No Manner of Payment

Lawrence impatiently sought for any news on his mystery competitor, interrogating anyone he saw using the new drug. No one knew where it came from, only that a young man came by every few days to deliver more. His sales hadn't been touched too bad, the ones he sold too were usually using several types of chemicals at once and his was still one of the best. What he wanted from the guy was how it was made. The stuff was made by a master, not one of the junkie cooks he was currently hiring. Returning to his new home, the apartment above his second den, he paced his small room. Hours passed as he tried to think, finding moments of clarity that he wrote down in a small journal he had bought. Another effect of the new rival, he had realized his years of drug use had done away with most of what he learned as a youth. "Boss. You busy?" Waving his guard in, he stopped his work in order to glare at the man. "Got a name on the kid who sells the stuff. Samuel, people says he's a Hiver." Noticing his bosses look of confusion, the guard explained. "Where we are beneath Oracle, Hivers are beneath us. Live in the underground of the city." Lawrence scoffed at the news. "Are you joking?? Not only am I forced to live in this trash town, I am being out shown by the trash of trash?" His temper was flaring again as he mumbled any curse he could find. The outburst that usually followed didn't arrive this time, instead it was Lawrence that was sent flying, smacking against the opposite wall. Looking up in a daze, he flinched as his guard picked him up and dusted him off. "Sorry boss, it will never happen again. I stay for the pay, but I will tell you now, keep trashing on these people and the place we call home and no manner of payment will keep these hands away from your throat." The fire in Lawrence's eyes was gone, instead he looked fearfully into the mans eyes. "And for the future of our partnership, my name is Micheal." Putting distance between them, Lawrence attempted to regain his composure while giving Micheal a cautious glare. "Right. Umm... We need a way into this Hive then. How does one find it?" Chuckling, Micheal took the hint and made more distance, both men now on opposite sides of the room. "The Hive finds you boss. Make a sale that someone down below is interested in and you're in. Gotta say, they go for some nasty things down there." Thinking of what things would happen there, Lawrence remembered the rather tame demeanor of the gangs around here......the gangs... "How about child trafficking?" This brought a sour look to Micheal's face. "It's a bit taboo, but there will be someone who will be interested I assume. From what I hear, Little Tokyo is where you're looking."