The Runners

by DungeonMiner

Chapter 15

The cars on the street just outside the apartment buzzed loudly. Too loudly for the cheap, thin walls of the room where the team and their two charges were attempting to sleep. Rarity stared up at the equally-cheap ceiling, and mentally bemoaned the fact that she wasn’t higher off the street, at least.

The near-constant buzz of the world outside made sleeping tough, but she needed to get a few hours of rest in before she and Steel started investigating. With any luck, she could still grab a quick nap before she was called up for watch, though at the rate of the cars driving by, she wasn’t holding out much hope.

That and the fact that Candy snored like a freight train.

Rolling onto her side with a sigh, she tried to fall asleep again, hoping that she'd eventually slip into unconsciousness, before the night went on too long. Another truck roaring by broke her hopes again, before she sighed and sat up.

Web sat, staring out at the small window of the apartment, on watch as a water elemental carefully spun a web of gossamer threads of dew, to detect anything around them that may accost the team while they slept. “Having trouble sleeping?” she asked.

“A little,” Rarity admitted.

“I have a spell for that.”

“I’ll pass.”

“Your loss,” Web said, shrugging. “When a spell works, it works.”

“At this rate I’ll probably just go down to the FeedBag and get some earplugs.”

“That’s fair,” the shaman said, before turning back to the window. A handful of more cars flew across the street below, kicking up yet more noise while Web watched them go by silently, tracing the path of the cars as they passed. “Do we have a plan?” she asked.

“Kind of,” Rarity told her.

“I don’t like ‘kind of’ plans.”

“I know, I know, but we’re not sure what’s going on just yet,” Rarity said, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Steel knows something is happening, but she doesn’t know what. The two of us were going to head up to the Countess’ apartment some time this morning to investigate, and maybe pick up some stuff for her so she’s not living in her kimono.”

“Wouldn’t be a bad idea. They’re hard to run in, I’ve heard.”

“That and that thing is at least 100k nubits, and I don’t want Ringo here trying to get us to replace it.”

Web smiled. “He does seem the type,” she said, as the water elemental finished her web and crawled back toward the summoner. “Are you sure you should leave us, though? We wouldn’t have any CQB protection if you take Steel.”

“That’s fair, but you still have Wingmare, and she has been dying to put a hoof through someone’s face. Besides, Rookie can always back her up with a fireball.”

“Fireballs are always good,” Web agreed.

“You’ll be fine,” Rarity assured her. “If the matrix noise gets to bad for the distance, Candy can always send PeeWee to be a relay for us.”

“Right, right,” Web said, “well I hope—”

The water elemental squeaked.

Web pulled her knife focus, and Rarity followed by pulling her submachine gun. “What is it?”

“Two vans. Stopped at the back. Could be nothing, but I don’t like it. How much do we give them?”

“A foot from the front door.”

A second passed, and the water elemental chirped again.

“Let’s move!” Web yelled.

The Runners were shaken to consciousness in a flash, and every hoof went to a gun. Svengallop and Coloratura were both dazed by the sudden activity, and they both had to be secured by Steel and Wingmare.

“Out the window, go! Go! Go!” Rarity yelled. “Candy we need the van!”

“ETA ten seconds!” She replied, before planting a plastic explosive in front of the door.

“That’s long enough! Everyone out the window, go!”

The pegasi began ferrying the ponies down, before Rarity and Twilight both used the grapple guns from the Ahuiztech run to swing down from the window.

The van was already there by the time they were all down, and they were loaded up and ready to go in thirty seconds flat.

“What’s going on?” Coloratura asked.

“We might have some ponies coming after you!” Rarity yelled, climbing into the passenger’s seat.

“Might?” Svengallop asked. “Isn’t this a little much for ‘might?’”

An explosion blew out of the window they just escaped, and a fire alarm began to ring.

“With that nice bit of dramatic timing, no.”

Rubber burned and tires squealed as Candy hit the gas, and the van lurched forward, pulling down the street.

“How did they find us?” Steel asked.

“Don’t know, but I’m trashing the comms,” Rarity said, before she threw Coloratura's and Svengallop’s comms out the window at high speeds.

“Hey! My comm!” Svengallop yelled

“Either your comm, or your life, Ringo!” Rarity cried.

The van roared down the street, before Candy asked from the driver’s seat. “Where next?”

“Northeast Sprawl!” Rarity said, still gripping her machine gun. “We’ll head to Manehatten if they keep finding us.”

Candy nodded, and she stepped on it.

“Keep the guns ready,” Rarity ordered. “We don’t know if they have anyone else that could follow.”

“Roger!” Steel said, keeping her mare’s leg ready to fill anyone she saw with lead.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up at an abandoned warehouse, not unlike Twilight’s safehouse. “Move out, but don’t get comfortable. If they found us once, they can find us again.”

The ponies ran to the warehouse, rushing inside and closing the door. “Candy, explosives on the back wall. Wingmare, check the rafters. Web, check for any spirits that could have followed us. Rookie, Steel, secure the clients. I’m going to double check the Matrix footprint.”

The other ponies nodded, and moved to obey.

Rarity quickly jumped into AR, checking the cameras around the building. There were no signs of anyone following them, but she still felt like there was something creeping up on her. She muttered under her breath before setting up a firewall, and opening enough sentry programs that they could be considered a small army.

“Clear,” the various teams called.

“Clear,” Rarity grumbled back. “Looks like we can get back to sleep. Who wants to take watch?”

“I’ll take it!” Candy said.

“Thanks, Candy,” Rarity said with a nod, mentally thanking her stars that she wouldn’t have to listen to the pink mare snore anymore.

<><><|><><>

Morning finally came, and Rarity yawned.

Pigeons cooed outside as the morning light filtered through the smog and glass. Steel was up, brewing coffee for everyone while they slowly gathered together to listen to the plan for the day.

“I was wondering when you’d all get up,” Steel said.

Wingmare groaned and mumbled.

“Ah, come on where’s that pegasus pep?” Steel with a smirk.

“Go frag yourself,” Wingmare grumbled, before downing her coffee in a single gulp.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” Rarity said. “Steel and I will see if we can head to Coloratura’s apartment, and get her some clothes that are loose enough that it'll keep her from being caught next time some Yakkuza thugs show up.”

“Are we sure it’s the Yaks?” Web asked.

“They hit us the first time, it was probably them the second time too,” Wingmare muttered. “They won't stop until the job's done right. It's the Yak way.”

“Can you pick out a Yak thug?” Rarity asked Wingmare.

“It'd take me a second, but yeah,” she responded.

“Good. Web, I'll need you to keep an eye out for the Yaks. If you find anything that looks weird, and you're not sure who they are, ask Wingmare.”

Web nodded.

“What do we do if we have to move and you two aren’t back from the client’s apartment?” Twilight asked.

“You just keep heading for Manehatten. We have a few good safehouse up that way, then just send me a text, and we’ll meet you at the next closest safehouse.”

“Straight forward plan,” Steel noted. “I like it.”

“I knew you would, dear. Now, we need to get moving. The less time you and I spend outside, the better,” Rarity said, before tuning to the others. “You have to hold the fort, am I understood?”

“Perfectly,” Web replied.

“Good. Now break. Steel, we need to talk to the Countess.”

<><><|><><>

After convincing Coloratura that getting to her apartment would be a good idea, as well as getting a list of things she needed and the key, the two mares hit the road. Driving in her Streetdart, that came to her on autopilot, they quickly made their way downtown, to the massive skyscrapers that dwarfed the once impressive Canterlot Castle.

The clean-enough-to-eat-off-of streets welcomed the Streetdart with open arms, as Rarity and Steel were quickly swallowed whole by the glass and steel giants that covered the heart of Equestria. Only the richest of the rich lived here, surrounded by the very definition of the upper crust. In fact, of the Big Six, five of their CEOs lived here, in the penthouse suites of the tallest towers.

Rarity felt out of place as she stepped off of her Streetdart in her dusty, slightly blood-splattered street clothes, and almost wished she were in the Matrix so she could rectify that situation.

“Woowee, I don’t think I’ve seen a street this clean since...well, ever.”

Steel, luckily, seemed immune to the feeling of inadequacy.

“It’s quite the spectacle,” Rarity agreed, before swiping a credstick under a parking meter, which immediately charged her one hundred nubits for the first hour. “We won’t have time to appreciate it at this rate, though.”

The pair made their way to Silver Towers, the home of the Countess, and flashed the RFID key, and the approved ID card to get inside. Their presence did earn a number of suspicious glances thrown their way, and a security guard did approach them, until they managed to convince the guard that they were, in fact telling the truth.

“Alright, you can go in, but I’m watching you!” he said with a glare.

“Of course, sir,” Rarity said, her pheromone bioware working on full blast. “You’ll have no trouble from us.”

“Unless somepony pays us…” Steel muttered.

A quick elevator ride later, and they arrived at Coloratura’s penthouse. A wide foyer met them, filled with Eastern Unicornian artwork, including scenes of bamboo forests, and secret waterfalls.

Glass walls led them inside, to the living room, which, despite the open, almost sterile-white room, was a massive mess. Beer bottles were strewn about the place, alongside papers scratched with lyrics and musical notes.

“The artist at work,” Rarity said, before whispering “I’m so jealous.”

“Focus, Gem,” Steel said. “Ya got the credstick?”

“Right here,” she said, holding it up from the chain around her neck.

“Go ahead and start filling that, I’ll take a look around before I grab her clothes and a bag.”

“Sounds good,” Rarity said before she pulled out a disposable comm, and finished cloning the Countess’ software and accounts over. A moment later, she had full access to all of Coloratura’s personal information, including her back account.

Six figures met her, and Rarity took a conscious second to blink, as if it would change the number she just saw.

It did not change.

Releasing a sigh, Rarity resisted every thieving bone in her body, and moved a mere one thousand onto the empty credstick, before dropping the comm on the floor. If the Yaks were going to track that piece of plastic, they could, they were not going to find anyone—

“What in the Sam hell!” Steel yelled, and Rarity cleared the room in a second. She slid beside Steel, machine gun raised, and blinked as she found a disheveled stallion in what appeared to be a guest bedroom.

An empty bottle of wine rolled away from him, and between that and the reek of alcohol, Rarity could tell that he just woke up with a splitting hangover. “Wha-? What?” he muttered, dazed and confused.

“Who are you?” Rarity asked. “What are you doing here? Are you after the Countess? Who hired you?”

Steel asked none of these question. She simply stared at him and said. “Rogue, is that you?”

“A-Applejack?”

“You know him?”

“Yeah, he was Rara’s fiance. Rogue what are you doing here?”

“Applejack?” Rogue Beat asked, still trying to get a grasp on what he was looking at. “AJ, is that you?”

“Yeah, yeah it is, what’s going on?”

“Have you seen Rara? Do you know where she is?”

“She’s with us,” Steel said. “Rogue, what happened? Why’d you split?”

The stallion, a grey pegasus with a messy, dark mane sat on the messed up bed, his eyes bloodshot and wet. He sniffed, and brought his hooves to his head before he simply fell backwards onto the bed. “I...I was framed. Ya gotta believe me, AJ, I was framed!”

“Framed for what?”

“She said she found Dreamchips in my office,” Rogue said. “Dreamchips! She thought I was dealing them, AJ!”

“Dreamchips?” Steel repeated, surprised.

“She...she was so hurt, so angry...she didn't believe me when I told her I’d never seen them before.”

Steel glanced over at Rarity, with a look that said everything. That wasn’t Rogue’s style. He wouldn’t do that.

“I just wanted to apologize to her, but I haven’t seen her for the past three days. I don’t know what’s happened to her.”

“Don’t worry, Rogue, she’s safe.”

“I don’t know what to do, AJ!” Rogue whined. “She left me! She told me she isn’t going to renew the contract, and that she never wants to see me again! What do I do?” he asked, staring up at Steel with the most pathetic, puppy dog eyes.

Steel gave a helpless look toward Rarity, and the decker sighed.

“Alright, stand up,” she said, before giving Rogue a shove. “Collect yourself. We’re professionals, and we don’t work for slobs, and we don’t work for free.”

Rogue, slowly stood up, sniffing as he gathered himself. “You’ll...you’ll help me?”

“We can help him?” Steel asked, referring to their current job.

“Our job is to keep Ms. Coloratura safe, not determine who she signs with,” Rarity said. “As long as we’re hired to do the job, we can get it done.”

Steel nodded. “Yes Ma’am. Rogue, can you pay us? We don’t need much, but we need something.”

“I...I…” Rogue stammered, still trying to get a grip on all his faculties. “With...without...I can pay two thousand.”

“The friends and family discount will cover that, you have a deal.”

“Now, Mr. Ringo, you need to let us know everything that happened,” Rarity said, “and while you’re at it, think of any reason that the Yakkuza would be after Ms. Coloratura.”

<><><|><><>

Rarity rushed back to her street dart, cursing as she raced against the clock. She lept onto it seconds away from the second hour, and peeled a whole four feet out of the parking spot, saving her credstick from being charged a second time.

She gasped for breath, sighing, before Steel leisurely walked up next to her. “Made it?”

“Just climb on,” Rarity said, before her comm beeped.

“Did we just get attacked?”

Rarity sighed. “Yes., everyone got all out alright, but that means we still had to move.”

“Gotcha, let’s go.”

Steel climbed into the Streetdart, and they pulled off.

Not thirty minutes later, Rarity received another text. “Oh no.”

“Oh no, what?” Steel asked.

“They’re being chased. There are two vans coming after them, and Candy’s not able to shake them. We’re going to have to intercept and help them out.”

Steel nodded. “Good thing I brought the heavy slugs,” she said, before loading some of the last of her Osmium slugs into her shotgun.

“I’ve told Candy to meet us on H35. She’s five minutes away, be ready.”

“Locked and loaded,” Steel said with a smirk.

The Streetdart slipped onto the highway, and as though on cue, Candy’s van squealed up the on-ramp, followed by two black, unmarked vans. A unicorn leaned out of the window, and buzzed Candy’s van with a submachine gun, even if the tires were bulletproof.

“There they are,” Rarity said. “You ready to send them a message?”

Steel smiled, and stuck her hat into her belt. “Like you have to ask.”

The titanium cover of the Streetdart opened, and Steel sat up, shotgun in her shoulder.

It roared, and a massive slug punched a hole through the plastic and steel body of the van like it was paper. The unmarked van swerved as someone or something important exploded, before the vehicle rolled on its side, and crashed into the concrete barrier.

The other black van suddenly pulled out, reacting to the sudden destruction of its brother before the unicorn hanging out the window spotted the earth pony with the shotgun.

Steel stuck her tongue out at him, before diving back into the cockpit as a hail of bullets slammed into Rarity’s Streetdart.

“My Bike!” She yelled in horror, as the titanium, steel, and plastic bent, dented, and broke beneath the gun fire. “Do you know how much this will cost to fix?”

“I’ll foot half the bill, now get me closer.”

Rarity pulled behind the van, out of the line of fire form the unicorn hanging out the window, before both back doors swung open to reveal a pair of ponies, both armed with machine guns.

“Gem, is that you?” Wingmare asked over the comm.

“For a little bit longer,” Rarity replied, weaving through the hail of bullets.

“Keep them distracted, I’ll take care of it from there.”

“Aw, come on! I have six more of these slugs!” Steel said. “When else are they going to be so effective? I took out like, five ponies with a single shot!”

“Just distract them!”

Steel sighed, before she set her shotgun aside, and fired her mare’s leg at the shooters in the back of the black van. They took cover along the sides cargo space, returning fire with their own shots.

And that’s when Wingmare jumped out the passenger window, slid across the roof of Candy’s vehicle, and fired a shot straight through the pursing driver’s skull.

The van buckled, and Rarity had just enough time to pull around the unmarked vehicle before it skidded and slammed into the concrete.

“It’s about time you got here!” Wingmare yelled from the top of the van.

“Yeah, yeah. Now get in the van and quit showing off!” Steel replied.

“What? Me? Show off? Never!” Wingmare said with a laugh, before suddenly realizing that climbing back into the van would be increasingly more difficult at high speeds.

“Candy, can you hear me?” Rarity asked through her comm.

“Loud and clear!” the driver chirped.

“We’re changing the plan, follow me,” she said, before pulling ahead of the van.

“Can we slow down first?” Wingmare asked. “I can’t fly this fast.”

<><><|><><>

Rarity’s Streetdart and the van pulled up beside an abandoned parking garage. A number of homeless ponies watched them come in, up until they ran into a barricade of debris. “Who are you, and why are you here?” A near-toothless stallion with a missing eye asked.

“I’m Gem,” Rarity said, before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a long, flat token. “We did a favor for your Boss. We’re cashing it in.”

The toothless stallion motioned his head to one of the guards, and another homeless pony approached to look at the small plastic piece Rarity held up for them.

A nod from the guard later, and the one-eyed stallion spoke up. “What’s you using it for?”

“We need a place to hide. We’re being hunted by some powerful ponies, and we need to stay hidden, and protected.”

The one-eyed stallion glared at them for a moment more, before she motioned to the ponies around them. “Get them through the gate. They have the protection of the Gutter King.”

“The Gutter King?” Twilight asked over the comms.

“He’s a ghoul that runs a lot of the underground around here. A homeless pony powerful enough to hire runners, if that says anything,” Wingmare answered.

The horde of homeless ponies quickly deconstructed a hole in the barricade, allowing both vehicles to pass on through before they built it once again. Rarity’s Streetdart pulled forward as a pony led them into a mostly empty garage.

“You can stay here,” the homeless pony said. “There are a few hovels to the side that you can sleep in. Left corner is the one for your business. Don’t stay too long.”

“Never, Dear.” Rarity said as the team slowly exited the van.

“Good,” the homeless pony said, before walking away.

“So, Gem,” Wingmare said. “I’ve got to ask, why are we cashing our favor in here?”

“I’ll tell you,” the decker replied, a text went straight to all of their comms.

“The plan’s changed.”

Comments

[Empirical Deduction]

Ah, always nice when a plan has to pull about due to one little tidbit making the picture clearer.

I must say, this is my favorite Shadowrun crossover on the sight. Good characterization, nice use of the source material, quality writing.

[djthomp]

They need to drop Sven off on the side of the road (possibly while the van is still moving) and not take him to the next safehouse. Too bad he's the Ringo for this job at the moment.

“Now, Mr. Ringo, you need to let us know everything that happened,” Rarity said, “and while you’re at it, think of any reason that the Yakkuza would be after Ms. Coloratura.”

Hopefully this will be enough intel for the crew to understand what is really going on.

“He’s a ghoul that runs a lot of the underground around here. A homeless pony powerful enough to hire runners, if that says anything,” Wingmare answered.

It says a lot.

[Iron Comet]

God I love this story. But now I wonder who this Gutter King really is?