Razor Avenue

Eastern Boundary of Razorboy Territory

Razor Avenue cuts through eastern Red Level like a jagged line, a north-south thoroughfare that serves as the eastern boundary of Razorboy territory. Named long before the gang claimed it, the street's moniker became grimly appropriate as it evolved into a stronghold for the cybernetically enhanced Razorboys, whose modified bodies often feature blades and other sharp implements integrated into their flesh.

Physical Environment

The street's appearance reflects its status as Razorboy territory:

• Gang Markings: Walls adorned with Razorboy symbols and imagery celebrating genetic modification
• Sewer Access: Multiple drainage points and maintenance hatches providing access to the underground network
• Residential Areas: Apartment buildings housing those who live under Razorboy protection
• Small Businesses: Shops and services catering to local residents and gang members
• Memorial Corner: Unofficial marker at Sin Street intersection commemorating Haydee's death

Buildings along Razor Avenue often show signs of modification to accommodate the needs of heavily augmented residents, with wider doorways, reinforced floors, and specialized equipment. The street itself is poorly maintained by city authorities, with residents and gang members making their own repairs when absolutely necessary.

Historical Significance

Razor Avenue gained its significance in Horizon City's social landscape through a single tragic event that reshaped the power dynamics of Red Level. At the intersection of Sin Street and Razor Avenue, a young girl named Haydee was killed by a Sinner gang member named Nacho. This murder was witnessed by Angel Lopez, then a member of the Sinners, who became disillusioned with his gang's callous disregard for innocent life.

Angel's break from the Sinners and subsequent founding of the Razorboys established a new power in Red Level, with Razor Avenue serving as the eastern edge of their claimed territory. The street became not just a physical boundary but a symbolic one, representing the moral line Angel drew between his new gang and the Sinners he had left behind.

Underground Connections

One of Razor Avenue's most distinctive features is its connection to the underground infrastructure of Horizon City. Multiple sewer access points line the street, providing entry to the maintenance tunnels and forgotten spaces beneath Red Level. One such entrance, disguised as an ordinary drainage grate, leads to Haydee's Underground Home, a converted maintenance facility where the young girl lived before her death.

These underground connections make Razor Avenue valuable territory, offering discreet movement options for those who know the network. The Razorboys maintain careful control over these access points, using them for their own operations while preventing rival gangs from exploiting the same advantages.

Social Dynamics

Life on Razor Avenue is defined by the Razorboys' control:

• Body Modification Culture: Strong emphasis on cybernetic enhancement and genetic modification
• Anti-Cloning Stance: Rejection of cloning technology in favor of preserving and enhancing one's original body
• Territorial Defense: Active protection against encroachment by rival gangs, particularly the Sinners
• Religious Elements: Influence of Digital Jesus worship introduced by Angel Lopez

Residents of Razor Avenue adapt to these social expectations, with many adopting at least minor body modifications to signal their alignment with Razorboy values. Those who cannot afford or do not desire such modifications must find other ways to demonstrate their loyalty or usefulness to the gang.

Economic Activity

Despite its dangerous reputation, Razor Avenue hosts various economic activities:

• Modification Clinics: Underground facilities offering cybernetic enhancements
• Tech Salvage: Businesses specializing in recovering and repurposing technology
• Food Vendors: Small operations like Haydee's fried baby mice business before her death
• Protection Services: Security provided by Razorboys in exchange for payment or loyalty

These businesses operate under the watchful eye of the Razorboys, who allow economic activity that aligns with their interests while suppressing anything that might threaten their control or values.

Cultural Impact

To Red Level residents, Razor Avenue represents both the dangers of gang territory and the possibility of protection under a gang with a moral code, however twisted it might be. The street's name has entered local slang, with "walking the razor" meaning to live dangerously but with purpose.

For those familiar with Horizon City's underground history, the intersection of Sin and Razor holds particular significance as the site where a child's murder sparked a chain of events that reshaped the power dynamics of Red Level, creating a new force that would challenge the long-established dominance of the Sinners gang.