The parking lot was mostly empty aside from the five cars parked. Trash rolled across the ground caught by the wind as black feathered birds walked across the pavement picking up the scrapes. Outside the fenced lot protected by black metallic rails eight feet tall, a man was being beaten. Curled up like a newborn baby on the asphalt he was surrounded by two others twice his size.
Leaning against the railing a woman with long dark hair watched from a distance. Her eyes looked unfocused as if she were not currently present but somewhere else instead. That did not stop her from taking a drag on her cigarette before tossing it to the side. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her phone, an older model she used for business.
Noticing the time she couldn't help but look back at the building behind her. It looked like a medium-sized black cube but the neon sign above it with the letters NXT and the scantily clad women walking the streets told anyone that this was not an ordinary building. There were not many people on the streets at this time but the few that were around were here for reasons others would consider illegal. This area was a red zone, an area a lot of illegal acts were done in.
The officials knew about it but hardly patrolled the region or responded to calls coming from here. If you were here it was by choice.
The raging sound of motorcycles reverberated off the buildings. Moments later two bikes appeared down the street going past the forty-mile speed limit but slowing down as they approached her.
Both bikes stopped right in front of her.
"Aren't you a bit late?" She questioned the two riders as she took a step towards them.
"There was a hold up at uni, should be settled soon." The male replied.
"I don't know why you two still attend, that place is a dump. Just adds to our problems."
"You know why Kiki," The female rider said as she removed her helmet.
The male grabbed his phone to check something before he slid it back into his pocket. His action caught the attention of Kiki who asked, "What is it?"
"Julia cheeking in. Evidently 'he' has resurfaced and is the cause of what happened there."
Kiki clicked her tongue as she knew who he was referring to. There were a limited number of criminals within the city borders that were hiding, and only one crazy enough to mess with a school full of students.
"He just doesn't give does he?"
"No, he doesn't. Beck should have been iced a long time ago." The female rider commented.
"No doubt, but you know why he wasn't Buttons. His tech is too valuable even if the guy is a lunatic." The male said to the female biker.
Buttons adjusted her black leather gloves, something she did when in her own thoughts. Beck was on another level when it came to innovation, anyone that knew of him could agree on that. What divided them was when talking about the man's sanity. A genius sure, but the guy was insane, far off the rail with no way of coming back.
"Yeah, we know. 'Not the mission', you keep saying that but what if it were us?" Kiki asked Ricky.
"You already know the answer," Ricky replied in a heartbeat.
"I'm going to need you to say it."
"I'd kill him."
"Exactly! Even if it screwed over the 'mission' you'd still do it. We'd still do it. You know he's gone too far, and at this point, he's doing more harm than good." Kiki told him. "Dead people are bad for business, and too many bring unwanted attention."
"We can't keep doing this." Buttons spoke up.
"Are you saying this because Raven's back?" Ricky asked her as he knew she was changing ever so slightly now that he was back in town.
"What? No! I've felt this way for a while now but it disgusts me how we don't do anything about it."
"We aren't those people," Ricky responded.
They both knew what he meant by that. They were not 'nice' people, nor were they out to help anyone else. As long as it benefited them, that was all that mattered.
"No, we aren't." She said.
"Look, we are close to finishing what we started. After it's done, if you both want to ice Beck and his loonies, then count me in. For now, let's just do what we came for." Ricky told them.
"We could get Raven involved if you two kiss and make up. He's not stupid, he knows something is up. Only a matter of time before he finds out." Kiki said.
"Then he'll find out when he finds out. We aren't going down that road, and you know why. His dad helped us out, and look how that ended up for him." Ricky commented, still remembering that event that happened not that long ago. Things may have turned out differently if Huey never got involved.
"We can talk about this later, let's go." Buttons told the two of them as she headed towards the gate that lead to the building with the NXT sign.
★★★
Club NXT is a popular spot among young adults in the city. The vibe here was different, there seemed to be something special about this place. It could be the pulsating lights that moved in tune with the music, the beautiful workers that kept glasses filled and customers happy, but it was more than likely the drugs distributed and sold here that made everyone mellow out.
It was early in the day so the club was not open to the public. That did not mean there was no one inside.
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Armed security lined the walls equipped with AR-23s fully modded so that even an amateur would find it easy to put rounds on target. Some even sported their own rings which gave them a variety of various abilities.
In the center surrounded by two guards dressed in all-black suits wearing thick blade shades was a young man. His white and gold suit was as fancy as it came. Both his arms were outstretched across the top of the silver couch as two women took up the spaces on both sides of him. He was whispering in the ears of one as she laughed and touched his thigh in a playful manner.
One of the guards tapped him on the shoulder before leaning down to whisper something in his ear. His eyes flashed across the room when he noticed three people standing at the entrance. Quickly he waved them over as his guards let them go by.
"Give me a moment," He told the two women.
"What was so urgent?" Ricky asked him as he took a seat.
Reaching into his inner pocket the man pulled out a slim case and slid it across the table. The case was small, not big enough to carry a laptop, and looked more like an unfolded wallet.
"All business and no pleasantries as always," The man commented. "Take your time and enjoy what my place has to offer."
Ricky opened the case only to find a pair of glasses in them. Ricky's vision was fine, but these weren't the type of glasses that were used to enhance a person's vision. "No thanks." Was all Ricky said before he placed the glasses on his nose.
Kiki on the other hand was more than open to his offer and took one of the wine glasses from the waiter that approached. Taking out the lime she held it up to her mouth. "This better not be like the last job Brandon."
Brandon gave her a smile as he watched her suck on the slice of lime. He wasn't that much older than them but already accomplished a lot for his age. The same thing could not be said about others.
"It's not. Better, I promise." His voice was charming to any woman that heard it, but he was as deadly as a viper.
His eyes landed on Buttons who kept her hands in her pockets. "Buttons, when are you going to take me up on my offer? A deal this fine doesn't last forever."
She kept her composure even though she wanted nothing more than to punch his teeth out. Brandon was not her type, a long way from it in fact. Not to mention he was shady as fuck which always made her gut churn after dealing with him.
"Still thinking about it." She told him but meant none of it.
Brandon kept a smile about him. Buttons was hard to get with compared to the other women, but there was something about her that made him want her. It wasn't her looks, but she had him chasing after her like no woman before.
"Then how about you move into that place I told you about? It has to be better than your current living arrangements."
Her brows furrowed at that. She could only wonder how he knew about where she was living. Barely anyone knew and those that did were close to her. This left her questioning if he was stalking her, or keeping an eye on them.
"I like where I'm at."
"A pity, you could have had everything you wanted and more."
Ricky took off the glasses and eyes Brandon. "This real?"
"It's the real deal."
"What is it?" Kiki asked.
Ricky thought about passing her the glasses so she could take a look for herself but opted for an easier solution. "A cache of gems."
Brandon waved his index finger back and forth while making a sucking noise with his mouth. "Nuh, nuh, nuh. This is a cache of gems being escorted directly to Rose."
Buttons who was calm this entire time shot up from her seat. "Are you out of your mind?" She exclaimed which would have drawn the attention of anyone who wasn't in on their conversation. The guards, however, stayed focused and did not look in their direction.
"I'm anything but insane my dear, if I were I'd have dated your friend here a long time ago." Brandon motioned towards Kiki who was grabbing a third glass off the table.
She made a face as if asking 'What's that supposed to mean?' Before giving him the universal sign to stick it in the place where the sun doesn't shine.
"So, you want the job or what?" Brandon asked ignoring the finger Kiki just gave him.
"We'll take it, but we don't need the money. We just some gems."
Brandon laughed before shaking his head. "Now whose the insane one here? You already have three, what do you need more for? Don't bite off more than you can chew."
Ricky stood up but wasn't backing down. "We have a deal or not?"
Brandon's laughter stopped as he eyed Ricky. This was the most serious he has looked since they appeared in his club. "This isn't a normal cache we are talking about here."
Ricky nodded. "Ayuh, I know."
Brandon reached into his inner pocket only to bring out a usb. He flicked it towards Ricky who grabbed it with ease. "Three."
"No way, five. This is Rose we are talking about." Kiki spoke up.
Brandon wasn't budging. He raised three fingers. "Three. You aren't dealing with Rose, only her goons at best."
Kiki opened her mouth to say something but Ricky raised his hand stopping her. "Alright, but we get first pick."
Brandon agreed to that. "Keep it silent, make too much noise, and the deals off."
Ricky nodded his head.
Brandon took a sip of his drink that was on the table. He watched them walk away, but mostly the sway of Button's hip. "Hey Buttons, think about it. This offer really doesn't last forever."
Buttons paused for a second but then continued walking.
★★★
Kiki slapped Ricky on the back causing him to nearly stumble forward. "Dude, are you fucking insane?"
Ricky rubbed his back as the slap stung. He should have expected her to do this but figured she was with him on this one.
Julia who was leaning against her car came forward as they exited the gate. "What was that for?"
"Ricky here has a death wish and accepted a new job."
"What's the job?" Julia asked.
"We're going after Rose," Kiki replied.
Julia lowered her gaze as she sent a questioning look toward Buttons. Buttons nodded her head acknowledging the remark. She was silent and her mind seemed to be elsewhere at the moment.
"That's pretty ballsy even for you," Julia told him.
"Didn't see either of you speak up about it while we were inside. Besides, I have a plan."
"Better be a damn good one," Kiki said.
"Want me to contact the crew? Let them know when we're moving?" Julia asked as she pulled out her phone.
Ricky shook his head. "Nah, keep them in the dark about this one. It'll just be us, don't need Beta and her bullshit. The fewer of us there are, the faster we can get this done without any screwups."
"So why this job? Why Rose?" Buttons finally spoke up to ask. Something felt off about this to her, and it wasn't just Brandon. The guy was shady but this job wasn't something they'd normally do.
"It's not going after her exactly. It's the cache of gems being delivered to her that we are after. I only accepted because I spotted some rare gems inside, so that means there could be a legendary one as well." Ricky explained.
"We're risking our lives on the off chance there is a legendary gem? Dude, there hasn't been one of those since forever." Buttons commented.
"Even if there's not, we all know how expensive and strong those gems are. A rare one? Think of all the possibilities. This will put us right in the place we want to be."
★★★
"Yeah, they accepted," Brandon said as he held a phone to his ear.
"Just be sure to send over my payment," He added a few seconds later before hanging up the phone.
One of his guards approached him. "They've left."
"Good," Brandon told the guard. He tossed the guard a different usb that he already had ready after the three of them left the building. "Find another crew to retrieve this for me. I don't really care who it is, just make sure it gets done."
"We can give 'him' an offer. He has returned after all."
Brandon shook his head.
"No, he isn't very stable at the moment. Find someone else."
"Last time I spoke to him he seemed fine. I don't know how he's able to withstand the implant for so long, anyone else would have broke by now." The guard said before he pulled out a file from his inner jacket pocket. "Been holding on to this for after they left. Charlie was a no-go but the data showed something interesting."
Brandon accepted the file and began looking at the information recorded.
"He's only one of many. It won't be long now before it reaches perfection."