Two Mercs: Part Four

The lobby of Hamlet Tower Conferences was a lot simpler than the last one Dave had been in, lacking the veneer of poshness that defined the up-city and instead going for wood panelling, a relic of an older era. As was usual when they ventured beyond the low-city Dave let Emily take the lead, acting as her muscle. It still irked him a little, as he was older and more experienced, but she had been born high in the up-city, a member of the ruling elite and possessor of all that came with it. The female receptionist's face hardened slightly when she saw them approaching, taking in their rough appearance, and she moved a hand to hover over what Dave and Emily assumed was the panic button.
"What do you... people... want?"
"We're here for a meeting." Ignoring the receptionist's condescending sneer Emily pulled out a scrap of paper. "Room E-16 at 11am."
Tapping away at her computer the receptionist paused for a moment, glancing at them both, before lifting a finger to tell them to wait and closed her eyes. It was only a second before she opened them again, pointing towards a bank of elevators on one wall.
"Someone will be waiting for you at E-16."

The ride up to the fifth floor and walk to the meeting room took only a few minutes but it still gave Dave and Emily time to make final preparations. Turning as they made their way along the corridor Dave gestured at the small bump he knew was at the base of Emily's neck, only really visible when she did more with her hair than let it drape straight against her back.
"I imagine that this place is buzzing with mind-comm."
"It's like really quiet whispering, like you don't know if it's there or not."
"Can you understand any of it?"
"If I try, and it isn't encrypted. Why?"
Dave slowed as they neared the conference room, glancing back towards the elevator.
"I want to know when Mr Shadow turns up. That receptionist will probably tell someone."

Reaching Room E-16 Dave and Emily were shown into the chamber by an usher. The room, as might be expected, was dominated by a long table of plastic made to resemble marble and Dave ran a finger over the material, ignoring the tut of disapproval from the usher.
"Our facilities are meticulously cleaned sir."
Dave glanced at the usher and grinned.
"I'm sure they are. I was just admiring the workmanship of mass production."
"Could we have some privacy please?" The usher turned away from Dave and began withdrawing after Emily had spoken and she crossed to Dave's side when the usher left the room. "Mr Shadow has just arrived."
She went to close her eyes, gaze flicking wildly around the room, and Dave helped her to a chair as she put a hand to her left temple.
"What is it?"
"He's... shouting at me, inside my head." Reaching up towards her implant Emily pressed the bump and sighed in relief as it was deactivated. "He has top-end implants and fantastic control over them."

---

The usher led the man known only as Mr Shadow into the conference room before withdrawing again, skirting around the slender woman accompanying Mr Shadow as he left. Both Dave and Emily had risen when the usher had opened the door and they awkwardly hovered, unsure if they should return to being seated or if they should wait for Mr Shadow to sit before they did. Part of the uncertainty was down to the sheer presence Mr Shadow exuded, something Emily would later describe as being a trait common among the high-born, and the rest was due to Mr Shadow's companion. She was either another high-born or else had had extensive body-shaping surgery, her striking beauty almost unsettling, and prowled around the table like a cat as Mr Shadow took the seat at the head of the table for his own.
"Please, both of you, be seated. And ignore Lotara." Dave sat as Lotara approached him, keeping an eye on the ferine woman, and Emily just shook her head, recognising how Mr Shadow had seized control of the meeting. "So, you have done outstanding work for me. I have more tasks for you."
Emily leant away from Lotara when the woman went to sniff her and dropped a hand to rest it on the hilt of a combat knife holstered at the base of her back until Lotara moved on.
"Such as?"
"The Sentinel Aegis corporation is on the edge of collapse, after their best-kept secret was stolen and their CEO, the late Mr Kerwynn, was found dead in a compromising location. Now it is time to finish it off..."
"Why?"
An ugly expression flashed across Mr Shadow's face when Dave interrupted him and Lotara hissed in sympathetic irritation.
"You don't need to know why. What you need is my money. For lighting if I read your companion's memories correctly. Although I also understand you wish to end our relationship."
Emily's eyes widened in realisation and Dave glanced at first her and then Mr Shadow, slowly putting the pieces together in his head.
"You can read minds? Find out what people are thinking."
"Only memories and only then if we can hack into the memory storage. It is considered to be very impolite though, certainly something you wouldn't expect to see in a partnership."
A smug grin worked its way onto Mr Shadow's face and he leant forward, placing his hands on the table and pushing himself from the chair.
"But we are not partners girl. You work for me. You will still be working for me after this." Mr Shadow paused and glanced at the door, smiling when the usher appeared. "I think it would be best for all of us if there was a short break."

Dave spent the last few minutes of the fifteen minute recess calming Emily after she'd finally vented to him about the violation of her privacy. They'd been together for several years, ever since a teenaged Emily had ended up in the low-city, and he felt protective of her in a way both fatherly and romantically. Mr Shadow was already in his seat when they re-entered the conference room, Lotara draped over one shoulder, and he gestured for them to sit.
"As I was saying earlier, before your outbursts, now is the time to finish off Sentinel Aegis. I'm going to forward a data packet to your message hub with the detailed information but what you need to know now is that I need you to deal with a factory in the Watford area."