Lao was familiar with hate. He felt it in the air around him, felt it brush past him in the street at night, heard its name whispered through half-open doors, witnessed its transaction between hundreds of parties every hour he spent in the City.

The digital clock next to his mattress read 22:17 when he woke, to hear the rain lashing against the roof of his building. He rolled on to the wooden boards of the floor, feeling their dull texture slide against his skin. His small room partly illuminated by a dimly lit terminal in the corner. Another night in the City.

In the alley next to the bar above which he lived, the rain fell in sheets, creating a continual stream of white noise that washed over him as he stepped out. Light from the street glistening on the wet sheen of the walls. Shadows passing the end of the alley. He pulled his collar up over his neck and headed for the street.

The Rue de Revolution was awash with people, as it always was at this time of night. Young people flocking in groups, chattering loudly, never static, tourists out later than was safe, pairs of suited businessmen keeping connexions alive, streetwalkers soaked to the skin, still hoping for clients. Bright neons in fiery colours created globes of isolated warmth outside bars and cafes, illuminating the faces of those that passed him, clouds of steam rose up from the street stalls of food vendors. The hum of society. A thousand voices blurred into a smudged murmur, and the pulse of some drug-enhanced music, somewhere he couldn’t distinguish. The leather of his jacket flowed as he pushed his way through the herd, pressing his pistol against his hip on every other step. Carrying a concealed weapon had been legal for years, indeed in the City, it was almost mandatory.

On top of a downtown arcade tower, he looked down on the streets, at the ceaseless movement of countless lives. The rain still fell all around him, as he sheltered in the lee offered by a nondescript billboard. Feng was tonight’s contact, a courier from the other side of town. Somewhere on the opposite side of the roof, a tiny, metallic click struggled to his ears over the sound of the downpour, and a flicker of light illuminated a cupped hand and jaw as Feng lit up. The point of orange light moved closer, and then Feng was beside him, a wiry figure in a dark brown trench coat.
“My family once owned a tea clipper.” That was today’s passphrase.
“Really. Where’s the package?” Lao felt cold.
“I’ve got it brother, don’t sweat.” Feng reached into his coat and produced a black plastic packet, handed it over. Lao slipped it into a deep pocket and smiled.
“Thanks. Tell your contact that we’ll pay double for three more shipments. This stuff sells.”
“I will.” And he was gone, slipping away into the night like a shadow. Lao turned back to look out over the street, and pulled a slim phone from his coat. He opened it and dialled a number he only knew from memory. The line rang twice before it was answered, and then he was greeted only by silence. There was an indistinct click in the background as two scrambler programs synchronised, and then he spoke.
“I have the goods, I will make the drop tomorrow in the usual place.” He hung up.

On his way back to the bar, he threaded through more back streets than was necessary. He wasn’t expecting to be followed, and he had his blades, but he didn’t want to kill tonight. On reaching his fire escape he crouched down, checking that the hair-trigger across the step was still set. He swung up the stairs and keyed his code into the door lock, then stepped inside.
His room was warm from the heat of patrons in the bar, and he could hear the low hum of voices from below. He crossed to the window and pushed the left side of the cill down, and then back, revealing a hidden compartment only a couple of inches thick. He dropped the black packet into it and replaced the cill, threw his sodden jacket into the corner and slid on to his mattress, shedding the gun belt as he did so. He thumbed the magazine release and slid it under his pillow, and thanked God he hadn’t had to use it this night.