2140, not too far away from Futera<br/><br/>Out there, there was no curfew. There was no law enforcement. There wasn't even law, except the laws of nature. You eat, you sleep, you keep yourself safe and alive. There isn't much more to it. Of course, keeping yourself safe is a very broad concept. In places like Futera, it's simple. You obey the law, you stay in after curfew, you're safe.<br/><br/>Outside, in the no man's land outside the main cities, things were a lot trickier. You had to make sure you didn't step on anyone's toes. You had to stay out of the way. And you had to please the right people.<br/><br/>There were many ways to please "the right people". Goods. Services. Anything you could offer.<br/><br/>The girl standing outside the walls offered services. What services? Whatever was required of her. Goals, dreams, plans? None. Just to stay alive.<br/><br/>Maybe not quite. She<span style="font-style: italic">did</span>have one plan.<br/><br/>"What would you do in there?", the man asked, trying to touch the girl's knee.<br/><br/>"None of your business. Can you get me in?", the girl replied, taking a step back to avoid the man's touch.<br/><br/>"I don't know. You don't look like them. You know that."<br/><br/>She did know it. The women she had seen were tall, fair-skinned, had perfect proportions, and were wealthy. She was a little 5' thing, her skin tanned from the sun, and her eyes were too big for the rest of her face. It was a funny thing that it actually made a pretty nice effect on her. And of course, she was thin. There was not always enough to eat.<br/><br/>"You could stay here and make a career."<br/><br/>The girl let out a mocking laugh.<br/><br/>"What career? The only career for me, out here, is the one I have. And it's not good enough. I can do better than that. I'm smart, you know."<br/><br/>It was the man's turn to laugh.<br/><br/>"If you were, you wouldn't be asking me for a favor, out of all people. Get out."<br/><br/>The girl mumbled a dirty word and walked away from the man. She found a place from where she could see the city and took a deep breath. "One day, I will do it. I know."