Big Mikes was as it always looked… for the most part. A couple of his windows had been smashed and boarded up, glass still clinging to their fras. Likewise, there were bullet holes along the ceiling and back wall. The riots hadn’t been kind to the large man, it seed. Thankfully, he didn’t look injured in the slightest.
My contact was already waiting for when I arrived, sitting in the back corner as he typed away on a deck. I whitelisted him for Master of Disguise and approached. A mask covered the bottom half of his face, and a hat was pulled low over his eyes. “A kid?”
”Not very nice.” I slid into the booth across from him, nodding to Big Mike as he waved at . I held up a finger to him and then tossed my scrambler onto the table. “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
He shut his deck, leaning his head on his fist. He pulled at the mask, shifting it around. “You were at Absolom Clinic, right?”
”Shiro.” It was common enough. Shouldn’t be too big of an issue with just that. Not that it’d matter. The only na I was actually worried about exposing was Zuku Ichima. No clue how the Crusade would react to that.
”Just call Saint.” The guy introduced himself with a nod of his head. “Reporter.”
Reporter? What was he planning to do with that? Write an article about dtech? Their Netrunners would have it down in seconds before anyone could even see it. Surely he had a plan with a bit more depth, right?
”So… you have a plan?” I asked Saint as Big Mike appeared, dropping off a pop. I didn’t really want one, but I figured it’d help having sothing to hold in my hands while we talked.
Saint nodded his head to the scrambler. “Information is the na of the ga… I have connections. If I can get the evidence I need? I’ll write an article.”
Ugh- no way? Was he really just planning on writing an article and being done with it? I had such high hopes too… still, I ca all this way. Might as well hear him out a bit more. “What do you need?”
”Hmm…” Saint stared at for several long monts. “You won’t backstab , right?”
”Not without a proper reason…” I shrugged, Honest Face hopefully helping him trust . “Besides, I’m doing this for Nael more than anything.”
“Fair, fair.” Saint leaned back in the booth, staring out the window. “dtech isn’t just sending contracts to clinics. Their operators are also moving in the shadows. Strongarm tactics. If we can get evidence of that? I’ll send it out to my connections.”
I stared at him for a mont, feeling my eye twitch. “And that’ll help?”
He shrugged, sliding his deck into a satchel. “The council might not move on it, but the other Big 7? Especially Sentinel and Raijin. They’re public opinion dropped massively after everything that happened recently. If they could raise it back up by pushing dtech down? Besides, the city’s politicians won’t be able to sit still if two of the Big 7 raise a fuss.”
I could see where he was coming from. Any reason to knock their competitors down a peg, yeah? Where would he even get this evidence in the first place though? Couldn’t exactly break into dtech’s HQ and root around… at least not without quite a bit of planning. And I doubt they were stupid enough to leave a smoking gun laying around.
“Look…” Saint checked the ti and stood up. “I have an appointnt at another clinic in thirty minutes. If you do end up finding sothing, call . We can et up. Just be careful. dtech isn’t known for playing nice.”
“Chek.” Where did I even start with this? Maybe I should just go with my normal tactics… I could get out of dtech after breaking in, at least. Plant a threat? Maybe even blackmail? A really big bomb? None of those felt like they’d do much. For now, I could stick close to the man for a bit to see what he knew before making my decision.
I followed Saint out of the restaurant, watching the reporter walk off down the street. My bike was in the other direction, so I turned around and headed on my way. A drop of ice water fell from a nearby roof, sending a chill through my body as it hit the back of my neck.
Reporting the truth in this day and age? He must have so extraordinary courage to look at the one of the Big 7 and decide to write about all their misdeeds. Suicide by corporation, huh? He had my respect, if nothing else. Assuming he wasn’t doing this because he was suicidal, that is.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get what I really wanted from the man. Still no idea how to approach this whole situation. He wanted evidence, but getting that would-
I paused on the sidewalk as I noticed certain people grouping up. Gangs were gathering back behind . I recognized the tattoos and bulges of weapons underneath their clothing. They weren’t just packing small arms either…
It normally wouldn’t be much of a cause for concern, but this close to the Jade Fang’s territory? No gang would risk moving in on their territory. My gaze followed after them for a mont before I turned back around. It seed dtech caught his scent after all.
— — —
Saint sighed, leaning against a wall in the mouth of an alley as he pulled out his phone. He reread the ssage he just received, failing to hide his disappointnt. Yet another clinic backed away from speaking out. He wouldn’t even have anywhere to start unless soone spoke out in the first place.
His mind drifted back to the kid at the burger joint. It was so stupid. So, so very stupid. A kid like her was more willing to face dtech than the hundreds of clinics being hit by the corporations ‘offers’. Or even the ones that's been totaled in ‘gang violence’.
To be fair, he felt there was way more underneath her facade of a kid then t the eye. Speaking of eyes, hers were… unsettling? Like a predator watching prey. There was just sothing slightly off about them, but he couldn’t quite put it into words.
Back to the matter at hand though, did clinics just not see? Were they just so short-sighted that they couldn’t look past the benefits and threats of dtech? They were aiming for a dical monopoly in Aythryn City. If that happened? There’d be no reason to keep their prices lower.
The streets would run with holess even more then they were now as people tried to desperately pay off dical debts that would only grow with each passing week. It’d be a crushing existence, and the entire city would suffer at the end of the day. All for short-sighted gains.
It made him sick to imagine such a world. The death count alone would climb as people lost access to dical treatnt or were forced into essentially slavery to pay off their debts. The balance of power would slowly tip toward dtech, and then-
“Follow .” A familiar voice ca from behind him as a small hand tugged on his arm roughly.
Saint stumbled toward her, caught off guard as he lost his balance. When’d she get behind him? How’d he not notice that? “Shiro?”
”No ti to explain. They’re almost here.” She glanced back toward the mouth of the alley. Unlike before, where her face practically radiated child-like honesty, she was completely cold. She was like a panther stalking prey through the forest.
“Who-?” Saint cut himself off as he noticed what she noticed. Ard figures were slowly gathering on the street outside the mouth of the alley. Gang fight? An unfortunate ‘reporter’ would be caught in the crossfire, no doubt. Just another tragic death in this cursed city.
Saint stopped fighting her as she dragged him away, instead joining her. “You have a plan?”
”Working on it.” Shiro ducked into a side alley, leaning against an alley side door. By the ti he caught up, she already had the door open and waiting. “C’mon. We don’t have much ti.”
Shouts ca from back behind them. He could hear with brutal efficiency thanks to his cyberaudio suite as one of them asked. “Are you sure we saw him co down this way?”
”Of course I saw him co this way. Let’s hurry up. Boss wants this done ASAP.” A different voice replied. It was deep, modulated.
Saint checked his HUD, ensuring the audio and visuals were recording. They weren’t nearly as good as his cara, but they’d do in a pinch. A hit squad coming after him because he got too close was as good of evidence as any.
Saint raced after her, following her through the back door. It led into a side hall of a mall bustling with people. In no ti, they rged into the crowd. It took all of his focus to stick behind the girl and not lose her in the crowd. If she didn’t stop and occasionally look back to ensure he was following, he would’ve fell behind way before.
He sped up slightly to walk alongside her. “Why’d you co back, kid?”
“Don’t call that.” Her face imdiately went sour. It was kinda cute, like his younger sister had been when he poked fun at her.
“Sorry.” His mood plumted as he thought of his sister.
Shiro glanced over her shoulder, her predatory eyes flicking across the mall with practiced ease. “Couldn’t exactly leave my best lead to die a dog’s death in the streets. Regretting that now, though.”
”So… you have a plan?” The irony wasn’t lost on Saint as he pulled himself back into a stable mindset. How the tables turned.
Shiro pulled him into a clothing store, keeping her voice low. ”Know how they tracked you? Anyone know you’re here?”
He nearly went bankrupt having a Netrunner patch his gear and phone. No way dtech could get through the ICE without at least a warning. It wasn’t a technological tracker. “My face?”
— — —
I shot him a look. Did he really just say my face? That was, like, peak narcissism. Maybe I should’ve left him behind after all. “Really dude? You want to brag now of all tis?”
The man had the gall to look at like I was the weird one. “Do you seriously not recognize ? Saint? Of Sorrow?”
“No? Is it really that important?” Sorrow? Was that a corporation? Kind of a nova na, actually.
He sighed, rubbing at his head. “I’m just saying. I’m well known from my band days. It wouldn’t exactly be that hard to track down if soone posted about .”
Ah, a band. I guess that made sense. Would be kind of a waste not to go into so kind of dia with a face like his. “Can you do sothing about that?”
”Not without a hamr and a lot of surgery.” He shot an uneasy look. “I don’t think we have ti for either.”
”No shit.” I shook my head, eyeing the crowd. The gang mbers had spilled into the mall, causing a minor disturbance here and there.
A group had followed us from the alley. Although I didn’t leave tracks, the sa couldn’t be said for my new reporter friend. They must’ve called for backup too, because I spotted another group coming in from the front entrance, blocking the way out as they checked faces.
We still had ti-
”So?”
I flinched slightly as he spoke up right beside , drawing from my thoughts. ”Why are you still here? Go buy a change of clothes? And a holo mask.”
“I’m broke.” Saint rubbed at the back of his head.
Seriously? ”Didn’t you just say you were famous?”
”I was famous.” He sighed deeply. “And setting up everything to be a reporter hadn’t been cheap. Do you have any idea how expensive it is for a Netrunner to set up an unhackable site?”
”No?” I can imagine though. I paid fifty thousand Rayn for ICE, only for it to be considering ‘basic’ by Nael.
He shrugged. ”Anyway… I don’t have much Rayn.”
Ugh- another broke bitch clinging to . I couldn’t handle this. I rooted around in my bag, tossing my mask at him and stripped off my poncho. I imdiately felt the winter chill in the air. “Swap .”
“Right.” We traded outerwear, hopefully throwing off a cursory glance from one of the searching gang mbers. His jacket was nice, but it paled in comparison to my poncho’s artificial climate.
Saint wrapped the poncho around his shoulder. “Oh, this is nice-“
”Let’s just go.” I barely held back a glare as I dragged him back into the mall.
Worse case scenario, we just head deeper into Jade Fang territory or I call for backup. They’d take care of the ‘invasion’ force without much prompting required. The Jade Fangs were particularly protective of this sub-district.
That was a worse case scenario though. Shouldn’t be too hard to lose them if they didn’t have an actual tracker stuck to my temporary companion. My skills would be more than enough for us to get out of here in one piece.
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