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Shadowfist fiction - Netherworld 2 Prelude
This was the first thing I wrote for Fist, and I'd forgotten it existed, probably because I didn't have a stand-alone copy on this computer, just a dump of the N2 story from the old Shadowfist website, and I'd assumed it was just an HTML-ized version of Dave's story.
I don't remember if I wrote this because I felt like the character needed more introduction than he got in the N2 main story, or just because I felt like it.
I was enjoying my early retirement in one of the better nightclubs in Paris when I first saw her. She probably caught the attention of just about every man in the place when she entered; it wasn't just her looks, but the strange, almost inhuman grace with which she moved. She glanced over the crowded room, and her eyes met mine. A small smile crossed her lips. That was enough for me; abandoning my drink, I vaulted over the bar and made a break for the back door. There would be a sniper covering it, but I liked the odds better than trying to get past her.
There are some people you do not steal from. There are some people you do not betray. I hadn't done either, exactly, but I didn't think they'd be interested in technicalities. I was surprised that nobody was covering the back door, but didn't stop to contemplate my good fortune, I just tried to lose myself in the maze of back alleys and side streets.
I can't say how long I ran before I felt a bit safer. The street ahead was deserted, and so I paused to check my tail and catch my breath. There was nobody behind me, either. Wondering how big a fool I'd made of myself, I turned around to get moving again.
She slammed me against the wall, her fingers wrapped around my throat. I went for my gun, but she slapped it out of my hand before I could even get the safety off. I closed my eyes and waited for the end.
"You impressed us on the Boston job. Less than two weeks to create all-out warfare. We had no trouble moving our people in. You could have been working for us soon enough, if only you hadn't thought that nobody would notice in all the chaos when you walked off with half a pound of uncut diamonds."
"They didn't. We did. It took me a week to clean up the mess your poorly-timed exercise of initiative made of some other operations. My superiors do not appreciate initiative."
"I'm not here to kill you."
I opened my eyes and allowed myself the luxury of breathing again.
"I appreciate initiative. I'm here to offer you a job, one that requires not only initiative and a man of your talents, but one that certain people cannot possibly identify. You fit the bill."
"You're a very lucky man. Opportunities like this one come along once in a lifetime. Are you interested?"
I managed a nod, and she released her grip.
Once I'd recovered my breath, my gun, and my composure, I decided it was time to get some more details. "What will I be doing?"
"I don't know yet. There is an extremely volatile and complicated situation, and we've just been handed a wedge. Your job is to make of it what you can. You'll be briefed fully when you get to the Hub. Now, follow me."
We returned to the maze of streets. Soon, I'd have been thoroughly lost even if I'd known where our starting point was. Finally, we stopped behind a run-down Chinese grocery store. It took her little time to spring the lock on the back door, and we entered a disorganized storage area. A few crates were shoved aside with surprising ease, to reveal a door in one of the side walls, though I'd been sure that there had been none on the outside. She pulled the door open. Instead of a wall, or the street outside, it opened upon a grey, dusty passage, leading down. A weird light flickered around the edges of the doorway.
Surprised, I looked at her questioningly. I thought I saw a look of fear on her face, but, even if I weren't imagining things, it vanished almost as soon as she saw me turn toward her.
"It will all be explained to you when you reach the Hub. While I won't be there often, I will be keeping a close watch on the operation. This time, there are to be no extracurricular activities; there will be no side projects. If you cross me on this, I will pluck out your eyeballs. Do you understand?"
I nodded, and then I followed her through the portal, and into a much stranger world than the one I had once known.
I don't remember if I wrote this because I felt like the character needed more introduction than he got in the N2 main story, or just because I felt like it.
I was enjoying my early retirement in one of the better nightclubs in Paris when I first saw her. She probably caught the attention of just about every man in the place when she entered; it wasn't just her looks, but the strange, almost inhuman grace with which she moved. She glanced over the crowded room, and her eyes met mine. A small smile crossed her lips. That was enough for me; abandoning my drink, I vaulted over the bar and made a break for the back door. There would be a sniper covering it, but I liked the odds better than trying to get past her.There are some people you do not steal from. There are some people you do not betray. I hadn't done either, exactly, but I didn't think they'd be interested in technicalities. I was surprised that nobody was covering the back door, but didn't stop to contemplate my good fortune, I just tried to lose myself in the maze of back alleys and side streets.
I can't say how long I ran before I felt a bit safer. The street ahead was deserted, and so I paused to check my tail and catch my breath. There was nobody behind me, either. Wondering how big a fool I'd made of myself, I turned around to get moving again.
She slammed me against the wall, her fingers wrapped around my throat. I went for my gun, but she slapped it out of my hand before I could even get the safety off. I closed my eyes and waited for the end."You impressed us on the Boston job. Less than two weeks to create all-out warfare. We had no trouble moving our people in. You could have been working for us soon enough, if only you hadn't thought that nobody would notice in all the chaos when you walked off with half a pound of uncut diamonds."
"They didn't. We did. It took me a week to clean up the mess your poorly-timed exercise of initiative made of some other operations. My superiors do not appreciate initiative."
"I'm not here to kill you."
I opened my eyes and allowed myself the luxury of breathing again.
"I appreciate initiative. I'm here to offer you a job, one that requires not only initiative and a man of your talents, but one that certain people cannot possibly identify. You fit the bill."
"You're a very lucky man. Opportunities like this one come along once in a lifetime. Are you interested?"
I managed a nod, and she released her grip.
Once I'd recovered my breath, my gun, and my composure, I decided it was time to get some more details. "What will I be doing?"
"I don't know yet. There is an extremely volatile and complicated situation, and we've just been handed a wedge. Your job is to make of it what you can. You'll be briefed fully when you get to the Hub. Now, follow me."
We returned to the maze of streets. Soon, I'd have been thoroughly lost even if I'd known where our starting point was. Finally, we stopped behind a run-down Chinese grocery store. It took her little time to spring the lock on the back door, and we entered a disorganized storage area. A few crates were shoved aside with surprising ease, to reveal a door in one of the side walls, though I'd been sure that there had been none on the outside. She pulled the door open. Instead of a wall, or the street outside, it opened upon a grey, dusty passage, leading down. A weird light flickered around the edges of the doorway.
Surprised, I looked at her questioningly. I thought I saw a look of fear on her face, but, even if I weren't imagining things, it vanished almost as soon as she saw me turn toward her.
"It will all be explained to you when you reach the Hub. While I won't be there often, I will be keeping a close watch on the operation. This time, there are to be no extracurricular activities; there will be no side projects. If you cross me on this, I will pluck out your eyeballs. Do you understand?"
I nodded, and then I followed her through the portal, and into a much stranger world than the one I had once known.
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