Chapter 8

Jamie

I was in a card game in the private Chatroom in the dark network between two assassins looking for information on targets that have gone into hiding in the real world. They were cloaked in dark knight avatars. While I had coded my image as a 5’5 Bard of secrets.

I put in two coins on the table. “So. How fast do you want the Intel? A million ebs fast or two grand speeds?”

I felt a presense behind me and a second later a virus had me in a head lock and was trying to invade mind while the two killers stared on me in silence.

I didn’t jack out but I activated my guardian program. Two twin giant robots appeared and quickly handled the virus. But, I still felt some effects on my mind. Shit. I couldn’t jack out just yet.

The two black knights fired shots at my twin guardian program destroying them. That didn’t bother me. What did was feeling a gun to the back of my head in the real world. Damn.

I leaned back in my chair throwing my cards at them while they stared at me impassively.

“Who are you? What do you want?” I asked feeling viruses effects leaking into my mind. I tasted chocolate milk in my mouth. My favorite. It was a truth virus.

The black knights disappeared and a rogue appeared sitting in front of me. “Who or what is Christopher Rad to Devin Devon?”

Hmm. I smiled. “So you’ve finally crossed paths with him. My boy must be making waves on his walk on the rite? I don’t answer obvious answers Devin. Still though. The money must be good for you to be hunting him?”

The rogue sat back crossing his legs. “It is and I gave my word I would kill him. So I have to. I’m sorry. Last question. Do you know a corpo named Norman Casey?”

I frowned at him as shock and rage filled my heart. “Interesting. You really are stupid.”

“So you know him. I just want to know why he hired me to kill your son?”

“Devin. It’s not complicated. He’s a man with power that can’t have something that belongs to someone else. So he’s in his feelings right now about it and your his willing tool.” I said.

The Rogue shook his head. “No. I’m nobody’s tool. There has to be something else to this. What are you hiding? What did you steal or do to Casey?”

I stared at him. “If you kill my son. It’s a death sentence for you in the nomad world. He’s still on the rite. No matter what Casey told you. He isn’t acknowledged yet as an adult. My people are watching and I haven’t been given the word yet by my elders.. This is the problem with your profession. It’s all to easy for someone to play you against your own interests or make you the fool puppet on a string.”

The Rogue got up and I felt the gun removed from the back of my head. “Stay hidden. This doesn’t make any sense to me. Why didn’t you choose him?”

“He’s weak. He needs a certain lifestyle to breath he can’t survive outside Newark. He won’t fight too protect his own. I’m nomad. My people don’t mate with the weak. I told you that.”

The Rogue stared at me. “Damn it.” He said and disappeared.

I sighed and got up taking the cards up from the floor and put them in my pocket as I sat down on the floor and cleaned my mind and planned. Christopher?! I worried about his course but we had trained him well for this moment and I couldn’t help him on the rite but there was no way in hell Casey was going to live beyond the next year.

Warm regards

Guardiadogg