Chapter 48: Part 42
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- Here comes Tychonya...
A large-sized negro with a gold chrome arm and dark glasses grinned good-naturedly as his driver opened the door and I got inside his car.
- I have to say, you took your time....
Though he made it clear that my 'tardiness' didn't hurt him in any way, he still tried to reproach me with it.
- You should have told me in advance where to go....
I shrugged.
- ...or was I supposed to run all over the car park looking for your car? You could have told V the floor of the car park where you'd be waiting for me....
- Come on, I ain't saying no harm.
The negro tried to back up, but I didn't give a damn about his attempts. I didn't give a shit about his attempts to rebuke, or his attempts to backpedal.
- ...just time is money.
I nodded my head.
- And that's why I wondered why I'd been invited to this meeting; wouldn't it have been easier to get my number from Bestia or Regina and just call?
- I don't like to talk about important matters through a phone call, I prefer a personal meeting, it's always clear what your interlocutor is...
There was a short silence, which I decided to break.
- So?
- I'd like to offer you a job. It's a serious matter.
He didn't continue the sentence, but I could hear the continuation: '...not what you usually do.'. He spoke in a slightly patronising tone... It was irritating and completely discouraged any desire to continue the conversation.
- What if I'm not interested?
The question was asked for a reason, I really didn't want to get into the crap barrel of the cyberpunk canon.
- Well, I suppose in that case, the burden of fame would be happily borne by Vee and her friend Jackie....
Once again, his reticence felt like something he wanted to say but didn't. But this time it was much more difficult to read the exact phrase between the words, and I didn't bother with it, because there was nothing pleasant there anyway.
The mood immediately went down a couple of points.
- I don't mind this kind of development....
I shrugged my shoulders, which this nigger clearly didn't expect me to do. And that's because he was too confident, so he didn't even have time to react when I grabbed the door handle and started to open the car door.
- Wait-wait-wait...
DeShawn's voice was easy to read the incomprehension in my voice. He honestly couldn't understand how someone could refuse his offer so easily. He's the motherfucking DeShawn! The Black King of Knight City!
- You're willing to give up the Supreme League so easily!
- A quiet and peaceful life, that's all I'm interested in...
- One job and you could be an obscenely rich man!
- Mm-hmm...
I nodded my head.
- ...and also make obscenely influential, obscenely vindictive, obscenely vengeful, and obscenely rich enemies.
- That's the beauty of it! The task must be carried out extremely quietly! In and out! And you're rich!
I nodded my head, showing how sceptical I was of such a statement.
- Yeah, very quietly... And you don't take force majeure into account?
- We'll plan for everything... no force majeure, no dead bodies, no alarms, nothing that could hinder us during the mission or add problems after it's over....
DeShawn sounded superior and arrogant.
- Well, good luck with V and Jackie, they'll be glad to make it to the big leagues.....
And if Dexter intoned the word 'Major League' in a way that made it clear that it was something beyond my reach at the moment. Something unimaginable. Something appealing... Well, it was all in his mind, and I guess he hadn't bothered collecting information, or he would have known that I worked with Bestia from time to time. Or did she mislead him?
Whatever.
I said 'major league' like it was no big deal. It's just something I deal with every day. And I'm not lying, I deal with this kind of assignment a lot.
- You mean no?
- You got me right...
I nodded my head.
- ...I'm saying no.
- What about your team?
A grin appeared on DeShawn's lips. Apparently he thought it was a good move to remind me that I wasn't alone, that I had a team and they might disagree with my decision. Hint that he could contact them and offer them a job and then.....
- What about the team?
I shrugged, as if not understanding his hints.
- I could approach them too...
- Well... try...
I wanted to say a swear word, send him to the arse, give him a drum in his arse and sticks in his urethra, but I restrained myself.
- А?
This Afronautsite was shocked at my calm reaction.
- I said try it, but I doubt you'll get anywhere.....
- And yet...
Dexter spoke as if he hadn't just tried to pressure me into something.
- ...is there anything that might convince you to be brave enough to take the contract?
I shook my head.
- Honestly, I expected a lot more from you... More ingenuity in trying to convince me to take the job... And that's disappointing....
Hmm, my words hurt him... you could tell, though he didn't seem to show it. But I'm with Bestia and Regina a lot, and they're much more reserved.
- I won't keep you any longer...
DeShawn's voice was cold.
- ...just don't regret the decision you made.
- I won't.
It wasn't that I didn't notice the threat in DeShawn's voice, but I preferred not to focus on it. Though I should remember it and be more careful. But to react to that threat, which was not even verbalised, but only in tone....
I thought it was unnecessary, though my hand was reaching for the unit and helping DeShawn open his third eye.
I got out of the car and slammed the door back into the living quarters of the megatower, where I made my way to the same diner where Panam was sitting.
- How was it?
- Well... not so good.
- Threatened?
Panam understood me very well and by my appearance, tone and in general by everything she could see and analyse she understood that not everything was so good. So this question was more than reasonable, but I could only shrug my shoulders.
- So, yeah.
- More like a hint... A hint of a threat... I should warn the girls.....
Having said that, I quickly organised a conference call with the whole team. And when all of them, including Panam who was standing next to me, answered my call I continued.
- Hello everyone...
- Yep...
The girls greeted me almost in sync. Their images were smiling. Of course usually I minimise their images, because during work an extra millimetre of view can be very critical, and the icons of all the girls can cover half of the view, but now I decided not to minimise the images.
- I have information... I was put in touch with Dexter DeShawn and he offered me a job.....
- By you, you mean all of us?
- I don't know, I didn't specify...
I shrugged at Lucy's question.
- I hope you didn't take it?
Kiwi reacted to my words right after Lucy.
- What?! Kiwi, are you crazy?! This is--
- Becca, DeShawn's been leaking solos that work for him too often...
- А?
Becca was very much surprised by her friend's words, even the stream of words she was trying to continue when Kiwi first started talking was interrupted.
- Working for him is akin to playing Russian Roulette. Only not with one cartridge in a six-shot revolver, but with at least three cartridges, or even four...
- I agree with you, Kiwi, and you can rest assured, I turned down a job working for DeShawn.
- Let me guess... he didn't like that....
Lucy very subtly realised exactly what I was going to say next and beat me to it by only a couple of seconds, thus drawing the attention of us all.
- Yeah... tried to push... Not directly of course, he's well aware that he's just a fixer, albeit a good one, and I'm a solo who was in close proximity to him at the time. Talked about the big leagues, hinted at cowardice, and afterwards mentioned you too... So keep in mind that he may try to come out to you and offer you a job....
- I'm with you.
Judy was the first to react. Panam reacted almost immediately after her and said the same thing, albeit in slightly different words.
- I'm definitely not working with DeShawn... I have enough Faraday in my life. It's good that after you invited me I don't owe him any debts, I even made some preliminary payments....
Kiwi spoke quietly and calmly, but she was very firm in her words. Well, it was understandable, she was understating things a bit, as she had managed to not only make a few early payments, she had lowered her monthly payment quite a bit by making a significant amount of money as a partial early payment.
- Becca? Lucy?
I focused my gaze on their images and if Lucy was as calm as ever, Becca, she was... The emotions on her face were flickering at breakneck speed. If I hadn't had some experience with her, I would have been a little confused by such a kaleidoscope of emotions.
The girls remained silent for a while, making the situation a little more intense.
- I can't tell you what you should do, but let me give you some advice... Before you make a decision, buy information about DeShawn from the fixers, study it, correlate his cases and everything else... And only after studying all this information....
- I'm in.
Lucy interrupted me and I nodded, accepting her decision. It felt damn good to have almost all of my partners taking my side. Of course, her interrupting me was a bit unnecessary, she could have let me finish, but even so....
- To hell with you! I'm not working with him!
- Becca, I'm not insisting, I just want you to make a decision not on emotion, but when you've fully...
- Shut the fuck up! I'm not stupid! You're obviously more informed in this situation, I've never been interested in unnecessary information... And Kiwi has heard about DeShawn, which means there are already two of you here who know about him not from his best side... And I have no reason not to believe you.
- Thank you.
I'm sure by now the girls could hear in my voice not only gratitude, but also warmth and pleasure that they all accepted my decision as the right one. Didn't challenge it and refused to work with someone who didn't suit me as our employer.
- Wait a minute...
Judy's image froze, indicating that she'd switched to another call. Has he already made his move?
Quickly he...
I was expecting him to act in at least forty minutes. If not the next day, and he...
- What a bitch!
- Is something wrong? DeShawn?
- Huh? What's that fixer got to do with it? Although...part of it has to do with him too....
My curiosity had turned Judy around a bit, and she stopped pushing her negativity so hard. Of course, there was a slight risk of me getting hit, but as they say, the sacrifice was worth it.
- So what happened?
Becca was also curious.
- They tried to fuck me over.
- What do you mean?
Panam joined the dialogue.
- Parker called me and demanded me to process the recording made by her optics, saying that David had accepted the order from DeShawn and now I, as part of his group, was obliged to process the brein so that the information from it could help in planning the operation.
I covered my eyes...
Was she in a hurry? Or was she just an inconsiderate fool who decided to do some of the work herself?
- Fuck, that bitch is calling again...
- So add her to the blacklist...
Lucy said it and Judy's face smoothed with enlightenment, and a couple of seconds later it sounded....
- Added....
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone