Born to run (s-4)

by Stephen Kenson

  G-Dogg led Kellan past a few small storefronts and a coffee shop. The sidewalks were full of people going about their business and studiously ignoring each other. Some were talking on the phone, either with tiny cell phones pressed to their ears or simply talking to empty space, using subdermal implants that linked them directly into the cell network.

  Kellan saw a small group of girls, probably only a couple years younger than her, checking out the trid ads for the latest Darkvine album and its associated fashion accessories in the window of a store, chattering among themselves. Kellan felt a surge of disdain for the obviously privileged daughters of well-off straight-citizen parents, but she also felt a touch of jealousy. They were the type of girls Kellan had been waiting on in restaurants and stores before she struck out on her own, kissing their perfectly sculpted butts for minimum wage. For a moment, Kellan wondered what it was like to come from a family with money, not having to wonder when and what you were going to eat next, where you were going to sleep, whether or not you'd be able to get a job to make enough cred to survive. She wondered how it would have been different if her mother had been around.

  Her hand brushed against the cool jade of the amulet at her neck. Her mother. Who was she? What happened to her? When she was girl, Kellan used to imagine that her mother was somebody important, that she had left Kellan behind in order to protect her-not because she didn't care, like her aunt said. She used to hope that her mother would come back for her, though that hope diminished as the years passed with no word. Kellan's aunt swore that her mother was dead.

  Now, out of the blue, she had this connection, however small, to her mother. Was she the one who sent the package? The note said, "This stuff belonged to your mother"-probably not something her mother would say, unless she didn't want Kellan to know she was alive. Kellan wanted the chance to find out, but she'd need resources and connections to do it.

  Working with Lothan and G-Dogg was the first step toward the day when she made the big score and had credit to burn. For sure then, she could find out what happened to her mother. She would be the one calling the shots.

  "Want to know your fortune?" a voice close to Kellan asked, and she turned to see a woman sitting behind a card table set up in front of a coffee shop. An antique-looking black shawl covered the table and a spread of tarot cards was laid out on top of the lacy silk. The woman was an elf, wearing a close-fitting T-shirt under a cloak pinned at the shoulder with a circular broach in a Celtic knot design. Her loose-fitting jeans were painted with mystical symbols and designs. Her hair was sandy colored and worn long, cascading in waves down her shoulders; and of course she was gorgeous, with intense blue eyes that seemed to look right into Kellan's soul.

  "The cards know all," she said grandly, with a sweeping gesture over the table. "Just twenty nuyen for the secret insights from the elven Tree of Life."

  "How's about telling my fortune, Liada?" G-Dogg said, and the woman smiled up at him.

  "I don't give out freebies, G," she replied. In reply the ork pulled a crumpled UCAS twenty-dollar bill from his pocket and tossed it in the upturned top hat at Liada's feet.

  "Okay," she shrugged. "Let's see what the cards have to say." She shuffled the deck with crisp, practiced motions before dividing them into three piles in front of her. Then she closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a slow sigh.

  "Past, present and future," she said, tapping each of the stacks of cards in turn. She flipped over the top card on the first stack. It was the four of pentacles, showing masons working on a half-finished tower or castle with stained-glass windows.

  "Hard work, laying the foundations for material success," the woman said. "Hustling to get things done," she glanced sidelong at G-Dogg with a slight smile, then flipped over the top card on the next stack.

  It was the king of wands. "A dark man," she continued, "strong-willed, intellectual:." She paused and looked up at G-Dogg again, her mouth pinched in a thin line. Then she turned over the top card on the final stack.

  The princess of wands, wielding a burning torch that illuminated the darkness. "A young woman," she said, "with a passionate nature, showing the right path." She glanced up at Kellan, and then back at G-Dogg, leaning back from the table with a sigh.

  "What does Lothan want?" she asked, picking up the cards and putting them back into the deck. She squared them by tapping the deck against the table before putting the cards into a small embroidered leather pouch.

  "We're setting up a meeting:." G-Dogg began.

  "Not interested," Liada replied with a wave of her hand.

  "You making that much money telling fortunes?" G-Dogg replied.

  "It's not bad," she said, somewhat defensively, "but it has nothing to do with that. I just don't feel like working with the Almighty Master of the Arts Arcane." She did a deliberately bad imitation of Lothan's lofty tone, waving one hand in the air in a grand gesture.

  "It's a simple job," G-Dogg said.

  "It's never that simple with Lothan. You know that."

  "Yeah, well, I also know that you were his first choice for magical backup on this job."

  "Backup," Liada repeated. "Which means playing second fiddle to the Master. No thanks."

  "Okay," G-Dogg shrugged. "I'll just tell him you weren't up for it."

  The elf raised one eyebrow and glared at the smiling ork. Then she slipped the tarot deck case into the voluminous shoulder bag sitting on the ground next to her.

  "When's the meeting?" she asked.

  "At Lothan's, 2000 hours."

  "I'll be there," she said. "I'll listen to what he has to say, but no promises. If I don't like what I hear, I'm telling Lothan where he can stick his job and I'm out of there."

  "Fair enough," G-Dogg said.

  "You in on this?" Liada said, turning to Kellan.

  "Yeah," she replied.

  "Watch out for this one," she said nodding her head toward G-Dogg, "and Lothan. The one thing they have in common is that they're both manipulative bastards." G-Dogg grinned, but didn't deny it.

  "I'm Liada," she extended a hand to Kellan who shook it.

  "Kellan."

  "New to Seattle?" she asked.

  "Yeah."

  "Well, nice to meet you."

  "She's Lothan's new apprentice," G-Dogg offered, which caused Liada to raise both eyebrows.

  "Oh, really?" she said. "Well, my condolences. Here's hoping you survive the experience." She turned to G-Dogg, rising from behind the table. "Tell his highness that I'll be there tonight."

  They still had some time before the meet after leaving Liada, so G-Dogg suggested getting something to eat. Kellan's stomach reminded her that she hadn't had anything except most of a breakfast burrito all day, so she agreed. Ensconced in a back booth at A Little Bit O' Saigon in Capitol Hill, she and the ork talked a bit.

  "Why all that work just to get in touch with people?" Kellan asked. "Seems like Lothan could have handled that biz with three phone calls."

  G-Dogg began ticking things off on his fingers and, for the first time, Kellan noticed that the ork had six fingers on each hand. She remembered hearing something about an extra finger being a "secondary mutation." Only a minor percentage of orks had the extra finger. It certainly was a lot less inconvenient than some other mutations that had sprung up after the Awakening.

  "Well, first," he said, "Lothan doesn't like to handle stuff like that and, as you might guess, he's not all that good at it. Me, I like to talk, and I like to do my biz face-to-face.

  "Second, you gotta be careful doing business over the phone. You never know who might be listening. Job like this, probably not a big deal, but there're deckers who make a living putting together random pieces of data off the Matrix, making connections and passing them on to the right people willing to pay for them. There's always a chance that somebody is going to hear when there's a run going down. You try to keep that as quiet as possible. Plus, it's easier to get a feel for what people are thinking when you're looking at them instead of ta
lking to them on the phone."

  "There a third?" Kellan asked.

  "Yup. Third is I wanted you to get a chance to meet everyone and learn a little about how the biz works here in Seattle."

  "Doesn't seem like Lothan is anybody's favorite guy," Kellan mused, changing the subject. She appreciated the ork's consideration, but she didn't want to dwell on the fact that she needed to be introduced around like a complete newbie.

  "Lothan can have a pretty high opinion of himself," G-Dogg said, "but let me tell you, he knows the biz like nobody else. Lothan has been running the shadows longer than anybody I know. He may not be Mr. Personality, but he knows what he's doing, and that's what really counts in this business. That's why people still work with him, even if he can be a real pain in the hoop sometimes."

  "Is that why you work with him?" she asked.

  "One of the reasons," G-Dogg said. "Let's just say that I owe Lothan and leave it at that, okay? He's helped me out, so I help him out."

  As soon as they finished eating, they headed back to Lothan's place, where they were the first to arrive for the meeting. The old troll was all business, and wanted to wait until everyone was there before discussing the job. They assembled in Lothan's study, sitting in a rough semicircle against the backdrop of the overloaded bookshelves. Liada arrived next, followed by Silver Max and then the Street Deacon and Orion. Once everyone was in the study, Lothan settled into the wide chair in front of his desk. He turned the screen of the telecom unit on his desk to face into the room and hit a key on the control pad. A green light glowed on the display to show that it was in use.

  "I believe that most of you know Jackie Ozone, by reputation, if nothing else," Lothan said, nodding toward the telecom. The screen lit up with the cartoonlike image of a girl with big eyes, a tiny, delicate mouth and long, dark hair, dressed in a flowing white gown and carrying a silvery wand. She bowed with a flourish of the wand, which trailed a sparkle of Stardust behind it.

  "Hello, all," came a bright voice from the telecom's speakers.

  "Now that we're all here," Lothan said. "Let's get down to business. The job is a fairly simple snatch and grab on some cargo coming into the metroplex by truck. It belongs to Ares Macrotechnology, and information from our employer indicates that there will be some modest security protecting the shipment."

  "What's in it?" Silver Max asked.

  Lothan shrugged. "The Johnson felt that was on a need-to-know basis-"

  "-and we don't need to know," Max concluded, nodding for the troll to continue.

  "We need to hit the truck after it gets into the metroplex, then deliver it to a location in Redmond specified by our client. Since it is coming into the plex via the East Road, our best shot is to get to the truck while it's still in Redmond, before it reaches Bellevue."

  "It's headed for the Ares facility there?" Liada asked. Lothan nodded.

  "Sounds simple enough," Silver Max said.

  "The cut is five thousand nuyen each upon successful completion of the run," Lothan said, looking around at the runners. "Time is somewhat limited, since the shipment arrives in two days. That gives us less than forty-eight hours to confirm the details and set up the run." He looked around at the assembled runners. "Are we all in agreement on the terms?"

  "Seems like you've got more muscle than you need," the Street Deacon drawled laconically, looking at G-Dogg and Orion.

  "I think a little extra firepower is prudent," Lothan replied, "but you're welcome to opt out if you're feeling crowded."

  The Deacon shot Lothan a thin-lipped smile that made Kellan's blood go cold. "It's your money," he said.

  "Any other comments?" the troll asked. "Very well. Here are your assignments. Max, the truck should be a standard Ares cargo hauler."

  "Manned?"

  "Yes, but with rigger controls. So we're going to need you on-site to drive it once it's secure."

  "No problem," the dwarf said. "Am I running interference before that?"

  "Surveillance," Lothan said. "I want your drones to track the truck's progress to the target location we choose. I also want you to scout out the route and pinpoint the sites where we can take the truck with the minimum of witnesses and trouble." The rigger nodded, the silver baubles in his braids glinting.

  "Jackie, my dear," Lothan said to the telecom. "Your job will be to cast your nets and gather all the information the Matrix has to offer about this shipment. Verify the information from our Mr. Johnson and find out what you can about the security we'll be facing."

  The cute cartoon face shifted into a girlish pout. "Is that all?" she asked. "Lothan, I thought this was going to be interesting. That doesn't sound like a challenge."

  "You never know until you try," the troll said, "and you are not allowed to make things any more 'interesting' than they already are, okay?"

  "Spoilsport," the decker said with a spritely laugh.

  "Liada," the troll continued, ignoring Jackie's persona sticking out her tongue on the monitor, "I'd like you to do astral reconnaissance of the route, just to be sure there aren't any surprises. Then I'd like to discuss the coordination of our magical offensive and defenses with you."

  "All right," the elven mage said, looking vaguely bored. "So are you going on this little run with us, then?"

  "Absolutely." Lothan replied in a tone that made it clear that he didn't trust any of them to handle things without his supervision.

  "G-Dogg," he turned to the ork bouncer. "Is I-90 currently claimed by anyone?"

  G-Dogg opened his mouth to reply, but Orion spoke up from the opposite side of the room.

  "The Rusted Stilettos and the Red Hot Nukes both claim it," the elf said, "but neither of them has got much of a hold on it from what I've heard."

  Lothan looked to G-Dogg for confirmation and the ork nodded. "That sounds about right to me," he said. "I think the Stilettos are probably the contenders, since Glow City is so close to the highway and nobody really wants their territory along 202."

  "Yeah, but the Nukes are the ones with the bikes," the elf countered, "and they've been making their way further down the highway from Hollywood lately."

  Lothan addressed G-Dogg. "I want you to find out about their recent activities," the mage told him. "See if we're likely to have any trouble with them." Then he turned to Orion. "Do you think you can find out anything from your contacts?"

  "I can ask around," the elf said.

  "Do so, but discreetly. And that warning goes for the rest of you, too. I don't want word of this job getting out. Even though our window is short, I don't want our target to be forewarned."

  "We'll meet again tomorrow at the same time," Lothan said, "to review the plan and adjust it if necessary. Unless there are any other questions?"

  "Um, yeah," Kellan said, glancing around the room. "What am I supposed to do?"

  Lothan smiled indulgently. "I have something special in mind for you, Kellan," he said. "Since, as I understand it, most of your contacts in Seattle are here in this room, I have chosen a very special role for you in our little drama. You can stay here tonight, if you wish, and we'll get to work early tomorrow." Liada snorted, which Kellan did her best to ignore. She nodded.

  "Okay," she told the troll.

  "Don't worry, honey," Jackie Ozone's voice said from the telecom. "Lothan's not the ladies' man that he once was, though it's true what they say about a man with some experience!" Her persona rolled her large eyes and giggled girlishly. Kellan saw Lothan's bushy white brows draw together, and she would swear that the big troll blushed.

  "I'd say we're done here," he said, hitting a key on the telecom pad with a blunt finger. The screen suddenly went dark. Liada and G-Dogg chuckled softly as the runners got to their feet and said their good-byes before heading for the door. Orion and the Street Deacon had nothing to say before they made their exit, although the others lingered for a moment to talk.

  "So," G-Dogg asked Kellan. "You crashing here tonight?"

  She glanced at Lothan a moment befor
e responding, and the troll mage said, "I assure you, Kellan, despite Jackie's childish jibes, you have nothing to fear from me. There's a guest room where you can stay, and the door locks, if it makes you feel any better."

  "Guess so," she said turning back to G-Dogg. The ork nodded and punched her gently in the arm before he left.

  As the other runners showed themselves out, Kellan's phone rang.

  " 'Lo?" she said, and the spritely voice of Jackie Ozone greeted her.

  "Lothan's okay," the decker said, "but watch your back anyway."

  "Thanks," Kellan said in as neutral a tone as possible. "I will."

  "Here's a number where you can contact me." Kellan's phone beeped as it received the data. "Give me a buzz if you need anything. Welcome to Seattle," Jackie said with a laugh. "Be seeing you." Then the decker hung up. As she closed her phone and put it away, Kellan realized that she hadn't asked Jackie how she'd gotten her number.

  7

  Although Lothan's guest room wasn't lavish, it was still the nicest place Kellan had slept in a long time-for sure since she had been out on her own. There was no comparison to the coffin hotel she had been crashing at since she arrived in Seattle. She didn't miss the cramped quarters or the thin tem-perform padding one bit, and slept like a stone, despite the unusual surroundings and Jackie Ozone's somewhat ominous warning to watch herself around Lothan.

  Nothing and no one disturbed her sleep and Kellan awoke feeling truly refreshed. She sat up in bed and stretched luxuriously, feeling her joints pop, and exhaled a deep breath.

  "Oh, good, you're up!" a voice said. Kellan yelped and whipped her head around to find the source of the voice.

  Hovering above the headboard was a tiny figure, less than half a meter tall. It was humanoid, with a broad head that consisted mostly of a prominent nose and large, pointed ears. It had somewhat spindly arms and legs but large hands and feet. Especially striking were the batlike wings, the forked tail and the fact that the creature was translucent; Kellan could see the wall on the other side of it.