Chapter 10:  Debt and Blood.

Author’s Note:
I don’t know why I’m having so much trouble writing this fic lately… I think this chapter took me almost as long as one of the big ones from Celestial Ascendancy.

I’ll probably plan things out a bit more before continuing, see if that helps. Since I only update this once a week, it hopefully won’t be too noticeable, but I’ll keep you guys posted if anything changes.

As for the chapter… well, things are heating up now.

We’ve got a newly powered guy who’s grown, let’s say, desperate. That’s never a good sign. I wanted to show that Nate isn’t in a good psychological place right now. He’s going to start doing whatever it takes to get what he needs, and not everything is going to go his way.

Let's see how it goes.

The Abyss Stares Back

Chapter 10:  Debt and Blood.

Nate Vazquez.

Brockton Bay.

It would’ve been funny how much my life had changed in such a short time… if reality wasn’t so damn depressing.

I shook my head as I waited inside the house for Ordis to finish whatever the hell he was doing. 

I was dressed in civilian clothes, but just knowing I could call Mag whenever I wanted felt nice... really nice. Either way, I didn’t have much to do right now. I couldn’t exactly go around raiding Merchant houses every waking hour. 

I also knew I’d have to go back to school eventually, my last few months and all that. My mom’s situation helped cover for me, not that the school administration gave a shit about why I’d been missing for almost a week.

Ordis beeped twice as he floated into my room like he owned the place. I ignored the dramatics and looked at him expectantly. 

“You done, Ordis?” I asked, equal parts excited and anxious. 

“Indeed, Operator,” he replied in that flat voice of his. “You are now the proud owner of this card. Your current balance is two thousand dollars, with another four thousand available to move if needed, but I advise caution in your spending.”

I grinned, feeling some of that weight in my chest lighten. 

It was kind of ridiculous, this kind of money would’ve taken me a whole damn month of slaving around in the corner store I used to work for, and now I got it in ten, maybe fifteen minutes tops. And I got to beat the crap out of some Merchants too. Honestly, just that part was worth it. The money? Just a sweet bonus.

Who knew being a vigilante paid this well?

“And you’re completely sure I can use it without risk?” I asked, sobering up fast. The last thing I wanted was the government crawling up my ass. 

It was common sense... the IRS were the scariest bastards around. 

“As long as you don’t give them a reason to look, you’ll be fine, Operator,” Ordis replied, his tone making it clear he was mentally rolling his eyes.

Feisty little bastard… It was not like I’d ever done anything like this before. Hell, I didn’t even know if what he did was actually enough. 

“Fine, fine,” I snorted, raising my hands in surrender. “Will you come with me to the hospital?” 

“I’ll return to the Orbiter, Operator,” Ordis bobbed slightly from side to side like he was shaking his head. “I am not suited for emotional scenarios. However, I have hacked your phone, you should find a new app that allows you to contact me anytime. I also need you to return to the Orbiter afterward. There are a few things we need to discuss.”

I chuckled. “Fine, fine… Thanks, Ordis. I appreciate the effort.”

“It’s my duty, Operator.”

Later.

It felt strange to take the bus after moving around with Mag for the last couple of days or to be inside the Orbiter. 

But… nice, in a weird way. 

It was a quiet and calm journey, probably because it was 2:00 p.m., a moment of peace that I knew wasn’t going to last long. 

The air was crisp and chilly, too. That was a plus. Since I was inside the Warframe most of my time in Europa, I didn’t feel the weather that much… but I knew one thing for sure. That was not a place for humans to be. 

The only reason I didn’t die immediately was because the Man in the Wall took me directly to the Orbiter. If he had done anything different, things would’ve ended much worse.

I shook my head and focused outside the bus. 

The Bay rolled past the window. The same cracked sidewalks and the same flickering neon lights of the few stores still open in this part of the city. Dull, dangerous, and some places smelled worse than you’d ever hope… but it was home. My home.

I leaned against the window, letting the cold glass press against my temple. People came and went, climbing on, climbing off. A woman with three kids, one of them had the best lungs in the world with how much he was crying. A guy who couldn’t stop coughing and smelled straight like an ashtray. A girl in a hoodie that looked way too thin for the weather.

No one spoke, not a single word from any of them. There were just the soft whispers of the mother trying to calm her crying child. The girl had earphones, bobbing her head to whatever music she was listening to. But everyone was lost in their own musings, just like I was.

There was just the sound of tires rolling, the occasional rustle of jackets or plastic bags, and the damn motor of this old bus that sounded way too loud for my liking.

I glanced around once more, just to frown. Everyone had an air that made me uncomfortable... especially when I realized it was tiredness. Tired of everything and anything.

Even the ones outside, walking past stores or standing at corners, all had that same look, like they were just surviving. And that alone. There was no hope in them. Not at all.

I didn’t like it… not one bit. No, I didn’t simply dislike it. I hated it. 

The Bay had always been a shithole. But now that I could try to do something about it… 

Seeing people like this pissed me off more than I expected.

I turned back to the window, doing my best to ignore my conflicted feelings. 

I’m going to change this place. I don’t care how long it takes.

The bus rumbled to a stop. The short hiss of the brakes shook me out of my fugue. I took a deep breath, shoved my hands inside my hoodie, and walked outside. 

“Thanks,” I nodded to the driver, earning only silence. 

Rude.

I watched in trepidation as the hospital doors loomed larger than they had before. I’d been avoiding thinking too much about Mom because every time I did, I just got more and more pissed off, and I knew I was going to do something stupid if I let it keep building. 

I always had a temper. I could admit that… but this riled me up like nothing else ever had.

“Hey, kid,” Cindy smiled softly from behind the counter. "I didn’t expect to see you this soon.” 

“Hey, Cindy,” I tried my best to smile, “I wanted to make sure I knew everything about what I needed to do to avoid complications later on.”

She grimaced at that, which didn’t fill me with confidence.

Cindy sighed, “Follow me, then. I’ll do my best to explain everything to you.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” I smiled wryly, following her to a secluded room, frowning as I caught how downcast she looked. 

“How bad is it?” I asked, trepidation creeping into my voice. 

“Not good, Nate,” Cindy shook her head sadly, “Your mom’s health hasn’t improved, but it hasn’t worsened either. I’m afraid that’s where the good news ends.” 

“Give it to me, Cindy,” I sighed, “Just tell me the truth.” 

“The doctors don’t know for sure how long they’ll need to keep her in a coma… and I know your financial situation isn’t great,” Cindy began softly, gently grabbing my hand, “Since she was fired from here, her insurance stopped… that means the hospital will charge you an absurd amount of money for her treatment,” she scowled.

My stomach dropped.

“How much are we talking about, Cindy?” I whispered. I’d been hoping she had at least some coverage. I’d heard horror stories about the American healthcare system, but I’d never had to deal with it personally... until now.

Cindy clenched her teeth, “It could be as high as a hundred and fifty thousand dollars if she stays in a coma for two more weeks.”

That… that was a lot more than even my worst estimates. I had to admit I was way out of my depth in this… but a hundred and fifty thousand? That was absurd.

Cindy was quiet for a long moment. Her hand stayed on mine, warm and steady, even as I tried not to look her in the eyes.

Then, she took a breath. It's one of those heavy ones people take before saying something that will hurt, “Nate… can I be honest with you?”

I nodded stiffly.

She looked at me, really looked at me, and her expression softened—just a bit. But her voice didn’t waver.

“Your mother… the woman I knew, the one I worked with for years, the one I loved like a sister, she wouldn’t want this.”

My throat tightened.

“She loved you more than anything. And you, running yourself ragged, getting into God knows what kind of trouble to pay for this, like this? Nate, it would break her.”

I slowly pulled my hand back, staring at the scratched floor tiles.

It felt like something in my chest caved in a little.

I didn’t say anything. I couldn't.

“I’m not saying give up,” Cindy added quietly. “I know how stubborn you are. Hell, you get that from her. But… I want you to think about what she’d want for you, not just what you want for her.”

I let the silence hang there between us for a moment longer. My jaw clenched, then relaxed, then clenched again.

Finally, I spoke.

“She can shout at me all she wants when she wakes up,” I said hoarsely. “She can call me reckless. Stupid. Whatever she wants.”

I stood up slowly, forcing my shoulders to stop shaking.

“But I’m not giving up. I’ll get the money. I don’t care how.”

Cindy didn’t try to stop me. She just nodded, wiping at her eyes when she thought I wasn’t looking.

I sighed. I understood what Cindy was saying, even if I hated hearing it… but I understood it. It was hard for her to say something like that, but she must have genuinely thought it was for the best.

“Hey,” I said hesitantly, “Can you accompany me to see her?”

She wiped her eyes and nodded slowly, “I’m sorry, Nate. It’s just that… my memory of her would’ve hated her situation so much.”

Sighing, I grabbed her hand. “Hey, none of that. It’s like you said, but Mom doesn’t have a choice in this. She will get better. Not just her health, but her fucking addiction too. If I have to drag her screaming all the way, I will. She can ground me once she’s better.”

Cindy laughed out loud, her chuckles echoing down the empty corridor toward the ICU. “You’re so much like her. And your dad. A perfect mix, really.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I smirked at her. It felt… nice to hear that. 

My dad was my main motivation going forward, and my mother, before everything went to shit, was someone who deserved respect. 

I loved them both. 

I missed them both.

“It is, it is,” she grinned, the downcast look in her eyes momentarily forgotten.

We walked silently for a while, just the two of us moving past the sterile walls and too-clean floors.

Then Cindy unexpectedly broke the silence.

“Hey, kid, I had a question,” she began hesitantly, her eyes glancing around.

Well, that was weird. Cindy wasn't the kind to mince her words, as seen a few minutes ago.

“Shoot,” I nodded, keeping my eyes forward. But I was intrigued.

“You study at Winslow, right? Your last year, if I remember correctly?”

“Yeah. I’ll finally leave that shithole in a couple of months.”

She hesitated again. “Do you know a girl called Taylor Hebert? She's a year behind you, I think,” she asked softly.

The memory came easily. Curly black hair, hunched shoulders, constantly shrinking into herself as she walked through the halls. 

I’d never spoken to her, not once. But I’d seen her enough times. 

I’d seen what they did to her. They didn't hide at all, and that was the worst part.

The way they whispered, cornered her and made her flinch like a scared animal whenever someone got too close to the poor girl.

I hadn’t stopped it. 

Dad would've been disappointed. Hell, I was disappointed.

“Yeah, I saw her a couple of times,” I nodded, glancing at her confusedly, “How do you know her, Cindy?”

She sighed, her voice almost a whisper, “She’s here in the psych ward. They brought her in last week. Said she was found locked inside her locker for hours… something absolutely vile was involved. Damaged her lungs, her skin… and her mind. Badly… The poor girl.”

My fists clenched in my hoodie pocket.

Emma. Sophia. Maybe Madison. 

I didn’t know for sure, but I’d seen them circling her like vultures enough times to guess.

I felt sick.

“Can I do anything?” I asked quietly, though I already knew the answer.

Cindy shook her head. “Doctor-patient confidentiality. I already said too much. But… I don’t know how much the police will investigate it, but keep an eye out. She seems like a nice kid, just like you.”

I nodded slowly, keeping my eyes forward.

“Will she recover?”

“She’ll survive. But mentally… It'll be a long road. She’s barely speaking. Refuses to look people in the eye. I don’t know how long it’ll take for her to be okay again If she ever does.”

That cold, tight feeling returned to my chest. 

Another person was left broken because the world didn’t care enough to stop it.

Because I didn’t. I vowed to keep an eye on the school, not exactly because I cared about the girl… but because someone had to if I wanted to fix the city.

I didn't know if I could do much, but as long as I did my best, that would be enough.

Cindy gently tapped my arm before I could say anything else and gestured to a room ahead. 

We were here.

I paused outside the door. I closed my eyes and took a breath before opening it and entering.

The room was too quiet.

The soft beeping of the heart monitor was the only sign that time was moving forward. That she was still alive.

I stepped inside, and everything else, the hospital, the hallway, Cindy (who left after patting me on the back) just faded behind me.

Mom lay motionless on the bed, her skin pale and waxy under the sterile lights. Tubes snaked out from her mouth and arms, machines humming beside her. It was horrible to think those tubs were the ones that decided if she lived or died if I wasn't fast enough to obtain the healing warframes Ordis suggested.

I walked over slowly, unsure of what to say. 

What could I say?

She looked smaller than I remembered. Thin too. Not the fiery woman who used to argue with my dad over Sunday breakfast or sing to herself while cleaning up the kitchen.

I sat down next to her and reached for her hand. 

It was cold. Not corpse-cold, but close enough that my stomach turned. 

I held it anyway.

“Hey, Mom,” I said quietly, “You’re missing a lot of shit out here.”

A dry laugh nearly escaped my throat. It caught halfway and turned into grimace. 

She didn’t move. Of course, she didn’t.

“I got stronger, you know?” I murmured. “Like… a lot stronger. I met someone who's helping me. I can’t even explain it properly. But for once, I can actually do something.”

I brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

“I know things weren’t great before. I know I was distant. That I didn’t help like I should have. That I let you fall deeper than you should’ve had to. But I’m here now.” 

My voice trembled a little. 

I gripped her hand tighter, “I won’t let them take you from me. Not the debt, not the doctors. Not whatever’s wrong in your head or your body. Not even yourself. If I have to fight through anyone, I promise you that nothing will stop me, Mom.”

The heart monitor beeped steadily. I hated this so much.

“I’ll find a way to fix this,” I whispered. “I don’t care how much it costs. I don’t care what I have to do.”

I leaned forward, resting my forehead gently against her hand. I could feel the hot tears coming out of my eyes, but I didn't care, “I’ll bring you back, Mom. I promise. You’re not done yet. Not until I hear you yell at me for being reckless and tell me to sit my ass down.”

I stood up slowly, my eyes never leaving her face, “You don’t get to leave me too. Not yet.”

And with that, I turned and walked out… I had work to do.

Later.

The world blurred around me by the time I got home.

I didn’t even take my shoes off or bother flipping the lights. I just didn’t care much about it right now.

I walked straight past everything. Straight into the Orbiter like I was marching into war.

And maybe I was.

The air inside the ship felt colder than usual.

Maybe it was just me. I wasn’t exactly in the right state of mind. My heart was hammering inside my chest, and my hands wouldn’t stop twitching as if I was clenching a weapon that wasn't there. My whole body felt jittery like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to shout to the heavens or collapse in silence.

I stood there momentarily, staring at the terminal in front of me. My jaw clenched tight enough to hurt.

“Ordis,” I hissed, my voice shaking from restraint.

The drone appeared within seconds, flickering into view, floating beside me in silence for a bit.

“Yes, Operator?” he answered neutrally at first. But he stopped short as soon as he scanned my expression. 

His voice lowered, “You look… unsettled.”

“No shit,” I muttered, “Listen. I need money. Not the kind we’ve been skimming off back-alley thugs. We’re talking big, buddy.”

I turned to face him fully, my eyes sharp.

“The hospital bill could be over a hundred and fifty grand. That’s not even counting what comes after,” I ran a hand through my hair, gripping the back of my neck, “We need to do more than what we planned before.”

“I understand, Operator.”

There was a brief pause before he continued, “But if you want results, you might have to improve fast… and accept that there might be casualties..”

I looked at him sharply.

“I ran a full tactical scan of the Bay while you were gone,” Ordis continued, the drone projecting a city-wide map midair. "The Merchant territory is irregular, but their stash houses remain active and in great numbers.”

A pulse swept through the projection. Red blinking dots began appearing across the map like infection spots, so numerous that I couldn't help but gulp.

They were so entrenched in the whole city that it was honestly shocking. 

The merchants were the smaller gang in the city if they could even be called one. That was a problem, but not an insurmountable one.

“There are thirty-seven stash houses currently operating under the Merchant control,” he said calmly, “Seventeen of them are regularly restocked, meaning high-value supply. Seven are processing the drugs. Thirteen are safehouses, three places for Squealer to tinker, and the rest are overflow dumps. I’ve marked all of them.”

I stared at the map in shock; the Bay lit up like a Christmas tree.

“The estimated liquid value in those stash houses, if not already laundered or dumped, is approximately between ninety thousand and one-hundred eighty-five thousand dollars, depending on contraband retention rates and emergency evacuations.”

I sucked in a breath. That was… that was it. It was doable. Barely, but doable.

“You’re telling me,” I whispered, my eyes wild as I looked at all the marked locations, “that if I hit enough of these fast and hard… I could have enough for Mom?”

“Yes,” Ordis replied without hesitation, “but timing will be critical. Once they realize someone is targeting their assets with precision, they will panic and retaliate.”

“Good,” I growled, “Let them.”

I paced in front of the map, my hand twitching at my side in excitement.

“This won’t be about saving the city,” I muttered, “Not yet. I will clean it, but the Merchants will be gone by the time I start.”

“I have also adjusted your Warframe interface,” Ordis added, almost gently. “A mod slot has been unlocked. You may choose one of three candidates to install when ready. We will need the power if you’re serious about what comes next.”

“I am,” I said seriously. 

I looked at the map again. This was it. Fuck being hasty, I was going to do this.

“And Ordis,” I added, quieter now but no less intense, “I’m not just doing this just for the money. I want them to be scared. I want them to bleed. I want the whole damn city to know that the Merchants are finished.”

Ordis didn’t speak for a moment, “Yes, Operator. Then let us begin.”

I would probably regret this… but fuck everything. Tonight was for hunting.