I woke in a dark place, an unfamiliar place.

  “Let us know if Everhart tries to contact you, harbouring him would be considered a Class Five Felony, so we would like to avoid any misunderstandings, right?”

  An unfamiliar voice. A woman’s. It sounded cold.

  “Of course, officer. He won’t get through me!"

  This one I recognised. Another woman’s voice. It was warm.

  “Thank you for your co-operation.”

  One more voice, a man’s this time. He sounded timid, weak.

  A door closed, someone sighed.

  Above me the ceiling began to move, only it wasn’t a ceiling, but a vehicle. As the light stabbed through the cloak of darkness I had been encased in, I came face to face with a woman I knew I should recognise. She seemed pleasant enough, a dumb smile and young eyes. When I sat up sharply and dusted myself off, she looked shocked, as though she expected me to stay down there longer.

  Though I suppose I would be acting differently to her, if she had put someone else in that hole.

  “Cerim!” She stuttered, “Are you alright?”

  Ah, so that’s who. Stars she must’ve felt awful in such a cramped space. I stretched the cramps from my neck, either I had been down there for a while, or I had been tensing the whole time, judging on who I had taken over from, I was guessing the latter.

  “Yeah, I’m good.” I realised I had put more emphasis on the pronoun, not on purpose, but I always felt the need to distance myself from the others.

  The woman opened her mouth to say something, then stopped herself, I could see her questioning all that had probably changed, and was figuring out a polite way to approach it. That was nice at least, in my experience most either ignored it or were a little aggressive about their curiosity. I wasn’t going to waste my time explaining it, I frankly didn’t care enough about describing the same concept for the hundredth or so time.

  “Those PEAs were looking for you, and Mark has been gone for longer than I would like.” She hadn’t even bothered asking, instead prioritising what was actually important, she was full of surprises, pleasant ones at least. “Are you okay staying here if I go and find out what’s taking so long?”

  I shook my head, “Nah, I’ll come with, just give me a second to get my bearings.”

  So, facts.

  I know I am being hunted down here, PEAs sound important, she had spoken the name with little love so they likely weren’t the friendly kind of hunter. This woman is an ally, she had hidden me from them and didn’t seem likely to give me up to them any time soon, the fact I didn’t feel a sense of aggression towards her keeping me in a dark hole was convincing evidence of that. ‘Mark’ also seemed to be an ally, as her tone implied that I should share in my worry for him.

  While I could piece a few things together, I still had no proper evidence that trusting her, and Mark, was a good idea. However, Knox had suffered their co-operation enough to not run away on her own. Cerim would trust anyone who threw her a glance with any measurement of pity, but they hadn’t seemed to take advantage of that naivety, another point in their favour.

  Stars, I hate playing catch-up. Especially considering how unfathomably stupid the other two can be. At the very least, we weren’t in any immediate danger, and we hadn’t been backed into a corner, Knox especially had the habit of putting us in those scenarios, some restraint from her end was greatly appreciated.

  I took a deep breath, feeling better, feeling more confident now.

  “Where is Mark?” I asked Inim.

  Inim? That must be her name if came to me naturally, at least that’s one question answered.

  “The guy I know goes to bar a few blocks away all the time. If he is not there I have little idea where else he could be.” She spoke with confidence, though I could spot her suspicion bubbling to the surface, she wanted to ask, I think she knew that I knew too. But for some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it, strange.

  “Then let’s go, lead the way.” I could see her raise her eyebrows in surprise, then a smile creeped upon her lips. She got it now, at least the gist of it. But before we began our journey I stopped myself. Though my wounded stomach was bandaged, thankfully I didn’t need to worry about that for the moment, I felt a breeze glance against the exposed skin of my arms and legs (though my wounded stomach was bandaged, which was something I didn’t need to worry about yet thankfully).

  “Do you have anything for me to wear?”

  The jacket I was wrapped in was far too big. It fell to just above my knees, it’s weight was heavy on my annoyingly small frame. At least the rest of the spare clothes fit well enough that they weren’t noticeably baggy, Inim had a surplus of spares in a dusty container in her office. I hadn’t bothered asking their origins, but I guessed that their original owners didn’t need them anymore for one reason or another. My top was a soft, long-sleeve garment that clung to the skin tightly, my trousers a rugged pair of cargos. Both would keep me warm enough without the jacket, but hiding my face required something like a hood, and according to Inim, I had a high price on my head.

  I suppose I should’ve been flattered that I mattered so much to them, or proud that I had put a dent into a system that had given a man like that power. But all it did was fill me with a profound tiredness. Even now, I wasn’t free of those who wanted to harm me, or use me for their own ends. What was so special about me? What would punishing me accomplish? It wouldn’t bring anybody back to life, and it wouldn’t make me regret anything either.

  I will still get out of this, I will still be free, even if it’s only being drip fed as it is now. I won’t let myself be controlled, never again.

  It didn’t take us long to arrive at the ‘bar’, though the building in front of us wasn’t indicative to me as a bar. Then again this was my first experience with a terrestrial one, they may just do things differently here. The sad square of corrugated iron and sheets of plywood sat squat in between the concrete towers that surrounded it. Strangely, I felt an attachment to the sad little den, it was grimy and unmaintained, in contrast to all that surrounded us, which felt far too clean. And, despite it being literally in front of me, it didn’t feel real. The featureless and identical surfaces were absent of traits, of character, I knew no two things are ever truly identical, but everything that surrounded me was trying to prove that wrong.

  Aside from the foul smelling building in front of me, it seemed. This place, seemed different.

  As I stepped forward to enter, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. “This place is… It has a culture, you know? Let me do the talking, there are people here who will want that price on you.”

  I nodded, as much as I prefer to take the lead on things, I was aware that I was far out of my depth, and any misstep, especially so far from the safety of Inim’s garage, could prove dire.

  I followed behind Inim as she stepped ahead of me, pushing the door open casually with one hand. The inside of the bar was much more familiar than the outside, confirming my suspicions that the exterior were just how these things looked planet-side. The single room that we entered was dimly lit, the sparse lamps that hung from the ceiling flickered occasionally, choreographing a dance of shadows on the walls. Thankfully, it seemed quiet, only a few figures were dotted around the stools and tables which were haphazardly dumped across the floor, none were in groups exceeding three, which made me feel a degree of comfort. An older woman was working the bar, which surprised me, but she didn’t seem overly uncomfortable, nor fearful, in fact she simply looked bored, leant against the back wall and not even paying attention to the new customers who had entered. The bar itself looked like all other ship bars I had seen; filthy and stained with a palpable history of debauchery. Inim’s initial path had been forward, but she was soon turning to the corner of the room, where multiple empty booths lined the wall. All empty aside from one.

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  The first man felt familiar to me, so I assumed this was Mark, he spotted us quite suddenly and I saw concern draw over his face as his eyes glanced over to me, thankfully he didn’t raise an audible fuss.

  The other man was completely unfamiliar, and since his head was resting in his arms, I wasn’t able to get a good look at his face. He was unconscious, that was for sure, his breathing was slow and steady, his rest seemingly undisturbed by the multiple pairs of eyes that were glaring at his slumped form. I could see that his clothes were well worn, but I had no idea what the garment was for. Every square inch of his skin was covered by a baggy jumpsuit, leaving only his head, obscured as it was, exposed to the damp air. Generous amounts of padding were located on his shoulders, elbows, and especially down his back and hips. Large pockets were dotted down the front of his torso, but his legs were blank of any features, aside from the aforementioned hard padding. His build was slightly broader than average, but also shorter, though it still looked like he would stand a few inches above me, were he to stand up.

  Inim slid into the booth, I slid next to her, letting myself be open to the rest of the bar.

  “Why are you both here?” Mark hissed, laced with worry.

  “I was visited by PEAs,” Inim answered sharply, “They were looking for you, they know we ‘were’ affiliated.”

  Mark pursed his lips, “Sorry I’ve been taking so long, but your friend here doesn’t seem to want to wake.” He gestured to the fourth figure of our booth, I noticed now I could hear him snoring softly.

  Inim chucked softly, “You are too polite priest, Lance here needs a jolt to get him up.”

  She reached over the table with ease, and pinched the back of the sleeping man’s neck.

  Immediately, he sat upright, his arms windmilling Inim’s attack away, his eyes were burning with the sudden adrenaline of being ambushed by an unknown assailant. It didn’t take him long to notice who had woken him though, and he didn’t seem particularly happy about it. As he winced from the muscle cramps sleeping in that position would cause, I was able to finally get a look at the face of who, according to Inim, would be our pilot off Garant. He looked young, his dark skin still bearing the recent scars of teenage acne, his facial hair was thin and poorly shaven, but by contrast, the hair on his head had been neatly and delicately braided into tight cornrows, the patterns drawn on the sides of his head resembled stars.

  “Hi Lance!” Inim beamed, obviously aware of his distaste of her.

  He scowled at me and Mark, ignoring Inim’s greeting, “Who’re you two?” His voice was deep and smooth, though strained with what I guessed was his last drink.

  Mark opened his mouth to answer but Inim started before him, “They are your newest customers!”

  Lance sighed, and rubbed his eyes with his finger and thumb “This ain’t a good time Inim, I’ve just been grounded.”

  She chuckled again, “Well these two aren’t popular with law right now anyway, keeping off the books is better.”

  “Nah you don’t understand,” He groaned, “If they catch me lifting off with a ban again they’ll ground me for good. No more flying, no more Spear.”

  “How is that old bucket doing?”

  Lance glared at her sharply, “You know it’s my mum’s, don’t disrespect her like that.”

  She raised her hands genuinely, “Sorry, no offence meant.”

  Lance nodded up at Mark, “So what they want you for?”

  He smirked, “Helping her,” He pointed to me with his thumb.

  “And what do they want you for?” He asked me, clearly annoyed by the ‘long’ line of questions he had to ask.

  “Killing someone important,” I answered candidly, I doubt it would help to obfuscate what he was getting into, he seemed like someone who valued honesty over ignorance.

  His reaction all but confirmed that, as he nodded approvingly, “Where do you wanna go then?”

  “Anywhere,” I answered for us, “Just away from this system.”

  He nodded again, looking off into space as he thought.

  “Sure.” He eventually answered with a shrug.

  “What? Just like that?” Mark asked with shock.

  Lance shrugged again, “Been meaning to get away from this place for a while yet, and they won’t let me back if I leave now, that’s good excuse innit?”

  “For free?” I asked, I felt suspicion rising in my chest.

  He scoffed, “Maybe the excuse to leave is my payment. Maybe you should take the offer without complaining so much.”

  I stared at him, my face stone, I wouldn’t accept that answer, and I wanted him to know it.

  He stared back, but broke eye contact before me.

  “Fine! Fine. I’ll do it free ‘cos the only reason that ship can lift is ‘cos Inim fixed her up, and I owe her for that.” He stated, never moving his eyes back to meet mine during his explanation.

  I raised my eyebrow, “Really? That alone is enough for you?”

  That made him look back up, his eyes intense, “Maybe that ship matters to me more than you think.”

  As much as I felt like I couldn’t trust a man who would take no money for such a huge risk, I also felt like I could read people well, and I had seen a fire behind his eyes that I had only viewed in a mirror. I didn’t doubt for a second that he had meant every word of that statement, and doubt was a tough thing to purge from my gut. I looked to Mark, to gauge his feelings on the matter, only to see him looking toward the rest of the bar. Inim too was looking in the same direction. It was beyond the front ‘window’ of the bar, though calling it that was generous, as it was simply a hole in the wall that was filled with a fine net mesh, but it still allowed light through.

  Enough light for the holographic screen that had appeared from nowhere on the opposite building to pierce through, the hologram that displayed a remarkably accurate depiction of my likeness, my unfamiliar birth name, and a price. I guessed from the reactions of my allies, it was a pretty substantial amount of money. Our table became very quiet when the blinding blue light pierced through the window, I could see the tension and dread that drew across the faces of my companions, even Lance, who after glancing to and fro seemed to put together that I was the person the screen was depicting.

  Unlike the others, I remained as calm as I could. My heart rate still spiked, especially after reading the name I had detached myself from long ago, but I never let it read across my face. Instead, I eyed the rest of the bar as subtly as I could. The announcement had gotten the attention of a few, though not all. Importantly none of them seemed interested in our little meeting in the corner. For now, at least, we remained undetected to the potential hunters of my bounty.

  “Stop looking so obvious,” I ordered with a smile, like I was engaging in a much more casual topic, “They haven’t noticed us but they will if you keep glaring like that.”

  I studied Lance again as everyone returned to looking elsewhere, “Does it tempt you?” I nodded to the direction of the window.

  He shrugged, “A little.”

  I appreciated that his value for the honesty of others was appropriately representative of his own, but it didn’t fill me with confidence.

  He must’ve noticed my discomfort as he leant back casually, letting the tension lift from his shoulders, “It looks nice, but you can’t trust PEAs to pay a bounty. I won’t be selling you out to them.”

  I raised an eyebrow, “And if someone else offers?”

  He smiled almost approvingly, “Love, I can like how an offer looks, and money is nice, but I don’t need it.” He glanced at Inim, “I just need Spear to survive.”

  I looked towards Inim, as I trusted her judgement on his answer, she smiled softly at me, “I don’t think all the money in the world would let him risk that ship, just make sure you are in air by the time the next offer comes.”

  Lance raised his glass to the statement, cementing his purposeful ignorance for the potential riches he could earn at my expense. I found myself not understanding it in the slightest. Through almost zero effort of his own, he could earn (by the way it was treated by the others) an enormously life changing amount of money, and he was deciding not to. He didn’t even know me, he owed no favours to me, he might’ve to Inim but how could that possibly exceed that what was staring at him right in the face. He was either a fool or I simply didn’t understand human nature enough yet. The first option worried me, the second I didn’t believe, but despite that, a part of me actually weirdly believed him. To give comfort to my doubts, I settled on keeping a close eye on his behaviour, my hand wrapped around the knife handle that was now in my jacket pocket, if it came to it, I could always make it quick for him. It wouldn’t be hard, I had taken lives before.

  I wondered if he could tell.

  Yaram stalked through the empty garage, becoming increasingly dissatisfied at his lack of progress.

  He had known to come here after his visit to the church, the name of the building’s occupant being a name that popped up numerous times on the device he had destroyed. It had no surname, which likely meant they were displaced, which also meant tracking them would be harder. Because things can never be simple.

  The garage itself was devoid of any clues, the tools and parts strewn across the floor only hinted that this place did in fact, repair vehicles. The Mono-Mag was a tempting sight, but Yaram knew better than to even touch it. A Mono-Mag in a repair bay could have anything wrong with it, and if it was the gravity core as it often was, he would rather play it safe, he liked his body the size that it currently was.

  Calling these vehicles Mono-Mags was an annoying inaccurate term. To the scientists who had invented them, at least. Back when they first were hitting the market, some salesperson had said, rather stupidly, that they were powered using non-metal magnets (rather than the actual gravity core that manipulated its own weight to allow it to hover), and the name just stuck. Mono-Mags and Quad-Mags were the main types, named after the amount of gravity cores they held, the companies that manufactured them attempted to rebrand the name multiple times, but to no effect, people just love the idea of magnets for some reason. Their main issue though, and what was causing Yaram to give the thing a wide berth, was if the gravity core was damaged it could chew up everything around it in an instant. Through some technical and scientific marvel that he couldn’t begin to understand, Mono-Mag gravity cores, on the event of a breach, would suck up their surroundings in less than a moment in an attempt to cancel out a potentially even more destructive collapse. Yaram had witnessed this first hand more than once, and ‘ugly’ seemed an apt, though misrepresentative, word. One man had disappeared completely, the other had been reduced to cracked bones and pulped flesh.

  Finished with the main part of the garage, Yaram moved to the back room. At first, things looked as normal in there as it did the main room, but as his eyes scanned across it, they caught on a shiny, black. synthetic material. He picked it up with a gloved hand, studying it for a moment, before dropping it back where it belonged. It was something an escort would wear, and it was small, far too small for whoever owned the garage, as their height had been somewhere above 6 feet according to his source. He was on the right track, she had been here, but where now?

  As he rose from his crouch, his eyes caught again on a lens peering down at him from the ceiling, a camera, and it was powered.

  Maybe things could be simple after all.