Vicky kicked him out of the unit first thing in the morning, once again telling him to keep their night of passion to himself. He promised. It was a slow, blissful walk to the transit station when Owen got a message from Tuck.

  “New Asia border zone,” the message read. “Noon.”

  So Owen hopped on the transit and rode it toward the Mid City where he got on a connecting bullet to New Asia. It was technically part of City Seven from what Owen understood, but self governed. He didn’t quite get the details.

  His scratchpad beeped again. Another message from Tuck? No, Amber this time. He opened the message and saw a picture of her sitting in a prop for a Star Quest space fighter. She stuck her tongue at the camera and winked. Owen’s eyes drifted to the cleavage of her flight suit. He was sure she didn’t normally have it zipped so low.

  “You said you liked Star Quest, right?” Amber’s message read below the picture. “Maybe I’ll send you some more behind the scenes photos.”

  “You better answer her back,” Dan said. He sat beside Owen. “Say something witty, but dangerous.”

  “I’d like that,” Owen messaged back. Dan shook his head.

  The ride to the New Asia border zone took two hours. Owen watched a couple episodes of Star Quest to pass the time.The fighting was faker than he remembered. But he wasn’t watching for space battles or laser blade duels anymore. He mostly just wanted to see Amber. When he hopped off the bullet at the border zone station he found a nice shady spot to wait for Tuck.

  Owen’s thoughts drifted back to Vicky and their night together. He wondered if he should message her. Would that be weird? They weren’t dating. Vicky made that clear. Just some harmless fun between members of a freedom fighting group. She said it was a one time thing, but who really knew. Maybe she’d change her mind. He tried to figure out if he wanted her to.

  “The fuck is that goofy smile,” Tuck asked as he walked up with Tom.

  “Oh, nothing.” Owen tried to stop smiling despite remembering everything Vicky did to him the night before. He wasn’t sure he stopped smiling since he left her unit. “What are we doing here?” He bit his cheek to keep a smile at bay.

  “Meeting Mama Chen. Keep your hands out of your pockets and stay with me. Locals don’t like tourists.” Tuck was right. Owen could already feel glares coming his way. “Stay close to me. You’ll be alright.”

  “I’ve never been to New Asia,” Owen said.

  “I’ve been a few times,” Tom said. “They don’t like outsiders. Yamada Motors and Seo Enterprises purchased this entire section of the city for refugees and descendants of immigrants fleeing their own societal collapses. A city within a city.”

  “Eloquently put, Tom,” Tuck said. “I didn’t know you had it in you. It’s really something though. You need to be registered as a citizen with Seo Enterprises to live inside New Asia’s walls. Outsiders get a tourist day pass. Seo has their own version of the City Seven Protection Agency. The New Asia Security Division.”

  “Security Division keeps the law in New Asia, but they don’t make the rules,” Tom said. “Keep your head down and you won’t find out who does.”

  The team stood at the entrance of New Asia. They were stopped by a group of men in dark suits and sunglasses. Tattoos like Tuck’s crept up their necks and more than a couple hands slipped into jackets.

  “Look at that,” Sensei Dan said as Tuck talked with one of the men. “We had this back in my time too. Gangsters. Nicely dressed psychos itching for a fight and they don’t care where it comes from. I remember fighting a group of them in Okinawa to protect this little inn I was staying at. Met the love of my life there.”

  “We’re not here to fight anyone,” Owen whispered.

  “What was that?” Tom asked.

  “Nothing.” Owen was curious about the love of Sensei Dan’s life. That was a story for another time though. He needed to focus.

  “You and your boys get twelve hours,” the gangster said. He pulled three red plastic bracelets from his jacket and handed them to a younger member of the gang. “You keep them visible at all times. You don’t take them off. If you make trouble, you get trouble. Understand?” He lowered his sunglasses and locked eyes with Tuck. “Got it, Bryan?” The younger gangster put the bracelets on the team.

  “We got it,” Tuck said with a smile. “We good to go?”

  “Enjoy New Asia, tourist.” The gangster waved them through and Owen entered a brand new society.

  It was colorful in a way that felt natural. Statues of odd creatures were perched in windows. Long wind chimes dinged above thresholds. Paper lanterns hung from wires crisscrossing the street. Customers shouted at stall owners, but Owen couldn’t tell if they were talking or arguing. He felt eyes on him at all times.

  “This is the one place in City Seven the Callahans can’t reach,” Tuck said. “I grew up here. Worked for the Crimson Lotus until I went into the service. We’re meeting up with one of their info brokers. Mama Chen. When we meet her you keep your mouths shut. That goes double for you, Tom.”

  “Why’d you bring us?” Tom asked. He struggled to navigate the crowds of New Asia with his bulky frame.

  “Just in case they decide to get frisky.” Tuck held his bracelet up when a pair of thugs spotted him. “You never go into enemy territory alone.”

  “Are they our enemies?” Owen asked.

  “That remains to be seen,” Tuck said. “I didn’t leave the family under the best terms.”

  Owen swallowed. The streets of New Asia narrowed. Small trucks honked at citizens walking in the street while men rolling dice shouted at their opponents. Loud music blared from a nearby bar. A bike messenger sped past, clipping Owen’s arm and shouted at him for being too close to the road. Everyone and everything moved at a hundred miles per hour. But what stood out to Owen more than anything, was what was missing.

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  “Where are all the ads?” Owen asked. He blinked like something was wrong with his eyes.

  “No ad space in New Asia,” Tuck said. “It goes against Seo’s traditional design principles.They operate on their own rules here. No peacekeepers, no Citsev law. Bet that pisses off the Callahans more than the liquor and gambling. They don’t make credits if they aren’t renting ad space. As long as New Asia pays its annual dues the Callahans stay away.”

  “Hey handsome,” a young woman in a pink dress said as she took Owen’s arm. “You look fun. I have a lot of friends at Club Bright Eyes. You should come meet them. I’ll show you the way.” She tried to pull Owen away from the team.

  “It’s a trick, Owen,” Sensei Dan said. “This happened to me in Tokyo once.” He grabbed Owen’s other arm and prevented the woman from taking him anywhere. She gave up after a couple tugs and latched on to her next victim. “Her and her beautiful friends will drain you dry while they make you feel like a king. I had to make the rest of my journey through Japan penniless.”

  “I got you, buddy,” Tom said. He guided Owen through the crowd. “They might not have ad space, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t aggressive when it comes to credits. Happened to me my first time in New Asia. Tuck pulled my ass out of that fire.”

  They hopped on a bus packed to bursting with citizens staring into scratchpads. Scents foreign to Owen’s nose filled the streets. The tenements Owen was so used to in his daily life were painted with bright colors and zip lines delivered packages across balconies. They hopped off the bus at a section of New Asia lit up with electric lanterns and plastered with posters of women in kimonos.

  “Welcome to Red Light Street,” Tuck said with a smirk. “Keep your hands to yourself. We’re not here for pleasure.”

  “Not even a little?” Tom asked. Owen wasn’t sure he was joking.

  Women with heavily made up faces and ornate kimono waved from balconies at men passing below. They posed behind windows like products just out of reach to those unwilling to spend the credits. A robot on four wheels bowed to Tuck’s group and handed each of them a flier with one of its many appendages. Apparently they were running a discount.

  A pair of men in suits stopped Tuck from approaching a building decorated with statues of cats and dogs. One of the gangsters pointed at a sign. NO TOURISTS. Tuck pulled up the sleeve of his shirt and showed them the lotus tattoo on his arm. He waved his people in without another question.

  Incense hung heavy in the air. Rooms were divided by sheer cloth. Men and women sat on pillows, sharing drinks and laughing while further down the hall Owen heard moans of pleasure and primal grunting. He swallowed as Tuck led him and Tom deeper in the establishment.

  “Haven’t seen you in awhile,” a gangster said to Tuck. His sunglasses hung from his jacket pocket and he had a curled dragon shaved into the side of his head. He wore a knife on his belt for the world to see and walked with overflowing confidence. “Come to beg Mama for your job back?”

  “No,” Tuck said. “Need to talk to her though. She in?”

  “She’s at her granddaughter’s birthday party.”

  “We’ll wait for her.” Tuck turned to his team. “This is Owen, and Tom.”

  “Hey, tourists. Friends of Bryan are friends of mine,” the gangster said. “Call me Liu.” The gangster shook their hands and ushered them into a room. “I’ll send some entertainment and some drinks. Only the best for Bryan and his buddies.”

  “Shit,” Tuck said. He plopped on a thick pillow.

  “What’s wrong?” Owen asked. He considered getting one of these pillows for his apartment when he realized how comfortable it was. “Is that bad?”

  “Means we’re going to be spending some credits,” Tom said. “Hey, Tuck, is it okay if I—,”

  “No,” Tuck said firmly. “You’re on my time. Get your dick wet on your own time. We’re not here for pleasure.”

  That changed when three gorgeous women in tight dresses showed up with bottles of alcohol. Tuck and Tom indulged while a woman tried to ply Owen with drink and conversation. She was flirty, suggesting they play a drinking game to pass the time, but she didn’t know that Owen had a sensei in his ear to strengthen his resolve.

  “That bottle looks expensive,” Sensei Dan said. “You take one drink and you’re on the hook for it. And it’s better to keep your wits about you in a place like this. Her job is to tempt you and she is a pro. Keep your heart and mind strong.”

  “Drink with me,” the woman said. She held a small glass up for him. “You’re making me feel ugly. Am I so ugly you won’t drink with me?”

  “She’s appealing to your sense of gallantry, Owen. Don’t fall for it.”

  “I don’t drink,” Owen said. He didn’t really have a desire to after how bad Vicky’s beer tasted. A smile crept across his face when he thought about Vicky again.

  “Maybe we can do something else.” She took Owen’s hand and placed it against her chest. His resolve wavered. “Your friends won’t miss you for a few minutes. You look strong. Can I see your muscles? Maybe we should go somewhere quiet. You can show me all your muscles.”

  “Don’t play with him,” the woman toying with Tom said. Her hair was braided and wrapped in two buns on her head. She walked her fingers up one of Tom’s huge biceps as she laughed. “He’s inexperienced. Like a little boy. I can tell.” She poured Tom another drink and scooted close to him.

  “How can you tell that?’ Tom asked. He downed the drink and got another refill.

  “She’s like an inspector,” Tuck’s woman said. “Mei watches every mystery on the screen. She always figures it out. She caught the thief stealing credits from the girls. Remember, Mei?”

  “Mama Chen chopped his hands off,” the woman with Owen said. She made a chopping motion with her hands.

  “He got made a man last night,” Mei said. Owen met her gaze. “I can see it in his eyes and in the way he smiles. I see it all the time here. Unmistakable.” She grinned. “I bet he can’t stop thinking about it.”

  “Good for you, Owen!” Tom offered him a drink, and when Owen refused he drank it himself. “Who’s the poor girl?” They laughed at him, except for Tuck, who pursed his lips as he thought.

  “Weren’t you with Vicky last night?” Tuck scratched his goatee and took another drink. It was filled as soon as it hit the table. “But that would mean, no, can’t be.”

  “Oh shit!” Tom shouted. “Oh shit! You and Vicky! Oh shit!” Tom jumped to his feet and pulled Mei up with him. “That’s like finding out your parents fucked. Oh shit!” He hopped around and the women laughed.

  “It’s not like that,” Owen said. She was going to kill him and he didn’t even say anything. It wasn’t his fault there was a psychic mystery fan where Tuck happened to bring him. “Don’t tell her you know.”

  “On my honor,” Tom said. He took the bottle from Mei and drank straight from it. “What is said in this room stays in this room. Right, Tuck?” Tuck nodded. “See. So, spill. What’s she like in bed.”

  “I’m not telling you that,” Owen said. He crossed his arms. They couldn’t beat that info out of him.

  “He’s a good boy,” Mei said with a smile. “Good boys don’t belong here. And neither do you, Bryan Tucker.” She took out a small button and clicked it. Within moments there were half a dozen gangsters standing in the room to block the exits. “Why are you here?”

  “We need to see Mama Chen,” Tuck said. He slurred a bit and sucked his teeth. “Where is the old girl?” Tuck didn’t look impressed with the gangsters. He took another drink and slammed the cup on the floor. “She’ll want to see me. I’m one of her favorites. Me and her go way way back.”

  “With her ancestors,” Mei said. She stood and straightened her tight dress. “I am Mama Chen now. What do you want?”

  “What minute,” Tuck said as he scratched his head. “Are you little Mei Chen? Last time I saw you, you were a little girl. Now you’re.” He looked her up and down. “Developed.”

  “Take them to my office,” Mei said with a disgusted look on her face. The gangsters obeyed. They dragged the trio away from the main establishment to a large office in the back. Carpeted floors gave way to hard wood. Sensual lighting was replaced by bright fluorescent lights and Owen swallowed when he saw a collection of blades and bludgeons on a wall.