The nighttime was nothing like the day. The noise of the day in the city gradually became quite after nightfall, under the brilliant array of lights, men took off their coats, to free their soul which was vacant, poor and dripping with alcoholism.

All the sadness, all the things that could destroy the planet are dancing together at this moment. What else can you do besides dance in the face of this absolute absurdity, regardless of era?

I threw cigarette butt on the ground, and lighted a new one.

In the dim bar, I sat in between Rose and Aalto. Opposite to me was a man with a haggard face sat in the middle of a woman. The man is in his thirties, and his hair was all stuck together with to much product. At first glance, I knew that he must be very poor from his history with drug abuse. The woman was dressed decently, but she had been crying, her noes running, and was drooling, making a mess of her provocative makeup.

“’Belles’ is not so easy to get.” I knew it wasn’t polite but I had tried to look away, I can’t help staring at her. “You look miserable.”

She mumbled something with a lisp.

“This is all the money we have. Can you give the suffering a discount?” The man sitting beside her held her shoulder and said with an almost begging tone to me.

“No. The pill Belles cant be cut to sell. 244 Earth money is not enough to buy one. Don’t dawdle if you cant pay up.”

I waved them away, indicating that I was not interested in saying anything more.

There are too many people, who are naturally deprived, never could get a job, just muddled along with short-lived chemical highs, watching their life slipping away.

That is not cool at all. They aren’t even sure who they were anymore, if the man in the mirror is really a man at all.

“They are drugs, not long term relief, and the sympathy card doesn’t work. We only make a little money, and if everyone comes to beg us for pity, what do we earn? You are supposed to know that.” Aalto interjected.

“It’s 56 Earth money.” The man holding the woman said stubbornly.

“56 EM is not money?” Rose suddenly pounded the table with a cigarette in her mouth, pointing to the wall-mounted television, where a war movie was playing. It took the small-scale war two years ago as the model to highlight the spy organization -- Ophidian Force, who made huge contributions in the war was on the screen. “56 EM cant even help save homeless people suffering from that war. Don’t tell me you have 56 EM.”

“For the sake of being kind, maybe you can trade something with us if you really don’t have enough money.” I said.

The woman, who was already crawling on the table and twitching, suddenly raised her head and stared at us. “I ... I’ll trade myself! As long as you give it to me, I will do anything for you.” She said in a hoarse voice.

Aalto and I could not help but shrink back from her face, which was covered with tears and snot.

“No! No!” Aalto hurriedly waved, “I would even rather get with the careless rose than you.”

“What bullshit!” Rose lifted her high-heeled shoe and kicked Aalto’s calf.

“Puff”, Aalto cried out in pain.

“How about giving this to me?”

I reached into the woman’s collar, pulling a necklace out of it and untangling it skillfully. It was not too precious, just a silver chain decorated with an iron ornament which costs about one hundred Earth money.

“NO...not this...”

The woman shouted hoarsely and her eyes nearly popped out. Her hands reached out toward me weakly as if she had no strength.

“He gave it to me... No, give it back....”

When I put a small plastic box filled with “Belles” into her hand, her barking suddenly stopped. She looked at the small box and stayed for a moment before she began to cry. It is not the tears caused by her unsatisfied drug addiction, but from her deep sadness.

She then walked out of the bar holding the man’s shoulder.

“...She was sold by her husband. This is a popular story, did you know that?” Rose put out the cigarette and sighed with regret. “She really loved the man. They have been engaged, but the man would sell her for drugs. She also was willing to sell herself, but she was not willing to sell that necklace. Just for for a small pill... Oh, how neglected this world is!”

“That’s why I said drugs were bad.” I tucked the necklace into my pocket and pulled out a cigarette. “I just smoke...less addictive.”

“Damn it! Who could ever afford a drug that costs twenty times the price regular ones?”

“That’s why I don’t do them!”

We all stopped talking and began to watch the television. The movie was at the climax, the hero of the story, a member of Ophidian Force, rescued the president’s daughter being held hostage from the evil Metamorpho, he hung upside down at the bottom of a plane above high buildings.

The hero was played by Oliveira Salazar who was particularly popular with the ladies, being Asian American and an action star with a pretty face and near-perfect muscles.

“This is my favorite series of movies.” Rose plucked at the roses on her shoulders. “There is a recurring moment at the end of each ending. Yes, that’s it!”

The hero took off his coat, revealing a gold Ophidian tattoo on his chest, with a charming smile on his face.

Suddenly, the whole bar seethed with excitement by this action. Girls screamed and hit the table causing the drinks to wobble and spill, the crowd was so loud that I had to cover my ears.

Ophidian Force, Ophidian Force, Ophidian Force is everywhere! The organization became almost a religious belief of Earthman and a symbol of Earth’s force.

“Well, it’s over!” Aalto and I dragged the excited, noisy, and screaming Rose out of the bar.