Chapter 111: Early Afternoon, Folks (Patreon)

We opened the door to the hovercar and alighted onto the black sand. I helped Zinuetet down, and left Day to jump down himself just as I had. The vehicle was suspended in midair by four legs, making it rather resemble a spider. 

We looked on the bunker that was to be our home for the next couple of days, and let out a collective sigh. 

“You’re doing some real crazy shit, you know that, Casimir?” Day rubbed his hands together. 

“Really? I figured it was completely normal.” I scratched underneath my ear. “Don’t let it bother you. This is my scheme, not yours.” I felt in my pocket for the small device that they gave me to contact the Daggers. My mechanical hand had no feeling, but I could feel some resistance, confirming it was there. 

It was a small rectangular device no bigger than a box of matches. All that it had was one red button and a microphone. I preferred the minimalism. It would be easier to conceal. Well, not that I’d need to conceal it. At least, if everything went according to my plan. 

Of late, things rarely had. My apprehension was understandable, then.

“Do you think he’ll be looked after well?” asked Zinuetet. 

I massaged my cheeks, and promptly regretted that. They were still covered in filth. I wiped my face off with my sleeve and said, “He can’t be worse off elsewhere than he is here. At the very least, it’s a chance—a far stretch from what he’d get here. I don’t know.”

“I hope he’ll be okay,” Zinuetet said. “My little brother got on the colony ships with me, but he didn’t join the military. I wonder if… no, that’s not important.”

I said nothing in response. I technically had biological family, but I’d no idea if they got on the ships with me. I sincerely hoped that they didn’t. As far as I was concerned, they were dead. If they were actually dead, it would only be an improvement to that stance. I couldn’t say that I was happier here than I had been on Earth, but at the very least I had someone I could call family for once. 

“We’ve spent enough time out here,” I said, stepping out from the mire of my thoughts. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but… I have to make a call. A very important one. The kind where, if I lose connection, I might lose my life.” I trekked through the sand towards the sliding door. 

“Hey, Casimir,” Day called out as we neared the door. 

“What is it?” 

“I didn’t… uh, I’m not the best at this sort of thing… uh… thanks. I get that I was being a bit unreasonable. Real stupid, honestly. My shoulders are still aching from Ruel. But you stuck with me, helped me. I never woulda thought we’d give the kid to the Daggers, but it all worked out, didn’t it?”

I looked at Day as the doors opened. It was more to put you under my thumb than to help you. Besides, I needed a reason to get into the city anyway. As long as he stays loyal to me, I’ll treat him well. I’ve been a bit soft, lately. That can’t continue. “If you want to thank me, just relay any juicy bits you find with those ears to me. I’ll watch out for you if you watch out for me. That’s the way friends are, right?”

“Heh. Yeah.” He wheezed a few times. 

We entered the door to find Ruel waiting for us on a bed. He sat comfortably with his legs crossed, toying with some sort of puzzle. When he saw us, he tossed it aside. “Welcome back, oh martyrs, standing up to your tyrannical, child-killing Captain.” 

I took it as it was—a joke. Day, however, seemed to be agitated, and I flicked his elbow with my hand to remind him not to make a fool of himself. 

“We’ve settled the date for the attack with the client while you were gone. We move tomorrow. It’s earlier than I thought, but you won’t see me complaining,” Ruel continued, dropping the subject. “For now, rest up. Those bandits were like fattened squirrels; not a particularly challenging match. In comparison, the guards at the mansion will be another beast. Well-equipped. Varieties of attack methods. It’s almost a shame your first fight was with those weak ones.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it, I suppose.” I turned towards the machine that Ruel had used to contact headquarters. I pointed towards it. “Hey, Ruel… can you make calls with that machine?”

“What, got someone you left back on base? Who am I kidding… you probably have several. No, you can’t call specific people. You can contact headquarters, and the heads of some departments. I don’t see any reason why you’d need to use it.”

“Can I call Duke Jewls?”

I hadn’t told Zinuetet or Day who exactly I would be calling, only that I would be calling someone. I did mention it to Day earlier, but I suppose he wrote it off as a joke. I could veritably feel their surprise rolling off them in droves. Duke Jewls had quite a reputation. 

Ruel stopped. “Uhhh… that’s not a man whose time you want to waste, Casimir,” cautioned Ruel. “There’s something I like to say. I’ve lived as long as I have because I haven’t ever talked to Duke Jewls.”

“We’re old drinking buddies,” I said sarcastically. 

“Well… I won’t stop you. It’s your life. But I will start looking for your replacement immediately.” Ruel picked up his puzzle and waved it at me. 

I held my hand behind my back as I walked towards the machine. “You might start looking for a pay raise, instead.”

“Wait, Casimir.” Zinuetet grabbed my arm, and I turned around. 

“If you’re going to show your concern for me, hold it. This is something I’ve been thinking about for nearly the whole year. This isn’t a rash decision. I have a plan in mind.” I pulled my arm free from her grip. “I’ve been showing you a disgraceful side of myself for a while, but I’ve just had a run of bad luck. This time, though, there’s no chance of a mistake. I’ll be fine.”

She bit her lip, and after a long moment of silence, she nodded. I gave her a pat on the shoulder and a smile, and then walked to the machine.

The machine looked more like a vending machine than a phone, but it was serviceable enough. It had an earpiece attached to a winding wire, and I put it in my ear. I navigated through the menu, and after much confusion and frustration, did eventually manage to find a way to call Duke Jewls’ department. 

After a while of waiting, I was greeted with a monotonous, dead-sounding voice. “Hello. Welcome to your local spying store. I’m extremely happy to receive you. You’ve made my day, really. How can we help you? Selling secrets? Betraying your nation? Want revenge on an ex? Duke Jewls spying emporium… has it all.”

I stayed silent at the bizarre-sounding receiver. I felt like I might’ve called the wrong number, but then, I’d never inputted a number. 

“I’d like to make a deal with Duke Jewls. He could potentially win my soul. Interested?”