The Pod-jackers had really worked him over, he was lucky to have gotten out of it with his hands intact and he knew it. Still that didn’t make his ribs hurt any less or things to add up. Their usual mo. was to attack someone with money or an identity that was worth something not a barely employed detective who couldn't afford his gas bill. The auto-cab pulled to an abrupt stop at its destination. “That’ll be forty-five fifty,” the computer said.
He swiped his hand across the credit reader as he reached for the door.
“Please wave your hand across the automatic reader.” The doors locked tight to keep its presumed fare jumper from leaving. Darien swiped his hand across the reader again and reached for the door. This time he was greeted with a mild zap to his nervous system.
“What the fuck?’ He said jumping back away from the door.
“Please pay the credit reader before exiting the vehicle.” O’Neil ran his hand across the scanner very slowly this time.
“Every attempt to illegally exit the vehicle will cause the theft deterrent to increase its voltage.” He had heard the same stories as everyone else about the guy who’s ex-wife had cleared his accounts who tried to leave an auto-cab so many time that it fried him, and he wasn’t about to make that mistake. He gently touched the door handle with the rubberized end of the jacker’s knife. Blue sparks licked his hand as they shot across the handle of the knife; He swiped over the scanner again.
“Failure to poses proper identification may result in immediate deportation for non-citizens and a thirty year prison term in the Alaska penal colony for citizens.”
“What I have ID you fucking machine.” He frantically swiped his hand across the scanner when he noticed something he hadn’t seen before, a faint trail of blood being smeared across the scanner. “They took my id chip, holy fuck they took my chip.” Everyone was implanted with an id chip promptly at birth, not possessing it meant to the arbitrators that you weren’t a citizen at all but more likely terrorist, and the penalty for that was a quick execution.”
“Please wait calmly as the star corporation has been notified of your crime and a warrant is being issued.” Darien started kicking at the window of the cab in vain.
“Please remain calm as destruction of CabCo property will only result in an increased criminal prosecution.”
“They can’t kill me twice you dumb fuck.” Darien reached into the liner pocket of his coat and pulled out a Taser.
“This has got to work.” Darien rammed the blade of the jacker’s knife into the firing screen of his Taser and twisted it until it was firmly lodged. Then holding onto the rubberized end he slid it underneath the door handle. The blue sparks seared his hand as he worked the knife so that the metal of the blade touched the metal of the door. The sparks shot up his wrist causing his watch to smoke; he let go relived as the blade finally was wedged where he wanted it. Now all he had to do was turn on the Taser. He flipped the Taser to full power with his pen and curled himself up into a ball on the other side of the cab not sure how big the explosion would be, if it even worked.
The cab continued to increase its shock to the would be escapee as the Taser began to audibly hum as it over loaded. ‘That’s it,” Darien thought as the cab powered down having been complete shorted out by the Taser. The door locks popped open and he limped from the cab grabbing the knife and Taser, no evidence was always the best evidence.
“Shit I can’t believe this is happening,” he muttered like a vagrant with a signboard proclaiming the end is near. It might have been near for him as well if he hadn’t known exactly where to go. The star corp. would be arriving in just a few minutes depending on whether CabCo had paid for a regular warrant, for a fare jumper, or expedited it for a terrorist. If it was the later the aero-cars would be swooping down on him like vultures any minute ready to split their large bounty with CabCo.
He stumbled down the desolate alley hoping that no one had seen the cab self-destruct; all he needed was a hungry cit to be looking for a CabCo award to just make his night perfect. He could see to men at the end of the alley. An average cit might be wary of the shadowed figured mulling in a dark alley, but they were exactly who Darien was looking for.
“Bishop” He called out wanting to warn them he was approaching.
A large figure who cast a shadow more befitting a water buffalo than a man stepped slightly foreword.” You picked the wrong alley cit.” He bellowed as he let the end of a heavy chain uncurl from his hand.
“I know I did but here is where I needed…” He paused wondering if somehow the news of the bounty had beaten him to the door.
“Needed what?” his shadow grew more ominous under the flickering neon signs as he stepped in front of his hooded companion.
“Some company and maybe a drink.” He knew the booze was watered down, and well you enjoyed the women at your own risk but he hoped the profit motive would get him through the door the way he needed it to.
The shadow seemed to relax a little bit as his voice still remained tense. “You may have come to the right place if you know where the scanner is, if not I guess it don’t matter.” O’Neil could feel several men sneaking up behind him.
“You see I have a problem with the scanner.” He was trying to not give a way his missing chip, when a bright light flashed in his face.
Bishop bellowed. “Back off boys I know this one he wants to barter.” He continued, “Business been bad O’Neil?”
“Yeah it’s been terrible, if I hear another damn scanner reject my print I may have to shoot someone.”
“So what ya got this time?”
“A quarter of tobacco, European stuff.” He knew that’d be enough to get him through the door, and leave him plenty to get by with until he got a chip.
Bishop moved close enough to take the bag from O’Neil’s hand and pushed the hooded figure towards the well-hidden scanner. O’Neil could just make out the ashen complexion of the pod that was opening the door for him. It put its hand over the scanner and an antiquated voice replied, “Thank you Mr. Bushnell, your ID was confirmed.” O’Neil shuddered because every time you heard and ID confirmed with a Pod it meant you were hearing the name of the recently murdered.
The industrial door on the left of the alley rolled open about three feet. He could see the faint red orange flicker from the Inferno sign hanging on the back wall. “God I hope she came.” He thought. They hadn’t left the last time on the best terms, in fact if he remembered correctly he swore he’d never never speak to her again except for business. This had all started as business now more than anything he needed a friend. He had wandered into the center of the Inferno, not noticing much around him.
“The cops at the back bar,” said a voice from the floor. He looked down to see a group huddled around a water pipe half stone and half mad. “The other cop’s at the back bar.” This time he could make out the shell of a girl who was talking to him. She inhaled deeply on the stem of the pipe, as she passed it to the next one.
“What makes you think I’m a cop?” Darien asked, as he looked towards the back bar.
“You all smell the same,” Said one of her companions as he tried to stand up. O’Neil pushed him down hard,
“I’ve been through a lot of shit tonight kid and I don’t want to add killing a junkie to the list.” The girl giggled as the drugs took their effect.
“Maybe when you’re done with the cop you’ll come party with us?” She ran her hand across her neck enjoying the sense of touch.
“Yeah, maybe,” Darien said as he pushed his way towards the back bar. He stepped over a few more clusters of people until he finally reached the back bar. Seated with her back to the wall was a stunning red head. Jewels had come after all.
“You look worse than some of the kids in here Ren.” She gestured for him to take a seat.
“Thanks, Jewels it’s been a night.’ He slumped into the chair, “Funny,” he thought “you don’t realize how much it hurts until you stop moving.”
She waved at the bar tender. ”Two more.” He quickly returned with two plastic bottles of gin, scanned both of them and sat them on the table along with two cigars. “Please scan here.” He pushed a credit pad towards Jewels who waved her hand across it.
‘Paying by scan aren’t you afraid, star won’t like the digs?” Darien said as he opened a bottle.
“Hey they don’t care where I go when I’m on a case, and drinking isn’t illegal yet.” She lit her cigar, “besides, the cigars came with the gin and it’s getting harder to find barter.” She exhaled blue smoke into the air enjoying her contraband.
“I know a guy who has a line on Euro tobacco, if you need some barter.” The gin burned as it rolled over the cuts in his mouth.
“Ren, I haven’t seen you in three years, and you call asking me about a case.” She sipped her gin. “So I came like you asked, and from the looks of things your case has you now. Why the hell are we talking about barter?” She had always been straight to the point that was one of her good qualities.
“You’re right Jewels; I guess I just needed to catch my breath. I wanted to know about the Jordan case.” She looked puzzled.
“You still following cold warrants Ren?” She asked.
“No this time I got a client who wants more than quick justice.” He fiddled with the cigar debating if he should smoke it or save it for barter.
“It wasn’t like that Ren and you know it.” He decided to save it for barter.
“Look Jewels, you know and I know some else paid the kid to do it. All I wanted was to find who set the hit up.” He took a slug from his gin.
“Our warrant only covered the killer, and there’s one less because of us.” She passed her cigar to him sharing the smoke.
“Thanks,” he inhaled deeply,” I don’t want to fight, when I called I wanted to know everything about the Jordan case.” He paused slipping her back the cigar. “Now Jewels I just need a friend. He flipped his palm up showing her the wound where he thought his ID chip used to be.
Looking down with amazement she gasped, “holy shit Ren what have you done.”
“I didn’t know you corporate types cared.” He feigned a bloody smile at her.
“We have to get you someplace safe before anyone notices.” She stubbed out her cigar “do you have any idea what kinda of fed bounty they’ll issue for you if someone realizes.’
“Yeah CabCo may have already turned me in.”
“Then we have to go now. I don’t even think Bishop could keep the bounties out.” She downed the last of her gin. O’Neil was already standing when he saw the E in the Inferno sign blink twice that meant Bishop couldn’t keep them out.
“Quick, Jewels I know the back door.” He pushed her past the employee’s only door into what had been a kitchen, but now was a place for the hard drugs. She reached into her coat pulling out a small projectile. “How long will Bishop buy?”
“I don’t know Jewels maybe a few minutes from the blink.” He kept trying to pull her towards the back door. She clicked a few buttons on the projectile.
“Alright in five, this place is going to see a flash like a nova; I hope this door is close.” The door opened to a drain tunnel, which if O’Neil remembered correctly would take them right under a cab port. They ran until they could see the brilliant flash behind them.
“Every computer is fried.” Jewels said with a weary smile.
“More importantly, when everyone wakes up they’ll be lucky if they know what hit them.” He said while jimmying the lock on the gate at the end of the tunnel.
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