WarTek: The Industrial Age

[Terin]

He stumbled down the broken highway, looking into a storm off of what he thought was the horizon. The night was extremely dark, with the exception of the occasional distant crack of light stemming from the clouds. They betrayed the outline of a water tower about a mile ahead. Water, that would be a change of luck. For weeks he'd been scraping by on nothing but cacti and snakes. His lips were cracked and his skin was weathered. He laughed thinking about how old he must look.

Suddenly a ray of light peirced through the sky, shining directly onto him "Oh no. They've found me." He tried to run but the hiss of steam and clicking of metal gears had already decended upon him, hoisting up in the air by his coat. He looked up at the SPIT and shook his head. No unarmed man could stop a Steam Powered Infantry Transport. They had become so comercialized. The many advertisements on it made it confusing as to who it actually belonged to. "Why does Coke feel the need to advertise JUST the logo? Like no one knows what Coca-Cola is?" He shook his head and smiled. Looking up into the mechanized maw of the steel beast that held him, he shouted "You guys take money?" Then everything went dark.

"Romano Shock, we've invested alot of time and money finding you." The voice was fluid and deep, it was made for radio, but it carried an authorative tone. "Put it on my tab. And no one calles me Romano. Call me Remi." Remi opened his eyes, the room was bright, and he could only make out the sillouhettes of a tall man, apparently the one adressing him. "Remi then. Remi, you're tab has been called in, and since you ran, your word, credit, and honor have lost all meaning. You're simply untrustworthy." Remi grinned. "Can I get a Coke? I know you guys have some." He heard a pop and fiz, then a can was put in front of his lips, he drank. Suddenly it dawned on him he was in restraints, and his eyes weren't adjusting. "Beer goggles? Don't want me to identify you?" The sillouhette threw back what Remi assumed was his head and laughed. "Yeah, we're going to take what you owe us, and our collection methods are questionable to the law." "Remi blinked. "No worries. Smokey doesn't care about me." "I'm not willing to risk it, Remi. I'll be honest. We're taking your left arm, from the elbow down. This will cover what's due for this month. If you don't have the credits by NEXT month, well, lets just say I'd write a will while you can." Remi heard what sounded like scissors, and a deep pain bit into his left arm, searing up his shoulder until he couldn't bear it anymore and darkness drowned out his screams.

-T