You have the glass of whiskey in your hand but you don’t move. You set the glass down. Zero’s eyes are on you, waiting. He seems disappointed, but not surprised.
He reaches for his gun. You grab the whiskey bottle and strike him over the head with it, so that he stumbles sideways against the bar. Then you’re wrestling him for the gun, smashing his hand against the bar top until the gun fires and a nearby bottle explodes. He kicks you in the side of the knee and when you lose your balance he punches you in the jaw.
Without thinking, as you fall to the ground, about to be gunned down by Zero, you go cyber.
The serving droid. Hacking… connection established. Shotgun beneath the counter.
Zero staggers over you, blood dripping from the wound above his eye, pistol in hand. Then the sound of the shotgun, and Zero’s body jerks backwards. That is the end of Zero.
You lay there for a moment, then drag yourself back onto your barstool and pour yourself a fresh glass of whiskey. The bar is deathly silent. You take out your phone and dial Rosa’s number. You let it ring. No one answers.
ns 172.69.6.91da2