16 Interlude: 2076

"Bullshit!" David yelled as we drove down the highway, "My mom was a waitress back when she was in school! I used to get dinner at the restaurant!"

The boy protested my narration of the past, and for sure I left things out like the fact that I'm a Fallout Protagonist and all that implies, but I didn't lie about any of it. All lying to your kids ever does is leave them unprepared for the truth.

"Nino, you think your mom put herself through med school waiting tables?" I gave him a lazy look as my golden convertible Alvarado damn near piloted itself with how preternatural my driving abilities are, "Don't be sweating it, your mom was a dancer, not an escort or porn star. You're not going to wind up one day watching a braindance of Gloria doing whatever fucked up shit you're into."

"God! Why are we even talking about this!" my stepson shrieked while holding his temples between his hands.

"Would you rather talk about that bullshit you pulled today frying the Academy's systems?" I growled at him, "You're lucky Saka practically holds my balls up to keep them from dragging across the ground. Talk about that, mijo. You're mom trusted you to handle that upgrade on your own then we find out you came in with some half cocked jailbroken malware riddled streetware."

"I…" David clenched his jaw and his fists like he wanted to bite back his words, but he found his nuts and puffed out his chest, "I fucking hate how I'm just supposed to be okay with your bullshit just because you pay all the bills. Like how every time you're out with some movie star or super model it isn't you shouting to the whole world that MY MOM ISN'T ENOUGH!"

"That's good, vato. Don't be afraid. Say what you need to say, just wait one sec." I held up a finger as I stared down the two fella's hanging out of the van pulling up next to us who were glaring murder at the limo to my left with machine, "Come on, chooms." I said as they flinched, "Make my day."

The one with the rocket slapped the hood of the van and shouted, "Turn around! Turn the fuck around!"

The van crashed as the panicking driver tried to hook a U-Turn while going seventy miles an hour.

"Jesus Christ!" David yelled as he practically stood up in the car to twist around and see every second of the carnage behind us, "Why?"

"Cause they knew better, mijo." I chuckled and kept us on the route home, not having given the action a glance while David sat back down, "Cause they knew better."

"Listen, nino." I started again as we pulled off the highway, "You gotta love and respect your mama, but you also gotta peel back her choices more than skin deep. Gloria ain't with me cause of the money. She could take half of my eddies and go anywhere in the world. Other people have to be afraid of me, nino, not her. Lord knows she earned every bill with the size of your brother's heads. Like goddamn watermelons! Thank God the D. in Juan D. Welles stands for horse dick!"

"Fuck, I don't want to hear about stuff like that!" my step son hissed, "And that doesn't even make sense!"

"We're Mexicans, mijo." I smirked, "The H is silent."

David didn't laugh, but that's because he's a broody teenager. That shit was funny, but real talk: the next generation of Welles boys were bigger and stronger than the last, and me and my brothers were all some big strong hombres. Some middle school punk stole my six year old's game pad and my kid sent him to the hospital with one punch to the liver. Little punk's mom called the cops and when they showed I had them arrest her for being a terrible mother raising that little hoodlum.

That shit was funny too.

We pulled up to Megabuilding 05 and got out.

"Park the car, Del." I said and the car took off to the parking garage nearby and the elevator to my private level, "I love that guy."

David just shook his head as we crossed the ground floor to the elevator. I pressed my thumb to the floor selection screen and the top floor appeared on the display, previously unlisted.

While we waited out the long ride to the top David had his hands in his pockets and his head down.

"You've been in a bad mood ever since Gloria enrolled you in Saka's brainwashing center." I commented and the moody teen almost smiled, but caught himself.

"It's just… every day I'm reminded of how much I'll never be like the other people in school. That even if I'm the top of the class I'll spend the rest of my life fighting for every scrap I can get because I'm not a true blue Corpo." David sighed and shook his head.

"Fuck 'em. Your dad makes more money than theirs, and I can kick their asses. All their asses. At the same time." I grinned and slapped the kid on the back.

Gently, chooms, gently. Didn't want to turn the kid into something resembling lasagna and have to scrape him off the walls and floor.

As the Elevator opened up to the secure receiving room of the penthouse David turned to me and twisted his mouth around his words before saying them, "Maybe we could… pick up your story again some time… but with censorship. Lots of censorship of everything I never want to know."

"Got it, mijo." I chuckled, "I'll just have to record the real version for the chooms and whenever you feel man enough to give it a listen or a read through."

"So… never." the kid smirked and the door scanner gave him the once over before opening up.

Eh… progress.

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Small look into the distant future and a play on the narration. I'll try to fit a couple more of these in before we actually hit 2076 so there is some narrative weight and pay off to them. Plus to build up anticipation. That's something I've been playing with in this story. Building anticipation without resorting to cheap cliffhangers.

I'll work on another tonight. Could be another shorty that gets out or the start of a longer one for tomorrow. Either way, Happy Halloween folks.

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