Higgs & Soap: Galaxy Delivery

Chapter 5

As they walked back through the Digimarket, and much to Soap's surprise, they stopped off at a noodle bar.

"I guess losing your mind makes you hungry," said Higgs by way of explanation.

While they waited for their order, they sat on high stools, chatting casually in New Chinese to the owners who were old friends of Higgs.

In an alleyway opposite, a tall figure in a long black coat watched them carefully. Opening an encrypted channel, he sent a short message. A reply came back within seconds. His face tightened as he switched his primary orders from "Acquire" to "Cleanse history" and slipped away towards "Booter Berts".

***

Bert sensed the stranger coming long before he reached his doorway. His implants had been pinging warnings as soon as the guy walked into the web of sensors Bert had set up around the neighbouring streets.

From the information his sensor network was telling him, Bert knew the stranger was already aware of his location too. There was no point running. There was no point hiding. Bert sent him a message: "Come in, door's open. I'll get some tea on."

The old tea machine was jammed in between screens and a pile of old servers on one of his tables. It had only just boiled and started to pour when the stranger came down the stairs. The stranger would normally have snuck in quietly, done the job and gone out the same way, but this wasn't like that. This wasn't an assassin sneaking behind enemy lines, this was two generals walking out to face each other in the middle of the battlefield, alone.

"I hope you like Jasmine. Oolong is a bit too earthy for my tastes."

Bert placed the glass cup on the edge of the furthest desk, then spun the chair round and sat back in it as the stranger appeared from between the shelves. He was tall, over six feet, and all in black. He wore a long, dark, nano-material coat, one of those that could change shape and colour at will. He also wore a hard face mask over his mouth and nose, dark round goggles across his eyes. His implants were the highest grade Bert had seen for years, and their active defences had already corrupted gigabytes of local data. Bert couldn't be sure, but this guy seemed to have some expensive genetic modifications too. This was one man you didn't mess with.

The figure stood in the doorway, gloved hands clasped in front of his groin.

"Now, I can tell you are a man of few words. Much like my friend Higgs is a man of little money, instead promising a free delivery as part payment for my services. 'Anything, anywhere' he said. An offer too good to pass up on. Data isn't always digital you see."

Bert stared into his tea. "My job, no... my life, is data. Everything has a price. You will already have checked out my profile, so you will know I am the most reputable 'booter this side of the galaxy. When I sell on, sell access or sell deletion, the data is zeroed when the transaction is complete. No exceptions. I don't care about the contents, just its one-time value. And what you value most is discretion. And my discretion comes with a price. That and, should anything happen to me, the data would be auto-broadcast all over the SubNet in picoseconds. But, let's leave that to one side. Merely a safety precaution for my life, I hesitate to mention it really. It sounds rather, er..."

The stranger stood silent and motionless.

"...ah..." Bert twirled his finger to his head. "You know... uh..."

Bert froze with his finger in mid air. "You're not much help you know. Aggressive! That's the word. Sounds rather aggressive. And I don't do business that way."

Bert sipped from his cup, making a little "ooh" as it burned his lip slightly.

"One million credits. Total deletion of data ghost after. Deletion of your personal data shadow once you have left sensor range. It will be like nothing has happened."

The figure didn't move, but Bert was aware he had brought up his HUD and was engaged in conversation with his boss. It could go either way. These sorts of things usually did. It was all about your manner. Being professional, polite and to the point went a long way. And so far, they had all gone Bert's way. Apart from that one time with the Boot Jacker Gang, when they destroyed his knees. Still, he gained some satisfaction, not to mention notoriety, when the authorities started finding their bodies across the city over the following weeks. They took his knees, he took their minds. Difficult to carry on living when you can't remember how to feed yourself.

The stranger closed his HUD. Bert took another sip. This was promising; he was still alive. The stranger just nodded.

"I'm sending you the secure payment details. Once it's confirmed you can spectate as I deal with the data."

The figure stood still.

"You know, just for the sake of conversation, it's a very risky plan. I see why you're doing it, obviously. It's a one time opportunity. But... all I ask is that when it comes to the time... make it quick. I wouldn't want him to suffer. He may not have an ounce of guile, but Higgs is one of the nicest people I know. Genuine. Not like us." Bert smiled. "We're so far down the rabbit hole we can barely see the... ah..."

The payment was confirmed. Bert opened a channel so that the stranger could see the data. As he went through the process, the figure pulled his face mask down, picked up the cup of tea, and swallowed it in one large gulp. He grinned with two rows of perfectly square metallic teeth before saying only a single word.

"Light."