A gentle drizzle began to fall as the dark clouds loomed ominously overhead. Roger, filled with curiosity, gazed up at the clouds and hastened his steps.
Walking into Junk Bazaar, the alley was packed with vendors selling everything from synthetic food and knockoff clothes to black tape cyberware and weapons.
Finding a small Drink stand in a back corner. A group of heavily armed men surrounded him.
"Hello, Roger. Sorry for the inconvenience, but no one is allowed at the stand for now."
"I'll assume there is a meeting going on. But that doesn't matter to me. I need to talk to the Colonel," he replied, taking a step further.
"Hey, dipshit, the boss said to wait." a guard said, grabbing Roger's shoulder.
"Look, I don't need a reason to kill, so don't give me one."
"I don't care if everyone is scared. I'm not; I've fought countless wars and killed my fair share. Some washed-up merc who hasn't worked in years doesn't deserve my fear." the guard said, spinning him around and winding up his punch,
though the punch was thrown at an incredible speed. It was seen as a slow punch to Roger. Graciously slipping the punch. Without a second thought, he dug his knife into the guy's collarbone. Screaming in agony, holding his wound, the guard fell to his knees. Towering over him, he raised his knife to strike the killing blow.
"That's enough, boy. You are ruining the atmosphere around here. You over there help up your comrade and take him to see the doc." the man ordered, standing above everyone else with a highly muscular build.
"Hello, old man. I hear you have the details for my job."
"I do now; please come and sit so we can get you on your way."
Roger looked relatively small compared to the man sitting next to him. The Colonel reached for two cups behind the counter, ignoring the bartender. He placed one in front of himself and then Roger. Grabbing a kettle, he poured Roger's glass first, then his own. Not knowing what it was, Roger sniffed his cup. Before continuing, the man handed him a folder.
"It's Jasmine. Just got a full shipment the other day." taking a sip to reassure him it's not poison.
"So, Colonel, what's the new mission? It must be important if they had to use back channels to pull me out of retirement."
"Personally, this job is not important. But I'm just a middleman now, so I could care less. All you need to know is that the hostile takeover is taking longer than the organization expected. They want you to expedite that takeover. If you look through the file, you will see you have two targets, a couple named Kaleb and Jennifer Deckard. They are the remaining shareholders of an opposing faction and need immediate expulsion. The latest intel shows the man has been seeing one of our employees, so it's safe to assume he is the easier target. The woman's company has gotten word that we hired an outside contractor to handle her, so she has been holed up in their main office. Assume they have beefed up security. Since technically you have left us. You will not be provided with a team. Although most know you don't need one. The file contains a building layout and any other info that might seem useful for your reference. Any questions?"
"Not really. But do you care if the employee is collateral?"
"We would prefer a clean op, but if it can't be helped, then so be it. Anything else?"
"No. Thank you, Colonel."
"It was good to see you, kid. Wish you stayed on."
"I don't. Goodbye ."
Walking out past the guards, they gave him looks of disdain, some even spitting at his feet.
Exiting the bazaar, he checked his watch, ensuring he was still on schedule.
"So you've finally taken another job?" A familiar voice whispered from behind his ear.
Reacting swiftly, he drew his weapon, eyes scanning the surroundings with intensity. At the far end of the alley by the entrance, a slender woman stood leaning against a light post, a mischievous smile playing on her lips as she pointed double-finger guns at him. While sighing in relief, a stoneness returned to Roger's face as he holstered his weapon and approached her. Meeting halfway, they embraced, blocking the entrance to the alley.
"Been a long time. Where have you been." She said gleefully,
"Been away, Kitty. What about you and Hank? What have y'all been up to." Roger said while they walked to a nearby food stall,
"Well, after the last job, as the team and everyone split, we continued to work for the company. But one day, Hank just kissed me, said it was over, and disappeared. I searched everywhere for him, searched the nets, and found nothing. It really tore me up inside. I couldn't even track his chip. I think he pulled it out."
"So that's how you found me. Do you always keep tabs on us? Or am I the lucky one?" Roger said light-heartedly.
"Hey, I gotta go, but we should catch up sometime when you're free," Kitty said while she grabbed his face, leaning in to kiss him.
After a brief moment, Kitty pulled away. Touching her lips, savoring the moment, she smiled and walked away.
Nonchalant, Roger looked down at his watch and checked to see if he was still on schedule.
"Hey, kitty, do you need an extra set of hands?"
"Who said I was on the job?" She replied, smiling,
"I can smell it on you. Mercenaries have a certain aura when they take on a job."
"Neat trick, when were you able to do that? It doesn't matter; it's you, my little lab rat. Anyways, some guy pissed off the wrong people. It's just a simple smash-and-grab with my team. I can't offer your payment upfront. But you'll get paid when we are finished, and don't worry about cutting into the team's share. I'll pay you personally."
"Thanks. I have prep work, so call me when you are ready. See you then, kitty.
"Yea, see you then. It's great to be working with you again, boss."
Roger stared after her until she turned the corner.