Chapter 1: The Ferry
Setting: The upper passenger deck of the 9pm ferry from Downtown Seattle to Renton. The passengers had the pinched look of those accustomed to indoor climate-control being forced to endure what otherwise might be a merely chilly evening.
That night, Carlito, Slone and Alexander found themselves seated on the upper-deck of the ferry waiting for Tommy Toledo to arrive. The trio spoke little to one another until Carlito broke the silence, “We’ve been set-up.”
“You think so?” said Slone shaking his head. Slone fingered the weapons he carried underneath his windbreaker. The note Mr. Jordan had passed him earlier had the number of a bus terminal locker which contained some rather interesting goodies.
“Yes, I do think so – it is quite obvious.” stated the oblivious Carlito. Carlito’s mind was still distracted by the data packet Sadie had sent. Most of the data packet contained schematics for the cybernetic nano-hive Carlito carried in his bowels. Sadie also added a picture of herself holding a camera and smiling. What was that about? thought Carlito.
“Well, I don’t have a job anymore, and they already paid us for this one, so I suggest we listen to what the man has to say,” reasoned Alexander.
Tommy arrived shortly thereafter wearing a full-length trench coat looking like he had had a very long day. The human nodded at the trio and plopped down on the bench next to Carlito. Carlito squirmed a bit and scooted exactly three inches further away from Tommy.
“Howdy, want a drink?” asked Tommy as he pulled out a silver flask from his coat pocket. Slone’s audio-enhancement ear-buds detected the faint whir of a device being turned on and then his audio enhancement went dead. Must be a white-noise generator, thought Slone.
“No? Suit yourself,” grumbled Tommy as he took a long pull.
“Where are the others from the golf outing?” asked Alexander.
“They couldn’t make it. Let’s get to brass tacks gentleman,” started Tommy, “Listen closely, you have all been given severance from your previous employers, but I have a new position for you as independent contractors. However, the time is coming where you have to make a choice – either stay on with me or take your chances on the street. Well?”
Nobody moved except Tommy, who took a pull from the flask.
“Alright, you’ve all been selected for this special assignment by your respective corporations. You’ll be taking orders from me and me alone. You are to have no contact with your former corps, got it?” Each of the trio nodded.
“Now, you’ll be paid on retainer, fifteen thousand Nuyen per month with health coverage under the Docwagon Gold Card.”
“What kind of work are we doing?” asked Slone.
“The kind where you don’t ask any legal questions and you do what you’re told, understand?” replied Tommy. “Got it,” answered Slone.
“Now, there will be a variety of activities taking place. You are expected to be ready at a moment’s notice. However, in between assignments you are free to do whatever pleases you.”
“Are we going to have a lab and a workstation?” asked Carlito.
“What are you talking about, Lontoh? Have you even been listening to me?” replied an exasperated Tommy, “No workstations, no Labs, no offices and no liability for your corps, got it?” Not having much choice in the matter, Carlito nodded woefully.
Tommy took another gulp from the flask, “Are you done with the questions? Good, now here’s your first assignment.” Tommy removed an eight centimeter square case from inside his trench coat and handed it to Carlito. The case automatically requested to subscribe to Carlito’s Personal Area Network(PAN) and Carlito gave approval via his commlink. An ARO popped up indicating the status and performance metrics for the device. Carlito could see that the case was a miniature cold storage unit for carrying biological samples and that two blood samples were stored within its alloyed casing.
“What are we supposed to do with this?” asked Carlito with a sinking feeling.
“I want you to exchange the samples in that unit with some samples at a government bio-med storage facility in Tacoma,” stated Tommy as he sent an ARO to Alexander containing the details of the facility and the sample IDs in question.
“The samples from the storage facility are to be destroyed. The samples in this unit are to be placed in the testing apparatus at the storage facility and you must initiate the exact tests indicated in Alexander’s file.”
“Once the new samples are in place and the testing procedures initiated, you must then destroy all evidence of the previous samples – both physical and information. That means you must go to the data-store in the complex and erase all the records associated with the previous sample IDs. With me so far?” Tommy paused as he took a swallow from the flask.
“Now, this mission must be completed with no notice by the authorities. The new samples must appear as if they were the originals and the new test results must appear authentic.”
“Most importantly, there must be no evidence linking these samples to me.”
Of course not, thought Alexander. As the elf thought about the trail of events leading to his present circumstance, he noticed the sound of a motor boat swiftly approaching the port side of the ferry.
What the frack is that? thought Slone.
That doesn’t look safe at all, thought Carlito as the motorboat came alongside the ferry and a number of gangers started to board the vessel.
Slone jumped up, rushed to the top rail of the upper deck and peered at the motorboat which was situated below him just 10 meters towards the bow of the ferry to his left. Slone noticed the motorboat was teeming with gangers wielding pistols and Molotov cocktails. “Great,” sighed Slone,”Looks like a bunch of Halloweeners!”
“There are more on the other side!” exclaimed Alexander as he heard a second boat pulling up to the starboard of the ferry.
“What the frack!” exclaimed Tommy as he leaped up, dropped his flask and ran to the opposite side of the upper deck.
Slone wasted no time, reaching inside his windbreaker and extracting a high explosive grenade. Popping the top and easily lobbing the grenade into the port-side motorboat from his vantage point on the upper deck, Slone cried out, “Fire in the hole.”
Dumbass! thought Alexander as the gangers in the port-side boat all made a break for the ferry before the grenade went off. Yet Alexander had a plan – the elf extended his perceptions to astral space and pulled down some mojo. The elf shaman started his own version of the Great Ghost Dance and crafted a Control Action spell. Targeting one of the gangers, Alexander directed the poor sod to pilot the boat away from the ferry – hopefully before the grenade went off and the gangers made it onto the vessel.
Meanwhile, Carlito made a dash down the stairs from the upper level to the lower deck. Just as Carlito reached the bottom, two of the gang leaders wielding pistols and Molotovs jumped from the motorboat to the lower desk of the ferry not 6 meters in front of Carlito. Frenzied, Carlito whipped out his pistol and took a shot at the gang leader closest to him. The bullet tore into the ganger leader’s shoulder and blood sprayed onto Carlito’s face. Hot Drek, thought Carlito whom had never shot a man before, Sweet mother protect me!
On the starboard side of the boat, the gangers leaped aboard the ferry and tore into the passengers on the lower deck, slicing them with their hand razors and cyber spurs. A couple of gangers raced up the stairs on the starboard side of the upper deck and accosted Tommy as he ran towards that side of the boat.
“Frag that Corp! Stick a razor in his Arse!” yelled Mad Haridgan, one of the gang leaders pointing to Tommy. Slone turned away from the port side and quickly drew his Ares Alpha. Firing a burst at the first minion whom threatened Tommy, Slone blasted at the ganger until his dead form flipped backwards over the balcony rail and landed on a car parked below on the lower deck – the lit Molotov in the ganger’s hand exploding on impact.
As Slone dispatched the ganger, his grenade finally went off, capturing most of the gangers scrambling over the port-side railing. Carlito watched in horror as the man he had just shot was captured first by the High Explosive grenade blast and then incinerated by his own Molotov which detonated in the secondary explosion. The entire port-side railing went up in flames as one after another, the gangers succumbed to the grenade blast and the flames of their own fiery cocktails. Soon a gasoline-fueled inferno roared in front of Carlito as the gangers writhed in pain and fell flaming into hell.
Mother forgive me, sobbed Carlito as he ran away from the flames to the starboard side of the lower deck.
Alexander was leaning over the rail when the grenade blasted the gangers to smithereens. Unfortunately for the elf, the blast literally rocked the boat and Alexander fell over the rail as he attempted to maintain concentration on the ganger he had directed to drive away in the motorboat. The elf cried out as he made a last ditch effort to grab on the rail and save himself from failing into the growing conflagration unfolding below his feet.
Of the ten gangers on the port-side motorboat, only two survived as they drove off under Alexander’s control. The grenade-damaged motorboat left a pume of smoke as it limped away from the fray.
Seeing the troll dispatch the ganger up-top, but also seeing reinforcements boiling up the stairs from the lower deck, Tommy dashed towards the same port-side stairs Carlito ran down earlier and hid in between the vehicles parked on the lower deck.
Carlito noticed Tommy attempting to hide between cars and thought to himself,Smart Man! However, Carlito turned to the gangers still accosting passengers on the lower starboard deck. Hiding behind a parked vehicle, Carlito fired some shots at the gangers and cursed as his gun jammed.
The three gangers seized the opportunity and fired shots at Carlito; the bullets screeched off the truck of the car Carlito cowered behind.
Up top, Slone starting laying into the gangers scrambling up the stairs to the upper deck near the wheelhouse of the ferry. Using his Ares Alpha submachine gun, Slone mowed down one, then another ganger just as they reached the upper deck. The flames from their dropped Molotov cocktails quickly engulfed the wheelhouse whose occupants started screaming. Watching the troll lay waste to his minions; Mad Hardigan ducked behind another passenger and took aim at the troll with his pistol. The shots bounced off the troll’s armored jacket like so many drops of rain.
Screw this! thought Slone as his synaptic accelerator kicked into gear. The bioware juiced Slone’s system so that the entire scene took on a slow motion quality. Under the effects of his newfound speed, Slone ran width of the boat and leapt off the rail into the air above the motorboat tied to the starboard-side. Falling in slow motion, Slone rotated his body mid-flight and noticed the backs of the gangers shooting at Carlito. Slone squeezed off two bursts from his Alpha into the back of the one the gangers and the Halloweener seemed to drop as slowly as Slone himself. As the ganger slumped slowly into death’s embrace, Slone turned his head towards the motorboat below him. Oh Drek! thought Slone as he crashed into the motorboat deck. The falling 350 kilogram troll crushed the one of the bench seats and cracked the fiberglass passenger deck of the motorboat.
Hearing the crash of the troll and seeing the flames sprout up both underneath him and from the wheel house, Alexander thought to himself, I did not finish law school to die like this! The elf climbed over the rail and quickly cast an invisibility spell on himself. Seeing the troll dive off the starboard railing, Alexander made a dash towards the starboard stairs leading to the lower deck.
Mad Hardigan had other plans. Hardigan saw Alexander climbing over the rail and noticed the elf disappear; the gang leader knew that Alexander must have cast a spell. Mad Hardigan saw the chameleon-like ripples from the invisibility spell as the elf attempted to reach the stairwell. The ganger leader chose his moment and struck out at the fleeing elf as Alexander ran past the ganger leader. But the odds were stacked against the gang leader; Hardigan swung in vain at Alexander and lost his balance, falling down the stairwell after the elf ran down the stairs. Alexander didn’t even notice the ganger swing at him with his cyber spurs as he ran towards the port-side motor boat on the lower deck.
Meanwhile, Carlito fought for his life as one the gangers on the lower level dashed to the scientist and struck at him with hand razors. Carltio barely fended off the melee attack and shouted out to Tommy, “Help!” But no help was forthcoming from the hidden salaryman.
Slone regained his footing and took sight on one of the gangers still on the deck. As Slone took aim at the nearest ganger, his smartgoogles informed him that his Alpha had jammed during the fall. Cursing, Slone draw his Ruger Super Warhawk with smooth augmented reflexes and fired at the gangers. Loud bullets ripped into one, then another, ganger; Slone systematically cleared the deck for Alexander and Carlito to make it to the boat. "Move it, Nancy-Boy, or you're gonna be dancing in the hot-house with those gangers!" exclaimed Slone.
Alexander wasted no time leaping over the ferry’s rail and running to the wheel of the motorboat. Seeing his companions about to depart, Carlito threw back the attacks of the ganger and made a mad run to the starboard rail of the ferry. The ganger in the scientist’s wake slashed uselessly at Carlito’s back and then switched targets to an easier prey.
Once Carlito cleared the rail and made it into the motor boat, Alexander gunned the engine. The motorboat leaped ahead of the ferry as the larger boat became engulfed in the fires of the explosions.
“Where’s Tommy?” asked Alexander over his shoulder.
“He ran downstairs, I lost him,” responded Slone as he cleared his Alpha of the earlier jam.
“He was still on the boat when I jumped over the rail,” gasped Carlito before he puked up his dinner over the rail. Slumping down afterwards, Carlito thought to himself, Hot Drek in the Morning, that was intense! The last time Carlito had been in a fight was in sixth grade – after that beating at the hands of schoolyard bullies, Carlito’s mother had insisted on corporate security walking him home from school.
Alexander navigated the motorboat away from the flaming ferry and he spied the port-side motorboat making its escape. Alexander also saw the flashing lights of the harbor patrol in the distance behind them. “Guys, we’ve got company!” Alexender warned his companions as he turned the motorboat to pursue the fleeing gangers.
Slone quickly appraised the situation and swung his newly cleared Alpha at the head of the ganger driving the escaping boat. One bullet later, the ganger slumped over the wheel and the ganger’s boat started making slow turns.
Navigating past the boat, Alexander noticed the last surviving ganger abandoned ship and started swimming to shore. That’s gonna be a cold swim! thought the jubilant elf.
Just then, Alexander’s commlink buzzed and an ARO popped up showing Jimmy Get-My-Coffee’s face on a vid-link. “Hey,’Lex, we just got a news flash off the police band – there’s a ferry fire in Lake Washington. The cops say that shots were fired!”
“Yeah, okay, look I’m kidda busy right now”, replied Alexander, “Besides, Jimmy, I don’t work for the corp anymore.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Mad Hardigan stood up from the recumbent form of Tommy Toledo. Hardigan saw the approaching lights of the harbor patrol and stooped to pick up his prize. Swinging the unconscious salaryman onto his shoulder, Hardigan ran to the port-side railing and leapt into the frigid water.
Hardigan started swimming the backstroke with one arm around the chest of Tommy Toledo. Fortunately for Mad Hardigan, the harbor patrol was busy clearing the last few gangers from decks of the ferry and rescuing the remaining passengers from the inferno.
As the gang leader swam to shore he thought, “I hope this slitch survives, Wiessman won’t pay me the full rate for a stiff.”
The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in
Engines stop running and the wheat is growing thin
A nuclear error, but I have no fear
London is drowning-and I live by the river
The Clash, London Calling
Engines stop running and the wheat is growing thin
The Clash, London Calling
The Clash, London Calling
Setting: The upper passenger deck of the 9pm ferry from Downtown Seattle to Renton. The passengers had the pinched look of those accustomed to indoor climate-control being forced to endure what otherwise might be a merely chilly evening.
That night, Carlito, Slone and Alexander found themselves seated on the upper-deck of the ferry waiting for Tommy Toledo to arrive. The trio spoke little to one another until Carlito broke the silence, “We’ve been set-up.”
“You think so?” said Slone shaking his head. Slone fingered the weapons he carried underneath his windbreaker. The note Mr. Jordan had passed him earlier had the number of a bus terminal locker which contained some rather interesting goodies.
“Yes, I do think so – it is quite obvious.” stated the oblivious Carlito. Carlito’s mind was still distracted by the data packet Sadie had sent. Most of the data packet contained schematics for the cybernetic nano-hive Carlito carried in his bowels. Sadie also added a picture of herself holding a camera and smiling. What was that about? thought Carlito.
“Well, I don’t have a job anymore, and they already paid us for this one, so I suggest we listen to what the man has to say,” reasoned Alexander.
Tommy arrived shortly thereafter wearing a full-length trench coat looking like he had had a very long day. The human nodded at the trio and plopped down on the bench next to Carlito. Carlito squirmed a bit and scooted exactly three inches further away from Tommy.
“Howdy, want a drink?” asked Tommy as he pulled out a silver flask from his coat pocket. Slone’s audio-enhancement ear-buds detected the faint whir of a device being turned on and then his audio enhancement went dead. Must be a white-noise generator, thought Slone.
“No? Suit yourself,” grumbled Tommy as he took a long pull.
“Where are the others from the golf outing?” asked Alexander.
“They couldn’t make it. Let’s get to brass tacks gentleman,” started Tommy, “Listen closely, you have all been given severance from your previous employers, but I have a new position for you as independent contractors. However, the time is coming where you have to make a choice – either stay on with me or take your chances on the street. Well?”
Nobody moved except Tommy, who took a pull from the flask.
“Alright, you’ve all been selected for this special assignment by your respective corporations. You’ll be taking orders from me and me alone. You are to have no contact with your former corps, got it?” Each of the trio nodded.
“Now, you’ll be paid on retainer, fifteen thousand Nuyen per month with health coverage under the Docwagon Gold Card.”
“What kind of work are we doing?” asked Slone.
“The kind where you don’t ask any legal questions and you do what you’re told, understand?” replied Tommy. “Got it,” answered Slone.
“Now, there will be a variety of activities taking place. You are expected to be ready at a moment’s notice. However, in between assignments you are free to do whatever pleases you.”
“Are we going to have a lab and a workstation?” asked Carlito.
“What are you talking about, Lontoh? Have you even been listening to me?” replied an exasperated Tommy, “No workstations, no Labs, no offices and no liability for your corps, got it?” Not having much choice in the matter, Carlito nodded woefully.
Tommy took another gulp from the flask, “Are you done with the questions? Good, now here’s your first assignment.” Tommy removed an eight centimeter square case from inside his trench coat and handed it to Carlito. The case automatically requested to subscribe to Carlito’s Personal Area Network(PAN) and Carlito gave approval via his commlink. An ARO popped up indicating the status and performance metrics for the device. Carlito could see that the case was a miniature cold storage unit for carrying biological samples and that two blood samples were stored within its alloyed casing.
“What are we supposed to do with this?” asked Carlito with a sinking feeling.
“I want you to exchange the samples in that unit with some samples at a government bio-med storage facility in Tacoma,” stated Tommy as he sent an ARO to Alexander containing the details of the facility and the sample IDs in question.
“The samples from the storage facility are to be destroyed. The samples in this unit are to be placed in the testing apparatus at the storage facility and you must initiate the exact tests indicated in Alexander’s file.”
“Once the new samples are in place and the testing procedures initiated, you must then destroy all evidence of the previous samples – both physical and information. That means you must go to the data-store in the complex and erase all the records associated with the previous sample IDs. With me so far?” Tommy paused as he took a swallow from the flask.
“Now, this mission must be completed with no notice by the authorities. The new samples must appear as if they were the originals and the new test results must appear authentic.”
“Most importantly, there must be no evidence linking these samples to me.”
Of course not, thought Alexander. As the elf thought about the trail of events leading to his present circumstance, he noticed the sound of a motor boat swiftly approaching the port side of the ferry.
What the frack is that? thought Slone.
That doesn’t look safe at all, thought Carlito as the motorboat came alongside the ferry and a number of gangers started to board the vessel.
Slone jumped up, rushed to the top rail of the upper deck and peered at the motorboat which was situated below him just 10 meters towards the bow of the ferry to his left. Slone noticed the motorboat was teeming with gangers wielding pistols and Molotov cocktails. “Great,” sighed Slone,”Looks like a bunch of Halloweeners!”
“There are more on the other side!” exclaimed Alexander as he heard a second boat pulling up to the starboard of the ferry.
“What the frack!” exclaimed Tommy as he leaped up, dropped his flask and ran to the opposite side of the upper deck.
Slone wasted no time, reaching inside his windbreaker and extracting a high explosive grenade. Popping the top and easily lobbing the grenade into the port-side motorboat from his vantage point on the upper deck, Slone cried out, “Fire in the hole.”
Dumbass! thought Alexander as the gangers in the port-side boat all made a break for the ferry before the grenade went off. Yet Alexander had a plan – the elf extended his perceptions to astral space and pulled down some mojo. The elf shaman started his own version of the Great Ghost Dance and crafted a Control Action spell. Targeting one of the gangers, Alexander directed the poor sod to pilot the boat away from the ferry – hopefully before the grenade went off and the gangers made it onto the vessel.
Meanwhile, Carlito made a dash down the stairs from the upper level to the lower deck. Just as Carlito reached the bottom, two of the gang leaders wielding pistols and Molotovs jumped from the motorboat to the lower desk of the ferry not 6 meters in front of Carlito. Frenzied, Carlito whipped out his pistol and took a shot at the gang leader closest to him. The bullet tore into the ganger leader’s shoulder and blood sprayed onto Carlito’s face. Hot Drek, thought Carlito whom had never shot a man before, Sweet mother protect me!
On the starboard side of the boat, the gangers leaped aboard the ferry and tore into the passengers on the lower deck, slicing them with their hand razors and cyber spurs. A couple of gangers raced up the stairs on the starboard side of the upper deck and accosted Tommy as he ran towards that side of the boat.
“Frag that Corp! Stick a razor in his Arse!” yelled Mad Haridgan, one of the gang leaders pointing to Tommy. Slone turned away from the port side and quickly drew his Ares Alpha. Firing a burst at the first minion whom threatened Tommy, Slone blasted at the ganger until his dead form flipped backwards over the balcony rail and landed on a car parked below on the lower deck – the lit Molotov in the ganger’s hand exploding on impact.
As Slone dispatched the ganger, his grenade finally went off, capturing most of the gangers scrambling over the port-side railing. Carlito watched in horror as the man he had just shot was captured first by the High Explosive grenade blast and then incinerated by his own Molotov which detonated in the secondary explosion. The entire port-side railing went up in flames as one after another, the gangers succumbed to the grenade blast and the flames of their own fiery cocktails. Soon a gasoline-fueled inferno roared in front of Carlito as the gangers writhed in pain and fell flaming into hell.
Mother forgive me, sobbed Carlito as he ran away from the flames to the starboard side of the lower deck.
Alexander was leaning over the rail when the grenade blasted the gangers to smithereens. Unfortunately for the elf, the blast literally rocked the boat and Alexander fell over the rail as he attempted to maintain concentration on the ganger he had directed to drive away in the motorboat. The elf cried out as he made a last ditch effort to grab on the rail and save himself from failing into the growing conflagration unfolding below his feet.
Of the ten gangers on the port-side motorboat, only two survived as they drove off under Alexander’s control. The grenade-damaged motorboat left a pume of smoke as it limped away from the fray.
Seeing the troll dispatch the ganger up-top, but also seeing reinforcements boiling up the stairs from the lower deck, Tommy dashed towards the same port-side stairs Carlito ran down earlier and hid in between the vehicles parked on the lower deck.
Carlito noticed Tommy attempting to hide between cars and thought to himself,Smart Man! However, Carlito turned to the gangers still accosting passengers on the lower starboard deck. Hiding behind a parked vehicle, Carlito fired some shots at the gangers and cursed as his gun jammed.
The three gangers seized the opportunity and fired shots at Carlito; the bullets screeched off the truck of the car Carlito cowered behind.
Up top, Slone starting laying into the gangers scrambling up the stairs to the upper deck near the wheelhouse of the ferry. Using his Ares Alpha submachine gun, Slone mowed down one, then another ganger just as they reached the upper deck. The flames from their dropped Molotov cocktails quickly engulfed the wheelhouse whose occupants started screaming. Watching the troll lay waste to his minions; Mad Hardigan ducked behind another passenger and took aim at the troll with his pistol. The shots bounced off the troll’s armored jacket like so many drops of rain.
Screw this! thought Slone as his synaptic accelerator kicked into gear. The bioware juiced Slone’s system so that the entire scene took on a slow motion quality. Under the effects of his newfound speed, Slone ran width of the boat and leapt off the rail into the air above the motorboat tied to the starboard-side. Falling in slow motion, Slone rotated his body mid-flight and noticed the backs of the gangers shooting at Carlito. Slone squeezed off two bursts from his Alpha into the back of the one the gangers and the Halloweener seemed to drop as slowly as Slone himself. As the ganger slumped slowly into death’s embrace, Slone turned his head towards the motorboat below him. Oh Drek! thought Slone as he crashed into the motorboat deck. The falling 350 kilogram troll crushed the one of the bench seats and cracked the fiberglass passenger deck of the motorboat.
Hearing the crash of the troll and seeing the flames sprout up both underneath him and from the wheel house, Alexander thought to himself, I did not finish law school to die like this! The elf climbed over the rail and quickly cast an invisibility spell on himself. Seeing the troll dive off the starboard railing, Alexander made a dash towards the starboard stairs leading to the lower deck.
Mad Hardigan had other plans. Hardigan saw Alexander climbing over the rail and noticed the elf disappear; the gang leader knew that Alexander must have cast a spell. Mad Hardigan saw the chameleon-like ripples from the invisibility spell as the elf attempted to reach the stairwell. The ganger leader chose his moment and struck out at the fleeing elf as Alexander ran past the ganger leader. But the odds were stacked against the gang leader; Hardigan swung in vain at Alexander and lost his balance, falling down the stairwell after the elf ran down the stairs. Alexander didn’t even notice the ganger swing at him with his cyber spurs as he ran towards the port-side motor boat on the lower deck.
Meanwhile, Carlito fought for his life as one the gangers on the lower level dashed to the scientist and struck at him with hand razors. Carltio barely fended off the melee attack and shouted out to Tommy, “Help!” But no help was forthcoming from the hidden salaryman.
Slone regained his footing and took sight on one of the gangers still on the deck. As Slone took aim at the nearest ganger, his smartgoogles informed him that his Alpha had jammed during the fall. Cursing, Slone draw his Ruger Super Warhawk with smooth augmented reflexes and fired at the gangers. Loud bullets ripped into one, then another, ganger; Slone systematically cleared the deck for Alexander and Carlito to make it to the boat. "Move it, Nancy-Boy, or you're gonna be dancing in the hot-house with those gangers!" exclaimed Slone.
Alexander wasted no time leaping over the ferry’s rail and running to the wheel of the motorboat. Seeing his companions about to depart, Carlito threw back the attacks of the ganger and made a mad run to the starboard rail of the ferry. The ganger in the scientist’s wake slashed uselessly at Carlito’s back and then switched targets to an easier prey.
Once Carlito cleared the rail and made it into the motor boat, Alexander gunned the engine. The motorboat leaped ahead of the ferry as the larger boat became engulfed in the fires of the explosions.
“Where’s Tommy?” asked Alexander over his shoulder.
“He ran downstairs, I lost him,” responded Slone as he cleared his Alpha of the earlier jam.
“He was still on the boat when I jumped over the rail,” gasped Carlito before he puked up his dinner over the rail. Slumping down afterwards, Carlito thought to himself, Hot Drek in the Morning, that was intense! The last time Carlito had been in a fight was in sixth grade – after that beating at the hands of schoolyard bullies, Carlito’s mother had insisted on corporate security walking him home from school.
Alexander navigated the motorboat away from the flaming ferry and he spied the port-side motorboat making its escape. Alexander also saw the flashing lights of the harbor patrol in the distance behind them. “Guys, we’ve got company!” Alexender warned his companions as he turned the motorboat to pursue the fleeing gangers.
Slone quickly appraised the situation and swung his newly cleared Alpha at the head of the ganger driving the escaping boat. One bullet later, the ganger slumped over the wheel and the ganger’s boat started making slow turns.
Navigating past the boat, Alexander noticed the last surviving ganger abandoned ship and started swimming to shore. That’s gonna be a cold swim! thought the jubilant elf.
Just then, Alexander’s commlink buzzed and an ARO popped up showing Jimmy Get-My-Coffee’s face on a vid-link. “Hey,’Lex, we just got a news flash off the police band – there’s a ferry fire in Lake Washington. The cops say that shots were fired!”
“Yeah, okay, look I’m kidda busy right now”, replied Alexander, “Besides, Jimmy, I don’t work for the corp anymore.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Mad Hardigan stood up from the recumbent form of Tommy Toledo. Hardigan saw the approaching lights of the harbor patrol and stooped to pick up his prize. Swinging the unconscious salaryman onto his shoulder, Hardigan ran to the port-side railing and leapt into the frigid water.
Hardigan started swimming the backstroke with one arm around the chest of Tommy Toledo. Fortunately for Mad Hardigan, the harbor patrol was busy clearing the last few gangers from decks of the ferry and rescuing the remaining passengers from the inferno.
As the gang leader swam to shore he thought, “I hope this slitch survives, Wiessman won’t pay me the full rate for a stiff.”
The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in
Engines stop running and the wheat is growing thin
A nuclear error, but I have no fear
London is drowning-and I live by the river
The Clash, London Calling
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