“You seemed distracted today,” Dr. Markov says from the passenger seat

“Tired,” I lie, grabbing the car wheel for something to do. “Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

“My family could have been killed by those men.” Dr. Markov says quietly after a beat. “I admit I wasn’t confident in your abilities when I first met you, but you saved my life. I owe you for that.”

“Then why do I feel like I’m about to be punished ?,” I ask him.

“Board meetings aren’t about punishment,” Dr. Markov says. “It’s about transparency within the organization. Bishop thinks something you saw is worth the Rektor’s audience. All you’ll have to do it tell what happened.”

“ I barely remember the attack I was working on so much adrendaline. I don’t even know who those asshole on the motorcycles were. Who would come after you like that?”

“Take your pick,” Dr. Markov says. “Could have been RLA for all we know. Everyone wants Mjollner synthesizers’ gone.”

“What’s the point in killing you ? If they want to keep the Mjollner drugs in line why not just bribe you ?,”

“Because the Mjollner always find out. And they will kill the synthesizer and the person who bribed them. It’s easier for the enemy to just eliminate us out of the equation.”

I direct the car into a reserved space in front of an unmarked fine dining restaurant and casino. Between Bishop telling me I was going to the Rektor’s Board meeting this morning and now I hadn’t had time to contact Sara.

I didn’t know the plan. I didn’t know if I should reveal myself when I see the Rektor or stay hidden. I’d resolved to just play it by ear, but I didn’t know what the fuck that even meant.

I follow Dr. Markov to the entrance of the hotel. I felt like a traitor walking into this place. I’d been told to wear a sleeveless crimson shirt and gold chain so that my bodyhacks should be on display. I was a few tattoos away from officially being one of them.

When we get to the lobby doors, Dr. Markov stops abruptly.

“I’m sorry, but you have to go through the back entrance,” he tells me. ”The service door is around the corner. Your contemporaries should be there.”

“Right,” I say remembering the Mjollner and their stupid hierarchy. The street samurai were basically trained dogs to them.

I walk around the back and down the cellar stairs, I hear voices coming from a room at the end of the hall and I walk towards it. Inside the room are about a dozen men and women dressed similar to me in crimson and gold. They’re strapped in firearms and their bodies all have some kind of deadly physical mutation; hooks and blades protruding from their skin.

They’re talking in groups and passing a bottle of gold flecked vodka around. Taking turns sipping from the long neck.

No one acknowledges me and I slump down to sit in the corner. Not two minutes later I feel soft pinpricks on my back

I turn to see Belle, Dakota’s street samurai, crouched beside me. Her long nail blades are extended and an amused smile is on her face. Her jet black hair hangs straight down her back and her cat like eyes looked at me menacingly. She’s wearing a skin right crimson dress with a gold chain belt—the sides of the dress are cut out in half-moons revealing her kill count inked on her skin in little lines.

“Remember me?,” she asked.

“Yeah,” I say confidently, but I’m panicking. She could blow my cover. “You tried to kill me.”

“I was just following orders,” she sighed. “You know how it is. “

“Maybe,” I admit.

“You switched teams, huh ?,” she said.

“It’s complicated.” I tell her and she nods.

“I get it,” she tells me and splays out her fingernails. “These hacks were on my own bill. I just go where the pay is good.”

“You ever worked for Rayne?,” I asked her.

“Of course not,” she says. “I have standards.”

"Standards ? Have you seen the way this place treats women?,” I ask her.

“You mean the call girls ? They treat them like what they agreed to be---objects,” she says. “The Shy Cartel on the other hand is all about manipulation. I’ve heard how Rayne promises to help people only to tell them they’ve signed up to serve him. I’m not messing with that shit. I like the Mjollner, they work smart.”

”You think the Mjollner are smart ?,” I ask her. “They’re glorified drug dealers.”

“This is your first meeting. You’ll see,” she says.

“I have to admit,” I tell her. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m even doing here. Why do they need so many street samurai at a board meeting ?”

“Optics,” Belle smiles. “The Rektor loves optics.”

A loud bell sounds and Belle motions me to follow her and the crowd of samurai towards an ascending staircase. When I cross the top of the staircase I am on a large theatre stage. The samurai are filing towards a single row of black hardback chairs and stand wordlessly in front of the chairs.

In front of the row of black chairs is an empty two-tier dais and behind the dais is a mirror. I catch a glance at myself in the mirror, my eyes glued on the metal blades coming out of my arm. It was hideous.

I can sense the breathing of a silent crowd behind us in the theatre seats but I don’t dare turn around to look at them. As soon as the last street samurai has filed into the row I hear low footsteps coming from the side of the stage.

Bishop steps across the stage in a fitted black suit and on his arm is Ilena in a matching black pant suit. Behind them is a body guard with a machine gun slung around her shoulder and several large guns strapped to her body.

Like a choreographed dance, as soon as Bishop and Ilena take their seats on the lower left side of the dais another couple walks out with an identical bodyguard---the couple bares an unsettling resemblance to Bishop and Ilena.

Then the lights go out and a spotlight moves across the stage as a woman appears at the top of the dais. She is  in her 50’s and her curled black hair and face are carefully made. She is wearing a tight fitting black jacket and a wide ruffled skirt that goes down to the ground. In her right hand she has a tall gleaming scythe that she leans on like a staff. It’s not a weak lean, more like she is striking a deadly pose. Sitting skewed on her head is a gold crown with thousands of sparking black gems.

She looked like Death herself and judging by the way the room stilled at her entrance I can only guess this is the Rektor.

I’d always thought the Mjollner were all about the crimson and gold, but that didn’t seem to apply to the people in charge. They looked like one matching dark set.

The Rektor strides to her chair in the center of the top tier of the dais. The chair right next to her remains empty. When the Rektor is seated the street samauri sit and I follow suit, but I’m really looking around for ways that she is vulnerable that I can take advantage off. But she’s not only got two bodyguards on the dais with her, but a row of street samurai who would gladly hack me to pieces if I tried something.

“Welcome to the Board,” she says. Her voice is surprisingly soft and feminine-- but still firm. “Let’s begin.”

“Gideon. Report,” she orders

Bishop stands and projecting a roster from his Sydnicate reads off numbers of recruits, new members, call girls and deaths. I try to commit as much as I could to memory.

“Thank you, Gideon,” she says when he is done.

“Your welcome, Mother,” he responds.

My thoughs jolt.

Mother.

I stare between them to see if that’s just more optics or if she really is his mother. They share a similar sharp nose and dark hair, but it’s hard to tell for sure.

Ilena reports next, she speaks briefly about civilian disturbances and requests.

“Robert. Report,” The Rektor says turning to the man on her left.

Robert stands and he reports something I’ve never heard in my time in the Shy Cartel; numbers.

 7 million dollars in narcotic sales, 3 million dollars in prostitution. And that was just this month. I never imagined the Mjollner made that kind of ice. I don’t know why the even wasted time attacking the Shy Cartel—there was no way in hell Rayne was bringing in this kind of money.

“I predict when Gideon and Dr. Markov complete the testing of M44 and release it we will increase our profits by 20 percent. I already have buyers overseas ready.”

“Thank you, Robert,” The Rektor says.

“Your welcome, Mother.”

I was doing the calculation in my head. Bishop’s first name was Gideon and he and Robert must be brothers. Did that mean the Rektor’s last name was Bishop. Could it really be that easy ?

“Before we continue to the docket,” The Rektor says. “I’d like to congratulate my son Robert on his marriage to the lovely Eva. She will begin work next week and report at the next meeting.”

The Rektor’s scythe leans against her chair as she claps her hands together and the audience behind us slowly begins to applaud. The street samauri around me don’t move.

An image of their wedding is projected. The wedding party is small—in fact it’s right in front of me. Bishop is Robert’s best man and Ilena is Eva’s maid of honor. All of their smiles seem forced.

It clicks for me. Their brothers who married a pair of sisters.

But why ?

Some kind of twisted incest workaround ?

The clapping dies down and I’m thrown off balance as all the street samurai’s chairs swivel away from the Rektor’s dais and we’re suddenly facing the audience in the theatre. The audience members sit in the orchestra seating and take up about two rows. They are well lit  and I immediately notice Dr. Markov and couple other synthesizers in their lab coats in the front center.

It’s the rest of the audience that surprises me.

I see a man in the New Revolution Church priest garb, two RLA officers in uniform and few others in suits with the names of their BioTech firms on their lapels. It didn’t make sense that these people would wear their affiliations so openly, but then I remembered

Optics

“General Hinkley,” the Rektor calls.

I watch as an older woman in an RLA uniform leans over to talk to another RLA officer before walking up the stage and standing in front of the street samauri to face the Rektor.

“Report,” The Rektor addresses the officer.

“The Secretary’s office is still very concerned with the hackers who have been manipulating the draft,” she said in a clipped voice. “Additionally, The Secretary’s office has some imperative crime initiatives .We would like to run harder on a few of your drug areas so we can fill our RCP initiatives.”

“You are asking for quite a lot,” the Rektor says.

“In return we are willing to remove 100 of your men from the draft. You’d also be happy to know we’re currently working on a taskforce to defraud the Mojave Knife Company and I can remove some RLA patrols from your territory. However, we must humbly ask you keep this new M44 drug out of Fort Perch.”

“If you keep our dealers out of the draft and we can make an arrangement,” I heard Ilena say.

The general gives a small head nod before returning to her seat

“Speaking of M44,” The Rektor says. “Dr. Markov. Report.”

Dr. Markov stands and assuredly makes his way to the front of the stage.

“Your excellency,” he addresses her. “The prototype is promising and near completion. I just need to do the final risk assessment testing and as I told Gideon it requires responsive human subjects.”

“So, I understand,” The Rektor says. “Unfortunatley, as Gideon explained we’re short numbered and can’t afford to risk giving you a person. However, I will see if we can find some…alternate resources. Very soon.”

“That will be most appreciated,” Bishop nods.

“And I see a note from Gideon that one of our fighters has a report as well,” she says slowly

Dr. Markov looks at me pointedly and motions for me to stand up. I stand and turn to the face the dais. The Rektor is leaning on the arm of her chair and her black eyes are staring right through me.

“Report,” she tells me.

I recount the story of what happened the best I could. The blue motorcycles had followed  us from the lab. There were three of them. They died easily.

“You’re new,” the Rektor says when I’m done.

“Yes,” I say.

“You did very good,” the Rektor says and turns to Bishop. “What do we know of these assasians ?,”

“We think they work for the Santoro Family. The Santoro's attempted to poach Dr. Markov prior to me,” Bishop tells her.

“They're called the Cavalcotti. They are the equivalent of out street fighters and report to Nico Santoro," Ilena adds. "When Chrome X hit the streets last year the Santoro Family lost all their territory to us and they've been underground...mostly serving small provinces outside of Ft. Perch. We assumed they had accepted their failures.”

The Rektor nods but her eyes never leave me.

“Well, I think our fighter here has taught them a lesson. I don’t think it’s a pressing matter---” 

“There is something else,” I say, the words flying out of my mouth. The Rektor raises an eyebrow up at me.

“They said something about a, uh, a baby,” I improvise. “That you all had taken one and they wanted it.”

The Rektor smiles at me tightly and crosses her arm.

“The rumors that get spread to damage us,” she says with a laugh. “Thank you.”

I don’t buy her innocence, but I take that as my cue to sit down and walk back to my seat.

The meeting goes on for hours. The Rektor has the entire city on lockdown. The Mjollner were more networked and powerful than I ever imagined. They traded drugs internationally and put money in the hands of some of the Sprawl’s most powerful people

Near the end of the meeting I had zoned out. Belle nudged my thigh hard and when look up  I see door in the back of the orchestra seating has been swung open.  A man charges in  with a gun pointed at the Rektor. He is yelling indiscriminately as he charges towards the stage his gun releasing an automated round. None of the street samurai seem concerned.

The gunman is saying something along the lines of “I quit.You killed my brother."

I’m not sure what kills the man first; the knife to his head, the bullets in his chest or the blade in his neck.

They all fly from the stage at the same time. Some of the audience members shriek, some of them seem…used to it.

I hear a thud from behind me and turn to see Ilena lying on the ground in front of the Rektor. Ilena is grabbing her shoulder as blood pooled from it. Bishop nods to the bodyguard beside him and the bodyguard picks up the groaning woman and carried her off stage.

Ilena had taken the bullet for The Rektor and for all her involvement the Rektor leaned on her scythe looking bored with the whole thing.

The meeting disassembles after that and as we walk out the doors we have to walk around the body. Belle keeps in step with me.

“Want to join us for drinks ?"

“Does that happen often ?,” I ask

“Drinks ? Damn near all the time--”

“No, I mean--,”

“Oh, the assassination attempt ?,” she smiles. “Damn near all the time”

The events are replaying in my head. Why would the Rektor hold her meetings so public that anyone angry with her could storm in ? Why had Ilena taken a bullet for the women ? The moment my face hits the chill of the night air it all suddenly clicks.

It's been in plain sight this entire time.

I know how to get my answers and get out of this.

“Drinks? Yes, No ?,” Belle repeats.

“No, I have to take Dr. Markov back--”

“After ?”

I shake my head, still lost in my own thoughts.

"Raincheck ?"

She nods.

I drop Dr. Markov off at his apartment and then race to one of my hiding spots where I kept an encrypted Syndicate. I entered an encryption code and then put it to my ear. Sara doesn't pick up the line so I leave a message.

“I saw her,” I say careful not to use names or specifics. “I saw the Rektor. I know how we can find him. I have an idea. Get everyone together and send me a message of where to  meet.”

I encrypt the message twice and send it out.