It was cramped, the air thick and heated, the servers stacked and scattered. Wires ran loosely between outlets. Constant humming fused with the occasional clack of a vent. A machine with the single purpose of absolute surveillance plastered the entirety of the room.
Screens towered in aligned columns and slightly bent around the master seat. A white-haired girl wearing big round glasses and a clean lab coat was almost buried in the chair. She cycled through the various cameras the machine was connected to and tapped the control panels without much intention. One small screen, however, never changed its feed. Focused on Ruri and Frey, it displayed their banter in real time.
“So, that’s Player one?”
Her voice was a bit muffled, chewing on some lollipop and overall lacking energy. Behind her stood a tall man wearing a dark winter coat with fur around his neck.
“No. He is bait. She on the other hand.”
His eyes flickered while scanning the feed.
“She could be a player.”
The camera close to Ruri and Frey zoomed in a little. The girl tapped the screen twice. Beneath it, a profile popped up.
Ruri Emilia Sinclair, F24, BHC – Bounty Hunter.
The Lollipop rolled to the other side.
“A Bounty Hunter, why?”
The man slowly turned one of his silver rings, considering the new factor.
“Who issued the bounty?”
“It’s from some courier company called Starstruck-Express.”
She scrolled through the contract - date of issue, planet of origin, target description - looking for something she was missing.
“I don’t understand. It’s just some courier.”
His smile widened with his eyes.
“That’s not just some courier.”
Back on the Sphere – Deck 180.
Ruri hated the sound of it, hated the smirk and the cowering. On her mind was the easy money she had promised herself not too long ago. A tour to some laundromat, fuel and maybe a coffee to-go.
Clean sheets and roasted beans – damn.
Still, she was also thinking that her curiosity would turn into misery. That she would terrorize herself with sleepless nights and not asking would ultimately be worse than asking. She was fighting reason; clenched her eyes and tilted her head back and forth, but snapped out of it eventually.
“Why would someone frame you?”
“To get rid of me – I think.”
“What?”
“Okay. Two days ago, I won the ticket to board the sphere but the office where I had to verify everything wasn’t exactly your average tourist shop.”
He was gesturing cautiously, without his usual slickness.
“I saw a deal.”
“What deal?”
“I’m not sure some sort of weapon, arms deal or something. They had a highly advanced android body lying there, mostly covered but the parts I could see were polished and packed with guns.”
“Who were the people?”
“I don’t know but one had a blue vest like the dealers here on the sphere. The other one just looked kind of shabby.”
She didn’t necessarily believe his words, but at least acknowledged the fear in his eyes. She remembered that Riga mentioned a robotics lab, now that she thought about it, it seemed oddly out of place for a sphere dedicated to fun, theatrics and gambling.
Still, Frey wasn’t much of a person to her and nothing less than a walking paycheck. Whatever he was or wasn’t involved in didn’t matter.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Why should I care?”
She didn’t say it. Her thoughts drifted. All of it - the desperation, the vague reconstruction, the sad eyes. Everything reminded her of the first time she met Riga.
“I bring you in.”
She didn’t announce it with her customary smugness. Just stated it as a course of action she wasn’t so sure about herself.
Meanwhile in the cramped Server Room someplace else.
The girl was moving some windows around, spying on various corners of the sphere. Looking for one specifically.
“Does she interfere with the plan?”
“No. Everything moves in order.”
She found it.
Main entrance – Deck 150.
The shuttles docked near the entrance at one of the many gates. The promenade was lined with gigantic windows into space, landing stages reserved for passenger cruisers beyond them. Roaring grew louder. Boosters adjusted themselves. Tempered steel with golden rims graced the rounded hull. Slick like an arrowhead at the front with two folded wings hugging the body. On the side was a symbol of a golden star in front of a needle shaped tower. Undeniably it was the Ryugamine Corps. Soldiers with white berets in lockstep entered and took their place at the side, leaving a pathway in the middle.
Two seemingly more important soldiers moved through the man-made alley. Additionally, to the berets they had a short white cape which sat firm around one shoulder and swung down to the middle of the back. Some people stopped expecting a show or something similar, most dismissed it as such and walked by.
A kid stood in the middle of the connection between landing stage and the promenade hallway. The boy had his mouth slightly opened and watched the soldiers walk toward him, like some would watch TV.
Cathy had short black hair, black lipstick and golden fingernails. She bowed down to the kid and waved her hand loosely.
“Skoo, Skoo. Choo, Choo.”
Leera had long blonde hair, the same golden color as lipstick and black painted fingernails. A little bit annoyed by her companion.
“It’s a kid Cathy, not a dog.”
The kid smiled at Cathy.
“You’re right.”
She smiled back.
“Kid – When I say skoo, you should choo.”
Leera stepped in between.
“Go find your parents. This is official business.”
The kid moved slowly to the side still looking at Cathy, who never stopped smiling. Leera turned to one of the soldiers.
“Find me Surveillance. We are looking for Frey Glanning.”
The soldier looked through some tabs on a tablet.
“That won’t be necessary. Frey Glanning was just apprehended.”
Deck 178.
The BHC handler entered Ruri’s official ID.
“Contract accepted.”
On the screen beneath Ruri and the handler, her account opened.
“350 Credlons rewarded to Ruri Emilia Sinclair.”
She could have walked away but stood there and watched Frey getting cuffed. Leido hadn’t said anything up to this point. He liked Ruri to handle the business – well. Ruri liked to handle business and Leido knew that.
“It’s the right call.”
She was pulled out of some deep thought.
“What?”
She heard. It was just one of those moments that needed a second.
“Yeah – I think so.”
The BHC handler was proud to actually deal with a real contract. While there is always an outpost to be found, it was rare that a bounty was realized in person. Usually, they had to deal with some visitor that had one too much.
“Good work, Miss Sinclair.”
He stood there neat with his hands behind his back. Her head moved slowly from Frey, who was put into a cell to the handler.
“Thanks.”
“I’m Zulark by the way.”
She hadn’t really recognized it until now but the handler was blue and had two antennas on his head – he was a Vyon.
“You can call me Zul – If you want.”
He hoped that he could make some sort of connection to be more than a better nanny of some drunk.
“I can give you my handler number.”
Ruri wasn’t really in the right headspace for this conversation but didn’t want to be rude about it.
“Sure – Yeah.”
She looked to Leido, he pointed to the door. There was no need to stay longer than this. She turned to the door and was held up by Cathy, who wanted to enter this second. They made the typical dance of left, right, left, right until Ruri stood at the side and gestured her to go through. Cathy smiled – like always.
“Thanks.”
Close behind her was Leera, so Ruri did the same again and gestured her to go through. Leera nodded.
Zul wanted to tend to the new visitors but his screen blinked rapidly.
“Miss Sinclair?”
Ruri stopped and looked at the handler. Cathy had already made out their target and moved closer to the bars.
“Could you come here for a second.”
She shortly glanced over to Leido. He waited in the hallway. Cathy’s gaze looked on to Frey almost pushing herself through the bars.
“So you’re Frey?”
Frey wasn’t really sure how to react to the menacingly clinging soldier. He swiftly looked all over the place.
“uhm – Yes.”
Leera observed closely and let Ruri pass again, since she was called out. Ruri stood in front of Zul, but he gestured her to move closer. She leaned forward, but he insisted with gestures to move even closer. She did.
“There is an explicit contract for you.”
She thought he meant a contract fitting her profile or situation, nothing that would bother her since she already realized the eagerness in Zul.
“Yeah, well. I will look into it.”
She leaned back again but he insisted again and gestured her to come closer.
“No, I mean. There is an exclusive contract for you, especially asking for you.”
Ruri looked confused but stayed close. Zul turned his screen to her.
VIP Contract – Frey Glanning – Assigned: Ruri Emilia Sinclair.
Protect the VIP no matter the circumstances.
REWARD – 5000 Credlons.
Ruri was stunned. Zul’s eyes shifted between the screen and Ruri. She leaned back again – looked at Cathy clinging on the bars, Leera’s hand close to her blaster and Frey backed into the corner of his cell. Zul focused on Ruri.
“Miss Sinclair?”
After short inspection she looked at him again. He raised his eyebrows obviously asking what she wants to do. The screen was still blinking rapidly and Zul’s face remained tense.
She looked to Leido, was thinking about Riga – and yet. Her eyes turned piercing and cold like they always did when they are needed.
“I accept.”
Back in the Server Room.
He was fixed on the feed.
“So, this is your play, courier.”
The girl had finished her lollipop.
“Do we intervene?”
A proud smirk followed.
“No. I want to see how she plays it.”
