Lonely Thieves

Act II, Part X

Kolya's Side (April 9, 9:40 pm)

Amoretto had become pretty persistent in the time that Kolya had been out of the game. He had long lost the pursuers from Bassani's mansion, but in the time since, he had been beset by Innocenti gang members who continued to hound him as he drove around the city. The mafia must be out in full force looking for him.

Then again, maybe that was just how important this whole thing was to the boss. Even an old friend like him wasn't happy with Kolya poking his nose where he didn't belong. Going back to his apartment was probably not an option; Innocenti men or Overman agents might already be rummaging through his things. Considering that was the case, it probably wasn't a good idea to go back to Megumi and the others for the time being. He'd just have to leave them to their devices.

For now, Kolya drove across the city to the Sunshine district. There was no particular reason for it; he simply figured that he'd have an easier time of collecting information if he took a look around the Innocenti Headquarters. He had already lost his current pursuers, but it was more than likely that some more Innocenti men might show up, so he decided to park his car and go walking around the district.

He put on a hat and trenchcoat and walked through the streets of downtown. He used to live here once, when he was an assassin for the Innocenti himself. Some of the old haunts had been replaced with new locations, but for the most part, the area felt nostalgic to him. In a way, it was like coming back to your hometown after having moved away.

As he walked the streets, he was surprised to see how many Hayasaka Security guards he saw patrolling the area. He had heard from Megumi that such a thing was happening, but to see it actually happen really brought things into clarity. Openly, the Three Great Families sported a hated rivalry that would make a sight like this seem impossible. Even as he walked around, he could hear the Hayasaka Security guards complaining about having work for "corrupt Innocenti scum". As if the Hayasakas weren't just as corrupt on their own.

As Kolya slipped off the main roads and ventured into the alleyways, he sensed a couple figures following him at a distance. He slowly put his hand on his gun and slipped into a tight alleyway. He turned around and quietly waited. Eventually, a man in a suit and glasses appeared, and Kolya fired a shot right into his temple before he even saw him. His partner rushed forward to check on him, but in an instant he was taken out too.

Kolya waited for a little longer to see if anyone else would come along, then leaned forward to check on the men that he had just killed. As he expected, they were both Innocenti men. A nagging feeling began to eat at Kolya. He hadn't thought about it before, but it was strange how easily these low-level grunts were tracking him down. He used to be a top-class assassin, after all. Losing people was easy for him, yet somehow he kept getting found.

Suddenly, realization dawned on him. Kolya reached into his pocket and pulled out the hypnotics he had obtained from Amoretto. He ripped them open and quickly sifted through them, searching for anything out of the ordinary. He found it; a little location tracker, hidden away inside of the cybernetics.

Kolya crushed the device and scattered its contents onto the ground. How long had Amoretto been watching his movements? Was he just playing around with him? That thought irritated him endlessly. Amoretto was always the kind of person to do things behind your back, even when he was supposed to be working with you. He didn't have a trustworthy bone in his body, and he sure as hell didn't trust anyone himself.

How much did he know? This must have been how he found out about his meeting with Bassani, but what else did he know? Did he already know about the safehouses? He suddenly realized that Megumi and the others were in danger.

He whipped out his phone and quickly checked it for bugs. Then, he recorded a message, converted it to shortwave, then played it over the frequency set on the safehouse's radio. He hoped that they would get the message quickly and leave. He didn't know where they would go, but he couldn't worry about that right now. Once Amoretto realized that his tracker was destroyed, he probably start to tighten up the pursuit. Kolya needed to figure out some way to lose him.

Kolya ran out of the alleyway, only to be seen by two Hayasaka Security officers who immediately radioed for support. Kolya quickly dashed off before they could follow, and since Hayasaka Security did not have the kinds of enhancements that Overman Security had, he was confident that he could lose them.

The question was, what was he going to do? He'd hoped that he could find some of his old friends that were still in the family, but that was going to be hard with everyone looking for him. He knew that coming out to the Sunshine district was going to be risky, but he couldn't help it. He needed information on the Innocenti's movements.

Kolya ran until he found an old apartment building that was on the south end of the district. It had been uninhabited for a few years now, and most people tended to avoid this area in general. Aside from a few homeless people, Kolya knew that no one would think to look for him here.

Kolya crouched down inside a crumbling apartment room and took a deep breath. He needed to think and reevaluate his situation. At this point, talking to his old buddies in the Innocenti family was probably impossible. Security would only get tighter at this point, and even if there were still people among the family that were willing to talk to him, Amoretto would surely be watching them with a vigilant eye.

At this point, he figured that it might be a good idea to get out of the Sunshine district. If there was no information to be had here, then the only choice was to leave. But where would he go? He didn't know where Megumi would be right now, and he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't lead the Innocenti right to her. More importantly, he could be found while running around looking for her. No, the best thing to do was to act alone for the time being.

But if that was the case, what was he going to do? Kolya decided to go over the details once again. As he did, he realized something Amoretto had mentioned before. He had asked him to tell him if he had seen any requests to steal a necklace from one of the Great Families. After that, Kolya had called a hacker named Alvarez, and he had told him that a sapphire necklace had been stolen from the home of the Neumanns, the family behind the Overman Foundation.

That sapphire necklace was most definitely the same as the emerald necklace; it was the holder for a flash drive that contained part of a code. The Innocenti family, naturally, had a necklace of their own. That was why Hayasaka Security was working so hard to defend Innocenti Headquarters.

Kolya considered the possibility of sneaking into the Headquarters and stealing the necklace. However, he quickly dismissed the possibility. They were clearly expecting it, and security in the Headquarters was tight enough as it is. If Kolya was still considered an ally to the Innocenti, he could probably walk right in without attracting much attention. Now he'd be shot at on sight, which meant that was no longer a possibility.

Still, there were other roads he could explore. For example, the case surrounding the stolen sapphire necklace from the Neumann's house. He hadn't scrutinized it much before, but that was when he wasn't aware of its significance.

He pulled out his phone and called up Alvarez. It had been a while since he'd made contact with him. He wondered if he was okay.

Alvarez picked up the phone, sounding no worse for wear. "What is it, Markov? I'm pretty busy, if you didn't know."

Still as self-centered as ever. "I have something I want you to look into. Remember that job about the sapphire necklace I had you find for me?"

"Yeah? It was a couple days ago, so I don't remember the details."

"Can you figure out who it was who fulfilled the request?"

Alvarez let out an exasperated sigh. "Listen here, Markov. You're a Night Hunter, so you should know that both the client and the request taker are both anonymous. The code given to Night Hunters encrypts their connection, so it's seriously difficult to track them down. Not to mention that the job was finished over a month ago."

"I know, but this is really important. I'll pay you triple the usual fee."

Alvarez was silent for a moment, then eventually clicked his teeth. "Fine. But don't call me and disturb my focus! I'll call you if I get anything."

Kolya hung up the phone and sighed. There wasn't a lot more he could do for the time being. His mind wandered towards Megumi and the others again. They already had to deal with the Overman Foundation breathing down their necks, and the way things were going, the Innocenti family might end up joining in on the chase. If that happened, their chances of survival would drop dramatically. However, if they were to be distracted by the ex-assassin who betrayed them, they might not have the time to split their efforts.

As his adrenaline began to build, he thought about the promise he made to Masao. He hadn't done it out of a sense of duty or pity, nor did he do it just to hear the story of the Matsuokas. Maybe he had done it because it was the first time in a long time he'd had to face such danger. After all, he coudn't deny that the thought of leading the Innocenti on a wild goose chase didn't sound fun.

He got up and checked his pistol. Twelve bullets left. He might be able to replenish his stock by taking their guns. He walked out into the open and surveyed the Sunshine district from his location. The bright lights of the downtown shone brilliantly against the night sky, making it seem as if it was still day.

"Okay," he muttered with a smirk. "It's been a while since I've caused some trouble."