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"Somewhere Not Over the Rainbow" - Part 14/17
Story Index - Part 14
The Realm of the Unwanted really was a place unlike no other in the Zones. About seventy annuals ago, the Outer Zones had been rocked by storms for nearly a month. When the skies finally cleared, there were two-hundred Indo-Asian refugees scattered across the land. At the time, the Outer Zone had been at war and a rumor was passed that they were really spies. More then fifty had died before the crown could intervene. The Realm was set up for the remaining people as a haven.
No right-thinking person had disagreed when the remaining refugees had forbidden OZ police and Army entrance. But, then, as the cut-throats and black market dealers started to move in, the honest folk moved out.
Nowadays, the Realm retained strong influences of its exotic and foreign beginnings - rick-shaws in the streets, belly dancers entertaining a crowd, signs written in strange characters – but it was also the place to go if you had dealings that could get you in to major trouble top-side.
The place Hunter always started when he visited the Realm of the Unwanted was Bulba's Tavern. Information was the key commodity in the Realm and most of it passed through Bulba's.
“Are you sure I'll be safe here, Captain?” Zek asked him.
Hunter laughed softly at the young resistance fighter. “Safer than you would be out there,” he answered. “Just be sure to keep a clear head and open ears.”
Leaving Zek to his eavesdropping, Hunter went out in to the bustle of the Realm. The woman who ran the fighting ring was always a good source of information and she was sympathetic to the cause.... well, she was sympathetic to him.
A few hours later, Hunter returned to Bulba's and was glad to see that Zek was still in one piece – which was good – and had developed the look of a local – which was even better.
“Anaka's was a bust,” he said before taking a long gulp of Zek's drink. “She's got a boxer she's currently, um, promoting, so she wouldn't even give me the time of day.” Hunter sighed, “Tell me you heard something.”
Zek smiled as he pushed a sheet of paper across the table. Hunter unfolded it to see not only DG's picture, but Glitch and Raw's, as well.
“Some man call the Seeker has a meeting with them here,” Zek reported.
This was mixed news for Hunter. No one really knew where the Seeker’s true purpose lay. He did pass information to the Resistance, but he had also gained his name by seeking out anyone connected to the royal family – and once the Seeker found them, they were never heard of again.
“When is this meeting taking place?” he asked.
Zek coughed lightly and jerked his chin towards the bar. Hunter shifted in his seat just enough to see the three misfits he had smuggled in to and out of Central City. There was also a tall man, wearing a dark-colored coat, a hat pulled low and a gun at his hip. It looked like they had found a new protector, Hunter thought.
Facing this motley group was the Seeker and... “Of course,” Hunter nearly spat the words, “Air of Day would be in the middle of something like this.”
“Who is Air of Day?” Zek asked.
“A drop-dead gorgeous, double-crossing, bitch,” he answered with out taking his eyes off the meeting, “Get ready for some action.”
Hunter undid the strap on his gun holster while Zek slowly pulled a pair of knives out of his boots. The Seeker’s cry of “We had a deal!” sent them into motion against Air of Day's men.
Hunter knocked one out with the butt of his gun, then kicked a second man in the stomach before the lights went out.
The sudden darkness caused the fighters to pause for a moment while their eyes adjusted, which gave Hunter enough time to spot Air of Day trying to cut through a support rope for the ceiling net.
DG's scream cut through the dark and prompted Hunter to put his gun to Air of Day's head. “I'd drop that knife if I were you.”
“Hunter?” The knife clattered as it hit the floor, “What brings you back to the Realm?”
Ignoring her question, he calmly said, “Call off your men,” and cocked his gun.
He heard the edge of fear in her voice as she called out to her goons that the fight was over.
“Zek, you alright?” he asked as he tied Air of Day's hands behind her back. After all, those nails were lethal.
“Right as rain, Captain,” came the reply.
“Glitch? Raw?” he called as he made his way over to the breaker box and flipped the switch, restoring the lights. Hunter then turned to survey the aftermath.
Raw and Zek were standing by three men, keeping them in check with Zek's knives and Raw's claws; the two men who Hunter had taken out were laying on the floor, along with two others, by Glitch, and the last goon was staring down the barrel of a gun held by – Wyatt Cain?
“Hunter!” Glitch called out happily, “Boy, did you show up in the nick of time.”
Hunter holstered his gun. “Zek, here, heard that you were coming. I thought I had better say hello.”
“DG's gone,” Raw said, “Seeker took her. Toto gone, too.”
“Then we had best be after her,” Wyatt said. “Thank you for your help, Mister...?”
“It has been a few annuals,” Hunter said softly.
“Excuse me?” Wyatt asked.
Hunter took a deep breath and stuck out his hand. “Cain. Jeb Cain.”
The Realm of the Unwanted really was a place unlike no other in the Zones. About seventy annuals ago, the Outer Zones had been rocked by storms for nearly a month. When the skies finally cleared, there were two-hundred Indo-Asian refugees scattered across the land. At the time, the Outer Zone had been at war and a rumor was passed that they were really spies. More then fifty had died before the crown could intervene. The Realm was set up for the remaining people as a haven.
No right-thinking person had disagreed when the remaining refugees had forbidden OZ police and Army entrance. But, then, as the cut-throats and black market dealers started to move in, the honest folk moved out.
Nowadays, the Realm retained strong influences of its exotic and foreign beginnings - rick-shaws in the streets, belly dancers entertaining a crowd, signs written in strange characters – but it was also the place to go if you had dealings that could get you in to major trouble top-side.
The place Hunter always started when he visited the Realm of the Unwanted was Bulba's Tavern. Information was the key commodity in the Realm and most of it passed through Bulba's.
“Are you sure I'll be safe here, Captain?” Zek asked him.
Hunter laughed softly at the young resistance fighter. “Safer than you would be out there,” he answered. “Just be sure to keep a clear head and open ears.”
Leaving Zek to his eavesdropping, Hunter went out in to the bustle of the Realm. The woman who ran the fighting ring was always a good source of information and she was sympathetic to the cause.... well, she was sympathetic to him.
A few hours later, Hunter returned to Bulba's and was glad to see that Zek was still in one piece – which was good – and had developed the look of a local – which was even better.
“Anaka's was a bust,” he said before taking a long gulp of Zek's drink. “She's got a boxer she's currently, um, promoting, so she wouldn't even give me the time of day.” Hunter sighed, “Tell me you heard something.”
Zek smiled as he pushed a sheet of paper across the table. Hunter unfolded it to see not only DG's picture, but Glitch and Raw's, as well.
“Some man call the Seeker has a meeting with them here,” Zek reported.
This was mixed news for Hunter. No one really knew where the Seeker’s true purpose lay. He did pass information to the Resistance, but he had also gained his name by seeking out anyone connected to the royal family – and once the Seeker found them, they were never heard of again.
“When is this meeting taking place?” he asked.
Zek coughed lightly and jerked his chin towards the bar. Hunter shifted in his seat just enough to see the three misfits he had smuggled in to and out of Central City. There was also a tall man, wearing a dark-colored coat, a hat pulled low and a gun at his hip. It looked like they had found a new protector, Hunter thought.
Facing this motley group was the Seeker and... “Of course,” Hunter nearly spat the words, “Air of Day would be in the middle of something like this.”
“Who is Air of Day?” Zek asked.
“A drop-dead gorgeous, double-crossing, bitch,” he answered with out taking his eyes off the meeting, “Get ready for some action.”
Hunter undid the strap on his gun holster while Zek slowly pulled a pair of knives out of his boots. The Seeker’s cry of “We had a deal!” sent them into motion against Air of Day's men.
Hunter knocked one out with the butt of his gun, then kicked a second man in the stomach before the lights went out.
The sudden darkness caused the fighters to pause for a moment while their eyes adjusted, which gave Hunter enough time to spot Air of Day trying to cut through a support rope for the ceiling net.
DG's scream cut through the dark and prompted Hunter to put his gun to Air of Day's head. “I'd drop that knife if I were you.”
“Hunter?” The knife clattered as it hit the floor, “What brings you back to the Realm?”
Ignoring her question, he calmly said, “Call off your men,” and cocked his gun.
He heard the edge of fear in her voice as she called out to her goons that the fight was over.
“Zek, you alright?” he asked as he tied Air of Day's hands behind her back. After all, those nails were lethal.
“Right as rain, Captain,” came the reply.
“Glitch? Raw?” he called as he made his way over to the breaker box and flipped the switch, restoring the lights. Hunter then turned to survey the aftermath.
Raw and Zek were standing by three men, keeping them in check with Zek's knives and Raw's claws; the two men who Hunter had taken out were laying on the floor, along with two others, by Glitch, and the last goon was staring down the barrel of a gun held by – Wyatt Cain?
“Hunter!” Glitch called out happily, “Boy, did you show up in the nick of time.”
Hunter holstered his gun. “Zek, here, heard that you were coming. I thought I had better say hello.”
“DG's gone,” Raw said, “Seeker took her. Toto gone, too.”
“Then we had best be after her,” Wyatt said. “Thank you for your help, Mister...?”
“It has been a few annuals,” Hunter said softly.
“Excuse me?” Wyatt asked.
Hunter took a deep breath and stuck out his hand. “Cain. Jeb Cain.”