Wherever the Universe Takes Me
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 29
Storm Family Palace, Solaris City, Solaris VII
Lyran Commonwealth
June 15th, 3052
"This report is accurate?"
Donovan Storm lowered the crisp white papers in his hands and looked up at his top secretary as evening sunlight glowed through the home office's half-closed blinds.
"Yes, it is, Mr. Storm," the secretary, some young man named James, said. "It seems your latest MechWarriors fell short out in Silesia. And they didn't do much better in the Kobe arenas."
Donovan spread the papers across his antique cherry wood desk and resisted the urge to split his desk in half. His powerful, muscled body was coiled tight under his cream-colored suit. His tie felt like a noose. "I... I see. Get Earl in here."
"Yes, Mr. Storm." Clearly relieved to pass the blame to someone else, young James scampered out of the lavishly decorated home office and fetched Earl, the manager of Donovan's recruitment division. Within 90 seconds, Earl stepped inside.
"You call for me, Mr. Storm?"
"I did." Donovan motioned to the report on his desk. "There are many words here to explain the current fortunes of my Thunder Blast stable, but I need none to express my assessment."
Earl looked confused. Understandable. Mr. Storm motioned for Earl to come closer.
Donovan rose to his feet and slugged Earl's right temple with his fist. Earl crumpled to the floor in a stunned heap, groaning and clutching his bleeding temple.
"You are fired! Do you understand me? Out of here!" Donovan boomed. Now both fists were clenched. "I will have none of this! Get out of here before you're chopped into pieces and fed to the dogs!"
Earl didn't bother with words. Still putting pressure on his broken skin, he scrambled to his feet and out of the room. The door snapped closed behind him.
"Fucking Christ." Donovan seized his tie and loosened it, then deposited it on his desk and whirled around to face the window. He grabbed a handful of the blinds and lowered them so he could get a view of the Storm family's lovely estate... and the grimy, neon-lit city beyond the hedge rows and stone walls surrounding his domain. Somewhere out there, his pitiful MechWarriors had let him down again, and the Thunder Blast stable was rapidly becoming a joke. Only his two best MechWarriors, Henry Laxus and Xavier Chidori, were worth a damn around here.
And Mac, Donovan added heavily to himself as he scanned the city landscape, as though his son would suddenly appear for him to see. Why are you doing this to me? Come back to your mother and father.
*o*o*o*o*
International Zone, Solaris City, Solaris VII
Lyran Commonwealth
June 18th, 3052
"I still think we should start our trip here as tourists," Kathy said with a big smile as she, Chen, and Peter stepped out of the international spaceport and joined the general crowds. She motioned with her hands. "This place is a gambler's and fighter's haven. All those bars we've been to, all those sleazy cantinas and casinos and sports arenas? Little-league. This is what we deserve, boys."
"I-I'm aware of this world's reputation," Peter said tightly. He really didn't do crowds, though he was working on that (on his own volition). "It's vital that we exercise caution, especially in terms of spending money and signing paperwork. A common joke here is that even the vending machines want a contract from you."
Kathy snorted. "I can handle myself, Peter. But still..." She flashed him a warmer smile this time. "It helps that you're backin' up Scrappy and me here. You're the king of fine print."
"King?"
"With your logistical support, I find it unlikely that unscrupulous stable masters here will get the best of us," Chen told Peter. "We'll do the 'Mech fighting, and you'll make sure the papers line up."
Peter swallowed nervously. "Papers line up? As in..."
"As long as a contract looks clean and fair to you."
"I see. Okay. Yes. I can help." Peter winced as someone bumped past him. "I-I-I'd really like it if... if we got to a hotel so I can set everything up. Kathy, can we find one, please?"
"Sure thing, Peter." Kathy found a decent hotel a few city blocks down, and at once, Peter unpacked all his computer stuff in the room and built himself a work station in a controlled environment. With that little chore settled, Chen and Kathy left Peter in his haven and headed off to get a real show. And bet on it.
*o*o*o*o*
Silesia, Solaris City, Solaris VII
"Just twenty C-bills on this bet, sir?" the collector asked, clearly exasperated as Chen made his bet at an arena in Silesia. Kathy did the same.
The collector grumbled and moved on to more daring gamblers.
"It's starting!" Kathy patted Chen's thigh as the crowd came to life and eight BattleMechs marched into the arena.
"Oh, I can see that." Chen grinned and leaned forward in his seat to look. Solaris VII was known as a great place for drifters like him and Kathy to get hired somewhere or join a stable to earn glory... or die trying. But first, he wanted some samples on how this business went down.
This was far from the city's biggest arena, but it would have to do until Chen and Kathy got their bearings and got some recommendations from Peter. Until then, Chen just wanted a good show. And what did he get?
"Ooooooh!" Kathy hollered with the crowd and thrust her fists into the air as a wildly painted Javelin ran up to a Panther from behind and filled the air with SRMs. Twelve armor-piercing explosions threw the Panther right off its feet, and the 35-tonner threw out its arms wide as it fell flat on its stomach. To add insult to injury, the Javelin crouched, took a flying leap, and landed right on the Panther's injured back with a sickening crunch of warped metal. Sparks blasted out from under the Javelin's feet, and the 'Mech waved to the crowd.
"OOOOOOOOH!" Kathy whooped when an opportunistic Wolfhound took aim and cored the Javelin from behind with its large laser, and that, coupled with some medium lasers, lit up the Javelin from head to toe. The Wolfhound's pilot seemed to like melee attacks too (or maybe that was the norm around here), because they sprinted right up to the injured Javelin and kicked it right over. The helpless Javelin sprawled on its back, and it motioned in surrender.
Chen chuckled and applauded the Wolfhound's pilot. "In an arena with limited room and even less cover, sheer brutality wins the day, it seems. Veterans like us will need some adjustment."
"For the better, if you ask me!" Kathy said happily over the crowd's roaring as the Wolfhound ran off to find another victim. "I can't wait to join a stable! We should have come here years ago, Scrap!"
Chen grinned at his girlfriend's enthusiasm, though he didn't entirely share it. He had always wanted to come here, but after serving in the CCAF for a decade and spending that much time again wandering the stars, it felt odd to go back to a confining lifestyle like this. But no mercenary career was complete without a Solaris VII stint, as common wisdom held. And besides, Chen and Kathy had exhausted all the good contracts in the area, and the Solaris system was right there. Hardly surprising they made planetfall.
Peter couldn't bear the crowds or noise, though, and Chen didn't blame him. Well, various hotel rooms would act as decent bases of operations until Chen and Kathy landed themselves a stable. As Chen watched the melee continue (and the Wolfhound continued to dominate), Chen wondered what the next few weeks would hold for him and Kathy...
*o*o*o*o*
Black Hills, Solaris City, Solaris VII
"Mac, they're catchin' up!"
"I can see that, Brian! Don't stop running!"
Twelve-year-old Mac Storm wasn't surprised or concerned about the cops hot on his heels, but it seemed his fellow agents of justice lacked the same courage. But as long as they kept moving, that was good enough for now. Mac weaved through the crowds and nearly knocked several shoppers over as he went, and Brian actually did knock some tough guy over. The man stumbled and collapse into a pile of fully stuffed trash bags.
"You fucking runt!" the man hollered. "Get back here!"
"I... I can't keep running!" another member of Mac's squad, Antoine, wheezed, his fists pumping as he went. "I..."
"You can do it, Anty," one of the girls of Mac's squad, Zanna, told him. "You have to. Okay?"
Mac's four-man team had done some good work today, for sure, but damn, security around here was getting sharper by the day. One of these days, the Black Hills cops would actually be able to deal with pre-adolescent criminals. Now that would earn some promotion for all cops involved!
"I said stop!" the lead cop shouted over the crowd. He was nearly drowned out as a heavily-tuned sports car rumbled past, its many jury-rigged stereos blasting club music all over the place. A double-decker bus passed by the other way, its busted-up engine making even more noise than the custom car.
"Over here! Go!" Mac hollered, and he led the way as the four kids cut into a side alley, passing under fire escapes that were probably not safe to use. So much for fire safety codes. In this alley, Mac nearly slipped on loose trash and odd oil stains (and much worse stains), but he didn't dare stop. He knew the Black Hills better than anyone, even better than the rotten and cruel adults who ran this place. No one could stop justice.
Mac led his squad through the maze, passing under garish neon signs and oversized air conditioning units and leaky external pipes as we went. The Black Hills district didn't have the same industrial roots as Montenegro, but the poorer areas came close, and Mac knew how to blend into it all. No adults and their greedy, tainted hands could catch him here.
"I think... we lost them," Brian said as the squad slowed to a trot. He wiped his brow. "Can we take a minute, Mac? I'm wiped."
Mac shook his head. "Not yet. The hideout is just up ahead. We can rest up once we're in friendly territory."
"What? But we're in the middle of nowhere," Zanna commented as the four kids took a left and passed under a flickering blue and green neon sign and crawled over a Dumpster that blocked their path.
"Oh no we're not," Mac said smugly as he led the team around a right turn and motioned to a familiar abandoned bar near a side street. "See? Home sweet home."
Antoine shook his head. "I was sure we got lost."
Mac scoffed. "Give me a break. When you've been around here like I have, you know where to get anywhere, from anywhere. That's how I keep throwin' off the adults who chase me. They think they have me cornered, then pow!" He punched his open palm. "I'm right where I wanna be with just a few more steps in the right direction. They always fall for it."
So, the four kids pushed open the front door and into the lamp-lit lobby, where a dozen more youths aged eight to fifteen waited. Three were in the corner, playing an outdated game console with a large TV sitting on a rickety mount, while the other kids played cards or listened to the radio. They all looked up when Mac triumphantly returned.
"Lord Storm has returned!" a boy named Sem said, raising a fist. "All hail Lord Storm!" A few other kids mimicked him.
Mac snorted. "Quit doin' that. I swear."
Despite being the only son of the wealthiest man in the Black Hills region, Mac wanted anything but butlers and sports cars and gold bathtub faucets in his life. He understood what kind of bastard his parents and the other adults were, and worse yet, no one else did! The adults were evil, but not stupid; they knew how to say pretty words and wear nice suits and dresses and throw around their money and buy off the right people... it was sin swathed in jewels and gold, but sin all the same. If thousands had to starve so one adult could live like that, then fucking A it fell to Mac and his friends to make things right. What was a little breaking and entering, and theft, compared to the crimes of the adults?
"You okay?" Brian asked.
Mac blinked. "Yeah, I'm good." He ran his hands through his punkish blond hair (dyed blond, that is), and spread his arms wide. "No, I'm better than that. I spent another day proving that the downtrodden have a hero in all of us. They say that the young inherit the world, and they're right. We're going to inherit Solaris City and make it ours. No one will have to live in fear or hunger anymore once the adults are punished and made an example of!"
His compatriots clapped. "I know, okay?" Antoine said with a goofy grin. "That's why I sneak out of the house every day. My stupid mom wants me to take violin lessons. Who the fuck wants violin lessons in Solaris City?" Some of his fellows laughed at that.
"So, what are we going to do next?" one of the oldest girls, Melody, asked. She sat on a bar stool, legs crossed, arms folded on her chest. She was almost fifteen, and she was kind of like the mom around here.
Mac smoothed his parted black leather jacket. "All in good time, Mel. But it'll be good. I'm having a great feeling about this summer."
