Chapter 8: 8

'Come on Mikey it's about to start!' Tony shouted for the young man to get in to the rec room.

'Coming! I've got snacks for everyone.'

The group all "ooh'd" and "ahh'd" together as Michael wheeled through a trolley from the ships galley in to the rec room where everybody else was sat waiting for the Convict Chase to begin. He had filled the trolley with various snacks he had bought and made; homemade dips and finger food mainly such as a huge bowl of guacamole, freshly made salsa as well as sandwiches and loads of assorted nibbles. He even stacked the lower shelf of the trolley with several cans of beer.

Michael parked himself on the large corner sofa in between Justin and Zach so he had a decent view of the massive rec room holoscreen.

'It's starting now.' Zeke announced to the crew as he automatically turned the holoscreen on to the correct channel and turned the volume up. The picture popped up with the three hosts all in different locations, cut in with footage from around the main island on New Edo from all the CCTV cameras and drones that the shows production team used to capture anything and everything.

'Good Morning and welcome to everyone across the galaxy to New Edo for this years Convict Chase here on Galaxy Network Extreme Sports! I'm your host Paul Adams and with me are Terry St. Vincent and Naoko Harada Walker!'

Two purpose built structures had been set up in downtown New Edo; one at the north end and the other at the south, both surrounded by barriers which kept the huge crowds away from the main stage. There were hundreds of people surrounding the structures, all cheering and shouting; holding up signs in support of their favourite hunter and wearing their merchandise. The crew could see that Krieger had quite a large following, most of them women, a few drag queens and some particularly good looking men dotted in and around the crowds.

'As always, we've already let our cons out with their super special custom made explosive trackers embedded in their necks to ensure the safety of the general public in case they go out of the boundaries or attempt to hurt anyone that isn't a Hunter. We've also given them the standard half hour head start without anybody knowing where we let them loose. This means that our Hunters and their Handlers don't get an easy start. What would a Chase be without any chasing am I right folks?'

The crowd all cheered in agreement and quietened down again with Naoko started to talk in to her microphone.

'So Paul and Terry are at the starting points in downtown New Edo, where two Hunters will be released from each. I'm here at Chase HQ with the handlers, make some noise guys!'

Naoko turned to let the camera film behind her where all of the handlers were sat at large desks filled with more than a few individual holoscreens and other equipment, separated from each other so they couldn't spy on each other's footage. Most of the handlers cheered and waved at the camera while Ronson sat there, glaring with a can of Sapporo in his hand.

'He never changes.' Tony announced to the crew who were now digging in to the plethora of food that Michael had brought them and laid out on a low coffee table in front of the sofa. He grabbed a handful of tortilla chips and delved in to Mikey's homemade guacamole.

'I'll be here with the handlers getting you all the important details and gossip. Plus this year, it's my turn to push the time button!' Naoko had walked over in front of quite possibly one of the biggest holoscreen panels on New Edo. The camera panned out to show the whole screen with had a huge counter set to zero across the top along with individual live feeds of each Hunter. Naoko had made her way over to a gargantuan comedic sized red button which would set the time and start the Chase. Every year the time was randomly selected and shown on the screen and the Hunters would have that amount of time to kill all of the convicts.

'Okay! I've been given the go ahead to select our time for the Chase.' Naoko said enthusiastically. 'Here we go!'

Naoko pressed her hand firmly on the big red button. The digits cycled on the counter and after a few tense moments they finally landed on the exact time needed to complete the Chase in.

'Okay guys we have our time limit. It is two days, six hours, twenty three minutes and fifty seven seconds.'

'Thanks Naoko. We'll be back with you in just a moment to start the timer. Now it's time to release our Hunters!' Paul said in to the camera. 'First of all, let's bring them all out!'

'Here we go.' The twins said in unison as they reclined back in to the sofa with their beers. Everybody else grabbed more snacks, their eyes fixated on the screen.

'Time to introduce the Hunters at the South.' It was Terry's turn to do his part. 'Everybody please welcome Freddie Wilson and Daisuke Akiyama!'

The ex-biker and the Japanese hitman both stepped out on to the stage from the side entrance that was blocked off from the cheering crowd. Everybody went nuts as they appeared on stage, their fans all shouting and waving flags and banners.

'And now for our two current highest ranking Hunters, put your hands together for Frank DaCosta and Cassandra Krieger!' The camera feed cut to Paul announcing the hunters for his stage. Frank and Krieger wandered out on stage to an even more thunderous roar from the crowd surrounding them. Frank waved at his fans whilst Krieger circled her neck and shoulders then checked her katana and guns were all in place. Krieger had decided to show her real self for a change and disabled the skin camouflage function on her nanomachines; baring intricate tattoos circling up her arms and up round her neck. It wasn't often she had them on show, choosing to program her nanomachines to fade them when it was needed. They made her quite obvious on most jobs usually where she had to look inconspicuous, but this wasn't a job and her fans actually quite liked seeing her like this.

'Naoko, you have the go ahead from us. Let's get this Chase underway!'

'Thanks Paul. To all the Hunters and Handlers...have a joyous Chase! Five! Four! Three! Two! ONE!'

Naoko slammed her hand down on the comedy sized red button again to start the countdown on the timer along with an extra loud klaxon signalling the start of the Chase. The video feed cut to both stages; Freddie and Daisuke ran off their stage and continued running down the street past all the crowds that had been barricaded back to give them clearance. Frank however literally watched in slow motion as Krieger reached her left hand to her gun in her right holster and drew it straight out to her left and aimed in to the crowd without looking. She fired off a shot within a split second of the Chase starting, causing the surrounding audience to scream and split apart in panic as the single bullet she fired landed right in the forehead of a bystander in the crowd.

The crew on board the Osiris watched the holoscreen with their mouths agape as a leader board graphic popped up showing that Krieger was now currently at the number one position. Another graphic popped up confirming that no life signs were being read from Biff Calhoun and that he was in fact, deceased. Many people in the crowd also got the notifications pinging on their holowatches giving them the same information. Some of the people who had tried to run from the scene now gathered round the body which had slumped to the ground. He was a Caucasian man somewhere in his late thirties who had blatantly tried hiding in plain sight, but attempted to disguise himself with a wig, a ladies light overcoat and a bit of makeup. His disguise had failed miserably.

'Okay it's confirmed that Biff Calhoun is the first deceased of the Chase. I can also confirm that Krieger's kill is the quickest in Chase history!'

The crowd had sort of calmed down after hearing this news and let the excitement take over again as they began to cheer for Krieger. Drone and regular camera footage was played back of Krieger in slow motion showing her kill from various different angles as well as the killing shot, right in the middle of the mans forehead. Audio could be heard of her talking to Frank who was still stood beside her on the stage, glaring.

'Pay attention Frank.' Krieger's voice sounded out through the holoscreen speakers making the crew applaud that she had got a kill so quickly. She sauntered down from the stage as she holstered her gun and got her cigarettes and lighter out of the little pouch she had on her belt then proceeded to light one as she made her way down the street with Ronson telling her information straight in to her head. She walked for quite a bit, getting away from the crowds round the Chase stage on the not quite asphalt, not quite cobbled streets that were always full of dirt and sand.

'Okay babe I got everything set to ping me if anything crops up. I'm currently scanning some of the quieter districts in depth. If the others saw how quick you took out Calhoun trying to blend in then maybe they're gonna try hide instead.' Ronson's voice broadcast directly in Krieger's brain.

'How long you reckon till the next kill then?' Krieger replied, glancing around as she walked down the street smoking her cigarette. She eventually happened upon a man with a small cart selling ice cream, drinks and snacks and decided to buy herself a bottle of watermelon ramune and a 99 ice cream with a chocolate Flake and raspberry sauce on it. She casually dragged one of the cheap plastic chairs the cart vendor had set out to the side and sat down with Ronson talking away in her head as she started tidying up the drips round her ice cream cone and taking swigs of her ramune. The whole planet was business as usual whenever the Chase was on almost as if there weren't a handful of dangerous criminals running around but in reality that could be any other day on New Edo. Except during the Chase, all of the local businesses got a huge increase in revenue with all the tourists visiting and a lot of the locals taking time off work to watch the Chase and propping up all the bars. It was treated like a national holiday almost.

'Well all the other hunters are now fairly spaced out but I dunno, could be a little while.'

Krieger carried on eating her ice cream nonchalantly as she kept her eye on her surroundings, taking in whatever details she could as if to analyse the situation as to the best of her ability whilst looking like she had no care in the world. Hiding in plain sight was always the best course of action for a con especially if they could pull it off unlike Calhoun who did a terrible job; the next best thing would be to actually hide somewhere and lay low. Anybody who decided on that course of action usually took to the industrial and warehouse districts but occasionally they stayed in the populated areas, hoping to use the public as a sort of accidental cover for them against stray bullets that may be headed their way.

Ronson was holed up in the Chase HQ building keeping an eye on the cameras and running an occasional facial recognition programme in the more populated areas hoping to get a hit. But the computers provided would ping him whenever something came up, in the meantime though he decided to go ransack the refreshments table that the shows organisers laid out for the handlers. He got up from his station and stretched a bit before heading for the buffet table. Everything was nicely prepared and presented and all covered with simple but elegant glass domes. The buffet was so much better than the dire display offered during the pre-show interviews. Ronson smirked to himself as he had this benefit right now whilst his best friend was busy wandering around New Edo after some psychotic convicts. Some of the handlers had been to the refreshments table a few times, bringing back mugs of tea or coffee and plates filled with sandwiches or cake to their stations. They pretty much got the better end of the Hunter-Handler deal.

Ronson had loaded up a plate with some of the various foodstuffs on offer and filled a large mug with black coffee and a few sugars. There was a tray set aside with various miniature bottles of alcohol and several kinds of mixers along with the appropriate glasses. He grabbed a handful of whisky mini bottles and crammed them in to the back pocket of his jeans with the intention of filling up an official Osiris branded hip flask he had stashed in his other pocket.

'Krieger's already off to a better than good start huh?' A voice called out at the side of Ronson. He looked up to see Erik stood beside him at the refreshments table pouring himself a mug of coffee; black with a heaped spoonful of sugar quickly stirred in to it. He glanced over the table and picked up a buttery and flaky looking Danish Pastry, swiftly taking a bite after sampling his coffee to see if it was actually decent. It was better than he thought it would be pleasantly.

'She is gonna win this year y'know mate.' Ronson stated. 'Come hell or high water.'

'I don't doubt that at all.' Erik replied as he continued chewing on his also better than expected pastry. 'She's really thrown Frank off with that first kill.'

Ronson just smirked at that remark. Of course Frank was bothered especially if Krieger managed to get that kill in as soon as she did. Sure she came across as pissed off and unpredictable as a swarm of angry bees but nobody outside her small circle of close friends knew just exactly how calculating and intelligent she actually was. She had said to Ronson before the start of the Chase that she was going to win this year along with that face that said even God on high couldn't stop her from achieving it. In fact God himself would probably even say "no go right ahead Cas, I won't even attempt to stop you."

'She has to win anyway, me and the rest of the crew have money rising on her and if she doesn't then we're gonna munity.' Ronson cackled. Erik could very much believe this.

'Um, while you're here I do have a question to ask you... non-Chase related.' Erik laid his now empty mug down on the table and began refilling it with one hand as he finished off his pastry with the other. 'I was err, planning on asking Cas out on a date after the Chase ends y'know if she's still in one piece. I just wanted to know what kind of places she likes and you seem to be the best person to ask.'

Ronson was slightly taken back by Erik's forwardness with him but he appreciated him asking for his advice. This was his sister from another mister he was talking about and he was quite protective of her.

'Well now. She likes kinda mad or strange activities and err, theme parks. Festivals are good too and um, places with good food that don't serve it on shovels or roof tiles. If it's pretentious and you pay tons for a lettuce leaf on a slate with a smear of ostentatious hand squeezed truffle juice she'll go mental.'

'Duly noted. Thanks Ronson, I think I got an idea what to do now.' Erik raised his freshly poured mug of coffee and nodded his head in thanks. 'Talk in a bit.'

Ronson gave him a little wave as Erik went back to his station. Ronson just shook himself back in to the real world and grabbed his goodies before making his way back to his own station. Nothing had gone off with his tracking and facial recognition programmes but he did have Krieger whinging in his head about how bored she was and how she wanted another ice cream but she had now wandered away from the vendor and couldn't be arsed walking back.

'Oh give over Cas.' Ronson spoke out loud as he sat back down, resting his plate and mug to the side. 'It'll be tea time in a few hours go get curry or something that always cheers you up.'

'I think I might do that then head to a safe house for a little while and get some sleep, pick it up again later on see if anything comes up.'

'You do that, there's been nothing on the monitor.'

'They've gone in to hiding haven't they?'

'Sounds like it. The chatter I've heard from the other handlers has been sketchy at best, I think they don't know either.'

Krieger sighed quite loudly over the private coms channel.

'I'm gonna wander around a bit more see if anybody has seen anything, get the word on the street. They'll come out when they get hungry.'

'Here we are just over six hours in to the first day of the Convict Chase where Captain Cassandra Krieger is currently at the top of the leader board with the quickest kill in Chase history! Keep it GNES for more Convict Chase coverage and don't forget; we got loads more surprises in store. We're taking a short break right now but we'll be right back after these messages.'

The speakers connected to the large holoscreen in the rec room of the Osiris blared out the loud and annoying commercials that were shown during the ad break. The crew sat watching all got up and milled around; getting themselves a top up on their drinks or going for a bathroom break and a leg stretch. Nobody was doing any work for the next few days until Krieger and Ronson got back so the chance for some downtime and milling about was welcome. Justin had got back to the sofa first after his quick walk around the ship and laughed at an advert which had just come on. Frank Da Costa advertising his business, front and centre prattling on about reliability and reasonable rates with his crew mates behind him stood looking in to the camera. It was recently filmed too as K-Pop was still present and so was Erik. He must have paid a small fortune to have the ad featured during the Chase it was like having a commercial shown during the Superbowl.

'Oh my God Cas is not gonna like that.' Justin cackled out loud as the commercial went on and on. The rest of the crew returned in dribs and drabs and scoffed at the advert before taking their seats ready for the chase to start up again with replenished drinks and more snacks. Tony and Devin were busy on their holowatches, looking out for bookies that were offering the best odds on the Chase, the twins had loaded up a plate with their favourite snacks and placed it on the sofa between them and Michael was busy watching Zach out of the corner of his eye; perched on the end of the sofa giggling to himself as he tapped away at the keyboard projected out from his holowatch.

'What you chuckling away at?' Michael casually quizzed the neatly coiffured man who simply shot him a blinding smile.

'I... have a date tonight.'

'Another date? How many has that been this week?'

'It's my fourth in the past week.' Zach proudly admitted. Everybody else just turned to glare at him and his statement, that wasn't really anything to be proud of.

'And how many of those dates walked out on you or smacked you one?' Jess spoke up, giving her attention to a cheese board that had been brought out, eying up a cheeky chunk of Edam for her crackers.

'Only two!' Zach cried out. His crew mates always teased him about his dates as most of the time they either walked out on him usually after dumping some kind of beverage over his head or decking him one. Sometimes even both if he had been a complete tool during said date which happened way too much to a self-confessed 'Ladies Man.'

'That explains that bruise on your left cheek then.' Faye interjected as she joined her sister in ravaging the assortment of cheese on the table in front of them. She decided on a crumbly Wensleydale. Zach screwed his face up slightly then went back to reading his messages, occasionally looking up to watch the holoscreen. Chase coverage had resumed after the barrage of stupid commercials showing them footage of all the hunters. Frank was currently in a nicer district sat outside a small artisanal bakery café enjoying a pastry and a cappuccino, signing autographs for the occasional random person who walked over offering him a napkin or a notebook for him to scribble on. Footage of Freddie was in one corner, he didn't seem to be up to much; just walking around the main market picking up random objects and having a better look before placing the item back down. Akiyama wasn't moving at all. The drone camera trained on him showed nothing of importance as he was just sat on a deckchair on top of a convenience store roof with a knife in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other. In the bottom right corner of the holoscreen was Krieger, making her way down the main street just outside the market district toward one of her favourite Yatai's owned by Shinya; a long-time friend of hers and Ronsons. He was somewhere in his thirties and never seemed to take any time off from his work. The Chase drone camera dipped down as Krieger walked over to the yatai and sat herself down on one of the tall stools facing Shinya.

'It's been a while Krieger.' Shinya smiled as he reached over to her and shook her outstretched hand. 'The usual?'

'Of course dude, I've been looking forward to this.' Krieger grinned as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Her usual was a standard Chicken Katsu Curry with rice and miso soup. And Shinya's was the best. Sho down at his brothers bar had the best ramen, but Krieger would only ever eat Shinya's katsu curries and nobody else's. She would have a huge plate of the fried breaded chicken, curry and the rice but always without fail, had a can of Sapporo along with a can of full fat Coke. Shinya had already pulled her drinks out of the tall fridge behind him and placed them on the long bar she was sat at. She opened the Sapporo and raised it to Shinya who had grabbed his own drink and tapped it against her beer can, the pair took a swig of their drinks just as the video drone had dropped down again to street level and hovered over to Krieger. She didn't pay much attention to the drone until a voice sounded out from an on-board speaker. It was one of the Chase hosts Paul, about to bombard her with questions with the camera of the drone facing Krieger.

'So Krieger. You're currently in the lead after only a few hours with the quickest kill in Chase history. How're you feeling about that?' The hosts' voice came out of the drones speaker pretty clear.

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'Well to be honest Paul it's not really a big deal to me at this moment in time. I'm here to win so I'm planning on staying in the lead.' Krieger replied, leaning her left arm on the yatai counter turning to the side ever so slightly so she could look straight in to the camera which was auto focusing on her. She sipped at her beer as she waited for the next question, all the while with Shinya trying to sneakily push one of his stand up menus with his logo at the top in to view of the drones camera.

'I'm assuming you have a plan up to now? Are you after any of the cons in particular or just whoever wanders in to your sights?'

'Oh come on Paul you ask me this every year you know I don't have a plan at all!' Krieger laughed. She could hear Paul chuckling slightly through the speaker. 'I'm gonna get me tea, have a short snooze then get back to it.'

'One more question before we leave you to it, we've been getting several messages on the Chase fan forum. A lot of your fans want to know where are you eating right now?'

'Oh I'm currently at Shinya's Yatai just off the Ichiba chiku , you can't miss it. Shinya does the best katsu curry in all of New Edo.' Krieger smiled in to the camera just as it panned round to get a few shots of Shinya himself who was busy plating up Krieger's chicken katsu curry. She had already grabbed a pair of disposable chopsticks out of a tall cup on the counter and had already pulled them apart, ready to commence shovelling. Shinya just smiled and gave a quick thumbs up before setting the plate down in front of Krieger who even as the whitest woman on all of New Edo, clasped her hands together and cried "itsdakimasu!" in thanks to Shinya who had made her food. The first bite of the crispy breaded chicken slathered in the curry sauce made her groan in delight as she slumped her shoulders down, enjoying the flavours and textures before taking another bite. The drone hovered around for a bit focusing on Krieger feeding her face before it retreated back to a slightly higher position, watching over the street and Paul announcing "see you later" to Krieger and that they were cutting to another hunter.

'Oh god I needed this.' Krieger mumbled in between shovelling more food in to her mouth and taking swigs of her beer. Comfort food was always her go to during the Chase and it didn't get any better than this. Maybe tomorrow morning a full English fry up at the West End Breakfast Emporium, then on to Tony's Italian Buffet for all you can eat pasta for dinner then a trip to the nicer part of the mainland to Moz's Bar and Grill for a massive steak with chips at teatime.

'You're planning your route with your stomach again aren't you Cas?' Ronson's voice was broadcasted in to Krieger's head.

'And why not? It's worked every year since I started.'

'Ugh so long as you actually go through some of the surrounding districts and check properly this time. You can't get lucky every time y'know?'

'I know I know.'

Krieger made quick work of her food and relaxed her shoulders back as she finished up and rubbed her stomach. She was glad she was wearing leggings and not jeans or anything that she'd have to unbutton because she was as full as a rat.

'I'll never get sick of your curry Shinya, I swear to God.' She sighed as she drank the rest of her Sapporo. She set the can down then opened the can of Coke that was waiting for her. It had gone slightly warm just as she liked it; this was Krieger's idea of rehydrating after alcohol.

'And that makes me happy Cas. It also makes me happy that I'll be inundated with customers now that you've told everyone about my yatai yet again.' Shinya replied with a grin. 'I'll get Junichi down as soon as to help out, maybe bring a few extra tables and chairs.'

'Dude I seriously never understood why us hunters have the followings that we do. Sure it's nice an all having fans but isn't a bit weird?' Krieger quizzed her friend as she sipped at her Coke.

'Same as anything that gets televised or whatever. Kinda like with the reality shows back on Earth, some people even if they're absolute drips just become celebrities through it.'

'I suppose.' Krieger mumbled. 'I sometimes think it's odd because we're basically dishing out capital punishment.'

'Yes and it's on pretty bad criminals and people like seeing that kind of justice. Hey, it gets you publicity and there's that huge prize fund. What's brought all this on anyway it's not like you, you just cleared a blockage or... something?' Shinya quizzically stared at Krieger.

'Oh don't get me wrong I do actually love participating in the Chase but, I dunno it just makes me wonder sometimes. About the people watching I mean not myself. We move away from Earth and suddenly develop this bloodthirst, it's like a dystopian sci-fi film. I mean you don't hear of serial killers having a whole fucking cheering squad.'

'Hey, this is how it goes out here.' Shinya started. 'We had a chance to start fresh in a new galaxy alongside alien species and this is what happened.'

Krieger just shrugged her shoulders in reply and downed the rest of her Coke, apparently her brain fart had dispersed. She gathered everything up for Shinya to take care of before she slid off her stool, paying for her meal using her holowatch which had been loaded with credits from the Chase organisers on Shinya's counter top payment panel.

'I guess I'd better get back to it then before I start talking about my feelings and how I never got a Tracy Island playset as a child. It's been a pleasure as always.' Krieger said as she stood on her tiptoes and reached over the counter to Shinya. They casually embraced each other for a moment before parting.

'You take care out there Cas. Ganbatte!'

Krieger raised her fist up and smiled back at Shinya just as she left.

'Where you going now Cas?' Ronson spoke in to her brain.

'Back to my apartment to get a jacket or something, I have a feeling it's gonna get chilly tonight. Can you find me the nearest unoccupied safe house closest to the warehouse district?'

'Two secs... There's one a few blocks away from the main strip on top of the Ginza Foundry. It's empty and you'll get a nice view of the main drag from the north end.'

'Right I'll head there then. Grab my jacket, some snacks, bottle of brandy...'

'Cas don't be getting arseholed again.' Ronson scolded his friend.

'I won't!' Krieger's shrill voice in Ronson's head made him wince slightly. He could hear a laugh at the end of her exclamation. He seriously hoped she wasn't going to get drunk she was a nightmare to deal with if he physically wasn't there with her and constantly checking she wasn't making buildings set on fire.

'I'll hold you to that Cas. Get a shift on anyway before some bugger else claims that safe house.'

'Any news on the other hunters?'

'Not really. Freddie was last near the beach and Akiyama has only been patrolling a mile radius from one position. Frank I haven't checked but he was making his way west of the main strip about an hour ago.'

'Sweet. I have the north covered then, plus I'm not far from town. You gonna get some rest soon babe?'

'After you get to the safe house and I set up more alerts. Might try get me head down for an hour or two.'

Michael had spent the last half hour preparing some food for dinner; homemade burgers and fries. The twins had even come in to the kitchen to give him a hand for a little while. Jess set about peeling potatoes while Faye washed and dried them before sending them through the slicer resulting in some uniform thin fries before they went back in to the rec room. Michael was busy mixing minced beef with an egg and some very finely diced onion for his burgers. A bit of salt and pepper and he was ready to grill them along with dumping the skinny chips of potato in to the deep fat fryer.

'Zeke mate could you turn on the fans for me please? I don't want to stink the place out with the oil.' Michael said aloud as he was forming the mince mixture in to patties.

'Of course. Your oil is just about at temperature.'

'Thanks. Hey Zeke?'

'Yes Mikey?'

'Is it always like this during the Chase?' He casually asked as he laid his freshly formed burgers on to the smoking hot griddle.

'How do you mean?' Zeke replied. Michael had to think for a moment on how to ask the AI.

'Like this as in... people take time off work and go out of their way to go to the Chase events and stuff. It's kinda like when the Superbowl's on.'

'Ah yes. Yes it is always like this. The Chase is an incredibly popular event much like the Superbowl you mentioned. People gather for parties and place massive bets on the Hunters. It's the most watched programme in the human colonies in the new galaxy. The Voxon also are fans of the Chase, many of them supporting the Captain as they find her amusing.'

'I still find it pretty weird. Even more now you mentioned the Voxon.' Michael continued. 'This would never happen back on Earth.'

'I must admit that even I find the Chase slightly strange. But this is how it is out here and I can accept that. Humans are intriguing in that sense. The Voxon however are known for their terrible sense of humour, so them finding Krieger amusing is somewhat bizarre.'

'It's interesting either way, I'll say that much.'

Michael loaded his heated serving trolley up with his freshly cooked burgers and fries and pushed it through in to the rec room where the faces of his crew mates lit up at the sight of more food.

'Um, why is the boss doing Parkour?' Michael questioned as he gazed at the holoscreen, slipping the brake on the trolley so it wouldn't roll away.

'It's actually the quickest way for her to get across the main town; the buildings are so close together.' Tony answered Michael before taking a bite of his just assembled burger. 'Mmm, this is good.' He spoke as he chewed away with a bit of lettuce not quite making its way in to his mouth.

The holoscreen was split again in to quads with a hunter in each corner. A now cropped jacketed Krieger taking up the top left was shown hurtling her way across the rooftops, seemingly picking up more and more speed as she leapt from building to building in the direction of the warehouse district. Frank's little corner showed that he was busy talking to some people outside a pretty lively looking club just off the main road through town. Akiyama had retreated back to his deckchair atop the building he seeming had claimed as his watch tower and Freddie had been seen walking in to the Mother of Pearl Bar and Seafood Restaurant at the top end of the beach just north of the port. They had happy hour cocktails and two-for-one on appetizers most nights.

'Might as well get settled in for a bit. Either something's gonna happen soon or it won't for ages.' Justin announced to the group, taking a bite of his burger, extra pickles and washing it down with a cold San Miguel.

'Well you guys can stay here all night watching the box and being boring. I'm...' Zach chewed his way through the last mouthful of his burger. '... off to go get ready for my date.'

'Where you going?' Jess asked abruptly, seemingly interested.

'Tequila Pete's. Gonna have some drinks, some tiny Spanish food.'

'Great, we'll call in the bomb squad.' Faye deadpan announced to Zach who's face instantly turned sour.

'Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare I was nearly shot last time!' He cried out with sheer venom in his voice. The twins just giggled and laughed as they went back to eating while Zach nearly started tearing his hair out in anguish.

'The twins did that last year while Zach was on a date, rang the police and told them he was in Maloney's wearing a suicide vest strapped with ten pounds of Semtex.' Tony leaned over and whispered to Michael who had sat beside him.

'Why did they do that?' He whispered back.

'Because he went in the twins quarters and used their toilet as his wasn't working. Turns out he left a massive shit in there and the smell was that bad all their bed linen and clothes in their wardrobes stunk as well.'

Michael kind of wanted to laugh but he also pretty alarmed by what Tony had just said, but in a really funny way.

'Yeah bro don't piss off the women on this ship, the Captain doubly. Oh, do me a favour and pass the mustard will you?'

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