Gray Scale
Chapter One: Unexpected Opportunities
"Name?" The voice penetrated through the glass and reached the girl inside. She looked up, her eyes a brown dark enough to be black. She looked no older than fifteen, younger than most mercenaries. Her slender form and height, however, more than made up for her lack of strength at that age by providing agility that was hard to match. She had straight black hair with blood red streaks that fell down to her mid-back when it wasn't held back by two long black chopsticks as it was now. She also had a pale complexion and stormy gray eyes that made the receptionist nervous. The girl had the same look as a vampire.
Finally, she answered. "Satyr."
The woman at the desk next to the glass chamber paused and then nodded, typing the name into the computer. "Division?"
"Sangre," came the reply.
The woman typed this into the computer as well. As she read what was on the screen, she relaxed. The girl wasn't a vampire. She turned from the screen and looked at the girl. "Hacker?"
Satyr nodded. "And thief," she added after a moments hesitation.
The woman nodded again and typed a few more things into the computer. When she finished, she got up and opened the door of the chamber. Satyr stepped out and thanked the woman. When the woman gave her acknowledgement, she walked to the far side of the room through the set of double doors in the back. The mahogany doors opened up into a large room that was filled with people. It was like a pub, with a mini-bar in the far corner and tables filled with mercenaries. The tavern was lit by firelight that threw wavering shadows among the mercenaries giving them a slightly eerie look. Some of the figures turned as Satyr walked in, nodding a greeting to her. Satyr nodded back and moved toward the bar, taking her time to weave through the bustling crowd of people.
"Satyr!" The bartender welcomed the girl over, smiling. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
Shade shook her head at the blonde bartender. "Thanks, Shawna, but no."
"If you say so. Anyway, Rayne was looking for you. She wants to talk to you, something about another mission. She's in her room if you want to see her. Just knock." With that, she turned away and began to talk to someone else.
Sighing at Shawna, Satyr left the table. She began to walk towards the back of the pub to get out when someone else dragged her into a conversation. This time it was Dominic, another of the other younger mercenaries in her clan. He was also a hacker, but his other skills weren't that of a thief. He was a spy. He was dressed in dark colors just as Satyr was, but his hair was a lighter shade of brown and was spiked up.
"Hey, Satyr. Where have you been? We thought you were dead, it took you so long," he said as she walked up to him.
"Shut up. I bet it would have taken twice as long if you went." She glared at him, her eyes flashing a challenge.
Dominic laughed. "Cool down. It was just a joke, but really, where were you? Rayne has been looking for you for days."
"I've heard. Shawna told me."
"Really?" Dominic asked. "I never knew that she paid attention to what was going on."
"Oh, shut up already. It's not her fault she isn't always that observant. Plus, what does it matter as long as I found out what I needed too?" Satyr said, giving Dominic another glare before deciding that it was useless.
"Fine. So are you going to talk to Rayne now?"
"I was going to before you stopped me."
"Good, I was supposed to find you and bring you to her anyway. So, let's go." Dominic stood up and pushed Satyr towards the exit before passing her and leading the way out. Satyr sighed again and followed. The hallway was dark, lit by firelight like the room before. The two walked for a while in silence, making their way through the labyrinth of corridors. When they reached Rayne's room, Dominic stopped and opened the door, a wide grin spread across his face. Satyr scowled at him and went in, Dominic right behind her.
"About time you came," a dry voice commented as they entered. Rayne was sitting on a couch to the left of her bed, looking at a sheaf of papers. She rifled through them as if she had looked at them before and pulled out a single sheet, studying it. "So where have you been?"
"Family business," Satyr answered, scowling at Rayne.
"You have no family," Rayne countered.
"How do you know? They could still be alive," Satyr shot back.
"Satyr, it's been seven years, you'd have found them by now if they were still alive."
Satyr just continued to glare at her.
She glared back at Satyr for a while and then sighed, running her hand through her short black hair. "Never mind. Dominic, did you tell her about the mission?"
Dominic snorted and gave Rayne a look of disbelief. "What do you think? It's not like she's ever listened to me before. What makes you think she would listen now?"
Rayne shook her head. "I should have known. Anyway, we just got news of a mission that is specialized for assassins and thieves. I want to know if you want to take it. Dominic has already agreed."
"What is it?"
Rayne handed her the paper that she had taken out of the packet.
Satyr read it out loud, taking it all in as she read. "Wanted: Hackers. Will pay five grand for a pair that is deemed worthy of the challenge. Another ten grand is offered for completing the second part of the mission. For more information, seek the one named Kale." Her eyes widened as she read the name. "Kale? The Kale?" she asked, a frown forming on her face.
"That's why I've been trying to find you. This one is yours and Dominic's if you want to do it. If not, it's Dominic's alone. It's not like it will be easy and I know you have unfinished business with him, but you might be able to get some information out of him. You'll have an easier time than others to complete the mission anyway. The only thing is, after it's over, it might have some long-lasting effects that you might not like so much. So?" Rayne took the paper back and smiled at Satyr. "What do you think?"
Satyr sat down on the couch, hard. She wanted to say 'hell no, that bastard killed my sister, the only family I had left', but she was skeptical. It was tempting. Fifteen thousand overall, she'd probably get around five grand. She already had about forty-five thousand. That five thousand would make it fifty grand even. That could take her a long way. She might even be able to leave this place and look for her family. Turning the concept over in her head, she decided to find out a little bit more about it. "Long-lasting effects?"
Dominic laughed. "I told you she'd be pessimistic."
Rayne rolled her eyes at Dominic and let out an exasperated sigh. "Great, you were right. Now shut up."
Dominic glared at her. "What is it with you guys today? A little touchy aren't we?"
Rayne ignored the spy and returned to Satyr's question. "You may find out something that you'd rather not know."
Satyr raised her eyebrows at this. "You say that like you think I'm going to find out he didn't murder my family," she said, dismissing Rayne's warning. However, her comment was met with just a hard stare. "Fine, so what if I do find out something I don't want to hear? It's not like it'll change anything."
"You'd be surprised," Rayne whispered.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Satyr demanded. When she again received no answer, she sighed, exasperated. "You know what? Never mind. I'll take the mission and deal with it later if it comes up, alright?" Getting up, she snatched the papers back from Rayne. "Come on Dominic. We're leaving." With that, she stormed out of the room.
Dominic gave Rayne an apologetic look. "She'll be fine. After all, I'll be with her," he said.
Rayne shook her head. "That's the problem," she replied, half-joking.
Dominic smiled, understanding. "And here I was trying to be serious," he joked.
Hints of a smiled pulled at the edges of Rayne's lips. "Thanks, I—"
"Damn it Dominic. Get your ass out here," Satyr's voice interrupted.
Dominic laughed. He looked at Rayne, expecting her to finish what she was saying, but she just shook her head and motioned for him to go. Dominic shrugged and gave her a small bow. "I'll try to keep you updated." Giving her a bow identical to the one he gave upon entrance to the room, he turned and stalked out, one hand raised in farewell. As the door shut behind him, he barely made out Rayne's whispered "good luck." "I'm sure we'll need it," he muttered under his breath as he reached Satyr who was leaning against the corridor wall waiting for him.
"What was that?" she asked, her eyes glinting dangerously.
"Nothing."
They stood in awkward silence for a while, not knowing what to say. Satyr sighed. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, but at least this sigh was heartfelt. She could tell that something was bothering Dominic, but she decided to let it be. Instead, she waited until Dominic regained his ground and came back to himself.
"Well," he said, once again cheerful, "we're leaving now, I assume."
Satyr nodded and began walking down the hall, Dominic trailing just behind. "Get your stuff and I'll meet you at the bar. I need to do something before we go."
He returned her nod and they kept walking until they reached a hall labeled Black Division where they turned and made their way down the passage. On both sides of the hallway were doors with names on them. When they reached Dominic's room, he gripped the doorknob and waited as it scanned his fingerprints. Satyr stood behind him, waiting for him to go in. Finally, the lock clicked and the door opened. He gave her a cheerful "see you later" and entered the room, shutting the door as soon as he was in.
As soon as the door was completely shut, Satyr continued to walk down the hallway, eyes passing over the other names on the doors. Kendra. Item hunter. Currently off in the east, trying to get a hold of one of the seven necromantic scrolls. Ayden. Assassin. Probably somewhere in the city looking for work. Glace. Another spy. Off collecting information in Shilandra at the High Summoner's Temple. Sage. Official apothecary to Sangre. Most likely downstairs. Nova. Alchemist. Captured by Obsidian Mist, negotiations under way. Quane. Arsonist. Dead, killed by Rogue Archangels guild. Someone was getting a promotion soon…The names continued on and on down the hall until Satyr reached the end where her name, engraved on a metal plate just like the others, rested on the last door's front.
Hesitating before getting scanned and opening the door, she ran her fingers over her name plate as if it was the first time she had seen it. Drawing her hand back, she grasped the doorknob, pulling once she heard the familiar click of the lock opening.
The room wasn't large, just enough for one person to live in. For the most part, it consisted of a central room, a bathroom and a walk-in closet. Papers, weapons, and electronics littered the floor, covering it to the point that it was barely visible in some areas. Cables trailed underneath them and computers and monitors were stuffed into every space available. In short, it was a mess. However, despite this, Satyr walked into the room as if it were the most organized place in the world, picking up the things that she would need and stuffing them into the backpack she grabbed as she went through. Into the backpack went a laptop, an assortment of cables, a few small weapons like knives and daggers, a manila folder with a bunch of papers inside and a few other things, mostly electronics. When she was finished jamming various objects into the backpack, she went to the desk and pulled out something that looked like a rather thick hearing aid, attaching it to her ear. Satisfied, she made her way to her closet and opened it.
The closet was like a part of another world. Unlike the other room, it was unnervingly clean and organized. There was a small bookcase on the opposite side and various boxes stacked on top of each other. In the corner rested a twelve-inch knife in a leather scabbard and next to it was a box with a few years worth of dust coating it. Brushing the dust off with her hand, Satyr opened it and took out a six-foot long leather whip. Running its length between her fingers, she examined it and wiped the dust off of that as well. Frowning slightly, she wrapped it up and stuck that in the pack as well. After closing her bag and the box, she buckled the knife around her waist and exited the closet. She leaned against the door for a few moments and took one more look around the room. When she was satisfied, she grabbed a piece of cloth laying on the floor, left and shut the door firmly behind her, as if she was sealing off that part of her life. And in a way, she was. At least, she thought so. With this in mind, she took the knife out of her sheath and made a small cut on her palm. As soon as her welling blood coated the blade, she dragged it across her name, slashing it out as if to say she was dead to them. Then, before her blood started dripping all over the floor, she wiped the blade clean with half the cloth, sheathed it, and tied the other half of the cloth around her hand. It was over. This part of her life meant basically nothing to her now.
She turned and began to walk down the hall, her pace faster than it had been before. There was no turning back now so she continued on with as much confidence as she would muster, desperately trying not to look back, but to no avail. She cast one last fleeting glance back at her room and her eyes focused on the bloody slash through her name and that was it. With a sharp turn, she wrenched her gaze away from the metal template and set her eyes forward, focusing on what lay ahead, knowing that she would no longer be a part of Sangre, not for a long time.
A/N: So that's the first chapter. Please review.