“Good, you’re here,” Twilight said as we pulled up to the Silver Pavillion, the restaurant where we were having the meet. Meeting the Yakuza in a Japanese restaurant was a bit on the nose, like meeting the Mafia at an Italian place, but if it worked, it worked. At the moment, Twilight and the others were standing next to Babydoll’s van. Looked like the van had had some upgrades. A third drone launcher, maybe? I’d need to ask Babydoll about it later.
“Well, we wouldn’t miss a chance for our first job as a fully-formed team,” I grinned, before looking towards the door. “Shall we?”
No objections. Everyone kept a couple weapons, for show, but nothing heavier than a pistol or sword. If we needed something more in the middle of a meet, then we had royally fucked up somehow. Stowing excess weapons in the vans, for safekeeping, we entered the restaurant, Twilight leading the way.
Glancing around at the staff (and most of the clientele), it was obvious how much we stuck out. Two elves, one pale-skinned and one Hispanic, a brunette catgirl, and one black-haired and one blonde human? The only one that looked remotely in place in the sea of Asian faces was Twilight, our half-Japanese, half-Latina technomancer. Oh, such distinctions were bullshit when it came to actually carrying out a job, and most people were smart enough to know it, but the ethnic syndicates and gangs could be prickly about who they worked with. Stemmed from the ‘us against them’ vibe that unified most of them.
While I scanned the restaurant for potential threats, Twilight spoke with the hostess by the door, telling her we were here to see Mr. Tanaka. Japanese equivalent of Mr. Johnson. Nice, intentionally unidentifiable name. Even if you knew the person, it put one more step (officially) between you and them, which could be useful for all kinds of reasons. When you were on a familiar basis with your Johnson, that meant you were either a ‘company man’ in all but name, or you were close enough that they may decide you are a liability, and try to do some ‘risk management’ on you.
The hostess just smiled, and led us towards a private room. A flick of the eye as we walked, and I made sure that the Empathy Software program was running on my commlink. Rating 3, which was the best that my link could run. However, it discretely monitored things like body language and inflection, adding its rating to my social skills while active. Every little edge helped, after all.
The room we were brought to looked like one of those rooms you would have a karaoke party in. From the way the door killed the sound of the restaurant outside, it probably actually served as such, when not in use for other reasons. Play some music, and you could have a meeting in plain sight, and it would look perfectly harmless, while being all but impossible to bug, even if someone had a wire on them. I could appreciate an elegant, low-tech solution like that, even in a high-tech world.
There were three men waiting for us here, all three Japanese. Two were obviously bodyguards, one standing by the door, and the other standing next to a couch where the third man was sitting. The guards were dressed simply, with lined coats that didn’t look out of place anywhere on the street, and blacked-out shades and stony expressions, while the guy in charge was dressed in a tailored suit with an air of quiet authority about it.
Two other couches filled out the room, forming a horseshoe around a table suitable for putting drinks or snacks on in the middle, and a simple stage at the far end for whoever was singing at the moment. Typical for this kind of place. The man I assumed was Mr. Tanaka was sitting on the right-hand couch as we entered, allowing him to not have his back to the door.
Following Twilight’s lead, Berzerker and I joined her on the left-hand couch, facing our contact for this job, while Babydoll and the others sat on the middle one. Mr. Tanaka motioned with his finger, and music began playing, some synth-punk tune that was popular ten years ago. Only then did he speak.
His words were curt, and clipped, mostly disguising a distinct accent. “You are ten minutes early for the agreed upon time. This is good. You may call me Mr. Tanaka. I know your working names already. You are here because there is a job that needs to be done, but must be done by outsiders, to avoid complications. Which of you speaks for this team?”
Fortunately, we’d already discussed this at length before we got to the meet, which is why I spoke, now. I met his gaze, and held it. “With respect, Mr. Tanaka, I speak for the team in negotiations. The others have talents in other areas, and in those areas, they speak.”
Tanaka nodded curtly, though it looked as though his attitude improved slightly. “Very well. The job that you are being considered for is a data tampering job. The entertainment company, Creative Horizons, is currently in post-production for their new simsense trid experience, starring Makino Kawa, lead singer for the group Shadow Genesis. Certain parties wish for a file to be inserted into the movie before it is released to the public.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Twilight: Shadow Genesis is popular with teens/kids. Ask about the nature of the file. Whether it is likely to harm/kill.
I managed to keep any reaction off my face at the message that popped up before my eyes. Good call on Twilight’s part. I nodded slowly to Tanaka, and said, “Before we continue, may I ask about the nature of the file? Specifically, given that the fan demographic for groups like Shadow Genesis is typically young children or teens, anything too harmful to young minds would draw extra heat upon discovery. Collateral is one thing, but I’m sure you understand that no team wishes to earn a reputation for specifically targeting children.”
“Hmph. The file contains some altered simsense effects, which should not be directly harmful to most individuals. Obviously, I make no promises of edge cases like flashing lights causing someone to experience issues. But if you were hinting at something like Black IC attacking anyone who views the movie, then no, nothing of the sort.”
I got the feeling that he was telling the truth. Or, at the very least, he wasn’t trying to hide anything about whether the file would try to kill all the kids lining up to watch their pop idol. That still left loopholes for targeted strikes, but that was an easier pill to swallow.
“Which facility is editing the movie? What time frame would we be working with? And what kind of parameters for the job as a whole?”
Tanaka leaned forward. “The information that was provided says that post-production work is being done in their Silver Lake facility, in Everett. For this run, it has been requested that a light touch be used. Getting in and out without being seen is optimal, but not required. However, it is imperative that the company not know that the trid was altered, so if you are discovered then it is expected that you take appropriate measures to avoid the alterations being discovered. Also, as paying out death benefits to employees will draw more attention from those in power, it is preferred that there be as few fatalities as possible.”
I nodded. “We have less-lethal options available. What about the timeframe? A rush job is going to be more problematic, of course.”
“Production on the film is expected to take the next two months. However, the earlier the job is done, the better. Within the week is preferred, but up to two weeks from today is acceptable.”
“Understood. Now, about the compensation package?”
“We are prepared to offer twelve thousand for the group for successfully completing the primary objective. Half up front, and the rest upon completion. Additionally, if you are able to complete the secondary objectives of not alerting the company to the primary objective, maintaining a zero body count, and completing the job within a week’s time, then you will receive additional compensation equal to two thousand per objective, along with the second portion of your base pay.”
Total of 18k for a job, split six ways? That was only three thousand nucred per person. But then, negotiations were part of the process. The initial offer was always low, to see if a group was desperate (or foolish) enough to take it. But useful idiots usually got eliminated the moment their idiocy stopped being useful. Of course, you had to avoid insulting the other side when you made your counter, or you risked them deciding that a double-cross was cheaper than paying out.
“Mr. Tanaka, I think we both know that the offer you are making is not commensurate with the job you’re asking. That is a ‘fast and loud professional’ price. Subtlety and a light touch requires more preparation, and more expense. Twenty-four thousand for the base job, half up front, plus four thousand per secondary task is much more reasonable amount, don’t you think?”
Mr. Tanaka frowned for a moment and then said, “That is too much. My funds are not unlimited, after all. However, I am willing to offer eighteen thousand, half up front, with an additional three thousand per additional objective. I cannot do more than that.”
Iceblade: Sound off, yes or no?
Twilight: Yes.
Sexkitten: Yes.
Shadowgirl: Yes.
Babydoll: Yes.
Berzerker: Yes.
The replies in the group chat came in immediately. I looked Tanaka in the eye, and nodded. “Very well, Mr. Tanaka. We will take care of this task.”
“Excellent.” He motioned with one hand, and the guard closest to him removed a briefcase that had been hidden behind the sofa, and placed it on the table. Mr. Tanaka opened it, facing away from us, withdrew a credstick and plugged it into his commlink. After a moment, he replaced the credsitck in the case, and turned it around, to face me. “In this case are a certified credstick containing your initial payment, a datachip containing the file to be inserted into the film, and another with some basic intelligence on the Silver Lake facility. Also included is a burner commlink to contact me with when the job has been completed.”
He stood, and Twilight and I echoed the motion, causing everyone else to follow suit. We offered a slight bow, enough to show respect, but not subservience, which Tanaka responded to with a nod. “This room is reserved for the next hour. You may take the case with you when you leave.”
We waited until the door closed before sitting down. Sexkitten was the first to break the silence. “Whew! I didn’t know what you were thinking, suddenly doubling the price like that, Icy!”
I chuckled. “Word to the wise. First offer is always low, and a bit of haggling is expected. Haggle badly, though, and they may reduce the payout, or decide you’re a problem to solve later, rather than paying the rest of the money.”
“So,” Babydoll said, “soft touch, huh? I don’t have ‘soft touch’ weapons in my drones.”
“What are your drones armed with?”
“I have two armed drones, both Steel Cougars. Picked up another one with some of the money from the last job. First one is still sporting a light machinegun, with Ex-Ex ammo. Good for hitting most personnel or vehicles. With the second I managed to score a Lynx XXL assault cannon to put on it. That beauty I even managed to get rigged with a silencer, so it won’t blow out eardrums just from firing. But nothing about it is nonlethal.”
“All right,” I nodded. “Your primary work will be external overwatch, then, with the flying drone you used last time. Try to limit your targets with the others to any pursuit we might get, and so on. Definitely keep them around, though, because having some heavy weapons on backup is a great way of telling sudden problems to fuck off.”
“Explosions tend to do that, yeah,” Shadowgirl snickered.
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