Chapter 3

It didn't take long to get home, but when I got to my apartment door, I found it locked.

Had to go down to the tower administrator.

"Greetings. I've got a little problem."

"So what's the problem."

Behind the counter sat a complete stranger to me.

"The condo was paid for another three days, but now it's blocked."

"That's right. you paid someone else."

The receptionist grinned a nasty grin at which I nodded understandingly.

"Can I pick up my stuff?"

"А?"

"My stuff is mine. or I'll sue you. See, in a situation like this, by law, you're supposed to notify me that the apartment is going to be locked. At least a week's notice. And believe me, I'll be a prostitute, but I'll scrape together enough money for a lawyer to destroy you."

"Smart, huh?!"

The guy got up from his seat, trying to loom over me, but when a pistol appeared from a holster hidden under his jacket and pressed against his chin, he lost all his bravado.

"I'll charge you another thousand for your insolence, as compensation. You understand?"

"Y-yes...

"Give me a thousand in cash."

The guy immediately complied with my demand.

"Now let's go to the apartment, I'll pack my things. Since this store doesn't need tenants, even if not very rich, but stable paying tenants, I'll move to another one."

When I said that, I stopped talking. When I got to the apartment, I quickly gathered my things, took the urn with the ashes, and then quietly left both the apartment and the megatower. After a bit of thinking I got to the nearest public connection point and through the general network found an apartment in the megatower H12, in Watson. The apartment was small, besides a sleeping place and a large living room it had a storage room, which could be converted as a small workshop and weapons storage. And it suited me just fine. And the price...

Just a fiver a month...

Considering the compensation from the asshole from H4, it's more than okay, as I won't go without food. So I booked an apartment and immediately went to the nearest subway station, where I planned to get to the subway.

Ten minutes in and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a stirring...

Girl... Blonde. She walked very slowly along the carriage and by some hack extracted chips from the connectors and hid them in her pockets. However, I didn't have chips in my pockets, so I just stood quietly when she passed by, cleaning out another corporat.

Did I feel sorry for these poor people?

No. It's your own fault for not protecting your chips and your cash. Personally, I transferred everything from my personal chip to the account Regina set up for me. I didn't need any chips for that one. Although it did cost some money to open such an account.

Well, apparently she thought I was promising enough to open just such an account rather than have it tied to a chip she'd send me via post office box.

When I got to my station, I calmly stepped out of the subway car and walked toward the megatower. It was only halfway there that I realized that the girl was probably the blonde girl David had met in the canon.

Well...

I have to admit she was pretty enough and if it wasn't for the briefcase in my hands and the bag on my shoulders with some small belongings, I might have wanted to get acquainted.

After getting to the mahabashnya I went to the administrator with whom I agreed to rent an apartment.

A couple of minutes, and here I am getting off the elevator...

"Fuck you, asshole! I'm fucking feeding you and you're fucking with me?!"

The neighboring door to mine was open and on the threshold stood a petite but fully formed girl who was yelling a lot of interesting things to someone inside the apartment.

Even though I was really curious about what made the girl yell, I knew from David's memory that in Knight City it was better not to be interested in other people's business, so I calmly walked to the apartment and opened the door, my biometrics already entered into the database, and went inside.

With a quiet hiss, the door closed behind me, cutting me off from the sounds of the megatower's common corridor.

"Well..."

Setting the case on the floor and sliding the bag off my shoulders I looked around thoughtfully.

Standard apartment for a mega-tower ...

Nothing new...

The first thing I did was put things in their proper places, put the urn with Gloria's ashes on a shelf, and then dragged the box to the closet, which was clean. It was there that I opened it and began to organize everything as I needed it. It was not a repair station, it was a package for easy transportation...

Twenty minutes of work and suddenly there's fist banging on the door.

"Tz..."

Standing up and covering my future workshop I made my way to the door and pushed the button to open it.

"Uh-huh?

"And you're our new neighbor?"

The same petite one looked at me with interest and challenge.

"David Martinez."

I noticed the recognition in the girl's gaze when I called my last name.

"Rebecca..."

"So?"

"Hey, Chum, you got a hundred you can borrow?"

"I don't give to strangers..."

"Chum..."

A pleading look came over me.

"What's wrong, then?"

"Bro, motherfucker, you spent it all on chrome! Can't even buy food!"

"Wait here..."

After closing the door I walked to the food machine and bought four burritos, then walked to the door and opened it and handed them to the girl.

"On..."

"А?"

"I don't lend money, but if there's nothing to eat, I can give you some..."

I shrugged and closed the door right in the girl's face.

After that I went back to the workshop and continued laying out the tools. Only when everything was in the right place did I grin and push the case into a corner. I'll use it as a small storage box, but for now...

The unity was removed from its holster, and a bag of parts bought for it was brought from the room.

"It's time to work..."

A few hours of painstaking work and the gun had increased power, a good silencer, and "Gloria Martinez" engraved on the side. Just so I don't forget who I owe my start. After all, she's the one who birthed and raised David. And it is because she worked hard and paid for her son's education that I have enough knowledge to both modernize my weapon and work solo.

"Hmm... isn't that the green girl from canon?"

This idea came to me when I put the gun in a holster, which I hung on the hook I had prepared beforehand. Then I took out my knives, of which I had three after buying them from Robert, and not the worst. I sharpened them thoughtfully. Not that it was necessary, but it was better to check the sharpening myself and make it to my liking than to suffer later.

Finished with the knives I put them back in their places then quietly left my workshop.

When I looked at my watch, I realized that I had been doing things for too long and had only four hours to sleep. So I decided not to be an impenetrable hero, and quickly undressed and showered and went to bed...

The morning came with the nasty ringing of the alarm clock, but unlike David, I was organized enough that I could get up even if I didn't want to. David, on the other hand, would probably have turned off the alarm clock and gone to sleep.

Although...

I had to admit, he tried to avoid such situations and went to bed early enough that by the time he had to wake up for the academy he was more or less asleep.

After taking a shower, I went into my workshop and checked the condition of my weapons. I might have missed something yesterday...

But no, the weapon appeared to be in very good condition, so I dialed Regina with peace of mind.

"Hello, Regina. This is David."

"I get it."

The girl snorted slightly.

"...you're an early bird, aren't you?"

"I just have a great need for money."

"Is something wrong? Seemed to be working pretty well yesterday..."

"Well. the manager of my last megabuilding changed, and since the apartment was registered to my deceased mother, he decided it was a good chance to get me to pay extra rent. I refused and took my things and moved to another place where I had to pay the rent. So I'm almost broke."

"Hmmm..."

Look, I was gonna give you another assignment, but since you need the money so badly. tell me, would you have a problem working for one of the gangs?

I wrinkled my nose slightly.

"Honestly? I wouldn't want to work for the gangs. Although, uh. the Helms are pretty decent and don't try to cause trouble in the streets. They also don't involve outsiders in their affairs..."

"And the Animals?"

I covered my eyes.

"Absolutely not."

No, personally I didn't care, but it would be very strange if a guy would easily agree to work for a gang whose members had caused his mom's death. And the gang itself was too violent, they might attack, and my physical condition was good, but I couldn't feel confident in their company.

"Here's if there's an order to eliminate any of them, I'll probably agree, but not to work for them."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Regina, what's with all the testing? I mean, you've already gathered information and you know that the accident that killed my mom was caused by the Animals. I'm not gonna work for them. I'm not gonna work against them."

"I hear you."

The image of Regina nodded.

She was silent for a moment.

"Well, then, there's a job for the Helms. there's a girl named Judy, she needs help fixing the braindance equipment. What do you know about that?"

I scratched my cheek thoughtfully.

"Well, uh. there's nothing too complicated. Computers, albeit powerful, although I can't handle the specialized equipment like glasses."

"I'll clarify the nature of the assignment in a moment..."

Regina's image froze for a couple minutes, after which she grinned and nodded at me.

"Well, they said they'd send you to fix the shocks as a last resort."

"I don't care if they make us clean the sewers, as long as we pay them properly."

"Hmm... Not even a reaction?"

"Should it be? I came to you to work, not to argue... I'm a rookie and I'm not gonna get a big contract, so you have to understand me and my style first. So you're gonna send me on all sorts of jobs. Of course, I realize you won't send me to clean up waste, but the rest..."

I shrugged.

"Okay. So you go to Lizzie's bar and tell her Judy's from Regina."

"Roger that. I'm on my way."

"All right. don't let me down, Tycho."

The connection broke, and I stood up from the table and stretched. My back felt not so good. I'd have to pay a proper visit to the Reaper, see what that molder had done to me. Of course, I'd used the sandevistane a few times yesterday and didn't feel anything suspicious, but the fact that they hadn't given me any medication...

With a sigh, I stepped out and glanced down at my T-shirt, which never came off. My back was bloody. I didn't like that either.

Of course, maybe it should be after the surgery, but David wasn't told anything like that, which means...

So Doc was a real piece of work, shitting on his clients.

Inhale...

I crumpled up my shirt and threw it in the bucket, then looked at myself in the mirror. Turning my back to the mirror, I turned my head slightly and saw that my back wasn't bleeding now. I nodded and put on another T-shirt, then pulled an old jacket out of the closet and put it on.

I put Gloria's jacket neatly in a bag and decided to have it dry-cleaned.

Why?

The memory of David, who was not ready to give up that jacket so easily, spoke to me. Naturally, I holstered my gun and knives under the jacket, and only then did I leave the apartment and simply locked the door. Now no raner will be able to break the lock. But technicians among thieves are quite few, so I was calm enough.

After dropping my jacket off at the dry cleaner's I noticed the blonde I'd seen on the subway yesterday slowly descending from the floor above, but I didn't let it show, instead I took the elevator downstairs and got into one of the cabs that was parked in the parking lot waiting for customers and went to do Regina's assignment.