Ravensdagger_Kittypunk_Cyberpunk_Kitrpg

Chapter Twelve — The Couriers

Chapter Twelve — The Couriers The rest of the day passed interminably slowly.Sharp and I made it back to the bar when it was at its busiest, and spent the rest of the evening training. I ran around until I approached exhaustion, and Sharp was... gently encouraged to do some exercises until she was left a shaking, sweaty mess on the floor.We both hit the showers after that, and while I now had a better understanding of why cats disliked water (it made my fur mat in a terribly uncomfortable way) it was still nice to soak in some warmth and feel clean for once.We actually both gained something out of it. Sharp's Body skill climbed from two to three, making it her second highest stat next to Protagonist which sat at the same level.My own jumped up as well.Body Has Levelled Up!Body 0 1I felt pretty smug as we went to bed early. Mark had said he wanted us to be there as early as possible, which I translated to 'before Sharp's shift.' Most courier work happened during the morning anyway. It was only sensible.Criminals didn't have a stellar track record for being up at the crack of dawn, and mid-day was too hot for most sensible people to want to start trouble. Early evening and night were the best times to cause trouble. So, conversely, couriers avoided those times of day if at all possible.Basically, we had good reason to show up early.Unfortunately, I awoke in the middle of the night, completely wired. I felt like someone who'd just taken a double expresso with a snort of cocaine.There was no way I'd be able to sleep. If Sharp and I didn't share a room, I might consider doing more exercise, but that would definitely wake her up, so I tried to settle down... to no avail.In the end, I found the phone we had nabbed, set it up on the end table, and tapped it on with a paw. Then I was off navigating the web. Mostly I looked into what prior couriers had to say about their jobs. There were a lot of horror stories, but those could serve as invaluable lessons.Things like, don't walk around unarmed, don't walk around armed in the wrong neighbourhood, always have a clear sign that you were a courier visible, hide any signs that you were a courier at all costs...It was rather vague and mostly contradictory stuff, but I could parse enough of it to know that every bit of advice was contextual.I was an hour into a deep dive of an old Wroteit comment thread when the phone's battery died on me. I hissed faintly at it, then gave the phone a smack for the impertinence.Tech Has Levelled Up!Tech 1 2... That had to be a coincidence.By then, my eyes were a little tired, and that incredible wired feeling had drained away, so I hopped back onto the bed and settled down near Sharp's feet. She'd showered, so there was no stink, and sleeping next to her upper body was a risk. She was... grabby.Before I fell asleep, I checked my stats, mostly as a reminder of my current progress.Name: Caroline DanielsAliases:Sarah BlackMia QuinnSam KnightSwitchLucas KingEcho FourChristieJacline CarterGhostwirePrincess SnufflebuttDuchess FuzzywhiskersMarchioness MuffinmuncherTsarina KittinaBaroness BiscuitblanketAnima 1Body 1Cat 1Combat 0Cool 0Magic 0Reflex 1Tech 2What was up with all of those names? My other aliases were all some that I'd kept and worked with, some for years. Sharp's nicknames were one-off jokes. Unfunny, rude jokes. I huffed, but paid more attention to the rest of the stats.Still nothing in Combat, Cool, or Magic, but I supposed those were more circumstantial. Tech was ahead of the rest, though not by much. Was this good progress? At this rate, it would be another month before I started to see those perks Sharp had mentioned.Perhaps the progress would be aided if it was progress towards something as opposed to random and slight stat growth from everyday occurrences?I fell asleep thinking of numbers going up, and awoke to Sharp scratching my head. "C'mon," she said. "It's... almost seven. If we head out now we'll be able to impress mister Mark."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.I yawned, but didn't protest as I stood up. "You're right. Let's head out, then?""Well, I need to get dressed first. Just because you're heading out naked doesn't mean that I can do the same," Sharp said.I sniffed, but she wasn't entirely wrong. Not that I was naked. Fur definitely counted as appropriate covering. Still, maybe I could look into some cat clothes? My own cats had very vocally and violently refused to wear anything, no matter how cute, but I wasn't a normal cat. Why would I refuse to wear a teeny tiny coat?Sharp dressed in her finest-a ratty pair of cargo pants cinched with a belt that was too big for her and a t-shirt with a few old stains-then I climbed up onto her shoulder and we headed out. We did take a quick stop to scrounge into the lost and found, and Sharp pulled out an overly large men's jacket. It was fast fashion slop, but it would keep the chill at bay and gave me a place to hide while we went out.Now that we'd been to the office once, the route back was a little faster. Being that it was so early, the HOA security was a little more lax and we made it to Malcolm and Weiss — Intracity Couriers without a fuss.We rang the door, were buzzed in, and Sharp climbed up to Mark's office where the man was sitting behind his desk. The office space had a few lockers against one wall, and a number of crates in another. I noticed harnesses and folded up backpacks, even a few fold-up electric scooters charging in a stack off to one side. All equipment that I'd expect a courier to have on hand.Mark wasn't alone, however. There was another man there. Mid-thirties, at a guess. Poorly shaven and looking like the energy drink he was clutching in one hand was the only thing keeping him going."Sharp," Mark said. "This is Derek Slade, he's been a courier here for five years. That practically makes him ancient in terms of couriers."Derek chuckled darkly. "If you listened to me some more, we'd have a few more veterans.""Ah, do people not stay in this line of work for long?" Sharp asked.Derek shrugged. "It's a good-paying job, but the hours aren't fixed, and it's more dangerous than some other work. You're trading health for cash with this one, kid.""Oh," Sharp said."Derek makes it sound worse than it is," Mark said. "Turnover time is usually three months. Most people don't find that the work suits them. It's hard work and people are lazy. Most don't want to invest in making themselves better for the job. And those that do often end up working directly for a favourite client."Derek hummed, then nodded. "Not wrong," he said before shifting to the side. I glanced down and noticed for the first time that his shoes weren't shoes, but complex articulated feet. Cybernetic feet? It was hard to tell with his baggy pants, but I suspected that Derek here had fully cyberized legs. Not a cheap thing to get."Right, let's get you set up. Derek, do you mind taking on a few simple jobs today?""I don't," Derek said. "I've got to leave off around noon though.""Oh, me too," Sharp said. "I still have work at the Bloody Bat.""Huh, with Paris?" Derek asked."You know her?" Sharp asked.He shrugged. "It's a small world. Anyway, I'll be showing you the ropes... is that cat real?""Yup! This is Archduchess Applepaws. She's my emotional support kitten, and I can't go anywhere without her.""...Hmm, but no."Mark shifted a few pages on his desk. Old school paper print-outs of all things. He grabbed a few, stacked them up, then handed the pile to Derek. "One in Brookline, two deliveries in Fenway, one in South Boston. Nothing high risk.""Anything heavy?" Derek asked as he took the pages and leafed through them."Nothing too bad. Plus you have an extra pair of hands," Mark said. He grunted as he stood up, then moved over to the lockers. Opening them, he rifled through a few things then came out with a coat which he tossed over to Sharp. She caught it, then held it out in front of herself. It was the same as what Mark and Derek were wearing. A red faux-leather jacket with black trim. There was a hovering tag over the arm, the company logo spinning slowly."Get that on, then head out. Derek, don't let her die.""Yeah yeah, I'll manage," Derek said.I'd never felt so confident.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen — Philosopher's Cat

Chapter Thirteen — Philosopher's Cat Derek led Sharp and I out back. I was on the floor again, Sharp having let me down so that she could switch to that red jacket the others were wearing. Hers didn't quite fit her right. It was mostly the right size, except that the arms were a little short and the coat didn't cover her entire torso. Still, it fit well enough not to stand out.The back of the office was a small alley, one wide enough to hold a few sheds pressed up against the back walls. A tall, barbed-wire covered fence blocked the end of the alley, and at a glance I figured that it was one of those that could be opened remotely."Do you know how to ride a bike?" Derek asked."Uh, yeah, I've ridden one before," Sharp said. "I'm not the best at it, but I can manage."It might be a good way to get her to level up Body or even Reflex. With the level of danger posed to cyclists on the roads around here... yeah, it was a good training method."Cool," Derek said. He set a large plastic container down. It had the packages we'd be delivering. He unlocked one of the sheds, then pulled out two bikes. They had little sidecars fixed next to them, designed so that they could fold up and lock into place on a saddle rack behind the seat. Otherwise, the bikes looked rather ordinary, with a battery pack under the seat and a small engine near the pedals."Cute!" Sharp asked as she took the handles of the bike Derek pushed her way. The bike was the same red as their jackets, with the company's logo slapped on here and there."Yeah, they're alright. We have a van for bigger deliveries, but these are good enough for getting around the cleaner districts. We might park them in Fenway and then grab them again on the way back out of South Boston.""Because they'd get stolen?" Sharp asked."Because they'd get stolen," he said with a nod. "Can't have shit in Bostwon."Sharp shrugged, not disagreeing. They worked together to unfold the sidecars, then Derek split the load of packages to deliver between them. The sidecars would probably keep them safe. I hopped up onto the one on Sharp's bike, then sat back down. The view was pretty low to the ground, but it would be more comfortable than gripping her shoulder while riding around."Alright, so, the job's usually pretty easy, especially the lower level bits. Just get to the delivery point, drop shit off. Be nice, be obvious about who you are, and you won't have problems. We'll start with the package in Bookline.""Alrighty! I'm ready," Sharp said. She put a foot on the pedal and stood up, clearly ready to just head out.Derek eyed for a moment, then shrugged. "Cool. Follow me."The gate opened with a grinding screech of metal on metal, then we were out and onto the side streets of Brookline. The HOA gang had some very clear ideas about how traffic should work, which included keeping it slow and steady. It was probably one of the nicest districts in Boston Two for cyclists.Still, Derek wasn't slowing himself down on Sharp's behalf, and he had longer limbs and probably a few years of fitness training giving him a significant boost. By the time we reached the second intersection Sharp was breathing harder already."Have you figured out the electric motor yet?""Yeah," she muttered. "But I'm worried it'll run out of battery later if I use it too much now."Derek overhead and looked our way. "What was that?""Uh, how good are the batteries on this thing?""They're so-so," he said with a little wave of his hand. "You can recharge them here and there at bike rental spots. If you're real desperate, you can steal one of those electric rental scooter batteries, but I'd be careful about it, they sometimes have anti-tampering shit. I've heard horror stories.""Oh, that would suck," Sharp said."You too weak to pedal?" he asked.Sharp shook her head quickly. "Nope! It's hard, but I won't let a little pain stop me!""You're a real bundle of positivity, aren't you?" he asked.Sharp was quiet for a while, then as we were crossing an intersection, she nodded. "Yeah, I think I am. There was a course on philosophy at the orphanage. It was more about being happy to be a working stiff kind of thing, but the person teaching it left some books behind, and I ended up reading a few. And... yeah. I've decided that I'm going to be happy."Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!"I don't think that's something you can just decide," Derek said with a laugh."Why not? Everything I was supposed to learn was about how life is meaningless unless I work hard to give it meaning, and the best way to work hard is to work for something bigger than myself.""Yeah, I guess," Derek said. "I'm more of a free-spirited kinda guy, I take things as they come.""That's okay too, but it means that you'd never be a good corporate employee. The problem is that... I don't think life has any particular meaning. You just... do what you have to. And I think that makes a lot of people sad, because it means you're gonna keep getting up, keep working, keep eating and sleeping, and in the end you'll die, and that's all there is to it.""You're really cramping my style here, Sharp," Derek said.I, for one, was... somewhat impressed that Sharp had thought things through this much. For one thing, I hadn't thought her capable of basic philosophical thought. And I didn't expect her to have reached any deeper conclusions about anything. "And how does this play into your philosophy about being happy?"Sharp smiled. "It's not that bad," she said, to both me and Derek, I think. "If things are meaningless, then so is sadness, isn't it? If life is just lived to die, then why would you want to live that life and not be happy? So I woke up and chose optimism.""You're a weird one. You might fit right in with some of the other couriers."Sharp giggled. "Thanks!"It didn't take long to arrive at the first delivery location. A small, turn-of-last century duplex. All redbrick with a yard so small that Sharp could reach from one end to the other if she laid down flat across it.Probably the kind of place that cost tens of millions though, being that it was so close to downtown Brookline and was nonetheless a single-family home.Derek pointed to a locked box on the side of the house. "You'll be getting one of these. It's a phone with an app on it. It unlocks those boxes. Put the package in and then lock it up again. Don't forget to lock it.""Okay!" Sharp said. She ran over, did as Derek asked, then was back on her bike a minute later. "That was easy. Why... why don't they just use normal delivery services though?""Our services lose something like one out of every thousand packages. We're insured, generally deliver things a day earlier, and in fancy neighbourhoods like this one, we stand out a lot. If you're big into appearances, then that's a pretty big bonus.""I guess," Sharp said. "Feels like it might be a bit much for me, but I'm not the usual customer either.""Same here. This is way outside of what I could afford," Derek said. "Oh, and I forgot. We have... deals with the BPD across the city, and a lot of the gangs. Not all, mind you, but most of them. Some areas we're the only ones who'll deliver. Well, us and the other couriers.""There's others?""Yeah," he said with a nod. "And if you see them, prepare for a fight."Sharp laughed, then her laughter petered off. "Wait, are you serious?""You'll find out. Come on, two deliveries in Fenway, and I'm ten minutes behind my usual time already. Chop chop, kid."I hung on to the sidecar as we took off as quickly as Sharp could pedal towards Fenway. Derek pulled ahead, but he was kind enough to wait at every intersection. "Hey, uh... I better get a... level out of this," Sharp said to me as we were catching up."Is something wrong?""This seat is hurting my butt and my legs are on fire," Sharp said. She wiped some sweat from her eyes. "Ah, it'll all be worth it, right?""And here I thought you just said you were an optimist.""I am! Which is why I haven't given up yet!"I snorted, then spun around and laid down atop the box. The wind was nice, and the sun was out for once. If I had nothing better to do, then I might as well work on levelling up my Cat stat by taking a quick nap.

* * *