Ringo's Ride

The bus smells of disinfectant and bad decisions, there is that faint hum of and air recycler that is so common throughout the City. Their is a taste in the air, copper tang if I had to guess. Blood remnants i'd wager if I was a betting man. You might not catch it if you're green, but I ain't green.

I'm sitting near the back, boots kicked up, and hat pulled low to cover my eyes. I don't need to see the clients, I'm watching in other ways. My poncho is draped loose over my vest, the dusty brown of a desert that probably don't exist no more. My big iron sits heavy on hip. Some folk call it overkill, well I ain't met the thing I want to just barely kill, so overkill is alright by me.

Upfront the manager talkin'. His voice dull and electric, sort of like if an electric razor gave a sermon. He is going on about contracts, resurrection, legal clauses. Its hard not to scoff. I've been round long enough to know a deal too good to be true. The pitch seems to be landing though, fresh faces, fresh meat. He is offering more than a contract, he is offering a promise, a purpose, a chance. The usual City lies wrapped in Corporate Gold.

Valentine pings in my ear, and my HUD starts to populate a text data feed. Each green character popping up as if typed by an archaic type writer.

<<Numerous Anomalous Feeds Detected. Hostile Potential: High. Risk Matrix: Updated.>>

'Thanks Val' I think. She hears.

Valantines my partner. Not flesh and blood, nothing so unreliable. She's more wires, beeps, and attitude. She lives in my face-protector, housed in the solid-state drive that governs my multispex. She ain't AI, nothing so complex but she ain't dumb neither. She's like if a dog learned to speak.

<<Hostiles approaching. Designation: SWEEPERS. ETA: <2 minutes>>

The others hadn't detected them yet, they had to rely on sight, smell, and sound. That's where I had a leg up. I had Spot running laps, tapped into every camera, microphone and security feed in a two block radius. Spot of course was my bloodhound. Well, he would be if Bloodhounds were made up of stolen code and bad intentions. He was great at sniffin' out devices and augs that were trying hard to be quiet. Augmented types liked to try and hide what they were carrying. But Spot? He found 'em anyway.

Minos stopped. He could hear them in the distance now, and within moments they'd be on us. I was concerned myself at first, but when I had introduced myself to Mephistopheles the beat up old wagon was kind enough to share that it was currently a "residence" not just a licenced transit vehicle. It was quite proud of the recent upgrade. If I was in a residence, I was safe as could be and just as importantly, so were the clients.

Spot had returned, I could feel him flop down in my mind. 'Spot still sniffin? This place smells of trouble' I think to Valentine.

She replied with a soft chime and Spot barked a millisecond later. 'Boot up Chico as well' I thought as Minos began his monologue.

Chico was a ferret. He liked to chew through things, firewalls, encryptions, gates and locks of all sizes and shapes. He was still collared for now, and I could feel his little claws scratching on my spine. Eager. Hungry. I'd let him out when we get to the site.

A bark from Spot echoed in my skull. Someone on the bus had three weapon-linked implants broadcasting. That'd be Fenrir. I reached out, not physically of course, that'd look weird. Nonetheless I felt Augs she was equipped with as keenly as if they were in my hands. Phew-ee! G-Corp Gravity Augs. Prized kit, worth several large fortunes. Make's you wonder how a gal with these ended up in a place like this.

'Mark her RED. She's got fire enough to be a problem, and a body that won't know when to stay down.'

Valentine confirmed with a visual tag and a happy beep. <<THREAT RATING?>> The question mark blinked emphatically.

'Nah. She's loud, but not lethal. Yet'

Desdemona, Lancelot, Carter, Hyde, Morella- I tag them all in turn, assigning colors and mental notes to each. It pays to know whose who and what's what, that much I tell all my clients for free.

"You cannot permanently die" Mino's speech grabs my attention. Sure, kid. But that sort of thing always comes with a catch. Nothing screamed 'deal with the devil' more than promises of immortality. These corporate types are always quick with the promises but they keep the fine print hidden. I can't blame them for it, its just there way.

The exec turned manager continued while I went back to my investigations and preparations. 'Val, check our route. I don't want any surprises on the way out'.

An alert goes off and my hand is on my pistol before I even recognize the threat. Its the orange haired man. His posture change concerned Val, his threat rating rising over 20% which in human terms mean he looked like he wanted to strike Minos.

I bite my lip. It would be easier to be done with him now if he is going to be a problem, but Minos seems to forgive the threat. Ill-advised but since when do my clients do the smart thing?

It felt like no time at all passed before Minos was committing himself to a second foolish endeavour.

"No. As manager i'll give you sanctuary until the Night in the Backstreets is over. When the sweepers leave, you'll be asked to leave Mephistopheles, and we will establish the contract with those that remain"

I do a quick mental check of my back, trying to find the knife lodged in-between my shoulder blades. Waiting until morning to make the contracts? That will blow out our timings considerably! My bonus will be shot to hell. Not to mention having to secure this group of loons when their departure drastically reduces the chances of a good amount of profit from the run.

I push off the back of the wall.

"You sure you got the authority for that Manager? A man shouldn't make promises he can't keep" I say in a drawl voice. Hoping to remind him that we all answer to someone, and bills need paying.

The heart-headed manager turns to face me. He doesn't squirm as much as I expected. He stands firm. I can see the fear in him, but I see more steel. Not the usual kind, but the kind that really matters.

Damn.

"You've got balls Mr Manager, I like that." I drop my gruff facade and return to the back of the bus. I do like that. If I gotta take a bullet or a fist for someone, it may as well be someone with some cahones.

I went back to listening to the pitter-patter of pings and alerts from my various trawlers. Spot was still sniffing around the sinners looking for more hidden treats.

Then the unholy happened. Chains burst from Minos chest and drove into the others. The manager screamed like a banshee. I drew and holstered in the same moment. The event over as soon as it began.

Desdemona ran to the managers aid crying out to him. But that wasn't what concerned me.

'Val, keep an eye on that one' I think as I send a mental picture of the man who called himself Demi.

She beeps twice with attitude, her way of telling me she things i'm being stupid.

'He didn't flinch once. Not when he saw my iron, not when Sweepers went by. And not when chains burst out of the managers chest. He is cold, too cold.'

She paused before the text feed updated. <<Noted>>

Minos the poor bastard was lying on the floor, recovering from what looked like a god awful experience.

The bus creaked, as the Sweepers continued to push past. Each one screaming out wirelessly, silently.

The Sinners began to squabble amongst themselves, but I kept only half an eye on them. Now that they were tied to Minos he was the only client who could suffer any real degree of harm and he seemed fit enough to settle into the drivers seat.

Val let me know Samson had returned from checking the route. I cursed myself. I should have specified who to send. Samson was a bull, he was good at getting from point A to point B, but damn did he make a mess of it. The HUD lit up with static screen shots, blueprints, and diagrams.

'When we get close to the site, wake up Daisy, Tick, and Juno. I want them first in the door Val.'

She hummed in response and I smiled under my hat. The coast was clear for now, with any luck this would be an easy job after all.