Heywood

  December 4th

  2069

  Padre seemed to relax a bit after she gave in. “This is Sasha Yakovleva. She’s a year or two older than you, but she’s only now starting her merc career because of some family troubles.” Sophie stared at him, then turned her head to look at the girl.

  Sasha Yakovleva? Isn’t that the name of the netrunner from Maine’s crew? Is it just a coincidence? No no, it can’t be. This girl is a ‘runner too. The odds of there being two netrunners with exactly the same name in the same city are miniscule.

  She scrutinised the now-named Sasha but just couldn’t connect her current look with her future appearance.

  “Hmm. Nice to meet you, I guess. I’m Sophie.”

  She suddenly had a lot to think about but Padre didn’t give her a chance.

  “This job shouldn’t be too hard, especially for you Sophie. It’s more to ease Sasha into the kind of work she’ll be doing.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Give me the deets already.” She interrupted him, receiving an annoyed look in return.

  “The client for this job has recently gotten into some trouble with a group of Valentinos who run a small gambling den in Vista del Rey. Recently, the client gambled away his prized pistol, along with a very large amount of money.”

  “So he wants the money back?”

  “That’s right. He’s managed to contact a group of nomads that will smuggle him out of the city before the Valentinos can get to him. Unfortunately, he needs the money you’ll retrieve to pay them. You’ll have to deliver the money. There’s no need to worry about your pay though. I made sure he handed it over. He’s also said that if you find his gun, you can keep it. As a form of extra payment.”

  “Huh. Well, serves the idiot right for gambling like that. Anyway, is that all the info?”

  “That’s all. And Sophie? I hope you’ll keep an open mind about working with Sasha. I believe you’ll both work well together.”

  Sophie stood up. “We’ll see.” She looked at Sasha, who looked lost in thought. “I assume you’re coming with me?”

  Her voice seemed to startle the girl before she quickly turned, looking at her with wide eyes.

  “Ugh…um. If that’s alright?”

  Sophie sighed. “Yeah, it’s fine.” She started walking away, receiving an address from Padre as she left the alleyway. From behind, she could hear Sasha saying something to the old fixer before hurrying after her. She sighed again. I’m really not sure about this.

  -----------------------

  Sophie sat in the driver’s seat of her Mackinaw, fingers resting lazily against the wheel as she stared at the building ahead. Its exterior was painted in deep red and gold, intricate metalwork lining the entrance while a neon white sign flickered above the doorway.

  A large golden skull with a rose clenched in its teeth was emblazoned above the main doors, marking it as unmistakably Valentino territory. It was also one of the ugliest buildings she’d ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on, though plenty of people were moving in and out, the bass-heavy rhythm of club music leaking onto the streets through the open doors.

  Beside her, Sasha sat stiffly, hands clasped together in her lap. The netrunner had a pair of bulky VR goggles resting on her forehead as she fidgeted nervously.

  “I uh…You know this is my first gig,” Sasha said after a long silence. Sophie gave her a glance before going back to her observations. “I know you don’t want a partner, but isn’t it a good thing you’ve got someone to watch your back?”

  Sophie let out a quiet sigh, keeping her eyes on the building. “Yeah. I don’t want a partner. Especially someone as green as you.”

  Sasha winced at the blunt response but nodded. “I understand. But let me at least prove I can help.”

  Sophie didn’t answer. She had no patience for babysitting, especially not an untested netrunner. And if she could push Sasha to abandon merc work, maybe the girl would be able to avoid her tragic fate. The scene where she jumped from the Biotechnica building was etched in her mind.

  After deciding how to deal with the netrunner, Sophie went over all the information she’d been able to gather from her surveillance.

  The first floor seemed to be a gambling hall, filled with rows of slot machines glowing in a rainbow of lights, round card tables packed with gamblers and dealers, and an elevated bar in the back where a group of Valentinos laughed over drinks.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Security was light on the floor, at least visibly. There were a few bouncers standing near the entrance, wearing gold chains and carrying heavy pistols or shotguns.

  The second floor appeared to be more restricted and from her position in the car, she couldn’t see anything aside from a staircase leading upwards.

  Realising that remaining in the car wouldn’t help, she moved to slip out and scout the perimeter. Just before she could get out, Sasha put a hand on her shoulder.

  “Wait, please.”

  Sophie shot her a look. “What?”

  “Let me check their systems first,” Sasha said, reaching up to pull her goggles over her eyes. “I can find the vault and maybe even open a door for you. At the very least, I can blind any cameras around.”

  Sophie raised an eyebrow but leaned back against the seat, folding her arms. “Fine. You’ve got five minutes. You better not give anything away.”

  Sasha gave a small nod, fingers twitching as she submerged herself into the casino’s network.

  Minutes passed in tense silence. Sophie tapped her foot, glancing between the casino and the netrunner beside her. Just as she was about to prod the girl for an update, Sasha exhaled sharply and pushed her goggles up.

  “Got it,” she said, looking a little breathless. “The vault’s on the second floor. It’s got a biometric lock, so you’ll need to find another way in, but I can keep cameras off your back.”

  Sophie frowned, though she was mildly impressed. Her netrunning skills wouldn’t allow her to do that. “Not bad.”

  Sasha smiled, clearly relieved at the begrudging compliment. “I can also open a back entrance for you. That might make it easier for you.”

  Sophie considered her for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. You stay here, keep an eye on their system, and warn me if anything changes. I don’t need you getting in my way.”

  Sasha looked like she wanted to protest but ultimately nodded. “Alright, I’ll stay. Should we keep in contact through holo-call?” Sophie gave her a nod, starting a call.

  Satisfied, Sophie ran through some last adjustments for her gear before stepping out of the truck. The cool evening air greeted her as she moved toward the back of the casino, where Sasha had marked the unlocked entrance. The alley behind the building was dimly lit by the setting sun, with trash bags piled near a rusted-out dumpster. A solid metal door leading into the casino sat slightly ajar.

  She slipped inside, closing it carefully behind her before pressing herself against the wall. The corridor was quiet, aside from muffled music filtering through the walls. Sasha’s voice appeared in her head.

  “You’re in? The hallway leads to a storage room, then a stairwell up to the second floor. A guard passes through every couple of minutes.”

  Sophie exhaled slowly. “Got it.” As much as she didn’t want to admit it, having someone tell her the guard positions was helpful.

  She crept forward, keeping her steps quiet against the tiled floor. The storage room was cluttered with crates of alcohol and spare equipment. As she reached the doorway leading to the stairwell, she pressed herself into the shadows just as a Valentino guard ambled past, clearly distracted by something. He didn’t even glance in her direction before continuing down the hall.

  Once he moved past her, she slipped up the stairs cautiously. The second floor was quieter and filled with cigar smoke. A security camera swiveled at the end of the hall, but before she could worry, Sasha’s voice came through again.

  “Camera’s looped. You’re clear.”

  Sophie blinked. Huh. That’s pretty useful.

  She made her way toward the vault, stopping at a corner as another security guard passed by. This one was more alert, scanning the hallway as he adjusted the shotgun he was holding. Sophie waited until he disappeared into one of the offices before moving again.

  The vault door stood at the end of the hall, an imposing piece of reinforced metal with a biometric scanner attached. There was no way she’d get through it without drawing attention.

  Reluctantly, she turned to her partner. “Sasha, any other ways in?” she murmured.

  A pause. Then, “Ventilation system. There’s an access panel in the maintenance closet across from you. Should lead behind the vault.”

  Sophie crossed the hallway quickly, slipping into the small closet. As promised, an air vent sat high on the wall. She reached up, unfastened the cover, and hauled herself inside, crawling through the narrow shaft.

  After a few slow minutes, she reached a second panel. Peering through the grate, she spotted the vault’s interior. It was a small space, with only a few shelves filled with locked cases. She cracked open the vent, dropping to the floor inside.

  Sophie exhaled. “Alright, I’m in.”

  It didn’t take long before she found the client’s prized pistol. It was a gaudy, gold-plated Nue. Ugh. This thing looks gross. Regardless, she slipped it into her jacket. Another quick search and she had a cred chip with the client’s money.

  “Alright, Sasha. I’ve got everything we came for. How’s my exit route looking?”

  “All good. There’ll be a guard crossing your path soon, but that’s all.”

  “Preem. See you soon.”

  Not even 15 minutes later, Sophie slipped into the driver’s seat of her Mackinaw, handing the pistol and chip to Sasha.

  “Just gotta deliver the eddies now. Ready to go?” The ‘runner gave her a small nod.

  The short trip to the outskirts of Vista del Rey was silent. The client was supposedly hiding out in an old garage, waiting for the delivery.

  The closer the two girls got to the location though, the more Sophie felt like something was wrong. They pulled up near their destination but before they could get out, a group of Valentinos waltzed past in bloodstained clothing.

  They were coming from the same direction as the client’s hideout and Sophie’s stomach sank.

  “Stay here, Sasha. I’ll make the delivery.”

  “No way! If I wanna be a merc, I need to do the job properly.” Sophie looked at her for a moment. The netrunner clearly didn’t think anything was wrong.

  “Fine,” she muttered. “Don’t say I didn’t try and stop you.”

  Sophie decided to wait a moment before stepping out of the car, in the off chance the Valentino’s returned. They didn’t, so the pair of girls approached the garage. As they got closer, a distinct smell of blood entered their noses.

  “Ugh! What is that?”

  With a grim face, Sophie unlocked the door to the hideout. As it slid open, the smell instantly became stronger.

  Walking inside, the smaller merc was greeted by a smashed up car and a corpse hanging from the ceiling via a cable. The man’s chest had been carved open, his guts spilling onto the floor. The top of his head looked like it had been shot to pieces too, and Sophie had to suppress the urge to gag at the stench.

  Unable to complete the gig with their client dead, Sophie turned and pushed the netrunner who was trying to enter the garage.

  “He’s dead. Let’s go, Sasha.”

  “Huh? Dead? What do you mean?” The older girl looked at her, confused.

  “The ‘Tinos from before. They got to him before he could escape. You don’t need to see what they did to him.”

  Her face went pale. “O…Oh. Y…yeah, let’s go then”.

  They jumped back into Sophie’s car, the atmosphere solemn. Sophie looked at her new ‘partner’. The girl’s face was still pale, despite not even seeing the body.

  “Y’know, your skills are good. But I don’t think you should be a merc.” Sasha looked at her questioningly. Seeing that, she elaborated. “You ever seen death? Ever killed someone?” The ‘runner shook her head. “Thought so. Unless you’re willing to get used to that kind of thing, I don’t think you should be a merc. You’ll be able to find work somewhere else with your skills.”

  “I can’t…Not at the moment at least.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t have any money. Until I have some savings, working as a merc is my best option. And I kinda enjoyed the stuff I was doing today.” Sophie glanced at her.

  “Well, if you want to keep working with me, you better make yourself useful. Like you did today. Otherwise you can fuck off.”

  Her words got a small, relieved smile in response.