DIVISION 52 - BOOK II

CHAPTER LXI

P R O X I M O

I kept my hood low and her arm even closer.

The music hummed in my mind. The stench of booze and sweat thick in my nose. She didn't try to slip me. Either she was aware of how that would end or she truly wanted my trust one more time.

Her blue hair was tucked under her own hood and her hands buried in trademark black cargoes.

She didn't even ask questions.

The Underworld melted away when they caught my tattoos and the murmurs started spreading. Cheers still roared and blood still flowed below in the pit. But my sister was no stranger to any of it. As much as I was when we once used our talent together to make our way.

A fusion craft was prepped to take Dazz off continent in the morning if this didn't play out after all...

I tightened my grip around her forearm and threw a drunk out of our path as I strode for the bookies at the tables. She was a pool of night and day. Rage and calm. Humour and stoic silence. I supposed that was both of our temperament before I pumped my blood full of combat serum to kill that part. But Artella had complicated that lately...

"I'm not much of a fighter hand to hand." Dazz drawled near my ear as I shouldered another patron out of our path.

I shot her a glare that told her I was aware of her bullshit. Hades had taught her better.

She smirked and I tore my gaze away to throw a woman from our path that desired credits for a form of her affection. Dazz blew the woman a kiss regardless. I yanked her forward and slammed a fist into the fingerprint scanner. It glared red until the retina scan confirmed my ID. The doors slid open and we walked into a cold hallway away from the noise behind us.

"Well, this is much less fun." She noted dryly.

"You're a rebel sympathiser you don't get a vote." I grunted.

"You realise I could infiltrate upper Merridian faster than you could jerk one out over that mercenary–"

I whirled on her and pinned her throat to the wall with my forearm. To my expectation she merely breathlessly met my gaze with a smile. 

"You're making it easier for me to send you off continent by the second." I growled.

"What's–stopping you?" She got out.

"Makayla Xavier."

She frowned between trying to get air in.

I released her and she dragged in a broken breath with her hands on her knees. I let her compose herself a moment longer until she pushed her hair back over her head and appraised me evenly.

"Why would Xavier want me on squad now? Was that Virtu that much of a kick?"

I sniffed and crossed my arms leaning into the wall.

"I have no idea into her motivations. Scorpion wants you dead. But Makayla is Sector 1 born... She knows how to make friends better than Scorpion ever has." I mused, tilting my head.

Dazz remained quiet as she considered this. I shrugged and nodded my head down the hallway again. She followed.

I took the stairs down to a darkened level with red floor to ceiling lights to guide us and questionable stains on the walls. I slammed a fist on the final door and it slid open to me. A bearded man pressed a fist to his chest and nodded us in. The conversations were muted and the lighting low. More weapons and high profile deals traversed these walls than even inner Merridian saw.