All Debts Paid
Clouds blocked out the sky. They forever hid the stars under a blanket of clouds and thudner. Rain splashed against the windshield like thousands of little hands. The rhythm of the splattering raindrops urges some primitive part of the human mind to relax and seek sleep.
A night like this would be a nightmare to most drivers, but not Tia. She doesn't find the constant thumping relaxing. Every drop of rain on the van's skin is felt through her vehicle control rig. The tires sliding against the slick pavement have a special feeling for her. She can feel every pothole and mud slick on the road. It's a strange sensation as the mud cakes up on the tires. Almost as if she was wear shoes that have been caked with mud. The datacords running from underneath the dash connect to jacks above her ear.
The cybernetic control rig in her head links her directly with the van. Sensors mounted around the van aid her vision. Thermographic and low-light optics pull shapes out of the darkness better than any headlight could. Tia knew every curve before she hit it. The orientation system constantly feed updated data on the winding road and weather conditions.
The van rolled to a stop outside a Gas-&-Eat. There were only a handful of cars at this time of night. Plus one or two big rigs. Tia parked near the garage like always. She purposely left the doors unlocked. As she pulled the datacords free she felt her wonderful world disappear. She sighed. The night was cold and dark again.
She spared a glance at the diner.
"Where is he?" She said to herself, looking along the windows for a familiar face.
There he was!
Sitting in a corner booth was a middle aged ork. Fat and blubber had replaced muscles with age. His substantial gut filled one seat. The ork's attire was a mockery as usual. A perfectly pressed shirt and tie contrasted his scarred, synthleather pants. The tie was distasteful as always.
She opened the glove compartment. A pistol, along with a collection of papers, spilled out. Tia glanced at the small automatic. At the moment she couldn't remember why she had put it there. She detested guns and barely knew how to handle one. Still, it seemed foolish not to have one in her line of work.
She snickered, finding herself worrying too much again. This was the last run. After it was over she would have enough money to pay off her sister's debt. Thrips couldn't hold that over Allie's head anymore. Two one-way tickets to Seattle were waiting at the airport. By morning the two of them would be out of California. They will have a chance to start a new life.
Tia took a breath as the raindrops splattered against the windshield.
"Okay. Let's get this over with." She told herself as she slipped into her poncho, pulling the hood over her short, red hair.
Rain pours in the second she opens the door. Large puddles of dirty water fill the parking lot's potholes. By the time she reaches the front door she is thoroughly soaked. The only person that takes notice of her is an elderly ork woman behind the counter. A pair of truckers seem completely oblivious as they enjoy an early breakfast.. A cluster of students near the back are making enough noise to drown out a mastodon. Then there was the ork. Tia scooted into the booth across from him.
"Hoi, Jimmy."
"Took you long enough." Jim said almost too cheerfully as he emptied a cup of soycaf and folded his paper. "You were suppose to be here twenty minutes ago."
"The weather was bad."
"Yeah, well." Jim snorted, patting his belly. "I guess I can forgive you for old times sake. Are you sure I can't change your mind?"
"No. This is it for me. After this run I'm finally leaving California."
The ork cleared his throat and glanced at his gold watch. "Let's talk about business. The boys are loading you up now."
Tia leaned forward, diverting her full attention to him.
"Basic delivery run." Jim explained. "Standard compensation. Five hour time frame. Package is fragile so watch what roads you take."
"Where is the drop?"
The slick ork pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and slid it on the table. Tia took it quietly. She unfolded it beneath the table and made sure not to speak of it aloud. As she read the location there was a slight flinch in her complexion.
"Quiet place." Jimmy said. "No patrols there."
"Locals?"
"In on it." The ork reached into his pocket again, retrieving a certified credstick that he passed to Tia under a napkin. "To bad I can't talk you into staying. Now I will have to find another packrat."
"Sorry," She almost enjoyed the look disappointed on the ork's face. "But I've had my fill of California."
"Well," Jimmy snorted, offering a handshake. "Here's to goodbye."
Tia regarded his hand for a moment before accepting it. She knows that this will be her last meeting with the ork. If she ever had to see him again it would be under far less friendly circumstances. "Goodbye, Jimmy."
The handshake marked the last dealing with Jimmy. The shiny credstick represented a new life. It was enough to pay off her sister's debt. After that Tia and Allie would be on the first flight to Seattle for a fresh start. No more backroom agreements or under-the-counter dealings. It was a chance for a real life. Now she had the money to do it. She could take off right now.
The temptation was almost too much for her, but Tia shook herself out of it. She still had one more delivery to do. Then all would be settled and that debt wouldn't be over her sister's head anymore.
Outside the rain was still falling. Thick, messy puddles of muddy water lay between her and the van. In the glare of the falling water Tia could just make out figures disappearing into the garage. Typical for Jimmy's henchmen. As she hopped into the van she noticed the oversized crate his goons and shoved in. It was like so many others that she had delivered before. The thermometer showed that the contents were well below freezing. Tia knew what was in the crate and why it had to be kept frozen. Though she didn't care to look at it. That was the price of the organlegging business. Most of the time she doesn't think about the people before they met their end and were shipped out in small, glass beakers. It's easy to keep things in perspective be thinking about the credstick and how it will go to improve her life.
She carefully unfolded the piece of paper Jimmy had given her. After committing it to memory she shredded it and tossed it carelessly aside.
One more delivery, she thought to herself, then I'm out.
Tia plugged the rigger jacks into her skull. Immediately she became part of the van. The rain became a reality again as it cascaded off her metal skin. Heavy treads pulled out of the muddy parking lot and onto the main highway.
An hour later the storm wears itself out. The insistent pounding of rain reduces to a light drizzle. Tia finds the drizzle comforting against the van's skin. The feel of concrete beneath the tires and an open road ahead blessed her with a bit of happiness. This is what she really lives for, to be one with the machine. No experience can match it. Two tons of steel barreling down the highway at her command. No, that's not quite right. It is her barreling down the highway with the wind wiping over her and the road solidly below her tires.
The moment of bliss comes to an abrupt end as Tia approaches her first obstacle of the night. A checkpoint ahead run by the California Rangers, a group of riggers that keep a vigil watch over California's highways. Little more than mercenaries, really. They watch for smugglers heading for the Big Sur Coast. They are not a group to be taking lightly. The riggers are highly talented, very well equipped, and predisposed to a violent nature. Fortunately Tia has been through this before and knows what to expect. She patiently waits in the small line of cars and big rigs. As her turn approaches she pulls up one of the rangers comes to her window.
"Hoi, Reese, busy night?"
The grungy looking man covered in a rain parka regards her briefly, checks a clipboard in his hand and hides a frown. "It has been an easy night so far." Reese tapped his watch, letting Tia know that she was running late.
"I know, I know." She breathed under her breath.
Reese motioned her through. "Keep it moving."
She nodded before pulling past.
One good thing about Jimmy was that he kept his network of contacts running smoothly. The ork must have slipped him something extra tonight. Reese was one of the few Rangers Jimmy had on the take and had worked much of his routes through this part of California to coincide with his schedule. It was one big circle. Corporations and city governments hire the Rangers to keep the smuggling down and the tourist business up. People living in the shadows of society hire the Rangers to turn a blind eye and occasionally pounce on rivals. The Rangers get the better end of the deal after taking money from both sides.
There was something different about Reese tonight. Tia couldn't quite put her finger on it. He acted like he was nervous about something. Perhaps it was because she was late tonight. In her rearview she could see Reese still standing there. The look on his face stuck in her mind for some reason. It disappeared in the darkness as Tia drove on. The clouds still loomed overhead.
Sunny California indeed!
Another hour later and the storm was back with a vengeance. Winds swept dirt and gravel across the road and rain mixed with light hail to pound the van's metal skin. The thudding of heavy rain drops and clink of ice fragments gave Tia a headache. The only thing that helped her through the misery was thinking about that tomorrow she and her sister would be in Seattle starting a new life. Yes, by tomorrow morning California will be a bad memory.
Endless miles of highway passed the headlights. The featureless pavement was broken by a single form. A hitchhiker walked heavily along the side of the road. The storm was giving him its best shot. Wind and rain nearly blew him sideways. Cold and wet, Tia knew he had to be miserable. The hitchhiker stuck his thumb as she approached. She ignored it at first. One of Jimmy's rules was to keep things on a professional level. If she picked up a stranger in the middle of the night she could jeopardize the delivery.
Nevertheless Tia watched him as she passed, finding that she couldn't help herself. A mental command slammed on the brakes. The van pulled off just in front of him. Screw Jimmy's words of wisdom, no one deserved to be out on a night like this.
The hitchhiker came up to the door and hopped in. He was taller than Tia thought, at least a foot over her from where he stood. It was hard to get a look at his face as the hood from his raincoat hid his features.
"Frag of a night to be out, isn't it?" Tia broke the ice, trying to sound helpful.
He didn't speak in reply, but merely nodded his head. As the van pulled back onto the highway Tia managed to sneak a closer look at him. His clothes beneath the raincoat weren't ragged, but weathered and well worn. Almost like a favorite shirt would look after a few years. The vehicle control cyberware in Tia's head switched the van over to its crude autopilot system. The cyberware gave Tia the advantage of being able to drive while diverting only a fraction of her attention to the road.
"I can only take you a few miles down the road. Is that okay?"
Her new passenger nodded.
They drove the next few minutes in silence. Tia couldn't help, but notice the scent her new passenger carried. It was a mix of fresh leather, mint, and the musk of someone who lived in the wilds. It was an unusual cocktail. Occasionally she would glance over hoping to get a look at his face. Every time she did the shadows had a habit of closing up around him. The hitchhiker wasn't frightening or unnerving. In fact Tia found herself oddly at ease with the exception of the unbearable silence. The hitchhiker seemed more than happy with the silence. It was driving Tia insane. Not speaking to someone was hard for her.
So she decided to break the silence herself.
"Where are you from?"
Her passenger didn't answer.
"Me? I'm from Redding up North. Mill Creek, actually. It's a little place outside of Redding. Just off highway thirty-six. It's really a nice place. When I was growing up it was rough because the Tir was just a few miles away. Then there's Mt. Shasta. I'm sure you remember all that garbage that went down there. Worst was when the Tir came pouring over the hills in '36. I was only four when it happened, but I still remember it. My sister, Allie, was just a baby. We Californians showed those elves though. We pushed them right out of Redding."
"Parents?"
Tia didn't hear his question at first. She was so caught up in her own words that his soft voice was almost drowned out like a small cricket.
"They died a year later while the elves were pulling back." Tia said quietly. "My sister and I went to live with our uncle in Oroville."
"Why?"
"There was no where else to go." Tia shrugged. "We had to leave."
"Home?"
"Not in Mill Creek. The elves burned it."
The stranger shifted slightly. The cheap bucket seat creaked slightly under his weight. "Now?"
"I live with my sister. We're moving to Seattle soon." Tia smiled at the last part.
"Important?"
"Yes, my sister is the only real family I have. She is the most important person in my life and my best friend. We stick up for each other because we've been through a lot together. That's I can't wait till we get to Seattle. We're going to start all over with new lives. No more California, nope. Not for us. We are going to leave it all behind. Seattle's where the future is."
"Work?"
Tia clammed up for a moment. The ork's words were coming back to her. She knew that she had to be careful how she answered this question. "I work for the state. I map out the highways and roads. I see what's changed and which ones need work."
"Important?"
Tia nodded. "Working hard is what's going to get me and my sister out of California."
The hitchhiker was quiet for a few moments after that. Tia didn't feel inclined to start up a conversation again. A few minutes later he spoke again.
"Mistake."
"Huh?"
"Mistake." The stranger repeated.
"What are you talking about."
The man caste an empty glare to her. Tia could feel his eyes even though the darkness seemed to hide them beneath that raincoat.
"Sister is important. Most important thing. Work is important for both you and your sister, but your work is not right. It brings bad karma. You carry bad karma."
Tia looked at him oddly. "What are you talking about?"
"The bad karma has already found you." The hitchhiker continued, ignoring her words. "It has given back what you took so the scale can achieve balance."
"Wha-" Tia cleared her throat. "What are you talking about, old man?"
"You will know." The hitchhiker motioned at the road. "I'll walk from here."
"This is the middle of no where."
"I know." The man said.
Tia shrugged. "You're life."
The van coasted to a stop on the shoulder. The old man opened the door. His feet touched the damp pavement with almost no sound. The rain was threatening to blow in, but he seemed oblivious to the impeding weather. Tia regarded him with a wary eye. She thought of him as a bit of a loon.
"You should open the box." He said abruptly.
Tia was caught off guard. The only word she could manage was "What?"
The old man shut the door. He walked of in the opposite direction. Tia watched him in the mirrors. She was completely baffled.
"Crazy old man." She mumbled to herself as she pulled the van back onto the highway. She looked into the mirror again. To her surprise the old man wasn't there. She checked all around her, but the man was no where to be seen. She frowned, discarding the whole thing. "What a loon." She groaned and picked up speed.
There was still a long way to go on her run. However, as the miles clicked away, Tia found herself thinking about the words that crazy old man had said. She rolled them over again and again in her mind. She couldn't help herself. The words were stubborn things and refused to leave her thoughts. She tried to think about what her life would be like after this delivery. She tried to think about the money, but it was no use. Her mind kept coming back to the same question. What did the old man about opening the box?
Tia's eyes wondered to the rearview mirror, an outdated thing considering the vehicle control gear mounted inthe van's frame. The mirror showed the crate Jimmy's people had loaded at the truck stop.
"Maybe that's it?" She said to herself.
The crate was a box, but Tia knew what was inside. It was the same thing that had been inside dozens like it before. Tia never actually opened one. Seeing the contents was something that she did not relish looking inside. Uneasy nerves caused her to chew her lip while her eyes stayed focused on the crate. It felt more important than the miles of deserted highway.
The van began to slow. Tia brought it to a rolling stop on the shoulder. She turned off the engine and waited for a moment. Eyes stayed on the crate. The rain was starting to pick up. It drummed against the van's metal skin in a steady rhythm the sheeted down the windshield. Tia sat there in silence, contemplating what to do as the old man's words continued to speak in her mind.
Open the box.
The words urged her along. Tia got out of her seat and crawled to the back of the van. She sat on her knees in front of the crate. Tia ran her fingers across it. The plastic surface had been nailed into place. It felt smooth, but it was also cold. Tia shivered at the frosty touch.
There was a crowbar in the back of the van. She used it to pry open the crate's lid. The contents had been packed in dry ice. Frigid air came up as she lid popped off. Inside there were half a dozen glass canisters. Their surfaces were covered in frost. Tia breathed a sigh of relief. She had expected this. This was what Jimmy dealt in.
She laughed to herself. She had let the old man get to her. Crazy old fool and his spooky words. As she reached for the lid to cover it back up Tia noticed a small piece of paper taped to one of the outer canisters. That in itself was not unusual. The words on it had caught her attention.
Tia tilted her head. She breathed, her breath turning to fog. Tia brushed the frost away from the glass canister. Her fingers numbed as they pushed away the ice to reveal what was inside. Once clear Tia saw the truth.
In an instant of shock and horror she suddenly knew what the old man had met. Tia's sister stared back at her from the canister. Her face was contorted in a scream of terror forever frozen in time. Tia squeezed her eyes shut. It hurt to look, but when she did the note on the canister was perfectly clear.
It read: "Allie, All Debts Paid."
That's it for 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.