alphaville.
where the skyline falls into the bedroom, the sunset washes away the horizon and the neon glow of artificial futures intoxicate the neo cortex with a haunting saxophone solo or a strange discordant piano note, treated with some additional stress plays out through immaculate glass structures. 
i watched the helipad over on the east side, you could see the silhouette of a big hulking monstrous bird and the shadow of it's rotors sending synaptic vibrations across the rooftops, the deafening whoop..whoop..whoop of blades. i put out the joint and took a sip of bottled water. 

mariane suggested we share some bliss but it was far to hot, i just wanted to fill the tub with ice and sink under it naked and close my eyes wrapped in the cool sensation of temperature drop.
she laughed, 'you don't have ice to even put in your drink baby.'

she was right, alphaville in summer was hot and dry, ice was a luxury we didn't have, we were out of credit, out of scams and out of luck, we were running on love and in alphaville that's the currency of fools and the young, and i had already lived four lifetimes in one. 

mariane looked luscious in her little yellow dress, and those red sunglasses matching red heels, she was all aglow like a ripe peach. she came over and took a sip of water,'what's the plan' she says.

aplahville don't care for plans, it lets you make them then it shows you how impotent you are. i learnt that the hard way but mariane is an optimist, she likes something to look forwards to, she's younger than me but wise enough to know ultimately after luck and credit have run out there's only so far love can take you, in alphaville it's not far at all. maybe to the front door of your escape plan.

down on the street i spotted a man with a sun umbrella, he wore nice clothes, a shiny light reflecting suit of greenish blue, with some red thrown in because i guess wealth don't necessarily come with taste, he walked towards a big stretch car, it was all gloss and gleam and there was a chauffeur holding a door open for him in a nice uniform, looking all present and professional. as the suit leaned in to sit in the back seat he threw the smoking remains of his cigar away. it flew up in a tight arc and fell onto the pavement where it rolled a few feet and lay still, smoking at the feet of a policeman, who picked it up carefully and inspected it. i watched him gaze at it and then smell it slowly as if it were a fine wine, he inhaled the smoke into his nostrils and then held the butt up to the light examining it in detail, you could just make out the stress lines on his face as he concentrated.

mariane and i watched from above, her hair caught a soft breeze, and for a moment she looked all angelic and heavenly and i wanted to kiss her but things started moving fast on the street, the policeman, drew his weapon, it was a laser taser, he pointed it at the man but the door had been shut and the chauffeur was climbing into the driving seat, we could see the passenger in the back seat, his chubby profile and stubby hands seemed to be pouring himself a drink from a bottle with an elongated neck. the blast of the tire exploding was enough to make the glass fall from his hands and he started yelling at the driver who was already leaving the car in a panic, the police man held his weapon towards the driver and shouted, 'on the floor, now.'

he ran towards the car and opened the door pulling the man out, dragging him blubbering onto the floor, it was obvious he was a stranger to alphaville, unfamiliar to the zee tee code, should have done his research, i thought. 
by now a crowd of alphavilles were gathered, children gazed at the drama as it unfolded, they were shuffled out into the shadows away from the sun by concerned parents, one of the kids was licking an ice cream another held on to a can of cold fizzy drink, i was looking at him slurping it with envy.
the cop stands astride the man, holds his weapon over him, he aims at his face and his mouth starts reciting the zee tee code. then with cool precision he lets the energy beam burn a whole in the mans brain. it's a clean shot, no mess at all, just a little vapour cloud rising from the guys skull.
the man didn't even have time to beg, he just looked shocked and then dead. the children clapped and moved onwards with their mums and dads, the chauffeur hovered nervously and began dragging the smouldering remains of the man into the car. the police man handed him the cigar butt and walked onwards continuing his beat. 
mariane and i drew down the blind, we had seen the zero tolerance code enacted many times, it was the alphaville way, everyone knew how it goes, except the poor suckers who don't.
'all that credit, look where it got him.'
'yeah' i say, 'lets just make love until we can't.'
that's how it is in alphaville.