"Okay, we're working. down the hall, there's another one, he's listening to music right now, he's got his back to you."
"Got it..."
And I immediately turned on the sandi to overcome the corridor Judy had told me about and knocked out another bandit. Naturally, the splinter took its place in his socket. Then I looked around, and making sure there was nothing here, continued on my way.
Judy was silent, which meant there were no enemies yet.
"Wait..."
"Standing..."
"There's two people there. Both of them are kind of in the manufacturing business... be careful. There's also three laptops you can work on."
"You know the rules, I can't stand sophisticated technology. Chromium is still okay, it is difficult to put a bug in it without violating the design, and the signal from it in the disconnected from the system and as a consequence not working chromium is easy to catch. And after the chrome is already checked and even if there was a bug that should have been included later it will simply be removed and destroyed. But here is the Laptop..."
I shook my head.
"Just a splinter. And you'll have to work at a waltz pace."
"Okay, but we're still gonna need about ten minutes."
"Lu..."
"Mentor, here I am Snowflake..."
"Grrr... In short, why do you let you talk to yourself like that, you need more means will wait..."
"Mentor, you don't understand something, you are at risk only if your skills are insufficient and you are detected, and as far as I understand you have the possibility to disconnect, unless the Voodooists or the Network Watch..."
"Shut up!"
Kiwi looked like she was scared of something, at least the slightly hysterical voice said just that.
"Tychonya, in the rancher community, memorializing THIS while working is not a good thing..."
Lucy decided to be somewhat calmer, but you could hear the excitement and apprehension in her voice as well.
"I'll remember that."
I nodded my head as I entered the room.
"I am physically on the enemy base and he can send reinforcements, unknown neither in numbers nor in training and chrome plating, which greatly increases the chance of failure. So you work as long as I say."
"Tsk... you think too much of yourself."
I activated the sandi and quickly jumped the fence of a small ladder to get down from. After that I disabled the last two bandits and put slivers in them and all the equipment that was here. And only after that did I cut off the sandi.
"You got ten minutes. If you don't, I'll start a sweep and then blow the hell out of the place. Time's up."
"Tsk... and how do you work with him? How do you all work with him?"
"If you don't talk, but do the job, it's all right..."
Judy was somewhat annoyed. But that was all she said, as the girls went back to their work. I think Judy now handed over control of the cameras to Panam, as she usually did when the three of us were working together, and joined the break-in.
Silence...
The silence was tense and kind of eerie. If I were in a movie from my past world, there would definitely be this kind of quiet, very tense music playing right now. The floorboards would be creaking under my feet, and on the monitor of one of the laptops, the face of the main glitter manufacturer would be appearing, telling me how stupid I was for getting involved in his business.
Uh-huh.
I'd also have to have a daughter or niece that they would kidnap and threaten to kill... And for completeness of the collected stamps, I should be here without the help of the team, breaking hordes of enemies alone, carrying a heavy rifle and shooting from the hip without aiming at all, but all my enemies would twitch and fall to the ground. О!
I remember!
There's got to be a final fight with the main creep! It has to be with combat knives!
"Eight minutes."
"Damn it, we're running out of time!"
"Do what you have time to do..."
I shrugged at Kiwi's shout and continued the mental countdown, and I really wasn't going to give them a second of extra time. I shrugged at Kiwi's shout and continued the mental countdown, and I really wasn't going to give them a second to spare.
"Okay, ten minutes have passed..."
I timed it.
"You have another seven to ten minutes to work on the laptops while I clean up the bodies and move them and the tech into the chemical room. But no more. And yes, Mentor, I know I could have done it right away, but then you wouldn't have the extra time. Again, yes, I'm risking myself, but I VERY much hope I'm not doing it for nothing."
With a sigh, I walked over to one of the bandits and took the rifle from him, then fired the first shot, ending the life of the drug-making creature. Naturally the bodies of both of them were dragged closer to the reagents, and I also took out the chips, and then I quickly went through all the rooms...
"Okay, everybody, I'm getting the chips out of my laptops..."
When everything was ready I got the slivers out of my notebooks and then headed out in a very quick stride.
"Carefully, a car pulled up to the entrance, with four gorillas from Animals in it."
I received this message when I was already climbing the stairs and was supposed to be in the garage where the car that was supposedly being repaired was parked.
"Thanks Smartypants..."
I turned on the sandi and went upstairs, and then I walked past them, ignoring them, not wanting any more dead bodies. Regina wouldn't approve of them, and they might die if they went downstairs, but that wasn't my problem.
Once around the corner, I turned off the sandy and pressed the detonator button, and there was a loud explosion. The house where the lab was located blew out all the glass and cracked. But it's still intact. Chemical poisoning as well should not be, after all, I'm not a fool and checked through the network as the best way to conduct the explosion, so that the reagents were destroyed, and not reacted and began to poison the lives of ordinary people. The power of the explosion, though. yeah, that's where I miscalculated.
Nothing unusual for Knight City though, here solos usually don't take on what happens to regular people at all...
"So..."
I tapped into the account our ranchers were withdrawing money into and whistled.
"...and you ladies did a good job..."
And having said that, I divided up all the funds and sent them to those who were entitled to them. And that's when I heard a surprised whistle from Kiwi.
"Boy, I'm not saying no, but, uh."
"It's all right there..."
Kiwi was interrupted by her student.
"...he always pays like that, and here only he has the same share as us, because he risked his own skin, if there had been big problems his share would have been bigger, but since everything went quietly... Cherry and Bookwoman got smaller shares because one was a driver, the other was a cover, which wasn't needed at all."
"You're telling me it's not unique that he's paying that much?!"
"No... when there is good left earnings, it always pays good bonuses. The other thing is that the main amount of the order will be divided differently. He'll get a bigger share, we'll get a little less, Cherry and Bookwoman will get the smallest again."
"And they're okay with that?"
"Mentor, with the profit margin, they'll probably get at least 50,000 in total... just for showing up and standing around and driving around..."
"Yeah, especially since Tychonia and I have a family..."
Panam grinned and Tortik stopped in front of me so I could get in and we deltaed together from the first point. I took a quick look at the data the girls had dug up and immediately threw it to Regina along with the report. I also put in a request for a dossier, so I'd have to find out more about Kiwi. She seems okay, or at least she's a pro. judging by the fact that Judy hasn't complained about her, and she wouldn't be shy about telling me about the new girl's lack of competence.
"Okay, uh. that's it. we can go by name now."
"Can I disconnect?"
Kiwi's voice was shocked.
"Well, if you're not interested in making money..."
I shrugged. My avatar must have repeated this gesture, but is it visible to Kiwi, or does she, like me, simply remove it when a large number of contacts are included in the conversation?
"Isn't that all of them?"
"Waiting for Regina's decision. she has the data, but she's actually hinted that this won't be the only point destroyed. So as soon as she gives the go-ahead for the next location, we'll go there.
"Hmm. I can come over. It's not as convenient to work remotely as it is to work directly."
"Come on..."
I nodded my head.
No matter how it turned out and whatever was in the dossier on this lady, but this job is more profitable to finish together with her. So I gave her the address where she could come, and Panam quickly changed the direction of travel.
It's been about two hours...
Our whole company had gathered at the coffee shop, and we were all eating now. Since we would definitely need our strength to continue our work. And it was at that moment that the Kiwi dossier came to me...
And as it came so I frowned...
Slightly...
"Is something wrong?"
Panam looked at me questioningly and I sighed... I guess I'll have to change my plans a bit.
"Kiwi ..."
"What?"
"What is your relationship with Faraday?"
She shuddered.
"I don't know what you mean..."
I sighed again.
"You know, I was originally planning to run this operation with you all the way through, and only then decide something, but... Faraday."
I shook my head.
"You're here now because Lucy vouched for you."
Lucy looked at me with disbelief and displeasure at what I had started to say to her mentor, but nodded nonetheless, confirming what I had said about the surety.
"And it's an assignment I still plan to do with you until the end..."
"But?"
"But I just don't want to create misunderstandings and unnecessary expectations. Faraday is not a figure I want to have anything to do with. So I'll ask you again, what's your connection to him? Too often you work for him, even on less than lucrative assignments that hurt your reputation."
She sighed.
"What if I don't want to answer?"
"I won't force you, but this order will be the first and last one I bring you in on. Next even a recommendation from Lucy, and even if she and Becca both start asking for you."
I shook my head.
"...even so, I won't put you to work."
"Kiwi. please."
Lucy looked at her. I saw her look as a plea, even a plea, a plea to trust us, but the older woman's gaze remained cold and unapproachable. Not for long, though. Lucy's eyes glittered for a few seconds, as did Kiwi's, and she shuddered.
"I... I owe him."
"Should what?"
"Money... a lot of money."
I sighed and covered my eyes. It's both easier and harder at the same time.
"I won't go into the reasons, you can tell me yourself if you want to, I'll just ask you what kind of contract you have with each other?"
"I... have to make monthly installments and interest. If I don't have the required amount, he can engage me five times for absolutely any work."
I covered my eyes.
"This month?"
"I just got a transfer. I wasn't expecting such a big cut, but when I got it, I immediately closed this month's debt."
"How long are you gonna have to pay?"
"Seven years."
I whistled.
"Do you have any money left for food and shelter?"
"Yeah... a little bit."
She nodded.
"Okay, well, either way, we're gonna hit at least one more glitter spot today, so you're gonna get some more bucks. And, yes, I really want to trust you, but, uh. I'm gonna check it out."
"I realize..."
"Uh-huh...
"Uh, David?"
"I don't mind..."
With a sigh, I nodded my head. To the question Lucy asked me.
"...I don't mind involving your mentor in your work."
"Why are you sighing?"
"Yes again to Regina to pick up a job, where a team of ranners pro needed, as well as quiet penetration ... though. That's even better. Uh-oh.
I reacted to the letter from Regina and rubbed my palms together.
"We have a new goal, going to..."