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"So…"
I sat on the couch and stared at the ceiling of my apartment.
"David?"
Panam put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a slight shake to bring me back to reality. Well, that's what she thought. I was just thinking about whether I should get involved in this shit or not. And no, I wasn't talking about Regina's job. That was already decided; I was going to do it.
The question was something else…
Should I bring Becca and some friend of hers with me? And even though I knew who her friend might be, I didn't have any specific details. I think her crew had as many as three netrunners…
The first one seemed to have left shortly before the canon, or maybe she died. I didn't know exactly what happened, but if she's alive, Becca could probably contact her and offer her a side job.
The second one was the blonde I met a couple of times when they were tracking me. She seemed to have some kind of history with Arasaka… Something unpleasant. It's a shame I wasn't a fan of the show. I only know that this story exists, but not what's in it…
And the third one was supposedly a traitor…
On top of all that, their big boss was supposed to become a cyberpsycho and wipe out part of the crew. And while I could ignore that problem now, since they were nothing to me… I had fed Becca a couple of times, but that was it. But after this…
After I work with them and establish a friendly relationship, which I will, at least with Becca, because that bundle of sarcasm and positivity can only be kept at a distance because we rarely meet. And then I won't be able to stay on the sidelines.
"David?"
"I'm thinking…"
"About what, if it's not a secret?"
"I'm thinking if it's worth it… to include Becca in our crew…"
"Hey!"
The girl got up from her seat and leaned over the table with her fists on it. There was indignation and hurt in her eyes.
It seemed… I had offended her.
Damn it, why is everything so complicated with her?
Ugh… I sighed.
"Alright, who's your netrunner?"
"Really?"
What a facial expression… she looked at me with incredible hope, and there was a look of anticipation in her eyes.
"First, tell me who we'll have to work with?"
"Um… Lucy… Lucy Kushinada. You've seen her a couple of times, the short blonde…"
"Well, actually, she's taller than you…"
I looked at Becca with a sly grin. Her cheeks puffed out in indignation, and her eyes were a mix of anger and amusement.
"Fine!"
She slumped back into her chair and pouted, turning away from us.
"Alright, call her. Invite her. If she wants to, we'll take her on this job. Your cut is forty grand, hers is sixty."
"Hey, why the difference?"
"Be happy you're getting forty. According to our agreement, I should only be getting about twenty grand myself…"
Panam winced slightly, pretending to be offended.
"…since I'm just the driver."
"So I get sixty too?"
Judy pointed at herself with her finger and raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Exactly. But that's just the net profit from Regina. Becca, you get that much because you'll be protecting the netrunners. You don't get into a fight just for the hell of it, but if need be, they should only be reached after you're dead."
"Got it…"
Becca's eyes lit up slightly, giving away that she was calling someone. It was clear who she was calling, so I just went to the stove and started making a new batch of snacks. Girls love snacks, so bribing Becca and her friend would be the right move if I planned on working with them properly.
And it looked like I was.
"What are you doing?"
Becca seemed to have finished her call and was looking at me intently. I, however, paid her no attention and glanced at Panam and Judy, whose eyes were just burning with anticipation.
"Pancakes? You're gonna make pancakes, right?"
"Of course… new crew members, even temporary ones, should be welcomed."
I smirked.
"And what will the pancakes be with?"
"I have cherry and strawberry jam."
"Huh?"
Becca looked from the girls to me in surprise. Her eyes were filled with disbelief and hope.
"Are you talking about pancakes and jam? Real pancakes and real jam?"
"Are there fake ones?"
So, with jokes between the girls and a casual conversation, about twenty minutes flew by. And when there was a knock on my door, there were already several plates with tall stacks of pancakes on the table.
"Hands off!"
A slap rang out behind me, and when I turned around, I saw a pouting Becca sitting on the couch. She had apparently tried to steal one of the pancakes from the table, for which she got her hand smacked by Panam, who was watching her and Judy like a Cerberus.
I went to the door, opened it, and there was a girl with white hair and red eyeliner.
"Lucy?"
"Yeah, and you're David?"
"Uh-huh… come on in."
I let her in and, after closing the door, gestured to the couch where the girls were sitting.
"Have a seat. I'll be right there, and we'll start discussing the plan."
"Alright…"
While Lucy was getting to know Panam and Judy, I went into my workshop, closed the door behind me, and reached into my stash. I pulled out two jars of jam. It was a treasure here, but the girls loved it so much that I had to hide it…
After thinking for a moment, I also pulled out a jar of condensed milk from the stash, then I carefully disguised everything and only then came out of the workshop, closing the door behind me.
"Panam, pour the tea."
"Uh-huh…"
I went to the table where, in addition to the plates of pancakes and the plates in front of each person, there were also two deep saucers.
"Judy, get a third saucer."
"Huh?"
"I also got condensed milk…"
"Holy! I want to be your bitch!"
Becca couldn't help herself, and I could see in her eyes that she was about to burst into tears from the overwhelming emotions. But Panam was on guard.
"He's mine…"
"That's what I said! I'm not trying to take your spot! I want to be a bitch! Let him fuck me at least once a week, and then feed me like this!"
I sighed.
"I'm not interested in that kind of relationship…"
"Liar!"
Becca was burning with righteous indignation. Judy, meanwhile, brought another saucer, and I poured the condensed milk into it. Then I put out the jam and nodded to everyone.
"Alright, dig in… and yes, I'm a liar…"
Judy and Panam snorted. Lucy was staring at me in shock, and Becca, despite her behavior, was also shocked and embarrassed.
"…I would be impotent if I weren't interested in that kind of relationship with such a lovely young lady. The only catch is that I'm different from an animal, so I know how to keep my desires and instincts in check. So I have a girlfriend…"
I nodded at Panam.
"…and that's enough."
"He's lying."
Judy added that as soon as I put one of the pancakes in my mouth. The girls, unlike me, had already eaten about five pancakes each. Lucy, the one I hadn't expected it from, was eating the most. But apparently, my culinary skills had really impressed her.
"Lying?"
Becca looked at Judy in surprise.
"He's hitting on me. And knowing me, he's offering me his girlfriend if I agree to date him."
"Hey!"
Panam looked at her friend in indignation.
"Actually, you're just being invited to be his mistress, and only because I like you and I'm willing to share. But them…"
Panam pointed her finger at Becca and Lucy. The latter even stopped chewing her pancake and looked at my girlfriend in surprise.
"Okay, let's not talk about that right now…"
I shook my head. At the same time, I made a mental note that Panam was not against Judy becoming my mistress. I'd have to remember that later. I sent Becca the plan that Judy had drawn up, then I looked at Lucy and sent her the same plan. Fortunately, you didn't have to know her number to do that. I just had to find her deck as one of the closest ones to me.
"Hmm…"
"So, your task is…"
I looked at the newcomers to the group.
"…I'm sorry, Lucy, but I don't know your skill level, so Judy will be the main netrunner in your pair. And I'm sure you two can figure it out and come to an agreement."
Lucy and Judy exchanged glances and nodded.
"You'll be taken to the access point. You, Panam as the driver, and Becca as your security will be there. The point is too close to the underground fighting arena, so don't make too much noise. It's better to use silenced weapons."
Becca winced slightly but nodded.
"I'll get inside. You'll guide me. If there are any threats, I'll take care of them. It's better to work quietly, so warn me if possible… Anyway, Judy and I have done a few jobs together, so she can explain my methods to you as we go."
Lucy nodded in understanding.
"Or maybe we can just…"
I looked in surprise at Becca, who made her fingers into pistols and pretended to shoot someone with both hands.
"…bang-bang-bang…"
"Do you always work like that?"
Panam also made her fingers into pistols, made a couple of imaginary shots, and even made the sound effects.
"Well, yeah, why?"
"Just, if you think Judy couldn't have guided David herself, you're wrong. Hacking a network and guiding him doesn't take much intelligence… or skill… but they have something else that they didn't include in the written part of the plan. And for that something, they need quiet…"
"Bravo…"
I clapped my hands a couple of times, acknowledging Lucy's correctness.
"And what kind of brilliant plan do you have?"
"Brilliant?"
I exchanged glances with Panam and Judy.
"Actually, it's just our usual method. While I work quietly and don't make any noise, the netrunner hacks everything I give them access to. Because of that, our earnings can be five to seven times higher than the payment the fixer gives us."
"What?"
Becca was shocked.
"I'm telling you, one netrunner will guide me, and the other will hack everything I can give them access to and transfer the funds through fake accounts. In the end, since we'll be breaking into an underground fighting club, there should be a ton of money there. Unfortunately, I can't take a big bag with me, so if we find cash, I can't carry much of it. But our netrunners can definitely empty a couple of accounts."
"And Regina still puts up with you with this approach?!"
"What's so surprising about that?"
I looked at Becca with a question in my eyes.
"She wants everything to be done quietly. We're working under the guise of robbery and hacking by people who just want to get their hands on money. So in some cases, our targets don't even realize that incriminating evidence was stolen from them. Or that something very important was taken from their home, and everything else is just a small side hustle."
"Um… and how long have you been working like this?"
Lucy was looking at me with cautious interest.
"About two jobs a day, sometimes one, sometimes three, two days off a week…"
I shrugged.
"And you work like this every day?"
"Uh-huh…"
"Damn, even without these bonuses, you must be millionaires by now…"
I exchanged glances with Panam and Judy.
"Not even close."
I shook my head.
"Money laundering and just accumulating wealth aren't in our best interest. So we invest our money so we can retire and live off passive income."
"What about becoming a legend?"
Becca asked that question very carefully.
"What for? Living a long and happy life is much more important…"
I shrugged.
"Besides, with this kind of work, we'll become legends anyway. The ones who made money and retired. One of the few solo crews that got out of the game not in an urn after cremation, but on their own two feet. And the fact that there won't be any cocktails with our names on them in the Afterlife is actually a good thing. After all, between a cocktail's name and life, we all definitely choose life…"
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