Chapter 26…
"All right, sit down shut up and hang off my every bloody word…" Blisk growled to the full room in front of him.
The leader of the Apex Predators had claimed his usual spot at the head of the long table. He was leering over the top and had placed his gloved hands against the smooth wood of its surface.
Ashley knew the look on his face… she knew it very well…
As a person and her employer, Blisk was an incredibly complicated enigma. One minute he was telling dark jokes and making quips; one minute later, he was threatening your life and waving his knife around.
In her past career of working with Blisk, Ashley had never been sure which side of them was the real one. At the end of the day Ashley didn't really care - he was her boss and she wasn't his therapist. But Blisk's "true personality" had always been the hot topic of gossip between her old teammates - Colton and Caleb, in particular.
"We've got two days before the attack on Antheia is going to happen. That leaves me two more days of hasty planning, because the IMC jokers who are meant to serve as our backup still haven't arrived in this damned system!" Blisk scowled, his eyes dark and brooding.
"Sounds like you have a lot on your plate, boss!" Called out one of the braver pilots.
"I'll have your tongue on a plate if you say one more word," Blisk warned. The threat didn't go over as the mercenary planned, if the snickers around the room were any indication.
"Alright then, I'll make the threat only you louts will understand," Blisk smirked. "Any more outbursts, jokes, or so much as a bloody cough… I'll be docking your payment…"
Unsurprisingly, there were no more snickers…
It is said that the universal language is violence; but all mercenaries were bilingual when it came to the secondary language of money.
"Good," Blisk nodded. "Let's keep this quick, we're going to be going over roles for our upcoming job. Some roles pay better than others, but the ones that do will be more dangerous."
Blisk gave everyone in the room a serious look. "If you raise your hand and take the position… that's it. There will be no moving, no switching and no complaining. Understand?"
There was a chorus of "yesses", Ashley included.
Ashley leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms across her chest. She watched as Blisk stood up from where he was leaning on the table and pulled a small data-pad from his vest pocket.
Thankfully, Ashley had been diligent enough to show up on time that day - washed and in uniform. It was early in the morning, which meant that Ashley didn't get as much sleep as she wanted too; she had slept in Cain's cockpit the last few nights and had come to prefer it to her quarters.
Cain was a good alarm clock… he would always wake her when she needed to be somewhere. That… and Ashley didn't dream as much as she usually did when she was in his cockpit.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, Ashley took a swig of alcohol from her stash and was officially ready to go for the day. The quantity of alcohol she had consumed wasn't enough to make her tipsy, but it warmed her blood and made her feel alert.
"First role!" Blisk called out. "We'll need thirty pilots for the direct assault on the base! It'll be titan work, so no boots on the ground. Out reinforcements will be supplying twenty-five of these pilots, so that leaves five positions for us to fill. The pay is good, any takers?"
Five hands shot up around the room. Ashley only recognized one of the pilots to put their hands up - it was Templeton.
"Templeton, Lark, Sanders, Kanumba, and Walker," Blisk typed the names down on his pad. "Anyone else?"
Blisk scanned the room for a moment.
"Speak now or forever hold your peace…" Blisk snorted. "No? Good…"
Ashley shifted in her seat a little bit. Being part of the assault team wasn't all that appealing to her. In a straight battle Cain's small, thinly armored chassis would be quickly chewed apart by larger titans; Ashley would have to settle for a support role, relying on her allies to tank the damage while she flanked the enemy.
Not a bad tactic, actually… it was one she and her old team used to use quite frequently. Still, Ashley didn't know any of the pilots on the assault, save for Templeton… she couldn't trust them to cover her if things got too hot…
"Second role!" Blisk called out. "A larger team will be sent to secure the perimeter of the anti-air gun Marder was salivating over. For those of you in this room who are slow… that means you'll be taking out the guards around the gun. This is also good pay and ten positions are available…"
Ashley restrained the urge to lift her hand, still wanting to weigh her options. Ten of the other pilots around the room answered to Blisk's offer, raising their hands so that they would be chosen.
"Grant, Donald, Chen, Patel, Musa, Baros, Lyle, Abdullah, Nilson, and Bell," Blisk rattled off the names of the pilots, tapping their names down on his pad. "Alright… last position… the pay is good but it's the most bloody dangerous."
Blisk lowered his data-pad to view the room critically. "We'll need one last team, two to three pilots. You'll be infiltrating the anti-air gun and you're going to put in in the IMC's hands… one of you is going to pull the trigger if the Militia decides to fight."
Blisk raised his data-pad. "Takers?"
Ashley raised her hand high in the air. She made brief eye contact with Blisk before he tore his gaze away to view the other volunteers.
"Ishiskara, Green, and Mentirosa…" Blisk tapped out on his data-pad.
Ashley felt her stomach do a flop when she heard the last name on Blisk's list. She fought down the urge to turn her head and view the woman; still, Ashley could feel a pair of dark eyes burrowing into the back of her head.
"Alright, the relevant information will be sent to your pads," Blisk slipped his own data-pad back into his pocket. "Read it, learn it, memorize it and then do your jobs… dismissed…"
Ashley rose from her seat alongside the other pilots in the room. She waited for the majority to leave before heading to the door so she wouldn't get caught in the human flow.
Once she was nearly alone, Ashley made her way to the door.
She was stopped abruptly by Blisk, who grabbed her firmly around her bicep.
"Heel, Tigress," Blisk muttered and released Ashley's arm. "You and I need to have a little chat…"
"Chat?" Ashley felt her stomach twist into a knot. She wasn't afraid of Blisk or his blustering, but the unexpected request left her feeling somewhat anxious. Ashley did not show this apprehension, she was well accustomed to keeping calm under pressure.
Blisk's eyes flicked over to the still open door.
"Close the door, Ishikara," Blisk instructed. "This is important…"
Ashley wrinkled her nose and fulfilled Blisk's request. She tapped her finger against the door's control pad and watched as the door shut.
"I'm going to start this by clearing the air," Blisk leaned against the table and crossed his arms. "Whatever's going on… I don't really care and it's not my concern. Hear no evil and all that…"
"It's 'see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil'," Ashley muttered in response. "Also… what the hell are you talking about, Blisk?"
"What else," Blisk chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "I know that you and Knife are feuding…"
Ashley felt her neck tighten up a little bit.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ashley kept her tone low, with a razor sharp edge to it to warn Blisk away.
"Don't lie to me… I can't trust liars," Blisk muttered back. His eyes were cool and glassy, Ashley could see her reflection in them. "I especially can't trust a liar who's on my payroll…"
"Fine," Ashley leaned against the nearest wall. "She and I aren't seeing eye-to-eye on things…"
"It seems a little more cold than that…"
"Yeah… it's cold," Ashley nodded. "But this isn't your business-"
"It isn't, but it becomes my business when it starts to affect the job," Blisk sneered. "You two will be working together on the hardest part of this job… I need to know that you two won't be putting knives in each other's backs!"
"If you're worried, stop," Ashley spat. "I'll do the job you ask me to do. I can't speak for Cozbi… but you can have my assurance that I won't be the one to stir shit up…"
Blisk's nostrils flared as he released a long breath.
"Fine," Blisk cocked his head and nodded. "I'll hold you to that, Tigress."
Ashley got off the wall she was leaning against and paced in place for a moment. "I never knew that I was the center of gossip."
"It's a small ship, you should have expected it."
"I don't see why anyone gives a shit…" Ashley frowned. "I don't know how or why this became everyone else's business…"
"Think about, Tigress," Blisk smirked. "You're one of the two female pilots on a ship full of men. Right before a big mission… you and the only other woman disappear. Pretty bloody sure everyone's minds were on the business you and Knife were conducting…"
"What!?" Ashley snarled. Any frayed nerves of unsettled feelings were quickly squashed down by the anger burning in her throat. "Blisk!? What the fuck!?"
Blisk shrugged and smirked, the perfect representation of nonchalance.
"Oi, calm down!" Blisk chuckled in a low tone. "I'm only ribbing you… learn to take a joke."
"I thought that you didn't joke," Ashley battled down her heavy breaths. She unclenched the fists she didn't know she had made, feeling the indentations her fingernails had left in her palms.
Blisk huffed in amusement but said nothing further.
Taking this as an indication that their talk was finished, Ashley turned to the door to leave.
"One more question for you…" Blisk called out, stopping Ashley in her tracks.
"What…?"
"Why?"
"Why, what?"
"Put two and two together," Blisk scoffed. "You know what we were just talking about… why are you and Knife at each other's throats?"
"It's nothing serious-"
"I don't like liars," Blisk suddenly growled. The joking tone he had had moments before was now completely absent. "Tell me why…"
Ashley lowered her hand off the door control pad and rubbed it awkwardly on her pant leg. She took a deep breath before she began.
"When she and I were in the database room…" Ashley trailed off for a moment. "There were two technicians… they weren't armed and we caught them at gunpoint. I assumed that we would just leave them… but Cozbi executed them both."
There was silence in the room for a moment.
Ashley knew Blisk's answer long before he opened his mouth.
"And?" Blisk moved his head side-to-side in confusion. "That's it? You're mad because she shot two Militia?"
"I knew you would fucking say that…" Ashley spoke through gritted teeth.
"What else would I say?" Blisk scoffed. "Knife saw two security threats - two enemies, so she tied up the loose ends! If anything, that's the mark of a good merc'... being willing to get some blood on your hands-"
"They weren't doing shit, Blisk!" Ashley hissed back like a snake. "They were just underpaid workers sitting in a fucking room! It wasn't necessary!"
Blisk chuckled in a low tone, which made Ashley pause.
"The only thing that's necessary is completing the job… getting our paycheck," Blisk grinned, as if Ashley was an idiot child he was talking down to. "I don't care who you have to stab, shoot or stomp on to get it done… it's why the IMC pays us-"
"It still wasn't right-"
"If you were concerned with what was 'right' you wouldn't be a bloody mercenary," Blisk spat. "You kill for money and you did kill for money that night…"
"You told me that we would be dealing with people shooting at us - soldiers," Ashley spat right back. "This is just like before… well…"
"Demeter," Blisk finished, watching as Ashley visibly wilted. "And if I recall… you weren't complaining then… you didn't give a shit about who you killed."
Ashley swallowed. "That Ashley isn't around anymore…"
"Well bring her back, then," Blisk narrowed his eyes. "What should I do? Right up a list of good and bad targets? Do you think any of the other pilots who were in this room agree with you? Where are you right now?"
"I-"
"Answer my question!"
Ashley ground her teeth together so hard she could swear they were turning to dust.
"On the IMC Medusa…" Ashley spoke through gritted teeth. "With the Apex Predators…"
"And I expect you to represent us well," Blisk's gaze burrowed into her. "If you want to leave after this mission… fine, but as long as you're on it you're going to complete it; bloody hands or not…"
"Are we done…?" Ashley growled.
"Yeah," Blisk nodded and gestured to the door. "Close it once you leave…"
Ashley whirled around and smacked the door pad. The metal door slid open and Ashley stepped into the adjacent corridor; she did as Blisk instructed and closed the door behind herself.
Ashley stuck out one foot…
"Tattling to the teacher, Ishiskara?"
Ashley pulled her foot right back.
The black-eyed woman slowly turned to find the subject of her ire leaning against a nearby wall. Cozbi was just far away enough from the door so that she couldn't be seen if someone was exiting the room.
"What are you doing here?" Ashley pursed her lips. She could feel the muscles in her limbs tighten and her chest contract.
"You know..." Cozbi's soft accent poured from her lips. "The doors are thinner than you might think… it's hard to hear what's going on unless there's yelling."
Ashley felt her right eye twitch. "How much did you hear?"
"Most of it," Cozbi licked her delicate lips. She observed Ashley with cool brown eyes; there was a calculating aspect to her gaze, as if Ashley was a manual she was trying to make sense of.
"I don't appreciate gossip," Cozbi muttered in a low tone. "Especially to the boss…"
"Well, he agreed with you," Ashley sneered. "I wasn't surprised…"
"Blisk is a good mercenary," Cozbi got off her spot on the wall. "I'd like to think that I am too… I made the call…"
"I don't want to hear your justifications-"
"Do you know why I do this job?" Cozbi interrupted, giving Ashley an unreadable look.
Ashley chewed her lower lip. "No… and I don't care-"
"It's because I'm good at it," Cozbi continued, ignoring Ashley's protests. "Shooting guns, following orders… killing…"
Cozbi's brown eyes flicked upwards to meet Ashley's. "You're pretty good at it too…"
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Ashley spat. "Because it wasn't… I don't take pride in the same things you do…"
"So why are you here, then?" Cozbi smirked. "Amongst killers? You're just as guilty as the things I'm guilty of. But we both know why you're here… for the credits…"
Ashley stayed silent.
"I was right," Cozbi spoke in a gentle tone. She was now far closer than Ashley was comfortable with. "But if you don't accept what this job entails… why continue? There are plenty of other ways to make credits. Perhaps they don't pay as well… but you might be happier…"
"Step back…" Ashley warned in a low tone; but Cozbi did not listen.
"You want to know what I think?" Cozbi took another step closer. She and Ashley were nearly face to face; Ashley could taste the other woman's breath, and could smell her scent.
"I don't-"
"I think… that deep, deep down you know that this job is the only thing you're good at…" Cozbi mocked with an infuriating smirk. "You can't live normally… you can't leave this life behind…"
"Shut up," Ashley growled. "You don't know anything about me…"
"I don't need to," Cozbi was now far too close for Ashley's comfort. "It's the only explanation as to why you're still here…"
"Fuck you."
"Is that a request?" Cozbi cocked her head and smiled. "You did once… and it was pretty good… but that was before I learned more about you; about how much of a hypocrite you are..."
"You have three seconds to back up…"
"Or what?"
"I'll break your fucking nose…"
"Hmpth," Cozbi smirked and took a few steps back. "I expect one hundred and ten percent from you, Ishikara… we'll be working together again, after all."
"You are a sick person," Ashley spat. "Walk away…"
"What's the old expression?" Cozbi tapped her delicate chin. "The pot calling the kettle black?"
"You and I are nothing alike…"
"And you can keep on thinking that…"
With a wink and one last infuriating smirk, Cozbi turned on her heel to strut away.
