As the woman left the table and exited the third floor entirely, Riddick watched her do so before turning his attention to Nikolai and asking, "Who was she?"

Nikolai took a sip from the cup of coffee placed next to him, letting out a satisfied sigh as he put the cup down before answering, "Rule number two of high-profile contracts: never ask for more information about your contractor. In this business, the less you know, the better," Nikolai advised seriously before putting on a smile and adding, "Congratulations, though. 2 billion, not a bad payday. It's a good start, but you'll soon learn 2 billion isn't as much as you think it is," he ominously added with a grin on his face.

And although Nikolai spoke in a joking manner, Riddick could understand the seriousness behind his warning. It was indeed not the wisest decision to dig into someone who could easily remove that amount of credits on a contract kill. But, that didn't mean Riddick's curiosity wasn't piqued.

However, considering that Nikolai seemed to know her on a personal level, he could only assume that once he had proven his ability, he would come to know more. Riddick wasn't dumb enough to assume that just because Nikolai trained him and he was good at what he did, that others would be immediately impressed. In a job where failing meant death, a long track record was far more valuable than a promising upstart with no record to boast.

So, rather than choosing to focus on the negative aspect, Riddick chose to focus on the positive: the opportunity presented before him. "I suppose you're right," he admitted. Then out of curiosity, he asked, "So, what's the first rule?"

Nikolai took another sip from his cup and put it down before standing up and saying, "Simple: don't die." As he said this, he gave Riddick a tap on the back and urged, "Let's go. We'll talk more where there are less eyes and ears. It's time for you to really become Overwatch."

Saying nothing more, Nikolai began to walk toward the exit, and Riddick could do nothing but follow. As they were making their way down the steps, Riddick couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going exactly?"

"The airport. Don't worry, it's just a quick come-and-go trip. You're going to get used to them as you do smaller contracts over the year," Nikolai promptly replied. This answer led Riddick to narrow his brows and ask, "You expect me to do multiple contracts over the year while dealing with something as big as a 2 billion contract?"

Nikolai paused for a moment and looked back at Riddick. "Of course. For one, it always acts as a surety in case your big contract fails. Like I said, 2 billion may sound like a lot, but you're going to learn it can go by pretty quick with expenses. To be the best, you will need the best, and the best is never cheap," Nikolai explained.

Having said that, Nikolai continued walking while talking more on the subject, educating Riddick as he had done before. "You see, the essence in smaller jobs is building your experience and growing a reputation in the lower ranks of our business. Plus, you never know when it may lead you to gaining a useful contact which may, in turn, help you on your bigger contract. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one," Nikolai scoffed at his own comments.

"What use is being smart when the subject isn't something you can simply go online and learn?" Riddick replied, clearly agreeing with Nikolai's point about the importance of experience.

Nikolai clicked his tongue at this, remembering that he had, in fact, said as much. But he simply shook it off by replying, "You know better than to listen to me when I've had one too many bottles of vodka, little comrade. Anyway, more on the subject later. How was your trip here? Any problems?"

Riddick shrugged his shoulders as they finally reached the first floor and began making their way toward the exit. "A few here and there, but I'm here, so all solved."

Nikolai, though, didn't believe Riddick, “Considering what you brought up, your trip here was anything but normal. I should really start going to the zones again. Weird but fun stuff always seems to happen there," he stated while showing an expression of reminiscing.

Riddick, however, quickly disagreed. "There's nothing fun about what I had to do to get here in one piece. You're just an adrenaline junkie."

They soon made their way out, and as they did, Nikolai paused to give the bouncer a tap on the shoulder, saying, "Stay safe, Rory, and tell your grandfather I said he’s still a bitch." The bouncer let out a hearty laugh, which came across as more frightening than appealing, considering his abnormal stature and bulky frame.

This, however, didn't faze Riddick, as he knew that Nikolai had lived a very long life—how long exactly, even he didn't know.

Riddick instead turned his attention to where Transporter 47 had parked and proceeded to walk over there. But as he came near, Nikolai soon followed. Transporter 47 showed a surprised look, and upon arriving nearby, Nikolai also showed a surprised look, showing a huge wide smile while saying, "No way!"

Transporter 47 also smiled before stating, "Nice to see you again, Mr. Rasputin."

Riddick could only look at them both before asking, "You two know each other?"

Following Riddick's question, Nikolai nodded and replied, "He's one of the few drivers I've used during the times I've worked in Redemption City. I thought for sure you'd be retired by now," Nikolai added, before turning his attention back to Transporter 47, who in turn let out a mild laugh but shook his head. "It'd be a shame for me to stop doing what I'm good at. If anyone should be retiring, sir, it's you."

Nikolai let out a laugh at that comment but accepted it, turning his attention to Riddick before giving him a tap on the shoulder. "Funny you should say that, because as of today, I am officially retired. You're looking at my successor here. He may not be as handsome or as great as me, but he was trained by me, so that should count for something, right?" Nikolai casually joked, something Riddick was used to despite having not seen each other for a good duration of time.

Transporter 47 then looked at Riddick more closely and then back at Nikolai. "He has a strong jaw like you and a strong gaze. No wonder I felt something unique about him. I'm surprised to hear you have a son this time."

Riddick couldn't help but not stay silent. "A son?"

Nikolai, however, laughed it off and cut Riddick off. "Don't call him that; it makes him feel like he is inferior. He prefers the term 'little comrade'."

Noticing how Nikolai interrupted him when he was about to contradict Nikolai's statement meant that there was likely more to what Nikolai was saying than being casual. Riddick was smart enough to pick up on this, because although Nikolai looked like a goofy, lovable giant to most on the surface, Riddick knew he was anything but.

To be as successful as Nikolai was in this area of business, one not only had to be smart but also incredibly tactful and capable in human relations.

So, not wanting to put Nikolai's statement off, Riddick decided to play along, choosing to take on the role of a son who, although got along with his father, didn't necessarily share the same personality. To do this, Riddick scoffed at Nikolai and replied, "It's not that I hate being called your son, it's just that more often than not, me saying that leads me to some sort of danger." Replying with this, Riddick made Transporter 47 burst into laughter, perhaps the loudest he had seen the man laugh, considering his usually stoic but collected face.

"That's perhaps the truest statement I've heard in quite some time. No wonder I saw you arrive in such a sorry state. But considering who your father is, I must assume you're already used to that and more."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The fact that Transporter 47 had laughed, whereas Nikolai had also stepped in to make the interaction between the two seem more believable, as if it were just wholesome familial banter, told Riddick that although Transporter 47 knew Nikolai to a great extent, he didn’t know everything. And Nikolai had a reason to make others believe Riddick was his son. Whatever the case was, Riddick felt he had stabilized the potential blunder.

"So, now," he shifted topics, "we should be on our way. We’re starting to get strange looks just standing by the sidewalk and laughing." Having stated this, both Nikolai and Transporter 47 looked around and indeed saw that it was rather crowded there due to it being lunch hour.

Thankfully, though, not many people were in fact paying attention to them, with some merely glancing briefly past, usually to look at Nikolai, whose features and stature simply drew stares.

Soon both Nikolai and Riddick got into the passenger seats, whereas Transporter 47 got into the driver's seat and started the car before joining an air lane and asking, "Where to?"

"The airport," Nikolai promptly replied, before asking, "By the way, do you still have Betty?"

"Betty?" Riddick asked, to which the driver let out another mild laugh and nodded. "Check the storage compartment on the ceiling. The code is 4234."

Nikolai did as instructed and found a hidden pocket on the roof, possessing a code screen. There, he put in the code the driver had mentioned, and almost immediately, what initially looked like a mini fridge, in which people could store drinks, shifted mechanically and opened a small pocket on its side. In there, one could see a pistol, all white in color.

Nikolai took it out and let out a whistle. "She’s still is as pretty as I remember," as he said this, he felt out its weight in his hand and practiced aiming it before nodding in content. "Yup, she's still perfect."

This made Riddick turn toward the driver. While he was about to ask if he was in the business, Riddick quickly stopped himself from doing so because just because a gun was present, didn't necessarily mean that the transporter was a contract killer, in which case, it was simply stupidly revealing information. So, instead, he asked, "How many times have you gotten the chance to use it?"

The driver let out a mild laugh at this before he replied, "Oh, it's not mine. It belongs to your father here. He just kept it in my vehicle so that whenever he came to operate in the city, he didn't need to get a new gun with the specs he wanted because he had a mobile drop point."

As Transporter 47 said this, Riddick felt he had gotten confirmation on the fact that he knew about their business but perhaps was not as deeply involved beyond knowing that Nikolai was a contract killer.

Nikolai proceeded to laugh but put the gun back in the compartment, stating, "Well, it's also his now. Like I said, I'm retiring, so unfortunately, I have to leave some of my beauties behind for him."

The duo continued to chatter on, while Riddick chose to maintain silence and listen in, focusing his gaze outside the window to feign having other thoughts as they went on their way to the airport

----------------------------------------

After a 15-minute drive through the airlanes, the EV had arrived at Midtown's Borne Airport.

As it arrived, it was directed toward a parking space in a parking lot dedicated to A.Vs and neatly settled down without any problems. Upon doing so, the driver was quick to step out of the car and opened the passenger doors for Rick and Nikolai. As he did so, he turned his attention to Riddick and asked, "Will you be long?”

Riddick simply looked toward Nikolai, who rubbed his chin in thought before answering, "We might be gone for a day or two, so no need to wait up. We can send you a message when we're on our way back."

"Not a problem, have a safe trip,” the driver casually added, as if being used to this kind of setting. Transporter 47, not only didn’t ask any questions, he also didn't look the least bit curious as to what the duo were going to do.

Furthermore, Riddick noticed something else. Although only a minor detail, Transporter 47 had taken the liberty to ask Riddick first about how long they would take instead of Nikolai, despite the latter being the obvious superior in the situation.

Though it may not seem like much to the ordinary eye, it really showed that the driver, at least, respected him, or at the very least, wouldn't disrespect him in the presence of others. It didn't really amount to much, but one can never know when in that situation, such a person of character would be needed. So, although a minor detail, Riddick took note of it and better profiled the transporter.

On the surface, he only said, "Drive safe, and please look after my champagne and rose. I don't think I'll come back with it in one piece where I'm going.”

Nikolai showed a curious look when he heard the statement, "Champagne and a rose, huh? I see you couldn't resist. Finally getting your first wife, are you? Once you start, there’s no going back."

Riddick simply looked at Nikolai, shaking his head in disappointment before sighing and taking the lead in walking toward the airport. Nikolai looked confused and shrugged his shoulders before looking toward Transporter 47, asking, "Did I say something wrong?"

Transporter 47 equally shrugged his shoulders and said, "I wouldn’t know sir."

Nikolai smiled at this and let out a mild chuckle, "I'm glad to see you still don't speak about your clients and business, even to me."

The transporter went toward his driver's seat and was about to get in when he replied, "You may be father and son, but in the same way I would never divulge what information I know on you, is the same way I would not divulge on the young sir. I would lose all my pride as a transporter if I did. Safe travels, Mr. Rasputin."

Nikolai smiled at the transporter and waved before turning and walking away, thinking to himself, ‘still as principled as ever,’ soon catching up to Riddick.

The pair made their way into the grand-looking airport. The building itself was dome-shaped with a transparent glass overhead, possessing an incredibly unique architecture that the humans of the past could never have thought possible.

Most passengers moved with their visors on, constantly in augmented reality, which they controlled using tech chips implanted in their brains. And for those without chips, they could be seen occasionally gesturing in the air, something that was seen as incredibly old-school. But for people who didn't feel comfortable enough placing chips in their heads, this was the only solution.

For Riddick and Nikolai, who possessed neither, they looked especially odd.

Upon entering the airport, Nikolai quickly instructed, "Glasses on. Most will think you're just wearing a custom visor. And in my case, I am."

Nikolai explained as he put on a pair of golden-framed aviators, whereas Riddick put on his more stylish black ones. Turning to Riddick and looking at him, Nikolai let out a laugh, "That outfit makes you look like you brood on rooftops at night."

Riddick shrugged his shoulders at the comment, "Better than looking like a successful gigolo."

Nikolai lowered his aviators slightly, using the tip of his finger, and argued, "I'll have you know I once had to play a successful gigolo for a cover, and let me just tell you, I was."

Riddick simply narrowed his eyes but didn't ask anything more about that particular topic.

"Your history of prostitution aside, what's the deal with that transporter?"

“Curious, I see. Well, it's no secret that when you're a contract killer, the less of a digital footprint you leave, the better. So, things such as owning cars to drive in every city don't really work for us. Instead, it's easier for us to simply use local transporters, be they droid or human. After all, let's say a camera picked you up when you went into a heavily surveillanced building.”

“In some cases, you have no choice but to be seen, in which case, if you had a car registered under your name, even a fake one, the path to you would be more clear. However, if you randomly came in one transporter and left in another, then the people investigating you would have no choice but to follow up that transporter. If they're smart enough, they’ll even lie on your behalf and give investigators forged tracking data of the trips they had made that day. Though I'm sure by now, authorities have picked up on that. So, you're going to have to keep evolving and adapting to the times. This is what separates the best contract killers from the wannabes."

"I see," Riddick replied rather flatly but completely soaked up the information, as it was indeed good advice, and then asked, "How much does he know?"

To which Nikolai quickly replied, "Not much. Like I told you before, the only person who is ever allowed to know everything about you is you. Although I trust 47 with all the loyalty he has to his clients, there's no point in risking it. And he's smart enough to understand that. If someone gets upset over the fact that you don't want to reveal anything, then all the more reason to doubt them. That's just how it is in our business. Having said that, You can always trust me."

Riddick scoffed at the last comment and kept walking without reply and they proceeded to a check through where Nikolai seemed to have everything in place, from fake passports to tickets, possessing the names they had assumed for that particular trip.

This was something Riddick had done before with Nikolai when they moved locations, thus his casualness over everything. However, rather than boarding a commercial plane like everyone else, one of the hostesses came to call Riddick and Nikolai as they sat in the waiting lounge awaiting their flight.

Because of obvious reasons, Nikolai wouldn't always fly commercial. They were instead led to the airstrip where a lone, all-white private jet could be seen waiting, with its door open. As they approached it, Riddick asked, "You got another jet?"

To which Nikolai nodded, "Yes. Since I have to leave most of my other ones for you, I needed to get me a new beauty to travel the world."

Soon, they reached the private jet and boarded. Upon sitting down comfortably, Nikolai's expression turned serious as he took out a square-shaped device from under the table and placed it on top. "Alright, time to get started making you Overwatch."