Chapter Nine

 

Choo-Choo was last to return to the suite at the Night House. He knew he should have returned earlier, but he couldn't get over the shock of seeing Navos after many years apart. It wasn't even the way the former Drops had performed in the arena, his abilities far beyond what they'd been before, but how he'd looked completely blank. Choo-Choo knew that he'd probably been concentrating on the demonstration, but it seemed like something was missing from his friend. Or maybe it was because they'd spent their entire lives together and he was used to Navos' optimistic outlook.

The door opened after he knocked, revealing a disappointed Yara. He almost didn't recognize her even though he'd been the one to help her put on the disguise, because his mind was so busy reviewing Navos' appearance.

"Where have you been? We thought you got caught or something," she said when the door closed.

He tapped on his ear, but she shook her head. "The blockers are turned on. It's safe to talk."

The others were in the living room of the suite. It looked like they'd been in discussion already.

"Was there a problem?" asked Lady Saha/Pandora.

Choo-Choo had to blink away the urge to genuflect, reminding himself that it was his friend beneath the stern gray-skinned exterior.

"No, I was just..."

"You wanted to see Navos again," said Vasilisa as she fidgeted with her fake hand.

He collapsed on the couch, pulling off his wig and tossing it on the floor. While they'd paid stacks of cash to have facial modifications from a mage who worked on the rich and famous in the city, growing hair in that short of time wasn't an option.

"I wanted him to recognize me." Before they could admonish him, he held up a hand. "I know, I know. We're not supposed to contact anyone else, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head."

"We don't know who's compromised—either they've switched their loyalties naturally, or they might be under compulsion like Garret," said Pandora.

"I'm not going to put us in danger," said Choo-Choo. "I ain't no wayhos."

Kuma tossed him a beer and crouched next to the table. "Anyone feel like they were recognized? Do we need to make other modifications, or you feel like you're good?"

"No one gave me a second look," said Choo-Choo. "Even when there was almost no one in the arena, I walked by a couple of older guards from before the consolidation and they treated me like everyone else."

"Same for me," said Yara, who had blonde hair and looked Caucasian rather than a Japanese-Brazilian mix.

"You look like you should be named Becky," said Tick, chuckling as he stroked Koro's back.

Yara extended her finger as she threw herself on the love seat on the opposite side.

"Thoughts on the announcements?" asked Pandora.

"You're the expert on your grandfather," said Yara. "You tell us."

"On the surface, it sounds very logical and business-minded. The investors he brought down looked like they were salivating over the idea of building up the Undercity. The laws of the city don’t apply here, which means they can do whatever they want as long as they don't draw too much interest from the Halls.

"The tournament is exactly what we think it is. A way to put the region on the map. And he gets some recruits from the publicity and maybe a few idiot competitors that decide to sign up. The bloodstones, however..."

"Yeah," said Kuma. "They were more impressive than I thought possible. It's like they're a topaz, emerald, and some black diamond in the same stone. That girl should have come away with a broken hand when she punched through that pillar. Give one of those to someone who knows how to use them and you'd be in trouble."

Nods of agreement were lost on Choo-Choo because he hadn't noticed. He'd been watching Navos the whole time, wondering how so much had gone wrong and if it'd ever be safe to talk to him again.

"If we could get a hold of those bloodstones for ourselves, we could do real damage to the Alliance," said Kuma.

"It can't be the only reason for the tournament. Anyone see anything else that stuck out?" asked Pandora.

"What if it is?" asked Yara. "What if your grandfather's gone legit?"

"Never," said Pandora, shaking her head vehemently. "Power is everything to the maetrie. If you're not cheating, you're not trying. There's something else going on. Maybe it's not in the Terreno. He's working with that excavating company, a big global bank, and a weapons manufacturer. There are probably others. He's not cultivating those relationships for fun. He has something in mind and we need to figure out what it is."

"Do we know where the excavation company is working?" asked Vasilisa.

"No, but that's a good question," said Pandora. "We need to find out."

"I don't think slinking around in the shadows is possible anymore. As soon as we got caught they'd probably figure out who we really were," said Choo-Choo.

"Not that way," said Pandora. "Yara got one thing right about my grandfather. He may not really be going legit, but he needs to appear that way. He's clearly courting the business side of the city of sorcery. If there are answers to be had, it's with them. We need to make connections."

"We're warriors not spies," said Choo-Choo.

"I can be a spy," said Vasilisa right away.

Heat rose to Choo-Choo's cheeks, and she gave him an apologetic smile.

"No, you're right, Vasy. I can be a spy too. If that's what's necessary."

Seeing Navos had affected him more than he thought. It was strange. They'd been in the Undercity for years attacking the Alliance and it was the first time he'd seen his best friend. The entire thing felt off.

"What are you going to do?" asked Yara. "It's not like you can ask them hey, what are you digging down here?"

"She's got a point. Questions along that line would be suspicious," said Kuma.

The group hung their heads, even Pandora, who he thought would have more answers.

"What if we wanted to open a business down here?" asked Tick.

"That's not what Lady Saha would do," said Pandora. "I've made it clear she's a wandering warrior on her liebereisen. It's a good idea, but it'd look suspicious."

"Then it can't be Lady Saha asking the questions," said Choo-Choo.

"It's too late for that," said Kuma.

"No, it's not. We've still got a lot of cash on hand. Why not leave and come back as someone else? An investor, or potential business partner. Give us a reason to ask questions."

"A mining supply company," said his sister, sitting up and snapping her fingers. "I know a lot about supplies and logistics. I could bore you for hours about everything I know about it."

"I don't know," said Kuma, shaking his head. "Sounds risky. Wouldn't it be easy to uncover that you're not really a company?"

"We wouldn't talk to Dominion. Only the other businesspeople, who aren't going to have a reason to dig into our pasts," said Choo-Choo, nodding at his sister. "Unless you have a better idea."

"No, it's good," said Kuma. "Wishing we would have thought about it before we came down, but it shouldn't be hard to go back up and change."

"We'll contact Dane. He can help with new backgrounds," said Choo-Choo.

"Now that's decided, we need to talk about the tournament," said Pandora. "Who are we fighting tomorrow?"

Kuma leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "I didn't recognize the names, which wasn't a surprise. I'm matched against a Marvin Teller, an MMA fighter who I guess is a world champion in his weight class. I don't think he'll be that difficult unless he has some supernatural abilities up his sleeve."

"And me?" asked Pandora.

"Lee San. No idea about him. Should we send Yara and Tick out to find out more?" asked Kuma.

"Lady Saha wouldn't bother. I'll go in blind, but I'm not worried. If I can't beat some random unknown warrior, then I shouldn't have come back. But during the fights, we'll need you two quietly studying everyone, marking their techniques and everything."

Choo-Choo stood, gesturing towards his sister. "We should go. We have a lot of work to do before we return."

"The tournament should last a few weeks at least, so don't rush back. You need your disguise to be shadow-proof," said Pandora.