Fan Fiction ❯ The Secret of the Always ❯ An introduction to the life of scum ( Chapter 1 )

Secret of the ALWAYS

Chapter 1

He was a mercenery who went by the alias "Nemesis". He always dressed in the same all-black uniform; black gloves, black boots, black shirt pants and cape, but most unique to his style, the black half-mask over his eyes and nose. He also had one cybernetic leg he had lost in a bad job several years before. Efficient in his line of work, he demanded high prices for even the simplist tasks, like bodyguard duty. Unfortunately, his last employer hadn't enough to pay for him.

"Pay up now, before I have to hurt you," Nemesis said, puching a fist through the wall to his left. He had the small lackey cornered in a back alley in the town of Giklon, next to a high-stakes sports betting bar. Nemesis had no desire to hurt the man, but he would do anything to get his payment.

"I'm sorry, sir, but my employer instructed me to…" The small man stammered, then trailed off, intimidated by the approaching Black-clad figure of his assailant.

"To what? Not pay me because he hasn't enough cash? Lost it all on a bet, did he? Well, then, I guess he'll have to pay the piper another way. Come with me shorty." Nemesis grabbed the other by the collar and led him back into the bar. They walked to the back of the main room to the manager's private room. It was once the kitchen, but now was the HQ for this crime boss. He was a very fat man, looking slug-like in his huge couch/chair.

"Ahhh… Nemesis. It's good to see you again! Did you complete my requests? Is my enemy… eliminated?"

"Krag, Krag, Krag… I'm surprised. I thought you knew me better than that. This was an easy score for someone of my skills. Even so, I still expect to be paid… Do you have the 2 grand we agreed on?" Nemesis let a small grin crack on his face as he approached the other's table.

Krag's ugly fat face twisted into a smile. "I'm sorry, Nemesis. I have all my money set on today's JetBall game. If I win, I'll pay you triple the agreed on price."

"And if you lose, Sluggy?"

"If I lose, you leave quietly." Krag snapped his fingers and two huge men emerged from their flanking positions by the door. Nemesis merely tightened his grip on the courier's collar, hoping to be able to use him as collateral.

"Well then, Krag. It looks to me that you must be feeling a little edgy about your bet. You know that if I don't get paid, you won't have to worry about money anymore. I guarantee it." The thugs showed him the door and Nemesis took the best seat he could find to watch the JetBall game.

JetBall was a fairly violent game, one involving two holes known as `Targets', one at each end of the field. Two teams compete against each other to get the small, 6 inch-diameter Ball into the other team's goal, each goal scoring one point. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. Each team has 8 men on the field at a time, each equipped with positively-charged magnetic hover plates on their feet which interact with the like-charged floor to keep them aloft. Each player also wears a jetpack as propulsion. The game is incredibly fast-paced and often scores reach 60 to 80 points a game for each team. Nemesis liked to watch these games whenever he got a chance, but rarely put large bets on them.

An half-hour later, the game began. It was between the Giklon Knights and the Orbiar Titans. The ball, known as the Shot, was dropped and the teams went at it. Krag had all his money set on the Knights, who were easily favored in this match-up. Nemesis put a late 200 gath wager on Orbiar with a small-time gambler sitting at the bar (If the Knights lost, at least he'd walk out with more than he came in) and sat to watch. By the end of the first quarter of play, the Knights were up 24 to 11. Looks like I'm getting paid after all, Nemesis thought. He walked to the back door and peered in the diamond-shaped window. Krag looked smug, confidant in the Knight's ability to win. Then, Nemesis noticed someone else. Krag's betting partner, apparently. He was also dressed in black, but his face was covered completely by a low hanging hood. All Nemesis could see was his mouth, and it held a slight grin. I wonder what he has planned… Nemesis went back to his seat to watch.

Two hours went by before the game ended. The Knights had won, 62 to 30 and Krag could be heard celebrating in the back room. Then, another sound reverberated from the back. A blast had been fired. Nemesis got to his feet, expecting the cloaked figure to emerge from the room. After a few seconds, Nemesis realized. Back door, he thought. He charged out of the building and into the back alley. Just in time to watch the black figure throw the large metal back door open and charge into the alley, still shooting into the building. Nemesis acted quickly, drawing his wrist crossbow and loading a Stunner-bolt into the string. It only took a second to aim straight for the man's neck and compensate for his turn toward the other end of the alley. His shot was true and the figure fell, a betting card falling from his pocket. Nemesis walked up slowly and checked the card. It was worth 50 thousand Gath. "Enough," Nemesis said to himself and strolled out of the alley.