Code Of Silence
Out of the shadows, and into the light.
The bright, fluorescent cityscape of Denon’s wide-open world stretched out in all directions; a thrumming heartbeat that wouldn’t cease even in the wake of social upheaval or the constant threat of looming danger. The majority of District’s 7 Darkwire cell remained deep underground within their secret base known as ‘The Tombs’, only venturing out into the light of day when absolutely necessary & never alone. A select few, whose faces were plastered all over billboards & broadcast over Denon’s news channels, were at greater risk - mainly for their role in one of Denon’s largest terror attacks in history.
In spite of all that, some still possessed the proper resources to make the journey topside easier to bare.
With a freshly-minted DDPP Ident-card in hand (and a fresh false identity to go with it), Ivory Stroud had been able to leverage her connections within the DireX to make public travel possible - at the very least. So, when she showed up in the Metro looking for her friend Daiya, the tantalizing (albeit mysterious) offer to go top-side for an evening on the town carried at least some assurance that they weren’t going to be arrested or captured the moment they stepped into the open air.
After a short trek through the dimly-lit & poorly-maintained maintenance corridors connecting the forgotten tram-way station with the outside world, the pair emerged through one of the many hidden entrances to find a Fiora ‘Oracle’ AV quietly idling in-wait for their return. A large, tall, dark-skinned human man wearing a fine suit stepped out from the front compartment & opened the door into the black limousine, allowing both women to step inside. A second man, seated in the driver’s seat, glanced back at them through a small opening which allowed the passengers to communicate directly with the driver. He was older - in his late sixties - and neither said much. Both of these men might have even been familiar to Daiya; they were the very same who’d been present during the rough & wild escape following Doc Painless’ memorial at his old clinic in District 9.
Dressed in a black dress & her customary black wide-brimmed hat, Ivory seemed entirely unhurried as she settled into the plush carpeted interior of the up-armored limousine. After Daiya had stepped inside & selected a spot to sit, Caspian - the stoic titan of a man who’d held the door open for her like a gentleman - shut the door behind her & returned to his spot in the front seat.
Up until now, Ivory had been relatively mum on the reason for the outing - simply explaining, if pressed, that she wanted to get her friend out of the doldrums. As Daiya settled into her cushioned seat, Ivory would produce two things which (she hoped) would bring a sparkle to the young woman’s eye & maybe chase away the sadness & anxiety which had recently plagued her. The first, was a lovely outfit to wear for their outing, and the second was a tube of Eternis Instant Hair Dye. The two combined, she explained, would give them both a bit more peace-of-mind.
And so, bearing the two women & a well-armed duo of bodyguards, the ‘Oracle’ AV slipped silently from its hiding place and joined the thousands of vehicles roaming Denon.
“You’ll just have to wait & see.” Ivory said with a chuckle. She gave her companion a charming smile over a glass of sparkling champagne before taking a sip. Outside, the world sped by, lit by the late afternoon sun. It had become immediately obvious, as the AV took to the sky, that they were not, in fact, in District 7; instead, they were speeding through the sky of District 9, with a hazy blue sky looming above them & stretching out toward the horizon. Below, the cityscape was a mix of slums & residences bisected by large city streets where the less-fortunate were doomed to either walk or ride in flightless vehicles.
The small window between the driver’s compartment & the spacious seating area had been shut, allowing Daiya to change in privacy. The ride was exceedingly smooth, even when Andre, their driver, had to quickly maneuver to avoid a collision.
Trying to judge where they were headed would be nearly impossible.
