Messimah and his crew weren't oblivious to the ways of the world, or at least, to the way those in power functioned in this city that they had grown up in.
It wasn't as though they hadn't considered presenting the invention through the proper channels, but that route carried its own risks—risks they couldn't afford to take.
This approach, however, allowed them to draw public attention to the prototype.
Once people saw it for what it was and realized it lived up to its promises, no one would care about the creator's origins or whether the proper protocols had been followed.
What was the law in this place?
Money.
Those with the most could bend it; those with the potential to generate vast sums could do the same. Prospects held power in this society, too. If they gained enough traction and attracted the right interest, they could find the right covers they need for growth.
This was what they were banking on, their prospect.
Right from the beginning, from the moment they began planning this, Messimah, Trumm, and Gola had already made plans of how to escape the city if everything went haywire.
Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C.
They weren't about to take chances. If their dreams can't be realized in this place, why remain?
Even though they were all members of the Fixer Crew, they knew that at a certain point, their crew wouldn't be able to shield them from the forces that would come for them once they let this Aqua Filtration Kit out.
Hence their reason not to involve the Fixer Crew in this project of theirs.
Though they grew up together in an orphanage in the slums of Jejity, they didn't have any strong attachment to the city.
If it was required of them, they would make the necessary migration to another city regardless of the distance, difficulty, and dangers that comes with travelling between cities without the proper transportation medium.
Despite the fact that they had never been to another city outside of Jejity, the trio were still open to leaving.
"Of course, everything has been ready for days now. When a particular someone said that it wouldn't take him more than 2 days to complete the device, we immediately started to get everything ready from the moment you locked yourself in your la-"
Once again, Messimah cut the call, halting Trumm midsentence.
He wasn't about to let Trumm mock his pride.
In a few seconds, his watch rang again.
"You were saying?" Messimah said.
"Everything is ready," Trumm uttered, a bit annoyed that Messimah cut the call on him for the second time in a roll while he was still speaking.
"The escape routes?" Messimah asked.
"Secured, and every path has a Benediction IV bike waiting for us," Gola answered. "The micro-drones are also ready to tape everything. Trumm's station has also been secured." Gola added, not waiting for Messimah to speak.
Messimah hummed, pleased to know all of this.
"Wait, what about Jonah? Has he asked the two of you about the revenge raid we had on Gaus's men?" Messimah wondered.
Even though Jonah was their boss, and would most likely be on their side, he could also become a hindrance to their plans.
Messimah respected him, but trust was a whole other thing.
"Gaus's men went on a crazy search for about 3 days and even put out a bounty for anyone that can provide useful information," Gola replied.
"You were too far away for anyone to see you. As for Myself and Trumm, I had a mask on, and so did Trumm. Our faces are safe." Messimah muttered.
"Yeah, but they put out a search for our bikes. They probably used the tracks of the tires left on the desert to make their deductions." Trumm mentioned.
"We made contingencies for that already so that will be a huge waste of their time." Messimah sighed, relieved.
Not because he was scared that Gaus's men would find him and ask him to pay for what he stole, but because he was scared that they would find him and disrupt their plans to advertise the Aqua Filtration Kit.
"Alright then, where are the two of you?"
"In the toilet of a club," Trumm answered.
Messimah shook his head, knowing that Trumm had probably gone there to hide from the loan sharks he owed. A habit of his whenever he borrows money and fails to pay on time, he results to sleeping in the weirdest places in the city.
Even the sewers weren't off-limit to Trumm.
"On the roof of a skyscraper in Tunch Avenue," Gola said.
As expected, always on top of the matters that need to be tendered.
He thought in response to Gola's answer.
"Alright then, let's meet in Jeji Park in 30 minutes. Come ready and hot." Messimah said.
"Hot and-" Trumm started, only to be cut short for the third time this evening by Messimah cutting the call.
"Damn parrot," Messimah muttered as he removed the clothes he had on, to change into more presentable ones.
Knowing that he was going to be the one to present the device in public, though he didn't care about what people thought of the way he dressed, he knew that many people wouldn't take him seriously if he didn't at least look neat.
Right before putting his clothes back on, Messimah put on a thinner version of the Skeletal Bionic Suit, one that was more suitable to wear under thinner clothes, Though only for his lower body.
With the danger that he could possibly face, Messimah definitely wasn't about to do this without having this machine with him.
Changing into a clean set of dark trousers and a white collared shirt with rolled-up sleeves, Messimah added a dark gray leather jacket. The sleek jacket gave him a polished yet rugged look, a perfect balance for someone pitching innovation in a city as unpredictable as Jejity.
Messimah strapped on lightweight combat boots, practical but not bulky, and completed the ensemble with his digital wristwatch that synced to the Aqua Filtration Kit.
Messimah took one last glance in the mirror.
Neat enough to hold attention, rugged enough to command respect, I think.
Satisfied, he grabbed the Aqua Filtration Kit and carefully put it into a grey backpack. After that, Messimah quickly disassembled the upper part of his Skeletal Bionic suit, just enough to easily in a short time, reassemble it if need be.
With that, he looked around his lab, trying to confirm if he had carried everything he needed. Messimah's gaze landed on the stack of papers on his table, and he focused on one in particular, and that was the blueprint for the Aqua Filtration Kit.
Picking the blueprint up, Messimah stepped out into the humid night. Walking past a small bonfire he threw the stack of papers alongside the blueprint for the Aqua Filtration Kit into the fire.
The people who were already gathered around the fire to find warmth in its proximity turned to look at Messimah, confused.
Most of them were past their thirties and were barely holding on to life. Some of them had been inflicted with diseases that they couldn't afford to cure. They are also the people who do not seem to have any joy in participating in tonight's Storm Festivals.
Situated at many points in the vast slums of this fallen city, citizens who could well be described as the living dead.
They only lacked the courage to end their lives, putting a stop to the misery they wake up to face every day.
Why hold on to life so much? If I was in your shoes, I would have done the deed and be done with it already. If you want to live, then live, don't let anything hold you down. And if you want to die, then at least have the audacity to.
"Some fuel for your fire," Messimah uttered as he walked away.
…
The night sky of Jejity was alive with shimmering light and sound.
As Messimah walked through the streets of different demographics of Jejity, he passed by many places that were filled with laughter.
Drums and music echoed through the streets, blending seamlessly with the flashes of vibrant lights from the drone displays above.
The faint scent of spices and roasted meats, well genetically modified meats, wafted through the air and carried by the occasional desert breeze.
Every corner of this part of the city pulsed with life.
Children ran through the crowded streets, their faces painted with streaks of silver and blue, giggling as they chased holographic raindroplets projected in the air.
Adults joined in the revelry, some dancing in the public squares while others sipped celebratory drinks from street vendors.
The festival was a rare moment of collective joy, a night where the struggles of desert life were momentarily forgotten. The people of Jejity celebrated their resilience and the hope that the storms represented, their spirits as bright and untamed as the simulated lightning flickering in the distance. For the majority, this was a night of unity, euphoria, and unfiltered celebration.
For Messimah, Gola, and Trumm, the Storm Festival wasn't about celebration—it was perfect for what they had planned.
While the rest of the city lost itself in the festivities, their minds were focused on the mission at hand.