Chapter 7: New Objective

Disturbed could not quite describe the look on Wes’ face when Rayleigh made mention of a space shuttle.

"A space shuttle? As in a bugging spaceship, Rayleigh?! Why in the founder’s name are you asking for a spaceship?" Wes was visibly thrown off by Rayleigh’s request.

"Well, I am not going to just walk to a planet, am I? And I for certain can’t afford a portal so a shuttle seems like my best bet

" Rayleigh explained with a straight face, like he didn’t realize the extent of his request.

"Look, man," Wes sighed. "I’m all down for helping you – which I did. I managed to pull up the information on your sister’s location, I could even help arrange a smuggle operation to the Red Zoned planet..." Wes face contemplated on if a smuggle operation was even plausible

"Probably...but getting a space shuttle is harder than any kind of op here in the underground. Remember, the higher-ups in the Silver Corp have little knowledge about this place. The ones who know are getting their pockets filled to keep their boreholes of a mouth shut. Trying to purchase a spaceship here is like starting a fire. It’ll draw attention to this place and that, my friend, is a risk I am unwilling to take."

Wes was almost out of breath when he finished explaning. Rayleigh finally understood the level of impossibility of his request. A spaceship was really hard to come by.

One might think Rayleigh was about to give up, but when he remembered Tris’s current state, his drive to get one only intensified.

"There has to be a way to get a space shuttle. You’re resourceful, use your resources, Wes." Rayleigh urged, placing his hand on the counter.

Wes shook his head and folded his arms. "The best I can do is get you Beatrice’s file, and I already did that. You’re out of luck, Pierce."

Ding!

►[ Attribute skill known as Luck has been activated ]

►[ You are now in Luck ]

Before Rayleigh could processs it, he sensed a presence behind him. He quickly turned around to see a middle aged man standing before him.

He had a dirty long hair that fell to his shoulders. His face was an oblong shaped one, and he carried this mean look with him, one that told people not to mess with him. His tanned skin wa also dirty, meaning he was probably working construction somewhere.

He canned Ray from head to toe before speaking, his voice groggy.

"Did you say you’re looking for a spaceship?"

Rayleigh tilted his head, slightly confused

"Guess you’re in luck."

◇◇◇

The underground network of Skylark City was a perilously vast and dangerous setting. A series of illegal businesses dominated this network such as the selling of illegal advanced weaponry.

Just like Wes who had the means of getting confidential information in the most clandestine way possible, there were those who specialized in illegal transport off planet.

The tacky looking stranger led Rayleigh to a secret tunnel a few stalls away from Wes’.

Rayleigh could tell he wasn’t a runer from his demeanor. Even the weakest rune gene carrier never worked menial jobs such as construction.

Upon arrival at a marked spot, a pod shot up from underneath the ground with accuracy; a few debris scattered.

It was similar to the glass tube in a way, the only difference being that the pod looked smaller and disgustingly untidy. Green algae already made a home of it.

The pod hissed open and a god-awful smell wafted into Rayleigh’s nose; it reeked.

The tacky stranger gestrured toward the pod. "After you."

Rayleigh wanted to protest but his need for a spaceship was far more important than good hygiene.

A few moments later, Rayleigh found himself deeper underground with the stranger. It was a tunnel built with hard steel. Clanking could be heard in the distance, someone was probably working on a broken pipe or something.

"I don’t think this place could even house an armoured vehicle." Rayleigh mouthed dryly. "Where the hell are you taking me?"

"I work for a man called Elias. He’ll get you a ship for a good price—"

"Do you have a name?" Rayleigh inquired. He had gotten tired of calling him a tacky stranger.

"Nou." The stranger replied.

"No? What, daddy forget to give you a name?"

"No, my name is ’Nou’ N-O-U."

’What a weird name.’ Rayleigh thought.

Nou led him through the round tunnel where a few workers were busy patching a burst pipe, sparks hissing off a welding torch in violent little bursts of orange light.

Nobody looked up as they passed. Nobody looked up at all, in fact, and Rayleigh got the distinct feeling that not looking up was probably a survival skill down here.

The tunnel opened into a dead end, just a slab of reinforced steel set into the rock, no handle, no seams, nothing to suggest it was anything but a wall.

Nou stepped up to a small panel half-hidden and typed in a code too fast for Rayleigh to follow.

A split appeared in the middle and the door slid apart.

Rayleigh went pale when he saw what layed beyond. It was a fortress.

Armoured vehicles sat in neat rows, spaceship were also racked along a wall three stories high.

Plasma guns were arranged on the walls and besides those were crates of ballistic rifles.

War jets filled a hangar bay that seemed to stretch on forever.

And then there were androids.

Rayleigh had heard tales of machines built to mimic a Runer’s ability.

He had never seen one up close. Now a dozen of them stood motionless in a line.

Taking all these into detail, Rayleigh knew there was no way, no way, anyone had legal access to this much firepower. Only the Silver Corp did, not that they needed them anyway.

’What the hell is this place?’

"Meet Elias," Nou said as he pointed toward someone whose back was turned on them.

"So, you’re the one asking for a spaceship?" Elias aksed without turning around.

"Yes, I am. I need to get off world as soon as possible. How much nexels will it cost?"

Elias finally acknowledged Rayleigh’s presence, and something like amusement flickered across his face. "More than you could ever dream of affording in your miserable little life."

Elias wasn’t wrongbut Rayleigh wasn’t having it.

"Do not address me like I’m some kind of beggar."Rayleigh warned with a slightly clenched fist.

"Aren’t you a begger, though? Every non-runer is a begger in Skylark."

Rayleigh’s patience was growing thinner by the second. "How much is the smallest ship you have?" He asked.

"Ten million..."

"T-ten million?" Rayleigh almost lost his breath at that ridiculous amount.

"Ten million for an empty tank. A full tank ready for transport will cost you about fifteen million and an extra one million for documentation and all those paperwork."

If Rayleigh had sixteen million he wouldn’t even be thinking of leaving the planet. He’d be freaking rich!

"I...I don’t have that kind of money." Rayleigh confessed, dejected."

"Well... money isn’t the only way you could pay."

Rayleigh’s interest was piqued almost instantly. "What other way is there?"

Elias picked up a tablet from the bench and turned it toward him. A video feed displayed vividly on it.

For a moment Rayleigh didn’t understand what he was looking at. It was merely a grainy footage, night-vision green with two figures crumpled on the ground and a third sprinting off-frame.

Then he caught his own reflection ghosted across the screen, and everything clicked.

It was him beating down two Silvereds in an alley while a third fled for his life.

"Shit."

"That’s the word for it." Elias set the tablet down, studying Rayleigh now with real interest. "A non-Runer took apart three Silvereds bare-handed. I’ve watched that clip eleven times and I still don’t understand what I’m looking at. How did you pull it off?"

’I acquired an advance weapon system that could potentially destroyed the world and it gave me the strength to take down Ascendants.’

Rayleigh opened his mouth, unsure himself what answer he’d even give before Elias waved him off.

"Don’t bother. I don’t care how you did it. I care about what a man with your... talents could earn me."

"Work for me. A few days, that’s all. Do exactly as I say, and I’ll get you any ship in this yard, no argument."

Rayleigh wondered what service he could possibly offer that was worth millions—worth more than enough to purchase a ship.

"Alright, what do you need?"

Rayleigh’s mind was already made up.

Elias grinned like a child and tapped something on the tablet; a flickering holographic image bloomed above it—a young man’s face, tired-eyed. His profile followed:

Name: Ron Kol

Age: 19

Faction: Skylark

Charge: Transportation of illegal weapons.

"This here is my employee, Ron. He was arrested a few days ago and he is currently being held at a highly guarded Silvered facility. I want you to break him out and retrieve the weapons he was transporting."

Before Rayleigh could so much as open his mouth to answer, the familiar chime rang through his skull.

► [ A new objective has been assigned ]

► [ Break Ron Kol out of a highly secured Silvered facility ]

► [ Reward: 10 Level-Up SP+ 1 tab unlock + additional rewards ]