Sector eight was the worst of all eight sectors. Not only were the people of questionable origin but the black market was concealed within its streets. There was a reason it was referred to as the shadow district. Regrettably, that's were Useless decided to lay low.

To be honest I didn't blame him. No one looked for anyone in that hellhole. Information was less than reliable and even if you receive a rare nugget of truth there was no way in hell you could count on the next contact to provide the same. I expected nothing less from Useless given his history. He was resourceful if anything.

With my P.E.R.T.I.D. nuzzled into my ear displaying my mini video feed of him, my attention darted between the ground beneath me and the live stream of a street deeper within the shadows.

He was currently sound asleep on the ground surrounded by what I could only guess were other homeless individuals. It was a great talent of his to unearth allies in the strangest of places. It seemed like his current circumstance was no exception.

"E.T.A., " I commanded under my breath to my P.E.R.T.I.D., my anxiety starting to rear its ugly head. Sector eight was the last place I had wanted to venture into and if Useless hadn't been within I would have gladly avoided the zone. For a person who didn't trust others, this was a repulsive place to be.

A small chime-like voice tickled my eardrum with a response. "Arriving at destination in two minutes."

I was fortunate this hadn't turned into a game of cat-and-mouse, even though I had been fully prepared for that outcome. For once Isaac did something beneficial by being his obnoxious early-bird self. Part of me felt disappointed though, and I knew that part too well. If I had to chase him down it wouldn't give me time to develop some kind of lie to tell, even though I knew the truth had to be told this time.

As my destination street came into view the stench hit me like a dense veil. The phrase, in desperate need of a shower, ran through my head and with it, a cringe came. The smell had nothing on the unique smell of the Grogg but it came damn close. More sweaty man balls and less sewage.

Every figure I passed was covered in a layer of filth that began to plunge my heart deeper into the pool of regret residing in my stomach with every step I took. Just as I began to wonder if they had anyone concerned for them a familiar body came into view silencing my morbid thoughts. Curled up into a ball on the grime-covered ground Useless gently snored away without a care in the world. I envied him, to be honest, snoozing on the ground like he couldn't be shanked at any time.

Must be nice to never have to worry about who's after you.

The toe of my sneaker found his side before I even knew what was happening. I didn't mean to be violent but it seemed like a much better option than the pitying sensation I fought against.

"Get your useless ass up, we got shit to do."

The man before me groaned in pain before he pulled himself upright against the building. On the red-tinged holo screen of my P.E.R.T.I.D., it was hard to make out exact details in the video feed. Poor quality was something that couldn't be avoided. Now in front of the person I'd been watching, I realized that needed to be changed. I had known he was caught between a rock and a hard place but he was far worse than I'd previously thought. He'd lost weight, probably too much if I had to guess and it was clear he hadn't showered in weeks, maybe even months.

"Danm it woman," He cursed under his breath, his hand now cradling his sore ribs, "what'd you do that for?"

My eyes rolled slightly at his dramatic response. He was six foot and used to be at the very least one-eighty. My measly five foot five held no flame, the damage I could inflict on him was microscopic at best.

"Quit being a baby and get up. We need to move."

Useless let out a large yawn before a huff of air left his lungs. "Okay, okay but for your information, I still don't know why you're here, " he grumbled as he pulled himself to his feet, bending himself back as he stretched the sleep from his large frame.

"Once we get moving I'll be more than happy to explain."

He scoffed but stepped away from the wall before his arm stretched out to say, lead the way. We walked in brisk silence down various streets until the air started to become lighter and the people a little less vulgar. With each step that lead us out of the shadow district the jittery feeling in my chest softened.

"So... are you going to explain how you got here and why you want my help?"

This time I let a long defeated sigh out through my quivering lips. Where did I even begin and how much information should I even provide him? He wasn't very bright or at least that was true when it came to manipulation. Strategy and thinking outside the box were more his style. The guilt in my abdomen churned in protest at my deceitful thoughts. I supposed that meant I needed to, at the very least, divulge more than I did to Isaac.

"I did a job that I probably shouldn't have and now I'm balls deep in some seriously toxic shit."

Useless nodded with regard. "I already knew that. What I don't know is who, what, where, when, why, and how all this crap happened."

That, right there, was the million-dollar question. Or at least it would be if the correct people asked it. He was fortunate enough that I already determined he would get all the information he sought. After all, he'd need it in order to make the choice he would end up having to make. Stepping a little closer to my friend I begin to explain how we got to this point in time.

"A few months back I received an anonymous communication requesting my services. I don't normally pay attention to them but the upfront sum was stated in credits, not dollars, so I bit. Of course, I conduct my own investigation on anyone I do business with but this one was different. I couldn't pinpoint who or where they were."

At this point, Useless chuckled under his breath. "It's almost as if they knew how to get your attention," He teased, an eyebrow cocked my way.

I cast a side-long glower at him. "Right? I took the job blind only to discover that what they desired was located in a place I didn't really want to venture."

"The Yaemmies?" Useless asked under his breath.

I hummed an affirmation. "The real bad ones. Whoever this was wanted blueprints of a ship, one I didn't even know the Yaemeran possessed. I thought I had been careful but I missed a tripwire in their firewall setup."

"Still doesn't tell me why you need me."

I watched my feet come to a standstill as my mind began to race. He needed to know everything, it was only fair and I owed him at least that much with what I planned to ask of him.

"That's a partial lie. I didn't recognize the code but I also didn't need to enter their system multiple times."

I could feel his eyes on me, even his impatient confusion permeated my skin without speech. The fact that I wasn't careful confused both of us, I still had difficulties processing the gravity of my actions. So I continued, in hopes that maybe if I kept talking I'd eventually get to the point.

"For whatever reason curiosity engulfed me. This ship looked like a prison so I needed to know if I'd just let dangerous psychopaths back into the cosmos. But when I finally found the manifest they weren't transporting dangerous prisoners as I'd assumed."

My eyes lifted to find Ted's watching me with a concerned expression on his dirty face. We had known each other for over half a decade now and that included four long years of high school where he bullied me without cause. He could tell that this had gotten to me and was now classified as serious.

"Logan, what's on the ship?"

I bit my lip as I struggled to find the sounds I yearned to make. I didn't know why it was so fucking difficult to reveal the information I possessed but if anyone could or would even attempt to understand, it was Ted.

"Slaves, " I mumble through nearly numb lips, "and Ted, I think my mother's one of them."

words - 1288
total words - 8406
written - 03/26/2020
last edited - 05/05/2020