Tick Tock Part Three - Dock

Ambushed

Come on...Keep it together, asshole, this was your idea! Reed steeled himself and gripped the steering wheel as he took a breath. He'd just pulled up in the parking lot on the outer edge of the city. It wasn't far from the rundown biker dive, a small hut that had been turned into a bar. Ashton's gang were the main customers, and police tended to steer clear of it. They rarely caused a ruckus in their own territory. They'd agreed to meet alone, somewhere neutral, but still within the outer edges of Ashton's territory. Ashton had chosen a rundown parking lot, where an old supermarket stood like a rusted husk. It had been popular back when people lived close to the area. Most of those old houses had been knocked down by now or stood empty and neglected, waiting for redevelopments that would never come.

The supermarket husk itself was still standing, though he wouldn't trust the rusted ceiling enough to go inside. There'd likely be nothing in there anyway. Any useful materials would have been robbed and sold off already at this point. The building was locked up and fenced off with tall metal railings, ready for demolition. It wasn't a bad place for androids to consider buying up for redevelopment. Looks creepy as phck right now though...He might be scared if he believed in ghosts. His was the only car, and he'd parked right in the middle of the open lot. If he got company, he'd know about it.

He took a somewhat shaky breath as he stepped out, aching for a cigarette for the first time in a couple of weeks now. His fingers twitched as he shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the door waiting. He was a little early for the meeting, so it didn't really surprise him that Ashton wasn't there yet. He'd always been late for shit. Feeling restless and exposed, he couldn't help fidgeting, moving his weight from foot to foot. He missed Nines more than he'd care to admit. With Nines at his back, he always felt safe and secure. He fidgeted again, folding his arms anxiously as he tapped his foot.

He was pretty sure that Ashton would come, and that he'd keep his end of their agreement and come alone. What he wasn't sure about was the AHL. Had the PC200s reported back about what he was doing? Had they been listening in on his calls as they thought? And if they had, would VB and Fifty-Seven take the bait and come? If they came, would they try to kill him on the spot or take him somewhere quiet to draw the information out slowly? Would they strap him to a table? Cut him open? Pull out his insides and-Phck! Stop thinking about it! The last thing he needed was to give himself a panic attack right before the mission.

He couldn't help thinking about Nines. Had he managed to leave the hotel without being noticed? If anyone was watching us in the first place...There was no guarantee they were being stalked. He looked at the watch Colin had bought him. A tracker had been fitted beneath it as a decoy. It was getting closer to nine. Nines should have met Tina and Miller in town already. Did that mean he was close by? Or had they stayed a little closer to the city? He tried not to look around and search for the SWAT snipers he knew were there. Allen had never let him down. These guys were pros. He had nothing to worry about in that regard.

Green eyes snapped up as he heard the low rumble of an engine. A small one. Pitched higher than a car. Motorbike...must be Ashton. Looking across the deserted lot towards the main road, he found it deserted. Few people had a reason to drive out here these days. That made it harder to set up for surveillance, but SWAT must have managed. Reed couldn't see anything amiss. A small circle of light appeared. As it got closer, he could see it was an old model low rider, maybe some sort of Harley. He wasn't exactly an expert on bikes, but he knew Ashton had spent a pretty penny on it. It got louder as it rolled across the lot and pulled up a few feet away with a low rumble.

Ashton was larger in person than he'd expected, and not in a good way. He'd lost the muscled look from his old pictures and bulged out into a middle-aged biker. The type who spent a lot of time warming a bar stool. He had a fair bit of grey in his long scraggly hair and scruffy beard, and looked at least ten years older than him, even though they were about the same age. Jeez, and I worried maybe I wasn't aging well...He knew he was lucky not to have any greys yet, especially with the stress of his job, and he'd been fairly lucky with wrinkles so far, too. Ashton looked rough. He could heavy lines crinkling his eyes as he climbed off his bike. Probably the drugs...