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  Mr. Miller lowered his hands and leaned back in his chair. The index finger on his right hand tapped against the opposite finger as he hesitated before responding. “I will need to check with my associates, but I have no record of this warehouse being in use. It would appear that this is an unsanctioned situation which we will deal with appropriately.”

  “How do you plan to deal with it?” Yu asked, leaning forward in his chair. He caught the motion and stilled himself, hoping the reaction might pass unnoticed.

  The predatory grin of the man across from him showed the futility of his hope. “It seems you are more interested in the perpetrators and this specific warehouse than you are in actually concluding business. Given the nature of your call and the evidence you provided, it also seems safe to venture a guess as to your true vocation. You work with certain elements of society who prefer not to be seen or noticed, do you not?”

  Mr. Miller lifted up a hand to quell any response Yu might have offered. “There is no need to respond. But for our conversation to continue, I suppose it would be more prudent for you to address me as Mr. Johnson, would it not?”

  Yu sat up straighter in his chair, legs tightening in anticipation of a hasty retreat. He didn’t see any armed guards in the building, and no automatic sentries. The sprint to the front office should take no more than a few seconds if he needed a quick exit. Alternatively, there was the door at the far end of the hall. But he had no way of know if it would be locked or where it would go. And both of those exits required him to get out of this room with only one exit.

  Despite his thoughts, other than the straightening of his spine, he forced himself to appear at ease. Showing fear would give his new associate too much power in this negotiation. Besides, he had been in far worse situations.

  “Very well, Mr. Johnson. What is it I can do for you? If you didn’t have business for me, I expect you would’ve called security and had me escorted out of this office by now.”

  Mr. Johnson chuckled, leaning forward to slap his palm on the desk before pointing a finger at Yu.

  “I like you. You’ve got courage mixed with a healthy amount of foolishness. Not only that, but you’re observant, paying attention to your surroundings and calculating ramifications of actions as easily as breathing. In a different situation, I would consider offering you a role as a wageslave. But my instincts tell me you’d balk at such a prospect.”

  Yu didn’t respond, waiting for the Johnson to continue.

  “Very well. I expected as much. Your observations once again prove accurate, I do have something requiring the attention of someone in your line of work. I trust you have suitable references?”

  “Ms. Myth speaks highly of our skills,” Yu provided.

  Mr. Johnson nodded, an indicator that he knew the name. Ms. Myth made it a point to spread her reputation amongst those who hired runners—it was her job, after all. But she didn’t usually bother with single nation companies. If this Johnson knew her by reputation, he had to be more connected than he appeared on the surface. Perhaps his job here was as much a false image as the front room of the office.

  “I will have my assistant perform an inquiry to verify your reputation. While we await the results of that check, tell me, what is your interest in my warehouse? And don’t insult us both by claiming to be a philanthropist with only my best interests at heart.” Mr. Johnson interacted with his AR screen while he spoke, fingers flying through the air. The view changed to a private one, but Yu didn’t need to see the display to recognize the motions.

  “Let’s call it professional business. It would serve my interests if the business transpiring there stopped before it had a chance to finish.”

  Mr. Johnson stopped interacting with his AR display and turned to give Yu his full attention. He brought his hands back to the familiar steeple and tapped his index finger a couple of times.

  Yu continued, “I’m sure someone with your influence could arrange to have such a business shut down with prejudice. I mean, it wouldn’t do to have your reputation soiled by the illegal activity transpiring within.”

  Mr. Johnson raised an eyebrow. “Is that a threat?”

  Yu held up his hands in with his palms facing out in a surrendering gesture. “Not at all. I point it out merely to alert you to the potential threat if someone with less discretion happened to come across the business. I know the value of silence. As you pointed out, I have experience working in the darkness. You don’t work in that business long without knowing how to keep your mouth shut.”

  Something must have alerted the Johnson, as he turned to the side and stared at the empty air. Yu’s legs tensed as he expected security to come bursting through the door. He hadn’t heard anything, but didn’t know how well the door muffled sounds. Through it all, he maintained an outward veneer of calm, knowing the value of appearance during negotiations. It would take more than a couple of potential goons to get him to jump.

  When Mr. Johnson turned back to face him, he relaxed his shoulders and sat back. “It seems we have much to discuss. Your reputation checks out, and I believe you have the skills and expertise necessary for my little venture. I offer an exchange of services. You do me this favor, and I will arrange to have your competition removed from the warehouse, with excessive force, of course.”

  Mr. Johnson waved his hand in the air as if chasing away a fly. “And of course, I’ll provide a nominal fee for your trouble as well. I know your type is not often spurred into action without the promise of nuyen.”

  Yu knew better than to respond to the emotional barb. “What is this venture of yours?”

  “A simple matter, something I’m sure your team is more than capable of completing. I have a file I need uploaded to a server. A trivial task.”

  “If it were trivial, you wouldn’t need my team to get it done. Earlier you didn’t want me to insult you. I would expect the same consideration.”

  Mr. Johnson dipped his head, conceding the point. “This file needs to be installed on an offline server, one I cannot gain access to without drawing undue attention.”

  “The target?”

  “Telestrian Industries on Denny Way.”

  Now it was Yu’s turn to pause and take a moment to consider the options. Telestrian Industries was a large enough company to give him pause. The job wasn’t above his team’s abilities, but it wasn’t a milk run either.

  “Why would a single national company want to target an AA giant? Seems like swinging a bit outside your weight class, don’t you think? A difference like that is worth a premium charge. You don’t know how intense the security is in companies like that. It’s not a simple matter of passing a few maglocks.”

  “I’m sure by now you’ve determined that we are more than we appear. Rest assured, I have intimate familiarity of the lengths such corporations will go to in order to protect their investments.”

  “Anyone can make claims. Give you felt the need to verify my reputation, I trust you can understand the need for me to verify yours. I need something more than your assurances.”

  As way of response, the Johnson summoned an AR display in the space between them. It didn’t take long for Yu to discern its meaning. It looked like a hierarchical org chart, with many branching lines descending from a common node at the top. At the bottom of one of the leaves of the tree sat Rip Current Shipping Lanes. At the top sat an all-too-familiar name: Renraku.

  Just seeing the name of the AAA corporation made his chest tighten, and Yu hoped his outward appearance didn’t betray his reaction to the revelation. Assuming it was true. Then again, claiming to speak for a Triple-A corp was a risky endeavor. They tended to not look kindly on charlatans, and had the authority to make sure most thought better of the attempt—if they even survived it in the first place.

  Working for a Triple-A corp came with considerable risks, but also considerable benefits as well. It put to ease any doubts he had about the Johnson’s ability to handle the threat at the warehouse. Even with the firepower they had
on display, it was nothing compared to what a company like Renraku could bring to bear. If he wanted them taken care of, this was the opportunity to guarantee it.

  “I need to run this by my team. It will take a few days to scout the location…” Yu said.

  “I will not move against the criminals using my facilities until you complete your end of the bargain. I do wonder, however, how long it will take them to deliver their merchandise through the appropriate channels.”

  The Johnson’s interruption halted Yu’s train of thought. Even though he knew it was another attempt to goad him, the statement was nonetheless accurate. His team didn’t have the luxury of taking their time before accepting and carrying out this run, not if he wanted to make sure Renraku handled the BTL dealers. The nuyen was secondary; dealing with the threat was the primary reason to take this job.

  But he needed something to mollify his team. “How much nuyen are you offering?”

  “This is a low profile run, and we are arranging for alternate forms of payment. I believe with those factors considered, five thousand would be a fair price. All payable up front. Consider the business with the warehouse to be your second half of the payment. Are we agreed?”

  Yu considered asking for more nuyen, but decided not to push his luck. He needed that warehouse taken care of, and this seemed like the best possible course of action to accomplish his goals. He had walked in without a plan, and walked out with a greater prize than he thought imaginable. Not to mention, it never hurt to get in the good graces of those with power and influence.

  “We are agreed, Mr. Johnson.”

  The Johnson reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a portable drive, commlink, and certified credstick, laying all of them on the table. He slid back in his chair, out of reach as Yu stood up to claim the items. Mr. Johnson had already turned back to his AR display, turning to the side and dismissing Yu with the unspoken gesture.

  The runner took the items and left, flashing a smile at the receptionist on his way out of the building.

 

  Catching a lift downtown, he got out a block away from the safehouse. Old habits died hard. He never took a car directly to the apartment they used as a base of operations. The rideshare programs claimed their logs were secure, but he had personally retrieved logs from more secure facilities than he could remember. The wiser course of action involved getting out a few blocks away and enjoying the walk while keeping an eye out for shadows.

  He got up to their apartment without incident, confident that no one had followed him. The middle of the day often made it harder to spot a tail, since the streets were full of people going about their daily lives. Mainly wageslaves on their lunch breaks or running errands. Down here Knight Errant and sometimes corporate security took regular patrols to make sure the sidewalks remained clear of “undesirables.”

  When he got to the apartment, he saw he was the last to arrive. Zipfile sat at the breakfast bar, zoned out in the Matrix, judging by her glazed expression. Rude, the big burly troll, sat on the couch in the center, both arms stretched out to either side, taking up the entire seat himself. His stained trench coat looked to have been through a war zone, and quite possibly could have been.

  Frostburn stood near one of the windows on the far side, gazing out at the city skyline, taking advantage of their twelfth-floor view. Her eyes flicked to Yu when he entered, giving him her attention without turning away. Emu sat in the center of the floor, various bits of drones and other machinery Yu couldn’t identify scattered around her as she picked apart the guts of what he guessed was three machines at the same time.

  Rude spoke first. “What’s the job and why so short, elfy-pants? Ain’t like ya to pick up somethin’ without talkin’ it to death first.”

  With his words, the rest of the team turned to face him, their questions evident. Frostburn had her lips pressed together, and Rude looked bored. The other two members of the team seemed curious, waiting for Yu to explain.

  “It’s a simple run, doesn’t pay much, but comes with some special benefits. Not the least of which is getting in good with someone who could give us lots of work down the road. Bigger jobs, and well worth the investment of effort.”

  “Get to the point and stop tryin’ to butter us up with yer fancy talk.”

  Yu nodded, conceding the point. He needed to be more direct, even if he didn’t want to share all the details. “Five thousand nuyen in advance, with the option for a bonus. A simple B&E job where all we have to do is upload a file to an offline server. Should be easy nuyen.”

  Zipfile held up her hand, and Yu tossed her the portable drive.

  While she looked into it, Rude shook his head. “Chump change. Not worth it. We pull bigger paydays’n that without even tryin’. Ain’t worth the trouble.”

  “You need to keep in mind who we’ll be working for, and what it will mean for our future. This may be a small job, but it’s in the big leagues. Consider it an investment in things to come.”

  Rude wrinkled his nose, but it was Frostburn who spoke. “Who’s the client?”

  “Renraku.”

  Everyone stilled when he said the name, even Zipfile. She paused in her digital examination and looked over at Yu, who cleared his throat. “Like I said, this is it. This is the big leagues. The job may be small, but the cred we’ll get is worth more than just the payment.”

  “Dealing with a corp like that, nothing’s simple. And if it seems simple, then you’re not seeing the whole picture.” Frostburn shook her head. “I don’t like this. How’d you find this job? Did this come through Ms. Myth? Why the urgency on the timeline?”

  “I was following a lead for some personal business, and found the Johnson masquerading as the CEO of a smaller company. You know how I work. We got to talking, and he decided to throw some work our way. When I pushed him, that’s when he admitted who his real employer was. But by then, the deal was already made.”

  Yu took a deep breath. “Look, if you’re not comfortable with the job, I understand. It’s a bit of an odd one, for sure. But when the opportunity presented itself, I didn’t want to let it slip by. This is a case of being in the right place at the right time, and I think we should move on it. The job’s easy enough that I’m confident I could take it on myself, keep any of you from being at risk. I’ll just work my way in, install the file, and get out without them being any the wiser.”

  “And take the entire pay?” Rude scoffed.

  “No, I’d still split it. We’re a team.”

  “Works fer me,” Rude leaned back and tilted his head back until the couch groaned.

  “We’re not going to let you go there alone, that’s foolish,” Frostburn said. “Even if the job is as easy as you claim, something might go wrong. Like you said, we’re a team. We’re not leaving you on your own, right, Rude?”

  The troll responded with a grunt, which was the extent of his support when he didn’t agree with a course of action.

  Yu looked over at Emu to see what she thought. She shrugged. “Like you said, the job seems easy enough, but that makes me nervous. The short timeline does too. But if it’ll get us in good with one of the AAAs, it might be worth it. Certainly sounds like something we could handle.”

  “Thanks, Emu.”

  “I still need to talk to you about wrecking my drone,” she growled.

  “Right.” Yu turned toward Zipfile, making a mental note to come back to that at some point. She tossed the drive back to him and he snatched it out of the air, tucking it into a pocket in a blink.

  “Didn’t open the file in case it’s some kind of virus, but the install package is pretty standard. Just plug it in and it should auto execute. Nothing fancy I could find in my brief scan.”

  Her private message came to his commlink as she spoke.


 

 

 

  “I say we go for it,” Zipfile said with a shrug. “It’s a risk, but everything we do is. This particular one just might have dividends that pay off down the line.”

  “What’s your plan?” Frostburn asked. She stepped away from the window and shoved Rude’s arm off the back of the couch so she could perch on the edge.

  “If Zipfile can drum up some credentials for one of my SINs, I walk in the front door as an employee during the morning rush tomorrow. Security will be too swamped to run a thorough check on everyone, so I should be able to get in relatively easily. They’re not expecting an intrusion, so they won’t be on high alert. Once inside, I a terminal in the offline server, plug the drive in, and then walk out the front door. How long will I need?”

  “A couple of seconds. The package on the drive isn’t large, so it should be near-instantaneous. And drumming up some credentials might be doable. Who’s the target?”

  “Telestrian Industries.”

  Zipfile jumped into the Matrix while the rest of the team, except for Rude, watched her. When she spoke, her eyes still had the distant-view quality indicating her dual presence in the Matrix as well as the room. “I can work something up for you by the morning shift. It won’t open any security for you, but it’ll get you through the front door.”

  “That’s all I need.”

  Rude was still clocking Yu with his cybereyes. “I don’t care what ya think, or how smooth ya think it’s gonna go. I’m still comin’ along and waitin’ in case ya need an alternate exit. Yer gonna get killed one of these days if I’m not watchin’ yer back.”