Ripples of Hollows Filled

Ripples III

Rintin is running. She is a Dutch Racer, a genetically enhanced dog built for speed. Normally these dogs are kept on a very short leash, but Rintin ran away, and has lived with a girl named Tinky for three years now. Today Rintin is on her weekly run to Solkrins apartement. Tinky has made a jerkin of sorts for Rintin. And once a week she takes the long trip to Solkrin to fetch a weeks supply of weed.
Rintin slows down, she's about halfway to Solkrin. She has caught the scent of fresh meat. On the pavement two blocks ahead there's an animal leg. A rather upset old woman is trodding off from the spot where the food is, in Rintins direction.
Rintin is careful to avoid the old woman, and pauses only slightly before she picks up speed. When she passes the cafeteria she grabs the meat and is off before anyone has a chance to stop her.
At a safe distance she lies down and eat her fill. When she considers the remains well hid she pauses to sniff the air. She seems nervous. Rintin is not nervous by nature. She can outrun anything, her reflexes are unparalleled, at least here in Fardsbridge Valley. She makes a few circles before she decides to carry on.

While walking down the stairs from Solkrins apartement I'm puzzled as to how I'm gonna get rid of what must be one of the dorkiest grins ever. I know this feeling. Turning any corner I might burst, and end up in a ball of laughter. As I walk out the front door I realize I'm hungry. Sudden realizations often trigger my humorous outbursts, but I am suddenly aware of something.
A relaxed tension in the air trigger my awareness. My skin tells me I'm surrounded by an organic confidence - BioTechs. But what ever would bring BioTechs to Fardsbridge Valley? If there were any holodeck constructions under way in Fardsbridge Valley, Solkrin would know.
I leap down the steps and run around the corner. If this is about to turn into trouble of some kind I wouldn't want to get involved on Solkrins doorstep. A few blocks away I stop. I have had plenty of rather close working relationships with BioTechs. Without them holodeck construction would be a bitch. If it would at all be feasible. At any rate I know how the BioTech presence feels, and this must be BioTechs alright. I head for the nearest park.
When I turn the corner and the park comes into view I stop dead in my tracks. I can't see anything out of the ordinary, but the BioTech presence is rampant. While I'm standing here staring at an empty park I come to realize that my dorky grin has evaporated.
Only a few times, in the past, have I come across BioTechs when I'm not working. They've always been good to me, but I'm unsure as to what they might be up to here. There's no nearby exit to the Between, BioTechs, and Ironclads for that matter, can't follow me there. My thoughts are interrupted by some commotion not too far away. I hear a dog yelp. Then silence.
Soon after I feel the BioTech presence dwindling. I stroll over to the park and seat myself on a wooden bench. I look around and conclude that I'm alone. I bend over to the nearest bush and let my hand sink into the leafs. I stroke the inner workings of the leaf, probing for BioTech residue - whatever that would be. There's nothing out of the ordinary with this bush, I think to myself. Again I realize that I'm hungry. A smile fades into my face, and I walk out of the park, looking for someplace to eat.