Stuck in The Middle (Ep. 11) "99 Problems"
08 Oct 2021Isabella Levine
Continued from Ep. 10 "A Friend in High Places" Getting this one out now because it's a bit short and I'll be away again and probably won't post. Thanks again everyone for reading.
"Hey. Isabella. Wake up, dream warrior. Hey! Seriously, get up!"
Isabella groaned as a hand hit her in the face. Once, twice, three times. She scowled and lazily swiped at whoever was pestering her.
"Stop, Violet. Wait...what...Adam?"
Her vision came to and there the lanky clean-shaven black-haired man stood before her.
"Yeah. It's me. I'm waking you because I have some good news."
Isabella yawned and rubbed her face with a gloved hand remembering her suit was still on her. Not comfortable sleep attire but she wasn't sleeping in undergarments in someone else's personal cabin she didn't know. She spoke but her voice was still groggy.
"Hmm, good news? Yeah?"
"Yes...and also bad news."
Isabella glanced to her right and didn't see Violet.
"Where's Violet?"
Adam frowned and haphazardly raised a hand.
"That's the bad news, friend."
Isabella nearly lunged off the couch as anxiety struck her core. She began looking in every direction thinking she'd spot her hiding or...something. Anything. She looked back at Adam and approached him quickly.
"Where the hell did she go? Where is she!?"
He anxiously backed up scratching his jet black hair. Her fast approach and threatening demeanor intimidated him no doubt but she didn't care.
"I don't know! I don't bloody know. I woke up and turned on the news and saw you sleeping but Violet was gone. So I woke you."
She covered her face and sighed loudly, frustration now creeping up. Solved one problem and now she walked into another.
"No, no, no, no. This can't be happening right now! How'd she...did you hear anything? You think she was taken?"
Isabella held her head in her palm as Adam only shrugged two small shoulders. He didn't know. Why would he, he slept in his bed.
"No, no. She couldn't have been taken. I was right next to her. She...she ran? Why?"
"Isabella, I just met you two several hours ago. I have not the slightest idea. But you should look at this."
Adam walked to the television on the wall and tapped the side of it, turning it on to a live recording on the news. Before Isabella was a massive group of people shouting and raving at a bunch of security guards that held the line in the main Industrial outpost concourse. Sparse fires were set but nothing looked to be escalated too far yet. Yet.
"Look, I know you need to find Violet but hear this because it's important. Massive civil unrest has plagued the system since that footage got released about what happened at Ren Manufacturing and the speculation of Jayden hiring a group of Styx military personnel to assassinate Rawlinson has furthered this unrest. The leader of this small military team that was hired originally was Tyrese Waters. I know, I know. You knew that but listen. He's a disgruntled ex-special forces leader with a small group of men that follow him loyally. Meet Viper Squad. Tyrese has three men that are completely loyal to him. The rest just follow orders like little lemmings. Also, there's now word of a reopening of the investigation into Rawlinson's ship 'crash' as well by local security forces. The Federal Intelligence Agency has picked upwind of this disaster and has deployed a small task force that is coming to bring aid in the investigation as well as take Sterling and Tyrese into custody for questioning. They'll arrive in about...roughly over an hour, I believe. Jayden and Tyrese have already fled not too long ago as reports go. Things are still developing but it's bonkers out there, Isabella."
She continued watching the television as it switched to another screen of people doing the same thing but in zero G. Probably one of the outposts in orbit.
"She's with them."
Isabella said abruptly.
"What? I don't follow."
Adam said, visibly confused.
"Violet. Guah! After everything I told her! She's out for blood and I bet, if I was her, she snuck her way onto their ship to ambush them. She had to."
Isabella ran her gloved hand over her now loosely put together tied back hair but it was useless as loose strings of red hair hung around her face still. She didn't care.
"Guaahhh, stupid girl. If she's not dead then they have her at Ren Manufacturing Plant. That's where they'd flee and make a last stand. God, how long was I out for? Like half the day? I've lost too much time, I've got to get her."
An arm came across her chest and Adam slipped himself in front of her.
"You should wait until the FIA gets here with their task force and raid the settlement along with them."
Isabella scoffed at that and forcibly moved his hand away pushing him aside.
"I'm not waiting for the circus to show up. I'm getting her now."
She opened the door but Adam grabbed her hand stopping her. She spun around and looked at him with fire in her eyes. He let go and immediately cowered expecting a punch but she never swung.
"Hey, hey. I'm sorry, I won't stop you but listen. Tyrese. He's Ex special forces, Isabella. He's no joke. Please. Just please be careful."
She juggled the thought around in her head for a second. Going up against a specially trained killer. Was probably a death wish but she had to make it work. She'd have to use the environment and or tools to go against a whole squad of trained soldiers.
"I don't care if he's special whatever. If he's touched her he's dead. I have an idea on how to fight them."
Without a thank you or goodbye, she turned and walked away hearing the heavy sliding door to his cabin room close behind her. Anger flooded her mind as she walked down the long stretching corridor making a right into the foyer and headed towards the elevator. If they did anything to Violet she was going to kill them all but she realized as she hit the elevator button that she'd need to prepare for the ensuing conflict. She needed another Marksmen Rifle as that was one of her favorite weapons to use as well as...explosives. Yes, an Industrial mining complex probably had lots of those she could buy off the market. Once the elevator doors opened and she was inside, she opened her largest satchel and took out her own personal data tablet, and placed an order for one crate of explosives. It was more than what she probably needed but it would suffice. She hit the elevator button to head down to the public marketplace.
She did her best to avoid very bad areas with large groups of angry protesters and relatively did a good job of that. Eventually, she made it through the maze that was the planetary outpost filled with people and to one of the few equipment sellers that sold suits, weapons, and supplies. She arrived at the front desk and met a heavy-set man with a dark red fluffy beard that matched his curly hair.
"Ha! A Commander here!? At my shop!? What a pleasant surprise."
His voice was loud and heavy. It fit his looks quite accurately.
"I need a gun…an Executioner Marksmen Rifle."
He bellowed a deep heavy laugh and smiled at her.
"What would a woman like yourself need such a large weapon?"
Immediately her blood began to boil and she balled her right fist. She wasn't in the mood. Not whatsoever. He could tell and raised a calming hand.
"Alright...I can get you a Marksmen Rifle, ma'am. Hold on."
He took a step back in his booth and bent down to punch in a key-code she could hear being put in. Seconds later the long matte-colored black-grey weapon was placed on the table.
"I would also like a Dominator suit."
He paused for a moment looking at her. He was about to say something smart but didn't and instead asked her for a particular type of look. She chose a simple silver-black suit and figured she'd mix match armor and accessories to it in her ship. Once the suit was brought out as well as the rifle already on the table, the big red-bearded man looked at Isabella and told her the price.
"Seven hundred and fifty thousand credits! Are you kidding me? Over half a million? No wonder you don't get Commanders down here. The suits at least a hundred thousand. With the gun, maybe three hundred. I'll give you that."
He shook his head. He didn't like the negotiating terms. She couldn't believe it.
"Uh-uh. Seven hundred 'n' fifty thousand."
"Three hundred and fifty."
"Seven hundred…"
He budged slightly. Maybe she could push more.
"Ugh, my god. Six hundred."
"No miss lady. I'll stick with seven hundred."
Isabella brought a fist down onto the table that fazed no one. He wouldn't budge the price any lower and she didn't have time to debate price.
"Shit! Fine, seven hundred thousand. God, I can't believe I'm being robbed right now."
She brought her data tablet out and put it near a machine that connected her payment. She hit 'accept purchase' and like that, nearly a million credits were gone.
"It's not robbery if it's consensual. You didn't have to buy it, ma'am."
Isabella ignored him and grabbed her suit and rifle. She asked about a changing area but there wasn't one so she had the joy of doing it in a public bathroom before heading out and to the elevator. Once there she took a quick ride up to hangar 08 where the doors opened and she stepped out to a dark hangar with no lights. It took a few seconds but the light flickered and then turned on illuminating her Asp Scout. A sharp eye could see a deep puncture hole in the leftmost side of her ship. When she landed here at Macmillan Prospect nearly a day ago, she didn't take the time to assess the damage. She still really didn't have time but she noticed that the rail gun slug fired at her in her escape had entered the back and exited the port side 'wing's if you could call it that. 'At least it wasn't a critical shot', she said to herself as she found the crate that read 'Explosives' on it in front of her. Alas, here it was. What she ordered arriving in a timely manner. The only problem was they were too lazy to actually move the crate near the ship or at least have the common courtesy to leave a dolly. She cursed out loud having been fed up with the bullshit in one planetary outpost and opened the crate grabbing 5 charges of explosives. That was all she'd need.
Isabella sighed angrily and quickly walked towards her ship with her new weapon in one hand and 5 explosive charges tucked in her other arm. This was it. She'd find Violet and end this here with Tyrese and that bitch Jayden Sterling for framing her and locking her up. This was the end game now
