1 Underland

Prologue:

It's funny what goes through your head in a life or death situation. Hell, It's pretty freaking funny how I got in this situation in the first place. Look, people say that a lot. How it's funny what goes through your head, but with all corniness and overly said things aside, I saw my life flash before my eyes and I didn't see one. Good. Thing. Although, they're where some good memories, maybe, one or two or three. Obviously, I didn't care enough to count them, let I remind you. I am in a life or death situation. So, why am it telling you this? Simple, I just want you to know, that the reason you're able to sit comfortable reading this, let alone breathing, is because me.

You're welcome.

Chapter One:

West Brook always had make shift music flooding the streets like the rain that always seemed to be falling from the same damn depressing sky that my mom loved so much, or the loud sirens of police cars going after some poor bastard, that most likely deserved what was coming to him. I gazed out the tear drop painted window, listening. Listening to the nostalgic hum of the cars, and the rumbling of a thousand people, along with the doctor's annoyingly calm words that was heard by me, but not my disoriented mother. Hospitals, I hated them. I hated the white walls. I hated the doctors. I hated my mother, which was the reason I was there, But I didn't mind the smell. In fact, I love the smell of bleach, it was a clean smell, like soap or cotton. It's was a smell that was often endangered in our part of the world if you asked me. West Brook, though beautiful at night, was a trash heap by daybreak. Like all big cities, now that I think about it.

"Oh, Cain, sweetie. don't scowl at the window. Your brows don't look good knitted. So, quit trying to make a sweater with them." I softened my eyes, barely turning my head towards my mother, like a cat who's ear twitches at a sound and yes, I know. I bet my name sounds pretty bloody recognizable, right? Like Cain and Able, you know, from that old book your parents always used against you, but never really followed themselves. You can thank my mother for that stupid name. The funny part about my name is you'd think I had a brother, and I did. Emphasis on did. I can also thank my mother for that as well. It just so happens, that it's kind of hard for an infant to breath under a cotton pillow. Surprising, I know. Then, again it's hard for anyone to breath under a pillow…

I digress.

"Cain, Your mother is talking to you." The female doctor around her 30's, patted me on the back. Turning completely around with a forced sarcastic smile reaching from ear to ear. "But I'll knit the sweater if it keeps you warm in winter." I mentally stabbed myself. The corny words had a successfully nauseated me. It was something that my mother use to say to my father, whenever he glared at things with out knowing. I happen to be the lucky little guy that inherited that wonderful trait. "Thank you, Love." My mother gave me a soft smile, with her glazed over blues eyes

I bet, no one who just met my mother would say she was insane. I also, bet that if I told you that, without saying I was in hospital first, you'd think I was the crazy one. Looking away once more, I let a sigh fall along with my shoulders. After about 20 minuets of silence, Doctor Foster sat next to me on the thick window ceil.

"Hey, kid. What'cha thinking about?" She leaned over and bumped me once with her shoulder. I smirked and gave a small nod. I liked this doctor, I hate all the other ones, but his one was kind, not just intelligent. "About how, she doesn't really seem all that crazy." The lady wrapped a thin arm around my broad shoulders.

"well, kiddo. It's because she's not. She's had a tough time."

I scoffed loudly, but making sure my mother didn't hear me. "Ha! Man, I really hope not everyone cuts open their kids face, and gives my little brother a pillow mask, when they're having a 'tough' time." I whispered sarcastically.

"Okay, okay, it was a bit of an understatement."

"Understatement..?" I laughed bitterly. "You had it sound like a mid-life crises or somethin', damn."

"Fine!" The brown haired lady just laughed, and pushed up her over sized glasses up back into place. "But she does love you, just in her own twisted way."

I looked at her short bobbed haircut and her wrinkled smilie eyes, and somehow found belief in them. I looked way touching the scars that went outward from my mouth on either side.

"Yeah! she definitely puts a smile on my face!" I smiled pointing at the scars that lined my cheeks. where there was once smooth skin, now all that reminded was rough patches of scares that moved like veins from the sides of my lips.

"Hey!" She slightly hit me with her hand. "I think it makes you look cool!"

"Sure, if I was a sci-fi movie, from the early 2030s ."

"Don't bash those, I love those movies!" She laughed with her shoulders. I always liked when people did that. I laugh like a sadistic killer, in low chuckles. She laughed like the sun.

"Yes, Doctor, tell me more about this.. infatuation." I spoke deeply in a creepy mature accent, like the guy from 'the silence of the lambs.'

"Oh, thats just creepy! Plus, that movie was from the early 2000's." she laughed more.

"Oh really, please do explain." I lifted one eyebrow and rested my chin on my fingers in a deep focused, kind of look.

"Okay! you gotta stop that!" She laughed hard as my mother finally looked up as if being broken out of a dream with a confused look on her face. But to be honest, I'd rather have her zonked out on drugs, then having her hurt herself or more importantly my face. Yea, I'm a dick, I don't want my face cut up. Again. Big deal.

Everyone reaches a point in our life's where, survival of the fittest starts to kick in, and you realize that you are the main character of your own story, and if you die, there is no more story. So, you have to learn to keep the story going at all cost, and I bet most of you are thinking I'll an asshole, and you're right. You gotta be in this world, or you'll end up as dog shit. I'm not justifying my actions. I'm just saying that you have to watch your own back, or you'll be eaten alive.. It's a dog eat dog world. I'm just doing what needs to be done.

"Well, I gotta get to work." I sighed standing up. "Bye mom." I called out with a short wave.

"Hey, where do you work?" My mother asked with a dazzling smile, but eyes glossed over as if she really wasn't really there. Wasn't really listening.

"Well, I have clients and I basically fulfill there needs?" I spoke with the best players smile, and chuckled slight, giving a small hint, of what I truly do.

My mother cocked her head, with her long beautiful blonde hair falling over her shoulder, in confusion. "Oh, well, thats nice, hun. have a good day."

I laughed, her drugs always made her scarily sweet and slightly stupid... At least she wasn't her usual self, now that would be scary.

Doctor Foster just raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "You need a new job..and I mean as soon as possible."

"Jealous, are we?" I gave her a wink, bitting my bottom lip slight and grabbing my black leather messenger bag and walking out of the annoyingly small, white room. Hearing the doctor yelling at me as I chuckled. Don't get me wrong it was a great for Insane Asylum, but the rooms were made so small, no matter where I sat it was still to close to her, then again no matter how far I run I'll always be too close to her. She's suffocating me as long as she's alive. Choking the life out of me, with ever breath she breaths, she steals air from my lungs.

I walked out in to the parking lot and breathed in the freshly polluted air. Retching in to the pocket of my book-bag, pulling out a pack of marble blacks, feeling instant relief from just the sight of the black carton, just holding it was enough to calm my nerves. I smoke cigs to me, is like eating for others, it's vital for my survival.

I pulled one out and lit it breathing in then out, before starting walking down the streets, counting how many of the Fils De Dieux's 'X's I could find, I swear, I can't shit with out seeing one. The government's been plastering them everywhere as of late, and the passing out bullets like candy. I don't want any part of it, in fact I'm happy about it, just let natural selection take it's course, less idiots for me to deal with. Yet, I could do with out the feeling that I'm forever playing a fucked of game of Ispy with the millions of 'X's around my damn city.

I took long drags of my cigarette, with each long stride. My legs took me down the trash filled streets with my hood up, covering as much I could. I hated when they stared, making me feel like I was under glass more than I already felt, I glared at a few guys that were staring too openly, only to see there face distort and look away. I smirked, one thing I don't mind about my scars is that I don't ever have to tell people to 'fuck off,' they do that on their own.

In Euphoria, the sector in which Breaking Ridge was located was extremely technically advanced. But, that perk is out weighted by the lack of true humanity, that resides in these streets. I still have no idea how I'm still here and not the other place. Breaking Ridge is the only ghetto left in Euphoria, and It's just my luck that I'm here. I know full and well that I belong in the subcity. Yet, I'm still here. Perhaps, it's because my mother use to be in high standing concreting my father use to be rather well known here. Very few people really know about what happened when I was a child. Hell, I'm not even fully sure about what happened.

As I walked, I continued to smoke the cig that hung from my lips. The builds that seemed to box in around me, made me feel even more trapped. Every one of them was in reality rather well made with large screens podcasting propaganda for the current dictator. It was always a calm speaking woman, with boring features, talking about the new camps that they have set up for the elderly. As if we don't already know what kind of camps they are. I feel so trapped in this world and the Cleaners that stomped around didn't make that fact any easier to swallow…

I walked passed a rather built Cleaner with a skin head that just screamed 'Know your place.' I eyed his pristine uniform, that was mostly black skin tight material and a bullet proof vest with the signature red 'X' on the chest, that I like to think about as a target to shoot at, that also rested on his arm band. I see him often around his neighborhood, enough to know his name is Drew and he likes to mess with me when he gets bored.

"What do we have here." The oversized man grabbed my arm, yanking me into a painful grasp, but I didn't give him the pleasure of flinching away. "You're out of dress code, boy." He eyed me carefully.

I sighed and looked at him, no part of me was willing to deal with this crap from him today. "I'm underaged, you know that. So, if you're referring to the arm bands, I don't have to legally wear one, yet." I pulled out my digital ID, that showed a hologram of the bust of my head and shoulders, with my age and name slowly circling it. As his amused face turned to a scowl.

"Just put the damn thing on, Cain. I know you've been altering your ID for a while now. I see you around here enough to know, you know the rules. Fall in line, before someone pushed you off of it." He grunted shoving me away from him as I rolled my eyes, granting me a hard slap to the back of the head.

"I'm serious Cain, you can get away with it at the moment, because you're young. Soon, we can't continue to view your actions as childish games." Drew's harsh face relaxed for a moment, a warning playing behind his dark brown eyes. I hated when he played the Dad card. I didn't need him to try and care for me. It pisses me off.

"Thanks for the advise, but I'm good, man." I mumbled shrugging him off and continuing on my way. I can't stand Cleaners, they think they're better than everyone else just because their asses belong to the Fils De Dieux. They can all kiss my ass.

By the time I reached one of my clients apartment, she was already waiting for me on the porch of the small building, that looked old and falling apart. Natcole walked up to me, her blonde hair bouncing around her shoulder in long curls, that had glints of grey hair blending into it. She swayed her hips with each step of her red high-heeled feet. I smirked slightly as she pulled me into a kiss, that was nothing but carnal lust, it felt like it was burning painfully. I hated their kisses. I ignored the bad taste of whatever must have been smeared heavily on her bright red lips, and processed with my job, pushing her into the house and closing the door behind me, clinking the lock as it echoed through the empty room.

I never understood why I did so well as a server, perhaps it was because I started so young, I guess women are just as much of sick fucks as most men. My whole shitty existence proves that fact perfectly. I have a joker smile, a name of a dead luckless guy and make thousands of Bitcoin as a server since I was 13, all because of women. most of those things aren't that bad, not compared to most of what goes on now a days, in fact shit like this is getting a whole a lot more normal, come on it is 2128, Its not all that friendly like it use to be.

I rolled over on the bed and breathed watching Natcole get redressed before her husband was suppose to get back, as I started at her freckled back and pretended to connect the dots.

"You seem off your game to day, babe." She mumbled annoyingly in a her west brook accent that made my skin crawl, it was hard enough trying to keep 'It' up as she screamed my name in the accent, let alone, having to hear it again when I wasn't 9 inches deep inside of her, I think this is what my father was referring to in the note he left my mom saying 'It was torture to hear you speak to me.' I really think he was referring to the west brook accent and not her constant spouts of wanting to kill herself, or me. Didn't keep him around though now, did it?

"Yeah, I had to see my mother today. Why? Was it not good?" I asked with more edgy than apologetically, showing how I truly felt, but I'm an asshole by nature what can I say?

She turned around and shook her head, "You just seem distant, like you were with some kind of zombie.''

"You gonna cut my pay?" I rolled my eyes sarcastically, getting up and starting to get dressed too.

"Ya know, if you keep acting like your pms-ing, I mite.'' she sighed and pulled out her electric wallet and sent me 400 Bitcoin, which was practically pennies in my day and age. Inflation, is a kick in the ass. I can maybe pay for a 12 pack, carton of my favorite cigarettes.

I just smirked. "Nah, you're not that heartless to deny a cute little 18 year old, his pay." I mumbled checking if the money went through on my holocell, or as you know as a cell phone, in a sarcastic way, before I kissed her cheek and grabbing my bag. Then, starting to head home, I walked out the door and reached the side walk before, seeing and smiled at her husband as I was walking down the streets. Of course, he failed to notice me coming from his own house. The prick deserves it. In a way I feel powerful, like my own little way of saying fuck you to the government, I don't even feel bad, to be fair, the man is a Cleaner, friend's with Drew too.

Oh, and in a case you guys didn't know, because you guys have a great life and nothing to complain about other that the fact that your shit coffee you get from overly priced coffee shops, is on the cold side; Cleaners are the guys that make people like me, and everyone else's life a living hell. They are like the underlings for the 12 top units of the Fils De Dieux, which is the origination from Russia that took us over some time during the Foreign Forces war. They started way back, trying tovfvfg take us over, back during WWIII but they couldn't truly take over till our economy crashed for the third time in 2102, right before

WWIIII. Which was also a shit show. That's when the capital decided to divided into two cities. Subcity know as Underland and the city I live in, the capital aka Euphoria. How do you expect a one world government to go over? Not good, so They made the sub-city into a hell hole, almost a prison the size of the city. They control you that way. So, when the rioting started, if you didn't get killed, you were through into the sub-city, to have their own kind kill you. Oh, and those resort camps that boring lady was talking about on the building screens? Yeah, those are murder camps where you send anyone who's over 60. They're never seen again afterwards. So, You connect the dots.

Not to bright, are yah? Don't worry, I'll be your guide, I'll explain things as I go.

Anyway, that's all history now, no one honestly has the will to fight back anymore, and most of them don't even want too. Gotta love brain washing. I unlocked my apartment door and walked in throwing my jacket on the pile of clothes on the couch and grabbed a beer.

I looked around at my apartment and cringed, pizza boxes, beer cans and other trash littered the floor, with burns in the carpet from falling asleep with a cig in my hand. I really should clean the place, but no part of me really had any interested in the notion. I let out a heavy sigh before going to the bathroom and pulling my hoodie off and throwing it to the floor. I took a gulp of my beer and looked in the mirror long and hard. The scar that marred my face ran from the corners of my mouth out, much like the joker from those super old movies that my mother actually enjoyed forcing me to watch.. Yet, my scars moved out in an almost vein like pattern spreading from my mouth to the sides of my face, chin and cheeks. I hissed at my refection and ran a calloused finger across the scar, tracing it. Not to sound conceited, but I would have been a pretty attractive guy, if my face wasn't fielded. I'm fit, with a hard stomach and decently sized arms. I'm 6'0 foot and still growing, with long brownish blond hair that fell into my ice blue eyes. I would have been pretty attractive.

I shook the thoughts away with my head and grabbed an elastic to put my longish dirty blonde hair into a semi-up do that kept my bangs from my face. I looked then around on the floor to find a tee shirt that had 'F**k You' written across the chest, it smell decent, so I threw it on. Before giving my self one hard look in the mirror, my ice blue eyes, seemed to shine with boredom. I was so fucking bored…

I walked into my living room area, and grabbed the beer that was on the table, that had seen better days, next to ashtray that was stuffed to the brim with abandoned remains of cigarette buts. For a split second I considered getting one of those, smoke generators, but forgot it instantly after. Those aren't even real, and that would bug me. Cig's are the only real paper thing that's lasted in this world. Even books now are made with digital pages..

I gulped the rest of my beer, before grabbing another one, then sat down in my black leather chair in front of my computer's that lined the wall of my dinning room with 4 monitors. They were the newest product that the Comcray company had released. I was rather proud of them. The new projected monitors, were about the size of a large tv, all from a small portable capsule. I can even put all four of them in my pocket. They came with thin black gloves that indicate where you're typing or touching on the screen, along with a digital scrolling reel. It was the first interactive holographic computer, super high-tech. Of course, it cost a crazy amount, but that's what my side job was for.

I put on my headset and cracked my fingers and neck before starting my main job, Recoding. Or in other words: Hacking, but that's not what people call it anymore, we're called HoloTappers. But I don't just Holotap for no reason. I steal information and sell it to the highest bidder, technically I'm an information broker. Gotta do what it takes to pays the bills.

I sipped my beer and chuckled as I sent out a few viruses into a sick fucks mainframe for uploading a snuff film on the deep web I found a few days prior, before focusing on the government's main data base I had been trying to crack for a few weeks now, so I could sell some info to a dude under the username of 'MBlackHat77.'

I've been playing around with computers as long as I could remember. So, it was only a matter of time, before I became what I am today. I admit, when I first started playing around on the deep web, there was a lot that scared me. But by this point, I've become almost immune to the depravity that lurked behind so many eerie links. I've become so use to the terrible things that floated round in this endless reality that I am no longer a threat to most people on the Darknet. But, more of a fellow neighbor.

Before, starting on the Fils De Dieux data frame, I pulled a few links from another site, starting at one of the random chatrooms I was familiar with. I logged on under my most common user name: 17746. I didn't use a name, because I thought it would be easy to remember a type of username that was catchy or relatable and I didn't want to be remembered.. But some people started calling me: 'Cheshire Cat' Apparently, because I seeming to disappear from servers about as fast as I appeared in them in the first place. Honestly, the name fitted me and I had grown rather fond of it over the years. I guess, the name was more like me than 'Cain' was to the people in the real world. I liked taking to a few of my buddies on these chatrooms, it was also a great way to find new customers.

I don't mean to brag, but I've gotten pretty well know these last couple of years, and created a pretty good name for myself being an information broker across the web. But with being recognized, it comes with people that view me as a threat. One person in particular, is a cyberpunk that goes by the name: Highcaterpillar. I've been getting an unease feeling, for the last month or two. I've noted that he's been on most of the webchats I've been involved in as of late. It worried me, so I started bouncing my proxy ever 5 seconds instead of 20. Yet, he still was able to track me. It gives me the creeps that their's someone out there that can follow me so easily, despite my years of knowledge. I just wanted to check into this chatroom to see if he's ping into it as well. I entered into the room and put on the glasses that allowed me to see other people's icon's in the room. VR had gotten really big in the deep web for some odd reason.

I saw him clear as day following my links, but not really doing anything different than he had been for the last couple of days. So, I adjusted a few things to keep him from following me. Then I decided, I'd ignore him today. I don't feel like dealing with leaf bug dude's shit. I quickly got in the government's data base and started to type away on it, smirking softly as I slipped my beer. I found glee in the idea that I was smarter than these idiot's that so called 'run this country.' I even turned up my music getting me in the mood to fuck up their day. I flew through the first few fire walls in a few minutes, tops. Then, I slowed down when I reached the 5th wall, that was being stubborn. I tried getting through using a back door, but that didn't work either, so I just cracked it the old fashioned way.

After an hour of the "old fashion way" I started to get frustrated.. Really frustrated. I gulped back a few more beers and found myself calming down a bit and focusing a little better than before, not by much though.

I faced my computer again, with new found vigor and started trying a different way, going back to the coding of the website, but click jacking is all I could do before being booted off of the system and being sent back to the main webpage. I hissed, I was so close. I could practically feel it. I NEEDED that information, that guy was willing pay a pretty penny for it too. With that pretty penny, I would be able to pay off, the most recent hospital bills. Not that I cared too much about not paying it, but someone's gotta keep the woman away from me.

I signed and went at it again. Finally, I cracked it! I could feel relief flood me before I saw a small user name pop up in the corner of my screen. 'Highcaterpillar ' was all I could read before all four of my modems when stark black and my heart sunk down into the pit of my stomach.

SHIT.

I started trying to rebut all my settings with my heart racing, nothing was working, I couldn't even turn off my computers, before I heard something.

I looked up to see a caterpillar smoking a pipe crawling across my screen, with the sound of whatever was in the pipe, burning. It was actually pretty well done.

"Hello?" I snapped turning my mike on and turning it all the up. I wasn't too worried yet, because I knew if the government knew I was recoding their official website I'd no doubt already be dead. so, obviously It wasn't them. Plus, I doubt they're creative enough to make a pixelated caterpillar crawl across all four of my computers, with 8 bit music playing in the background.

"Hello, Cain." a soft voice pierced my ears as I growled, my face hot from anger and alcohol. The voice sounded mature, but not old. It was soothing, yet it didn't lessen my hatred.

But, how the fuck did he know my name? He'd have to be already inside my computer…

"I see you've already found my proxy, having fun snooping through my personal files?" I leaned back and grunted.

The voice chuckled. "Yes, actually." More smoking could be heard. His username was called highcaterpillar, for a reason, I guess. "You watch some strange things in your free time."

My face fell knowing that he could easily find me and my mother through my system. He has to be bluffing…

"What do you want?" I snapped. "I'll give you information if you stay the hell away from us.." I didn't want to be too disruptive on who "us" were, considering that he may not actually know.

"Well, Cain. We want you." he said softly, with a chilling undertone.

I cringed. "Look, you sick fuck I don't know what you want, but you're not gonna use my body for shit!" I yelled my heart pounding.

The man laughed lightly, it sounded pleasant, but under these circumstances it was still uncomfortable.

"No Cain, not your body, your mind." he said sternly but still sickeningly calm. "We've been watching you. Everything you say is anti-Fils De Dieux and you've experienced first hand at what our government is capable of. Aren't you tired of being looked down on, when you know your smarter then 90% of the people you socialize with? If you could call your limited human interaction's socializing. A child your age really shouldn't have the jobs you do… Natcole is the wife of a Cleaner, how dangerous of you."

I was stunned he read my posts on a rebellion page that I posted just days ago and he even knows about my Giggilo job, I've never even posted about that, because my viral buddies would give me shit about it. "Who are you?" I whispered, trying my hardest to keep the fear out of my voice, but it still broke despite my best efforts.

"I was waiting for that question. I'm Luic, leader of the resistance for Underland. Oh and Cain?"

"Yeah?" I mumbled dumbfounded.

"You have approximately 10 minuets to get out of your apartment before the Fils De Dieux's Cleaners find you and blackbag you. Good luck." The man I knew as Luic cut the line, as my main computer started to show a count down from 10 minuets.

..9:55.. 9:45.. 9:35… 9:25…

"Wait, what?! Luic! Luic!" I yelled, rubbing my face, still in shock. I got up grabbing my phone, computer monitor cubes and wallet, before carefully looking through the blinds of my window seeing Cleaners coming out of a black van, and disappearing into the first floor of my apartment. I was on the top floor, so I really did have less than 10 minuets. I felt my vision go blurry for a moment as my breathing became more sporadic. No one knows what happens after the Cleaners blackbag you, but even the most brainwashed people here know, it's nothing good.

"Shit shit shit.." I mumbled packing a bag with clothes and anything else I thought I may need along with the wads of cash from under my bed. I had been saving as much as I could, so someday I could get far away from this hell hole. Before running out and pulling my hood over my head, then going down the side stairs passing one of the Cleaners, as my heart pounded wildly in my chest. I kept my head down low, carful not to let him see my face. This is how I die.. I thought for a split second as the Cleaner glanced at me, before contenting to speedily pass me. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, as I continued briskly down the stairs.

I ran out of the apartment and rested my back against a brick wall in an ally. The dark city night made it even more omnibus, then it already felt. I panted long and hard, before looking up and seeing a street magician with a top hat sitting over his long blonde hair with random braids and beads running through it. I couldn't see his face, thanks to the darkness, but I could see his silk purple shirt and black vest, with lather expensive looking boots, that clacked as he walked towards me, holding what looks like a deck of cards in his hands.

"Great, what the fuck do you want?" I snapped as the man just chuckled, cocking his head to the side, before bowing to me. Then all of a sudden he appeared inches from my face, As I jumped back, not sure what he was doing, confused of how he moved so fast. "I don't want a fucking card trick." I whispered angrily, but my breaths added a sense of fright to my words.

"Well, Cain you don't have much of a choice, now do you. Ready?" he said loudly as I hushed him.

"NO, and what the hell? how do you know my name, man?!" I whispered angry.

"No? Well, too bad, my friend." he smirked revealing the bottom half of his face and shrugging before talking out his handkerchief and covering my mouth and nose with it as I struggled. But, despite fighting back my vision faded to black.

That's how my life started, with it almost ending.