"To Kill A Runner " Chapter 17 "Three River City" (Cyberpunk Fictio...

Turning off the nearest exit ramp and into a compact urban area of row home apartment blocks, several abandoned spray painted and boarded up. Jarome was worried about his long time friend Britney and didn't want her to just drop him because one of their runs went bad, even if it went really bad. Turning off the high beam lights and traversing block by block up and down going slow, Looking for Britney. Megana sat in the back seat of the vehicle still loading up the ammo into the now several magazines they had for the PS-90 machine gun.

“You know I didn't think the run went that bad, I got what I wanted out of it. River Head hurt me and my family and I killed him, besides I saved her life. “ Megana said looking out the window

“Shut up” Jarome retorted scanning his eyes over the streets as well.

“I'm sorry”

“Look, just save it for Britney when we find her. She is the one you should apologize too.”

The rest of the night went by searching for their missing companion until the sun rose over the brick and metal horizon. Frustrated Jarome parked the car in a garage, paying a toll and exposing the stolen car to security camera's watching eye. Pulling his bullet proof vest over his head and then his hooded sweat-shirt, he got out of the car and took the now loaded rifle and putting it in the duffel bag along with the rest of the armaments, slung it over one shoulder and on his back. Then he handed a cell phone to Megana.

“I don't think we will find any street doctors in the yellow pages but maybe you can make some phone calls ? Call some hospitals and ask their prices for cybernetic augmentation, don't give any details about who you are. Just find out what doctors preform surgery like that.” Jarome said. “Follow me and stay close.”

Walking out of the parking garage and down the street Jarome and Megana went down several blocks before Jarome took out a pack of cigarettes to spark one up and realized she had taken half. Turning to Megana he hoped her wolf form was good for something besides ripping throats out.

“This scent! Can you track it ?” Jarome said holding up a pack of the reservation cigarettes

“Sure”Megana said holding her nose up into the air and breathing deeply closing her eyes. “ This way” She took off running block over block and Jarome tried to keep up as well as he could.

Outside a corner store on a block of broken down apartment blocks, an old man sat on the corner puffing a pack of the same reservation brand cigarettes. He looked disheveled and half conscious as he held out an empty paper coffee cup bagging for change.

“Did you get those cigarettes from a young brunette woman with a pair of V R goggles on ?” Jarome asked frantically.

“Uh-huh” The man hesitated still in a half consensus state before nodding slowly and muttering.

“Where did she go ?”

“Uh...... I don't know, I think she got grabbed by a group of kings for selling cigarettes on the block.”

“Kings! Latin Kings ? What the hell! Do you know where they went ?” Jarome responded in sheer panic now.

“I don't remember man, get out of my face” The old bum responded.

“I will give you a crisp one hundred dollar bill if you can tell me where they went with her” Jarome said.

“They have a house on every block from here to 15th but they usually take rival gang members to a crib on cherry and 1st street. Look for low rider el caminos. “

Jarome handed over the bill and stood back up looking at Megana with urgency.

“We have to get her back, or she's going to die.”

"To Kill A Runner " Chapter 17 "Three River City" (Cyberpunk Fiction)

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