Hey everyone. I’ve been working on this while doing other stuff for the site. It’s not as polite as some stuff you might find online. I have two other things I’m working on that are a bit longer (full Novellas), that I might post online if I don’t find a publisher (which I won’t, who wants to publish this type of stuff besides me!)

Let me know what you think below 🙂

The Grind

The soft hum of the light within my coffin woke me. The purple haze illuminated the surroundings and flickered briefly. A voice came on over the coffin, in a choppy fashion:

“I-113-A: TWO-HOURS REST.”

The coffin shifted open for me to step out. My legs wobbled as I moved. Outside, smog swallowed the slum, hiding a pale white sun behind the clouds. A jingle played over one of the microphone stations outside the habitation cell.

“ZAN-PEK…ZAN-PEK…WITH EACH STEP! ZAN-PEK!”

The clock in my arm displayed that it was 6 AM. None of the chemheads or whores would be up yet. I slapped a Zan-Pek patch to my chest, and felt the chems pump into my body.

I stepped into my small bathroom, which had an old toilet and a sink within it. I stood by the sink, and counted down to 6:05. The water shot out of the faucet, and I tried to clean myself as fast as I could. By 6:06, it was over. The only thing I could think of was that I wouldn’t smell like the belle of a ball.

Inside my small closet were two outfits. One was a stained beige jumpsuit. The other was a dress uniform, neatly pressed and rarely worn. I put the beige jumpsuit on, and my armour. I slid the ‘pea-shooter’ into my holster.

I thumbed my badge between my hands as I attempted to shine it. The Ministry of Civil Enforcement. The badge had dulled and lost its sharp appeal many years ago. I put it on my armour. As I moved to step outside, I could hear my neighbours finally waking up. A giant of a man stomping around upstairs, as if he wanted to collapse the floor. To my right, the sounds of impassioned sex between two chemheads. Naturally, to my left was a young family who liked to hit each other around. I walked out.

I stepped over the body sprawled out inside the tight corridor of the habitation cells. It had been there for several days now, and was beginning to stink. The corpse cleaners should have been by, but most people avoid the Industrial Zone. Turning my way down the steps, a group of four youth-dregs were sitting on the stairs gambling.

Their eyes were hollow and the stench that came from them made me think they had not slept. Their eyes twitched towards me and darted between one another.

“Move,” I commanded, and they listened, scrambling to get their things. I turned and fixed a hard look towards the youth with chopped hair. “Go to sleep.”

The stench of the habitation cell was one thing, but the true stink of the city did not hit me until I stepped outside. Every ounce of sweat, blood, cum and viscera could be smelled. The tiny, cramped industrial slum left little to the imagination of men.

Graffiti lined the grey concrete of my cell. Outside, sprawled in massive writing, was: “Beware the Redeemer.” Another doomsday cult, I’d bet. If only it would come.

As I reached the locked gate, I typed in the randomly generated code. Today it was ELEVEN-TWENTYEIGHT. I was reminded of something, and I smiled softly. The memory quickly fled from my mind as the stench entered my body. I stepped over the body in the entryway. Half-naked and bloodied. Some chemhead child prostitute. LA PUNTAN CHE was scrawled above it. The pygmy languages of the freaks. The megaphone screeched, “SWEET-SWEET-SWEET…” It looped, robotic and jumbled. An artificial noise assaulted my ears. “SWEET SARAH’S. FOR ALL YOUR DESIRES. DE-SI-RES. DESIRES.“

To my right, a man in a uniform similar to mine was hunched over a garbage can, vomiting up his breakfast. I grimaced.

“I-113-A,” I told him. “What are you doing here?”

A short man looked up at me, and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I am H-245-B.” He handed me his badge, and he suddenly corrected himself. “I-113-B. Your partner. I’ve been reassigned. Luis.”

I grunted at him. “Fine.” He seemed to be waiting for something. “We have a case today. Sanitation worker Alvarez did not report for work yesterday. He showed up to work two hours late. Unapproved.” I let the word linger there.

Luis stood staring at me, seemingly lost. I stopped walking. “It is a privilege to work, 113-B. Out here in the Industrial Zone. Unemployment is 93%. Can you believe that? I would have expected it to be much higher.” I chortled, but my new partner stood there horrified.

“We have to enforce labour policy here?”

I moved away from my partner. “Criminal Code C-8, Section A, Subsection 2. Any worker who is found truant must report their unauthorized absence to Civil Enforcement. Sufficient reasoning must be provided to the Civil Enforcement Inspector. Failure to comply will result in loss of wages, loss of job, loss of limb, loss of life.”

Luis gagged once more as we moved into ‘Party Town’, a collection of brothels, clubs, bars, and strip clubs. Barely clothed masses of flesh bounced up and down outside the clubs, as the streets were wall to wall with people. “It smells. Get over it, 113-B.”

I glanced down towards the Meat Market, a basement club. “What’s that place?” Luis asked.

“Just a club. Don’t mind it,” I responded. “What got you transferred out here?”

“Oh, I…” It was as if something was stuck in his throat. “I was deemed too violent by my station Warrant Charge. During a drug bust, I had to kill five people. He said if I want violence so much, he would send me to Industrial.”

“Only five?” I lit a cigarette. “Well, that number will likely go up out here. I just had to execute a fleeing suspect inside my own habitation cell. You living in one?”

“No,” he said too quickly. “I have a wife and two kids. I still live in the Habitable Zone.”

I gritted my teeth. Of course. “Good for you.” I quickened my pace.

“What about you?” He tried to catch up to me. I thought about her for a brief moment, but pushed it aside.

“Enough talk. We have work to do.” I pointed at the door.

“We’re here already?”

I nodded, and drew the liquifier pistol. I banged on the door. “Enforcement. Comply, or face the consequences!”

“Fuck!” I heard movement behind the door, and it opened. A short man stood there. “What are you doing here?”

“Are you Alvarez?”

“Yes.”

My armoured fist smashed his teeth in. He tumbled backwards. “You are charged with truancy of the second degree. Why.” It was not a question.

The man wept while on the floor, blood pooling out of his mouth. Luis stepped in, and swept the room with his eyes.

“You were late to work. Two hours, truant.” I pointed the liquifier at him. “You better give me a good reason.”

“My daughter,” he moaned in pain. “She’s missing.”

“Truant, you file a missing person report after your shift is concluded.” I charged the liquifier. “You let us handle it.”

“Inspector,” Luis said, holding his arm out to stop me from firing, “perhaps we should hear him out.”

“These deadbeats come up with all sorts of excuses.” I looked down at the man. “Tell us about your daughter.”

“Her name is Maria. She’s eight. Some men came by and broke in. They stole her from me. My wife is sick, she couldn’t protect her. I was at work.” He sobbed between sentences. I felt sickened by his tears.

“Her name is Maria?” I lowered my gun.

He nodded.

“Fine. We will see if you’re telling the truth. For now you’re being put in a bag. We’ll hold you in isolation for two weeks while we investigate. If you’re lying, I will make your final hours hell.”

We bagged him, and transporters came by to pick him up. Luis was pale, and sickly.

“What’s the matter?” I asked him.

“Nothing.”

“No. Everything is the matter,” I corrected him. “Don’t forget that. So, Maria Alvarez. Missing.”

“I’ve already alerted our Warrant Charge,” Luis said.

Impressive. Green officers rarely impressed me. I smiled at him. “Good. What did they tell you about her?”

“Eight years old. Not currently in school. Her holo-picture.” He showed it to me. A pretty young girl with black hair, and a freckle on her cheek.

“I can see why they kidnapped her. She’ll fetch a good price on the market.”

“Jesus.” Luis seemed sickened. “Do you have to be so casual?”

I ignored his dig. “Who does she hang around with?”

“A petty youth-gang.”

“Called something stupid, I bet. The Vultures, The Dogs.” I stopped myself. “Well?”

“They’re known as the Sixers. They like to cut people six times.”

“Clever.” I smirked. “At least it’s better than what I thought.”

Luis nodded. “The leader of their gang. A boy called Nineshanks.”

“His parents named him that? Are you sure that’s not his street name?”

Luis shook his head, and showed me the holofile. “They called him that.”

I gritted my teeth. “No wonder he’s a fucked up kid.”

His housing cell was only a quick walk from where the girl lived. It made sense. These youth gangs rarely had large criminal territory. They would be here one day, and gone the next.

I banged on the door. “Civil Enforcement, we are looking for Nineshanks.”

“He don’t live here!” a woman said.

“Well, where do he live then?” I mocked her industrial accent.

“He left. I don’t know where.”

I heard whispering behind the door. Drawers were being opened, and I heard the voice of a man.

I kicked the door in. “Enough bullshit.”

Luis rolled his head back. “For fuck’s sakes!” He followed in behind me.

“Nineshanks. Where is he?”

A group of ten children were gathered around. Skinny and sickly. This woman, however, was plump. A human vacuum cleaner.

“Where your warrant?”

I pulled out an old pad, and showed it to her. She glanced it over and handed it back. “Fine. Why you want Nineshanks?”

“I want to question him about Maria Alvarez.”

“His girlfriend?” she asked.

“If that’s what you call it. Your boy is almost an adult, and he’s dating an eight year old girl.”

“She don’t look eight.”

“Well, she is eight. Now she’s missing. Your boy is our lead suspect. If I don’t talk to him, I’ll put the call out. He’ll be in a black bag by the end of today.”

She tensed her shoulders. “You won’t do that.”

Luis interjected, “I think he will.”

Her face went pale. “He how we make our money. You don’t want us starving.”

I looked around the cell. “No, we can’t have you starving.”

She started blubbering. “He doing collections. Don’t hurt him.”

“Just a few broken bones, don’t worry.” I turned and walked outside with Luis.

“Issue non-travs to this cell. They aren’t allowed to leave Industrial.” I pulled out a patch of Zan-Pek and put it on my neck. “I don’t expect Nineshanks will be very forthcoming.”

“No, most likely not. He will assume we’re there to bust him for rape.” Luis was typing on the pad.

“If the girl wasn’t missing, I’d rip his balls off and bag him.” I let the Zan-Pek rush through my system, and my teeth ground together. “I’d rather find the girl, though.”

“I haven’t known you long, but I’m surprised.”

I stopped Luis with my arm. “Don’t think I don’t care.” I glared into his eyes.

“Sorry,” he said awkwardly. “Just banter.”

“Shut your mouth, and do your job. We aren’t friends.” I was harsher than I wanted to sound, and softened. “Let’s find the girl and do our jobs.”

We walked the habitation block. Thousands of cells were built upon one another in a small 500-square-metre area. The towers stacked so high, they vanished into the thick black smog which hung overhead. Nineshanks dressed like a typical youth-ganger. Bright colours, flashy clothes, and a haircut that was too large. A yellow spiked mohawk. At least he’d stand out.

“There he is.” Luis tapped my arm. “What should we do?”

I pressed a button near my collar. My voice boomed loudly. “Attention Nineshanks. Civil Enforcement is here to question you. Turn yourself in.”

“Go fuck yourself!” Nineshanks drew out a small ballistic auto-gun.

Three other men wearing similar clothing also pulled out small arms. Luis went white.

“Compliance is not required.” I charged the liquifier.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Three shots of his auto-gun rang out. One slug ripped a sanitation worker in half. Luis took cover behind a crate and fired his sidearm. I turned my focus towards one of the other youth-gangers, who pulled out a small pea-shooter.

An arc of lightning shot out from my liquifier, disintegrating his bones. He collapsed into a wet liquid.

“Fuck, they killed Little Pete!” one of the youth-gangers shouted.

Several children ran between our gunfire. “Shit.” I took cover behind a wall. I held up a fist to get Luis to stop firing. Nineshanks continued to fire at us. If he hit one of those children I would not show him mercy.

“Inspector!” Luis called out, and pointed to my left. I quickly turned and fired the liquifier at a large man charging towards me. He was a puddle before I could process it.

“Nineshanks!” I issued a command over the speaker. “Drop your weapon and turn yourself in. You will be spared.”

“I’m not spending my life in a bag!” He was taking cover behind a dumpster nearby.

“I’ve killed two of your friends. Want me to kill the rest?” I boomed.

The remaining youth-gangers were breaking into a full retreat, trying to make it into the nearby sewer. Luis opened fire at them, and they fired back. They disappeared down below, and Luis trained his gun at the opening. Nineshanks began to panic, yelling at them in gutter-speak. They did not respond.

“Final warning.”

“Fine! Fine!” He tossed his auto-gun towards the centre of the firefight. The auto-gun banged loudly against the concrete. A child darted towards it, and grabbed it. Before I could order him to drop the weapon, he disappeared beneath the sewer grate. I cursed under my breath. Nineshanks went into the centre of the square, and put his hands on his head. He got down onto his knees without being ordered to.

Six sanitation workers were dead. No children. I stepped over the bodies.

“Nineshanks. You are under arrest for murder, extortion, and the rape of a child.”

He smirked. “No rape.”

“We’ll see.” I cuffed him.

Luis was communicating into his wristpad, and I dragged Nineshanks to his feet. “We just wanted to ask you questions about Maria Alvarez.”

“Oh yeah, she’s a good piece,” he said. My fist connected with his jaw immediately.

“She’s missing. Did you and your boys kill her?”

“No.” He wasn’t lying. “No, I love her.” The truth. He seemed offended at the allegation.

“Then where is she?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, Civ-en. What’s it matter to you anyways?”

I glared at him. “It’s my job.”

He spat out blood onto my shoes, and laughed. “Fuck off.”

I issued a command through my wristpad for a bagman. Several moments later, a bagman came by. Nineshanks looked at me. “Please, I told you what I know.” His smirk vanished. The skinny man wearing a hood approached us. He took control of Nineshanks, and led him into a van.

“What do you want to find out?” he asked.

“Apply your techniques as you see fit. We need to know where Maria Alvarez is.”

The hooded man nodded, and left as quickly as he came.

Luis cautiously approached me. “You’ve been shot.” He pointed to a red stain on my armour. I grunted, and removed the chestpiece. Beneath it, a small hole had been punched into my side.

“Get me a kit,” I told him, and he returned with what I needed. I pulled out the slug from my wound, and poured in heal-gel. I stitched the wound shut.

“The bagman will tell us what Nineshanks knows. Though I think he’s as clueless as we are.” I finished dressing my wound.

Luis thought for a moment. “There must be areas where girls are trafficked. If she was dead, Nineshanks would be the culprit. Missing though? Something isn’t adding up.”

“Girls are trafficked every day here. Especially cute ones.” I put my chestpiece back on. “Most clubs in Party Town sell girls and boys.”

“We could go there.”

No, that was a bad idea.

“We won’t find much if we go there officially.” I grunted as I flexed my wounded chest. “Besides, the Warrant Charge has special interests there.”

“What sort of special? Bribes?”

I nodded. “Open secret. She won’t approve of any warrant.”

Luis kicked a rock beneath his foot. “Well, what are we gonna do then? Give up?”

“Six people are dead. A child is missing. No, we can’t give up. If we push this off, the case will slip through the cracks.” I rubbed my jaw.

Many eyes were on us. Little kids in the block, as well as their unemployed pov parents. We were exposed, but my anxiety was eased as an older woman approached us.

“You’re looking for that girl? We overheard you upstairs.”

Luis rolled his eyes as he approached. “Yeah, as if this pover will have a clue,” he mumbled to himself. I gave him a glare, and his eyes fell to the ground.

“Maria Alvarez. Do you know her?”

The older woman nodded. “She hung around with those boys you just killed. But she hasn’t been here for a week. That fella who was leading them was tearing the hab block apart looking for her a couple days ago.”

“What were they looking for? Her?”

She shook her head. “No, a man. I guess he offered to buy her off Nineshanks.”

Well, at least he didn’t sell children.

“What did this man look like?”

She shrugged. “Not sure. Though he called him a suit.”

I looked over at Luis. “Thank you, ma’am. You’ve been very helpful.” I issued her a merit coupon, and she walked back into her cell.

“So, looks like a man from the Habitable Zone is shopping in Industrial,” I told Luis.

He shook his head. “No way, I don’t buy that for a second.” He seemed angry. “Why would they buy a person here?”

“I don’t know. Usually children aren’t sold in the Habitable Zone, unless things have changed?”

“Well, no. But, why?” He was confused.

“It happens often. Rich people seeking a thrill. Though, they rarely come alone.” I spoke into my wristpad. “Bagman, this is 113-A. New intel. Nineshanks was looking for a member of the Habitable Zone who may have purchased Maria.”

Silence. Then a slight buzz. “Affirmative.”

I thought for a moment. “113-B, why would Nineshanks be looking for the suit in this habitation block? You’d think he would have assumed he’d be long gone.”

Luis nodded his head enthusiastically. “Yeah, that doesn’t make sense. Could he still be here?”

Life was already returning to normal in his block. People were out selling goods. The bodies of the six workers had been picked clean. It was busy and bustling. I glanced up, and I noticed it. I noticed him. Amid all of the movement, a singular man was standing still watching us.

“There!” I pointed. We began to rush up towards the man, but he was taking off into the stacked habitation block. I waved Luis to go down the left alleyway, hoping to cut the man off. I pressed the button on my collar, and issued a command.

“Halt. Cease civil disobedience.” But the man continued to flee. My heavy armour weighed me down, and he was disappearing into the crowded street. Luis flew out of the side of the road, crashing into the man. The man tumbled off of the catwalk, and fell several hundred feet below. Luis hung off the side of the catwalk, clinging onto it.

“Help!” he called out for me, and I walked over. I lifted him up. “Stupid. Fucking stupid.” I clenched my fist. “Our one lead, and you murder him?”

“I was trying to stop him.” He was out of breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” I glanced down. “Well, go down there and secure the body. Fast.”

He sprinted away, faster than I had seen any man move before. I casually made my way down the sprawling habitation block tower, towards the lower levels. When I got down there, Luis was patting the body down.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Oh, I was seeing what he had on him.”

“I am the senior. I investigate. You wait for me.”

Luis stopped talking and stood to the side. The man was deliberately appearing dirty. Dirt where there shouldn’t be any. His fingernails were clean though.

I searched his pockets. No identification papers. No pad. Nothing personal.

A thick bundle of debt-certs was sewn into his coat. Dozens of names: labourers, povs, chemheads. Some stamped TRANSFERRED, others still awaiting purchase.

“This ghost sells debt,” I said.

Luis looked over my shoulder. “The worst kind of man.”

“Buys it from the desperate, sells it to whomever.” I flipped through the certificates. “Maybe he collects.”

Luis pointed at his nice clothing. “He wasn’t from around here.” That much was obvious. “Must be from outside the industrial sector.” He scratched his chin. “Nineshanks was looking for him?”

“How could we know that? Can you interview corpses?” I got up. “We’ll need to find out who he is. A ghost.”

“Well, I doubt he’d bring identification if he’s buying children.”

I shook my head. “If he bought Maria, where is she? No. This isn’t adding up.”

Luis typed into his pad. “We’ll get the guys at the office to look him over. Let’s get something to eat. Any good places around here?”

I shook my head. “No. We could go to Usman’s, though. He makes passable shawarma.”

Once the body was collected, I showed Luis where Usman’s was. A small food hut pressed between buildings in a nearby habitable block. I got us two shawarmas, and some fizz drinks.

“113-B, let’s go over what we know. Senior Alvarez was two hours late for work. He claims he was late because his daughter was missing. Why only two hours?”

My partner shrugged. “Maybe he was searching for her? Maybe he told Nineshanks about it?”

“Nineshanks was looking for her for the past couple days. We got the truancy report for Alvarez today. Why would he be late after the fact?” I took another pull from the fizz drink while Luis thought in silence for a moment.

“Maybe you got it in reverse. Nineshanks came and confronted Senior Alvarez, and Alvarez spent two hours being pressed by him.”

“Why not mention Nineshanks to us?”

Luis shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe he was afraid of him? He might be small time, but he would appear big to the povs.”

“No, Senior Alvarez isn’t a pov. He works. He would have reported it.”

Luis wiped his mouth. “Maybe he doesn’t want us poking around too much?”

“Could be. Let me see Nineshanks’ record.”

Luis passed me his pad, and I swept over to Nineshanks. Narcotics. Assaults. Rapes. The typical things you’d see.

“Nothing indicates a connection to civilized people,” I remarked.

“You know, this shawarma isn’t too bad.” Luis finished his food quickly. “I think I’ll come back here.”

“Your wife isn’t a good cook?”

“Oh, she’s fantastic. I just don’t get greasy food like this.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin again. “You know, you should come over for dinner. That’s a tradition, isn’t it?”

I ground my teeth. “Yes. Some continue to do that. To show their partner their family.”

“Maybe I could see yours?”

I pushed my food towards Luis. “I’m not hungry. We should get back to work.”

My wristpad buzzed. “Nineshanks is dead,” the bagman’s voice crackled through my wrist speaker. “Report back to the station for briefing.”

It wasn’t far to get back to our holding cells. Our bagman stood waiting in the green interrogation room. Nineshanks was strapped down to a gurney, and his face was sunken. The air was thick and heavy. Luis covered his nose and keeled over.

“He didn’t have as much endurance as I would have hoped,” the bagman said. “Here.” He handed me a datachip.

“How much did you extract?” I rolled the datachip between my fingers.

“Enough. I have something else to report.” He showed me his terminal. Senior Alvarez was pacing in a small room, scratching his arms. His eyes darted back and forth.

“A chemhead.” He needed a hit. Badly. “It is illegal for workers to consume narcotics.”

Luis came over and looked. “Looks like he’s craving it bad. Should I interview him?”

I shook my head. “No, review the datachip that our bagman collected.” I pressed it into his hand. “I’ll interview him.”

The bagman wheeled Nineshanks out of the room, and I made my exit down the halls. I grabbed Alvarez, and brought him to an all-white room.

“How much longer am I gonna be in here?” He looked tired.

“Until we find your daughter.”

He bit his fingernails. “That could take forever. What crime did I commit? Why am I being held here? I was late to work for two hours. I should be given a fine. I’m sorry, alright?”

I tightened my body, and leaned forward. “I ask the questions. Did you know Nineshanks?”

His eyes widened. “No. Not personally. I knew he was dating my daughter.”

“You didn’t think it was odd that a young man was dating your eight year old daughter?”

He grimaced. “I wasn’t happy about it. I told Maria that. She didn’t listen to me.”

“So, you never had dealings with Nineshanks?”

He shook his head fast. “No.”

“You didn’t have dealings with the local chem dealer? I find that hard to believe.”

“What? I don’t do chems. I’m clean. I’m clean!”

“You’re sweating, Alvarez. The beads of sweat running down your face. You’re scratching your arm. What is it? Zoman? Moon Crystal? You were in debt to Nineshanks, weren’t you?”

“No!” He jolted in his chair. “No! That isn’t true!”

“A bagman will find out. Run a tox report on you.” I narrowed my gaze. “Or you could tell the truth.”

“I took some Moon Crystal last night. I was worried about Maria.”

A lie.

“You took Moon Crystal last night, and this morning, and the night before too I’d bet.” I leaned back. “Who do you buy from?”

“Nineshanks. But only after he started dating Maria.”

“Here is what I think.” I got up and towered over Alvarez. “I think you sold your daughter. You let a criminal fuck her. An eight year old girl. He gave you drugs.”

Alvarez was sweating, and his eyes darted around the room. I pressed my attack.

“You let him take Maria. You owed him money. You’ve been smoking for the past couple days, and you missed work. It wasn’t because of Maria. It was because of the drugs.”

He shook his head. “No, that isn’t true. You got it all wrong.” Defiant. He smirked at me, and leaned back.

“I may have taken drugs,” he continued, “but I didn’t sell my daughter to Nineshanks. I’m not a monster.” That was the truth.

“We will see. The bagman will deal with you.”

The door opened. A man in a blue suit walked in.

“You’re going to cease this interrogation at once.”

“Who the fuck are you?” I spun around.

“I’m McGinty. Worker Union representative. You’ve stepped over your boundary. No communication to the union?” He wagged his finger in my face mockingly. I wanted to snap it in half. “Bad form, Inspector. Give the man his fine for drug charges and move along.”

“Your worker is engaged in child trafficking. He sold his daughter to a local thug. This goes beyond a labour dispute.”

“And you have proof for this? I didn’t think so.” The man was so smug, I could almost taste it.

“He confessed his daughter was dating his chem dealer.”

The man shrugged. “I don’t see the problem. This happens to thousands of girls. Why is this any different?”

The Warrant Charge walked in. “113-A.” Her voice was like steel.

“Ma’am.”

“Release Alvarez.”

McGinty led Alvarez out of the small cell. Alvarez turned around and gave me a mocking wave. The Warrant Charge stood in the doorway, blocking me in.

“Give me the details.”

“Alvarez was late to work. The Ministry of Labour alerted us, and we went to investigate.”

She cut me off. “And we have six sanitation workers dead.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Alvarez claimed that he was looking for his daughter. That’s why he was late. That was more pressing than his truancy. I directed 113-B that we would investigate the disappearance. Nineshanks was her boyfriend.”

She placed her hand on her hip, and sighed. “Your personal crusade is not admirable. Truancy was the bigger problem. It’s been dealt with. We can’t investigate every missing girl.”

I grunted. “If she has been trafficked, it means that people are profiting illegally. It means lost revenue.” I tried to sound convincing.

She squinted at me, and folded her arms. “What do you mean?”

“She wasn’t trafficked by Party Town. At least, that’s not what it looks like.”

She sat down, and steepled her hands. “How can you be sure?”

“A ghost. From the habitable zones. He ran when he saw us. I think this goes beyond just our little domain. Somebody wants a piece of our pie.”

She touched her slicked-back hair, and pushed up her bun. “Very well. Continue your search. If you find anything, you report it to me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I clicked my boots together and saluted. She saluted back, and walked out of the small room.

My partner turned the corner and entered the cell. “I examined the datachip that the bagman was able to extract. You gotta see this.”

I went to the terminal with him, and he spun the monitor around. The memories of Nineshanks had been digitized and uploaded, and I scrolled through the most recent entries. The final relevant memory opened with Maria screaming in tears.

“I ain’t going with you!” She wailed and tossed an empty bottle at the gang leader.

“Fucking cunt!” He smacked her across the mouth, splitting her lip.

“My dad is gonna take me to the city!” She remained defiant. It stirred up a memory in me, but I pushed it aside.

I spun the terminal away, and felt my lunch enter my throat. Luis walked over to me, and pulled up a chair.

“So, what are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking our shift is almost over.” I got out of the chair. “I’m going home.”

“Just like that?” He leaned forward. “Every minute that goes by without us finding her, is another minute she could be dead.”

I looked down the hall where we were holding her father. “Maybe. Her own family gave up on her.” I walked out of the room without saying another word.

I could hear him protesting, but I walked on. Party Town was nearby, and Luis did not belong there. Sweet Sarah could provide me some bone, as well as information. So I told myself. Sweet Sarah was heavily scarred in some incident I did not care to ask about, but she was still pretty enough.

“Inspectoooor!” I heard a young girl cry out. “Inspectooor! You coming to Sweet Treats tonight?”

I grunted in acknowledgement. I could smell Party Town before I heard the music. The scent of chlorine, sexual energy, and copious amounts of chems. The little girl crier ran over to me.

“Well, we giving out coupons tonight.” She handed me a dirty note. I snatched it out of her hands and she ran off.

Most of the chemheads and partyfiends were going to the Meat Market. Some new club had opened up with the approval of Party Leadership, and many were thrilled to see suits in person in the industrial sector. Armed men patrolled outside of the Meat Market. Several naked women were standing beside the building smoking glass.

Sweet Treats, in comparison, was rather quiet. I entered the dilapidated building, and at the counter stood Sweet Sarah. She was two feet shorter than me, with dead blue eyes and a busted lip.

“Having problems with clients, Sarah?”

“The same.” She glanced out the door as it swung closed behind me. “The Meat Market is busy. Surprised you aren’t there.”

“Why?” I pushed several credit rolls towards her. “I need you tonight.”

“It’s always me. We got better girls here than me, Inspect.”

I frowned. “I’m used to you.”

She laughed, but I did not. “Well, if you insist. You’re my last John, you know.”

We entered a small room, and she began to unbutton her pants and shirt. I pushed her over the bed, and fucked her. It wasn’t anything special. It was ordinary. It didn’t last long at least.

She sat on the edge of the bed. “Is that all you needed?”

“No,” I said, and handed her a datapad. “You seen a girl like this recently?”

She looked it over, and studied it. She adjusted her white wig casually, and slid the pad back to me.

“Yeah. Didn’t think you were into kids.”

I backhanded her. My knuckles caused a cut across her cheek, and some blood dribbled out. “I’m not.”

She rubbed the wound. “Then why are you looking for her? Seen her around Party Town with different men.”

“You’re sure about that?”

She nodded. “I’m positive. She goes by some made-up name. Marixi. I think that was it.”

“Marixi? Her name is Maria.”

“I could be wrong. I’m not lying.” Her eyes looked up at me as I towered over her. I cupped her chin in my hands.

“I believe you. Who did she hang around with?”

She shrugged. “Anyone with credits, rations, chems. I’m not looking out for other girls. I’m looking out for mine.”

“Fine.” I got out of bed and put it back inside my pants. “I’ll be back later. I need to rest tonight.”

Sarah nodded. She rustled around in her pockets, and handed me a credit roll. “Here. Give this to the Warrant Charge.”

“This is just my credit roll.”

“You’ve been the only customer today.”

“Well, when one whorehouse closes, another one opens.” I turned back towards her. “If business doesn’t turn up, she will order me to liquidate this place.”

“I know.”

I left the small building, and glanced towards the Meat Market. I felt slime on my spine. I glanced down at the credit roll Sarah gave me. This wouldn’t be enough. A suit was curled up on the street, and I approached him.

“Unauthorized use of chemical stimulants is illegal in the Industrial Zone.”

“Wha-what?” He was in a dream.

“You are using unauthorized chemicals without permission. Hand them over.” I shot my glove out at him.

“No man. No. You got it all wrong.”

I knelt down and looked him in the eyes. Some city boy had come out here to party. He was not present. Not here. Not anywhere.

“Have you seen this girl?” I showed him the datapad.

“Seen lots of girls…” Drool pooled out of his mouth.

“Useless.”

He began to spasm and writhe about in the gutter. I stepped over him and left. I could not tolerate this place for long. The smoke obscured whether it was day or night, but it did not matter. The party was always happening in Party Town. A line of girls stretched out of the Meat Market, as a man with a datapad took inventory. His eyes looked them over as if judging an animal.

I counted the girls myself. Sixty-three girls were lined up at the side door, looking to gain entry as working women. Some were pretty. They were waved in without a second look. The rest were twisted in some way. Grotesque and unsuitable for the job they sought.

“At least unemployment will go down.” I looked down at my boots, and saw that blood had stained them. I knelt down to clean it off. There was a time when a woman did this for me after my shifts. It was a small thing she did. My hands clenched as I thought about her.

No, I do not remember you. You’re gone now. Perhaps not. Perhaps you’re still here. Here somewhere. Old fairy tales and the wailing of those who did not know death spun in my mind. It was foolishness. I stood up and looked across the street. Forty women were ushered away from the side entrance. One of them began to cry. I almost felt bad for her. Almost.

Luis. His domestic life formed a picture in my mind as I watched this fat woman cry. He had a family, so he said. A wife that cheats on him and kids that don’t care about him. I didn’t have to worry about that here, in the pits. I took my hat off, and pushed back my hair. I could see Sarah staring at me from down the road. She looked sad as she watched me. I turned away from her and looked back towards the Meat Market.

Several men appeared and ushered in new girls to the side entry. They were a lot smaller. A lot younger. Forgotten girls pushed into the grinder. Nobody will remember them tomorrow. I put my hat back on, and walked towards Sarah.

“You hungry?” I asked her.

“Always.”

She invited me back inside, and I touched the mark I left on her face. I pulled out a small bandage and applied it to the wound. She went over and grabbed some common stew they were making.

“You know, men all act different after sex.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.” She pushed the bowl towards me. “Some become louder. Some become bolder. Some become thinkers.”

“I think it’s just sex.”

“Maybe.” She shrugged. “We both study people, Inspector.”

“What have your studies taught you?”

“I don’t know. Certainly not how to run a business.”

The brown stew did not fill me up. It was watery, and cold. “How many girls fall through the cracks?”

“Oh, I don’t think about that. Many I would imagine. Is that what you were thinking?”

“I was reminded of a girl I once knew. That’s all.”

“Your love?”

“No. It eluded me. It’s always eluded me.”

“It did for me too. Not even my own father loved me.”

“They seldom do.” Alvarez. Countless others. Selling their babies for scraps.

“What about your father?”

“He died when I was young. My mother was raped and killed by Redeemers. I was fit, strong, and intelligent, so the Party placed me in the program.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “My father hated me. Said I looked like my mother. He used me like her too.”

I wiped my mouth. “Happens a lot.”

“Yeah.”

We ate in silence for a couple minutes. She looked back up at me.

“So, why do you care about this girl?”

“I don’t. It’s just a case.”

She placed her hand on my hand. “I don’t believe that.”

“Why not?”

“Because every girl you see here was your Maria at one point. Nobody came for them. Nobody will come for her either. Let her slip through the cracks. Don’t chase after something already lost.”

Ghosts. That’s what it was. Was Maria even real? Did she die the day that Nineshanks took her? Was she already dead? Did she really choose to leave?

“Do you think anyone will remember me when I’m dead?” The words poured out of my mouth before I could dam them.

“No. Nobody will remember me either.”

I handed Sarah another credit roll.

“I’m tired. Let’s have another round.”

She pushed it back to me. “Keep it. This will be on the house.”

It was gentler. I was too rough earlier. It made me feel like a child. Embarrassed that I had done something wrong. I wanted to make it up to her. During my two hours of sleep, I didn’t dream much. What I did dream was of her. Lost in the darkness while hands grabbed at her. I stood there alone with a torch. I called out to her.

“Mar!” I cried, but nobody responded. I opened my mouth to scream again, but black smoke came out. It clawed and scratched at my throat, and the torch disappeared into the darkness.

When I woke up, Sweet Sarah was already gone. On the nightstand was a small letter. I opened it and a lipstick kiss was inside of it.

“We will remember each other.”

I grunted. It was time for my second shift. I slid the letter into my boot, and walked towards the showers. Sweet Sarah got five minutes of water per day for cleaning. She let me use one minute of her five minutes of time.

Before my overtime began, I stopped at my locker and pinned Sarah’s note above the mirror.

My overtime was about to begin. The giant halls of the Ministry loomed overhead, and I made my way towards the Warrant Charge. She would want the payments from Sweet Sarah. Luis would be home with his wife and children, of course.

“I don’t know how you do it,” the Warrant Charge said as I went into the Hall. “Most people work sixteens. You’re working twenty-twos. You want a promotion, 113-A?”

“No, ma’am. I’m bored.”

“Well, we got plenty of work for you to do.” She smiled politely. “Did you visit Sweet Sarah?”

“Yes.” I tossed her the credit roll. Her face twisted into a scowl.

“What the fuck is this? This is nothing.”

“I was her only customer today.”

“She owes us substantial back payments.” The Warrant Charge frowned. “We might need to liquidate it. You wouldn’t object, would you?”

“No, ma’am. Those are the rules.”

She laughed. “Those are the rules,” she echoed with a smile. “You can go do it. Serves you right for all the shit you’ve caused.”

“Ma’am, how much is she missing?”

“Several thousand at least.”

“I’m owed twenty-five thousand in overtime pay. Put that against her account.”

“That’ll give her some time.” She leaned back in the chair. “Twenty thousand. Five thousand is my tax. Should give her a month.”

I clicked my boots together. “Ma’am.” I saluted. She walked out without ceremony.

The door shut slowly, and I sat down. At least I’d have her for a month, maybe a bit longer. The door opened slowly, and Luis walked in.

“Inspector? You’re gonna want to see this.”

“See what?” See her face?

I stood up and followed him out of the room. My boots rang loudly against the cold metal floor, and we turned into the tiny office that I had in the Ministry. Luis spun the terminal towards me.

Maria was seen on local cameras entering the Meat Market. A large man had pulled her into the business.

“That was easier than I expected.” I leaned over to get a better look. It was her, all right.

“That’s why it’s good to have these cameras!” Luis was practically beaming. “Our first case was solved fairly easily. So, she ran off after Nineshanks beat her. Her dad threatened to move her away. It makes sense. Find work in the Meat Market.”

“Does it?”

He shrugged. “She’s just some junkie whore. I don-”

My fist smashed him in his mouth. He stumbled back, and looked shocked. “Wh-why did you do that?”

“Maria isn’t some junkie whore.” No, she was just a confused girl.

He held his busted lip with his hand. “That’s fucked up. You can’t just beat me.”

“I’m your superior. If I wanted to, I could execute you.” I spun the terminal away from him. “There is a reason my partners don’t last long.”

The silence lingered in the air for a minute. Luis began to look over a small datapad, looking away from me.

“Should we go to the Meat Market?” he asked.

I got up. “I’ll go. You stay here.”

He shook his head. “I need to protest this. You’re obviously upset with me about something. I thought we were getting along fine.” He sounded sad.

“Sorry.” It escaped through my teeth like a pathetic stream of old man piss. “You didn’t deserve that.”

“What’s going on with you? Why do you even care about this girl?”

I sighed. “It’s a long story.”

“Try me.” He did have balls. I laughed.

“Just an old memory, from when I was in the city.”

He squinted his eyes at me. “Your ex-wife?”

“My deceased wife,” I corrected him. “How do you know about that?”

“I pulled your file when I heard I was going to be your partner. Isn’t that why you were transferred?”

“So they claimed.” I spat into the incinerator beside my desk. “She was raped. I settled it. She died. End of.”

“I’m sorry.” He seemed hurt. “I didn’t realize.”

“You did. If you read the file.” I got up. “Let’s go to the Meat Market. It won’t be pretty.”

“How do you know?” He got up with a grunt.

I shot a look at him. “You’re smart. You can figure it out.”

Luis remained silent. That was probably for the best. It was a short drive over to the Meat Market, and faint rays of the sun cut through the blackened, smoke-filled sky. I killed the engine, and looked over at him.

“You’re gonna let me do the talking.” I reached behind and grabbed a large Ghetto Sweeper, with twenty-four gas-powered cartridges which could be fired in under three seconds. Luis paled when he saw what I was grabbing.

“Talking only?” he asked.

I left the vehicle, and walked towards the side entrance. A row of barely clothed women stepped aside for me, and a large bald man with tattoos was standing by the door.

“What the fuck?” Those were his last words. The blast threw him backwards towards the door. A puff of black smoke erupted from the barrel, and I stepped forward.

“Maria Alvarez. I’m here for the girl,” I declared, stepping over the body of the man. Luis was behind me, and I noticed his hands were shaking.

“Fucking Jesus Christ!” a man screamed from inside. “We have permits!”

Luis looked at me with a stunned expression.

“Where is she?” I stepped forward.

The black smoke began to dissipate, and three men were standing in front of me. The narrow corridor had been painted with viscera.

“What the fuck does it matter? She’s some street whore.” The man was wearing a purple suit. Some Fleshmonger, or one who fancied himself one.

“Yeah. This is a legal operation, Inspector! You got no fucking right to be here!” a man holding a small gun said. “If we have to call your boss, we will.”

The purple-suited man stepped forward cautiously, and held up the permit. “See? We can operate here. Girls come willingly. Some have debts, yes, and they pay off those debts. Debt service is permitted.”

It wasn’t criminal. I looked at the permit. Legitimate. I tossed it back to the man.

“She’s underage. She can’t consent to debt labour.” I stepped forward again. Luis trailed behind me.

“Correct.” The man took a step back. “But her guardian can. Her father? He owed us money and signed her over to us.”

“Where is she?” I looked around the narrow hallways.

“Upstairs, servicing a client,” the fleshmonger said matter-of-factly. I closed my eyes.

“Inspector, don’t!” Luis screamed beside me. His hand reached to grab mine.

It was too late. The three men were minced meat before Luis could grab my arm.

I felt coldness erupt through my gut. Luis stood there with his gun aimed at me. Smoke drifted out of his service gun. I fell back towards the wall.

“You’re fucking nuts!” he screamed as I slowly drifted down the wall. I could feel my blood sticking to my skin, but no pain. That was surprising.

“I’m calling this in,” he said, and went to speak into his wristpad.

I raised the sweeper as best as I could and fired. The blast missed his chest, but it took his leg off. He screamed in agony as I hauled myself up against the wall, grinding my teeth.

Upstairs with a client. My Maria, why would you do this to me? I climbed the stairs, and people stormed down. I felt light-headed now, but I pushed on. Black blood pooled underneath my shredded body armour. A stomach wound, I figured. I could smell the bile.

Each step felt like I was in a high-grav environment. Giant weights pulling me down towards the world. At the end of the hallway I could see her. I hadn’t seen her in so long. My eyes were heavy, and I could see her there.

“Inspector?” Maria called out from the darkness ahead. “Why are you here?”

“I came for you,” I think I said. “You were taken from me. He took you. Used you.”

Mar stood there just out of reach. “I didn’t get taken. I left.”

I wrapped my hands around her neck and squeezed. They did all of this. Made it legal, and washed their hands clean of responsibility. They owned my Mar. Nobody gets to own her.

“Inspector,” she gasped, clawing at me. “Stop.”

She couldn’t even call me by my name? Is this what they’ve taken from me? She stopped moving, and I collapsed on the ground. It started to burn now, and I couldn’t breathe.

. . .

“Inspector 113-A. You weren’t his partner for long?” a man with a bushy mustache asked Luis.

“No, sir.” The metal leg felt odd as Luis touched it. His eyes drifted downwards.

“He strangled that girl. Maria Alvarez? Did you know what he was planning on doing?”

Luis shook his head.

“Figures. That guy was so high on Zan-Pek he could barely see straight half the time.” He puffed on his cigarette. “You know we think he killed his wife too? She ran off with some Party officials to get fucked. They were all found dead.”

“He never mentioned it to me.” Luis looked up.

The man shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Severe mental breakdown stemming from narcotics abuse. He was even seeing some whores in Party Town.”

“I knew about that, sir.” Luis looked down again.

“Ah, don’t worry ‘bout it. Lots of Inspectors do that shit.”

“Are we having a funeral?” Luis asked.

The man thought for a moment. “No, he’s a criminal. That means you get the honour of packing his shit out of his locker. Take whatever you want. You’re cleared for duty.” He blew smoke out of his nostrils. “Luis, don’t make me fucking regret that.”

“You won’t, sir.” Luis snapped to attention, saluted, and walked out of the office.

Luis limped towards 113-A’s locker. Even the handle was cold to the touch, and Luis shivered. As he opened it, the smell of sweet strawberry perfume hit his nostrils. Photos of the Inspector and Sweet Sarah hung at the back of the locker.

A note was pinned on the door, just above a mirror.

“We will remember each other.”

Luis held it in his hands, and looked it over.

He tossed it into the trash.