An inconspicuous white vehicle drives into a parking lot near the space port on the outskirts of the Entertainment District – about an hour of mannered driving away from the event in the Residential District that is now slowly making its way into the news network – parking neatly between two white lines. For a moment, there is no further movement, but then a half dozen persons exit out of the back of the transporter, while two more step out from the front doors. The majority of the rather small parking lot is occupied by Flyers and ground vehicles, but, perhaps because of the time of day, without a soul around who could notice the new arrival.
The brightly lit lot reveals all the persons are dressed in casual clothing, as if they gathered a group to travel on vacation. Added to that, they carry fitting luggage, except for one rather large, almost square suitcase. The many ragged, serious and unamused expressions on their faces belie the appearance of tourists, as does the guarded behavior when they start to walk in the direction of the terminal.
Without comment, all but three of them disperse between the half dozen rows of parking spaces, so that, when they exit the end of the lot, it looks almost natural how they are heading in different directions, most of them away from the terminal's entrance. Two of the men, one of them carrying the larger package seemingly without effort, and the woman enter the terminal, while the rest of their group already departs, either by transport tube or taxi.
Having stayed quiet on their way here, mostly because of their current topic's presence, between the three now inside of the seemingly empty terminal, they discuss the necessity and consequences of the actions of their new addition. They haven't come to a conclusion yet, especially how it affects their usual, now missing teammate, but their discussion dies instantly, when they spot a small group of people, obviously waiting for someone.
"Ah, good, it's her." one of the trio, the one the others simply called Boss earlier, mentions, when he notices that among those waiting is the woman who hired them as an intermediary to her boss. The tall brunette, looking sleek in her black business suit, is surrounded by three, basically identical hulks, dressed in almost bursting black suits. When the three walk up to their waiting employer, they are surprised to find the three bodyguards – or so they guess – really are identical. Right down to what appears to be extremely unhealthy and without doubt artificially grown body structure.
Asking himself what they might be for, if the only people around all know each other, the Boss takes comfort in the knowledge that such slabs of muscle are much too slow to do damage to anyone on his team. He assumes that, if not the slabs themselves, at least the woman would know this, too, but that leaves him still wondering whom they might have expected. Or might still expect.
"I see you have it." Much to his dismay, she skips pleasantries, but, he thinks, no one would expect a mercenary to appreciate such things anyway. No matter. It's the same every time. Just business they'll want to have done quickly. With an inward sigh and no response as the stated fact is obvious, he holds out the large package toward the woman, with one arm.
Confused at the offer, because she expected the package to be heavy at that size, she shows her irritation quite openly. "Are you trying to say you don't have it?" she grabs the package angrily. He is surprised that the woman specifies an "it", implying that she knew what they would find and didn't tell them. Without comment to that, he responds "It's in there." while the woman has already opened the bag around the square box, containing the object they took from the apartment.
"How come it's so light?" the woman mumbles. The Boss, until now not really interested in what it is or what the woman wants with the thing they retrieved, stares at the muscle slabs, fascinated that they are absolutely unmoving, not even blinking. Are they even alive? He resists the urge to go up to one and simply shove him slightly. But, from this close, their appearance makes him assume they are the results of an experiment. One which he has that the woman in front of him, or a team she manages, are performing. Maybe I should get interested in what they are doing with that thing. He glances down at the still mumbling woman, currently carefully extracting the delivered item from the lightweight transport strongbox.
He gets a slightly bad feeling and a notion of what the slabs could want here. He is certain that the woman wouldn't need protection, or at least not this creepy kind. But, he thinks, it would make sense to have these seemingly mindless drones to, for example, apprehend us. I heard their experiment is a continuation of a failed version of it a long while ago. Would make sense that they want to take less chances now. And no one's going to miss some mercenaries.
For a mere moment, he tenses up, which causes the first sign of them being alive from the bodyguards. Their eyes, all three sets of them at the same instant, eerily focus on him. A slight change of his stance, his crossed arms loosening and hanging at his side, is all the signal his colleagues need to recognize the underlying order of staying more alert. Thankfully, the other two don't move, which keeps the focus of the slabs on him. Good. Let them think I flinched at their look.
But now he has to worry about his three teammates that didn't come here with them. The drivers didn't seem like anything special. But then, what can these people do with their research? Slightly sidetracking, his mind provides another question he would like to remember, once he's out of here. It makes you wonder why they would need a bunch of hired mercenaries, which, however small, always leaves a trail. Missing money in some place, a strange schedule in another...Well, it's all a matter of who this trail leads to. Why not use their own people?
Focusing back on his current situation, he looks back to the woman, who is just standing back up with the object unwrapped, staring at it in confusion. "It looks like solid stone, but it weighs almost nothing." Absentmindedly, but handling the egg shaped object with reverent caution, she looks at her hands, adding "And it's warm. Warmer than body temperature."
Before she could go on to start analyzing the thing in more detail right then and there, the Boss, getting slightly impatient since waiting for something to happen isn't his forte, asks "You have what you wanted. Do you need anything more from us?" Half expecting her to simply, immediately order the slabs to grab him and his colleagues, he prepares himself, in case he needs to pre-empt that, but the woman obviously snaps back to focus, regarding him as if she lost track of what she was doing.
"Right." she clears her throat. "No, I don't think we will need your services again. Well, for now, at least." Bending down to put the object back into the box, she looks back to the hulks and mumbles "I guess I wouldn't have needed to take those with me either and risking someone spotting them in public." Standing back up straight, she regards the Boss as if she spoke to him and shrugs "Oh well, too late."
So no silencing us. He relaxes a bit, but still keeps his guard up, just in case. Uncharacteristically curious, he decides to ask his employer a question unrelated to his work. "So what is it with those three? They don't look very healthy." trying for a little humor to ease the question in, assuming that, like any employer, they don't like questions from people like him. From what he could gather about the woman, even before they accepted the job, he is sure this one isn't at all familiar with that kind of connections.
"Them?" Simply pointing backwards, without looking at them, she huffs. "Yeah, I suppose they raise curiosity, don't they." Thinking for a moment, she asks "I have been told your people are the best when it comes to these things, so I assume you have educated yourselves on whom you're working with, right?" The Boss nods and thinks to himself If you heard that, why did you force a new member into it, who was going as far as he did, without warning us? Goes to show how little they know about mercenaries, I'd say.
Unaware of the inner comment from him, the woman elaborates "They're a result of a failed experiment, a long time ago, but they make good mules." Bumping her fist into the chest of one of the three, she huffs again "Too thick, body and mind, to do much of anything else. About their health..well, you needn't worry. There isn't anything left of their former selves, so they feel nothing." the woman waves them off.
The Boss feels disgust rising in his stomach. Now more than ever, he intends to get out of here as quick as possible, hoping, even with his business practices, to never have anything to do with that sort again. Better not ask or think about where the original bodies come from, I suppose. But then he has an idea. Going on a limb, he tries, once more with a carefully measured humorous note in his voice "And here I thought you'd use them to silence us." leaving an equally measured, small smile on his face.
The woman, halting in her movement to adjust the package she just lifted up, scrutinizes him, one thin eyebrow raised high. A smirk appears and she laughs out loud. Suddenly turning serious again, she regards him for another moment. "I know why you're asking, but why in such a roundabout way?" When he keeps silent, though smiling and gesturing what can you do, she lets out another small laugh.
"Anyway. No, we don't want to get rid of you. You did good work. And to answer your real question, your buddy is fine. We switched him with the little pyromaniac, because, as you might agree now, that guy isn't appropriate for a much more delicate assignment." She waits another moment, wanting to see if the Boss tries to inquire further. Pleased that he doesn't, she still makes it a point "I am not going to elaborate." Shrugging once more, she relents "Though he may choose to do so later, which we didn't dissuade him from."
Still smiling, he nods and turns to leave. His two colleagues exchange a strange look, but then shrug and just follow without comment.