Dan arrived in downtown in just fifteen minutes. The streets were like tunnels, with high domed ceilings that connected the different buildings. Some were short, connecting only two buildings, while others were long, expanding for miles with numerous buildings lining its sides. Although it resembled an Earth city-plan, it had unique oddities due to its peculiar pressurized situation. Unlike underwater facilities, which had tiny or no windows and had to endure pressures as high as twenty atmospheres, Titan's pressure was only slightly higher than Earth's, so the construction was mostly similar to any regular Earth city, organic and adaptable to the needs of the moment.
Since Dan had never visited Xanadu before, he looked like any other tourist, walking from window to window, admiring the domed streets and towering buildings. Most people were zipping around in personal electric vehicles, bicycle-like contraptions, but Dan preferred to walk. The main streets were bustling with traffic, and a constant ruckus of voices and electric motors.
Dan followed the directions to the closest casino, Shanghai Nights, which had four different entrances on different street-tunnels. He chose the closest one and passed by a security detail, whose stern expressions scanned everyone who went by. He also noticed the numerous digital cameras pointing at the entrance. While the human security detail was probably just for show, the real surveillance was most likely carried out by an AI program that analyzed the images taken by those cameras.
However, as soon as he entered the casino, Dan's wrist interphase vibrated, alerting him to the emergency beacon activated by Gee. He froze, his heart racing, as this signaled bad news. Something terrible had occurred, and Gee was requesting help. Dan walked away from the crowds, crouching next to a wall and turning on his holo-display to see where the signal was coming from. It was coming from the space station but not from where they had left the Scottish Marauder. Gee was most likely unable to speak, which was why she had activated the beacon instead of sending him a message directly.
Dan quickly left the casino and headed toward the shuttle. He needed to determine where she was. When he returned to the port, he saw that her signal was not detectable any more. For some reason, it had stopped transmitting. Gee's original signal pointed to dock 35B, where a small ship was docked with its hatch closed and locked.
Dan walked back to the main port hallway and scanned the area for an information terminal. He spotted one and stood in front of the screen, which turned on to reveal a smiling young man. The virtual assistant's eyes followed Dan in the real world, thanks to a small, barely visible camera on the rim of the screen. It greeted him in Mandarin.
"English, please," Dan said.
"Of course. Good evening. How may I be of assistance?" the assistant said with an upbeat tone. Its facial features were those of a person of Asian descent, with short-cropped black hair, brown eyes, and an undetermined age.
Dan inquired, "Who is docked in 35B?"
"I'm sorry, but this information is not publicly available. Would you like to authenticate in the system for a greater clearance?" the assistant replied.
"No," Dan said. He didn't have any authentication credentials for the system, so he could only use it as an anonymous user. He would have to rely on his more obscure abilities.
He searched for a privacy cabin. There was one a few feet away. The cabins were small glass structures with a chair, a small desk, and a hardline connection to the information network. In other ports, these cabins were free to use, but here Dan had to pay a small fee to gain access. Once he shut the door behind him, the glass walls turned opaque, and he was instantly isolated from the noise and prying eyes of the outside world.
He connected to the hardline and activated quantum encryption in his interface. Then, using several programs he had developed himself, he hacked his way into the port's local network.
"Horst Grubber," Dan said out loud, reading the registered name for bay 35B. "The ship's name is Der Reisende, a five-ton interplanetary scout ship." Barely able to house two people, Dan searched the information net for some mention of Horst Grubber, but found nothing. He would need to access Earth's local net, which was over a light-hour away. That meant he would have to wait a little over an hour for every response from Earth's router. Communications between planetary local networks were extremely slow. He would have to leave it for some other time.
Dan guessed that Horst was a bounty hunter, but he would have liked to know more information about him. Maybe something he could use against him. But he would have to wing it.
Before he left, he would need clearance from customs officers to leave the port with a prisoner. He would have to go to the agent's office, which was his window of opportunity. As soon as they got away -if he was able to break Gee out, that is- they would have to fly away immediately. So he needed to settle their business with the Silent Brothers.
The first thing he did once he left the privacy cabin was to hide a small wireless camera pointing at the Der Reisende's hatch. He also activated a program that automatically surveilled the camera feed, and upon detecting movement of any kind, it would send a warning to Dan's wrist interface.
Then he went to their contact in Xanadu, the person who would give them the cargo that the Silent Brothers needed transported. He obtained the information by hacking into the city network. It was a woman, apparently. Dan wondered if she was part of the "brotherhood." In any case, that was of no importance to him.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
She lived in an apartment in a high-rise building in downtown Xanadu. Dan traveled to the place and took the elevator to the thirty-fifth floor. The elevator traveled through a glass tube up the side wall of the building, providing him with a great view of the city below him. However, the atmosphere was so dense that as soon as he rose ten meters above ground level, everything but the other building right next to this, disappeared in a yellow fog.
The elevator doors glided open, allowing him to step out. The hallway exuded an aura of opulence with its lavish decorations, while apartment doors lined both sides. Approaching door number 3512, he pressed the bell button. An LED light situated above the camera flickered to life, casting its glow on his face—an insurance against any malfunctioning hallway lights, Dan presumed.
A firm, assertive voice emanated from a microphone beside the camera, demanding, "Who are you?"
"Hi," Dan greeted, awkwardly waving his hand. "I'm Dan. You were supposed to deliver a box to me tomorrow."
For a few moments, Dan maintained his gaze fixed on the camera lens, awaiting a response.
"And?" the voice eventually replied.
"I need you to give it to me now."
Another pause ensued, lasting half a minute.
"Why?" inquired the voice.
"Look, as much as I relish conversing with a door, could we continue this discussion in private?" Dan suggested, arching his eyebrows with a faint smile. Moments later, the door swung open, leaving Dan in awe.
***
Gee's wrists were tightly bound behind her back, the unforgiving zip ties digging into her flesh, causing blood to trickle down her skin. Forced to sit on the cold, metallic floor of the cell, she found herself unable to rise as Horst had fastened her restraints to a hook on the wall. It had been over an hour since he had captured her.
Fortunately, she had managed to activate the emergency beacon before her hands were restrained. By now, Dan should be aware of her dire circumstances. However, she harbored doubts about his ability to rescue her. Horst was no fool; he had taken extensive precautions to safeguard his bounty. Gee had been incredibly fortunate to activate the beacon before stepping foot onto his ship, as he promptly activated a signal jammer once they were inside.
Having seated her on the frigid floor and tethered her to the wall, he sealed the barred door and activated the electronic lock. Peering at her through the bars, his eyes roamed over her body with a lustful gaze.
"Don't even think about it," she spat, defiantly holding his gaze.
A broad smile crept across his face. "Don't get your hopes up. The bounty specifies an unharmed Greta Heaton." Turning away, he sauntered toward a small desk against the side wall. "Looks like luck isn't on your side today."
He settled at the desk, engrossed in filling out the necessary documentation for her extradition. Equipped with a digital pad and stylus, he scribbled here and there, presumably completing the required fields. At least, that's what Gee assumed.
Her priority was to escape the confines of the holding cell. While the tight zip ties dug into her flesh, she knew how to break free from them. Applying maximum force with both hands simultaneously, pulling in opposite directions, would usually do the trick. But with her hands bound behind her back, she wasn't certain if she could accomplish it.
Regardless, she couldn't attempt anything while Horst was present. Fortunately, he was a slow reader, his face mere inches away from the digital pad's screen. Though a skilled bounty hunter, paperwork clearly wasn't his forte.
"Are you in need of eye surgery or something?" she quipped with a smirk.
He raised his oversized head, glaring at her. "What do you mean?"
"So you're not only blind but also a moron," she replied, shaking her head. "I must be losing my touch."
His brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing as he bared his teeth. "If it weren't for the money, you'd be in agonizing pain right about now." Turning away, he resumed his work on the file.
"Ha!" she cackled. "That's exactly what the last bounty hunter said before I blew his brains out."
"You did no such thing," he retorted, his head swiveling to face her once more. "I keep an ear to the hunter's grapevine. I'm well-informed."
"Not well enough, it seems," she taunted, locking eyes with him for emphasis. "Remember Raul Ortega?"
At the mention of that name, Horst's eyes widened. He remembered. Good, she thought. I've got you now. The truth was that someone else had pulled the trigger and ended Raul's life, but there were no witnesses. All she needed to do was convince Horst that she was responsible for the deed.
Come on, Dan, she thought, what are you waiting for?
***
As the door glided open, Dan was struck with awe at the sight of the most breathtaking woman he had ever laid eyes on. In a world where surgical enhancements were commonplace, her beauty possessed a fresh and natural allure. Her cascading, curly light brown hair flowed down past her shoulders, accentuating her exquisite figure. But it was her bright green eyes that truly captured his soul.
"Are you going to come in, or will you continue to stand there gaping?" she quipped, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. Dan could tell that she was accustomed to men reacting just as he had.
Shaking off his initial surprise, he stepped inside, the door closing behind him. Suddenly, the hum of a plasma pistol powering up reached his ears. Startled, he turned to find her pointing the weapon at him.
Dan quickly raised his hands and said, "Woah, woah. Easy there."
"Why have you arrived a day early?" she asked, her voice subtly carrying a Mars drawl.
He proceeded to explain his situation in great detail while she remained seated, attentively listening, her weapon still trained on him. Once he finished, she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, but I can't assist you. I don't have the package. Not until tomorrow."
"But this bounty hunter won't wait that long to file the papers, and I can't let him escape. I must pursue him," Dan pleaded.
She powered down her pistol and placed it on the table next to her seat. "That is not my concern. I was paid to deliver the package tomorrow, and that is precisely what I intend to do. If you are not present to receive it, I will have to report back to my employers. And you're well aware of how uncompromising the Silent Brotherhood can be. I suggest you forget about your colleague and complete the job on your own."
"I can't do that," he retorted.
"Loyalty is overrated, especially in our line of work. If you possess even a shred of intelligence, which you seem to, you will accept the package and fulfill your agreement," she asserted.
Dan shook his head, his gaze fixed on the floor. He had no doubts about what he had to do, but he felt compelled to justify his decision to the alluring woman before him. However, she would never comprehend his motivations; it was clear that she operated independently, with loyalty to none but herself.
"Well, I'm off. See you later," he said, making his way towards the hallway. She watched him depart, her gaze intense, her lips curling slightly at the edges.