The Biotechnica Building

“Fuck, really? What do biotechnica want with a rockerboy like me?”

“All will be explained soon.”

The Aerial Vehicle they were in soared upwards towards a skyscraper in the city center. Zach had never been this far up, he’d only seen sights like this in advertisements and high-end Braindances. It was a sight like no other, but he got the feeling that it was old hat to whoever had him brought here.

He was right. The AV stopped at a balcony 4/5 the way up Biotechnica Tower and opened up to reveal a lavishly decorated apartment. Inside, a woman with piercing eyes and long brown hair waited for him.

“To what do I owe this meeting ma’am?” Zach said sarcastically, stepping naked out of the hovercar.

“Thank you for coming, I believe you can be useful to me.”

“We’ll it’s not like I had much of a choice… Useful in what way exactly?”

“Don’t get any ideas, I want you to pull off a job for me. If you succeed then the reward could set you up for life.”

“And if I fail at whatever this thing is?”

“I can assure you that your life will not be on the line, but your freedom may be.”

“Care to explain ms…” he trailed off, hoping for an answer

“You can call me Raven. You don’t need to know my real name. In my circles outside of work you meet lots of people with more money than they know what to do with, and a less-than-average value on the lives of those with a net worth below nine figures. This leads to some interesting bets made between friends. At a party recently an acquaintance of mine boasted that the security on her apartment was second to none, and that no team with less than 50 million Eurodollars in funding could even come close to breaking in. I called her bluff and said I can do it in less than 10 million.”

“So you’re paying me 10 million Eddies to break into some lady’s apartment alone?? Now, I love money as much as the next guy but that’s just Suicide.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m paying you 1 million to do the talk with five other people and 5 Mil in equipment. Does that sound more achievable?”

“Throw in a one night stand with you, and I’m in.”

For a split second she seemed taken aback, but then her face resumed its steady demeanor

“You have yourself a deal. That is, if you accept the consequences should you fail. Part of the bet was that should my team fail then they would become her personal property for the span of three years. Is that acceptable?”