The stars shone as bright as hope in the cold desert. Jenny couldn't look away.
"You should sleep," Triss said, sitting beside her. "We have a long day tomorrow."
Jenny wrinkled her nose. "It's gonna be hot as hell." She breathed in heavily. "Might as well enjoy the crisp winds while we can."
"You call it crisp. I call it freezing." Triss shivered. "Catching a cold won't help us ride in the desert heat, that's for sure."
Jenny shrugged. "We'll be alright."
The two sat in quiet, neither wanting to break the moment. They knew that once their revelry halted, life would come crashing down, ruining any semblance of peace. Better later than sooner. So they sat without speaking. Only the stars. Only peace.
"Going to bed," Triss said, "come on." She offered Jenny her hand.
Jenny thought about it, then took it. "You're lucky I can never refuse you."
"If the pattern is repeatable." Triss smirked, "then it's not luck-based."
"Shut up."
They entered their tent, leaving the calm desert skies behind.
With dawn came heat, and with the heat came the arousal of a bunch of angry bikers. Their camp was small but aptly placed. They were on a mission. And recommence said the convoy would pass nearby. Their small size made it harder to get spotted. But that would all change today. Today, you see, was the day of reckoning.
Triss and Jenny came out of the tent with determined looks. They saluted their brothers in chrome as they stood beside the others in the small prep circle.
"What are we fighting for?" The leader was yelling, holding his shotgun high.
"Freedom!" The bikers mimicked his salute.
"What do we need?"
"Peace!" Triss and Jenny's voices were noticeable in their varsity among the throng.
"When will we get it?"
"Today!"
A cheer, loud and proud, emerged from the group as everyone went to mount their bikes. As Jenny sat on hers, the leader approached with a timid space.
"Be careful out there today..." he said.
"Worry about your own self, chief."
"Jenny... you know my feelings and you persist to -"
She lightly poked his nose with her finger. "Peace, chief. Just trying to lighten the mood." Jenny put on her helmet. "I'll be careful if you are."
The leader smiled and walked off without another word.
"What do we have here?" Triss rolled over on her bike. "A budding romance?"
"He's adorable," Jenny said.
"And clueless."
"That too." Jenny revved up her bike. "Let's go!"
A chorus of engines, dust, and death erupted. The gang was en route, and there was no longer any need for hiding. Each one of them had an implant that signaled the arrival of the convoy. As well as its current location. Suffice to say, it was near.
"We're sticking to the plan?" Triss asked Jenny through their private link.
"What's the point of having a plan if we don't follow it?" Jenny responded.
"Shut up."
They were all getting notified of the escalating alerts coming their way. The authorities were aware of their movement, and they were rushing to intercept them. Luckily for our heroes, they will be late.
"Activate the pulsars!" The leader's voice yelled through every member's speaker.
They did as ordered. Soon the distant convoy's circuits turned off, making it stop in its tracks. The gang rode to meet it with Triss and Jenny at its helm.
Triss went right while Jenny went left. The convoy was a monstrosity of metal, barricaded from physical attacks, and isolated from the grid. The only way to stop it is what the gang did - disable the 'tracks' it ran on. And even that nearly cost them their entire fortune gathered over years of thieving.
Let's pray it was worth it.
No one attacked from the convoy's side. They didn't have to. All that was required of them was to stay put in their impenetrable machine until the authorities arrived. Triss and Jenny were gonna stop that plan.
They placed thermal charges at opposite ends, heating up the inside of the convoy to unmanageable levels. Soon enough, a door burst open. An armored soldier carrying a shield came out firing.
Everything was going to plan, still.
"Disable the links of that thing!" Triss yelled into the group chat.
Soon enough the hackers did their job and the suit came off with a resounding thump. With their last line of security gone, the people started exiting the convoy with their hands in the air. They were sweaty and scared. Little did they know, they had nothing to worry about.
"None of you will be harmed!" The leader yelled as he loomed over the now-tied hostages. "We will strip down that convoy and be off. The incoming authorities will take you home."
"Chief," Jenny beckoned him to the side. Alone.
"What is it?" They were behind the convoy, away from any prying eyes or ears.
"You did well today." Jenny approached him slowly.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah." Jenny put an arm around him. "Thank you."
Pop. The small electrical shock ended the leader's life unceremoniously. Jenny pulled one of her objectives out of the leader's input slot - a drive detailing the activities of all biker gangs in the southwest. She then spat on the corpse, because why not.
"Big honcho is gone." She said the private channel.
"Convoy secured," Triss responded. "Coming out now."
Jenny moved in front of the hostages. She turned on her once-comrades and started frying their circuits one by one. Their pitiful cyberware had no chance with her military-grade equipment. How they even managed to get hired for this job was beyond her. Just goes to show, that if you let cockroaches live, they will spoil the honey.
Jenny turned to the hostages, releasing their bonds. "You can move now, you are safe."
"Woah. That was quick." Triss said as she appeared.
"Everything under order?"
"Everything. Both sides satisfied." Triss laughed.
"Why do we have to play your games?" One elderly hostage said. "We could've been killed!"
"Why? Because of peace." Jenny said. "And I would gladly pay your life if it meant achieving it."
Triss whistled but did not argue.
Peace always has a price. Whose peace? Well, that's a tale for another day.
Obligatory shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
Honestly, I'm not too happy with this one. Feels pretty shallow. 😅 I got my ideas across, but it feels rushed. Ah. We'll get em another day. I hope you all enjoyed reading it at least! It has some good things going for it still.
🖼️ Cover image source.
I hope you are having a fantastic day! And if not, don't threat! The sun always rises. 🙌
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