Cyberpunk 2766AD

"Shut up hag."

 

"Hey you little brat, I'm only twenty-two. Also, what you never answered Dakota's question. Why are you so hostile to people? That kind of attitude could get you killed in the wrong situation." says Fox. She wonder's if this kid's parents even tried to teach him any manners.

 

Wraith stood for a while by the crashsite. His brain was computing the chances of survival for each choice he had left. The logical choice would be to run to ground, escape. That would be easier alone. But escape and survival are different. Survival is better in a group.

He chose to go with the Fox and the kid.

"Ok guys, calm down please. We will only make the situation worse!"

 

Vornn stopped on a balcony looking down at a fast food take away. The nearby people looked in shock to see him land, none could haxard a guess from where though.

Vornn again looked at his data slate.
Nope none of these.

He jumped down and landed by the main hatch to the take out. A large fat man looked up at him. He looked into the yellow glowing eyes of Vornn.

He new what Vornn was and feared him. Vornn handed him the slate.

“I’ve not seen th-these.” The man said.

Vornn tilted his head letting his eyes glow deeper.

“I-I- swa-ear I have not s-seen th-them.”

Vornn turned away.

And walked off down the street letting his black cloak flap from the guzzles of trapped wind revealing his sword hilt and two large side arms coloured gold.

 

Oooops - Needed to Fix this.

*** Post Deleted for Continuity ***

 

I listen skeptically as Tolva gives me the run-down on Mr. Migraine while we move. I still don't really trust him, or like the situation... he's slowing us down, but we don't have THAT far to go, and I trust Tolva. Poor guy can barely keep to his feet... I ALMOST start to feel sorry for him, but I shrug it away; he's a man, men are scum.

We reach Tolva's hidey-hole, and thankfully it appears undisturbed, the old lock on it so rusty they didn't even need me to break it off for 'em. We slip through the door quick as we can with our not-so-nimble dance partner, and stop at the base of the stairs. "Can you climb?" I hear Tolva ask... I'm already snooping around a little. The inside is just as lively as the outside: only thing disturbing the thick layer of dust in here is bug and rodent tracks.

A few seconds later Tolva calls me back and puts me on guard duty. Fine by me. I take a moment to pull the pistol from my pants and take a look at it... just a standard lazer pistol. I check to see the gage is full, then settle myself somewhere I can see the street, but its hard to see me.

 

Ghost is in some building a bit of aways away from the crash.

We are still too close to the crash, at least by my standards and not to mention that there is nothing but a cheap metal door between us and whatever is coming for us. Well the door only looks decayed I would wager that when it was first made and installed it was quite expensive as it is still standing and in sound condition after such time. But it is filthy.

The girl calls me creepy even if she is running around with a metal arm and all I have is a face mask starts to guard our back. I have to admit thats she is a hacker in her own way I guess, but as opposed to hacking into a computer system she hacks apart what annoys her. Hence why I let her call me creepy. I guess 'creepy' is as good as a nickname as 'ghost' , I just don't like the idea of needing to remember more then one name.

Tolva asks me to check out the staircase, I look up the staircase that leads to what I assume is some back alley repair shack and then back at Tolva. “No…” I would have liked to have said that in a non-monotone manner, but I just came out that way.

I see face twist in ager, but I do not understand why. She has nothing invested in this malfunctioning human; his alterations have become damaged and are incapacitating him. A fatal situation for him and us if we invest our limited resources into trying to save him.

“At peak performance, this place could be dangerous to us.. add in we are escaped convicts with authorities after us and we will be lucky to survive. We cannot afford additional liabilities, leave him and let’s move”

I see Goldeneye glare at me like she wants to end my existence with nothing but a look. I can see now where the expression ‘if looks could kill’ comes from. Well that does explain that expression , I had always wondered about that.

I look back up the ladder and shake my head. Why do I feel the urge to listen to her even if she is not saying anything?

After a brief search of the area I am quite certain that nothing is hiding in the shadows, but then again if anything should hiding in the shadows it should be us. I mean we are the ones trying to hide and run away, while whatever is after us I would imagine would have no worries about making a display of themselves.

Which kind of worries me, because anyone, or thing, that can just swagger though these streets hunting us down like vermin is most likely very well outfitted. Well better outfitted then stolen guns and back alley implants at least.

Which now brings me to my next problem; Why are we helping this injured person in the first place? What did they say the runner’s creed was? 'Shut up, keep up, or don't stand up'

“It’s clear, leave him and let him make his own decisions, if he recovers he can hook up with us later, assuming any of us live though this”

 

I ignored her question because I finally saw a bus stop sign standing at the edge of the street. That sign must be ancient, because it didn't even have any moving displays or anything. Underneath it there was a schedule readout though, giving times and places.

"It looks like the next bus will be here in ten minutes. It doesn't take us topside, but we can probably transfer to a topside bus at the hub farther down the line."

 

His attitude still offends me, but I will make no further mention of it.

-How will we pay?-

 

Stern stood glazing out of the large window that covered the conference room. The view was something of ore he could see the whole city of New Los Angeles the sight of the dawn lighting up everything in it’s entirety was certainly something of beauty.
Behind Stern stood his two body guards both attired in black suits white shirts and black ties. Both men had long hair tied back neatly in a ponytail. One of the guards had a bionic eye replacing his left.

Once the daylight took over the city casting out any lingering shadows in the upper spires Stern turn back to the long and narrow oak wooden table and took his seat at the head. Across the walls in large letters Sekki Corp was written in bright red. Underneath spelled the words Building A Better Future Together.

“Morning Evan.” Stern said looking up to see the double doors open and another man stood in the doorway.

Evan approached holding a data slate.

Chairman The Morlok was gunned down last night by shadow Gangers. The Freebooters have escaped. Only the Colonel survived the crash. A Colonel Kagen.”

Stern looked up at Evans young features.

“Despatch the usual wanted posters on billboards and have the Bounty raised to 50 Million. Per Candidate.”

“I’ve already had Vornn despatched.” Evan said firmly.

Stern rose from his seat.

“Vornn you say. Hmmm. I see and I assume he’s already tailing them.”

“Yes Chairman.”

“Then they are in trouble.”

“Yes Chairman he has wasted no time and has since descended to the lower hubs of the city.”

“Have everyone chasing them. I want them Dead. Preferably is that understood Evan.”

Evan placed the Data slate on the tables edge and began to leave.

“Oh and Evan Have Harry Page sent to me immediately would you please.”

Evan looked back.

“Harry Sir. But.”

“No Buts just do it would you please.” Finished Stern waving his hand dismissively. Evan took the hint and left the chairman alone with his two body guards.

Harry Page was not someone Evan cared to meet again if anything he was a psycho who’d ran too many Net drugs and Mepth’s. Ever since he’d had half his face blown apart he’d never quite been the same since. Evan thought to himself Thank the lord I’m not one of those Freebooters.

 

Arguments, fixes, and the way up

Kiara is silhouetted against the crack of light from the door. I already have the man’s arm bared…ah, a keypad of familiar design. In the darkness the night vision kicks in to help me see, the eye glowing green.

“Nice, Ghost, I imagine you’d leave me helpless for them to find, too. That damn stairway goes to the roofs,” I pause to work, “and that’s our first step outta here so why don’t you just haul ass up there and check to make sure there are no nasty surprises, eh?”

I glance up at him briefly.

“Or is the mask thing again? You don’t wanna get dirty?” I sigh, rummaging around in the man’s arm again. He appears to have passed out temporarily.

Eventually, Ghost goes.

I reach inside my coat to the fitting on my arm. It has a small bump of a compartment built into it and I open it, pulling out a delicate tiny screwdriver from the instruments inside.

Focusing in with 4X with my eye I get ready to remove the wrecked panel, “This will hurt.” I tell the guy.

“…Leave him and let him make his own decisions…” I hear Ghost saying after giving the all-clear.

“This guy is a walking GPS system." I explain, "He would be useful if-

I interrupt myself to swear a bit at the melted components and set myself to patient quick work, using some components from my coat pocket until the tiny light inside the man’s arm goes from red to blue.

“Done,” I say, screwing the melted keypad back into place and putting duct tape around the edges until his skin heals. I hate putting the melted one back on but it’s all we have and the sensors underneath will work fine now.

“We should move him to the landing. Give him a chance.” I look down to Kiara, the green of the eye making a soft wash of color in the dark space, “Then we scamper up these stairs and get away from the streets.” I grin, "Get me to a data cluster and I'll get the news for us."

It would be good to know what those following us are doing. If I can hack I can find out. The 'clusters' are often difficult to get to and take a little rigging. They're often up under bridge abutments or high against buildings. I have some climbing ahead.

 

I reach into my pocket and get out my newfound wallet. It's actually a pretty cool wallet, made out of real leather and everything. Leather is expensive. I reach in and take out out just enough cash to get the other three on the bus, and then I get out my bus pass. I check to see how much is left, and am pleasantly suprised. There is actually a fair amount in there. It's enough to get us all quite a ways away from here, as long as we bought only food and transportation. If we rented a room or anything that would blow nearly all of it. I wonder if that guy was a drug dealer or something.

"Here you go."

I wink at glowgirl and say "You know, if we ever get out of this we should go on a date. But you have to promise to ditch these two."

 

I rescind my promise. I glare at the little boy, refraining from striking his face.

-THank you for the bus fare. I deny your offer however.-

I notice a vessel making its way towards us.

-Is that a 'bus?'-

 

Vornn dropped down into the smoggy atmosphere of the slums, he looked down at his data slate the first name was Ghost above Kiara

Two of the shadow gangers saw the cloaked bounty hunter drop landing feet down. Both pulled out their small guns and charged him.

Vornn turned glimpsing the direction he wanted to be then looked upon the two fools. He drew his Katana sword swiftly side swiping the first. The ganger’s upper torso slipped from his body slowly from the clean diagonal cut. Blood flowed from his flesh remains like a fountain tossing water.

The second ganger stopped, shocked then aimed he went to pull the trigger but suddenly found his hand laying on the floor with blood gushing from the slice.

He dropped to his knees keeping his gaze fixed on Vornns glowing yellow eyes.

A second later his gaze still remained fixed firmly on Vornn who was now walking away. The gangers last sight was his body laid next to his severed head.

 

"Yup. Look alive everyone. Well, look normal."

Man, why do the girls always turn me down? It must be the limp. I look at the lady, what was her name, Fox. She needed to find a way to hide that tail. It made her stick out like a sore thumb. All the police needed to do was ask if anybody with a tail came this way, an boom! They'd be caught.

"Can't you do anything about that tail? And while you're at it, you should put on a pair of sunglasses if you have them.

 

Vornn heads down the narrow streets of the lower slums his feet occasionally splashing through the water puddles or spewed drainage water. He drops to one knee and takes in a glimpse. The crashed shuttle. Smashed beyond repaur five enforcers aittired in black and blue armour cradling large shot guns. The vessel was still smouldering from the ambush. Vornn looks on to see the hole in the side of the shuttle. He switches his vison to enchanced and spots the foot prints of those who escaped.

He recognises the first been. Tolva. He decides to follow hers first.

 

I can not believe this. I take that back. I can believe this because it is in fact happening. There is nothing to challenge that this is an actual event and not a simulation of an event. So I can and must believe this is happening. Even if I do not like it.

I will never quite understand how her logic works, or how she survived this long if she thinks it is a good idea to go running the roofs with a 80 kilo GPS. Is she crazy?

Humm I have never pondered that idea before, before, but I might want to start entertaining the possibility of that considering this circumstances we are in and her actions regarding it. Perhaps she is self-sacrificing or suffering from some form of Martyr Syndrome. That would explain her actions but not her temperament.

“We should move him to the landing. Give him a chance.”

Tolva starts to blather about needing a net hook up or data access spot or something like that, and she is talking like I know what she is talking about. So I climb the stairs again to see what I can find. Well I give, maybe she is not crazy, just a risk or thrill junkie and needed to make things a bit more tense they need to be.

For the life of me I can not grasp why her comment about leaving her behind bothers me either. Of course I would leave her behind she was the one that told me what the the runners creed was. Hummm I might need to reconsider that perhaps the runners creed is really 'Save me but don't expect me to save you'

I'll have to look into that later, if I get to the point of drumming up enough care. these Women seem to be quite the complex beings, i wonder how men overcome that issue when they decided to cohabitant with them for life. There must me something I am not seeing or just not taking into consideration.

Yah... data access port or something. I watch the billboards come to life, no longer showing cool clothing or other things to buy but now a fifty million bounty and full scale wanted posters flairs across the city, every billboard and building sign there is. They start to flip though our pictures and I notice that they have an image of me with out the mask on. Dang I look good, all I needed to finish the surfer look was dusty blond hair and a board. Too bad there is that "Dead or Alive" under my name, why does that make me feel like I want to snicker, however the small print that says "We would prefer them dead" just makes me feel rather numb.

I lean over the railing and I feel something inside me fall. Not really something inside me. I know nothing inside me is moving out of sync. I am just getting a very displeasing feeling and it seems to manifest into a physical sensation. I even know what is causing it, that person over by the wreckage cutting some other humans apart. It would seem, that he is some type of law enforcement or corporate control squad, but there is only one person.

I see him start to walk towards out little alley. We have time before he gets here, but not much, considering he is just walking. Seems a bit too confident, but then again, I wonder how much of that is too much confidence or just secure in what he can do.

The alleyway seems to dead end thanks to new rundown construction and the only way out is up this ladder. I love situations where it looks like things are not going to go well. Like trying to figure out a jigsaw puzzle and not having a saw.

"Playing hero time is over, lets start paying "run for your life'" I force the whisper out down the ladder hoping that they will hear me. More then that, I hope the guy coming our way cannot hear me.

 

A minute and a half after Ghost’s whisper the three of us are up the stairs and running across the roofs. I didn’t question why he said run. If Ghost says, there’s normally a good reason.

Blondie is still peacefully out cold on the landing in the stairway, covered by an old torn and mildewed piano cover that someone had dumped on the upper stairs who knows how long ago. I can’t imagine anyone in this part of the city having a piano but there it is anyway.

That’s the best I can do for him.

The Wanted flashboards are all the information I need for now. I hang up the idea of peeking into the net and concentrate on finding our next ‘up’.

“What did you see?” I ask Ghost as we run.

 

Fox ignores his question and gets on the bus. Fox and the other three sit in the back. The other people eye them. Fox thinks to herself "Probably a bunch of druggies wondering how much our alts could sell for."

"Hey Dakota, how are you doing? I know all this has to be pretty stressful for someone who isn't used to it." says Fox.

 

I don't have the greatest vantage point in the world... but I'm tryin' to do the best I can. I do my best to ignore what sounds like a quiet spat behind me between Tolva and Ghost. I swear, sometimes that man is so dense... he's not stupid, far from it, he's just...off somehow. Finally I hear the stairs creak under his weight as he makes his way upstairs.

A few quiet moments tick by. I think Tolva is still tinkering with something behind me, but I'm not sure... I'm concentrating on the shadows outside the door. A sudden flicker above my line of sight catches my eye, and I look up to the electronic billboard just below the haze. The advertisement for the Nasty Burger 2 is gone, replaced by a 2 story tall rendition of my face. "Sh**," I grated out under my breath. A split second later another face appears... someone else from the shuttle, then another, then another...

I start to turn to break the news to Tolva that we're all wanted, and wanted alot to judge by the 50 mil being offered, when something else catches my eye...a big guy wearing a black hooded long-coat steps into the far end of the alley. Just something about the guy sets my teeth on edge and sends a chill up my spine, and his glowing yellow eyes don't help the effect at all. He's got his eyes down, obviously following something.
"Playing hero time is over, lets start playing 'run for your life.'" I hear Ghost's strained whisper from above. Yellow-eyes doesn't look up, so hopefully he didn't hear. I spin away from the door and help Tolva make quick work of hiding Buzz-cut, and we all three take off.

After a minute or so, we're hopefully out of ear-shot of anyone following us... "What did you see?" Tolva asks. "Well, yer seein' the bounties they have on us already, right? I think we just had a too-close-for-comfort brush with the first hunter lookin' to collect. Creepy guy... creepier than you," I nod toward Ghost, and he smirks back, "Big guy, wearin' all black, hood, glowing yellow eyes... I caught a metallic flash under his coat, I think he's packin' but honestly, he could have anything under the coat he's wearing."

 

Rooftop running. I can't understand why this is not a professional sport, I would pay money to watch people do this. But I guess given if you fall it is more then likely fatal might be why it never caught on beyond street jumping. But then again, the fact that falling is risky is why I would watch it. I guess the people who make sporting events just can't win.

“What did you see?” Tolva asks as we run pace for pass over the reinforced skylights that have long since became opaque do to smog and corrosion. I would not call the person a saw a 'what' but then again, who knows on that part.

Kaira gives a quick and dirty. I need to make note of the eyes. Glowing eyes are not good. I do not even want to think of what sensors that our persuer might have. I feel a slight pain, I know it is just my emotions playing with me. That guy we left behind has no chance being stuffed under a ladder with nothing but an out of whack shaped tarp over him.

"Some kind of corporate clean-up specialist, male, roughly two meters in height, Has augments, beyond just the eyes by how fast he was moving, and with the cleanness of his motions, no twitches, I would guess they were professionally installed, not hack work like most gangers and freebooters, but what concerns me is that we are the mess, and if you do not mind I would rather not hang around and discover what he uses to get really tough stains out"

I feel the chuckle as I finish my sentence. I am not sure why that is funny but something about how Tolva is targeting me with her eye at this moment just makes me want to laugh. I can tell like any woman Tolva takes pride in her appearance, even her augmented ones.

Kaira is no better, gives me a look of pure hate and holds her bionic fist in the exact same spot as we run. and I mean the exact same spot. She moves, it does not. Quite the surreal effect to see a hand seem to be fixed in space alongside a running woman.

After we jump the alley and hit the next building roof she sticks her tongue at me and makes a comment about how her work is flawless or best of the line or some such and that I would find out just how twitch free it was if I made another comment about being a freebooter means hack augments.

Of that I can not doubt.

I want to laugh or something at the surrealness of this event, running for my life between two woman that want to kill me. I fight a loosing battle at the stupid grin that I can feel cross my face.

And people wonder why I wear a mask.

 

I’m glad we got out of there when we did and hope that Blondie Buzz-cut’s goose isn’t cooked. I’m afraid it is, though. Better assume that work I did on his arm was for nothing.

The rooftop edge makes a precision team of us this time, shorten a step and we sail across the alley below in unison.

Too bad we couldn’t have prised the augment from him. It would have been really useful but we’ll find our way.

And on that note I see our next ‘up.’

“That way,” I point, heading off at an angle and Ghost and Kiara keep up effortlessly.

I wonder how many times we’ve run the roofs. Seems like hundreds though it can't be that many. I thought we were done with it, though, I thought we were on our way to the spires when we’d been caught.

We may be off street level but if the city is a layer cake we’re still only on the plate. The flashboards are showing my picture as we run straight under a pair of them that stand back to back with a narrow space in between. An old-fashioned suspended train cage passes over them.

There is no ladder leading up to the catwalks above, just spikes that stick out from the pole that holds it up. Daunting for casual climbers and kids. A Godsend for runners.

Leaping, I land on the fifth spike up from the roof and began to climb.

 

I have no idea what is rooting my feet to the ground as I watch Tolva and Kaira jump to the spikes sticking out of the pole and start climbing. I would gander that it had something to do with the view.

Snapping out of my wonderment I jump to the third set of bars, not quite as high as they did, but then again I don't want to cut my hands on the rust that covers the studs.

I'll have to ponder about what was going though my mind when I just stood there, the thought seems gone now and climbing for my life again feels strangely relaxing.

"Just like old times" I chuckle as we climb unto a metal cage that surrounds the pole to prevent people from falling we are roughly just a few more rungs from a workable catwalk.

Which gets me to ponder I do not think "old" times is correct as I have only known Kaira and Tolva for a short time. Perhaps "old" might just be a way to separate it from current and that antiquity is not required. Another thing to ponder when or if I get the chance.

For now, I need to focus on the catwalk and getting up to the less unhealthy areas of this place.

 

Man this run really has my blood pumping. Tolva spots a place to climb higher and leads the way. I hear Ghost pause before he jumps up behind me, which is odd, because he was only a step behind me before. "Ghost! You better not be staring at my a**! You know I don't like that!" I belt out just as Tolva reaches the catwalk we were aiming for and swings herself up.
I swing up right behind her and wait for Ghost to finish his climb. He's climbing a bit slower than we were... right, I forgot, guy practically has an obsession with not getting injured in any way, even the stupid little stuff most people usually ignore... like the scrapes and bumps I still had from the crash. I examined the fittings of the ladder we had moved onto after the spikes as he climbed the last few rungs. Good, it's only attached at the top, and it's just as rusty as the lock from the door had been. I don't want to waste the gun's charge, so I snap the bolts with my hand and watch the ladder drop away and disapear into the cruddy fog that's now below us. We're gonna be harder to follow now. I nod to myself and take off after Tolva and Ghost again.

 

As we sit on the bus the other passengers start eyeing us, so I pull out my pocket knife and start playing with it. It's actually a pretty nice one. The blade is about six inches and the lower portion is searrated while the top is smooth, but very sharp. It was the perfect all-purpose tool. It could be a weapon, tool, or eating utinsels. I stare one guy in the eyes until he decides to look away. I try to remember everything I've read about not showing fear. A spy can never allow himself to let fear intrude in his calm.