Primal Gambit

Chapter 39: Shift Meets Renault

The two men walked down the hospital hallway in a rushed pace. It was as though the mysterious man next to Renault was in a hurry to get somewhere. The halls vaguely reminded him of the local hospital where Grace was born, though it differed greatly. He felt as though this hospital was more cut and dry than the one back home. Every inhabitant of The Dark City was a stranger with no connection to the people surrounding. In Utah, during his twenties, he could still see the faces of the employees who had either kin or children that Renault had gone to school with.

Incandescent lights flickered both inside and outside of the hospital – a warning that the entire city was going to go dark in the coming hours so that the wartime factories beyond The Yard could channel the power and churn out arms at a more breakneck speed. Renault wondered how the hospital operated in the dark – if there were unseen rooms filled to the ceilings with generators that would grumble to life as soon as the red floodlight illuminated the dark corridors. He turned to the man next to him.

"My apologies for not giving you the chance to settle in – time is of the essence here, and I need you to meet your new partner. It's better if you spend as little time in Clearway as possible, anyway. Trust me." He warned, not looking to the ex-spotter as his heels clicked against the tiled flooring.

"It's okay. I just have to call my wife and child when I get the chance – you didn't even give me the time to let them know I landed safely." He was too caring to voice his words in an annoyed tone.

"You'll have time to do that during your commute to The Yard. It'll be good to get your mind elsewhere while you travel through that area. I do wish you chose someplace closer or someplace safer, however." They were nearing the room now, slowing their step.

"Money is tight for me right now, I told you that over the phone. I'll need to save as much as possible if I'm going to get my family out of the States." His current frugalness was rivaled only by his inherent innocence.

"I do recall you saying that to me. Look, this is dangerous work," The man before Renault wiped the lenses of his glasses before replacing them on his face, "I understand if you want to try and earn a workable salary the honest way. If you're looking for a way out, this is the last one you'll find I'm afraid." He knew Renault was an honest man, and felt contempt that the times had pushed him into a corner like this.

"I can assure you however that you won't find another job that'll pay like this. The work is simple – you do as I say. And in a couple days when it's all over and the ash settles, you'll be able to take your family wherever you'd like. In, or out, of the States." He smiled.

Renault looked to the ground, to the battered boots laced on his feet. He thought about the places they had brought him, the places they would bring him. There was no questioning the fact that he would go to the ends of the Earth for his wife and daughter – there was nothing else important to him, to his life.

"I'm in." He steeled his nerves and nodded.

"Okay then, let's meet your partner – shall we?" The man pushed the door open just as the power shut down. They stood in pure darkness. Renault breathed nervously, worried that something would crawl up his back in the shelter of the shadows and drag him away. Before long, red emergency lamps doused spots of the hospital in neon color.

"Who's there, eh?" A rattled voice griped from within.

As the two stepped in, the mysterious man revealed his identity to the patient: "It's your favorite employer, Shift." Renault heard a soft sigh come from the bowels of the room.

When they approached the bed, the ex-spotter noticed the scars beginning to form over the claw-rakes on Shift's face. Half of his grin hid in the dark, his one visible eye glaring venomously at the man Renault had arrived with. The warrior could feel the other half of Shift's expression, matching the visible portion in pure hatred.