9 Transaction Completed

"Eh, why exactly are you here with us?" Ralph asked Doc as they stood a safe distance away from me while I pounded new dents into the side of a junked armored vehicle, the thick metal plating deforming around my fists every time I landed a fully charged attack with the help of the Black Market Batteries in my arms.

"Wouldn' miss diss for a fat stack o' eddies." the rastapharian cyberslinger grinned, "Ya big choom was a freak a nature befo he installed a mountain o' chrome I ain't eva seen befo. Dulled haf ma razas cuttin tru wat felt like caliche and stone rada dan flesh and bone. Now look at him. Took a hypo and it's like I didn't just flay da choom and tear off his limbs and spine earlier. Guy's gonna run tru gonks like dey ain't even der."

I landed a spinning side kick flush on the frame of a burnt out Villefort Cortes that cratered the panel and sent the thing skidding back a half dozen feet.

"You should work on that accent, homes." Ralph told the Doc while Pedro clapped at the display, "I only understood like half of your words."

"Let me know if ya understand dis, Ralph." Doc bared his teeth while he flipped Ralph the bird, "Fuck chu!"

"It's on, gonk!" Ralph shouted as he tackled the Doc who sprawled his legs and prevented the takedown before wrestling the guy down and pounding on him with his much greater chromed up strength.

Small Juan and Pedro pulled the Doc off Ralph who laid on the ground with a busted up face.

"Fucking Ralph." I sighed as I walked over to him and gave him a hit of Bounceback to help him walk off that ass whopping, "You did great work Doc. Everything is as it should be."

"Looks more like everting workin' betta dan it should." Doc commented then put his hand out, "How bouta tip for such fine service?"

"Sure." I nodded, crossing my massive cyberarms over my chest, "Be nice to children. You never know when one of those gonks might be able to sell product to rich kids. Easy eddies just for not being an asshole."

Doc ran a metal hand down his face as he frowned, "I'd tell ya fuck chu too, but ifin ya got Ralphie's manners I don't wanna get turned to a smear on da ground."

"Smart man." I tipped my metaphorical cap to him, "Good working with you, Doc. The chooms and I have some biz to run."

"Yah yah. Be sure to call me up ifin ya need meds. I'll work ya out a right nova deal." the man waved us off before leaving himself.

The boys and I piled into my truck and I messaged LU-C13 while driving.

Big Juan: Product ready. Sending address for pick up. Come with however many people make you feel comfortable, but you need to be there in person.

I sent LU-C13 the address for El Coyote Cojo, meaning I really didn't care who showed up be it some net runner or a Militec attack force. Actually I'm kinda hoping it's Militech as I want to go Hulk on some deserving assholes, AKA anyone that works for Arasaka and Militech. With what those two companies did in the Forth Corporate War working for them is like waving a big red flag with a Swastika on it at a Synagogue.

The only good thing that happened in that war was that the Highriders went to war against both of them and all the other corporations with assets in space and took all the orbital platforms away from them. They still had Nukes and biobombs, but at least they couldn't do orbital bombardments anymore. Small comfort to all the wrecked cities across the world, but you gotta take your wins where you find them in this grimdark world.

It took LU-C13 an hour to respond but the meeting was set for eight PM and the chooms didn't have any complaints about spending the rest of the day eating and drinking my eddies away. It was a damn bit easier getting the newly dubbed Phantom Box down to the bar than it would have been before as despite the name the black tower computer weighs over 230 pounds. I put it in a steel carry case with a big handle in the center and two on the edges so that two people can lug it around together.

Just be sure not to trip on the stairs while lifting it. If it doesn't crush you to death the Anti Tamper incineration will definitely ruin your day.

LU-C13: Here.

I sent LU-C13 a pic of me for the meet up that would delete in thirty seconds. LU-C13 responded with a pick of a woman with buzzed short blonde hair and a mask style faceplate removing any human features below the eyes. I looked around the room and spotted her by the entrance covered in a long tan coat. I almost didn't recognize her, but with the rest of her in frame I was fifty percent sure this was Kiwi from Edgerunners. A tall and slender netrunner of reliable skill and temperament, with a cold heart that always looks out for number 1.

I waived the woman over to the seat next to me with the Phantom Box between us and the woman slipped into the chair.

"I'm open to more deals in the future if you've got R & D and schematics to sell, but for now let's just get you registered and outta here."

I pressed a button on the steel case that opened up to reveal the Phantom Box, "Total anonymity on the net for one person. Jack in and I'll handle the rest."

Kiwi hesitated causing me to give her a bored look, "Is there a problem?"

"No problem." she shook her head and yanked the jack line out of her wrist.

LU-C13: NO! Stop her!

I caught Kiwi's hand before she plugged the connection, causing her to try to jerk back unsuccessfully.

"The buyer just messaged me." I told her, causing her eyes to widen, "I don't care about the deception. I do care that you tried to con your partner out of the tech, but that's between you to handle."

We waited a few tense minutes till a teenage Lucyna Kushinada came through the door. She didn't look much older than she was when she escaped Arasaka. More conservative clothing than what she wore in 2076, but that's not a high bar to hurdle.

The girl looked like she wanted to run from the crowd in the bar and from me, but the sight of the Phantom Box caused her to shuffle nervously to us.

A part of me suspected Lucy, but it seemed like too big a coincidence to run into a big time character like that out in the wild net. The girl could run circles around Saka Counter Intelligence, navigate the Old Net, and had a pathological need to hide. Motive and opportunity for sure.

I released Kiwi but kept an eye on her.

"I… I'm… LU-C13." she murmured just barely loud enough for me to hear over the dull roar of the usual crowd enjoying El Coyote Cojo.

"You know what this is?" I pointed to the box, "You know what you bought? This box will keep you anonymous when you use the net so long as you're jacked in. Even when you're deep diving. It's powerful, but only as good as the mind using it. Be smart. Don't tell anyone you have this. Hopefully your partner is smart enough to know that the only way she'll ever get something like this is through me. Now let's get you registered."

Lucy jacked into the tower and her eyes lit gold with holo displays as mine did too. I quickly approved her ownership and created her avatar.

"I'm VaultGirl?" she said in only slight confusion.

"Yep." I nodded, "You have any problems receiving the owner's manual?"

"I have it." Lucy nodded to me and I smiled at her.

"Wonderful. Then our biz is finished once you send me the rest of the files." my own eyes glowed again as the files came over and I examined them.

"Nova, chica." I laughed, "Pull a seat up if you're hungry."

"We need to be leaving now." Kiwi dismissed my offer for the pair of them.

Lucy shut the carrying case and they tried lifting it out, but the teen's grip gave out before she got more than an inch off the ground.

I put my fingers in my mouth to generate a sharp whistle, "Pedro, Ralph. Carry this out for them."

The pair hopped to it, and came back shortly after.

"See anything interesting?" I asked the carjacking duo.

"Nothing much. Had a big gonk waiting in the truck with a shotgun. Everything else was normal." Pedro answered.

"Well then it sounds like we have closed out a profitable few weeks." I declared and raised a glass of tequila from the line I'd ordered for us, "To the reward for our risks."

"I'll drink to that!" Jackie shouted as he came over fresh of a gig.

"Another Pepe!" I yelled to the bartender, "And keep them coming!"

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