From: enters@.nijenrode.nl (Robert Enters)
Subject: The Angel
Date: 5 Sep 1995 16:35:54 GMT

After having taken a leak, Nightshade walked back into the bar proper.
After having retaken posession of a barstool, he groped around in the
various inner pockets of his long-coat, and fished out a small shiny
datachip. Scoping around for possible interested parties, Nightshade also
pulled out a simple old-fashioned datareader. The greenshaded monochrome
screen went on with an audible crackle, and words began to scroll on the
small monitor.

To anyone interested, Nightshade spoke.
	"Snatched this just last nite. Any takers?"

The file starts:

     Morning. Morning started at 5 in the morning. That is when the
Metroplex Embellishment Corp enforcers begin the arduous task of
clearing the streets of the Refu's and refuse, so that the city
will appear a clean wholesome entity to all those sararimen who
have to trod these concrete channels on their way to their offices,
stores and whatnot.
     It wouldn't do to let those happy taxpaying citizens see the
trash and horror that descended upon the streets after the
CityLights went off, and most of those happy, and let's not forget
_taxpaying_, citizens are nestled in the comfort of their homes,
gathered with their happy wives, the kids, Pluto and Garfield,
protected by the high walls of their respective burbclaves, watched
over by the friendly eyes of camera's, killer-dogs, semi-autonomous
hunter-seeker robots and ex-army Civic Protection Corp men and
women armed, often quite litterally, to their teeth, paid for by
those hard earned tax-credits.
     But I digress. A team of just such cheery MEC goons was headed
my way, and their friendly waving with ShockWave (tm) 'prodding'
sticks invited me to get my arse off the pavement and seek another
place to starve. With only a minimum use of those sticks (after
all, they had only so much battery power availeable per block, as
was calculated by some highly knowledgeable clerk in one of the
huge glass and steel towers rising from the crete), they managed to
clear the street.
     I shambled off with five of my fellow fate-mates. Other happy-
campers of the Crete Paradise. We looked at eachother wearily.
Though none of us owned much far as most people or animals are
concerned, I would die before giving up my small half-empty bottle
of EndoStim pills. Anyway, we were all headed the same way, and
none wanted to get too close to the other. The others stink so bad!
     Some people, very few I might add, wonder where the Refu's and
other weirdo's go during the times of daylight. Well, that is very
simple. We are allowed to live, as long as we do not blemish the
sights of this wonderful Metroplex with our presence in sight. Thus
we have to move out of sight. Yes, you guessed it. The old metro
tunnnels, large sewers and for the lucky ones, old bomb-shelters
from the time when people still feared governments, and there were
still idiots in such governments with the power over nuclear
weapons.
     No, I was not lucky. The lucky ones are those who have some
connections with the various street-gangs and other semi-organized
groups that regulate life in the streets after the last CorpHack
has left for the night. To belong to such a group, you must somehow
have something of value to them. Like muscles or connections. The
rest of the losers were herded to the tunnels and sewers.
     I entered the old MTR at the station that was once known as
Sha-Tin, and being one of the last, I heard the large steel doors
close behind us. Wouldn't do to have one of us stumble
inadvertantly onto the cheery streets now would it. I still do not
know why they keep us alive. They must think it is somehow a humane
act or something.
     But, first things first. People had already started removing
the bodies from those who had not made it out last night. The
bodies were charted off for Cemetary-Station. Once known as Chai-
Wan, the 'end of the line'. You know, you gotta keep up your
hygienic standards. It was our morning ritual, a toll of those who
had not even made it through the relatively safe hours underground.
Most had succumbed from hunger, or simply from the lack of will to
live.
     I succeeded in securing a relatively quiet corner, and squared
off with my back against the wall, glaring balefully at anyone
trying to encroach upon my personal space. When the mass of people
had settled enough that I was satisfied, I popped one of my
precious pills, and left this reality for a while.

...... I stood at the top level of a CorpStack, looking out of the
glass outer wall. I gazed upon the smaller Stacks around mine, and
saw the sinking sun's reddish rays reflect off the wings of the
various corporate and private Osprey2050's criss-crossing the sky
above the Metroplex. The sun's rays seemed to get redder and redder
every year, the effect of still increasing world-wide smog
concentrations.
     I marveled at the majesty of the Metroplex. A decisive victory
for humanity over nature. We barely needed Nature anymore. There
was nigh nothing anymore not produced more efficiently and cheaper
by machinery then could be produced by Nature. The SouthChina sea
was graced by large 'swimming' factories parting H2O as well as CO
from the water and the air, releasing the oxygen that plants no
longer produced in large enough quantities, and processing the rest
back into fuels.
     Large MegaFarms ensured a propensity of foods, enough to feed
the world population of 25 billion with ease. Little space on this
planet's surface went unused. The world was ours. Completely ours.
No more Nature, no more God. All those fables, and the fears put
forth by the green movements shown for the lies they were. Mankind
CAN flourish without them. You better believe it. Look around you.
Suddenly a fragile sound introduced upon my reverie.
     Behind me the large glassteel doors, matted grey, except for
the clear company logo in the middle of the panels, slid open
almost soundlessly. As I turned around, I could see the rest of the
room. A board-room. Large slowly rotating fans hung from the
ceiling. Dimmed spots shone on a shining black lacquered table
around which fourteen large, comforteable RealLeather chairs were
arranged. An extensive bar tucked away conveniently in one corner,
crafted in rare and long illegal woods.
     My gaze however was captured by the figure standing in the
opened doorway. A beautiful asian girl. Long lush black hair,
reaching below her ass. Perfect skin, green eyes and westernized
eyes. Thinned eyebrows and 50K-cred teeth. Well proportioned, long
legs, and a navel-job as was so popular in the last years of the
20th. She wore nothing, but her long hair covered all essentials.
     Her sight strangely enough gave me a sad feeling. She looked
at me with pity. I reached my arms out for her, but she shook her
head ever so slightly in negation, and suddenly I was hit alongside
my head!...

     Ouch! Reality kicked in again. The people next to me where
fighting over something, and in their struggle, one had kicked me
against my head. I was still groggy from leaving the pill induced
dream, and slow to react. By the time I was fully aware of my
surroundings, it was all over. The victor made a quick grab for the
posessions of the loser. Others joined the fray, also wanting a
piece of the cake. I was too late to participate. Damn. That's what
you get for trying to escape reality.
     I saw and heard someone shriek with delight over the mastery
of a single shoe. Other people were also looking smug with
themselves for having enlarged their range of posessions. I decided
to abstain fomr taking any more of my precious pills, and pay
attention to my surroundings. Nothing much of interest happened,
and after a few hours, I dozed off.

     Clangg! Sharp light, you know, the halogen kind, flashed into
the subway. I must have been really tired. Time to leave the Hole
again, and be released upon the city streets. Yahoo. Fresh air. Far
as air is fresh these days. No starry sky. Those could be seen only
from the emerging Moon-Colony nowadays.
     I wandered with my companions onto the concrete tarmac of the
metroplex, the floor from which the Stacks arose to the sky. Babel,
phew. Piddly ass little constructs back when. These buidlings truly
rose to reach the Gods. The true Gods of this world. The Gods some
called MegaCorp-CEO's, whose whims moved mountains and rivers
faster than the biblical one ever dreamed of being able to.
     Anyway, I quickly hobbled over to a street known for it's many
restaurants. There was always plenty food in their trash-
containers. One could scrape together a true feast there. Could get
all your basic foodgroups, and of quality too. Lobster or T-bone
steak? All there. Just be faster then the rats, and faster then the
rest, and you'd be eating like a king.
     Off course, I am not one of the fastest, but I nonetheless
managed to get some scraps. I wouldn't be gaining any pounds
tonite, but then again, I have been on a very stringent diet for
quite some time now, and it would be bad form to break such a good
habit. Hey, plenty women pay dearly to be as thin as I am. I would
gladly switch places with those nitwits. Sigh.
     Now the scavenger hunt began. People sought to aviod the
gangs, and stay alive long enuff to kill someone else for their
posessions. Sounds simple? Sure, the theory always is. Learned that
in school one grey age ago. I believe this existence gives new
meaning to the Law of the Jungle. Trees and wild animals have been
replaced with buildings and humans, but the concept retains a
stunning clarity.
     I shuffled away from here as fast as possible, but not fast
enough. I heard footsteps running this way, and knew dread. Running
always meant trouble. The only ones with the energy left to run are
usually the truly desperate or members of the gangs. Fearfully I
looked behind me, and tried to dive into what passed as a doorway.
A large DuraSteel alcove closing off some corp building's entrance
for the night. Not even the amry posessed anything to penetrate
those things.
     Two guys wearing the fluorescent green bandanna's of the
TigerClan ran away from a group of seven or so guys wearing shirts
with a pulsating cross, the ScreamingAngels, in hot pursuit. One of
the ScreamingAngels pulled a gun. One of those old Israeli things
called Uzi's. The guy was obviously not yet used to the weapon. As
he fired it in the direction of the TigerClan dudes, the weapon
bucked wildly, missing it's targets.
     I however, felt a sudden sting in my chest. I touched my hand
to the sore spot, and it came away sticky. Realization dawned
slowly. Those shitheads shot me! That goddamn fucking assholish
retard of a motherfucker couldn't even shoot straight, and instead
killed innocent bystanders! An unreasonable rage took ahold of me,
and the burtning adrenalin held back the weakening feeling for a
little while. But I was too weak to begin with, and within seconds,
a deep chill began to set in my bones.
     I knew I would not survive, and my mind raged. As little as I
liked my existance, I should be able to decide for myself when to
go at the very very least! A last lucid thought invaded my mind. I
could still try to OD. I grasped hurriedly and desperately for the
small bottle, my fumbling fingers almost dropping it. The lid came
off, and I swallowed the contents whole...

     I again stood in the board-room, gazing over the concrete
kingdom. In anticipation I turned to face the door, and soon I was
rewarded. The doors slid open, and the asian girl was there again.
This time it was she who opened her arms, nodding for me to come to
her. I marveled at her physique once more, and headed for her warm
embrace, only realizing belatedly that she had soft feathery wings
spreading from between her shoulder-blades......


	\/\/-> Comments/Criticisms/Etc welcome, here or by priv email.
Useless flames with no constructive ideas for improvement are not sought.

	Nightshade a.k.a. Whisper

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