The city was certainly an odd place.  If one took a moment to think about it, it wasn't hard to believe that anything was possible.  Even according to stories told about the world before the city took ownership of it, it seemed anything was possible.  Only now, that possibility seems to have been realized.  If a city block can be one thing in one hour, and something completely different the next, and creatures could spawn from it's bowels with the ability to manipulate human minds, in addition to the laws of nature, then truly anything was possible.

It was these types of thoughts that made Nova feel, while not hopeful or optimistic, content.  He knew that the city would never run out of surprises, and in a weird way, that was the only thing constant about it.  It was also these types of thoughts that he tried to push aside while he continued scrubbing carbon buildup from one of his pistols.  The brass brush was doing it's job well, and with the help of some solvent and oil, the black imperfections scraped off of the inside of the slide without much trouble.  After a few more moments, Nova inspected the parts of the silenced pistol for any more rough spots.  He had spent almost 15 minutes cleaning it before finding the cleanliness and smoothness of the firearm to be at an acceptable standard.

That having been done, Nova oiled up some of the moving parts and contact surfaces before reassembling the handgun.  He had left the integral suppressor alone, mostly because it was a pain in the ass to clean, but also because it wasn't really necessary just yet.  He just liked to keep the moving parts in order.  He slid the barrel pieces back in place before replacing the slide and screwing the forward part of the suppressor back onto the main body of the barrel.  He locked all of the parts together by pressing the trigger guard back into place and giving the slide a solid yank to make sure everything worked properly.  With a satisfying [i]*chak*[/i], the action cycled without any issues, provoking an upwards quirk on one corner of Nova's mouth.

A particularly loud outburst from the North prompted Nova to look up and observe the city's new look.  Even in the few minutes it had taken him to buff his pistol, he didn't recognize half of the skyline.  He could even perceive some movement amongst the many skyscrapers in the distance, still shifting ever so slightly.  The city was experiencing a particularly strong perturbation today; usually a good indication that a large cache had opened up somewhere.  He scanned the skyline and spotted the epicenter several kilometers away, noting the abnormal look the surrounding sky had taken.  Regardless of the fact that he was close enough to Sector Nine to not be in severe danger, he wasn't about to take any chances with the city shifting as dramatically as it was.  Reluctantly, he holstered his pistol and gathered his things before leaving the roof of the small three story apartment building.  Sector Nine was only about half a kilometer away, and Nova planned on covering that distance as quickly as possible.

[hr]

The bustling streets within Sector Nine were abuzz with rumors about many things; chief among which was the possible impending war with Sector Three.  Even for someone who strayed from civilization most of the time, Nova at least knew about the rising tensions between the two sectors.  They were essentially opposites in terms of ideals, and with the occasional skirmish breaking out between their hunters it was no surprise that war was in the forefront of peoples' minds.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing he picked up on as he sauntered about the city.  Unsurprisingly, he wasn't the only one who saw the new cache open up, and as he passed by a group of people whom he presumed to be a part of the Sector's administration, he thought he heard mention of them being short on "retrievers".  It crossed his mind that money and supplies had been tight as of late, at least for Nova.  Cache hunting wasn't exactly in his usual line of work, but it would undoubtedly yield some good benefits.  Plus, with how active the city was lately, the likelihood of him meeting someone brave enough to traverse it currently was low.  Perhaps this was his best option as of right now.

He decided to head towards the Council Building, hoping someone could point him in the right direction.  It didn't take long to find the towering structure, and upon entering he was greeted by a jaded [b]"Who the hell are you?"[/b] from the receptionist.

[b]"Just a guy looking for a job.  Got anything?"[/b]

[b]"A job?"[/b] the receptionist replied.  [b]"We talking full time, or just a one-off, or what?"[/b]

[b]"Probably a one-time thing.  I heard you were short on retrievers.  I figured you might need some extra hands to help with that shiny new cache that opened up."[/b]

[b]"Mmmm,"[/b] the man behind the desk grunted, reaching for the phone.  [b]"Well, you're not wrong.  I'll let someone know you're here.  In the meantime, take a seat,"[/b] he said, gesturing to the chairs lining the walls.  Nova casually sat in one of the chairs, adjusting his gear as he did so.  The sawed off shotgun that was belted to the small of his back was the biggest discomfort that he had to compensate for, but that wasn't saying much.  A small adjustment made it a nonissue.

[b]"Yo Jonesy, what's up?...  Yeah, there's this skinny dude down here looking for work; retrieval, most likely.  Should I send him up?...  Alright, will do...  Yeah, I know, I'll tell him."[/b]  The receptionist put down the phone and addressed Nova.  [b]"Alright, so you're gonna head up those stairs and talk to a guy named Connelly.  Make sure you leave any weapons you have in one of those lockers before going up.  Take the key with you, grab your things on the way out, yadda, yadda.  Got it?"[/b]

[b]"Of course,"[/b] Nova replied.  He walked over to one of the unused lockers and opened it up, placing his shotgun and two pistols inside before locking it up and heading for the stairs.