ACT 1: HAINO CITY, CHAPTER 4. MANHUNT
“Hell-oo,” called the voice of Blast from within both Wone and Myra’s heads. “You guys there-uh?”
“Yeah, been here for a while,” drawled Wone sitting under the parapet while Myra peered out at the port. It was sundown now, the two had been waiting for Blast to contact them for six hours now.
“Well, it’s important for a hunter to have patience, and you guys’ pass! And so do I because I sat and watched you two on the terminal for the whole day!” He seemed annoyed, he definitely expected to be contacted much earlier by the client.
“So, what’re we doing,” asked Myra, still watching the dock.
“You’re going to have to sit around on that roof for a little while longer, the gangsters aren’t going to be at the docks until seven thirty,” answered Blast. “And they’ll be there with some dock workers to embezzle some money or pick up some drugs or whatever, just make sure you kill a guy with a scar on his left eye.”
“Understood,” said Myra and Wone in unison.
“Aww, that was cute,” joked Blast.
His presence left their heads, yet the connection between them remained. It was a strange trick he had never experienced with Taps or his master before, it unsettled Wone.
“Alright, we’re looking for anything suspicious. Look for cars too fine to belong to a dock supervisor or anyone that doesn’t fit in, got it,” said Myra breaking the silence.
She pulled out a pair of binoculars from her satchel and began to scan the port in earnest, her earlier glimpses apparently not as serious. Wone followed her lead, scanning occasionally while making sure to watch their backs.
Nothing strange happened for another hour, until just as Myra had said, two black cars pulled into a dock three piers away from their roof. Eight men emerged from the two cars, then moved to meet a dockworker who had previously been obscured by a shipping container.
“Bah, can’t get a good look at anyone’s face from up here,” muttered Myra angrily. “But those are definitely our guys.” She looked back at Wone and nodded. “Let’s go.”
He followed her back down the ladder and fire exit stairs, and they snuck their way through the emptying piers to where they spied the two black cars. The sun had nearly set, and the streetlamps began to come on, Myra and Wone had snuck through the dimmest patches left on their path. It wasn’t very difficult since this was about the time dock workers ended their shift and hurried off to their lockers to get ready to go home. If anyone did see them, they didn’t bother to mention it to anybody.
They crept over to the rows of shipping containers beside the lot the eight men had pulled into and hid behind the giant metal rectangles, eavesdropping on the gangers conversation.
“-can tell you that we’ll be in the red for a while because of this,” said a slow and rich voice. He spoke quietly and calmly.
“I know they must be scared, Song Ying dished out a hefty sum of credits to the Order to deal with the beasts sent after her,” said another voice, older and gruffer. “Song Mei got lucky she upped her security on such short notice, or she’d be in one of these containers.”
The men chuckled then resumed their conversation.
“In any case, we need to be more careful, allowing Song Mei to escape was a mistake we couldn’t afford,” said another voice, younger and bolder than the other two. “We need to start leaving Haino and let the others deal with the So supporters. We can’t be getting found out, it’ll cause more trouble than we need.”
Wone’s mind began to wander with intrigue. He recalled hearing about the war and how the Republic would supposedly be coming to Taipan. The So family was the martial power in Taipan and would decide who the military would support in a war, and from what he knew it would probably be the Republic. The Song family were some of their staunchest supporters, even if they disagreed about breaking neutrality, which explained why they were being targeted. It seemed like there was more to this than just some gangsters trying to extort a family.
“Everything is ready for you all,” said another voice, quieter and less confident. “You all just need to head inside and iron out the details.”
The talking trailed off as Wone heard footsteps march further and further away. Myra had occasionally been peering out toward the crowd but didn’t seem to be able to find their mark.
“Guess we’re going to be doing this the hard way,” she said from within Wone’s head. She turned to him, “You ready?”
Wone nodded.
“Two left at the car, we’re going to kill them and steal their faces, you ready?”
Wone nodded his head again. He wasn’t ready but he was going to go through with this, he had to, he told himself.
“Follow my lead.” She quickly stepped out from behind the metal container they were hiding behind and flicked a knife into the neck of one of the men standing by the cars.
Wone did the same, quickly pulling a knife from its sheath and sending it into the neck of the other man. He watched it anxiously, waiting for it to meet its mark before averting his gaze for a moment. He forced his eyes back on the man almost immediately, the fear of him surviving the attack and retaliating greater than the strange feeling he felt welling up in his chest. When he finally managed to rest his eyes on the man, he found him on the ground struggling like a fish out of water with the knife embedded in his neck. He and Wone locked eyes, and after a few more moments of struggle, light left the man’s eyes, and he stopped moving.
“Put your gear and clothes in the trunk and get these guys’ clothes on,” said Myra already stripping out of her gear.
Wone nodded his head, shaking off the weight of his act. It was like dealing with the gore from hunting a monster, here now gone later.
This isn’t so bad, a part of him thought. Easier than killing beasts, that’s for certain.
He let the thoughts ride, carrying him through the next few minutes as he put on the white shirt, black tunic, and pants of the man he’d slain. When he finished dressing, he looked to Myra and nodded. Suddenly her veil unfolded from her cap and transformed her face into the man she had just killed moments ago. Wone’s veil did the same, obscuring his vision in blackness for a moment before wrapping around his face and tightening.
“How do I look,” asked Wone, his voice feeling strange in his mouth and ears.
“Like less of a thug than usual,” answered Myra in a foreign voice. “Sound good too, by the by.” She gave him a wink.
They tossed the bodies into the water beneath the pier and walked back over to the lonely cars.
“So, here’s the plan, we’re going to go in there and fake like we saw something suspicious out here,” she said with a devious smile on her face. “Then we’ll find our guy and try to isolate him.”
Myra pulled a pair of keys from her pocket and shook them. Wone had also found a pair of keys, not on his clothes but on top of his car.
“Luckily for us they won’t be going anywhere without these,” Myra’s smile grew making Wone more anxious than certain.
The two of them walked over to the building the other seven men hat entered. Its windows were tinted to a color that couldn’t be seen through and there was a sign on the front that said: Haino Freighters. Wone and Myra shared a look and a nod, then Myra rapped on the door.
Moments later the door opened, and a man dressed the same way as Wone and Myra peered out at them. His face was weathered from age, but healthy.
“What’s the problem,” he asked looking past them, alertness in his eyes. Wone recognized his voice; it was the older man.
“We saw someone skulking about in the freight,” said Myra in that new voice of hers. “I think we should investigate.”
The man eyed Myra. The mask could mimic speech patterns and faces but a personality was impossible to copy. He hoped this interaction would be simple enough for their shallow disguises to work.
“Alright, I’ll send the other guys out to help you two search,” said the man from the doorway.
He shut the door and a few minutes later four more men walked outside, revolvers and handguns at the ready.
“They’re over here, follow me,” said Myra leading the men to the rows of shipping containers.
Myra led them into a maze of freight, which quickly became hard to see in as the sunlight completely disappeared from the sky.
“We’ll lose these guys and loop back around to the building and kill everyone inside,” said Myra from inside her head.
“Oh, good plan, I’ll let you know if these guys start heading back,” interrupted the boisterous voice of Blast.
“Hey, I think I see em’” called Wone. He dashed into the dark maze, hoping a few men would follow.
Three did, meaning Myra had caught onto his plan and split with the last man to cut off an eavesdropper who didn’t exist. Wone led the three men deeper into the maze until it was almost impossible to see, then he used his unnatural strength to climb to the top of the long rectangular containers and quietly make his way back to the building.
“Damn, where’d Mo run off to,” called one of the men following him. “Ah, damn I can’t see shit in here!”
“I shook em, headed into the building now,” said Wone through the line.
“I’ll be right behind you, don’t do anything stupid and definitely don’t hesitate,” replied Myra.
“Do. Not. Hesitate,” echoed Blast in a serious tone that sent shivers down Wone’s spine. He could feel the finality of his statement in his mind, shaken by the old hunter’s thoughts.
He definitely knew things about the line that Wone and Myra didn’t. The perks of tenure, Wone supposed.
Wone quietly jogged over to the door he had met the old man at and looked back to see Myra rushing towards him from the shipping containers. He nodded at her and knocked at the door.
Here we go, he thought. Here he would cross the precipice. He’d push himself over the edge with no hope of coming back, he’d go all in and wouldn’t regret it. This was Wone’s creed, his way of life. He wouldn’t truly hold himself accountable for his own actions, but he wouldn’t turn a blind eye toward them either.
If it must be done, it must be done.
The door slowly opened and the old man’s face appeared.
“You get the-,” before he could finish Wone hit him so hard, he swore he shattered his jaw. The man fell limply to the ground, completely unconscious or dead.
He pushed open the door and walked by a reception table and headed into the back of the building. As he made his way down one of the office hallways he could hear voices coming from a closed door.
“-So that’s that. It’s not ideal but it’s the best you’re going to get,” said another new voice, with a pitch like a radio host.
“I’m telling you; mistakes are mistakes. I can- who the hel-,” Wone burst into the room and opened fire on a man in a light blue coat then another man dressed as a dock worker.
“What the fuck!” The last man in the room was Wone’s target, a man who looked a little older than Wone with a scar on his left eye. His hair was braided down his back and he had a frightened look in his eyes, but his face and body were resolute, still ready to act.
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He and Wone stared at each other for a moment, Wone aiming the barrel of his pistol at the man’s chest. Myra burst in through the door behind Wone and the man drew a handgun and aimed it at Wone.
He was far too slow; Wone shot the weapon out of his hands leaving the man seething in pain. He clutched his injured hand and collapsed onto the table grunting in pain.
“Good, let’s waste this guy and fuck off,” she said.
She circled the table and fired another bullet into each of the bodies lying around the table. Wone stood still watching the scarred man groan in pain at his bullet wound, eyeing Wone with pure contempt.
“Do it,” he cried.
Wone would, but he wanted to know about what he was talking about earlier. They had mentioned Song and beasts, he figured it’d be important information to relay to her.
He looked over at Myra who was looking back at him. His mind raced, he struggled to decide if he should tell her his plans, about his new commitment. He might have told Taps, since he knew the man wouldn’t care but the thought of Myra and Blast knowing about his sidelining of the Order made him nervous.
Fuck, Wone thought.
“What’s your name,” Wone asked the man.
He looked up at him, fear and resentment dancing beneath his eyes. He let out a pained sigh.
“My name,” he huffed. “Is Xie Yan.”
Wone shot the man twice in his chest and watched him fall back in his chair, dead.
“Time to go,” said Myra.
They rushed out of the building and headed to the two black cars the gangers had arrived in. As Wone fiddled with the keys to open the door, he heard shouting.
“Hey where are you guys going,” called a voice from the pier.
“Get in and drive off, we’ll meet each other at base,” said Myra from within his head.
Wone nodded at Myra then drew his pistol and fired at the man who had called out to him. He swung open the door to his car and climbed inside without watching to see if any of his bullets had landed. He pushed the keys into the ignition as his driver’s side window and front windshield shattered and bullets began soaring past his head.
He ducked and returned fire, striking at least one of the four silhouettes firing at him from the shipping containers. He put petal to metal and sped off from the pier, bullets crashing through his rear window as he pulled onto the road leading out of the port and back into the city.
“Woohoo, that’s what I’m talking about Wone,” hollered the voice of Blast from within his head. “Seeing those dots drop on the monitor never gets old!”
“You did good Wone, we’ll ditch these cars in one of the slums and meet up back at base,” said Myra softly. “I’m proud of you, you did really good today.”
Wone’s heart was pumping as it had when he was being chased around by the arachnid, no, it beat even harder. He looked down at himself, his chest was covered in little fragments of glass and some blood from minor cuts he had gotten on his face. He tore open his tunic and found two bullets had lodged themselves in his bullet vest.
He laid back in his chair, still maintaining his speed down the open highway. He looked in his rearview mirror and found no one was pursuing him. He looked around, guiltily as if someone could see him, then pulled out the marble Song had given him at the end of their meeting.
He felt the power of the small crystal ball softly hum in his hand. He blocked out the connection to Myra and Blast in his head and activated the small device, focusing a small part of his essence into it.
He waited and waited, the marble vibrating softly in his right hand. Finally, the voice of Song answered.
“Already sprung yourself loose, I didn’t think it’d be so soon,” said Song. Its pleasant melody calmed Wone’s nerves.
“I got some information for you, couldn’t get much because I wasn’t alone.”
Song grew quiet then answered finally, “What do you have for me?”
“I killed a man, a few men, that were apparently in on an attempted abduction of Mei Song,” began Wone. “Well, there were eight of them who came to meet a guy in a blue jacket who had a voice like a radioman. I didn’t catch the names of the other two, but I managed to get one, a man by the name of Xie Yan.”
Wone’s thoughts were jumbled, the adrenaline in his veins making him trip over his words.
Song quietly hummed in that beautiful voice of hers, then began: “I know of him, he’s a mercenary usually employed by the Chakri.”
She paused again, digesting the information Wone had just given her.
“Well,” Wone asked impatiently, eyes glued to his rear-view mirror. He felt his thoughts begin to meld together as they left his consciousness, a sign Blast and Myra were trying to reach him. He couldn’t let them in, he didn’t know what Blast was doing with the line and he didn’t want him in on his conversation with Song.
“The Chakri move with the wind, it’s likely they were just jumping at an opportunity to secure some favor with Wei,” said Song.
“I should mention that they know who’s been messing with you guys, one of them mentioned the beasts that you’ve been having troubles with recently,” said Wone.
“Now that, is useful information,” replied Song. “I’ll have to speak with my cousin later, thank you for your hard work. I’ll speak with you later.”
The marble in Wone’s hand ceased its humming and it dimmed, powering off and releasing his concentration. Satisfied, he unblocked his connection with Blast and Myra.
“Woah, thought we lost you there buddy,” said Myra. “You feeling alright?”
“Just feeling weird.” Wone Lied. “Got a sick feeling in my stomach, needed some alone time for a second.”
“Alright, just stay on the line, thought we lost you.” Myra sounded relieved.
Blast remained silent, making Wone nervous.
Could he sense my anxiety? Is he listening to my private thoughts? Wone had no way of knowing.
He pulled off into the slums at the northern end of Haino, on the opposite side of the city where his apartment building was. It was well into the night now; the streets were empty save for homeless people crowded around fires and the restless wandering the streets. He caught a few odd looks when they saw him pull out his gear from the trunk, but otherwise left him alone.
He snuck off into an alley after he got redressed and dumped the clothes he stole into a dumpster. He scanned his surroundings for any immediate danger, then began the long journey back to the South End where he lived.
As he made his way through the poorly lit and deteriorating concrete of the slum, it began to rain. He shook his head and sighed, then continued along the sidewalk in the direction of home.
By the time he made it to his home street the sun had once again started to rise. Wone blinked exhaustion out of his eyes and marched down the last few blocks leading to his apartment building. It took him seven hours to walk from the North End back to the South End where the apartment complex resided. His legs were sore, his body ached, and his mind was exhausted. But he trained for this, he willed himself to climb up to Blast and Myra’s room and knocked on the door.
He waited for a moment before Blast opened the door and motioned for him to come in. He stepped past the old hunter and collapsed onto the couch the two had in their living room. Myra sat snoring on the chair beside him, her veil still over her face. Wone realized he still had his on and promptly folded it over his cap.
“News is, Haino’s finest discovered the body of one Xie Yan last night after he was supposedly killed in a gang dispute. Fine work Wone, fine work indeed.” The words dripped from Blast’s mouth like honey, slow and savory. “That slip up at the end there was less than desirable, but a job well done is a job well done!”
Blast pulled out a purse full of coins and placed them down on the floor beneath Wone.
“Ah-ah-ah don’t rise yet,” said Blast motioning for Wone to lay back down. “Taps isn’t back from his little trip, so you’ll be staying here tonight. When you wake up this afternoon, make sure to thank Myra won’t you?”
Wone nodded and rested his head back onto the couch cushions. He felt his exhaustion start to overwhelm him, then before falling asleep, he shifted his gaze to Myra who softly snored away beside him. He let his eyes close, and his consciousness slowly crawled out of his reach.
****
Wone awoke to the sound of Myra’s light snoring and Taps speaking with Blast in the kitchen.
“-did excellently for his first time against regular humans,” said Blast. “Kept his cool, performed well under pressure and was able to make decisions independently.”
“That’s good to hear,” replied Taps thoughtfully. “It’s strange though, that he would go out of his way to get in on a job like this.”
“Well,” said Blast, wickedness growing in his voice. “There’s something in all of us.”
“Yeah, speak for yourself,” said Taps. “Well anyways thanks for looking over him, experience is what makes the difference in the world after all.”
The conversation trailed off and Wone felt himself drifting slowly back to sleep, but a stirring Myra kept him awake. She coughed, then sat up in her chair, pulling her veil and cap off allowing her wavy brown hair to fall just above her shoulders. The two of them locked eyes for a moment.
“Not the best sight to wake up to in the morning,” said Myra cracking a smile.
Wone touched his face and found his fingertips caked in dried blood. He forgot to clean up from the cuts he had gotten yesterday.
“Part of the job,” Wone joked sitting up on the couch. He yawned and stretched out his arms.
“Well, what did ya’ think,” asked Myra still looking at Wone.
“I think,” began Wone. “That getting shot at is more stressful than being chased, but shooting back is definitely easier than kicking off claws.”
Myra nodded, blinking the sleep from her eyes. “What happened at the end there? We lost you for a sec, thought you crashed out or somethin’.”
“Just nerves, never been shot at before, had to clear my head,” Wone lied.
Myra nodded again then rose to her feet. “Getting the name of that guy before you killed him, that was pretty honorable, think I might start doing it.”
Wone nodded, hoping she would end this line of questioning. He didn’t really care what the man’s name was, he’d already forgotten how he looked.
“Thanks for teaching me the ropes, I couldn’t have done it without you,” said Wone. He didn’t really believe that, but he did appreciate her help, nonetheless.
“Anytime, maybe we can do this often.” Myra peered over the couch Wone laid on and into the doorway that led to the kitchen. “Blast is kinda intense out there, its nice to have someone more normal beside you.”
Wone nodded, noting the loneliness in Myra’s eyes. He felt bad for her, having to leave the schoolhouses to do things no one ought to beside someone whose humanity was slipping.
“Maybe Taps can send you on a proper beast hunt with me one day,” said Wone.
“That’d be nice, haven’t done one of those in a long time,” she replied. “Yeah, yeah that would be nice, I’ll hold you to that. Maybe Swift’ll let Hiroh come with us!”
She looked excited, her lips curling into a smile and her eyes lighting up. Wone was glad he was assigned to Taps and not Blast, or his demeanor might become as bleak as Myra’s.
I’ll convince Taps to set something up for us, Wone thought. It’ll be a little party for the rookies.
He stood up from the couch and picked up his guns from the table in front of him, then he noticed the purse Blast had left him when he stumbled into the apartment last night. He smiled as he picked up the little purple pouch and tossed it around in his left hand.
“Fuckin’ Wone,” breathed Myra laughing.
“Gotta do this for something,” said Wone with a wink. He tied the pouch to his hip and walked into the kitchen where Taps and Blast were eating.
“Hello,” said Wone as he stepped into the kitchen.
The two veteran hunters sat at the counter beside each other, eating takeout.
“Good afternoon,” said Blast.
“Nice to see you,” said Taps. “Heard you went manhunting yesterday, took me by surprise.”
“Well, I live to do the unexpected,” said Wone. The kitchen was set up just like his and Taps’s. A window with a stove beneath and beside it: cupboards, and pantries. Then on the wall to the right of the stove, a sink.
“Ah, innocence lost, such a shame,” said Taps lightheartedly. It was uncharacteristic of him. “Here, have something to eat.”
Taps pushed a paper container of food toward Wone, who set his gear aside and walked over to the counter and opened it. There was barbecue chicken and rice inside.
“Can I get a fork, or chopsticks?”
Taps slid a fork over to him, he picked it up and began to munch away at the delicious food.
“It is strange that Ying Song’s men would show up to the docks to clear up that mess before Mei’s,” began Taps. “I thought you said it was someone with Mei who gave you the job?”
Wone was intrigued but made sure not to let it show.
“Indeed, the contact was annoyed about it, but I don’t give a fuck,” replied Blast with a growl. “Stupid fuck had me waiting half the damn day for an itinerary. Sort of wish that dumb scar bastard got away with nabbing the Song bitch.”
Blast began to eat at his food angrily, noisily scooping his fork against the paper container of his meal.
“Hahaha, they certainly would have paid more for us to retrieve her than whatever they gave you to kill that mercenary,” said Taps. “But it’s for the best, this situation in Taipan is getting tenuous enough as is without major players being knocked off.”
Blast nodded, his mouth full of food. “It’s been good for business though, been a while since we’ve had to kill so many people for so much money. Black Mask must be rich out in the jungles.”
Taps scratched his chin in thought then sighed. “I liked this place, hopefully they sort it all out before we have to pick up and leave.”
“Maybe the old mask will pick a side, we’re basically all in with the Republic anyways,” replied Blast.
Wone understood some of what they were talking about. Black Mask was one of the Order’s heads and he’d heard about the Republic and Empire’s fighting from earlier. But he didn’t understand what Black Mask, or the Order had to do with it. Taps’ recent absence seemed related to what he and Blast were talking about.
And perhaps even Song’s desperation to get her hands on a hunter, thought Wone. He also found it strange how Taps was talking about the whole ordeal as if Taipan’s fate was already sealed.
Surely that wasn’t true, thought Wone.
“Ah, politics,” groaned Wone, a forkful of chicken and rice held up to his mouth. “Didn’t your mothers ever tell you not to talk politics at the table? Heavens.”
Blast chuckled and Taps continued to eat, unbothered by Wone’s instigation.
“Well, if she did, I don’t remember, haven’t seen her in forever,” said Blast.
“That’s kind of sad,” said Wone. “Not really though.”
Taps snickered and Blast rolled his eyes.
“If you end up doing what we do then you’ll have to worry about these things someday,” said Taps. “Then you’ll be glad when talking is all you’ve got to do.”
Wone shook his head, he wasn’t a child and Taps was being vague, a part of Wone thought he knew that the reason Ying’s men had been there before Mei’s was Wone. The two veterans could be messing with him, but his pride and anxiety prevented him from trying to press any real answers out of them. He’d see Song later and ask her, figuring it out on his own.
“Wone’s right, no one wants to hear about any of that nonsense in the morning,” said Myra walking into the kitchen.
She yawned and walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a box of cereal, then started eating straight from the box, chomping loudly.
“It’s past noon actually,” said Taps.
“Even worse,” spat Myra between chomps.
“Alright Myra,” said Blast rising from his chair. “It’s been wonderful to have you all here, but I think its time you all go. Myra needs to sit in the shower forever and sing as loudly as possible.”
“Mhmm,” affirmed Myra, her mouth full of cereal.
“Alright, I’ll see you around you maniac,” said Taps slapping Blast on the shoulder.
“See ya,” said Wone giving both Blast and Myra a nod as he picked up his things and prepared to leave.
He followed behind Taps and exited the odd pairs apartment and walked over to their own. They travelled in silence, the open hallway they had to walk through reverberating with the sounds of rain and traffic from the city around them. Taps pulled out his key and unlocked their door, then stepped inside holding it open for Wone.
“A real killer now huh,” said Taps as they entered the room.
Wone looked at him and shrugged, his gun in one hand and his box of food in in the other. Taps shook his head.
“Well don’t go overboard. I won’t really have any jobs for either of us involving people,” began Taps. “It’s a waste of our skills, but I won’t mind you helping out Blast and Myra if you want to make some extra coin.”
The look Taps gave Wone basically confirmed it. He didn’t mean Blast or Myra, he meant Song. The pale man smiled at Wone, his white teeth gleaming.
“No questions please, I want you to tell me what you did wrong when you figure it out,” said Taps. “Although, you really didn’t do anything wrong to begin with, it’s not against the rules to go work for other people, just don’t steal any money from the Order when you go do it, understand.”
Wone nodded, annoyed. I have a lot to learn in this life of mine, he thought.