"I'm gonna end your pathetic life right here. No-one's going to remember you in a weeks time"
"Pussy. This isn't even fair." It's getting desperate now. Come on Doker.
He smashes the but of the gun into the back of my neck and the force of the blow knocks me over. I'm feeling sick now and I miss what he says for a few seconds.
".....to threaten me? To make me consider a 'fair' trial by combat. This is as fair as you are going to get 'Champ'. I have used my position to fairly get you here and I am now going to use the gun that you have used so 'fairly' throughout your whole life to finally dispose of you. There is no 'fairer' death for you 'Champ' or should I..."
At this point the door gets taken off its hinges and although I can't actually see anything but stars I hear what goes on. As soon as the door goes through there's the sound of a KPS Mangler unloading round after round and a soft squishing sound as the Shaktar gets pulped by about 2 clips worth.
A heavy shape lands on me and I get covered in the remains of my would be executioner. I'm also half drowning in the insides of the Shaktar.
A massive hand grips my foot and yanks me out. I feel the bones crack and give way but there's not much more pain I can feel.
Doker is standing above me. He's got his helmet off and has holstered the shotgun. He picks me up like a rag doll and rips away the cords binding me to the chair taking some of my skin with it. He's got a heart of gold this one has.
"What's up Champ?"
Pretty self explanatory but as most of my teeth are missing and I'm not exactly with it I manage a shake of my head and mumble "medic...."
"Why was the Shaktar here?? You said no SLA Ops. Why did you lie to me??"
He's started shaking me and I honestly believe that he's going to kill me because of it. I also think that he thinks I'm going to regenerate like he does.
"S....t....op...........sh....a....a...a..k.....i......i...ng me!" I manage spraying blood as I talk.
Doker puts me down.
"Kick start........give me kick start...." It's going to cost me later when I have to get my bones re-set but I need to stop the bleeding.
Doker reaches into his jacket and hands me a vial with a Stormer sized needle.
As I look at it he offers an explanation. "It's all I've got"
It has to do. The needle tears a massive hole through my neck but I get a much needed dose of the magic serum.
"Thanks Doker" I feel a little better. At least now I can speak coherently.
"Where's Farthing?""On his way....what happened Champ? Shaktars don't go rogue do they?" He's scratching his chin and I know he's not going to be able to understand that the Shaktar was just so pissed off that I kicked his arse in a dispute that he wanted to kill me over it. As far as he's concerned that was well over 2 months ago and might as well never have happened.
"He wasn't a rogue but he was breaking the law. He was trying to kill me because.......I did something a long time ago that made people laugh at him" It's all I can manage before I slip off the table in a blackout.
I don't know how much time passes but I wake up in a bed and there's a cute looking girl with long brown hair and a hand as soft as silk on my fore head. Totally forgetting where I was or how I got here I try to sit up, at which point she just applies a little more pressure and I slump back down with a burst of pain throughout my entire body.
"He's conscious again. I think he's better as he's not blacked out again. I'll collect my fee on the way out. " she says to someone in the background. With that, a vision of beauty is replaced by the more sobering image of Doker & Farthing both leering at me. Farthing is trying to look pissed off but I can see he's pleased I'm not dead.
"You stupid sonovabitch! Why the hell didn't you wait for me??" Farthing still shouts at me though.
I look at my watch but it's not there. It cost me 200C and I've no idea what's happened to it. "What? I got here bang on time."
"The watch is history, piece of New Parisian crap anyway. You sent me a text telling me to meet you in a bar just down from here and when I tried to contact you your phone was off so I phoned..." Farthing has got his mobile out and is scrolling through the message box to retrieve his evidence.
"Wait a minute I never sent you anything. This piece of shit must've fixed that too....."
"Man he wanted you bad" Farthing has sat down and is at least taking the opinion that I'm not to blame for this screw up.
All the while we've not noticed what Dokers been doing. He coughs and we both look at him. He's pointing a gun at the door as though he expects a horde of Carrien to come pouring through but he's about as worried as a baby in it's mothers arms
"Does he have friends?" Doker never looks worried ever and I think I can count on him to be on my side if any 'friends' arrive.
"I don't even know what his name was" I reply, trying to sit up again. Farthing pushes me back to the bed.
"This is going to come back on us you know." Farthing says quietly. "He's bound to have had friends in high places. What we've got to hope for is that the Shaktars in power try to cover it up. They don't normally get this pissed off about loosing a fight do they??"
"They don't on Captain Contract" Doker offers. I don't tell him that that's a propaganda cartoon but nod enthusiastically.
"I've no idea. Where the hell are we anyway. Get me home." I manage to sit up and bat Fathings hand away this time.
So I get back to my flat and I have a long, glorious shower. My teeth are hurting like hell and I decide to make plans to see a top dentist. Doker agreed to stay at my house to make sure I was OK while Farthing tried to ID the Shaktar and is sitting in my front room watching a Captain Contract episode. We couldn't contact Wuppass so we guess he's probably in the Pit getting drunk.
I finish up and go on-line to book a dentist appointment and hire an Ebon to sort out my foot. After agreeing to pay a serious amount of Credits for quick appointments I go through to the front room and sit on a chair as Doker has taken up most of my couch.
"You OK Champ?"
"Just fine. Listen, thanks for saving my ass back there. No-one breaks down doors like you Doker"
He smiles, at least I think he smiles and replies "No problem Champ. I guess that means you have to save me right?"
I almost manage to laugh before I'm reminded I have no teeth left. If it's something that Doker can't handle then I'm staying well away "I owe you one Doker".
Before we both hug each other and start crying I pick up a phone and call Farthing. I get his Voice Mail so I leave a message asking him to call back. I make Doker some food and we while away the night watching Sic re-runs and then I pop a few NightOuts and get some serious sleep.
The next morning I get my teeth fixed and visit the Ebon to sort my foot out. He's a nice enough bloke but a bit highly strung for my liking and when he sees me he nearly starts crying. He's got a nice little set up and the room is all pastel colours and there's a grotesque picture of the Ebon Preceptor on the wall, I've never been able to get used to him. The Ebon's name is Spirit and I understand that's meant to mean something but I think he should be called Prozac as he's in serious need of calming down. He fixes my foot though and gives me a 10% discount as he recognises my face from the streets. And they say that being a good guy doesn't pay. I just saved 14C.
I move on and end up at a bar called 'Goochers'. It's a quiet bar in Upper Downtown that caters for both Ops and Civvies alike. I've gone wearing street clothes and although I'm packing my Fen I'm not looking for trouble. I settle down and order a few drinks to try and relax. So far I'm about 90C down for all the cost the last BPN incurred. I reckon I've been in there about three hours or so and a bloke in a sharp black leather coat comes in and looks around. It looks like trouble but so I try to keep my head down. Anyway he walks around for a bit and eventually makes his way over to where I'm sitting. He looks like a prime target for anyone wanting to pop off a SLA Op with his designer jacket and 100C matching boots but as he sits down I notice he's a Waster so I decide I'm not gonna provoke him.
"You're Champ yes?" He's got a voice like gravel and I guess he's here on business.
"That's right. And you are?"
"Dayton. I'm from Cloak Division." He must see me twitch because he adds "Don't worry if I had a termination warrant I'd have hardly sat down and started chatting would I?" He flashes me a Sharks grin and I realise he's probably got backup and he knows he has the upper hand.
"I'm interested in your dealings with Kr'Kt'th. I understand you had an altercation in a bar. Tell me about it."
He probably knows everything anyway so I decide to give him my version without too much embellishment. He seems to buy it though and even nods while I'm talking. Hell, halfway through my story he even orders two beers in. I'm wondering if I'm just seeing things after my kicking yesterday.
"Interesting. The account given by Kr'Kt'th offers an alternate explanation to the events. You verify some of what he said but seem to miss a few key details." He sits back and almost playfully carries on after taking a mouthful of beer. "Allow me to explain. Firstly, the bartender whom you Championed was later found to have 20Kilos of Class 1 Drugs on the establishment, Kr'Kt'th found this after your fight and brought the fugitive to justice. Secondly, an order to, and I quote, "Back away Operative" which was clearly dismissed. Thirdly, attempt to use a Stormer to intimidate and harass, and finally use of a weapon during a Shaktarian 'T'k'rn' or 'Duel', a Knuckleduster. They take that very seriously although I am more concerned with the first three allegations. What do you have to say in your defense?"
I can't believe that the bar tender was a dealer. I'd known him for about a year and I know people who know him and they say he's clean. I'd like to take a look at the BPN and I'll bet my legs that it was applied for after our brawl.
"Look, I can't comment on the drugs and I'm sorry if I disrupted any BPN's but he was arguing over a smudge on a glass and was gonna beat the bartender to a pulp. I'm sure anyone would have tried to split it up." He's motionless. "As to the direct order, I don't remember him flashing a badge and Wuppass came over on his own accord."
"Yes. Wuppass confirms that himself." He flashes the smile again. He's already interviewed Wuppass.
"Where's Wuppass now?"
"You'll have to phone him after our meeting. Now, I need to know what happened yesterday..." With this he sits back and practically relaxes. The smug bastard is enjoying every single minute of this. I've done nothing wrong except piss off a higher ranking Op that chose to make my life difficult.
So I tell him. I tell him exactly what happened as far as I can remember it. Except in my version Doker bursts in and sees a man with a gun and decides to toast him before he toasts me.
"So Doker acted of his own accord then?" He raises a charred eyebrow above a pale white eye. "That would prove most unfortunate as he shot an Operative that was 4 full ranks of SCL higher than him. That of course would mean issuing a termination warrant. He was such a promising Stormer as well, never any hint of subversive behavior." With this he pulls out a note book and makes an entry.
All I can hear now is Dokers voice saying ' I guess that means you have to save me right?'. Goddam it! I shouldn't have to feel like this for a Stormer. They can just grow another in a vat right? No. Not like Doker. Doker's unique, just like Wuppass. The least I can do is take the rap for the big dumb bastard.
I bet he wouldn't even know what he'd done wrong.I bite down my instincts just telling me to leave it and get out. "Doker didn't act on his own. I told him to come in and waste anyone he didn't recognise if I gave him a code word. I gave him a code word and he saved my life."
Dayton leans forward slightly and puts away the note book.
"Of course that does mean responsibility falls to you. That would mean a termination warrant in your name...." he lets that hang and I start shaking "....but I'm impressed with your gallantry Operative. You do place me in quite a dilemma"
Bullshit, the only dilemma he's got now is which way to shaft me.
"I can appreciate the ingenuity employed in saving your own life however you have cost SLA a fine Operative, damaged company property and misused company employees with a flagrant disregard for the SCL structure."
He leans back and the leather coat settling is the loudest sound in the whole world. Time drags on and I'm starting to sweat even though I'm directly under the air conditioning unit. I'm wondering about just taking him out and then remember I've only got my Fen and it's filled with STD rounds so I might as well start pissing in the wind. He breaks the silence.
"I can offer you a compromise." Or suicide job, but I'm leaning forward as he's got me by the balls.
"I'm listening."
"Obviously a full rank of SLC is to be stripped from you." Happened before nothing too bad.
"I can offer you a BPN to clear your name. It's dangerous you understand but not as dangerous as trying to swallow 12.7mm if you know what I mean." He smiles like my best friend. "I'll call you tomorrow with the details. Don't leave town".
And with that he calls a member of the bar staff over and says "Get him a drink and charge it to my account" he turns to me and adds "anything on the menu, you look like you need it" and leaves.
I sit in silence for an hour or so sipping at the quadruple Vodka and when my mobile goes off I nearly have a heart attack.
"Farthing here, what was it you wanted." He sounds like he has something for me.
"I think I've just landed myself in some serious trouble."
"Gaddamn it you're always in trouble Champ."
Lord aint that the truth.