Chapter Six—Charm

“Three leads and we got nothing.” Kyle complained. “Isn’t the third time supposed to be a charm?”

John shrugged.

“Now what?” Kyle asked. “Can we just go home, do some research on an overlord that needs knocked off or a corpo-bank we can rob?”

“While that sounds entertaining,” Lexa said, “I would suggest you stake out the landfill in Outer District 103.”

“Why?” Kyle asked. “It’s a waste of time and you know it.”

“It could be,” John said. “Or maybe Lexa has a point.”

“The stake out won’t guaranty you any success,” Lexa said, “but you may just be surprised at what you can uncover. The murderer, as you well know, has been making regular forays to this location to dump the bodies of his victims.”

“That place is huge,” Kyle said.

“Then we can set up some observational gear,” John said. “We don’t have any with us, but we could head back to the penthouse and pick some up, then to get to the landfill just before dark?”

“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Lexa said.

“Come on,” John said. “You can bring some cool gear today.”

“Guns?”

“Yeah. If we find the killer and he really does turn out to be some super mutant monster, we’re going to kill it.”

“Or an alien,” Kyle added sarcastically.

“Or an alien,” John added with a grin.

“Hells, I hope it is an alien or a mutant freak the Strogaus weirdos have unleashed. Hey John?”

“Yeah?”

“Those Strogaus guys are scum.”

“I know.”

“We’re going to go after them if this thing’s a bust, okay?”

“Sure,” John said with a nod. “After we do the proper research.”

“I prefer messy,” Kyle said.

John chuckled. “So do I, but we have to stay alive.”

“I guess there’s that.”

“Don’t be so depressed.”

“I’m not depressed,” Kyle said indignantly. “I’m bored. We haven’t done a job in weeks. Max and Staxx are getting lazy—fat.”

“We’re on a job now.”

Kyle sighed. “All right, let’s go back.”

“Got all your pervy little toys?” Kyle asked as John set the duffle down.

“Pervy toys?” John asked. “Only you would ask something like that.”

“What are you implying?”

They were back in the penthouse in their hidden weapon’s room. Kyle had an array of weapons on the table, including some long knives.

John put up his hands.

“Seriously,” Kyle asked as he pulled the slide back on his mini repeater.

“Nothing,” John insisted, “It’s just that—“

“What?”

“Nothing, I was just going to say that Kelly Hess thought—“

“Shut the fuck up,” Kyle said, his eyes widening.

John started laughing.

“Fuck off, man.”

“I’m—it’s just a joke.”

“Hells, it better be!”

“You’re the one who started it.”

Kyle laid his repeater on the table. It could put down eighteen-hundred energy projectiles a minute. The only down side was that the clips could only support about that many rounds before they needed to be replaced.

Which is fine, he thought. Anything that isn’t dead within a minute of taking on fire from this thing deserves to kill the loser who can’t aim.

“What are you bringing, John?”

“Just the usual.”

“That tiny thing?” Kyle asked. “No, that won’t do.” He clicked his tongue. “How about this R-2088?” He lifted the pistol off the rack. “Now this baby can knock a super mutant on his ass.”

“And blow a hole through a tank,” John said.

Kyle shrugged. “You might need the firepower.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Come on,” Kyle said. “Let’s have some fun.”

“Shit,” John said, taking the pistol.

The aesthetic was interesting. It had a polished wooden grip of extinct hardwood and the gun metal was blackened steel. It looked like some monster of a pistol from a hundred years ago.

“I’ll have to be careful,” John added as he looked down the sights. “If I miss, I might shoot something out of the sky.”

Kyle laughed.

“So, the Oma, huh?” John asked. “Don’t you think these guns are overkill?”

“Actually,” Lexa said, “I would say it’s wise to bring more firepower than you think you will need. You never know what might happen.”

“Hey,” Kyle said with a grin. “You’re taking my side, Lexa.”

“Only because I want to ensure John’s personal survival.”

“What did you just say?!”

“I said you and John may encounter an enemy of which you should be prepared for, Kyle. Did you not hear me the first time?”

“No, that’s not what you said! You said—“

“Anyway,” John said. “We can head out when dusk falls.”

Kyle looked at the time on his wristlet. “That’s not long from now.”

“Exactly.”

“All right, gonna armor up, too,” Kyle said.

“Why? With that thing you could kill an army.”

“I’m lucky to be standing here,” Kyle said. “We both are. Don’t you remember Ela Luna Keys?”

“Yeah.”

“Supposed to be an easy in and out. Grab the Hussy and get off the boat. Instead we nearly got cheesed.”

John chuckled. “All right, but let’s take the lighter stuff so we don’t stand out.”

“Yeah, no.”