Data, Data, Data
The diner was deserted save for the staff, who looked on from inside, a mild cure for their boredom, their heavy-lidded stares watching the man alone in the parking lot beside his truck. The moon was high in the sky, reflecting the summer sun's rays down in a glow that was almost as good as the street light would have been if it had not been smashed by an impact or gunshot.
Things were quiet too; no traffic flying by except the occasional autonomous truck, no distant gunfire from the gangs currently deep in a war that had stretched on for months now, no sound of machinery from the factories across the river in Arroyo.
Exactly what you would expect at 2am in front of Chubby Buffulo's in Heywood, on a Sunday night. No surprises.
River drank from the coffee he had ordered inside deeply, trying to settle his nerves. What he was about to do was something he had never anticipated. If anything, he expected to be on the receiving end of it was. In some ways, the arrival of Mr. Takemura into his life was something like what was about to go down, but there would be no creation of a lasting business relationship here.
Only the brief revival of one for a purpose he did not really believe in, yet had to provide for with everything he could bring to the table.
The headlights of a car briefly flashed across his vision, as a new Villefort pulled off the overpass and into the lot. The other party had arrived.
Putting down the coffee on the edge of the concrete barrier that marked the edge of the forty-foot drop to the water below, River pushed himself to his feet and undid the strap of his pistol holster. There was no telling how the meeting was going to go down, and his benefactors were in a tough spot themselves. While he was sure Mr. Takemura would be happy to seek revenge against anyone killing someone under their employ, he doubted the man would have the time.
The other side of the meet needed to be under the impression the opposite was the case, that the corp would absolutely retaliate. Not being afraid to shoot a cop was at least one way of making that bluff work, and in this case, River would have had no problem with it.
The car parked up at the far end of the lot, turning around so it could speed out of there quickly if need be. A smart move.
Once it had come to a halt, the passenger door opened and the man River had came to see climbed out. Asian male, 5'9'', late 50s but in good shape, black boots, white t-shirt under a thigh-length leather jacket, concealed pistols at his hip and ankle, NCPD badge hanging off a lanyard from his neck, balding dark grey hair, sunglasses pushed up to the top of his head.
Newly promoted Lieutenant Harold Han.
River felt his gut curl at the sight of the man, burning with anger but also with trepidation. Internal Affairs was supposed to have drummed the corrupt fuck out of the department. Instead, the brass promoted him for loyalty, and it had been River who had found himself discharged. The shoe was now on the other foot, yet it didn't feel that way.
"Hey," Harold said gruffly, "What do you want?"
River paused, still unsure about how to handle it... before deciding that the only way that would fly would be to keep it as professional possible. His handler would expect nothing less.
"Thank you for meeting me," he said politely, "I was under the impression that you had been told what I wanted."
"Your boss called my boss," Harold said with a long sigh mixed in, "Gave the meet location. Impressed the importance of cooperation on us, but did not say what information exactly you need... Except that it is about the gangs in Heywood."
Wondering if Takemura had not informed the Heywood Deputy Chief on purpose, River glanced around, looking for anyone watching him. Was the old samurai testing him?
"I don't have anyone else except my driver," Harold said, "You did what you had to do, River, I don't hold a grudge."
As if anyone would believe that. No cop appreciated being reported to IA.
"It's not you I'm worried about," River replied instantly, before streering the conversation back to where it needed to go, "The Chief was right, I need intel on the gang situation in Heywood and beyond. You've been put on that desk, if I understand things right."
Harold shrugged. "It was the first open position they had available," he said, "It's open often, for the obvious reasons. So yes, I can tell you what you need to know."
Well then, might as well dive straight in.
"There was a gang shooting recently, only a block away from here," River said, pointing north, "An attack by the Tyger Claws on a Valentinos-affiliated bar, the Coyote? A lot of bodies dropped."
He had tagged Misty Olszewski's phone courtesy of a netrunner that owed a favour, following Mr. Takemura's advice to keep tabs on her and the ripperdoc Viktor Vektor. The phone had led him to the bar, but he hadn't arrived to watch before the shooting started.
Harold's eyes narrowed. Wondering about River's motivation for seeking that sort of information? And the obvious connection he would have to such a shooting. Matters River wasn't about to speak about.
"A lot is an understatement, it was a fucking morgue in there," he said, "A whole Tyger Claw platoon shot up and sliced to pieces. Never stood a chance so far from home, but this was special; they didn't manage to kill a single person themselves."
Unless it was supposed to be a quick in-and-out hit on a specific target... but River knew the detective was fishing for confirmation on that from him. He decided to play ignorant himself. "Anything unusual about what happened?" he asked, "Other than the lopsided body count."
The lieutenant paused, pulling out a packet of cigarettes, retrieving one and lighting up. He took his time, deliberately, knowing that River was in a hurry. Only after he had taken in a deep suck of burning tobacco and expelled it did the man answer.
"I think you know your buddy V was involved," Harold said flatly, "But he wasn't even the most famous participant. That pop star girl, the one with the blue hair, she was the one who did the bulk of the killing. She was slumming it with your boy, must've had corporate-level security training to her name."
The details percolating, River's mind surged as he saw the possibility of removing V from the board without killing him. "Any way you can get them up on charges?" he asked, "Excessive force in self-defence could pick one or two of them out for something, right?"
Harold shook his head. "Street cameras caught gang insignia and deadly weapons, cyber monitors detected pretty sophisticated hacks," he said, "Use of deadly force would have been justified if they had brought out a tank to deliver it, even when the gangoons were running. Pile on the famous suspects on the stand pleading that they felt in danger, not a chance the district attorney goes for it."
River nodded. He knew the regs, gangland shit painted a big target on your back for any ordinary citizen to take a shot at. "Guess it was too much to ask that the Tygers be smart about it," he said sarcastically, "Making all our jobs harder."
"They never are smart about it," Harold laughed in agreement, "They prefer intimidation, wanting the whole world to know it was them who did this or that. Just as long as they don't get individuals' names to faces. Not that it matters this time, they're all deader than Saburo Arasaka."
River grinned grimly, knowing more about that particular death than most. "Speaking of the world knowing, how is this not blowing up in the media?" he asked, "Screamsheets not following V and Blue's every move?"
"Your boy knows how to get around without being seen, no doubt the girl does too," Harold said, "As for why this hasn't made the screamsheets after the fact, another corp paid to make sure it stayed that way, at least for the moment."
"Which one?" River asked.
"Militech," Harold replied, "They didn't openly pay to suppress the news, but it's not hard to guess where the money comes from when it's certain arms brokers doing the paying."
Grimacing, River did not like the sound of that. It suggested that V's trip to Militech HQ had been fruitful, which was exactly what Mr. Takemura had thought. That alone wasn't enough to prove that V was doing what Arasaka thought he was doing though, certainly not enough to kill him and be able to deny it. Not after the Relic Scandal.
"What about the bar?" he asked, moving on, "Were there any Valentinos worth talking about inside at the time?"
"None of the current leadership, no," Harold said, "The owner is connected. Her ex-husband and her son were both members, the son being close both with V, as well as with both Orta Senior and Orta Junior."
"So he could've been setting up a meet?" River said, "Using the owner as an intermediary?"
The lieutenant clicked his tongue, his eyes rolling upwards in thought for a second.
"She wasn't there until after the shooting started," Harold said, "Only connect I've got for you is that Orta Junior visited Senior to inform him about the attack. We have the prison visiting room bugged. They're going to go to war with the Tygers over this, and they fully expect V to participate. They were quite enthusiastic on that, but there was nothing about him before the shooting."
That was interesting, but River knew Takemura would want more. "Anything else that might tie V in with the Valentinos?" River asked, "Anything at all?"
"Nothing comes to mind," Harold replied, "But I have to warn you, it might be too early to say he was organising a sit down with Orta. He walked into that bar with a pop star and a BD editor. Not a crew."
"A pop star with corporate security training," River pointed out, "And a BD editor connected with the Moxes, if it's the same one I'm thinking of."
"The guy is lieutenant to the hardest bunch of nomads on the West Coast," Harold countered, "He doesn't need those two for huscle. It doesn't add up."
"Is it the BD editor who used to work out of Lizzie's or not?" River asked impatiently.
"It's her, yeah," Harold responded, "If you ask me, it was an innocent visit gone wrong. Claws have plenty of reason to fuck with V and the BD girl given what went down at Clouds last year. Everything that points to cooperation with the Valentinos is after the fact, and the 'Tinos aren't the type to go up against your friends." Those friends being Arasaka.
"Take my read on it or leave it," the lieutenant concluded, "But I've been at this longer than you, and I know the way these gangs think."
River knew what the man was saying made sense... but the paranoid side of him was itching in his brain.
V was smart, even before you considered the cyberware in his head. If anyone could get the gangs moving, it was him. His rep on the street alone opened doors to the highest honchos. He had personal connections with some of them, though he would've thought Maelstrom would have been the first port of call for the merc.
Yet there hadn't been any sign of V heading to Watson or anywhere north of Japantown in the days since River had taken up the case. If anything, he had kept southside. He had to have a reason for doing that.
All of which was assuming he was getting people together for some sort of job.
"One more question," River said, "You got anyone on Orta Junior?"
Harold scowled. "If I did, I wouldn't be telling you about it," he said.
River smirked. "So you don't," he said, "Do us all a favour, get someone onto Junior as soon as you can. We both need to know if they are meeting, trust me."
The lieutenant stared at him for a moment. "You think he's back to do some serious shit," he said, "Don't you?"
River did not respond.
A half hour later. Arasaka Tower, Level 76; the jungle.
After a quick drive, a security check and an elevator ride, River found himself in the heart of his new employers' headquarters. The scars of the attack the year before had been erased, leaving only elegance, or what corpos thought was elegance anyway. It was surprisingly dark too.
He was escorted by black-suited cyborgs to a boardroom table with holo capabilities, on a floor entirely filled with lush green plants. Low volume recordings of trees moving, insects and birds chirping, tigers moving around filled the air. It was the closest thing to a real jungle you'd ever want to be in, River thought, remembering all the LatAm war reports.
He sat down, just in time for his new boss and her agents to show.
Michiko Arasaka padded down the steps to the area of the table like a cat, dressed a skin-tight blue netrunner suit with gold highlights. River gulped, unable to tear his eyes off of her, even as Mr. Takemura and an even more scary borg came into view following close behind, both in exquisite white suits.
River stood up from his seat immediately.
"Mr. Ward, I believe?" Michiko said, approaching him, "I'm Michiko. Pleased to meet someone doing such vital work for us." She offered her hand.
River was tongue-tied. He had heard Michiko Arasaka was less traditional than the rest of her family, but this was not what he had expected. She seemed entirely genuine, not anything like the corporate agents he had encountered in the past. Combined with her looks, he had to force himself to do something. A cliché seemed safest.
"Pleasure is all mine," he decided on, taking the offered hand delicately and growing in confidence a little as it didn't get him killed, "You're doing a lot for me, it's only fair I give my best."
"I would expect nothing less," Michiko smiled, "I am informed you are someone who takes pride in his work, that is definitely something we appreciate. We know the task we have set is difficult, but it is the gateway to so much more for you. I am glad you took it seriously enough to contact us immediately on receiving information like this."
River nodded awkwardly. He couldn't helped but be charmed. "It's my job," he said, "One of them, anyway."
Michiko smiled and stepped around him to take her seat at the head of the table, only one seat away. Rather than doing the same, Takemura and the other cyborg went to stand behind her to either side, both their gazes aimed directly at him. River sat down again, bolt upright, finding it easy to ignore the two men likely able to kill him in seconds.
"So, Takemura-san tells me you have made contact with your former partner," Michiko said, "And that you have come to an alarming conclusion. Start from the beginning, I want to hear it all."
It took a little bit of time, but River did as he was told. He explained how it had begun with tracking Misty the Mystic to the El Coyote Cojo, the battle with the Tyger Claws interfering with following her there, the request he put in with Takemura to force the cooperation of his old police partner, and then everything Harold had said.
"So what do you think is occurring?" Takemura asked, when River had finished, "You stated in your message to me that V might try to use the gangs to attack us, somehow?"
"I think V was there to set up a meet with Orta," River replied, "Regardless of what Lieutenant Han thinks, he's recruiting. The Aldecaldos aren't here. The media says they're busy up north with the Meta. Maybe they didn't feel like another attack on Arasaka was a great idea. But V doesn't need to rely on his nomad family to get the job done."
"It would be unwise for a gang to attack us," Takemura said, "Our forces are greatly superior to theirs."
"Any one gang, yes," River said, "But V has connections to not only the Valentinos, but Maelstrom, the Mox, 6th Street and maybe even the Voodoo Boys. If he manages to get even some of their best people on board, you've got a real problem."
The still-unidentified cyborg shook his head gravely. "This is not good enough to bring to us," he said in Japanese, clearly directing his speech at his boss, "Nothing that can help us remove V as a threat without blowback, only a reason to risk killing him."
River felt anger rise in his throat. The man hadn't listened at all.
"I'll explain then, real slow," he said to the borg, "V is directly implicated in joining a new gang war that looks like it'll be one of the bloodiest for years, and if I'm right, we can connect him to other gangs. No way they'll help him for free, which means he'll probably do jobs for them."
River leaned back in his seat, finally in his element. "We keep on him, he's going to leave evidence of something the DA will indict on," he said, "Gang warfare is practically the only thing the DA cares about these days. It's the reason people are leaving the city. We direct the police to the evidence or hand it to them if we have to. MaxTac gets on his tail, V goes to prison, Arasaka isn't implicated."
His pitch made, River looked again to Michiko. She stared at him with her cybernetic eyes, evaluating... before giving a single nod.
"I am forced to agree with Mr. Ward's assessment of the facts," she said, "We know alarmingly little about what V's intentions are, save that he means us harm. Without the Aldecaldos, he must go elsewhere to find people to help him do that."
She leaned forward towards River.
"We will handle the matter of gathering criminal evidence," she said, "You will continue the job we have already set for you. Discover anything else that can damage him, and track his activities so that we can put together what he intends to do."
