Hey guys, welcome back to the story. I'm so glad to be back writing this again and in general. It's been too long. I hope that you have all been well the past month or so. Without further ado, let's do this.
Chapter Summary: After discussing a few leads our group decide to split up to follow up on them. However, not everything goes quite as planned.
Chapter Ten: Taken
The Next Day – Early Afternoon – District Nine – Warehouse HQ
Once again, the group had gathered to discuss their plans. They had all taken up their usual positions in the planning area. This time, they would be putting some of those words into action. Something was different now. There was an air of nervous anticipation to actually begin their attack. Here was the point of no return. From this moment on, they had to be committed. When they had all settled, Rachel kicked off the proceedings.
"First off, PresCorp's 'allies' need to be dealt with. We'll start off with the various crime rings and gangs since they will be easier to convince… or get rid of." There was an unnerving ominousness to her voice. They all hoped to avoid casualties where possible but the truth was that life rarely allowed for idealism.
"I might have some connection with certain crime rings," Victoria chimed in, breaking the dark atmosphere threatening to consume them. "Information comes from all kinds of places."
"I also know a good place to start," Rachel confirmed, the graveness of her expression shifting to something more relaxed.
Chloe rolled her eyes playfully at her old friend. "Of course you do."
"I doubt I will be overly useful in this kind of mission, so I'll stay back and keep an eye on everything," Kate announced, realizing that her skills probably wouldn't help much. Well, she hoped she wouldn't have to use them anyway. Even after all this time, seeing people get hurt and sometimes dying was hard to process.
"Good idea," Rachel agreed with the rest of the group nodding as well to show their approval. "How about this, we split up into two teams to follow up on the separate leads. I'll head one and Victoria can lead the other since these are our contacts. Max can come with me and Chloe can go with Victoria."
"What?" The disbelieving question came from both Chloe and Victoria simultaneously. They glanced at one another then back at Rachel waiting for some explanation.
As ever, Rachel was prepared for the inevitable protest with sound logic. "Think about it, we need to spread our skills evenly. We don't want two mercenary/assassin types on one team. Also, Victoria and I are probably the better hackers of the group. It's best to cover all bases. If we mess up this early, well… it won't be pretty for anyone."
There was a prolonged period of silence as both Chloe and Victoria tried to think of a valid argument to her proposal. Soon enough they realized that it would be pointless arguing, no matter how much they wanted to. They were swiftly running out of time and the sooner they could take PresCorp down, the better.
"I hate it when you use logic…" Victoria mumbled, reluctantly giving in to the plan.
"You're not the only one," Chloe huffed in rare agreement with her.
"Don't worry. I won't steal Max from you for too long," Rachel reassured, knowing exactly what the bluenette was so irritated about. It was almost cute how irritated she was getting over this. For now, Rachel wanted to make the most of the teasing opportunity. Later she may help both of them along if they were still totally clueless but she needed to give them a chance to sort things out on their own. Hopefully, her playful remarks were at least giving them something to think about.
Chloe opened her mouth to protest before clamping it shut. She didn't need to incriminate herself further. Instead, she glanced over to Max who did look a bit disappointed by the setup… or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
Taking the silence as agreement, Rachel rolled her shoulders and stood up. "If we are all ready, we can go now."
"I guess…" Chloe sighed, following her lead by getting to her feet.
A few seconds later, Victoria decided to rise from her chair. "If I'm forced to spend time with Price, I may as well get it over with."
"A sentiment I share, actually." Chloe conceded, her tone still carrying a hint of resentment over Rachel's plan.
Ignoring their not-so-subtle moaning, Rachel turned to her partner for this mission with a charming smile. "Are you ready, Max?"
Max nodded, taking one last glance over at Chloe who looked a bit disheartened at the arrangement. "As ready as I'll ever be."
This action did not go unnoticed but Rachel decided to save that as a discussion for later. Maybe for their journey. "Good. Then it's settled. Try to wrap this up as quickly as possible and keep each other up-to-date if something changes."
The four of them gathered their equipment together before heading out into the outside world. Chloe and Victoria were destined for District Six, so had to use a hidden network of passageways and shortcuts to get there. Rachel and Max, on the other hand, remained within District Nine. Their contact was much closer to home.
As they were walking down a twisted alleyway, Rachel glanced over at her companion. There was clearly something on her mind. "I know that look."
Max seemed surprised by the statement. "What look?"
"That look," Rachel repeated for emphasis. "The one you've had ever since we left. Look, I know you'd have rather gone with Chloe on this."
"What? Where did that come from?" Max asked confusedly, unable to keep the flicker of guilt from her voice.
"Oh please, I'm not stupid," Rachel sounded a bit insulted by the poor attempt at deflection. "I take no offence from it at all."
"It's not just that." It was true, at least part of Max's mind was… pre-occupied with Chloe. She knew that she was probably overthinking things, but she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, Chloe's teasing had been… something more. She found herself sighing, which did nothing to take the heat off her.
"So you admit that is part of it." The mischievous blonde grinned at having caught her out.
Max didn't have anything to say to this. Maybe she should have thought her words through more carefully. "I guess."
"You guess?" Rachel pushed, clearly unsatisfied with the reply.
"It's just… there's a lot of things going on and I'm feeling a bit out of my depth trying to process them all," Max admitted. A lot had changed in the past couple of weeks. She just hoped that everything would fall into place eventually. Otherwise…
Rachel picked up on her reluctance to expand and put the topic to one side. "Well, if there's anything you think I can help with just let me know. Especially related to Chloe. I know her better than she knows herself most of the time."
Thankful for the end of this discussion, Max let out a sigh of relief, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." It was then that a question materialized in her mind. Deciding to bite the bullet, she glanced over at Rachel with hesitance. "Out of curiosity, how did you meet Chloe?"
The once playful expression shifted very slightly, flickering with melancholy. It was subtle yet noticeable if you paid attention. "That's… a long story. Basically, without her, I'd probably be dead by now and vice versa. I was on the run and she helped me remain hidden."
"On the run?" The new information wasn't all that surprising. There were so many people who were running from something nowadays.
A slight nod confirmed this. "Yes… it's nothing for you to worry about, though. It won't compromise our mission."
Max desperately wanted to ask from who and why, but she figured she probably wouldn't get an answer now. Instead, she dropped the issue for now. There was no point pushing it. Everybody had their secrets and it wasn't fair to try and force them. Maybe one day she would find out.
"What the fuck do you clowns want?" The gruff voice startled Max, making her turn sharply. A figure stepped out of the shadows, a man she recognized as Frank Bowers. There was a dog close by his side, growling menacingly at them. Unsurprisingly, drugs were a major source of escape for those struggling. The drug trade was closely monitored by PresCorp, making sure they received their cut. As long as they got their money, they didn't care what people were selling.
Rachel took a step forward, tossing her hair over her shoulder and offering up a charming smile. "Is that any way to treat a loyal customer?"
He seemed to be temporarily taken aback by her presence. "Rachel, what are you doing here?"
"Looking for you, actually," Rachel admitted, cutting straight to the point.
"Me? Why?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"I'm on a little mission." She kept it vague for now, knowing that it would pique his curiosity. Max decided to remain silent and let her handle it, instead vigilantly scouting for trouble. Words weren't her strong point so she'd only end up ruining things. Besides, Rachel seemed to know what she was doing.
Frank frowned skeptically at that statement. "Nothing you ever do is little."
"Fair point," Rachel conceded, not missing a beat as she continued her proposition. "I think you'll be interested in what I have to say."
His expression shifted from suspicious to curious. He muttered something to the dog by his feet, which sat down and assumed a non-threatening demeanor. "I'm listening."
Now that she had his attention, Rachel began to work her magic. "How do you feel about PresCorp?"
The name made Frank scowl and his teeth grit. "Piece of shit company that makes it almost impossible to make a living. Yeah, I know them."
Rachel allowed him a moment to process the question before she continued. "There might be a way to get back at them."
A flicker of hopefulness entered his eyes then. "What's that?"
"We take them down. Permanently." She stated, giving off an unprecedented aura of self-assurance.
He didn't seem too impressed by the vagueness. "I hope you have more of a plan than that."
"Don't I always?" Rachel responded confidently. "That is what we're doing now. Without the support of crime and drug rings, PresCorp's forces will be diminished significantly. We need your help reaching out to other gangs and persuading them. One way or another."
Frank took a moment to think it all over, stroking his chin. "A lot of gangs are pissed at PresCorp. It probably wouldn't be too difficult. Might take some time, though."
A small smile tugged at Rachel's lips when he agreed. "We have other things to attend to in the meantime, so that's not a problem."
"If it was anyone else asking I'd say they were crazy to even suggest such a thing. Since it's you, I'm willing to believe it's possible," Frank sighed while petting the dog at his feet.
"It's more than possible with me around," Rachel reassured, knowing exactly what to say to ease his worries. She'd always had a knack for persuading people… or maybe manipulating was a better term. Either way, she usually got what she wanted one way or another.
He nodded in agreement. "Again, I believe it. I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks, Frank. I owe you." Rachel offered up a dazzling smile.
"Yeah, I've heard that phrase too many times to count." Frank managed a chuckle before he disappeared off into the darkness again.
Classing this visit as a success, the two of them began to head back to HQ. As they were weaving their way in and out of various alleyways and buildings, Rachel began a new line of conversation. "So many people have had to turn to crime to make a living. Sure, there are some out there who get a kick from the violence, but others are just trying to earn make their way in life. It's sad, really."
"I can relate." The mercenary life Max had been leading up until this point couldn't really be seen as legal. It wasn't illegal per say, but the topic was avoided in polite conversation.
"Once PresCorp is down people should be able to break free of that life. As long as we get someone competent lined up to fill the void." Rachel added thoughtfully. It was all well and good taking down an established rule, but they needed something to put in place after before some other asshole stepped up.
"Another hurdle." It wouldn't be the last either. That was certain.
Rachel nodded in silent contemplation before speaking again. "We just need to find someone with a sympathetic ear, preferably from one of the higher districts people trust. That way, we won't seem like some criminal upstarts trying to seize power. Right now, people need security. PresCorp has provided that for the residents of the higher districts up until now. We'll manage somehow."
"So, how do you know Frank?" Max asked in an attempt to make small talk. It had never been her forte but she could try. She was curious about Rachel. There was just something about her that begged certain questions.
"This might surprise you but I've been a regular customer of his for a while," Rachel divulged with a flicker of humor. "He's pretty much the only dealer in Neo-Seattle who won't fuck you over. And he's helped me out a couple of times too."
"Trustworthy people are hard to come by nowadays," Max agreed. She could probably count the people she trusted with her life on one hand. Maybe both hands if things carried on as they were.
Rachel glanced over at her as they continued to walk. "That's an understatement."
"Leave me alone." The sentence cut through the conversation, stopping it dead in its tracks. Max recognized the voice immediately and froze. It belonged to Lynn, Kate's sister.
"Where'd you come from, sweetheart? Something tells me you're a long way from home." A man towered over her, a twisted grin plastered on his face. He was slender and covered in scars and bruises, some fresher than others. Part of his left ear was missing and a few of his teeth had been knocked out. The ring finger of his right hand was little more than a stump. He'd clearly seen a few fights in his life. Dark circles framed his sunken eyes, his head shaved with various tattoos visible on his skin. Some gang related.
It only took a second for Max to intervene. Unable to think properly anymore, she swiftly approached the man and growled menacingly. "Step away from her."
"Says who?" The guy sneered, his expression challenging and cocky.
Max's fists clenched, staring the man down with all the intimidation she could muster. "Says me. Unless you want to get sent back in a body bag."
He seemed to be amused by her threat more than anything, cracking his knuckles. "Oh, feisty. Just how I like 'em."
Rachel had used the distraction to rescue Lynn and bring her to a safe distance from the man. There was no need for Max to hold back. Within a few seconds, the man was on the floor coughing and wheezing as he clutched at his stomach. It was pathetic to witness him rolling around and groaning from the pain. She couldn't feel sorry for him. Not after whatever it was he tried to do to Lynn.
Instead of pulverizing him like Max wanted so desperately to do she walked over to him and crouched down, grabbing him by the collar. "What were you going to do?"
"Look, I'm just doing my job," the man defended, wincing at the pain.
Keeping up the pressure, Max's grip on him tightened. "What job?"
"I just pick people up off the streets. District Nine's teeming with strays. I dunno what happens to 'em. That's PresCorp's business. Not mine. All I do is drop them off at the location specified. It changes each time. I have a drive in my pocket of the next few drop off points," he quickly answered, obviously afraid for his life at this point. "Please don't kill me."
With one swift movement, Max lifted the tip of her right hand's middle finger and jabbed the concealed needle into the guy's neck. His body almost instantly relaxed, sending him into a deep sleep. When he woke, he would remember nothing. She would have loved to have ended this miserable excuse for a human's life then and there, but Lynn would have seen. That was something no child should witness, at that age especially. Besides, that would only raise suspicions. Whenever enforcers turned up dead or remained missing, PresCorp upped security. They sure as hell didn't need another handicap.
Just to check, she put her hand in his pockets finding a few items, including some pills and money chips. There was a memory card too, presumably containing the information he promised. She quickly downloaded the data onto a storage device before returning it back to his pocket. With him out of the way, she turned to see Lynn clutching onto Rachel as tightly as she could. She was whispering to the young girl, trying to put her at ease. Max's expression softened at the heartbreaking scene as she made her way over to them.
"Lynn, you know what both Kate and I have told you about wandering off on your own," she sighed as she crouched down beside Lynn, who almost immediately shuffled over to cling onto her.
"I'm sorry. I just… wanted to see my sister," Lynn sniffled, doing her best to hold back the tears.
"You should have rung ahead. She'd have come seen you or I could've picked you up," Max stated, realizing that it didn't do much good now. Still, she felt as if she had to say it.
"I know…" Lynn nuzzled into Max's shirt, holding on with all her might. She was shaking like a leaf.
Max re-positioned her hands so she could pick Lynn up securely. Having a robotic arm really helped with lifting and carrying. Even the strongest human arm got tired eventually. "Come on, let's get you to Kate. Then we'll take you home."
The three of them continued on their journey to HQ, being careful not to get caught. Eventually, they made it without further incident. They entered the building and made their way to the main part of the warehouse. Victoria and Chloe were back already doing their own things on opposite sides of the room. Kate was also in the room, sat on the couch. When she heard the door close, she sat up and turned to them with a welcoming smile. That smile faded when she saw Lynn in Max's arms. The young mercenary gently put her down and watched as she raced over to where Kate was now stood and clamped onto her waist.
"Lynn… what are you doing here?" Kate asked, only receiving sniffles in response. She carefully bent down and gathered Lynn up in her arms. After this, she shot Max a look saying 'What the hell happened?'. It was understandable that she was confused and alarmed. Max replied in kind, hopefully conveying that she would tell her all about it later. That was enough to pacify Kate for now, but the worry lines didn't disappear. She herded Lynn towards her room, leaving the rest of them in the main section.
"What did happen?" Victoria asked as Kate disappeared.
"We had a run in with an enforcer. Well, Max did," Rachel hesitantly replied, shooting a sideways glance in Max's direction.
All eyes in the room turned to Max then, all asking the same question. Victoria was more demanding in her look whereas Chloe just looked worried. She swallowed hard before answering. "Lynn was coming to see Kate and… she nearly got caught."
"Shit…" Chloe whispered, looking horrified.
"It's not all bad news, surprisingly," swallowing the anger, Max took the storage device from her pocket and held it up for them all to see. Anything for a distraction now. "We did get some potential info on PresCorp and their shady deals."
"It's probably protected," Victoria added, staring at the device with scrutiny.
"It's a good thing I'm here then. I'll get to work decrypting this." Rachel took the device from Max, ready to start utilizing her uncanny hacking skills.
Before she could disappear off, Victoria took a step forward and blocked her path. "I'll help you."
"You might end up distracting me instead." Rachel grinned at her cheekily.
Victoria didn't budge an inch, crossing her arms with a stern expression plastered to her face. "Not until after we've finished. I'll make sure of that."
"Sounds good. Two heads are better than one and Rachel needs someone to keep her on track," Chloe mentioned with a slight smirk.
Rachel narrowed her eyes at the accusation. "Hey, like you can talk."
"I've got Max to keep me focused," Chloe motioned as she threw an arm around the woman who, weeks ago, had been ordered to kill her. Max was taken aback by the unexpected, yet not unwelcome, contact.
"On what, though?" The impish blonde asked gleefully.
"Okay, that's enough from you. Get your ass out of here and get working on that info. Who knows how much time we'll have…" These last few words made the smile wane.
Rachel threw her hand up in a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am."
With that, both Rachel and Victoria headed off towards the tech room to work on the new lead. Presumably, the mission Victoria and Chloe undertook went according to plan from the lack of discussion about it. No doubt they would discuss it later. For now, the important thing was exploring the newly gained information. Anything to give them an advantage, or at least to help them catch up.
Max glanced over at the bedroom corridor, wondering if Lynn was okay. Unable to sit still any longer, she stood up. "I'm just going to check on Lynn and Kate."
"Don't take too long," Chloe replied, letting her arm fall to her side again before getting comfortable on the couch.
To be honest, Max had half expected her to leave, but it seemed that Chloe would wait for her to get back. If she was honest, she could do with a chat and with Kate out of action Chloe was the next best person. She had to wonder if Chloe could sense that. "I'll try not to."
Taking a deep breath, she made her way over to Kate's room. Before she had the chance to knock on the door, it opened. Kate nearly bumped into her, managing to stop at the last second. When she had composed herself, she focused her attention on Max. "Well, that was good timing."
"How's Lynn doing?" Max asked in a low voice. Seeing Lynn like that had been hard for both of them. Especially Kate.
"She's asleep now, thankfully," Kate's expression shifted from relief to worry. "What happened to her? I've never seen her so shaken up."
Max had expected this question. She knew Kate deserved the truth, so that was what she gave. "Some PresCorp bastard tried to… take her."
There was a moment of silence as the answer sank in. The color slowly drained from Kate's face as the implications of this statement hit her. She had heard many rumors of kidnappings before. "Presumably they failed."
"Yeah, they did," Max confirmed, feeling eternally grateful for crossing paths with Lynn.
The tension in Kate's body subsided slightly as she wrapped her arms around Max. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it, really. You and Lynn are like family to me and I wouldn't want anything to happen to either of you." She felt her voice break a bit at the end as she hugged Kate back. In this world, family was hard to come by. You had to hold onto whatever you had, whether by blood or by circumstance.
"We feel the same way about you, Max. So please be careful," Kate pleaded as she pulled away. She knew there was no point in asking for a promise. The thing about promises was that they could be made with the best intentions and still get broken. Max could look after herself but nobody was truly safe.
"Only because you asked nicely," Max replied with a slight smirk. Her way of dealing with bad shit was to joke about it. Usually, it worked in lightening the mood. That and she couldn't promise anything indefinitely. As much as she wanted to.
Kate actually managed a smile despite recent events. No matter what happened, Max always knew how to make her feel better. Nothing had changed there. "I'd better get back to Lynn now. I don't want her waking up alone after… everything."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll talk to you later." After saying her goodbyes, Max made her way back to the main part of the warehouse. As she re-entered the room and approached the couch, Chloe looked over at her. "How are you holding up?"
"I don't know, to be honest," Max admitted, trying to process everything that had happened as she slumped down onto the couch beside Chloe. She didn't want to believe that Lynn had nearly been… A lump formed in her throat then, eyes stinging with tears. She swallowed them back, taking a deep calming breath. It was the first time in a while that she had felt like crying. In fact, the last time she'd really cried was… when her parents died. Sure, there had been times when she'd shed a couple of tears here and there, but not recently. "If we hadn't been there to save Lynn, well…" She frowned at the alternative, trying desperately to shake it from her mind with limited success. That was not something she wanted to think about. Ever.
Chloe didn't say anything, instead waiting to see if Max was finished. This was obviously hard to say and interrupting now wouldn't help. It was best to let her just say what she needed to say before responding.
Finally, Max sighed and finished off her trail of thought. Her voice was low and full of emotion as the words left her lips. "I just… keep thinking about all the ones I can't save."
That was a feeling Chloe also knew all too well. For a time, she'd been selfish only thinking about herself, especially after her father's death. Even her decision to start this whole rebel persona had been fueled by anger and a want for revenge. However, the more of the world she explored, the more pain and suffering she was exposed to and the harder it was to ignore it.
After reflecting for a few seconds, Chloe gently placed a hand on Max's shoulder to get her attention. "That's why we're doing this. To make things better for everyone. Well, expect those PresCorp bastards. They can rot in hell for all I care."
Max nodded at that statement, still looking pretty miserable. "Agreed."
Chloe wasn't great at expressing herself or offering words of comfort, but she wanted to try. She had noticed the wavering in Max's voice, the flicker of hopelessness that had entered her eyes. It was heartbreaking to see and she wanted nothing more than to get rid of it. "Things might seem like shit now because they are, but that doesn't mean we can't fix that. Sure, it won't be easy but that doesn't mean it isn't right. If we give up now, we're giving up on everyone. I don't know about you but I've never been much of a quitter. Pride and stubbornness have made sure of that."
There was a moment of silence as the words sank in. Slowly, Max's expression of despair changed to one of determination. Chloe was right. Sitting here feeling sorry for herself wouldn't help anyone, least of all herself. She took a deep breath and even managed a small smile. "Thanks for the pep talk."
With ease, Chloe returned her smile. "Anytime rockstar. We all need a reminder every now and then. Or all the time in some cases."
That was true, but it was much more than that. Hearing Chloe, in particular, say it made it much more meaningful for some reason. "Only from certain people."
"Certain people, huh? What kind of 'certain people'?" Chloe asked in a half-teasing tone. Part of her was actually kind of nervous to hear the answer.
"People who it actually means something coming from," Max replied, looking her directly in the eyes. While they hadn't known each other that long, Chloe felt familiar in a strange way. Maybe it was that she kind of reminded Max of Rica from Verge, but different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it and maybe she didn't have to. Everyone, including herself, was so obsessed with putting things in boxes. Knowing exactly where everyone fitted in life. Maybe this time she should just go with the flow and not ask too many questions.
The comment seemed to surprise Chloe, her eyes widening a fraction. How should she even react to that? "W-well… glad to have been of service."
"What's got you shy all of a sudden?" The young mercenary questioned suspiciously, deciding it was her turn to push for once.
"When you say mushy shit like that, it catches me off guard," Chloe reluctantly confessed after a prolonged pause. Witty comebacks had failed her in this instance.
"In a good way?" Max pressed, both for curiosity's sake and to tease just a little.
"I…" Chloe stared at her with such an intensity that it made Max shiver. It was like she was looking for something in particular. What that was… Max had no clue. After a few seconds, it appeared as if she had found at least part of her answer. "Yeah, in a good way."
"I'll be sure to surprise you more often then," Max promised with a cheeky grin. Just talking to Chloe made her feel better.
"I'll hold you to that. Anyway, I have important shit to do so… I'll catch you later, yeah?" Before she could be teased further, Chloe stood up and wandered off. As she left, she glanced over her shoulder back at Max. Part of her didn't want to leave but they both had important stuff to do. Priorities and all that. The problem was, it was getting harder and harder to prioritize the 'right' things.
"You bet." Max couldn't help but smile at being the one causing havoc for once. Normally, she was the one tormented and flustered. She could easily get used to being the one on the offensive. Once in a while.
Another chapter down and things are starting to pick up. I probably won't get another chapter out before the new year, so have a great holiday, rest up and relax. I know I will be. Thanks for reading, have an awesome day and see you next time.