Hondo I. Sackett
|
Supper was uneventful and the evening was quiet, though there had been some tension over the listening devices that were found, but nothing came of it. With supper done, Hondo and Fernando cleaned up as they usually did, though Valentine tried to argue and take over only to be overruled and sent off to relax. Neither Hondo nor Fernando talked about it, but it was known to both of them that Valentine was still mentally dealing with shit and they did not want to over stress her. As they finished up Hondo reached in his pocket looking for his lighter and his fingers ran across the white circuit chip in his pocket. He had almost forgotten about it and had not had a chance to talk about it to Fernando yet. Hondo pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it for a second before walking over to Fernando and handing it to him. “I picked this up from upstairs yesterday. You might should look at it. We can talk later ‘bout it.” He said. Fernando turned it over in his hand for a moment then looked closer at the markings before looking back at Hondo. Fernando nodded and frowned, “Later, yes… Nothing going on tonight. You should enjoy the quiet with your wife. I cannot promise many more quiet evenings.” Hondo nodded, “Alright, Jefe. I’ll be ‘round if ya need me.” Hondo headed upstairs to his room and since he did not find Valentine there, he continued up to the attic. He found Valentine there and Monty spinning some yarn as they finished up organizing tools. Monty stopped his story to acknowledge Hondo as he entered the room. “ ‘Ello, Skippah! Almost finished up ‘ere.” Monty said. Hondo nodded, “Looks good. Why don’t ya take the rest of the evenin’ off? Read, watch TV or somethin’. Might not have many more off.” Monty nodded, “Not gonna argue with thet! If ya need me, I’ll be in me room.” After he had gone Valentine breathed a sigh of relief. “I know he means well but he always has a story.” Valentine said. Hondo shook his head, “Ya know when we told ya to relax an’ we’d handle clean up, we didn’t mean for you to go work up here.” She frowned a bit and looked down at the work bench. “As much as I need some time to sort my thoughts out in quiet, I’m finding those thoughts turn dark at times, especially when it gets close to nighttime and worse after dark. I… I tried to sit and read but I couldn’t control my thoughts and didn’t want to be alone. I figured if nothing else, the work would keep my mind busy and Monty’s stories would be background noise.” She said quietly. “Well, I can see if he’ll come back.” Hondo replied dryly. “No! I didn’t mean…!!” She said in a surprised, almost frantic tone as she looked up at him with wide eyes. The wry grin on his face told her he was teasing her and stopped her short of finishing her sentence. She stared at him for a second before a soft smile came to her face. “You got me.” She replied He just continued to stare at her without saying anything. After a moment she gave him a questioning smiled and cocked her head slightly. “What? Something on my face or …?” She questioned. He shook his head, “Naw. Just lookin’ at you. Wonderin’ how I got so lucky.” She blushed slightly, “No, I’m the lucky one. I’m just a mess.” “Well, I don’t think you’re a mess, but if ya are you’re a sexy mess.” He replied Her blush deepened a bit, “Stop. I’m not sexy. I’m nothin’ special.” “To me you are special an’ sexy as hell. Holdin’ those tools makes ya even sexier. If ya like holdin’ tools, though, I got one in my pants you’re welcome to hold.” He said as he grinned ornery like. Her blush had reached its peak by this time, and her face felt like it was almost on fire as she giggled at her husband’s corny antics. “Now stop! You’re bad!” She said. “Well as long as we’re bad together…” He replied “Now, behave.” She giggled “That’s no fun.” HE replied “Well, what do you consider fun, then?” She asked as she swished her hips almost girlishly at him. “Well, there’s bendin’ you over one of these benches an’ makin’ you squeal.” He replied with a wink. “Here? Now?! What if someone walked in?!?!” She said her eyes a bit wide with surprise. “Then we just hafta decide if the show is free or if we charge admission.” He said with a grin. She smacked his arm playfully, “You are a bad man!” “An’ you’re a naughty filly who likes that I’m a bad man.” He replied winking again. She grinned, “While this is true, as much as it might be fun here, how about we just take it to our room. You’d not want to work here if you found out the others were bangin’ up here on the benches.” He nodded reluctantly with a slight grimace on his face at the mental images that flooded his mind, “Eh… Guess I can’t argue with that, but when we get back home well take a week an’ explore bendin’ you over several different surfaces on the Ranch, alright?” She grinned at him, “I can agree to that.” He nodded and took her hand, “Alright, lets get this place locked up an’ go to our room. All this talk has me keyed up.” She giggled again and followed him out, turning off the door and locking it behind them. Before they were in their room with the door locked. It was almost midnight before the door opened again, the noises within were ignored by the others, though some was heard as there was no way to do what they did properly and be completely silent, though they tried… for a little while at least. At midnight, though Hondo came out with his overshirt on but unbuttoned, his jeans on without a belt, and his boots on but the pantlegs half tucked into them. He had the small NAA 32 Fernando had given to him years ago tucked into a back pocket as he walked through the house checking on things. Everyone had gone to bed and all but a couple safety lights were off in the main living areas and no lights shown under any of the doors. Fernando was on the couch again, asleep, as Hondo made his inside rounds. Once done inside he slipped back into his room and walked outside. After a quick survey of the property he went back to the balcony and leaned against the railing where he lit up a cigarillo and looked out into the night. The feeling that they were being watched fell heavy on him, but he could see nothing. It was a bit warmer evening than the one had been before, and the air was pleasant. After a bit Valentine joined him with a sheet wrapped around her body. She did not say anything but just leaned against him and let him put his arm around her. They stayed there enjoying the silence of the night for several minutes before heading in and going back to bed. -,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-, In the distance, on a different building another set of eyes watched them and the watcher on the top of the school through a high powered, telescopic rifle scope equipped with a white phosphorus night vision attachment. He spoke into the earpiece as he watched. “If you are having some other pendejo watch, I want to know!” He barked angrily into the phone in a Brazilian sounding accent. “Calm yourself down! We have no one else watching and neither does our Yakuza contacts, I have been assured of this.” A German accent barked back. “Well, there is some puta on the roof of the school. She watches.” The man replied with a growl. “I will have our contacts check further. It could be another group. These Yakuza do not communicate like we do. Highly inefficient. They could learn a thing or two from us, and they will when the Fourth Reich reigns supreme!” The German voice replied, with an air of evil glee in his words. “We should just take a lesson from the Americans and drop some bombs on this country like they did in 1945 and wipe these impure from the map!” The man growled. We will weed out the impure once our formula has been perfected. Now is not the time for that discussion, though. About the formula, though, any signs of degradation in the cowboy?” The German asked over the headset. “No. Not that I can see. I could shoot him and see if he recovers.” The man offered. “Nein! The formula will be given time to work. It is not supposed to work fast. It would be too suspicious. Is should work slowly. But he needs studied so we can finalize the finalize the formula.” The German replied “Finalized? If it works, it works, right? If it does not, I shoot him, and we try his puta.” The man hissed into the headset. “It is not so simple. This is the part that is supposed to kill. If it works, we add a virus to is so that when people die, they blame the virus, not the DNA destroying formula. If they even find what is hidden behind the virus it will be too late to stop! Ha ha!” the German replied, cackled evilly. The man grunted, “Hmph. I do not care how the impure die, as long as they die. This one, though, I want to watch him suffer!” “You will follow protocol on thisor you won’t be paid!” The German ordered firmly. “I would kill this filho da puta for free if I could do it my way.” The man groused. “You follow orders and do it our way and we will dispose of his bitch or that boss of his in a way that you see fit, as a bonus. But we need to see this test through.” The German replied. The man grunted again, “Hmm, that is better than nothing. In the meantime, find out who this puta is that is watching them too. If her bosses do not pull her back, I’ll eliminate her before she messes up my operation!” “Do not do anything until you hear back from me. Is that understood?!” The German barked. “We will see.” The man replied coldly. “Do see, just do! Bis dann.” The German said. “Bah.” The man muttered as he ended the call. The woman left, and he watched as she disappeared into the shadows. Once she was gone, he watched a while longer before calling it a night. He muttered to himself as he packed up his gun and other equipment, he had into an innocent looking guitar case. He would bide his time, for now, but if the formula did not start showing signs soon, he would help the situation along, orders or not! -,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-, Across town a cloaked figured carried a smaller cloaked figure piggy-back through the shadows of the night. The smaller one had an old sack, with contained the precious few possessions they both owned, along with an old crutch strapped across her back. The larger of the two moved as is she had no load, but her moves were careful and deliberate. The only sound for the better part of an hour was of their breathing, the sounds of the night, and footsteps with a fain mechanical whirring noise that sounded in step with every foot fall. They moved through the night in silence for a while before the larger of the two spoke. “We should be alright, now. I’ve not seen any this far out.” She said. “You sure we had to move? I don’t think they would have found us there.” The smaller one said in a voice that sounded slightly mechanical. “We can’t chance it, Zoey. I think they are narrowing it down. I saw four times the number of black-suits that I normally see. It’s just not worth risking. Besides, I found a place that’s further out that might be safer. It’s farther from the markets, but that’s probably a good thing.” Tonya replied. “How much further?” Zoey asked. “We’ll be there before daylight.” Tonya reassured her. “Sorry you hafta carry me. It’s not fair to you. Maybe… maybe you should just let them take me.” Zoey said “Don’t even think that! I’ll never let them have you back. Besides, with these mechanics I barely know I’m carrying you.” Tonya half lied Her bionic limbs did help her carry a much greater load with ease, but from all the change outs she had over her years as a cyborg lab-rat, her stumps hurt after carrying loads for an extended time. IT was worth it to her, though. They were not sisters, but their parents had been friends, and she felt that they were like sisters. “You could get away if it wasn’t for me, though.” Zoey said sadly. It was not the first time they had talked about this. Zoey knew what a burden she was, and she loved Tonya as much as Tonya loved her. Seeing her suffer so while caring for her tore her young heart apart, but Tonya never backed down. “No! We are in this together. We both make it or neither of us do. I won’t discuss this again!” Tonya replied firmly. Zoey just signed in response. -,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-, Back across town a purpled haired woman with a mechanical arm crouched, looking at signs of the past inhabitants of the abandoned locksmith shop that resided underground. She had just missed them it seemed, and she could not stay long as she was sure the black-suit goons would trip over this place sooner or later. When she was sure she had not overlooked anything, she left and disappeared into the shadows, just moments before the black-suits stumbled in and wiped any evidence of the occupants away with their bumbling. The woman watched from a distance for a bit before pulling out her phone. She was not sure who had been there, but her contact had said that Kurayami and his black-suits were after someone who they thought to be in that area and this only confirmed it. If Kurayami wanted them, she wanted to get to them first. She pulled a phone out of her pocket, dialed a number, and put it up to her ear. A voice answered angrily after three rings. “Who is this?! How did you get this number?!?!” the man on the other end of the phone call barked “Hello Kurayami. It has been a while.” The woman said in a sultry voice. “… Akumu?” Kurayami asked in a puzzled tone. “Who else would it be? Now, let us get to business. I see your goons are after someone again. Anyone I know?” She said “No, no one you know. Just a couple of girls who took something of value from me. You interested in finding them for me? I will pay you well.” Kurayami replied “I do not do anything without getting paid well. What did they take?” She asked “That does not concern you. I just need them back. They should be easy for you to track. They are cyborgs. Do not approach them. Just find them and let my men handle them. I will pay three times your rate if you find them and leave the rest to us!” He replied “Four times my rate. I do not like not knowing exactly what I am up against.” She said “…. Fine! Four times. I will have all the information you need on them dropped at your usual location in an hour.” He replied, with a touch of anger in his voice. “Have the information there in thirty minutes, and do not keep me waiting.” She said. She hung up before he could respond. Four times her rate was a lot of money. Something was up and she felt it was worth learning more than she was supposed to. She moved silently off into the darkness and headed to her information drop off location. The time was 4 am. -,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-, Hondo woke up and stretched a bit. He groaned a bit as he did, as he felt stiff and sore, like he had been in a fight. He felt beside him, but the bed was empty. He opened his eyes and looked around, but the room was empty. It puzzled him a bit as he normally was up early. He looked over at the clock and saw the time was 8 am. That startled him a bit and he sat up fast, groaning as he did. He muttered something incoherent under his breath about sleeping in as he got up, stretched again and got showered and dressed. HE was dressed and headed out to the kitchen by 8:20 am. He limped into the kitchen where he found Valentine there as well as some of the others who were already having their breakfast. Valentine looked at him with a smile that faded a bit as he approached. “You alright?” She asked “I reckon, other than oversleepin’. Think somethin’s wrong with my alarm.” He said in a half awake growl. Valentine handed him a cup of coffee, of which he sipped and finding it not too hot, he then took a larger swallow. “I shut off your alarm as you were not wakin’ up. I figured you needed your sleep.” She replied “Hmm, should have woke me up.” He mumbled. “There was nothing pressin’ this mornin’, so no reason too, but are you sure you\re okay?” She asked again “Why”? He asked “You were limpin’. I’ve never seen you limp unless you were in a hell of a fight. Was I that rough on you last night?” She said with a grin. Her words brought a giggle and a blush out of the two skunk girls who were eating their cereal at the table, but the stern look on Hondo’s face made them go back to their breakfast and to pretending to ignore the adults conversation. “Must have slept wrong. Just a bit stiff this mornin’.” Hondo said brushing it off. Valentine thought about making a comment about him being stiff the night before too, but decided against it, not because of the girls but because he was not fully awake yet. As Hondo ate his breakfast Valentine finished cleaning up the kitchen. The agenda for the day was to get ready for the party. For some that would not take long, but for others it was an all-day event. **Note: Akumu means Nightmare and Kurayami means Darkness. Akumu is Iris. I figured if she was hiding she would use a different name and change her hair color to match.
|