Broker
Chapter 281

The heavy sea breeze rushed past Sonya, sending her hair fluttering around her head as she stared out towards the distant lights. The shipping lanes of Indonesia were packed with vessels redirected by many organizations seeking safety in numbers. She stood alone at the center of the quad helipad atop the Idol of Venus, the many lenses within her improved eyes adjusting and refocusing as her smile widened. She raised a lazy hand and drew on her power, a single flower petal materializing in the air over her fingertip. It glowed with an eerie white light.

She whipped her hand to the left, and a storm of petals spread across the platform before turning into a whirlwind that scattered about the deck of the ship. She took a breath and stepped forward, dipping low before breaking into a slow dance. Augment Reality activated, and she let her senses blanket the ship. She sought out every sound, every spoken word, every minutiae of the quiet vessel and recreated it. Like a camera put on a loop would prevent one from seeing, no one would hear what she had to say.

Her graceful dance continued. Visual filters came next that would block sight for all those but whom she granted permission. She spun and gestured to one of the empty pads, lines of light appearing that opened up into rectangular portals. Heavy footsteps that only she could hear followed. Marble bodies stepped out into reality as cold eyes turned on her. Dozens of Legionnaires ready to do their ruler’s bidding. She gestured to another empty pad, and a wide portal appeared, several forms stepping through it.

Mephisto, Kingshark, Kerauna, and Blackrazor in their full villain garb arrived before her accompanied by a figure in a hood standing next to Blackrazor. They did not speak, they did not interrupt, they merely watched as she continued her dance. Panels of hard light took shape around her that clapped together like the parts of an enormous model kit. She raised her hand high, and four boats took shape out of the glowing translucent material. Her eyes cast to the sky as what appeared to be soap bubbles appeared around her. One at a time, they popped and changed into berries that glimmered with a gilded luster.

Her hand dropped as she fell into a slow bow, and the berries drifted towards the four supervillains. They grabbed them out of the air and slipped them into pouches on their belts as Sonya turned her eyes back on the distant lights.

“Each of you will take a contingent of Legionnaires,” she said quietly. “Mephisto, you will go to the Philippines.”

“Understood, Mistress,” he said behind her.

“Kingshark, I am sending you to Singapore.”

“Got it, boss.”

“Kerauna, the dungeon in Vietnam.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Blackrazor.” Sonya pointed towards the lights. “You and your friend will go to Jakarta. You know what to do.”

“It is your will, Mistress.”

She turned her head with a smile towards the Legionnaires. “This is my order. Go with them, my lovely warriors, and make sure that their will is done.”

“IT IS YOUR DECREE!” the Legionnaires chanted as one. They split apart and leaped towards the ships floating over her, filling them up as she crossed her arms behind her back. 

“Go.”

Streaks of light lanced out across the sky as Sonya grinned. “Have fun.”

 –-

The Idol of Venus made its first pit-stop on its route to the Bay of Bengal along the northernmost edge of Jakarta Bay in Indonesia. While the cruise ship lingered, Sonya and a small group of companions made their way over to the mainland via helicopter. She was accompanied by her two heroic bodyguards, Marta, and, to her chagrin, Nietz.

The previous night had seen to it that her group wasn’t the only one that disembarked. A few members of her inner circle along with a special guest went out to have a little fun and prepare for today’s theatrics. All great plans had phases to them, and this phase was the beginning of First Wind’s personal hell.

She hummed to herself as the helicopter made its way to the landing pad that air traffic control had directed them to. She glanced over at Qilin and First Wind, who were sitting across from her in plainclothes. Qilin’s cheongsam had been replaced with a silk blouse and tight-fitting denim jeans that Sonya was just now noticing were from one of her Lucci collections. While the woman had been acting fairly stalker-ish the past few days, the timing forced Sonya to chalk it up to coincidence.

Ishtar’s presence rose up in the back of her mind. Even so, she’s making a point of wearing something your company produces. She is curiously devoted to impressing herself upon you. I would very much like to learn more about her past.

I’ll have Blackrazor look into it, as much as I don’t care about a Herald’s backstory, Sonya thought dismissively. As for taking advantage of her infatuation, I’ve yet to see the right opportunity.

So you are considering it, Ishtar commented.

Of course I am, as much as it skeeves me out, Sonya thought. You were right the other day, whatever it takes. Establishing a dominant position over her is the first step. Right now my only hold on her is curiosity and our deal.

Hmm, fair point. Consolidating her chains into something more tangible is necessary if we are to take that route, Ishtar concurred. I will come up with a strategy. Focus on this for now.

I’ll leave it to you.

She met First Wind’s eyes and smirked at him. “Since we’re going plainclothes, should I call you Luca?” she asked, nauseated at the thought, but forcing herself to be pleasant.

The Herald,  who her senses already detected alcohol on, shrugged. “Doesn’t matter either way, sheila, as long as you chat her up the same way,” he nodded to Qilin.

Qilin scowled at him before turning to meet Sonya’s gaze. “Song Xi is fine, Miss Chernovna.” She paused and cleared her throat. “If that is what you want, of course.”

Sonya resisted the urge to roll her eyes as First Wind, Luca, snorted out a derisive laugh. “Lookit this fuckin’ wombat, actin’ all polite. Ain’t it inappropriate to be chasin’ the principal’s-”

“You are courting death, Luca,” Song Xi growled.

The wily wind user chortled and leaned forward. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”

“I hate to interrupt,” Marta, who had been sitting in a pleasant silence next to Sonya, said. “But we’ve arrived. You’ll have to postpone your bout.”

Sonya gave her friend a sidelong look and a grin. “You heard her,” she said as the helicopter jostled once, alighting on the ground. “Let’s play nice, mm?”

She turned to the left and shot Nietz a look. Just like Marta, he had been quiet for the majority of their flight from the ship. Unlike Marta, though, he looked lost in thought. His eyes focused forward as his jaw clenched and relaxed. The air around him seemed a little different too. The mixture of emotions on his face was hard to read and made all the more interesting by the fact that his heart rate was steady.

He’s been training with First Wind, perhaps something happened? Ishtar wondered.

At first glance, he seems nervous. I don’t think that’s it, though. 

Hazard a guess? Ishtar chuckled.

“What are you so excited about?” she asked him.

He blinked and looked up, staring at her wide-eyed for a heartbeat. He glanced over his shoulder at the door as the ground crew came over to greet the pilot. He looked back at her and pointed at himself. “Are you talking to me?” he asked.

She gave him a deadpan look. “Starting to regret it.”

First Wind snorted as Nietz cleared his throat and visibly relaxed. “Sorry, I wouldn’t say I’m excited. Maybe… curious?”

She was about to ask him to clarify when the door opened and a pair of soldiers in dress attire held out their hands for Sonya and the others to disembark. As they slipped out, Sonya gave the young man another look before dismissing it. She would have time to deal with him later and she had more important things to focus on. In particular was the dark-haired man in a dark-green military uniform glistening with medals standing just outside of the helipad ring. He was accompanied by an armed guard and a dark-haired woman in a black uniform with a visor over her eyes.

Well, well, well! They sent out the big guns to meet me! How nice, she thought as a delighted smile spread across her face. She parted with her group and made her way over without hesitation, holding both hands out in greeting. “General Windodo! In the flesh!” she crowed, hastening over to meet him. “To think they sent you out to greet me!”

“Were you expecting anything less, Miss Chernovna?” the General asked, hesitating for a moment before extending both hands as well. She placed her hands on his with a brief touch before pulling them back to her heart and inclining her head. His eyes widened a little, and she grinned at him. “You came prepared.”

She switched to Indonesian. “Good impressions are important in business, aren’t they?”

He grinned even wider. “That they are.”

Perks of having a cybernetic brain. Language training and cultural videos are pretty easy to digest, she thought, before taking his hand in a brief handshake. “I assure you that ASTA Corporation is more than happy to do business today, General.”

Analyze.

<You have acquired the product: Perfect Pitch>

She kept her expression still as she broke the handshake. Oh well, not every handshake is going to get me a winner. I’ll give it to Tenebra. No, she has perfect pitch already with her higher-order ability. Could I sell it somehow? I don’t think any of my people would be interested.

She pulled herself out of her considerations and pushed forward with introductions. She made sure not to conceal First Wind or Qilin’s identities. Hiding it might be beneficial in the short term, but having them be identified after the fact would cause more harm than good. When she was done, she turned to the woman in the visor. She hadn’t so much as moved the entire time.

“Batu, ma’am,” the woman said flatly. “Please ignore my discourtesy. I am present only to protect the General.”

Sonya raised her eyebrows and looked back at the General. “Protect? Why so? Did something happen?” she asked innocently.

The General’s pleasant demeanor fell a little. “I’m afraid there’ve been numerous villain attacks throughout our territory and beyond. To make matters worse, Ishtar seems to have taken your declaration from before quite personally. Kingshark and Kerauna are active in the region as we speak.”

Sonya felt First Wind’s heart rate spike behind her. He was about to step forward when she spoke again. “Do you have anyone on it?”

“We have teams on the move to push them back,” he said. “Not to worry, they are far away from here.”

Sonya gave him a gracious smile. “I wish I could send my bodyguards to help, but they’ve been assigned to stay close at hand.” 

Behind her, First Wind’s fists clenched. That’s right, you only get to show off when I let you. With Charon on my side, I can even ask villains to clear out of an area if I want. Don’t you worry, though, I’ll give you a little taste of action before your next dry spell.

The General nodded gravely. “It isn’t a problem,” he said. “The heroes of the region prefer to fight their own battles.”

She grinned. “I’m pleased to hear it. I’d like to meet some of them while I’m here, if possible.”

He shook his head. “That may not be possible. We had a large mana cloud cross through the region a few days ago, and monsters have been spawning in large numbers. Between that and the villain attacks on dungeons, most of our heroes are on duty.” He turned and gestured towards the path behind him towards a cluster of vehicles. “Shall we?”

She brightened and stepped up to stand next to him. “Of course, I understand. How about we talk about guns instead?”

He barked out a laugh. “I’d heard you come across as a mind-reader sometimes. How did you know?”

“I saw the report about the mana storm. I happen to know the guy who designed your radar,” she said cheekily. “I figured your men could use some toys, so I stopped by on my way to Bengal.”

They started walking and he glanced her way. “How many units are readily available?”

Sonya paused for a moment, pretending to think as her mind connected with ASTA Corporation’s servers. She was a little ashamed to admit that she didn’t check up on them as often as she should, but fortunately, she had the right people running the company for her while she was away causing trouble. A few quick checks and she had a hard number for him.

“I can get you twenty thousand rifles and ammunition for them, to start,” she said. “Infantry-level armor is on the table too. ASTA has not stopped mass production since it formed. As for the fancier stuff, we can have a nice long talk on the way.” She paused. “Where are you taking me, by the way?”

She watched his face. He had a pretty decent poker face, but there were a few tell-tale signs that he was pleased but not overly excited by her initial offer. When he smiled, it was controlled. “When I learned you were coming, I had a selection of street foods and local fast foods assembled into a menu for you to sample.”

She blinked and looked up at him with wide eyes. She looked back over her shoulder at Marta, who was giving her a disapproving look, and grinned. “Marta! Marta!” she called, and the woman frowned even more. “I like him!”

–

Blackrazor stepped out of yet another shadow and let the wind wash over his face. The air was thick with that tell-tale scent common to all urban areas. Hands in his pockets, he walked to the edge of the roof he had chosen as his vantage point. Down below, he could see the Mistress and her entourage make their way to the motorcade prepared for them. His eyes fell upon First Wind and they narrowed. One arrow would be sufficient at this range, he thought idly. 

He drew out his bow of shadows, the long wispy strands of black weaving together to create an arrow that ended in a violet head. He drew the string back and aimed, his breath steadied, and then he lowered the weapon. “I hope this revenge of yours is worth it,” he said to the roof around him. “I could have killed one of my Mistress’ hated enemies right then and there.”

Not that such an end would be satisfying for her.

The man in the hood that had accompanied him walked to the railing as well and rested his palms against the hard surface. He pulled his hood back to reveal a youthful face and long black hair tied up in a severe ponytail. His eyes lingered on the vehicles that were now starting to move.

Blight smiled. “Oh, it will be.”

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