The Technological Tracker

Chapter 2 - Let the hunt begin

Sometimes, you must tell an innocent little lie to protect the people you love and care about. Some lies are bigger than others, and not every lie wants to be kept a secret forever. I've lived a life of lies like this since I can remember.

I'm on my way to CTCB, CyoTech's main building. We are known for producing Frontier's most advanced types of technology. My boss likes to call our company the future of technology. The thing is, we are not all about producing tech. We are something else too. CyoTech wasn't really built as a company to produce advanced technology, but as a shield for what lies on the inside.

CyoTech located downtown, half an hour away from my family's noodle shop. After a few blocks, I am standing in front of the CyoTech building. I enter the building, meeting the receptionist in the middle of the hall.

"May I see your ID, please?" The receptionist asks.

"Come on Aria, give me a break already," I say with an apathetic tone.

"You know it's my duty to ask everybody about that, y/n."

"Yes I know, safety first and all that crap," I roll my eyes and hand over my ID for her to check it.

"So, you sent a message?"

"Mr. Colton wishes your presence at his office."

"Another mission?"

"I think so, but it doesn't say anything here what it's about," she says, scrolling through the computer.

"Well, if I know him right, someone is gonna die." Saying no more, I walk from the reception desk and over to the elevator.

Everybody in this company is just a bunch of killers, even myself. This dirty work pays good money, that's all I have to say. I come from a poor family, not much one can do about that, but one day I came across this guy named Mateo Colton. Mateo offered me a huge amount of money. All I had to do was to kill one man, and of course, as desperate as I was, I did it. That is where it all began. I am now working as a bounty hunter, and I am not the only here with blood on my hands.

I am now on the eleventh floor, the top floor and where Mateo's office lies. I walk down the hall. When I am facing the office door, I open it.

"Hello, you wanted to see me?" I stop for a second when I see Wyatt, another bounty hunter working for CyoTech.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a guest," I say with a mocking voice.

"That is why you knock on the door, stupid," Wyatt says, irritated.

"Relax, why do you always have to be such a pain in the ass?"

"You moron!"

I don't like Wyatt, he thinks he's better than any other bounty hunter in this company, just because he killed a very important military leader once. Self-absorbed jerk, not caring about anybody else than himself.

"You two kids can take you little fight outside this office, or else I will break both your necks."

Wyatt and I, both looks at Mr. Colton.

"Well, now as I have your attention, Wyatt and I just had a conversation about a request that came in yesterday," Colton stands slowly up from his chair and continues, "In this company I have many bounty hunters working for me, hunting down people everyday, but out of that amount of hunters, I only have seven really good ones."

"And, your point?" I ask, impatiently. Mateo must always make a story out of everything he is explaining.

"In fact, five out of seven has rejected this mission, including Wyatt."

"What? No way!"

I look shocked on Wyatt, who is standing beside me. Wyatt turning down a mission? I break out in laughter.

"This is not funny, y/n," Wyatt says.

"It's actually the most challenging request we have ever received," Colton adds.

I put myself together.

"What is the mission about then?" I ask, trying to keep the jokes inside.

"We received a message from a company called ML Industries. The man who runs that company wants us to hunt down and slaughter The Frontier's best hunter. They go under the name Bloodhound."

"Ok, no problem."

Wyatt turns towards me with an intense look.

"Do you even understand what you are signing yourself up to? There is a reason why all of us turned down the offer you know? Why Bloodhound is known for being Frontier's best hunter is because he won the Apex Games!"

"Apex? You mean the game that involved many combatants that fought until only one squad remained standing?"

Wyatt nods.

"There is rumors saying that Bloodhund is a bloodthirsty murderer, a beast, hunting only for their own satisfaction."

"Wyatt, rumors aren't necessarily right," Colton points out.

I look down for some seconds, thinking, is this risk really worth taking? Before I make up my mind, I ask, "How much daras are we talking about?"

I move my gaze over to Colton.

"More than anyone in The Frontier has ever paid," he answers.

"Alright, I'll do it."