The next store displayed an interesting variety of food, but the doors would not open for him. On a hunch, he crossed the street to the older buildings where most doors opened for him. The dim lighting, dull floors, and limited selections were a sharp contrast to the other stores. Here, people in shabby clothes stood in lines to view screens for purchasing. Elias found his merit token worked better here. To keep warm at night and cover his simple clothes, he picked out a pale blue long coat. On down the street, he found a cafe, but the food selections were terrible, the pictures looked amateurish, and the few words for ingredients meant nothing to him. He selected a bowl of thick vegetable soup and accepted the only option for drinks. He carried his food to the end of a long table near the holographic display table. A few minutes later, he started a fight.
There were no announcers on the holographic display, just short clips of information, warnings, and propaganda. A new migration point announcement led to a mass rush for the few jobs, bonus resources offered for families with children, and treaty negotiations between Loors and Yakras broke off after an attack by Loors disguised as bandits in the city last night. A close-up picture of Elias displayed in a full 3D projection as the voice-over claimed he was still in the city and very dangerous. If spotted, avoid and immediately contact the police for a reward.
A bomb detonated in his gut as he watched a clip of last night’s encounter. This was a new record for him, on the planet less than two days and already an infamous criminal. It was amazing how well the police camera captured him standing with his laser pointed at the police vehicle. It was a good angle, Elias thought he looked very confident, almost heroic, and the explosive close up was quite spectacular. The information about the Loors did not fit, but it didn’t matter, they had a close up of his face attacking the police. With his face on every screen in the city, no amount of clothes would disguise him for a trip to the capital. He might have to go back to the Larches and Fenentics for a while. An older woman stared at him across the table, then nudged her husband, who looked at the holograph, then at Elias, then back to the holograph.
“With the reward, we can eat for a year,” she whispered to him. The husband pretended to watch the holograph, but his eyes were fixed on Elias, considering if the danger were worth the reward. “We could even have a child.”
The husband looked at her, “You’re sterile.”
“With the reward money, we could buy one.”
Elias left his half-eaten food and headed toward the door when the man lunged over the table at him. He didn’t make it, tumbling over the person on the other side of the table, but the action spurred several others to attack. The shuffling pathetic forms eating their tasteless stew a moment ago transformed into rabid attack dogs at the prospect of a reward. Elias flattened the first person to reach him, sending him tumbling backward into the crowd. Before he could take two steps, men and women swarmed him, grabbing, clutching, and swinging wild punches that hit others more than they hit Elias. His real concern was in falling and being piled on by the crowd. He gave out a roar, twisted loose from their grasp, leaving them clutching his coat, jumped on the table, and ran for the door as it opened for a new customer. Someone shouted, and the door stopped half-way open, just enough for Elias to escape.
