Chapter 6

There was a knock at the door. I started in my sleep, stomach doing somersaults as I momentarily panicked. I latched on to the edge of the couch, sitting bolt upright in the flickering blue light of the trideo.

I sighed and relaxed as I realized where I was. I must have dozed off watching the trid—the first sleep I'd had in two days. I looked around for Sugar, but I couldn't find hide or hair of her. She must have been asleep in the back bedroom. I shook my head to clear the cobwebs from my brain and looked to the clock on the table. The crimson numbers read 11:13. I'd been asleep for a good four hours.

The knock sounded again. Drek. I'd totally forgotten about the meet. I got up and grabbed the Warhawk off the table, padding over to the door to peer into the peep hole.

Through the distorted glass I could see two figures in the hallway. One was a young man, short with Asian features. The other was a tall elf with a mane of platinum blonde hair that fell down onto her shoulders. The first one I didn't recognize, but the second I had known for a long time.

I opened the door, smiling for the first time in what felt like ages. "Diana. Thanks for coming so quickly."

She lashed me a smile—that dagger-like smile I had seen on the other side of the pillow so many times before—alluring, ominous, and enigmatic all at once. I never quite knew what was going on in that head of hers. Once upon a time we had shared a bed, but even so, that cryptic smile still kept me guessing. As she leaned forward for a hug, her touch brought back a rush of ancient memories. I was suddenly glad Sugar was still asleep.

"Of course," she said melodically, "from what you said on the telecom, it sounded urgent."

I sighed, pushing away those dusty memories. "Yeah, it is. I didn't know you were bringing company, though."

She pulled out from the hug, looking back toward the young Asian. "Oh, this is Blitz. We've been working together for the past couple years. I thought he might be able to help."

I gave the kid a once over. Like I saw through the peep hole, he appeared to be Chinese. He had a small wiry build and kept his hair in a crew cut. His eyes were pure chrome, as was the data jack imbedded just behind his left ear. He wore his silk shirt open at the collar where the tattoo of a Chinese dragon could be seen snaking its way from his chest up onto his neck. Seeing him stand next to Diana, I felt a sudden twinge of jealousy, but I pushed it down and buried the emotion with the rest of my long forgotten past.

He flashed me a grin. "Like Di said, the name's Blitz. Nice to meet you, P. I've heard a lot about you."

I scowled and looked back at Diana. "This is who you've been working with since I quit? He's a damn puppy."

Diana shrugged, moving around me toward the kitchen. "He may not look like much, but he's wiz behind the wheel."

Blitz followed her into the kitchen. "Yeah, and looking at your face, it seems you could use the help." He indicated the stitches on my cheek.

"Yeah, well I had a little run-in a couple nights ago. Some slitch mistook me for a scratching post."

Diana had already taken a seat at the kitchen table and was busy patting a cigarette from the pack in her hand. She paused long enough to look up at me. "You want one?"

I slid into the seat across from her and lay the warhawk down on the table. "Nah, I quit a couple of years ago."

She smirked as she brought the cancer stick to her lips and lit it. "Really now? I guess old dogs can learn new tricks after all." She took a long drag, blowing the smoke up toward the ceiling like a languid dragon. Finally she fixed her cat-like gaze on me once more. "So tell me what this is about."

I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms over my chest. "Some razorguys busted up into my place a couple nights ago. Me an' Sugar managed to take care of 'em, but they put up a hell of a fight. Afterward I got in touch with Jesus, and he was able to find out where one of them lived."

She nodded and grabbed a dirty glass off the counter to use as an ash tray. "And I assume Jesus set you up with this place?"

"Yeah. After we got settled here, we went over to the dead guy's place to have a look-see, and this is what we found." I fished an optical chip from my pocket and tossed it onto the table.

Diana took her personal secretary device out of her coat pocket and inserted the chip. A few moments later she gave a disgusted sigh. "Damn. I knew we shouldn't have trusted the bitch."

"Hold on now," I cautioned, "this doesn't necessarily mean she was behind it."

"Oh come on. It makes perfect sense with everything that's going on."

"Who are we talking about?" Blitz interjected.

Diana rolled her eyes. "Some skank Ms. Johnson we used to work for. You know what I say: don't trust them any farther than you can throw them." She shook the personal secretary. "This right here just proves it."

"Whoa, hold on a sec." I looked to Diana. "What do you mean, 'it makes perfect sense?'"

She frowned. "Haven't you heard? It's been plastered all over the news for the last week."

"What are you talking about?"

She sighed. "Come on. I'll show you." She stood and moved around to the den, snatching up the remote to flip through the channels on the trid.

As I watched her click through various twenty-four hour news programs, the bedroom door eased open and Sugar stepped through. She narrowed her eyes as she took in the scene, studying the new arrivals distrustfully—especially Diana. She furrowed her brow and bit her lip against one of her tusks but kept quiet.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Diana cut me off before I had the chance.

"Here it is. Look."

She dialed up the volume as the picture settled over the blonde anchorwoman on screen.

Her canned voice filtered over the speakers. "—Securities and Exchange Commission in conjunction with the Corporate Council last week announced the opening of an investigation of the Seattle-based corporation Ayanami Incorporated. As of yet no charges have been filed, but the company is suspected of industrial espionage and corrupt business practice, among other allegations. The corporation's CEO and owner, Rei Ayanami, is wanted for questioning as a 'person of interest' in the case, but since the announcement of the investigation, authorities have been unable to contact her. In other news—"

Diana hit the mute button and cut off the anchor mid-sentence. "Don't you see, Peaches? It makes perfect sense. That 'industrial espionage' drek was probably something we worked on. That's why she tried to geek you. She's trying to cover her tracks, get rid of witnesses."

"I can't believe it," I muttered softly, closing my eyes. "She wouldn't do that."

"Well believe it, Peaches. She's like all the others—just looking out for number one."

I felt Sugar's hand on my shoulder. "Diana's right. We've been set up, and you know it."

"Frag," I breathed quietly. "You're right, ok? Goddamn it, you're right." I clenched my fists, moving back into the kitchen as my mind reeled, desperately trying to figure out what to do next.

The others filtered into the kitchen behind me as I angrily pumped my cybernetic fist into the side of the refrigerator. I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe it. But there it was in front of me in black and white. It was the only thing that made sense. I had to believe it.

All eyes were on me as I turned back around. I looked at each one in turn, reading the empathy evident their eyes. Finally I sighed. "I'm going to need help on this one."

Diana gave me a tight lipped smile. "What do you need?"

"I need man power. Me and Sugar can't do this alone. We need to get some of the old group together. What's Santos doing these days?"

"He got sent up state for ten years."

"Junket and Shadow?"

She shook her head. "Dead. A Salish patrol nailed them on a border run."

"And Shaun?"

"The same. He caught a bullet in the forehead on a run a few months after you left."

"Don't tell me Holy Ghost bought it too."

She shook her head. "Nah. He got some cushy corporate gig—I don't know who with, though. He's been incommunicado for a while."

"Drek."

"Yeah, I know. You got out at a good time. Up until today, I was the only one of the old crew still operating."

Sugar gave her a look I couldn't quite read.

"Diana, you know I can't pay you, but—"

She forestalled any other comment with a wave of her hand. "Your money's no good to me. Anyway, this thing affects me too. Whatever job this investigation is about, odds are I was a part of it too. She'll probably be coming for me next."

"Can you think of anyone else that would help?"

She shrugged and nodded her head to Blitz.

I looked over to Blitz to see what he thought, and my heart leaped up into my throat. He held the Ruger Superwarhawk aloft, watching the way its surface gleamed in the kitchen's florescent light. He paused, looking around as he suddenly realized all eyes were on him.

"Oh, heh, sorry." He grinned sheepishly and laid the weapon back down on the table. "Um, yeah. Sounds like fun. Count me in."

"Good," Diana said with an air of satisfaction. "Now, how are we going to track this little slitch down?"

"Well, first we're going to see if all of this corporate bullshit is on the level."

"And how are we going to do that?"

I gave them a grim smile. "By going straight to the horse's mouth."