Chapter 8: Wasting Away
The dark enclosure is only illuminated by the buzzing fluorescent street lamps, various neon signs, dim cracks of light from buildings, and any leftover industrial lights. Drips of water can be heard collecting into the puddles the trio step through.
Luke: "Where are you taking us?"
Henry: "The elevator straight ahead. It'll take us straight to my boss."
Jace: "What happened here? It looks worse than the western part of Blustone."
Henry shushes Jace as he presses the button to call the elevator. Jace staggers back and shifts his body into an industrial air conditioner. He feels his robotic arm get even colder as he shivers.
Henry: "Show some fucking respect. I didn't walk into your shit-stain of an alley and call it a waste-yard."
Luke: "You tried to kill someone though."
Henry: "Oh, that's a Rose Rocks custom.~"
Luke rolls his eyes and the elevator chimes. It has arrived as the three step into it. There's graffiti tags and stickers encasing it. Jace gazes off at a few of them as Henry presses the correct buttons. They begin their ascent.
Henry: "You wanted to know why this place sucks?"
Jace: "No! No, I'm so sorry for disrespecting the royal rose rocks!"
Henry: "Lighten up. I shut you up so others didn't hear you. I can explain now if you really care. It could get lengthy."
Jace: "Then sure. So long as it doesn't break our alliance."
Henry: "Fuck! I shoulda' threatened the alliance, you're a genius!"
Luke: "Jace, stop giving him ideas."
Jace: "(Can I just not win today?)"
Henry: "Anyways. Welcome to Rose Rocks. We've been established for probably over a century now and we've only gotten worse. A wealthy man named Breakdown, I'm not kidding, told a group of folks to dig out a hole in this mountain for them to establish a new town. Followers will do anything, but you gotta pay them. Breakdown Sr. was a very generous man. He was at the front helping getting that hole dug and sharing any potential gems with the crowd. Everyone was getting housing too for their labor. Things were good.
Then, Breakdown Jr. comes around after Sr. kicks the bucket, or the rocks in this case. He's a piece of shit, straight up. As kind of a man as Sr. was, he wasn't the best at regulating his lil' dude so he accidentally raised an asshole. That asshole inherited the entire town and proceeded to drain any profits it was making, right back to himself."
Luke: "He named his son Breakdown too?"
Henry: "Yeah! Insane shit, right? I'd hate myself if I had that name. Actually, he's so fucking wealthy he should just get his name changed. He's the mayor! He could do it for free!"
Jace: "I guess he likes the name. It's pretty unique."
Luke: "I'd stick with a boring name so I wouldn't be immediately identified."
The elevator slows down and chimes on the current floor.
Luke: "Is this our floor?"
Henry: "For how high up we are, it could be trouble."
Jace: "Do you know who could've called it?"
Luke: "How much trouble are we talking?"
Henry: "Oh shit."
Henry: "No. Someone called the elevator from this floor."
Henry: "A lot."
