The First Job
The remainder of the morning was spent with Benny going over the proposed alterations to the phone, as well as Revy fishing through one of the Warhammer box sets and reading through the rule book.
The afternoon, spent a couple of hours writing letters to Neville, Hermione, and Ron, as well as finishing his completed report on Yamatai. He also sent along some presents, as well as one of the Warhammer sets to Ron to try and figure out. After posting them through the embassy, Harry went back to his apartment for a nap.
That evening, Harry dressed and, donning his ever-present backpack, went out into the nightlife of Roanapur. Different stores were open, as well as more restaurants, food stalls, and all of the bars and strip clubs. Harry marveled, as the brightly lit night time Roanapur was nearly as bright as day time, and infinitely more loud and lively.
But Harry was out on a mission. He'd overheard Benny talking with Revy about her favorite food stall, and Rock chimed in with his own. Interestingly, the both of them were only open at night, first to the bar crawlers, and after the bars and clubs closed down they would serve supper to Roanapur's Night People, the folks who actually worked the nightlife scene in the city.
Roaming from street to street, Harry kept clear of the alleys and darkened sections of the city, having heard that the more desperate denizens tended to lurk there. Various barkers called out for him to enter various strip and sex show clubs, and women with too much makeup pleaded for him to come and join them for a drink inside of a bar. Harry politely refused all of them, keeping moving with the crowd.
Finally, almost two hours into his journey (Roanapur was not a small city), he came across a certain food stall. It was done up as a western food cart, but had short plastic stools and tables laid out on the sidewalk in front of it. Walking up, Harry saw that the man behind the cart had extended it's sides, and slices of thin crust pizza were rotating under heat lamps. A low rumble from the cart itself told Harry that there was some sort of generator inside of it, which was powering everything.
Three slices of pizza and two more hours later (as well as a substantial increase in the amount of cleavage being presented as the night grew later), Harry stopped at the second stall. It was set up like a tiny restaurant, with short extendable walls and flip-out stools. There, a man was flipping small balls of dough in an unusual pan. Harry sat, and ordered a serving of takoyaki.
As the dish was laid before him, the stool next to him became occupied. Eyes flicking only slightly (yet another thing Harry was swiftly becoming adept with), he noted a tall, blonde, extremely fair-skinned man. Slightly unshaven, with a complicated piercing set up in his left ear (Harry saw a lot of green chains linking at least six sapphire and ruby studs).
"You Harry Potter?" the man asked.
"Maybe," Harry hedged out. blowing on the ball he'd taken a bit out of. "You?"
"My name is Green Tooth Johnny," the man admitted before ordering a can of Pocari Sweat. "I was hoping to ask you to middleman a deal for me with Lagoon Company."
Harry blinked at that, considering as he chewed the delicious (and hot!) ball of dough, sauce, and octopus. "And why wouldn't you just hit the office? I know that Dutch is itching for work right now."
Johnny sighed, sipping his drink. "Because Dutch only does business during the day, and that doesn't work for me. Sun sensitivity," he explained, shrugging.
"Uh-huh," Harry replied, doubt edging into his voice.
"That, and Dutch also doesn't like doing business after hours unless it's with one of the bigwigs," Johnny continued. "They all pay well enough to go the extra bit for, so pretty much anyone in town will bend over backwards for 'em."
"And why me?"
"Because you're new in town and already associated with Revy," Johnny replied. "That means that you represent an 'in' with them, because they're notoriously picky in their jobs."
"Okay, I can see that," Harry admitted. The last few days had been highly educational for Harry in how a high-end courier service functioned. "So, let's say that I do this middlemanning. What's in it for me?"
"Local standard is that ten percent of the offer is added to the cost, which is yours," Johnny said, turning on his stool. "However, I think I may be able to top that."
"I'm interested," Harry said, spearing another takoyaki ball on his toothpick.
"See, I do a lot of cleaning up for people," Johnny began. "And if I'm dealing with someone's... 'problem', then I don't see much point in not making sure to allow myself enough time to loot the place to the bedrock. See where I'm going here?"
"I think so," Harry replied from around a mouthful of hot octopus. "Means you have stuff I might want instead of money."
"Exactly," Johnny replied with a smile, revealing a long canine tooth made of green jade. "Now, I already know that you're magical. C'mon," Johnny continued in an exasperated tone, "it isn't like some of us here can't smell it on you, man. A few of the locals are sensitive to that stuff." Harry nodded an admission to that. "So I, being something of a specialist, have managed to amass a not insignificant collection of... let's call it esoterica, yeah? I figure that since I can't use any of it, and selling it at a decent value is too much of a pain in the ass to want to deal with, I figure that if I can trade it to you in exchange for this, we both win."
"Makes sense. And I seem to be having difficulties in just having a holiday," Harry admitted. "I need to keep busy. So what's the work?"
"There's a container ship headed for Satun. One of the shipping containers can't make it there. Now, my clients don't care what happens to this container, so long as it doesn't make it into the hands of what's left of the Manisalera Cartel. They don't care if it gets resold, or if it gets dumped in the ocean. I have an envelope full of the details, route, ship registry, and so on. All the details that Dutch would normally ask for."
Harry sighed as he swallowed the last of the delicious takoyaki. "I can do that. So, what are you offering me?"
"One trunk full of esoterica. I have a half-dozen of the damn things, each the size of a steamer trunk from the turn of the century. And all of them are filled to the brim with stuff. You successfully negotiate this for me, and I have one of the trunks dropped off wherever you want. And I can guarantee that none of the trunks contain trash. It's all your kind of stuff, and not a bit of it is garbage. I might not know what it does, but it was all carted out by me personally."
"I see. And the offer to Dutch?"
"Sixty. Half on acceptance, half on confirmation."
Harry stretched a little, saying, "Eh, why not. I'll take it to Dutch in the morning. Contact details in the envelope?"
"Indeed they are," Johnny replied, smiling broadly.
Harry took the envelope and tucked it into his pack, saying, "So, now that business is done, anything else?"
"Actually, just one question, if you don't mind," Johnny admitted. "Why are you in Roanapur on your own? Not that many people know about you," he continued, standing up as Harry did, "but your sudden appearance has a certain segment of the locals gossiping."
"Ah. Short version," Harry began, leading Johnny away from the stall, "I was in a shipwreck, my legal guardian died. Thanks to that, I can't catch a plane out. Politics limit my ability to use... alternative methods of travel. So I've hired Dutch to get me to Hong Kong as soon as the military exercises are done."
Johnny stopped dead in his tracks at that. "Wait, seriously?" he asked incredulously.
Harry looked at him. "Well, yeah. Why?"
Palming his face, Johnny groaned out, "Oh, Dutch doesn't know, or he would've told you." Looking Harry in the eye, he explained, "Look, I know for a fact that those exercises are going to keep going. Walk and talk with me."
Johnny led Harry over to yet another stall. Ordering a beer for himself and a Coke for Harry, he began explaining. "According to my people, those exercises are a lot more than just posturing. Rumor has it that there's a distinct possibility of a Second Korean War firing up. That's why America, Britain, and Japan all have forces out there. They're all operating out of Hong Kong and Okinawa because Korea is making unhappy noises right now. My best guess is that it'll be late September at best before they wrap that shit up."
"Oh, hell," Harry murmured. "Thanks for the heads-up. I'll let Dutch know that too."
"Sure. Consider it a professional courtesy. Call me tomorrow evening on what Dutch has to say, okay?"
"Sure thing," Harry replied, shaking off the lethargy of so much good food. Johnny disappeared into the crowd as Harry crossed to a different street, catching a tuk-tuk back to his apartment.
The next morning, Harry grabbed some of the local crab salad (made with an entire crab, shell and all!) as well as some fruit from a local cart and made his way to the Lagoon offices. Stepping through the door, he saw Revy laying on a couch, a wet washcloth over her eyes and forehead, even as Benny was at the table tinkering with something.
"Hey guys," Harry called out. "Any idea where Dutch is?"
"He's on his way," Revy moaned out. "It's his turn to get breakfast."
"And Rock is on his way back from Mr. Chang's," Benny added. "What's up?"
"A job, I think." Revy sat up at that, and as the wash cloth dropped into her lap, Harry could see her sallow skin tone and bloodshot eyes. "Revy, are you okay?"
"Too much to drink last night," she admitted, slowly swinging her legs off the couch.
Harry came around the end of the couch, fishing through his bag. Pulling out a vial, he concentrated for a moment before handing it to her. "Hangover potion. It'll dull the hangover for a couple of hours while your body deals with the rest of it. You'll still need to drink a lot of water, though."
Revy snatched it up, slamming the entire vial in one go before shuddering and gagging. "That... was awful," she admitted. "Like steamed sand and used jock strap."
"A lot of potions are like that," Harry shrugged. "Feeling better?"
"Actually, yeah," Revy admitted. "Why the fuck aren't those sold everywhere?"
"Mostly because potions don't work on non-magicals," Benny broke in. "I'm not sure how Harry got one to work on you, though."
"I figured out that potions need an active source of magic to work," Harry said, sitting down as he took the vial back, "and I proved that a magical can kind of 'charge up' a potion immediately before dosing someone with it. Works just fine on non-magicals, but a magical has to charge it beforehand."
"Huh. I did not know that," Benny commented. "An interesting solution."
"Oh yeah. And of course, nobody is going to admit to it," Harry replied, leaning back into his chair. "That might threaten the Statute of Secrecy, no matter the good it would do in the world," he finished with a trace of bitterness in his voice.
"Hey, I just appreciate that it works," Revy commented, coming back from the kitchenette with a glass of water. "So, work. Who's the job from, and why are you dropping it off?"
"Green Tooth Johnny, and he's using me as a middle man."
"Interesting," Benny said, rubbing his chin. "Johnny can't work during the day due to... light sensitivity, and Dutch only talks with most clients during the day. Makes sense he'd have to go through someone. And I'm not exactly surprised that he connected you with us. You have been in and out of the office quite a bit over the last few days."
"According to Johnny, I'm being associated with Revy on the street," Harry corrected. "I don't really know how that works."
Revy looked bewildered at that. "I have no clue," she admitted. "It's not like we hang out, or some shit. We just see each other here or at the dock office."
At that moment, the office door swung open, letting Dutch and Rock enter. Dutch was carrying a paper bag full of something, while Rock carried a briefcase.
"Morning, Harry," Dutch began amiably. "It's a little early for you to be here."
"Job offer," Harry replied, holding up the legal envelope. "Last night I went out to check out the stalls that Rock and Revy were talking about, and a guy named Green Tooth Johnny came up to me at the Japanese place."
"Oh, don't tell me you like that Japanese stuff better than a genuine New York Slice!" Revy exclaimed.
Harry shrugged at the demand. "They're both so deliciously different that I can't really compare them. It would come down to my mood."
Dutch chuckled at Harry's response. "A good answer, Harry. Alright, so what do we know about Green Tooth Johnny?"
"I've heard he takes a lot of wet work," Rock began. "A lot of difficult assassination work, high security stuff."
"I've heard that. I also hear that he tends to rob his targets blind," Benny added in. "After all, if they're dead and no provisions have been added to the contract, why not steal what you can carry?"
"I heard that he ordered an elephant gun for the hunt on the Vampire Twins," Revy tossed in. "Eda told me he got one from the Ripoff Church."
"I see," Dutch quietly said. "What about his reliability?"
"He does a lot of work for foreign groups," Rock said, "and has a reputation for getting his work done quietly and efficiently. Harry, what's the offer?"
"Sixty grand, half up front. A shipping container can't reach port. The rest of it's in the envelope."
"Did you negotiate your fee?" Dutch asked, reaching for the envelope.
"I did. He said that ten percent is normal, right?" Four heads nodded in agreement. "Well, rather than the six grand for negotiating, he's willing to pay me in magical stuff. He says he's got a bunch of trunks full of stuff he's gotten from his targets. He's willing to pay me one of them in exchange."
"An interesting offer," Dutch rumbled out. "What if it's all crap?"
"Then I write it off as a learning experience and bad deal," Harry promptly replied. "And then I promise myself to never work for him again."
"True," Dutch commented, opening the envelope. Spreading the pages out on the table, all five began looking over the details.
"Route, ship registry, container location," Benny mused aloud. "Yeah, looks like all of the details are here. We even have pictures of the ship and container. Looks like it's at the top at the bow, starboard side. Easy to get it offloaded first."
"Hm. And the Manisalera Cartel can't get it?" Rock mumbled out. "Do they even still exist?" he asked, looking up at Revy.
Who shrugged in response. "Beats me. I ain't heard nothing since the fucking maid blasted them all to hell. Might be splinter groups in other cities. I wonder what's in the container, if they're the ones it can't get to..."
"Either way, it doesn't really matter," Dutch commented. "So long as it doesn't reach port, it doesn't matter what happens to it, according to the notes. And it'll make port on the nineteenth. Today's the fourteenth, so time is on our side. Ideas?"
Harry half-tuned them out as the four began tossing ideas back and forth. Revy was in favor of an old-fashioned at-sea hijacking, whereas Benny was in favor of a bit of stealth and a remotely operated explosive charge to dump the container into the ocean. Harry looked at the map of the shipping route, then the picture of the container, and then the picture of the ship itself.
Holding up a finger, Harry asked, "Benny, how accurate is a portkey? Like, how much of a range of failure is there?"
Benny blinked at the seeming non-sequitur. "With the modern version, if the magic takes, then it's accurate to the envisioning. Of course, using the coordinate system to target the destination is perfectly accurate."
"So, no splinching, like in apparation?"
"Nope. Either it works or it doesn't."
"And anything can be a portkey... Hmm."
"What're you thinking, Harry?" Dutch asked.
"When I was on Yamatai, I turned a rock into a portkey and threw it at a guy to teleport him away. It worked, but I didn't know how well. Now I know."
"What, you're thinking of stealing the container with a teleporting rock?" Revy asked in confusion.
"I think so," Harry replied uncertainly. "What about the activation condition?"
Benny shrugged at the question. "It can be anything you want, really. Most use a wand tap, but that's for when they want to choose to go. Flesh contact, impact, whatever."
"How about a sudden stop?" Harry asked, eyeing Revy briefly.
"Oh, sure."
"So, if I were to cast it on, say, a bullet, would it work as a portkey if it's fired?"
All four stared at Harry, the gears whirling in their minds. Revy was the first to break out of it with, "Well, shit, that'd make the job a fuckton easier. Let me break out the Gepard rifle, and we got a full kilometer of range."
Rock nodded at that. "In theory, enchanting a bullet like that would work. We'd have to test it, of course."
"We have the time," Dutch declared, standing up. "Harry, if it works, that's a fantastic idea. Let's get to it. Revy, you're with Harry on the testing. Benny, see what you can find out about the ship's manifest. Rock, you're with me on going through this paperwork. Harry, how are you supposed to get ahold of Green Tooth Johnny?"
"I'll call him tonight. I was supposed to do that whether or not you agreed."
"Get that done, then. Alright people, you have your jobs. Let's get to work."
"You mind if I come along on this, Dutch?" Harry asked curiously. "I kind of want to see if the portkey thing works."
"Sure thing," Dutch replied, smiling a little. "You may be a middleman, but if your idea works out you're on the team for this run."
"One other thing, Dutch," Harry inserted. "Johnny told me something to tell you as one pro to another. Apparently there is talk of a second Korean War? That's what the exercises are about. He doubted that Hong Kong would be clear to run to until at least late September."
"Oh, hell," Dutch mumbled. "Well, shit. That really puts a crimp in a lot of people's operations. And if... Harry, you may need to find someone else to get you out of Roanapur."
Harry just shrugged at that. "I've been here a week, and this is the best week ever, Dutch. If I'm a little late to school, I can just blame the minister. In fact, I'll do just that as soon as I can make time to send a letter. If I have to stay here for a couple of months, I think I'll be okay with that. Sun, sea air, and fresh fish? Oh no, why would I ever want to stay?": he asked in a slightly mocking tone. "Why would I ever want to not return to Scotland in the Fall?"
By noon, Harry had learned not only that his idea would work, but also how to hand reload heavy rifle ammunition. He also learned the joy (and intense shoulder pain) of firing a light anti-tank rifle. That afternoon he went back to Gurimurra for more apprenticeship, as well as a bit of dressing down from the elderly healer about his bedside manner. Harry had very little tolerance for someone 'acting out' in pain (as he saw it) when there were no broken bones or blood spurting. Furthermore, Harry had almost no patience for what he called 'the niceties'. Harry's background simply didn't allow for it.
For example, a man came in with a broken leg. Harry did the examination, said, "Hold still, this will be uncomfortable." Harry then waved his wand, the broken leg reset and healed itself, and Harry was genuinely confused as the man lay on the floor of the clinic screaming about his leg.
He was handed a book on 'Proper Medical Behavior' and was told that there would be a practical exam later.