Project - Prometheus Ch. 35

"So, when do we start?"

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Taal'ani was meandering through the streets of Tanith's Gully, trying to find out all she could about this gang that called themselves the Smashers. So far, they'd had zero luck in finding anyone who was willing to talk to them. The Fel'caan woman couldn't blame them, as they were offworlders and generally not to be trusted. While the people of the town were grateful for their aid, that wasn't enough to earn their trust just yet.

Though, with the presence of Willem, they had found out a few things of note. Such as where the dealers liked to loiter about to sell the Neurocaine they possessed. The area was a rougher side of town, but it was the sort of place that Taal'ani could handle. Especially since the Sentries were there with the small crew of four. While folks were reluctant to speak with them, no one accosted them either.

Dealing with this was just as frustrating as her search of the vid files Daved had. While the video had been illuminating in many ways, Taal'ani couldn't break down who it was that was posing as Inari. If the file Daved had been the original, she would have been able to piece together who it was. As it stood, Taal'ani didn't have much to go on with discovering the identity of the one who betrayed the town.

While she wasn't able to determine who was masquerading as Inari, Taal'ani did figure out what they were. From what she'd pieced together of the figure who was playing as Inari in the video, it was a human male. The way the man was standing was a dead giveaway, as his posture and the way he carried himself was indicative of how a man stood.

He was also fairly lean as well, given by how much was done to make him fill out to look like Inari on the vid. She'd found the markers that showed her it was a three-dimensional fabrication of her friend. Taal'ani had also found the physics of how the figure moved to be wrong on several levels. The cat-girl was surprised that the people here on Prodosia were so easily duped.

Snapping back to her current surroundings, Taal'ani took in the state of the town. That was all she needed to see how rustic these people really were. Given the state of things in town during those times, the Fel'caan woman figured the people didn't really care if they had the real culprit or not. All that mattered to them was that they had someone to blame and vilify, so they could feel better about their lives.

Taal'ani went back about the task that Daved had set for her and her friends. So far, they'd been making little headway with finding the dealers, but addicts were plenty in this section of town. Some of them eyed the group with suspicion, while others looked at them with straight hostility. No one acted on it though, as a group this heavily armed was not to be trifled with.

"Any luck so far, Willem?" Taal'ani asked as the boy came back from another home where he was questioning people.

"Still nothing. Even with me being the one in the lead and asking questions, no one's talking. Think the Smashers got to them?" the kid wondered.

"Possibly. We still have a fair swath of this area to check out before we can call it a day. Let's keep looking. Hopefully, someone will think talking to us is a good idea," the cat-girl said as they moved onward. They picked up from the cluster of shops where people congregated and moved towards the residential area of the sector.

"Not to spook you or anything, but I think someone is shadowing us," Aesha's voice called out over comms buds the group wore.

"How many?" Willem wondered over the comms.

"Five, maybe six, I can't tell. We need to figure out a solution to get out of here, or we're going to be in a world of trouble, and soon," Aesha worried.

"Don't fret too much. I have an idea," Taal'ani stated, as she brought up a basic hologram of the town before deciding on a route.

"Sheriff Daved warned us not to be too obvious about this. Us going around with a Deputy, asking questions, hasn't gone unnoticed," Tahral quailed.

"I wouldn't worry too much, babe. Besides, I have a plan. Sentries, initiate Ares protocol, but standby for my mark to execute," Taal'ani subvocalized.

"Putting the Sentries on a war footing? In a town this small, do you really think that's wise?" Aesha questioned.

"Normally, I wouldn't think so, but the folk in the streets seem to get the message that something's about to go down," Taal'ani said, subtly gesturing to what was happening around them.

One by one, people were clearing the streets and heading back into their homes. The cat-girl had seen this behavior before, and it often preceded a firefight, which led to blood being spilled. While she was loath to get into a shootout with a bunch of lowlife gangers, it was clear that they weren't giving them much choice in the matter.

With the people clearing the streets, it was making collateral damage a non-existent possibility. As the citizens and residents of the town headed for their homes, gangers started to show up in larger numbers. Where at first there was less than a handful, now there were thirty of them on the street. Whatever the case or reason, these gangers were intent on stacking the odds in their favor.

There were a few standing close to homes or alleyways, while others stood nearby disused crates or dumpsters. While this group was likely the gangers they were looking for, they weren't fools. Picking spots where it was easy to jump into cover was smart. Made their odds of survival much higher, while Taal'ani and her group were still out in the open. Her hands hovered near her machine pistols as the gangers closed in.

"You must be a really stupid bunch of offworlders! Going around my town, asking questions about my boys, thinking no one would notice? That's really fucking dumb!" one of the men stated as he strode out front arrogantly. The man's friends had their weapons in hand, but nothing was pointed at the crew yet. That would change soon, if things started to go sideways.

"Why am I not surprised that it's you leading these guys, Markos?" Willem scoffed, eyeing the man with disdain.

"It's a hell of a lot better than clinging to mommy's apron strings and working the archive room under your pussyfooting uncle!" Markos taunted.

"Seriously? That's best you got... Markie boy? You really need to come up with some better comebacks, because this shit is getting old," Willem fired back. A brief flash of anger crossed Markos' features, as he clearly didn't like the nickname he was called.

"At least I didn't have to live with the fact that my daddy ran off like a deadbeat, like your dad did," Markos laughed. Now it was Willem's turn to be angry, as this was a sore spot for the boy.

"Really? Stooping that low to push someone's buttons? How is it these guys follow a little dipshit like you? Seriously boys, you could do much better than following this asshole. Probably get paid better too," Willem said to the gangers. While they didn't budge, Taal'ani could see that more than one of them was considering what Willem was telling them.

"These boys follow me because I get them paid and laid! What more do they want?" Markos scoffed. "Thinking to turn my own boys against me like that ain't going to work. Nobody takes down the Smashers, least of all some upjumped, rich, dogooder offworlders!"

"Moloch and his Blood Drinkers thought much the same way. Now he, along with more than half his gang are answering for their crimes before whatever gods they believed in," Taal'ani shot back.

"The slaughter on Seerahn? That was you?" one of the gangers questioned, looking at the group with a sense of wonder.

"Oh, so you've heard of us?" Tahral questioned, feeling a little bolder.

"Bullshit! This ain't the same group!" Markos scoffed.

"Oh, I'm sure the Blood Drinkers would beg to differ. Especially those who have died on these," Taal'ani laughed as her claws came out of her fingertips. She then licked them with her tongue that was both enticing and dangerous, like she was licking blood off them.

"Boss, you know... this might be more than we can handle," one of the other gangers said uneasily.

"She's fucking lying to you guys! You really think people that badass would stop by here, on a backwater like Prodosia?" Markos argued.

"If it's proof you want, here you go," Taal'ani told them, as she brought up a vid file and enlarged it for them all to see.

The file was bodycam footage, which she'd pulled from the crew's time on the station. It displayed the firefight the crew had gotten into and showed them using their weapons and abilities on the Blood Drinkers. Front and center on several shots was Taal'ani, using her agility to flip and dance around bullets. The most terrifying thing they saw was Taal'ani using her claws to tear into the now dead gangers, ripping them to shreds.

"Still feeling brave now? Or do some of you still think it's worth risking your lives to put us down?" Aesha taunted the men and women surrounding them. Watching this footage was more than enough to cow some of the gangers. Seeing Taal'ani literally tear other people's throats out with her claws made them shudder in fear.

"The full crew ain't here! We can still take these fuckers! Watch, you sorry sacks of shit!" Markos bellowed as he brought his pistol to bear. He pointed it at Aesha, thinking to make an example of her. A shot rang out, and the pistol went flying from Markos' grip, smoking as it was rendered useless. The crew looked around for who made the shot, and Willem stood there, with his sidearm drawn and pointed at Markos.

"You shot that... out of his hand?" Aesha asked the boy, looking down at him. The Deputy looked back up at the warrior woman and shrugged.

"He was pointing a weapon at you, and I had to disarm him. Not going to let anyone here die on my watch, if it can be helped," Willem responded. Aesha looked down at the boy and smiled, her opinion of him going up a few notches. She would have said something, but was rudely interrupted by Markos.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that, you little shit!" Markos cried out as he drew a pair of wicked looking knives.

"Talon, permit me," Aesha smirked as she stepped forward.

"He's all yours."

Aesha watched the young man come at her, making cutting motions with his knives as he charged. She stared at the arrogant snot as he closed the distance and moved both hands simultaneously to cut her throat. Aesha dropped to her knee and struck him hard in the solar plexus, stunning the man for a moment.

Before he had a chance to recover, she hit him with an uppercut, dazing the boy. Aesha then followed up with a jab to his throat, a kick to his knee, which brought him down. He only had enough time to move his head to stare up at her, before her fist came screaming down onto his face. The blow was powerful enough to drop Markos onto his face and he groaned and wheezed, trying to catch his breath.

"Anyone else feel like pressing their luck?" Taal'ani questioned and many of the gangers shook their heads, seeing that this group was the real deal.

"You got lucky, you little bitch! When I come back here, I'm going to bring my best boys to be sure that they will fuck you up! And not just you, but..." Markos wheezed, as he tried to pick himself up off the ground.

He stumbled for a moment, but Willem didn't give him the chance to get up. The Deputy rushed over and haymakered the gang leader, knocking him out. The crew of the Darkstrider looked at the Deputy with a newfound level of respect. Especially Aesha, seeing as how Willem didn't let anything happen to her, or let her endure Markos' insults. Seeing everyone's looks, Willem just shrugged again and said his piece.

"Someone had to shut him up. I'm just glad it was me."

"Well, now that Mr. Loudmouth has been silenced, any of you boys here feel like talking about what your gang has been up to?" Taal'ani queried.

"Like what?" called out one ganger.

"Dealing Neurocaine to kids!" Deputy Willem stated, before doing a similar thing that Taal'ani did, showing them what was happening. "Raylene, only eleven years old. In recovery from a Neurocaine OD. Donnis, fourteen years old. Dead from a Neurocaine OD. Sasha, twelve years old, now little more than a vegetable. Again, from a Neurocaine OD. Is this what you guys want to be known for?"

The vids and stills he was showing the gangers did more to affect them than the words any of them spoke. Some looked like they were ashamed of themselves, whilst others appeared indifferent. A small cluster of them were chatting amongst themselves before they walked forward to the crew.

"What do you want to know about the dealers?" the leader among them asked.

"Tash, you're turning into a fucking traitor?!?" one of the other gangers called out.

"You assholes selling this shit to kids are the real fucking traitors! Traitors to the people of Tanith's Gully and Prodosia! Selling to adults looking for a high is one thing, but selling to fucking children?!? I didn't sign up for that shit!" the woman called Natasha retorted.

"Then die, you traitorous cunt!" the other ganger said as he raised his weapon.

"Sentries, activate Ares protocol! Kill all hostiles outside a five meter radius!" Taal'ani barked.

In seconds, the entire street was ablaze in gunfire, as weapons were raised, and people died. The entire firefight lasted maybe thirty seconds, as the moment the Sentries entered the fray, they quickly became the main target of the gangers loyal to Markos. While the gangers had a decent amount of firepower, it wasn't enough to stop, or even slow down the Sentries.

Some tried to make the crew and the traitor gang members their main targets, but most had gotten behind cover and were returning fire. The one who was in the best position was Willem, who had deployed a portable cover barricade he took from the sheriff station. Aesha was behind it with him, breaking cover only to shoot at gangers who revealed their positions.

The moment the shooting stopped, the crew stepped out of what cover they were hiding behind and into the street. Every gang member that was still alive stepped out with them, taking care to watch their steps. The group surveyed the carnage around them and sighed in disgust.

"This was not how I thought I'd be spending my day when I woke up this morning," Willem stated.

"No one thinks they'll ever be a part of a firefight, or involved in killing people, until it happens. The only exception is when you're a soldier who's been sent to war," Taal'ani growled. Of the thirty gangers who accosted them, only nine remained alive. Ten, if you counted Markos, who was still knocked out.

"I had misgivings about staying with the gang, once Markos told us about dealing Neurocaine here. I figured we'd be dealing to adults only, who knew the stakes and what they were getting into. Not to kids," Natasha shuddered, shaking her head.

"Have some of your own?" Taal'ani asked, seeing the woman's concern.

"Not yet. But I do have a baby brother who could have easily been a target," Natasha stated. "Thanks for taking these bastards down! What can we do to help?"

"You can start by giving us the names of your dealers, and your supplier," Willem told the woman.

"The dealer names I can give you, no sweat, but two of them are useless," Natasha told the group.

"Oh? What is that?" Taal'ani asked with a dangerous edge to her voice.

"That's because they're over there, bleeding into the ground like the dead meat they are," the new gang leader told them.

"Ah! Still, their addresses would be helpful. They might have some things lying around that could help us out. Plus, we don't want anyone to raid their places and take what Neurocaine they might still have. That shit can kill with one dose," Taal'ani iterated.

"That's fair," Natasha replied, and she gave them the addresses of the dead dealers, along with the living ones. "I will warn you that the last two will have some muscle backing them up. A few members of the Smashers, along with a couple of Deputies."

"What?!? That's impossible! The Deputies are loyal to the town of Tanith's Gully! Not to some gang!" Willem growled.

"I wouldn't say so if I was lying, boyo. I will say though, that these bastards are the last of the Deputies that served under Old Fred. They are the crassest bunch of pigs I've ever seen. Greedy fuckers too, who would sell off their own mothers if it meant making a good amount of coin," Natasha told him.

"Kid, this sort of thing happens all the time out there in the galaxy. You think the law is on your side, when the fact of the matter is, a lot of them are little better than mercs. There are good lawmen and lawwomen out there, and they do all they can to make a difference. Just like you are," Taal'ani told him. Hearing this did assuage Willem's anger some, and he kept his cool, remembering that he was supposed to be better than this.

"The names of the Deputies?" Willem demanded, and Natasha gave them.

One name didn't surprise Willem in the least, but the other two were a complete surprise. Hearing their names spoken just angered the boy and he could feel his rage coming to a boil, wanting to be let out. He reined it in though, as he didn't want to do anything that might compromise this investigation.

"So, Daved's paranoia was founded then. I suppose he does have some good instincts," Taal'ani stated. "What about the supplier? If we're going to end Neurocaine dealing here, we need the name."

"Sadly, that is one piece of information that none of us here have," Natasha told the group. "Markos kept that info to himself, one of the few things that he kept close to the vest."

"There might be someone else who knows," another ganger replied, catching everyone's attention.

"Well? Spit it out already!" Natasha demanded.

"Krug. While he's one of our dealers, he's a right nosy shit at times. Has to know everything about what's going on. I remember him telling me once how he went to the supplier directly to get some more product to deal. He was selling so much that he ran out and needed more. The dude was dead drunk though, so I don't know how reliable the info is," the ganger stated.

"Hmm. Well, I do know that the drunker you are, the more likely it is you're going to talk too much. Often about things that you should be keeping secret," Taal'ani replied. "It might be worth paying this guy a visit straight away, before word of what happened here spreads."

"That's probably a good idea. Some folk are getting brave enough to peek through their windows," Natasha responded. The group had a look about and saw that indeed, some of the town's citizens were having a look see, to see if it was safe to come out yet.

"Well, we better get going then, if we're going to catch the guy before he hears about this and decides to disappear," Willem stated.

"What about us? Can we just... go?" Natasha asked and the gangers surrounding her looked hopeful.

"For your part in helping us out, yes. But before you go, you will give us the location of your gang's hideout. Once you leave here, you're on your own, but if you lot decide to continue pursuing gang life, then I'll have no choice but to bring my entire crew into this matter. Savvy?" Taal'ani asked, making the weight of her threat known by unsheathing her claws once again.

"Savvy," Natasha replied and gave the crew the hideout location, which was in an abandoned power relay station. Without any further prompting, the gangers dispersed, heading in different directions. Taal'ani smirked at their haste, as they knew the Fel'caan woman was dead serious with her threat.

"Was it really a good idea to just let them go like that?" Tahral questioned, looking a bit leery at the idea.

"We didn't really have the means to detain them, as I'm sure Willem here only has one pair of cuffs on hand. Besides, the fact that we tore apart a good chunk of their gang like wet toilet paper has them scared. When you're scared like that, you take any chance or offer at survival," Taal'ani told him.