No Simple Contract

Chapter Three

I met Cayde in a small alley within the Outer Slums of The City, he came strolling in as if he thought he was the king of the world, he probably did in all honesty. Also, knowing Cayde and the circumstances, I half expected him to show up with a pipe and a Sherlock Holmes hat. As if this was all a formal investigation of a crime with him as the detective and me as his loyal partner.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the party has arrived," Cayde invoked dramatically with a smooth bow to an imaginary audience. I tried to resist grinning, but it was impossible not to when faced with the Exos theatrics. For most people anyway, there were a few who could, I think I'd be right in pointing out Zavala and Ikora as two of those few.

"Bravo, bravo," I said, softly clapping in a mocking fashion. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, I had to give Zavala and Ikora the slip, you know how those two are. It didn't help that we were in the middle of the most boring meeting in existence," Cayde explained.

"Every meeting is the boring to you," I pointed out with a grin, drawing my scout rifle and beginning to move out of the alley. Cayde followed close behind drawing up to beside me as we walked, drawing his favored Ace of Spades hand cannon from its holster at his side.

"That may be, but this was especially long and tedious," Cayde said, we left the alley and he paused to look around the street, taking it in and breathing in (if he even breathed) deeply. "Man, it feels good to get out of The Tower after so long."

"I wouldn't know," I said, continuing to move down the street, I turned to look at Cayde as he began following me again. "You really shouldn't have taken that dare Cayde."

"You know I can't resist a challenge," Cayde retorted. "I just didn't think I could lose."

"Ya, look where that got you now. Cooped up in The Tower unable to answer the irresistible call of the wilds beyond," I replied.

"I'll get out someday and when I do, oh man, you better watch out," Cayde laughed, he then seemed to turn serious. "Who we rescuing anyway?"

"The daughter of Robrock Norton, CEO of Norton robotics. She was kidnapped earlier tonight by a local gang while I was supposed to protect her. And now I have to get her back if I ever hoped to get paid," I explained, giving Cayde a more detailed explanation than my one before.

"Alrighty then," Cayde remarked in an uninterested manner, picking up the pace and coming up beside me. "What's the plan and more importantly, when does the shooting start?"

"No real plan," I said absolutely honest. "All there is to it is to send you in to distract them while I get in and quietly Cassandra to safety."

"So I'm just the distraction?" Cayde asked.

"Ya, pretty much," I admitted.

"Well, as long as I get to shoot something," Cayde said with a twirl of his hand cannon and grin my way. "Let's get this show on the road."

The apartment complex which the City Devils used as their hangout was old, ratty and downright crappy. With boarded windows, torn walls and a partially collapsed roof that looked like it would collapse in on itself at any moment.

Cayde and I stood in the alley facing across from the complex, staking out the situation and preparing to enact our crazy plan (if you could even call it that).

"No guards out front," Cayde said, tossing an incendiary grenade up in the air over and over like it was a ball of some sort. His Ace of Spades still lay grasped in his hand, lying gently against his left as he leaned against the alley wall.

I stood across from him, scout rifle hanging limply in my hand at my side, looking at the apartment complex as it stood there silently.

"It's quiet," I said, partially to myself, I turned to look at Cayde. "I'm starting to doubt if this is even the right place."

"Well," said Cayde standing as he tossed the grenade up in the air once more. "There's only one way to find out." The bomb landed in his palm once more and at the exact same moment, Caydes thumb pressed the activation button. Cayde then fluidly chucked the explosive through once of the more open windows and we simply stood there and waited.

A second or two later, the front of the building exploded in fire and smoke with various screams echoing from the inside.

"Guess this is the right place," Cayde said with a shrug and a grin, he then charged forward, unleashing a hail of hand cannon fire into the waning smoke.

I looked after him a moment and then simply shook my head and with a smile followed my friend and mentor into the quickly evolving firefight.

A few gangster still stood amongst the smoke, small fires and debris and I encountered one of these as I entered the vicinity of the complex.

He saw me and immediately went to shoot me with a small sidearm in his hand, but not before I planted a quickly placed shot between his eyebrows. He fell backwards and slammed into the floor limply and did not get up, I skipped over his body and made my way towards the back of the building, where the stairs should be.

I came across Cayde as I did this, nearly knee deep in a group of gangsters and thugs and still shooting more like a pro. He saw me as I passed and gave me a thumbs up, right before blasting another gangster without even looking.

I reached the stairs and bounded up them, coming to the top only to slam into a gangster who was making his way downstairs carrying an old auto-rifle.

Refusing to stop for anything, I used my momentum to bowl the gangster over, sending him to the ground with a thud. I then made my way to the next flight and ran up at them with all speed, meeting two poorly armed thugs, a man and a woman, on the next level. They attempted to open fire, but I drew first and shot twice in rapid succession, killing the man and taking the womans shooting arm out.

The woman fell to the ground with a scream and lay there wining as blood oozed from the bullet wound in her arm. I walked over to her prone figure and pointed my rifle straight at her head, ready to do what I had to if she didn't give me what I wanted.

"Where. Is. She?" I asked, I said the words slowly, wanting her to understand every syllable.

The woman wined once more and then spoke.

"Upstairs, top floor," she croaked.

I drew my rifle away and stomped away, making my way to the stairs, fully intent on reaching Cassandra as soon as possible.

"Please, it hurts," the woman said behind me from her place on the ground.

I pause in my stride and glance back at her as she laid there bleeding on the ground, and a savage debate raged in myself. Part of me wanted to leave her behind and get to Cassandra and get out, after all, she wasn't my concern, and she was my enemy. But the other part screamed compassion and that it was the right thing to do regardless of what she was.

I sighed and shook my head and called WinterWhite.

He appeared in a puff of air and look at me, I jerked my head back to the woman and I knew he received the message of what he wanted me to do. He only looked at me once and then flew over to the woman and scanned her wound. Next shot out a bright blue beam of light into the wound, drawing out the bullet buried within. Another beam sealed up the wound and stopped the bleeding, WinterWhite then flew back to my side and disappeared in a puff of blue light.

"Thank you," the woman said after me, but I only kept on walking and ran the way up the stairs, making up for lost time.

Through the complex I encountered several pockets of resistance, usually just one or two thugs with some small firearms making a poor attempt to block my path. I dealt with these quickly and often lethally, showing no remorse for those that had endangered the one I was supposed to attack.

Finally, I made it to the final flight of stairs and had WinterWhite take a quick peak up to the next floor. He said a couple of guards stood at the end of the hall, loosely guarding the door located there. Drawing out one of my Void grenades, I dashed up the stairs activating it as I did and tossing it to the very end of the hall as I reached the top floor.

It rolled to the ground at the feet of the guards and before they could say a word, exploded in a bloom of purple energy. Sucking them into the endless darkness of the void and clearing the way to the place that I knew they must have been holding Cassandra.

I stopped just outside the door and checked and readied my scout rifle, I then, with a thrust of my full strength, kicked opened the flimsy (if not already half broken or rotted) door. I then rushed in and readied my scout rifle, ready to shoot anything in sight to get to Cassandra.

I froze from what I saw, Cassandra was there alright, a bit muddy and dirty, but safe all the same. It was the man holding a small sidearm to her head that made me freeze and take in the situation. He was middle-aged with brown hair and eyes with a light fuzz of hair on his face and pale skin, wearing mainly leather and old fabric. He smiled at me maliciously as I entered the room, pressing the sidearm the already petrified young woman.

"You must be that Hunter that's been causing me so much trouble," he said in a voice that equally as malicious as he look. "I'm surprised you found our hideout so fast."

"You just have to get on teaching your people to be more resistant to interrogation," I said. Beginning to circle him, making my way deeper into room, but never lowering my scout rifle from his face.

"I'll remember that," the gang leader said, then turned serious. "Now this is what is going to happen. I'm going to walk out of here safe and sound or our little missy here gets a nice bullet to the brain, understand?"

I only remained silent and kept my rifle aimed right at his head, I was no in position to do anything and to my own surprise, I didn't know what to do.

"Good boy," the gang boss mocked as he slowly made his way to door with Cassandra clasped tight to his side.

"I'll find you," I growled behind my mask. "And when I do, you'll wish you were never born."

"I look forward to it," the boss said as he stepped through the doorway, but there is where he stopped.

Before he could take another step a gunshot was heard and his head popped as a bullet hole suddenly appeared in his forehead. He eyes glazed over and he limply fell to the ground, his arm sliding off of Cassandra loosely.

Cassandra took one look at her captors body and screamed, running to me arms open. I dropped my rifle and opened my arms to her, she into my grasp eagerly and started to cry hard and I couldn't blame here in all honesty.

After a moment of holding the sobbing girl close, I looked up into the doorway to look at Cassandras mysterious savior. And needless to say, I wasn't at all surprised to see Cayde standing there, twirling his pistol and grinning.

"Well, that's was exciting," he intoned happily looking down at the dead gang boss and then at Cassandra as she cried in my arms. "What's her problem?"

I simply found myself smiling, relieved to have Cassandra safe again, who knows? Maybe I'd get paid after all.

"She just needs to go home," I explained and sighed.

Cayde accompanied us back to Norton Tower and deserved most of the credit for cheering Cassandra up. His wacky attitude and lay back personality making her laugh and generally calming her fears and trauma from the recent experience.

Once in the tower we simply sat in the suite and waited for the return of Mr. Norton, which was signaled by the ding of the elevator.

I stood up from the couch as Mr. Norton entered the suite with Alejano close behind, a look of pure horror and confusion on both their face.

"What happened here?" Norton asked to no one in particular, looking to me and then to Cayde and finally to the dirtied Cassandra. "Cassie?" Cassandra rushed into her father's arms and he held her tightly, as if he'd never let go again. "What happened?" he directed this question at me.

"We had some…minor bumps in the road," I said, a bit evasively and quite nervously.

"What kind of bumps?" Norton asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at me.

"I was taken, dad," Cassandra said, speaking for me. "They were going to hold me for ransom in the outer part of The City, that is until Cidvis came and rescued me."

"Hey, don't forget me!" Cayde said, raising a finger in protest.

"And Cayde," Cassandra added.

Cayde then bowed his head in acceptance of the recognition and bowed.

Mr. Norton seemed quite confused and a bit taken aback, but eventually he just sighed and smiled.

"You've kept my daughter safe, just like you promised," he said. "I can never thank you enough."

"Eh," I said with a shrug. "Just pay me our agreed price and we'll call it good."

"Deal," Mr. Norton said with a laugh and pulled out a small tablet and pressed a button or two on it. "Consider your glimmer transferred," he informed me, stowing away the tablet.

WinterWhite suddenly appeared, his eye glowing with knowledge and information.

"Glimmer received," he confirmed looking to me.

"Do I get a cut?" Cayde asked curiously, with a small hope in his voice.

"Don't push your luck Cayde," I chided with a shake of my head, though I was smiling.

The Exo bowed his head and turned away, going back to whatever he was doing beforehand.

"Well Mr. Norton," I said in my top business manner a moment later. "It's been a pleasure." I reached out to shake his hand to seal our transaction.

"It has," he replied, taking my hand and shaking it firmly. "Thank you again."

I only nodded and signaled Cayde to follow which he quickly did as we began to make our way to the elevator with WinterWhite floating at my side.

We reached the hallway and were nearly to the elevator when a voice called out behind us.

"Wait!" Cassandra called, rushing down the hall to us.

We turned back to look at her and she came to stop right in front me, a small smile on her face.

"You don't ever take that mask off do you?" she asked.

"Not out The Tower," I replied.

"Well, I hope you'll make an exception," she said.

The next moments I can't describe clearly as it's all mixed up in a whirlwind of adrenaline and excitement.

She reached up slowly and softly drew off my helmet, taking in my face once it was fully unmasked. She then softly smiled and leaned forward, planting a small kiss on my lips. She then handed my helmet back to me and made her way back down the hall. I only stood there frozen and trying to comprehend what in the name of The Traveler just happened.

Cayde suddenly whistled once while nodding his head and I could tell that WinterWhite wanted laugh.

"If either of you said anything," I said to both of the robotic beings. "I will personally melt you down and use you for spare parts, understand?"

"Crystal," Cayde said, putting on a serious, yet mocking tone, a grin playing all over his face.

"My lips are sealed," WinterWhite replied.

"You don't have lips," I said.

"It was a joke," he countered.

I only smiled and laughed, then replacing my helmet, I made my way to the elevator. Grinning all the way…

Whoo! Chapter Three is finished! The final chapter of this little story and one that I must say I am quite proud of! This chapter was somewhat difficult for me and I would appreciate any feedback or tips you have! I especially had trouble with the fight seen as I didn't want to make it too messy or gory, but hey, what do you expect when people are getting shot with bullets? A special thanks to jsm1978 for his excellent tips and advice and to any others that followed this story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Until next time

-VentureMan543