Chapter 2

  Equinox… the last bastion of the old world, a small hermit kingdom keeping its head down to avoid extermination. Equinox wasn’t a warm or comfortable place to foreigners. The people were kind and welcoming even Wick remembered the extensive gifts he received during his first month, but the chills of the underground cities had a tendency of gnawing on your bones. It was unlike anything Wick had felt, his home wasn’t ideal or comfortable but atleast on that damned desert planet he could at least sit still and write his reports and not worry about shivering making it illegible. Wick sighed, slumped back in his overstuffed leather chair and groaned.

  “Stupid stupid stupid!” He pulled at his hair as he ran through the day's events, he lost to technicality for not upholding ‘proper sportsmanship.’ Damn sportsmanship he thought it’s a war simulation not a leisurely hike through the gardens.

  His door rattled before three heavy metallic knocks echoed through his study. “L.E Wick we request casual entry.”

  He sighed “fuck fuck fuck. This is bad… please don’t be a suspension.” he sat up, his head ran, part of him wanted to just remain silent and not deal with this problem today, “uh yeah come on in. Only if it’s good news.”

  The door cracked open and light trespassed into his fireplace lit study. The door continued its rude and violent mission, flooding Wick's comfortable study with harsh light.

  “Good evening wick.”

  Wick pushed the ground and his chair swiveled so he could greet his unwanted guest. “Lord!” He abruptly said in surprise the feeling of impending doom grew deeper. “Good to see you this evening.”

  Lord Leios extended his hand in a friendly manner and shook Wick’s hand. “I wanted to congratulate you on your second place tonight.”

  Wick looked stunned. “Thank… you?” There had to be a but he thought

  “You’ve proven yourself fruitful in our blood games. I've assigned you a little mission, a bit more intense than our standard affairs. The Gods are Watching this mission closely, Apollo chose you to lead it.”

  Wick in shock stared and lord Leios “I was second place, Apollo has gotten the wrong person, gods can be wrong too.”

  Lord Leios quietly took a step before wick before bending over to meet his eye level. “I believe he chose the right person. You can choose to deny it and I’ll walk out of this room with this folder.” He opened his briefcase and pulled out a paper file that had a wax seal of the royal guard stamped onto it with Apollo’s neat signature next to it. The file was important and it held an ominous power. “Job is easy, high pressure but easy. We are not looking for textbook, we are looking for something adaptable. You showed it. Apollo is putting his neck out for you Wick, you’re a strong candidate for a lord one day. His words, mine also.”

  Wick looked down at his fleece carpet, he thought. “Can I see the mission before deciding?”

  Lord Leios shook his head causing his metals to ring softly against each other. “It’s a need to know. Not a peruse at your pleasure kind of job.”

  Wick grabbed the file from Leios and placed it on his desk. “I’ll take it.”

  Leios smiled “that’s what I wanted to hear. I’ll run down what I know now and then let you assemble your team.”

  Wick nodded “sounds good.”

  Lord Leios placed his phone on the desk and clicked causing a hologram to pop out.

  “This planet here, Taros. Couple light years out, it’s home to a colourful cast of characters we’d rather have six feet in the ground.”

  Wick examined the planet thick jungles and how they moved to grasslands transitions to deserts, snowy and glacier capped mountain ranges running along the western part of one of its continents it seemed rich in everything needed to be a capitol of a confederate state.

  “Populis is rough as guts, the planet's been independent most of its existence but the confederacy is finally putting an end to it.”

  Wick nodded and grabbed his pen and jot notes on the back of his hand. “Uhhhh huh.”

  “Wick, keep this planet independent, we can’t have the confederates breathing down our neck any more than they already are, this planet make it our friend I’ll assign you some cargo ships under a legitimate civ company keep your teams small and discreet train who you need to train and kill whoever deserves it, but keep it subtly we want to tip the balance of the scales in the favour of the rebels nothing more, and nothing less.”

  Wick nodded “ok ok.”

  “I risked my career getting you here, do not stain me with failure. Apollo and I will personally be overseeing this operation. I will step in if you start making mistakes, prove my faith in you is well placed. And prove to me that you’re capable of this.”

  Wick leaned back, checked his scribbled notes and took a deep breath “no big deal just have to single handedly force the confederacy off a planet. All while making some friends.” Wick tapped his pen on the desk. “Who do I have access to for this operation?”

  Leios smiled “whoever you can convince.”

  “And how do I convince people to join me in what amounts to an impending disaster or possible suicide mission?”

  “Well I just did it to you.”

  It had been a few days since Wick had been tasked with his new mission and the size of the mission was dawning, it felt almost impossible but he also felt like there was something so obvious he just had to be missing but he just couldn’t ever seem to place his finger on what exactly it was. There were a few key things he had considered and already made progress on, his team composition was going along nicely but there was one key thing he was missing… a spy. He sifted through papers he had a few key candidates pinned in the board all too experienced to take on the task or already deployed. If he wanted any of those people he would have to either convince them to drop their current missions or get a lord to assign them. Both highly unlikely. He looked at one, Lilac, he had met with her before for some advertising photo shoots to help him gain support for his blood games team. Lilac was pleasant enough if not a little too eager. He opened her file and began reading. Her personality trusts caught his eye.

  Lilac, personality and traits break down.

  Diagnosed ASD (high functioning.)

  Rapid and accurate pattern recognition.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Rapid memorisation of mission related tasks.

  Elevated libido as results of surgical side effects. (Recommend allotting a private room while deployed.)

  Aversion to clothes due to experimental no scar surgery side effects and also being a self identified nudist.

  Disregards orders from chain of command if she believes she is correct.

  Overview, highly capable in her own specialised field of espionage, can prove difficult to work with under a chain of command recommend tight oversight for consistency,

  Wick laughed. And spoke under his breath. “That’s one hell of a wild card.”

  Lilac got home and her apartment was empty, just a bed and whatever she was currently working on. She placed her phone and bag on her desolate counter. She slipped her high heels off and her body felt relief as her heels finally rested against the hard wooden flooring. She walked over to her fireplace, sat down in front of it and lit a fire starter under the pile of logs. She waited for the fire to take hold of the logs. She shuffled back, unzipping her dress and sliding down her body and over her feet she quickly released bra and threw it across the room with a long sigh of relief. She loosened her aching core muscles causing her to collapse back, falling into her rug with a dampened thud. She finally arched her back up and ripped her underwear off throwing them across the room. Today was long, too long. And it was finally good to have nothing touching her skin anymore.

  “I really need to get some comfortable clothes soon,” she groaned.

  She adjusted her glasses and just finally got to lie, splaying her body over her rug. Her body had finally loosened and her cramps began to fade. Lilac enjoyed this time at home; she was comfortable and relaxed. Everyone at work treated her like dirt, overworked but never trusted to do what she was paid to do. She wasn't a paper pusher. She was a spy and it ate at her, and to make it worse no one looked her in the eyes. Her home was quiet and comforting and unusual for Equinox; it was warm.

  Lilac was about to doze off before her glasses buzzed against her head and a picture of the incoming call appeared. She tapped them twice to answer the call.

  “Hi, Lilac. It's Wick.”

  “Yeah, I know, I have your contacts saved, need more photo shoots? I could really do with an excuse to skip work tomorrow.”

  “No, its better I need a sp-”

  “I'm in.”

  Wick was silent for a long moment. “You don't even know what I'm offering you.”

  “And you don't know how long I've waited to do this, come in, I want the brief.”

  “Ok I'll be there soon.”

  Lilac nodded “no worries you have access permission to my door, just wake me up when you arrive.” she taped her glasses again and the call hung up. She closed her heavy eyelids and drifted off to sleep.

  A few hours passed and Lilac's door opened slowly, Wick stepped inside and closed the door behind him… Lilac was asleep on her rug. He stepped and the floorboards creaked causing lilac to wake.

  Lilac sat up and ran to greet Wick. “You’re finally here!” she stood up and ran to him hugging him tightly

  Wick panicked. “You could’ve put your clothes on!”

  Lilac yawned and stepped back. “You are in my house, I’ll wear what I damn well please.”

  Wick looked around his face turning red as he tried to avoid being awkward. “Please?”

  “No, fuck off I want this job and I’ve been wearing that bullshit for hours if I have anything else on my skin today I will snap damnit!”

  Wick held his hands up “ok ok ok.”

  Like rolled her eyes “Put your hands down, I don't have a gun. I physically cannot hide a gun.”

  Wick sighed. “Fine.” he looked at her

  Lilac sat back down on her rug and patted then spit next to her trying to encourage ick to sit down with her. “Come on, I don't bite damnit show me the job.”

  Wick sat down and put his phone down on the ground and projected a hologram up. “We need you to gather intel on this planet's ruling class, just get them talking, we can’t afford to kill recklessly. The whole operation we have about a year to execute everything.”

  Lilac smiled and clapped. “Yes! I have a job!”

  Wick smiled. “If we fuck it up I’ll probably be in a lot of trouble so please only take it if you think you are genuinely capable of this.”

  Lilac looked down. “Huh, I need to shave.”

  Wick groaned “focus please.”

  “I am focused on my mission. How do you think I get those creeps to talk to me? Not with spreadsheets and logical arguments.”

  Wick sighed “yes I know but please, the stakes are incredibly real, failure would lead to confederates gaining ground towards us.”

  “You know I'm good.” lilac leaned back arching her back in a big stretching motion. “You wanted me in particular, can I give you a gift, y’know a little thank you?”

  Wick paused “sure?”

  Lilac got up, ran over to the corner of her room and grabbed her underwear. “Here!”

  Wick blushed, unsure what to do. “No, I'm not taking this.”

  “Take them or I'm not working.”

  Wick melted inside and he wasn't sure if she wasn't being serious or not. “Thank you?”

  “Get them framed too!”

  Wick placed them in his pocket. “Do I have to?”

  “No but it's what a friend would do.” Lilac laughed.

  Wick pulled his hair. “You are a nightmare.”

  She nodded. “It’s my first job. I want to set some demands.”

  “Well what do you want?”

  Lilac flopped down onto her rug and stared at the ceiling. “How about regular supply to booze, and I want that new pistol RnD is cooking up. Looks cool.”

  “Why the new pistol?”

  Lilac shook her head. “ you really need to start paying more attention, it’s an Integrally suppressed subsonic, small and compact. It's practically a godsend for my career.”

  Wick nodded “makes sense?”

  “What else?”

  Lilac exhaled sharply. “One last thing, I'm bringing this rug and no dress code or standards.”

  “What?” Wick looked at her dumbfounded. “Why?”

  “Because if I come back after a long day of high heels and tight dresses I'm not wearing jack shit.”

  Wick shook his head. “Fair enough I'll ask for permission but you sure-”

  “Absolutely I’m sure god forbid I make someone make a lazy dinner after a long day's work in comfort.”

  “We will have some security in our safe houses just making sure i'm interpreting it correctly.”

  Lilac shrugged “if they stare, fire them, it's a body they need to grow up. If they touch me” she held her hand out to Wick and a sharp blade emerged from the heel of her hand. “I'll slit their throats.”

  “Ok ok sounds good. I've got to do a few more interviews and finalise my team so I'll be in touch soon.”

  Lilac hugged Wick. “Eh you're allowed to touch. You get weird tho and I'll have you eating dirt on the floor.”

  “What the hell no?” Wick crumbled trying to remain calm.

  “Hm good boy. Now I have some personal business to attend to.”

  Wick, stunned, looked at her. “Oh sorry to bother you for so long, what are you up to?”

  “Big day at work, it was stressful so I treated myself,” Wick suddenly felt like he regretted asking, “and got a new vibrator and I've been dying to use it. It’s meant to be super strong.”

  WIck stood and took a step back, eyes wide. “Can you please be subtle about something just once.”

  “Honesty is a virtue. Wick, try it sometime babes.”