Rebel 2

by Riker Kane

Max sighed a deep breath through his nostrils and moved forward. Not that he cared about getting into trouble but if this man didn’t give him the information he needed, he’d lose all of his leads in the entire bar.

  Max kept his composure as he walked up to the booth in the corner. As soon as he came within a meter of it, the two bodyguards moved in front of him. Shaved heads. Intense looks in their eyes. Buttons on their black suits about to pop because their jackets were two sizes too small. They were the kind of muscle a man hired when someone needed to feel secure.

  They both looked Max in the eye, their brows furrowed on the verge of anger. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “I’m looking for something,” Max said.

  “Bar’s on the other side.”

  “Not looking for a drink. Not looking for vapor. I need a different kinda high.” Max shifted his eyes toward the man sitting in the booth who was distracted by his AllDevice. “You think you can help me out?”

  “Piss off—”

  “I’ve got credits.” Max held up his AllDevice and showed off the balance. A six-figure number was enough for them not to push Max aside.

  “Wait right here.” One guard said through gritted teeth. He turned around and leaned down next to the table, whispering into the man’s ear. The man sitting down slowly raised his head up and lowered his shades just enough for Max to see his eyes.

  “Slick hair. Goatee. Shades. Cheap suit. If this guy’s not a dealer…”

  Max bit his tongue as he waited for the man to respond. He got up from his seat, flanked by his two guards as he looked up at Max.

  “How can I help you, gentlemen?” the man said calmly.

  “My friend and I are new in town,” Max said. “Don’t have the same plugs we used to back in our old town.”

  “And where is your old town?”

  “New Austin.”

  “That’s not too far from here.”

  “More reason it’s worth it to come here.”

  The man straightened his jacket. Max knew the guy was looking him over from behind his glasses but Max had no reason to back down, even with a couple of bodyguards ready to pounce.

  “This way.” The man turned around and motioned with his hand as he headed toward the back of the bar.

  Max and Hudson looked at each other before following him. The man’s guards moved right behind them to make sure they didn’t try anything.

  They walked through Downpour and out the back entrance into an alley. The smell of liquor and smoke was replaced by the dumpsters and who knew what else was out there. The traffic in the streets was off to the distance on one side with a dead end on the other.

  Max got a better look at the man with the shades. He puffed his chest out to make himself look bigger but it didn’t help much. Max suddenly had trouble figuring out if the guy actually was a dealer or just dressed like an asshole.

  He put his hands behind his back and looked down his nose at Max. “What are you looking for?”

  “Nothing fancy,” Max said. “Common. Whatever loot you got.”

  “I was informed you had enough money to buy something above common.”

  “I still don’t know who you are. My friend and I look what you have, maybe we’ll get something premium.”

  “Right… You need a box?”

  “We’ve got our own back at our place.”

  “Of course…” The man in shades shifted his eyes toward Hudson. “Your friend here doesn’t talk much.”

  “He’s just anxious. Long ride from New Austin. Can’t blame him.”

  Hudson stayed in his position, his eyes shifted toward the ground while the man in shades walked over to give him a closer look. Max stood his ground and waited patiently for the inspection to end.

  The man sighed and took a step back. “I can give you some uncommon loot. Should last you a few days. Ten-thousand creds.”

  “Ten-thousand?” Max said. “Didn’t think the prices would be so high here in Santa Fe for some green.”

  “What you’re paying for is security. Your money works its way up the ladder so you have the peace of mind to use without fear of a raid busting down your door and taking you in.”

  Max hesitated for a moment then nodded. “All right. Ten-thousand.” Max reached into his leather jacket to pull his AllDevice back out but the dealer in front of him interrupted.

  “Wait a second,” the man said. “I’ve changed my mind. Twenty-thousand.”

  “What?” Max exclaimed. “You’re just gonna double the price like that?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And why’s that?”

  “Because… only a man who hasn’t gotten his fix would be willing to pay it. My product, my prices. Otherwise, take a hike.”

  The man in shades raised his eyebrows, holding his hands out as he waited for a response.

  “He’s a dealer,” Max thought to himself. “Gotta get the info from him now…”

  He turned his head just enough to see the guards standing close behind him. His eyes shifted to Hudson. A long stare was enough to tell each man what the other was thinking.

  “Well,” the dealer said. “What’s it gonna be—”

  Before he could finish, Max spun around and hammered the guard in the nose with a fist. He stumbled back and a quick uppercut underneath his chin sent him reeling.

  Hudson joined in and caught the other guard off-balance. A hard punch across his jaw dazed him enough for Max to move to him and finish the job with a violent cross against his cheek.

  “Shit!” the dealer muttered as he looked at his two unconscious guards. He panicked and stumbled as he turned around to run.

  “I got him,” Max said. He rushed forward and caught up to the dealer without much trouble. His hand gripped his collar and pulled him back, slamming him onto the pavement.

  The dealer’s groans echoed through the alley, his shades falling off his face. Max knelt down next to him.

  “Where do you get your supply?” Max said.

  “Fuck you!”

  Max cracked him in the face and snapped his shades in two. “Wrong answer.” He grabbed the dealer by the collar and pulled him closer. “Where do you get your loot? Where are the Disciples?”

  The man coughed and shook his head but remained silent.

  “It’s the Disciples, isn’t it?” Max said. “Just tell me where to find ‘em and I won’t blow your fucking head off.”

  “Blow my head off with what?” The dealer said with a smirk.

  Max rolled his sleeve up and activated his ACE. The weapon glowed blue as its display powered up. The heat warmed against his skin and a slight adrenaline pulsed through his veins. Max held the man’s collar tight in his grip, the compartments on his ACE pointed underneath the dealer’s chin.

  The dealer’s eyes filled with panic as he shook his head. “I don’t work with the Disciples.”

  “Don’t lie to me.”

  “I swear! I get my own shit.”

  “Where are the Disciples?”

  “They run the Cobalt District. West.”

  Max looked up at Hudson. “What do you think?”

  “Cobalt District’s biggest part of Santa Fe. It’d make sense if the Disciples are running it. I think he’s telling the truth.”

  “I hope he is. For his sake.” Max turned back to the dealer, holding his collar still firm in his grip. He looked him right in the eye as he spoke through gritted teeth. “If you’re lying to me, I’ll be back. And I won’t hold back with this thing.”

  Max slid his arm over his ACE and turned it off. A hard punch across the dealer’s temple knocked him out.

  Max got back up to his feet and dusted his hands off. He took a deep breath and calmed himself after the adrenaline spike from turning his ACE on.

  “You all right?” Hudson asked. “I know it’s been a while since you’ve used that thing.”

  “I’m fine… What do you know about the Cobalt District?”

  “Not much. B
ut if the Disciples are working that territory, it’ll be a long time to search it.”

  “If the Disciples have the foothold in this town you say they do, they shouldn’t be hard to find. Come on. Let’s get Zigzag and Proxy. We know where we’re headed.”

  Chapter 4

  Max didn’t waste any time taking a speeder to the Cobalt district. It wasn’t long before the Santa Fe scenery had changed.

  The decrepit buildings were replaced with more modern skyscrapers that towered over the city. Even during the day, neon billboards and glowing blue lights illuminated the clouds to make it seem like it was the middle of night. The lights reflecting off the polished steel of the buildings made the place look nicer than some of the fancier places back in New Austin.

  The streets were littered with just as extravagant vehicles. Luxury sedans hid important citizens behind tinted windows. Automatic sports roadsters sped along the streets while the police did nothing to stop them.

  The people walking along the sidewalks went about their business without a care in the world. The suits the men and women wore made everybody look like a professional. Judging from the buildings around him, Max figured they were just as important as they appeared.

  It was such a stark contrast from the part of Santa Fe he’d just left, he wondered if he was still in the same city.

  Max quickly found himself in a more dimly-lit setting. The pulse of neon pink and purple lights made it difficult to see everything clearly, though the shapes and figures of the people weren’t hard to decipher.

  “…Santa Fe PD has discovered four bodies in an abandoned building early this morning. The building, located in the 1200 block of the Ink District, was last used an apartment complex more than ten years ago. Police officials have not determined the cause of the grisly scene and investigations are still ongoing…”

  The news report went in one ear and out the other, drowned out by the music and conversation all around. But the sounds were only a modest distraction compared to everything, with Max’s attention more focused on the people moving around him.

  “Now I see why you decided to send Zigzag and Proxy on their way,” Max said.

  “The Cobalt District is big,” Hudson replied. “I figure we’d be better off splitting up. You know those girls know how to handle themselves. Got ‘em a nice suite when they’re done searching. Fanciest place I could find. You know I’m good for the cred.”

  “I’m not worried about them at the moment.”

  Max eyed his friend, watching Hudson down a shot of whiskey.

  “This isn’t about trying to find the Disciples.” Max leaned up against the bar. “This is about trying to get your mind off things.”

  “Sometimes all a man needs is a drink and a view of a nice pair of tits.”

  Hudson ordered himself another drink and eyed the woman twirling around the pole on stage. In nothing but a white bra and a barely-there pair of panties, she pranced around to the delight of several businessmen watching her with lustful gazes and fistfuls of paper credits.

  The Neon Claws strip club was alive and well. Women in heels and revealing lingerie walked around in an attempt to catch wandering eyes. The soft pulse of the lights cast shadows on their physiques that were too tempting for some of the men to resist, sneaking away to the back of the club for some private time without much effort.

  Max was numb to the music, the lights and the women as he watched his friend help himself to another drink.

  “It’s the afternoon,” Max said. “We’re in a strip club. And you’re drinking like you’re trying to forget.”

  “Don’t make me stop.”

  “I won’t make you stop. Just letting you know I’m here for you…”

  Hudson stared at his full glass of whiskey. His eyes were lost in whatever it was he was thinking. Max remained silent and ignored all of the distractions around him.

  “Sammy was always the wild one,” Hudson said. “Back when it was lights out, he’d always be up. I remember one time we went sneaking out really late and left base. I was so excited. Figured he had some girls waiting for us. Or maybe some booze. Hell, I would’ve been happy with a good meal. Supplementers out there are shit for some reason.”

  “I know how that is,” Max said with a laugh.

  “It wasn’t any of that though. The bastard just wanted to go to the lake. Stripped down to his bare ass and hopped into the freezing cold. Thought it was a joke but you should’ve seen the smile on his face. Just bobbing up and down in the water… Nothing but silence and the moon to keep him company. Convinced me to jump in, too.”

  “Why would he do something like that?”

  “Said he just wanted some freedom. Let the cold water wash everything away… We were all stuck out there. Fighting a pointless war. Not knowing if we’d live to see another day. I guess when he made it back, he couldn’t help himself. Tried to find some more of that freedom he was looking for with drugs.”

  “You’ll never find freedom with loot. You mess around with it long enough, all you do is get addicted.”

  Hudson slowly shifted his eyes toward Max. “Sammy’s a good guy. He made some mistakes but getting beat so bad he’s gotta recover even after being regenerated… He didn’t deserve that.”

  Max put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “We’ll find out who did this to him. We’ll pay ‘em back.”

  Hudson smirked and turned back to his whiskey. “If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that I should never doubt you. But we just got here. The Disciples ain’t going anywhere. I say we take this time to relax. Talk to a lady if you want. It’s on me.”

  Max eyed some of the women around the club. There was no shortage of dancers willing to spend some private time with him. But the disappointment in Hudson’s eyes was enough to make him keep focus.

  “I punched out that dealer back at Downpour,” Max said. “If the Disciples have any kinda clout in the Cobalt District, there’s no reason we can’t get the information we’re looking for here.”

  Max patted Hudson on the back and walked around. All of the women eyeballed him, mischievous smirks on their lips and seductive stares making him think twice. Dozens of women made their presence known though Max wasn’t so eager to grab one at random.

  “I wonder…”

  The festivities inside the club were in full swing. The electronic music was loud and sultry. The alcohol flowed. The men showered the stage with paper credits like it was the end of the world while the dancing women joyfully bathed in it all.

  Max kept shifting his head around, searching for a woman who had what he was looking for.

  “Hey.”

  He suddenly bumped into a small frame and stopped in his tracks. He looked down at the woman standing in front of him.

  A pair of black panties to go along with her black stockings and heels accentuated her pale skin. Her arms crossed underneath her breasts, already highlighted by the bra cupping her curves perfectly.

  But it was the curious look in her eyes that got Max’s attention. An eyebrow raised and her lips twisted in confusion, the wavy-haired brunette stared at Max in a way he wasn’t sure if she was happy or upset.

  “You lost?” she asked, her voice softer than he was expecting.

  He narrowed his eyes at her. The pink and purple lights cast shadows on her face, enough for him to see she wasn’t wearing much makeup. She couldn’t have been more than a few years younger than he was, he thought.

  “I’m where I wanna be,” he said.

  “Are you sure? You look like you don’t know where you’re going. You ever been in a strip joint before?”

  “I’m… new in town. Not lost. Just finding my way around.”

  “Maybe you need someone to help you find your way around.” She gave him a wink. The mischievous grin on her lips grew to the point Max had to laugh.

  “I’m not good company,” he said.

  “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  He looked over to the side of the s
pacious club and saw an empty sofa. “Fine.” He walked over to the sofa and leaned back against it. The woman took a seat next to him, crossing her legs and putting her arms back to give Max a good view.

  “Brina,” she said.

  “Max.”

  “Max… What’s that short for? Maximus?”

  “It’s short for Max. What’s Brina short for? Sabrina?”

  Her eyes widened in surprise and she smirked. “Smart guy. Long leather coat. Unkempt facial hair. Blue jeans. I bet you dress like that because you don’t wanna draw any attention to yourself.”

  “I dress like this because it’s comfortable.”

  “Good. Because you’re already drawing attention to yourself regardless.”

  Max chuckled at her bluntness. The way the light shined in her eyes made it hard to tell what color they were but he kept staring anyway.

  “Listen,” she said. “I’m not too good at the small talk thing, so I’ll give it to you straight. You gimme some creds and we can go to the back and have a good time.”

  “Just how good a time are we talking?”

  “That depends… How many creds we talking?”

  He looked over her body then shifted his eyes back up to the seductive look on her face.

  “See anything you like?” She raised her eyebrows and puckered her pink lips at him.

  “Maybe. I’m looking for someone.”

  “We’re all looking for someone around here. That’s what this place is for.”

  “Not like that…”

  “Hmm… You’re not one of those weirdos, are you? There’s only one thing you’ll find in a place like Neon Claws.”

  “I’m looking for Disciples.”

  As soon as Max said it, her demeanor changed. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched.

  “You think I’m gonna give you information like that?” she said. “I figured you were undercover—”

  “I’m not a cop.”

  “I see. Trying to score some loot, huh?”

  “I’m not a junkie either.”

  “Then why else would you ask a question like that?”

  “Because one of my friends was hurt. And I think the Disciples are responsible for it.”

  The brunette straightened up in her seat. She stared blankly at the stage across from her where a woman was enjoying the adulation of a small crowd of businessmen.