The job that Theo got him was enough to at least give him something to eat. He was familiar with how things were and although they had trouble with gangsters and folks hanging around their part of the landfill. It was nothing a few punches couldn’t solve.

“Fuck me you punch like a piledriver. You sure there ain’t no metal on that?”

“I’m ganic. You already tried messing me up with a magnet.”

Theo thinks that the one who got him kidnapped had experimented on him. If anything it wasn’t that odd since some folk do hide their augmentations.  Affordable piece of technology that could supplement your way of life.

Theo here had a nasal filter implant to filter the bad air. He was kind of an addict that buys beer cans and actual air. He was huffing Canadian Rockies air as if that was his life.

He had a collection and Robert could understand the addiction. He still could taste the clean air months ago. That clean natural air. But now it was no longer around.

Lux City had gone through many changes. From changing its name from Saint Lucius, and to experiencing massive reforms and remaining a tax haven anomaly controlled by powerful families and in this city’s case. Being controlled by the LORES Consortium.

Every appliance and item had their logo. It was honestly not surprising. He was far more surprised that they were able to hold some of their greed to keep the planet from being a total shithole.

It was around 2056 that a global protest led to them cutting back on some of the nasty ways, causing them to go green or lessen their demands. But past 2070 it was already a commonplace for folks to have neutral implants and all kinds of augmentations. Folk like Robert that are still fully organic are not that rare, and some prefer wearable technology.

People are afraid of visiting a dentist and some are even wary of vaccines and you think that there aren't people be so willing to put devices in their heads. Some are okay with piercings and other decorations that can be done with the skin, but the cost alone is enough to make people think about it.

“Well glad that you’re taking your time crashing on my couch.”

“Not like you get anyone coming here other than punks trying to make an anarchist hideout in one of the destroyed armored cars. That reminds me,” Robert ate his canned corned beef. “Those people in 4E. They alright?”

“Don’t mind them. They help out once in a while and I pay them well enough to sort some of the chemical shit leaking from the cars and appliances.”

Robert digs a spoonful of corned beef from his can. “Do hovers fall from the sky here? Saw a lot of them in the far back.”

“Nah. Most of them just dump them in that part of the landfill. Someone owns them to recycle and make profit. They just pay me to keep there.”

“Noticed that you have a power loader. Guess that’s how you can afford them.”

“Hard to believe that a young man like you has not pestered me into driving it.”

Robert tapped the back of his neck, “Cause I need to install a datajack to get better movement.  I did try using it, but the input lag is horrendous and it’s so slow to move. No wonder you don’t use it uphill. That thing will just die.”

Theo nodded. He ate his ramen and then looked at the gauntlet that Robert’s wearing.

“You made that shit from scrap. Did you put a gun on it or something?”

Robert chewed, “I did.” Robert cocked the gauntlet with a forward and backward motion. “It’s okay. Can fire enough a mag of it. I also took apart some of the old decks you had.”

“You actually make that work?”

“It’s not like it's wonderful. I literally just scavenge some parts, put them into a new container. Took me a while to get it running. But I got myself a deck and thanks for the smart glasses, I guess?”

“Don’t worry. Hurts my eyes just using them anyway. Not that I need them, I got some optics.”

It was practically a replacement. Theo said that he had cataracts before. It was only when he couldn’t see that he had to get himself new eyes that basically did everything  PDA could do. Robert has his PDA with him, but it’s mostly connected remotely with the smart glasses that Theo gave him.

Theo’s generous because Robert did work for him. And he was a guy that paid folks their due, but wasn’t dumb enough to get exploited. This worked out because they had something to gain from another. Not to mention that Robert knew when to ask.

It’s funny to Robert since this situation made him feel more at home than a hundred years ago back in 1997. He was back to a familiar environment and even though he had lost the clean air to sniff and some good food to eat. It was a kind of world that he was more used to. It was the kind of place that he had no problem adjusting to. It wasn’t as terrible as his old world, but nonetheless the familiarity made him feel at home. He was like a fish that was finally back to water. And that after what he saw for the last few months. He found it hard to be surprised. His composure had been hardened and tempered. Of course, he might have been more suppressed if he didn’t have his abilities.

But keeping said abilities made him feel more relaxed and secure. Personal power was an assurance and through this assurance he could calmly respond to whatever it was the world throws at him.

“You’re making a lot of faces there, Oswald.”

“Just thinking how chunky these corned beef are. But are you really sure, Theo? Handing over that cycle and that room you own. Fuck me, I’m starting to think you’re setting me up for some bust.”

Theo snorted, “It ain’t because of the kindness of my heart. You did great work for me and I ain’t cheap, besides not like I’d live there. This shithole is my home and I’d rather have it on some fucker that can actually make good use of it. At least until my papers are done.”

Robert nodded, “Thank you, Theo. Shit, I don’t know how to thank you really.”

“Stay alive. Hard to find decent folk  these days and so far you are decent. You did work. You helped. Didn’t complain and even went beyond. Fuck me, I think I’d be dead if you didn’t scare off those junkies.”

Some time ago some junkies tried to intimidate Theo. Robert had to give them a beat down and even got himself new clothing because of the cash they had on their wallets. After that they went back to the landfill with more friends only to have themselves wrecked again.

Robert cleaned his can of corned beef and threw it in the bin. Theo slurped on his noodles before leaning back and reclining.

“Going to be lonely as fuck when you ain’t here.”

“Could have given more jobs to do here.”

“Nah, I got someone from Corporate coming here. Had to sell the landfill anyway. Get some retirement and die or something. No fucking way I’m going to die with metal falling on my head.”

Robert could somewhat guess that part of the reason this man liked him was because he was organic. He didn’t have any metal on him. No artificial parts. Theo’s one of the old folks who still thinks that it's weird while the younger folk are much more accepting of turning themselves into metal.

Transhumanism is very popular. Some even had started worshiping a machine god. Deus Machina was a popular God that had the appearance of Jesus Christ with half of his face replaced with machine parts.

It’s hard to believe really.

Then again he still could use some magic. He didn’t know what that being did, but he could wield his magic ten times. Not that they’d be effective when the world’s full of tech that cancels it. He experimented with what he could do and found some great uses to it.

If tech could disrupt magic. Then can magic do the same?

But for some reason he somewhat knew that if he replaced his flesh with implants, he’d lose the ability to wield it. It’s like a feeling that if you walk under the rain you’d get wet. In this case, it was ‘if you replace your flesh with steel then you’d lose it’ kind of feeling.

Robert would barely use it. That being’s warning still rang in his head. He didn’t need to go into the shadows. And right now he preferred to be at the street-level of some things.

He was free this time.

No shadowy organization pulling his strings to care of supernatural anomalies. No duties. No spells that will shred his soul.

After eating, Robert took care of the things that he had packed. He placed his stash on the back of the motorcycle that he had fixed up and bid Theo an adieu.

He left the landfill. Driving through congested streets while weaving through yellow marked lanes and watching out for cars passing by. Lux City had changed. No more row houses. The European feel that he had once felt in this city had long been replaced with prefab and block houses.

Going in the center he only saw the eternal glow of steel skyscrapers and glass towers, packed, edge to edge, separated only by a concrete firewall or nothing at all. The glowing lights of inhabitants and hologram advertisements the size of buildings provide light to this city where the sun barely shines.

There was nothing natural left in the center. He drove his motorcycle to the glowring district near the slums of the city. On a small road just seconds away from the main street. Robert found the place that Theo allowed him to stay. 

It was a small and seedy apartment that contained the essentials. It was located near the rooftop with a balcony view of Lux city.

It wasn’t like the apartment that he had back in 1997, but it was still nonetheless his.

“I guess he didn’t like the climb with that knee of his,” Robert opened the sliding door and leaned on the railing of the balcony. He noticed on the side a stove with a small propane tank.

Neon lights as far as he could see. The dirty smell remained and yet there was something oddly comforting. It ain’t a landfill and from the looks there was a bar not far from the apartment.

“A bit dusty… I could work this out. I think? Good thing Theo gave me some direction.”

He did get a job for a guy named Pei who offers delivery jobs. That could support him at least. There was still the option of going back to being a mercenary.

“Could take some jobs if the delivery thing doesn't work out.”

Robert stared down the city.

Although he had spent only a few months back before he went to sleep. He still could  recall the beauty of the city that had faded away.

But he knew that despite its previous beauty.

This city was always a den for syndicates and the supernatural. The city was already an autonomous city-state back in 1997. It becoming worse didn’t surprise him.

This time he had to deal with folks who are more machine than human and junkies who hate the world so much they’d rather be in their simulations until their IV runs dry or their body collapses.

It wasn’t similar to the future he knew. He’d have to wait 800 more years if he wants to see that kind of hell again.

“I ain’t waiting that long to see that again.”

Robert swore to himself.

If he’d get displaced again.

He’d rather put a bullet on his head.

But for now he’d continue forward.

He didn’t refuse the chance to peacefully pass away to just kill himself here.

Struggle was part of his life.

And despite all the things that had happened to him.

He still lived on like a fool hoping someone or something puts him down for good.