Sable's Experiences

[Toaster]

July 19, 827 A.S.

Olivia sighed as she walked down the poorly lit hallway towards her motel room. The air was musty and humid, the stench of cheap carpet not cleaned in years wafting around her. She could hear sounds coming from some of the rooms she walked by; drunken laughter, sick coughing, lustful screams. One door was wide open and Olivia glanced inside as she passed it. Two men lay on the room's bed, passed out, covered only by a thin, dirty blanket. A naked woman - clearly of the working kind - stood before a mirror, pulling up a pair of pantyhose.

At an intersection in the hallway, Olivia arrived at her door. She reached out for the handle, only to notice that the door wasn't shut. She hesitated. She knew she hadn't forgotten to close it when she left in the morning, nor did the motel offer any room service that might have left it open by mistake in the meantime. Olivia withdrew her hand and ran it down the right leg of her flightsuit. She grasped the hilt of the knife that was holstered to her thigh and slowly drew it out. With her other hand she cautiously pushed the door open, keeping the old, rusty hinges from creaking. The room was dark; she couldn't see anyone inside. However, light shone in from the narrow door at the far end, leading to the tiny bathroom.

Olivia crept inside, quietly closing the door behind her. She could hear the sound of running water coming from the bath and a man's muffled humming. She stood perfectly still in the room's entrance and waited. The water stopped.

The door to the bathroom opened wide and a man stood in the frame, wiping his hands with a towel. Olivia could not make out his face against the bright light shining behind him.

"Well, well," the man said in a mocking tone. "If it isn't my dear Olivia." He reached behind him and flicked a switch, extinguishing the bathroom lights. At the same time, Olivia reached out to her side and pressed the switch for the room's ceiling lamps. The darkness was washed away by the flickering, yellow glow of the aging light strips.

The man stood across the room, his head tilted slightly to the side, smirking. His face was clean-shaven, his thick, black hair slicked back over his head. He wore a casual, dark gray suit. Olivia knew him.

"What are you doing here?" Olivia growled, hostility plain in her voice. She took a careful step towards the man, knife still clutched at her side. The man's smirk disappeared as he glanced the blade and was replaced by a menacing scowl. "I messaged you that I'd be a late," Olivia continued.

The man's gaze returned from the knife to Olivia's face. "I didn't feel like waiting," he replied. He nodded towards the weapon in her hand. "Now put that away before you hurt yourself." His face softened again and he stepped towards the small dining table in the corner of the room. Pulling out one of the chairs from underneath it, he waved one hand at the other, inviting Olivia to take a seat.

For a moment, Olivia stayed put, staring at him. Finally, she sheathed her blade and approached the table. The man smiled at her and sat down, making himself comfortable. Olivia remained standing behind the second chair, looking down at him with an empty, cold expression. He gave out an exaggerated sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Come on, now. I just want to talk."

"Then talk."

He leaned forward, glaring up at her. "Eye to eye."

They stared at each other for a moment before Olivia resigned herself to the situation and sat down across from the man.

"What do you want, Pedro?"

The man leaned back in his chair with a soft laugh, relaxing and crossing one leg over the other.

"How have you been?" He asked, ignoring her question. "It's been a few years, hasn't it?" Olivia kept her eyes on him but didn't respond. After a brief silence, he continued, "How is your mother?" He smiled at her as she clenched her fists under the table top. He glanced around the dingy room and let out a whistle. "Sure found a nice place for yourself," he said, mockingly. "I always knew you had class." He looked back at her and laughed. Olivia glared at him.

"Oh, come now, we're old friends, you and I," he jested.

"If we were friends," Olivia snapped in response, venom clear in her voice, "I wouldn't be imagining plunging a knife into your throat right now."

Pedro chuckled softly to himself. "Go ahead and try, my dear." He locked eyes with Olivia, a smile tugging at his lips. "But let me warn you: there are three very heavily armed men standing outside the door." His smile widened as he spoke. "And they would just love to meet you." Olivia straightened her back at this and placed her clenched fists on the table.

"What do you want?" She asked again, emphasizing each word. The man leaned toward her, placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin in his hands. His eyes wandered up and down her body, sizing her up. Olivia's fists tightened, her knuckles white.

"I want to offer you a job," he replied after a moment's silence. "You know, for old time's-"

"No thanks," Olivia spat, interrupting him. Pedro paused, smirking.

"But, my dear, aren't you still living the life of a mercenary?" He spoke, feigning surprise at her response. "Surely an opportunity to earn some credits-"

Olivia slammed her right fist into the table top, anger plain on her face. "I told you the last time we saw each other," she snarled, "I don't work for you anymore."

Pedro leaned back in his chair, laughing. "Yes, I remember. You were so determined." He glanced at her furious expression, guffawing. "Oh, my dear Olivia!" Recollecting himself after a moment, he wiped a tear from his eye. He sighed, his face hardening. "By the way," he stared at Olivia, his eyes suddenly cold and menacing, "how is your friend? The one at Liberty Police?"

Olivia's face went cold, the blood draining from it in an instant.

"She's in the hospital, right?"

Her chair flew across the room as Olivia leaped up out of it, hand reaching for the sheathed blade on her thigh. Her eyes were wide, teeth clenched. The man looked up at her, not moving. His face was expressionless.

"Did you think I'd come looking for you without doing some research?" He spoke quietly, matter-of-factly. Then, in a mocking tone, "Olivia Sable, finally making friends again." They stared at each other, neither moving. Olivia could feel her muscles tense up, ready to pounce on the man across from her. Her right hand clasped around the hilt of her knife, slowly drawing it out. Finally, Pedro relaxed and leaned back again, his cold face warming with a smile. "Don't worry, my dear. I haven't done anything yet." Olivia eased up a little, hearing this. "Nor will I have to, if you do what I ask."

Olivia leaned forward, placing her hands on the table.

"What do you want, Pedro?" She hissed. The man clasped his hands behind his head and sighed.

"A job, like I said." He looked at her, waiting for a response. When none came, he continued, "You see, a courier of mine has gone AWOL with a delivery of...," he glanced around the room as he searched for the right word, "collector's items. Now, I'm a businessman and as such I have a reputation to maintain. So, I can't exactly have my employees stealing from me, can I?" He paused, raising his eyebrows at Olivia.

She continued to stare down at him, lips pressed tightly together in anticipation for what would come next.

"I need to make it excessively clear to everyone that I have my business under control. So," Pedro reached into his suit jacket and produced a PDA from within, sliding it across the table towards Olivia, "I need you to find my missing pilot." Olivia glanced down at the small screen. It displayed a picture of a young man, perhaps in his early twenties. Above it was a name, Juan Perno.

Glaring back up at Pedro, she asked, "What do you want me to do with him?"

"Kill him," the man replied without hesitation. "And record it. Then send the recording to me and you're done."

Olivia straightened up and turned her back on Pedro. Her eyes moved around the room as she considered her options. Finally, still turned away from him, she replied, "I'm not an assassin."

The man at the table chuckled. "You're whatever I need you to be."

They both fell silent. Olivia's mind was racing as she tried to figure out a way to escape the situation, to somehow get rid of the man behind her without having to stoop down to working for him. The silence was broken when Pedro continued, "Have you visited your friend yet? In the hospital?"

Olivia's heart skipped a beat.

"Perhaps I should. It would only be polite to, after all." Pedro's voice was laced with malice. Slowly, Olivia turned to face him. Her face was white and her hands clenched tightly at her side. She could see a satisfied grin on the man's face. "That's what I thought."

Olivia lowered her gaze in resignation. Pedro stood up from his chair and straightened his jacket with a slight tug.

"My man is on Ames Research Station in the Kepler system." He walked up beside Olivia, his face just a few inches from hers. "He must think he's safe with the zoners. And he's not wrong. I'd rather not piss them off. So you'd better get on your way and deal with this," the last few words were spoken in an urgent whisper.

Pedro clapped her on the shoulder in faux camaraderie and walked to the door. As he reached it, he looked over his shoulder. Olivia still stood at the table, motionless.

"I'll be here, waiting," he spoke, opened the door, and left.

Olivia stood there, her body beginning to shake as she thought of the danger she had dragged both herself and Isla into.

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Olivia Sable