Chapter Thirty Five: Brass Tacks

Hidden Moon watched Ronin as he sat in a chair near the hologram and began studying it, not surprised at his curiosity. At a glance, the hologram appeared to just be an overview, when in reality it was a detailed blueprint that could be manipulated and studied at will, a functionality Ronin had discovered fairly soon after their initial conversation.

"Can I have a copy of this?" he asked without looking up from the section of alleyway he'd been focused on.

Nodding, Hidden Moon said, "I'll have Jessica, the overly affectionate receptionist you spoke with a little while ago, give it to you."

Sighing gently, she said, "I wish I just called you to say thank you and to work out a trade agreement….but unfortunately there is something else I'd like to discuss with you."

Looking up at her, Ronin's eyes narrowed and he asked, "What would that be?"

 The air around him shimmered and his eyes, black until now, flashed bright silver, and Hidden Moon had to take a deep breath before she continued.

"I'd like to hire you and your Ghosts."

Ronin jumped from his chair and drew a gun he'd had hidden and he asked, his voice dark and suspicious, "How do you know about the Ghosts?"

Motioning for him to put the gun down, she said, "An old friend of mine, Marcus, told me that you could help me for a price."

"How do you know Marcus?" he asked, slowly lowering the gun to his side, putting it into a holster hidden beneath his lab coat.

"Marcus came to me five years ago and helped me with a problem I was having at the time, one you may be familiar with...Alchemists. He recently called me and told me if I was having a problem with them again, to give you a call," she said, her voice quiet.

Ronin's face flashed darkly now and the air around him stopped shimmering as he said, "Then the job is killing alchemists?"

Hidden Moon shook her head and said, "Not for now...the guild the High Cathols, have you heard of them?"

Ronin nodded and said, "They seem like a group of religious bullies from what I've heard."

Nodding in agreement, Hidden Moon said, "You've heard correctly. They've always been wealthy so they've always had access to the best technology, but as of late they've been claiming to be capable of performing miracles...and succeeding."

Ronin rubbed his chin and asked, "So you think it's actually Alchemy."

"Yes...Alchemy is already basically magic, it's almost impossible to really know what it's capable of...but some of the things the Cathols have been doing...flight...bringing back the dead…..just seems a little too fantastic to be real."

 Ronin sat back in his chair and asked, "So what's the job you want to hire us for?

 Hidden Moon tapped at her keyboard and the hologram of old New York changed into one of what seemed to be a normal looking hilt.

"This is, what we believe to be, an alchemical artifact developed by whoever it is that's heading up the Cathols research division. We have no idea what it's capable of, but the container it's currently being shipped in is marked with a symbol that's been showing up frighteningly frequently," she said as another image appeared.

A container with a white circle surrounded by four differently colored diamonds flickered in the gloom and Ronin asked, "Is the white circle the symbol for the High Cathols?"

 "Yes," Hidden Moon replied, "they claim it indicates their purity and unity of purpose...but as of late the only thing it's done is terrify people."

"What do you mean?"

 Taking another deep breath, Hidden Moon said, "The High Cathols have been expanding lately...I'm sure you've heard as much...but lately these expansions have been more than just gathering new members by force, bad enough on its own, but they've also been forcing themselves on Guildless territories. They move in, build or alter buildings to serve as churches and then force the inhabitants to pay exorbitant prices to stay in the area."

Ronin examined the case and symbol deeper as he asked, "What happens to those who can't pay?"

Scalpel's voice rang out from behind them, "The lucky ones get drafted into the Cathol's little private army or forced to leave the area."

 Ronin looked back at her and asked, "And the unlucky ones?"

Scalpel shrugged and said, "You know as well as I do that progress takes sacrifice."

Looking back at Hidden Moon, Ronin said, "I see...so you want us to steal this container and bring it to you?"

Shaking her head, Hidden Moon replied, "We don't have the resources to research this to any kind of effect...I'll be honest with you Ronin, we don't employ any researchers or alchemists...we deal primarily with trying to keep the peace and criminals off the streets. What I'd like is for you to steal it and then figure out what it does, Marcus told me that this is what you do."

Scalpel touched his shoulder and he felt Azue's hand on the other and he said, "I need to discuss it with my team, I'll be in touch."

Hidden Moon slumped into her chair as Ronin and his friends started to leave and said, "Please think quickly. Its making its way to the High Cathol's main headquarters tomorrow morning...you don't have much time."