Yu’s face lost all emotion, becoming laser-focused on the dealer underneath him. He thrust his entire weight down into his knee, using the motion to snap the dealer’s neck. He stood up and turned away, closing his eyes and lowering his head, not wanting to look at the fresh corpse. His hands clenched into fists and shook at his sides, but he forced himself to take a deep breath.
After a few seconds, he shook out his arms and straightened his jacket. He walked out of the street, never turning to see the body behind him. At this point, it was just another casualty of the illicit BTL trade.
It took several blocks before Yu found himself capable of pasting on his trademark smile and nodding to others in an attempt to elicit a smile or a lifted eyebrow. He leaned against the wall of a late-night café with a steady stream of customers and pulled up the map on his commlink, turning it over to satellite view and getting as good a look at the warehouse as possible with public tools.
As far as he could tell, it looked like a normal warehouse along a string of such buildings in the industry district of West Seattle. Nothing about it stood out from the other warehouses along the strip, and it didn’t have any labels or signage he could see from these limited viewpoints. If he wanted to find out anything, he’d need some help.
Yu imagined the growl from Zipfile as she read his message and composed her reply. It turned the corner of his mouth up.
That portion of the business taken care of, Yu called for a ride to take him down to West Seattle. In normal circumstances, he might be worried about leaving such an obvious and easy-to-follow trail, but he hadn’t been on a job in a couple of weeks, and they didn’t have anything coming up soon, either.
Yu got out of the car a couple of blocks away from the row of warehouses, walking the rest of the way to his destination. Along the way, he slipped into the shadows out of habit. He didn’t make his stealth obvious. Rather than hug building walls and cling to the darkness, he picked a path that strayed toward the darkest areas. In his experience, such behavior would prevent people from noticing his presence unless they were on guard, and sometimes not even then.
A breeze picked up, carrying the heavy salt odor from the Sound, combining it with a mixture of rust and grease he associated with heavy machinery. Even from here, Yu saw large cranes arcing up over the top of the buildings, devices for unloading giant crates of cargo. Down here, Seattle gave the impression of being a port in ways the center of downtown did not.
As he approached his destination, Yu slowed his pace and made sure no one stood on the streets before turning the last couple of corners. He still gave the impression of someone walking rather than skulking. If anyone noticed him, the worst thing he could do was draw attention by looking like he was trying to hide. But a hesitant step here, a thoughtful pause there, these things helped to keep him from walking into someone’s line of sight.
The object of his interest came into view, and he kept it at the edge of his vision as he strolled down the street. From here, he gained little information about it that he didn’t already know, which amounted to it being a warehouse. Lights shone from the windows, and shadows danced along the walls as people inside moved about. The entire structure sat behind a chain link fence with barbed wire looped around the top. A soft buzzing pervaded the air, the familiar noise of drones flying nearby. He hadn’t seen any yet, but he couldn’t mistake the sound.
This side of the fence had a gate with a guard sitting at his station, his head propped up on his fist. He wore a uniform, but it didn’t have any logos or branding, suspicious in its own right. Usually the security corps wanted to advertise their jobs, a way to showcase their dependability.
Yu considered his options. He could bluff his way past the guard, but doing so without knowing anything about the warehouse might prove too difficult. But he didn’t need to get in there himself. All he needed as a glimpse through the windows to see what lurked inside. And he did have a camera drone from Emu. He’d never be able to pilot it as well as she did, but this job should be easy enough.
Continuing his circuit, he turned the next corner, making sure the warehouse was no longer in line of sight. To be extra careful, he went a full block over, using the intervening building as cover. Better safe than sorry, especially since he didn’t have the backup of his team. He could reach out to Emu and ask for her help, but she’d want to know what he was doing out here, and he didn’t know if he wanted to share those details yet. Their family still felt new, fragile, and he didn’t want to do anything to risk fracturing it.
Pulling out the small camera drone, he connected it to his commlink and turned it on. It hummed to life and he saw through its camera. Taking control of the device, it flew up over the building and he saw the entire district spilled out before him and stretching to the water beyond, lights from the city reflecting off the dark surface. He didn’t waste time savoring the view, and instead flew forward, heading for one of the warehouse windows.
The drone shot forward, and Yu stopped it short, worried it would break through the glass. The sudden shift in momentum rocked his entire view and the drone pulled back as he overcompensated. Struggling with the controls and cursing in Cantonese under his breath, he managed to ease the drone up to the window to peer through the glass.
In that moment, the effort made it all seem worthwhile.
Several people walked around, all armed with automatic weapons carried in plain view. A few stood at the edge of walkways on the second level, looking down on the cargo below. There had to be at least twenty crates inside, most of them sealed and stamped with a combination of letters and numbers that meant nothing to Yu. One of the crates stood open in the center of the room, with two men and one woman looking over the contents. Zooming in with the camera, Yu saw what captured their attention. BTL chips.
There had to be hundreds of them in that crate alone. This was no minor operation, but rather a major link in the BTL supply chain into Seattle. Yu licked his lips before chewing on his bottom one. The value of the cargo explained the sheer amount of firepower present in the room.
All of a sudden, his view rocked so hard he jerked himself out of the drone controls. The sounds of gunfire echoed around the buildings to him. That answered the question of whether the drones around the warehouse were armed or not. Now he’d have to face Emu’s wrath for getting one of her drones destroyed. At least he had some answers. It looked like the cargo had just arrived at the warehouse, which meant he had a few days to do something.
But what could he possibly do? Even if he told the team and pulled them into this, it was too big for them to handle alone. And considering how strapped they were for nuyen, hiring an outside support team was out of the question. He could tell the Triads, but they’d wouldn’t act unless it was in their own best interests. He couldn’t think of a legitimate way that taking out this operation would benefit them, which brought him back to square one.
He puzzled over this problem on his way back home. A possible solution came to him in the form of a message from Zipfile.
Yu chuckled and spent the rest of the trip lost in his thoughts as a plan formed in his mind…or at least the next steps.
The following morning, Yu took his time getting breakfast before heading out to the address Zipfile had provided. She checked in with him once again to see if he wanted backup, but again he turned down her offer. He saw no reason to be worried about making a polite business call during the middle of the day. Showing up with an entourage or having them waiting in the wings would be more suspicious than showing up alone. He could’ve contacted Rude, and claimed the man was a bodyguard. They’d played that part before, and it was more than half-true. What was it Brother Lee used to say? “The best lies are based on truth.”
At the thought of his former mentor, Yu’s hand strayed to the burned-out BTL chip in his pocket. His fingers tightened around it through the fabric until its sharp edges bit into his skin. Letting go, he smoothed his pants, making sure not to leave any trace of the gesture.
The trip to Rip Current Sea Lanes passed without incident. The office building was as unimpressive as the corporation’s rating, not even worth being looked at by the Corporate Court. It was a simple one-story building nestled between a towering corporate skyscraper and a family restaurant.
Stepping through the front door, Yu recognized the façade for what it was. True, the paint was peeling in a couple of places and the walls looked thin, barely a step above a temporary office situated on a construction site. However, there were other clues. Micro cameras situated around the corners of the room in such a way to prevent any blind spots. A heavy-duty maglock system attached to the door leading to the back offices.
It left Yu with the impression of a building designed to look far more amateurish than it actually was.
The receptionist at the front desk was a young elf woman, offering him a beaming smile that lit up her face, either that or it was the small lights just under her skin near the corner of her eyes. She tilted her head to a practiced angle, giving off the impression of someone who not only completed finishing school, but excelled at it.
“Welcome to Rip Current Shipping Lanes. How can I help you?” Her voice had a perfect sing-song quality that only came with months of practicing tone fluctuation. In short, she was a master of her craft, and far too experienced to be working at a no-name company in the middle of nowhere.
Yu offered her a polite bow, then reached up to run his fingers through his dark hair, making the trained motion look natural and using it to draw her attention. She wasn’t the only one skilled in such subtle manipulations.
“Greetings, young miss. I came here hoping to speak with someone about renting a warehouse down in West Seattle. You came highly recommended from a friend of mine.” He raised his first two fingers as he dropped his chin in mock apology. “Of course, I can’t divulge the identity of my associate. I am sure you understand the need for such discretion. But rest assured, they speak very highly of your services and consideration.”
“Of course. Give me just a moment.” She rose and headed toward the back room, but hesitated when she got to the door and glanced back to give Yu an appreciative look, taking in his entire body. He pretended not to notice, even though he savored the reaction.
She swiped an access card and entered the back room, leaving him alone in the false front. But the cameras squashed any temptation to give anything more than a passing glance. He stood in front of a framed display of a map of downtown Seattle from the late 20th century.
The heavy clack of the door captured his attention and made him turn. The receptionist stood in the doorway, holding the door open for him.
“Mr. Miller is willing to meet with you. He’s behind the second door on the left.”
Yu nodded to her. “Thank you. I appreciate you getting me in on such short notice.”
He walked down the hall, looking at his surroundings without turning his head or slowing his steps. Stepping through the door was like stepping into a different building. Whereas the front gave off a shoddy impression of a company barely managing to survive, the back hall could’ve passed for the entrance to a clean room, including fluorescent lights and sliding doors filled with frosted glass. The polished floor tiles made his dress shoes clack with every step. Easier to notice someone trying to sneak around in this setting.
The second door on the left stood open, and a large human sat behind a desk with an AR display floating over the surface. With a gesture in the air, he slid the display to the side and pointed to one of the office chairs in front of him. He wore a tailored suit that had to cost more nuyen than most people made in an entire year. His solid gray hair was slicked back, without even a trace of the original color.
“Won’t you please come in and have a seat, mister…?”
“Chen.” Yu offered the pseudonym as he stepped forward and extended his hand. Mr. Miller took it and gave it a firm shake. His grip was strong enough that Yu appreciated having a cyberarm.
“Please take a seat. Melanie tells me you wanted to inquire as to the availability of one of my warehouses? We are a small business, but we find it helps to keep things moving.”
“You might say that you run a tight ship?” Yu offered as he took a seat.
If Mr. Miller noticed the joke, he didn’t appreciate it. “Yes, quite. However, part of the reason we are able to function underneath the shadow of some of the other corporate giants in the district is because we are very discerning with our clientele. I would need to know much more about you and the potential business you offer before I could offer a mutually beneficial proposal.”
“I can appreciate that. You have your own reputation to be concerned about, as I have mine. I am well familiar with the power of reputation. In the right hands, it’s almost as powerful as information.”
Mr. Miller paused and stared at Yu, locking gazes and trying to make the smaller man squirm. It was a tactic Yu was very familiar with from his years of experience. He sat in his chair, as relaxed as possible, and remained calm without looking away. After the space of a few breaths, Mr. Miller broke the gaze to turn and pull up something in his AR display.
“As you can see, we have a perfect record throughout our entire tenure of business, more than twenty years. At the time we had only one warehouse, but our operation has grown to encompass four buildings, each of which is capable of storing at least 350 cubic meters of goods for as long as your contract holds. We provide our own security forces at no extra charge, and are authorized to insure your goods, provided they abide with all import regulations, of course. We’re not responsible for any misunderstandings with authorities of the law.”
“Do you currently have any open contracts with any clients, are all of your warehouses available?”
“You must realize I am not at liberty to divulge such information.
The discretion of my clients demands my silence to avoid any potential unpleasantness. I’m sure you can understand.”
“I do, and I was not trying to get you to give away any corporate secrets.” Yu looked up at the ceiling behind Mr. Miller as if searching for thought while he gestured in the air making small circles with his free hand. “I have a special shipment arriving soon, one that will require multiple storage solutions. I was hoping to use a single contractor for all of my needs, and I’m afraid I would need all of your warehouses to do it.”
Mr. Miller steepled his hands in front of his face and rested his chin against them as he narrowed his eyes. When he spoke, his words were slow and deliberate.
“That would require a substantial investment on your part, Mr. Chen. And you have yet to inform me what your business is. I’m sure we could handle such a request, but I would need to be assured of your reputation.”
“I find it surprising you’d speak about reputation when you don’t even know what’s going on in your own warehouses. Either that, or you tend to make promises you can’t keep.”
Before Mr. Miller had an opportunity to respond, Yu pulled up an edited clip from the drone footage of the night before. It showed part of the flight toward the warehouse, and while it wasn’t professional, the shaky footage gave unmistakable proof of activity.
“Where did you get this?” Mr. Miller asked.
“Irrelevant. What I can tell you is that this footage was taken last night at what you claimed to be an empty and available warehouse. It seems like someone is squatting in your property. So, my question would be which element of your reputation is at risk, your honesty or your security?”
Yu hoped that by keeping Mr. Miller on the defensive, the man wouldn’t pry too much into his paper-thin story. He didn’t have credentials or anything to back up his claim, but he knew how to navigate a verbal minefield. The question was whether or not the corporation knew about the BTL dealers. He hoped Mr. Miller’s reaction would give him the evidence he needed, one way or another.
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