Evil is in the eye of...

Table of contents - Short stories

A Yakuza plan

Fallen Angels

Eco Horror

Patsies

Table of Contents

Title Page

A Yakuza plan | I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

Fallen Angels | I

II

III

Eco Horror | I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

Patsies | I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

Preview

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A Yakuza plan

I

Begin recording : : : : :

At first this was all I got, not much ta go on. I keep mullin it in my head. Lookin back now my first clue of trouble shoulda been this message, yeah hindsight's a bitch...

:::: Dragon 9 Encryption Detected / Enabled ::::

:::: Link Established / Mitzuko Corporation ::::

Mr. Evan;

Because of your past performance with other corporations I have requested and been given this access data. I wish to meet in order to discuss a job opportunity. If you accept, remuneration for this task shall be 100 million.

Encrypted within this data stream is my personal access, please contact me so that we might meet. I shall leave all appointment details to you. I am willing to pay you five thousand for the simple act of discussing this most delicate matter. You must reply to this message within three days.

Sincerely, Mr. Jones

>>> File attached <<<

:::: Link Terminated / Mitzuko Corporation ::::

:::: Dragon 9 Encryption Disabled ::::

Dragon nine data encryption is military spec level. I never liked takin jobs from a Jones, an unknown. I really prefer ta know who I’m workin for. Still, the amount of dough this guy was offerin for one job was hard ta pass up. You know what they say—If it’s too good to be true... Well this one job was gonna set me up on a beach somewhere, surrounded by gorgeous women, drinks served with a finger snap, lobster and crab for lunch—well, you get the idea.

The other thing that worried me is how this Jones got my Interweb protocols. Granted my rep is solid in the shadowy world of, how should I put it, work outside the law. I only ever gave out those encryptions to two big corp Joneses, they work for Boeing Raytheon and General Dynamics Northrop Grumman corps. I really need to tidy up my somewhat legit business connections.

I go by Evan these days, some folks might call me nefarious. Hell, lets shoot straight people, most of ya would call me a criminal. But I’m an honest criminal, if there is such a thing, yeah I know it's an oxymoron. The only reason I haven’t been caught is cuz I rarely leave clues around. When I leave evidence at a crime scene it’s nearly useless. Oh yeah, right after I got the message...

I tilted my head slightly, brushed my blonde hair aside, and activated my transceiver implant. At the same time I reached over ta the coffee table with all the little circular marks on it from my numerous cups O'Joe and I turned on my data jam-white noise generator. I don't take chances on traces, not even in my own place. Go ahead and call me paranoid, but I’m still here when other cons are either in the joint doin time, or feedin worms. A double - ring buzz of my comm implant and my bud picked up.

Yeah Evan, talk to me. Even with the encryption programs, rerouting protocols, and the scrambler, my troll bud Snot has the right decryption programs and caller ID. Snot also knew my most recent alias.

Hey Snot gotta job if yer interested? Our last job together had been a messy one, I wasn't sure that Snot would listen ta my straight shot on a new job. I walked over to my small kitchen to grab a cup of Joe.

I will not do wet work Evan, so do not even ask.

I snapped back. I'm not expectin havin ta off anyone.

Snot snapped right back at me just as loudly, his voice echoed in my head. "You never expect to murder anyone, funny how people still end up dead."

I jumped to the defensive as I dumped way too much sugar in my cup and stirred it quick and hard to mix it. Walking back to the coffee table I set the steaming cup down next to the generator. I never fragged anyone who wasn't gunnin for me, or one of my partners, or trying ta stiff us on our payday. I'd call that self-defense—well, self-preservation anyway. I paused long enough to pick up my cup and blow across the top to cool it off. By the way, if I remember right, your body count on that last job was a lot higher than mine. I took a sip, it was still too hot and too sweet.

I heard a 'hrumph' like sound on the other end. You know what happens when I get angry, sometimes I do not know my own strength, especially when I thump someone and...

I set the cup back down and cut Snot off in mid-sentence, Look! I need back up ta sniff this out is all. after I paused a second I added. I'm gettin five K up front just ta talk to this Jones. I knew that last bit would shut Snot up and get him ta focus.

There was a long pause on the other end, a real long and scary quiet. I waited as seconds ticked ta almost ten, I was about to cut the call off just before Snot whispered his reply. it stinks bad.

Yeah? That’s why I want ya with me for this meet. I‘ll give ya half of the five K if ya just cover me on this, you can pick your own shady spot for cover.

Evan. This could be Homeland Sec, North Ameri Guard. Hell, could be anyone of a half dozen law dogs trying to slot you or both of us. I do not want to be your cell mate, even if we are buds. Snot was dithering on this.

"It may be a set up, but the Jones left all the details up ta me on this meet."

There was a much shorter delay this time, Still smells bad, I had ta straight shoot quick as Snot continued. I do not think I can...  

Since Snot was not biting I cut em off again, Your cut of the actual job is 25 Mil. right away there was that deathly quiet again. This silence was even longer than the first time and I knew what my fraggin bud was thinkin.

"That is a lot. Snot mirrored my own worry about this job. Hmmm, I am not sure if that big a payoff makes this smell any better... or worse."

You’re the tank on this, you got the best cyber and bio plants in the biz. It'll be your lead on security for this meet. Two point five K, so wadda ya say? With 2,500 just ta talk ta this guy I didn’t think Snot would bow out.

Awright! But we use one of my old haunts. I will pull some strings to get my old bike gang to sweep and clean the meet site. Two X O’s min, got homemade shaped charges to set up a shake and bake zone. Then for the R V we can...

I got it, I got it. Just tell me when and where so I can Xmit ta the Jones that we‘re good for the meet. Snot would have gone on and on describing all his security plans, but I didn’t need impressin.

I will call in a day or so. Who else you thinking of tagging for this job, if you do not mind my asking?

Mara ‘the nuke’ you know she’s the best as mages go.

Right away my troll bud snapped at me. Yeah and she is fragging certifiable. You know the flame spells she uses... Just by the tone of his voice I could almost see the frown on Snot's face.

I knew Snot was going to bring up old biz on Mara so I interrupted again. "Look! We need heavy hitters on this and Mara can literally take out a city block. Do you know anyone else who can do that?" there was that silence from Snot after I emphasized 'anyone'. I picked up my cup o Joe and it was just cooled off enough to drink.

Fine. Who else? No wait, let me guess, Tweaker?

Yup, I know he has issues with the chems; but no one else can link up faster, bypass or burn, or anything else on the Interweb. Not to mention the way Tweaker can work the remotes and drive.

It has been a while since we have all gotten together on a job. That is, since Nuke got her nickname taking out that block along with what was left of the gang bangers trying to off us.  

I knew Snot couldn't help but bring up that old biz about Mara, so I ignored it. We've worked jobs together before and we all work well together. So are we frosty? I needed ta end this call. This long of a converse was makin me nervous. I had the data jam-white noise primed, and my programs ta reroute and encrypt runnin, but I don’t like takin chances on a trace.

Snot whispered, Sure. then hung up. I tilted my head and switched off my implant.

Then the waitin began, Mr. Jones gave me three days ta reply with time, date, and place for the meet, or he’d go lookin somewhere else for employees. So I sat for a while, finished my first coffee, and got another as I watched the vid. After I finished my second cup I read a campy crime novel for a bit on my wrist comp. I zoomed it with my cyber optics for better reading. I got bored and finally decided to do a bit of diggin on this Jones and Mitzuko corp.

II

I spent the rest of the day doin some research on this Jones. I went to the main Interweb data on Mitzuko, you know, the PR site primed to coax in noob investors. A fairly new tech company, Mitzuko was founded in 2075, the CEO and founder is a Mr. Yamatsu. The company, centralized in the Kensai region of Japan, has its HQ in Kyoto. Heavily into the tech world, from bio ta cyber gear. I read through all the PR refuse, quarterly profits, reinvestment strategies, the usual corp plugs to get noobs ta invest. I figured it was time ta use Tweak’s homegrown programs for my own Interweb snoopin. I wire linked my Xceiver, primed the encryption and dove in...

:::: Sentinel 3 Encryption Detected / Enabled ::::

:::: Link Established / Interweb - projection launched ::::

I spent the better part of the day swimmin as a Japanese looking persona mentally walking through the Interweb, it was one of my numerous false personas. I dove through a water reclamation port accessing a low security area, I popped up in a maintenance hub. From there it was clear and clean to get to a low ranking noob on the payroll. I swam through electric waves of data, walked corridors of conduits, sleazed past their Interweb guards.

Finally I found an access port to a higher up and really worked Tweakers progs. I reached out with my digital hand and snatched up a memo, the first one that popped up into my face. I was just reading it, not trying to copy or steal data, that would have lit up the whole Miztuko board like a Christmas tree. I started reading...

It seems Mitzuko had come into a liquid bundle, enough dough ta buy out several small fry corps. It looked like Mitzuko was a sorta Phoenix risin from the ashes. Funny that only a year before it looked like it was almost taken over by Sony-Suzuki-Honda. SSH had tried ta buy up stock and attempted a hostile takeover—but it failed. A lot of missin info on this one and the math on this failed. I move on with a link from this memo to an even higher up exec's link port. Suddenly my persona crashed into some firewalls, and kill programs threatened ta disintegrate my Interweb character, quick like I used Tweaker’s countermeasures. The search and destroy progs chased three duplicate projections in three different directions.

I reached a point where I faced off against a dragon shaped kill program hanging off a castle wall. It suddenly looked like the digital dragon was gonna breath fire, guess it saw through my disguise. One of Tweak's progs helped me produce an assault canon in an instant and I blasted it. Bits of digital dragon flew all over, some of it got on my interweb persona, gruesome. I entered the castle, but just to the gatehouse and courtyard area, I found a hidden file. Cute, the data files here looked like digital versions of old style treasure chests. One file contained a short memo about a major occurrence that had been hushed up. Seems the SSH CEO and a major researcher died in a private plane crash, they did not retire ta parts unknown as had been originally reported. The memo to Mr. Yamatsu suggested the crash was suspicious. There was some refuse about data being leaked out ta investors that caused a temporary depression of SSH stock. I agreed with Snot, this did stink. The red lights started flashin lettin me know a trace had started. Castle bells were echoin in the digital world, time ta go...

:::: Link Terminated / Interweb - projection disabled ::::

:::: Sentinel 3 Encryption Terminated ::::

I hoped that I had not been traced, I never dug deep or tried to filch from the corp. The icon on my sniffer program showed clear of the trace programs. Gotta catch some Z’s. I said out loud ta no one, as I shuffled over ta my bedroom my head was tinglin, and there were after images in my brain of the digital world I had just left. This should have been another clue that I had made a mistake on this job. I started to wonder what depression of a stock meant, then I realized I didn’t care... I had ta crash. When I finally did get to sleep I dreamt of the dragon program I had trashed, I dreamt it had come back together and risen from the dead. Somehow in my dream it had come after me IRL.

III

I got up early because of the ringin in my head. I knew it wasn’t my alarm. I had been expectin Snot’s call.

ID? I asked softly and a tinny, female computerized voice echoed in my skull. "Encoded, untraceable, handle only, Snot. I nodded and replied as I tapped the data jam / white noise generator by my bed, with the hiss of the DJ / WN echoing off my bedroom walls I snapped angrily, Pick up." I swung my legs off the edge of my queen sized bed and sat up. I had been tossin and turnin all night, and my sheets were sweat soaked and all twisted up near the center.

Sending you the data on the meet. You should be able to download to wire or can you remember it all? No changes allowed by the Jones, tell him only one guard, no more. I was gonna ask Snot somethin else but he hung up quick like.

The data transfer appeared an instant later and had gone right ta my implant storage, it flickered a moment. Again, thinkin back, that should have been another clue that things were not going to be all frosty on this job. I could access the info whenever I wanted, or I could simply download it ta wire on my wrist comp. I accessed it and it was not hard ta remember. West side corner of an abandoned warehouse on the corner of 5th and Narragansett Boulevard; tonight at 9PM. I dumped the data and thought—damn, I gotta wait s’more, oh well still gotta make a few calls ta some old friends anyway.

Mara was the first one I called. She’s what we all call one of the enlightened or gifted. Mara was born into our era of advanced techno with magical abilities. A diminutive, I like that word, and very hot waif of a woman. I swear she probably weighs all of ninety pounds soakin wet and she's not even five feet tall. Mara’s raven hair matches her skin, on the right side she keeps it close cropped, but on the left she wears it long. Mara's got zero implants, hell not even a transceiver. Mara once told me, There are EM and RF effects from cybernetics as well as detrimental effects from the invasiveness of biological enhancements. All those unnatural bodily modifications ultimately result in a marked reduction in the effectiveness of magical ability. Why couldn't she have just said, Cyber and Bio mess with my magic, or some other refuse like that. Frag what a long winded little bit... well anyway...

If you saw Mara you might think she was easy pickins. The really stupid might try Mara for a pummel and grab, a meet and greet, or some other form of nastiness. Oh boy would that be a mistake. I was there once, it was just outside a bar off of Broadway, and two guys made a grab at Mara tryin for a meet and greet in the alleyway. I watched Mara turn one guys crotch into one of those ole style roman candles. I won’t bore you with the details but—the other guy wasn’t so lucky.

Tweaker is an ole gov crony, so he’s heavily into the tech world. A long time ago they called them hackers. He’s a squirrelly lookin Korean guy in his early thirties who looks like he’s fifty plus. His graying hair is cut short. Tweaker’s implants are obvious; one stickin out of each side of his temples, and a third back behind his right ear. His puffy eyes always look bloodshot and I swear the guy doesn’t sleep, ever. Tweaker is waaay beyond being called a hacker, he lives in computers, loves to solve problems, and he just worships a challenge.

With Tweaker’s speedy uplink, his toys, know-how, and the fact that he is usually chem’d on something, I swear the guy is faster than lightnin on water. I was there when Tweaker was controllin two remotes internally, jackin into a corp account with his wrist comp, and plugged in drivin our getaway car, all at the same time. You might doubt my cred on this, but trust me I’m tellin it straight.

Me? What is my biz you might ask? I have the contacts, fences, street cred, and the knowhow. You know what they say, knowledge is power, well there is not a whole lot that goes on around this borough, and a few others, that I don’t know about. Not much in the way of gear I can't get my hands on. Not many shadowy folks that I don’t know. I could tell you about the new pro chick on 7th avenue that’s got a clean bill of health, for now. Or, the ole snitch out near the highway underpass by Williams street who would rollover on you for a good enough payday.

Oh let’s not mention the fact that I got no ID. That’s right; zip, zero, zilch. About three decades ago when they were still using social security numbers I never got one. I was born at home and my parents never registered me, never claimed me on taxes, so I don’t exist, and never existed. I started wearing disguises at the age of five, never seemed ta be the same person twice. I was home schooled. When I wanted a driver’s license I got a fake, a good one. Soon I had multiple ID’s. If the law found a print on a job it might match other capers, but the face on any sec cameras wouldn’t. Even my buds wondered what I really looked like.

Well I won’t bore you with the details of what happened til 9PM, let’s just say Tweaker was very happy about the idea of earnin 25 Mil. I used all the regular precautions in each converse, but for some reason Tweaker sent me a snap pic of a skull and crossbones, a poison icon. Under it were the words You are toxic. What the frag?

Mara was skeptical but even she was not above acceptin a big payday. How did she put it...? I feel compelled to accept your offer solely due to my present bout of egregious economic disparity.

I could only reply with, Huh? and that was followed by a long, drawn out, but very sexy sounding sigh on the other end of the line.

"I have to take this job only because I am flat broke—dullard." Mara loves ta remind us all about her 180+ IQ, especially me.

Right after Mara hung up I whispered out loud ta my empty apartment. Smart ass.

So we were a team again with me as the criminal mastermind. Ok, so you know I'm not quite the mastermind, ta be honest my own IQ is very average. Mostly I’ve got street savvy, the contacts, and good ole fashion common sense. The question still drifted though, what fraggin job was worth 100 Mil ta this Jones?

Snot already told me he wouldn’t do wet work, and I shy away from those jobs myself. Like I said, Snot and I never