"I will be one million credits richer. I could sell him to Chaosonic, I'm sure they will love to have him back. Or I could test him until I have a million credits worth of information."
Kyntak knew the signs of life. There were none.
"However, you could deposit that amount in a nominated account before six o' clock and I will return Six unharmed."
Ransom? Ransom! That was this was about! Kyntak tried not to seethe. The nets made a whole lot of sense.
"When verified, Six will be on the corner of 452nd street and the Seawall at seven o' clock."
"Don't test me."
The screen broke into a series of numbers and letters. The bank account.
King broke down. He let loose a stream of profanities, many of which Kyntak didn't know and filed away for later usage, that should have been censored. The whole moment should have been rated R.
"You okay?"
"No."
"Better?"
"Yes." King finished heaving and adjusted his tie. "Call Queen. We need to scrape together one million credits."
"You're going to pay up?" Kyntak asked, incredulous.
"We may have to…" Kyntak was off the edge of the desk.
"I could check out the drop off. They'll have a couple goons there. I can find them and bust them up before we have to pay up." Kyntak steeled
his glare. "They are not going to get away with this."
King watched Kyntak critically. "What's more important: Six or justice?"
"Six," Kyntak answered without a second thought. "Six, every time. But, what if they don't honor-"
King cut him off. He hit the print button and the inkjet hummed to life producing the details. "We'll play it safe. We'll let them have the money
and take it back later. There is no way they are going to keep it. It's nice to know you're still on my side."
"I'm on whatever side Six is on."
"Perfect. Call Ace of Diamonds and we'll go over the video."
By 15:30, they only knew a little more. They replayed the video on an endless loop only pausing to point out details.
There was little to see. Six's face sent an arrow to the heart every time Kyntak saw it.
The walls were quicklime and mortar.
Kyntak tried recalling all of the hide outs that had mortar in them. That left about half the City's basements as free game.
And the chains. Six had been tied down with heavy, metal chains while he was unconscious. That does not look good.
Six had been stripped and was now wearing a bright orange that on a normal day Jyntak would have made fun of him for. Now he just cursed the fact it obscured Six's chest well enough they couldn't tell if he was breathing the first time around.
The thing they did get, upon sooming in, was the steady pulse of a jugular.
Six was alive. Not necessarily well, but alive. That was enough to send Kyntak into a fit of ecstasy.
"Wait." Kyntak put his hand on the table. "That last frame." Ace was already preparing a snap shot and fiddling with hue saturation and contrast.
Black hair. A once broken nose. Thin lips. Red eyes. Bloody red eyes.
King reacted the moment the image became clear. "Can we match this?"
Ace shook her head. "No. Her face is stretched and the ratio is unspecified. She could be a million people." Kyntak recalled something Six said once.
It was something he said over dinner. Just a casual conversation but now that could be very useful. He had cut off most of his ties to the underworld. Better that he got legitimate information that could be traced. This was useful. Very useful indeed.
Six awoke to a white wall. He tensed and un-tensed every muscle in his body. All clear. He tried raising his hand to wipe his face, but it only clashed into metal. He tilted his head to look at the straps restraining him. The "straps" were more like copper cuffs.
"Ah, I see you're awake, Agent Six of Hearts." Six's head snapped up to see a dominatrix and a midget.
The woman was dressed in leather. Solid, black leather. Her gun was pointed at him.
The midget was dressed in a doctor's scrubs. He didn't look very much like a doctor. His manicured fingers and dress shoes suggested anything but doctor. Time to scope out the situation.
"What?" He gave them a lost puppy look, using the distraction to survey the room. The dominatrix just stood there looking dangerous. But, not a threat unless I remain tied up.
The man's eyes widened and he his grin turned manic. "You really are Six of Hearts."
Give up or play along? Six crinkled his nose and furrowed his brow trying to look confused. "One of the guys on the team was called Six. Are you looking for him? I'm Kyntak, by the way." The man froze momentarily thrown.
"Kyntak?" Six found his card.
"Yeah, I'm Kyntak. Didn't you hear earlier?" The man looked taken aback for a fraction of a second. Six smirked inwardly but schooled his expression. "We're identical twins you realize."
"And you refer him as 'one guy'," the scientist wearied. Chances were that wasn't the most disturbing thing he heard.
Six did his best to shrug the way Kyntak did. It was difficult when you were strapped down to a table in an ugly orange jumper. "Long lost twin and all that. He didn't like me converging on his work space. Said I'm too loud and annoying." Six turned up the whining a little for affect. Finally, the subconscious things he had been doing for months would come into play.
"So there is another?" Six looked at him head tilted to one side. "Another Project falcon child?"
Six grinned. "Well, there were three. But, Six took care of the other one." He tried to look delighted. This farce better work.
The scientist only grinned. "You are much more interesting than I expected, Six. Pretending to be your twin. Absolutely ingenious." He surveyed Six's condition. "I suppose he is going to try to rescue you. Too bad he won't get that far."
Six blanched a little. "I very much hope to have him under my microscope. He threw a chunk of metal large enough to take off a propeller. I am very impressed." He leaned in knowing Six's exact thought on the matter. "I'll see which one I like more."
Six pulled at the cuffs and tried to tug away. The man walked up with a syringe.
"I'm taking some blood. Hold still." Not sure if he should, Six complied realizing his refuzal would mean an electric shock. "Good." Things could be worse.
Crimson fluid filled the tube. The scientist, what I can guess at this rate, gazed at the tube in wonder.
"Don't bother struggling." Six realized exactly what they could do using copper.
The man left the room with a vial of blood.
The woman left too, smiling as she did so.
Hollowed footsteps clattered down the hall. Earle Shuji looked up from her work.
In the door way stood someone she had never thought to see again.
"Hello, Kyntak."
WALL IS UP.
