Apparently not. The chips aren’t for everyone according to Austin.

“Just important business owners, apparently they need to know exactly when to come in on their investments and all that bull crap.” He sighs.

We’re finally walking at a normal pace, side by side. Although my legs still ache.

“So they’ll be there in the morning to check in on her body?”

He shakes his head, “No, they’ll be there to take inventory. Of course, we can always bribe the officials that come to look the other way, Desire wasn’t that important to them anyway.”

I brighten up at this, “Then why not just do that?”

He growls, “Aren’t you listening? We don’t want to spend any more than we need to in our budget, this isn’t some fun house playground where you can spend all the cash you want and feel nothing. It’ll cost a great bit to have them look the other way and then there’s still the question of what we do with the place afterwards.”

Ah right. Organizations like these also function on the level of profit against loss. Loss is typically unacceptable.

Austin continues, “There’s also the fact that we’ve lost Rey a heavy bit of money, one that Invincibill will be expecting a piece of, and so far, we’ve been running on a deficit without payments to him, anymore and we’ll be flat out broke.”

He sounds downtrodden about this, very much so. I realize the gang, or crew, means much more to him than just a way to make money and get women. He’s actively worried about his boss’s future as well as his comrades.

At least, I think he is.

Finally, an idea I think might be well worth it pops into my head, “Then why not just empty out the store, sell the guns at marked up prices to…well, whoever isn’t supposed to have a gun and then use a bit of that in flow to repair the droid as best as possible.”

I pause at this and add, “Actually, I’m sure if you throw in the turrets there will be several people willing to buy that busted droid. Its capabilities once fixed is what they’ll be looking forward to.”

Austin looks down at me, staring silently and with a rather irking smirk on his face.

“What?” I end up having to ask, looking away with shivers running through my spine.

“Nothing, just…that's actually a good idea.” Then he sighs and I know there’s something still off about it, “But the problem is, the only people who can and will want to afford this are other crews and the other gangs.”

I blink, “We sell to the other crews then?”

“We’re not exactly on great terms, so even as brilliant of an opportunity it is to sell it off to them, it could bite back on us.”

I’m sure there’s a simple explanation to why that is but fine, be cryptic.

I roll my eyes but nod, accepting that I can’t help with this bit at the moment. “I’m sure you and Rey will figure something out.”

He shoots me a stern, questioning look. I know what it means and I nod, “Yes, I’m done with this, you can come for me in the morning, and by morning, I mean noon. Then we’ll head over to the remaining two places and I’ll get the tax or I won’t get anything.”

I let out a tired breath, “Either way, it isn’t my fault the tax can’t be collected, as far as I’m concerned, I’m doing you guys a favour and retrieving these locations, getting them back under your control when you couldn’t. The complications that come up in that endeavour are not my responsibility.”

He snorts immediately after my rant, “That’s a lot of big words just to say fuck you.”

I don’t deny that’s exactly what I was going at.

He leaves my side for a bit, pulls out his gun and walks dead ahead towards a scooter parked by the side of the road.

“It’s going to be a while on foot, your girls at that Prism Motel yeah?”

“Yeah,” I answer cautiously, he proceeds to slam open a compartment of the scooter with the butt of his gun.

He strains a bit, picking about in the compartment until something happens.

Vrmm rrm!

The scooter roars alive and he jumps up with a grin plastered on his face. “There you go! A free ride out to your girl.”

I wear a smile as I approach the now stolen scooter. “What about you? You coming along?”

He shakes his head, “No, I shouldn’t have left the scene in the first place, but you were in a hurry to get out so…” He sighs, looking away, “Look, I know you might feel that you did the right thing and you did the only thing that you could and even though these feelings are all correct and valid…I want you to know that you don’t have to do it again, not if you can help it.”

That…Well, I wasn’t expecting that.

I’d let my guard fall and his remorse and pity broke through the open door. Sending him a curt nod I hop on the scooter and pump the engine with life.

“Thanks, my legs were beginning to hurt.” Is all I say before veering off the sidewalk and out to the open, snow covered road, leaving him behind.

***

I drove the scooter off the road.

I may have driven off in some vein of confidence after Austin relegated the vehicle to me but the truth is I haven’t had any such experience with operating a vehicle of any kind.

And so, I managed to get it quite far with my dangerous, wobbly balance before driving it off the road. Fortunately for me I did this at a walking distance to the motel.

So I walk.

My heart sinks within my chest, feeling heavier than I’ve had it in years. The last time I felt this way…

Well, let’s not think about that.

I come up to the Motel and find the gates closed. I heave a sigh and not for the first time wish I was born with more blasting powers.

If I had something like laser eyes or fingers or even just being mildly stronger than the average human male…then a lot of what’s happened wouldn’t have happened.

No, instead I’d still be living within Steve and the Vertigo gang’s territory. I’d probably be the next person after T.V and Neil would be nothing to me, he would be my servant, my foot stool.

But then comes the bad side to every coin flip.

I wouldn’t have Paige. I wouldn’t be living in that terrible shack I found myself living in for the majority of my life; I’d be a hotshot, the kid with actual powers, actual use, someone like me, of my status wouldn’t live in a shack.

And because of that I would never have met Paige.

But I want Paige in with me in every timeline, in every possibility, in every imagination. She’s my star, my light in this smothering fog.

I need her right now…

I breathe out, my breath visible in the cold and I launch off the gate, taking several steps back before sprinting at it like a maniac.

At the last minute I jump and slam into it with an outstretched leg.

The gate rattles but doesn’t budge.

Fine, be that way.

I turn, ready to give it another go. At the very least if it doesn’t fall apart from my kicking then someone will hear the ruckus going up outside and take a look.

There’s got to be someone up at this time, I mean c’mon!

I scream desperately in my head for a break from the cold and a break from Xoxia before launching myself at the gate once again.

This time, something gets loose.

A bolt or something falls into the snow below and a part of the gate is bent back with a slight opening.

I huff, walking up to it, “Well, good enough.” Bending the partition a ways further I’m able to slip through unharmed but physically exhausted.

No wonder this place is so cheap, they have no security and the gates are trash.

I make my way through dark corridors and stairs, the lights gone off by orders of the owner or the receptionist, I’m not sure which.

But it’s in this darkness that I realize with much sadness and dejectedness, that the person I’m rushing to meet is most likely asleep.

I let out the hundredth tired sigh of the new day and accepted that, “It’s fine.” I tell myself in the darkness as I fish for the key in my pockets, “I just need to see her.”

Taking out the key and sliding it in I find to my surprise and fright that the door is unlocked.

Tell me she just forgot to lock the doors… I pray silently and push the door open.

Light from the room floods the corridor, it's dim but significant enough to make out the outline of my shadow, but more importantly is Paige.

She’s sitting on the floor, eyes and mouth hanging open, staring blankly into nothingness with a spilled plastic cup beside her.

Rushing to her side I shake her awake and call out her name, “Paige! Paige! What’s wrong? Why…?”

Her eyes seem to regain colour and moisture at the sound of my voice, she grunts looking through me.

“Paige, what happened?”

She’s still unresponsive. My eyes scan through the room once again but I find nothing that suggests she had any company of the sort.

She wasn’t attacked. So what’s got her like this?

Biting my cheek, I assess my priorities a bit. First things first, I’ve got to lift her off this floor and set her on the bed.

Which is easier said than done seeing as she is pretty much dead weight now. Still, I carry out the task with strain and lay the covers over her body before collapsing into the chair beside the bed.

I spend a few moments just sitting and watching her sleep, it’s not as soothing as I thought it would be.

But it’s enough.

About when I’m drifting off to sleep I’m jerked awake by sudden contact.

Looking down I see it's her, it's Paige just lying there and staring at me. “Are you okay?” she whispers out.

At this I scoff, “Are you okay, I found you sitting at the dispenser, staring into the abyss. What’s wrong? What happened?”

She falls silent, looking away from me.

“Tell me.” I plead.

“I’m fine.” She spits out a moment afterwards, “I was just…zoned out from hanging out with those guys.”

I raise an eyebrow at this, “Did they give you drugs?”

It’s clear on her face she’s hesitant to answer that, eyes shifting, fingers restless.

“Did they?” I say, clearer and fierce this time.

She huffs and spits it out at last, “Yes, I took some, just a little and I’m completely fine. I’m never going to do it again.”

Before I can raise an argument, her arm shoots out at mine, grabbing my wrist and pulling me over to the bed, “Enough talk for now, it's late and you’re just coming back, you need some rest.”

With the duvet wide open for me to snuggle in with her I don’t have much choice. This is what I wanted anyway.

Pulling off my shoes I slide into bed with her and she shuffles away, making space for me.

“You can tell me all about your day when you wake up.” She whispers.

These words make all my worries melt. My heart feels lighter, far lighter than it was when I walked in.

Yes. This is what I need to protect.