We sat down at a booth not too far from the bar.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" I asked, curious about what Henry had to say.

"I did some digging on the Patriots, and I have to tell you that we should listen to Reese's advice and stay away from them."

"I'm not surprised you're taking his side," I responded.

"Max, I'm serious. They're bad people."

I got up from my seat. "Well, I better get some new upgrades then." Henry grabbed my arm, stopping my movement. I could tell by the look in Henry’s eyes that he didn't want me to get involved with the Patriots.

I understand his concern, but I reminded him about the letter and how I wasn’t going to let a family suffer because of the husband's actions.

While Max and Henry were debating getting involved with the Patriots, at the entrance of the Afterlife, Emmerick stopped an unknown person from entering the Afterlife.

“Hold on. You got business here?”

The stranger claimed that they were friends of Max and Henry. A suspicious Emmerick called Max, saying, "Max, I got a live one here claiming that they're friends of yours.”

I replied, “Keep them there; we’re on our way.”

Henry was curious about what was going on. I explained to him that there was someone at the entrance who was claiming that they were friends with me. A slight hint of nervousness tingled down my spine as I felt that the Patriots were coming to kill me.

Thankfully, the person at the entrance waiting for us was Suzi. I told Emmerick, "It's fine; we know her."

We walked back inside Afterlife with Suzi and sat back at the booth. I asked Suzi what purpose she had coming to the afterlife; to Henry's demise, it was about the Patriots.

Suzi said, "I looked more into the whistleblower Kyle Richards, and here's what I've found."

Suzi pulled out her laptop and proceeded to show Max and Henry the information that she had found: “As you suspected, he is a married man, as here is a picture of him with his wife and child. Also, take a look at this.” Suzi loaded up a video of Kyle leaving the broken-down house where he was staying for a while, and 20 minutes later, the three of us arrived at the house.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“But that’s not all,” Suzi said before showing us the location where Kyle lived with his wife.

“I suggest that we head there before the Patriots get there.”

We took a moment to gather our thoughts and process the wave of information Suzi dumped on us.

I replied, "Okay, so it's a race to the house then. Let's delta!”

We got up and walked towards the exit, but before leaving, I signaled Alejandro to come with us as he proved himself with the netrunner gig, there was an issue as I only had a two-seater car and that wasn't going to fit everyone.

Suzi suggested that we take the Delamain again, but I had a better idea. I told the three of them that I wouldn't be long and would arrive back in a car.

As Max left Afterlife, Henry’s brain clicked on where he was going. “Oh, shit." This prompted Alejandro to ask why Henry had that response.

Henry replied, “I know where he’s going.” Alejandro prompted Henry to continue, “He’s heading to Ruby’s an old input that Max had. The two had a weird relationship, being very competitive and very fucking weird. Although things ended badly between the two of them, Last I heard, she became addicted to chrome.”

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The door was opened by a fiery red-haired woman with a red left eye and a purple right eye, clearly chromed out in cyberware. Max stood at the door, arms wide open, expecting a hug from Ruby.

“Come on, Ruby, bring it in.”

Ruby looked at me, disgusted by my comment, acting as though what happened between us never happened.

“You have some nerve showing up at my place, expecting me to hug you after what happened between us.”

I replied, “Look, I’m only here for a quick favor, then I’ll be gone.” Ruby slapped me across the face, leaving a hand mark on my cheek. “Guess I deserve that,” I said while caressing my cheek.

It was clear from the way Ruby was acting that whatever happened between us had left a severe impact on both Ruby’s physical and mental health. I decided to cut right to the chase and asked to borrow her car. Ruby, wanting me out of her apartment, pointed towards the coffee table and said that's where I would find the keys.

With the keys acquired, I left the apartment, got in Ruby’s nice red four-seater car, and headed back to Afterlife.

Honk! Honk!

Henry, Suzi, and Alejandro got in the car, and the four of us headed for the home of Kyle Richards. While on the drive, Henry asked if I went to Ruby’s place, to which I responded, “Does it matter if I went there?”

“Given what happened between you two, I'm surprised that she even let you take her ride,” Henry said.

I told Henry that now wasn't the best time and that I would tell him another time.

Upon arrival at the intended house, it became apparent that we were not the first ones to arrive, as the front door had been kicked open. This prompted everyone to draw their weapons, including my beloved Eve and Ivy, Henry's compact submachine gun, and Alejandro's heavy revolver.

We got ourselves in position and walked inside. Stepping inside, the hallway was torn apart, and the floorboard at the front door generated a squeaky sound when you stepped on it. Colored glass was visible from the broken vase, and photos of what seemed to be Kyle and his family were in a display left on the floor. We began making our way to the living room, which had the furniture moved about what was most alarming: a piece of fabric caught on the door hatch.

“What the hell happened here?” Suzi asked.

“Patriots, it's got to be,” I replied.

Just then, the sound of the squeaky floorboard. I instructed Suzi and the others to get down and hide while I checked out the uninvited guests.