The world of bionics extends beyond labs and agencies and competitive fighting tournaments— where there is technology, there is trouble. The American Cybernetics Association has failed more people than they’d like to admit; from botched procedures to denial of care, they do their best to sweep their mishaps under the rug and pay off anybody who desires otherwise. Even with the handsome compensation, many of these people find themselves doing shady business. They become mercenaries out of spite, revenge, justice, or a combination of the three.
Other mercs often used to ask Caelius if her life was lonely. Unlike Adya Prisham, she is not under the jurisdiction of the ACA; After her mind transfer procedure almost failed, she went off the radar and started over. She knew the ACA was going to bury the failure anyway, insistent on keeping a pristine reputation, so her only safe option was to vanish.
Promptly, she’d always respond to the inquiry with “I don’t see why you care, considering we’re strangers and I rarely do business twice”. But she’d indulge them anyway, saying she’d rather deal under the table than be a pawn on the board.
Ironically, the ACA was what finally took her from an ambivalent assailant to a quasi-Robin Hood woman of the people. Her relationship with Adya and her team at the Goddard Institute of Cybernetics is, surprisingly, cordial. She taught them to break free from the strings that held them back; they taught her to use her combat-built body for good, instead taking up kidnapping jobs and running amuck through LA.
Caelius emerges out of the crisp evening air and into the chilled, smoky atmosphere of the casino. Casual gamblers blow their bills on the slot machines, families of tourists make a beeline through the most pungent parts of the casino, and well-dressed women drink martinis at the bar. She’s not used to dressing up when she does business, so she takes every opportunity to look put together. Donning a black turtleneck, white blazer, and sleek combat boots, her look doesn’t make much noise or draw much attention-- exactly the idea. Still, one of the women at the bar waves at Caelius; she gives her a warm smile in return. She’d much rather be over at the bar with them, making friends and enjoying her night, but she’s got more pressing matters.
Caelius walks through a curtain door into a small room with a variety of playing tables. The space is empty, aside from three figures. One is a young man, not quite thirty, wearing a button-up shirt and slacks. The other two are presumably his colleagues, bodyguards, insurance, witnesses-- whatever you want to call them. They all stand around a roulette table, halfway through both their whiskeys and the gambling money in their pockets.
The young man steps back from the table. “I presume you’re the one I reached out to.”
She nods. “Charlotte Caelius.”
He extends a hand to shake. Caelius doesn’t return the gesture. “Spike Urlic. Admittedly, I wasn’t anticipating-- well, I suppose I was expecting--”
“A guy?”
Spike falters. He changes the subject to avoid confronting his assumptions. “Well, I suppose we’ll get right into it. I hope you enjoy games of chance.”
She grins. “I don’t mind a merc with expensive taste. I used to come to this casino all the time. Never played roulette, though.” Caelius keeps her tone evenly between “I’m interested in you” and “I’m not fucking around”. Behind many unbreakable mercenaries are men like tempered glass; once you get beyond the surface, it’s easy to get them to crumble.
“Then I’m looking forward to seeing what tricks you have up your sleeve. I never saw the sentiment behind doing business in some empty, rundown bar. These exchanges don’t have to be personal, of course, but there’s nothing wrong with a little extra effort for a good first impression. Now, Miss Charlotte—“
“Caelius.”
The man chuckles. “Right. Mind if I ask why you opt for your last name?”
“After the exchange we had sixty seconds ago, I feel that it goes without saying.” On the roulette table, Caelius places half her chips on 23. She slides a worn, wrinkled piece of paper to Spike. On it is a scanned blueprint of an elbow joint, built to have a full range of motion when desired. “It’s my understanding that you have some bionics to get rid of. This make and this model-- where can I find it?”
“I don’t think I have this one, currently.”
The roulette wheel spins and the ball lands on 16. Once again, Caelius places her winnings on 23. “I don’t suppose you can connect me to your supplier, then?”
“I’ll definitely be able to place you in a queue. He’s a busy man, but he works quickly, I can assure you.”
Caelius exhales. She prepares to put on the sweetest, fakest smile she can manage. “I’m afraid that won’t work for me, Spike. If I don’t get this piece soon, I can’t help the people I want to help. Maybe you can put in a good word for me?”
The roulette ball drops into slot 20. Caelius’s returns are more than double the previous round. She keeps half, and places the other half on 23 again. A figure paces past the curtain that separates them from the rest of the casino, which Caelius eyes briefly before turning back towards Spike. Now feeling like he’s on Caelius’s good side, he’s let down his guard and begun on a tangent about something she can’t quite place. “I’ve been renting this room for years” this, “cybernetics are mankind’s greatest gift and deepest curse” that-- all Caelius can do is smile and nod. After a couple minutes, she gives up on the charade. It never gets any less exhausting.
Another woman walks into the roulette room as Spike finally wraps up his spiel. “You know, for someone who’s never played roulette before, you’re awfully good at it,” she says, grabbing a few chips and placing them on 12. The mere moment the data computes in Caelius’s head, she pulls her silver pistol from under the table. Adya returns the gesture with a gun of her own.
“You have some fucking nerve, Prisham.”
“Nice to see you, too. I’m not here for trouble,” Adya says.
“Oh, really? Because the gun kind of gave me the wrong impression.”
“You pulled yours first!”
Generally, the Goddard agents’ encounters with Caelius are purely out of coincidence. She stays out of their work, they stay out of hers; Adya actively seeking her out is beyond unusual. Caelius figures that Adya deserves to make her piece, but she still isn’t keen on her interrupting this deal she’s trying to cut. Despite both being human minds in bionic bodies, they are oceans apart in personality. Caelius is chaotic, adventurous, and far from a role model. Adya is the ACA’s poster child for biotechnology and carries herself with a deep sense of dignity. Caelius spent many years with a bone to pick with Adya for this exact reason.
Spike furrows his brow. “Who the hell is she?”
“An agent.”
Rapidly, the rest of Spike’s accompanying mercs all aim their pistols. Adya rolls her eyes at Caelius’s lack of hesitation when blowing her cover. “Thanks,” she mutters.
“Let me guess. Your goons are outside, waiting for me to make a move?”
“We let you off the hook after you kidnapped us, and you still think so little of my team and I. You are a mind transfer who flew off the ACA’s radar years ago. I’ve worked pretty damn hard to keep your name out of some people’s mouths, purely because I knew you were too smart to be locked up or stripped for parts. I could get fired just for being here, but I need your help. I just wanna talk.” Adya drops her gun on the floor and raises her hands up in surrender. She turns to Spike and his entourage. “At ease, gentlemen. I’m off duty.” Caelius does the same with her weapon and gestures for Adya to talk. Adya pulls her phone from her pocket, sliding it across the edge of the roulette table. “Is the name Quenlin Driscoll familiar to you?”
“Jesus. If you want me to go after him, find someone else,” she says. “He knows how to cover his scent and he’s more trouble than it’s worth. Besides, I can’t stand the bastard. He got fired from his job and now he thinks he’s the king of underground tournament fighting.”
“He’s not a problem anymore. But he’s just one piece of this puzzle. One of his assistants was a young woman, filled with illegal cybernetics, sent out to spy on competitors or even to kidnap them for his ring. He’s got connections everywhere and I can’t let any more people become tournament lab rats.”
“So what are you asking from me?”
Adya takes a deep breath. I can’t believe I’m actually about to do this, she thinks. “I want you on this operation.” Seeing Caelius’s surprise, she softens her tone. “No bullshit, no double-crossing, no mischief. I’m not using this as some sort of twisted way to turn you and your mercenary pals in. But you have eyes everywhere, and that’s exactly what I need to find these other fighting rings.”
Caelius tosses the thought over in her mind. For five years, she’s kept her distance from the ACA; they failed her, and she has no plans to cross paths with them. But Adya is coming to her on her own time, not on Goddard’s time. When Caelius was hired to kidnap Adya, Reese, and Colby, she was a mercenary with no moral compass and no higher purpose. But when Adya, a rival of her own design, heeded her advice, she realized that she could do more with this second chance at life. She could be more than a reckless renegade, doing rich men’s dirty work when they were too afraid to spill the blood themselves. This mission is personal.
Caelius asks Adya to step outside. Adya ducks out of the gambling room and waits for Caelius to finish her ordeal with Spike.
“Sweetheart, I’d love to cut this deal, but I’m not sure I can trust someone who’s had run-ins with ACA agents,” Spike says. “But if this girl’s bothering you, I’d be more than willing to handle that. And I’m more than willing to stay in touch for... non-bionics purposes.”
Spike slinks his hand around Caelius’s waist. She gives him a bashful smile, drawing him in, before she places her grasp on his throat and throws him against the wall. She aims her pistol at his two colleagues, keeping them at bay.
“You need to work on your negotiation skills, Ulric,” she mutters. “Behind this ‘luxurious entrepreneur’ facade, you’re terrified of someone holding their own against you. It’s written all over your face. You may deal in bionics, but your heart is as fragile as glass. I’ve shattered men before, and I will not hesitate to do it again. Do you understand me?”
Spike nods slowly. Caelius releases her hand from his neck, leaving him to gasp for air as she walks out of the casino with Adya.
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