Tales_from_the_Hard_Side_ReLoaded / Episodes | TftHS-Ep12.5_Cold_Angel_Part_II
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Well it was not quite the night Drycon expected while Alex stayed in his lair. In fact it was rather too quiet for his taste until Alex woke with a scream. Bad dreams were chasing her through some training sessions. Or were those dreams fragments of memories not invoked properly? Only seconds later Dryon was at her door checking everything was alright no window broken, the door locked and no one on the trid-screen.
Hunger was Alex worst enemy and so they decide to fight it not before Drycon made it clear that she had to pay for it one way or the other. In a third class tavern chosen by Drycon for his purse sake Alex tried to fill her empty stomachs. It was there when Alex felt eyes on her back again. She rigged the cam on the trid-screen getting a better look on her opponent and the room while slipping a knife in her sleeve. Again something better than sex and hotter than fire started to rush through her veins. She tried to stay calm and called the waitress to tell that girl to come over and have a nice chitchat on Alex´ table.
In the meanwhile Drycon was out on the other side of the street to make some calls to get Alex work for him. It was there that he recognized the guy from yesterday watching the tavern from a dark corner across the street. Looking back at the inn he saw a girl sitting on his stool opposite of Alex. It was not his to give away, so he made the calls, fixed the silencer on his weapon and walked as casually as possible back to the tavern. A quick look up and down the crowded street showed him the stalker unmoved at the corner. Rain was pouring down again and the guy did not flinched an inch in his dark hideout. "Damm he was good" he had to give him that "but not good enough for old Drycon" he grinned to himself.
Her name was Gaia and she knew a thing or two about Alex. Nothing Alex had known about or recognized so far about herself. Gaia had a special gift she was told. She sees objects in different colors and by that she could determine whether individuals are living beings or build out of something else. And Alex was definitely something else. She had no color at all. A very strange thing in deed because Alex felt very alive at the moment. Her appetite was tamed - for the moment at least - and she was ready to take on another day in the city.
As it worked out Drycon had a job for her and the stalker was out on the other side of the street. Time to leave they decided. Before Gaia parted she stated that the Stalker was made of the same nothing as Alex was. A little befuddled Drycon and Alex crisscrossed through Little Italy to get rid of their pursuer before entering Uncle Joe's Pizza. And look who was there: Gaia strode out, greeted them and vanished in the crowd. Uncle Joe told them to look after a boy cold Mario. He was supposed to check back two days before today and didn't. So the Don wants to be informed about the absence of his courier.
Marios address in hands Alex and Drycon left. As assumed the boy was not at home and he wasn't seen by neighbors for two days. Checking on the last stops he took to deliver and received nobody could remember to have seen him since. After discussing the pro and cons they contacted Gaia and asked for help. The girl was excited and eager to get into real business as she called it. He made some preparations in Marios loft and set out on an astral journey to track him down. An hour later she came back with his location. It was the harbor - Tong turf as Drycon stated.
Of cause the part of the harbor the Tong used to traffic their goods was heavily guarded. So they decided that Alex should move in and Drycon took a snipers nest at a container near the site. Gaia came along to pinpoint Marios exact location. As she took a last astral sweep she barely avoided the magician on site. Plans where adopted and Alex made her move. She entered the compound on the belly of an inbounding truck and made a daring dash to the building the magician was inside. After hacking one security cam and disabling two workers she entered. The security officer in charge had practically no chance at all.
Once inside the security terminal it was no challenge at all to implant some loop for security cams. As Alex recognized the silent alarm it was to late for her to retreat. The Magus was alerted and she had to act fast. High on adrenalin and reflexes boosted to maximum she took the flight of stairs in two steps. Two security guards had no time to react as she moved past and hit the Magus with inhuman speed and force. Hit by a force comparable to a small car his body cartwheeled through air and interior only to came to an abrupt halt on the bulletproof window. Alex hardly evaded the arcane energy emanating the magus' broken body with a desperate jump down the staircase. Glass and debris showered down the stairs and out into the yard beyond the building as windows exploded violently.
Gaia had to retreat at the magical bow wave the dying magus and his broken spell caused. Chaos engulfed the part of the harbor as sirens shrilled, automated fire drencher kicked in and security tried to make sense out of the mess. Alex in her working suite milled with the fleeing workforce and ran for the exit. Drycon used not one bullet of his beloved rifle and Gaia had her first taste of reality. A sore taste as she had to admit. The body of Mario was sealed under two meters of concrete near the gate to the specific part of the harbor the Tong owned. But at least she was able to free his tortured spirit. She guessed that it was slaved into service by the late magus to protect the Tongs area from magical spying or warn the magus in charge.
Later this evening Alex strolled aimlessly through Little Italy. The crowd washed by like a sea and she enjoyed herself after a days work done successfully, actually her first job and as Drycon put it many to follow. Back at Drycons hideout two surprises waited for her.
First their was someone on her cot looking right at her as she entered the room. Handsome guy she had to admit but not invited. Her adrenaline high above normal she waited for him to explain his presence. He casually told her she could stay because he was out tonight and probably the night after so no problem at all. While offering her a can of chemical nutrition he told her his name was Emmanuel and he worked with Drycon so no trouble from his part on that. Fine she thought so no trouble from my side on that too. Emmanuel looked somehow familiar but she could not remember where they could have met before. She decided to like him but stay alert for the time being.
The second surprise held the pocket of her coat. Somehow someone has managed to slip an envelope into it. It held an address and said "Hello Alex, we would like to invite you to our party tonight." What the hack was that? Well, she was in the mood to give it a try at least. So Alex returned to the streets of Chicago Megacity and made for the appointment.
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