"You too Bradley" Benjamin pointed to Captain Bradley, who walked over to find himself on the third seat. Benjamin poured himself a drink from the empty wine bottle.He took a sip, smacked his lips, and spoke after setting the glass down: "I suppose you want an explanation, for all this" he said to none of them in particular.None of them replied for a few seconds, and he added: "Or maybe it's just as well to let you Bradley. Dismiss your men, you all return to the precinct, and by tomorrow, this will all be the remnants of some nightmare hangover you haven't had in years."Bradley was the first to speak."It's already too late for that" he replied anxiously.""I don't think so. What makes you say that?""You can't just leave me hanging!" he cried. "I followed you, willingly, I might add, throughout a car chase, a shootout, and the rest of that mumbo jumbo that was going on.""So you deserve a reward, is what you're saying?" Benjamin studied him."Fuck yeah, I do. I risked my life.""
"Hey. I tried my best!""The point is, as long as you're walking about this city, we're bound to get more 'accidents' like this one from the persons that want you in jail, or worse.And that means my men are going to have to continuously deal with that. Putting them in this kind of danger!" Bradley pointed to his men; all facing forward without so much as a bit of light in their eyes."What then, do you propose?" asked Benjamin."I don't know" Bradley started. "But you're going to have to do a whole lot better than 'calling it a night.'"Or, how about this? Mr. Making Demands. I leave here. You won't stop me. You can't stop me. And you never hear back from me again." warned Benjamin.A bead of sweat rolled over Bradley's face. "Don't you want to get them before they get you? The threat is serious" he tried, looking for another angle."And you're going to help with that?" scoffed Benjamin. "How? Calling the Coast Guard? Or your merry band of officers? You saw Linda. How do you intend t
Amber turned to Benjamin. "Just a few night calls here and there. In my office, of course. You can set a schedule with your people. Nothing too difficult." answered Benjamin. Bradley sat back in his chair, an uncomfortable expression on his face when looking at the grinning Benjamin and the reserved Amber. "Mr. Bradley?" Amber pulled him back to reality. "Well? We don't have all night." "I'll have to go over some finer details. Honestly, it still feels like I'm getting raw-fucked here. And I don't like the look of his face" he started, pointing to Benjamin. "But?" "It seems like an arrangement can be made here." Answred Bradley formally. "Of course. Money is the great lubricant, as they say, you know. It shows appreciation" snickered Benjamin. Amber reached into her handbag. "That sounds great, Mr. Bradley. Let's draw up a contract as soon possible." "Wait. What?! You mean today?!" protested Bradley. Amber produced a white sheet from her black handbag, and spread it over th
"So, where do we go from here?" Benjamin asked Amber.After Bradley had filed out, the both of them were the only ones left in the ransacked restaurant."What do you mean? The contract. I'll have the new one drafted tomorrow. It's already getting late" she remarked, checking her watch, and not really looking at him."I wasn't talking about the contract" clarified Benjamin."Then what?"Benjamin gestured to the entire table. Their little date."All this," he said."Oh. Well, I don't just think I'm in the mood for a date anymore, Boss"He flinched. "You were calling me Benjamin up until a few hours ago. Everyone's still gone and you're calling me Boss?""Which would you prefer then" asked Amber in a sparky tone. "Black? Or something else?""Forget it, It's not about the name" retracted Benjamin.Amber rolled her eyes and began to arrange her bag."Whoa whoa. You're leaving already?""I already said it was late. Is there something else you'd like to discuss?"Benjamin extended and waved
"Is that so?" stepped forward the agent. "You think I'm in danger with you, then?""Oh, absolute-" Benjamin had reached into the drawers for another clip but found nothing. He moved his hand around several times, but it was empty. Impossible."Is this what you were looking for?" asked the agent, waving the shiny short clip.Benjamin stared in awe. The man had transveresd the distance from the sofa, to be sitting directly before him on the desk. There was a tight sensation in his right hand, and Benjamin looked to see that his pistol had disappeared as well."And this?" asked the man, jamming the clip into his newly acquired gun.This is the effect of [GodSpeed], huh, wondered Benjamin. It was easy to see how the agent had bypassed all of Ivy Corp's security protocols. In no time, the gun was pointed at his temples."I did like you, Mr. Benjamin. If you can believe that. But it seems that between us, your mouthpiece is going to be what does you in." he rebutted."Hey, hey, hey. Aren't
"Please, save me! SAVE ME!"Benjamin nodded his head. "Okay. Enough chit-chat. Hand over the card."Benjamin remembered what had happened when he tried using [Bow Down To Me] on Linda. Somehow, the card had deflected his command. So the whole point of this rigmarole was to disarm Mr.Whoever's card from his person as soon as possible.Mr.Whoever bit his lip and hesitated for a millisecond. They had just past the 5th floor. Benjamin clapped his hands."That's the sound of you hitting the pavement" he smiled. There was a squeal, and the card was in Benjamin's hands in the next fraction of a second, which was also when they hit the ground.Although PAYTON, had assured him firmly there were no consequences, Benjamin still blinked his eyes when he made contact with the hard surface.He opened them to find they had landed on some poor bastard's minivan. And by them, Benjamin, who had rolled forward first to absorb all the impact. He pushed Mr.Whoever aside, and clambered down to assess the d
On the elevator ride down, Bradley asked: "So, this thing is supposed to make me bulletproof?""Theoretically. But not this one. The host has no [Body Enhance] skills" clarified Benjamin."[Body Enhance]" repeated a lost Bradley."It won't make you bulletproof, but you can go really fast. Like, zoom zoom" Benjamin demonstrated with his fingers. "Well, you have to see it to believe it""I don't doubt that. Is there like an 'On' Button, or--" Bradley fiddled and flipped the card multiple times to check."Calm down, Sheesh" remonstrated Benjamin. "We're not even outside yet" And turned to Mr. Markham. "Is there an 'On' button?"Markham bobbed his head and said: "There is a pattern. You flip the card in a specific order. First, Back To Front 4 times. Then Front to Back 3 times. And finally Back To Front 9 times. To activate [Avatar Mode]." he explained."You catch all that?" Benjamin asked Bradley."Way ahead of you" replied Bradley, completing a flip, and then perking his head and ears
"But I want to hear you say it. What exactly do you mean by trouble?"Dominique turned to his Captain. I don't take direct orders from him. Should I say anything? Bradley nodded for him to go ahead."Arson, Sir" replied Dominique."Arson! What the fuck? Who?!""We're working on identifying some of them, now, Sir""So we didn't catch anyone?""We're going to. I believe we have some addresses now, but the madam will give you the complete details."Benjamin shook his head. "I'll deal with this when I get back. But in the meantime, Good work! Let's go, Bradley.""You did good, Kid. Again, about this whole thing. I'm sorry it has to be like this"Of course, Bradley was referring to the whole arrangement of their precinct coming to work for a private individual."It's quite alright. I mean, it's not alright, in the face of the law, Captain. But we trust your instincts. And I have to thank you too. Those arsonists are the only action I've seen since joining the force." remarked the boy."Ju