Other than a pile of laundry belonging to Heidi, the bathroom was mostly spotless. She still hadn’t cleaned it up from last week; honestly it was rare for them to wear clothes that weren’t their work clothes. The two of them had showered already, very quickly and with cold water, in order to clean the majority of the blood, sweat, and miscellaneous grime off of them; the bathtub was now filling up as they got ready. Cold showers were something they were use to, in this building that only gave out hot water once in a blue moon.

  Emilio sat on the toilet with the lid down, partially undressed down to his underwear. His face was dotted with scars and his body was not much different. “We’ll do laundry in the morning.” He said, smelling his jacket. Yup, it smelled like body odor and blood; when you smell it so much, you kind of forget that it’s there. “The best part of these jackets is that they never stain. Plus, even if they do, they’re black leather, so bloodstains don’t show up.” He said, tossing the jacket to the side, onto the pile of Heidi’s laundry.

  Heidi sat at the door, completely naked. Her skin was mostly devoid of scars; her history of bodily harm was all in her lack of limbs and the loss of her right eye. “Honestly, I think the best part of them is how comfy they are. You gotta tell me what group made them.” She rubbed her forearm. “Anyways… I’m gonna start taking the limbs off now.” She said, twisting at her left arm. With a sharp twist and a tug, accompanied by a metallic popping sound, she pulled the arm off, all that was connecting it to her body was a cable that went into the stump. This too was removed with a twist and a tug. She winced each time.

  “You know I always wondered. Does that hurt?” He said, as he watched her place her arm down on the floor next to the bathtub. “It look like it does.”

  “Nope. Yeah sure, these arms aren’t the lousy cheap kind, but they aren’t the super expensive kind either, so I still have a bit of feeling in them; just enough to know where my arm is and where my fingers are. I just can’t feel the texture of things, can’t feel hot or cold either. So when I put them on, it’s like when you fall asleep on your arm and it feels like a brick when you wake up, only for the feeling to return… It’s like that but in one massive rush. Removing them is the other way around.” She moved over to where Emilio was sitting.

  “Ah, right.” Emilio got up, letting her sit down so she could remove her legs. “Why even remove them though? I thought they were waterproof.” He knelt down in front of her, helping her remove the rest of her limbs; she almost kicked him in the face as she threw her leg up. It felt so strange that she felt so comfortable like this. Was she just that loyal or did she just not care? Either way, off came the first leg, which he set aside.

  “They are and aren’t.” She explained. “They’re fine being in running water, like rain or a shower, super humid environments are perfectly fine too, I’ve even sat in a sauna with them on without any issues. But being submerged is another story. Having them submerged could also damage the lighter I have built into them, you know?” She winced as the cord was removed, leaving her without a right leg.

  “…And you’re fine being just a torso around me? You’re going to be reduced to a bunch of stumps and a head.”

  “You asked this the last time and the time before that. I’m fine with it. It feels a bit scary, yeah, if someone broke through that door I’m going to be the first to die.” She said as her left leg was removed. “But whatever, I feel safe around you. Just don’t go using me as a shield.”

  “Don’t even joke about that.” He mumbled under his breath, “I mean, you know Oliver is in the other room? What if she tries to eat us?”

  “If she wanted to eat us or kill me specifically, she would’ve done so back when I went to the Red Market. She had herself and everyone there, I would’ve been dead if she so much as said so. I think she’ll probably kill anyone who tries to break into here.” With the stump of her left arm, she motioned to her right arm. “This one next.” Despite her words though, her heart was racing. To leave oneself in such a vulnerable state in complete privacy.

  By Emilio’s hand, the last arm was removed. “This still feels a bit weird.” It was like seeing your coworker naked. Actually, he was looking at his coworker naked right now. So, the metaphor kind of fell apart.

  “What’s weird about it?”

  “That you’re so fine with… Well… You look like a nugget honestly.” He said, trying not to laugh at his statement. She still had part of her limbs, as they were severed just a bit below the shoulders, providing her with a tiny bit of movement.

  “If I had my limbs I’d kick you in the shin.” She laughed. “At least my face and chest doesn’t look like a map.”

  “Each scar tells a story and I seem to get a new one each mission,” Emilio protested. The wound he got from Oberon tonight was definitely going to scar. It’d be his first scar below his knee actually! So it felt special this time.

  “If you say so, just don’t call me a nugget again. I mean, come on, I’ve lost each of my limbs to a mission or from a Prescript.” She flicked her head over to the tub, which was now filled with hot water. “Come on, help me in. I’m looking to enjoy tonight.”

  Emilio nodded, undressing himself, a calm expression on his face. It was a bit of a complicated procedure. First he helped Heidi get onto the floor, then got into the bathtub, then, picked her up and helped her in. The water was the perfect temperature. Both of them liked their hot baths to be a few degrees below ‘scalding hot.’ Once in the tub, Heidi sat in front of Emilio, fell back against his chest, their naked bodies against one another.

  The water was so hot that condensation collected on Heidi’s face, “Fuck, I needed this. Makes me forget that I was just in a fight for my life moments ago.” In retrospect, now she was just thinking how annoyed she was that no one bared witness to the cool decapitation she did back there.

  Emilio hissed in mild pain. The wound in his ankle burned like hell as it made contact with the water, but the pain soon dissipated. Those bandages and splint held on well though. “You’re telling me. My mentor would always say that a warm bath heals both the mind and the body.”

  The two stayed there, both of them going quiet, enjoying this moment of relaxation, knowing that they would have to go back to the horrors of the Backstreets the next day. The life of a Fixer meant that you not only had to have combat skill, but also had the drive and will to take a life; to forget about who it is that you’re killing and what their story is. On top of that, in Emilio’s words, the most important trait to have as a Fixer wasn’t combative skill or intelligence, but fearlessness and readiness that the next job will be your last; too many newbies went into the job unable to accept that fact. All of these is what defined a Fixer. This recent job proved that notion more than anything. What even was the body count this time? He didn’t even want to think about it.

  It was time to forget about that, just for now. Now was their time to let their stress soak away.

  Emilio stared at Heidi, her breathing was soft. Frankly, he was jealous of her. How could she be comfortable in this situation? He has faced so much suffering in his life. Baring witness to the death of everyone he knew twice over. She too had faced similar suffering; the loss of all four of her limbs, the loss of her eye, being forced to live through all the horrors that came with being under the Index, and now being forced to ‘kill her past’ as the Prescript puts it. Yet, she remained so steadfast, unlike his own facade of confidence; he was always one misfortune away from completely breaking down. Even her hesitation to explain her situation didn’t betray her confidence. She was his closest companion and his second in command. Yet he couldn’t help but feel like she was the stronger one here. More than just that even with their naked bodies pressed against one another, he couldn’t see her in a sexual light. She was, at the end of the day, a companion that he wouldn’t trade for all the wealth in the City. This whole thought process was getting too cheesy even for him… Was this kind of thought process stupid to have as a Fixer? Caring so much about your companions and growing so attached? Was he repeating the same mistakes he made back at his old Office? Damn right he was.

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  “Emilio?” Heidi spoke up.

  “Yeah?”

  “Sorry for not explaining myself before,” she said, rubbing her cheek with the stump of an arm. “It was careless of me. Oliver nearly died because of me.”

  “It’s fine.” Emilio nodded, “It wasn’t your fault Oliver got hurt. That Index guy would’ve shown up whether or not you kept it hidden or not.”

  “Yeah…” She said, “Still… I feel like it was bad on my part-”

  “Ah stop it…” Emilio hushed her. “Let’s not talk about those things right now. Let’s just focus on the now.” The now, being warmth and companionship.

  The two remained. Two people who were willing to march on into hell if they were with the other. It was stupid to grow so close in the City but they were fine being stupid. Speaking of stupid. As they relaxed there, they heard the door open, causing both of them to jolt in surprise.

  Standing there, fully undressed, holding her jacket in her hand, was Oliver. She even had her mask off and her hair down. Her long blonde hair rested on her shoulders. “I’m joining.” She said plainly, before walking over. Baffling, her wounds had fully healed. Then, there it was, the scar that ran from her sternum down to her groin. Looks like Silvio wasn’t lying.

  “Uh, sure.” Emilio said, scooting aside, moving Heidi with him. The bathtub was hardly big enough to house two people, three people would be even more of a tight fit.

  Oliver moved over and hopped into the tub on top of Emilio. He thought he was going to be crushed by her surprising weight. “Thank you.”

  “Ack!” Emilio gagged, getting use to the combined weight of Heidi and Oliver on top of him. “Someone… Is in better spirits.”

  “Certainly heals nicely.” Heidi laughed.

  “Index isn’t shit.” Oliver said. “No offense.”

  “None taken.” Heidi nodded.

  After a brief moment of silence, the three bonding without words, Emilio spoke up. “Guess this is my life now.” Emilio gave a playful sigh. “Our life now.” He didn’t even have to explain what he meant. A bunch of broken, fucked up people coming together. He just knew that the same thing could be said about anyone who would join the group in the future. That’s what Runaway Office was made for; sure, they were a bunch of broken, fucked up people, but they were broken together. “We’re getting paid tomorrow.” He pondered, “Let’s take tomorrow off, what say you two? I think we should treat ourselves to a nice meal.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Heidi said.

  “Wanna go home first.” Oliver said, resting her head against Emilio’s chest. “I need to check in on my teddies.” That’s right. Neither of them had ever been to Oliver’s house. Maybe they could use this opportunity to go check the place out.

  “Alright. Then it’s a plan. A trip to the dive bar is in order.” Emilio laughed, raising his fist out of the water. “We save each other’s lives so many times, that we all owe one another lunch in one way or another. So I think we should all pitch in.”

  “Still owe me.” Oliver said. “You pay for mine.”

  “Still owe me too.” Heidi said, looking over her shoulder, snickering. “Don’t try to worm your way out of it.”

  “Haaaah… Why do I even bother…?” Emilio sighed. Yeah, they were in this for the long haul. Discussions out of the way. Wounds to be tended to. The three of them stayed there, washing their worries away, willingly forgetting for the time being that they could die the next day.

  Meanwhile, outside, in a much colder more hostile environment.

  Night in the Backstreets was approaching. A bit more than an hour away. To be outside right now was suicide. A lone figure walked alone. A small, tan skinned man, with black shoulder length hair, who carried himself with a professional air.

  “Are you sure it’s safe to be out? You need to get to shelter immediately!” A voice rang through the man’s ear piece.

  “I’ll make it. There is a hotel just one block over. So I’ve been told by the locals.” The man said. No, it would be wrong to call him a man. He was small, far too youthful looking. He couldn’t have been older than 15.

  “I trust your word. Please. Be careful though.”

  “If the Sweepers arrive early, I can fight them off. Even with this body.” He said, hanging up. The boy walked on, heading towards his stop. That was, until he was interrupted. He heard them before he saw them, steadily approaching behind him.

  “Look at that clean ass suit! Idiot is making himself an easy mark.”

  “Look at home small he is. He’s a pipsqueak! He’s either stupid or suicidal.”

  “You think he’s an ex-Nest dweller unfamiliar with the rules? Alright, let’s do this.”

  The boy looked over his shoulder, hearing a group approach him. “Hm?”

  The group approaching him was a group of men dressed in plaid, tacky looking jackets. All of them carrying makeshift weapons like bats and shoddy looking blades. The night sky made their features hard to make out. In the center of them was a scar covered man with a mouth full of crooked teeth. “Oi! Kid! Don’t you know the rules here? There is a street tax-” The man stopped himself, with a short gasp. A gasp of pure horror. As if he just realized he made a severe mistake. All the other gang members, previously posing and grinning threateningly, had the wind was immediately taken out of their sails.

  “Yes?” The boy said. It was his uniform that frightened the Syndicate members. A uniform of white, with gold trimming. The uniform of the Hana Association. “I’m sorry, did I forget an unspoken rule of these parts?”

  The man with the crooked teeth remained silent. Sure, he looked like a child, but even they weren’t stupid enough to pick a fight with someone from the Hana Association.

  The boy tilted his head to the side, curiously. “Ah, it’s my body, isn’t it? This replacement body isn’t the most professional, I understand.” He looked down at himself. “If you have no more to say. Then I will make my leave.” He said as he began to walk off. But, soon stopped himself and turned around, causing the Syndicate to jump in shock. All of them frozen in fear. Yet again “My apologies, but there is a hotel near here, is there not?”

  The gang, again, didn’t say anything.

  The boy adjusted his monocle. “Hey, I asked you a question. It’s incredibly rude to not say anything when asked, even when you’re nervous. Is there a hotel near here?”

  The leader of the group finally spoke up. “Yes… It’s not the best one but it’s a hotel. Just go down the block and you’ll see a green neon sign-”

  “Alright, that’s enough. Thank you. I just need a place to stay, I don’t need a tour.” The boy nodded. “Any Fixer offices?”

  “There is Carlo’s Office a few blocks down,” the Syndicate leader shivered. “They’re good, but a bit expensive.”

  “Carlo’s Office, led by a Grade 6 Fixer that the Office is named after. Tragedy befell it just hours ago. Noted, but not the Office I’m looking for.” The whole time, the boy kept an air of professionalism. “Any Office by the name of Runaway Office?”

  The Syndicate looked amongst themselves, before one of them spoke up. “I… Think I saw an Office by that name. One of them is a girl with a katana and a guy with a big cleaver.” He backed up into the crowd. “Can we go now?”

  “Good, I’m in the right place, thank you.” The boy turned around and walked away, allowing the group to relax.

  “What the fuck is the Hana Association doing here?” One of the gang members mumbled under his breath, in passing.

  An action that caused the boy to turn around, swiveling on his heel in one motion, scaring all of them. “Hm?” He hummed, raising a brow. “I’ll let that comment slide. I’m visiting a friend of a friend. Call it a check up.” The boy observed the trembling gang members. “You are… The Doobie Boys, yes. A Syndicate of Urban Myth Class. Put your guards down, you guys don’t even register on my radar.” He turned around walking off.

  The Doobie Boys all breathed a sigh of relief.

  …Only for the boy to turn around for ANOTHER time. Causing them all the gasp, one of them even falling backwards onto his ass.

  “…The Night in the Backstreets is almost an hour away. Seek shelter, please.” he smiled, as if he knew the fear he struck into them. “Even a Grade 1 Fixer like me would prefer not to be caught in such an onslaught.” With that, he finally turned around and began to walk off, this time not turning around, leaving the Syndicate to their own devices.

  First stop: A place to stay.

  Then in the morning: Runaway Office. It was time for a routine checkup.