Suckerpunch



Nothing says dead better than a hole through your stomach.

Inspector Abina “Abby” Muller knelt over the corpse. The victim was no older than twenty four, laid neatly on a sofa at the Cherry Hill motel. She had silver blonde hair just like hers, and most of her body had gone gray.

It was just another murder in the ruins of Candyland, Glenmore's former entertainment district. It was a stain the glimmering city couldn't quite rub off, like a small knick on a perfect diamond, present to the discerning eye but invisible to those distracted by its brilliance.

Abby could see the scenario play out in her mind: a pretty working girl gets picked up on the fringe for a night on the town. Things get hot and sooner than later she winds up dead. Simple enough, if it wasn't for the ring of zeroed borgs surrounding her corpse.

“Central, this is Inspector Muller responding to a 10-71 in Candyland, district nine. I need first responders on my GPS, and a meatwagon for recyc.”

“Central to Muller. District 9 is outside your approved AO. Please advise.”

Abby swore under her breath. “Central I've got at least eight bodies rotting here. We really just gonna leave this out to stink or should I just stuff them in my wheels?”

“Standby… Copy that, Muller. Dream team inbound.” Central replied before zipping out in a crackle of static.

Abby shifted her attention to one of the wrecked borgs and after getting a closer look, pulled out its synthetic eye with clack and pop.

Top shelf optical. No carved sigs… Abby flicked open a scanner and brushed the implant over it till it beeped.

Psitech Corp original, just like the other ones… Abby nodded as she flicked through the holo projections from her previous cases. One step closer everyday. A few more of these and I've got 'em on the run.

The familiar squeak of newly shined boots came up behind her, coupled with the pungent smell of stale synthol.

“Sonny Cabal…” Abby said with a scowl. “You actually came...”

Sonny sauntered into the room with a slow stride that brought late night holo-vid detectives to shame. His charm or style worked wonders for most of Glenmore's finest, but Abby found herself strangely immune.

“Of all the places I thought you'd be… Candyland? You've really gone off the deep end B…” Sonny flicked a cig-stick to his lips and stuck his hands securely into his jacket’s pockets. “Despite the obvious lack of common fucking sense, I could never resist a call from you, bezz.”

“Well…” Abby turned back to the corpse. “Didn't think I was that special…”

“Give it a rest already, manita...” Sonny's voice lost its usual slack. “Lancer life don’t exactly leave lots of free time, I'm here now ain't I?”

Abby brushed the sass aside with a shrug and a scowl. “Just shut up and have a look at this will you?”

Sonny approached the corpse. “Chingada… You don't see somethin’ like that everyday… How'd you find her?”

“Squatters called it in. Said they heard gunfire.”

“Pretty cut and dry then, no?” Sonny said. “People pop each other all the time round here…”

“Not quite.” Abby shook her head and pointed. “The blast residue… They're from power weapons, still warm.”

“No kiddin’? Shit… Since when did gangers get a hold of that kind of heat?”

“They haven't…” Abby pulled out her data slate. “It gets better. Check this out.”

“Three unique prints on the body… Nothing on the planetary record…”

“Exactly,” Abby nodded. “The MO, the weapons, the victim? It reeks of Sentinel Psitech.”

“Psitech?” Sonny's lip curled. “Shit… Not this again…”

“What? You telling me this doesn't add up? You see it too don't you?”

“B…”

“Don't you?” Abby asked again.

“Here I was thinking you'd finally got yourself sorted out…” Sonny sighed, arm pensively rubbing the back of his neck. “Does Nichols know about this?”

Like I care what Nichols thinks… Abby thought, brushing the warning aside with a scowl and snarl. The only thing her esteemed superior officer was concerned about as of late was kissing Captain Slater's boot. “I need to get this body back to the station, I want a a full work-up. Best we call-”

“I would highly advise against that,”

Before Abby could finish her sentence, a group of armed men approached, led by a man in a sharp suit, hex cells brimming with the translucent hue of a personal energy shield.

“And who are you exactly?” Sonny stepped between Abby and the man.

“Forgive me. I was assured Glenmore PD would be hands off on this sordid affair,” The man in the suit stepped forward and pulled his jacket tight by its lapels. “My name is Devon Severs. The asset you have there is company property and I am well within my rights to reacquire it.”

“Says who, cabron?” Sonny said.

“Quiet, lancer trash. We've all got bosses. Now stand aside.”

"As far as I'm concerned, she is a murder victim. I’m sure you're aware of the consequences for interfering with a crime scene?" Abby interrupted.

“To the contrary,” Severs pulled out a piece of paper..

“Gimme that,” Sonny gave it a read and his lip curled. "B, come see this."

“Affidavit of Desistance by order of district judge Rolfort Adincor…" Abby read.

"I assure you, detective. I am here legally.. The proper handling of that asset is my employer's highest priority."

"That so?" Abby says before tearing the paper in half and having it float lazily to the ground. "Unfortunately for you, I don't give a damn."

"What do you think you're doing?!" Severs grit his teeth and his bodyguards raised their weapons.

Sonny drew up his slug thrower and grinned. "Now we're talking! Go on! Squeeze it, pendejos! Be the most exciting thing that's happened to me all day!"

"You really wanna do this? I guarantee it won't end the way you think," Abby's thumb settled inches away from her sidearm. "Either you call your dogs back or I'm gonna need more bodybags.”

The next few seconds went by like hours. Abby kept her eyes on Severs who, judging by the glistening beads of sweat dripping down his temples, seemed keen to not die today. Sirens could be heard echoing through the streets outside as well. Seems the cavalry had arrived.

“Stand down! I said stand down!” The bodyguards immediately lowered their weapons. "You win this round, detective… But this isn't over. We'll be seeing you again soon." Severs turned away, coat tails flapping.

“Looking forward to it.” Abby said.

“Pinche culero… Pullin’ iron on badges like that…” Sonny holstered his weapon. "Sorry fucker must be out of his damn mind."

"Crazy or not he's right about one thing; this isn't over." Abby sighed and her hand slid back down to her side before activating her comms. “Time to play concierge for the dream team. Let's give ‘em the good news.”

#

The walk to the morgue was something Abby never quite got used to. Whether it was the dry air, musty smell, or sterile halogen wall lamps, nothing about it was pleasant by any means. Glenmore had an average of a couple hundred murders a day which, Abby figured, was why the GCPD had decided to automate the whole thing.

After navigating through the maze of examination chambers, she finally reached the one assigned to her case. The forensic surgeon drone had already begun its autopsy.

"Ah, Inspector Muller! I was just finishing my evaluation. Your timing is impeccable."

"You know me…" Abby eyed the body, pressed her fingertip to her temple and turned her personal recorder on. "This is Inspector Muller, recording the autopsy for case number 1145. Alright doc, what have you got?"

"Your preliminary findings from the crime scene are congruent with my autopsy, detective. Most of the subject's wounds are burns, this indicates the use of energy weapons of some sort. I could not isolate the exact cause of death."

"Cause of death? C'mon, doc… I'm no medi-bot but I think it's obvious, don't you think?"

"My analysis indicates otherwise, detective. Estimated time of death was approximately five hours after incurring said injuries."

"You mean she survived all that?" Abby's lip quivered. "No way… You must’ve missed something."

"I assure you, inspector. I do not 'miss' anything."

Five hours? Abby shook her head back to focus. With enough tech, the human body can handle lots of punishment. But a hole through your stomach?

"I recognize this occurrence is an anomaly. This subject is quite an extraordinary specimen."

"Please, don't call her that…" Abby scowled, taking note of the fact that this drone seemed to banter quite a bit for a standard forensic AI.

"Apologies, it seems my empathetic subroutines must be malfunctioning. Would you like me to run a self-diagnostic?"

"No… Just… I need something that ties it back to Psitech. I've got a feeling they've got their fingers in this."

"Well, there is the matter of the subject's blood." The medi-holo zoomed into a sample. "What traces I could find were contaminated with a foreign substance."

Abby looks closely at the holo before pausing her recording. "Interesting. Think you could slip me a sample?"

"Detective, delivery of evidence without approval is highly unorthodox."

"Well… There are a handful of other things a bit more unorthodox than that, don't you think?" Abby flicked a switch behind her ear and scanned the AI's subroutines, spotting one of many glitches that gave it more freedom than it should have. "Well, you've been a busy boy. Internal affairs would love this.."

"Must you really resort to blackmail, detective?"

Just as Abby was about to threaten the bot again, Sonny came rushing into the chamber huffing like he just ran a marathon. "There you are!”

“Sonny? You aren't supposed to be in here.”

“Neither are you, apparently. C'mon, Nichols wants a word.”

#

“Muller! My office! Now!”

Abby could hear Lieutenant Nichols growl from across central's main floor, everybody did. She kept her eyes forward and tried her best to ignore all the judging looks that greeted her along the way. She marched through the door and couldn't help but notice a few new trinkets and awards on the shelf. Looks like someone’s moving up.

Sonny tried to follow but Nichols stopped him with a fat palm on his chest.

"Not you, leadhead. Out!"

“C'mon, jefe. Those fuckers pulled iron on us! What were we supposed to do?” Sonny said.

“This is between me and Muller, Cabal. Besides, you aren’t a badge anymore, remember? Get out!”

“It's ok, Sonny.” Abby nodded him off.

“Sh'yeah, sure B…” Sonny clenched his jaw. “I'll be right outside.”

Nichols shut the door and took a seat in his chair. The thing creaked like hell and with a flick of his wrist, the blinds around the office whirred shut.

“Now… What am I to do with you?” Nichols said.

“If this is about case 1145, I was in the middle of reviewing the autopsy and-” Abby said.

“I don't care about the damn autopsy, Muller!” Nichols slammed his fist on the table. “Si’down!”

Here we go… Abby thought. She dropped into one of the chairs beside the desk, hands held tightly under armpits.

“Sentinel Psitech came knocking. They said a badge aggressively confronted and harassed a representative of theirs when they were trying to recover company property. Now, despite Captain Slater telling me to send you packing, I figured I'd hear your side of this mess. So please.”

“They were interfering with an active investigation of a crime scene, sir.” Abby said. “They drew on us first.”

“Oh for fuck's sake, Abby!”

“They were going to take away a key piece of evidence! What was I supposed to do?”

“You were supposed to do your job!” Nichols rose from his chair, and paced about the room. “Instead you were in Candyland! You asking for a death wish or are you just plain stupid?”

“You and I both know that Psitech's got something to do with this! They're covering their asses, Carl! We are so close! I just need a little bit more time.”

“You've done quite enough…” Nichols shook his head. “ Listen, I'll take the lead on this for now. I got some other files coming up for you. Good ones too.”

“Wait… Are you taking me off the case?” Abby felt her jaw clench.

Nichols sighed. “I’m warning you, Abby. Everybody knows you've got a vendetta against Psitech. As to why, well who knows?”

“You know damn well why!” Abby stood from her chair.

“We are all still mourning Rob's death. But that case was resolved.” Nichols sat back down with a heavy sigh. “I promised him I'd watch your back. You think he'd want to see you like this?”

“Don't you dare,” Abby shook her head. Nichols opened his mouth to say something but relented. To others, the shock of her father's murder may have worn off, but to Abby it was as if it had happened yesterday. “I... I can't just let this go.”

Nichols sighed. “Then you give me no choice… Gimme your badge and your gun.”

Abby felt her heart drop. She reached over to her shoulder, fingertips grazing the stamped inlays of her badge. Was this really what it came down to? The sacrifices she'd made, even those her father had made, for this? This wasn't the justice she was promised.

“Now, officer.”

With one sharp tug she ripped it off her jacket and tossed it on the desk. She didn't even bother to listen to whatever Nichols or Sonny or anyone had to say after as she stormed out the door. If justice did exist in Glenmore, it sure as hell wasn't here.

#

Her dad's pistol danced in her hands. She didn't remember the last time she even had the time to clean it, or anything else she owned for that matter.

She looked over the decrepit state of her flat and poured herself another highball of Icarian Blue. She whisked the azure spirit in its glass and knocked it back, feeling it burn every inch of her throat. A couple more glasses and she could almost forget. That was how it usually worked, but losing her badge left a bitter taste that nothing could wash away.

Abby leaned over her desk. Eventually, a datacube found itself nestled between her fingers. She slid the cube into her holo and smiled as an image of her smaller self danced in front of her. Dad always loved recording everything.

‘Abby sweetheart! Look at the camera! Yeah just have her face the camera for a bit. Sweetie, do you know what day it is?’

‘No?’

‘It's your seventh birthday, silly! You're a big girl now! You're gonna have to decide what you wanna be when you get older! Have you thought about that?’

‘I wanna be a policeman like daddy!’

‘You do? Why would you wanna do that?’

“Because daddy helps people…” Abby said following along with the holo, a shaky smile creeping up the side of her mouth. “I wanna help people too…”

Her eyes drifted off into the cityscape outside her window for a moment, the distant sounds of sirens like music to her ears. But she had given up that ambition now, she had failed.

The realization fell on her shoulders like a ton of bricks. She took her gun in her hands, stuck its barrel in her mouth and shut her eyes. Her finger inched towards the trigger and gently slid into place.

Better this way. She thought to herself.

‘I love you sweetheart.’ The holo continued to play and Abby's eyes shot open. She pulled the gun out of her mouth and steadied herself. What am I doing? What the fuck am I doing?

Given more time, all that would have been left of her would be all over the ceiling. She held her head and took a few long breaths when three loud clangs came from her door.

"Oye, B! It's Sonny! You in there?!"

Abby stood and approached the door, pistol held at the ready.

"I brought some grub! Even got that gross hoi-synth sauce you like so much!"

Abby opened the door just enough for her gun to peek through the slit and point at a terrified Sonny and a dripping bag of sauce.

“Whoa… Agua agua… It's just me, bezz,” Sonny kept his hands up. “Can I come in?”

Abby breathed a heavy sigh and let the door slide open and Sonny squeezed through.

“Jeez… Like I never even left central, eh?” Sonny nodded to a wall littered with case files and string right next to the mess of what used to be the kitchen. “Love what you've done with the place… What’s that there?” Sonny turned to the still playing hologram.

“It's nothing!” Abby scrambled for the holo cube but Sonny beat her to the punch.

“Abby's seventh birthday… Tsk… Really B? You still watching these?”

“Mhmm…” Abby muttered, reaching over for another glass of blue.

“Is that what I think it is?” Sonny walked over and snatched the bottle away before Abby could stop him. “This stuff'll kill you, you know?”

“Not yet… What the hell are you even doing here anyway? Don't you have better things to do?”

“Nope.” Sonny poured himself a glass before refilling hers. “Lancer time’s flex, chica. Sides’, don't have you callin’ me out to crime scenes no more do I? ”

“Ha… Ha… Getting sentimental now huh? Color me over-fucking-joyed.”

“Oh c'mon. It ain't like that, B. It's good work, in fact, bet you'd be real good at it too. You never even bothered to ask what I’ve been up to since I left the force.”

Something else other than cheap booze, loose women, and club nights? Abby nearly said. “Enlighten me. What does Sonny Cabal have brewing in Glenmore?”

“Not Glenmore, chica.” Sonny smiled and pulled his seat closer before reaching excitedly into his jacket pocket. “Lo and be-stoked!”

In his hand was a rectangular chip, its indulgent gold inlays had a self luminescent glow and its scrolling neon lettering read Hyper Rail in all capped glory.

“Two days, guey. Two days and I'll be beachin’ up in New Cabo and never turning back. Say, here's an idea. What’say you come with? It ain't too late to book a seat.”

Away… Away from here? Abby considered it for a moment. It would be a fresh start, a new beginning in a place where the city can't pull her back. It'd be a good thing, too good for someone like her.

"I can't… You know I can't…"

"I was afraid you'd say that." Sonny sighed and slipped a data shard across the kitchen table.

"What's this?" Abby asked.

"Consider this my parting gift, eh? Chip in."

Abby slid the chip into her neural socket, and in it was a criminal record of a woman named Ava Shriker.

"Did some snooping around town after our tango with the suits. Asked around and this little lady kept poppin up, so I popped into the archives back at the station and pulled her file."

Abby reviewed the file on Ava. Multiple counts of petty theft, a couple of dismissed charges of illegal tech smuggling, and one instance of loitering. "These last few lines? Redacted? The hell does that mean?" Abby asked.

"Right?" Sonny shrugged. "Go on. Check the dates on the redacts."

Abby looked them over, and saw that they were all recent. In fact, they were done a mere few days before their investigation of the Candyland crime scene. "You think she's involved?"

"Hard to not see some kind of connection, no?" Sonny points out something on their shared interface. "Turns out Ms. Shriker's got an emergency geo-tracer on her, and check this, it's been ringing for ages with no response from GCPD. Signal's faint but I'm sure we can find her. Ask her some questions."

Abby nods. Even if this ended up being a dead end, this was the best lead she had. "I don't know what to say…"

"You were never good with words anyway. So, how about it? Wanna do one last ride-along?"

Abby shook her head. "Sonny… This could be deeper than we think… You sure about this?"

"We got a saying back at the barrios, la sangre llama. I owe you and tu papa a debt for treating me like family. Slap on some threads. I'll get my wheels and meet you downstairs."

Abby waited for Sonny to leave before getting out of her chair and over to her bedroom. This was a lead, a real one this time. She thought as she pulled out a large dusty box from her closet. She took a moment before lifting its lid, revealing a vintage GCPD jacket, vacuum sealed and immaculate. She ran her fingertips across the jacket's nameplate, feeling the embossed lettering that read, ‘R. Muller’.

Don't worry dad. I won't let you down. Not this time.

#

The neon lights of district twelve zipped by her passenger window in flashes. Twelve was a hotbed for the legal borderline and was exactly the kind of place Ava Shriker would call home.

“End of the line, chica.” Sonny pulled hard on the hand break. “We're here.”

Abby looked out the passenger window and saw a towering hab block whose top most floors disappeared into the sea of laser lit smog above. “You sure this is the place? Ain't nothing here but chem junkies and lowdowns…”

Sonny slid his hand over the geotracker screen on his forearm. “Tracker don't lie. Comencemos esto. Venga.”

Sonny tapped the hood of the car a few times before turning towards the entrance and Abby followed soon after. After making their way through the labyrinth of trash ridden hallways and the thick stink of piss, Abby and Sonny arrived at the source of the signal. It was an apartment on the higher levels of the block. Sonny stacked up by the door, geo tracker beeping rapidly.

“GCPD! Open up!” He slammed his fist against the doors a few times, to no response. “Ms. Shriker! You in there?!”

Abby readied her weapon. On the count of three Sonny kicked down the door and rushed in, only to be met with the strong smell of rot.

“Hah! Fuck me!” Sonny reeled.

Abby continued onwards into the room, one arm held over her nose. There were bodies everywhere. The ground ran slick under her boots and the miasma coated her skin with every step further inside.

She followed the warpath into a room where a series of hastily constructed operating tables were lined across a tool covered wall. Scav haunt… It's a damn Scav haunt…

Sonny's geo tracker's beeping flatlined, leading to a singular eye inside one of the room's many chest freezers. “Guess we found what’s left of Ms. Shriker…”

Suddenly, Abby could hear a series of footsteps and voices in the other room making their way to the room they were in. Sonny grabbed Abby's arm and pulled her into one of the alcoves hidden behind a translucent curtain, a single finger held over his lips.

Two men enter the room, followed by a squad of what looked like combat borgs. The first was Severs while the other was none other than Lieutenant Nichols.

“We've tracked her geomon here.” Nichols said. “By the looks of it, they must've chopped her up and tossed her in the gutter.”

“Are you certain?” Severs looks pensively at the scattered bodies. “Such carnage could only be the work of the subjects my hunters and I are after. Ava Shriker may yet live.”

“You blind? There ain't nuthin here but scrap parts.”

“I don't pay you for your opinion. Just results.” Severs continued to look around. “But I am running out of time and your handling of the late Captain Robert Muller produced quite the stir… I trust his daughter will be handled with more discretion?”

“I can handle Abby Muller. But I can't have you snooping around here, I got badges the way and if anybody gets even a whiff of you here we're done.”

No fucking way… Abby felt a curl in her gut. She could barely keep herself from vaulting out of the tub and shooting them both.

“Fine. Though I expect better results in the coming days,” Severs said, waving his hunters off. “Our friends at Psitech are up in arms. A war is coming, and I advise you to choose the winning side.”

As soon as Severs and the others cleared the room, Abby tore out of Sonny's grip and rushed Nichols in a silent rage.

“What the fu-” Nichols rushed for his sidearm.

Abby slammed his hand into a nearby half wall and kicked his feet out from under him. "Tell me. What's the going rate for a dirty cop these days?"

“Wait, I can explain… Aghh!” Nichols groaned as his hand crunched under Abby's boot.

Abby grit her teeth. "Answer me!"

"T-two million solaris!" Nichols answers.

“That it? That's all he was worth?!” Abby cocked her pistol and took aim. “Only thing that might save you now is the truth! Who ordered the hit on my dad?!”

“Alright! Alright! It was Psitech! It was always Psitech!”

I knew it… Abby measured herself for a moment, the validation of years of speculation washing over her like balm on a long festering wound. The rough texture of her pistol grip dug into her palm, tighter and tighter and her finger slowly slid into the trigger. Closure turned to rage and it took all she had to resist the urge to squeeze. “Get up! On your feet!”

Nichols rose, his hands still held behind his head and a bloodstained grin on his face. “I warned him, you know. Many times. Rob was snooping around too much and he stepped neck deep in shit…” Nichols spat out a glob of blood. “You still don't get it do you? The city doesn't care about us, and no matter what we do it won't make a damn difference! We all know who rules Glenmore, and it sure as shit ain't us!”

“Spare me the bullshit,” Abby pressed the gun harder into Nichols skull. “After tonight, it won't matter.”

“Got that right.” Nichols said with a wolfish grin.

Abby heard a clack behind her, and a mix of dread and disbelief glazed over the immediate shock. “S-Sonny? What are you-”

“It wasn't supposed to pan out like this.”

“What are you waiting for, Cabal?!” Nichols roared.

“Shut your mouth, pendejo! I'm doing this my way!”

“Sonny…” Abby said. “Sonny, no…”

“Let's not make this harder than it is.”

“You… You lied to me… You're a fucking liar!” Abby turned, pistol aimed at Sonny's chest. She could taste salt in her mouth and the trickling sting of tears in her eyes.

“I've got my reasons, none of them good. I took a deal for me, B.”

“So that’s it then, huh? Two million, two way split? Everything we've been through! For the money?!”

“It ain't just the money, B!” Sonny said. “You that dense?!”

“What, then?!” Abby said, her voice cracking. “Sonny… Don't do this… Please…”

“I…” Sonny stuttered. His slugthrower shaking in his grip.

Suddenly, Abby felt something grab her shoulder. She pulled her arm back to counter, but Nichols wrenched her pistol from her grip and whipped her across the cheek.

Abby’s world spun into a blurry mess of shadows and pixels. She could feel her eyes whirring, desperately trying to bring the world back into focus. The only thing she knew for sure was the cold touch of steel on her temple and the taste of iron in her mouth.

“This ain't happenin’ like this!” Sonny screamed.

“I knew it! I knew you’d flake! I'm finishing this!”

Sonny raised his weapon, twin barrels now pointed at Nichols. “Let her go, pendejo! Or those two mils’ll go a long way ridin’ solo!”

“What the fuck are you doing?! We had a deal!”

“Situation's changed, compa. Now put it away or we gon’ have problems.”

“Sonny,” Abby croaked, both hands pulling on Nichols’ arm. “Shoot him…”

“You're making a big mistake!” Nichols chuckled. “Its my word against yours, Cabal. Both of you have no idea what you're up against! No fucking idea!”

Even as Nichols continued to scream in her ear, her mind dulled it down to a buzz of white noise. Abby had done it. She found her father's killer. If she were to die today, It would be worth it. Two years chasing dead end after dead end led up to this moment.

Abby slowly shut her eyes and waited. For what she wasn't sure. People talk about death like it's something to be feared but to Abby now was as good a time as any.

I did it, dad. I'm coming home.

Then, a splash of something warm splattered on the back of her neck, followed by the sonic crack of a round zipping past at two-thousand meters a second. Abby expected pain but felt none. The arm wrapped around her grew limp and she opened her eyes to see Sonny rushing towards her in slow-motion.

“Get down!” Sonny threw himself between Abby and the window, and shoved her to the ground. She turned to her left and saw a chunk of Lieutenant Nichols’ face on the concrete.

She grabbed her father's pistol and took cover as a couple more rounds came zipping in.

“B! Over here, B!” Sonny shouted from behind a nearby half wall.

Abby tensed, waited for a reprieve, and lunged forwards. She tucked into a roll, making it seconds before another round smashed into the floor behind her.

“Hah… Agh! Looks like we weren't the only ones in on the party, eh B?” Sonny croaked. His hand stayed firmly pressed against his side.

“You're bleeding!” Abby said.

“Ah shit…” Sonny groaned. “Carajo… Of all the fuckin’ times…”

Abby peered over the half wall and spotted a small reddish glow in the tower opposite theirs. “Alright, listen. If we're quick we can outrun him. I need you to get up. We're getting out here together y'hear me?”

“I hear you… But… But it ain't happenin’ B… I can’t…”

“Like hell it ain't!” Abby leaned over and pulled Sonny's other arm over her shoulders. “C'mon! We're leaving!”

“Agh! No! Stop! Stop!” Sonny screamed.

Abby saw Sonny's face churn, and her heart dropped to her stomach.

“Get… That look… Off your face…” Sonny said, forcing a grin. “I… Got what was coming… Can see… How the chips are fallin’... I fucked up bad, B… Real bad… I’m so… I-I'm so sorry…”

“You sure fucking did…” Abby said. “But we'll sort that out later. Just stay with me. You heard Nichols. Cavalry’s on the way, you just gotta hold on and stay awake alright?”

“No… Can't stay… They'll pin this on you… Put you away… Or worse…” Sonny’s face curled in pain as he sat himself straight. “We ain't makin’ it out here together…” Sonny pulled his slug thrower from its holster and loaded fresh rounds into its cylinders. “I'll get this pendejo's attention… Second I start shootin’ you run…”

“Bullshit!” Abby pulled on his arm again. “Don't you do this to me! Don't you dare!”

“There ain't no other way, and you fuckin’ know it!” Sonny said. He reached into his jacket pocket and slipped his ticket into Abby’s hand. “Here… Take it… Don't let ‘em win… Run… And keep running… Claro?”

“Sonny…”

“Ni una palabra mas! If this is the day I go… I’m going out in style… Heh…” Sonny smiled.

Abby looked away for a moment. The world became a blur again, soaked in a glaze of salt and water. She blinked the tears away and slipped her dad's pistol in Sonny's free hand.

“Ok… Hah… Here we go… Tres… Dos… Uno… Afuera!” Sonny gave her a short nod and rose from behind the wall guns blazing, muzzle flashes illuminating the room.

Abby bolted towards the doorway and ran out the door. Sonny's warcries echoed throughout the hallway. Eventually the noise ceased, punctuated by one last loud thump.

Don't look back.

Just keep running.

#

“What do you mean I can't get on?” Kyle asked, backpack weighing heavy on his shoulders. “I've been waiting here for hours!”

The attendant shrugged. “I'm sorry sir. Your trip's been requisitioned, corporate authority. There really is nothing I can do.

“So what? That's it? Do I get my money back at least?”

“Listen buddy, I'm just here to push buttons and sell tickets. What happens after is beyond my paygrade. Next! I said, next!”

“Up yours!” Kyle shouted back. He knew it would change nothing, but at least it made him feel slightly better.

He made his way down the platform, stopping to take a seat on one of the benches near the holo-walls. He watched as what was once his train number grayed out on the screen and cursed. It was then that a young woman sat beside him, flecks of silver hair poking out from her hood, and a fancy looking ticket nestled between her fingers.

“Whoa… Is that a hyper rail tick? Who’d you kill for one of those?”

The woman didn’t answer.

“Not one for talking huh?” Before he could continue his rant, the holo feeds flashed a bright red before switching over to the news. “What the?”

Jeremy Jax here for today's latest story. Residents of a hab in district twelve were in a panic yesterday as gunfire was reported from the building's top floor. Officer Carl Nichols and ex-officer Santiago Cabal’s bodies were found amidst a pending investigation of the site. Traces of DNA recovered from the crime scene implicate former Inspector Abina Muller as the perpetrator. GCPD's Captain Adrian Slater had this to say about the brutal slaying.

‘As of today, we have lost two of the finest officers in our ranks. Rest assured, the GCPD will not take this lightly. Please know that we will do all it takes to find Abina Muller, and have her answer for her crimes against the force and the city.

‘Captain Slater! Carol Silverman from G23 News! Our sources say that Inspector Muller was involved in a scuffle with Sentinel Psitech and that they may be involved! Would you have anything to say about that?’

‘That's all the time we have for questions today. Thank you.’

“What a load of horseshit…” Kyle muttered. “Everybody who's anybody knows the pigs are working for Psitech.”

“You sure about that?” the woman spoke up. “Last I checked, GCPD's on our side.”

“Ha! They'd suckerpunch us on corporate orders if it came down to it. Damn ‘corporate requisitioning’ my ass!”

“Is that what happened to your train? Corporate requisition?”

“Damn straight… Probably some Psitech hog taking another slice outta the shit pie…” Kyle rubbed his cheek. “This was my chance to get out, you know? Forget about this fucking city but now… I don't know what I'm gonna-” Kyle turned to an empty chair, filled only by the glimmer of the woman's hyper rail ticket laid neatly on the seat. “Wait! Hey! You forgot your ticket!”

The holo-feeds flickered again, this time with the letters ‘Wanted Public Enemy #1’ on rolling glyphs and a large portrait of Abina Muller on its face.

‘Citizens are advised to report any sightings to your local district office and under no circumstances try to confront her in any way. She is likely armed and extremely dangerous.’

Kyle squinted at the image and nearly choked on his own spit.

“Oh… Holy shit…”

***

This was inspired by my previous story Glenmore Witches.

Read it here: https://shopping-feedback.today/fiction/%3C/p%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="14azzlx-P">.css-14azzlx-P{font-family:Droid Serif,Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:1.1875rem;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.01em;-moz-letter-spacing:0.01em;-ms-letter-spacing:0.01em;letter-spacing:0.01em;line-height:1.6;color:#1A1A1A;margin-top:32px;}

I'm a sucker for comments and constructive feedback so please let me know what you think! :)