Free shadowrun 40 The Burning Time by Stephen Kenson

do," Boom said. "Why don’t you come by at ten, and we’ll see."
    "Okay," Otabi said. "What about the price?"
    "Four thousand nuyen, which includes the deck modified to your specifications. Paid on a certified credstick."
    There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
    "All right. See you at ten."
    "You got it," Boom said, and Otabi hung up. Boom rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "That should do it. Our boy is hooked. All we have to do now is reel him in."
    "Is all the hardware ready?" Talon asked.
    Boom nodded. "We’ve still got the simchip. I also acquired a few run-of-the-mill chips and a modified deck from a chummer who’s got a warehouse full of old Fuchi stuff that got sold off for a song when the corp broke up. He’s good at making just the right modifications without asking any questions."
    "Wiz," Talon said. "Then all we’ve got to do is wait for Otabi to show up and make the deal. This time there won’t be any problems." No one rubbed it in that he’d fragged up the previous meet.
    "Our timetable’s a little off," Hammer said. "Maybe we should make sure everything else is still in place so this will go down like we planned it."
    "Is that doable?" he asked Trouble.
    She started, as though she’d been thinking of something else. "Hmm, oh yeah, no problem there. I can’t go too deep into the system without tipping security that something’s up, but it shouldn’t be a problem to get the kind of data we need."
    "Great," Talon said. "I think that covers it."
    He called up his time display. They still had hours before the meet with Otabi. "Who wants to grab a bite? I’m starving." Hammer and Boom nodded, both of them known for their larger-than-human appetites. Val also said to count her in.
    "I think I’m going to pass," Trouble said, throwing her jacket over her shoulder. "I’ve got some things to take care of. Will you need me tonight?""Um, no, I guess not," Talon said.
    "Good, then maybe I’ll get a head start on that Matrix overwatch work. Give me a call when we’re ready to go." Without further ado, she headed for the door.
    "Sure. . ." Talon said as the door opened and closed, " . . .thing." He directed a quizzical look at the others, who just shrugged. At least he wasn’t the only one in the dark about what was up with Trouble.
    A little while later, the runners were gathered at a restaurant in Chinatown, enjoying their dinners. It was one of their favorite spots, but it was odd for them to be here at the dinner hour. They usually came late at night after a run. Most Chinatown eateries were open all night.
    Talon picked at his lo mein with his chopsticks. "It was kind of weird for Trouble to take off like that," he said. The noise of the restaurant was enough to mask casual conversation, and he had Aracos on the lookout for anything suspicious.
    "Not that weird," Hammer said, demolishing another chicken wing. He tossed the bones onto the plate in front of him. "She tends to get kind of caught up in stuff, you know?"
    "You mean obsessive," Val said with a smile.
    Hammer smiled back. "I wouldn’t say that. . .well, not to her face anyway. It’s just that when she gets into something, she gets totally into it, you know? Devotes all her attention and energy to it, especially when it’s a run. She probably just wants to make sure everything is set for when the run goes down."
    "Yeah, but it’s not like she has a lot to do on this one," Talon said. "She handled the research and dug up the info on Otabi. There’s some overwatch, but the rest of it is pretty much up to us."
    "Maybe that’s it," Boom said. "She doesn’t have a lot to do so that’s why she wants to make sure everything is perfect."
    "Or she’s feeling a little left out," Val speculated, scooping some more rice onto her plate. "I mean, that happens when you haven’t got a big part to play."
    "Yeah, but that happens to all of us," Talon said. "Is something bothering her?"
    "You’re the mage," Hammer said around