Broker

Chapter 34

Sonya stepped out of her bedroom, glancing back only once at the sleeping form in her bed. She rubbed her shoulder and walked to the window, cracking open a soda and taking a sip as she looked out over the city street, her hot-pink eyes glowing in the darkness. Her eyes narrowed a little at the peaceful streets, I still can’t get used to it, she thought and took another sip. She gestured and a panel of light appeared next to her, she set the can down and pulled up her HUD before dialing out.

The answer came only a heartbeat later; <Mistress Ishtar?> came Shark’s voice in her head. She smiled, Good boy.

<Hello, Shark, how are things?> She asked, crossing her arms behind her back.

<We’ve made our way through most of the State at this point, boss, and the branches of the gangs in other states are taking the knee quickly as you said they would,> Shark said, <Dealing with something minor here in New York right now.>

She raised an eyebrow, <Minor? Color me curious, dear.>

There was a pause and then Shark elaborated, <Had a cabbie get murdered by his fare, came straight from the airport. One quick stab through the throat, creepy but small potatoes.>

<And you’re dealing with it because he couldn’t possibly have a knife that sharp on an airplane,> Sonya surmised.

<Yeah, and some nobody murdered a cabbie on my turf, this is my kingdom. That shit won’t stand,> Shark growled.

She smiled, He’s growing well.

<I’m glad to hear you’re taking it seriously, do you have any leads?> She asked.

<Yeah, we got his face, this guy clearly hasn’t been to the City in the past few years,> Shark said with a chuckle, <All cabbies have dash cams these days.>

<Good, let me know if there’s any trouble, I’m curious now. There was an assassination order put out on me recently and the timetable lines up,> She said and took her can up again, sipping it while Shark spluttered.

<I’ll deal with it personally.> Shark growled.

<Now now, Shark, you’re a king, send your men for now and test the waters. No need putting yourself in any danger, just make sure they’re equipped with recording gear,> Sonya warned him, <I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you about it.>

<Yes ma’am.> He said and ended the call. She smiled to herself again and took another sip, turning around when she sensed movement behind her. She turned to see Amos standing there with a messy head of hair and a smile on his face, “You’re up late.”

“Took a while to get what you need,” Amos said with a yawn, walking over to the fridge and grabbing his own drink before throwing himself into the couch, “But I got it.”

She turned to face him, “Oh?”

“Yeah, you’d think a guy with security that shit would have pictures of himself laying around but he’s surprisingly cautious in some ways,” Amos said, taking a sip of his drink and waving his hand, “But I’ve got a picture of Phan Duong for you.”

“Wonderful!” Sonya crowed, walking over to sit next to him. It had been bothering her since she first heard his name. It sounded so familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Even with her encyclopedic and well organized memory it was like there was a hole there. Not that it mattered, some insipid young master getting favors from his powerful father was nothing unusual, it was just nice to put a face to the name of the idiot trying to scheme against her.

She sensed a signal coming from Amos and loaded the image in her HUD. She took one look and hopped to her feet, “An Set!” She blurted, her fingers clenching into fists.

“Who?” Amos asked, jerking back a bit from her sudden movement.

Sonya froze and glanced back at him, giving him a meaningful look. He closed his mouth and cleared his throat as she focused on the image. An Set! To think one of you already took the bait! It seems that making myself a perceived nuisance to the future self-proclaimed gods has already started to pay off! She couldn’t push the grin off of her face as she looked the image of the young man in the eyes, So you were the Chairman’s son. No wonder. But…wait… She frowned and crossed her arms. That doesn’t make sense.

She started to pace, Amos watching her. An Set was one of the Mythic-Tier heroes during my last life. He was a monster, and not someone I could ever face head on. He’d kill me and everyone around me in a heartbeat. He was also brilliant, though, She rubbed her temples, A genius with the Amethyst Order at his beck and call, his plans were always foolproof. It was one of the reasons Otis picked him as one of his heralds.

She looked back at the image again, This idiot? That’s impossible.

But it was clearly him, the face was unmistakable. That lackadaisical expression and those cold eyes. She’d only met him once during a summit with Chunhua. He’d been so intense and knew exactly what to say. She rubbed her face, Think, Sonya! There has to be an explanation, someone like him wouldn’t rely on daddy’s influence and certainly wouldn’t be as stupid and reckless as this guy. She paused and glanced back at Amos, “You said that the call to the Assassin wasn’t made on Duong’s number, right?”

He blinked and looked up at her, he’d already pulled out his phone and was playing a game, “Uh, yeah. Some woman named Feng Hyunh. I think she’s his fiance or something.”

“Fiance?” She said thoughtfully, “Feng Hyunh, Feng Hyunh…”

Nothing, who is that? Does she have something to do with how articulate he becomes later on? It’s possible but I don’t have enough information.

“Learn everything you can about her,” Sonya said, “Tomorrow,” She added after a moment’s hesitation and glanced back to see a relieved look on Amos’ face. “Get some rest, alright?”

He let out a breath and nodded, “Yeah, I’ll do that. I’m gonna chill for a bit though, been a while since I caught up on my games.”

She snorted and smiled at him before walking up and ruffling his hair, “Thank you for everything, Amos.”

He grinned up at her, “Just doin’ my job.”

She walked away, heading back to her room. She ran her fingers through her hair as her expression went hard, a cruel smile forming on her lips. That’s one herald found, and information I didn’t have as well, for now, patience. I can’t touch the boy yet. She squared her shoulders and shut the door behind her, But soon.

–

Sonya opened her eyes and rubbed her face, she felt drowsy. She looked down at her lap and flinched, why am I wearing gear? She thought sleepily, her fingers running over the cargo pants and the strap of her sidearm on her hip. She squinted as light flooded into her vision and her eyes hastily reoriented, ticking in her head in order to compensate for the abrupt glare. She frowned and looked around, Where?

Chunhua smiled at her from the side with a raised eyebrow, “Have a good nap, sleepy head?” She laughed, putting her hand on Sonya’s.

Sonya blinked, “Uh…” 

Chunhua tittered out another laugh, “Stunned by my beauty as soon as you wake up? You’re cute," she teased and struck a pose in the vehicle. They were in a car. She held her arms over her head and gave Sonya bedroom eyes, “How’s this?”

Sonya flushed and looked down, reaching up to rub her neck, “Y-you know how to shake a girl up,” She murmured, looking down at the ring on the woman’s finger. Chunhua squeezed her hand and pulled Sonya’s fingers up to her lips. Sonya followed the movement with her eyes, her face growing increasingly red as she made eye contact with her wife again. “Chun…”

“It’s going to be fine, you don’t need to be so nervous,” Chunhua reassured her, “It’s just a meeting.”

Meeting? What meeting? When? Where?

“Otis and his team just want to catch up, they just cleared that Mythic dungeon. We should be throwing a party but the big man in charge seemed all serious on the call,” Chunhua huffed, kissing Sonya’s knuckle and turning towards the window, “Here we are.”

The Summit! Sonya thought, I’m dreaming, how am I so lucid? Is it my improved mind?

The car stopped as Sonya’s thoughts reeled, the door opened and she squinted again, her eyes whirring in her head as Chunhua slipped out of her seat. She set her sword on her hip and struck a relaxed pose as the Committee representatives bowed in front of her.

“Welcome to Avalon, Madame Black Lotus,” The representatives said as one.

Sonya slipped out of the car after her and looked around, it was just as unbelievable as the first time she laid eyes on it. Streets of white marble like stone stretched as far as one could see contrasting with the vibrant green of grass. White buildings rose up around them with domes and minarets, narrow towers topped with massive crystals that hummed and spun slowly in mid air. Avalon, the seat of Heroes, the place where the Mythics were like gods and anyone else was naught but a mere mortal.

Chunhua held up her hands, “Thank you all, no need for formalities, let’s head to the grand hall,” She said and turned to Sonya, “You coming?”

Sonya swallowed, “Y-yeah.”

Sonya followed a step behind Chunhua, taking in her surroundings. It was strange reliving a memory like this, she wondered if she could record it somehow. Her lip twitched, if only it were that easy. But at least she could take it all in, sensory data that she hadn’t picked up on in her last life. The energy levels in the air were crazy, how had Chunhua not noticed how much mana was around them? Or had she not cared? Given her ability, Sonya supposed it really didn’t matter.

They made their way down the promenade and towards the largest of the buildings, a massive dome wider than a football stadium. A pair of enormous doors were set into the side. They were slightly ajar with enough space between them for two people to walk shoulder to shoulder with no issue. Guards were posted outside wearing the white-and-gold of the Avalon Guard, each of them were no doubt Heroic level Light-touched if not low-grade Mythics in their own right. It was an obvious show of force.

Sonya narrowed her eyes as they strode through the opening and into the vast interior. A garden out of one’s dreams waited for them inside, water flowed in strange directions, even defying gravity as it poured up into small floating islands that were decorated with all manner of strange plants extracted from dungeons. Everything but the white outer walls was doused in color, blues and pinks and greens and yellows shimmering eerily. It was nothing short of the domain of the gods.

“Black Lotus!” Came a cheery voice ahead of them. She didn’t recognize it, but her gut twisted in reaction. She tore her eyes from the scenery to take him in. He had short blonde hair coifed to the right and a rather plain but handsome appearance, tan skin with a jolly look in his sapphire blue eyes. His hands were opened, ready for an embrace. She blinked and it was as if memories came rushing back, her jaw tensed, her eyes bulged, her muscles screamed at her to lunge. Otis!

Chunhua laughed and greeted him with an embrace, “Otis! Good to see you, sir!” She laughed, stepping back from him after a brief hug, “That power of yours is maddening though, every time I see you it’s like meeting you for the first time!”

Otis smirked at her, “It has its advantages,” he said smugly and glanced past her towards Sonya, “And who’s this?”

Sonya forced herself to calm down, it took every ounce of self control as she bowed her head in the direction of the man she wanted to kill more than anyone in the world, “Sonya Lian, sir, Codename Farsight,” Sonya said politely.

“Lian?” He hummed and glanced at Chunhua, then down at their hands, “Oho I see, welcome Farsight!” He said with a bright smile and turned to the garden, “We’re all waiting for you.”

Sonya watched him go with a frown and fell into step behind Chunhua again, cautiously observing her surroundings. There had to be a reason why she was remembering this, was she just dwelling because she had finally encountered one of the heralds again? There had to be more to it, though, more information she could glean. Chunhua glanced back at her, “You okay?”

Sonya forced herself to smile, “Y-yeah, just a lot to take in.”

“Don’t I know it, every time I meet the guy,” Chunhua said, “He’s called the faceless hero because of that odd side effect of his abilities. Nobody can remember what he looks like unless they’re right in front of him.”

I know. “I see.”

Chunhua shrugged, “No point in getting used to it,” She said and kept walking, admiring the plants, “Marta would love this place, I wish we could bring her.”

Sonya graced Chunhua with a smile as they stepped through a glade of eerie trees and into a wide clearing at the center of the entire structure. She stopped, transfixed for a moment as she took in the sight for the second time. There had to be over a hundred people here, maybe even more. Each and every one of them was a notable face, each of them talking amongst themselves. Yet most prominent were the seven seats set up in a semicircle on the far side of the clearing and Otis himself standing in the center of a small pond at the clearing’s heart.

Sonya swallowed, The Mythic Summit, she thought, Enough power here to destroy all of mankind. Her eyes narrowed as she rallied her self control, None of them know it in this moment, but they will do just that. 

She kept her cool as she and Chunhua made their way to a seat on the right, looking in on where Otis stood. He raised his hands to the air, “Welcome, Divines and their guests! To this Mythic Summit!” He cracked a grin, “Without further ado, we have a lot to talk about.”