Payback

“Hold still or this is really going to hurt!”

The sound of the drill and the smell of smoldering flesh and bone filled the Steel Spider’s small medical bay. Ian stood at the head of the table and leaned forward pressing down with no small amount of weight upon a drill. Underneath him, his head locked firmly in a makeshift halo harness, lay Hargrave doing his best to kick and squirm. Fortunately Boanerges and Dyrke lay across the patient’s torso and legs respectively. Nothing could silence the man’s screams as the pain pierced what little pain killer Ian had used.

Without stopping Ian glanced quickly at Dyrke and said, “I still don’t think this is a good idea. I’m not a doctor.”

“So you have said”, Dyrke grunted his reply, “but you are all I’ve got. Besides all you need to do is tap the temporal lobe and insert the chip.”

Ian just shook his head as he continued to concentrate. “That is easy for him to say. One slip of this drill and Hargrave here won’t be much good for anything other than rat bait”, he said to himself.

“Ok, hand me the chip.”

Amber stepped up from behind him. As she handed Ian the lobo-chip she winced. It is one thing to see someone get plastered on the battle field, another thing entirely to just hack into someone’s head on a table.

“Keep him still… Ok, here goes nothing.” Ian slid the metallic stud into the small hole in the man’s temple. Once that was in place he took a small tool from a side table and used it to flip two minute switches in the circuit board cap. Silently three probes protruded from the far end and secured themselves into unknown regions of the patient’s brain and then pulled itself gently down into place.

A little blood continued to seep from the edges where the flesh had been cut into, but Hargrave seemed to settle down. Bo and Dyrke relaxed their grip and eyed the man warily. With only a slight shrug of his shoulders to encourage them to release him completely Hargrave slowly sat upright. Instinctively he reached up to touch the foreign device now implanted permanently in his head.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. That is still an open wound and you will infect it.” Ian said as he gently grabbed Hargrave’s wrist. “It should heal up nicely though.

“You sure this is going to work doc?” Hargrave asked Ian as he eyed the medic.

“Well, it should help you keep your head clear if that is what you meant.”

Looking back up Hargrave said, “I thought you were going to put that drill all the way in there for a minute.” He glanced over Ian’s shoulder at Amber as he finished the last part of the sentence.

“She can take care of herself, besides. I trust her,” Ian replied looking back at her.

“Now then, since that little issue is cleared up how about we get a move on.” Dyrke stepped up and looked Hargrave up and down. “Is he well enough to travel?”

“He should get some rest.” Ian replied. “Give the wound time to heal.”

“There may not be enough time. ‘Panthera’ here has given me an idea. We are going to seize the initiative against the Black Cats starting tonight.”

Ian looked back at Amber. She was grinning from ear to ear.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

“There’s nothing to be afraid of”, Amber said to Ian. “I lived with them and they are proud and stubborn. They will be there.”

“Yea, but they known you know. And now that you have defected they are bound to change their routine”, Ian replied.

“You don’t get it do you. Not only is Fushia a stubborn woman, but she has little regard for men. She had this meeting set up several days ago and she is not about to be ‘pushed away’ by men, let alone some snot-nosed-juve. Besides, I think she really believes that I would never betray her and the Cats like this, me being a woman and all.”

Ian contemplated Amber’s last statement. The Escher are an anomaly to him. Sure his mother had shown him that women had strength while she raised him, but women just did not enjoy much prominence within House Van Saar. And yet since joining the Steel Spiders, and coming to live at the Bifrost, Ian had learned to respect the skills of the women of house Escher.

“What about your friend Jade? Will you be able to face her if it should come to that?” Ian asked?

Amber hesitated. “I don’t know.”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Part 2

Ian did not like being alone. And that is exactly how he found himself now and that during the lull just before a battle.

When one grows up in hive city you are constantly surrounded by teems of people. Now Ian found himself in an odd combination of roles. On the one hand he was his gang’s sole medic, on the other he was one of the snipers.

As the latter the others seemed to remain distant, like he was some kind of specter or assassin. It was if they treated him as a man without honor, someone who feared to face his opponent face to face.

As the former the others, especially Dyrke, did not want to be seen as weak. To be seen by the ‘Doc’ was an admission of weakness. And to admit that you were weak was to invite attack.

So that was how Ian now found himself alone as he entered Kronly’s hole, an old slag pit now run by a group of Eschers known as the Black Cats. The very same gang that Ian faced off against in the market place back at the Bifrost a few weeks back. The same gang that Amber had been a part of to spy on House Escher for House Van Saar.

Another draw back of being out on the wing like this was not knowing Dyrke’s full battle plan. Ian had been told what was needed of him and where to go if the gang should need to break and run, but he had not been privy to where anyone else was going or what they would be doing. “Nothing to do, but to do it”, he said to himself and set about his task.

Ian darted across a litter strewn alleyway. Once on the other side he stopped adjacent to a gap between the wall he was now leaning against and a shanty-like building. Looking around the corner he could see that the gap led deeper into the dome. Twenty meters in was a small manager’s shack tucked in under some scaffolding. The urge to move forward almost caused him to move, but this was where Dyrke wanted him and this is where he would stay. Although it was at ground level he had a good vantage point from here so he panned his infrared gun sight around to see what he could see.

Further down the same alley, but on the other end of the dilapidated building on his right Dyrke was leading Rogers and Hargrave on into the dome. They passed out of sight behind the building.

There was movement out beyond his line of sight ahead. Try as he might he could not tell what it was. But it was definitely getting closer.

To his left Ian saw Boanerges, the distinctive Van Saar heavy machine gun smoothly silhouetted against the cool background giving him away. He was alone as well.

The staccato of automatic rifle fire drew his attention back to his assigned area of responsibility. Bo’s heavy stubber added its voice to the fray immediately after. As Ian scanned the area two heat signatures seemed to emerge from the floor to his front, adjacent to the scaffolding to his front. The first image was obscured by the second, but this last one was definitely a woman.

Ian dropped the crosshairs onto the second target but something made him stay his hand. The two figures were not moving towards him and his fellow Van Saar. Instead they were focused on something further on. It was Amber and Renold. Holding his breath Ian eased his finger off of the trigger.

The two Van Saar were obviously trying to figure out their next move. Judging by Renold’s repeated glances around the corner the enemy was getting close. Adjusting the settings on his scope Ian could now see at least three heat signatures moving up. Although there was a lot of intervening terrain he chanced a shot.

The sudden las bolt whipping past Renold caused him to jump back behind the wall. Renold looked back towards Ian and shook his fist, but then quickly turned his attention back towards the approaching Escher.

Ian could not tell if his shot struck anything important. When Renold shook his fist at him Ian just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Besides, it was not even close to his fellow Van Saar.

No matter if the shot found its mark or not the wave of Escher was ready to fall upon Renold and Amber. The once indiscernible shapes now showed no less than four Black Cats. Without hesitation Ian continued to send shot after shot into the targets as they revealed themselves, but even from here he could tell that their use of cover was paying off. He had yet to inflict any apparent wounds.

In desperation Renold jumped from behind his cover with his las pistols in both hands. Each weapon was pouring round after round into the Escher. Amber stood at the corner adding slugs from her auto pistol into the volume of fire now impacting in and around the Escher. It was too late. As Amber ducked back behind the wall to reload the Escher covered the last piece of ground and were upon the two Van Saar gangers.

From where Ian was he was helpless to aid his fellow Spiders. The Escher were now on top of them. He watched as Amber slammed home a fresh clip into her auto pistol and braced herself for the onslaught.

Renold was immediately engaged by a woman wielding a heavy caliber stubber and a vicious club. Amber had more time to prepare herself as a green mow-hawked woman rounded around the other combatants.

Even from here Ian could tell that it was Jade. Both women hesitated for a split second as they recognized one another. The friendship they had once shared dropped away faster than it took for the look of recognition to fade from their faces which was instantly replaced with open loathing for each other.

Just as Jade leaned forward to sprint across the remaining ground she raised her swords over her head and let loose a battle cry that could be heard throughout the dome. Taking a half step back Amber smoothly raised up her freshly loaded auto pistol, braced by both hands. Within a heartbeat of Jade’s swords descending Amber squeezed the trigger. The outcome was inevitable. At the range involved it was unlikely that even one slug missed the mark and the lifeless form of Jade fell in a heap at Amber’s feet. But there was no time to contemplate what had just happened.

Renold’s battle with the Escher Juve had ended quickly. The young woman had landed a severe blow and her opponent and Renold was now writhing on the ground clutching his right arm. The Juve quickly followed through with her attack and descended on Amber. Before Amber could even recognize the new threat it was over. The woman’s club crashed down with a glancing blow to the side of Amber’s head and then landing heavily on her shoulder. She collapsed in a heap.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Part 3

There was nothing Ian could do for either Renold or Amber from where he was. His job was to provide covering fire for the rest of the Steel Spiders. The urge to cross the open ground with his lasgun blazing welled up within him. It took all of his self control, but he would follow orders and stay put. Maybe even deliver some payback.

Ian peered through the sites of his lasgun bringing it to bear on the juve now standing over Amber’s motionless body. “Steady”, he whispered to himself and began to squeeze the trigger. Just as the electrodes within the trigger mechanism were going to close Dyrke and Rogers slammed into the now gathered Escher gangers. Even though the latest Van Saar arrivals were out numbered two to one the advantage of surprise quickly evened up the odds as the pair dispatched their respective opponents with ease.

“Fall back Cats!” A voice called out from just beyond the foreman’s shack. “Leave the boys to play with themselves!” And with that the women of House Escher began to pull back with out another sound.

There is an unspoken code. When your enemy leaves you the field of battle you grant them safe passage. There are other days, other domes to be fought over. So Dyrke allowed the Cats to gather up their wounded and leave.

Once the signal was given Ian crossed the open ground quickly. Without thought he knelt next to Amber first. She was out cold and her left shoulder was at an odd angle. Rolling her over onto her back he could see that the color bone was broken. Although it had not torn through the skin – yet – it was sticking up a good distance.

“I cannot set this here. I need to get her back to the Bifrost”, Ian said looking up to Dyrke. Without waiting for a reply Ian moved over to Renold.

Renold was still conscious but he was in obvious pain. He clutched his lower right arm with his left and held it close.

“Let me see that”, Ian said.

It was not good. One of the bones in the lower arm was protruding through the skin and blood was trickling out and down the arm, dripping off the fingers to the floor below.

“I can set this here, but it is unlikely he will have much use of it for a while.”

Dyrke nodded his head in acknowledgement, his eyes fixed on the far end of the dome where the Cats had beat a hasty retreat.

“Bo, I need you to get your heavy stubber up on that platform,” Dyrke pointed up and to the right. “Cacee, I need you to cover this ground from over there on the left.”

Ian was trying to figure out what was going on. The Black Cats had left the field to them. They had won. Dyrke was preparing like they were getting ready to get over run or something.

“Katan, Rogers, and Hargrave, you are with me. Ian put the wounded in the shed here and cover the ground, but I don’t want you to shoot until the signal is given. That would be you Bo.”

“You think they are going to come back after the ass kicking we just gave them boss?” Ian asked.

“I would,” was the Van Saar leader’s reply. “They gave as good as they got. If they spring back, maybe catch us off guard, they could take the field back and inflict some pain to boot.”

Each of the Spider’s set about their assigned task.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Amber still had not regained consciousness, and Renold gripped a las pistol in his left hand but was still in a lot of pain. The limited amount of meds in Ian’s kit barely took the edge off. Ian had peeled back a part of the corrugated metal wall. This gave him a decent view of the designated kill zone. Jade’s body still laid strewn where it had fallen. Even though Ian and the wounded were only five meters away scavengers had already come to see what the hive had left behind. Ian tried to scare them away, but it was impossible without giving away his position. Everyone knew that such things were part of the circle of life within the hive, especially those who did not live within the comfortable walls of Hive City, but to witness it was another thing. Ian struggled to resist the urge to empty his stomach.

Just as he was sure he would lose this battle the distinct sound of falling rubble echoed through the air, then the sound of muffled voices. Ian nestled in behind the stock of his lasgun. It would not be much longer.
Slowly five distinct shapes approached the designated kill zone, though none of them were so bold as to walk in the open. Ian thought to himself, “There should be nine. Where are the other four?”

As one of the gangers darted out into the open to cross to where the body of their dead compatriot lay Dyrke opened up with a long burst. The Escher danced as the heavy caliber rounds impacted in and around the woman. When the burst ended so did the dance and she collapsed in a heap on the ground.

The other four women were quick in their response. Two of them, one being the Black Cat’s own heavy stubber, began to return fire in Boanerges’ direction. Cacee and Ian now added their own ‘voice’ to the discussion. It was a textbook crossfire and the Escher did not stand a chance.

CRASH! Just as Ian was getting lost in the battle to his front the door to the shack in which he and the other wounded were taking shelter caved in under the boot of a sturdy looking Escher. In her hands she carried a menacing looking flamer. The distinct hiss of the igniter’s small torch poised just in front of the promethium nozzle caused Ian’s heart to catch in his throat.

Then the air erupted with the sound of gun fire. Just outside of the room the distinct report of bolt pistols was joined by Renold’s repeated shots from his las pistol. The woman grunted several times as rounds impacted her body and then fell to the ground, the hiss of the igniter still spitting.

Katan stuck his head around the corner. “Things secure in here?”

Ian just waved his hand in acknowledgement. Katan nodded his acknowledgement and left.

“Thanks Renold” Ian finally said.

“No problem,” Renold said grinning. “I’ve got your back.”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Part 4

The din of battle outside the shack was raging hot. Even after the removal of the Escher flamer from his doorway, Ian could hear at least two separate combats taking place. One of them was just beyond the thin metal wall to his right.

With nothing more taking place out the little hole he was sitting behind Ian drew his las pistol and made for the door. If the wrong person won the exchange outside, he was sure that he and his patients would be next.

Just as the door started to swing back in again Ian shifted his pistol to the right hand and then kicked with all his weight behind it sending the door smashing back into whoever was behind it.

“Ah! Son of a….” was the only response. But more importantly, Ian recognized the voice.

“Bo! Man, sorry about that!” Ian said as he stepped through the door to help the now prone Van Saar heavy back to his feet.

“Don’t worry about it. Come on, Dyrke sent me to move you and the others. Get you all some place a little more out of the way.”

Ian scooped up amber across his shoulders, her arms to the left and her legs to the right. Renold was also up and ready to move.

Just outside the door the trio almost tripped over Katan. He was down on one knee with blood gushing out of the other. Boanerges quickly reached down and scooped up the injured ganger and the group moved on its way crossing back across the open ground Ian had first covered to get to the shack in the first place.

Once everyone was behind the cover of the alleyway the injured where lined up along the wall so Ian could give them the once over again. Boanerges covered the group from the corner, but the sound of gun play was waning fast.

The sprint across the open ground on Ian’s shoulders had jarred Amber to consciousness, and she was in obvious pain. She groaned uncontrollably as she clutched her useless left arm. The bone protruding from her where her collar bone should be continued to threaten to pierce the skin and almost touched her jaw line. There was nothing he could do but grimace for her. He reached into his kit bag and pulled out the little bit of pain relievers he had. Since leaving the comfortable labs of his father’s business he did not have the luxury of having injectors.

“You have to swallow these,” Ian said practically shoving them into the gangers mouth.

Amber gagged slightly but managed to get the pills down her throat dry.

“What about me Doc. Do you have anything left for me?”

Ian shook his head as he looked over at Renold.

“Fresh out.” The Ian remembered Katan and left Amber to suffer in peace.

Katan’s pant leg was drenched in blood. A harsh wound pierced his thigh, and it was deep.

“What do you think Ian?” Katan said as he shifted his weight so that he could give the medic better access to the wound.

“I am not sure Katan. It looks pretty bad. Can you move it?”

The seasoned ganger gingerly bent his right leg. It moved, but very slowly. Almost as if the man was trying to move a smelting furnace by himself.

Grunting Katan shook his head. “It hurts bad enough for me to think it is broken.”

Ian used both hands as he kneaded the muscles trying to feel if anything was out of place. Katan threw his head back and it took all his strength to suppress the outcry that threatened to erupt from his body.

“Sorry. Everything seems to be in place, but I think whatever it was may have nicked the bone. Can you walk?”

Katan chuckled through the pain. “Sure, if you have a couple more doses of those stimms.”

“Afraid not old man,” Ian smiled as he looked Katan in the eyes. Katan just nodded in reply.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

It had taken the Spiders the better part of a day cycle to get everyone back to the Bifrost’s lower level. Once Dyrke had gotten his men within easy reach of their layer he took Boanerges and diverted to try and get to the trading market before the guilders closed up shop for the night. Ian had made it clear that he needed some more medical supplies. Pain relievers, stims, antiseptic and bandages were all in short supply.

Renold’s arm was easily set but, as Ian constantly reminded everyone, he was not a doctor. After a few days it was obvious that the bone would mend, but the strength would never be the same.

Katan’s wound had indeed nicked the bone. Despite Ian’s best efforts Katan had a pretty severe limp.

Amber’s shoulder was pretty bad. Once back in medical bay Ian took some tubing, formed it into two loops and placed one around each arm and up over the shoulders. With some more scraps he then tied the two loops together across her back. He pulled them so tight that it thrust her shoulders backwards. So much so that she had difficulty raising her arms up beyond her shoulder level.

“You have got to be kidding,” Amber said in frustration.

“We need to get the bone back into position to support the arm. From here the bones line up and should set nicely. Besides, I like what it does for your figure,” he finished with sly smile.

“Cute. Isn’t there anything else you men think about?”

“Sure, we also think about eating and sleeping.”

“How long am I going to have to be tied up like this?”

“It will most likely take a couple of weeks for the bone to heal sufficiently.”

“Won’t the Cats take advantage of our being a man down?”

“I don’t think the Cats are going to be out prowling anytime soon. I counted four corpses as we left ‘Kronly’s Hole’. Rumor has it they have abandoned that slag pit too. Dyrke has sent Hargrave to work it. We might be able to get some salvageable material out of it, at least for a few guilders now and then. Get some rest. I’m sure Dyrke will have something for us to do soon enough.”

No Turning Back

“Can you hear me now?” Ian whispered into Rogers left ear. There was no discernable reaction from the man. Then Ian tapped the palm of his hand with his fingers, still no reaction.

“I have good news and I have bad news Rogers. The good news is that you are healing up nicely. The bad news is that you have lost the hearing in your left ear. There’s not much else I can do for you.”

“It’s alright ‘Doc’. You did the best you could.

Ian shook his head and smiled. “’Doc’, I could get used to that”, he said to himself. Walking over to his workbench in the rear of the sickbay Ian prepared to get back to work on his various ‘projects’. Although he did not have anything promising it kept his mind off other things.

“There you are”, Dyrke said as he entered, passing Rogers in the doorway. “Have you had a chance to visit Chigger this week?”

“On the table by the door there” Ian said without getting up. He was hoping he could get back to his distractions without prolonged conversation.

“Good, good. Feels pretty heavy, Chigger must really like you kid.”

Ian just nodded and turned his attention back to the workbench.

Even though Dyrke caught on that Ian was not in the mood for conversation he kept on. “I understand Amb… I mean ‘Panthera’, lost something dear to her when you brought her in.”

“A gift from someone she considered to be a friend. A sword”, Ian replied.

“Then she might be interested in this.”

Ian turned to face his leader once more. In Dyrke’s hands he held a sword in its scabbard. It was not as ornate as the one Amber left behind but it was a fine Van Saar specimen. The scabbard was made of a dull black plastic that fit the blade perfectly.

Dyrke walked over and handed it to Ian. “I’d like for you to give it to her. I think she would prefer that it came from you.”

“These are a little hard to come by. Thanks Dyrke. I think she will appreciate it.”

Ian drew out the perfectly straight blade. The handle and blade were one solid piece. The blade used only a single cutting edge that ran from the tip almost down to the hand guard which was formed seamlessly between the blade and handle. The guard was a simple unadorned oval. The grip was overlaid with synthetic foam that both conformed to the hands of the wielder and provided a non-slip grip with enough room to get both hands around it. Sliding it back into place Ian looked back up to Dyrke, “I think she will get some good use out of this.”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

“I hear the Escher are exceptional in hand to hand combat. I was wondering if you would be willing to show me some of the moves you picked up while you were with them.”

Amber turned away from the doorway to her room, leaving the door open but not inviting Ian in either. When she reached the far end of her small room she turned back around and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“I didn’t think you wanted to see me anymore, now that I’m one of the Spiders that is.”

“Well, you just seemed so pissed at me the last time we talked… and I was worried…”

“About what? That the other guys would pick on you for shacking up with the new recruit?”

“Um, no. I was worried that they might mind that I was… “shacking up” … with an Escher. Because that is what I thought you were before Dyrke sent me to bring you in.”

“What do you care what they think?”

“I care because they took me in when I didn’t know where else to go. Just like they are doing for you now.”

The last statement seemed to disarm her a little and she looked away.

“Can I come in? I thought I’d check on that bruise you received while guarding the Ratskin, besides I come bearing a gift.”

“A doctor who makes house calls, how sweet.”

“Well, I’m no doctor. I’m barely a medic, but I do make house calls”, Ian said with a coy smile.

Amber motioned for him to come in, “what is this gift you speak of?”

As Ian pulled the new sword around from behind his back he stepped through the doorway and shut the door behind him with his free hand.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Every one of the ‘Steel Spiders’ were there. It was a time to celebrate, or so they were told. In reality it was just an excuse to unwind and spend their credits while supporting their good friend Chigger and the Bifrost. They all just wanted to forget about the Ratskin Chief that got away.

Sitting around one table Boanerges, Rogers, and Hargrave were trying their best to entertain a bar wench each. It was none too hard either as the drinks flowed freely.

Dyrke sat at another with Cacee, Katan, and their newest team member – who everyone knew now as Panthera. Here the atmosphere was more subdued, but there were no frowns to be seen.

Renold kept himself entertained by throwing a few rounds of darts with Ian. Neither of these last two had been in the mood for either ‘Wild Snake’ or ‘Second Best’ so they kept to themselves.

“Come on over here Panthera and have a seat with old Hargrave darlin’.”

This caught Ian’s attention causing his last toss to miss the target completely. Without thinking he just said over his shoulder, “She spoken for”. The room grew quiet.

“What’d you say lad?” came Hargrave’s slurred response as he stood knocking over his chair.

Before Ian could respond Amber stood up and moved in between the two men.

“He said I am not interested in your company, so have another round on him and take a seat.”

For several seconds the room stayed quiet no one really knowing what to say.

BAM, BAM, BAM! A heavy pounding on the door broke the tension within the room.

A voice called through the door, “Traitor! Come out and face the Cats! We know how you betrayed us! Amber, you might as well come out and face your judgment!”

Dyrke held up a hand to silence the rest of the room as he stood. Walking to the door he calmly opened it as several of the ‘Spiders’ readied weapons behind him.

“There is no one here by that name. You are obviously mistaken, so why don’t you just scurry back to your hole before something bad happens.”

Even from the back of the room Ian could tell the drinking hall beyond the door had also grown quiet. All of the Spiders were now on their feet.

“Dyrke, you know better than to cross us. Bring out the traitor bitch and we’ll call it even.”

Dyrke opened the door wide and stepped through. “Can’t do it Fushia. I can’t give you what I don’t have. The only people with me tonight are the ‘Steel Spiders’ and our invited guests. Besides it would be a shame to embarrass you and your girls so publicly… again”.

Ian caught Amber’s sleeve and tugged her towards the back of the group now following Dyrke through the doorway. ‘Not here’ he whispered, and then they both followed Dyrke out into the main hall of the Bifrost. All of the ‘Black Cats’ were standing there with their leader.

The two gangs spread our and faced each other. Each set of eyes were locked on their opponent. So much so that the ‘Black Cats’ paid little attention to Amber who was now dressed in the blue, grey, and black pixeled bodysuit of her fellow Van Saar gangers – and no longer sporting her distinctive ponytail. That is until the ‘Black Cat’ known as Jade caught her moving into line with her new family. But before the Escher could alert the others to her discovery a tall trench coated Enforcer stepped onto the floor in between the two gangs.

“I know you all are not thinking about what I think you’re thinking about… are you.”

The Enforcer Sergeant looked back and forth between the two gang leaders. As he did so the distinctive sound of several shotguns being primed sounded to reinforce his statement.

Ian saw that two separate patrols were no on either side of the drinking hall. On one side stood a wall of Enforcers armed with shotguns and a heavy stubber. On the other a group obviously equipped to get in and mix up as they were armed with suppression shields, power mauls, and of course the distinctive cyber mastiff. This was not a good place to be – in between the two teams and no where to hide.

“The Black Cats have crossed your path Dyrke. Your luck is about to change!” The Escher leader yelled across the floor.

Dyrke stood there and chuckled under his breath. “See you out in the wastes”, was his only reply.

Fight Another Day

“You can’t take it with you.”

Amber was about to protest but just nodded instead. ‘Snip… snip… snip’ locks of her red hair began falling past her shoulders into her lap.

“Do you have to cut off so much?”

Ian stopped cutting and moved around and looked her in the eyes. “Only if you really want to get out. You said so yourself. The Black Cats were on to you. It was either get out now, or they were going to cut you out – literally.”

Amber nodded her understanding and Ian finished the task. In the place of a proud top knot pony tail was a flat top crew cut. Looking into the mirror that was bolted to the guestroom wall of the Bifrost she rubber the top of her head.

“This is going to take some getting used to,” she said as she turned to look back at Ian.

“There’s still one more thing. You’re going to have to ditch this,” he said as he lifted up a beautifully decorated sheathed sword.

“That was a gift from Jade!”

“And it would identify you immediately as the spy who once walked among them. You’d never be able to show your face around the Bifrost again.”

With sadness in her eyes Amber nodded once more.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

“Where have you been?”

“It’s good to see you too boss.” Ian could see the irritation in Dyrke’s eyes and thought better of pushing his luck. “I would like to introduce you to ‘Panthera’.”

Dyrke’s face changed. “I thought you… would have been… um, that is…”

“Right, that is what makes a good spy, no? Anyway, I have already filed my report and have been instructed to not return to hive city. Apparently I am no longer considered an asset by ‘Internal Affairs’.”

“So you can not go back home?”

Amber shook her head.

Dyrke thought about this for a moment.

“We could use another hand around here, but your dossier does not show much experience. You think you could run with the ‘Steel Spiders’?”

Amber glanced between Dyrke and Ian. “That’s what I was kind of hoping for. I mean, to run around alone down here is not the brightest idea. I don’t know if the Cats will catch on or not though.”

“The ‘Cats’? The ‘Black Cats’?” Dyrke asked.

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“It might be.”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Ever since he had returned with Amber Ian had been kept very busy. For some reason he wanted to steer clear of her, like he didn’t want the others to know about the two of them. The others seemed to be intrigued with the fact that a woman was among their ranks and went out of their way to “make her feel comfortable”. Ian was surprised to find that he did not like that, so to keep himself distracted he went about his business.

All of his patients had been kicked out of his sickbay, but that didn’t keep him from having to cleaning up the mess left behind. Without knowing it Dyrke helped him out by taking him along to meet with the Guilders.

“Your shot is what brought him down Ian. It’s only fair that you get to come along and negotiate the deal,” Dyrke had told him.

When all was said and done the bounty was set at one hundred and sixty five credits. Now that was a nice little paycheck. So the pair headed home to collect up their prize.

“Ian, you have done pretty well since coming to the ‘Spiders’. You mind telling me why you would walk away from the comforts of Hive City?”

Ian looked at his boss and took some time to think over his answer. He knew that Dyrke had known about his little deal with the union security guard, but beyond that he was not so sure.

“Let’s just say I didn’t want to grow old staring at the same walls every day of my life,” Ian finally replied.

“Fair enough I suppose. What about ‘Pantera’?”

Ian’s head snapped to look at Dyrke.

“Come on Ian. I’m not blind, besides, Chigger has known me longer.”

Ian felt his cheeks get flushed. He was not sure what he was more embarrassed by. The fact Dyrke seemed to know so much about him, or that it felt like his own Father had walked in on him and his girlfriend. Which he and Amber were not… at least that is what he told himself.

“There’s nothing going on between Amb… I mean ‘Pantera’ and me.”

“Hmm… well, you…”

CRACK! The distant sound of a single rifle report interrupted Dyrke’s train of thought.

“Cr@$! Move it Ian!”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Renold came out of an old service access door to join Ian and Dyrke as they ran headlong down the old drainage pipe. The gun fire that originally drew their attention had dropped off and all was quiet ahead. As the three men erupted from the end of the tube with their weapons ready they were met with a hail of gunfire.

Dyrke and Renold dropped to the ground but Ian kept pressing forward. When he reached a pile of scattered steel drums and machine parts he stopped to see what was going on.

Dyrke was laying in the middle of the street with blood coming from a fresh wound to his left thigh and Renold was no where to be seen. A loud piercing whoop from above drew Ian’s attention upward.

Standing on top of the control tower stood the Ratskin Chief with fists raised in the air. As the savage looked down and made eye contact with Ian, another Ratskin behind him urged him to leave with him. Without another sound the two men turned and disappeared.

Looking around it became obvious that Ian was pretty much on his own. If the Chief was free that meant the guards were down. Dyrke was getting back on his feet but was slowed by his wounds. Renold was nowhere to be seen. With the Ratskins laying in wait on his left there was nothing else to do but to press forward using the overhead scaffolding and walkways to cover his advance. If they could not turn him in to the Guilders, Ian was not about to let him get away either.

The pile of debris was enormous. Although the slag and trash would slow him down he only needed to get into a good firing position on the other side. Once there he could take out the Chief with a long range Las shot from his rifle. As he cleared the top of the pile his rifle smashed against some of the overhanging spore fungus. The resulting cloud of spores caused his eyes to water and to sneeze several times, but all he had to do now was to slide down the other side.

Dropping into a small pit Ian had found his firing position. He could see the small band of Ratskin raiders beginning to descend the scaffolding not thirty meters from him. Pulling the lasgun up into his shoulder Ian leaned forward to get a good stable firing position. The images were crisp and clean in his scope. “Almost there…”, Ian said to himself.

Thwip, thwip Several slugs impacted in and around Ian causing him to flinch and duck down. Peeking over the crest of his impromptu foxhole Ian caught sight of two more Ratskins, both armed with autoguns, had an angle on his position. A glance back towards where the Chief was going to appear told him what he already knew. He did not have time for this.

Ian ducked back below the crest of his hole just as more incoming rounds impacted against the far side wall. With his back against the wall Ian closed his eyes and pictured the shot in his mind. As he rose to his feet Ian spun to his left, pulled the stock of his rifle into his shoulder, and immediately sighted in on where he remembered the first Ratskin sniper to be. Right where he expected!

Crack! Ian’s shot found its mark and knocked the savage from his perch, but he did not have time to watch him fall. Ian immediately shifted his body to his left in order to get an angle on the second Ratskin. This one was at ground level. Return fire from the second one sailed wide.

This time Ian took nothing to chance and flipped the selector lever to “burst”. There wasn’t enough time to aim carefully so he let fly a three round burst. Without knowing if his rounds found their target Ian immediately shifted his attention back to the Chief.

But it was too late. Ian could do nothing further but watch as the Ratskin Chief disappeared through wall on the far side of the dome.

“Damn!” Ian called out.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Ian had expected to find Amber and Rogers dead. After all they had been assigned to guard the Chief.

Amber had been knocked out with a club to her jaw. Other than a deep bruise she would be alright. Rogers was a little different. There was a deep gash along the side of his skull where a las round had creased it. The intense heat of the ionized atoms flying through the air seared the wound. The good news was there was no bleeding. The bad news was that the heat had also fused his eardrum. This was beyond Ian’s skill to fix so all he did was try and make the man more comfortable.

With a little effort Dyrke joined the rest of the Spiders on top of the platform.

“The Chief got away boss.” Ian said as was treating the wounded.

“It’s alright kid. You did the best you could.” Dyrke said as he looked down at his team’s medic. “But I think we need a little work on our sentry skills.”

In From the Cold

Every available surface area in the medical bay was full. Ian had been moving between several of the Spiders since their return to the Bifrost.

Hargrave and Katan were on the only two on cots. Hargrave’s head wound was pretty severe. From what Ian could tell the skull had been fractured, but there was no way to tell if there was any more damage internally, and he was not about to dig around and find out. Not in these conditions.

Katan’s condition was much improved. Once they got back Ian was able to get the rest of the shrapnel removed from his arm. That and the fact that the arterial bleeding was just that, there was enough of the blood veins that all Ian had to do was bandage up the area and clean the wounds out. Within a day Katan’s color had returned and he was responding to questions.

The rest just needed to have their bandages replaced. Of course Dyrke had neglected to come back to have his wounds cleaned up. Ian couldn’t even remember seeing him wearing the bandages the last meal break. “Speak of the devil,” Ian thought to himself as Dyrke walked in.

“Ian, I need to speak to you… in private.”

The two men stepped out into the hall and shut the door.

“I need your help on a sticky situation. The House is telling me that we need to pull in a field operative. An agent that penetrated another house needs to come in, but he is apparently insisting that he come in through us.”

“I don’t get it. Why us? Why are you telling me this?”

“You’re going to be my point man on this Ian. The boys are healing up nicely because of you so I don’t need you to baby sit them. Besides, Chigger seems to have taken a liking to you.”

Ian just nodded. Thinking back he remembered some of the people his father had dealings with. Always in whispers and away from prying eyes. Somehow it always made his skin crawl.

“Do you have a name, or a picture?” Ian asked.

“No, just his codename, ‘Panthera’.”

“When?”

“Well, that is another sticky part. I don’t know exactly. But the good news is that you get to just hang around the Bifrost until he shows up. Apparently this guys knows about the ‘Spiders’ and our base of operations around the Bifrost. He will make contact with us, through you, there.”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

The Bifrost was quiet. Although a good crowd filled the main hall the mood was subdued. Ian couldn’t figure it out. That was until he caught Chigger’s attention. All it took was a nod from the bartender toward a table along the back wall. Two enforcers and a man in ornate clothing sat sipping from their drinks and whispering amongst themselves. At the feet of one of Lord Helmawr’s policemen was a cyber-mastiff. Clearly no one wanted to draw attention to themselves so long as those four were present.

Not wanting attention himself Ian just propped himself up at the bar and ordered a glass of water. Chigger just shook his head. Such extravagances were extremely rare below “the wall”.

“Chigger… has anyone been looking for the ‘Spiders’ lately?”

“Not lately kid. Even the ‘Black Cats’ have been laying low. I’d be careful though. They don’t take to licking their wounds for long.”

Ian snorted to himself and just sat there enjoying his drink, even ordering a plate of mushrooms. As the night wore on Ian’s patience began to wane. Just as he was about to head back to his nice warm bunk for the evening Amber walked up and sat next to him at the bar without waiting for an invitation.

“Hello Ian.”

Ian began to wonder if he was about to be the center of yet more unwanted attention.

“Hello Amber. You… look good.”

And she did, despite weariness being obvious behind her eyes. She also looked like she was on edge. Her right hand never left her thigh, the one adjacent to her auto pistol.

“Can we go somewhere to talk?”

“I don’t think so. You pretty much said all you needed to the last time.”

An awkward silence fell over the two.

“Well, can we at least move down to the end of the bar?”

Ian nodded and the two shifted down.

“I know the ‘Spiders’ didn’t attack the ‘Cats’ last week. I jumped to a wrong conclusion. Sorry about that.”

Ian just nodded.

“Is that all you’re going to say?”

“What do you want me to say? You told me to steer clear, I’m steering clear. Look Dyrke sent me to meet somebody and I doubt that he is going to show up with you sitting right next to me. I appreciate your willingness to come and set the record straight but I’m in the middle of something right now. Maybe we will see each around here sometime.”

“Right, I guess I should have expected such a chauvinistic response. See you around Ian.”

Ian felt a lump settle into his stomach and he watched her walk away. She stopped in front of Chigger, laid several guilders on the bar, said something, and then walked up stairs to the Bifrost’s rooms. Ian dropped his eyes back to his plate. All of a sudden the urge to jump up and follow her welled up inside, only the discipline to complete the task Dyrke had given him kept him in his seat.

“Bartender! Bartender!”

Ian looked up as one of the Enforcers walked up next to him. The man made eye contact with Ian, but that was all.

Chigger walked over, “what can I do for you constable?”

“That’s Enforcer to you citizen. Look, this fellow,” thumbing over his shoulder back towards his table, “is looking for some fellow named ‘Vant’. Ever hear of him?”

“No sir. Not a hint. What does he look like?”

The enforcer handed over a pictograph, “look familiar?”

“Nope, I’ve never seen him either Enforcer.”

Ian smiled as he took a drink from his glass. The Enforcer snorted and turned away. “And bring another round of drinks to our table!”

“Stinkin’ Hive City dwellers. Think they can come out here and just boss their way around… I wonder why they think they can find this guy out here?” Chigger let his eyes lock on to Ian’s for several seconds. Although he did not fully understand what Chigger was looking for, he also did not dare break eye contact with the man.

“A man could get lost down here.”

Ian wasn’t sure if the last comment was a statement, or a question. “I can’t imagine it being all that hard,” Ian finally replied, still not breaking eye contact with the bartender.

As the tension began to relax Chigger slipped a folded piece of parchment across the counter, “It seems like them Enforcers are not the only ones lookin’ for someone.”

Looking down at the piece of paper it simply read ‘Panthera’. “Thanks Chigger. Where did he go?”

“Top of the stairs, end of the hall. You can’t miss it.”

While heading out the main hall Ian unfolded the note. “We have things to discuss,” was all it read. This confused Ian. He had thought his sole mission was to bring this person in, not meet in seclusion to talk.

As he walked down the hall it was obvious that Chigger’s rooms were full. As Ian approached the end of the hall flashes of memory came to mind. Found memories of the night he and Amber spent together brought a quick smile to his face.

The door was slightly ajar with the room beyond dark. Ian drew his pistol and stepped to the side of the door. A quick check showed the power cell to be fully charged. Looking back down the hallway he listened for any sounds coming from the room. It, of course, was silent.

“You can come in,” came a soft voice from inside. “Just keep your hands up and to the side where I can see them.”

Ian’s head dropped for a moment. He really needed to work on his stealth techniques. “How do I know you are who I think you are?”

“Panthera,” was the only reply.

Ian thought hard about his next move. His mind was screaming for him to just walk away. But there was something just under the surface. His instincts maybe… keeping his las pistol in his right hand he eased the door open with his left. When no gun fire erupted from the room he stepped into the doorway. His entire profile would now be visible to anyone inside. Still nothing so he stepped inside.

“Close the door.”

As the latch on the door clicked several things happened simultaneously. Lights came on temporarily blinding Ian, a pair of hands grabbed him and threw him down on the bed further in the room, and then an audible click of the deadbolt being secured. But before Ian’s eyes could adjust his assailant landed on top of him, straddling across his chest and effectively pinning his arms down.

“Maybe now you will have more to say.”

Ian’s eyes adjusted to the new light level. As he looked up he found Amber’s green eyes looking back down into his.

“You are Panthera?”

“I am Panthera.”

A Fool's Errand

part 1

SMACK! “How dare you attack the Cats!”

Ian’s cheek stung from the impact of Amber’s slap. “We didn’t attack them, they cornered us. We defended ourselves!”

“Why would the Cats take you and your gang on? We don’t need your booze hall. We run the habs below and even have a couple of Guilders in our pockets, why in Helmawr’s rump would we want the Bifrost?!?”

“Look! I’m telling you they aimed to take us out! If it had not been for Renold getting the drop on your friends we might not be having this… conversation!”

“You keep clear of me Ian! You hear me! If you cross my path again so help me… you will pay dearly for it!”

The rest of the patrons in the ‘Bifrost’ snapped their heads back to what they were doing as Ian looked around the room.

“So much for being discreet,” Ian thought to himself as he rubbed his cheek. He walked up to the bar and sat down.

“Chigger! How about a hit of second best to sooth the soul.”

Ian slapped down a guilder on the counter. Taking the glass Ian downed the foul beverage without letting the bottom of the cup touch the bar. Shivering to himself he groaned. Nasty stuff, but Chigger’s brew was better than most. His… discomfort, yea that’s it, his discomfort would be soothed. For a moment at least.

“Ian! Come here for a minute!”

Dyrke called out from the “Spider’s Web” (their room off the main floor). Ian’s heart sank. “I sure hope he didn’t catch that,” He thought to himself.

As Ian approached the room a Ratskin stepped through the doorway, glanced at Ian, and then disappeared out the front door.

“What was that all about?” Ian asked Dyrke who was now locking up the room.

“I’ve been tossing around the idea of hiring us a guide. That fellow wants to prove his worth. He says there is a prime piece of archeo sitting pretty just waiting for someone to come and claim it.”

Ian glanced out the door that the Ratskin had used. He had never actually seen a Ratskin up close. All he knew about them were the things of children’s stories his parents used to tell him.

“Do you trust him?” Ian asked looking back into his leader’s eyes.

“I’m not sure, but if this take is as good as he says it is… it will be worth the risk. Go round up the team. I need to check on something and pick up some supplies. I’ll meet you all downstairs in thirty.”

And with that Dyrke headed out the door. Ian just watched him go for a moment and then headed downstairs.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

As the Steel Spiders sat waiting for their leader to return Ian adjusted the setting on the power cell of his Lasgun to the minimum, and then pulled the rifle up into a comfortable tuck. The optics were clearer than he had hoped. With his finger obviously outside the trigger guard he panned low across a couple of his fellow gangers. He could see the folds in their bodysuits, and the stark contrast of their belts and respirators. Sighting in on an old shelf support he squeezed the trigger… missed.

Walking over to the wall where the beam of light left a scorch mark he made a few calculations in his head and then made a quick adjustment to his newly created Infrared sight.

“You’re can clean that up when we get back Ian.”

With the entrance of their leader the Spider’s found a place to sit and then quieted down.

“Before I get started, this here is Hargrave. He has credentials from the Union shop above so make him welcome. Oh, Renold, go fetch that shotgun and ammo from Bo’s workshop.”

Renold took off down the hall while most of the rest of the Spider’s nodded a greeting to the late arrival.

“Alright, Ian’s probably already told you. We are off to make a claim on some supposedly discarded archeo. Here’s the twist. Our guide disappeared after he left the Bifrost. I don’t trust the source, but I’ve decided to go forward with the plan anyway.”

A few of the Spiders shifted in their seats.

“I know it’s probably a fool’s errand, but here’s the plan…”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Ian climbed up through the last hatch. The rest of the Spider’s had already assumed a small perimeter with Dyrke in the center.

“Ian, you are going to accompany Cacee and Rogers on a flanking move. I’m not comfortable with not knowing the area very well. This is the deepest we’ve had to go so far.”

“Boss, not to contradict you in front of everyone but… I’d prefer to take Renold over Ian. It’s gonna be tight down in those tunnels. Ian’s a good shot and all, but I need someone who’s more maneuverable in a tight spot.”

Dyrke contemplated this and looked at Cacee. “You’re right. Ian, go take Renold’s spot on the perimeter.”

Once he was in position Ian looked back at the four men. Dyrke was referring to an unrolled piece of paper and then drawing something in the dust on the floor. Cacee looked down, pointed to a few things, and nodded. Then he looked to the other men, said something and pointed to the ground once more. Dyrke then left the other three and approached Ian.

“It was nothing personal. I had wanted to keep my medic close anyway,” Dyrke said as he smacked Ian on the shoulder.

“It’s not a problem Boss. Let’s go get this thing and get back.”

Dyrke grinned and nodded. As he turned to move to the next in line he hesitated.

“You might want to be a little more… discreet in your choices of… friends.”

Ian felt panic in his chest.

“It’s no big deal kid. I’ve known about your little ‘cat’ since you joined. If it becomes a problem though… I expect you to deal with it.”

“Sure thing boss. But I think it’s already taken care of.”

“You never can tell Ian, you never can tell.”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Part 2

“Cave in!”

The hive shook all around a trio of Van Saar gangers making their way through an old sewage pipe. Dust and debris cascaded at an incredible rate.

“Make for that last crossway!”

Cacee made it back first. Just as the other two also made it he looked back down the tunnel and saw that it was now totally blocked.

“We have to find another way guys. Where was that other tunnel again?”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Dyrke had been pushing the ‘Steel Spiders’ hard. For the better part of the day cycle they kept moving. Down, always down. When they finally arrived at the dome Dyrke had shown them on his map, they found that they were not alone in the quest. For… whatever it was.

The leader of the Spiders silently signaled that there were some uninvited guests. With a pair of arm signals they were all told where to go. Katan and Bo were to take up the right flank and prepare to take out any one approaching from their side of the field. The new guy, Hargrave, and Ian were to follow Dyrke around to the left to make for a tall platform located in the center of the dome.

As Ian and the other two approached a ladder Dyrke motioned for Ian to cover the advance from here. Not a bad spot. Sitting down against an adjoining bulkhead Ian leaned forward and rested his lasgun into a niche. From here he was able to keep a good eye on his leader and the new guy. He could also see the dome floor below.

Just in time. Out of the shadows crept a pair of Escher. They were not wearing the colors of the Black Cats, this was a different gang. Ian glanced up and tried to get Dyrke’s attention. No dice, he was fixated on his goal and not looking back.

“Bupupupupupup” Dyrke let loose with the Heavy Stubber and both of the Escher went to ground. Ian sighted in using his new Infrared scope. It was working beautifully as the two signatures were crisp. The distinctive report of Katan’s Bolt Pistols now joined the battle and the woman closest to the Van Saar gangers dropped. Ian sighted in on his remaining target and let a bolt from his lasgun fly. His target jerked back behind cover, but it didn’t look like the shot hit anything vital.

Chancing a look back towards his boss Ian saw that Dyrke had readied his Axe and pistol and was running headlong for the far end of the bridge he was on. Ian tried to peer into the darkness beyond but could not pick up any targets.

“Unh!” Ian felt something slam into the left side of his head. The world started to spin. Turning to his left Ian caught a glimpse of two men in long coats and dark goggles. The edge of his vision was starting to go black when Katan stepped past him and was blasting away with both bolt pistols at the attackers.

“Where did those Delaque come from?” Was the last thing Ian remembered saying to himself as the darkness overtook him.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

“Come on kid, wake up!”

Ian felt someone lightly smacking his face. Blinking once, twice… Dyrke was staring down at him. Ian could feel a hand beneath his head holding him up as well.

“Here take a sip of this.”

Dyrke was offering him some kind of liquid. The plastic cup felt cool so Ian took a mouthful. And then it started to burn. Ian coughed uncontrollably causing him to spill most of it down the front of his body suit.

“What was that?” Ian asked as he continued coughing.

“Gutter rot. Got it from the vendors outside of the Bifrost. Not bad eh?”

Ian shook his head. Whatever it was it had cleared his mind. Reaching up he touched the side of his head. His hand came away with fresh blood.

“What happened?”

Dyrke looked passed him for moment, “a band of Delaque jumped us from behind. It would seem that our Ratskin friend was more free with his information than I had thought. I need you to take a look at the others…”

Dyrke had managed to drag all the rest of the Spiders over to where they were now.

Katan was very pale with a lot of blood coming from a nasty series of wounds along his left arm. Burn marks and deep cuts covered the area.

“He’s cut an artery somewhere in there,” Ian said without looking up. Grabbing his kit bag Ian rummaged through his meager medical supplies. Nothing, there was nothing there. In frustration he pulled his knife and went to work cutting away pieces of Katan’s damaged uniform. For the shrapnel that was close to the surface he pried the pieces out with his knife, but no amount of pressure was stopping the blood from flowing onto the ground. Finally Ian was desperate. Pulling Katan’s own belt off Ian quickly fashioned a makeshift tourniquet and strapped it, and the arm, down.

“I need to get him back to the Bifrost,” Ian finally said to Dyrke who was hovering over the two men.

“Wait, there’s more over here.”

Dyrke showed Ian the unconscious forms of Hargrave and Boanerges. Ian looked the two men over. Hargrave had a nasty gash across his head, but the bandage that Dyrke had applied was doing the trick. Boanerges was harder to discern. A bullet had gone clear through his shoulder. The blood had stopped but he was going to be in a lot of pain. Bo would be able to walk himself out, if they could wake him, but he would be slow. Ian had been so focused on the wounded he did not see Cacee and the others approach.

“We finally made it boss. The tunnel we needed to get here collapsed, almost on top of us. We got here as fast as we could.”

“Better late than never,” Dyrke replied. “Come on, give us hand. We need to get these three back to our lair.”

“Was it worth it boss? Did we get what we came here for?” Ian asked as he fashioned a stretcher out of the debris.

Dyrke grinned slightly as he pulled out a small rectangular box to show the rest. There were several wires and tubes with no apparent rhyme or reason. Ian wanted to look at it more closely, but there wasn’t time. Then Dyrke’s face hardened as he looked back at Ian.

“It will be worth it if we can get these guys taken care of.”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Part 3

Ian looked up from Katan’s bloody arm. Cacee had returned from another scouting run and was whispering something to Dyrke. Neither of them looked very happy with the news.

Turning back to his task at hand Ian went back to work on Katan’s wounds. In order to save it Ian was having to release the tourniquet from time to time to allow blood to flow through the good portions of the arm and hand. Although the blood flow had slackened he could not get it to stop completely. He really needed to get Katan back to the Bifrost in order to get a better look at the wound. Katan still looked very pale and Ian was beginning to worry if he would recover. Tightening the tourniquet down once again Ian made sure his patient was ready to move.

“We need to get the wounded to a safe place Ian. We are going to have some visitors soon.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cacee is reporting that a large group of Ratskins have been following us. They will be here shortly.”

Ian looked around. They were in the midst of an abandoned settlement and all the buildings were in very poor condition. After a quick check of the surrounding area the pair settled on an old storage building. Once the wounded were stashed away Dyrke sent Cacee, Rogers, and Renold out to try and give a warning when the Ratskins would be on top of them. They would provide security for the immediate area.

“You’ve done pretty good at keeping the rest of the Spiders patched up kid. If Cacee’s right, we are going to be hard pressed in the fight ahead. Will any of the wounded be able to step up?

“No, they are all in pretty sad shape.”

“Alright, keep your head down and take as many of them with you as you can.”

When Ian nodded his acknowledgement he realized that the shot he took to his head was still bleeding. It was going to be a long night.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Ian’s mood was dismal. Since they had holed up in this dome the constant anticipation of attack was heavy on his mind. To top it off a heavy rain had been falling for the past hour and a half. The concern of it being acidic was quickly dispelled, but it was putting off a noxious odor that was making him light headed. And to add more on top of it, Cacee and the others had yet to return or even report in.

The rain had soaked the dome floor and pools of the liquid were everywhere causing the thick layer of dust to form a gooey mud-like substance. Ian had retreated to an elevated walkway in a futile attempt to get away from the fumes.

“Donk…..donk…dink” Something metallic clattered down a pile of rubble on the opposite edge of the dome. Ian whirled around to see what it was… a mistake. His light headedness turned into full fledged vertigo causing him to stumble forward. Even as he stepped over the edge of the walkway he could not tell which way was up. Before he even knew what was happening Ian had fallen the thirty feet to the dome floor below, landing in a deep mud hole.

“Ugh! It smells even worse up close.” Ian said to himself as he stood back up.

“Here they come!”

Ian scooped mud away from his eyes and looked up. Dyrke was pointing off to the far wall with his axe. From where he had landed Ian had to look through a severely dilapidated building. Even with all the intervening debris he could identify at least six Ratskins moving in their direction.

Without further hesitation Ian brought his lasgun up, sighted in on the nearest Ratskin, and squeezed off a shot. From this angle he could not tell if his shot and landed, but it did cause the Ratskin to go to ground.

Dyrke was cursing at the top of his lungs and firing madly down into the same group Ian could see. “Where is that bastard Cacee?!?” was all that Ian made out from the tirade.

“What, can’t you handle a few Ratskins?”

Ian looked back over his shoulder to see the lost trio of Spiders emerging from the shadows.

Shouting over his shoulder Ian called to them, “It’s about time you guys got back. Mind giving us a hand here?”

Cacee sent Renold and Rogers around Ian’s left while he took up a firing position to Ian’s right.

By now the Ratskins were whooping it up and moving quickly. Ian continued to snap off shots at targets as they presented themselves, but it was hard to tell if he was having any affect. His shots were always through dense rubble and debris, and the targets were quick to disappear.

Out of the corner of his left eye Ian saw that Rogers and Renold were falling back to get more cover. Renold stood in the middle of a small alley way, both las pistols blazing away at some unseen foe.

“Do not let them get to Bo and the others!”

Ian looked up to see Dyrke still blazing away at the Ratskins below. He was falling back now as he was under fire from at least two different directions, and there was no cover to be had. From where Ian stood he could see three Ratskins scaling several ladders to get at Dyrke. He didn’t have a shot and the Ratskins were on top of Dyrke before either of them could react to the new threat.

A grunt from his right turned Ian’s attention away from Dyrke’s predicament. Cacee was dropping to his knees as he grabbed his abdomen. The Ratskins were on top of him now and Ian was pulling the trigger as fast as he could flex his finger.

Another cry, from his left this time. Renold was crawling back towards where Rogers had taken cover. This was it. One more push and the Ratskins were going to sweep the Steel Spiders away.

From the top of the platform where Dyrke had been the Ratskin leader stepped forward. “You have disturbed the Hive Spirits for the last time! Return what is not yours!” And he let loose a loud whoop that made Ian’s hair stand on end.

This was his chance though. Ian dropped his infrared scope dead on the savage leader’s chest and squeezed the trigger. For the first time in the fight Ian knew the shot scored. The Ratskin dropped his shotgun over the edge and grabbed his chest. Although he attempted to stop his motion it was too late and he followed his shotgun over the edge.

For a moment time seemed to stand still. To a man the Ratskins seemed to become disoriented and confused. With the attack now stalled they began to retreat back into the shadows. Ian scanned for more targets but there were none to be had.

Once Ian was confident that the Ratskins were not going to return he quickly went to where Dyrke was. He had some pretty good gashes but he looked to be able to move. Cacee was in similar shape. Renold had a grazing shot across his thigh, and although he complained a lot, Ian didn’t think it would require anything more than a bandage.

The biggest complaint from his new patients was the smell. Ian was still caked in the odorous mud.

“Hey Ian,” Rogers was calling out from the roof of a small shed. “Come and see what we have here!”

Getting on top of the shed was no easy feat, but when he arrived he was met with the unconscious form of the Ratskin leader.

“This should fetch a pretty penny from the Guilders I bet,” Rogers said out loud.

“Rogers my friend, I couldn’t agree more.”

Celebrate Success

The smell of burning solder filled the air in the room and a slight haze hovered over the workbench.

“That should cover the circuitry, now all I need are some optics and a thermal sensor.”

Ian sat back and admired his work. The workbench was covered in a wide variety of projects, all in some stage of confusion. The latest project that held his imagination was some sort of tubular circuit board that he was now encasing inside a slightly larger metallic tube.

“Hey Ian!” the sudden interruption of his concentration caused Ian to snap his head around, and his hand slipped causing a drop of solder to fall onto the workbench.

“Cacee, you scare the… what is it?”

“Come on, you and I are taking Renold out to celebrate. He’s a full fledge member of the ‘Spiders’ now.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Ian double checked his latest project to make sure his jolt did not ruin any of his work. Once he was satisfied he set his tools down and picked up his kit bag.

“We need to stop by the Guilder’s corner too,” Ian said as he headed for the door. “I need to pick up a couple of supplies.”

“I’m comin’ too,” Boanerges voice came from his workshop across the hall. “I need to pick up a few parts myself.”

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

The four men went to the market first. The one thing most hivers have learned, especially the further one journeyed from Hive City was that beauty was in the eye of the salesman. In order to get the optics Ian wanted he had to buy two very damaged telescopic sights, and the thermal sensors were another matter entirely. When he walked away he had a small bag full of what most would consider to be junk. One thing they all agreed on was a new Las Pistol for Renold to celebrate him winning his colors. The kid wanted to use a brace of Las Pistols instead of a rifle. Said he wanted to be able to use his hands more readily while walking around. At least they were refined. Not as vulgar or bulky like a stubber.

“What are you going to do with that scrap Ian?” Boanerges asked him Ian.

“I’m not just good at patching people up ‘Bo’. I’m working on a few projects. With these scraps I should be able to finish up a sight for my new Las.”

“You boys are little far from home aren’t ya?”

The four Van Saar men stopped dead in their tracks. Three Escher women stood at the other end of the small market lane and blocked their way.

“You can’t hide behind Chigger now, can ya boys!”

Their colors showed they were part of a local Escher gang known as the ‘Black Cats’. Boanerges moved to ready his Heavy Stubber but Cacee put a hand on his shoulder. Looking over Cacee shook his head at the heavy.

The one with a stark white Mohawk smiled. “That’s right boys. No fighting. You have to play nice out in public.”

“You can’t talk like that to us,” it was Renold’s turn to step forward.

Cacee grabbed his arm, “not here” was all he said.

Another Escher, this one with Blue hair, took another step forward, readied a shotgun and said, “Aw, the little old Van Saar are afraid!” The Escher were now slowly moving forward and spreading out slightly to give each other room to maneuver.

Cacee motioned for the four of them to also spread out some. “You girls seem a little lost. The Steel Spiders run the Bifrost, and therefore you are stepping on our turf.”

“You Scrap Bugs aren’t long for this place,” this taunt came from the woman with a dark brown complexion. “The ‘Black Cats’ are moving in.”

Ian could tell that Renold was getting riled up. The guy kept inching his hands closer and closer the holsters of his pair of Las Pistols. Ian could feel his own blood begin to heat up as well.

“Come on girls, you don’t want any of this pain tonight. Why don’t you all just stand down and let your betters pass.”

This last statement from Boanerges got the women’s attention and they went silent for the moment, all the while the two sets of gangers drew ever closer.

“Your time is up, might as well face it. It would be a shame to embarrass you boys in front of your clientele like this.”

The adversaries were almost on top of each other now.

The woman with the dark complexion let a set of chains drop from her hands as she stepped forward and called out, “Come on now… can’t the little Van Saar come out to play?”

That was all that Renold could stand. Before anyone could blink Renold had both Las Pistols out snapping shots as fast as he could. His compatriots realizing that there was no turning back each drew their own weapons and joined in.

It was a blur to Ian. The din of Cacee’s Autogun and Boanerges’ Bolt Pistol just added to the confusion. Snapping out his own Las Pistol Ian threw his arm out towards the Blue haired vixen, shooting even as he brought the weapon up to bear. He couldn’t be sure but it looked like at least one of his shots had found the mark as the woman screamed out and dropped her shotgun as she slumped to the floor.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop shooting!” Cacee’s call interrupted the flood of gun fire coming from his fellow Van Saar. All three of the Escher were down. Ian chanced looks at each of his fellows to see if anyone had caught a round No apparent injuries.

“Maybe you girls will think…”

Blaring whistles echoed through the now empty market square interrupting Cacee and his victory speech. All four of the Van Saar put away their weapons as a local patrol of Enforcers rushed into the lane.

“Don’t move!” An Enforcer with large shield and Bolt Pistol called out. “You wouldn’t want to get my little friend here agitated.” With a quick motioned he drew their attention to a mechanical construct that resembled a massive dog.

Ian had no desire to tangle with the Enforcers, let alone one of their Cyber Mastiffs and he raised his hands slightly to indicate he was unarmed. Looking around he noticed that both groups of gangers did the same thing.

“What seems to be the trouble?” said another Enforcer as he stepped around the one with the dog. This one had the familiar armor and gear of the Enforcers, but also wore a coat to indicate his rank. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Boanerges stepping back slightly.

“These Van Saar ambushed us as we were heading to the trading post!”

“You lie bi…”

The one with the dog stepped in between the two gangers before it could escalate further. The Sergeant reached up and took off his helmet and stepped towards Cacee. “You first,” was all he said.

Cacee looked over at the now injured trio of Escher. We came around the corner, saw that they had… slipped,” heavily accenting that last word, “and had tried to come to their aid. You showed up just as they… refused... our assistance.”

“Riiight,” was all the Sergeant said. “What about you?” he said as he turned to address the Blue haired woman, now getting to her feet.

The woman sneered at Cacee. “They Lie!”

The Sergeant looked back over his shoulder at the Van Saar interim leader. “Well?”

“We didn’t want to disparage these poor women but… the truth is they jumped us. It’s not our fault they couldn’t hit the broadside of a bridge. We merely defended ourselves.”

The Enforcers now circled both groups of gangers, weapons at the ready. The Sergeant and the Cyber Mastiff’s handler remained in the center between the two groups. The Sergeant looked over at the three Escher.

“How is it they are the only ones injured while you and your friends here are not?”

“I guess they’re just bad shots. Maybe they ended up shooting each other as they tripped?”

“AHHHH!” The Escher woman screamed out in anger and tried to charge the Van Saar.

“You see! They’re barely house broken, let alone a serious threat to us.”

The Enforcers chuckled under their helmets. The Sergeant silenced them by raising his hand. Looking between the two gang leaders, who were now glaring at each other with contempt, The Sergeant stepped in between them once more.

“Gun play within the settlement – which is under OUR jurisdiction (he said looking at Cacee) – is strictly forbidden,” he paused for effect as he looked back and forth. “It is impossible to tell who drew first as I don’t have the time to investigate this any further. “If we should have to address this issue again… sanctions will be imposed. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly.”

“Yes.”

Came the replies from both the leaders.

“Now move along.”

Cacee motioned for the Van Saar team to move around the Escher who were now dusting themselves off.

“You have been served Van Saar, the Cats are here to play,” whispered the Escher leader.

“I’d be more respectful if I were you little pussycat,” Cacee whispered back as he chuckled to himself. “You kittens need to find another hole to play in. The Steel Spiders are the ones who watch over the Bifrost. It would serve you well to keep that in mind.”

The Escher leader just spit on the ground in front of Cacee. Ian noticed that he didn’t even look down.

Returning the Favor

Ian crept down the stairs into the common room of the Bifrost. The lights were dim, but not all the way out. In the underhive the lights never go completely out, instead they are dimmed to very faint levels to allow for some visibility.

At this hour the drinking hole was silent, the few patrons remaining were only there because that was where they passed out and there was no one left to take them home. No one cared about his passing through.

As he descended the ladder to the Steel Spiders’ lair he could here some faint movement at the far end of the hall. It was Katan’s turn for guard duty last night. ‘Best steer clear of him,’ Ian thought to himself. Fortunately his gang’s “medical bay”, where he moved into after Dyrke slipped the new juve into his old room, was closer to this end of the hallway. Waiting until he had closed the door quietly behind him, Ian crossed the room and turned on the light to his workbench.

Sleep, sweet oblivion awaited him. His rendezvous with Amber had been enjoyable, but not all that restful, and Dyrke had mentioned an early start. Not bothering to get undressed Ian lay on top of his covers and closed his eyes.

“Get up!”

Ian jolted up out of bed. He quickly realized that if had been asleep it could not have been for very long, he groaned. Just as he was about to give his intruder a ‘what for’ he realized it was Katan.

“We leave in five minutes Ian. Are you up?”

Ian nodded and walked back over to his workbench and yawned. Grabbing a few tools and supplies he stuffed them in his kit bag which lay in the midst of several projects he was tinkering on.

“Were you up late working on something?” Katan asked.

“Yea, something like that.” Picking up the power cell for his lasgun off the charger he turned back to the somber ganger. “Let’s not keep Dyrke waiting.”

Ian flicked off the light and followed the Van Saar ganger out the door.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

The journey down hive was fast and uneventful. Dyrke had spelled it out on the way. The band of nomads that Ian had stirred up continued to wreak havoc in the domes below. Apparently they were hell bent on retrieving the rifle Ian acquired from them and were knocking heads together and issuing challenges to any Hiver they came across.

Being that the Steel Spiders had a couple of spore caves in the area the locals sent word to Dyrke to come and bail them out. They were heading down to spring a trap on the invaders. By planting seeds of misinformation Dyrke believed the nomads would have a chance at something they couldn’t refuse – payback. He had left tidbits of information that Ian – and the rifle – was going to be in the area at a certain time. Dyrke was confident that the Spiders would be able to return the favor and inflict their own kind of payback for daring to enter the hive.

As they drew near Dyrke divided them up into three groups. Boanerges and Rogers were sent up to a reinforced walkway, Ian and Cacee were positioned a large air handler tower, while Dyrke and the rest of the team stayed at floor level hidden among several crates and barrels. Dyrke’s group was to assault the kill zone while Ian and the rest provided covering fire.

Once the three groups split up there was no way to communicate verbally between them. Cacee had Ian move painfully slow.

“A sniper’s job is to arrive at his destination without detection so that he can deliver a kill-shot before his target can react.” He said to Ian.

“I just want to give back some of what they dished out,” Ian replied.

“Then stick close to me kid, and we will do it together.”

Once Ian got into good firing position he looked through the sites of his new lasgun. He wanted to get familiar with the feel and sight picture of the weapon. It felt comfortable in his grip.

Looking around the kill-zone Ian could not detect Dyrke, Katan, or the juve – the ‘assault team’. That was good. He could however, easily see Boanerges and Rogers. His firing position was slightly higher so maybe that was not much of an issue. He gave Rogers a ‘thumbs up ‘signal and the waiting began.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

Cacee tapped Ian on the shoulder (they had taken turns on watch) and pointed down into the kill-zone. Ian looked over the edge and he could see two Nomads cautiously creeping out from under a warehouse awning. The pair was hunched over, respirators firmly in place, and their heads panning back and forth. One Nomad had a pistol of some kind at the ready, the other an autogun cradled in his arms. Ian nestled his cheek against the stock and took aim at the one with the rifle.

Thwack! Ian felt something smack against the back of his head. Looking back he saw Cacee shaking his head. “Not yet,” he mouthed. Ian nodded his understanding.

Chancing a glance over towards Boanerges and Rogers he saw them getting ready as well. Ian settled back to get ready. He would wait until the heavy let loose and then join in.

The first pair of Nomads was followed by two more pair. There were now six Nomads in the kill-zone and Ian felt his pulse quicken. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cacee settled into his firing position.

“Here we go,” Ian thought to himself.

Bupupupupup! Boanerges let loose with his heavy stubber. With the heavy letting loose Ian began to squeeze the trigger, his sights still set on the Nomad with the rifle.

CRACK! Ian involuntarily ducked his head as a bullet impacted heavily on the other side of the wall he was leaning against for stability.

Thwiip! The next incoming round caught nothing but air as it whipped past his head. Peeking up and over the wall Ian scanned for where the shots were coming from. There he was… a Nomad hunkered down among metallic scraps with a heavy barreled rifle pointed right back at him.

“Nomad Sniper!” Ian shouted over his shoulder to Cacee.

“What do you want from me kid! Take care of him!”

Cacee was pulling the trigger of his autogun sending shots down into the kill-zone as fast as he could squeeze his finger. Ian turned his attention back to his challenger and snapped off a quick shot, more to get the Nomad to duck than anything else.

Ian’s last shot bought him enough time and he shifted around to get a better angle. From this distance he could tell that the Nomad had picked his position well. His enemy now sat at an extreme range for his lasgun and in good cover. Ian smiled slightly. The Nomad has ‘misjudged this Van Saar’ he thought to himself.

Tucking his cheek against the lasgun stock Ian set his sights on the Nomad. “Not much to get at,” he thought. Sighting in on the only thing he could see Ian squeezed off a shot at the Nomad’s rifle. Miss!

Thwiip! The Nomad’s return shot sailed wide.

There was nowhere for Ian to move to. His opponent had the entire tower cover to include the ladder down.

The Nomad shifted to try and get a better angle. Ian took the shot. The superheated ions flew straight and true and nailed the Nomad. He knew it because he heard the wounded cry come back in reply. But instead of the man dropping from the wound Ian watched him crawl away and out of sight, debris and buildings preventing Ian from finishing the job.

The revving of a chainsword brought Ian’s attention back to the task at hand, the ambushing of the very Nomads that had hunted him down not all that long ago. Ian spun back to face the kill-zone. On the bridge Rogers stood over the corpse of a Nomad who had gotten the jump on the two Van Saar on the bridge. Roger made eye contact with eye and nodded. Ian nodded back and then turned his attention back to the dome floor.

Four Nomads lay prone and unmoving. The last was steadying himself, but against what Ian couldn’t tell.

A yell came thundering across the dome as Renold, the team’s new juve, raced out from under a heavy lift platform. The juve barreled into the Nomad knocking the both of them over. The juve landed on top and proceeded to wail blow upon blow to the Nomad’s head and torso.

Dyrke walked over and grabbed one of the kid’s arms and said something indiscernible. Renold then stood up straddling the now motionless Nomad. Dyrke looked up to the two over-watch positions and signaled for them to come down.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

All seven of Van Saar met on the dome floor. A quick check of all present no one had any injuries to report. No equipment issues either.

“Well done men. I don’t think the hive will have to worry about these Nomads anymore. Secure the area. It may not look like much, but there’s potential.”

Something skittered across the floor towards the dome wall. Debris kicked up by a Nomad taking flight.

Ian pulled up his lasgun to his cheek and began to track his new target. Fallen crossbeams, support posts, and the speed at which the enemy moved all worked against him. Undeterred Ian tracked his target, all the while slowly squeezing the trigger.

CRACK! A narrow beam of neon-blue ionized particles shot reached out, briefly connecting the Van Saar with the Nomad. The Nomad collapsed and skidded across the floor.

Cacee whistled. “Nice shot kid.”

Ian smiled as Boanerges slapped him on the back.

Dyrke looked Ian in the eyes, “it looks like the ‘Spiders’ have a Medic and a Shooter.”

Interlude

The music was still blaring as Ian walked back through the common room of the ‘Bifrost’. He only needed one more thing to make the night complete, and that was to see Amber again. He could not figure out why this woman fascinated him. He had only met her the one time before.

Ian scanned the crowded room looking for Amber’s red hair. In a run-of-the-mill drinking hole, frequented by factory workers or fungus farmers, that might not have been an issue. But here at the Bifrost it merely reduced the possibilities to a score or more. One thing that did help was that not all of the red-haired patrons were female, and not everyone wore Amber’s distinctive ponytail. Still, he could not see her in the crowd.

The two had met in the back the last time so Ian headed towards the blaring music. The same four ‘musicians’ were on-stage as the last time, only this time one of the Van Saar was playing some kind of small metallic pipe with holes drilled into it. The musician’s fingers danced covering various holes, all the while blowing into another.

“They are not half bad,” Ian though to himself.

Peering over the crowd Ian looked for his objective. Not seeing her he dropped back down on heels. Just as he was getting ready to turn around he felt a tug on his holster belt. Spinning around he saw Amber.

“Looking for someone? Here, you might want this back.”

There she was, offering him his las pistol back.

“As a matter fact, yes I am,” Ian said feeling his face warm up. Both embarrassed about losing his pistol to a pick pocket and being happy to see her again. He took the offered pistol and put it back in its holster, securing it with the snap this time.

Amber stepped back returning his smile. The two looked each other over.

“Let’s get something to drink,” Ian finally said reaching out, grabbing her hand, and heading back into the common room. As Ian moved to sit down at an empty table Amber tugged on her arm to get his attention.

“Mm mm, too public, or haven’t you heard that the Black Cats have eyes for you and your boy’s toys?”

Ian put two and two together. He realized that Amber was a member of the Black Cats, and that the woman he had a run in with earlier was the same one who ended their last meeting. He pulled his hand away. His mind was swirling trying to figure out what she was trying to do to him. Once again he found himself wondering if she was laying a trap for him… or something else. He realized he might not even care at this point.

Sensing Ian’s hesitation Amber broke the tension, “no no no… it’s just… it might not be… you know… healthy, for us to be seen together”.

Ian just nodded his agreement.

“Come on. We’ll go to my room,” Amber said as she turned to lead.

“Wait… that might not be a good idea either. You girls have rooms above right? And we’ve got the lay out underneath… we’re going to need some place neutral.”

The two continued to look into each other’s eyes as they thought through their options.

“Chigger’s got some rooms…” they both said together and headed for the bar.

Ian stepped up and motioned for Chigger to step off to the side.

“Chigger, I need a room and a bottle of snake.”

Chigger glanced over Ian’s shoulder and then back.

“You know what you’re doin’ kid?”

“Probably not, but life’s short and you have got to take some chances.”

“It’s your money kid, and I won’t say anything.”

Ian reached into his pocket and pulled out several guilders. Slapping the coins down on the bar he said, “Thanks Chigger. I really appreciate it.”

Grabbing the offered bottle and key from Chigger Ian turned back to Amber.

“Come on, let’s get out of here. We have some catching up to do.”

With that Ian led the way out of the common area of the Bifrost and up to the public lodgings.

Camaraderie

Ian was disappointed. Dyrke had been dismissive of his report about the Black Cats having an eye on taking over things around the Bifrost. Oh Dyrke had been happy to get the money Chigger had handed over; he just did not seem concerned about anything else. One odd thing did happen. Dyrke forked over a handful of credits. ‘Profit Sharing’ he called it. Ian had expected to be paid as a full member of the gang and all, but this seemed a little generous. He bit his lip, nodded his thanks, and left the room before he asked any stupid questions.

“Ian! Hey, where headed up to the Bifrost to down a few pints. Wanna tag along?”

Ian looked up and saw Rogers, Cacee, and Boanerges walking towards him. Gripping his pocket now flushed with cash he smiled and nodded his agreement.

“Mind if I come along?” came another voice from behind the group.

Ian turned around and saw the kid he had patched up back when he first came below. He looked pretty healthy now and was jogging to catch up. The group stopped and turned.

“Beat it ‘little rat’. Go sit in your room until you’re called upon to complete your trial.”

“Wait Boanerges. He can tag along,” Cacee said. “But… and I mean BUT, you will be quiet ‘little rat’,” he said addressing the juve.

Ian tried to see how the juve’s ear had healed. There was some scarring, but the area around the ear had healed nicely. Only some minor disfiguration. He was sure the kid could still hear out of it.

“What are you looking at” the juve said turning to Ian.

“Easy, easy… just noticing your ear.”

A look of recognition flashed across the juve’s face, but he said nothing.

“Best mind your manners ‘little rat’. You’re addressing a member of the Steel Spiders, which is more than I can say for you. I don’t care what Cacee here says… you are not welcome.”

The team’s heavy was obviously annoyed to have a juve hanging around.

Ian turned to the juve, “look, you’ll be one of the team soon enough. What’s your name?”

“Renold, my name is Renold,” the juve said. He seemed like he wanted to say something else, but then thought better of it. “Alright… I’ll catch you guys later.” And with that he turned and left.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

The Bifrost was alive again. This was not a typical drinking hole of the underhive. The Bifrost was more a small community in and of itself. Inside the drinking hole it housed two common rooms as well as several meeting rooms – one for each of the governing Houses of Hive City. It was rumored that Chigger even had some contacts with the Ruling Houses from above ‘The Wall’. Above these rooms were several boarding rooms that Chigger used to produce even more income. But that was only the part of it.

Trading routes funneled across the bridge and there was an area out on the span that housed a small bazaar – and that was sandwiched in between the Bifrost and the local Enforcer precinct house. Adjacent to the precinct house, on the other side, were several ornate Guilder habs. The small little bridge was cramped to say the least, and the Bifrost was the meeting place for it all.

Men and women from all five of the Houses that controlled Hive City crowded the common area. Chigger was behind the packed bar with two barmaids. Together they were busy dispensing drinks as fast as they could dip the cups into the vats of Second Best (or Wild Snake if the pockets allowed).

Some of the patrons were yelling at monitors over the bar. All three of the dingy black and white screens captured images of two pit fighters circling one another. A roar erupted from half the group when one of the fighters, armed with a massive hook instead of a hand, landed a savage blow to the head of his opponent – the other half grumbled curses. From the back room music tried to overwhelm the cacophony up front.

As Cacee led the group to their private room off to the side Ian caught site of Amber. The Escher he had become acquainted with just before his trials. Making eye contact with her he paused for a moment.

“Come on kid. We’ve got some celebrating to do,” Cacee said throwing an arm around Ian’s shoulder and nudging him to the side room.

Ian maintained eye contact with the woman and silently mouthed, “I’ll be back for you later”.

The Escher smiled.

Their room was set up nicely. A dart alley along the back wall, several tables and chairs – enough room for thirty or more, even a monitor to catch whatever vids Chigger could tap into from Hive City. Membership definitely has its privileges.

-=-=-=O=-=-=-

The four Van Saar enjoyed themselves for several hours, only being interrupted twice to take care of unruly (and mostly drunk) customers. Chigger had kept the drinks flowing, the plates full of food, and the ‘entertainment’ fresh. Ian had declined the latter, instead waiting for the opportunity to slip out and catch up with the red headed Escher that he could not get out of his mind. Just when he had begun to think that chance would never come Dyrke burst in on the little party.

“I thought I might find you all here… Ian you might be interested in this,” the Van Saar leader said as he sat down. “I’ve just received word that the Nomads that we fought a couple of days back have decided to make life difficult for those down below. Apparently after we pulled back they were not satisfied and have been raising hell in the domes below. Seems they want whatever it is you brought back Ian.” Dyrke turned to look at Ian.

Ian shrugged, “they can have it back for all I care. The slug that sent me to my knees did a work on the firing chamber. Even Boanerges here says he can’t fix that rifle. It’s a shame too, it ‘s a nice looking weapon.”

“Well, you will have the opportunity to return it if you want. I’ve planted some information with the spore farmers down there. Something the Nomads should find… irresistible.” Dyrke paused to let that sink in. “You all get to bed. We leave before the next cycle.” And with that Dyrke left, the four men alone, patting Ian on the shoulder as he went.

“What do you think ‘Cee’”? Roger asked Cacee.

“What are you asking me for? Dyrke’s the boss.”

“Yea but, you’ve got a pretty good head on your shoulders. What do you think?”

“I think you need to mind Dyrke.”

And with that the little party was over. The four Van Saar filed on out to get some sleep. As the group neared the stairs down to their hab layer Ian stopped.

“You guys go on ahead. I forgot to pay for that last round.”

The other three just waved over their shoulders and went on their way.

“Now to have a chat with that lass!”