12:16pm, 28th of July 2079, Rancho Coronado, Santo Domingo.
8 days after my encounter with Kendrick and Keira, I'm driving into a garage with my new slotted Cyberdeck in Rancho Coronado in Santo Domingo.
I pull up into the garage, where 3 muscular men are waiting patiently for me to park inside, before stepping out of the car.
"What you got for me Chels? I'm not seeing the guy." The guy asks with suspicion, his miscular frame masked by his worn sweatpants and hoodie I step towards with held car keys, clicking the trunk button.
"Don't worry. He's all present and accounted for." I answer as I turn and open the trunk, dragging out a beat and blooded man, leaving him on the floor and blowing out some smoke from my vape before continuing.
"You never told me what condition he had to be in. Apart from that he had to be alive." I put one hand on my hip and put my weight on that same side, responding with boredom.
"Nah you did perfect Chels. 'Ppreciate it. Oscar." He tilts his head toward the blooded, barely conscious man. Oscar pulls out a bag of 5 stacks of 1000 eddies in cash.
"Here you are. Pleasure doin' business." He nods respectfully, inviting me to take the money for my work and turning to the blooded captive with the other 2.
"Thank you. You got my number if you need my services again. Cya Lars." I nod back in recoporical respect, taking the bag and getting back in the car.
I start the car and chuck the bag of money onto one of the back car seats as the garage door opens, rolling down the window and blowing more smoke out before driving off.
Upon exiting the garage, I begin driving back to my ghetto and recieve a call on my OS from an unknown number belonging to a woman.
"Chelsea Lockheart speakin'. Who's this?" I ask in a business like fashion as I turn my left car indicator on, driving onto a motorway and passing a megabuilding.
"I am Ava Bridger. I trust you heard of me?" She asks, her name not sounding familiar, on the other end; with her accented voice transcending it the mechanical background noise.
"Ava Bridger..? Doesn't ring a bell. You a celebrity or something?" I ask slightly curiously and perculiarly over my usual neutral and monotone sounding tone.
"Of sorts. I am a model from Sweden." She answers after a moment, sounding more sophisticated based on her tone past her accent; with light sipping sounds of an expensive beverage in the background.
"Oh. I see. And why are you calling me?" I query with much greater interest. A model from Sweden is talking to me over the OS without me even knowing who she is.
"I am in need of a person who is not afraid to… break or bend rules whilst also being unknown. I want this done quietly… how do you Americans say..? Off the grid..?" She answers neutrally yet confidently over the phone, her voice laced with a criminal undertone.
"Mhm. Well first off I'm British but that's besides the point, how did you get my OS number? And why me of all people? You are aware I hate your kind right?" I continue to question as she chuckles quietly and amusedly over the other side, inhaling and exhaling my vape whilsy she answers.
"You are curious hm? You ask a lot of questions. Curiosity killed the cat you know." She states with a held laugh whilst she talks, a quiet swallow sound heard with her accented voice and the heavy mechanical sound.
"Well I need to know things to help you." I respond as she notices my slightly irritated tone.
"Oh- I mean not to- ah what's the phrase… it's uhm… Step on the cats tail..? I think." She responds, not wanting to seem rude.
"That's not really a common phrase but it works, and I understand." I reply with a more relaxed tone.
"My apologies. My english slang is not excellent as you can see. I'm landing down in Chater hill in an Arasaka AV. We can discuss the job more when I arrive okay?" She asks more respectfully and kindly as she sips her drink again.
"Sounds good. See you then Ma'am." I respond before hanging up my OS, driving to Charter hill.
Upon arriving, I pull up in a luxury looking area with palm trees and advanced looking skyscrapers and penthouse buildings. Mansions are dotted around the area and greenery fills the air as the warm sun beam down on the car, the area completely clean which mimics the clean, fresh air which is seen nowhere else in LS. The only livable and friendly looking place in the city where only the richest corps live.
Around 25 minutes after waiting near a palm tree, a large predominantly black flying car going at least 115mph with red highlights and white letters in bold, spelling "ARASAKA" travels quickly overhead, the blue jets keeping it suspended as the flying car with tinted windows.
The car flies quickly before slowing to a stop in VTOL mode over a green, lush hill nearby me.
"She wasn't kidding." I comment as I walk over to the AV on the hill when black stands leave the bottom and the jets switch off. 5 armed guards with body armour and assault rifles then leaves the vehicle with a tall, rich looking blonde haired woman stands before them.
I walk over to them before the guard raise their black Umbra modded assault rifles with scopes, extended magazines and laser sights paired with
lexington pistols that share black camoflaged prints on.
"Hold it. Identify yourself." One the guards demands prior to the blonde haired woman, now much clearer in view thanks to being closer, who's wearing sunglasses, a beige blouse with light blue jeans steps forward; her nails pedicured and manicured and her skin clearer than the skies i'm standing under.
"It's fine. It's her." She speaks to the guards and raises her hand, ordering them to stand down.
"I assume you're Ava?" I speak, using my hand to cover the sun from blinding me.
"Correct. It is good to meet you Ms Lockheart. I have heard things." She speaks, her accent much clearer and heavier rather than over the OS which much better justifies her Swedish nationality.
"Good to meet you too ma'am." I nod, shaking her hand firmly once she offers it.
"Hm. Yes. There is no need for formalities. You may call me Ava." She nods, brushing some of her long hair behind her clear skin and her ear which has diamond studded earings in. Clearly a properous woman.
"Well if you knew anything about me, I hate rich corpos. You're seeming like one to me." I cross my arms, returning to earth and assessing her nature.
"Yes I hear. But I am not… "corpo" correct? This place is very wealthy I assume not that it is to your liking." She nods in understanding, already knowing my anti-rich nature.
"Well technically you are. And you're right on me not liking this place. But you don't seem like a CORPO so it's fine. If you piss me off then we're done." I state, laying the line just in case she is like the others.
"Piss me off? As in anger you? I do not want that. I respect you very highly. I want to work with you, the deal i'm offering is very… lucrative." She comments, putting her hands behind her back.
"That's fine then. But why me specifically? You didn't answer that earlier." I reply to her, awaiting her response.
"Like I said. I respect you highly. I've heard things from some people I have here. But you're not very well known. So you are perfect for my job." She answers surprisingly kindly.
"Never thought I'd see the day I'd see a model know who I am and respect me. Nonetheless from across the pond." I remark with a small smirk of amusement.
"Across… the pond?" Ava questions with greater curiosity.
"Like- Across the Atlantic. Over the ocean." I respond as if it were obvious.
"Ah. I see. I do not like that saying. It's innacurate." She comments with confusion but also interest.
"Fair enough. So what's the job?" I ask, getting down to business.