opticallyenhanced:
“Oh, well of course I would understand the precaution, Mister Jayden. I wouldn’t want for a repeat of what happened, especially considering how that went last time. Honestly you should consider yourself rather lucky you had a hit on you. You’d be surprised to hear, but it wasn’t someone in this city who wanted you dead… no… it was the scientists who contracted the hit on you. Not sure if you care about it now, but I think privacy protection doesn’t count for clients like them.”
It might have, but Shalem could care less at the moment. It’s been over a year since that hit. And it simply was another day for him, just him doing his job like it should have been. Clean, quick, efficient.
He had more pressing issues to worry about anyway.
“Though if you’re asking me about crime in this city, Mister Jayden, you’d be surprised to hear but I actually don’t enjoy committing or associating myself with criminals. I am a professional, after all. Associating and being associated with the criminal underworld is hardly befitting a man of my style… however…”
Shalem let out a harsh chuckle, his eyes staring at the ground for a moment.
“There has been a bit of a rumble of things going on. Of how disorganized things have been of late… and power plays being made to reign everything in. Perhaps you can say that there has been quite a bit of scrambling around ever since you disappeared, Mister Jayden.”
“... The scientists were the ones that contracted you to kill me? Why would they need you to for that when they already control the entire city?... Unless, perhaps... No, that theory doesn’t make sense... Hm...” Jayden’s words trailed off has he began trying to piece together what he’d been told. The neutral stoicism in his voice previously was replaced with clear surprise. He’d always assumed it had been Roman Torchwick, his then-criminal nemesis, that had ordered the hit out on him. But this... This was completely unexpected. He’d been trying to oppose the scientists from day 1, but he’d never gotten the impression that he’d managed to accomplish anything significant in that regard. And if he’d had, they could just send him home and never bring him back. So why ask another citizen to execute him?
Just another mystery upon many others to solve.
The detective slowly lowered his gun and let it his hand fall to his side; The longer they were here, the higher the chance that some innocent bystander would walk by and stumble upon them. If they caught sight of Jayden holding up Shalem like this, it would almost certainly cause a scene, which nether of them wanted. Even so, Jayden kept his weapon in his hand rather then return it to his holster. He didn’t think Shalem was inclined to try anything funny at this point, but there was nothing assuring about dealing with an assassin. Should he try to run, close the distance between them or pull out his own weapon, Jayden would get the first shot in. The FBI agent was on the lower scale of combat prowess when measured against most of the other residents trapped in Hive City, but his marksmanship was nothing to laugh at.
“So the criminal underworld has a power vacuum at the moment... I see. Then I already have my work cut out for me. Let’s go back for a second; Tell me, what did the scientists give you as payment for the hit on me? I doubt they would give you a simple cash payment.”

















