Chương 59: Chapter 58: Fixer

They parked the van a block from Parco Dora. The park was an industrial site before its redesign, the legacy of old factories and railways visible in the broad, open spaces and the rusted iron sculptures now half-covered in climbing vines. It was one of the largest open areas in the city, and on normal days, it attracted tourists and locals looking for space. Today, it looked abandoned. Cecilia stood at the edge of the park, the squad spaced behind her in a loose formation.

There were people inside the park, distant shapes moving between the installations. Players. At least three groups that she could see, probably more.

"Status from other squads?" she asked. Luca was in the back of the van, monitoring the comms.

"Ruggiero has control of the west side of Mirafiori. Dario's teams are still on the hill, keeping the situation there contained. The others are holding positions around the Quadrilatero." She nodded, scanning the park. No System markers yet, no hostile icons. Just the diffuse spawn Luca had flagged earlier, and the players converging on this place. Whatever the secondary objective was, it hadn't revealed itself. Bianca stepped up beside her.

"Same strategy?" Cecilia watched the groups move. They were armed with a mix of firearms and makeshift melee weapons, some of them showing visible System enhancements. None of the groups had more than six members.

"We wait," she said.

"Let them trigger the next step. If they start killing each other, let them. If they team up, we'll need to decide whether to interrupt."

"That's a big park," Bianca said, eyes scanning the terrain.

"Lots of room for a fight." Cecilia glanced at her.

"Not my style."

"Didn't think so." Bianca tilted her head.

"But I'm happy to get messy." Cecilia let a small smile show before it disappeared. Bianca had a way of making even a battlefield sound like a private game between the two of them. She turned her attention back to the park.

"We'll wait for the right mess. If nothing happens in the next fifteen minutes, we start our own approach and force the issue."

"Understood." Cecilia opened a channel to the squad.

"Hold position. No engagement unless fired upon." The squad waited, quiet and steady. No one fidgeted. The enforcers had been handpicked from the ones who knew how to hold position and listen. The newer recruits weren't here today. Her eyes moved over the park again. A group near the southern edge was approaching one of the metal structures, a large, rusted column covered in graffiti. Two other groups were moving parallel to each other but not interacting, keeping a distance.

Then, without warning, a System icon appeared near the central plaza: a gold-bordered node with an exclamation mark inside it. The same kind of node that had appeared at the first Scenario, but larger. Luca peeked out from the van.

"There it is." Cecilia's overlay updated, text scrolling across her vision. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE REVEALED SECURE THE NEXUS NODE TIME REMAINING: 20: 00"Spread out along the perimeter. Monitor their movements, and wait for my call." The team broke into pairs, moving silently into the cover of the trees at the park's edge. Cecilia and Bianca stayed where they were, watching the distant figures approach the central structure.

It was an old industrial silo, the concrete surface cracked and covered with vines, a metal staircase spiraling around it. The top of the silo had been cut open, the edges jagged. Now, light spilled from the opening—an unnatural violet glow, unmistakably System energy. Several monsters emerged from the other side of the park, moving fast, converging on the silo. They weren't the usual Prowlers. These were bulkier, with thick armor plating and longer limbs. One of the player groups opened fire.

Bullets sparked off the monsters' armor, drawing their attention. The creatures responded with a spray of something like acid, the liquid sizzling on the concrete. The players scattered, some diving for cover. The creatures altered course and charged across the open ground. A second group of players saw the exchange and changed their path, cutting toward the fight with weapons raised. The fight began in earnest. Cecilia looked over at Luca.

"Do you recognize any of those people?" He was squinting, using the binoculars to get a clearer view.

"One of those groups is 'Red Star,' a new Player organization. They're organized, but not big. I don't have much on the others yet."

"They're all trying to reach the objective," Cecilia said.

"Whatever's inside that silo is drawing them in. Let it." The fight intensified, two of the creatures going down in a hail of gunfire, but the Red Star group was already taking damage, one of their members retreating with a visible injury. As they pulled back to regroup, the second group arrived, hurling bolts of what looked like energy onto both the remaining monsters and the wounded Red Star players. The first group scattered, returning fire with anger more than control. Cecilia waited, letting the chaos build.

The third group had reached the scene now, coming in from the side, catching the others in a crossfire. Bullets flew, and one of the new arrivals fell. A moment later, two of the Red Star members also collapsed under return fire. The fight devolved into a close-quarters melee, with energy bursts and gunshots lighting up the park. Bianca shifted next to her, eager. Cecilia touched her arm lightly.

"Patience." The energy from the silo grew stronger, the violet light spilling out in waves. Whatever was inside seemed to be activating. One of the creatures made it past the Player skirmish and began climbing the spiral staircase, moving quickly toward the top. Luca leaned forward.

"That thing's carrying something. I can see a marker on its back." Cecilia radioed her squad.

"Target the one on the stairs. Bring it down before it gets inside." Two of her enforcers were in position. Their rifles cracked in unison, hitting the monster. The creature stumbled, lost its footing, and tumbled off the stairs, hitting the ground below with a sound that carried. Something dropped from its back as it fell, a metallic glint in the grass. The light from the silo flickered sharply. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Time to move." Cecilia stepped forward.

"Bianca, Saul, Rufo, Angelo, with me. The rest, stay on overwatch and pick off any stragglers. Discourage them. Kill only if necessary." They broke from cover at a sprint, rifles up, cutting across the edge of the park where the Player groups were still busy with each other. No one paid them any mind. The silo was ahead, the violet glow brighter than ever now. She could hear something moving inside, a low hum that grew louder with each step.

At the base of the silo, the object the monster had dropped came into view: a silver disk, about the size of a plate, faintly glowing. Two Players from the third group were also moving toward it. Cecilia reached it first. She picked it up, feeling its weight shift strangely in her hands. As soon as her fingers touched the surface, the violet light from the silo brightened, and a System prompt flashed across her vision: ACQUIRED OBJECTIVE ITEM: NEXUS NODE She didn't read the details. There would be time later.

A shout came from one of the approaching Players.

"That's ours!" Cecilia didn't answer. Bianca fired a shot over his head, making him duck for cover. The other Player raised a hand that sparked with energy. Before he could cast, Saul stepped forward and put a bullet through his arm. The Player dropped to his knees, clutching the wound. Bianca moved toward the fallen man, but Cecilia held up a hand.

"Leave him. We're not here to finish them." The two Players regrouped behind a twisted metal sculpture, exchanging words Cecilia didn't bother to listen to. From the top of the silo, another creature appeared, this one larger, humanoid-shaped, its body wrapped in the same violet energy that lit the structure. Cecilia activated WEIGHT OF OFFICE, the familiar pressure rolling out from her in a wave. She felt it settle over the squad, tightening their focus, sharpening their readiness.

MARKED LEDGER flickered in her periphery, tagging the remaining creatures with red markers. The System confirmed a damage bonus against all Marked targets. It was a small edge, but small edges added up. The large creature leapt from the silo, landing with a heavy thud in front of them. It stood taller than a man, its arms extended, and a pulse of energy shot from its palms toward the group. Cecilia ducked behind cover, Bianca at her side. The pulse hit the concrete, cracking it.

"Engage!" She fired around the corner, hitting the creature in the chest. Saul and Angelo fired together, rounds sparking against the creature's energy-coated body. It roared, a deep, grinding sound, and charged. Bianca met it head-on, her knife out, dodging its wide swing and slashing at its exposed side. The creature flinched, the violet light around it flickering. Saul and Rufo circled behind it, firing into its back. The creature turned to face them, leaving Bianca an opening.

She drove her knife deep into its thigh, twisting. It stumbled and swung its arm again, catching Bianca in the side with a glancing blow. She rolled with it, coming up on one knee, her knife still in hand. While its attention was on Bianca and the others, Cecilia watched the Player groups still skirmishing a short distance away. There were still a few creatures between them and her squad. If they joined forces, it would complicate things.

"Angelo, you're up." He nodded, moving slightly away from the fight, and raised his rifle. A faint blue aura shimmered around him. His class had a skill that could disorient enemies at range. The blast of energy hit the ground between the Player groups, sending up a plume of dust and stone. The Players scattered, breaking off their engagement with each other, some moving toward cover, others retreating farther into the park. The remaining creatures chased after them. Cecilia pulled out her radio.

"Squad Two, clean up any monster still moving on that side of the plaza. Squad Three, take the far side. We're securing this location." Acknowledgments came back. The larger creature was still fighting Bianca. She danced around it, landing small, quick strikes that kept it off-balance. Saul and Rufo maintained fire from the sides, keeping its attention divided. Cecilia aimed carefully and fired, hitting the creature in the head. It roared again, its form wavering as the violet light dimmed.

Bianca took the opening, slashing upward across its throat. This time, it fell. The creature collapsed, its body dissolving into dark particles, leaving behind a few items that glinted on the concrete. Bianca stood over it, breathing hard, blood staining her sleeve. Cecilia walked up to her.

"You good?"

"Never better," Bianca said, sheathing her knife. Cecilia looked around. The plaza was quiet now, except for the fading light from the silo and the sound of distant gunfire from the edges of the park. Luca's voice came over the radio.

"Other Players are disengaging. Looks like they're pulling back toward the perimeter."

"Almost all of them." She watched two of the Red Star members still moving toward the silo, hesitant, clearly not willing to abandon the objective.

"We still have a few stragglers." Rufo raised his rifle.

"Want me to send them off?"

"Not yet." Cecilia turned to face them, holding the silver disk in plain view. The two Players stopped in their tracks, eyes on her and the object she held. The man with a shaved head and a tactical vest, likely the Red Star leader, raised a shotgun, but Saul and Angelo already had their rifles trained on him.

"Don't," Cecilia said, her voice flat. He paused, glancing between her and the muzzles aimed his way. His face hardened, but he lowered the gun. The other man beside him put a hand on his shoulder, murmuring something. Cecilia studied them. They were still here, even after seeing how outmatched they were. Either desperate or stubborn, depending on their reasons. She could respect that, but it didn't change the situation. The man with the shaved head finally spoke.

"That's the objective. We were here first."

"You didn't secure it," Cecilia said.

"You lost it." His jaw tightened. He glanced back toward the tree line, where his injured people were retreating, then at the silo behind her.

"We're not walking away empty-handed."

"You don't want to do this here," she added, tucking the disk under her arm. Her WEIGHT OF OFFICE pressed against the space around them.

"There are still four hours in this scenario. Let's trade." He narrowed his eyes.

"Trade what?"

"You want loot. We want progress. I'll pay you for leaving this park now and not trying again today."

"How much?" He was still eyeing the disk, but his voice had lost some of its edge. It seemed like he was smart enough to take a better deal than a bad fight. Cecilia considered the offer. There were few enough groups in Turin that were organized. Making enemies of them now was a mistake. A small concession would go further than a battle.

"Three rare items from our stockpile. Delivered to the location of your choice when this scenario is over." She gestured with her head toward the Quadrilatero.

"You'll have the same chance everyone else has to complete other objectives." He looked like he wanted to argue but knew better. After a beat, he nodded.

"Fine. Three items. And medical supplies. A token of good faith." She almost smiled. He knew how to bargain, at least. She could afford to throw them a kit. It was worth it to get them off the field.

"Done," she said. He lowered his weapon fully. The man beside him relaxed, too.

"You have a deal. But next time, we won't walk away. I'll send word where to deliver." She gestured to Rufo, who handed him one of their spare medkits and a burner phone with a number already keyed in.

"That number," Cecilia said.

"And we're done." He took the items, nodded once, and backed away, keeping his eyes on her until he reached the tree line. When they were gone, she let herself breathe. The squad stayed close, watching the perimeter. The violet light from the silo faded, returning the plaza to a dull, early morning gray. Bianca came to stand beside her.

"You're getting soft." Cecilia raised an eyebrow.

"I'm getting strategic. The city needs players who understand negotiation, not just shooting." Bianca shrugged, though she didn't argue.

"They're still rivals."

"They are. But I can work with rivals. I can't work with idiots." She opened a channel to Luca.

"We have the node. We're pulling back."

"Copy," he said.

"There's another skirmish forming near the west entrance. Could be another small prize there."

"We've got what we came for," she said, already moving toward the van.

"Let someone else work for it." Back at the vehicle, she handed the disk to Saul.

"Secure this in the transport case. Then get us back to the Quadrilatero." She took her seat beside Luca, the van door slamming shut behind them. The engine started, pulling away from the curb. He glanced at her as the park disappeared behind them.

"You didn't think they'd try to take it from you?"

"Not after I made it clear the price would be too high." She watched the streets pass by, thinking about the Players who had walked away. There was a place for force, and a place for leverage. She preferred the latter, but only when it worked. The rules of engagement were still being written. She was writing most of them herself. That was fine. She'd always preferred setting the terms to following them.