We didn’t do much looting of bodies. The gear was all standard corpsec issue, for the most part, and taking commlinks with us was a recipe for disaster, if one of the spiders decided to get sneaky. I did, however, check the mage briefly, since any magical gear was always going to be worth some hefty credits, even if it wasn’t something I could use, myself. Mages were still rare enough that even corporate mage offerings were worth serious money. And I lucked out.

  The first piece was a set of magesight goggles, which basically used fiber-optics to allow a mage to look around corners, and cast spells like that. Since most magic needed line-of-sight to the target, and you couldn’t cast through electronic enhancements, this was quite a find. Sure, you took a penalty when casting like that, but it could definitely be healthier than running headlong into bullets.

  Even better than that, however, was what I found on the mage’s wrist. A silver bracelet, engraved with what were clearly some hermetic symbols. A spellcasting focus! These were always expensive, since they added punch to spells of a certain type. Couldn’t say for certain, but given how much that powerbolt spell rocked my world, it had to be a combat spellcasting focus. I’d need to rebind it to myself before I could use it, but this was a big win for me.

  That little bit of looting done, we moved through the hallways towards the accounting office. We were startled as a screech through the intercom, but relaxed slightly as some nu-punk rock started playing. Clearly, the Reality Hackers decided that some things were better with a soundtrack. Couldn’t say as I disagreed with them, but this group wasn’t really my style.

  No matter. We got to the accounting office, without any more guards or problems. Sexkitten went to the terminal Twilight had pointed out to us during our prep phase, and strung a cable to it from her commlink. “I’m in,” she said for the benefit of the cameras, which corpsec would definitely be checking later. “Transferring funds now.”

  Iceblade: Status of other guards and spiders?

  Twilight: Two below ground are just now realizing shit’s going down. They’re not going anywhere, though. Two in break room are trying to get out, but with the door lock fried, they’re going to have to do some property damage to manage it. Spider 1 engaged with Reality Hackers. Definitely more skilled, but eight on one is bad odds. Spider 2 just jacked out of internal net, about to jack in to join the fight.

  Iceblade: Copy. Send an alert when the guards break containment.

  “Hold still a minute, boss,” Berzerker said, coming up next to me, medkit in hand. “This isn’t the greatest setup for doing first aid, and you being a mage makes treatment trickier, but I should be able to patch you up a bit, so at least you won’t be half-dead.”

  I had no reason to argue, since ‘not dying’ was a favorite pastime of mine. I shrugged off my armored coat and pulled up the form-fitting body armor shirt I wore under it. We ignored Sexkitten’s wolf whistle, and Berzerker went about her business. I wasn’t back to full health, but I was close enough. Medkits were damn useful things, especially for how cheap they were, usually.

  “Thanks,” I nodded to Berzerker as she finished up. Once I had my armor in place, and she’d gotten her medkit stowed away, I looked over to Sexkitten, who was steadily putting a credstick in her commlink’s slot, removing it, and replacing it with another. “How we doing?”

  “Three of twelve loaded. Everything’s checking out, just like our informant told us.”

  “Keep at it.”

  Twilight: Shadowgirl is in the server room. Spiders unaware. I’m editing footage in real time.

  Iceblade: Anyone call the Knights yet?

  Twilight: Not yet. Spiders are too busy with the gangers. They’re not losing, but are too busy keeping the gangers from wrecking anything else to call for help. Corpsec in the break room are arguing about whether they’re allowed to break the door, since their lieutenant isn’t answering his commlink. Corpsec down below are in guard position at the elevator. Workers are hiding under their desks, just in case.

  Everything was going smoothly. Well, as smoothly as it could, with how much was going on, and all these moving parts. But I knew that it was too early to relax. You started thinking that everything was in the bag, and that was when Demon God Murphy came along to kick you square in the balls, just because he could.

  “Six of twelve.”

  Twilight: Spider 1 is down. Three gangers down. The rest aren’t looking good. Make that four down, and Spider 2 is not letting up.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Twilight: Commlink planted in server room. Good connection. Shadowgirl retreating.

  “Nine of twelve.”

  Twilight: Guards in break room have broken containment. Heading for stairs at your end of the hall. Spider 2 managed to get a call out to the Knights.

  Babydoll: Estimated response time, fifteen minutes. Ten-minute counter starting now.

  I knelt in the doorway of the accounting office as the counter appeared in the corner of my vision, my gun pointed at the stairs. Berzerker stood over me, her own weapon at the ready. We couldn’t hear anything, over the pumping beat of the music, but that also meant that the guards wouldn’t know what is coming. Two of them turned the corner on the stairs, moving fast. They barely had time to notice us before we opened fire.

  Berzerker and I both greeted the guards with appropriate gifts. Both went down from the electric shocks, but I added another round to my target, to make sure they stayed down. I looked up at Berzerker, and she nodded, once. I called out, “Clear.”

  “Twelve of twelve loaded! Unplugged!”

  Shadowgirl: In the van.

  Babydoll: In motion.

  Twilight: Gangers are logging out. Spider 2 is busy with damage control on some of the malware they let loose.

  Sexkitten’s announcement brought a grin to my face, especially with the other news that came through our private network. “Let’s move. Double time.”

  There were no complications as we got back outside, and loaded up in the van. The timer had six minutes remaining as we began driving out of the lot, and turned to head the opposite direction from the Red Knight precinct. Babydoll’s van appeared behind ours, and we both drove under the speed limit and obeying all traffic laws. No reason to draw attention to ourselves.

  After five minutes, with no signs of pursuit, I breathed a sigh of relief. Switching nets, I sent a message to Slitsplitter, along with an additional payment of five thousand nucred. Generous, sure. But paying people for doing a good job made them more willing to work with you in the future.

  Iceblade: Quality work deserves a bonus. Spiders were too busy to even notice the job going down, thanks to you. Here’s a bonus, with my compliments.

  Slitsplitter: Was a fun brawl. Got one of the uptight corpies before we had to fall back. None of our gear got bricked, and no one flatlined, so we’re good. I’ll let the boys know about the bonus. Keep the commcode. You need another Matrix distraction, you let us know.

  Iceblade: Will do.

  Good, I’d gotten the gang leader as a contact, as I had hoped. Yeah, everyone was encouraged to add some contacts during character creation. It was the only way to ensure that you were able to get any but the shittiest of jobs, after all. However, if you played your cards right, and invested in people, then you could gain and develop contacts in the game, as well. Just needed a bit of work, or the right amount of nucred.

  I took a moment to cast a simple healing spell on myself. Not something I liked to do on my own wounds too often, since the wound modifiers would hamper my casting, but a useful spell to have in the kit, just in case. As the last pains from the mage’s spell left, I breathed easier, leaning back in my seat, only for Twilight to start talking in the group net.

  Twilight: Now that things are set up, I think I should mention that I’ve probed the file we’re supposed to upload to the movie.

  Sexkitten: Any nasty surprises?

  Twilight: If you’re talking about black IC, or any of the things we were worried about before taking the job? No. However, they’re definitely going to blow kids’ minds.

  Shadowgirl: Details?

  Twilight: The file inserts several graphic sex scenes into the movie, which you can experience from either perspective for two of them. Looks like they used a body double with a personafix to get the captures. Including the one with a dog.

  Sexkitten: Like, actual dog, or a dogboy?

  Twilight: Actual dog. Actually mounting her and everything.

  Iceblade: Sounds like a hit job on the star’s reputation, and the studio. But won’t the editing process catch it, before it goes public?

  Twilight: It shouldn’t, no. The program is cleverly disguised as background data for some of the special effects, and remains that way until the editing software the studio uses accepts things as the final product, and write-locks and encrypts things so hackers have to work to get back into it. Before the lock and encryption goes in, the scenes are added into the movie. Slick work by whatever programmer did it. A little too slick.

  Iceblade: Would the Yakuza be able to pull off this level of programming?

  Twilight: Not impossible that they would have a programmer who could do it, but that kind of familiarity with the proprietary software the studio uses?

  Babydoll: How proprietary? Like, company exclusive? Or industry standard?

  Twilight: Each major studio has their own, in-house version of something similar. Creative Horizons is part of the New Horizons Group, so they would use the same software as any other studios in the group, but they would be different from the other megacorps, and definitely different from the stuff independent studios would use.

  Iceblade: Sounds like a smear job within the company. If we traced things back, you’d probably find one manager using this to discredit a manager in a different division, trying to climb up the ladder.

  Shadowgirl: That would also explain the bonuses for the no-kill run, and the not getting caught bit. The ploy doesn’t work if people catch on too soon, and dead bodies cause people to look a lot harder for who was responsible for everything. Sounds plausible to me.

  Iceblade: All right. We’ll meet up at the warehouse, share out our loot from the ‘distraction’, and let Twilight get some rest so she can be up and ready to go tomorrow.

  Babydoll: I have some air mattresses, in addition to the sofa and bed.

  Sexkitten: Iceblade can share the bed with me!

  Shadowgirl: Hey, I need to be kept in top form since we’re still on the job!

  Berzerker: I think Master should reward me for how well I did.

  Iceblade: Ladies, we’re staying at Babydoll’s place, so she decides the sleeping arrangements.

  Babydoll: Mmm. And what if I want you all to myself, hmm?

  Berzerker: No fair!

  Twilight: Ugh! If you’re going to go jumping Iceblade’s bones, at least find someplace where the sound won’t carry?

  Babydoll: Don’t worry, the bedroom has plenty of soundproofing.

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