[Havok, Piasu, Ryomania, 2:35 PM, May 7th, Tuesday 2025]
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Havok, Carrion Murata and Broc Saeger were driving into the city after Carrion had recovered the relic 'Primordia' from the remains of The Daniels Estate.
Carrion Murata: "Tch, can you go any faster? It's not like we're underground anymore!"
Carrion turned to his left, to look at Broc as he drove the taxi through the roads and streets of Havok.
Broc sighed and tipped his hat to him.
Broc Saeger: "Buddy, look… I'm a taxi driver. Not a race car driver—There's a difference."
Carrion mimicked him in a higher pitch.
Carrion Murata: "There's a difference! There's a difference!—You keep saying that shit, but it's obvious. Course there's a fuckin' difference, it's like saying water's a liquid… What, am I an alien to you? You think I see fluffy clouds and unicorn crap wherever I look? Shit… Just focus on driving. You're going to give me a headache."
Broc Saeger: "Are you like this with everyone or just us 'newbies'?"
Carrion sighed and rubbed his temple, setting down The Primordia on the dashboard of the taxi, knocking over a hula hoop girl ornament in the process.
Carrion Murata: "Sorry, it's just the after effects of using Nil, it makes you a bit… negative. Nah man, we're cool."
Broc shot him a side-glance, feeling a bit irritated.
Broc Saeger: "Are you going to pick her up?"
Carrion Murata: "Who?"
Broc Saeger: "Janine."
Carrion Murata: "Is that the new recruit on floor two? Damn, now that I think about it she was kind of cute—"
Broc slammed his foot on a special pedal on the car floor, causing the car to submerge under the road.
He moved quickly, pulling out a Baretta pistol from his right pocket, pointing it at Carrion.
Broc Saeger: "The hula hoop girl—Janine—pick her up, now."
His tone didn't leave much room for negotiation, the look in his eyes was fully serious.
He unchecked the trigger.
Carrion chuckled and reached over The Primordia to pick up the ornament, putting the hula hoop girl on her feet.
Carrion Murata: "Calm down… I'm just messing with you! I told you, I feel a little weird after using Nill right after Flow, you really can't combine the two… Sorry, I know how you like to keep things tidy."
Broc rolled his eyes and re-triggered the safety on the gun, putting it back in his pocket and pressing the special pedal on the car again, causing it to emerge from the ground like nothing happened.
Nobody noticed.
Broc Saeger: "Don't do it again… And it's not just my OCD… You know what Janine means to me."
Carrion reached over, patting his shoulder.
Carrion Murata: "I know, you'll be okay. You helped get a relic! This counts as an official promotion—Well, kind of. We'll see what The Overseer says."
Broc Saeger: "Right, that freak."
Carrion Murata: "Wow, you're ballsy! Calling your own boss a freak? Damn son, I didn't know you had it in you!"
He cackled and patted his shoulder more aggressively, Broc shook his hand off.
Broc Saeger: "He's not Jinn, that's for sure… He's just meant to be in charge of the Havok team. He's like a manager."
Carrion Murata: "Wow, you've clearly not worked a day in your life… Managers are basically like a boss. If you ain't listening, you're getting shit-canned."
Broc Saeger: "I'm a Taxmatrian, and you just told me I've never worked a day in my life…"
Broc looked over at him incredulously, feeling irritatingly exhausted.
Broc Saeger: "This is why Henry is above you in rank, he's actually a good person—"
Carrion Murata: "—And I'm not?! Fuck's that supposed to mean?! Do you know how much I've sacrificed for Jinn?! Do you know how many missions I've been on?!"
Carrion stood up in the car seat, shouting at Broc, turning and firmly putting his foot down on the hand-break, almost causing the car to crash.
Broc acted quickly and pressed the special pedal, submerging the taxi.
Broc Saeger: "Are you trying to piss me off?! We almost crashed, you dumb—"
Carrion Murata: "Don't you ever talk to me about my rank again. We're not buddies, buddy."
Carrion's eyes glowed a deep menacing purple as he stared at Broc.
Broc was stunned, he felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead, he forwards again and pressed the special pedal, emerging back onto the road.
Broc Saeger: "Won't happen again, sir."
Carrion plopped back into his seat, kicking his feet up onto the dashboard of the taxi, above The Primordia.
Carrion Murata: "No, it's my fault… I told you, I shouldn't have used 'The Black Bull's Lamentation', I'm barely even used to 'White Serpent' yet."
Broc Saeger: "Right… Why does Nill cause you to get all negative?"
Carrion chuckled and held up his left hand, a white glow covering it.
Carrion Murata: "Flow's positive. Nill is negative. It's as simple as it gets, right? If Flow is life energy then Nill is basically death energy, hence the negativity…"
Broc Saeger: "Right, but then why use it at all?"
Carrion's expression became serious for a second, looking out the window to his right, watching the cars go by, the people going by about their day.
The Ariston Industries Center in Havok drew closer.
Carrion Murata: "Some people just want to watch the world burn… I don't know. That's why we have to stop The Syndicate."
Broc Saeger: "I don't think we have to do anything. We could just live our lives—"
Carrion Murata: "If that were the case then I would've died at birth and you'd be stuck in Taxmatria, hated, despised and known as the worst taxi-driver of all time… And then The Syndicate would win, shit's hard. This is destiny, a road we're all meant to walk upon…"
Carrion paused, pulling out the gun from the holster on his right and the katana on his back.
Carrion Murata: "There's both right… And wrong."
Broc Saeger: "Why did you name them that?"
Carrion scoffed, holstering his weapons.
Carrion Murata: "Not me, my father did. A long time ago. They're relics, remember?"
Broc Saeger: "Relics… Right, sorry… Oh, speaking of, you never really told me what happened—"
Carrion Murata: "Drop it. We're here."
The Ariston Industries Center was just before them, Broc didn't argue further.
He pulled the car into the parking lot.
Carrion Murata: "Okay, so let's go over the plan again—"
Broc turned to him, grabbing a pack of cigarettes from the glove compartment and lighting one, blowing smoke out of the left-hand side window.
Broc Saeger: "There's a plan?"
Carrion snatched the cigarette from his hand, activating Flow and burning it up completely in his palm. Not even ash was left, it completely disintegrated.
Carrion Murata: "Of course there's a fuckin' plan, the plan is I talk, you shut up and look formal and we get the job done and then you can fuck off and do as many missions with Henry as you'd like? Okay?!"
Broc glanced between his palm and face before calmly pulling out another cigarette, lighting it and blowing smoke in Carrion's face.
Broc Saeger: "If you fight me out here, the Overseer will notice. There are around five specialized agents in the building except for us, and over thirty normal agents. Plus workers, staff and civilians. I recommend you calm down unless you want new retinas, sage."
He chuckled, putting the cigarette in Carrion's still outstretched palm, watching as it dissipated into the Flow.
Carrion shut his eyes, grinning and turned off the Flow from his hand.
Carrion Murata: "I knew I liked you, Saeger. This shit's hard… huh? Fine, we can finish this later. Let's go deliver The Primordia."
Broc Saeger: "Heard you loud and clear."
Carrion quickly slipped on The Primordia on his right hand, they both got out of the car and made their way to the building's front doors.