Cyberpunk 2766AD

Spencer looked back at Tolva, really looking her over for the first time. Attractive, to say the least, and very much a leader. Briefly, he wondered what had happened to make her such a tempting target for corporations and bounty hunters.

"Do what you need to do."

 

I stare blankly at shotgun guy... what was his name? Pence? Spence? Yeah, that's it, Spence. Other than quietly cleaning and checking his gun, this is the first sound I've heard from him. Then the words sink in.
"Surviving?" I snap, "We HAVE a long term goal. Get to New Tokyo. It's not exactly easy to gain friends and influence people, or whatever the f*** you just said, when there's a f***ing 50 million bounty on your head. Besides, anywhere that we can find a data-port, we got all the money we'll ever need." I finish, giving a small smug nod slightly in Tolva's direction. I flop on the couch and grab something appetizing-looking and start munching, then look back up at the guy, still standing there. "You can leave if you want. We won't stop you." I remark with a hint of sarcasm, but the sweetest smile I could manage.
He looks at Tolva for a brief moment, his expression unreadable. "Do what you need to do." With that, he turned sharply on his heel, flaring his coat out slightly around himself, and strode out, without a backward glance. I shrug and keep eating.

 

I manage not to shoot him. It is a close-run thing.

I go to a call panel and explain that our door has been killed and we need a different suite, please. The front desk sounds a little stunned but agrees to accomodate us, "...right away, Ma'am."

Dammit, I hate being 'Ma'amed' Maybe I'll shoot them, too.

Close brushes with death make me cranky.

 

Again, as he turns to leave, the other girl speaks up. They enjoy mouthing him off, apparently. New Tokyo? That was somewhat of a goal. She did, however, seem to be little naive.

"You think the bounty will disappear once you get to New Tokyo? Think again. They'll follow us there. On top of that, to make the trip worth it, we'd have to have more influence there than we have here. I don't think we do."

He turns and leaves.

 

Again, as he turns to leave, the other girl speaks up. They enjoy mouthing him off, apparently. New Tokyo? That was somewhat of a goal. She did, however, seem to be little naive.

"You think the bounty will disappear once you get to New Tokyo? Think again. They'll follow us there. On top of that, to make the trip worth it, we'd have to have more influence there than we have here. I don't think we do."

He turns and leaves.

 

Detective Sergeant Gleeson stepped inside the his small officer within the precinct Dekker followed him.
Gleeson sat at his untidy desk and flicked the blinds by the window. 10 miles high and on the edge of a drop. No balconies nothing. He hated heights but in today’s New L.A. that was just darned Tuff.

Dekker sat opposite him.

“Well.” He said in his Monotone voice.

Gleeson picked up his intercom wire and plugged it into the com box.

“First we make sure I’ve a secure channel.” He replied.

Dekker rose and closed the door with a clang. Much of the area was deserted since everyone was out at the Hot banana. He also switched the lights out and sat back down.

Gleeson dialled a number and watched the screen fizz to life. He waited a few moments until the screen cleared to a blue channel. Once satisfied he dialled another number and waited for the blue screen come to life. Three minutes later a dark skinned bold man answered.

“Gleeson what do you want at this god awful hour.” Professor Henry Collins asked. Placing his specs to his eyes.

The screen fizzed a little in and out of clarity until it cleared.

“I’ve found the data you asked me to find.” Gleeson said.

“Y-you have. Sh!t where. Tell me your not joking.” Collins asked.

“Trouble is. Vornn’s after the carrier.”

“Carrier what are you telling me. Oh of course Sekki. They placed it in a freebooter haven’t they? Who is he.” Asked Collins

“He is a she called. Tolva. I’ve placed nana tracers in her system so I know where she is.”

“Its important we get her here. We can transfare her to Toyko where the AG-Systems there can help extract it.”

“You realise Henry in doing that it could start a war.”

“Some wars are meant to be fought.” Replied Collins.

“I’ve left her in the Ferensway and I’m going to forward the nana signal to you. We have to be careful. If Vornn realises he’ll take her down. And we both know he doesn’t stop.”

“Shadows seldom do Sergeant.”

“Ok till later. For now it’s too dangerous so I’ll leave her in the upper towns of New L.A. At least for now we Know Vornn is in Mid town.”

Collins switched his screen off leaving Gleeson starring at an empty screen.

 

I don't think I've ever been this tired. It really sucks. I'd been walking along this damn freeway for hours, at least I think so. There was no end in sight. I keep thinking that the next couple steps will reveal an exit just around the curve of the spiral, but nothing ever appears. They sure do seem a lot closer together when you're in a vehicle.

The walking gives me plenty of time to think though. I can't really do anything to get my dad out of prison while I'm here in the city with a bounty on my head. The problem is that I don't have any powerful friends, after all I'm just a kid. I do have plenty of friends, but until they grow up they wont have much more in the way of power than I do.

There are a lot of billboards on this stretch of freeway, and they are actually doing a pretty good job of keeping me awake. I see one that has an ad for the latest Final Fantasy game. Man, I wish I'd gotten the chance to play it before I got arrested.

I also can't just walk in and break him out either. I've already proven that I just don't know enough to do it on my own. I need training. Who knows how to train someone in stealth and fighting though?

Man, Japan makes all the coolest stuff.

Hey, Japan. That's it. Why not go to Japan and find someone to train me in the ancient way of the ninja? I could sneak into any place with that kind of experience, not to mention if I did somehow get caught I could actually fight my way out.

I squint my eyes against the glare of the lights. Is that an exit ahead?

 

Zu came to in Ino's closet, tied to a chair.

"Yeah..." he heard Ino. "Yeah, he's here....no don't worry, we'll deliver him." Ino got off his comm chat and walked into the closet, a pistol pointed at Zu's head. "All you had to do was sit in that cafe, and get caught...then we would've gotten paid."
Zu shook his head, it ached from the hit he took. "Wh..what the f*** are you talking about?"
"Did you even listen to that mp3 I had you download from my computer?"
Zu shrugged. "I tried to," he replied. "But it was corrupted, just a loud annoying noise."
"That 'loud annoying noise' is why they want you, genius."
"What are you talking about?" Zu began to panic. "Let me go Ino."
"All you had to do was just stay caught," Ino replied. "You were the last job, Zu, and it was going to pay handsomely...set us three up for life."
"And just set me up." Zu said and gave Ino a cold stare.
Ino smiled. "Turns out you breaking out wasn't so bad," he told Zu. "Now we're going to get paid even more....what's 50mil split thr-"

Ino didn't have time to finish his words before he was brought down by a shot to the head. Kenji walked in and untied Zu. "I just can't do it."
"What the f*** is going on around here Ji?"
Kenji sighed. "Before you became the target," he said, "our last target...well, she had some valuable information. It was in mp3 form, and we couldn't decrypt it....that's when someone at Sekki Corp. contacted Ino, said that data belonged to them and all he had to do was deliver it...naturally, Ino had you download it and sent you to where the enforcers were going to hit next."
"So that's why..." Zu said and trailed off.
"All three of us are why, Zu," Kenji said, looking down. "And I'm sorry."
Zu embraced Kenji and the two walked out, leaving Ino's dead body in there. They came out to the kitchen and there Nathan was with a knife in his back. Zu shook his head. "What do I do now?"
Kenji shrugged. "Get to someone who can extract that mp3 from you," he said. "Give it to Sekki Corp. and be done with it." Kenji looked around Ino's apartment. "We need to get out of here."
Zu nodded. "I hope I'll see you again, Ji."
"You too, Zu."

Kenji headed out the front door, Zu went out the window and up the fire escape. He had a nice view of the city. Lights dancing about the theaters and hotels and shops, hovers zooming in and out of traffic. He took a step closer to the edge and looked down. It was a long drop back to the lower levels. Zaxa was out, but he had heard of another doctor that could help him. For this moment, though, Zu just stood. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the breeze of the upper level.

 

Cypher lay in a series of Bushes covering his face. He put a great deal of pressure with both hands holding it shut. How he still lived he did not know. But Vornn had dealt him a blow he would not forget.

Slowly after a while Cypher took his remaining gun and holstered it. He managed to move reeling through pain. Cypher commandeered a parked flyer to hotwired it with one hand while holding his face with the other. He then took off in the direction of a hospital.
One hour passed and his car crashed into an ambulance parked outside the main casualty department. Three paramedics saw the crash and rushed to find a mortally wounded Cypher. His face split down the centre.

“Fix me.” He muttered.

One of the paramedics opened the door and pulled him out. More blood flowed from the gun slingers many wounds.

“Darn diggerty you’ve taken a beatin’ fella me bob.” Said another who began to help.

“Vornn did this. I need healing so I can take him down.” Cyhper muttered fading into unconsciousness.

“You won’t be going anywhere anytime soon chappie. Your badly it’ll take time to fox you. But you’ve come to the right place.” One said as they hurled him on to a bed brought by an orderly. Blood soon covered the white sheets.

 

The replacement suite looks a lot like the original suite except that it is a royal blue and white décor as opposed to the burnt orange and white of the first one. The manager was very nice about the destruction as long as we pay for it and I assured him that Gleeson would.

Well, he will pay for it even if I have to rearrange some of his credits myself.

The crankiness isn’t going away. Even with the excellent food, the breeze from the balcony, the lush surroundings I’m getting more unhappy rather than less.

I don’t like being on a leash. Not Gleeson’s leash, not anybody’s. I feel uneasy because we aren’t running.

Looking around the suite for the fiftieth time I promise myself that as soon as we are rested enough we’re out of here. Maybe we should move to a different hotel.

But he said he put tracker Nanos on me, damn him. That makes me really extra grumpy.

Throwing myself down on the couch I take off my boots, dump my clothes in the auto-refresher where they'll be almost instantly cleaned, and head in for a shower, noticing as I go past the mirror that my shoulder looks reddened and angry.

 

The new chest and arm augments were working fine. Wraith exaimed them as he walked out the door. The doctor was waving goodbye to him, clutching a small sack of credits and the antique knife. He would not tell anyone, that was the beauty of using a struck off doctor, unofficial.

His new arm was twice the strength of an organic arm. His chest was now 4 inches of lightweight Kevlar. He was almost indestructable. But he couldnt take any chances.

It was time to get moving.

 

I watch shotgun boy go stalking out, and when I'm sure he's out of earshot, "A$$," I mutter to myself. I can't tell if I've actually touched a nerve, or if he always acts like he has a stick up his a**. A few minutes later we're relocated to a room with a working door, and I've finished off most of the appetizer plate I had sent up. Tolva's pacing around like a caged animal, and it's starting to get on my nerves. Finally it seems like she's reached SOME decision, strips, and heads for the bathroom for a shower. I notice the wound on her shoulder is really starting to look nasty. It's not healing... at all. I make a mental note to talk to her about that when she comes back out... we really have to do something about that... can't keep ignoring it. I need to take my mind off the world in general, so I flip on the VRTV.
"Joey Rocket! Adventures of the teenage super-spy and his bionic wonder-dog, Skip!"
Laaaaaaame. *click*
"Prissie Mississippi! Teen pop idol and her secret life..." *click*
People still watch shows like that?
"Who... lives in a pineapple under the sea?" *CLICK!*
Oh gods no! That show should have been taken off the air 300 years ago.

I hear Tolva coming back out, so I turn off the idiotbox and turn to face her. I'm gonna cut right to the chase. "Tolva, your shoulder looks like s***. It's not healing. It's getting worse. We HAVE to do something."

 

“It’s fine,” I grit my teeth through the lie as I secure the towel wrapped around me and nibble from the room service tray, standing beside the cart.

The truth is, she’s perfectly right and I’ve noticed that my range of motion is affected now, too.

“Okay,” I say sulkily through a mouthful of potato pancake, “so it’s not fine. But I hate to backtrack which is what I need to do to get this really fixed right. I think I should go back to that doc who gave you your arm but he's in the slums. Back to freakin' square one. I don't think it's worth it.”

I do a few experimental movements with my arm and all is most definitely not well. Red streaks have begun to radiate out from the wound as well.

 

I watch the big guy with the shotgun move like a man getting ready to meet death and does not want to keep the reaper waiting. In a way I have to admire him and his straight forward way of doing things. I hope he finds that other one, Fox was her name. After watching the news reels of the fight between the Xare and Harry Page, I can not help bu think that they would make a good pair.

After all they stood shoulder to shoulder willing to die next to each other, that kinda comradeships is hard to find in this world. Must the the scent of a warrior that attracts them to each other. But I have no doubt that this Spence person will find Fox or die trying.

After I watch him walk from the room in such an impressive manner that I would like to learn how to mimic one day in case the need calls for it, I turn my attention back to the most precious things in my world. I just wish they would stop scowling at me.

".....I don't think it's worth it."

Problems, Injuries, and feeling like a rat in some waked out lab maze.

Do runners ever have good days?

"How about an Enforcer Escort in, and out?" I could swap my outfit, and let the guy at the desk know it was a joke on my part to be Vornn. After all if I don't do something about that, well, issue arise when you leave loose ends. I might have to admit to a few things that I don't want to, but not like I can't make the story swing my way in the end of things.

 

“That depends,” I say indistinctly through another mouthful of potato, “an enforcer escort would be helpful. I just don’t want to have to do all the climbing and scratching to get back here.”

Looking out the window I see the buildings stretching up yet farther. Soon we could be up into clouds if we can keep ascending.

My shoulder burns and twinges and Ghost looks a little scattered in the brain pan.

“Ghost, are you ok?” I ask him.

 

"Just pondering the value of a lie" I muse to her as I rub my chin trying to look like I am thinking. Well I am thinking, I guess, but I want to make a display of it, which is distracting me from thinking about what I want to be thinking about, but now that I have been thinking about looking like I am thinking I forgot what I was supposed to be thinking about. I'll have to make a note not to do that in the future.

She leans back and crosses her arms. Oh now I am in trouble. I would almost rather she pointed a shotgun at me.

"We would not have to climb anyplace, it should be a quick in and out, simple and fast, not like being dropped into the street with no idea where we are or what we are doing, we would have control of the situation" I like that lie, and I am only lying because we never have had control of the situation, we don't even know what the situation really is.

 

"Provided all goes according to plan," I salute him with a bottle of water before drinking deeply, "Which," I continue as I cap it and readjust my towel, "it hardly ever does."

It has occurred to me that I'm a greater danger to these two than I have been before. Beyond the bounty on my head there are now nanotrackers in my body and the coded infochip I carry.

Damn Pinter anyway. Although I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time.

I have been thinking ever since The Hot Banana that I should slip away. They would be safer. But I'm dragging my feet.

Selfish me.

 

Something is off. She is not like this. Not normally like this at all. It might be stress, or just the sheer volume of the situation. But I have my doubts. Something is amiss here I just can not place is. Something happened to her. It might be the wound. We need to get that fixed if she has any chance.

I grit mt teeth and glare back to meet her gaze "Since when did that ever stop us?" I feel my fingers wrap around the fiberboard desk and it cracks under my grip "Or even become a consideration" I break my stare

"Don't worry about tomorrow, it might never come, yesterday is the past, we have only the here and now, let us make the best of it.. .isn't that was Pinter used to say when things went bad, It was good then and as far as I care, it is good now"

I wish I did not mimic Pinter when I quoted him. But then again I am not used to quoting people that much.

 

I think the strain is getting to him. I am more and more convinced that I should slip away and travel alone. I can’t tell him that, though.

Sighing and turning my back to go get my clothes, I pull them from the bin perfectly cleaned. They smell fresh and feel delightful.

“Maybe you’re right,” I tell him and drop the towel as I step into the bathroom to change, “We can boost a vehicle if we have to.”

...and maybe when you turn around to see if I’m getting in I’ll be gone…

 

Zu felt the rain hitting his face and head, he wondered how long he had been standing there. He opened his eyes and look around. Same place, same building, same lights, same skyline, same hovers. He looked down again. He was standing on the ledge, just thinking about ending it. Ino and Nathan were dead now consumed by their own greed and killed by one of their childhood friends. The four were like brothers. And then this Sekki bulls*** happened, he thought. He took a step back. He wasn't going to end it. He was going to fight it. Whatever this file was in his mp3 system, he wasn't going to let Sekki get it. He turned and made his way down the fire escape and hailed a cab back to the mall. It was time to return down below and pay a visit to Dr. Fillon.

 

"I have an enforcer car waiting outside, we don't need to borrow from someone else, I need to head down to the front desk and clear up a few minor misunderstanding's, after all he thinks a bounty hunter just walked into his pristine environment"

Something is eating her, and she needs the alone time, perhaps Kiara can talk to her. Must be a woman thing or something that I am just not meant to be privy to.

I flash her a bright smile and she only weakly smiles back at me as I walk out the room. I still don't quite get why I feel something is amiss. I push the feelings aside as I mull over what I am going to tell the guy on the first floor.

The patrons look at me with wide eyed fear "Night-stalker Con is going on" I grin at them and then digest several comments about how realistic my costume looks as well as a few strange stares, apparently not everyone enjoys cos-play.

None seem to hate it more then the Manager who requires that I change into proper dress and hands me some butler outfit. I ask for a black shirt and he tells me no.

I tell him the sword is not a prop.

He gets me a black shirt and I feel like me again.

 

When I came out of the bathroom dressed in the blue catsuit, Kiara was dozing on the couch, doubtless full of room service food. She looked content so I didn’t disturb her. Ghost was gone. Tall Dark and Annoying hadn’t returned, either.

I slipped my arm and leg bands back on, adjusting them carefully and running them through a test cycle. I hadn’t had to use them much lately but I didn’t want them to fail me if I needed to hide from sensors.

Kiara looked dead to the world.

I sat and slipped my boots on quietly, fastening them and making sure the pulse shotgun was fully recharged and slipping it into its usual place in my right boot. Rising soundlessly as possible I picked up my coat, checked that I had the shock ring on my finger, and shot another glance at Kiara.

She gave a slight snore.

It wasn’t going to get any easier than this. I hoped they’d realize I was leaving to make them safer.

Slipping out of the door I held it so that the lock engaged like silk, looked up and down the corridor. Nobody in sight.

Slipping the duster on I chose the corridor that I had seen on the little hotel map. It led to the parking area I wanted and was a side corridor so Ghost was unlikely to come this way.

I jogged along it, ignoring the pain in my shoulder, only slowing when I came to the glass door at the end. I peeped out looking for the Enforcer car that Ghost had boosted…magnify…

 

The elevator doors open and I step out. That was far easier then climbing 200 flights of stairs. Which makes me wounder why they even put stairs in buildings like this anymore.

When I arrive at the room I notice that Kiara is still napping and looking rather innocent in the process. But something is missing.

Not something, someone.

"Tolva!" The name blares though my head so hard that I erupts out my mouth. Kiara near jumps at my voice and makes a commentary about her fist and my backside. I swear she is obsessed with that body part.

I ask her about Tolva and all I get is a shrug or that maybe she was still in the shower. I hold up the shower curtain and toss it on the bed "I am very much certain that she is NOT in the shower"

Kiara makes a comment about maybe she went out for a walk. With law enforcers and bounty hunters trying to kill her.

Right. I'll believe that when they replace my brain.

Someone had to have taken her. Kiara nods and gets the guns. Time for US to do some hunting!

Charging out of the room and down the elevator. Funny how no matter how rushed you are all you can do is push the button many times over because you don't want to break it and get stuck.

First floor dings and we bolt out to the parking lot. Why do they say bolt, a bolt is a mechanical fastener that prevents motion between parts, which is odd that it would be used to express speed.... Another TIME!

Then I see it. Enforcer car number twenty seven flying into the sky a flash of blue hair with blond ends can be seen in the drivers seat.

Where is she going!

There was another car, #643 that was sitting in the lot in a crooked manner. The first thing I spot is Spence leaning over the window looking in.

Then I spot blood all over the inside of the car. I have only one thing to say about that - Perfect.

I slam open the door and throw the body out of the driver seat like a rag doll. I watch Kiara jump over the hood with Brimstone and Fire in her eyes as she tosses out the enforcer in the passenger seat.

Spence looks up at me and I ask in cold words "in or out?". He narrows his eyes and starts to say something that sounds like 'in' or starts with "i" I really don't care.

Before he has the chance to ready his shotgun I grab the back of his head and toss him the back seat.

Though the window

On top of someone else.

Oh... this night is just getting better and better.

I have my foot slamming the gas pedal to the floor before I even get my door closed. "Buckle up this is gonna suck" I comment to Kiara as the Hovercar wails into the air after other hovercar.

 

Mr Evan stood looking on outside the great window that covered the whole of the commander’s office. Outside the Orion 22A11 was surrounded by the fast darkness lit up only by the stars. Below the Earth sat there almost still in the dead of night. Mr Evan stared on at his reflection from the window revealed through the lighting of the dimly lit office. He found himself a smart and handsome man. No augments a clean shaven face and short cropped brown hair. His suit was black with white stripes while his shirt was a darker shinier black.

Behind him he could see through the reflection a desk with a soft glowing blue lamp at the edge. The Commander was also a man of taste he’d left a bottle of old vintage Whiskey on the side with an empty tumbler.

Evan turned to take the bottle. 2702 what a year. Good vintage made the whiskey highly expensive and over sixty years in age. Evan pour himself a glass in the tumbler. Placing the bottle back he took a sip.
Oh that was good. Soft and smooth he swelled the liquid around his mouth. Damn fine.
The sound of the door opening took his attention. The light from outside spread across the floor lighting the room better than the low blue lights ahead.

“Mr Evan the commander requests you in the hall. Would you kindly follow please sir.” Said the young man attired in a uniform of navy trousers and a grey shirt. One of his eyes had been replaced with what looked like a golf ball size piece of glass. An enhanced eye augment.
Evan followed the man to the large hall.

Once inside he felt the chill instantly the place was specious the left wall was glass looking on at the Earth below. Small shuttles piloted too and from the globe some to other stations and the Moon. One or two too Mars and others to further regions.
The floor was a kind of black marble with a white line all around the sides. Evan stopped at a long metal table where Commander Kaminska sat. He was a smart dressed man. Attired in a navy blue uniformed shirt and black trousers. His face clean shaven and long black hair tied back in a tight pony. He sat smoking a Iho stick. Behind him another officer stood armed with a shot gun. Evan looked on at the three men standing barefoot on the cold floor. Each man had a collar around their necks. The first was big bulky cold except for a tall red Mohawk. A visor replaced his eyes and his bare chest revealed his eight pack of stomach muscles. Next to him a female stood dressed in a red cat suit. Her figure very much perfect and desirable. Her hair short black and spiked. Her left arm was completely bionic. Next to her another stood. His hair shoulder length tied back neatly his eyes shone a bright blue. And handsome man except the scar that ran across his face over his nose in a diagonal angle.

“Mr Evan as requested by Mr Stern The tall mohawked man Gogul dangerous to the punch. Sentenced 12 years for illegal fighting. The illustrious Feline Roxy. Beautiful but deadly. Serving a seven year stint for attempted murder. And Sen Markus. The soldier who likes to kill and steal. Sentenced too 27 years.”

Evan looked them up and down.

“The Sekki Corporation is giving you a second chance lady and gentlemen. We have some illegal’s that require hunting down. One of them is rather important to us. They are attempting to reach Tokyo. You are required to hunt them down and kill them. And return one of them to Sekki. For this you’ll have yourselfs an official pardon.”

“What about money.” Sen Markus asked in a snarl.

“Sekki Corp are prepared to pay you 50 mill for them. And 250 Mill for one particular individual.”

“Gimme a gun and show me Da money. An I’ll fine ‘Em an Gutt ‘em.” Sen Markus answered.

Evan picked up his com unit.
“Have a shuttle meet me at the Space prison harbour gates. South side port. We have three to bring back. Evan said.

“Aye aye. Sir.” Came the stoic reply.

Gogul took a step forwards his heavy bulk stamping barefoot echoed throughout the hall.

"Whats the one thats worth 250 Mill." He asked.

Evan looked up.

"Oh of course. That one is a female Named Tolva. She is very important." Evan answered.

 

I wonder if this will work.

I have the Enforcer car set on ‘screaming blur autopilot’ (my term, not a technical one) and have some wires bared. I’ve already made sure that the craft isn’t broadcasting my location…now to make it disappear from sensor sweeps as well.

I hook the wires around the metal fitting around my lower leg and fire up my personal cloaking device. On any sensors that track heat, motion, or electronic pulses, the hover just vanished.

Checking out the windows like a normal driver I make sure that nothing lethal is headed my way and plug my hand in.

A sickening drop into cyberspace and my stomach roils, shoulder on fire…I search spinning maps, forcing them to slow, finding the doctor I need.

Dammit. Back to the slums.