Year: 2287
Jax climbed the steps of the Magline subway feeling a little shaky. She always felt like this after riding the Magline; too much speed, not enough air and strangers all around. She was just thankful she wasn’t riding the fastest Mag.
As Jax got to the top of the steps she knew she’d have to sit down for a while to steady herself and get some fresh air. Not that the air above ground was any better than below, it was arguably worse. The blue and red glow of a holographic sign cast a vivid light around her as she made her way towards the bench. Its monotonous hum welcomed passers-by to Camden, one of London’s poorer towns, and the flickering lights, that hadn’t been replaced in weeks, was a stark reminder that the maintenance workers were still on strike after the recent pay disputes.
Jax sat down on the bench, brought her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her knees, closing her eyes. She hated this neighbourhood, hated her job, and hated the Magline, but for now, it would have to do. New jobs were hard to come by, and she wanted to save as much money as possible to start her own business, which is why she was living in one of the worst, cheapest regions in the country.
She still had her eyes closed when a faint voice in front of her said: “I think you dropped this”. Opening her eyes and squinting at the old, ragged man in front of her Jax replied “huh?”. “I think you dropped this. On the stairs. Over there” repeated the old man slowly, pointing back to the subway entrance. He held out his hand towards Jax, he had her Holowatch. She looked up at the old man and smiled, there were still some decent folk in town. Most would have taken it and either sold it to the nearest back alley trader or if they were technically inclined, restored its memory and used it for themselves.
Jax reached out to take back the Holowatch from the man’s palm when a boy barrelled into the old man knocking him to the floor. “Hey! Watch where you’re running” Jax screamed out to the boy. “Shut up, you old hag” she got back in reply, and with that, the young boy ran off, but not before swiping her Holowatch off the floor.
Jax cursed under her breath. She didn’t have the energy right now to give chase, and even if she had she knew that catching him would be next to impossible, he would know every back route, drainage pipe and open doorway in this town. Best to check on the old man, he, after all, deserved her attention.
Sunsets on Britannia 