The raindrops splattered on the crate, right in front of the muzzle of my AICW... I started counting them - one, two, three, but they just continued splattering. The door, some 30 meters across the road, was still closed, the two ronin leaning, one to the side. They were very chromed-up, each must have cost a fortune in creds in bio-fees and neuro-boosts. With the amount of chrome they were carrying, it is a wonder they were not flatlining passers-by, their other crew or even their own boss. Seconds, minutes, they moved slowly, each dripping with its own set of raindrops. To pass the time, I named the ronin - Ugg and Ogg, and counted them against the eenie, meenie, mynie, bonk.

My subdermal clicked, once, twice - the flash was ready. It was just a matter of seconds... Cradle little Mielikki in her pouch and touch on my helmet... the anti-flash went down, covering my face. I should buy an eye-mod for the other eye, takes less time and... Crack, whoooosh, clang! went Joi's Remington Gyro. Ugg folded against the wall he was just propping, twitched and lay still. Ogg whipped out his Arasaka and kicked in the combat reflexes, but a day late and an credit short. Whooomp! Whooomp! went my AICW, sending Ogg a 25mm HESH in the chest, with a flechette for a side-dish. Just to be on the safe side, you know - better safe than flat. Chips of the old stone spattered the sidewalk, chips of Ogg spattered the wall. One hundred seventy four, one hundred seventy five, one hundred seventy six - some part of me still counted the drops. Fees, they add up. Poor Ogg - he just cost me sixty creds, but hey - we're all professionals here.

There was a pause. Ugg and Ogg lay like rag dolls, dripping but still. “Hey, that was easy, main muscle down,” ‘cast Joi. She is such a carper, never says the right thing or at the right time. “Keep yer trap shut,” cast Imelda, “or the Murph will hear you.”

He did. Too late, too late - time slowed, I could see the drops as they sped to splatter on the crate. I could see the door open. I could see, feel the even and slow tread of the combat walker. A Grasshopper. Where, sweet Lemminkainen, did they get a Grasshopper. One-N's warning tolled in my mind: “Expect surprises - that honcho, he’s evil and rich; more rich than evil, but very evil. Packs some illegal ‘quip.” That's why I brung the HESH, but I took only one and now - that ‘hopper was 30 meters away, sensors all blazing.

Whooomp! Whooomp! I gave him my last two flech mini-grads, towards the head, hoping to kill a sensor or something, and ducked behind the crate. Crack! Whooosh! spat the Gyro. Joi must have been hyperventilating, coz I never even saw where she hit. The 'hopper, he must have caught my muzzle-flash, rotated his buzzer and let rip. I saw the bullets walk the street, seeking me. The crate gave up as soon as addressed, the bullets throwing bits of wood and sidewalk into the air. I tensed and sprung, trying to put more distance between us, while Joi cursed on the caster.

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Well, in the end, he nailed me, right between the ‘blades, luckily only grazing. Believe you me, TraumaTeam were my saviour in more ways that one - I punched that call as quick as I could but the Grasshopper pilot, he was greedy, tried to shive the TT lander. That's when the titty escort opened up on him, and they pack a mean spirit in addition to a mean cannon. Splattered him all over with DepU and SNEB, right after the titties took me away. I heard, the team - they went in and flatted that honcho. Seems he trusted to the ‘hopper and the Ogg and Ugg choombas to be his security, all of it, that night. Rich and evil, yes, but also cocky.

How I met One-N - ah, that's another story. Longer and less loud, let me tell you. Here, have another Stoli. He was Imelda's output, time before she met me and got us acquainted. So - we kinda collect around 'melda - One-N, Joi, Grey and me. We're a good team, if a trifle light on the ‘net side - that kinda talent, we hire when we want and need.

So, it goes like this - after I left the Seatle arco, finished with school, finished with corp duties, paid off all and sundry - had some really fun times, let me tell you - after I done all that, I needed a place to park and make some creds. Corp work - I decided against. See - I had some and did some and will maybe do some more in the future, but that time - hey, I was young and wild.

Parties, that what I wanted. So I taught me the harmonica and went to play for the “Wild Lakemen” - but it kinda not worked out. It was not the lights that put me off, it was the dead cats and rotten fruit.

So I split Seatle and went down south. Mind - still talk to the folks, once a week or so, back up in Seatle, still in the corp. Well, I rather talk to mom and then I talk to dad, separately like - they are still fighting with each other over me not staying in the corp, not talking to each other. It's “Heikki, you tell your lummox of a father that it will be Evelina's birthday next month so he better not forget” and “Karrokki, if that stubborn mother of yours insists on inflicting aunt Evelina on me again, I will also become a solo!” Let me tell you, this is really old already, but - each to his own, says Evelina. Pity I have no sibs, to share the phone duty, ha, no?

Well, no sibs means no backup, but I am a friendly lovable choomb - almost got no enemies. This also goes to show effectiveness, if you get my meaning.