Chapter 2 - Another day at the office

Jason kneeled before me… He looked at me with penetrating eyes as I was down on my stomach while feeling the excruciating pain in my back… I felt how my shirt was slowly soaking with blood and that a puddle underneath me was slowly forming…

Jason: It’s written all over you’re face, you know that…? I can see the hate and anger in you’re eyes… I don’t regret this… Not one bit… It’s nothing personal… Just plain business…

Dakota: *coughs* Why……?
Jason: … The separatists found out that it was you who pulled the trigger on their beloved president… And you know the rules… Once you’re being comprised, it’s every men for himself… They paid handsomely for your captivity… And I figured it would be a quick buck… So in the end, everyone gets what they want…

Dakota: Except for me……
Jason: Except for you… Just close you’re eyes and it’ll over soon…

And with that, he grabbed the large suitcase and took mine as well… Walked over to the door and knocked on it… The door got answered by a group of guys…

Jason: She’s all yours now. Do what you want with her.

And then Jason walked away in the darkness… I could still hear his footsteps echoing throughout the corridor… Eight furries entered the room I was in… And I realized I started to cry… Knowing what would be ahead of me…

Dakota: *gasps*

When I opened my eyes, I saw the sun was coming up… I rubbed my eyes and looked on my watch… Half past 5 in the morning… And when I looked around, there was no sign of that guy I took in last night. It’s for the best that he left. I felt how my back hurts a lot… I sat upright to make it a bit more comfortable for myself, but the pain didn’t go away. It always felt like stings and I always felt it whenever I woke up. So I took my backpack and took a painkiller and washed it away with water. I really could use a nice hot shower right about now… Or a bath… There isn’t such luxury when you live here. So I took a cloth and went to another room, which was the bathroom. Basically, it was just a bowl of water standing on a table with a small mirror on the wall. And that’s it. So I took off my top, soaked the cloth in the water and rubbed it in with a bar of soap to clean my face. After I was done washing my face, I looked in the mirror and saw the scars on my chest… And when I lifted my arms to wash my armpits and turned my body, I could see the scars on my back… On the lower left side, there was a burn mark… A scar that would never go away… And I looked at it for a while…

Nick: How’d that happen…?

I looked up surprised and saw in the mirror that guy was still here, staring at the huge scars across my back… I just ignored him and quickly put my top back on…

Dakota: I thought I told you to leave before dawn…
Nick: Well technically, the sun isn’t up yet…
Dakota: Then where’d you go?
Nick: Outside, smoking a cigarette… I didn’t want to wake you up… I’m trying to quit, but every now and then I just feel like taking one…

Dakota: … You got cigarettes…?
Nick: No, I took one from you. I hope you don’t mind…
Dakota: Do you have any idea how hard it is to get your hands on a pack of smokes here…?

Nick: Oh… Well, I’m sorry.
Dakota: *sighs*
Nick: … So… What happened…? H-How’d you get those nasty scars on your back…?

Dakota: …

I walked out of the “bathroom” while I pushed him away. I sat down in the chair, got out my pocket knife and a can of… Some sort of stew or something and I started eating by poking my knife in the goo and everything that sticks to the knife was shoved in my mouth… It didn’t really taste that good, but if you’re hungry, everything tastes great. I noticed that guy was still staring at me from a distance, and he looked a bit hungry. I just continued eating, but he kept staring at me… So I sighed reluctantly and threw him another can of that goo. He pops the lid by pulling the ring on top…

Nick: Thanks… You got a fork or something?
Dakota: No. Use your imagination.
Nick: … Oh.

So he lifts the can up and tilted it a little while his mouth was wide open. It didn’t come out of the can… Then he shakes it a little and then the whole content of the can fell in his face. Seriously… What an idiot… He looked at me and smiled nervously while I shook my head and continued eating… Un-fracking-believable… He scrapes the goo off of his face and puts everything back in the can…

Dakota: You could also eat it with your hands, you stupid dick…
Nick: I haven’t washed my hands.
Dakota: Yeah so? It wont kill you to eat it with your hands. Most people here would kill for a can of food, eat it with their bare hands while they just wiped their @$$ after taking a shoot and lick the ground clean to satisfy their hunger.

Nick: …
Dakota: It’s called poverty. Get used to it, rich boy.
Nick: *sighs*

It stayed quiet for a while as we were eating. I could see that he was starting to think. And after a while, he broke the silence…

Nick: … If all the airports and harbours are closed, then how’d you get here?
Dakota: Rubber boat. Docked off on land where a car was waiting for me to take me to Sangala.

Nick: Oh. And… Why you’re here…? And what’s with the weapons anyway?
Dakota: Business.
Nick: Well… I think that-
Dakota: You wanna know what I think? I think you’re talking too much. I think that I should’ve shot you last night. And I think that I should ask you for the last time to politely leave before I’ll shoot you out of this house…

He closed his eyes and sighed… Then he looked up to me again…

Nick: Look… I got nowhere to go, alright…? I see armed people everywhere, and I tried to avoid them as much as possible, but that almost got me killed when I got caught. I don’t know what the hell is going on here and all I want is to go home… But… Seems like I’m stuck on this island now… *sighs*

Dakota: …
Nick: And… I figured that… You seem to have the weapons and… The knowledge of the things going on here… I mean… You’re the only I “know” here and you’ve been… “Kind” to me, ya know… You gave me a place to spend the night and… Food… And… I was wondering if… If I could stay with you for protection until it’s safe for me to go home…

Dakota: Pssh… That might take a while… Might even take a few years… And I’m not intending to babysit you… And besides, you’re draining my supplies…

Nick: … If it’s money your after… *sighs* I got plenty… Just name your price…
Dakota: … Five hundred thousand.
Nick: What?!
Dakota: …
Nick: … *sighs* Alright, alright… I might have to sell my penthouse… And my cars… And do a little overtime at the office… And-

Dakota: And if you don’t stick to the bargain, I’ll send someone or I’ll personally visit you myself to get even on the deal.

Nick: *sighs* Oh great…
Dakota: So do we have a deal?
Nick: … I guess…
Dakota: DO we…?
Nick: … Yeah… I don’t really have a choice, I guess…
Dakota: Alright then…

I took a bottle of water out of my backpack and drank some. And when I looked outside, I could see the sun coming up… So I sat in the windsill to take a good look at it… It was always a beautiful sight to see the sun go up here… I’ve seen a lot of sunrises, but it never gets boring… It’s beautiful to see how the sky and the open savannahs across the hills are gold orange coloured… Slowly, they would take their true colours again… You see a lot of wildlife at dawn…

Nick: So eh… What’s gonna happen no-
Dakota: Sssh…
Nick: … What?
Dakota: You’re ruining my sunrise…
Nick: … You’re the strangest woman I’ve ever met…
Dakota: Says the guy who just poured a fracking can of stew all over his face.
Nick: … *sighs* Never mind…

It stayed silent for a while again as I continued to watch the sunrise. I felt myself drifting away in a daydream… And for some reason, I was wondering how many sunsets I would still be watching… This one could be my last one for all I know… The more I thought about it, the scarier the idea became. I’ve faced a lot of near-death experiences, but none made such an impact as the one in Sercia… I turned my left wrist and looked at it while seeing the scars I had… It keeps reminding me of what happened there in Sercia…

I snapped out of my daydream when I felt I was being stared at. And that guy was staring at me again, to my wrists…

Nick: Seriously… What happened to you…?

Dakota: … There are a couple of things you need to keep in mind if you want protection from me. I can protect you from any danger we might encounter out there, but I can’t prevent you from danger you draw on yourself because of stupid actions you might undertake. I don’t mind. Technically, I’m not paid for your protection yet, and quite honestly, I don’t need you’re money because it’s worthless here. You’re the one who needs me, and not the other way around. So listen closely, ‘cause I’ll only say this once.

Nick: … D-Danger out there…?
Dakota: First of… If you wander around like that the way you are dressed, you would most likely get shot or kidnapped out there.

Nick: Why, what’s wrong with my outfit?
Dakota: You don’t get it, do you? You don’t look like a mercenary… It won’t take long for them to notice that you’re not and be killed. So ditch the jacket. The sneakers and the baggy pants will do fine.

Nick: … O-Okay…?

Dakota: …
Nick: …
Dakota: Well come on!
Nick: Oh!! Okay…

And after that, he took his jacket and shirt off which revealed a black tank top underneath. That would do… I could see he was pretty muscled and had a tribal tattoo on his right arm…

Dakota: Keep in mind to stay with me at all times… Once you loose sight of me, you’re on your own. If we talk to someone, keep you’re mouth shut. Don’t say anything. I’ll do the talking.

Nick: *nods*
Dakota: And that’s pretty much it. Put these sunglasses on.
Nick: Why?
Dakota: If you’re nervous, you’re eyes will give that away and people can see that.

Nick: … Oh. Sounds like you protected someone before.
Dakota: I did. The guy died after being for 2 hours with me. Got shot during a firefight.

Nick: … Well that’s a relief…
Dakota: Another thing.
Nick: What?

I gave him an assault rifle with the bandolier and a pistol I got from Iki the day before.

Nick: What the hell am I gonna do with this?! I don’t know how to shoot!!
Dakota: Stick the gun in the waste-band of your jeans. Shoulder the assault rifle over your right shoulder and clip the buckle to the rifle. You’re not much of a mercenary if you don’t carry any weapons.

Nick: I see.
Dakota: One last thing.
Nick: What?
Dakota: Don’t expect us to be best buddies now. You don’t watch my back, and I might look after yours. Only the people who got my back are my buddies.

Nick: … S-So we’re really g-gonna go o-out t-there and…?
Dakota: Yeah.
Nick: Oh fracking hell… Can’t I just… Stay here and… Do stuff until you come back?

Dakota: Yeah, of course you can.
Nick: Thanks…
Dakota: But the Shaigiya’s know where you and I are hiding. So I’m not coming back to this safe-house anymore. You can stay if you want.

Nick: … *sighs*
Dakota: Alright then.
Nick: So… What’s gonna happen now?
Dakota: I’m gonna see an old friend of mine… Most likely, he has something to do for us. Well, for me that is.

Nick: … Okay… So… Do you have a name or… Something…?
Dakota: … I’m Dakota.
Nick: … Nick.

Dakota: Alright. Let’s go then… “Nick”…

Why was she sounding so sarcastic…? I don’t know…

Alright so… Within a few minutes, I changed careers. I went from being a sales manager to a mercenary. Hm. Interesting. I wonder what my girlfriend will say once she hears this.

So we went out of the house… There was a car right next door, but we went on foot. Why, I would never know. She seems aggravated all along and that was the only reason I needed not to ask her. It stayed quiet the first half hour until she broke the silence by explaining of what happened. She tells me that I should be aware of the situation in order for me to survive. So, in a nutshell… The government fell and all that, bladibladibla. She already told me. But then she told me of these tribes. The Shaigiya’s and the Bakuba’s… Two of the largest tribes on the Aegina Islands who never could get along with each other… Each tribe counts at least five hundred thousand people, and if a civil war was about to start, meant that it was booming business for mercenaries and arms-dealers. So basically, they all came down here to sell weapons to both tribes and offer their services and loyalty for the right prize. And that’s basically it…

Nick: … So you’re a mercenary?
Dakota: No, I’m a nun.
Nick: …
Dakota: Of course I’m a mercenary, you country matters.
Nick: … *sighs*

We made our way to the warehouse while we didn’t say anything anymore. He annoys the frack out of me, and I really wanted to get rid of him… I didn’t give a shoot about his money, but it would be nice if I could cash it… Either way, I wouldn’t care if he died or not. Every time he opens his mouth, it annoys the frack out of me. Something tells me that I made the wrong decision by protecting him…

Once we reached the warehouse, the armed guys nodded to me to walk through, but they looked distrusting towards Nick. I explained that he’s my associate, and after that, he was allowed to walk through. They still kept a very close eye on him… Once we entered the warehouse, I noticed that Iki and some other guy was standing on one leg, while the palms of his hands touched each other and they both hummed… We stayed at our distance… They didn’t noticed we were watching them…

Iki: Hmmmmmmmmm…………
Omar: Now, release your negative energy… Clean your Chakra’s and let it aaaaaaaaaall out…

Iki: Hmmmmmmmm…
Omar: You need to find your centre… Find your centre…
Iki: Hmmmmmmmmmmmmarghblarghdaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmnnnnnnnn…………
Omar: … Find your fracking centre!!
Iki: OMAR!!! It’s my own interpretation here, alright?!! You’re messing!!! With my delicate energy-field!! It’s bad for my KARMA!!! You fracking twat… Hmmmmmmmmmmmm…

Omar: … Cocksucker……
Iki: Will you stop with the fracking cursing already?!! It’s not fracking nice to curse, ya son of a genital wart!!


Omar: …
Iki: Omar, it’s a joke! Come on! Smile!!
Omar: *smiles sarcastically*
Iki: … You stupid country matters…
Omar: …
Iki: Dakota!!

And then Iki noticed us. He pushed that guy away and nodded us to get closer. So we did.

Iki: I-I just had my therapy…
Dakota: Is it working…?
Iki: NO!!! Because I’m having a HUGE… frackING problem here!!

Then it stayed silent for a moment as he was looking at Nick for a while…

Iki: … Who’s your friend?
Dakota: My associate.
Nick: Hi, I’m Nick.

The fracking idiot reached his hand out to shake with Iki’s… Bloody hell… What an unbelievably country matters he is… Iki just frowned at him and looked baffled at him while I poked Nick in his waist…

Nick: Ow!
Iki: Your associate, huh? Maybe your associate and you can do a little something for me…

Dakota: I heard it. You’re talking about the rail-yard thing?
Iki: Yes!! Those fracking fags had the frackING nerve to blow up MY shipment!! That was MY money that got blown up!!! Twenty million dinar worth of equipment!!! frack!!!!

Dakota: Calm down already.
Iki: Calm down?!! The Bakuba’s ordered another shipment!! AND THEIR SHIPMENT BLEW UP!!!! I can’t sell something I don’t have!!! Son of a dog!!!

It stayed quiet for a moment as Iki tried to calm down…

Iki: I’ve been keeping tabs… On Serina… She’s a lioness, and a mercenary, like you… She gained my trust by doing jobs for me… But in the end, her loyalty lies with the Shaigiya’s… She was the only one that knew of the shipment for the Bakuba’s… She might have sabotaged the shipment to give the Shaigiya’s the advantage… So last night, I let her to be followed by one of my guys… And my suspicions were right… She walked right into a Shaigiya camp…

Dakota: Whadda ya want me to do?

Iki: I want you… To… Take her pretty little head… And blow it off of her fracking shoulders… I paid others to pillage the armoury of the Shaigiya’s in Pandura.

Dakota: My services aren’t free, you know.
Iki: I know that, my dearest Dakota, and that’s why I got this lovely little bag filled with pretty shiny stones…

Iki handed me a small bag and I counted the stones… Fifteen blood diamonds… For this, I would kill two Serina’s…

Dakota: You’re being generous…
Iki: Money wont be a problem if I smell a rat somewhere…
Dakota: Alright then… Where can I find her…?

Iki: She has a safe-house near the outskirts of Barandakesh. My guys found out that since this morning, she’s being guarded by 5 heavily armed guys, which only confirm my suspicions about her. Those guys are most likely Shaigiya’s… Waste them all… I trust you and your associate to get the job done…

Dakota: Alright… Don’t worry, we’ll take care of this…
Nick: … W-What….?!!

Then all of a sudden, she poked me in the waist again… And it hurt.

Dakota: I need some supplies though.
Iki: Take what you need to get the job done. No charge.

So I took another assault rifle with a scope, three hand grenades, ammo clips and a pistol.

Iki: Oh frack, my hands are fracking shaking…

He gets out a bag of green stuff and a cigarette-paper and rolled a stickie. He lights it up with shaky hands and after he took the first puff, I smacked it out of his hands. Iki looks kinda baffled at me…

Dakota: *smiles innocently*
Iki: You… *points finger at Dakota* You’re a good friend… *hugs Dakota*
Dakota: Hehehehe…

And with that, we walked out of the warehouse and made our way to Barandakesh… Walking would take about 3 hours… And on the way, Nick didn’t say anything. But I could tell that he was fracking nervous. I couldn’t resist but to smile. For me, it just felt like another day at the office…

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