Chapter 11

"Panam, stop saying such strange words..."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, Panam being loaded with such questions is quite a strange sight. I'm used to a slightly reckless but executive girl who can be relied upon. Now I'm seeing my girlfriend as well. But such strange and serious questions..."

I shook my head.

"Am I the one you think can't be serious?"

I shrugged.

"Should I be offended?"

"It's better to just say what you want, straight up and without any games."

"Eh..."

She shook her head.

"...see right through me..."

"Well, I'm your boyfriend."

I grinned at the words of Panam, who twisted the steering wheel sharply to dodge a daredevil who had decided to race around the city in some wreck.

"Yeah..."

"Panam?"

"Eh... Sooner or later the Aldecaldos will move away from Knight City..."

"And?"

I squeezed Panam's thigh a little and she threw a worried look at me.

"...I realize I'm in a bit of a hurry, but would you like to join the clan? Come with us when we decide to leave this place?"

"You don't seem to get along with Saul, do you?"

"With Saul, yes, but this is my clan, my family, I grew up with them and just because Saul has been pissing me off a bit lately doesn't mean I'm going to abandon them."

She turned her head in my direction, and I could see the excitement in her eyes. She really cared about the answer to my question. So I decided not to play with words or avoid answering.

"Eyes on the road..."

She turned away from me, and flinched slightly when my hand moved a little higher up her thigh. But she didn't stop me this time, just tensed slightly.

"Panam, you're right, that's a question you asked a little early, but if you want to know the answer to it now..."

She gave a slightly twitchy nod.

"I'm gonna tell you the truth. There's nothing keeping me in this town, but I'm not going to run away from it. However, if you and I do become a couple."

"I think we already did!"

"Panam, you and I started dating... or rather, you agreed to give me a chance and became my girlfriend just today. Basically, we're just getting to know each other. Let's just say that since you fell asleep first, I know you make funny smacking noises in your sleep..."

Panam blushed with embarrassment.

"...but all of that is still not enough. However, when the time comes for Aldecaldo to leave Knight City and if we're still together by then, it will mean we're good for each other and then I'll follow you even if I'm not invited to join the clan."

"You-- I mean.

She sighed and her fingers gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.

"Panam, you are my girlfriend and we will be together as long as it suits us. You know me, even if I have to stop being solo, I won't be lost. And you won't be lost with me either. We'll be together, Quiet and Cherry."

"Cherry?"

Panam looked at me very surprised.

"Well, you named your car Cakey, and you're Cherry on Cakey."

She grinned.

"Funny... Cherry... I like it."

The car veered sharply into the right lane and turned onto a small street, where it stopped. The engine was still running, as always, and I again ran my hand a little higher up my Cherry's thigh.

"Okay, I'm gonna go..."

She nodded, and I rose slightly from my seat and kissed her on the lips. Slowly and showing my feelings for her. And she responded to that kiss. It was everything in that kiss, and even a little fear that it might be interrupted.

Breaking the kiss I pulled away from Panam and looked into her eyes.

"Just go ahead..."

She grinned and waved, and I got out of the car, slamming the door behind me. I took a quick look around and realized where I needed to go and headed toward the alley exit.

When I got to the main street, I walked quickly past two houses, right up to the Tiger Claws bar, and turned into an alleyway before I reached it. When I reached the cul-de-sac, I quickly pulled out a harpoon and shot it up onto the roof, then walked across the house.

Once I was on the other side of the roof, I looked down at the alleyway that ran right up to the Tiger Claws bar, which now held the optics I needed to get.

The fact that there was only one guard at the back door didn't confuse me, they're pretty sure that no one knows about this place, and there's probably a cop covering the bar. So we have to tread very carefully.

Activating my optics I examine the bar in all modes available to me and realize that inside the back room there is one more intelligent, a dozen more are sitting in the bar itself, plus one bartender and two guards at the main entrance.

Sighing, I quickly looked around and realized that this time I couldn't do without killing. So I applied the script I'd bought to one of the shields in the alley and it glowed.

"Huh? What the fuck?"

While Claw got up from his seat and went to the panel, I cranked the sandy to maximum and quickly jumped off the roof, pushing off the alley walls at the limit of my strength. One jump, two pushes from the walls, and after the second one I literally collapsed on top of Claw, driving the knife into his temple.

Minus one...

After checking the bar with my optics, I realized the alarm hadn't gone off. That's a good thing. After a quick look at the body, I pocketed the gun and a couple of bills, then threw it in a nearby trash can.

Another script to the door, and it opens with a quiet hiss.

"Huh? Sam, you gotta pee?"

A woman's voice came from the back room, but I don't care about that, I've had to kill girls in the time I've been working solo. It's not a good thing, more like a bad thing, but in this world and in this city. It's either you or you, so I reactivated the sandi and took a step to the side and threw the knife, which went right into the girl's eye socket.

Before she could realize anything, I was already standing next to her and picking up her settling body, which I also dragged outside and threw into the container.

Quickly looking around I noticed a few comps, but I didn't have time to hack into them, so I went to the door that led to the warehouse and activating the hacking script I grinned when the door opened quietly.

Still, it was not for nothing that I spent on these scripts, without them it was much harder to work.

"Fuck! I made a fortune today!"

I couldn't resist saying it out loud. Because in addition to the optics that were lying in plain sight, I could see a few more implants, as well as a tight wad of bucks. And there was a lot more of it than I'd seen in the apartment I'd snuck into the other day. And best of all, there were no bugs in those bundles at all. Of course, a secure place, a base with a bunch of claws in it, pretending to be visitors, what could possibly go wrong?

But maybe...

I grinned and started putting away what I liked. Naturally, I put the optics in the bag first, and only then a couple of other chrome accessories, as well as tight rolls of money.

Five minutes...

That's how long it took me to put everything in my small bag. And for the first time I regretted that my bag was so small, I didn't take half the bucks that were on the shelves.

However, greed ruined the thief, and I'm still not a thief, so calmly turned around I left the warehouse and with the script closed the door, and then left the back room, which also closed the script.

Taking out the harpoon I dialed Panam's number, who answered very quickly.

"Cherry, I'll be right there."

"Roger that, the engine is warm as always..."

I shot a harpoon into the roof and quickly climbed up and then walked across the building with the harpoon and climbed down. And I shot it off and walked over to the car.

"How long have you been waiting?"

"I've been waiting."

Panam grinned and I quietly sat inside.

"We're just having a nitty gritty day today, but first to the postomat, gotta send Regina her optics and a couple other implants."

"Your words..."

The car moved off, but Panam swayed in my direction with a very keen interest.

"...did you find something in there?"

"Just more bucks that just overflowed into my bag. You know, it was the first time I wished I'd bought myself some kind of military backpack, where I could have stuffed a lot more money in it."

"Greed is a bad feeling..."

"I know, and I'm not going to change my bag, just because if I stayed there longer I might get caught. As it is, we've got the money, we've done the job, and we don't have to work anymore today."

"That's right..."

"We just need to get the cash through Regina to the accounts. I'm not gonna keep that much on me."

I shook my head.

"Yeah, well, this isn't a bank. They could break into our apartment."

Saying these words Panam threw a sly look at me.

"Well, I was thinking that since I'm not alone and we need the space, we could look for a bigger apartment."

"Why?"

Panam looked at me in surprise.

"We've got plenty of room. We're not posh, of course, but everything is cozy and more than fine. And if we move, we'll have to pay more rent."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, in the clan, I live in a tent..."

I looked at Panam thoughtfully.

"We should be concerned about buying a used motorhome..."

"Huh? Why else?"

"Well, if I ever leave Knight City with you."

"This is a bad idea..."

The car stopped smoothly and Panam nodded to me outside.

"There's a post office. We'll talk after you report to Regina."

I nodded and got out of the car to go to the post office where I put everything I needed to send to Regina. And then I dialed her.

"I'm listening to you, Tihonja..."

"Optics sent, a couple other implants sent, as well as some of Tiger's paperwork..."

"Isn't that a bit much?"

I shrugged.

"Faked a successful robbery, less chance they'll reach your friend, and through him, you and me. I took some bucks, too, you know, the ones that weren't lying around, you gonna put them on the account?"

"Send it, you know the percentage."

"Uh-huh...

As we drove, I had already transferred the cash into opaque bags, which I sent through the post office to Regina.

After reaching the car I sat in my seat and looked at Panam.

"So why is it a bad idea?"

"What do you know about nomadic life?"

"You travel from city to city, the time you spend in new places can vary from a couple months to a couple years... that's about it."

"Well that's pretty much right..."

Panam nodded her head.

"...but very superficial. Okay, let's go a little farther afield, you've been to the clan's location a few times, you're not your own yet, but you're already familiar with the people. Have you seen the mobile homes there?"

"Uh... no?"

"Why so tentative?"

I shrugged.

"Okay, you gave the right answer, you didn't see them and couldn't see them, simply because they aren't there. No self-respecting nomad would buy one.

"I see..."

"Why don't you tell me why?"

"Too clumsy?"

"Exactly. too slow, clumsy, not too practical then there is no possibility to spend the night in prepared parking lots. In general, a lot of disadvantages, it is much easier to throw in the trunk a big tent, a cot, well or a sleeping bag..."

Panam shrugged her shoulders.

"And why do you need a car? If you join the clan, you'll ride with me."

"And what will I need then?"

"Well..."

Panam tugged at her earlobe.

"A tent, bigger, maybe a cot..."

I nodded my head.

"Got it, I'll have to get concerned, because you can get off the ground at any moment and then you may just not have time to shop."

"So you're serious about this?"

"Why not?"

"I see..."