She stumbled into the club with blood on her dress and a panicked look in her eyes. I mean, I've seen some rumbles before, but she...She didn't have the look. She was young, maybe thirteen, and had big brown eyes that seemed to look way off into the distance even when she was right in front of you. I know. I was standing right there when They stormed in and grabbed her by her arms, dragging her away while she screamed and screamed. Everyone was so busy watching her, listening to her pleas for help, that no one noticed the small silvery cube that fell from her hands.

We all knew who They were. CorpSec or BuReloc. Either way, she was gone, and there wasn't a force in Sea-Met that would bother to get her back. You could almost taste the fear; the club slowly emptied, like someone letting the air out of a balloon. They'd seen the slick silvery sheen to her skin, the trembling. She was Sick. Everyone knew what happened to kids that got the Plague...They vanished. Or died. Either way, they were gone.

I walked through the streets, the pavement growing slippery with acidic rain. I didn't look at the cube until I was a few blocks away from the club. It was a V-Card, or something like it, but seemed to be locked up tight. I didn't know much about those kinda things. Sorta out of my realm of interest.

What kid hadn't heard of him? He was John Wayne, he was God. He was a frickin' legend. Who would write his name on a cube? More importantly, why would some sick kid be hauling it around, terrified, and drop it just before ISA goons dragged her away?

That's when I heard the slow whine of a very big taser charging up behind me, and a harsh voice say, "That's far enough, punk. Arms up. You're coming with me." It was the charging sound that gave me the plan; they were behind me, so I couldn't see how many there were, but _they_ couldn't see that I was right next to an alley. And alley with a sewer entrance...And in the sewers, they'd never find me.

I guess I was wrong about that. I can hear the footsteps coming, sludging through the water. I hope this V-Card can hold all of my rambling. I'm scared. But I know that if they catch me with this, I'm dead, even if it isn't important. Just having Blackhand's name is enough reason for CorpSec to ace you. Hell, this is the ISA. Breathing is enough.

There's a V-Term not far, up a ladder. I know it. It'll take them a few minutes to figure out I left the sewers, I hope. It'll be long enough for me to shove the cube and this card into my lunch bag and leave it. Hopefully someone'll find it and use it right. 'Cause I'm too scared, and they're too close...