—Hey, Doc, do you take credit?

  —Who…? Mr. Kailen! What are you doing back so soon? And who’s your friend?

  —I’m trying to recruit this big guy, but he can’t even stand on his own. I need you to put him through detox.

  The Doc frowned at Balian, then at me, then back at Balian.

  —Are you serious, Mr. Kailen? What could this bum possibly have…? —he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose—. You know what, I’d rather not ask. But before we begin—what do you mean by credit?

  —The Neuvaks gave me a blank check. You can contact the butler assigned to this mission with this info. He should approve the funds.

  The Doc scoffed.

  —It’s a real pain working like this. The big families always find a way to dodge their debts.

  —Trust me, they’ll pay you down to the last obi. I’ll make sure of it.

  —And why are you so sure about that? —he asked, though his tone made it clear he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

  —Because I’ve got their heir by the balls. If they don’t hold up their end, there’s a good chance I won’t hold up mine either. When you contact them, you can tell them I said that.

  The Doc stared at me for a long moment, sizing me up. I didn’t blame him. I was betting big on this. But I had no doubts. If my mentor had led me here, it meant this guy was worth it.

  —Besides —I added, lighting a cigarette—, I’ll send all the extra work that comes up during this mission your way.

  I glanced around. The clinic wasn’t exactly bustling. A few assistants were casually putting on makeup, others strolling around as if they had nothing better to do. They didn’t look busy.

  The Doc sighed. After a moment, he nodded.

  —Are you sure I won’t regret this? If they try to haggle the prices down, I could go bankrupt.

  —Nah. If anything, raise the prices by 30%. Call it an emergency care fee or some bullshit like that.

  The Doc shot me a sideways glance, then looked at his assistants, who were still fixing themselves up like they were getting ready for a night out.

  —Fine —he finally said. He called over one of them, handed her the info and the message, and sent her back to her station.

  He kept staring at me, a little incredulous, like he was waiting for me to say something else.

  —Now what? —the Doc asked.

  —Now you treat him, of course.

  —I’d like to wait for confirmation.

  —I don’t have time, Doc. I need you to detox him as fast as possible.

  —You mean a program that takes weeks?

  —I was thinking more like hours.

  The Doc let out a dry chuckle.

  —Kid, it usually takes months to get someone back into shape. Cutting it down to weeks is already crazy.

  —Don’t worry. His mind is sharp as ever. Probably never been better. He’ll handle it.

  —Weeks?

  —Hours.

  The Doc looked at me, then at Balian, who was still half-unconscious on the stretcher.

  —You sure?

  —100%.

  —And him?

  —Oh, he’s sure. Look at him. Can’t wait to get started.

  The Doc leaned in a little and examined him.

  —I don’t even know if he’s conscious… or alive.

  —I checked his pulse before I got out. He’s alive. And conscious… I think.

  The Doc took his time. He seemed convinced that if he made me wait long enough, I’d change my mind or realize something. There was no time for that.

  —Aside from the detox, do you have a cafeteria? I’m starving. Put it on the tab.

  The Doc sighed and finally called over a group of nurses to take Balian away. He filled out a form with the necessary preparations, leaving the identification blank.

  —Take Mr. Kailen and the girl to the cafeteria. Once they’ve eaten, bring him to me so I can finish examining him personally.

  Ah, finally, some food… Wait a second.

  —Brat, where the hell did you come from?

  —Been here since ya walked up to talk to the sawbones.

  I looked at her. Lisa stared back with her arms crossed, looking annoyed, like I was the one who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, not her.

  —Bullshit, brat. Go back home.

  —Ah, but that’s real tricky, boss. Ain’t got the foggiest idea where ya wandered off to. ’Sides, ya still owe me for helpin’ out, and I got me a tooth.

  Shit. She was right—I did owe her for the help.

  —We eat, and then you go back to your family.

  —Alright, big boss. We’ll see ’bout that.

  Damn annoying kid.

  The nurses led us to a cafeteria where I grabbed some coffee and bread. You could tell we were in Nest—only here could you get rye bread. I couldn’t believe it… fucking 50% rye bread. Felt like I hadn’t had real food in ages.

  —Boss, ya just gonna eat those lil’ sandwiches? Ya should go all in since ya ain’t payin’. After all, ya did say I could spend whatever I wanted.

  —No point in overeating. Just order what you want, I’m good with this.

  —Anything I want?

  —Yes.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  —For real?

  —Brat, you’re starting to piss me off.

  —Alright, alright, boss man. Just never had a boss as generous as ya.

  The damn kid proceeded to order everything on the menu. It almost felt like she was messing with me. If it weren’t for the fact that the Neuvaks were footing the bill, I’d have kicked her out.

  Fifteen minutes later, the kid had devoured everything she ordered… and asked for another round.

  —Mr. Kailen, are you sure you want us to bring more food?

  —Yeah, why not? The Neuvaks are paying.

  —Alright. Will you be having anything else? Otherwise, Dr. Leo wants to speak with you.

  —Nothing else. I’ll leave Lisa in your care.

  The nurse gave me a crooked smile. Either she didn’t like kids, or she just didn’t like Lisa.

  —And you, brat, don’t get me into trouble.

  —Relax, boss man. Lisa’s an expert at not getting caught.

  That’s not what I meant, but whatever. I don’t have time to educate the kid.

  I followed the nurse, who led me to a room adjacent to where they were treating Balian.

  —What’s up, Doc?

  —Now that we have "unlimited funds," I’d like to take some blood, skin, and gastric tissue samples. I need to map out an evolution curve to adjust for future deviations.

  —I thought the treatment went fine.

  —It did. However, your body is about to go through another change, and it’s best to guide it through the process. If you leave it to chance, you could end up with a massive imbalance across all your systems. This kind of work will only get harder—and more necessary—the more systems you integrate into your body. That’s why establishing a baseline measurement is crucial.

  —Doc, be straight with me… Why are you so worried?

  —What do you mean, kid? You’re my patient.

  —Yeah, bullshit. I’ve seen plenty of doctors, especially in the army, and not a single one gave a damn about their patients’ lives or pain.

  —Ah… I see. Well, it has to do with why I became a doctor in the first place.

  —And what’s that reason?

  —A long time ago, I had a daughter…

  …

  —Had?

  —She got hit by a stray bullet during a fight between the big families and some mercs.

  The Doc stopped and closed his eyes. I saw his fists clench. He was reliving it in his head.

  —When I took her to a clinic, I paid everything I had. They removed the bullet… but refused to operate on her appendix since it was in the same area.

  …

  —Your daughter died of appendicitis?

  —Yeah.

  —Never heard of anyone dying from that.

  —It’s more common than you think. Under the "Sanitary Oversight Act," doctors are held responsible for the procedures they perform. However, medical policies don’t cover them for surgeries that weren’t paid for.

  —So… since malpractice insurance wouldn’t cover them if something went wrong in an unpaid procedure, they’d rather do nothing.

  —That’s right… It’s just another way the government screws us over with half-assed policies. I mean, all it would take is tweaking a couple of words in the act to fix the issue, but no one’s lifted a damn finger to do it.

  —You’re not a bad person, Doc.

  He gave me a crooked smile.

  —Doubt the ones I turned away would say the same.

  I placed a hand on his shoulder.

  —Nah, the Guardian knows you’ve done everything you could to protect people. Can’t ask for more. Not in this city. Not with these people.

  Suddenly, a nurse burst into the room.

  —Boss!

  —What is it, Jenice? An emergency?

  —Of course! The kid wasn’t lying. The head butler of the Neuvak family contacted us. He said they’re sending someone to act as a liaison. They’re going to pay us!

  She practically bounced on her feet as she said that last part.

  I stood there, unsure how to react. The Doc had this dumb look on his face, an apologetic half-smile. I probably looked the same.

  —Jenice… of course they’re going to pay us. Did you think our patron came to scam us?

  —I mean, boss, it wouldn’t be the first time we don’t get paid.

  Jenice gave him a Duh look, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I wasn’t sure if she was dense or just that na?ve, but she wasn’t letting her boss recover his composure.

  —It’s fine, Doc, I get it. I don’t exactly look like I have money. And honestly, I am broke.

  I laughed, more at myself than anything. I pulled out a cigarette and offered one to the Doc. He took it but motioned for me to follow him outside.

  We lit up in the courtyard and continued our conversation.

  —From what my teacher told me, you’re one of the best. If she trusts you, it’s because you’re reliable. So why is your clinic in such bad shape? Or better yet, why aren’t you working at a proper hospital? I’m sure they’d pay you a hell of a lot more than what you make here.

  The Doc exhaled a stream of smoke and glanced at me.

  —I don’t know much about you, kid, but I get the feeling the reason I work here is the same reason you’re not with the Neuvaks.

  He took another drag before finishing his thought:

  —We’re both running from something.

  —Maybe. Personally, I’m tired of running. Tired of pretending everything’s fine.

  —I can see that in your eyes. In all my years, I’ve never met someone like you.

  —What, stupid?

  —In a hurry.

  —What’s that supposed to mean?

  —You’ll get it when you look at the other kids your age, both in Nest and the Pits. Not many are in as much of a rush as you.

  I wasn’t sure why that made me different. Everyone’s got somewhere to go.

  The Doc’s locator beeped with an alert.

  —Looks like your friend’s awake. Let’s go see him.

  We flicked our cigarettes away and headed back inside.

  —Is the treatment ready?

  —No. He needs at least six more hours, and ideally, he should stay a couple of days to stabilize.

  —Six hours will do.

  The Doc raised an eyebrow.

  —In a hurry.

  —Guilty. —I shrugged.

  When we entered the room, Balian was writhing in pain, vomiting every so often.

  —Lookin’ good, Captain.

  —Kid… your intel better be worth this.

  —Nah, the real question is… your reputation better be well-earned.

  The Doc started checking the instruments and reading the results.

  —It’s worse than I thought. Whatever the hell you were injecting yourself with did more damage than expected.

  —Will he need more than six hours?

  The Doc shot me a sour look.

  —No, it’ll be faster. There’s not that much of the drug left in his system. The real problem is the lingering damage. And I’m guessing this kind of stuff creates a strong dependency, so I’ll have to leave him with some painkillers to keep him from relapsing.

  —He’ll be fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to start recruiting the rest of the crew.

  —Wait, do you already have people in mind?

  —I do. Why? You know someone worth bringing in?

  Balian struggled to sit up.

  —Like me, there are other enforcers who got kicked out of the force for dirty dealings. At least a dozen. You could put together an enforcer squad. Twelve’s the minimum for a proper phalanx.

  —You’re the expert. But do you really think they’ll follow me?

  —Not you… but they’ll follow me.

  —Alright. Contact them.

  —They might…

  —Why are you hesitating? Spit it out.

  —Will they get medical treatment?

  —We don’t have much time. You’ve got two days. The Doc will be paid, so he can give them whatever treatment fits that timeline.

  Balian nodded and laid back down.

  —Thanks, boss.

  —Understood, Mr. Kailen.

  —Alright, I’m off. I’ll check on you in two days.

  Having Balian bring in his people wasn’t a bad idea. The fact that they were ex-enforcers like him made the deal even better. Say what you want about them, enforcers had a solid foundation in discipline and training—though it was very different from what I’d learned in the army.

  Thinking about it, the difference was massive. The army prioritized field operations and defense, both elastic and in-depth. Enforcers, on the other hand, were assault troops. Their tactics were built for frontal attacks and slow advances. Of course, they hadn’t faced the horrors I’d encountered in my days. Those creatures weren’t common, thanks to the Guardian.

  My comm beeped with a message.

  {Kid, I knew you’d reach out. Didn’t expect it to be this soon. Count me in. If what you’re saying is true, I can be there in a few days.}

  —Olaf, you bastard.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  {You’ve got exactly two days.}

  Good. At least that part was settled.

  I was heading toward my bike when I got intercepted in the parking lot.

  —Mr. Kailen. The family is not very impressed with your recent actions.

  I glanced toward the door I’d just stepped through. Yep. The stench of bullshit was coming from a Neuvak family butler.

  —I couldn’t give a damn about what the family thinks. Besides, which bastard isn’t impressed? Since when does the old man have so much free time?

  —Your grandfather isn’t involved.

  —Then who?

  …

  —Oh no, you little shit. You don’t get to drop a bomb and walk away. Tell me who sent you to say this crap.

  —The message comes from your cousins.

  —Viktor?

  —Viktor was at the gathering, yes.

  —And does he really have nothing better to do than keep tabs on me?

  …

  —If you’ve got nothing useful to say, then shut the hell up.

  —In response to that, butler LaGrace has arranged a meeting place. In two days, you may gather your men there. Accommodations will be provided, and we will schedule the necessary meetings for budgeting and acquisitions.

  So that bastard has been intercepting my comms. Fine, at least it makes communication easier.

  —Alright. Anything else?

  —Not from me, sir.

  —Good. Then get lost.

  I took two steps forward, but the anger wouldn’t subside. Someone once said it wasn’t healthy to keep it bottled up, so I decided to express my dissatisfaction.

  —And tell that son of a bitch LaGrace that if he intercepts my comms again, I’ll shove one of these right up his ass.

  I activated my revolver’s Hyper mode, just to add some realism to the threat. I didn’t load a round—would’ve been a waste of valuable ammo.

  From what I could tell, my threat had zero effect. Maybe I should have loaded a bullet after all. Screw it. I just walked away to get some rest. It was late, and I hadn’t stopped all day.

  I’d been on the road back for over fifteen minutes when I heard a voice behind me.

  —Where to now, boss?

  Goddamn brat.

  Thank you for reading!

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