Uptown may be called uptown implying some sense of a singular part of the city, but the truth is the place referred to as ‘Uptown’ is several times divided.

Think what you want about Xoxia but it’s neatly arranged. The designers knew exactly what they wanted the city to do – be a hub of industry – but at the same time they also wanted a city, one with life and vigour and not the simple work man life of a factory.

Which is why it feels so surreal stepping out of Downtown, or the industrialized area and into the bustling city that is Uptown.

Xoxia has been so expertly divided that the sky looks different depending on where you’re standing. Here, the sun actually shines brightly, the snow beneath our feet isn’t mixed with soot and it’s likely that the sky here holds more than one star.

Although, that remains to be seen.

We slipped out of Downtown at the crack of dawn after further discussing what options we shouldn’t pursue. Which for about thirty minutes of discussion was the entire idea itself.

The sky may be divided between clear and polluted, but the gang politics certainly isn’t so cleanly cut.

Aside from the Vertigo gang, there are three other gangs seated in Xoxia, as well as…something of an organization, something we’re still talking about.

“Are you sure these…citizens aren’t friendly?”

I roll my eyes at Paige’s naivete. The Citizens – as the organization had begun calling themselves a few months ago – are most certainly not friendly.

“I mean, you said they’re all about taking back the city from the corporation. That’s a good thing, no more factories in Xoxia.”

“I wish they were as harmless as a neighbourhood petition to cease and desist, but they’re not, Paige. They are the common thorn in the Mayor and Steve’s side, which means they’re not something that’s easily dealt with even for people of power like the Mayor.”

“And Steve?”

“Steve has tried, didn’t get us anywhere, we lost a few men for underestimating their leader.”

“A meta?” She asks, her eyebrows raised.

“Not sure. I wasn’t there to find out and you know how far off I am from information in the gang.”

She nods.

“Besides, there’s a rumour about them being…less than cordial towards certain races,” Paige cringes at the thought, “If there’s any truth to that then it means we can easily guess what their agenda is and besides not wanting them to kill us, we also don’t need to help further their cause.”

She sighs, resigning the fact that I’m right on this one, “But that doesn’t mean any of our other choices are exceptionally pretty either.”

To that, I agree.

With the complicated organization of ‘citizens’ out of the picture, we’re left to choose between one of the other three gangs. And we have to make a choice fast as it’s getting colder outside, even with the sun up.

Checking into just any hotel would be unwise right now. Our choice has to be set and sure because the gang owning that bit of territory will be quick to come knocking once, they realize who I am or was.

Before that happens, I need to be prepared, I need to have my body ready to test my powers and my mind set on presenting a proposition for work to the leader of said gang.

“We obviously can’t go to The Questions.” Paige scoffs at the mere thought.

The Questions. Another very strange and complicated organization. For the most part their leader is very well known – known to have never spoken.

The Questions are a result of fanatics gathering together and thinking it’d be a great idea to help the silent, wandering Supervillain that they seem to worship by starting up illegal activities to fund their number one expense; breaking said Supervillain out of the Hole.

“No, of course not. The Questions are nation wide and we couldn’t even join if we wanted to.”

“Because we don’t worship Sarah Sentiment?” she smirks.

“Yes, I don’t get why anyone would worship a Supervillain whose powers force you to feel all sorts of immensely painful emotions.”

Sarah Sentiment is a famously eccentric Villain. She’s never spoken so no one knows what her goals are but she always appears at places of value, but there’s the occasional amusement park and cinema.

Thanks to her followers she can afford to buy new versions of her iconic white wedding gown and jet-black bouquet of flowers after being forced into yellow when caught time after time.

She’s the easiest supervillain to combat and capture but the one that leaves he most damage. Many of her emotional victims have either become avid followers or Villains of their own, out of their minds after encountering the woman.

“You still think she’s pretty.” Paige coughs, pinching my arm.

I let out a chuckle as I slap the offending hand away, “You think she’s pretty too!”

“I’m a girl.”

“So?”

“So…!” I groan in frustration. “Ugh, never mind. We’re left with Invincibill, Lynx and Letharguy then.”

“Letharguy sounds alright.”

“He traffics.”

“Like everyone else.”

“People I mean.”

“Oh…” She mutters.

I heave a sigh, not for the first time feeling like I’ve got the worst set of cards on my deck, “Yeah, he uses that power of his to make his victims fall asleep from exhaustion, and he’s got a lot of range apparently.”

“Sounds…familiar?”

I almost feel like crying, “Yes, very familiar, another reason I don’t want to work for him. Too much like Steve.”

“That and he could sell us off the moment he sees us.”

“That too, plus, I’m not comfortable helping to sell people either.”

“Neither am I.” She whispers, taking my hand in hers, “We can always try to run? Leave Xoxia?”

She’s right. That’s the least vile of our options right now.

But it too has its complications.

If we leave, with the credits we have it won’t be long till we’re hungry and out on the streets. I’m not old looking enough to pass off for sixteen and get a job…that’s even if there are any jobs to get.

She and I are far more likely to be picked up by local police in wherever we end up and thrown into some state orphanage that doesn’t want to be an orphanage.

We’ll be free of Xoxia and the tossed away glances, a place where everyone is self-centred and hardwired for self-preservation, even the police.

We’d be free of this dangerous environment, where everyone wants to use us for some end goal or another, this place where all we’ve got is each other.

“No,” I decide, shaking my head, “It’ll be the same elsewhere anyway, this country is rotten to the core.”

She offers me a soft, understanding smile as she shrugs, “Well, you can’t really blame the country, can you?”

No, not really. I guess any where else would be this bad if they were under the rule of some power mad dictator too.

“How about The Lynx. I hear they have a ton of fun there.”

The Lynx and their Beast-man leader and laser blasting lieutenant. The gang may as well be the banner boy for bad decisions and youthful exuberance.

However…

“True, but I also hear they’re all cannibals.”

Paige gags at this, “What! Why?”

“I wonder why too…” I trail off. The Lynx were never really an option, they have the most members but at the same time lose a ton of them in nearly every engagement. It’s like Lynx and his lieutenant are actively killing them.

Though, that might not be a farfetched theory.

“So, Invincibill?” she asks just to confirm. We’ve narrowed it down as far as it goes after all.

Invincibill. As his name crudely implies, he has the very useful, brawn-ish power of invulnerability and his name is Bill. A supe name made in heaven no doubt.

Still, the man is a criminal, hardened and as cruel as his rivals.

Steve ‘taxes’ the factory workers, as well as controlling majority of the working unions Downtown, it would be fair to say Steve had the guts to do what no one else had done; going corporate.

Unfortunately, greed is a shared sin in Xoxia. Letharguy, Invincibill and even the Xoxia branch of The Questions want a piece of what he’s raking in.

And they’ve got the manpower and more importantly, the metas to do it.

Letharguy is a bit slow on the uptake though, probably disheartened by the fact that his powers and Steve’s are very similar.

Invincibill isn’t so hesitant though. He’s already started offing many of Steve’s puppets in the unions and replacing them with his own. In single week alone there were thirteen heads of the fracking workers union.

Steve and Invincibill killing and replacing like clockwork. It’s a bloodbath.

And it’s something I don’t really want to be involved in. Unfortunately…

“Yes, Invincibill, he’s been going against Steve so hard that it’s plainly obvious for anyone to see. I’ll be of value as an insider and a meta.”

“But…?” she trails, knowing me so well.

“Yes, but…it’ll be a pain to convince me to keep me dead to Steve.”

Invincibill will no doubt want to show off his newly acquire minion if only for the fact that it’ll provoke Steve. That isn’t any good to me, but so long as I can get him to see my worth, he’ll know it’d be far more satisfying to reveal me after he’s taken down Steve with my help.

Anything to protect her.

“Let’s go. We’re in his territory anyway.”

She giggles cheerfully, swinging my hand with hers as we finally get off the bench that’s been freezing our asses off and start walking.

“Almost like this was where we’d end up going. Like fate. Like destiny.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in destiny?” I scoff and she shrugs.

I let it go not pushing for an argument, if only to preserve this moment while I still have it.