In Praetor

Chapter 2

A few days later Zulu was trudging down a sidewalk in downtown Kali, a city of Hygeno that was largely made of office buildings and apartments, with the occasional restaurant, all in the downtown area. She had arrived on Narcu's moon a couple days after leaving the planet and was now ignoring a downpour in order to meet with a potential employer, her light jacket and loose pants barely keeping her dry. Yet, as she walked, Zulu couldn't dispel the feeling of being followed. She knew there were several hits out on her, but this didn't feel like someone after her head. Closing her eyes, she focused on listening to specific things, rather than everything. This allowed her to pinpoint possible suspects and their locations. Deciding to deal with her stalker after her meeting, she hurried to the meeting place. 

"I only need a one day escort, 9 months from now..."

Zulu was listening to the details of a possible new job. A duke named Carlos Yemen was worried about taking his family to visit relatives in another city, especially when he had gotten wind of a plot to take him out. 

"Alright, I'll take the job," she said coolly. 

"Thank you so much." The duke shook her hand with both of his. Zulu pulled her hand away from him and finished going through the details of the job before standing. 

"Thank you again." The duke smiled and waved to Zulu as she left. She vaguely wondered why some people were so weirdly polite and then remembered that she needed to find the person who had been following her earlier. She searched around the area, making sure no one noticed her. 

"Looking for someone?" 

Zulu spun around, her hand flying to her holster, to see a smirking, dark haired man. He was a bit taller than Zulu, wearing a short lab coat and black pants, leather gloves concealing his hands. 

"Who're you?" she growled, baring her teeth like an agitated animal. 

"No need to bite," he chortled, clucking his tongue and wagging a finger. His eyes gleamed intensely, which made Zulu bristle. "You're In Praetor, right?" 

She raised an eyebrow, loosening up a bit at the sound of her call name. 

"I take that as a yes." The man pulled a card out of his pocket and held it out to her. "I'm Professor Rise Larkin, I teach at the University of Medical Studies in Renchel. I was hoping to hire you." 

"I don't work well with people like you," Zulu informed him nonchalantly after studying the card she took from him. 

"I'm not that bad of a guy," Rise frowned. 

"You're a scientist and a doctor," she told him coldly, her face shadowed by dark emotions. He immediately understood there was a deep meaning to her words. 

"Just think of me as a normal, everyday teacher," he suggested. She stared at him, her eyes taking in every detail. 

"Alright, Rise," she went along with it, "but I still don't like you." 

"Never said you had to, Zulu," he smiled, winking at her. She turned away, shaking her head. 

"We'll go to the place I'm staying and talk there," she informed him, heading off. He followed her, a pleased look hiding the darker expressions of what he really felt. 

Zulu could clearly see that Rise was more than a bit shocked when he saw the place she was staying. She had led him to an abandoned housing complex, a place most people stayed away from. The hazard zone sign outside the complex, warning of the instability of the unfinished buildings, caused them to steer clear of the place. 

"I had heard you were a loner and the detached type, but this is more than I expected," he commented. After staring at a tree that was, for some reason, growing in the middle of the house Zulu had staked claim on, he added, "Oddly enough, this suits you..." 

"I like nature," she spoke in a soft voice that didn't match her cold, unreadable demeanor. 

"Is that so..." He watched her closely. "So, shall I get to the point?" 

"That would be appreciated." She had a bored look on her face, yet the air around her had a foreboding chill. 

"Truthfully, there are some people after me, but no one knows because they're trying to keep it on the down low," Rise explained, his vague annoyance at being targeted clear in his voice. He looked at her sharply, his eyes serious. "I need you to act as my bodyguard while pretending to be my relative that I've hired as my new assistant. How's that sound?" 

"It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into my role and given me a vague description of your problem." Zulu leaned against the trunk of the tree, her hands in her pockets. "What's in it for me?" 

"Room and board at my place, as well as 600 per month." 

"1000." 

"800." 

"... Alright, it's a deal." 

The two shook hands, both grasping firmly and giving each other a hard look, warning not to betray or breach the contract.