Dream City Ch. 03

The following morning I began my assignment on the search for young Prudence. I looked at every place I could find; from department stores to theaters. I went as far as Dream Square, looking into porno shops and the latest peep shows they had to offer. I spoke to a lot of them perverts, but they knew nothing nor did they recognize the holo image I presented them.

I even dropped by Medusa Manor, the local brothel that caters to politicians and celebrities that could afford its steep prices. What was unique about this place was the workers were machines; female androids designed to look and feel like the real thing. There were also male androids catering to women and homosexuals. It was the one place the cops couldn't touch. Who in their right mind was going to close down a brothel when the prostitutes are machines?

Sometimes when things get rough, Medusa would sic her watchdog in and play bouncer on any asshole trying to damage her prize models, even if they weren't human. Damon was nearly seven feet tall and a real nasty specimen of a man, if he was that in fact. One thing that was scary about him were those eyes; eyes that made every hair on your body stand up. He was someone you didn't fuck with or would want to meet in a dark alley.

I spoke with Medusa, with Damon standing behind her with arms crossed and eyes focused directly on me. Medusa herself was actually sweet as she could be; early seventies, big drinker, and smoking clouds from her cigarette holder. After coming up empty, Medusa told me what I needed to know once I showed her the image of Prudence.

"Yeah, I remember her", she said.

"When did you last see her?" I asked.

"About several days ago. She came here with some guy."

"What guy?"

"I don't know. Some sad looking fella who came here regularly, and after that I haven't seen either of them."

"Shit."

"That's all I know. I'm sorry I couldn't help you further."

"No, this is a good start."

"I hope you find her."

"Yeah, so do I."

I said my thanks and headed back to my vehicle, with Damon still staring at me with those sparkling blue eyes of his. Deep down I was just anxious to get the hell out of there. All day long I continued with my search; coming up empty wherever I went. Later on, I would have a conversation with Sadie, asking her about this guy that Prudence was hanging with. Friend or boyfriend? Perish the thought.

Throughout my travels I noticed one lone vehicle had been tailing me for the past couple of hours. I couldn't see any faces due to the fact the windows were tinted. The red light came on and I pulled over; the vehicle still on my ass. I kept a close eye on it on my rear view, when suddenly one of the side windows opened up; the asshole sticking out was armed with a weapon I'd seen only in combat.

"Shit!" I yelled, stepping on the pedal hard while the missile missed me by an inch.

The light wasn't even green yet when I made my move, creating one or two accidents along the way. The vehicle remained on my ass when another rocket was fired, once again missing me by an inch. I took hard turns right and left but they kept on coming. Another shot fired and a fuel truck was hit hard, spilling flames of liquid fire around the block.

I was so fed up with the chase that it was time for me to turn the tables on whomever. I pulled over, spinning my vehicle around and meeting them face to face. I stepped out of my vehicle and fired my shotgun straight at them. The driver pulled over and drove backwards, getting as far away as he could from any further damage I inflicted upon the windshield.

"Where you going?" I said, feeling disappointed. "I thought you wanted me, you fucking pussies."

It became my turn to do the chasing and I was determined to get my hands on them. Soon rockets were replaced by bullets; a hail of them cracked my windshield and destroyed my rear view. If I hadn't ducked in time, my head would be all over my own upholstery.

Before they turned my vehicle into Swiss cheese, I made a hard right, firing my weapon and smashing their back window. I adjusted my gear shift and went back to chasing my new prey. I didn't want to lose them. I wanted to know why they were after me and if this had anything to do with my assignment.

We crossed every red light in town and the accidents piled up. I hoped there weren't any patrol cars nearby; cops were the last thing I wanted to deal with. Plus, I didn't want them in the way of my assignment. I placed my vehicle on auto drive and sat my ass on the edge of the window, firing my shotgun until I had done some serious damage on theirs.

The chase could have lasted all day, but these guys were desperate to end it. They did so by firing upon the tires of a big rig. The driver lost control and the truck tipped over. Quickly, I sat back down and stepped on the brake all the way. I stopped before hitting the top of the rig, but the assholes I was chasing had gotten away. Those lucky sonsofbitches.

"Shit!" I shouted, but I would soon get another shot at them.

First, there was someone else I needed to visit. Someone who's had a bad history with Sadie.