【26 - Meeting the Information Broker and Making a Counter-Strategy!】


By an outskirt region was a fenced-in junkyard, at the front sat Mr Barrow's repair shop. The weak headlights revealed a slouching block of a building. It had a character to it – a stooping, strangely-dressed old man that other people avoided. Its repairs over the decade stood out, making it look like patchwork clothing. It seemed like it was shying away from the street, its chain-link fences and the surrounding dirt expanse. Simon killed the engine and they all shivered. It was a dark night under the cover of clouds and colder now too. This Mr Barrow fellow was probably asleep, he surely wasn't expecting to be woken up to five stowaways. Amira was last to climb out the van, she did so stiffly.

"You guys better wait out here," Simon told them and fished out a key from a jacket pocket. He undid the lock and slipped through the frosted-glass door.

Heidi still wasn't speaking, her head stayed lowered. Timothy stood near her but instead of trying to comfort, the way he eyed her then looked away made Amira think he was pissed off with her. Maybe the small firecracker had an argument with him before they all joined up.

Lisa stepped into Amira's line of sight "I'd better check your pupils out again once we get another chance." After Amira's grunt of approval Lisa asked "How are you feeling now? Any dizziness?"

"No," Amira checked her head for tender spots and found nothing. "You wouldn't happen to keep pain killers in that coat by any chance?"

"Nope," Lisa smiled "but if we're lucky Mr Barrow will share."

The four straightened at the sound of furious yelling from inside the shop. The owner was awake and he was none too pleased. The teens shifted awkwardly.

"That Simon…" Amira spoke with genuine annoyance.

"Hey, he cared enough to rescue you." Lisa responded.

"I suppose. Just don't be too trusting, he's a narcissist."

The pretty girl arched an eyebrow "Thanks, but I know how to handle guys."

The door opened and out popped a stout man with a grey moustache, a dark cap on his head. He was wearing multiple jumpers over his pyjamas. He took a moment to stare at each of them with tawny eyes.

"Honestly Simon, I don't know why I bother! I really don't! Come on in then." He whipped back inside and the four teens looked at each other before heading in.

The place was dusty and with as many patchwork repairs as outside. Wooden support beams done up in corners and an uneven ceiling. Over a counter were rows of machine parts. Mr Barrow swiped angrily at hanging cords as he went. The doorways narrowed, corridors cutting close and at weird angles before widening again. At a back room were wooden steps leading to an attic. Two young boys were spying at the newcomers from above, one dark-skinned and the other pale, keeping out of their father figure's sight. On the planked floor was mismatched furniture: starched sofa, ripped armchair, a stool.

"I thought you'd be happy," Simon was saying "I brought you a working car, how many people own them nowadays?"

"You brought me a Knife gang van. It'll be recognized the moment I drive out in it!"

"Then take it apart, sell the parts. That'll get you a good profit. Let me drive it into the lot."

"Well obviously it can't sit out there where someone might see it." Mr Barrow spotted the kids "Back up you go, boys. Stay with your sister."

The skinny youngsters stood to go "Hey Simon," they greeted and he gave a brief smile before they went back up.

"Your involvement with the Sword gang can put all of us at risk," Mr Barrow hissed in a low voice.

"Look, I know I never mentioned her to you before, but Amira's a chosen duellist. So is Heidi," he leaned around to point them out "You know the Duel Masters prophecies about the fate of the world?"

"You know I never had time for that game…" the old man sighed. Finally quietening down in surrender "You, Amira. You must be the injured one, why don't you take a seat and I'll be with you shortly."

Amira obeyed the flustered man, walking to the sofa and lowering herself with a wince. Mr Barrow could be heard muttering as he rifled through tool boxes.

"He really is a very decent guy," Simon assured them.

"Kaijudo duelling is incredibly dangerous, especially in these parts." He came back and pulled up the stool, had a metal tin containing first aid supplies. He put on small circular glasses, the right one had a crack through the glass. "Losing a duel can lead to disastrous consequences if you don't get proper treatment."

"I didn't lose," Amira stated.

"Well you certainly don't look like you won" was the gruff response.

"The building collapsed. I'm Lisa," she sat down with them "I'm a nurse."

"At your age?"

"She doesn't seem to have any head trauma. No bone fractures. Her left shoulder had to be relocated back into its socket, the ligaments might be pulled."

Mr Barrow pulled out a monocle and dusted it off on his pants. He used the extra lens to peer at Amira's shoulder as she pulled the jumper down. It was bruised and swelling.

"Suppose we'll have to see in a few days if it gets any better. I have a hot pack in my bedroom I keep for my lower back."

"I think an ice pack would work better. Do you have one?"

"In the freezer trunk. Far corner of the kitchen," he told her and Lisa nodded with a smile, standing up and making her way around the bend.

"I hate to trouble you," Amira spoke with clenched teeth "but if you have any pain killers…"

"Of course." He stood and scuttled off the other way.

Amira looked back at Heidi and Timothy. They were looking around the dusty, decrepit home with expressions mixed with peculiarity and unease.

Amira gazed up before speaking "It's different to the dorm rooms at the DMA. But I'm in no position to go off on my own. If we're lucky Mr Barrow will let us stay until we get back on our feet."

Timothy opened his mouth and hesitated "…and then, where do we go and what do we do?"

Amira looked at them, almost shrugged but thought better of it "I have no idea."

The five teenagers took up residence at Mr Barrow's for the following week. Amira was on the path to recovery but still sore and unable to exert herself. Heidi and Timothy only continued to sink deeper into despair, their days were spent not doing much. Simon did jobs around the house while Lisa tended to the sick child, a little girl. The meals they ate were soups, sometimes stew and bread buns. There wasn't a lot of food to go around. There were the odd cockroaches and moths in cupboards and under floorboards. The chain-linked yard was dirt with piles of rusted rubbish and cans. An old campervan sat furthest out, beyond the chain-link fence was the forest edge a kilometre or so away. It would be a long and difficult walk to the port city, and with no money there was no point in any of them leaving. They were chained to this decaying civilization.

The others slept on mounds of blankets and old curtains while Amira got to have the sofa. The nights were cold but the children were fairly happy. At night the two boys would monkey-climb atop the caravan and watch the stars with Simon lying between them. The girl was too sick to make the climb.

Mr Barrow wasn't poor by this city's standards, having his own business that saw two or three customers a day for odd jobs. One man needed a kind of pipe fixture, so they went down the long shelves of his inventory before finding the right one. Another man wanted his wrist-watch fixed, so Mr Barrow had spent an afternoon with a multi-lens eyeglass, peering and working to repair it. A woman came looking for a battery so she perused the options with Mr Barrow, finding something that once came from an old lawn mower and agreeing on a price for it. He kept a slim notepad for his book-keeping. While there was a steady income of sorts the extra mouths to feed made things difficult. The others seemed to want to contribute somehow but there wasn't a lot of ways to do that. Simon had driven his stolen van through the gate and it was hidden a few metres from the campervan. Mr Barrow didn't want anyone driving it.

While the old man had his reservations about what he was told, he started to believe the teenagers as the days went by. He went from being non-reactive to mildly incredulous. He'd taken a liking to Heidi, spent a lot of time talking with Lisa. Amira and Timothy didn't talk to him as much, and he was always gruff with Simon. The three kids, all younger than ten, loved the blonde teen and he continued to be helpful.

It was mid-afternoon and Simon was on the roof working to patch a hole. Amira sat on the dirt outside and Lisa walked out with a tray of ice-water for everyone. Heidi stood nearby and was kicking a hard ball while the young boys chased after it.

"Thanks," the short girl took a mug and drank. Without vegetation the days got hot under the open expanse when the muggy clouds were sparse. All that heat faded to cold at night without insulation.

"Does Timothy want one?"

"He's checking the trash piles outside the city for something Mr Barrow can sell. I practically had to force him, but it's about time he contributes. You know he doesn't even want to play with the children?" Heidi moved to catch the ball, then she shot a kick and the boys ran around a pile of bricks and rusted washing machine, chasing after it. "I said I'd do the food shopping tomorrow."

Heidi was still depressed, but she was doing a little better. She was trying to pull her weight and shake out of it. For whatever reason Timothy wasn't shaking out of it. He barely spoke to anyone. He argued with his girlfriend every day – he'd been pissed off at her for running off alone and getting captured, needing him to rescue her (which had apparently happened once before already). Yet now it seemed like he was too demoralised to care about her, or anything.

Lisa handed a cup of water to Amira, smoothed out her dress and skirt before sitting. They could hear Simon hammering away up there.

"You know that little girl has the blood disease. That's why she's always sick – immune system shot to hell. She was born with it, she's never going to be a teenager." Lisa murmured. Amira faced her as Heidi continued occupying the two boys.

"I remember… your mother died because she caught the blood disease from a patient." Amira stated. "It's good of you to still want to help that little girl."

Lisa was silent for a long while, eyes lowered and taking on an empty quality.

"Even with the Knife gang, life was better than this…"

"It's not pleasant." Amira agreed while Lisa drained her glass.

"When I was eight years old, one of the gangsters told me the only reason I'm alive is because someone raped my mother. I mean…" the pretty girl's eyes narrowed at the dirt "I could imagine feeling like you were an accident, but to know you only exist because someone did something so terrible. I couldn't help feeling like my existence was somehow evil. But my mother did love me, and we were together a lot, and I thought that if I could learn to help people like she did I wouldn't be so evil."

Amira didn't know what to say. She was never good at comforting people. Lisa was dry-eyed and sounded more bitter than upset. Amira simply responded with a "sorry."

"You don't ever talk about your own past or problems," Lisa pressed.

Amira shrugged, something she could now do "We all have problems here. Simon saw his parents get murdered by the Axe gang, he only survived cause he was small enough to hide in an upper vent. Then he took care of himself, he didn't meet Mr Barrow until he was already fifteen. I've never seen Simon mope or cry about anything."

"I see…"

"He talks a lot when you get to know him. It's kind of annoying…"

"What about you, you're still not telling us anything about yourself?" Lisa pressed.

"There isn't much to tell," Amira gave an aggravated sigh. "My parents were together. We were middle-class in a suburban area. I had two brothers. The oldest got spoilt and everything he ever asked for while us younger ones could act up because our parents didn't care as much about us one way or the other. The Dawn of the Phoenix tracked me down and gave me Supernova Pluto Deathbringer. I got close to people and realised it was a mistake, so I made sure not to do it ever again."

"Is it because you got hurt?" Lisa asked.

"No. They got hurt. I once thought Magris and I had this special connection, but when he started to get controlling and obsessed I realised he was a lunatic who faked everything to be with me. He faked his personality to complement mine because underneath he's this controlling, unstable monster and feeling like I rejected him made him obsessed with killing me. I ran away when I learnt how strong the Gatekeepers are. I ran from Magris when I figured out he was abusive and crazy. An elderly couple took me in for a while and it was nice, but when Magris tracked me down he killed them. So I had to keep running. I have to be alone so nobody else gets hurt."

Amira's confession came out in a rush. She huddled into herself afterwards, anti-social with walls up. Lisa pressed her lips together. Unbeknownst to them Heidi had been listening in, the shorter girl's shadow fell on the pair.

"Kettou da."

"I'm not going to duel you," Amira said.

"Come on, chosen versus chosen. Pluto Deathbringer against Mars Disaster."

"No," Amira repeated defiantly.

Lisa stood up to leave "Well I need to go check how she's doing. Excuse me."

Heidi narrowed her eyes at the girl sitting before her "why won't you duel me? Are you a coward?"

"I am a coward! Okay?!" Amira suddenly shouted "I don't want to duel you!"

Heidi closed her eyes before shaking her head. Behind her the two boys were watching, they decided to wander off and throw the ball between each other.

"…Then I guess, you're only here until you get better. Then you're going to run off, just like you did after we first met." Heidi surmised and Amira said nothing. Heidi raised her black eyes "I know it's probably pointless, but I've decided I'm not going to give up searching for the chosens. The phoenixes chose me to be a champion for Aurellia, so I'm going to lay down my life doing whatever I can even though it's futile. There's nothing else I'm willing to do instead. If I'm going to die, then I'm going to die. But I am Aurellia's hero of fire."

"…The phoenixes appearing is automatic," Amira answered. "It can't be helped. It doesn't mean we have a destiny, or a chance. Chosens are selected when a threat to a planet appears, no matter how unbeatable it is."

"I get that. And I get that you're scared. But Amira… is there – anything – I can do to convince you to come with me?"

Heidi's gaze was unwavering and Amira couldn't help but be awed by the other girl's determination. Committed to doing everything she could for everyone like it was an apology for not being strong enough to do more. Accepting her own death so willingly. Amira lowered her eyes, immediately she'd known what to ask for.

"Help me kill Magris. He will never give up on me. I won't have to run anymore when he's dead. Then I'll join you."

Heidi's hand appeared in her line of vision "Deal."

Amira smiled, which surprised her. She shook Heidi's hand and once again they felt that strange sense of kinship as their eyes locked. Amira knew that Heidi understood what it was like to be her more than anyone else in the entire world. She also knew that the other girl felt the same about her. They were put in the same situation and made to shoulder the same burden. They truly did have a connection, and Amira had never had a sister.

Simon could be seen climbing down from the roof. The girls let go and watched him approach, dusting off his jacket.

"Timothy's on his way back. I saw him up the street."

"Did he bring anything back with him?" Heidi asked.

"Nope," at Simon's answer Heidi seethed. They were definitely going to fight again once he was back. Simon buried his hands in his pockets "So since it's just the two of you lovely ladies, I think it's time I presented my little proposal."

Heidi and Amira looked at each other. Still sitting on the dirt, Amira asked "what?"

"Did you happen to notice anything fishy that night the Sword gang busted in and stopped the trade between you and Lisa?"

"No?"

Simon tapped his head obnoxiously "grappling guns. They used them to get up to the windows, seemed a bit high-tech for them didn't it?"

"Oh. Yes, but so what?"

"Someone gave the Sword gang those grappling guns. In fact, now all the triads have more guns than they've ever had before. Magris Slade is probably in charge of the Axe gang now their leader is dead. Kurushi Glimmer is working hand-in-hand with Pello Junior running the Knife gang. I'd bet anything the third lieutenant is working with the Sword gang. They're supplying ammunition in order to gain leading positions in the gangs."

Amira's head snapped up "When I was locked in that cage… they were talking about a cargo shipment that was coming into the port city. Could it be even more weapons?"

"The triads hate each other," Heidi spoke up next "but the lieutenants all work for General Urobach, they all work together, so why have they each infiltrated separate gangs?"

"Something is going down. And here of all places," Simon shook his head "I don't know what they plan to do here. Attacking the capital city and DMA I could understand… I think we should talk to my main informant. She's an information broker that goes by Ms Snaketail. If anyone might know what Urobach is planning then it's her."

"Yes. We should go tomorrow. In the evening - it'll give me time to get everyone on board and do the food run," Heidi stated and the others agreed.

Dinner that night was hot tomato soup. Amira blew on her spoonful while everyone else discussed tomorrow's adventure into the city. With the three young children and old Mr Barrow it felt like they were a strange family of sorts. When finished Simon was balancing his spoon on his nose to the delight of the children, earning smiles from Lisa as well. Heidi's smile was a little dry and Timothy didn't smile at all – those two were still battling a depression. Amira sat furthest away on a step, black hood pulled up to keep her ears warm. Without heating everyone wore several layers of clothes at night. Amira couldn't help thinking that with Heidi being another chosen, perhaps it'd be safe for her to have the girl as a friend after all. Still she preferred to keep to herself. Before going to sleep on the sofa she tested her body with some stretches, got a twinge and some stiffness, but she was almost all good again.

The next day Amira heard Timothy complaining from the other room.

"It's going to take us three hours to walk there? You can't be serious," he sounded bitter.

"We live in forty square kilometers of dilapidated metropolis," Simon answered "There's no fancy busses here, sunshine."

"Don't call me that," he spat before storming off.

Simon glanced at Amira as she leaned against the doorway "Man, he spends all his time being sour."

"Hm. You ready to go?"

"Yep. Heidi should be back soon and then we'll go."

Without use of the van permitted they'd be trekking city blocks and rubbish-strewn pathways. Travel was the reason Simon spent most nights sleeping away from the shop. When the five teens were ready they gave their farewells to Mr Barrow and the kids, starting their journey with a backpack of some bread buns and bottled water. They walked toward the gloomy high-rise buildings, toward the giant and empty factory that used to employ so many. What once pumped economic lifeblood had long failed, now grimy-black and having spread its gangrenous decay through the streets – the veins of what had once been a living city.

Throughout the journey Amira felt she'd pegged the other's motives for coming. Heidi wanted to stop their enemies from causing another tragedy, it was her purpose. Getting information on the lieutenants would get them closer to finding and killing Magris. Simon was still being helpful, as if he was only doing it to surprise Amira further. They were relying on his street-smarts in any case. Lisa wanting to help was more believable seeing as she was also sought after and had nowhere else to go. But she was also revelling in her newfound freedom and better company. Her white coat was left behind, being too distinguishable to wear out. Timothy was even less sociable than Amira herself, and unpleasant to everyone. The only good from him was that he was mostly quiet. He was focused on their objective and would rather not entertain any positive emotion, spearheading their walk at Simon's direction.

Ms Snaketail was an important figure in this city, Simon had explained on the way. She owned her own apartment building that had armed security on the bottom level at all times. Simon did work for her on occasion, and sometimes they swapped intel for money or favours owed. The triads were annoyed with her lack of affiliation, but all three had their occasional visits up the elevator to her penthouse level for business. She was the ultimate neutral party in the city.

"But I heard Lady Darkess say that anyone important here gets recruited?" Heidi asked as they took a small flight of stairs up the property, the front doors were in sight.

"Ms Snaketail is the one exception to that rule," Simon explained "She has enough manpower to keep her independence. She doesn't have an obvious presence here - all her activities outside that building stay secret."

It was now sunset, the western horizon orange-pink while everything darkened into silhouettes. Like he'd done at the underground circuit, Simon was friendly and charming to the guards. They recognized him but lost no composure. Big guys with shaved heads, radioing upstairs on their earpieces. After a minute they were let in and other suited henchmen began waving handheld metal detectors. Knowing the procedure well, Simon dropped off his pocketknife in a tub container then raised his arms. He borderline flirted with the reedy woman who checked him over. The others followed suit and Timothy had to reluctantly hand over a screw driver he'd been keeping in his sock.

Amira looked around and saw the ground level had no inner walls, only stone pillars. There were over a dozen guards, some crowding over a colourless TV or rifling through a small fridge. There were fold-out chairs, a table or two but otherwise this level looked completely sparse. In its centre was the shiny elevator to the upper levels. They made their way across with a pair of guards. After a button-press the doors eventually opened with a ding. It was big enough to hold seven people without feeling too crowded.

There was no elevator music. They ascended in silence and Lisa absent-mindedly sniffed her clothes. Simon started humming but when one of the guards slowly turned his head he shut up.

The little moving arrow was almost at the top when a thought occurred to Simon and he turned around "Oh yeah. Try not to stare at her, guys."

The doors opened to the penthouse with another ding. The guards strolled out while the teens nervously followed. The floor was unequal orange tiles upon white, patterned like leopard spots. There were long-leafed plants in big stone vases. The smell of cigarettes had permanently tainted the surroundings. The hallway opened up and revealed a surprising number of people. Some played poker on felt tables. There was a box TV showing a Wild West movie with no colour. In a back room was the whirring of someone getting a tattoo done. Tobacco smoke made the room cloudy. The faces were hardened and suspicious, plenty people had firearms strapped over their shoulders. A far table was doing lines with blue powder.

And then Ms Snakeskin breezed over "Simon, it's been too long" she went in for a hug.

She was somewhere north of sixty with chocolate-dark skin. Her voice had the melodic strain of a chain-smoker. Her right side was butchered in scars, turning her lip down into a permanent grimace. Half her face muscles didn't seem to work anymore, but she was dressed in the most elegant and beautiful silk kimono they'd ever seen.

"It's good to see you too," Simon replied as they embraced.

She held him at arm's length "Good to see you aren't dead. If I don't see you in a while I have to wonder. So these are friends of yours?" She looked over each of them with her one working eye "follow me."

There was a shallow pool further into the room. Ms Snaketail walked beside it then took a seat by a small glass table, crossing her legs. The water was baby-blue and shone with lights under the surface. They sat on metal chairs with peeling white paint, dragging against the floor as they sat.

"I need some information about the mysterious new associates that are helping the triads." Simon leaned forward.

"Oh Simon, I really wished you'd come sooner. I've been hearing things about these benefactors for weeks. It is quite mysterious, one could only wonder what's to be gained in supplying weapons to the triads. I've been hypothesizing for a long time that it must be something insidious."

"Ma'am," Heidi spoke up "I'm sure you're right. That's why we have to put a stop to it."

The woman smiled and looked back at Simon "How do you plan to do that? You must know there's only one source that could've provided all those weapons, I'm afraid."

He at once looked solemn, knitting his hands together over his chin "…the Augus military."

"The government!?" Heidi exclaimed. "But there's other means, surely…"

"There are other means, but none with the resources to fill a whole cargo ship with weapons. It docked in the port city three days ago. The crate contents were loaded into trucks and taken to three different rendezvous points."

"The gangs… what do they want?" Heidi asked.

"There's only one possibility I've come up with, though I'm not altogether sure why. These benefactors want anarchy. They want our already destabilized city to become an all-out warzone. This would finally compel the government to step in and act."

"I don't understand…" Timothy's brows pinched to show his confusion.

"We don't have to understand it, but we do need to stop it." Ms Snaketail waved her arm. "I want you all to meet my grandson, Diego. He's a genius, and a bomb technician expert. He came up with a plan to rig the rendezvous buildings to bury the weapons and weaken the gangs before they can wreak havoc all over the city."

A handsome teen with sleek black hair walked over. He was as dark as his grandmother, nodding in greeting before his eyes came to rest on Lisa.

"Hey…" he was obviously quite taken with her. She stared back with wide blue eyes, said nothing but the faintest of blushes coloured her cheeks.

This was perfect. Amira was about to open her mouth and say so. They could work together to weaken the triads before the city was completely overrun, stop whatever the lieutenants were planning and in the process eliminate Amira's stalking and obsessive ex-boyfriend. She was down for whatever would free her of Magris. A suited henchmen followed behind Diego, bending down to whisper in his boss's ear.

"Hmph," she re-crossed her legs thoughtfully "We have more visitors it seems. Genjin and the leader of the Sword gang."

The teens all shared looks of surprise.

"Please let us stand aside while you talk to them," Timothy requested.

"Alright," Ms Snaketail sighed then looked back to her employee "Send them up."


AN: I am antsy to release my second ever chapter without a duel. I feel ashamed and publically disgraced *sad uwu face*. If yall decide to flame me I understand. Since there was no duel I'm curious as to opinions on the characters, plot, pacing and whatever else. I don't think this story ever had a slow pace though, tbh. While I did plan for one chapter this arc to have no duel, I'll have to rearrange my planning somewhat to accommodate this unexpected development. Should be fine. Covert missions and scheming? We're getting into the second quarter of the arc now!