Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I got sidetracked with other
things.
David McMillan wrote:
Hah! I'm actually almost on time with the C&C this time! Take
THAT,
Real Life!
And here I am, late with the response. How ironic. :(
> Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> "Got your toothbrush packed?" Cross asked.
>
> "Yeah, Mom. I packed clean underwear too," Killgore said through the
around
Used most of the grammar comments, as always.
> Killgore shrugged. "It's hard to say. I want to see Springer
> personally, and
> given the circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised if she's near the
> president
> himself, which means it might take a while to get in touch with her.
> Depends
> on how long her leash is."
...must...resist...cheap shot...reflex....
Yes, a lot of stuff that can be interpeted as sexual innuendo is in this
chapter, isn't there?
> Cross nodded his head almost imperceptibly. "Yes, with the Holcomb
fiasco
> over with, Scorphius only needs one more thing before he becomes a
real
> threat."
He's got ZEIRAM, fercryinoutloud! How much more "major" of a
threat
could he become?
...ooog. That gives us a clue as to the scale of whatever he's
after,
doesn't it?
Yep. Zeiram is more a tactical weapon, but a very nasty one.
> "Yes, be a dear and bring us an additional incentive bonus, would
you?"
> Cross placed a hand to his chin in thought. "There was something else
> I was
> going to mention to you, but I can't seem to remember it."
>
> "There you are, godammit!"
Oh, yes, I rememebr now.
> "Ah, yes, that would be what I forgot," Cross said whimsically.
Like I said.
Yep.
>
> Before Killgore could respond, Iria was standing in front of him,
> hands on
> her hips in open anger. "I was looking all over for you. The morons on
> this
> ship don't have a clue on how to give directions."
Or they were being creative.
Remember this part. It'll make sense later.
> Iria refused to rise to the bait. "I'm dead serious. I just want to
> talk to
> someone in charge and get some answers. That's all."
....riiiiight.
Hope springs eternal.
> "Hmm. I remember you regaling me with tales of the last time you went
to
> some company's headquarters and demanded answers. I hate to break
this to
> you, but YSC is not some penny-ante operation like Tedan Tippendai.
You
> can't just barge in, shoot a handful of guards, and threaten to drop
> the VP
> out a sixty floor window."
>
> "I did drop him out window. I just didn't let him hit the ground,"
Iria
> corrected.
Now I *gotta* re-watch I:ZTA.
I just got it on DVD several months ago, and am watching it an episode at a
time as I do this.
> "I'll behave," Iria promised.
yaright.
Well, it's all in perspective. If YSC is misbehaving, then she should be
allowed to too, right?
> they'll
> expect answers since they have the authority to do so, and I'm sure
> they'll
> mention how your actions in particular made them suspicious. So which
> do you
> think your employers would prefer; me asking the questions or them?"
Way to get yourself set up for a knife in the back, Iria.
She feels the risk is justified since she needs to move things forward.
> to do while we're flying, why don't we entertain ourselves the way we
> used
> to on those long space voyages back when we were married?"
oooooboy.
Yeah, he's walking into one there.
> Iria casually pulled a knife from her belt and began cleaning her
> nails with
> it.
<snicker>
The medium is the message sometimes.
> "Idle chatter it is." The smile disappeared, but it took much longer
> for the
> knife to do the same. Killgore anticipated a long trip in store for
him.
Teehee!
And he'd be right.
> xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Night had fallen on Myce. The weather was a touch on the sultry side,
but
> the skies were clear and wind non-existent. It was the sort of night
that
> was made for lazing about outdoors while drinking one's favorite
> beverage.
Preferably cold. Although some cultures are sick enough to drink
hot
coffee or tea in weather like that. Barbarians. :D
Some people are sick enough to drink beans or leaves and trigs period. :P
> But for the young slicer named Mikael, it could have been raining hard
Yay! Mike's back! I had a feeling. Plus, he's too much fun to
leave
in the prop box.
Yeah, too much build up with him for a one chapter thing. He has a role to
play in this.
> they
> were caught inside the system. Technically, no one using intersystem
> networks was supposed to have aggressive attack programs that would
> lobotomize slicers, but they still existed. It was part of the chances
Ah, good old Black ICE. Brings back Shadowrun memories...
Never played that one
sug: chances<>risk
> one
> took when trying to go where they didn't belong, and the element of
risk
> tended to excite slicers, who were breaking the rules themselves.
Adrenaline junkies.
Yep.
> Luckily, Mikael's investigation turned up several potentially good
> possibilities for initial penetration into the system. A slicer by the
> handle of Lemon Drop had discovered a permanent access port into the
> system
> through a backdoor some YSC programmer had made. It wasn't a large
Heh. Some things never change. The biggest whole in any
security
setup always has been, and probably always will be, the people who use
it (and/or misuse it, or leave holes open, or their passwords on
Post-Its under their keyboard, or...)
Yep. The easiest way into a structure is the door, and the easiest way to
open a door is with a key, and some people just can't resist having a key of
their own, even when they aren't supposed to.
from a
> local talent named 'Smoothie' (including a promise to hook him up with
a
> girl from the 'Touch of Heaven' bordello) before his compatriot agreed
Handy to have a bunch of high-end prostitutes who really like
you...
There is little that cannot be accomplished when one has an army of
prostitutes. :)
> make her
> acquiesce. And upon seeing a picture of Smoothie, she had forced
> Mikael to
> make the other slicer agree to certain terms.
Can't blame her.
Oui.
> "And you won't pick your nose like you're doing now," Mikael said.
>
> Smoothie's eyes widened and he retracted the digit. "Sorry. Nervous
> habit.
> You really think she'll have sex with me? It's been a long while. Way
too
> long."
....not gonna say it.
That would probably be for the best, yes.
> "As long as you make yourself presentable. She has a thing against
> sloppiness. It doesn't matter how handsome you are if you aren't
> tidy." On
> the upside, Michelle was the type that really enjoyed her work, and
upon
> getting her to agree to go out on a date with Smoothie, it was assumed
> sex
> was part of the package. As long as his partner could keep his act
> together,
> the slicer would have the fun night he wanted.
It's *so* nice to work with professionals who take pride in
their work.
Yep, and are good at their job too :)
> While
> not addictive (most users experienced migraines after the effects wore
> off)
> its increase in mental information capacity meant a decrease in one's
> motor
> systems. It cut down sensitivity to the point of where it felt like
Motor nerves and sensory nerves are two seperate things. Are you
conflating the two, or does the Gel affect both senses *and* motor
control?
It affects both. One is intentional, the other an unfortunate side effect of
the drug
> physical
> form was still an unpleasant feeling. That was one of the reasons
Mikael
> used the gel sparingly.
That, and "real slicers don't need no Gel! Except when we do..."
Heh
> before they nailed him and deep fried his brain.
Breaded deep-fried slicer brains. Go great with tartar sauce and
a
mild white wine. Tastes kinda like chicken...
Just ask Mihoshi's old professor in survival on alien worlds, Dr. Lector.
(Old joke to a former fic of mine)
> Bob,
> could probably function in it and interpret things better. Of course,
the
> price for that was an inability to have physical form in the real
world.
Of course, that leads to the question of why Bob isn't a superior
slicer to Mike. After all, dissiz hizzous!
Ahem. I mean, it's literally Bob's home turf.
We'll skip over that for now, simply because the explanation would bog
things down.
the
> easy part. Now that he was inside, he would have to track down the
> information he was looking for, and it could be literally be anywhere
Security through obscurity. Gotta love it.
It works.
> in the
> thousands of systems that made up YSC's network. Worse, there would be
> plenty of countermeasures along every step of the way. Still, that was
> what
Pattern-recognition watchdogs, sniffing for suspicious behavior.
And other futuristic type things.
> the interstellar company, made him seem small and feel alone, despite
the
> fact he was surrounded by nearly ten thousand people that would obey
his
> every wish.
Even if he wants sharks with frickin' LASER BEAMS attached to
their heads?
And a kazillion dollars too. :)
> "That would have been extremely expensive. The raw
> material for
> the process alone would be astronomical."
Ah, yes, budgets: the *other* arch-nemesis of security.
The one thing YSC is incapable of: taxes. That means they actually have to
do something that generates revenue for them to use.
> "It would be cheaper than what he's going to do to your company once
> he gets
> his hands on a mass driver," Springer said. Still her voice lacked any
> emotion. All she did was state inescapable facts.
"I am Springer of Borg. Emotion is irrelevant. Prepare to have
you
ass laminated."
I know I saw something like that somewhere before, but for the life of me I
can't remember where.
> Slapatcha pounded his fist on his handmade Shimikas Wood desk. It was
> one of
> only four known to exist, given the rarity of the wood since the
> destruction
> of the tree's planet nearly a thousand years earlier. "You said those
home planet
And... Slapatcha? Slap at'cha? Bitch-slap at'cha?
Sorry. It's just so... easy.
I wanted to go with a name that was originated between now and the future.
In hindsight, I should have gone with something more standard. Like Anton,
only not that.
>
> vulnerabilities, and how to best exploit them. Eventually we will
> catch up
> to him. He cannot avoid us forever. The only question is how much
> damage he
> can inflict in the interim."
Hard to kill a mosquito when all you've got is a shotgun. Of
course,
once you manage to find the bug spray....
Yep, which is sort of what she's getting at. The mercenaries are more bug
spray oriented.
> "A damn lot now that he found out about Argus!" Slapatcha ran his
> hands over
> his short, curly hair.
Sug: 'now that he knows about Argus.'
Hmm. I'm offline right now, but IIRC Argus was a mythological
figure
associated with superior sight and/or hearing, sort of like Heimdall.
Seems more like a name for a surveillance system than a weapon. Hmmmmm....
Or it was just a name someone chose at random. *Bigsweat*
Perhaps I should change it then.
>
> Slapatcha shoulders slumped in hopelessness. "All he needs is a mass
> driver
> now. They might not be common, but there are still way too many of
> them for
> us to cover all of them in the galaxy. He's won."
What? If he uses it just once, on one planet, he's "won"?
Either
Slappy has lost his sense of perspective, or this is some majorly
*weird* wepon he's brewing up. Or Slappy might just be talking about
having YSC's secrecy blown open....
It'll be hard to pretend Anton doesn't have Zeiram if he makes a big enough
specaticle of himself.
> Springer stopped pacing. "No. On the contrary, given his mental state
and
> pathological hatred of your company, we can be certain that Anton will
> only
> use a mass driver that is owned by YSC."
I wouldn't say *certain,* but it seems in-character. I wouldn't
stake
my life on Anton being unable to choose an alternate if he gets blocked,
though.
True, hard to figure out the mind of the insane, though he has been acting
in a sort of pattern as well.
> Hope gleamed in Slapatcha eyes. "You're certain?"
>
> "Yes," Spring confirmed.
>
> Slapatcha spoke into a voice unit that sat on the edge of his desk.
> "Give me
> the exact number of mass drivers currently owned by YSC."
"42"
"No, dammit, I mean SHOW them to me. On a MAP!"
It makes one of them as well as text info. It's a good ultraexpensive
computer.
>
> The one you donated to this planet's government. There's no way he'll
> pass
> up the opportunity to use the mass driver poised above your very own
> head to
> destroy you. It would be ironic justice in his eyes."
It *does* seem in-character.
Yep, a method to the madness.
> about what to expect in Zeiram. They'll keep their mouths shut, since
> what's
> bad for us is fatal for them. If Anton is stupid enough to come here,
> it'll
> all be over for him, not us."
He should just save himself time and trouble and blow the
station up
now. Or at least put a self-destruct in the power core, or something.
He's convinced it'll work, and it sounds like it ought to, if Anton shows
up. :)
> The curse caught Slapatcha attention. Springer was showing emotion.
She
> never showed emotion. And it seemed to have centered on Myce. No, it
Yeah, she does seem to have a mad on against the Pair. And she
certainly seems like an android, or some kind of augmented human. Hm...
Shasti?
Not Shasti, that I can assure you.
> While Slapatcha considered things, Springer continued giving orders.
> "Listen
> to me. Don't brainfry him. Let him keep roaming around. I want him
> stationary. I need confirmation on his death. Bring in every agent we
> have
> on Myce. Send them all the intel and give the codephrase, 'It's time
Unfortunately, all her agents on Myce had been part of "Balless"
Kincaid's gang, and were now either dead or running from the local mob.
Heh, no, it would be a short chapter if that were the case.
target
> with extreme prejudice and at any cost. They can sacrifice their cover
> and
> any amount of collateral damage is acceptable."
She's moving from a deniability stance to a kill-all-witnesses
stance.
That doesn't bode well.
Yep, things are reaching a climax, and the ante is being upped. Of course,
this now explains who sent the assassin after the DP and Iria in the library
back in chapter 3,
> on.
>
> The woman spoke first. "Chimney Sweep?"
>
> The man nodded. "Call me Ishmael."
And you said you didn't catch the reference in my C&C for last
chapter.
^_^
> "That's clich�."
>
> "I figured it best we don't know each other's everyday names. Culpable
> deniability is always a necessity in our line of work."
ITYM *Plausible* deniability
Err, right. I always mess that one up.
> the middle of nowhere surrounded by annoying coworkers promoted my
> desire to
> kill them all."
Too bad nobody ever set up a corporate team-building exercise at
that
summer camp Jason Voorhees likes to hang out at.
Heh. True. That might bring people together, until they're picked off one by
one. :)
> two windows from the left."
>
> Bianca looked up and mentally marked the dull orange glow that peeked
> through the room's single window. "Escape routes?"
Dumb. Looking at the target gives away your interest. People,
please,
*try* for some subtlety!
Unless he's not looking out the window to see him being looked at. :)
> "Door on the front, one on the East side of the building, and a rear
> exit.
> However, from his door there's only one way of going down, and we'll
be
> going up those stairs. He'll be trapped with no means of escape."
That doesn't sound like Mike. Wouldn't Iria have vetted his
place for
escape routes (being just a *bit* obsessive)? Or maybe he's got a
concealed BatPole...
Wrong guy, though I'm glad I threw the reader off with this. I did make it
seem they were cornering Mikael.
Only
> one of the men had time to realize what was happening and draw back
> before
> he died with the rest of his comrades.
Opsec: blown. Time to move fast.
They will move quickly, but steadily.
> Ishmael kept his gun in hand, though placed it behind his body so it
> wasn't
> displayed so openly. "As I was saying, I doubt there'll be much in the
> way
> of problems. I think command just wants to make sure the information
> wasn't
> forwarded to someone else. I'm a fair slicer myself, so I should be
> able to
> determine if it was leaked, and if so, backtrack it to the source and
> eliminate that as well."
<boggle> You just had a minor firefight right under the target's
window, there's no reason to think he *didn't* hear you, and you're
standing around *talking*? Geez, these guys are really second-string,
aren't they?
A bit. They were given a backwater assignment.
> > lead him to this. Worse, they couldn't possibly know what they had
gotten
> into. They would have warned him, or more likely, gone for help from
just
> about anyone, if they had learned the truth.
Okay, that's... ominous.
Yep.
Suddenly, I'm remembering 3WA HQ's lack of response to Yuri's
communique. Related? And *Argus*....
Just how secure *is* the 3WA Central Computer?
All will be explained shortly. Mikael has the answers now.
> What was almost as amazing as the actual information was that he had
> never
> heard the vaguest hint of it anywhere, and this was the sort of thing
> that
> if anyone knew about it, rumors would have spread everywhere. YSC must
> have
> gone to unbelievable lengths to keep it quiet, though the secret
itself
> would have helped in tracking down those that had knowledge of it.
Okay, that bad feeling is getting stronger. That last line has
some
nasty implications. Something in the galactic computer networks?
Something very pervasive...
Yep. Mucho big.
> impossible.
> They would never receive it, and it could be used to track Mikael's
> location. He would have to deliver it to them personally. It was the
Yep. Definitely something rotten in the networks. Which makes me
wonder what Anton was stealing -- it seemed like Zeiram was picking up
drums of *chemicals.* I get the feeling whatever's going down at YSC
has both cyberspace and realspace aspects...
It's coming.
> didn't think so.
>
> His fears were groundless as this time the search worked. He began
> looking
> over the list of hits, his eyes settling on one in particular
> pertaining to
> Myce. It had been prioritized and sent out...
>
> ....Since he had hacked into the system.
Okay, this is a good time to RUN LIKE HELL!
Or as fast as his drug hampered reflexes can take him.
>> > seat, counting the seconds and waiting for the pain to diminish so
he
> could
> think clearly once again.
>
> Smoothie's face appeared in the monitor. "Heyyo, what happened? If
they
> lobotomized you, I'm grabbing all of your stuff."
....it's good to have friends.
Mine are like this, pretty much.
> telling himself it was all in his head. Of course that was where the
> brain
> was located, and it was what interpreted information. If it thought
there
> was pain, then you felt the pain, whether it physically existed or
not.
Yeah. Sucks.
Yep, but look what's telling you that as well. :)
> "Shit!" Mikael cut the connections to Smoothie's equipment. He swore
> again.
> He should have fried Smoothie's system before cutting the link. If the
> person on the other side was the least bit computer literate, they
could
> read Smoothie's logs and track Mikael down.
Oh. At first, I thought he was hearing the firefight outside his
window. But he was hearing it from Smoothie's place, over the phone.
Okay, so Mike *didn't* choose a terminally stupid place to live, with no
extra escape routes.
Correct. His mom would never let him be that sloppy. He learned a lot of
survival skills from her.
> He thought of the women that needed this information. That was what
was
> important. His mother had always said, "Items you value more than your
> life
> are traps," and while he liked his system, he could part with it a lot
> more
> easily than the people he cared about.
Smart boy. Takes after his mother.
Yep, except the shoot everything that moves part of her. :)
> the
> memory unit would go off, ensuring what was gone remained beyond any
> chance
> of being brought back from the dead.
And then the thermite grenades would reduce the whole stack to
liquid
metal and carbonized silicon (taking the building with it, but oh well),
so those CSI geeks couldn't wave their magic wands and recover the
unrecovereale.
Heh. This will do the job just fine.
> The cycle was his second favorite, his first having been blown apart
be a
> rocket courtesy of 'Castrated' Kincaid', though the bitterness of
<snerk> I still find it hard to believe that Kincaid could hold on
to
the loyalty of his gang after that got out. They must *really* be the
dregs of the gang underworld.
He hadn't bragged about that part with his nuts. Now he'll be *really*
irritable since Kei pointed out his flawed thinking. :)
> losing his
> favorite had been blunted by the enjoyable time spent with Kei. A grin
> spread across his features as he remembered their bedroom antics. In
> fact,
> she was lingering in his mind a great deal more than any normal
weekend
> stand should have. While she might not have been a professional, like
> many
> of the girls he had grown used to, she was unquestionably talented.
....not gonna say it.
Although, Iria should be happy.
Yuri: "Wow, incest really *is* best."
Heh.
> she had
> been around long enough to know what she wanted. He found it
appealing,
> actually. There were a lot of things found appealing about her.
Good grief, might Iria's matchmaking actually *work*? Might Kei
actually settle down? A teeny bit?
Definitely no comment on that at this point.
> He would be meeting her again soon enough. Mikael figured it would
> take him
> a half hour to get to the spaceport, buy a ticket, and take off. He'd
> settle
> for the nearest destination, then hop on a different ship, losing any
> pursuers. He might change a third time, just to be safe. Before too
> long he
> would rendezvous with the women, then they could decide their next
> course of
> action.
Mmmm... he's got alternate ID, but he hasn't done anything to change
his appearance. That makes him traceable. Of course, Mike's used to
dealing with computerized data -- this kind of thing is outside his
expertise.
Yep. He can keep where he's going a secret, but not what he looks like.
> Mikael started the hovercycle. It didn't explode, which was a good
> sign. He
> really should have thought to check beforehand in case they had
already
> located him and wanted his death to look like an accident. But they
Yep. His inexperience is showing. Which is kind of nice, actually --
he's great at what he does, but this isn't it.
Nope. He's got plenty of limitations, as was made clear at the start. Here a
lot of them shine through. Iria of the DP could have handled things at this
point much better than him.
> eyes were riveted to every person that he came across, no matter how
> inconspicuous they might appear. Twice he passed by other
hovercyclists,
> giving them a wary eye, and they doing the same in return to his
> attention.
Yep. Amateur.
And jumpy as well.
>car,
> though as he went past it did have the effect of blowing out the car's
> side
> window, sending sharp slivers of glass toward the driver.
Sug: ...car. The collision caved in part of the roof and shattered
the driver's window, showering him with broken glass.
They still use glass? Not safety glass, or Lexan, or something? Just
wondering....
This is explained later. The driver was a cheap bastard. :)
>
> underneath
> him. A cry of pain slipped out, the agony driving away the last
> vestiges of
> the Pheryl.
Well, that's a silver lining.
A very weak one.
> that could aim straight. Since Mikael was neither of those things, it
Sug: ...someone who actually *had* a gun, and could *use* it.
Hmmm... haven't they ever heard of shotguns? I'm sure Iria could find
something compact with lots of sread and knockdown power. Just watch
out for those bystanders...
Yeah, he doesn't really want to risk any collateral damage.
> head back in the car, trying to locate the firearm. For just a moment,
> his
> vision swam and he could barely remain upright. He knew he shouldn't
have
> skimped on his car's safety features, but given his line of work, a
Ahhhh.
Toldja there was a reasonable explanation.
> car
> crash was the last way he thought he would die.
>
> "Yes?" Ishmael's voice cut through the haze, rousing Perez from his
> grogginess.
"Have you seen the whit wh-- er, that stupid kid?"
Gee, the "Moby Dick" jokes just keep popping up in this fic.
Hhe
> Limping badly, so he can't get far fast."
>
> "Activate your field transmitter so Bianca can locate you."
"Sol Bianca?"
Heh.
"Wrong series. And we don't have the budget for a ship like that,
anyways."
Got that right, although the very first one was the best, IMO.
> There was a pause. "Yes, this guy hacked into most of the public
service
> systems, including trains at that station. I don't have visuals, but I
> can
> track any purchases the target makes and where his destination will
be."
Oboy. Smoothie's big asset suddenly turns around and bites Mike on
the
ass. His luck really *is* abysmal today, isn't it?
Pretty much, aside from them hitting Smoothie first.
> their
> hooks into them.
Ahhh, so. She's a anti-chickenhawk, so to speak. I was getting a bit
worried, there.
Nah, she's a basic good guy, and certainly Mikael's ally now.
> things, and the girls that ended up settling in the city almost always
> felt
> indebted to her for helping them in their time of need, and they
would go
> out of their way to help her if they could. It made her one of the
most
> connected people in the city.
Handy.
Yep, and smart. Very little investment for big potential dividends.
>
> Yoshiko examined him with a critical eye. "You're in trouble. I'd
better
> contact the Madame. She'd have my tits if anything happened to you."
...okay, I had to stop and re-read that line. It makes perfect sense,
but it just sounds... Anyway. Sharp lady. And Nadia obviously has
more than a casual interest in Mike.
She regards him as a favored son too, as do most of the girls there.
>
> Perez could only grunt a response as tears welled in his eyes from the
> pain
> in his chest.
He's dedicated, I'll give him that.
Yep, and he won't get paid if he cuts out now.
> a moment, Perez thought she was laughing at them, then pushed the
thought
> from his mind. They had to find the target.
Heh. I thought so.
Yep, they had the wool pulled over their eyes.
> "Shit!" Bianca cursed.
>
> Perez looked at her, then realized she was looking out the rear
window of
> the train as it left the station. Perez did the same as impossibly,
their
> target waved mockingly at them from the terminal.
Stupid thing to do. Tempting, but stupid. But again, Mike's an
amateur at this. A *talented* amateur, to be sure, but he doesn't have
the professional edge that Iria or Kei would have.
And he's going to pay for it in a moment.
> as one
> of them pulled out a communicator and began talking quickly in it. The
> woman
> babbled into it, and just as the pair reached the edge of his vision,
> their
> anger disappeared and they waved back. Happily.
Uh... oh. Ishmael?
Nah, he's still far away. The last reinforcement for the bad guys has
arrived.
> train. The conversation had caught Mikael's attention for some reason,
> but
> he couldn't quite put a finger on why.
Ooooooboy.
Don't worry. He'll find out. :)
The problem with taunting assassins is that it makes them very cranky.
And vengeful.
True, and they might kill you, since that is what they do.
> Mikael turned to see Vyory was standing several feet behind him, out
> of easy
> reach, but not so far that the slicer could somehow escape. A hand
was in
> his pocket, and there seemed to be a pointed object in it, aimed
right at
> Mikael.
"Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"
Vyory: A bit of both, actually.
> instead of me shooting you here and now. You're a smart boy. Maybe
> you'll be
> able to figure a way out of your predicament between here and there. I
> won't
> even make you walk fast. What do you say?"
Hope is a deadly weapon.
And the easiest to manipulate.
> The way the gun in the man's pocket shifted slightly meant he was
> preparing
> to shoot Mikael. There was no choice. He was more concerned with
having a
> chance to save his own skin rather than taking this man down with him.
"By the way, did anyone tell you I'm wearing a pocket nuke, linked to
an EEG?"
"Nice try."
Mikael: Darn, no one ever falls for that one.
> The
> slicer headed toward the exit to the terminal, the man following
> keeping a
> minimum safe distance between them, but now allowing anything to come
> close
> enough to cutting off the line of fire. Mikael took his time, hoping
> someone, anyone, might notice the suspicious nature of the man and
> interject
> themselves. But nothing happened, and they exited the terminal without
> incident.
"I swear, if I get out of this, I'm going to make sure all my jackets
have body armor liners."
They'd just aim for his head.
>
> Mikael began to panic. He wasn't used to life and death situations
like
> this. He was slicer with a love of fast cycles and women, not someone
who
> could win a fight or dodge a laser pointed right at him. He was
> useless in
> situations like this.
Despite being Iria's son. It works for me -- even with his genes,
there's no guarantee he'd be a natural at violence.
Agree.
Hmmm... if he and Kei have kids, maybe his genes will tone down the
semi-latent Goddess Of Destruction genes Kei has? Please?
Heh. Most of the universe would want that.
> "Fujikuro!" Mikael could have kissed the man, and would have, except
that
> would have earned him a couple of wads in the head and throat as well.
<snicker>
Fujikuro is easily irritable.
> Fujikuro looked at him incredulously. "She knows better than to put
> you in
> any real danger."
"Since you're utterly useless in any kind of fight."
Well... yeah.
> Since Madame Fortuna had gone out of her way to save his life, Mikael
> decided to return the favor. "You know, you ought to think about
marrying
> her. She's definitely ready, and you're not getting any youn-" Mikael
> found
> having a pistol pointed at oneself was a definite conversation killer.
....yeah. That's one way to put it.
It's always worked for me. :)
> "I could always say I arrived too late," Fujikuro warned.
>
> Mikael laughed nervously. Not that he thought the ornery bounty hunter
> would
> kill him. Wound maybe, but not kill.
Probably. Almost certainly.
Likely.
>
> "No. Once I get to there, Kei can inform the 3WA and put the matter
"to there"?
> in
> their
> hands."
Except she can't. Which suggests that YSC's big secret is already
moving to protect itself.
And Iria's riding right into YSC's lap, solo, with Kilgore. Ooooh,
this is BAD....
We like to think of it as adding tension in the writing world. :)
> The description of Kei irked Mikael. "Kei the girl my mom knew, yeah.
> That
> one."
Heh. I think he's falling for her. How many guys would be offended
by
that, even after sleeping with Kei?
Depends on how good she is in bed.
> "Deal. Now let's get going."
Not taking Fuji along is a bad idea -- Mike oughta hold onto all the
help he can. After all, if Ishmael manages to send his face&ID back to
YSC, YSC has the resources to potentially track him down, even if he's
using fake ID and slicer tricks. Especially if they anticipate that
he'll be making a beeline for Iria.
Hmmmm... that's something. How hard would it be for them to connect
Mike to Iria?
Depends on how deep they look at how much time they have to do it with
Fujikuro is about to silence all of their information outlets on Myce, so
they can't get much more from that end other than what's already been sent.
>
> [END Chapter]
Well, at least you didn't do that "End Fic" thing this time. <sniff>
Yeah, I'll be more mindful of that from now on.
Once again I think you very, very much for all of the wonderful, extensive,
C+C. It helped the fic a lot.
DB Sommer
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