The air swelled, and the new friend appeared. Behind me. The halo above made me squint my eyes before I could take a look. It was a woman, wearing weapons-grade synthetic rubber armor. Photon's bleached long hair is tied into a compact ponytail and looks very serious. Her eyes glistened coldly, and the crossbow on her wrist pointed firmly at my forehead.

"I guess that thing isn't registered." I groaned and sat up.

The woman's lips tightened, as if she was calculating some mathematical formula. I think maybe the right side of the equation is my death.

Badge Number 20121219. Sheriff's Office, Downtown. Ascend to the center at 0600 hours today. She said calmly. Congratulations, Detective. ”

Her voice was a digital growl, but now that she had the upper hand, I seemed to hear a hint of curiosity.

She continued: "You know I'm a dangerous person, but you're coming for me anyway. ”

"There's still a bit of pressure to get promoted. I might just want to come out and smash something. I said.

"The record shows that this morning they assigned you a chunk of the source plan." She scanned my gear again. "But you haven't installed the subroutine yet."

"Hey, it's a private matter, you don't want to-"

"I need that." She interrupted me.

"Are you overloading data?" I rubbed my neck, my oversized metal fist turning my hair into wet spikes. "I'm going to escort you back to the center in a moment."

"You try." As she spoke, the crossbow in her hand still aimed at me.

I laughed dryly, "Fair." Why don't you do this before we exchange gifts? "My sarcasm came to an abrupt end in the voice processor." Your name. ”

"Confidentiality." Her taut lips curled into a predator's smile. "If I tell you, I'll have to kill you."

Now I understand that she's not the kind of person who can afford to joke. I took a closer look at her equipment and weapons, and changed the subject.

"Looks like you don't need to level up." I pointed to her wrist. "That beautiful hand crossbow is more advanced than most of the standard weapons in the center."

"I'm on the hunt."

"Then we're on the same line." I say.

"Cookies."

None of her products are standard, but she does have one thing in common with the people at the center: at the end of the day, everyone wants something from the other.

Before I could speak, a call came from the personal communicator. Static sounds poured into my earbuds.

"Vi? Vi, are you there? It's Moseley. His voice trembled, wrapped in a cold sweat of fear. "I- I feel like I need help...... Uh, need a partner......"

"Moseley, I'm a little busy." I glanced at the clock in the corner of the eyepiece. "Aren't you supposed to get off work?"

"You're just here to do me a favor, okay?"

"There must be other district magistrates near you." I looked at the woman's face and said, "They can handle it—"

"I'll send you the address."

A small dot of light lit up under the six districts. "The waste heap doesn't seem to be under the jurisdiction of the center, Moseley." I sighed.

The heap is a rat's nest for disgusting outlaws. It's hard to track down because this den doesn't stay in one place for more than a cycle. The main reason is that the waste heaps are always hidden in abandoned buildings that are about to be replanned. There, you can easily find unregistered hacks, weapons from the black market, or "clean" upgrades, the kind that aren't subject to cycle restrictions. We allow the existence of the waste dump because it is easier to find the suspect when needed. But on the other hand, if you are careless, you will easily be swallowed up by this place.

"I found a job on my own. You know, it's the kind of work that doesn't get documented. Moseley explained in a veiled voice, his tone full of panic. It's hard to imagine a mercenary having such a weak moment. "Listen, I know we only met today, but this guy is going to kill me. I can't find another helper. ”

Damn it. "Here's it, you wait—"

Communication was abruptly cut off. I slammed my fist into the metal floor, smashing a dent. The mysterious woman in full armor was still standing there. The crossbow did not move.

I bet she might not shoot me an arrow, and stood up.

"I have to go. There is a lift at the other end of the bridge to go underneath. If I had lifted the safety valve and turned on the manual control, I might have been able to get there before my partner splashed water on someone else. "I'm turning around to leave." I'm warned," I added dryly, "get your weapon and register it, or I'll have to make a bill the next time I see you." ”

"Before the elevator reaches the next floor, your people will die in the rubble." She said behind me. "Would you like to try something faster?"

There was a crackling sound of electric arcs and a strong smell of ozone. I turned my head.

A privately armed super-high-speed locomotive appeared in front of him. The moist air began to condense into rain, but the droplets slipped away when they hit the dial of the all-carbon aerogel. She started the locomotive and I could feel the vibration of the magnetic engine.

I whistled in a low voice. "It's 100 percent unregistered."

"Correct."

"You don't look like someone who would give people a free ride."

"The car money will be offset by your data blocks." She said lightly, turning the engine up as she turned. "Think of it as an upgrade for your movement speed."

I stared into her eyes. She could have shot me down, taken something and finished it.

"I don't trust escalation." I say.

I walked over and stepped into the car and sat behind her.

"You don't have to trust, either." She lifted the wheels to the side of the bridge. "By the way, my name is Wayne."

In front of my eyes, a vertical and soaring neon light swept through six city districts in the blink of an eye. I kept my eyes on Moseley's position in the eyepiece so as not to spit on the back seat of this beautiful mount from the last meal.

Wayne hid the locomotive in a fire exit overlooking the scraps, and the only trace was a faint smell of acidity. I put on a pair of UV goggles and watched the crowd come and go at night.

The streets are busier than usual. It's as if someone has rung a dinner bell and brought in all the male cats with scabies in the streets.

"He's there." I pulled the data block out of the tactical pocket behind my ass and handed it to Wayne. "Take it. Lest I forget the car money. ”

"Trustworthy police. There aren't many like you these days. Wayne took the block and took a closer look at the scrap. This turn of events is really going down. ”

I nodded. "I've had fights in places like this and it feels like yesterday."

"Who's to say it isn't." Vayne's sneer reappeared. She examined the power chamber of another, larger crossbow. "If you don't want to take the lead, I'll do it."

"Is this that fun?" I say. "You don't have to be here."

"You're not the only one who likes to fight and kill."

I shrugged my shoulders and walked around to the back of the building, looking for a non-load-bearing wall. It's already a dangerous building, so I have to be careful. If I collapsed the building and Moseley was still inside, it wouldn't do him any good.