Vrooooom...

The engine of a grey Cyber bike roared in the twilight of the evening, as it came into view zooming past with a gush of wind, raising dust and debris in the process.

The rider, obscured and fully apparelled in black motorcycling gear.

The vehicle screeched, as it came to a halt at a pub, with a neon sign "Tarry's".

The rider gently clicked on the side of the helmet, dismantling the cybernetic gear as he highlighted from the parked bike.

He aggressively yanked the twin glass doors open, as he gracefully stepped into the pub, groove music suave the building.

"I'll be taking that..", he said as he lifted a glass of drink from the waiter's tray, as he hurriedly gulped down it's content, with a distorted expression.

"Leo!!"

"Kate!" he responded, gesturing towards a very attractive young lady behind the counter.

He gently walked towards the counter, as bright lights revealed a charming smile from a handsome yet well structured face, with nice cheekbones and cherry pink lips.

He grabbed a bar stool with a little backrest, and carefully sat down, as the light above illuminated his hair, showing his frizzled silver hair, styled in undercut and his black leather jacket.

"Looking beautiful tonight, Kate", he said, not failing to add his charming smile as he spoke.

Kate passed him another glass of this time cocktail.

"And you??...You look rough", she spat, with an arched eyebrow as she spoke.

"Another one of your adventures", she said, wiggling her eyebrows with a smirk, inching close to him, with arms on her cheek, revealing a fair feminine face, as she rested on the counter with her elbows.

"You know how it gets", he winked, as he swung his arm around the back rest, and rearranged his posture in a lackadaisical format, as he winked at her.

"Hey, let me let you in on what happened today", he said.

"Really??", she beamed, displaying her beautiful set of white teeth, as he gestured for her to come close, cupping his hands against his mouth, as he whispered into her ears.

"No way!", Kate exclaimed almost in a gleeful squeal.

"Mhmm", Leo mumbled, nodding his head, impressed with himself.

"Tarry!!" a deep baritone voice called out cheerily, as the bar doors flung open, killing the sweet moments.

"Fred", Kate frowned, as she rearranged herself.

"Ugh!!", Leo exasperated, rolling his eyes in disgust.

An obese honcho with a face cap on, rolled in with two muscular thugs behind, his extravagant chain glistened, as light rays attacked it.

Silence swept the building, as the pub seem to freeze for a minute.

The groove music faded into the background, as he made his way to the counter.

Clank!!

"Hey pretty", he grinned, revealing his unpleasant colored teeth, slamming his bionic arm on the counter, tipping his cap with his normal left arm, as his now revealed  face depicted an averagely dark skinned complexion.

"I'll be taking your order", she responded indifferently, discouraging further advances.

"No need to be so cold"

"Two beers and a scotch", he ordered.

The music resumed, and this time, it was Pop.

"Where's Tarry", he asked, looking around. The chain around his neck seemed to jingle a bit.

"Got an appointment?", Kate asked coldly.

Fred frowned at the cold treatment he was receiving.

"Hohoho", he clucked wickedly, as he noticed the presence of Leo.

"If it isn't Kate's boyfriend, and Tarry's little mouse", he said as he menaced closely at Leo.

"Hehe...", he let out a half chuckle nervously, after his failure to masked his presence, inching back a bit from those yellow teeth.

"We're just frien—", Leo tried to speak, but was interrupted.

"Hey, leave him alone Fred."

"He's not a mouse,.....and do you have a problem with him being my boyfriend??", Kate attacked, with arms akimbo.

"Hey kiddo", Fred said in a deep voice, grinning mischievously as he cracked his knuckles, blatantly ignoring Kate.

"Hi Fred", Leo said almost in a whimper, as he flinched.

"I think you owe me—"

"Need something Fred?", a masculine voice demanded bluntly, stopping Fred's advances in it's track.

Sigh..

"Looks like daddy is here", Fred said, resigning from his frontal assault on Leo, as he stole a glance at the source of the voice.

"The under-city isn't a playground for young kids", he said in a low voice, already bent towards Leo, his face as close as it could be.

"Watch your step, or you might get clipped", he threatened, as he made a cut throat sign, as Leo scrunched his face.

He stood from his bent position, as he faced the masculine figure.

 

"I was born here", Leo retorted firmly, in a loud voice as he scowled at Fred.

Fred glared at him, switching into a smile.

"And I guess you don't want to die here", he said smiling, as he downed the contents in his glass.

Leo flinched grasping the message.

"You threatening him again?", the masculine voice asked Fred indifferently.

"Hehe..", Fred replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Hey..", a feminine voice coldly woke him up to reality.

Leo looked up to meet Kate's unimpressed scowl.

"What's with, 'we're just friends' ", she asked coldly.

"What...we aren't dating, are we?" Leo asked obliviously, with raised arms and shoulders expression.

"You're so unbelievable Leo", she spat angrily.

"What'd I do?", Leo asked naively.

Kate rolled her eyes at him

"Jerk!!"

"What!!", Leo yelled in surprise.

"Hey Leo!!", the masculine voice hollered, beaconing on Leo.

He stood up, as he cast one last puzzle at Kate, shaking his head in confusion.

He walked towards the location of the voice, which was an office behind the counter.

As he made his way into the office, a big figure brushed past him.

It was Fred, turning to look at Leo while sneering.

Leo was taken aback.

"Leo!!!", the voice snapped, snatching Leo from his trance.

"Hey Tarry", Leo spurted as he came back to reality, as he sat on a seat opposite Tarry.

"It's rare to see you here, what trouble did you get in this time around", Tarry spoke with an unimpressed expression, as he balanced his accounts on a hologram the size of a tablet, above his desk.

"Hehe", Leo chuckled nervously.

"C'mon old man, I came to see ya", Leo feigned, as he made an effort to hug him.

"Come of it Leo", Tarry said, rejecting Leo's advances.

"What do you want", he asked this time raising his to look at Leo straight in the eyes.

"Hmm", Leo cleared his throat, as he sat up straight.

"Uhmm,...I need a place to lie low a bit", he said looking nervously at the middle age man, dressed corporately  with glasses in his eyes, straight jaw, nice stubble, nice brown hair, with green eyes which seemed to shimmer, courtesy the lightning in the office.

"What kind of mess did you get in that requires a place to lie low", Tarry said, as he resumed his clicking on the hologram.

"Uhmm—", Leo made an effort to speak.

"Childhood doesn't last forever, and that's the harsh reality", Tarry's face turned stern as he spoke.

"I think you need to reiterate your goals in life", he added, as cast shot stern look at Leo.

"Yes sir", Leo responded solemnly, almost in a grumble.

"Safe house number 10", Tarry said.

"Casper would give you the details, now leave I'm trying to concentrate", Tarry added.

"Thanks Tarry", Leo said, as he stood up to take his leave.

"Hey!.."

"Look out for yourself kid", Tarry added passionately, with a fatherly look.

Leo left the office, head bowed in deep thoughts.

"Hey Casper!", Leo hollered at the counter, as a man with half bodied steel augmentations, his face not making an exception, giving him a look similar to a cyborg, responded.

"Hey son, what'd you need?", he asked.

"Safe house 10", Leo said in a whisper, as he leaned towards Casper.

"Route 9, Hunter street, 4th shop Alley" Casper replied, as he went back to his business.

"Thanks Casper"

"Later Kate", Leo said as he rushed out of the building.

"Hmph" Kate snorted.

"Baka", she muttered under her breath, in between her sad sigh.

"You like him, don't you?", Casper asked with a hoarse voice, as he rinsed glass cups to get them ready for use.

Another sigh came from Kate in response.

"Why not tell him?", Casper suggested.

"Of course not", Kate snapped, turning red as she immediately left Casper

"Hmph", Kate snorted, as she left Casper's proximity.

"Ha", Casper croaked happily, as he shook his head.

Whirr!

Leo Cybernetic gear engulfed him once more.

Sigh

He exasperated once more.

Vroom!

He revved the already turned black Cyber bike.

"Let's listen to old classics tonight" he said to himself, as different tabs appeared on the screen of his helmet.

"Fast by Juice Wrld", he said, as he revved the bike into motion, while the music resonated in his helmet, as he zoomed into the night.

....

Some minutes later, he arrived at a suburb.

"This should be route 9", he mumbled.

"And that should be Hunter street", he added, negotiating a left turn, as he passed a holographic signpost with the name Hunter.

"The 4th sho—"

Boom!!

Reverberations shook the environs...

...