>> Friction

The cockpit door erupts in a wild typhoon-surge of wind and water. Depositing a dripping, miserable, Zipper into my footwell. Gasping, choking, coiling himself up under the heat. “Mate. Thanks! Oh man, oh man….” He gargles on the deck like.... well…. a half-naked wally who went swimming a storm. “Damn, oh damn..... that was, like, wow….”

“Still raining, eh?” I raise a virtual eyebrow, copping a filthy blue-eyed glare through thickly plastered strands. Silvery threads of metallic hair sticking up like static.

“Mate? Like, s-seriously?” He stutters up at my cameras. “L-like, you could’ve locked the door….?”

“Me? What….? Did Kami shove ya out there?”

"....kinda....."

I flip to the crew area cameras, shapes blurring as I rewind. “Wait…. you….. bloody leapt out!?”

“Didn’t have a choice, mate.” He mumbles as I dial the video back further. Expanding the feed as my cyberspace avatar steps directly into the frame. Like a portal into the past, rendered in glitching 3D and tinny audio.

To the instant before the fight.

## [Night Tyrant] Internal Logs :: File 451AFJ

## Date :: [08-6-49] Time :: [13:09]

## Playback Speed :: [1x]

Zipper's digital ghost erupts from his duvet bundle, jittering with glitched-out noise as he blinks in the light. For an instant he has two faces, then one again. His head turning so fast it breaks the feed. “-mate! Hey! Like, I’m trying to p-park drones here-!” The recording yells.

"Push off! This is one of your pranks, isn't it!?" Kami snarls back, her broken suit in one hand. Jabbing his chest with three others. "You screwed up my helmet. Didn't you!? Do you know how bloody dangerous that is!?"

"He didn't do it!" Badger The Invulnerable chimes, totally ignored.

"Mate, I-" Zipper yelps, sharply, as Kami jabs him again. "Like come on, no I didn't! You know I didn't!"

"Right sure." She blinks once. Half turns.

And then kicks his duvet-tangled feet.

The blue-haired boy yells, wobbles, and then slams forward into the mess of cables and junk at her ankles. But Zipper is slick as greased ice, and he turns that fall into a nasty punch to the side of the knee. Followed by a slap to the floor, and a roll.

Kami howls, hobbling back. And Zip’s micro-drones rush her in a rage of tiny vengeance. The Night Tyrant's own repair-mice swarming her legs, in a tiny revolutionary charge. Leaping off the walls to zap her nose with tiny tools.

Our boy himself rising with a fist full of flashbang. Eyes, furious. Blue hair streaming.

The audio whites out in a roar of light that flickers with skeletal, spidery, limbs. Shadowy shapes. Flying kicks and punches. Mouse-drones slamming to the walls overhead as Badger leaps and cheers them on. Tufty huddled behind his box, and probably whimpering.

Demon hunched in his corner, blind to the world as fists fly past his face. Kami's metal arms stabbing like needles in some hideous machine - catching nothing but air......

….until her face lights with a savage grin.

"You like pissing about with my stuff!? Well....!"

Zip's eyes widen, and they both dive at once. Wrestling. Shouting. But she has five arms. All metal.

And he only has two.

Kami scoops her prize - a chunky, silvery, trophy of angular white plastic. Gleaming with pale lights that dart across its surface. Playing keep-away in circles, with a horrified Zipper and a trying-to-help Badger.

‘Shard5’ Gaming Console (Tier 2 - Rare Antique)

Threat Rating: None.

Purpose: Entertainment.

Value: 523₣ (Pirate 'Blood Money')

Bounties: 14

The ‘Shard5’ was an early Pre-Corp gaming console dated to the mythical ‘Foundational Era’ of The City. Thought to have been an overpriced flop, the console’s primary value comes from the vast collection of “classic games” the system came preloaded with.

Unfortunately, the Shard5’s main gaming library was fully online; and this is lost to time, due to the shattering of ‘The Internet’. However, fans hold out hope that the company servers will one day be uncovered.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

The console must be patched into ‘offline mode’ to be usable without the net.

“Holy shit, that’s expensive…. We could sell-” I wince at real-Zipper's glare. Then wince again as recorded-Zip calls Kami a 'bitch', and her eyes go very sharp.

"I am, am I!? Well. How's this for a prank!?"

She stabs the door control.

“OH COME ON!!! Mate! No! Like, that's- Like, you-” Is as far as he gets before she yeets the ancient, expensive, Tek out into the roaring cascade. Zipper instantly plunging himself after.

And getting locked out for his trouble.

In his boxers, in the storm.

“NOW EVERYONE’S WET!” Kami screams in sheer mad, jubilant, glee. Cackling like Badger in an armoury.

And freezing, mid-motion.

## Playback :: [Stopped]

“Damn…..” I flick a camera to confront 'real Kami', who reddens and whips away. “Over-bloody react much?”

"Are you bloody serious!?" Kami yells. "That cut-price prankster messed with my helmet! He's always bloody pulling shit like this, and-"

"I didn't! I told you!! Like it was an accident!" Zip snaps at her, shaking liquid out of the dead Shard5. "Mate..... Like, mate! Come on! Like, you keep blaming people! Like you always gotta be pointing the finger!"

"And you-" She stutters. "You keep bloody pranking us! And messing with our stuff!"

"I wouldn't-"

"You switched my shampoo for mayo! And put ketchup in my boots!"

Badger falls over laughing.

"Yeah! Your s-stupid shampoo!" He retorts. "Like, the boots weren't even me! And- Like, why would I frick up your helmet??Right? I'm not trying to get you killed, you crazy bitc-"

“Shut up!” She punches the wall. “I mean….. I mean...." A shudder. "Look, I'm sorry? Okay!? I’m sorry! It was stupid! I got carried away! You were all being dumb…. And.... and….. I…..!”

“Went 'Tsundere Mode'.” I insert.

"SHUT UP SPOOK! You shot me in the ASS! Twice!"

"That's neither here nor there." I cough.

“She’s probably bloody broken it…..” Zip snarls with bitter feeling. Still flicking drops of water off the priceless antique. “Like, look at it! I found this! It's... like, I don't got much! But this is MINE! I got it working! But now, like, look at it! It's wrecked! It’s not built for water! Y'know? And she-”

“Kami.” I state. “You’re on repair duty. Zipper, hand it over. She's gonna bloody fix it.”

Our [Sniper] doesn't move an inch. “Okay....” She whispers.

“No! Like, no way! Like, I’ll do it!” Zip interrupts, turning it - gently - under the heat. “It’s my baby. Like, I found it……”

“No. You’re bloody soaked. You’re makin’ it worse.” I reason, and those inhumanly blue eyes flick my way. Mutiny written large.

But I'm the boss.

“Fine......” He whispers.

“And I’m callin’ a ‘cease fire’ on the damn ‘prank war’. That’s an order.” I add, with the full weight of hypocrisy on my side.

“Prank?? Mate, like, what? She- She threw my - like, my best stuff out the door??? H-how’s that a-!?”

“I’m sorry.” Kami repeats. Banging the wall again.

“Ow.” I grunt. “Right, Zip. Let’s at least get you dry….”

“I’m fine down here, mate.” He mutters, sodden hair hanging low and limp. But, under great protest, he carefully passes the antique Tek over to Kami. Badger, of course, hopping and swiping at it one-handed.

“But! But I could make it better! With LASERS! And-”

“Nope. Time fer bed, half-byte. So get goin’, or I’m revokin’ your everything privileges.”

“YAH! Oh no!!! Not my everything privileges!!!” The kid yells - flopping like a wet noodle. Which leaves Zip to slump back on a spare bit of my flight-chair.

I hesitate. “Hey. You okay, blue-bollocks?”

He snorts, ruefully. “Yeah, I guess, maybe…… But. like, if my…..” The boy rubs his moist neck. Scars glistening. Hair shivering in the heat of the vents. “I guess it's just, like, stuff. Right? It don't matter..... But mate, like, she really plays for keeps. Y’know?

"It matters to you."

“Yeah….. But we all gotta, like, live together. Right?” His head tilts back. Hiding the letters cut into his back. Letters I could never bring myself to ask.... "Maybe.... maybe, like..... maybe I don't really matter. Y'know? Maybe....."

"Blue. Don't..... don't talk like that, okay. You matter." I whisper as Kami flicks a guilty look up at the back of my chair. Chewing her bottom lip. Both of us waiting as a black void devours my words. "Hey..... C'mon..... You're still my bro, yeah?"

"Guess." Is all he responds.

"Zip....." I blow virtual breath. "Y'know ya saved our asses out there, right? Air support? Prior warning? Slowing em down?" Silence. "Right?" More silence. "And you made out like a bandit, remember? The Carrier?"

His eyes brighten. "Oh.... yeah.... I guess. It is pretty sweet." They darken. "But, like, that Shard5 was mine, and..... I...."

"Don't write it off yet, huh? Kami's half decent with this shit. She can fix it."

"Guess maybe....." He mumbles, but there's some warmth coming back.

"Hey. Tell ya what." I smirk, flicking my console lights - like a wink. "You stop drippin’ on my fleshsack, and I'll find you some trousers.”

"Deal." He gives me the weakest of weak half-smirks, sliding off my chair. "But, like, how? I mean, you're still jacked in?"

"I got my devious lil ways." I grin. "Oi! Minions!"

"Me??" Badger gasps.

"Yeah, you! Find Zip some trousers!"

"WOO! YEAH! MISSION ACCEPTED! GEARING UP!!!"

"No! I mean.... in here, ya lil idiot! We have em already!"

The kid deflates. "Naww."

Zip's tired smirk turns into a low chuckle. "Mate. Like, I know you're trying to cheer me up. But, uh, hey..... y'sure that's a good idea? I mean....."

"Pfff. What's the worst that could happ-"

"Ready to DIE for the cause, comrade!" Squeaks the itty-bitty 'commander' of The Night Tyrant's mouse-bot army. Saluting Badger with a metal claw as the whole troop rallies up behind it.

"Wait." I start.

"We will tear down the opressive capitalist tailors!" The mouse-leader screams, in its dinky baby voice. Walking the line of (small, yet squeaky) recruits. "And seize the means of trouser-production!" It raises a tiny, tiny, sword. "For glory! For the People! Chaaarge!!!"

We all stare, in mild horror and amusement, as our own ankle-high Red Terror swarms in every direction. Ambushing each-other, and causing total chaos. Fighting, looting, demanding our trousers. Betraying their own brother-bots, and hustling them off to their tiny gulag behind the toilet.

Encouraged by a scarily enthusiastic Badger, I might add.

Some even try hunting for Zipper's actual trousers.... though what they mostly find is the wall. Which they bash into. Repeatedly. They then report job done, and “Many Glorious Trousers Liberated for The People!”.

Which is about when we overcome our stunned horror long enough to hit the emergency shutdown - much to Badger's disappointment. A panicked Tufty rushing to stamp out the many, many, tiny fires spreading through the cabin.

Silence.... falls.

As do many other things.

A near-reverence settling over the entire group.

Finally, Kami takes a single - mute - step and bends over. Lifting a slightly-scorched pair of trousers from a big holdall marked, in bright red spray-paint letters, 'ZIPPER'S SHIT'. She stares at them for a solid moment. Shakes her head. Then passes them to him through the gap around my chair.

All of us silently agreeing to never speak of this again.

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