Soda

The six feet tall soda machine stood solemnly on the corner of the street, waiting for a passing by customer to buy something inside its display so that she could perform her magic, and benefit the addicts.

Jason happened to drive past this street with his mouth hanging dry all the way without a bottle of chilling water in his car. He parked near her and swiped his credit card above the payment panel, a confirmation sound emitted from the machine and Jason selected the brand he always loved - Sprite. The chilling artificial lemon flavor and the bubbling compressed carbon dioxide filled his mouth as the can dropped into his hand with an opening pop.

Satisfied, he slipped back into the vehicle and sped away to god knows where.

What you didn't know was, she wasn't not just an ordinary soda machine that sold soda for a living, she was also capable of distributing exotic drugs to the local addicts.

This district's soda machines were compromised as the local drug lord threatened the refilling person to cut a deal with them so that the soda machines could be used for high-end stimulants distribution. In this way the police won't find the evidence they need so easily as it was all transferred by an agent.

There were many types to choose from, besides the regular or normal Soda, including the Coke and Sprite, there were the stimulants that aimed at specific body part. The most popular one being the brain, artists and writers relied on this kind of medications. Then there was the limbs, which made you exceptionally strong for a short period of time and would wear your off extremely quickly for the day. Next one was the eye drops that form a layer on your eyeballs and generate a virtual reality interface through the nano circuits in the jelly-like fluid.

Sadly, Jason didn't pick the other unknown brand of soda ranging from ‘The Farmland Fruit Juice', ‘The Hawaii Coco' to ‘The Galaxy Stardust' and much more, or else he could enjoy a hell of ride back home.

The soda machine refilling person named Tommy had a wife and a kid both living in New Jersey. He have been doing this refilling job for a consecutive of thirteen years ever since he graduated from high school. Because he had endured hardship in the Noughties, he had never thought about doing anything else. Besides, the job pays the bills. With his solid build carried on to his thirties, and the company had no plan of replacing the labor force with the automatic ones, he had to held on to the job even if it meant playing fire with drugs.

Meanwhile, drug addicts frequented the soda machines attracted some suspicion from the locals but none took action to investigate further. With the cover of the soda machine in work, the drug lord’s gaining tripled, and that meant a gang war was brewing inside the seeming calm and quiet community for money and power.

What’s your choice of Soda, cowboy?