Chapter Eleven
Crunch and Munch
The Waffle Hut
Loveland
Puyallup, Seattle
April 18, 2059
11:50 pm
"In corporate news; the situation worsens and the fate of Fuchi Industrial remains in question." The news reporter stated. She was a young woman with sparkling red hair and perfect green eyes. Her name was Virginia Peers.
The trid have a warm feeling to the old restaurant. It was perched in a corner just above the bar. Its presence served as a focal point for many of the patrons and employees. It provided for a constant ramble in what would have been a silent breakfast for some.
"Fuchi has always been a divided house." Virginia continued, her extravagant eyes never wavered from the camera. "Split between the three major share holders. Perhaps the corporation would have remained strong if it was not for the unfortunate death of former President, Dunkelzahn. In the former President's Will, Richard Villiers was bequeathed a position on Renraku's board of directors. This event has caused a major stock drop within Fuchi Industrial Electronics from which the company has failed to recover. While upset over this, rumors of a Corporate Court trial are still circulating between Fuchi and Renraku.."
"At least Fuchi's being distracted. They'll be tied up for a while." Lenny said, turning his attention away from the news report. "That's good news considering the trouble that Tart has been having with them."
"In related news, Congressional Candidate James Wesson announced that his office would support more corporate activity to aid in humanitarian programs." Virginia continued. "Renraku has been sighted as a major backer for Mr. Wesson's campaign. A campaign of strong moral beliefs and a aggressive strategy to regain lost pride has boosted his position. Recent polls favor Mr. Wesson." Virginia talked a little more, but the interested was lost amongst the people of the Waffle Hut. Chatter soon degraded the rest of the news cast.
"New topic," Nightsky said as he pushed his empty plate aside. The bacon and waffles had long since been consumed. "What's the scariest thing you've ever saw?"
Lenny chuckled at that one. "That's easy, traffic in downtown at rush hour. It's gridlock for nine solid miles."
"That's nothing." Smiley chewed viciously on a sausage patty. "I saw a mime near the Omnidome before. That was freak city."
"Seriously." Gideon shook his head. The group conversation had degenerated into cheap humor and inside jokes. "The scariest thing I ever saw was in the Desert Wars about four years ago. Maybe longer. It's been so long that I can't remember anymore."
Lenny took a sip from his coffee cup. "So what did you see?"
"We were holding a firebase position for MCT back then. Then we got raided. Ares sent in a platoon of guys wearing full military armor. Have you ever seen somebody wearing that new military armor? That armor's hardened and powered, giving them enough speed and strength to deck a dragon. Integrated weapons, sensors, BattleTac, the works. Nasty stuff. I hit one of those fraggers with a full burst from a MMG. The blast didn't even faze him. They don't look human either. Like some kind of robot or a killing machine."
Nobody said anything for a moment after that. The silence was punctuated by soft snoring from Riggs.
Gideon's story wasn't made up from any urban legend. It was real. Back then powered armor was just a prototype. Now the UCAS military issued that equipment for it's Elite units. Scary stuff indeed. Rumor had it that APDS had difficulty punching through.Lenny motioned for the waitress to refill his cup. The woman with graying hair and a cigarette came over in a few moments with a steaming coffee pot in her hands.
"I saw a bug spirit once." Nightsky said out of no where.
The waitress's hand's visibly shook. Some of the coffee spilled on the table top. Lenny was quiet for a second too. As were the other runners. Ever since Bug City and the Universal Brotherhood went bottoms up the bugs had been on a run. It had been years since there was a major crisis. The mention of those creatures getting up again was enough to unsettle anyone.
Lenny motioned the waitress away. "Where at, 'Sky?"
"In Redmond, about a year ago." Nightsky talked with his head held low. Like he was talking into his glass of water. "A bunch of chummers and I went ghoul hunting in the sewers outside of Glow City." He smirked. "People say that if you're looking for something in Seattle, look in the sewers. Sooner or later everything washes up there."
Smiley nodded. "That's for sure."
"Anyway." Nightsky shook his head to clear his thoughts. "There's a whole other world down there. We went about two miles in before we hit a nest of ghouls. We went at them, but we got separated from each other in the process. I didn't even know the thing was there until it was too late." He took a drink of his water. "You see bugs on the trid, but don't really get a feel for them unless their right in front of you. You don't realize how strong they are. Or quick." Nightsky sighed. "Damn, they're quick. Faster than I've ever seen the slickest sammy move."
"Ugly too?" Smiley wondered.
"Looked like a damned devil. Like something straight out of a nightmare. It tore through two of my chummers before I knew what happened. One was gone before the other hit the ground. The thing screamed and made the most horrible sound you've ever heard."
"They say that a bug is four times as fast as a normal person." Lenny stamped out his cigarette. "Every word of that's true."
"How did you get past the bug?" Gideon wondered.
"We didn't." Nightsky replied flatly. He looked at Gideon. "You want to know how we got out? We ran like hell and some of us still didn't make it. That thing sent us into a panic. We were running through the tunnels like a bunch of mad devil rats. By the time we met up topside the bug had picked off two more of us."
"Did you ever go back?"
"Hell no we never went back." The reply was sharp. "You'd have to give me an MP Laser and full body armor before I'd even consider it. Even then I doubt I would."
"When was this?" Lenny wondered.
"Like I said, a year." Nightsky shrugged. "Maybe less. More like four months or so ago. It was in fifty-eight. I consider that a year."
"Think the bug's still there?" Gideon asked.
"We didn't do anything to make it move."
Lenny emptied his coffee cup. "I thought you told me last month that you had never seen a bug in Redmond?"
"That's not what I said." Nightsky corrected. "I said that I had never seen a bug in that part of Redmond. We were close to the Plastic Jungles. I saw the bug near Glow City."
"I had a run in with bugs before. This was before the Universal Brotherhood went belly up." Gideon sprouted. "Back in fifty-five. Not many people know this, but there was a nest in the Barrens. A hive. They went under some humanitarian organization name called Project Hope. The UCAS found out about it and sent in the troops. We fought our way halfway down the nest and planted a series of fuel-air explosives. Those babies leveled a square mile when they went off."
"What a mess." Lenny said as he motioned for the waitress to refill his cup. At this time of night Lenny ran more off caffeine than anything else. The waitress nodded at him, and went back to taking the orders of two orks at the counter.
"That's a lot of squished bugs." Smiley sneered.
The waitress seemed to be engrossed in conversation with the two orks. Lenny motioned at his cup again, but she passed him off.
"Bugs?!" Riggs sat upright in the booth. All the talk about bug spirits had awakened the dwarf. The mention of the devils was enough to send cold chills up his spine. "Who's talking about bugs?"
Gideon snorted. "You're better off not knowing, Riggs."
Riggs rubbed his nose. "Bugs, them some nasty critters right there. I heard that they can assume the shape of anyone. That means that you could be sitting right next to one of those things and not even know it. Scary stuff. You got to be with the mojo to know they are there."
"Riggs, I don't want to get started on bugs again." Nightsky said. "So drop it."
Riggs hoped out of the booth. "Well, if I can't talk to you, I'll go hold a more meaningful conversation with the john." The dwarf waddled off to the bathroom.
"I should have sent him after some coffee while he was going." Lenny pushed himself up and walked to the counter. He took the coffee pitcher for himself and refilled his cup.
There was the faint sound of the Waffle Hut's door opening before a loud bang roared out. Nightsky's glass of water was shattered, splattering its contents over the adept and Gideon. The gunshot sent half of the customers scampering to the floor. The employees ducked behind the counter as four orks filled in at the front door. All the orks wore orange rain slickers.
"That's them!" An ork that Lenny recognized as Beady said. "That's the ones that fragged us up!" Beady was swinging an Ares Predator in his left hand. "Get'em!"
"I got the short one." One of the orks stated.
"Dibs on the one that smiles to much." Another called.
"Oh, drek!" Nightsky said as Beady started taking shots. Nightsky rolled out of his booth just as bullets slammed into the cushion. "I knew we shouldn't have messed with those FTs earlier."
"Head's up." Gideon warned. The ork's metal arm grabbed the tabletop. Servos and hydraulics whined as Gideon tore the tabletop loose. He used it as a shield while Beady continued to fire. Gunshots filled the Hut with a deafening roar.
Lenny took the coffee pitcher and smashed upside an ork's head who had been racing towards him. The pitcher was almost folded in half. The ork held his head in pain as Lenny put a foot into his gut. "Looks like these guys don't forget a face." The ork got his arms up before Lenny could connect with the kick.
"I thought I hurt you bad enough already." Smiley grinned viciously at the gangers. "Don't you know when to quit?"
Beady brought his pistol in line with Smiley, but he was too slow. Smiley threw the tail of his long coat back with his hands. Within a blink of an eye he drew a Colt Manhunter that had a bulky external smartlink mounted on it. The targeting smartlink tracked Beady with cold precision. A bullet sailed by the ork's head.
Nightsky grabbed a steak knife off a plate on the counter top. He threw the knife at a ganger that was making a beeline towards him. The knife stuck into the ork's knee, causing him to stumble.
Gideon charged forth, carrying the broken tabletop like a shield. Beady put two bullets into the chunk of composite plastic before Gideon got too close for comfort. Beady narrowly avoid being flattened. The third ork at the door jumped Gid. He tried to wrestle the tabletop out of his hands. Gideon ended up breaking the tabletop over the counter while aiming for the ganger's head.
"Forever Tacoma, fragger!" The ganger screamed as he hurled a fist at Gid's head.
Gideon blocked the blow with minium effort and smacked the ganger with his metal hand. The impact nearly fractured the ork's skull. He crumpled to the floor with a dent in his forehead.
"Forever that." Gideon snorted
Smiley looked like he was having the time of his life. When Gideon made his charge with the tabletop it had thrown Beady right into Smiley's line of fire. Now Smiley took the opportunity by unloading on Beady with his Manhunter. Beady got a hole blown through his leg. He stumbled back onto the counter clutched the gushing wound. The second shot nearly blew his head right off his shoulders. Blood and tissue were splattered across the counter as the bullet tore through Beady's neck. Beady's world immediately went black. He didn't have time to focus on the pain coming from his leg as the killing blow struck him down.
The Forever Tacoma ganger approaching Nightsky yanked the steak knife out of his knee. The ork grunted for a second, then held up his hand. Forearm blades snapped into place. He made a lunge for the adept.
Nightsky leapt onto the counter top to avoid the spurs. Those things looked sharp enough to shave with. From the look of the ork's face it appeared that shaving was exactly what the ork was using them for.
"Where's Riggs?" Lenny demanded as he took a fist from his opponent. Out of frustration, Lenny put an elbow onto the ork's temple and a knee into his groin.
The ork blocked the knee. The blow to his temple didn't too much damage. The ork had a thick head.
"Bathroom last I checked." Nightsky pulled out his Sai. He flipped off the top of the counter with a smooth motion. The Sai clipped the ork's arm.
Both Nightsky and Lenny were moving at the same speed. Which was nothing more than a blur to most people. Smiley, having dropped Beady, was running a little slower than usual. His wires needed a second to recharge.
Lenny started slugging it out with the ork. "Make sure Riggs doesn't wonder off." The ork successfully blocked each of Lenny's blows. Lenny took a fist in the gut that dazed him.
"Sorry to interrupt, fearless leader." Smiley lined up on Lenny's sparing partner. The back of the ork's head exploded as Smiley pulled the trigger. "But I'm going to have to cut your work out short."
Lenny breathed sigh of relief. That ork was tough. "Thank's, Smiley." Lenny brushed bits of blood and bone off his sleeve. "I think."
"Happy to maim."
Gideon kicked the ganger that he had dropped and turned to where Nightsky was dealing with the last Forever Tacoma gangers. "You almost done?"
Nightsky ducked beneath those snap blades. "Almost." He replied.
He bent the Sai slightly in his hands and threw himself into a flurried attack. The ork held his own at first by blocking numerous stabs and jabs made by the Sai. A deep scar appeared across the ork's cheek. The ganger tried to recover, but failed miserably. Nightsky blocked the snap blades and made a lethal blow. The Sai entered the ork's neck, severing a major vein, and burst out his eye. The body instantly went limp.
Riggs pushed open the bathroom door. Toilet paper was wrapped around his left boot. "What the frag?" He said at the carnage, pulling his pistol out of it's holster. "What in the name of Smith and Wesson happened here?"
Gideon grunted. "Had some company while you were holding a meaningful conversation with your friends at the pool."
"Is it over?" The waitress said meekly from behind the counter.
An overweight cook burst through the kitchen doors. He held a shotgun in his hands. Smiley immediately trained his Manhunter to the new threat. The targeting reticle lite up in the samurai's vision.
"Hold it!" Lenny shouted at the cook.
The cook stopped in his tracks.
"Don't start trouble, chummer." Lenny warned the cook as he snaked his Predator II out of its holster. "We don't want to throw down with you."
"Then get the hell out of my place." The cook warned. He held the shotgun in a threatening fashion, but he did not point it towards any of the shadowrunners.
The man's finger was on the trigger. If he tried anything there would be shooting. More so than before.
Lenny motioned at his team. "We're leaving."
"Yeah, leaving, that's for sure." Riggs said, waddling out without another word.
Lenny slowly slipped up to the cashier. He kept an eye on the cook who still held the shotgun. The waitress was hiding behind the counter. Lenny slipped his credstick into the slot and thumbed over nuyen for the food and a tip for the damages. It wasn't much, but Lenny figured that any money needed to fix the Waffle Hut could come of the dead and unconscious gangers.
Nightsky slipped out the door while Lenny was paying. Smiley was soon to follow. He gave the cook a sinister grin before he holstered his Manhunter. Lenny and Gideon were the last to leave. Neither of them turned their back on the cook until they were safely outside and in the Bison. When the Bison pulled away they both gave a faint sigh of relief.
"It's getting to where you can't get a good meal in this town." Riggs complained. He was driving at a casual speed down the streets of Loveland.
"We're going to have to be careful around Loveland for a while." Lenny said. "Those were Forever Tacoma gangers. The same ones as before. They will remember us."
Riggs snorted. "Just great, we got the biggest gang in Loveland miffed at us."
"Seattle's full of gangers." Smiley reloaded his Manhunter. "It's not like their an endangered species."
There were a few more comments about Forever Tacoma, but it was nothing serious. Trouble was likely to occur in Loveland. It was a fact of life. The conversation didn't last long enough to be of much concern. It was interrupted when Lenny's phone rang. He pulled it out and answered the call. Tart was waiting to talk with him.
"Tart?" Lenny puzzled. "I've been trying to call you."
"Sorry." Tart said shyly over the phone. "I've been looking for that information you wanted."
"Find anything?"
"Yes."
"What of it?" Lenny wondered.
"Abigail Starlight is not Mr. Wesson's daughter. I ran a check through the database to confirm it. Her picture doesn't match what's on file. Neither does her name." Tart informed.
"Then Gabriel Frost doesn't represent Mr. Wesson?" Lenny said out loud. It was more of a thought to himself than a statement.
"I don't know about that." Tart replied.
"What about the phone number?"
"It is registered with an apartment in Puyallup Proper. I've got an address."
"An address? That's the first good news I've heard all night. Give it to me."
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