About 20:00, a derelict warehouse, in a rundown area of NMK, Saturday the 24th of April, 2055.

About 20:00, a derelict warehouse, in a rundown area of NMK, Saturday the 24th of April, 2055.

Once they'd completed buying the warehouse, we headed into town for some R&R (rehydration and regurgitation). We met Sykes in town, though I couldn't tell you where, as my memory is a little hazy. Anyway, before I know it I'm waking up back at Shen's on Sunday morning. I seem to be one of the first to stir, so I head down to the kitchen and put a pot of strong coffee on the go.

The others slowly appear one by one. Nobody talks much, probably not wanting to raise the noise levels any more than necessary. Sykes says that just before joining up with us last night, he'd met someone with a second-hand security system for sale. Apparently Roland had asked him to try and find one for the warehouse.

Knowing the type of goods Sykes normally deals in though, you have to wonder. How good's a hot security system? It can't have caught the people nicking it or protected the building it was nicked from.

He's got to go see 'em again this morning to strike a deal. Yuki volunteers to go with him as she's got more tech knowledge than the result of us put together. The two of them take off, leaving me with Roland and Crash. The conversation isn't what you'd call scintillating. I pour myself another cup of coffee and go and sit quietly in the front room mulling over what to do.

Fortunately, before too long they get back with the security system and are keen to go and get it installed. I tell them I've got some calls to make so I'll hang around here, get some stuff to restock the cupboards and then rustle something up for dinner when they get back. The four of them head off to the warehouse on Yuki's Shiva and in Roland's car, leaving me in peace once more.

I call the local convenience store, who helpfully deliver, even on a Sunday, and ask for our usual order plus a nice freshly prepared thin crust pepperoni pizza with extra pepperoni. Well, it is nearly lunch time and after a couple of mugs of strong coffee the munchies have taken hold. I charge the order to Shen's account (he really shouldn't give his details verbally over the phone in these days of supposedly secure data transmission, you never know who could be listening) and the guy says the order'll be here in about half an hour.

I go and take a quick shower, to clear the metaphorical alcohol-induced cobwebs, then get dressed and make it back downstairs just in time to answer the door to the delivery guy. I quickly stash the food and drink wherever it'll fit, though obviously I put stuff in the fridge and freezer where necessary. Then my pizza goes in the oven and its aroma begins to fill the house.

Quarter of an hour later I'm in pizza heaven. Pizza enjoyed, it's time to get down to business and make some calls. Checking my messages first, I find one from Christene. She's been transferred back up to the Orba Organics facility at L4. I'll have to get in touch with her and see if I can get a flight up at some point, maybe on a supply run. I wonder what it'd be like to stuffit in zero G?

A couple of hours later, I've just finished all the calls I can make for today when Yuki calls me. Apparently, they're having some fun down at the warehouse with some young squatters that have been living in the roof space. It's a bit of a Mexican stand-off at the moment so Yuki's offered to go out and pick up some hot food for everybody, to help cool things down a bit.

She's gonna pick me up on the way past coz we've talked a little in the past about my early years on the street and she thinks I might be able to talk to the squatters, instead of shooting at them like Roland or doing chimp impressions(?) on the ladder like Crash.

Being on her Shiva it doesn't take her long to get to me and we head straight for the nearest fried chicken emporium to pick up a few buckets of fried stuff. On our travels, she fills me in on what's been happening.

Once they'd installed the security system, after first buying a ladder to help do so, Crash decided to have a look up in the 'loft'. Doing a Sykes and poking his head up through the hatch, he spies a desk with some computer equipment on it. He can see it coz the computer's on and the screen is casting a phosphorescent glow about it.

He ducks his head back down through the hatch and calls out to Yuki about what he's seen. Then the sound of a gunshot is heard. Crash scuttles down the ladder a few rungs and there's another gunshot that strikes the rim of the hatch sending a chunk of wood flying.

Roland comes running up the stairs with his weapon out and in his hand (good job he didn't trip, could've been painful) while Yuki makes her way along from 'her' room. Scanning the ceiling with her IR goggles, she can see two warm blobs; one where Crash said there was a computer on a desk and another away on the opposite side of the loft hatch.

Another gunshot rings out and a hole appears in the ceiling above Roland. Roughly where his gun (which is now glowing brightly as seen through Yuki's IR enhanced vision) is aimed. A squeaky, young-sounding voice calls down telling them to go away it's not their building. They reply that actually it is their building as they've just brought it and a discussion starts along the lines of "but we were here first", "but we own the building".

Eventually, guns are lowered and Crash climbs back up and sits on the edge of the loft hatch. He can see three kids up there, the one who was waving the gun at him and two others lying in a bed off to one side. It's at this point that Yuki had volunteered to head out and get some food.

So here we are, on Yuki's Shiva, heading back to the warehouse with a couple of buckets full of fried stuff that is allegedly chicken, wondering whether Roland has got bored and shot Crash and the kids. Of the first, we can but hope...