Poison Agendas Read online

  "However, I want you to keep in mind that it's a small world out there, Mr. Espinosa, and getting smaller all the time. Memories in the shadows are quite long, indeed. Should you find yourself in need of professional shadowrunning services in the future, you'll find that the price has gone up considerably."

  * * *

  The meet went smoothly. Juan Espinosa was soon in the hands of his new employers, who were pleased with the shadowrunners' performance and promptly paid the agreed-upon fee for delivery of the goods.

  Later, in a dark corner booth at a local drinking establishment, Lothan divided the spoils. Kellan was disappointed with her payout. As always, Lothan had deducted a percentage of her share as his fee for teaching her magic. Kellan acknowledged that it was what she had agreed to, but still felt it wasn't entirely fair that she did some of the most dangerous work while Lothan got to sit back and enjoy the profits.

  "Maybe I should start working some jobs on the side." Kellan said somewhat glumly, looking at the balance on her credstick.

  "Dante's Inferno is looking for bouncers." G-Dogg offered helpfully. The ork occasionally moonlighted as a bouncer for various nightclubs, primarily for the opportunity to see and be seen, and to conduct some business. G-Dogg also claimed the work helped to keep him sharp and gave him the opportunity to roughhouse when he was in the mood.

  "Thanks," Kellan said dryly, "but I don't think I'm cut out for being a bouncer. I meant some shadow work."

  "Don't get ahead of yourself, kid." Silver Max advised, taking a swig from his tall glass of beer. "You haven't been in town that long, and you've got a pretty sweet deal going with us."

  Lothan gave an expressive shrug. "I certainly have no objections if Kellan wants to strike out on her own." he said. "Her business is her own. Though I agree such a decision would be ill-advised."

  "Why?" Kellan asked. "You don't think I can handle it?"

  Lothan raised one bushy eyebrow. "Frankly, no." he said bluntly. "You have talent, my dear, and real potential, but don't let a few successes go to your head."

  Yeah, Lothan is a fine one to be giving people advice on not getting a swelled head, Kellan thought. If Lothan's ego were any larger, he would need someone else to help him carry it around. But hey, that's one of the things he has me for.

  "I've done pretty well for myself." Kellan said in her own defense, and Lothan nodded.

  "Yes, for a novice, but—"

  "But nothing!" she interrupted. She suddenly found she really wasn't in the mood to hear the troll mage expound yet again on how she had a lot to learn. "I handled things just fine on this run, and on every other run I've been on. If I hadn't taken down those Aztechnology guards, then G-Dogg and Orion would have been fragged, Espinosa would still be working for Aztech, and they probably would have blown the VTOL out of the fragging sky!"

  Kellan had jumped to her feet during her tirade and was leaning forward into Lothan's face, hands braced on the table in front of her. The troll mage didn't flinch as Kellan vented her frustration.

  "I was the one who took care of that mess with the Ancients and the Spikes, too." Kellan continued. That caused a slight glimmer in Lothan's eye. He and Kellan were the only ones who knew for sure that Lothan had been working his own deal during that run—something he had not felt it necessary to tell the others, and something Kellan had kept to herself. She wasn't about to blurt it out now, but she didn't mind letting Lothan sweat a little. If he was concerned, however, he didn't show it.

  "Are you quite finished?" Lothan asked in a low voice, and Kellan suddenly realized she was causing a scene. She abruptly sat down and slumped in the booth, trying to make herself as invisible as possible to the other patrons of the establishment.

  "You were fortunate." the troll continued evenly. "Very fortunate. But don't confuse luck with experience and skill, my dear, because they are what wins out every time."

  "I'm not your 'dear' anything, Lothan, so stop treating me like a child."

  "Gladly, when you decide to stop acting like one. If you want to be treated like an adult, then here are some adult realities for you, Kellan. You are quite right. You are not a child, and I am certainly not your parent. You are my apprentice and I am your teacher, and I would be remiss if I did not try to teach you certain things that will keep you alive in the life you have chosen. Ours is a professional relationship. If you are unhappy with it, or if you want to seek other opportunities, then you are free to do so. I feel it is fair to warn you, however," he raised a finger for emphasis, "you will have to seek those opportunities on your own."

  Kellan stood up again. "Maybe I'll do that." She punched the payment button on the screen at the edge of the table to cover the cost of her drink, pulled her credstick from the slot and turned on her heel to stalk away from the table and the rest of the team.

  Lothan wanted her to stop acting like a child? Fine. She would show him just what she was capable of doing. Then the arrogant fragger would give her a little respect.

  Chapter 3

  Kellan thrust her sword at her opponent's heart, but his blade came up in a graceful arc, swatting aside the point of hers. She quickly brought it up to block the follow-up slash at her shoulder, and then flailed a stroke at her foe's neck. He again blocked the strike easily, spinning his sword to whirl Kellan's own blade out of the way. Then came a lightning-quick thrust, jabbing the blunt tip of the practice blade right into her stomach, just below the ribs.

  "Ow!" Kellan exclaimed, taking a step back and rubbing the sore spot.

  Orion saluted her with his practice sword before dropping back into an en garde position.

  "Again." he said curtly, and Kellan gathered her wits to return the elf's salute and regain a ready stance, sword arm extended, free hand out behind her for balance.

  "Attack!" Orion said, and Kellan lunged forward.

  Orion twisted his torso to present less of his body as a target, bringing his sword around in an arc to deflect hers by the narrow margin needed to make her miss him entirely. Kellan swept her own sword around in a wide arc, catching Orion's blade as he came in slow, and pushing it aside.

  "Good!" he said, coming around and blocking Kellan's swing at his upper body. Then he made a jab at her leg. Kellan dropped her sword down to block it, but Orion only feinted. His sword blazed up and struck Kellan's shoulder with a loud slap.

  "Ow! Fraggit!" Kellan yelled at the sharp sting from the rattan practice blade.

  "Focus." Orion said. Kellan gritted her teeth and massaged her shoulder as the elf stepped back into ready position, with no indication their sparring was leaving him even the slightest bit winded.

  "Again." he said with a nod.

  Kellan took a deep breath. She reached up to brush a few strands of sweat-soaked hair out of her face, then returned Orion's salute.

  "Attack!" he proclaimed, and Kellan lunged forward. This time, Orion sidestepped her attack and came in with an upward thrust of his blade. Kellan tried to backpedal to get out of the way, but lost her balance. The elf knocked her sword from her grasp, sending it clattering to the floor as Kellan toppled over backward, landing with a thump on the unforgiving wood.

  "What the frag was that for?" Kellan yelled, glaring at Orion as she massaged her shoulder, still stinging from his previous hit.

  "For not paying attention." he said. "If you want me to teach you how to use a sword, the least you can do is try."

  "I am trying!"

  He shook his head. "You can do better than that." He offered Kellan his hand to help her up, but she ignored it, struggling to her feet on her own.

  "Do you have to hit so hard?" Kellan protested.

  "It doesn't hurt nearly as much as a real sword would." Orion said without a trace of sympathy. "If this were a real sword fight, you'd be dead."

  "But it's not a real fight. It's supposed to be practice."

  "It's also not supposed to be easy."

  "Fraggit." Kellan said. "Maybe I just shouldn't bother."

  She turned
toward the door.

  "Hold on!" Orion said. "What's really going on, Kel? Are you still hacked off about that drek with Lothan?"

  Kellan remained quiet for a moment, but went to pick up her fallen sword. Taking her silence as an affirmative, Orion continued.

  "Don't let him get to you." he said. "You know better than anybody what a blowhard Lothan is. He's fragging older than God's parents and he doesn't think anyone can handle anything as well as he can." Orion and Lothan had had their share of disagreements. The elven adept was quick acting and quick tempered compared to Lothan's cool and calculating approach, which took in every possible variable before arriving at a decision.

  "I didn't notice you saying he was wrong." Kellan muttered, looking down at the sword in her hand.

  "What, about you not being ready to set up business on your own?"

  Kellan raised her blue eyes to meet Orion's leaf-green ones.

  "So? Do you agree with him?" There was a long pause as the question hung in the air. "You do, don't you?"

  "I didn't say that!" Orion shot back.

  "But you were thinking it!"

  "Oh, the master of the arts arcane has taught you how to reads minds now, has he?"

  Kellan started to reply, but Orion cut her off.

  "I didn't say anything then because it wasn't the place or time for it." Kellan felt a hot flush rise to her cheeks. He was right about that. She shouldn't have gone off on Lothan in public like that, especially when it came to biz.

  "But." Orion continued, raising a hand for emphasis. "I don't necessarily agree with Lothan's attitude. I think he underestimates you, but Lothan underestimates everyone, Kellan. He probably can't remember the last time he was involved in a run where he wasn't in charge."

  Kellan sighed. "You're probably right. It's just that it's so frustrating."

  "I bet. I don't know how you put up with having him as a teacher."

  "I have a high tolerance for hardcase instructors." Kellan said with a smile, and Orion glanced down at the sword in his hand, a sheepish expression coming over his face as Kellan laughed.

  "It's really not that bad." she explained. "Lothan does know his stuff, and he's taught me a lot. It's just that I don't think he sees I'm already capable of doing more—a lot more. I mean, you've only been working the shadows for a while. You know what I mean."

  Orion nodded. "Yeah, it's hard at first when everybody assumes you're going to frag things up. But I think we've both proven we can handle ourselves."

  "I want to do more than that. I'm not going to be Lothan's apprentice forever."

  "You want to be the one calling the shots." Orion said flatly.

  "What's wrong with that?"

  "Probably nothing, but you're asking the wrong guy. I'm totally okay with being the hired muscle." he said. "It's what I know how to do. As long as I get paid, I'm better off not worrying about everything else."

  "Not me." Kellan said. "I mean, I can follow orders and do what needs to be done, but I don't think I want to do that forever."

  "So, what are you going to do about it?"

  Kellan sighed again. "I don't know. There's no way Lothan is going to change his mind. . . ."

  "Frag Lothan!" Orion shot back. "He's not the only shadowrunner in Seattle. He's not even the only mage, even if he acts like it. You don't need his permission to do some business on your own, right?"

  "That's right. I don't."

  "So when you see a chance, I say take it."

  "Will you back me up if I do?" she asked.

  "Assuming you can afford me." Then his serious face split into a grin. "Yeah, of course I'll back you up."

  "Thanks."

  "Null sheen." the elven adept replied. "So, you ready to go a few more rounds?"

  Kellan raised her sword with a nod and assumed a ready pose.

  "Let's go." she said. "This time, I'm gonna whip your skinny elf butt."

  * * *

  As it turned out, Orion did most of the butt-whipping, though Kellan managed to get in a few good attacks during their sparring match. She even scored a hit on Orion, and the elf declared himself impressed. He said Kellan was definitely improving. She left the gym bruised, sore and sweaty, but feeling a little better about her altercation with Lothan. It was good to know someone thought she had what it took to do things on her own.

  Kellan was pleasantly surprised by her growing friendship with Orion, though not as surprised as he was, she suspected. When they first met, she thought Orion was as arrogant in his own way as Lothan, if not more so. He was a member of the Ancients, one of the biggest elven go-gangs in the metroplex. He probably figured her for some nobody newbie shadowrunner. But Kellan's willingness to go out on a limb to pursue the truth, and them working together on two runs back to back had opened the door for them to become friends.

  At some point, Kellan had asked Orion to teach her how to use a sword. It was a challenge for both of them. Orion was an adept, endowed with magical talent that made him faster, stronger and more skilled than a mundane swordsman. A lot of his skill with a sword came from his magic, and he wasn't sure it was something he could teach. Kellan had never used any weapon requiring more technique than a stun baton or a pistol. She wasn't sure she even had time to learn how to fence, given how much magical study Lothan loaded onto her. Still, as Orion said, "There are dangers in the Awakened world honest steel can handle better than a gun or shock weapon." and Kellan wanted to be prepared.

  There were moments, usually right after Orion gave her a few stinging bruises, when she regretted her decision, but right now she was feeling good about it. Orion was right: she was improving her fencing—just as she was learning more about magic, and about the shadows of Seattle. She was confident she could handle a lot on her own, no matter what Lothan—or the others—thought about her abilities.

  It was early in the evening when Kellan got back to her apartment. She trudged wearily up the stairs, listening to the loud argument going on behind the closed door on the second floor as she passed the landing. The ork couple living there was always fighting, usually screaming at the top of their lungs. Kellan could only make out about half of what was being said in the patois of English, Spanish and Japanese they called Cityspeak in the Seattle area.

  She'd had no place to live when she arrived in Seattle, but she was happy Lothan had not suggested she move in with him. The troll mage valued his privacy too much to share his living quarters, and Kellan wanted her own space. G-Dogg had offered to share his doss, but Kellan turned him down. She definitely didn't want to complicate any of her few professional relationships. She pulled together the cred she needed for a deposit from her cut of her first two runs, and accepted G-Dogg's offer of help in finding a place for her to call her own.

  It wasn't much to look at: a small one-bedroom apartment in a run-down building on the edge of the Puyallup Barrens. It was a third-floor walk-up, utilities included, though the water only worked about half the time and her neighbors all had screaming kids who usually played the trideo way too loud—but it was hers. Kellan disengaged the maglocks on the door, as always keeping an eye out for anyone unfamiliar in the hallway. She dropped her bag inside and flicked on the light before closing the door and locking it again.

  She needed to take a shower and get something to eat, then she'd log on to Shadowland and check out some job possibilities. Shadowland was the Matrix host for shadowrunners to exchange information and post leads for biz. Jackie Ozone had set Kellan up with access, and it was the best first step to take in her plan to do something on her own for a change.

  First things first, though. She took out her phone and checked her messages. There was only one. Probably Lothan with more "homework" for me, she thought as she hit the button to play the message.

  "Um, hey, Kellan." a vaguely familiar voice said. "This is Squeak. You probably don't remember me, but I . . . um, I've got something I want to talk to you about, something big. Buzz me back, 'kay?" A local telecom grid number appeared at the
end of the message. Kellan looked at it thoughtfully as it flashed on the tiny screen.

  She actually did remember Squeak. He was a decker, a "warez dood." he called himself. His specialty was hunting through other people's cast-offs, both data and hardware, looking for little nuggets of gold he could turn into cred. Sometimes it was an account number, an old passcode or bits of a deleted file, sometimes it was a piece of tech that could be fixed up and sold. Jackie Ozone bought from him occasionally, and Kellan had met him through Jackie, when the decker was picking up some data for a run not long after Kellan arrived in Seattle. The shy, awkward deckhead had taken a shine to Kellan the moment she'd walked into his squat.

  More importantly, from Kellan's perspective, she had made Squeak a standing offer to pay him for any information he might dig up about her mother. Someone had sent Kellan a package from Seattle containing some gear useful for running the shadows, and the dragon-shaped amulet she always wore. The enclosed note said only that the things belonged to her mother. One of the reasons Kellan came to Seattle was to track down the source of the package and find out more about her mother, including whether she was even still alive. Maybe Squeak had a lead.

  Kellan punched the button for the phone to dial the highlighted LTG number. It only rang twice before someone answered.

  "Hey, Kellan, you get my message?" Squeak asked. Kellan refrained from asking how he knew it was her. She thought the caller ID on her phone was blocked, but apparently not to everyone. That, or the number he gave her was unique, so he would know it was her.

  "Yeah, I got it." she replied. "So what's up?"

  "Not over the phone." Squeak replied mysteriously. "Can you meet me?" Kellan paused for only a moment. What could Squeak consider to be so important?

  "Sure—where and when?"

  "How about Syberspace in like ... an hour?" Squeak was trying to not sound too eager. He wasn't succeeding.

  "An hour?" Kellan paused, as if thinking it over. She knew how to avoid sounding too eager, even though she was willing to admit that she was very curious. "All right."