Zenless Zone Zero: The Front Line
Chapter 14: A Risky Proposal
Shion could feel his impatience starting to creep up on him. For the immediate moment, he had no other cards to play so he decided that it was time to show his hand.
Shion picked out another Verdict hideout; the next one nearest to where he'd had his encounter with Crystal. With his shock primers and his helmet on, he and Manami set to lay waste to this hideout. This time, he wasn't worried about being stealthy.
"Manami, how's the Ether activity level?" Shion asked while in the midst of blasting down hollow raiders with his shock blasts.
"Despite you acting as the fault line for the entire Hollow, it's not going up much. You're still in the clear." Manami reported.
"Good. Keep an eye out for Crystal. I'm sure she won't be long." Shion instructed before getting back into the fight.
Shion threw a few more punches, knocking back grunts as they were coming at him. His shock primers had men sliding back across the ground and then turning around to run the other way. Shion shot a few more blasts towards the ground to throw the men off their feet.
"Everyone fall back! He's mine." Crystal said upon her arrival, drawing her twin ice blade and walking towards Shion.
"There you are," Shion said, turning to face her. He stalled for a little while, waiting for the other men to clear out. "Took you long enough."
"You're persistent, Tremor, I'll give you that. So what, you're gonna go around from camp to camp now until you find Bloodhound?" Crystal asked in a teasing tone.
"I considered it. But I have a different idea in mind." Shion said, taking a moment to adjust his shock primers.
"Hmph, this will be the last time. No more running." Crystal said, holding up both of her blades. They briefly flashed bright blue before she started running towards him.
Shion sighed nervously and reached up to remove his helmet. As Crystal swung her blades at his head, he ducked underneath the attack at the same time. As she slid past him, Shion stood up straight with his helmet now in his hands.
"What the...what?!" Crystal exclaimed in surprise. She wasn't even sure how to react to what she was seeing. Shion took in a nervous breath before speaking.
"I think you and I have been coming at this the wrong way, Crystal. I just wanna talk this time." Shion stated his intentions clearly. Crystal's eyes narrowed on him as she began to realize that she recognized his face.
"I know you...you're that guy from the HIA Club!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah, that was me," He confirmed. "I see now that you're not really as deep in the Verdict gang as I thought you were but you have real reasons for doing the things that you do."
"You creep! Don't even think about using my sister as leverage against me! I'll kill you!" Crystal roared at him, lunging forward to attack him with her swords again.
Shion stepped back several times to avoid her attacks. Without his helmet, she could feel the frosty air radiating from her blades blowing against his face. She swung both swords in one large motion. He used his shock primers to block the attack.
As the blades dug into the metal exterior of the shock primer on his arm, it began to emit a low vibration. Shion sent out a pulse from his arm that had enough force behind it to knock both blades out of Crystal's hands and send them flying off.
"Look at me, Crystal! I'm not trying to use you and your sister, I'm offering you a way out!" Shion shouted back at her.
Crystal's eyes widened as panic began to set in. With her hands still stinging from loosing grip of her swords, she took several steps away from him. She'd never felt so defenseless before.
"What do you want me to do?" She asked in a breathless voice.
"Listen, I'm working very closely with an undercover operative for PubSec. If you let me talk to her, we can cut a deal – you tell me where to find Bloodhound and I can get you and your sister into some kind of witness protection program." He explained.
"That's...are you crazy? You think a guy like Bloodhound will care about that? Even if he gets put behind bars he can put word out." She pointed out.
"Then I'll protect you too if that's what has to happen. I know this girl in PubSec has many resources at her disposal. It sounds far-fetched, I know, but-"
"Why would you help me?" Crystal interrupted. "You've been doing nothing but chasing me around the Hollows for weeks now. Are you that desperate to get to Bloodhound for your client?" She questioned. Shion took a moment to think before giving his answer.
"I understand where you're coming from, Crystal; putting your own personal feelings aside to what you think is right by your sister. I've been in that position before and if I were in your shoes I would do the same thing. This will be a lot safer for the both of you."
"Oh yeah? How do you figure that?"
"Because if you and Cynthia are under PubSec's protection, Bloodhound will never be able to get to either of you. You and I both know gang presence in the city is limited at best and I know you can handle yourself." Shion said in response.
Crystal's eyebrows furrowed deeply as she took a moment to consider this. As she weighed her options, Shion stood there silently and patiently waited for her answer. He was anxious but resisted the urge to say anything else.
This was one of the few times that he was totally unable to read someone's expression.
"What is it that you want me to do?" Crystal asked again in a more serious and confident tone.
"Just tell me where to find Bloodhound and I'll get in touch with the PubSec officer. Her name is Jane." He answered.
"And then what?" She questioned next.
"We'll work something out. We'll give you a chance to slip away." Shion promised.
"You sound pretty confident for a guy who doesn't actually work for Public Security." Crystal pointed out.
"All I can do is promise to do everything I can for you and your sister." He answered seriously.
"And you expect me to trust you?" Crystal asked, folding her arms.
"You're not my enemy here, Crystal. I don't want to see you and your sister get hurt in the crossfire of PubSec's assault on Bloodhound. Whether you trust me or not, that is definitely happening...
"I've shown you my face, you have my name and number. If you wanna lay your bets in with Bloodhound then you've got everything that you've need to turn the tides on me. But I need your answer right now." Shion laid out her options.
Crystal took in a deep breath. Her expression was still serious but it was finally starting to soften. She unfolded her arms and shook her head with a sigh.
"Alright. I'll tell you where to find Bloodhound. But I wanna meet with this PubSec officer as soon as possible." She decided.
"Deal. I will get you her number on Knock Knock." He agreed.
"Okay...god this is insane," She muttered to herself. "What am I gonna do after this?" She wondered aloud.
"Maybe you can work as a proxy in the Hollows, same as me? There's plenty of options for someone with your skill set." Shion pointed out.
"I wouldn't know...alright. If you wanna find Bloodhound you need to hang out around the HIA Club." Crystal finally revealed.
"The HIA Club...?" Shion repeated with a surprised expression.
"Yeah. Whenever the Verdict lieutenants need to have a meeting, they book a late night group training session at the HIA Club. You know how they have those overnight rooms you can stay in, right?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"Yeah, that's how they do it. I don't know when they're gonna meet again but they do it pretty regularly." Crystal added.
"Understood...okay," Shion nodded as he took this in. "I'm gonna reach out to Jane as soon as I get out of the Hollows. I would recommend getting yourself and Cynthia ready to go as soon as possible. Start packing your things." Shion said quickly.
"I expect to hear something from either you or her tonight." Crystal said seriously.
"Got it...thank you." Shion said with a nod before hurrying off. He put his mask back on and used his shock primers to launch himself away.
"You're really going to help her, right, Shion? You meant all that?" Manami asked worriedly.
"Every word...call up Jane once we get out of here. Let's get right on it." Shion instructed...