Rev sat in his usual booth at Louie's Bar and Grill. Mil had contacted him again, saying something about another job opportunity. Not one to refuse a lucrative offer, Rev was now waiting for Mil to show up and fill him in on the details. A few minutes later, the Puma entered, dressed as usual in one of her dark business suits.
"You really should learn how to blend in while you're in the Zone," Rev remarked as Mil took a seat across from him, "That outfit practically screams 'Corper.'"
Mil smirked. "I suppose you'd like to see me in some sort of leather micro skirt and rubber tank top, like the other Zone girls?"
Rev chuckled. "You've seen too many movies," he said, "But that does provide an intriguing mental image..." Rev's smile only got wider when Mil glared at him. "In any case, I know you're here for more than a simple discussion on Zone fashions, so why don't we get down to business?"
Mil nodded. "Our sources have informed us that a rival company has developed a new weapon, and that they plan on testing it in the Zone, tonight. What we want you to do is find out what this weapon is capable of doing, and if possible, acquire it for us."
"Oh, is that all?" Rev asked, raising his eyebrows, "And just how much cash am I looking at here?"
"Five thousand UNA dollars for reporting to us about the weapon," Mil said, "Or twenty thousand for bringing the weapon in."
Rev gave a low whistle. Twenty thousand UNA dollars was a lot of money; it'd definitely be the biggest score he'd make this month. Of course, it'd also be the riskiest job he'd taken in a while, but big payoffs require big gambles. "All right," he said, "You've got yourself a deal. One top-secret weapon, coming right up."
"They'll be testing the weapon in this area," Mil said, handing him a map, "And try not to get yourself killed. I'd hate to have to tell Sara you died while doing a job I sent you on."
"Then don't tell her," Rev replied, smirking, "Don't worry about a thing. I can handle a few corporate goons, even if they do have some kind of ace up their sleeves." That said, he stood up, collected his guns from the bar, and headed out. Mil watched him go, wondering just how much of the driver's confidence was simply bravado.
Night had just begun falling as Rev made his way to the testing site. Mil's information had been correct, it seemed. There were about ten corporate security thugs loading something off of an armored car. It looked like a large rifle of some sort, though there didn't appear to be any loading chamber, and the barrel had no bore, just an odd screen. It was certainly unlike anything Rev had seen before.
One of the corpers hefted the weapon onto his shoulder and took aim at one of the nearby buildings. Oddly, nothing seemed to happen when he pulled the trigger, except that a low humming sound began emanating from the weapon. Then Rev noticed that the wall the weapon was aimed at had developed a great deal more cracks. A split second later, the wall shattered, raising a large cloud of dust. Rev looked at the weapon again, considering its possibilities. With something like that, you could do more than just destroy buildings. It would ignore armor entirely, take care of cyberdroids with no problem, and Rev didn't even want to think about what it would do to a person.
Rev realized that there were too many guards to just shoot everyone and grab the weapon. He'd have to create some kind of diversion. Looking the area over, Rev noticed that the corpers weren't paying much attention to their armored car now that their cargo had been unloaded. Making sure to remain unseen, he crept up to the vehicle. It was locked, but he managed to bypass that with little difficulty. Jacking himself into the armored car's system, he started the vehicle and stepped on the accelerator.
The corporate security team was not terribly amused by Rev's theft of their vehicle. A group of them broke off and began to give chase, firing their weapons at him. He let them chase him for a few blocks, then parked the armored car on a side street and took cover behind it. He opened fire with his Beretta as the guards came into view.
The guards were armed with SMGs, but the armored car provided good cover, and Rev's longcoat stopped the few shots that managed to hit. The guards had their own armor, but no cover, and Rev's aim was good enough to take them down without much trouble. Once they were down, Rev got back into the armored car and headed back for the test site, hoping that the remaining guards would think he was their compatriots long enough for him to put the rest of his plan into action.
Rev's gamble paid off; they didn't realize it was him until a second too late. He came careening into the test area, plowing right into the corper who held the weapon. Jumping out of the armored car, Rev laid down some covering fire with his Ingram while he ran to pick up the weapon. The corpers returned fire, and several bullets thudded into his back. They didn't wound him severely, thanks to his longcoat, but they hurt like hell.
Rev grunted as he picked up the weapon and started running. 'Friggin' thing must weigh a ton!' he thought to himself. The guy who had been testing it must have been cybered in order to carry it easily. Rev didn't stop running though; he'd parked his car a few blocks away in order to sneak into the testing area. He fired his Ingram blindly behind him to keep the security team from running after him. That was when he heard the armored car's engine start again. 'Shit,' he thought, 'I can't outrun them. They're gonna run me over, like I ran over their buddy.' Rev was getting tired; he wasn't sure how much longer he could run carrying the weapon...
The weapon. A grin spread across Rev's face as he spun to face the armored car heading towards him. Hefting the thing onto his shoulder like a bazooka, he took aim and pulled the trigger. As before, the weapon began to emit a low humming sound. Rev could see the driver's eyes widen when the armored car's windshield started cracking, but he was too late to try and swerve out of the way. The armored car exploded, sending shards of metal and glass flying.
When the dust cleared, Rev whistled as he surveyed the damage. What was left of the armored car was a gutted wreck, and none of the corpers who were formerly inside it appeared to be moving. Rev decided to make himself scarce before anybody investigated the explosion, and headed back to his car.
Mil raised her eyebrows when she saw what Rev had brought back for her. Hefting the weapon with only slightly more difficulty than the corper who had tested it, she asked, "So what does it do?"
Rev shrugged. "I dunno the science behind it," he said, "But basically it makes things vibrate until they break. That's one serious piece of hardware. Military-grade stuff, I'd say."
Mil nodded. "This just might ensure a defense contract from HariChem," she said, "Nice work, Rev. Keep this up and you might get offered a permanent job." She handed him a black briefcase.
Rev chuckled, opening the case briefly to make sure his twenty thousand UNA dollars were all there. "I realize you meant that nicely Mil," he said, "But I'd rather drink out of the East River. Besides, I like being my own boss. That, and I hate wearing suits."
Mil shook her head, but Rev thought he detected the hint of a smile on the Puma's face. "Well, suit yourself, Rev," she told him, "I'll make sure to tell my employer that, should her ever bring the subject up."
Rev grinned. "You do that. Take care of yourself, Mil." With that, he took his money and headed back to his car. 'Not bad, not bad,' he thought to himself, 'Maybe I'll head over to the Heartbreak Hotel and have a little party...'
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