Neon Dust [Progression Cyberpunk]

34 – Easy Payday

As the van navigated the enormous parking structure adjacent to the NGT tower, Tony looked over at Addie to see her eyes unfocused and her lips moving ever so slightly. "How's JJ doing? He like his new digs?"

Addie blinked a few times, then looked at him, beaming. "He loves it. He keeps going on about how quick the chip is and how much memory he has now. Last night, I had him practice his interfacing with Humpty, too. He's showing me some vids from Humpty's deep storage right now."

Tony nodded, reflexively looking into the back of the van where Addie's backpack was stowed. "You bringing him up with us?"

"Do you think I'll need him?"

"He's an extra set of eyes. We can see the layout of the guy's apartment, and use Humpty to patrol."

"Oh! That's a good idea!"

Tony nodded, chuckling. "Hopefully we'll have a nice, quiet day."

"I hope so. Pyroshi messaged me, by the way. He wants to meet tomorrow."

Tony could hear the excitement in her voice. "The first real training sesh, huh?"

"Yep. But… should I reschedule? Glitch has news for us, and we still have to deal with Beef's thing."

Tony shook his head. "Nope. I'll meet Glitch and hire her to look into the Helldogs, too. Beef never got back to you?"

Addie sighed, groaning. "He doesn't want to be a rat. I swear! He's so stubborn…"

Tony laughed. "We'll get him out of that mess, even if we have to pull him by his ears."

As the van pulled into an empty spot, Tony slipped out and walked around to the back, opening the cargo door. He already had his pistol in his holster, and he picked up his electro-shotgun, slinging it over his shoulder. He'd replaced the batts, and with the ability to dial the magnetic charge to his desired level, it was a perfect weapon for using indoors. He could ensure the pellets wouldn't go through any walls. More than that, he could widen the dispersal pattern to the point where he could clear an entire hallway if he had to.

That said, the taped-up, sawed-off stock gave it a kind of low-rent look, but he hadn't had time to replace it. Addie was in the back, going through her pack, so he said, "Hey, hand me the black duct tape from that bin, will you?"

"Sure."

While she got it, Tony unwound the filthy white tape from the gun's stock. "Might as well try to make this look a little better, considering the clientele."

"Yeah, wouldn't want them to think our guns are ugly."

"Smartass." He grunted, tugging on the ancient tape.

"I tease, but I think I'll leave my pack. I can keep Humpty going for weeks with my new reactor, and this pack is kind of ugly, and I don't want the bulk—"

"Oho! Now look who's worried about appearances! Next thing I know, you'll want a low-slung holster for that pretty needler so everyone can see it when you're wearing that shiny coat of yours."

"Wait! They have those?"

Tony laughed, taking the black duct tape and winding it around the truncated shotgun stock. When he was done, it looked a hell of a lot better, and when he had it slung by his side, under his right arm, a person would hardly notice the tape. "Better."

He held out a hand for Addie, and she took it, hopping down to the concrete. Humpty hummed out behind her. Tony slammed the door and led the way, following the bright yellow signs, toward the skybridge that would take them over to the tower. "Now I think about it, maybe you should tell Humpty to shadow the kid."

Addie looked up at him. "I was thinking I'd stay with her."

"Yeah, but you know how teens can be. She might try to give you the slip or ask you to stay out of her room. Humpty can follow her anywhere, and she might be more comfortable with a drone babysitter than a person."

"We'll see." Addie shrugged.

It was pretty crowded when they reached the sky bridge, but people gave them space, no doubt thanks to Tony's dark shades, bulky jacket, and obvious weapon. Addie's jacket was technically better than his, but something about a tall guy wearing black just carried a bit more menace than a pretty girl in a yellow bomber. It wasn't fair, but Tony didn't make the rules.

When they reached the garage-level lobby, Tony got in line for the elevators. There were ten of them, so the queue didn't take long to wind down. When they reached the end, Addie and he had to walk through a security scanner. Tony went first, and it flashed red as a soothing AI voice asked, "Pardon me, sir, but are you aware that you are bearing prohibited personal defense weapons? If you need a place to store your weapons, there are lockers in the southwest lobby."

"I have a temporary permit," Tony replied, trusting Nora to transmit the license that had come straight from the Boxer exec.

The lights flashed green, and the voice said, "Please proceed. I appreciate your patience."

When Addie went through, the lights flashed green. He looked at her, and she smiled, saying, "JJ sent my license ahead."

"Aha! So he's a showoff, is he?"

She laughed. "Stop it! He only did it when we saw what happened to you."

Inside the elevator, Tony waited for other people to select their floors, then typed in 378. Gregory Ross was near the top—or, at least, the top of the half of the tower that had survived the Blast. Curious, he asked Nora how tall the tower was before the disaster.

"Before the fall of the Aurora Gate, the NGT building had 550 floors, and an antenna array that added an additional forty meters to its height."

"Ah," Tony said aloud, "the tower didn't actually lose half its height from the Blast."

Several people in the car glanced at him, but only Addie responded. "Yeah, I remember learning that."

Addie's response must have emboldened a man near the doors because he added, "There are 385 remaining floors, but the top five are abandoned—at least by people."

A woman clicked her tongue. "Don't start mentioning the ghosts and ghouls."

The man looked down, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and then the elevator shuddered to a stop, the display flashed 117, and two people exited. After they started moving again, Tony cleared his throat and asked, "What do you mean? Are they just ghost stories or what?"

The woman pointedly looked away and didn't answer. Addie spoke into the silence, "There are always stories about Dust-afflicted living up there. How they'd get there, I don't know—"

The man who'd gotten quiet snarled, clearly frustrated, "From the building! There are two hundred thousand people in and out of this building on a given day! Nearly a hundred thousand are residents!"

Addie held up her hands, looking at Tony with an arched eyebrow. "Easy! I'm not arguing."

The man grumbled, then the elevator stopped on floor 208, and he got off with another woman. The rest of the ride was quiet, and by floor 300, Tony and Addie were alone in the car. When it stopped on 378, they got out and stood in a plushly carpeted hallway with spotless white-paneled walls. According to the numbers on the wall, Ross's apartment was to the right. Tony looked at Addie. "Ready?"

She nodded, looking over her shoulder at Humpty. "Ready."

"You wanna do the talking?"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Addie licked her lips, narrowing her eyes, before replying, "Let's just play it by ear. We won't talk over each other."

Tony smiled and shrugged. She was right; it wasn't like they had a five-person team with a couple of boneheads on it. He started down the hallway, passed half a dozen doors, turned at a junction, passed a few more, and then they stood before the apartment. He cleared his throat, then touched the call button on the security panel.

"Tony, the residential AI is asking for your credentials. Shall I provide them?"

Tony nodded, and a few seconds later, the door beeped and opened. His AUI said it was 0751, so they were a little early, but knowing what he did about corpo execs, he figured early was better than late. "Come in," a disembodied feminine voice said. As Tony and Addie stepped through, it added, "Welcome to the Ross residence, Shepherd and Ember. Mr. Ross will be with you shortly."

Tony looked around the foyer, watching how the floor, tiled in high-gloss black slate, reflected the ceiling's ambient strip lighting like a mirror. A narrow runner of silver-threaded synthweave carpet led the way inward, bordered by walls of dark wood paneling inlaid with subtle lines of glowing abstract-art-style filigree. He recognized the high-end carpet right away; he'd had something similar back in 'Hattan. It was good stuff and not the least bit cheap, designed to clean itself and resist traffic imprints.

"Nice," Addie whispered.

Tony nodded. "Especially for this district." He let his eyes drift to the right, where a minimalist pedestal held a floating sculpture: a polished steel orb slowly rotating within a magnetic cradle. Behind it, a vertical light panel displayed more shifting abstract patterns. They pulsed with the soft ambient music—some kind of synth-pop remake of a classical tune.

While he looked around, a hidden panel opened in the wall to his left, displaying coat and shoe storage. "Would you care to remove your jackets and shoes?" the AI asked.

Tony figured, if there were a possibility of an attack, he'd like to remain fully clothed. "No."

Addie responded a little more hesitantly. "No, thank you."

The panel slid closed, seamlessly hiding the closet in the wall. Before Tony could look around further, the sound of steps and a long shadow approaching from the corner ahead heralded Gregory Ross's arrival. He looked exactly as Tony expected: slender, clean-cut, no obvious cyberware, and a perfectly tailored, modern suit. When he came around the corner, his steps slowed a little, and he didn't hide his eyes' slow perusal of the two of them.

"Well," he said as he stood before them, "I suppose I shouldn't have been expecting corpo-sec uniforms. Forgive me if I look a little startled."

Tony shrugged. "No offense taken."

"Can I take your coats?"

Addie shook her head, and Tony said, "They're functional for security purposes."

"Oh, yes. Of course." Gregory nodded, but Tony found his eyes were lingering on Addie's face as he spoke, and after a moment, he tilted his head sideways and asked, "Have I seen you before? You didn't do work for Boxer in the past, did you? What did you say your name was? Ember?"

Addie glanced at Tony, and he could see she was nervous, but he didn't speak for her. She shook her head, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her jacket. "That's right—Ember. And, no, sir. This is our first job for Boxer, and I've certainly never worked for the company. Perhaps I look like another employee."

He smiled, clearly convinced of his own charm, and nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm sure it's something like that. Well? Shall I introduce you to my daughter? I have to leave shortly."

As the man started down the hallway on the right, Tony asked, "I wonder if you could have the residence AI forward a floor plan to each of us?"

"Of course. You heard him, Inez?"

"Yes, Mr. Ross," the bodiless voice replied.

"Good. You should have it shortly. As far as Inez goes, I've instructed her to obey your directives with regard to security for the next twelve hours."

Tony nodded. "Perfect."

Mr. Ross stopped before a closed door and touched the control panel beside it. A soft chime played, and he said, "Clemmie? I'd like you to meet the security people I hired for the day."

Tony expected an argument or at least a sleepy protestation, but the door opened almost immediately, and a young woman stood in the opening. He could see her relation to Ross right away. She had the same greenish-brown eyes and straight nose. Unlike his brown hair, however, platinum-blonde tresses hung past her shoulders in a perfectly straight curtain. She was dressed very primly in a textured gray skirt and a white, silken, button-up shirt. She also wore stockings and heels that made her taller than Addie.

The attire made Tony think she'd be some kind of ice queen, but she smiled politely and made eye contact with all of them as Ross said, "This is Ember, and her partner is Shepherd. They'll be here all day, and I want you to be sure to listen to them regarding guests or any sort of security matter."

"Pleased to meet you," the young lady said, her words soft but well enunciated.

"Clementine," Addie said, "this is my drone, Humpty. Do you mind if I have him follow you around today? You won't hardly notice him, but he'll let me know if any sort of trouble arises." She called the drone down while she spoke, and he hovered there between them, softly burbling as his Dust engine converted the alien material into an anti-gravity field.

Clementine's eyebrows arched up as she leaned close to the drone. "He's so quiet!"

Tony noticed something on Ross's face, and it sent his hand toward the grip of his shotgun before he contained the reaction. The man looked at Addie's drone and then back at Addie, and Tony saw the light of recognition in his eyes. He knew her somehow, and Tony didn't like that one bit.

"Well!" Ross said, smiling. "That's perfect, Clemmie. I'm sure you're in good hands with these two; that's quite a special drone, and it takes some real talent to control it so well. Now, sugar, I'm very sorry, but I have to head into the office. The team really needs me today, or I'd call in." Tony watched as he gave his daughter an awkward sideways hug.

"You'll be home by eight?" she asked, affecting a very slight pout.

"Earlier! Eight's a worst-case scenario." He looked at Tony. "I mean that. I should be home closer to six."

Tony nodded. "Perfect."

"Right, well, feel free to explore the place. My bedroom is locked, as is my office. You shouldn't need to go into either room. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen; Inez has a servitor unit, so if you want her to cook for you or need anything else, just ask her."

"Very kind." Tony stepped back, making room for Ross to pass.

"All right. Goodbye, Clemmie." The suit smiled at his daughter, trying to make eye contact, but she was fixated on Humpty, and he turned to leave, his affection unrequited.

"I'll be back to check on you soon, Clementine," Addie said, and then she and Tony followed Ross toward the foyer. Tony noted his mini-map had been updated with the apartment layout, so he knew that if they turned right at the foyer, they'd reach a great room that combined a conversation arrangement, a formal dining setup, and a kitchen.

They paused at the door and watched as Ross prepared to leave. Before he stepped out, he locked eyes with Tony and said, "She's not to go anywhere, nor should any guests be coming by. This should be a very quiet day, but if something were to happen—if any of my rivals somehow got wind that she was here—I hope you understand that I would go to the ends of the Earth to claim my vengeance against any who harmed her and those who failed her."

Tony heard Addie intake a breath, but he wasn't sure if she was startled or about to speak, so he let his mouth have a little free rein. "No need to be dramatic, boss. We're here to protect her, and we'll do everything we can to see she's kept safe."

"Good. Your ratings don't reflect the high praise your handler heaped upon you, so I'll have to trust that my secretary made a wise decision with your employment."

"She'll be fine," Addie said.

Ross nodded, then stepped through the door and closed it behind himself without another word. Tony looked at Addie and grinned crookedly. "Intense guy. He acted like he knew you."

"He's confused. I've never met that guy in my life. Anyway, what's a servitor unit?"

Tony laughed. "It's like a synth that the house AI can drive around."

"Sheesh. I knew Boxer execs were milking the Blast dry, but I don't think I quite realized how well those creeps were living."

"Yeah. I'm a little surprised, too, to be honest. This is like a Cross Corp mid-level manager's apartment, and they're a hell of a lot bigger than Boxer." He started down the hallway toward the great room. As he went, he said, "Inez, is the security system armed? All doors and windows are locked?"

"Yes, Shepherd."

Tony looked at Addie. "Got eyes on our girl?"

"Yep. Believe it or not, she's sitting in a chair reading a book—like, a physical, paper book. There's a whole shelf of them in her room."

Tony grinned at Addie's breathless announcement. "I suppose you want to go check 'em out?"

She nodded, bouncing on her toes with each step. "I figure I'll make a snack and bring it to her."

Tony paused at the threshold to the big living space. "She was… not what I expected."

"No, she seemed almost sweet. Maybe she was acting that way because of…" Addie looked around, and Tony had a feeling she was wondering if Ross was listening to them or if his AI would record everything they said and did. "Well, you know, it's hard being a teen."

"Yeah," Tony chuckled.

The great room had a gas fireplace and a sunken conversation area with white synth-leather couches built into the marble surroundings. A dining table stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows, and a chef's kitchen was off to Tony's left. He imagined the view was spectacular, but the windows were currently opaque.

"I'm gonna go look in the fridge." Addie crossed the room, her sneakers squeaking faintly on the engineered marble.

Tony walked over to the windows. "Inez, make this window transparent."

The glass flickered, and the opaque white gave way to a crystal-clear view of the city. The apartment was higher than any of the nearby buildings by a factor of at least two, and Tony could see all the way across the Blast to the bridge that connected it to District Sixteen and beyond. Hell, he could see, through the gray haze and the morning sun's glare, the distant megatowers of the central districts. "Hell of a view, Ads."

"Yeah? Hang on, let me finish this sandwich, and I'll come check it out."

Tony heard her, but his mind was elsewhere, remembering the last time he'd seen a view like that. He'd been on the other side, in District One, looking out over the nighttime city, awash with light and energy. From there, looking down, a person could see the NGT building, but just the faint glow of it hanging over the hazy city like a disembodied spirit over a graveyard. "Well," he muttered, "we might not be in New 'Hattan, but we've got a nice enough view for the day."

"There's fresh fruit in here! Have you ever seen bread like this? There are seeds in it!"

Tony chuckled, turning to watch as Addie bustled between the fridge and the pantry, and the counter. She was going to have fun hanging out with that kid. He just hoped it would be as easy as it seemed. He glanced at his AUI: 0814—just about ten hours to go, and then they could collect an easy payday.

Suddenly, Addie gasped and threw a hand over her mouth. A second later, a message came through on Tony's AUI:

Addie: Oh my gosh! I'm an idiot! I think I know why Ross was looking at me funny! The bangers shaking down the Royal Breeze tenants—they were getting orders from someone called "Mr. Ross!"