Unity by Carl Stubblefield (epub read online books TXT) 📕

“We can make it worth your while,” Tempest countered.

“How does he know?” Gus whispered to Aurora.

“We can make it worth your while,” the older super said again, stepping forward boldly, encouraged that his offer had obviously caught the man’s attention.

“Unless you can get me a new arm, I’m afraid I’m not interested.” A smug smile settled over the man’s face as he leaned forward, challenging Tempest to meet his offer.

“Done. Now if we can discuss the details—”

“Hold on. I’m not talking about just any arm. I’m talking about a Serif 800-XT with full sync and specs.” With this revelation, he leaned back his chair. He tried to fold his arms in defiance but missing one made the gesture look odd as he fumbled a bit until he finally settled his lone arm on the chair’s armrest.

“Like I said, done.”

“And I want it integrated before I start.” His voice adopted an even colder tone as he dropped the ultimatum.

“Now I believe we are being more than reasonable, Mr. Shamus. We will get you fitted, but I will keep the spec key until the job is done. Contrary to what you think, I know the value of that hardware, and how likely you are to have anyone as willing to provide it to you for such a simple request as we have.”

“I’ll be the judge of just how simple your task is,” the investigator spat. Gus could tell his father had overcome the man’s main objections and it was now a matter of ironing out the details.

“What time frame are we talking about here for this ‘simple’ little task of yours, super?”

“As soon as humanly possible,” Tempest stated and Gus winced. Inhuman was the equivalent of a racial slur to those with augments, and his turn of phrase could easily be interpreted as offensive.

“That is to say, speed is of the essence. We are on a contract and competing against others to deliver something as soon as possible. Your discretion and promptness will be appreciated. Let me contact my people, and find out how soon we can get what you need.” Tempest gathered Gus and Aurora close as he opened a comm to the ship as Shamus turned to a console on his desk.

“Yuki, tell me you can get a Serif 800-XT,” Tempest whispered urgently.

“Here? I’m sure they have them. These guys know their encryption though, so it’s not like security in the Factions. These guys have taken cybersecurity to a whole new level.”

“Work your magic, I trust you.”

Gus peeked back at the mechanical man who waved with his remaining hand, a broad smile on his face that was disconcerting. After Tempest had finished speaking with Yuki, they all turned to face Shamus again.

“So why don’t you tell me what you have in mind? I still haven’t totally committed to whatever fiasco you guys have cooked up. First of all, how did you even find me?”

“To be brutally honest, you were the closest private investigator when we did the search.”

At first, he seemed pleased, then suddenly angry. Was this guy the best for the job? Seems a touch unstable… Gus thought.

“We need to find someone, specifically the headquarters for the Aslan clan. We need to find them quickly and without them knowing we’re looking. Can you handle that?”

“And I suspect you want me to break in and retrieve something, I’m assuming?”

“No, just the location. We can handle the rest,” Tempest urged, trying to make the job seem as simple as possible.

Shamus leaned forward and stared, squinting his eyes as if probing their souls.

“You know what could happen to me if the clans got wind that I was spilling their secrets, don’t you?”

Aurora’s jaw muscles twitched as she tried to restrain herself.

“We are counting on your discretion. Both for us and for yourself. If this is out of your skill set, let us know and we will be on our way,” Aurora spat, turning to go.

“I didn’t say that.” He held up his remaining hand as Aurora sighed and turned back to look at him. “I just want you to know what it is you’re really asking me to do.”

“We do. And compared to what you’re asking, I believe it’s a more than equitable exchange, wouldn’t you agree?” Aurora pressed.

He laughed and nodded. “Okay, you got a deal. I’ll need some time though. Meet me in two hours and give me your contact,” he conceded. Tempest slid his info to the investigator.

“We’ll be in touch,” he said, and lost interest in them, turning to the console on his desk and typing.

The group looked at each other and took this to mean that the interview was over. They filed out and Tempest jumped on the comm again and began working some of the details out with Yuki.

“That went better than expected?” Aurora asked, her voice tentative.

“It could have been worse. He didn’t balk at the ask though, which was good. I think he can deliver, which will save us time. Like us, the others will have to find the clan headquarters before they can deal, so this should maintain our lead,” Tempest said, pushing outside of the office and into the rain.

A siren barked to life, accompanied with flashing blue and red lights. The group froze in panic as bright headlights targeted them. The vehicle approached, siren getting louder as they braced for the worst. Frozen in place, the enforcer or whatever the equivalent was in Hinansho turned and sped off down another alley. The siren wail waned as it drifted in the distance.

“Hells to the bells, that sucked!” Gus gasped.

They had an uneasy laugh as they made their way back to the ship.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ghetto Blastah

“Are you sure you can hack in? These are big players and you don’t know this system,” Tempest asked Yuki.

Yuki inwardly groaned.

Why is everyone always underestimating me? Have I ever failed to deliver when it comes to this? He said he trusted me, was that just lip service? She shook off