‘Part of me thinks that you’ve duped me,’ Roth thought as he checked the new items Idris sold him. The shop had a few patrons, all of them selling the shop owner things they scavenged. One, however, was perusing at the refurbished junk that passed for low-class jadetech for the poor.

Jeff snorted. ‘Oh come on, you know you wanted to do it.’

‘Only because they’re going to get themselves caught, and tortured. That would mean spilling out my involvement in this. Which means a manhunt. I hate manhunts.’ Roth studied the blade in his hand remembering the last time he was identified and looked for by whatever passes for the law in this city. He grunted at all the work he had to go through to convince the law he was dead, before building up a new reputation as Shadow. He was not about to go through that again. So many clients lost. So much reputation to be built once again. Climbing back up from the bottom was not a pleasant experience.

Roth turned to Idris and handed him payment in a little moneybag.

“No offense, but you know I have to count these first,” Idris said as he opened his drawer and spilled the money out.

Roth shrugged. That was always how Idris did business. Always making sure of things. That was why he was the best. Now that Roth thought about it, he went into helping the rebels without making sure of anything. Well, not that he agreed yet. He could still back out of it.

‘Think of your childhood!’

Roth growled as Jeff invaded his thoughts. Admittedly, that was part of the reason why he spoke at the underground meeting. He had no inclination to help, but the memories of his past unearthed a deeply buried emotion within him that caused him to act irrationally.

‘Come to think of it,’ Jeff said, ‘I don’t exactly know how you feel. I know you felt something. I just don’t know what.’

‘Good,’ Roth mentally smirked. ‘At least there’s still something we can keep from each other.’

“All here,” Idris smiled at him. “Always a pleasure doing business with you.”

“I can’t have anything less than perfection,” Roth said he turned around to leave but stopped as Idris cleared his throat.

“Word on the street is, some people are looking for Shadow,” Idris murmured loud enough for Roth to hear

“Oh?” Roth said rummaging through his pack as though looking for something, hiding his mouth. No doubt Idris was busy with other things as well. “What kind of people?”

“The usual kind of people and one not so usual. That one doesn’t seem to be in our circles.”

“Any of my contacts reached?”

“Cross. But he still thinks you’re in the Prison Catacombs.” Idris snorted. “Funny thing is, there’s a bet going on among your contacts about when you’re going to be publicly executed. I have one bet that said you were going to get out.”

“People have no faith,” Roth grinned.

“I’m ready to hand him the money as soon as you decide to make your escape public.”

“Make it public. Young criminals need a legend to look up to.” Roth stopped rummaging and nodded as if he was sure that all items were in his pack, then walked out the shop waving at Idris without looking back at him.

‘Think it’s the rebels?’ Roth asked.

‘Likely.’

‘What do they call themselves?’

‘You know I don’t know,’ Roth thought irritably. ‘I didn’t even know they existed until I was busted out.’

Out in the gray streets, the sun barely had any room to light the streets, but it was bright enough to walk around in, but dark enough that very narrow alleyways grew dark the deeper it got. It was like the law. It was there barely keeping peace and order, but it wouldn’t pry when things got bad. It actually made Roth wonder why there aren’t more criminals in the area. Perhaps as long as people had a means to live—even if it was in the mines—many would not resort to crime. It took guts and a seared conscience to be one. Something that can only be crossed by the most desperate. Or the inherently corrupt.

Every now and then someone looked at him, but quickly looked away as he flashed his hand crossbow. Of course, he could always outfit himself with a jaderound, but those things were far too noisy when fired. Faster to fire and easier to shoot, yes, but it wasn’t a weapon for one as sneaky as he was. Besides, jaderound ammunitions cannot be retrieved, unlike crossbow bolts. And they can’t be outfitted with ropes or smoke pellets, or whatever his need may be.

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‘What do you know, you have guns!’ Jeff grinned as he followed Roth’s thoughts.

‘And apparently, your armor is made of layers of cloth,’ Roth said, genuinely curious for the first time. ‘I wonder if the same thing can stop a jaderound.’

‘And you actually have mechs! That is so cool!’ Jeff said excitedly. ‘You know I actually went to Japan and see—well, as much as I can see—what the fuss was about with mecha and Gundam. The one in Odaiba was only a statue, but it was amazing. And to know that they actually work here? Well, more like the Iron Giant than a Gundam mech, but point is, we don’t have that. Wow…it seems that you’re more advanced in some things, as we are with others. Like how awesome with digital technology are and yours are so…Steampunk Industrial Revolution.’

Roth smirked despite himself. ‘If I didn’t have your memories and knowledge, I would have been completely lost with all the things you’re going on about. But we don’t run on steam.’

‘I know. You run on jade. I’m so curious about how that works, because we have so much jade in our world, but impossible to use as a power source. And it’s even green energy!’

Roth stepped out of the narrow streets opening to a large lake that stretched end over end. Usually, small boats dotted the lake. It wasn’t the most pristine, but there were still some freshwater creatures that were able to live in it, and fishermen were all too eager to fish them out and sell them. Now however, they were nowhere to be found. Instead, wooden bridges were being built crisscrossing the huge lake. And all around, stands were being erected in sections, each able to hold a thousand spectators.

Off to his right was the fortress. It was the heart of the games where people planned and prepared for the event. It was where players registered and were kept until they were called to play. It was where creatures and armory were kept. And it was more heavily guarded now than it normally was. The fortress used to be the home of the only man people respected in the Outer Reaches, Hadrian Emellian. People gave him everything as he sought to help out the people as best as he could. Roth didn’t know much about the man as he died of an illness a hundred years before he was born, but as soon as he was gone, that was when the games began. His son disappeared, and the mansion taken by the Families.

Not for the first time, Roth wondered what it would have been like if he lived during the time of Hadrian. Every memory of life during that time was erased, and everyone who remembered had long been dead. Now, all the Outer Reaches had were morphed stories that conflicted with each other, but one that stood out was that the Families wanted a hold on the Emellian estate for the treasure it held. What it was no one knew, and if the Families found it, no one could say.

‘People said that in our world, places like this exist. People living in squalor. Having nothing to eat…’ Roth thought sadly. ‘I never knew what they were like. I was too afraid. They said a white man in such places in Africa and Asia would find themselves robbed and dead.’

‘You’re thinking about the Edges,’ Roth got the idea of what he was talking about and he grimaced. At the southern end of the lake, the Edges was the dead end of Taisao City. None but the most destitute and hopeless live there. And Roth lived there for two years, barely surviving day by day.

‘I kinda feel bad for you,’ Jeff said. ‘I might have been blind but I was treated well. I had family and friends. And a girl I so badly wanted to confess to…I had a job that was fulfilling. When we caught criminals, it was an amazing feeling. Getting to know how criminals work. How we can out-think them. But I’ve never really dug deep into why. I guess with you, I understand more now.’

Roth laughed. ‘You think all criminals are like me, desperate? No. What you have to understand is that many are just plain evil. Many are just greedy, selfish, antagonistic just because they are. Just because they prefer things that way. People don’t always need a reason to do bad. Truth is, sometimes they just do, whether they are aware of it or not.’

‘And you? Which are you?’

‘Started off desperate, continued because it’s what I’m good at. And honestly, it’s a fun job. I don’t regret killing off members and cronies of the Magnate Families. World’s better without them. Thinking about how they deserve it, I actually enjoy it.’ For a long moment, Roth noted the silence of the New Yorker. He didn’t care about how Jeff felt about the matter, but the silence was very telling. Orr at least it narrowed down how Jeff felt. ‘Angry?’

‘Disappointed. But you’re not a lost cause.’ There was an edge in Jeff’s voice that Roth was surprised to hear. ‘When I started in the CIA four years ago, we caught this terrorist who blew up a bomb in an event. They hurt many innocent people. People who thought they were just going to an event and have fun. Rich, poor, everyone was there. The kid was supposed to be in college and he was only three years younger, but his home in Syria was destroyed. He became a terrorist. Vowed to destroy the western civilization.

‘Mia was one of the psychiatrists who worked with him. After a few years, he began to grow a conscience. Sought penance. He admitted he still harbored the hatred, but that he saw himself in the children he killed. I’m not a psychiatrist, but at least we can try removing how you enjoy doing all this.’

‘Don’t bother. I’d rather live a life without regrets.’ Roth turned around and saw a man wearing a cloak embroidered with green mask patterns with a shocked expression. It was one of his contacts. Idris put out the word and it spread quickly.

‘By the way, that was your idea I spouted on the rebellion gathering?’

‘Mine? That was all you. I’m part of the anti-terrorist task force. I don’t cause trouble. Besides, what do I know about stealing? People steal from the blind, not the other way around.’

‘And I don’t do government destabilization plots. I plan break-ins.’

Roth looked back at the cloaked man. If neither of them thought of the idea, how did it just happen?

But that was a puzzle for another day. He had a job.