I looked around the apartment. It was a bit small, but there was more than enough room for just me. The bathroom was tiny, but had its own shower. Best of all? It was fairly close to Ichiban, in a fairly quiet side of town. The Fang patrolled this area, keeping the peace from lesser gangs.

The physical protection for the place left a little to be desired. It had the typical chain, bolt, and locks that most apartments had. The ones in this place looked new, which was a bonus. They had that new shine to them that'd eventually fade away.

The apartment had four rooms. The front door led into a cube of a living room with rooms on either side like the top of a T. To the right sat the kitchen- or dining room I should say. Barely anyone actually cooked these days. It was more of a kitchenette with cabinets and a spot for a fridge. To the left was a small bedroom with an even smaller attached bathroom.

There were a few downsides. The blood stain in the bedroom's carpet, for one. Looked like it'd been scrubbed at, but it was still quite obvious. That explained why the locks were new. Someone must've broken in and shanked a guy. Thief?

The landlord wanted sixteen hundred for the place, which was a bit more expensive than typical. It had a window with a view though, and was in a good location. The landlord had a good argument if nothing else.

I kinda agreed with him. The apartment was on the thirteenth floor, which was taller than most nearby buildings. The view outside the window was quite grand, allowing me to take in much of the neonscape.

I could even see parts of the Ryu Container Yard peeking out from around an arcology in the distance. If I looked really hard, the Corporate Quarter peeked up through the tall buildings surrounding the Ryu Container Yard. Indeed a good view.

"Soooo?" The landlord asked, shifting by the door.

I glanced back at the landlord. He was a slightly chubby guy, but had a kind and honest face. It immediately made me suspicious. Could never trust someone with an honest face. "It's nice… but… are B&E an issue around here?"

"No, they're not frequent." The man swiped at his brow. "Jade Fang frowns on that sort of thing."

Yeah… no they didn't. I was literally hired by them to do B&Es quite frequently. This guy had no idea what he was talking about. And I doubt the Fang would care much about what happened in a small apartment complex so far from Ichiban.

I headed to the window. It easily opened up, allowing me to peek out of it onto a faux balcony. The room sat on the corner of an alley, and I saw on my way in that the fire escape was just around the corner. If I needed to leave, I could probably hop out the window and skirt around to the fire escape.

The lack of escape routes always irritated me about the cargo yard. The containers usually only had one way in and out. There were no chances if I were caged in. Here, though? I might be able to escape. That was extremely attractive considering a certain megacorp with a twenty million Rayn bounty out.

Hmm… maybe I should start acting on a false identity? It wouldn't be a bad idea. Most mercs did anyway. I could wear a mask without any issue. They weren't exactly rare considering air quality. Maybe even get a Feature Scrubber augment?

This place was good, in a good location, and offered something I always wanted. Rent would be a slight issue, but I had some plans for that. Tech would be enough to get by doing odd jobs if I needed the extra money. Might even start making some stuff to sell. I'd need an in with a Night Market though… more things I could worry about later.

"The view really is the main selling point for this place. Just look out in wonder!" The landlord moved up beside me and waved a hand toward the window.

"I see that." I walked around a bit more and turned back to face the suspicious landlord. "I'll take it."

"Nova!" The chubby guy clapped his hands together in front of his synth-cotton vest. "We can head back to my office for the contract and other initial fees. Should be about five or six hundred extra Rayn on top of the first month."

My poor bank account. I followed the landlord back down to the first floor. After nearly an hour of negotiating and carefully reading the document, I forked over twenty-five hundred Rayn. Best of all? He didn't ask for any identification, and I didn't offer any. It wasn't tied to my name at all.

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I spent the next hour checking the apartment for bugs, both the natural and spyware kind. Nothing stood out, though I'd need a Bughound to be sure. I checked all the usual places, but the lack of furniture got rid of most hiding places. Still, it didn't hurt to double-check if only to satisfy my sudden onset of paranoia.

I did find a duffel bag hidden in the vents with an odd assortment of items in it. Most of it looked like it had to do with disguises, makeup, some wigs, bolts of fabric, and other sewing supplies. None of it was particularly high-end. Weird, but free stuff was free stuff.

On my way back to the container yard, I gave Ishimaru a call. "Chiwa! What bri- hic- ings you to my door?"

"I'm moving out. I found a nice apartment close to Ichiban." I swerved around a car going the speed limit and sped past.

"Moving up in the world, are we? Shure, shure… I'll send someone by the old place in a month to clean up. Keep the key." Ishimaru said,

A month… must be leaving it open in case I needed to go back. I appreciated the gesture. I still wasn't sure how this apartment living would go. "Thank you."

"No problem. Don't forget about the Fang now that you're moving, eh? We'll missh you." Ishimaru chuckled lightly. "Now, it sounds like you're driving. I'll let you go."

He hung up, leaving me to drive through the city back to the container yard. I pulled into it, feeling like the lights and colors were particularly bright today. Maybe it was just me? It didn't seem nearly as dreary as it used to look.

I started the moving out process. It was rather easy since only a few things actually belonged to me. My guns, clothes, and foodstuffs were basically it. The furniture mostly came from the Fang.

"Shiro! You moving, dearie?" Granny Smith called out to me when I carried a bag full of Jade Fang clothes to my bike.

I strapped it to the bike and then headed for her security door. "Chek. Got a new place near Ichiban."

Granny Smith stood there, her arms hanging limply at her side. "You be careful, alright? If you need something, feel free to drop by."

I offered a smile to the woman. Sometimes I wondered why she treated me so well, but at the end of the day it didn't really matter. "I will. And hey, give me a call if you need something?"

"I doubt it. I'm just a little old woman. Who'd want to mess with me?" She smirked at me and pushed off from her security door. "Stay safe, Shiro."

"Chek chek. You too." I moved back to the ladder with light steps. My place wouldn't move itself.

Once I had everything else loaded up, I carefully grabbed the Sentinel documents still stashed behind my liner. I'd have to find somewhere to hide them, but it was way better than leaving them behind here.

While I was moving them, I took the chance to look through the pages with Eidetic Schematic. No idea why I didn't think of doing it before. Fear, maybe? It'd hurt like hell to obtain the Perk, and part of me wanted to keep up some space. It was a bit stupid, I guess.

I looked through them all. Just like it said on the tin, even just a glance had them perfectly burned into my brain. I looked away, easily pulling up the blueprint into my mind's eye. If the Perk was to be trusted, I'd never forget them now.

A strong desire to just burn the blueprints and be done with them hit me. I barely stopped myself. The prints offered value outside of their intrinsic worth. Nefarious ideas already bloomed in my head about how best to use them.

If Sentinel was willing to pay twenty million, then they'd surely bulldoze a particularly annoying group. They were like a tactical nuke, one that may go off on myself… but it could just as well be a get out of jail free card. As long as I wasn't caught… yeah, that was the kicker.

I could only memorize a third of the papers too, which may have had some weight on my decision. Two-thirds were technical documents and prototypes that were just out of Eidetic Schematic's wheelhouse.

Unfortunately, it wasn't like I could just take a picture to keep. No telling what kind of Net wizardry Sentinel had. A runner might come beating down my door within moments of taking a picture. So much safer to just keep things offline in this case.

The prints themselves were more and more intriguing every time I looked at them. With the growth of my Tech Skill, I was starting to understand the technical details. The weapons were mostly alternative platforms. There was everything from plasma casters to cartridgeless ammo. I didn't even know where to begin with them.

The chrome prints were also weird. Most of it was overkill. Things like an arm with a full arsenal of weapons stashed within. Or legs that doubled as a jet pack. My favorite was an arm that could turn into an anti-material rifle at will. Then there were the specialized organs with all sorts of functions.

All very intriguing. Likewise, it was all very complicated. I had a lot to think about with all the different details and mechanics of the pieces. Doubt I could- no, think positively. Maybe, in the future, I'd be able to make something like it. For now, just outside of my comfort zone.

I moved everything in. Not really a whole lot. I'd have to go get a mattress to sleep on, but until then I was all set. Some furniture here and there would do wonders. All in due time though.

And finally, the thing I was more excited about than anything: the shower. It wasn't very big, and the hot water took a while to warm up, but it was mine. I could barely contain my excitement. Hot showers after a long day's work were supposed to be bliss. After a few weeks in nothing but cold water? There was nothing like it.

Crazy how I achieved my goal just like that. I didn't think I'd ever get my own place. Now? Now I was hungry for more. And there was a whole city of opportunity out there waiting for me to grab by the horns. Assuming I lived long enough to see it, of course.

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