Hello everyone, glad that I finished this ahead of schedule for all of you waiting. Now go on and enjoy!
Chapter 20: Death in the Graveyard
"Is the APC's turret online?" Elaine questioned the driver from her crouched position.
"Fully loaded, she's all yours if you need her," said the driver, pointing at the console beside him.
"Fredrick, man the turret, get them off us," Elaine commanded. Fred gently pushed past the other occupants and sank down into the gunner's seat next to the driver.
"Power system booting up…targeting system online. She's ready to go," Fred announced. Elaine peeked through the back door's slit. The two trucks were gaining speed. It was only a matter of time before they got close enough to start firing.
"Don't let them get close, Fredrick," Elaine shouted. A metallic clunking sound reverberated in the room.
"I have them in my sights. Firing now,"
The streets flashed with a brilliant light. Rocks and ash jumped up into the air in conjunction with the turret's rounds. An explosion clipped one of the truck's side, sending it careening out of the street and into a skyscraper. The last truck accelerated, crashing into the APC's bumper. The truck jerked forward, knocking Elaine and Kathleen to the ground. The civilians were pushed against each other, some even fell to the floor themselves.
"Fredrick, get them off our back!" Elaine shouted.
"Copy that, Lieutenant. Just give me some time to line up the shot!" Fredrick replied. Another clunking sound echoed in the cabin before the APC rocked again. Klenon clutched his side and hissed. Every swaying motion sent horrible spikes of pain up and down his body.
"Another truck down, we're clear!" Fredrick reported. Elaine breathed a sigh of relief, which was quickly cut off by another intense jerk.
"Fredrick, what was that?"
"Son of a bitch, there's another one. They shot down the turret's power feed. Trying to re-route to secondary output," Fredrick said.
"Driver, how much longer?" Elaine demanded.
"We still have a ways away but we'll get there as scrap if you don't get them off us!"
Elaine searched around frantically for a solution, "We need to take them out ourselves. But we can't risk endangering innocent lives,"
"Lieutenant?"
Elaine turned to Klenon, who shakily got up to his feet and sighed. He could feel the antibiotics coursing through his veins as he stumbled slightly, "Two of us could…possibly make a biotic field in front of the civilians, the others could get rid…of that truck."
Elaine looked towards the others before nodding in agreement, "Very good, Klenon. Kathleen, Fredrick, bring up that barrier, use every ounce of energy you have to keep them safe. Klenon, you're helping me bring down that truck, can you do that?"
Klenon leaned against the metal walls and nodded. Elaine grimaced at the blood that stained his bandages, but she couldn't afford to have him hold up the barrier in his condition.
"I'll do whatever I can, Lieutenant. You…have my word on that," Klenon said with a slight cough. Fredrick crawled out of his chair and joined Kathleen at the back of the APC. They both brought their hands up as the air in front of them rippled and distorted.
"Everyone get as low as you can," Elaine told the rest of the people inside. She and Klenon took up positions behind the barrier and raised their weapons. Elaine raised her boot and kicked the doors open. The truck sped up behind them with pirates peeking out over the sides, their own weapons raised.
Klenon and Elaine fired their rifles, forcing the pirates back into cover.
"We don't need to take out the pirates, just get rid of that truck," the driver shouted from his seat. Klenon adjusted his aim and fired at the windshield. Cracks dotted the glass but it remarkably stayed intact.
"It must be reinforced. Hit it with everything you've got."
Klenon nodded and pulled the trigger back with no intention of letting up. The stock of his rifle pushed back relentlessly against his shoulder. Slowly but surely, the cracks on the truck grew to dangerous levels.
Then suddenly Klenon spotted a pirate climbing up the top of the truck. He hefted up a large gun that looked worryingly like a rocket launcher. The pirate dropped to one knee and pulled the trigger.
"Incoming rocket!" Fredrick grunted as he tried to maintain control over the barrier. The APC drove over a concrete barrier and rocked to the right as the missile impacted the ground to its side.
"Would you just shoot the damn guy? I can't keep doing this like some circus trick!" the driver shouted.
"Klenon, take him down. I'll focus on the driver," Elaine ordered. Klenon lifted the barrel of his rifle and fired a quick burst. A blue flash shimmered in front of the pirate as he loaded another shot. Klenon fired again, this time managing to bring down the pirate's shields.
Elaine refocused her aim on the vulnerable pirate and fired a volley of rounds. A stream of blood rocketed out of the pirate's chest and legs, collapsing him to the top of the truck. Elaine lowered her rifle slightly and nodded to Klenon. The two combined their fire and shattered the windshield.
"He's vulnerable, take him out," she said. Klenon centered his crosshair on the driver's head before he caught sight of the pirate on the roof of the truck getting back up. Before Klenon could warn Elaine, the pirate got up on his one good knee and fired one last rocket.
"You've got to be kidding ME!" Fred growled as he braced himself. The rocket careened off to the side and knocked everyone down. Klenon could hear the driver cursing wildly as he struggled to regain control of the car.
The rear of the APC spun from side to side as the truck skidded across the wide street. Klenon grabbed the metal bench to keep himself stable, suffering through every shot of agony as his body reacted harshly to the sudden movements. The APC jumped into the air before making a final jerk forward.
Elaine groaned and picked herself up from the wreckage. The other civilians looked dazed; a few of them even looked unconscious, "Fredrick, Kathleen, Klenon, are you all alright?"
Elaine forced herself through the dazed masses and jumped off the APC. The entire front of the truck disappeared behind the concrete wall it crashed into. She quickly spotted Fredrick a few steps away from the APC, nursing his arm. Kathleen was pushed to the back of the APC, trying to shake off the remnants of her blurry vision.
A crumpled body caught her attention near the APC's tires. The unfortunate person struggled to pick himself up, his knees buckling under the slightest weight. A gloved hand reached out to grab a destroyed tire to keep him steady.
"Klenon, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Elaine came up to his side and wrapped his arm around her neck.
"Just a little shaken…Could…could be better…Lieutenant," he groaned. Elaine pulled him back to the APC and set him down on the ground. Klenon immediately grabbed his assault rifle and aimed it down the street, "I'll…make sure they don't sneak behind us. I doubt…they'll let us go that easily."
Elaine hurried back to the APC to check on their passengers. Most were recovering from the sudden crash and tried to help others to their feet.
"Mr. Grissom, are you alright in there?"
A coughing noise caught her attention. She could see the elderly man struggling up to his feet with a thin red line pouring down from the top of his head, "Don't worry about me, Lieutenant. Worry about the ones who can't take care of themselves."
"Soldier, are you okay in there?" she said over the calamity of the passengers trying to wake up their loved ones. An audible groan came as her answer. The man fumbled with his seatbelt before yanking it off and stumbling out of his chair. The front of his helmet was scratched and dented in several areas. His armor didn't fare any better. The joints and shoulders were falling apart and his chest plate bore a large crack running across it.
"Fuck, this hurts," the man reached over to his console and grabbed a small black box, "Command…this is Darkwatch 223. Our APC has crashed into the Halius Foresight building. Request backup."
"We read you, Darkwatch. Negative on those reinforcements. Alliance forces are stretched too thin to supply additional troops. You're going to have to make your way to the crisis centers on foot."
Elaine forced her way through the APC's cabin without disturbing the others and took the radio transceiver from the man's hand, "This is Lieutenant Elaine Benoit. We have a VIP that needs immediate transfer to the crisis centers. You must bring in support or he won't make it."
A long pause followed. Elaine paced back and forth in frustration, keeping the transceiver pressed firmly against her ear.
"The answer stands, Lieutenant. We can't afford to send troops your way. The bulk of our forces are busy trying to keep the pirates from encroaching on our borders. If they push past the city limits, all of Illyria will be at risk. Request denied. Proceed with your original orders. We'll get back up to you when we can."
Elaine whispered harsh profanities under her breath and dropped the receiver, "If they won't save them, we'll do it ourselves. I won't risk my squad's lives staying here."
Elaine came to a stop outside the APC and offered her hand to Klenon. The injured quarian took it and was pulled up to his feet, "How well can you move?"
Klenon stared down at his bandaged side before looking her in the eyes, "It's…not as bad as it looks. I can move on my own. Just…just give me a minute to get my bearings."
"Lieutenant, come in." Elaine recognized Matteo's voice and held up a finger to her ear.
"Captain, I read you. What's your situation?" she asked.
"We're wrapping things up here. The streets have been cleared out and I gave command the green light for fortifying this area. Did you get the VIP to the shelter?" Matteo asked.
"Negative. We came close but we were ambushed by a truck of pirates. They took out the APC," Elaine forced the words out of her mouth with a soured expression.
"Understood. We'll finish things up here and regroup with you. Take whatever survivors are left and get as close to the crisis centers as you can. Simoni out."
"Copy that, Elaine out," she turned back to her squad mates and gave them a solemn nod of her head.
Klenon leaned against the wrecked APC and sighed. A peculiar warmth filled his veins, no doubt from the antibiotics that were finally kicking into full effect. Running a hand over his visor, Klenon joined Kathleen and helped her up to her feet as well.
"Just fucking fantastic. We're left high and dry while command dicks around with pirates," Kathleen muttered.
"We don't have a choice, private. These civilians need to be taken somewhere safe and we're doing that. No matter what gets in our way," Elaine said, her accent giving every word much more ire. Fredrick moved around the crashed vehicle and inspected the damage.
"Engine's busted. The back tire is pretty much incinerated too. She isn't going anywhere, Lieutenant." He said.
"Then we'll go on foot. Form a tight circle around the civilians and avoid conflict. It's only a matter of time before the city gets more dangerous," she said. She marched back to the APC and pointed towards the street, "Everyone come out. We're walking the rest of the way. Stay together and stay as quiet as possible. If a firefight breaks out, one of us will take you somewhere safe."
The skeptical looks she got in return were hard but unexpected. She was asking them for a lot; more than they were used to in their everyday lives. A cool situation for her must have been nerve-racking for them.
"We're getting through this. You have my word." She said.
Klenon scrolled through his omni-tool, occasionally coughing as he checked and re-checked his suit's integrity. The material it was made of was as resilient as most body armor, much like any other quarian suit. But just like any other suit, a superheated, jagged piece of shrapnel cut through it like paper.
"You hanging in there?" he heard someone asked. He cocked his head slightly to meet a concerned Fredrick.
"It's fine. Infections like…like these aren't more terrible than a cold. I'll pull through," he replied, his voice noticeably more raspy. His head felt slightly heavier as he turned back to his omni-tool and the vibrant orange glow coming from his wrist stung his eyes, "So I hope."
"Just take it slow if it gets worse. Sure we won't be as fast, but a slow walk is better than hitting the pavement. Then we'll be in real trouble," Fredrick said sincerely. Klenon nodded and shut off his omni-tool.
"I…I know my limits. I've been sick before. Not in the middle of a battlefield mind you, Cuervo isn't really known for loud noises…or trucks running people off the road. First few minutes are usually…the worst. Afterwards, I'll be up and about like I normally…am," Klenon assured him. He didn't fail to notice the low snicker coming from beside him.
"Says that guy who spends the majority of his day in bed."
Klenon shot him a dry glance before he spun back around when Kathleen grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Get down, truck is coming."
Klenon and Fredrick began to move before she even finished her sentence. Fredrick shut the door to the APC while Klenon took up a spot behind a displaced concrete barrier. Elaine easily heard the low rumble of the truck's engine and joined Klenon behind his cover.
"Don't risk engaging them. We're in no shape to fight," Elaine told him. Klenon peeked out slightly over his cover before muttering under his breath.
"You don't…have to tell me twice."
True to Kathleen's observation, the truck rolled down the intersection. The pirates in the back didn't even bother to look around, preferring to instead talk to each other while checking their omni-tools and weapons. Klenon noticed a turian in the back look straight at their APC before shrugging and acing forward.
"They're not looking for…us?" he asked. Elaine stood up and scanned the area. Fredrick and Kathleen emerged from the shadows, sharing the same curious notion.
"Thought they came to finish the job. Pirates don't just blow out our tire and drive off like nothing," Kathleen noted.
"Unless we were never their target to begin with," Elaine said, "We may have just gotten in their way. There is bigger fish to fry in this city, we're probably the least of their concerns."
Fredrick looked up into the sky and frowned. His finger reached up into the air, following the small target as it glided through the dark night, "And that's probably our biggest."
The others followed the direction of his finger, some of them letting the rifles hang out of their grip as they witnessed more and more of the same black dots. Larger, more imposing masses began descending from the deep dark clouds. The squad helplessly as the large objects began spewing out tiny figures. Like a swarm of locusts, the tiny ships sped towards the city before unleashing a flurry of orange and red shots on the city.
"Keelah," Klenon's luminescent eyes trailed the swarm of fighters, streaks of smoke appearing in their underbelly as a deep rumble echoed in the center of the city.
"I thought we'd have more time," Fred muttered.
"They must have cut through our defenses faster than we thought," Elaine said. Kathleen furrowed her brow and gave a dejected shrug.
"Or there's too many of them for orbital defense to handle. Christ, how many of them can there be?"
Elaine opened the APC and ushered everyone out, "Our first priority is getting the rest of these civilians back to the shelters. We'll kick these pirates off our planet soon enough."
…
Kahan's gaze unwavered from its target, the light blue planet that was beneath him in more ways than one cracked and popped with more and more drops of orange and red. A smug grin drew across his face as it lit up like the planet in his window.
"Commander, you have an incoming transmission." One of the turians behind him said. Kahan's grin evaporated, replaced with a completely neutral expression.
"Patch it in."
The window in front of him fizzled before being replaced by a wide holographic screen. Soon enough, a familiar face appeared, mirroring his own impartial face.
"Give me a status update." The voice said bluntly. Kahan scowled and shifted his weight to one knee, his arms crossed over his chest.
"The fleet is here in full force. Cruisers are forming a perimeter around the capital city and fighters are being scrambled to pacify any surface to orbit emplacements." Kahan reported.
"It seems you're doing well with the information I gave you." The voice replied.
"It was enough to open a small window, but it's only a matter of time before the Alliance catches on," Kahan countered. The person on the other end scratched their cheek thoughtfully before giving a single nod.
"The Alliance is all about protocol. It'd take them a considerable amount of time before they can arrive with enough reinforcements to liberate Elysium. Of course, that time could be lengthened if you used the information I handed you."
"Yeah, I know about Central Comms. I've got my best working on it right now," Kahan assured, "No thanks to you. You didn't tell me that the Alliance had a plan for an invasion. I've got grunts scurrying around like vermin, slowing our progress and killing my men and being a general nuisance."
"YOU'RE the commander of an entire fleet of warships. Untia trusted YOU with the duty of rounding up as many POW's as possible. It is YOUR responsibility to anticipate your enemy's response. You should have expected resistance and a plan of action to moment you entered Elysium's atmosphere. You're the one with the firepower, Kahan. I'm the one that tells you where to point it."
"Don't you dare belittle my role in this to some kind of attack dog. I've been a part of this long before you humans even showed up in the galaxy. You were supposed to be my eyes and ears when it came to attacking this planet, so where's the helpful info?" Kahan growled. For a moment, the other person on the line didn't respond, instead staring hard at Kahan's four eyes with his two.
"Central Comms is going to be the top concern for the resistance. Without it, they'll lose an exponential amount of lives not to mention support. Take it down and the Alliance's forces will be scattered and disorganized," the voice paused for a moment before adding, "Don't send in everything you have at once. You don't need to advertise your full capabilities. Send only enough of your forces to occupy Illyria and get your harvesting over with. The Alliance will be too busy trying to figure out what went wrong. By the time they send a recon team, it'll be too late. Unless, of course, you take too long."
"I'm aware of the parameters, human. You don't need to repeat them to me. Just do your damn job. Leave the rest to me," Kahan lectured him, pointing at him with anger behind every motion.
"You worry about yourself, blink. I'm not the one threatening one of the most largest and adaptable militaries in the galaxy. I'll give you more info as the situation changes." And with that, the human in the screen fizzled out of existence. Kahan growled again and turned back to the pirates working the carrier's systems.
"Give the signal to docks three through seven. If that bastard's Intel is accurate, they're going to round up civilians and stuff them inside a shelter dug underground. We'll use that to our advantage. Don't stop them from filling them up, but once the doors close, put Central Comms out of commission. Word won't get around that they're full and idiots will run towards it hoping for sanctuary. That's when we round them up and stow them in the brig for the mistress," he explained.
"Sir, Ciser 1 and Ciser 3 have touched down and are en route to the SOM 's. There's resistance, but they're carving through them. Once they reach their objective, I'll give the order to destroy them," a turian to his right said.
"Rescind that order. We're staying here as long as possible," Kahan barked. The turian looked up from his screen, perplexed by his order.
"Sir?"
"Exterminate any Alliance vermin inside and re-calibrate the turret's targeting IFF. Any Alliance ship that tries to enter or leave will be up for a nasty surprise," he said with a conceited smirk.
"At once, sir!"
Kahan crossed his arms as he looked out over the grand expanse displayed on his window. Fighters raced past his carrier, accompanied by frigates and cruisers of varying sizes and shapes. Hundreds of clans, merc organizations, and criminal groups united under one banner of purpose; at least for them. Elanos was the one that enticed most of them to join them on their campaign with promises of loot and glory. They could plunder every home and burn every city to the ground for all Kahan cared. His prize consisted of the fleeting masses that filled Elyisum's streets. As long as he had every cell full of test subjects, he was as happy as can be.
Until then, he had a planet to conquer and people to herd. Both of which, he was all too eager to do.
…
Rapid, muffled tapping polluted the air; accompanied by the more distinct sound of buildings crumbling and rockets erupting overhead. His infection and growing fever were the last things on Klenon's mind as he kept his rifle trained on every inch of the street.
"Remember an hour ago when this city was the envy of every planet in Alliance space?" Fredrick said haltingly to the woman next to him. Kathleen shook her head, her frown perfectly expressing her scorn.
"I hope we get to kick their asses after this is over. Bastards won't know what hit them when the Alliance decides to retaliate," she replied.
"One thing at a time, Kathleen. First, we have to liberate the colony. You'll get your revenge later," Elaine said ahead of them. Kathleen rolled her eyes, staring up at the sky that was infested with pirate ships afterwards.
"I was hoping it'd be sooner."
Klenon took a quick side glance. Like Elaine suggested, the civvies were all in the middle of a circle composed of their squad plus the APC's driver, who referred to himself as Nick, as they trekked through the ghostly streets.
"Matteo, we're getting closer to the crisis centers. What's your position?" Elaine said through her radio.
"We're at the door. What's your location, we'll come to you."
"No need, the rendezvous point is just arou-"
Klenon felt an overwhelming heat consume him as he stumbled forward. His barriers flared to life, shielding him from the sudden blast. The blunt force knocked Klenon to his knees as he turned back around to see a squad of pirates running towards them.
"Guess they finally decided to focus on us," Fredrick fired his rifle while Kathleen pulled Klenon up to his feet. The air around him shimmered, signaling his barrier's recharging. Klenon took a deep breath and maneuvered himself so that he stood between the pirates and the civilians before opening fire.
"Form a wall, don't give them a clear line to hit the civilians," Elaine shouted, joining Klenon in whittling down the pirates. Kathleen glowed a deep blue as she advanced on the pirates, her arms outstretched as pieces of concrete and rubble lifted into the air. Fredrick ran up behind her and provided covering power as she converged her makeshift boulder and flung it at the crowd of pirates.
The massive rock skidded down the street, smashing three pirates unable to get out of its way. Fredrick stood in front of Kathleen and held up his biotic field as they retreated, "Do you ever stop showing off?"
"Only when no one's looking," Kathleen replied, clearly out of breath from the exertion. The blonde biotic pulled out her pistol and fired quick, decisive shots at approaching enemies. Klenon traced the pirates taking Kathleen's fire until their shields were down before pumping them with bullets. Behind him, Elaine shouted at the civilians to keep moving towards the shelters.
Klenon gunned down a bleeding batarian before tossing a ball of biotic energy at a human's leg, staggering him to the ground. The man fell to his knees and quickly recovered before his head exploded.
"Beat that Soren!"
Klenon shipped his head around a felt a smile small coming on as Soren, Will, and Matteo rushed to their aid. Soren charged up his barriers and flung a grenade towards the growing wave of pirates. The metal disc slid under a krogan's feet and exploded right under him.
"Krogan for double points," Soren snickered.
"You don't get to make up rules on the spot," Will loaded another shot and fired without a moment's hesitation.
"I'm sorry, but I left the rules on a datapad back at the base. Why don't you go get it?" Soren said as he came to Klenon's side.
"And let you have all the points for yourself? I wasn't born yesterday," Will scoffed. Matteo killed a nearby batarian and joined Elaine's side.
"Is this everyone?" he said over the deafening sounds of war.
"Yes sir, Jon Grissom is safe and leading the others towards the shelters," she reported. Matteo squeezed his rifle's trigger in quick succession, letting out short bouts of lead.
"Good work Lieutenant. We can take it from here," Just as soon as Elaine was going to ask him to elaborate, did a legion of Alliance soldiers come up from behind them. Men and women armored from head to toe covered their flanks, laying down a wave of gunfire against the growing mass of pirates and mercs. Two more APC's and even a Mako came charging out into the battlefield, turrets blazing.
Mercs fell by the dozens but nevertheless they charged on. Adrenaline pumped through Klenon's veins as his crosshairs jumped from one target to another only to be interrupted by a quick biotic attack. The dead that fell before him didn't register in his mind. All that he could think was surviving long enough to get the innocents out of harm's way.
Pirates began to brake off from the frontlines and fired a score of missiles. Almost like an instinct, Klenon, Soren, and Kathleen brought up a barrier and braced themselves as the missile salvos exploded against their biotic shields. Kathleen forced out a long gasp, feeling her knees buckle under the constant strain. Will wrapped an arm around her to keep her on her feet and used his free hand to strengthen the barrier with his own biotics.
Klenon clenched his teeth together and spread out his fingers as he forced as much biotic power as he could. A handful of marines behind them used their biotics to their advantage and fired through their barrier, killing more and more pirates.
"Keep up the pressure, don't even give them an inch," Matteo shouted. Klenon grunted and brandished his pistol, keeping one hand on their barrier and firing with the other. A would-be pyro caught one of Klenon's slugs in the gas tank, exploding the volatile fuel and killing three mercs in the process.
"Captain, we have to retreat now. The shelters are our top priority," Elaine said. Matteo growled and motioned for their forces to fall back. Klenon relentlessly pulled the trigger on his pistol, killing a human with a shot to the heart, before emitting a frantic beeping noise.
Klenon lost all track of time as they retreated back towards the shelters. The Mako, APC's, and almost a hundred soldiers were the only ones that stayed behind to slow down the pirates' advancement. The barrier in front of Klenon's squad fell as he brandished his assault rifle to fire a few more rounds before watching as the marines gave no ground.
"Klenon, don't make me pull you in here!"
The quarian turned around to see Soren and the rest of his team waiting by an impregnable bulkhead door situated between two buildings. Klenon spared one last look towards the fight before reluctantly running inside with the rest of his squad.
The ear-splitting explosions and pained screams were silenced once the door magnetically clamped shut, the only evidence of their existence rewinding itself inside Klenon's mind.
…
Kasumi stretched her arms wide open with a pleased grin on her face. The liberties she had taken with the borrowed Fury suit went even better than she had hoped. She had gone through great lengths to ensure that her new thief garb would have no possible connection to its previous owner. The N7 logo that rested on the chest had vanished without a trace, along with the vertical red stripes that ran down each arm. The rest had been a breeze.
Lifting the hood over her face, Kasumi looked herself over in a mirror hanging from the wall. It took her a bit of doing to keep the dimensions of the suit similar to herself, but when all was said and done, it fit like a glove.
"It's going to be fun trying to top this," she said to herself. She perked up when she heard the door to her hideout open. Keiji waltzed inside their small corner of the Citadel, a small box under his hand and a concerned look on his face.
"Hey Kasumi. Got dinner for the next two weeks," he said with a half-hearted tone. The box made a low thump as Keiji dropped it on the sofa pressed against the far wall. Keiji turned to face her and stood silent, looking slightly gaped. Kasumi's grin grew from ear to ear. She twirled on her heels while holding her arms out, allowing Keiji a full view of her new look.
"Looks good, huh? We should borrow stuff from the Alliance more often," she said exuberantly. Keiji's slightly baffled expression dropped, replaced by the somewhat concerned face from before.
"Yeah, about that…"
Kasumi slumped her shoulders, carefully observing Keiji as he paced back and forth with a hand behind his neck. The gleam in her eyes dimmed as she patiently waited for an explanation. Keiji released a sigh under his breath and faced her, his lips pursed together.
"While I was out getting food, I overheard a FCC news story," Keiji started. His fist entered his palm several times before he looked her in the eyes, "The Alliance lost contact with Elysium. Their scanners picked up hundreds if not thousands of ships exiting the relay before all communications went dark. They're still trying to piece together the information and get a better idea of what's going on…but…"
Keiji didn't need to continue. Kasumi was already well aware at what he was getting at. The brim of her hood lowered over her eyes. Her body rocked by the smallest inch, almost betraying her otherwise still posture.
Not a word dared to come out into the open. Kasumi kept her gaze fixed firmly on the grey alloy of the floor. She bit her painted lip, two, small white glows reappearing under her hood whilst she spoke, "I know he's okay. Despite all the downplaying he does, he's better than he thinks. I'm sure he'll be fine."
Keiji nodded in agreement. Optimism was always Kasumi's modus operandi when it came to difficult circumstances. He was glad to see it was nothing different when it came to someone dear to her, "If I hear any more about what's going on over there, I'll let you know."
"I'd like that. Thanks Keiji," Kasumi took a seat back on the leather couch, shaking her head clear of any impertinent thoughts. She opened her omni-tool to try to distract herself, finding solace in all the security coding and electrical firewalls. A particularly tedious and familiar web of locks appeared amongst a myriad of other hacks she was currently running, including a casino's security mainframe and a bank's financial records. A few days had passed and Kasumi wasn't sure if her hacking program had even made a dent in the OSD's security. Only time would tell if her efforts would have any payoff.
I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they find out I have them exactly where I want them. Kasumi thought with a devious grin. From the progress that her program was making, it appeared that her labors would take a considerable amount of time to come to fruition. But she was a patient woman. If it meant walking away with pockets full of credits, she would endure any obstacle that reared its ugly head.
The way she saw it, there was little chance for anything to go wrong and for everything to move in her favor. And that made her smile all the more.