"What the fuck did you do to yourself?!"
"I said..."
I sighed sadly and looked at the whip-like arm and leg hanging from the chair... Both limbs could be rolled up if they wanted to, except that the synthetic muscles wouldn't make the rolls thin enough.
"...One hundred percent Sandy..."
I looked at Kiwi, who had come to me because she wasn't good with technology. And I could see her anxiety in the way she looked at me. She was obviously very worried. It felt good, but embarrassing.
"Okay, well, can you please make sure that everything is turned off... I think it's pretty easy to do from the main access point, especially when you know the password."
"Just a second..."
Kiwi grabbed the back of the chair, which was on wheels, and pulled me away from the table where the massive computer that acted as the access point stood.
"Okay, uh. Yeah, all systems are down, you can call whoever you want and communicate without call signs, especially since Mystique saw you anyway... so, uh."
"Okay, she saw it, but you clean up the data while I contact our fixer."
"Roger that."
And as soon as Kiwi was deep into his work, I dialed Regina.
"Listening..."
"Uh, listen, listen. I'm out of commission. I don't know how long, but I don't think less than a month. I guess the order's probably done, though."
"I guess?"
"Well, we've got the farm under control, if there are any free solos you can send to pick up the teens, well, if you send your buddy with the other cops and Trauma, that would be perfect, because the teens were being held here..."
I twitched my healthy shoulder, glad that my injectors had painkillers in them, and that they stopped bleeding. Without it, I certainly wouldn't have been able to feel so relaxed. At least any movement would cause pain.
"Also..."
"Uh-huh?
"I've been cutting Mystic off..."
"You..."
"Hush, she's still alive and will be for a couple hours, though she says I hollowed out her heart and she can only lie down now. Anyway, if you need a solo of THAT level, now is the time to send a VERY trusted person who can ensure her survival... or at the very least, offer her a contract for high-end treatment at Trauma...
"Uh..."
"Quiet, you're talking to someone and I couldn't reach you on the comms channel, we found our target... He's alive, but he's definitely not healthy. and we urgently need a trauma (from the author: I know that in the canonical world the company is called Trauma Team, but I still find it more convenient to write Trauma), because everyone who is alive can drop out any minute..."
I nodded at the words of Judy, who came over to break the news, then handed it over to Regina.
"Got it... You'll have the trauma in five minutes, I'll take care of it... the customer and the cops. well, they'll be a little late so you can get out of here. And Mystique should be picked up, solos at this level are really hard to come by and if I help her now, she might be willing to do a couple jobs for me..."
"Uh-huh. all decided, all agreed... and now I have to go, I think my ripper will be very unhappy with my condition as it is...
"Get well. Solos like you don't go out on the road either... a lot of people would just fuck me off when they realize the shit they're getting into..."
"Let's put it this way. I'd send you a message, too. if I worked for you less, but first of all, our relationship doesn't allow me to be so superficial about your requests... and two, I just made a mistake."
"Wrong?"
"Yeah, uh. just like the other day with, uh. you know, the other fixer I work for from time to time. You remember I gave her a price tag that I thought she wouldn't pay, not because she didn't have the money, but because it wasn't worth it..."
I shook my head.
"...so here too, based on the customer's characterization you gave me...to be honest, I was counting on her to just send me away with such requests. No, I'm sure it's nice to get paid for a job like that, but I was counting on her sending me away..."
"Is that really true?"
"Yes... of course, I'm a responsible guy and having voiced the price tag began to prepare to fulfill the order, as the probability of agreement was still present, but I was counting on the fact that he would refuse, I shrug my shoulders, complain to my colleagues that the customer does not want to pay... and we'd turn around and go home..."
I sighed.
"...but as you can see, I miscalculated. Despite the obviously very high price, the customer went against his own, broke all your characterization and agreed to my price. After that, if I refused to work, I would have lost my reputation."
"Okay. but something tells me you're lying to me, you weren't against the job at all. It's not in your nature to leave people in the lurch like that. not that you're often altruistic or in trouble, but your hatred of garbage men and your willingness to work against them for a penny speaks for itself. You don't even work against Animals with such zeal, and you have personal scores to settle with them..."
I almost didn't ask what kind of bills and only when I opened my mouth did I remember. Gloria. this body's mom. well, I was beginning to forget where my journey in this world began.
"Well. I wouldn't work for free anyway..."
"Okay, over and out, get well, and yes, I'll tell the other fixer that you're temporarily out of commission, I wanted to meet her today and have a couple of drinks anyway... and yes, if possible, give Mystic my contacts, if she is interested in my help, it would be better if she calls me..."
"Yep... over and out..."
"Good girl, we wait for Trauma, then when they're all picked up, we delta. The employer will deal with everything, except for my blood, so that there won't be any extra clues to us, although there are enough of them already..."
I sighed.
"...well, don't do it, there will be questions for us anyway, and we won't clean up all traces of our presence here, so only unnecessary questions about why we tried to do it will appear... just clean up the cameras so they don't recognize our capabilities."
I looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"Okay, uh. I take it you've decided to make a name for yourself?"
"Not to put it bluntly. everyone who's interested in us knows about us, and Mystique, when I called myself Quiet, made it clear that she'd heard of me... so, uh. I just decided not to emphasize hiding our identities so much, only hiding our abilities."
"I see..."
Soon ten avis arrived at once, the Zetotech atlases that Trauma is so fond of using, from which armed men in Trauma's armor and the doctors themselves immediately jumped out.
I was watching all this already outside, still in the same chair.
"Hey..."
I got my attention.
"Your patients are in there. my partners are disconnecting the teens from the systems that chemo'd them, but not all of them, just the ones that won't die from it-- some of them will need your help to disconnect.
"And you..."
The muzzle of a bulky shotgun poked in my direction.
"I'm quiet."
"Okay, uh. do you need help?"
"No. I'm fine. I'm gonna give you the teens and then I'm gonna go to my riper and he's gonna get me back on my feet."
"Well, look..."
And the work began...
How long did all this take? Well, all the disconnecting, loading, plus calling in additional avi's, including Mystic, took about thirty minutes. After which we finally loaded into the Tortic and headed to Vic's...
And the first words I heard from Vic were.
"What the fuck did you do?!"
"I ran into Legend ..."
I grinned sadly, and Misty, who'd seen my condition when the girls helped me jump, since I refused to go to one of them, to Victor's clinic, gasped and clasped her hands to her mouth.
"With a legend?"
"Mystic..."
"Ahem..."
"And, uh, yeah, Vic?"
"Listening to you..."
Victor scowled at me for a moment before finally activating his instruments.
"You know a lot of people, I hope you can help me... I need to upgrade."
"I thought you didn't want to become a Borg..."
There was disappointment in Vic's voice.
"I don't want to, and Mystique, when we talked after the fight. she told me she regretted ever doing something like that..."
"What kind of pumping do you need then?"
"Skills..."
I sighed.
"...I'll contact Regina and hire specialists for myself and the girls to improve their skills, but something tells me that you can give me some tips on fighting."
"I can, uh."
Vic grinned, and there was warmth and respect in his gaze.
"...but first I'll need to get you back on your feet and your arm back in order."
I'm given an attentive and scrutinizing stare.
"Which do you prefer? Temporary chrome that will be gradually replaced or to be temporarily without limbs?"
"Vic, of course temporary chrome, without limbs I can't work..."
And seeing him frown slightly, I continue.
"And if I get a replacement, I'll at least have a job as a technician and gunsmith. And I should not only earn money myself, but also find a decent job for my girls, so that they would not run away from me because of my temporary incapacity for combat missions with a good income."
"I'm not running away..."
Becca shook her head.
"Me, too."
Lucy put her hand on my shoulder.
"Well, Judy and I, I don't think it's even worth mentioning. We're with you till the end."
"Well..."
Kiwi looked away slightly.
"...I have some funds, so I can wait a couple of months, especially if you still find me orders, maybe not so lucrative, but still profitable."
I smiled gratefully at them all.
"Thanks girls..."
"So the replacement..."
Vic nodded his head.
"...easier, harder?"
"Why overpay? You can have a banal civilian version, as long as the response is good."
Vic nodded his head.
"Okay... then we'll put some of the tried-and-true stuff...
And the work began. naturally Vic didn't knock me out, injected me with anesthetic and started working.
When he had already completely removed what was left of my damaged leg and prepared to install the chrome that would temporarily replace it, a girl I knew walked into his clinic.
"Hey, Vic, hi."
Vic didn't even look back at her.
"Hi Vee..."
"Fuck..."
She stared at me shocked.
"...what happened to you, Davy?"
"Facing the big leagues..."
I sighed.
"Just the kind of thing I warned you about... unplanned... on a mission, ran into a Legend who completely ignored me for a while and when I believed I'd gone undetected..."
I ran my healthy hand along my body.
"...The result of the collision you can see..."
"And how did you survive?"
"Lucky me. had a trump card up my sleeve, managed to surprise her VERY much, so we parted ways with a slight advantage on my side."
"A small advantage?"
"Well..."
I shrugged a healthy shoulder.
"I did the job. So to my advantage."
"And how are you now..."
V glanced at my partners with interest and a hint of interest.
"...I guess they're free and can do a little work with us on DeShawn?"
"Pass..."
That word was said by all my girls almost in sync, much to V's surprise.
"Uh, uh. okay, Vic, how much longer are you gonna be busy?"
"For about an hour..."
"Okay, well, I'll come by in an hour..."
Vee turned on her low heels and left Victor's clinic, while I wondered what I should do next. No, I'm not going to give up my solo life yet, and as I told Vic, I'd like to do technical orders in the near future ... but the Rivera bounty's gonna have to be handled soon. and it looks like I'll have to involve Aldecaldo in this, because I'll refrain from active combat for the time being...