Chapter 10 - Chase

Shadow and Ode stood with the others outside Neon Junction, watching Kez kicking and screaming as she was wrestled into the back of a police hover cruiser, the vehicle bobbing and swaying as she fought the heavily armed underground officers.
''Get any more results?'' Bently asked quietly, so the officers wouldn't over hear.
''Yeah. We need to talk to Susan, Tillie's little sister.'' Ode replied.
''Kez mentioned something about her as she was being arrested..'' Xan said thoughtfully.
''Know where she is?'' Shadow quried.
Hillary nodded toward the take-away on the opposite catwalk.
''Apprently she's working over there, supposedly undercover or something.'' The Vampire said.
''Hillary? Mind comming with me?''
''Why, what you gonna do to her...?'' She asked the Weredragon, several inklings forming in her mind.
''Well, if Tillie's actually told us the truth for once, then I'm going to beat the shoot out of the little bint.'' Shadow chirped happily.
A cruel grin played on Hillary's full lips.
''Count me in.'' She grinned wickedly.


They walked into the small take-away, locking the door behind them.
Susan stopped what she was doing, greasy cloth paused a few inches away from the counter top as she stared wide eyed at the two women.
''Susan Meyark?'' Shadow asked.
''N-no.'' She said, trying to cover up her fear and continued wiping down the counter top, leaving streaks of grease as the cloth moved.
''Lying...'' Hillary sang softly.
''Now what gave you that idea?'' Shadow replied, sarcasm touching the edges of her voice.
A soft chuckle filled the following silence and they stepped toward the counter. Susan twitched, giving away her thoughts to the two hunters.
''I wouldn't do anything stupid if I were you.'' Hillary warned as she slowly approached.
Susan froze.
''Why the assassination contract?'' Shadow asked, taking another step forward.
Susan stepped nervously away from the counter, her eyes darting from side to side, searching out the nearest exit like a trapped animal.
''Assassination?'' She asked worridly.
''Don't play stupid.'' Hillary growled.
Susan's jaw worked around the outlines of some words, but they failed to make it past her lips. Shadow and Hillary lept cleanly over the counter when Susan bolted, and chased her through the greasy, gritty kitchen and out onto the rear catwalk that was sandwhiched between buildings and cluttered with rubbish, the remains of a week's worth of unsold goods. Susan had vanished amongst the rotting debris, so the Vampire and Weredragon split up, going in opposite directions, nostrils flaring, trying to pick up the Human's scent amongst the everday odours of the massive underground city.

Shadow ran out onto the main catwalk, finally picking up the distroted scent of Susan. She inhaled deeply, continuing to do so as she pushed her way past the heaving throngs of people and creatures that dwelt within the mighty industrialised cavern, following the scent as best she could. She wondered if Hillary was having better luck, if she'd picked up a stronger scent. But she cast that thought aside as she saw the girl's blonde head bobbing and dodging in the crowd up ahead. She surged forward, shoving people aside, gaining shouts and insults as she went, trying to catch up with Susan, finally lurching forward and missing her collar as she looked over her shoulder, seeing Shadow gaining on her with a grim look of determination etched on her features. Susan spun out of the way, clumsily landing her foot in Shadow's side, making her stumble against the safety rails, falling down three levels before landing heavily on one of the safety nets that were stretched across the gaps between catwalks at random intervals. She blinked hard, swore and scrambled onto the catwalk to her right. She searched for Susan's scent for half an hour before finally admitting defeat and lowering her mental barrier to seek out Hillary. She felt the mental tug of the Vampire and followed it for twenty minutes, climbing up steps and down steps joining catwalks, before finally finding Hillary perched atop a large metal pipe section on a construction site. She pointed up at the main scaffolding tower, a partially erected building at it's base. Susan was scrambling up the network of metal poles, making her way towards a manhole in the cavernous roof.

''She dun'arf pick her exits, don't she?'' Shadow mused.
Hillary chuckled softly.
''Shall we?'' She said nonchalantly, waving an elegant hand towards the metal tower.
They hopped from the pipe section and ran towards the tower, climbing it faster than Susan, trying not to disturb any of the long lengths of metal piping so as not to make a sound too loud enough for Susan to hear. They were gaining on her quick and before she realised what was going on, Hillary had grabbed onto a pole and swung herself up, landing neatly in Susan's path on a plank that was lay across a gap in the scaffolding. Shadow pulled herself up behind her and Susan's face went pale as both hunters slowly closed the gap, moving as casually as they would on a solid and sturdy surface.
''You wanna know why I hired an assassin?'' Susan spat. ''Because you killed father and ruined my home and life!'' She screamed angrily, almost losing her footing, terror flickering in her eyes as the two loomed over her.
''That's not a good enough excuse.'' Hillary sneered, leaning forward.
Susan swayed a little, daring herself to take a step backward.
''Now, be a good little girl, and climb back down so we can end this in a peaceful manner.'' Hillary said sweetly.
''And don't look down.'' Shadow added twistedly, grinning when Susan's head twitched, trying to resist the urge to look down.
Hillary sighed heavily when Shadow gave the girl a hard prod in the back, making her flinch and loose her balance. She screamed as she fell, landing with a wet bone shattering thud, the sound of metal mixing with the sound as she landed heavily on a pile of discarded metal scraps, the pieces jabbing through her body, having sliced through her flesh as if she were made of tissue paper. They looked down at the bloodied mess and Hillary sighed again.
''What a waste of a meal.'' She said.
''If that's what you had in mind for her, then I guess I shouldn't have told her to not look down...'' Shadow mused.
''You also poked her.'' Hillary added.
Shadow paused a moment, then shrugged.
''Let's get back to work.'' She finished.


''Well at least they're out of the way.'' Bently said, relief obvious in his voice.
''That all you can say?'' Xan said and took a swig of his drink.
''Do we tell the police what happened when they find the body?'' Shadow asked.
''Nah.'' Bently said after a moment. ''She was a Surface Dweller. They'll bury her up there somwhere out of the way.''
''And if anyone asks, we had nothing to do with her untimely demise.'' Hillary added.
''Death by sarcastic prod...'' Ode mused lightly. ''There's one for the books.''
''What about Kez?'' Tiffany asked from the otherside of the bar.
''She's being sentenced tomorrow.'' Bently replied cooly and sipped his drink.
All went quiet around the bar.
''Now what?'' Xan asked, finally breaking the silence.
''We open up like usual.'' Bently said. ''Ode, set up the music. Hillary, Tiffany: Finish the bar prep. Xan, Shadow, open the doors in half an hour. I'll set about looking for new janitors.'' He added quietly at the end.
He hopped from his stool and disappeared into his office beside the stage, leaving everyone to go about their jobs. Thirty minutes later, the bouncers open the doors and business resumed as if nothing had happened at all.

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