The Run

She wasn’t too worried though, the screw up had been with the meats, and her performance had been flawless. She was just entering the 87th level when a red light flashed on her active icons. She thought about ignoring it, Sabathia was in here somewhere and she still hadn’t beaten him yet. Del had fought most of the top 25 on the score board and had beaten a few, but she had never beaten Sabathia. He had a DNI and NAC and she had never been able to compete with her old tiara. The new jack gave her so much more freedom and speed that she felt now was the time to try him. He would be expecting her to still have her tiara and she thought the surprise might make up for his superior programs.

There were three ways a decker could go. The first was called flying naked and no one, not even the legends tried it. You jacked directly into the net, nothing between your brain and the electrical impulses at all. Next was using a tiara. It was a little crown with neural pads that translated your thoughts to electrical impulses. The transfer time was negligible to most people, but to a decker it was like using a keyboard. The DNI allowed her to act and react with almost the speed of thought, the impulses being directly transferred to the DNI, but screened by her cyber deck. The difference in speed was night and day to a net junkie. She thought she just might beat him now.

Still, the call might be a job, it wasn’t likely but she realized she had better take it. She didn’t have a voice module on her deck yet, that would come later she hoped so she jacked out and grabbed the small cell phone she always had nearby.

“Yes?”

“Lana?”

“Hey Margo! What’s up?” Lana said happily. Margo was one of the very few people who she knew and liked in the meat world. The big woman had saved her life more than once in Germany and she was sexy too. Lana had seen no indication of her orientation, but a girl could hope couldn’t she?

“I got a job kid if you are interested,”

“I’m interested, but I’m not a kid,” she said.

“You’re a kid to me, but if you don’t like being called one that’s fine too,”

“How much does it pay?”

“Twenty K,”

“I’m in!” Lana said, her excitement getting the better of her. Twenty thousand! That would almost pay for her jack!

“Good, you want to come over to my place tonight and we can go over it?” The big Merc said. Lana was too excited to detect the amusement in Margo’s voice.

“Sure,”

“Great, see you in about an hour?”

“I’ll be there,” Lana said as the line went dead. A moment later her deck showed it was receiving information; Lana wasn’t surprised to find it was Margo’s address.

Lana walked to the mirror and examined her reflection. She was four foot ten and very lithe with small pert breasts and a very shapely ass. Her legs were nice and her waist was trim. Long dark hair framed a beautiful face that was highlighted by intelligent brown eyes. Her pussy was almost hidden by her dark pubic curls, which were trimmed into the shape of a heart this week. She was attractive and knew it, but she hadn’t gotten the slightest bit of interest out of Margo, even on the long stratojet flight back where she had all but thrown herself at the big woman.

She wasn’t quite sure what to do now. Rolf had set up her first job and she had never met any of the hard crew face to face, only via com link. She had been in a hotel room miles from the secure facility when it all went bad. Lana had been pacing and wondering what to do when the Security toughs had burst into her room. They dragged her out to a black van with the windows tinted black and two of them were none to gently forcing her into it when a car had come screeching up. Lana could still see it all, like a slow motion replay.

Margo had erupted from the car with a machine gun chattering in each of her hands. The two men who were holding her between them went down like sacks of wet concrete; their light body armor no match for the whizzing steel “penetrator” rounds Margo used. The others seemed stunned by the big woman’s arrival and she never gave them a chance to get set. She grabbed Lana and bodily tossed the frightened decker over her shoulder before racing back to the car. From there her escape from Germany was a blur. Lana was like most deckers; she was more comfortable in the cyber world than the real world. The real world frightened her; it was full of uncontrollable things. Several times Margo had saved her life, but she had a great deal of difficulty recalling the specifics now.

Now she was going to meet Margo at her place and Lana was very unsure of what to wear or what to expect. She was far to inexperienced to realize the implications of what she was doing, even with her close call in Germany it was still a game to her. On top of that she had developed quite a crush on the taciturn warrior in their long flight and was excited about seeing her again. Excited wasn’t really the right word she admitted to herself, she was horny.

She had known from a young age she wasn’t like the other girls around her. She had never developed an interest in boys and had found other girls more to her liking. When puberty hit she had realized she was gay, but it had not been that big a deal. By then she was a net junkie, living the majority of her life online. When she turned 17 and graduated from high school she gave up on parties and her few friends and withdrew. Her parents kicked her out of the house six months later.

She didn’t have a job and made the money she needed to live by breaking into the computers of small businesses or ATM machines and taking a few creds. She was smart about it, never taking enough from any one place to make it worth calling the cops and had never been caught. For the last year she had lived in this small cube, just barely making ends meet. Paying her dues was the way she liked to think of it.

Now she was nineteen and her trip to Germany had shown her there was a lot that the real world had to offer. She wanted to go places, do things and experience all that the things she had been missing. More than anything though she wanted Margo, her dreams were filled with visions of the big woman. Lana found these thoughts invading her waking hours now. That was dangerous for a decker and she was not really ready for the strength of the emotions. Lana had never been in love before.

Love or lust, she knew she was ready. Her trip to Germany had been an eye opener and her time with Margo had actually made the excitement of the net seem tame. She looked at herself critically in the mirror again. Lana cupped her breasts and held them up then sighed and released them. They were so small; she was going to get a boob job just as soon as she made her first paycheck she decided. A little larger would be nice, she thought. Nothing like Margo’s rack of course, she would look ridiculous.

Remembering Margo’s impressive bust put a dreamy smile on the young girl’s face. She remembered pretending to fall asleep on the flight in and letting her head fall on Margo’s shoulder. The big woman had been so tired she barely noticed and made no move to obstruct Lana’s view of her cleavage and plain white bra. Remembering that view sent a little thrill through her. Lana’s hands glided down her sides and over her hips. She wanted to see more, but she had no real idea of how to go about it.

She smiled at herself in the mirror and turned it so she could watch herself while she sat on the futon. She spread her legs wide and examined her reflection. Her pussy was very trim, the outer lips nearly non-existent and her mound was tight and slim. She looked damned good, she wondered what it would take to pique Margo’s interest. She had no trouble acquiring an army of would-be boyfriends in cyberspace, but in the real world she just had no idea. She didn’t even know how to please another woman. She wondered what it would be like and her mind took off on a flight of fancy. She imagined Margo standing before her naked and kissing her. As her mind wandered so did her hands. Lana extended her middle finger and gently began to massage her pussy. As her fantasy got more intense her finger’s action became more demanding, eventually pushing between her lips and rubbing directly on her clitoral hood.

Warm, fuzzy shocks of pleasure shot through her body as her mind centered in on Margo’s huge breasts and what it would be like to suck them. Lana pushed her hand downward and sank her finger in her pussy to the knuckle. She moaned softly as she began to plunge the delicate finger in and out. Her free hand moved to her breast and began to roughly squeeze as her finger’s pace quickened. She moaned loudly and began to grind the heel over her hand against her pussy in time to the plunging finger.

Her fingers seized one of her nipples and pinched it, enjoying the slight mingling of pain with the overall feeling of pleasure. As blood engorged her nipple she squeezed again and then lightly circled the sensitive button. Her finger sank deeply into her slick channel now, all the way and she added a second, which stretched the virgin canal to the point of pain. She wished that she could take more, but even the slim vibe she had purchased for herself was too much now. She hoped Margo would be willing to make a woman of her. Thinking about the large woman fucking her was enough to make her moan.

She was floating away, lost on a sea of warmth and when her orgasm hit her it was beautiful. She saw star rockets of pleasure bursting behind her tightly closed eyes. As her body slowly relaxed her movements became less and less until she simply lay there. She raised her head and looked in the mirror, no doubt about it, she looked good, but she was afraid this was a sight Margo would never see.

-----

Margo went over the data files again and wondered if she was making the right call. Lana was young and this one had to go right, but after Germany she was fresh out of friends. She had seen the girl’s work and knew she had the skills; it was the maturity that worried her. Not that any of the deckers she had ever known were that mature. Nelson’s decker was the exception; no hype, no bravado, cool and methodical, but that fit with Nelson’ MO.

Aside from the girl the whole setup stank. The party stipulated light weapons for the security people. What was Nelson after? Who wanted this woman dead, and what kind of resources did they have? What kind of security did Transcom have on site? Too many questions with no hard answers.

She got up to make another pot of coffee and rubbed her tired eyes. She had spent over six hours just going through the material on the data card and still something wasn’t right. Now she was tired and lonely, not to mention randy, depressed and more than a little confused.

While striking and physically impressive no one had ever accused Margo of being pretty. Her face was blunt with thin lips and a perpetual scowl. Her profession had made romantic ties a dangerous thing and she had become more and more disgusted with men as time wore on. Women could be jockeys it seemed or deckers, but men seemed to resent a woman fighter. Things had changed a lot in the world but sexism was firmly entrenched among runners. Also among those who hired them, she was good enough to have her own crew but no one in Singapore would hire her. Even Jolly who was known for only being interested in results wouldn’t. She understood him though, it wasn’t her sex, it was her lack of a proven track record. It was the old catch-22, no jobs without experience, but no way to get experience without taking jobs.

She had become more and more embittered as time went on, working for men like Dutch and the Swede didn’t help. When they weren’t belittling her they were hitting on her. Only Jack had been different, he gave her respect and never tried to force himself on her, but he was the exception. Now she never looked at men as potential partners, when she really needed release she would go to one of the clubs and pick up a pretty boy for a few hours of fun. Even that was quickly loosing its appeal. Sex without some real feelings and commitment seemed pointless and sterile.

Margo wanted someone, something real and lasting. She often dreamed of a home and family, with a regular job and Sunday meals. Margo had never met a man who was remotely interested in that, most wanted cheap sex or at best to be fuck buddies. The more it became apparent such a life was not in her future the more she dreamed of it. Occasionally reality would burst in on her. She had no intention of getting pregnant, in fact she had already had surgery to insure she wouldn’t. She had yet to meet a man who she felt she could spend more than the time needed to do the job with, much less a lifetime. The few she had met who were interested in something serious with her were low level corporate suits and as nice as some had been, they roused no emotion in her beyond pity or contempt.

Dominique had really thrown her for a loop with that kiss. Margo could still taste the small woman’s mouth and feel her lush body. She wasn’t really that interested in the woman, she was too in your face about it for Margo’s taste. What really bothered her now were the questions that kiss raised in her mind about her own sexuality. Her elusive, but omnipresent dream took on a new flavor. She still saw a home, still saw kids, but a wife rather than a husband with her. A pretty little girl who could get pregnant and wanted to be a mother replaced the nebulous idea of a husband. She now saw someone to come home to each evening and eat dinner with, to spend time with relaxing and to lavish love and attention on. She hadn’t really ever considered her dream from that particular perspective, but the idea of it was compelling to her. Still just a dream, she didn’t even have a clue where the creds to finance such a life would come from, but at least it seemed more attainable with a wife in the picture and men out all together. These thoughts were intruding on her planning session when the doorbell rang.

---

The plain door swung open and Lana took in a sharp breath. Margo stood before her in just her black combat pants, boots and a white tee. Her enormous aureoles were plainly visible behind the thin material and Lana felt her knees get weak. She felt way over dressed in her stylish black dress and heels. Margo looked at her quizzically and then holstered her pistol. Lana was dumbfounded when she realized she had been so caught up in ogling Margo’s tits that she hadn’t even noticed the weapon.

“Come on in, kiddo”

Margo turned her back and walked into the small kitchenette. The room was about three times the size of Lana’s cube, but it was still small. Just one open room with the kitchenette and a bathroom offering the only thing that resembled privacy. Margo’s bed consisted of a mattress and box that sat on the floor, no bedstead of any type. A very dilapidated sofa and scarred coffee table with an inexpensive tri-d entertainment unit made up the “living room”.

“Beer?” the tall woman called out.

“Sure!” Lana replied. Lana had never had anything alcoholic in her life, but she had not missed the kiddo line and she desperately wanted this woman to see her as a woman and not a child. She had never met anyone as elementally powerful as Margo, or anyone whose mere presence was so intoxicating.

Margo returned from the kitchen and handed her a beer before sitting down on the floor with her back to the sofa and stretching out her long legs under the table. She reminded Lana of a great cat, her movements we so languid and fluid. Lana took a sip of her beer and nearly spit it out. It tasted awful and bitter.

Lana looked at Margo and saw the big woman smiling. Her grin was lopsided, but very nice and it took a lot of the severity out of her features. When she’s smiling she’s almost pretty, Lana thought. Margo rose, went to the kitchen and returned with a wine cooler. Lana was embarrassed, but was also happy that the big woman hadn’t said anything or made fun of her. The wine cooler tasted light and fruity and was much more agreeable to her palate. She drank most of it quickly.

Margo killed her beer in a single motion and took up Lana’s almost untouched can.

“Here’s the set kiddo,” she began.

“Please don’t call me that,” Lana interjected. Margo smiled again.

“All right, what should I call you?” she asked. Lana fought down the impulse to say “available”. The cooler was already going to her head.

“Just call me Del, everyone else does”

“All right Del, here’s the set,” Margo said as she pulled out a set of plans.

“Big party at Transcom’s downtown headquarters. I am going to be babysitting one of the guests. I need you to get in and get control of one of the security cameras and keep it on her. You can feed me the video so I can watch her without being all over her,”

Lana was silent for a while. Breaking into the security grid of a major corp was not so easy, even in an unsecured building like the headquarters it was dangerous. She didn’t have the kind of programs it took to do that. In Germany it had been easy, Rolf had supplied her with site-specific infiltration programs, but she had lost those when the security people seized her deck. She really wanted to tell Margo that it was out of her league, but she knew if she did the big woman would probably not have any need for her and she was not going to leave this place still a virgin if she could help it.

“Problem?”

“How will you get the feed?” Del asked quickly to hide her doubt.

“You can send it secure, I have a nanoprocessor and microwave receiver, internal,”

“But how will you see it?”

“On the HUD,”

“HUD?”

“You are green aren’t you? My eyes are high-tech, and carry a heads up display among other features, but you let me worry about that, can you get in?”

“Sure, no problem,” she said with a surety she didn’t feel.

“From there is should be a milk run, just keep me updated on her and I will do the rest,”

“No problem,” Lana said and grinned.

For the next hour they discussed the job in detail. Lana found herself getting giggly and giddy. It was partly the drinks, but partly being close to Margo when their lives were not in eminent danger. Lana was pleasantly surprised to find that behind her tough exterior the large woman was funny and easy going. She had never seen her in other than her combat mode and the glimpses of the person behind the mask only made her want Margo more.

“Now I just have to figure out how I am going to get in,” Margo said after killing her tenth beer.

“I thought that was set up? You will have security clearance won’t you?”

“Sure kid…Del, but I still have to get inside and I doubt they are going to let me in like this. Maybe I can rent a tux or something,”

The thought of Margo in a tux sent a shiver of excitement down Lana’s spine. Despite the alcohol and her raging hormones she realized something the big warrior hadn’t yet.

“Margo, you’ll stand out more in a tux than you would dressed as you are now. You can’t hide that chest behind ruffles and a cummerbund and I doubt you can even get a holo projection outfit that could do it,”

“Fuck,”

“Its no big deal, I am sure you can find a nice dress and you will only stand out because you’re so attractive,” Lana said. She blushed slightly when she realized what she had said, but Margo seemed not to notice.

“I haven’t worn a dress since I was six,” the big woman muttered.

“Well, we are going to have to get you one, and the accessories to go with it,” Lana said smiling. Margo snorted in disgust.

“There has got to be another way,”

“No. Only way,” Lana said as she slipped her deck out of the bag she always carried.

“Let me jack in and see what I can find,”

Margo nodded sourly and went off to the bathroom while Lana checked the batteries and then attached the DNI cable. She shot off to the satellite’s node and then down the data stream and into the grid. She wasn’t worried about the dress really, she already knew where she was taking Margo for all of that, she stopped in at David’s and made them reservations for a sitting at 10:30 the next morning. From there she shot off towards Alpha 1. She had bitten off a lot more than she could chew and her only real hope now was a long shot. She was going to see the Blakkatt.