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The racists of the Sixth World tell us that the newly Awakened races are demons, monsters-not human and therefore our enemy. But even as they rouse the ignorant masses against our harmless brothers, the real demonspawn lurk in the shadows, growing stronger on the blood of the living. They are the vampires, the so-called living dead.
–
Martin de Vries, Shadows at Noon posted to Shadowland BBS, 24 May 2057
Light morning rain spattered against the rusted, pitted metal of the fire escape as Sinunu Sol climbed, her heavy boots making so little noise as to be completely silent against the backdrop of the soft Street noise from below. The Capitol Hill district was unusually quiet this morning, with only the occasional car rumbling through the twisting, turning streets of downtown Seattle. That was fine with Sinunu. Considering the whammy she and her team were about to pull, the less people watching, the longer it would take Lone Star to scan to what was going on.
Dressed in skin-tight black synthleather and a dark brown wrap-around duster that contrasted with her albino skin, Sinunu caught a glimpse of herself in a dirty pane of glass as she topped the last landing before the ladder to the roof. Her shock of white hair was slicked back by the rain, and her pink eyes seemed to float in her ghost face, She smiled at her reflection as she moved past.
Sinunu was riding the groove, everything clicking on all twenty-four, and in the slot. It felt just fine. She and the crew hadn’t worked for almost a month, and she’d thought she might go crazy for the want of action, So. even though this was mostly a charity gig-with the little dancer squiff only able to cop up enough to pay expenses-it just didn’t matter.
She climbed the ladder quickly, feeling the grit of time under her pale hands. Stepping over the dirty brick of the caping wall, her foot touched the rooftop just as the rain started to slacken. Bits of grainy sand skittered under her heavy boots as she moved quickly across the roof.
She reached the large ventilation intake, and opened her duster. Strapped there, in six separate leather holsters, were the pieces of her Barret Model 121 sniper rifle. With precise moves that wasted no energy. Sinunu assembled the rifle in less than twenty seconds, taking the time to double-check the silencer’s fitting. Slotting the caseless ammo, she lowered the tripod and quickly carried the weapon over to the edge of the roof top.
From there, she could see the target’s front bay window on the second story. Through the window, the man himself was visible, talking to someone out of her Line of sight.
Probably that damn ork he’s got for a bodyguard, Sinunu thought. That puffed up razorboy couldn’t guard water from getting wet.
The target, a rich weasel named Carlos Sevase, didn’t look too happy, and that made Sinunu smile. Carlos was everything she detested about men. He was small-minded, petty, and came complete with a mean streak that included hurting pretty young girls who didn’t do exactly what he wanted.
Sinunu was fairly sure that Carlos had just earned that his latest punching bag had booked, and was nowhere to be found. At least not by him. The crew had moved her out of town last night, after Truxa had done her best to patch the girl up. Corinna was the girl’s name, and when Sinunu had seen that bruised face, she’d had to do a full ten-breath count to get her anger under control.
Corinna was going to lay low for a few days, just long enough for Sinunu, Flak, Truxa, and Sandman to convince Carlos that maybe he should learn to play nice.
Sinunu smiled again when she thought about how this was going to go down. Looking across at Carlos, her smile grew into a grin. Thirty seconds with Flak will have that boy in tears.
Sinunu forced the grin from her face, and Concentrated. She subvocalized into the headset mike of her Philips tacticorn. “This is Bird’s Eye, got the-”
Suddenly her senses kicked into high gear. The patter of rain had covered the approach and dampened the smell, but she still knew he was there before he even spoke.
“Well, well. What do we have here? I suggest you release your hold on the rifle slowly and roll over onto your back, hands on your head.”
Sinunu cursed under her breath and did as she was told.
The man towering over her was elven, a fact that surprised her because the only meta of record Carlos had on the payroll was the ork. This guy was tall, with jet black hair done in dreds down his back. His dark skin glistened in the rain.
He held a Cobra Colt in his thin hands. The weapon’s stubby design made it look as if the designers had forgotten to add a barrel.
“Hey, there, pretty boy, you know how to use that gun, or do you just think it makes you look tough?”
The elf grinned, “I know a bit more than you.”
He took one more step toward her, and without lowering the weapon, held up his left hand. Talking into a headset almost identical to Sinunu’s, he said, “Got one on the roof. I’ll finish this and find the rest of the mice for you.”
He took one more step and Sinunu moved. Everything slowed around her as her talent took over. The elf’s face froze in that stupid, mean-looking grin as Sinunu cocked her right leg back and rammed it straight through his kneecap, splintering bone.
Suddenly without any balance, the elf tumbled forward, a scream giving away his pain. With ease, Sinunu lifted herself off the rooftop with her left leg and caught him just under the chin with the toe of her right boot.
The elf’s head shot back, blood spraying as teeth splintered in his mouth and flew through the air.
He collapsed into a heap at Sinunu’s feet. “You don’t know squat, you damn amateur. Maybe that’ll teach you not to get too close.”
Without another look at him, she rolled back over to the sniper rifle, and subvocalized into her tacticom. “Like I was saying, this is Bird’s Eye, and I’ve got the back door covered.”
Sandman’s voice in her ear sounded like a ghost through the headset. He was in the stepvan parked just down below in the alley. but his transmission via the Matrix always gave his voice an ethereal sound. “Front doors pop. No auto see devices, and just the three of them in the room. You can party whenever you’re ready to put on your boogie shoes. Just give the door a little push.”
Then she heard Flak’s voice. “You ready with the bang-bang, Trux?”
There was a pause that stretched long enough for Sinunu to realize she’d stopped breathing. Take it easy. Truxa can handle anything these punks throw. Even as she thought the words, she had a hard time believing them.
Truxa Fin was the team’s elven mage and she was also Sinunu’s lover. Sinunu knew she had a problem being overprotective, but there was nothing she could do about how she felt.
After a second more, Truxa’s voice, bright and cheerful, sounded over the tacticom. Sorry about that, Had a problem with the now previous tenant of the apartment It seems he took exception to my presence, but he’s feeling much better about things since he decided to vacate, I’m in the slot and ready to roll.”
“Then it’s party time.”
Through the window Sinunu watched as Carlos suddenly whipped around toward the front door, and even though she couldn’t see it. she knew what had happened. Two hundred kilos of very pissed-off troll had just smashed through his front door.
There was a brief pause, and a body flew through the air, crashing into the wall Opposite the bay window. So much for the ork.
That’s when things started to go south.
“I got heat signatures on the floor above, moving fast, and it don’t look like a meeting of the glee club.” Sandman’s Matrix-distoned voice sounded harried, and Sinunu briefly wondered what had gotten him so agitated. Then, she knew.
The Sound of gunfire rolled softly across the Street, and she could hear the distinctive screaming roar of Flak’s Vindicator as it cranked up to rock and roll.
Carlos was still standing with his back to her, and now she could see Flak, facing away from her, the spinning barrel of the Vindicator spitting fire.
in the same instant she also saw Carlos reach into his suit coat to pull out an Ares Predator.
Without thinking, Sinunu triggered the Barret, and felt the small recoil as the heavy slug shattered the bay window. The round caught Carlos in the back of the neck almost taking his head off as the force spun him completely around. The sounds of gunfire echoed loudly through the streets now that the window was gone.
Sinunu spoke quickly into the tacticom. “Back door is Open.”
The wall at the back of the apartment seemed to come apart, blowing inward, and suddenly, there was Truxa alongside Flak, her tiny hands making complicated motions in the air.
A ball of flame about the size of a small car ripped through the air and flashed out of sight toward the front door, and Sinunu could hear the screams of men who couldn’t get out of the way in time.
Flak never let up on his spray of lead as he and Truxa backed to the window, stepping over the body of Carlos.
From far away, the wail of Lone Star sirens could now be heard over the din of the firefight.
lust below her, Sinunu watched as the blue stepvan peeled out of the alley and stopped just under the second-floor picture window.