This is Rom from the Packrat Sprawl, making waves and coming to you live and direct from a food truck on the corner of Astor Street at Drake in the Red Light District of Haven 15. Today we are taking it slow because the Zone Police are out in force. We do have a mission today but we need to be careful as not to be stopped by the Zone Police because of what we are carrying. Lets hover a little longer at the food truck and then get on our way. We are going to be visiting the Ashlyn Pod Shop, they sell music and games there. We have a pickup and I want to lay some flyers for the new Packrat Underground meet up. The owner is onboard, I don’t think there will be a hassle. Come on, lets go.
Rom hovered for a moment as the line to the food truck wound around the block. There were many people come to this location for this specific food truck which was serving curry buns, something that was hearty and would fill you up without being expensive. The food trucks usually served food for free for a few hours around noon. The line was long and usually the trucks ran out of food in a few hours. You had to get there early. Rom decided it was time to jet, he had used the cover of the truck long enough. He took his curry bun wrapped up in wax paper and took another bite as he walked off down Drake towards the alley.
Rom ate as he walked. The food warmed him up inside and made him feel a little better. He had not eaten anything in the last two days unable to afford it instead he had saved up all his cash from panhandling to purchase some high-end mizuaoi water that was free of radiation. He had forgotten to take his iodine pills three times yesterday and was feeling a little sick. He chucked the rest of the curry bun in the trashcan at the end of the sidewalk and pulled out his newly upgraded handheld and took a radiation scan. The handheld chimed when it was done with the scan. It said he was free of radiation sickness but there was a warning to take 3 iodine pills a day. He stopped and leaned up against a building, put his handheld in his pocket and took out a pill case and opened it. Lucky for him Xander Storm the Zone Police officer was still providing him with a free supply of iodine pills otherwise he couldn’t afford to procure the medicine, not even from illegal drug dealers on the street. Rom was starving, things like expensive water such as mizuaoi and iodine pills, as well as a bath was a luxury.
He took the corner and walked onto Enton where the Ashyln Pod Shop was on the corner. The store had a large neon sign over the door and there was a man outside with stim implants on his cheek, a mowhawk and wearing black cyber death rock attire in shiny vinyl. The man was smoking a cigarette and stepped in front of Rom as he tried to get in the door to the Pod Shop.
“What do you need? Pod Shop is not open to just anyone,” asked the guy.
“Looking for Jester. Heard he was here today?” inquired Rom.
“Hhmp, you just making that up.”
“No, he’s here. I can feel him. Are you the owner?” smirked Rom.
“What do you know about that?” asked the guy who turned to Rom and blew smoke in his face.
Rom when into his pocket and pulled out a business card for Packrat Underground. It had the date and time for the next meetup and an IP address to get more detail. Rom handed the guy the card. The man took it and looked at it carefully. He looked back over at Rom then raised the card and blew smoke on it. The front of the card changed and showed an intricate detail of silver and gold circuitry.
“This is a data card hidden behind something innocuous. Who are you?” asked the smoking guy as he raised an eyebrow.
“Looking for Jester at the Pod Shop and for someone named Shia. I think you can lead me to both of them,” said Rom.
The guy dropped the cigarette on the sidewalk and put it out then kicked it farther into the street. A maintenance robot rolled up on them and picked up the cigarette butt and put it inside a compartment in its body and rolled away. The guy held up the card and shook it then turned and opened the door to the shop hesitating.
“Follow me into the Pod. I can lead you to Shia.”
“Thanks,” said Rom as he stepped through the door into the store.
The store was cluttered with different types of headphones and small electronic music devices. There were ports on the wall and kiosks where you could find a song and program it to your handheld or music device. There were listening stations and a holo demo of a music avatar at a online concert at the corner dancing with the sound down pairs of headphones at the station if you wanted to listen. The guy who had been smoking led Rom to the back and picked up a set of headphones and offered to Rom.
“Put those on and wait here. The view screen will activate. Just watch and listen.”
Rom took the headphones reluctantly as the guy disappeared. There was a view screen in front of him that black and not activated. In about another few seconds a white logo came on the screen that said “Shia” and then a video started playing. There was background music and then someone’s headshot came on the screen. It was of the same guy who had been talking to him out front. Rom listened intently.
“If you are watching this you are probably looking for Shia. The Ashlyn Pod Shop is a music store as well as a data drop for sensitive information. If you have data that you need to drop off put it in the slot before the view screen. I will wait as you do this.”
Rom went into his pocket and pulled out the pin drive and attached it to the port and pushed it in. The view screen recognized a disk inserted and read the data. The view screen chimed and told Rom to remove the pod and the video started again after a processing message came on the screen.
“We have accepted your data. The Ashylyn Pod Shop wants to thank you Packrat. There is someone here to meet you and continue the second half of this interaction. Wait for Shia and remove the headphones. Step to the back of the store at the elevator door and wait.”
Rom removed the headphones as the video ended. He looked around the store and then walked to the back. He found the elevator door and stood in front of it. A moment later the elevator chimed and the door opened. The smoking man Shia was in the elevator leaning against the back wall with his arms crossed.
“Well, don’t just stand there. Get in. Someone is waiting for you,” said Shia.
Rom stepped inside and the door closed. Shia reached and pushed the 5B button. The elevator started to go down. Shia closed his eyes and started talking. “So, you are Packrat Underground? Are you Faid Callen?”
“No, my name is Rom. I am part of Faid Callen’s group of Packrats called the Runners,” said Rom.
“Are you a data messenger?”
“Not really but I have been on jobs delivering data,” Rom was trying not to give away too much information. He had to stop himself from talking. Shia could tell Rom was keeping himself closed off. “How did Ashlyn Pod get into the data business?”
“There was a need…” was all Shia said as the elevator stopped 5 floors down and the door opened. “Now, there are a few hackers working here. Jester has been waiting for you for a while. We were a little concerned when you were late and the Zone Police picked up their patrols. We were afraid we may have lost the data.”
“Sorry for the delay. I hope the data met your criteria,” inquired Rom.
“Lets see what Jester says,” said Shia and let Rom forward to another door with a security guard outside with a machine gun and a panel and keypad.
Shia led Rom forward to a kiosk. Shio put his hand down on the pad and let it scan his palm print for a moment. A green light appeared over the door and then an automated voice spoke up.
“Voice print required. What is the word of the day?”
“The word of the day is eshin karma powerplay,” said Shia slowly.
The row of lights over the door flashed red and white for a time and then lit up bright green. The guard with the machine gun next to the door stepped in front of Shia.
“No weapons allowed inside. Any electronics on you?”
Shia shook his head. The guard patted him down then moved over to Rom.
“Any electronics on you?”
“Yes, pin drive and handheld,” said Rom.
“Leave them out here,” said the guard.
“I don’t want them compromised,” bitched Rom a little put off.
“Here, I will put them in the safe. You set the combination.”
The guard pulled Rom to the wall to a stack of blue lockers. The guard opened a free locker and Rom put his stuff in.
“Turn the combination lock around one full turn then set 2 numbers back and forth and it will secure your stuff,” said the guard.
Rom did as he was told and then was satisfied his items were safe. The guard brought him back to the door and frisked him.
“You can both go in,” said the guard and pushed the button and opened the door onto the computer room.
Rom’s eyes burst open as he was let into the room. There were computers all over the room with shining displays. And there were also psi synch devices and robotics as well as a lab in the back with what looked like a Shie falcon mobile frame model and one in combat mode. Shia grabbed Rom’s arm and pulled him to the side where there were hackers at consoles. Rom noticed Jester standing over someone’s shoulder.
“Jester, you got a visitor,” called out Shia.
“Thanks. Rom, we were expecting you,” said Jester turning around.
“I want to see what is on this Packrat Underground card as well,” said Shia.
“That is why we are here,” smirked Rom.
Shia took the card Rom had given him earlier and pulled Rom and Jester to another terminal. Shia sat down and Rom and Jester stood over his shoulder as Shia put the card in the terminal. The card activated and brought up a dossier of government information about the minister Izo Kitazawa and the Inlan Islands actions. Kitazawa was under observation by the government for illegal activity.
“Where did you get this?” asked Shia as he scrowled the data.
“You’re not there yet,” said Rom. “Keep going.”
Jester brought his hand up to his chin as they watched the data scroll on the big board in front of them. The data changed to a corporate report and then another of the subliminal messaging system. Then a data set with a virus and nanomachines interacting shown in what looked like a medical report.
“What am I looking at?” asked Shia.
“It looks like psi conditioning, how the nanomachines meld with living cells for the psi level to take making the patient symbiotic with the psi. Is that it?” asked Jester.
“Keep watching,” said Rom.
The cell they were watching was attacked by a virus and then started to die, then a nanomachine came in and revived the cell and killed the virus.
“That cell was affected by radiation and that is why it died?” asked Shia.
“Yes, that is what we are looking at,” said Rom.
“But if the nanomachines can repair that damage we can solve the problem of radiation sickness once and for all in the Echelons and the Zone. Where did you get this Rom?”
“This video was stolen from the labs in the City where they have medication to combat radiation sickness. This is proprietary to the City. If we can use this data and recreate this psi inducer drug interaction we can save thousands of lives in the Echelons and the Zone,” said Rom encouraged.
“How in the world did you get this out of the City? They never would have let you through the Zone Cross with this data,” asked Jester.
“Two data messengers died trying to carry this to the Packrats. Faid personally took responsibility for the losses. We had to get this. Do you have the technicians and medical professionals at your disposal to work this up?” asked Rom.
“This is beyond my limitations,” said Shia. “What about you Jester?”
“This looks like the Black Holes would have the proper resources and technology. They are data pirates that do DNA, cybernetic and gene based technology. You don’t want to mess with them. Cross them, they kill you. Do you have a contact? I can inquire but I don’t know if they will engage me.”
“I have an in,” smiled Rom and rolled up his right sleeve showing a full circuitry skin job.”
“Yeah, you never cease to amaze me mister Level 9 hacker. I forgot about that,” said Jester.
“Contact the Black Holes and bring them to me now. We will hand off the card and seal the deal when they get here,” said Shia.
“I need a free terminal, encrypted, cycling, no trace back to make the contact otherwise the Black Holes will not engage. They will scan your setup first before they respond to me when I inquire. Are you good with that?” said Rom.
“They can scan all they want. They will only get what I need them to get to make the contact.”
“Be careful. The Black Holes don’t fool around. If you are not ready to engage at this level we should find another way to get it done,” warned Jester.
“Not a problem. We have a terminal that will work. Here come with me,” said Shia and led Rom to the back.
To Be Continued…
