Chapter 6: The Corp's Runner

Sol swears she feels a few bruises on the back of her head and her hand but lets it pass, “Had to check first if the chip was from us, Wade may be a good fixer but we do get fake chips every now and then. It’s Linda Ramos bye the way” She extends a hand, as if what had just transpired earlier was as simple as some mistaken theft of a missing ballpen.

“Solus Valentine” she replies, taking the Corpo’s hand. “Since you came here in time and are legit. I need you to do something simple for me.” Linda pulls out another chip and hands it to Sol, the tiny silver frame held the faint image of a black and white crane with its wings outstretched.

“We lost a runner bot some days ago over at District 8A, Level 1, 26D West. Tracker puts right at the hands of some 14K black market den. We need you to get it back for us, no heat.”

“No heat? You’re Thelma Dionis, a fucking Megacorp. Can’t send in the Priv Sec?” Sol asks, another scowl forms on Linda’s face as she rapidly taps her vape pen, “We have a mole. 14K will figure it out. They also aren’t afraid of us down there. So any gunfire would draw in the wrong kind of retaliation to our people that still use the base levels. Get it now Freelancer?”

Sol processes all the information both digitally and mentally, and nods her head in agreement, it did come as a bit of a surprise for her that the Corp did care about their people’s welfare. Valuable assets maybe.

“So how we get it is up to us then?” Sol asks, picturing a lengthy gunfight in her least favorite Level 1 Tea shop.

“Sort of, here’s a cred chip. The bot is for sale, buy it out. Once you’ve bought it, plant in that key chip plant in the bot’s slot and we’ll know you’ve got it, that’s when we’ll send a message. “

“You need my number?”

“Already have it, Freelancer.” Linda steps back inside her car, and so do the rest of her companions. Sol feels a tingle in the back of her head, bodyguard must have slipped a reader code while he was gripping her, a quick check on her brain cpu’s log history confirms it. “Bastards” she mutters, waving away at the armored car as it drives up the empty sector canal. “You fine there Valentine?” Leyland calls “Yep, went pretty smooth I’d say” she replies

“Bullshit” he laughs, “Hey where to?”

“Level 1, District 8A. Fish Markets”

                                                                ...

The Impala takes a shortcut at the Western highway, it exits Dome 26’s exterior as it moves down towards the Ground level Sectors. Not many Top Level residents took this highway, allowing them to cruise as fast as they could, without fear of traffic. Solus is reciting 14K gang history, checking the rundown on their recent activities. Priv Sec kept a good record of gang activities in the area, as long as no Corpo asset was directly affected by the gang’s activities.

Thelma-Dionis’s agents kept clear of them. And since they were connected to the 14K triad of Hong Kong, a direct business deal was probably in the mix as well.

“What’s in that runner bot that makes it so special?” Leyland wonders aloud, “ Same question, who the hell pays seventy five keys to get back an eight key black market runner bot?” Solus replied, scrolling down more on recent gang violence.

“Been hearing something about the Cohen Gangs moving in on 14K business, Americans right?”

“Californians, Free Staters don’t call themselves Americans no more. But you’re right, Cohens and 14K have been at it down there for some time. Everyone wants a slice of South East Asian business. Especially in a free city like Manila Pacific”

“Free? You call this place free?” Leyland lets out a dry hearty laugh meant to lament the constant prowling from dozens of factions each denizen had to watch out for.

“It’s as free as it gets bro, you can rebuild yourself in this dump.”

“Well cybernetics are cheap, and so are bio mods”

“Cheaper than Irish ones?”

“ Wouldn’t know, I was seventeen when I left the Emerald Isle. Didn’t bother to check crap like that” Leyland goes silent, perhaps reminiscing of the place of his birth, Sol had experienced moments when he would spout on about Ireland, about it’s rolling green hills, pale cliffs and mad people.

One of the few countries not overtaken by the madness of expansion that had engulfed many pristine landscapes. All this talk had Sol thinking what she’d do once her whole guns for hire gig would hit the top and start earning the fat credits.

A thought to hold on as the Impala tore through the dancing ads of some brand new energy drink constantly dominated nearly every signpost on the Western Highway.

You couldn’t avoid them, their presence dotted every corner, alleyway, city block and even the interiors of a few homes. A creeping desire to grab a can of Hyper Punch Grape began to build up inside Sol’s thoughts.

She smirked at the idea, Corpos always found their way into your desires, even for someone as self aware as her.

“Entering Base Highway 338, move 30 degrees for lower entry” The Impala’s AI blared the announcement, after passing the highway’s regulation markers, Arbiter Court sanctioned safety reminders that forcefully announced traffic rules to every car’s radio that passed through their sensors. Leyland did as told, driving towards a lower highway that snaked back into 26D base levels. A flurry of red and yellow lights signalled other vehicles to slow down as he entered the rest of the traffic that poured through. “Tint” Leyland commanded, shading their vehicle as they crawled through the relatively congested highway of the base levels.

The Mag rails rumbled atop and below, ferrying the thousands of denizens within their cars.

Freight trucks covered all of their corners, as they hit a stop light. An Ejercito Corp security drone hovered above them, scanning for any possible threat, behind it was what seemed like a bevy of vendor bots, hawling in their respective products. “Increase Tint” Leyland grumbled, hoping the vendors would ignore them. They didn’t, a couple of them carrying the near blinding ads for candy and alcohol harassed the two. “You think we’d get in trouble for shooting them up?” Leyland points a finger gun at the drone to his left “You’d get in trouble from me”Sol replied, lowering her window and buying a can of Hyper Punch Grape “I guess the ads did their work on you”

Sol opens up the can and immediately she’s bombarded by an overly sweet aroma, that reeked of corn syrup and some algae based artificial flavoring. The flavor was no different, but a small sip gave her a kick.

“Shit, that stuff is strong, could replace those Coca Whiffs they sell out of Little Bolivia.” she hands the can to Leyland he turns it down, just as the traffic light goes green and they continue their journey.

Sol and Leyland weren’t strangers to the literal underbelly of 26D, being guns for hire or “Security Consultants” as they would usually put it, they’d run a few jobs amongst the muddy streets and low cred casinos.

Some violent, mostly pickups and security drives. Nonetheless, the living conditions were a far cry from the mid level’s constant Spring’s day and passing through almost always made them feel a bit iffy with the surroundings. Down here, due to the congestion the artificial sun could barely be seen. Light sources were from streetlights, ad bots and the roads were covered in dirt from a hundred different sources. Sol once ran a scanner through a sample, it pulled in stuff from the bottom of the ocean to a dead bio robot’s gallbladder.

“Leyl, let’s get some food first, haven’t had a proper meal all day” Sol, flashes the address to a shawarma diner to the Impala’s AI, and a route was set. “Just above Casino East huh? Got a plan?”

“A few”.