[Back to Devon's POV]
The map pin keeps on doing its rhythmic pulses as I scratch my head trying to figure out if I'm close or not. Usually, digital maps are connected to satellites so they show your location in relation to your destination but because my Kaleidoscope isn't connected to anything, I've been circling this area for thirty minutes. How the hell did our ancestors get around before satellites existed? What's worse is that Sheriv has been silent for quite a while now.
"Hey Sher, I'm really lost here," I say while wiping the sweat from my brow.
No answer. I groan and scan my surroundings one more time. After riding a taxi and walking about for a bit, I find myself near the Metropolis slums. Here, crime is rampant and most of the waste of the city gets dumped here. All around me are makeshift buildings made out of shoddily welded steel and wood that tower as high as 20 meters. I shudder just thinking about how these things could topple down at the slightest bit of interference. While the buildings are in and of themselves bad, the people around here are what I fear the most. I'm glad I look like hell right now. If I'm even the slightest bit well-dressed, these guys won't even hesitate to jump me. Fortunately, the worst these hoodlums had done since I got here is sneer or laugh at me. I then look at the map one more time to find some clues. Immediately, something obvious catches my eye that would have ended my search years ago.
"Oh for crying out loud, the pin is near the water. How the hell did I not notice it before?" I grumble to myself.
After figuring out the lay of the land and following the scent of salt and the sound of crashing waves, I finally manage to find the location that best fit the map pin.
"Hey, Sher. Is this it?" I ask.
"Yeah, enter it," she replies promptly.
The scene before me is best described as the "Smoky Mountain" of the slums. The pin lead me to the junkyard! As far as my eyes can see, literal mountains of trash loom over even the tallest buildings nearby. On multiple points of the mountain, I could see pillars of black smoke rise without rest. I scan more and I see that in multiple spots, there are little pockets of clearing where a singular structure is built. I assume that's the "Recycling Depots" I hear a lot about. People, mostly children, come here to gather useful trash which they resell to one of these depots to make enough money for basic things like food.
"Is this your idea of cheering me up?" I ask Sher who is still being awfully silent.
"Just get down there," she replies. "I'm almost done here myself."
What could she possibly be doing in my head all this time? I sigh and resign myself to my fate. After all, I just got fired from my job, got kicked out of school, and had to cut off all the people I know and love. It's not like I have anything better to do. I wander towards the main entrance of the junkyard where multiple men has chosen to congregate. They're wearing tattered clothing and their entire bodies are covered with soot and other dirt I don't wanna know about.
"Hey, hey look who we have here," a man with a really pronounced mohawk starts to approach me. "It seems we have fresh meat."
The other men laugh and snicker amongst each other. Man, I just had a really bad day. I'm not about to deal with some thugs who seems to be only good at intimidating.
"Fuck off," Sher says inside my head and suddenly, the man jumps in surprise.
"What the fuck?!" he gasps.
+
[Concealment Activated]
[Other Kaleidoscopes cannot see the user]
+
What? So concealment can do that too? That's nifty. But while this function surprises me, it's not anything new. What really piques my interest right now is the fact that all of these men have Kaleidoscopes. They're scrambling trying to look for me. Is that the reason why they got into this mess in the first place? When the Kaleidoscopes were first released, many people couldn't afford it since it was expensive. But as time went on, enough Kaleidoscopes has entered the market that it became possible for a normal person to invest in one through loans and installments. While this change improved the lives of many citizens, there are those who bit off more than they could chew and drowned in their loans. I'm not into economics but I understand that if you spend more than you make, it'll eventually ruin you. That's the reason why I never got a Kaleidoscope. Seeing these guys now, I guess my decision was the right one.
"Look around!" one of the men shouts.
"He probably has an Espionage Role!" another bellows.
I simply walk past them and head towards the inner parts of the junkyard. I scan my surroundings and spot some children playing with trash, adults trading what they found with each other, and some lining up to sell their haul for the day. For a literal trash heap, it seems that this place is a functioning part of the economy.
"Done!" Sher suddenly exclaims which makes me jump.
"What?"
She apparates in front of me and presents what seems to be a hologram of a blueprint.
"Make this," she demands.
I take a closer look and the Kaleidoscope immediately assists me in deciphering this alien piece. The blueprint is showing me different parts of technology along with their function. There's also an instruction for building a ... wait, 3 meter tall box? I look at Sher who's proudly puffing up her chest.
"Sher, what are you asking me to build?" I ask, confused at everything.
"I was sick of seeing you just mope around and being lost so the great me is gonna help you out!" she replies and smiles at me.
"That smile ... you never smile like that. What are you planning?" I point at her in accusation.
She furrows her brow and shocks me. "Just build the damn thing Devon Miller! Oh, and while you're at it, make as much money as you can selling trash. I'm gonna go take a nap." Then, she disappears.
I scratch my head and look at the blueprint one more time. This thing is complicated. I can't even start to figure out what this is for. I sigh and dismiss the blueprint. She wants to help me out huh? I guess I've fallen so far that the usually apathetic and aloof Sheriv Nazar has taken pity on me. With that thought, a chuckle escapes my mouth.
"Now then," I roll up my sleeves and look up at the behemoth before me. "I guess I should get started."