The Runner Records

4th Chapter

"Honey, I'm home. It was a short..." The K-Sec Enforcer stopped mid sentence when he saw us standing around in the living room. He was in the process of taking his helmet off and we were able to see his face. His dark green eyes kept switching between looking at Rina and I to looking at the woman with the gun. He was shocked and froze for just a moment. Then he came to reality.

"Petra, get behind me." He was still wearing his armour and had the gun, the assault rifle full of shock bullets. He brought the gun up to his sights and aimed at us. "Don't move." He commanded.

The woman quickly let out a sigh of relief and lowered her pistol. Then she ran over to him. "Oh, thank god you got back early." She swiftly got behind him and the man held out his hand to her, which she took as soon as she was close enough.

"What are you doing here?" He asked and Rina looked to me, confused. Most K-Sec officers would've started fighting with us or shooting at us by this point. Why isn't he? Who is this guy?

"Why are you here?" He asked a different question, but before we could answer Hugo's voice came through the comms.

"Rina, Cade! Don't do anything to hurt these people! I know them." His voice was full of shock and recognition. "Tell them you know me."

"Why are you here?" The man repeated the question, his tone getting more angry now.

"Wait, don't shoot." I said to the man. "Do you know Hugo? He sent us here."

The look of confusion flashed across the man's face again, but he quickly hid it. "Why? Why would Hugo send a bunch of Runner's to break into my house?"

"Tell him to hook up his BeatLink to this channel." Hugo said as he typed the correct channel through his computer and sent it to me. I took a step closer to them and the man didn't move. But he didn't lower the gun either.

"Here. Turn to this channel." I told him the right channel and he hesitantly hooked his BeatLink up to it. And then he started yelling at Hugo.

"Hugo, what the hell?" The man shouted. "You know I was gone today! And bringing Runners to my house? That's way too risky! I told you I can't do meetings in person. Not anymore, not with the baby coming so soon."

"Don, I know. This was just a mess up." Hugo's voice sounded actually apologizing for once. "This isn't a meeting. All my client told me was that he wanted a Runner to do some dirty work and an address. I didn't know it was your home!" The Enforcer finally put the gun away and instead of watching us carefully, he was pacing angrily.

"Ah, shit. Someone sent a Runner to my place?" He asked and Hugo answered.

"Well, it was supposed to be one. But three Runners ended up going. Where is Ray by the way?" We all turned to the balcony where Ray's back was facing us. He was completely oblivious to anything that had just happened in here. He seemed to be talking to someone through his BeatLink and it looked like it was an argument. Though I don't know how every conversation he has with anyone doesn't end up being an argument.

"Wait, wait a minute." Rina spoke up. "Hugo, how do you even know this guy? And why isn't he trying to kill us right now?"

"Hugo and I were on the same K-Sec squadron back before he left." The man explained. "Hugo hasn't told you about me?"

"They don't do runs for me anymore." Hugo told him. "At least they never used to. I don't know why they're so desperate to go on this one."

"So what's a K-Sec Enforcer doing talking to an offGrid who's clearly an illegal criminal and not turning him in?" I asked, still confused as to what's happening. Hugo's hanging around with a K-Sec officer who's talking about some sort of meeting. And he's got a pregnant wife.