2099: Serenity

Chapter 1 The night was quiet. It made a nice change from how so many of his nights had been, but Alec knew better than to think things would stay that way. Sipping his whiskey, he listened out for the moment when it was all going to change, and it was no surprise when he heard the arrival of what was probably three bounty hunters, although that didn’t make it any less annoying. Not having to deal with them would have made for a much more enjoyable night. Getting the problem sorted was going to take time, more time than he wanted it to, and it was almost easier to just keep killing the hunters who thought they could take him. Especially as it meant he’d have less competition to deal with. “Are we going to be doing this the easy way or the hard way?” Alec turned, studying each one of the hunters in turn, knowing that none of them would be able to take him. One of them, probably the leader of the three, was wearing one of those stupid visors, which was just a sign of their reliance on being more than human. It was a mistake. “You’re worth more alive than you are dead.” “Of course I am.” Keeping his voice level meant they wouldn’t know what he was planning, and that was the way he always kept himself safe. No one ever knew what to expect from him. “That’s always the way when you’re dealing with someone like me.” Standing, almost acting as though he would make it easy for them, Alec shared a look with the guy behind the bar. Causing the least damage possible was something Alec cared about when he was in a place like that, because he didn’t want anyone innocent to get hurt. There had been too many times when the hunter didn’t care enough about what was going on around them. Breathing deeply, not wanting to deal with the memories, he pushed those thoughts aside, focusing instead on what needed to be done. He swept one leg out, knocking the first of the hunters off guard, before jumping onto the bar. Having the height advantage was going to make everything much simpler. None of them looked like they’d been expecting him to fight back, which didn’t make any sense. Surely they knew he’d taken out every hunter who’d come after him. Before they could possibly have known what was happening they were on the ground. Alec slipped his gun back into the holster, and shared another look with the barman. Jumping down, glancing at the bodies as he did, Alec shook his head. They hadn’t been ready for him, even though they’d obviously thought they could take him. It was almost disappointing. Had they been prepared, it would have been a much more interesting fight. Sound started to fill the bar once more. Until then he hadn’t realized everyone else had been silently watching him. The likelihood was that someone had already been called to deal with the mess. At least it wasn’t going to be him. Knowing he needed to leave Alec finished his whiskey. He hated to drink it so fast, but he didn’t have any other option. Sighing, he raked a hand through his head, nodding to the barman. “Put it on my tab.” He glanced at the bodies again. “Sorry for the mess.” Without waiting for a response he moved. There was one place he could go to crash for the night. Most of the time Alec didn’t dare to stay anywhere for longer than that one night, and there were plenty of people he knew who’d be able to deal with any hunters who turned up on their doorstep looking for him. Even the most soft looking of his known associates was more than capable of keeping a couple of i***t hunters out. It seemed like the hunters going after him were the very dregs of the group, because the others, the ones who truly knew him, wouldn’t be stupid enough to think he was going to be an easy take. He was going to be one of the hardest takes they’d ever chosen to do, so they simply didn’t choose to do it. Unfortunately, there were so many hunters that it didn’t matter. The three dead would quickly be replaced by more idiots. Glancing up at the rain, wishing for once it would wash away the smog, Alec walked down streets he knew better than he knew his own hands. Screens flashed, showing new bounties, old bounties, and the occasional exciting advert for one of the megacorps. Nothing was worth paying attention to. Each one of those bounties was one he already knew about. He kept up with that information better than he did anything else. It was almost amusing when his own face appeared beside him, although he had never been that pleased with the artwork. He was much better looking in real life. Taking one last turn, Alec found himself in front of a door. Knocking, probably a little less gently than he should have done, he waited until the peephole opened. An eye appeared. “I need a place to crash.” No response. Of course there was no response. Half smiling, he pulled a small vial of red liquid out of his coat. “Tonight would be nice.” Moments after the eye disappeared, peephole closing, iron bars were being moved, and then the door opened. “Alec, my friend, it’s a pleasure to see you. Sorry for the miscommunication. For a moment there I thought you were someone else entirely.” Raising an eyebrow, Alec tossed the vial at DeWitt. There was a second when Alec was almost certain it would end up on the floor, but then DeWitt managed to get a hold of it, claw snapping shut around the glass. Stepping through the door, Alec waited until DeWitt had replaced the metal bars. It was safer for both of them if his safety precautions were in place, not that they were really all that much of a precaution. Alec knew people who had much better set ups, but DeWitt was always his best chance of a bed, even if it did mean enabling the man’s addiction. “Can I get you a drink?” “You know what I have.” Nodding, DeWitt pulled out a bottle of whiskey Alec knew was only used when he was there. “How’s business been?” Laughing, Alec shook his head, thinking once more of the three bodies in the bar. They would have been dealt with. Everything would be tidy once more, but he would always remember the idiots who thought they could take him. “I’ve spent more time running than I have done hunting. It’s cutting into profits.” “A regrettable incident, and one that wasn’t truly your fault.” DeWitt shook his head, passing the glass over to Alec, and the scent of whiskey filled his nose once more. At least it was the best of the best. “It is something you can deal with.” “The dregs of the hunters are coming after me. I’m not worried. It’s just annoying.” Sipping the whiskey, Alec studied DeWitt. “I’m not just here for a social call. There’s a bounty out for the son of a Brick executive.” “Big job. Is it worth your while?” “Nothing all that complicated about it, apart from getting into the complex.” Alec’s eyes met with DeWitt’s. “The place was built when the father was still at Brick, so they didn’t cut any corners, and there are a few full time birds flying around. I’m pretty sure I have a way in. I just need a cypher card.” “Unfortunately, as we both know, I’m retired. There are other people you could get a card from.” “You’re the best.” Alec held out another vial. “Do we have a deal, DeWitt?” Silence. DeWitt, staring at the vial, nodded after a few moments, because he was never going to say no to more. “I guess I could help an old friend out one last time.” Just as Alec expected, DeWitt reached out to take the vial, but his claw snatched at empty air, the vial already back in Alec’s jacket. Never pay before the work was done. He smiled. “Once I have my card it’s all yours.” Downing the rest of his whiskey, he stood. “I’m going to bed.” Walking through DeWitt’s place was nothing more than a reminder of what had happened. Of how one mistake had led to him being one of the most wanted hunters, and that meant Alec needed to get the bigger jobs done, as a reminder of who he was. The more the idiots tried to take him the more annoying it was. Killing them was simple enough, but it wouldn’t stop them. He’d just have to keep killing them, one group at a time, seeing that they’d managed to convince each other that they were skilled enough to take him. Likelihood was he wouldn’t be that tough a job. Everyone who said it was happened to be a wimp. Alec remembered having those conversations more than once back in the early days, but when they did happen he was the one who did the work to prepare for what was coming. He’d be ready for any eventuality, especially that of the target being more complicated than it seemed, because he knew what it meant to be a hunter. For years his father had walked the same path, until… well, that was something so much easier not to think about. The memories were hard enough to deal with at the best of times, and he wasn’t going through one of them. At least he’d never made the decision to try to settle down and be a hunter at the same time. Pulling his coat off, Alec slumped down onto the cot. Damned uncomfortable things, but at least it was a place he could get some sleep. That was, of course, if he could stop thinking, and normally he couldn’t. His mind would just keep on going. Old techniques his mom had taught him didn’t work any longer, because there was too many memories connected to what it meant to be a hunter who was being hunted. Had he been like his father… he shook his head. He wasn’t like his father. He was never going to be like his father. Having someone who relied on him wasn’t ever going to happen. He was a loner most of the time for a reason, and nothing was going to change the way things were. Sighing, he focused on one technique that had been successful before. Focusing on one muscle at a time he relaxed his entire body, and once he was he hoped it would be enough for him to be able to at least get a couple of hours. A tired hunter was often a stupid hunter. Instead, he found himself staring up at the ceiling. Alec did feel a little better than he had before, but when he closed his eyes he saw it all over again. That moment. The day he made the decision he was going to become a hunter, if only so he could make the hunter who’d taken his family from him pay for what he’d done, and that was a choice he was never going to regret. Even before that he’d been thinking it was a good idea to walk that path. To follow in the footsteps of his father, who’d been very successful, until the day he made one mistake—so similar to the mistake Alec had made. It was that one mistake that had changed all their lives forever. They’d gone from one place to the next, knowing that the time would come when it would all be sorted, but that time didn’t come soon enough. Instead, one hunter had found them. One man had been enough, and that was when Alex made the decision he was going to be stronger. He was going to be more capable. He was going to rely on his humanity to be the best of all the hunters, and so far he seemed to have managed it.