Issue #27 RRP $8.95 Rory Douglas Abel Aliette ... - Upgrade Systems

Random Acts of Destruction
cover this up than admit their biggest seller was tainted and damage user confidence.
We did not think that Mr. Green’s involvement would ever come to light.” Then, as if
to excuse underestimating me, he adds, “You were never supposed to be assigned this
case. We had no way of factoring in your connection to Mr. Katsu.”
“What was this?”
He grins. “A weapons test, of course. Think of it. RAD is the new international
currency. It crosses all borders. Our allies and our enemies use it. Now imagine
those…war machines popping up in major capitals overnight. We just had to field
test it first.”
“Why New Clinton?”
“It was deemed an acceptable casualty.”
“It’s not. This stops now, General. No more illicit weapons testing. Not in New
Clinton, not anywhere.”
Sheridan laughed but it is only the mechanical approximation of mirth. “Who do
you think you are, little policeman? You’re not in New Clinton anymore. This is the
military. You don’t have the power to stop us, you don’t…”
He stops and stares at the hole in his desk a few inches from his hand. Slowly, he
looks up and spots the corresponding hole in the ceiling. There’s an identical hole in
every ceiling all the way to the roof. We had to wait a few seconds so all the innocents
were out of the way. It had taken a lot of arguing and cajoling to convince Katsu to use
the diamondeye satellite. The Yakuza don’t like showing their swords unless they’re
going for the kill. Sheridan waits for alarms to start screaming but none do.
I let him consider this for a moment. “You’re right, I don’t have the power. Luckily,
I have friends who do. The thing about you, General, you’re a regulation military
cyborg. You have all the required implants, including a GPS chip. No matter where
you go, we’ll find you.”
Sheridan grinds his teeth, stewing in frustration. “You must know I don’t have the
final say. There are others involved in this project.”
“Well, then you’ll just have to convince them to stop, won’t you?”
He blinks in shock, his skin growing redder. I let him flounder for a moment then
without a word I turn and walk away.
You can’t keep something locked up forever. Eventually it will get out. Katsu says
they couldn’t find all the tainted RAD. Not that I believe him. I’m sure it’s tucked away
somewhere in a Yakuza lab. Right this moment they’re taking it apart, figuring out
what it’s made of, how it works and how to water it down. It’ll start in the back alleys
and underground clubs. But it will spread. Soon slaggers and hard-partiers will be
using it to pound on each other and have the kind of sex not even metal bodies will
allow. But by then it’ll be the norm and I won’t have to worry about it.
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