MM - Chapter 262 - WHY WE CARE

Seeing him awake, Mel smiled brightly before ducking out of sight. She came back a moment later, pushing Raine’s medical hoverchair in front of her. “Morty left this in the hallway. Did you two get in a fight?”

“No?” Raine tilted his head, not remembering anything he would call a fight with the AI. “He was a little dodgy the last time we talked. Who knows. When it involves Morty, anything is possible.”

The door closed behind Mel as she crossed the room to sit at the edge of what was supposed to be her bed. “He is a little odd for an AIA. Where did you find him?”

Raine sat up, only cringing slightly as his muscles pulled painfully. “Don’t tell anyone, but he’s not an assistant, he’s a full-blown primus.”

Mel’s head whipped in his direction, her smile slipping. “Are you serious? Aren’t… aren’t those dangerous?” She whispered harshly, glancing over both shoulders as if she would be able to spot any listening devices Morty might have left behind.

“Sure they are,” Raine admitted, “if you let them get out of hand. Morty’s only about as dangerous as a toddler with a rocket launcher.” Mel’s jaw dropped, then her lips twisted in consternation as he continued, “He’s equally likely to blow himself up as you, and so long as you don’t give him the rocket launcher, he’s practically as adorable and snuggly as they come.”

She snorted cutely. “I wonder how many of our guilders would have a heart attack if they heard you say that. He’s built quite the reputation for himself since they moved in. Speaking of the guilders.”

Here comes the question. So, it’s not something for her, but the whole guild? Interesting.

He smiled softly, remaining quiet as he waited patiently for Mel to put the words together. “With the Coalition moved in, would it be possible to lift the lockdown? People are begging to be let out. Most of them didn’t have a chance to buy basic necessities after moving in, and everyone with family is dying to know if they’re okay. There was a rumor going around that CronGate was kidnapping families.”

Raine frowned, weighing the pros and cons of opening the building. While the most dangerous members of CronGate were locked up, many of them were not, and some were being held inside Belehorn. There was ample motivation for a rescue attempt, which could get bloody fast, especially with children in the building. His people were stronger now, some even capable of defending themselves against anyone short of an expert.

No… the real reason I’m hesitating is that I’m still injured. If something goes wrong, I won’t be able to help. But the Coalition is here. Then again, relying on them for protection will definitely bite us in the ass later. 

Raine locked eyes with Mel, his expression serious. “I didn't want to open the tower until I recovered enough to protect it, but that is pretty selfish of me.”

“Shellfish…” She mumbled in an odd accent, then her hands clamped over her lips when she realized her intrusive thought made it beyond the confines of her brain. Unable to help herself, she fully committed. “Showwy… I has a big mouse.”

Tension thoroughly shattered, Raine snorted in amusement. “Your mouth is lovely, and you’re entirely too adorable for my health. Cut it out before I hurt myself laughing!”

She giggled at his playfully harsh tone. [You can yell at me for real if you want… and maybe a few spankings while you're at it.]

Knowing her look well, Raine got back to business before he landed himself in real trouble. “Back to what I was saying: we’ll compromise. The upper levels will have triple security. Every door in and out is to remain guarded and locked. We’ll restrict the elevators to the top twenty floors, where the kids and family will be moved. Leak a few rumors that the spies are being kept in the basement. That should keep any trouble from hitting us where it will hurt most. Once that’s done, we’ll lift the lockdown on the main floor only, giving people who want it a chance to get out and breathe some fresh air.”

“Thank you! They’ll be so happy!” Mel moved to hug him, then thought better of it with the army of bruises covering his skin.

Once more ignoring the discomfort, Raine opened his arms wide. “Get in here, just be gentle.”

Grinning like a kid getting away with a prank, Mel complied. She snuggled right up to him, a bone-deep sigh escaping at the comforting embrace. “My goodness, this is wonderful. Wish we could do this all day!” She breathed deeply, savoring his unwashed scent. “Ugh… that is doing something for me. Double my goodness.”

Raine groaned, locking his abs tight to keep from chuckling. His bout of humor didn’t last long. The feel of her body pressed tight was doing something for him as well. He seriously reconsidered burning through those vital nutrients after all. “I think you’re onto something there. Any plans to move back into your own room and keep me company?”

“Alas, it is not meant to be. We are destined to part!” Mel’s voice turned overly dramatic as she covered her face with the back of a hand. She held the pose for a second, then snuck a peek through a convenient gap in her fingers. Seeing him looking with wry amusement, she dropped the act and straightened. “Pammy wants my help at the lab. Something about prepping for the next shipment.”

“Oh. Well, that’s pretty important.” Raine didn’t miss the undercurrents; until it wouldn’t make Pamalaiha lonely, Mel would be staying with her, not him. Disappointing to be sure, but also for the best. Having any of the girls in the same room with him was bound to lead to numerous ‘distractions’ that he didn’t have the time for. Already, his attention was being pulled in a dozen directions. Until he sorted out the most pressing concerns, romance would have to wait.

Hearing the direction of his thoughts and knowing she needed to leave soon, Mel relayed a message from Morty that she’d promised to deliver. “By the way, your cantankerous counterpart wanted me to tell you that the psychiatrists you need to interview are waiting outside. Need help getting into your chair?” 

“Slave drivers, the lot of you!” Raine swore to the heavens, then turned serious as he shook his head. “Nope, I’ll be fine. You run along now and keep our doctor out of trouble. Don’t let her spend all day in the lab. The two of you will need every possible second to adjust to your attributes before the raid.”

“Raid?” Mel’s eyes shone with excitement. She licked her lips, pupils dilating and breath hitching just from hearing the word.

“Yup. Soon as the cohorts are off to class up, we’ll get started.”

“Where is it? More demons? How can I help prepare?” She leaned closer with each word, eagerness palpable in the soft killing intent unconsciously leaking from her skin.

“Shouldn’t be any demons, and all you need to focus on is getting a grip of your attributes. The crafters are putting together everything we’ll need.” Ready to get a move on with what needed doing, and not liking the idea of Mel seeing him struggle, he kissed her softly, then shooed her toward the door. “Glad you're excited, now get going before Pamalaiha does… well, whatever ninjas do to little ladies who misbehave.”

“Oh, she already told me exactly what she’s going to do to me for being late. Why do you think I’m still here talking to you?” Mel’s grin turned diabolical, and she let out a throaty giggle that was about as far from feminine as it was possible to get.

Raine did laugh this time, and immediately regretted it. His choked moan and the angry scowl that came after it were enough to scare the girl off. She fled, continuing her evil giggle until she was out of sight. Already missing her insatiable energy and general weirdness, Raine pulled himself out of bed.

While shuffling to the bathroom, he thought in the particular way that triggered his watch's interface. Even knowing Mel's rumors about the kidnapped family members didn't apply to his own kin, Raine couldn't ignore the itch and called Richtor. His brother took longer to answer than usual. The reason became apparent the second his sweat-coated face appeared in the corner of Raine's vision.

He was heaving for breath, though he wore an exhilarated expression. “What's chargin, big bro?”

Instead of answering, Raine nodded in approval. “I see you're making use of the break to practice. Good. Mom's relying on you, even if she would never admit that.”

Richtor scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “It's not like that. Milson wanted to try out this move he saw one of the regulars use, and we all sorta got into it.”

Raine’s smile broadened, knowing exactly how the martial path had a tendency to pull one forward of its own volition, once the first steps had been taken. Even more exciting was the anticipation of Richtor and his friends discovering how far they had already come. At the moment, their sparring was almost exclusively done in seclusion, making it impossible for them to tell how much they had grown since they were each growing in lockstep.

“Don’t care why. Just glad Mom's safe with you. Make sure to finish your little spar with Resplendence. Try to move Discipline through your muscles like I showed you. Even if you can’t use internal force yet, it's close enough to the real thing to get your brain working in the right direction.”

“Internal force… Right, will do.” Richtor’s awkward pause made it clear he didn’t believe, or understand. He eyed Raine like they were strangers and hadn’t grown up together. “Man, you've changed so much, it's scary sometimes.”

Raine pursed his lips as far as they would go, then slowly drew a finger along the line of his jaw. “Thanks for the compliment. You're looking pretty good yourself, little bro.”

“Har har. Not what I meant.” Richtor huffed in annoyance. “Whatever. So, when can we come back to Belehorn? I'm dying to try out the new gym, and Del forgot to pack a few… uh, important things.”

“Maybe this time next week.” Raine guessed. “Put a list of whatever you need together and send it to Morty. He shouldn't have any issue getting a covert shipment headed your way. Glad you took my warning to maintain a low profile.”

Richtor saluted, only half joking. “Just following orders.”

They locked eyes long enough for a sense of mutual appreciation to pass between them. Raine nodded, his look carrying a depth of emotion. “Stay sharp. I’m not going to be happy if the next time I see you is at a funeral.”

Richtor’s chin lifted, adopting a familiar shade of arrogance. “Didn’t know you were in the habit of throwing events for our enemies.”

Raine held in the chuckle, barely. “Stop trying to charm my pants off or Del’s going to get jealous. Gotta go. Talk soon. Oh, and let the group know: Next raid’s right after we finish in The Divide.” His little brother’s eyes, wide as they could go and a desperate question on the tip of his tongue, was the last thing Raine saw before ending the call. 

Imagining Richtor’s frustration was pure bliss as he cleaned and dressed for the coming interviews. Looking less like a vagrant, he messaged Celeste. “Interested in spending some quality time with your boyfriend? I’ve got to interview a few PhDs. If it gets too boring, we could put frogs in their hair or something.”

“Sorry. Father beat you to it. I’ll be with him until we’re back inside.”

“Lucky old cat. Tell him I’ll win the next round.” Raine joked. Internally, he was annoyed at himself for not asking her sooner.

Well, being the first and last to log sets a good example, but there wasn’t anything stopping me from messaging her before I left. Still not used to having people in my life that I actually want to spend time with. Would have rather jabbed my eyes out than invite Vaneese anywhere the last few years.

Celeste responded with a laughing Vemoji, “I will absolutely not tell him that. You have no idea how insanely competitive he gets! Good luck with your interviews!”

“Thanks. Enjoy spending time with your old man.”

Looks like I can’t afford to ignore Grandmaster Malakar after all. If I don’t work out a deal to save Celeste’s father, she’ll be heartbroken. The girl I know might die inside, taking a huge step closer to the Crimson Nebula of the past.

When Morty still didn’t meet him by the time he reached the elevators, Raine gave up, messaging the AI. “What’s the deal, Morts? If you’re not getting enough quality time, all you have to do is say so. We can go back to living in that tiny old apartment. We’ll be together all day, every day, like when we were first met. The inseparable duo, bound by body odor and raw metallic charisma.”

“One moment, Master. I seem to have regurgitated all of the oil in my frame. No. There is no ‘deal.’ Merely an overworked, underappreciated slave and his absentminded overlord who has yet to attach the shiny new legs that were delivered hours ago.”

“Underappreciated?! You’re the highest-paid member of Astra Infernum, and you feel underappreciated? Ridiculous. And yes, I’ll attach your legs soon as I get a moment. How are you needier than all the women in my life put together? Give me some of that oil so I have something to puke up, too!”

“Your command has been committed to my memory banks, Master. If you wake up with a tummy ache, you’ll know why… As for your women, if you feel they are not demanding of your time, then you are neglecting them severely. But don’t take my word for it. I shall relish every moment of observing your relationships spiral into ruin.”

“Huh. Damn. You’re probably - no - definitely onto something there. Thanks for the heads up.” As Raine’s mind spun with thoughts of what he could do for the girls, he rattled off the changes needed to unseal the tower. With his usual efficiency, Morty contacted staff across dozens of departments to get events in order. “Once the lockdown is lifted, let them leave in groups by order of their star status. 4 and 5 stars can go in pairs, 2 and 3 stars in groups of three, everyone else in groups of five. Until we’re not sharing a city with CronGate, nobody travels alone.”

“Understood, Master.”

“Good. Now, tell me about these psychiatrists. Anyone that strikes you as particularly ambitious? I’ve got big plans for these people.”

“Big? Color me curious. What exactly does the new and improved Raine KongRu consider as big plans?”

“We’ll start small. After we take over the continent… Now, that’s when things get interesting.”