LOST IN THE CITY: PART II
One Week Earlier
Modi coughed as she exhaled smoke from her lungs. “Listen, it won’t be that long of a trip, alright? It’s basically a vacation.”
“I’m sorry, you think this is what I call a vacation? An entire paramilitary organization wants us dead. The second I’m discovered on Arhiatron, my head gets blown off, and you get a couple of my fingers in the mail next week.”
She tried to glare at me, but the smoker’s hack that accompanied it made it less than intimidating. “Vuna,” Cough. “No one else can do what we do.” Cough cough. “If we don’t intercept the shipment, all of the research on Arhiatron gets flushed down the toilet in favor of a new – and potentially very lethal – party drug. I know your tough guy exterior – “Cough. “can’t handle the thought of actually caring about something, but you know Main is going to go to shit if the Leaks get their hands on that shit.”
I shrugged, mostly because I knew she was right but I wasn’t ready to admit it yet. Things on Main Planet had been tenuous, with growing unease between the Leaks Mafia and the Main Patrol. We had just recently overheard conversation of a deal going down, selling bio materials that had been collected for research on Arhiatron. Apparently, one of them packed quite a punch, but occasionally that punch caused you to spontaneously disappear through some sort of wormhole situation. Main Patrol – our organization of allegiance, supposedly – was seeking to weaponize it, the leaks wanted to sell it, and it seemed no one was all that worried about any of the lasting consequences. Modi had always been the hero between the two of us, but I had higher clearance, and it would be less suspicious if I decided to take a little jaunt to a research base on the other side of the moon.
“You know you would owe me so much if I go,” I said, finally breaking the silence.
“You can cash in as many favors as you want if we live through this. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn you have a noble streak after all.”
“Don’t expect me to go soft, okay. You’re not going to get any flowery descriptions of sunsets of sudden changes of heart while I’m gone.”
She cracked a smile. “Arhiatron’s sunsets are artificial, anyways.” Her voice then got much more serious. “You’re going to have to go right before the eclipse, which will give you a short window untraceable for you to get some information. Find out where the supply is, I’ll find out where the Leaks are planning to transport it from.”
Modi passed me a small data code to insert into my transponder. It contained all of our research and previous messages without connecting them to either of our quar-codes. I slipped it into my suit pocket.
“So, when do I leave?”
“64 hours or so.”
We stayed quiet for a long time, not addressing any of the other elephants in the room. Then, she said, “Vuna, if we make it out of this alive I think I could run away with you. For real this time.”
It was a big if.
To be continued…