Chapter 35: Brand New Day
Veronica approached the living room to find everything in order. The shopping bags Nathan had gotten were nowhere to be found, almost like he disappeared.
She set the anklet on the table and sighed. A part of her almost sank but she suppressed the feeling. She turned to the bedroom, in hopes of taking a shower but a delicious aroma in the air stopped her in her tracks.
She followed it towards the kitchen to find a familiar blond man wearing a white shirt, black pants and shoes.
Nathan was bent over a pan sizzling with eggs and a boiling kettle. He moved the eggs to a plate then turned to find her standing at the door.
"Morning, doc. Sleep well?"
Veronica stood there staring at him for a moment before recovering her composure. "Yes I slept well."
Nathan nodded then returned his focus to his cooking. He whisked another egg with other condiments and set it on the pan. "I hope you don’t mind. I’m making breakfast."
Veronica didn’t offer a response instantly, watching how comfortable he was in her kitchen. "You’re still here," she said, her voice quieter than she intended.
Nathan turned with a raised eyebrow. "Where else would I be?"
She gestured around to the living room. "Everywhere seemed empty so I assumed you took off."
"Oh, that?" Nathan flipped the egg on its other side. "I woke up earlier and packed my stuff. They are outside and I’m waiting for my driver.. Besides, something tells me you’d like to see if I’m in good health before leaving."
Veronica gave a slow head shake. "I have to take a shower."
"Should I save some breakfast for you?" Nathan asked to which she gave a reluctant nod.
Veronica left to take a shower while Nathan ate his food in the living room. While he ate, he opened his phone, looking for places he could stay.
He considered an apartment but he noted neighbors could be nosy and he didn’t want to be tied to one place.
Hotels were the next best thing. He looked on Breaddit for recommendations and found one that got his eye.
By the time he was done eating, Veronica was out of the shower. She wore a red shirt and black pants, adjusting her black gloves.
She moved to the kitchen, made herself some tea, and took the breakfast Nathan had saved for her; bacon, eggs, and two slices of toast.
She took a bite and turned to Nathan. "It’s good. I was under the impression you didn’t know how to cook."
"I have other talents," Nathan smiled then looked at the time. "Oh You said something last night I didn’t get."
Veronica raised an eyebrow. "What did I say?"
Nathan rested a hand on his chin as he tried to recall the exact words she used. "Hmm...I think, goot notch myen shardz?"
Veronica narrowed her eyes. "Gute Nacht, mein Schatz?"
"Yes," Nathan replied in a flash. "That’s it. What does it mean?"
Veronica kept her expression calm but deep down she wondered why she had said that. Nathan watched her, waiting for an answer.
"It’s nothing. I must have been more exhausted than I realized," she said, avoiding his eyes.
Nathan raised an eyebrow and shrugged. It was times like these he wished he had stuck to Triolingo. He decided to inquire about something else.
"How’s the situation on Stone River?"
Veronica sipped her tea before replying. "Repairs are done and visitations should commence soon. Frost spice and his accomplices are being investigated," Veronica replied.
Nathan nodded at the explanation. A lot had changed for him in a few days.
Veronica’s eyes moved to the anklet. She picked it up, staring at it for a moment before looking at Nathan. "Why didn’t you leave while I was asleep?"
Nathan stared at the anklet, understanding what she meant. "I am a man of my word. Besides, you could always alert the cops." He lifted his pant leg and extended his ankle.
Veronica assessed him for a brief moment before attaching the anklet, its familiar click echoed through the room. Nathan pulled his pants over it and wriggled his legs, feeling it settling in.
A moment’s silence hung in the air before the honk of a car jolted them to focus.
"My ride’s here." Nathan replied, moving towards the door. "I guess I’ll be seeing you around doc."
"You know you can stay here if you like," Veronica said, gesturing around.
Nathan offered a smile. "Thanks for the offer, but I need my own space for certain reasons." He pulled out his phone and briefly showed her the screen. "I found a hotel that’ll work."
Veronica glanced at the image of a logo featuring a green crown with a leaf on top. "Do you have money to spend and what about identification? Don’t tell me you plan to use your real name?"
"I don’t," Nathan replied. "My sponsor is handling all that."
She studied him for a moment before a relieved expression settled on her face. "Just be careful and take care of yourself. Let me know if you need something."
"You too, doc."
She pressed her lips together. "Stop calling me, doc."
Nathan got up with a smile which quickly faded into seriousness. "I have one favour to ask. When my sister comes to visit, I want you to give her the news of my... death, personally."
Veronica raised an eye. "Why is that?"
Nathan exhaled. "I don’t know. Maybe I just want to know how she’ll react... or maybe it’ll feel better coming from you."
Veronica turned the words in her mind before giving a response. "Alright, but you promise to come visit me sometime again."
"It’s a deal," Nathan replied and stepped outside. Veronica followed him outside to see a black vehicle with a man in his fifties she recognized.
Moe waved to her and she looked at Nathan. "Mr Lester is your driver."
"Yes, we talked this morning."
Veronica watched him put his shopping bags and other items into the trunk and got into the backseat before Moe drove off.
She stood at the doorway, watching the car disappear out of her view. She straightened herself and went back to her food and tea and minutes later, she was in her car heading to Stone River.
---
Across the city, in a warehouse on the outskirts of Arkis, a pale man with dark hair was losing his patience. He paced the concrete floor, muttering to himself while surrounded by three individuals.
""I’m tired..." Frost-Spice snapped, turning to Doyle. "I’m sick of being cooped up in this dump. When can I leave?"
Doyle leaned against a crate, his metal arm whirring softly as he lit a cigarette with an unbothered expression. "We’ve been told to watch you until you’re ready to do the job."
"By whom?" Frost-Spice laughed bitterly. "I don’t give a shit about any job. I want to see my family."
Chase stood in one corner of the room, cleaning his visor goggles while a woman wearing gauntlets stood, arms crossed.
Doyle let out a sigh and walked toward Frost-Spice with a smile. "I know you’re worried but your family is being taken care of."
Frost-Spice’s eyes narrowed. "How do I know you’re even telling the truth?"
"Why wouldn’t I?" Doyle asked with an amused expression.
"Because you’re a mercenary." Frost spice answered. "And all you care about is money."
Doyle chuckled. "Maybe, but keep in mind. You signed up for this."
Frost-Spice frowned, crossing his arms. "I didn’t sign up to spend months underground in a straitjacket. The deal was that I play my part as the villain, get busted out and I get to live in peace." He gave Doyle a glare. "I’ve done my part."
Doyle gave him a sympathetic look. "Yes, but you know how these things are—"
But Frost spice wasn’t having it. "I don’t care. Tell your employer to fuck off and let me out–"
WHACK!
Doyle’s cybernetic arm whipped across his face, cutting off his words. Frost spice let out a yell and fell to the ground. Doyle added a kick for good measure which caused him to coil, breathing heavily.
Across the room Chase winced from the impact and the woman smiled. Doyle leaned down to look at him, a grin creeping on his face.
"Now, let’s get something straight." Doyle said in a dark tone. "You’re just a D-rank villain, whose job is to be a stepping stone for heroes."
Frost spice spat out blood, a defiant look across his face. "And what if I don’t want to anymore?"
Doyle stood up, laughing as if that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
"You have a family to take care of, right? And you don’t want anything happening to them right?"
An unsettling feeling passed through Frost Spice’s spine as he realized what Doyle was alluding to. "You bastard! If you hurt them, I’ll–"
"You’ll? What?" Doyle asked with a smirk. "Don’t make me laugh. You’re nothing without weapons."
Frost spice clenched his fists in anger. Against a mercenary like Doyle, he stood no chance without his primary gadget of operations; his freeze guns.
A slow, resigned sigh escaped from him. "If I do this..." he said, raising his head. "... I can see my family?"
Doyle rolled his eyes. "If you do as you’re told." He pulled a brochure from his pocket and handed it to Frost Spice.
"That’s the establishment you’re to attack. Make quite a scene that heroes will come running."
Frost spice grabbed the brochure and glanced through it then turned to Doyle. "A hotel? But this has lots of people... I don’t want to hurt anyone."
Doyle shook his head then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Between random strangers and your family, which is more important?"
Frost Spice didn’t reply immediately but the answer was obvious. "I’m not going back to prison."
"Of course not." Doyle replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Now, calm yourself and get ready. Your weapons are on the way."
Doyle left the warehouse, followed by Chase and the woman with the gauntlets.
Frost spice watched them go and they closed the door, locking it from outside. He gritted his teeth in anger but he had no choice.
He glanced down at the brochure in his hand. It was for a hotel. The logo of a green crown with a leaf above adorned the cover.
His brows furrowed as he read the name beneath the logo.
| "The Veridian Crown" |