http://tsade.com/web-of-stars/unpluggedBerer, more formally known as user:/US/FA2A5E3F/023AB748/A16C/Berer on-line, stood at the opening of the rusted out cargo container and stared up into the storm above. Born not of meteorology, the smog rolled with violence and crackles of lightning rolled along the sickening green and gray clouds. His eyes, sparkling with the digital overlays, followed line of boiling clouds to the shadowed pylon that pierced the sky and rose high above the smog to create the new foundation of the world, a place set above pollution: New Athena. He exhaled hard then sniffed at the chemical tang of the suffocating air around him. The sharpness of the agents they used to kill mold, fungus, and small animals burned at the back of his throat, but the air purifiers at his feet pushed back the worse of the acidic fumes.
He retreated into the cargo container, leaving the door open behind him. Inside, LED candles hung from the rusted out rents in the steel sides and gave the container a home-like glow. His boots vibrated the metal floor as he returned to an inflatable mattress in the back. He draped two threadbare blankets over the rubberized surface. Standing up, he paused at a mirror hanging from one twisted hunk of metal and inspected himself. A few strands of his thick, black hair stuck up and ran his fingers along it. His cowlick popped back up and he grumbled, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t force it down with just his fingers and spit. He broke the seal to his suit, the tactile rubber peeling away from the hairs on his chest. Inside, thousands of sensors began to glow a faint red to warn of disconnection. He stared at the muscles underneath, wondering if the body shop earned their keep, then sealed it back up. Berer waffled for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to present himself. Finally, he left it alone and fled the mirror.
... continued
