Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 8.1: The Utter Darkness

Drake looked around. "So this is the Utter Darkness, huh?"

The pair beheld it together. Drake, seeing it for the first time, saw the desolation and the utter squalor that permeated the sector. Nondescript black concrete buildings rose out of the darkness. Bright neon lights of various colors filled his sight, disorienting in their disorder. There were no Mag-Rails around. Vehicles went around the roads on wheels. Drake looked at Ava standing beside him and saw her visibly shudder, seeing all she did not want to remember. She shook her head. "Like a bad memory, the Utter Darkness is a place best forgotten," she said. "This brings back many feelings for me. The hungry and the destitute," Ava waved her hand at the many street urchins that looked at them as they walked past, "I was one of them once. I know the hopelessness in their eyes, I have felt their pain."

Ava touched Drake on the shoulder as they approached a corner. Up ahead was the red light district, a dim and gaudy affair, lit a deep red like a dim lantern. Bright lights with animated dancing girls lured prospective customers in. Scantily clad girls waved at Drake through the glass windows up above. It was still early, but the place was active, even at this time. A few triad members hung around outside, casually extorting money from the local business owners. Ava shook her head at Drake to indicate it was not safe.

Drake looked above him at the solid metal dome that covered the Utter Darkness. There was no view of the sky, no Climate Control Tower. Without the benefit of openings for light to pass through as there were on the Upper Plates, no sunlight permeated Sector 6. The only sources of light here were weak light sources. Fluorescent and incandescent lights of all colors illuminated the Utter Darkness. In all of Taiyou-Shi, only the Utter Darkness made regular use of electricity.

"Ava, where would we find a talented hacker?" Drake asked. He wasn't about to waste any time here. Ava nodded. "There are several places where hackers congregate. Best to find a 'net cafe or 'net bar. That one over there looks like it would suit our needs." Ava pointed toward a brightly illuminated establishment that stood out, a few minutes past the Border Gate. Bright neon lighting made it stand out from the desolation, a parody of an oasis in the desert. It was quaint, old, and ramshackle. The neon lights glowed and proclaimed the name of the establishment: 'The Butterfly'. A well animated and brightly lit butterfly moved around, its blue and yellow neon wings fluttering about the darkness. Below the animated butterfly, there were a series of odd-looking characters scribbled on the bottom.

"Those are symbols for the hacker movement," Ava whispered as she pointed to the signs. "We'll find what we need in here."

Drake moved toward the establishment and threw open the blue door. The smell of smoke, drink and dirt filled the air. There was a small crowd already gathered inside. It was the sixth day after all, and people were out to have a good time. Drake checked his watch. They were in the seventh hour of the Waking, still early, and the Butterfly had already drawn a good sized crowd. Drake could only imagine what it would look like in the later hours.

Smoke was thick in the air. Several residents had already taken up tables. Pretty, quick-moving waitresses, clad in skimpy clothing and wearing butterfly wings on their backs, bussed the tables. In the middle of the room, where several long tables were placed side-by-side, the patrons were playing a game using long sticks to shoot at tiny balls. "Billiards," Ava whispered to Drake, who was looking at them with mild interest. "A popular pastime in the Utter Darkness."

Drake noticed Ava's eyes dart around as she took the whole scene in. "As a little girl, I remembered seeing such places," she said in low tones, a sudden melancholic sadness in her voice. "Father would always say, 'You will never end up here, Ava, not if I have anything to do with it.'"Ava smiled at Drake. "And I would listen to him talk this way with a sort of amusement, knowing he meant well, but never truly believing he would be able to get mother and me out. But he'd proven us wrong." Ava took a deep breath. "Now I take a long, hard look at what would have been." Ava finished with a wave of her hand.

Drake looked around. The walls were decrepit, the paint peeling in several places. Certain areas reeked of vomit. The patrons appeared oblivious to all this, apparently enjoying themselves in their stupor.

Drake and Ava went to the mostly empty bar and sat down. "Pour you anything sir, madam? You don't look like you're supposed to even be here." The bartender smirked at them as he used a towel to wipe the counter. He was a balding, gray-bearded man who looked to be in his sixties, built like a tank and looking like he could handle himself well in a fight despite his age. In fact, with a few scars and bruises still fresh on his massive arms, it looked like he handled himself in a fight on a fairly regular basis.

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