Chapter XI: Burakumin Chameleon

AN:

Hey there, Fan-fic-folks!

Nothing to say for this one. Just pushing the plot along a bit further.

Thanks for reading and, as always, please review.

"I… think this is it?" I said, checking back against the map-data. Yes, it seemed right.

The Burakumin complex was a lumpy-looking stone building, patched with modern materials and cobbled-on extensions all over, giving it a chaotic and anachronistic look I enjoyed intensely. For all it was an underclass favela, it was well-cared for and mostly clean - with no sign of acid burns anywhere. Manually done, most likely. Another tick in the approving box for this little community.

As we walked in - unmet by any security, unfortunately - I was struck by the sheer life of this place. People moved, laughed, lived all around us. You could feel it in the air. A few of them nodded pleasantly to us - so much unlike the reactions from the ACHE. There was less fear here. Less wariness. More connection.

Even spirits flew about freely, cavorting and spinning together and apart in some mysterious dance known only to them.

I liked it. I really, really liked it.

I turned back from watching it all to see Chloe exchanging nuyen with someone - that smooth, subtle handshake - then ambling back to us. "Second floor. Follow me."

We trailed after her, up concrete stairs and along stone-carved corridors. She lead us up to a modern-looking door, one of the few on this floor, and tapped the alert button next to it. A few moments passed before an older man, hair long since gone and skin worn like old workboots, appeared. "Yes?" He said. He had a pleasant, smoky voice.

Chloe stepped forward. "We're looking for a memory doc who helped-"

"You!" The man openly gazed at me in gratified surprise.

Chloe frowned, "Uh, no. Not her, it was-"

"He told me to expect you, Ms Chase!" The man continued, seemingly unaware Chloe had even spoken. And- wait, what?

"He did what?" I blurted. Nathan, what the hell did you-

"Oh yes." The Doc nodded sagely, "Your husband was very certain you'd be coming for this data-store of his. Some sort of romantic game for the two of you, I take it?"

Frakk… "…something like that. Can you show us what my… husband left, please?"

"Of course, of course! Please do come in." He stepped aside to guide us into his small, but perfectly neat and nice residence. As we settled in, he puttered about, hands waving nervously as he went to find whatever it was my idiot ex had left with him. Hopefully it was another part to the memory - or some tool we could use to restore the previous.

Then he brought out a box. An honest to goodness cardboard shoebox. It even looked antique.

He held it out to me. I picked it up and peered inside. A small sheaf of paper and a datachip. "What's on the chip?"

"Ah, that would be the the instructions for the process. I am a trained memory extractor, but Nathan had some interesting spins on the matter that gave them a bit more life. Unfortunately, the matter was heavily patented, but I have to say it was an honor to get to work with it. As his wife, you are of course entitled to read the documentation." He wafted a hand. "I'm not certain of your background though, so I will warn you it can be quite technical."

"Oh? It was new?" I asked, staring down at the contents of the box.

"Oh yes, most cutting edge. In the traditional process," His voice took on the cadence of an expert who was used to explaining, but still delighted in doing so, "-a person must be wearing simsense recording equipment to create a proper chip experience and memory. Though technically the simsense equipment is simply tapping into the human sensory net in order to record incoming sensation so there is some debate as to the validity there. However, our technique directly extracted memories from the mind. He claimed it was based on snail lostech, but I… am not certain if that was truth or a joke."

I blinked. "You took the memory out of his head?"

"Indeed." The man chuckled. "He was most confused for hours after the process - it took a long while to calm him down and explain once the memory was gone. And we developed a new process to edit and modify the memory - he split it into several pieces."

"Do you know where he hid the rest?" If anyone would, surely it would be-

"I'm afraid not." Damnit. "He was very tightlipped." The man sighed, then suddenly jolted, struck by an idea. "Though there may be something left in the papers! He must have left them for you for a reason."

"You didn't read them?" Chloe asked. And, honestly, fair. I would have.

His face crinkled in horror. "Ms Chase, I am a professional. That would be unethical."

As a journalist, I did not share his sensibility. The truth will out, as the old saying goes.

Chloe leaned in, studying him with surprising intensity. "You really mean that, don'tcha?"

The doctor nodded enthusiastically, "Yes. Without ethics, people are nothing more than animals. Our ability to believe is what differentiates us. We all do things that have good and bad impacts on the world around us. Applying a moral framework to those actions is part of what makes us people."

"Huh." Chloe sat back, clearly mulling.

I sat back and looked at the man for a while, then made a decision. "We may need your help. We have one copy of my husband's previous memory, but it was corrupted, or possibly just fragmented. Can you do anything about that?"

"Possibly!" His horror vanished, replaced by good cheer again. "I'd have to see it to give you a more definitive answer, but I am likely one of the few people who would be able to."

"…fine. Here." I tossed the chip over to him. "See what you can do with that."

"You're very kind, Ms Chase. I'll need a few hours - you're welcome to stay, or wander the complex if you like. If I might offer a suggestion, there are some good restaurants on the main floor."

Chloe's stomach groaned. "It has been a while since I ate anythin'."

Max shrugged. "I guess that decides it."

The two of them herded me out and we left the doc to it. Chloe quickly found a chow spot - we took what we needed from the buffet and began to dig in. Okay, he was right. This was a good restaurant.

But eventually we were fed and needed more to do. So, we went looking for work. There had to be somebody in this place who needed our help, right?

—

Max took payment from the old lady with a smile. "Null sheen, Miss. We were happy to help. Your husband was certainly a smart man, hiding that safe in your library like that."

We strode away from her, putting off her offers to stay for dinner and meet her grandchildren. One person in this town didn't mind that we weren't around here. And then I offered a hesistant question: "Did you see the cat with the-…"

"Yeah. The drone talked to me." Max shook her head. "I… think it was interpreting for the cat."

What in the actual fuck.

Chloe walked up to us. "Hey." She passed Max a credstick. "Got a decent payday. But there's a problem - we need to go and get the doc. It's been hours and nothing."

"Frakking hell." I swore, low and annoyed. "Come on, the stairs should be right up here." We ran along the corridor to the next staircase, then up to the next floor and we continued along the corridors of the complex until we came to the doctor's door. I pushed the alert as Chloe knocked loudly. Nothing. The door slid open. Nothing again.

We walked in. The place was a wreck.

The Doc was gone.

Damnit.

—

Nathan flickered into view. "You found him!" He looked around the wrecked space. "He's really let himself go."

"You've missed some things." Chloe said in a drawl.

"Apparently." He smirked. "So, what happened?"

"No idea. We came back to this." Chloe gestured to the wreckage, a wide sweep of her claw. "Shouldn't you know, anyway? Aren't you, like, tapped into Ice's nervous system or something?"

"Not quite." The hologram took a deep breath in. "And I was… distracted. Did you check his security system?"

"His security system?" Max chimed in, interested now.

Nathan snorted. "So, that's a no. He was a memory doc in a burakamin complex, of course he had extra security. There's a reason I went to this guy. He's more than he seems." He poked around the room for a bit, humming and muttering reminders to himself until inspiration struck. He strode over to a wall and tapped it. "It was here, I think? Maybe check around for a button or something."

We checked around for a button. Nothing.

Then I realised something, reached out, and pushed at the wall. "Holograms." Nathan stared for a second, then laughed. I reached in and felt around, managing to switch off the illusion. A big stack of computers and screens. I plugged in and got to work. It was the work of moments to hack it. And I found the recording. The troll had burst in, accompanied by a team of shadowrunners, and grabbed the man by the skull and dragged him out. It was sharp and quick and violent and even after all this time, I still found it uncomfortable. "Lofwyr's people found him."

"Frakk."