The Thief's Thoughts.
By N00b Artist
Chapter I - High
Velocity.
There were sounds of clicked
buttons and pulled plastic levers in the pilot's cabin. A brown, furred
hand moved swiftly from side to side on the metal cocpict. Those fast,
short movements were surely repeated over and over, untill they turned
into some sort of impulse that served the body when the brain works
without a break on full alert. Such work as the pilots have require
perfect reflexes and sharp minds. Yet, this was not racer pilot nor
race ship. As the mine-racer craft could witness death of only one person,
this cabin had two seats. The brown Hekshanian wasn't the only one here.
The other, more femine with softer fur in the color of dirty Mercury,
was sitting next to him, by his right hand. The female Hellcat seemed
busy calibrating the old computer, that was build into the wall, for
the next fly. A moment later, she took her eyes off the monitor and
carefully watched her comrade. He also stopped frantically waving his
fingers across the cockpit and grabbed a microphone.
"Cargo ship 'Hekshano-12
to the Tower. I'm asking for the permission to take off." Asked
the male.
"Permission granted. Good
luck. Over." Buzzed the speaker.
"Roger that, I'm out."
With a tired sigh he placed the microphone back into it's holder.
"This is our last route today,
I guess I'm not the only one who's happy about it, right Marrish?"
Silver furred Hellcat said warmly and smilled. "Yeah, you could
say that. But with those new engines we got last week, we'll be back
home in no time, no worries Hamick." Marrish smilled back and gave
her a small kiss. For a second, Hekshanians stared at eachother with
dullish smirks knowing that no matter what life will throw at them,
they will always have their love and support. "Right." Marrish
broke up and turned his head towards the main, glass window. "Start
the engines."
These voices and odd mechanical
sounds, barely made their way to other parts of the ship. As the transporting
company couldn't afford the light for all parts of the ship during the
flight, whole Cargo Room, being the biggest place in the craft surely
didn't have any turned on light bulbs while the time of transit. When
the Rulerists attacked Hekshano, North Tek's economy fell into misery,
chaos and poverty. Small wonder why people tried to tie loose ends and
make out a living the best they could, no matter the risk. Of course,
one could say that it's dangerous not to properly light up the place.
Especially when a one ton crate could crush you in the dark, but noone
gave much thought to things like this when everything else was falling
apart. Not in such times, that's for sure. The whole ship started to
breathe peculiar noises, when the engines outside the Cargo Room's metallic
shell woke up.
Everything seemed clear and
out of problems; the ship goes back to Hekshano, cargo gets un-loaded
and delivered to it's destination. But nothing really goes as easy as
one would want and presuppose. If there's something that can go wrong,
it surely will.
"Shit... that's the last
time I'm doing it. At least noone saw me braking into that damned crate.
Bloody metal coffin..." A faint, angry voice spoke inside of one
of the boxes.
"I thought: 'That's a great idea.
Ya just gotta sneak up that craft, get inside, break a few locks and
hide in that metal chest." Crumpled figure moved his arms around
to shift few packages of supplies he was currently lying on. "As
soon as I--" He stopped when he felt a strong pull, as the machine
took off from the ground "I guess that's it, I hope it's worth
my pains."
"All systems working full
time. Everything looks smooth and without errors." Hamick reported
with her eyes fixed on the stained monitor.
"This time at least."
Marrish grunted as he held the rudders. "How long will the route
take?"
"About an hour or so."
With a slight knocking of pushbuttons Hamick informed. Flashing numbers
and computer green words only assured her. "Sixty seven minutes
so to speak."
***
Few military trucks were already
at the scene as the "Hekshano-12" landed of North Tek's airport.
The sight of soldiers getting off brown lorrys, scattered infront of
the ship, those jumping moro uniforms unloading themself from army transporters
was probably the scariest sight to be witnessed on Hekshano. Well...
scariest sight for those who deserved it, by most cases.
"It's about damn time
they send the ship. They're late, bloody late." Said a Rulerist
Hekshanian, as he and rest of the company headed towards the ship.
"Come on Brandt, we weren't
starving, you don't need to be so hot headed." His comrade answered.
"Oh yeah? They know what
sort of deal we have with them and yet they dare to send us supplies
three weeks delayed." Hellcat growled back. *All new recruits are
the same, worried about the good and health of all, trying to change
the world, yeah and what else...* Brandt thought to himself and frowned.
"Alright boys, you know the drill.
Just let the technicians handle the crate transport. Our job is to secure
the area, move out!" And officer with a SMG in his arms commanded
to the soldiers that gathered around him.
And indeed, there were was at least
a half of dozen of forklifts that Rulerists brought with themselfs,
already working on picking crates and boxed from the ship.
"Great, we should be able to
collect all of them and sort out the mess in about an hour." Said
the officer. "Take the cargo to the hangar, so the rest could bring
it to the..."
***
Those muffled voices were getting
softer and softer as one got closer over to cargo rally point. Dirty
forklifts held locked chests tightly in their cold prongs as technicians
entered a hangar. With a snap of electricity and the smell of forgoten
wires, part by part, the hangar came to life. Rows on unclean lamps
dangling from the rusting ceiling, with an unwilling whine, ciphered
into yellowish light. The night already peered into mid-day, leaving
nothing but the warmth of past hours in the air.
"It's the last of them, hell.
Let's just hope the boys will be here soon to pick up the packages"
"Right away, we wasted too much
time here anyway." Talked the engineer as he turned off the lights.
***
Voices were slowly fading away,
being locked off by the sound of heavy, automatic gate being closed.
Suddenly, one of the crate lids fell off as a dark figure kicked it
away. "Kurwa mac... I thought they'd never stop mumbling. God"
Cursinging in his native language, with his leg still on the box's egde,
trying to push himself up. "I gotta get out of here." Figure
jumped on the dark ground, with a speck of dirt rising from the ground
in reply. He grabbed a small cotton bag from the crate he was in just
a while ago and wandered across the hangar, trying not to fell over
anything. After a moment he found himself under entrance wall with his
finger running along it, searching for a way to flee this lousy place.
"Just got to find the damned button."He spotted a plastic,
round object sticking out of the wall and smashing with an opened hand.
"About the fuckin' time." The doors crippled, scratched and
slowly begun to tear open. With the light of the moon and street lamps
shining upon the floor, twisting shadows danced beneath and after his
feet. As the opening was wide enough for a dog to fit through, he rushed
under, making a run as his as his life depended on it. Not caring where...
Being seen right now would the the worst of possible outcomes of this
journey. Lamps flashing across his eyes blended with the surroundings
into a shapless pulp, how late could it been? There still have been
people on streets though. Making his way into a gloomy dead end alley
he leaned on grey wall, panting heavily, rubbing his face and collecting
his thoughts. "I..I hope they ain't gonna trace me down, at least
not now." He sighed and sat down, now calmed and more sane thinking,
he watched the new world around him. "Never been on Hekshano, hell
if this makes a difference anyway." He rose up slowly and headed
back to the streets. Pressing fingers onto a grey wall with few threads
beetling from his jacket's sleeve. His black leather clothes were old
to say the least, didn't even remembered when he got them. With little
pockets and zips they had, they didn't make a very useful cloths, not
to mention that skin isn't the best heater to wear. But it wasn't the
reason he wore them, they were tightly enclosing the body, so it made
it harder for anyone to grab him during an escape.
He looked down. A small bag, few
torn places on the fabric, few stains. *That's all I got, I gonna need
it more than ever I guess." With that though, he threw it across
his back and stepped along the pavement. Local Hekshanians giving him
odd looks, some with anger, some with wonder. Most Humans on Hekshano
were probably either Rulerists or just street bums that didn't make
it. That what most uninformed ones thought. With greasy, brown hair
and shifty eyes on him, he surely didn't look like an high-street police
officer.
Everything around as depressing and
sad as it could be. Whole North Tek seemed as an embodiment for all
the Hekshanians have the worst, or what they have left. Anger, resentment,
anguish, fear... and something that counted the most right now for him...
a hatred towards Human kind. For the Locals, streets of Tek could be
nothing but a dirty and uninviting home, but still a home after all.
For newcomer, it was a world of constant fight, something so obvious
that was spotted on sight, but a fight not only for the the survival,
but world of fight as a whole. Fights in general.
The lone human wandered around in
search anything that could serve food and amusment. He slowed down when
something caught his eyes and ears. Sounds of subdued talks and chatting.
But much softer and not so annoying as if you sit in tigh chestnut.
"'Under Tek and Tak' ? Who names a place like this." He said
to himself as he looked at sign hanging from a wall. The words turned
blurry and grey with time, making the sign look as it was taken straight
from a rotting factory. After a deeper study it turned out that it was
made of some sort of wood. Beneath it, bricked stairs that led at least
few meters undergeound. Human shrugged and headed to the antrance, placing
his hand on the door. They were cold in touch, made of thick metal,
with rows of caps running vertically and horizontally along the whole
door's frame. Hinges were well oiled, making the push as easy as the
door were out of wood, the same kind like the sign.
***
Soft music, something tha could be
called a mix of old human jazz and blues, spirncled with grunge, all
wired up and digitaly redone, covered with the styles and beliefs of
Hellcat youth. The music didn't clang like a protest against the rage
of past massacres though, something that would make it much less easy-going.
Inviting was the fact that music wasn't played from some cheap, plastic
radio.
Bar was filled with all sort
of shapes, not only Hekshanian ones, as the offworlder would think.
Obviously, most of them were local, but you could spot Chuians, Rakwulfs
and even few Half-bloods. Not knowing why, for him they looked most
unusual here. Dim lights around the bar in the middle, old red sofas,
iron tables and iron chairs paneled with brown velvet - everything matched
by style and colour perfectly. Whole place looked so soothing that one
could spend almost... whole life here not caring for anything. Maybe
that was the reason for so many people being here? To run from the rude
world all around that just waited for them outside this bar?
The band played at the far end of
the room, but Human didn't pay much attention to it just now. The bar
was what he aimed for. He sat down on a slim stool that was covered
with soft, cloth bedding. A Nikitak was the bartender. One pair of his
hands cleaning a drink glass, the other one wiping a counter with a
cotton rag.
"Oi, what do yew need mate?
Yer new around?" Nikitak spoke with a curious tone.
*I couldn't take my eyes off him,
what what the last time I saw one of them? On Contura or whatever it
name was, maybe.* "Eh..Yeah, just give me the best you got here."
I rose my hand a little bit and looked to the side. A thin Hellcat was
sitting next to me, just eating me with this annoyed look of his.
"You've got a problem, pal?"
I mumbled at him. "A Human coming to our bar just like this. Yeah,
I gotta problem." I could see in his eyes that the only big thing
about him was his cheap talk. I tried the gentle way.
"I just came here for
a drink, and yeah, I'm new here. I ain't caring for your business, gimme
a break."
"Leave 'im alone, Kariashin.
He doesn't look like a Rulerist to me." The Nikitak joined our
small chit-chat. He looked at the Hekshanian as he put my drink on the
counter. "Besides, you still didn't pay for the drinks from last
week. Oi know that you're thin on cash, but you know the rules."
Hekshanin rolled his eyes and moved
his hand to his inner jacket pocket. I traced his movements carefully.
Taking his walled in his paws and oppening it up, he threw few banknotes
onto the bar. "Here, ya happy? That's almost all I got, sheesh."
Shaking his head, Kariashin leaned on the counter and looked away. "Thanks
man." I grabbed my glass and took a small sip. The taste maybe
wasn't stunning, like the old school spirit, but it surely did have
it's kick. Something between vodka and local home-brewed tea, much stronger
though. "Yeah, it's our top drink here." Nikitak smilled at
me and stopped cleaning the glasses. There have something else in his
eyes too, a glance of... "Oh, I have cash, don't worry." I
asured him. It seemed as in the moment I said it, a little bit of tension
that stored up in the barman, flew away. "No problem, mate."
Nikitak spoke and turned over to the other customers.
I took a sip of my drink and
felt another wave of local brewery's special. "So, you like comin'
to this place? Ain't sure, but some of you look like regulars right
away."
I asked Kariashin, my soon-to-be drinking
buddy. "And what do you care?" He growled, giving me a gaze
from a corner of his eye. "Just chill man. I'm Khaspar. I'm just
curious. Never been in North Tek." I guess I caught his attention.
He turned on his stool so I could see him side-faced. Looking down on
the shining blade of the counter, almost giving up the idea of ignoring
me. "Yeah, I do. Dunno why I'm even talkin' to you. But whatever.
And yea, most of the people around here are regulars. I come to this
place once around in a while." Hekshianian's voice started to sound
a bit more depressed, as he sunk more into our talk. Alcohol, who neeeds
truth drug nowadays? "I..I always liked music in here, they play
a lot of new tunes, it's always nice. There aren't many places like
that left in Nroth Tek. It's one of the reasons I come here. Other one
is that you can sometimes get a drink for a debt. I'm Kariashin."
He smilled and lowered his voice saying the last part. "Heh, good
to know." I smilled back. I opened my mouth to response, but something
stroke me. The lack of sounds or music that were all very present when
I entered. My eyes wandered across the room. From side to side, far
and wide I tried to figure out what was the reason for this oustanding
event, for this stunning absence of sweet-sounds. Then I found it.
The stage. It wasn't much of
a stage, maybe because it was the only thing in here that didn't match
the "desing". As it seemed, this whole underground bar was
indeed a shell of an old and long died factory, changed with into industrial
Locals' hideout. Small, metal stairs on both sides of the stege, having
maybe four or five steps, lead onto a podium. Stage's plan - four meters
per five, was alright to play with a live band. Keyboard, basses and
contrabasses, violins and drums. No guitars though. Few Hekshanians
were already walking up the platform. It was a change of a band.
And that's when I heard it
again, soft music, with even more ear luring voices. I looked around
to see if it was only me who found himself in awkwardness, because of
the lack of a playing band. I guess so. The live music was more than
important to this place and for the people who were coming here. Locals
really took this bar seriously, there must another reason too. I swapped
my face over to Kariashin and noticed he was almost hypnotized by the
new musicians on the stage. Here's my chance. Placing my left hand closer
to the Hellcat, with my right one still holding the glass on the bar,
I spoke: "Hey, cheers for the band!" I said warmly, rising
my drink to the air near his eyes. The glass caught his sight,for only
less than a second. *Perfect.* I thought and smilled. At this moment
I tapped his chest with my left hand. "Let's drink for the great
music and atmosphere in here, what do you say?" I added watching
him. "Damn right." Hekshianian smilled once again and our
glasses met with soft twang.
***
Few meters away from the Human,
sitting at small round table by the wall, three Local Hekshanians kept
watching the stranger. The moment they cheered and talked, his every
move was closely observed."You seein' this? What the hell he thinks
he's doing?" The bigger, orange male almost stood up from his chair,
but a female stopped him with her violet hand. "Be quiet, we'll
get him outside the bar, not here." Her fur was light purple, but
not pallid with few stripes and marks of red running down her face.
"Hm, it's your call. Let's make sure that he ain't getting away."
The third one, white male, spoke with smirk.
***
"The check, please."
I nodded to the Nikitak barman and took the wallet from my pocket. "That'll
be 65.58, mate." He said as he tapped few digits on his calculator.
"Yeah, yeah. Right." Placing the seventy bill on the counter
I looked at Kariashin, and he looked at me. "See you around sometime."
He mumbled under his nose, as if he felt ashamed even to know me, a
Human. Well, small wonder. "Keep the change." I Stood up from
the stool, grabbed my bag and headed to the exit. "Thanks. Come
back soon, there'll be another band playing this weekend." The
fading words of the Nikitak died across the dance floor, but I still
could hear them in my head. Yet again, my hands met with the cold matter
of entrance's heavy door.I pushed them aside and stepped onto the outer
world, from the warm embrance of
"Under Tek and Tak" ..."Under
Tek..." Maybe that's the hidden reason behind this name? An underworld
where they can hide and run from their problems and fears, where Rulerists
have no entry? Hell, I'm thinking too much again. I lost the sense of
time too.
The strees were already empty,
no live soul in sight. Walls and buildings even more cold, plants and
trees even more silent. Life and surrounds - still. *Find a place to
sleep, I'm dead tired.* With a twist, his sight focused on something
in the deep shadows, down the right alleway. *Do I even care? Why do
I get this felling...* The Human took a slight look from behind his
shoulder, and in the next second his back was slummed against the solid,
brick wall. I could feel someone's orange arm pressing on my throat.
***
"Where the hell you think you're
going? Fuckin' hold him Geremil! Okay, mister wise guy... Who are you?
And Jed, search his bag." Violet Hekshanian yelled at her comrades.
"What the fuck?! Who the hell are you?" *Shit, shit... this
wasn't meant to be like this!* I dropped my bag, and a moment later
I saw the white Hekshianian peeking into it. "Craika, what's this?"
Jed said with a frown, as he got my old pocket size threader from the
bag. Female looked at the tool. For a tiniest moment of instant
I could see her thoughts forming on
her face, did she just recognized a gun threader?* After studying the
object, she pierced me with her needle sharp eyes.
"He's got more things
like this in here." Jade replied.
"We don't like stealing
on our turf. Noone likes that. Couldn't get less lucky, eh Human?"
The mocking tone in her voice was slightly disturbed, like she didn't
figured out what do do with me yet. "But you've still got some
bonanza left, you always could run into Lindor."
"Who's Lindor?" I
asked to keep up the conversation.
"Ohh, you don't know?
Well, you're either a filthy lier or a completely newbie in these parts."
"Let's blow he's fucking
head off and get out of here, Violet. He could be a Rulerist."
The orange one, being her group's muscle, seemed to have the least patience.
Violet? I'd never guess that name.
"Do I look like a Rulerist
to you? Do I even act like one? If I was, I'd surely wouldn't walk down
into an underground bar filled with Aliens and stealing a wallet from
a Local. I calmly explained Geremil my point of view. "In fact,
I have a matter to deal with the Rulerists myself."
"Oh yeah? What kind of
matter?" Violet stepped closer.
"Do you think I'm gonna
tell you? At least this I want to keep to myself."
"You're going to tell
us right away." Something black wooshed thru the air and pressed
on my forehead. A gun. The low breechblock's click itself almost killed
me.
"Okay! Okay! Fine, I'll
tell ya!"
"Was that hard?"
Violed smilled evily.
"I traveled here because
of the Rulerists, I've heard that thare are more than planty of them
here, on Hekshano. And what I'm interested in, is their weaponry."
"So you're telling me
that you've come all the way from hell knows where to get a gun? You
are fuckin' nuts." The feeling of gun pressing harder didn't
help.
"You seein those tools?
My "occupation" in street gangs I've worked for in the past,
mostly relied on making custom guns, stealing parts for them, making
new models and selling them. You name it. Ever since I first heard about
Rulerists' novelties in weapons, their Pistols, Rifles and Carbines,
about their bullets manufactured in high velocity... Bah, not only bullets,
seems like all their guns are made in high velocity, I knew I had to
get one of them." For a moment, everything was quiet.
All three gang members looking
at themselfs, talking without words.
"Continue." Said
the leader, as she put her pistol away.
"What I mean is... Have
any of you." I looked at each one of them. "Seen some of these
guns with a silencer? They're probably used by special troops or whatever
they have, but used in a day-to-day routine? Haven't seen it. You know,
when you got shot in the head It's mosty end of the story with big splash.
And we all know why they make such noise. But there are situations that
such amount of psychological persuasion is too loud, if you know what
I mean. And now image the same gun, with the same bullets, with the
same firepower, but almost completely noiseless. Uhm..look, let's make
a deal, okay? You'll let me live and I'll be working for you. I'm new
in Noth Tek, so it'll be easer for me to get into places. What do you
say?"
"I never thought I'll
be saying this... Violet, I think that Human got the point. This might
lead us to something." Jed's leaned over Violet's shoulder.
"Shit!" She stroke
the wall near my head with the butt of her pistol. "Dealing with
filthy Human..." Her eyes slowly wandered to the right until they
met mine. "But if you try something funny, you're dead ina second.
Capish?"
"Capish, capish. And can
your firend get his hands off my throat now?"
"Geremil, let him go."
Violet ordered.
"You're lucky, but one
bad move and you're out of the game." The orange one gnarled at
me when he stepped back.
"And what about the wallet?"
Jed asked.
"It's his now." Violet
spoke, walking away. Her goons after her. "Don't draggle around,
bum."
*I think I'm going to have
a heart attack.* I thought to myself leaning on the wall and holding
my chest with a trembling hand. I moved my head to the left, giving
the wooden bar sign a last glance. "Maybe..maybe staying there
wasn't a bad idea after all." Pushing myself way, I followed.
