GAMBIT (will be self-published once finished)

FIRST PART: BRUISED LIPS | Chapter One

New York, United States, January 3rd 2033, 9:03 PM

"You told me you would teach me how to jump from somewhere high without hurting myself." Rune insisted, entering the bedroom.

"I didn't, you did." Mercy affirmed with her lips curled into a smile.

"But I wanna learn. It's cool."

"It's not. If you ever have to jump from something high, it will not be fun."

She gave Mercy a bored look and let herself fall onto the bed.

"I think I'm gonna go to sleep." She declared, staring at the ceiling.

Mercy should've gone back to work, she thought, the case wouldn't resolve by itself.

3:10 AM

"Mercy, it's fucking three in the morning come sleep, you're gonna regret it tomorrow." Rune called from the bedroom.

"Why are you awake then?"

"Because you're not asleep. You know why I'm not sleeping, and I'm gonna be tired tomorrow if I do like you."

"You're not gonna die if you do like me, Rune."

Questionable.

She pushed the papers on top, revealing the ones below, which she had looked at countless times. Please give me a fucking clue, she swore. No one disappeared without letting anything behind. The only thing she left was some stuff, strangely scattered. But who would leave stuff lying around and then run away? To escape from something? That didn't make any sense, she was a cashier.

Think Mercy. Fucking think.

She was a cashier. You were a cashier when you struggled to find a job. Why did you struggle to find a job? Because of your past. But she went to high school and Mercy had a look at her case. She had good grades and went to college. Why would she take a job like this when she could have had a job with a higher salary? She maybe wanted a calm life but that was not the kind of calm life you'd want. There were many jobs where you could have had a calm life and be a part of the world without... But then something crossed her mind.

Maybe she didn't want to be a part of the world? What if she wanted to keep a low profile? The thing was, there was no reason for her to hide, her past was not problematic.

"Do I have to drag you to bed by myself to get you to sleep?"

Mercy didn't respond. Maybe if she looked at her school report again she would find something she missed? She seized the file, and opened it. She heard her laptop shut.

"I want to finish this case. Time is running out." She declared.

"You know what else is running out? Your sleep." Rune grabbed the case out of her hand.

9:10 AM

She took off her helmet, and wedged it under her arm before entering the police station. She hoped Miles was already there. As she walked through the station, he showed up by her side, coffee in his two hands.

"You got the keys?" She asked.

"Yep."

She opened the passenger side door and got in.

"Thanks." She seized the coffee he handed her. "You finished the case you were into?"

"Yes, the material was stored in a shed, there was no one there. But I managed to trace their movements, it was a gang from the east side." He had been working on this case for a few days, materials were stolen. "How far have you gotten with yours? The girl who is missing?"