Ajax: Relinquished

by Gavin Magson

  Learn to reply faster, your imprisonment is no excuse for losing your manners. Don't be late – Aiko

  Ever the polite person herself, he thought. Ajax climbed out of bed and instantly discarded his clothes. He emptied every pocket before jamming the filthy items in the clothes basket at the end of his bed. Thankfully fresh clothes had been packed into the small drawers, the smell of clean clothing came as a surprising delight to Ajax. He gathered up what he needed and headed for the shower room. He turned on the sinks tap and relished the sight and feel of hot running water.

  In prison Ajax had dry shaved with a rough blade in an attempt to keep the stubble at bay. Most people had questioned him why he would do this in such an uncivilised place, which answered their own question; he needed to stay in touch with his humanity. A knife and no mirror could only do so well, the razor he found next to the sink was a small blessing.

  Ajax shaved, taking his time in case he had become rusty at the task, savouring the feeling of smooth skin. With his face finally clean shaven he looked up into the mirror and saw something one step closer to human stare back - it was a welcome sight. He stepped into the shower and turned the tap; Ajax gasped as icy water sent a chill through his body. He leapt out of its torrent into the corner of the shower, a stream of curses left his mouth as Ajax awaited the water to heat up.

  Finally steam rose from the shower and he stepped back under, its intense heat washed away the ingrained dirt in his hair and skin that Ajax could not even see in the mirror. The water running off him was dark brown, and stayed that way for several minutes. It was such a wonderful sensation when he was finally clean once more. There was more than just dirt and sweat that needed to be cleansed from his body.

  Ajax knew his time was running out, but the relaxing warmth of the shower was just too heavenly for him to tear himself away from. When he judged Aiko must be close to arriving he stepped out of the shower, grabbed the toothbrush and finally cleaned away months of a dentists nightmare. The cheap artificial mint after-taste was better than he ever remembered.

  It took a while to find a towel, but once located Ajax quickly dried off his clean body and dressed in the fresh clothes. He stashed his possessions as best as possible into his pockets and made a mental note to invest in a thicker jacket when his pay came in. He closed the door and rushed downstairs, taking the stairs two at a time. Ajax did not stop to speak with the open mouthed Sarah as he flashed across her vision and bolted out the door.

  A hover was slowing down in the courtyard as the tavern door closed behind him, Ajax thought his timing to be nothing short of a minor miracle. As soon as he was out of the taverns warmth Ajax severely regretted only wearing a shirt, cold winds whipped at his thin layers and sent him shivering. He was thankful when the hovers door opened and he climbed in next to Aiko, that trademark coat of hers looking ever more appealing to him.

  “You are looking good for a man fresh out of prison, Mr Frost, though I think you might have lost some weight.” said Aiko, flashing him a hungry smile.

  The smile was sudden and unexpected, certainly the last thing he would have considered from his reunion with Aiko. Her eyes wandered lazily over his body, making no attempt to hide her interest. It had been mentioned twice before by strangers that her tastes did not include men, but now he was beginning to think them misinformed; she had never once looked at him in this manner. The tight shirt outlining his muscles might have been to blame, but it brought no shame to him.

  Sarah had not been on his mind for so long, not since his arrival at IS32 and the overwhelming need to think of survival. After last night’s revelation he had cast all thoughts of her from his mind. As much as it pained him Ilya was now lost to Ajax, even if that price was far higher than what he wanted to pay for his freedom. He had been given another chance at life when rescued by Duke and he was determined to live it to the fullest; he did not feel any guilt as his ego was stoked by her hungry stare.

  “I could say something similar about you, your time without me seems to have only benefited you. Your clothes seem a lot fancier than before, have you been taking on extra clients?” he asked.

  The streets could be seen flickering past through the hovers windows, but he paid them no attention. He had made this journey several times now, the sector beyond no longer offered him new sights. Besides, there were more alluring attractions sitting arm’s length away from him.

  “Close. I have been working more for Rine in your absence, but I am not managing any more underground fights. When you took Hiro out you solidified Rine's drugs operation, his opposition in the sector quickly dried up and went out of business. We thought Hiro was nothing without Joel but that proved to be wrong. Rine promoted me, saw that I had more potential with a leading role and his operation has only expanded. You did a great thing for all of us.”

  “Damn, I should have asked for a raise.” said Ajax, a real smile to confirm the humour of his words. “If he is raking in more money, why is this the same beat up hover you always pick me up in?”

  “Spreading his new found wealth around quickly would only attract more suspicion, you have to realise that Rine might own Four, but that doesn't mean he owns the city. His operation has extended into the slums for the first time, it's an aggressive move to make and it takes a lot of planning, fire power and conviction. Most importantly it is a huge financial investment on his behalf.”

  Ajax looked into the woman's face; he could see the extra colour finer food had brought to it, complimented by makeup that he had rarely seen her wear before. Creases appeared next to her eyes, true enjoyment reflected at her boss’s plans; he had missed a lot in his time away. He considered that perhaps she harboured feelings for Rine, not himself, and he had merely misread the signals. Ajax turned to face a window, only now did he realise that they were heading through a neighbourhood he had never ventured into before.

  “Why do I get the feeling that you didn't just take me here to collect my reward?” he asked Aiko.

  His answer came in the form of a smile, still full of humour and the promise of something else. He had little choice but to go along with things and see what Rine undoubtedly had to say.

  When their hover ground to a halt and opened its doors Ajax stepped out in front of a large house, in an area not dissimilar to the one Hiro had lived in. The house was big, bigger than the Haven Inn and at least an extra storey taller. Wrought iron gates attached to a high wall greeted them. A metallic orb swivelled to point at the duo and soon the gates opened.

  “Where exactly are we?” asked Ajax.

  “This is Rine's house. Make sure to take your shoes off at the door and don't drop anything on the rugs. He would skin even you alive for doing that.”

  The house was everything he would expect from Rine; it was immaculate. Ajax was certain he could run his finger along any surface and not find a single dust mote, though doing so would risk marking it and probably end with Arnold teaching him some etiquette.

  Inside the home Ajax and Aiko followed the housekeeper that greeted them at the door. She led them to Rine's office at the end of a long corridor. Despite the examples of fine art on display all Ajax could think of was the memory Joel had reconnected in his mind, the corridor they now walked along rekindled the fragmented memory; he cursed it for being incomplete. During their fight to the death the beast had shown him a life now lost to Ajax, yet he longed to know more about it.

  The housekeeper stopped suddenly and indicated a tall door to his left. Aiko opened it without knocking and they stepped inside. Rine was sitting expectantly behind a desk with two chairs in front of him. He peered up from a large screen set flat on the desk that his fingers were tracing along as the door closed. Ajax gazed out through the large window behind Rine that overlooked an expansive garden; its overgrown theme came as a surprise for such a meticulous man.

  “Please, both of you take a seat, you look like naughty school children stood before me like that.” said Rine. His guests eagerly took his invitation t
o sit in the vacant seats. “I trust that Aiko has had a chance to fill you in a little on what has been happening in your absence?” asked the man.

  It finally dawned on Ajax what was different, a subconscious thought had been trying to make itself known since the door was opened. Rine was wearing spectacles for the first time since he had known the man.

  “She certainly mentioned how much your business has been expanding; I was surprised just how well you are doing.”

  “I think you might have been underselling it there, Aiko,” he said, giving the woman a look that made her turn away. “I must admit just how much of a surprise this recent progress has been; ever since you dealt with Hiro we have had unfathomable success. Did Aiko mention how we have moved into other sectors?”

  “Yes, she said you have started an aggressive campaign in the slums.”

  “That probably sums it up better than I could describe. You deserve a lot of praise for your work, I had no idea what Hiro's death would do for us. However I digress, there is the small matter of payment owed for your services. I'm sure that it had not slipped your mind.”

  From behind his desk Rine pulled out a large pouch that rattled as he dropped it in front of Ajax. The familiar noise as credit chip clicked together was music to his ears.

  “One million credits, payment in full. I hope you spend it wisely, I've heard that you might not have a lot left after your generous donation to Duke.”

  “Why am I not surprised you heard about that? Do you follow me everywhere? It's true that I will be helping out the captain rebuild his business. It will be more than worth the cost to repay that man for all he has done for me. You could always throw in a little extra, I'm sure it would be greatly appreciated.”

  The laugh from Rine was genuine, his steely exterior briefly melted away. “I think you know that isn't going to happen. However, that does bring me nicely onto my next point, which is an offer for future employment. Don't worry about another stint in prison, I would not be asking you to purposefully go back there again. I need someone to help with gaining territory in the slums. I won't lie to you, Ajax; the work will be hard and dirty, but the wage more than worth the work.”

  Ajax thought back on his recent employment history with Rine. At his hands a multitude of people that might still be alive were now dead, killed for one reason or another, yet, so far, the encounters always resulted in Ajax being victorious. Despite working for months he did not seem any richer for it.

  It begged the question: was the change from a million credits enough to last him? Why had he not remembered to ask the captain how much he would need to get the ship back up and running?

  He had thought himself free of working for Rine once this job was done, but he shouldn’t have been so surprised that yet another job was lined up for him. It could not hurt to hear the man out at least; it was not worth insulting him.

  “You have done a lot for me during the short time I have known you, so I will certainly hear out what job you have to offer. That does not necessarily mean I am looking for work so soon after earning my freedom.” said Ajax.

  “I am not presuming anything here, Ajax, just offering a man who has shown me loyalty future employment. Since Hiro's death we discovered that he was supplying the majority of our competitors in Four; once they ran dry our business boomed and I now supply our entire sector. With the increased revenue I hired more men, expanded swiftly through Five and they are now having to fight their way into the slums of Six.

  “The resistance we have encountered so far is proving to be a lot tougher than the breeze Five turned out to be, I'm losing more and more men with every street gained. Someone with your skills could do a lot to clean out the resident gangs, and it is a long term job that would offer you a lot of money for the future. What I would need from you is rather simple: kill any drug dealers, their suppliers and operatives, and make way for my business to further expand.”

  “So what kind of money are we talking here? Just out of interest of course.” said Ajax, trying not to show too much eagerness at the thought of yet more violence.

  “Ten thousand credits a day base fee. For every confirmed kill that is an additional hundred credits, dealers are five, gang leaders a thousand, and manufacturers twenty thousand. Trust me when I say you won't have trouble bringing in a consistently large bonus; the sectors are teaming with the rats.”

  “That is a very generous offer, but what about the police? That much violence is bound to attract them and I cannot afford to be caught one more time. I'm not sure if you are aware but another offence would either send me back to that nightmare, or to the executioner. I know I’d rather a swift death, but preferably I don’t want to face either.”

  “The police are not something you should worry about. You would get a special emblem, keep it inside your jacket or pocket at all times and if any police show up just flash them it; they have already been bought and know not to interfere. Even before I turned it into a warzone the police rarely venture into the slums; they gave up on that place a long time ago.”

  “I don't see how an emblem would stop them from shooting first and asking questions later, so I hope you are correct that they aren't out in force. The best I can do is promise that I will consider your offer and will get back to you with an answer. I need to enjoy my freedom before I commit to anything else. Do you mind if I take some time?”

  “Not at all, Mr Frost, take all the time you need; the slums will still be waiting for you when you decide. Just remember, every day you aren't there you are losing money.”

  Ajax reached across the table, grabbed the pouch of credit chips and crammed it into a pocket. The discomfort as the chips dug into his thigh was instantly forgotten as he focused on the money within. He stood up and Aiko followed his example.

  “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Rine, I will be in touch as soon as I have made a decision on your offer.” they shook hands over the desk, Rine remaining seated. “Good luck with the expansion and have a nice day.”

  When the door slowly clicked shut Rine swivelled his chair around, admiring the visual cacophony that was his garden. He loved the organisation in his life, but had to admit that chaos had never looked so good. He took a lot of pride in the garden, the haphazard appearance fooled many into thinking there was no design at work; how wrong they were.

  Under his breath Rine muttered. “I have got you now, Mr Frost.”

  Their ride back to the tavern was made in relative silence, Aiko barely said a thing as Ajax studied the streets they passed through. There was a progressive difference as they left the area Rine's house was in, each subsequent street deteriorated in appearance until they were slowing down in front of the tavern. Its shabby décor felt like seeing a long absent friend once again; it truly warmed his heart. He didn't care that the Haven was in a poorer district of the sector, it still felt like home and he was happy to think of it as such.

  As Ajax climbed out of the taxi Aiko called after him, before he had chance to push the door close.

  “Have you given Rine's proposition much thought? I'm sure he's going to ask me your thoughts on it later.”

  “Tell him I'm still taking my time thinking on it. If this money doesn't go as far as I hope then I suspect that I will be taking Rine up on his job offer. I'll get back to you with my decision.”

  She smiled and gave him a quick wave as Ajax closed the door. He stood and watched as the hover pulled away and sped out of the courtyard, soon just a distant speck before it turned off the road. It was nearing midday yet the temperature was no warmer than the brisk morning he had woken up to; Ajax quickly made his way inside the tavern in search of warmth. It was instantaneous heat that greeted him when the door opened, which he gladly welcomed.

  The dining room was only half filled, a few faces looked over and recognised Ajax, their expressions reflected perfectly how he had felt that morning. Whatever had happened last night he was certainly not the only drunk reveller feeling it today. Ajax flashed
the room a smile and headed for the stairs, passing a few more sluggish guests as he climbed. Seconds later he was inside his room, finally he freed the large pouch from his trouser pocket before it threatened to burst open.

  Ajax tipped the credit chips onto his bed, they spread into a small pile and the light caught their plastic bodies. He picked one up by random and pressed a recessed button to activate it, the display showed that fifty thousand credits were stored on it. Simple mathematics told him there must be twenty chips, which after a quick count of the small pile he was relieved the figure was correct. He had not even considered the thought that Rine would underpay him. Ajax suspected that, despite being a criminal kingpin, Rine was an honourable man and wouldn’t cheat a loyal person in such a manner.

  Ajax pressed the credit chip against the scar of his implant, he held down the same button on the chip until it displayed the credits and started counting down. When the chip was empty Ajax stowed the remainder back in the pouch and hid it under some clothes in his bedside drawers. That should last awhile, he thought to himself. He kept the empty chip, just in case it might come in use.

  From the dining room below Ajax could smell the delicious aromas that were drifting into his room, cooked meats and roasted vegetables were most prominent; they sent his brain into overdrive. When a long, low rumble sounded from the pit of his stomach Ajax knew it was time to gorge himself. He opened the bedroom door and just stopped himself before cannoning into Ilya.

  Her hand was still raised, inches away from knocking before Ajax opened the door. He hardly had time to react before Ilya flung herself around his neck, nearly bowling him over with her ecstatic embrace. Eventually she pulled away from him, beaming from cheek to cheek with an infectious smile.

  “I was hoping I would find you hiding out here. Duke said that he had tried your door earlier but you did not answer. I told him that you were probably catching up on some beauty sleep, or out putting the city to rights. You are certainly looking great for an ex-convict, Ajax.” she said, standing back to look him up and down.