Mistrunner - Chapter 38 - A Shoulder to Lean On (Patreon)

Sometimes, I wonder how long I’ll live. From my contacts within The Bazaar, I’ve learned that some of the most powerful people in the universe are effectively immortal. That has always seemed like a special kind of hell to me.

Jeremiah Braddock III

I returned to my room at the Dewdrop Inn and went straight to the shower, where I spent far longer than normal just standing under the soothing cascade of hot water. Even as my muscles relaxed, I hung my head and lost myself in wondering how badly I’d messed my mission up.

I had accomplished my goal. My uncle had said that much after taking a look at the chip I’d made containing all the information I’d gleaned from Savanna’s terminal. But in the process, I had killed at least one person. I wasn’t so naïve that I didn’t think killing was sometimes necessary. I knew it was. And after backing myself into a corner, I’d had no choice but to put Burton down. And given everything I knew about the man, I couldn’t really convince myself that the world wasn’t a better place without him in it. But I shouldn’t have put myself into a position where I had to kill him.

And then there was the question of Hadley’s fate. Of Kacie’s. I knew Savanna wouldn’t let the betrayal go without some repercussions, but I wasn’t certain if she would kill her own son. More than that, if she was going to go that far, what would she do to the family I’d followed into the village? To Erica? To Sue, the old woman who’d initially introduced me to the village head? It was possible that my infiltration, which was supposed to have been carried out without violence, could result in a half-dozen deaths.

I needed to be better than that. Not just for myself, but for all the people who’d put their time into training me. I needed to think more and act less impulsively. Sure, I could trace the lines of how I’d ended up where I was, and in the moment, my actions were probably justified. Even reasonable. But every mistake compounded to throw me further off track.

For instance, if I hadn’t been daydreaming on that beach, I would have seen Kacie coming, and I could have evaded her without revealing my strength. Or if I’d have gone with Sadie and her family, creepy son be damned, I could have integrated into the town without drawing Savanna’s attention. That, in turn, would have kept me out of Hadley’s crosshairs.

A hundred little mistakes, none big enough to kill me, but plenty to push me into situations that kept snowballing into more desperate circumstances. It would’ve almost been easier just to kill everyone in town. At least then I would’ve been in control, rather than being swept along like a leaf on a stream.

With a sigh, I shut the water off and stepped from the shower. For once, I didn’t take the amenities of a modern bathroom – even if it wasn’t quite as advanced as what I’d had back in Nova City – for granted. Before grabbing a fluffy white towel, I took the opportunity to inspect my body. The welts that had come from my run-in with the man o’ war were still angry, red, and puffy. By contrast, the gunshot wound in my calf had closed and was well on its way to healing completely, probably due to a combination of Kimiko’s efforts as well as my own Regeneration ability. That, more than anything, hammered home just how venomous the jellyfish had been. Like my uncle had said, I was lucky to be alive.

One look at my hair was enough to elicit a groan. At some point, something had ripped some of it away. It didn’t leave a bald spot – it would take more than a few strands to make an appreciable dent in my mass of hair – but it did leave everything looking a bit lopsided. I spent the next few minutes trying to wrangle it into submission, but, as was so often the case, I ended up just tying it back to keep it out of the way.

Once I finished up in the bathroom, I quickly rummaged through my wardrobe, which was still inside my duffel, to find something to wear. I came up with a pair of green leggings and a black tank top, emblazoned with a giant, green V, which was the logo of one of Nova City’s top fashion houses, Verdant. I’d gotten the top on the second-hand market, and I couldn’t have cared less about high fashion. However, what I did care about was the way it fit, which was perfect.

After donning my comfortable sneakers, I once again checked myself in the mirror. I wasn’t completely disappointed in what I saw. Of course, I would never be a great beauty. Nor did I think I’d ever have someone like Heather’s sultry looks. But I was cute enough. That had to count for something, right?

Satisfied with my appearance, I left my room and descended the steps. The moment I found my way to the common room of the inn, I heard a high-pitched squeal and then something collided with me. I was moving before I even knew what was happening, and in an instant, I was holding someone against the wall by their throat. That’s when I saw Jo’s terrified expression.

“Oh, shit…shit, shit! I’m so sorry!” I exclaimed, letting her free. I backed away. “I didn’t…I don’t…”

“No,” she said, massaging her throat. Her voice was scratchy. “That was my fault. I should’ve known better than to surprise you like that.”

I looked away. “I’m still kind of wound up, I guess,” I admitted. “Still, I should’ve been more careful.”

“So? Where have you been? Can you say?” she asked.

I looked around. “Not here,” was my reply. “Are you working right now? Do you know anywhere we can talk privately?”

“I have just the place,” she said, grabbing me by the wrist and, in seconds, she was dragging me from the building. Of course, I could have stopped her if I wanted to, but I didn’t so much mind.

After a few steps, she let go and, together, we took a left down the street and continued to walk toward the southern edge of town. As we did, I asked, “Have you had any problems from Jack?”

She shook her head. “No,” was her response. “He kind of…uh…disappeared. Not that I miss him. Obviously. But nobody’s seen him around for almost a week. I talked to one of my friends, Charlie, and he said that Jack probably just screwed with the wrong guy. Maybe someone higher up in the Tigers or something. I don’t know, but I’m glad he’s gone. I know you said you took care of it, but there’s still the chance he’d come after me anyway. Now, with him gone, I feel like I can relax.”

I nodded. I didn’t see Jack’s disappearance as a good thing, mostly because I knew precisely how wrong my little attempt at blackmail could go. Not for the first time, I wished I would’ve just killed him. Or given the evidence to one of the other Tigers. Maybe one of the amigos would’ve done something. I wasn’t sure how I could have done things differently, but trying to take care of it alone had been a mistake.

After a few minutes of walking, I followed Jo as she took a right-hand turn down a narrow side street that ended in an ancient-looking fort. The walls were only about fifteen feet high and made of crumbling red brick. There was some evidence of sentry towers, but they had mostly fallen.

“What is this place?” I asked as Jo led me through an unbarred gate.

“It’s called Fort Conde,” she said. “My mom said that it was built almost three-hundred years before the Initialization.”

I ran my hand along the wall, saying, “The walls are kind of short, aren’t they? What would they keep out?”

“I said the same thing,” was her response. “According to her, these kinds of forts weren’t meant for wildlife. They had these big cannons that they used to protect the river, which was important for trade or something. I don’t know. I’ve just always liked it for some reason. Nobody else ever comes here.”

I could see why. The place looked as if it was only a stiff breeze away from falling down. However, I guess that if it had stood for more than three centuries, it probably wasn’t as delicate as it looked. So, I followed her inside and, after a few twists and turns, we found ourselves in an inner courtyard that was overgrown with vegetation. All except one small area, where someone had built a stone table and a couple of benches. She led me to it and climbed up to sit on top of the table.

“So? What happened? Why are you so jumpy?” she asked.

I didn’t immediately answer. Instead, I sat next to her, albeit on the actual bench, and leaned forward. For a few moments, I stared at the long grass, even reaching out to pluck a piece from the ground. Twirling it in my fingers, I said, “I think I got some people killed.”

“What? Who?” she asked.

“In Bayou La Batre,” I said. “It’s this little village down to the south. They’re responsible for some of the raids we’ve seen recently. Well, my job was to get into the village and gather information. But I screwed it up.”

“Why did they trust you with that?” she asked.

To date, I hadn’t told Jo about any of my skills. She had some ideas about them, sure, but she didn’t know anything for certain. And I felt positive that if I were to tell her that I was a Tier-7, she wouldn’t believe me anyway.

“Because my uncle wanted to test me,” I said. “Plus, I had all the skills to make it work. I just didn’t use them right.”

After that, I told her everything that had happened, not leaving anything out. I told her about meeting the family outside of the city, about Hadley and Kacie, about Erica and Sue. I even told her about the giant crab. Finally, I explained how everything had gone wrong, how I’d ended up having to kill Burt. When I got to the part about the man o’ war, her jaw dropped.

“So, that’s what those welts are from?” she asked, reaching out to run a finger over the puckered flesh on my arm.

I nodded. “It hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt before,” I said. “And I’ve been through plenty of pain.”

“Poor thing,” she said.

“Something like that,” I said. “But anyway, once I got out of the water, I started hiking back here. It took me forever because I didn’t want to take any of the roads. And…I guess I got here a couple of days ago. I’ve been at Kimiko’s until this morning.”

As I spoke, Jo nodded along, concern on her face. When it was clear I’d finished, she said, “I think you’re putting too much pressure on yourself.”

I shook my head. “You don’t understand, Jo,” I countered. “So much time and effort and money has gone into training me. That I –”

“Why you?” she asked.

“What?”

“I know your uncle’s a big deal,” Jo said. “Ever since I was little, he’d sweep into town, stay for a couple of days, and then run off again. I know he’s rich. I know he’s in with all the higher ups, like Milo and the amigos. But every time I ask my mom or dad about it, they just tell me to mind my own business. The most I’ve ever gotten from them is that he’s the reason we’re not like a lot of the other small towns. We’re a lot better off, and it’s because of him. Now, he’s spent tons of money on you. He’s hired tons of special trainers, like that uppity bitch, Helen from room three-twenty-one. Or Mistress Burns, as she insists we call her.”

“She’s not that bad.”

Jo cut her eyes at me and said, “She sent her eggs back six times in a single day because they weren’t runny enough. Six times! And then she had the audacity to complain about how slow the service was. Ugh. I was surprised dad didn’t kick her out right then and there. But you know what was the worst? She doesn’t like grits! I mean, seriously. She looked at me like I was trying to poison her when I offered her some. Can’t trust anybody who doesn’t like grits, and that’s the truth.”

I couldn’t really dispute that simple fact. Though, because my uncle had told me so, I knew that it was a regional dish. Other parts of the world ate different things.

“Okay, she’s pretty terrible,” I agreed. “But she’s really smart. And she’s helped me a lot.”

“With what, though?”

“I…I can’t say,” I said. “I’m not trying to be evasive or anything, but my uncle told me not to tell anybody any details about my skills and stuff. I accidently told Kimiko when I first got here, and…well, he made me run for like two hours straight when he found out.”

Indeed, that had been one of the worst experiences of my life. After months of physical training, I could easily handle it, but back then, it had been the most horrible two hours of my life.

“Why not?”

I sighed. “Look, Jo,” I said. “There’s a lot going on that I don’t understand, but there’s one thing my uncle’s told me over and over again. The Initialization was just the beginning. There’s more coming. There’s worse on the way. In less than ten years, the whole world’s going to change, and not for the better. He’s trying to prepare me for that.”

Jo shook her head, asking, “What am I supposed to do with that information?”

“I…I don’t know,” I said. “But that’s all I can say.” I reached over and took her hand. “Just…just promise me that you’ll take it seriously. I can tell you’re only a Tier-2, and your skills are probably already filled, but you need to start working out how you’re going to survive.”

“Y-you’re scaring me, Mira,” she said.

“Good. It’s a scary thing,” I said. “Just promise me.”

“Fine. I promise,” she said. “My dad’s been trying to get me to learn some basic self-defense, so I guess I’ll take him up on it.”

I nodded, saying, “That’s…that’s good. Really good.”

We sat there for a long few moments, with Jo clearly processing what I’d told her. I hadn’t revealed many details, but she had clearly understood the tone of my warning well enough to take it seriously. For my part, I found myself wondering what would happen to everyone once the Integration came in a few short years. Would they all die? Would they be enslaved? Something worse? I had no idea, and I had no way of figuring any of it out. Jeremiah wasn’t exactly a wellspring of information, and as far as I could tell, nobody else really knew what was coming. Not even Milo or the amigos. Or if they did, they weren’t telling me, which amounted to the same thing, as far as I was concerned.

Finally, she said, “What do you want to do now?”

“I…I don’t know,” I admitted. When I’d left my room, I’d really had no idea how I wanted to spend my miniature vacation, and that hadn’t changed in the interim.

“You know what? I have an idea,” she said.

“What kind of idea?” I asked, wary of the gleam in her eye.

“Well, I’ve noticed that you never really do anything with your hair,” she said.

“I don’t ever have time!” I argued, but the truth of the matter was that I’d never had anyone to teach me about those kinds of things. The best my uncle could do was put it in braids. And for better or worse, my hair wasn’t like Jo’s or Heather’s or a lot of the other girls I’d met in my life. To put it mildly, it didn’t like to cooperate.

“Well, I have a friend named Kristy,” she said. “And her mom does hair. I was thinking that…maybe…I don’t know – we could go and get our hair done or something?”

“I don’t know…”

“C’mon! It’ll be fun!” she insisted. “And she’s really good. She can do whatever you want her to do. Like, she should be working in Nova City and doing hair on one of the shows on the entertainment feeds, she’s so good.”

I really didn’t want to do it, but I didn’t see a way out, either. Jo was clearly excited about the prospect, and I didn’t want to disappoint her. So, I nodded, she squealed in delight, and before I knew it, we were heading through town to visit a hairdresser.