The sun had long since dived behind the horizon, casting a dark veil on Neo-Vatra. Such megacities didn't sleep through the night, however. One could say that their true form only appeared once the sky grew dark.
Gaspard's crew were already in position, waiting for Jerome Barberin to make an appearance. They split into three teams: Ricardo with Gaspard, Maria with Marcel, and Dante with Mattia. Though each team had their role to play, they all kept a certain distance from the drop point to avoid alerting the target.
The corpos were clearly trying to deal with the matter in secrecy. It is likely for that reason why they opted to hire a merc instead of using a normal delivery service, and the same went for why they chose a rundown warehouse in the outskirts as the drop point, in an area that was almost as dead as the desert outside the city walls.
"Still nothing?" Mattia asked.
[Yup.] Ricardo spoke over the crew's com channel. [This Jerome fellow sure lacks manners.]
The agreed time was fast approaching yet neither the deliverer nor the recipient had appeared so far. Being early wasn't a requirement in such deals, but being late was far from a good sign.
"What a pain..."
Mattia clicked his tongue for the umpteenth time. His finger rapped the steering wheel and the frown on his face spoke of his growing irritation. Dante sat beside him in silence, doing his best to ignore the nervousness gnawing at him. They had been parked under that crumbling bridge for a while now and that was starting to get to them, especially the older man.
"You think they changed the location?" Dante asked.
"Let's hope that's the case."
The job smelled fishy from the start so it was no secret that most of the crew wanted to avoid taking it on. If the targets decided to change plans, it would mean the intel they received was faulty, giving them a valid reason for failing to finish the job. That would allow them to keep the advance payment, at the very least. They wouldn't have to pay a penalty as well.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Another five minutes passed and Mattia's finger tapping got faster. The sound helped remind Dante of his nervousness, forcing a long sigh out of his lungs. He had an inkling for why his scruffy senior was an edge so after bearing with it for some time, he decided to bring it up.
"You out of smokes or something?"
Mattia froze as if just noticing his jittery state. He leaned back in his seat and exhaled, saying nothing for a while.
"I'm trying to cut down on the blasted thing."
"... Seriously?" That was not an answer Dante was expecting.
[You? Quitting the cigs?] Maria's voice echoed in their ears. [Is the world ending or something?]
"I would be burning packs if that was the case." Mattia paused, looking up in thought. "I... have a kid on the way."
The com channel went deathly silent, as if it had completely disconnected.
[Con... Congratulations?]
Gaspard's confused voice snapped everyone back to reality.
[Wait, really?] Marcel was still in shock.
[I knew it!!!] Maria exclaimed. [Lissa has been acting weird lately!]
[Hold on, I thought you got the snips years ago.] Ricardo asked.
"I got it reversed," Mattia said, smiling. "It has been on my mind for a while now."
[Someone is getting in on the years.] Ricardo cackled. [never thought you would want to be a dad.]
"You gotta take life seriously at some point," Mattia replied.
"Are you going to retire?"
The question came from Dante who, unlike the others, didn't find the news as exciting. He hadn't been with the crew for long. Because of that, he didn't hesitate to ask the obvious.
"Let's see... If possible, I would like to get a piece of land out in the sticks first. Start my own cricket farm. They say brats raised in the open turn out better than city rats like us." Mattia stared at the ceiling of his car, his eyes distant, as if imagining how his plan would turn out. He turned to Dante, the corner of his mouth curling up in a half smile. "You need a lot whole lot of money for something like that, and your mate here got none. Banks don't give folks like us loans so... you'll be stuck with me for another couple years, at the very least."
Planning far ahead wasn't something mercs were used to doing. It wasn't strange for them to splurge all their earnings in a couple of days. Why save or invest when you don't know if the next gig will be the last?
Still, Mattia was a veteran with quite a few years under his belt. If it was just for himself, then he probably had more than enough to live a humble life. But it wasn't just about him anymore. The scruffy nicotine addict had a family now, and with a kid on the way, he likely wants to have enough on hand to give them a good start.
Settling down, meeting someone, starting a family. Those things never crossed Dante's mind before. He didn't take on the job thinking he would live long enough to have those things, but maybe he just wasn't mature enough to consider them. He didn't plan on dying any time soon, after all.
[If anyone gotta retired, it should be baldy over here.] Ricardo said. [Not sure his legs are gonna... hold on, I think I'm seeing something...]
The change in his tone was so drastic that it immediately put everyone on high alert.
[What is it?] Gaspard asked.
[Your intel was outdated, boss.]
A message notification popped up on Dante's OAM, the sender being Ricardo. It was a video of the area around the drop point, though it appeared to have been passed through some filters. A vehicle approached the rundown warehouse without making a sound. It had no wheels and floated about a meter above ground.
[No wonder we didn't see him coming.] Ricardo clicked his tongue. [The bastard got himself a Magic Mirror.]