Chapter 15: Welcome Home, Stranger
653 Words
The train shuddered abruptly once the doors had closed behind Zamora.
Some sort of metal creaked somewhere underneath as the whole train began to inch out of the station, further down into the depths of Elysium.
All the brightly lit neon of the city vanished from view, hidden by the shadows and flickering lights of the tunnel ahead, leaving only the black concrete walls streaking past outside the window.
The silence inside the train was eerily quiet.
She began surveying her surroundings as she held her phone.
The train was far more ancient-looking than the city itself, its windows broken, its lights flickering, and its metal seats soiled with unknown stains.
Certain passengers were completely still as she made her way through the car; no one said anything, or even met each other's gaze, as most weren't even blinking.
The train speakers crackled overhead suddenly.
WELCOME TO TRANSIT ROUTE NINE.
EXPECTED ARRIVAL TIME: UNKNOWN.
The speaker immediately dissolved into static, and her stomach twisted into knots.
Unknown?
The train began to move much more quickly, and she felt her phone vibrate yet again.
PRIVATE SYSTEM MESSAGE:
SYSTEM CONNECTION STABILIZED.
LIMITED DISTRICT SERVICES AVAILABLE.
Then new options appeared underneath.
AVAILABLE PROPERTY OPTIONS:
— SMALL ONE-BEDROOM APARTMENT
RENT: 2,000 CREDITS MONTHLY EXEMPTED REGISTRATION INCLUDED
— PURCHASE PROPERTY
15,000 CREDITS
FAST TRAVEL ENABLED
UNDER THE RADAR STATUS INCLUDED
She stared at the options for several long seconds while the train lights flickered overhead.
An apartment.
It seemed mad, considering all that she'd been through.
However, in the depths of her heart, another emotion was gradually beginning to form.
Security, a place to rest and be safe from the prying eyes of others.
Elysium was terrifying, but for the first time since arriving in the simulation, she could envision survival within it.
Her thumb began to hover above the 'buy' button. 15,000 credits.
Precisely how much she had. The train jolted suddenly.
In the corner of her eye, she saw something flash past the window.
Zamora pressed PURCHASE.
PROCESSING…
PROPERTY ACQUIRED.
DISTRICT 9 MICRO-APARTMENT REGISTERED.
FAST TRAVEL UNLOCKED.
RESPAWN POINT UPDATED.
Then, overhead, the system confirmed her purchase globally.
PLAYER ZAMORA HAS PURCHASED AN APARTMENT: 15,000 CREDITS
"Damnit…" she mumbled nervously.
She felt a chill run down her spine as she read the final line respawning point.
Death was being talked about with such familiarity by the system now.
She received another notification right after that.
PRIVATE SYSTEM MESSAGE:
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS NOW AVAILABLE.
FAST EASY JOBS: 500–2,000 CREDITS.
DIRTY JOBS (BLACK MARKET): 5,000–10,000 CREDITS.
SELL ITEMS: CREDITS VARY, GO LIVE.
THROUGHOUT ELYSIUM: 5,000 CREDITS .
PER HOUR, START A BUSINESS: 300,000 CREDITS.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Go live?
The lights on the train flickered wildly once more, and all the people in the carriage turned to her, staring at her intently without blinking.
And then her phone started vibrating in her hand like crazy.
GO LIVE FEATURE TEMPORARILY BOOSTED.
DISTRICT 9 BONUS MULTIPLIER ACTIVE.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: STREAM NOW.
"What…?"
The screen suddenly shifted by itself.
LIVE STREAM ACTIVATED.
Her heartbeat stopped for a split second.
VIEWERS CONNECTING…
14…
52…
188…
607…
"No no no—"
PLAYER ZAMORA HAS GONE LIVE ON TRANSIT ROUTE NINE.
WATCH NOW?
The viewer count exploded instantly.
VIEWER COUNT: 3,441+
Messages flooded her screen faster than she could process them.
[VOIDWATCHER88]: SHE ACTUALLY BOARDED… LMFAO
[AcidRainFan]: BRO DISTRICT 9 ISN'T REAL
[GhostSignal]: why are the passengers staring at her like that…?
[DistrictEyes]: DON'T LET THEM LEARN YOUR NAME
[Dirty_Grandpa]: come to me, I'll give you a time *wink* *wink*
[VoidGoblin]: she's dead in 10 mins
PLAYER ZAMORA RECEIVED A DONATION: 5,000 CREDITS.
She was frozen to the bone as one of the passengers sitting opposite of her grinned, but the grin stretched impossibly wide.
Every light inside the train died instantly, and then she heard a voice murmur something in her ear.
"You shouldn't have bought property here."
- Writer
