《Phantom Embers - Flickering Sparks Volume 1》


 Chaper 1

    Chapter 1


    Shin Asado had a serious problem: money, specifically the lack of it. He¡¯d had a series of low-paying followed by clients who simply up and vanished. When it came time to collect their payment on those large jobs, the clients were gone, and his organization, The Novapol Group, was left in the lurch.


    The bills had piled up, but his staff still needed to be paid. The only jobs available during the current work drought that paid well enough to bring the company back into the black were all dirtier than he''d like.


    Thus, Shin found himself under the cloudy gray sky, in the middle of nowhere, at the gates of what looked like a biomechanical antebellum plantation, seeking an audience with one Joloff Wod. Leader of the mysterious syndicate of newcomers called The Gourmand¡¯s.


    One of a quartet of armed guards in what appeared to be hazmat suits showed them inside the perimeter and directed them straight up the road to the front of the main building.


    ¡°Park, do not leave the main road.¡± Was all the guard grunted out after checking their invitation and pointing the way. His voice was phlegmatic and quite unpleasant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to control my urge to roam,¡± Shin tried to assure the guard, but he had already turned away to face outside the gates. Shouldering some unfamiliar energy weapon. He spoke something unintelligible into a radio, likely to herald their approach.


    Shin glanced at his associate in the passenger seat. The pint-sized, pink-skinned woman with green hair and fuzzy antenna shrugged. ¡°I guess not all minions are chatty?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m reasonably sure these are henchmen, not minions.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Her antenna twitched.


    ¡°About 2.50 an hour.¡±


    ¡°I hate you, Shin.¡±


    ¡°Hogwash, I am beloved by all.¡±


    Shin pulled up to the front, driving at a casual 30kph, carefully trying to glance at the crops growing in the fields to either side of the main drive without being too conspicuous. The bushes appeared like grape bushes with black leaves and clusters of blood-red berries.


    Those tending to them wore full-body black unitards and voluminous hoods that concealed their faces.


    After that brief look, they pulled up to the front door, parking as directed.


    ¡°So,¡± Shin said, turning the engine of his hideous compact rental car off. ¡°Think you can remember where we parked, Miss Virtue?¡±


    Miss Virtue - Fluffy to her friends - rolled her eyes at Shin using her legal name. ¡°My head is full of sparkles and cupcakes, but I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Now, to review, our clients are called The Gourmands,¡± Shin said, unlocking his door.


    ¡°They¡¯re an unknown species that probably ended up here by mistake just like all the others,¡± Fluffy continued without urging, ¡°They¡¯re not officially recognized as a political entity but are not considered outlaws since they stay outside the borders of The King¡¯s lands.¡±


    Shin nodded along in approval. ¡°And we don¡¯t ask them about what?¡±


    Fluffy opened her car door and hopped out, dusting off her backside dramatically, making her large, round, stumpy, fuzzy green tail wobble slightly. ¡°The rumors that they traffic dead bodies, drugs, and don¡¯t separate their recycling.¡±


    ¡°Right, it isn¡¯t any of our business unless it happens in front of us.¡±


    ¡°Why are we doing business with these people?¡±


    ¡°You know why.¡±


    ¡°There are other ways to make money, Shin.¡± She fussed over his outfit, straightening everything.


    He¡¯d come with his sharpest business attire: a freshly pressed shirt and slacks, his finest breather mask, and his only shoulder cloak.


    In contrast Fluffy wore a pair of heavy duty green boots over baggy legged pants with the left half a darker green than her hair and the otherside black. She wore a simple black sleeveless top that culminated in a collar with a moth pin that could almost be mistaken for a skull. She topped that off with extra sturdy boots, and black arm wraps from her wrist to mid bicep.


    ¡°Not as quickly as we need it.¡± He said, flicking an imaginary piece of Lint off of Fluffy¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Just ring the doorbell, dork.¡±


    After adjusting his collar, Shin rang the doorbell and was almost immediately blessed by the dark red double doors swinging inward. The scowling face of what could only be the household butler or some sort of equivalent revealed itself.


    He wore an approximation of a human suit, with coattails up front, a large mantle overhanging the shoulders, and a nested pair of shirt collars. His skin was dark blue-green, and his head was topped with an unusual segmented metal skullcap that reminded Shin of an isopod.


    A second pair of arms emerged from behind his back, where they had been folded out of sight. These slender, three-fingered cybernetic limbs crossed over his chest as he took them in with evident distaste.


    ¡°I do not believe we were expecting you, " he sniffed. His oily, unpleasant voice had a non-human accent but was not unpleasant compared to the guard.


    ¡°On the contrary,¡± Shin withdrew the folded job offer from his jacket''s breast pocket, flourished towards the suspiciously human-looking functionary, and poured on the charm. ¡°My name is Shin Asado, and this is my associate, Honesty Virtue. We just might be the answer to all of your prayers.¡±


    Fluffy stifled a snort.


    Taking the invitation with his left hand, the butler snapped the invitation open with a flick of his wrists. He took in the contents of the invitation for only a moment. ¡°This job offer appears to have been directed to Lucy Blackeye of the Cat¡¯s Cradle.¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t able to accept the job,¡± Shin said apologetically, ¡°So I offered to take it up for them in the spirit of camaraderie.¡±


    Fluffy glanced up at Shin; her eyebrows knitted together at this new piece of information.


    ¡°We summoned a team of seasoned veteran ¡®hounds.¡¯ We know the Cat¡¯s Cradle¡¯s reputation but do not know or even know of you. I¡¯m afraid I will have to ask you to leave.¡±


    ¡°I understand that my colleague can be a little off-putting, but I assure you we¡¯re consummate professionals,¡± Shin said, raising a hand placatingly. ¡°I¡¯ve been in the troubleshooting business for fifteen years, and I know how to keep my mouth shut about irregular jobs.¡±


    The butler was unimpressed by Shin¡¯s words and held out the job offer as if it would ward off his unwanted guests like they were vampires. ¡°As long as this job offer is addressed to a specific party, we will only entertain hiring that party.¡±


    That was unusual wording, but Shin could work with it. ¡°Miss Virtue, would you address this issue so we can move on?¡±


    ¡°Yup, yup,¡± Fluffy said, leaned forward, and tapped the offer. It disappeared in a flash of purple flames in a split second.


    ¡°As you can see, now there is no name on the job offer at all,¡± Shin steepled his hands, ¡°And there is, in fact, no offer at all. Which puts us in the flexible position of moving to a verbal agreement.¡±


    The butler examined his empty hand briefly; his scowl deepened as he tried to decide between pedantry and expediency. A faint chittering emanated from within his suit. ¡°Very well then,¡± he stepped back and gestured them in. ¡°If you will follow me, I will announce you to the master, but I can promise you nothing.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Shin gestured. ¡°Lead on, Jeeves.¡±


    ¡°My name,¡± The butler sneered, ¡°Is Vromi.¡±


    ¡°No offense intended,¡± Shin assured Vromi as he and Fluffy passed, ¡°Jeeves is often shorthand for any house staff you haven¡¯t been properly introduced to.¡±


    Vromi closed the door behind them, ignoring the attempt at reconciliation. He gestured expansively around the dark, warm interior of the manor. ¡°Please wait here, and do not wander off or the guards will kill you on sight,¡± he informed them politely.


    He departed, leaving the uninvited guests to their own devices.


    It wasn¡¯t too different from what Shin would expect from wealthy Humans or Dokkleshee, a large open entryway, with a pair of stairways arching upwards and a single large pair of doors nestled between.


    The decor was what was different. There were no sharp angles, and walls, floors, and ceilings met at rounded intersections like scalloped plaster, lending everything a more round, organic feel. Here and there, almost organic-looking pipes snaked from the floor to the ceiling in strange geometric patterns.


    The decor was much along the same lines in terms of structure. Anything rectangular was rounded. A dark blue-gray color scheme with a light yellow-gray accent dominated the palette, with occasional red accents.


    ¡°I think I saw this place in a dream once,¡± Shin opined.


    Fluffy made a face, ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t a nightmare?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that painting would qualify as a nightmare on its own.¡± He gestured to a triangular black frame filled with a sickly yellow.


    Fluffy leaned forward and squinted. Her antenna swayed as if there was a breeze. ¡°Actually, I think that¡¯s a sign. I can make out what looks like words on it, but it¡¯s not anything I can make out.¡±


    Shin took out a utility light from his belt and shined a blue light on the painting, revealing some extremely unpleasant squiggles mixed with triangles hidden from the human visible spectrum.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned, so it is.¡±


    Vromi made his reappearance through the central doorway before either could comment any further,


    ¡°Through the main door,¡± Vromi pointed between the archway to the rounded powered door flanked by waist-high vases filled with what looked like blood-red pygmy sunflowers. ¡°Straight to the end, and Jolof Wod will see you.¡±


    ¡°Trusting us not to steal the silver; that¡¯s very open-minded of you.¡± Shin said.


    ¡°If you went anywhere we didn¡¯t want, we¡¯d kill you.¡±


    ¡°Glad to see you have a sense of humor about the rumors.¡±


    The look Fluffy gave Shin was one of concern.


    The door irised open for them, leading to a long, dimly lit hall lined with many smaller doors and art frames filled with strange gray-purple cloudy abstractions done in what looked like oils. Shin and Fluffy didn¡¯t linger to appreciate them.


    When the door at the end of the hall opened, it took them deeper into the world of the Gourmand Syndicate, like the hall was a demarcation point between a polite fiction of humanity and a strange alien world.


    The meeting room was less like anything a human would build for the purpose and more like a small elliptical auditorium. One end was elevated like a stage three feet above the floor. There was no furniture, only an expansive open room. The walls were like a labyrinthian nightmare of ductwork, wiring, and strange electronics.


    A mist that clung to the floor swirled iridescently in the play of dim overhead light, like it was oily. It lent the already oppressive atmosphere an undercurrent of alienness.


    Shin maintained his cool as the pipes lining the room rumbled and hissed like an angry reptile. This was the real face of the Gourmands; everything else was just for show. Every instinct in his body told him to flee or attack the figure that loomed before him. This would call for a completely different approach than the doorman had.


    His host reclined in a giant floating sedan chair. It was a massive, deep purple maggot-like creature clad in a double-breasted business suit. He had folded two of his six hands together and gobbled something guttural sounding at him. A pair of hunched-over attendants at his sides manicured his other hands. He had a statuesque woman at his right hand. A pair of guards flanked what he presumed was a door behind them.


    Shin knew he was Joloff Wod, the leader of a small group of creatures marooned on this particularly cursed dirtball. He and his kindred were some sort of insects - or at least arthropods- who were reputed to be obligate carnivores, possibly cannibals if you defined eating anything else sentient as cannibalism.


    Wod had a reputation for being shrewd, collecting creatures that sane people would never keep as pets, and eating business associates who displeased him.


    ¡°You must be the Shin Asado we¡¯ve heard so much about when researching local talent. How¡­ Unexpected.¡± The woman at his side, clearly a translator, provided. She had a slightly husky voice.


    She was a nearly human-looking blond woman in a low cut maroon ensemble. She wore a strange skirt that was tailored in two distinct segments. The lower half was disconnected from the upper and hanging unsupported or connected by impossibly sheer fabric.


    ¡°You may call me Lagneia, I will translate for the master as he has difficulty speaking your language.¡±


    Whatever Wod¡¯s attendants were, they had four arms. The lower pair seemed small to the point of uselessness. They wore what seemed like a form-fitting jumpsuit, including a respirator face mask. There were no holes for eyes, nose, or mouth, so Shin couldn¡¯t tell how they knew what they were doing.


    Shin flicked his eyes back to his ¡®host¡¯ before his attention lingered too long on the help.


    ¡°That would be me,¡± Shin affirmed, curtseying politely. It was probably more respect than was strictly necessary to give the petty crime boss. But anyone in the Freelance Troubleshooter¡¯s line of work knew to err on the side of caution with mobsters. He resisted the urge to run his hands through his ear-length black hair nervously. It would appear like he was showing weakness before a literal predator.


    ¡°And this is my associate, Honesty Virtue, our team''s magical specialist.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Hi hi,¡± Fluffy said, raising a hand in greeting. ¡°I love your outfit, Lagneia.¡±


    Lagneia nodded to Fluffy in appreciation.


    Wod¡¯s mandibles snapped and chittered in amusement.


    ¡°The fearless Leader of the Novapol Group. He killed his first man at age 8. Licensed Freelance Troubleshooter at the age of 16. He stabbed his uncle in the back to inherit the family fortune at age 18.¡± Translated Lagneia, folding her arms and examining him critically.


    Shin fought off the scowl at the mention of his background. Vromi had said they didn¡¯t know who he was only minutes ago. Was he lying? His breather mask would hide the expression, but who knew if it could read body language or human eyes?


    ¡°Anyone who told you there was a family fortune is greatly exaggerating. The only real family treasure was Grandpa''s knife, Payday,¡± he gently corrected. ¡°That and the family name. Also, to be fair, the other Uncle is just fine.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± The larval crime lord threw back his head as far as the confines of his seat allowed and barked a gravelly laugh. He followed with more chittering and snapping.


    ¡°The great Joloff Wod commends you on your jape; he says your quick wit is a useful asset,¡± Lagneia offered. She tapped her breather mask thoughtfully and appeared to be weighing the meaning behind her employer''s words.


    ¡°Thank you, Sir, the kind regard of a well-manicured gentleman of such high repute warms my heart.¡± Shin said, keeping any mockery out of his tone, ¡°Now, how can the Novapol Group assist the great Jollof Wod?¡±


    ¡°The Gourmands sent a message to the Cat¡¯s Cradle offering a job. Joloff didn¡¯t expect random Hounds to come calling without invitation,¡± Lagneia explained, deflecting the question.


    ¡°As I told your doorman, the Cat¡¯s Cradle was unavailable for a job at this time,¡± Shin replied with practiced casual ease and a shrug of the shoulders. ¡°So they passed the job along to me.¡±


    Fluffy gave Shin a glance he saw out of the corner of his eye, again, at the mention of the Cat¡¯s Cradle.


    The Gourmand¡¯s Syndicate was probably only slightly more trustworthy than a rabid dog. But they could probably be managed if they felt just the right balance of intimidation and respect for someone. So, he¡¯d brought along a tiny woman who could probably burn the entire mansion to the ground if they needed to abort.


    ¡°Joloff says that is unfortunate, but we will make do. Are you and your team at least substantiated?¡± The creature''s eyes roamed over Shin and Fluffy, and Joloff inhaled as if tasting Shin¡¯s words for the scent of a lie.


    Substantiation was the process by which Humans and their allies could push themselves past ordinary physical limitations and into superhuman territory. The process was both taxing, and expensive. But Shin wouldn¡¯t work with anyone who hadn¡¯t been substantiated,


    ¡°Every team member is substantiated, running from one to three stars.¡± Shin withdrew a small orange business card and flicked it to Lagneia, who nimbly caught it and passed it to Wod, who eyed their statistics.


    Satisfied, Jollof Wod leaned forward, causing his horns to glint in the light. He barked a long string of consonant-heavy language. It sounded like a small animal being strangled within an inch of its life.


    ¡°The Gourmands require a team to investigate an abandoned shadow complex in The Kings Lands. Our kind is unfortunately not welcome there.¡±


    Of course, your kind isn¡¯t welcome, Shin thought. You¡¯re a pack of disgusting body traffickers and drug smugglers. A festering boil on the ass crack of society. At least if the rumors were to be believed.


    But what he said was, ¡°Extractions are one of my team''s specialties. Why don¡¯t you tell me exactly where it is and what you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    Jollof Wod clattered his claws on the armrest of his chair. His attendants cringed back in fear, as if afraid he was going to strike them. He spoke to Lagneia.


    ¡°As I¡¯m sure you know, our organization has a vested interest in studying and exploiting what Humans like to call¡­ Phantom Husks.¡± Lagneia said and gestured with her hand to indicate how silly she thought the notion was.


    Shin¡¯s temples throbbed a single time. Phantom Husks¨CThe very root of mankind''s nightmares, the lingering effects of a near apocalypse¨C being used as a commodity? Like some sort of twisted form of livestock? A ridiculous idea since they were a pestilence that made even Wod and his kind look like jumped-up grasshoppers in comparison. ¡°I may have heard rumors to that effect,¡± Shin allowed.


    ¡°A black corporation called Wormwood was working on fascinating new applications for these misunderstood creatures. At least before they became the unfortunate victims of government seizure and shutdown. Normal, short-sighted human thinking.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s us,¡± Shin agreed.


    ¡°This satellite facility was left to fend for itself and went dark shortly afterward.¡± Lagneia translated, shrugging her shoulders and spreading her arms. A second pair of insect-like arms also spread behind her back, mirroring the human pair. It made Shin twitch at the juxtaposition of the attractive woman and the chitinous limbs.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re just sensitive about the fact they¡¯re mindless insane screaming horrors made of our dead. Or that they seem hell-bent on consuming the entire human race and anything else that gets in their way.¡± Shin opined, letting a hint of resentment for Jollof Wod¡¯s phrasing enter his voice. ¡°We can be funny like that.¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Lagneia agreed, pausing for Joloff to deliver a stream of dialog. She dutifully repeated it for their guest. ¡°Most sites that perform such experiments are unfortunately shut down with extreme prejudice. However, this site was missed as it sits in a cul de sac of the Wyrd Lands that isn¡¯t on any normal map. We were able to acquire the location from a former scientist who was employed there. He was purchased from prison for his expertise on the Husks. I¡¯m told the facility had an independent power supply and maintenance machines. This should have kept the facility running.¡±


    ¡°And you want us to ransack the facility for every bit of data and research material we can find. And then, I can only presume, bring it back to you.¡± Shin guessed, dwelling briefly on the idea of a modern-day slave trade inside the King¡¯s borders. It was almost unthinkable, but he could unpack the idea that they¡¯d infiltrated society enough to embed a slave trade after he had their money.


    ¡°You would be correct,¡±


    Joloff swatted away his attendants. Their constant ministrations of his hands had clearly begun to annoy him.


    The attendants scurried away, more like vermin than people. They retreated to the back of the raised platform and disappeared through the door, which opened with a wet whooshing sound that made Shin uncomfortable.


    ¡°Joloff Wod wants those facilities'' secrets, and he wants them as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need a few details first: the location and approximate size of this, and the cul-de-sac the facility is in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s located on the eastern edge of The Central King¡¯s Lands. A hundred miles northeast of the Lyon¡¯s Border in the foothills. The cul-de-sac has a mouth only a mile across, but the valley is almost three across. Here are the particulars.¡± Lagneia withdrew a tablet device from behind her back, gestured for him to catch it, and flung it to Shin.


    Shin caught the pad quickly. There was something uncomfortably marionette-like about the way Lagneia moved.


    Shin tensed reflexively after inspecting the tablet screen and its displayed coordinates. It was definitely in the middle of nowhere. which meant that it¡¯d be easy enough to keep the operation secret and secure from anyone trying to steal their job. But it also meant that there could be trouble if they were close enough to the borders of The Fluxlands. The chances they¡¯d be sniffed out by roaming Husks were extremely high.


    He briefly glanced through the tentative maps and lists of possible codes provided. Shin shook his head. It had impressive security guarding the front door and embedded weapons. It also had meter-thick reinforced concrete walls to make getting around them difficult.


    ¡°That¡¯s going to be extremely dangerous,¡± he warned. I¡¯m going to need to bring my full team.¡±


    Wod snapped, spittle flying from his maw. His string of words were vehement and seemed filled with vitriol.


    Fluffy flinched slightly, reaching towards Shin, but ultimately mastering herself.


    ¡°Why else would we hire outside agents for this? If it were an easy task, I wouldn''t have hired someone. If it were located outside the pastoral borders of the King¡¯s Lands, we¡¯d have our agents perform the task,¡± Lagneia said, paraphrasing whatever colorful language Wod had used.


    Shin held his hands up, palms out in a placating gesture. ¡°I¡¯m just saying. This isn¡¯t going to be a cheap job. Especially if the security systems are hardened against intrusion.¡±


    ¡°The facility was top-of-the-line once. But that was nearly forty years ago,¡± Lagneia responded dismissively. I expect professionals of your caliber should be able to handle such an antiquated setup.¡±


    Shin managed not to snort at his team being called professionals. Despite their immense talent, their peers seldom treated them respectfully, mainly because they chose to work for him. But hearing it from Jolof Wod made it sound like an insult.


    Fluffy grinned, revealing her shark-like teeth, drawing a curious glance from Lagneia.


    He nodded. ¡°My hacker can handle that, and we have enough security to handle the Husks,¡± He assured Wod. ¡°The only question left is our-¡±


    ¡°The pay is 1.2 million nBits. That will cover both the job and any¡­ Death benefits you humans like to payout to the families of your dead workers.¡± Lagneia offered with a closed fist she opened dramatically, as if offering up physical tangible goods.


    Shin¡¯s mouth snapped shut so quickly that his teeth almost clacked together. Everything on his body that could pucker did so. His luminous gold eyes narrowed as he made eye contact with the horrible creature. while he did a few quick mental calculations.


    That¡¯d be enough to pay off all the company''s outstanding high-interest debts, overhaul the company transport, and top off savings. It was generous¡ªthirty percent more than a job of this level should pay out.


    It was too good to be true, and this maggot son of a bitch was hoping the smell of money would make him too blind to notice.


    Shin narrowed his eyes and frowned, ¡°What aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± He asked, the tiniest bit of a growl sneaking into his voice, and Fluffy tensed by his side,


    Jollof steepled the fingers of his four hands and examined him. He spoke in a different tone than before, a wheezing rasp.


    ¡°Joloff Wod sees that his earlier estimation of your cleverness was not an error.¡± Lagneia raised her eyebrow as she appraised him. It was like she saw Shin as an active participant in the conversation for the first time. Now that he''d deviated from their script he could very well be treading dangerous ground.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Shin spat back, his composure slipping a little, ¡°Now let''s have it.¡±


    ¡°There are unconfirmed reports of a C-class Phantom Husk. Roaming in and out of the facility area,¡± Lagneia said, after glancing at her employer.


    ¡°2.2 million nbits, no negotiation, or no deal.¡± Shin snapped back. If Wod were going to take advantage of them, he would pay through the nose for it.


    Several D ranks or scores of F would be simple enough for his team. But C ranks were much more challenging.


    It seemed Wod had been hoping they¡¯d manage to muddle their way through and plead ignorance after the fact. Or perhaps he had been simply hoping they¡¯d soften the target enough for him to swoop in and clean up afterward¡ªprobably with another team he had on retainer for much less money.


    Hell, he could even be planning to see them all dead afterward, regardless of the outcome.


    Jollof¡¯s eyes seemed to glow like coals in the dim light of the yellow-red bulbs. Some part of his body beneath the suit he wore seemed to writhe for a moment as he tried and failed to conceal his fury. A pungent stench seemed to waft from him.


    Fluffy didn¡¯t raise her hands but took a pose that would facilitate her jumping in to intervene if necessary.


    ¡°Take it or leave it, Wod.¡± He said, an edge to his voice, his hand straying to the pommel of the enormous dagger to the left of his belt buckle. ¡°If you think you¡¯re going to fuck us, I¡¯m more than happy to cut my way out of this hellhole of yours if you try and stop me.¡±


    Jollof''s writhing increased, and Shin felt something like teeth sink into his mind. It was as if Wod had somehow bitten him in the brain stem with the power of pure hatred, but he didn¡¯t flinch. Wod would have to do a hell of a lot worse than that.


    Even if Wod had mental powers, Shin had been hunting Husks since he was a teenager. Just being around a husk put out worse psychic pollution than this.


    Lagneia seemed to cringe as this happened. She struggled, flailing her arms momentarily. Then she abruptly straightened and adopted a more angry expression. ¡°I think,¡± Lagneia countered gruffly as one of the guards stepped forward. ¡°You could use a little lesson in respect,¡± Wod suggested through his translator.


    The guards had been so perfectly still Shin had almost forgotten they were there.


    Shin glanced between the three warily. Wod had just taken over Lagneia¡¯s body to speak directly to him. That was troubling.


    The guard stepped forward and brandished a shock baton that had been detached from its belt. The device shed blue sparks as it sprang to life. The lenses of the skull-like mask glittered in the light, revealing dark orbs beneath. The guard hopped off the platform to stand before Shin, landing on its feet.


    ¡°Teach him a lesson about how to be a polite guest when in someone else''s home,¡± Wod purred through Lagneia.


    ¡°Do you want me to do it?¡± Fluffy asked, holding up a hand that burst into Scarlet flame with a loud, sizzling snap.


    ¡°God dammit Fluffy, no,¡± Shin growled, ¡°We can¡¯t take the job if you cremate them all.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but I feel like they¡¯re picking on you for being human.¡±


    ¡°Fluffy, I¡¯m a big boy; I can handle this.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, but if I see blood, they¡¯re toast.¡±


    ¡°If you think you can do so,¡± He taunted, then flicked his right wrist, depositing a glittering silver balisong into his palm. He spun the handle around, flicked the knife open, and brandished it underhand. Then he drew payday with his left hand. "I¡¯d be more than happy to disabuse you of that notion.¡±


    The guard lunged, bringing the baton around in an arc from the right to strike Shin¡¯s head. Most predator species assumed humans were lower on the food chain due to being omnivores. This one hadn''t learned its lesson yet.


    Shin ducked, lashing out with his balisong. He sliced open the guard''s suit and the flesh beneath with a puff of vile-smelling air and a spatter of ichor.


    The shocked guard tried to reverse his strike, taking Shin in the head or neck, but he was too slow again.


    Shin parried the blow with his main dagger. He strained against the impact for an instant before throwing the blow aside.


    Shin stepped inside of the guard''s reach and buried the Balisong in the guard''s right shoulder. The meaty thunk was satisfying. He twisted the knife and pulled it free as he disengaged all in one swift, practiced set of movements.


    The guard gurgled and chittered in an alien language. It took several steps back, and clutched its right shoulder. It transferred the baton to its other hand.


    ¡°Is it worth dying, chump?¡± Shin taunted, flourishing his dagger in a manner he hoped was intimidating.


    It lunged forward with a burst of speed and swatted the dagger aside with its injured arm.


    Shin¡¯s counterstroke took its hand off at the wrist, but he was too surprised by the suicidal charge and took the baton upside his head like a hammer blow.


    It felt like the time when Shin was ten, and his grandpa had told him it was okay to pee on the fence outside the cattle yard. That it wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone, and nobody would see him.


    It had hurt, it had hurt a lot. He had felt the pain from his balls to the roots of his hair. It had been harmless but had taught him two valuable lessons at the time. Never implicitly trust anyone, and never pee outside unless absolutely necessary.


    This, on the other hand, was far worse. It wasn¡¯t just 5,000 volts, closer to 20,000 if it was anything. The jolt didn¡¯t last a microsecond like the fence, but for the entire half-second it was in contact with Shin¡¯s head.


    Shin was knocked over sideways, crumpling as his body convulsed uncontrollably. He dropped his balisong when his right palm slammed into the floor, but he managed to hold on to his dagger with a death grip.


    After a moment, his vision cleared, and his head stopped swimming. His breather mask had been knocked loose and hung around his neck. For the first time, he could smell the room¡ªa horrible bitter almond and spoiled meat smell.


    ¡°I trust you¡¯ve learned your lesson?¡± Lagneia asked with Wod¡¯s voice.


    The Guard took several steps back, favoring its wounded arm. It¡¯s stump dripped ichor, but not in the copious amounts a human would have bled.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Shin responded, seething internally. ¡°I think I did.¡±


    ¡°And what,¡± The body of the co-opted woman asked, ¡°Did you learn?¡±


    Shin stood up, as if to sheathe his dagger. When the guard lowered its posture Shin subvocalized the trigger word to activate his trump: ¡°Bum rush.¡±


    ¡°Shin!¡± Fluffy warned, ¡°Don¡¯t give it away too early, again!¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Shin griped, knowing she was right because he¡¯d told her to keep him from showing off. He sometimes had a bad habit of swatting a housefly with a handgun.


    He lunged forward, taking a blow to his right forearm, insulated from the electric shock by his sleeve, then head butted the guard hard enough to elicit a loud crunch. Then as the guard staggered back, he darted around and behind the guard, slamming Payday into the creature''s spine with a sickening crack. Insects with a spine was a very novel experience for Shin.


    Shin stabbed it half a dozen more times in quick succession for good measure,


    The guard gurgled piteously as he died. Green fluid splattered from its back in arterial spurts. Then, it slumped to its knees and fell over with a squelching thump.


    ¡°I learned that Insects gloat too much.¡± Shin snarled as he wheeled on the author of his discontent.


    He brandished his dagger parallel to the floor. He whipped a clean white silk handkerchief from his pocket, cleaned the blade with one swift motion, and threw the soiled cloth onto the guard¡¯s leaking corpse with casual disdain.


    Fluffy clapped very softly. ¡°Good job, big guy.¡± She stage-whispered, but Shin ignored her.


    Wod didn¡¯t speak, too stunned by the unexpected turnaround. Lagneia wavered slightly, stumbling for a moment as Wod exited her mind.


    There was a chance the second guard would be sent down, but Shin was confident Wod wouldn¡¯t do so.


    ¡°2.5 million.¡± Shin insisted.


    ¡°2.5 million,¡± Lagneia responded shakily after Wod had to bark the same set of words at her twice.


    The giant insect seemed cowed enough that he had lost control of his translator. His assistant was visibly profoundly shaken by what Wod had done to her. He felt a tiny bit of pity for her.


    ¡°1.25 in advance, the rest on delivery. Cash.¡± Shin continued.


    Wod was quiet for almost an entire minute; the air in the room turned greasy and turbulent.


    ¡°We will have your down payment delivered to your car in half an hour,¡± Lagneia said weakly. Wod¡¯s sedan chair swiftly spun in place to face the back of the room. He hesitated briefly, then departed through the rear door.


    Lagneia glanced at Shin and nodded curtly. She followed her master and the other sycophants, the door snapping shut loudly.


    ¡°It''s a Pleasure doing business with you.¡± Shin dead-panned to the empty room as he stooped to retrieve his gear.


    ¡°Very cool, Shin.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Fluffy.¡±

 Chapter 1.5

    Chapter 1.5


    Wod and his lieutenants were gathered around a clear basin filled with cloudy white liquid, resting in the center of a dark circular room. Within the basin floated many masses of spongy gray tissue. To Wod¡¯s left was his public face, Lagneia, and to his right was Vromi.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust him,¡± Vromi said. ¡°He lacks the proper respect. He will need monitoring.¡±


    ¡°Nor do I,¡± Wod said in perfect Trade English. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even get a feeler into that slippery little treats mind.¡±


    ¡°I got the impression that he¡¯ll deal straight with us,¡± Lagneia countered, ¡°He is from a house fallen on hard times, and humans are often willing to discard their morals when their continuance is at stake.¡±


    ¡°As if anything produced by a Human could be called a continuance,¡± Vromi sneered, snagging a piece of gray tissue from the basin with his left hand. ¡°Barely even ten thousand years of recorded history.¡±


    ¡°Their history may be brief, but their technological accomplishments are far greater than ours.¡±


    ¡°Technology means nothing. The only thing that matters is the continuity of our legacy.¡±


    ¡°If we underestimate the humans and their allies, we jeopardize that very legacy!¡±


    ¡°The progeny of the lesser clades are impossible to underestimate, you dull creature. Has that skin you wear gone to your head?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Lagneia snarled, dropping to a slight crouch; she held up all four arms to make herself appear larger. ¡°I¡¯ll cut out that barbed tongue of yours and feed it to the serviles!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re certainly welcome to try.¡± Vromi popped the tissue into his mouth, visibly rolling it around with his tongue.¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Wod bellowed, slamming his fist onto the edge of the basin, accompanying his action with a wave of psychic agony that rolled over his lieutenants, forcing them to attention.


    ¡°Liege!¡±


    Sire!¡±


    ¡°You two are not mere Wodi; you are my Wodim,¡± he raked his ferocious gaze across them. You are my only two hands until your brothers and sisters can be prepared. Save your fight for the position of First Hand until it means something.¡±


    The two lowered their heads in genuine shame.


    ¡°Vromi, follow them. Bug their vehicle, and watch for any signs of betrayal.¡± Wod raked his hands through the liquid, pulling up with an entire human cerebellum. ¡°Let no one see you.¡±


    ¡°For the continuity!¡± Vromi bowed almost comically low, and departed to the shadows around the feeding basin.


    ¡°Lagneia,¡±


    ¡°Yes, sire?¡± Lagneia bowed low.


    ¡°Acquire more cadavers. Children, if possible.¡± Wod ripped a chunk of tissue away from the brain he held, rolling it between his fingers briefly and popped it into his mouth. His mandibles snapped shut around it. ¡°We¡¯ll need them, it¡¯s time to accelerate the plan.¡±


    ¡°Your will be done, sire. For the Continuance.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    ¡°If life ever taught me a more valuable lesson than ¡®every windfall is offset by the cost of the tree it blows over onto your house,¡¯ I can¡¯t think of it.¡± ~ Shin Asado


    The return trip from Gourmand¡¯s, who being nocturnal, had him arrive home just before dawn. He only stopped long enough to drop an exhausted Fluffy off at her home to spend some quality time with her bed for a few hours. This gave Shin time to get a coffee, pay bills off in hard cash, have a second coffee, and make his way to the bank.


    Everything was going even better than planned. Two of the individuals he owed money to were unavailable, which meant he could leave them rain checks. They only needed to know that he''d be back within two weeks. He left promissory notes with a 20,000 nbit late fee to keep the vultures at bay.


    The idea of voluntarily offering more money than he owed made Shin feel ill, to the point of a full on stomach ache. But if it meant he¡¯d have extra funds to work with on mission prep, it was more than worth it.


    Unless they came calling before his team left. That might get awkward.


    Shin sat on the bench outside of the Crown Capital bank, drinking his second coffee, and trying to keep from scratching the back of his neck for the 5th time. He tried to just watch the town wake up around him, and not focus on how badly it could all go downhill.


    It wasn¡¯t like everything could all turn to shit in the blink of an eye and ruin everything, so there was no point in getting up and pacing again.


    He waited for the bank to open. He mused about where he was in life, and how for every bad turn, there was eventually a good turn.


    It had rained overnight, so he could take his mask off and enjoy the sweet post-rain smell. Petrichor it was called. There was nothing else like it.


    Novapol was on the outer fringes of the King''s Territory. It was close enough to the King''s Influence that Phantom Husks rarely made their presence known, but also far enough that people potentially took their lives into their own hands by living there. One of the ghastly things showed up every couple of months.


    Three types of people lived this far out¡ªor further¡ªhis Uncle Heckler had told him when he was a kid.


    First, people who wanted to start a family needed to move out of the safer central areas of The King¡¯s power. The safety from The King''s influence also had an unfortunate side effect: the closer to its epicenter you were, the more challenging human conception was.


    The second group wanted to be as far from the eyes of the Central Policing Authority as possible.


    Lastly, there are night watches, hounds, troubleshooters, and flux divers¡ªwhatever subset of the various licensed paramilitary contractors like him. Each name implied specific specializations, but there was a lot of overlap. His family usually went with the title Hounds, because they specialized in finding things or people and bringing them back,.


    Shin was born into the third group. His grandfather and uncles were well-known and respected Hounds, and other branches of the family worked in adjacent fields. His parents were a different story.


    His mother and father had left to join a cult when he was five. A bunch of crazy assholes that believed the Earth was not real. That The King was evil. That fluoride in the water was what really caused sterility in the inner kingdom.


    His grandpa had broken five of his father''s ribs when they tried to drag Shin along. He¡¯d been confused as a child, but grateful once he grew old enough to understand. What kind of idiots believed The King was responsible for the world being broken?


    He spent six years living under the roof of one of the oldest living Hounds. His Grandpa had started a family when he was over 50. He was constantly regaled with stories of derring-do that filled him with a sense of wonder.


    Thinking on the lessons of the past, he watched the clouds roll by, backlit in shades of red and gold by the rising sun.


    He idly wondered where he would be today if he¡¯d been more careful, and Razor had survived back then. Joloff Wod having mentioned it was a low blow.


    He was so engrossed in his musings, so exhausted, and so hopped up on caffeine that he didn¡¯t notice the presence of anyone else around him¡ªnot until someone dropped themselves onto the bench next to him.


    ¡°Heya, Shin.¡± A voice Shin was anything but enthused to hear cried out. ¡°Just the man I was looking to see.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Chad,¡± Shin said through gritted teeth. He turned his attention to the crusty punk sitting beside him. He¡¯d let his guard down.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mad Chad,¡± The filthy leather-clad blond corrected. He stretched an arm out and slapped it onto the benchrest behind Shin. ¡°I heard you just got a pretty big windfall.¡±


    ¡°And just where did you hear that at this hour?¡± Shin asked, glaring. He kept himself from flinching away from the encroachment on his space. Someone had tipped Chad and the EZ-8 Riders club off. It had to be someone he¡¯d just made emergency payments to, most likely¡ªungrateful swine. Shin resolved to find out who it was and bait wild animals into their home while they were sleeping.


    ¡°Not important,¡± Chad replied dismissively with a wave of a gloved hand. ¡°What is important, is this is an excellent chance to pay off your balance to the club early.¡±


    He might be a month or two late on some payments, which wasn¡¯t strictly speaking professional of Shin. But showing up and demanding early payments was much more unprofessional. At least, that''s what he told himself.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s just the thing,¡± Shin countered, ¡°My payment to you isn¡¯t due for another three weeks.¡±


    ¡°Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?¡± Chad asked. ¡°Besides, it¡¯d look real good to the club if I made sure Pretty Boy Asado paid up, especially since you''ll probably die on whatever stupid mission you have next.¡±


    ¡°Pretty Boy Asado appreciates your concern for his safety.¡± Shin said grimacing, showing some teeth. ¡°But I¡¯ll be just fine and set to pay you a week ahead of time already.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but today would be so much better,¡± Chad suggested, ¡°Right now in fact.¡±


    ¡°And why would I want to do that?¡± Shin asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Because that way, me and the boys won¡¯t have to mess up your pretty face.¡± Chad gestured across the street. This turned Shin''s attention to the three other punks sitting across the street on the hood of Shin¡¯s car.


    One of them waved politely, and another made jerking-off motions while sticking his tongue out. Shin ignored them.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty bad idea, Chad,¡± Shin warned, hand straying to his knife.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Chad said, snapping his finger, ¡°It¡¯s a pretty good one.¡±


    The moment the man''s finger snapped, Shin found someone else''s knife at his throat. Shin wasn¡¯t sure whether the crusty punks in the lower ranks of the EZ-8 had gotten good enough to get the drop on him, or if he had lost his edge so badly even people one rung up from the gutter were enough to punch his ticket.


    ¡°Hey, is that you, Dale?¡± Shin asked cheerfully, recognizing the hand missing its ring finger wrapped around the dagger handle.


    ¡°Yeah, mate,¡± Dale said in the rasp of a smoker who was too cheap to pay out for lung resurfacing, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not here to collect on that finger you owe me, today.¡±


    Shin was pretty sure he didn¡¯t owe Dale shit. He¡¯d lost that finger fair and square when he tried to pull a gun during a previously friendly blackjack game. But Shin didn¡¯t think bringing that up now would benefit him.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got in that suitcase before I have to start cutting bits off of you to feed to that little pet of yours.¡± Chad smiled broadly, showing solid gold teeth.


    It was odd, he thought, if he¡¯d used a rest stop on the way back from his meeting with the roach daddy, this probably wouldn¡¯t have happened. The course of his life might have changed because he decided to hold it in. It is an odd but apt metaphor for his life.


    ¡°And here I was, wondering when the other shoe would drop,¡± Shin said with a forced cheer.


    *   *   *


    Novapol headquarters, such as it was, was a full house. It was just a small office, a reception area, and a meeting room. It was located just up the street from their transport, their real operations center.


    The team sat at a conference table in the Spartan meeting room: the engineer, the magic user, the burly front line, and most importantly, the team mascot, Captain Morsel the lizard¡ªalso, one small six-legged interloper on the engineer''s person.


    Over a cheap trucker-style breakfast, Shin went over every element of the job point by point. He emphasized that it was within their capabilities, even if there was one extra mean Husk. They had killed targets this dangerous once or twice before, but it had been a near thing each time.


    He whipped up the entire presentation with slides and ensured everyone was fed, all in an hour¡ªthe sort of effort that instilled confidence in one''s employees. He omitted the bit about his little visit with Chad, and the team didn¡¯t need to know about his problems.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Fluffy began. She fidgeted on her stool. Her unorthodox anatomical arrangement made it easier to use backless chairs. She sprouted a fuzzy metathorax just above her butt, like an oversized rabbit''s cottontail or more accurately a moth''s fuzzy behind. ¡°Just a simple smash and grab? They seemed sketchy when we talked to them.¡±


    In the past, the reputation his uncle''s death had left him with made it necessary to embellish things. Pad them out a little. Imply things that might not be true. Lie his ass off to keep a roof over his head. He¡¯d stopped doing that with friends and coworkers, but they still did their best to keep him honest.


    ¡°Simple, just a C-Class Phantom Husk.¡± The gray-skinned, blue-haired, wig-wearing engineer Terimalis half growled, half purred. She had that slightly husky ¡®Elf¡¯ accent. Her people weren¡¯t elves - purely a thing of fantasy - but one of the ''castaway species.''


    Most castaways came in ones or twos. Malis''s people came in the thousands in a giant citadel meant by its creators to explore all of time and space. That ended differently than planned.


    Her people were called the Dokleshee. They were the very junior members of a partnership with a race of older, more powerful beings¡ªsenior partners who regarded the world outside of their Red Citadel as a problem for The Help.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t met a Husk that wasn¡¯t flammable, yet,¡± Fluffy mused.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to bring the big guns so it doesn¡¯t decide to punch holes in the rust bucket while we¡¯re prancing around.¡± Suggested Dmitri, the seven-foot blond cyborg.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Terimalis protested, ¡°That noble transport has a nom de plume.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    She¡¯d been with the group for four months, coming in just before the work drought. She¡¯d previously worked for a small team that broke up due to ¡®creative differences.¡¯


    Her love of arthropods, red meat, and sex talk in that specific order had made her a giant pain in everyone¡¯s ass some days, but she was damned good with electronics.


    She fed a small tidbit off of her plate to some sort of giant stag beetle that poked its head from her ample bosom.


    The team watched as the blue metallic creature took a little bite of pastry from her. Then retreated into the untamed wild of his keeper''s cleavage.


    Captain Morself, the mascot of the Novapol group, lifted his head from Shin¡¯s shoulder and watched the beetle with rapt attention. The dark blue and pink lizard was nearly six feet long and tube-shaped, with tiny, stubby legs. Its front paws kneaded Shin¡¯s neck like a cat trying to make biscuits. It was evidently thinking about running and chasing the crunchy intruder.


    ¡°Is¡­ Is that always there?¡± Fluffy said, voicing the question on everyone''s mind.


    ¡°Only when it is bountifully blessed by lady luck.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a thousand pardons.¡± Dmitri scoffed after the moment had passed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I besmirched the honor of The John Denver, Lady Galadriel.¡± His Slavic accent thickened with his sarcasm.


    ¡°Apology... Accepted.¡± Terimalis agreed with a smile and a slight finger waggle. That was her people''s way of saying they were being playful. ¡°But call me Galadriel again and I¡¯ll turn the pilot seat into a projectile seat and launch you into the damn desert.¡±


    ¡°Anyhow, if we¡¯re done flirting¡­¡± Shin interrupted testily. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a standard smash-and-grab after a forced entry and data infiltration. Located in an isolated position with the potential for an unpleasant heavyweight.¡±


    ¡°Security safeguards?¡± Terimalis asked and arched one eyebrow.


    ¡°Top of the line, fourteen years before I was born,¡± Shin said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can handle it easily.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Shin, I can handle anything you hurl at me.¡± Her mischievous smile made it hard to tell if she was genuinely flirting with him or torturing a member of the lesser species for funsies. It was probably the latter.


    ¡°Nope!¡± Shin slashed the air with a hand, scowling. ¡°Not going there today.¡±


    Terimalis sighed and raised one hand in a placating gesture.


    ¡°Now, as for the heavy ordinance,¡± Shin made near eye contact with Dmitri but glanced away guiltily. ¡°In a rather unfortunate turn of events, it was pawned to pay all your salaries for the last four months.¡±


    Dmitri executed a slow facepalm, ¡°Pizedets.¡±


    ¡°Shin, what do you expect us to do if the thing decides to beat up poor John Denver while we¡¯re out?¡± Fluffy asked, frowning. ¡°The old girl has been through a lot. And I¡¯m worried that Dmitri might get hurt if we try taking on something that tough without fire support.¡±


    ¡°I can take care of myself,¡± the giant blond slav interjected. ¡°A husk took everything but my head once, and I went back and made it into a hammer once I got better. If this one tries anything, I¡¯ll make a gilded toilet out of its skull, and we will all take turns-¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dmitri, you¡¯re a badass,¡± Shin sighed,  But do you expect me to deal with a C Class with my dick and a couple of knives?¡±


    ¡°A real man would need only his dick,¡± Dmitri corrected with a raised index finger. ¡°If you played chess more, you¡¯d understand how to utilize your assets better.¡±


    ¡°Do we really have to talk about dicks right now?¡± Fluffy whined, ¡°You¡¯ll make me lose my appetite.¡± She frowned and glumly pushed her sad-looking slice of pie around her plate with a fork.


    ¡°I could talk about the masculine members all day.¡± Terimalis sighed wistfully, resting her chin in her hands. ¡°Clinically fascinating. Maybe throw in a little entomology if we¡¯re already doing pillow talk. Combining both topics.... Did you know that some spiders have a vagina like a complex lock only a likewise lover of their own species can open?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Shin said louder, smacking his open palm on the table. ¡°As amazing as this spider dick might be, let''s keep it strictly to business.¡±


    He made eye contact with Terimalis, who rolled her eyes and smiled.


    ¡°Now, we don¡¯t have the heavy ordinance available right now. But we do have a small budget left over from paying off the parties who would have been most inclined to break both of my legs.¡± Shin offered with a slight grin.


    ¡°How small?¡± Dmitri asked,


    ¡°Enough to get back one of the smaller big guns, 500 crowns,¡± Shin announced with a big smile.


    The table went quiet as people glanced back and forth at each other curiously.


    Crowns were the currency of The King''s people. But, outside of those lands, a more universal currency was needed.


    nBits, or nano assemblers, were a valuable universal commodity. Feed them a blueprint. They could quickly print almost any object they had materials for. Or even more of themselves at a drastically reduced rate of efficiency.


    ¡°Am I missing a joke?¡± Fluffy asked. ¡°Because it sounds like you just said we¡¯re broke again already?¡±


    ¡°I did indeed,¡± Shin replied. ¡°After paying off the most urgent debts, our slush fund is only partially full. We¡¯re sitting on less than 3000 crowns worth of nBits.¡±


    The stunned silence continued for a moment. Shin realized he might have lowballed their budget for guns too much because everyone around the table looked like they were trying to decide the best place to hide a body.


    Shin had been known to take small loans occasionally to keep the business afloat in lean patches. This stretch had been a lot longer than most. Standard practice was making necessary purchases before paying debts, but this time it wasn''t possible.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t have a good backup and things go south,¡± Dmitri warned, ¡°This thing could kill you all. Long before I can finish taking it down on my own.¡±


    ¡°I think you might be exager-¡± Shin began, raising a hand.


    ¡°The Gourmand¡¯s paid you a lot upfront. Are you not telling us something?¡± Fluffy asked, narrowing her eyes.


    Shin was momentarily quiet as he made eye contact with everyone, Fluffy the longest. He practically begged her with his eyes, not to mention the Cat¡¯s Cradle. He prepared to swallow his pride.


    ¡°The EZ-8 Riders might have cornered me on the way back.¡± Shin allowed, ¡°And they might have strongly implied if I didn¡¯t cough up all the money I had on me, they were going to castrate me and feed my nuts to Captain Morsel. And I might have thought you didn¡¯t need to worry about that and kept it to myself.¡± He stroked Captain Morsel anxiously.


    Captain Morsel coiled around Shin¡¯s neck like an unusually friendly hangman''s noose, almost like he sensed Shin¡¯s discomfort. He gave a lick with his huge floppy neon green tongue. Shin absently scratched his smooth, scaly back.


    Whether he was doing it out of genuine empathy or just because Shin¡¯s neck tasted salty was up in the air. But mole wyrms were social in the wild, living in big communities and mating for life so he probably saw Shin as a big ugly mole wyrm.


    None of them wanted to say anything and further on his pride. They were all happy to roast him when the situation called for it, but the man had to be allowed to keep at least a little face


    Fluffy broke first.  She scratched her neck and looked away. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a good reason for us to be tight, but are you okay? You should have told us!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, just a little pissed off. Our loan from them wasn''t even due yet.¡± Shin sighed, reaching up to scratch Captain Morsel under the chin.


    Captain Morsel lifted his chin as if trying to escape his human''s ministrations, but the way he closed his eyes and leaned towards the scratching told a different story.


    ¡°My sympathy to you being rolled by greasy punks,¡± Dmitri offered. ¡°But let us talk about what we can do for big guns. We need them. We¡¯d still have them if it weren¡¯t for those deadbeats who ran off without paying us, yes.¡±


    ¡°When we find them, I¡¯m gonna to light their eyebrows on fire, yup yup.¡± Fluffy grumped, folding her arms in indignation.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Shin said, feeling defeated but also relieved. ¡°Those two really fucked us. I can probably buy back the Cloud Burst or the God Rods before we leave.¡±


    ¡°You can get back the Hellbender.¡± Dmitri insisted, slamming his closed fist on the table.


    Shin¡¯s eyebrow twitched slightly. The Hellbender cost almost as much as both of the other weapons combined. Coupled with the bills he¡¯d just paid off and the extortion from the EZ-8, 90% of the down payment was gone already. ¡°The other two guns would give us more options,¡± he countered. If we need to shoot anything smaller than the heavyweight, it¡¯d be like killing a mosquito with an elephant gun.¡±


    ¡°You tried to bumrush a security guard last night, I thought overkill was your family motto?¡± Fluffy reminded him.


    ¡°It¡¯s play with fire and get burned,¡± He countered.


    ¡°Which would you rather,¡± Dmitri inquired, ¡°Trying to shoot an elephant with an elephant gun or shooting an elephant with a can of bug spray?¡±


    Shin paused. Then he frowned. Then he scowled. Days when Dmitri made good sense always portended disaster.


    ¡°What¡¯s an Elephant?¡± Fluffy stage whispered to Terimalis.


    Terimalis shrugged. ¡°Big-nosed naked cows with gray skin.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Shin relented. ¡°We can get the Hellbender, but that¡¯s going to mean we¡¯re not able to use the ship guns on anything small. Ammo for that thing is more expensive than my alimony payments.¡±


    Dmitri smiled broadly. It was the performative smile common to Slavs. It could mean many things, but in this case it meant ¡®I told you so.¡¯


    ¡°And actual fresh groceries, this time!¡± Fluffy insisted. She carefully sat back down, plopping her rear in the chair. The slight impact caused her antennae to wobble slightly. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be in that steel coffin with all of you eating nothing but junk for two weeks! I don''t want all of you belching and farting like you have butt cancer!¡±


    Shin grit his teeth but held back a nasty response. Fluffy was very particular about the quality of food she liked, but she also ate less than everyone except Dmitri. Only his head and digestive tract were still organic. He could make specific allowances in light of that.


    ¡°We can afford some fresh food, vegetables at least. We don¡¯t have fresh meat money right now, though.¡±


    Fluffy nodded, taking a win. ¡°I¡¯ll need a pie, too.¡±


    ¡°Also, a fresh bottle of Vodka for the cockpit,¡± Dmitri said, hands steepled. ¡°If I have to put up with all of you for that long.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pushing it,¡± Shin announced, tapping the table with his left index finger. ¡°Want anything else? Like maybe my shoes? The shirt off of my back? Or heck, what about the fillings out of my goddamn teeth?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need you to renovate my cabin with a wonderful wood interior. Also a fabulous four-poster bed, and a little lamp fixture full of-¡± Terimalis added, grinning ear to pointy ear.


    ¡°Fuck all of you,¡± Shin stood up, ¡°Dmitri, you¡¯re with me on grabbing the Hellbender. Everyone else prepares The John Denver. Be ready to leave by 6:00 pm.¡±


    *   *   **


    Very little in Shin¡¯s life gave him as much pleasure as the lines and styles of machines from days long past. To that end, he and Dmitri were cruising down a deserted gravel road in a reproduction of a millennia-old car. He was told his ride made him look like he ¡®belonged in a home for the schizophrenic and color blind.¡¯


    If others refused to let the pure love and joy that was a replica Plymouth Barracuda into their life, who was he to force his religion on them?


    Besides its appearance and the simulated roar of its engine, it was thoroughly modern. It had liquid hydrogen fuel cells, an advanced navigation computer projected from the dash, and 1500 horsepower.


    Maybe they were just jealous of the lavender paint job with gold trim. Perhaps the sunroof he''d had installed. Or the sick golden owl decal he¡¯d added to the hood of the car.


    With the car¡¯s top down, the two cruised at 45 mph down the double-wide gravel road miles outside of town and enjoyed the weather.


    Naturally, the Novapol Group had been named after the town, not the other way around. With their somewhat spotty reputation, this was a sore point for the city. The Sheriff had been subtly hinting it was time for their company to change names.


    Shin knew that he was just an ornery old bastard. He hadn¡¯t the slightest understanding of the importance of brand recognition. So Shin just nodded and smiled. One day, the town would be piggybacking off of their reputation, and not vice versa. Shin was sure of it.


    ¡°This is stupid,¡± the large man said in a stern tone as they made a turn toward their destination.


    ¡°What, driving down the road in style?¡± Shin gestured to the expansive open sky around them.


    ¡°No, fool,¡± Dmitri grunted. ¡°That woman hates your guts, not mine. You should have had me go on my own.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Shin assured him, shifting gears and reveling in the tactile sensation. His voice buzzed slightly. Due to their speed, his rebreather mask took in a greater-than-normal air volume. ¡°Sally loves me. I¡¯m like a favorite nephew who can do no wrong.¡±


    For a beat, Dmitri said nothing. He pondered the sparse yellow and pink desert coral that dotted the valley. It was as if he sought the words he wanted to speak from without rather than within. But in reality, he was just trying to find a way to gently remind Shin he was full of shit.


    ¡°You live in your own little world.¡± Dmitri scolded.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not so much my own little world,¡± Shin hedged.


    ¡°Here comes the bullshit.¡± Dmitri griped, with a long-suffering sigh.


    ¡°As a simple truth I believe it in my heart.¡± He tapped his knuckle on his bare chest, having opened his shirt to enjoy the late summer breeze on his skin.


    ¡°Your stupidity will be the death of me, Shin.¡±


    ¡°If you keep saying that, I¡¯ll start thinking you mean it.¡±


    ¡°My death sooner rather than later, I think.¡±


    ¡°Dmitri,¡± he spoke in a calm, monotone voice without a hint of play. ¡°I¡¯d never bring you here if there were even the slightest chance it would put you in unnecessary danger.¡±


    Dmitri just rolled his eyes and shook his head.


    Shin turned into the driveway. It was a slight climb uphill to a weather-beaten store flanked by old-growth land coral.


    The ancient fuzzy holographic proclaimed it as ¡®Old Crap.'' And further, that it was ''the finest purveyor of vintage hardware.¡¯


    Shin opened his mouth to tell Dmitri a fantastic one-liner about a replica CD player he''d bought here but was interrupted. The windshield spiderwebbed into a massive line of cracks radiating out from a hole the size of Shin''s fist. That was a split second after a gunshot rang out.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    ¡°King¡¯s fucking balls!¡± Shin screamed in panic. He instinctively wheeled the car out of the line of fire and straight into the ditch.


    Shin winced as he heard the fender crunch when the car slammed into the embankment on the other side of the ditch. It was half from grief for his beautiful car, and half from the impact throwing them violently against their seatbelts. They came to rest at a 45-degree angle.


    Shin, at least, would be nursing a nasty bruise for the next few days. But his magnificent chariot had suffered vast cosmetic damage, scarring her beauty, and wounding her pride. He placed a hand on the dashboard, and had a very brief moment of silence for the terrible suffering of his lady fair.


    Dmitri glared at Shin, purposely saying absolutely nothing. But his flat stare spoke volumes.


    ¡°Not one word,¡± Shin hissed. ¡°My baby has been shot, and now she¡¯s laying wounded in a ditch, and I don¡¯t need any of your fuckin¡¯ sass!¡±


    Shin turned off the engine and fought the urge to flee. Running would only make her angrier. He braced against the steering wheel. He unbuckled his seatbelt and clambered over the side of his wounded car. Dmitri stumbled out the other side, nearly tripping on his seat belt.


    ¡°Sally!¡± He yelled at the top of his lungs. ¡°Thank you kindly for making that a warning shot! If we¡¯d been whoever you were actually expecting, I¡¯m sure you''d have scared us off!¡±


    ¡°I knew it was you, Asado. Nobody else would have the balls to drive a car that ugly!¡± She shouted back. ¡°And that wasn¡¯t a warning shot, I missed. You¡¯re not welcome here after what you pawned off on me last time!¡±


    Shin''s brows knitted together, nothing he¡¯d sold to her had been defective or substandard. Not this time. That he knew of, anyway. ¡°You don¡¯t miss!¡± He countered.


    ¡°You damn near blinded me with the paint job on that ugly pavement princess you pranced in on!¡± She countered.


    Dmitri made a gesture of circling one index finger around a closed fist, asking if he should try and flank her.


    ¡°Only if you want a gut full of lead,¡± Shin hissed, making a face like he¡¯d bitten into a lemon. ¡°That¡¯ll just piss her off! People who piss her off get closed casket funerals!¡±


    He crouched down behind a large rock and brushed the dust off of one of his nicest dress shirts. It had been fresh from the cleaning service and neatly pressed. Seeing it in this state pained him nearly as much as the state of the lilac bombast.


    ¡°You get that ugly piece of shit out of my ditch! Turn around and go back the way you came, or King help me, I¡¯ll send you to meet your ancestors!¡± She threatened.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you think is wrong with what I sold you, but we can work this out like civilized people!¡± Shin offered.


    ¡°You know exactly what¡¯s wrong with it. That¡¯s why you sold it to me, you cheat!¡± She countered.


    ¡°Come on, Sally!¡± a slight whine to his yell. ¡°You know I don¡¯t lie to friends or family anymore!¡±


    ¡°We ain¡¯t friends, and I¡¯m certainly not related to a little Asado crotch-goblin like you! I ought to throw this damn grenade on your head for selling me a Hellbender without its control system!¡± She declared.


    Dmitri¡¯s eyes grew panicky. He looked imploringly at Shin. Dmitri had a bad history with explosions, which was part of the reason he was quite literally half the man he used to be.


    ¡°What control system?!¡± Shin demanded in exasperated confusion. ¡°The thing just mounts onto the hull and plugs into the damn transport computer!¡±


    ¡°No, you jumped up little peacock, it doesn¡¯t.¡± She all but screamed. ¡°The control unit regulates the plasma flow. The capacitor is liable to blow without it. And it''ll blow harder than that diseased ten-crown hooker mother of yours!¡±


    ¡°Leave my mother out of this!¡± Shin snapped back angrily. His mother hadn¡¯t precisely been a credit to the species if he was being honest. But those were half of his genes she was slandering. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t matter, we¡¯re here to buy the damn thing back from you!¡±


    ¡°You crooked little shit.¡± She shouted back, ¡°Were you trying to use me as a payday loan? You left that thing without its control unit so you could come back and get it later because you knew I couldn¡¯t sell it?¡±¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what pawn shops are for?¡± Shin asked in genuine confusion at how pissed she was. ¡°I¡¯m coming out. Please don¡¯t get blood on my favorite shirt.¡±


    ¡°Come out real slow, and bring beefcake with you.¡± She growled, ¡°Keep your hands where I can see ¡®em.¡±


    Shin gestured to Dmitri to get the suitcase from the back seat and follow him, earning a skeptical glance. ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s gotten into her, but she¡¯s probably not going to kill us,¡± Shin assured him. It wasn¡¯t a lie. She¡¯d probably just wound them.


    Dmitri did not look reassured, but he followed suit as Shin rose from the ditch. They put their hands in the air as they marched up the dusty, loose gravel slope to face the music.


    ¡°There you are!¡± Shin said, feigning joy to see the wrinkled, leathery face of Sally ¡®Pale Rider¡¯ Perez.


    Sandy Perez had been the terror of the outskirts. Even now, the 4¡¯11 woman looked like she could bite the head off of a half-ton borot frog if she could get her mouth around it.


    ¡°Hello, ma¡¯am!¡± Shin replied, and presented himself, ¡°Here is your doting nephew, grandson, person with arms in the air because I know you¡¯d never shoot an unarmed man!¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Dmitri looked at Sally in desperation, ¡°The filthy svoloch'' might have all the moral fiber of an hourly rate hotel, but he is not lying to anyone but himself, today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your play to try and keep me from using his hide as a floor mat for the women¡¯s restroom?¡± Sally asked in astonishment.


    ¡°Yes?...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly convincing.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°...Please don¡¯t kill him because he is my boss?¡±


    Shin looked back and forth between the two, aghast.


    ¡°You get one more try,¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill him because¡­ Fluffy will be sad?¡±


    ¡°Fine, I guess I care enough about the little purple doodlebug to hear him out. Now, start talking,¡± she hissed, aiming a rifle longer than she was tall at Shin¡¯s center of mass.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know there were any separate pieces, and I have enough money to pay you back in full, in cash! All 70,000 nBits worth!¡±


    ¡°How do I know you¡¯re telling the truth, for once?¡± she asked, bringing the scope to her eye.


    Shin breathed in, then out. She was really pissed this time. ¡°I swear on Big Time Asado¡¯s grave, I didn¡¯t know there was a separate control unit.¡± He said, resting his palm on the sheath of the dagger. It was his only remaining keepsake of the man who kept him from being dragged off to the cult his parents had bought into.


    ¡°Boy,¡± She growled, ¡°This is the last time you ever get to invoke Big Times name to me.¡± She lowered the rifle.


    ¡°Can we put our arms down now, Sally?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Put ¡®em down, boys, Slow.¡± She said with reluctance.


    Looking at each other, the two men dropped their arms slowly.


    ¡°Dmitri.¡± Sally nodded to the burly cyborg.


    ¡°Perez.¡± He nodded back.


    ¡°No stupid coat today?¡± She quirked an eyebrow.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s in the ditch.¡±


    Sally snorted, ¡°That¡¯s a good place for it. I never understood why you Slavic cultural revivalists insist on dressing in trade attire. Why in the world would you want to wear a railroad worker uniform?¡±


    Dmitri simply shrugged. ¡°My little girls say I look better in a princess dress, but I don¡¯t think I have the legs for it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for trusting me, this was a genuine misunderstanding,¡± Shin said in relief. ¡°I know you¡¯d never really shoot me.¡±


    Overflowing with irritation, Sally fired from the hip and shot him right in the foot.


    *   *   *


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you shot me!¡± Shin said, for the fifth time since Sally had let Dmitri drag him inside the shop to patch him up. She¡¯d let him roll around in the dirt and howl for a minute before she let Dmitri help him up.


    He¡¯d taken off his bloody shoes and socks. He has been given enough medical gel to stop the bleeding. It would close the wound and fix the internal damage in a few hours but still be quite painful in the meantime.


    Dmitri had been sent around back. Her helpers waiting there would help load the hellbender into the back seat of the car. Dmitri had gotten his poor, beautiful baby girl out of the ditch, scratching her paint even more in the process.


    ¡°So you keep saying,¡± Sally growled from across the small sitting room. The front of her establishment was packed wall to wall with ancient treasures¡ªor maybe just junk, depending on who you asked.


    When he was little, Shin thought this was the most interesting place in the world. All the anachronistic technology fascinated him and colored his perception of the world. If there was any place on Siluria that was squarely to blame for his bizarre tastes, it was this store.


    Sally was like his grandpa, a firm proponent of using the minimum level of technology or magic to get the desired outcome, that had colored his thinking even further.


    There was a brief period of time when they thought the Phantom Husks could sense electronics. Engineers had cobbled together a new generation of analog technology, but now it was shunned. But to Shin, the buttons, dials, and levers felt more real. They were more tactile than modern technology.


    ¡°I just though-¡±


    ¡°Actions have consequences, boy. About time you learned that.¡± Sally snorted.


    Shin¡¯s eyes turned cold, ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?! What was that even a consequence of? I told you I made an honest mistake. What crawled up your ass this morning?¡± He hissed through his teeth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you do know about consequences,¡± Sally folded her arms. ¡°You¡¯re too much like that god damn woman your father married. Convinced the world will just fall in line with whatever you say, regardless of the truth.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s exactly how it is,¡± he agreed, ¡°And I didn¡¯t learn anything when I watched everything I loved and cared for die.¡±


    ¡°Oh really, and what did you learn from that?¡±


    ¡°I learned enough.¡± Shin bridled at the dismissal of his progress toward bettering himself.


    ¡°Did you, now?¡± She asked in a raspy tone, ¡°Paid an awful lot to learn ''enough,'' though, don''t you think?" She stared holes into him.


    "Watch it. I''m not in the mood for this right now."


    "Was Razor in the mood for it when you shoved him right into the arms of that husk to save your own worthless hide? Think he was in the mood for it when he screamed your name while it was sucking him down?!"


    Shin was out of his seat in a flash, Payday drawn in his left hand and the balisong knife he¡¯d flicked out of his sleeve in his right.


    ¡°Are you trying to get my goat, lady?¡± He snarled, and tried to reign in the red haze that threatened to rise up and take control.


    ¡°Trying to get you to give a shit,¡± she countered. The handgun she¡¯d pulled from beneath a crocheted old lady pillow on her couch was aimed right at Shin¡¯s center of mass. ¡°Your Uncle Heckler passed through here for the first time in a while the other day. I told him he should forgive you, and take your crew on so you can get some decent jobs. He told me the whole story.¡±


    Shin clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Your client fucked up, and you idiots found yourself running for your life from a B-Class husk, and it was gaining on you. Does that sound familiar?¡± She demanded.


    ¡°Your uncles were above you. Razor reaches down to haul you up, but the husk was too close, and you¡¯d never make it. You needed a distraction.¡±


    ¡°Sally¡­¡±


    ¡°So you sacrificed your own flesh and blood. You yanked him off the ledge and right into the Husk, and climbed up while it ate him. The way you told it, I thought the Husk had gotten in your head and pushed you a little around the bend, but that sounds an awful lot like something a clear headed person would decide to do.¡±


    Shin¡¯s face fell as the memory threatened to overtake him.


    "That''s the expression I was looking for," Sally said bitterly. "Anger, shame, disgust."


    She stood with a grunt, "But do you know what else I see?"


    "What?" Shin all but growled.


    "Cowardice." She told him "You''re a man who will do anything to save himself when the chips are down. None of your team are safe with you. Sooner or later you''ll get them all killed if you think it¡¯ll save your own worthless skin."


    Shin trembled with rage. There were things you didn¡¯t say to a person - even if they were true - and not expect to get a knife in your kidneys. But sometimes, you simply deserved it. Sometimes, you just had to take it and walk away.


    ¡°You have no idea of the hell I put myself through after that,¡± Shin accused, "And I¡¯m not going to put myself back through that just because you decided all of a sudden to unforgive me because Heckler decided to be an even bigger piece of shit than usual."


    He straightened up and sheathed his dagger, vanishing his balisong back to where it had come from with a flick of his wrist. ¡°I¡¯m not going to give you the satisfaction. You¡¯ve been paid in bits and blood. My past mistakes aren¡¯t debts I owe to you. I¡¯ll sort them out myself. I¡¯m going, you bitter old hag.¡±


    ¡°Heckler went back to look.¡± Sally said to Shin¡¯s back. ¡°Razors a husk, now. Heckler says it screams your name. Said it was your job to lay him to rest.¡±


    Shin paused only briefly, but for once, he had nothing to say.

 Chapter 4

    ¡°People underestimate Fluffy, because she is small, like a child. But she is terrifying. If she were truly wronged she could snap and bur- No, I¡¯d rather not think about it. Dal Boze!¡± ~ Dmitri, conversations from the bar


    4


    Shin pulled up to their hangar, spraying gravel as he slammed the brakes at the last minute like an angry toddler. He was in an utterly foul mood. The black cloud that hung over Shin¡¯s head could trigger an alert from the local weather station, and his scowl could back off a tax collector.


    ¡°Dmitri,¡± He snarled, ¡°Take the gun and fuck off. I¡¯ll be along in a bit.


    ¡°Da,¡± Dmitri agreed, and off he fucked, carrying the six-foot rectangular crate Shin had bled for like it was a sack of wheat. He was more than happy to give his boss a bit of time alone, especially when he was being this large of an asshole.


    Shin turned up his radio, punching up the timeless classic ¡®Get Low¡¯ from an artist whose name was lost to time. He opened the glove box, reaching into the back and pulling down a false panel. His fingers found his fake IDs, his passport, and finally, what he was after: his emergency brooding cigarettes a pack of Killer Blow Blacks.


    Lighting up with the zippo he kept in his left pocket, he took a deep drag on the oily-looking black cigarette, fingers half crushing the gold-wrapped filter. ¡®Who the hell does that old bag think she is?¡¯


    He¡¯d told everyone that mattered the story of what he¡¯d done but not the details. That had been too raw. By the time he could talk about it he didn¡¯t see any point in doing so. Now that piece of crap Heckler had rolled through town and stirred shit up again. Now, everyone was going to act like it had just happened yesterday and not ten suffering-filled years ago.


    Shin pulled out his GFTS card. The Government Freelance Troubleshooter program was a governmental body that spanned all of the major cities and immediately outlying towns. It acted as a licensing agency, a punitive organization, and an advocate for the necessity of their member''s services.


    The card itself was made of an almost neon orange aerogel and was as thick as three regular business or ID cards. It was emblazoned with the logo of a snarling wolf or the acronym GFT, and his name and ID number were etched into it in black detail¡ªhis legal name, to his consternation, and the number 4815-1623-42.


    Flipping the card over to the back, he pressed his thumb to a small black patch, and it obligingly pulled up his current stats.


    When he was little, he imagined it was like a video game, that you would level up, gain points, and grow stronger. But the stat sheet was merely a breakdown of a person''s physical capabilities, not the gateway to some sort of broken leveling system.


    Name: Larry Asado, Alias Shin Asado


    Age: 26


    Species: Modified Human


    Height: 5¡¯9


    Type: Mundane, Covert


    Membership Status: In good standing, 2 infractions


    Strength: D7


    Intelligence: D9


    Dexterity: C1


    Physique: D9


    Overall rating upper D-Class


    The system ranked performance the same way it would husks, but was more precise since it could gather direct biometric data.


    There was a very good reason the Asado family spurned most of the advanced technology or magic, even though he could boost himself up a full rank if he chose to employ either. Acquiring magical or technological improvements later in life wasn¡¯t even uncommon in his family; they built themselves up by mundane means to the greatest extent possible first since the augmentation process improved upon what was already there.


    He planned to push himself to his absolute limits before he made any changes. But his progress had been stagnating of late. His only significant gains had been his staying power; he could take the beating of a man twice his size and walk it off¡ªyears of learning how to take an ass-kicking and still be able to walk it off had paid off.


    He shoved the card back in place, fuming. Today had been one constant parade of aggravation and failure after a row. He had to stoop to taking a pity job, He was working for a psychopath, he was robbed, and the last family member that talked to him had shot him in the foot. And worse, she¡¯d made him hurt his baby.


    Everything boiled over at once, and he saw red; he slammed his fist into the dashboard five times in rapid succession and screamed inarticulately into the void. As one does.


    He threw his head back onto his chair and muttered ¡°¡±Sorry, baby,¡± to his car. He¡¯d be fine, he just needed a half an hour to be dramatic.


    Shin was good to his friends, but it was wise to stay scarce when he was in a mood like this. But no one had ever accused Fluffy of being wise. So she made a line straight for his retina-searing car and leaped straight over the top of the door into the passenger seat with a plop.


    ¡°Hi, Shin!¡± She chirped.


    Shin turned to regard her with a stormy expression, mask around his neck and a lit cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Fluffy,¡± he warned, ¡°I love you, but right now, I¡¯m in a mood where I could bite the heads off of one of those two-foot-long centipedes that live under the back deck.¡±


    The slightly sweet grassy smell from the wind coming in off the plains was ruined by the nasty musky smell of Shin¡¯s favorite brand of cigarettes.


    ¡°Okay,¡± She nodded along, ¡°Are you telling me to go away?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to go away.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I guess that''s okay. But you have to tell me what happened first.¡± She held her hands up, triumphantly displaying Captain Morsel in all his long resplendence.


    ¡°God damn it, Fluffy. I¡¯m trying to be alone with my thoughts here.¡± He took Captain Morsel, and set him on his shoulder where he obligingly wound himself around Shin¡¯s neck with the soft whisper of his scaly belly on Shin¡¯s shirt collar.


    ¡°You¡¯re pouting.¡±


    ¡°I am not pouting! I¡¯m brooding. It¡¯s different, more dignified.¡±


    Fluffy lifted her left arm as if to look for something underneath it, perhaps some evidence of dignity. Finding none, she glanced around the car. ¡°Are you sure? Because I don¡¯t see any dignity in here, it looks like you¡¯re pouting and smoking those nasty cigarettes again. Didn¡¯t you quit a year ago?¡±


    ¡°Fluffy,¡± Shin inhaled sharply. I have had a day. I need to smoke this coffin nail, arrange a meeting with Jack, go get our groceries, prepare the John Denver, and take a nap¡ªin that order.¡±


    Fluffy searched his face for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean no?¡± Shin demanded, taking another pull on his cigarette.


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not going away until you tell me what happened,¡± she insisted, folding her arms across her chest.


    Shin tried to stare her down, quiet for a long moment. His green-flecked golden eyes contracted to points as he tried to bore into her own more metallic gold eyes. But Fluffy was one of the most stubborn creatures Shin had ever met when she wanted to be. Eventually, he swore and broke eye contact.


    ¡°Do you promise to leave me alone if I tell you what happened?¡± He asked with a sigh. He rubbed his handsome, special little man under his chin, earning a rumbling purr from the creature.


    ¡°Nope,¡± she said, shaking her head. You¡¯re going to tell me what happened, eat, and then get some sleep while we handle the prep work.¡±


    ¡°Fluffy, we don¡¯t have time for that.¡± He insisted.


    ¡°Spill it,¡± Fluffy insisted, ¡°Or I¡¯ll have Malis pry it out of you.¡±


    Shin made a face like he¡¯d just sucked a lemon dry. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare sick that thirsty hoe.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I would.¡± She replied matter of factly.


    And so, smoking his insufferable hipster cigarettes that smelled like burnt tires and horse manure, Shin laid out his day. His whole day, was not just the most recent altercation with the irate old bat that shot him in the foot, but even unloading the mugging.


    Fluffy listened, nodded where appropriate, and occasionally asked questions to clarify, but she kept him going and prodded him along. At one point, she made him hand over his tablet, unrolled it, and sent a message to Jack for him. He was so emotionally drained that he didn¡¯t even protest; he just stroked the bumpy pickle-like hide of Morsel.


    When he was finished, eyes red-rimmed and wheezing slightly from his asthma, he put his mask back on, partially dislodging his friendly scaly scarf. ¡°Like I said, between cannibal cockroaches, biker punks, and family members best left unnamed stirring up shit? It¡¯s been a day.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Shin.¡± Fluffy opened the door on her side, hopping out. ¡°It¡¯ll all be better when we get some food into you.¡±


    Numbly, Shin followed, locking his car and putting the top up. He followed without protest; after letting everything out, he had no fight left in him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair, Fluffy,¡± He told her somewhere along the way. ¡°I¡¯ve spent ten years paying for one horrible mistake. And no matter what I do to earn respect, so I can get jobs that pay you what you deserve, something always comes along and kicks me in the rocks.¡±


    At some point, he sat down in his room, and a mug of thick, hearty MRE soup with enough calories to fatten up a pig was placed in his hand. He didn¡¯t quite remember the whole trip from the car to his room in the John Denver or where Morsel had gone, but couldn¡¯t bring himself to care.


    ¡°I know, Shin,¡± Fluffy told him softly, turning down the lights for him. ¡°People don¡¯t see how hard you work; they just see what they¡¯d rather see because it¡¯s easier than trying to understand what they¡¯re looking at. Or at least that¡¯s what Mom says.¡±


    ¡°Your mom is pretty smart,¡± Shin replied, sipping his soup. Captain Morsel recoiled at the odor of the soup, then leaned in for a lick of the rim.


    ¡°Get some sleep, Shin. We¡¯ve got this.¡± Fluffy assured him.


    ¡°What did I do to deserve a friend as good as you?¡± Shin asked, genuinely puzzled, Captain Morself walking the top half of his body up his master''s head unnoticed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Fluffy replied with a shrug, then grinned maliciously ¡°But it had to have been in a previous life because you¡¯re kind of a jerk in this one.¡±


    Shin just nodded along, not really hearing her anymore as Fluffy closed the door.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    *   *   *


    The Novapol Group¡¯s transport, the John Denver, was parked under her four-story tall hangar. enjoying the tender, loving care of one of her most fervent supporters.


    When Shin started the Novapol group, he bought the hundred-year-old beast from a wrecker. Over the next two years, a big chunk of his earnings paid for repairing it and converting it into a mobile base. Rather than having a stationary center of operations, his team could simply park at rental lots and have their command center with them when they traveled.


    She was a modified long-haul cargo vehicle. She had two massive cargo hulls. They were thirty meters long. They were joined at the front center by a pair of arms, the arms were connected to the ship''s central lift engine. Slapped on the front of that was the cockpit section. It was a two-story tall armored glass half-bubble with seating for three.


    The ship was originally a regular Super Big Rig designed with room for extra crew space. Security for long runs outside of the outer safe zones was absolutely essential; nobody wanted to get robbed by outlaws, ambushed by a pack of angry newt men, or eaten by Husks. So, there was room for two extra hands. Even fringe runners needed supplies and John Denver and her kind kept them well stocked.


    At rest, the vessel was shaped like an H, giving the cockpit poor visibility but a smaller silhouette. When in transit, the arms swung the pods out diagonally in a more V-like shape. The cockpit lowered in flight to see underneath as well.


    A pair of flexible enclosed walkways linked the two cargo containers to the cockpit. These walkways were tall enough even for Dmitri to pass through without trouble. Each cargo pod had been converted to a mixture of living space, crew facilities, and storage.


    After a wild mission, Shin installed two security cells. They kept debtors, runaways, and other violent passengers from being problematic.


    Fluffy had hooked the fuel probe up to the ship, which was the limit of her technical expertise. Afterwards she enthusiastically set about pressure washing her while she filled up. She¡¯d spent the last hour and a half washing the road dust off of the old girl. She''d had to start from the scaffolding level to ensure she didn¡¯t have to deal with ¡®the dripping nasties''. When you start from the bottom, dirt from the top could run down and ruin your work.


    She''d sent the others into town with a list of supplies to buy. Judging from the sound of crunching gravel on the other side of the aluminum wall of the hangar? They¡¯d just returned.


    She was wearing a dirty, soaking-wet gray T-shirt over a sports bra and jeans cut to fit her large, fuzzy bottom. Honesty Virtue¡ªFluffy Cake¡ªsmiled up at the ugly ship. She looked a little bit like a drowned rat.


    The tiny woman placed her hand on her hips, nodding in satisfaction at a job well done.


    ¡°She¡¯s just as enchanting as ever,¡± Malis announced. Her heavy boot steps announcing her presence before her character assassination of their trusty vessel.


    ¡°Hey, now!¡± Fluffy replied in mock pearl-clutching outrage, ¡°All girls are beautiful, and John Denver is no exception.¡±


    ¡°Onyo koidish,¡± Terimalis said dismissively, roughly translated as ''whatever you say.'' She walked past Fluffy while carrying an absurdly large armful of groceries. ¡°lower the ramp, little bug.¡±


    ¡°Not a bug,¡± Fluffy countered, taking a fob from her pocket. ¡°Cute as a bug''s ear, sure. But still not a bug.¡±


    Terimalis simply looked at her, expectantly.


    ¡°Maybe you should have stayed with the circus, instead,¡± Fluffy suggested.


    Terimalis let one of the bags of groceries hit Fluffy in the side of the head.


    ¡°Oww! Hey!¡± Fluffy stepped back, rubbing the spot the bag had banged into her. ¡°That¡¯s not how you treat an employee with seniority.¡±


    ¡°I must digress,¡± Malis countered. ¡°That¡¯s how I treat everyone who keeps me burdened with bags of bananas and buttermilk.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why nobody likes Dokkleshee,¡± Dmitri declared. He pushed up beside them with a large cart loaded with the rest of the supplies, mostly canned goods.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ludicrous, everyone loves us,¡± Terimalis countered. ¡°They must henceforth let us into their hearts.¡±


    The ramp reached the ground with an audible clunk, and Terimalis wasted no time marching up into the cargo hold.


    ¡°Hmph, I think she means people need to let them into their pants,¡± Dmitri suggested with a grin.


    ¡°Gross, Dmitri,¡± Fluffy said, voice quavering in disgust. ¡°Thank you for making me think of Malis taking their pants off. Probably forever.¡±


    Dmitri simply laughed and pushed his load up the ramp after the departed engineer.


    Fluffy examined her work one more time before closing the ramp after them. She turned to depart, heading up the sidewalk towards their rented office two blocks up the street. To her surprise, a lone figure occupied the driveway of the office. They leaned on a parked car, trying to look aloof and failing miserably.


    Fluffy sighed. She had known this was coming as soon as they made a supply run to town. It was very probable someone else had been tipped off that they had money. ''Had'' was the key word, and she dreaded dealing with the people from whom they owed money. But talking with surly collectors was inevitable when Shin was indisposed.


    ¡°Nice little haul you got from the trade authority,¡± the tall man with limp, greasy black hair said, stroking his unshaven chin.


    ¡°Hello, Pavel,¡± Fluffy deadpanned as she trudged up to him. It''s good to see you.¡±


    If there was anyone she was not expecting to see today, it was Pavel Plavsky, the town''s only oral surgeon. A man whose name was far too alliterative for Fluffy¡¯s tastes. Malis found him delightful for the same reason.


    She knew Shin had taken a small loan from the man, but she would have expected angry letters rather than pulling up to their hangar. Dentists weren¡¯t known for their rash decisions.


    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s good to see you too, but I find myself too puzzled to appreciate your company.¡±


    ¡°Puzzled?¡± Fluffy raised an eyebrow.


    Being adopted and raised by a human had made interpreting human turns of phrase easier for Fluffy. But unless she knew someone well, it was hard for her to tell if they were being literal or whimsical. Especially since she¡¯d essentially been feral beforehand,


    She¡¯d only ever met two other of her people - The Noctulum - and they¡¯d seemed to be even worse at it than she was. Not to mention a little bit¡­ Crazy.


    ¡°I look at all that food, and I think¡­ ¡®Huh, that¡¯s funny, Shin has money for all those groceries and no money for paying his debts.¡¯ But that can¡¯t be right, can it?¡± He glared at Fluffy.


    ¡°We only received half of a payment for a job,¡± Fluffy replied, carefully reciting the script Shin had given her. ¡°All debts have been addressed in order of accrual. We reserved only mission funds, with the remainder to be completed within two and a half weeks.¡±


    Fluffy was not stupid, but that string of words had an impressively large number of syllables from her.


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Pavel asked, glowering down at Fluffy.


    ¡°Yep!¡± She said, smiling cheerfully. She made herself genuinely feel the cheer by imagining him going away with that explanation, and maybe dying in a fire.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be good enough,¡± Pavel''s hand strayed towards a pocket, ¡°I know that slick-talking whoreson has something set aside for a rainy day.¡±


    ¡°It looks pretty sunny out today, though, don¡¯t you think? I can let him know you dropped by and pass along a message, if you like.¡±


    That¡¯s when the gun came out. He pulled a standard, clip-fed slug-thrower from his pocket. Its make was indeterminate. It was freshly oiled and had probably never been used. ¡°I¡¯ve got a better idea.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure you don¡¯t,¡± Fluffy¡¯s smile grew. Her mouth opened in a grin to reveal her shark-like teeth. The smile was intended cheerfully but came across as murderous. ¡°We don¡¯t have anything to pay you with right now. I¡¯d be happy to make you a cup of tea while we wait for Shin to wake up from his nap and explain it himself.¡±


    ¡°Or,¡± he countered. ¡°You can come with me, and we¡¯ll see if he feels like coughing up my money when I send him one of his girl''s cute little toes in a box.¡±


    Fluffy¡¯s smile evaporated. Her toes were cute; he was right about that. But the direction the conversation was going was decidedly not. And she and Shin were not a thing.


    "Pavel," Fluffy said, making a horrified and disgusted face after a few connections formed in her brain. You''re a dentist. You could have threatened to pull out my teeth. That would have been awful enough, but you went right to toes?!¡±


    Pavel lifted the gun, thumbing off the safety, his face turning red, ¡°You think you¡¯re cute?!¡± He snarled.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.


    Pavel aimed to the side and shot a round into the walkway. Fluffy flinched slightly, only because a piece of shrapnel clipped one of her ears.


    ¡°Get in the car.¡± He hissed.


    Fluffy narrowed her eyes. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean no?!¡± Pavel clenched.


    ¡°It¡¯s a reply to a request or demand,¡± Fluffy explained. She used and heard the word so often she assumed it was universally understood. ¡°A response in the negative?¡±


    Fluffy had been isolated for a very long time during her formative years. As such, she''d never learned to identify the rhetorical nature of some questions.


    ¡°I know what no means,¡± He hissed, and shook with fury, ¡°But why do you think you have a choice?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m more dangerous than that gun,¡± Fluffy said, slowly shaking her head. ¡°You¡¯d need to get the drop on me for that to work.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re one of those transforming freaks,¡± He sneered. ¡°As long as I don¡¯t give you time to do that stupid Henshift thing you¡¯re just an ordinary kid.¡±


    ¡°First of all, the word is Henshin. It¡¯s classy and beautiful, like me,¡± She tapped her breast bone, ¡°And second, I don¡¯t need to transform to do magic, it just makes .¡±


    ¡°Last chance.¡± Pavel sighted her center of mass, then down towards her legs for a less lethal shot.


    ¡°It sure was,¡± Fluffy said irritably. She snapped her fingers and then held her hand upraised with fingers curled. The action summoned a ball of ruby-red flame the size of a small dog, the shockwave of its igniting blowing her hair around like it was caught in a tornado, and instantly drying her clothes.


    Pavel stared in shock, too stunned to speak. Not many people this far to the south knew what Fluffy¡¯s species even was or how dangerous they could be. Only about a dozen people knew she was a genuine Soul Brand on top of that. And most people were too stupid to understand an unsubstantiated human with a gun was no threat to one.


    Fluffy started to breathe hard, but not in exhaustion; she was getting annoyed and started to wring her hands. ¡°If you¡¯re done being a horse¡¯s patoot, I¡¯ll still make you that cup of-¡±


    Pavel dove for his gun, grabbed it, and began firing wildly in a desperate panic. Anyone who had never seen combat magic in person usually freaked out a little, so this was understandable.


    The hail of bullets were sucked into the fireball where they were vaporized by the burning singularity with a loud hiss.


    When he clicked on empty, she shook out her cramped fingers and blustered. ¡°For a dentist, you¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re a very rude man,¡± she chided, wrinkling her nose. ¡°Are-are you at least done with your piss baby temper tantrum?!¡± She then cringed at her crude use of language.


    Pavel desperately fumbled at a pocket while he ejected the clip from his weapon.


    ¡°No, of course not.¡± Fluffy sighed and snapped her fingers again. A spark shot from between her thumb and index finger and struck Pavel¡¯s gun like a miniature comet.


    Pavel screamed as his gun turned red hot. It burned his hand with a sizzle Fluffy could hear from twenty feet away. He fell to the ground, desperately bashing his hand on the ground until the gun was dislodged. A few charred bits of Pavel''s hand were still stuck to the gun.


    ¡°Ugh, gross,¡± Fluffy¡¯s face screwed up in nausea, ¡°I gave you a chance, mister.¡±


    ¡°King¡¯s balls, Fluffy,¡± Dmitri said. He approached from the side, having kept his distance from the fireworks he knew were coming. ¡°He¡¯s the only dentist in town! Where am I supposed to take my little one for her braces?!¡±


    Fluffy shook herself like a wet dog, a small cloud of ashes dislodging from her hair. ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t thinking about your teeth.¡±


    ¡°Obviously not. What do you want me to do with this asshole?¡± He looked over Fluffy¡¯s shoulder and gestured an all-clear.


    Fluffy dusted the soot off of her hands, making a face as she frantically scrubbed. ¡°Take his dumb butt to the emergency room, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to bother us again today.


    ¡°You could have just waited for us to arrive and administer justice,¡± Terimalis suggested. She took in Pavel as the burly man loaded him into the back seat of his car.


    ¡°She¡¯s a little monster!¡± Pavel screamed petulantly from the back seat of his car. His rant was cut off when Dmitri wheeled the vehicle around and gunned it for the local hospital.


    ¡°Yeah, I probably could have,¡± Fluffy agreed, ¡°But he was talking about doing creepy things to my feet.¡±


    Termilas made a sound halfway between a gag and a sigh ¡°Perhaps that is for the best; I¡¯d have just shot him in his own felonious foot.¡±


    ¡°This is why Shin wants to leave tonight,¡± Fluffy wiped her sooty hands on her hips. ¡°We paid everyone we could without going broke. But a few people further down the list must have heard we¡¯d started paying out. And they¡¯re getting a little¡­¡± Fluffy screwed up her expression trying to find the right word.


    ¡°Thirsty for the watery blood of the willful Asado clan scion?¡± Terimalis suggested.


    ¡°Grumpy,¡± Fluffy corrected.


    ¡°Gratuitously grumpy.¡± Terimalis agreed noncommittally.


    ¡°I think we need to leave as soon as Shin wakes up,¡± Fluffy suggested. ¡°Or someone who¡¯s actually dangerous will come looking for trouble.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go artfully arouse Shin,¡± she suggested.


    ¡°Maybe don¡¯t phrase it that way.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Terimalis steepled her fingers. ¡°For a moment there, you looked pretty cool and collected instead of like a small pink preteen,¡± she admitted.


    ¡°Thanks, I think?¡±


    ¡°Kind of like a large, angry bug. Ablaze.¡±


    ¡°Malis?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±