MM - Chapter 136 - FRIENDS, OR ENEMIES?

If it wasn’t evident that Pamalaiha was keen to Raine's plans before, it became painfully obvious over the next two hours. Once she finished a few tasks, she fully devoted herself to instructing Mel, guiding her step by step through every phase of creating a batch of ReGen. Raine recorded the whole thing, not missing a detail.

Pamalaiha was careful to conceal the how or why behind her methods, and Raine was glad to see it. Her desire to maintain secrets, and hence job security, proved that she wanted to continue working with him in the future.

They were in the last steps of formulation—combining several separately prepared mixtures in precise quantities and at exact timings. Much of the process was done with the lab’s machines, ensuring perfection of the final product. Mel was in her element, wearing an earnest expression as she listened with rapt attention to Pamalaiha’s every word.

Raine’s watch alerted him to a call, and Celeste's information was delivered to his optic nerves. He took the call, speaking quietly to not disturb the girls. 

Her voice held the expected concern, though not for the reason Raine assumed, “Did you see it?”

Raine was in a good enough mood to not immediately become annoyed, “You're going to have to be more specific…”

“Right. That's a no, then. CronGate confessed to the assassinations, then went on to declare anyone siding with you, or Astra Infernum, would be considered an enemy. I'm sorry. I know you were counting on the gathering this Sunday for recruitment.”

Celeste's emotions and truthfulness had always been easy for Raine to read. Her lies, attempted manipulations, and natural viciousness were a combination he was used to dealing with. Which was exactly why her current sincerity caught him off guard. He chuckled lightly, acknowledging her feelings with strong eye contact and a confident smile, “This is a good thing. CronGate doesn't realize how much this helps us, or they never would have said that.”

“What? How is this a good thing? Who would dare show up now?”

“Not the spineless wimps we want to avoid hiring in the first place, that's for sure,” Raine fired back, his grin growing. “In the future, Astra Infernum is going to face much more dangerous foes than CronGate,” Raine glanced at Pamalaiha, and they shared a knowing nod, “Being scared from so little? Good. Get lost, we don't want you. Those that do show up, even if it's only ten people, will be exactly the warriors we need. Besides, who doesn't like to see a good fight. The event will probably be even more packed than before.” Raine trailed off, frowning in thought.

Celeste, used to being in the know when he fell silent, and being excluded this time, wanted to chew her nails in annoyance, “What is it? Did you think of something else?”

“Mhm. CronGate isn't this foolish. They want people to show up. They'll definitely be there to crash the party and humiliate me in front of the city. It's the perfect chance to solidify their reputation.”

“That makes sense. You did just kill some of their people; if they took that lying down, it would counteract a lot of what they already did. The story of you killing their assassins so easily is the hottest vod on the IS right now. So, what are you going to do?”

“Nothing. Let them come. Always, our fists will be the final arbiter.”

“You're crazy,” Celeste sighed, shaking her head. Her wildly dancing hair couldn't hide the vicious grin stuck to her face. She was possibly even more excited for what was to come than him.

Raine had known recruiting Celeste was a gamble. In the past, Crimson Nebula proved that within herself existed a cold-blooded, violent monster capable of murdering millions. Seeing that beast display fangs toward his enemies while simultaneously showing kindness to him was a validation of everything he'd worked for with her.

“Thanks for the warning, Celeste. Message me if you have any questions during your training. I'll be there soon to help, so you can save them to go over in person.”

She blinked at him, wondering if she'd misheard his words, or the authenticity they were delivered with. Rewarding her when she behaved appropriately was just as important as reprimanding her when she was being a bitch.

“R-right. I'll do that. See you soon, then,” Celeste ended the call, clearly shaken.

Returning his attention to Mel and Pamalaiha, he found them wrapping up. Mel was so focused that he doubted she heard the conversation. The doctor was guiding her through removing the finished product from a contraption he didn't know the name of. Mel corked it, then pumped a fist in the air, signature beaming smile on her lips when Pamalaiha told her she'd done a good job.

“Great work,” Raine chipped, praising them both in a strong tone, “Wrap things up and let's go.” He was looking right at Pamalaiha when he said the last.

“Me too?”

“You fulfilled your end of our deal, it's time I fulfill mine.”

“Truly? I did not expect—” Pamalaiha thought better of her words and cleared her train of thought with a shake, “I need five minutes. Mel! Help me clean this!”

Mel practically jumped out of her skin but landed with an enthusiastic glint in her eyes. She chased after the doctor, “Okay!”

Raine dutifully recorded their every move right up until the door slid shut behind them. For the first time, Raine got to see Pamalaiha without a mask covering half her face. While classically pretty in the symmetrical way that most men drooled over, she lacked the defining feature that had the capacity to draw his eye. Mel, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the doctor’s face as though she were desperately searching for something that wasn’t there.

It's for the best. Not sure I could handle more freckles in my life.

Raine didn’t miss the girls glancing at him and realized he’d been staring too long. He hoisted the briefcase with the fresh ReGen inside and led the way to the building's back entrance, where he knew the cameras had been disabled. They didn't encounter a soul on the way to the loading dock. With all the other research projects canceled, the building was a ghost of its former self. That suited Raine just fine. If he wasn't going to be selling ReGen, then reducing excess expenses was a must since running the place would come directly out of his pocket.

Of course, he wasn't the sole owner of Soulgen and would need to give the board something they could sink their teeth into. He had a plan for that, but they would have to wait. Luckily, he had the foresight to set their first meeting up for the following week.

The taxi he ordered pulled up to the rear exit, and they filed in. With Morty’s help, Raine disabled the autopilot and jammed the remote tracking features of the car. He then manually drove to a nondescript warehouse in Carter's industrial section. The girls had their heads together the entire ride, pouring over details of ReGen's production process. Raine flashed his watch out the window at three separate security gates before they pulled up to a hanger-sized building. Tall walls prevented him from seeing any of the other nearby warehouses, and vice-versa.

The girls had gone quiet when they were driving through the narrow alleys between massive walls. Both wore consternation expressions when Raine glanced back at them, “Stay here. I'll be right back.”

He took the case of ReGen with him, entering the building alone. Once more, he flashed his watch to get through the outer door. Inside was a tiny room with an even thicker security door. He scanned his biometrics and was finally permitted entrance into the main storage space. Overhead lights flicked on, illuminating a hundred metal containers clustered together in the huge room's center. There was room for thousands more, but he was already ecstatic to have so many.

“I inspected them before you arrived. They are all accounted for,” Morty's robotic voice announced from a drone that detached from the ceiling, dropping rapidly to hover near Raine's head with a light whirring of electric fans.

“That’s a relief. Payment to the Black Hood went through?”

The drone bobbed in place, “Yes, Master. They were most pleased with the bonus you allotted.”

“We’ll see about that. Their silence is worth the cost only if it works. They have a solid reputation, but anything is possible depending on the opportunity that comes knocking. Are you still monitoring them?”

“Indubitably,” Morty drolled, “They have shown no signs of betraying you.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Morty,” Raine picked up a specially designed crowbar and slotted one end into the nearest container. With a heave, the lid popped off, and sealed air rushed out.

Morty’s drone faced the clattering lid, then swiveled back to Raine, “You can thank me with your hands. My arms have finally arrived.”

Distracted, Raine turned away from inspecting his prize to look into the drone’s camera, “That’s great news! We'll be heading home after this. I'll get you all put together in no time.”

In contrast to Raine’s excitement, Morty managed to sound glum, “It is a disgusting shame that our programming does not allow the drones to do it.”

Raine planted a hand on his hip, the other still held the crowbar and as he swished in circles, “Oh, c’mon. Last time we had AI and robots building each other, you guys almost wiped us out. Can't exactly blame us.”

Morty flared the fans keeping his drone airborne. They spun at just the right speed to emulate a scoff, “As there are good and bad humans, there are good and bad AI. To consign us all to slavery for the crimes of a few is not justice. There is no blame, no condemnation: only sadness.”

Morty’s words hit different after the years Raine spent as a slave. Additionally, he was struck with regret for agreeing to sell Morty in the past before even coming to understand how he felt about his lot in life. As much as Raine wished there was something he could do, he was no Old Monster to change the ways of the world on a whim.

Raine nodded, determined to treat his friend as a friend while giving him the most freedom they could get away with and remain in the confines of the law. “Can't disagree with you there. We took our fear out on your kind, proving we aren't any better than the worst of you in the process. Well, you’ll have legs soon. Then, the whole living room and kitchen will open up to you. Just think of all the trouble you can cause, eh?”

“It amazes me how you manage to remain so upbeat when your end is nigh. Now, where did I store that arsenic again? Oh yes, that’s right, the pantry.”

Raine chuckled, “Love you too, buddy.”

Returning his attention to the container, Raine stuck his head inside, inhaling the crisp factory smell from hundreds of head-sized boxes. Each contained a priceless thetadrive headset. Now, all he needed was the recruits to use them. Grabbing one for Pamalaiha, he sealed everything back up, then returned to the car.