>From: erikred@hailstorm.Berkeley.EDU (Erik Nielsen)
Subject: Cake-walk
Date: 25 Sep 91 22:40:04 GMT
Lines: 185


	Five of them sat around the table in the back of the Chatsubo,
Aurelio, Johnson, NND Smith, Daytripper and Katz, huddled together over the
blueprint.  Smith spoke in low tones, "Shipment comes in here.  Stays
there.  Two and two, front door and back, probably wired for sound.
Surveillance is four strategic cameras.  We enter here, side entrance, via
Access Code courtesy of 'Tripper."  The elfin decker beamed with pride.
"And it better work or we're all gonna fry hardcore."
	"Hey, it'll work, man!"  The decker seemed annoyed by any doubt of
his abilities.  "I got it from a DeathLocked file, guarded by shit you
couldn't even conceive of, and they don't spend that sort of Euro defending
outdated Access material!"
	"All right, already, calm down!"  Smith smiled, something he
obviously didn't have a lot of practice doing, as the smile seemed more like
a grimace.  "No one doubts that the Code's legit.  Let's move on.  Aurelio,
you're on point with me.  'Tripper and Katz, take middle; and Katz, I want a
trap detection spell up pronto.  Johnson, you're rear-guard."  He paused.
"Look, people, this has got to be smooth and surgical, no gaffs.  The first
wilson who screws up, screws us all up.  Wakarimasu-ka?"
	Everyone nodded.  "Hey, Smith," said Johnson, "just like Rockville,
ne?"  The big, bearded man chuckled.  "See," he said, hitting Aurelio in the
shoulder, "when we were in Rockville, Smith made the gaff.  Got curious and
walked into a room off plan, walked in on two renta-cops in full riot mesh.
Smith fired twice, put the bullets rights into that quarter-inch bulls-eye
that every suit has, dropped 'em like flies.  That's why he's NND; No Normal
Defense, get it?"  The big man laughed and sipped his drink.
	"Yeah, well, he better not screw up when he's with me," shot back
Aurelio.  The orc was obviously nervous and trying not to show it.
	"Relax, Aurelio," said Katz, the mage, "portents read real good for
tonight.  You want that spell, Smith, you got it.  I gotta warn you, though,
it doesn't do pinpoint accuracy, it only warns of possible trouble."
	"Not a problem."  Smith actually seemed a little relaxed.  "This
should be a cake walk; I just want to make sure there aren't any hitches."
	"It shall be done."  Katz smiled, amused at the temerity of his
fellow consprirators.
	"Showtime's oh-three-oh-five.  Meeting's at this address.
Safe-house, if something happens, is here.  I'll see you all at the time."
Smith and Johnson got up from the table and headed out into the night.
	"So what do you think?" the orc asked the elf and the mage.  "We got
a bat's chance of pulling this off?"
	Daytripper smiled.  "Yeah, I think so.  I've seen Smith in action
before; he's good.  One thing, though:  did he seem, I dunno, a bit
distracted?  He didn't have that quality of self-assuredness I'm used to
seeing in him."
	"Hmm.  You may be right."  Katz frowned.  Then he smiled.  "Maybe
it's girl trouble, or something, eh?"  The orc laughed at that.  "Maybe it's
his old lady, she don't like him staying out late?"  They all laughed hard.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Smith was wearing his night-goggles when they arrived at meet.  He
and Johnson were finishing up field-stripping their gear, checking out the
readiness.  "Ready to rock?" quipped Smith as they walked up.
	"Hell yeah!"  Aurelio seemed to have lost his nervousness, replacing
it with bravado.  He cocked his assault rifle.  "Let's go!"
	Smith frowned, not sure he liked the new Aurelio.  He wondered if
the orc had coked up prior to the mission.  Not that snap-coke was all that
bad, mind you, it's just that you had to be extra careful around a snap-head
with a gun.  Made him a little more nervous, that's all.  Well, that's why
Smith had his reflexes wired, wasn't it?  It gave him that edge over the
fry-boys and girls who kept relying on "better living through modern
chemistry."  Kept him alive and didn't have a crash time afterwards.
"Alright, folks, if we're all ready..."
	Katz started waving his hands around, and began muttering slow,
incomprehensible syllables, which sounded like gibberish to Smith.  But
gibberish didn't grate on your soul the way this did.  A minute later, Katz'
features froze in a weird blue light, and he said, "Danger, danger, save me
Will Robinson."  'Tripper smirked, and Smith frowned.  The spirits were in a
frolicking mood tonight.  The light faded, and Katz returned to normal.
"Whew, I hate that part of it.  Okay, look, the spirits say there's some bad
ju-ju in the air tonight, but they won't tell me what it is or even where it
is."  He shrugged.  "Sorry, Smith, this could be a bomb on the door or a
four bell fire on the coast."
	"Alright, then we do this the hard way, nice and slow, and cautious
as the Grinch who stole Christmas.  'Relio, let's go."
	The two of them started through the shadows, quickly covering the
block and a half to the warehouse complex.  They scanned the area, then gave
the high sign.  Katz and Daytripper followed, a little more clumsy.  As they
reached the building, Daytripper pulled a datslab out of his pocket and
inserted it into the slot to the left of the door.  By the time Johnson had
brought up the rear, the door was sliding open.  Aurelio and Smith swung
into the hallway and started slowly into the building.  They disappeared
into the dark at the end of the corridor.  Katz and 'Tripper, crept in after
them, Katz weaving an early-warning spell.  Johnson closed the door,
plunging them into the darkness.

	The orc smiled.  The dark's not half as bad, he thought, when it's
not dark.  He surveyed what seemed to him to be a dimly lit hallway, staying
about even with Smith.  Smith was checking door numbers, and soon found the
one he wanted.  Waving Aurelio over, he kicked in the door, then twisted out
of the doorway.  'Relio crouched in the dark doorway, surveying the large
storage room.  No movement, no body.  He grinned at Smith.  This was going
just like he wanted it.  They moved into the room.

	Katz and 'Tripper headed towards the terminal room, guided by Katz'
ball-o-light familiar.  The corridor turned left, then right, then ended in
the door they were looking for.  Katz nodded at 'Tripper, began picking the
lock on the door.

	Johnson screamed.  Smith nearly had a heart-attack.  Oh, shit,
what's happened to Johnson?!?  "'Relio, check back!"  Aurelio gave him the
thumbs-up sign, trying hard to hide the look of abject horror on his face.
Damn it!  We should have brought radios... we couldn't bring radios, too
noisy.  Do the job, do the job...  Smith started for the supply node where
the merchandise was kept.

	Aurelio ran down the hall towards the door.  ShitshitSHIT!  What
happened?  As he rounded the last corner and came in view of the door, he
stopped full-- Johnson had disappeared.  Oh, man, Smith was not going to
like THIS, no way.  Aurelio turned back and ran right into his fate.  Fate
took his hands off first, then his head.  His scream ended abruptly.

	'Tripper started to freak.  First Johnson, now Aurelio, and not a
clue as to what was going down.  "Stay cool, man," Katz said.  "Look, you
break that lock, I'll find out what's going on."
	"No way, man!  Don't even leave me here!  We stay together, we stay
alive; we split up, who knows?"  'Tripper's voice wavered hardcore.
	"Alright, you right."  Besides which, Katz wasn't really looking
forward to splitting up right now, anyway.  "Just get that damn lock broken,
ASAP!"  Suddenly, Katz' warning bells started ringing in his head.  He
cocked his assault pistol and turned to face the corridor.  The familiar
started whirling around in a frenzy... then winked out, snuffed as if a hand
had squashed it.  "Oh, shit."  The light out, he was blind.  Something
brushed past him from behind.  He freaked, started spraying bullets all
along the corridor.  He heard the thud of a few hits, and Daytripper
screamed out in pain.  The elf had tried to run past him, had taken a few
hits.  Don't think about that, got to get out of here.  Katz began feeling
his way down the hallway, slowly, trying to make no noise.  As he tried to
get out, he tripped over a lump in the hallway, fell on his hands in knees.
Suddenly, the bells got really loud, and he saw two gleaming orbs right in
front of his face, and felt the breath of Hell on his face.  Hell breathed
on him again, then ripped him apart.

	Smith tore frantically at the covering on the box he was searching
for.  It came off revealing a plain wooden crate.  He grabbed his knife and
started to work on the nails.  Do the job.  Get the stuff and get out.  He
had half the nails out when he realized he wasn't alone.  He turned around,
bringing his rifle to bear on the figure who had just entered.  It was
Johnson.  But Johnson was dead.  And this Johnson was grinning from ear to
ear....
	"What happened, man?"  Smith never took his finger from the trigger,
kept the gun carefully pointed at Johnson.
	Johnson shrugged.  He said, in a hollow, deep voice, very different
from the usual, "Bad timing."
	"Who are you?  What have you done with Johnson?"  Smith started
looking around for an exit, a bolt-hole.
	"Killed him.  Two weeks ago.  Went home with him, after I heard you
folks planning this shindig."
	Smith's mind raced, trying to recall that night... oh, yeah, he
remembered Johnson leaving with that punk girl...  Oh, shit.  Set up.  Big
time.
	Johnson's face and body started melting, his face acquiring a large
snout and huge jaws.  His fangs hung out over his lips, and Johnson's beard
became a scraggy rug on the impostor's head.  His lean body bulked out,
gaining a greenish hue and about two feet of height.
	"What are you?"  Smith couldn't help but be fascinated as he faced
what he knew was his death.
	"Kami.  Spirit.  I killed Johnson and took his mind and body.  You
see, I've been hanging around the Chatsubo for a while, now, looking for a
group like yours."  The grin became an obscene leer.  "The mage made a nice
snack, all that untapped mana.  He almost saw the trap, but my magik's a bit
stronger."
	Talk time was over.  Smith fired the gun, unloading a three-round
burst at the monster.  The monster just vanished from there and reappeared
here, right next to Smith.  The claw filled his vision, before it all became
dark.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The tall, blonde Nomad walked up to the bar of the Chatsubo.  "One
synth, Ratz."
	The bald bartender grunted.  "Hard night, Spud?" he inquired as he
brought out the bottle.
	"With my luck?  Never."  The cowboy laughed and took a slug of his
beer.  "Can't say the same for other folks," he smiled, under his breath.

========================================================================

Just another Kami story.  Copyright 1991, Erik Nielsen.
Use only with Permission.  <-- whatever that is.  >;->

  Erik Nielsen               I "All those moments will be lost in time,
  erikred@ocf.berkeley.edu   I        like tears in rain."
  "More Human than Human"    I			Roy
	Tyrell Coporation    I		       _Blade Runner_