1000 gems = bonus chapter
20 comments per chapter = bonus chapter
10 reviews = bonus chapter
3 patreon subscriptions = 10 bonus chapters
Fully completed story at:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium
***
I had already moved away from the door when Judy's voice came from the kitchen-dining room.
- 'David, can you open the door, it's for me...'
I shrugged, and taking two steps back towards the door opened it.
- Um...
The girl standing in front of the door stared at me in shock, her cigarette falling out of her hands and her eyes bulging as she examined me from head to toe. What's there to look at?
I looked at myself.
Well a young guy... well in boxer shorts... so in this world and in this city with its tolerance and permissiveness some people walk naked in the streets. In the game, of course, there was no such thing, but they tried to convey permissiveness as much as possible. So a guy in pants should not cause such reactions in a doll from Clouds, and I have no doubts that this is the same lady from the canon.
- Am I wearing patterns?
- N-no. You are.
- Hello, Evelyn.
Judy's voice was rather cold, which was surprising, since in the canon they had been lovers for a while before he had been, and afterwards they'd just remained in a trusting relationship. So much trust that Evelyn was able to come to Judy with a bren of a point she'd basically ordered to rob. Not just any place, but Compeky Plaza!
For something like that to happen there, it had to be more than just a trusting relationship.
- David, this is Evelyn Parker, my ex-girlfriend. Evelyn, this is David Martinez, my boyfriend.
- Your what?
- My boyfriend.
Judy shrugged, and I took a step aside to let Evelyn into the flat, but she stayed in the common hallway without taking a single step inside.
- Wait, but you're like...
- What?
Judy grinned wryly.
- On the girls?
- Well... sort of... right?
Evelyn wasn't sure what she was saying. Well, that's understandable, because when Judy asked me that question, she just came up to me and kissed me. But if the kiss looked passionate from the outside, it felt....
It wasn't a kiss of passion, it was more a kiss of resentment and revenge, but not against me, but against Evelyn, so that by kissing me Judy was avenging her. Apparently revenge for a not so pleasant breakup and it was that kiss that made Evelyn doubt what she was saying.
- This is unexpected...
Judy pulled away from me and looked at Evelyn.
- What did you want?
- Well... sort of...
The girl helplessly stepped aside and I could see a bag filled with what appeared to be bottles.
- О...
Judy nodded her head.
- I see... you've come to get me drunk, then fuck me, and so minimise the negative impression of everything you said to me the other day. Yes?
She grinned.
- What was it like in there?
- I work for whores, and you don't want to be a whore your whole life. You want to be an actress, so I should be rolling the hell out of here, not dragging you down. Right, Doll?
Evelyn shuddered.
- Judy, what are you swearing at?
Panam came over to us and now Evelyn's eyes got really, really big.
- And this is...
- This is David and I's girlfriend.
- Kha... Is this a bad time?
- Very...
Judy nodded her head. But the fervour and resentment in her had receded a little and she was a little more rational.
- So what did you want?
- A drink.
- А...
Judy nodded her head.
- So my initial assumption was right, then I don't have time right now. No time at all. I'm working.
- But I heard you left Helms.
- Not really, but yeah, I'm solo now and I don't have time to drink with you.
- Um... okay... I'm off....
- Yeah...
Judy waved her hand as if to ward off a pesky fly and Evelyn turned round to pick up her bag, the bottles clinking, and then she looked back at us and just left. The door closed and Judy exhaled.....
- Are you okay?
I decided to be tactful and put my arm round her shoulders.
- I'm fine... thanks for playing along.
- Hmm? But you haven't told a single lie....
I looked at Judy in surprise.
- Yeah...
Panam nodded her head and a grin appeared on her face.
- You are David's girlfriend and also mine, as I don't plan to let him go.
- Um... seriously?
- Yeah...
I nodded my head confirming Panam's words and held Judy tighter to me.
- Thank you...
- You're welcome.
I'm just wondering how badly I've broken the canon against my knee now? It's not like it's hard to find another Brains specialist in town, Dexter can make a deal with someone and then eliminate them. So overall...
But if the beginning of the canon in this way can still be smoothed out a bit, but the continuation?
- So, I'm going to take a shower, then I'll get myself cleaned up....
The door slammed behind me and Judy.
- I'm showering first!
She and I looked at the shower room where Panam was hiding, who had shouted from behind the closed door, and grinned.
- Wow...
I shook my head.
- I'm next...
I cast a glance at Judy and nodded my head with a sigh.
- Okay.
- Thank you...
I got a peck on the cheek.
Panam cleaned herself up in about forty minutes, then Judy, who took about ten minutes less, and only after them did I get into the bathroom. It took me about ten minutes to do everything. Then I came out of the bathroom in clean boxers, throwing the ones I'd been wearing into the washing basket, and walked to the wardrobe, where a set of my clothes I'd taken off last night was hanging.
- So, work?
- Yes...
To Panam's question I nodded and the girls and I left the house. Panam spent a couple of minutes in Tortika to find a good radio station, not a good radio station, but one that plays decent music today. And only after that Tortik roared with the engine and moved off to a cheerful rapping, quite decent, despite my dislike for this genre of music.
The journey took about an hour, after which Panam stopped where Regina said it was possible not to attract attention.
- Okay, working...
I grinned and got out of the car heading towards the main entrance of the building.
The optics allowed me to look through the walls, a kind of x-ray vision that allowed me to realise that there was no one behind it. So I calmly stepped inside and walked through the ground floor. I pretended to go to one of the empty flats on the other side of the building and walked past the rubbish man who was watching me closely, and after activating the sandi, I turned around and pulled out a knife and took two steps forward and drove it through his eye and into the rubbish man's brain.
- First one ready...
I, as always, turned to the girls on the internal communication channel and then went to the flat opposite and making sure that it was empty carefully opened it, then dragged the corpse into it.
I closed the door behind me and crouched in front of the door to the bandit base I was able to open the lock with the help of the demon pretty quickly.
The door opened quietly, I knew it was empty, but I had to be careful, so I got in very quietly.
- I'm in...
I grinned and slowly walked through the base that had to be cleared....
Was it difficult?
No.
I'd long ago become a passable assignment, except that the Scavengers had become afraid of Tikhoni, as Regina had admitted that she'd leaked some of the information about me. Not to hurt me, but just so the work wouldn't be attributed to another solo. That's what she always does, as do other fixers, unless, of course, absolute anonymity of what happened is required.
The base was cleared quickly and quietly, the scavengers didn't even realise anything had happened, they just all died.
- Good girl, it's your move...
The nickname for Judy came by itself, at first I wanted to call her Braindance Master, but Judy just grimaced at that suggestion, and it was too long... so I first shortened it to Braindance... and then I remembered that braindance is actually a brain, and after a little twisting, not calling her Brain, I gave her the nickname Clever Girl.
- Roger that.
- Do your best, there is almost no chrome here, or recently taken out, or here they do not keep it at all, and I did not find any hiding places. So our extra income depends on you.
- I get it, I get it.
Judy was concentrating on hacking into the terminals I was connecting to. One by one, she was breaking their defences, going through the data and fast. I could only keep track of the money being transferred into my account.
Of course, the money was not transferred directly, but through offshore and laundering centres, which allowed her to erase their trace, even if she lost some of it. But even so, what she was doing was extremely profitable for all of us. Seventy grand.
- Quiet, I'm done. Cherry's already warmed up Tortik.
My image nodded, and I quietly left the Scavenger base.
- I'm on my way.
- By the way, I found the address of the place where they keep the chrome now, and it's the address Regina didn't give us.
- Hmm?
- There must be a lot of security there... and they've brought in the Animals.
- The Animals aren't a problem, and neither are the Scavengers, although I'm surprised those gangs could find common ground.
- The Scavengers promised forty-five per cent of the proceeds.
I whistled.
I had already left the house and walked quickly down the street to the car, which immediately started up.
- Where are we going?
I sighed.
- Let's get on with the mission... I'd like to rob the Scavengers for chrome, but first I need to finish the tasks from Regina for today.
- Reputation?
- Yeah...
I chuckled sadly.
- ...If we had a better one, I could have sent Bestia, but it's doubtful, if Regina can't do it, then solo... you'd have to have the reputation of Morgan Blackhand or Johnny Silverhand, or maybe OWLs... Then yes, people like her can be turned down without reason and without fear. Otherwise...
I sigh.
- And unlike Panam, I had no reason. She was the one who tried to set her up with the stiletto... or rather, there was a reason, but I made it a condition of reconciliation, hoping she wouldn't pay, but I was wrong....
- I think you're getting off topic.
Judy grinned. In the meantime, I did distribute her loot and send her shares to the girls.
- Did you? I'm still talking about reputation, which sometimes means sacrificing profits. However, we can work one night, I think it's better that way.
- Are we still gonna sell Chrome through her?
- Well, since Judy got the data, we can go direct this time.
- Okay.
Panam nodded her head.
- ...I'll contact Mitch and Scorpion, tell them to get the car ready and get ready to move on the signal....
- No.
I interrupted Panam.
- I want them out there now, and it better be two cars.
- Hmm?
- You remember how they tamped down the chrome last time, don't you? It's better to empty one than leave something for the Scavengers or the Animals in case there's more chrome.
- Okay...