Love Struck Delusion
Chapter 192 - A deal.
Raptor's POV.
"The network?" I assumed bluntly as the two remained perfectly composed. The cat remained on his feet with his weapon at the ready as the older looking badger got a chair together. Once in place at the table across from me he replied.
"Yes Commander. Can you guess why we're here? Why Hecan is here?"
Looking over my shoulder and towards Hecan then back towards them I replied.
"I'd wager to guess this has something to do with my position and the contract I have branding me a target."
The badger nodded and pulled up a small laptop. Placing it on the table he opened the top and replied while clicking through a few screens.
"Are you aware that said contract is about to open?"
Letting out a sigh and crossing my arm as I sat back in the chair I replied.
"I was not. But I can see that being an issue for me."
"Look for yourself. Through my eyes Commander." He urged me as he spun the laptop around for me. Leaning back up I looked to see he already had my contract pulled up. Instantly I saw the contract was pending. But more than that there were already bids. A lot of bids. The badger picked up on my change of face and stated blankly to me.
"Over thirty PMC's are already signed on and the contract hasn't even gone live yet. Up till you declared your resignation there weren't any asking for your head. But now without rebellion protection everyone knows it's bound to open. Normally we open up contracts like yours around a wait time of twenty four to forty eight hours."
In confusion I questioned.
"It's been two weeks. Why hasn't it been opened?"
Putting the computer away he replied.
"Because your special Commander."
"Oh?" I muttered as he nodded again to reply.
"Normally the contract would be opened and there would be people hunting. But no one can make a move till we say so. But Hecan and you have a lot going on. Which as you may already know we work together; him and I. More so the company but you get the point." He explained as I remained silent to just listen.
"I know you plan to retake the middle east. I know you plan to wait till the time is right to make your move. But I also know you needed a place to lay low till your good buddy Archer bumped off enough people to start an uprising. Hence why you are here in probably the safest part of the world you could be from any PMC's. Which leads me back to this."
Letting out a small breath the badger went on to say.
"Your pal Archer has turned the middle east into his own playing field these last few weeks. In fact he's even sided with Ying PMC to increase his troops on hand and extend his control over the two major cities he owns."
"Yeah…...I heard all about that." I admitted as he questioned next.
"Do you have any idea why Ying would go out of his way to make this happen with Archer?"
Hecan gave me a worried look as I took a moment to question my next move Cody on the other hand asked while I thought.
"What's it matter?"
With the badger looking at my friend he replied.
"Ying is a very well known man in the game. Making a deal like this isn't something he normally does unless he sees something coming from it. Which leads me to you again Commander. Any idea what he wants?"
Looking right at him I replied.
"He wants to know what happened to his boy Ness."
"His nephew? Interesting. What does he have to do with this?"
Sitting up straight and unfolding my arms I asked the man bluntly.
"Do you know the Diskov twins? Zeta and Pepper?"
I had this guy's attention now at a loss as he questioned while looking back at his guard.
"Those are the girls who made the gas bomb in China right?"
My eyes looked up at the cat as he nodded and replied.
"I believe so sir."
Looking back to me the badger then wondered.
"What's their role in this conversation Commander?"
Hecan was first to say.
"A pretty small role but nothing major. The Commander here was going through some personal business like we discussed."
Instantly the badger replied.
"Ohhhhh that business. I get it now. Which reminds me Commander but I'm truly sorry for what happened to your wife and kids. I heard it all from Hecan here."
I bit my tongue as he went on to say.
"That Gorgon fellow who did the job? You killed him yes?"
I wasn't about to lie to this guy. So keeping calm I replied.
"No. He's being held by some of Hecan's best overseas. Till I return anyway. Then I plan to kill him."
"Well Gorgon had a contract on himself for quite awhile so I plan to first of all pay you his bounty. Have you done business with us at all in the past?"
Nodding I replied.
"Only once."
The badger kept himself together and reopened the laptop to then ask.
"What's the number you used?"
After telling him the number I watched close as his eyes changed. Went from this calm man to a man of concern as he glanced up at me to wonder.
"The Diskov twins….I see now. You're a bit of a sneak aren't you Commander? You know Hecan mentioned them once or twice to me but I wasn't sure of the whole story. Let me get this straight cause this will answer a lot of my questions early on. Did you double cross Ying?"
Keeping a straight face I replied.
"Yes sir."
He began to chuckle as I waited for his next move to be made. Still with a smile on he mumbled to himself.
"That explains a lot. But!"
My eyes widened as he then asked.
"You're going to have to explain something to me then Commander. Just what happened? You turned Zeta Diskov in for the money and decided it best to off them all?"
"No. Zeta was a key reason I even was able to locate Gorgon in the first place. Before we made any moves we made a deal first. Simple deal. She locates Gorgon and in return I'd help her out of her contract. Which I did by double crossing Ying. Made contact using a few loose ends I already tied up and arranged a meeting. From there Ying's boy took her from me and wired the contract's bounty. I even set up a safe escort out of the area to provide them with more of a reason to trust me. Once far enough away the escort turned ambush and I had them all killed and Zeta returned to me. This was the night before my resignation. I keep my promises and she did more than I asked along the way earning her my trust. From there it was a matter of business helping her make contact with her sister Pepper who was being hunted in Syria. I won't bother you with the details but I managed to secure both of them. No one but Hecan and you now know I was involved."
Looking back towards the front door I sensed the two in question coming. But as I went to look back I heard from the cat who sat behind the badger wonder.
"The Commander is liable sir. If we are following things by the book you know what must be done." The badger nodded and relocked eyes with me. Keeping calm he replied.
"Commander what my friend here is trying to say is this. Normally taking any action after a contract has been cashed can be considered grounds for termination. Especially acts like a double cross where both the money and the bounty are both lost from the company who ordered the contract. Normally the network would have you marked and deemed a kill contract for breaking the rules of the site. But like I said before your case is a special one. Mainly because your position right now is paramount in the future of the middle east and my line of work entirely. Before coming here I had theories as to what was going on but this makes a lot of sense now with why Ying is so involved. So I'm put in a spot where I must make a choice. Or for lack of better terms now….a deal."
Nodding my head I looked right to Hecan to urge.
"The door."
In confusion Hecan looked back to widen his eyes. The badger and cat as well both looked ahead as Zeta and Pepper came walking in from outside. Almost instantly as the door shut did they both stop in their tracks to look around. Everyone was silent as I looked back to match eyes with Pepper who asked carefully seeing the guards.
"What's going on here?"
In confusion the badger asked me.
"Commander who are these girls?"
Keeping my eyes on her I replied.
"The same two girls we were just discussing sir."
With a small smile coming to his face he asked to be sure, but this time directed to the wolves.
"The Diskov twins am I right?"
Both Pepper and Zeta were utterly lost as to what was happening as Hecan urged them both.
"Come here ladies."
Slowly they did and remaining a few feet behind us Zeta asked.
"What's going on Hecan? Raptor what is this?"
Pepper was ready for anything as I replied.
"These men are from the network. The contracting site both you know."
Instantly they widened their eyes in confusion as the badger greeted them.
"Pleasant surprise. Zeta? Pepper?"
The girls remained on standby as I urged them calmly.
"Both of you relax. This isn't about you right now. This is about me and my contract correct?" I asked the badger as he refocused and replied.
"Yes it is Commander. But more than that. I have a proposition to ask of you."
"We ignoring the fact he broke the rules?" The cat questioned as I locked eyes with him.
Keeping focused the badger replied.
"The rules can bend in this case. Losing the Commander to a PMC would be a huge loss for both the network and the world. So yes we are ignoring that fact Kib. Now please do your job and shut up."
The cat who I now knew was named Kib went silent as the badger looked back to Zeta and Pepper who were still just as lost.
"Take a seat over there girls. Relax a little. We're almost done here."
Hecan and I watched as they went over to where Cody was sitting and waited till they sat down to continue our conversation with the badger who took his time to wait till all attention was back on us. Once there he said to me.
"Time will tell what will happen but it's safe to assume you plan to go back to the middle east soon. From there Hecan has a plan to help you regain some ground. Maybe assist in getting you back into office."
"Getting back there will take time. Archer isn't a simple man to handle." I stated as the badger agreed and added.
"Your city is in ruins. Rebellion soldiers are killing anyone who stands between them and their rule. It's not just Archer. It's the people in your army. Lots of them are abusing their power. Many are dead and from what we know there is a movement being made in Afghanistan to rebel, but without help it's been slow and costing them. Archer has everyone scared and getting you back of course won't be done overnight Commander. I'm just saying if and when it does happen I want to be there to see it. But for that to happen your contract must remain closed."
I was starting to piece this together as the girls and Cody remained quiet. Just listening as this was getting to a point I knew would cost me something. Hecan put his hand on my back as the badger smiled and offered.
"I can and will keep your contract closed. But as you know the middle east is a hideaway for a swarm of criminals and terrorists alike. Many of which have contracts. I'll show you the numbers Commander. Here."
Handing me back his laptop, I looked eye level at a chart. My eyes widened as I read the numbers to myself. After some time the badger stated aloud for everyone to hear.
"Over four thousand contracts. All unavailable to bid on. Simply because the middle east has been a warzone for the last two wars. No country wants to risk getting pulled in for a few million dollars. Not worth it. But together those contracts add up. Over twenty five billion dollars Commander. Just hiding in your world."
Shutting the laptop before me I listened on as he said calmly.
"That's a lot of money. Money both you need and we want. So here's my offer."
Now he stood up and began to come around my side of the table. Hecan sat back as he got close. I listened as he said.
"In return for keeping your contract closed and for ignoring the rules you clearly broke. The network wants access to your land once the war has been settled with G.U.N. Once Archer has been dealt with and you retake the throne. Access to your land will propel the business forward by forty seven percent. That's more than our progress in the last sixty years and with you leading the rebellion it will only go forward for both sides."
Giving me a second to take that all in the badger soon added on.
"As for the good part of this deal other than keeping your head above water. The money is split. The same deal I have with Hecan applies here. Clearly a lower cut based off your owned land. Hecan gets an eight percent cut of each contract that is cashed in any part of his own territory. Which clearly he has a lot more than you so the cut is a lot higher. The network is offering you five percent. Out of two billion Commander that's a pretty good chunk of change coming your way. Money you will need to rebuild after this war. It's fair and it's my offer. If you decline I'm afraid I can't help you further. Your contract will open and that pressure will be on you. But your not a dumb man. I can tell you won't say no to this. You can't afford it. You need my help and Hecan agrees." My eyes looked to Hecan who said bluntly.
"It's the deal to make Voltz. Going south is not a direction we can afford and there is no down side to this. You make money the country will need and you will stay safe the rest of your life. Say yes and let us continue this conversation cause this isn't over once they leave."
I was being held hostage it felt like. Looking over to Cody and then to the girls I could read their expressions. Cody saw the money and I couldn't blame him. The deal was a good one. An easy one. The girls on the other hand were stone faced and scared and I can't blame them. I would be too.
Looking back to the badger I broke my silence to reply.
"How about this instead?"
Everyone widened their eyes as I stood up to face the badger. Remaining where I was said to him back directly and with no fear in my tone to hide behind.
"Make it three percent."
"What?" Kib questioned out from the corner as the badger was equally confused as to why I lowered the price he just offered me. Moving my hand in front of Hecan to keep him from raising a counter statement. I explained myself to the man in charge.
"Make it three percent. In return I request both Zeta and Pepper Diskov have their contracts voided and I don't ever want to see them back up on your site again. How's that sound to ya?"
"That's a hefty amount you're losing out on Voltz. And for what? Two girls? Is that worth it?" The badger asked me as I glanced back at the two wolves who were now shaking in their seats at what I was doing. Looking back at the badger I replied.
"Yeah. It's worth it."
"Raptor?" I heard Zeta question as I waited for a confirmation from the big man. After a few seconds he began to smile and with a simple nod of his head he replied.
"Consider it done then."
I kept myself composed and watched as he reached back to the laptop. Everyone was dead silent as he took a minute to navigate the site. After a minute more he closed it with a happy face and offered me a hand. Taking it I listened as he said.
"All done. Thank you Commander for your time. It's been a pleasure. Your contract will remain closed so long as you abide by the rules this time around. Beyond that the network looks forward to working with you and I'll have that money for Gorgon wired within the hour like we discussed earlier. Again thank you for your time. We'll get out of your hair for the time being and leave Hecan to explain the rest."
Shaking his hand I kept my eyes dead locked on the badger as he smiled and soon looked to the cat Kib to order.
"We're done KIb. Let's go."
"Yes sir." He replied as we all watched them leave through the front door. All eyes on me as the door shut in a matter of seconds leaving me to wonder if what I just did was worth it in the end.
mT Shadow.