The Rider (Complete)

Chapter Five

Kade stood on the opposite side of the street from a little coffee shop called Chu's Wisely, a local gathering for misfits and downtrodden souls who frequented the Collingwood district. The owner, Mr. Chu, was a well-respected business man who was a former agent for Mr. Saigon and the Ho Chi Minh gang. He was somewhat of a legend in the neighbourhood ever since he branched out on his own, using his power and influence for good, to help those in need and offer them protection.

Kade looked both ways before cutting across the street, disappearing into the shop. In addition to the food and beverage items a customer bought, they were also charged an oxygen fee for each minute they were inside, which of course was sold at a premium. That's how a lot of these small businesses made their money. Most places offered cheap synthetic air, which was comprised of mostly nitrogen and only trace amounts of recycled oxygen that had been processed through nasty filters.

Upon scanning in, Kade was permitted access. He found Tanjoban sitting inconspicuously in the back wearing a shirt that said 'Powerful JRE'. Kade walked over to him, sat down, and removed his helmet.

"I'm screwed," Kade said in a muted tone.

"Why, what's up?"

Tanjoban was a rider just like Kade. They ran in a small circle of riders who delivered packages, mostly for wealthy business owners and other social elites. The gig paid well, but it was not without its dangers.

"I've been offered a job," Kade said.

"How much are they paying?"

"Ten canisters."

"Saigon?"

"Yeah."

"Let me guess, Tri-City?"

Kade nodded before looking over his shoulder. It was a new habit he had picked up and hadn't stopped ever since leaving Mr. Saigon's office.

"Please tell me you declined."

"You know how Saigon is," Kade said. "Can you really decline?"

"So what happened? I want to know everything."

"Ever since my trip back from Hive, I had my status set to unavailable. I needed a few days off. I was really looking forward to relaxing and spending time with my mum."

"How's she doing by the way?"

"She's doing fine, but I worry about her. I'm not sure how much time she has left, so the time I spend with her is important. But not only that, when I'm gone, she doesn't have anyone to look after her. I think about that on some of these jobs, you know? If I were to die or... I don't know, something bad were to happen to me where I'm gone for a really long time, then... I don't know, maybe I should just do something else with my life, something with fewer occupational hazards."

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Go back to your story, tell me everything that happened with you and Saigon."

"I was at home, fixing my equipment, and Saigon kept blowing me up. It was one message after the other. I tried to ignore him, but that didn't seem like the right thing to do. Eventually, I had to answer, you know? He says he has a job for me and insists we meet. He asks for my location and the next thing I know, there's a car service in front of my building, waiting to take me to his tower. I meet the driver outside, but he barely says a word. The whole time I'm thinking something seems off about this whole situation. So the driver takes me to his office, and with each passing second, I'm growing more nervous. I have this pit in my stomach where I feel like I want to throw up. I contemplated having the driver pull over and just run away, disappear into the city and lay low."