Back in those days, Arc City was much smaller. The tower was shorter, and the dome covered far less area.

  “C-1 actually already had cameras everywhere.” I say. “I have the recording of the first time you arrived.”

  “Really?” Vince asks. “Well maybe you can help keep my story straight then.”

  First task was to meet up with Mara’s contact. Arc City wasn’t any better than Vegas. Endless power struggles from different families doing the same things the numbers were, although they were more subtle in their wars.

  I’m sure our deal funded one of their rises to power.

  It only takes a moment to check. I watch a young Vince walk through the streets, far less packed compared to today. I track him until he finally steps into a building to complete his deal.

  “It did. The group you funded was on the verge of internal collapse due to unpaid debts. They heavily reinvested their profits on some risky gambles that paid off big. They still had power, and decided to leave when I gave them my ultimatum.”

  “I’m going to assume they didn’t do good things with that money?” Vince asks.

  I don’t respond. I want so badly to reassure him, to tell him they were nothing but generous with their money. I wish I could lie.

  “I figured. Don’t worry about it.”

  A huge portion of the edge of the city was dedicated to parking back then. People were flocking to the city, the promise of a truly self-sufficient society was compelling. Most of those cars would eventually be broken down for scrap when their owners decided to stay, and I’m sure Little Blue could track some of that steel and find it in the walls of some of the skyscrapers.

  The security was good at least, and the parking was cheap. We didn’t need to watch the car, but that didn’t mean we were willing to leave anything too valuable behind.

  Mara carried the chips we stole while Silver and I carried the more expensive pieces of gear we owned. It was only a ten minute walk to the center of the city. Things hadn’t quite grown out of control yet, the streets still made sense and it was easy to get wherever you wanted.

  Of course we couldn’t head straight in yet. We needed a few sanity checks to get a feel for the exchange rate. It wasn’t long before we were on our way though.

  We stepped into one of the skyscrapers, massive compared to everything else back then, but only eleven floors.

  Today we’d be very out of place, walking in there fully armed and dangerous. Back then we were a normal sight. Each building had its own dedicated security.

  “C-1 didn’t have his enforcers yet.” I add. “He figured private security groups to keep the peace, all kept under the thumb of a much smaller group he controlled, was the most secure option until he could make something more regimented. That’s what let the top floors really take hold in this city.”

  “Right, thank you Little Blue.”

  They had a security desk in front of the elevator and stairs. People would go through occasionally, flashing a badge as they went. Mara walked right up to the thing.

  “Tell Orion Mara’s here.” She ordered.

  “You were expected last cycle.” The guard replied.

  “Plans changed. Our deal’s still on.”

  The guard grabbed a phone and stared us down while she called.

  “Mara’s here.” She said loudly. Mara just crossed her arms, staring back. Only a few moments later she put the phone down and jerked her head towards the elevator. “Top floor.”

  “Smart girl.” Mara mumbled as we passed.

  We hit the button to call the elevator and had to wait an awkwardly long time for it to descend. And I mean a real long time. We stood there for several minutes staring down that security guard. It’d almost be funny if the context were different.

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  The elevator thankfully arrived, saving us all from that awkward moment. The three of us piled in, and up we went.

  I don’t know how the penthouses are now, or at least were before Little Blue took over, but they were opulent in those days, and entirely for show. Form over function in every way. Decorations on the walls just to show their wealth, bottles of old world wine lining shelves, pets trained and forced to sit idly by as nothing more than statues.

  “Pets fell out of favor eventually, for the most part at least. But the rest of it just got worse. Showing off wealth to the other top floors was somehow a vital piece of maintaining power. I’m not sure I understand why, but it did happen.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  We stepped out directly into a living room. The place was massive. Lounging on a couch in a suit sat our contact, Orion. He was young, inexperienced. He came recommended by a friend as someone with money and willing to take risks others wouldn’t. On the one hand that made him dangerous, on the other hand he paid more than most for our hot chips.

  Waiting in the wings were a few assistants of his.

  “Mara! Vince! And friend!” He called out, his arms wide. “I’m relieved to see you made it. Can I interest you in anything? Food? Fine drink?”

  “Only interested in business.” Mara tossed the bags onto the ground. It was all just chips, the gold and jewelry was with Silver and I. “4.8 million. 80% turns out to 3.84. Conversion rate makes it close enough to an even 3.”

  “The deal was 80% last cycle.” Orion said. “A delayed delivery necessitates-”

  Mara flicked her head to the side, and I stepped forward, reaching for my knife. I slid it half way out of its sheathe, letting him see the glint of metal, and reached for him. I didn’t even hesitate, and I’d rather not remember what I was planning on doing to him.

  “Hey! Hey!” He thankfully threw his hands up. Alright! An even three!”

  I halted, and Mara walked over to the endless shelves of riches. She grabbed an unopened bottle of bourbon, sealed sometime before the turn of the millennium, and carefully inspected it.

  “Where, exactly, do you think you sit in this relationship?” Mara’s words were slow, measured.

  “It’s just business!” he said quickly.

  “Just business.” Mara repeated and let the bottle drop from her hand. It bounced, and she cocked her head at it before drawing a pistol and putting a bullet through it and the floor.

  Silver and I drew, pointed at the doors further into the penthouse. We heard guards stacking up behind them.

  “Things are under control!” Orion called out, barely holding our fire.

  Mara reached for another priceless artifact, this one a statue, and held it for long seconds. She dropped it as well, right in the pool of wasted alcohol.

  “You don’t even know what business is.” She put a bullet into it, sending stone fragments flying around the room. “This isn’t business, this is you groveling at my fucking feet for scraps of the wealth you couldn’t be fucked to fight for. So tell me, where do you get off fucking with your betters?”

  “I didn’t mean to cause offense.” Orion waved dismissively at one of the cameras, and it sounded like the guards began to move away from the door. Silver and I didn’t relax though.

  It’s crazy what the top floors would do. Sending away his only safety, just to ensure they don’t have to see him being weak. It was a whole different system than Vegas.

  “Let me show you how business is done.” She grabbed an intricately carved hardwood statue. “Three million arcs now, and you have one year to make another three with the money left over. You’ll have it ready when we come to collect.”

  “You can’t do that!”

  “How many things do you think I can break before I get bored and move on to you?” Mara dropped the statue, and I’ll let you guess what came next. “How many times do you think you can say no before I bring down the building on your head?” She lifted her pistol and shot another bottle directly off the shelf. “You say yes, kiss my boot up your ass, and thank me for the fucking privilege. Got it?”

  A tense silence filled the room.

  “Fine.” He eventually breathed. “Fine. Let me go get your money.”

  “No. You don’t leave my sight. Get your servants to bring it. Unarmed.”

  “You-” He had the good sense to stop his argument there. “Fine.” He signaled to the cameras and my door opened. Behind it were a few armed guards. None of us moved as a servant walked in. He handed Mara the money, who just nodded at me to take it.

  I counted out every arc right there. Funnily enough, they realized they forgot some of it in the back not long after. Strange how that works.

  We left that place with endless possibilities. Endless money. But Mara was nothing if not ambitious, and I suppose that meant I was along for the ride.

  First step to getting settled was a safehouse. Needless to say, we weren’t going to work with the guy we just shook down. We ended up bar hopping, celebrating and getting the lay of the place. We figured out that the closer to the tower you were, the safer things were. We found a group to put our trust in and rented out a two bedroom apartment. The prices were crazy, but we didn’t care. As long as nothing got stolen, it was worth it. They had an AI in charge of security, watching 100% of the time.

  Speaking of AI, they were everywhere, in everything. Security, manufacturing, a few of the bigger families had AI dedicated just to processing data and making predictions. Even back then that kind of thing felt weird. A lot of time they were seen only as tools, not people. Of course I didn’t do anything about it. Mara didn’t care, and that meant I couldn’t let myself either.

  After Zero, Mara didn’t trust a single AI, but she couldn't deny they were effective. She hid a hundred cameras around the room, just in case our new watchman tried to betray us.

  All that was left to do was to make some friends and find some work.

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