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***
- Pull over!
My shout made Panam press the brake pedal down hard, twisting the steering wheel and causing the car to skid so that it changed direction.
- Why are you shouting?!
As soon as the car stopped, Panam slammed her fist on my shoulder and hissed quietly in pain.
- I almost flipped the car over!
- Uh-huh... would you rather hit a landmine?
- А?
- I noticed it by accident... I just decided to switch my optics to a different mode and spotted the mine.
I sighed.
- Not a pressure mine, but one that reacts to presence.
- Presence?
Panam grinned.
- Well electromagnetic sort of thing... I don't know about mines and how they function. So right now I'm taking a...
I looked back.
- I'll go.
Lucy moved forward a little to show that she was ready to work and I nodded to confirm that I didn't mind taking her with me.
- ...Lucy...you don't have to come with me, I'm not out of my mind to drag a Rauner through a minefield. But a direct connection, so you can work through my deck, we'll organise it now.
- Shh.
- What, did he screw you over?
Becca grinned wryly.
- Okay, talkies...
I gave Becca a stern look, after which I nodded to Lucy and she sent me a direct connection request, which I naturally approved.
- David...
- Yes?
- ...just don't use Sandi to its full potential while I'm using your fibre optic. My chrome is very good now, one of the best that a non-corporate solo can afford, and I probably won't fry your brains, but it'll hit you hard.
- Good.
I nodded and alternately activated a few different modes on the optic, allowing me to detect a few mines. Well, several... in fact, everything ahead of me was mined. And it was impossible to get to the farm on Tortica. It's impossible to get there on foot!
The first two mines beeped and obviously switched off and I moved very slowly towards the farm.
- Listen...
Lucy decided to take advantage of the situation and talk to me.
- Yeah?
- ...Do you think we could go out with you?
- Theoretically? We could.
- Practically?
- Snowflake.
- I'll make arrangements with the girls.
- Well, if you do, yeah. We could definitely go on a couple of dates and see if you and I can take things further....
- That's all I was hoping for.
- You should have.
- А?
But I pretended I didn't say anything. But it was impossible to mislead her like that.
- Are you saying that you think our relationship is possible?
- Snowflake... I'll be honest... if I didn't think so, I wouldn't be paying this kind of money for you... no, teamwork and friendship is good, but think about it, would I lend you HUNDREDS of dollars if I didn't consider the possibility of you becoming part of my family?
- Um... And Smarty, not now, but then... the first time.
- Same reason...
I shrugged, while Lucy remembered to disable the mines I detected. We weren't moving very fast, but it was understandable, we didn't have the password to disable the minefield, and we didn't have time to look for an access point where the password could be entered. And the mines were of different manufacturers, and as a consequence required a different approach to disable them.
- So you planned the whole thing?
- Clever girl, I didn't plan anything, it's just that my relationship with you and my desire to build a deeper relationship is why I've been so generous in investing in you.
- Um... I see...
I grinned.
- See the cameras over there?
My gaze froze on the camera that hung at the entrance to the Farm.
- Just a second, I'll hack into it now, it should be connected to the general network, we can try to hack the rest of the system through it safely...
- What's wrong? Why are you so quiet?
- Look, there's so much ice... the nutcase couldn't have set it up... I understand the minefield, it's a bit of a stretch, but theoretically he could have got the mines and even set them up and connected them. At most he could hire a solo to do it, but this ice... this ice no free ranger would put up.
I frowned.
- You're saying...
- There's a corporation involved.
I sighed.
- Fuck... and you could have guessed that when you bumped into Mystique...
- Well, that encounter could have been written off as an accident, but ice like that... well, personally, I'd have been putting it on since a month and I don't see any reason why I'd put it on a stranger... unless he's a pawn and I'm covering some kind of agenda.
Inhale... exhale...
- Retreat?
- No... call the fixer, we need to alert her... maybe she has some spare spies to pass this order on to.....
- I doubt it.
Lucy was grinning sadly, judging by her voice.
- I too... most likely to refuse this order is not an option... but... I have to try.
So I immediately dialled Regina.
- Greetings, Fixer...
By not calling her by name, I knew things were pretty fucked up.
- Quiet?
- There's a problem.
- And her name is Biotech?
I blinked.
- So you knew?
- No, I just found out about ten minutes ago. I was able to find out about Mystique, she's been working very closely with that corporation for the last few years. Though I still wasn't sure it was about the corporation, well until you called... so what happened?
- There's ice... The farm is protected so... just creepy... minefield, ice, and we're the ones just approaching the entrance to the farm. There's probably gonna be turrets in there.
- И?
- Do you have any other groups in mind?
- I wish I could say yes....
I sighed.
- I knew you were going to say that...
- You're turning it down?
- Are you kidding? Look, you know me... if you had another team, I'd back off, but throwing teenagers at the mercy of a corporation... But you have to understand... as long as it was just a simple psycho and helping your friend, I didn't bring up the issue of payment. But now the risks are becoming...
- I understand.
There was a brief silence.
- Fuck.
- What?
- Wait, I'll contact the client... I didn't want to tell him you were already working, but it looks like I'll have to. However, once he realises that Biotech is probably involved, he won't be too keen on getting ahead of you, but as for the reward...
- I have an idea, but I don't know if he'll go for it...
- What kind of idea is that?
- I mean, he works.
I didn't say Rivera's occupation. It's silly, but when it comes to a corporation like Biotech... they can probably trace the direction of the call, but for now they can try to keep it quiet, so who was doing it is unclear, and the fixer could have taken another one, while being close to Regina's location to set her up.
- It's already clear...
I sighed and crossed my fingers in reality.
- Smart girl, along with the girls maximum protection to the channel. For the next five minutes, any, even corporate, ranner should only hear white noise when trying to listen in on our conversation.
- Thirty seconds.
And after that time, she said it was ready and I turned to Regina again.
- He can run us through the old police warehouses. Those warehouses where they keep equipment, like Basilisk and Manticore.
- Eek!
The image of Regina gave me a shocked look.
- You've got a lot of demands...
- Don't get me wrong, I don't need new models, I need one or more old warehouses that have this equipment. Preferably not in a single quantity, as well as access points through which I can wipe information about these warehouses, and then empty them. There may not even necessarily be whole equipment, it may be a warehouse of damaged equipment, but not disassembled, but damaged equipment that is simply too expensive to repair and dispose of.
- I got it...I'll talk to you in a moment....
The connection's been cut.
- Okay, Snowflake, get ready with the girls for some very hard work.....
- Um... do you think you're gonna make it?
A couple of seconds before that phrase, she had brought Panam and Becca into the conversation and the former couldn't help her curiosity.
- What's going to work?
- Our Boss has decided to raise a small army for himself...
- Erm?
- He's decided to ask for Basilisks and Manticores as payment for the confrontation with Biotech....
- Eek?!
- What? If I get them and pay them off in instalments--
Before I could finish my sentence, I was interrupted.
- Fuck, I give up... you can have as many mistresses as you want, but I'll not only make you join the clan, but I'll nominate you for clan leader.
I blinked.
- Hey... did you ask me?
- Smart girl, I'll make a deal with you... but Tikhonya, if everything works out for him, won't turn away from it... because the current clan head hasn't done half of what our guy has already done for the clan... And we'll have to tie him to the clan tighter... yeah, we'll definitely have to get knocked up....
I blinked.
- Um... is it okay if I'm listening to you guys here?
- Whatever... if you do it... I'll consider you a fucking god... you've already brought the clan from its knees... and here... we'll get our greatness back!!!!
- Um... aren't you interested in my opinion?
- Don't worry, no one will force you to work... someone else will determine your daily life, but you will make the important decisions.
- Well, actually, he's the solo leader of our team....
Judy's just joining the conversation.
- You'll be part of the clan too...
- And if we don't want to?
Kiwi's voice was very serious.
- Come on... if everything works out, we'll just become solos who can leave Knight City and start working in another city if they want to, with a solid base to which we can always return!
- Except nothing has been decided yet....
I decided to cut short Panam's fantasies of a possibly unfulfilled future. After all, Regina had given a very definite characterisation of this River Ward. And he might not be willing to sell, albeit old, equipment to the police to save....
Regina phoned me and as soon as I answered she stunned me with just two words.
- He's in.
- Ahem.
- What?
- I wasn't expecting that.
- You get one address with all the data attached if you can only return a dead body. If the guy's alive, you get two addresses and data. All right?
I sighed.
- More than okay.
- All right, get to work.
- Yes, ma'am!
My image saluted and Regina grinned as she disconnected.
- Let's get to work ladies, we have a chance to get old but very good equipment and I'm not going to lose this chance.
- Girls, you do your best...
Panam told our rangers to do their best and I stepped forward again, this time under the cover of three rangers working through a direct connection with me....