Cyberpunk 2766AD

Fox sits up and says "Yes, but we need to get something to stop your bleeding right away." She tears the sheet into one long bandage and wraps it around Wraith's chest.

 

Both Vornn and the wonderer; landed hard Vornn slammed back first into a moving car crushing the metallic roof and killing the passenger from the shock. The driver swerved slightly slamming into the curve. Vornn rolled from the roof and on to the pavement. The concrete cracked from the impact. He staggered up shaking his hooded head. Across the road lay his sword.

The wonderer landed hard on the curve and rolled into the crashed car. The driver lay head down unconscious. He reached for his staff taking hold he charged towards Vornn who was now taking his sword from the road. Vornn turned to see and blocked the attack with his sword. Both men locked in combat jumped up Staff slamming Sword.
Landing by the café both men still locked in combat both as fast as each other crashed through the café window shattering the glass and knocking tables over.

The Enforcer rose from their seats guns held forwards at the two fighters.

Sergeant Myers recognises them both instantly.

Zarkiel and Vornn. Vornn was highly dangerous but worked on the side of law. While Zarkiel was a preacher of the church a fanatic highly skilled by the best chi Olin Monks of the high mountains. He had no intention of intervening this fight. However he’d come to realise two such warriors meant the damned freebooters were here. He stepped outside the Café dodging the tow warriors and saw the smashed window.

“Get up there. And apprehend them.” He bellowed to his men gesturing them to follow.

Vornn stopped sheathed his sword dodging a punch. He grabbed Zarkiel by the throat and hurled him through another unbroken window. More glass shattered as the preacher landed hard on his back.

Vornn charged past the enforcers and kicked the doors of the hotel open this time he un-holstered both golden pistols.

 

"That would be an advisable course of action. However, we should get out of here, right now!"

 

Fox quickly pulls out her gun and pulls the trigger. Letting a spray of bullets go towards the bounty hunter.

 

"How are we going to get out?"

I'm nearly panicking. I can't believe that just happened. You never get lucky like that in real life. One thing is certain, I'm ditching these guys as soon as I can. All they do is attract bounty hunters.

 

"Now what about you?"

"It seems if you spend more then four thousand credits you get a complementary clubbing survival package, among other things like small electro-charged rings guaranteed to stop the most aroused of men, it also includes an 'any-stain' remover, says it cleans and removes near to any stain with just a spray, including blood, semen, dirt and road grime, says here that it even destroys DNA evidence, can also be used a treatment to stop stains as well"

I flip the canister in my hand and wanting to ask why any women would need or want this to go clubbing with, I have a gut feeling that I would get an answer I would most likely not like.

I could understand a man... but a woman? I glance over at Tolva getting dressed while she is hiding her body from my sight.

Never mind, it all makes sense now when I think about it.

 

Wraith soon forgot about the bleeding, he reached into his pouch, withdrawing the antique pistol. He flicked off the safety and aimed towards the bounty hunter. He fired a whole clip into the chest of him/she/it.

 

Vornn sweeps low pulling the triggers of both Pistols bullets fly past his head one grazing his hood. His burst into life and streak shells through the wall. He stumbles back through the door his first gun blazes the bullet slams in Wraith knocking him back towards the window. He turns fires at Fox. The bed thuds from the impact of shells. Again Vornn fires another hits Wraith this time in the knee.

Vornn dodges another volley of fire slams the side of his pistol into Jimmy Kiro’s cheek knocking him back.

The Enforcers blow half the wall down part of the floor caves in taking Vornn down again. This time Vornn remains in a standing stance with his feet slamming down to ground level. Dust covers Vornn as he lands breaking a double bed with a large man trying to sleep. Vornn slams his pistols butt into the mans face knocking him unconscious.

The enforcer's shout at the three Freebooters.

“Stand still and surrender.”

The preacher walks to the doors and sees the enforcers bellowing at the three wounded freebooters. Damned lawmen. He hated them more so than the scum he wanted paying for. This was to be fun.

 

“GhostIE!”

I say, unfolding the catsuit he bought me. It is similar to my old one as a yacht is to a rowboat. Wow. It is technically ‘blue’, but it is a shimmering royal blue that seems to twist the light. I check the tags. Not only is it thermal dampening but it also features a Featherlite liner. Nice.

The neckline is not sporty like my original suit, instead it plunges into a V. I hope I don’t fall out of the thing. Still, it’s gorgeous.

“You sure know how to shop.”

Kiara is already in the backseat getting changed. Boy oh boy will that be fun, trying to get changed back there. But there is nothing to be done. I’d like to be changed before we hit the crashjoint.

Who am I kidding? I just want into this beautiful suit!

I do the front seat/back seat switch with Kiara again, wondering if Ghost minds, and start stripping off my arm and leg band dampeners.

“So the lady was a little annoying?” I ask him with a laugh in my voice, “Okay, driver, I checked the net when I got us your clams and The Hot Banana over on Tower Eight, Midline should give us a room to crash out for a bit.”

 

"OK, OK. I surrender, please dont hurt me. I am sorry for what I did. Please, let me live. I can help you, I will go back to work. Please!!" Shouted Wraith, throwing his gun onto the floor, along with the small Swiss Army knife. The blood began seeping from his wounds, as he began to weep and knelt down beside the bed.

"please...." he mumbled, drifting in and out of consciousness.

 

Why does everybody seem intent on hitting me into the wall? I lay there for stunned for a moment.

 

The shot from the bounty hunter skins her left hip. He was moving too fast to aim perfecty. She jumps out the busted window. The end of her tail flatens itself and sticks into the side of the building. It slows her descent and eventually stops it, when they are a few feet off the ground. She flips around and lands on her feet. She takes off running.

 

Suddenly from behind the seven enforcers Zarkiel emerged. He ploughed his staff into the spine of the first then taking the staff with both hands swung it around breaking the neck of another He drew the flame pistol concealed in his cloak and set alight the closest two. Flames began to engulf the room. Zarkiel looked at the quivered Wraith.

A smile shot across his leathered weathered flesh. And he released his grip on the flame pistol once the gas was gone. Using his hand he took Sergeant Myers in a grip piercing his eyeballs with his righteous fingers blood sweeps from the sockets as he dug his fingers in deep. Myers screamed pain stricken.
Zarkiel dropped the screaming sergeant to the floor.

“My eyes my eyes.” He screamed.

Zarkiel approached Wraith and kicked him out the window. He looked to see where he’d landed and found the fool still alive laid on the balcony two levels down.

Luckiest freebooter of the day mused Zarkiel. He turned back to the room now engulfed in flames and black smoke.

Vornn was Zarkiels next target. And with that thought in mind he left the two freebooters still in the room and the screaming of the now blind Sergeant Myers. And with that Zarkiel had gone from sight and sound.

 

This is getting confusing, 2 different versions are floating about................

 

“So the lady was a little annoying?” ... “Okay, driver, I checked the net when I got us your clams and The Hot Banana over on Tower Eight, Midline should give us a room to crash out for a bit.”

Actually the sales lady was very nice and agreeable, just morally deplorable, but I am not sure if I should be the one to make such judgments when I realize I just left five families broken because they chose to halt the process of a better tomorrow.

"Hot Banana?" I would like to ponder how the idea of heated fruit somehow links to a dance place, but apparently there needs to be an link between Dancing girls and phallic items. Clubs, bananas, what next the chilly cucumber?... which makes me wonder why they say cold as a cucumber when most other fruits have to be equally as cold a cucumber to stay fresh. There is nothing special about the heat conductivity of a cucumber that keeps it cold... .. I'll just go look that one up... later... much later...

The survival package also has a terrycloth in it... I want to be surprised but all I feel is ill.

I force the questions from my mind and focus on cleaning my clothing off as we head off toward the club.

 

I pick up a chunk of debries and throw it through the window and run over to it. What the hell? There's no fire escape? Oh well. I look down and see an alleyway below, above me the building soars higher, right next to one of the freeways. I climb out onto the window ledge and jump to catch the next one up.

 

I appropriated one of the shock rings and tinkered with it a bit with my tools. It might just come in handy.

The Hot Banana is just about what you might imagine from the name.

At this time of day there are no lines to get in so we just walk in, unremarked. Ghost is in the center, Kiara on one side, me on the other, both holding one of his arms in what we hope is an adoring way. She’s probably hating every second of it but it helps us to fit in.

I have the duster open down the front, exposing the cleavage the new catsuit gives me, that stuns most men anyway, even if they aren’t stoned.

The music thumps and beautiful women and men both dance on high platforms, spotlit, as a crowd…always the crowd gyrates to the music below them. Lasers shoot over the crowd and the air is filled with noise and smoke. Huge neon bananas hang from the roof rafters.

At the edges of the room are people who are hacking, shooting up, hooking up, or zoning out. A few stagger toward the rooms at the back and that’s where we need to go. I run my hand over Ghost’s chest and reach around to caress his backside, hoping like heck that Kiara can manage to do the same.

Nobody will stop a little group, probably stoned to the gills and bent on a threesome. We just need to make it to a room, pay the requisite credits at the slot, and the room will be ours for 24 hours.

 

I can not tell which is worse. The fact that I feel like a human meat puppet with the way Tolva is rubbing me, or that other there are a bunch of other big guys in this joint have much better looking full face masks than I do.

Which makes me wonder, why would anyone use meat for puppet making. It rots in three days, and the smell is just heinous. I'll have to ponder that one later.

Tolva starts to rub my chest and making all kinds of weird moaning noises as we approach the door. I see Kiara doing the same but though gritted teeth. Her almond looking eyes glare up at me and she whispers as nicely as she can while looking like she wants to kill everyone in the place "do not get any ideas"

I am not sure what she means as the only idea I am getting is that we need to get to the room. I wonder why anyone would enjoy being touched like this, I feel like I am being prepped for butchery or something. 'Oo he is a fat one, lots of good meat there' I almost imagine them saying.

The guy at the door nods, gives me a wink and waves us on. Asks me how I keep the mask clean and I tell him 'any-stain' remover from Mis Clareall-Tupperwear. he nods and lets out a grunt 'figgers' he mumbles.

By the time we make it to the room I think Kiara is going to puke and Tolva is acting like she just swam in sewage.

I am quite pleased to see that this room has a shower, and apparently a large one at that. It seems built for more than one person to take a shower in. And there are chairs and handles and some other things built into the walls and ceiling that I do not want to ask about.

 

It takes all my streangth to pull myself up onto the ledge above me. There was no way that I was going to be able to climb far. Fortunately I don't have to, this window is open.

"Who makes windows that open these days? And why on earth would they want to open it?"

I let myself into the apartment as quietly as I can, drawing my weapon in case anybody's there. Nobody is there though, what with it being the middle of the day. Whoever owns the place is probably at work. Either way, I know the person's a guy, and a slob. The place is a mess.

I make my way to the door, unlock it, and let myself out into the hall. Then I find the stairs and start heading up.

 

I ignore everything in the room but the lock, which I ‘customize’ from our side so that it cannot be opened by any of the Hot Banana staff. The door is a metal sliding one, it would take a lot to get through it. Then I focus my attention on the bed diving for it and crashing with my head on the pillow.

Time to get a few hours shut-eye. There is only one bed, it is round and we’ll have to share it unless someone wants to sleep on the floor. Probably only two of us will sleep at a time anyway but I’m not going to discuss that right-

 

Zu had just ended his comm chat with Ino. He wanted to meet him at the EMP. It suited Zu fine since the place was a few blocks from one of his apartments. His current job afforded him the luxury of a second apartment, a place to lay low that wasn't the safehouse. He was dying to eat, and he preferred not to eat in public at this rate, even with his altered appearance.

Zu made his way to his apartment, keyed in the code and entered. He went to the fridge. It had been a while since he was here, and some of the stuff had gone bad. The milk was still good, and the butter, which meant that Zu could make his favorite meal: mac-n-cheese. He was hoping there was still some packaged tuna as he filled a pot with water. While he waited for his water to boil, he opened up a cupboard by the balcony. Inside, nicely organized, were a series of different sunglasses. He opted for clear, navy blue, wrap-arounds. They made the city as clear as possible, filtering out UV and smoke and things of that nature. A man on the run needed clear sight, afterall.

Once Zu had prepared his food, he sat down, said a quick prayer for his life, and ate in silence.

 

I know the image of two very well toned woman lying across a round bed is supposed to trigger some kind of feelings. But I got nothing right this moment as I peer towards the windows. Covered in white translucent film so they let in the light but no one can see in or out. Keeps the party inside the room with out distractions, but also prevents me for scouting to see if anyone is following us.

"And we just left a stolen car right outside the building" I want to drop my head in shame as that realization sinks in. I guess the fact that no one even gave us a second glance went to our heads.

Or... maybe the fact that we are exhausted, hungry, on the run and just got stitched by a mortician might have had something to do with it.

I think it was the mortician that got us most of all... but the clothing store was another 'uggghh' moment.

I toss a pillow at Tolva and watch her lunge for her gun screaming bloody murder. I think their is someone on the other side of the door getting he jollies off on that... Which makes me wonder... No.. No it does not make me wonder at all...

Once she looks reasonably sane, well as sane as any of us could look, I toss another pillow at her and tell her that we need to cover our tracks or it is going to be a very short or eternally long nap.

 

I flop back on the bed, rolling my eyes. Why didn't I think of that?

Climbing back out of the bed I think that catnaps of only 15 minutes like that are just not cutting it at this point. Glaring at Ghost and hating his guts for being right, I find a cable heading down the wall, dig open a panel and find a perfectly nice connector. Oh wonderful.

Leaning against the wall for support I drag at it and plug it into my hand port. I never feel my head bounce off of the wall as I rush into cyberspace, this time it is an intense pleasure that nearly makes my knees buckle.

Quick, quick, quick...

I find a herd of horses, peacefully cropping grass. Touching this one and that one I find the one that corresponds with the hover I want. I pass my hands over it, readjusting, coding, and finally I give it a hearty slap on the butt. Throwing up its head with a startled snort it turns tail and gallops away.

Yawning, i drag the connector from my hand.

"It's gone."

I go back to the bed threatening to murder Ghost if he wakes me for anything other than maurauding bounty hunters in the next two hours, measure my legnth on the bed and I'm back to sleep before my head hits the pillow.

 

I hear Tolva mutter curses at me if I wake her up for anything short of her imminent death. I wonder how that works. Shouldn't I wake her up long before she faces such situations?

That thought bounces around in my head. Well not really bounces, more like I play loose association games with it as I try to figure out the rational behind what she said, but no actual bouncing occurs as the though remains stationary, after all something can not in effect move in one's mind.

I think I'll just finish cleaning my clothing and take a long shower to get the blood and grime off my skin as well.

Peter did a fine job of patching me up, the holes are barely noticeable in my skin. Very fine job indeed.

After all things are done and I have finished suiting up I stand guard, they need their sleep, and I need them.

I hold the rifle in my hand as I watch the light from the sun that illuminates the room fully begin to fade. I have no idea what the night will bring, only what the day has brought. Somehow I feel excited by this prospect.

I take a moment to inspect the hole in Tolva's shoulder as she sleeps and hope that it will heal up. Plasma can be a real stickler considering that it cauterizes the wound when it hits, so there is a hole where skin once was.

It is amazing how peaceful people look when they sleep. I can't stop admiring how soft Kiara looks as the shadows begin to fill the room.

Nineteen hundred on the clock. Twilight not quite day, not quite night. That in between time that can not be explained, just admired and awe struck by.

I wonder how the other runners are doing?

Not that I truly care, just a passing curiosity is all to tell the truth.

I wish the windows were not treated so I could see the billboards and signs. Then I spot the control switch. Lovely I stand here for seven hours and just NOW I spot the control switch.

That should teach me to let my mind ponder the meaning of catsuits and well built bodies for hours on end. Which makes me wonder why I ponder that so much.

No matter, I push the control button and the setting sun fills the room. The Billboards have shifted back to normal with the standard advertisement and news bulletins.

The News at Nineteen Hundred flashes our pictures but they are deliberately being sketchy about what they knew regarding the other freebooters.

It also seems they are still making a big fuss about the death if some civil servant Harry Page, like he was some noble hero that fell in the line if duty protecting the people, it seems they have added 10 million to the bounty on the freebooter Xare Aldrich, also known as 'Fox' I wonder how much truth there is to this Harry Page fellow

The news lady starts to almost sob as she talks about the five dead enforcers. She says it most likely is the work of the cyborg Calamitas, who was just apprehended. They are only doing that to clam the public, and make them feel justice was done I feel a pang of guilt that I had killed them, but when you pick a side, you accept the consequences of that decision. They knew death was an option just as I do. They were just doing their jobs, and I am just doing mine. No good, no evil, no right or wrong. Just different sides I suppose. If I had run they would have had no problems with shooting me in the back to take me down.

The news lady smiles as she mentions that the escaped felons Malcolm and Glitch have been apprehended, but I note that there is no mention that they have been brought into custody. Why am I not surprised.

She then goes into a little tirade with the dummy behind the desk male counterpart to her about what they would do with the fifty million reward that is on all of our heads. I suppose that is to incite the people to kill us or rat us out. They sneak in that their might even be money for anyone that can spot us as well. Well played.

Then my jaw drops open. They flash a full screen image of Tolva and announce in dynamic sound bites that there is an extra five million on for her capture because her attempted murder of the Civil Protector Cypher. It almost looks like some game show gone very wrong. They are making a massive song and dance number about what they would do with the extra five million like it is worth more then the fifty already on her head.

Why do they call it a song and dance number when they are neither singing or dancing... Hummm I'll look that up when I get my jaw to close again.

My eyes fall back on Tolva and Kiara and the way they are breathing slowly and peacefully.They need the rest, the time to recoup, if I had to wager a guess I would say Kiara would wake first, pure fight in that women. Well that and she was the only one of us that did not need stitches form the morgue. I mean mortician.

Now we just wait and recover. Death will come our way soon enough.

 

I can hear the news program buzzing in the background, but I'm ignoring it with everything I have; I do NOT want to wake up. I'm still tired, and I was *really* enjoying that dream. I finally give it up for a lost cause and sit up with a yawn. Ghost stands, silent and still as a statue, by the window... rifle in hand, staring out at the darkened city. I yawn again, and roll off the side of the bed to make my way to the bathroom; I really need to wash this hand off. I should have done it at the mortitian's, but the creepout factor and the annoyance factor, it slipped my mind totally. I wash up, and throw the tattered scrap of fabric that used to be a portion of scarf into the trash incinerator and hit the process button; no sense in leaving evidence behind.

By the time I come back, Tolva is still asleep. I flop down into one of the chairs and look up at Ghost. "So... what do you think our next move is gonna be?"