Part 14

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***

It took us about a week to fix the servers and other equipment that had been damaged by the Arasaka Corporation. Mostly because Judy was a sly fox and convinced Helm's superiors to give us another request to upgrade the equipment we had already installed. She didn't even think to tell me that she had actually become part of my group and that she would get a share of the profits. And naturally she asked me to deliver the new equipment not to Lizzis, but to her flat, because according to her it was sacrilege to write pornographic braindances on such equipment.

And now I was quietly leaving Lizzies, where all business was over, and at the meeting I ran into a lady I knew.

- Hi David...

- Hello Valerie, what brings you to such a...

I waved my hand through the air as if to invite her to look around.

- ...inappropriate for your status?

- Hmm... so you didn't know who you were helping?

- Helping?

And then the puzzle in my voice finally came together and I grinned sadly and shook my head.

- So you're the one who got fired at this wonderful place?

- Yes...

She grinned sadly.

- ...And I wouldn't have been able to get back on my feet for a long time if it hadn't been for your little loan that a friend of mine cosigned for me.

She shook her head.

- So how did you find me? And why?

- It's simple, I chatted with Victor and he told me that you came to him through Regina.

She shrugged.

- You don't hide too much, so I called the fixer and explained the situation. Given that I had a loan agreement with very favourable terms signed by you.....

- I'm sorry, but I don't believe Regina could have passed on my location. Whatever evidence you have, she wouldn't have done it without at least talking to me.

- Hmmm... Well, you're right about that, she sent me, but Wakako Okada, she's not too happy with you and easily told me for a small fee exactly where to find you. She probably expects me to try to get rid of you.

- Won't you try?

- No...

Vee shook her head.

- ...I may not be very virtuous, but working in counter-intelligence does change what goes on in a person's mind here...''

She tapped her temple with her finger.

- ...But killing your benefactor, who paid for, though not the best, but good enough, in my current situation, chrome. It's tempting, but it could damage a reputation that doesn't exist yet. So I'm here to thank you personally...''

V bowed her body at a ninety-degree angle in a very low bow.

- Thank you for your help. Thanks to you, I have a chance of getting out of my arse a lot quicker. I won't forget your kindness and if you ever need my help, you can count on me.

I nodded my head.

- I also wanted to personally sign the contract and see to it that Jackie's contract was cancelled.

I shrugged and sent her the same contract, but with the addition that she, as the perpetrator of the loan that Jackie had been forced to take out, would assume the entire debt and agree to repay the loan within a year.

- A year?

- You can't take it?

I looked at her in surprise.

- I doubt you want to be mediocre, but knowing you I can tell you'll be aiming for the big leagues as fast as you can. You're going to have to work your arse off to do it, which means money will flow....

- Actually, I was thinking of taking a little break from working at this pace.....

I shrugged.

- Two years?

She nodded her head and I corrected the contract and sent it to her, then it came back to me signed and I nodded my head and quickly studied and signed it, thus confirming this new contract, or rather the new terms in the old contract.

- So, can you tell me how you got to this life?

I shrugged.

- The most trivial story...

I waved her off and walked towards the nearest restaurant where we had settled down.

- ...Mother died after an animal shootout on the motorway. I'd lost my livelihood, and even though I still had a semester's tuition at the Academy, I had nothing to eat. Honestly, I didn't think about what I was doing, I just got to the nearest directory and public phone and contacted Regina.

- And she just happened to work with you?

- Well, I suppose she took pity on me, and gave me a couple of trial assignments to try out, which were dangerous, but she probably didn't lose anything by screwing them up. So...

I shrugged.

- ...that's how I started working with Regina. Thank you very much, by the way.

- Me?

- Well, you've been giving classes to our group from time to time... Your lectures were even more useful than those given by the usual lecturer. And it's thanks to them that I still haven't broken my forehead.

Valerie grinned.

- I'm glad someone listened to me....

- How did you end up here? I mean, I know you were fired, but why?

- I wasn't indispensable enough.

She grinned sadly and scratched the red hair at the back of her head. Her blue eyes roamed the room.

- My boss wanted to move her boss, she calculated it, just as she calculated me as the specialist who would be sent on this assignment and sent her thugs, who carried out the dismissal procedure.

- And you couldn't say no? And yes, David, would you introduce me to your mate?

I sighed.

- 'Valerie, let me introduce you to my partner Panam Palmer. Panam, this girl's name is Valerie, she was in Arasaki counterintelligence and sometimes lectured at the academy I attended, which is how I know her.

- Pfft... okay, as for your question, Panam Palmer, no, I couldn't refuse. In Arasaka, you don't say no to your superiors. I've spread my legs, and I'm not proud of it, but the things you do to get a little closer to the top.....

- Pfft.

- Yeah, yeah, you're proud and you couldn't do that, but I'm not proud. I'd do it again if it would save me from getting fired, I'd even sleep with the whole club....

I didn't give away my attitude to Valerie's words, but it was very unpleasant for me. She's a beautiful girl, how can you do that?

I could barely resist shaking my head. Some ordinary moments in certain people's lives will never be taken for granted by me. No, I realise that not everything and not always happens the way we'd like it to, but still....

- You don't like that kind of reasoning either, do you?

I just shrugged my shoulders at Valerie's question.

- It's your life and only you decide what you think is right or wrong. So my opinion shouldn't matter to you.

- Well, you're right about that.

She grinned and fixed her hair.

- I don't really care about your opinion.

We just ate and were silent for a while, until she finally spoke.

- Would you like to work with me? Wakako wouldn't mind... well, I think so. After all, I've had some dealings with her while still working for Arasaka....

I shook my head.

- I'm not considering joining anyone at all yet, and working for Wakako...

I shook my head again.

- ...I'm at odds with the Claws, or rather they're at odds with me. I don't give a damn about them.

- That's a shame, I was hoping to work with someone who had some understanding of how to work.

I smiled sadly. No, if she'd offered me that before her revelations about having sex with everyone for profit, I probably would have at least considered working with her. Still, in David's memory, she was a really nice person. But not now, when after her story I'd be afraid that she'd sleep with someone and stab me in the back.

And considering that this isn't a game at all and here she's already developed a certain mindset of a corporate girl who sees nothing wrong with her boss sending her to kill her boss...

I wonder why in the game if you play as a corporat nothing of the sort was seen in the main character's decisions?

Well, I can see why.

It is how much it was necessary to make a heavier game, not only to insert a couple of different phrases relating to the backstory, but also the decisions dictated by this backstory to prescribe.

Although I think there was something like that...

But not with the protagonist, but with some corporate girl, after whose help she comes to the hotel and has GG in all positions, thus showing that for her sex is just sex and the ability to say thank you for saving her skin.

A call from Regina got me out of my thoughts.

- Yeah?

It's a good thing conversations don't require me to say messages out loud.

- David, I have some news. An ex-corporate girl is looking for you.

- She already did.

- Hmm... does that bode well for trouble?

- Maybe...

My image shrugged.

- ...but not right now. I just lent money to a friend of hers to save her life and she decided to take the debt. That's all, and she's trying to lure me to another fixer.

- Really?

- Yeah.

- Who?

- Wakako. She said she had contacts in Arasaka and expects to work for her now.

- Well, I wouldn't mind if you decided to run a few errands for Okado.

- I won't. It's better to work with one fixer, but be absolutely sure that you won't get screwed over, and in case you do, you'll get help, than to rush from one fixer to another and end up with nothing and alone with death.

- I see.

We didn't talk for a while.

- Listen, I'm supposed to meet Bestia in a couple of days, do you want me to mention you to her?

- No...

She grinned.

- No celebrity aspirations?

- Well, why not... it's nice to be famous. For example, I'm already famous now, you get orders for me, and they all pay well enough. But working with Bestia.

- Why, she's the Queen of the Undead.

- Mm-hmm.

My image nodded its head, and it did so in a snide manner. At the same time, I did not forget to work with my fork, eating a pretty good dish ordered at the restaurant. The girls were silent too, seeing that I was talking to someone.

- ...and rumour has it she's a schemer who prefers to use solos in the dark. And I don't like that, as you know. I like to work fully aware of what I need to do, how I need to do it and in what time frame.

- That's right... you should have taken a nickname not Tikhonya, but Zanuda, by the way, it's not too late to try to change it.

- No, thanks, I'm fine with that.

Regina nodded her head.

- Okay, are you going to work today?

My image scratched her cheek thoughtfully.

- Anything interesting?

- Well... I need to get data from one of Malstrom's databases. According to my information, they've become too closely co-operating with the Scavengers and are preparing some big and very loud deed after which there should be an explosion of used chrome on the black market.

I sighed. For real.

- I'll do it, give me the address. Work quietly as always?

- Yeah.

- Murders?

- Preferably so they don't realise anyone's been on their base, but a simple robbery will do. As long as they don't realise what it's all about.

- Roger that, I've just recruited a ranger, let's try out his powers.

- You're adding to your team?

- Yeah, it's not very convenient to use ready-made demons all the time, there should be a raner on the team who can hack into the system....

- I'm glad you've come round to that, cos I was thinking of putting someone on your team. Do I know who you've decided to work with?

- Alvarez from Helm, we're on a temporary deal for now, and then we'll see.

- All right, I'll text you the details.

My image nodded and the connection went dead.

- Valerie, I'm sorry, but we have a mission...

I gestured to the waiter and asked him to count us out.

- Can't you say no?

Valerie folded her arms under her breasts and raised them slightly. And honestly, if we didn't fuck Panam like rabbits every night, I might well have been tempted by the sight. But I don't have spermotoxicosis and I don't expect to, which is good....

- No. Not an option. It's not our day off, so if we get an order, we're open at night.

- Huh? But you're a solo--

- OWLs, and to live well as a solo you need a reputation and a lot of orders...

I got up and texted Judy, paid, and then Panam and I left the restaurant....