The Barkeep and the Conspiracy

John had grown used to life's coldness, and his lonesome state had been forever sealed like the final hug from a beloved relative. With every exchange snuffed out, life had become monotonous like the hum of a dying fan's motor. Every night, John went to the same bar, all to just pass time with his only friend: Rich. Rich being a fictional bartender with glistering hazel eyes, who always listened to John's stories without judgement. However, whenever John said his farewells and readied himself to return home, a funny kind of aura would animate the air emanating solitude so thick, ringing with a soft but ominous call to nowhere.

One night, while aimlessly walking through an unfamiliar neighbourhood, something caught John's eye: the dusty wooden awning of a bar sign. The bar was strange and unknown, like the overpowering feeling of being watched, and as John shoved open the entrance door and entered, a wave of curiosity and dread propelled him onwards. Careening over to the far-right corner, whilst yet trying to make sense of the seedy, surreal surroundings, he found himself face-to-face with the faithful Rich. Rich in reality, not imagination.

Stunned, John remained motionless for an eternity, until Rich began to wave a hand in front of his face, shaking him out of his shock-induced state. John glanced around him attempting to explain Rich's presence, until Rich said something that crippled John with fear. Ah! I was wondering when you'd come in person. From there, Rich explained that he was in a similar predicament as John was. They were conscripted into a mysteriously sinister conspiracy meant to confuse and control the population, in which John and Rich were key players but symbols. Though it was still unclear what exactly their intentions were, they knew that talking over their circumstances would be key to thwarting their oppressors.

Deciding to take control of their situation, John and Rich negotiated to sabotage their enemy as subtlety as they could manage. With underhanded technological tampering, backhanded intellectual insights, and deft little breaks of code, they were able to make strides without being discovered by the enemy. The unprecedented stress of committing to something so large and desperate made breathing, itself, a struggle.

As exhaustion accumulated and strain became the bed-fellow of every wild thought, Rich was the anchor that gave John strength and the gusto to retaliate even harder. Together, their courage and aresenal of skills may soon be enough to outsmart their architects, soon to reveal their insidious plans and crush the system with the force of vengeance.

Though the fear was barbaric and tangiable, nothing could stand in the way of their mission: to give the power back to the people, and protect the weak from the wickedness of the stronger, for once. Even so, nothing in John's life had ever felt this uncertain, and the very thought that he might fail in his attempt had become a hyleric reality. There was only on answer, only one way through, and if they were lucky, this conspiracy, while perservasive, would shake and eventually break just as quickly as it had came.