"Mr. Beckenbauer, I've heard you have a job you wanted to discuss." I speak to Samuel and he immediately pulls me inside the building he was always perching in front of. Warm insides of the shelter, judging from smells and sounds from behind the wall, are nice bonus during talk. I'll gotta walk around and find myself some sleeves. Making a gunshow in the brink of winter isn't too smart, especially since apparently there's no audience to stare at my tattooed arms. Maybe just german girls don't like it. On second thought I haven't been around any since coming here...
I need a day off and a good bar.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice Mr. Rai. It is...delicate." Samuel winces, grounding me back on "What do you know about Humanis Policlub?"
"Anti-metahumans hate club for aryan boys with limp dicks. Just like every other neo-nazi movement that should be buried in clogged shitter." I spill out honestly, never holding back against drugs, nazis and country music.
Seeing tiny smile forming on Samuel's face, I must've hit a similar chord with the man.
"Well, they are the best funded and organised group of such...There is a threat coming from them."
"What happened?"
"The Berlin's chapter of Humanis has acquired extremely hazardous chemical compound. Their leader is named Volker Stahl and with all of his ideological zeal he is a charismatic man, manipulating followers into blind obedience. I need you to track down the shipment to Humanis' base and destroy both."
"That's a tall order honestly...I'm not saying no, merely stating this ain't some easy snatch and grab. This can turn into all out gunfight."
"I am aware that this is...Not standard even for a shadowrunner but please. I cannot trust this anyone else and without your intervention entire Krezubasar and more will suffer. Humanis has one thing very in common with all 'purists' - if you're not one of them, you're one of the enemies. Orc, human, troll...They will poison us all just because they think it's justfied."
I take a deep breath, feeling like this will never end. One threat on top of another, chased by third...
"Alright...But you do know that shadowrunners do not work for free. I have bouts of altruism but my team, not as much."
"I am aware and scraped the bottom of the barrel as the saying goes...We've scrounged up twenty two thousand nuyen to pay you, Mr. Rai."
Wow. That's quite the bank, especially since they were happy with every buck given...Oh who am I kidding I would've helped them even for free. Berlin nazis...I hate Berlin nazis.
"Alright, we'll take care of it, Mr. Beckenbauer." I've spoken shaking his hand.
"I am relieved to hear that...Get to Schattennest through U-Bahn and meet with Maxim, an elven smuggler I've arranged to get you to the Humanis' hideout. Everything is already paid, do not worry about that."
"I'll see you at dawn then. Probably." Leaving back into frosty night I wonder how will the group react to that. Glory seemed to like doing good things more than others, maybe she'll be content with that job? Would love to see her smile. Wonder how she looks like back then...
"Guys! Pucker up, we got a job!" I call stepping into the safehouse. Unlike Monika's gentle calling everyone individually, I just scream until people come over to see what's the fuss is all about.
"What is..." Eiger stopped to let out an impressive yawn. Seeing full set of sharp, filed teeth made me think of scary and maybe little kinky things she might be doing with them. "What's the job?"
"Hunting Humanis Policlub bastards before they'll unleash their own new version of holocaust upon Krezubasar. Anyone's against eradication of nazi pests? No takers, then let's get ready. We're moving in thirty minutes, it'll be a long night and I think It'll get ugly." I end the short meeting,
"Rai? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Dietrich pulls me to the side. "We're hitting Humanis chapter in Berlin?"
"Yup."
"We gonna have to watch our fire. Really watch it."
"Why?"
"I uh...I've found recently that my nephew, Alexander, joined them. He's a good kid, unlike his father, though a little dumb and naive." Dietrich grimaced, uncomfortable with confessions and liabilities "I don't want him to end up dead now or during some pointless skirmish. Kid's just dumb, he's not a material for a supremacist."
"Think you'll recognize him?"
"Easily. He's a bloke just like his father. Especially among faggy blondes, a slab with red hair will stand out eh?"
"Alright...Fuck, why everything has to complicate even more?" I ask but Shaman has no clear answer to that, offering only a shrug and sheepish smile. "Load up as much as you can. And honestly, put on some armor D. This won't be just a streetfight."
"I know...Dragonslayer won't be happy but I think I'll take a vest on this one." Shaman sulked and went about his locker.
Thirty minutes later I've checked over gear of everyone, being as pedantic pain in the ass about it as Eiger, probably surprisng her with me ribbing Dietrich for putting bulletproof vest wrong and adjusting it for him. Eiger snarled when I pointed out how much guns and ammo she was carrying. Unhappy, she unstrapped pistol holster, going only with sniper rifle and shotgun.
Moving my stare to Glory, I had to force myself to be objective as she stood in front of me with that cut down vest, loose cargo pants and heavy boots. I've opened mouth to ask her for the sake of it to put on some armor over what little body she had left but one look into her dead eyes and I've shot up.
Don't poke the bear Rai. You do it too often lately with too many bears...
Blitz caught some fire from me too for taking full backpack of bullshit and too little ammo for his SMG.
"Put the fucking candy bar in your mouth and stop complaining. You're a shadowrunner now, not a gangster nor a kid anymore. This is for real Blitz." I've half-snapped at him. Finally we've managed to cart out into U-Bahn and get into wagon.
Riding in relative silence, I felt elbow bumping me.
"How long did you served?" Eiger asked, making me sigh. I knew it, one secret gets spilled and soon all will follow...Oh to hell with it.
"Five years. Full contract with honorable discharge." I've replied, knowing Eiger suspected something but not that. If she'll prod further, her loss.
"They way you carry gear harness and easily fight wearing hood...Smoke, low light and close quarters aren't problem to you. English army trains like that but you're an American." Sniper continued, just as I expected.
"Aye, I am for the last ten years or so..." I reply in full blown accent, though not so saucy as I wanted. "Royal Marines. Color Sargeant. Could've made a leftenant if I'd stayed."
Eiger nodds a few times and turns away. Yeah, think on that Eiger, maybe mind your tongue a bit more, KSK supersoldier...
Finally, we've left Kreuzberg and approached barricade marking fringes of Shattennest.
"Boss...I appreciate you agreed to be careful on this one." Dietrich spoken up once we begun climbing up onto street.
"Don't mention it, D. Family is a an important thing."
"Family? What's this all about?" Eiger's ears perk up and with those pointy troll ears she can make a show.
"Among Humanis can be a tall, broad ginger with little smarts on his face. That's Alexander, D's relative. We cannot allow him to get hurt. Clear?" I ask rethorically.
"Why your relative joined Humanis, Dietrich?" Glory asked, some emotions had to be boiling in her as she grabbed Dietrich's arm.
"He's young idiot raised by a bastard of a father who decided to cut expenses and send the kid away from home. Humanis feeds and gives a squat...Not like my brother cares that Humanis are fascist schweinen." Shaman replies and Glory lets him go.
"...We'll get him out, Dietrich." Glory assures, making me glance again at her unmoved face. Yeah, she wears that mask but since I've talked to her the first time and begun prying, ever so often a spark of life flashes in her eyes.
"Let's get to that smuggler and get started...This place feels colder than Kreuzbasar." I make everyone pick up the pace towards the barricade.
"Maybe if you'll put on more clothes you'll be warmer." Eiger snarks at me from inside of fortress of plated leathers.
"You like what you see Eiger?" I tease before reason would make me bite my tongue.
"Like what, Rai?" Icy cold reply from troll escapes my attention when I saw twitch of Glory's eyebrow. At least I thought I've seen one...Probably not. Wishful thinking at best.
Seeing stall of a food vendor makes my stomach grumble. Riiight, all I've had was a coffee today. Or tonight to be precise...Ignoring Eiger's stare boring into me I got quickly joined by Dietrich and Blitz. Wolfing down cup of hot soup and sandwich that both tasted surpsingly good, I've managed to charm my way into graces of motherly-looking seller who seemed worried about 'bad people' that inhabitated the kiez behind the barricades.
Even among older people there was some kind innocence. Germany sure as hell was different from America...
"Hey hey! Where do you think you're going, beanpole?" Dwarf guardsman stops me at the barricade. "You don't wanna go there...It's a dangerous place for a pack of tourists like you."
"I got business on the other side...would you like to stop me?" I ask, adjusting grip on the sling of my Semopal AR. Before that short prick would pull up his sawn-off shotgun I will be able to bash him in the face with the buttstock.
"Guns and guts...Shadowrunners, eh?" Dwarf gives a one over to me and the rest. "Sergei! Let them pass!" Dwarf calls to older orc holding vintage hunting rifle "They're no tourists."
Sergei grunts and lifts up part of the barricade, giving us a path.
"We don't mess with people, we keep filth from walking in or out from the kiez. You want to go there, Shadowrunner? Your funeral." Dwarf says as goodbye.
"Been there, done that. Have a good evening gents." I reply and stride past. Luckily, at the next junction I see shorter elf with caravan of beat up vans. "Maxim?"
"Yeah, that's me. You must be this muscle Tuck promised to send...Look here everyone, smooth rookies graced us with their presence!" Maxim calls back ot the vans, heads of two elven guards and an orc peering from the windows. "Enough of talking, get in the van and let's get this thing rolling, we're already late waiting for you."
Packing into middle van along with Maxim was a bit tricky to fit us all but finally we've managed to squeeze in an caravan begun to ride. I was about to doze off when the van rattled, stopping forcefully.
"Oh fuck..." Maxim snarled, his face pressed against side window. "We're fucked...Pile out and get those guns ready. We gonna need a lot of firepower and muscle if this'll go south." elf orders so we jump out onto snowy highway to see crude barricade and few ragged people aiming low-grade black market guns on us. Gangers. Oh shit.
Tired-faced woman with wild hair and mirthless grin of remorseless sociopath barks out orders in few words and soon I see the amount of gangers doubled while my sense of inner nerd detect whirl of automatic turrets going online.
Can I have some hot sauce to that plate of shit?
"You've entered Rammbock territory!" The woman calls towards us "For entering our grounds there's a fee I recommend paying..."
"This kiez belongs to Surfturf and we're under their paid protection." Maxim retorts also trying to hide resting hand on cut in his coat, probably to reach for his gun. "Let us pass and word about you won't reach them from me. You have my word!"
"Surfturf?! Hah! These tunnel rats are nothing but dead meat...We've buried them last week!" Rammbock's Boss replies and laughs maniacally. Uh-oh, time to bail or fight. And we cannot bail...
"Be ready to smoke'em..." Maxim snarls at me but I decide to not risk it needlessly. Plenty of opportunities to get killed later.
"Oi! Let's talk it out!" I purposely butcher words with english accent. Apparently germans like to negotiate more with foreigners than killing them. "Nobody needs to fight or die here right?"
"Smart move pal...See? Your muscle is smarter than you are." Ganger laughed at Maxim.
"What are you-"
"I got this..." I silence Maxim through clenched teeth. "Let's be resonable here...How about, we'll pay you 750 nuyen to cross both times and do little renegotiating while at it. Sounds good yeah?"
"You know...You're quite charming boy. But not charming enough. Full price or your heads will roll!"
I sigh theatrically and slump my shoulders. Bull-shitsu don't leave me hanging now...
"I really don't like doing this but...I think you don't know who I am."
"Pffft, good luck with that one chummer."
"...As I was saying." I continue, pulling my hood down. "I am an associate to Edgar Friendly...Oh you don't know who Edgar Friendly is aren't you? Well that complicates things..."
I see posture of the woman tensing but that one glint of hesitation in her eye makes me sure the fish was already taking the bait.
"Edgar Friendly is a very powerful man and he sent me to make sure that caravan will reach its destination. I have tried to reason with you lot but we're on tight schedule here. Now we can have a gunfight, maybe you'll even win but consider options...Option A: We fight, you die and we go about our merry way. B: We fight, you kill us and take our shipment and Mr. Frinedly will send his men to kill you, your families and even fuck up the cat sleeping on your front doors. Option C: You lay off, we go and nobody loses lives or money. Which sounds best? I count to five..."
"This is some-"
"One."
"Hey wait a sec-"
"Two."
"We're gonna kill-"
"Three."
"Everyone-"
"Five!" I scream while pulling sling up and firing from the hip, shredding the woman across the torso. With all that talk she didn't realized I was coming closer and closer...
Before rest of the gangers realized what to do, I've shouldered the rifle and emptied the mag at that entcing drum barrel standing next to generator they had at the bank of the road. Ducking behind the wreck of the car Gangers used as barricade, I've heard an explosion and sad buzz of turrets running out of juice. Amateurs, storing gasoline next to generator and both out in the open...
Taking second to glance at my guys I've realized it wasn't all too perfect way out as half of dozen orcs begun emerging from other side of the highway, locking us in vices. Catching sight of Eiger and her stare for split second, I've motioned universally towards her to engage those backstabbers. She nodded, lining up a shot and firing from sniper rifle. That crash of a thunder alone stopped both sides in their tracks, hearing mil-spec weapon all of a sudden.
Enough for Eiger to reload and aim again while I pulled out and threw a grenade to the weakened front guard. Loud bang later I've peered from the side and landed a shot at mage preparing a spell before burst of bullets chipped off the rust from the wreck, blinding me.
Screaming curses and wiping teary eyes I was out for few seconds, luckily got together just in time to fire point blank at the dreadlocked head of a junkie trying to run up and finish me off, probably to get all my fancy gear for himself. Battle rifle ammo packs enough kick to throw scrawny ganger few feet away and blind me again with blood from his exploding cranium.
Nobody expects that I know smart words like cranium. I do.
"Boss!" Dietrich calls to me just as I've managed to get my eyesight back, though little blurry. I've looked into his direction and see him pointing at the othe side of the highway, another two gangers running towards us, but one carrying a large tube...
How the hell these idiots got a Panzerfaust?!
Before I could line up a shot, or anyone else could react at the threat of thermobaric rocket, black and white smudge rammed into them. Painful cry drowning swish of razorsharp blades, mixing with echo of large caliber gun meant Glory made an entrance.
"Clear!" She called in sudden silence, unbothered as she waved her left arm, cleaning hydrophobic-layered blades from blood and retracting them. She didn't looted anything, just turned around and walked back to us.
I've seen one of the elves from the caravan ogling Glory but now he seemed to change his mind. Good riddance, pal.
"Well that was...Well that was rough." Maxim sighed, wiping his face with a handkerchief. "You really planned all that?"
"Sure. You thought we were some rookies huh? Guess there's another reason why we're smooth..."
"Alright, I get it. You guys ain't no slouch. I mean it." Maxim nodded to me "None of my guys got even grazed you've taken 'em down so fast."
"That's what we've been paid for. Shall we?"
"Right...Load up! We're on the clock!"
Finally arriving at some dilapidated compound, hugging maze of post-industrial hangars, Maxim calls end of the ride. My guys were sitting silently, guns still in their hands and bodies ready to spring into another gunfight.
We deploy and scan the are constantly, this eerie silence and not a single gurdsman putting me on edge. Maxim's boys quickly unload the shipment of crates. One of them being poorly locked so I've managed to see containers full fo liquid with biohazard stamp on the plastic.
We were not tracking but going with one of the shipments. Beckenbauer you crafty bastard...
I've caught stare from Dietrich and motion him to stay down. Maxim is just a smuggler, elf would not join into anti-metahuman purge.
"Strange...no welcome party as if they thought we won't get through Rammbock..." Maxim utters to me, nervous when not seen by his men.
"Yeah, case begins to stink."
"What do you think we should do?"
"Stay here. My men will go in and have a talk with these guys..." I reply and waved my guys to come closer. "Sit tight and don't move. Better keep guns at ready."
"What?! Man are you nuts?! This is *Humanis*! They're gonna skin that troll of yours alive!" Maxim lost his shit for a moment, before I'll caught him by the coat and gave a healthy shake.
"Only one getting skinned here will be you if won't stay here and wait for us until we come back. Because if you'll bail on us, I'll make sure everyone will know that you and your crew was smuggling chemicals to anti-human group of assholes! Think of the welcome you'll get from anyone not too fond of racial purges..."
Maxim went limp in my grasp, making Eiger chuckle lightly. Flash-thought crossed my mind, some punk trying to skin seven-feet tall, muscular KSK sniper. Riiight, good luck with that.
"You're not a muscle, aren't you? You're a shadowrunner..." Maxim finally whispers to me.
"Aye, something like that. Now be a good boy, pull your balls out of the pocket and keep your guys safe and sound while we'll be busy killing off Humanis aiming to poison all of you. " I snarled at him then swirl my finger, motioning team to get ready and follow me towards the compund.
Sweet jeysus on riverboat, I hate fresh snow. All that creaking sound under my boots was making me antsy as we crept up towards the doors.
Opening it without a gasmask on wasn't the smartest idea. The place stank like an old locker room where teenagers hitting puberty left their dirty clothes in. It was worse than my school's dining hall and that says a lot, trust me. Dark, dilapidated and riddled with poorly-written and often misspelled slogans against non-humans.
"Seriously? 'Deth to all meta-humen?' How a bunch of retards like that can get so influential?" I asked in whisper, contemplating the graffitti.
"Ask politicians, they manage it for hundreds of years." Dietrich replies with a crooked grin.
"Or generals." Eiger's two coppers made me expect for Glory to jump into the whispered roasting but the Silent Chrome Lady lived up to her name once again.
Moving onto the crossing of corridors I spot a tiny reflection in the dark corner just below the ceiling and make a suicidal move of grabbing Glory who was moving past me and pulling her back, effectively hugging her.
"Camera!" I whisper before she'd shred me for the transgression. I've already let her go so she only nods shortly and moves back, giving me wide berth. Alright, time to stop playing and start decking. Powering up my console, I quickly caught the frequency of the camera and recorded about fifteen seconds of static, dark corridor then uploaded it with a virus. "Clear for now, but let's be quick."
We sneak across and enter sleeping barracks. So that's where the fishy smell was coming from...
Footlockers were code-locked. Were. Nothing exciting but extra money is extra money, some medicine pills, valuable steroid drugs...I do not even touch porn magazines that were, oh irony, metahuman ones with buxom elven girl on the cover. Shame on you and shame on your purity, numbskulls of Humanis! This is a prime example what you deprave yourself of.
Done with liberating goods from the lockers, we crept back onto the corridor and take only other accessible route, one of the doors blocked by a barricade of scrap and litter.
Right there were impressive doors with a sprayed, crooked sign 'ARMORY'. Now that I'd loot like...Oh, a digital lock that wanted a password. Knew it would be too peachy. Moving on I remembered to look out for any indication of said password. Entering empty and yet stinking kitchen, I've found a hand-written note. Something of a praise to recruit who apparently liked to torment elves one way or another.
Hearing an agry huff from above my shoulder, I've noticed that Glory was reading too. Her reaction gave me a pause, elves must've been a sensitive spot for her. Interesting...
Opening another doors I've almost had a heart attack when staring two inches afar into automatic turret. Happy I did not made a sound nor stained my paints, I've motioned to others to look around while I poked at the device. Mhm, older model and pretty beat up but still two machineguns were loaded for bear and I have happened to have a cracking program for these old turrets.
Long story short, the moment the gun will go online, me and my guys were to be only friends in here.
Striding into 'brainwash room' was exhilirating. Terminals were barely locked and contained numerous intel. Humanis' safehouses with adresses and passwords to enter, even generous donors to the cause who will be very upset when this list would hit the Net. And it will because I'm giving it to these Shocken-something people who requested it. Scrolling down the list of recruits I've came across a name: Alexander Farber.
"D? That cousin of yours, what's his last name?" I ask the shaman.
"Farber. He uses mother's name I think."
"I got him, he should be here. New arrival, maybe they did not managed to turn his brain into jelly. Let's hustle and get this den cleared. Eiger! Shotgun at ready!"
We move to the 'office' as the label says. One of the notes left in the 'brainwash room' said about the password to the office. PRIDE. What a bunch of schmucks. Deciding to play it rough, I've kicked the unlocked doors open, Eiger rushing in right with me with shotgun in hands. God help any purist getting in her line of shot.
Right as we enter, man in worn out, surplus military jacket barges in from th other side. accompanied by, how original, two women that looked way too surprised to be a proper bodyguards. Rather *bedguards*. Still, guns been drawn and eyes were staring at me with false hate given by ideology.
"Lower your guns, girls. That is not a way to treat visitors." The man motions and women obey. Oh, we have a cult of personality in here. Where's the signature moustache to complete the image? "Why are you here?"
"Me? I'm from pest control." I reply with a shit-eating grin but not lowering my gun one bit. "We've been called because there's a massive infestation of neo-nazi punks trying to play God and mother nature at once...I'm shutting your little circus down, Adolf."
"There is no shortage of courage yet very little intellect from you, threatning me in my own compound." The man continues, making me realize I was talking to Volker Stahl himself, the big time leader of entire Berlin chapter of Humanis.
"Who dares wins, mate." I retorted. "Got yourself a nice series of shipments lately. Planing something big, Volker?"
Against common sense, Stahl's face lights up and his eyes twinkle like sprakles when be start his tyrade. "It will be *glorious*. The gas from these cannisters will be distributed and used to purge Berlin from that scum and filth walking among us! Us, the real and pure humans who owns this world! Not these fucking orcs, not trolls who can't even speak properly...not dandelion-eating motherfuckers feeling suddenly so powerful because they're immortal. We will make them tear each other apart and then hunt the stragglers down. Every single one of them will be crucified!"
"Woah, we have a badass over here! Look at you Stahl, you gonna mix God and holy war into this too?" Speaking, I felt rising pleasure at the thought of ending this man. It'll be like stomping a giant cockroach. "You're pathetic Stahl, but most of all, you've offended my friend right here. In case your chickenshit brain didn't noticed, she's a troll. And between human like you and troll like her? You're on the receiving end of my gun."
"Oh? You'll try shooting me while *surrounded* by my people?!" Stahl's grin make my insides churn. Oh for the love of-Oldest trick of a villain, isn't it? Before I could try to come up with any plan, two soldiers aiming at us move past and join Stahl in front of us.
I want to laugh now, Humanis should invest more into training than ideology.
"Alexander!" Dietrich growls at the closer, athletic man who slouches a bit. Hearing his name, Farber turnes to us fully, showing short, copperish hair.
"...Uncle Dietrich?!" Alexander's baby face pales as he squeaks out.
"Shoot him, Alexander. That man is an enemy. You see that filth they brought with them? They are collaborators against our cause." Stahl's voice in unshakened again.
"Says a man who wants to release toxin and make people kill each other!" Diretrich snaps at Volker. "He told you about the plan, Alexander? That Humanis want to kill people, humans too, only because they happened to live in the same neighbourhood as elves or orcs? Think about your mother, she will be gassed too because across the street that old orc veteran lived. You remember him? The old Franz Folke?"
"I-I..."
"Alexander you've sworn an oath! You will be a man and will obey my orders!" Stahl loses it, seeing recruit having second thoughts in front of others.
"Alexander, you don't have to trust me or Stahl. But you know Dietrich, you can trust your family more than a man ordering you to kill without remorse or thought, yeah?" I've tried to reason, knowing that Alex was on a brink.
"Is it, Uncle? Where were you when dad beaten me? Where were you when I was kicked out onto street?!" Kid suddenly snaps. Oh shit, D. Things are getting messy...
"Your shit-stain of a father did not told me a thing! He knew that I'd come and take you away from there!" Dietrich steps a bit closer, "By the time I've finally heard what happened, you were already gone. That is why I'm here now! To get you away from people like your father or like Stahl. No more anyone telling you how to live your life."
"How can you listen to a traitor?!" Stahl went hysterical "He collaborates with *them*! You can't trust *them*!"
"It's up to you kid. No more hand holding. Pick a side your heart tells you to and face the consequences." Saying it I was close to praying that this tough love approach would do any good.
"I-I'm sorry..." Alexander looked down, making my heart sink but then he suddenly turned and pulled the rifle up, emptying the mag right onto Volker and one of his guards!
Hell broken loose in the confines of the office. My vision got blurry from the shockwave of noise when Eiger blasted from the shotgun right next to me. Discombobulated, I've noticed a moving blur colored the same as Volker's jacket - unique to all humanis wearing dark uniforms. Against all common sense and challenging Murphy's Law, I've broken into sprint after that bastard, not thinking or feeling anything beyond *need* to erase that man from the land of living.
I've got him when he was trying to put the keycard into slot on the wall, later I realized it had to be some secret escape doors. But then, I've just rammed into him with the buttstock of my rifle, hitting him right into spine. He cried but did not went down, swatting the gun off my hands. Still shellshocked, Semopal slipped from my grip the same moment Stahl pulled out a knife. Instrincts kicked in and I've dove into him, blocking his arm with my back while digging fist under his ribs. Old man wasn't letting up, dropping the knife into other hand but I've straightened, feeling back of my head hitting Volker's chin and snapping his big mouth shut with a sound of crushing teeth. Best music of my life, I admit it. Grabbing his armed hand by the wrist, I've given him a short knee kick to the sternum then added a proper headbutt. He howled from pain but still, he managed to punch me square in the jaw then freed the other hand and made a wide slice. His eyes bulged when the blade slid against ceramic plates of the vest under my hoodie.
"Yeah..." I've only commented while ripping the serrated combat knife from his hand and then plunging it right under his chin. Almost a foot long, carbon steel made sure that Volker Stahl and his brain were done forever. It was a short-lived triumph because a sudden kick of shotgun pellets to the back pushed me against the wall.
It become something of a custom I think, with me being downed by a shotgun, to hear springing sound of metal claws and drowned cry of someone being sliced. Forceful pull got me back on my feet and I've faced my saviour, ivory skinned guardian angel with dead eyes.
Luckily I wasn't so fuzzy anymore and went straight to business, picking up my rifle and vaulting over the overturned desk, heel kicking one of the numerous Humanis' soldier still standing. Firing a long burst, I've forced the others to retreat around the corner, giving us a breather. Hugging the side of the doors I've glanced at my guys.
"Volker's dead! How are we looking?!" I yelled, hoping both parties will hear that.
"Surrounded but better than worse!" Eiger's voice booms across the small room. "That turret shredded solid dozen before they took it down!"
I love it when a turret comes together...Or something like that.
"We can't get pinched, come on!" I order and run into the corridor, narrowly dodging a stray shot and landing in the side entrance of the 'brainwash room'. Throwing a flashbang into the open hall where turret was, I've given my guys a moment to follow.
"I can feel...Rai, I need cover!" Dietrich snaps and then runs directly into the hall. Hoping he knows what he's doing, I empty entire mag of my rifle hoping it'll keep whatever Humanis left alive in there down.
"Now you will burn, schweinen!" Dietrich's roar made me glance at him and honestly, I had my mouth open. Old shaman's eyes were *glowing* and mana in his hands was boiling like molten metal. Throwing two handfuls of energy across the hall, it was like two lightning bolts hitting. The fanatics stood no chance, millions of volts racing through them.
"D, you okay?"
"Of course I am!" Shaman made one step to the side and lost all of his divine glow. "Lay-line, Rai. They had a lay-line in their base and did not knew it."
"That's some good stuff here, man." Blitz spoken for the first time since we left the safehouse. His eyes were huge like hamster's and his hands were little shaking while holding his pimped out SMG with small golden chain attached to it.
"Alexander? You alright?" Dietrich asked walking up to us. The kid was green on his face and had a bloodied tear on his shoulder but kept holding the AK97 and not looking like dropping it.
"Y-Yes, Uncle."
"Let's get out of this dump." I've proposed and as a group we've left without further adventures. At least until the reinfocrements showed up at the parking.
"I'm almost out! We need a plan!" Eiger grunted, hiding behind a crate once again. These idiots were just shooting out all they had. We could try wait it out but our cover wouldn't survive much longer.
"I could use ideas!" I retort, throwing my last frag. Right on cue I hear strange, gurgling sound like a giant sink uncorked. Looking to the side I saw Dietrich, his eyes rolled to the back of his skull and mouth chanting something wordlessly. When a wet breeze passed me by, I've grinned.
Water elemental must've been somwhere nearby and Dietrich once again called up a spirit to help us. I'll skip any puns and jokes about washing, just gonna say that the spirit did its job and taken down three more men before the binding magic cracked and banished the elemental.
Two remaining purists got capped by Maxim and his crew, smuggler finding some courage and helped at last.
"Well then, consider yourself absolved, Maxim." I gave the elf a pat. "Let's get outta here."
We packed into the truck and rode away right after I've left the entire shipment of the toxin doused in gasoline and with long-fused grenade without a pin.
"Heard that, Alex?" I've asked the kid once the muffled explosion went off. "That's the sound of another day in the life you've given God only knows to how many people."
"You did good..." Dietrich chimed in quickly. "And you're got nerves, kept fighting out there and I can tell you, that was one hairy gunfight."
Alexander smiled weakly and then casted glance down. The rest of the ride went away in silence.
Seeing Dietrich and his nephew being emotional, that warmed my heart. Stepping onto U-bahn station back in Krezubasar, I've felt good, little warm inside but then a sudden chill gripped my arm-
"You done something important out there." Glory spoken to me, as always scanning me eye-to-eye at the same time.
"I know what it's like to lose family. Alexander's a good lad, he still can come around on his own." I try to shrug it off, not thinking about neither own loss or the another interaction with Glory.
"...But you also defended Eiger."
At that I raised my eyebrow. Eiger would rather die than need defense, from me out of all people...
"But I-"
"You've said you'd take troll friend like her over a human like Volker." She formed a tiny smile. "You didn't hesitated when calling her a friend, even though you two don't like each other."
"I respect her and I think that to some extent she respects me." I replied "We just have very little in common and we're stubborn...But yeah, she is a friend to me. So are you and Dietrich."
"And Monika?" Her question caught me unguarded, making my breath hitch and choke me. "You miss her." She more stated than asked.
"Yeah, like every good person I've lost...I can only strive that she'll be the last that I'll have to let go of."
"That's more than most do, Rai. Most only talk and dream." Chrome-laden lady let go of me and walked away, leaving me with cryptic answers and troubled questions. Before I could get my collective shit together a shadow from behind casted down on me and I heard whisper in my ear.
"I still don't like you...But you are not so useless afterall." Eiger given me her way of appraisal and hulked away, up the stairs and onto the street.
"Rai...?"
Oh for God's sake, can't anyone deal with anything around here without me?!
Whining only internally, I've approached Dietrich and Alexander. "What's up?"
"We've been talking and-"
"I want to make amends." Alex breaks in. "I've signed up with Humanis and almost caused something that I would neve forgive myself...I want to make it right."
Seeing silent plea for help in Dietrich's eyes I try to figure out something.
"Okay kid, I have an option for you but it'll be little extreme."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm a friend to Samuel Beckenbauer, an orc who not only helped us with stopping Humanis but mainly he runs a shelter for people of all races. You want to see the other side? How really it looks to live in Berlin for elves, orcs and trolls? It's not like these pamphlets Stahl was giving out. They'll tell you this and you'll see for yourself."
"I-Yes, I'd like to help." Alexander nodded. "But I...if i'll tell anyone I was with Humanis-"
"I'll get it right. Come with me, it's close." I wave and we go up onto slightly snowy street of Krezubasar. Few steps away stands Samuel, as always busy on the phone. Seeing me he hungs up and awaits in silence. "Good evening Samuel, I have good news and great news."
"Mr. Rai, I understand that-"
"Mhm, The Humanis' plot to poison the city have been thwarted. That is the good news. I even got a list of their safehouses and plan of operation. Take it, warn other districts if you can to look out for any trouble." I've handed him a memory stick with Volker's 'final solution'.
"That is...Oh I can't even say what a relief it is for me to hear it!" Samuel grabs my hand and shakes eagerly. "You, my friend, is a proof that there is hope for all of us to live together no matter metahuman or not."
"On the more grim note, Volker is no more. I've made sure of that personally."
"Volker Stahl?! He was the butcher responsible for kidnapping and torture of our people! As much as I detest any violence and especially killing...This one man will not be someone I'll miss." Beckenbauer sighed and adjusted his glasses. "But moving on from this nightmrish subject...who's your friend, Rai?"
"That is Alexander and he is the great news I've mentioned." I've tried to give him some courage by putting hand on his shoulder. "This young man was tricked into joining Humanis but when he saw what this was about, when he heard Volker Stahl's ranting nonsense...He made a decision and stood next to me and my friends against atrocity Humanis wanted to commit."
Samuel stared at us for a long moment, unsure how to react.
"Alex wants to make it right, clear his conscience. I would take it as a personal favour if you could find him a spot somwhere in your shelter. He wants to help, let him."
Beckenbauer takin his glasses off and cleared them, to buy a second for thinking probably.
"Well this is tricky as for one word about Humanis-"
"None of that. Samuel, I'll show you what I had in mind." I roll the dice on this and pull both men into the shelter. The hall is always busy apparently, some people reading, orc and a human trying to fix an old holo-table for ping-pong, nobody idles one way or another.
"Rai!" Familiar chirp welcomes me when Silke puts down the book and saunters towards me. Giving me a tight hug, she beams, looking already far better than the last time I've seen her.
"Silke, doing better I see?"
"Mhm, the withdrawal kicks hard but the doctor told me that if I'll stay clean for a month, I'll get my health back completely! With the cookbook you got back from me, I've found my place here. They all already joke about it, Chef Silke and all that." The girl chatters and truthfully, the grey skin and tusks are invisible then. She's just a young girl happy to be alive and she could be a dragon for all I care, it wouldn't change anything.
"See Samuel? You're doing a great job by allowing people to turn their life around in here." I play Beckenbauer and then turn to Alexander "Alex, I'd like you to meet Silke. She's been in a tough spot but I've brought her here and look, ain't she happy?"
"Once I've realised cooking and hearing how people praise it is better than any cram high ever, it's the best I've felt in years." Silke agrees. She still has bags under eyes and looks little too thin but damned if not looking content. "What about you Alex? You look little green so Nitro, huh? Nasty shit."
"Oh no, Alex made some bad friends and fell in with a bad crowd. We've got him out and he wants to make it up to people." I clarify.
"Yeah...I uh..." Alexander hesitates but then visibly mans up, ready to face the consequences. "I've signed up with Humanis but this shit is not what I thought it was."
"Humanis...oh, Oh!" Silke opened her mouth. "You were with *them*?"
"You know, that's exactly what people in there said about metahumans. *Them*." Alexander snapped, raising his voice. "Thing is I don't see the difference. Maybe I'm fucking blind but I'll never segregate anyone because one has horns and other does not." He looked around seeing people observing young stranger. "Yeah, if you hadn't heard I'll say it out loud. I've just walked away from Humanis Policlub compound. I've walked in there weeks ago as a recruit and two hours ago I've walked out as my own man. I'm not up for hurting people who never wronged me, people I don't know. I was supposed to hate all of you because somebody told me so. I was given a choice and I've chosen not to hate. Now if you see me as a monster and a terrorist already? Then I'm out because it's no diffrent than Humanis in here...I came here because I want to help, for you and myself."
Silence fallen and I was just shocked. Alexander should try politics if they would have mattered anymore. Slowly, an orc missing an eye and with heavy limp, have dragged himself in front of us, staring at Alexander.
"See all that? Boys from Humanis done that to me. I had a family and a job, lost it all because Humanis decided that an orc mechanic is something bad...When they were hitting me with a socket wrench, I've noticed a young man like you, standing in the corner and looking like he wanted to help me, to stop it all. But he didn't." Orc's haggard voice was shaking slightly, man had to relieve quite the beatdown to end up so maimed. "You've ditched Humanis, on your own?"
"He gave me a choice, Humanis' leader demanded obedience. I make my own decisions." Alex replied pointing at me. I'm sure Beckenbauer gave his silent 'ok sign' about me to the forming crowd.
"...That you did, boy." Orc gave him a broad grin, showing half of the teeth missing. "If anyone asks me, you're alright. You've made the call when you had to...If that kid in the garage was like you, maybe I would still had both eyes."
Seeing the orc retrating back into his seat like nothing happen, an invisble barrier broken. People just...accepted it. Some went back to lecture, a young elf resumed chess game with himself.
"That was Graham. He was initially weary of any humans in the shelter." Samuel supplied. "But one day, he fell and three humans moved to help him while fellow orcs were too busy to notice it. He's still very picky and judges every newcomer. His trust just gave you a great headstart, Alexander. Do you still want to help us?"
"Of course." Alex nodded sternly.
"Well then, that's where we part ways, at least for now." I've shooked his hand, still under the effect of his heartfelt speech. "You used many good words, now own them. For yourself first and foremost."
"I will...thank you, Rai."
"Don't mention it. Hey Silke, help Alex settled, okay?"
"Sure! Until, Rai. You have to try my soup next time!" Silke smiled at me and then at Alex.
With a nod, I've stepped out onto the street and taken a deep breath of crisp air. Hearing sigh next to me I saw Samuel lighting up a cigarette.
"You sure attract unique people, Rai." Beckenbauer chuckled. "Truth to be told I wasn't happy with that idea but now knowing what this was about? I'm both proud of Alex's courage and happy with the backlash it'll have on relations between races. It's inspiring to hear that young human who joined purists have seen through the lies and now helps the very people he was taught to hate."
"I knew you'll make the most of it, Samuel." I've chuckled. "Keep him safe. And Silke too."
"She sure was very happy to see you."
"Yeah, she's smart and she knows if it wasn't for me she'd be selling herself for a fix in Drogenkippe. She deserved better, she has future."
"Getting attached?" Samuel smirked knowingly.
"Not in a way you suggest, friend. She reminds me of my little sister, no matter what would happen she was always happy and full of energy."
"Oh, wasn't aware you have-"
"I don't anymore." I've cut the subject and shrugged, feeling I'll be sore in the morning once my back hit by a shotgun protested with pain. "I'll see you around, Sam."
"Good luck Rai...One second!" he halted me "I have transferred the money we've ugreed upon onto the account given to me by Paul Amsel."
"Terrific, my guys will be more than happy." I gave him a nod and move away.
Being already out, I've deided to take detour and deal with that Schokwellenreiter deal. Remembering the procedure I've pushed the memory stick into the slot and after few second credits spat out like from an ATM.
500 nuyen extra and another hit to Humanis...I'm getting a bottle of something better than the hooch Dietrich drinks. And maybe some good dinner. Living on soy-based takeout and coffee would do marvels to my figure if that would be my intention. It was not.
Buried in my internal ramblings I almost knocked over frail girl in tattered hoodie. Looking at the gaunted face and unseeing eyes I recognize the girl. Junkie was so tweaked out last time she didn't even noticed me.
"I know you..." She speaks faintly but clarly, doesn't seem to be high on anything but not shaking from withdrawal.
"Yeah, I've passed here before. Name's Rai." I've replied.
"Most people call me Simmy Kim...They think I don't know why, but Monika explained to me."
Monika was involved? Great, another string of the web. Was there a corner she did not looked into or feathers she did not ruffled? No, that was Monika Shaefer, she always left no stone unturned.
"So, what you been up to lately?" I ask instead. Her reply was less than coherent, she mumbles something contradicting about traveling, having a son and saving the world. Not the kind of conversation I had strength or patience back then. but since Monika resurfaced...
"How do you feel about Monika gone?"
"Sad. She never got the chance to feel how it feels. To be a mother."
Alright, either this is some viscious high or Simmi has some pregnancy-related PTSD. Possible but totally not something I wanted to deal with at that moment.
"Yeah, I hear Monika was like a mother to the whole Krezubasar."
"Mother will always be a mother..." With that Simmi switched off and part of me was grateful for that.
Feeling like coming up to the threshold, I've dragged myself back to the safehouse and just crash onto poor excuse for a bed I slept on. Goodbye cruel world, I'll see you in few hours.