Despite the comfort that Prometheus had offered the night before, Sibyl found she couldn't sleep. That weird encounter with the angry man and her conversation with Haru later after had her head in a not-right place. So she made note in her one little tracker she had for stuff like that. When mania was a thing for someone like her, you tried to keep track of it, or the symptoms that denote an episode. Then she let Prometheus sleep, and set off to find breakfast, somewhere. Sure she could raid the kitchen downstairs, but greasy diner food was always the way to go.
It wasn't long before she happened across a lil nondescript one, and slipped inside. Breakfast. Please and thanks.
A man was sitting in a corner booth, a plate of scrambled eggs on toast in front of him and a coffee beside it. He was an odd-looking fellow. A young, thin man in a sleek black John Wick-esque suit, with dyed red hair in a mess atop his head. Not to mention that half of his face seemed to have been replaced with machine parts. His right eye was replaced with a glowing red light that scanned around the room seemingly on its own. His temple was flashing a blue light, as he put a silicone finger to it, speaking aloud. No need to have a phone if you are a phone, after all.
"Still no sign of him. My guys are overworked, I've got 'em in eighteen-hour shifts watching every security camera within five blocks of that hospital. If he turns up, we'll get him... No, with all due respect, you don't understand. The man's a ghost. He could be hiding in a storm drain for all we know. And besides, last I checked, Rafa was your problem."
He paused, sighing as he rubbed his forehead, seemingly getting chewed out. "... Yes ma'am. No. I understand... I'll take care of it."
Sibyl looked like she still hadn't chased the sleep from her eyes... Or slept even. Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish. Even still there's a look that spans the inside of the diner. There are a few other people there, but not many. It's the man seemingly on the phone that caught her eye for a moment, and her attention lingered before she was looking for a booth all her own. She may have also heard a name that came up last night.
Though as far as she was aware, she wanted to keep very far from that name. She was squishy and he seemed violent.
The stranger, too, seemed like he hadn't slept a wink. When you've augmented yourself to require only 30% as much sleep as the next guy, you gotta be up a while to get this tired. He looked like he'd been up for 24 hours straight. Really, it was more like 72.
His red eye stopped on Sibyl for a moment, and he paused his eating. A look crossed his face. That was one of the people who saw him. The one who was just scared, and wanted to get away. Who probably had no idea how close she really came to... well.
He bit his lip, looking slightly guilty... before standing and walking over to her booth.
"Excuse me," he said, keeping his tone neutral, but trying not to seem intimidating. "... Mind if I join you?"
She was in the middle of looking at the menu when his voice cut through the din of the diner and her attention tilted up to him. "Uh." She stared a moment, then looked around, like there was some other scientist in a booth that he was talking to. "I guess not? I'm not used to random people asking to join me for breakfast."
Plus he spoke Rafa's name. It's enough to have her on edge, even just a little bit.
He chuckled slightly. "I can appreciate that... I promise I won't take up too much of your time." He sat down across from her, leaning back in the chair, hands on his lap. "... Your name is Sibyl, right? Works at the cat café downtown?"
"It's mildly uncomfortable how much you know about me when I know nothing about you." Whatever semblance of not staring was gone now. The scientist stared at him as he spoke, with big brown eyes tucked behind her glasses. Ever so casually, she nudged them back up her nose. "What do you want?"
He blinked a few times, and nodded apologetically. "... My name's Glitch. And believe me, I mean you no harm. I'm trying to solve a problem of my own."
He pulled out a picture, sliding it across the table. "The name of that problem is Rafael Velásquez. I believe you've met."
"Last night." This is stated quietly. "I'm like the last person to ask about him. I don't know Jack. It sounds like he went after a friend of some friends of mine. But unlike everyone else in this stupid city, I am not tough or inhuman. I'm squishy. I don't want to be involved."
He shook his head gently. "It's alright. I'm not looking for that. You're not involved." A pause, as though wondering whether he should say the next part. "... I represent his employers. He's currently under orders not to be in Rhy'din."
Glitch leaned forward, speaking gently. "If there's anything you can tell me that would help me find him... what he was doing here, where he was going, anything at all he might have said... it would be a great help to me."
"He's apparently after someone named Alik. And that's pretty much all I know. Honest." A beat. "... and obviously you guys need to get a better security system." She snorts softly. "I also know a lotta people dislike him."
Glitch gave a tired sigh. "... Believe me. The security works fine. I should know... but, well... he's family. So. Rules for thee, not for me." The way he was talking, it didn't sound like he liked Rafa much either. "... As for Alik, we know that much. I assume he was headed to the hospital. Correct?"
"Obviously not fine enough." Her nose crinkled just a touch with those words. "... and yes, correct. That's what I'm assuming. He mentioned the hospital. Or someone did. "
He nodded, not writing anything down, but seemingly taking mental notes. "And did you see him leave? Did he get in his own car, a cab... which direction did he go?"
"No. I didn't. I left way before he did, and my friends just came and met me back for coffee and stuff after he was gone. I'm not the one to be asking all this, really." She made a face, before considering the man.
Glitch sighed, nodding. "... Right. Sorry. Your uhh... friends who were there. Would you be able to tell me who they were? I could contact one of them, see if they got anything for me."
"I can ask at least." She paused and considered him a moment. "I can't just give out names and people. We all have things to protect."
He looked away for a moment, and leaned forward. "... Look. My employer is a very impatient woman. Especially when we have a loose cannon like Rafa roaming around with no supervision. I'm not gonna hurt anyone. I'm just gonna ask them the same questions I asked you. Believe me... it's in everyone's interest that this goes smoothly."
"Don't you creepily already know their names and shit like ya did mine?" She paused and took a long moment as she shifted, and was rather aware of the fact that she had yet to even order food. "Your employer being impatient isn't really a me problem, sounds more like a you problem." He leaned forward, and so did she, honey brown eyes not leaving his form.
He rolled his eyes. "It's not creepy, it's professional. And unfortunately for me, your face was one of the only ones that turned towards the security camera on the other side of the street, along with Rafa, and Officer Payne of the Rhy'din Watch. Facial recognition doesn't work on the back of someone's head, and I'm not about to go up and question a police officer as to whether he saw my drug trafficker buddy." He was getting more irritated as the conversation continued.
When she said that last bit, though, his eyebrows raised slightly, a warning look crossing his eyes as his voice lowered. "... If you're not gonna tell me what I need to know... then this is gonna go another way."
"Mmmhm. More so creepy, even if professional. I know someone who does and says similar." There's a beat. "Jackson is cooler than you think. Pretty sure he's like the only cop that you can actually do that with and have it be alright."
She noted his growing irritation, and part of her did not care. It was not her problem, not her circus, or her monkeys. "Speaking words that could be seen as threats really is a shit job at convincing me to tell you anything, buddy. I came for breakfast, not harassment."
Seems she'd picked her answer.
Glitch stared at her long and hard, face unmoving. After a while... he stood up. There was a long silence...
... before he just groaned. "... Oh, I can't be bothered... enjoy your breakfast." he said with a wave of his hand, before turning away and walking out the door.
The Rafa Problem
The Rafa Problem
Last edited by Glitch on Mon Jul 11, 2022 8:36 am, edited 2 times in total.
The Rafa Problem - Seeking Advice
The bell above Paw-Fee Break's door jingled, as a new customer walked in. Somewhat familiar to Haru from their explosive entrance to Rhydin... but it seemed he'd found different employment. Dressed in a sleek black suit, his red mechanical eye flitting around the room constantly, he strolled up to the front desk with his hands behind his back. The desk was being manned by another familiar face, tapping away at a tablet. After a moment, Eun paused and looked up, “Welcome to Paw-Fee break, feel free to sit anywhere, and I can take your order when you’re ready.” Glitch nodded, offering an exhausted smile. "I'll have a double flat white, please... and... is the owner in at the moment?" he said, leaning on the counter.
Eun tilted his head, “He’s in his office, just got in, do you want me to bring the drink there?” The tone was chipper and friendly, a retail voice, as he tapped the tablet, “The drink will be about 5 minutes.” Glitch nodded again. "Yeah, if he's not busy... Tell him it's Glitch. We've met a couple times."
“I promise he is, but he’ll make time for a guest,” his gaze turned back up as he hit submit, “I assume this isn’t small talk, so the drink is on the house.” "Believe me..." he said, taking out his wallet and sliding a few bills across the counter. "... Better if I pay." After all, this was partly his mess too.
There was a moment of consideration from Eun. “Alright then, down the hallway, door at the very end.”
He nodded, straightening his coat a bit as he walked down the hall, stopping in front of the door... and giving three short polite knocks.
“… Come in.” The voice was calm, though quickly followed up with some sounds of panic and chaos. Glitch was about to open the door, when the chaos sounds started. Frowning just a tad, he waited a little longer... then sloooowly opened the door, making sure that Haru had enough time to clean up... whatever he was doing in there. Didn't wanna know.
As he opened the door, he found Haru on the floor picking up way more paperwork than should have been in a single pile, “Good morning, apologies for the mess, I seem to have made an error in judgement.”
Glitch looked around, unable to hold back a snort. "... Take your time. Need a hand?" He was grateful that this started off well. He had a feeling he'd be yelled at soon enough.
“A hand would be lovely, I can sort it after,” he looked up, “We’ve met a couple times right?” "We did. I crash landed in front of you, and we pointed guns at each other." he said, as he picked up a few sheets of paper, stacking them on the desk. “As one does in Rhy’din. Haru.” He reintroduced himself just in case, “Welcome to the cafe.”
"Yeah... believe me. I know all about you at this point." he said, his smile turning into a slightly more serious look. "... I think you should sit down. We have some things to talk about."
Haru picked up the last sheet, setting it on the desk and moving to sit, “If you have some issue with me let’s get it out in the open now, I have kids to raise and I’m not interested in a fight.” "Believe me, neither am I. I have no issues with you. But I believe we have an issue in common." he said, as he took his own seat.
"Rafa Velázquez."
Haru leaned forward in his seat and placed his chin on his hands, “That we do. Go on.” His tone more serious and intent.
Glitch sighed. "... Been up for three days or so trying to find him. He's under direct orders to stay south of the border. But... one day he up and vanishes. And then people start spotting him around here. Seems he wants to go off on a little adventure of his own... and La Padrina is not happy with him." The name, as always, was said with reverence. "... She sends her best regards, by the way. And her apologies for last night."
“He was looking for Alik I believe, wants him scared, I suspect also wants some revenge for us trying to kill him,” a long pause, “Consider the apologies accepted, by me at least, I cannot speak for the others, they seem inclined to kill him.”
"Believe me... if it were up to me, I'd kill that psycho myself. But it ain't up to me." He leaned forward a bit. "... I'm sure I don't have to tell you how big of a shit storm it would cause if he died, do I? For all of us? ... If I were you, I'd tell these others to slow their roll."
"Anyways... I'm in town looking for him. He doesn't like me any more than I like him... but he knows that if I want him to come with me, he's coming, one way or another. Helps when you're about 60% computer." Glitch leaned back in his chair. "As for Alik, yeah, I know, what's new... Guy has a murderous hard-on for him the size of Sirius B. I'm amazed how many people you two managed to piss off in such a short amount of time." he smirked. "Kinda impressed hearing the stories, I won't lie."
“I have been trying, he’s more useful to us alive than dead is what I told them,” he sighed, “Not a lie, but not the truth, though I am glad to hear he will be handled.” Haru shook his head, “I was always firmly in the business of making friends, as long as there was no breaking of the code I was aware of, having enemies is not good when you are weak as runny shit.” Graphic description but it got the point across, “I made the majority of my enemies near the end or after, and even then I tried not to let them live to come for me.”
Glitch was quiet for a moment. "... From what I hear, it was mostly the fault of... well. You know. ... I won't say anything mean about him, considering his condition."
"... He's not getting anywhere near that hospital, either way. If he sets foot within five blocks of it, I'll know. But he seems to have just vanished off the face of the earth..." he sighed tiredly. "... You got anything at all that might help me find him?"
Haru nodded, “I understand why he did it, not my methods but I do understand,” a small bit of empathy in his voice behind the overtly business tone, “Anyhow, I know he got in a cab…” a long pause, “He didn’t say where he was going, but I know he wants Alik scared and not dead, so… perhaps targeting something he cares about?”
"Oh, believe me, he wants him dead." Glitch said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Almost all he talks about. Something about Alik slipping between his fingers... just rubbed him wrong. Like his ego was bruised." he paused, and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Put it this way. He's used to getting what he wants, and I don't think he's ever taken 'no' for an answer." There was a slight grimace. "... So, it pissed him off pretty bad. My bet is, he knows he won't ever be able to touch him while he's in that hospital."
There was a small nod, “Sounded like he wanted him to suffer first then, the point stands. If you can’t touch your target, where do you target instead?” He sipped a coffee as the previously ordered one materialized in front of Glitch, “We both deal in death I presume, so we know that answer.”
Glitch took the coffee, taking a sip and groaning, eyes closed. "... God, that shit is good... sorry... ain't slept in... well, you know. Helluva mess to clean up." he paused, looking solemn for a moment. "... He killed a kid. Barely nineteen. Worked at a money wire place. Asked too many questions about why he was wiring seven million dollars from a Mexican account. Shot him through the head and burned the place to the ground." He stared off at nothing for a long time. "... He wasn't in the game." he said simply. Seems like that was the standard, something Haru probably also subscribed to in some way.
"... Well, he can't get to you. He can't get to LeFay. Who else is there?" he said, looking up at him.
Haru smiled a little, “Sibyl and Eun make good coffee,” a beat, and a look down, “He’s endangering all players by targeting those outside it, I understand why she’s pissed, the law turns a blind eye to those playing, it’s when those outside get targeted…” he sighed softly, resting his hand on his head, “Deliah, I think her name is, the Phoenix group, they will also have more information on who would be targeted…” his voice quiet, “Alik and I have only spoken once since the last time that is known, so I do not have as much information as one would hope.”
He blinked. "... Deliah. The barmaid, right? ... Why would he go for her? I mean, Alik doesn't... " he seemed confused for a moment... before some realization hit him. "... Ah. I see."
Glitch stood up and began pacing, a troubled look on his face. "... Seems like that might be his game. I don't fancy letting it go that far. Neither does the boss."
Haru shrugged, “Might not be romantic, but he gives a shit about her,” he relaxed in his seat, “So what’s the plan, I’ll have you know my involvement will go as far as protecting mine.”
Glitch turned, glancing at him. "... I have an idea. Not the most... ethical. But... so long as it's done carefully, it may work. And don't worry, I don't plan on getting you involved. You're out. She respects that." he looked him over. "... I'll talk to Deliah. Get her out in the open... or at least, it'll look that way. Wait for him to move on her, and that's when I come in."
Haru let out a soft sigh of relief, “That would be effective… just, make sure she isn’t hurt, I think he wants to be better, and losing those he cares about would be a setback.”
"She won't be harmed. You have my word." he said, earnestly. He reached down and picked up his coffee, downing it in one with a sigh. "... If you see him, here." he held out a business card. Haru took the card, plugging the contact into his phone, “Do you have mine already in case I need a warning?”
“You already know I do.” said Glitch, as he stood up and brushed his coat off, bringing the cup with him to give to Eun. “Good luck.” he said, meaningfully, before walking out the door.
Eun tilted his head, “He’s in his office, just got in, do you want me to bring the drink there?” The tone was chipper and friendly, a retail voice, as he tapped the tablet, “The drink will be about 5 minutes.” Glitch nodded again. "Yeah, if he's not busy... Tell him it's Glitch. We've met a couple times."
“I promise he is, but he’ll make time for a guest,” his gaze turned back up as he hit submit, “I assume this isn’t small talk, so the drink is on the house.” "Believe me..." he said, taking out his wallet and sliding a few bills across the counter. "... Better if I pay." After all, this was partly his mess too.
There was a moment of consideration from Eun. “Alright then, down the hallway, door at the very end.”
He nodded, straightening his coat a bit as he walked down the hall, stopping in front of the door... and giving three short polite knocks.
“… Come in.” The voice was calm, though quickly followed up with some sounds of panic and chaos. Glitch was about to open the door, when the chaos sounds started. Frowning just a tad, he waited a little longer... then sloooowly opened the door, making sure that Haru had enough time to clean up... whatever he was doing in there. Didn't wanna know.
As he opened the door, he found Haru on the floor picking up way more paperwork than should have been in a single pile, “Good morning, apologies for the mess, I seem to have made an error in judgement.”
Glitch looked around, unable to hold back a snort. "... Take your time. Need a hand?" He was grateful that this started off well. He had a feeling he'd be yelled at soon enough.
“A hand would be lovely, I can sort it after,” he looked up, “We’ve met a couple times right?” "We did. I crash landed in front of you, and we pointed guns at each other." he said, as he picked up a few sheets of paper, stacking them on the desk. “As one does in Rhy’din. Haru.” He reintroduced himself just in case, “Welcome to the cafe.”
"Yeah... believe me. I know all about you at this point." he said, his smile turning into a slightly more serious look. "... I think you should sit down. We have some things to talk about."
Haru picked up the last sheet, setting it on the desk and moving to sit, “If you have some issue with me let’s get it out in the open now, I have kids to raise and I’m not interested in a fight.” "Believe me, neither am I. I have no issues with you. But I believe we have an issue in common." he said, as he took his own seat.
"Rafa Velázquez."
Haru leaned forward in his seat and placed his chin on his hands, “That we do. Go on.” His tone more serious and intent.
Glitch sighed. "... Been up for three days or so trying to find him. He's under direct orders to stay south of the border. But... one day he up and vanishes. And then people start spotting him around here. Seems he wants to go off on a little adventure of his own... and La Padrina is not happy with him." The name, as always, was said with reverence. "... She sends her best regards, by the way. And her apologies for last night."
“He was looking for Alik I believe, wants him scared, I suspect also wants some revenge for us trying to kill him,” a long pause, “Consider the apologies accepted, by me at least, I cannot speak for the others, they seem inclined to kill him.”
"Believe me... if it were up to me, I'd kill that psycho myself. But it ain't up to me." He leaned forward a bit. "... I'm sure I don't have to tell you how big of a shit storm it would cause if he died, do I? For all of us? ... If I were you, I'd tell these others to slow their roll."
"Anyways... I'm in town looking for him. He doesn't like me any more than I like him... but he knows that if I want him to come with me, he's coming, one way or another. Helps when you're about 60% computer." Glitch leaned back in his chair. "As for Alik, yeah, I know, what's new... Guy has a murderous hard-on for him the size of Sirius B. I'm amazed how many people you two managed to piss off in such a short amount of time." he smirked. "Kinda impressed hearing the stories, I won't lie."
“I have been trying, he’s more useful to us alive than dead is what I told them,” he sighed, “Not a lie, but not the truth, though I am glad to hear he will be handled.” Haru shook his head, “I was always firmly in the business of making friends, as long as there was no breaking of the code I was aware of, having enemies is not good when you are weak as runny shit.” Graphic description but it got the point across, “I made the majority of my enemies near the end or after, and even then I tried not to let them live to come for me.”
Glitch was quiet for a moment. "... From what I hear, it was mostly the fault of... well. You know. ... I won't say anything mean about him, considering his condition."
"... He's not getting anywhere near that hospital, either way. If he sets foot within five blocks of it, I'll know. But he seems to have just vanished off the face of the earth..." he sighed tiredly. "... You got anything at all that might help me find him?"
Haru nodded, “I understand why he did it, not my methods but I do understand,” a small bit of empathy in his voice behind the overtly business tone, “Anyhow, I know he got in a cab…” a long pause, “He didn’t say where he was going, but I know he wants Alik scared and not dead, so… perhaps targeting something he cares about?”
"Oh, believe me, he wants him dead." Glitch said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Almost all he talks about. Something about Alik slipping between his fingers... just rubbed him wrong. Like his ego was bruised." he paused, and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Put it this way. He's used to getting what he wants, and I don't think he's ever taken 'no' for an answer." There was a slight grimace. "... So, it pissed him off pretty bad. My bet is, he knows he won't ever be able to touch him while he's in that hospital."
There was a small nod, “Sounded like he wanted him to suffer first then, the point stands. If you can’t touch your target, where do you target instead?” He sipped a coffee as the previously ordered one materialized in front of Glitch, “We both deal in death I presume, so we know that answer.”
Glitch took the coffee, taking a sip and groaning, eyes closed. "... God, that shit is good... sorry... ain't slept in... well, you know. Helluva mess to clean up." he paused, looking solemn for a moment. "... He killed a kid. Barely nineteen. Worked at a money wire place. Asked too many questions about why he was wiring seven million dollars from a Mexican account. Shot him through the head and burned the place to the ground." He stared off at nothing for a long time. "... He wasn't in the game." he said simply. Seems like that was the standard, something Haru probably also subscribed to in some way.
"... Well, he can't get to you. He can't get to LeFay. Who else is there?" he said, looking up at him.
Haru smiled a little, “Sibyl and Eun make good coffee,” a beat, and a look down, “He’s endangering all players by targeting those outside it, I understand why she’s pissed, the law turns a blind eye to those playing, it’s when those outside get targeted…” he sighed softly, resting his hand on his head, “Deliah, I think her name is, the Phoenix group, they will also have more information on who would be targeted…” his voice quiet, “Alik and I have only spoken once since the last time that is known, so I do not have as much information as one would hope.”
He blinked. "... Deliah. The barmaid, right? ... Why would he go for her? I mean, Alik doesn't... " he seemed confused for a moment... before some realization hit him. "... Ah. I see."
Glitch stood up and began pacing, a troubled look on his face. "... Seems like that might be his game. I don't fancy letting it go that far. Neither does the boss."
Haru shrugged, “Might not be romantic, but he gives a shit about her,” he relaxed in his seat, “So what’s the plan, I’ll have you know my involvement will go as far as protecting mine.”
Glitch turned, glancing at him. "... I have an idea. Not the most... ethical. But... so long as it's done carefully, it may work. And don't worry, I don't plan on getting you involved. You're out. She respects that." he looked him over. "... I'll talk to Deliah. Get her out in the open... or at least, it'll look that way. Wait for him to move on her, and that's when I come in."
Haru let out a soft sigh of relief, “That would be effective… just, make sure she isn’t hurt, I think he wants to be better, and losing those he cares about would be a setback.”
"She won't be harmed. You have my word." he said, earnestly. He reached down and picked up his coffee, downing it in one with a sigh. "... If you see him, here." he held out a business card. Haru took the card, plugging the contact into his phone, “Do you have mine already in case I need a warning?”
“You already know I do.” said Glitch, as he stood up and brushed his coat off, bringing the cup with him to give to Eun. “Good luck.” he said, meaningfully, before walking out the door.
Last edited by Glitch on Mon Jul 11, 2022 8:35 am, edited 4 times in total.
The Rafa Problem - Setting the Trap
Not enough hours in the day, that was the problem. So much had been in flux at the Phoenix since the bossman had ended up in the hospital and though she had done her very best to keep everything running, Delia was tired. Sick with worry and sadness and paranoia that something may happen to Alik or the pub or the people that worked there. By the time she clocked out after a too-long shift, her shoulders were heavy with fatigue, a springtime jacket thrown over her work ensemble and belted around the middle. With her hair tied up into a bun and her chin lowered against the grit of Dockside, she looked as so many in the district did. She just needed to make a quick stop by home to check on her grandmother before heading over to the hospital to look in on Alik, as she did daily, so a right-hand turn into the alley from the Phoenix's back door soon set her off at a hurried pace, albeit not a particularly fast one.
"Excuse me."
A voice echoed from behind her. A tall man in a black trenchcoat stood at the end of the alley, hands by his sides. Half of his face was replaced with machine parts, a glowing red orb replacing his left eye, and he had a mess of dyed red hair on his head. Skinny, wearing a sleek black suit underneath his coat. "... You're the barmaid, correct? Deliah?"
"I don't have any money, sorry." She looked up, but only for a moment. Then just like that, the half-elf turned to pass the strange man.
"Name's Glitch. I represent the Salazars." he said calmly, moving to let her keep walking if she wanted to. But he expected the name to stop her in her tracks.
The Salazars. The Colombians Alik had mentioned. The Cartel.
She stutter-stepped, her pace slowing. Though she canted her head, she didn't look back at him, instead just turning an ear his way as she slowed to a stop. "Like I said... I don't have any money." The change in tone, however, said she understood the implications of the name. There she waited for him to say more. "Don't worry. I'm not here for your money, and I'm not here to hurt you," he said, doing his best to sound reassuring, yet serious. He slid his hands into his pockets. "... I have reason to believe you're in grave danger. Is there somewhere we can talk? Privately?"
For some reason, she wasn't surprised by any of it. But the sag of her shoulders said it simply added one more thing to her worries. The jerk of her head indicated for him to follow her. She led the way around the corner, down a different alley, and about two blocks from the Phoenix. At an innocuous metal door midway down the alleyway, she stopped, glancing side to side to make sure it was only them. Her fingers made a rapid tapping motion in a swift, practiced pattern that ended with a half circle with three lines drawn through it. After that, she pressed all five fingertips to the door. A soft blue glow emanated for a blink before the door unlatched. She shouldered it open and gestured once more for him to follow.
It opened to what could be assumed to be a safe house. A small studio-apartment-type space containing a kitchenette, a ragged couch, a secondhand television, and a neatly made twin bed covered in what appeared to be handmade quilts. Delia held the door for the man called Glitch. He looked around, surprised and a little bit impressed. Standing in the doorway a moment before he walked inside. "... You're more than just a barmaid, I'm guessing." Delia shrugged, her fingers reaching for a pendant around her neck only to remember once more that it wasn't there.
Somewhere, on a chain hanging behind Alik's hospital bed, the visage of Khalreshaar spun a delicate little circle as if the chain had been twisted or a breeze had wafted through the room.
"Aye, I'm the manager." She closed the door behind him. A quiet click indicated it locked but anyone inside could easily reopen it with a twist of the knob. "This domicile is warded and secured so you may speak freely."
His eyebrows raised. "Manager. Hm. My apologies... what I get for being sexist." He strolled around to sit at the table, arms crossed on it. "Take a seat, if you don't mind."
"Previous manager was a broad too." She let out a mirthless chuckle and moved to the other side of the table, sitting down in arm's reach of the compact fridge in the corner. "Drink? Tea, water, beer. Not much else here currently." He gave a sigh, nodding with a tired smile. "Proving your point. My bad... I'd take a cup of tea, though. Thank you." After a moment, he began rummaging around in a bag he'd brought, sitting by his feet. "From what I understand, even though you're a civilian, you're at least aware of what goes on in the Phoenix? Besides bar fights and hookers I mean."
She rose again, stepping over to a small electric kettle to plug it in and turn it on after filling it with water. A smaller wooden box was taken from the cabinet and set upon the table for his perusal. Within was an assortment of teas both local and imported. For the time being, she took a seat again, studying the strange man. "My boss operates on a need-to-know basis. I know what I need to know." Vague? Sure. But she didn't know this man from anyone else, and if he was associated with the Salazars, he was dangerous. She needed to be careful.
Glitch nodded, muttering as he produced a large brown envelope and set it on the table. "Alright, good. Makes things a lot less messy. Lord knows I've had enough of that." After only a few moments of looking, he picked out a simple English Breakfast, and held it out to her. "Haven't slept in a while. I need my sleep."
Within a few minutes, the kettle beeped to signal its readiness. She pulled it along with two tea cups. The cups had seen better days but they were clean, as was everything else in the studio. It really seemed to be nothing more than a large storage room that had been converted into something more. With tea made, she set his cup before him with a thin cylindrical item that looked like an epi-pen, and took her own with her to her seat. "Sounds like we could all make a club then."
He smirked slightly and sighed as he took the cup and sipped it. "Not a bad idea. Thanks, again." he raised his cup slightly in salute and put it down, which was when he noticed the cylinder thingy. He gave her a puzzled look. A closer examination of the injectable indicated it was a stimulant of some sort. Along with a shot of essential vitamins and minerals to keep you going when you didn't want to. It was a quiet offer but not one she pushed or explained further. Instead, she sipped from her steaming tea ever so carefully.
"I still have a few things I need to get done today. Hopefully, this won't be too overly involved." It was a prompt for him to continue, her eyes dropping to the brown envelope. He picked up the injector, looking it over. "Appreciated, but... I filter my bloodstream." He tapped the metal part of his head. Seems he was more machine than he let on. "And besides, I don't need as much sleep as everyone else." When she said that last part, his face grew more serious. "... I'd advise you to clear your calendar. For your safety, you'd do best to stay here. But we'll talk about that later." She nodded a single time. "I have other secure places I can stay."
Plural. Besides, this place was so dark.
Glitch reached into the envelope and produced a photo, sliding it over. "Do you recognize this man?"
Leaning forward, she looked at the picture without touching it, her head canting a little bit. If she recognized him, she didn't show it. "Not pretty enough to be Rhydinian. Would stand out in my head, so no. I don't think so."
"His name is Rafael Velázquez. All you need to know is that he works for the Salazars. Same as your former boss. And your current one." 'Former' was said with a good amount of finality. "He's in Rhy'din, despite direct orders to stay at his post in Mexico. I'm here to find him, and bring him back." there was a pause, and he sighed. "... Rafa has a personal vendetta against Alik. Long-standing. We believe he's here because of the attack, to finish the job while it's easy." his face got a tad more serious. "... My boss is against that, and the trouble it would cause. But here we are."
She sipped once more, then set her cup down to drag a fingernail along her jawline, contemplative. "So he's gone rogue for the sake of vengeance. He's reckless and dangerous but likely predictable." She said softly, looking down at the picture for a long moment. "Stupid, also. It would've been easier to eliminate Mister Murphy when he was still ambulatory and out on the street. Right now, nobody is getting anywhere near him."
The green-gold of her eyes lifted to meet the man. "And me? Where does that leave me?"
"Believe me, if he were stupid, I'd have caught him by now. And he wouldn't be in the position he's in. The last thing you want to do is underestimate him. He's cold and calculated. But he's a loose cannon. If it were my decision, nobody would have to answer to that psychopath." he grimaced. "... Sorry. We have... history."
"... Well." he bit his lip. "... I'm here because he is predictable, at least to some degree. He wants Alik. He's found out pretty quickly that he can't get him, so he wants to hurt those he cares about. Out of those..." he looked down at the table for a moment. "... You seem the most likely target. Seeing as his first two choices are also off the table."
"I try not to underestimate anyone that Mister Murphy gets involved with." She said with a wan smile that said the man sitting across from her was included in that. As she listened, she did so impassively, her expression barely changing. "I'm most accessible, I imagine. The other people he's actually close with are..." she tilted her head, choosing her words carefully, "... well protected. But I'm sure perception would be enough to make me a target, yeah."
He nodded again. "... Now, I can't force you to do anything. But I would advise you to stay here unless you have a safe way to get to another safehouse. You'll be compensated for your full shifts, and my men will be able to access you securely if you need food or other supplies. But zero contact with the outside world." His face was more serious now. "... This man is dangerous and cruel. And more than a little unhinged."
"That would be the smart thing to do..." he said, his face changing a bit. Implying there was a but coming.
She tilted her head from side to side, humming a low note of contemplation. After a moment, she shook her head. "I've unfortunately got obligations beyond the Phoenix. And even if I didn't, I can't let Sarge run the place... it'd..." she shook her head again without finishing. "I don't think it's reasonable to have everyone in Mister Murphy's life lay low 'til this miscreant is handled. So go on."
He frowned at the mention of Sarge. But decided he could get back to that. "... Alternatively, you could help me catch him."
Glitch let the offer rest in the air, leaning back in his seat. "... It's pointless trying to go after him. Rafa's a ghost. But... since we have a pretty good idea where he's going next..." he pointed at her. "... You could go about your business, as though this meeting never happened. Monitored by myself, the entire time. And when he makes his move, I'll be waiting, and I'll come in and get him."
Delia sipped from her tea, looking down at the picture of the man over the lip of the teacup. Gran would throttle her if she knew that Delia was going to agree to such a thing. But thankfully, her grandmother was barely conscious on a good day and Delia kept plenty from the old woman for the sake of both of their sanity. Carefully the half-elf put the cup back down upon a saucer with a triangular chip in the edge of the porcelain. "I'm in." An eyebrow ticked up on Glitch's face. "... Just like that?"
The other shoe dropped soon after. "But I need to know if you know who put out the initial hit." She added.
His face dropped back to serious. Immediately. Glitch took a long inhale, taking another sip of his tea, glancing at the cup for a moment. "I have no information on that." he avoided eye contact. "You seem like a smart kid. Do yourself a favor..." he leaned forward. "... Some stones you just don't turn over."
"I'm likely older than you." She smiled softly, studying him for any sign that he might be deceiving her. "Alik is going to make it through this. And it is better for everyone, your employer included, if the original issue is handled before he wakes up. Because we both know that there will be literal and proverbial Hell to pay if it isn't."
Glitch gave a sympathetic sigh, eyes closing as he rubbed his forehead. "... Look. I understand. Really, I do. But... you don't seem to understand just how volatile this Rafa situation is."
"What's better for everyone is that he's brought back where my employer can keep an eye on him. And that the peace isn't disturbed any more than it already has been. I won't patronize you, Delia. You know this is a delicate game. And as insensitive as it is to say... Alik ain't going anywhere."
He took another sip of his tea. "... My advice? Help me deal with Rafa. Then, if you wanna find out who did it, I'd suggest going to Morgan LeFay. He seems just as annoyingly hell-bent on finding out as you are."
"I wasn't planning on balancing the Velázquez situation with finding who shot my boss. But as you likely know, with knowledge there is power." Beneath the table, she crossed one leg over the other, her knee bumping the underside of the aged wood. "Then I'll go that route. I've seen Mister LeFay regularly, he should be easy to find. So, I guess the next question is when and where do we start?"
"... Here's what's gonna happen," he said, leaning forward in his seat, hands together on the table. "You're gonna head out that door and go about your business. You're not gonna tell anyone we had this conversation, who knows what eyes and ears he has around. You're gonna act normal, and just go about your life for the next while. You might notice a car following you, a security camera turning your way. That’ll be me. Just ignore it. Pretend they ain't there. And sooner or later, Rafa will poke his head up... and I'll be waiting when he does."
Glitch finished off his tea, setting the empty cup down. "I wanna make this perfectly clear because I don't plan on having your death on what little conscience I have... I can't guarantee your safety. I'll do everything in my power to make sure you aren't hurt, but this is dangerous work. There's always a risk. You have every option to just hide out until this blows over... Just making sure you're getting in with both eyes open."
Delia nodded along with his explanation. Even his disclaimer about her safety was met with an impassive nod. When he was finally done speaking, she lifted her chin, her shoulders set with a serene sort of determination. "Khalreshaar is with me always, but if the winds of change shift unfavorably, I will bow out."
Glitch had zero idea what that meant, but... Rhydinians and their weird-ass customs, I guess. God, he missed Cartagena. "... Alright, then. Now... from what I understand, your pay has been cut significantly since Dunham took charge. But Alik still gave you more than enough to tide you over. So I'm not sure if offering money would be of any use to you." He got up, and walked over to the sink to wash out the mug. "... So consider this a favor to me. A favor that can be called in, within reason."
She winced a bit at talk of what Sarge had done to the staff's pay. The working conditions had gone downhill too. All she had done to try and shift the Phoenix toward being a reputable, clean establishment had been undone in a matter of weeks after he had taken over. More and more it was resembling any other seedy Dockside bar. Thankfully, Glitch was right. She had squirreled away the vast majority of her pay in excess of what was spent on her grandmother's care and some things for herself here and there. If she had wanted to, she likely could have absconded with what she had and called it a day, settled on some nice island off the coast of the southern desert, and had a nice, quiet life.
Maybe she still could.
"I am set financially, yes. But favors are far more priceless than silver nobles so, aye, I'll take it and hold onto that."
Glitch nodded. "Settled, then. Thank you for the tea..." he turned to walk out, but paused, glancing over his shoulder. "... Another thing. You mentioned what would happen if Alik wakes up."
She folded her hands atop her cup as he turned to leave. "When." She corrected. "When Alik wakes up."
He blinked but didn't comment. "... I thought you should know... it's been decided that he won't be coming back. Dunham is staying." A pause. "... That's word from the top."
"Word from the top also said Rafael Velázquez wouldn't be showing up here to finish the job too and we see where we are now. So I suppose time will tell, won't it?" She still had an air of easy composure, unruffled by his assertion.
He considered her words for a moment... and then shrugged. "... Maybe. I don't care all that much. Don't make the rules. Just enforce 'em."
"Good luck, Deliah." he said, holding eye contact for a moment longer... before he disappeared through the door and out into the alley.
The door locked behind him, giving Delia the first opportunity to sink into her chair, her rigid composure crumbling the very moment she was alone. "... It's always something, bossman. Isn't it?"
"Excuse me."
A voice echoed from behind her. A tall man in a black trenchcoat stood at the end of the alley, hands by his sides. Half of his face was replaced with machine parts, a glowing red orb replacing his left eye, and he had a mess of dyed red hair on his head. Skinny, wearing a sleek black suit underneath his coat. "... You're the barmaid, correct? Deliah?"
"I don't have any money, sorry." She looked up, but only for a moment. Then just like that, the half-elf turned to pass the strange man.
"Name's Glitch. I represent the Salazars." he said calmly, moving to let her keep walking if she wanted to. But he expected the name to stop her in her tracks.
The Salazars. The Colombians Alik had mentioned. The Cartel.
She stutter-stepped, her pace slowing. Though she canted her head, she didn't look back at him, instead just turning an ear his way as she slowed to a stop. "Like I said... I don't have any money." The change in tone, however, said she understood the implications of the name. There she waited for him to say more. "Don't worry. I'm not here for your money, and I'm not here to hurt you," he said, doing his best to sound reassuring, yet serious. He slid his hands into his pockets. "... I have reason to believe you're in grave danger. Is there somewhere we can talk? Privately?"
For some reason, she wasn't surprised by any of it. But the sag of her shoulders said it simply added one more thing to her worries. The jerk of her head indicated for him to follow her. She led the way around the corner, down a different alley, and about two blocks from the Phoenix. At an innocuous metal door midway down the alleyway, she stopped, glancing side to side to make sure it was only them. Her fingers made a rapid tapping motion in a swift, practiced pattern that ended with a half circle with three lines drawn through it. After that, she pressed all five fingertips to the door. A soft blue glow emanated for a blink before the door unlatched. She shouldered it open and gestured once more for him to follow.
It opened to what could be assumed to be a safe house. A small studio-apartment-type space containing a kitchenette, a ragged couch, a secondhand television, and a neatly made twin bed covered in what appeared to be handmade quilts. Delia held the door for the man called Glitch. He looked around, surprised and a little bit impressed. Standing in the doorway a moment before he walked inside. "... You're more than just a barmaid, I'm guessing." Delia shrugged, her fingers reaching for a pendant around her neck only to remember once more that it wasn't there.
Somewhere, on a chain hanging behind Alik's hospital bed, the visage of Khalreshaar spun a delicate little circle as if the chain had been twisted or a breeze had wafted through the room.
"Aye, I'm the manager." She closed the door behind him. A quiet click indicated it locked but anyone inside could easily reopen it with a twist of the knob. "This domicile is warded and secured so you may speak freely."
His eyebrows raised. "Manager. Hm. My apologies... what I get for being sexist." He strolled around to sit at the table, arms crossed on it. "Take a seat, if you don't mind."
"Previous manager was a broad too." She let out a mirthless chuckle and moved to the other side of the table, sitting down in arm's reach of the compact fridge in the corner. "Drink? Tea, water, beer. Not much else here currently." He gave a sigh, nodding with a tired smile. "Proving your point. My bad... I'd take a cup of tea, though. Thank you." After a moment, he began rummaging around in a bag he'd brought, sitting by his feet. "From what I understand, even though you're a civilian, you're at least aware of what goes on in the Phoenix? Besides bar fights and hookers I mean."
She rose again, stepping over to a small electric kettle to plug it in and turn it on after filling it with water. A smaller wooden box was taken from the cabinet and set upon the table for his perusal. Within was an assortment of teas both local and imported. For the time being, she took a seat again, studying the strange man. "My boss operates on a need-to-know basis. I know what I need to know." Vague? Sure. But she didn't know this man from anyone else, and if he was associated with the Salazars, he was dangerous. She needed to be careful.
Glitch nodded, muttering as he produced a large brown envelope and set it on the table. "Alright, good. Makes things a lot less messy. Lord knows I've had enough of that." After only a few moments of looking, he picked out a simple English Breakfast, and held it out to her. "Haven't slept in a while. I need my sleep."
Within a few minutes, the kettle beeped to signal its readiness. She pulled it along with two tea cups. The cups had seen better days but they were clean, as was everything else in the studio. It really seemed to be nothing more than a large storage room that had been converted into something more. With tea made, she set his cup before him with a thin cylindrical item that looked like an epi-pen, and took her own with her to her seat. "Sounds like we could all make a club then."
He smirked slightly and sighed as he took the cup and sipped it. "Not a bad idea. Thanks, again." he raised his cup slightly in salute and put it down, which was when he noticed the cylinder thingy. He gave her a puzzled look. A closer examination of the injectable indicated it was a stimulant of some sort. Along with a shot of essential vitamins and minerals to keep you going when you didn't want to. It was a quiet offer but not one she pushed or explained further. Instead, she sipped from her steaming tea ever so carefully.
"I still have a few things I need to get done today. Hopefully, this won't be too overly involved." It was a prompt for him to continue, her eyes dropping to the brown envelope. He picked up the injector, looking it over. "Appreciated, but... I filter my bloodstream." He tapped the metal part of his head. Seems he was more machine than he let on. "And besides, I don't need as much sleep as everyone else." When she said that last part, his face grew more serious. "... I'd advise you to clear your calendar. For your safety, you'd do best to stay here. But we'll talk about that later." She nodded a single time. "I have other secure places I can stay."
Plural. Besides, this place was so dark.
Glitch reached into the envelope and produced a photo, sliding it over. "Do you recognize this man?"
Leaning forward, she looked at the picture without touching it, her head canting a little bit. If she recognized him, she didn't show it. "Not pretty enough to be Rhydinian. Would stand out in my head, so no. I don't think so."
"His name is Rafael Velázquez. All you need to know is that he works for the Salazars. Same as your former boss. And your current one." 'Former' was said with a good amount of finality. "He's in Rhy'din, despite direct orders to stay at his post in Mexico. I'm here to find him, and bring him back." there was a pause, and he sighed. "... Rafa has a personal vendetta against Alik. Long-standing. We believe he's here because of the attack, to finish the job while it's easy." his face got a tad more serious. "... My boss is against that, and the trouble it would cause. But here we are."
She sipped once more, then set her cup down to drag a fingernail along her jawline, contemplative. "So he's gone rogue for the sake of vengeance. He's reckless and dangerous but likely predictable." She said softly, looking down at the picture for a long moment. "Stupid, also. It would've been easier to eliminate Mister Murphy when he was still ambulatory and out on the street. Right now, nobody is getting anywhere near him."
The green-gold of her eyes lifted to meet the man. "And me? Where does that leave me?"
"Believe me, if he were stupid, I'd have caught him by now. And he wouldn't be in the position he's in. The last thing you want to do is underestimate him. He's cold and calculated. But he's a loose cannon. If it were my decision, nobody would have to answer to that psychopath." he grimaced. "... Sorry. We have... history."
"... Well." he bit his lip. "... I'm here because he is predictable, at least to some degree. He wants Alik. He's found out pretty quickly that he can't get him, so he wants to hurt those he cares about. Out of those..." he looked down at the table for a moment. "... You seem the most likely target. Seeing as his first two choices are also off the table."
"I try not to underestimate anyone that Mister Murphy gets involved with." She said with a wan smile that said the man sitting across from her was included in that. As she listened, she did so impassively, her expression barely changing. "I'm most accessible, I imagine. The other people he's actually close with are..." she tilted her head, choosing her words carefully, "... well protected. But I'm sure perception would be enough to make me a target, yeah."
He nodded again. "... Now, I can't force you to do anything. But I would advise you to stay here unless you have a safe way to get to another safehouse. You'll be compensated for your full shifts, and my men will be able to access you securely if you need food or other supplies. But zero contact with the outside world." His face was more serious now. "... This man is dangerous and cruel. And more than a little unhinged."
"That would be the smart thing to do..." he said, his face changing a bit. Implying there was a but coming.
She tilted her head from side to side, humming a low note of contemplation. After a moment, she shook her head. "I've unfortunately got obligations beyond the Phoenix. And even if I didn't, I can't let Sarge run the place... it'd..." she shook her head again without finishing. "I don't think it's reasonable to have everyone in Mister Murphy's life lay low 'til this miscreant is handled. So go on."
He frowned at the mention of Sarge. But decided he could get back to that. "... Alternatively, you could help me catch him."
Glitch let the offer rest in the air, leaning back in his seat. "... It's pointless trying to go after him. Rafa's a ghost. But... since we have a pretty good idea where he's going next..." he pointed at her. "... You could go about your business, as though this meeting never happened. Monitored by myself, the entire time. And when he makes his move, I'll be waiting, and I'll come in and get him."
Delia sipped from her tea, looking down at the picture of the man over the lip of the teacup. Gran would throttle her if she knew that Delia was going to agree to such a thing. But thankfully, her grandmother was barely conscious on a good day and Delia kept plenty from the old woman for the sake of both of their sanity. Carefully the half-elf put the cup back down upon a saucer with a triangular chip in the edge of the porcelain. "I'm in." An eyebrow ticked up on Glitch's face. "... Just like that?"
The other shoe dropped soon after. "But I need to know if you know who put out the initial hit." She added.
His face dropped back to serious. Immediately. Glitch took a long inhale, taking another sip of his tea, glancing at the cup for a moment. "I have no information on that." he avoided eye contact. "You seem like a smart kid. Do yourself a favor..." he leaned forward. "... Some stones you just don't turn over."
"I'm likely older than you." She smiled softly, studying him for any sign that he might be deceiving her. "Alik is going to make it through this. And it is better for everyone, your employer included, if the original issue is handled before he wakes up. Because we both know that there will be literal and proverbial Hell to pay if it isn't."
Glitch gave a sympathetic sigh, eyes closing as he rubbed his forehead. "... Look. I understand. Really, I do. But... you don't seem to understand just how volatile this Rafa situation is."
"What's better for everyone is that he's brought back where my employer can keep an eye on him. And that the peace isn't disturbed any more than it already has been. I won't patronize you, Delia. You know this is a delicate game. And as insensitive as it is to say... Alik ain't going anywhere."
He took another sip of his tea. "... My advice? Help me deal with Rafa. Then, if you wanna find out who did it, I'd suggest going to Morgan LeFay. He seems just as annoyingly hell-bent on finding out as you are."
"I wasn't planning on balancing the Velázquez situation with finding who shot my boss. But as you likely know, with knowledge there is power." Beneath the table, she crossed one leg over the other, her knee bumping the underside of the aged wood. "Then I'll go that route. I've seen Mister LeFay regularly, he should be easy to find. So, I guess the next question is when and where do we start?"
"... Here's what's gonna happen," he said, leaning forward in his seat, hands together on the table. "You're gonna head out that door and go about your business. You're not gonna tell anyone we had this conversation, who knows what eyes and ears he has around. You're gonna act normal, and just go about your life for the next while. You might notice a car following you, a security camera turning your way. That’ll be me. Just ignore it. Pretend they ain't there. And sooner or later, Rafa will poke his head up... and I'll be waiting when he does."
Glitch finished off his tea, setting the empty cup down. "I wanna make this perfectly clear because I don't plan on having your death on what little conscience I have... I can't guarantee your safety. I'll do everything in my power to make sure you aren't hurt, but this is dangerous work. There's always a risk. You have every option to just hide out until this blows over... Just making sure you're getting in with both eyes open."
Delia nodded along with his explanation. Even his disclaimer about her safety was met with an impassive nod. When he was finally done speaking, she lifted her chin, her shoulders set with a serene sort of determination. "Khalreshaar is with me always, but if the winds of change shift unfavorably, I will bow out."
Glitch had zero idea what that meant, but... Rhydinians and their weird-ass customs, I guess. God, he missed Cartagena. "... Alright, then. Now... from what I understand, your pay has been cut significantly since Dunham took charge. But Alik still gave you more than enough to tide you over. So I'm not sure if offering money would be of any use to you." He got up, and walked over to the sink to wash out the mug. "... So consider this a favor to me. A favor that can be called in, within reason."
She winced a bit at talk of what Sarge had done to the staff's pay. The working conditions had gone downhill too. All she had done to try and shift the Phoenix toward being a reputable, clean establishment had been undone in a matter of weeks after he had taken over. More and more it was resembling any other seedy Dockside bar. Thankfully, Glitch was right. She had squirreled away the vast majority of her pay in excess of what was spent on her grandmother's care and some things for herself here and there. If she had wanted to, she likely could have absconded with what she had and called it a day, settled on some nice island off the coast of the southern desert, and had a nice, quiet life.
Maybe she still could.
"I am set financially, yes. But favors are far more priceless than silver nobles so, aye, I'll take it and hold onto that."
Glitch nodded. "Settled, then. Thank you for the tea..." he turned to walk out, but paused, glancing over his shoulder. "... Another thing. You mentioned what would happen if Alik wakes up."
She folded her hands atop her cup as he turned to leave. "When." She corrected. "When Alik wakes up."
He blinked but didn't comment. "... I thought you should know... it's been decided that he won't be coming back. Dunham is staying." A pause. "... That's word from the top."
"Word from the top also said Rafael Velázquez wouldn't be showing up here to finish the job too and we see where we are now. So I suppose time will tell, won't it?" She still had an air of easy composure, unruffled by his assertion.
He considered her words for a moment... and then shrugged. "... Maybe. I don't care all that much. Don't make the rules. Just enforce 'em."
"Good luck, Deliah." he said, holding eye contact for a moment longer... before he disappeared through the door and out into the alley.
The door locked behind him, giving Delia the first opportunity to sink into her chair, her rigid composure crumbling the very moment she was alone. "... It's always something, bossman. Isn't it?"
Last edited by Glitch on Mon Jul 11, 2022 8:35 am, edited 2 times in total.
The Rafa Problem - Calling in Favours
Someone had said that the rule for smoking was to do it off-campus of the hospital. Morgan didn't ascribe to that rule, and anyone who said anything about him doing so in a garden courtyard got a middle finger and a very serious go-the-fuck-off face. Really, very well into fuck-around-and-find-out territory. His eyes were dark and tired, and his posture was absolute shit. He was nearly bent over in half, fingertips of one hand pushing at walkway gravel While the other arm tucked up into his side, pinned to his ribs by his thigh. He held his cigarette there, close to his mouth, and looked, for all intents and purposes... quite asleep.
With a sigh, a familiar man sat down next to him without invitation, leaning up against the wall. A cigarette in his hand, too. He looked almost as tired as Morgan. "... Guessing you're having about the same week I'm having."
For a long time, there was no answer, just a thin trail of smoke. It dwindled further for a moment, and evidence of him being awake, or something close to it, came from an exhaled cloud that roiled from beneath his dangling head. He lifted it up halfway and turned to look at his new bench buddy with one eye squinted entirely shut... and the other not far off. He looked ready to answer with words, but just sighed and let his head drop halfway down from where he'd lifted it. Just enough so nobody thought he was dead. Instead of anything witty or sassy, he just grunted wearily and took another drag of the menthol.
Glitch adjusted in his seat, sighing as he held out a coffee. "Here. Hospital coffee is shit, but drink it. You'll need it. I'm calling in that favor." There was a distinct lack of sympathy in his voice, but then again, there often was. "... Don't worry, your buddy ain't going anywhere."
Morgan's dull honey eyes drifted to the cup and then away, shaking his head. "I don't drink coffee." He stated plainly. He sighed and motioned to an empty can sitting on top of the trash can, an energy drink that was bright silver with a flashy blue logo in Korean. It was entirely possible the can was still cold. He paused, and scratched at his jaw, very lightly stubbled. He sighed, and let his eyes close slowly before he answered.
"What do you want?" He wasn't going to question what was owed. He knew.
"Rafa. Out of our hair, so to speak," he said, tossing the coffee cup into the trash. "... I have a plan, but I need backup. You know how he is." Glitch took a drag from his cigarette, leaning his head back as he blew smoke straight up like a fountain. Morgan let out a long groan as an exhale.
"Why? Why Rafa? Why now?" It didn't seem he was asking Glitch, in particular.
He considered the question for a moment before sighing and putting his hands behind his head, leaning back comfortably. "... Because he knows Alik is vulnerable, and thanks to you and your little trip down south, he's been reminded how much fun it is to hurt people close to him." he looked over. "... If you meant in general, well... if there were any justice in this universe, your buddy wouldn't be getting a fate so comfortable as dying in his sleep. And you'd be in jail."
Morgan frowned. "I don't know what I'm doing, you know." He paused and took another drag of his cig. "With his shit. I got yanked into this blind. I don't know who his friends are and it's like I'm only meeting people that have every reason for him to be dead and—" he exhaled and rubbed at his eye with the heel of his hand, and rolled his shoulder as if nudging something off.
"I just... I'm realizing I don't know near enough shit about my best friend to help him. I'm trying to do that, and then... this asshole. Who was, according to Alik... dead."
There was a brief change in Glitch's face as Morgan talked. A sigh as he leaned forward onto his knees. "... You want my advice, kid?" he looked over. "... Your friend got into this situation himself. With both eyes open. He knew the risks. Alik got into this thinking he didn't have to play by the rules, and... this is what happens."
He nudged Morgan on the shoulder gently. "... Hey. Look at me." he said, with a surprisingly gentle and understanding voice.
"You think Isabella was being cruel. She wasn't. What she's done for him is a mercy. You wanted to give him a second chance, now you have it." he sighed quietly. "... You're right, she has every reason to want him dead. But instead, she's given him the best thing she could have."
"If he wakes up... all he has to do is stay away. He gets to get out. Go clean. Go straight. No strings attached. And all he has to do is give up being a murderous drug dealer. I dunno about you, but that's a pretty good deal to me."
"Not many people in our line of work get the luxury of getting out alive."
Morgan's expression tightened, and he sniffed before rubbing his nose roughly with the sleeve of his thin grey hoodie. "I get it. Like... really." He sniffed again and took another drag down to the filter, then tossed the butt wherever it was going to land.
This was probably why he kept getting dirty looks.
"I know she wasn't being..." he sighed and rubbed at his face as he tilted up a few degrees to match the other's angle. "I know people like her. She ain't the first, and won't be the last. And I know this is his last..." he choked on the word and looked away. His palm pressed against his nose and mouth, and then came away with stiff fingers facing out as if in apology. Again, a sniffle, long and cleansing.
"I'm doing my best, here. But I'm not going to let it go." He looked at Glitch very seriously.
"Someone hurt my friend."
Glitch sighed, matching his gaze. "... I understand. More than you realize."
He looked out at the street for a moment, taking another drag. "... When I was a kid, my parents were merchants. Shipping goods between star systems. Made a decent living off of it, too... guess that's what attracted the pirates."
"I don't remember much, I was only a kid, but... I remember they boarded, and there was a lotta shooting, a lotta fire... next thing I know I'm lookin' down at my parent's dead bodies as they're bein' shoved out the airlock."
"They took me in. Kept me, since... apparently a kid is the right size to sneak through vents and tight spaces. Gave me new legs..." he tapped the metal on his knee. "... and over the years I kept adding shit to it. Enhancing myself. Pretty good at it too. All until I was upgraded enough to kill all of them in their sleep, and take their ship."
He looked over at Morgan softly. "... I understand the need for revenge. And believe me. Whoever it was, whoever's in charge of finding 'em will find 'em. And they'll pay."
Morgan was quiet for quite some time, looking at the pretty white gravel used for the walkway. His thumb drifted over his lip, the long nail with its chipped polish parting them to go between teeth. His gaze wandered and he sat up and back, rubbing palms on faded jeans.
"What's your plan for Rafa?" A sudden shift away from the heartfelt moment it was threatening to be.
Glitch copied him, sitting back with a sigh, grateful to be back on track. "... Long term, the plan is to get his ass back to Mexico and doing his job post-haste, after a severe talking-to from the boss. His family is protecting him. But even they agree that if he pulls anything like this again..." he raised an eyebrow. "... Let's just say there'll be a lotta parties thrown in Matamoros when that day comes."
He huffed and reached into his hoodie pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes. He lifted the top and lifted it to his mouth, lips wrapping the filter of one to pull out. He held the pack out as the other hand fished for a lighter. "Hopefully I'm invited to one." He murmured. Flick, hiss.
He took a deep drag that made once round cheeks concave, and breathed in sharply as his mouth opened to curl smoke before it disappeared into his lungs. "And short term? I can't keep an eye on this asshole, and I trust our current minister to handle it about as much as I trust a snail to win a horse race." Which was to say... not at all.
"Got a taste of the Latin American party scene, huh?" he smirked, flicking his own cigarette away. "... I'll make sure you get in. Gotta try the tilapia over there."
"Anyway... Yeah. Jackson's proved about as useful as a ventilated condom, but what do you expect from a cop... See, Rafa's a ghost when he wants to be. Especially since he probably knows I'm looking for him. So... we don't go after him. We go where he's going, and we wait."
"I'm not going anywhere until I know he's not..." he looked around them at the empty courtyard. "Here." He flicked ash that hadn't accumulated yet, and rolled his shoulder. "How am I supposed to help?'
"You and I both know he isn't getting within five blocks of this place without setting off every alarm bell in the city. Can't get to Alik, so he wants to get those he cares about. Can't get to you, can't get to Haru... So he's going for option number three. Deliah. Manager of the Phoenix. Know her?" he looked over.
He paused and shook his head, then matched Glitch's mismatched gaze. "No. Well. Yes, but no. I know of her." "Mmmmhm." he said, giving a conspiratorial raised-eyebrow look that Morgan would know all too well. "Apparently Alik is quite fond of her. Which is why she's the bait. Willing bait, I might add. The situation has been explained to her."
Morgan's eyebrows lifted. Apparently, this tidbit was an unknown morsel of information. He seemed surprised as he looked away, and again he started to chew gently at an acrylic thumbnail. He was quiet a moment, thoughtful.
"Alright... what about her?"
"She's going about her business like nothing's wrong, even though she knows he's out to kill her. I have her under watch, 24/7. He makes a move, I'll know. And that's where you come in." he pulled out yet another cigarette as he talked. "I need you on call. I send you an address, you're there. Only got one shot at this. Got it?"
He rubbed at the back of his neck and frowned. "And when I get there... anything I should expect? And rules?" He imagined don't kill Rafa was the main one.
Glitch turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "... It's Rafa. Can't expect anything, other than unpredictability." he leaned forward. "The priority here is getting Deliah out alive and unharmed. I have a policy when it comes to civilian assets. As for rules, aside from the obvious... just..." he sighed, turning back to face forward. "... I'm calling on you because I need someone with magical experience. Guessing that shit you nearly pulled at the hacienda wasn't just smoke and mirrors."
Morgan sucked his teeth when Glitch called Rafa unpredictable, but said nothing further. His thoughts about it as he instead listened to the man. He paused and stared at Glitch for a moment, and looked away.
"Nah. Not..." he hesitated. "It wasn't exactly intentional, either. I didn't want to attract that much attention." He waved a hand and scratched his chest. "I can get her out. Doing that. I just need to know where I'm going. I need a layout."
Glitch shook his head. "I’m sorry, but I don't know where he's gonna be. We won't know until he makes his move. I know that makes things more difficult for you... but you'll have as much information as I do." He glanced at him. "I need you to trap him. Put up some kinda... barrier. Between him and the civilian. Make sure he can’t get to her, and I’ll make sure he can’t get out. If he’s smart, he’ll come quietly. If not…" he let that part hang in the air unanswered.
Both of them, no doubt, kinda hoped he wouldn’t.
There was another, longer pause, Glitch's face shifting to one of slight guilt, as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "You help me with this, and it's done. I'll go back to Terra with Rafa, Dunham will continue running things down here... and you can focus on your friend. You won't have any more problems from us. No more involvement with our business."
"You have my word."
Morgan chewed at the skin on the side of his fingertips and let his eyes drift closed. "A barrier." He said softly. He frowned and spat out a sliver of skin as he realized what he was doing before wiping his hand on his wrinkled shirt. It was entirely possible he was going on multiple days with this one. "A barrier..." He repeated thoughtfully.
"What if I just... I won't try to hurt him, but what if I..." He looked over. "I can't promise it will be what you think it is, but I can promise I'll do my best to keep him in one piece." Even if he'd rather Rafa just be a forgettable smear and splatter on a warehouse wall.
Eyebrows raised. "... Well. So long as he gets back to Tamaulipas alive and... mostly unharmed, all will be fine." he looked over, smirking a little. "You'll be damned if you think I'm not gonna take the opportunity to knock his lights out." Morgan huffed a humorless laugh, then looked at Glitch with narrowed eyes.
"I have your word." He reminded him quietly.
Glitch held his gaze silently for a long while, taking a pensive drag of his cigarette and exhaling, the smoke being wafted away in the breeze. "... You do."
There was a thoughtful silence before he nodded and looked away.
"I'll hold you to it." He said as he started to stand. "You know how to get in touch with me?" It wasn't really much of an actual question. He assumed this was a given, but needed confirmation.
Glitch nodded. "Yup... Oh, before I forget..." he reached into a bag by his left on the bench and pulled out a bottle of Dictador, the finest 12-years-aged Colombian rum. "... Retirement gift. For if he wakes up." he held it out, without explaining who it was from. Morgan knew.
Morgan paused and picked up the bottle, inspecting it before he simply... stuffed the whole thing into his mouth. Bizarre, perhaps, but it was gone.
"When." He corrected before he turned around and, without a goodbye, started across the garden courtyard to glass doors leading back into the hospital.
With a sigh, a familiar man sat down next to him without invitation, leaning up against the wall. A cigarette in his hand, too. He looked almost as tired as Morgan. "... Guessing you're having about the same week I'm having."
For a long time, there was no answer, just a thin trail of smoke. It dwindled further for a moment, and evidence of him being awake, or something close to it, came from an exhaled cloud that roiled from beneath his dangling head. He lifted it up halfway and turned to look at his new bench buddy with one eye squinted entirely shut... and the other not far off. He looked ready to answer with words, but just sighed and let his head drop halfway down from where he'd lifted it. Just enough so nobody thought he was dead. Instead of anything witty or sassy, he just grunted wearily and took another drag of the menthol.
Glitch adjusted in his seat, sighing as he held out a coffee. "Here. Hospital coffee is shit, but drink it. You'll need it. I'm calling in that favor." There was a distinct lack of sympathy in his voice, but then again, there often was. "... Don't worry, your buddy ain't going anywhere."
Morgan's dull honey eyes drifted to the cup and then away, shaking his head. "I don't drink coffee." He stated plainly. He sighed and motioned to an empty can sitting on top of the trash can, an energy drink that was bright silver with a flashy blue logo in Korean. It was entirely possible the can was still cold. He paused, and scratched at his jaw, very lightly stubbled. He sighed, and let his eyes close slowly before he answered.
"What do you want?" He wasn't going to question what was owed. He knew.
"Rafa. Out of our hair, so to speak," he said, tossing the coffee cup into the trash. "... I have a plan, but I need backup. You know how he is." Glitch took a drag from his cigarette, leaning his head back as he blew smoke straight up like a fountain. Morgan let out a long groan as an exhale.
"Why? Why Rafa? Why now?" It didn't seem he was asking Glitch, in particular.
He considered the question for a moment before sighing and putting his hands behind his head, leaning back comfortably. "... Because he knows Alik is vulnerable, and thanks to you and your little trip down south, he's been reminded how much fun it is to hurt people close to him." he looked over. "... If you meant in general, well... if there were any justice in this universe, your buddy wouldn't be getting a fate so comfortable as dying in his sleep. And you'd be in jail."
Morgan frowned. "I don't know what I'm doing, you know." He paused and took another drag of his cig. "With his shit. I got yanked into this blind. I don't know who his friends are and it's like I'm only meeting people that have every reason for him to be dead and—" he exhaled and rubbed at his eye with the heel of his hand, and rolled his shoulder as if nudging something off.
"I just... I'm realizing I don't know near enough shit about my best friend to help him. I'm trying to do that, and then... this asshole. Who was, according to Alik... dead."
There was a brief change in Glitch's face as Morgan talked. A sigh as he leaned forward onto his knees. "... You want my advice, kid?" he looked over. "... Your friend got into this situation himself. With both eyes open. He knew the risks. Alik got into this thinking he didn't have to play by the rules, and... this is what happens."
He nudged Morgan on the shoulder gently. "... Hey. Look at me." he said, with a surprisingly gentle and understanding voice.
"You think Isabella was being cruel. She wasn't. What she's done for him is a mercy. You wanted to give him a second chance, now you have it." he sighed quietly. "... You're right, she has every reason to want him dead. But instead, she's given him the best thing she could have."
"If he wakes up... all he has to do is stay away. He gets to get out. Go clean. Go straight. No strings attached. And all he has to do is give up being a murderous drug dealer. I dunno about you, but that's a pretty good deal to me."
"Not many people in our line of work get the luxury of getting out alive."
Morgan's expression tightened, and he sniffed before rubbing his nose roughly with the sleeve of his thin grey hoodie. "I get it. Like... really." He sniffed again and took another drag down to the filter, then tossed the butt wherever it was going to land.
This was probably why he kept getting dirty looks.
"I know she wasn't being..." he sighed and rubbed at his face as he tilted up a few degrees to match the other's angle. "I know people like her. She ain't the first, and won't be the last. And I know this is his last..." he choked on the word and looked away. His palm pressed against his nose and mouth, and then came away with stiff fingers facing out as if in apology. Again, a sniffle, long and cleansing.
"I'm doing my best, here. But I'm not going to let it go." He looked at Glitch very seriously.
"Someone hurt my friend."
Glitch sighed, matching his gaze. "... I understand. More than you realize."
He looked out at the street for a moment, taking another drag. "... When I was a kid, my parents were merchants. Shipping goods between star systems. Made a decent living off of it, too... guess that's what attracted the pirates."
"I don't remember much, I was only a kid, but... I remember they boarded, and there was a lotta shooting, a lotta fire... next thing I know I'm lookin' down at my parent's dead bodies as they're bein' shoved out the airlock."
"They took me in. Kept me, since... apparently a kid is the right size to sneak through vents and tight spaces. Gave me new legs..." he tapped the metal on his knee. "... and over the years I kept adding shit to it. Enhancing myself. Pretty good at it too. All until I was upgraded enough to kill all of them in their sleep, and take their ship."
He looked over at Morgan softly. "... I understand the need for revenge. And believe me. Whoever it was, whoever's in charge of finding 'em will find 'em. And they'll pay."
Morgan was quiet for quite some time, looking at the pretty white gravel used for the walkway. His thumb drifted over his lip, the long nail with its chipped polish parting them to go between teeth. His gaze wandered and he sat up and back, rubbing palms on faded jeans.
"What's your plan for Rafa?" A sudden shift away from the heartfelt moment it was threatening to be.
Glitch copied him, sitting back with a sigh, grateful to be back on track. "... Long term, the plan is to get his ass back to Mexico and doing his job post-haste, after a severe talking-to from the boss. His family is protecting him. But even they agree that if he pulls anything like this again..." he raised an eyebrow. "... Let's just say there'll be a lotta parties thrown in Matamoros when that day comes."
He huffed and reached into his hoodie pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes. He lifted the top and lifted it to his mouth, lips wrapping the filter of one to pull out. He held the pack out as the other hand fished for a lighter. "Hopefully I'm invited to one." He murmured. Flick, hiss.
He took a deep drag that made once round cheeks concave, and breathed in sharply as his mouth opened to curl smoke before it disappeared into his lungs. "And short term? I can't keep an eye on this asshole, and I trust our current minister to handle it about as much as I trust a snail to win a horse race." Which was to say... not at all.
"Got a taste of the Latin American party scene, huh?" he smirked, flicking his own cigarette away. "... I'll make sure you get in. Gotta try the tilapia over there."
"Anyway... Yeah. Jackson's proved about as useful as a ventilated condom, but what do you expect from a cop... See, Rafa's a ghost when he wants to be. Especially since he probably knows I'm looking for him. So... we don't go after him. We go where he's going, and we wait."
"I'm not going anywhere until I know he's not..." he looked around them at the empty courtyard. "Here." He flicked ash that hadn't accumulated yet, and rolled his shoulder. "How am I supposed to help?'
"You and I both know he isn't getting within five blocks of this place without setting off every alarm bell in the city. Can't get to Alik, so he wants to get those he cares about. Can't get to you, can't get to Haru... So he's going for option number three. Deliah. Manager of the Phoenix. Know her?" he looked over.
He paused and shook his head, then matched Glitch's mismatched gaze. "No. Well. Yes, but no. I know of her." "Mmmmhm." he said, giving a conspiratorial raised-eyebrow look that Morgan would know all too well. "Apparently Alik is quite fond of her. Which is why she's the bait. Willing bait, I might add. The situation has been explained to her."
Morgan's eyebrows lifted. Apparently, this tidbit was an unknown morsel of information. He seemed surprised as he looked away, and again he started to chew gently at an acrylic thumbnail. He was quiet a moment, thoughtful.
"Alright... what about her?"
"She's going about her business like nothing's wrong, even though she knows he's out to kill her. I have her under watch, 24/7. He makes a move, I'll know. And that's where you come in." he pulled out yet another cigarette as he talked. "I need you on call. I send you an address, you're there. Only got one shot at this. Got it?"
He rubbed at the back of his neck and frowned. "And when I get there... anything I should expect? And rules?" He imagined don't kill Rafa was the main one.
Glitch turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "... It's Rafa. Can't expect anything, other than unpredictability." he leaned forward. "The priority here is getting Deliah out alive and unharmed. I have a policy when it comes to civilian assets. As for rules, aside from the obvious... just..." he sighed, turning back to face forward. "... I'm calling on you because I need someone with magical experience. Guessing that shit you nearly pulled at the hacienda wasn't just smoke and mirrors."
Morgan sucked his teeth when Glitch called Rafa unpredictable, but said nothing further. His thoughts about it as he instead listened to the man. He paused and stared at Glitch for a moment, and looked away.
"Nah. Not..." he hesitated. "It wasn't exactly intentional, either. I didn't want to attract that much attention." He waved a hand and scratched his chest. "I can get her out. Doing that. I just need to know where I'm going. I need a layout."
Glitch shook his head. "I’m sorry, but I don't know where he's gonna be. We won't know until he makes his move. I know that makes things more difficult for you... but you'll have as much information as I do." He glanced at him. "I need you to trap him. Put up some kinda... barrier. Between him and the civilian. Make sure he can’t get to her, and I’ll make sure he can’t get out. If he’s smart, he’ll come quietly. If not…" he let that part hang in the air unanswered.
Both of them, no doubt, kinda hoped he wouldn’t.
There was another, longer pause, Glitch's face shifting to one of slight guilt, as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "You help me with this, and it's done. I'll go back to Terra with Rafa, Dunham will continue running things down here... and you can focus on your friend. You won't have any more problems from us. No more involvement with our business."
"You have my word."
Morgan chewed at the skin on the side of his fingertips and let his eyes drift closed. "A barrier." He said softly. He frowned and spat out a sliver of skin as he realized what he was doing before wiping his hand on his wrinkled shirt. It was entirely possible he was going on multiple days with this one. "A barrier..." He repeated thoughtfully.
"What if I just... I won't try to hurt him, but what if I..." He looked over. "I can't promise it will be what you think it is, but I can promise I'll do my best to keep him in one piece." Even if he'd rather Rafa just be a forgettable smear and splatter on a warehouse wall.
Eyebrows raised. "... Well. So long as he gets back to Tamaulipas alive and... mostly unharmed, all will be fine." he looked over, smirking a little. "You'll be damned if you think I'm not gonna take the opportunity to knock his lights out." Morgan huffed a humorless laugh, then looked at Glitch with narrowed eyes.
"I have your word." He reminded him quietly.
Glitch held his gaze silently for a long while, taking a pensive drag of his cigarette and exhaling, the smoke being wafted away in the breeze. "... You do."
There was a thoughtful silence before he nodded and looked away.
"I'll hold you to it." He said as he started to stand. "You know how to get in touch with me?" It wasn't really much of an actual question. He assumed this was a given, but needed confirmation.
Glitch nodded. "Yup... Oh, before I forget..." he reached into a bag by his left on the bench and pulled out a bottle of Dictador, the finest 12-years-aged Colombian rum. "... Retirement gift. For if he wakes up." he held it out, without explaining who it was from. Morgan knew.
Morgan paused and picked up the bottle, inspecting it before he simply... stuffed the whole thing into his mouth. Bizarre, perhaps, but it was gone.
"When." He corrected before he turned around and, without a goodbye, started across the garden courtyard to glass doors leading back into the hospital.
The Rafa Problem - Loose Ends
It had been a good night, Haru had made bad decisions, met a lovely person, drank far more with said lovely person than was healthy, and now found himself taking shortcuts to get home, to make his most effective hangover cure, and cuddle his sons.
"Nice night for a stroll."
The voice came from ahead of him but seemingly had no source. That was until a figure shimmered into existence, invisible up to that moment. Glitch was leaning against the alley wall, a cigarette in his mouth, looking down at the pavement. Haru paused, “Good morning to you too…” he slowed, guard up, hands tucking into his pockets for the singular knife he’d brought, not even a good knife really, “What’s up?” Glitch usually had something going on when he arrived, so his eyes began trailing his surroundings.
"I'd take that hand out of that pocket if I were you," he said plainly, without looking up.
He tilted his head back to the sky, blowing smoke upwards before flicking ash onto the ground by his feet. "Been busy, haven't you? ... I seem to remember a conversation where we agreed that if you stayed out of my business, I'd stay out of yours." “Trouble follows you or you follow it, who says that’s not what I’m prepared for.” There was a slight squint towards Glitch, “What happens when he hurts one of my kids? Alik wasn’t the only one involved in trying to kill him.”
Now, Glitch looked over. A serious, but meaningful look. "... I told you. No harm will come to you or your family. I'm trying to solve our mutual problem, and you doing something stupid would make that a lot harder. Not to mention that I'd have to kill you, if you succeeded." Something about the way he said it made it clear that he wouldn't bat an eye if it came to it. Glitch calmly tossed his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out, walking into the middle of the alley. "You're meddling in things that are much more complicated than you realize."
“You aren’t all-powerful, as much as you may think you are,” the tone was cold, “And so what, get me assurances from someone higher up my kids will be safe and I’ll consider backing down.”
"Neither are you," he said, his expression steeling. "I'm advising you to step away, and let me handle it. Final warning. Back. Off." Haru stepped forward with purpose, drawing his dagger, “When you fail, I will kill him.”
Glitch slid his hands from his jacket pockets, taking a deep breath, looking more annoyed by the second. "... Consider your position carefully, kid." Haru took another step forward, “Sounds like a threat, leave me to my business and turn a blind eye Glitch.”
Silence hung in the air for a long while.
"... I'm not gonna talk you out of this, am I." More of a statement than a question. With a quiet -shhk- noise, a thin blade extended from Glitch's forearm, jutting out over his hand. Haru eyed the blade. “No, you’re not.” He sprung into action with his own, making a quick slash towards Glitch’s neck.
Glitch didn't move a muscle when Haru attacked, the blade cleaving through the air... and straight through his neck, without leaving a mark. When it made contact with where he should have been, there was a brief electrical crackling in the air... before the hologram smirked, and disappeared.
"Sorry, kid." said a voice behind him, before a thick metal forearm collided with the back of Haru's skull.
Haru didn’t even have time to react, fluid leaving his mouth and nose as he fell to the dirt, eyes trying to turn to the real Glitch, before closing.
Glitch stood over him solemnly, eyes closing as he looked away with a guilty sigh. His temple lit up blue for a moment as he called 911 with his built-in computer, disguising his voice to sound like a young woman's. He turned and walked away, leaving Haru's body lying there. "H-Hello? There's a man... he's... I found a man unconscious in an alleyway, by the Golden Perch... I think he's bleeding... yeah, send an ambulance..."
"Nice night for a stroll."
The voice came from ahead of him but seemingly had no source. That was until a figure shimmered into existence, invisible up to that moment. Glitch was leaning against the alley wall, a cigarette in his mouth, looking down at the pavement. Haru paused, “Good morning to you too…” he slowed, guard up, hands tucking into his pockets for the singular knife he’d brought, not even a good knife really, “What’s up?” Glitch usually had something going on when he arrived, so his eyes began trailing his surroundings.
"I'd take that hand out of that pocket if I were you," he said plainly, without looking up.
He tilted his head back to the sky, blowing smoke upwards before flicking ash onto the ground by his feet. "Been busy, haven't you? ... I seem to remember a conversation where we agreed that if you stayed out of my business, I'd stay out of yours." “Trouble follows you or you follow it, who says that’s not what I’m prepared for.” There was a slight squint towards Glitch, “What happens when he hurts one of my kids? Alik wasn’t the only one involved in trying to kill him.”
Now, Glitch looked over. A serious, but meaningful look. "... I told you. No harm will come to you or your family. I'm trying to solve our mutual problem, and you doing something stupid would make that a lot harder. Not to mention that I'd have to kill you, if you succeeded." Something about the way he said it made it clear that he wouldn't bat an eye if it came to it. Glitch calmly tossed his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out, walking into the middle of the alley. "You're meddling in things that are much more complicated than you realize."
“You aren’t all-powerful, as much as you may think you are,” the tone was cold, “And so what, get me assurances from someone higher up my kids will be safe and I’ll consider backing down.”
"Neither are you," he said, his expression steeling. "I'm advising you to step away, and let me handle it. Final warning. Back. Off." Haru stepped forward with purpose, drawing his dagger, “When you fail, I will kill him.”
Glitch slid his hands from his jacket pockets, taking a deep breath, looking more annoyed by the second. "... Consider your position carefully, kid." Haru took another step forward, “Sounds like a threat, leave me to my business and turn a blind eye Glitch.”
Silence hung in the air for a long while.
"... I'm not gonna talk you out of this, am I." More of a statement than a question. With a quiet -shhk- noise, a thin blade extended from Glitch's forearm, jutting out over his hand. Haru eyed the blade. “No, you’re not.” He sprung into action with his own, making a quick slash towards Glitch’s neck.
Glitch didn't move a muscle when Haru attacked, the blade cleaving through the air... and straight through his neck, without leaving a mark. When it made contact with where he should have been, there was a brief electrical crackling in the air... before the hologram smirked, and disappeared.
"Sorry, kid." said a voice behind him, before a thick metal forearm collided with the back of Haru's skull.
Haru didn’t even have time to react, fluid leaving his mouth and nose as he fell to the dirt, eyes trying to turn to the real Glitch, before closing.
Glitch stood over him solemnly, eyes closing as he looked away with a guilty sigh. His temple lit up blue for a moment as he called 911 with his built-in computer, disguising his voice to sound like a young woman's. He turned and walked away, leaving Haru's body lying there. "H-Hello? There's a man... he's... I found a man unconscious in an alleyway, by the Golden Perch... I think he's bleeding... yeah, send an ambulance..."
The Rafa Problem - Execution
"Target spotted, approaching Delta's location on foot. ETA three minutes."
"Should we warn her, Sir?"
Glitch leaned over the desk next to one of his men, overlooking a series of monitors. Security cameras, infrared and thermal sensors. On one, showing the outside of a certain bar manager's apartment block, a man dressed in mostly black was strolling casually through the lobby, towards the stairs. After a pause, Glitch finally spoke. "... No. Best not to tip him off." He placed a finger to his temple and spoke.
"Copy. Response team, in position, now. Hold for my signal."
A text was sent out automatically to a certain ship captain.
He's here. Delia's apartment. Get here, now. Delete this message.
- - - - -
Though her apartment was warded, the lobby was not. In much the same manner as Harper safe houses, it took a special touch to get into her home. Just the same, the second-floor flat had been vacated of anything important, her grandmother most importantly. Beyond that, family heirlooms and sentimental trinkets had been subtly removed from the place after her meeting with Glitch weeks prior. In turn, it left the essentials; a neatly made bedroom, a tidy living room with a small secondhand television that had a knack for going snowy at the worst times, a kitchen stocked with well-worn dishes, minimal groceries, and plenty of tea. She spent relatively little time there in the grand scheme of things but between the Phoenix and hospital visits, it wasn't as though she had much time for anything else.
Her tea prep occurring in the kitchen was done so with wholehearted obliviousness to the incoming threat. Though she knew it may occur at any time and thusly had increased her vigilance, she had been given instruction to go about life like normal.
Normal was tea.
The whistling of the kettle affirmed that belief, prompting her to rise from a seat at a small dining room set in order to pull the kettle from the stove, the whistle dying slowly until it was a hissing whisper.
- - - - -
Outside, as the figure made his way up the stairs and out of sight, three black SUVs with tinted windows rolled into the parking lot, slowly and silently, parking in the shadows and turning their engines off. Waiting.
Across the street on the building adjacent, a man was watching Deliah through the scope of a silenced sniper rifle, finger off the trigger, safety on. One of many, lining the rooftops, five men in total at different positions. He touched his ear, speaking quietly. "Delta in sight, in the kitchen. Target headed up the stairs. Two minutes thirty."
Exactly two seconds later, Deliah's phone began ringing.
- - - - -
A quiet hum on her lips came to a pause as the dainty chime of her phone ringing interrupted her tea making. Leaving things aside for a moment, she sidestepped along the counter to grab the phone from the dining room table. A quick tap of the green button on the screen before she held it to her ear. "'Lo, Delia speaking."
A familiar voice answered, speaking slowly and clearly, but with a plainly obvious tone of urgency.
"Listen very carefully. Put your phone on silent, and place it face down, somewhere out of sight. Do not hang up this call. Do it now."
-knock knock-
Her heart jumped, but for all the wrong reasons.
"Of course, I'll come to see her here later. Take care."
Despite her words, she did as she was told, pinching the ring/silent switch and stashing it on the seat of one of the pushed-in chairs at the table so it would still pick up but not be visible unless someone pulled the chair out or crawled under the table. The knock at the door prompted a turn of her head. Her mouth was dry, her muscles were tight, and everything in her said to run.
"One moment, let me take the kettle off!" She called, fairly convincingly. To her credit, she did snag the kettle by its handle on her way to the door. Delia flipped the bolt lock but left the chain lock in place so that when she opened the door, it wouldn't fully open.
She peeked through the peephole to find her neighbor at the door. A young mother who worked odd jobs in much the same way Delia had in order to make ends meet before she landed the job at the Phoenix. She looked afraid. With a frown, Delia slid the chain lock out of place so that she could open the door fully, asking as she did so. "Bonnie, are you alright?"
- - - - -
Glitch cursed under his breath, watching the monitors in the building across the street, viewing a grainy security camera feed pointed at her window from below. "What's going on in there..." he said into the radio on his ear, his phone on the table, playing the audio from the room on speaker from Delia's phone.
"Second civilian in play. She just opened the door."
- - - - -
Inside, Bonnie took a few nervous steps forward into the apartment, saying nothing, her eyes staring into Delia's with a pleading, tearful look...
... Until a silenced gun barrel appeared from the doorway.
There was barely any sound, other than the splatter of blood and brain on the wall to Delia's left, and the thud of her neighbor's body hitting the floor. Calmly, a tall, handsome figure strode into view in the doorway, holding the pistol at waist height, greeting Delia with a grin. "... Hey." he stepped inside, closing the door behind him, making sure to step over the corpse. Didn't want blood on his boots.
No stranger to the sound of a suppressor, she still flinched when a single -fwew- ended Bonnie's life. She took three steps back, the kettle still in her left hand as she feigned wide-eyed shock at the sudden display of violence. The tremble in her voice, however, was wholly genuine. "W-what do you want…"
Rafa strolled casually into the room, a charming smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. "To talk." he said, quietly. "Why don't you take a seat?"
- - - - -
"Fuck." Glitch closed his eyes upon hearing the thump, placing a hand over his temple. "All units advance. We're going in."
He turned around, looking at the newcomer who'd arrived moments ago. "Ready?"
Morgan hadn't said a word when he'd arrived and had stood near the back of the room as these things played out, an unreadable expression in those golden eyes of his. He pushed up the sleeves of a deep blue shirt as he stepped forward, and nodded. "On deck." He said calmly, his gaze moving from Glitch to the security feed. His lips twitched as if calculating something to himself.
"Give me go, and I go."
Glitch nodded. "... Whatever you got planned, it better work. Come on." He turned, walking past Morgan and down the fire escape behind the building, followed by the two of his men that were inside with them. As he did so, each SUV let out four men apiece, all headed towards the apartment building lobby. Four of them stayed downstairs, taking up a perimeter, holding down the exits. The other eight walked up the stairs. The five snipers on different rooftops all took their safeties off.
With a last glance to the feeds, Morgan followed Glitch, rubbing his hands together as if to warm them. On the way he reached to his throat to pull a thin golden chain with a little green stone dangling from it, pressing the gem to his lips as if in prayer.
- - - - -
Delia circled around the table to the seat that she had left her phone on, but set her hand on the back of the chair without pulling it out. "Bonnie was innocent. She has two children that now do not have a mother. I'm not sure what you can say that will suddenly make that better, but say what you came to say."
A slightly puzzled look crossed the Mexican's face for a moment, as though he was genuinely confused why someone would care... but shrugged it off. "Yeah, yeah, duly noted. Anyways..." he placed around the table, holding the gun by his side, looking around the room casually. "... I wanna talk about your boss. Or, well... former boss." he chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder as he passed her seat. Creepily.
Delia set the kettle gingerly upon the table, her jaw set in such a way that kept her bottom lip from trembling. She even managed not to flinch away from the hand upon her shoulder. "Former, yes. I've been instructed that he will not be returning. Word from the top, it's important." Though it was contrary to everything she believed and what she had insisted to Glitch when they first spoke, she still said it as though she believed every last word.
"Uh-huh. Right. Well, anyways... See this?" He circled around the table again, facing her, and pulled down his collar to reveal a nasty bullet scar through the side of his neck. Looked like it had taken a combination of magical and conventional surgery to fix. "He gave me that, not too long ago. Figured I was dead." the corner of his mouth ticked up into a grin. "... Though I guess I came out better than him in the end, huh?"
- - - - -
Outside, Glitch led his team up the stairs and into the hallway, their footsteps silent, paying close attention to the conversation playing in his ear. He motioned with his hand, and the squad took up positions outside the apartment door.
"Got a clean shot, sir."
Across the street, one of the snipers had his crosshairs trained on Rafa's head through the window.
"Negative. Hold fire." The message was said over the radio without Glitch having to open his mouth. One of the many benefits of technology. He took up his position directly in front of the door, as one of the team members readied a flashbang grenade. Glitch gave Morgan a look. You taking the lead, or am I?
- - - - -
"Guess y' did, sir." She confirmed, slowing her breathing as she watched him circling the table. No quick movements, no rash impulses. Play it cool, don't do anything to get yourself killed. One hand rose to push a tendril of red over the pointed tip of an ear. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Sucks. But like you said, you came out better, so..."
She trailed off, hoping to prompt him to continue his exposition and rambling.
- - - - -
Morgan paused a moment and narrowed his eyes as he looked over Glitch, considering. There was a tip of his head and a smirk, and he waved a hand carefully. Stay out of my way.
Of course, he did not mean it in arrogance. He didn't want the man to be caught in whatever crossfire there might be.
- - - - -
Rafa paused in his shark-like circle around the table, and laughed under his breath. "Very convincing, but I'd work on the damsel-in-distress routine. We both know you do more than run the bar. And we both know you're not sorry. But I don't really care, anyway..." he pulled up a seat, sitting down with a huff. "... See... I know a lot about you, señorita. Know a lot more about the crippled little rata you used to work for... like how fond he is of you." He smirked. "... Beautiful to see, really. But I doubt he'll-"
Rafa stopped suddenly, his face falling. His eyes ticked to the left. A sound, or a change in the breeze... something was off. Slowly and silently, he stood up, placing a finger to his lips while staring daggers at Delia. He walked calmly around her, kneeling down behind her chair and pressing the still-warm barrel of his pistol against her temple, staring at the door. He whispered in her ear, uncomfortably close. "... you expecting visitors, puta?"
"We'll have t' agree t' disagree, Mister...?" The way she trailed off indicated she wished for him to fill in the blank for who he was. It progressed too quickly from there for her to say much more. Before she could, she heard the thump of his knees behind her chair and the press of carbon steel against her warm skin. She closed her eyes, her lips moving with an unspoken prayer. "No..."
Outside, Glitch heard the pause. He nodded at Morgan, then at the team leader who was in position by the door, a man in full tactical gear, face covered. He pulled the pin on the flashbang grenade and cracked the door open just wide enough...
Rafa tensed when he saw the small black cylinder bounce its way across the floor noisily. It took him only milliseconds to realize what it was, but by then it was too late.
-BANG-
Next Delia knew, her ears were ringing and her eyes were a blur of stars and lights, her entire awareness thrown sideways by the disorienting flashbang. She took the opportunity to throw herself from the opposite side of the chair from where he was holding the gun, aiming to get low to the floor so she could try to scramble for the door at the first opportunity she could.
That silence was all Morgan needed. He let his eyes drift shut, There was a deep breath in, and then slowly, he exhaled through pursed lips. It started out with a tremble, and slowly became more steady. When his eyes opened, it was no longer the golden amber that met the wood in front of him, but a solid crimson with drifting threads of void that danced along the edges dangerously. Lips peeled back from his teeth, and he stepped back to lift a foot, gauge distance... And slammed into the room with all of the strength he could muster. Before the heavy boot could meet the ground once more, a hand was thrown up before him toward Deliah, the other to the side pointing at Rafa himself.
A shame about the tea, really. It exploded into a fine mist that quickly spread thin before Rafa's intended victim, filling the air with a pleasant enough smell that almost countered the metallic taint of blood that oppressed the room. He curled his fingers into a fist and flung his hand aside to attempt a push that would speed her scramble away from the madman, and turned his full focus then... On Rafa.
Black threads thickened in crimson eyes, teeth gritted and a low rumble of a growl, nothing like the Captain at all, grew in his throat. His lips twitched between grimace and grin as deep blue acrylic clawed nails started to drift inward, as if he were tightening his grip...
The effort was not being spent to hold Rafa. Morgan was fighting every screaming nerve in his body not to warp, crush, stretch, and simply vaporize every molecule of liquid in the man's body. It was lucky for him, then, that the only real damage would come from a tiny burst capillary or two… and a sore trigger finger, pulled back as far from the gun as it could get without being completely severed.
"¡Carajo!"
Rafa, not so unfortunately, suffered the same effect from the flashbang as Delia. Flung aside from the table, his finger went to squeeze the trigger... but found that he couldn't. He tried to run, but found that he couldn't. When his vision returned to him, he found himself contorted almost unnaturally, the blood vessels in his eyes swelling as he attempted to move, trying to find the source of this trickery...
... before his eyes landed on Morgan, and didn't leave him. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. But the look on his eyes, burning with untameable anger, said enough. A man like Rafa didn't react well to a bruised ego. No doubt he was imagining what part of Morgan he wanted to cut off first.
Deliah, meanwhile, would feel a hand on her shoulder, pulling her away and out of the room, into the hallway. The ringing in her ears would slowly subside, the world coming back into view.
"... -ou’re ok... you're ok... talk to me, kid..." Glitch shook her gently as her apartment filled with gunmen, clearing each room one by one, more and more rifles being turned on Rafa until he was surrounded on all sides, lasers holding on his chest.
Thankfully the apartment was small and she knew it by heart even in the dark, so the disorienting light and sound of the grenade didn't keep her from scuttling toward the door. Unfortunately, she knew she was heading in the right direction when her hands and knees crossed sticky, cooling viscera splattered across the floor. She thought she might lose her lunch when her hand bumped Molly's foot but she was freed of the thought when the hand on her shoulder helped pull her to safety, smearing blood along the floor to the hallway. The ringing in her ears and the wub of her heart against her eardrums made it hard for her to make out what Glitch was saying but after a few moments of dazed staring, she nodded slowly as if to say she was okay. A look down at her hands resulted in a quivering lip when she looked back up at him. "She... she was innocent."
Not a word came from the Captain, who stood still, holding Rafa just where he was. His eyes trained on that hateful gaze, and slowly, a smile started to form on his lips. Twisted, filled with spite and malice. Around his feet, thin black tendrils of smoky mist writhed like reaching hands and then dissipated. No matter how many guns were trained on the man, he still hadn't let go. There was a flicker across his face of something like revelry, a joy in the man's helplessness, in knowing that with the twitch of a finger, he could break him. Shatter him. Make him suffer for every lost soul that cried for it. Screamed for it. So. Many. Screams.
His breath shuddered in an unbidden laugh, low, deep, and just a whisper of a breath.
Glitch looked the girl over, a faraway look on his face. His whole expression seemed to slump, the life sucked out of him. Yet another body amongst the countless others. Satisfied that she was at least physically fine, he left her a few wet wipes for her hands. Leaving his hand on her shoulder, he spoke in a forlorn, quiet voice. "... You're in the home stretch. It's gonna be ok." He knew they were pointless words he had said hundreds of times before. "... You stay put. I'll handle this."
He stood up, turning his face away, allowing himself the briefest of moments to close his eyes and let out a sigh, allowing himself the briefest moment to feel something... before he wiped his expression once again, and entered the room, leaving Delia in the care of two bodyguards in the hallway.
Glitch walked inside, both human and mechanical eyes staring daggers at Rafa as the guards stepped aside to let him through. A lot of them were keeping their distance from Morgan. Some, in the back, were unable to take their eyes off him. He stood there for a long time, just staring, allowing the sick, warped mind in front of him to suffer in limbo for a few precious seconds more.
"Let him go, kid." His voice implied he wasn't in any rush. More than happy to let him twitch and struggle in fruitless silence. But he had a job to do.
Morgan waited a few precious seconds more. Forced the bastard to look at him for those lingering moments before he released, and withdrew his hand. There was a shuddering exhale that seemed to smoke between his lips, and he turned to Glitch with a pointed look as he spoke. "If I see him again, I'm going to finish it. You tell his handlers." With that, he glanced at the wide-eyed stares of those watching him and snapped his teeth. "Do ya jobs."
He stepped over poor Miss Molly and into the hallway, peeling his shirt off as he crouched next to Deliah and offered it. His voice was much softer, less resonant, and kinder as he spoke to her. "Hey... C'mere. Let's get you cleaned up. You need a place for a little while? You need anything?"
Rafa dropped like a sack, panting, growling under his breath for a moment before pushing himself off his knees, up to his feet. He gave a breathless chuckle, looking up at Glitch, ignoring the gun barrels pointed at him. "Heh... heheh... You know... I'm not sure why I'm surpris-"
Glitch cut him off with a right hook to the jaw, a crunch echoing through the room as Rafa dropped again, one of his gold teeth clattering across the wooden floor with a splatter of blood. Glitch stood over him, nostrils flaring, chest rising and falling rapidly, trying to compose himself... then kicked his prone body, again and again and again.
Glaring down at him for a moment, he spat on him, then turned his back. "Take that piece of shit out of here. And... clean this place up."
He stopped in the doorway, giving the neighbour's body a long look as the guards went about fitting a bag over Rafa's head. He closed his eyes and shook his head, before emerging into the hallway.
The guards had all gone inside. The three were alone, as Glitch closed the door behind him. He kept his distance, staring vacantly at the floor.
"... sick of hearing that asshole talk..." he muttered under his breath.
"I..." She exhaled, looking up at the man who had frozen Rafa in his tracks, quite literally. A savior, albeit a terrifying one. Trying to clean her hands as best as she could, she worked on regulating her breathing and focusing on the man before her. Delia recognized him from the bar and from Alik's hospital room. In fact, she had spent a fair bit of time co-existing in the same room as him, having even brought fried pickles for the man from the Phoenix.
"She's got two kids... I... I have somewhere but they don't..." She shook her head and turned her face toward the lift of her shoulder to wipe her eyes. "Fuck."
"They'll be taken care of." Glitch said from his vigil by the door, not looking up or even opening his eyes. "... I'm sorry. This is on me. I thought... I thought I had every angle covered."
He took a long breath as he pulled out a cigarette, putting it to his lips. "... He had no reason to involve anyone else. Would've been just as easy to kick the door down. Not like he hasn't done it before... he just... felt like it..." Venom dripped from his words, with no small amount of barely suppressed guilt. He lit the cigarette with a small flame on his fingertip, took a long drag, and finally looked over at the two, unable to make eye contact. "... I'm sorry." he reiterated. “Not that it makes a difference.”
Morgan hesitated for a moment, looking to Glitch before shifting a little closer to Deliah and reaching... His hand stopped just shy of contact. "Listen. It's gonna be okay, alright? Wh..." He trailed off, searching for words. "I can take the kids for a little while." It was brash and unplanned. "Just a few days, while Glitch figures something out, if we need it. Okay? We're... We're gonna get you cleaned up, and we're gonna surprise them with a fun trip on a real pirate boat, yeah? Lotta my crew got kids and... They could use the pick-me-up anyway. They're gonna live like kings. Let them have that. Just a little while." Finally, he tentatively set fingertips on the woman's shoulder, and offered a melancholy smile.
Delia nodded, a bobbing thing that trailed off in a numb sigh. While she had wholly accepted the potential consequences of her involvement in the ploy to bring Rafael Velázquez in, she hadn't anticipated the collateral. Perhaps such a thing was why her grandmother had fought so hard to keep her from following in her parents' footsteps.
"Emilia and Owen... they're good kids, but young, they likely won't understand what's going on. But... they'll love that... Thank you..." It was a lot to process, but she still had manners.
That the children were young only worked in their favor, really. He nodded, and mouthed their names to himself so he could remember. He offered her a hand and looked back to Glitch once more.
"Rafa is always gonna be Rafa. This is what he does. This is who he is. You're never going to figure him out, so stop trying." He started to rise, and grimaced, looking away. "Trust me. It's not worth the effort. It'll drive you fucking nuts. Just get rid of him, and... I dunno. Lock him up in a cage, for all I care. She don't wanna kill him, and that's whatever. But he's gonna be more trouble than he's worth until he's rotting in dirt."
"I couldn't agree more." he said, solemnly. "... The Zetas are loyal to him. One of their own. Only one who can bring them alongside. Keep them under control. Otherwise..." he glanced at Morgan. "... if you know anything about them, you know that'd be far too bloody and brutal of a war than she's comfortable with." His gaze lingered on Delia, a faraway look in his eyes. After a sigh, he slumped down, back against the wall, a ways away from the two.
"... One day, you'll get up, brush your teeth, make your breakfast, go to work... go about your day... and at some point you'll realise... you haven't thought about it." he looked over again. "... and that's when you'll know... you can forget. Everything is easier after that."
Delia only barely listened to the two of them, doing her best instead to not let herself slip off into the safe places in her head. When talk broke of Rafa himself and moved to Glitch offering his two bits on how to deal with it, she looked his way, green gold finding his eyes for a long, quiet moment. Her head bobbed, just a small little nod. "It's not over yet. But when it is... I'll keep that in mind." She swung her attention to Morgan next. "Could... could we go? I just don't..." She gestured vaguely in the direction of her apartment door. Perhaps it would finally be time for her to let it go for good. "... wanna be here."
"I'll handle it. Go." he said gently, nodding at Morgan. "... Place will be cleaned up by tomorrow morning." He stubbed out his cigarette, tossing it into a small trash can nearby in the hallway. Morgan glanced at Rafa only briefly with a nod, and then took Deliah's hand in a tentative and gentle manner. "I'm gonna take you to a place where you can get cleaned up, alright? And when things are all figured out here, you can get your clothes and stuff. Is that okay?"
A nod, numb, for Morgan and a glance, just as empty, back at Glitch. Even with the place being cleaned up, she wasn't quite sure if she could return.
Thank the gods for backup plans.
Delia let Morgan guide her away from the haze of all that had happened in the past half an hour without so much as a last look back.
Glitch stood in the hallway, watching the two leave. He couldn't allow himself to think too hard. To feel too hard. One falls down a rabbit hole in this line of work.
Still, Glitch wondered whether he even still had a soul.
With a glance down at the floor, he turned back into the apartment.
Just another Tuesday.
"Should we warn her, Sir?"
Glitch leaned over the desk next to one of his men, overlooking a series of monitors. Security cameras, infrared and thermal sensors. On one, showing the outside of a certain bar manager's apartment block, a man dressed in mostly black was strolling casually through the lobby, towards the stairs. After a pause, Glitch finally spoke. "... No. Best not to tip him off." He placed a finger to his temple and spoke.
"Copy. Response team, in position, now. Hold for my signal."
A text was sent out automatically to a certain ship captain.
He's here. Delia's apartment. Get here, now. Delete this message.
- - - - -
Though her apartment was warded, the lobby was not. In much the same manner as Harper safe houses, it took a special touch to get into her home. Just the same, the second-floor flat had been vacated of anything important, her grandmother most importantly. Beyond that, family heirlooms and sentimental trinkets had been subtly removed from the place after her meeting with Glitch weeks prior. In turn, it left the essentials; a neatly made bedroom, a tidy living room with a small secondhand television that had a knack for going snowy at the worst times, a kitchen stocked with well-worn dishes, minimal groceries, and plenty of tea. She spent relatively little time there in the grand scheme of things but between the Phoenix and hospital visits, it wasn't as though she had much time for anything else.
Her tea prep occurring in the kitchen was done so with wholehearted obliviousness to the incoming threat. Though she knew it may occur at any time and thusly had increased her vigilance, she had been given instruction to go about life like normal.
Normal was tea.
The whistling of the kettle affirmed that belief, prompting her to rise from a seat at a small dining room set in order to pull the kettle from the stove, the whistle dying slowly until it was a hissing whisper.
- - - - -
Outside, as the figure made his way up the stairs and out of sight, three black SUVs with tinted windows rolled into the parking lot, slowly and silently, parking in the shadows and turning their engines off. Waiting.
Across the street on the building adjacent, a man was watching Deliah through the scope of a silenced sniper rifle, finger off the trigger, safety on. One of many, lining the rooftops, five men in total at different positions. He touched his ear, speaking quietly. "Delta in sight, in the kitchen. Target headed up the stairs. Two minutes thirty."
Exactly two seconds later, Deliah's phone began ringing.
- - - - -
A quiet hum on her lips came to a pause as the dainty chime of her phone ringing interrupted her tea making. Leaving things aside for a moment, she sidestepped along the counter to grab the phone from the dining room table. A quick tap of the green button on the screen before she held it to her ear. "'Lo, Delia speaking."
A familiar voice answered, speaking slowly and clearly, but with a plainly obvious tone of urgency.
"Listen very carefully. Put your phone on silent, and place it face down, somewhere out of sight. Do not hang up this call. Do it now."
-knock knock-
Her heart jumped, but for all the wrong reasons.
"Of course, I'll come to see her here later. Take care."
Despite her words, she did as she was told, pinching the ring/silent switch and stashing it on the seat of one of the pushed-in chairs at the table so it would still pick up but not be visible unless someone pulled the chair out or crawled under the table. The knock at the door prompted a turn of her head. Her mouth was dry, her muscles were tight, and everything in her said to run.
"One moment, let me take the kettle off!" She called, fairly convincingly. To her credit, she did snag the kettle by its handle on her way to the door. Delia flipped the bolt lock but left the chain lock in place so that when she opened the door, it wouldn't fully open.
She peeked through the peephole to find her neighbor at the door. A young mother who worked odd jobs in much the same way Delia had in order to make ends meet before she landed the job at the Phoenix. She looked afraid. With a frown, Delia slid the chain lock out of place so that she could open the door fully, asking as she did so. "Bonnie, are you alright?"
- - - - -
Glitch cursed under his breath, watching the monitors in the building across the street, viewing a grainy security camera feed pointed at her window from below. "What's going on in there..." he said into the radio on his ear, his phone on the table, playing the audio from the room on speaker from Delia's phone.
"Second civilian in play. She just opened the door."
- - - - -
Inside, Bonnie took a few nervous steps forward into the apartment, saying nothing, her eyes staring into Delia's with a pleading, tearful look...
... Until a silenced gun barrel appeared from the doorway.
There was barely any sound, other than the splatter of blood and brain on the wall to Delia's left, and the thud of her neighbor's body hitting the floor. Calmly, a tall, handsome figure strode into view in the doorway, holding the pistol at waist height, greeting Delia with a grin. "... Hey." he stepped inside, closing the door behind him, making sure to step over the corpse. Didn't want blood on his boots.
No stranger to the sound of a suppressor, she still flinched when a single -fwew- ended Bonnie's life. She took three steps back, the kettle still in her left hand as she feigned wide-eyed shock at the sudden display of violence. The tremble in her voice, however, was wholly genuine. "W-what do you want…"
Rafa strolled casually into the room, a charming smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. "To talk." he said, quietly. "Why don't you take a seat?"
- - - - -
"Fuck." Glitch closed his eyes upon hearing the thump, placing a hand over his temple. "All units advance. We're going in."
He turned around, looking at the newcomer who'd arrived moments ago. "Ready?"
Morgan hadn't said a word when he'd arrived and had stood near the back of the room as these things played out, an unreadable expression in those golden eyes of his. He pushed up the sleeves of a deep blue shirt as he stepped forward, and nodded. "On deck." He said calmly, his gaze moving from Glitch to the security feed. His lips twitched as if calculating something to himself.
"Give me go, and I go."
Glitch nodded. "... Whatever you got planned, it better work. Come on." He turned, walking past Morgan and down the fire escape behind the building, followed by the two of his men that were inside with them. As he did so, each SUV let out four men apiece, all headed towards the apartment building lobby. Four of them stayed downstairs, taking up a perimeter, holding down the exits. The other eight walked up the stairs. The five snipers on different rooftops all took their safeties off.
With a last glance to the feeds, Morgan followed Glitch, rubbing his hands together as if to warm them. On the way he reached to his throat to pull a thin golden chain with a little green stone dangling from it, pressing the gem to his lips as if in prayer.
- - - - -
Delia circled around the table to the seat that she had left her phone on, but set her hand on the back of the chair without pulling it out. "Bonnie was innocent. She has two children that now do not have a mother. I'm not sure what you can say that will suddenly make that better, but say what you came to say."
A slightly puzzled look crossed the Mexican's face for a moment, as though he was genuinely confused why someone would care... but shrugged it off. "Yeah, yeah, duly noted. Anyways..." he placed around the table, holding the gun by his side, looking around the room casually. "... I wanna talk about your boss. Or, well... former boss." he chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder as he passed her seat. Creepily.
Delia set the kettle gingerly upon the table, her jaw set in such a way that kept her bottom lip from trembling. She even managed not to flinch away from the hand upon her shoulder. "Former, yes. I've been instructed that he will not be returning. Word from the top, it's important." Though it was contrary to everything she believed and what she had insisted to Glitch when they first spoke, she still said it as though she believed every last word.
"Uh-huh. Right. Well, anyways... See this?" He circled around the table again, facing her, and pulled down his collar to reveal a nasty bullet scar through the side of his neck. Looked like it had taken a combination of magical and conventional surgery to fix. "He gave me that, not too long ago. Figured I was dead." the corner of his mouth ticked up into a grin. "... Though I guess I came out better than him in the end, huh?"
- - - - -
Outside, Glitch led his team up the stairs and into the hallway, their footsteps silent, paying close attention to the conversation playing in his ear. He motioned with his hand, and the squad took up positions outside the apartment door.
"Got a clean shot, sir."
Across the street, one of the snipers had his crosshairs trained on Rafa's head through the window.
"Negative. Hold fire." The message was said over the radio without Glitch having to open his mouth. One of the many benefits of technology. He took up his position directly in front of the door, as one of the team members readied a flashbang grenade. Glitch gave Morgan a look. You taking the lead, or am I?
- - - - -
"Guess y' did, sir." She confirmed, slowing her breathing as she watched him circling the table. No quick movements, no rash impulses. Play it cool, don't do anything to get yourself killed. One hand rose to push a tendril of red over the pointed tip of an ear. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Sucks. But like you said, you came out better, so..."
She trailed off, hoping to prompt him to continue his exposition and rambling.
- - - - -
Morgan paused a moment and narrowed his eyes as he looked over Glitch, considering. There was a tip of his head and a smirk, and he waved a hand carefully. Stay out of my way.
Of course, he did not mean it in arrogance. He didn't want the man to be caught in whatever crossfire there might be.
- - - - -
Rafa paused in his shark-like circle around the table, and laughed under his breath. "Very convincing, but I'd work on the damsel-in-distress routine. We both know you do more than run the bar. And we both know you're not sorry. But I don't really care, anyway..." he pulled up a seat, sitting down with a huff. "... See... I know a lot about you, señorita. Know a lot more about the crippled little rata you used to work for... like how fond he is of you." He smirked. "... Beautiful to see, really. But I doubt he'll-"
Rafa stopped suddenly, his face falling. His eyes ticked to the left. A sound, or a change in the breeze... something was off. Slowly and silently, he stood up, placing a finger to his lips while staring daggers at Delia. He walked calmly around her, kneeling down behind her chair and pressing the still-warm barrel of his pistol against her temple, staring at the door. He whispered in her ear, uncomfortably close. "... you expecting visitors, puta?"
"We'll have t' agree t' disagree, Mister...?" The way she trailed off indicated she wished for him to fill in the blank for who he was. It progressed too quickly from there for her to say much more. Before she could, she heard the thump of his knees behind her chair and the press of carbon steel against her warm skin. She closed her eyes, her lips moving with an unspoken prayer. "No..."
Outside, Glitch heard the pause. He nodded at Morgan, then at the team leader who was in position by the door, a man in full tactical gear, face covered. He pulled the pin on the flashbang grenade and cracked the door open just wide enough...
Rafa tensed when he saw the small black cylinder bounce its way across the floor noisily. It took him only milliseconds to realize what it was, but by then it was too late.
-BANG-
Next Delia knew, her ears were ringing and her eyes were a blur of stars and lights, her entire awareness thrown sideways by the disorienting flashbang. She took the opportunity to throw herself from the opposite side of the chair from where he was holding the gun, aiming to get low to the floor so she could try to scramble for the door at the first opportunity she could.
That silence was all Morgan needed. He let his eyes drift shut, There was a deep breath in, and then slowly, he exhaled through pursed lips. It started out with a tremble, and slowly became more steady. When his eyes opened, it was no longer the golden amber that met the wood in front of him, but a solid crimson with drifting threads of void that danced along the edges dangerously. Lips peeled back from his teeth, and he stepped back to lift a foot, gauge distance... And slammed into the room with all of the strength he could muster. Before the heavy boot could meet the ground once more, a hand was thrown up before him toward Deliah, the other to the side pointing at Rafa himself.
A shame about the tea, really. It exploded into a fine mist that quickly spread thin before Rafa's intended victim, filling the air with a pleasant enough smell that almost countered the metallic taint of blood that oppressed the room. He curled his fingers into a fist and flung his hand aside to attempt a push that would speed her scramble away from the madman, and turned his full focus then... On Rafa.
Black threads thickened in crimson eyes, teeth gritted and a low rumble of a growl, nothing like the Captain at all, grew in his throat. His lips twitched between grimace and grin as deep blue acrylic clawed nails started to drift inward, as if he were tightening his grip...
The effort was not being spent to hold Rafa. Morgan was fighting every screaming nerve in his body not to warp, crush, stretch, and simply vaporize every molecule of liquid in the man's body. It was lucky for him, then, that the only real damage would come from a tiny burst capillary or two… and a sore trigger finger, pulled back as far from the gun as it could get without being completely severed.
"¡Carajo!"
Rafa, not so unfortunately, suffered the same effect from the flashbang as Delia. Flung aside from the table, his finger went to squeeze the trigger... but found that he couldn't. He tried to run, but found that he couldn't. When his vision returned to him, he found himself contorted almost unnaturally, the blood vessels in his eyes swelling as he attempted to move, trying to find the source of this trickery...
... before his eyes landed on Morgan, and didn't leave him. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. But the look on his eyes, burning with untameable anger, said enough. A man like Rafa didn't react well to a bruised ego. No doubt he was imagining what part of Morgan he wanted to cut off first.
Deliah, meanwhile, would feel a hand on her shoulder, pulling her away and out of the room, into the hallway. The ringing in her ears would slowly subside, the world coming back into view.
"... -ou’re ok... you're ok... talk to me, kid..." Glitch shook her gently as her apartment filled with gunmen, clearing each room one by one, more and more rifles being turned on Rafa until he was surrounded on all sides, lasers holding on his chest.
Thankfully the apartment was small and she knew it by heart even in the dark, so the disorienting light and sound of the grenade didn't keep her from scuttling toward the door. Unfortunately, she knew she was heading in the right direction when her hands and knees crossed sticky, cooling viscera splattered across the floor. She thought she might lose her lunch when her hand bumped Molly's foot but she was freed of the thought when the hand on her shoulder helped pull her to safety, smearing blood along the floor to the hallway. The ringing in her ears and the wub of her heart against her eardrums made it hard for her to make out what Glitch was saying but after a few moments of dazed staring, she nodded slowly as if to say she was okay. A look down at her hands resulted in a quivering lip when she looked back up at him. "She... she was innocent."
Not a word came from the Captain, who stood still, holding Rafa just where he was. His eyes trained on that hateful gaze, and slowly, a smile started to form on his lips. Twisted, filled with spite and malice. Around his feet, thin black tendrils of smoky mist writhed like reaching hands and then dissipated. No matter how many guns were trained on the man, he still hadn't let go. There was a flicker across his face of something like revelry, a joy in the man's helplessness, in knowing that with the twitch of a finger, he could break him. Shatter him. Make him suffer for every lost soul that cried for it. Screamed for it. So. Many. Screams.
His breath shuddered in an unbidden laugh, low, deep, and just a whisper of a breath.
Glitch looked the girl over, a faraway look on his face. His whole expression seemed to slump, the life sucked out of him. Yet another body amongst the countless others. Satisfied that she was at least physically fine, he left her a few wet wipes for her hands. Leaving his hand on her shoulder, he spoke in a forlorn, quiet voice. "... You're in the home stretch. It's gonna be ok." He knew they were pointless words he had said hundreds of times before. "... You stay put. I'll handle this."
He stood up, turning his face away, allowing himself the briefest of moments to close his eyes and let out a sigh, allowing himself the briefest moment to feel something... before he wiped his expression once again, and entered the room, leaving Delia in the care of two bodyguards in the hallway.
Glitch walked inside, both human and mechanical eyes staring daggers at Rafa as the guards stepped aside to let him through. A lot of them were keeping their distance from Morgan. Some, in the back, were unable to take their eyes off him. He stood there for a long time, just staring, allowing the sick, warped mind in front of him to suffer in limbo for a few precious seconds more.
"Let him go, kid." His voice implied he wasn't in any rush. More than happy to let him twitch and struggle in fruitless silence. But he had a job to do.
Morgan waited a few precious seconds more. Forced the bastard to look at him for those lingering moments before he released, and withdrew his hand. There was a shuddering exhale that seemed to smoke between his lips, and he turned to Glitch with a pointed look as he spoke. "If I see him again, I'm going to finish it. You tell his handlers." With that, he glanced at the wide-eyed stares of those watching him and snapped his teeth. "Do ya jobs."
He stepped over poor Miss Molly and into the hallway, peeling his shirt off as he crouched next to Deliah and offered it. His voice was much softer, less resonant, and kinder as he spoke to her. "Hey... C'mere. Let's get you cleaned up. You need a place for a little while? You need anything?"
Rafa dropped like a sack, panting, growling under his breath for a moment before pushing himself off his knees, up to his feet. He gave a breathless chuckle, looking up at Glitch, ignoring the gun barrels pointed at him. "Heh... heheh... You know... I'm not sure why I'm surpris-"
Glitch cut him off with a right hook to the jaw, a crunch echoing through the room as Rafa dropped again, one of his gold teeth clattering across the wooden floor with a splatter of blood. Glitch stood over him, nostrils flaring, chest rising and falling rapidly, trying to compose himself... then kicked his prone body, again and again and again.
Glaring down at him for a moment, he spat on him, then turned his back. "Take that piece of shit out of here. And... clean this place up."
He stopped in the doorway, giving the neighbour's body a long look as the guards went about fitting a bag over Rafa's head. He closed his eyes and shook his head, before emerging into the hallway.
The guards had all gone inside. The three were alone, as Glitch closed the door behind him. He kept his distance, staring vacantly at the floor.
"... sick of hearing that asshole talk..." he muttered under his breath.
"I..." She exhaled, looking up at the man who had frozen Rafa in his tracks, quite literally. A savior, albeit a terrifying one. Trying to clean her hands as best as she could, she worked on regulating her breathing and focusing on the man before her. Delia recognized him from the bar and from Alik's hospital room. In fact, she had spent a fair bit of time co-existing in the same room as him, having even brought fried pickles for the man from the Phoenix.
"She's got two kids... I... I have somewhere but they don't..." She shook her head and turned her face toward the lift of her shoulder to wipe her eyes. "Fuck."
"They'll be taken care of." Glitch said from his vigil by the door, not looking up or even opening his eyes. "... I'm sorry. This is on me. I thought... I thought I had every angle covered."
He took a long breath as he pulled out a cigarette, putting it to his lips. "... He had no reason to involve anyone else. Would've been just as easy to kick the door down. Not like he hasn't done it before... he just... felt like it..." Venom dripped from his words, with no small amount of barely suppressed guilt. He lit the cigarette with a small flame on his fingertip, took a long drag, and finally looked over at the two, unable to make eye contact. "... I'm sorry." he reiterated. “Not that it makes a difference.”
Morgan hesitated for a moment, looking to Glitch before shifting a little closer to Deliah and reaching... His hand stopped just shy of contact. "Listen. It's gonna be okay, alright? Wh..." He trailed off, searching for words. "I can take the kids for a little while." It was brash and unplanned. "Just a few days, while Glitch figures something out, if we need it. Okay? We're... We're gonna get you cleaned up, and we're gonna surprise them with a fun trip on a real pirate boat, yeah? Lotta my crew got kids and... They could use the pick-me-up anyway. They're gonna live like kings. Let them have that. Just a little while." Finally, he tentatively set fingertips on the woman's shoulder, and offered a melancholy smile.
Delia nodded, a bobbing thing that trailed off in a numb sigh. While she had wholly accepted the potential consequences of her involvement in the ploy to bring Rafael Velázquez in, she hadn't anticipated the collateral. Perhaps such a thing was why her grandmother had fought so hard to keep her from following in her parents' footsteps.
"Emilia and Owen... they're good kids, but young, they likely won't understand what's going on. But... they'll love that... Thank you..." It was a lot to process, but she still had manners.
That the children were young only worked in their favor, really. He nodded, and mouthed their names to himself so he could remember. He offered her a hand and looked back to Glitch once more.
"Rafa is always gonna be Rafa. This is what he does. This is who he is. You're never going to figure him out, so stop trying." He started to rise, and grimaced, looking away. "Trust me. It's not worth the effort. It'll drive you fucking nuts. Just get rid of him, and... I dunno. Lock him up in a cage, for all I care. She don't wanna kill him, and that's whatever. But he's gonna be more trouble than he's worth until he's rotting in dirt."
"I couldn't agree more." he said, solemnly. "... The Zetas are loyal to him. One of their own. Only one who can bring them alongside. Keep them under control. Otherwise..." he glanced at Morgan. "... if you know anything about them, you know that'd be far too bloody and brutal of a war than she's comfortable with." His gaze lingered on Delia, a faraway look in his eyes. After a sigh, he slumped down, back against the wall, a ways away from the two.
"... One day, you'll get up, brush your teeth, make your breakfast, go to work... go about your day... and at some point you'll realise... you haven't thought about it." he looked over again. "... and that's when you'll know... you can forget. Everything is easier after that."
Delia only barely listened to the two of them, doing her best instead to not let herself slip off into the safe places in her head. When talk broke of Rafa himself and moved to Glitch offering his two bits on how to deal with it, she looked his way, green gold finding his eyes for a long, quiet moment. Her head bobbed, just a small little nod. "It's not over yet. But when it is... I'll keep that in mind." She swung her attention to Morgan next. "Could... could we go? I just don't..." She gestured vaguely in the direction of her apartment door. Perhaps it would finally be time for her to let it go for good. "... wanna be here."
"I'll handle it. Go." he said gently, nodding at Morgan. "... Place will be cleaned up by tomorrow morning." He stubbed out his cigarette, tossing it into a small trash can nearby in the hallway. Morgan glanced at Rafa only briefly with a nod, and then took Deliah's hand in a tentative and gentle manner. "I'm gonna take you to a place where you can get cleaned up, alright? And when things are all figured out here, you can get your clothes and stuff. Is that okay?"
A nod, numb, for Morgan and a glance, just as empty, back at Glitch. Even with the place being cleaned up, she wasn't quite sure if she could return.
Thank the gods for backup plans.
Delia let Morgan guide her away from the haze of all that had happened in the past half an hour without so much as a last look back.
Glitch stood in the hallway, watching the two leave. He couldn't allow himself to think too hard. To feel too hard. One falls down a rabbit hole in this line of work.
Still, Glitch wondered whether he even still had a soul.
With a glance down at the floor, he turned back into the apartment.
Just another Tuesday.
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