Bab 6: - The Consortium
Jade didn't stop running until he was on the verge of passing out.
Thousands of thoughts ran through his head, but he couldn't make any sense of them.
What had he done? If he had just stayed in the cell, she would still be alive.
And now he had a gun. He had picked it up from one of the dead guards, almost subconsciously. What would he do with it?
He continued running until he reached the inner city. He walked down the street as people gazed at him and his bloodied clothes. Some were even worried and stopped to ask him about it, but he continued walking. Eventually, when he had regained his breath, he picked up the speed again, running towards a place of no destination.
He was starting to get hungry and desperate. He needed food, water, a place to stay. The night was getting late.
But he had no money.
A group of teenagers passed him, and Jade tightened his grip around the gun. One small threat was all it would take. He didn't even need to pull the trigger.
But they passed by, and Jade didn't act. He needed to find someone on their own.
A door swung open in front of him and two women stumbled out. Were they drunk?
He had already pulled out the gun when he noticed a trail of blood on the ground.
"Give me all your money!"
One thing led to another and he had pulled the trigger. Jade was shaking even more than before, and as the shot went off, he dropped the gun. It was loud, and the echo seemed to bounce off all the buildings around them.
His shot had missed, and the woman was within a foot of him in the blink of an eye. Reaching out, she grabbed him by the throat. It became hard to breathe as her iron grip closed down on his esophagus. He grabbed desperately onto the woman's hand, trying to free himself from her grip.
"You regretting your decision, kid?" She asked calmly.
Then she let him go, and he fell down hard into the ground, gasping for breath and coughing. "Ouch."
"Don't be a bitch about it, you're the one who tried to shoot me," the woman said. "Are you alright?" She asked, looking at his bloodstained clothes.
"I'm fine," he said shortly, brushing himself off.
"Good," she said, picking up the pistol. Sliding it into her belt, she turned back to her bounty, who was still lying helpless on the ground.
"Wait," Jade said. "I…I need help. I need money."
The woman placed her boot on the prisoner's head and turned toward Jade. "Money? I have plenty of that. But you're gonna have to earn it. Can you help me carry her?"
Jade hesitated. Then: "Yeah, sure."
"What's your name, kid?" The woman asked.
"Jade. What's yours?" He asked, walking over to the bound woman.
"Hyunji. And this kind, young, cooperative lady here is Rose, my bounty. I'm looking to get 10k off of her. I'll give you a thousand if you do your job right."
Jade nodded and grabbed the woman by the ankles. She flinched in pain, and he noticed blood seeping from both of her legs.
They began carrying the woman down the streets of the city. They received a few weird looks, and Jade began to feel uncomfortable. What would they think of him?
"Don't worry about them," Hyunji said, glancing back at him. "What are they gonna do, report us?" She scoffed. "Regular citizens can judge all they want, but they don't have the power to do anything."
The Consortium stood tall in the middle of the city, so it was easy to spot. Hyunji shoved through the front doors and was immediately presented with a cart. Tossing Rose on the cart, she began pushing it toward the elevator.
Jade looked around in wonder. The entire inside was made of marble and gold plating. The ceilings were at least thirty feet tall, and from them hung massive chandeliers made of glittering diamonds.
And the room was filled with people of all different shapes and sizes.
"On my Mama I got that bounty. I'm bringing home stacks of gold with this one," said a lizard looking hunter. He stood on two legs and had a long green tail that swept over the marble tiles. He was talking to a woman bounty hunter, not noticing at all the bounty who was jumping from the cart.
"So, can I get your profile?" He asked her.
The woman looked around him. "I think your bounty is getting away," she said.
The lizard spun around. "No!" He screamed, dashing after the bounty, who was already on their way through the doors.
"Eyes forward," Hyunji said. "We don't need unwanted attention." The gold plated elevator door slid open automatically, and Hyunji pushed the cart inside. "Standard," she called out. The elevator dinged and began moving upward.
"What does that mean?" Jade asked.
"It means my bounty isn't very high," Rose said, rolling her eyes.
"So you can speak?" Hyunji asked sarcastically.
Rose rolled her eyes but stayed silent.
The elevator dinged again and a robotic voice spoke. "Standard level."
The doors slid open and Hyunji started pushing the cart.
They walked down a long hallway until they reached a wide room, occupied by one, neatly organized desk. Behind it loomed a large bearded man in a suit. In one hand he held a pencil, which looked like a pin in his massive hand.
"Name, bounty ID, and registration." He spoke in a deep, monotone voice.
Hyunji reached into one of her pockets, pulling out the requested items: a bounty hunter badge and her interface, which she turned on. The judge pushed the badge with the end of his pencil, and squinted at it. "Hyunji Quon. The Consortium welcomes you and your bounty."
Jade stepped back as a drone flew down and scanned him and Rose.
A large red X appeared on his forehead.
Rose squinted as the large numbers shined on her face.
10,000 Ƈ
Two sets of footsteps echoed throughout the room, and Jade spun around. Two ten foot droids marched next to each other, one carrying a gun. The other grabbed the cart and pulled it out of the room.
Hyunji grabbed her badge and interface, stuffing them in her pockets.
"The transfer is complete," the judge said, ripping a ticket from his book. He handed it to Hyunji and gestured her out. "See the secretary for your winnings."
Hyunji placed a hand on Jade's shoulder and pushed him toward the elevator. "After this, we get the money and go our separate ways."
She patted her pocket, frowning. Pulling out her interface, the see-through screen appeared as they entered the elevator.
"No," she said quietly. "No no no no."
Jade looked over at the screen, which had a bounty pulled up.
Name: Min-jun Quon
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Bounty: 600,000 Ƈ
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