As they got off the train, Thalia suddenly grabbed Tyler's arm, shocking him. "Ow, what the hell, Thalia?" Tyler rubbed his arm.
"What were you thinking? Talking back to the captain? Are you looking to die?" she whispered.
They waved their wristbands past the post, opening the gate and stepping onto the platform. Theo trailed behind them. "Man, that was close, guys. I honestly thought the captain was going to kill you right there," Theo said, grabbing Tyler's shoulders and massaging them.
"No, I knew he wouldn't actually attack me. He respects strength too much to strike me for speaking out against him, as long as I didn't back down. I was about 70% sure he would let it go." Tyler's voice was a bit shaky, even though he tried to maintain a calm tone.
"Wow, you're dumber than Thalia!" Theo laughed.
"Hey, what does that mean?" Thalia's eyes began to glow a bright blue.
"It means I thought the only person brave enough to risk their life with a 30% chance of death was you, big sis." Theo clasped his hands together, smiling at her with wide eyes that seemed to say, "Please don't electrocute me."
Thalia rolled her eyes and walked down the platform's stairs. They continued walking for a while before encountering anyone, although Thalia couldn't understand how anyone could live in such conditions. The pungent odor of soot and smoke filled the air. If she had to describe the buildings and surroundings, the phrase "cesspool" would come to mind. The entire district looked and smelled like a breeding ground for disease and misfortune.
Many buildings they passed had huge red Xs, marking them as uninhabitable. Thalia noticed more red Xs than anything else, which ignited a deep-rooted anger within her about the living conditions in this city. A few larger buildings had people coming in and out, but almost all the adults looked exhausted. She figured they all commuted to work in the mines of District City 2. They wore neon green hard hats and were covered in soot.
Thalia overheard two men in hard hats grumbling about who would go into the mine shaft next.
"Woman, don't you try to tell me where I can and can't spend my pay?" a loud, belligerent man yelled at a blonde-haired woman standing in the doorway of one of the smaller habitable buildings.
She storms up to him, wagging her finger and screaming out cuss words.
"You dumb oaf, we have to feed four children plus pay dues at this place in a couple of days. I won't be letting you drink and screw away our money in the red light district tonight." The woman said, reaching for the pocket of his blue overalls.
The woman struggled against the man before yanking away a rubber band that held crumpled-up bills. Thalia recognized the green insignia on the rubber band. In New Roark, the currency is called Minos and is made from thin parchment paper and bronze coins.
However, the elite and wealthy don't carry physical money; all their currency is loaded onto wristbands. Depending on their status and wealth, these wristbands can grant access to nearly everything in New Roark.
"You wretched thief, give me back my money! You haven't earned a single penny. That money was hard-earned through my blood, sweat, and tears! So what if I want to blow off a little steam in the red-light district?"
The woman turned to walk back inside the building, ignoring his rant entirely. Thalia was certain that her lack of reaction was due to this not being the first time they had this argument. The man grabbed her shoulder, but she knocked his hand away. "Go sleep it off, Richard. You're drunk!"
The man looked even angrier. This time, he wasn't going to be ignored. He grabbed the woman by her hair with his large hand, yanking her backward. The woman yelled out in pain as he clutched her hair in his fist. She tried to pull and squirm away, hitting Richard in his ribs and punching at him until she hit his nose.
Richard puts his hand up to his nose, stifling the blood. He looked at his hand, covered in blood from the woman's punch. The man grabbed her by her hair and, in a fit of rage, began violently slapping the woman, causing her to scream for him to let her go.
"Hey! Stop it! There's no need for that," Thalia yelled as she walked towards them, her eyes glowing with power and her fingertips crackling with electricity at her side.
The man glanced over at Thalia and let out a drunken giggle. "Stay out of this, little girl, before you get hurt."
Thalia's blue aura grew stronger and more vibrant as she approached them, and it looked like she might turn the drunk man into a human torch. She lifted her hand, ready to unleash a surge of electricity, but Alexander placed his gloved hand on her shoulder, shaking his head in silence. His gesture indicated that Thalia needed to back off. She didn't press him for an explanation because, deep down, she already knew what he would say.
"They're on a mission, and this is not her business. Stay on task!" Thalia could hear the vice captain's voice echoing in her mind. However, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she had to stand up against this injustice. The drunk man struck her again before reaching down to snatch the money from her hands.
"See? If you had returned it when I asked you nicely, we wouldn't have to do this every time!"
The woman clutched the money to her chest, refusing to let it go. The woman's face turned red when he slapped her, and her eyes shut tight, anticipating his next strike. The woman's eyes were red and puffy, like she wanted to cry. However, no tears rolled down her eyes; instead, the woman only dropped her head down and dropped all her weight until he had to drop her to the ground. She curled up in the fetal position, covering her head and body.
The man raised his hand and curled his fingers into a fist to strike the woman, but Thalia had had enough this time. She floated inches into the air and prepared to turn the drunk man into a human lightning rod. However, at that exact moment, Dante caught Richard's hand from behind mid-swing.