"Regina..."
I entered the apartment and having taken off my armor quickly rinsed, then came to the kitchen, where I began to prepare our meal. Naturally, I started cooking and put my most expensive fixer on the call.
"David, if you're referring to the Faraday order, there's no customer yet..."
"Nah, that's not what I'm talking about..."
"Hmm?"
"I've been doing a little work on the side... I've come across some interesting information that could get you a lot of new debtors and expand your area of responsibility... Oh, and clean up a few nasty loose ends."
"Where'd you moonlight?"
"А..."
My image waved a hand.
"...I think you'll hear the news soon... we got one less fxer in town."
"Faraday? And what did he do? Well, I mean, since you decided to zero in on him without an order."
"He did, he just decided to betray Kiwi, but I didn't like it and decided not to wait for him to find the key to her."
I didn't say that I doubted he could do it. I mean, overconfidence doesn't make for a good reputation. And these days you can find a key to almost anyone.
"So, uh. what did you find?"
"Catch the files, study them, and yes, I'll send them to Bestia after our conversation, so if you're thinking of doing something, you'd better team up with her."
"Will you give it to her, too?"
"Well... surprisingly, Bestia's been pleasant enough to work with, and she hasn't been a problem since the first set-up. So I don't want to choose which one of you to help. You're both good girls, and, uh.
"Huh, girls? Well, I may be a girl, but Bestia can already be called a grandmother..."
"A girl is as old as she looks and as old as she feels, Bestia is clearly not even a girl at heart, but a girl, you will be even a little older in this respect."
"Asshole!"
The image of Regina shook her head.
"Okay, did you get the data?"
"Yeah, uh. and thank you."
"Regina, you once helped a kid you knew nothing about. This kid was brazen enough to bypass the local fixers and call you, and you didn't send him away, you gave him the job. So I'm just returning kindness for kindness..."
"Huh, I just saw your eyes. and I gave you an assignment that I would have lowered anyway. so I didn't lose anything."
"Maybe so..."
My image shrugged, and I myself in reality repeated the gesture.
"...But that doesn't take away from the fact that you didn't send me and you were the one who noticed my skills, and you were the one who made my name in the ranks solo."
"You made your own name..."
"And I'm not denying what I've done, but you could have given me an assignment like. go over there and break some faces. But you didn't, you gave me the jobs that were right for me. So you got a lot of credit for who I am now, too."
"Okay, I hear you."
The connection cut out, and without delaying I called Bestia's number and dialed her number.
"What do you want from me? I thought I told you that if I find a customer, I'll contact you myself, and it's still a long way to weekly work for me..."
"Bestia, I just decided to show some loyalty to both of my fixers and pass on information that might allow me to cut off unnecessary tails, take control of more territory, and get some extra debtors."
I sent Bestia the data. When she received my data, she was silent and didn't speak until five minutes later.
"Very interesting... such data could be available to a very narrow range of individuals..."
Bestia frowned. She clearly didn't like what the data contained.
"I want to warn you..."
"Is that the same data you gave Regina in its entirety?"
"Exactly... I hope two of my favorite fixers can work things out between them."
"We'll make a deal with her. Maybe we'll get Wakako on board and-- But that's none of your business.
"Exactly."
"Okay, uh... I take it you want something from me?"
"No..."
My image shook its head.
"I just don't want you or Regina to end up dead one day. That's why I gave this information to you. You girls are smart."
Bestia snorted, but didn't argue with her age determination.
"...you'll figure out who to do what with."
"All right, thanks, I'll make it worth your while."
"Okay, go ahead Bestia, good luck with your scams..."
"Uh-huh.
The connection was broken, and I was finishing making a snack. The girls were sitting across from me, watching me cook with anticipation. And as soon as I started putting the food on the plates, the plates of food literally teleported away.
"What about the cakes?"
"I'll make cakes, but I have to buy the ingredients first. I can't just feed you regular cakes for the occasion, can I?"
"Okay, uh. you want to show off?"
Becca looked at me glumly.
"Not without it."
"Okay..."
*** A couple days later. ***
I woke up to an eerie noise outside...
Police avi...
Avi Max-Tuck...
Avi Injuries...
All this was flying around the city just with monstrous intensity and I feeling that something had already happened, got out of bed ...
"Uh, David?"
"Panam, something has happened..."
"А?"
She always slept more soundly than I did, however, when several avi's flew over our house in a row she opened her eyes and looked in my direction.
"I should turn on the TV and call Regina, see if she knows what's going on."
However, I knew exactly what could cause such a fuss, and as soon as I turned on the TV, I was convinced that my assumptions were correct.
"Fucking..."
"А?"
Panam followed me out of the room and looked at the television, where the breaking news was playing. It was about the daring attack on Komeki Plaza and the murder of Saburo Arasaka.
"Shit, V, what the fuck?"
"Uh, uh. do you think it's her?"
I looked at Panam.
"Who's his mother? Who's his mother?"
"Well..."
Panam shrugged her shoulders and at that moment other girls started appearing from their rooms. All of them wanted to know what was going on.
In that moment, I realized that my actions could affect my girls' lives. my girls' lives. No, I'd always remembered that it was up to me, that if I failed, they might get to them, but now...
I covered my eyes.
"I'm sorry, Vee."
"Huh? What are you talking about now?"
"Girls..."
I ignored Becky's question.
"All communications disabled. ALL communications."
"А?"
"I don't want to get into that shit..."
I shook my head.
"But, uh. I can't say no if we're called for help. On the other hand, if we can't be reached."
"That's kind of cowardly..."
I glanced at Becca who had said it.
"Cowardly."
I nodded confirming her words.
"And believe me, if I had only my own life to risk, I'd probably be sitting here with a gun and ready to go when I got the call, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the call. But I have YOUR lives on my shoulders. Aldecaldo's."
I looked intently into Becky's eyes.
"So I'd rather be a coward and save all those lives than be the brave idiot who put everyone at Arasaki's mercy. Or do you think I have the right to risk all of you?"
I looked at Kiwi and Judy.
"Girls, please ensure that the signals are completely blocked. So no one can get through to us, no one can get through to us. cause I have a feeling Becca's not gonna turn anything off on principle."
"She's your friend! If you're right."
"A friend. and while I had the chance, I warned her. I told her not to mess with DeShawn, I told her how it worked, I advised her to get a new chrome, I did EVERYTHING I could."
"But..."
"Becca..."
Kiwi cut her friend off with a single word. It wasn't so much the word as the tone with which she said her name.
"...I support David. No, I'd take part in the venture if he decided to help Vee, if she's the one who made the mess of course..."
"I trust our captain's judgment in this matter."
Judy cut into the conversation and Kiwi gave her a slightly annoyed look, but still nodded appreciatively after a couple seconds, taking her opinion to heart.
"...Well, I, like everyone else here, would have taken the gamble. But I don't know about the rest of you, but I would have been mildly disappointed if he'd decided to take it. Who am I kidding? I'd be very disappointed."
"Becca..."
Lucy intervened in the conversation.
"...I don't understand your outrage."
"Lucy?!"
"We all know Vee, we could probably even be called friends, but you personally have the least contact with her."
"But you can't do that..."
"You can't?"
"...what if the conversation was about one of us? Me? You? Kiwi or Judy or Panam?!"
I sighed.
"If we were talking about either of you... I'd probably slip you a dose of potent sleeping pills before you started ordering from a lefty fixer."
"А?!"
"Б! Becca. You think I'd let you work for a left-wing fixer without my input, and on a questionable assignment? I'd put you on sleeping pills for a couple days and then just listen to a stupid tantrum like the one you're trying to throw right now.
"I don't..."
Becca looked extremely confused.
"You're trying. only we can't figure out why."
Panam nodded her head.
"...I think I can speak for everyone. We're not very pleased that David chose to ignore the danger to our friend by simply cutting off communication. And what can I say, knowing David, he must be feeling pretty lousy himself right now..."
I nodded my head in agreement.
"...Except we all know how many times he's talked to Vee, how many times he's tried to influence her and Jackie through Misty and Vic. Hell, he didn't even ask for the payments that Vee was behind on this month! And all because he realized that she'd need a new chrome for her upcoming assignment..."
"Yeah, but, uh. it's not like I'm hysterical."
Becca shifted her gaze confusedly from Panam, to me, then to Judy, Lucy, and finally to Kiwi.
"Hysterical..."
"Fuck..."
Becca collapsed onto the couch and dropped her face into her palms.
"Did I really look hysterical?"
"Well..."
I looked at Becca, and with some sixth sense I knew she didn't need to be spared right now.
"...yes."
"Fuck..."
"Becky, we know you...you have an explosive temper and that's why we often ignore your antics like this, so..."
"Fuck, this isn't my first fucking tantrum, is it?!"
"Well, uh. actually, yeah."
Kiwi nodded her head.
"back when Maine and I were working. you were being very controversial."
"How diplomatic of you to call me hysterical..."
Am I hysterical?