Jubal was bored. He sat on a public bench, glancing around for his droid head unconsciously before remembering that he didn't have it anymore. He sighed and resumed scanning the crowd as they filtered through the slowly revolving doors. They came in groups or individually, most were in a hurry, some seemed lost. All of them had big plans. All except for Ari Sarkissian.
Ari walked into the airport without any luggage, wearing a casual outfit and trying to hide his identity with a baseball cap and sunglasses. He stopped as soon at he reached the departures board and stared at it, lifeless and frozen. He was sufficiently engrossed that he didn't notice Jubal walking up behind him, and only turned when Jubal grabbed his upper arm with considerable force.
“I knew you'd turn up here sooner or later,” Jubal whispered.
“What--” he sputtered in surprise. “You? You work for me, don't you?”
“I used to, yes,” Jubal answered quietly as he led Sarkissian to a corner. “But that was just a front, so that I could get close to you to claim the bounty on your head.”
Ari blanched and looked around frantically. “I--I can pay you,” he stammered desperately.
“Oh relax,” Jubal laughed. “I've received a better offer. Do you happen to know of a little junkyard operation called Moe's?”
“Are you joking?” Sarkissian stared at him in confusion and pulled his arm free of Jubal's grasp.
“I'll take that as a no. Well old Moe has certainly heard of you. He has a rather high opinion of you as well. He's putting together a crew for an operation--”
“Sorry, not interested,” Ari interrupted him. “I'm done, I'm just--”
“--to recover a lost horde of gold bars,” Jubal interrupted back.
Sarkissian's jaw dropped open. Jubal watched the confusion and avarice wrestling in Ari's eyes. The avarice won.
“I thought so,” Jubal said with a smile.
He started walking out of the airport without looking back. A few moments later, Sarkissian caught up with him.
“How much is a horde exactly?” he asked.
“Oh, just the entire contents of one of the most successful pre-war bank's vaults,” Jubal answered coyly.
“I see. And why--”
Jubal's phone rang, and he held an index finger to Sarkissian's lips as he answered it.
“The first package has been secured, Moe.”
“Well that's just dandy,” came Moe's friendly voice. “Your droid is coming along nicely, by the way. Oh and you'll never guess who just walked into my shop.”
“Edward Wierczyk, exactly as you predicted,” Jubal answered drily.
“Well, yes,” Moe began patiently, ”but he's brought a new, uh, friend with him. You may remember her from your first visit to my shop.”
“Jane fucking Kelley,” Jubal hissed.
Sarkissian's eyes widened at the name.
“But she was-- I just--” he stammered, his face reddening. Jubal pushed his index finger into Ari's lips again.
“That's a deal breaker, Moe,” Jubal growled into his phone.
Moe chuckled amiably in reply. “Oh son, we both know I'm the one holding all the cards here.”
Jubal ground his teeth together and gave Sarkissian a forced smile.
“I'm sure we'll all get along just fine,” he answered bitterly.
“You'd better,” Moe replied cheerfully, “or else you won't have much of a chance against those Infernals, will ya?”
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