Male laughter made me look up and see him coming. He was here.
“I have arrived. Are you ready to bargin?!” Owen Sigma said.
The Fixer had appeared at last. This was it.
“I will accept your unconditional surrender and worship as your new God.”
“I think your getting a little a head of yourself. By the looks of these men you have yet to break them.”
Damn right! I just needed one chance. I was never giving up.
“My people’s leaders will fight to the last man and then set the city a blaze rather then surrender to you. It is the way of the nomad. No. It is the way of all people here. I say however, we settle the matter between you and I?”
Frost let go of my brother and walked over to Sigma to face him. “A duel?! I accept. Name your champion.”
I could hear Largo laughing over my headset radio. I smiled.
“Bro. Look up ahead. It’s Frost himself waiting for us! At the raid location no less. Huh?!” Largo said.
“Looks like we were finally able to draw him out of hiding in the background. You know what that means?!”
“Mission accomplished!” I said feeling the full satisfaction of knowing we had played this asshole into finally coming out into the open where we could hit.
“Aw. Look at him coming to greet us. He must be fans of ours!”
I laughed as we got off our bikes the mission was done. The reat depended on whatever plans the Boss or kings had going.
< Get out of there. It’s done!> Hexi yelled over the radio.
We cut the line. We couldn’t do that we still had to keep the ice head located to location until the Boss made his move.
I turned drawing my P 20 and fired it and saw that same green flames coming out of the nose of my revolver and felt the pull of energy come out of me. I smiled as the ice head blew away into pieces. I turned to Omarion. “I got him!”
Omarion was looking past me down at the enemies still approaching us. “Not him. Look. It’s him.”
I turned and stared. At the powerhouse baring down on us like a fucking missile from a Death cruiser!
“Him!”
“Holy shit!”
“Who the hell is that?!” Omarion asked.
“Wow!” I said. The kid was cutting up a storm.
He drove up to us grinning like a school kid that won the big game. He nodded to us. “The name’s Nav! They call me the Sandman! Hexi sent me to keep you guys alive and put Ice heads to SLEEP!!”
He had a set of balls on him. I wondered though who the hell he was. Omarion nodded his head though. “Thanks for coming Nav. I’ve heard of you and welcome abroad to help us get to our mission.”
I nodded to the others with him. “Whose your crew?”
Nav shrugged. “My little brothers. I’m their alpha and elder.”
Holy shit. This kid was the real deal. An alpha at his age of a pack!? Damn. Hexi must have paid good credits for this guy. I nodded to him. “Thanks for coming.”
author notes “Fuck ya! This shit is metal as fuck!”
Damn Ice heads! They were crawling all over the fucking city. We had an E.T.A. of forty minutes more until we reached the location we were supposed to raid. I still couldn’t believe we had missed finishing our last job completely. It was fustrating as hell but I promised the boss we were going to get back the-
<Omarion. Wake the fuck up! You got a enemy coming at you.> Largo roared at me from my headset radio.
I drew my modified P-19 and fired taking out an enemy right as I heard Largo screaming my name over the radio.
I felt the bastard claw my armor from behind and the freeze started to creep in as I felt my element rise to the surface as my rage exploded. I felt the fire and lightening as it made my vision turn crimson. Time slowed down as I leaped off my bike turning toward my enemy.
My fist connected first smashing into him and then did a swift kick to his body away half of his body and sending him rolling away on the streets. I reached for my bike pulling it back toward me and jumped back on and raced away. Largo caught up with me and bumped fists and continued on.
Dad was avoiding my calls so I decided to put on my headset and jack into the cyberspace Corporate server to come looking for him at his apartment office. He wasn’t around. I scanned the area until I found him outside and appeared before him.
Dad smiles at me. “What’s going on baby girl? I thought you would be getting your beauty rest. How you doing?”
Dad seemed fine and relaxed. I felt at ease and smiled back. “I’m fine. I was just wondering why you haven’t been taking my calls. You headed out?”
Dad nodded staring at me with a shaky grin on his lips. “Yeah. I got a job sent my way and my other responsibilities have called me out of my apartment for a bit. Daisy is going to pick me up and drive me around. You really should get your sleep. Your a busy President.”
I blinked in surprise and then remembered. Dad was a King of Newark City State. I then frowned as a transporter pulled up on the curb beside Dad. The door slid down to reveal the single passenger inside.
I stared open mouthed as I realized who she was. “Daisy?! Is that you?”
The beautiful female smiled. (Confirmed. Greetings President Sergio.)
Dad slid inside beside Daisy and smiled up at me. “I’ll see you later honey. Don’t be worrying about your old Dad. I’ll be back to Sergio servers in a few hours. Give me a kiss for luck.”
I grinned at him and bent down and kissed his cheek. “Go get the bag Daddy.” I said straightened up. I still gave Daisy a look. She nodded in understanding. I was counting her to bring him back safe.
The door slide up again and then took off for the open cyberspace network.
I had finished my dictation on the plans I had lined up for Cooper’s up coming battles only to see him staring at me silently with friendly laughter in his dark eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked.
Cooper shook his head. “Your very sexy when your planning out a battle. You ever think of being a education merchant?”
“Yes. I have. Though I honestly don’t think I would make much of a good merchant in financial and tactical strategies. Marketing isn’t my strong suit.” I said and then waved a hand at the board. “Is any of this useful to you at all or do you already have plan of action and were merely entertaining yourself by giving me this task to busy my mind instead of worrying about my sons.”
Cooper pointed to one section on the board.
“That part right there you put up on the side there about cyber hacking military systems linked into the cyberspace gives me an idea for a job I can float to a former solo operator. It might be up his lane currently. Everything else. Will take some time to get done so save it to the back up files on your new Detapad. Is it big enough?”
I smiled. “It is the right size and I able to handle it with care. Thank you again.” I said and looked back up at the board. “Are you sure that line for military hacking will be helpful? It is the one bit of information I know little about it.” I asked and then felt Cooper behind me wrapping his thick muscular arms around me. I leaned back against him.
“I think it’s a strong possibility it can be helpful and if not it I’m current it will be fun to see how it plays out for Frosty and his ice head army.” Cooper said with a light hearted dark humor to his voice.
I watched newsfeeds of the events broadcasted on the cyberspace unfold and felt like an itch to be out there and wish I could. I was out of the game though. My mind stuck in the virtual cyberspace. A forced retirement. Still I existed and I would use whatever means I could to win. No way in hell was I leaving my baby girl to live in any shit hole the ice head had planned for dream realm subjugation.
Hexi’s name was flashing on my call screen. I hit a button on my keyboard and smiled as I saw Hexi along with Largo and Omarion in the background images appear on my dashboard. They were a pretty exceptional group I had come to deeply respect and take pride in the fact that they road with my pack.
“What’s up boss? I like your new digs.” Omarion said.
“Thank you, Omarion good to see you. Mr. Astro! What’s going on Sir?”
“Their in the city. Boss. They almost took us out on the way to our home base.” Largo said. “It’s fucking on tonight. What you got for us?” He said with a smile.
I smiled. “I got plenty of work for you Mr. Astro. But first. I got promises to keep. Omarion. I promised you an item for doing me a solid regarding everything you have done for my corporation and my baby girl. Your going to need it.” I said and snapped my fingers.
Omarion had a puzzled look on his face and started to say something. I waved my hand and the sword disappeared from the cyberspace into the real world in a sword belt behind Omarion’s back. He jumped and looked behind himself at the sword and then back at me. The other two shared similar looks of surprise. “Damn. That is impressive. I’m thinking you most have a big job for us.”
I nodded. “I’m sending Hexi, the details. The short of it is your going to be raiding a corporate business of seven assets that have been hidden away in a closed down corporation.”
Largo frowned shaking his head. “I don’t get it Boss. What do seven assets have to do with the war going on outside?”
I smiled. “Everything, Mr. Astro. Your assignment will become clear when you find them and the holder of the assets. The corporation is the Princess Inc.”
“No fucking way. We burned those fuckers.”
Hexi was silently shaking her head as she reviewed the material I sent her on her end. She was frowning glaring at the information. “I guess we missed one. Is this the chick that jammed you up?”
I shook my head. “Oh no. I have an idea where she is but I don’t have a solid lead to send you after her just yet. No this is the female that personally retired me permanently to my current state you see before you.”
Omarion nodded. “We’ll bury her and claim the assets. She isn’t getting away tonight.”
“Be careful Omarion. She has evaded us so far and she is a powerful human elemental. Do not over estimate her powers like I did.”
“I got you Boss. She evaded us so far but there’s no way in the nine hells I’m going to let her get away tonight. We’ll send you a photo of the body to confirm it’s her to be sure until then we’ll be on the hunt.” Omarion said.
Fucking shit! The fuckers were in the city already and gaining at my back door. Omarion kept looking back like he was thinking of doing something stupid. I waved him on. We had to make to keep going. I had to figure out how to shake this shit head on my own.
I felt something. It was like a feeling of something creeping up on me. I leaned to the side on instinct and watched a stream of light barely go past me. But I felt the heat of the shot on my shoulder. I saw the ice energy hit Omarion but he burned it off with his powers and kept going. Fuck this shit.
I turned my bike around and drew my P20-Hawk and fired on the hover car.
I watched in surprise as the hover car caught on fire with green flames and then a second later exploded. “Holy shit! What the fuck?!” That was unexpected. Where the fuck did those green flames come from?
<Largo! Haul ass. Hexi says the invaders are flooding into the city. We got to get off the street. The Boss is waiting for us. Come on!> Omarion voice said over my head radio.
“Shit. Copy that!” I holstered my piece and took off quickly catching up to my brother.
It was plashed all over the city now in advertisements pushed toward the Nomads and underground business sector. I had managed during this time to buy out the company I wanted during the upheaval.
War was here again in the dream realm. The newsfeed solos were out recording the advance of the frost army toward the city but they had already sent out agents toward the farming expansions outside of the city. Once they took captive all the farms they would attempt to starve us out and then the Frost bastard would come making his proposal for our surrender of the realm into his federation of realms under his control. It was strange. I remember when the war began I had been a small child apart of large pack and then in five years I had become one of the last soldiers fighting back the frost army until the war was ended.
Hmm. Ended?! No. The war hadn’t ended it just had been put on a pause and now given the enemy enough time and knowledge the realm to strike at us for takeover and raid on all our asses and assets. The war felt like decades ago at one point now I felt the itch and wondered if I would be able to resist taking a leave of absence from the company to go out against the invader trash. There would be no truce this time. No. This time we had to totally destroy any and all fight in the enemy. The question was how. If the HeavyMetal Dragon couldn’t drive that fear into the frost king and his soldiers what the hell would? I felt a buzz in my pocket and took out my detapad. “Take Call!”
“What’s going on in your head baby girl? Talk to me!”
I shook my head. “War. We’re headed into the shit again.”
“Okay. I’m missing the part where any of that has to do with you. Let the Kings and generals in charge handle it. How’s business going?”
“Good. I bought out the company and we’re in the process of valuing the assets for sale and then building up the company to earn more. Easy work. Easy money. Why don’t you want to challenge Sigma? Is it because you don’t trust me to handle him or you don’t think I’m strong enough?”
“None of that shit. Sigma doesn’t own a business. He is his business. All that paperwork about a business that’s an illusion he uses to hide what he is. Sigma is an enigma. I don’t fuck with his type. Their to much of a mystery. You can’t figure out where the fuck they’ll strike back at you or with what weapon. I don’t trust them and I don’t fuck with anything they might own. Hold on, Daisy! Bring up Sigma’s file!”
(Confirmed)
I looked up to my screen as profile appeared of Owen Sigma.
Early 40s to late 30s. Former Nomad class. Former Runner. Former Solo Sniper warrior. Currently Underground class. Job title THE Fixer. Net worth 3.5 Million ebs.?!
I frowned at the last line. “Daisy. Two questions. What’s up with the Net Worth issue about and what’s up with job title THE Fixer? Fixer is a common enough low class job title in the Underground business sector. Sigma owns a corporation. Shouldn’t he be a executive class?”
(Negative. Fixer is a common job title for thirty-five hundred citizens in the city state however THE Fixer is the main job class of the current King of the Underground so his net worth can not possible me Under 3.5 Million ebs. Estimation of net worth is a fabrication.)
I leaned back in my chair and looked down at Dad’s image on my detapad. “I didn’t know the underground sector had a King status.”
Dad shook his head. “They didn’t. Sigma chose to stay in the Underground instead of going into the Executive branch and he managed to do what nobody in that sector has done sense it’s inception. He legitimized it. You didn’t even notice how you call it the underground business sector. That wasn’t a common thing in my time growing up. Sigma did that when he got the authority kings on his side and started charging his services publicly to executives and everybody in between. It took him twenty years to do it. None of the kings knows what the hell he’ll do in the next twenty let alone what he’ll do now that war is coming to the city with him in power. He’s ghosting us right now. But, we know that asshole is Fixing to do something big if he hasn’t started it already.”
I started to ask him how he knew what the kings were thinking then it hit me. I stared at him. He wasn’t my Dad right now. He was A king of Newark City State. “So do you know what other the kings are planning?”
Dad shrugged. “The kings position is clear. Their invasion is their annialtion. The kings are taking out ever last one of them fuckers and destroying whatever back key or backstabbing bitch got them back into the dream realm. The last time we were in defense this time they ain’t seen shit yet. They going to learn quick enough to leave us the fuck alone and stay the fuck off our block. But, you don’t need to worry about the lightning storm about to come down on that Ice head Frusty. When the time comes there’s going to be businesses I’m going to need you to capture and raid of assets. Mr. Golden is going to be your back up while you go to war in the executive sector. You got me!”
My heart was hammering in my chest but I nodded my head. Things were beginning to become clearer now and why My Dad the King was insistent I think of myself as an executive. What better means of masking what I was or what he needed me to do. “Yes. I got you. You don’t have to worry about me. Just concentrate on what you need to right now and when the time comes tell me what business you want the corporation to look at targeting.”
Dad sighed and seemed to relax his face into a smile. “That’s good. That’s good. Trust me Baby girl. I know it seems boring and easy work to you but your doing and what your going to do is important to your future.”
I smiled. My head hurt at the stress that now I really couldn’t screw this up for him. He was depending on me in the war. Traitors.
The streets were empty tonight with the news coming in about the second invasion. The Kings were setting up a meeting and already recruitment was taking place to defend the city at all costs. The real problem was going to be the food shortage to take place once the invader trash went after the farms outside the city. My radio buzzed in my helt receiver. “Accept call!”
< Bro. I got a call from Hexi. She needs us to head into to home Base. She says the Boss has got a job for us. >
“Got it. I’m heading back to the place now. Tell her were on the way now. Copy!”
< Copy that.>
We rode on toward our apartment building. The skies above were violent with a lightning and ice smashing against each other above our heads. I wondered how we were going to do this time. Last time, the ice bastard was trying his hand at another take over of the city.
< Bro!>
“I know. We’re going to have to make it count this time and kick ice bastard’s balls back into his body. One thing is for sure The Kings aren’t going to make any deals this time. Cy can’t help us anymore. But before all that shit. We got to do a job for the boss man.”
