Brick walked confidently towards the entrance of the Library.
He was a burly man, built like a tank, with a bald head and thick arms covered in tattoos. His posture spoke volumes about his confidence and authority within the Black Hoods.
As he approached, he noticed the increased presence of cops around the Library. What were they doing here?
He grunted in annoyance but kept walking.
Detective Vega intercepted him before he could get any closer.
"State your business," she said, her voice firm and authoritative.
Brick sized her up with a cold stare. "I'm here for a package. It's business."
Detective Vega didn't back down, holding her ground, but Brick could see she was wary. She knew better than to mess with the Black Hoods. To his surprise she spoke into her wrist-holo, waited a moment then checked the response.
She finally sighed and grudgingly stepped aside. "Go ahead, but don't try anything funny."
Brick smirked and walked through the doors.
---
Inside, the Librarian was waiting.
He was wearing his metallic mask, leaning heavily on a cane. He hadn't had that before. "Had some trouble Librarian?" he asked nodding at the cane. The Librarian nodded, he seemed tense "some assassins' tried to kill me."
Well that explained the police but Brick didn't care about those details though. He was here for the prototype.
"Well glad you're still alive," Brick said, crossing his muscular arms. "I hope you've got my bot."
"You'll love it," Marcus said, limping over to a table where a sleek mining robot was set. "Fully operational, top-tier specs."
Brick looked at the robot, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Good. You sure it'll work?"
Marcus nodded. "It wasn't easy, considering the recent... disturbances."
Brick chuckled, a deep sound that echoed in the room. "We heard about that. But you've always delivered, Librarian."
Brick leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "You know, the boss's got high hopes for this. He's the best leader we've ever had."
The Librarian nodded. "I'll make sure he's not disappointed."
Brick grabbed the robot, testing its weight. "Perfect," he said, satisfied. "We'll try it out and send the first part of the funds. Should see 70,000 credits in your account soon."
The Librarian coughed "T-the first part?"
Brick nodded "Yup, you'll get the rest of the 500,000 after we get the twenty bots fully delivered, cant run a mine with just one little bot." then his eyes turned cold "You didn't think we'd be dumb enough to give you all the money up front did you?"
The Librarian staggered back shaking his head "Of course not, my mistake!" Brick smirked and turned to leave but then paused, glancing over his shoulder.
"Yenno, you remind me of one of our debtors. Goes by Marcus I think. The poor sod owes us 1,000,000 credits. I should go check up on him after delivering this, just to fuck with him." he said, and for a brief moment, something like a sly look crossed Marcus's concealed face.
The Librarian went still. "What happens if you can't find him?"
"Then hes open to hunting, boss says so if they try to run on their debt" Brick said, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
Then he added louder so the police could hear outside "Scum, trying to run off with OUR money."
Marcus gave a nod. "O-of course."
Brick's face darkened as he exited with the mining bot. The police standing nervously as he passed, their hands resting nearby their holsters.
As Brick walked away, he felt invigorated.
He had his bot, the boss would be pleased, and now he had another errand to run—one that promised a bit of fun.
He gave one last glance at the Library before heading back to the Black Hoods' hideout, excited to deliver some progress to the boss.
He admired the fear the boss commanded.
Everyone respected and feared the Black Hoods because of the boss and what he had made.
They should. They were kings of this sector.
And Brick liked being one of their enforcers. Nothing quite like it.
He whistled a tune, pleased with his day's work.