Payment by Keegan Ragan [[Start->The Begining]]Larry Algernon made all the right in choices in his life. Born in the [[mid-twenty first century->Intro to Time Period]], and now approaching his late thirties, he has become incredibly wealthy in his career as a stockbroker. In his home country, there is virtually no middle-class. Fifteen percent of the population is very wealthy like him, and [[lives a privileged life->Intro to the Wealthy]]. Then there's the rest, a highly impoverished class restricted to the densely packed and overpopulated [[slums->Intro to the Slums]]. A large wall separates the slums from the great city where the wealthy live, and even then they are miles apart. [[NEXT->Larry's Story]]Densely populated, disease ridden, severe problems with drugs, violence and human trafficking. The slums represent everything that is bad about humanity. They look like the charred husk of a once vast and spectacular metropolis. Covered by a thick smog, it spans for miles in every direction. Pre-war cities such as New York would have been dwarfed by the sheer scale of the slums. The high pollution levels come from the factories and refineries where most of the employed lower class works. Arguably some parts of the slums are better than others, but anyone living there would be hard pressed to find clean water or a quiet place to sleep.The second half of the twenty-first century follows a great war that stemmed from conflicts in the middle-eastern region of the world. There are full, intact historical records on the subject. Although, the upper class never talks about the great war in public, and the lower class is never educated on the subject anyways.It had been a long day at work for Larry, several key investment opportunities opened up for many of his clients, so he worked a few hours overtime today. Now though he was sitting comfortably in his personal shuttle, the electronic hum of the engines was making him drift off, so he turned on the automated systems. He had heard good things about a [[new bar on 9th street->The Bar]], his co-worker claimed it was the best in the city as of today. Of course he could always [[go home->Larry's House]], there he could look forward to the pool on his balcony, or the sauna next to his entertainment room.The wealthy live in a vast city miles away from the filth that is the slums. Here, there are bars, entertainment centers, parks, spacious and luxurious living accommodations, hospitals, transportation hubs, everything expected from a modern city. The life expectancy here is high, well above one-hundred years. Everyone is treated well and sheltered from a young age. Most people living here are aware of the slums, but rationalize it's existence with the idea that it's there for a reason. Without the slums, there would be no upper class, no society capable of further improving the human race. Or so they say in the great city.Larry set a course for the bar. Almost immediately after arriving outside the doors, he could feel the bass from electronic music pounding through his chest. This is what he came here for, and a few drinks in he wasn't tired any more. [[He spent most of the night there->The Aftermath]], and enjoyed every bit of it, even though he may have made a complete fool of himself at some points.Larry set a course for home, which seemed to be the better option, he was too tired to go out and be social anyways. Upon getting home he entered through the front door and slumped over the couch in his living room. Shortly after that he [[passed out->Home Invasion]].It was late when Larry left the bar, he was exhausted and his head was swimming. About time he find his shuttle and [[plot a course home->Shuttle Kidnapping]].Across the docking bay was his shuttle, a brand-new model in midnight blue, it was fast and very maneuverable, Larry loved that thing. On his way there though, a black shuttle landed in front of him and four men, dressed in all black and armed with aluminum baseball bats, come out charging. This was not good, and Larry figured he had to [[be brave->Be the Hero]] or try and settle this [[peacefully->Be the Diplomat]].Almost immediately Larry took a swing at one of the charging assailants, and amazingly he stuck one square in the face and sent him to the ground. As if that did any good though, by then he was already overwhelmed by the other three. The only thing his bravery got him was baseball bat to the back of his skull, Larry didn't remember anything [[after that->The Gun]]."Now listen we don't have to do anything rash here, take my wallet we don't need to make this any more difficult than it has to be!", Larry said assertively. The assailants didn't listen though, and soon they surrounded him. Larry took a baseball bat to the ribs, then another in the gut, and one more in the middle of his back. They put a bag over his head and dragged him to the shuttle, Larry couldn't remember anything [[after that->The Gun]].Larry awoke in darkness. He had a headache like no other and nearly his entire body was sore. As he regained conciseness, he realized he was [[sitting down->The Man]], and that his hands and feet were bound. When his sight came back, he saw that there was a bag over his head.Larry woke to the sound of someone knocking on his front door. Reluctantly, he got up and answered it. He opened the door to see four men dressed in all black, each holding an aluminum baseball bat. Larry was shocked at first, but he needed to either turn and [[run->The Runner]] or [[talk this out->The Talker]].Larry turned and ran, the assailants followed close behind. He lost them at first, and as he passed through the entertainment room he noticed a metal lamp sitting on an end table. Quickly he snatched it up, and set his eyes on the man charging directly for him. Larry smashed the man across the face and sent him to the ground, then noticed another coming from his left and did the same to him. But by then it was too late, one of the men had already come up from behind Larry and hit him square in the back. Larry dropped the lamp and collapsed to his knees from the pain. Next thing he knew there was a sharp pain in the back of his skull, he couldn't remember anything [[after that->The Gun]]."Now listen we don't need to do anything rash here-" CLANG! The first man smashed Larry across the face. Larry fell to the floor, and watched the ceiling fan spin above him as his vision faded. He couldn't remember anything [[after that->The Gun]].Larry sat for what seemed like hours, until he heard a loud mechanical click. "Remove the bag" a man with a raspy voice said. Light entered Larry's eyes and blinded him. As his vision adjusted, he saw that he was looking down the barrel of an old, rusted, and absurdly large revolver. The man behind it had the roughest face Larry had ever seen, it was covered with scars and a tick, black goatee. "Mr. Algernon" he said, "We have a lot to talk about". [[...to be continued.->Epilogue]]Larry Algernon thought he had made all of the right choices in life. It made sense for him to think that, how else could he have risen so high? Larry believed that he was the ultimate decider, he believed he was where he was because he put himself there. How wrong he was though, what Larry believed was a fallacy. There are things Larry cannot control, things outside of his power. Some events cannot be changed, no matter what decisions we make, call it fate, call it Murphy's Law. Either way, Larry learns this the hard way. Perhaps then, it is not the decisions we make that truly dictate our lives, but instead, it is the way we handle those decisions.