Tower 07, Sonny Days Bar
Dell felt a whole different vibe sitting in the empty bar.
A sickening feeling in his gut, which felt heavy enough to drag him down onto the floor. He sits there, watching a beer turn warm in front of him. He taps the bar impatiently, waiting for the next shoe to drop. Part of him tries to reassure himself that it's all good and that the job went well. Sure, the sting he feels underneath the bandage on his arm would say the opposite, but they got the goods and returned to the level. Job well done in his book.
But then there's the rest of it. Whether Dell likes it or not, it's all beginning to add up. The shards weren't there; that part of the job was a bust. He feels an itch - he's gotta talk to Sonny, work with him to find that last thief, and recover the real prize. Yet, as he sits in that bar, looking at the yellow liquid bubbling away in front of him, he feels like he already knows where the shards are. It all makes sense.
"Just ain't right..." Dell mumbles to himself.
"Say something?" Domitia asks.
The former mobster shakes his head, "Nah, just thinking."
Domitia eyes the beer in front of him, "You haven't touched it."
"Not thirsty."
"That's a first," Domitia comments.
"Guess so."
Dell feels like he should say something, but before he can really think over where to start, he hears Sonny's office door open and footsteps echoing down the hall. Dell looks up, and on the walkway, which overlooks the bar, he sees a trio of black-robed figures, their escorts being Sonny's men led by Zac. They disappear, then reappear, coming down the stairs. One of them, a lavender-eyed human, glares at the bounty hunters. The gaze is so unnerving that Dell barely picks up on the onyx gem hanging from a dark metal chain around her neck.
"I assume you know you're way back down?" Zac asks, turning around the face of the Reverends.
"Playing coy will do little to earn you favor." One of them growls shifting his stride towards Zac.
The necklace-wearing one holds up a thin arm, Dell seeing the old voidsmen tattoos running down pale skin.
"Deepest apologies," Her voice is like velvet to the ears - smooth and inviting. Yet underneath it, Dell feels malice, "Emotions are running high, you understand?"
"Of course. We all have our downs, no need to apologize." Zac says, he then steps out of the way and motions to the door, "Until next time, Emery."
"Yes. Until next time."
The Reverends then leave the bar, the door closing with a slam that echoes through the empty bar. Zac takes a breath, wiping his brow in relief.
"Right, that's over with." Zac then snaps his fingers, "Alright, you twos turn."
Wordlessly, the two bounty hunters follow the mobsters up the stairs and to the office. Dell feels that sinking feeling grow. He isn't really aware he's walking, the tension so great in his guts that he doesn't register the journey at all. From his view, he is suddenly back in the office, bright lights stunning him momentarily, the laughter taking him off guard. He gets his bearings straight, and the scene in the office takes a moment to process fully.
The smell of cigar smoke fills his nostrils as one of Sonny's guys continues to pass them out to the rest of the mobsters and the Union workers. Sitting in one of the armchairs, a large brown and white konii leans back, cigar in mouth, puffing away. His lack of a hard hat and fancier, albeit ill-fitting, jumpsuit indicates he's a big boss. Sonny sits behind his desk with an incredibly smug look, cigar in one hand and drink in the other.
"The conquering heroes!" Sonny stands in his chair, toasting Dell and Domitia, "The reason we get to celebrate!"
The pair look at each other, Dell seeing something in Domitia he rarely gets to see - genuine agitation. The bellator doesn't like parties, and being thrust into a small space with a bunch of people laughing and carrying on is probably not something she enjoys. Dell, finally collects himself enough to shake his head and get down to brass tax.
"Right," Dell starts, words beginning to flow, "Premature, but can we get our payment?"
"Oh, come on, Dell, why the rush?" Sonny asks.
"Yeah, come on, y'all did us a bigger favor than getting the chips," Zac adds, pouring a glass of whiskey and setting it down on a coffee table next to Dell.
"What favor, exactly?" Domitia asks.
"Knocked those void worshipers down a peg, that's what." The fat konii says, leaning forward, chair and uniform creaking ominously, "Those fucks thought they could run the show. You don't get to blow holes in the floor and get away with it. They're gonna be paying for that for a while."
"Means we get to move in on their turf," Sonny points over to the Tower Union workers, "While they bleed'em dry. And you guys got us the bag. Good fucking day. So how about it? Why not celebrate, Dell? Think of it as a new start, built on old friendship and heaps of money."
"You have our cut, and I want it," Dell says, his serious tone bringing the vibe down.
Sonny furrows his brow, "What's the matter with you? Hit your head or something?"
Dell jumps on Sonny's desk, some gangers move forward but Sonny waves them back. Dell stares him down for a moment.
"You know exactly what's up. You sent us down there on a gamble, but you already fixed it." Dell growls, "So let's see it."
"See what? The fuck you talkin’ about?"
"The shards, Sonny. I know you have them."
Sonny let out a sigh, his previously cheery demeanour overtaken by an apoplectic mien. He chuckles to himself, "I forgot how smart you are."
He reaches down into his desk and then tosses down at Dell's feet a clear case. Inside it, Dell can see odd shards of what might've been stone. Something about the shards unnerves him - the lines are too close together, yet never seem to overlap, which makes discerning whatever it is painful. A face, or most of a face, dominates one shard; the jagging, wavy lines all seem to swirl into it, like the visage is a blackhole.
"Well?" Sonny asks, "You want it or not?"
Dell snatches it up, putting it under his arms, "How long did you have this?"
Sonny grins, "Oh, so now you wanna know more?"
"I wanna know how long you were planning on leading me on? How long did you intend for me and my partner to run errands for you and your boys?"
"Long enough." Sonny leans forward, "I had a business opportunity. I know you're capable, and I know what she is. You would've done the same thing in my shoes."
"I would've done this for you if you told me the truth," Dell's hands ball up into fists, "Why lie? What happened to the honor we were taught."
"Honor? You want fucking honor?" Sonny stands up on the table, grabbing Dell by the strap of his overalls, "Honor doesn't build empires. Know what does? Bodies! It's all bones and meat all the way down!"
"The Family never meant anything to you, didn't it? You--"
"You were a kid! Alright! You didn't know shit! You got it in your head that it was all about honor and all about doing right by your brothers." Sonny leans forward, "That naiveness is what got you cut out, you fucking moron!"
Suddenly, Sonny falls back onto his chair, his lip bloody. Dell registered that he had struck Sonny because of how his hand hurt. Gangers drop glasses and pull out guns, Domitia pulling out her own pieces, ready to fight and die.
"Wait! Wait!" Sonny gets up, one hand held up, the other on his bleeding lip, "Let'em go!" He then points at Dell, "You lost your tower privileges. Pack your shit, and leave."
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"Don't have to tell me twice."
----
Leaving Tower 07 happens quickly. Most of their stuff is still on the ship, right where they left it. Zac sees them off, wordless the whole time. There is no goodbye, no send-off, not even a handshake; Zac waits at the landing pad until they lift off and are well into the air. Dell doesn't look to see if he's watching them fly off, and not just because he doesn't know if this ship had rear-view optics. He needs to put this behind him and bury it all so he doesn't ever have to look at it again. The fact that he got played this hard makes his skin crawl.
The weather is overcast with no rain; the wind is mild and at their back. It's a smooth flight, a far cry from the near crash they had getting into the Tower. Dell keeps his mind on the money, the lance, getting this job done. After that, he isn't sure what he'll do. The need to get away from it all is strong, and with the money Hayes has promised for this relic, it's possible that they could go on vacation for a bit. He glances over at the relic, which is now sitting in the co-pilot's seat.
He doesn't like it. He's unsure if it's cause he doesn't feel the archeological importance of the thing, or if it's the fact that looking at it hurts his eyes a little bit. Regardless, he's just looking forward to getting back onto the Providence and sleeping for a whole day. As that thought comes to pass, he realizes he has one last thing to do.
"Hey, Domitia," Dell calls out to his partner.
"Hmm?" Domitia hums.
"Listen," Dell figures out how to untangle the mess he wants to say, "I should've listened to you. It's just..." Dell cringes, he hates this mushy, emotional bullshit, but he feels like he's gotta do it, "I wanted something that ain't there anymore.
"When I was rolling with my crew, it felt like we were a real team. Real family. Had some good times, real good times." Dell smiles, feeling his eyes go a little wet. He snorts, rubbing them, keeping his eyes on the sky, "But uh, you know, it all fell apart. When I reunited with Sonny, it was... It was like I came home. Hadn't ever been back to the rock after I got burned. Was nice. So nice, I forgot you had my back, and well... Fuck I'm bad at this; I'm sorry."
Domitia walks up to the cockpit, taking a knee next to Dell. She doesn't look at him, her gaze is at the sky like his. There is a pause for a moment, before Domitia finally speaks up.
"I get it." Domitia begins, "My brothers and sisters were my home. We fought together. Bled together..." She pauses, "Died together. I miss them. Ney, Corydalis... Adamas," She smiles at that last name, "All of them. I still expect to see them after the optics sync with my helm." She looks at Dell at last, her eyes wet, "I'll never see them again," She puts a hand on his shoulder, "But we have each other. You're my brother, Dell Caliger."
Dell chuckles, wiping away tears, "Don't you go on and make me cry, Dom! Gotta fly this shit brick."
"Right." Domitia says, laughing as well, "Are we close?"
"Should be."
Dell maneuvers the craft, breaking out of the cloudy moors and into the mountains, the sun dipping beneath the horizon. In any other circumstance, it would be beautiful, downright gorgeous. Yet he doesn't have time to admire the view; he's got a delivery to make. Despite them having around 30ish hours to play with, Dell really doesn't want to push his luck. After all, he missed the first drop-off date, and he's pretty sure fucking around will lead to him finding out what Mr. Hayes is capable of. Luckily, the craft's navigation system works fine enough, directing him to the mountainside estate. Soon enough, he can see it; the cliff face shines in the dying light of the day, the door already open.
Wait. That isn't right. Dell feels a chill go down his spine. Had they been expecting them? Why is it already open? Now that he thinks about it, no one has called him. With a bit of panic, Dell begins to look over the ship's controls, eventually finding the comm system and activating it.
"Hey, uh, got your shards... Can we come in?"
Only the dead static of a deadline returns Dell's transmission.
"Uh oh,"
"No answer?" Domitia asks.
"Yeah... Nothing at all." Dell comments.
"Weapon locks?"
Dell recalls the point defense systems and quickly cycles through his scopes, looking for anything indicating a weapon is aiming at them. Nothing. No ion rads, no IR lights, no heat signatures. Nothing.
"Well that's... That's just our luck." Dell thinks for a moment, finding and then turning on the landing lights, "Dom... Think you might need to get in your armor."
Dell carefully enters the hanger bay, slowing down and entering into a hover. The hanger is completely empty, except for the Providence, which Dell is more than relieved to see. Yet in the lights of the corpo craft, Dell notices something is off. It takes him a moment, but he realizes that the Providence has been repainted. The chipped black and white paint job is now cleaned up; even the name has been given a touch-up. Dell lands the corpo craft, keeping the lights on as the hanger bay is pitch black. He opens the bay door, Domitia storming out, Dell right behind her, grabbing the relic on his way off the ship.
The echo of Domitia's footfalls lasts far longer than they should. With nothing else in the bay, the true scale of the hanger can be felt despite not being able to see the end of it. Domitia keeps her head on a swivel, Dell doing much the same, getting a flashlight out of his overalls and checking the surroundings. Light begins to flood into the hanger bay, both bounty hunters turn to face the source of the light. A door is now open, dull light pouring out from it.
"That's... Same route, I think..." Dell muses.
"Stay on me and in cover," Domitia says.
The bellator marches in, passing from an empty hanger bay and into an empty room. Dell vaguely recalls metal fabs being here, now there's nothing in here at all. It looks as clean as the day it had been built, he wagers. They press on, entering into an empty hallway. Places Dell recalls artwork having been are blank. Any signs that someone made an impression here have been erased entirely. Domitia then suddenly halts, Dell turning to see someone rounding the corner.
A werewolf. The heavily augmented merc raised his hands, showing he's got no weapons on him, or at least none they could see.
"Relax, not here to fight." His synthetic voice echoes through the hall, the antenna on his robotic dome twitching a bit, "We passed by each other, remember."
"Vaguely recall that." Dell admits, "You were with that corpo."
"Correct." He says, he puts his hands on his chest, "Gerron," He motions them to follow him, "Come on, she doesn't like to be kept waiting."
The pair of bounty hunters hesitate for a moment, Dell feeling that sinking feeling come back. He thought he'd just got out of this shit, but no, he has to deal with even more.
"Can't catch a break," Dell murmurs to himself.
Following the werewolf, they are led into the study, where they first met Hayes. Now completely and utterly empty ,the walls now bland, eggshell colored; sterile white lights shine above them as they enter. In the center of the room, looking over at where the fireplace had been, with arms held behind her back, is the red-eyed corpo. Now having a closer look, Dell can see her outfit is typical for her profession - a finely tailored black suit, with subtle red lines running through it. It’s also then that Dell realizes how tall she is, easily brushing shoulders with Domitia.
"Ms. Mori." Gerron says, "Your eight o'clock."
"Thank you, Gerron," Mori's voice is perfect. Elegant yet powerful, pitched like a singer. It gives Dell the feeling of meeting something made rather than something born, "You may go."
Gerron then leaves the room, the closing of the door echoing throughout the room. Dell isn't sure where to start or what to say. Clearly Mr. Hayes is out of the picture. Where he is gone, void knows. He takes a moment to take a deep breath, but before he speaks, Ms. Mori does.
"You are here to deliver an artifact that Mr. Hayes acquired.” It’s a statement of fact rather than a question.
"Yep," Dell holds the pottery shards up, "Got'em right here."
Ms. Mori turns, walking over slowly, the clicking of her high heels echoing throughout the room, "I will be handling Mr. Hayes's account. Please, hand it to me."
Dell walks onto Domitia's shoulder, handing over the relic. Mori looks over it, "In good condition, unexpected, but welcomed."
"Yeah, we got lucky." Dell admits, "Uh. Real quick, where is Mr. Hayes? We need to cash out."
Ms. Mori looks up, “His accounts were out of balance." She looks back down at the relic, "My employer sent me here to correct that."
That sinking feeling turns into a bit of panic. Dell knew exactly what that meant. The fact that someone with that amount of wealth, that amount of power, got whacked and practically erased from existence is unnerving, to say the least. Terrifying even.
"Well... That's sad to hear." Dell manages to get out.
"Indeed." Mori tucks the relic underneath her arm, "Although this did give me an opportunity to formally thank you both."
"For what?" Domitia asks.
"Settling the Flynt Account," Mori answers, smiling slightly. "His 'death' satisfied the Coalition, although my employer wished to ensure what he knew was completely erased. Your involvement ensured that."
Dell’s mouth runs before his mind can really process it, "How long have you been watching us?"
"For some time. Your actions interrupted our operations on Mayden. However, rather than settle your account, I... Nudged some numbers." Mori says, "Still, remuneration is in order. You will find the lance and the reward Hayes promised you secure on your ship."
"Right..." Domitia says, "If that's the case, we'll take our leave."
"Of course." Mori steps forward, running a hand over the right side of Domitia's helmet. "Take care not to overdraft. I do not wish to... Correct your account again." She steps back, the doors opening, "Gerron, please see them out."
"Yes, ma'am." The werewolf steps forward, "Come on, you two."
The walk back to the Providence is a quiet and quick one. Dell and Domitia want to get out of here as quickly as possible. Dell hops off Domitia's shoulder, practically sprinting to the ramp to get on.
"Let's get the hell out of here," Dell says, punching in the code to get on, "Dom--"
He turns, seeing Domitia looking back. Far at the end of the hanger, the door is still open, the red eyes of Ms. Mori shining across the gloom; her smile is enough to make Dell forget how number pads work. Finally composing himself, he opens the doors.
"Dom! Let's go!"
The door shuts, and Dell races to the cockpit. With haste, he powers up the ship, checking and rechecking to ensure the vessel is ready to go. Once he does, he slams the engine into overdrive and bolts out of the hanger bay and into the open sky. He directs the ship downward and into the valleys, trying to find as much cover from scanners and optics as possible. Going from the corpo brick to the Providence feels like his ship lost several tons of useless cargo. He follows the mountain range for some time, eventually he brings it into the lowlands they had been hiding in for some time. Dell feels sweat on his brow, and a need for a stiff drink.
"I need a vacation."
File: Hazy Skyscrapers - Closed
---End Transmission---