July 28th 3039 A.D

Junkyard, Outer Ring,

Kudan.

"You want to make a deal?" Dayle asked, regarding the little girl with renewed interest. "What do you have to offer?"

Contrary to Dayle's expectations, Viper did not seem overly excited by his words. Her eyes calmly judged his reactions as she counter-asked, "Can you make the decisions?"

The corner of Dayle's lips stiffened. He naturally understood the cold, calculating nature of that question. If he was not capable of making decisions for his group, then he was not worth talking to. Furthermore, based on his reactions, she could use it to probe whether or not he actually had a crew. Heh, guess she wasn't a boss for nothing. With a lazy smile, he slid his hands into his jean pockets. "I can," he truthfully answered. "But I never make a decision without my crew present." Maintaining his lazy expression, he took a step forward.

Viper stiffened, but eventually chose not to retreat, eyes narrowing as Dayle neared. "What're you doing?"

"Follow me," Dayle said as he drew level, then passed her by, not forgetting to give the two boys behind her a polite nod as he did.

Viper turned around, eyes following the Augur's back. Her brows furrowed as she quickly came to a decision. "Phil, Jagz, I'll meet you guys back at the cove." Throwing those words over her shoulder, she took quick steps to catch up with Dayle.

The two boys, Phil and Jagz shared a resigned gaze with matching bitter smiles. They knew better than to question Viper's decision, even if they felt it could possibly place her in danger. Shaking their heads, they returned to their duty of looking over the children in the junkyard to ensure the greedy adults did not take advantage of them.

Oblivious to the thoughts of her subordinates, Viper finally drew level with Dayle, matching his steady, unhurried pace. She looked up, a question forming on her brows as she scrutinized his expression. Contrary to her expectations, there was neither pity, disdain or indifference in his eyes as they walked passed the scavengers, the three staple emotions most people felt. If anything, there was a slight smile at the corner of his lips, a tinge of nostalgia evident in his almost far-away look. The sight was so jarring, she could not help but ask, "What're you thinking of?"

"Hmm?" Dayle murmured distractedly as he looked down to the little girl by his side. The tiny smile at the corner of his lips spread a little wider as he said, "My childhood."

Viper's gaze turned incredulous. "This junkyard reminds you of your childhood?"

"Not the junkyard per se," Dayle corrected with a chuckle. "I grew up in a country that had suffered terribly from several wars and guerrilla battles over many years. To make matters more complicated, Dad was a citizen of the country which destabilized ours, so we were plenty hated. While we were lucky to escape death, we had to scavenge for food from eateries' leftovers and sell plastic bottles we got from the trash in order to get enough food to eat."

Viper's shoulders stiffened. She could not marry the image of the confident, overbearingly arrogant Augurs to the picture of a desolate youth drawn by this man. It just did not add up. Although she was skeptical, she only said, "Sounds rough."

"Rough huh," Dayle chuckled, a weird twinkle in his eyes. "Strangely, I never thought of it that way back then. I was born into the life and knew no other. It wasn't weird to go hungry for a few days, and I enjoyed each meal like I was a king."

Viper's eyes narrowed. Indeed, although it may seem like those at the bottom of society were always destitute, the kids, knowing no other way of life could find the greatest joy in the smallest of things. Most people who grew up with privileged lives never understood this, and always assumed those poor children were sad, desolate, miserable beings forsaken by fate. "So, how'd you escape?"

Dayle's smile dimmed somewhat as he said, "Militants came raiding when I was nine. They figured my dad for a spy from the States and had him executed. Mom was already quite weak. Without dad by her side, she passed away soon after. As for me, a half-American orphan with no ties to any living person was a prime target for a budding criminal organization back in my dad's country."

"Your dad's country is this America?"

"United States of America," Dayle explained, an unmistakeable pride in his eyes. "U.S.A for short."

"U.S.A," Viper's lips played with the foreign acronym. It was a land she'd never heard of, in a place she would probably never see. She immediately lost interest. "So, are you still working for that organization?"

"Nah, I quit some years ago," Dayle said with a light shrug.

"They let you quit?" Viper questioned, brows bunched tightly together. "Just like that?"

"Heh, TRASH ain't like any other criminal organization," Dayle proclaimed with a haughtiness and pride that even exceeded that displayed when he spoke of his country. His eyes brightened with a smug look that Viper suddenly wanted to slap off his face. "Ever heard of a criminal organization for the people?"

"Huh!? The fuck are you on about!?" Viper jumped, almost with the intention of punching this crazy dude's head off. "Criminals are criminals, People are people. There's no way they can mix."

"Fufu," Dayle chuckled. "Not only were we the Robin Hood of the Criminal Underworld, we were also quite successful, pulling in enormous support usually reserved for heroes and politicians. It was a thing of pride to be seen on the streets wearing TRASH's monochromatic colors."

Viper's eyes widened with shock, her jaw dropping. Her eyes suddenly burst with dazzling light, stunning even Dayle for a moment. "Quick! Tell me! How the hell did they do that!?"

"Another time maybe," Dayle chuckled as he jerked his chin towards the towering ship in front of them where three individuals were closely monitoring his approach. "We've reached our destination."

The brightness in Viper's eyes instantly blacked out, replaced by a grim earnestness. The girl instantly shrunk back into her shell, curiosity and excitement replaced by cautiousness and predatory instinct.

A flicker crossed Dayle's eyes at the sudden transformation. However, pretending not to have noticed, a snarky grin spread on his lips as he waved to Raines. "Yo. How was your night?"

"Not as exciting as yours I'd bet," Raines spat, shooting him a dirty look. She turned to Viper who maintained a distance of about a meter. "Who's your friend?"

"Viper," the young girl quickly answered before Dayle could. Her gaze was frigid cold as she regarded the young woman across from her, her cheeks stiffening as she struggled to hold back the threads of hostility borne in her heart.

Viper hated people like Raines. Those who had the arrogance of a privileged life drilled into the very core of their being. Those who innately held a sense of superiority over others beneath them in the social circle. For most of these people, they did not even actively act on their superiority, some even going out of their way to be charitable to those lower than them. However, it was the look in their eyes. The pity they held for the less-privileged and self-righteous pleased expressions they had after donations that caused the skin on the young girl's arms to crawl.

From the day she was born, the girl named Viper had never accepted handouts from anyone, and she never would in the future. Conversely however, just like how those in higher places were born with arrogance befitting their status, those from the bottom sense of society also had an innate sense of inferiority carved into their very bones from birth. It was something the young girl had come to realize at a very early age, and henceforth she covered the shame with a blanketed hatred towards anyone who held superiority in their gazes.

She had let her guard down around Dayle because he did not seem to have that innate sense of superiority. If anything, he seemed more similar to someone who escaped from the dregs of society. However, towards Raines, whose eyes held both curiosity, question and slight traces of pity, Viper decided on the spot she would never get along with her.

If only she knew how wrong she was.

Raines, sensing the hostility in Viper's gaze, revealed a hunter's grin. "Hey. D'you want a fight?"

Viper faltered. Of all the responses, she had not expected something like that. She had been prepared for an irritated tirade of curses, or the patronizing tone used when talking to little girls. Raines on the other hand, asked for a fight straight-up, a move which seemed to put both women on equal grounds.

"My bet's on Viper," Dayle stated, arms folded.

Fire burned in Raines' eyes as she snapped at him. "You dare!?" She made to grab him by the collar but Arthur cut between them in the nick of time.

With his back to Dayle, Arthur raised his arms in surrender as he placated Raines, "How about we all take a breather." Glancing at Viper, he stated, "We have a guest."

"Only 'cause you said so." Raines begrudgingly took a step back, not forgetting to send Dayle a death glare in the process.

Arthur let out a sigh of relief. Good, that was one disaster taken care of. Turning to Viper, a friendly smile played on his lips as he held out his hand and introduced himself. "Hello there, I'm Arthur Yount. You can call me Art if you want." Arthur's smile slightly broadened when Viper stiffly took his hand in hers. "You already know Dayle." Turning to look at Raines, he said, "She's Raines, and last but definitely not least—"

"Dee," Viper interrupted as she matched the engineer's cold gaze. "We've met."

Dee lightly snorted. Her gaze revealed a rare mischievous glint as she asked, "How's your blaster?"

"Hasn't jammed in three weeks," Viper replied, taking her left hand out of the oversized jacket to reveal a large plasma pistol. Surprisingly, despite facing the potentially lethal weapon, neither Dayle, Raines nor Arthur showed any visible reactions. Viper lightly clucked her tongue. Was this confidence or arrogance? She couldn't tell. In the end, she shrugged. Either way, it didn't change her purpose for coming here. With a light throw, the blaster ended up in Dee's hands. "Can't stand the shitty recoil though. Do something about it."

Dee snorted as she disassembled the blaster within a second of it entering her hand. "Warned you last time it needed more work. You wouldn't listen."

Viper cursed beneath her breath. "Lisper's thugs were nearing my turf. I didn't have a choice either."

"Fine, whatever." Dee waved her left hand like it was a hassle to talk any further. "Come inside. The sun's coming up." With that, she turned around and walked up the ramp.

Swept up in her pace, the quartet could only follow meekly. Behind them, as if shunned by the sun's light, the scavengers began to shamble out of the junkyard. It was time to turn in their findings with the hopes of getting enough food and water to live through the day.

Within a few minutes they were settled at the refurbished common area in the workstation. Well, refurbished was a strong word. It was closer it say it had been cleaned and arranged so it did not look like a wrongful touch or step could result in someone losing a body part. On their way, Dayle had revealed how he met up with Viper as well as why he brought her with him.

"A deal?" Dee said with a puzzled look as she handed out some beer bottles she had taken out from the fridge. "I thought you hated Vega's guts."

"I hate the Mambas," Viper corrected, venom in her tone.

Dayle's brow rose. "Is there a difference?"

Viper glanced at Dayle, her expression turning sullen. "The Mambas are a group of low-life, short-sighted thugs who deal in prostitution, drugs, rape, murder and gambling. These fuckers like to force kids to do their dirty work for them, then dispose of them once they outlive their usefulness."

"And Vega is different how?" Raines could not help but question as she recalled the brutish man she'd met the previous day. She would not bat an eyelid if she was told he was involved in all of that.

"Vega has something a lot of these low-life thugs lack... Vision!" Viper said, her eyes narrowing. Taking a deep swig from the bottle, she continued, "Most of the bastard low-lifes are content to sit on their comfortable thrones, living the lives of kings, even if it is as kings of trash. Vega, on the other hand, has ambition to be greater than a common thug. All the vices are used only as a goal towards his ambition, which is why, compared to other bastards, he rarely goes overboard. Better yet, his ambition means he is willing to try new untested ideas if there is a chance of a benefit, whether long-term or short-term."

"I see." Arthur took a light sip from his beer. "You have an idea you believe would benefit Vega." At Viper's stiff nod, he added, "Are you a hundred percent certain you can trust Vega?"

Viper's expression hardened, understanding the hidden meaning behind Arthur's warning. Indeed, even if Vega accepted her idea, there was no guarantee he would still use her. No, knowing the track record of people in his position, it was more likely he would dispose of her and use someone else to complete her plan. However, she had no other choice. She was tired of her current life. Even though many feared her, going as far as to name her Viper, the adults stilled saw her as a Queen of Brats. Unless something changed fast, she would eventually be killed by some other upstart looking to seat on the throne of children. The young girl's ambition definitely did not end in a small place like this junkyard. Hence the reason she was prepared to take the risk.

Raines watched as doubt flickered in Viper's eyes as well as the eventual flash of determination. Nodding grimly, she set down the half empty bottle in her hands and said, "How about you tell us what you have in mind."

"Hoho, looks like we're in agreement for once," Dayle said as cast Raines a surprised glance, understanding her intentions.

Ignoring Dayle's remark, Raines pressed on, "Come on, tell us your plan. We might be able to help out."

Viper's eyes turned grim. Shit! She should have expected this bastards would try to steal her idea. Damn, had she underestimated their greed because they were Augurs!? She had already begun calculating her chances of escape when a cold voice cut into her thoughts.

"Stop thinking unnecessary things and tell them," Dee said as she tossed the repaired blaster back at Viper. "I can't say anything for the playboy, but you can trust Raines and Arthur."

Viper hesitated. If it was anyone one else who said that, she would have just scoffed it off. However, this was Dee talking. Everyone in the Outer Ring knew Dee to be a no-nonsense straight talker with very limited patience, and an even fouler mouth. She was not the type to deceive someone or stab them in the back. She would more likely break a hammer on the head of someone she had beef with as that was less brain taxing. Better yet, Viper found an extra layer of security as her finger wrapped around the blaster's handle.

Viper's brows bunched together before she finally came to a conclusion. "I want to create an intelligence agency."

The aura in the room significantly shifted. If Dayle, Arthur and Raines could have been said to only be listening perfunctorily previously, their attentions were definitely completely seized by the unexpected declaration. This trio who happened to work for Intelligence Agencies in the real world, more than had an appreciation for the importance of information warfare. Still, to hear a young fifteen-sixteen year old girl say she wanted to create an entire intelligence agency. Could it be that easy?

Viper could feel the tension in the room, as well as see the doubt flickering in the trio's eyes. Still, despite that, the fact they were still willing to listen to what she had to say greatly raised their values in her eyes. Most adults pushed her aside because she was a child, only to be used when they needed her. Beyond that, they usually never listened to her proposals.

Determined to take advantage of these opportunity, Viper readily explained herself.

Ever since the Nexus Apocalypse, Information Warfare in Etarh had steadily deteriorated. Since most people were too busy looking for ways to survive to the next day in a world of harsh beasts and unforgiving climates, things like information brokers were rendered all but extinct in the early days. Later on, in order to prevent settlers from rushing into bad zones or Nexus operated areas, some semblance of information brokers rose up, forming and updating maps every day to prevent the chance of people getting ambushed in the wild.

As a result of this, humanity, at least in those early stages were largely united and had no reason to collect intelligence on each other. Collecting data on monsters and habitats instead became the new jobs for the new age intelligence agencies. In other words, the olden days' spies and espionage disappeared for several years.

Eventually, however humanity carved out its own pieces of land in the unforgiving land and began to foster new city-states. Luckily, the terrible conditions outside prevented any large scale wars from occurring, and a lack of good communication devices prevented agents from relaying information gathered in other cities to their hometowns. So, once again, the triumphant return of intelligence agencies was forced to bide its time further.

With advancements in technology scrapped from the Nexus, humanity eventually created a new set of satellites which it launched into space in 2893 A.D. It was the first satellite to orbit the earth since Nexus wiped them all out during the Apocalypse. With advanced stealth, and hefty security, mankind could finally begin to smoothly communicate across very long distances (Previous attempts at cabled connections were all cut to shred by Nexus sabotage units).

Since then, several Satellites had been launched, and with increased communication, came a desire for city-states to get into each other's business. So, the age of espionage made its eventual return in full just at the turn of the millennium. Still, it was quite a fledgling society at the moment, especially since wars rarely occurred between the now mobile cities.

Most intelligence agencies, although advanced, still focused on gathering intel on hotspots in the wild, or finding out the truth behind certain phenomena in the wastelands. Intelligence agencies within the city-states themselves were almost non-existent.

"Which is where I come in," Viper stated, then gulped down her fourth bottle. Although the center table was now littered with bottles, every one present still seemed highly alert. "We children are the most underutilized and overlooked force in the entire city. Unlike adults, we can almost go anywhere, work for anyone, and learn the most interesting things which some people would kill for."

"I understand," Arthur murmured, a slight slur added at the end of his words. It was obvious he was a lightweight in regards to alcohol. "You wish to make an intelligence agency from the children scattered across the outer ring." He fixed Viper with an uncharacteristically hard glare. "Don't you think that is too dangerous? These kids will be betting their lives."

Maybe affected by the alcohol, rather than severely rebuke him, Viper looked at the bottle in her hand with a forlorn expression. "Every day a child sees the sunrise, he has won a gamble with their life. At least my way, we will not need to worry about dying from starvation."

"How noble." Dee snorted. "I'm guessing you will lead this agency?"

Viper's gaze narrowed. "I know what you're thinking. I am fifteen this year. Regardless of if I succeed or not, I intend to step down as leader of the kids when I turn eighteen."

"A three-year limit is tight." A sigh escaped Raines' lips. "You're too harsh on yourself."

"At least this level of resolve is needed to survive in this hellhole," Viper's nonchalantly replied. "If I were any weaker, I would have long since ended up buried in some abandoned house." She turned to the only one who had not spoken yet. "So, what'll it be Dayle?"

Dayle, whose head had remained bowed since the beginning, shivered slightly as he came out of his reverie. He looked to Arthur and Raines, a complicated look in his eyes. Understanding dawned on his teammates as they saw the look in his eyes. With resigned smiles, they nodded their heads.

Secretly pleased, Dayle finally turned his attention to the young lass. "FireRain will sponsor you on two conditions."

Viper blinked rapidly, wide eyes unable to hide the shock in her heart. Never had she expected they would agree so easily. She had been thinking of what she had to do to convince them. Maybe come back a couple of days later with some bribes... But ignoring all that, Dayle had already given his consent. Well, dependent on two conditions. "What are your conditions?"

"First, you name your team TRASH." At Viper's confused gaze, Dayle chuckled, "Just think of it as payback to an old friend." After her stiff nod he stated his second option, "Second, you have to learn everything needed to make you a criminal organization for the people from me. I will not let you start till I am sure you are at a satisfactory level."

"You have some weird conditions," Viper muttered in confusion. Still, despite her reservations, she stood up and stretched her hand across the centerpiece. "I accept this deal."

Dayle likewise stood up and took her hand firmly in a tight grip. "A deal it is then."

Dee watched the handshake with a complicated expression. Within days of entering this world, this young man had made gained the contacts of a highly skilled engineer at the bottom of her luck, an ambitious mobster looking to rise up from the dregs of society, and a terrifying young woman with an idea that could shift the balance of power. Was this all a coincidence, or was there something special about this guy?

Dee naturally could not tell, but as she looked from FireRain to the future leader of TRASH, she momentarily glimpsed the near future when these two existences would shake the entire continent.

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A/N: Countdown to Parallel Vol.4:   7 Days to GO!