A world without oxygen » Places

         1:50 PM
July 22nd, 4014
Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S.A

Nina went out for a walk. She was finding herself getting bored very easily just sitting in the house so much. She went to the vintage clothing shop a few streets over. Nina liked browsing here. It gave her something to do and she found interesting clothes which you wouldn't get in your normal clothes shops. She pawed through a couple of racks before coming across something that caught her eye. It was a sapphire coloured jersey with a large number '6' on the back. Nina brought it up to the counter.
"How much for this?" Nina asked.
The man behind the counter was fat and losing his hair. He had a beard and thick glasses. "Do you even know what you are holding?" The cashier asked patronizingly.
"A shirt?" Nina answered.
"That is a replica of a Yugoslavia National Soccer Team jersey from the 1958 World Cup, modelled on the one worn by Branko Zebec."
"Neat. How much for it?"
"The current asking price is $50." The man sighed. "Though I am reluctant to sell it to someone so oblivious to the history of the design."
Nina looked around. The shop was quite run down looking. She was the only customer there at the moment. Business clearly wasn't great. "Maybe if you were a little nicer to customers you might get more business."
"Is it a crime to expect a high standard of shopper when I sell rare and interesting items?"
"Well... no, but you don't have to be an ass to everyone who isn't an expert on what they're buying. You said $50 right?"

With her new shirt purchased, Nina went to get herself some provisions for the party. She went into the off-license and went up to the counter.
"A litre of vodka, please."
"Any particular kind?" The clerk asked.
"Whatever's cheapest. It all tastes pretty much the same when I mix it with Pepsi anyhow."
The clerk laughed and reached down a large bottle. "You aren't gonna drink this all on your own, are you?"
"Not all in one night." Nina said. "This should get me through a few evenings. That reminds me, can I buy some green." She added lowering her voice to a whisper.
The clerk nodded in the direction of a door and they went through to a smaller room.
"Just the usual." Nina said.
"You got money?" The clerk asked.
"Yup."
"Damn. I always hope you won't." He said putting his arms around her.
"Get used to it. I don't plan on paying in other ways."
"Can't blame a man for trying." The clerk said. "Anyway, enjoy your evening." He said sending her back out the door with a playful slap on the behind.
Nina tried to scowl but she smiled a little because she found it funny.

         July 22nd, 4014
British Sector, London

Walking into a small corner shop, Henry was greeted openly by the slightly older man behind the till, "Ah! Henry! Y'here to 'browse'? Or did ya need some food?" He spoke to him, hinting a lot at the word 'browse'.
"Yeah, I wanna browse and pick up my coat which I left here for you to repair." Henry replied through his gas mask, walking behind the till to follow the man into a different room. The two opened a hatch on the floor to lead to a basement, obviously designed to be hidden from anyone else. Here, there stood a variety of illegal items to sell. From weapons to stolen exotic food.
"I'll have that." Henry spoke as he pointed at the bomb proof torso which was laid on the table,
"You think you can afford that? It was a lot of effort to gain and I can't afford to barter smaller prices with you... I even said to others that it's already been purchased so I can save it for you."
"You're a kind man." Henry replied as he placed his work bag on the table with a loud thud, "Here," He pulled out a smaller bag of gunpowder from the work bag, "I went through a lot of effort to get this. I'm sure it's more than enough."
The man simply stood and stared at the gunpowder as if it was the last bits left on earth, "Gunpowder?! This stuff is worth tons?!"
"And I want the bomb proof torso, oh and some more oxygen."
"Deal." It was an instant deal as the smell of gunpowder gave the man a feeling of security. The substance is worth a large sum per gram, and a small bag of this stuff will surely keep a family living as a middle class member for a while...

---

July 23rd, 4014
British Sector, London

Knock knock. The sounds of knocking appeared at the Explosives factory doors, allowing the middle aged owner to answer, coughing in the polluted air as he did so. At the door stood a Henry, with his gas mask and bomb proof torso worn, he was completely unrecognisable. "What?" The owner hissed,
"I'm here on a routine check for illegal explosives." Henry replied, holding up a fake ID for a bomb removal member,
"This is an explosive factory..."
"Yes, and there have been reports in other sectors of attempted sabotage in explosive factories. I'm just checking out the machines."
"Right..." The man paused a moment as he stared at Henry, "Go ahead."

With that, Henry walked around the factory, pretending to check out the machines as he did so, humming with approval to make it a bit more believable. Once he had reached the centre machine, Henry placed his bag down and dug through it, pulling out a flash light and a couple tools to open the machine up. It was there where he placed his home made explosive, set to explode in the early hours of the day. Being in an explosive factory, it would definitely destroy the whole building and maybe some more.
Once done, he closed the maintenance hatch and packed everything back in his bag. The sounds of rattling on the roofing proved that it was beginning to rain.
"All's good, Congratulations." Henry spoke out to the yawning man who was obviously annoyed at the early hours of waking up, "It's raining and I forgot to bring an acid proof coat. You got one?"
"Ah yeah whatever," the man replied as he gave Henry a coat, "Thanks."

---

A couple hours have passed. Henry had packed all of his important belongings and had reached the ports to see a large cargo ship docked, ready to leave within a small time. "Ah, Henry!" A group of people called out, "You're on time! Did you set the bombs?"
"Yeah, all done. You got the fake money?" Henry replied as he followed the small group into a large metal cargo box, squeezing through the boxes and random goods to fit into the corner, away from all eyes.
"Yep!" A briefcase was given to Henry who opened it up to see the large amount of fake US Dollars inside, "A fair amount of US Dollars for you to start a new life in America. You're lucky we were gonna sneak into this cargo ship at the right time."
"Yeah you're right."

         12:40 PM
July 22nd, 4014
Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S.A



Nina lazily opened an eye and looked at her clock radio. "12:40." She thought to herself. "How am I ever going to be able to get up on time when I go to college in September. Nina was bad at getting up early, but recently she'd been staying in bed even later than usual. Deciding it was probably unhealthy to spend any more time sleeping, even though it felt great, she heaved herself out of bed and went into her ensuite bathroom. She brushed her teeth before slipping out of the black underwear she'd fallen asleep in and hopping into the shower. She felt invigorated as the warm water flowed over her skin. She stood around aimlessly in the shower for about 20 minutes before deciding she'd wasted enough water and was perfectly clean by now. Nina dried herself off with a towel and went to put some fresh clothes on. Looking in the tall mirror as she did so, it was clear to see that Nina was a pretty girl. She had deep brown eyes and dark brown hair. Her facial features were sharp and defined and her neck slender and elegant. She had a nice hourglass figure with broad, full hips. If a little light in the chest they still had a certain perky quality even if they were only B cups. Her body was decoarted in many places with colourful tattoos. They all had their own stories, or at least some sort of a meaning to her. After putting on some fresh underwear she squeezed herself into a pair of very tight black jeans and threw on a white vest top. She didn't dry her hair but instead tied it up in a ponytail. Nina was a bit lazy when it came to her appearance. The only exception was her makeup. Without fail she was maticulous when it came to applying foundation to even the skin tone of her face and the various eye makeups she used to give them dark frames. With her heavy leather boots on as well she looked quite gothy, though she didn't buy into trends or labels like being a 'goth'.



Nina reheated some pizza from the day before for breakfast in the microwave. She had a pretty easy life when she thought about it. She worked for a couple of hours on Thursdays and Fridays in a coffee shop, but that was the only responsibility she really had at the moment. Allbeit she was going to be starting a two year course in English Literature in September, but for the remainder of the summer she hardly had a care in the world. Nina had a comfortable, middle-class background. Her father was a retired police officer who had been paid well after taking a bullet, and her stepmother was a successful investor. Their house was spacious and well equipped and in a nice area. Nina suddenly felt a buzzing sensation in her pocket. It was her phone. She answered it.
"Hello?" She said.
"Hi Nina, it's Sara." came a voice on the other end of the phone. Sara was one of Nina's oldest friends. They'd met in Middle School and had been close ever since. They shared the same alternative vibes and fondness for drink, drugs and partying.
"Oh hi. How's it going?" Nina asked.
"It's going just fine. I'm just calling to give you some very exciting news."
"What?"
"Madison's parents are going to be away until Sunday, so her house is free. She's throwing a party tonight."
"Seriously?" Nina asked. It was good being an adult. Gone were the days of having to get alcohol in crafty ways and drink it in secret places. "Awesome. I'll definitely be there." She said.