Chapter Sixteen
Not Smart Enough
The Barrens
Redmond, Seattle
November 5, 2059
9:42 am
Bam! Bam! Bam! BAM!
The pounding on the door did not help Findler's headache in the slightest. He kicked at the sound, hitting something warm and soft.
What the hell is that?
"Ow! Watch it!"
Oh, it's Rave.
"Stop kicking me you stupid dickhead." Rave snapped as she snatched the bed sheets right off him.
Typical razorgirl, Findler thought. Great fuck, lousy company.
Not that he was much better. Right now his temples were resonating with the workings of a truly heinous hangover. There was also something sticky in his hair.
Is that bubblegum?
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Findler cried at the torturous knocking.
"Be quiet!" Rave snapped back.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
That wasn't going away anytime soon.
"Hang on!" He called as he lumbered out of bed. "Who's there."
"It's Nightsky."
Findler made it halfway to the door before he realized that his pride was hanging out for all the world to see. Being the modest sort, Findler jerked the sheets off Rave, leaving her naked and cold on the bed.
"Asshole!" She scolded.
Findler wrapped the sheets around his waist and checked the peephole. Nightsky was standing out there. So was Smiley.
"What do you want? It's early."
"We need to talk. It's biz."
Findler frowned for a moment. "It can wait?"
"No." Nightsky said. "Hector wants to see us. It's about the run. Something got hosed."
Findler thought about that for a moment. If they did something wrong during the run a few days ago it would look suspicious if he didn't open the door. He was part of that run. Therefore he shared the responsibility.
"One second." Findler grabbed a pair of pants from the floor and undid the locks.
Nightsky and Smiley were waiting on the other side. They entered quickly. Both of them wore serious expressions.
Rave picked up on the eccentric samurai almost immediately. "Hey, Smiley? Hmm......Nice and big. I like them that way." Rave gave a coy smile from the bedroom doorway. She was completely naked. The razorgirl was an attractive piece of meat, but there were nodules and scars on her body that were out of place. They were a tell-tale signs of cybernetic augmentation. It was almost sickening to see such a sexy woman had tainted herself with so much metal. It made her somewhat less than human.
"Rave, would you give us some space for a tick?" Findler asked. "Biz."
"Fine. I can tell when I'm not having fun." Rave huffed and disappeared into the bedroom. Presumably to get dressed.
"We need to talk." Nightsky said again.
"Fine, talk. Soycaf anyone?"
"No."
"I need some." Findler turned to kitchen corner of his apartment.
It was only then that he realized that something was out of place. Rave had been standing completely naked and inviting in front of them. Yet Nightsky or Smiley barely acknowledged her. Any man would have taken at least a passing interest in a naked girl even if there was business to discuss. It was the nature of the beast, but they didn't even ask what she was doing here.
No, Findler thought, that was not a normal reaction.
A sinking feeling filled Findler's stomach as Mr. Soycaf spurted a dull black liquid into his cup. He glanced at the trio behind him. Smiley stood by the door. Nightsky was close to the bedroom. It might seem normal to any other person, but not to someone who's eye had been trained in the shadows of the 6th World. They were positioned to prevent escape. They were also armed too heavily for even a casual day in the Barrens. Heavy autos were easily visible underneath Smiley's longcoat.
Then he saw their eyes. Focused and determined. The look of a hardened shadowrunner. One that was going to do whatever it took to finish the job. Something was very wrong here.
"What's going on?" Findler asked. "You said it was something about the Laken Run, right?"
"Yes." Nightsky answered. Smiley just grinned.
Findler felt a sinking feeling enter his stomach. His glanced towards the bedroom, but his gaze wasn't on the half-naked Rave. It was on the Predator heavy auto resting on the windowsill.
"What about it?"
"Apparently someone fragged up on the run. Lenny wants to pull everyone together in Redmond to work this out. We've come to pick you up."
"What happened?"
"Don't know exactly. We're going there to find out."
Findler regarded the two for a moment as he downed his cup of soycaf. His eyes went to the windowsill again. "Yeah, well, let me grab a shirt and I will be right with you."
He crossed to the bedroom without waiting for an okay. Rave was still there. It took her forever to get dressed. She gave him a lurid smile, but he didn't pay any attention. Findler snatched a t-shirt from the floor and shrugged it on. Then he picked up a sweater beneath the window. As he did his hand reached for the Predator.
"Don't do that, Findler."
Findler froze. Nightsky and Smiley were in the doorway. The adept held a Manhunter on him. The auto's sighting laser let up a ruby red dot on the ork's back.
"Hey!?" Rave said. "What's going on?"
Findler straightened. Without armor he know that a round from the Manhunter would put him down for good. There wasn't much chance of getting out of the slug's path in such close quarters either.
"This isn't about the run, is it?"
The adept shook his head.
Oh, frag, Findler thought to himself as he felt a distinct sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. In that instant he could have sworn he saw his life flash before his eyes. The reality settled in. Somehow they had found out what he was doing. Now he stood to pay a very serious price. Suddenly catching his brother's murderer didn't seem so important.
Findler had never been big in the shadows. He had only performed small jobs before being arrested earlier in the year. He wasn't very high in the food chain. Smiley and Nightsky now stood before him. Both of them were a tier above Findler. They had a massive amount of cybernetic augmentation and a load of magical talent. There was no doubt in his mind that they would kill him if they had to.
He looked past them. The front door was wide open. If he could come up with a distraction he might be able to make it.
"What tipped you off?" Findler asked out of curosity.
"Your appearance at the party last night." Nightsky answered. "There was a reason Hector didn't give you an invitation. He didn't trust you."
"We trusted each other on the run!"
"Did we?" The voice carried an accusing tone.
"Somebody tell me what the hell is going on now!" Rave demanded, drawing the runners' cruel intentions.
"Slot off." Smiley hissed, turning his full, sadistic attention on her.
That was the moment of distraction Findler was desperately waiting for. The ork exploded into a fury motion in that one instant. Everything slowed down for him as wired reflexes took over his neurological activity. He watched in painful slow motion his fist collided with the adept's temple. The runner's face contorted in a grimace of pain. Findler heard the Manhunter's insides start working. Mechanical metal slid against each other before a hurling a slug through a fiery muzzle flash. The bullet took the tip of Findler's ear off and shattered the window.
Smiley was in motion. Even under the altered perception from his augmented reflexes, Findler saw the samurai move with almost unfathomable speed. Smiley's hands became a sadistic array of spurs and razors. The smile on his face was almost as big as his uncontrollable urge to use them.
Findler kept Nightsky between himself and Smiley, shoving the adept into the razor's pointy hands. That instant of awkwardness was all he needed to slip out of the room.
"Fuck head!" Findler heard one of them call. It was probably Smiley. Then again it might have been Nightsky yelling at his sadistic teammate when he got tossed into Rave's very confused arms.
"Here comes the pain, baby!"
That was definitely Smiley. Only he could make such a cliche sound so terrifying. With that in mind, Findler ran faster. He bolted down the hallway like the devil himself was on his heels. It wasn't far from the truth. He could hear heavy footfalls only inches behind him. One of the neighbors, a half retarded chiphead, stuck his acne scarred face out of his door. "Is that gunfire?" He gaped.
Findler grabbed the man's arm and flung him into the hallway. Then kept running. Findler may not be the best in the shadows, but one didn't have to be the best if one was smart enough. All he had to do was keep distance between himself and Smiley. If Smiley got up close it would be all over. He was no match for the razor hand to hand.
He practically broke through the stairwell door and pounded down the steps at breakneck speeds. His muscles ached from the adrenaline high his cybernetics were forcing through his system. Those augmentations were keeping him alive right now. It didn't matter how much his body cried out under the horrendous torture. Findler wasn't going to stop. Halfway down the stairwell he heard the door above him open. He looked up long enough to meet Smiley's wild grin.
He had seen that grin before and knew what was going to happen. Smiley was going to kill him. The shadowrunners might have been sent to pick him, but Smiley didn't care anymore. All he wanted was to hurt someone. Findler was the closest person at the moment.
Findler exited the stairwell and emerged into a small loading area. The was a short, squat figure underneath a heavy garage door.
It was Riggs. Findler could recognize that figure anywhere.
"Drek!" Riggs dropped his can of soda and went for his pistol. "Hold it right there, Findler!"
Findler charged the dwarf. Riggs was astonished when the ork barreled into him. Findler's shoulder went numb as it contacted the dwarf's chunky frame. The impact sent Riggs' head bouncing off the concrete as the dwarf rolled across the floor like an oversized ball. The dwarf-ball stopped only when hitting the speed bump on the loading dock.
Riggs waddled helplessly on his back. "Fucking shithead of a motherfucking scaly assed wizworm goat fucking devil rat!"
Findler leapt into the early morning sun and onto the prone rigger, slapping his hands away from that pistol.
"Get off me you deranged half-witted candy-ass coffee machine!"
Findler grabbed a fistful of the dwarf's collar and planted three quick, hammering blows into his face. Riggs went limp.
"Hey, fragface."
Findler turned to see Smiley standing at the stairway door. The samurai looked perfectly ready to tear him in half. Without hesitating Findler stripped the pistol from Riggs' belt. He held the heavy auto dead center on Smiley's chest. His finger tightened around the trigger.
Smiley laughed.
Findler's expression went slack. For once he knew why Smiley was laughing. The samurai had metal laced bones and a pain editor. Findler could empty half a clip into the madman and Smiley wouldn't die until ten minutes after he turned Findler into ground beef.
The barrel switched targets. Findler emptied half the clip into the chain the held the loading door up instead. The chain snapped, slamming the door down. It automatically locked when it fell.
He smiled.
"Not better. Smarter."
Findler turned around just in time for his face to meet a chrome-covered fist. He went out like a light. A large, grizzled ork stood over him. The ork flexed his cybernetic arm which shined in the early morning sun.
"Not smart enough, drekhead."
Findler's consciousness gradually returned. It greeted him with stars in his eyes and an uncontrollable ache across the bridge of his nose. He tried to move, but found that his arms and legs were restrained. Flexing, testing the strength of his bounds, brought him more bad news. The restraints were reinforced. There was also something around his neck. It was hard, metallic, and emitted a low hum.
A containment collar. His cybernetics were useless with that wrapped around his neck.
There wasn't any sense in faking consciousness. He opened his eyes to behold dull, gray walls. There was a door. At first Findler overlooked it because it blended seamlessly into the wall. No windows. The only light came from a portable lantern in the corner. He didn't know where he was, but suspected it was somewhere in Redmond. He couldn't have been out for long.
Three people kept him company. Smiley stood in the corner with an entertaining grin on his face. Nightsky stood opposite of him. A large ork was by the door. The ork's chrome cyberarm was a painful reminder to the ache in Findler's nose.
"You fucked up, Findler." Nightsky said quietly.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Findler knew it was useless to say something like that. Yet it felt like the line he was expected to say.
"Hector had you followed last night. Decker's picked up your datadrop on the Matrix. We found recordings and a microcamera at your place this morning." Nightsky explained. "You're passing info on us. You're ratting, Findler."
Findler shook his head.
"I hope you know how much I hate the situation you've put me in."
That was unusual. Findler was somewhat confused. They had him cold and Nightsky was complaining about the position he was in? "I know what you're going to do." Findler huffed.
Nightsky didn't say anything. It gave Findler a moment to weigh his options. There wasn't much chance of him getting out of his restraints. Though he did notice that none of the other shadowrunners were carrying firearms. Smiley was unarmed, discounting his implants. Nightsky had a sword. The ork had that cyberarm which would have who knows what in it. Even if Findler did get loose he would have to contend with them hand-to-hand. There was no chance of walking away from that confrontation. The only thing Findler was armed with was his mouth.
Smarter not better, Findler thought to himself.
"Why don't you do it? Get on with it."
Nightsky stood quietly. Findler took that as a good sign. Nightsky wasn't a cold blooded murderer. Least, Finlder didn't think so. It was one thing to kill someone on a run, but another to do it in cold blood. Smiley would pop the head of a kitten just to see what was inside, but Findler knew that Smiley was a thug. He did what other people told him to do. That meant Findler might have a small chance of walking out of here alive.
"I want to know three things." Nightsky stated. "I want to know who you are working for, how long you've been reporting to them, and what you've told them."
Findler chewed his lip. "And you think I'm going to come right out and tell you?"
"It would make it easy for me."
Findler thought about that for a moment. "Sorry, not that easy. I'd end up fragging myself."
Nightsky dropped his head. "I expected that."
Findler huffed and nodded, but the smug grin on his face disappeared as Nightsky turned for the door. "Where you are going?" He interrupted.
"Lenny is out of town right now and I've never been good at dealing with people. That leaves only one way to handle this." He passed a suggestive glance in Smiley's direction. Smiley stood motionless. The grin on the samurai's face grew more evil with each passing moment.
Findler felt that sinking feeling come back again. "Wait! You can't leave me like this."
Nightsky turned the doorknob.
"You know you don't want it to be this way. You know it's wrong. It's too cold for you. Nightsky you're not like this!"
He stopped halfway through the door.
"You're not like these two. You're not a cold blooded killer. You're not like the other runners. You're better than this. You can't have people tortured and just stand aside and let it happen without a word."
The ork was watching Nightsky closely now. Nightsky stood motionless. He stared at his empty hand for a moment. Almost like it held the secrets to the universe.
"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think, Findler."
Findler's face paled.
"Tell me when he's told us everything." Nightsky addressed the ork. "Then I'll call Hector."
"You're not staying to watch?" The ork almost sounded sarcastic.
Nightsky seemed to consider it for a moment. Almost like there was some part of himself that wouldn't mind watching another person get tortured. In the end he shook his head.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Smiley snapped his razors.