"I'm fine." I say as I leaf through the file Hernandez had given me the other night while cross-referencing the live satellite reconnaissance footage I had asked The Voice to pull up on the laptop. 

The Voice rasps with a hint of concern, "Are you sure? You almost suffered a psychotic break a few nights ago."

"When I say I'm fine, it means I'm fine alright?" I snap, "I have been under a great deal of stress lately."

The Voice merely grunts in vague agreement with me. After my so-called psychotic break in streets of Six Trees, I had spent the time holed up in the hideout alternately sleeping and preparing for the attack on the URI. Hernandez had given me a call some time later, saying that he had gotten those club kids to shut up about my antics, but strongly implied that this was yet another favor I owed him and that I had better deliver on my part of the deal. When I told Hernandez my amendments to the plan that he had put forward in the file that was given me, Hernandez did not object and quickly signaled his approval. 

Hernandez's original plan required me to meet up with Matsui at the entrance of the Heaven on Earth site. Then I would lead the family on a merry rampage up and down Phase One of the development. Ever since the night I shot that club kid though, I suspect that Matsui wants as little to do with me as possible. That was probably one of the reasons why Hernandez agreed so readily to my suggestion that I operate independently of Matsui. He did not want to risk another confrontation if Matsui and I were directly teamed up with each other. 

The additional sleep I had gotten over the last few days had done wonders for my temper and although I was not exactly happy, I now feel much calmer than a few days before. I have the clarity of mind to understand that there was no point in needlessly provoking Matsui and if such a confrontation can be avoided, then avoided it shall be. No need to prove a point when none needed to be proven. 

The more substantive reason why I want to work on my own is because The Voice had intercepted several SOPO internal communications which indicated that they were aware of Hernandez's scheme. SOPO knew when Hernandez and Matsui would be showing up at Phase One, and had begun to put together a task force to bury the mismatched duo for good. Not only had the SOPO station at Phase One been alerted, additional reinforcements from SOPO HQ and RAU were being prepped for the upcoming rumble. SOPO intended this operation to be the final blow against the Matsui Family and the end of Hernandez's career as ORPO Commander. Clearly Hernandez needed to do something about his information security in the future, if there was even a future for him after this.  

The good news was that Hernandez was not bullshitting when he said that SOPO did not want to kill us. The task force being prepped is being loaded up with riot control gear, not lethal arms. The other piece of good news is that SOPO is unaware that Hernandez had roped me in as part of his scheme. I had to take advantage of the element of surprise in order to turn the tables on the task force since Hernandez was not willing to delay the operation even after I had told him that SOPO knew that we were coming. Hernandez was not terribly surprised that I apparently had connections in SOPO or that SOPO had their moles deep within his organization. He nevertheless insisted that the operation go ahead, saying that things had gone too far to pull back now. 

So that meant not showing up together with the Matsui Family at Phase One. The SOPO task force would be there ready for a fight and the more time we spent fighting cops, the less time we had to raze the place to the ground. The Voice had confirmed that in order for Hernandez's plan to create the desired amount of instability, either a certain level of property damage had to be inflicted on Phase One or SOPO had to be defeated publicly. 

Since the former option was far more achievable, I made the decision to use Matsui's people as a diversion while I get down to the work at hand. Based on the footage that The Voice had acquired for me, Phase One is pretty much adjacent to the Phase Two site of the Heaven on Earth building project that was still under construction. The night before the operation, I would sneak into Phase Two and hide myself there, lying in wait until Matsui and his family show up the next day. I did not expect getting into Phase Two to be a problem. Based on the surveillance footage that I had observed for the past few days, Phase Two was protected at night by nothing more that a few security guards. 

"Can I hijack the heavy vehicles at the Phase Two site?" I ask The Voice while the surveillance footage shows several large dump trucks carrying sand scurrying around the site like overgrown ants. 

"With me assisting you, it will not be a problem." The Voice answers easily. 

"Get me molotovs as well. Or at least something that burns good." I say. I would have preferred to wire Phase One up with explosives, but with an actual police presence there at high alert, the risk of discovery was simply too high. Setting the place on fire while Matsui's keeping the police busy is really the better option. 

"Molotovs cocktails filled with pyroil." The Voice rumbles, "Easy enough." Is it just me or has The Voice become far more accommodating ever since I lost it the other night?

I tap my chin as I consider what else needs to be prepared, "Get me some non-lethal weapons too. I don't want to give SOPO a reason to escalate against me."

The Voice rumbles, "The stun baton is available. I can repair the grenade launcher you had picked up earlier during the attack on the Academy and supply you with flash bang and bean bag rounds. Is that acceptable?"

I fold my arms and reply, "Great. That's great. Now tell me why you're being so nice out of the blue."

"What do you mean?" The Voice asks in a thoroughly fake mystified tone.

"Stop playing games." I shoot back, "You've said it before. Acting coy works only if you're a cute girl. You're not a cute girl, so spill."

The Voice sighs and speaks in its familiar, patronizing manner, "I do not wish to hurt your delicate maiden's heart, Transmigrator. If putting on a show is all it takes to stop you from experiencing another psychotic break, then that is a price I am more than willing to pay."

There we go. That's The Voice I know so well. "Your act did not last very long." I point out flatly. 

"Only because you called me out on it." The Voice replies, "It takes two to tango after all."

"I don't want that bullshit." I answer, "If I can't get the one hundred percent transmigration experience, that's fine. I've gotten over it. But I can't shake the feeling that I'm being underpaid for my work here."

The Voice rumbles in a satisfied tone, "Excellent, we are finally discussing the root of your dissatisfaction. Then let us talk about rewards and benefits. Is freeing yourself from Mr Gallant's soul and being sent home an inadequate payoff for our adventure?"

I snort derisively, "That's minimum wage. I'm doing far more than minimum wage work here."

"If you consent to staying in this world after Fate is defeated, I could set you up as a king." The Voice offers. 

"Pass." I answer, "I want something that I can take home with me."

The Voice hums to itself for a moment before speaking, "A bit more difficult, but not impossible to arrange. A pension perhaps? I will need to clear it with your world's administrator though."

I raise an eyebrow, "Is my world's administrator going to be a problem? And how much of a pension are you talking about here?"

The Voice rasps, "If its something as mundane as money, I do not see your world's administrator having much of an objection. As for the amount, in return for asking you to risk your life for me, I guarantee you will never need to work ever again."

"This better not be a monkey's paw type of deal." I say with a furrowed brow. 

"Then let me be more precise." The Voice clarifies, "If we succeed in our quest and you return to your world, as long as your world's administrator does not object, I will provide you with an annual income in precious metals that will place you in the top 1% of earners in a developed economy. This income will be paid until the day you pass on. Is that acceptable?"

"There's still a caveat to that offer though." I note sourly. 

The Voice responds indifferently, "Your world's administrator is a factor I cannot control, though as I have said before, I do not see any objections on its part for a blessing so mundane. However, if you want a guaranteed reward from me, you will need to stay on here in this world."

Huh. So if I want a big payout after all this, I will either need to roll the dice or give up on going home and stay here with The Voice. 

"Can I think about this?" I ask. 

"Certainly." The Voice says, "As a show of goodwill, I will say right now that both of these offers are firm ones and I will not retract either of them. Nevertheless, it goes without saying that your reward is dependent on the success of our quest."

Well then, I had better start working hard. No rest for the wicked indeed.