Ashtray Rendezvous
Nemo’s relieved to see that his name is finally not in the headlines for once. The trial did wonders for his TruthToken, but some kinds of fame just aren’t worth the rub.
It’s like your dreams come true—with a host of clauses attached.
Which is enough to make him swallow a bit of pride and go to Casey’s show at the Sun Spot after all. There’s nothing like having your ex’s dirty laundry—and your own—aired before the whole town.
“If that’s supposed to be the reconciliation I was hoping for all fall and winter,” Nemo thinks, “Whew, then again, I gotta be careful what I wish for.”
Inside, the fashion show is popping off. Everyone seems to be having a good time, taking selfies or asking others to take pics. A round of ego strokes for all.
“So you came after all,” Casey says to Nemo, as he brushes past her, almost not recognizing her.
“You’ve become exactly what you aspired to become, starting last summer,” Nemo says, looking her over. “Independent. Carving your own path.”
“I quit school, too,” she adds.
“Well, I can’t quite say that I’ve become what I set out to be—talk of the town, but not in a good way. . .”
“Yes, you have become what you wanted,” Casey replies. “You’ve become unchained. Free.”
“So you quit school—you’re going to do this full time?”
“I want to go to the Borderlands,” she casually says, pulling out a smoke.
Before Nemo can ask what that is, the party’s interrupted by the presence of a few OriginalSyn groupies. Their presence sucks a big dose of fun out of the room.
“You did our tribe wrong,” one of them seethes.
“The brotherhood is in shambles,” another one groans. “You could never be one of us, though. We’ll remember this.”
“You’re right—I could never be one of you,” Nemo coldly replies. “The mistake I made was in ever trying to measure up to you.”
He and Casey exit to the back of the bar. Over a smoke, they watch the groupies leave like mice in a line through the door.
“What’s this place you were talking about?” Nemo asks.
“The Borderlands. It’s unzoned territory on the outskirts of Zeitville. No cops, no government. People have started to assemble there. They have their own currencies, grow their own food. . .”
Wonder and awe washes over Nemo as he listens—but then caution creeps in.
“That sounds like a risky investment, if you’re serious about it,” he says.
“Not if I have someone to go with me,” Casey replies.
Nemo nods quietly. The awe returns. He tries not to repress it this time.
“We’d be leaving everything behind that we’ve known here,” he says. “Zeitville is our home. It’s the past. It’s us.”
Casey exhales a thick plume of smoke. “Yeah. . .but we’re the future, too.”
