Code Enforcement: Wetware

As the silence drags out, I glare at the paid snoop, watching him fidget. "You've met Union," I say, incredulous.

The gangly netrunner swallows and nods, tapping his temple. "Briefly, in D-space." The young man runs a palm along his shaved scalp. "I've been on the station about a week, shadowing you and scraping data from any virts you visited. Which wasn't a lot." He tilts his head. "You don't use your augments all that much."

I set my jaw and glower at the nervous man. "You can skip the personal commentary and get to the point. And get there fast, netrunner," I growl.

"Sorry," he says, licking his lips and looking back at Lucy, who smiles and gestures with the rifle. Turning back, the tanned man seems paler. "I was linked into the Demeter, talking with my synth pilot, Gabriel. Gabe had been cargo-hopping around the moons, sticking close in case I needed a ride. I was updating him on my status when something else linked in through the comm array."

I feel my heart pounding in my chest, fingers digging into my palm. "And you think it was Union?"

He gives me a quick nod, wiping his sweaty forehead. "At first, I had no idea what it was. There was this expanding cloud of sparks, but it was eating d-space all around it. It blew through all our firewalls and didn't even set off an alarm. And when it touched Gabe, he screamed. And then he was... just gone..." he murmurs, trailing off as his gaze drifts.

I chew my bottom lip. "Your parter's dead?"

Diego winces, giving me a shrug. "I dunno. His backup never came online. But his avatar was still there. It just wasn't... him anymore."

My gut tightens, and I taste copper. "Communion? Or Union now, I suppose?"

He nods. "Gabe... well, I guess not him. She? It?" Diego sighs and shakes his head. "It linked directly to me and asked why I was spying. On you, specifically," he adds, tensing as the reactor begins to cycle on.

"By name?" I ask, tapping my fingers as I hear the muted roar of the engine warming up.

He shakes his head quickly. "It called you mommy," he says, grimacing at my expression and lifting his hands, placatingly. "Look, at first I thought it meant Rabi, but then it asked if I was on Argus Station to kill you. That's when I realized what she meant, and how fucked I truly was," he says quickly, looking between the three of us.

"What did you say to her?" I ask, trying not to snarl further. With limited success.

His eyes widen and he gives a shake of his head. "Nothing. I severed my link and shut my implants down, that same instant."

I snort. "Smart move, kid. That might have saved your life," I say, looking him up and down. "Have you used your implants since?"

"I pinged you, didn't I?" He asks, cocking his head and tapping his temple. "Don't worry, I did a full purge and factory reset first."

I grunt. "At least you're not stupid."

"Just desperate, Dame," he says, giving me an embarrassed, nervous smile.

I open my mouth, but Sparrow elbows me in the gut, cutting me off urgently. "Melody, there's more fire being exchanged in the Jovian."

I groan, holding my head in my hands. "Fantastic, who's shooting now? And at what?"

Sparrow looks over at the navigation console itself, watching the telemetry spill out in a stream. "It's a naval frigate. Looks like the Saratoga is firing on a small moon-hopper. The transponder's off, but I'm guessing it's the Demeter."

I turn back to the crestfallen netrunner. "Well, it looks like your ship is a cloud of shrapnel now, along with Gruder's skiff. Just navigational hazards 'til they fall down the well," I say blandly.

Diego scratches the back of his neck, sighing. "Damn. I liked that hopper; she was sporty."

My lips peel back in a grin. "I'm guessing she didn't respond to the Navy's hails. And you did have an unregistered mass driver installed," I add, arching an eyebrow. "Doing much shooting out there?"

The netrunner raises his own eyebrow. "It's a single-action railgun, just an ice-cracker for mining ops."

"Yeah, and unregistered, you chrome-licking moron," I snort, putting a hand on my hip. "You look like a pirate. A damned stupid pirate," I add with a huff.

"Just a wire-pirate, dame," he says, shrugging. He raises a hand, gesturing around the bay. "But since I don't have a ride off Argus Station anymore…"

"Fuck that!" I snarl, smile vanishing. "You were spying on us, and this isn't a rideshare service. You're leaving before we launch, end of discussion."

Sparrow steps forward with a frown. "Melody, that's not your call; the Chimera is my ship," she interjects, the tattoo forming tight hashed lines down her limbs.

I turn, blinking a few times. "Wha... yes, but..." I sputter, raising a hand at the glowering woman. "But this punk was selling us out to some scheming corpos for credits."

She nods, pushing her blue bangs aside. "And he came clean, dealt with us straight, and asked us for help," she adds, lips pressing together in a tight line. "If we ditch him here, Rabi or her experiment will kill him. I'm not sending this kid out to die,"

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"I'm not a kid," Diego protests, stepping back into my eyeline. He crosses his arms, squaring up. "And yeah, I took a job snooping on you. Just scraping data. No violence, no sabotage, no threats or blackmail or extortion. I'm a service provider, and I provide information. And I've been completely upfront with you, because yeah, I'm desperate and fucking scared. Please, Dame; I'll hire you."

My jaw falls open and I laugh in disbelief. "Are you kidding? You want to hire your target?"

He nods, tilting his head. "Why not? You've got a formidable reputation, and I've verified it's well-earned. Besides, you're already tangled up in this," he adds, licking his lips. "Look, I'm not asking for charity; I can pay. It's a fair job; find out what's going on. What Rabi and Union are doing, why they're trying to kill me, and what it's gonna take to cut myself free," he says, extending a hand.

I stare at his open palm, eyes widening, before lifting my eyes to his face. "You're serious? You were selling my secrets. Your boss-"

"Is dead," he snaps, frowning. "But he paid well, and so can I; I'll meet your rates."

I glare at him, chewing on my cheek, before my eyes dart to Sparrow. Who waits, searching my face. Gritting my teeth, I sigh. "If I do this, I want a minimum of fifty hours paid up-front for expedited service," I say acidly. The man smiles, making me growl. "And you're paying per diem, plus fuel, maintenance, and docking fees for the Chimera," I add, as I take his hand.

"Jeez, you really are a hard-ass, Dame," he complains, but he gives me a relieved grin and grips my palm. "But fine, I can't spend it if I'm dead. I'll authorize the transfer, if I have your word."

"I'm good for my word, Diego," I say, squeezing his hand hard. Before I let go, I pull him closer, savoring the alarm in his eyes. "So, take this promise as a guarantee; if you fuck us over, I'll blow you out the airlock."

"Uh, understood..." he says, gulping and looking back.

Lucy lowers the rifle, nodding behind her. "Well, get your things in the hold. Don't expect me to lug your bags in," she adds.

I feel a palm on my shoulder, fingers gripping tight. "Melody, can I talk to you in the engine room? I think we should diagnose some issues."

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that," I answer, following as Sparrow turns and ascends the ladder.

Climbing up to the shuttle, I try to keep my pulse steady and breathing in check. As Sparrow settles into the pilot's seat, I take the opposite chair. Checking my credit balance, I'm a little surprised to see the full deposit already sitting in my account. "Huh, the kid actually paid up-front," I say with a low whistle, giving Sparrow half a smile.

"Then maybe he earned some credibility," she says, giving me perhaps a tenth of a smile in exchange. "But listen, Melody; I think you need to sit this one out."

For a moment, my jaw falls wide, and I goggle at her wordlessly. "You want me to bench myself? Are you kidding me? After telling me to take his case?" I ask, to a simple nod from her. I pass a hand over my face. "Sparrow, this is Rabi we're talking about."

She meets my gaze with concerned eyes, taking a deep breath. "Melody, I know. And you deserve to have some closure here, and to deal with this yourself," she says, reaching out to lay a hand on my arm. "But you're too worked up about this, and I think you know it."

I take a few seconds to steady my breathing, biting back my initial protest. "Listen, I'll admit, I might not have the clinical distance some people value, but I'm fucking motivated, and you damn well know it."

Sparrows face falls, and her expression turns wounded. "Melody, you're compromised; you're volatile and angry and unstable."

I let my fingers dig into my palms, feeling the tension in my shoulders. "Unstable? Are you kidding me? You sound like Cartwright!"

Sparrow pulls her hand back, shoulders falling. "Melody, I love you, but you were ready to leave Diego to die at Communion's hands. I remember you nuking a moon to keep it from spreading and taking anyone else."

For a moment, my mouth works silently. "That's assuming this netrunner is even telling us the truth. Besides, we don't owe him a damned thing. He was selling us out to some Earth corps, and he might again!"

Sparrow's brown liquid eyes meet mine, her wide and concerned. "He came to you asking for help, admitting everything. Including snooping on you."

I break eye contact, scoffing as I look away. "Yeah, well, a little truth makes us more likely to swallow the lies. That's how espionage fucking works!" I say, with heat in my voice. "Honestly, Sparrow, why would you possibly trust him?"

"Because I understand him. I sympathize with him making a mistake and picking the wrong job. I empathize with choosing the wrong boss. I was a runner for the League, if you recall," she says softly.

"You..." I pause, feeling my guts twist. "Fine but that was an ideological choice, and a naive mistake. It's different."

The pilot shakes her head of blue hair. "It's not that different. Melody, you're scared and hurt, which is making you angry."

"I'm angry for good fucking reason!" I say, slamming my palm down on the armrest.

Sparrow gulps, leaning back. "Maybe, but honestly, you're really starting to scare me."

My belly twists in knots. "How can you say that? I'd never hurt you."

"I know," she says, eyes watering. "I'm scared you're going to hurt someone else. Maybe not Gruder or Diego. But I'm worried you're going to kill someone, and not like with Clearfield. I'm afraid you're going to do something terrible and convince yourself it's to protect me. And I don't want that on my conscience. Or on yours."

My face feels warm and the air feels stale as I look around. "Sparrow, I'm sorry. Maybe I'm not the most centered person right now. But if this is..." A ping lights up my overlay, the silver text taking up my visual field. A Code Enforcement inquiry. "Ah, shit. Perfect timing," I say, raising a finger to Sparrow.

[Dame, where are you? I'm at your quarters, and they're empty.]

I blink a few times. (Corporal Bishop? I'm a bit busy right now. I'm on board the Chimera, and-)

[On board? As in, you're in the docks, right now, with Sparrow?]

My hackles rise, and I give Sparrow a wide eyed glance. (Sorry, is something wrong?)

[You mean besides the fact that the suspect you beat the silicon out of is dead?]

(I had nothing to do with that.)

[Do you know a netrunner named Diego Montoya? The man who's ship fired on Gruder's skiff and killed him?]

(I can assure you I've never had prior dealings with any such netrunner.)

[Can you explain why they just paid you fifty-thousand credits?]

(One second, Bishop,) I send quickly. Sparrow opens her mouth, but I hold up a hand, reaching back to tug the hatch open.

"Hey kid. I'm on a ping with Code Enforcement; it looks like they're looking into you, and are probably gonna be after you shortly."

There's a pause as he processes the information. "Fuck. It probably looks like I was hired for a hit on Gruder. I'm the vessel's owner, after all."

I pinch the bridge of my nose as the vessel shivers, engine revving. "Great, because housing a fugitive doesn't make this more complicated," I yell back, rolling my eyes. Looking back at Sparrow's unimpressed face, I realize the issue. "Ah, shit, and you just paid me a huge sum of credits. Fuck me, I look like an accomplice. Codes is going to think we're the damned getaway flyer!"

The netrunner chuckles, head peeking up from the ladder. "Well. At least I'm getting my money's worth."

And of course, it's that very moment that an arrest warrant pops into my overlay, the red blinking text and profile of Diego Montoya flashing urgently. Well, at least the cops on Argus Station don't waste time.