I had been doing my kind of work for a long time, and I had encountered my fair share of odd characters and basketcases. The city of Van Soren was never exactly a tourist attraction, but after the economic collapse, the city began to crumble. Those with wealth hoarded it, and while the rich and empowered sealed themselves in their Ivory towers, those of us born without the silver spoon were left to die. This drove some mad, always looking to gain any kind of advantage over their peers. Scraping for whatever they could, the impoverished populations of Van Soren survived, but the city itself spiraled into madness. Gangs became a plague on the city streets, and the Seekers did little to stop this. It was strange, growing up we were told after the collapse, the NGO, or New Global Order, implemented the Seekers to further protect us, yet it never really felt like they did anything more than watch the chaos unfold.
Despite all of this, nothing in my life had filled me with such uncertainty as the person standing before me. The street light illuminated only a small amount of her face, but as she explained the delicate details of this rescue operation, I couldn’t help but lose focus. For a moment, I slipped into the cool, comforting shade of blue that so gracefully shined from her eyes. She was beautiful, unlike anyone I had ever seen. The way she spoke was urgent yet soft, her tone easing any tension our surroundings alone had induced. She was mesmerizing, and to me, that was dangerous.
“They have my associate inside the testing facilities at the NueroCorp center just outside of Van Soren. There’s a passcode to the facility that should get us clearance into where they’re keeping her. I don’t have a passcode myself, but I know where we can get one. I just need your help get the passcode, infiltrate the facility, and find my friend. We can take a shuttle to the edge of the city in the morning, and head-”
I had to cut her off, making sure I was hearing her words correctly. “Woah woah, we? What do you mean we?”
She seemed puzzled by my question, shooting me a strange look. “I’m going with you. There’s no way you could even hope to get into NeuroCorp lab on your own. You need me and I need you. I’m not happy about it, but it’s my only hope.”
Initially, the urge to object rushed into my mind. What an outrageous demand from someone looking to employ me. I was a thief, not a bodyguard, and even more so, not some hero who goes chasing damsels in distress. The nerve of the girl standing before me was baffling, and yet, so was her conviction. She had faith in this plan, worked it out as best as she could, and was determined to do what she thought was right. She was ready to risk herself to ensure her associate made it out alive, which I couldn’t help but admire. I offered my right hand.
“I’m Merrick. You are?”
“Luna.” she replied, her hand slowly meeting mine. As our hands met, so did our eyes, and a second turned into several before our gaze was broken by a sound creeping in the dark streets behind us. I could feel her hand tense up in mine, and I knew she had heard it too.
I turned to face the dark alleyway behind me, and a shadowy figure was approaching. Before I could speak, the figure pulled a handgun from its belt, and pointed it to the sky. As The figure emerged from the darkness, It’s dark goggles reflected under the dim glow of the lamp above. The figure wore a suit of gray padded armor with a series of numbers and letters displayed on its chest. The dull uniform was the signature style of the Seekers. My heart began to race as I realised the gravity of the situation before me, and without thinking, I acted. I dashed forward at the Seeker, aiming a strike with my palm directly at the arm brandishing his weapon. As my palm connected with Seeker’s forearm, the shock of the blow caused him to release the firearm, it’s metallic body clattering against the wet pavement. My right arm was gripped tightly by a gloved hand, and suddenly I was thrown backwards from my feet.. Rain water splashed as I hit the ground. The seeker turned and faced Luna, and I watched her eyes begin to dart at her surroundings, her right hand slowly reaching into her jacket. I quickly regained my ground, and rushed the Seekers legs. One sweeping kick to his right ankle, and the large assailant began to stumble backwards. I swung my left arm with as much force as I could muster, my fist connecting to the center of the seeker’s chest. A thud and splash sounded through the darkness as our attacker hit the ground. As I backed away slightly to regain my balance, Luna stepped closer, pulled a small pistol from her jacket, and aimed it at the Seeker. Within an instant, a loud pop echoed through the dark city streets, and the Seeker wheezed his final breath. I tried to force out some sort of demand for an explanation, but the events left me speechless. It wasn’t the death that surprised me, I had been around enough and seen my fair share of violence. It was how precisely and coldly she had executed the attack. That, paired with the fact that I had never actually killed a Seeker myself, only heard stories of people killing Seekers, and none of them ended well for the killer in question.
Finally, my spell of silence was broken as I regained some amount of mental clarity.
“What the hell are you doing? Why wou-” before I could continue, Luna picked up the firearm the now deceased Seeker was carrying, and handed it off to me.
“They’re dangerous. If you don’t finish them off, they’ll never stop following you, I had no choice.” she said bluntly. I almost couldn’t believe this was the same person I was speaking to about a job only minutes before.
“You just killed a man in cold blood. Is this how you usually deal with problems?”
Luna turned to face me, and pointed to the corpse. I viewed her atrocity once more, and the shine of a green liquid pouring from the body caught my eye. As the human looking creature's green blood leaked onto the ground, I turned to Luna and confirmed my suspicions. “They aren’t human...what the hell are they?”
“No idea, but we need to move, now. We need a safe location to hide out until morning. Then we take the first shuttle to the edge of Van Soren”
I thought extensively about my options. My apartment was closeby, secured, and had my equipment. It was obviously the only choice, but I wasn’t sure I could completely trust Luna, especially after how easily she executed that Seeker. Bringing her to my apartment was risky. What if she was lying? What if she had some sort of alternative motives, and I was falling right into her trap? I contemplated my answer, then decided to follow my instincts. “My apartment is close by, and it’s safe. We can stay there.”
“Alright, that should work.” Luna slid her weapon back into the pocket of her jacket. “Lead the way, keep your eyes open.”
“You’re quick to trust me, why?” I questioned.
“You obviously trust me too, or you wouldn’t have stuck around this long. I can explain when we reach NeuroCorp, but right now we need to leave before more Seekers show up.” Luna replied, in a rushed tone. I nodded, and concealed the pistol from the Seeker under my belt. The journey back was a bit more stressful than usual, both of us eagerly scanning the city around us, prepared to defend ourselves from any other surprise attacks on the way. When we arrived at my apartment, Luna examined the place and scoffed.
“Men…” she said under her breath. She moved quietly to a window and began admiring my luxurious view of the grungy industrial quarter.
“The couch is free for you. We’re safe here until morning.” I gestured to the couch in the small living room. Luna looked back at me and nodded, turned her head, and continued to watch the buildings below. I turned to sit at my desk, then stopped, facing Luna again. “When you killed that Seeker, you already knew they weren’t human. How? What did it want with you?”
My question didn’t seem to phase Luna, as she stayed still, staring off into space through the glass barrier in front of her. Finally, she answered, one soft and quiet sentence, that sent a chill down my spine. “They’re hunting me.”
