บท 8: Payout
COUGH COUGH
The surroundings were blurry. Lei could be found within the confines of her bathroom. It had been a few hours. She was curled up on the floor, right beside the toilet. Her body trembled with each cough.
Her sickness hadn't flared up in a while. Adding that to the strenuous movement and constant use of hyper flux, there was no doubt that it would be a much stronger return. She paid the price now.
COUGH COUGH
Trying to scramble up, she slipped and her head dropped into the toilet…then she vomited blood. The weird thing about it was what happened next. The blood started to glitch and evaporate. It was like binary code that fizzled out. Steaming with numbers.
'Is this it? The end? I don't think I'm going to survive this one.' She thought.
She needed to find a cure. Fast. Before that, she needed a way to slow down the spread of the infected cells. That came first, as a permanent cure didn't seem to be possible in the next few days.
Maybe in a month…but it didn't feel like she had that long. Something needed to be done right now. Lei's consciousness faded away and everything went dark. She failed to see the text message on her display.
'Still Alive?' ~Meredith
…
…
…
The sickly woman felt groggy upon opening her eyes. She slowly rose to her feet, placing her hands on the sink to steady herself. A deep breath in. Breathe out.
"I am in control." She chanted to herself. Her body strengthened and she forced herself to move.
It took around 30 minutes to wash herself. A tank top and panties was all she wore. Only then did she drag her tired body to the living room. Johnny Silverhand, the legend himself, was sitting on the couch watching TV.
"Didn't think you'd make it."
"Same." She agreed.
"This happen each time you fight?"
"No. It's random. Fighting only makes it worse when it actually DOES happen." Lei explained.
"Can't have you passing out in the middle of a gig. Let's get that part settled first."
"I tried to tell you." She admonished.
"Yeah, yeah. Shut it, you gonk. Now I've seen it firsthand."
The tired woman plopped on the couch and laid down. Only then did she look at the display. For the time being she ignored Meredith, as there was still a day left to complete the job. Lei was more interested in the data shard with each medicine.
CH-0032, JT-311, XV-134, SL-57, and more. A bunch of prescriptions, formulas and prototypes. She could work with that. Immediately, she called one of her contacts.
"Loralei."
An old man with a bald patch appeared on the display. He had a hunchback and used a cane to walk. The only visible chrome was the monocle on his left eye.
"Doctor, sending you something interesting."
Once it was sent over, the old man scrolled through its contents. He remained silent for a few minutes. Lei made sure not to bother him.
"Hmm…this is a lot." He finally said.
"Look at JT-311."
"I saw. A stimulant that allows one to go past their cyberware limitations for a period of time. Scary when placed in the wrong hands. Like a soldier."
"Taking that recipe and mixing it with others…do you think…is it possible to…"
"Lei…"
"I'm not asking for a cure. Just a way to strengthen my antibodies. To slow that shit down. Gotta be able to move. Gotta be able to fight, you know?"
There was a moment of silence. The old man seemed to think for a moment while scanning through the info once more. It took a while but he seemed to make a decision.
"Adding this to the medicine I already know, it's possible to create some pills to slow it down. I'll say this right now…this is a temporary solution. One day, those shit cells will adapt to the pill and flare up even worse."
"Parzik…thank you."
"Come see me tomorrow. I should have a working prescription by then."
The call was cut and Lei sighed with relief. If it wasn't for Rogue, she wouldn't have known about Biotechnica so soon. It would've taken much longer.
'Johnny.'
'.........'
The hologram turned to look at her. He was smoking a cigarette…no idea how he pulled that one off. Most likely fake. Only if Lei smoked would the man actually taste and feel it.
'Seems you do know what you're talking about.' She commented.
'No shit, dumbass. Ain't that the truth.' He responded while turning back to the TV.
'Didn't you hate the TV? What changed?'
'Having to hear your groans and grunts all night made me try it out. The high volume was perfect.'
'Oh…sorry.'
There wasn't much else to talk about. All that was left now was to finish the gig. Lei finally made the call.
"So you survived." These were Meredith's first words. Her gaze wandered over Lei's pale face.
"Did you expect me to fail?"
"I expected you to be quick. Not fight Biotechnica's entire lineup of infantry."
"Ran into a hiccup. Another merc was there. Made things slow down."
"Hmm…well, whatever happened, they're all over the news. They've been exposed for malpractice and harm to the public involving a specific medicine. Nevermind that…the data?"
"Secured. Ready to meet?"
"I'll send you the coordinates."
"Preem."
"And one more thing."
"Hmm?"
Stout's gaze went down to Lei's breasts. They were poking right through the material without a bra. Even her belly button could be seen. It was pierced and looked quite nice.
"Put on some clothes." She demanded before cutting the call.
Lei immediately glanced over at Johnny, expecting him to say something smart. Or mean. Or funny. But he was silent. He did eventually notice her gaze though.
'What?' He said.
…
…
…
The black Kusanagi sped across the city bridge. It was a beautiful sunset and the view was immaculate. The skyline hid the close up horrors. Heaping mounds of trash couldn't be seen from here.
'Fine. I'll say it.' Johnny spoke up.
'There it is. I knew you couldn't hold it in.'
'Boo fucking hoo. You shouldn't be aligning with corpo bastards. I know you think that you might get laid…well you actually might get laid, but she only sees you as an asset. Don't forget that.'
'I'm not stupid, Johnny. This isn't my first rodeo.'
'Good. She knows how valuable you are now. You took down a gunship. Without them firing a single rocket or bullet. She'll use you to get to the top.'
'I'm sure she's thinking exactly that. Which is why she'll let me get in between her legs too.'
'Or she'll just dangle the possibility of it in your face. Like a dog and a treat. Damn, you sound just like the younger me. Chasing skirts regardless of danger.'
'I'm sure you haven't changed a bit…and you only live once.' Lei commented.
'I've lived twice.' He quipped.
'That's different, you gonk.'
15 minutes went by. Eventually, the Kusanagi pulled into the parking lot of a diner. Tom's Diner. She could already see the corpo lady sitting on the hood of her…Herrera Outlaw GTS?! Sick wheels.
Meredith wasn't dressed in Millitech uniform or driving an armored truck. She wore all designer brands but it basically boiled down to a jacket, shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Lei pulled into the parking space beside her and cut off the engine.
"Get in the car." Stout casually ordered.
There was a half eaten burger in her hand. Some fries were in the bag next to her. Lei stopped in front of the cold woman.
"Can I get a bite?"
"Car. Now."
"Siiigh." The sickly woman trudged over to the passenger door and got in.
She watched as Meredith took another bite of the burger and fries before getting up. Only then did she come around to the driver seat and get in. Lei raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't think you would bother eating the food of commoners." She mocked.
"Sometimes I do it to remember what it's like to be poor. Reminds me of my networth."
"Wow…"
'Damn, this bitch is fucked up.' Johnny commented from the backseat.
"Shard." Meredith stated.
Lei handed over the data shard. The lady's eyes glowed as she scanned it. After a few minutes, she nodded.
"Your payment."
50k credits was transferred over to Lei's display. She accepted it with a happy smile. Not bad. Not bad at all.
"Preem."
"You hungry?"
THE Meredith Stout handed over her burger. With a shocked expression, the sickly woman took it and looked it over. There were only a few bites left. That was when the soft weight of the fries bag hit her lap.
"Mmmnnn." Lei hummed while taking a bite. Never been to this diner but damn she'd be coming back.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you." She then grabbed Lei's visor and took it off. "And it looks like you needed that burger. Your hands are shaking a bit."
"Ahh…didn't notice."
As Lei wolfed down the food, Meredith put on the visor. She was silent as she read the surface information. A minute went by before she took it off.
"Hmmm. I may have more work for you in the future. With your skills, I doubt you need money all that much. How about we alter things going forward?"
Hearing her words, Lei frowned. Money was money. Stout smiled a bit at the expression.
"Of course, the pay will still represent the strength of Millitech. Credits…but I read your vitals…How about I pay you in medical connections as well? We have access to plenty of doctors and scientists." She suggested. Lei looked the mature woman in the eyes.
"I would appreciate that. Immensely."
Obviously, with one look at her face it was clear to see that the girl was either sickly or cyberpsycho. It didn't take a reading of the infovisor to know that. Lei would take the help.
"Good. Once you finish the food you're free to go. Try to be more discreet next time."
"Oh wow. Don't even want to talk about the weather with me?" Lei joked. Talking about the weather meant something completely different here.
"You don't look fit enough to do such a thing." Meredith countered with a shake of the head.
"I'm sure I'm fit enough for something a bit less strenuous." Lei pushed a bit. She was leaving here with somethin.
There was a moment of silence as the mature woman pondered. She mulled over it…for what felt like an excruciating amount of time. Eventually, she spoke.
"Get in the back."
'Don't have to tell me twice.' Lei thought.
She moved quickly. Meredith was right behind her on the way. The cold woman straddled Lei and leaned into her ear.
"Let's test your endurance. You're too fragile today."
"Preem."
"Yes Ma'am." Stout corrected with a whisper.
"Yes Ma'am." Lei hummed.
She gave Lei a small lick on the jaw before going in for a kiss. Their lips connected and their tongues met. Soft hands began to wander, landing on a nicely shaped ass. Meredith had cake.
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