Wherever the Universe Takes Me

by Ulquiorra9000

Chapter 32

Cathay Residential District, Solaris City, Solaris VII

Lyran Commonwealth

July 19th, 3052

Chen was fully prepared for Donovan Storm to send a shiny black limo to his and Kathy's apartment right on time (6:30 PM), and he also expected a man in an equally black suit to step out and greet the two waiting MechWarriors at the curb. But Chen didn't expect what came next.

"Those won't do," the man said, shaking his head. He motioned at Chen and Kathy's dinner party outfits.

Kathy frowned and tugged at the sleeve of her pantsuit's sleeve. "What d'you mean? We picked these up from a decent rental place down the block."

"No. Mr. Storm has particular tastes, as does his wife," the man explained. "But that can be remedied. Get into the car, please, and it will be handled at the estate, Mr. Yeung, Ms. Bliss."

Chen made a tiny shrug. "Understood. I thought this would suffice for 'black tie' -"

"It will be handled," the man repeated. He opened a door further along the limo's body and motioned inside. "Please."

Kathy gave Chen a what-the-hell look and let him escort her to the door. They climbed inside, and Chen realized that the limo's interior was nicer than that of the apartment. Indeed, he was already sealed off from the grimy neon world of Solaris City in here, like he was in a high-tech lab.

"No complementary drinks," the man added as he took a seat next to the driver. "But you may enjoy the view."

Chen really hoped he wouldn't regret this.

*o*o*o*o*

By "enjoy the view," the curt agent really meant "watch as we crawl across the Storm mansion front lawns and show off." It was the usual fare: neat hedges and rose bushes, a few sculptures and fountains, stone benches and pathways, and of course, the massive Storm family palace atop a hill. At a leisurely pace, the limo pulled up to the front doors, and Chen and Kathy were escorted out and into the house's front hall.

Donovan Storm wasn't there, neither were his family members. Instead, Chen fond himself and Kathy whisked to a changing room, where a woman with stunning red hair took their measurements and found them some real dinner party clothes. Based on her firm movements and hard eyes, Chen guessed that she had a military background.

Kathy whistled as she and Chen met up. "Your rental suit was like a jester outfit compared to this. You look like a planetary governor during a ribbon-cutting ceremony."

Indeed, Chen's black, pinstriped suit was fitted within a molecule of his physique, and it was so soft and luxurious he felt like he was wearing clouds. His shoes were perfectly polished, and he even had cuff links and a rented pocketwatch. He chuckled and ran a hand down the expensive silk tie. "If I get my own world, I promise not to name it Chen Land."

Chen sobered up. "And you're gorgeous, Kath. Why don't we do this more often?"

Kathy grinned and struck a funny pose. "I dunno. Why don't we?"

She wore a navy blue cocktail dress that probably cost more than her Black Knight, complete with silver lace trim, elbow-length black gloves, shiny high heels, and a gold necklace. Her chestnut brown hair was also done up in a fancy loose bun, though she kept her own earrings, maybe after begging the tough-as-nails seamstress to let her keep them.

Chen offered Kathy his elbow. "May I?"

"Do it."

Chen, when given directions, escorted Kathy to the dining room. And then they met the Storm family.

"Ah. Mr. Yeung! Ms. Bliss! Right on time," said a man who could only be Donovan Storm. He offered a hand, and Chen shook it.

"We needed time with your tailor..." Chen began.

"Yes, and for good reason. You're not late; you both are here right when you are ready. It's very different." He beamed with a tight and well-practiced politician smile. "And how are you this evening, Mr. Yeung? You clean up well. And Ms. Bliss, you are stunning. It is a privilege to have you with us."

Kathy shook his hand, too. "Thanks for the invite. Nice place."

Good old Kathy, Chen thought fondly. Kathy never felt the need to put on airs for the benefit of the powerful or wealthy.

Mr. Storm threw back his head with booming laughter. "How informal! So refreshing. I see you are as honest here as you are in the arenas. Your fighting style is all ferocity and no deceit."

He motioned to the waiting table in the wood-paneled room, and Chen and Kathy took their places opposite Donovan's family.

"My lovely wife, Eva," Donovan said, and Mrs. Storm made a polite smile.

"I do enjoy meeting my husband's newest prospects," she said. "They always have such energy in their eyes. I can see it in you, too."

She was a slender and curvy woman, setting her apart from her beefy husband, and she had light brown coiffed hair and an emerald green cocktail dress with white elbow-length gloves.

"And my son, Mac," Donovan added. "Say good evening to Chen and Kathy, won't you, my boy?"

The boy, who definitely looked like a cornered animal, mechanically waved at the two guests. He was a kid with his hair dyed blond, and sharp brown eyes like his mother's. He wore a button-up white shirt and dark gray suit vest, and a striped tie. "Good evening. It's a privilege to meet the best MechWarriors of Solaris."

"That it is!" Donovan boomed. He clapped his hand together. "Hors d'ouvres!"

The dinner party got underway, and now things were back to how Chen expected them to be: sucking up to the rich, trying not to accidentally insult someone's honor, talk up his own achievements, compliment Kathy and Mrs. Storm, all that. The entire time, Donovan took charge of the conversation, and poor Mac looked desperate to leave. He hardly said a word.

"Mac," Mrs. Storm sweetly told her son during the second course, "do you have any questions for our guests? I know how much BattleMech fights excite you. Perhaps you could learn tips and tricks from them."

Mac shrank back from his mother. "I..."

"Speak up," Mrs. Storm told him.

"Well..." Mac's eyes were wide as he glanced at Chen and Kathy. "They've explained themselves pretty well already, I think..."

Eva leaned even closer to her son, and this time, Chen distinctly saw the tensed muscles of a predator. "Don't be silly, Mac. Speak to them. You will run the household someday. You must do more than listen."

Mac was almost quivering, but he composed himself and cleared his throat. "Chen, Kathy, are you ever afraid when you're ready to fight?"

"Bein' scared is all part of the deal, Mac," Kathy told him casually as she cut up her steak. "If you're not afraid, you're doing it wrong. That's what my old commander in Jackson's Werewolves told me. He was a bastard, but he did understand the job."

"I was taught the role that fear plays in your career in the Capella War College," Chen added. "Mac, when I was 18, I met a 90-year-old man named Seun Yukong, a famed poet and philosopher from Capella, and he was an honored guest at the War College. And you know what he told me and all the other trainees as we stood in a line under the hot sun?"

Mac chewed his lower lip. "What did he say?"

"That he prayed to feel afraid every day, so he would have a reason to keep fighting. If you're not afraid, you're not motivated, and you stop growing. Fear is your fuel, if you know how to tame it."

Chen chuckled. "And I should mention that he was in better shape than I was, and beat down half my training platoon right then and there. He performed Wing Chun better than anyone I've met."

Mac glanced up. "Based on your age, that was in 3029, and he was 90 years old, so he was born in 2939, the Third Succession War. No nukes or genocide like in the first two. Just low-intensity warfare, minimal fear. So, he taught himself to be afraid?"

Chen beamed. "You're a smart kid. He really did teach himself to be afraid for that reason."

Eva patted Mac's head. "My son is a smart boy. He has the best tutors on Solaris. I'm so proud of him."

Mac looked like his mother was smearing scalding tar on his scalp.

"It seems we have much in common," Donovan said confidently as the butlers brought in the third course. "Chen, Kathy, I believe we fit like puzzle pieces. It would be a delight to welcome you both to the Thunder Blast stable. My top two MechWarriors are skilled, certainly, but they can only do so much together."

Kathy glanced at Chen. "Well..."

"What is your formal offer?" Chen asked. "The terms?"

Donovan's mouth curled in a bloodthirsty grin. "I will personally contact Ms. Jingzen of the Bronze Dao stable and tell her why your talents would be better cultivated in my stable. And I will double all compensation that she was offering you. And you will enjoy a long list of perks, from being associated with the Thunder Blast stable. Such as... free drinks in certain establishments, VIP tickets to select musical performances, limousine access, new living quarters, and limited access to the Storm family library."

Kathy laughed out loud. "Chen, what are we waiting for? Let's sign the hell up!"

Eva scowled at Kathy's outburst but didn't say anything. And Mac looked as tense as ever.

The seconds crept by.

"I'll do it," Chen heard himself say.

Donovan clapped his hands together like a whip's crack. "That is excellent news! Sweeter than the dessert I'm about to have brought in." He raised his voice. "Where is it? We are ready for dessert!"

On cue, a butler brought five dishes on a tray: small but neatly sliced pieces of chocolate lava cake with raspberries and candied flowers.

"This is your favorite, isn't it, Mac?" Eva cooed as the butler set down everyone's plate.

Mac flinched as though a wasp had stung him. "Yes, Mother."

Chen resisted the urge to comment, and instead tried the cake.

*o*o*o*o*

International Zone, Solaris City, Solaris VII

"Whew."

Chen allowed himself to sprawl on the couch of his and Kathy's apartment, dressed once again in his rented clothes (Donovan didn't let him or Kathy keep their tailored clothes).

"You said it," Kathy said as she headed for the fridge. "Dealing with rich people is more tiring than any 'Mech duel. They always want pretty words out of your mouth and elegant compliments and total compliance. They want you to be their pet." She made an annoyed sound as she checked out the beer's generous beer inventory.

"Donovan makes a hell of a deal, though," Chen admitted. "Isn't Peter reviewing the paperwork right now?"

"Yes, actually," Peter called out from his bedroom's open door. "Everything good so far. The Storm family works with impeccable professionalism."

Kathy picked out a beer bottle and raised it as a toast. "To everyone having their shit together."

Chen sat up and eyed the fridge. "I could use a blue-collar drink myself. Expensive champagne just tastes like wasted C-Bills to me."

Kathy smiled as she took a sip. "Now that's how you manage a budget."

The front door buzzed.

Chen froze. "Unless you ordered a snack, Kathy, we ought to be on our guard." His first thought was that Ms. Jingzen already knew Chen's new plan and was seeking revenge.

"Let me see." Kathy set down her drink and stomped right to the front door. She checked the video screen on the wall and said, "Huh. It's the Storm kid."

"What the..." Chen jogged over to see, and sure enough, the camera showed young Mac Storm standing there, looking anxious. He still wore his fancy shirt and vest from the dinner, minus the tie. He shifted his weight from foot to foot.

Chen and Kathy glanced at each other. "I say we let him in," Chen said. "If Donovan had an issue, he wouldn't send his boy after us."

Kathy nodded. "Okay. Sure. But I need an explanation." She unlocked the door, and Mac rushed in.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Kathy said in a false cheery tone as she shut the door.

Mac had his hands clenched in fists by his sides. "This isn't a friendly visit. I need to warn you both about what you're doing here on Solaris."

Chen motioned. "Let's talk it over in the kitchen. Have a seat."

"Fine. But I gotta make this quick." Mac hustled to the table and started speaking as Chen and Kathy joined him. "Listen: my father is a monster. My mother, too. They're not what you think!"

Chen folded his hands together on the table. "I know that every businessman or nobleman has a few skeletons in his closet -"

"And you'll become one, if you don't pull out now!" Mac hissed. He didn't look afraid or timid anymore; he leaned forward across the table, his hard brown eyes fixed on Chen and Kathy. He was tensed like an animal ready to bolt... or fight. "I know how my father operates. I've seen him order people shot in warehouses, their bodies dumped into wet concrete, strangled in the dark... all the mafia shit like that. And that's just the cliches."

Kathy gave him a look. "That's some way for you to talk about him, kiddo. 'Mafia shit'? Are you sure -"

"I pay attention, okay?" Mac insisted. "I'm a kid, I know, but this ain't a game! You think I like that life, shut up in that gilded prison? Henry Laxus and Xavier are the top two MechWarriors of the Thunder Blast stable 'cause they're good and lucky. Most of the MechWarriors and half the support crew end up dead, or sold as slaves, or just up and vanish. You're headed into a slaughterhouse. Back out. Quick. While you still can."

Chen glanced at the door. "Did you sneak out of that estate all on your own to come see us?"

"A few of the butlers sympathize with me," Mac explained impatiently. "Everyone's scared of my parents, and they hate them. And a few back me up, which is the only reason I haven't lost my mind by now. Do you know what I really like to do with my spare time?"

Kathy shrugged.

Mac sharply tapped a finger on the kitchen table. "I run a vigilante gang on the streets of Black Hills. To put things right with our own hands. Taking spare inventory from crooked shops or crime rings, giving food and medicine and supplies to the poor who need those things. No one else will help them. So we do."

As that sank in, Mac sat up proudly. "I'm the only Storm who deserves to live on this planet, Chen, Kathy. Because unlike my bastard father and my sadist mother, I care about the people. I know what power does to your mind, and what kind of prices other people pay for it. I'll die before I become like that. I won't let their 'might make right' shit control me. I won't be intoxicated on their liquor!"

He was breathing hard at this point, as though addressing a crowd of hundreds. "Don't you see? I'm the Storm you should be listening to. My father kills people and my mother tortures me. See?" He rolled up his sleeves, then rubbed at his wrists. He had been wearing skin-tone powder, but now, Chen could see the distinct red marks of manacles. "My mother hangs me by the wrists while the torture poisons course through my bloodstream. It's all done in the 'lesson rooms' of the house. She thinks she can torture the vision out of me. Well, it ain't gonna work."

Chen hardly knew what to say, assuming Mac wasn't tricking him and Kathy somehow. If Mac was right, and Donovan and his wife were criminal thugs who exploited their MechWarriors, then Chen and Kathy were headed for serious trouble. But how were they supposed to back out now, with all the paperwork signed and hands shaken? They would have to flee Solaris VII at once, and start over from 0. Assuming nothing went wrong.

"I know you don't wanna hear that you're making a mistake," Mac added a little more gently (but no less urgently). "I'd be pissed, too. But don't fel bad; my bastard parents are really good at convincing the cattle that they're signing up for paradise. Solaris VII is a fucking jungle where the strong eat the weak, and even a hundred vigilante gangs like mine wouldn't make it all go away. But I'll do whatever's in my power. And that means warning you two to get the hell off Solaris VII. For your own sakes."

Kathy ran her hands over her face. "Kid -"

"It's Mac."

"Fine. Mac." Kathy lowered her hands. "You want us to just pack our bags and jump out of the system?"

"That would do your life expectancy a serious favor," Mac told her grimly. "Kathy, right? You and Chen could get onto a DropShip and burn for a JumpShip within 24 hours if we come up with a plan together. We could -"

"Stop."

Even Chen was surprised when Kathy held up a hand.

"We're not rookies," Kathy told Mac firmly. "I've been a mercenary since before your parents met, and Chen survived the worst of the CCAF and qualified for their Death Commando program. You think your mom and dad are anything new to us?"

Mac gave her a wary look. "This is your first time on Solaris VII, isn't it?"

"We arrived in the middle of June," Chen told him.

"There's no other world like this one. In all the right and wrong ways," Mac grated. "My father will eat you alive. Get outta here! Go fight pirates for the Steiners, or... or patrol for those Clan weirdos along the Occupation Zone border. Just don't join Thunder Blast stable! Don't let my father own you!"

"Shut up." Kathy bared her teeth. "I won't let a twelve-year-old boy scare me off, or insult Chen and me like this. I get your parents are scumbags. I've fought for and against bastards like them before, and met more than a few long the way. We landed here because it's what we want. And what I want, I get." She slapped her hand on the table.

Mac shook his head. "You complete and utter fool." He turned to Chen. "And you, Death Commando? You Capellans know how to cut your losses. Do it again now."

Chen sighed through his nose. "I'm grateful that you warned us about your parents' ways of running the Storm dynasty. And I will watch my back in the Thunder Blast stable. But we're as good as we say, and Peter can smell trouble from a mile away. Your father can't order a pizza without him knowing."

Mac wrinkled his nose. "Who the hell is Peter?"

"M-m-me," Peter called out from his bedroom. "F-former data analyst for Jackson's Werewolves. Please d-don't come in here."

Mac nodded. "So you've got a computer guy."

"Yeah. He's the best," Kathy said smugly.

"Good." Mac jabbed his thumb at Peter's bedroom. "Get him to dig up dirt on my dad. I can even provide some passcodes to make it easier. You'll see exactly why you can't join Thunder Blast and expect to survive."

"O-kay, I think that's enough." Kathy got to her feet and pointed at the door. "Thanks for your time, Mac. Now leave before your parents realize you're gone."

Mac bristled. "I know how to leave the palace and come back undetected! I don't need you protecting me."

"Fine. Then put it this way: get the hell out."

"Only if you get the hell off Solaris first! Promise me!"

"Goddammit." Kathy strode right over and seized Peter's upper arm like an impatient mom dragging her child away from an arcade game. She roughly escorted Mac to the front door.

"You're making a mistake!" Mac cried out.

"See ya, kiddo." Kathy shoved him out the door, and shut it. To Chen's surprise, Mac didn't start pounding on the door or shout anything else. Instead, the scene fell silent, and Kathy reported that Mac had taken his leave.

Peter timidly shuffled out from his bedroom with his head bowed, his hands clenched at his navel. "I could hear the conversation," he mumbled at the wall. "Was Mac Storm being completely honest?"

Kathy sighed loudly and clapped a hand to her forehead. "Who knows, with brats like him? Look, Peter, it's as I told the kid: Chen and I can handle ourselves. We just need you to keep doing what you do."

"It's true, though. People vanishing, strange obituaries, high turnover rate in Thunder Blast stable," Peter babbled. "The Storm family has a lot of connections to organized crime, and launders money often. They worked through DioCorps to launder money to Tharkad last year to -"

"I get it, Peter," Kathy cut him off. "We're fine!"

Peter flinched. "I'm... um..." He shuffled right back into his bedroom and gently shut the door.

Chen gave Kathy a look. "You mind not taking it out on the computer guy?"

Kathy glanced down. "I'll apologize to him tomorrow morning. It's just..." She chewed her lower lip. "Ever since Jackson's Werewolves fell apart, it's like the whole universe has been mocking us, Chen. I see enemies everywhere. And we failed to stop Samesh, and we failed to save the whole team on Zoetermeer. I... I don't want to be reminded of what failures we are." She choked.

Chen got up and held her. "I know," he said gently. "I went through that in 3040, too, before joining up with you."

"Can I admit something, Scrappy?"

"Of course you can."

Kathy held Chen tighter. "A part of me wonders if that kid's right."

"If he is, then I feel sorry for Donovan Storm. He'd face a Death Commando, the toughest Werewolf, and a computer whiz."

Kathy made a nervous laugh. "I think you're right. Let's just kick some ass out there, no matter what happens. That was my plan A."

"I always liked your plan A's."

Chen was actually more afraid than Kathy was. And he couldn't, for the life of him, explain to himself why he wasn't taking young Mac Storm's suggestion more seriously.