Part 58

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- Listening...

- Quiet, I need to meet your rangers.

- DeShawn, call them, why are you distracting me?

- They're not returning my calls and--

- What do you want me to do?

I cut him off without listening to him complain about my girls.

- Do I have to drag them out by their hair? How do you even see that happening?

- Just tell them and--

- Tell them what? DeShawn, if they don't want to hang out with you, do I have to force them to?

- I...

- You. You've been interrupting their work with your calls, and when one of them sends you away, you call me? However, judging by the elapsed time since you called, you decided to try calling the other girls first... and how was that successful?

- Quiet, don't piss me off....

- DeShawn, don't piss me off. You're just a fixer and you're not permanently in Postmortem, in which getting hold of you would be somewhat problematic...

Well, it's not that problematic, it's more like I don't want to mess things up with Bestia, so if I have to deal with DeShawn, I'm not going to do it on her turf.

- ...and a large-calibre rifle from a kilometre away will solve the issue very well....

- Are you sure you mean that?

- DeShawn, you don't have to be so innocent. You're the one who started with threats, even if you didn't make them into something concrete. I'm just not in the mood to beat around the bush. Over and out.

I dropped his call and added him to my blacklist.

- You're in a bad mood...

- DeShawn called... I get the feeling that this fat nigga is overly confident in his untouchability as a fixer and also not used to getting rejected. Anyway, added him to my blacklist.....

*** A day later. ***

- So this is what you wanted, huh?!

OWLs burst into my Hippo and stared at me with rage. But I didn't care about his rage... I didn't give a shit about his rage. So I calmly looked up from my tools and looked at OWLs.

- OWLs, what's your beef with me?

- What? What?!

- OWLs, calm down and look at me. I don't give a shit who's the head of the clan, and that's probably why you came here, am I right?

He glared angrily, but nodded.

- Well, I don't give a shit about that, I'd be willing to just be a member of the clan, just work for the good of the clan, even if I don't forget my own. As the head of a solo group, I know what a pain in the arse it is to manage a bunch of people like you do, and I don't want to have that burden around my neck. But I don't have a choice.

- А?

- B. Panam. She loves this clan. And she said it herself: either the Old Ones nominate me as clan leader, or she leaves.

- Well, then get out!

- We would have deltaned...

I nodded.

- ...except I know Panam, that move would make her unhappy. And I don't want my girl to be unhappy. So, given a choice, I have no choice but to run for the position of clan head. But I just want you to think. Could I do this out loud?

- Yes...

He didn't like to admit it, but we both knew that if I said I wanted to do it and showed my money, which I was ready to give to the clan for a small sum of money, but the clansmen don't forget about their personal wealth, and OWLs would be kicked out of office.

- But at the same time I called Mitch and Scorpio, the 'old timers', who have been in the clan for decades and are able to assess all the prospects. I suggested that they talk to the other 'old timers' before coming to you, and only then did they quietly and peacefully approach you.

- You...

- Я. OWLs, you're a good man, you may have turned a little bit on Biotech, but you're not a bad man. I don't need an enemy like that, and that's why I asked you to keep it quiet. You'll keep your authority, in fact, you'll be respected even more, because you're so wise, you saw someone who was so useful to the clan and gave way to him....

I look carefully into his eyes.

However, I can see in Saul's eyes that the first emotional explosion has already passed and he is rapidly calming down.

- Is that even true?

- Hmm?

- Well, about the Basilisks and the Manticores....

- It's true. Although the latter will have to be dismantled, the clan won't be allowed to own them, but the engines and reactors can be put to use, the same Basilisks can be fitted with engines, and the reactors can be used to ensure the clan's energy independence.

- Eh...

He collapsed on the table and looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

- ...I must be getting so old...I just want some peace and certainty. You don't think I understand what joining Biotech would mean for the clan, do you?

I shrugged.

- I do... except... how many young men have I sent out on orders and they've died? How many children have died because the Clan didn't have the right medicine? How many times have we been attacked by OWLs and solos just to make a profit off of us?

- And you were hoping that Biotech would shut you out of some of these problems?

- Yes...

- But you do realise that other problems will arise... and the problems of corporations like Biotech are much... more unpleasant than those of the average clan.

- I get it... boy, you're gonna take care of the clan, aren't you?

- You make it sound like I'm going to kick you out and you can't look after the clan and intervene...

- You're not going to kick me out?

- No...

I shook my head.

- ...No one is going to kick you out. Moreover, the clan won't have any combat operations in the near future. We'll have to prepare equipment, prepare people, a lot of things to do. And after that... I don't think I'm going to decide to fight any big corporations.

- All right... I'll resign... but I'll keep an eye on you....

- Uh-huh...

OWLs stood up and slowly left the Behemoth.

- How long are you going to hide for?

- Well... I was just covering for you...''

Panam embarrassedly showed up from the adjoining room she had been in throughout the conversation, while the other girls were now sunbathing outside.

- Were you worried a lot?

- Well... yeah... I know Saul, he can be a stubborn sheep. And if he'd got something in his head, he could do something stupid.

- So you wanted to step in if things got hot?

- Mm-hmm.

- Which side?

- А?

She looked at me confused.

- Isn't it obvious?

- Panam, it's obvious that I would have taken Saul down without your help, that's why I'm asking when exactly and on whose side were you going to interfere? Although...

I gave her a sly look.

- You probably wanted to intervene when I was twisting Saul to stop me from doing something, right?

Panam nodded embarrassedly.

- Ugh...that's what an embarrassment you are...come here....

Panam came towards me and I grabbed her waist and sat her on my lap.

- Careful! You've just lost an arm and a leg!

- It's all right, Vic knows what he's doing, and a little thing like a slim girl on my lap won't hurt me.

- Well... okay...

She wiggled her arse on my lap.

- So, did you want to save old man Saul, who took care of you and the other kids?

- Well... yeah...

I grinned.

- Well, he was in no danger, even if the unthinkable happened and he decided to attack me, I would just disarm him. But in that case, it would be dangerous to leave him in the clan. Who knows what else he would do?

- Eh.

- But I think he'll be like my deputy. He will work for the good of the clan, distribute orders, monitor reputation, and I will extract resources and determine the course the clan will take.

- I see.

Panam breathed a sigh of relief.

- So?

- What?

- Well, you've tied me to the clan... knowing my character, you realise that although I won't give the clan any free stuff, but now the clan will get impressive discounts. And I won't be able to leave the clan if it has problems. My temper won't allow it.

Panam looked down at her lap in embarrassment.

- Through me, well, and yourself, you also tied Judy to the clan, although the benefit is not so obvious, but still she is a good technician and runner, as well as in brans understands... But what I really want to know is how you are going to tie Becca, Lucy and Kiwi to the clan?

- А?

- Don't tell me you haven't thought about it, I won't believe you.

- I have...

She said it very, very quietly.

- So?

- Well... through you...

I blinked.

- What?

- Through you... don't you think I can see you looking at them? And Judy... she's still in control and she still cares about you, but she's looking at them too. So I was planning on tying the whole team to the clan through you two.

- Evil little genius... though-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I.

I lowered my gaze to her breasts.

- ...Far from a little, but still evil, genius.....

- You're not offended?

- No... like I said, I was considering joining the clan. It's not a good idea to spend your whole life in Knight City. I've got an idea, but it's gonna take more money than all of us have together.

- An idea?

- Well, I want to explore space.

- А?

- Actually, this idea came to me not so long ago and I'm just thinking about it, but if you think about it, what's stopping you from setting a global goal? Say, build a spaceship and go explore the solar system?

- Um...

Panam was confused by my words.

- But for now, it's just that... dreams. Before that, I was thinking of just travelling with the Clan, fulfilling orders in different cities and maybe settling down with the Clan where it would be more peaceful. However, one thing does not prevent another, you can first find a safe and quiet place, and then go into space....

- Did someone talk about space?

Lucy walked into the Behemoth.

- Yep... here's David sharing his crazy plans.....

- Why crazy?

I shrugged.

- Now we'll get me back to normal and we'll still go to the moon, like I promised our Lucy....

Lucy shuddered at these words and looked at me with shock and disbelief.

- ...and already in the flight we will understand whether we should think about building a personal spaceship and become noble pirates, or just wanderers who will visit different planets. But my immediate plan is to take you all to the moon.

- Yeah...you're jumping from topic to topic.....

- No, I'm not, I'm just revealing a new side with every word. So get ready...I think in a month and a half...and the clan?

- What about the clan? Can't OWLs do it without my guiding hand?

- It's fine, it's just...

- Panam, you're the one who wanted me to take over, not me...

- Well.

- So now we'll work with what we have.

- Wait, you're the head of the clan?

Lucy looked at me in surprise.

- I'm not yet, there's a general meeting to be held when Saul resigns and hands it over to me.

- Erm... I see...