Charity put them on the right track eventually, a seedy bar full of suspicious characters and low whispers. Turned out they already knew the bartender. A man named Tranquility, he had put them on the path to the best forger in the city for run of the mill papers, in return Roy had secured some for Tranquility.
Tranquility had given them the pass phrase easily enough.
"Innocence this is it, we go in that room and give them the passphrase and there's no going back. Best case scenario they take us in and we find out what happened to your parents. Worst case scenario they execute us as potential traitors."
To his credit the kid thought hard before giving the reply Roy knew was coming.
"I'm ready Roy. Thank you for your help but I understand if you need to go your own way now."
"Come on." Roy said gruffly.
Innocence felt something loosen in his chest and followed Roy.
Marcus took one look at Roy's gloved hand and bicolored eyes and shifted his stance. Body language alone was enough to telegraph hatred and disgust. Judy, apparently Marcus's second in command tried to reason with him.
"He's a technomancer-" Marcus snarled.
"A renegade technomancer Marcus! He has just as much –" A massive explosion rocked the bar. The group froze and went to high alert.
"That wasn't us." Marcus snapped.
"That wasn't explosives, only a fluid overload sounds like that."
They quickly split up, Innocence and Roy sharing a hurried goodbye. As Roy left the bar Innocence's gaze lingered for a moment, memorizing Roy before he followed Judy and Marcus.
Roy followed the scent of burnt stone and hot steel to an end street. It had been a dead end but the blast had blown a hole in the wall. Next to two stunned soldiers lay the lunatic apprentice technomancer from the prison.
"Holy shit." Roy breathed overseeing the incredible destruction. Quickly he robbed the soldiers of anything worthwhile then considered the girl. He could kill her; no one would know it had been him. They would assume the blast had killed her. He could bring her back to his hideout but what then?
Roy didn't like to kill unless he had to. There was too much slaughter on the red planet as it was. He needed more information so….so he would save her for now.
She woke up muttering about murder and revenge. Instantly he regretted his compassion but calmed her anyway. Eventually she saw reason, this turn of heart was aided by some serum and rest.
"Thank you for saving me Roy." She said as she woke the second time. He was sitting on a crate across from the bed trying to think.
"I didn't have any choice about killing Sean Mary. I wish I hadn't had to."
"I … I hunted you for quite some time. I know that you rarely kill though it would be easy for you to do so. Will you have sex with me?"
The rapid change in topic caught him off guard, he felt his jaw literally drop.
"What? No, Mary –"
"I slept with Sean, and others before him. I do not mind. You are attractive and if it means my survival –"
"No Mary, if we ever have sex it… it won't be …for barter. You don't owe me sex."
"I do not mind –"
"Yeah I …I get it but…look you should be able to choose to have sex with someone you care about okay? Not just someone that's…decent to you."
"You are an attractive and powerful man Roy if we were to have sex you will likely continue to aid me –"
"Mary stop okay? You're a beautiful woman and I'd be lucky to have the privilege of having sex with you but…no. Not unless we're more than friends. For fuck's sake Mary two hours ago you were planning to kill me."
"I see. Very well then."
He taught her how to control the power in the fluid, how to avoid another incident and more. By the time Sol set he was exhausted. His eyes felt gritty and his head hurt. His emotions churned. Mary hadn't propositioned him again but he had to admit saying no again would be hard, necessary, but hard. He hadn't slept with anyone since before Camp 19.
He found he missed Innocence, the familiar rhythm of the boy's breath, the way he would rise every few hours to check the perimeter…where was Innocence now?
Eventually he slept. When he woke in the morning Mary was waiting expectantly. She still wore the same clothing that had been shredded in the blast.
"Mary we have to get you some different clothing you're risking our lives running around like that."
"But you risk your life –"
"Which is why I don't want one more fucking variable, besides one good hit in that get up and you're down for the count, you need to blend in and you need armor. No arguments."
She looked furious for a moment, almost out of control then she blinked and took a shallow breath and her composure returned.
"I get this is important Mary, look you don't have to destroy the dress okay? You can keep the whole thing or maybe sew a part of it into your new clothing but you'll get us both killed like that."
Her mask remained in place.
"Very well Roy." He marked again how young her voice sounded, more like a teenager than the twenty-something woman she appeared to be.
So he went out with her measurements and the serum he and Innocence had stockpiled. It pained him to run it down so low but since they were both technomancers they would have the skills to replenish the spent serum. So long as the local gangs and junkies kept making trouble.
He returned that afternoon with suitable clothing and armor. It was form fitting and well made so Mary's abilities wouldn't be hampered and the armor could take a few direct blows without buckling. She was asleep or maybe meditating when he entered the hideout. She opened her cerulean eyes and looked up at him.
"You have unusual eyes Roy. You're a mutant."
"We all are, it's only when you go over a certain percentage or your scan shows something weird that anyone gives a damn. Try these on." He gave her the packages and excused himself. He was reviewing ID papers at the table outside the shelter when she emerged.
She looked good, calm, competent the gear was a little too clean and new for real safety but she moved like she could handle herself at least.
"I feel…weighed down Roy."
"Yeah, sorry about that, believe me you'll get used to it. This way if you want to blast the hell out of someone you won't have to worry about your shield slipping. This thing can take a direct blow or a few shots from a nail gun without too much trouble."
"Thank you. I apologize for causing trouble previously."
He dismissed it and together they went into the city. He had some work to do for Charity and needed to be busy. His thoughts kept straying to Innocence. They got back that evening and Roy met his old friend, Tenacity, and Tenacity's dogs.
The massive lizard like animals launched themselves at Roy. He shoved Mary out of the way only to hear her cry out and go silent. He was already rolling to dodge the teeth and claws of Tenacity's animals and couldn't see what had happened to Mary. As he came to his feet he launched a blast of lightning at the nearest animal. The electricity stunned it and kept it in place. Taking advantage of the moment Roy landed a flurry of expert blows on the animal's rump and watched it go down.
He gave silent thanks to the dogs at Camp 19 that had gone mad. They were infected with some kind of fungus a side effect of which was mindless aggression. Roy had been forced to execute several infected dogs and in the process learned the best ways to handle them.
Before he could gloat over the easy kill the dead dog's companion barreled into him from the left. He gasped as the weight of the animal drove the air from his lungs. He quickly used the last of his fluid to draw a shield around himself. Energy crackled along it and shocked the dog into leaping away from Roy.
Roy scrambled to his feet, drew his nailgun, and emptied it into the dog. Dazed and bleeding it pushed in to attack again and Roy kicked it in the head rolled and sank his axe into it's flank. It let out a whimpering whine and slumped to the ground.
Pissed and hurting now Roy rounded on Tenacity. Tenacity was saying something about Charity and old times. Roy couldn't really hear over the ringing in his head from the dog's attack and his own thundering pulse. Enraged he charged at Tenacity, dodged a clumsy overhand swing from his one-time colleague and drove the blunt top of his axe into Tenacity's lower jaw. The bounty hunter yelped as his head snapped backward.
Roy followed up the opening blow with a sharp stabbing gesture of the axe's haft into Tenacity's gut doubling the bigger man over then Roy slammed the flat of the axe into Tenacity's face knocking to the ground.
"Wait fuck stop! Jesus you're even better now than in the old days."
"A fucking war will teach you some new tricks." Roy snarled.
Eventually Tenacity got around to begging for his life. Disgusted and hurting Roy bound his wrists and ankles and went to free Charity. She was waiting in the shelter with Mary. Mary looked embarrassed; a goose egg lump was forming on the side of her forehead. Roy checked over the women then returned to Tenacity.
"I should execute you." He said and waited.
"Ah come on Roy this wasn't personal. I knew you were close with Charity that's all. I can be a good asset in a fight."
He thought about Innocence, the war, so much blood and for what? Killing Tenacity wouldn't guarantee an end to ghosts from the past. It wouldn't even guarantee no more trouble from Tenacity.
"If I let you live you work for me gratis, you don't cause trouble and you do everything I say when I say it. If you don't I'll kill you where you stand."
"Fucking deal." Tenacity agreed.