Neon Reapers Rake The Streets

The police walked past them without really acknowledging they were there. He was thankful for that, but it didn’t mean they could lower their guard. All it would take was one asking to see some form of ID and they’d be screwed.

“Keep close,” he whispered to the teenager, scanning their surroundings. They weren’t too far from their destination, he just had to hope no one would take too much notice of them before they arrived. “Remember what to do if someone spots us?”

“Throw punches and run, ask questions later,” Frost confirmed, scooting a little closer to her father when some men walked past them. They weren’t in uniform but that didn’t mean they weren’t police or even if not, wouldn’t hand them over immediately if confronted.

“Atta girl,” he whispered, grinning at the proud sounding huff she made. In an ideal world, he’d never have to teach her something like that. But he’d long stopped hoping for the world to get better.

They finally came to the alley they needed to go down, and they slipped down it, making sure no one saw them. People didn’t exactly go down alley’s and side streets, unless they had business there. And the businesses there tended to be on the less legal side. So, you didn’t really want people to see you go down one.

They reached a door, and Kuai Liang hit a button on a speaker. A few seconds later, a voice came through questioning “yes?”

“Shirai Ryu,” Kuai replied, hoping to God he’d pronounced the password correctly.

He must have, as the door clicked to unlock and Kuai Liang quickly made his way in. Inside there was a staircase that he and Frost carefully climbed. It led up to somewhat of an open plan living space, although it was so cluttered Kuai Liang wondered how on Earth anyone could live like that. There was a boy around Frost’s age sitting on a table, some sort of robot in his hand. Then there was an adult man, sitting in a spinning chair and staring at Kuai Liang expectantly.

“Um. Hanzo Hasashi?” Kuai Liang asked the man, who narrowed his eyes. “I… Have been told you make fake IDs?”

“I do.” Hanzo rolled his shoulders while tilting his head. “They aren’t cheap, though.”

“Name your price, I will pay,” Kuai offered. His contact had already given him an estimate, so he roughly knew what to expect.

Hanzo didn’t react much, just continued to look at Kuai with suspicion. “10000 credits. Each.”

Kuai sucked in his breath a little, that was much more than he was expecting. He needed the IDs though, especially for Frost. Keeping her safe was his highest priority, and he’d pay a million credits if he had to. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small bag. Physical money was a rarity these days, but essential for things like this. Digital money could be traced, no matter how the government claimed it couldn’t.

“There’s 15k in there,” he answered, holding the bag out to Hanzo. The other man snatched the bag, and began to go through it. “I’ll give you the remaining 5000 once you’ve completed them.”

Hanzo started laying out the small pieces of metal on his table, clearly counting them to work out if Kuai was indeed telling the truth. Eventually he’d emptied out the bag, and he huffed. He swept the money back into the bag and placed it on the desk. He stared at it long and hard, before turning that glare back onto Kuai Liang.

Before Kuai could say anything, one of Hanzo’s computer screens sprung to life, indicating an incoming video call. Hanzo stared at it with a raised eyebrow, briefly turning to Kuai Liang.

“Step back a little further, so you aren’t in the video,” Hanzo advised, and Kuai did as he was told. “There.” Hanzo turned back to his computer and answered the call. Kuai had to stop himself from audibly swallowing when he recognised the man whose face filled the screen. “Quan Chi. Can I help you?”

“Good evening, Hanzo, I do apologise for the sudden call,” Quan Chi greeted, smiling darkly. Kuai could feel himself starting to shake, hoping to god Hanzo was right and he couldn’t be seen here. He felt Frost take his hand and squeeze. How bad was it his own daughter was having to comfort him? “You see, I am currently looking for someone, and I suspect he’ll be within your walls asking for one of your IDs soon.”

“And?” Hanzo questioned, sounding incredibly bored.

“Now Hanzo, you know our deal. I look the other way regarding your business in exchange for you giving me information that I need.” Well, Kuai supposed that explained why Hanzo’s business had managed to survive this long. Quan Chi hit a few buttons, before a photograph popped up on the screen.

A photograph of Kuai Liang.

“Has this man contacted you at all?” Quan Chi tilted his head slightly, and Kuai had to put a hand over his mouth. Part of him considered just bolting there and then. Maybe he could find someone else to make them the IDs.

“No. Never seen him before,” Hanzo casually replied with probably the best poker face Kuai had ever seen. Just because he was denying having met Kuai didn’t mean they were in the clear. “What’s he done?”

“Oh, you know that’s confidential information, Hanzo,” Quan Chi claimed, wagging his finger back and forth in denial.

“You know I have a child to look after right? At least tell me if this man is dangerous,” Hanzo growled, and Kuai flinched. He wasn’t dangerous, at least, he didn’t want to be. He would fight if it meant Frost’s safety however.

“No, he’s not dangerous,” Quan Chi assured him, and Kuai was at least glad he hadn’t tried to make it seem like Kuai would hurt anyone. “I just really need to speak with him, and he’s unfortunately decided he wants to be difficult about it.”

“Well, I haven't seen him, but if I do, I will let you know,” Hanzo offered, shrugging like that was the best he could do.

“He might be with a young lady, his daughter I believe. If it comes to it, use her to keep him long enough for me to collect him.” That made Kuai grab Frost to him and hold her closer. He knew Quan Chi wouldn’t hesitate to harm her in order to get to him, but even he was shocked to hear him come out with that so casually.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Hanzo muttered, thankfully sounding unhappy about the suggestion. “Anything else I should know?”

“No. No, that’s all.” Quan Chi waved his hand dismissively. “Do let me know if you see him.”

And with that, the video shut off. The room was silent for an extremely uncomfortable amount of time. Slowly Hanzo turned in his chair, staring Kuai Liang down and making him feel sick all over again.

“What does he want with you?” Hanzo forcefully asked, and Kuai looked down to the ground. “I won’t make the IDs unless you give me an explanation.”

Kuai closed his eyes, before quietly replying “my name is Dr. Song Kuai Liang, I am a scientist. He wants to use some of my discoveries and advancements for…”

Somehow he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He still remembered Quan Chi coming to his lab, taking an intimate interest in his work, particularly his medical technology. Only, unlike Kuai’s intention of saving lives, Quan Chi saw how they could be adapted to harm. Kuai refused, even when he was offered enough money that he could have set both himself and Frost up for life.

Unfortunately, Quan Chi was not the sort of man who took no for an answer.

Hanzo suddenly sighed. “Takeda, take Dr. Song’s daughter to make yourselves something to eat, okay?”

Kuai looked up in time to see the boy pushing himself off the table and looking towards Frost. She looked at Kuai as if for permission. He was hesitant, but they’d not managed to eat at all today. Eventually he nodded, and she gave a quick squeeze of his hand before walking to follow Takeda. They began to chat amongst themselves, but by the time they left the room, Kuai couldn’t tell what they were talking about.

“Sit down,” Hanzo ordered, patting a seat next to him. Kuai gave a resigned sigh, pushing himself off the wall and walking over to him. He took the chair, staring down at his lap and refusing to meet Hanzo’s gaze. “What sort of scientist were you?”

“Medical science, mostly,” Kuai admitted, fiddling with his fingers. “I was working on implants and nanotechnologies that could repair internal damage from injury.”

“And… Quan Chi believed he could use that to hurt people?” Hanzo sounded confused, and Kuai couldn’t blame him. While he’d been coming up with his ideas, he could have never imagined they could be perverted from their intended use until Quan Chi came along.

“He saw what I had made, and seemed to immediately know how to turn them into weapons.” He finally looked up, and was surprised when Hanzo’s stern expression had softened greatly. “For example, he believed implants could have weaponry inside them, or come with added strength or other tactical advantages. My nanotechnology could be manipulated to either make unkillable super soldiers or used to create entirely man made viruses…”

“Trust him to come up with shit like that,” Hanzo muttered, rolling his eyes. Clearly, despite their supposed deal, he didn’t think much of Quan Chi. “So. You refused him, and now he’s hunting you down to force you to work for him?”

“Something like that.” Honestly he had no idea what Quan Chi’s plan was once he’d gotten ahold of him. With how fiercely Quan Chi was hunting him down, Kuai could only imagine how far he’d be willing to go. “Look, I will understand if you can no longer do my ID, but please at least do my daughters.” He held his hands together in front of his chest. “She didn’t deserve to be pulled into this. The ID could help her live a normal life, even if it’s away from me.”

“I will make your IDs,” Hanzo assured him and Kuai almost cried from relief. “It’ll take a few days, do you have anywhere safe to stay until then?”

“Not really,” Kuai admitted with a sad smile. “But we’ll make do.”

“I have some friends, they owe me a few favours, they may be able to offer you somewhere safe.” Hanzo turned back to his computer, pulling up a list of contacts. “Of course, you do know that the IDs alone won’t save you?”

“I know,” Kuai nodded, because really, even if the regular police fell for the IDs, the second someone in the know saw Kuai’s face he’d be caught. “I have a brother. A bit of a technophobe, he lives up on the mountains. He’ll let us lay low there, but we can’t get out of the city without an ID, and our real ones will come up with all sorts of red flags.”

“You aren’t wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised if your photograph is all over their terminals.” Hanzo rubbed his chin. “Especially since Quan Chi seems to have correctly guessed you would be seeking a fake ID.”

“True,” Kuai sighed, throwing his head into his hands. “I’ve fucked up our entire lives, haven’t I?”

“No. You aren’t responsible for any of this,” Hanzo claimed, reaching over to pat Kuai Liang’s thigh. “The friends who owe me a favour, they might be able to help you leave the city also.” Hanzo clicked a button on his computer. “I’ve asked them to call me when they can. Until then, when was the last time you ate?”

“Yesterday,” Kuai told him with a laugh.

“In that case, let’s get something to eat, and we can iron out some of the details for your ID.” Hanzo pushed himself to stand, before holding out his hand to Kuai Liang. “I promise you Dr. Song, I will do everything in my power to make sure Quan Chi does not get his hands on you or your daughter.”

Kuai wasn’t sure why Hanzo would bat for him so hard, a stranger he barely knew. Yet, he believed him when he said that. He could have immediately ratted him out to Quan Chi, but he didn’t. That had to be worth putting his trust in him, right?

Kuai Liang reached forward, putting his hand in Hanzo’s, and letting the other man pull him up, then gently guide him through the piles of belongings scattered around the room.

Maybe there was still some hope of the world being better. As long as there were still strangers who were guided by kindness, there was still hope.

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