The Freelancers

by OverHeart

Chapter 64 - The Solo

“Bigger than it looks.” Sheet Rock remarked over the clatter of metal and plastic. “Enough space for the us, the van, and still have plenty of room left over.”

“I… don’t think he’s paying attention, Sheet.” Bulwark answered, chewing on a cheap burrito as he worked. “You think he found anything good?”

“Couple of Cybermodems and a few usable servers.” she replied, dismissing the unopened burrito Bulwark had held out to her. “Loads of replacement parts too, mostly for whatever bargain bin Cyberdecks the Runners employed here used.”

“Anything we can use?”

“No, we’ve got better stuff. Worth selling to wannabes though, they’ll buy anything since good gear is often above their means.”

“I wouldn’t wish EQUI-TECH processors on anyone to be honest, but it is what it is.” Bulwark chuckled. “Figured out what the next job’s gonna be, we still gotta eat you know.”

“I’ve already called in a favor from an old friend, but it’s looking like it might have something to do with Genetech.”

“I hope you’re not just expecting to deep dive into their subnet and extract their secrets from them by force, Sheet.” Bulwark remarked. “I think you know just as well as I that they protect their property with some of the best black ICE around. You’d be dead the moment you show up, and that’s assuming you don’t get tagged by a Long-Distance Link on the way there.”

“Makes you wonder how someone got out with anything at all if they’re that impenetrable.”

“Hoof on the big red logout button I suppose.”

“Sheet, a word please?” Star called from the office. “You’ll want to hear this.”

She groaned and got up out of her seat after some gentle persuasion from Bulwark and made her way up. It had only taken an hour since their arrival for Star to start taking the whole Fixer angle a little too seriously, but with the amount of enemies they’d made in the last few weeks it could be argued that screening jobs beforehand would help them not fall into anymore traps.

Star waited by the office door rather impatiently, tapping a forehoof against the steel door frame at an off-kilter rhythm, the kind borne of sleepless nights and continual stress. She obviously had something she needed to say, it showed on her face as clear as could be.

“Before we begin, are we agreed that I handle the clients and the jobs they bring from now on?”

Sheet Rock shrugged. “If you think you handle it.”

“That friend you contacted, what was their name?”

“Phantom, you can guess for yourself why that is.” Sheet Rock replied. “She’s been a reliable source of information for a long time, she taught me and Access the ropes when we were still rocking our very first neural ports. How did she know who you were?”

“As a Netrunner yourself, you should already know a good few ways she could’ve figured that out.” Star grunted. “That said, she had a message she wanted me to pass on. She wants our help with a job, why I don’t know but it’d be worth our while so I’m told.”

“Phantom does have big pockets, so that checks out.”

“Apparently, Genetech has been pouring more money into their Biotech than usual. They’ve moved on from their tried and true moneymaker, growing limbs and replacement organs for the medical market, and started growing whole bodies.”

“I don’t like where this is going.”

“I see you’re having the same thoughts as me then.” Star replied, nodding slightly. “I know the Crown ran a similar project, but I can say for sure that the whole Agent program was for Equestria’s safety. Applicants to the program got the choice, whoever Genetech experimented on to get this far probably didn’t.”

“Do you really believe that, or is that your father talking?”

“I’m not going to get into an argument with you, the point is that if they get a viable genetic template they’ll be able to produce near-perfect soldiers non-stop.”

Star had a hunch that Genetech hadn’t figured out how to print entire bodies from raw genetic material on their own, and surmised they might’ve stolen data on the particulars of the subject. They were the best when it came to growing organic replacement body parts and had been for decades, it was obvious that their newest venture wasn’t ever going to be on the list of services they’d offer to the public.

“So, what are we supposed to do about it then?” Sheet Rock pointed out. “Genetech don’t play around, their subnet is full of black ICE and the guards on their properties will shoot us in the head and dump our bodies into the nearest water tank the moment we breathe in the wrong way.”

“If this Phantom is anywhere as good a Runner as you made her out to be, she’ll have some way past. We should use the time between her arrival and doing the job she hired us for to prepare.”

“Oh, so we’re being HIRED now?”

“We haven’t been given the full spec yet, so you’ll need to wait.” Star added. “Snowy’s been hard at work doing what he can to make this place livable too, so you’ll probably have to figure out where he’s put your gear.”

---

It wasn’t easy to convince Riot that he needed to go it alone, but Matterhorn eventually pushed him to relent on his position even if the end result was both of them agreeing to disagree. Riot had given him a few of the local fixer’s names he could call upon for help, or work, as the need for either arose.

He’d made himself available to a few of the more trusting local fixers, doing a few odd jobs here and there to build up enough of a reputation to afford a few favors when he was assaulted by a Netrunner, who breached his Cyberware while on a job intent on delivering a message only to vanish soon after.

Plaza near the southern quarter, come alone. Sit on the third seat from the fountain, look for a Bat Pony mare by the name of Phantom, speak to nobody else.

Other than that little incident, things had been relatively quiet since his arrival, though he was no closer to finding out what happened to Lucky. He’d noticed a few suspicious ponies milling around the area as well, and although nothing suggested they were looking for him, he was still on edge.

“This seat taken?” said a voice. “I’m just going to assume that it isn’t.”

Matterhorn looked up at the source of the voice, a Bat Pony mare in a thin jet black bodysuit and chunky armored boots. The bodysuit was of the type some Netrunners wore to regulate body temperature during deep dives, though this one was heavily worn and looked like it, or perhaps its wearer, had gone through the wringer one too many times.

If he had to venture a guess, she was a corporate Netrunner or maybe a Techie in her spare time. There were a number of ponies in similar uniforms sat around on benches dotted around the little plaza he’d found himself in, talking loudly and being all-around obnoxious.

“Look I’m not going to beat around the bush, you look out of place.”

“I could say the same about you, but I’ll be gone soon, I’m waiting for someone.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell the mare was staring at him with those calculating eyes of hers, an odd shade of muddy green.

“The dark and mysterious type I see. I’ve been watching you for a while now. Somehow I think those thugs on your last job wished they hadn’t tried to rob your client.”

“Just one job out of many.” Matterhorn grunted. “I was told you don’t meet ponies in public, so I was convinced that you wouldn’t show up to meet me.”

“I stick to my word, that’s all you need to know about me. Name’s Phantom.” the mare said as she produced a chip from the slot in her neck. “Five thousand up-front, and five thousand upon completion. I have another team ready to cover our backs, but they’ll need a moment to find a way in, and when they do, they’ll breach Genetech’s subnet and let us inside.”

“I’m going to need to know more than that if I’m going to risk my neck, I am but one pony.”

“Slot the chip and see, everything you need to know is there.” Phantom pointed out. “You came highly recommended, even if you are ex-corporate. Trust me, you’ll want to do this job if you want to shed that repuation.”

Matterhorn did as he was told and slid the chip into a slot at the base of his neck, an awkward place to reach considering he rarely needed to use them before. Almost immediately, his field of view was filled with the details of a plan to assault a Genetech lab in the Everfree Arcology, convenient they’d just opened their doors to accept tourists, a rare event indeed and the perfect chance.

Two ponies would be needed for the forward team, that meant him and Phantom, and another team to neutralize security on their way through the lab. Therein lay the problem though, everyone knew that the Arcology was cut off from the outside and inaccessible.

“This plan won’t work.”

“I know what you’re thinking, but I’ve thought about this already.” Phantom chuckled. “Direct your attention to that structure just off the southwestern gate. The Arcology doesn’t have any public relays nor Long-Distance Links, BUT, it does have a number of private ones used by the residents that live there.”

“Microwave transmitters. Do they link up somewhere we can get access to?”

“Of course, though we’d need to bullshit our way into someone’s pod, maybe a server room, whichever is easier.” Phantom stressed. “After that, we could just plant something there to allow the other team free access to residential systems, although it’ll take some doing to pass through the ICE between the residential and internal systems.”

“What’s my role then?” Matterhorn inquired. “I’m no Runner or Techie.”

“If someone gets any funny ideas it’ll be up to you to… silence them.” Phantom said grimly. “When I breached your cyberware and observed you at work, I knew you’d be perfect for the job.”

“I have a request.”

“Shoot.”

“When the job is done, I need to get back to Canterlot. There are some ponies there that have assisted me before and I believe they could assist me again.”

“That’s the plan.” Phantom smiled wickedly. “We need to coordinate face-to-face before we carry out our parts, after that you’re free to do as you please.”

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay getting this one out, things are getting pretty busy these days.

For those of you who don't understand the terms the Cyberpunk series has, a "Solo" is someone specialized in front-line combat, think soldier and you have a pretty good idea,

Techie is pretty self-explanatory for the most part, they disassemble, repair, modify and even build new devices to earn a living and are invaluable if a crew relies on electronics to do their jobs.