The Tortoise…
We all fit inside easily.
It was a pickup truck, but Panam wasn’t the type to ride in discomfort.
The Tortoise had a strange mix of rough exterior and interior comfort.
There was room for everyone, even three people in the back.
Though honestly, the back seat held three petite women.
They’d have been fine in half the space.
“And my ride is still better.”
Bex pouted at us for making her ride along.
She’d wanted to show off her driving skills.
I’d have been fine with that for a casual trip, but for a job, it was better to stick together.
Less chance of getting separated and caught.
“Don’t talk nonsense.
You drive a compact.
It’s convenient for parking, sure.
But for a combat mission?
It’s not even armored.”
“Beh-beh-beh!”
Bex stuck out her tongue.
I smirked and looked away.
Judy and Lucy had been silent for a while.
They were clearly communicating through their own channel.
I was curious what they’d decided.
“Lucy?
Judy?”
Lucy glanced at Judy.
She nodded.
“We’ve decided.
Lucy’s the better netrunner.
I’ll guide you.
She’ll handle the heavy lifting.
She’s faster and quieter.”
I nodded.
It felt good to know I hadn’t been wrong about Judy.
She could recognize her own limits and speak them aloud.
She could admit someone else was better at something without getting defensive.
“Pfft.
No one’s better than our Lucy.
Even Kiwi can’t match her!”
“Don’t be snide, little one.
I respect your Lucy’s talent.
But netrunning isn’t my main thing.
I make braindances.
That’s my field.
I’d give any high-level pro a run for their money there.”
“Then why’d you join?”
Lucy asked, curious.
“At first?
To pay off a debt.”
“A debt?”
“Yeah.
I worked at Lizzie’s.
After some incident, Arasaka thugs trashed all my equipment.”
“Judy, language.”
“Pfft.”
She made it clear what she thought of my request.
But I knew she’d try to hold back.
“It wasn’t just the servers and security footage.
I was stupid enough to keep my personal gear there too.”
“Why?”
Lucy was genuinely curious.
“I spent most of my time there anyway.
Editing braindances for the girls.
I figured it’d be easier on custom gear.
And it was…
until…”
“Until?”
“Susie hired David through Regina.
We’d worked together before on repairs and maintenance.
He fixed the servers, but my gear…
Susie refused to pay for it.
I couldn’t afford it myself.
So David helped.”
“And?
Was it that expensive?”
“Very.
He went overboard, ordering new, powerful hardware.
It took me a while to get used to not having to do weird workarounds.”
“So you’re with him because of the debt?”
“At first, yes.
He offered a contract.
I work with him and Panam for a set time, and the debt gets cleared.”
Judy shrugged.
“But now I don’t really want to leave the team.
Plus I still make braindances, just fewer.
I’m even thinking of leaving the Mox.
I’m tired of it.”
“Speaking of which, Judy, are there any apartments for sale in your building?”
“Huh?”
Judy looked at me, surprised.
“I was thinking.
One room for me and Panam in a megabuilding is getting cramped.
I’d like two rooms.
Maybe three.
And a kitchen.
Apartments like that in a megabuilding are hard to find, and the rent is insane.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
Bex smirked.
“Maybe.
But not by much.”
I shrugged.
“In the long run, it’s cheaper to buy a place like Judy’s.
It’s not luxury housing, but I’d pay the same as a year’s rent on my one-room for a place like that.”
“Except my building loses power all the time.”
Judy shook her head.
“And hot water.”
“Not a problem.”
I smirked.
“You think I overpay for electricity in the megabuilding?
I built a couple of high-efficiency converters that charge batteries while I run on a treadmill.
And since Panam and I work out regularly…”
I shook my head.
“I’m also working on a way to generate my own power.
But that needs a different location.
Megabuildings don’t like that kind of thing.”
“There’s actually a unit above mine.
Two rooms, a bathroom, and a combined kitchen.
Just like mine.”
“I know.
I’ve seen it.”
I nodded.
“The dining area could be converted into a small office.”
I thought about it.
“I’ll talk to the owners.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Judy nodded.
The Tortoise rolled to a stop near the target.
“We’re here.”
Panam parked right next to the spot.
The girls would handle this part.
I had to do some legwork.
“Setting up comms.”
Judy’s voice came through.
I accepted the call.
All the avatars appeared on the left side of my vision.
I adjusted the settings, hiding them.
Their faces weren’t important right now.
I needed a clear view.
“Comms check.
One-two-three.”
I smirked.
“Loud and clear.
Moving.”
I slipped out of the car.
“Can’t we just go bang-bang?”
“You don’t want the money?”
I turned back to Bex.
She looked down.
“I do, but it’s booooring.”
I studied her.
“Work clean, and I’ve got a plan to make it fun for you.
And profitable for all of us.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
I turned away and walked down the street.
We continued through comms.
“What kind of plan?”
“Not telling.”
I was certain my avatar was shaking its head.
“No spoilers.
So do your part.”
I ducked into an alley.
“We’re on the roof.”
The girls had to climb up a fire escape to reach the access point.
They must have already done that.
“Connecting.”
The fights were in the basement, but the only entrance was through this building.
At least, that’s the one Regina knew about.
“Downloading floor plans and basement layouts.”
Seconds later, the girls sent me a map.
I studied it in the shadows.
I’d have guides, but it was good to know the layout.
“I’ve reviewed the map.
Moving in.
Where’s the target?”
“He’s on the lower level.
Heavily guarded room.”
I closed my eyes.
“Access?”
“Only through a direct terminal connection.”
“Through me?”
“Will try.”
Lucy was focused.
“Good.
Hack their systems while I work.
Find accounts you can access without me.”
“Understood.”
I activated my Sandevistan and left my cover.
My current limit was five continuous minutes.
Anything more and my body couldn’t handle it.
It was a military-grade experimental model.
The world practically froze around me.
I moved through the alley, turned, and reached the entrance.
The door was open.
Two large cabinets blocked the way.
I passed them, still accelerated.
Two minutes of subjective time.
Less than three seconds in reality.
Inside, I ducked into a closet and deactivated the Sandevistan.
“You weren’t spotted.”
Judy confirmed.
“Cameras are looped.
You were never there.”
“Copy.”
“David…
Tikhon, there’s a security room nearby.
Slot one of the shards I gave you.
It’ll give us more options.”
“Got it.
What’s the situation?”
“They’re not watching.
You can move.
Cameras are looped.”
I left the storage room, walked calmly to the security room, and opened the door.
“No kills.
There’s a check every half hour.
Bodies or missing guards will trigger an alarm.”
“Understood.
Show me the room layout and where to slot the shards.”
A map appeared in my vision.
Three ports were marked green, yellow, and red.
“Lucy?”
“Red is mandatory.
Yellow if possible.
Green optional.”
“Copy.”
I activated the Sandevistan and entered the room.
The guards were focused on their monitors.
The door was barely opening, but I was already at the red port.
I slotted the shard.
Then yellow.
Then green.
I slipped back out and deactivated the Sandevistan.
“Done.”
I walked calmly down the hall.
“Hide.
The door opening raised questions.
I passed it off as a glitch, but still…”
Judy warned me.
I smirked, reactivated the Sandevistan, and ducked around the corner.
“Good.
Keep going.
There’s an elevator ahead.
There’ll be a security post downstairs.”
“Stairs?”
“There’s one, but there’s a security post there too.”
I shrugged.
“Stairs are better.
You won’t have to fake an elevator malfunction.
It’ll just take longer.”
“Your call.”