My first mission in this new agency is to escort a prince.
I’m used to a different kind of work, though … what a pain. At least this one pays well, and I really need the money.
Thinking isn’t my forte, but I’ll find a way to do it without screwing up.
I went through many names, but today it’s ARTEMIS.
A goddess of the hunt. Sounds fitting.
On this late day of spring, I put on my leather outfit and reinforced boots and take my “bow” with me.
I follow the company’s instructions and end up on the top floor of a prestigious hotel. It’s the tallest tower in the area.
Unfortunately, with only 60 stairs, it’s not the city’s tallest tower. That title belongs to the Stargazer, twenty kilometres away, but twice as tall.
I’ve heard many things about this hotel, the Meritocratic, but I’ve never set foot inside. Then again, I’ve been in a lot of luxury hotels in the course of my work, so I’m not really impressed by this one.
I thought the Meritocratic was paid by our agency to keep an eye on all our stuff, but two receptionists ask me to leave my “bow” before I go any further. It’s ridiculous. I hate it when other people hold onto my stuff because I worry they’ll forget who left it there, and then someone else comes in and claims it convincingly… And they’d give it to them, and I’d be damned. Just the thought of it makes me want to cry. But I follow the rules and leave it behind, giving them the scariest look I can muster before walking away.
I push the button for the elevator and finally arrive at the rendezvous point. On the 60th floor, after a short corridor, there’s only one entrance to the deluxe suite.
After knocking as I’ve been instructed, I push the door open and enter the lobby. Apparently, there are other people waiting.
A musclehead and a head muscle? They both have short, straight blonde hair and seem quite friendly. It’s as if they know each other. I can tell because they murmur in each other’s ears.
The guy is about 2 metres tall and weighs 100 kilos of muscle. He’s probably the kind of person who would need to be shot about 10 times in different places to get rid of. It’s almost as if they have a “resurrect” skill in their character build. I’ve been forced to learn this video game jargon because of Abhi…
The girl is the hot secretary know-it-all type in high heels and glasses. A goody-two-shoes with pretty green eyes who could probably recite the first 20 decimals of pi backward in an instant if asked. I wouldn’t be smart enough to know if she said a bunch of random numbers with such confidence that they could only be true.
They’re both wearing formal-looking suits, as if they were going to a job interview at a business company, but they’re probably hiding Kevlar jackets underneath. I want to make sure by feeling them with my hand, but I realize it would be extremely awkward to touch someone else’s body without asking first.
I’ve just noticed the back of an old man’s head hovering above the comfortable armchair in the living room, facing the large window. The height of the skyscraper offers a great view of the city at night, and with the nearby docks, I can’t help but think this would be a great place to get some work done.
Knock knock knock.
“OOF! I’m not late, thank God!”
The last person to enter … looks outrageous! What kind of fashion sense does this person have? She looks like she’s wearing everything she found in the trash. Her oversized shirt is haphazardly rolled up into her skirt, and she clearly has no clue how to wear a tie, so why is she wearing one? And what’s that? Sports pants under her skirt? And running shoes?
Apart from that, her face is not too ugly, with slightly curly and long black hair and big glasses. She could look kind of cute if she lost the baffled look in her eyes. The ribbon in her hair and her earrings are the only ornaments that don’t look completely out of place on her body, even though they ARE out of place for this kind of job. What the hell is she thinking?
“Your Highness, all your guests have arrived.”
The voice comes from the unplugged phone on the low table next to the armchair where the old man might be dozing off. He finally gets up and approaches us with the help of a beautifully carved ivory cane. He’s wearing a very fashionable and expensive brown suit with waxed black shoes. If I saw him on the street, I would think he’s some kind of super-skilled British secret agent or a time traveller from a steampunk Victorian era, just missing the top hat, glasses, and a fancy pocket watch on a chain.
“Four? That’s the most you can send us? I know our budget is tight, but they’re still not taking my demands seriously…” he sighs. “Come into the living room and give your names!”
…
Now that hurts!
“What happened?” asks a voice that no one but me can hear.
Shut up! Because of you, parasite, everyone here probably thinks I’m an idiot or something!
“This is Abhi. Can you hear me?”
SHUT THE HELL UP!
At the other end of my headset, a little boy’s voice keeps talking non-stop, asking obvious questions and being an annoying brat since the reunion started!
[Flashback]
“Good evening, Schwa. It’s me, Abhi. I just woke up.”
This kid is finally awake, but the reunion has started, so I can’t answer and tell him it’s already 9 p.m.
“I see on the radar that you’re already at work. If anything interesting happens, don’t forget to let me know.”
“ARTEMIS and DIANA…”
“The top floor is guarded by 21 surveillance cameras, and the suite is a kind of high-tech fortress. It’s the tallest skyscraper around, so don’t expect any snipers or physical intervention. Look around, is there a robot of any kind?”
“Yes...?” I notice the cleaning robot behind us and answer out loud by reflex.
Shit, what a mistake. I didn’t want to talk now.
“If they’re going to attack tonight, it’ll have to be through hacking. They could disable the cameras and use the robot to start hostilities. As long as there’s only one, there’s no risk. I can see from the heat signature that there are four other people around you, so you might want to let them take the aggro and watch from a distance. In any case, don’t break it. We need the information it can give us, so if it can be immobilized, you should keep your rifle for…”
Why does that brat have to talk so much? I’ve already missed half of the conversation!
“Excuse me, Your Highness? I didn’t catch the last minute. Could you please say it again?”
There you go! That should make him understand that I can’t listen right now.
“Bitch.”
I smile.
[End of flashback]
That robot punched me in the back with the force of a professional boxer! Good thing I’m not the only one injured; otherwise, I’d feel like a clown. Although being as bad as that girl doesn’t sound too great either…
“DARIUS, STOP!” ESMERALDA shouts.
SCRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
That inhuman screech isn’t coming from the colossus, but from the robot. My head hurts as much as my back.
“If you break it too much, we won’t get the information! It’s definitely distance-controlled. That, or it was pre-programmed before we got here.”
“The hardware is barely damaged.”
“We’ll see. Give me time to connect my computer.”
I couldn’t care less about the meaning of all this commotion. The only thing I can think of is that this robot can’t get away with it!
And so I stand up and give it my best dropkick right where its head appears to be, conveniently at the level of my foot. Not that I couldn’t do it if it wasn’t.
My body is very flexible!
CRACK!
And now my leg hurts too! But that wasn’t the sound of my bones.
“What the hell are you doing, you idiot?” says DARIUS, holding its body down.
The robot’s head shattered under my foot.
Unfortunately, that’s where we were supposed to plug in the computer…
“Don’t tell me you…” I can hear that brat’s confused tone in my headset.
ESMERALDA, who was taking her laptop out of her bag, takes a few seconds to realize what just happened
“Hehehe...” I awkwardly laugh.
Now I’ve done it…
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