Clear Skies

Chapter 4: Partners

Kalin dragged me away from Martha's before dawn and apologized to her for my absence. Her ranting chased us out the door. I rubbed sleep out of my eyes as we trekked to the hideout. Dark waves crashed into the cliff, and gray clouds lingered from the previous day's storm.

Despite the bleak morning, Kalin was full of energy. He hopped from foot to foot, and his eyes sparkled like gold. "Okay Rain, today we're doing something different! You and I are going as partners on a special mission!"

"Um, okay," I muttered. "Where's everybody else?"

"Weeeell, I figured the experience would be more effective with less hands on deck," he said. "Plus, we need to practice cuff throwing, and I wouldn't want to make them wait."

Kalin sprinted up the staircase and returned with two pairs. He stood a good distance away and swung an empty duel disk forward. "Give it your best shot!"

I tossed. He had to dive for it before it fell into the ocean. He heaved breaths from the effort as he came to my side. "You're a lil' too focused on the power part. They're light as all hell, so you don't need to throw so hard."

I tossed again. The cuff landed a couple feet short. He scratched beneath his headband. "Here, watch the way I do it!"

The way he twirled the wire and hooked me in were like the works of a practiced magician. I couldn't make sense of the skill if I tried. He clicked the cuff off my disk and returned to his spot across from me.

I spun the cuff once and threw. The metal latched onto his disk. He pumped a fist into the air. "Perfect! Now we can go!"

"Um, you don't think I should try a few more times?"

"Nahhh. You're a natural!"

"Not really. I mean, it took-"

"Like two tries." I felt the need to correct him, but he was already walking away from the hideout. I struggled to keep up with his gait. He said, "Sometimes the gangs we defeat try to reform. If that happens, we need to go back and make sure all of their resources are destroyed. So! That's what you and I are doing today."

"Really? Is it safe with just the two of us?"

"Please. You underestimate me. Er, us."

Well, yes. One-half of our group couldn't even throw a cuff correctly. Then again, he made everything look easy. I was sure him being in the lead meant everything would go smoothly.

"Anyways, we're going to Team Golem's old hideout," he explained. "The guys and I beat them about a week ago. I heard a couple of them have gotten a hold of duel disks, so..."

"We're trying to destroy those disks?"

"Well, it would also be nice to find out their supplier."

I hummed to confirm I'd heard. We passed a worn plaque. I squinted; flecks of gold traced the outer rims of the worn, black letters. "What's a 'financial district?'"

He shrugged his shoulders. "The buildings 'round here were for finance."

"Mkay, but what does that mean?"

"Hell if I know. Something to do with money, I think - not that we do the whole money thing anymore. The Satellite's all about bartering and leverage." He glanced back at my curious stare and continued, "Bartering is figuring a trade, which depends on how different people value different things. Leverage is a lot easier and happens a lot more often. It's 'give me what I want or I'll put my gang to good use' kinda shit."