Black_Paladyn
patreon
Ascension Of The Ashen Fiend: Chapter 2 Above my Paygrade
🕑 Added 2022-08-18 02:01:36 +0000 UTCThe next day Thane was in his room staring at the ceiling in boredom, he didn't have any pending contracts, and he wasn't in the mood for tinkering.
He was about to consider opening up the case of beer in his fridge when a ping came from his PRD. Clicking on it, Thane saw that the contact was unknown, which was standard for his line of work, but his eyes widened a fraction when he saw the message.
'The boss wants to see you in the next hour.'
Cursing, Thane wondered if he had done anything to break their arrangement. His heartbeat slowed when he came up with nothing, but it was still pounding in his chest.
Launching out of his chair, Thane threw on a black t-shirt, a pair of dark blue cargo pants with many pockets, and his favorite jacket hanging up on a hook by the door. Pushing one arm through the sleeve as he stepped outside, Thane started coughing as the unfiltered air assaulted his lungs.
Reaching into his coat pocket, Adrain pulled out a metal mask which he pressed against his mouth. With a hiss, the mask sealed itself to Thane's face covering his lower jaw entirely.
Thane was born with a severe genetic disorder called CAVA or Carbonic anhydrase VA deficiency. Thane's body was incapable of adequately discarding carbon dioxide, which had a variety of afflictions, the main one being his blood was dangerously oxygen-poor.
Because of this, Thane's apartment was filtered, and when he stepped outside, Thane had to wear a breathing apparatus that cleaned the air he breathed in.
Stepping outside, Thane made his way to the elevator, passing by people who crowded the walkway without a care in the world, openly carrying weapons on their persons.
None of them gave Thane any trouble. Some made room for him as he passed. Everyone in the housing complex knew who his backer was and didn't want anything to do with Thane.
Calling the elevator with his PRD, Thane only had to wait a moment before the chain doors opened, allowing Thane to enter the metal box. With a jolt, the elevator, which resembled something used to carry cargo, started to rise.
As it did, Thane was granted a birds-eye view of the entire mega-complex; the whole building was a ring built around a shopping plaza on the ground floor. The complex's population was within the thousands, and all of it fell under the control of Thane's boss.
A few minutes later, the elevator stopped at the very top, with another jolt before the door slid open, allowing Thane to step onto the penthouse floor. Thane could see,e a bodyguard or two equipped with rifles and strapped head to toe in body armor every few feet.
Walking past them, Thane tried not to flinch. He wasn't used to being outside, let alone being around literally paid, killers. After a bit of walking, Thane stopped in front of a pair of grade wooden doors with gilded brass handles. The item was undoubtedly more expensive than anything Thane had ever laid eyes on.
Brushing his hand against the rare and expensive material, Thane felt the grain of the wood to confirm it was real before knocking on the door. A second late,r the door opened,d and a woman peered around the corner.
The bodyguard looked at Thane before stepping aside and fully opening the door, "At least you're on time."
Thane had to stop himself from rolling his eyes as he stepped into Victor's office. The floor was also wooden and polished to a shine. However, Thane mostly ignored the expensive material as he focused on Victor Trevant standing behind his desk.
Victor wasn't an impressive specimen. He was thin with greasy black hair, a narrow nose, and even thinner lips. Looks, however, wasn't the reason why the crime lord was as powerful as he was, "Thane, my little Tinkerer, punctual as always, I heard you had some people who wouldn't pay their dues?"
Thane shrugged at the man, "Yeah, there are always a few unprofessional, but it was about time I made an example of them. You'll hear about it in a day or two. Unfortunately,y my side project has stopped me from taking any jobs."
Victor took a seat with a nod, "Good, because I want you to stop taking contracts for a bit."
Thane froze, "I assume there's a reason for that."
Victor nodded, "Ye,s cause I have a job for you that requires your utmost attention." Victor snapped his finger,r and a second late,r the door opened again, this time a hover lift accompanied the bodyguard. A device that carried packages and other items while floating a set distance off the ground.
On the hover lift was a long metal box. When the bodyguard stopped, so did the lift, which rotated from horizontal to vertical. As it did, Thane could better take in the proportions of the container, it was the width of a person but nearly a foot taller than Adrain was placing it, about six and a half feet.
"A gift? Victor, you know my birthday isn't for another cycle." Thane joked, which got an amused smile from Victor as he waved his than,d causing the box to open.
All of Thane's joy disappeared as he stared at the contents in the box. A suit of brilliant power armor stood in all of its glory. Painted stark white,e the glossy sheen of the metal made it almost too painful to look at. Thane, however, couldn't tear his eyes away from the armor. It was an example of top-shelf engineering that few got to lay their hands o. Legally power armor was only supposed to be in the hands of one group in particular. How Victor had gotten his hands on a unit was beyond Thane, and even more so was why the crime lord decided to show him.
"I-is…is that what I think it is?" Thane stammered, having to resist the urge to touch the technological marvel.
"Indeed it is, one of the older versions, but I bet you know that," Victor said, the simple evident in his tone.
Forcefully tearing his eyes away from the armor,r Thane turned to stare at the crime lord, "Why are you showing this to m? If the Council so much as catches a whiff, a suit of power armor is in civilian hands.…"
Victor frowned, "You don't need to concern yourself with the Council. Your biggest threat right now is me if you fail to deliver on your promise."
Realizing how close he was to seeing the real monster behind the man, Thane bobbed his head, "Forgive my slip of the tongue. What job do you have for me."
Victor smiled but not with the warmth of before, "There is an upcoming job, a big one, and for it to work, I need someone to pilot the armor. As you know, power armor comes with a set of restrictions that can be tricky to get around. I need you to work your magic and well....get around it."
Thane's first instinct was to refuse to do Victor's bidding, but knowing that wouldn't go well, Adrain tried to talk his way out of it, "While I appreciate the confidence, I think this is above my pay grade, I mean just off the top of my head the equipment I would need.."
"Will be provided," Victor interrupted, "You have a month to finish your task. If you fail, I will consider it to be you not holding up your end of the bargain, and our little arrangement will be void. You're dismissed."
