18:28:55 Sunday 07 January 2063 – Room 14A, Studio Milan, 5151 Castleton Way, Renton, Seattle

Mac smiled sheepishly, much like a child with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar as Linda playfully chided her. She nodded and swallowed her last sip of water hard and chewed on her lip as she paused to try to put her thoughts to the "right" words.

What I wouldn't give for a cigarette right now, or some gum

Her fingers fidgeted before she looked up at Linda. Her voice cracked here and there as she began to speak.

"I... I wanted to say thank you. You didn't have to do any of this for me, and yet..." Mac was genuine and it was hard to admit at that very moment she still needed help and worst of all, she still needed to thank the man who saved her life. She swallowed hard again pushing that vulnerable feeling down into the pit of her stomach.

"Yeah, thank you. I promise I'll find a way to pay you back all the cred I owe you and then some, and..." She was starting to ramble a bit, dancing around what she really wanted.

"And the man who... saved me. How can I tell him thank you, you know, to his face?"

18:31:28 Sunday 07 January 2063 – Room 14A, Studio Milan, 5151 Castleton Way, Renton, Seattle

Linda smiled. "Sweetie, don't worry about it. Some bandages and soup aren't going to break the bank. I've been where you are, and I only survived because of my sister's generosity. You know we take care of our own. Don't sweat trying to make it up to me. You can do that by taking care of someone else when she gets stomped on by the world."

The older woman leaned forward and carefully embraced Mac, who still winced a bit at the contact with her bruises. But for all that it felt as if a great weight vanished from her shoulders.

"As for Kovacs," Linda hesitated, her eyes narrowing as she ran some silent mental calculation. A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips, as if a punchline of a long forgotten joke just occurred.

"All right." Retrieving a notepad and pen from the nightstand, she jots down an address and hands it to Mac.

"But be careful," she cautions. "He's that rare, dangerous combination of gentleman and predator. You're liable to find more than you bargained for with him."

Mac nods, now looking forward to meeting her mysterious savior even more. She glances down at the paper in her hand.

35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

18:33:07 Sunday 07 January 2063 – Room 14A, Studio Milan, 5151 Castleton Way, Renton, Seattle

Mac looked at the address and did the mental calculation on how far she'd have to go to find Kovacs and re-read the address, trying to commit it to her memory in case the piece of paper disappeared. She could feel the fatigue in her body, the deep ache in her bones and the fuzziness try to creep into her head. Every part of her was screaming at her to get some rest but the piece of paper was practically burning a hole in her hand.

"Thank you again, for this." She nodded towards the paper she then folded and held tightly in her hand. "And I promise to pay it forward, when it's my turn to be a protector."

Her last few words slurred down to a sleepy mumble as she drifted off to sleep again. The "snick" of the door shutting behind Linda caused her to barely stir against the pillows.

23:13:49 Sunday 07 January 2063 – Room 14A, Studio Milan, 5151 Castleton Way, Renton, Seattle

Sleep came in fitful waves and memories started swirling in her head of 24 hours earlier. She couldn't breathe. An arm tightening around her throat. A menacing, anger-fueled whisper into her ear. Death approaching.

Mac sat bolt upright in the unfamiliar bed, her scream catching in her throat as her body was wracked with sobs and ragged breathing. The sheets around her were drenched in her sweat. Her fist clenched tightly, a sharp edge of the paper digging into her skin. Coming back to reality, she slowly unfolded the paper and reviewed the now smeared address. She couldn't wait, she had to put this behind her, to put the demons to rest as surely as Kovacs had taken care of Platt.

She blinked rapidly in the darkness. The soft illumination seeping in from the hallway, beneath her door coupled with the yellow-orage glow of the streetlights outside gave her enough light to see by, to seek out her clothes, or something she could wear in the cold night on the streets of Renton.

23:41:06 Sunday 07 January 2063 – Room 14A, Studio Milan, 5151 Castleton Way, Renton, Seattle

Moving stiffly, her joints still full of rust and her muscles sewn with agony, Mac works her way out of bed and to the carefully folded pile of clothes on the chair against the far wall. There she finds the latex and lace ensemble she wore to Shatter, as well as her come-frag-me boots. Beneath them, though, are a more sensible pair of stretch pants, t-shirt, and hoodie.

Grateful, she dresses in the semi-darkness, wincing as the cloth rubs against the raw scrapes on her shoulders and knees. No panties, no bra, no socks, but she does find sneakers tucked beneath the end of the bed. The red and gray cross trainers fit her more or less, and she glances around the room one final time. Jamming the piece of paper with the all important address in it into the pocket of her long coat, she bundles up her boots and latex up and slips out the door.

The glowstrips in the hall outside are set at quarter intensity, a dim golden glow that leaves pools of rich shadows along the edges of the walls and in every corner. Mac takes a minute to orient herself, trying in vain to accurately remember the layout of the brothel from when she arrived Saturday night. In the end, she simply wanders, finding herself in the lobby after only a few detours.

"It's started snowing again, and it's a long walk to his house," says Linda, closing her book and setting it aside. Mac successfully suppresses her shout of surprise, but does stutter back a step. The older woman rises from her seat behind the front counter, pulling the knit shawl she wears closer around her shoulders.

Mac looks down, chewing on her lip, guilt writ large on her face as she struggles to frame something of what she's feeling. Linda picks up the phone, ignoring the silent internal struggles.

"Good evening, David. A cab to Milan, please. One passenger. She'll have the address." The older woman replaces the handset, a melancholy smile on her lips. Taking Mac's chin in her hand, she kisses her on each cheek.

"Be careful, sister," she whispers. Then, picking up her book, she disappears down the hallway.

23:55:26 Sunday 07 January 2063 – Outside Studio Milan, 5151 Castleton Way, Renton, Seattle

Mac’s heart felt a little heavy as she watched Linda disappear down the hallway. The Madame and her girls had taken care of her, and now Mac felt like she had somehow let them down by wanting, no needing, to tell the person who saved her life thank you.

”Jesus Fraggin’ Christ, pull it together girl!”

It felt like an eternity, but it wasn’t long before a simple, non-descript black Towncar pulled up and a well-muscled, well-dressed gentleman she assumed was David stepped out of the driver’s side door and stood with his hands crossed in front of him waiting.

She stepped out the front door of Studio Milan and drew a sharp intake of breath as the cold air hit her lungs. It took all her control to not dissolve into a fit of coughing. As she approached the car, David simply gave her a polite, but silent nod and opened the passenger door for her before she climbed in and got settled in the backseat.

He waited in silence in the front seat for Mac to tell him where to go.

“Oh, 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton.” She shifted in the seat. “Thanks.”


00:19:53 Monday 08 January 2063 – Outside 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

The drive to the other side of Renton had been rather uneventful. Along the way she could see the lights blazing over the Knight Errant Training Facility which seemed to be full of activity 24-7. Pulling her longcoat tighter around her, the one piece of clothing she had on that was actually hers, she quickly did an inventory of the zippered pockets. Grateful, she pulled a pack of both Haukodo Clove Cigarettes as well as Simple Panda Mega Cherry! Bubblegum. Deciding she shouldn’t light up in the back of David’s pristine and spotless Towncar she settled for unwrapping a piece of gum.

Chewing caused her stinging pain and yet calmed her at the same time. She sat staring out the window silently as the city flashed by outside.

As David pulled to a smooth stop in front of the address she had given him, nerves tingled in the pit of her stomach, making her on edge as she stepped out into the street. Taking her things with her as she made her way to what she believed to be the front door. As she took in the neighborhood around her she looked around for a camera security system, and intercom or a bell so that she could announce her arrival.

”Please be here. You have to be here, you just have to.” She frowned softly, her disappointment growing as she waited for someone to answer the door. ”Damnit Kovacs open your fraggin’ door!”

Patiently David remained with the Towncar idling in front of the building.