Anything for a Buck

-by- Anarkist

         "Give me that before you hurt yourself."  Ben was a gruff old man, the lines in his face easily revealing his age to anyone with eyes, cyber or not.  "You know you're not supposed to be handling the shotgun."

         "C'mon, Ben, what do you think I'm gonna do, put my eye out ?"  Cye was young, only 19, and very new to the streets.  Ben found him lying in a pool of his own blood outside his apartment building.  He had been attacked by some go-gangers and was unable to protect himself.  Ben took him in and showed him the basics on how to keep yourself alive in the streets.  They had been running together for a month now, but Cye had still never gone solo.

         "It's not your eye I'm worried about, it's mine.  And if you put my eye out I'm gonna tear your throat out."

         "Yeah, yeah, more talk, old man."

         "Old enough to know that you shouldn't be handling a shotgun unless you've at least fired one."

         "Well, fine then.  I'll just use your predator."

         "Fine by me, we probly won't need guns anyway."

         "Somehow that just doesn't sound like you."

         "I said we probly won't NEED them, that doesn't mean I'm not taking any.  So just how trustworthy is this guy you talked to ?"

         "As trustworthy as the scum you work with."

         "Good enough for me, at least he's not another suit."

         "Yeah, and one good point is better than none.  You ready ?"

         "Yeah, let's go meet this guy."  He grabbed his sawed off and put it in his holster as Cye unlocked the door.  "Don't forget your gun."

         "Oh yeah, thanks."  He grabbed the predator off the table and they left the room.

         They were in a small wooded area not far from the Salish-Shidhe.  Too far from any nearly populated areas.  If something bad went down, only the survivor would know about it.  "So when's this Max guy getting here ?"

         "He said 6 so he'll be here at 6.  It's only 5:48."

         "I just hope he gets here soon, I don't like the wilderness."

         "Settle down. Wait, I think I see him coming."

         "Where, I don't see anything."

         "Your eyes are just getting bad old man, look, he's coming out from between those trees."  He pointed to two tall pine trees to the east.

         "I still don't see h.."  but before he could finish, he took a bullet in the brain and went to the ground.

         Cye leaned down over his corpse.  "Sorry, old friend, but cash is cash, and when it's this easy, you just can't pass it up.  I'm sure you'd understand.  Goodbye."  He took his shotgun and left.