Shadowrun: Clean Record: Shadowrun Novella

By Dylan Birtolo

CAUGHT IN A TANGLED WEB…

Maria Price is good at her job. Very good. As a corporate operative, she carries out sensitive missions for Ares Macrotechnology, one of the premier megacorporations in the Sixth World. But megacorps are infamous for demanding absolute loyalty from their employees, and equally infamous for not reciprocating. And when Maria encounters an assassin in her own home, she must question everything she holds dear.

Her quest for answers leads her to the glittering city of Neo-Tokyo, and a mission for Ares also holds the bonus of being against the corp she thinks tried to kill her. But when she encounters a competing ops team onsite, Maria quickly realizes the scope of this mission is bigger—much bigger—than she expected.

And when she finally tracks down her target, the information he shares goes far beyond anything Maria ever expected, and draws her further into corporate machination than she ever planned to go…assuming she can survive.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
• Release date: Feb 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201289096

Book preview

1

Maria sat cross-legged on the ground, the butt of her rifle resting in the dirt next to her thigh. One gloved hand held the weapon near the barrel as she watched her protégé on the ground beside her. Scents of mesquite and chaparral tickled her nose, but she ignored them and concentrated on the other woman sighting down a rifle at a far-away target.

That’s it, Maria said. Now let out your breath out in a slow, steady exhale. She exaggerated her own breath as an example.

Tamsynn followed suit, her shoulders dropping as the tension eased out of them. When she reached the bottom of her exhale, Tamsynn squeezed the trigger of the long rifle in her hands. The weapon cracked, and her shoulder kicked back from the recoil, but she kept her position. Maria lifted her own rifle and used the scope to examine the target hanging from the drone drifting back and forth in a lazy pattern. The latest shot was only a hand’s width below the bullseye and on the center line.

Not bad. Remember to take the drop at this range into account, but your timing was perfect. Maria lowered her weapon and rested it across her knees.

Tamsynn rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows in the dirt. You know, when you asked if I wanted to get away from my desk for the afternoon, this isn’t what I had in mind.

You said you’d be willing to spend time together outside of when I contract your help for a job.

I was thinking maybe go to a restaurant, catch a show, something like that. You know, something a little more comfortable? Besides, when will I ever need a gun like this? I like my machine guns.

Tamsynn sat up and laid her weapon across her legs in a mirror image of Maria’s posture. The wind picked up, catching her purple hair and blowing it in front of her eyes, forcing her to tuck it behind her ears in a vain attempt to keep her face clear.

In response, Maria grabbed her own long, dark braid and held it out as if showing a piece of evidence.

I know that’s more practical and all, Tamsynn said. I just hate feeling like it’s pulling on my head all the time.

You could always shave it off.

Then what would my partner pull?

Maria looked away and Tamsynn chuckled. You have no problem keeping a steady face when you’re about to go in and slit some exec’s throat, but one flirty comment makes you blush? No wonder it’s taken you so long to ask me out on a date.

Maria opened her mouth to respond, struggling to find the words, while Tamsynn looked on in amusement. Relief surged through her body when her cyberears picked up a faint sound no normal ear could discern. She held a finger up to her lips and closed her eyes to focus on the sound. For a moment all was still except for the soft whirr of the drone as it continued its repetitive path. Maria licked her lips, tasting the salt of the sweat beading on her upper lip. It wasn’t too warm, but they had no shade, and the sun overhead was merciless. Then she heard it: A car driving down the dirt road near their deserted shooting range.

What is it? Tamsynn asked.

Probably nothing, Maria lied, leaning forward and making a point of disassembling her weapon. It had the side effect of bringing her head closer to Tamsynn’s so she could lower her voice. She whispered without moving her lips. Could be nothing, but I heard the same car driving on the road behind us earlier. That might be odd by itself out here, but the fact it’s the same car again now tells me it’s time to leave.

Are you sure?

Maria cocked an eyebrow, but her hands continued to move at the same speed as she took the rifle apart. Tamsynn followed suit, breaking down her weapon, but lacking the grace and practiced motions of her mentor. Maria had hers packed up in the carrying case before Tamsynn unscrewed the barrel.

The timing gave her an excuse to stand and stretch, turning around as she did to grant her a view of the road without appearing to search for anything. The only vehicle in the immediate area was Tamsynn’s car, a plain-looking machine that belied the amount of power under the hood. On more than one occasion, Maria had witnessed the glee on Tamsynn’s face when she smoked some rigger in a flashy ride with shining lights announcing itself like a beacon in the middle of the ocean.

Having looks that made others underestimate her was something Maria could appreciate. It was one of the reasons she chose bioware where possible. Few people suspected her—an average-looking elf without any visible cyberware—to be one of the top cleaners for one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world. Almost none survived long enough to regret their poor threat assessment skills. It was part of why she stayed in Ares’ good graces. That and the fact that she was meticulous in covering her trail when she engaged in her after-work activities.

With a snap, Tamsynn closed her carrying case. All right, all packed up. Let’s get out of here. Besides, I got lots I need to take care of. Seems like one of the biggest changes in Seattle since we became independent is the sheer amount of paperwork I have to handle now. You’d think a free city would have prioritized removing some of the red tape. Somehow, there’s always more, especially regarding anything to do with metahuman rights.

Tamsynn led the way to the car and Maria paused after tossing her case into the back. She gave a final glance around before climbing into the passenger’s seat.

Still think the IA folks have it in for you? Tamsynn asked once they were moving.

I acknowledge that it’s a possibility. Maria didn’t share the rest of her thoughts. It was unlikely the vehicle was bugged, but nevertheless caution was warranted. Those who found themselves on the wrong side of Ares’ Internal Affairs didn’t get a pink slip. Their termination tended to be delivered with much more velocity—and a more literal interpretation.

For the rest of the drive, Tamsynn did most of the talking, sharing stories of her community center work. It was a standard pattern they fell into, one that fit naturally. Maria couldn’t exactly share details of what she did, and to Tamsynn’s credit, she never asked.

Despite maintaining a constant vigil on their surroundings, Maria took deliberate glances at Tamsynn when she talked, particularly when she became passionate about one of her stories.

When they reached Maria’s gated community, she had to show her SIN to the guard on duty and have her biometrics scanned. Tamsynn’s hands tightened