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Technical Difficulties [[Themandii/Eyesoffire]]

"I'm fine." Clark said, but he was relieved that she was still so calm and composed. He knew that the others would still be talking fast even after he'd accepted their offer. Bianca was professional. Inside Clark smiled, his instincts had still served him well, he knew she had been up to something. He looked at her quietly for a moment and then holstered his gun. Clark walked up to the pizza and took a slice, bringing it to his mouth and taking a bite out. His eyes never left Bianca's. He chewed for a moment and took another bite. When he was finished chewing he blinked. "You mentioned other things, besides cash. Things the government can't give me...explain."
 

"If you don't turn me in, and swear to keep what you know to yourself, I will give you 10 million creds. Simple as that. However, I will have my friends watching you, it won't matter where you go. I have eyes everywhere. I will make damn sure you keep your word because if you don't, I will simply take back what is mine, and your life. I can't afford to have my work interrupted." She crossed her legs, biting into the pizza, debating on whether now was a good time for a drink or not. She set the slice down on the paper plate. that came with the delivery. "Ah, yes." She smiled again, that same sweet, coyly secret smile. "If you're interested, I can give you work. Work that pays well and is relatively safe."
 
"Work?" Clark asked, frowning a little. He moved to sit at one of the chairs near Bianca and looked at her quizzically, "How is that something the government won't give me? They give me work every time they put up a bounty. If you can afford to give me an average of 5 million creds a month then that's just the same as them. But you said you'd give me something they won't...and I assume I won't be chasing many other 10 million cred Queen Bees around." He licked his lips in anticapation, tasting pizza, "So, the question still stands...what can you give me, that the government cannot?"
 
"Well if it's not work that you want... I could augment your ship, recalibrate sensors, update the computer core. My technological skills could prove most useful to you if you allow it." She smiled a bit. "And the government can't give you companionship...I think we'd make a good team... Be it professional, or otherwise." Bianca giggled softly at the suggestion. But she had said several times over that she found him attractive, or 'cute'.

The man before her was intriguing. He was strong and fierce, and determined. All things that she was attracted to--but her line of work was a lonely one. She almost couldn't remember the last time she'd been with a man. The thought of that prospect excited the young hacker. She'd wondered if he felt the same way.
 
Calibrations and enhancements to the Cerberus was a tempting proposition, especially since it had been a long while since Clark had taken it to a shop to get it reworked. He was sure there might have still been some blaster-scarring on its hull, not to mention a few holes here and there. He was just lucky the glass in the cockpit hadn't cracked. Clark got comfortable in the chair and pursed his lips. He looked at the floor for a moment, seemingly holding his breath, until he let out a short exhale and looked back at Bianca. "You update my ship...and we work together....shake and it's a deal." He held out his hand to her from across the table.

It was a strange moment for him, Clark had never had a partner, he preferred the lone wolf work, he had never seen the use it in, mostly because the others who wanted to work with him wanted to do what he did. Bianca was different, she complimented his skill set. He had a head for fighting and sleuthing, but not for gadgets like her. It had been his Achilles heel for his entire career, but with her, he could have a major advantage.
 

Her hand hovered near his. "Tell me your name, and then it's a deal."

Upon hearing his name, however, she grasped his hand gently, her own hand small in comparison to his. "Good. I will do whatever I can to make your ship more efficient. We can begin working tomorrow. For now, I really would like to relax. You're welcome to stay here if you want. Just don't try anything funny." She took another bite of pizza, eating happily.
 
"Clark Green." He said quietly, shaking Bianca's hand.

The invite to stay with her in the room was an intriguing one but he couldn't take it. It was one thing to be partners with someone, but something completely different to start living with them, and Clark was unsure of whether or not he was able to do something like that. He walked out without a word, he had only stopped before hand to take one more slice of pizza.
The man walked out onto the street and headed to where he docked the Cerberus. He'd spent most of his life in that ship, it was truly the only room and bed he ever really knew, or needed. If Bianca wanted to find him, the Cerberus was the best place to look.
 
When he left, she shrugged, and made efforts to contact the Red Hands, hoping that they might be willing to donate the money instead of her having to delve into her own monetary reserves.

She opened a secure link to the man she'd met with in the pit stop by Jupiter, his voice was distorted and the source of his transmission was blocked.

"What is it, Q.B?" He asked, chuckling a little.

"I've got something of a problem...But it has the potential to be good, too."

"What's that?"

She sighed. "A bounty hunter knows who I am...But he's willing to lay off. If we give him the equivalent of the bounty on my head, and help him fix up his ship... But I think over time, he can prove to be a valuable asset to us. His name is Clark Green."

He paused a moment for his response, as if listening to someone in the background, perhaps. "We will wire the money to him. We cannot afford to have you exposed. Just be more careful in the future."

"Thank you... And thank our superiors."

"Don't mention it, over and out."


The Next Morning...

Bianca arose from her slumber, wearing loose plaid pajama pants and a simple black tank top, her hair tied up in a messy bun. She yawned and slipped on a pair of glasses as she shoved her Comm in her bra and took two cups of coffee down to the bottom floor of her building, hoping to find Cerberus.
 
Clark was playing with his comm, surfing the news pages to see what was going on in the system. He frowned, rebels were trying to push past Pluto and closer to Earth. They had been a thorn in Earth's side for over a decade and what once started as a small conflict that could have receded back to verbal negotiations was now clearly escalating. He flipped past the page to look at advancements in robotics when he spied Bianca outside his ship. He opened the cockpit so she could see him. Needless to say, Clark hadn't eaten anything yet. He stood up and got out, but leaned against the ship. "So....partner...I guess a good morning is in order." He said quietly before lighting up another cig and blowing smoke away from Bianca's face.

"Want to show me where I can sate my hunger?"
 

She never failed to notice how he had nearly a head on her in height. "Yes, good Morning." She said, holding out a cup of coffee to him. "You seemed like a black coffee kind of guy, but if you want cream and sugar, I can go get it." She murmured, pushing her glasses up her nose with the back of her other hand's wrist and yawning again.

"There's a good place down the street from here, or I could make something...It's not like you don't have the money though. I assume you checked your assets this morning." She smiled a bit, sipping her own coffee which was a very light brown--it seemed she liked her coffee with more creamer than not--more evidence that her personality type and tastes weren't really that which matched one of a hardened criminal.

Each of the transactions were listed as the norm for Clark, bounties, and other jobs. But the amount in his account wasn't nearly the whole amount. If he magically obtained 10 million Creds it would arouse suspicion. He'd receive smaller, but still large, amounts for several weeks, set on an automatic timer to clear as multiple transactions per week from various 'organizations'.
 
"Thank you." Clark took the coffee and sipped it, it was still pretty hot, though he did take his coffee black. He stared past Bianca and onto the street, watching the people pass by in the early morning sun. Mars' red sky seemed to make things a little odder, at least in his opinion. As if there was some impending doom that would approach from above, or that hall on this planet had come once, and would come again. However the bio-dome's shell and ceiling always made it seem like the skies on Earth, something Clark never failed to forget.

He lifted his comm to check his account balances and was pleasantry surprised to see that it had increased, a deposit made due to a small bounty he'd done near Earth's moon. He had to chuckle at how creative whoever was depositing the money was. "I never said you'd pay for me." Clark said, squinting at her for a moment. He did want to talk about what kind of work she'd have for him, but perhaps just spending time focussing on other things would be better for the two of them. "Take me to that place down the street. Mars is....interesting."
 

Bianca glanced from him, to Cerberus, then back. "Alright... But I'm driving." She downed her coffee, pulling her comm from her shirt and glancing down at it, reading a message, no doubt... "Or we can walk. It's only a few blocks away."

Her comm pinged, and she opened it up, smiling a bit at the message, but she said nothing about what the message might have been. "Hmm, yeah... I like Mars just fine. I feel like it's more laid back than Earth."
 
Clark didn't mind the walk. He preferred if he was in control of the Cerberus anyway, it was his baby after all. He merely glanced around as they walked, keeping in stride with Bianca and, from time to time, looking sidelong at her as if to see if she wasn't going to try anything funny. She had a confident stride, even if she was in her slightly humorous pyjamas.

"Tell me something, Bianca." Clark said, not really looking at her but still staying close enough to her. "Yesterday, if I hadn't left, would you really have blown up your entire building? Even the old lady down the hall?"
 

Bianca glanced over at him when he began his question, but once he asked, she kept walking, looking ahead. "If you had intended to turn me in? Yes. That's what the explosives have been in the building for since I bought the place." She sighed a bit as they continued their short journey.

She looked over at him, her expression more serious now. "There are far too many people connected to what I do for me to go to jail. I'm a tech person, I'm not some hardened gun toting hunter. If they tortured me for information, I'd break in a second, and then my... people... would do things to me that are much worse than death if I ever got out of jail."
 
"Shame." Clark said, hands in his pockets, eyes moving from one side of the street to another, watching the people as they went about their business, naturally scanning their faces. "You know you've got issues when getting out of jail makes your life more miserable when going to jail." He looked at Bianca and shrugged. "I'm just saying so." he paused for a moment.

"Yet, look at me, that's the way I think and I still get wrapped up in whatever shady business you've got going on." They had reached the place, Clark just went in after Bianca. "Can't deny the allure of being a bad boy once in a while. That much is true too."
 


She followed their server to a booth where they both sat down, she chose to let him have the seat facing the door, hoping to put him more at ease. The hacker needed his trust. "Bad boy, huh? Should I be all intrigued now?" Bianca laughed a bit, asking the waitress for iced tea as her drink. "And shady? You're one to talk... I'd hardly call your job squeaky clean."
 
"Fair enough, but I don't destroy space gates and ruin everyone's day." He said very quietly, even leaning across the table, closer to Bianca so only she could hear it. He leaned back and examined the doorway to see an old man walking in. "Black coffee please." He said to the waitress as she looked to him for his order. "This your normal day? Just hanging around the house in your...night clothes?"
 

A light blush crept across Bianca's face. "Well.. No... I do...Other stuff...Tried modeling once, but that was boring." She looked down at her hands. "I mostly fix ship computers for people sometimes, or build new ones... I do a lot of custom work." Bianca leaned on the table. "It's my day off..I can wear what I want." She mumbled.
 
"Fair enough." Clark leaned back to rest against the backrest of his seat. He kept one hand on the coffee, feeling it warm his skin as he watched the steam trail up from it. He could say the same, there wasn't much he did on his days off, in fact, his days off were spent searching for a job. He didn't live in a costly manner, Clark had a lot of savings, but never really had a chance to use them.

"Maybe we should focus on the business, what is it exactly you want me to do?" He inquired, tilting his head a little once more and looking at Bianca with a slight squint.
 

"Oh, so you actually want work, then??" She raised a brow, keeping her voice low in volume, and casual in tone. Her chocolatey hues searched his face, analyzing him silently. Bianca remained leaning on the table, her breasts pressed into the polished tabletop as she sipped on her iced tea again, honestly unaware of the obviousness of her endowments. After a moment, she leaned back again. "For one, I could use someone like you around to prevent more people like you from kidnapping me. Like a body guard." Queen Bee chuckled a bit.

"Or... I'm sure my associates can give you jobs that don't require waiting for bounties to get posted. This, of course, requires the utmost discretion." She smiled when the waitress approached them.

"What can I get for you two this morning?" The waitress asked cheerfully, though it was somewhat forced...Like most service workers.

"I'll have strawberry crepes. Extra whipped cream, please." Bianca replied with equally forced cheerfulness.
 
"You know I won't like to be just your bodyguard..." Clark said, eyes flicking up from her breasts to her face. "I'd find it...boring." He sipped his coffee and looked up at the waitress. "Bacon and eggs, with four sausages and pancakes." He told the waitress and watched her walk off. He turned back to Bianca. "I suppose if I'm going to be working with your associates you'll have to tell me who they are." He said plainly. "No point having a middle man...or woman...I like to know who I'm working for. Helps me feel secure. ives me more of a sense of purpose. You understand."

Clark sipped his coffee, eyes watching Bianca over the edge of the cup.
 

"In fact, I do understand, however, I myself have never met all of my...superiors... directly. Only one of them, and I'm sure there are countless more." She chuckled. "Very hush hush type of business. Honestly, so long as I get paid to do what I love, I have no qualms about any of it."

Bianca set her glass down quietly. "However, I can tell you the name they use as a collective force; The Red Hands. You may have heard of them...in the underground."

Indeed, Clark might have seen materials or heard mention of the Red Hands. They are a relatively unknown group to the public, but are slowly gaining more notoriety. Part of their efforts are within the rebellion, which is on the news almost daily in their attempts to overthrow the government.
 
Clark put down the cup of half-full coffee and looked straight at Bianca. He was quiet for a moment, just scrutinizing her face. He then looked around the room, scanning the people's faces before turning back to Bianca's. "This changes things slightly." He whispered to her. "I'm not sure what you're doing is a good idea." it was clear that he had, indeed, heard of The Red Hands. "To make a statement is one thing, I understand the space gate, it's clear. Seemed like you were doing a stand-alone thing at the time. But now...The Red Hands...Bianca, I'm not looking to get wrapped up in a damn war here."
 
She sighed a bit. "If it makes you feel better, Clark, they're split into factions. I only work fro the faction of Jupiter. They aren't...Involved with the others. Directly." Bianca sighed. "Besides, violence on that scale is many many years off. My contract with them will be finished long before then."

The hacker smiled a bit. "They could only acquire me through my contract. I am only to work for this faction alone until my time is up, Six months from now." She shrugged. "You don't have to get involved.. You'll still get your money, I suppose... Shame about you not being interested in the body guard work...I enjoy your companionship when you're not trying to take me in." She smiled slightly. Of course, being my body guard would mean I'd need you in my home constantly.
 
"Body guard work is different, Bianca." Clark leaned back in his chair. "I can do it, I'm good at it, believe me. I just don't want to be at the helm of an event that cost the galaxy thousands of human lives. I'm not one of those people." He began to sound a little irritated. And Clark knew it. He took a breath and sipped his coffee. "Listen...I said I'd work for you" He pointed at her. "You. Make my life easier by not dragging those others into it. Bounty hunters don't deal in insanity and some of the shit The Red Hands do is insane."

It must have sounded off coming from a bounty hunter who had flown through asteroid belts to bring back his prey and earn his money. "You're more than just a name the Red Hands can hide behind, you can keep doing the risky work for whoever you want, but just know that I will watch you back...but only yours."
 
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