Crimson Rain (12 page)

So why did Max trust him?

Why did Max trust me enough to leave me here? For all he knows, I could steal all of his stuff. What was he in a hurry to do? He left with such haste.

Zarfa wanted answers, so he began to look for clues around the office. He stepped over the broken glass strewn on the floor. It crunched under
his
boots, making a soft crackling noise. Zarfa approached the desk Max had closed in a hurry and noticed the serenity boost in the waste basket.

Nothing was out of the ordinary other than the broken mirror and the blood mixed with glass trailing to the doorway. It looked as if the battle with the five gang-bangers had started here, but as Zarfa examined the evidence, he knew it hadn
’
t.

He gazed around the clinic, which was really
only
a small room with a sub divider marking the waiting area and entrance from the office and diagnostic room. Privacy wasn
’
t much of an issue in the slums and if it was, Max
c
ould ask the other patients to wait outside of the building until their turn. His gaze fixed solidly on the Psyker bot injections Max had lying on the counter of the exam area.

It isn
’
t theft if I pay. I don
’
t know what these are worth, and for all I know, it will cover it. Plus, I gave him that gun.

The fact he
’
d saved Max
’
s life barely crossed Zarfa
’
s mind. He was about to steal his next four treatments then finish the night by rooting around for some painkiller boosts. He knew that the treatments for the Psyker bots would cost another forty thousand credits he didn
’
t have, and would take a
while to raise fighting in the underground. He also knew he had a fight to perform at in roughly eighteen hours, and he reasoned a guy like Max would know what these two devices he had in his bag would be worth. For all Zarfa knew, they were worth way more than what he was taking.

Zarfa opened his backpack and left the two cloaking devices he had taken from the corpses of the assassins from earlier on Max
’
s desk. He then went over to where he saw the Psyker injection ampoules and stuffed four into his backpack. He was far from greedy. After having such a violent reaction to the first round of treatment, Zarfa was nervous at the least, but confident that he had observed what Dr. Hall had done to him well enough that he could do it to himself.

After putting the treatments in his bag, he zipped it tight. Zarfa thought about putting the backpack on and going back to his own place. The medifoam had begun to regenerate his tissue and ease his pains. In no time at all, he would be healed. He could hear it raining outside still, however, and the thought of walking shirtless with a backpack that had uncomfortable straps in the cold rain was less than pleasurable.

He saw his old bloody, wet, tattered shirt lying in the trail of glass where he had thrown it. He let out a sigh and decided to rummage around. He found in a hamper against the wall in the corner behind Max
’
s desk, a green t-shirt with grey trim. It smelled dirty, but he put it on anyhow. It was too short and his midriff showed like a skanky teenage girl who had grown too large for her extra small sized shirt, but he wore it anyway.

Zarfa looked at himself in a small mirror on the counter by the sink in the section of the room Max did examinations and decided he didn
’
t care. If anyone questioned it, he would kill them. After deciding that his pseudo payment was good enough for the injections and the shirt, he grabbed his backpack and headed out the door. He was sure to close it behind himself
. H
e felt bad that he couldn
’
t lock it to keep all
of the lowlifes in the area
from
easily get
ting
into Max
’
s office and mak
ing
off with his goods
, but he didn
’
t have a key
.

I knew there was something I had forgotten. Recruitment is tonight.

Zarfa
’
s mind raced as rain came down upon him. He had his own reason for doing what he had been doing, but he thought it would be good to go to recruitment night anyhow and see what they had to say. Maybe his cause was the same as their own; maybe he would find allies in this battle he was fighting by himself. How would he know if he didn
’
t go to the event?

What have I got to lose? If I don
’
t like what they
’
re all about, I can
simply
walk away and do my own thing.
But the saying goes,
“
My enemy
’
s enemy is my friend.
”

*
*
*
*

“
We thought we told you to stay out of here,
”
stated Badger.

Crimson
smiled wide and scanned him up and down. Her mind raced as she thought of the best way to deal with the situation. She had done some spying into the Psyker Scream phenomena and she
’
d gotten too close to the truth without joining them.

“
You did… I
kinda
thought that maybe you would be lenient with me since I brought a guest,
”
she said sarcastically.

“
Oh? So now I have to kill the both of you? And this poor sap probably doesn
’
t even know what he has gotten into with you.
”

“
I don
’
t! Take the girl,
”
Max said to lighten the mood, half joking…half not.

Crimson glanced over at Max, half annoyed, half impressed. She expected him to be wetting himself like a school child. She could feel that he was afraid, but by this point, she figured they would leave alive since Badger hadn
’
t ordered them killed yet.

“
Let
’
s face it here; the only three of you who can really fight at this place are you, Surge, and Zax. This is
only
a
base
recruitment, and all of these guys are green. I can tell by looking. Max here can
’
t fight; you can tell by his face…
”
She lingered in her sentence.
“
So let
’
s just say you let us off with a warning? I know you gave me an ultimatum last time—join or die. Be fair, I may not join you, but Max here has no clue what is going on.
H
e may very well join you.
”

Her speech was clear and firm; she spoke as if it weren
’
t for the three that comprised Psyker Scream, she could kill everyone in that room with ease. She turned her gaze from Max back to Badger. She wore a crazed look, trying to stab through Badger with an evil gaze. Her hair had gotten wet and was frazzled and flopped over her face. As she spoke, she began grinning wide. Nobody would have taken her seriously, except those who knew her reputation.

“
He doesn
’
t know a thing, huh? And you brought him here? Why?
”

“
You could call him your biggest proprietor in the slums. He is practically handing out the bots, which you should be ecstatic about. You know those bots cost a pretty penny, but Max here will let people pay in increments
if only
to have the pleasure
of
hear
ing
your beautiful…
music.
”

Crimson didn
’
t know if it was true or not. She hoped that Max would pick up where she left off if they questioned him. He stared Badger in the face as she spoke, not saying a word. His expression, if he was giving one that would give him away, was unreadable due to the beating he had taken earlier.

“
Really? You have been treating people even if they can
’
t pay in advance? And you don
’
t know anything at all. Tell me, what did you hear tonight?
”

Max sighed.
“
What is with that question? All friggin
’
night I hear that damn question, what did I hear? I
’
ll tell you! A bunch of noise, noise that almost deafened me! Noise I couldn
’
t care about, and yes, I am handing out your bots with no regard. I know twenty percent die, which just means I need to take an educated risk. I need money to stay in business and treat my patients in the slums, even if ingrates live there that would slay me for whatever gain they could possibly take from me. But Psyker patients are some of my only paying clients. Sometimes a patient comes in who can only afford the first treatment. If they come back for the second, I finance them up front as long as they sign a contract stating that they will pay me back in a reasonable time. So I don
’
t have a damn clue what the hell it is your little club is doing. I wasn
’
t that interested before and I am even less interested now! You leave us be and I
’
ll keep doing business at my practice the same way as I always have. It seems as if it is benefitting you, so killing me would be to your disadvantage, it appears. Not that it will deter you, but it is certainly worth thinking about.
”
Max stated it all as if he had authority to command the whole crowd.

“
You
’
ve got some balls, Max, and you don
’
t know who this woman by your side is at all, do you?
”
Badger questioned, raising an eyebrow and giving Crimson a look that could kill.

“
Me? Ha! I
’
ve known Crimson since kindergarten. She was a mystery then and always will be. I don
’
t really know her, but she came in today as a patient. I had a patient earlier that had
received his first
treatment for your little bots and I wanted
answers
because he was acting so…secretive. She offered to explain things a little. Now that I
’
ve seen this, I wish I had never asked.
”

“
All right, let the doctor go. Take her to the back for interrogation and possibly execution. Max, forget what you
’
ve seen or heard here. This didn
’
t happen. The second you say it did, you will suffer a worse fate than Crimson here.
”

Max was shocked; he hadn
’
t expected his response to get this reaction. He had a sick feeling in his gut. He
’
d envisioned himself and Crimson either dying together or walking out together, not this. He felt as if he had done something wrong, as if he should do something else to save her. He looked at her frantically, terrified.

Crimson, still smiling, still looking insane, stared into his eyes and nodded. She didn
’
t look worried at all. She looked as if she accepted her fate. She didn
’
t look like someone who believed she would be executed.

“
But—
”
Max began to object.

“
Max, old friend. Please shut up. Do as the nice Badger-man says. They
only
want to have a
friendly
chat with me… He, his band, and these few thousand admiring fans, that
is. Trust me;
this is a
mere
tryst in the park for a girl like me. I
’
ll be fine.
”
There wasn
’
t the slightest tone of fear in her voice. She either had a secret plan or
really
didn
’
t care what happened to her.

Max couldn
’
t help but wonder what would happen to her as he was thrown out into the rain in th
e back alley. The three men that
had escort him hadn
’
t been particularly gentle, and when they threw him out, they made sure to toss him on the ground and kick him in the ribs a few times. He would definitely hurt in the morning.

He stood after they left; he didn
’
t want to get up too soon and risk another beating. He knew these men were vicious and meant busin
ess. He felt helpless, but
he wanted to help Crimson. What would he do? Walk back in waving a pistol?