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“Those men most likely heard us. We need to get to my car as soon as possible.” Brite reaches clarity once again, she doesn’t even know this man but he knows hers? Not good, not safe.

“Wha-what do you mean ‘we’? I appreciate your sudden and rather ‘convenient‘ assistance sir but if you think I’m going to follow you because you trashed your shirt for me. We are not even introduced-!”

“You are REALLY loud...” He groans unabashedly, buttoning his sweater and trench coat back together.  Brite feels her face redden again but only this time with vitriol. “I- You-!” She starts to lose her sentences as this man is, in the most awkward way, not allowing her to leave. She doubts he’s even listening to her. It becomes very apparent as for why. The three men who had run past them, have now shown themselves. They in fact did hear her screams.

Mr. Tired-Eyes looks at the three and says nothing. He looks back at Brite and signals her to walk to the opening in the alleyway. Quickly taking the hint, she follows him from the front, beginning to walk out.

“Excuse me there!” They hear behind them, a few more paces until suddenly a shot whizzes right past the duo hitting an adjacent wall. The tired man stops and sighs, turning around to face the three, with Brite copying him, though she’s standing off to the side with Blink slightly in front. Spike now holding onto Travis’ Slugger. He looks rather agitated but gives a wicked and slimy smile, the blood still dripping off his yellowed teeth. “Good, I got your attention. Thought you might’ve been too dense for your own good or maybe deaf.” He chuckles pacing forward with a slithering attitude. 

“Spike.. I uh.. feel we should watch ourselves here, that’s Blink.” Travis behind him chimes up. Brite looks at the man again realizing why he seems so familiar. “You’re?…Blink?” She says in her head.

Knifeguy slaps the back of Travis' head. “Shut it Travis, You can’t even shoot a damn slug right!” The nervous one still continues, “Don’t you guys remember? The keyrunner who single-handedly took down the 8ball Gang’s Drug Ring from 2 weeks ago, He even turned in their leader the week after just to do it. The fellas who worked there said there was no time to react; he just went in and shut it all down.”

“Doesn’t make a difference who he is,” KnifeGuy retorts. “We have him 3 to 1.”

Brite looks to Blink, who has not moved an inch. His hands in his pockets and his eyes on the three men in front of them. To Brite he looks almost deep in thought.


Spike looks from his lackeys to Blink and simply smirks, raising his hands up and starts to pace towards the two again. “Well in that case, seeing you as such an overachieving man. Please forgive our baleful behavior here. You see, we took notice that you have graciously caught our bounty and wish for her to be returned to us to turn her in for custody. That girl there is a delinquent who we believe commited an act of vandalism within this prefecture. We have been on her trail for quite some time today." Blink eyes down at Brite who starts to look a little sheepish. "I’m sure as a fellow keyrunner, you can understand how reasonable this request is. If you’d be so kind as to give the suspect back and make things easy for the both of us, I wouldn’t want to have to challenge you here for said bounty. I’m sure you can agree that it'd be much too uncivilized.”

The cyborg looks at Spike, Brtie takes notice of his eye twitching ever so slightly, He rubs his nose before finally breaking his silence. “I would agree that would sound to be rather uncivilized but I must ask, what would you know about being civilized?”

“Pardon now?” Spike says with a slight sneer.

“..Whether or not, she is suspected to commit these various illegal acts, It can be telling that this young girl is injured; dislocated shoulder, minor abrasions on her arms, injured leg, I’m thinking a sprained ankle. Judging by the state she is in at the moment, she is suffering from shock. Based on how she was attempting to run from the three of you, It can be deduced that there wasn’t just a bounty to be made here. It sounds closer to an attempted assault. District 2’s litigation only accounts for bounties that are to be brought in unharmed. Even in the Patron Prefecture. If you wanted to complete a Dead-or-Alive warrant, you’d have to go to another district. I’m not too sure you are aware of the precarious legal situation you all have found yourselves in but to stand in terms of legality, I could really turn in the three of you for criminal intent. These alleyways are monitored. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to find a few infractions. Frankly, I’m feeling skeptical on whether you all even have the certs for this level of bounty.”

The two behind Spike get restless looking at each other with a sense of uneasiness but Spike chuckles. “Now pardon my tone but do you think anyone cares if you turned in a few keyrunners that wanted to have some fun?” Brite steps back in disgust and a tinge of fear but feels her back hitting against Blink’s hand. She looks up to see him look back at her with a reassuring nod, then back at the three. “Whatever the matter, this suspect is within my jurisdiction now. While a challenge seems to be the next step to solve this conflict of interest. I’d highly advise against such a process and suggest instead going back to an agency for another job and…elsewhere for your ‘fun’.”

Spike looks at both of them, eyes darting out of anger. “why you- you think you’re all that do ya?!” He aims his lazerEye right at Blink. Brite suddenly feels a static before a blasting soundwave is felt ricocheting off the walls, dumpsters fall on their sides and trash flies out the entry way. Brite winces, eyes closed, there’s a wave of electricity through the air, and that feeling of fuzzy static emanating from the keyrunner in front of her begins to dissipate.

“Is this what it feels to die?” She wonders but realizes no, She’s still alive, still in an alleyway and still in the middle of a group of angry men, though she feels as though Her and Mr Tired Eyes had moved to the left slightly. She looks over at the men.

Travis had pushed Spike during his shot, missing the two of them. Brite looks up to Blink again. His hair giving off a slightly staticky look. She's not too sure if it was just Travis doing that made them miss that shot.

Spike looks at Travis with a feeling of visceral rage. “What the fuck was that Travis?? You damn well know I only got a single shot with this Aug’!” He says pushing him to the ground.

“I-I’ve been trying to tell you.. This man is bad news. If he wanted, he could probably kill us all in seconds. That’s why I- I keep trying to say it would be best to let him go!” He says almost whimpering.

Spike grits his teeth.

“You should listen to your friend here. Seems like he’s the only one with a good head on his shoulders. Listen here, this is how this is going to go, the two of us are going to walk out of this alleyway and you will be on your way to find another job to complete for the day. If any of you refuse to comply, I will see that as a challenge. Have I made myself clear?”

Blink looks at the three of them, Travis nodding, KnifeGuy shrugging and Spike giving the nastiest eye to the platinum haired man.

That same man turns and nods for Brite to walk with him. Letting her go first in front of him. Only 10 paces out when she looks behind to see Spike making a dash for Blink’s back with the knife. She shouts, “Behind y-!”

but then she feels that same energy from before, it was only for a micro moment barely a second had passed and yet, it all happened so quickly. Spike was dashing for Blink. He was up but now, he’s kissing asphalt… Brite takes another note of that electric energy bursting off of his hair as Blink grabs Spike's head, pushing him to the ground.

“Seems like you just might be the dense one here.” Blink mumbles with a snarl under his breath.

 The other two stand back and watch as Blink keeps Spike to the ground. 

“I’ve already told you what would happen if you failed to comply and yet you refuse to listen. This is a challenge and I acknowledge you.” He scolds. Blink’s eye glows yellow. He keeps Spike to the ground with a firm grip on the man’s head explodes white sparks. Like prior, Spike shrieks a gargled set of words too incoherent for Brite to understand. His mouth froths and Brite begins to smell burning flesh as parts of his organic skin singe to the metal plating. She doesn’t want to imagine what it looks like underneath…Blink gets up with Spike staying on the ground, limp. 

He looks to the other two, standing behind Spike. “I ask again. Have I made myself clear?” The other two nod without words. “Good, now you might want to get your friend here to a Doc room. He looks a little...seared.”

 The two watch as the men grab their friend and walk out from the alleyway. Blink turns to Brite who jumps back a little. “Your other arm is still hurt. I have first aid in the car. We need to hurry.”

 She’s struggling to make words. Her eyes are dilated, her hands shaking, she feels like she’s about to topple over at any moment.
“Did…did you kill that man…?” She squeaks.

Blink sighs before eyeing down the alley way. “Look, I know a lot has happened here but if I had any ill intent you would know by now. I’ve been hired to keep you safe, help you get out of this city but we’re on a schedule.”

Brite looks up at the man and nods. “I understand.” She tightens her hand on the sling and mumbles. “So...Where to next, Mr. Keyrunner?”