Rikko's, Northbrook, Coast City
April 15
12:13
Dr. Steven Faturius's cab weaves through the busy lunch hour traffic in the fashionable Northbrook neighborhood of Coast City. As if on cue, another cab pulls away from the curb in front of Rikko's just in time to allow Steven's to slide in. He slips a crisp twenty to the cabbie and mounts the curb.
Rikko's, sandwiched between a pair of art galleries, is just one of the latest ultra-chic restaurants to open in Northbrook. He thinks that it has gotten good reviews, but he can't quite recall what type of food they're supposed to serve. He weaves through the sidewalk's heavy foot traffic, drawn outside by the warm springtime sun, and reaches the door.
"Dr. Faturius," the matre d' says smoothly as recognition sets in. "Your party is waiting."
The matre d' leads Faturius through the dining room full with the lunch crowd. The decore is classy minimalist - predominantly cherry wood furnishings with green and black accents. Steven gets several looks of recognition, though no autograph requests. He's finally grown comfortable with his minor celebrity status.
Maggie, his agent, rises from a table against the wall. She is wearing a fashionable skirt and blouse with plunging neckline - a look that wouldn't work on most forty-somethings, but she is still able to pull it off admirably. She gives Steven a warm smile, light embrace, and a phantom cheek-to-cheek kiss.
"Steven, darling," she says as she waives him to his seat, "you know how rude it is to keep a lady waiting."
***************
Keyhole Apartments, Riverside, Coast City
April 15
14:40
Jorgi Vadislav's new apartment is still largely unfurnished - something he keeps meaning to remedy. In spite of the barren white walls and empty spans of maple flooring, he likes the place. The apartment was only recently opened in the renovated husk of an old brewery. His particular unit on the fourth floor has an excellent view of the Slate River.
Sitting at his computer desk, the first and still only piece of furniture he has purchased, Jorgi has been surfing through job websites in search of interesting work in the Central City area. Most of them are highly unappealing, even if his talents might make him over qualified. With money not being a primary concern, he is more keen on finding interesting work.
One ad finally catches his eye:
Can you set up a computer network, troubleshoot a photocopier, and program a VCR?
Do you scoff at technical manuals and sneer at customer support representatives?
Are there more spare computer components in your kitchen than dishes?
Can you distinguish between a AT-AT and an AT-ST?
If so, then you might be the type of person we're looking for to join our team - a genuine Geek.
No particular education requirements. If you can handle the questions above, you'll have a pretty good idea of whether you're qualified or not.
Give us a call. SG Services, Inc.
**************
"The Orbit", Peace Park, Downtown, Coast City
April 15
14:55
"The Orbit" is a pair of parallel paved paths that run around the circumference of the circular Peace Park in the center of downtown Coast City. One path accomodates bikers and in-line skaters, the other is for jogging and walking. Nearly two miles in length and without any cross traffic, "The Orbit" has become an extremely popular recreation destination.
Since leaving the Army, Thomas O'Riley has tried to maintain the instilled sense of structure and discipline in his life. A part of that includes jogging around Peace Park every afternoon before going to work. The routine usually involves a stretch, three or four laps around the Orbit, and a cool-down stretch.
Today, while doing his cool-down strech in a grassy area near the paths, a man approaches him. The guy is dressed in brown slacks and a white dress shirt. The top button is open and a slightly-out-of-style tie hangs limply around his neck. His hair is brown, streaked with gray, and receding significantly. In spite of the rest of his dishevelled appearance, the bright eyes behind his metal framed glasses are sharp and always moving. Nothing would seem to miss his observation.
The man stops a polite distance from Thomas. "Howdy there," he says pleasantly. "I'm Arty Hagan, reporter for the Coast City Chronicle. I am doing a story on how the people of Coast City feel about metahumans. Mind if I ask you a couple questions? Everything is completely anonymous, if you like."
****************
A dark alley, Downtown, Coast City
April 15
19:57
Lawrence Thorn had been on his own for just over a week, struggling to find his own way on the streets of downtown Coast City. After the incident with the thugs, in which he transformed into the swarm of spiders before both his best friend and girlfriend, he felt that he couldn't face living at home any longer.
Having only the few dollars in his pocket to his name, he had quickly gained an appreciation for the challenges of living on the streets. With his powers, theft would be a simple matter, but he found an urge to rise above such petty things unless he had no other choice. He had spent the last few nights camping out on a warm grate with a fellow homeless man by the name of Gus. Lawrence was pretty sure that Gus had a mutant ability to speak with the animals of the street. Gus, meanwhile, was very sympathetic to Lawrence's plight and did what he could to help the young man.
During the daytime, Gus went his own way. Lawrence wandered, looking for opportunities for work, anything that would give him a start to surviving on his own. So far, he found that lacking a permanent address closed a lot of doors.
At the end of yet another unsuccessful day, he is making his way through the streets to meet up with Gus for dinner. Self-conscious about his deteriorating appearance, Lawrence tries to stick to the alleyways and less used streets. He is generally overlooked, but this evening a group of punks feel the need to be assertive.
Five guys in their late teens to mid-twenties, each wearing gang colors, cut Lawrence off in a particularly dark alley.
"Yo, look at that mess," one guy says.
"Yeah. Doesn't even have the smarts to know that this is our street."
"Got some green, skinny? You gotta pay the toll to use our street...and you've already used part of it without askin'. That'll cost ya extra."
They appear unarmed, but there is plenty of room for knives or pistols within their bulky jackets.
