"Why haven't you moved?" Ged's sharp tone cut through the tense silence.
Fitch stood frozen, staring deeply into the black-tinted powder. Memories of Death Lotus addicts filled his mind: hollow-eyed, staggering zombies haunting the spires of Elpida. Their lives, consumed by the drug, their tormenting image was something he found impossible to forget.
"Why did you have to use it?" Fitch asked, his voice tight with disbelief. "The batch was fine. Why add something so dangerous?"
Without looking up from cleaning the workbench, Ged replied coolly, "Does it matter?"
"It does," Fitch insisted, his voice steadier now. "I've seen what Death Lotus does. People lose everything to it. We shouldn't mix it into orders unless they specifically ask for it."
Ged finally looked up, his calm expression unyielding. "Fitch, let me explain something. Addicts don't compromise. Your batch wasn't good enough to ship out, so I made it better. That's the reason."
"But what if this pushes them to Death Lotus addiction?" Fitch shot back. "Shouldn't we take responsibility for that?"
Ged's gaze darkened, his voice hardening. "And who made you the judge of how they live or die?"
He continued to speak, his tone steady but commanding. "Our customers don't care about the harm they cause themselves. They only care about strength. About what works. If we don't satisfy their desires, someone else will. And if we fall too short, they might even grow bold enough to expose our business for a tidy profit."
Fitch shifted uncomfortably but couldn't find the words to respond. Ged sighed and softened his tone slightly. "It's just a touch of Death Lotus. This batch isn't much stronger than regular Bear Weed powder. Stop overthinking it."
Turning back to the workbench, Ged waved him off dismissively. "And if you don't want me stepping in again, learn to prepare the batch correctly, or at least keep our materials stocked."
Still not hearing movement, Ged's patience snapped. His voice cut through the room like a whip. "For fuck's sake, Fitch, stop wasting time and do your job."
Dismissed, Fitch reluctantly packed the batch into a brown paper bag, the phrase "just a touch" echoing bitterly in his mind. The bag felt heavier than it should as he carried it toward the drop-off point, guilt pressing down with every step.
With the lab quiet again, Ged turned his focus to future preparations. Anticipating a transmission from Barry in the next few days, he began assembling materials for his likely request.
He stepped into the walk-in fridge, the cold air biting at his skin. Pausing for a moment, he reflected on his earlier conversation with Fitch. Grabbing a bundle of tongues, Ged sighed. "Those without addictions cannot understand the feelings of an addict," he muttered under his breath.
Returning to the workbench, he dropped the tongues into a bowl of Blue Water. The liquid hissed and bubbled, the tongues sizzling as they dissolved, catalyzing the mixture. His hands moved with practiced precision, straining the liquefied tongues and transferring the remnants into a bowl of regular water. Placing his palm underneath the bowl, he generated intense heat, steam rising as he quickly sealed the top with his other hand.
As he worked, his thoughts turned to Resh. Their last conversation replayed in his mind.
Resh's sharp, defiant tone echoed as Ged urged him to cut back on his use of Blue Water. Instead of listening, Resh had scoffed and even hinted at increasing his dose.
"If I were the one dealing to him," Ged murmured, "and diluted the potency of his vials... could I save him?" The thought lingered briefly before a bitter chuckle escaped him. "No. I'd be lucky if he let me keep my corpse intact."
Exhaling slowly, Ged watched as the liquid boiled off, thickening into its final form. "I'm no different from Fitch," he admitted softly. "The instinct to save someone... it doesn't die, no matter how much you try to snuff it out. No one likes to watch another person self-destruct."
With a steady hand, he scooped the thickened residue into his palm. Opening his hand, he examined the red, clay-like ball, its surface smooth and warm. A faint smirk crossed his face. "It's just not possible. An addict can't be saved with simple compassion," he muttered, setting the clay ball on the workstation to dry. "Diluting our drugs always carries a hefty price."
His gaze darkened. "There's nothing more dangerous in life than a sober addict."
Turning his focus back to the task at hand, Ged retrieved a stone of mass and began grinding it down with a pestle.
As the rhythmic scraping of stone against stone filled the air, Ged's focus was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps.
Trevor had finally arrived at work.
He hesitated, his shoulders slumping when he spotted the outline of Ged at the bench instead of Fitch. A quiet prayer escaped his lips before he greeted him. "Hey, boss. I'm here. What tasks are left to do?"
"Don't you dare come here late again, Trevor," Ged growled, his tone cutting. "I don't care if you have to sleep here. Find a way to get here on time."
Trevor cursed internally but offered a meek apology. "Understood."
"You're lucky," Ged continued, his voice softening slightly. "We're slow today. No orders at the moment. I've already prepped some materials for someone I'm expecting later.
"Watch over that Frog Tongue clay," he snapped. "Make sure it dries evenly. In thirty minutes, crush it and add it to the powdered stone. I'm going out for some errands. When Fitch returns, have him back on drug creation, and then go out and recheck the transmitters."
Relieved at avoiding a harsher scolding, Trevor accepted his orders without fuss. Ged stepped away from the workbench and headed to the fridge, leaving Trevor by himself. A quiet sigh of relief escaped Trevor's lips. For now, he'd managed to dodge the worst of Ged's wrath.
Breaking off a piece of planetary rock from the fridge wall, Ged began to record the drugs they were running low on.
After five minutes, he had compiled a full log of what remained and what was needed. Grabbing the backpack Barry had given him, he left the drug den and set out for the Golden Sun's sixth district depot to pick up supplies.
The forty-kilometer journey brought Ged to a desolate, stony field. After locating the depot's hidden entrance, he drilled through the rocky surface and descended into a vast, circular cave.
Inside, rows of bookshelves lined the walls, each filled with clay tablets marked in intricate lettering. These tablets cataloged the activities of the underground world, meticulously logged by gang members. The depot operated as a library of secrets. Gang members were required to record their observations at the end of each shift, creating a vast archive of the Golden Suns' activities. For some, their sole responsibility was to organize and share the most critical information with other sector depots.
In the space between the library and the main area, several trading posts bustled with activity. Gang members mingled, waiting for their turn to exchange goods.
But Ged's gaze was fixed elsewhere.
Towering above the crowd was a hulking goliath of a man whose sheer size rivaled that of a small building. He bent down, delicately picking up clay tablets between his massive fingers as if handling toy bricks.
Similar in size to Resh, the man weighed over 10,000 kilograms, his physique equivalent to ten meteoroids. He was seven times as massive as Ged and already one percent of the way to becoming an asteroid.
Ged recognized him instantly: Gilgamesh, the second sector leader.
"What's he doing here in the sixth sector?" Ged wondered, his stomach tightening. Then, like a bolt of lightning, the answer struck him. His eyes widened.
"He must be Resh's Killswitch," he muttered under his breath.
As if on cue, Gilgamesh's ears perked up. He turned, his aloof gaze locking onto Ged with unsettling precision. A wide, toothy grin spread across his face.
Ged's pulse quickened. He didn't want to get caught up in Resh's trouble. It was clear Gilgamesh was investigating Resh's deteriorating mental state. Looking away, Ged tried to slip into the line for the trading post.
But heavy, eager footsteps thundered toward him.
"I recognize you," Gilgamesh boomed, his grin widening. "You're Resh's little stray kitten, Ged." His laughter echoed through the cavern as his strides closed the distance in moments, his body moving bizarrely, his legs seemingly faster than his torso.
Ged's eyes narrowed as he faced the hulking Gilgamesh. "What can I do for you, Gilgamesh?" In the presence of the eccentric sector leader, Ged knew he had to choose his words carefully.
Gilgamesh chuckled, clearly amused by Ged's measured compliance. "Oh, nothing much. Just a few questions." His voice was light but laced with mockery. "I came across some interesting information that mentions your namesake. I hadn't planned on finding you, but since fate decided otherwise, I figured I'd get the truth straight from the source."
Ged's patience wore thin. "I'm busy. But I'll answer if it's just a few questions."
Gilgamesh ignored the response, his lazy gaze drifting over Ged's physique. Clicking his tongue, he interrupted, "Naughty boy, you've passed one and a half meteoroids. Quite bold! Have you committed to the underground already, or are you just fearless of those pesky equalizers?"
Swallowing his irritation, Ged replied coldly, "Is that your question?"
Gilgamesh's eyes sharpened, meeting Ged's glare for the first time. A low, mocking laugh rumbled from his chest. Standing to his full height, his massive frame cast Ged in shadow.
"Let's leave for somewhere more private." he snorted, his tone suddenly frigid. "This room has too many prying eyes."
The last thing he wanted was to be alone with someone as unpredictable and violent as Gilgamesh. Afraid of losing control of the situation he adamantly replied. "I have things I can't delay, if you want to talk it has to be here."
"Here?" A frown could be seen on his face as Gilgamesh scanned the room once more. "I guess that can work..."
His hand morphed into a massive ice-cream scoop, growing to the size of an office room. His spring-like body coiled unnaturally, bending as though he were loading a catapult. With sudden force, his body released, launching the scoop hand at Ged with unfathomable speed.
Ged was shocked by the blatant attack, especially with others watching. Reacting instinctively, he activated his "goat walk" ability, dodging the strike with incredible speed.
"What's the meaning of this?" Ged demanded, his voice sharp. But his question was quickly answered as Gilgamesh's scoop hand tore into the ground, digging out a massive chunk of earth and leaving a gaping hole.
Without hesitation, Gilgamesh jumped into the hole, his bizarre body moving with unsettling ease. He balanced the chunk of earth he'd dug out, tipping it back over the top of him like a lid. With a lazy grin, he called out to Ged.
"Come in. I made a hole for us. We can talk here. This should suffice for your busy schedule." His laughter echoed as he signaled Ged to join him inside, his grin widening.
Ged could only frown and reluctantly step into the hole to join him. As Gilgamesh covered the circular entrance with the scooped stone, the room grew eerily dark. Vibrations rippled through the ground as Gilgamesh ensured their conversation would remain hidden from prying ears.
"You've probably already figured it out, but I'm here to investigate my brother Resh," Gilgamesh said, his voice bored, not bothering to light the pitch-black bunker.
"I've had four requests to kill him in the past twenty-four hours," he continued, his tone turning sharper, "all from his close subordinates."
Ged felt his stomach sink. He already knew where this was going.
"Resh has always been a recluse. There aren't many who've spoken to him directly. Your name was one of the few I came across." Gilgamesh leaned forward, his tone eager. "Tell me, Ged. What do you think? Is he completely gone?"
Ged had dreaded this question. Deep down, he knew the answer wasn't so cut-and-dry, but he couldn't bring himself to admit the truth. "No," he said finally. "I feel like he's still there. At least, when I spoke to him, it felt like nothing had changed."
"Really?" Gilgamesh leaned in, surprise lacing his voice. "You're the first to speak so positively about him." A laugh rumbled from his chest. "The others didn't exactly have glowing reviews."
"They're just jealous," Ged muttered dryly.
Gilgamesh's laughter stopped abruptly. His voice grew icy. "Ged, I'm going to kill Resh."
Ged froze, words failing him.
"Well, I've always wanted to kill him," Gilgamesh said playfully. "It's really too bad we live in a world of boundaries and rules. If I had my way, I'd kill everyone I see, you included."
Ged narrowed his eyes, "is that a threat?"
He chuckled evilly. "Don't worry I am not stupid."
"Just as I can't go out and kill a person on the street without facing the retribution of the Equalizers. I can't kill you when four witnesses saw us both enter this tight space." He chuckled. "So don't worry! Your astute actions might have saved your poor little life."
His mocking voice caused Ged to stew in the darkness with rage.
"But with Resh... I believe I can find enough evidence of his madness, to create a decent report for Boss. With his approval, his death is all but certain by my hands."
Ged gritted his teeth, questioning, "You're certain? How can you be so confident?"
Gilgamesh's tone became serious. "You're not a Golden Sun, so you may not know what is going on at the moment."
"Things are hectic right now. War is about to break out, and we've just discovered a Cumulus Gang dwelling to start it off. And Boss? He's preparing to reach Asteroid mass. With everything happening, who's going to say no to me?"
Ged's face soured. "Is this why you dragged me here? To gloat about your imaginary victory?"
"No, not at all," Gilgamesh said, backpedaling slightly. "I'm just giving you a reality check. When your beloved Resh is gone, you'll have no ties left to this underground world. And when that time comes..." He grinned, his teeth glinting in the darkness.
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm a big fan of gifts." His lazy eyes pierced Ged's bag of 50k stone.