ACT 2
ACT 2 –
Bomb the Bass
Everyone was getting ready for tonight, even Sol. Alice was getting ready because she wanted to make a good impression, even if she thought the client was the most useless hunk of carbon under the sun, she was going to kiss ass if she had to, and then tell me to beat them senseless if she felt like it. Quite the crazy that one. Nix was getting ready because it was one of the only chances she’d get to relax. I didn’t get ready, since the black suit was sort of the thing. People knew it, people respected it. It was my thing. Sol just wanted to get laid, but would probably fail. I was in my room, cleaning my glasses and going through the weapons of the night. The first was a long revolver with a .30-06 under barrel. It was a .44 Magnum and Sol loved the power. The second was a small pepperbox fletchette, the Rabbit used it because not a lot of people, save true professionals, knew how powerful a fletchette round could be. The third was a Seburo revolver. Just a nice looking .38 that could fit in your pocket. I gave it to Nix because I figured she’d need something if she was hanging around with an unsavory bunch like us. The last two where mine. One was an HK caseless 11mm handgun. It was small and I liked the way it felt. The second was a big, ol’ .45 . A 1911 frame with a much boxier looking slide. I liked it because it was scary and was backed by the power it boasted. I looked back and forth and the two and finally picked the 1911, slipping it into my shoulder holster and placing a pair of clips on the other side. I took my coat off and put on the holster. Sol appeared in the door way, still dressed like a punk. “You got my gun?” I tossed the revolver to him which he caught and placed on an outside holster. He thought it made him look cool, I thought it made him look like a jackass. I took the pepperbox and the Seburo and made my way into the kitchen/living room, handing Alice her gun and tossing Nix hers. “Safety’s on.” She fumbled with it and then slipped it into her pocket. She was wearing a fiberoptic nit outfit and had put nanos in her hair. They were all linked to a chip that turned emotional impulses into color, which transmitted into the nanos and the fiber optics. With an entire outfit, it was rather mesmerizing. Alice was in a pinstripe suit similar to mine, and Sol… well. He was just a punk.
It took as 45 minutes to get to the club in the Assmoblie, a rather painful 45 minutes of Nix and Sol fighting over which radio station we should listen to. Finally we were there, the bass was loud, way loud. I could feel it driving up. We made our way up to the door, through the crowd without question. They knew damn well who we were, and so did the doorman. Sol mentioned something about a Hakdok as we passed him. A bad looking cybernetic arm was on display like some kind of disgusting trophy. I already knew the song they were playing before we entered. Some KMFDM remix of Star****ers Inc. Wasn’t half bad, but then again those kids would dance to anything. The club had that pink tinge to its air that all the ones of it type seemed to have. Drones from the ceiling shot beams of different light through the haze. I could see the stations that hung from the ceiling were already in use, held by steel girders. They were massive black boxes with jacks hanging off them like some kind of cybernetic octopi. Nix began to run into the crowd but I removed a small black device and shook it. She removed hers and turned it on, slipped it into her back pocket. I flipped mine on and dropped it into my coat pocket. Rather than taking the stairs down into the fray like Nix, we walked along the still elevated edge, dotted with tables that housed people who decided to take a rest. Sol tried his luck with a few of the ladies but was quickly shot down and told to move on by Alice. There was a padded door at the end of it, guarded by two unsavory characters. One was nearly a cyberpsycho, decked with all kinds of visible cybernetics. They weren’t bad jobs like the doorman, but they were still on display. The man next to him was all meat as far as I could tell, but he was probably jacked by the way he was moving. The fleshy one had a 14mm SMG in his hands, some Dai Lung ass-blaster. As Alice talked to the ‘borg me and Sol scoped out the fray for Nix but failed to find her. I stared at the 14mm in the man’s hands “Compensating for something?” he gave me a grim look and I chuckled as I turned back to Alice who proceeded to move through the now open door.
Before me lay a worthless sack of flesh. He was sitting behind a crappy aluminum table that was covered in drugs, and some illegal chips. His shirt was open and a cigarette was in his hands. His nose as covered in cocaine, probably synthetic. The room was dotted with shitty solo’s who didn’t know shit about shit. They all stood around and made minor cat calls to the Rabbit which were quickly snuff out with a steely glare. In the back there were a couple more tables. I could see netrunners sitting at each one, probably sim-stimmed to the door guards and other such contacts. “Sit…” the meat said. Alice took the one chair that was open and Sol and I took our spots next to her. “I understand you have something… very special for me.” I could hear his words slurring. Definitely Snyth-Coke. “Yes, Atilla. It’s something very special.” He leaned forward, pushing some of the drugs aside. “Well? Aren’t you going to tell me what it is?” She smiled and fished around in her pockets before removing a brown bottle that she placed on the table. Atilla frowned “That’s it? 3 ****ing bottles?” She wasn’t amused. “Listen, this is high quality, 75,000 eb for 3 of them” He sat up quickly. “75,000 eb!? Are you crazy!? This coke didn’t even cost me that much!” “Believe me, it’s cheap for how heavy this stuff us, serious stuff. Harder than straight Psycho.” He mulled it over for a moment. “So it’s a combat drug?” “No, it’s a hallucinogenic.” Atilla continued to think about it. He finally sat back. “50,000eb.” She thought for a moment then reached across the table. “Deal.” They shook and Atilla motioned to a man. He left into a back room and appeared a few minutes later with a shopping bag. He dropped it next to Alice, who then placed the other two bottles on the table, sliding them to him, she took the bag and stood. We began to leave, but as we were at the door I turned to him. “How much did that cocaine cost you?” Atilla thought for a moment then smiled. “65,000.” I let out a small chuckle. “Bit expensive for synthetic stuff, don’t you think?” His smile fell away as we left, I could hear him starting to argue with a few of the men in the room.
The door shut behind us and we made for the door. “50,000 doesn’t seem like a very large paycheck, is there something you aren’t telling me?” She looked over her shoulder to me. “Just relax, tomorrow you’ll see.” I stopped the two at the door. “Hey, I’m grabbing a drink, and I’ll need the car later tonight, do you guys mind getting a cab.” Sol started to say something but Alice cut him off. “No, it’s fine. I’ll see you at the house.” The two pushed there way through the ever increasing line. I made my way to the other side of the platform where a bar awaited me. I took a seat next to a couple of bass heads. I ordered a Balance and turned to the crowd, removing the beeper from my pocket. I squeezed it three times for “I’m staying.” She squeezed hers once for “Okay.” As I turned back to the bar I was aware there was a man sitting on my left. He was dressed in mostly black and noticed my eyes were on him. “Hey, lookin’ to buy?” I thought about it for a moment. “What’re you pushing?” He removed a round container, like the ones tobacco chew came in. It was all black with a small flaming smiley on the center. “Fire****.” I raised an eyebrow. “Fire****?” “Yeah, it’s a lovely upper. Like your being bathed in white light. Real cheap, man. 200eb.” I looked at the canister. “Alright, 200eb it is.” What the hell, I had cash and time to kill why not enjoy some uplifting narcotics? I fished 200eb out of my wallet and slapped it down into his hand. He passed me the canister, which I then slipped into my jacket pocket. BUZZ BUZZ. I took the beeper out of my pocket. Nix wanted out. I squeezed once and made my way out to the car. I started the Toho up as Nix made her way out, her body swimming with pink and purple light. She sat down next to me and sighed long. “Fun time?” She only nodded and sat back in her chair.” I drove us home, stopping out front. I turned to Nix. “Tell Alice she can reach me on the phone.” “Where’re you going?” I smiled slightly. “Do I really need to tell you?” She nodded and got out, starting towards the door. “I see how it is!” she shouted after me as I pulled out and into the night. I pulled over by the side of the road and inspected the canister, which was filled with small green pellets, each one a jell cap. I looked it over and decided to pop one in and get back on the road. Within moments I could feel the heat he described filling my body. It was rather euphoric.
My original plan had been to just drive around for a few hours, maybe stop into a bar or two and eventually drive home very slowly before sun rise, possibly drunk, and sleep. I wasn’t depressed or anything, I just felt like tearing myself up, maybe a bar fight or two. Now my plans had changed. I felt amazing, I was clocking 110 through the back roads, slowing down as I made my way through the city. The world was swimming ever so slightly, but I was swimming with it. I parked out front of Utopia and made my way to Dementia place, only a few blocks away. She was surprised to see me at this hour, but let me in anyway. It wasn’t long before we were both in bed. I figured if she was as desperate about just seeing me, I should do bed her, else she find another man. After our first go about I remember sitting up in bed next to her, staring down my crotch. She was asking me if something was wrong and I remember saying something like “It feels like my dick is on fire.” After a suggestion to stop and my refusal she proceeded to ask “Are you on something?” “Yeah…” I fished the canister out of my coat pocket on the end of the bed and opened it, offering her one. She took one, I took one and we were back at it for the rest of the night. Somewhere between the act of love making and one of the 5 showers we took I told her about how Alice had a plan, and that I’d be out of there by the end of the month with enough money for both of us. She was as happy as I was. If only I could remember the rest of the night.
I woke up in a bedroom lacking Dementia, filled with both our clothing and the stench of musk and sweat. I found my clothes and made my way down stairs to meet a messy haired lover in a silk robe. “What happened last night?” I sat across from her. She’d already poured me a cup of coffee, prepped the way I like it. “I don’t know, but it was great.”
~
I spent most of the day at Dementia’s, watching movies with her and talking until I got a phone call from the Rabbit around 1 telling me to meet her back at the apartment. I said my goodbyes and left, returning to the apartment. Upon entrance I could see 2 travel bags out on the table. “Aw shit.” Alice’s head emerged from her room. “Sorbet! I have good news!” I doubted that. “We’re going to Cuba!” Hooba-jooba what? “Cuba?” “Cuba! Now get packed and give Dem a call. We’re leaving at 5:00. Don’t worry about guns, we’re taking a private jet on it’s own runway.” This day just keeps getting better and better.
[ROFL UPDATE]
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