The Deadman

Robert’s first job after the meet and greet was to drive into an old restaurant alongside Valerie. Perpetually serious, half-opened eyes, and a grim outlook. With her long hair tied. Suit with a blue tie, and white undershirt, and sleek long pants with polished leather shoes.

They were a pair. Robert’s not carrying anything other than a pistol and the deck on his left forearm. Valerie was contacting the operator, Misha with her headset. Her right eye was artificial, and because of the magnification and the aim–assist that she usually has it covered with her bang or with an eyepatch.

She has not uttered a word since they left. Robert himself wasn’t a conversationalist either so both were staring at the road. The best thing about being in someone's pocket was that most of the documents they needed to use were already cared for beforehand.

If anything, it made Robert somewhat relieved he’s working with professionals, though he had to use his other name to prevent certain problems with customers.

She’s Sophia Altmer and he’s Kato Lores right now

Fake Identities with one hell of a background made by the overworked interns working for Strato.

The Pizzeria has over two hundred years of history. Robert got his smart glasses and is checking up on the place. Valerie got out and looked around while casually carrying a briefcase. Robert went on the back, checked the contents, before closing it.

Robert followed her lead, shoes treading on the square stone paving. On his right were families and citizens eating their food. Unconcerned about the vandalism on the walls. A waiter carrying a bottle of wine, ducked under him. To his surprise, he found a rather old shop with a sign that said ‘Liberia Scholastica’ that seemed to be newly painted. In front and inside were books that had grown quite brown.

Not far from this shop was a pizzeria that was marked as a ‘centuries old stop’ on his smart glasses. Valerie looked back, eyeing Robert with eyes said that go.

Inside he could smell the freshly made pizzas. It was far different from the usual pizza he made. The crust was quite thick and on this plaque that said ‘1830’ was a sign that said that they are selling authentic ingredients. His smart glasses directed him to the link of their manufacturer  alongside their source.

On the entrance to the stairway heading above was a shopkeeper with a computer and a lantern. He was wrinkled. Robert looked up and saw the shelves that had bottles of wine placed. Valerie stopped in front of the shopkeeper, handed a card, and was directed in Italian that they should proceed upstairs. She climbed up first. Robert stood in front of this ancient painting of a man with a cone hat and this black half mask, right hand holding a pizza, and the other hand holding a guitar. The rest of the paints had the same figure.

Arriving upstairs, where the chairs and tables were unoccupied. They found a man in a leisure suit, a well-trimmed mustache, and with a face with implant lines. Eyes glowing and a seemingly vicious smile that made Robert’s guard rise.

“Signorina,” he stands up and bows with hand on his chest.

Valerie placed the briefcase on the table.

Robert stood on a parade’s rest behind her.

“I was expecting a meeting with only one.”

“This is Kato Lores, a new employee under the Miss.”

“Is he now?”

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well.”

He did not bow and kept standing. His eyes examining Robert before blinking, the glows in his eyes disappearing.

“He does not have any implants, I see.”

“He is fully organic. But I assure you that he is quite competent. Bowman says so at least.”

“Ah, the infamous Mr. Bowman. If that Borg says so then so be it,” he laughs slightly. “Then I assume that the documents that I want are in this case?”

“Yes. Do you have yours?”

“Of course, how about we confirm it?”

Robert tuned in to his all-sense and couldn’t feel any hostility from somewhere. However, his all-sense could tell some gaze was looking their way, one was a hundred meters away, in a position that clearly showed that he was ready to aim.

“There are others outside, about five,” Robert whispered to Valerie.

She nodded silently and opened the lock and took one of the papers. The man, who didn’t name himself, took one of the documents, and ran his eyes on it.

“Wonderful. As expected of Viator, your company’s reputation is quite something.”

He tapped on his earpiece and placed a recording device on the table.

“We should be able to talk clearly. I don’t want to be accused. This will record only my voice. Your privacy is going to be assured. We got five minutes before hounds comes at us.”

It was a device that captured only a specific voice.

The man in front of Valerie changed. His expression, if it was even possible, had changed that of a doll without expression. His eyes on Valerie who didn’t even move at the sudden change of demeanor. His demeanor and his oratory voice changed from this welcoming and disarming tone to this merchant-like voice that spoke plainly without accent or tone.

“I don’t know what Bout is looking for. But the purchase of Korium right now has certain restrictions than a u-235. It is volatile and hounds from all over the world will sniff your shipment. You cannot hide that. Of course, knowing who is supporting your company. I must say that you all have a plan.”

He stared for a while.

Valerie remained silent. Robert maintained his uncaring gaze.

“No comment. I can point in the general direction. Your Miss will understand where to look for. Honestly, even the authorities find it not suspicious why the Isimud, your damn ship got entangled with the Sixth Fleet accidentally. The Isimud, a high-tech, well-equipped ship that was only attacked once ever since its maiden voyage because of pure luck got ‘caught’ by the Sixth Fleet through misunderstanding doesn’t sit well. Your customers are wondering where the hell are our guns.”

He swirled his wine and drank.

“I think even Bowman knows that in this city. Considering that most of your clients are part of the Camorra. Don’t know which clan you folk contacted, but they aren’t happy that their arms are now being withheld by the Sixth Fleet. I guess our friend can’t be persuaded to tell his good friends to let your ship go?”

“No,” Valerie said.

“I see. Well, our friend will know that it’s not the Camorra that we are afraid of. How can they try anything against the Sixth Fleet?

“You have three problems right now. The first problem is that there are a lot of your customers who have buyer's remorse and want their money back. The second problem is that it will be hard to get anything worthwhile about this ‘korium’ deposit that your company seeks.”

He raised three fingers.

“The third problem is that however has ordered it are now seriously considering the ability of Viator. I do not need affirmation of trust, but if you intend to sell a lot of your goods in Campania, then you’ll have to be friends with these bastards.”

“The Miss understands.”

“Of course, how can the long lost bastard of the merchant of death be so… ignorant of how one should treat customers?”

“You speak a lot but you say nothing of importance,” said Valeria.

“True. True. I think of myself as a conversationalist. But my words are what I think is true. When I say the truth, it means that your ‘Lady’ has already stepped on the toes of people who didn’t need to be stepped on. And take my advice, they have recently been quite in love with implants mass-produced from Coronado. Rudimentary implants that give their Soldiers and Enforcers quite the edge. Then again, the merchant’s long lost daughter should have enough funds to treat her subordinates well, right?”

“We can handle them.”

“I like confidence. It’s what the employees under such an enigmatic Boss should have. Aiyah, it’s hard to be top of the food chain  these days when you have someone occupying the seat.”

“You speak a lot of nonsense.”

“Now you are wounding me. Just like how the truth doesn’t come out easily. I don’t speak so easily. But you must at least think that there is truth in it.”

He takes a flash and then hands it over.

“You got a sloth? You can share it with our silent friend here.”

She opens a two-view link. Robert accepted the view and together they watched this testing footage that was inside this sterilized lab with individuals with dark skin, yellowed eyes, and complexion that was like a living dead. Lower jaw that had fallen, saliva dripping out, with their tongues over their lower lip.

Brain dead. Like dolls that are forced to move by pressing on the buttons that can move their brains.

“What is this?”

“It’s the process of their recent work. Kind of like a vaccine one must take before the procedure is done.”

The video changed to a person fully covered in medical gear. Robert turned in his speech to text software and looked down on the speech translation from Modern Standard of the Arabic language with a lot of slang and borrowed words that were of Berber, Turkish, and Italian origin. It didn’t make sense since the translation was done through machine language, but even he could guess that they were begging for their lives.”

“Injecting Synthetic Primer. Subject is #8901216. Subject has passed the trials.”

The translation software changed from Arabic to German with a Bavarian Dialect.

The little finger long needle was injected into the arm of the subject. The subject, who was strapped on to the medical chair seems quite to be shouting at.

“Patient is experiencing severe pain,” the person covered in the medical said, as if unfazed by the suffering of the individual. “Injecting nanobit transfusion to accelerate the process to thirty-days.”

Another serum was jabbed on the subject’s arm. This time the subject that was moaning in pain had sudden epileptic seizures. As if a stroke had hit one side of the brain, the body also seized on one side, causing this baffling spin of the head that was quite unsettling to see. The subject who had this ‘seizure’ didn’t seem to care that he was twisting his head enough to break his own neck.

The medical personnel took a defibrillator and tried to revive the subject.

“Cause of the death remained the same. The subject lasted for fifteen seconds before the uncontrolled movement.”

The video ended. However, Robert’s thought remained on the familiar ingredients that had been used.

“This is the only lab that has been using this method. It is quite unsettling, isn’t it? I never did understand why our mutual friend is looking for this. Then again, our friend is a righteous hypocrite that has been serving and saving this world against people like them. Think of this as a ‘gift’ that I want him to have. Are you okay there, my friend?”

“I am fine,” Robert said.

“You were making the devil’s face, friend. I guess such a thing isn’t to your liking?”

Valeria interrupted.

“I will take it to him. What is the payment for it?”

“Nothing. Like I said, it is a gift that one must give. If our mutual friend finds out that I was withholding information from him. He’ll have it pried out of me.”

The man took a look at the time.

“That is all I have for today. This transaction is over. This is a beneficial meeting for both of us. I’d like to finish my wine. It’s rare to eat in a place that has existed for hundreds of years.”

He waved them off. Valerie exchanged briefcases with the man and went back to the car. Robert followed behind him and then sat on the driver’s seat.

“Drive away. The hounds are going to follow our scent.”

Robert drove away.

With Valerie looking at the cold fury that remained in Robert’s face.