The small diner on the eastern highway was empty tonight.
Silence filled the place, broken only by the low rumble of cars speeding past outside.
One person sat inside, occasionally glancing at his watch.
"It's 8:43 in the evening already… and she's not here," Jin muttered into the empty room. "I should've told her the meeting was at seven and shown up at eight. Though knowing her, she'd still find a way to be late."
A robotic waiter approached his table. The machine looked worn out — patches of rust along its lower frame hinted at years of service and very little maintenance.
"Dear customer, have you decided on your order?" the waiter asked. "To avoid queues and long waiting times, visitors are required to order food after taking a seat. Otherwise, I will have to ask you to leave."
"Do you see a crowd of starving people waiting for a table somewhere here?" Jin replied.
He spread his hands and gestured toward the empty tables on the other side of the diner.
The front door swung open, and a woman burst inside. She bent over, hands braced against her knees, gulping down air.
"Wow, forty-three minutes. That's a new best," Jin said.
Catching her breath, the woman slowly made her way to the table and dropped onto the booth seat to his left.
"Pheew… you know what it's like to wake up and immediately run fifty kilometers down the highway?" Shanty asked. She was pretty exhausted.
"So what you're saying is you woke up after eight? What was that you said about 'I don't run late, actually'?" Jin replied with a smug grin.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm late. How long are you gonna rub it in? Anyway—where's my glass of wine? Or a cocktail. Hell, even a set of shots will do at this point."
She took a quick look around.
"What is this place, anyway?" Shanty rattled off, irritation sharp in her voice.
The robot waiter cut into their conversation.
"Hello! Welcome to Highway Diner 404. What would you like to order?"
"Bring us the 404 Set, your signature one. Three portions," Jin said.
"Three portions? Are we expecting someone else?" Shanty asked.
"No. These two are for you. Gotta restore your energy after that marathon."
"Oh, how what a gentleman you are. Left your topper at home? And the cane—can't see it anywhere. What's wrong, stuck up your ass?" she snapped back.
"Yeah. And a crate of Rustjaw Beer, please," Jin added, ignoring her. "That'll be all for now."
"Excellent! Please wait for your order. Queue number — one."
The robot whirred, pivoted on stiff servos, and headed toward the kitchen.
Silence settled over the table.
She leaned back, calm and confident—short blonde hair, sharp eyes, skin traced with geometric tattoos like faint circuitry.
The black top and gloves made her look both practical and dangerous.
The half-smile on her lips carried something else: part amusement, part threat.
They remained silent.
Both waited for the other to speak first.
Jin wasn't ready to bring up the chip yet — it was too early, the atmosphere wasn't right.
A direct question could make her tense, make her feel like he was using her as a source of information for a personal job. It wasn't entirely untrue.
All their conversations before had been personal, nothing more.
From their brief meeting at the gang's hideout to the end of the raid, they hadn't spoken even once about anything serious. Jin did not know how she'd react to straightforward questions coming from him.
His plan was simple: soften her up with food and drinks.
Ease her into the topic slowly, keeping things calm and comfortable.
Alcohol would dull her sharper instincts, smooth out the edges, take the anxiety off anything that might sound too pointed.
And if the worst came to worst, Jin still had the revolver — positioned for a quick draw inside the holster.
Ten minutes later, the waiter returned.
He carried three large plates stacked with fried meat and fresh vegetables.
Then he brought the crate of beer, setting it down beside their table.
"Your order is ready," the android said.
"Will that be all? May I suggest adding our signature—"
"No, we're fine," Shanty cut him off and quickly grabbed a bottle from the crate.
Following her lead, Jin took a beer, cracking it open against the table.
Shanty opened hers with her hands.
"Well then," Jin said, lifting his bottle, "here's to a job well done and a decent paycheck."
"Again? That's the best toast you've got?" Shanty shot back, teasing him.
"You can drink to success forever," Jin replied, clinking his bottle against hers.
He took a sip and glanced at Shanty. Her face softened with the pleasure of a cold beer, then her eyes met his in return.
And for a moment, a strange green-blue symbol flickered across them.
"Sooo, what's on your mind? What did you want to talk about?" she asked.
After a bellyful of wings and five bottles of beer, her voice had turned smooth, a little playful.
"I didn't know cooked food could taste this good. I've been to the Asian district on the lower levels plenty of times — food stalls everywhere. They cook everything right in front of you. Fry meat, fry eggs… they just fry everything," Shanty said.
Jin leaned back slightly.
"You know… something about all this feels off. The convoy raid," he began.
"A whole security squad stuffed with top-grade weapons, armored walkers, several drone swarms. Too much muscle for a regular cargo run, don't you think? Sure, it's one of the top ten corps in the city, but still."
"Why are you even bothering with this?" Shanty asked.
"You got your cut, even snagged some goods. What else do you want?"
She had finished her first 404 plate completely. Jin hadn't touched his much — just eaten a few vegetables.
After their toast, he hadn't taken another sip of beer.
"I heard Hog—or whatever his name is—found some weird chip," Jin said, testing the waters. "Looks like a money chip. Those are popular among upper-level people. But this one wouldn't read on any device. I'm curious to see it."
Shanty lay back on the booth seat and started staring at the ceiling.
"Yeah, I heard something like that too," she said. "Hog bought it off some scrawny nobody. Nobody cared about the trinket, so during the split he just pocketed it. Then he gave me that smart-ass look and said—"
Her voice dropped into a mocking, sonorous tone:
"A chip like that might hold something more exciting than a few hundred thousand credits. Corporate secrets… spooky intel… or viruses."
She waved her hand dramatically.
"It's like… they say… uh… Pandora's box!" she added triumphantly.
"Pandora's box. Let me guess — you picked phrase up from TV," Jin said.
"Screw you," Shanty shot back. She pushed herself up, slid closer, pressing her side against his. Then she lifted his left arm and draped it behind her head like a pillow.
"How about another bottle?"
Jin could tell she was hiding something. As if she wanted to say more, but something held her back — hesitancy, or maybe fear.
"No, I'm good."
Shanty reached over to the bottle right in front of Jin and downed it in one go.
"You know, yesterday I saw Hog with that skinny guy — the one with the mohawk and the squeaky voice. He didn't buy the chip from him. He took it by force. Smashed the guy's skull in," Jin said, continuing.
"So what? Maybe they didn't agree on a price. People kill each other in Nominus every day," Shanty dodged.
"Sure. But no one kills for a broken piece of carbonium. Worst case, they rough someone up. Maybe Hog wanted to sell it to someone?" Jin asked.
He turned his head and looked directly into her eyes. Her pink irises gazed back at him, tired but focused. Jin felt a strange urge — the longer he looked into them, the more he wanted to keep looking.
"Why are you so interested in the chip?" Shanty asked.
The softness in her voice was gone.
"Why are you asking about Hog?"
Jin felt her body tense, her gaze turning cold.
The drunken looseness vanished, replaced by an unnatural rigidity.
"I'm just asking. You know I like gossip… remember how we met?" He tried to defend himself, still meeting her eyes.
"You didn't answer my question."
Aggression radiated from her now, putting Jin instantly on edge. Slowly, he slid his left arm out from under her head. His right hand moved on instinct toward the revolver holster.
But the moment his fingers brushed the grip, Shanty exploded into motion.
She drove her back hard into his left arm, pinning it. Then she twisted her whole body right, slipped her right arm under Jin's neck, and grabbed the elbow of his reaching hand. Her left leg shot up, hooked over his torso, and locked tight.
It happened so fast Jin only started reacting once her left hand was already on his throat.
Too late.
Shanty tightened her grip around his neck. Her fingers clamped down, and pain shot through his throat. He could barely breathe.
"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU ASKING ME ABOUT THE CHIP? WHY DO YOU NEED IT?!" she screamed.
Jin looked into her eyes and saw the symbol again. Then another.
The colors flickered between blue and green, shifting faster and faster every second.
"I… ahh… I—"
He tried to speak, but only a rasp escaped his crushed throat.
He was one second away from death. Physically, Shanty far surpassed any normal human — her combat implants made sure of that. His only chance to turn this around lay in his left pocket.
Jin gathered what strength he had and forced out a strained whisper:
"Jacket… left…"
Hearing the words, Shanty released his throat. Air rushed into his lungs, making him cough violently.
She reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. When she lifted it to her eyes, she found a tiny chip resting in her palm.
Shanty blinked once. Then again. And again.
The blue glow faded from her eyes, the color settling back into soft pink.
"Wait, I… what the…" she muttered, her whole body loosening.
"Jinny, are you alright?" she asked, voice trembling.
"I didn't want to hurt you. I just—"
She sounded frightened.
"It's okay, it's okay. Don't worry," Jin said, still catching his breath. "I must've asked the wrong question…"
"No, no… I shouldn't have done that," she said, suddenly standing up and tossing the chip onto the table.
The looseness from the alcohol seeped back into her movements.
"Shanty, wait! I said I'm okay, just… sit down and calm down," Jin called after her.
He tried to work some warmth back into his arm, flexing it. His elbow hurt like hell, barely responding.
Shanty stepped out of the booth and headed toward the exit.
At the door, she stopped.
After a brief pause, she turned her head toward Jin, her eyes lowered to the floor.
"Tomorrow. 12 am. An abandoned warehouse a couple of kilometers from here — at the intersection of Old John Avenue and Gray Street. Hog's meeting someone about the chip. That's all I can tell you," she whispered.
A second later, she walked out of the diner.
Jin watched her go.
Then his eyes drifted to the chip lying on the table.
After massaging his arm a bit more, he picked it up and slipped it back into his left pocket.
Once he had finally calmed down, he heard the waiter roll up beside the table.
"I would like to clarify — will the payment for this order be split between two people?" the robot asked.
"No," Jin said heavily.
"It's all on me."