You decide to set your lifelong goal of dying painfully aside. "If I do what you ask, will I get sunglasses and a biker outfit like yours?"
"No. If you cramp my style I'll shoot you anyways." She flashes you a grin.
Oh thank heavens. "Okay, I agree."
Liz puts the gun back in her jacket pocket and takes the key out of the elevator, putting it away as well. The elevator smoothly glides up to the ground floor and opens with a ding. "Unfortunately, Walt, I'm afraid that you are fired," she says, gesturing for you to follow. "After this is over, you'll probably have to find a new job." The two of you walk out the front door of Erebus's offices and down the street. A shiver runs down your spine as street creeps turn their heads to look at you, but Liz keeps walking like she doesn't notice. "Where do you live, Walt?"
"I have an apartment down on Shade Street."
"That shithole? Wow, I'm amazed you're still alive. Maybe you're tougher than you look, Walt."
"I'm a janitor. It's the only place I could afford. It was that or sleep on the streets."
"Well, let's go there. We need to discuss what you're going to be doing, and I need to get in touch with my guys."
You lead Liz on the walk back to your apartment complex. As you walk into the front door, you step over a dead body that wasn't there this morning. You lead her up the stairwell and past the omnipresent graffiti, to the 23rd floor, where your apartment is located. Before you can step inside, you are accosted by a grubby-looking man in tattered clothing.
"'Scuse me, sir, could you spare a cent?"
"No, Thomas," you reply, like you do every time you leave or enter your apartment. The stupid junkie is always on your ass for more money. He's a shitty neighbor.
"Please, sir. Just a cent. I know y' can spare it. A cent for the less fort'nate." Thomas grabs your arm, which prompts Liz to grab his shoulder, swing him around to face her, and sock him in the head. The grubby addict reels backwards, clutching his head, and collapses onto his back. Liz steps up to him, crouches down next to him, and tilts her head at him. Then she brings her fist down hard on his head, and it explodes, spraying gore all over the hallway. You cringe and step backwards as blood gets on your shoes.
"Was that really necessary?" you ask as you unlock your apartment door.
"It's not like anyone will miss him. Besides, he could have been one of the people looking for you."
"He was just an overly aggressive beggar. I've known him for years. He's-- was barely even there, mentally."
Liz shrugs as the two of you step into your tiny apartment. "That doesn't mean he wasn't working for anybody." Its single room comprises both bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living room in one, split into quarters. She steps into your bathroom and grabs a towel, wiping pieces of Thomas's head off of her. "The best cover is one that nobody would ever expect to be competent, Walt." She sits down at your table, and you pour yourself a cup of Milk™ to calm your nerves. She pulls out a phone and makes a call, and as she puts it to her ear she looks at you.
"I expect you're probably wondering what this is all about," she says.
"That would be pretty nice to know, yeah."
She taps her head. "That implant that's worming its way up into your skull is a key. You just got drafted into a competition, and it's a lot more grim than the Blood Bowl. As of right now, you're the ball. Until someone can get that thing out of you, you're a VIP. The ticket in."
"The ticket in to what?"
"Tell me, have you heard of Nyx Corp?"
"I've heard the name before, but I don't really know anything about it."
"Nyx Corp was a huge technology manufacturer. Cybernetics, weapons, transport, home entertainment, you name it, Nyx Corp was behind it. They went bankrupt decades ago, but all of their facilities are still standing. I'm surprised you've never heard of them. They were sort of infamous for their non-compete clause. When you left the company, they terminated you and cut off your head. They claimed that everything from the neck up on their employees was company property. Most people never willingly quit, but towards the end, there were a lot of layoffs..." She grins. "After they went out of business there were no more employees left. The only person on the company payroll that lived through the bankruptcy was the CEO. Anyway, like I said, all the old Nyx Corp secure facilities are still standing, but they're totally locked down. Nobody's been in one since they shut down. But with that implant--" She turns her head away from you suddenly. "Yeah. James? I've got it... Yeah, there's a bit of a wrinkle, though. Listen, I need you to come down here."
What should you do while Liz is talking on the phone?
Author
Topic: The Dark Horse (Read 2631 times)