Chapter One
"I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate."
--Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)
Purity Neighborhood
Redmond, Seattle
April 1, 2059
12:15 pm
"You starting to make me sleepy, Gid." Nightsky taunted as he dived, narrowly missing Gideon's sword as it chipped the hardwood floor. The nimble adept rolled once on his hands and flipped up with all the smooth agility of an Olympic gymnast.
"The second you make a stupid move I'll make sure you know it, Michael. Now come here!" The ork rumbled as he launched into a tight combination of strikes and jabs with his jagged sword. Nightsky countered each blow with a graceful ease.
Both shadowrunners had been inside this abandoned school for over an hour. They knew each other well, even through they were nearly complete opposites. Gideon was an ork, a veteran of the Desert Wars, and a shrewd individual to be dealt with. He had lost his right arm years ago and replaced it with a state-of-the-art cyberarm that had it's own built-in surprises. Nightsky was a young human, barely half the size of Gideon. The idea of cyberware disgusted Nightsky. He did not have any chrome in his body, for his gift in magic allowed him to channel the Art into his body. A physical adept specializing in armed melee and stealth. Much unlike the mercenary ork who preferred the direct military approach.
Yet both acknowledged their edges and flaws. Nightsky was nearly unbeatable so long as he held some type of melee weapon in his hand. Unarmed, he was nearly useless. Gideon could flatten the adept anytime he wanted in a hand-to-hand fight. However, Gideon could not compare to Nightsky when he was armed with a weapon. The two decided to trade their abilities on each other. Gideon would teach Nightsky more about hand-to-hand fighting and using firearms while Nightsky taught Gideon on how to make use of any melee weapon. It was an excellent deal for both sides, despite the difference in personalities.
However, they did have one thing in common. They had both grown up on the mean streets of Seattle. Even though Gideon was older by nearly eight years, he understood where Nightsky had come from. Likewise, Nightsky understood some things about where Gideon lived. They related in that way. They both lived and breathed the sprawl. Almost like it was woven into their souls.
The two exchanged blows with the lightning speed of augmented reactions. Their goals were not to slaughter one another, but to counter the other's moves.
Gideon made sweeps with his jagged blade, slicing at Nightsky as he rolled and snaked out of the way. Gideon held back a little, not wanting to cause any serious damage. Nightsky was careful too. He didn't make any lethal moves. Instead focused on parrying Gideon's attacks, later to explain what the ork did wrong and how to counter his own moves.
Nightsky had to admit that Gideon was getting better. Each time the slim monoblade made contact with the menacing looking sword the ork carried, he could tell that Gideon was picking up on the moves. He learned quickly.
"Hold still." Gideon half complained. "Your worse than trying to nab a fly around a rack of ribs."
"Get use to it," Nightsky replied as he made a fake jab at the ork who swung the block it, then spun, bringing his sword down on the ork's. "A corporate cleanup man won't stand still so you can cut him in half. Anticipate the move and counter it."
The ork swung the blade up faster than Michael thought he could. He narrowly avoided have the jagged end lop off his nose. The adept countered by locking blades with him, then positioning his leg behind the orks and using a side-step method to sweep the ork. Nightsky made the move in an attempt to get use to the feeling of incorporating more unarmed moves into his own personal style.
Gideon hit the ground and rolled out of the way as Michael buried the end of his sword into the floor where his gut had been only a second before. The ork made a quick sweeping motioning with his leg. Nightsky vaulted over his implanted sword to escape.
"You picking up some things." Gideon admitted as he moved into a Polish attack which consisted of a series of straight jabs followed by a side-swipe of the blade. "You got the agility I never had, but you lack the strength."
"What can I say?" Nightsky replied as he parried the jabs, holding the sword by one hand at the hilt and using two fingers on his other hand to guide the blade. "I'm not an ork." He added as he rolled past the ork's side-swipe and gently tapped Gideon on the small of the back with the blunt side of the monosword. "Don't follow through so much."
Gideon brought his sword around and buried it inches from Nightsky's foot. That was a little too close for comfort. He was about to spin and plant another strike on the small of the ork's back when Gideon's massive hand pushed him to the hardwood floor, landing flat on his back. The force of the blow knocked the breath out of him.
Nightsky was about to bring his sword up when the ork's spurs popped out of his metallic arm. He made a lunge toward him. Nightsky backtracked and flipped up. Gideon faked his blow and jabbed with his sword. Nightsky grabbed the metallic wrist behind the sword and tried to remember what Gideon had told him. Without hesitation he threw the larger ork into a hip toss, smacking him on the ground.
"How's that for learned behavior?" Nightsky almost gloated, but he didn't have the chance. Gideon locked his foot around Michael's and brought him crashing down face first.
"Good, but not good enough."
Nightsky touched his nose where he had hit the floor. "Point taken."
The sound of a single man clapping filled the ancient gym. Both runners looked to see Lenny slowly walking towards them, clapping his hands together in a slow rhythm. His black cybereyes didn't reflect any of the light from the overhead lamps. In fact, they gave the appearance that he had a hole in his head.
"Congratulations you two." Lenny said. "You've just killed each other."
Nightsky smirked. "Hey, Lenny, care to join us? I'm sure we could teach you a thing or two?" He waved at Lenny like a baseball player waving at the coach.
Lenny held up his hands. "I think I'll pass. I don't feel like getting my ass kicked today."
Gideon got to his feet and offered Nightsky a hand up. "Long time no see, Lenny. What's it been? Two weeks?"
"About that." Lenny shrugged. "I've been a little busy."
"Doing what?"
"Upgrade." Lenny tapped his forehead. "New smartlink circuitry on top of the old."
"Mark II?"
"Yeah, had Ramon do it." Lenny said. "I had to upgrade everything else with it."
"Keeping with SOTA is a bitch." Gideon commented as he put his sword away. By SOTA the ork was referring to the street slang that meant State-Of-The-Art. The best on the market.
"Makes me glad I don't have any of that metal inside me." Nightsky said as he crouched on his knees. He viewed cyberware as an invasion of one's body, something that he didn't approve of. "Let it come natural and you can't go wrong. Just take care of what God gave you." He smiled. "So you stop by to see how we were doing?"
"That's not the only reason I came looking for you two. You remember that Johnson we did a run for last month?"
Gideon grunted. "Yeah, not many Mrs. Johnsons walking around."
"I heard from her this morning. More accurately I got a message from her. She wants to hire us for another job." Lenny explained. "Said she was impressed with us, but in my opinion she's fogging that."
"Know anything about the job?" Gideon asked.
"Not much, she's playing it like she did last time. Even setup a meet at the same restaurant."
"You think she still remembers what you said to her?"
Lenny stopped a second before answering that question. "I doubt it."
"So do I."
"I'm still expecting her to pull something, then again she might not." Lenny continued. "No sense in letting it ruin a job opportunity. I figure as long as we're of use to her, she'll play straight. The more runs we pull for her benefit, the better off we'll be."
"Plus she always pays good." Gideon said with a flush of pride. Money was the driving force in his life. It was the reason he came into the shadows.
Lenny nodded. "You two interested?"
"Sure." Gideon replied instantly.
Nightsky was a little hesitant. He had not said much while Lenny was explaining everything. In fact, he did not feel at all confident with accepting another job from the same Johnson. "I wish she would tell a little more about what she wanted us to do. I hate jumping into something I don't know anything about." He exchanged glances with Lenny. "I don't suppose you got any idea?"
"If I had to guess, I'd say it's something like we did before. Won't know for sure until we hear her out." Lenny shrugged.
"I don't think I need to mess with it." Nightsky said, his words bordering on emptiness. "Last time was pretty tight."
"Not that tight." Lenny said, not wanting to lose a member of the group for the run. Nightsky was the best person he knew when it came to breaking and entry. Going in without him would be a handicap. "I know you could use the money and the experience. Put some of that work with Gideon to good use."
Nightsky seemed to think about it. He had come close to getting his clocked cleaned in the ParaTeck Labs. If Shard hadn't blown out the lock-down door, they never would've made it out in one piece. That plus the disturbing dreams Nightsky was being plagued with made him second guess himself. He shook his head. "I don't need it that bad." He answered.
"Okay, it's your choice." Lenny respected Michael's decision. It was not his right to force someone on a run they did not want to do. If somebody did not want to go along, they did not have to. It was only after a job was accepted that they were in it for the long haul. It was a matter of honor to back up the rest of the group no matter how things turned out. Besides, forcing a shadowrunner into a run often meant that the runner was not as focused as they could be. A volunteer was more prepared.
"I'm still in." Gideon said proudly.
"Alright, the meet is setup the same as it was last time, a business lunch. Even the same restaurant." Lenny informed. "Apparently Mrs. Johnson is playing it by the numbers." His glance wondered to Michael whom was idly digging the point of his monosword into the floor. "Sorry you don't want to come."
"Null sweat, Lenny." Nightsky replied. Michael was content with his choice.
Lenny nodded. "Gid, we'll be holding up at Boise again for tonight, I'll meet you there tonight. I've got to see if I can track down the others."
"Just as well, there's something I got to pick up." Gideon said.
"I heard from Riggs yesterday, Lenny." Nightsky offered, trying to be helpful even though he wasn't going along. "He's at his shop, babbling about some new toy he got."
"I'll check in on him."
Gid grunted. "When's the meet?"
"Mrs. Johnson set it up for noon tomorrow. That'll give us time to get together and plan."
"Yeah, that good." The ork said. "Stay frosty with it. I'll meet you in Boise tonight." Gideon headed for his bike that he left parked outside. "Later, 'Sky." He said as he headed out the large doors at the end of the rotting gym.
"You sure you don't want to come?" Lenny wondered, feeling that the adept was holding something back. "We could use you."
Nightsky thought about it again, then shook his head. "Sorry, but no."
"Well, if you change you mind, you know where we'll be."
Nightsky nodded. "Yeah, good luck with it all."
Des Moines
Tacoma, Seattle
1:45 pm
Riggs squinted as he tightened the screw. His long beard was greasy and musty from hours of delicate work. He had spent the better part of the day breaking down his new drone only to be annoyed at constant failures. As a result, he had been sprouting profanities for most of the past hour.
"Fragging piece of CAS military hardware. Now we all know why they'll get their arses kicked by Azzieland." The dwarf cursed to himself as he pulled a pair of magnifying goggles over his eyes and examined the sensor port on the drone. The port had been giving him a fuzzy reading. That reading gave "Wouldn't you know that you pick up a top of the line SOTA ground combat drone and what do you find out? It's got a little plate stamped with Made in Atlanta on the bottom. Well frag me for buying American." He stuttered, hooking up a diagnostic computer.
The computer ran a quick scan through the system and bleep a red light, indicating what it found wrong. Apparently it was pulling too much voltage through the sensor array. Riggs concluded that the extra voltage was messing up his reception from the array. Therefore he had to come up with more resistence for the current to fight if he was ever going to get a clear picture. Trial and error proceeded. At this rate the drone's sensors would never be able to achieve a decent lock.
"What do you get when you spend forty thousand 'yen on a surplus Steel Lynx?" Riggs said to himself as he disconnected the computer and picked through a small box that was sitting next to him. He was looking for something that would work as a resister. "You get about forty thousand in scrap metal with a dogbrain processor."
He stripped off the access panel and laid the heavy armored piece of metal in the next to the front wheel. Then he disconnected the circuit board. He found something suitable that he could use to attach to the board from the box. Then he began the touchy task of connecting it to the board without melting the thing down.
"Next time I get something like this, I'm looking for the Made in Japan label. No more of this surplus drek. I'm going for quality. Who cares if it's twice the cost."
The pocket secretary in his pocket started beeping just as he was making the finishing touches. At first Riggs ignored the tone, forcing his concentration into fixing the board.
"Figures somebody would want to talk to me now. Probably crazed postal worker tracing the call wanting to deep fry by stumpy arse." He cursed as he reconnected the board to the sensor array.
With some annoyance he flipped open the device and punched the call through. "What in the name of bug city do you want?" He spat into the screen.
Lenny's face fizzled into view. It was a poor connection, probably caused by the vast amount of electronic equipment that Riggs had running in his shop. "Hey, Riggs, how's the van?"
"Purring like a kitten on catnip." Riggs replied, normally he wasn't paranoid until a run began. Before that he was as arrogant as a baboon. "Why you ask?"
"I got some good news for you. You going to be busy for the next few days?"
Riggs used a screwdriver to scratch an itch behind his ear. "Well, I was going to break down my new toy. Hector got it from military surplus, don't you know. Cost me a fragging fortune, but imagine my surprise when it got here. The thing was stripped down to the bear essentials. The mini-turret had busted servos and the sensors have been bitching at me for two whole days now."
"What exactly did you get?"
"A Winter Systems Steel Lynx ground combat drone with all terrain capability, but I think it's a knock-off because of the stupid Made in Atlanta stamp I found on the bottom."
"Well," Lenny said, "at least your keeping busy."
"Busy my aunt Ruthie's rear end." Riggs snorted. "I've been working on this thing since yesterday and I still don't have all the bugs worked out. Wonderful piece of drek other than the fact I'm flat broke and I don't have anything to arm it with. What am I going to do? Duct tape a Predator to the side?"
"Well--"
"But I been reading how it's possible to mount a mini-grenade launcher on the underside of a LMG. Now that I've been putting some thought into and I figure if I run the whole thing through an integration kit and wire up a smartlink it'll be okay. Even an external link would work, but that'd be a little shaky with recoil and all that which probably means I'll need to strap on some recoil adjusters to the turret or at least barrel mount a gas vent." Riggs babbled.
"Okay, Riggs I get the picture."
Riggs looked shocked. "You do? We'll would you mind running it by me then cause I just got myself caught up in trying to figure how to run all that off the powercell of this thing."
"Riggs?"
"Yeah?" Riggs stopped his constant ramble long enough for his mind to catch up to his mouth. "Oh yeah, you called me for something. There's always a reason when you give me a ring, Lenny. What happened?"
"Mrs. Johnson happened."
"Mrs. Johnson? That tight arsed lesbo go straight or something?"
"No, Riggs, she's offered us another job."
Riggs was at a loss for words. He instantly regretted saying anything about the wonderfully generous Mrs. Johnson in the prospect of a job. He snorted to himself. "Oh goodie, a chance to get some more money to spend on this piece of drek that is my drone."
"I take it your interested?"
"You bet your butt, plus my rent's due and I spent all I had. I'm setting pretty low right now." Riggs thought about how his credstick balance was sitting at three digits above the decimal. "How's it going down?"
"She's asked for a meet tomorrow at noon. Kind of like a business lunch."
"Like last time?"
"Pretty close." Lenny replied. "We're all coming together down at Boise again. Can you be there by tonight?"
Riggs looked over his equipment. "Yeah, I can make it. So long as I don't get evicted before I get there. Who else have you rounded up?"
"I got Gideon, Shard, and Smiley right now."
"Where'd you find Smiley? I haven't heard from him since last month?"
"I found him sitting in a park feeding popcorn to the pigeons. Go figure." Lenny shrugged, he knew that he was trying to make sense out of senselessness when it came to Smiley. "Nightsky was a little hesitant when I came to him, seems that he's got something on his mind."
"Night Hunters." Riggs replied.
"What?"
"You know, Night Hunters. Kind of like a gang version of those Humanis slots. They've been giving Nightsky's old gang a few problems over in Redmond. He told me yesterday about it."
"I didn't know he was still loyal to them."
Riggs offered no answers for that. "I don't know, just one of those quirks."
"I haven't heard anything about it."
"Like I said, a quirk." Riggs said. "Are you going to bring in that decker?"
"Tart?" Lenny scratched his chin. "Yeah, I've been keeping in touch with her since ParaTeck. I see her once every few days now. She's been doing some snooping for Hector recently, I'll give him a call so he can get in touch with her. He'll find out if she's interested."
"I scan that." Riggs said. "I tell you what, I'll meet you at Boise tonight. There's some drek I've got to put back together here."
"Okay, I got to buzz, Riggs." Lenny replied. "See you tonight."
The screen went blank.
Lakewood Center
Tacoma, Seattle
2:00 pm
"Lori, you pathetic little worm. Your the one who couldn't handle it, that's the whole reason that you turned away. You couldn't stand that thought of the split up so you chose to put the cord in your jack and forget all about it." Samantha cursed her younger sister harshly.
Lori had always been intimated by Sam. She was the more popular of the two in school with lots of friends. Sam was also far more outgoing than Lori. This made Lori the passive of the two sisters. "I'm Sorry, Sam, but I didn't want you to think--"
"Oh, stop trying." Her face clenched up. "Stop making excuses like you always did."
"But they murdered--"
"Why would they do that? You just won't accept the fact that Dad's death was an accident." Samantha said. "All you want to do is run away. That's the only thing you wanted, an excuse to run away."
"That's not true."
"Why can't you have a little heart and stand up for yourself? You could be like Mom, but you won't listen to anyone."
Lori closed her eyes, thinking about her mother. "Your not going to tell her, are you?"
"No," Samantha replied, feeling sinking in the pit of her stomach. "No I'm not going to tell her anything because I know it would break her heart. Do you know what she went through at the funeral? She cried for days after."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Lori found it hard to find the words. It was shock enough to find out that he disappearing and faking her death had caused so much heartache in her family. Now she wished that she had never called her sister.
"Your sorry? Well that doesn't bring Dad back and it doesn't make Mom feel any better. You just walked away from us."
"But it wasn't like that, I didn't have a choice."
"There's always a choice."
Lori felt anger swell up inside her, but she quickly suppressed it in the face of her sister. "I didn't know what else I could do. You wouldn't have believed anything I said."
"Because it's just a hallow way for you to justify yourself, Lori. Nothing justifies running out on your family."
"You don't understand. If they knew I was still alive you could be in trouble."
"Stop deluding yourself, Lori, you'll only making it up to make yourself feel better. Well I got news for you cause it's not going to work. Your just a scared little girl who thought she could get out on her own. Now you've found out that you can't."
Lori shrugged. "I'm doing okay."
"You can't lie to me, little sister."
"Okay, so there are a few problems." Lori admitted with some grievance. "But I'm okay."
"You just don't want to admit you need help." She said sharply.
"No, it's not that."
"Look, Lori, when you decide to join up with the rest of reality, give me a call. Otherwise leave me alone. Leave Mom alone too, she doesn't need to be worrying with you again." With that Samantha hung up, leaving Lori to stare at a blank screen.
Slowly, she switched the telecom off. She felt cold and alone, but there was a small part of her that burned with anger at what her sister had said. She couldn't help, but wonder if she had made the right choice. Maybe she was wrong to run away from her family. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do. She knew that she couldn't risk going back. Tart made a mistake by calling Samantha in the first place. Once her sister had gotten over the fact that Lori was still alive, she flew off into accusing and blaming Tart for everything that had happened. At least Samantha wouldn't tell their mother that Lori was still alive. The shock would probably give her mother heart failure.
Tart's telecom beeped again. The small icon at the bottom of the screen told her who it was. She switched the feed on.
"Hi, Hector." She said without looking at the screen.
"Hello, Tart." The aged fixer replied. "How have things been since I gave you a call last?"
"Personal." She replied quickly. She avoided eye contact with him. "What's up?"
"Lenny asked me to get a hold of you."
"What's he looking for now?"
"Not looking this time." Hector explained. "That Johnson that called last month about the PareTeck deal left me a message this morning. I put her in contact with Lenny and they setup meet. It's another run."
Tart nodded, not looking particulary interested in it.
"Lenny wants you in on it. He thinks you'll fit in quite well."
"Really?" She replied with a casual glance, revealing a tear on her cheek that she tried to hide.
"Yes, he wants you in."
What else was there to do, she thought. The only family in the world had just yelled at her. It didn't seem like there was much left in that. In fact, since she got off the phone with her sister, it didn't feel like anything mattered. Lori shrugged at the thought. "Tell him I'm in."
"You remember that place where you went last time?"
"Sure." Her voice was quiet, unconcerned. Like this life had taken a back seat to the thoughts that mingled in her mind.
"Head on over there to meet up with the rest of the group."
"Okay."
"And Tart?"
"Yes?"
"Be careful with this one. Lenny's worried about something and that doesn't happen too often."
Downtown Seattle
3:30 pm
The elevator doors creaked open with little more than a whisper. It's passenger stepped out with casual grace. The tall oriental man was wearing a traditional English three-piece suit that fit tight on the shoulders. He also for a Mortimer of London greatcoat. Yet there was no bowler over his closely cropped hair. This ruined the impression of a for eastern English gentleman. Far from the fact.
He approached the large double doors that opened as he drew near. He shifted his foot, noticing the pressure pad on the floor.
On the other side of the door was a plush office. It was quite large with antique pieces of armor from all over the world lining the walls. At the end of the room was a large desk against the backdrop of the Seattle skyline. A skyline that was clouded over with the looming threat of a storm in the late afternoon. A slim Japanese woman with long black hair and a stern expression sat behind the desk. She appeared to be in her mid thirties wearing a conservative business dress that hundreds of company employees wore everyday.
The man stopped a few meters in front of the desk and stood, legs apart and hands cupped behind his back. "A pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Kie Sekcuro."
"And you as well, Testsuo Konomota." They both spoke Japanese. It was a strategic piece of business etiquette. Professional courtesy that they both extended.
"Montague if you please, ma'am." The Asian replied. "For the vagueness."
"Of course." Kie said after receiving a slight bow from her guest. "I have a proposition for you."
"I am here to serve."
"You are to keep an eye on some," Kie thought on how to phrase the words. "Extra-corporate employment. You are to follow as they perform the assignment I set for them. They are to retrieve a person of prominence."
"And once they've completed their assignment?"
"You are to track them down and terminate their existence. Try to retrieve the subject of their assignment intact. The subject is needed for another project. The hired help serve no other purpose"
"I see, ma'am." Montague didn't let any emotion show on his face. His eyes were steady and cold while he stood absolutely motionless. "Shadowrunners?"
Kie said. "Nothing more than rogue meta-animals. The cursed and their help. They are without honor so you are to treat them as the dogs they are. They are not worthy to be with us."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Go on your way." Kie motioned for the door. "I have assembled some support for you. I'll brief you more when I have the time."
"Yes, ma'am." Montague bowed deeply. "Good day"
Like this chapter? Then go on to the NEXT CHAPTER. Had enough of this story? Try going back to the Fiction Index and find something else. Thoughts, rants, comments? Email me and tell what you thought about it.