Shadowrun

by Dylan Birtolo

  “Sounds like a plan,” Rude rumbled. “I like gettin’ paid to do nothin’.”

  As they reconvened at the safehouse, Yu went to his private room to contact the Johnson. He needed some measure of privacy to finish the last step of negotiations.

  Mr. Johnson picked up at the first ping. “Is it done?” he asked, cutting right to the root of the matter. The connection was audio only.

  “Yes. Delivered the package just a few minutes ago. I trust you’ve put things in place for the final payment?”

  “Of course. Once I verify the contents of the package delivery, I will put in the final call. I trust you would like to observe the final result?”

  Yu hesitated. He hadn’t considered this before. Some part of him wanted to watch the BTL dealers get taken out. It would be helpful to guarantee they were removed once and for all. Otherwise, the Johnson could easily claim to have taken care of the problem and not do anything at all. How would Yu confirm what happened? If anything, the corp would do whatever it could to prevent such an incident from becoming public knowledge. It reflected poorly on their business, and reputation was one of the most valuable currencies to a corporation.

  But if he were honest with himself, he couldn’t deny that part of him wanted to watch for the satisfaction of watching them being dispatched and their illicit cargo torched. When it came down to it, it wasn’t a choice.

  “Yes. I need to verify the completion of the deal, just like you. Otherwise, how can we trust each other and continue to do business?” He didn’t know if the Johnson believed his excuse. It sounded probable, but in the end, he didn’t care.

  “Very well. Assuming successful package delivery, then I will arrange for the incident to be carried out at 2100 hours this evening. The later hour increases the chances of a greater presence. I would prefer to teach the perpetrators a lesson, and not just confiscate the cargo. After all, there is our reputation to consider.”

  “A pleasure doing business with you.” Yu cut the connection and collapsed on the bed. It looked like the entire plan had gone off without a hitch. Whatever the package was, it had been delivered, and was no longer his problem. Let the corporations play their games. The more they stabbed at each other, the more work for him and his teammates, and the more opportunity for the Triad to benefit. And if he could indulge his personal vendetta in the process, why not?

  Sitting up, he transferred twenty-five hundred nuyen from his personal account into their group account. It would hurt, but he had the savings to spare right now. And this way they wouldn’t ask questions. For the moment, only Emu knew his secret, and he preferred to keep it that way.

  Walking out into the main room, the other members of the team turned to him.

  Yu flashed an easy grin at them. “Good job, team. We got a bit of a bonus. Not much, but I worked my magic and a little something is better than nothing. We’ll give it an even split, and I’ll let one of you pick the next job. Who knows, maybe know we’ll get one of the big ones. Client said he was happy with our work. It doesn’t hurt to have a name like Renraku willing to back us.”

  The team nodded their assent and went back to their personal business and conversations. The job was finished, now was the time to relax before the inevitable looking for more work. Part of the price for being a shadowrunner.

  Zipfile came up to Yu. “I’m going to head down to The Sports Bar again tonight. Want to come along and see if you can win another round?”

  Yu shook his head. “Maybe another time. I need to see if Emu’s willing to shuttle me around for a bit. Plus, I have to buy her dinner or something, makeup for wrecking one of her drones.”

  “Suit yourself!”

  Frostburn retreated to her room, and Rude left without telling anyone where he was going, leaving the two of them alone for the moment.

  “You need a lift to the warehouse, don’t you?”

  “How’d you guess?”

  “Figured you’d want to make sure the Johnson kept his end of the bargain. I don’t like this. I don’t like you going out alone and not having backup. You know what Johnsons are like, always looking for a chance to double-cross. This is the final payment you’re going out to pick up. How many times has that gone sour?”

  “Only twice.”

  Emu frowned. “And three more times where it might’ve if Rude hadn’t been there.”

  “I get your point, but this is different. The Johnson doesn’t know where I’ll be. I’ll be in the shadows far away, keeping an eye on things. As far as he’s concerned, our business is done, and we have no reason to contact each other.”

  “If you say so. I’m just letting you know I don’t like it.”

  “Does that mean you won’t give me a lift?”

  Emu tilted her head down so she could glare at him through her eyebrows. “And leave you to take a rideshare that’s gonna dump you and jet, or give you reason to go seducing some poor woman just so you can use her car? No thanks. I’ve seen you drive.”

  The hours passed with painful slowness, and Yu considered letting time slip by a bit faster with a dip into his stash, but his righteous rage kept him from doing so. He wanted to be focused when the BTL dealers were dispatched, and didn’t want to risk still being high when that time came. Instead, he went to the Vigilant Iron Schooling House, using the hours to train until he worked up a heavy sweat, and then trained some more. After several sparring matches, he cleaned up and went back to the safehouse.

  The ride over to West Seattle was quiet. Yu tumbled over his own thoughts, analyzing them to the point where he didn’t even register Emu’s presence. She kept silent, giving him the opportunity to self-reflect.

  When they got nearby, she pulled over to the side of the road a few blocks away. “You know, I can dispatch a drone, and you don’t even need to get close.”

  He assumed an offer like this was coming, and shook his head. “I appreciate it, but this is something I want to see myself. And I’d rather do it alone, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course. I’ll be here waiting to take you back when it’s done.”

  Yu climbed out and walked down the street toward the warehouses owned by Rip Current Shipping Lanes. The ocean smell and cool breeze helped to keep him focused as he walked, cutting through his tumbling thoughts and making him pay attention to his surroundings. Now that he knew what to look for, he recognized the activity around the warehouse, even when it was still several buildings away. He looked around for a good vantage point.

  The best possible spot to get a view and guarantee he was out of the way would be the roof of one of these buildings. Yu entered an alley across the street from the warehouse, and looked at the wall in front of him. It wouldn’t be easy, but he had enough experience climbing that he could make use of the uneven masonry of the brick building. There were windows on each floor, with thick sills he could balance on.

  The climb was slow, but he arrived with plenty of time to spare. Yu reached the top and pulled himself over the edge, lying down on the roof of an office building.

  Staying low, he crawled to the front edge of the building, pulling himself up just high enough so he could see the warehouse across the way. Two people in unmarked uniforms stood at the gate, and from this angle, Yu saw the armed drones circling around the building. This reaffirmed his decision that it was far too much for his team to handle alone.

  Now he sat and waited to see if Mr. Johnson would fulfill his obligations. There wasn’t much Yu could do if he decided to pull out. Since the package had already been delivered, he had nothing Mr. Johnson wanted any more. The worst he could do was spread the news through the runner community. But doing so would require sharing far more information with the public than he wanted.

  Minutes ticked by, each one had Yu checking the clock at least five times before it rolled over. 2100 came and went, but nothing happened.

  At 2104, when Yu’s legs itched and he longed to get up and pace just to keep his limbs loose, he caught movement at the edge of hi
s vision. Turning, he saw several Knight Errant vehicles lining up in the street.

  These weren’t the standard cars used by officers attempting to patrol the streets and keep them safe, using a loose definition of safety by anyone’s terms. These were the armored vans carrying multiple officers in full battle gear. Seemed like Mr. Johnson, true to form, didn’t want to get his hands dirty while dealing with the problem. Yu didn’t care who dealt with it, as long as the BTL dealers were eliminated. He gripped the corner of the roof as he watched, one of his feet tapping as he watched the enforcement corp get into position.

  And then the chaos started.

  There were no sirens, no flashing lights, no booming voice telling the criminals to surrender. Instead, the caravan drove forward in a spearhead formation, slamming through the fence, with one of the vans aimed straight at the guard manning the station. He brought his weapon up and fired a few shots, the rapid explosions echoing through the air. They were followed by the high-pitched ring of bullets bouncing off an armored shell in a shower of sparks. And then there was the crunch as the vehicle rolled over the man.

  The wheels hadn’t even stopped when the back doors flew open and the Knights rolled out with military precession. These weren’t the standard rank and file either, these were the elite members, well-trained to do their job. They covered each other as they circled around the warehouse in tight formations, shooting at the building. From his vantage point, the gunfire made his ears ring as the two forces exchanged shots.

  A large explosion lit the night as a grenade went off near one of the vans, sending a few of the Knights scrambling and rolling across the cement. One of them didn’t get up again.

  The sudden burst of light made Yu turn his face away from the blast in time to see the roof access door to the office building open.

  He sprang to his feet and rushed toward the doorway as a large troll in Knight Errant riot gear stepped out and began coming toward him. The troll looked toward the warehouse, his gun coming around as he did. Yu already had his pistol out and trained on the target. He fired as he circled around toward the door, not expecting the bullets to do any lasting damage, but hoping they served as a distraction.

  His plan worked and the troll stepped back, bringing an arm up to cover his face. Most of the bullets bounced off or sank into his armor, but at least one cut along his bicep where the protection wasn’t quite as thick. Yu ran out of bullets, but reached the doorway as his weapon clicked empty. He jumped through, hoping to clear the first set of stairs and head down toward the exit.

  But slamming into the ork coming up the stairwell was like jumping into a rock wall—and just as forgiving. As he tumbled to the ground, Yu had enough presence of mind to kick out, knocking the rifle out of the ork’s hand, robbing her of an easy kill.

  If the disarm bothered her, she didn’t seem concerned. She reached down and grabbed Yu by the front of his jacket. He twisted free from one hand, but the other had too solid of a grip. She lifted him up from the ground and slammed him into the wall, cracking the back of his head against it, and knocking his pistol loose as well. Her tusked face blurred from the impact, but he felt her lift him to slam him into the wall again.

  Yu lifted his feet behind him, using them to cushion the blow, then sprang forward as she pulled him back. The sudden shift in momentum let him flip over her head into the open air between the looping switch-backed stairs. She held on, stopping his flight short and yanking her into the railing so it caught her in the side. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs even through her protective clothing, but she held on with a growl.

  As he struggled to tear himself free—and drop four stories to the ground far below, which somehow seemed like a better option to his dazed mind—the troll stomped into the stairwell, an ugly sneer on his face. He reached out to help the ork subdue the criminal, and Yu knew his life would be forfeit if those meaty fingers curled around one of his limbs.

  Not seeing much in the way of options, Yu straightened his fingers into a knife hand and slammed them up into the bottom of the ork’s armpit. The blow made her let go, the nerve acting on reflex despite all her training. And Yu fell away from both of them.

  He reached out to catch himself on the next railing, but missed the timing. His wrist slammed against the metal bar, and he thought he heard a crunch of bone. The impact knocked him out of the center and he tumbled toward the opposite side, catching himself on the railing by draping both of his arms across it and letting the metal bar slam into his rib cage.

  For several seconds, Yu struggled simply to breathe.

  His foot slipped as he clambered over the rail, and it took three tries before he collapsed on the stairs on the other side. Compared to his other injuries, slamming into the cement steps didn’t even register. The gunfire from above as the ork opened fire did, however. Through his pain, a voice in his head reminded him that his life was over if he didn’t move.

  At first, sliding down the steps was the best he could manage. Once he got to the next landing, he slid over to the wall and used it to prop himself up. As much as he wanted to take a moment to catch his breath, he doubted the pursuing Knight Errant officers would be willing to grant him that luxury. Yu shuffled forward, almost toppling over when he reached the next set of steps.

  He took stock of his injuries as his lucidity came trickling back. His wrist felt broken, as well as possibly a couple of ribs. But his legs and lungs still worked, and they were what he needed most right now. Fighting was out of the question. He doubted he’d stand much of a chance against these two if he were fresh. In his current state, it would be suicide, even if they didn’t have guns.

  To make matters worse, he heard voices shouting from the floors beneath him. He didn’t let it slow his pace. Whatever was down there couldn’t be any worse than what was pounding after him from behind, firing off the occasional shot that cracked into the cement around him. It might be just as bad, but he saw no reason not to keep running.

  As he finished another flight of stairs, he saw a body on the landing. The corpse wore a Knight Errant uniform, but judging by the amount of blood pooling around it, wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.

  Yu didn’t stop to take a closer look. He rushed past the body and continued toward the exit, hoping for a miracle. The miracle came as he passed two more bodies on the ground floor, slumped on either side of the front entrance. This wasn’t a coincidence. This was a death trap. Somehow they knew to storm this building, and had done so with the same military efficiency they used against the BTL dealers. The nearby explosions and sounds of veritable warfare continued, but if anyone looked in his direction, they were too preoccupied with their own battle to stop him.

  Emu rushed up, tires screeching against the pavement as she slid to a stop in front of the entrance of the building. Yu tried to get to her car, but his leg collapsed under him as something bit through his calf. The ork had reached the bottom floor and opened fire, catching him before he managed to reach the vehicle. She leaped down the last few steps to land on the ground floor proper and get a better angle.

  Two drones buzzed to life from the back of Emu’s vehicle and zipped forward, guns rattling as they opened fire into the building. The ork ducked back and dove behind the stairway, but left a trail of blood in the process. Yu didn’t know if she was dead or not, and didn’t want to wait around to find out. Not to mention wait for the troll. The drones continued firing, alternating to maintain cover fire but conserve ammo.

  A giant roar ripped through the sky as at least 300 kgs of muscle and rage crashed to the sidewalk from the roof. The ground shook and the cement cracked underneath the Knight Errant officer. He reached out and grabbed a drone, hurling it against the wall in a flash of sparks. It sputtered on the ground a few times before he stomped on it, stilling it.

  Yu pushed himself up to his feet and held out his good arm in front of him in a fighting stance. The troll didn’t hesitate, grabbing the arm and pulling Yu toward him. He hoisted the e
lf high overhead before tossing him to the ground behind him.

  Halfway through his trajectory, Yu reached out and pulled the pin from one of the standard issue grenades attached to the troll’s belt.

  The other drone turned to fire on the troll, but retreated down the street while shooting. The Knight lumbered after it, moving at speeds no non-augmented meta could manage. Yu ignored the pain in his ribs and rolled over on his side, ducking behind Emu’s car for some measure of protection.

  The grenade went off, and what was left of the troll dropped to the ground and didn’t move except for a few post-mortem twitches.

  Yu pulled himself to the rear door of Emu’s car. It opened for him and he crawled inside. It lurched forward before he got his entire body inside. When his head reached the far door, he rolled onto his back and took a deep breath. Halfway through he coughed from the pain, a reaction that made fire lance through his chest at multiple angles at once.

  “Don’t die back there after bleeding all over my seats. You also owe me another drone, and a detailing job after this!” Emu sped out of the district, slowing down once she reached the highway, but not daring to stop. “You alive back there?”

  Yu took half the breath he did before, taking his time and making sure not to push it too far. He took measure of how much he could breathe without kicking off the pain.

  “You were right… It was a setup.”

  “Did you at least get what you wanted?”

  Yu thought back to the destruction at the warehouse. The Knight Errant troops would eliminate the dealers, and the cargo had a high chance of being destroyed in the process. If it wasn’t, he didn’t know what the Knights would do about it. But at the least, they’d removed some portion of the threat from the streets of Seattle. And there were a handful fewer BTL dealers left in the world. These were all good things.