I keep my laser pistol leveled, the faint hum of its focusing array a steady thrum in the damp air. "I'm not playing hero," I say flatly. "I'm playing employee. Sort of."

  The lead Data Wraith tilts his head. His mirrored visor reflects the sickly green glow of the tunnel's emergency strips.

  "Payment hasn't cleared yet," I continue, gesturing slightly with my free hand toward Rei. "So technically, she's still my client. And I don't like interruptions during a business transaction."

  Rei shrinks back against the wall behind me.

  "Smooth," Chirp murmurs in my implant. "You've just informed three armed netrunners that you're here for money and have no personal stake. Classic negotiation tactic: make yourself seem like a neutral party they can either buy off or ignore."

  The lead Wraith doesn't lower his weapon. "Employee, huh? What's your rate?"

  "Two hundred credits," I say without hesitation. "For services rendered. Plus hazard pay if this gets messy."

  One of the other Wraiths snorts—a distorted, electronic sound. "Hazard pay? You're outnumbered, chrome-eye."

  The lead Wraith seems to consider it for a moment. "Hand her over, and we'll let you walk away with your skin intact. Consider that your payment."

  Rei makes a small, desperate sound behind me.

  I act first. The lead Wraith is about thirty feet away, standing in the open at the tunnel junction. The other two are flanking him slightly behind cover—one behind a rusted generator housing, the other crouched near a fallen support beam.

  My pistol whines as the laser array focuses, then releases a searing beam of concentrated light. It cuts through the gloom and strikes the lead Data Wraith square in the chest. His dark synth-weave armor smokes and melts at the point of impact. He stumbles back with a grunt of pain and surprise.

  "First blood," Chirp notes. "He's hurt."

  I immediately duck behind a large, corroded ventilation unit to my left—solid cover that puts about fifteen feet of metal between me and the Wraiths.

  The Wraith behind the generator housing leans out, leveling his submachine gun at my position. He fires a burst.Bullets ricochet off the ventilation unit, but one finds a gap, tearing through my coat and biting into my shoulder. Pain flares—sharp and hot.

  The lead Wraith clutches his chest where my laser burned him. He glares in my direction, then barks an order.

  "Flank him! I'll handle the girl!"

  He raises his own weapon—not toward me, but toward Rei, who is still pressed against the wall near the debris pile.

  A burst of gunfire catches Rei in the side. She cries out and slumps to the ground, clutching her wound. She's still conscious, but bleeding badly.

  "Distraction protocol engaged," Chirp announces. He zips down from the ceiling directly in front of the Data Wraith near the fallen beam, flashing his lights and emitting a piercing, high-frequency screech.

  The Data Wraith fires wildly in Chirp's direction but misses completely as the drone zips away.

  Rei groans on the ground, pressing a hand to her bleeding side. She looks toward me with panic in her eyes but can't seem to move.

  The tunnel is filled with the smell of ozone, scorched synth-weave, and blood. Gun smoke hangs in the damp air.

  I duck fully behind the ventilation unit, keeping low. My free hand digs into a pouch on my belt and pulls out a healing stim—a single-use injector filled with milky nanite fluid.

  I jam the injector into my thigh and press the plunger. A cold rush floods my system, followed by a wave of tingling warmth as the nanites knit flesh and staunch bleeding.

  While I'm still behind cover, Chirp dives toward the Data Wraith behind the generator housing, a small barrel appears beak shaped, emitting a crackling surge of blue energy.

  Chirp's beak crackles as it strikes the Wraith's exposed neck wiring. The Wraith jerks back with a curse, his muscles spasming momentarily.\

  "Stun effect achieved," Chirp says, zipping back toward me.

  The wounded leader sees his ally stunned and Rei still bleeding on the ground. He seems to make a decision.

  "Fall back!" he shouts, his voice strained. "Regroup at the secondary node!"

  He fires a suppressing burst in my general direction, which pings harmlessly off the ventilation unit, then begins retreating down the western tunnel.

  Rei groans again, trying to staunch her bleeding with a torn piece of her jacket. She looks up at me with desperate eyes.

  I act swiftly.

  First, I snatch another healing stim from my belt and underhand-toss it toward Rei. It skitters across the damp floor and lands near her outstretched hand. "Use it!" I bark.

  Then, I lean out from behind the ventilation unit, leveling my Lasertech Pistol at the Stunned Data Wraith. He's still twitching, his defenses completely open.

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  The laser beam strikes him squarely in the temple. His mirrored visor shatters, and he slumps against the generator housing, then slides to the floor—unmoving.

  "Target neutralized," Chirp reports coolly.

  Rei fumbles with the healing stim I tossed her. With a shaky hand, she jabs it into her side and activates it. She gasps as the nanites work, color returning to her pale face. The bleeding stops. She's still badly hurt but stable.

  The immediate threat is over. The tunnel falls silent except for the steady drip of water and the faint hum of my pistol cooling down.

  One Data Wraith lies dead near the generator housing. The other two have fled.

  Rei pushes herself up to a sitting position, leaning against the wall. She looks at me with a mixture of gratitude and fear.

  "You... you killed one of them," she whispers. "They won't forget that."

  She holds up the empty stim injector. "Thanks for this."

  She then reaches into a hidden pocket inside her synth-leather jacket and pulls out a small, translucent data-chip. It glows with a soft blue light.

  "Payment," she says, holding it out. "Two hundred credits, like you asked. It's encrypted, but the access code is 7-Alpha-9-Kilo. You can verify at any public terminal."

  She glances nervously down the tunnel where the Wraiths fled. "They'll be back with reinforcements. We need to move."

  I holster my pistol, the hum fading. "Two hundred was the extraction fee," I say flatly, not looking at her as I move toward the dead Wraith. "Hazard pay is extra. You just got me into a firefight with three Data Wraiths. That's not in the original contract."

  Rei's eyes widen slightly. "I... I don't have more credits on me."

  "Then you owe me," I reply, kneeling beside the corpse.

  I pat down the dead Wraith. His gear is standard-issue shadow-runner fare: dark synth-weave armor (scorched and damaged), a compact submachine gun with half a magazine left, a basic data-slate (locked), and a utility belt.

  My augmented eye sweeps over the body, highlighting details invisible to normal sight. I notice:

  1. A concealed thigh pouch containing three credit sticks—each worth 50 credits (total 150 credits).

  2. A personal data-chip slotted into a hidden port on his wrist computer. It's not encrypted with heavy corporate security—just a simple passcode.

  3. A small, cylindrical device that Chirp identifies as a localized signal jammer, similar to the one Rei had but more advanced.

  4. A forged ID badge listing him as a "Kuroyama Industries Sub-Contractor (Maintenance Division)."

  "Interesting," Chirp notes. "The Wraiths are posing as corporate subcontractors. That gives them access to restricted areas without raising alarms."

  I swiftly gather the loot: the credit sticks, the personal data-chip, the advanced signal jammer, and the forged ID badge. The submachine gun is too heavy to carry discreetly, so I leave it.

  Rei watches me nervously from where she sits. "Find anything useful?"

  As I stand, I hold up the forged Kuroyama badge. It glints dully in the tunnel's green emergency light.

  "Your friends were running a corporate cover," I say, turning it over in my hand. "Kuroyama Industries Sub-Contractor, Maintenance Division. Gives them access to places they shouldn't be."

  Rei's face pales further. "They're not my friends," she says quietly. "But... that's worse. If they're using corporate fronts, it means they're not just street-level hackers. They're connected."

  She struggles to her feet, wincing as she puts weight on her injured leg. "We really need to go. They'll send more—probably better equipped."

  She looks at me expectantly. "You got paid. You got extra loot. Are we square? Or are you going to make me work off my 'debt'?"

  "Options," Chirp whispers in my ear. "One: cut ties now, take the credits and data, vanish into the Undercity. Two: press her for more info—why did she steal from them? What's on that chip she took? Three: use her as a lead—maybe she knows something valuable about Data Wraith operations."

  I give Rei a knowing smirk. "Oh, I think you owe me a significant debt. You hired me for a simple extraction. Now I'm neck-deep in Data Wraith business, and you're flashing around stolen data-chips."

  I gesture down the tunnel toward the direction the Wraiths retreated. "Those weren't just some two-bit hackers. You heard what Chirp said about the Kuroyama IDs. They're connected. This just got a whole lot more complicated."

  I pause, letting my words sink in. "We need to leave this area. Now. Somewhere far safer. And while we're en route, you're going to tell me everything about that chip you stole, why the Wraiths want it, and what you think they're planning."

  Rei sighs, but nods in agreement. "Fine. You're right. I'm in deep, and I need your help. Just... let's get moving."

  "Direction? East, back to Burnout Alley, or deeper west into the Grinder?" Chirp asks. "East is familiar but runs the risk of Chrome Skull re-encounter. West is unknown but may offer escape routes."

  She glances nervously down the western tunnel, then back at me. "I know a place... a safehouse, a few levels down. It's not luxurious, but it's well-hidden. It's west, deeper into the Grinder."

  She hesitates for a moment, then continues, "But... it's not unguarded. There's a local gang called the 'Rust Eaters' who control access. They're not as tough as the Chrome Skulls, but they're still dangerous."

  "West it is," I say. "Lead the way to this safehouse. But be ready to talk once we're clear."

  Rei nods, takes a deep breath, and limps forward, favoring her injured leg. I fall into step beside her, keeping my pistol holstered but my augmented eye scanning the shadows.

  "Moving west," Chirp confirms, flitting ahead to scout the path. "Thermal signatures are faint—just vermin and distant machinery. No immediate hostiles."

  The tunnel narrows as we move deeper into The Grinder. The air grows thicker with the smell of rust, ozone, and something faintly organic—like rotting algae. The green emergency strip lights become more sporadic, casting long, distorted shadows.

  We walk in silence for about fifteen minutes, navigating through a maze of maintenance corridors and abandoned utility rooms. Rei seems to know the route well despite her injury.

  Eventually, we reach a large intersection where three tunnels converge. A flickering holo-sign above reads: SECTOR 7-B - RESTRICTED ACCESS - KUROYAMA INDUSTRIES. The sign is defaced with crude graffiti.

  Rei stops and points down the leftmost tunnel. "The safehouse is down there, past a filtration plant. But... this is Rust Eater territory."

  As if on cue, three figures emerge from the shadows ahead. They're not heavily augmented like the Chrome Skulls—instead, they wear scavenged armor made from rusted plating and repurposed industrial gear. Their faces are covered by crude respirators.

  The lead figure steps forward. He's tall and wiry, holding a makeshift spear with a sharpened piece of rebar at the tip.

  "Hold up," he rasps, his voice filtered through his mask. "This here's Rust Eater turf. Passage ain't free."

  His two companions fan out slightly, one holding a jury-rigged shock baton that crackles with unstable energy.

  Rei shrinks back slightly. "I... I have passage rights," she says weakly.

  The leader snorts. "Rights? You look like you got jumped by a pack of wild drones. You ain't got no rights here unless you pay."

  He looks directly at me. "You her bodyguard? That'll be double."