Part 5
Even before she stepped through the doors to the bar, Samus could already hear the muffled sounds of rambunctious laughter and shouts that were barely kept within. It was a place she had been to often enough, the unofficial gathering place for hunters and their business. Her first time there had left behind numerous injuries and a consideration - a start. So she took every single job she could, no matter the danger. Her name had slowly gained respect from criminals and bounty hunters alike.
Once she became established, word had spread of her deeds. Now Samus pushed through the swinging doors to the lewd music and disarray within. Hookers clung to over-zealous men at the bar, and in the back where the lights were dimmed, transactions took place.
Rather pointless, she had thought. No man had the fear of law here, the police stationed on this planet left them alone after gaining some extra money in their pockets.
Her eyes scanned the bar, searching for the light haired man Natalia had mentioned. Finding him tossing back a drink near the end of the bar in a booth, it seemed he had just minutes before closed a deal.
She slid in across from him, and the man flicked his eyes up at the intrusion. A lopsided grin formed on his rugged face and Samus briefly thought of Natalia's appreciation with an amused grin.
Raising his eyebrows, the man leaned forward on his hands. "Well Samus old boy, long time no see. And here I thought you moved up in the world. Or finally fucking died. Too bad, a lot of people would have been happy."
"Not you, I'm sure." Samus' wry response elicited a chuckle from the man across from her.
"No, had to admit I'd miss your charming company."
"I'll bet."
He laughed. With bright green eyes and light blonde hair, Rusedar was indeed an easy sight to see. It was obvious the man's youthful face worked against him, and the rough beard and mussed up appearance only made him appear like a young boy trying desperately to be butch. Samus knew she would never have thought him capable if she hadn't seen him in action with her own eyes. Rus had his share of experiences and had proven himself a worthy bounty hunter.
"No, really. What are you here for?"
To the point. Something she actually like about him, even if she could have done without the rest. The boy was irritating to a fault.
"A source tells me you may know something about recent pirate association with aquatic based life-forms."
He smiled slightly, cocking his head to the side. "How much am I getting for this share in confidence?"
Cheeky bastard. "Five hundred."
His smile turned to a smirk. "I wipe my ass with five hundred."
"Don't get cocky, you've only been seeing business because I haven't been here to take it.
"Threatening, Samus?"
"I usually don't find the need to." her voice was low and dangerous.
He muttered. "Eight hundred."
"Seven."
"Seven fifty."
She knew he was haggling just to be an ass about it, but the glint in his green eyes made it obvious.
"Fine."
He smiled. "Yes, I know. Found this little runt after I made a sweep of a space ship on Federation borders. It was small, only a handful of pirates aboard. So I'm about to take this one down when he starts jabbering at me, in actual common language. Me, I didn't know they could do anything but screech, but he tells me he'll let me know their operation if I don't kill him. Well, me, I don't care, and I don't plan on letting the shit live, so I play along. He starts going on about tolri-somethings, fishes or some sort."
Samus nodded, not letting her interest show.
"Tells me about experiments and such, then out of nowhere, he clams up. Thing couldn't keep his trap shut and all of a sudden, nothing. Then I notice the blood and he falls over. One of his crew killed him before he could tell me anything more. I try and interrogate the second one, but he wont say a word, so I kill him. Now, here's where it gets good..."
Rus grinned, square white teeth as he leaned forward in the excitement of his story.
"Another ship... this one way bigger, is detected on the scanners. They send a message, regular screeching stuff I can't understand, but at this point I'm thinking hell, bigger ship bigger pay. So I wait silently for them to send some guys in to investigate why there's no response. I don't wait long... but these guys, these are big ass fuckers. Not like the skinny little pirates you usually think of. They stomp in, looking around, go to the computer and punch in a few things, then turn to leave.
Now here I am, hiding behind the terminals, thinking if I should bother taking these guys on. Surely the ship is full of these guys, and while I am amazing, I don't want a death wish. So I let them go, but quickly get into my own ship that's docked inside, and turn on the tracking and cloak."
Samus didn't interrupt, but had to wonder just where Rus had gotten the money to deck out his ship like that. Tracking and cloak both? Last she remembered, the guy always blew his earnings on gambling and whores. Maybe he'd finally grown some common sense.
"I follow 'em for a while, but then they reach orbit of a planet and touch down. I know there has to be more of them down there - a home base even - and think I'd better sit this one out. But I'm planning, just think of the glory if I could bring that place down!"
"But you're sitting this one out." Samus reminded, voice monotone but lips turned up in amusement.
He in turn had the good grace to look sheepish. "Yeah, well, like I said. I don't have a death wish. I can't go in there alone."
"What are the coordinates?"
"Ah ah ah..." Rus shook his head again, "that wasn't part of the information. You asked me about what I know about the fish people... not if I knew where they are. That costs extra."
"How about my fist smashing your face?" She made it sound compassionate, but really she wouldn't have that much of a problem with it.
He faltered slightly. "You wouldn't, too many people around."
"Never stopped me before." He obviously remembered too, and frowned.
"Fine. Only one condition."
She waited, completely still for him to go on. She knew it made people uncomfortable when she didn't move or speak, using it to her advantage.
"This is going to be a joint-mission."
"No deal." Her answer was immediate. She knew she wouldn't be able to stand him, and besides, this wasn't about money. As hard as it was for people like Rus to understand, sometimes there were greater things that drove people.
Like vengeance?
She pushed the voice out of her mind as Rus frowned. "Then I'm not giving you those coordinates."
She sighed, standing. "There's other ways I could make you. I don't want to waste time, and as much fun as it would be, my methods of making people talk are lengthy."
He looked stubborn, if a bit pale in the face. "Look Samus, I got the information, the means, everything. We don't like each other, its obvious, but you have to know you can't do this alone."
"I always do."
He shook his head. "Even you couldn't, miracles withstanding. I know you can pull off shit other Hunters couldn't begin to fathom, but you're still mortal."
She smiled. "So you don't believe the rumors then?"
He shook his head. "Not one android I've seen can annoy me as much as you can. That talent can't be made artificially."
She had the urge to laugh, but smothered it. It wouldn't do for the image after all.
"80/20."
"Oh come on. At least split it 60/40. We're going completely on my information"
She shook her head. "80/20"
He frowned, knowing there really was no room to argue here. "Fine."
"The coordinates?"
He smiled. "You think I'll actually tell you? No no, I need insurance, I'll punch them in myself. We'll go in my ship, no need for an extra vessel that can't cloak."
She frowned slightly, making a mental note to get that fixed.
----
Melissa felt ridiculously paranoid as she left the BSL building; the disc with the information was heavy in her pocket and it took immense willpower for her not to glance over her shoulder every other step. But still, there was the sheer thrill of the act. Small though her duty was, she could maybe understand why her husband was in his chosen career. It was one of the reasons both of them had gotten together so well when they first met. Similar personalities, with the same likes and dislikes. When they began to date regularly though, they found the downside of their matched tempers. There hadn't been a shortage of explosions, and it was a wonder they could even stand each other.
Somehow it worked out, and when she accepted Andrew's proposal they knew they loved each other just as much as they hated each other. Most likely more. She smiled slightly at the thought, but knew her life wouldn't have been half as satisfying without him.
Her heels clicked the sidewalk as she tried to walk at a normal pace down the street to the diner where Patrick had wanted to meet her. He was an odd man, Andy's partner and best friend, but despite his crude manners Melissa could see he had a soft heart. She wondered just why he hadn't found a woman for himself. There had always been the occasional fling with him, she remembered the different girls on his arm every week and Andy's shrug at his friend's behavior. Recent months had left Patrick overworked and stressed and it was now more than ever that he needed a break.
Of course, the disk in her hand indicated he wouldn't be resting any time soon. Just as long as Kowl didn't drag her husband into it, she was happy to help. The small voice of reason in the back of her mind reminded her that she very well had a chance of losing her job over this. And for some reason, it didn't bother her as much as it should have.
The small diner was on the corner of Fifth and Main, an ancient looking place she could have believed was from Earth centuries before. Perhaps it was designed for those nostalgic purposes, though just who could be old enough to have remembered them was beyond her.
Even through the glass window, Melissa could see Patrick's profile, bent over with his head leaning on his fist. He looked very old right then, and a frown formed on her pretty features. His face was creased and dark smudges were beneath his eyes. But rather than letting these things get him down, she could see the nervous air around him. He was wired - on who knew how many Irish coffees.
Pushing through the doors, she walked towards his booth as he glanced up and nodded to her. She slid in across and the disk rattled slightly in the pocket of her coat.
"You look like hell, Patrick."
He laughed. "Now where have I heard that before? Ah yes, it's the first thing you've said to me every time we've met."
She rolled her eyes. "Because you do look like hell every time I see you. It wouldn't hurt to lay off the drinking for a while, you look like you're perpetually hung over."
"Feels like it too," he muttered but grinned slightly. "How are you Melissa? Andy isn't being a shit now is he?"
She smiled, "Not lately."
"Good. I'd have to kick his ass if he did." He paused as he breached the real topic of their meeting. "Do you have it?"
She nodded, and pulled out the small plastic disk from her pocket. It felt as if she were revealing some terrible secret as she did so, handing it over to Kowl, and she hesitated slightly before she let go.
As for Patrick, he simply took it as if were nothing more than a useless piece of plastic, then sipped his coffee as natural as anything.
She shook her head slightly. "How do you do it, Patrick? You and Andy. I nearly had a heart attack doing this, but you two do things like this as if it's just a game."
"It's never a game. We're just used to it I guess. Conditioned. At least, I am, Andy seemed to have had his fill of our work."
"Why do you keep doing it?"
He paused, silent for a moment or so. "I'm not sure. Something to do I guess. And that I just can't let go of something once I've gotten a whiff..."
She snorted slightly, then stood. "I'd really best get back to the building. Lunch is almost over."
Kowl stood alongside her. "Let me walk you out."
As they exited the diner, Melissa frowned, stopping as she furrowed her brows at something that caught her attention. A man across the street was standing in an obviously forced casual slouch, and she met his gaze in surprise as he raised his hand in a wave.
"Tim?" Her voice wasn't loud enough to carry across the street, but Kowl looked up and caught the stare.
"Who is that?"
"He's a man I work with." She shook her head. "What is he doing here?"
Kowl frowned as he got one of his bad feelings. "How well do you know him?"
"Well enough." she shot him a concerned look. "Why?"
"Maybe you should skip going back to work."
Surprised, Melissa looked back at where her co-worker stood moments before to find him gone. An odd feeling passed through her and she nodded.
----
Mack rubbed at her face in frustration and sheer weariness. It had been much too long since Kowl had left and there was only so far she was able to cover for him. Meticulously studying the pirate data Kowl had brought her took most of the afternoon and into night as she finally glanced around to see the Federation building mostly empty. Apparently, other people actually had lives. The thought made her sigh again.
Now she had come back to her own apartment, making ready to fall asleep as the sharp knock on her door made her wheeze in anger. Figures the bastard would come in the middle of the night right when she was going to go to sleep and angrily sat up, going to the door.
"Kowl, why I never would have known." Monotone voice or not, Mack knew her partner could sense every bit of anger and annoyance.
Kowl on the other hand smiled in that irritating way of his. "Love you too Vkul."
She shook her head in exasperation as she moved aside to let Kowl in... followed by a pretty brunette. "Kowl, who is that?"
She in turn looked just as irritated as Mack. "You could ask me yourself. Melissa Price, pleased to meet you."
Mack had a feeling she was anything but and it amused her enough to lift the foul mood slightly. Kowl rubbed off on her too much, she sighed and it sounded a bit like a puff of air. Melissa Price raised an eyebrow and walked in past her.
"Make yourselves at home" she muttered, closing the door. "Now do you mind filling me in on what the hell you've been doing?"
Kowl turned back at her as he sat on her couch and there was a gleam in his eye that made Mack wonder just what he could have uncovered. Instead of responding, he held up a disc. "This is what is going to lead us to what is really going on with those pirate attacks."
"Is that so?" Mack glanced at Melissa and Kowl caught the look.
"Its okay, she's the one who got it."
Shrugging, Mack took the disc to her computer, popping in the disc and letting the data load. "BSL profile on Franklin Jung..." she looked back at Melissa, "You need very high clearance to access this."
"I have my methods." She looked back at Mack and the detective had to admit the woman had balls. She let out a small chuckle that only Kowl could identify who in turn looked at her oddly. Mack ignored him.
"Found to have stolen samples of genetic material as well as operating without informing the Federation." She scanned the pages... "He was a very brilliant man. Too much so, but apparently ethics didn't bother him much. More often than not he would experiment on sentient beings by injecting them with diseases to study the effects. But he brought in numerous cures in the process. Says here he was also close to a breakthrough on regenerating body parts."
Kowl was listening intently, nodding here and there as Kowl read aloud. "When was he expelled from BSL?"
"About twenty-five years ago. He was also one of the youngest leading scientists of his time."
"This is our guy, Mack. Does it list next of kin? He must have some ties that we can look into."
"A daughter. I think she'd be our best shot."
----
"There was a man with her... a friend of her husband"
Lavenski leaned forward slightly behind his desk, staring the younger man down. "What are you trying to tell me, Timothy."
Seeing the man flush and mutter, Lavenski shook his head. He knew he should have sent out security to bring Melissa Price back to the building. This was his own fault. But he didn't tell this to the man across from him, letting him fester in his own misery.
He couldn't blame the boy, Price had a face on her that could tempt a saint. So he had slipped up, let his hormones get in the way. It was understandable. The information that the woman had left with, that he could not let go.
"Do you know this man's name?"
Tim shook his head. "No, I don't know." He paused then, and his brow furrowed as he tried to recall something. Lavenski sat expressionless. "I think he was her husband's old partner."
The old scientist's smile was disturbing, such a radical change from the cold and dead look he was so used to seeing. "Good. You can go now, Tim."
The younger man stood, hesitating slightly. "She... isn't in too much trouble is she?"
"We'll see to that when it comes, Tim."
Nodding slightly, he turned and left. Lavenski waited a few moments before he reached over and picked up the phone, punching in a few numbers. "Let me speak to Hardy."
