Chapter 19: Part 17
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***
- So...
I sat down on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling of my flat.
- David?
Panam put a hand on my shoulder and shook me slightly to bring me to my senses. Well, that's what she thought, I was just contemplating whether I should get involved in this shit or not. And no, I'm not talking about Regina's order, that's settled, I'll honour it.
It's a different question.
Should I bring Becca and some friend of hers? And even though I know who her friend might be, I don't have any specifics. There were, like, three rauners in her group.
The first one kind of left shortly before canon, or maybe she died, I don't know what happened, but if she's alive, Becca could contact her and offer her a part-time job.
The other one is this blonde girl I met a few times when they were tracking me down. She has some kind of history with Arasaka... Something unpleasant, I'm not a fan of the cartoon, I just know there's a story, but what's in it....
Well the third one is kind of a traitor...
With all that, their big boss is supposed to become a cyberpsychic and kill part of the team. And now I'm able to ignore this problem because they're nothing to me... well, I fed Becca a couple of times, but nothing more than that. But afterwards.
After I work with them, and establish friendly relations, and unfortunately I will establish them at least with Becca, because this lump of snide and positive at a distance manages to keep only at the expense of the fact that we meet rarely. And that's when I can't stay away.
- David?
- I'm thinking.
- About what, if it's not a secret?
- I'm thinking about whether it's worth it to put Becca on our team.
- Hey!
The girl stood up from her seat and put her fists on the table, hovering over him. There was indignation and resentment in her gaze.
I think... I hurt her.
Damn it, why is she so difficult to deal with?
I sighed.
- Okay, who's your roner?
- Really?
What a facial expression... she looked at me with incredible hope and anticipation splashed in her gaze.
- First, tell me who we have to work with.
- Um... Lucy... Lucy Cucinada. You've seen her a couple of times, not a tall blonde...
- Actually, she's taller than you.
I glanced at Becca, who was puffing up her cheeks in indignation, anger and amusement in her eyes.
- Fine!
She collapsed back into her chair and pretended to pout, turning away from us.
- All right, call her. Invite her in, we'll take her on the mission. Your cut's forty grand, hers is sixty.
- Hey, what's the difference?
- Be glad you're getting forty, our contract says I'll get twenty grand...
Panam wrinkled her nose a little, pretending to be offended.
- ...since I'm just a driver.
- So I'm sixty, too?
Judy pointed a finger at herself and raised an eyebrow.
- That's right. But that's just Regina's net income. Becca, you're making that much because you'll be protecting the Raneros. You don't go into battle, but if you have to, they're not to be reached until after you're dead.
- Okay...
Becky's eyes lit up a little, giving away that she was calling someone. It was clear who she was calling, so I just went to the cooker and started making a new batch of goodies. Girls love yummy things, so bribing Becca and her friend would be the right thing to do, if I planned to work with them properly.
Which I probably do.
- What are you doing?
Becca had apparently finished talking and was looking at me intently, but I ignored her and glanced at Panam and Judy, whose eyes were burning with anticipation.
- Pancakes? You're going to make pancakes, aren't you?
- Naturally... new members of the team, however temporary, should be welcomed.
I chuckled.
- What are the pancakes going to be with?
- There's cherry and strawberry jam.
- А?
Becca looked first at the girls and then at me in surprise. And her eyes flared with disbelief and hope.
- You're talking about pancakes and jam? Real pancakes and real jam?
- Can they be fake?
Twenty minutes flew by between the girls, and when there was a knock on my door, there were several plates with tall stacks of pancakes on the table.
- Hands!
Behind me there was a slap and I turned round to see a pouting Becca sitting on the sofa, who had apparently tried to steal one of the pancakes from the table and had been slapped by Panam, who was watching her and Judy.
When I got to the door I opened it and there was a girl with white hair and red eyeliner standing in front of me.
- Lucy?
- Yeah, and you're David?
- Mm-hmm...come in.
I let her inside and as I closed the door I nodded at the sofa the girls were sitting on.
- Have a seat, I'll be right over and we'll start discussing the plan.
- Okay...
While Lucy was getting acquainted with Panam and Judy I went into my workshop, closed the door behind me and reached my stash and took out two jars of jam. It's worth its weight in gold here, but the girls love it, so I have to hide it....
After a little thinking I took out a jar of condensed milk, and then I disguised everything well, and only then I left the workshop, closing the door behind me.
- Panam, pour the tea.
- Mm-hmm...
I went to the table on which in addition to plates with pancakes, plates in front of everyone present also stood two deep saucers.
- Judy, get the third saucer.
- А?
- I got some condensed milk too.....
- Yours! I wanna be your bitch!
Becca couldn't help it, and I could see in her eyes that she was going to cry. But Panam was the only one on guard.
- He's mine.
- I'm telling you! I don't want to be a girl! I want to be a bitch! Let him fuck me at least once a week and then feed me like this!
I sighed.
- I'm not interested in that kind of relationship.
- Liar!
Becca blazed with righteous indignation, but Judy brought another saucer and I poured the condensed milk into it, then spread the jam and nodded.
- Well, get on with it... And yes, I'm lying.....
Judy and Panam snorted. Lucy stared at me dumbfounded, and Becca was dumbfounded and embarrassed despite her behaviour.
- I'd be impotent if I wasn't interested in such a relationship with such a lovely young lady. The only problem is that I am different from an animal, so I can keep my desires and instincts in check. So I have a girlfriend.
I nodded at Panam.
- ...and that's enough.
- Liar.
Judy said, as soon as I put one of the pancakes in my mouth. The girls, unlike me, had already eaten five of them, with Lucy being the one I didn't expect to eat the most. But I guess she was impressed with my culinary skills.
- She's lying?
Becca looked at Judy in surprise.
- He's making a move on me. And knowing me, he's offering me his girlfriend if I'll go out with him.
- Hey!
Panam looked at her friend indignantly.
- Actually you are just called a lover and that too, only because I like you and I am willing to share with you. But theirs...
Panam jabbed her finger at Becca and Lucy, the latter even stopped chewing her pancake and looked at my girlfriend in surprise.
- Okay, let's not talk about that right now...''
I shook my head. I shook my head, making a mental note that Panam was okay with Judy being my lover. I'll have to remember that later. I texted Becca the plan of action Judy had drawn up, then looked at Lucy and texted it to her. You didn't have to know her number to do that. Just find her deck as one of the closest to me.
- Hmm.
- So, here's your assignment.
I looked at the new guys in the group.
- ...I'm sorry Lucy, I don't know your level, so Judy's going to be in charge of your two runners. And I think you two can work it out between yourselves.
Lucy and Judy looked at each other and nodded.
- You'll be taken to the access point, with you, Panam as driver and Becca as your guard. The point is too close to where the underground fights are taking place, so you shouldn't make too much noise. Weapons are best used with a silencer.
Becca wrinkled her nose slightly, but nodded.
- I'm going in. You're leading me, and I'll deal with any threats, and I want to work quietly, so warn me if you can... Judy's not my first order with me, though, so she'll explain my methods to you as we go along.
Lucy nodded understandingly.
- Or maybe it's just...
I looked at Becca, who had folded her fingers into pistols and pretended to shoot someone with both hands.
- ...boo, boo, boo, boo...
- Do you always work like this?
Panam also folded her fingers into pistols and called out a couple of imaginary shots and even reproduced the sounds.
- Yeah, why?
- It's just that if you think Judy couldn't get David on her own, you're wrong. It doesn't take much intelligence-- or skill-- but they have something else they didn't put in the written part of the plan. And for that something they need silence...
- Bravo...
I clapped my hands a couple of times acknowledging Lucy's point.
- So what's your brilliant plan?
- Genius?
I looked at Panam and Judy.
- Actually, it's our usual modus operandi. While I'm working quietly and not making a fuss, the ranner hacks into everything I give it access to. That can generate five to seven times the fee the fixer gives us.
- What?
Becca was shocked.
- I'm saying one runner will lead me, the other will break everything I can access and use the fake accounts to make withdrawals. Bottom line, since we're breaking into an underground fight club, there should be plenty of money. Unfortunately, I can't take a big bag, so I won't be carrying much cash if we find it. But our runners might be able to clean out a few accounts.
- And Regina still tolerates you with that attitude?!
- What's so surprising about that?
I gave Becca a questioning look.
- She wants it done quietly, we work robberies and break-ins for those who just want to get their hands on the money. So our targets, in some cases, don't even realise that they've had dirt stolen on them. Or something very important has been taken from their house and the rest is just a bit of easy money.
- Erm... how long have you been working like this?
Lucy looked at me with cautious interest.
- Two assignments a day, sometimes one, sometimes three, two days off a week.....
I shrugged.
- And every day you work like that?
- Yeah...
- Fuck, even without these bonuses, you should be millionaires by now.....
I looked at Panam and Judy.
- Far from it.
I shake my head.
- It's not in our interest to launder money, or to save money, so we're investing to retire and live on passive income.
- What about becoming a legend?
Becca asked this question very carefully.
- What the fuck? Living happily ever after is much more important.....
I shrugged.
- Especially with a job like this, we'll be legends anyway. The ones who earned it and retired. One of the few solo groups that left the game not in an amphora after cremation, but on their own and the fact that in the Postmortem will not appear cocktails with our names is even good. Still, between the name of the cocktail and life, we all choose life for sure....
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