Chapter 26

Postmortem...

The bar is located in a former morgue, at least something like that was said about it in the game. I have no idea if it's actually true. I only know that the best of the best gather here, or rather those who were recognized as such by the fixers who have access to it.

Regina and the other neighborhood fixers could sit here like Bestia does, but they're more comfortable in their safe houses. They don't trust her, and they don't trust fixers who don't work in a neighborhood.

"Who is he?"

I looked over at the security guard that stood at the entrance to the bar doing what was called a face check.

"Quiet, to meet Bestia."

"They?"

"They're my team."

"Wait for it."

I didn't show my irritation and calmly waited for this guy to call his superiors and make sure that I wasn't lying, judging by the lighted optics.

"Look, if we weren't notified, maybe we're not needed."

I shrugged.

"Maybe you don't have to and it was a stupid joke... But I don't mind waiting a few minutes for the approvals."

"Come in..."

The boogeyman pointed to the door, which opened.

"Bestia's busy right now, wait at the bar, you'll be called."

I nodded and we walked inside, where I ignored my surroundings and made my way to a free table, where I sat down. The girls sat down next to me.

"You're not ordering anything?"

"No, I have to talk to Bestia..."

I shook my head.

"...it takes a clear mind and a well-functioning speech apparatus, and I'm not a fan of alcohol.

The girls snorted, and leaning toward each other whispered, whereupon Panam, who was sitting on the edge, got up and went to the bar, behind which stood a very large girl, the barmaid...

A couple of minutes and Panam returned with three tall glasses.

"Judy and I lightly alcoholic, you completely non-alcoholic.

I nodded, and took a drink from the glass. It was a small amount of cocktail, and I swirled it around in my mouth, savoring the flavor. It was only after I'd sipped it that I finished the sip.

"Not bad..."

Panam grinned.

"Uh-huh, but we still have better...

I shrugged and took the same small sip then set the glass aside slightly and thought.

"So we're just gonna sit here like this?"

"And you're so eager to socialize? In a place where everyone has advanced chrome that could help us eavesdrop? And I'm not just talking about solos, I'm talking about spies from the fixers who are probably gathering information on everyone who enters the Posmrtiye."

Panam wrinkled her nose slightly and stopped talking. Judy looked around suspiciously and shrugged her cocktail.

We sat in silence for about ten minutes until some guy came over to our table.

"What's a pretty girl like that doing in the company of a little boy?"

He looked at me, smirking, and made a gesture with his hand that could be construed as: "Get out of here, you're in the way."

"Girls don't need other company. So if you wouldn't mind, could you get out of here?"

My quiet voice caught the attention of the type, who had already turned away from me and was focusing all his attention on Panam and Judy. Who just stayed silent and grinned slightly.

"Hey, kid, why don't you get the hell out of here?"

"My companions do not need other company. I'm asking you to leave. I'm not going to say it a third time."

"Kid, I'm with the Wipers. Stay out of my way and get in the fog, or I'll shoot you in the head and..."

Bang! Clang!

I didn't even activate the sandi, just used the new possibilities of my muscles, and stood up, intercepted the hand that the type kept resting on the table, as well as his head, pulled his arm back sharply, and dropped his head forward on the table. The guy's head made contact with the table in a rather audible bang.

Panam and Judy thoughtfully grabbed their cocktails and lifted them off the table a second before I could act. My cocktail, however, bounced a little, and as it stood on the edge of the table it tumbled to the floor, shattering.

Tip stood with his head pressed into the table for a couple seconds, then collapsed to the floor.

"Hey, buddy."

A rather skinny guy came forward to our table, but there was a lot of chrome in him... a lot of chrome. If I'd met him on the street, I'd have thought he was Malstrom's boss. He was too chrome-plated.

"I warned your friend, he wouldn't listen..."

I calmly met a lot of small optics, with which they drilled me for a few seconds, apparently expecting to frighten me. Except I didn't care. Sandy needed a fraction of a second to activate, and with my current abilities...

"All right, you owe me 100 grand for injuries. physical. and for moral injuries. another hundred."

"Shut your mouth, turn around and walk away into the fog. I'm not interested in your wishes and I'm not going to fulfill them like a fairy genie. And if you insist, you'll be lying next to your comrade."

"Hey! I told you! Otherwise, I'll put your whores in a circle."

Sandi has been activated.

I calmly got up from my seat and walked over to the guy and took his gun out of his holster and put it in his open mouth.

Disconnect.

Katz!

Type Two's teeth clattered against the muzzle of the gun.

"All right, you're gonna take your friend and you're gonna leave us. But before you do that. how much did you say I owe you? Two hundred grand?"

I hummed.

"I value my companions more than that, and you threatened them..."

I shook my head.

"...out of order..."

"Kid, put the gun down..."

The guard who stood at the entrance was beside me, watching me intently. I had no doubt that if anything, he would intervene, or rather try to, and try to stop me.

"You should have intervened when your boss authorized this inspection..."

I shook my head.

"...that goes against the rules of Postmortem, which, surprise surprise, I studied before my visit. So for now, just stand back and watch."

I grinned with the corner of my lips.

"Getting back to you..."

I looked at type number two.

"That'll be five hundred grand."

"Umunu nutu!"

Panic could be heard in a voice that was extremely difficult to make out because of the gun in his mouth.

"Am I supposed to care about that?"

I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"You took the job no matter who offered it to you. So you were prepared for the consequences. You don't have the money, take out a loan."

I shrugged slightly.

"Enough..."

I glanced in the direction of the voice and saw a slightly gray-haired woman, quite pretty, coming down to us from a separate booth. She came down because all the booths were on a small hill, separated from the main floor of the club by a couple of steps.

"I didn't start this, I don't have to end it. Either this gentleman will comply with my demands, or I'll shoot him in the head and sell the chrome, getting..."

I activated my optics in scan mode.

"About three hundred and fifty thousand."

"I said that's enough."

"So you fit in for him?"

I looked questioningly at Bestia.

"Yeah. (chuckles)"

A slight sneer appeared on her lips, to which I shrugged and took the gun out of Type Two's mouth and in three movements disassembled it, dropping the parts on the floor, then looked at Panam and Judy.

"We're leaving."

They nodded and stood up to follow me.

"Quiet, stop."

The voice is commanding, but I still restrained myself and didn't stop.

"If you want to meet, you'll make sure the Wiper wires me the money. Regina will be the go-between. And yes, if you do need my services as a solo, you'd better not make any more such inquiries. My time is valuable, and I value the nerves and honor of my companions even more.

We had managed to reach Torticus when Regina got in touch with me.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Regina?"

"Could you explain to me why Bestia called me now, asked me to give you five hundred grand as a mediator to settle a dispute, which she immediately transferred. And she asked if I could help you agree to a conversation. What. Mother. Yours. Happened?"

"They decided to test me..."

I gestured to stop Panam and Judy, who were already looking to board Tortik.

"...I told the checker to lay off and demanded compensation, just as he had demanded from me a few seconds before. Then the club security guard intervened, but I told him that I knew the rules and that he or his comrades should have intervened earlier. That's when Bestia came out and entered behind the checker. I turned around and said that until I was paid, I would never set foot in Postmortem, and left, ignoring Bestia's shout."

"Psycho..."

"Not at all, it's just that I value my reputation, and as you know, I have a very high reputation. And if I were to bend to Bestia now, the others would realize that they could bend to me, too."

"Fucking psycho. you shook Bestia down for 500 grand-- she's only gonna send you on missions that'll help her recoup that money!

"And?"

I snorted.

"Are you gonna help me get back in the club or not?"

Regina transferred the five hundred grand to me, and looked at me sternly.

"What do you want?"

"Just tell me, should I go there or not? What's best for you as my Fixer?"

"Just like that?"

"Regina, you and I work very well together, even thought out a plan to roll Bestia with my hiring on a permanent basis. So you should have realized by now that it's that simple."

She sighed.

"Go, uh. please. At the very least, listen to her with a polite smile..."

My image nodded its head understandingly.

"As you wish."

"Uh... you're so hard to deal with."

The image of Regina shook her head.

"...It was a good thing, though, because Bestia had been getting a lot of pride lately. All the best solos always went to her, and orders..."

Regina hummed.

"...now, if you and I succeed, we can squeeze some orders from her... but don't get too cocky, because if you don't, she might retaliate. And if we do it nicely, I won't hurt you either..."

My image showed a satisfied grin, and with a nod of my head, confirmed my agreement to participate in this adventure.

"All right, well, stick to the plan. I hope she doesn't find something to push you or bribe you with, because if she doesn't, my whole thing's gonna fall apart like a house of cards."

"Don't worry, as long as I'm in Knight City, I'm on your side."

"Hmm?"

"Yeah, I've got an idea to raise money, get ready and get out of this town to far away places."

"Well, well, well..."

Regina snorted.

"Anything to say?"

"You won't last two months out of town."

"What makes you think that?"

"You're a solo to the core, and for you, missions and adrenaline are an integral part of life. So when you're outside of this city, which is one of the few that offers such vast opportunities, you just... wither away."

I hummed.

"You know, if you turn out to be right and I, if I'm going to leave Knight City, come back here, I'll do every fifth assignment for you for a year for free."

"I remembered..."

Her image nodded, but the smirk that had been on it immediately, disappeared.

"...Now go talk to Bestia."