intencity

veronica wood

Aaden had made a point to never set foot, let alone breathe the air, of IntenCity. “IntenCity is a crime against humanity,” he had said to his coworkers during multiple debates about its morality. Yet, here he was, assigned to investigate a month-old homicide in the last place he would ever want to go. They were definitely getting a laugh out of this down at the precinct.

It was the latter half of the journey, and the shuttle was in full view of the only city that orbited Earth. The large space station had screens that looped around it, flashing words and phrases such as, “Indulge!- Feel EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE!- Welcome to IntenCity!- Indulge!…” Aaden looked away from the window and reached into his pocket. Despite how bad the pollution made the air smell in some districts, he was thankful that nose filters were readily available. 100% filter or 100% money back guarantee! the package read. He barely noticed the passenger beside him gasp. The passenger asked, “Why would you bring that? The air is what matters, man!”

Aaden glanced at the suave looking man, shocked that someone who looked like him talked so casually. “I’m going for business, not pleasure.”

“F man, I feel sorry for you, the dragon is what makes it.”

Aaden shrugged, and replied, “To be honest, I feel sorry for you.” in her brain the way she used to, the extra dose of the vaporised opiates eased her up. She couldn’t help but dwell on her guilt, after how her last date had ended. That had been a month ago. She stopped putting on makeup, staring into her mirrored eyes. They looked the same, but didn’t feel the same. The image of a dead man flashed into her mind. The man that she had killed. She began to brush her long black hair, trying to ignore her concerns. She was desensitised, so accustomed to the dragon-infused air that she no longer felt the intensity for which the city was named. So accustomed that she had sought an alternate source, one she would never have imagined.

The young man ignored him and said nothing else, hiding behind his straight shoulder length hair. Aaden continued to apply the breathing apparatus, resisting the temptation to see how funny it looked. May as well get used to it, he thought.

Desiree continued to push the memories away, ignoring the guilt. Ignoring the fact that she had gone too far, that there was no turning back from what she had done. Leaving IntenCity was not an option, not with the state of Earth. Her phone went off. It was her date, messaging her that the shuttle had almost arrived, that soon he would see her. You could always cancel it, her mind said, and she said aloud, “I shouldn’t let this happen again.”

Despite it all, half an hour later she arrived at the shuttle station to meet him. The man swept her off her feet, and for a while the worries went away. The gentleman even watched her sing for her entire gig; she was sure he did not shift his attention even once. His eyes reflected the stage lights like two bright stars in an empty sky.

Desiree took a deep breath. It was four o’clock. That meant night was starting. Night time was when the engineers increased the concentration of dragon in the air, fueling passion and pleasure. Though she didn’t feel the buzz

Everything you experience at IntenCity is felt to the highest degree, and Desiree had learned what a man’s eyes looked like when his brain was firing up with dopamine, and when she got off stage to be with him again, he had it. Seeing him like that, she thought, I will let him have his fun. I won’t take this away from him. She was determined to make that the truth, until he invited her to his hotel room afterwards. Her heart rate increased, and for a moment, she stopped breathing. She nodded, silently, and with a nervous grin followed him in.

The morning after he arrived, Aaden ordered a gigantic cup of coffee from the nearest shop. He would need it, now that a fresh crime scene had appeared out of nowhere the night before. He hoped he could find a strong lead for his investigation, as the files collected by security from the previous homicide were a cache of useless evidence.

The victim’s hotel room looked untouched, except for a small suitcase and the dead body lying on the bed. Deputy of security gestured for him to join her and a photographer. She said, “We haven’t found anything left behind, the man himself only had this small suitcase. Looks like he wasn’t staying here very long.” He turned to examine the body. Aaden felt his face harden as the man’s familiarity struck. It was the young man that had sat beside him on the shuttle. His clothes had been thrown to the floor, except for a belt, which had been left around his neck.

“It looks like a crime of passion,” the deputy said, her gaze trailing off. Aaden couldn’t help but feel for her. She was remembering reality, probably for the first time in a while. Remembering that we can’t always feel intense sunshine and rainbows.

His breathing apparatus itched, and he discreetly scratched his nose, then guzzled the coffee. It was strange seeing a dead man that was only alive the day before. Aaden’s eyes opened wide as he remembered the man leaving the shuttle. He had met someone, a woman. Perhaps there was footage he could find. It wasn’t a guarantee, but a picture of her could be the lead he was looking for.

The bar, The Chased Dragon, was not as underground as she thought, and was set behind a modern art exhibition that was usually less busy. She avoided looking at the grotesque pieces as she was escorted to the doorway. Behind her was an older man that stared at her in a way that made her nervous.

Oddly enough, the place was like most clubs on IntenCity. There was a bar and a giant dancefloor covered with flailing bodies bouncing to electronica. She didn’t join them, suddenly feeling out of place. A drink, she thought. She ordered a cocktail and sipped.

She was thinking of ordering another when a man offered to buy her a drink. His name was Raqi, and he was very open with her. The conversation started light, and then Raqi began drinking his third beverage. He said, “I’m going to be honest, I’m looking for some real fun before I go back home tomorrow.” She chuckled, and he winced. “I don’t want to go home,” he said. “Of course you don’t.” she replied. Raqi took a sip of the lime green drink that had appeared on the counter and explained, “My wife on Earth is making me.” He has a wife, she thought. She realised that she had, for a moment, felt like they were on a date. Not wanting it to be weird, she replied, “Yeah, sometimes real life sucks.” She too sipped her drink. That’s probably enough… I should get out of here. She thought, then, with another sip, she countered, Maybe not.

Days later, Desiree had come to terms with her desensitisation, and that she had to find a way to make it stop. She knew of places where they infused dragon with the drinks, but they were harder to find if you didn’t have some connections. She had lived and worked on IntenCity for years, and had just the place in mind. She prepared herself, applying colours to her face that she usually avoided. She really wished she was singing, but she seldom had gigs anymore, not since her first year here. The new club would be fun, and she thought, Something new is always thrilling. Again, she remembered her transgressions, and again, she pushed the memories away.

A man sitting by them interrupted their conversation. She almost dropped her glass. It was the man that had been behind her on the way in. The man said, “You should be glad to leave, this place is a cesspool.” Desiree was startled. People didn’t usually talk like that here. “You take that back!” Raqi cried. The man laughed with his deep, raspy voice. “I don’t like to pretend that any amount of this air, or these drinks, will erase my misery.”

“You crazy old man, you wanna go?” Desiree was a little shocked by Raqi’s reaction but too overstimulated to form her own words. She mumbled, “Raqi…” and began to pull him towards her, but he resisted. No doubt the adrenaline paired with the thick air and drinks was beyond euphoric.

The old man stared with large brown eyes, and shrugged, saying, “No, not really.” Raqi punched his shoulder, saying,

“Come on, I’ll erase your misery, by kicking your ass!”

“Fine; but if I win, I get your date.”

I’m not-” Desiree wasn’t able to speak in time, Raqi shouted, “It’s on, grandpa!” She felt that she should be horrified but, with her pulse beginning to jump, she couldn’t help but feel exhilaration.

Raqi waved his arms a little, punching his palms as he hyped up. Raqi’s aggressive swing was sudden, but the old man was surprisingly quick and dodged, matching with an uppercut. Raqi doubled over. He looked back up with wide eyes and barreled into the man. The grunt that came out of the old giant sounded ugly, but everyone standing at the bar whooped, somehow drowning out the loud music. The old man was still momentarily, and Raqi stopped for breath. Then, Raqi shot up. “I feel… alive!” he yelled, looking up to the cheering patrons who were watching. At this moment, the old man punched Raqi square in the face. Raqi’s head doubled back, and his neck cracked from the impact. He fell. Another patron was quick to check, his sweat dripping onto Raqi’s face. “Unconscious,” the stranger said. So Raqi hadn’t died. But, he hadn’t won either. The old man turned to her. He gestured to the door and asked, “So, how about we go for a walk, and tell me; who are you?”

The man, who had introduced himself as Aaden, eventually walked Desiree home to her apartment. Desiree hesitated before opening the door. “Should I join you?” Aaden asked. She bit her lip. Don’t do it. Her mind whispered. Her teeth formed together as she was about to say no, but she suddenly said, “Yes!” The volume and tone of her reply startled her as the word echoed in her brain. Did she sound suspicious? Suddenly she had thought, what if people had gotten wind of what she had done? She hadn’t checked the news, and she’d been avoiding coworkers… Wasn’t the fight enough excitement for one night? She shut her eyes briefly, breathing deep. Alas, no. Enough was never enough.

Once inside, Aaden sat at her small table, which was in the corner opposite to her bed. “How about some tea? If you have any.” She nodded. Tea sounded comforting. She turned on the kettle setting for her water dispenser, and had two cups of rooibos in a moment. She sat down with the cups, and Aaden said, “Now that we’re here, I have some questions for you, Desiree.”

“Questions?”

He pulled out a small tablet and showed her a photo. She could not stop herself from gasping. It was a photo taken at the shuttle station the other day. He flicked the screen over, showing her a picture of her first victim, a photo of them at the reception desk at his hotel.

Aaden asked, “You know what happened to these men, don’t you?” His gaze wasn’t hostile, but still pierced her heart. The guilt of what she had done was too strong, and she began to weep. “Yes- yes, I-”

“Desiree, I am going to have to put you under arrest, unless you tell me everything you know and prove your innocence.” She couldn’t do anything but cry. He handcuffed her and led her to sit on the bed.

The tears stopped by the time he had called security for assistance. He sat next to her. She didn’t make eye contact, and ignored the screams in her mind that this was a confession. She cleared her throat and said, “There was a time when I wasn’t like this…”

“I know,” he said, adding, “I know what this place does to people.” His hands gripped his tea cup, despite the steam billowing from the mug. “The capacity for us to feel intensity is useless if it is not fleeting,” he said solemnly.

“I miss it,” she said, hunching over.

“What?”

“Feeling—something, anything.”

Aaden sighed. “There is no excuse for what you did, but you’re human, so I am willing to do this.” He came closer to her, and wrapped his arms around her in silence. And for the first time in a very long time, in the warmth of his genuine embrace, Desiree felt something real.