Born to run (s-4) Page 8

  A faint creak of the floorboards in the hall caught Kellan's attention. She looked up from her reading as Liada strolled into the kitchen.

  "How's it going?" the elf asked her, nodding toward the datapad.

  Kellan sighed. "Okay. This book is really long."

  Liada laughed. "That isn't the half of it," she said. "There are entire libraries full of books on magic and magic theory. Just look at all the dead trees Lothan has lining the walls of his study."

  Kellan thought about having to read all of those books and shuddered. "How do you remember it all?" she asked.

  "You don't really need to," Liada said, going over to the counter and pouring herself a cup of soykaf from the dispenser. "Once you know the basics, it's mostly just variations on a theme. The really complex stuff is only used for rituals, and even old-timers like Lothan crack the books then to make sure they're getting it right." She brought the steaming cup over to the table and sat down across from Kellan, taking a sip and making a face at the bitter taste.

  "Of course," she continued, "Lothan will make everything seem at least ten times more complicated and mystical than it needs to be, and he'll probably have you reading drek that you'll never really use:." She reached over and picked up the data-pad, turning it around to read the display.

  "Swinburne?" she said, with a raised eyebrow. "See, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about. Swinburne's stuff is old news, written more than thirty years ago, but mages like Lothan still consider it a Classical Foundation of Modern Hermetics." She managed to vocally capitalize the last four words. "I'm surprised he didn't start you off reading Waite, Crowley and Carroll, while he was at it." Kellan didn't recognize the names, but it was clear Liada didn't hold them in especially high regard.

  "So what should I be reading?" Kellan asked.

  "If you ask me, you should be doing something other than just reading," Liada replied, taking another sip of her coffee substitute. "Reading is all well and good, and there are some perfectly good modern grimoires and texts available on the Matrix, but there's no substitute for practice."

  "We did some of that," Kellan said, a bit sheepishly. "I almost set the place on fire."

  Liada laughed again. "I wish I could have seen Lothan's face when that happened."

  "Where is Lothan?" Kellan asked, glancing toward the hall.

  "Meditating," Liada replied. "Checking up on me is more like it. He wants to make absolutely certain that everything is ready."

  "More of that 'astral scouting' you were talking about?"

  "Yeah, although I'm better at that sort of thing than Lothan, if you ask me," Liada said with a smile. "But if he wants to double-check, that's his business."

  "What's it like? The astral plane, I mean. Part of what I read today talked about that."

  Liada thought for a moment. "How do you explain what color is like to someone who's been blind all their life?" she said. "No offense," she added, seeing the expression on Kellan's face. "But you said you didn't have any experience with it. That's the hard part about the astral plane. It's a place that isn't really a place, because it's right next door to the physical world, in a way. You see it with a kind of psychic sixth sense, by doing what we call assensing. It lets you sense emotions, mana flows, magical impressions, things like that. Most people see them as colored auras of light, though some perceive them as sounds, or smells, or just strong feelings. It's tough to describe. That's what I mean about experiencing it for yourself. But once you do, there's no greater sense of freedom in the world."

  "Sounds wiz," Kellan said.

  "Yeah, it is. But don't fool yourself-the astral plane can be dangerous, too. Spirits live there, and some of them aren't too friendly. In fact, some of them are downright nasty."

  Liada studied Kellan for a moment like she was trying to assess something about her, and Kellan wondered if the elf was seeing or "assensing" her as she'd said, using that special kind of magical sight.

  "I'm kind of surprised you haven't had any experience with the astral," Liada continued. "Some kind of spontaneous assensing or astral projection is pretty common with newly Awakened magicians."

  Kellan shook her head. "The only real magical experience I've had was when I set this troll ganger on fire, and the stuff that Lothan has been trying to teach me."

  "Interesting. Is Lothan sure that you're a mage?"

  "Well, he said that I definitely have the Talent," Kellan said.

  "Yes, but is he sure that you're a mage and not a shaman?"

  Kellan was puzzled. "What's the difference?"

  "Typical," Liada said with a sad shake of her head. "I should have expected that kind of attitude from Lothan." When Kellan continued to give her a quizzical look, she went on. "Magicians are people with the Talent for tapping into and using mana to do magic, but there are different traditions of magic, magicians who do magic in different ways. Mages are magicians who follow the hermetic tradition, like Lothan and like me, but we're not the only kind of magicians. Far from it, in fact."

  "Right," Kellan said, "they have shamans in the Native American Nations, like the ones that led the Ghost Dance."

  Liada chuckled. "They don't have many shamans like that anymore," she said. "But, yeah, the NAN has a lot of shamans, although shamans aren't just a Native American thing. They're all over the place."

  "So what's the difference between shamans and mages?" Kellan asked.

  "Shamans have the guidance of spirits they call totems. They're these powerful spirits that come to the shamans in visions and dreams and -tell them how to do magic. They usually show up as different kinds of animals. Through their totems, shamans tap into the power of the natural world. They can contact the spirits of nature and ask them to do things. Have you ever had any dreams where an animal was talking to you, maybe trying to tell you something or teach you a song or special name?"

  Kellan thought for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't think so," she replied. "At least, I don't remember anything like that. I don't usually remember my dreams."

  "You may now that you've Awakened," Liada said, taking another sip of her soykaf. "Doesn't sound to me like you've been called by a totem, but you never know. You should keep track of your dreams and see if they have anything to tell you. Try keeping a dream journal, writing down what you remember as soon as you wake up. There are a lot of symbols and messages in our dreams."

  "How will I know if I'm supposed to be a shaman?" she asked.

  "Oh, you'll know, believe me," she said. "The totems have their own way of revealing things, and when they want you to know something, they're not subtle."

  "If you're not a shaman," Kellan wondered, "then how come you know so much about them?"

  "Some of my best friends are shamans," Liada said, "and, unlike His Majesty," she nodded her head toward Lothan's study, "I think there's something to be gained from studying other traditions of magic and knowing how other people do things." Kellan thought that made sense.

  Just then, the glowing light-sprite zipped into the room to hover above the table, bobbing gently toward Liada, then toward the door.

  "Oops," she said. "Looks like he's done. Better go see what he has to say." She stood up from the table, leaving the mug where it sat. "Talk to you later, Kellan."

  "Yeah. And thanks," Kellan told the elf.

  "No problem," she replied. "We'll talk again sometime, okay?"

  "I'd like that," Kellan said. She went back to her reading with a new appreciation for the material. She would have to ask Lothan about shamanism and those different traditions of magic Liada mentioned. She wanted to know what her choices were before she committed to something for the rest of her life.

  That night, the shadowrunners gathered at Lothan's place once more. Assembled in the troll mage's study, they went over the information they'd gathered and the plans for the run. Jackie Ozone was present again via the Matrix, her anime princess persona on the screen of the telecom sitting on Lothan's desk. The other runners attended in person.
Kellan noticed that Orion still refused to mix with the rest of the team.

  G-Dogg greeted Kellan warmly when he arrived, and asked her how her lessons were going.

  "Learned how to turn people into frogs yet, kid?" he asked, and Kellan wondered briefly if mages could really do that. She'd have to look it up or ask Lothan later.

  "Not yet," she said.

  "First, I think I'll need to teach her some of the basics," Lothan interjected. "Like lighting candles with something smaller than a blowtorch." The troll chuckled and Kellan blushed.

  "Hey, there's times when a blowtorch can come in handy," G-Dogg replied with a wink at Kellan.

  Lothan started on one side of the room and asked each runner for their progress report.

  Jackie Ozone went first. The decker flashed information on the screen as she went over what she'd learned.

  "I confirmed the data that we got from our Mr. Johnson," Jackie said. "The shipment route looks legit and takes our target along the East Road into the metroplex, right along the border of the Redmond Barrens." A map showed up on the screen, and a red line traced out the route along it.

  "The security complement for a shipment like this should be Ares standard, which means they'll be well-trained and armed, but we shouldn't face any heavy cyberware or magical support. We can expect at least four guards, plus a driver. Probably AK-97s or SMGs and sidearms, maybe tasers or stun batons for dealing with the riffraff, since they are passing by the Barrens."

  "We pinpointed a good spot for things to go down," Silver Max said, and the map on the telecom screen shifted to show a satellite photo image of the highway. It zoomed in on a section of roadway and enlarged to show more detail.

  "There's an underpass right before the target site," the dwarf rigger continued, "which provides us with some cover and high ground if we need it. There's enough junk along the edges of the road to provide some additional cover, though no place to hide vehicles unless we park 'em right along the side of the road, which might tip off our targets."

  "Liada and I have examined the ether of that area and the surrounding region," Lothan announced, "and, while it's by no means entirely clear of astral detritus, it should pose no difficulties against our own abilities."

  "Which means that we're in the clear magic-wise," Liada offered helpfully.

  "What about the locals?" Lothan asked.

  G-Dogg spoke up. "I did some checking around. Seems like the Red Hot Nukes and the Rusted Stilettos have had a couple of dustups recently, but not much as far south and east as we'll be. Most everyone is talking about the Spikes getting more aggressive along I-5, but their territory is far enough west that they shouldn't be any trouble. So long as word about the shipment doesn't leak to the Nukes, I don't think we have anything to worry about, and everything I've heard says they don't have a clue."

  "And we should keep it that way," Lothan said. He paused for a moment. "We could always make certain that the Nukes are out of the way:." he mused aloud.

  "How?" G-Dogg asked.

  "Perhaps the Ancients could be persuaded to provide a bit of a: distraction?" the troll asked.

  Everyone turned to look at Orion. The elf ganger glanced at the shadowrunners and shrugged slightly.

  "Maybe. What's in it for us?" he asked.

  "That's an interesting question," Lothan relied with a tight smile. "But one that I won't ask if you don't. The real question is: how badly do the Ancients want this to go well?"

  Orion failed to hide that he was a bit taken aback by how efficiently Lothan turned the tables on him.

  "I can ask," was all the elf said.

  "Excellent," Lothan replied. "In either case, it doesn't seem that the local rabble will pose much of a problem."

  "Bring it on," the Street Deacon said, flexing one of his skeletal chrome hands with a faint whirring noise. "As it is, it doesn't sound like this will be much of a challenge."

  "I prefer to find my challenges elsewhere," Lothan said lightly. "The smoother and faster our business goes, the sooner it will be taken care of and we will all get paid."

  "Depriving Ares of a measure of their ill-gotten gains is enough for me," the Deacon said, though he clearly wasn't refusing the nuyen the runners would make.

  "Speaking of which," Jackie Ozone interjected, "nothing online to indicate that there's anything unusual about this particular shipment."

  "Nothing that I've heard, either," the Street Deacon agreed. "Though my eyes and ears within Ares are not what they once were."

  "Jackie, what about the cargo?" G-Dogg asked. "What are we lifting?"

  "An interesting question," the decker replied. "The manifest says it's a shipment of electronics: trid-players, cable hardware, drek like that."

  "Why would anybody pay to lift a shipment like that?" Kellan asked, speaking up for the first time. "I mean, it can't be worth much more in street value than what the Johnson is paying." A couple of the other shadowrunners smiled knowingly.

  "That's the point, kid," G-Dogg replied. "It probably means the manifest is faked and Ares doesn't want Metroplex Customs or the NAN authorities to know what they're moving across the border. They're moving something else with this shipment as a front, but our Mr. Johnson found out about it and wants to nab it. If Ares really is interested in keeping it a secret, then they won't raise a stink if their shipment suddenly goes missing, since it wasn't supposed to be anything all that valuable in the first place. It's not like they can go to Lone Star and complain that somebody stole their contraband."

  "Still, it means that we're dealing with an unknown in the form of our cargo," Lothan said. "We'll have to be careful how we handle it. I don't like unknowns." The other shadowrunners only nodded in response.

  "All right, then," Lothan said. "Given that information, let's walk through the entire plan. Unless there's anything else:?

  "Right, then. Kellan, your part in the plan takes place at the very beginning, and depends entirely on how helpless you can appear."

  Kellan didn't like the sound of that one bit.

  9

  How the frag did I let myself get talked into this? Kellan wondered as she sat in the driver's seat of the little electric three-wheeler. She glanced for about the thousandth time down the darkened stretch of highway that ran along the border between Redmond and Renton, heading into Bellevue. Most of the streetlights along that length of I-90 had been blown out over the years as part of target practice for go-gangs, wizzer-kids and other vandals. The few remaining cast a dim blue-white glow over the roadway. The ferrocrete barriers along either side did their best to separate the East Road from the desolation surrounding it, but some of them were badly in need of repair or missing altogether. The lanes of the highway stretched off into the darkness in either direction as far as Kellan could see.

  She spotted approaching headlights and tensed, her hand immediately going to the stun baton hidden under her jacket. The glow of the lights flared brightly for a moment, then they zoomed past, the vehicle not even slowing down. As the red glow of the car's taillights receded into the distance, Kellan reminded herself that the car she was in looked like a junker abandoned alongside the road. For all she knew, Silver Max had found it here and just appropriated it for the run. She had to admit that didn't seem likely, though, since the car still had all its interior furnishings, even if it didn't run.

  "How you doing, Kellan?" Jackie Ozone's voice sounded in Kellan's ear through the tiny speaker-and-throat-mic device she wore. It sounded like the decker was sitting right next to her when, in fact, Kellan had no idea where Jackie was. She could be somewhere in the plex or hanging out in the Hong Kong or Denver data havens for all Kellan knew.

  She put her fingers to her ear for a moment. "Just wizard," she told Jackie in a tone that said she was getting tired of waiting, then glanced out at the road again.

  Silver Max's crisp tone broke into the channel. "Target has passed checkpoint one," he said. "They're on their way. It's showtime, people."

  Kellan im
mediately threw the little electric car into neutral and made sure the emergency brake was off as G-Dogg and the Street Deacon emerged from the shadows alongside the road. She opened the driver's side door and hopped out. The ork and the street samurai began pushing the little car out into the road. It rolled smoothly, though Kellan could hear a faint whine of cybernetics from the Deacon, so she knew it was costing them some effort.

  "We should have gotten Lothan to do this," the Deacon muttered, just loud enough for G-Dogg and Kellan to hear him.

  "Lothan doesn't do the heavy work," G-Dogg replied mirthlessly, "that's why he became a mage." The ork flashed Kellan a tusky grin and she smiled back.

  They got the three-wheeler positioned nearly in the middle of the road, just a bit askew and facing west toward downtown Seattle. Kellan could see the bright lights and high towers of the city off in the distance, against the gray-black of a cloudy sky. As G-Dogg and the Deacon stopped the car, Kellan hopped in through the open door and put it into park.

  Suddenly, the Street Deacon pulled a heavy blade the length of Kellan's forearm from a sheath strapped to his left thigh. Without warning, he plunged the knife into the front passenger side tire of the car.

  There was a pop and a hiss of escaping air as he slashed the tire open, then he went and did the same to the rear tire on that side.

  "We should make it look good," he said by way of explanation to Kellan and G-Dogg, sheathing the blade.

  "Checkpoint two," Silver Max said over the comm-link, and the Street Deacon immediately headed for the shadows along the side of the road. G-Dogg took a few steps backward, looking at Kellan where she sat with the driver's side door still open.

  "All set?" he asked. Kellan nodded. The ork gave her a thumbs-up and then followed the Street Deacon into the shadows, saying into his throat mike, "We're good to go here. Our damsel is in distress."

  "Final check," Jackie Ozone said over the link. "If you're not ready to run, speak now or forever hold your peace." There was a moment of silence, then the decker said, "All right, let's do this."