High Frequency

The transition was exciting, but had its bumps. She’d be lying to say it wasn’t stressful. While she’d live in Seoul before, there was still some culture shock to go through. Especially when the holidays hit close together; Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year. Remedy spent them alone in her small apartment, her only company were the fish in the oversized tank. Work was strange because she was used to hiding her face whenever she was out in public. She kept forgetting she didn’t need to do that anymore. Her coworkers were friendly. Overfriendly, maybe. There were a few who were sceptical of her, but she ignored them. No one’s judgement was harder than Slate’s- months passed and she still replayed their last conversation in her head. Well into April, she’d still wake up with a start from old memories turned nightmares; they ranged from her first shootout all the way up to Klaue, and they’d leave her up all night debating to turn on her old work phone- the one for Sevigny, just in case.

She felt like a hypocrite, knowing she expressed such a desire to leave everything about her crime life behind, but being alone in the large city as a foreigner, she clung to her old job as a safety net ready to deploy. Remedy kept telling herself she needed more time to adjust, three months wasn’t enough. Then five months wasn’t enough. The only thing that calmed her down was sitting with the children in the agency, matching them to eager couples either in the nation or international, and seeing the happiness on a parent’s face. It gave her a feeling she didn’t get before, a good feeling that came with helping people find something they struggled to get, and with that same feeling she eventually learned to enjoy Seoul again. She started to push her old home further down in her head, trying to really move on.

When she heard about Johannesburg, it turned her palms clammy to think the Hulk abolished everything. Then Sokovia happened. She was walking down the hall with files in hand when her coworkers turned up the television in the lobby. People gathered under it, covering their mouths and gasping. When Remedy herself saw a complete city floating in the sky and then dropping, she was stunned. The stories ranged between news stations, but the one constant thing was the death toll and the misplaced families; parents who couldn’t find their children and vice versa. It was a disaster- and whatever the fuck happened with the “superhero” team to land such an effect, she wasn’t satisfied with how they handled it after. Sokovia lit a fire inside, the kind that smoldered into a grudge against the world's superheroes.

“Your referral has been accepted,” Remedy said with a smile, phone to her ear. She could hear the excitement on the other side coming from the married couple. She waited for them to calm down some, before listing their next steps in their adoption process.

“Placement can take up to 12-18 months, sometimes two years; I understand it’s a long time, but the child you’ve selected will be waiting for you.” They had to finalize guardianship, file a few more papers to visit South Korea for a few weeks, and an immigrant visa had to be set up so their son would be a citizen by the time they took him home to the United States.

“We will keep you up to date on Ji-hun... yes. You can always reach us for further instructions or if there is an issue in paperwork… I can give you my direct line now and I can also send you an email.”

Her workspace was small and she shared it with another woman depending on their schedules. It was cramped, but always clean and tidy. A card holder on the desk carried cards for both of them in both Korean and English. Remedy’s name wasn’t on them.

“Thank you so much Miss Noh; you’ve made our day! We are so excited-” Remedy smiled, nodding along. They ended the call on a good note; the wait for the referral was always nerve wracking for couples. The next hard step was the wait to actually bring the child home.

Nighttime was her favorite part about the city because it lit up in a different beauty. Remedy often enjoyed viewing the market on her way home, sometimes buying little things to decorate with. Most often she picked up a boba or a cupcake before getting on the subway. She stood in the center, hanging onto one of the support poles. She checked her emails, the echo of people’s headphones and quiet chatter barely filled the compartment. Districts passed by outside the windows, sometimes the blaring horn of a vehicle was heard.

A withdrawl of ￦100000.00.00 has posted to your account (Donation2/***0010) to SOKOVIA DISASTER RELIEF FUNDING SLSK 5/22/2015 at 10:23:04 AM. If you do not recognize this transaction please-

Remedy moved the email to a specific folder, biting the inside of her cheek. She had set up monthly donations, this was her second in the same month. Right after it happened she dropped money on it. Her initial deposit was much larger, coming from her saved stash with her old job. Currently, her pay was good, but not enough to keep up the same number for the rest of the year. She looked up briefly to watch the city in the windows, then glanced back down to see a text come in. There was no number, it simply said unknown. She stared at it, her face falling. Her thumb twitched between tapping it open to swiping it away, she wasn’t quite sure. Glancing around her as discreet as possible, she decided to wait until she was off the subway. She walked fast from the station, out on the streets towards her building complex, nervously tapping the sides of her phone with her nails. She made excuses to avoid looking at it; wait until off the subway, wait until in the street, wait until near the building, wait until at the building.

She was in the elevator to her floor when she finally opened it.

I need to talk to you. -B.S.

Hesitantly, she replied just after walking out of the doors.

When?

Her phone beeped immediately.

Now. Please.

Remedy cursed too loud, startling herself. Once in her apartment, she tossed her phone on the table and locked the door with its chain and bolt. She kept the lights off, but the fish tank lit the room in blue. Remedy peered through her sliding glass doors, expecting to see him sitting in her chair waiting to let him in. Sevigny slowly looked up, old flip phone in one hand. A mixture of emotions met in her chest- annoyance, relief, then dread. She unlocked the sliding door and moved to the kitchen, flipping on the light over the sink. She poured water into a steel kettle. He came inside, but he was quiet. Glancing in the microwave, she saw him glancing around her apartment.

“It’s charming,” Sevigny said. She set the kettle on the burner, glanced over her shoulder. He was being nice for the sake of the situation- Remedy had no theme to her apartment. She grabbed whatever to decorate it with because it was her first ever place for herself. It was a clusterfuck of random items; but she at least tried to organize them so she didn’t appear like a hoarder.

“I have ginseng, green, earl, and hibiscus,” she said.

“Earl, please.” She set his cup up and then dumped a scoopful of instant coffee grounds into another mug. There was silence while they waited for the kettle to steam. Sevigny surveyed the various little knickknacks she had, stared down at some of her paperwork on the table, but never touched it. She wondered if he was looking for her bills.

“What happened?” she asked finally. Sevigny smiled small, but it was brief and he scratched the back of his neck, sitting down at her table. She brought him his tea and she sat down at the other end with her coffee. She only held it. In the kitchen light she noticed that his face appeared much better than the last time she saw him; his circles weren’t as prominent, the bags had disappeared. There was still stress, but it didn’t look like he’d been hurling for three days straight.

“There’s a job I have to do and it’s become...complicated.” Sevigny started then looked over at her. His gaze was pleading. “I need you to help me.”

“But I’m done.” It slipped out quicker then she meant, but soft enough for him to hear. Remedy looked away; she was still having nightmares, still adjusting. She wanted to be in Seoul, though a part of her did miss the Victorian home, she made a decision and she was trying to make it work. Inwardly she chastised herself for being finicky. Sevigny kept talking.

“I wouldn’t have come all the way here if it wasn’t important. I’m stuck between a rock and a brick wall. Er...rather…a client from Hell and Slate. I can’t even get a straightforward answer. He keeps hanging up my calls. Ignoring texts. I can’t find him in person. Zeke can’t even get him.” Remedy’s brows furrowed. It wasn’t like Slate to hesitate on a job or avoid one for any reason. He hated a majority of them, but he did them. As mean as he was, he was loyal to Sevigny. He never played phone tag.

“What would make him do that?” she asked. Sevigny looked up at the ceiling, huffed, then over at her.

“Ulysses Klaue.”

Her jaw set tight and she tensed. Instantly she thought of the man backlighted in green and smoke. Sevigny explained he was sort of involved with Ultron and what happened with the trade deal. How Klaue showed up completely out of nowhere ready to get down to business and it was dreadfully apparent there was no getting out of it. Remedy was surprised the man wanted to work with them again after what happened the year prior. She didn’t understand the relationship between Sevigny and Klaue, but figured it went back to Bangkok. She didn’t ask about it.

“I feel like Slate will make the mission difficult if he were to accept it; right now I don’t think he will. With Zeke driving, I’m down to just myself and Min. I need another person.”

“You need me physically present,” Remedy said. She tapped her mug and drank at least half the cup. She didn’t like being on foot when they did a job. The hurriedness of grabbing as much shit as you could and stuffing it in a bag or worse- if it were specific and worth nothing if you broke a speck off the damn thing. She helped with a renowned painting once- ripped the corner of the canvas. That was a pissed off client. That was a never again sort of thing.

“You’ll be right by my side the whole time, beginning to end. Klaue gets his vengeance, we walk with our share, you come back here and-”

“Start over again,” she muttered. There was a problem leaving. She hadn’t been at her job long enough to go away for any reason. She’d have to fake an emergency, make it more convincing than words. According to her files she lived in the city for eight years with no family. There was a box she squared herself in, but now there was this she’d have to figure out.

Or she didn’t have to do any of it. She didn’t have to help Sevigny. Watching him stare into his tea thinking of alternatives in his head made her answer obvious. She had to help him, this was a big deal and it was troubled. She grimaced.

“I need a day or two to settle things with my job.”

“That’s fine...I don’t have to meet him until Saturday anyhow. There are parts in Busan I have to pick up for him.” When he said that she stared. He was running errands for Klaue? He glanced at her and shrugged.

“I told him I’d be in Korea, he considered it two birds with one stone.” They sat for a bit longer, drinking in silence. Remedy offered him her couch and she went to bed, but didn’t sleep.

Her agency boss, Miss Si Yan, was not happy. To say her long-distance best friend was dying from a horrible car accident was a stretch, adding it was in another country just stretched it further. It was a very thin line and the only thing that solidified her leave were the tears she mustered up. At least Si Yan had sympathy and believed it was genuine and granted a mourning period for about seven days.

Remedy went through the work day like normal, but in the back of her mind she was trying to prepare for the heist. Sevigny relayed only the details that Klaue had given him, but they were vague. Scenarios played over in her head, a lot of them going wrong- she tried to focus on succession. On coming back and being able to put this behind her. Again.

She picked up a few things on her way back home, pondering everything more than once, her brain stuck like a skipping record and her stomach hurt. She had no appetite, even when it growled she couldn’t eat. Nothing in her fridge appealed to her; she had to clear it anyway. She stuffed food in the freezer and the rest she’d trash on the way out. She packed a suitcase and a backpack. Everything that was financially concerning for the next half month was taken care of. She notified her landlord via email she would be gone; she had absolutely no people of interest that would enter her apartment while out. Her fish would die. That was it.

Remedy grabbed her old work phone off the table after organizing her mail. It was still nighttime, the clock ticking into the early morning. She was ready to go and Sevigny waited for her on the ground. There was still time to kill before picking up Klaue’s parts, but the train ride to Busan would take a while. They boarded and rode the train in silence, Remedy nodding off against the window, never dreaming. Sevigny checked his phone every so often, otherwise he simply watched the night view outside.

Remedy had questions, but she figured Min and them did too. She didn’t want to ask, not now anyhow. It wasn’t a good idea to talk about these things in public, at least that’s what she thought. She was unnerved as it was, popping out of her crime life at a complicated moment only for the same guy to be the reason she had to come back. When they arrived in Busan, Sevigny’s phone dinged with a message with the location to meet.

“Research facility,” he said. He mumbled under his breath as the directions popped up on his map app, then he closed out of it immediately. “I know where it’s at.”

They walked along the night crowd, Remedy pulling her rolling case behind her, backpack over her shoulder. She wouldn’t let Sevigny take it, yet the further they traveled in the night, walking along the sidewalk, she reluctantly let him have it.

“I’ll swerve us in a bit,” he muttered, looking around at the crowded junction. Years ago he lived in Busan, a bit before she met him back in America, and then a little bit longer after. Nothing was familiar to her, but for him to have been away for so long and still know his way around in a bustling, growing city brought out envy. He was good with directions, she wasn’t.

The research facility unfortunately was in a more crowded part of Busan. Security was their biggest deal, but the contact promised to have it all covered. When they got close enough in proximity, out of all the lights and advertising, they managed to square away under a tree close to a building. Remedy held her case by its handle and took a deep breath. She hated swerving, no matter how convenient.

“How long since we’ve done this?” Sevigny asked with a smile after placing his arm around her shoulders, her face to his chest. She looked into his elbow and shut her eyes.

“A year and a half,” she mumbled. He patted her, told her to take another breath, and then in an instant her entire body tingled as if every circulatory vein had been cut off. She heard a mash of voices, saw colors change and morph together like water, felt the air shove her about like a flimsy stick. It was like passing out. As soon as he materialized them, everything went back to working. She inhaled loud and pushed herself away, holding a hand to her eyes. Her vision was blurry and her head was light.

“Are you alright?” Sevigny asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t answer, just nodded. Soon her vision came back and the tingling left. They were in a business courtyard, lights cut and empty. There were sliding doors that Sevigny approached and tapped on. His contact appeared instantly, using a handheld device to open and close the doors for them to enter. It was a large, clean facility. Professional, with modern art present but sparse. They could see far up to other floors with the window panes looking out into the lobby they were in. A ways off they could still hear the city.

“Your plus one?” the contact asked, gesturing to her. Remedy judged by his sleek pants, dress shirt and tie he was an employee here. He looked young, but his eyes were sunk behind a pair of perfect round glasses. His hair was short, jet black, combed sleek and parted on the right. Sevigny nodded in response, then handed back her pack.

“I’ll be just a moment. You can wait here okay?” Sevigny smiled small.

“Oh, he said both come see,” the young man said. Sevigny paused, quirked a brow and looked down at him.

“He ?” Sevigny asked.

“Your partner- yes? He show early. Excited.” He made the jazz hands gesture to emphasize. Remedy did a double take around the lobby then looked up, trying to find other people who might be watching them. She could tell Sevigny was caught off guard and it went both ways- she did not want to meet Klaue again so soon. But the contact was insistent they both come, that he already mentioned their arrival. He was dialling on the device again as he walked away, but Remedy didn’t move fast enough. She was nervous. Sevigny gently grabbed hold of her elbow to keep pace with him.

“I’m here this time,” he whispered. They went into a different elevator. She was having deja vu. Instead of going up, though, they went down. She stared at their reflection in the metallic doors, trying to prepare herself so son. Sevigny still had her arm, but she could tell he was tense too. They went down into the basement of the building to the foundation constructs. It was wide, empty and spacious; but everything echoed off the walls and floor. The first thing Remedy heard when the doors opened was laughter. Sevigny gave a light squeeze to her arm before letting her go. The employee kept her bag and suitcase by the elevator; she felt unarmed without them. A ways down they saw a group of people; her stomach had knots again, but when Sevigny walked towards them she did too. She calmed her expression, trying to keep her head up and eyes ahead; but as soon as she saw him she wanted to swift heel turn back and leave. She should’ve said no to this.

“Klaue,” Sevigny spoke aloud and with a smile, gesturing his hands out to everyone there. When the dealer turned Remedy didn’t expect him to appear a little older. She could’ve sworn his hair had been darker. Also, she knew his arm was missing, but still couldn’t help but notice. Her eyes quickly traveled up his left shoulder and then to his face; he was staring at her.

“I can’t pick things up if you don’t give me time,” Sevigny continued to talk with his smile. Everyone around them varied between Klaue’s men and employees at the facility. They had things set up on a table, small mechanical pieces she didn’t know. A couple blinked, some lit up completely. It was like they were building a small robot. The men were talking among themselves, nodding to Sevigny. It’s what she noticed out of her peripheral, because for some reason Klaue just kept looking at her and she grew uneasy Then he grinned and turned to Sevigny.

“Sorry frog, should’ve told you,” Klaue spoke. “What I ordered in Germany arrived early with some…persuasion.” He nodded his head from side to side and chuckled. “I didn’t want to wait any longer, so I came straight here with everything.” He glanced at her again and turned his back to them, pointing straight down to the other end of the building.

“And it’s A GREAT! PLACE! TO TEST!”

Remedy looked over her shoulder back at the young man by the elevator. He dabbed his forehead with a cloth and looked up as if praying. She got the vibe that no, it was not a great place.

“And I am so glad you’re here to see the first go, Beau.” Klaue slapped Sevigny once on the shoulder with his right hand, smiling. “It’s an important step that I’ve been working on- I can do a lot more with this piece completed. Course it’s still an early prototype, but now it hAS A BANG TO IT!” He shouted and the walls rebounded his voice. One of the employees closed a plate on a fake arm. It started blinking blue along the forearm and wrist. Klaue’s men were excited too; the employees were the only ones who seemed to be nervous. She was too, but she was a little curious about the arm.

“And dis is the retiree?” Before she could do anything Klaue took up one of her hands in a gentle fashion and kissed the back of it, staring down at her with a secret intensity she didn’t receive in the nightclub. He was murderous then, annoyed and serious. There was still a threat in his gaze now, but playful. He was mocking her. ‘ Ey, I almost killed you last year, but here we are. His eyes glistened, no doubt knowing she was uncomfortable.

“Didn’t mean ta scare you off, dolly- hopefully you stick around a lil longer,” he spoke in his familiar low tone. Remedy felt her face pale a little, she tried not to gulp and had to look away. He laughed at her, then dropped her hand. Sevigny’s smile was gone, eyes scrutinizing. Klaue walked over to the man holding the fake arm and uncovered his left stump. It revealed a metal port plated over the end. Like the fake arm it was blinking blue, but more rapidly. Despite his comments, curiosity grew in Remedy and she moved closer to watch the top of the prosthetic magnetically click to the port. With a twist it stayed firm in place against Klaue’s tugging. The blinking stopped and after Klaue rolled his sleeve back over the connection point, it appeared normal.

And then there was his face; Remedy saw a genuine happiness as he controlled the wrist and fingers, closing one and then all in succession. She heard a car door shut and looked up to see a truck parked all the way at the other end, the driver running away in another direction. Klaue took center in his group, everyone stepping back as his arm opened up to reveal a canon. It hummed low. Remedy tilted her head a little, stepping passed Sevigny and to the side to see it better. She’d never seen technology like this up close. Blue energy whirled and connected at the end of the canon and in one loud screech, it burst a wide and bright light that traveled as a wave down the constructs. When it hit the truck the vehicle flew into the air, glass shattering, pieces breaking as it rolled and rolled until finally hitting support beams that thundered through the basement and shook the floor. It was Sevigny that grabbed her elbow and tugged her back from watching.

Ulysses threw his head back and hollered words she didn’t understand, but he was smiling and laughing and giddy like a child. His men were nodding their heads and everyone was clapping, some out of excitement and others for the love of god it worked. She almost wanted to- Remedy only saw things like that in the news or movies. As scared as she was, she couldn’t lie about not being impressed. Especially if it something so damaging came out of a limb.

“Get another car, just for da hell of it!” Klaue shouted, waving his hand at the driver hiding behind one of the pillars. The man staggered out with his hands over his ears.

“Nevermind, he’s broken. Someone else go get it.” People walked off as Klaue came back up and undid his arm, giving Sevigny a pleased look as he did so.

“Is that powered by what I think it is?” Sevigny asked. When he spoke he was serious, eyeing the weapon as the facility mechanic popped up the fake skin and looking into the plates. Klaue’s port started rapidly blinking again. He pressed a button to turn it off, then snorted and raised his brows.

“No, I wouldn’t be testing under a building if I had enough of my vibranium.” He clenched his teeth. “Nah, this is an old tool I picked up years ago. Just modified it for personal use.” He looked over at the arm and down at the parts. He pointed at various spots for the mechanic to prod. Remedy lifted her head a little to try and see; she didn’t know why, but she wanted to know how it worked.

“Is it pure energy you’re using?” she asked. Whatever was going on in the arm seemed acceptable. The mechanic closed it all up again and took off his magnifying glasses. Klaue was happy and too eager to put it back on.

“Sound, actually,” he replied. Remedy quirked a brow. How do you use sound to the point of seeing it blast out like that?

“How?” she asked, staring at it. Sevigny cleared his throat, moving only a little so that he was still in front of Remedy. He caught Klaue’s gaze, but the dealer didn’t care. Only grin and walk over to show off even more.

“Loaded question,” he said.

“I’m sure the answer will take forever. So-” Sevigny cut short by checking his phone for the time, an action he overdid on purpose to get them off the subject.

“I’m going to assume my time in Korea is up. I need to get Remedy back to England to regroup with everyone on the plan and we still need to secure the vehicles. Zeke’s stamped out a couple good ones so far, might as well hijack them as soon as possible.” Sevigny looked over at Remedy. She got the hint he wanted to leave and nodded.

“You’re sticking her back in that dusty ass house?” Klaue asked. Sevigny was offended and held up a finger about to retort but Klaue waved him off. “It’s further out if you go back home; and I’ll need you closer to London. I’ve one more stop ta make- the two of you can come back with me.”

“That’s-that’s generous, oddly,” Sevigny stammered. Klaue made a face.

“But I’ve arranged our flight back already,” Sevigny replied shaking his head. Remedy whipped her head at him and furrowed her brows. Had he expected her to help him before he even landed on her balcony? She bit her cheek again, but refrained from asking. Watching these two exchange words was cringeworthy, because Klaue one clearly more authoritative. She was starting to understand how hard it was to tell the guy no. He  only shrugged and made a noise.

“I’ll reimburse da tickets, then. My jet’s faster- just bought it. It’s beautiful. You’ll like it frog. Ever been on a Dassault?” He asked Remedy, catching her off guard. She just shook her head no. Klaue grinned at them both and looked over at a dark haired man.

“Limbani, we’re adding two for the flight back.” Sevigny protested again, but Klaue shushed him by waving his good hand and a series of repeated no’s. It was settled, unlike her nerves.

It was dark while they walked across the junked airfield. Klaue and his men were far ahead of them, leaving Remedy and Sevigny alone in the back. She roughly pulled along her suitcase and held firm to her backpack, refusing to let anyone hold it for her. Even her boss.

“Did you set a flight before or after I agreed to help you?” she asked, trying not to be bitter. She agreed because she felt bad for Sevigny and even though she still had issues with him from the past she was worried about him. His health was one thing, Slate was another, and this new job on top of that. Sevigny closed his eyes while rolling them and sighed heavy. He didn’t answer right away, which told her what it was anyhow.

“Before.”

“Oh,” was all she said. She walked further ahead of him.

“Remmy, don’t be curt right now. I need you to abide with me more than anything, until we get to London.” He caught up with her in a few strides. “We’re outnumbered. Please stay close to me, and stop asking questions about his arm. Don’t engage him, please.”

“I should have said no,” she whispered. “I thought about it. I really did and I should have said it.”

He grabbed her hand gently and made her look at him.

“I’m glad you didn’t, because I do need you,” he said. His eyes were worried again. She pondered if she should even be upset, then let it go, slumping her shoulders.

She watched as a large tarp was taken off of the jet, lights turning on and engine rumbling to life. Remedy didn’t want to be awake the entire flight and once they were on board and seated she took a few sleeping pills. Sevigny was the only one who saw. It was way too nice of a jet, the kind of nice you felt you dirtied just by breathing. Limbani and another man were in the cockpit, a few other guys sat down across from them in other chairs. She instantly recognized Dave. He stared her down, but said nothing. Klaue seemed to bounce everywhere and refused to stay in one place, overly joyed at his working arm.

“BEAUTIFUL NIGHT! LET’S GO!” he shouted, standing in cockpit’s door frame. He dropped his volume a little. “I want to be the first person in England to watch the sun rise.”

“Yes sir,” the two pilots replied.