Ro (A Cyberpunk Retelling of Romeo and Juliet)

3

RO MONTAGUE

"I'm here for Mr. Rosaline." I try my best to deepen my voice to a smoker's, pulling my dark hood up over what's left of my cropped locks.

The bored front-woman looks me over, popping her gum. "What for?"

I shrug. "Pleasure for business."

She hums as she goes to the back to recover Rosaiah, or as his seller persona is known, the black-suit clad Mr. Rosaline. He looks just as painstakingly handsome as the day I met him, a customer at my father's store, buying some items for his girls, to keep them happy... enough. I knew he was trouble, everyone who visited Monty's Medicines was. But I wanted to get into trouble.

A white-toothed smile, gold skin, and a hairline that faded at his elfin ears and slowly developed into curls that you could dig your fingers into as they fell boyishly over his forehead.

He stops smiling when I pull out the solar-lunar gun. The front-woman runs. Figures. Only the Caps and Monts are stupid enough to stay and fight. Everyone else in New Verona just wants to survive to see the next day. "Do you like the gun?"

"Ro, how did you—?"

I ignore him and shoot at his feet, narrowly missing his polished leather shoes.

"It's lunar-solar. Energy bullets formed from solar power and moonlight."

He grimaces, his brown eyes staring levelly down the barrel. "And when you're indoors?"

I lick my lips and teeth, running my tongue over my canines like a wolf ready to spring. "Blood."

"Organic tech. Wouldn't have thought that sweet, virgin Ro Montague would've owned something like that."

I throw my head back, my hood going with it, revealing my haggard face. "Go on, Ross. Tell me how much a pound of my flesh cost when you bought it from my father."

His eyes narrow, his silver tongue stammering for words. "I was trying to free you."

I shoot, and I don't miss his leg this time. "Tell another lie," I huff out between deep, drowning gulps of air. "And I will shoot the other one."

I step over him. There's something sensual about it, standing over him as he's so helpless. Powerful.

"Please! I made the transaction, but I wasn't the buyer!"

I hold my foot over his bleeding leg. "Give me the name." I slowly apply pressure, taking satisfaction in his howls.

"The Capulets thought it would be fun!" He screams. "They're holding a party, some wild masquerade. They thought that humiliating the daughter of the Montagues would make a great party trick." He's sobbing now, from all the pain. It's so great, even as I lament that it's a waste of a lithe, athletic body like his. "Please, please, Ro. They threatened to cut me to pieces." Tears stream down his face as I hold my father's gun to his head.

"Please, I'll do anything." He sobs. "Anything!"

I don't show any emotion, willing myself to be as still as can be. "Beg."

I watch him grovel, scrabble, and cry. I watch and think of how he would have sold me to our enemies to save his own skin. I watch and wonder just how long it took for them to break him, if they even had to at all for him to sell me out.

After I'm done having my fun, I whistle, sharp and clear.

Officer Mercy walks in. She puts a small, beeping device and digs it against his wrist. It immediately expands into a laser band that singes into his skin. "Rosaiah, alias Mr. Rosaline, you're under arrest for human trafficking."

"Enjoy it, Rosaiah." I lean down towards him. "And when they tear you apart, I hope you see my face." I tap my father's monitor ring, accessing the credits panel where I'd deposited the receipts. "It seems I'm worth four-million credits as a virgin. That's half a military hover-craft." I chuckle as his face pales. "Shame. I thought I'd at least be worth five mill."

"You bi—."

I press a button on his laser band and his entire body tenses up.

I laugh. "Goddess, I love being a bitch."