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Your apartment is small, but in the Red Commons; it’s a luxury to have a place of your own. It is protected by your crew, and safer than any place you have ever lived. The bed, kitchen, and dining area are all in one room with the bathroom and shower off behind a partition. You haven’t decorated and your clothes are most of your possessions. It is, like its owner, still waiting for someone to move in. You look back at yourself in the mirror. You have no choice; this just has to play out.
There is a knock at the door, and there is only one person that could get to it without your crew notifying you. You turn to wait, as you know he will let himself in.
“My boy, how— Jesus KK, you look terrible,” says Seth-Sagan as he casually enters.
“Yeah, it’s been a day. Diogenes was light on his run. You know I hand-picked him,” you say.
“Is he using?” he asks.
“He had marks, he ain’t a blackhead yet, but yeah he’s using,” you say and pick up a towel
“I’m sorry. Most of ‘em do. You’re one of the best, never used,” he says.
“It ain’t like I haven’t thought about it, just the consequences…GMOs go batshit. I’d rather not step off that ledge and kill everyone around me,” you say as you move to the sink and start to wash up.
“You probably are wondering why I’m here,” he says.
“Welfare check-up, make sure I’m not passed out drunk?”
“No, I got a serious problem. I need your help. I need you specifically,” he says.
You wipe your face and hands dry and begin to change your shirt.
“What’s going down, why me?”
“The elementary education center, grades 1 through 5, in the red commons, right now it has an active shooter situation. A guy is holed up in the basement with 14 kids. It ain’t good,” Seth-Sagan says.
“This sounds like a Paradise PD problem. I don’t think there’s anything I can do to help. It’d be a worse shit show if I did show up,” you say and sit down on the edge of your bed.
“He’s a GMO, KK, same batch as you. A GMO Blackhead, and he’s…”
“The baby-eater?” you ask suspiciously.
Seth-Sagan Cariglio nods his head never losing eye contact.
“Why me?”
“You can get into the basement, and we trust you,” he says, now looking away.
“We?”
“Juedon’s kid is down there. He wants us to get in and bring him out.”
“Juedon, the kingpin drug lord of the city has a kid in the Red Commons?” you ask not truly believing such a man would have a family.
“Not everyone knows. But it’s his son, he loves him.”
“Juedon, and the city council, they made this happen, they made GMO’s, they made the black water! This is their fault. He’s a corrupted politician who funds himself off blood money from the streets.”
“Yeah, that same blood that’s on your face right now! It’s his son, KK, you’d understand if you had any. I can’t do it alone.”
You pause and take a deep breath, and several thoughts race through your head. Juedon is one of the Council members for Paradise City, if you rescue his son, that’s a green card for sure. On the other hand, he is the reason the GMOs exist, and he’s the one that forced black water down their veins. You don’t know if you can help a guy like that. Lastly, if you play your cards right, you send Seth-Sagan in alone, he wins, and you’re dead, but if he dies, or fucks it up, you’re next in line to take over the red commons dealership. It’s a risk but it would be worth it.