1.65 - Tawa the Techie
Edan, Nastas and I stop walking as the two stare blankly at
what seems to be a regular apartment door. It looks like every other door in
this complex but the two look to be gathering themselves for some great test of
courage. From what they’ve told me we’re going to see a man named Tawa that’s
nothing short of unique, but they weren’t too clear about what made him unique.
“I can’t do it,” Edan says as I move to buzz the intercom.
“It’s not that bad, we’ll be in and out. Please, do not
leave me alone. The ramifications can be astronomical,” Nastas begins.
“Will someone tell me what’s going on,” I cut off their
bickering.
“Tawa, is a very nice person with some special traits,” Edan
starts. He suddenly slams his hand on the intercom button and takes off running
before shouting, “good luck.”
“Come on in, I was expecting you,” a pleasant voice comes
from the speaker. “Edan said he had an errand to run but you would be stopping
by.”
“Bastard,” Nastas mumbles as the door slides open.
The first thing that hits me is the smell. The smell is
worse than anything I’ve ever smelled and I've smelled rotting corpses in a
mass grave before. That was disgusting, a scent that never truly leaves your
nostrils, but this smell actively attempts to strangle me. Nastas seems laser
focused stepping in. I follow, choking down vomit, because I need to know
what’s going on here.
“Welcome Nastas, I see you brought a new friend,” a voice
speaks to us seemingly from nowhere and everywhere at once.
“Edan’s brother Efrem,” Nastas keeps the sentences short for
once.
“Hello Edan’s brother Efrem,” the voice giggles.
“Hello,” I respond, tasting the stale air as I speak.
I take a few steps and glance around as they exchange pleasantries
and catch up. There’s nobody here as far as I can tell. There are plenty of
speakers out in the open that bring the voice to us. I start to pick up on
several cameras in the apartment as well; likely giving the person behind the
voice a live feed of us. I wave one of the less hidden cameras, letting them
know I’m watching too.
“Tawa right,” I ask during a pause in the conversation.
“Yes, I’m Tawa.”
“Are you actually here in the apartment?”
“I knew you would ask,” the voice giggles, “I’m in the bathroom,
you can peek at me if you like,” it’s suddenly clear to me the voice is
attempting to mimic a teenaged girl. With that sentence it’s became very unsettling.
I make my way toward the bathroom door, wishing I had a side
arm before Nastas grabs my elbow, “It is not for the faint of heart.”
“Well that’s not me,” I push open the door.
Inside the stench of dried blood takes on the smell of
filth. Old blood has dried and stained the floors and walls of the bathroom.
The room’s temperature is a massive shock, as if walking from Hell into a
freezer. The centerpiece is a naked Meteorian man soaking in a bathtub of
partially frozen water. His eyes are rolled into the back of his head
displaying just the black area that would surround the pupils. More disturbing
is the number of tubes going into his body, each extending from different parts
of the wall. Blood surrounds and leaks from what look to be homemade ports for
the tubes to enter. He’s a netrunner but the tech is old, risky and honestly a
surprise to still work. Netrunners almost live on the internet, searching at a
pace that our brains can’t normally comprehend. Most people do it now with a
helmet that links up to an input at the base of their skull. He’s at least
fifty years past due for an upgrade. It’s not the first time I’ve seen a
netrunner use old equipment, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it in a place
that wasn’t in the midst of war.
“He’s a netrunner,” Nastas says closing the door of the
bathroom behind him.
“Noticed, but the tech is old. I don’t see why he wouldn’t
get new gear, go mobile.”
“It’s all he had when they reached Tortuga. This was cutting
edge when he first got here,” the scent isn’t bad in here so Nastas is back to
normal. “Our people fled with what they could. While things have progressed
much further and there are all kinds of new fancy skills we Meteorians don’t quickly
throw out the old. There are still uses for old things and often the old is
just as reliable if not more reliable than the new. Cherish the youth, or new
technology in this situation, but trust the old. Take guns for instance. There
are guns that fire lasers, hypersonic bursts, use water to pierce, acid and so
on. But, the most popular all use bullets. Why? Because it works, always has,
always will.”
“I can hear you, I’m right here,” the voice comes through
the speakers still. “Well said Nastas. I always enjoyed the way you speak.”
“I’m sorry if I offended you,” I quickly apologize.
“It’s no problem, you are unaware of our customs or history.
As long as you are willing to learn and treat them with care, questions are
always welcome.”
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you. I don’t have many visitors and you are the
most interesting.”
Nastas coughs, “can we get to the business at hand? Time is
of the essence.”
“I have the information. I’ll require 166,000 credits,” the
voice gleefully answers.
“What,” Nastas asks almost in shock “That’s more than we are
being paid for the job.”
“Information is not cheap.”
“I get that. I understand more than many men or women would in
this situation. However, the price your are requesting boarders on extortion.
This is crazy.”
“It was a lot of work to track this down. Staiv’al do not
have any real organization, especially criminals.”
“But this is more than twice the usual price.”
“This was more work. This is the friend price. You and your
comrades are the only people who come in person. I owe you greatly, which is
why you get the discount.”
“Tawa, I cannot accept these terms.”
“What if we make a deal,” I interrupt.
“You have no authorization to make a deal on behalf me or
The Pariah Crew,” Nastas interrupts.
“Shut up and let the man speak,” Tawa interrupts him.
“How about you provide us with the information for 42,000
credits,” I offer.
“That is a very steep discount. What do I get in return?”
“We’ll clean your apartment; the crew will visit once a
month and hang out with you.”
“Do you think I’m lonely,” Tawa asks.
“I didn’t word it that way, but I think so.”
“Why?”
“Netrunners tend to be lonely. They get used to their minds
moving faster than everyone else’s or they start to think of the world in code.
You fill your apartment with junk, looks like you only eat takeout. You had the
information we requested but still prefer to leave your body in a coma as you
talk with us through cameras. I think you’re lonely; we’re all fundamentally
lonely but you may have agoraphobia or some anxiety as well.”
“50,000, two visits a month and you have to come.”
“I don’t live in this sector of space but I’ll make the trip
once a year and I’ll give you my contact information so we can exchange
messages regularly.”
“You drive a very hard bargain,” Tawa pauses for a moment.
“Deal.”
“Nastas, get the crew together, and tell them bring cleaning
supplies.”
“You’re worse than your brother, this is no way to do
business,” Nastas mumbles as he leaves the bathroom.
“In my line of work, we call it favor for a favor,” I laugh.
“You’re not going to follow him,” Tawa asks.
“No, I thought we could chat, get to know each other while
we wait on the others. You going to hop offline and join us?”
“I’m never offline with others, but I suppose I could join
you in person.”
“Thank you.”
We chat for a while, and Tawa tells me about what shows and
movies are popular around here. Eventually Tawa goes silent for a long time,
slowly the hum of machines in the bathroom begin to go quiet before coming to a
complete silence. There’s a massive deep breath and Tawa sits up in the bathtub
spilling water, ice and blood on the floor as he quickly removes the various
tubes and wires from himself before climbing out the bathtub, stopping on all
four as he regains his breathing. I help him up from the ground, he wraps an
arm around my shoulder and leans on me.
“That was, a lot,” is all I can say after witnessing it.
“It helps to have someone get me off the ground, otherwise I
might be there for half an hour as my body readjusts.”
“How about I help you get some clothes on before the others
come?”
Tawa glances down, “I guess I should put some clothes on.
Guests probably don’t like to be greeted naked.”
“Sometimes they do,” I laugh as I help him out of the bathroom and into the stench that will hopefully be gone soon.
