I make my way through the city until I enter the very heart of low town. You can find anything here, you know where to look. Being a private investigator, I know where to look.

I walk down a dingy back alley until I reach a cellar door about halfway through. I through it open and walk down a series of dank, decrepit stairs until I reach a doorway. I knock three times, quick.

“Oy! “Oo’s there?” says a voice from the other side of the doorway.

“It’s Jack Fenix, Dogg. Lemme in.”

The door opens to reveal Dogg, a fat old Scottish man with no hair and a face not even a mother could love. He’d seen one too many bar fights. But while he might not to be much to look at, Dogg had every type of pain-inflicting instrument that money could buy. And a few money couldn’t buy.

“Oy, Jack, it’s good teh be seein’ yeh here! It’s been too long! What cen I do fer ya?”

“I need some guns, Dogg. Big ones.”

“Oy, well, yeh’ve come to the right place, lad!” He brings me to a surprisingly large back room, considering the cramped space of the basement, and presses a switch. The walls retract to reveal over a hundred guns of different styles. “What’ll it be for yeh today?”

I can’t stop myself from smiling. I pick a few big guns – I’ve always been partial to assault rifles – and a small army of pistols, and then I buy a gun belt and a couple ammo belts to store my new haul. Weighing a good forty pounds heavier, I take my leave of the old man – he’s always been good to me – and wish him well, promising to stop by if I make it out of this alive. He doesn’t ask any questions. I don’t tell him anything that’ll get him killed. Works well that way.

The trip to CyberCorp headquarters takes a lot longer than I expect. Maybe it’s the extra weight, or maybe it’s this damn cough that came back with a vengeance and just won’t let up. Is the virus really spreading that fast? I don’t have long to finish this if that’s true. Shit.

Eventually I get there, and the CyberCorp pyramid stretches above me in the dawn half-light like a technological tower of Babel, except this one is finished. It’s poking the gods. It’s the tallest building in the city, which is quite a feat in a city of this size, but what do you expect from the owners of the world? Or at least, the owners of everyone who’s ever touched a microchip. Well, boss, you better watch out now.

Even at this hour of the morning, the lobby of the CyberCorp headquarters is lighted and welcoming, colorful and ultra-modern. “Come in, we’re here for your benefit,” it’s trying to say. Well. I know better. You can’t fool an old private eye like me. I’ve been in the game way too long for that. The glass doors open automatically as I walk towards them and I get the feeling something is scanning me. Then a feminine robotic – but impressively expressive – voice says “Hello Visitor. Welcome to CyberCorp. Your world . . . plus.” Whatever. “Please state your business with the CyberCorp main offices.”

I take out a semi automatic pistol and fill the scanning camera eye with bullets. The AI voice begins to repeat “Violation, violation, violation,” until I find the speaker and make sure it’s well-perforated.

I walk forward toward the door in the back, but when I’m halfway through the room I hear a shout and whirl around to my left. A wall opens to reveal a hidden doorway, allowing a small battalion of CyberCorp enforcers through. Lucky I’m carrying an assault rifle. I go full automatic and spray enough bullets to take out a city block. I think I get tagged a couple times in the leg and the shoulder, but I really can’t feel it. Adrenaline high like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I take out an entire goddamn battalion. Who thinks they can stop me now? Bring it on, CyberCorp!

Suddenly, the front of my gun falls off. What the-? I whirl around in time to feel a crushing blow land on my face, breaking my jaw. That’s gonna hurt in a little bit.

Tess is standing there, dressed in black as usual, claws protruding from her hands. “Drop the guns and surrender, you stupid little man.” She moves into an attack stance. Time to think fast.

Drop the guns and surrender

Fight her