Lonely Thieves

Act IV, Part XI

Daryl's Side, continued

Daryl glanced around as the sewer lights went out, then almost immediately came back on. He didn't expect the lights to go away permanently, but he was somewhat surprised by the structure's shielding system.

Norah, however, was definitely seeing the affects of the EMP. She squeezed the trigger of her pistol, but nothing came out. Frustrated, she tossed it to the ground and pulled out her phone. It was clear from her reaction that it was also friend.

"What did you do?!" She shouted out in anger.

"An Electromagnetic Pulse," Daryl replied. "I used it to get rid of my trackers. Yours should be gone too."

Norah checked her body, then glared at Daryl from across the canal. "Damn it. I knew electronic pistols were a bad idea."

"More importantly, we can talk a little more openly now that the Hayasakas aren't listening in."

"Talk about what? I still want that necklace. Nothing has changed."

"Sorry, but we don't have it. We already handed it off to someone else."

"Then take me to them! The sweepers are already homing in on this location! Don't think you've won just because you've taken out my gun!"

"What will you do if you get that necklace?" Megumi asked. "There's no value in the necklace itself. You have to understand that."

"I told you that doesn't matter! I need the necklace to clear my name! Didn't I tell you that?!"

"Are you serious? With the necklaces we could upend Twilight's current status quo! Isn't that more important than your petty reputation?"

"That's a pipe dream, kid!" Norah shouted back, her face twisted in anger. "You think one scandal is gonna change this screwed-up city? They'll cover it up! They'll get rid of the evidence! Who do you think is the main authority in charge of keeping order in Twilight? It's the same damn people you're trying to expose!"

Daryl couldn't rebutt, mostly because they understood what she was trying to say. Attempting the overthrow the Three Great Families was an unsurmountable wall that common, everyday people had no chance of climbing. If he was honest, Daryl still had doubts that Chisato's plan was even going to work, but there wasn't any other way for him now.

Though Daryl was having trouble responding, Megumi was able to find her voice. "That's easy for you to say. You're the one who gave up, after all!"

"What did you say?!"

"You can't deny it! Running around for Hayasaka, as if you're some kind of beat cop... You had the resolve to become a Night Hunter, didn't you? Then why do you buckle to them so easily? Why don't you fight back!?"

Norah was stunned. She didn't know what to say in response, and the stern expression she had been wearing this whole time had faded away. She wasn't in any state to stop them now, so if there was going to be a time to run off, it would be now.

The moment Daryl thought to turn away, however, he suddenly heard the sound of a gun clicking in the distance. He spun around and pointed his gun at a large bald man standing at the end of the hallway they had come from. He had no confidence in his shooting skills, but at the very least he could look intimidating.

"Don't even try," called out a voice from behind. Daryl glanced behind himself to see another sweeper behind Norah, a young man with another pistol in his hands. Though he was outnumbered, Daryl kept his pistol up. It would be suicide to try otherwise.

The younger sweeper nudged Norah with his shoulder, gun still aimed at the two in front of him. "Hey! Focus up! They can still get away if we're not paying attention."

Norah didn't respond. It was clear that Megumi's words actually shook her quite a bit. The sweeper clicked his tongue and turned his attention to Daryl and Megumi. "Don't move! We don't kill, but a bullet in the arm will still hurt!"

Daryl gritted his teeth. He knew there was no chance if it ended up turning into a shootout, but he couldn't surrender either. Still, he had no idea what to do. One wrong step and it was all over.

However, a voice rang out that surprised both him and Megumi.

"Stop. Let them go."

Daryl turned around to see a much-more subdued Norah, with none of the fire that she'd had before. The sweeper next to her was clearly confused, but he didn't put down his pistol for a second.

"What are you playing at?" Daryl asked suspiciously.

"I'm tired. I don't want to do this anymore."

"Wha- are you serious?" The younger sweeper cried out incredulously. "We didn't go through all of this work just for you to cancel the job right at the end!"

"I'll pay you, so stop shouting." Norah turned around and started walking away. "I'm going back. If you want to complain, I'll talk to you later."

As Norah walked away, Megumi looked as if she wanted to say something, but Daryl quickly grabbed her hand and started pulling her away.

"Wait a second!" Megumi cried out. "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing, Megumi?" Daryl asked worriedly. "They said we could leave. We should get out of here before they change their minds. We still have a lot of work to do."

"But isn't it strange? Why would she suddenly change her mind like that?"

"It is weird, but it's not our place to worry about that. Right now you should just worry about the task we have ahead of us."

Megumi started to argue back, but realized that she couldn't argue with anything Daryl had to say. Daryl, for his part, couldn't say he didn't understand Megumi's perspective, but he knew that there was no time to dwell on the subject. Whatever Norah was going through would have to be something she would have to figure out herself.

Eventually, they finally reached the end of the tunnel, and they were now outside of the borders of the Morning Star district. After pacifying a bewildered Trevor, they restored the navigation app and began heading towards the Sunshine district again. Neither of them knew how much time had passed since their confrontation with Norah, but there was no time to worry about it. They just had to keep moving forward.