Cool Darkness
				by Matthew Carpenter



		Chapter 2 : Welcome to the Jungle

	"Enter Password" spit the computer controlled lock of a small 
warehouse on the other side of town; the dirty side of town.  Trash lay all 
around the alleyway and the light blowing smog that seems to inhabit 
the entire city rolled by, bring papers and dust with it.  Slash entered the 
neural code embedded into Nestroth's security ROM chip, implanted into 
her skull, and took her security card back as the graffitied, grayish 
metal alley door unlocked.  She walking in just as smoothly as she had 
done entering Dave's apartment, with Nemesis behind her shutting the 
door with the echoing thud of a vault.

	The semi-lit corridor weaved to the right a little bit.  The corridor 
was surrounded by old wooden crates piled on metal warehouse frames 
slightly beginning to rust from the humidity of the city air.  A metal 
catwalk lingered just above Nemesis' head as they walked into the open 
meeting room of Nestroth.  This was one of there meeting places.  One 
that was used after the fact.  The whole warehouse was only 50 by 50 feet, 
but it was perfect for their purposes:  small enough to be unnoticed; 
large enough to be useful.  There was a bar on the opposing wall from 
the entrance.  A pool table, a few TV's, a bar and a stereo made up the 
majority of the hall while the computer links and weapon banks were 
closest to the left wall.  Everything a person could want after a job, while 
still maintaining some security to the place.  A glance around from Slash 
produced a few scanners locked on them, verifying who's who.  A guard 
armed appropriately watched from the right catwalk that continued 
around the entire warehouse.  Dressed in normal street clothes, he raised 
his gloved right hand as a sign of hello to Slash.  She slightly nodded 
hello and continued looking around.

	A few desks were scattered around the room with paperwork, 
blueprints and other 'necessities' on top or laid out on built in desk 
monitors.  A medium sized man with an open white jacket, yellow shirt 
and nice slacks looked to be jacked in at one of the desks in a lounge 
chair.  The only thing was there was no cable.  A metal band with 
blinking LEDs wrapped around the back of his head connecting his two 
ports, but weren't connected to anything else.  His eyes blinked and he 
raised his head from his propped up arms to notice the two.  A few lights 
flashed on and off on his headgear and he raised his right arm to the 
back of it.  A few seconds later, the two sides of the device connected to 
his ports popped off and he placed the gear down onto the table.  A small 
stretch and a wipe of the eyes and he stood up reaching for the beer in 
front of him.

	Slash walked towards him as she noticed out of the corner of her 
eye, Nemesis going to a sofa on the far side of the room to throw his 
jacket down.  

	"So what did you bring me?" he asked, not changing his blank 
expression.

	"Merry Christmas , Nebulus" Slash retorted in a painfully sly tone 
of voice and a slight grin as she pulled Dave's head out of the black bag 
she was holding.

	"Not bad.  What else did you bring me?" Nebulus asked raising an 
eyebrow, taking another drink without removing his eyes from her.

	"The last time he said he ran into us was a few weeks ago" she said 
dropping his head into the disposal system next to the desk without a 
thought or a look.  "He denied going after Cryon last night.  He died with 
his story in tact so either he was one devoted liar, or he was too scared to 
make up a fake story.  In any case, we've got copies of his records for the
past two months including his work on the international nets and his
individual activities around the sites."

	Nemesis had put his coat down and returned to the discussion.  
Standing about half a foot over Nebulus, his body was highlighted from 
the lighting array suspended from the ceiling by chains.  His skin was 
very dark brown with tints of gray that seemed even darker behind 
Nebulus' white jacket.  His black tank top showed off his large muscles 
that had obviously been enhanced through drugs.  His black hair was cut 
in a spiked military fashion and he still wore his shades, even though 
the lighting inside wasn't that illuminating.

	"Or else he was there and tried to make us believe he wasn't.  You 
should've pulled more info out of him before you killed him.  Now we 
don't know what's going on" retorted Nebulus.  He slouched back into his 
padded chair and enabled the foot rest.  He closed his eyes, running his 
hand through his military style blond hair only to let out of a frustrated 
sigh that was meant to be heard.  He leaned back with his eyes closed as 
the other two members of the group who had been at the bar the whole 
time, came up to the table.

	"Hey kids, how's it goin'?  Did you and Davey-boy have fun 
tonight or what."  It was Zlik.  Slash hated his humor, especially when it 
wasn't in taste.  He walked closer to her side egging her on with his 
cock-eyed smirking that drove her nuts.  "Come on, tell old Zlik what 
happened baby."

	"Knock it off Zlik.  Why don't you take you and your filthy street 
'garb' somewhere where I can't smell it." darted Slash, eyeing him with 
one of those 'Don't push me looks'.  "We got enough problems without 
your nonsense."  Zlik was from the streets and probably will always be 
there as well.  He grew up there, hangs there now, and will forever have 
a name with those who have long purple hair that hangs to one side.

	"Goddamn skinny son of a .." murmured Slash.

	"Cool it children" snapped Nebulus, opening his eyes and 
furrowing his brow again.  "Jack, what do we have on the nets for the 
past few hours from Dave's area?"

	"Nothing to my knowledge.  The whole sector's been quiet since 
he got off" replied Jack in a gentlemen's voice, standing next to Nemesis.  
Actually, he stood underneath Nemesis.  He was very short and stocky, in 
fact he was getting on the fat side.  That's the problem with netrunning 
all day and all night.  Jack was the type of individual who got so hooked 
into the system that if he had his choice, he would never get out.  Unless 
of course he had to.  But that was never.  That's how he got his name, 
Jack.  Constantly jacking in and out of the nets, only to get back in as 
soon as possible.  He gambles with everything he gets into and most of 
the time, if and when rarely caught, he barely makes it out without 
being traced or ICEd.  But that's how he wanted to run his life:  on the 
edge, at least from the perception of the net.

	"Get me updated on Cryon ASAP, Jack, and make sure they're not 
screwing around with our side of the board!" demanded Nebulus.

	"Sure thing boss" replied Jack, still in his business shirt, business 
appearance, and business attitude.  Hey slowly walked away from the 
group and reached another desk a little distance away from the informal 
meeting.  He picked up the same headgear as Nebulus had and put it on, 
eventually peering off into space, or cyberspace as the case may be.

	"What the hell is that thing he's got on his head?" questioned 
Slash, a little perturbed that she hadn't been updated on the new tech 
yet.

	"It's an experimental wireless connect between your ports and a 
jack in site.  But like I said, it's only experimental, so it doesn't leave this 
room" explained Nebulus, calming down slightly.  "We stole the idea and 
some of the design from Cryon.  The rest came from industry with the 
holes filled in by Jack and his tech buddies at Nortech."

	"He's still working there?" asked Zlik, wising up a bit.  The party 
began to disperse, each individual going there own way.  "Awe screw it 
man" snobbed Zlik heading for the corridor leading to the alleyway.  The 
metal door slammed shut once he was out and the room was dead quiet 
with the exception of the echoing metallic slam of the door.  Everyone 
that wasn't jacked in was still looking at the corridor that Zlik just 
walked through.

	"When the hell is he going to get a life and stop being a street 
bum!?" complained Slash.

	"He's one of the best street informants I've ever known, Slash.  
Just get off his back" grumbled a low, direct voice.

	She turned around, looking at Nemesis who never had a lot to say.  
"Is that so.  Then why does he always dress like he's still on the streets?"

	"Because he is."  With that Nemesis grabbed his coat from the sofa 
and proceeded to follow Zlik's exit, never loosing sight of Slash.

***************

	"Don't let her get to you man, she's just bein' a bitch tonight 
cause we didn't get what we wanted from Dave" said Nemesis after 
catching up to Zlik.  His shades were still on even though it was 
approaching two in the morning.  The two of them walked for a while 
and finally made it to the noisy part of town.  The bars and joints 
stretched for a few blocks and never shut down as long as it was dark 
outside.  This was the night spot; where everyone came who was anyone, 
at four in the morning that is.

	"So what happened with the job with Dave?" asked Zlik.

	"We took him out well, but Nebulus wasn't impressed with the info 
we got from him.  I think Nebulus thinks someone's out for us.  Hell, it 
wouldn't surprise me, that's for sure."

	"At least it would make life interesting for once."

	"True."  They walked side by side down the sidewalk towards there 
favorite spot - Black Oil.  The only place on the strip that was almost 
pitch black dark inside and that served the hardest drinks, only.  It was a 
nice place.  The bar was always packed and the back rooms always full.  
It was mostly inhabited by deckers, samurai, informants or people just 
there for business.  Frankly, the bar wasn't even built to be a bar, but 
that never surfaced in conversation.

	Zlik was almost as tall as Nemesis, but a hell of a lot skinnier.  His 
tattered street clothes, long purple hair and terrible street accent set 
him apart from his companion.  A little harassment from the local girls 
and a few psychos that were missing more than a couple of brain cells 
made the trip seem normal.  The streets were cluttered with garbage and 
debris from the riots a few days ago.  Most of the street lights were out or 
on there way to go out.  Most of the cars on the streets had a few bumps 
or bruises, many having broken windows or shattered lights.  The alleys 
were filled with drunken street people sitting in the wall crevices and 
dealers making their nightly pay.  It might be the summer, but for some 
reason the night was a little cooler than normal.

	Before long, the Black Oil neon sign was a few doors down.  A 
small crowd had formed out front of the closed doors of the place with 
people just hangin' out.  A little pushing and shoving and the two got 
past the crowd of people who wanted to look cool by the bar, but didn't 
want to go in.

	Past the doors, the bar was dark as night.  Smoke filled the air and 
seemed to hover like a cloud just above people's heads.  There was just 
about enough room to walk around the place without hugging each 
other in the process.  A pool table could be spotted across the room in the 
far right corner from the foyer landing where Nemesis and Zlik stood 
side by side, each looking around for someone or something.  Most of the 
people here were dressed to kill.  The styles ranged from very slick to 
very sleazy, but all with the intent to intimidate.  The bar was centered 
in the middle of the place, raised a step above the floor to make it a little 
more formidable for stools.  It was nice, though, compared to the others 
in town.  All the walls were old fashioned wood with paintings and 
electronic art scattered around.  At least there was no graffiti on the 
inside of the joint.  Looking around produced a second floor of mostly 
wooden tables surrounding the outside walls of the place.  Round 
hanging pool lights hung from the ceiling with most of the lights either 
broken or turned off.

	Zlik started down the half flight of stairs without noting Nemesis' 
intentions for the evening.  But that was his style.  He grew up on this 
side of town, was one of the first to come to the bar when it was first 
opened, and will probably be one of those who are killed in it as well.  
Nemesis watched him slowly push his way toward the far side of the bar 
and begin talking with a few friends that normally were found here 
after midnight.  Nemesis, on the other hand, slowly made his way to the 
opposite side to watch a game of pool before going to the bar for a drink.

	"So what's new on the streets" questioned the guy slowly 
drinking a Toxic Rum next to Zlik, his long bleached hair almost 
touching the tip of the glass during each sip.

	"Depends on what side of the tracks you're from."

	"The down side."

	"Cryon is on the move again and no one knows what's going on."

	"I thought they weren't screwing around on the nets yet?  Last I 
heard, they weren't going after any company takeovers or anything" he 
said with a concerned yet questionable tone of voice, still just looking at 
his shot.

	"Their RAD just jumped and their in the market.  Nestroth's 
chasin' the rabbit so make sure the field is clear" noted Zlik.  He hated 
discussing names in company, but that was life on the streets.  "How's 
you're girl friend?"

	"Which one?" he asked in disgust.

	"Charles."

	"Watch your back.  Deckers are out tonight and it's gonna be a 
while until sex is as good as it used to be."

	"Who's spreading the disease?"

	"Mogul's back."  Spotting an old girl friend across the room, Zlik 
got up from the bar and began his way towards her, noting his friend 
with only a tap on the bar before leaving.  Information and friends are 
two different things when it comes to who's chasing who.  Anyway, most 
of the 'friends' that you make in a place like this can't be trusted further 
than the shot they drink from.

	'Mogul is back' thought Zlik on his way across the bar.  'This is 
not good.  The last time they were back proved to be a challenge in more 
ways than just survival.  Mogul was one of those groups that just looked 
for conflicts with other groups.  Nestroth normally didn't mind 
competition when going after a company or something like that, but 
when a gang gets involved with business, business gets bloody.'

	"Hey sexy!  How's it goin'!?"  yelled Zlik.

	"Well if it isn't Zlik.  I haven't seen you here for a while.  Where 
the hell you been hiddin' out lately?" replied Shiela.

	"I've been around.  You sure look awful different since we went 
out last year.  So who you datin' now babe?"  Her black leather clad body 
and curly-long, dyed black hair contrasted to her old street image of 
baggy pants and oversized shirts.  Her face was even more pale now.  Her 
appearance almost was of the dead instead of who he remembered her to 
be.

	"Nobody special.  He's right here."  She turned around and pulled 
on the shoulder of a large man standing behind her talking with a small 
bunch of guys dressed in the same black leather attire.  He turned 
around to face Zlik.  "I told you he'd be here honey" she said looking 
directly into Zlik's eyes with a devil's grin only Glasya could wear.

	"So this is the mighty Zlik of Nestroth!" he said taking a step 
closer and shoving his glass into Shiela's hand.  "Don't tell me you've 
come back for seconds with her MATE!"  He might be a little drunk, but 
he was definitely pissing Zlik off with his attitude; one of the few things 
which Zlik didn't tolerate.

	"Where the fuck did you pick him up Shiela!?  Pirates Are Us or 
Assholes Anonymous!!!?" attacked Zlik with his irate attitude aimed 
directly at Shiela.

	"Good-bye Zlik" was her only monotone reply as her grin turned 
sour and she retreated towards the bar, walking behind her man.

	"Oh, fine, walk off with a nice good-bye babe!  Hey, don't forget 
your beer belly bozo here bitch!" yelled Zlik not moving from his 
position.  His attack was still muffled by the crowd around them.  No one 
paid any attention to quarrels like that, anymore.

	Giving a daring glare in her direction, his neck was violently 
grabbed by Shiela's lover.  

	"She picked me up at Mogul, you shitty piece of street slime.  How 
do you feel about that, Dick!?"  Zlik's eyebrow's raised instantly at the 
thought of what he was in now, just in time for a double sided dagger to 
be thrust into his stomach by his adversary.  His mouth dropped open 
and his eyes shut from the pain.  His body almost being totally supported 
by the hand still clenching his neck, making his breathing more 
difficult.  The knife twisted in his side and his brow furrowed more until 
all he could do is scream out in pain.  The crowd around him began to 
notice the action, but it was too late.  His back began to arch and his 
knees started bending slowly as the life drained out of his body, staining 
his shirt, and began to form a reflective puddle on the floor underneath 
him.

	"MOGULLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Zlik, thrusting his right 
elbow outward.  An old fashioned quick release snubnose appeared in his 
palm and directed itself towards the chest of his killer.  Four shots were 
fired before his body crumpled to the bloody wooden floor, his right arm 
sticking straight upward with the gun still resting in his palm.  He was 
soon followed by his killer to the floor.  His leather armor lined jacket 
not enough against good old Teflon II coated ammunition, bringing him 
down nearly on top of Zlik.  Their blood staining each other's body.  The 
crowd going silent momentarily to see who was involved this night 
while the bartender called the cops, then resuming with the normal 
discussions of the evening.  Another night, another death.  Pretty 
normal for nighttime in Philly, or any major city for that matter.

	Shiela slowly made her way to the entrance and existed alone, 
mingling with a few others who didn't want to be around when the cops 
showed up to collect the bodies.  Nemesis, too far away to do anything but 
watch his friend die, and hear the gunshots at the last moment, kept and 
eye on her and followed her out of the establishment.  He'd met her a few 
times before, but never really got to know her.  He never really liked 
her in the first place.  Trusted would probably be a better word.  Now he 
knew why.  Mogul on the other hand meant something, something very 
serious.  Mogul was a gang that ran a last year and tried terrorizing 
certain underground groups.  Nestroth was one of the groups that 
brought them down.  Unfortunately, they didn't wipe them out 
completely.

	Shiela began down the strip and soon turned into a known 
alleyway.  Nemesis followed, cautiously surveying his position.  He 
started into the alley, but she was already gone.  Impossible.  The alley is 
too long and he was too close to lose her that fast.  He didn't like it.  He 
didn't like it one bit.  A few more meters in and he stopped, switching his 
cybernetic retina implants from night vision to thermal infra-red 
sensing.  He walked a few more meters with his jacket loosely buttoned.  
He finally stopped completely and looked around.  As he looked up he 
caught a glimpse of part of a person who must have been peering out of 
a window from above.  More likely sighting him in, which he confirmed 
with another retina switch to ultraviolet reflective, picking up the faint 
outlines of a needler rifle.

	"Nice try, Nemesis" came a voice that echoed through the alley.  It 
was Shiela all right.  Nothing mistaking that slyish voice.  He turned 
around, obviously out of position.  Two men, however, were between him 
and the streets, and the alley behind him meant dealing with his 
airborne sniper.  His right hand slowly snaked towards his jacket.

	"Don't even think about it asshole."  The two men in front of him 
took out their weapons, pinning him in.  "You go back to Nestroth and 
tell them we're back, Nemesis.  And, by the way, give Nebulus this 
message!?"  Two needler shots were fired from above into his shoulder.  
He immediately sank to the ground and crashed into a trash bin, holding 
his 'injured' shoulder.  "You take that to Nebulus!"

	The two men in the alley put their weapons away as they made 
their way back to the streets.  Nemesis lay there for a few minutes until 
he judged the situation as relatively safe to move.  He removed the 
needles from his jacket, simulating their penetration and induced pain.  
He walked out holding his shoulder.  He walked out without his friend.  
Heading back, passed the bar, gave him only one thought: Mogul is back 
and Cryon is on the move.  What the hell is going on?