Darksong High #1

Author's Note: I've been doing Dungeons and Dickgirls for over a year now, straight. Two installments a month. It's my longest running single series by a longshot.

And some of you may have noticed that it hasn't come out as much as it should've been. The reason for which is that I had a doc open, and over days of trying to force myself to write, I got a total of about 200 words in. I'd been doing it too long without a break, and... yeah, I got burnt out. Not forever. But I definitely, absolutely needed a break.

So, I contacted the 'players' of that story and asked them about possibly doing something new and different for a little while, so I could recharge my batteries and return to the task later, refreshed. In the meantime, something new is rising from the shambling, exhausted body of those stories, and I hope all of you are excited to check them out with me and give them a shot. In the spirit of drawing in new potential interest, as well, this installment will be open to $1 patrons as a teaser to the new series.

Welcome to Darksong High.

[story] [all characters are 18 years of age]

_______________________________

New Arbor,‭ ‬Michigan.‭ ‬The year’s‭ ‬2101,‭ ‬and the world is all at once very different,‭ ‬and very similar,‭ ‬to the way it was.‭ ‬While much is lost to wastelands or fully-automated superfactories,‭ ‬the eventual‭ (‬if,‭ ‬perhaps,‭ ‬temporary‭) ‬ending of the Copyright War has left the remaining areas of the Severed States bearable,‭ ‬for the most part.‭ ‬Even in a city as comparatively small as New Arbor,‭ ‬overpopulation and little settleable land has sent buildings soaring into the sky,‭ ‬only rendered livable by an artificial atmosphere protected by a Boeing plasma bubble that surrounded the city.

Despite the constant,‭ ‬noisy air-traffic and near permanent drizzle of rain helping to oxidize the city,‭ ‬life has to go on.‭ ‬People either work as wageslaves for overlords hidden behind a brand name,‭ ‬turn to the lavishly lethal life of crime,‭ ‬or...‭ ‬well,‭ ‬some of them haven’t quite gotten that far yet.‭ ‬Even if the education system is now entirely privately-owned,‭ ‬it still manages to exist,‭ ‬and for six teenagers,‭ ‬their future still has yet to truly unfold.‭ ‬While neon bullets may be flying on the streets below,‭ ‬they have to deal with something even more stressful.

High school.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

‭“‬Yo,‭ ‬dork‭!” ‬the bray of a high school boy was unmistakable,‭ ‬and Emma didn’t look up from her hamburger.‭ ‬Nutripaste like everything else,‭ ‬but if you slathered enough hot sauce on it,‭ ‬they still tasted alright.‭ “‬Hey,‭ ‬I’m talking to you.‭ ‬You got piercings inside your ears,‭ ‬too‭?”

“...No,‭” ‬the girl grunted in response.‭ ‬Inhaling deeply,‭ ‬she took another bite of the burger.‭ ‬Had to remember her anger management class.‭ ‬Just let it slide off.‭ ‬Didn’t matter.‭ ‬This ape probably had less braincells than the wad of artificial beef she was chewing up right now‭ ‬--‭ ‬it wasn’t worth it to get detention,‭ ‬again,‭ ‬or worse,‭ ‬get expelled from Darksong High and force her dad to move.‭ ‬He wouldn’t be able to do that again,‭ ‬not unless he got some kind of decently paying job...‭ ‬and with the way things had been,‭ ‬the way they still seemed,‭ ‬that was pretty fucking unlikely.

‭“‬Hey‭!” ‬the boy hissed,‭ ‬and as he drew closer to the edge of her table Emma could make out a few of his features:‭ ‬medium-light skin,‭ ‬brown hair cropped close,‭ ‬light eyes piggishly close together.‭ ‬One of the rigball players if her memory served,‭ ‬not that she paid attention to sports if she could at all avoid it.‭ “‬You need a hearing aid,‭ ‬skank‭? ‬Or can daddy not afford those either‭? ‬Must be hard to make a living when you haven’t even joined this century yet.‭”

She set the hamburger down onto her hard plastic cafeteria platter,‭ ‬reaching for a napkin,‭ ‬wiping off her hands.‭ ‬Blazing blue eyes flickered up to the boy,‭ ‬who was leering more closely than ever now,‭ ‬the candy-sweet smell of Stimulex gum on his breath.‭ “‬You say one more thing about my dad,‭ ‬and I’m gonna make you drink your own fucking teeth,‭” ‬Emma hissed,‭ ‬her short,‭ ‬purple-painted nails digging into her palms.

‭“‬Uh huh‭? ‬How you planning to make me do that‭? ‬You get monkey strength from your caveman dad‭?” ‬the boy grinned widely‭ ‬--‭ ‬providing a target for an incoming fist as Emma lunged upward with a punch,‭ ‬landing solidly and sending him staggering backward.‭ ‬The blow was immediately followed by a second as the girl climbed up off of the bench she’d been sitting at,‭ ‬this punch only grazing the side of the boy’s head,‭ ‬but drawing a roar of pain nonetheless.

A third hit,‭ ‬this one to the stomach,‭ ‬finally sent the boy stumbling and falling onto his back,‭ ‬where Emma quickly followed,‭ ‬kneeling on either side of his slim waist and starting to rain punches down.‭ ‬Her gritted teeth bared,‭ ‬saliva dribbled down her pierced,‭ ‬dark purple lower lip as her eyes went wild,‭ ‬rage overwhelming her,‭ ‬blinding her,‭ ‬her mind going blank as she gave in to the violent urges she was constantly trying to suppress.

‭“‬Miss Hawthorn.‭”

Emma blinked,‭ ‬the moment’s distraction giving the boy enough time to push her off and away,‭ ‬scrambling back as a trickle of blood leaked from his battered nose and lip.‭ “‬Fuckin’ psychotic bitch‭!” ‬he shouted,‭ ‬holding one hand to his busted mouth and staggering away,‭ ‬making his way to the bathroom.‭ ‬Pointing his other hand at the teacher who’d just spoken,‭ ‬he continued,‭ ‬his voice cracking from pain as he tried not to let tears well in his narrow eyes.‭ “‬Keep your animal on a fuckin’ leash‭!”

As he finally turned and rushed away,‭ ‬Emma tried to crack one of her knuckles back into place,‭ ‬breathing hard from the sudden exercise.‭ ‬The teacher who’d interrupted the...‭ ‬skirmish,‭ ‬Emma knew as Ms.‭ ‬Saito,‭ ‬a corp professor hired from Japan.‭ ‬Of short stature and in her late‭ ‬30‭'‬s,‭ ‬her jet-black hair was worn in a severe bun,‭ ‬horned-rimmed glasses doing little to ease the sting of her dark,‭ ‬penetrating eyes.‭ “‬I should have you expelled.‭”

“I...‭” ‬Emma swallowed hard,‭ ‬still catching her breath.‭ “‬Look,‭ ‬I...‭ ‬he--‭”

“I know.‭ ‬Trust me,‭ ‬I am under no illusion that Gregory Hardwick did not start a fight with you,‭” ‬Ms.‭ ‬Saito breathed in deeply through her nostrils,‭ ‬looking over the soft,‭ ‬combat-booted figure of Emily Hawthorn.‭ “‬So you’re just getting detention.‭ ‬Be in my office at six,‭ ‬sharp.‭ ‬If you don’t show up,‭ ‬be sure it’s because you’re busy looking for a new school.‭”

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

‭“‬No.‭ ‬Fucking.‭ ‬Way.‭”

“Absolutely way,‭” ‬Samantha grinned widely,‭ ‬showing off the clean,‭ ‬even teeth that further enhanced her deceptively cherubic features.‭ ‬In her hand was a small vial of neon yellow liquid,‭ ‬the hardened,‭ ‬shock-proof plastic it was contained in allowing her to handle it with no fear of dropping it.‭ “‬A friend of my mom’s grabbed me one on the slick.‭ ‬What can you do with it‭?”

The other girl,‭ ‬Naomi furrowed her brow,‭ ‬reaching out to take the vial and straightening her glasses.‭ “‬You’re sure it’s genuine,‭ ‬Sparks‭?” ‬she murmured,‭ ‬climbing up the side of a dumpster so that she could lightly sit down on its edge.‭ ‬Naomi was strikingly‭ ‬short and slight,‭ ‬her mess of pink-dyed hair and electronic tattoos contrasting directly with Samantha’s hardbody‭ ‬--‭ ‬the other teen’s tall,‭ ‬graceful figure the result of not genetics or hard work,‭ ‬but cannily-installed biofusions and cybernetic enhancements.‭ ‬Both bonding over their mutual obsession with invasive mechanical technology,‭ ‬the two had become fast friends when Samantha had been transferred from Portland to Darksong High‭ ‬--‭ ‬which was how they now found themselves behind the school between classes,‭ ‬conspiring over a bottle of Reflexarin.

‭“‬Shafari’s never led me astray before,‭” ‬Sam shrugged.‭ “‬I figure if it can be integrated with my subvertebral aqueduct I’d be faster than ever before.‭ ‬Like time was standing still‭!”

“Yeah if it doesn’t kill you first.‭ ‬Shit,‭ ‬this stuff hasn’t even been properly tested yet,‭ ‬the only people who use it are rigball psychos and streetblades,‭” ‬Naomi breathed out through her nose,‭ ‬examining the bottle for a moment longer before handing it back to the freckled,‭ ‬sandy-haired beauty.

‭“‬You sound like my fucking mom,‭” ‬Sam chuckled,‭ ‬admiring the vial for a moment longer.‭ “‬So what do you think‭? ‬Can you tech out a gridvein I can run this through‭?”

“I mean,‭ ‬yeah,‭ ‬it’ll cost some serious points but I think I can--‭ ‬shit--‭” ‬without finishing her sentence or even running properly,‭ ‬the pink-haired girl popped the opposite lid of the dumpster open and dropped inside of it,‭ ‬vanishing completely from sight in an instant.

Samantha’s eyes widened,‭ ‬whirling to see what had caused her friend to bolt out of existence‭ ‬--‭ ‬and her heart sank as she laid her enhanced green eyes on the dour silhouette of Ms.‭ ‬Saito.

‭“‬I certainly hope that isn’t what I think it is,‭” ‬the woman sighed,‭ ‬folding her arms beneath her full,‭ ‬if not overstated breasts,‭ ‬causing them to strain slightly against the clean white nylon of her button-up blouse.

Samantha swallowed hard,‭ ‬barely even realizing she still had the outrageously conspicuous bottle of Reflexarin in her hands.‭ ‬Her fingers tightening around it,‭ ‬she looked down at the grimy asphalt of the high school’s back alley.‭ “‬What if I told you it wasn’t‭? ‬Then we could all just go our separate ways and have a great time at class.‭ ‬What’s next,‭ ‬again‭? ‬Corporate Philosophy‭?”

“Insulting my intellect will only make things worse,‭ ‬Miss Johnson,‭” ‬Saito glowered from over the top of her glasses.‭ “‬I know contraband when I see it.‭ ‬Give me that,‭ ‬and be in my office at six.‭”

“So you can...‭ ‬give it back to me...‭?” ‬Samantha tried hopefully.

‭“‬For detention.‭ ‬Your mother has...‭ ‬convinced the principal to be lenient on your extracurricular obsessions for long enough,‭ ‬I think.‭ ‬Perhaps some actual discipline will make you consider that this is an actual place of education,‭ ‬not your own personal back-alley body shop.‭”

The girl wilted as Saito strutted away,‭ ‬barely even able to indulge herself in her usual admiration of the way the teacher’s backside strained against her black pencil skirt.‭ ‬Detention‭? ‬Fuck.‭ ‬She’d never gotten detention before in her life.

‭“‬She gone‭?” ‬Naomi’s voice echoed from inside the dumpster.

Samantha sighed.‭ “‬Yes.‭ ‬She’s gone.‭”

“Phew‭!” ‬the smaller teen bumped the lid open,‭ ‬struggling to crawl out.‭ “‬That was a close one.‭ ‬What happened‭?”

“...I got detention.‭”

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The first day at a new high school was always hard.‭ ‬Considerably moreso when you were a foreign exchange student‭ ‬--‭ ‬one who had just finished learning the language and been sent by her parents from Germany to the Severed States.‭ ‬Everything was so different here,‭ ‬so much dirtier,‭ ‬so confined and complex,‭ ‬everything packed into as tight a place as possible.‭ ‬It had taken her a few nights to even breathe the air without gasping.‭ ‬Not that her home country had been unaffected by the Copyright War and the Destructuralization,‭ ‬but...‭ ‬not this bad.‭ ‬Nowhere near this bad.

That Darksong High was such an odd school individually was also troublesome.‭ ‬While it was privately-owned,‭ ‬the cost of the school itself was mitigated by‭ “‬brand loyalty,‭” ‬with families signing contracts not to patronize the product lines of rival corps in order to get their kids accepted.‭ ‬As a result,‭ ‬social classes seemed to mingle‭ ‬together,‭ ‬if not directly‭ ‬--‭ ‬students formed into tighter and more strictly-defined cliques than she’d ever seen,‭ ‬creating what almost amounted to a bizarre social experiment.‭ ‬Rich and poor tenuously coexisted,‭ ‬while constantly resenting the other.

With her Economics class finished and her free period about to begin,‭ ‬Zoey tried to relax her harried nerves,‭ ‬the constant stress of being in such an unusual and largely inhospitable place.‭ ‬Reaching into her pack to withdraw a string of chewy,‭ ‬cherry-flavored nutrient candy,‭ ‬she blew a strand of her dark brown hair from in front of her face and stuffed the end of the twisted tube into her mouth,‭ ‬chewing quietly as she made her way into one of the underused glastic elevators that would bring her upstairs to the library.‭ ‬In her experience so far,‭ ‬the library went generally unused during breaks,‭ ‬and offered a reprieve from the constant barrage of shouting,‭ ‬foreign voices.

Rows upon rows of school-sanctioned holobooks lined the expansive upper structure,‭ ‬the wood-panel wallpaper that did its best to make the place seem homey and thoughtful tattered and peeling from the steel walls.‭ ‬A scent of long-expired spearmint freshener pods left a lingering sense of staleness,‭ ‬but it beat the smell of metal and desperation that hovered over the floors beneath.

Breathing in deeply,‭ ‬Zoey tugged down the over-long sleeves of her undecorated,‭ ‬dark green shirt,‭ ‬skimming up and down the aisles of holobooks and info kiosks.‭ ‬The latter provided safenet access that was regulated enough for research alone,‭ ‬far from anything that could be used for fun‭ ‬--‭ ‬unless,‭ ‬of course,‭ ‬you were one of the kids who was technologically ahead of the curve,‭ ‬able to jailbreak the access keys and use them for whatever you liked.‭ ‬Zoey wasn’t one of those kids.‭ ‬Not that she lacked the aptitude,‭ ‬but moreso that she lacked a willingness to potentially get into trouble.‭ ‬Especially not here,‭ ‬in this place,‭ ‬so early into her stay at the American school.

‭“‬You busy‭?”

Zoey blinked at the unexpected sound of a voice,‭ ‬moving to the edge of one of the rows of info kiosks and peering around it,‭ ‬towards it source.‭ ‬Against all odds,‭ ‬a dark figure reclined in one of the low,‭ ‬stuffed chairs at the end of the library,‭ ‬in front of which was a glass table littered with what appeared to be lightly glowing cards.

The speaker themself was slender and relaxed,‭ ‬dusky-skinned and clad primarily in black‭ ‬--‭ ‬be it the leather on their gloves and long,‭ ‬buckled boots,‭ ‬the stretchy artifabric of their form-fitting pants,‭ ‬or the tight,‭ ‬simpler cotton of their long-sleeved shirt.‭ ‬Light from various gadgets or the glint of belt rivets decorated much of them,‭ ‬along with the faintly iridescent circuitry tattoos that could be seen crawling up the side of their neck.‭ ‬What was greatly uncertain was the speaker’s gender‭ ‬--‭ ‬black lipstick and eyeshadow decorated a lean,‭ ‬pretty face,‭ ‬and long,‭ ‬loose dark curls were bound into a ponytail,‭ ‬but their body showed no outward signs of clear femininity.

‭“‬Uhh...‭ ‬nein‭? ‬Err,‭ ‬no.‭ ‬I was just...‭” ‬Zoey swallowed hard,‭ ‬shuffling awkwardly in place and trying to force herself not to duck back behind the info kiosk.‭ “‬It’s quiet here,‭ ‬is all.‭”

“Good,‭ ‬maybe you can help me with something,‭” ‬light yet a bit husky,‭ ‬their voice did little to clear up the mystery,‭ ‬but made it seem more likely than not that they were just an exceptionally androgynous teen boy.‭ ‬They gestured one hand towards the seat at the other end of the table,‭ ‬fingerless gloves showing off white-painted nails at the end of deep tan hands.‭ “‬I’m trying to add streetblade signatures to these cards,‭ ‬which will increase their value pretty significantly if I can find the right buyer.‭ ‬The issue is that they have corp passcodes,‭ ‬and my datapin’s blocked from accessing those since an...‭ ‬incident,‭ ‬last year.‭ ‬If I can just get you to log in for me--‭” ‬dark eyes lost focus as they mulled over the concept,‭ ‬looking not quite at Zoey,‭ ‬but through her stomach,‭ ‬free hand shifting to a pinbox at the side of their belt and giving it a few quick taps of input.‭ ‬Then he paused,‭ ‬breathing in deeply through his nostrils.‭ “‬I’m Kai,‭ ‬by the way.‭”

“...Hi Kai,‭” ‬Zoey said softly,‭ ‬then chuckled.‭ “‬Hi Kai.‭ ‬It rhymes.‭”

Kai looked up fully,‭ ‬now,‭ ‬eyes boring deeply into the new girl’s as if examining her mind and soul itself,‭ ‬searching for something,‭ ‬before finally replying.‭ “‬Yes.‭ ‬Yes it does.‭”

“I’m Zoey.‭ ‬Zoey Mueller‭? ‬I’m new,‭ ‬from the United Germanic District--‭”

“Fascinating.‭ ‬Can you log in to this please‭?” ‬Kai interjected,‭ ‬flicking one finger on the edge of the table and causing it to spin‭ ‬--‭ ‬not the table itself,‭ ‬of course,‭ ‬but the holographic layout that was visible when one looked through it.‭ “‬If it’s not a bother.‭ ‬I’ll pay you for your...‭ ‬help,‭ ‬obviously,‭ ‬should everything go according to plan.‭”

“Uhhh,‭ ‬yeah,‭ ‬sure...‭ ‬happy to help,‭” ‬Zoey laughed awkwardly,‭ ‬brushing her hair out of her face once again and taking the offered seat.‭ ‬Quick login wouldn’t hurt anything,‭ ‬right‭? ‬And it wasn’t like there was anyone here to notice.‭ ‬Though she did wonder how this...‭ ‬boy‭?‬...‭ ‬had managed to get onto safenet.‭ ‬Finding the login area,‭ ‬she brought up a virtual keyboard and clumsily hunt-and-pecked her school ID in,‭ ‬then entered it.‭ “‬There we go‭!” ‬she said,‭ ‬smiling and looking up to the boy‭ ‬--‭ ‬but her smile and heart both sank when a blaring siren and flashing red light erupted from behind her.

UNSANCTIONED DATA ACCESS.‭ ‬UNSANCTIONED DATA ACCESS.‭ ‬EVERYONE REMAIN CALM.‭ ‬ARMED EDUCATORS WILL BEGIN IMMINENT INVESTIGATION.

Kai blinked slowly,‭ ‬taking a deep breath.‭ “‬You used a school ID‭?”

“...Yeah‭?”

“Disappointing.‭”

In less than a minute,‭ ‬an elevator adjacent to the one Zoey had used arrived at the top floor,‭ ‬and two members of school security stormed in,‭ ‬flanking and just in front of a familiar teacher. They wore full gel-tec body armor,‭ ‬staring down the sights of Mitsubishi assault rifles,‭ ‬while Ms.‭ ‬Saito remained close behind,‭ ‬her hands clutched around a compact pistol.‭ ‬The sound of shouting nearly overwhelmed the sound of gas beginning to leak in through the library vents,‭ ‬but both came to a stop when the two‭ ‘‬troublemakers’‭ ‬were sighted.

‭“‬Did you two do this‭?” ‬one of the guards said,‭ ‬his voice crackled and distorted through his helmet.‭ ‬A hand was lightly placed on his shoulder by Ms.‭ ‬Saito,‭ ‬though,‭ ‬as the japanese teacher lowered her own gun and took a step forward.

‭“‬I see we meet again,‭ ‬Mr.‭ ‬Ortega,‭” ‬she said calmly.

‭“‬Saito,‭” ‬Kai responded coolly.

‭“‬And Miss Mueller.‭ ‬I’m surprised to see you caught up in all this,‭” ‬the woman said,‭ ‬tilting her head to the side and regarding Zoey over her glasses,‭ ‬slipping the pistol back into its holster.‭ ‬The two may have been in trouble,‭ ‬but it was nonetheless quite clear that disciplinary measures wouldn’t be necessary.

‭“‬I’m not‭! ‬I just--‭ ‬I,‭ ‬I--‭”

“My office at six,‭ ‬both of you.‭”

“Miss,‭ ‬are...‭ ‬are you going to expel us‭?” ‬Zoey fidgeted.

‭“‬No.‭ ‬Not yet.‭ ‬Tonight,‭ ‬you’re getting detention with the others.‭ ‬Then I’ll decide what to do with you.‭”