It was cheap, and yeah, pretty shit. I bought a top and pants, setting me back twenty credits, but knowing that I’d actually be in clean gear soon was a massive incentive. The three of us rejoined Reign on the next level, and she led us through the rest of the brief tour.
We saw shower areas, as well as small private rooms if we needed to just crash, and I grunted at the familiar layout that reminded me of barracks housing. There were a couple of additional hanging out and team areas, as well as a larger room with a map of the city on one wall, hundreds of markers on it at any time.
“What is that?” I looked it over, seeing the flashing markers and tags moving.
“Mission board.” Reign nodded to it. “Basically, as soon as we accept a job and start recording, our ident is tagged to the location. That way, another guild member knows not to head there and do the job, as someone’s already on it.
“The colors of the jobs are fairly clear. Green is available, blue is taken. If there’s a team tag there, then it’s taken and the team is working it. If it’s not? It’s available. So if you know you’re going to be there later today? Tag it. You’ve got twenty-four hours before the tag auto-releases, and if someone else clears it first, you’ll get a notification. Stops you getting pestered with updates for places you’re not interested in.”
“What’s red?” I asked.
“Depends,” she said. “Red and yellow flashing? Emergency. That’s a request to drop your shit and go help. We’ll all get messages if that happens. As to a solid red tag? It’s based on your registered experience with the guild, so it’s recommended you don’t take a red tag.”
“There’s a lot of them,” Gessh said softly.
I looked at the map to check the number, guessing that she saw a very different sight than I did, and grunted as I wondered whether she and the others had their aug on.
I always forgot about that shit with city dwellers. From as soon as you joined the army, you learned to do without Aug-World a lot. It took months to wean you off it, but once you’d learned? It was terrifying to walk around the city with it on, seeing the things you’d missed before.
Not everyone could do it. Most people needed that shit, just to get through their days. But when you realized how much it hid?
Aug-World was the corporate and governmental overlay that they sold you of the city. Everywhere you went, the adverts, and hell, the reality, was tailored to you.
They used it to control us, making it so we saw what they wanted, and damn, we helped them to do it. Things like the homeless who were laid in alleys, and bodies of those who’d been mugged, stripped for their mods or had just given up, were subtly blended out of your vision, and instead bright, cheerful colors were enhanced.
For kids, it had things like their favorite cartoon characters dancing around, doing things and helping our corpo overlords pass their message on, as they bought expensive shit that nobody needed and they played at being good little worker bees.
For the rest of us? It was everything from directions to wherever we were going, to hiding the cracks in the sidewalk. Muggings were blurred out, bums begging vanished, and all you ever saw of things like that were a blank automaton with a warning symbol if they moved too close. It was all aimed supposedly at protecting the user from seeing the real world and improving our lives.
In reality, it was control.
They controlled what we saw, what we heard, and even what we smelled, meaning they controlled us.
When we went on dates, the shitty restaurant that was all most of us could afford was suddenly a seven-star place at the top of a tower. The assholes around us, clad in shitty overalls and stinking of sweat, were suddenly beautiful people, dressed and primped.
All of this came at a cost, though.
The basic packages? Yeah, they were free, but you want the good shit? You want the world-altering wonder? You pay for the next level up.
It wasn’t hugely expensive, but it was enough. We’d all done it, and once you saw the “beauty” of city life? You paid for the better package.
You did, at least, until you joined the army, the mercs, or you fell foul of the gangs.
For most people, as long as you avoided the gangs, you were all right, and if they ran your area? Most of the gang lords ran a very reasonable “protection” racket, and you got a simple tag that kept gangers from fucking with you.
If you didn’t have that, though? You never saw them coming. Augmented as your vision was, you’d get no warning, and suddenly you were being fucked up by faceless automatons. They used blockers, meaning that reprisals didn’t work, as there was no recording of their faces or idents.
When you entered the area next? You damn well paid a fee to pass through gang territory, or you stayed to the heavily trafficked and “safe” areas.
The army drove this home, though, and heavily. The paranoia that any good soldier developed was massively enhanced by Aug-World. Because if you had it active? You couldn’t see shit. You missed the threats around you, and although, yeah, some soldiers left the service and were totally fine with that, wanting to forget the shit that lay beneath the sugar-coated version of reality that most saw, for the rest of us?
We just couldn’t.
I had my Aug-World dialed down to the absolute minimum, allowing only the smallest personal changes, and my RI had comprehensive filters to make sure that I saw what was really there, only adding in the occasional enhancements, like the coding system, rather than making me think I was surrounded by fucking magical giraffes or whatever.
Either way, that was something I’d need to bring up. Luna and Gessh were both ex-army, so they’d have been broken of the aug addiction. Reign, I thought, probably was as well, but couldn’t remember off the top of my head, and we’d need to be assigned a replacement for Hobbs, so best to discuss this once they were picked as well.
“So, that’s it!” Reign shrugged. “That door over there is to the upper floors, and you’ll note the locks on it, as well as the distinctive ‘fashion’ additions…?”
“Yeah, I noticed.” I snorted, looking at the door at the end of the hall.
It was fairly heavy-duty, and yeah, a palm and code lock. Nothing that excessive, but solid security that’d take a minute or so for a decent hacker to beat.
It was also, however, bracketed on either side by heavy auto-cannons—large turrets that looked lethal as fuck were watching us all with unblinking red sensors.
“That’s the guild master and upper guild private area. Don’t ask me what’s up there, because I’ve no fucking clue. Julius prefers to be down here with us all, so why he’s got a private area? I’d recommend you don’t get too curious, though.”
“Armory?” I asked, already dismissing her recommendation.
“Nope. Damn, sorry, should have covered that. There’s an armory and general outfitting area in the basement.”
“So…” I said after a few seconds. “The showers?”
“Fuck’s sake, boss.” Luna sighed. “She already said there’s no room in there for us all…”
“Men,” Gessh agreed, shaking her head in feigned disgust. “One-track minds.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I said to the general laughter of the others.
Reign led us back to the showers, and where she’d just jerked her thumb at the door before, she led us all in there now.
It was a narrow room, square with lockers on the sides for us to deposit clothes, as well as a chute marked For Cleaning with a bag to dump everything in, as well as a towel dispenser.
There was an awkward moment where we all sort of looked at one another, waiting for someone else to start, before Reign pushed past and went into the first cubicle.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The shower system itself was a standard one: a good dozen tube-like cubicles standing in a ring, with the water cleaning, containment, and heating equipment in the center.
Each cubicle stood eight feet tall, with a door that closed across the front; the top of the door came to mid-chest. A secondary door could be drawn down from above and sealed to the bottom half, creating an enclosed and private tube. Or, if you wanted to talk or whatever, the upper tube could be left off. As there was a partition wall between each, you had reasonable privacy, and considering the place and those who were likely using the equipment?
As mercs, most of us weren’t overburdened with modesty issues, scruples, or any form of morality, admittedly, but what we did tend to have were a lot of guns.
That meant that if someone left a tube open for a conversation, you better either keep yourself to yourself and respect their privacy, or be damn sure they didn’t mind if you looked in on them, because a bullet to the face often offends.
Reign walked into hers, closed the lower door, and started stripping. We all took the hint, moving into our own.
Everything that I took off—from guns to gear, pants and boots, socks to my goddamn helmet—all of it was filthy, and I sighed, looking at myself before wrapping the towel around me.
I didn’t like dirtying the towel I was about to use to dry my clean body. Alternatively, I could either put my clean pants on and do that to them, or walk around naked.
I’d only met the girls a few hours ago, and although we all joked about it, there really wasn’t a real bond between us yet.
There was also a little unresolved sexual tension. A few of the comments? I wasn’t entirely sure they were jokes. Not totally, and yeah, it’d been awhile.
With that in mind, I wrapped the towel a little tighter, and gathered everything up, carrying it out and setting it on the tables to the side. Guns and gear went into a locker that was keyed to me—although it’d only stay that way for an hour, I was warned, so they didn’t get locked and forgotten. Clothing and armor was bundled up in a special bag, and the Emergency Clean chute was used.
I also did my damn best to keep my eyes front and center, as although Reign’s towel covered her from chest to knees, Gessh and Luna had tied theirs around their waist.
I moved quickly, minimizing my accidental views, and reminding myself that I was their team lead and there was nothing sexual about this. There was the beginning of a bond of trust between us, and that was all. I also reminded myself that Luna and Gessh were sisters, with an evil sense of humor from what I’d seen, and were probably deliberately doing this to get a rise out of me—in any way possible.
Reign I was less sure of, and I sighed with relief once I was in the cubicle again, towel hanging in a recessed—and safe from the spray—section.
The water, when it hit me, was a little cold—more than a little, really. But it soon heated up, and I gloried in a full-on, hot water bombardment, scrubbing the filth from my body, making good use of the soap dispensers and plastic scrubbers.
This was something I’d need to invest in, I decided, head down at the end, enjoying the water pounding on the back of my neck.
A decent shower and a scrubber seemed like luxuries to most people, but to someone who spent half their lives in armor, or fighting in the shit?
You got stuff everywhere.
Filth, dried blood, literal shit, and hair—hell, I swore at one point, I’d seen a goddamn fingertip when I’d been scrubbing. It didn’t bear thinking about which crevice had been sheltering that.
I turned it off, wiping the water from my face and sighing. The conversation of the others was low as they assumedly got ready, the sounds of running water dying away as my own finished.
I straightened, feeling a hell of a lot better, and grabbed the towel out of the recess, drying myself quickly, before tying it around my waist and stepping out.
“Well, there he is!” Reign called, clapping her hands slowly as if in appreciation. “You see, ladies? I told you he scrubbed up okay!”
“Love you too,” I growled, trying to hide the smile as I moved over to join them, grabbing my new clothes from my locker and dressing quickly.
“Spoilsport.”
Luna coughed, unsubtly, when I pulled my pants on under the towel, before tossing it into the chute for cleaning.
They were all dressed, more or less, and I snorted as I grabbed my guns and gear, looking at the chute, then turning to Reign.
“So, where do we get it all back?” I asked. “I mean, we don’t wait here, right?”
“No, it’ll be delivered downstairs,” she assured me. “At the front desk, or if you have a locker…”
“It gets put there for you?”
“Yup.”
I sighed. “I need a damn locker.”
“Us too,” Luna said, Gessh nodding along.
“Well, you’re officially guild members now, so no stress there. Let’s go sort it, then I’m heading for my rack.”
“Uh…” Gessh clearly wanted to say something but decided against it.
“Yeah?” Reign asked, as if clueless, before grinning. “Don’t worry, I know.” She nodded. “I’ll get the grazer evaluated, then I’ll sort out some kind of payment plan for you all to consider later today. That okay?”
“Deal,” I said firmly. “You didn’t name it as loot, though. How does that work? It’s clearly the most valuable shit we found.”
“It is. But that was supposed to be a cakewalk, and we nearly got ass-fucked. The guild owes us, and well…Julius owes me a favor. I’ll let him know, so it’s all aboveboard, don’t worry.”
“I need to have a word with him as well,” I said. “Any idea when he’ll be around?”
“He’s generally here. The guild’s his life, so he’s probably asleep upstairs. It’s late, after all. Anything important?” Reign asked a little too casually.
“He asked me to meet him after the job, that’s all.” I smiled. “Don’t worry. And we need to do something with the datadeck too.”
“Fair enough.” She grinned tiredly. “In that case, I’d say message him, then do whatever you’re doing next. If he’s up, he’ll come see you, and if not? When you’re around next will do.”
I took her advice, messaging him, and then trooped along with the others, getting a locker assigned to me, then getting my payout, thirteen thousand and twenty credits.
Apparently one reason for the recording wasn’t just to make sure we weren’t fucking each other over. When it was uploaded to the guild AI, it scanned the recording and confirmed the deaths, then provided a report to Julius.
The note that was attached to the payout came from him directly.
Kabutt, I’m impressed. Reign clearly taught you well. That or you’re a natural. And yeah, all those dead are being credited to your team, so congratulations! A nice little payday indeed for your first day.
Again, my apologies for the shit hitting the fan. Unfortunately, there’s realistically no way to guarantee that your missions will be whatever we’re told they are, so although I strive to be honest with all my guild members, when it drops in the pot? There’s not much I can do beyond praise you for surviving, and commiserate on the loss of Hobbs.
Reign has informed me about the random mod you got. Apparently it’s damaged and needs work. If you want help with it, we’ll cover the cost as a welcome bonus.
If not, you’re welcome to it.
As to the grazer and the datadeck? Yeah, she’s told me about them, and I officially don’t know about any of it. You split the value internally, and that’s a line under this all.
Hopefully you’ll be back tomorrow, as I’ve a use for an additional steady team. If not? Well, good luck with whatever you’re searching for.
-Julius.
I read it twice, as the others celebrated their windfall, before deleting the message and turning to the others.
“So, you got paid?” I asked, getting disbelieving grins from Luna and Gessh, and a smug one from Reign. Clearly she was used to the level of payout being better in this guild than the girls were from their last.
“Damn right! Fuck it, you guys up for a club?” Luna asked, and I shook my head, smiling but determined.
“I’m cleaning and repairing my gear,” I said. “You do what you want, but tomorrow? I’ll be here.”
“So will we,” Gessh said. “You want us on your team or not, Kabutt? I know we’ve been joking about it, but…”
“I do. I’ll ask for you to be assigned to me, if that’s good with you?” I looked from Luna and Gessh to Reign, getting smiles from the first two, and then a slow nod from Reign.
“What’s up?” Luna asked, and Reign paused before answering, clearly thinking about her response.
“I need to earn a lot,” she said eventually. “Look, I had a lot of fun with you guys, and yeah, we mesh well, but I spend a lot of time here, because I’ve got a fuckload of debt. So if there’s a mission that needs me, and you’re not here? Don’t be offended if I’m gone, all right?”
“I understand,” I said into the sudden silence. “I need the money too, so how about this? We invest in us. As in, we invest in our gear, and in making damn sure we survive the missions. Keep the team small, maybe one or two more members, but that’s it, and we start doing as many jobs as we can? Hit them over and over, and yeah, I know someone who’ll buy specter parts. We grab any decent mods…they’re just scrap value to the guild because of where they come from, after all.”
“Then what?” Reign asked.
“Then we upgrade our gear again and again—mods, weapons, the lot. We make damn sure we survive the missions over and over, and as soon as I can afford my mods? We start clearing the tunnels with me in my suit.”
“You think it’ll work?” Luna asked. “I mean, the suit underground? Like you said, those are tight spaces, and the place isn’t exactly stable…”
“We’ll look at it.” I shrugged. “It’s the best I can suggest, but for now? It’s good to have a plan.”
“So…” Luna sighed, looking at her sister. “No club?”
“Weapons and gear maintenance,” I said firmly. “You do what you want, but I’m doing that now.”
“Fuck.” Gessh groaned, rubbing at the side of her face. “We left the fucking army to get away from shit like that…”
“Well, I’ve got good news,” I offered.
“Really?” She perked up.
“Yeah! We’ve got loads of gear and it’s fucking filthy, so the sooner it’s done, the sooner you get to use it to shoot someone in the face.”
“That’s it?” she asked flatly.
“That’s the good news?” Luna complained.
“You don’t want to shoot someone in the face?” I asked.
“Oh, well, yeah, obviously I do, but…you know? I was hoping for more.” She sighed.
“Well, you’ll get to shower with us all again sometime soon?” I joked, and Reign laughed.
“You did agree he’s got a nice butt,” she said to Luna. “That’s a plus point?”
“We looked,” Gessh admitted, nodding as she looked over at me, utterly unrepentant. “You do, boss.”
“Uh…thanks?” I forced a smile, inside snarling over the unfairness. Had I been the one staring in at them? I’d be on charges right now.
Then again, I wasn’t in the army anymore, and turnabout was fair play. If they were checking me out? I’d at the very least start damn well teasing them.
“Right. Clean your gear, then hit the rack. Tomorrow’s gonna be a hard day,” I said. “We’ve got a long way to go to make it to the top, so no time to fuck about. We’ve got specters to fucking kill.”
I grinned at them, unwilling to even hint at what I suspected we had. But if it was what I thought? No wonder the specters had wanted it back.
If I could get it working?
Fuck. Yes.