The osiris shift trinity.., p.30
The Osiris Shift (Trinity Sprawl Book 1), page 30
I watched amused as Bast’s eyes widened as the elevator changed from pornographic adverts to the dark stained wood wainscoting followed by the emerald green wallpaper and brass fixtures. It might have been rendered on the walls but the display quality was topnotch.
When the doors opened to reveal the same decor in the entrance way I thought she was about to lose her head as she kept turning it to take it all in. I was slightly concerned about what would happen when she actually made it past the front doors.
The security guard eventually waved us through with weapons intact after I explained who I was and who Bast was to me. I also had to take personal responsibility for anything she did as she herself was not a VIP member. That was fine though and I did stress to her that if anything happened because of her it was coming out of her remaining pay. I didn’t have the crypto to remodel this place.
As we stepped through the doors Bast’s pace slowed and she took in the whole of the floor. The dark green walls with the wood wainscoting that ran the length of the walls. The leather chairs and wooden tables that were strategically placed. And the view out the wall length window. It was probably the most wealth she had ever seen in one place. My body stiffened and my hand fell upon the butt of my Taurus. What I noticed however was that the place was completely empty.
Case Entry 45
The only other time I had seen the top floor of Ogygia this empty was when Nevan had paid me to hollow the place out. To gut it clean. I chewed at the corner of my lip at the memory. The overthrow of a Sector King is not bloodless. You have to take away their places of power. Oftentimes knee deep in blood.
The Towers and by extension Ogygia was once such a place. The history for me was close; it put me on edge. The sins of my blackened heart coming to the surface.
I tried to shake it off and instead looked out over the floor. I took in the whole of it. I was looking for any sign that would explain why this floor would be empty. Any signs of an attack or something like it. I threaded off parts of my consciousness to analyze the security network for any signs of a breach.
It didn’t take long for Bast to pick up on my disquiet. She soon lost the hick tourist act. She hardened into the seasoned professional I had come to know and trust. “Expecting trouble?” She asked as four of her hands came to rest on butt’s of her pistols. The remaining two quickly checked her ammo stores readying to provide reload support.
“I’m not sure.” I said, still trying to grasp something I couldn’t see. “It’s normally not this empty.” She nodded and let out a small sigh. “I hope it’s not a trap. I really would hate to have to shoot this place up.”
I shared her sentiments. I had felt the same the last time I had come through those doors ready to burn the Towers to the ground. Past Harry’s place, Ogygia was the only other place I knew I could go to feel a measure of peace and safety. It might be an illusion but it was still a diamond within the Sprawl.
Ogygia was a place where, for a time, you could feel safe. No one would risk losing their privileges to do wetwork here. In all of the Sprawl there are only a handful of truly neutral locations where enemies can meet without fear of betrayal. It’s what allows the various gangs and power players to do business and keep the peace. Without Ogygia the Sprawl, or at least Sector B, would be a much more hellish place.
I was about to turn and suggest we fan out and start a proper search when I heard the tintinnabulation of bells signaling the arrival of an elevator. I looked to where I had taken D.D. a day or two ago to see the doors parting ways.
Libby exited followed by four guys in black formal wear. To me they had muscle written all over them. Each was armed with an APC9K, a small compact 9mm submachine gun capable of a high rate of lethally accurate close range fire. Something was up and this turn of events wasn’t looking promising.
Bast moved behind me taking up position to cover me should this turn out to be a shootout after all. Libby was wearing a beautiful formal dress of red and gold. It was a sleeveless affair made up of an intricate golden brocade halter that clasped around her elegant neck and came to an end in an empire waist just about ten centimeters below her bosom.
Backless, the tailoring had transformed the halter so that it was almost molded to her. The rich red fabric making up the rest of the dress fell to the floor draping the remaining of her pleasing form. The dress was so well crafted it needed no A.R. illusions to make it shimmer and dance. It was capable of that on its own from just how the light hit it. I watched as the dress accentuated her every move as she came to stand just a few meters away.
“Hello Breck.” She said softly in that silky tone that had at one time in the past captivated me so utterly. I watched a small play of emotion on her features as she got a better look at me.
“What happened to your hair?” She said. Her tone spoke of shock and disbelief. It was as if the thought I could change had never occurred to her before. “Breck, you look so much different than the last time I saw you. What has happened?”
She leaned a little to the side to get a better look when she spied Bast. “And who is this?” The tone of her voice warned me that thin ice had just been found. I turned to look at Bast then back to Libby. “My bodyguard. A good one too.” I said feeling the need to indicate just how dangerous we both were.
Libby looked at me. I could see a tiny corner of hurt deep within. “I never thought I would see the day when Anubis would trust someone with his health and safety.” She said. Her tone was cold and firm and it was everything I deserved. Our shared history gave her that right.
I cleared my throat. “You asked me to come.” I said looking at the security around her turning so my Taurus was out of their eye line. They were bruisers to a man. Hardened and professional ready and alert for anything. I needed to be the same.
“Yes, about that.” She said with a touch of distress coloring her words. She looked away purposefully so as to look anywhere but at me. This didn’t feel right. My hand tightened a little around the butt of my Taurus readying for a quick draw. “Something has happened to D.D., she’s been attacked.”
I felt my blood run cold. I hadn’t even felt the few steps I had taken until I stopped. The bruisers all had raised their weapons training them on me. Bast was behind me. I could feel her body brushing against my back. Her arms around me each with a machine pistol in hand. Each of her guns pointed at a different man. “Just say the word.” She whispered.
I looked to Libby and the mask of calm she was trying to maintain. There was fear in her eyes. Terror in her body language. This was not what she wanted. This wasn’t a trap, it was a precaution. She was afraid of what I would do.
She had worked for Ogygia when I had come at Nevan’s behest. She still remembered my cold fury as I worked with murder in my heart. She still remembered the bodies I had littered the hallways with as I had worked my way up this building a floor at a time. She was simply terrified of me.
My heart ached; the pain of it made me want to weep. I had once loved this woman. She had been the closest as I had ever gotten to it at any rate. But the memory of who I had been; what that person may do to her and what she loved terrified her. My dream came back to me and not for the first time since this all began I felt the monster I was.
“Put them away.” I whispered to Bast. She hesitated. “Libby just wants to talk. Trust me.” I said. Those words felt so alien on my lips. Bast lowered her weapons and the bruisers responded a half a second later. With the tension eased Libby relaxed and I noticed that she was shaking. Her worst fear and nearly came to pass.
“It’s alright.” I said calmly. “I’m not going to do anything. I just want to know if she is alright and what happened.” Libby fidgeted for a moment. I think she was trying to figure out the best way to tell me. To find the right words that would keep me in this unusually calm state.
“It was Tommy.” She said finally. No doubt she had come to the conclusion that there was just no good way to say it. So better to rip it off like a band-aid.
I felt the force of her words like a hammer blow to my gut. He had done it. He had finally walked off the deep end. It was one thing to attack Harry or Me. We did share a hand in what he had become. Beat a dog long enough and it will become vicious. But it’s another thing to go after family.
How could I not see this new and expanded viciousness in him. Was this payback for failing to kill me. Was it a message or a warning. What was I supposed to take from this?
“Breck.” Libby said, coming to stand in front of me. Her hands were on my face raising my head to make me look at her. “She’s in pretty bad shape. She’ll live but she’s going to need some augmetics. Do you hear me? She’ll live.”
I blinked away the fog that had overtaken me along with a few tears. “I need to sit down.” I said weakly and Libby nodded.
She walked with me over to one of the plush leather couches and I lowered myself into it. “Can we talk? Just you and me alone.” I asked her. “We don’t need guns and shows of force.”
She looked at me for a long moment and waved off her security. When Bast didn’t move Libby looked at me. I paused for a moment then looked to Bast. “Go get something from the bar. Please Bast, Libby and I have some personal matters to discuss.” Bast didn’t look happy about it but she gave me a nod.
Once Bast had left earshot Libby took a seat next to me. To me she looked tired and exhausted. Knowing her, she had worried about what this meeting would be like. Our deal had been broken. Would I be out for vengeance? Would I finish what I started so many years ago? It was the reason the bar had been emptied and she had met me with armed security. She didn’t know how I was going to react.
In truth I didn’t even know how I was going to react. But Ogygia had kept her safe for a long time. And I know better than anyone that no set of security or protections are full proof.
It wasn’t their fault. It was mine. It was mine because I underestimated Tommy. It was mine because I hadn’t dealt with Tommy at the start of all this. Whatever this was between Him, Harry, and I.
We sat quietly for a few minutes. Me collecting my thoughts. Her waiting for me to speak. When I finally did I simply asked. “How?” Libby took a deep breath and smiled sadly at me.
“It’s my fault. We have been trying out a new promotion. A one time taste of luxury.” She said and wiped at her eyes gently. “A company can buy a pack of one time use access cards that guarantee the visitor VIP access for two hours. One of those hours is reserved for access to a service provider of your choice. Background check still applies for access.”
People take comfort in familiarity. Libby had shifted into sales mode while talking about the promotion. I let her have it. The attack wasn’t just against D.D. or me but it was against Ogygia as well.
However, I could see the line of events unfolding. Tommy had bought a pack through a shell of a company. He found someone with no record. A total unknown and gave them a job, hurt Breck.
“How did it actually happen?” I asked her to try to move the narrative forward to the attack. I couldn’t fault her for wanting to keep business flowing.
“It was a woman. We have her locked away for Nevan’s people to deal with her.” She said losing the confidence that the familiar had granted her. “She was Sector D gutter trash. Dressed really nice and cleaned up but you can always tell. You can’t hide the mannerisms without years of training.”
Libby would know. She had come from Sector E with big dreams to make it as a V.R. actress. Ended up strung out staring in some disreputable and scary porn before being sold off to a series of brothels. Eventually she found her way into a decent joint, Ogygia.
The old Madam helped her kick all the drugs and relearn to stand on her own two feet. Turned her into a survivor. Now she was in charge of one of the most powerful information brokerages in the Sprawl.
“The gutter trash requested D.D. specifically. There were no major red flags so it was authorized.” Libby said. She was speaking away from me as she looked at her business and what it meant to her. What they did for her was something I couldn’t even begin to calculate in value.
“Every room has an alarm that is node activated. It calls security who take no more than two minutes to arrive. They are regularly drilled to ensure this. The Client made sure to knock D.D. out quick enough to prevent her from activating it.”
I remained quiet letting her talk. It would be better for both of us when she got it all out. “We have other security protocols. The service provider always sends a confirmation that services have started. It is a fail safe.” I nodded. It was a reasonable layer of security.
“When the fifteen minute grace period had elapsed with no confirmation security was sent to check on her. They found the Client systematically torturing D.D.. The Client had broken her arms and legs. Destroyed her joints. She was passed out and barely breathing. The Client did it all with her bare hands and whatever objects she could find in the room itself.”
Libby’s breathing became heavier and her face screwed up in pain. I reached a hand out and took her hand in mine. “It’s alright. You saved her. You saved our girl.” I said pulling her into an embrace. I felt her stiffen at the unexpectedness of the gesture but she soon relaxed and cried hard into my shoulder. I was on a roll today. First Myranda and now Libby. I rocked slowly and I felt her arms wrap around me and hold me tight.
Eventually she relaxed and pulled away. I let her. She was still sniffling and had produced a silken handkerchief from somewhere; she dotted at her eyes. “Careful, you’ll ruin your make-up.” I said a little jokingly. It was a stupid joke but she laughed.
“Miracle of modern cosmetics. No runs, smudges, or streaks. Completely waterproof.” She smiled at me for a moment. “Why aren’t you angry?” She said after a moment the seriousness of the situation returning.
“What good would it do?” I said shrugging. “I think I would only hurt more people. And end the end not the ones who would deserve it.” She looked at me. Really looked at me like I was someone she had never met before. “Who are you; what happened to Breck?” She asked incredulously.
“I saw you no more than two days ago and you were well, you. Now you show up and you have a bodyguard who you really seem to trust. You’ve cut your hair and are growing a beard. And now, you’re acting kind. You’ve never held me like that before.” She said, really looking confused. “What’s happened to you?”
I reached out a hand and took hers again. She just looked down at it like she really couldn’t believe what she was seeing. When we were together I never would hold her hand. Always needed to be ready just in case.
“I’m sorry.” I said. She was about to ask “what for” when I continued cutting her off. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t open myself up to trust you. I took everything you did to try and get closer as a betrayal. I hurt you. I kept hurting you until you had no choice but to leave. For that I’m sorry.” I said giving her hand a light but constant squeeze.
I could see the tears welling up and she fought to keep them under control. “You’re such an asshole. Telling me this now.” She said and I smiled sadly at her. “What else is new.” I leaned forward while lifting her hand and kissed it gently. She just looked at me. “Do you think,” She started. “You know I still,” I shook my head pleading for her to stop.
“A lot of illusions I held about myself have been stripped away.” I was quiet for a moment. I was not quite sure how to phrase what had happened to me. “I’m discovering that I’m not the man I wanted to be. Until I know myself better I would only keep hurting you in my ignorance.” I said choking back my own tears. “I don’t want to continue to hurt those I care for.”
She pulled her hand back and smoothed her dress. Sniffing hard and trying to dry her tears by sheer willpower she stood. “I understand.” She said politely bringing her hands folded in front of her. “Well, we’ve held off long enough I suppose.”
I stood and she took a step away creating distance between us. “I think you’re right. I would like to see my daughter now.”
With a small nod Libby turned away and headed slowly to the elevator. I waved to Bast to join me. We all three climbed into the private elevator that serves the twentieth floor. It was time to see how much pain I was going to be able to endure.
Case Entry 46
With each step towards D.D.’s door my heart felt more and more like lead. The time between each beat longer and longer. My feet were reluctant to take the next step. The primal fear welled up in me. I didn’t want to see what had happened to her. I didn’t want to feel my guilt cut any deeper into my soul. To be reminded that I was responsible for her pain.
The twentieth floor halls seemed to stretch out forever. This was Ogygia’s private residence. No clients were ever allowed up here. It reminded me of Peachtrees and I suddenly felt very trapped with no escape. Only Bast’s presence behind me kept me moving forward.
Libby came to a stop in front of a door. She threw a look over her shoulder at me. There was still hurt there and Libby hesitated before she stepped past the door. She quietly turned to face me. I took that as my queue. I looked to the door noticing the decorations. It had all the hallmarks of something a young woman might do.
A cute chalkboard name plate hung by a purple ribbon from the door with D.D.’s name written upon it in elegant pink calligraphy. The sign was framed in purple cloth with little subtle interlocking hearts in shades of white and pink in the pattern. Here and there were strategically placed pictures of her friends and her.
