July 28th 3039 A.D

Junkyard, Outer Ring,

Kudan.

The red glow of the early morning sun peeked over the horizon, highlighting massive shadows cast by desolate metal towers. These massive structures, standing at tens of feet tall maintained a vague balance, one which seemed could be threatened with the slightest breath of the wind. The low hum of an aircraft disturbed the tranquil scene as a dumpster truck pulled overhead, its container filled with a week's worth of the city's metal waste.

It was funny. Despite the world's current state, it seemed humanity just could not get itself to understand the importance of recycling, obviously finding it far too troublesome to take a second to consider what should be trashed or not. On the government's part, they were able to use giant magnets to separate metal from the rest of the waste which was eventually burned to dust. Since no company was willing to go through the trouble of sorting through the metal waste for what was usable or not, they were loaded into trucks and unceremoniously dumped at the junkyard at the end of every week.

Still, there was a reason why despite several years of dumping refuse at this site, it had not overflown (not that the inner city would care.)

As if prompted by the sound of metal crashing against another as the waste fell from the sky, several silhouettes shuffled past the gates of the junkyard. The old man in charge of the yard only spared a glance at the silhouettes before he pressed down on his hat, using it to shield his eyes as he let out a sigh.

Torn clothes, skinny, emancipated bony structures, pallid complexion and sunken empty eyes. These were the common characteristics among the scavengers who trudged into the junkyard. Almost like a tacit agreement had been formed previously amongst them, these men, women, and children of the Outer Ring shambled to different sections of the junkyard, choosing not to interfere with each other. Even if someone found something good, the others would not attempt to fight for it. How could they? They barely had enough energy to walk. Anyone stupid enough to fight for resources would only be hastening their own death.

The other reason for their dispersion was that the different gangs of the Outer Ring had divvied up the junkyard amongst themselves. These scavengers all worked for one gang or another, so they could only go to the section allocated to the gang they were under. For four hours every morning, these desperate souls would scour through the junk for anything that looked remotely valuable or usable. How much food they got that day and whether or not they slept under a roof was all dependent on their search, so it could be imagined just how desperate these people were.

At a corner near the entrance, the eyes of a child, barely five or six years old revealed a rare gleam as he spotted what seemed to be an intact exhaust pipe beneath a pile of scraps. The child snapped his head back and forth, afraid that someone else would notice his prize. Only when he saw that everyone else was busy with their own pile did he shamble over to the pile and bend over, gripping the cold, round metal with tiny, bony fingers.

Veins pulsed on the child's arms as he pulled at the pipe with all the strength he could muster. However, much to his dismay, the pipe showed no signs of budging despite his considerable effort. After several more tugs, the child's heart rate escalated as desperation began to set in. He knew it was only a matter of time before one of the bigger children or men came by his corner. At that time, they would definitely push him out with the excuse that he was too weak to obtain the pipe anyway.

Clang!

The child's reddened eyes snapped to the side where the tell-tale sound of metal striking against metal resounded. Tremors ran through the child's heart, eyes widening with panic as he saw the three bigger children whose eyes hovered over the pipe in his hands with clear desire and greed.

The smallest of the trio, and also the one who had struck the stick in her hands against a nearby pile was a blond girl, immature gray eyes belying the child's young age. Dressed in worn out tight-fitting jeans and a large jacket at least three times her size, she easily stood out as one of the much better-dressed children here. The desperate child in comparison only wore a long, torn T-shirt which must have belonged to an adult as it nearly scrubbed the ground when he walked.

Not much taller than the desperate child, she was somewhere around thirteen to sixteen years at the most, though sharp bone points and an extremely pale pallor from severe malnourishment made her look a little older and much more vicious.

The desperate child, upon seeing the girl, recalled all the horrible rumors about her. Nicknamed Viper by the children and "Queen of the Underbrats," she had a terrible reputation of forcing kids her age to work for her or suffer various forms of torture. The Viper nickname stemmed from rumors that she often sold her body to various gang leaders in return for poisons and drugs which she used to control her people or destroy the opposition.

It was unclear how much of the rumors were true and how much was false, but one thing was definitely true. In the past two-three years, this young girl had risen up in this dog-eat-dog world and begun carving a place out for the impoverished children to live in. Two years prior, the desperate child would have never bothered admiring such a rare piece of loot. After all, an adult would take it just as he was leaving the junkyard. Now, however, he could confidently take this to the pawn shop without being afraid someone would beat it out of him (at least in the open.)

However, despite her sterling achievements, Viper's reputation of shakedowns and murder far outweighed any of her positive points. Hence, why, when this desperate child laid eyes upon her, he did not feel relief or happiness but instant and utter terror; terror that stemmed from the fact that she could easily kill him here and steal away his treasure.

Sure enough, just as the thought crossed his mind, Viper called out as she strolled towards the kid, her voice cold and icy. "Hey, kid. Don't you think you've bitten off more than you can chew? Let big sister here help you out. I'll give you a few credits as thanks for your find."

This child had not eaten for days. He did not know when he would get his next meal. Maybe he wouldn't live to see the morning sun. Hearing the young girl's words, rather than joy, he felt a shiver run up his spine. Give him a few credits? Bullshit! Someone like Viper would never do something so generous.

It is said a man is able to squeeze out his latent potential when pushed to the edge of survival. The child was a perfect example of that, as upon realizing the current situation, he instantly raised his left foot and wedged it against the pile. Forgoing all thoughts of safety, the child pressed his left foot against the pile and pulled hard on the pipe.

Viper's brow wrinkled at the boy's actions. Still, she stopped in her tracks to watch his last ditch effort. If he succeeded, she would leave him be. It would show he not only had the desperation but the strength to overcome that desperation. She wanted to keep such children alive. If he failed, however, then it would mean he only amounted to this much. He was the type to overestimate himself, not afraid to offend someone greater than himself but not having enough strength to back up that ambition. She did not need such children.

Surprisingly, even more so the desperate boy, with a loud grating sound, the entire exhaust pipe slowly slid out of the pile of rubble. Despite the rust that begun to grow on several spots, the value of the completely intact exhaust pipe did not escape the child's eye. The claw markings and unique design revealed it to be an exhaust pipe from a 3028 Jaguar IXl Sprite. It was said there were only thirty or so of those Sprites in existence. They were a true collector's item that sold for several million credits on the market. And now he found a completely intact exhaust pipe just lying on the ground.

Even if the gang-owned pawn shops did not give much, they would at least reward him with around fifty to one hundred credits. With that much, he wouldn't have to worry about food for a few weeks. Eyes shining with delight, he hugged the exhaust pipe which was actually taller than him to his chest, all the while casting Viper and her crew a wary gaze. After using all his energy to pull out the treasure, he was now too weak. His legs were too wobbly to walk, let alone run. Should Viper and her lackeys wish for his death, he would have no choice but to surrender his neck.

The girl in question, Viper, also recognized the true value of the pipe in the child's hands. But rather than the exhaust pipe, her gaze lingered on the child himself. She could not forget the flash of excitement in the child's eyes after he recognized the pipe. That was odd. Most children here were abandoned from birth and lived their entire life in the slums. Where would he have had the chance to come into contact with the Jaguar IX Sprites, let alone familiarize himself so deeply with them that he could recognize the exhaust pipe with only a single glance?

"Hey, kid, what's your name?" Arms folded, Viper gave the kid a once-over.

"J-Juan." The child obediently answered. Although he had gotten his prize, he did not dare to be too disrespectful towards the overlord, or he wouldn't even know how he died.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Y-yes ma'am," Juan replied with a frantic nod, trying to make himself as small as possible.

"Good. Answer my question and I'll let you go, alright?"

"Y-yes."

"How'd—skree!" Viper started, but stopped, eyes widening as the sharp sound of grating metal stung her ears. Following the source of the sound, she looked up to a considerable distance up the pile next to the boy. Her lips parted in disbelief as she saw a damaged safe slowly slide off to the side. It seemed the boy's recklessness had indeed caused a chain reaction up the pile such that the safe which had originally been at equilibrium, suddenly found the platform it rested on, slightly inclined thus leading to the current happening.

The quartet gathered beneath were in the end, still children. They were so enamored by the safe's slow descent that they forgot to question what its aftermath would be. Only when the safe made it off the incline and rapidly picked up speed as it tumbled down the pile, did the quartet finally snap out of their trance.

Viper's gaze trembled as she watched the two-tonne safe smash its way down the pile in an eager attempt to hit the bottom. She quickly calculated its estimated crash site, expression turning grim as she realized it was right around where Juan was currently standing. The young child, long since frozen with fear could not move a single muscle as he watched the harbinger of doom make its way down towards him.

Clenching her teeth, Viper turned to the boy to her right. "Quickly save him!"

The boy, despite the desperate situation, did not dare hesitate. He quickly dashed out, hoping to catch Juan and drag him out of the fall zone before it was too late. Unfortunately, despite being stronger than the average child, this boy was still within the confines of a malnourished body. His speed and power paled in comparison to a healthy child's. Ultimately, he could only hold a bitter smile as the safe bounced off the last slope and floated over Juan's head. Any further push on the boy's end would only result in both of them being flattened, so he could only pull to a stop, eyes grim as he watched the safe crush the child to a pulp.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The boy's eyes widened as the safe, as if ordered by loud thunderclaps, suddenly spun towards the right, crashing into the earth right next to the child. The boy swallowed hard as Juan dropped on his backside, a large stain spreading on his shirt. Despite seeing Juan soil himself in fright, the boy held no contempt. He himself could not be sure he would fare any better if he had such a close shave with death, let alone an eight-nine years old kid.

The boy looked over Juan's head, eyes widening at the Radi who stood there. A set of messy dark green hair flopped atop pairs of grim yellow eyes, lips set in a tight, grim state. The stench of alcohol oozed off the sloppily dressed Radi as he holstered the pistol in a belt and walked towards the children.

Dayle yawned as he walked toward the site of the accident. Indeed the previous night had turned out to be more fun than he expected. Who knew little sis could be so wild outside of work? Hm, it was a good thing he stored her number.

Bringing himself back to the present, Dayle examined the children, a wistful look in his eyes as if recalling a distant memory. Ah, children abandoned by society. How nostalgic. He could almost see himself wondering the streets of Belton before he was finally saved by... Shaking his head, Dayle fixed his gaze on the little child desperately clutching the exhaust pipe despite soiling himself from fright. Rather than joy at being saved from death, his eyes only held apprehension and doubt.

Dayle scratched his head with a loud sigh. What the hell was this? The creators of this game definitely had several screws loose. "Run along. I ain't gonna hurt you."

Juan stiffened, turning his neck to seek permission from Viper. At Viper's brisk nod, he instantly scrambled to his feet and fled the premises, not even sparing his savior a second glance.

Staring at the little girl who stood behind the two boys, Dayle suddenly felt the urge to light a cigarette as he felt a headache coming. "So, you're the one in charge? What's your name?"

Viper's eyes narrowed. She took a step forward, placing the bodyguards behind her. Obviously, she did not want to appear weak to this strange adult. "Who're you?" She glanced at the gauntlet on his arm. "Don't look the scavenger type. Here to kill me?"

Dayle's brow rose with interest at the bloodlust in the little girl's eyes. Despite his apparent interest, however, he only snorted as he said, "Kids these days. No manners. You tell me your name before you start asking questions."

Viper's lips pressed into a thin line, eyes flashing with something deadly. "Viper. That's my name."

"Just Viper?"

"Just Viper," she confirmed. "What's your name?"

"Dayle," Dayle answered, stepping forward with his arm outstretched. "Dayle Butcher. Nice ta meet'cha."

Viper ignored the hand, choosing instead to take a step back so as to ensure she was out of arm's reach. "What are you doing here Dayle?"

Dayle looked at his hand which had been ignored. Maintaining the lazy smile on his face, he pointed at his face. "Me? I live here."

"Impossible," Viper instantly challenged. "I would know. Unless..." She looked toward the center of the junkyard. Although her view was blocked by several metal towers, she could picture in her head the airship that was sitting at the center. She turned to Dayle, a peculiar light in her eyes as well as doubt, "Did you team up with Dee?"

"You could call it that," Dayle said, a cunning smirk on his face. "We're starting a family together."

Viper's deadpan expression showed she did not buy his bullshit for one second. Her brows drew together as she considered a few possibilities. "If you work with Dee. Do you also have business with Vega?"

Dayle crossed his arms, a smile playing on the edge of his lips as he stared the girl down. "What's it to you?"

A glint of excitement flickered in the young girl's eyes. "Wanna make a deal?"

"Huh!?"

*********************

A/N: Hey guys! THis chapter's a bit on the shorter side. In fact, I've noticed most UF chapters fall within the 2500-3000 word count which pales to Parallel's 3500-4500 average word count. Just an intriguing observation. So, a coupla world-building chapters, kinda showing how the world functions, introducing new, important characters as well as establishing certain rules. All of which will be important in the future.

Viper, in particular, is a Character that popped up as I was writing this chapter. As soon as she was formed, an entire story and saga exploded in my head. Not only that,  it helped me with some difficulties I had advancing the story to some checkpoints in my mental chapters. All in all, she is a very important character. Make sure you pay attention to this one.

Picture of the Day

Can't wait till Raines and Arthur reach the higher levels where they can start customizing their suits to have sick-ass accessories. and augmentations. Can't draw 'em but I sure as hell can imagine all the cool stuff in the future. They'll also serve as a way of personalizing suits. Kinda like Destiny end-game content.

See Y'all Next Week!