Chapter Three

 

Tuesday, 12:00 o'clock PM, 1st of January

Aspiration Island

 

Mei Ling

 

Mmm, it was good to be back.

No where else in the world were people more wealthy and corrupt.

Aspiration was my home away from home.

It was a city in a perpetual state of chaos, and without chaos, how could an honest thief make a living?

After directing Seth and Tempest towards the direction of City-Square, I'd set off on my own. My destination was the heart of the Island.

First stop; the bank. Call me greedy, but I always took great delight in looking at all those zeroes.

Pausing, I stopped at a street corner, looking out for signs to make sure I was heading in the right direction.

"Hey you! Learn how to drive!"

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Come over here and say that, you little wimp!"

The language of the Islanders was as colourful as ever. A crowd of people charged down the street, sweeping me off with them.

It was the perfect opportunity to give my extraordinary expertise some work. With fingers as nimble as mine, there was no chance in hell that I'd get caught.

"Hey mister!" Said a pudgy little boy, tugging on the sleeve of the tall business man who'd been my latest victim, "She just took your wallet!"

My jaw dropped open, "YOU LITTLE...." But before I could strangle the brat till he was black and blue, he cried; "Aah! She's gonna hurt me! Mommy!" and ran behind an overweight lady in a sun-dress. He peeked out from behind her legs, a triumphant grin planted on his chubby face.

"He's right!" The business man declared, "My wallet's missing!"

A gasp ran through the crowd.

"Oh come on people," I pleaded, as twenty or so enraged faces cornered me into, yes, you got it, a corner. "This is Aspiration, it's not like you've never been robbed before!"

"Get her!”

"Aaaah!" I bolted.

I flew down the street, a stampede of raging lunatics hot on my heels.

Zoom!

Hah! I laughed maniacally. I was unstoppable! A Master Thief on the run! Nothing could get in my way! I was Queen of the Sidewalks!

Whoomph!

"NOOOO!" I tripped, and fell flat on my face.

What a way to ruin a grand escape.

I dug out my lucky starmie scale, kissing it fervently, “Come on lady luck, don’t bail on me today!”

Shadows loomed above me, as I lay on the ground. Lips puckered, I froze, “Uh, hi.”

"There she is."

"Well duh." I mumbled.

"What do we do with her?"

"Nothing that hurts." I suggested.

They yanked me to my feet, "Give me back my wallet." The business man demanded.

Grudgingly, I handed him my prize and replied lamely, "There was nothing interesting in there anyway."

Death stare.

I grinned weakly.

"Get the hell out of here." I was pushed out of the crowd and hurled to the street. Brushing myself off snootily, I shouted, "Well fine! If that's the way you wanna be! The tourism industry is goin' down if you people are gonna be this rude." And with a gesture of arrogance, defiance and superiority, I wheeled on my heel, chin up, and marched down the street, my pockets filled with their jewellery, watches and keys. As soon as I turned the corner, I bolted.

I wouldn’t be so lucky next time.

 

*      *      *

 

I punched in my pin number and waited for the ATM machine to receive it. Numbers appeared on the green screen.

Please enter the amount you wish to transact.

I pushed in the numbers, 2, 0, 0.

Two hundred bucks. Mmmm, money.

Do you want a receipt?

Yes of course I did. I waited for the machine to think before it spluttered out a pair of crisp green hundred dollar notes. A little white piece of paper popped out of the tiny slit just above the screen.

Sliding the notes delicately into my wallet so as not to crease them, I studied the receipt.

My eyes narrowed.

What the?

Seven thousand dollars was missing.

Howling in frustration, I scattered the pigdeys clambered on the street that an old lady was feeding. She looked up startled.

I took no notice, literally seeing red. There was only one gang who had access to my account details, and that was because they practically owned the bank.

The Poppinjenellos bandits!

And furthermore, how could they expect me not to find out?!

“Those idiots!” I clenched my jaw, stamped my feet and glared furiously at the ATM machine. Counting to ten, I took several deep breathes, calming down considerably. In my minds eyes, I gleefully envisioned what I could do to them. If they wanted to act like bastards, two could play at that game.

 

Seth

 

"Eeek! There's no need to be hostile!" I yelped.

The blue haired big-bosomed girl fixed me with an infuriating glare. "Get out of my face."

I held up my hands in surrender, "No problemo!"

Turning, I headed towards the front of the brightly lit arcade. Games and machines of all types lay clustered around the room.

While Tempest was out bragging about her deeds, I’d decided to take up the opportunity and socialise.

"Hey there!" I winked at a pretty little blonde girl sitting at a round table by the window.

She glowered at me.

Sheesh! What was wrong with these people? Didn't they know the hottest guy to ever walk into their lives had just arrived in the big city?

I shook my head, "It must be the smog."

Oooh!! Now that's something you don't see very often!

She was beautiful. Her hair was an auburn red, glinting beneath the arcades lights. More importantly however, she was alone, leaning against the drinks and food bar.

I trotted over to her, flashing a devastating grin, "Hey there, heaven must be missing an angel."

She gave me an amused smile, what a pretty little thing. "Hi, you're the new guy. A breaker of hearts, or say they say."

I winked, "I can’t please everyone."

"You’re kinda cute, and you’re so little!"

I stopped, mouth hanging open. Now that couldn't be right. "Uh well.... I’m in town for a few days, how’s about you and me hook up sometime?”

She thought about it, "Oh I dunno, I've got a reputation to uphold."

"C'mon!" I wheedled, "What do you think?"

"I think many things." She replied obscurely, smoothing back her lustrous scarlet hair.

"Please?"

"Um…"

"Pretty please?"

“I donno… You’re kinda small.”

"O.K that's IT!!!"

WHAM!

The door of the arcade flung open!

And guess who charged through like a rampaging Tauros?

Tempest, who else?

She stood in the doorway, outlined against the outside. Her fists clenched, steam practically rose from her ears, "I have had enough of this place!"

I cringed, for such a small person she had strong lungs. Please don't come near me, please don't come near me...

She stormed towards me.

Ah crap!

"You have NO idea how annoying these people are!" She exclaimed, infuriated.

"Uh.... Tempest?"

"If there weren't a law around this place, I'd fry, sizzle, and freeze everyone!"

"Um..."

"NOBODY knows who I am!"

I gulped, "Tempest?"

"WHAT!?"

"If you don't keep it down, we'll get kicked out."

"Oh yeah!!!??"

I winced, "Yeah."

She screamed and poked me painfully in the chest, "That's it! I've had enough of you too!"

What? What did I do? I cast a fearful glance at the red head, whose eyes had grown wide with astonishment.

"We're taking this outside you bloody Banana Bender!"

Oh man!

 

Mei Ling

 

Martinez restaurant.

It loomed against the smog filled sky. Tall and dirty. It was a structure that had been renovated more than a zillion times. On the second floor was the Poppinjenellos hideout. It was surprising they hadn't been found out yet, the entire building reeked with dirty deeds and secret morally corrupt meetings.

Anger boiled up inside me. I'll show the bastards what happens when someone steals from Mei Ling!

Deciding to make a grand entrance, I kicked open the door.

It stubbornly remained shut.

Swearing, I dragged my huge weapon behind me, opting for the more stealthier approach.

I turned the handle and let myself in. Unable to contain my rage however, I slammed the door shut. Customers and waiters looked up in surprise.

"What are you looking at?” I challenged as I barraged through them.

I located the red carpeted staircase in the corner of the expensive restaurant, and stormed up there like a one man army. My weapon of mass destruction clunked as it hit each stair.

"Excuse me miss! But you can't go up there!" Protested a tubby woman in a dirty apron.

“Just watch me, bi-atch!"

I made my way to the first door on landing. Pausing, I took a deep breath, and; CRASH!!!!

Totally obliterated the door with my giant sledgehammer!

Which I had funnily enough, found on the side of the road outside just waiting to be used as a weapon. I guess lady luck wasn’t really ignoring me after all!

Five unshaven men playing poker around a round wooden, jumped up startled.

"Oh fuck! It's Mei Ling!"

I grinned.

"Look, we can explain!"

“I’m listening.” I dropped the sledgehammer and stampeded in, I charged towards the table, and, in the midst of my tantrum, kicked it over angrily. It crashed against one of the bare walls. Cards and coloured chips spilled across the floor.

“Did you really expect me not to notice seven thousand bucks gone?”

A bald man scrambled for the door, I nimbly stepped in front of him and rammed my fist into his ugly head. He collapsed to the ground, moaning, blood pouring from his busted lip.

Whoomph!

Down went a guy in suspenders! I turned, and a right hook connected with an audible crack into the side of a someone’s head!

“Please Mei Ling, please! We were gonna give it back! The boss needed it for his Jacuzzis! We were just borrowing it!”

I cornered a tanned, wrinkled guy against a wall, his hair slicked back with gel.

“Oh really? And when were planning on giving it back? Never?”

WHACK!!!

I head butted him, breaking his nose, and drove my fist into his bulging gut with an uppercut, the whole force of my hips and legs behind it and watched in satisfaction as he slumped, unconscious against the wall.

I spat on his crumpled form, “Tell your boss he can shove his Jacuzzis where the sun don’t shine.”

"Uh, uh, uh." Whimpering sounded from across the room. I whirled around, eyes flaring.

A short stocky man, unclean and messy, his beer gut pouting from the bottom of his chequered shirt, flattened himself against the single window in the bare cream coloured room.

"I want my money back." I demanded, advancing on him like a growlithe advancing on a potential meal.

"Uh..."

"Tell mister Poppinjinellos that if all of it is not back in my account, I’m going to return to this stinking restaurant with dynamite. Then I’m going to mosey on over to his condo and I’ll be bringing so much explosives I’ll be making sure he holidays on the moon." I threatened, my voice low and dangerous.

"EEEK!" Frightened like a captured mouse he shoved open the window.