A/N: Gomen about the wait for this chapter; I really did have a bad case of writer's block just getting this fic off the ground but I can gladly say that's over with! These events take place a few years after the Leyline incident; let's say oh....five years. Suzuka and Aisha will show up once more...eventually though...I've changed things around only 'slightly'. And someone who is and isn't familiar shows back up again. *don't worry, I watched the series from beginning to end and it is entirely plausible!!*
When it is a question of money, everyone is of the same religion. ~ Voltaire
Chapter One
Wonderful, Wonderful Wong
"Hayfong's horrible at this time of year." Jim grumbled as he made his way through the crowd in Gene's wake. "There're too many people."
"You worry too much. One of these people is going to bring in the money we need." Gene shrugged.
"Yeah, after you banged up the ship and trashed the place like all those other times. I keep telling you that you have to stop that. We can barely afford to travel through space sometimes. We can't keep on borrowing money from Fred. You think the fact that we still owe him so much would stop you."
"Things take care of themselves Jim, that's one thing you should learn, so stop worrying about it. Haven't we always scraped through?"
"Scraped through." he mumbled. "That's what it always is. We can live comfortably off the money we take in if you would just-"
"Yeah, yeah." Gene said in a dismissive tone as he turned down the street. "We're leaving tomorrow anyways so you can relax a bit."
Jim sighed as he walked into the building after Gene. 'Maybe after I become the first kid to have a stress related heart attack.' He looked up as Melfina came out of the back and greeted them with a smile.
"Did you get the stuff?" she asked, taking the bag from Gene. "I can't make dinner without it."
"Yeah we got it." Jim said as he plunked himself down in front of his computer and booted it. "Now don't bother me at all. I have to pay the bills before we go. What I can anyways."
"I keep telling you Jim, you worry too much. Take a break-" Gene started but was interrupted by the loud bang that came as the front door flew open.
Jim turned around to see a woman leaning heavily against the door, her eyes darting around wildly, and the briefcase by her side lying on its side. Spying the couch she ran forward and dragged it back, barricading the entrance.
"Miss, do you need-" Melfina asked as she went to the lady.
"I'll pay you whatever you want, just don't let her get me!" the lady said as she grabbed at Melfina's shirt and clung to it desperately.
Gene pulled the woman off and gave her a small shake. "Calm down first off, and then we'll see if we can help you."
The woman gulped before she nodded. "I hear that you take jobs of a," she paused before she spoke again. "Of a different sort."
"Well that depends." Jim said, rising from his seat. "What exactly are you getting at?"
"You take more dangerous jobs." the woman looked around furtively. "How much wong will it take for you to accept the job?"
"That depends on how much your willing to pay, how dangerous the job is, if you want," Gene said as he rattled some things from the top of his head.
The woman walked forward, grabbing her briefcase and slamming it down on Jim's computer desk. She opened it quickly before she spun it around. "Is this enough?"
Jim gaped at the briefcase full of money that lay open before them. He glanced at Gene who had a completely eager and willing expression on his face. "Give us a minute to discuss this." he said as he dragged Gene into the spare room.
"Jim, what's there to discuss?" Gene asked puzzled once his friend shut the door. "You said it yourself, we need the wong."
"Yeah I know but doesn't the woman seem a bit...desperate to you?" Jim. "What could have her so worked up?"
"You have a point there. But I really don't think that it's anything beyond her wanting protection from something. Probably a jilted boyfriend or something, you know it's nothing we can't handle."
Jim frowned for a minute as he reflected on Gene's words; he did have a point. Maybe the woman was looking for nothing more than a surety from someone who was angry at her. He nodded his head, brushing aside his reservations; the money would help to pay off a lot of their bills, mainly their debt to Fred. He looked up at the woman who was seated on the couch now, a cup of coffee in her hand as Melfina sat down beside her.
"Forgive my temporary outburst there." the lady said rising. "My name is Khujesta. I used to work for Styx."
"Styx?" Melfina asked. "Aren't they the corporation that makes androids?"
"Yes." Khujesta said in a sad voice. "But after one experiment, I couldn't stay there. It was far too hazardous to my health."
"What was hazardous to your health?" Gene asked; she suddenly seemed shifty and tense.
"Not what; who."
"So we are dealing with a stalker." Jim murmured to himself.
"Not just any sort of stalker. One of the worst you could ever think of. It's not like anything you'll ever know." there as an odd tone in Khujesta's voice.
"We'll see about that." Gene said as he seated himself down on the couch beside Melfina. "You just leave us to do or job and nothing will happen to you."
Khujesta gave a somewhat dry laugh before she walked to the window and looked out from the side. "You aren't the first one to say that."
Gene frowned as he looked over at Khujesta who was knocking on a door quietly. "You know, if you knock a bit harder, they might hear you."
"Such venom isn't needed Gene." she said before she resumed knocking. "He will come."
"He will come." he muttered to himself in a low pantomime. "He will help me. That's all you've said for the past few days; have you thought of doing anything yourself at all to get out of your mess?" he crossed his arms with irritation; this had been the routine for the week; slinking around as his client was making her clandestine inquiries.
Khujesta gave him a sad shake of her head before the door swung open silently. Gene followed behind her, his muscles tensing as they walked down the long hallway. Another door opened at the end, a single table illuminated in a bright pool of light. A frown crossed his face as Khujesta took the seat in front of their entrance, folding her hands with patience. Gene frowned at her as she glared at him for tapping his foot.
"You seem to still have a bit of impatience Gene. I thought you would have learned by now."
"What do you mean still?" he asked.
She simply gave him an enigmatic smile before she turned around. "Wait and he will come."
"He this mysterious 'he'; you act like he'll be the one to save you from whoever you're running from."
"He-"
Khujesta's words were cut off as the door opened once more, a thin straggly man walking in and taking the seat opposite Khujesta, his own burly bodyguard taking an impassive stand behind him.
"It's been along time, hasn't it Khuj?"
"It has been Matt."
"You know him?" Gene asked as he leaned forward.
"This is the one you hired? A wise, but somewhat foolish choice." Matt said in a reserved voice.
"What?!"
"So have you heard about Arthur?" Khujesta said as she still Gene's explosive response. "And you that -"
"Is out for our heads? I know; I can help but-"
"I know, these things aren't cheap; how much wong will it be this time?"
"Same as last time; pick up can be a different place." Matt ran a hand through his stringy hair. "It's too bad about Arthur; he was one of the brightest."
"He was." Khujesta said as she shook her head. "But that is past us; how many are left now?"
"Seven now; Mia was picked off as she made a run to her weapons supplier. She never knew what hit her."
"Not Mia; she was the only who could reverse the behavioural patterns."
"I know; we have a loose cannon." Matt paused for a minute as his body guard whispered something to him. "I'll be back in a minute; there's something that requires my attention."
Gene watched as Matt walked out the room rapidly. "What was that all about?" he asked; the whole conversation seemed cut short and rather cryptic on his part.
"Pray that you never find out Gene." she said in a low voice. "Some things are best left untouched by the hands of humans."
Gene shrugged; it seemed impossible to get a straight answer from this woman and he wasn't inclined to start digging again; he remembered all the places that had taken him. The silence crawled through the room as the minutes were slowly ticked off by Khujesta's watch. Tiny dust motes dances upon the beams of light down to the stained table top and every once in awhile, Gene would look up, hearing a sound before he dismissed it, deeming it not a threat.
"Do you hear that?" Khujesta asked as she rose slightly. "It sounds like singing."
"I don't hear anything." Gene said as he looked around.
"It's coming from the vent." she said, leaving her seat and starting for the grate. "It's so faint and lost. Do you think someone is trapped in there?"
"No." Gene pulled her back. "I think you should tell me what it sounds like."
"Like a little child singing. Like that song from long ago..."
Gene suddenly fell all the hairs on the back of his neck rise suddenly; there was someone in that vent. He couldn't even voice his words before the grate burst open, a black figure slithering out. Gene pushed Khujesta to the door, pulling out his own gun and firing. He smiled as the bullets hit home, but it soon disappeared as the figure rose up, unhindered by the crippling blows to pull put an automatic, aiming right for them. Khujesta fell to the floor in the hallway as Gene took her down with him. A spray of bullets travelled over their heads, pitting the wall. Khujesta screamed as she covered her ears with her hands. Once the thundering sound stopped, Gene hauled her to her feet.
"Run if you wanna live!" he ordered.
Khujesta took off, slamming into the door and scrabbling with the handle. Gene pushed her aside and kicked it open before pulling her along behind him. They had barely cleared the way when another spray went after them. Gene paused, looking back as the figure walked out into the alleyway, the black trench coat swirling around them as they reloaded again, the sound of the clip clicking in.
'Eat this.' he thought as he unloaded the rest of the bullets at his opponent. "Get into the car!" he yelled at Khujesta who was hiding out behind a dumpster; the car was less than half a foot away from it.
Looking back at his opponent, he could see the pools of blood running down the pants and boots to mix with the puddles, brownish red. He felt a small wave of hesitancy wash through him as the cold bluish lips smirked disdainfully before releasing the safety.
Gene took off, jumping into the car and starting it. They roared out of the alleyway and up into the sky as bullets chased after them. He glanced back in the rear view mirror to see the shrinking figure, discard the gun and walk away, blood pooled into a singular red puddle.
"Who the hell was that?" he yelled as they headed back to the shop.
"That was who you were hired to protect me from Gene." Khujesta said as she loosened the collar of her shirt, breathing heavily. "It freaks me out every time."
"Every time?! You mean this hasn't been the first?!" he felt like bringing the car to an immediate halt.
"That was the sixth attempt on my life. I seem to have the Devil's luck."
"Devil's luck my ass." Gene muttered darkly. "You're gonna explain everything or we terminate the contract as of today."
"I can't; that would make things even worse for you. Then Styx would be out to get you and they have things you'd rather not see for yourself." Khujesta sat back into the chair, almost as if boneless. "But I shall tell you all I can when we arrive back."
"No. Now before this person decides to pop out the trunk and finish what they started."
Khujesta swallowed as Gene gave her a hard look. "Very well; you have earned that much."
"How gracious of you; now talk before I die and not realize it."
"Styx was formed in secret by the Kei Pirates way back when the XGP was built but remained one of their most top secret organizations. Just like the XGP Project, it combined the best talent that the scientists and Kei Pirates had to offer. Even when the Kei Pirates and scientists split afterwards, the few who still wanted the organization around kept it going, with some rather clandestine funding."
"What does all of this have to do with now?"
"I am getting there." Khujesta paused. "It was about ten years before the Leyline Incident that they started to tinker with things. And -"
"What sort of things?" Gene asked; this history lesson was just like listening to Jim talk sometimes. Starting at the point that had virtually no relevancy to what he wanted to know.
"You can't know yet. But it was during the Leyline Incident that things took a turn for the worse. One of the projects that was running went sour and backfired horribly. The lab went up in flames and the test subject had supposedly died."
"And I'm guessing the person who just tried to kill you was the one who supposedly died?"
"Yes." Khujesta remained silent, resting a hand on her stomach. "Perhaps you had better stop here. I don't feel so well."
"Fine." Gene muttered, slamming on the brake. "Shit, the brakes have been cut!"
He twisted the wheel, making the car spin around for a good five minutes before it came to a complete stop, thunking down to the ground heavily. He looked around as Khujesta dashed out of the car. 'We were so close to the shop too...' With a sigh, he got out of the car and walked over to Khujesta to see what she was doing.
"Hey, are you OK?" he asked, seeing her doubled over.
She turned and looked at him before bending over and promptly throwing up on his shoes. Gene threw up his hands with a curse; as if things weren't bad enough already.