The Bad Batch: Tech and Vel

19. Unpredictable

The door whooshed open and Vel's eyes widened at the array of bottles on shelves before her. Every shape and size was displayed, accented by a large mirror behind them all, and each was accompanied by the appropriate glasses for that particular drink. Her heart sank a bit, as it wasn't the laboratory she was expecting, but she covered her disappointment with an awed look around.

"This is my private bar," Terrik said, waving a careless hand around the room. It was furnished with plush couches covered in lush fabric, and Vel stroked a hand along the back of a chaise lounge as she followed him in. "It's a more... intimate space for entertaining." 

Vel teetered for a moment, catching herself on the side of a wingback chair, and gripped it for stability. She cursed herself inwardly for being so free with her consumption, but also had a gut feeling to just relax and go along with it. It was going well so far; she just had to get to the lab. Terrik hadn't missed her slight tip, however, and a tiny smirk played at the corner of his lips.

"Can I get you another drink?" he asked, eyebrows raised in innocent cordiality. 

"Oh, I'm fine," Vel demured, moving carefully to inspect a tall bookshelf with leather-bound volumes. "But look at all of these!" She started fingering the spines, perusing the titles with genuine interest, and noticed Terrik stiffen all of a sudden when she started to pull out one of the books.

"Come on, it's on me," he said warmly, beckoning toward the bar counter and placing a hand on her elbow. It had just enough firmness to make it clear that it wasn't a request.  A cold feeling started to grow in her stomach, and she allowed him to steer her away from the shelf. 

He stepped behind the bar, throwing a white towel over his shoulder before turning to her with a flourish, "And what can I interest you in this time?" 

"Surprise me," she mused, leaning over the counter and smiling coyly. 

"Atta girl," he crooned, moving his face close to hers, "I think I know just what you like." She resisted the urge to pull away, spared by his turn to the wall of bottles and consequent drink mixing. As he poured and stirred, she slipped a hand under the counter, feeling around in her small purse for the marker. She definitely hadn't missed his discomfort at her proximity to the bookshelf, and wanted to be ready once she was able to confirm the lab's location. 

"Whatcha doin down there?" Terrik asked, startling her from her thoughts as she realized she hadn't been as subtle as she'd hoped. 

"Just looking for this," she said, producing a tube of lipstick after a quick rummage. "All these drinks are making me a little messy." She smiled breezily, running the lipstick along her lips while he watched, giving them a cute little smack at the end. He chuckled, looking down to pour the drinks out of their mixer, and she put the lipstick back into her back, feeling her hand tremble a bit.

"Come," Terrik invited, carrying the glasses to a purposefully small couch. Vel tucked her purse under her arm, draping herself across one side of the couch as gracefully as possible, and accepted the glass from him with a small "thanks". He sat next to her, crossing a foot across his knee and stretching an arm behind her. 

***

Tech tapped his foot incessantly, waking up his datapad, checking the same settings he had checked the last eighteen times, and putting it back down. He glanced around anxiously, wondering how the other three were so nonchalant about it all. His sleeves were thoroughly wrinkled from having been folded up and down repeatedly, and he had been unable to resist loosening his tie to unbutton the top of his collar.

"She should have activated it by now," he said, pacing back and forth. "There is no reason for this to have--" 

He was interrupted by a ping from the datapad that sent him a few inches into the air in response. He whipped it from his belt, "There it is!" he said, "Time to go."

"She has three minutes to get him out of there, then," Hunter responded. "Tuck in your blasters; we'll be down there shortly."

***

Hunter listened silently outside the door for a moment, then motioned for Tech to override the controls. The door slid open and they slipped into the room, looking around in confusion as they observed not a lab but yet another sort of lounge. 

"Look at all that!" Wrecker whispered, pointing to the mirrored wall of liquor bottles as they slowly moved toward the center of the room.

Something felt instantly off, and Hunter whipped his knife from his wrist sheath, raising a closed fist. The other three halted immediately, but the room shifted before their eyes. The entire space was lined with thick curtains hanging from rods, brought together in neat pillars of velvety fabric tied back with a sash. Or so it had appeared: the bottoms of each pillar rotated suddenly, revealing two guard droids in each one that promptly sprang forth, leveling small blasters at the clones.

"Hmm, interesting. I was wondering who would come," Terrik said darkly, emerging from the shadows to their right with a blaster in his hand. "I found the most curious little trinket in your friend's purse here, and I just had to see what would happen. So that's the plan, is it? Have her seduce me so you can come and steal from my personal inventory? You lot are all the same."

"Steal?" Wrecker asked, unfazed in the sights of thirty-two blasters. 

Hunter flickered a pointed glance toward the liquor wall, putting the pieces together in his head and also confirming the accusation. 

"Mmhmm," Terrik mused, "I'm never wrong. But I think a lesson is in order, to teach bantha fodder like you about stealing from me." He reached behind him, pulling Vel out from the darkened corner, and held her in front of him, turning the blaster toward her temple. "I'll give you a choice," he continued, "One of you gets to go tell the rest of your lot what happens when you cross me. The rest... well, unfortunately, your taste for the finer things will cost your lives."