The drone shot forward, and Yu stopped it short, worried it would break through the glass. The sudden shift in momentum rocked his entire view and the drone pulled back as he overcompensated. Struggling with the controls and cursing in Cantonese under his breath, he managed to ease the drone up to the window to peer through the glass.
In that moment, the effort made it all seem worthwhile.
Several people walked around, all armed with automatic weapons carried in plain view. A few stood at the edge of walkways on the second level, looking down on the cargo below. There had to be at least twenty crates inside, most of them sealed and stamped with a combination of letters and numbers that meant nothing to Yu. One of the crates stood open in the center of the room, with two men and one woman looking over the contents. Zooming in with the camera, Yu saw what captured their attention. BTL chips.
There had to be hundreds of them in that crate alone. This was no minor operation, but rather a major link in the BTL supply chain into Seattle. Yu licked his lips before chewing on his bottom one. The value of the cargo explained the sheer amount of firepower present in the room.
All of a sudden, his view rocked so hard he jerked himself out of the drone controls. The sounds of gunfire echoed around the buildings to him. That answered the question of whether the drones around the warehouse were armed or not. Now he’d have to face Emu’s wrath for getting one of her drones destroyed. At least he had some answers. It looked like the cargo had just arrived at the warehouse, which meant he had a few days to do something.
But what could he possibly do? Even if he told the team and pulled them into this, it was too big for them to handle alone. And considering how strapped they were for nuyen, hiring an outside support team was out of the question. He could tell the Triads, but they’d wouldn’t act unless it was in their own best interests. He couldn’t think of a legitimate way taking out this operation would benefit them, which brought him back to square one.
He puzzled over this problem on his way back home. A possible solution came to him in the form of a message from Zipfile.
Yu chuckled and spent the rest of the trip lost in his thoughts as a plan formed in his mind, or at least the next steps.
The following morning, Yu took his time getting breakfast before heading out to the address Zipfile had provided. She checked in with him once again to see if he wanted backup, but he turned down her offer. He saw no reason to be worried about making a polite business call during the middle of the day. Showing up with an entourage or having them waiting in the wings would be more suspicious than showing up alone. He could’ve contacted Rude, and claimed the man was a bodyguard. They’d played that part before, and it was more than half-true. What was it Brother Lee used to say? “The best lies are based on truth.”
At the thought of his former mentor, Yu’s hand strayed to the burned-out BTL chip in his pocket. His fingers tightened around it through the fabric until its sharp edges bit into his skin. Letting go, he smoothed out his pants, making sure not to leave any trace of the gesture.
The trip to Rip Current Sea Lanes passed without incident. The office building was as unimpressive as the corporation’s rating, not even worth being looked at by the Corporate Court. It was a simple one-story building nestled between a towering corporate skyscraper and a family restaurant.
Stepping through the front door, Yu recognized the façade for what it was. True, the paint peeled in a couple of places and the walls looked thin, barely a step above a temporary office situated on a construction site. However, there were other clues. Micro cameras situated around the corners of the room in such a way to prevent any blind spots. A heavy-duty maglock system attached to the door leading to the back offices.
It left Yu with the impression of a building designed to look far more amateurish than it actually was.
The receptionist at the front desk was a young elf woman, offering him a beaming smile that lit up her face, either that or it was the small lights just under her skin near the corner of her eyes. She tilted her head to a practiced angle, giving off the impression of someone who not only completed finishing school, but excelled at it.
“Welcome to Rip Tide Shipping Lanes. How can I help you?” Her voice had a perfect sing-song quality that only came with months of practicing tone fluctuation. In short, she was a master of her craft, and far too experienced to be working at a no-name company in the middle of nowhere.
Yu offered her a polite bow, then reached up to run his fingers through his dark hair, making the trained motion look natural and using it to draw her attention. She wasn’t the only one skilled in such subtle manipulations.
“Greetings, young miss. I came here hoping to speak with someone about renting a warehouse down in West Seattle. You came highly recommended from a friend of mine.” He raised his first two fingers as he dropped his chin in mock apology. “Of course, I can’t divulge the identity of my associate. I am sure you understand the need for such discretion. But rest assured, they speak very highly of your services and consideration.”
“Of course. Give me just a moment.” She rose and headed toward the back room, but hesitated when she got to the door and glanced back to give Yu an appreciative look, taking in his entire body. He pretended not to notice, even though he savored the reaction.
She swiped an access card and entered the back room, leaving him alone in the false front. But the cameras squashed any temptation to give anything more than a passing glance. He stood in front of a framed display of a map of downtown Seattle from the late 20th century.
The heavy clack of the door captured his attention and made him turn. The receptionist stood in the doorway, holding the door open for him.
“Mr. Miller is willing to meet with you. He’s behind the second door on the left.”
Yu nodded to her. “Thank you. I appreciate you getting me on such short notice.”
He walked down the hall, looking at his surroundings without turning his head or slowing his steps. Stepping through the door was like stepping into a different building. Whereas the front gave off a shoddy impression of a company barely managing to survive, the back hall could’ve passed for the entrance to a clean room, including fluorescent lights and sliding doors filled with frosted glass. The polished floor tiles made his dress shoes ring out with every step. Easier to notice someone trying to sneak around in this setting.
The second door on the left stood open, and a large human sat behind a desk with an AR display floating over the surface. With a gesture in the air, he slid the display to the side and pointed to one of the office chairs in front of him. He wore a tailored suit that had to cost more nuyen than most people made in an entire year. His solid gray hair was slicked back, without even a trace of the original color.
“Won’t you please come
in and have a seat, mister…?”
“Chen.” Yu offered the pseudonym as he stepped forward and extended his hand. Mr. Miller took it and gave it a firm shake. His grip was strong enough that Yu appreciated having a cyberarm.
“Please take a seat. Melanie tells me you wanted to inquire as to the availability of one of my warehouses? We are a small business, but we find it helps to keep things moving.”
“You might say that you run a tight ship?” Yu offered as he took a seat.
If Mr. Miller noticed the joke, he didn’t appreciate it. “Yes, quite. However, part of the reason we are able to function underneath the shadow of some of the other corporate giants in the district is because we are very discerning with our clientele. I would need to know much more about you and the potential business you offer before I could offer a mutually beneficial proposal.”
“I can appreciate that. You have your own reputation to be concerned about, as I have mine. I am well familiar with the power of reputation. In the right hands it’s almost as powerful as information.”
Mr. Miller paused and stared at Yu, locking gazes and trying to make the smaller man squirm. It was a tactic Yu was very familiar with from his previous years of experience. He sat in his chair as relaxed as possible, and remained calm without looking away. After the space of a few breaths, Mr. Miller broke the gaze to turn and pull up something in his AR display.
“As you can see, we have a perfect record throughout our entire tenure of business, more than twenty years. At the time we had only one warehouse, but our operation has grown to encompass four buildings, each of which is capable of storing at least 350 cubic meters of goods for as long as your contract holds. We provide our own security forces at no extra charge, and are authorized to insure your goods, provided they abide with all import regulations of course. We’re not responsible for any misunderstandings with authorities of the law.”
“Do you currently have any open contracts with any clients, are all of your warehouses available?”
“You must realize I am not at liberty to divulge such information. The discretion of my clients demands my silence to avoid any potential unpleasantness. I’m sure you can understand.”
“I do, and I was not trying to get you to give away any corporate secrets.” Yu looked up at the ceiling behind Mr. Miller as if searching for thought while he gestured in the air making small circles with his free hand. “I have a special shipment arriving soon, one that will require multiple storage solutions. I was hoping to use a single contractor for all of my needs, and I’m afraid I would need all of your warehouses to do it.”
Mr. Miller steepled his hands in front of his face and rested his chin against them as he narrowed his eyes. When he spoke, his words were slow and deliberate.
“That would require a substantial investment on your part, Mr. Chen. And you have yet to inform me what your business is. I’m sure we could handle such a request, but I would need to be assured of your reputation.”
“I find it surprising you’d speak about reputation when you don’t even know what’s going on in your own warehouses. Either that, or you tend to make promises you can’t keep.”
Before Mr. Miller had an opportunity to respond, Yu pulled up an edited clip from the drone footage of the night before. It showed part of the flight toward the warehouse, and while it wasn’t professional, the shaky footage gave unmistakable proof of activity.
“Where did you get this?” Mr. Miller asked.
“Irrelevant. What I can tell you is that this footage was taken last night at what you claimed to be an empty and available warehouse. It seems like someone is squatting in your property. So, my question would be which element of your reputation is at risk, your honesty or your security?”
Yu hoped that by keeping Mr. Miller on the defensive, the man wouldn’t pry too much into his paper-thin story. He didn’t have credentials or anything to back up his claim, but he knew how to navigate a verbal minefield. The question was whether or not the corporation knew about the BTL dealers. He hoped Mr. Miller’s reaction would give him the evidence he needed, one way or another.
Mr. Miller lowered his hands and leaned back in his chair. The index finger on his right hand tapped against the opposite finger as he hesitated before responding. “I will need to check with my associates, but I have no record of this warehouse being in use. It would appear that this is an unsanctioned situation which we will deal with appropriately.”
“How do you plan to deal with it?” Yu asked, leaning forward in his chair. He caught the motion and stilled himself, hoping the reaction might pass unnoticed.
The predatory grin of the man across from him showed the futility of his hope. “It seems you are more interested in the perpetrators and this specific warehouse than you are in actually concluding business. Given the nature of your call and the evidence you provided, it also seems safe to venture a guess as to your true vocation. You work with certain elements of society who prefer not to be seen or noticed, do you not?”
Mr. Miller lifted up a hand to quell any response Yu might have offered. “There is no need to respond. But for our conversation to continue, I suppose it would be more prudent for you to address me as Mr. Johnson, would it not?”
Yu sat up straighter in his chair, legs tightening in anticipation of a hasty retreat. He didn’t see any armed guards in the building, and no automatic sentries. The sprint to the front office should take no more than a few seconds if he needed a quick exit. Alternatively, there was the door at the far end of the hall. But he had no way of know if it would be locked or where it would go. And both of those exits required him to get out of this room with only one exit.
Despite his thoughts, other than the straightening of his spine, he forced himself to appear at ease. Showing fear would give his new associate too much power in this negotiation. Besides, he had been in far worse situations.
“Very well, Mr. Johnson. What is it I can do for you? If you didn’t have business for me, I expect you would’ve called security and had me escorted out of this office by now.”
Mr. Johnson chuckled, leaning forward to slap his palm on the desk before pointing a finger at Yu.
“I like you. You’ve got courage mixed with a healthy amount of foolishness. Not only that, but you’re observant, paying attention to your surroundings and calculating ramifications of actions as easily as breathing. In a different situation, I would consider offering you a role as a wageslave. But my instincts tell me you’d balk at such a prospect.”
Yu didn’t respond, waiting for the Johnson to continue.
“Very well. I expected as much. Your observations once again prove accurate, I do have something requiring the attention of someone in your line of work. I trust you have suitable references?”
“Ms. Myth speaks highly of our skills,” Yu provided.
Mr. Johnson nodded, an indicator that he knew the name. Ms. Myth made it a point to spread her reputation amongst those who hired runners—it was her job, after all. But she didn’t usually bother with single nation companies. If this Johnson knew her by reputation, he had to be more connected than he appeared on the surface. Perhaps his job here was as much a false image as the front room of the office.
“I will have my assistant perform an inquiry to verify your reputation. While we await the results of that check, tell me, what is your interest in my warehouse? And don’t insult us both by claiming to be a philanthropist with only my best interests at heart.” Mr. Johnson interacted with his AR screen while he spoke, fingers flying through the air. The view changed to a private one, but Yu didn’t need to see the display to recognize the motions.
“Let’s call it professional business. It would serve my interests if the business transpiring there stopped before it had a chance to finish.”
Mr. Johnson stopped interacting with his AR display and turned to give Yu his full attention. He brought his hands back to the familiar steeple and tapped his index finger a couple of times.
Yu
continued. “I’m sure someone with your influence could arrange to have such a business shut down with prejudice. I mean, it wouldn’t do to have your reputation soiled by the illegal activity transpiring within.”
Mr. Johnson raised an eyebrow. “Is that a threat?”
Yu held up his hands in with his palms facing out in a surrendering gesture. “Not at all. I point it out merely to alert you to the potential threat if someone with less discretion happened to come across the business. I know the value of silence. As you pointed out, I have experience working in the darkness. You don’t work in that business long without knowing how to keep your mouth shut.”
Something must have alerted the Johnson, as he turned to the side and stared at the empty air. Yu’s legs tensed as he expected security to come bursting through the door. He hadn’t heard anything, but didn’t know how well the door muffled sounds. Through it all, he maintained an outward veneer of calm, knowing the value of appearance during negotiations. It would take more than a couple of potential goons to get him to jump.
When Mr. Johnson turned back to face him, he relaxed his shoulders and sat back.
“It seems we have much to discuss. Your reputation checks out, and I believe you have the skills and expertise necessary for my little venture. I offer an exchange of services. You do me this favor, and I will arrange to have your competition removed from the warehouse, with excessive force, of course.”
Mr. Johnson waved his hand in the air as if chasing away a fly. “And of course, I’ll provide a nominal fee for your trouble as well. I know your type is not often spurred into action without the promise of nuyen.”
Yu knew better than to respond to the emotional barb. “What is this venture of yours?”
“A simple matter, something I’m sure your team is more than capable of completing. I have a file I need uploaded to a server. A trivial task.”
“If it were trivial, you wouldn’t need my team to get it done. Earlier you didn’t want me to insult you. I would expect the same consideration.”
The Frame Job, Part 1: Yu Page 2