Hollow Point Happiness

Case 8: A Strange Invitation

The notification was short, yet surreal, "You've been invited to meet at 'Brickwall Coffee & Tea' by user 'Mana Brighten' at 11:30 AM tomorrow. Accept or decline?"

Chris looked at the message and without even thinking clicked accept. He stared at the glowing screen until it changed. Chuck was calling him.

"Hello? Chuck? What's up?"
"Oh good, you're still up. We just got some weird info."
"Weird, how so?"
"There was a massive transfer out of the 'Mystic' account, 1.3 Million Neuro. It bounced off hundreds of encrypted accounts and we lost it."
"Ok, so she's buying something again what of it?"
"Not this time. I think she's going into hiding Chris."
"Ok, so she knows we are following her and she's holing up, what of it?"
"Not from us Chris, she has a bounty on her head, a BIG bounty. 930k big."
Suprise struck Chris, "930k that's insane. The largest bounty I've ever heard of was like 125k, are you sure it's 930?."
"Yep, we double and triple checked, as one other thing. We think she's coming back to Earth from Phobos, which in itself was weird. She was just walking around having a normal day while a military-grade robot escorted her around. It was also carrying an unidentified bag. What was really strange was it almost seemed like she was hitting as many cameras and public places as she could before she took off about an hour ago. Anyway, I'll keep you updated with anything else we get."
"Thanks, Chuck."

Chris hung up and sat down on his couch. He was exhausted and it hurt to think, so he slept.

Chris woke early, rolling out of bed he looked at his phone and the reminder for the event. He wasn't sure if he would go, it could be a trap but, why would she pick somewhere so public? He dressed, he knew she couldn't really just want to talk. He ate breakfast and woke Ash, after all, what was there to talk about? He waded through his thoughts as he walked Ash to her school. It was abnormally foggy and he could barely see 10 ft ahead of him as they walked, yet it was warm, what a weird day.

"Bye honey, have a great day. Learn lots."
Ash gave him a hug, "I will, bye dad." She pulled away and walked through the doors.

Chris sat on a nearby bench and checked his phone, 9:45 am. He still had some time, should he tell Chuck? No, he would only try to stop him. Should he bring his gun? It's a public cafe she won't pull anything, then again that armored car was on a public road and he saw how that went. Then a strange thought struck him, what should he wear? His police uniform might make her wary, but the idea of going in casual clothes was... unsetting to him to say the least, he spent more time then he would have like mulling it over.

11:26 am. Chris walked up to the cafe, its sign casting light through the fog when the strangest image appeared before him. Mana sat at an outside table wearing a sundress, that's the color was uncannily similar to her eyes, stirring a cup of coffee and looking bored, the sight made him glad he had worn his uniform. She sat up as he approached and gave a lazy wave.

"Fancy seeing you here Mr. Cartwin."
Chris slid into the opposing chair, "Why did you call me here?"
Chris couldn't get over the bizarre feeling in his stomach as she spoke, "Well, before we start," she produced her pistol and placed it on the table, "Let's be on even ground."
Chris produced his own and did the same, "Tell me why I'm here."
"Rather pushy today aren't we. Well, Mr. Cartwin, I'm here to do something I've never done before, I'm going to apologize, and its too you of all people."
Chris was almost awestruck by what he heard, "I'm sorry what? Apologize? I'm not sure if I want an apology from a psychopathic and homicidal hitman that tried to kill my daughter."
"You really don't have much say in the matter Mr. Cartwin. But before that, I wish to share some things with you, my reasons for why I called you here today."
Chris ordered a coffee from a small screen on the table, "Ok, fine... let's hear you're big reveal."

"I was 7 the first time I killed someone. I was with my father on Venus. I remember it all too vividly, stand over some Corpo woman, my father had broken both of her legs and cut her up a good bit. I had just watched as it happened, she screamed, pleaded, begged for her life. The tears made her makeup run, she looked terrible. My father kicked her and she fainted, and that's when he handed me the gun, this gun." Mana pointed at her gun on the table, "Do you know what it says Mr. Cartwin?"
Chris read the words on the gun with a hit of curiosity, "It says 'Do Harm'?"
"That's right, it was a joke my father came up with. A play on how doctors should 'Do No Harm' regardless of their personal feelings. My father always saw his work as the opposite of a doctor's, so he made up that phrase, 'Do Harm'...no matter what you're personal opinion as are. There was an order to his life, the job came first, money came second, and feelings don't come, ever." 

She pulled in a long breath, "He was a hitman, like myself, he was my teacher not my father. However, his work would eventually kill him. I watched him bleed out in some gutter on Mars, achieving nothing, loving nothing, and being no one. Which brings us to you and where you fit into my story."

Mana took a sip of her coffee as a waiter appeared and handed Chris his own.

Chris spoke first, "You're story? Why are you telling me any of this?"
Mana smiled, "To preface my apology, and because of what I was getting to before you cut in. You had 2 and half years of encrypted data in your Node, I never bothered to crack it because I feared I might find answers I wasn't ready for at the time. Mr. Cartwin what were you doing during those 2 and a half years?"
Chris was uncomfortable but cleared his throat, "I was working undercover for the Police, with the Triple-A, as I told you last time we... 'spoke'."
"No, you told me all the none encrypted memories, which I had Defrag verify. I know you're hiding something in those 2 and a half years, and I'm sure you of all people know what hiding things from me gets you. I'd advise you to tell me everything."

He was quiet for a long time as they both sipped at their drinks.

"I was... working out of Io. My wife and I had just had Ash, but I...I... was having... issues... drugs... alcohol... other stuff. So I found an excuse to stay off-world were I won't endanger them. I spent a little over a year working as private security for Warmage on some top-secret mining ops in Saturn's rings and an onboard guard for their labs. As they looked for some weird metal I don't remember the name of." Mana massaged her arm, "I got into a scuffle with some of Warmage's guys and quit. I forgot... they didn't. Turns out one of them was the son of some big shot in the company, so they came after me a year later at, oh god knows, what biodome on Oberon. Some lackey bounty hunters they hired, we had a shoot out, I got shot up but I managed to kill them and get away." 

He scratched at his neck, "They didn't like that I got away very much so..."

Tears welled in his eyes as he spoke, "They went after my wife, Emerald. It was never an accident like the news said. She was killed, to get at me." 

He slammed a fist onto the table. "I WANTED TO FUCKING KILL THEM! ...So I took up being a cop, got good at undercover work, got really good at it. And that brings us to where I left off. I worked with Pablo and Triple-A to orchestrate attacks on Warmage and kill their people, even if it was under ALPHA Tech's flag. So I used my knowledge of their stations to lead attacks, the largest was the attack on Sinco-Ona. I never did find that other scientist, but I did manage to get Triple-A to release to one we did catch instead of killing her. I probably would have gone insane if any other bystanders got dragged into my mess."

Mana worked over the story as she spoke, "So it wasn't you after all." She breathed out slowly, "Mr. Cartwin, I suppose it time for me to apologize then."