The Apartment chapter 4

The Apartment:



Jim was a complete ass. He hated the restrictions set on to him by society. He had spent his entire life scrapping the bottom of the barrel. A feat that was, in this day an age, hard to do. Being a bottom-rung lifeform actually took some work. Even a 4-year-old child had the opportunity to earn a decent income. Job choices were plentiful in Upper Redlands. All one needed was a standard input chip and they could access the upperweb and download any choice of job skills and advance. Yes, being a bottom feeder took supreme effort and Jim was a man that took pride in that.



He was a black market extraordinaire. The black market was an extremely dangerous business. It dealt with having the true knowledge of the ground world and interacting with it's fabled residents. Hundreds of years ago stories and myths of the groundworld were passed around. They became law and eventually hazardous. Stating that the ground world was toxic and those that journeyed to it were forever banned from SkyLife. It had been taboo for long that people took it as gospel. No one gave a second thought to what lay beneath the clouds. Jim on the other hand saw profit from this fear.



City counsel members were his best customers. Presidential hopefuls begged for his services and silence. With drug induced simsticks and open access websites now made legal, people had to find another way to live on the edge. So they came to Jim to play with the devil. They came to Jim to purchase some of the most outlawed items in human history. Pets, plants any form of organic life. Jim loved it and they loved him. In every complex there resided at least one Rose bush. Only the richest of families had a cat or dog.



The care of these items was intense. To hide the fact that these were indeed real items and not synthetics created from replicators to the most sneakiest of handleing. That was where the real money flowed. Synthetic plants never died or shed leaves. Synthetic animals/pets never created a mess or made a noise or left excrement. They were all self-sustaining creations. Jim's job was to come in and care for them or replace them in due time. He loved it.



He wasn't a stupid man. He wasn't a man that would be is destitute. He had the same opportunities in life as everyone else. But like the higher up snobs, he lived for the thrill of being on the other side of the law. He knew that by being captured he would be banished to one of the penal colonies below. No big deal. He was already so entrenched in the underworld that imprisonment would be like being sent home. And that was the way he wanted it.



He had his vehicle outfitted with a high gravity adapter and stealth unit. This allowed him to disappear from radar and journey to the forbidden planet below. Something he did on a regular basis. The excitement appealed to him and sometime he would pop down there for no reason what so ever. His life of crime afforded him to live a luxurious lifestyle, one he chose not to exploit. For the most part he charged very little for his services but would only deal with clientele that had the most to lose.



Jim lived in one of the most average complexes in the city. Complex 8814 was not the classiest of places but it afforded him the anonymity he needed. Because of it's central location he was able to slip to the underground unnoticed. It's antennae array housed a storage facility that very few visited. Being completely automated by maintenance droids no one would notice the few odds and ends that he kept there. One of which was a grape vine he was keeping for himself.



He planned on harvesting the grapes to create wine. He found the instructions one day while hacking around the web. He knew that organic wine would cause the socialites to burst into frenzy. Make them to appear classier. And cause their downfall to be greater than before.



He had planned on going down to the storage compartment when he woke up that morning. He wanted to run down and begin trimming some of the vines and picking grapes when there came a knock on his door.



"Crap", he thought and he scurried about to cover everything up.



"Who is it" he called.



"Rene" said the voice "I wanted to talk to you about my daughters party"



"One second” he said.



Throwing a sheet over his porn collection, which was made of paper another illegal item in the Skyworld, he walked toward the door.



"Open" he said and the electro door slide open revealing an averagely beautiful women with a look of worry on her face.



"Come in" he said. "Excuse the mess I wasn't expecting company."



"My apologies, I would have called to let you know I was coming but I didn't know if you would see me"



"What can I do for you?” said Jim, cautiously



"Well", she hesitated” I understand that you.... see my daughters birthday's are coming up next week and I wanted to get them something special"



"What the hell does that have to do with me?” he said adamantly



Her body shifted as she began fidgeting with her blouse. Searching for the right words she said "Word around the complex is that...you have the ability to...procure sp.. special items. Items that would otherwise be considered...improper"



He could tell she was nervous about having to interact with someone of his caliber. Jim wasn't a big man, nor was he even remotely intimidating. Standing just under six feet, light skin and light hair one would almost consider him a kind soul just by looking at him. No, he knew that discomfort she was feeling was due to his reputation and was fine by him.



"Special items? I have no idea what you’re talking about" he said. '"Are you a cop,” he said vehemently, knowing full well that she wasn't.



"N..No, I'm not a cop", she said



"Your that single mother that live in 1414 right, the one with the twins daughters?" he asked.



'Yes" she said proudly.



He liked her immediately. He knew that life as a single mother was almost as bad as being a criminal. His respect for her was instant.



"My work isn't cheap. And I usually don't deal with people of your social standing"



"Excuse me what the hell is that supp...." she reared up on him



"But, since you have the balls to come down here maybe we can work something out" he said cutting her off.



"What exactly are you looking for?"



"Well", she said calming down instantly but determined to not show any fear "I was hope for.... a kitten" she said staring a whole through him.



"Hmmm..Those are very hard to come by. What sort of timeframe are you looking at?”



"Well next week obviously, as I said before. It for their birthday and I would like it to be the first thing they see when they wake up"



'You do understand that organic animals are complexly forbidden and that if you are caught you and your daughters will be banished"



"Yes, I kno..."



"And that just having a pet is no easy task. You have to clean up and care for them and then there are the possibilities of allergic reactions that you have to take into effect. It’s not like you can walk in to any hospital and say 'my daughter is allergic to cats' or anything"



"I know I know I understand all that. But don't you offer services in that area?" She asked.



"Yes...yes I do. But pardon me for saying it doesn't look like you can afford my prices, nor can you afford to care for these creatures your self." He said while looking her up and down...grinning



"Well", she paused." Maybe we can come to some sort of arrangement, I meant how much is it, can we work out a payment plan or something"



"Payment plan", he chuckled "Darlin, do I look like a department store?'



She glared at him. She hadn't wanted it to get to this point. She had expected some sort of embarrassment for her social standings but had hoped a price could be negotiated. She knew now by staring into his hungry glare what it would take. She took a deep breath and said, " Well, maybe there is something...else ". She put her hand on his shoulder.



He grinned. "Are you sure you want to do this.... is a kitten that important? I mean you can run to the synth store and just pick one up,” he said letting her hand wander.



"No", she said.” It’s not special enough, to ordinary. My daughters deserve the best and that's what it going to be...no matter what the price.” she said with a determinded look on her face.



"Sweet" he said as he picked her up and threw her on the mess of a bed. "I'll get right on it then...as soon as I'm done getting right on you that is"...



This looked to be a profitable day after all he thought. His mind wandered to the possibilities of the payment methods he would be enjoying. Picking grapes being the furthest thing from his mind.