Yeah. It was a big fucking city. Of course it was also one of the only two left on Earth,
and that was beginning to be a problem, but it was still a big fucking city, and one to be
proud of. Ariko chewed his pinkey nail and looked back down at the little man in the suit
at his feet.
"well?"
Ariko sighed. customers were always so pushy. He shook his head vaguely, which did
not mean no, and looked back at the impressive scape before him. Dusty clouds of smoke
wafted between the pointed tops of the tall upper class building, billowing and roiling as
soon as it left the atmospheric control bubble that was all around the great city. He raised
his little finger to his lips again and his little employer drew in his breath past his teeth in
irritation, tapping one foot and cocking his head to one side.
Ariko was from the slums. he had no family, no home, nothing, except the money he
could make stealing and hiring himself out as a professional killer. which was what he
happened to be doing now. He was dressed in mostly black and silver, black slightly
baggy pants with a silver chain around his waist. His pale chest was completely bare,
something that his rich employer couldn't seem to deal with quite right, but Ariko didn't
care much. His shock of black hair wasn't cared for at all. he really didn't mind it. every
once and a while he hacked it off with his knife, but only when it in the way, otherwise he
couldn't be bothered. So it just sat in a splash on his head, his clear blue eyes sparkling
intelligently under one strand that always fell across his face. no matter how short he
hacked it. His eyes flickered slightly now, as rapid gunshot rattled below the huge Tor
they stood on. If the little businessman heard it, he didn't show it, and instead turned at
Ariko and drew his breath in again, as if to speak, but the assassin beat him to it.
"yeah. I guess I'll do it."
shorty smiled contentedly and started to say something else, frowning as Ariko interrupted
him yet again.
"half prepaid"
His already red face turned slightly redder. Ariko watched it do so with interested
curiosity.
"half!!! but what if you just walk off?????"
"and what if you walk off without paying me?"
slightly redder, almost a bright shade of pink.
the little politician looked flustered, glanced at Ariko, and looked away again.
"oh all right."
The thief smiled and turned away, glad that it was agreed, glad that his employer knew
who was really in charge. He looked down at the slums at the Tor's feet again, thinking
distractedly about his father and ignoring the little man beside him. There wasn't much to
think about his father. The man had been an assassin and had consequently slept with
some black-haired whore. The result: the tiny little black-haired to-be-assassin named
Ariko. His mother had died in child birth and he had found his father through one of her
friends, a beggar who had known him since birth. Ariko hadn't met his father until he was
a corpse in the sands, caught by one of the many diseases that swept across his home
regularly. Not that he minded. He was glad he didn't have to deal with the complications
of family connections.
His employer cleared his throat, reminding Ariko of his unimportant existence and
bringing him back to the green-gray hill that he was standing on.
"I'll need a name."
Ariko was slightly startled.
"why? I don't have yours."
"What if something happens?"
"then I won't be blamed for anything"
The business man could have snarled. Gunfire smashed again below and Ariko turned his
head to look back into the brightness of reflected sun of tin roofs, trying to decipher where
they were coming from.
The businessman beside him steamed impatience, twisting his heel into the soft turf of
half-dead grass and polluted dirt.
"anything else you wanted to know?"
"Not really"
"I'll be going than"
"whatever"
He turned and Ariko noted a faint bulge in his long black coat. weapon carrier. He had
expected as much. Probably a Wiere, or some other gun of the same make. A colt
perhaps. Ariko would have made a snide comment about men who try to be clever, but
there was no body to listen to his complaints so he didn't bother. He turned his back to
the blinding rebounding sunlight and looked back down the trail he had climbed to get
there. He couldn't even see the short little man he would follow, although it was doubtless
he was still on the hill. It was steep. damn steep. and barren. You could see the top of
this hill for miles, and it wasn't really the safest place to be although when you could see it,
it was impossible to tell exactly who was on top of it. Government had planned on
removing it for centuries, but nothing had been done. But these days, that was more or
less what was expected of the government of The Last City Of America. Ariko turned his
head to the sky, a shimmering hazy blue of fakery above, then sighed and stepped
downwards along the steep trail that would lead him back to the slums.

"so you got another job?"
The large Russian leaned back on his bar stool, hand around a beer mug. Ariko could
have rolled his eyes, but he didn't, for his own personal safety. The place was smoky,
grungy and all around gross. It had a strange smell of cigarette smoke and some other
exotic drug, or drugs all mixed up. The air was almost a sort of yellow.
As if reading his thoughts, Faregi, the Russian, leaned back on his little stool and
breathed in deeply.
"ahhhhh. TroKile. Wish I had me soma that."
Ariko had done drugs in his lifetime, but what he had wasn't even close to a quarter of
what Faregi did. Sure, he had heard of Heroin and Opium or even some of the more
exotic cocaine mixes, but there was a huge gap in his knowledge that the Russian happily
filled and overflowed.
Ariko looked at Faregi quizzically.
"ArcKile?"
"Arccillies' Killer"
"ahh"
This time he did roll his eyes, but only slightly so that his half-drunk companion
wouldn't notice. then went back to watching his wine half heartedly.
Music started suddenly, drowning out the roar of voices, some heavy sort of rock with
undecernable words and lots of bass. There was a little drunken cheering and the volume
was cranked still higher. The floor vibrated. Ariko wanted to bang his head on the bar
counter, but refrained. The Russian grinned at him sideways and pulled a face.
"don't look like that. It's only Rock. You like rock."
"It's not rock, it's crap, and I do like rock. Not this."
Ariko winced as drums got a little louder, and his friend laughed at him openly.
"come on. Lets go somewhere quieter and discuss this little job of yours."
The assassin nodded in silent assent and slid off his stool, about to make a break for the
door. Faregi followed, draining his beer glass and stepping down. He then proceeded to
part the crowd with his fists, Ariko behind him. The reached the door, and Ariko gasped
air frantically.
"I hate that Fucking place"
He announced to his friend. The Russian smirked.
"you just need to lighten up."