Friends in high places. Part 1.

Once again I have become the star of the Net. Once again the video of my performance became a bomb that exploded the local web. The PR and marketing department got another dose of euphoria and took full advantage of the opportunity. Everything seems to be fine, but there are some unpleasant moments.

I got yelled at by Jeremiah and Ron. They didn't think this kind of behavior was good for The Archangel Project, (that's the official name of the project now) and my squad. Oh, and I totally forgot to mention that success with my squad motivated the board to expand the experiment and make it permanent. TT is preparing several more squads like mine with plans to provide special services to a larger number of customers. To be honest it was very good news, because my squad had been working for weeks without a normal day off, and now there was someone to replace us. Plus, I've been hinted that they plan to put me in charge of this project in the future, replacing Ron, who is also getting a promotion. Jeremiah is planning to increase the number of people who are personally loyal to him among the top management of TT.

So back to the yelling. Jeremiah and Ron didn't like the fact that I, like some rookie kid, decided to go into the gladiatorial arena and fight. If something had happened to me, or if I'd lost the fight, it would have been a huge blow to the project's reputation. Yes, I understand that I was stupid, I could have found another way to solve the problem. But the situation was very complicated, and the time was running out, who knows how long the client would have survived. Plus I had to explain why, instead of starting to shoot all over the place and slaughtering all the Animals, I had to fight. They didn't like the answers very much. In a firefight we might have injured our clients, which doesn't really help us out. And the worst part was that they were probably waiting for us. There were too many Animals, machine guns and other heavy weapons. If we started to break through by force, there would have been a lot of collateral damage. Besides, we certainly wouldn't make it without getting wounded maybe even badly.

The Corpos are very fond of creating intrigues, but they don't like to get caught in them themselves. The situation looked like we'd been tricked by the Animals. Animals! An ordinary gang of gangsters, not a corporation like Arasaka, Militech, or Biotechnica. A nasty blow to our egos and reputation, which we decided to avenge. It's not just a question of our ego, but if we let this happen and not get payback, other gangs and corpos will start wiping their feet on us. And that's a very, very bad outcome for the TT and for us in particular. Ron says he'll start gathering more information on the Animals, and Jeremiah will probe the situation with the other corpos. That leaves me with the planning and execution of the combat part of payback.

I had nothing to do while they did their part, so I had to focus on training and shifts. At the same time I took revenge on the smart-asses in my team by making them sweat at the firing range. So passed a couple of days until I was summoned by Jorg and reminded that I owe him a lot and it is time to start paying him. I had to work as a celebrity bodyguard for one important meeting between Jorg and a representative from Kiroshi, to which he had been sent by Jeremiah. Jorg was promised a certain cut, and he really wants it, so he wants to use my reputation and power in order to succeed in the negotiations. Damn, I'm a man with a solid reputation and a good job, but here I am again working as a bodyguard like I did at the beginning of my career. Except those greedy eyes of Jorg leave me no choice. With a sigh, I agreed. I would have to order a suit, for the meeting would be at the posh Kanpeki Plaza Hotel. I wouldn't be allowed into that place in regular clothes or TT armor; it wasn't the usual motels where mid-level fixers worked. This is a completely different level.

I could have just rented a suit, but I came across a boutique in Watson. The owner was a native to sunny Italy, Señor Mosca, who had golden hands and could create a masterpiece in a couple of days. When I asked him why, with his talent and the ability to earn large sums of money, he lived here, he said that he gets his inspiration here, and Watson reminds him of home. Yes, despite the coming of globalism, Italy is still Italy. And Watson reminds him of little Italy in some places, thanks to it's small, community of Italians.

When I went to his shop, I told him I needed a suit, and within 72 hours it must be ready. In two hours we had time to take my measurements and discuss the approximate style as well as the material. Unfortunately, real wool is very expensive, but I spared no expense for a suit like this. As a bonus I was promised to have minimal protection built in with special threads. Yes, even a damn tuxedo can have the protection of a bulletproof vest, as long as you pay for it. Wild world, wild people.

Jorg and I took a cab to the meeting from the local boogeyman, Delamain. People aren't quite used to the AI replacing the driver yet, and a healthy paranoia reminds us of the horrors that lurk behind the walls created NetWatch. I too wasn't used to seeing an AI avatar instead of a driver, but Jorg didn't care. As he said it was the best option when it comes to price-quality and accessibility. Although, knowing his greedy nature, I can safely say he chose the cheapest option in the high-end segment at the moment. If it were not for the meeting with such an important person to him in Kanpeki Plaza, he would have come in some junk car. However, looks do matter.

The trip was uneventful enough, except for Jorg's attempts to get a discount from the AI by convincing him that he would recommend Delamain to his friends and acquaintances. But the AI stayed firm and always replied that he would advise Jorg to buy the Excelsior package. Although I think if Jorg had more time, he could have pressured Delamain for a discount. Or we'd get a pissed off AI and a war between humanity and another Skynet.

When we arrived at the hotel, we left Delamain waiting for our return in the underground parking lot while we walked towards the exit. The guards and scanners checked us out and demanded that we leave our weapons behind, for the safety of all the hotel guests. I had to leave all my personal weapons behind, even my ceramic knife had to be taken out of its hidden sheath in my sleeve. I felt naked, even though the security here should be up to par, but I am too used to having at least some weapons with me. I even caught myself thinking that I was ready to walk into a restaurant or a bar to steal a fork or a butter knife. See, that's a professional deformity for you. Breathe in, breathe out, calm down, put on a mask of a cold-blooded pro.

The meeting was scheduled in one of the special rooms on the upper floors. Not a penthouse, but also says a lot about the man from Kirosha and about the company itself. We arrived on time and a representative and a couple of bodyguards were waiting for us in the room. A quick inspection revealed they had quite a few implants and some chrome. Yes, at first glance I look a little bland, except that my skills and implants hidden from view are far superior to theirs. These are the usual dumb fighters who have been budgeted a couple of eddies more than normal. Fodder. As I continued to watch them during the negotiations, I was able to confirm my suspicions. Their suits fit like fancy dresses on hippos and it was evident that they were unaccustomed to them. Ordinary bouncers in suits; even Rogue's guard looked more presentable.

The negotiations were proceeding at a steady pace, but about halfway through, things began to heat up. Scolding and threats started. The representative from Kiroshi even said something along the lines that his bodyguards could break a couple of our fingers if he wanted to. They even gave what they thought was a threatening look. To me, they looked just like clowns.

At one point the representative of Kirosha hit the table, and pointing at me, ordered his bodyguards to beat me up. The two idiots rushed in without much thought, hoping to knock me down and beat me up together. Grabbing a small vase from the table next to me, I threw it at one of the idiots. Using my improved reaction speed thanks to implants, I took advantage of the delay caused by my throw and kicked the enemy closest to me in the leg, causing him to fall to his knee. He blocked the punch with both hands, opening a gap in his defense, missing my side kick to the head. That was enough to stun him, which I took advantage of by hitting him with all my might in the temple. That's it, he's KO'd.

While I was dealing with him, his partner decided to get me in a grappling hold. Spreading his arms, he lunged at me. Thanks to my accelerated reaction time, I was able to calculate the distance, and kicked him in the balls when he was no longer able to block my attack. The force of the kick was enough to make him gasp in pain, and he couldn't defend himself anymore. A couple of punches, one to the throat and the other to the jaw, and there he was, falling, unconscious. It took me less than a minute to take down the two degenerate thugs. I even planned to break their arms and legs, just in case, but I was stopped by Jorg.

"Enough Marcus. I think that's enough. Now, I hope you understand who you're dealing with?" - Jorg said to me and then turned toward Kiroshi's representative. You could tell by the bloodthirsty smile of Jörg that now his opponent would be under very strong pressure.

After such a demonstration, the negotiations went rather quickly and successfully. Successful for us, judging by Jorg's good mood.

"Was it worth it? One of our security specialists with good melee skills could have been taken to such aggressive negotiations. Why did you have to pull me out?" - I asked him.

"Yes, I could have. But I wanted to teach that pompous bastard a lesson. Plus to clear all his doubts about the power of the TT and the fact that our fighters are not just well-publicized, but genuinely dangerous. You noticed yourself how easy and simple the negotiations went after that."

"Yes. Another reminder that you would even strip a dragon of its ass if you were promised a good reward. You're a greedy bastard indeed."

"Bastard. Maybe I am. Greedy. Yes, yes, and yes. All right, shall we go back?"

"Nah. After a show like this, I want to relax a little. I'm going to a local restaurant."

"You've gone off the sacred Scrooge way again! What's wrong with a tasty diet of canned food?"

"Because I've had enough of that crap for a couple of decades due to having to save money. So I'll order myself a nice steak and enjoy the taste of real meat albeit from a medicine-pumped cow."

"Eh. I'll have to perform a cleansing rite on you. "You're so lost in the sin of embezzlement."

" Screw you, Jorg. Okay, I'll see you later."

"All right. See you later."

I walked toward the restaurant, but I was a little disappointed. All the tables were taken and would be empty in half an hour. Sighing, I decided to ask for a reservation, but in order to kill time I went to the bar. And there I met a very special individual...

Hey guys. Good news. I am alive. Bad news. I had quite bad problem with heart due to work and stress related issues. But here some chaps that I have translated long time ago. So let's have some fun weekend and hope that I will recover and maybe one day pick up this fic. Part 1 out of 2.