With an overly dramatic gesture that Wilde knew was entirely unnecessary Kay stumbled to the floor before standing up again. Pedro watched as she felt her nimble hands, her slender arms, her beautiful face. She trembled like a leaf in a storm but was now free of Grins spell.

Slowly Kay turned around toward Pedro and Kenda. Her head hung low, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Then her head rose to face Pedro, though her eyes avoided his gaze. Her face was marred by mascara ruined by the tears that had been running down it, but even that couldn’t diminish her beauty in his eyes. She looked at him with an expression that both feared and expected reproach as she clasped her quivering hands to still them somewhat.

‘I-I’m s-so, so s-sorry… T-this was, it… t-things… I… they just… it was never meant to be like this. N-none of this should have happened… I’m sorry…’.

Her voice was so quiet, little more than a whisper. He could hear the sadness, the dread in her tone and for a second Wilde wanted to wrap his arms around her again and comfort her. But only for a second. Then the painful reality of the situation set in once more, like a knife of ice through his heart.

‘W-was anything you told me real? Anything?’.

‘I-it was! It is! I, I… didn’t mean for things to turn out like this’.

Kay’s words were laden with sorrow and guilt, but Pedro couldn’t help but wonder now whether she was more upset over what she had done, or that it had finally been revealed.

‘So, so you and me? Kenda? Everyone you ever met in Redmond? It was all an act?! Just a fragging what? A social experiment?! We were all just, just subjects to be studied for your dissertation?! It was all just so you could earn some brownie points with a professor and have something good to put on a corporate job application?!’.

Confusion and shock were slowly giving way to righteous indignation in Wilde’s heart now. He still felt sad, hurt at his betrayal at the hands of the woman he loved, but that pain was beginning to transform to anger.

‘NO! Just… Please! Please listen to me! I-I never wanted to hurt you! To hurt anyone! I just…’.

With a long inhale of breath Kay forced herself to stand taller and for the first time since her secret had been revealed she managed to look Pedro in the eye.

‘I, I lied to you. I lied to everyone. But I swear I didn’t lie about everything. I was raised in an MCT archology, and I did join the University of Washington under a scholarship. I know everyone out here thinks that living in a megacorp with a legal SIN is an easy life, and it wasn’t as hard as it is out here, but it wasn’t great either. Unless you’re born into the upper echelons of the megacorp all you are is a tiny cog in a massive machine. I never saw my parents much growing up, they were too busy working, and I was too busy studying. When MCT discovered that I was magically active I became more valuable to them, so they had me apply to the University of Washington to get a degree in Thaumaturgical Medicine’.

She brushed some of her ebony hair out of her face and locked eyes with Pedro. He still felt angry at her for being lied to, for being used. She wilted slightly before his glare, but Kay refused to back down completely. Instead, she continued her outpouring.

‘Going to U-Dub, that was the first time I ever really realised just how much I had missed out on in my life. There were still rules I had to follow, MCT still dictated what classes I took; but I could talk to people who weren’t affiliated with MCT, with any megacorp! I saw media that wasn’t MCT approved for the first time in my life! I could choose what I wore and not have to worry about it “clashing with the corporate culture”! It, it was incredible!’.

Pedro watched a faint, but genuine smile blossom on Kays lips as the happy memories ran through her mind, but it was only fleeting. The climate of the former gang hideout of the Nitro Mizuchi almost anathema to such joy.

‘I realised for the first time there that I’d lived my entire life in a prison. Life back in the archology might not have been as dangerous as out here, but I never got to make a choice for myself before. I was expected to be a drone; follow my orders and never question anything. Being in U-Dub, seeing the world for myself made me feel… real, for the first time! It… I felt so liberated… I, I can’t describe it any better’.

There it was. There was the passion that had made Pedro fall for her, that manic flame that lurked behind her eyes. Kay was undeniably beautiful and had a natural charisma that drew people to her like gravity when she turned it on, but it was her passionate nature that had called to him. Kay was a woman who when she saw what she wanted would grab it with both hands, but more than that she would study it, learn from it. She was always trying to grow, to become something more than she was and was never unwilling to open herself up to new experiences.

As Kay spoke about how sweet her first taste of freedom was Wilde began to wonder if her passionate nature was a response to living such an oppressed life, or if it was always a part of her personality. But just as fast as the flare of passion rose in Kay, they seemed to dim as she continued talking. As if her shame was dousing that fire within her.

‘… And then, I was asked if I would be willing to participate in a study. Enter the Redmond barrens and write a paper on my findings… It… It seemed like fun at the time… I’d never had any sort of freedom before in my life. I wanted to see what it would be like, out here, in the anarchy… It, it was only ever meant to be for a little while, a couple of months at most… But, then I met you Pedro. A-and you Kenda’.

Glancing up at the mountainous troll, Kay flinched somewhat under her expression, but Wilde didn’t look up to see how Kenda looked. He was too transfixed on Kay.

‘And so many other people. I thought U-Dub was liberating, but it was nothing compared to this. The barrens are completely terrifying, but there’s a wild freedom here; its chaotic and violent, but… Its untamed in a way I didn’t think a place could be’.

Another smile. It lasted a fraction longer than the last one as Pedro found himself lost in Kay’s deep brown eyes.

‘Before I knew it, I was spending more time out here than in my classes. I started looking for any excuse to extend the study. I made it the centre of my thesis just to explain to my professors why I was skipping so many lectures… It, it was dumb and childish because I didn’t have any long-term plans for it. I had no way of keeping it going for much longer anyway, but I kept trying to, I tried everything. Because… I-I…’

His heart soared and ached at her heartfelt words, at her earnest expression. A voice in the back of his head warned him that she was a liar, that she’d manipulated him from their very first meeting, that nothing about their relationship had been real. But Wilde didn’t care about any of that.

‘I love you Pedro’.

That. That was all he cared about. Hearing those precious words from Kay. Hearing the need in her voice. Even after all the lies, the betrayal, he couldn’t deny the feelings that he still had for her. He still wanted to stand at her side, supporting her, comforting her, just getting to be with someone as wonderful as Kay.

‘I know I’ve told you a lot of lies and there’s no reason for you to think that I’m not lying now. But please believe me when I say that I love you and I never, ever wanted to hurt you’.

Wiping away the tears that were already beginning to run down her face, Kay stepped towards Pedro. She touched his cheek with her slender, soft fingers before drawing even closer to his immobile body and embracing him in a passionate kiss. The pairs tears mixed and mingled with each other’s as they both wept in joy and anguish over at everything that they had once shared and were now to lose.

‘Dreck. Are you two done now? Can we get going? There’s a convoy of pissed off Nitro Mizuchi drivin’ down here right now. I just want to get collage girl here back to campus and get my nuyen. I’m not getting’ paid to watch a couple of dreckheads make out. You two should be thinkin’ about making yourselves scares as well. Doubt you’d manage to take out more than a couple of them in your current state’.

‘Chromatic! They’re having a moment! Indulge them! We still have time, and let’s be honest, they don’t. I swear that your allergic to anything vaguely romantic’.

‘No. I just have a low tolerance for bulldreck and want to get paid now. I am this close’. She pinched her thumb and forefinger close together. ‘To just calling Tin-Girl and telling her to shoot them all up with tranquilisers, drag college girl away and leave those two for the gangers. Save us all a lot of fragging time’.

Grin sighed dramatically towards the woman, who was called Chromatic it seemed? He made no effort to dissuade her from ending Pedro and Kay’s moment however, either not wanting to cross her, or privately agreeing with her desire to hurry things along.

It was ending now.

Everything that he and Kay had ever shared, the many lies, the few truths, soon it would all be over. She would be taken back to the campus of the University of Washington, and he would be left behind. Wilde would be lucky if he could even get away from the ancient mall before the rest of the Nitro Mizuchi arrived. There was a real chance that he wouldn’t live to see the end of the day.

Wilde couldn’t fight off the two shadowrunners before him. He couldn’t offer them more nuyen to turn on their employer. As much as his battered body and heart ached, what hurt the most for him was the utter helplessness of the situation. After everything that he and Kenda had gone through it all counted for nothing in the end.

No.

After everything he had done, the risks he had taken, the lives he had ended, Pedro couldn’t simply lie down and accept this defeat. He had to do something, anything to stop the shadowrunners, find some way to convince them.

Then it hit him.

A desperate move. A final effort from a man with no other options. The odds of it working were poor, and even if the shadowrunners agreed to it there was no way Wilde could be sure that they would keep their word. But it was all he had left to try.

As “Chromatic”, if that was her name or street handle, walked towards Kay, Pedro forced himself to tear his eyes away from his beloved and look into the hard slate grey eyes of the ‘runner.

‘WAIT! What was it that you were hired to do!? What exactly are you being paid to do with Kay once you’ve got her?’.

Sighing and rolled her eyes in obvious annoyance, she continued to move closer towards Kay. The ‘runner wasn’t making any threatening movements, but she showed no sign of stopping either. Wilde strongly suspected that her tolerance for any further dialogue was swiftly diminishing.

‘I already told you! We’re just taking her back to the University of Washington. Not sellin’ her off to a gang or syndicate or rival megacorp; she’s going somewhere safe. So, calm down, don’t do anything stupid, let me and my crew do our job, and we all get to go home after this’.

His mind raced. There was a chance. A tiny one, but one he would grab hold of with both hands as tightly as he could.

‘So, what your saying is, after you take Kay back to the university and whoever hired you to collect her that’s it? That’s your job done. You aren’t expected to keep protecting her, monitoring her or anything like that?’.

‘No! Ugh. Look, to you she might be the most important person ever, but to us she’s just a pay-day. Once we drop her off and get our nuyen she doesn’t mean anything to us. Dreckhead can do whatever she wants after that’.

‘I want to hire you’.

That statement managed to elicit a look of confused surprise from the otherwise perpetually irritated Chromatic. It caught Grin off guard as well, though he appeared more amused by the turn of events more than anything else. Kay just looked dumbfounded. He couldn’t see Kenda from his frozen position, but she made no audible reaction.

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‘What?! I don’t know what you think you’re playing at, but we aren’t about to jeopardise our reputation in the shadows and go back on an agreed upon job just ‘cause you slipped us some nuyen’.

‘Job offers do tend to dry up when word gets round that you screwed over your Johnson’. Grin pipped in.

From what Pedro could remember about the shadowrunner culture, mostly picked up from posers and popular media, the term “Johnson” referred to a shadowrunner’s employer. It was because it was a relatively common name that could be used as an alias that everyone would accept from what he’d picked up. A team of shadowrunners meeting a “Mr Johnson” at a restaurant or a club was a common trope in the movies.

‘And I’m not asking you to. From what you just said, your job’s over once you’ve handed Kay over. The university just doesn’t want a kidnapped or dead student to make the newsfeeds and have them reporting that it happened because she was sent to the barrens to write a paper for them. Once you bring her back and they see her you’ll be paid, and they won’t care about her anymore’.

‘We’re not goin’ to geek the Johnson for you either. Even if she is a bitch that has it comin’.

Chromatic muttered under her breath.

‘I’m not asking you to. What I want you to do is once Kay’s back in the University, to let her go to her place, collect what she can and then escort her back here. To Redmond I mean, not here, somewhere in Touristville. It’d be easy nuyen for you for less than a couple hours work that you could do in your sleep’.

She looked incredulously at him.

‘You can’t be serious. You find out that college girl here has been lying to you the whole time and your first instinct is to try and help her out of the megacorps system? To make the lie she was tellin’ you the truth? Are you for real?’.

‘Ten thousand nuyen says I am’.

Her eyes narrowed.

‘Apiece?’.

Wilde flashed a frown but forced it away as quick at it came.

‘Altogether’.

‘Phff! We don’t get out’ve bed for anything less than twenty’.

The ‘runner was driving a hard bargain and unfortunately for Pedro he didn’t have much in the way of free nuyen on him. He had hoped that the credstick that Kenda had found would cover the cost of the relatively low effort job he wanted them to perform because he had almost nothing that he could offer the ‘runners to incentivise them to help him. Except for perhaps one last thing. One final sacrifice. He’d already made his peace over giving it up to help Kay, although this wasn’t the way he had originally planned.

‘I’ve got a health spell sustaining focus on my right index finger. You do this for me and its yours’.

With an almost audible snap Pedro’s right arm reached out as Grin rushed over towards him. Once next to him his face went blank in what Pedro recognised as a sign that he was astrally perceiving, probably examining his mother’s focus. This was good. It meant that he wasn’t just dismissing him outright and at least had some interest in the focus. Strictly speaking he only needed one of the ‘runners to help Kay get back to Redmond, and that was mainly to act as protection and help her slip past any surveillance that might be on her.

‘OH, COME ON!’.

Grin roared aloud at such a volume that it echoed throughout the ancient mall and probably alerted anyone nearby that the building was occupied. So long as the rest of the Nitro Mizuchi or an MCT strike team didn’t burst through the walls Wilde didn’t care who knew they were there. That said, this was the first time the ‘runners mildly amused disposition had broken since he had appeared, and Pedro didn’t know what this meant. The fact that Chromatic also seemed concerned over this sudden shift in his demeanour didn’t leave him at ease either.

‘What is it?! What’s wrong Grin?!’.

‘It’s a fraggin’ health spell sustaining focus! A decent one too! About a rating three! UGH!’.

He put his head in his hands, appearing less angry and more annoyed, like someone who had just spent good nuyen to replace a lost tool only to find the original and lose the receipt for the replacement.

‘I swear, if this had happened a few months back so much dreck would’ve been so much easier! Wouldn’t have had to spend two months in a crappy hospital bed recovering from havin’ my guts riddled with bullets’.

‘What? I thought it was something serious the way you were actin!’.

‘Bein’ shot up is serious to me! Would’ve saved myself a lot’ve pain and medical bills if I’d managed to get one’ve those before the- ‘.

Glancing at the three before him as if he had only at that moment remembered their presence Grin’s mouth shut and he once again adopted his more relaxed attitude, though Pedro could see a slight tension present that wasn’t there before.

‘- the job. Anyways, the focus is a nice bonus. And he’s not wrong about it being an easy job. It wouldn’t hurt to have a little bit of walkin’ around money as well’.

Pedro kept his face neutral, attempting to keep as much composure as he could. He wasn’t a people person, he didn’t know how to cut a good deal, how to see and play all the angles. All he could do now was just tell them the truth and hope that his offer was rich enough, and the risk low enough, that the ‘runners would go along for it. He had hoped that Kenda might have had some more experience in such matters, perhaps from watching smugglers she guarded in the past, and would have piped in with some help, but she had remained silent. He didn’t blame her though. This was a dangerous negotiation that even Wilde, inexperienced as he was, understood needed to be handled delicately. This might be their best shot of keeping Kay free of the megacorporations. One wrong word might spell disaster for everything.

A wicked smile grew on Grins face revealing perfect pearly white teeth.

‘Course, what’s to stop me from just taking what I want?’.

The ‘runner reached over towards the silver serpent coiled around Wilde’s right index finger. This was what he’d been concerned about, it was all well and good talking about making a deal. The problem was that he was trying to negotiate with professional criminals who did things like this regularly and possessed little incentive to not just rob him.

‘What happened to turning on Johnsons hurting your reputation?’.

‘Haven’t agreed to the job yet, have I? And I doubt any other potential employers would be too mad to hear I mugged some nobody in the barrens’.

‘Yeah? Well I would be’.

Chromatic spoke up, snatching Grins wrist before he could touch the focus on his finger. Pedro didn’t know what was going on, but he was happy for the unexpected assistance.

‘Oh, come on. It’s not like I’m killing him for it. He still gets to walk away after all. Think of it as a little tax for the privilege’.

‘A tax goin’ straight to you? Last time I checked there were four of us in the crew. You want to take the ring fine. But the rest of us get our cut, a four-way split’.

Hearing that there were apparently two more shadowrunners unaccounted for made Wilde panic for a split second as his eyes raced over the environment, searching for any clue as to where they could be. He couldn’t see any sign of anyone around, not even when he glimpsed in the astral. It was possible they were just that stealthy that he couldn’t see them, either that or the other two members of the shadowrunner team were monitoring from a distance. Regardless, it made his offer of ten thousand nuyen and his mother focus that much smaller if it was being divvied up four ways.

There was a moment of silence that held meaning that Pedro couldn’t discern between the two shadowrunners other than tension. Then Grin’s smile returned to its lackadaisical state that he’d first appeared with and raised his hands in mock surrender to both Chromatic and Pedro.

‘Fine, fine, I was joking, joking. At least about taking the ring. Doing the job though? I mean, it’s a milk run if ever there was one. I’m down for it, how ‘bout everyone else?’.

At that, Wilde’s arm gently lowered to his side, his mother’s ring further from the shadowrunners grasp. He still possessed no control over his body, so it looked to be Grin was attempting to calm everyone.

Grin’s turn of phrase puzzled Wilde. It clearly wasn’t directed at himself, Kenda or Kay, but it sounded like he was talking to more than just Chromatic. Going off a hunch brought about from watching movies about shadowrunners Pedro discreetly looked at Chromatic and Grins ears and confirmed his suspicions. They were wearing earbuds, likely with hidden microphones on as well. Wherever they were the other two shadowrunners were in contact with the two present. Pedro didn’t know if that was going to help him or not, but it felt good to know more about what was going on.

‘Frag it, why not? If the old bitch wants her college girl back a second time, she’ll need to hire us again or be more specific next time’.

Pedro speculated that Chromatic’s acceptance of his job offer was based more off her personal distain for her present Johnson, the “old bitch” but so long as it got Kay out of the clutch of MCT he didn’t care for her motivation.

Then, with a look on her face like a deer caught in the headlights Kay turned around to look at Pedro.

‘I-I can’t do this’.

‘Wha – No. It’s alright Kay. I can let go of my mom’s focus. I want to do this’.

‘I-I know, b-but I don’t. I don’t want to live out h-here. I-I can’t!’.

‘W-what’re you talking about?! What happened to you saying about how the archology was a prison?! How good it was to be free of it, to choose your own life?! What, was it just another line to feed me?!’.

‘No! I-It’s not like that, you d-don’t understand! I can’t live like this! I thought I was going to die Pedro! I’ll never feel safe here! I’ll always be scared that something or someone’ll kill me! I-I can’t live like that!’.

‘Y-you won’t need to! I’ll protect you! Kenda will too! You’ll have people who care about you, not about “how valuable an asset” you are! People who see how fraggin’ incredible you are!’.

‘You don’t get it! It’s not that easy for me! I… I need security! I need to feel safe! What you’re asking me, it’s like asking me to walk a tightrope without a net underneath! I can’t do that, I just can’t, I’m sorry…’.

‘Kay… I’ll be your security. I’ll make you feel safe, I promise’.

His voice was cracking under the clash of emotions he felt. Crushing despair, raging fury, and a strange numb pain that ached in his chest.

‘Pedro… I’m sorry, but you can’t… This, this was too close for me… I can’t live like this. I need to go back… I-I want to go back’.

Her words hurt worse than any bullet, and spell could ever hope to. The only time Pedro had felt a pain like this was when he was standing over his mother’s body but even that had been different. Back then, he had been witnessing the aftermath of something horrific. He might not have been there to prevent it, but neither was he there to see his mother killed first-hand. Now he was present to hear the woman he loved admit that the basis of their relationship had been a lie and that she would rather live a life of enslavement under a megacorporation rather than a life of dangerous freedom with him.

A more profound and absolute rejection he could not conceive of.

‘I-I’m sorry it has to be this way. I-don’t want it to be like this, I don’t, but- ‘.

‘But nothing!’.

Venom dripped from his words now, anger and the sting of betrayal overwhelming all other feelings within Wilde.

‘You talk all this dreck about wanting to be free, about how living under MCT was like a prison. But the second you get a shot of real freedom, you just turn away. Too risky. Too dangerous. We could get out’ve Redmond! We could go anywhere else if we wanted! But your first thought is to run back to your gilded cage!’.

‘It’s not like that! It’s easy for you t-‘.

‘The frag it is! The Redmond barrens are a dreckhole and every day’s a struggle to survive! I know that, everyone does! It’s not easy for me to live here! It isn’t for anyone! But we make do, we grit our teeth, push on and we work to get out or to make things a bit better. You though? You’d sell out your own freedom and happiness just to feel safe!... I thought you were better than that’.

Any thought that Pedro might have once held for sparing Kay’s feelings, of trying to protect her were gone. He meant everything he said, especially the final part. That was perhaps the greatest betrayal he felt from her, the fact that after everything he and Kenda had done to rescue her, to reach out to her, she was willing to run back into the iron embrace of MCT just so she could feel secure. Where was the woman who he had fallen in love with? Was she just a façade Kay wore in the barrens, or were her ideals only paper thin?

‘W-why are you making this harder than it already is!? I-I don’t want to leave things like this! I know I can’t be together with you but… I don’t want to let go of you either! Can’t we… stay friends?’.

Anger turned to frustration which turned to disappointment. Was this who Kay really was? Was all that passion he had seen just another well versed lie that she’d developed to fool people? It wasn’t enough to break his heart she had to try and prolong it, to pretend that she hadn’t rejected him, his love, and keep up a charade of a relationship? Did Kay truly believe that they could stay friends after all of this? Was she lying to him now or herself?

‘Friends? After all the lies, after playing me, Kenda, everyone like suckers just so you could get a little thrill of independence, after choosing to run back to the corps knowing everything you learnt about them out here? No. No we don’t stay friends after all that. You don’t get to have it both ways. You’ve made your choice Kay. Now you have to live with it. Just like the rest of us’.

She looked crestfallen and a bitter part of Pedro revelled in making her suffer a small part of the pain that she’d inflicted upon himself and Kenda. He hadn’t been able to judge the taciturn troll’s reaction to everything. Without control over his body, he couldn’t turn his head over to see her face. He could only assume from her silence that she was still processing everything that had been brought into the cold light of truth.

‘K-Kenda?’

Kay looked up at her with her stunning brown doe eyes, every inch the innocent princess from a thousand mass produced corporate films. Pedro wondered how much of her performance was genuine now, and how much was manufactured to tug at her heartstrings.

‘Oh, y’ remember me now?’.

Annoyingly still unable to see Kenda, Pedro could hear her icy tone towards Kay. He could hear the bitterness, the distain, the restrained anger. It was a tone he had never heard her speak in before, and a few days ago would never have imagined that she would speak to Kay like that. Simpler, happier times.

‘K-Kenda I – ‘.

‘This whole time! This fraggin’ whole time, I’ve been listenin’ t’ y’ apologisin’ t’ Wilde, but y’ barely even looked at me! Only when y’ve been rejected y’ come lookin’ t’ me. Cause that’s all I am t’ y’ isn’t it? Y’re second choice. The backup. I always thought, maybe… y’d see me as more than that one day. But I was just foolin’ ma self. Almost as good as y’ fooled me’.

‘No! I swear I didn’t – ‘.

‘All y’ve ever done is lie t’ me! Y’ lie t’ everyone! An’ y’ what? Expect me t’ just let it go?! T’ just pretend that y’ didn’t just use me an’ Pedro for your own fraggin’ game! T’ just be friends over the matrix so you feel better ‘bout what you did?!’.

Kay was sobbing now, not even bothering to wipe away her tears. Was she distraught though or was this just more of her acting. Pedro didn’t know anymore. He couldn’t be sure of anything now. He had been so confidant, so utterly certain that he’d known Kay and loved her for who she was. What kind of person fell in love with a lie.

‘I-I know I hurt you, I’m sorry – ‘.

Y’ know, y’ keep sayin’ y’r sorry but I don’t even know if y’ are. Oh, y’r sorry that y’ got found out. Sorry that we’re pissed off at y’. But I don’t think y’r sorry ‘bout all the lies y’ told us. I think if the ‘runners didn’t tell us the truth y’d have just kept everythin’ goin’. Then one day y’ wouldn’t be able t’ slip outta y’r fancy prison t’ play with the dreckheads who’d believe y’r lies. Would y’ even tell us then? Or would y’ just let us think y’d died?’.

‘… I…I don’t know…’.

Nobody said anything. The ambient sounds of the decaying mall were muted. Noise from the outside was barely perceptible. In place of sound there was an atmosphere, heavy with tension and uncertainty. When Wilde and Kenda had first burst into the building everything seemed so… straightforward, the situation black and white. Now, everything was uncertain.