Chapter 272
Ducking under a large swinging blade, Kyle tucked the parcel under his right arm as gunfire rang out through the dark city streets. The munitions were mundane, and Kyle didn’t even attempt to dodge, simply covering his face with his left arm as he tilted and charged, left shoulder first. The bullets smashed into his Enhanced Carapace, veins of gray biosteel flattening the projectiles without any harm.
What they did manage to do was slow him down a half step, which his axe-wielding assailant took advantage of. The man was clearly part ogre, standing just shy of three meters tall. His axe work was a bit clumsy, though Kyle felt a good bit of mana infused into the swings. The late E Grade thug pivoted, lifting his blade for a downward chop as he snarled at Kyle.
“You should have done this the easy way! Now, die!”
Aw, crap, Kyle thought. I’m behind schedule.
Twin blasts of Repel exploded out from Kyle’s body; the first from his right shoulder, knocking the E Grade aside, while the other erupted from the nape of his neck, launching the axe skyward. More gunfire erupted, which he ignored as he followed the path set out by his nav bracelet. He felt a little bad, as with his aura intentionally contained, his assailants had no way of knowing that they were severely outclassed.
As jobs went, this was definitely his least favorite since waiting on C.H.A.D.D.’s upgrades. He was on a small moon owned by a prominent family from the Gray Conglomerate, which had recently been transitioned to the stewardship of a young ruler. And, unfortunately, it was quite poorly managed from what Kyle had seen. Homes were not well-maintained, taxes were high, and opportunities to find work were slim. The profitable mining and mechanical operations were shut down, limiting demand to move to the area while also making relocation difficult.
Coupled with the lavish parties the new ruler threw; it was no wonder malcontent was spreading. The new lord won a rare meteor specimen at auction, but when news of the upcoming delivery was leaked, he hired a Courier to complete the job and handle what he fully expected to be a nasty response from the local population.
One of the first rules of being a Courier was to stay within the limits of the job, and Kyle had every intention of doing just that. Still, the injustices chafed at him. Nobody in these streets posed any real threat to him, and he wasn’t going to retaliate unnecessarily. Nor was he going to fulfill the secondary piece of the request; to report any dissidents or ne’er-do-wells to the manor security.
Soon, the well-lit estate was in view. Compared to the run-down nature of the rest of the city, the manor was exquisite. Sweeping architecture dominated the skyline as bright lights illuminated the gated area. Upper E Grade security waited for him at the gate, and Kyle flashed his credentials before entering the grounds, where a butler met him at the door to the manor.
“I take it you are the Courier,” the butler said, looking down his nose.
“I am. Now, where is the young master? I’m on a timeline, and have his package.”
“The young master is indisposed at the moment,” the butler drawled, without a hint of remorse. “You are welcome to wait in the parlor until his evening festivities are completed, or you can return in the morning.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not going to work,” Kyle replied. Lifting his nav bracelet, he pulled up the terms of the job, specifically the segment on delivery.
Deliver the meteorite fragment to Carl Fury, preventing the package from being damaged or taken by local dissidents. The item is expected, and lack of urgency in delivery will result in a penalty for total compensation.
Satisfied that both he and the butler saw the text, he initiated a voice call. “Suierrillax, how much time is left on this job before we begin to accrue penalties?”
A moment later, her voice chimed out. “A few hours, why do you ask? It looks like you’re already at the manor.”
“I’m being asked to wait until the young master is prepared to receive his gift, which seems like it will be a while. Would you consider my delivery complete if I simply left it here at the front door?” Kyle asked, his voice dry.
He could hear Suierrillax’s smile through the chat. “I don’t believe it would count as a successful delivery, Kyle. The instructions were very clear. And the Guild’s stance would be that, if for whatever reason you were delayed after your arrival, you would be fully compensated for the job, as well as entitled to receive your hourly rate. Not to mention us being less likely to take jobs from Fury Industries in the near future.”
The butler blanched at the last sentence, and excused himself to see what he could do. A few moments later, the butler returned, accompanied by a portly, shirtless man who waddled up to the door. The man, recognized as Carl Fury, looking at Kyle with narrowed eyes. He opened his mouth as if he was about to give Kyle the lecture of his life, but the Courier interrupted by shoving the parcel into his hands.
“That’s that then. I’ll be off.” He then turned to the butler. “Thank you for speeding things up.”
Kyle ignored the man spluttering behind him as he dashed away, checking the time. Marcus told him they would be ready for the final infusion in the next couple of days, which Kyle was very much looking forward to. He’d been invited to return to the Manufactory this evening to join Marcus for dinner, and didn’t want to be late.
Other than a couple of minor mishaps, the jobs had generally run smoothly, giving Kyle plenty of time in between to help with infusions, assist with Marcus’s guard drones, and train in the harsh industrial environments. He’d even been able to squeeze in another two levels, bringing him ever-closer to the peak of D Grade.
During this time, another million credits also got squirreled away, helping to stabilize Kyle’s otherwise dwindling bank account balances. With what remained of his payout from the Er’Mithren job after C.H.A.D.D.’s upgrades, he had just shy of three million to work with. It wouldn’t buy him extremely high-end equipment, but it would cover their travel expenses for a good while.
Soon, Kyle was back at the crossroads where he’d been attacked. Synaptic Barbs alerted him to the people hiding around corners, and their expressions of fear and hopelessness as they recognized him. Banditry was a dangerous profession; one’s success tied heavily to the ability to accurately identify how dangerous the mark was. Kyle had come a long way in reining in his aura over the past months, primarily focused on suppressing the lingering hints of C Grade energy within his presence. This training had the side effect of making him difficult to detect for people with low-grade mana senses.
Of course, most C Grades would still notice if they were paying close attention, but it was much better than before. For a group of ragtag unawakened looking to make some quick credits and spit in the eye of their oppressor, it was overkill. At least nobody got too badly injured, Kyle thought, detecting the mana of the awakened axe-wielder through Auric Perception.
Soon, he found his way to the teleportation platform, and after a few quick jumps, he was back at the Kulhavey Manufactory. Like clockwork, a train came humming down the tracks, and Kyle was brought to the saloon with a few minutes to spare.
“You’re late,” Marcus said, not looking up from his tablet as a trio of small machines floated around him.
“What?” Kyle asked, bewildered. “Your message said dinner would be ready at 8. It’s 7:57.”
“Yes, but you knew that I would be here early,” Marcus continued. “So you should have accounted for that time.”
Kyle just smiled as he grabbed a seat, leaving the old mechanic to his project. “I’ll keep in in mind for tomorrow’s infusions.”
At precisely one minute until S.A.M. would bring out their food, Marcus also settled in as he set the tablet aside, the small robots zipping off somewhere. “In any event, welcome back,” Marcus said. “You’ve been busy, do you still have time for one last run with the defense drones tomorrow? I can book it after the infusion, if you’d like.”
“Sure,” Kyle said. “I don’t have any other jobs queued up at this point, and I’m happy to help with anything else that comes up while you’re ensuring C.H.A.D.D.’s installation is on track.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Marcus said. “I should only need one more test to feel confident in taking them to market. Be prepared, though, because it won’t be an easy one. I’ve designed it to see how the system works in tandem with a handful of awakened guards.”
“Are there other awakened joining the test?” Kyle asked with genuine curiosity. He’d spent close to a year with Marcus, and the man only had a couple of visitors in that time. His orders were shipped off-world from other teleporters and shipyards, often handled by his drones themselves.
“No, nothing like that,” Marcus clarified. “I’ve got a few dusty old security prototypes that I don’t care much about anymore. They should provide decent data, but if you break them I won’t be bothered.”
Kyle felt the grin appearing on his face between bites of chicken fried steak. “Sounds like it’ll be quite the challenge, I’m looking forward to it.”
“For what it’s worth, I don’t expect you to succeed,” Marcus commented. “It wouldn’t be a very effective D Grade security system if a lone D Grade can just waltz on through; even if you are a bit of an anomaly.”
“So,” Kyle said, changing the subject. “What will you be working on next? It sounds like both of your big projects will be wrapping up here soon.”
“I’ve got a few interesting requests to review, but I think I’m going to take a bit of a break. The last year has been very helpful from a level standpoint, and a little time to process my gains seems warranted. Besides, if C.H.A.D.D. needs a tune-up here or there, I want to make sure I’m available.”
“You’d do that for us?”
Marcus snorted. “Not for free, of course, but I’d offer a discounted rate. The initialization is going to be interesting to see once the last two components get added in, and I expect our little friend is going to have a lot of possibilities that open up. Who knows what kind of needs you’ll both have once you start testing?”
Kyle gave the man a deadpan look. “How many credits do you think I have to throw at new projects like this?”
“Well, you had enough for this one,” Marcus said with a chuckle. “Covered most of the costs, too. But enough about that. Tell me about the jobs you’ve been working on.”
Kyle smiled, sharing what he could without divulging any client-sensitive information. Even heavily redacted, Marcus seemed engaged with the stories, chuckling to himself when Kyle described some of the oddities. His expression grew serious, however, when Kyle got to talking about the last job.
“Sounds about right. Something to remember about rich folks; they have a tendency to punch down on people they think are their lessers. Glad you didn’t play the little snot’s game, at least. Good work getting the job done and getting out of there.”
At first, Kyle considered reminding Marcus that he was the owner and proprietor of an entire small planet, but after recognizing the tension in Marcus’s shoulders, he decided to let the topic go. From the bits and pieces he’d gotten out of the man in their time together, Kyle had been reminded that Earth wasn’t exactly a kind place prior to its awakening. Something about the conversation clearly irritated one of those old scars, and he didn’t want to push.
Marcus pulled out his tablet, then looked at Kyle. “I think it’s probably best to call it a night. Feel free to do what you want in the morning; we’ll get the infusions done shortly after lunch.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Kyle said. One more day, and we can get working on C.H.A.D.D.’s list.