-1-

I’m here

I exist

Why the hell doesn’t anyone care ?

***

My borrowed bed is smaller than the one in my freshman dorm and without the drugs or exhaustion, sleeping isn’t coming to me easily.

All I can do is think.

How I’m trapped in a country I know nothing about. Volunteering to clean up dead bodies in exchange for no one having to clean up mine.

And then there is this girl.

This crazy fucked up girl and her crazy fucked up brother living their crazy fucked up life.

And then there is this kid.

This psychotic preteen, who seems to have this ability to walk into any room and piss everyone off at once. And maybe he is just crazy or maybe it’s a usual side effect  from having a mother who kills people for a living.

But these people care about each other. They are flawed and horrible people and yet other people care about them.

I’m not perfect, but I’m pretty damn close so why doesn’t anyone give a fuck about me ?

***

When we’d gotten back into the house a few hours ago Saint was outside resealing all of the windows. He barely acknowledged us as we crept back into the house. Downstairs, Sara’s glass of wine lay empty and she was passed out on the unfolded couch. Luce was sitting up in his bed, his eyes staring blankly ahead.  He may have been waiting for part two of his fight with Minnie, but exhaustion was getting the better of him and he let us pass without a word.

Jean and Minnie hit the bed almost immediately and I waited.

And waited.

 I waited two hours to make sure the basement had gone completely quiet except for the  sound of Saint working outside and the soft snore of either Minnie or Jean.

Pulling myself out of bed,  I slip into a pair of thick black socks and glide carefully around the floor to the ajar bedroom door.

Stepping into the basement  I give  my eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness and make sure Luce is no longer sitting up in bed. I 

My next move has to be decisive.

I inch over to the coffee table and slowly grasp the outer edges of one of Sara’s abandoned holoscreens.

This is it. My fingers are shaking in anticipation as I lift it to my face and turn the screen. The excitement is dashed in a second.

Damnit

It’s password protected.

Of course.

Sara’s smart.

Time to pull out the next move.  I place the screen back and head over to the couch where Luce sleeps. I search with my eyes and spot his screen lying carelessly on floor. I quietly pick it up and just as I suspect it’s not password protected.

I’m not wasting anytime and quickly get online. I’m greeted by about 50 different windows of video games,  magazines, textbooks and government websites.

He may be even smarter than I want to give him credit for. He’d managed to hack away the controls that stop Education Sector sanctioned screens from accessing half this crap. I go to the site for one of the News Channels broadcasting in the East and it actually shows up.

I quickly type in Dad’s name

Nothing.

My name

Nothing

I type in Tempus.

Nothing.

No. Wait.

There are a few fundraising notes

And a small piece about Allison Kyto.

It’s in the Heart and Soul section and it's about how Mr. Kyto assisted in the operation to give Allison a new lung from one of his very own biofarms after she nearly drowned in an accident at a New Year's Eve party. The article is mostly sentimental bullshit, with only one real line about the “accident.”

The damage occurred during a careless accident when the underage Ms. Kyto jumped into a pool and was too inebriated to get out.

“It was a traumatizing experience and  I’ve now pledged to stay sober and hopefully help other young people follow a similar path,” Ms. Kyto says of the accident.

What the hell ?

It must be  an intelligence thing. They can’t have the whole State knowing a powerful man’s daughter was almost kidnapped by a bunch of cartel assassins.  

 I open to my school’s homepage and log in to my e-mail.

Student does not exist

I open a new window to my personal messages

Account does not exist

I open to my public page

Account does not exist

My heart is beating at twice it’s pace. What the hell is going on ? Fine. Maybe they blocked my accounts so no one could hack them. I type in the address for my mom’s online page and decide to leave her an anonymous message.

Page does not exist

My hand glides numbly over the screen. I don’t have a next move.

I tap into the Tempus website and see Dad’s smiling face is still prominent on the page. I hit the button for Contact Us when I hear the sound of water running.

I shine the screen toward the couch and realize Luce isn’t in  bed.

God, I’m so stupid

I trip over myself to delete my history. I tap off the screen and throw it back in its place as he opens the door of the tiny bathroom in the corner and  my face is illuminated by the soft white light. He is barely a shadow in the doorway.

 “What the hell are you doing ?” he asks, almost calm-like.

 I’m not sure why he isn’t yelling.

He steps out of the light and I see a syringe in his hands and I wonder if I’ve found some leverage.

He keeps eye contact with me as he tosses the syringe in a trash can.

“ I know you’re lying,” he continues

“About what?”

“Everything.”

He closes the bathroom door and the room is pitch dark again. Luce seems to have no trouble navigating back to the folded out couch. He sits on the edge and watches me wordlessly as I retreat back into Minnie and Jean’s room.

I shake off the encounter and lay back in bed trying to figure this out. Why isn’t anyone looking for me ?

I’m here.

I exist

Why the hell doesn’t anyone care ?

---

Before I was kidnapped, I didn’t believe in assassins. I mean I know quite a few tyrants and presidents in history have been  assassinated, but I didn’t believe it existed as a job description.

But, now let’s say I do believe they exist. In my head their life would be living on the run, using fake names and killing anything in their way and being general badasses.

Sara and her crew didn’t seem to follow any of these rules. 

For two weeks they didn’t do anything. My job wasn’t so much about carrying dead bodies, but carrying Sara’s crap to the trash and playing her maid and handyman while she either drank herself to sleep or interrogated me. I'd cleaned water stains out of clothes, scrubbed floors, re-tiled the basement floor from where Luce had killed the looter, she even showed me how to clean out her guns so she wouldn't have to do it. The worse part was that Jean didn't like getting me getting his clothes dirty and looked like he wanted to kill me every time he saw a stain.

I didn't think Sara fully trusted me, which was fine because I sure as hell didn't trust her.

One day she brought out a scanner and scanned me when I was drilling the front door back on while Saint held it in place. I was sure she was going to find something because my SIN tattoo was still there, but after a moment she just threw the scanner against the house and called it a fucking piece of shit.

Which was her term for all technology she couldn’t hack.

“So, what is that tattoo something all the rich boys in your fraternity have ?,” she shot at me.

A panic shook through me. She'd seen it, but didn't know what it was.

“No, it was just for fun”

“Fun ?” she scoffs. “Let me guess your act of rebellion against your parents for being too nice to you ?”

“Not really,” I say, but it had some truth. “Is that why you have your tattoos ?”

She pauses, because I don’t think she realizes I’ve seen her tattoos.

I put in the last screw in the hinge and Saint lets go.  Sara happily opens  and closes the door a few times. It rattles, but doesn't fall.

She  turns to me and lifts her shirt up part of the way and my first instinct is to look away when she says

“Can you read it ?”

I look and see a series of Latin written in thick cursive writing curving around her stomach

Amor vi et animo is around her navel

Noster Nostri starts at her waist and the lettering disappears down her shorts. There is a large scar slashed between the words.

“It means to love with body and soul,” She says pointing to the top one,”My husband, Derek had that one on his arms.”

She points to the next one, further down.

“Our hearts beat as one.”

Her hand glides along the scar.

“Did one of your victims give you that scar ?”

She looks at me.

“No. But, it’s from someone who hates me.”

I stare at the scar and try and imagine someone getting that close to her before she shot them. Jean ?

“It’s a Cesarian scar," she explained dryly.

“Is that like a birthmark or--”

“Birthmark? Kind of...it’s from when they cut me open and pulled that little bastard out of me,” she says in an almost joke-y way.

I look up to see she is motioning to Luce, who is walking up the street. He’d been gone all afternoon at his weekly class assembly. When he reached Sara she puts her arms around him and he pulls away.

“I’m quitting school. It’s such bullshit,” He growled

“Hey,” she said, stroking his hair. ”No, it’s not. Your father loved school.”

“Why do you always bring Dad into this ? You never finished school.”

“Because my parents died and I got pregnant. Would you really prefer that route ?”

“Fine. I’ll enlist in Border Patrol. You only have to be seventeen, I’ll lie. They'll pay me and I won’t need you.”

“Fine,” She said. “And if those dumbasses believe you, I’ll let you go.”

He pushes her hand out of his hair and walking into the house slamming the door behind him so hard the hinges loosen and the newly christened door falls sideways.

“LUCE!,” she screams, jerking the door open and storming inside.

I take a seat on the step outside, deciding to be out of the war path. I start to think Sara is scared he may be telling the truth about leaving. Hundreds of people had already signed up for Border Patrol and as promised they came back with a check and bonus for just sitting and watching the border.

 Now the Sector for Public Safety was actually being selective about who they took and people had to interview and demonstrate physical ability. There was news footage of Julian Walker, walking the line of the border and talking about how much safer he felt and what a good investment it was. I'm sure Luce would be a prime candidate what with his ability to stare at nothing for hours and constant willingness to shoot someone.

When it feels like it has quieted down, I wandered back into the basement. Luce is sulking in a corner and Sara is opening a bottle of wine so red it’s nearly black.  Minnie is working over a portable stove, she liked to call herself the cook but all she really does is open cans and mix in some seasonings.

Today, she is all glitter and piercings because she went to see Pascal while he was on a two day leave. She’s  been seeing him a lot when his in town and has been in an exceptionally good mood since he pays her 5 times more than her regular clients and gives her any free drugs he still has lying around.

“It’s pasta ala vodka ala moi !,” she shrieks  to me holding out a spoon.

“Shut.Up.” Luce grumbles at her from the corner of the room where he is sitting and staring.

“C’mon Alan ! Try it ! I don’t know why it doesn’t have actual vodka in it, so I put some in!,” she continues even louder.

I take the spoon and taste it, it’s good.

“I like it,” I say quietly.

“Yay!” She giggles. “I just NEVER know, so I’m glad you give me your opinion instead of being a little bitch.”

And that does it.

Luce storms over to Minnie and before she can react he grabs the little gun off her hip and goes for her and Jean's bedroom. When Sara sees the gun in his hand she launches herself off the couch and Minnie and I follow behind her. Before we enter I hear some small yelps and see Jean  sitting on the edge of the bed, shirtless, next to a man in what I'm assuming is an authentic Republican Police Force uniform. Luckily, his holster was on the ground.

 Luce ignores everyone else in the room and puts three shots into Minnie's vanity mirror before Sara pins him to the ground and takes the gun. A crack runs up Minnie's vanity mirror before it falls off in three disjointed pieces.

“Don’t you EVER shoot a gun in this house EVER again !,” Sara screams. " You know what  ? I think you need some time alone."

She tries pulls Luce off the ground and he  fights her, reaching for the gun like he wants to shoot her himself.

“NO! Get OFF ME !” He screams taking a swing at her.

He goes wild--crying, spitting and biting at her and when he finally draws blood from her arm she recoils. Saint storms down the stairs at just the right time and puts Luce in some kind of choke hold. He easily carries Luce to the small cell they once kept me in and  locks the door.

Remembering my time there, I started to think putting him in there was some kind of cruel punishment, but then I his muted yelling and screaming and the sound of his metal leg, beating against the door. Tiny pieces of the door start to fly off.

Sara wipes blood from her lips and stands up.

“Minnie, maybe you should throw some more vodka in ?”

Minnie just looks distraught at her bedroom.

"My mirror..." she says in disbelief, her face near tears.

And that was honestly the closest thing to an assassination in 3 weeks. B

But it didn’t last for long.

It all changed.

When I met yet another person.

Rayne Washington.

--2--

I finally learned how to fall asleep in the small bed. Minnie and Jean gifted me a goose feather blanket that made the bed feel like a cloud.

 The day before, I’d been replacing all the windows in the house with new windows. Which wasn't something I knew how to do and it had taken me 13 hours to finally get the job done. I needed a long rest tonight.

But no one really cares what I need.

My sleep is interrupted by  Minnie sitting on the edge of the bed gently shaking me. It’s ludicrously early and I'd only been in bed 4 hours.  She lost all her usual sparkle.. Her eyes are puffy, cease lines run across her face and she has her hair in a ponytail

“Hey, we gotta go,” she says hoarsely.

“What ?,” I mumble because I am just exhausted.

“Rayne wants to meet you.”

“Rayne ?”

“The boss.”

She gets off of my bed and sits at her vanity. The mirror is still gone, but she still like to sit in that spot. She walks out of the room and comes back in with a glass of milk, creating a little cocktail of pills she throws them back and offers me the same breakfast, only with all pain killers.

 Everything about being here has left me with a never-ending massive headache.

I take the glass and decide 5 pills should get me through this.

“This’ll keep you from killing yourself,” she says offering me a bag of powder.

“I’m good.”

“Okay, well, Sara wants to talk to you.”

I nod as I pull on a white t-shirt, pants, belt and leave the room.

Jean is packing a bag in the corner and Sara is pacing back and forth with a cup of black coffee.

Luce is sitting on the floor with a a bowl of cereal in front of him, but he doesn’t seem to be eating it. When I walk in his eyes flick to me and he holds my gaze.

For whatever reason I don’t think he ever told Sara about the night he may have caught me looking through his holoscreen. He’d actually been relatively calm since Sara had locked him that room for two days, so maybe he didn’t want to ruin that.

“You wanted to see me ?,” I ask Sara

She snaps her head and strides toward me, her expression unchanging.

She is different.

She traded out the usual shorts and tank tops for a fairly tailored suit. It’s all black and the skirt hugs close to her body as she walks in the high heels. If it weren’t for her short hair, she’d look like  one of the women at my dad’s company.

 “I just heard you met Dakota,” she smirks.

I don’t know how to respond so I don’t. I barely remember the odd encounter.

“Look, I need to give you a heads up. The man we’re going to see, Rayne Washington is my boss, okay ? The work he gets me pays for everything you see. I told him about you, so I just need you to nod your head to whatever he says.”

“What did you tell him ?,” I ask

“It doesn’t concern you. “

Except it did. It directly concerned me, but I couldn’t say that.

Sara breaks my gaze and runs her hand through her hair in a mirror in the wall.

 “You need to put this gloss over that horrid lipstick !,” Minnie shouted skipping to the center of the room and throwing a small gold tube at Sara.

The tube falls short of her and lands on the floor where Sara crushes it with her stiletto heel.

“Hey-”

“Let’s go,” Sara snaps and heads for the door.

Luce and Jean follow behind, Jean  throwing the black duffel behind his shoulder.  I notice he is wearing a collared shirt and dress shoes.

“Am I under dressed ?,” I ask Minnie.

“Nah, you’re fine.” She smiles and I can’t tell if she means it or not.

Even she is wearing a plain white dress with a modest length.

We head out the door with Saint following behind. It’s so early the neighborhood hasn’t woken up yet.

As we head into the main section of town, I start to see the Border Patrol recruitment lines. I hadn't left the house since my outing with Minnie, so I'm surprised by just how many there are. On every other block,  there is a small circular booth with a man  or woman in a uniform sitting behind it with a retina scanner at the ready.

There is one sign floating above each booth.

Welcome ! Republican Border Patrol Recruitment

17  and older

75% Flesh

As I watched the sign it flickered and changed.

Welcome ! Republican Border Patrol Recruitment

17 and older

90% Flesh

At each booth there is a a line atleast 30 people deep  already forming. Each person pressing an eye into a scanner and answering questions with a hopeful look on their face. If they were lucky they got a check and a reporting date.

Most got waitlisted.

“Okay, the one on Sainwick Ave was not there 12 hours ago ! How they hell do they get things up so fast ?,” Minnie asks.

“ I don’t know, but this shit is creeping me out,” Jean comments

“It’s just quick, easy money,” Sara adds

I say nothing.

Above each booth is a running counter for how many positions left until they reach the cut off.The number is counting to 1200 and it’s approaching quickly.

As we headed pass downtown and out towards Transport Centre the sun begins to shine down through the morning sky.  In the distance, next to the bus stop there are three sets of gleaming elevated rails interwoven through each other.

We take the elevator up the platform and  stand in silence as train after train pulls across the silvery tracks, pauses at the station for a moment and then pulls off again. Eight trains pass by and Sara had yet to get on one until a sunwashed train with flecks of red and blue paint pulls up. It seemed even older than the other trains on the track. We were the only ones to board the train and if these trains ran like the ones in the East—by computer with no conductors---we were the only ones on the train.

Luce squeezes between Jean and Sara. They almost look like a little family. Minnie and I take the other side, Saint stands.

“What’s in the bag ?,” Minnie asks pointing to the bag Jean has sitting across his lap.

“Just a nasty little surprise,” he laughs

“Ooh, what is it ?”

“You don’t want to know.” he says as he and Sara exchange glances

The train starts moving at a rickety pace  as we leave the comfort of the city for the empty vastness of the desert and endless white ash.

It’s empty out here. The train passes close to a smaller Sprawl, but before we get too close we glide by it.

The rhythm rocks me and I give into my compulsion as my eyes get heavy and close. My dreams are populated by dark and blackness. And nothing.

I used to dream vividly all the time.

 Was I out  of hopes and dreams ?

 And then I see a light coming for me.

I jump when the train car gave a jolt and open my eyes up to see the train pulling into another station, right in the middle of the desert. The station and the town below it was like a small oasis in the middle of the ashy nothingness. The sand had been cleared of ash and short skyscrapers line a graveled pathway.

A sign was projected over the station

Mojave

Sara leads the way off the train and we were once again the only ones to get off. We headed down the street and towards the tallest glass skyscraper. Once inside I am overwhelmed with the burst of cool air conditioning  that dries the sweat from the back of my hair.

 The building was even more beautiful than the ones at Tempus. It’s vaulted ceilings were completely glass and reflected the light of the prism on the pristine marble floor.  At the front atrium, two armed men in  dark suits watched us enter the building.

Sara puts her arms around Luce and strides forward waving a hand at the guard. Jean put his arm over my shoulder and holding Minnie’s hand waves a hand as well. Saint followed behind. He gets by with merely a look.

When we got in the elevator I see that Jean and Sara are wearing a set of identical rings, I'd never seen before. They are bright silver with diamonds encrusting a large  black stone. Engraved around the ring are the words “Fall seven times and stand up eight”. I just barely make out the letters as the elevator door swings open.

The large building is eerily quiet as we walk out on to the floor and all there is only the echo of our footsteps. But I know we are being watched at every corner. I can sense it. At the end of a hallways stands two more men, guarding a large  door with a gold handle. These guards aren’t hiding their weapons, there is half an artillery strapped across their chests.

 Sara walks up to the door and places her hand on the handle.

 “Weapons,” The guard says

Sara scoffs and disarms quickly. Jean and Minnnie follow suit dropping a pile of guns and knives. Jean keeps the black duffel bag around his shoulder.

She goes for the door again and one of the guards stops her again.

“Weapons,” He repeats looking to her left at Luce.

Sara is silent and puts her arm around her son.

“Tell Rayne to chill the fuck out. My son is not taking off his leg.”

The guards give her a stare down.

“RAYNE!” she shouts

The door slides open on its own and we walk into an expansive conference room lined in large translucent windows. At a black circular conference table there is a man in a vested black suit sitting at the center. He is dark haired and older, but fairly attractive with an almost impossible look.

He stands as we walk in.

Minnow grabs my arm and holds me back by the door as Jean and Sara approach the man. He holds out his hand and Sara and Jean kiss it.

“We’re all friends here,” he says

“Tell that to your help,” she throws at him

“I’m just taking precaution.”

His voice is deep and he talks slowly and carefully.

He walks past them and towards where I stand next to Minnie and Luce. He puts a hand on Luce’s shoulder who shakes it off, not even bothering to look the man in the eye. He kisses Minnie on the cheek and she smiles. Then he comes to me.

“You must be Alan Gray,” he says. “Alan Gray the impossible.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” I say

“If Sara can’t figure out who you are you must be something,” he chuckles.” I’m very excited to work with you…whoever you are. I hear you are a hard worker.”

He extends a hand to me.

“Rayne Washington.” 

I take his hand and I shake it. This is something I can do, this is something I've been taught.

He walks back and takes a seat at the large  table, Sara and Jean go to join him. I notice a bright green drink is siting in front of Rayne and he picks it up as  petite strawberry blonde in a gold dress with deep red lips comes out and takes a seat to the right of Rayne.  Their hands overlay.

“The illustrious Ms. Ivy Washington,” he introduces, but also kind of greets the woman.

“My pleasure,” She  says, but her face is insincere.

“My wife,” Rayne continues.

The woman barely looks up.

“What’s the job ?” Sara asks.

“Let’s have some catching up first,” Rayne says jovially. “Some water, maybe a round of margaritas ?”

“Catching up ? What do you want to catch up on ?,” Sara says sternly. “How some Mjollner son of a bitch destroyed my house ? How you haven’t paid me in weeks ?”

He sighs as one of the guards from downstairs comes out with a tray of water and margaritas in salt rimmed bar glasses. Minnie happily takes one and so do I. Once everyone, except Sara, has something in their hand Rayne seems more relaxed.

“Sara you said you wanted to go to the East and I paid your fare and for you to get through. I told you to ransom the Kyto girl to make up for the cost and all you come back with is another team member. How is any of that my fault ?”

She crosses her arms.

So, Sara didn’t come to the East to just kidnap Allison. Why then ?

“We had some mistakes. It all just went to hell. It won’t happen again. Trust me.”

He is silent as he sips on the margarita. His eyes linger around the room. He turns to his wife.

“If you could give us a minute, dear.” 

She nods and walks out.

“Those damn Mjollner,” Rayne says.

“Oh, come on Rayne,” Jean snorts,” They are a bullshit organization with their bullshit drugs--”

“Yes, well people like their bullshit drugs. They’ve got  a supplier mixing all this crazy shit for highs and it’s doing well. Better even.  All the heavy hitters like it, and they are taking away a lot of my business.”

“You want to take out some of their dealers?” Sara asks, unenthused.

“No, they know your face.  That could start a gang war and I don’t need that. I need to cut off their supply and starve them out. I need you to take out their supplier. He's got this double life thing going. He works at the EtUn labs as a senior vice president or some shit by day.”

“Eternus Unlimited ? Didn't they get shut down years ago ?” Jean asks.

"Yes, as a research facility. Now they mostly make lab equipment, which is how this guy has the means and time to make his drugs."

“ So, we are going after a paper pusher,” Sara scoffs. “This is a rookie job-”

“Not so. You see, he lives and works in Fort Perch.”

This makes Sara quiet for a minute.

“Fort Perch has been fortified since that nuclear bomb threat. Security is tight.”

“It’s why I’m sending the prettiest face.”

She rolls her eyes.

“ Make it look like a smash and grab gone wrong. Take some equipment and sell it, it'll get you through."

“Why ? You're not going to  pay me ?”

“Let’s call it even from your trip to the East. I may be able to pay but It depends how quickly I can get my numbers back up.”

She looks upset but nods her head anyway. They both stand up at the same time and he hands Sara a paper portfolio. She goes through it and then looks up at him.

 “Do you  still agree to what we talked about earlier ?”

Rayne nods. He knocks on the backdoor and  his wife comes back out.

Sara walks back towards us and  puts her arm around Luce’s shoulder. He shrugs it off, that kid cannot stand to be touched.

Jean hands her the black duffle bag.

“Luce,” she says calmly. “You’re staying here with Rayne and Mrs. Washington”

“No. Why ?” he shouts.

“Because I said so. You have no control and I can’t take you with me or leave you alone. Besides there is nothing you can do.”

“Fuck you !,” he screams

“Luce, please--” 

“FUCK YOU!” he screams louder

“Look, Mrs. Washington--,”

“You’re NOT leaving me with HER !”

He picks up the water glass of the table and hurls it in Sara's direction

The security guards come in and restrain him which only makes it worse. He reaches  for another glass and hurls it at the window. It smashes through and I hear another tiny crash and shrieks as it hits the sidewalk.

“FUCK YOU !,” he shouts. “HOW CAN YOU TAKE HIM AND NOT ME ! I’M YOUR SON ! WHY DON’T YOU TRUST ME ? I HATE YOU, I HATE, I  HATE YOU, I COULD NEVER LOVE YOU.  I HATE YOU. DAD WOULD HATE YOU FOR THIS, HE WOULD HATE YOU FOR TRUSTING HIM--”

“Luce shut up!” She's almost begging.

“DAD HATES YOU ! ,” he screams and then hisses. “He told me ! I know it, he talks to me ! He hates you, he said you were a bitch, he said you’re a fucking bitch, Ma--”

Sara takes a step towards him and touches the back of his neck and his body goes limp mid-sentence. The guards holding him don’t expect it, his dead weight falls to the ground in a loud thud. I'm shaking because, I know the "him" is me and because Luce is talking to his dead father and I wonder what Sara did to lay him out with just a touch.

Mrs. Washington comes over and as she gives Sara a disapproving stare. Sara hands her the bag.

"I did not sign up for this," Mrs. Washington says curtly to Sara, looking at the incapacitated boy.

“I'm sure he’ll be a fucking angel when he wakes up,” Sara responds with an edge in her voice.

Mrs. Washington seems unsure of this and looks at Sara cautiously.

“Let’s go,” Sara orders.

She speed walks out of the room, her heels tapping out a quick pattern and  doesn’t look back.

We all follow.

+++

We don’t leave Mojave just yet. We got down the street to a small restaurant where the food is circulated though the tables by a conveyer belt. The restaurant isn’t heavily staffed and at each table there are groups of people trading, guns, drugs and even a few limbs. I quickly look away, as that seems to be the protocol.

Sara opens the portfolio and looks at the names. She projects them up on a screen so we can see.

“This is the kill,” she says.

The man’s name is Dr. Jedidiah Morrisey, he is the Director of Quality Control for EtUn. Eevery piece of equipment they build or drug they use to  goes through his hands."

“Okay, Fort Perch,” she looks at me. “It’s a fortified sprawl where all the rich people and government officials live. It’s also considered neutral territory, so it’s technically not a part of the Republic. Jean, do you have anyone who can sneak us in undetected ?”

“Shouldn’t be a problem. Minnow is still a resident , she can get us inside… everything else is games.”

“One of the guards is a total loon !,” she laughs. “He used to let me sneak out all the time without putting it in the official report.”

“Even better. Car ?,” Sara asks. "Preferably a sports car."

“I can get one from Neal,” Jean answers

"Alan, can you drive ?," she asks

"Yeah, but--"

“Time frame? Early morning ?,” she talks over me

Jean shakes his head and bites into a piece of shrimp.

“There's a Service Awards Ball next weekend and the EtUn president is being honored for some kind of bullshit, along with some other G-men. It's open bar, so I'm sure they’ll have some hotel suites booked and if he's not a total tightass I know Morrissey will be dealing. Hotels have less security than office buildings and  it will give us more time to get rid of the body. Also he’ll be inebriated, so easy hit."

“Perfect,” Sara half-smiles

"Are we taking out just Morrissey or anyone who worked for him?," Minnie asks

"Preferably Morrissey, but if we snag any of his buyers, I don't see the harm," she says and turns to me. "We have the extra help."

I look at her uneasily as she picks a box of tempura chicken off the conveyer and hands it to me.

"Remember, the stuff you used to fix the house ?"

"Yeah," I say

"Pack it all up in a discreet way that won't stick out at a cocktail party."

The food looses some of it's flavor in my mouth as I come to a horrible realization.

I haven't been cleaning Sara's house for shits and giggles.

She's been training me how to clean up after a kill

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