At the end of their shift for the day, and as they had agreed among themselves during their break, Beth and Lucia went to check out the NERVE program.
"How much?" Lucia asked the driver of the cab while sticking her head into the window.
"70 bucks," the old man replied.
"Come on! Let's give you 30 bucks, pops."
The old driver sucked his teeth. "30 bucks? All the way from Chuck's Diner where I picked you? No way, miss. It should have been 90 bucks though but I just gave you a discount and you're asking for more."
"Fine!" Lucia breathed with frustration before counting the exact amount and handing it over to him.
Leaving the cab's side, the two ladies turned around to see the majestic structure that lay before their eyes — the Tower of NERVE.
It was so high that they couldn't see the top of it.
They had gone there straight from the restaurant because such a golden opportunity was rare and Beth did not wish to take it for granted.
"Woah!" they chorused.
Their jaws dropped in awe and their eyes beamed with surprise from the allure of the tower.
As CEO of NERVE, Dr. Joseph 'Joe' Neons was one of the world's wealthiest men and the strongest believer among them when it concerned the survival of mankind.
Beth caught a glimpse of that belief in the majestic edifice that stood strong in front of her.
She sniffed the collars of her leather jacket and looked around and then at Lucia.
She started to doubt herself, questioning if she truly wanted to participate in the program that NERVE was organising.
"Come on, Beth. You can't back out now," Lucia put both of her hands in front of her and pleaded with her friend.
"This is a thousand bucks for free and all you have to do is play the game. And you love playing games, Beth!"
Beth lowered her head and sighed.
She exhaled deeply once more and as if she had her resolve refreshed, she raised her head and peered forward to the entrance of the company.
"Let's go, Lucia."
"But..."
"But what, Lucia?"
Lucia, with a shaking hand, pointed at the two men who stood watch at the entrance.
"Those guards."
"Come on. Let's go. It's not like we are robbing the place."
Beth moved towards the entrance while dragging Lucia's wrist, making her follow closely behind.
They summoned the courage to walk through the entrance door only to be stopped by two men.
These men were tall, hefty men in tight black T-shirts, dressed like military men on undercover missions.
Both ladies stopped and glanced up to look the men in the eyes.
"What do you want?" one of the men asked, his voice deep and frightening.
Lucia gulped her saliva and took slow steps to go behind Beth.
However, Beth stood confident in front of the men, showing no fear.
There was no reason to show fear, there was nothing she had not faced in her life that the presence of two men would threaten her.
A young lady who began to care for her two brothers when she turned fifteen. Beth had known and tasted the hard life to its fullest.
"We are here for the beta testing program."
The men sized them up, looked at each other and laughed loudly.
"You?" one of them mocked her.
"Yes, us." Beth stamped her foot on the matter.
Lucia leaned in and whispered to Beth. "It's just you, Beth. I don't play video games, remember?" she said.
Beth maintained eye contact with the men and took two steps closer to them.
"Just me then," she rephrased.
Beth kept her gaze. Neither shaking nor trembling despite their burly figures.
It was as if she was telling them that she could tag whatever it was they wanted to throw.
The security guards read the situation, realising that she meant every word of what she had just said.
They shifted to their sides and made a path between them for her to pass after seeing her ticket.
Lucia smiled, blowing kisses at Beth and jumping in excitement and cheering Beth on since she wasn't allowed inside
"Good luck, girl! Go kick some ass and get some cash."
Beth turned to see her overjoyed friend and shook her head.
She was a tad embarrassed but still happy that Lucia gave her such an opportunity and went as far as coming with her to NERVE.
She nodded and raised a clenched fist.
"I will," she said before walking through the company's revolving door.
—––
A/N: I'm sure you already know what to do now. But if you don't, READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE... kekeke.