Tenner’s eyelids, the weight of half of the world, crushed his eyes as he swayed into the lobby of The Sky’s Eye. The massive tower’s entrance was devoid of yesterday's life. The tables with fine dishes and drinks had been removed and the mess had been cleaned up, leaving behind only a cold floor, an unattended receptionist's desk and a wall covered in neon signs with news of the Realm and clocks displaying different times.

Tenner teared up from the onslaught of light. So much of it… So early in the morning… Who’s the wicked man who invented mornings?

He wiped his eyes. The red clock in the middle of the wall, the biggest one, ticked over to five-thirty. One of the special hours of the day, when the people who have been up all night and those who are waking up meet. Tenner looked up the spiral staircase leading to the elevator floor above the lobby.

Moments later, waves of people, dressed in every color, either entered The Sky’s Eye or descended the stairway. Henches were wrapped in Extensions and carried tools bigger than people. Masterminds, dressed in suits, surrounded by walls of holograms, diagrams and servants, bumped into one another. And the bounty hunters… No look defined them, but with experience, one could tell them apart from the way their eyes moved, the way they moved through crowds and always inspected their surroundings.

Within the early morning flood of people, one figure stood out. A bald-headed woman--in her late twenties--dressed in a leather jacket, black lipstick and red gloves, stopped in front of Tenner. She smiled a Centercity smile. Nothing real in those lips… But something very familiar behind those eyes, he thought, grinning a slum salesman’s grin back at her.

“My name is Ruby and I greet you to The Sky’s Eye,” she said matter-of-factly. “Before anything, I must apologize for Logan’s tardiness -- he had to stay up all night to clean the tower up.”

The deeper than usual voice. The forced cheeriness. The pain hiding behind those eyes. All those things… For a moment, the floor seemed to disappear beneath Tenner’s feet. Ruby reminded him, too much, of his mother.

My mind is a mad lunarist, he thought, forcing the connection out of his head. It doesn’t have to do these things, but it still makes me see the impossible. This is a random assistant. Ruby is her name. Not even close to my mother!

“Logan will be here any moment,” Ruby said. “While we wait, would you like any snacks? Beverages?”

“I’m fine.”

“Alright, then if you don’t mind, I’ll take care of certain matters.”

Tenner nodded and the assistant headed over to the receptionist's table. Holograms zapped into existence around her and she started taking care of documents. Despite what Tenner told himself, he couldn’t stop staring at her.

When the morning rush slowed, Logan appeared, making his way down the staircase. He walked knowing damn well he owned the place and sipped on a glass with a glowing drink. The light from the drink revealed his scarred teeth.

“You’d need a close look to realize these are two of the most capable bounty hunters in Realm 676,” he said. “But you don’t need an eye in the sky to see: these two are loyal to me.”

Tenner kept a cold face. I’m loyal to my friends and to Blackglove’s death. Logan’s just a rest stop. A corpse in the making.

Ruby had the very same cold face -- a bounty hunter, numb to everything around her.

“Tenshot, you have the look of a man I require, but the look I require is far from this.” He looked him up and down, and waved at Ruby.

The assistant turned off the holograms. From beneath the table, she took out a uniform and dropped it at Tenner’s feet. Tenner looked down at the clothes then up at Logan. Putting on the uniform would mean he would be bending down to Logan. Tenner would have to as to get what he wanted, but he would do it on his own terms -- he dropped his jacket. Then started taking off his shirt.

Logan’s eyes narrowed.

“You think I can’t afford changing rooms?” he said.

Tenner chucked the shirt on the ground and untied his shoes.

“I came here in levita caravan with two of my friends and a morono. Before that, I saw everything bad the slums of a poor Realm had to offer. No, even last night I witnessed what happened in these streets. I can change here.”

Logan nodded and uttered, “My grandfather used to say a strong man doesn’t need sleep when he has perks, skills, and most importantly of all, experience. I follow that advice. I see you’re a man of an even harder character. Of course, sometimes even the strongest of us fall prey to luxury.”

“Yeah, we’re slaves,” Tenner said. “Slum dwellers used to have the biggest bar tabs and go on spending sprees in the shopping district, while everything at home crumbled around them. Human minds are strange, I guess.”

Logan didn’t respond to his words and let Tenner finish dressing. The passersby shot him strange looks.

It was a plain black uniform, embellished with some yellow details. Over his chest, there was an eye from black cloth. Logan waved and led Tenner up the staircase, up to a maze of elevators.

Along with the assistant Ruby, they got into an elevator near the back. The doors shut and the metal capsule shot up. He remembered Galvani’s office. Somewhere deep inside he still wanted to see that mastermind dead.

Twenty floors up, the elevator passed a tall window into the outside world. The illusion of the coming morning swallowed the view. Leaning forward, Tenner couldn’t get a view of the city below. They were that high up.

“No fear of heights?” He looked up at the smirking Logan.

“No,” Logan answered. “Either way, it’s impossible to fall off The Sky’s Eye.”

“I could make it possible, you know.”

“Perhaps. But I would personally not like to see that happen. It’s bad for business. And, Tenshot, I would like to know what it would cost to prevent that. What it would cost to buy your devotion.”

“Back in Realm 224, masterminds shelled out thousands of credits for a day's work. Yet there, salesmen also charge less. On top of that, I require quite a fortune. So, I ask for no less than twenty-five thousand per month.”

“I pay the best bounty hunters twenty-five thousand for six months of work.”

Tenner turned to Ruby. “Letting yourself be scammed like that?”

She stood frozen in the corner.

“Speak,” Logan ordered.

Ruby stuttered half a dozen times and spoke up, “I’d like more. But I’m happy with this.”

“Tenshot, you understand there is nothing, but business in this world -- why aren’t you happy with my incredible offer?”

“You haven’t made an incredible offer. I could come back in six months when you have the credits to spare for Tenshot,” Tenner said. “I know who I am and how long it took to build that name and those skills. And you’re not paying for my service. You’re paying for skills and devoutness.”

The elevator stopped.

“Twenty-five thousand this month. And I make sure you can be trusted with such money in your hands.”

Tenner nodded, satisfied. If he’s as smart as I think he is, he will test me.

“I will be going down now,” Ruby flicked her hand through a hologram as they left the elevator. “I have to deal with code sacrifice.”

Once the assistant disappeared, Logan continued speaking, leading them down identical corridors, lined with black doors, sometimes catching a glimpse of the city below.

“Tenshot, could you fathom that a mastermind like me was once the Bandit of the Desolation? Could you imagine someone sitting atop a comfortable tower, scheming, planning the deaths of other masterminds, roaming the endless wasteland and taking down levitas?”

“Well, it explains the scar…”

“The scar… The scar is a different matter, from when I returned to the Realm. See, the wasteland took the love of my life. It is… sad. But it’s also fate. Men like me and you, we’re bound for loneliness, yet we can still feel love and value someone more than seas of credits. When I came here, I used every creditcoin to raise The Sky’s Eye, so everyone below would simply look up. And they do. With eyes of jealousy. Through the sights of laserpistols. That’s why I need you.”

They stopped at a door, where the words “The Dream Club” were engraved into the black metal. A screen popped up in Tenner’s vision.

A screen appeared in Tenner’s vision when they stopped at the door.

[Ultimate Private Contract]

[Task: Keep Jason Eye alive

Reward: 25,000C$ per month | 100 EXP per day

Contract length: 6 months]

[Accept?]

Greed nagged at Tenner. He could pull even more credits out of Logan. If it can be killed, it can pay more, he thought but didn’t push it further. He remembered what Ames had told him. And he doubted his mind.

A high-level mastermind can read every one of my tiny movements. They can manipulate what I do. Some can even read my mind. I’d rather leave it here than push Logan to activate his perks.

[Accept]

“Tenshot, you now are the caretaker of my son. You’ll teach him, you’ll live with him and you’ll protect him at all costs. Make sure he is always as calm as you are in the face of one of the planet’s most powerful men. Don’t ever forget that.”

Tenner shook Logan’s hand.

The black door with “The Dream Club'' inscription opened. Beyond it was a penthouse, decorated with fancy wooden furniture, vases, untouched diamond-studded teddy bears and worn-out toy guns. The kid, wearing a plain gray outfit and round glasses, and curly hair, ran around the room, tumbling behind the couch, pointing a lasergun at the entrance. His battle-scarred red cap fell off his head, but he quickly snatched it. And he roared.

“Introduce yourselves, intruders!”

“It’s the secretary of The Dream Club,” Logan walked in and picked the kid up. “And I’m bringing you your brand new caretaker.”

Jason looked Tenner’s way and smiled, then looked back at Logan in disappointment.

“Great!” the kid said. “But that’s not really what I’m waiting for. You said you’d get rid of…” His words faded into an unintelligible murmur.

Tenner contemplated activating [Predator], but let Logan and Jason have their privacy.

Logan put the kid down and patted his head. “Not a disease. A gift. I’m working on it. Day and night, whenever I have the time, I’m working on it.”

Tenner frowned. Logan was lying.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get rid of it by your birthday, but it’ll be done by the next. Don’t worry. Once you reach my age, you’ll realize how good it was having this gift.”

“Okay.” Rolling his eyes, Jason gave Logan a hug.

Logan turned to Tenner and snatched him by the forearm. “If you remember what I said, you’ll know what to do. The rest you’ll learn or you’ll be taught by my servants. We’ll meet soon enough -- there’s always business in The Sky’s Eye. Good riddance.”

Logan left and a minute later, the scent of his blood faded along with the rhythm of his heartbeat.

I can be a mastermind like Ames with [The Smellings of Blood], Tenner thought. For example, I already know Logan’s heart skips a beat whenever he lies.

Tenner and Jason stood, facing one another, clueless about what to do. Tenner hadn’t ever dealt with kids. This wasn’t a job for a bounty hunter. He was supposed to be down in the streets, fighting scum, racking up credits. Or sitting by Logan’s side in life-or-death meetings. But he was a caretaker, now. And luckily, he was spared from killing.

He came around: maybe this wasn’t so bad.

No matter what, I just have to keep control of myself.

Awkwardly, Tenner and Jason kept staring at one another.

This place will hide me from Blackglove for the time being. This is the perfect place for getting my levels up. If I use some of Ames’ mastermindian tricks, I will get Logan on my side and I will strike with an army of Enforcers.

Jason raised an eyebrow. They’d been standing in utter silence for a while now. Tenner stepped forth, extending the kid a hand. As the kid shook it, Tenner noticed scars and remains of molten metal on his own right hand. Jason did too. Tenner hid the hand behind himself.

“Oh, that. When you’re a bounty hunter for a while, you stop noticing stuff like that,” Tenner said. “But you shouldn’t worry. I never went after kids.” He winked.

Jason whipped his laserpistol up, pointing in between Tenner’s eyes.

“I’m not worried! You should be! Jason of Death is the last person you see before you die!”

“You have no clue how many times I’ve had laserpistols pointed at my forehead.”

“Cool!” The kid’s eyes widened. He holstered his gun, plopped into a seat and put his head in his hands. “Tell me some stories!”

“One day I will.”

“Why?!”

“Because they’re terrifying. Yes, they’re also pretty cool, but even I get the shivers thinking about them.”

“You’re lying! Adults always are.”

“Well, I’m not that much of an adult. I still feel like a kid, at least.”

“Doesn’t matter -- when you say later, that means you’ll never do it.”

Tenner sighed.

“Alright, I’ll tell you a story every time you level up.”

“Yes!’ Jason pumped a fist. Hand in the air, he froze. There was a knock on the door. He whispered, “What time is it?”

“Exactly seven am.”

Terrified, the kid dropped everything he hid under the table, slowing his breathing, and placing a few chairs in front of himself.

“What’s going on?” Tenner asked. Jason stayed silent. Carefully, Tenner slumped over to the door and yelled, “Who’s there?” Then he waited for a moment.

What’s going on today? No one’s answering me! Tenner gripped his axe behind his back and opened the door.

“Finally! Logan told me about you, but I did not expect my assumptions to be correct -- you are excruciatingly late. Now, enough of standing there like a Realm in the desolation. Get out of my way!”