The loud blast of the alarm as the doors slammed shut had already become the common tune of the place, but Susanne still cringed when she heard them. This was her third week since being incarcerated.
The law was very strict in Titan. Once someone was arrested, they would be placed on remand. At that time, they would have access to a jail in Polaris, all their other access taken away.
While the concept of bail still existed, paying bail would only allow the accused access to Polaris, with a red marker tag. Unless the crime value was removed, they would be denied access to multiple legitimate businesses. Their real body would still be incarcerated, so they just had to get comfortable.
The entire judicial system was automated, which meant that most judges, lawyers and the like would only get to meet their clients or plaintiffs on Polaris. The court structure was very jaw dropping in Polaris.
What's more, there was a teleport station connecting the prisoners to the courts, and the prison. There was minimal chances of escaping. Susanne could not believe she had ended up in such a position.
She was connected. She was working for the Man! She had inside information about the kind of people she was dealing with. From everything she knew, no one could even dare intrude on their business. Not even Gamar corporation could interfere with them.
On the surface, they were just acquisition officers for the company, but she knew more, much more.
Almost everyone needed solarbeds. Without a doubt, it was the most marketable product, and even those who couldn't afford would receive government subsidies. It was recognized as a top public health device, especially given that they all lived underground.
Since the solarbed and the evolution of virtual reality had advanced in leaps and bounds, the limit of a human's mind and body capabilities had risen. It wasn't superpowers, or magic. It was pushing one's body to the limit.
For the kind of people who could do that, they not only gained power quickly, but it was said to be the sweetest experience. While tiresome, the high one got was leaps and bounds higher than the kind of happiness one would get from working out for a period. Something to do with overload of endorphins.
Unfortunately, the kind of people who could accomplish this were countable on one hand. They turned out to be capable of superhumans feats. In VR Games, they would effortlessly overcome obstacles and accomplish feats that seemed impossible for humans.
For everyone else, they could only look up to such people.
That was when Venom was introduced. A sleezy drug, but it was discovered in the quest to push one's beyond their limits. It seemed this chemical could boost someone's mental activity, making the user to have superhuman capabilities online.
In a world like Polaris, being able to accomplish something out of the rules was already a superhuman feat. Since Polaris was the one place almost everyone spent, even criminals and thieves would opt to steal virtual products, which were selling like hot cakes.
This in turn boosted the value of the chemical, but it was found to have adverse effects. Conspiracists refused to agree, claiming that the government was trying to limit access to this chemical.
Unfortunately, despite anyone's protest, the chemical was banned. However, several weeks later, a drug called Venom came to being. It had similar functions as the chemical, but it came with a kick. A massive high brought about by an overload of endorphins.
This was extremely dangerous and addictive. Some people would go crazy over this drug, but it too got banned. Production went down, decreasing supply to a market that was overloaded with demand.
Street value of Venom skyrocketed, leading to growth of powerful tycoons and super rich drug barons. It was said that some politicians and powerful people in power were addicted to that feeling of power. This made them playthings of the real shot callers, and many of the drug barons caught a glimpse of Titan's elite.
It was to one of these Elites that Susanne worked for. Venom was not cheap to produce, and with the government tightly controlling any mines within reach, there was no option but to go topside.
Risking their lives, Susanne and her crew would masquerade as part of the transport crew. Usually, legitimate businesses and companies had mines, even on topside. However, these mines were fully automated, without any need for human intervention. In case of any such need, there were remote controlled drones that could do pretty much anything.
However, when mining and exploring, they would sometimes come across rare materials, and some other not-so-legal items and equipment. In fact, after a while, they did not just "come across", but were actively looking for contraband, how else would they get paid.
Soon, this was all they brought, as the automated machinery would deliver all the legal commodities.
It had been a victimless crime. They were just catering to the needs of a few with some deep pockets, without hurting anyone. This was what Susanne told herself. She also knew that the higher ups were extremely connected, and it was on this that she was banking on.
However, sometimes we bite off more than we can chew, and this was what she felt. She had chosen to play in the murky waters, she didn't see the circling predators.
Perhaps as she lay on her cot, Susanne's greatest regret was what she did to Bor. He'd been her support for the longest time. She'd had other partners in business, but only Bor had stuck around for as long as he had.
Yet, despite it all, she still tried to rat him out. Was it too late to regret? Perhaps. Perhaps she had screwed up by being a criminal. Based on her connections and background, she didn't need to. Nevertheless, she found herself staring at a very bleak future.
There was no one to turn to. She had betrayed her friends. As for family, and some other frenemies, they were much to embarrassed to associate with her. As for now, she was truly on her own.
Hearing the loud alarm of the door unlocking, she barely moved. She never expected to find a guard standing over her, but what they said was even more shocking.
"Hey Inmate, you have a visitor."