Checking Boxes
Cold water crashed into Brianna, and her eyes opened with a snap.
Hands bound to the arms of a rusty metal chair. Feet bound to the chair legs. No armor, no guns, no boots. They'd even taken her whisper comm, embedded in the back of her ear... They were either really good, or they'd already known where to find it. She wasn't sure which was worse.
The room was dark, but light from the street filtered in. A warehouse of some kind, but long abandoned. Judging by the smell, they were still in Qabarat. There were dozens of these buildings closer to the docks, especially in the shadier parts of the city.
The kind of places where no one second-guessed a scream.
Chamas: "Hey Bri."
A chill flashed down her spine, her wrists digging into the bonds. Fucking carbon fiber in a slum knot. That voice. There! That outline in the shadow. It was—
Brianna: "Chamas."
Chamas: "That's me."
Brianna: "Thought you were dead for a long time. Then I saw you on the news."
Chamas: "That why you moved back home?"
Brianna: "Nah. Just visiting some friends."
Chamas: "Yeah. I met them." Brianna's heart skipped a beat. Where had she been? The hideout under the bar. They'd been drinking and chatting, talking about their next big score. Something about a drug smuggling operation. Asking if she'd wanted in. Then she couldn't remember anymore... Brianna: "You kill them?"
Chamas: "No. But they're dead." Fuck. Brianna: "I don't know where Idryll is." Chamas was quiet for a long time, his shadowy outline unmoving. Every now and then she could hear sirens blaring in the distance, but never pedestrians. No one to call to for help. No weak spot in the binding. Just her and Chamas, and whatever the hell he was thinking about. Chamas: "You remember Typhoon?"
Brianna: "The cleanup job?"
Chamas: "That's the one... Red tape on all sides. Everything hush hush. You, me, and Perkins, camping in the bush for four months. Killing rogue experiments, silencing the bad scientists, saving the good ones, melting bodies."
Brianna: "What about it?" Chamas went quiet again, but only for a minute. His voice was rough now, like he'd started crying. Normally that would make her laugh... On Chamas, it made her nervous. Chamas: "Doctor Rosenthal. You remember her?" Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Brianna: "Can't say I do."
Chamas: "Really? Five-foot nothing, blonde hair, green eyes?" She tried to say something, but instead her teeth clattered together. Chamas' voice went hoarse. Chamas: "Cute in a lab coat. Warm smile. Specifically not on the list. A dirty twenty thousand credits and a starship to 'anywhere but here'." Brianna shook her head, her whole body shaking. Chamas: "She had three kids, Bri. They'd already lost their dad."
Brianna: "I d- d- don't know—"
Chamas: "What'd you spend the money on, Bri?" She'd taken it all to the Vestrani Gaming Complex, and lost it in a weekend bender. It was the highlight of that year. But she couldn't say that. She couldn't say anything. Chamas: "I liked her." Chamas walked out of the shadows. His skin was blacker than a bruise, his eyes flaring to white, like staring directly into the sun. But she couldn't look at anything else. Those fires consumed her. Then a massive hand clamped around her throat, and all the light fell away from the world.
Chamas: "That's me."
Brianna: "Thought you were dead for a long time. Then I saw you on the news."
Chamas: "That why you moved back home?"
Brianna: "Nah. Just visiting some friends."
Chamas: "Yeah. I met them." Brianna's heart skipped a beat. Where had she been? The hideout under the bar. They'd been drinking and chatting, talking about their next big score. Something about a drug smuggling operation. Asking if she'd wanted in. Then she couldn't remember anymore... Brianna: "You kill them?"
Chamas: "No. But they're dead." Fuck. Brianna: "I don't know where Idryll is." Chamas was quiet for a long time, his shadowy outline unmoving. Every now and then she could hear sirens blaring in the distance, but never pedestrians. No one to call to for help. No weak spot in the binding. Just her and Chamas, and whatever the hell he was thinking about. Chamas: "You remember Typhoon?"
Brianna: "The cleanup job?"
Chamas: "That's the one... Red tape on all sides. Everything hush hush. You, me, and Perkins, camping in the bush for four months. Killing rogue experiments, silencing the bad scientists, saving the good ones, melting bodies."
Brianna: "What about it?" Chamas went quiet again, but only for a minute. His voice was rough now, like he'd started crying. Normally that would make her laugh... On Chamas, it made her nervous. Chamas: "Doctor Rosenthal. You remember her?" Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Brianna: "Can't say I do."
Chamas: "Really? Five-foot nothing, blonde hair, green eyes?" She tried to say something, but instead her teeth clattered together. Chamas' voice went hoarse. Chamas: "Cute in a lab coat. Warm smile. Specifically not on the list. A dirty twenty thousand credits and a starship to 'anywhere but here'." Brianna shook her head, her whole body shaking. Chamas: "She had three kids, Bri. They'd already lost their dad."
Brianna: "I d- d- don't know—"
Chamas: "What'd you spend the money on, Bri?" She'd taken it all to the Vestrani Gaming Complex, and lost it in a weekend bender. It was the highlight of that year. But she couldn't say that. She couldn't say anything. Chamas: "I liked her." Chamas walked out of the shadows. His skin was blacker than a bruise, his eyes flaring to white, like staring directly into the sun. But she couldn't look at anything else. Those fires consumed her. Then a massive hand clamped around her throat, and all the light fell away from the world.
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