Chapter 12: Sweet Opium To Ease Dying

[Aubrey 16]

"Well, its settled then, Bambi will go with you, Mr. Dollar, and this Tuvi woman." She said, not caring if the pair approved of her plan. "You can't possibly let Bambi go to a social function by herself, or even worst-" She gasped loudly and dramatically. "-with another man! Shes going to get snatched away from you!" The android snapped her fingers. "Just like that."

She grinned when he complimented her outfit. "Really, you like it? Well, of course you do, I don't see how anyone couldn't. Usually, I'm much more vibrant, but I was reprimanded in front of Bambi's apartment, and told to change." She pouted a little. "Life is not fair."

"Oh, I have all sorts of special abilities, courtesy to the SOTA engineers. Super-speed, super-strength, amazing reflexes, nothing's getting passed me." She smirked a little. "And I feel bad for any idiot that attempts anything." Actually, she didn't feel bad. She didn't really feel anything, ever. The only reason she'd ever said that was because she'd heard a few people saw it and thought it sounded pretty snazzy.

[Bambi Engel]

After pulling the skirt as far down as it would go again, Bambi sighed mentally. She was glad Peter had focused the conversation onto Aubrey. At Aubrey's insistence she was going with Peter, Dinari, and Tuvi, she simply remained quiet.

She'd just go alone anyway, the android wouldn't be there to force her to go with them. Right? Creditors didn't go to the ball unless to act as bodyguards. What if Annette assigned Aubrey as her body guard?

Her skull buzzed so she decided to redirect her train of thought. Her aches were, for the most part, gone. She didn't think that was all too natural, but it must be. Maybe they were just going to come back in the morning.

Lifting her hand, her fingers gingerly touched her side where the car had hit. With a flinch, she let her hand drop again. At least something still hurt so she knew she wasn't dying or something. It looked as if it was going to bruise when she had inspected it while changing.

The cuts on her knee on the same side also dully ached. She hoped they wouldn't scar, but she knew nothing about that. Maybe she'd look it up online when she had the time.

[Peter "Levitas" Barak]

"I'd be more than happy to escort Ms. Engel to the event," replied Peter with a smile. He pulled off his left gloves and flexed his long fingers. Blue light hummed about his skin and small arcs of lightning jumped between his finger tips. "Besides," he clenched his fist, which crackled with contained lightning, blue flashes showing between his fingers, "I feel sorry for the guy who tries to 'snatch' her."

He snook his hand out, the lightning and glow vanishing in an instant. "Anyway, to the matters at hand, yes?" He replaced his glove as the elevator dinged. They were on the ground floor. He stepped out of the elevator, adjusting his coat again as he did. "So, does anybody know the T.Booth number for Switzerland?"

[Bambi Engel]

Bambi tensed again as Peter said he'd be more than happy to escort her, but his wording made her relax a little. Escort didn't exactly mean be her date or something. She watches the electricity flow through his hand with a bit of awe.

... Strange, she could never recall being shocked by it. Of course, he wore gloves and he was probably careful to avoid skin contact with people. Still, she was positive of at least one time she had touched his bare skin.

Shrugging it off, she thinks of making a comment about the whole getting snatched away part, but keeps quiet. Maybe she'd ask Danny to come with her, just to freak Aubrey out. It'd be a good laugh. She knew she wouldn't actually though. Besides, she got the impression Danny disliked Manalism greatly, along with Tuesday.

She wasn't such a fan either though it had good ideals, but she wouldn't want to put Danny through the same torture she went through yearly.

After Peter stepped out, she walked out with Aubrey and nodded. "Of course. I'm sure it's programmed into Aubrey, too. It'd be silly not to have a creditor know the number to reach their head quarters." She reasoned.

[Lena Eva Aysel]

"Tell him you'll be there." There was little choice, she'd rather deal with it now even if it was a trap than hunt this guy down. Besides, she was confident in Sy's abilities.

Glancing back at Markus and Sidapa, she nodded to them. "We'll take cover around the area from different angles." There was no point in waiting now. She glanced back to Sy to wait for her to text back.

Once she did it'd probably be best they went ahead of her to get positioned.

[jackswaggert]

Swaggert, was flying down the road as fast as he could. Jack had to catch Duddy and help him, Duddy had know idea what he was getting into. Jack Swaggert had been in the clandestine services all of his life, so he never got caught when doing anything, let alone planting a bug, today he plant two, one on Sy of course and one on Duddy, which John Duddy did not know about. This whole thing started after Sy had brought Duddy to his place after the Red Infinity mission Duddy created.

When Sy brought Duddy, over and Swaggert had dressed his wounds, Sy stayed by the bedside all night, so Swaggert took it upon himself to check her out. He called a contact called "The Teacher" who was a man who knows things, he told Swaggert that there was absolutely no data on her, That figures," Jack mumbled back. Jack then quietly had crept into the room where Duddy was passed out and Sy was sleeping and searched her bag. He found a weapon that was not typical, for someone to use for protection, thats when he planted the device on both of them.

Now within 10 miles of where Duddy was making his ambush, Swaggert could feel that pressure to help him mounting. Jack took a big swig of moonshine whiskey and did not feel a thing. He had been drunk since yesterday and that drink was much needed to keep his awareness up, Jack Swaggert only hoped that he could barethe withdrawal whent he time came to help Duddy.

[Alexei Nacharade]

Alexei began to get restless. He finally resigned himself to pursuing Bambi, but decided to be cautious about it, and to enlist a little help. Taking out his phone he dialed Sharon Anderson, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for her to pick up.

[Aubrey 16]

Aubrey nodded and grinned, apparently pleased that Bambi and Peter weren't objecting to her plans for them, not that she would've let them object, anyway, but it was nice not to have to push for things to go her way. "Of course you would be, and you two are just going to look so fabulous, and have the greatest time."

She didn't pay much attention the electric current flashing around Peter's hand, instead she swatted Bambi's hand away from her bottom when she tried to pull her short skirt down...again. "Leave it." She scolded. "It's supposed to look like that, keep pulling and you'll rip it."

She nodded again. "I have the teleportation number to Global Bank headquarters as well." Aubrey announced, walking out of the elevator with Peter and Bambi, she stopped for a moment, to straighten her skirt which was a little rumpled around the front, then continued on with the pair.

[Sharon Anderson]

Sharon sat at the bar while Danny and Kiley had their fun, attempting to get drunk. It was frustrating at times, she found she had a higher tolerance than most other people she drank with. Upon feeling her phone vibrate, she sighed.

She was surprised to see Alexei's number and answered, plugging one ear with her finger to better hear him. "Yeah?" She answered, trying to shout loud enough over the music but low enough as not to draw attention to herself.

[Alexei Nacharade]

"It's Alexei," He said, "How soon can you get to Allwhere Florida equipped from a long ranged conflict? You'll be paid well, and I need your help pursuading an accountant named Bambi. Meet me there."

[Sharon Anderson]

"I'll be there in a second." Sharon stated. She still had Kiley's labor card, so she didn't have to bother her before leaving. She mused for a moment about leaving her alone before deciding it was safe enough.

Hanging up the phone, she moved back over to Kiley and paused to whisper in her ear. Well, as well as you can whisper in a club. "I got work. I'm trusting you, don't let me down." With that, she ruffled younger woman's hair a bit and left.

Teleporting back to Florida, she walked to her apartment and into her work room. She sorted through the guns she had just finished, picking one of the sniper ones and moving back across the room. She grabbed a second leaning against the wall in case there was a problem with the one she had just altered.

Sometimes it happened, the trigger getting jammed or something. Usually easily fixable things, but she wanted a back up just in case. Leaving her apartment, she pulled her phone out and called Alexei back. "Where am I setting up bud?"

[Alexei Nacharade]

"Over looking a cafe on the beach called 'la bellaza roja.'" He explained, "Be sure you have clear shots on the tables out front and we're fine. Be set up within the hour."

He then hung up and grudgingly went through the teleportation booth. Another thing Archie had gotten for him from Global Bank's employee information was Bambi's phone numer. He was already near the cafe as he dialed Bambi's number and waited patiently.

[Bambi Engel]

Bambi opened her mouth to comment about how she could possibly rip it, when her phone went off. "Oh, perhaps that's Annette." She paused to pull her phone from the skirt pocket, glancing at the number. She'd never seen it before, but Annette could be calling from anywhere.

As she answered she pushed her glasses up, hoping it was Annette. "Bambi Engel speaking." She spoke in her usual tone she used for professional business. There was only a few number of people it could be unless someone had gotten their heads on her number.

... What if that man Alexei had? She tensed as the thought entered her mind, waiting for the reply. Could he have tracked her already?

[Alexei Nacharade]

"Hello, dearest, it's me. The gentleman you threw coffee onto. Look, I feel we got off to a bad start, and a misunderstanding." He neared the cafe and took a seat at one of the tables sitting outside on the beach, " I want you to meet me in Allwhere. I know that's where you went, regardless of where you are now. I'm at a cafe called 'La bellaza roja.'"

He got a waiter to deliver a bottle of tequila and a shot glass.

"I want this to be a friendly meeting," He explains, "But if you aren't here in fifteen minutes there will be consequences. I did some looking into and found out where you lived, and then I had a friend of mine, ex-corporate mercenary...great guy!"

He chuckled and tossed back a shot.

"Anyway," He said, "I had him wire your happy dwelling with explosives, and if you don't show up, or the police come instead, it'll be blown sky high." This was actually a bluff. He knew no such corporate mercenary, nor did he even know where she lived. It might work, though.

"So, fifteen minutes from the time I hang up. You don't have to be alone, but if I see any police, I burn where you live and spend the rest of my energy and resources tracking you down. Fifteen minutes. Go."

Then he hung up and sighed pleasantally, pouring another shot. He hoped Sharon was in position by now.

[Bambi Engel]

Oh, this day just got better and better. Who the hell did this guy work for? Bambi pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it, wondering what to do. The smart thing was just not go, she had nothing at her house she really cared about.

But she lived in an apartment, with other people around her. If her apartment blew up, they'd probably be killed. She sighed mentally. If she was a real Manalist, she would just go back to Global Bank without a care.

But no. She cared about the people who lived around her, even if they weren't the nicest people. Glancing up at Peter and over to Aubrey, she strained a smile. "Well, just guess who that was."

He had said he hadn't cared if she was alone, simply that they were police. Peter or Aubrey weren't police... She had left the message at Global Bank, it'd surely be passed onto Annette. With a sigh, she shoved her phone back into the small skirt pocket.

"That man, Alexei, he said he's at some place called 'La bellaza roja. He says if I don't show up in fifteen minutes he's going to blow up my apartment. And he also said no police, of course. I assume this is his idea of the easy way or hard way." She explained, wondering what their take on it would be.

She knew she was going to go anyway, Peter and Aubrey or not. Then again, they could just drag her to Global Bank... She was much weaker than them both. She bit her bottom lip nervously. Was she going to die today? It seemed she was asking herself that question a lot lately.

Far more times than a person should. If only she was strong, instead of some socially awkward bank accountant. She supposed she could go to Genetech and get genetically altered, but the thought... she liked being human. Normal. Why did all these strange people keep coming into her normal life?