About 20:00, children's roundabout, a park, somewhere in NMK, Sunday the 25th of April, 2055.

About 20:00, children's roundabout, a park, somewhere in NMK, Sunday the 25th of April, 2055.

Whilst I'm slowly revolving, sat on the roundabout, my phone goes. It's Sykes. He says he's got a lead for a job and can I meet him at the Axe of God as soon as I can. I tell him I'll have to get a lift down with one of the others, but before that I'll have to wait for the roundabout to stop spinning. Than I hang up, leaving him to wonder what's going on.

Yuki and Roland take the kids back to the warehouse, leaving me to get a lift to the Axe with Crash.

A thankfully short while later we've made it to the Axe in one piece. Once inside we spot Sykes sat at a table with three 'friends'. He sees us and comes over to meet us. He tells us he's got a dog. "A dog?" "No, a job", he says struggling to make himself heard over a particularly raucous track being played by the 'artists' currently on stage.

Apparently a guy called Rico has offered him 20,000eb to deliver a case to an address in the quarantined harbour district tonight. What do I reckon? For that much money it can't be as easy as it sounds, but I've got no real objections.

Sykes head back over to Rico and tells him we'll take the job. One of the other guys at the table gets up and leaves the club. He comes back in a moment later carrying a silver attaché case that he presents to Rico, who hands it over to Sykes.

A welcome swirl of cool evening air coming in through the club's door accompanies the arrival of Yuki and Roland. Sykes comes over to us and tells us about the job. We've got strict instructions not to try to open the case. He tells us the address we've got to deliver it to, which is in the worst (read roughest) area of the harbour district.

When we hand the case over, we'll be given a receipt, which we're to bring back hear to give to Rico. All this is to be done tonight, so we'd best get a move on as it's already gone half eight.

We're gonna need papers to get past the checkpoints surrounding the quarantined area, so Sykes places a call. Quickly, papers for 5 people and a car are sorted. We're to pick them up on our way to the harbour. The papers will be good for two weeks, but hopefully we'll only need them for tonight.

We head off into the night in Roland's car. Yuki's driving, with Roland riding 'shotgun', Crash sat behind him, me behind Yuki and Sykes in the middle of the back seat looking after the case.

We make a short detour and a quick stop to pick up the papers and then we head for the harbour. We're stopped at a military checkpoint at the city end of one of the bridges into the harbour district. One of the grunts approaches Yuki's window and asks to see our papers. She hands them over and he gives them a read. He asks how long we're intending to stay and Yuki tells him we'll be gone as soon as our work's done. He hands the papers back, the barrier is raised and we cross the bridge.

I spent some months of my time as a cop working this area. It was rough then, but now after all this time under quarantine, with some basic services such as rubbish collection denied it, it's looking even worse.

The few people out and about are unhurried and tired looking; shambling about, resigned to their 'imprisonment'. The first people we see look to be reasonably okay given the circumstances, but as we get further into the zone there seem to be more and more homeless about, wearing several coats and pushing all their worldly goods before them in rusty trolleys and barrows.

Scattered around in small groups, that look up as we pass are members of various gangs. Some of their colours I recognise. Some are obviously newer gangs that have formed since I was last here.

We turn into the road where our destination lies. A group of twenty to thirty youths is stood part way along it, on the right hand side as we approach. I know their colours. They're members of the Razor Boys. The biggest of the three main gangs in this area. The next biggest is a bunch of young pretenders that call themselves the Clash.

The smallest of the 'big three' are the Sisters. The Sisters are the ones who seem to be behind most of the more significant things that go done around here. They generally leave the other gangs to get on with petty squabbles. Word is, if you need something doing round here, the Sisters are your best bet.

As the Razor Boys watch us pass, Sykes spots that the address we want is down an alleyway about twenty or so yards past the gang. Yuki pulls over to the right hand side of the road a few yards past the alleyway. Roland, Sykes and Crash all get out. I climb through into the vacated front passenger seat and adjust the wing mirror so I can see back down the road.

Crash leans against the right hand side of the car and lights himself a cigarette. Sykes and Roland make their way down to the entrance of the alleyway. The Razor Boys watch but make no moves towards us.

Just as Sykes and Roland enter the alleyway, I spot a car coming down the street behind us. As the car reaches the Razor Boys, the passengers lean out the windows and across the roof to open fire at them with automatic weapons.

Crash drops to the pavement alongside our car. I duck down below window height, gently pushing Yuki down in her seat too. It's an unnecessary precaution though, as they stop firing as soon as they're past the Razor Boys and speed off into the night.

Looking back, it's clear that a good few of the Razor Boys have been injured or killed. Crash decides to go and see if he can help, but he doesn't know anything really about medical matters.

Fortunately Yuki does, and she gets out, grabs her medical kit from the boot and starts trying to plug holes. I get out and follow, to watch her back while she works, but I keep a little distance from the mêlée to give me a clear view just in case anyone else comes along.

Sykes and Roland had sufficient cover in the alleyway to avoid all the bullets and they continue on down to the delivery address. At the end of the alley there's a sign that I can read even from where I'm standing. It says Nanotech Industries and points round the corner at he end of the alley.

I watch the pair of them round the corner and turn back to watch events on the street. It seems that there are two of the gang members that are too injured for Yuki to save with the limited medical resources she has to hand.

Suddenly an explosion at the end of the alley echoes through the night. I'm not certain, but I think there was a smaller secondary blast too. Dust and smoke billows down the alleyway towards me and I inadvertently begin backing away from the advancing cloud.

The driving force of the blast fades just as the enveloping shroud reaches me. It has a curiously sweet smell to it that I quickly recognise as some sort of tranq gas. Fortunately, as it disperses at the mouth of the alley it no longer has the concentration to cause any real effect upon those of us in the street.

After a minute or so the dust and smoke in the alleyway begins to melt away. As we try to decide whether it's safe to go in after them, a figure slowly resolves itself. It's Roland and he's carrying Sykes with him, but the case is missing...