16:11:33 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

Slumping in his chair, the nervous energy drains from Remy's system, leaving him feeling emotionally detatched from the whole situation.
He feels as if he is an intangible spirit going through the motions but numb to all outside stimulus, staring glumly into the distance waiting for inspiration to come.
Barely aware of Joslyn standing next to him repeating the questions, he rests his hands on the edge of the workbench staring at the tech in quiet contemplation.
"She was pretty" the first words are all but a coarse whisper issued from his now dry and parched throat, he reaches over and takes the cup from his earlier lunch,
draining the remnants of an hours old SuperXL soda he turns his head to face his new acquiantance, young eyes inquiring, almost pleading with him for some resolution to this scenario.

Then, he continues with a clearer voice, standing abruptly from the chair and going to his coat to retrieve the calling card
"She left this earlier.." Handing the thin white card to Joslyn he carries on " came in with a Chummer called Noland.. I only found that out after Uncle Danny sent me for help in digging around"
His voice clear but tone low and flat he explains briefly how the situation began "... oh and the thing had some fancy new tracking thing in it too!"
He points up to the shelf where the magnet holds the tracking chip to a metal strut, suddenly recognises he has dropped his street speech pattern and goes on in a more confident tone.

"Ummm I can shows dis' bit where Xade, dat's her name .. came in with him,"

He drags over the museum piece of a Simsense Deck and begins applying the trodes to his body, as the machine whirrs into life he welcomes the feeling of floating as he begins re experience the virtual reality of the meeting with Xade again, the small six inch screen on the side of the box showing Joslyn the relevant feed.

".. dat's Noland right.... dere! dats him!"
Remy waves with his free hand, at the face of Xade and Noland then fast forwards to the close up of the photo that she came bearing.
"And dis is da guys she wuz after, along wiv your chummer dere in the middle and dem four from when you came in, askin' .. only she wuz after alla dem guys not just one, !"
Remy pauses it on the tiny screen and gives Joslyn another of those Well, what now? looks, waiting for some answers from him.
"OH, she mighta bin lyin' likes but sez she wasn't Star!"

Then remembering at least some of the manners that Danny tries to impress on the youngster he says
"Ohh Drek, soz' ... name's Rembrandt ... well my chummers call me Remy, an' I guess as I just saved your ass, you can calls me Remy too!"
He grins now and almost all the innocence is gone, replaced with a manic grin that usually adorns the visage of someone about to embark on some dangerous activity without stopping nor considering the implications.

Looking back at the tabled tech he rubs his fore-arms in mock imitation of old guys rolling up their sleeves before starting work on a new project
"Lessee wot dis bad boy has to offer as well den eh ?"

12:55:09 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

The waitress turns to Kovacs expectantly after jotting down Mac's order on her electronic pad.

"Asiago chicken club, please. Can I get provolone on it instead of swiss?"

"Sure thing," said the young girl, flashing what might have been a flirtatious smile at the older samurai.

"Thanks," Kovacs returned the smile, while the monster inside him whispered Don't attract the predator's attention, little girl. You won't like what happens.

He checked the sight lines again, the combat center of his brain fully engaged. He could feel Mac's eyes on him, could sense the questions she was barely holding back. He nodded absently as his mind plotted death and mayhem.

"I'll tell you later. Right now I'm going to make a quick stop in the bathroom before my food comes."

Sliding out from the booth, he found his way back down the hall towards the men's room. He checked out the exit at the end of the hallway, glancing inside at the kitchen and the rear entrance from the receiving dock in the alleyway. It was laid out just like the blueprints de Medici had supplied. He turned and slipped into the men's room, washing his hands and avoiding looking in the mirror. A minute later and he was back in the booth with Mac.

"You know," he smiled, "apart from your name, I don't know anything about you. What's your favorite color?"

12:58:28 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

My favorite color? Jesus fraggin' christ, what are we, twelve? Wait. Drek! What name does he know?

Mac shrugged and tried not to let the small red flags rising up in her head show on her face. What did it matter anyway, he fraggin' knew where she lived.

Jesus you're an idiot.Screwed the pooch on this one girl.

"I dunno, black I suppose. Or anything that gets me laid." She threw that latter part on the table just to see how much he was really paying attention. Ever since the phone call back at the house, Kovacs seemed to be slightly distracted for lack of a better way to put it. Something was definitely up and she was clearly in the middle of it.

"So if you've never been here before, not knowing what the food is like, what made you pick this spot for lunch?" She was letting curiosity get the better of her and she didn't really feel like tossing meaningless drek questions back and forth like she would be asking a kid in the second grade.

13:01:49 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"It was recommended to me by a friend. Although he specifically said I should come check out the club that it hosts. Tonight. Around nine. I just thought I'd get a feel for the place first."

Kovacs sipped from his water, his eyes once again parsing the space around them, soaking in the details.

"What color usually gets you laid?"

13:02:23 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"Whatever color I happen to be wearing?" She said matter-of-factly.

Her curiosity was piqued ever further about the opportunity for scouting out a new club and a new feeding ground so to speak. Money was already tight, she was going to have to fork over cred she didn't have already to Wayne to cover why she'd been MIA for an extra day and she was going to owe the Valet Gremlins at Shatter an extra large cred thank you for looking out for her bike. She needed money and she needed it fast.

"So does that mean we're coming back later tonight?"

13:07:32 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"If you're free, yes. Call it a favor. Call it drinks. Whatever you prefer. It'll help if you wear black, though." Kovacs grinned, his expression filling in the missing description of short and skintight. Mac responded in kind, refreshed to find herself on familiar ground.

The waitress took that moment to arrive with their food, though, interrupting a particularly saucy comeback, and silence once more stretched between them as they sampled the fare. Which, all things considered, was quite good.

13:09:28 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

Mac returned his smile with a dangerous one of her own. They were playing her favorite game, that of cat and mouse. However sometimes she found herself confused when Kovacs would look at her, just what role she played in the game. Either way she was in it to win it.

"Not that I want to make you my personal car service," she paused to take a delicious bite of perfectly grilled chicken, "But unless we're going shopping on someone else's cred, I'll need to swing back by my place if what I have on isn't going to cut it for you tonight. Besides, I did leave my come-frag-me boots on your living room floor."

She smiled like the Cheshire cat as her eyes never left his.

13:16:04 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"Shouldn't be a problem," replied Kovacs. "Your place is pretty much on the way back to mine. I can drop you off and pick you up around twenty hundred tonight if you've got things you need to take care of. I don't want to monopolize your entire day."

Again, he eats with methodical speed, the sandwich disappearing at a pace not all due to hunger. He doesn't rush Mac to finish, though, leaning on his elbows on the table as he drank his water down to the point the waitress returned to refill the glass.

13:18:41 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"Sure, not monopolizing my day at all. I'm pretty low-key when I'm off the clock. I'll be sure to be ready by the time you swing by. If you bring my boots back."

I'm sure I can entertain myself the rest of the afternoon concocting a viable story to sell to Wayne of why I won't be at work for a few more days.

She truthfully had no desire to deal with Wayne or any desire to go back to her small, cold and empty apartment. She had to admit, she was rather enjoying Kovacs' company and it felt particularly nice to know that someone actually gave a damn.

16:15:33 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle


Joslyn quickly takes a picture of the offered card and makes some notes on his commlink as Remy talks, jotting down names and taking photos of the small screen as Remy points out the various customers. Afterwards, he extends a hand.

"Joslyn," he returns the introduction "Nice to meet you Remy, nice shop." He flashes the young Ork a genuine seeming smile, though there's something off about it...nothing sinister, but a wistful expression that Remy had seen on Danny's face before when he talked about 'the good old days'

Good kid...looks about as old as Toby would have been.

There's a strange sadness in the man's eyes as he seems lost in thought for a moment, it quickly disappears as he seems to come back to himself.

"Listen Remy," he speaks at last "We're dealing with dangerous people here." he pauses again, considering his next words.

"I wasn't being completely straight with you before; my chummer Romano ain't just missing...he turned up dead yesterday, tossed in an alley in Tacoma. I don't know who took him out but I'm guessing they've been in this shop today."

He pauses for a moment, eyes fixed on the tracking device attached to the wall.

"Why would they want to track you?" he muses, mostly to himself

"Well, two things to think about for now," Joslyn counts on his fingers "One : What do Romano's chummers need this cooler for? Are they using old tech or can it be used to cool something else? Two: Where did Noland and Xade think you were going to go? And how would they react if they thought you were going there?"

Joslyn glances around the workshop and his gaze settles on the empty carcass of a drone, he grins.

"I reckon there's a way we could find out about that second one."

16:16:37 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

"You Don't knows dem ?!" Remy looks aghast at Joslyn, the bright glimmer of hope fading in his eyes he slumps back into the chair heavily making it creak under the sudden pressure and rips the trodes from his skin,
Wincing in anticipation of sudden pain but then relaxing as he recalls that this is a different set of trodes, not the devils own set from Mrs Akiras VCR.
"Drek Joslyn, I hoped dat your chummer might has some answers if'n we finds him, but, dead? now we's back at da first square"
He sits forward, placing his elbows on the desk and claws his hair away from his face in exasperation and thought breathing deeply and practicing the centering technique he learned.

Just then Danny bustles in with a toolbox, snow and ice drip from his body as he enters and shakes to relieve himself from the bitter cold outside.
"Don't you mind me fellas, I'm just gonna put this back up in here," He moves past them and into the shop front to repair the torn down bead curtain.

"So lemme get dis straight, you is looking for what's happened to your dead Chummer, Xade is lookin' for alla dem guys an dem guys are tryin dere best to not get found and to find summat tha dead guy ...sold ?"
He draws a long breath over his teeth in another low engineers whistle, "Man dis is like dem Trids from back in tha days!.. ya know .. like gummy shoe detectives!"
Sitting back in the chair he stares upwards at the ceiling trying to picture himself as a star in one of the movies, dodging bullets and bad guys, evading explosions and death and rescuing the girl, always a girl to be rescued doubt it's Xade though, she dun need no rescuin' he smirks to himself

"Hey, you finks dey killed him or summat? you sez dey is dangerous an I's not arguin or nuffink, but if he was dere chummer? takes a lotta creds to gets a guy ta kill his crew man ya scan ?"

13:26:11 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"Of course. It would be criminal to keep you from wearing them."

Kovacs slides a certified credstick to the waitress as she drops off the bill, keeping a mental tally of the expenses incurred so far. He stretched, pleasantly full from lunch. His mind was already moving ahead, planning the steps that completed all the necessary preparations for tonight's work. He felt alive, his skin crawling with energy. Only two things brought this out in him, and he sighs inwardly. This is the reason why he would never really be able to leave the shadows. It was part of who he was, a fundamental connection with the intrinsic nature of his being. His hand twitched towards the empty holster at his side once before relaxing. There would be time enough for that.

13:38:51 Monday 08 January 2063 – 2356 E. Valley St. Apt 423, Downtown, Seattle

Kovacs braked to a halt outside Mac's apartment, not making a move to unbuckle his seatbelt this time.

"What's your LTG number? I'll drop you a line when I'm on my way."

16:18:37 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

"That's pretty much the situation as I scan it, Romano wasn't their chummer though. These guys just flew into town recently and he was helping them pick up some gear, I guess he didn't manage to get the shopping finished in time."

Joslyn sighs and starts to pace as he talks, gesturing widely with his hands as he counts off his thoughts.

"Some folks don't need cred to kill someone kid, even a chummer...life's got a lot cheaper since my day," he smirks "Inflation I guess." Remy frowns at this young man, probably only a few years older than himself now that he thinks about it, talking like he's ancient, the question forming on his lips is cut short by Joslyn's quickening voice
"Maybe he learned too much about their plans, maybe this pretty lady of yours and her friend did him in, maybe there's another group involved that we haven't seen yet...drek, maybe he just looked at some fragger funny and this whole thing's unrelated...we just don't know enough."

He walks over to the cooling unit and looks it over, not really knowing what he's looking for but needing to do something to keep his body occupied while his mind works.

"What we do know is that those guys want this." he looks over to Remy again "Do you know when the swap meets happen in Redmond? If those four are following the same leads I am, they're gonna be looking there for one of these next, might be a chance to get some info...you could offload this hunk too, I can't imagine you've got much use for it."

13:41:22 Monday 08 January 2063 – 2356 E. Valley St., Downtown, Seattle
Mac pulled her commlink from her pocket and swiped across the interface and offered to send her contact info to Kovacs.

“Should always be able to reach me 5 ways from Sunday at that one. And thanks for offering to give me a heads up, I’d hate to keep you waiting.”

Impulsively as she leaned over to release her seatbelt, she planted a soft kiss on Kovacs’ cheek before flashing him a brilliant smile and hopping out of the car and dashing up to her apartment.

19:58:03 Monday 08 January 2063 – 2356 E. Valley St., Apartment 423, Downtown, Seattle
Once Mac had climbed the stairs to her apartment and was safely inside with all the locks re-engaged she leaned back against the door and let out a long sigh. She had a feeling a storm was brewing in a plush office inside The Stable, one she was about to get caught up it but had no desire to jump into head on at that very moment. Taking her commlink out of privacy-mode that it had been in since the night at Shatter caused it to almost blow up with a tidal wave of messages in a multitude of formats.

She quickly weeded out the fluff and spam, grouped messages by sender and marked any potential freelance work as high importance. The concerned messages from Holly, and a few polite reminders of upcoming appointments from her booker Naomi. Then she got to the messages specifically left by Wayne, 7 emails ranging from generic concern to full-blown rage, 4 voice messages following the same escalating scale. This was going to get nasty. Tossing her commlink aside, she decided she would get to it later. She had more important things to do, like jumping in the shower and really preparing for tonight.

Stepping out of her small shower into a very steamy bathroom, Mac quickly dried off and pulled the excess moisture from her long hair before carefully twisting various sections up into loose buns and secured them each with a small chopstick like hair pin to let dry. Pulling out a gift from one of her more special private clients, she mixed a few drops of an amber liquid into the expensive lotion and just enough body makeup to cover all the marks on her skin. She took her time working the concoction into every inch of her skin which erased both her bruises and her winter white skin leaving it with a beautiful golden glow.

Seeing her commlink sitting on her coffee table stirred a level of anger in her, knowing she had to take care of the situation with Wayne before he sent out a tracking team to hunt her down. She knew her booker, Naomi wouldn’t be at the desk until 15:00, so she sent a quick warning to the girl’s private comm with the details of the story she was about to spin and try to sell along with a monetary thank you attached . She took an extra moment to center herself before she put the call through to Wayne’s private office. The line barely had time to ring before a familiar icy voice came across.

“It’s about time slitch, where the frag are you?!”

“Wayne baby,” She cooed softening any edge or malice from her voice. “Didn’t Naomi book me off? Referral client from one of my recent on-calls…”

“I don’t give a frag if it’s Jesus Christ himself, you were supposed to be here at Midnight for check-in. I don’t need this drek and headaches from you bitches. This is the last straw Mac. I’m pissed and you don’t like the end result when you push me this far.”

“Hey, hold on before you go apoplectic on me baby, you can call me back to work right now and I’ll come home with a sixth of what you’ll earn if you let me stay the three days with this guy. I’ll make him a repeat client baby. Just think about all the money, certified cred even, in your pockets when I come back on Thursday morning.”

Money would be the only thing that would snap his extra foul mood and give her a chance to stay on the tenuous edge of his good graces. She swore she could hear the steam releasing from his ears across the line as he mentally calculated his 65% cut of what a 3 day tour with her would bring in. Mac mentally watched her financials drop into the red zone as she mentally calculated just what this was about to cost her.

“His name is Eri Takahashi,” she pulled a name together that was non-descript enough to sell the story and since most of her all-day clients were Japanese businessmen, this was hardly a stretch for Wayne to believe without invesigating. “We checked my schedule before I accepted, I don’t know why it’s not on my books, check with Naomi… I miss two on-call days yes, but this is guaranteed money and my regulars on Tuesday are out of town and cancelled our standing appointments.”

“Fine. But I expect you here, Midnight, Thursday morning. You have a medical that day anyway and I’m not rescheduling the Doc.” The line went dead as his clipped speech had deescalated from nuclear levels of anger to his general daily unhappiness with Mac.

Exasperated, Mac flung her commlink across the room and into a chair. The sooner she was away from Wayne for good, the better.

She spent time off and on throughout the day getting ready for tonight, pulling items from her limited closet to figure out just what would stand out in the middle of a club full of glass and chrome. When she was almost convinced nothing would be quite right for tonight, her fingers landed on the perfect dress. A little short, tight traditional little black dress. Triangles of illusion mesh were inset along the sides, tapering down to a point just above the hem. This was the kind of dress that you absolutely couldn’t wear anything beneath because of the way it hugged every curve of her body.

No lingerie, no stockings but a gleaming pair of 18cm black stilettos with gold accent heels to match the dangling and glittering amber stones she slipped into her ears. She took her time with her makeup tonight, wanting to get it just right. That look of effortless perfection that caused men’s eyes to follow her from across the room. Bronze smoky eyes, cat liner, nude lips, and sculpted cheeks set off by her now bronzed skin which brought the ethnic mutt from her mystery father to the surface.

Sealing the deal she strategically placed a few drops of one of her favorite perfumes she used only on very special occasions, to her pulse points and instantly she was wrapped in the scents of dark florals and exotic spices

She checked herself over once more, ensuring everything was perfect from head to toe and no small detail was missed. She had an agenda tonight, one that was growing with urgency with each passing moment and hit to her credstick. She was pretty certain Kovacs had an agenda of his own for tonight which he wasn’t sharing so she was ready for anything and to go along for the ride. Besides, she always loved the adrenaline rush of the unknown and having to adapt on the fly.

Having put her contacts back in, all the information from her commlink flashed in her periphery. Without fail, as she was about to wear a permanent pathway in her floors from pacing while she waited, her incoming call notification popped up with Kovacs letting her know he was downstairs. Mac grabbed the last few things she’d possibly need and her coat and headed downstairs as fast as her stilettos would take her. Something told her it wouldn’t be a good idea to leave Kovacs waiting.

19:59:38 Monday 08 January 2063 – 2356 E. Valley St., Apartment 423, Downtown, Seattle

She was prompt. Kovacs liked that in a woman. As she came down the stairs towards the Land Rover, he couldn't help but stare. No longer the rumpled, bruised waif that showed up on his doorstep a night ago. Now she was every centimeter a sultry vixen. The little black dress was skin tight on curves that should come with a warning label, and her stilettos shaped her legs and gave her hips a seductive sway. He smiled.

She's trouble. Trouble with a capital T. Just the way I like.

He popped the locks for her, waiting as she hopped into the cab of the Rover. A moment later, a teasing breath of her exotic perfume swirled past him, and he felt his blood ignite. He successfully suppressed a grin, though, at her look of bewilderment. He'd thrown on a garish canary yellow button down shirt, popping the collar like an urban douche before topping it off with a gloss black faux leather jacket. His pants were the same, no need to change that up, as were his boots. But now he wore oversized sunglasses in a fetching shade of lavender.

"You didn't tell me it was going to be a costume party," giggled Mac, her lip curling at the outlandishness of his ill-fitting garb.

"Thought I didn't have to," replied Kovacs, putting the truck in gear. "Everyone's out tonight wearing some kind of costume, some kind of mask in order to cover who they really are, in order to lure in who they think they want. My costume is just like theirs."

"Oh?"

Kovacs nodded absently, although his concentration wasn't really on the road either. "Ordinarily I'm the wolf in wolf's clothing, and I'm all right with that. It's taken some time, but I've accepted the duality of my nature. But when it comes time to mingle with the herd, sometimes it serves my purpose not to look like the predator I am."

Mac glanced at him, her face losing some of its humor as his voice echoed Linda's warning of two days ago. The rest of the drive to the club passed in silence.

20:23:54 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

Kovacs brought the Land Rover to a stop in an alleyway across the street from the club. His gaze travelled the silent gray facades of the surrounding buildings, hushed and cold beneath their dusting of snow. Mac fidgeted in her seat, restless but not really knowing why. Wordlessly he passed her a certified credstick with a thousand nuyen balance.

"Slip some to the bouncer to get you in past the line. Have a drink at the bar. At twenty one hundred head back to the lady's room, but go left into the kitchen and open the receiving bay door. Act drunk. Then just follow my lead. All right?"

Not waiting for her reply, he connected his call to Isomer.

Got your funds and I'm standing by, said the decker before Kovacs got anything out. He smiled.

Good. Start the loopback now. We'll be done and out by 2115.

Out. Isomer killed the connection, and Kovacs put the truck in gear, swinging out to drop Mac off by the club's front door.

20:29:17 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle
 
Mac’s internal radar started setting off alarm bells as soon as Kovacs explained with precision just what he wanted, no, expected her to do. It was becoming increasingly obvious that what he had planned tonight wasn’t just to check out a new club, but something far more nefarious. The strange part was the more primal side of her was feeding off this dark energy, ignoring any warnings her subconscious was trying to feed her.
 
As the Rover came to a stop outside the doors and the line snaked back almost around the block, Mac opened the door and stepped out, leaving her coat behind in the car. She oozed sex and sensuality as she walked with confidence towards the door. If she couldn’t charm her way past the bouncers of her own volition, she had a shiny certified credstick tucked away to open the door. She past the others in line, not slowing down or even looking at those who had been waiting for God knows how long to get inside. She flashed a smile to the guys at the door, flipped her hair and moved her hips in just the right way that for at least an instant everyone’s attention was on her.

"You boys have room in there for one more?"

One of the bouncers was falling for it, hook, line and sinker and went to part the rope for her to pass while the other stopped him and looked Mac up and down a few times expectantly. Not missing a beat she produced the certified credstick from who knew where exactly and thumbed a much smaller amount than she was expecting to pay and offered it to the unwavering bouncer.

With one last look and a nod the bouncer let her inside to the whispers and dirty looks of those left in line.

And now the real fun begins.

21:02:09 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

Mac staggered down the hallway towards the women's restroom, weaving and giggling as she texted on her commlink. Party girls pushed past her, none too steady on their feet either. She turned, bumped into a well dressed man having a heated conversation with one of the busboys before lurching through the twin doors that led to the kitchen. She didn't even stop to check her surroundings, ducking to the right, her arm already reaching for the receiving bay door.

"Hey!" called someone from the kitchen. Mac giggled louder, twisting the handle desperately. Kovacs must have been leaning against the door because he practically fell in against her, reeking of alcohol and a filthy cologne.

"WHOOOOO!" he laughed loudly. "Wrong way, babe! Bathroom's are on the right!" Together they staggered back towards the kitchen door. One of the cooks almost ran into them on the way, his face twisted in disgust.

"You can't be back here!"

"Sorry, chummer!" Kovacs threw back over his shoulder as the two of them barreled into the hallway, laughing maniacally. His left arm was draped over her shoulder, while Mac slipped her right arm around his waist. Her hand found something bulky and hard slung beneath his jacket, and her blood ran ice cold. The drunken smile never slipped from her face, though, and she followed as Kovacs guided her out and into the bar proper. They careened through the tables, heading in a zig zag towards the larger, family sized booths she'd seen earlier during their lunch visit. One of which was full of three men and six women, all being watched over by a pair of bodyguards.

Kovacs' unsteady gait carried them too close to the first body guard, who responded by shoving them away with a bit of a hipcheck. Mac felt Kovacs absorb the momentum of the blow, transferring it to her and sending her stumbling right into the second bodyguard. Her arms flew out as she draped herself drunkenly over him.

"Oooops!" she giggled. To her right, Kovacs twisted, his body suddenly still in the movement of the club. Mac didn't see the weapon come out, only heard the first stuttering string of pops. The first bodyguard who'd struck them folded in on himself, a mist of red hanging in the air behind him. Kovacs turned, suddenly moving dervish fast, a sleek submachinegun cradled against his shoulder. The weapon spat rounds down range, and the mirror behind the booth shattered as one of them blew through the target's flesh. One of the girls screamed.

The second bodyguard disentangled himself from Mac with a violent twist, his weapon coming clear. She opened her mouth to scream a warning, but Kovacs beat her to it, his weapon on target even before she could draw her breath. The weapons fired almost simultaneously, and something wet misted down on Mac. Then Kovacs was hauling her to her feet, his gun once more hidden beneath his jacket. His face was set and terrible. Towing her behind him, he bulldozed his way through the crowd. They found themselves flowing with the traffic, though, once they made the turn towards the bathrooms.

The night air was shockingly cold on her skin as they burst out through the receiving bay doors amidst a crowd of screaming club goers. The Land Rover idled in the alleyway, its doors opening in response to a silent signal from Kovacs. He didn't even bother waiting for Mac to go around to the passenger side, simply hauling her into the car over his lap and dumping her in the front seat. His foot mashed down on the accelerator, and the SUV snarled off into the night.

He yanked off the sunglasses and pulled off the jacket, followed by the yellow shirt, the front velcro seal tearing free and revealing the charcoal black of his armor beneath. A bright smear of lead decorated the trauma plate over his right pectoral. He wadded the clothing up and stuffed it beneath his seat, his eyes still scanning the road as the Range Rover snarled through the turn to the onramp before settling into a more sedate highway speed.

"Check yourself, make sure you're not wounded," he instructed.

21:10:32 Monday 08 January 2063 – On the I-5, Downtown, Seattle

Mac pressed herself against the seat and along the door, putting a little extra distance between Kovacs and herself. Her breath came in adrenaline-fueled short gasps. She knew she was only a little worse for wear from being tossed around like a ragdoll in the chaos and thrown to the ground by the second guy Kovacs had taken out.

No, not taken out. Fragging killed damnit!

Still in a state of denial about what happened, she went through the motions of checking over herself for any damage and realized she was wearing someone else’s blood for the second time in less than a weekend. She blanched as images from tonight mixed with more of her memory from Saturday night and she squeezed her eyes tight for a moment to try to block it all out. When she opened her mouth, she practically yelled at this “stranger” beside her.

“What the fraggin’ hell Kovacs!”

21:15:07 Monday 08 January 2063 – On the I-5, Downtown, Seattle

"I'll take that as a no." Kovacs didn't spare a glance for Mac, his attention riveted on the traffic and the skies overhead. Reaching beneath the dashboard, he hit the switch that triggered the vehicle's spoof chip, sending a new VID to grid guide and changing the SUV's own license plate in the process. He dropped a message out to Isomer as well.

Out and clear. Thanks for the help. Rigged for silent running.

That finished, he scanned the area around the vehicle again before switching lanes and preparing to take the off-ramp for Hwy 176. Slowing the vehicle, he called de Medici. A window, inset to his vision at forty percent mask, opened showing the suave corporate axman.

Contract complete.

"You're as efficient as always, Kovacs, that's why I keep coming back to you." de Medici's voice was smooth and urbane. Kovacs always imagined that if a cobra could speak, it would do so with the same tone.

I already told you. Don't call me again. Now, I'll be at the corner of 46th and West Bay Run Ave in Redmond in thirty minutes. I'll see you there with my money.

de Medici frowned. "I can't make thirty. It'll have to be an hour.

You have forty five minutes. Out. Kovacs missed the days when a body was able to slam a phone down to illustrate his disgust. He left the rest of the threat unspoken, satisfying himself with a vicious surge of acceleration as the SUV came out of the turn onto the smaller crosstown highway.

21:18:07 Monday 08 January 2063 – On Hwy 176, Downtown, Seattle

“No, I’m fine. The blood’s not mine,” She shuddered visably. “Again.”

She wiped at the fine droplets that lingered on her bare shoulder and only succeeded in making it worse and working into a messy, dried smear. She wanted to be almost anywhere but in the front seat of his car at that very instant. Linda had tried to warn her, and she didn’t listen.

Frag me.

“Are you going to tell me anything? Clue me in on the drek you just pulled me neck deep in?!”

His silence was pushing her to the verge of throttling him even though he was driving.

21:21:38 Monday 08 January 2063 – On Hwy 176, Renton, Seattle

"It's better if you don't know too many details," replied Kovacs, his scan still on surrounding traffic and the overcast skies above them. "I was paid tonight to kill a man. Your help was definitely appreciated. I'll cut you in on the overall payment for the work."

Silence descended between them momentarily. Then he spoke again.

"There's paper towels in back if you want to clean up a bit. We're on our way to meet my contact now."

16:25:07 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

There's something peaceful about a shop after hours when the doors are locked and there's nothing but the quiet humm of the various electrical goods dotted around the place, Digital displays showing the time in multiple formats and a non-conformist view of the current hour.
Remy absently checks one and adjusts it up to at least a semblance of similarity with the others and takes the magnet from the shelf, holding it out to Joslyn along with the card that once contained it.
"I got's told dat it's impossible to trace this back wiv tech, so it's gots ta be old fashioned way, dunno about her comm number though? probly routes via Tir na nog for all I knows though!"

Remy gives a nervous glance in his Uncles direction, he is obviously torn between maintaining the safety and security of the status quo, but craving the adventure that this investigation is drawing him into. and last but by no means least he craves the approval of the senior influence in his life, despite his regular forays with his crew into teh murky grey areas of the law, he has never operated without the security blanket that Danny offers if the Drek hits the turbine.

"I think there's a meet tomorra, Danny usually lets us know so we can close da shop and get brekky on da way there! can ask him if ya like? I'm sure someone dere will know what the drek this fing is for and yeah I's rather it's not here if dey come back again for it"

He pokes around at the cooler with a handy screwdriver, trying to infer it's purpose by osmosis or divine intervention.

21:27:09 Monday 08 January 2063 – On Hwy 176, Renton, Seattle

Mac opened her mouth as if to start to say something and then closed it at least three times as the guardrail of the highway flashed by outside. So many thoughts were racing through her head at once as she wrapped her arms around herself to fight off the chill that was radiating from inside of her.

I'm so screwed. He wears body armor and I wore this dress?! I'm going to kill him for this. His contact, where. How the hell do I get away from this. Drek, am I next? Ohmygod, I'm an accessory to murder. And he's going to pay me for it, Jesus.

She turned more in the front seat, pressing her back against the door as she watched Kovacs drive, trying to study him for answer to all the pressing questions in her head. When she did finally speak, the question she asked even surprised her a little.

"So what exactly does a life go for these days?"

A wry, dark smile crossed her lips for an instant as she thought about what it might be like to take out Wayne.

16:30:07 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

Joslyn looks over the tracking device as Remy talks, he's seen a lot of trackers in his time but none quite like this. He makes a mental note to look up which corp is doing this kind of work.

He nods as Remy finishes talking, then produces a card of his own from his coat pocket. It's fairly minimal, a spider web logo with 'SSS' appearing in thicker web strands, beneath the logo are two contact numbers and 'Joslyn Whiteland, Security Consultant' he hands it to Remy.

"Sounds like a plan," he glances over at Danny, still reattaching the broken curtain "If you let me know when you're heading out, I'll get you both breakfast before the meet." he flips the tracking device over in his hand then holds it up "I'll get my matrix guy to give this a once over if you don't mind, see if it's hiding anything interesting."

21:38:43 Monday 08 January 2063 – Northeast corner of 46th St and West Bay Run Ave, Redmond, Seattle

"Depends," replied Kovacs. "Depends on the life. Depends on how fast. Depends on the method required. Depends on the security. Depends if there's Awakened involved."

His voice is flat and emotionless, ticking off considerations with metronomic precision. Mac has the uneasy feeling that he's done this several times in the past. Maybe a dozen more than several, in fact. Despite the warmth and comfort of the SUV's cabin, she shivers.

Kovacs kills the vehicle's headlights as they pull off the secondary arteries and into the burnt out, lifeless sections of Redmond. The SUV's instrumentation flipped over to an eerie ambient green, barely visible to the unaided eye but bright enough for someone with augmented vision to drive by. He snakes the vehicle through the deserted streets, filled with mounded snow hiding abandoned cars and piles of refuse.

Mac is certain that they circle their final destination at least three times before he finally parks the vehicle curbside, pointed across the intersection. Kovacs does one last scan of the street, buildings, and skies overhead before reaching into the backseat. He comes out with a plain gray plastic ammo can, stenciled with 7mm SMG on the side. Popping open the lid, he pulls out a cardboard cassette containing ten caseless rounds, setting it on the center console before closing the ammo can and putting it back on the floor of the back seat.

Reaching beneath his coat, he ejects the magazine from the FN P93, replacing it with one drawn from the pouch on his belt before letting the assault sling tug the weapon back into place. Emptying out the cassette, he reloads the magazine, all ten of the pale white slug like rounds disappearing into the flat black plastic. The magazine refills the empty pouch on his left hip and he settles back into the driver's side to wait. The entire operation took less than two minutes, his actions smooth and reflexive as his eyes continue to scan the surrounding terrain.

21:40:11 Monday 08 January 2063 – Northeast corner of 46th St and West Bay Run Ave, Redmond, Seattle

Mac watched his trained and fluid movements reloading the clip and his weapon with a mix of genuine curiosity and morbid fascination. She kicked off her stilettos to the floor of the Rover and tucked her feet up underneath her, wrapping herself up under her jacket.

"So now we wait?"

Her question drew a silent nod from Kovacs

"So how much would it cost of the guy was an insufferable prick?" she raised an eyebrow en pointe to her question. She was actually thinking about this, how easy it could be to get close, or get someone in close enough to reach Wayne in his office. She wondered what it would be like to pull the trigger. Sure she had a Remington stashed unr her bed at the apartment, but that was for show as she'd never fired it an anything beyond makeshift targets whe learning to shoot.

She shifted again in her seat, finding herself mildly turned on at the thought of being the one to take Wayne out. Tonight's events were tapping into that darker side of her psyche. Roses, chocolate and flowers worked for most women, but not Mac, darker, dirtier things tripped her switches, and she wasn't sure it got much darker than murder for hire.

21:43:07 Monday 08 January 2063 – Northeast corner of 46th St and West Bay Run Ave, Redmond, Seattle

Kovacs' gaze slid across Mac, his eyes cold and black in the pale green illumination from the instrument cluster of the SUV.

"Personality doesn't really change the price. It's all a function of how difficult it is to get to the target."

His mouth works as if he's tasting something filthy, as if he wants to say more, but in the end, nothing comes. He returns to watching the streets outside. Other than the faint pivots of his head as he scans the rooftops and skies, he's as motionless as a statue.

21:45:13 Monday 08 January 2063 – Northeast corner of 46th St and West Bay Run Ave, Redmond, Seattle

She moved again on the seat, rising up slightly onto her knees and faced him, holding his darkened gaze, wondering if she was pushing her luck.

"If someone, no, if I wanted to hire you and the accesss and security was as easy as coming through a door, like tonight... " she let her voice trail off.

21:48:26 Monday 08 January 2063 – Northeast corner of 46th St and West Bay Run Ave, Redmond, Seattle

Inside Kovacs was a cauldron of seething ice. He knew what she was asking, had guessed it when she pressed him on the details earlier. His body was still in combat footing, adrenalized, eager, predatory. He could smell the arousal that rolled off her, intertwined with the heady scent of her perfume and the cordite residue of expended gunpowder. His cock ached for her, and without conscious volition his hands curled into claws, ready to tear her clothes off, to hold her down while he spent his rage on her and in her.

He'd already used her, that much was true. She'd been available and easy and he'd used her just as he would any other tool to accomplish his mission. That knowledge made his guts twist, because as much of a child of the streets as she was, this life was brand new to her. She didn't know that another darkness awaited her down this path, a cold and sinister shadow that would wind its way inside of her, pulling at her soul with icy razors.

Kovacs looked at her, at the slim woman he'd saved from death, who was now asking to make death's acquaintance. He'd made peace with himself a long time ago, accepted his predatory nature. But the toll was unmistakable. He didn't sleep at night. Not with the dreams. He stayed away from people, knowing that eventually he would either use them as a means to an end, or kill them, or watch them die as people tried to kill him. There was nothing else, no hope for change, no chance of salvation. This was penance for a life spent on the razor's edge of the shadows, of doing whatever was necessary to succeed and survive.

"If you do this, there will be no going back. This isn't something that can be undone. Once you start down this path, only darkness and death await. You should forget tonight happened. Wipe it out from your memory. You should forget me. Walk away and never come back. Be a student. Be a wife, a mother. Keep being a whore. Be anything you want. But don't follow my path. You'll end up selling much more than just your body."

21:50:38 Monday 08 January 2063 – Northeast corner of 46th St and West Bay Run Ave, Redmond, Seattle

There it was, that sting of rejection again. Her voice trembled slightly when she spoke.

"You make it sound like its so simple. I've tried to get out from under his thumb, to live my life on my terms. At this rate it will be three lifetimes before I can make it happen."

She closed her eyes and fought back the tears, shaking her head.

"I don't want to become her, end up with some loser who has a insatiable need for young girls..."

She was rambling now, reaching for her shoes and fumbling to put them on again.

"I can't just forget what happened tonight, what happened on Saturday, what you did, what you've done. I wish I could, but it's not that simple. I'm not a chip you just erase when I'm no longer convenient. If you want me to go..."

She reached for the handle of the door.

22:06:14 Monday 08 January 2063 – Northeast corner of 46th St and West Bay Run Ave, Redmond, Seattle

"No, I don't want you to go."

Despite the electricity of the statement, there was still no emotion in Kovacs' voice. Mac glanced over at him, her hand on the door, her body poised.

"I just don't want to see you make the same mistakes I did. There is always another way. It may not seem like it now, it may seem like this is the only way through, the only recourse left to overcome this obstacle."

Kovacs stopped there, taking a deep breath before letting it out. This was not the way. He knew it because if their positions were reversed he would not have listened either. The fever had burned hot in his blood during his youth. Sometimes he really wondered at how he managed to survive those impetuous times. He took another breath.

"I've got something to show you at my place. Afterwards, if you still want an answer to your question, I'll answer it."

Headlights flashed over them, cutting off anything Mac might have said in reply. Kovacs checked his SMG again, making sure his longcoat covered it adequately.

"Stay here. If drek gets dicey, use the truck to get out of here. If I'm alive, I'll find you."

He slid out of the driver's side and into the chill of the night. On the opposite side of the intersection as the Land Rover idled a Toyota Elite limo, not quite as flashy as a Nightsky, but a luxury corp ride none the less. Kovacs kept his eyes scanning, checking the rooftops and the empty windows, flipping through the spectrum in an effort to defeat the shadows that crowded around. The doors to the limo opened, allowing a pair of bodyguards to step out. Kovacs halted a respectable ten meters from the vehicle, standing on the passenger side closest to the sidewalk.

The rear door opened and closed again, and de Medici emerged into the snowy night, his slim frame turned bulky by the heavy insulated great coat he wore.

"Good evening, Kovacs," he greeted warmly, without any of the reproach he might feel for being given the ultimatum.

"It was until you called," replied Kovacs. He held out a small OMC in his left hand. "Guncam footage, as requested."

de Medici traded the chip for a pair of certified credsticks. "You're one of the best at what you do, Kovacs. I don't understand why you shy away from that reputation. If I could rely upon you in the future as I did tonight, I could make you a lot of money."

Kovacs pocketed the credsticks. "No, you wouldn't understand. I've told you before, though, I don't do that kind of work anymore."

He turned and walked back to the Range Rover. He listened, though, for the sound of movement behind him, for the hint that either of the bodyguards was shifting into position, and drawing a weapon. Instead, he heard the sound of car doors slamming, and the heavy rumble of the Elite's engine as the vehicle U-turned back the way it came.

Climbing into the driver's seat, he pocketed one credstick before skimming half the funds off the second and passing it over to Mac.

"For services rendered."

He put the SUV in gear and pulled away from the curb, headed back to his house. Mac glanced down at the credstick balance, her eyes going a little wide. 2500 nuyen!

22:09:51 Monday 08 January 2063 – On the 405, Redmond, Seattle

As the rush of tonight’s events started to wear off, Mac was painfully aware of how sore and tired she felt, scrunched up in the front seat of the SUV as Kovacs drove through the darkness, back towards Renton. She couldn’t stop looking at the certified cred in her hands, checking and rechecking the balance as they drove. She couldn’t remember the last time she held this much in her hand that actually belonged to her and her alone.

“Kovacs,” She whispered. “You realized this is more than I’ve made in an entire day, right?”

She shifted again in the seat and pulled out the original credstick he had passed to her before going into the club and offered it up to him, still warm from being pressed against her skin under the dress.

“I suppose you’ll want this back too.”

Resting her head against the window, it wasn’t long before the constant purr of the engine and the drive itself lulled her to sleep for the remainder of the drive home.

22:43:02 Monday 08 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

Kovacs pulled the SUV into the garage, killing the engine at the same time he sent the command to close the door. Just like his vehicle, the light on the overhead didn't illuminate with the action. He waited until it was fully closed before exiting the vehicle. He glanced over at Mac still sound asleep, curled up beneath her long coat, looking frail and child-like. He opened the side door of the SUV, pulling out the gray ammo can from beneath the bench seat before walking around the front of the truck.

Reaching beneath the workbench that dominated the rear wall of the garage, he found the hidden maglock keypad. Punching in the ten digit code, he held the last number in for several seconds, long enough for the maglock to scan and verify his fingerprint. The bolts retracted with muted thumps, and he swung the workbench away from the wall, ducking through the opening.

Inside the narrow alcove was his armory. Unclipping the P93 from its assault sling, he set it on the rack to be cleaned at a later date. The ammo can went into the stack against the side wall, another gray brick only differentiated by the stenciled caliber on the side.

Closing the concealed door behind him, he moved around to the passenger side of the SUV. Carefully opening the door, he lifted Mac into his arms, taking her weight effortlessly. He bumped the door closed behind him, carrying her up the stairs into the kitchen before laying her down on the couch again. She murmured fitfully in her sleep, rolling over and curling up once again. He draped the blanket over her before turning out the light.

With the smooth economy born of long practice he stripped out of his armor, hanging the suit up and spraying it with unscented anti-microbial spray. The bruise on his chest was a vibrant purplish-blue, yellowed around the edges where the sharp edge of the trauma plate had passed more of the energy on to his skin. He hissed in pain as the water sluiced down over it, but a quick probing convinced him that it was only a bruise, no broken bones lay beneath it.

Stepping out of the shower he was hit with a sudden wave of fatigue, and it was all he could do to keep his eyes open long enough to towel off. He'd been on combat footing for the better part of four hours and he'd reached the limit of his reserves. With a tired sigh, he hung his towel up and fell into bed. His last thought was of reaching for the covers before sleep claimed him.

03:08:11 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

Mac wakes with a start, blinking her eyes in the inky darkness of the early hour. Her hand goes to push the hair out of her face, and she stares around in some confusion before recognizing the spartan lines of Kovacs home. She groans softly, scrubbing her hand across her eyes, her mouth feeling dry and cottony. In the silence of the house, though, she senses something wrong, some reason why she awoke.

It comes again, a hoarse, strangled cry from the back of the house.

Kovacs!

Mac threw off the covers and was about to get up when she heard the door to his room open. In the shadows of the house she can barely make out his pale silhouette as he moves slowly down the hall, passing through the living room and into the kitchen. Through accident or design he is unaware of her observation. The light over the stove goes on, and she hears the water run into the teakettle before it rattles on to the burner. Quietly rising to her feet, she pads to the entrance of the kitchen, a bit of deja vu striking her, remembering how they'd stood like this just a night ago.

Kovacs leans against the sink with his back to her, his head down, his shoulders shivering as he weeps silently.

03:10:01 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

The scene was repetitive and familiar, yet so different. So much had changed in just over 24 hours. Too many dichotomies to the man who was standing with his back to her. Gentle yet ruthless. Kind yet cold. Protector and Assassin. Still the aguish in his voice that woke her to the position she found him in now… A piece of her wanted to do whatever she could to make it “better” whatever that would be, and the other parts of her rationally put her guard up, unsure of how he’d respond to anything she did at the moment.

The small piece of her won the internal battle.

She closed the distance between them, her feet padding almost silently across the floor before she reached forward to place her hand on his back and spoke softly, calmly with a hefty dose of concern in her voice.

“Hey?”

03:15:21 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

Mac could see his shoulders stiffen at her approach, and wondered at just how sensitive his eyes and ears were. But he made no move to stop her from resting her hand on his back, his skin cool to the touch.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "I didn't mean to wake you. Would you like some tea? It helps me sleep."

"Sure," replied Mac, still searching for some way to reach him, some gesture that would convey her concern without being misunderstood or misinterpreted. Their friendship, if it was that, was still so new, so much ground uncovered between them. The thought made her smile, though, even as he turned away to retrieve the mugs and the tea strainers. They met just two days ago, yet he had already seen her at her worst, and here he was at his most vulnerable before her.

In the end, she settled for leaning on the counter next to him. He used a paper towel to wipe away the moisture on his cheeks before blowing his nose. They sat in silence for a moment. Then he glanced over at her.

"I've got some sweats and a t-shirt if you'd like to change out of your dress."

Mac blinked, realizing for the first time that she was still in the little black outfit she'd worn to the club. And that the skirt had ridden up almost to her hips while she slept. And that she wasn't wearing anything beneath it. And that her makeup was probably thrashed. She stole a look over at Kovacs, but his gaze was on some internal horizon, his eyes unfocused. The whistle of the teapot brought him to awareness, though, and he turned off the burner, pouring the steaming water into both mugs and carrying them to the table.

03:16:39 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

She nodded her acceptance of his offer of a change of clothes, but made no move to leave his side. When he took his spot at his table she sat to his immediate left instead of across like the other night. The scent of the tea as it infused was relaxing as it wafted to her nose. She reached over and placed her hand over his as she tried to keep his attention for used on her.

"is it always like this, after... You take a job?"

03:19:07 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

Kovacs shrugged, the warm citrus tea calming the riot in his mind.

"It's always like this."

He wondered, momentarily, what he could say, or if he should say anything. If there was any purpose to bridging the gap between them, if it was even worth the effort. In the end, though, it wasn't any of those things. It had been too long since a body had been close enough for long enough to listen.

"In the moment you do what you have to do in order to accomplish the mission, in order to survive. You eliminate, you kill who you have to, you commit the gear you have to, you leave behind the wounded if necessary. To haunt the shadows like a predator, you have to live the law of the jungle. But the shadows take their toll. They extract it, piece by piece, just a bite at a time. So you don't really see it, don't really feel it. Until it's too late. Until you have nothing left. No friends, no family, no lovers, no memories of anything but the shadows. Nothing of you but the claws and the fangs of a predator. Nothing human."

It came out in a torrent, a flood of words somehow articulating thoughts he wasn't even aware of considering. Once started he couldn't stop it, could do nothing but speak this truth as he stared into the placid surface of his tea. The memories came rushing back at him, the faces of his team, how they looked in life and especially how they looked in the last moments before death took them. Their features twisted in terror, lust, rage, apathy, all illuminated in one brutal, brilliant muzzle flash. And after them, the ones he killed. Twisting shadows at the time, his mind painted their faces in stark detail. All of the fathers who had to bury sons, all of the wives he'd left widowed, all of the children he'd orphaned stared at him in his dreams.

Kovacs took a deep breath and then a drink of tea.

"This is why I don't want you walking my path."

03:21:41 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

The feelings behind Kovacs' words were tangible in the room and Mackenzie felt guilty for pushing him earlier. For demanding answers to questions he obviously didn't want to open up to. She chewed on her lip for an moment as his words sunk into her. She wondered, never having taken a life, if the emptiness was similar to what she felt having spent the greater majority of her years working as a whore.

"I've got no friends, no family." She spoke softly, slowly rising to her feet and pushing the table away from the two of them with her hip and closed the very short distance between them.

"No lovers, no joy." Mac moved her body along the edge of the table, and slowly kicked one leg over Kovacs' knees and then lowered herself to sit in his lap. "Pieces of my soul taken in every hotel room, brothel or backroom at a club." Her fingers traveled up his chest, her eyes locked on his "Nothing really left inside as it is."

She paused as her hand rested over his heart.

"Maybe I'm the fork in your path..."

03:58:06 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

Kovacs felt alive at two times in his life. When he was behind the trigger of a gun. And when he held a woman in his arms. As his mind still pulsed with the nightmare memories, his body awoke to Mac's touch. Fire blazed through his veins as he watched her eyes, reading the desire there, the dark passion that consumed her just as it did him. She didn't need to voice the last half of her statement, that perhaps it was he who was destined to change her path.

His hands slid up her legs to her waist, lifting the hem of her dress as he did so. She finished what he started, grabbing the fabric and lifting it over her head in one smooth motion. Mac shook her hair free before curling her arms around his shoulders and fusing their mouths together.

Energy crackled between them, currents within him feeding the needs within her, her flesh an offering to the hunger that snarled within him. It stole his breath away, his body on fire. He didn't even hear the ceramic mugs shatter on the floor as he pushed her back onto the table, his sweatpants cast aside as he thrust into her, her legs curling about his waist, urging him on.

And always, her dark liquid eyes, holding his gaze, drinking in the vicious energies that burned through his nerves, staring into him as he stared into her, a pair of yawning emptinesses made whole through mutual sacrifice.

She cried out beneath him, once, twice, before he was spent, leaning over her on outstretched arms, his breath a heaving bellows in his chest. She reached up to brush her fingers across his cheek and lips, her touch featherlight.

Are you okay? his eyes asked, searching her face for regret, disappointment, disgust. Mac nodded, biting her bottom lip, uncertain as to what to say.

Kovacs stepped back, once again lifting her effortlessly into his arms and carrying her to the bathroom. This time he stands close behind her as the warm water beads over their skin, his hands moving gently across her skin. His touch is questing, his fingers mapping out the peaks and valleys of her flesh, learning her.

Mac shivers beneath the caress, once more feeling more naked before him than with any other person before. She turns, glancing up at him beneath a mop of wet hair, and he nods, a soft smile on his lips. Reaching out, she lets her fingers trace over a puckered ridge of scarring across his left shoulder. She maps them all, her fingers sliding through the moisture on his skin, reveling in the denseness of the muscles beneath. Softly she examines the smooth melding of synthetic and flesh where his arm joins his shoulder, the warm flesh contrasting with the slightly cooler composite.

The hot water dies, chasing them from the shower, and they dry off quickly in the chill of the bathroom. Mac isn't sure if she has to ask the question, but Kovacs answers it for her anyway, drawing her behind him into his bedroom. Together they curl beneath the heavy comforter, bodies spooned together, until the warmth and the exhaustion of the day lulls them both to sleep.

08:42:41 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

For a few hours flashes of what happened to her on Saturday didn’t come while she slept. The quiet of the house didn’t wake her throughout the night. When she did wake up, she found herself still in his bed, their bodies still tangled around one another and pressed tightly together. She moved slowly as not to wake him, rolling over so she could watch him sleep, a soft smile on her lips as Kovacs actually looked like he was at peace for a change.

Maybe because she moved, or maybe he could feel her watching him, Kovacs’ eyes opened to find Mackenzie still in his bed, still by his side and still wondering what the hell she had gotten herself into.

She broke the silent staring match with a soft chuckle before propping herself up on an elbow, her hair wild from sleep, splayed out in a dark halo around her face.

“Good morning.” She spoke softly as the grey, winter light fought to get through the windows. Mac made no motion to get out of bed, she was comfortable and warm and honestly, she wasn’t sure what came next. He was hardly one of her typical clients, she didn’t need to race out of bed before his wife came home, collecting her money on her way out the door. This was something else entirely, whatever it was, and she didn’t want to make the wrong next move.

08:49:07 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

"Good morning," Kovacs replied softly. He reached out to gently brush an errant strand of hair out of Mac's eyes.

"I seem to have overslept a bit. Although, I can't imagine a better reason to do so." He rolled onto his back, stretching his arms over his head like a great hunting cat, just roused from a nap. Mac curled her body against his, pillowing her head on his chest. She listened to the slow, steady pulse of his heart, and delighted in the strong arm that snaked around her, holding her close.

For a moment, silence stretched between them. The fingers of his hand moved lazily across her skin, wandering without conscious volition as his mind patterned out the remainder of the day. Another smile crept over his lips as he felt Mac purr against him, enjoying the simple sensation of physical contact without expectations.

Glancing down, he found her eyes on him, liquid dark in the half-light of the room.

"Sooooo, where do we go from here?" she asked quietly, a glimmer of unguarded hope in her voice.

"Shopping," replied Kovacs, matter of factly. "If you're going to be with me, you're going to need gear."

Mac blinked in surprise, clearly expecting neither the answer, nor the implication that their status as a couple had changed. Kovacs stretched again, rolling his shoulders out.

"But first, breakfast."

08:56:41 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

Mac watched Kovacs rise from the bed and appreciated the view. With the whole bed to herself she stretched out her body, contorting herself in all kinds of positions. Her muscles were tight like bow strings which convinced her that she was healing and recovering faster than she expected. She needed a good workout the kind that made her muscles burn and it wasn't one she would get staying in bed. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and looked back over her shoulder at Kovacs.

"What's your preference for breakfast? Besides tea of course? I'll make something if you want to get ready."

She leaned down and picked up one of his t-shirts from the floor and slipped it on before standing with one final stretch of her arms over her head the edge of the t-shirt rose to the tops of her thighs. She could feel his eyes on her and it started a slow fire to burn in her. She was half tempted to pull him back to bed but she knew he had his mind set on taking her shopping for gear and she was pretty certain that would only be the beginning of the day.

"So what's your poison this morning?"

09:10:38 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

"Nothing particularly fancy," replied Kovacs, his voice muffled through the t-shirt he was pulling over his head. He already had his sweatpants on. "Eggs, bacon, toast. The usual."

He followed her out to the kitchen, appreciating the view of her long legs and how her ass swayed beneath the hem of his t-shirt. She pulled the last of his eggs from the fridge, preheating the stove burner. He poured them each a glass of juice and set the table. Moving in the small kitchen, he was constantly reaching around her or brushing up against her as she stood at the stove. He saw no reason not to let his hands wander beneath the thin cotton t-shirt, his fingers finding familiar, welcoming flesh.

At one point when his caresses became a little too insistent, Mac fixed him with a smoky glare.

"That is not conducive to us eating breakfast any time soon, mister."

Kovacs laughed, retreating to the table to allow her to finish unmolested. It was only a couple of minutes before Mac delivered the plates of scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon. Kovacs didn't waste any time, once again methodically destroying his meal. Mac ate at a more sane and sedate pace, watching him with some amusement.

"So where are we going shopping anyway?" she asked, in between bites.

"As Far Off Saks As You Can Get Before You Start Getting Closer," replied Kovacs. "At least, that's its official name. It's a mouthful, though, so everyone just calls it The Emporium."

09:15:11 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

It wasn't so much that she wasn't enjoying the feel of Kovacs' hands on her skin and the way they had to dance around each other in the small kitchen. It was more that she was afraid of getting too wrapped up in enjoying herself that she'd lose her attention on making breakfast and end up burning herself.

"The Emporium hmm," She raised a brow, not familiar with the place. "You sure I can't convince you that Saks is a better option?" She teased, enjoying seeing a smile on the lips of the normally poker-faced man.

"Think they'd look at me weird showing up in my dress from last night? Unless you think the t-shirt's enough. Might get a little cold out there." Mac grinned and finished what she could eat of breakfast before clearing the table and cleaning up the dishes.

09:48:17 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – 35010 Von Schilling Way, Renton, Seattle

"You could, but it might make it a bit awkward to be trying things on," replied Kovacs, slurping down the last of his orange juice. He'd already added grocery shopping to the list of things to do today. The past couple of days had eaten through a majority of his reserves, especially of breakfast foods. Unfortunately, if his quick mental calculations were anywhere close, today's monetary outlay was going to burn through almost everything he'd earned for the job yesterday. Which meant he'd have to put the shingle out again. He pushed that thought away.

We'll assault that bridge when we come to it.

The shower was much quicker this time, utilitarian instead of intimate, and both of them were ready to go in half an hour. Kovacs was in the same Executive Suite line, Mac having seen five or six identical outfits hanging in his closet. They found a pair of khakis which weren't obscenely oversized on her, as well as a t-shirt and short jacket from somewhere tucked away in his front closet. She put on the same pair of sunglasses, though, which were contrasted sharply with the rumpled, blue-collar image she was working. Kovacs chuckled, shaking his head and pointing the Range Rover towards the outskirts of the city.

10:20:09 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - The Emporium, 8047 Fall City Road, Redmond, Seattle

When Kovacs finally parked the SUV, Mac had to admit that they were pretty far from Saks in deed. To the East, she could clearly see the border fence, its guard towers and surveillance nets spiking up from the horizon at regular intervals. To the South rose the skeletal towers of Glow City, festooned with streamers of cast off plastic and tarps. The building next to them was a massive brick and steel affair, three low stories that slumped out over a full city block. Constant foot traffic entered through a wide roll-up garage door style entrance, guarded by a brace of Crimson Crush gangers. The two dwarves and an elf rake icy eyes over Mac but are a bit more deferential to Kovacs. Something unspoken passes between them, and Mac guesses that his reputation might precede him here.

Inside, the building is almost one giant space. Most of the internal dividers have been removed, making way for hundreds of long tables, shelves, and clothing racks. Mac blinks, Kovacs hadn't been exaggerating when he'd told her they'd be able to find everything they needed here.

10:25:32 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - The Emporium, 8047 Fall City Road, Redmond, Seattle

Mac felt her jaw clench and Kovacs could feel her body tense up as they passed the gangers lingering outside The Emporium and they gave her a once over. In any other situation she would have called them out on it, but being in a foreign location and at Kovacs' side, she bit her tongue and settled for glaring at them from behind her shades. She tried to be on her best behavior.

Inside the building was overwhelming, even for Mac. She could shop as well as most of the high-end girls, but in here she had no clue where to even begin. Pushing her shades to the top of her head she turned her attention back to Kovacs. She would have to defer to him for whatever it was he thought she needed. She started to poke through the nearest piles and racks until he gave her some direction.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?"

16:55:07 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

For the second time today Remy stands and stares at a neat, plain white contact card resting in the palm of his hand, this one reads
'Joslyn Whiteland, Security Consultant' a spider web logo with 'SSS' appearing in thicker web strands.
It's a bit more ... professional.. than the hastily scrawled note with his details that he thrust into the outstretched hand of Joslyn before he departed.

With the repairs to the front of shop completed and the tools returned to the lockup in the backyard, Danny prepares his winter clothes for leaving the premises and makes the usual rounds locking up and turning out the main lights.
"You sleeping in here kiddo? or we still on for "You Eat Too Much™" on the way out " he enquires of the young ork,
knowing full well what the answer will be, but using it as a chance to lighten the atmosphere in the room.

Remy looks up with an absent "huh?" before regaining his wits and responding "ummm yeah, I's starvin' already, lets eat!"
The pair grab their belongings close the shutters and head to their respective vehicles, Remy wondering for a moment if risking the bike in this weather is the best course of action, but doing it anyway.

12:41:19 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - The Emporium, 8047 Fall City Road, Redmond, Seattle

"Everything," replied Kovacs, lassoing a cart and pushing it in front of him. "You've probably already got a place, or at least a bolthole with some stuff in it. Which is good. Don't tell anyone about it, not even me. Keep it as a safe place to go if you need to disappear, fall off the grid for a bit. You should always have at least one of those, preferably two. Keep 'em stocked with a basic kit, too. That way if you show up all torn up, with nothing but the skin on your back, you can outfit yourself with your minimal essential tools to get back on your feet."

He pushed the cart as he talked, navigating carefully down one of the many long aisles hemmed in by tables mounded high with a cornucopia of stuff. Mac had no other adequate term to describe the awesome but random variety of clothing, gear, and equipment that surrounded her.

"What size shoes do you wear?" asked Kovacs.

"Eight, usually," answered Mac, "although it depends on the designer."

He grunted, sifting through a pile of shoes to come up with a suitably sized pair of gray crosstrainers. Moisture wicking athletic socks were next, three sets of workout clothes followed. He let her pick through the shirts until she found ones whose color scheme didn't give her violent vertigo. None of the sports bras they found fit, though, so he made a note to stop off for those on the way home. At a legitimate store.

Then came three pairs of gray khaki tactical pants.

"These are better because they've got pre-sewn webbing in the thigh pockets, and the zippers on the side here are for hidden inner pockets. Plus the knees are reinforced and have an inner pocket for kneepads if required."

Mac looked dubiously at Kovacs, but said nothing as he added them to the growing pile in the cart. Compression t-shirts, canvas work shirts, gloves, earbuds with electronic sound damping, a pair of ATACS side zip tac boots. Kovacs rooted through the pile for ten minutes before he found the pair he wanted. He pointed to nomenclature stamped on the side.

"See the EOD at the end of the serial number? That means these boots are suitable for ordinance disposal. They meet the same impact resistance and safety toe standards, but they do so with ceramic and composites rather than steel shanks."

Mac couldn't fathom the difference, but it seemed important so she made a note to ask him later. They were already pushing on. He scooped up a plain black duffel bag on his way past, then stopped in front of a bin full of small gray pouches. Pulling half a dozen out, he opened them one by one, rifling through the contents.

"Your first aid kit is an important piece of gear because it has to cover all contingencies while remaining as compact as possible. So: sterile gauze pads, flat roll of medical tape, generic antidote slap patches, trauma patches, tourniquet, and two Boa combi bandages." He gestured with an olive drab green roll of solid gauze. Mac plucked it from his fingers, turning it over in her hand.

"What is it?" She reached for the fastener but he stopped her quickly.

"It's a coagulant enhancer. You unroll it and the chemicals start working on contact with oxygen. You place the white side against the wound, wrap tightly, and seal." He stuffed the bandage back into the kit, snapping the lid down with its attached keeper. Mac did a quick mental inventory of the pile of gear in the shopping cart.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I can't afford this," she said, flatly. Kovacs nodded, switching aisles. His answer only opened up a whole new can of questions.

"I'll cover you. You can pay me back out of your cut from the jobs we take."

12:41:19 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - The Emporium, 8047 Fall City Road, Redmond, Seattle

Mac found herself listening and nodding along, trying to digest all the minute details he was throwing at her rapid-fire. Her head was swimming and still in disbelief at all the gear he had pulled into the cart for her. She was trying to keep up, her own mental calculator tallying up how much she’d need to cover the pile of gear and she blanched a little. It took her a few moments for her to register and respond just what Kovacs was offering. She shook her head.

“No way Kovacs, it’s too much. I can’t take… I can’t let you do that.”

She saw the way he looked at her, and she knew instantly he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Her fingers found their way into the pocket of the cargo pants she wore and wrapped around the smooth cylinder of the certified cred practically burning a hole in her pocket. She silently cursed herself as she pulled it out and pressed it into his hand.

“Consider it my first payment.”

She didn’t like, no she hated owing anyone anything, but the reality was she already had racked up a debt with Kovacs. It wasn’t like a few days of making breakfast and some really great sex were going to pay that tab.

Letting go of the cred as he took hold of it, she tried to hide the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew it was the right thing to do, to pay Kovacs off first, but that cred was the lifeline of how she was going to explain her disappearing act and fly under Wayne’s radar for a little while longer. Now with everything Kovacs was suggesting to do, especially concerning a place to hole up that even he didn’t know about… Her meager belongings were about to become much more so.

Adding insult to injury, an incoming message flashed across her field of vision. Her eyes flicked left to right for a moment while she thumbed a pattern on her commlink.

To: All Staff
Importance: High
Subject: Mandatory Medical – Thursday, 1.11.63 See Schedule Below

This was going from bad to worse, in a heartbeat.

12:52:37 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - The Emporium, 8047 Fall City Road, Redmond, Seattle

Kovacs shook his head. "This is the way that I learned. There are other methods out there, but I know this one succeeds, so we're using it. I know asking you to trust me is asking a lot, and in the near future I'm going to tell you not to trust anyone, even me. But for now, trust me."

He grins, his lips lopsided and goofy at the contradiction in his words, then presses on.

A stiff belt of plain black leather with a brushed titanium buckle joins the pile. Kovacs points to the back.

"It's reinforced with a two ply kevlar weave. Keeps the belt from deforming under the weight of a handgun and ammo."

A heavy duty nylon rigger's belt is next, followed by a piece of load bearing equipment Mac had never seen before.

"It's called a battle belt," explained Kovacs. "It's meant for situations that require you to have a bit more gear on hand than an every day carry, but that don't merit a full chest rig."

A bewildering array of modular pouches joined the pile of gear, most of them done in a mottled gray/dark gray digital camouflage. Kovacs inspected each one carefully, checking the seams as well as the fasteners in back that seemed to be used to mount it to the belt. He glanced around at the tables unhappily.

"We're gonna have to make a couple of other stops. They don't have any vests, and I don't see anything but nylon holsters."

"And we don't use nylon holsters because...?" prompted Mac, intuiting that she was getting maybe a third of the information that was cycling through his head.

"Nylon's fine, but it means extra bulk for retention systems. We want kydex, which is a fiber reinforced polymer that you can heat mold, and features simple retention designs. Keeps it slim, lightweight, and fast. But you don't have to worry. I know the guy to go to for the rest of your weapons kit. C'mon, we need to go find the armor."