Sell you a Bridge chapter 15 (Patreon)

The drive home was uneventful, mom asked us about our day and asked  Artemis to stay for dinner, she'd brought take out from the bar. I'd  called in to GNB and had a card overnighted to the condo for her after  our little discussion on monday. We'd come to the silent agreement that  she wouldn't ask and just trust the way she raised me but she had much  more financial freedom and had plans to spend tomorrow picking out  furniture on her day off. Artemis stayed for a steak and then I checked  my email, I found a solid looking coding message but it was seventy five  points so it would still take me a few days.

Finally  I laid down in bed. Mom had those delivered and the doorman of the  building signed for them and let the movers in so we would have  somewhere to sleep. After all, it wasn't like we had anything for them  to steal yet. I was burrowing under the blankets to get warm and just on  the edge of drifting off when my phone rang. I pried my eyes open and  glared at the offending device. The bright light from the screen was  blinding in my dark room, but only a few people had this number. I  privately hoped Annabel was calling for a midnight tryst but even with  superpowers my luck wasn't that good. It was Reggie. I hit the screen to  answer the call and grunted "This better be good man. I was just about  to fall asleep."

I  heard ragged breathing in the phone and sat up immediately wanting to  get my brain working by getting myself in motion. The breathing  continued for a minute before Reggie's voice came on the line,  stuttering and clearly terrified "M-Morgan? Yeah, I'm sorry about the  time, I just...I'm in some trouble. I need help. I know we barely know  each other but I couldn't think of anyone else to call. They're  everywhere, I don't know who to trust. Can you come meet me? I really  need some help but I can't talk on the phone. This is a burned but I  know they have ways of monitoring calls." He sounded frantic, babbling  and nearly hyperventilating from fear.

I  cut him off "Whoa. Slow down man, yeah I can swing by. Or should I meet  you somewhere?" He sounded near to tears from fear. I had no clue why  he would call me or who "they" were, but Reggie seemed cool and i wasn't  going to leave someone literally begging me for help hanging no matter  who it was. Besides I was a fucking ninja now. I took a breath and  decided how to proceed. "Give me an address and meet me there as soon as  you can. I'm on the way." He rattled off a few numbers that I wrote  down and then hung up, thanking me profusely.

I  made another call informing a grumpy and very tired Artemis I was going  somewhere risky and needed backup then checked the time. Two AM. I  downed a chalky shake and felt myself bulk a bit and popped open my dvd  player to do my lesson. By the time I was finished I heard the door open  and then close, Artemis clearly having gotten ready and come over. I  closed my eyes, letting her wait as I went over my gains for today. This  lesson had been a combat style and a power for removing traces. Nothing  with high engagement, some joint locks and pressure point stuff to get  enemies off you or immobilize them while they escaped, but enough to  make me glad I'd done it before leaving.

The  flurry of activity was intense, but finally I opened my eyes and took a  few deep calming breaths. Artemis was standing in my room looking  impassive, but when she saw my gaze land on her she raised an eyebrow.  "What the hell Morgan? It's two in the morning and we have school  tomorrow. If I miss the tryouts for track team I'm going to whoop your  pasty ass." Her words were snappy and irritated but I could tell from  her tone she was concerned. It meant a lot that she was willing to get  up like this and come over just because I asked. "Now what's going on?  And if this was an attempt at a booty call I'm going to break your  nose."

I put  my hands up in a placating gesture "Of course it wasn't. A friend of  mine called. Reggie, from school. He was freaking out and said someone  was after him, kept babbling on about 'them' being everywhere and me  being the only person he could trust. It's nuts, he seemed fine at  school earlier, but he sounded really afraid and I'm pretty worried." As  I spoke I walked over and lifted up my mattress pulling out and  fastening my tanto and my shuriken. My trace removal power actually  retrieved my shuriken. I'd had an inkling of something like that, one of  the only reasons i felt ok buying throwing weapons. I had zero idea how  to use the tanto, but learn by doing right?

Artemis's  annoyed expression softened and she gave me a fond smile. "Well I can  hardly bitch about you wanting to help out a friend, especially one you  haven't been close to long.  I know you'd do the same for me. Plus if  someone really is after him it's probably some random street thugs. I  bet we can kick their asses easily." Now that she knew this wasn't a  random wake up at two in the morning she seemed to be getting a bit  fired up. I smiled to myself Artemis might be excited to do the normal  girl thing at school but she still wanted to kick ass. Luckily tonight  she was going to get her wish.

We  slipped out of the apartment, and between Artemis's training and my  skill we didn't wake anyone up and were downstairs withing minutes. I'd  called ahead for a cab, they ran all night in Gotham if you could pay,  and I could, and with a few muttered words to the driver we were off to  the address Reggie had given. It turned out to be an all night diner,  which suited me fine, and I could see why he would be comfortable  meeting here given the harsh lighting and open spaces. It was a pretty  good spot to meet if you were scared.

Reggie  was seriously out of it. He didn't notice me until I actually sat down  and he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw me. He barely noticed  Artemis at all. His eyes flicked around frantically before settling on  us. "Thanks for coming man. I didn't know who to trust. They're  everywhere. I'm pretty sure you aren't with them though, for a few  reasons." He finally looked at Artemis "I was hoping you would come  alone, but I'm not going to bitch about extra help. Nice to meet you,  you must be Artemis, Morgan never shuts up about you."

Artemis  gave a self satisfied smirk but I cut in before this could go anywhere  embarrassing "Pleasantries aside, what the hell man? What are we doing  here? What are you into? Who are they? What do they want from a high  school student? I'm here to help but you owe me an explanation. We don't  even know each other than well and you called me? Why am I the only  person you could trust with this?" None of this was making sense and  some of his paranoia was rubbing off on me. I felt like we were being  watched.

Reggie  sighed and nodded, his shoulders slumping in exhaustion, like the fear  was the only thing keeping him upright. "I can't tell you their name.  They don't like when people talk about them, and they have ears  everywhere. As for why? Well you know my family has been going downhill  financially. What you don't know is that it's been happening for a  while, we were able to get by ok without giving up our lifestyle with  some creative bookkeeping but we were a paper tiger. My dad wanted to  change that, he was a brilliant guy and amazing with money. He knew he  could turn the family around with an infusion of cash."

He  laughed, a high pitched, frantic sound "He took out a loan of sorts.  Petitioned some very powerful people for backing, and given his track  record they agreed. Except a few months ago dad died in a car accident."  His eyes started to glisten with unshed tears, and I suddenly  understood why he always looked so pale and thin at school. Grief can do  that from what I hear. "I didn't even know about the deal, until I got  home from school today and found someone waiting for me. He told me my  dad owed money, and since he was dead I was on the hook for the debt. He  said if I didn't repay it he would kill my mom and my little sister."

I  winced "Jesus man, I'm so sorry. But what does this have to do with me?  I can't exactly front you the money for what I assume must be a  multimillion dollar debt." I actually probably could if I felt like it,  but I doubted he knew that, so why had he called? The feeling of being  watched just wouldn't go away. I suspected it was some kind of ninja  instinct, but whoever it was hadn't made a move yet so I could only  ignore it. I glanced around and tried to spot them subtly but no one in  the diner felt like the observer.

He  shook his head "They don't want money. They said that they funded dad  because they wanted to trade on his influence. Once our company got back  into the black it would have restored most of our reputation, my family  are old money here. But the issue is that they know I can't do the same  thing. I even offered to return the money, but they don't want it."

I could hear the genuine dread in his voice as he talked about whoever this group was. "They  said if I want out of the debt I need to get something for them. Some  kind of knife. It's apparently super old and some kind of artifact, they  want me to steal it from some house on the edge of town, and they only  gave me a week to do it. Big creepy place, the people who live there are  weird, they even named it."

I  raised an eyebrow "What house? What knife? Why do they think you can  steal it? No offense but you aren't exactly Catwoman, why would they  send you? And why did you call me about this again? I swear to God if  you assumed I could help you break into a house because I'm from the bad  part of town I'm going to punch you in the dick." I wouldn't leave him  hanging of course, not when his family might be killed, but it kind of  hurt to consider I'd been called for help just because he thought poor  people made better criminals.

His  eyes widened and he shook his head, putting his hands up placatingly  "It's not like that man! I called you because I'm pretty sure they don't  think I can steal it. They're giving me an impossible task to put me in  a bad spot. I don't know if they want me deeper in debt or if they're  just sickos who want to watch me squirm before they kill me, but I don't  trust them.I'm terrified they might just be toying with me, like I'll  turn around and they'll be there, telling me it's a huge joke and  they're going to kill me anyway."

"You're  the only person I know who I can be positive isn't connected to them. I  can't say why here. As for the house and knife, the knife is some kind  of old welsh thing with a weird name I can't pronounce. The house is  some big creepy place on the edge of Gotham." His face twisted in  concentration "I can't remember the name of it for the life of me. It's  something weird and pretentious, like some old castle or something, but  pretty edgy too." He paused and then snapped his fingers "Right, they  said it was called 'Shadowcrest'."