The Undercity. Over a million people crammed together in far too little space, a sky made of concrete and massive spotlights, and buildings crowded so close together they might as well be conjoined. There was no sun here, so “time” was a concept that barely registered. Of course there were clocks hooked up to the surface time but who cared about those, save for organizing meetings? The only things that kept to a schedule were monorails that ran throughout the jungle of steel, concrete, plastic, and neon lighting.

But like it or not, this place is home. Home to over a million, all with their own lives, their own stories of trying to survive in this underground nightmare of a city. And this story, is the story of our lives.

Delilah hummed softly to herself as she rocked back and forth slightly on the balls of her feet. She was perched in a birdlike stance with her knees at her chest in the corner of one of the two makeshift bedrooms, her worn mattress shoved against the wall next to her, and a few sparse belongings piled up beside it, her gas mask and spare clothes among them.

Her music player was carefully placed beside her, with a pair of well-used and repaired earbuds placed in her ears as she blocked out the rest of the world, listening to her music. Her 'friends' in the group of scavengers still had no idea what she listened to, and she kind of liked that sort of mystery.

Leti was leaning against Delilah's building, knowing the shy girl was probably inside listening to her music. She knew that Delilah was older than her, but it often seemed as if she were younger. Leti wish she had some extra cash, just so the pair could go and grab a decent meal and drinks, for some one on one time. But, as with everyone else in the Undercity, there was never enough. She'd have to settle for the tortilla that was in her hand, filled with what was supposedly chicken and beans. Leti learned long ago, though, that most venders lied, and that you just had to put food in your stomach, not question where it came from.

As she ate her meager meal, she wondered what the others were doing, while watching people go past on the somewhat busy street. They were all potential targets, but she preferred the ones on their way home from working, rather than going to. Those were the kind of people that were more likely to be tempted, tired, needing to relax, with money in their pockets. Men were usually easier through this method, but women were more generous.

Sander ducked into a shadowed alleyway, his steps hastened while still appearing light and casual. The way ahead seemingly led to a dead end, but he knew better. Years surviving in this watering hole of a city had taught him much, and he knew its streets like the back of his hand. Just as he reached the end of the road, Sander leapt onto a nearby dumpster and jumped to the ladder lying on the opposite wall. A rung broke off then, but he merely discarded it and continued climbing. It really couldn’t be helped, the ladder had been here for a couple of years. Someone living in the nearby apartment had it installed, as an emergency escape of some sort, but after the lower half had broken off, they had abandoned it. He just used it as a shortcut to the roof.

Once arrived at his destination, Sander took a quick glance around. After confirming that he was devoid of any unwanted company, he sat down on one of the rusty AC units and took out a weathered wallet. Its content was disappointing, if not a little expected, since the owner didn’t seem too wealthy either. Probably just another factory worker on his way home after a round at the pub, his wallet empty save for some change. Sander didn’t actually plan to pickpocket the man though. He just spotted the old fart lying there on the sidewalk, wallet peeking out behind his coat. If he hadn’t took it, someone else would have. Stuffing the crumped notes into his pocket, Sander tossed the wallet down the side of the building, then took off.

It didn’t take him long to get back to his home though. Well, their home, since he lived with a group of Scroungers now. While he wasn’t quite fond of the decision, it offered him the much needed protection. And on the whole, they seemed fine, as far as scavengers went. Except the big guy, that Keith something though. Sander still felt uneasy around him, but it was probably just nerves. Just as he approached the building, a familiar face came into view. It was Leti, casually eating and eyeing passersby. He knew that look. With a smile on his lips, he took off his gasmask as he came to stand next to her.

“ ‘Sup Leti. What are you scheming this time?”

This place is such a mess... thought Ada as she scanned the rooms she and her Scrounger friends called home. She glanced at her corner, which was near a broken window that opened up to a half-lit neon sign, orange-red flickering occasionally. She had a small cabinet, and a big plush chair that she slept in--she preferred it to a bed, and it took up less space besides. Her belongings were meager, but she was fine with it. The more you own, the more you owe, a wise street-woman told her once. Her only prized possessions were a few fashionable outfits, and the cleaning supplies she needed to keep herself looking presentable.

Her corner was clean, as always. She sighed, and thought, I am living with a bunch of teenagers, afterall. What can I expect? The rest of the rooms were slightly cluttered and in disarray, which only ever seemed to bother Ada. Grumbling, she crossed over to the other room and found Delilah sitting on her bed, and put her hands on her hips as she watched her. She began making faces of exaggerated depression, and slumped herself dramatically against the wall, sighing audibly. Delilah did not seem to notice, too engrossed in what she was doing. Ada wondered what she was listening to, but knew that Delilah didn't like to talk about those things. Bored, and annoyed with the clutter of their living space, Ada decided to be disruptive and plopped down next to the young woman. She waved her hand in front of her face, and asked, "What're we doing tonight? Do we have work? Are we gonna go have fun? I'm getting sick of this place... I need to get out, ya know? We all need to get out."

Keith was tired of searching for work to do. He missed the days when work just came flooding to him. Nowadays, it's hard to find something that even paid enough to buy a meal; when you aren't part of a gang, it's even harder. Luckily for Keith, he had been in one of the biggest gangs in the Undercity for years and a few of the shopkeepers still relied on his skills from time to time. Not to mention, it was difficult for many Undercity-dwellers to find someone as willing and as capable as Kieth was to take care of their... problems.

Andrew Korbil's shop was one of the most frequented in the area by many, and Keith was still "welcome" to pawn whatever junk he came across there. Keith knew, however, that Korbil wasn't particularly fond of him since he had stopped speaking. It gave him an air of dark intimidation, and he was fine with that. Fear was a useful tool in the Undercity.

Keith patted the navy blue dufflebag that was slung over his shoulder as he walked in to signify that this wasn't a transaction to be made in public. Korbil gave Keith a wide berth while he walked to the door, barred it, and turned the 'Open' sign around to read 'Closed'. "This better be something good," Korbil half-whispered as he walked back to the counter. Keith slid the zipper open and spread the bag enough to reveal a standard issue police shotgun and shock baton. "Again? Are you fucking kidding me?! And you came here right after? You'll bring them right fucking to me!" This was the second time in two weeks that Keith had knocked out a police officer to pawn off their weapons. "Did they see you? I mean you stick out like a fucking sore thumb for Christ's sake." Keith subtly shook his head, his eyes fixed on Korbil's. Korbil muttered something under his breath, and reached under the counter to grab Keith's money. Keith laid the weapons on the counter and Korbil laid the money down next to them. Keith counted the money, and it was two dollars less than last time. He shot Korbil a look, his eyes burning with anger. Korbil cursed under his breath and dropped the two dollars on the counter. Kieth turned and went out, unbarring the door himself and slamming it behind him.

As Keith walked towards the house, he stopped by a food stand with a neon green sign flashing overhead. He pointed a thick finger to the only thing they were selling, meat on a stick. The old vendor held it out with the stick towards Keith, his hand wrapped around the curious meat. Keith took it and left what he owed in front of the bedraggled man. As he approached the house, he noticed the two youngest of his group in front, chatting. The boy gave him an uncomfortable glance as he walked past into the house. He gave a slight nod to the two girls in the corner, threw his dufflebag down and sat on his mattress to count his net earnings for the day.

It seemed despite her attempts to close herself off from the world, someone would always try and force their way into her bubble. When Ada started barraging her with questions she sighed audibly, and shot the older girl an annoyed look, pointedly not speaking until she'd paused her music and removed the earbuds, which she intentionally took extra time doing. “It's not like we have to do everything together, Ada. If you wanna get out there's plenty of opportunity.” She didn't look at her fellow scrounger as she spoke, her eyes were focused on carefully, almost ritualistically, wrapping up the cord of her earbuds and slipping them and her music player into a hidden pocket.

After finishing she finally looked over at the other girl, her face rather hard to read, as it tended to be. “Listen, I know work's been slow, but I've been working on something. Vito might have a job for us soon. I know he's not exactly given us the safest jobs but hey, they pay well, right? After one of his crazy schemes I'm sure we'll have plenty of surplus cash to pay for all your fancy clothes.”

She happened to finish her sentence just a brief moment before Keith walked by, to whom she paused to wave at casually. The other scroungers always seemed nervous around him but she always enjoyed his company, even if it was really just the two of them sitting in silence, it was somehow nicer than being alone.

Leti saw the young Sander coming her way, but her eyes never moved off her potential targets. Always watching, Leti could tell just about anything from someone's body language. The way Sander walked, a bit of spring in his step, but a slump in his shoulders meant that he was successful, but disappointed. Probably robbing people poorer than him again. He really needed to get better taste in targets. As the blonde spoke to her, she smiled thinly, "And why does our Ghost think I'm scheming? I'm simply hear enjoying the fresh air and what I hope is chicken. Or at least one of the better, fatter breeds of rat."

She always liked calling him that, with his bright hair and skin, plus his specialty of getting in and out of places, it just seemed suitable. About half of her tortilla left, she offered it to the boy, who had better know better by now than to refuse her. Her eyes saw the silent Keith approaching in what could only appear to be a huff. He always seemed annoyed and agitated about something. He really needed to relax. But that was on him, not her.

"Get the hell out you two-timing scumbag! Get the hell outta my house and never come back!"

Leti looked across the road, to see a woman swinging a frying pan as she drove a half naked man, and full naked woman, out her doorway. Leti smiled, a shark finally spotting its prey. "Excuse me Ghostie." The scene was almost comical as the young woman started her stride over, footsteps carefully, quietly placed, as she continued to watch.

"Delilah! I'm sorry, she tricked me! I only love you!"

The naked woman, now covering herself with what looked to be an old burlap sack was now glaring at him. "You lying sack of shit! You said you were going to leave her!"

Bingo, exactly what Leti needed. She walked past the man, whose begging continued, while his wife berated and yelled at him. The naked woman was getting more and more pissed, as Leti walked up and slugged her in the face. She fell to the ground with a gasp, and the fighting ceased. Leti straddled the woman, hitting her three more times in the face, before standing back up, looking down at her. "Take your whoring to the single men." With that, she spit on the woman, who was now sobbing in the dirt. Walking past the man, glaring at him, "You might want to go." He was still shocked, looking between the three women, before moving to the mistress of his, kneeling to check on her. Leti strode up to the wife, who now looked more hurt than mad, that he still chose the other woman. Leti placed a hand on her waist, "Come on hun, let's get you inside. You don't need to see this."

Even as Sander carried on his conversation with Leti, her glance never lost its predatory quality. It was still working hour for her, it seemed. Her specialty was, after all, seduction, so this seemed to be a good time as any. He preferred to work at night, where the hustle and bustle had died down a little bit. But then again, it was hard to tell down here.

“Well, if you say so.”- He smiled absent-minded as Leti offered him half of her tortilla. She was strange like that, always giving other people her food when she herself didn’t have enough. Maybe she was one of those girl with body imagine issues? Anyhow, he decided against refusing. She would have none of it. –“And for the last time, the name’s Sander”- He grumbled, but the words came out with less venom than he had hoped. He didn't dislike the nickname as much as he let on.

Just as when he began to eat his food, Keith came by. Sander remained silent, but his rigid posture betrayed the wariness he was concealing. The giant had always reminded him of those gangsters that fancied themselves the king of this city. His past encounters with them were less than friendly, and more often than not left him with a few broken ribs and black eyes. Sure, Keith had done nothing of the sort to his fellow Scroungers, but Sander still couldn’t help being paranoid. It was part of his survival instincts after all, something he had depended on so long.

When the shouting started across the streets, Sander turned his head to look, just in time to spot Leti moving at the corner of his eyes. So she found her targets, huh? He sat back and watched as the scene unfold, all while enjoying his food. It was probably rat meat, since chicken was only available in the fanciest restaurants around these parts. Back when he was still a kid, a man even hired him and some other kids to catch rats for him. Still, the food tasted fine, so he finished it in a few bites, then contemplated on his next actions. Leti had led the woman inside, undoubtedly to rob her blind later. He wondered if he should give her a hand. With the woman sufficiently distracted, he could find his way in and clean out the house in matter of minutes. But then again, Leti probably didn’t need his help and the house didn’t look big enough for both of them to get involve. With that in mind, Sander gave the house one last glanced, before going upstairs.

Sander paused at the door of the bedroom, where he spotted three other of his fellow scavengers. They appeared to be discussing something, so he decided to butt in.

“So, did I hear something about a job?”- He grinned, leaning on the doorframe.

Ignoring the annoyed glance, Ada smiled at Delilah as she finally took her earbuds off. Eventually the smile flipped into a frown as the other girl was taking her sweet time doing it. Ada began to drum her fingers impatiently, but eventually Delilah said, “It's not like we have to do everything together, Ada. If you wanna get out there's plenty of opportunity.”

Ada rolled her eyes, since the other girl wasn't looking at her. She put on a smile when Delilah finally decided to look at her, despite being a little annoyed about how difficult it was just to have a small conversation with her. Delilah continued, saying “Listen, I know work's been slow, but I've been working on something. Vito might have a job for us soon. I know he's not exactly given us the safest jobs but hey, they pay well, right? After one of his crazy schemes I'm sure we'll have plenty of surplus cash to pay for all your fancy clothes.”

Keith walked in at that moment, and Delilah waved to him. Ada looked in his direction, and nodded. The two of them tended to have an amiable friendship, considering that together they provided the protection for their fellow Scroungers. His methods differed from hers, to be sure, but that only made them more formidable as bodyguards when they worked together. Beyond that, she didn't delve too deeply into his past--she didn't delve into anyone's past, really, because she didn't want to have to explain her own. She discovered long ago that most people in the Undercity tended to be extremely bitter toward her when they discovered she lived in New Denver for much of her life, regardless of the actual difficulty of that life. To the people down here, life was better in New Denver, no matter what.

After Keith entered the room, she turned back to Delilah, and put a smile back on her face. She always tried to maintain friendships with all of her fellow Scroungers, even if their personalities didn't always make it easy. Of course, she never considered that her own personality might be annoying--that was inconceivable to her.

The news of the job did brighten her spirits. "That's good to hear, Delilah. You know I'm not worried about safety... Keith and I can handle any danger. Makes it more fun, anyway, don't you think? A little more... exciting. This place can get so very dull, you know. And, of course, I always love the extra cash--I am definitely in need of a new outfit, the ones I have are starting to fall apart. Man, I wish the tailors down here could get their hands on some better fabric..." She continued to ramble for a bit, and stopped herself when she noticed Delilah spacing out.

Clearing her throat, she added, "Anyway, when do you think you'll hear from Vito--" Just then, Sander walked into the room and also asked about the job. She turned to Delilah, waiting for more details.

Kieth didn't mind sleeping in a room with two girls, but Ada was always asking questions. He didn't understand why she couldn't just take what came her way like everyone else. She was less proactive than others in the group as well. Most of the scroungers had something to do on the side, but it seemed like she relied solely on jobs that were given to her. She always wore fancy clothes, which Kieth didn't understand at all. They were just going to get dirty. His thoughts trailed off when the young kid walked in. Everyone was itching for something big to come along, and that went for Kieth too. He silently awaited Delilah's news.

The moment the door closed behind the two women, the cheater's wife broke down into sobs. Leti pulled the woman's face to her chest, gently cradling her in a comforting embrace. "Get it out hun, get those tears out." While rubbing the woman's back, as the sobs continued loudly, Leti's eyes quickly took in her surroundings. For a resident of Undercity, this woman had a surprisingly comfortable and tasteful home. She even had one of those fancy security systems across the door and windows. Well, that ruined one plan of unlocking an unused window for Ghost to slip in sometime, but that was a crappy plan anyways.

Besides, Leti already had a knew one forming behind that shark-like grin. As the sobs died down a bit, Leti pulled away, but made sure to keep physical contact, so that the woman would continue to feel the trusting bond. Moving toward an open doorway, what she assumed was a living room or common room of some sort, "Come on hun, let's sit down."

Moving into the living room, the decor did not disappoint, aside from one area. There was a recliner, littered with crumbs and beer cans and other disgusting things lazy men left behind. Knowing that might set the woman off, she guided the woman, hand in hers, so that she turned with her back to the recliner as they sat on a surprisingly comfortable sofa. Leti easily slipped into the guise of the most caring of listeners as the woman told the entire story of her life with that pig. They'd been young lovers, and back then he was caring and hardworking. But one day she got a surprisingly good job as an overseer at one of the best factories in Undercity, and about the same time he lost his own job.

Feeling emasculated, he'd slipped into sloth and apathy, which then became anger and bitterness. They grew more distant as he pushed her away. But she never thought he'd stray, that all he needed was a job to feel important again. Then she came home to find him with that skank. The story finished, the woman looked utterly defeated, and clearly feeling very ugly, self-conscious, and alone.

Leti tipped the woman's chin up, so her water eyes met her own firm ones. "You're far better off without him. The only good he ever had in him, was because of you. This beautiful apartment, your job, all of it shows how much better you are. We need to purge him from this place."

The woman's eyes showed that she didn't really understand. "Well, we could always just toss all his crap out, maybe set it on fire, just to prove a point to that bastard."

Leti knew that any Undercity native would never just destroy perfectly good possessions. But she needed to make it seem as if her true idea was the woman's. The woman spoke up, "But, that's so wasteful. We spent good money on his stuff. I could never burn it."

Leti looked as if she were surprised by the logic and novelty of her comment. "You could just sell it then, get some of your money back! Korbil's place is just down the way."

The woman considered it, and smiled, "The bastard would hate that, having to buy his stuff back at twice the price. Alright, let's do it."

Thankfully, most of the stuff in the apartment was hers, so it didn't take long for them to gather up his things in a few large boxes. During this time, they exchanged names, pleasantries, and various tidbits about one another. Leti made sure to occasionally provide a comforting touch and a mildly lustful look at the woman, only to make it seem as if they were nothing. The trick was to keep them guessing.

Once everything was packed, the two woman lugged the stuff down to Korbil's shop. The woman wasn't a great haggler, and Korbil knew Leti from past dealings, and the two had a silent understanding. Leti helped the woman be comfortable with lower payouts, and Korbil would pay her the difference of what he would've actually paid. It was a win-win. The woman had a hefty haul of coin and bill now, tucking them safely away on her person, as they both turned to leave. Leti grabbed her share from Korbil, secretly, knowing that if he shorted her, it would be nothing to mention this slight to Keith.

"You really made this whole situation better Leti, if you hadn't showed up, I'd probably be trying to get him back by now."

Leti smiled, moving in a bit closer, hip to hip with Sandra, "It's nothing. When you've had nothing but bad men, you take care of the good women. Especially the beautiful ones." As they came closer to Leti's home, she knew it was time to depart, but she wanted an in for later. "I have to go home and get ready from work," making sure her face showed disappointment. As she turned to leave, she heard Sandra call out, "Leti, wait."

Smiling to herself, she turned back, waiting for her to speak. "Will I... Will I see you again?" Leti just smiled, slinking forward, before lightly placing her hands on either side of Sandra's face, pulling it close as she pressed their lips together, firmly, seeking her out. After a long moment, she pulled away, looking Sandra in the eyes, "Only if you want to. I'll be at the Dark and Stormy later tonight, do you know it?"

The woman nodded, "Good, then you know where to find me." With that, Leti turned and left, knowing she had the hook in deep. She took a round about way to get back home, slipping inside, sneaking into her and Ghost's room, and stashing her money away. She knew Ghost knew about her stash, but there would be so much hell if he touched even a penny of it. Once that was safely hidden, she made her way back to the group, assuming they'd worked out some sort of plan for this evening's work. It was about that time. She said nothing, not wanting to interrupt, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over her chest.

I'll have my CS up ASAP, but as I've recently proven to myself it won't be as quickly as I might like. Still, if it dosent appear by tomorrow night, just know that I am working on it.

A quiet sigh escaped Delilah's lips at the amount of attention the conversation had gathered when frankly she would much prefer to just be listening to her music and pretending they didn't live in a very much literal dystopia. But here they were, and it seemed she was being turned to to provide answers.

“You know how it is with Vito. It could be a week, could be three weeks. We're resourceful though, we'll find something interesting to do before then. We could always go to the scrapheap and see if there's anything interesting there, and if nothing else Isaac will probably buy it off us. I know that isn't exactly action packed, but money's money.”

She looked around at the gathered group when she finished, waiting for some sort of response, whether positive or negative.