920 1448 132. Expiration August 15, 2057. Use it as you will my children. Get in there and get it done. This is Packrat Underground signing off. Hackers Unite. Hack Till You’re Dead!” Rom ended the broadcast which lasted five minutes giving the credit card number of ZenZen, the CEO of the Corporation. Hackers would have a field day running up his card.
Rom didn’t dare spend more time on any one given channel as the Zone Police cyber security trolled the bands looking for subversive anti government content. He took off the headphones chucking them on the desk as Acolyte called him over and stood up from the chair.
“Sit!” ordered Acolyte.
“Why? I need to go to the streets. Evening calls. I have a meet,” whined Rom.
“No, you got a job for Faid first.” Acolyte picked up the back of the chair and slammed it down trying to get Rom to obey. The metal legs grated against the concrete floor..
“Whatever,” spat out Rom and walked away leaving Acolyte hanging.
Rom left the Forward Base and teleported to The Hole X-rated magazine shop out front. His host friend with the white puffy coat and dark hair, dark eyes and light skin was outside looking for a John. Rom walked up to him. The kid was hot, unlike Rom who could never be a host. Good looks, cut body, the face of a model, Rom’s friend was well known in the host world as a good catch, and young, over eighteen, legal to be a host but just barely. The young age and good looks made Rom’s friend a score. Even though Faid who had been a host since 18 and was now 27 was also hot, it was Faid’s AA+ rating, his work as a model, the countless pictures in porn magazines, his reputation and his “service” which kept him in high demand able to blow by this kid who was younger. The fact this kid even entertained Rom who was just way too short and scrawny to be a host, always made Rom curious.
“Hey!”
“Right, Rom. Where you been? Haven’t seen you in about a week,” said his host friend.
“Had some hacking jobs to do. Been drifting. Pick anyone up yet tonight?”
“Yeah, been out twice. Today was a lucrative day,” said the kid and pulled out a wad of paper money and started flipping through it. He counted off 300 credits and handed the cash to Rom. “Here you go…”
“What is this for?”
“You fixed my pager last week. Don’t know what you did to it but it works now. That is my livelihood.”
“Right, thanks. You should really get a handheld. A pager is so retro.” Rom shoved the cash in his pocket. No longer broke, he could at least eat tonight instead of going dumpster diving or pawing free crackers with mustard at the Tram eatery. “Got to go. See you later?”
“Pager is all I need. I’ll be out. You know where to find me,” said the kid.
Rom took a step away and immediately the kid was solicited by a man off the street. Rom watched on as the kid put his hand around the man’s waist and a minute later they were walking down the street towards the line of cheap hotels. Rom smirked as they disappeared into a love hotel and went about his business. The life of a host. It kept you from starving. But selling your body was just that. It took a certain mindset and strong will to keep from killing yourself from the abuse, manipulation and emotional pain. Rom could never pass as a host. Homeless and broke, he used his hacking skills instead of his body to survive.
Faid zipped up his pants having spent the evening with the gentleman. The whip that had been in the backseat the man had given to Faid to hit him with after he got in the leather harness, shorts and face mask. Faid found it boring but he did his job ordering the man around for a few hours. Faid fooled around with him but the man didn’t want sex. He pulled on his shirt and held out his hand.
The man took the face mask off and pulled his wallet off the table still dressed in the shorts and leather harness.
“You said 2000?” demanded Faid.
“I’ll give you a little extra for getting it right. You really do have an AA+ rating. That was one of the best sessions I ever had,” smiled the man satisfied.
Faid raised his eyebrow. “I earned my reputation. Just keeping my customer’s happy.”
“Yeah, surprised I caught the famous Faid Callen, high end host. You belong to George Shimazuri, the SenseNet board member from the City. It is rumored George doesn’t share.”
“What he doesn’t know. Works in your favor,” smirked Faid.
The man handed Faid 2600 credits in cash. Business done, Faid turned and left the room without saying anything more. He took the stairs down and exited then went to Hack, the tech and ware nightclub which was around the corner on Astor street.
The bouncer let Faid into Hack with no hassle. He took the stairs to the second floor and electronic music was blaring, a big board broadcasting hacking activity currently happening at the club. Faid watched the screen for a while then went to sit down at a booth in the back and closed his eyes setting his handheld down.
Five minutes later Rom slipped into the booth and put his hands on the table, a data card underneath.
Faid opened his eyes and frowned. “You are supposed to be with Acolyte finding me intel.”
“Already done. Got it right here,” admitted Rom and leaned in shoving his right hand across the table. Faid reached out and placed his hand on top Rom’s. Rom removed his hand and Faid took possession of the data card and slid it under the table. He ran it through his handheld.
Rom sat quietly as Faid read the data on the handheld. There was information about Raven Allen. One pertinent piece of data said he had been a hacker working on his own attacking the SenseNet before he became an operative of the Psi Faction, a government-run military outfit.
“Says here Raven used to be up in the SenseNet?” questioned Faid.
“Yeah, he was one of us before he turned.”
“How do you sort that?”
“He was arrested. The details are shady. His profile has been doctored. All his files from the Zone Police including his arrest warrant are classified. I think he hacked into the SenseNet and got caught. That is the only thing that explains how he got to the Psi Faction.”
“Do you think we can turn him?”
“Would be difficult. The Psi Faction got their fingers in him up to his eyeballs. They are no joke. The Psi Faction is run by Zoon, one of the members of the Triumvirate. They virtually run the Elite government. The walls around her and their clandestine operatives are no joke. Zoon is impenetrable. You’d have to get through her to get at Raven. She will bite your head off is her reputation, then spit you out and ground you up into little pieces.”
“What else you find about Raven?”
“He is on restriction at the Psi Faction. Lockdown, on a short lease. No way to get near him.”
“Think we can get him a message. Back him off Jazz? You said he’s been snooping up Jazz’ arse and sniffing around The Soul Deep?” asked Faid.
“Just tell me what you want. I am a Level 9 hacker after all. I can get the detail for you,” smirked Rom.
“You need to keep that in check, kid. You may be the youngest Level 9 on the board but you got competition. I am a Level 9 hacker too and Jazz, lets not forget Jester. That ego you need to get under control,” warned Faid.
Rom didn’t say anything just dropped his eyes, ego bruised.
“Get a message to Raven. Send it through the government systems through the backdoor. Make it visible. Then direct him to the dark and really talk to him.”
“On it. When?”
“Do it now. Use the hardline terminals here at Hack. Get the bouncer to run the fix on the machine, no IP, cycling, encrypted. I can’t have the government tracking us back to Hack or to the Packrat hackers. Show me something,” ordered Faid.
“Any specific message you want?”
“Be creative.” Faid closed his eyes and put the handheld down ending the meeting.
“Got it,” stated Rom and slipped out of the booth going to the hardline terminals at the back of the room.
Faid sat for a moment and then went to the back where the pod rooms were. He had ten more minutes to wait. He picked out his room running his credit card in the capsule room slot and opened the door going in side. The door closed putting up the occupied sign. He could hear the knocking of the bed in the room next to him, the patrons inside definitely using Hack’s resources to have sex. Faid sighed and pulled out the chair sitting down in front of the hardline terminal in the room on the small desk and engaging it. He ran his credit card again giving him access to the gridscan and started a vid call. A moment later his lead john George Shimazuri came on the screen from the utopian City. He needed to check in.
“Sir, you wanted me to get in touch with you?” inquired Faid as he ran his hand through his hair trying to entice. George Shimazuri was a corporate board member of the SenseNet who made deals that could put entire companies out a business in seconds. One negative word from his mouth he could destroy reputations, ruin careers and end up with pockets lined with years of hard fought revenue. Faid having George as his lead john who supported him meant something. It put Faid in a whole other stratosphere when it came to being a host. Faid had been George’s host since he was bought off the street outright the minute he was old enough to get a host card and work. Faid smiled and pulled his shirt off letting George get a glimpse of his body. The older man’s eyes burst open for a moment then he stifled himself.
George went into his chest pocket and pulled out a cigarette case tapping one on the gold case and the lighting it. He took a long drag. Faid was ready for the theatrics. He knew how the game was played. He waited patiently.
“I need some dirt on a SenseNet board member. We have a big decision tomorrow and I need him to vote my way before I oust him from his position. He is using corporate funds to line his pockets. He just took his token mistress to the Jannassee Islands on the company’s dime. He has been voting against me of late. I need that taken care of. The merger with Idle Chemical Corporation needs to go my way,” stated George as he took another drag.
“What do you need me to do?” asked Faid.
“I need him embroiled in a scandal. His wife of twenty years knows nothing about his young mistress. Alistair Kimura needs to be taken down. And you, Faid, are just the right person for the job. I need this done discretely, silent and swift. 24 hours, he needs to be in the rags with that mistress on the front page of the raunchiest tabloid you can find. I need you in it if you have to. Take him down. Do you understand?” George slapped his hand down on the desk he was sitting at then put out the cigarette.
“You want my services as a host or a hacker?” inquired Faid baiting George and stroking his ego letting him decide on the tactic.
“I think today you are my little hacker… Tomorrow however I take you to bed!” chuckled George and leaned in.
“As you command. What is the time frame?”
“Your vid call says you are at Hack. Take him down from there. Use a free terminal, encrypted, the fix. You have license to destroy him. Pull out all the stops. Go dark if you need. Get as much dirt on him and his mistress as you can and broadcast it all over the gridscan. I need it on the newsfeed tomorrow morning. The vote is at 10AM. You get me this, I can have him axed from the board even before the voting starts.”
“Yes, sir,”said Faid.
“Get it done.”
“My fee is 50,000 credits…” smirked Faid knowing George was not going to pay him for the deed. His fee would come from his night in bed at George’s luxurious mansion where he would play George’s boy toy and jump at his every command.
“Faid, you know how this works. Don’t test me.” George warned.
“Never.”
“Get it done!” ordered George and the vid cam shut off ending the call.
Faid sighed and logged off the terminal. He lingered for a moment then left the pod and went to the row of hardline terminals. He had a job to do by morning. His hacker skill would strip this guy clean by the time the sun came up. Just another day in the life of a hacker who was a host. A high stakes game played out of the City. The sacred and the profane. This was the Red Light District. What went down here, stayed silent. Games, lives, billions of credits, hackers were a commodity. Faid knew that and was hacker and host, both sides of the coin. He only played with the best.
to be continued