"Koumouri. Report to my office." The hand that was
pressing the intercom button pulled back and lay in
Shidousha's lap. He crossed his arms, the purple of
his suit contrasting well with the darkness in the
room. A few minutes later, Koumouri entered the
office.
"Yes sir, Shidousha? How may I serve you?" Koumouri
bowed as he spoke, showing the respect he had for his
leader.
"I need you to take Ice and check out this..."
Shidousha paused, searching his mind for the name he
had heard. "Delany, Alexander. He's supposedly the
young man with lots of information. Find out what he
knows, and see if you can't persuade him to join us."
He leaned forward, using his body language to let
Koumouri know what he meant by persuade.
"Of course, Shidousha. I'll contact Ice right away."
Koumouri bowed again, then walked out. He stroked Tai
as he walked towards the elevator, a nervous habit he
had. He always did it after speaking with Shidousha,
it helped to calm him. Plus, the little bat enjoyed
the extra attention. It moved in his hands, getting
comfortable.
"Ice!" Koumouri spoke into an intercom as he rode the
elevator down to the base floors. "Shidousha has a job
for us. Meet me at the front desk."
Inside a dark, barren room, a single figure stirred to life. It was a
tall and thin form, yet ominous, dressed in a deep purple martial arts gi.
One would've never guessed the soliditary chamber he resided in was his
living space. The metal room was divoid of all but a single stand on which to
set his things and a bed, which he had just risen from.
A smirk hovered on his lips as he tapped the intercom button. He was
bored,and desperately needed to get out of the Syndicate HQ. And a call
directly from Koumouri meant a job. And a job, meant fun.
"Be right there." he said in a low, malicious whisper. Without giving
it another thought, he strode straight from his 3rd floor dwelling to the
elevator, which he took down to the first. He stepped out silently, and
spotted the dark cloaked figure of Koumouri waiting for him. Ice merely
walked over toward him, silently looking the vampirish monstrosity in
the eyes and awaiting his orders.
Sometimes Koumouri hated that smirky little punk. And
those eyes... Inwardly, he shuddered, but on the
outside, he showed no sign of weakness. Giving Tai a
little scratch under the chin as he perched on his
shoulder, Koumouri turned to Ice.
"All right. Here's the drill. Shidousha wants us to
check on this little whore-boy, Alex Delany.
Apparently, he's amassed quite a bit of knowledge in
his... 'profession.' We need to find out what he
knows, and show him that joining the Syndicate is the
way to go." Koumouri ran his tongue over his fangs,
slowly. He could only imaging how good this young
boy's blood would taste.
Ice didn't have much to say, so Koumouri pulled his
dark cloak tight around him and headed out onto the
streets. Ice hailed them a cab, while Koumouri tucked
Tai into his small cage, to keep his appearance as
normal as he could.
"Yah, where d'ya wanna go?" The cab driver asked,
barely looking over his shoulder. Koumouri noted that
the man was a bit heavy set, and wouldn't put up much
of a fight if they had to deal with him.
"We're looking for a young man walking the streets.
Just drive slowly around this neighborhood." Koumouri
hands over a slip of paper that has the street names
where Alex can usually be seen to the taxi driver.
"Whatever you say, freak." The cabbie pulled off and
headed for the streets. "I always get the boy-lovers,"
he said quietly.
**
Smoke filtered room, hot bodies pressed together moving to heavy beats
that you could feel in your chest. Expensive colognes and perfumes
mingled with the smell of alcohol and sweat. The boy, term used lightly for
his 'type', was pressed between bodies in the club, making his way to
the bar, cigarette lit up once he was free of flying limbs and groping
hands. Strobes and lights made one able to tell what he was clad in, it
left little to the imagination; red vinyl so close to the blood shade of
his hair hung procariously low on his thin hips, a black silken shirt
covered his chest, only a fourth of the buttons done up, red laced cuffs
on his wrists.
A cigarette was held between gloss covered lips as he was offered a
light from a lady at the bar, a charming smile offered for her generosity.
He'd already made a good bit of money that night one more would set
him.
Possesive fingers wrapped about his upper arm as he was in the middle
of turning down a drink, spinning him around to face a man easily in his
thirties and obviously out of place in this club. Whispered offers and
a raised brow saw him making his way out of the club the man's arm
thrown about his waist carelessly as they hit the streets where cars passed
them, Alex winking at a wide-eyed little boy that was staring at his
lanky form.
**
A block or so behind them, a yellow taxi cab followed, it's lights
shining brightly into the night atmosphere. One of its occupants spotted his
quarry almost immediately.
"There." Ice said emotionlessly, and pointed towards the two men
walking down the street. "That's him. Speed up."
"Damn, how did you spot him that quickly?" Koumouri's
eyes narrowed, but Ice paid him no mind.
The driver looked back at the purple-clad warrior. "You got seein'
problems, Bub? This traffic ain't goin' any faster. We'll get to your guy friend
soon."
The man they call Ice didn't wait for "soon," though. Before the driver
could protest, Ice opened the door, hopped from the car, and calmly
strode towards the two figures.
Koumouri cursed heavily under his breath, then moved
over to exit the cab, as well.
"Hey, you can't just leave wit'out paying, you
bastiches!" The cabbie reached forward and grabbed a
shotgun from under his seat.
"Bastich, am I?" Koumouri un-snapped the latch on
Tai's cage. "He's all yours, Tai."
As Koumouri left the cab, Tai fluttered forward and
latched onto the cabbie's neck.
"AAAH! DAammn..." The cabbie's voice died down as Tai
sucked his very essence out.
Outside, Koumouri visibly bulked up as he followed Ice
towards their target.
~Ice thinks he's so good, spotting Alex like that...
I'll show him who's in charge, here.~ Koumouri
thought. Tai swooped down and landed on his shoulder,
and Koumouri smiled.
"Well done, little one."
Ice paused in his tracks. His emotionless cold eyes allowed a brief
flash of anger, before he turned to face the vampire and his pet.
~The bastard just won't quit following me... Well, we can't scare our
quarry away, can we? But then again, we can't lose him either.~
"What do you want? And make haste." he whispered harshly.
**
Slipping through the small crush of people also making their way down
the cracked sidewalks, Alex went, unaware of the disturbance a block
behind him. He was leaning in on his companion, one hand holding the half
burnt cigarette to his lips.
He rather stood out, an easy person to tail. He allowed himself to be
led into a highrise building, his companion flashing a smile to the
guard as they passed.
Lobby large and well furnished, thick carpets muffling the sound of his
heeled boots as he allowed himself to be led. Several older men stood
waiting by the elevators. Alex's companion made a disdainful sound as
he saw them.
Alex was released; they stood far back along the back wall of the
building waiting with the old guard businessmen. Alex stubbed out that dying
cigarette, letting his client offer him a light for the next one he
tapped out. Smoke curled out floating off above his head as he gave him a
honey coated smile, purring out his thanks.
**
Before he could continue his tirade, Tai squeaked.
Koumouri looked up ahead.
"Tai says that Alex and his friend just went into that
building up ahead." Koumouri headed towards the
building, knocking his shoulder up against Ice's as he
passed.
"You can just go find something else to do, if you
like. I can handle it from here." Koumouri's voice was
dripping with anger.
Ice's eyes bore a hole through Komouri as the dark batkeeper strode
toward the building. A part of him wanted to catch up to him and beat the
ever-loving snot out of him, but once he glanced up and down the side
of the tall building, he knew that Koumouri's skills were definately superior
for this operation, since it's latest twist. He'd get the vampire back
somehow, he vowed as he spotted a nearby bar.
Usually, Ice hated all things associated with a bar: crowds, alcohol,
loud music, and inane conversation. But at the moment, alcohol appealed to
him. So, he walked carelessly across the street, not bothering to excuse
himself. After all, the traffic was jam-packed, anyway. Who'd pay any mind while
they were already shouting and cursing each other?
**
Koumouri no longer cared about how he looked to any
passers-by on the street. He was walking with a
purpose, his cloak flowing out behind him, Tai
clinging close to his neck for a little bit of
wind-protection.
"Huh?"
"Wha..?"
People got out of the way as quickly as they could,
scared off perhaps by his determined look, or the
fangs that stuck out from his top lip just a bit.
Whatever the reason, Koumouri made it to the building
in record time. He forced his way past the guard and
stepped into the lobby. He spotted his target standing
with his back against the wall, a cigarette in his
mouth.
"Alexander... I need to have a word with you."
He turned raising a delicate eyebrow, a soft, cool baritone when he
spoke, "I'm busy. As you can see." He smiled charmingly. He looked the man
over accessingly, noting the bat purched on him, "Tell me what you want
and I'll consider making time for you later." He was self possesed and
calm. Obvious this one was a doped out idiot, he chose this profession
as a hobby and tool not necessity.
Koumouri smirked. This was going to be so much fun...
"Oh? You're busy? I'm so sorry..." Koumouri moved
forward quickly, almost gliding across the floor. He
was beside Alex and his male friend before they could
react.
"You're not going to be busy for long." Koumouri slid
his hand into his cloak, pulled out a small knife and
smoothly stabbed the man in the chest. The blood
spurted out onto Koumouri's hand and sleeve. He had
purposely stabbed a main vein. He so loved the sight
of blood. He leaned down and lapped at the blood
coming out of the wound as the man's body slumped to
the ground.
"Now then, Alex, since you're done with this...
client, I think you'll have time for me." Koumouri
lipped his lips clean.
He didn't appreciate that, a light frown touched his
lips. "Did you absolutely have to do that?" He stepped back, he knew
how blood stained. A sigh tinged with annoyance before motioning the man to
follow him onto the elevator, the crowd around them stunned and doing a wonderful
immitation of statues. He bent down finding his ex-clients room key
in his breast pocket.
He waved to their audience as he held the elevator open for the man,
"We can talk in his room he doesn't need it. " he shrugged
still unruffled.
~Hmm... He certainly knows how to keep his cool.
Intimidation might not be the best tactic to use on
him.~ Koumouri entered the elevator right behind Alex.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the 17th Floor.
Alex walked forward, inserting the room key and
opening the door.
"Fancy place." Koumouri said, then lay down on the
couch, not bothering to keep any blood from
spattering. In fact, he picked up one of the doilies
from the couch's arm and wiped his dagger clean.
"So, I hear you know a lot about the cities... Going
ons. Care to tell me a little? I work for a very
powerful man." Koumouri looked at Alex expectantly.
" I don't care who you work for. How much is he
willing to pay for this
information? I'm not cheap darling." He crossed his
arms over his thin
chest
setting on the arm rest of the chair facing the oh
batted one.
"You also need to clarify what you want, I don't just
give out
generalized
information." Cold, precise he was a well learned
bussinessman, don't
let the
hot pants fool you. "A drink?" Going to the wet bar,
he turned his back
on
his guest with no fear, "May I have name?" he never
lost that
proffessionaly
calm air.
"No thank you. I've had my drink for the evening."
Koumouri smiled and licked his lips again.
"My name isn't important," he said, repositioning his
body on the couch to be more comfortable. "My...
employer's name is Shidousha. Perhaps you've heard
it?"
,br>
"Suit yourself. Yes I have heard of your employer.
Quite alot infact,
he isn't a well liked man though respected." He
poured himself a half
glass of bourbon and turned himself back around to
face the man.
"What does he want from me exactly? He better have an
impressive
offer, Shidousha is quite able to pay me whatever I
want." Taking a
drought of bourbon from the glass held in his thin
hand.
"Pay you?" Koumouri surpressed a laugh. "You expect
Shidousha to pay a little worm like you for
information? He demands to know anything you may know
about the Syndicate."
He then decided to take on a bit more of a bargaining
tone. "In exchange for your information, Shidousha is
willing to offer you a place in the Syndicate's
operation. Take it or leave it, but remember, the
Syndicate could be a powerful ally, or your worst
enemy."
He smirked over the rim of his glass, "So, I give up a job I am quite happy
in, hand over all information I have that could give me a step up in the
world, and then I am free to go and play nice with all the other
Syndicate children?" He put one hand on his cocked hip, he shook
his head as he settled the thick bottomed glass back on the bar.
"I am not interested in any Syndicate position,
Shidousha is in no position to demand I give him anything. Come back
to me when you have a better offer
darling." His tone effectively bored and cold, this
meeting having lost it's interest the moment he knew
Shidousha didn't have his wallet out in this offer. "Good evening." He downed the last of his
bourbon and set on a path on the thick carpet headed for the door.
"We won't forget this, Alex." Koumouri got up and
headed for the door. Now was not the place or time to
push Alex. He had already killed a man in the lobby,
and the Tekno Patrol was surely on it's way.
"Need to get Ice and get the Hell out of here..."
Koumouri muttered to himself. He headed down and out
of the building, then shrugged his shoulders.
"Screw Ice. Let the bastich get back to headquarters
whenever he wants to." Koumouri hailed a taxi and
headed back to the Syndicate HQ.
**
Kira sighed, then coughed. She hated smoky
little dives like this. In fact, she hated this whole
damn part of this whole damn city. She fingered her
knife, ready to defend herself in case any of the
brawny, thick-headed customers decided to get fresh.
"Honestly," she sighed, "Why do I keep agreeing to
meet him here? There's about a thousand places in this
city I'd like to be that's not here, but he always
chooses this place." She looked up as the door opened,
to see another man enter, but not her friend. She
pulled her hood farther down across her face. This
part of the city was infamous for hating anthromorphs,
and she wasn't taking any chances.
The man silently stode over to the very stool beside
Kira. It was one of the few open stools, and the one
closest to the bartender. He took his seat, sitting
straight up and making no attempt to get comfortable.
He sat there silently for a moment, taking in the
atmosphere... and as he did, began coughing.
~Fool!~ he mentally berated himself as he began
clearing his throat. ~What an absurd thing to do in a
place like this...~ As he lifted his head, he glanced
off to his left. A small, hooded figure. Her elbows
were propped on the table, yet their hands were folded
back into their cloak.
Ice recognized an object in the person's right hand.
It was a knife, and a rather articulate one at that.
Most likely smithed by a natural. Yet it did have
it's.. appeal to it. The hilt and handle were metal,
presumably bronze. The smith who made it was most
likely a skilled artist as well. Ice's cold, piercing
eyes also noticed that the blade was being fingered
nervously, as if the figure was expecting an attack.
Arrogant in nature, Ice naturally assumed it was him
and him alone they were afraid of.
"I don't intent to hurt you unless you give me a
reason. I'm only here for a drink." he spoke, as he
glared at the busy bartender.
"I don't see why you like these over-crowded, filthy
places, brother." Senjutsu muttered as he took a drink
from his own personal concoction, made to help him
with his constant sickness.
"Aw come on, Sari, lighten up. It's not that bad!"
Taking a swig of beer, Zerosen stood up and walked
over to the bar. "I'd like a refill, and make it
snappy."
"Yeah, yeah," the barkeep muttered as he went to fill
the mug up.
Looking over at the strange figure, fully-clothed and
covered, Zerosen slid over. "Aren't you a little hot
there?" Zerosen, noticing the knife, moves away a bit.
"He's such an idiot!" Senjutsu gets up and finishes his
drink. Moving silently through the crowd, he then
comes up behind Zerosen. "Watch what you say brother.
You know why we're here and I'd say it's time we
leave. You're getting a little too drunk to keep your
mouth shut, I'd say. Excuse me lady," nods to Kira,
"and sorry to you as well, sir." Senjtsu nods to Ice
and walks out.
"Damn, Sari, you're no fun, are you?" Zerosen walks
unsteadily outside after his brother.
"You know perfectly well that while we're out, our
real names have no meaning whatsoever and must be
forgotten. You could've spilled precious info to any
woman if for no other reason than having a pretty
face. Not to mention if you got in a fight, you were
way to drunk to defend yourself. Now come on, we've
gotta find this "Anarky" fellow. He seems to dislike
the Syndicate more than anyone and that's what or
employer wants us to take care of
right now." Senjutsu hits Zerosen in the
gut, making him throw up and come back to reality.
"We'll stay at the inn tonight so you can
recooperate."
**
Vas sipped his filthy Tekno water as he watched a large man and an obviously sick man exit the smoke-filled bar. The taller one seemed to have been bothering a morph, or at least Vas thought she was a morph. He lost interest as the two men left. He looked around, making sure to keep his eyes in the shadows, and tried to remain as infamous as possible. How he hated coming to this God-forsaken half of the planet, it was simply dripping with death and artificiality. This was not the place for him, but he was here none-the-less, following a lead on this "Syndicate" that everyone here seemed to know about but wouldn't really say much about. Another aspect of this part of the planet he loathed, everyone was so closed off and harsh. Granted it was like this in much of his part of the planet, but not to this degree. Vas sighed and took another sip, ready to leave.
As soon as he got up to leave he saw the two men from earlier outside the bar, talking. Vas exited the bar as soon when the sick man was speaking, "....find this "Anarky" fellow. He seems to dislike the Syndicate more than anyone and that's what our emplyer wants right now."
Vas stopped in his tracks, he had heard right, these men knew of the Syndicate! And what better, they seemed to be in his employ! This was just what Vas had been waiting for, he wanted to leave but was prepared to go home empty-handed. He would stalk these two as to learn more. As they walked off he began to follow, staying one or two blocks behind them so they wouldn't see him. Vas tried to remain as quiet as he could, these men did not seem the kind Vas would want to start a fight with.
"What do you mean there's no vacancies?!" Shade, angered that it was full and his drunkeness not helping him calm down, slammed his fist down on the innkeeper's desk. "I demand a freaking room!"
Forcing himself between his brother and the innkeeper, Sari spoke. "I'm sorry sir. My brother here is a little drunk. We'll just have to find another place for the night." Shoving Shade outside, Sari looked around to see that no one noticed them. "You have got to be more careful, Zerosen."
"I just wanted to go to sleep! Is that so bad?!" Shade said as he walked along the street with Sari.
"No there's nothing wrong with it unless you draw attention to yourself like you are! We shouldn't have gone to that stinking bar. You're totally useless now." Walking through the town, they eventually find another inn. Lodging there for the night, they go up to their room. As Shade lays down, he throws up a few more times and goes to sleep.
Making another drink, Sari quickly drinks it and heads out. ~That brother of mine is totally useless when he's drunk!~ Bumping into a short fellow with funny eyes, Sari looks at him. "Hey watch where you're going shrimp!" Walking off, Sari starts thinking of where it'd be best to start fresh at looking for Anarky in the morning. ~It might help to know his real name. I mean, what kind of a parent would name their son Anarky?~
**
Without looking up, Kira was about to answer the man, when someone
else's
comment caught her
attention.
"Aren't you a little hot there?"
She froze, uncertain what to do, when another voice joined the chorus.
"Watch what you say brother. You know why we're here and I'd say it's
time
we leave. You're getting a
little too drunk to keep your mouth shut, I'd say. Excuse me lady, and
sorry
to you as well, sir."
Kira turned around and watched the two men exit the bar. One was
powerfully
built, but the other
looked sick somehow... Quickly, she shook her head. It was no use
caring for
anyone in these slums,
they weren't worth it. (In the back of her mind, a nagging voice asked,
"How
did he know you were a
woman?") Turning back to her drink, she answered the first stranger.
"That's
nice. Should I care why
you're here? I'm just waiting for a friend, and these bars can get
rowdy
very quickly. Have a weapon
nearby is a wise thing to do. However, if you can spot it, maybe I'm
being a
bit too free." She
quickly sheathed the knife in it's pocket in her tunic, then continued
drinking, ignoring the
stranger once more.
Ice just smirked dangerously as the bartender poured his drink. The old
man
was a wise one. When he
got a dangerous-looking customer, he always gave them the stuff with
the
hardest kick, and at a
special "Please don't destroy my bar!" discount price. He locked eyes
with
Ice, he shuddered and
hurried off to serve some.. less frightening customers.
"Weakling..." Ice muttered as he took a sip of his drink.
Kira looked up at the stranger next to her as the bartender hurried off
to
the other end of the bar. He looked cruel, just the kind who would
destroy
the bar and all of it's inhabitants for fun. Still, she couldn't let
such a
mean statement go unanswered.
"I hardly think being afraid of someone who could obviously crush you
is a
weakness. It seems more like common sense to me," she commented cooly,
sipping her drink.
~There. The bait is out in the open.~ She thought. ~Let's see if this
big
lunk is man enough to respond.~
The big warrior couldn't help but feel a bit of pride in the statement.
It
was true, after all. Ice was a capable fighter... the best in his mind.
Even
if that was exaggerated in reality, he could still tear apart the
bar--and
everyone in it--with little difficulty.
Too little difficulty, he thought. It would just be a sign of his own
weakness if he allowed himself to just up and trash the place to prove
he
could. He'd save his strength on more worthy opponents.
"Just because a person appears strong doesn't make them dangerous." he
replied cooly as he took a sip of his drink. He calmly turned toward
the
female beside him and looked her over.
"And just because a person appears harmless doesn't make them any less
of a
threat."
**
"What do you mean you couldn't get any information
from him!!" Shidousha slammed his fist down onto the
desk angrily, and even though it was made of marble,
cracks ran out from underneath his hand.
"How could you botch an assignment this badly!"
"It wasn't me, master. It was all Ice's fault."
Koumouri wasn't really afraid Shidousha would do
anything to him, but if he could get Ice in trouble,
then why not take advantage of it.
"Have him report to me when he returns." Shidousha's
anger subsided almost as quickly as it had flared.
"Also, tell Dr. Nakistan that those two bounty hunter
brothers that he employed better find Anarky soon.
I've already lost a few top operatives to that
lunatic. I want him dead."
"I'll send the message out as soon as we're done,
master." Koumouri bowed and turned to go.
"Oh, and Koumouri..." Shidousha watched as Koumouri
turned. "Do not fail me again."
Koumouri walked from the room as quickly as he could
without seeming rude. He sent an instant mail to Dr.
Nakistan, telling him what Shidousha wanted, then
headed for his room.
**
BOOM!
Dr. Nakistan coughed, almost laughing, as his latest concoction went up
in
smoke. He had been distracted momentarily by the ringing of his
computer.
Mail!
The old senile coot hobbled over to his desk and bent over the
keyboard. He
squinted through his tiny spectacles at the screen. The message sent to
him
was quite brief and to the point.
"Anarky dies now. Get your men on him. -K"
The doctor's face was blank for a moment. Men? What in the...?
About 5 minutes later, something inside his brain sparked to life.
"OOOHHH!!
The brothers!! I get it!!" he exclaimed happily.
He pulled out his phone and looked at it. After 7 or so wrong numbers,
he
finally got Senjutsu's cell phone.
**
Meanwhile, in another area of the planet...
"PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!" Anarky was jumping up and down
in the middle of a crowded Natural Trading Post.
"DAMNIT, WHY WON'T YOU PEOPLE LISTEN!!"
In a small Natural village a few metras away, the
Tsuru family lived in a rather large house. They were
fairly well off, but not any better than most other
Natural families. They had a nice sized family, but
recently their son Amanos had moved out, and had
stopped sending letters back home.
"Shanshalya, could you come in here for a minute?"
Shanshalya's mother called. When her daughter entered
the room, she prepared herself for something that all
mother's hated to do.
"I was wondering... Do you think you could take a trip
to see your brother, Amanos? We're worried about the
lack of communication. Just a little check up will be
fine." She couldnt' believe she was asking her
daughter to leave the nest. But, Shanshalya was ready
for a trip by herself. She just had to trust that she
had raised her daughter right.
**
Shanshalya sighed as she packed a few necessities into a small
shoulder bag. True, now that Amanos was gone she was the oldest
sibling, but did SHE have to go chasing after him like HE was a
lost little fledgeling? And just when she'd finally gotten that
patch of Dreamer's Delight to bloom, too...
But all of these were surface thoughts; in her heart, Shan was
also worried about her older brother. Amanos had always been so
responsible - it wasn't like him to just stop communicating with
the rest of the family. Besides, he worked for a Tekno company
now, and who knew what sort of trouble that might get him into
nowadays? There was so much news about the Syndicate, and
Shanshalya remembered from personal experience that the Syndicate
went hand-in-hand with the Teknos - too much technology and
research was centered around weaponry.
She shook her head and flipped her feathery hair back over her
shoulder. Daydreaming... making breezes into hurricanes... It
was high time to leave; the sooner she did, the sooner she could
find Amanos and let her worries fly away like leaves on the wind.
She hefted her bag onto one shoulder and walked out the door,
heading for the trading post where Amanos worked. A day's journey
there, a day to enjoy the oddities available in the post without
enduring the technology that would have been unavoidable in a
Tekno city, and a leisurely day's walk back - what could go wrong?
Shanshalya could almost feel the doom gathering.
**
Whipping out the cell phone, Senjutsu talks quietly to
the doctor so nobody else here's him. "Right, I'll
have to wait for my brother. He got drunk again."
"He got drunk again?!" Dr. Nakistan goes off on a bit
of a rant for a few hours.
"Thank you sir. Don't worry, we'll find him." Senjutsu
flips the cell phone off and goes back to the inn.
Opening the dorr, he finds Shade awake and a lot
better looking. "Dr. Nakistan called just a minute ago
and our employer wants Anarky gone 5 minutes ago."
"Alright, some action." Shade and Sari then head out
from the inn on their job.
**
Anarky sighed and sat down on the walkway, even though
people had to scoot past him. He'd been raising kane
in a nearby Tekno city, but had gotten the Hell out of
Dodge, so to speak, after he had destroyed an old
research lab. He was sure that it had been a front for
the Syndicate, but now he was hearing rumors that
there was a price on his head. Maybe he would lay low
here in the city for a while. Find a room...
Amanos brushed by the man with the odd green hair,
barely giving
him a glance. He had a lot more to worry about than
some crazy
street bum; if he didn't find this Anarky and hand
over the man's
head on a platter soon, there was going to be one
sorry little
flightless translator hanging around.
"Hey, watch yourself, uppity birdy! I might just have
to fricasse ya!" Anarky grumbled unhappily. That's
just how life treated him. Always stepping all over
him.
Nearby at a small hut, another man was raising kane.
"Do I have gullible written on me somewhere? No. N. O. fella." an
elderly
man said as he went through a bag. It was filled with assorted spices,
coins, and herbs, but it wasn't worth what the young man before him was
asking.
"C'mon..." The man with the sky blue hair pleaded. "My sensei's gonna
get
upset if I don't bring back what he wants."
"Sorry blue, but this just ain't worth it."
Kaze hung his head. Boy, was Miyamoto-san ever gonna be angry.. He was
just
about to take his bag and go home empty-handed, when an idea popped
into his
brain.
He reached into the bottom of a satchel that was thrown over his
shoulder
and withdrew a large dagger. He turned back to the man and smiled.
"Hey,
would this--"
"AAHHH!!" the old man screamed. "Alright alright, blue!! Take whatever
ya
want! Juss' don't hurt me!!" He was now backed against the corner of
his
hut, shaking and crouched into a fetal position.
"Hurt you? Why would I wanna do that?" Kaze asked innocently, a blank
look
spread across his face as he fidgeted with his weapon.
Finally, the old man just snapped and jumped over the counter. He took
off
as fast as he could, running and screaming into the forest.
Kaze blinked. He looked out the door in confusion. Then he turned back
toward the table with the spices his sensei had asked him to get, and
got up
a big ol' bundle of 'em and left his bag--dagger included--behind as a
trade.
~I wonder if he was scared of me for a reason...~ he asked himself
silently.
He already knew a few people in the trading post were frightened of
him...
the looks they gave him.. the fear in their eyes that they tried so
hard to
hide...
Kaze wanted to ask them questions so badly... But he was afraid they'd
run
off screaming like that spice seller did.
"AAAHH!" the blue-clad warrior yelped in surprise. He had just tripped
over
something, and went flying. It felt like a rock... but rocks didn't
curse
when you tripped over them. He looked back, and saw an angry-looking
man in
a black trenchcoat with wild green hair lying on his face in a
dishevelled
heap.
Undaunted, Kaze rose to his feet, walked over to the man, and extended
a
hand. "Umm... sorry 'bout that." he grinned sheepishly.
"ARGH! What's with everybody stepping on me today!"
Anarky jumped to his feet, dusting himself off. He
looked at the man's hand and slapped it away.
"I'm fine, I don't need any help from some damn..."
Anarky broke off when he looked up into the man's
face. He swore softly. ~Have I seen this guy before?
He looks so familiar...~
"Uh... Nevermind. It's nothing."
Kaze fidgeted nervously. There was that look again...
"Why were you sitting there?" he asked, hoping to make the look go
away.
"Oh, just thinking. I dunno what I'm gonna do right
now." Anarky shrugged off the feelings of deja vu he
was having.
"I was gonna try and find a room here in the trading
post, but I don't have any money and now I'm stuck on
the streets. Of course, I've been worse off." Anarky
smiled amiably at Kaze. Something about this good put
him in a good mood. Of course, erratic mood
swings were part of Anarky's m.o.
"Hey, I know!" Kaze exclaimed. "You can come back with me to my
sensei's
dojo! It's just me and him there. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. All he
does is
eat and read porn all day."
He turned and pointed east. "It's about a couple of miles or so that
way,
through the woods. If you're interested, that is."
Kaze looked at Anarky again, glad that suspicious look was gone. Maybe
he
had just imagined it?
"Hmm... a stay in the woods, a place no one's heard
of, I can lie low for a while... That sounds great.
I'm in!" Anarky smiled at Kaze and the two of them
headed off. While they walked, a thought continued to
hang in the back of Anarky's mind.
~Where have I seen him before... Some old history holo
or something... I've seen him somewhere...~
If Kaze was troubled earlier, that was no longer visible in him now. He
seemed happy navigating the not-so-worn path (if you could even call it
that) to the Miyamoto Dojo. In fact, this path had been broken in by
Kaze
himself, as it was the only one leading to the secluded hermit's hut.
Kaze looked over at his new travelling partner. He still seemed kinda
suspecting, but not as much as before. He was glad. Maybe now he could
get
to know his new houseguest.
"So... what are you hiding from, exactly?" he asked.
As Senjutsu and Zerosen head out, Zerosen got a bit
of a puzzled look on his face. "Hey Senjutsu, do you
think Anarky is even in the Tekno side of the planet?"
"I doubt it. If he was, why would we be searching
here in the Natural side? Just pay attention to what we've already found out."
Senjutsu answered, starting to get annoyed at his brother.
Leaving the current city, they headed over to a
trasport station. Taking a ride on a train, they sped
along to a major trading post in the Natural half.
Stepping off, Senjutsu looked down at a picture they
had recieved of Anarky. "Well, his green hair
shouldn't be easy to hide. The question is where to
start."
As Senjutsu started to ponder where to head, a crazy
spice seller bumped into them. "Hey watch where
you're-" Looking into the crazy man's eyes, Senjutsu
gets an idea. "You wouldn't have happened to see this
person before, would you?"
"I don't know anything, I saw a weirdo that was gonna
kill me with a knife and that's all!" The man looked
around, sort of terrified.
"I suggest you don't make this difficult, mister."
Zerosen stepped up and grabbed the man by the collar,
lifting him a good foot off the ground. "Now what did
you-"
"There! He's right there!" The man, able to get a good
view from so high up, pointed at Kaze and Anarky as
they started off in some odd direction.
Senjutsu looked over, his eyes going wide. "I can't
believe our luck! That's them!" Senjutsu started
running after them as Zerosen dropped the seller and
ran after his brother.
"This just isn't my day..." The spice seller muttered
as he rubbed his bruised butt.
**
His 'meeting' with Koumouri finished he found himself outside the
building
people passing him on their way, a few second glances from the
faceless
crowd was what he got. He set out on foot, fresh cigarette between his
lips
and heels making a soft clink across the cracked sidewalks.
He neared the seedy, run down bar that seemed to be attracting quite
the
crowd, a glance, maybe he should stop for a drink, a nightcap to help
him off
to dreamland. Wasn't an unusual thing.
**
"Point well taken. I'm not looking for trouble, just waiting for a
friend.
However, since he doesn't seem to be appearing, and I'm not that
thirsty
anymore, I think I'll take my leave." Kira got up off the bar stool,
paid
for her drink, and proceeded to leave, carefully keeping her eyes on
the
door and her hood over her face. ~This is the last straw. I'm not
going to
meet him anymore if he's going to suggest a stinky little dive like
this and
not bother to show up!~
Kira wasn't watching the tables around her however, and was surprised
when a
rough hand grabbed her arm.
"Ey, sweetheart, come keep me company."
Keeping her face turned away, Kira answered as carefully as possible.
"Thanks for the invitation, but I have other things to do."
Without warning, the man pulled on her arm so fast that she fell, and
her
hood snapped back, revealing her red hair, green eyes, and obviously
fox-like face.
"Ey! You're a stinkin' morph!" cried the man, rousing several other
people
from other tables, who looked over at Kira with a mixture of hatred
and
loathing.
~Oh, sheiss.~
Ice stayed cool and calm, almost emotionless as he took the final sip
of his
drink. He sighed and stood to his feet as the ruckus started up. For
the
most part, he wanted to walk right out of the bar, return to the
Syndicate,
and never look at this filthy haven for drunks again. Besides,
everyone here
was drunk off their ass. What would it be for him to defeat them?
He cracked his knuckles and smirked. ~A good answer to this infernal
boredom~ He answered himself. Weaving silently through the growing
mob,
which looked ready to strike at any moment, Ice made his way to the
large
man, a tall, black-clad fellow with nothing but an elaborate tattoo
that Ice
didn't recognize on his head.
"Excuse me, sir." he spoke, in his low, smug whisper of a voice. "I
seem to
have lost my ring... and I think it may be hiding in that gap between
your
teeth. Mind if I search for it?"
And with a swift, calculated blow, he sent his fist--along with the
giant
bald Tekno--flying. Then, with almost inhuman grace and speed, he
reached
out his other hand and grabbed the anthromorphic female by her
shoulder in
midair, then dropped her straight to her feet.
Meanwhile, the big man had went flying into a booth a good ways
across the
bar. The only evidence of such was his big boots sticking up.
And now, the crowd had seen enough. From every point in the bar,
enraged
drunks approached with either a chain, beer bottle, or knife handy.
Ice just chuckled. ~Foolish, foolish weaklings...~ This was gonna be
interesting...
At the bar, though, sat probably the only two people in the tavern
that
weren't out for the fox-morph's blood or, in Ice's case, drunks'
blood.
One, was the bartender. He had taken the moment to strike up a small
conversation with an old friend of his... a muscular reptile-morph
named
Jazker Sentou. Jazker was a tough customer... literally. The only
reason he
had been spared being mobbed earlier is that he had been here many
times.
And since his first time--and bar brawl--he had established himself
as much
stronger than anyone in the bar. So, the locals had grudgingly
accepted his
fighting prowess and stayed the Hell away from him.
The bartender looked nervously at the fight as fists started to fly.
"Hope this don't get ugly, Jaz..." he said nervously.
~Ohhh...boy~ Jazker thought as he stood up. "Don't worry, Ten," Jazker
glanced at the
bartender."These drunks never know when to quit. 'Sides you know I'm
gonna help the lady, I'm a
gentleman." Laughing heartily at their joke, the large anthro started
pushing his way through the
bar.
~Well, well, well, looks like I'm not the only fighter here tonight~
Jaz thought when he saw Ice
standing next to the other anthro." You two look like you could use
some help."
For a few seconds, Kira stood, bewildered at how fast things had
progressed.
A few seconds was all she needed. As one drunk lunged for her, she
whipped
out her knife and proceeded to make mincemeat of him. As another headed
for
her, she heard a voice, which registered vaguely in the back of her
mind.
"You two look like you could use some help."
Kira nodded vaguely as two drunks grabbed at her, and she nimbly danced
out
of their reach. "Yeah, a little help might be nice. Quick as I am, I
can't
take on this many at once." Unaware that she had spoken out loud, Kira
continued to stab and dodge, spinning in a deadly dance for life.
Ice let loose a cry of sheer pleasure as he lept into the crowd of
drunks.
He dodged many attacks in artful grace, using the thugs against
themselves
and each other. Of course, he wasn't shy about using his own body for
attack. He laughed again as he threw one thug out through the window.
"Down
with the weak!!" he yelled as he decided to pull out his chain.
Grabbing the closest drunk he could get his hands on Jazker joined the
fight wholeheartedly.
Smashing his fists against heads and bodies, Jazker glanced at the
other two ~Good thing these two
can fight, I'm getting tired of helping out drunks that don't know when
to stop~ "What'd you come
in here for, lady?" Jazker shouted over the mob at Kira.
Angry shouts and foul words met his oh so virgin ears as he passed one
of the
rougher bars. Curiousity seemed to only kill cats so he took his
chances
peeking into the establishment standing with the few who chose
neutrality in
this brawl. Three on a room full of drunks, interesting odds if you
are a
betting man. Alex wasn't.
He fought through the press of people to the bar where some order still
reigned, smiling to the bartender,'"The usual please Ten. I'm off for
the
night need something to wind me down." The old man gave him a shrewd
look as
Alex settled himself down comfortably on a stool his back to the
action.
Kira looked over at the lizard-man who was fighting a little ways off.
"Well, a friend of mine wanted to meet me here, then decided not to
show up!
I was on my way out when I was revealed." she stabbed another man,
taking
care not to make it lethal, and threw him at another few who were
heading
towards her. ~It looks like they're thinning out... That's good, I
don't
know how much longer I can keep this up... my knife arm is starting to
cramp...~
Meanwhile, Ice was still much the battle-crazed maniac. Now weilding a
fighting chain, he was tossing bodies around more than before. His mind
was
gone more or less, having enjoyed freeing himself to dish out whatever
he
would on his adversaries. He was on fire. The only thought echoing
through
his head was the lust of battle... never wanting the enemies to stop
coming.
He didn't care who they were or why they were attacking him. His body
was a
slave to his soul's cry for blood. And the further the time he spent
serving
that purpose, the more violent he became. Punches and kicks turned into
neck
snaps and back breaking. Lashes of his chain became deadly chokeholds.
And
yet he still fought on.
**
"For the love of Shazz!" Anarky cried. Two people,
most obviously bounty hunters, were pushing their way
through the crowd towards them.
Before he could give Kaze time to react, Anarky had
pushed him into the underbrush on one side of the
path. "That's what I'm hiding from!" He reached into
his trenchcoat and pulled out a large gas grenade.
Something of his own brew. If the two bounty hunters
happened to breath in the gas that was released,
they'd forget what was on their minds at that exact
moment... Which Anarky hoped was him.
He turned towards the two and an insane grin appeared
on his face. This is what he lived for. The adrenaline
rush of combat. If he wasn't with Kaze right now, he
probably would have taken them both head on. He had
the armaments he needed... But, you just have to work
with what you have! He threw the grenade towards them,
then ducked into the brush with Kaze.
"Don't breath in!"
Kaze, as confused as ever, did as he was told. He glanced over at
Anarky,
and felt a large bead of sweat form on the side of his head. ~This
guy's
NUTS! What the Hell's goin' on? Who are they? Who is HE?~
**
Jazker was still plunging his fists into drunks to his left and his
right.
~These people just
never know when to quit~ Seeing the fox anthro start to slow down in
the
fighting, Jazker worked
his way over next to her and whispered, "Lady....I'm gonna try clear a
bit
of a
path over to the
door. I want you to stay real close behind me and when we get to the
door,
make
a break for it,
O.K.?"
Kira nodded, then whispered back, "Hey, why the heck are you helping
me? You
could just let me handle these guys on my own... Besides, that other
guy
seems to be doing quite well by himself..." She stabbed yet another
guy,
then paused for a split second to wipe her knife on her shirt. It was
getting a little gory. Then she resumed whispering. "And don't tell me
it's
because you were feeling chivalrous, because I've heard that line a
thousand
times and it never gets any wittier."
**
As Senjutsu sees the grenade's gas spread, he loosens
his shortsword from it's sheath. "Brother, tear of two
strips of cloth and give me one." Zerosen, a bit
confused, tore off some cloth from his clothing and
the brothers tied the strips around their mouths. "I
don't know what kind of gas that is, but I can
garuntee we don't want to breath it." Pulling out his
bow, Senjutsu knocked and fired an arrow through the
gas towards their target while Zerosen unsheathed his
broadsword. "Ready brother?"
"This is what I live for!" Zerosen shouted as he
charged forward. Quickly hooking his bow, Senjutsu
pulled out his shortsword and ran after his brother,
still able to see clearly through the smoke.
**
"No, I wasn't feeling chivalrous. I just don't like to see anybody, let
alone fellow anthromorphs,
get hurt or killed just because somebody doesn't like 'em." The whole
time he's talking Jazker is
fighting his way over to the door. "OK lady............GO!!" Jazker
threw the last drunk out of
the way and pushed Kira out the door.
This was a smart boy, let others fight, you sit back and enjoy the
show. He
was slowly downing one of the house specialties, laid back, one leather
clad
leg crossed over the other. This was like having ring side seats at a
prize
fight.
He had no problems with morphs, naturals, teknos, money was money to
this
one. Amused little smile on his face as he watched the three finish
off all
the drunks, the fight winding down. His gaze lingered on Jazker, he
seemed
to be the seasoned pro, not in it for sport like the burly one or just
happening to be of an unwelcome race like the woman. Out of the three
his
respect went to the male morph, hands down.
Ice snorted as he tossed the last lifeless body of the army of bar
patrons
aside. "Weaklings.." he muttered. "The strong never fight when tainted
by
anything that interferes with their senses."
The tall man with the purple fighting gi then calmly walked over to the
bar
where Alex sat and the bartender stood mixing drinks. He glared at both
of
them, letting a small 'hmph' out at Alex. His attention finally rested
on
the bartender.
"What have you done..?" Ten finally croaked. "My best customers are all
dead..!"
Ice smirked and reached into his gi. He pulled out a small wad of
Terran
cash and tossed it carelessly to the countertop. "There."
And with that, Ice walked away from the counter, out onto the street.
From
there, he hailed a cab and traveled back to Syndicate HQ.
