Chapter 29

The night rain beat a staccato rhythm against the diner window. Sitting at one of the restaurant's booths, I looked down at the untouched cut of soycaf on the table before me. I resisted the urge to reach up and scratch at the patches of synth-flesh on my face and neck, and instead kept my gaze down at the table. People were talking around me, but I was only peripherally aware of it. My mind was awash with other thoughts.

Suddenly a hand touched my knee under the table. I looked up at Sugar where she sat beside me. She nodded to the other side of the table.

"She's talking to you."

My gaze traveled across the booth to where Rei sat beside Blitz and Bullnose. Rei wore a dark jacket and jeans like she had been before, but her complexion was considerably healthier. Blitz, on the other hand, showed dark circles undr his eyes. Of the three of them, Bullnose looked the worst. His left arm was in a sling, and I knew that underneath his leather jacket there was enough bandaging around his ribs to choke a horse.

I reached out and picked the smoking cigarette from the ash tray, holding it to my lips. "Sorry. You were saying?"

"I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Thank you for everything—for all your sacrifices.

Blitz snorted derisively.

I couldn't disagree with him, but I didn't voice my sentiment. I just nodded mutely as Rei continued.

"Nothing I can do is going to totally make up for what happened to you and your friends, but this might come close."

She reached into her jacket pocket and took out of it a glossy black credstick. She set it on the table, where it glared up at me like a baleful phantom—staring like Jesus' dark eyes just before I put a bullet between them. This was never about money. I didn't want it. I didn't need it.

But I took it anyway. I reached out across the table palmed the credstick.

Rei nodded with satisfaction, but didn't smile. "Just think of it as a bonus for all of your hard work. I figure you've earned it."

I nodded again, not trusting my voice to say anything else.

I can't set you up with another place, but you can take care of yourself pretty well with those funds. With all the turmoil in the company, I'm not going to be able to do anything related to the shadows for quite some time."

"How are things on your end?" Sugar asked, making a pretense at polite conversation.

Rei shrugged. "Michelson's most ardent supporters died along with him that night in the park. His allies on the board have either jumped ship or fallen in line since then. The company is under my control again—for how long, I don't know, but it looks like the situation is in hand."

For a moment, we were all silent before Rei looked at me once more. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to do now? Are you going to find a place where you can settle down again?"

I took a long drag off the cigarette and blew the smoke up into the air, watching it spiral away and dissipate. "No," I said, glancing at Sugar, "I think we've decided against it. The shadows wanted me back, and now they have me. I don't think I can retire twice."

She nodded sagely. "Well, when things cool down on my end, maybe we can see about another job."

"Yeah, that'd be good," I said without emotion.

"Well, then I guess I should be going. I've got business to attend to." She stood up from the table and shoved her hands in her pockets. "Take care of yourself, Peaches." She held my gaze for just a moment longer before she looked around at the others. "The same goes for the rest of you, too. Watch your backs." With that, she turned and strode for the door, disappearing into a haze of falling rain and moving headlights.

For a moment we were all quiet again. The waitress came by and made the pretense of filling up my coffee cup, even though I'd hardly touched it. After she left, Bullnose finally broke the silence.

"Viridian sends his regards. I didn't want to say anything with her around, but he wasn't very pleased with the outcome that night. What we scavenged wasn't enough to make up for what we lost. Some good people got flatlined, and someone managed to trash two really nice bikes." He gave me a pointed look at the last bit.

"I'll make it up to him," I said, tapping the credstick against the table. "I owe your people more than I can repay. If we didn't have you there for backup, I know things would have turned out differently."

"Any help would be appreciated."

"Yeah, speaking of help… you know, with Diana gone—" The painful thought threatened to choke me, but I plugged on anyway. "With her gone, we're going to have to fill up a spot on the team. You handled yourself pretty well in the park. I was hoping maybe you'd come on with us full time."

The ganger worked his mouth as he thought it over. "Tempting. I'll have to give it some skull sweat. It'd be hard to walk away from the Razors. I've got duties there."

I gave him a smirk. "Is sitting on the steps an official gang duty now?"

He returned the smile as he twisted out of his seat—a feat made more difficult with only one arm. He finally stood and draped his jacket over his shoulders. "I gotta head out now, but I'll give you my answer in a couple of days."

"Good enough. Take care of yourself, chummer."

"Wait up," said Blitz, halting Bullnose in his tracks.

"Are you leaving, too?" I asked.

"Yeah. I know we saved the day and all that drek, but it doesn't feel like we won anything. I'm gonna go home and crash."

I knew self-medication would be involved, but I didn't say anything. Instead, I nodded like I understood. "Okay. I'll forward your share of the money after I get it deposited. You be careful, you hear me?"

He flashed me a half-hearted smile. "You know me, P. I'll be okay."

"Alright. See you later, omae."

The two young men headed for the door, talking about sharing a cab on their way home. As the door opened, the pattering rain drowned out anything else they were saying. Soon enough they were gone, leaving Sugar and me to ourselves. I brought the cigarette up to my lips again, staring out the window.

"Peaches?"

I looked over at Sugar where she sat, gazing up at me with doleful eyes.

"Lose the cig. It's not helping anything."

For a moment I just looked at her—gazing down at the understanding expression on her face. Then I took the cigarette from my mouth and mashed it into the ash tray.

The glowing end died—just as so many lives had been snuffed out over the past week. Diana was gone. Jesus was dead, and so were Michelson and Blondie. But that was the way of the 'plex. If you weren't smart enough to get out of the way or tough enough to stand up to the punishment, it would run you over like a steam roller.

But despite all of that, I was alive. Looking back on it, I couldn't exactly tell how I'd done it, but there I was, still living—still breathing. I'd lost a good friend in the process, but I survived.

A sorrowful ache began to well up in my chest at the thought of it, but then I felt Sugar's hand fold around mine, letting me know that she was there—that she understood.

And somehow, that was enough.

I squeezed her hand and turned back toward the window, watching as rivulets of rain water cascaded down the glass. Somewhere out in the concrete jungle, a siren howled.

The End