Arriving back at the penthouse, they all sit around the dining table. There is still a strong sense of tension and animosity between Kirov and Marto from their earlier encounter at the Tangra Bar. Kirov breaks the tension when he states,
"I think it's time we talk about next steps." The others look at each other as Kirov continues, "I have contacts in London, Paris, and Berlin, my point being that you can all escape the western ECC without issue once we solve some of the issues here." Krisi and Vasko look at each other in agreement, when Marto chimes in,
"What about the NUSA?"
"What about it?" Kirov responds, slightly aggravated,
"I've explained that I want to be a boxer, and with these new implants, I actually have a chance to make it on the world stage. But to do that, I need to go to the NUSA." Kirov paused for a second, seeing the sincerity and even a sense of threat in Marto's eyes,
"I don't have the same level of contacts there, and can't protect you in the NUSA… But you seem determined, so when we sort out our issues here, I can get you on a ship from Greece to New York." Martin doesn't say anything, simply shaking his head in agreement and giving Kirov a look of appreciation.
Looking back at him, and then the other two, Kirov tells them, "I can get you out through Serbia, but first we need to sort out this business with the BD," looking at Krisi, "and I can make a few calls to see if it really is Netwatch coming after you, Vasko." Vasko looks back at him and thanks him, saying,
"It's definitely Netwatch, but I think I can make a deal with them," Kirov smirks at Vasko,
"You don't do deals, I do. But yes, if it is Netwatch, your skills as a netrunner make you more useful alive than dead."
Throughout the conversation, Krisi didn't say a word; it was easy to tell that she was unsure about how Kirov wanted to deal with her situation with the BD. She eventually looks at him and asks,
"What if I want to go public with the BD?"
"If you don't mind being dead, then it's not an issue," Kirov responds, unamused at the, from his perspective, idiotic proposition. Krisi clearly is not happy with this response, but she holds back from arguing at the table.
"Alright, unlike the rest of you, I have work to do to make yourselves comfortable. I need to go out for a few hours. Don't leave the apartment, and call me if anything happens."
Kirov gets up from the table and gets in the elevator. As he is descending, he receives a call on the Holo; it was his father.
"Afternoon, Dad," Kirov answers unemotively,
"Kirov, I would have expected you to have already made your rounds today? And what's this I am hearing about a fight in the Tangra Bar?" Kirov thinks for a moment, not wanting his father to take a closer look at what's going on in his life right now,
"You know how it is there, I went to speak with Dancho about some contracts for apartment blocks he wants to build in Lyulin-"
"He knows that's Delyan's territory, and he needs to take a cut. You told him as much, right?" Kirov paused, sensing that his answer needed to be measured.
"Of course, I told him I'd see what I can do and no more."
"That's tomorrow's problem, you need to go and shake down Ivaylo, he doesn't want to give the shell company the contract for the A2 motorway. I want you to make it clear to him that either I build the road, or it won't be built."
"Understood." Kirov's father hangs up the Holo as the elevator reaches the ground floor, and Kirov goes to get his car.
Driving into the parking lot of the apartment building of Ivaylo Krustev, he checks him out on the company records. He doesn't find anything incriminating. That meant that he would have to take a more blunt approach to convincing him. Knocking on the door of his apartment, Ivaylo comes to the door, being directly met with a fist to the face.
"I- I'll call security!"
"Kirov Security Services protects this apartment block. I'm guessing you don't know my last name?" Ivaylo just looks at him, blood starting to pour from his nose, "Well, if you don't know mine, I have a feeling that you can guess what my father's would be?" Ivaylo couldn't get any words out. Kirov proceeded to drag him to the balcony, where he then picked him up and held him off the balcony edge.
"I know this is a somewhat stressful situation, but you can still understand what I'm telling you, right?"
"Yes- Yes, I can hear you clearly!" Ivaylo is choking not from his blood, but from his tears,
"Good, I'll be brief. The A2 motorway needs to be finished, and it will be completed by DK Construction, understood?" Kirov looked down at Ivaylo, waiting for his response, before he put him back on solid ground.
"Of course, I'll reopen DK Construction's bid when I get to the office tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Kirov changes his grip from two hands to one,
"Today! Today! I'll open the bid today! Just please bring me up!" Kirov pulled him up and started to leave, but as he opened the door, he received a call on the Holo; it was Vasko.
"Vasko, what's happening?"
"They- COUGH They took Krisi and Marto." Kirov froze for a moment, then moved. Getting out of the elevator, he now races to his car,
"Who took them? Are you okay?"
"I don't know, it happened so fast."
"I'm on my way to Vasko." Kirov usually didn't like breaking the rules of the road, but if he hadn't bribed half of the police chiefs in Sofia, he would have been put in prison for the way he raced home. Cutting through traffic, he started to look at the security footage, seeing that there was a food deliveryman who came to the door, followed by a group of four heavily armed Mercs. They shot out the security camera so he couldn't see what happened after that.
Once he reached his building, he raced to his penthouse and busted the door open, Gun in hand. Scanning the room, he saw a body that corresponded to how the Mercs on the security looked, and then he saw Vasko on the other side of the room, curled over.
"Vasko! Get up!" He ran over to him, and Vasko opened his eyes. He was hurt, but not anything life-threatening.
"Okay, relax, I'll find them, just sit up and don't fall asleep." Kirov went over to the other body, seeing what was left of a face, caved in to the back of his skull, clearly Martos's handiwork. Looking at the gear and cyberware, Kirov made it out to be a Kang Tao-backed Merc. Immediately, he burst into Krisi's room and started tearing the room apart. He found the shard containing the BD. This was good, since they didn't have it; it meant that they needed Krisi alive.
"Vasko, can you get up?"
"Yeah, I'm not hurt that bad."
"Good, you're coming with me."
They both go down to the parking, get in Kirov's car as he drives maniacally. Eventually, they park in front of a Chinese restaurant. Vasko was confused,
"Why are we at a Chinese restaurant? We need to go save them!" Kirov stares at him, not appreciating the question.
"Do you know where they are keeping them? No? Then stay in the car and shut up!" Kirov opens the door, but before exiting the car, he hands Vasko his pistol,
"I don't want this, I'm not like you!" Vasko tries to give it back, clearly not being used to the tech-deck, not a pistol, but Kirov's glare is enough to make him take the gun.
Kirov opens the door and goes directly into the kitchen. Kicking the door in,
"You can't be back here-" The worker's complaint was interrupted by a prompt kick to the stomach by Kirov. Kirov scans the building and sees an office in the back. Bursting into the office, the owner had a gun drawn at the door, where Kirov was standing. Kirov, as if he couldn't see the gun pointed right at him, kept walking to the owner.
"Kang Tao is in Sofia. They order from you. Where are they?" Kirov was now inches away from the man's gun, still barking questions at him, as if he were the one holding the gun.
"I don't know where they are," Kirov slaps away the gun and knocks the man out of his chair,
"I promise! I don't know where they are." Kirov slowly walks toward the man as he crawls into the corner of the room.
"Okay- Okay, we had a few large orders that were unusual."
"Where?"
"In front of the abandoned Metro station in Mladost." Kirov goes in for another hit, but holds back. He just storms out and goes to the car.
"We are going to Mladost."