Dialogue: Gig: Occupational Hazard

V

1AHal? You alive?

Hal

1AShhh! Not so loud!

1AThat psycho... You deal with her?

V

2ASure did. You can come out now.

Hal

2APhewww, finally! Thought I'd suffocate in here...

2AYou know when you open your eyes in the morning and think "This is gonna be a shitty day? That nothing'll go the way it should?"

2AWell this was one of those days. Wished I just stayed in bed...

V

3AWell, that's my job done, then. 'Til next time.

Hal

3ANext time? I fucking hope not.

3AJaney? Listen, you're not gonna believe what happened. I was at the Mox's, you know, splicin' something together, and one of the girls went...

3ASay what now? Uh-huh... A box of Nicola? Cherry, or regular? Yeah, I'll get it. Anythin' else?

3AAll right, see you. Call me back when you're free.

V

3BWhy'd that girl blow a fuse?

Hal

3BWhy do people get cyberpsychosis? Who the fuck knows. And nobody's too keen on finding out.

V

3CThere was another girl up there... Decomished.

Hal

3CLena? Jesus fuck... This was s'posed to be cut 'n' dried...

V

3CThe other girl, the one upstairs... She's alive, but she's in a bad way – bleeding. Think you can put her back together?

Hal

3CI can't, but Regina'll send someone 'round. It'll all be OK...

2AJesus fucking christ...

2AYou blind? Gonk? Or both? What the fuck was that s'posed to be?

V

2AHal, chill, everything's under control.

Hal

2ALike fuck it is! Don't even think of comin' back here 'til she's handled, ya hear?

V

4AHal. You can come out now.

Hal

4AWhat the fuck were you thinkin', huh? You think this is fun?! That crazy bitch could've killed me!

4ANo need to answer. I'll just tell Regina about the shit you pulled here. Fucking amateurs...

V

5AYou cocked up your job, too. Pretty damn badly, I might add.

Hal

5AYou ever tuned a fucking virtu? Any idea how hard it is? How many variables you have to balance?

5AWhat a fucking day...

V

5BYou're right. Didn't make the smartest play.

Hal

5BUgh, it's OK, happens to the best of us. Today, especially.

V

4BHal? How're you holding up?

Hal

4BNot the fucking time for small talk!

V

2BNot just yet. Wanted to check first to see if...

Hal

2BYou outta your mind? What "first?" Don't come back 'til she's handled!

Fixer

Hal's dead, V. Tried to make it out on his own, but that poor girl with cyberpsychosis got to him first.

That was the fate you left him to when you abandoned him. I won't forget this.

OK, I know Hal's secure, but let's not pretend it went smoothly. I expected you to be more professional, V.

Please, no more stunts like that in the future. Closing the gig.

Nicely done – Hal's very happy, talks about you non-stop. Only good things, of course.

And remember, V – word gets around. Closing the gig.

Fixer

Hey. There's a Mox – something isn't right with her. Could be cyberpsychosis. My client's in danger, you need to get him out of it.

Would really appreciate your help on this. Detes attached.

Lizzie

Who're you? Ekhe... Not a doc, by chance, are ya?

V

Regina sent me.

Lizzie

Haha...ekhe... 'Course... Always has her finger on the pulse...

V

1AThat cyberpsycho... Gotta do somethin'.

Lizzie

1AYes... Kill her. Ekhe, ekhe... If you know how... Jus--just link into her—ekhe—through our localnet... Fry some of her chrome...

1ABex... You can slot into... into her. Ekhe, ekhe... She's close... Got hit first.

V

1BSo, the girl...

Lizzie

1BDead. I know. We're synced on the same net. Ekhe, ekhe...

1BYou had no choice. Don't... don't sweat it.

V

1CHal Cantos – where is he?

Lizzie

1CNot sure. P-probably... downstairs somewhere...ekhe, ekhe... Told him to hide.

V

1DThe hell happened here?

Lizzie

1DHal was supposed to...to crack a BD for us... An' he did, ekhe... Least he said so. But it all went sideways...

1DWhen Annie dove into it... Never heard her scream like that before... She snapped an'...ekhe, ekhe... well, you can guess the rest.

Psycho

Where are you, huh? Where?!

I can smell you! I know you're here! Aaarghh!

Aaaaaaaarrghhh!

Come out, come out! Aha-ahahaha!