Gamma Protocol (038) (Patreon)

[038]

The party itself went on much as it had before Bear had shown up, with people seeking to mingle and using Spike as the excuse. Though Isia had hammed up the rat’s role in the exchange, singing praises over how brave the rodent had been, and how its handsomeness had made Bear swoon. It didn’t take long for things to twist into Spike being the sole hero that had defeated Bear in single combat.

The ambiance had remained very energetic, with a lot of people going back and forth between dancing or coming up to my table to feed Spike. I’d been asked to dance a few times, but I’d held off from participating. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I kept imagining that a bad swing could end up with someone getting seriously hurt. Instead I just enjoyed the scene in a broader sense, watching the party go on, but especially the little exchanges with people.

This didn’t “feel” like a gang, not the sort I’d imagine anyway. They were more like an extended family or group of friends. They knew each other to some degree or another, and had shared goals. Steve, for example, was currently working in a repair shop to help pay the tuition for his younger siblings. And just like him, there were dozens of other little stories, small attempts to scrounge up whatever they could for a better life.

It was completely different to what it’d felt to be part of a “group” in the Bacon-nado factory. Over there everyone had… I wasn’t sure what to call it. It was definitely not this. I couldn’t imagine going out to celebrate like this with anyone who’d been part of the work-roster.

“So wait, you don’t have a comm?”

My smile tightened at the tenth time I’d been asked that. “I… have a condition, my body rejects most cybernetics. That includes neuralinks. The compatible variants are very expensive.” I kept my tone friendly, even though this was the thirtieth time I’d repeated myself. “I still have a social-media link-account though!”

“That’s a shame. The rejection part. What’s your link-account?”

It was a string of numbers and letters thirty digits long, and I had to wonder why in the world would anyone think this was a sane decision. Where in the timeline had people just stopped sharing username-accounts to find one another and instead just relied on a friendship request confirmation from a neuralink?

I didn’t let it get me down, and expected I’d be getting a bunch of social-media updates during tomorrow’s internet-download.

Things stretched on well into the night, and once drinks started to get shared, the energy just kept on going up. It was fun, honestly, even if I didn’t drink. Watching Isia and mohawk-guy trying to out-compete each other on the “dance-floor” was hilarious, and people kept striking conversation with me. Getting constantly praised was a bit… much, maybe I’d just need some time to get used to it?

I hoped it wouldn’t become a habit.

“Hey, you got a minute?” Vesper asked once things had started to cool down and most people had left. I’d sort of been expecting her to call out at some point, the young woman and the doctor had been looking my way semi-regularly ever since Bear had left.

“Sure.”

She led the way out of the party area and towards a semi-private booth a little further away from the others. There was some sort of sound-protection going on, because the moment I’d stepped into the sort-of-alcove, the music had been reduced to the volume of a background whisper.

“Angus not going to join us?” I asked, noting that the doctor had made himself scarce.

“He said it’d be better if I handled this,” Vesper said, giving me a look. She knew something was up, but the question in her eyes was an open invitation for me to elaborate. Seeing that I wouldn’t, she continued. “Sorry about the Bear situation.”

“Was it your fault?”

“I knew she might have shown up, but hadn’t thought of making the party more private.” She shook her head. “But also, I shouldn’t have let you take the heat like that.”

“Why did you?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Because it would’ve probably made things worse.” She grimaced. “She and I go way back… things didn’t end well.”

Huh. “Friendship turned sour?” As soon as I asked, I noticed the awkward way she looked away. “...more than friendship.” Vesper didn’t answer, though I noticed she didn’t deny it, either. “I don’t think it’s my place to pry.”

“Better you learn from me. You’ll find out sooner or later, probably from Isia blabbing her mouth… again.” She let out a sigh. 

“Why did she introduce you as-”

“Lesbian? It was… she likes teasing Quinn and there’s nothing that drives them madder than when… anyway. Not relevant.” Vesper let out a nervous laugh. “Kim and I were a thing up until she became a meguca. Things went bad from there, we split, and she went off to the Paws, eventually taking over.”

I took a moment to process that.

Then another one to realize what she was implying.

“She was a Sewer Saint,” I said, grimacing. “Fuck, she was a Sewer Saint.” That explained why Isia had been so over-the-top about Bear not blowing up. “Wait, just… I asked Steve! He should’ve told me!”

“Most members have only been around for a couple years.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen Kim act the way she did tonight, so I can’t even safely claim there was damage in the first place.” She wryly sipped her drink. “The problem is that one of their sponsorship deals fell through. Old-school gangs like ours live and die by very thin profit margins. Every bit of extra growth is spent paying more members so they can ditch their corpo jobs. There’s too much work and never enough manpower. Corpos covering for weapons and gear is one way to make that a bit less tight.”

Her brows furrowed slightly, looking like she wanted to say something else, but stopping herself short. The flicker of her eyes betrayed she’d just gotten a message or some sort of notification through her neuralink.

“Something wrong?” I offered.

“No, I’m just being reminded that tonight was meant to be a celebration.” Vesper shook her head. “Don’t feel too bad about the whole Kim, erm, Bear thing. It’s just gang politics, and that’s something I’d rather you not get tangled up in.”

Because, even though this was a nice place, the whole relationship was meant to be transactional… “Right. The sentiment’s appreciated.” Though I spoke earnestly, I couldn’t help but catch sight of Angus staring our way from a far corner of the club.

The tension in Vesper’s shoulders eased. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Right now didn’t quite feel like the right time to bring up questions about the shadow meguca or that “scorpion gang” place Kali had asked me to go to. That was a question for tomorrow. There were also a few questions about Bear… Had something changed about her when she became a magical girl? Had she talked about her experiences? The system? Was the ‘Bear’ nickname just a shoehorned interpretation of her name or had the gang changed their name to fit? “I do need a ride to the motel,” I said instead, smiling lightly. “It’s kind of been a long day, and I doubt I’d be able to find my way back easily.”

She let out a laugh. “You won’t find anything but taxi-buses at this hour, and they charge an arm and a leg.” Vesper raised her hands. “And before you ask, yes, I’ve had a few drinks, but no, I’ll just have the auto-pilot engaged.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” I lied sheepishly.

“Mhm.” She pointed with her thumb over at the dance-floor. “Let’s fish Isia out of there and we can head out.”

---

Shadow of a Doubt (1):
 Survive 7 days.
 Progress: 2 / 7 -> 3 / 7

The pop-up had come up at some point of the night, but I’d ignored it until we started the ride back. The “3” tried to be angry at me, glaring, trying to guilt me into jumping out of the car and starting hunting monsters across the street. I just rolled my eyes at the system’s attempt at pressuring me. As much as I agreed this was a pressing concern, I couldn’t afford to be that impulsive. The last two times I went blindly running around killing monsters, things had gone badly.

I needed some reliable way to kill monsters in the down-low, without risking attention.

Glancing over at Isia, she’d conked out as soon as she’d put on the seatbelt. While Vesper was mostly lost in thought, staring out the window as the car drove itself through the traffic. I could only fathom that having her ex show up to the party wasn’t something she’d expected to have to deal with.

Turning my focus back to the system, I realized there was another possible venue I hadn’t considered before.

Charisma: +9

But it was a concerning one. If I bumped that level, would I get another vision? Was it possible for me to actively raise the stat rather than through… whatever means the system had determined?

The questions kept piling up, and as I drummed away at the arm-rest, it became increasingly clear that I needed to take steps to properly comprehend my powers. But to do so would require a lot of AP (especially if I wanted to be ready for a possible confrontation), which would require monsters, which would risk exposure…

The fingers drummed as I watched the lights streak by, doing my best to ignore the cannons pointed at the cars, pointed at us, as we inched our way through the monumental construct that was the third wall.

As the car pushed out of the tunnel, I was met with a sea of flickering orange and neon lights underneath. The fourth district sprawled underneath the highway and out into the desert, littering the scenery with clunky shadows and a shifting glow of rainbow hues.

Yet as surprising as the fourth district was, something else had caught my eye.

The horizon was flickering. Hundreds of sparkling lights, flashing and flickering in and out at irregular intervals. The mountains were speckled by those same flashes, tiny little dots that came in and out in flashes.

“What’s that?” I asked, leaning forward, trying to get a better view.

“Hm? That? It’s the rubber wall.” Vesper mumbled, half-asleep. “One day we’ll fight the good fight there.”

I recognized the flashes.

Muzzle-fire.

Explosions.

I remembered the veritable horde of monsters that we’d flown over in the AV on our way to New Francisco. I hadn’t spotted any sort of structures that would’ve been meant for holding off that tide, but clearly there was something out there.

“How likely do you figure it’d be to go to that ‘rubber wall’?” I wondered out loud.

“Pffff, it’s suicide without sponsorship from one of the big-name gangs.” Vesper grumbled. “They’d see us coming a hundred miles off and blast us to bits.”

Despite her warning, I remembered how things looked on the other side of the mountain, and that Bob had mentioned something about a train going all the way to the other side. Over there the risks would be greater due to the monsters themselves, yet I kept drumming my fingers, considering the possibility a bit more seriously.

The train ride to the other side of the mountain would surely cost a fortune. And I was equally certain that sneaking on board would be near impossible. I had little doubt the tunnel and train would be decked out in sensors and anti-monster measures to prevent any possible slip.

If there were some way to smuggle…

“Oh!” Sitting a little straighter, I realized there was, indeed, a cheaper way.

As the vehicle came to a slow stop near the motel, I glanced over at Vesper. “Could we make the next stream the day after tomorrow? I’ve got some things I need to do.”

“Mh? Sure.”

“Great, thanks!”

Saying my goodbyes and closing the door, I watched the vehicle roll off and away. Despite the exhaustion of the long day, wanting nothing to collapse into bed for the night, my mind kept wandering.

Maybe smuggling something into New Francisco would be hard… but what about smuggling myself out?