It was Lieutenant Daav August. Caiden had never met this man, but stared at him as if he had. Who the hell is that guy? Why do I feel like I know him from somewhere? he thought to himself. Something about this man irked Caiden. Something about the situation didn’t make sense. A man who was clearly a Hybrid was meeting with members of ZOBE. Not to mention that ZOBE members never ventured into Darkside due to its parent borough, BlackLight, being home to the largest population of Hybrids and registered androids in the entire city-state. ZOBE could usually be found in the Blue Emerald borough. So, why in the world would these Purebred extremists be meeting with a Hybrid here, of all places? Caiden pondered. This is far too odd to be coincidental.
Daav and the three ZOBE members exchanged pleasantries before shaking hands and heading into the tent. Shortly after, two armed guards emerged and secured the front entrance. Because the VIP negotiating tents usually were usually occupied by big money clients, the organizers of the Bazaar found it necessary to hire a private security firm to keep unnecessary threats at bay. These agents were spread through the entire bazaar.
Compelled by an irresistible urge to identify the familiar face, and to learn more about the Hybrid’s meeting with ZOBE, Caiden went to investigate the matter. Something just wasn’t right. Caiden zigzagged through the crowd and past the security guards until he reached the back of the tent where the Lieutenant was. He leaned in to see if he could listen in on the conversation.
He loitered about, pretending he was waiting for someone, to cover his true intentions. Out of pure instinct his NOVO Lenses activated. He sent out a ping signal to search the tent for any possible technology that he could hack into to record the conversation. The spin wheel icon emerged on his display prompt as it searched for anything within the tent’s proximity that he could safely use without detection. He searched for a good few minutes before he had a stroke of luck. Bingo. Caiden connected to an extremely old, but active cell phone. Hmm, must belong to one of the ZOBE guys. Who else would be using a piece of crap like that these days? he thought.
Anything that was picked up on the ZOBE member’s hacked phone, would display across Caiden’s NOVO OS screen. Due to the outdated technology of the phone, Caiden’s connection was full of static and errors. However, he could still make out parts of the conversation.
“Our organizatio—adamantly—refuses to—this!”
“Don—forge—you—itheads! We are supp—for all your—”
“Be sure to—llow through on—deal. The assassination—of—en—ng must—”
The transmission cut. A deal? Assassination? But why? He mulled over his findings, attempting to make sense of the sparse bits of info. He tapped into the same phone once more, but this time he heard movement, as if they were preparing to leave. Caiden picked up his utility case and quietly made his way to the front of the large tent to see if he could discover any visual clues about the strange ZOBE members. He found nothing; just their gaudy velvet robes.
After ZOBE left, Caiden saw two dangerous men approaching the same tent where Lt. Daav was. The larger of the two, was almost seven feet tall, with over four hundred pounds of enhanced muscle. There was no way it was natural. His massive fists were covered by black leather gloves and he donned a black formal suit with a white tie. He had a shiny bald head and a cybernetic visor that was like Slavo’s.
The other man was around five feet and nine inches. He wore a distinct custom-made yellow bomber jacket that was zipped up. His pants were modern-day bakama pants. Intricate weavings of dragons scaled down the lower leg portions with shiny golden thread. He wore customized over the knee boots. On his head was a large bamboo woven sugegasa that effectively covered the top half of his face adding to his enigmatic appearance. Both of his arms had cybernetic enhancements. On his waist, he carried a large katana that was almost double the traditional size. On both men’s attire was a small Chimera insignia; almost double the traditional size. Caiden contacted the twins via E-CHAT immediately:
Caiden:Guys, I hate to burst your bubble, but I think we may have some trouble on our hands.
Nami:What?
Hitomi:What do you mean?
Caiden:Connecting your visual feed with mine right now.
Caiden connected his NOVO Lenses to the twins’ modified datashades and opened a shared visual channel for them. After a few seconds, the sisters could see what Caiden was looking at:
Nami:Why are they here?!?
Caiden:You know these goons?
Hitomi:Unfortunately. The big guy’s Franki Butcher and the shorter one is Neo Masamune. Two of Chimera’s most feared hitmen.
Nami:Are they after us? We gotta get outta here, Hito.
Caiden:Wait a sec. I doubt they even know you guys are here. They’re heading into one of the negotiation tents. Some guy’s already in there, and he met with ZOBE like five mins ago.
Hitomi:What should we do?
Caiden:Sit tight, keep your cool. I’m gonna find out.
Nami:Caide, please don’t.
Caiden:Don’t worry, they won’t even know I’m here.
-End Chat-
Caiden made his way back to the negotiation tent. The two hitmen were inside with Lt. Daav. Due to his positioning outside of the tent, Caiden heard the whole conversation between the three of them.
“I take it you know why I called you guys here?” Daav said.
“How much you offerin’?” Neo asked with his nasal voice.
“What? Further immunity to engage in your illegal fuckery isn’t enough? We’ve been layin’ off ya for this long. Even the really crazy shit we shoulda brought you in for!” Daav replied.
“You need us more than you think, bud,” Franki said calmly.
“We never agreed to your price, but we did agree to meet so we could discuss the price! And then those tree-huggin’ ZOBE bastards got me wonderin’ why you want Chimera involved in this shit show in the first place,” Neo said.
“You guys are the backup plan in case they fail,” Daav replied.
“You got a shovel?” Neo asked.
“A shovel?” Daav asked.
“Yah, ‘cause you always call us to dig you up outta your own shit!” Neo yelled.
“This is exactly why I love to meet with you fucks! Always givin’ me a good laugh!” a hysterical Daav said. Daav then suddenly slammed his hands on the table. “Listen here shitheads! It’s because of US, that you do not rot in a prison cell! It is because of us, that you are even allowed to continue conducting your shitty business! It is because of us, that you can even get away with the things you do illegally without consequence! So, when we blow the dog whistle, you pups better come runnin’!” Daav yelled.
Quick as a flash, Neo pulled out his sword. The tip of the blade was held millimeters from the bridge of Daav’s nose. Shit he’s fast, Daav humorously thought to himself.
“Then how about we end our rosy fucking romance right here with a nice, red, bloody parting gift; your head on a platter for our boss man, Dragon, huh?” Neo said with a horrible smile that looked like more like a grimace.
“Um, Neo, you’re missin’ somethin’,” Franki said. He unfolded his arms to point at something.
“The hell you talkin’ about?” Neo asked as he looked to where Franki was pointing at. A red infrared beam was aimed right over Neo's heart. Shocked by this he looked back up at Daav and realized that Daav had his gun locked, loaded, and aimed at him.
“Wanna see who’s faster?” Daav asked sadistically with a ghastly hyena-esqe leer etched across his face. The quick standoff ended and the two men sat down and got back to business.
“Now that the pissin’ contest is outta the way, how about this? As well as additional immunity for Chimera, we’ll also pay an ancillary fee of one million Creds. If those ZOBE chicken shits fail, and you guys end up finishing the job instead, we’ll tack on an extra eight hundred thousand Creds on top of that. Easy job. Can’t turn down that kind of easy money, right?” Daav asked.
; Neo and Franki glanced at each other and nodded before Franki answered.
“Deal,” Franki said.
“Excellent.”
“Wait a second! Somethin ain’t right,” Neo interrupted. Neo stood, put his hand on the hilt of his sword, and headed toward the entrance of the tent.
Shit! Caiden thought to himself as he heard the commotion. By the time Neo came out of the tent, Caiden had disappeared. Caiden managed to put a safe enough distance between himself and Neo, cleverly using the crowd as cover. The goon cautiously peered into the moving crowd of patrons hoping to confirm his suspicion. He found nothing.
“Must be my imagination,” Neo said to himself, before sheathing his sword and slowly walking back inside the tent to conclude the meeting with Lt. Daav.
“What was that about, swordsman?” Daav asked.
“Thought I felt something. Never mind. The deal’s been made, so we’re makin’ our way outta here” Neo responded.
“Sounds like a plan to me. I need to get something to eat,” Franki replied.
“Your precious general will be hearing from Dragon real soon regarding the details,” Neo said.
“Fine by me. Oh, and one more thing. Try to avoid being spotted on the job at all costs,” Daav responded.
The two hitmen made their way out of the tent, “Hey, Frank! Heard they’re having some real good cage matches on the other side of the Bazaar. We should head over and catch a fight,” Neo said.
“As long as there’s something to eat along the way,” Franki grumbles.
“Sheesh, muscle head gotta eat every ten minutes. Its insanity,” Neo prodded.
“Let’s just go,” Franki said dismissively.
Caiden:Guys, start heading away from the cage match arena. The two goons are headed there now!
Hitomi:What should we do? Head back to the apartment? Or wait for you?
Caiden:Meet me back on the main road. Try your best not to panic, remember, you have the holo-straps on, so they won’t recognize you immediately. But we still need to play it safe.
Hitomi:Got it. Nams, we should start heading out.
Nami:Right, see you in a few, Caide.
-End Chat-
Intent on keeping an eye on the hitmen, Caiden stealthily followed them from a safe walking distance. He held his head low to avoid being recognized. He never took his eyes off them as they made their way to the cage fights. Franki stopped at a couple food tents along the way. Neo had a savage energy about him.
Neo had uncanny instincts, like that of a predator. It was no wonder he was a hitman for the most powerful gang in the city-state. The patrons of the bazaar would step aside, just to stay out of Neo and Franki’s way. The two men wore their allegiance to Chimera like a badge of honor and it only added to their fearsome reputation. Despite the obvious danger, Caiden’s devotion to his friends was worth that risk.
The two men found themselves at the outskirts of the seating for the cage matches. There were hundreds of captivated bystanders watching the display. The fighters were kicking, punching, blocking, countering, and evading one another's strikes, leaving the fans on the edge of their seats. There were no rules when it came to these cage matches. The only way to win was to fight dirty.
“Hey, these guys are pretty good!” Neo said excitedly.
“Yep, they’re highly skilled dudes,” Franki replied.
“I’m not surprised they attracted so many people here this time around, look at the sheer size of this crowd man,” Neo said. Franki took a quick look around before returning his attention to the fight. Neo scanned the crowd once more.
“Hey, hey, check this out!” Neo said as he leaned in and pointed to the upper stands. He was looking at two women; one with green eyes and one with pink hair.
“Those chicks are hot!” Neo said.
“Hell, yeah. They are. Hmm, I bet they could make Slavo some good money, huh?” Franki replied.
“Man, fuck, Slavo! They could make me feel good, I bet,” Neo said. Those girls were his new fixation.
“Jeez. Knowing you, you’re gonna shoot your shot. They’re gonna shut you down, you’re gonna get pissed, and then you’ll end up doing what you always do,” Franki said.
“And what is that exactly?” Neo asked angrily.
“Well, you’re not gonna take no for an answer, for starters. You’re gonna flash your sword, make ‘em do what you want, and because you’re a spiteful shithead, you’re gonna hand them over to Slavo anyway, then request to have private paid sessions with them whenever you want,” Franki said.
“Yeah? And what’s so wrong with that? I’d be helping the company with revenue, dickhead!” Neo replied, somewhat flustered, since he knew Franki was right.
“Worst of all, you won’t stop bothering me about it, so how about this; we simply grab those girls up and bring em to Slavo.” He paused. “No? Fine. You just grab ‘em and take ‘em, and do what you always do then,” Franki said.
“You know what, Franki, boy? You’re a damn good friend, ya know that?” Neo replied.
“Whatever, man. Let’s just do this,” Franki nonchalantly replied.
Caiden was within an earshot of them and overheard everything. Shit! They just had to pick Nami and Hitomi out of all the other women in this crowd! Even with the holo-straps! Why the fuck haven’t they left yet? He angrily thought to himself as he leapt into action.
Caiden:Guys! What are you still doing here? The hitmen are on their way to you! Get going.
Hitomi:It’s packed here. We can’t leave! We’ll try barge our way out now!
Caiden:No! That’ll only make them chase you now. Just get up and casually walk out of there like everything’s normal.
Nami:OMG! What if they see us?
Caiden:Don’t worry about that, I’ll stall them.
-End Chat-
Caiden began walking toward the hitmen with his head down. He pretended to be fiddling with his watch when he ‘accidentally’ bumped into them on their way to the twins. Franki’s body was as solid as granite stone, nearly knocking Caiden back as he bump into him.
“Hey!” Neo yelled as Franki grabbed Caiden by the collar. “Watch where the fuck you’re going, asshole!”
“Wouldn’t wanna bump into the wrong people,” Franki added, intimidatingly.
“Oh! I’m sorry, guys. I, you know, just got carried away checkin’ out somethin’ while I was walkin’. Lost myself for a second,” Caiden said as he feigned an apologetic nervousness.
“You coulda lost more than that. Consider yourself lucky this time,” Neo said. Franki let him go and they walked off.
“Aw, man! Those two chicks are gone now,” Neo was heard saying as they walked away. The two hitmen disappeared deeper into the crowd.
Caiden’s tense muscles relaxed as he picked up his utility case and made his way out of the busy bazaar to meet the twins. “Oh my god, Caide! You okay?” Nami asked.
“I’m fine. What took you guys so long to leave?” Caiden asked.
“Honestly, we got carried away. Those fights were really something,” Hitomi said.
Caiden decided to let it go and the three of them hurried back toward Home-base. Upon safe return, they all went to the living room.
“So, Caide what happened at the negotiation tent that had you so spooked?” Hitomi asked.
“Everything about those meetings felt weird. There was this guy, I know I’ve never met him before, but for some strange reason I recognized him and I couldn’t understand why. And he had a meeting with members of ZOBE,” he said.
“ZOBE!? They, like, never ever show their faces anywhere near BlackLight, let alone Darkside of all places. Even we know that!” Nami exclaimed.
“Yeah, exactly. I tapped into their conversation with the NOVO Lenses, but the connection was weak, so I couldn’t make out everything they were saying. But I did hear a few keywords like ‘organization, support, and assassination’,” Caiden said.
“Hmm, what do you think it means?” Hitomi
asked.
“It could be about anything. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions. But ZOBE had made an appearance at a well-known Hybrid populated area, and met with someone who was a Hybrid. Adding to the strangeness of all this, is the fact that those hitmen, Franki and Neo, were there, and they met with the same guy immediately after the ZOBE people did. I heard their conversation much clearer. Sayin’ that if ZOBE fails, Chimera will be compensated for finishing the job, as well as for being there as backup. It’s all a little too out of place to simply be a coincidence. Something much deeper is going on, or about to happen,” Caiden speculated.
“Caide, you may not like what I’m about to say, but it needs to be said. If this incident is any indication, I feel like you’re gonna try to do something about it. And I really feel like, well, you’ve done enough already. Look at everything you’ve been through in these past few weeks! Look how many times you’ve nearly died because of all this craziness. Whatever you’re planning on doing next, you should just let it go,” Nami advised.
“Caide, Nams is right. Look at us right now. Look at you! We’re all alive. Yes, this city is corrupt, and a lot needs to be fixed, we know that. But one man, no matter how special you’ve proven to be, cannot take on such a heavy burden on their own. The burden you’ve involuntarily placed on yourself can destroy you, no matter how strong you are. And the last thing we wanna see is for you suffer any longer,” Hitomi added solemnly.
Neon District: ALPHA (The Neon District Trilogy, Book 1) Page 28
