Status: Constantly adding and changing
Fisheye Placebo
Prolouge: Cyberpunk Past.
"Give it back! That's not supposed to be seen!" Vance cried out as the silver haired boy balanced his personal computer with one hand. As Vance tried to get up to take it back, the boy simply put his foot on Vance's chest. Surprisingly, The boy did set the computer down, just out of Vance's reach.
"Would you relax, I'm not going to break it?" The boy then reached around his back and pulled out what looked like a small guitar case. The boy undid the top and pulled out a Violin. As he held the bow to the strings, the last thing Vance remembered him saying was, "Why don't you take it back after a nap."
The next thing Vance knew, it was night, and the boy was gone with his computer. Instead of going home, Vance just sat there, crying. The one thing in the world he loved, gone. If only he had been stronger. If only he could have fought. Then maybe he could have gotten his computer back. This was why he hated people, they think they can always beat him and take what mattered to him.
When the sun rose, Vance finally decided to go back to the orphanage that he and his brother lived at. His brother could have helped him, if he was still around. But now, no one can help him. It was all up to Vance to get his computer back. And he would do it one way or another.
When Vance returned to the orphanage, no one came to greet him or make sure he was ok. It had been like that for years now. So, instead of going to his room, he went out back to the shed. That was what he used as his workshop. The administrator said as long as he was quiet and didn't make any problems, he could use it however he wanted. That was the only nice thing anyone ever did. And it would probably be the last time too.
Vance's Plan A was to make a bargaining chip. He was still going to become stronger, but didn't want to fight right off the bat. He just wanted his computer back. If all he had to do was give the kid something he would like in return, maybe he would just give him back his computer. Then everyone walked away happy.
If that didn't work, there was always Plan B. There was an old Marital arts Dojo in town. There, he could learn how to fight, and eventually become strong enough to get his computer back. That computer was worth anything to Vance. If he had to strain his weak body to get stronger, then so be it. His only hope was that the boy didn't sell it. Or even worse, look at it.
(3 Months Later.)
Finally, Vance was ready. He had quickly rose through the ranks in his Dojo class, and was ready to take on the Silver haired boy. Still, he hoped the boy would take the Gift and go. Still, step one was to find the boy. Maybe if he asked around town, someone would know him. Also, he silently prayed that the boy would take the gift he made for him. Then nobody got hurt.
As Vance asked around, he heard people say the boy was a Gutter Rat. Vance knew enough to know this meant he lived on the streets. But then why did he have that violin, and why were his clothes clean. It didn't add up no matter how you look at it. Instead of trying to figure it out, Vance just continued his search. Eventually he found a lead.
One of his class mates at the dojo said they say the boy around a building in the slums. The building was still standing and was used as a low class hotel. "The boy and his family must live there." Thought Vance. "That explains the clean clothes, and the violin must be an heirloom. I guess I'll start there."
It took a while, but Vance finally found the hotel building. It was in even worse shape then Vance thought. A lot of the rooms were destroyed and left gaps it the tall building. Still, it still looked better then most of the buildings. Almost all of the other buildings were destroyed. Some crumbled from earthquakes, while others burnt down from fires. Yet through it all, this one building had survived almost completely.
Just as Vance walked into the building, he heard the boys voice. While he didn't know where it came from, Vance knew it was him. His first thought was to ask the front desk. When he walked over to the desk, however, all he found as a man passed out drunk. The man would be no help even if he was awake, so Vance turned to leave. It was then that he found the boy.
Vance crouched down behind a small dead tree to avoid being seen. He poked his head over two see what the boy was doing. He appeared to be talking with some dark haired woman. Vance's first thought was that must have been his mother. Not wanting to lose the chance, Vance got up and walked over to the boy and woman.
"Excuse me," Vance said calmly, clutching the box he held in front of him. "But I am the boy you took that laptop from. I was hoping I could get it back. I don't mean to leave you empty handed, but I also don't intend on leaving without it. So if you could please tell me where it is, I'll be on my way."
"Frey," said the women, "What is this boy talking about? What's this business about a laptop?"
"Nothing, Big sis." The boy, Frey, said soundly. "I think he may be confused. I'll go talk with him about it. Maybe I can sort this thing out. You just stay here and rest." And with that he pulled Vance outside. After checking to make sure the woman wasn't able to hear, he gave Vance an intense glare.
"Why did you come here?" Frey asked coldly.
"Like I said, I came to get my laptop back. I made this to trade for it." Vance held out the box. Instead of taking it, Frey just pushed it back.
"Look, I already sold it, so just take you thing and go ..." Frey never got to finish his sentence, as Vance gave him a solid jab to the face. When on the ground, Frey was instantly held in place by Vance. As Vance looked in to Frey's neon blue eyes, he saw what he wanted, fear and remorse.
"What do you mean you sold it? That laptop was my LIFE! You said to take it back, and that's what I came to do. So ether tell me who you sold it to, or I swear I will beat you until you beg to get it back!" Vance had completely given into his primal rage. Whatever got his computer back was fine with him though.
"Ok, I'll help you, just calm down." While still a bit edgy, Vance go off Frey and let the boy dust himself off. "Now then, the man I sold it to was an aristocrat by the name of John Hammin. He said he liked the model, or something, and offered me $6,000 for it. You saw how I live, so of course I sold it. If you follow me, I'll take you to him."
Frey turned to lead, but stopped when Vance said his name. When he turned around, he saw Vance holding the box out again. Frey thought it was supposed to be an apology, so he took it and thanked him. As he opened it, he found the most beautiful gift ever. Inside was a custom made, one of a kind Violin, made of steel. It was hollow, allowing the sound to vibrate more, and even had a place to plug in an amp. Frey knew it must have cost a fortune, and hours to build.
"Where did you get this?" Frey asked, stupefied. "Your family must have spent a fortune on this. It seems more like art then an instrument."
"That's the thing, I didn't buy it, I made it. I wanted something I could trade you for my computer. I figured a new, modern violin would be the most logical choice. It took months to plan and build, and I don't know much about violins to test it. That reminds me, could you test it for me? The bow is build into the arm."
Not sure how to respond to the face that the boy had MADE the gift, Frey checked the arm and pulled out a silver bow. As he pressed the bow to the strings, he could instantly tell the were slack. He tightened them to around where he thought would work. He placed the bow to the strings and went through the list of songs he knew. He decided on Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
Vance, never hearing any real music, knew that it was a beautiful song, but he didn't quite like the overall sound. Still, he smiled until Frey was done. He nodded his head, and held his arms out to let Frey be the leader. Frey, not having a second case, held onto the Violin and took Vance to the gates of Hammin's estate.
"Wow, so this is the Guy who bought my computer?" Vance said. "How are we even going to get in?"
"You leave that to me." Calmly, Frey walked over to the little buzzer on the gate. He pushed some buttons and said a word to the buzzer. A few seconds later, the gates started to creak open. Vance and Frey then continued to walk up to the Mansion. It was far larger and sinister up close. Vance could tell this wasn't going to go smoothly.
"Here, when I say 'Now!', put these in your ears." Frey handed Vance a pair of earplugs. Vance didn't know why he would need them, but took them regardless. His excitement was building and was caring less and less about what needed to be done.
"Would you relax, I'm not going to break it?" The boy then reached around his back and pulled out what looked like a small guitar case. The boy undid the top and pulled out a Violin. As he held the bow to the strings, the last thing Vance remembered him saying was, "Why don't you take it back after a nap."
The next thing Vance knew, it was night, and the boy was gone with his computer. Instead of going home, Vance just sat there, crying. The one thing in the world he loved, gone. If only he had been stronger. If only he could have fought. Then maybe he could have gotten his computer back. This was why he hated people, they think they can always beat him and take what mattered to him.
When the sun rose, Vance finally decided to go back to the orphanage that he and his brother lived at. His brother could have helped him, if he was still around. But now, no one can help him. It was all up to Vance to get his computer back. And he would do it one way or another.
When Vance returned to the orphanage, no one came to greet him or make sure he was ok. It had been like that for years now. So, instead of going to his room, he went out back to the shed. That was what he used as his workshop. The administrator said as long as he was quiet and didn't make any problems, he could use it however he wanted. That was the only nice thing anyone ever did. And it would probably be the last time too.
Vance's Plan A was to make a bargaining chip. He was still going to become stronger, but didn't want to fight right off the bat. He just wanted his computer back. If all he had to do was give the kid something he would like in return, maybe he would just give him back his computer. Then everyone walked away happy.
If that didn't work, there was always Plan B. There was an old Marital arts Dojo in town. There, he could learn how to fight, and eventually become strong enough to get his computer back. That computer was worth anything to Vance. If he had to strain his weak body to get stronger, then so be it. His only hope was that the boy didn't sell it. Or even worse, look at it.
(3 Months Later.)
Finally, Vance was ready. He had quickly rose through the ranks in his Dojo class, and was ready to take on the Silver haired boy. Still, he hoped the boy would take the Gift and go. Still, step one was to find the boy. Maybe if he asked around town, someone would know him. Also, he silently prayed that the boy would take the gift he made for him. Then nobody got hurt.
As Vance asked around, he heard people say the boy was a Gutter Rat. Vance knew enough to know this meant he lived on the streets. But then why did he have that violin, and why were his clothes clean. It didn't add up no matter how you look at it. Instead of trying to figure it out, Vance just continued his search. Eventually he found a lead.
One of his class mates at the dojo said they say the boy around a building in the slums. The building was still standing and was used as a low class hotel. "The boy and his family must live there." Thought Vance. "That explains the clean clothes, and the violin must be an heirloom. I guess I'll start there."
It took a while, but Vance finally found the hotel building. It was in even worse shape then Vance thought. A lot of the rooms were destroyed and left gaps it the tall building. Still, it still looked better then most of the buildings. Almost all of the other buildings were destroyed. Some crumbled from earthquakes, while others burnt down from fires. Yet through it all, this one building had survived almost completely.
Just as Vance walked into the building, he heard the boys voice. While he didn't know where it came from, Vance knew it was him. His first thought was to ask the front desk. When he walked over to the desk, however, all he found as a man passed out drunk. The man would be no help even if he was awake, so Vance turned to leave. It was then that he found the boy.
Vance crouched down behind a small dead tree to avoid being seen. He poked his head over two see what the boy was doing. He appeared to be talking with some dark haired woman. Vance's first thought was that must have been his mother. Not wanting to lose the chance, Vance got up and walked over to the boy and woman.
"Excuse me," Vance said calmly, clutching the box he held in front of him. "But I am the boy you took that laptop from. I was hoping I could get it back. I don't mean to leave you empty handed, but I also don't intend on leaving without it. So if you could please tell me where it is, I'll be on my way."
"Frey," said the women, "What is this boy talking about? What's this business about a laptop?"
"Nothing, Big sis." The boy, Frey, said soundly. "I think he may be confused. I'll go talk with him about it. Maybe I can sort this thing out. You just stay here and rest." And with that he pulled Vance outside. After checking to make sure the woman wasn't able to hear, he gave Vance an intense glare.
"Why did you come here?" Frey asked coldly.
"Like I said, I came to get my laptop back. I made this to trade for it." Vance held out the box. Instead of taking it, Frey just pushed it back.
"Look, I already sold it, so just take you thing and go ..." Frey never got to finish his sentence, as Vance gave him a solid jab to the face. When on the ground, Frey was instantly held in place by Vance. As Vance looked in to Frey's neon blue eyes, he saw what he wanted, fear and remorse.
"What do you mean you sold it? That laptop was my LIFE! You said to take it back, and that's what I came to do. So ether tell me who you sold it to, or I swear I will beat you until you beg to get it back!" Vance had completely given into his primal rage. Whatever got his computer back was fine with him though.
"Ok, I'll help you, just calm down." While still a bit edgy, Vance go off Frey and let the boy dust himself off. "Now then, the man I sold it to was an aristocrat by the name of John Hammin. He said he liked the model, or something, and offered me $6,000 for it. You saw how I live, so of course I sold it. If you follow me, I'll take you to him."
Frey turned to lead, but stopped when Vance said his name. When he turned around, he saw Vance holding the box out again. Frey thought it was supposed to be an apology, so he took it and thanked him. As he opened it, he found the most beautiful gift ever. Inside was a custom made, one of a kind Violin, made of steel. It was hollow, allowing the sound to vibrate more, and even had a place to plug in an amp. Frey knew it must have cost a fortune, and hours to build.
"Where did you get this?" Frey asked, stupefied. "Your family must have spent a fortune on this. It seems more like art then an instrument."
"That's the thing, I didn't buy it, I made it. I wanted something I could trade you for my computer. I figured a new, modern violin would be the most logical choice. It took months to plan and build, and I don't know much about violins to test it. That reminds me, could you test it for me? The bow is build into the arm."
Not sure how to respond to the face that the boy had MADE the gift, Frey checked the arm and pulled out a silver bow. As he pressed the bow to the strings, he could instantly tell the were slack. He tightened them to around where he thought would work. He placed the bow to the strings and went through the list of songs he knew. He decided on Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
Vance, never hearing any real music, knew that it was a beautiful song, but he didn't quite like the overall sound. Still, he smiled until Frey was done. He nodded his head, and held his arms out to let Frey be the leader. Frey, not having a second case, held onto the Violin and took Vance to the gates of Hammin's estate.
"Wow, so this is the Guy who bought my computer?" Vance said. "How are we even going to get in?"
"You leave that to me." Calmly, Frey walked over to the little buzzer on the gate. He pushed some buttons and said a word to the buzzer. A few seconds later, the gates started to creak open. Vance and Frey then continued to walk up to the Mansion. It was far larger and sinister up close. Vance could tell this wasn't going to go smoothly.
"Here, when I say 'Now!', put these in your ears." Frey handed Vance a pair of earplugs. Vance didn't know why he would need them, but took them regardless. His excitement was building and was caring less and less about what needed to be done.
♠ ♠ ♠
Still in progress.