"So tell me again Blitz, why am I down here again?"

"Because Syn we if are to be trundging through a sewer all day then it is preferable to have the one who got us this job with us while we're doing it."

"Preferable to whom?" Syndicate asked.

"Me." Blitz answered.

****

"Hey don't give me those looks, this is a good one." Said Syn, waving the blue little card around that was the squad's next pay check.

"No Syn! I am not going into a sewer. That's the end of it. No!" Blitz said.

"It's not just a sewer clean up, somethings going down." Syn smirked at his own choice of words. Sewer. Toilet. Flushing down. Surprisingly this pun was lost to the others so he continued. "My contacts told me they already lost a team of sanitation engineers and a couple of a Shivers. I'm thinking bounty bonus!"

<We are no going into the sewers!> Silent sent to Syn using the Ebb. Being unable to speak vocally, this was a position she firmly held and would not trust in conveying it with mere sign language.

"You don't even need to go!" said Syn turning towards Silent "What the hell do I need a media Op for? Look this is the only job I could get my hands on in a while. It's just after graduation day at Meny, there are hardly any other jobs worth taking. We need this job."

Blitz sighed. It had been a rough month. BPNs were scarce as the fresh Operatives out of Meny sucked them up. They had been left dry for a while and it was starting to hurt. Blitz herself had barely enough to eat and indulge in her... indulgences at The Pit.

"How much?" Blitz said through gritted teeth.

"One hundred credits per squad, plus a bonus on any information leading towards the recovery of the lost personnel. Look it ain't bad since all we have to do is find one little junction, unblock it and go home richer. And I bet something is down there were we can make a sweet bounty on, those engineers didn't just disappear I bet."

"Where?" Blitz strained.

"Someplace in Suburbia. Just 40 kilometres from here, real close. You go in, navigate several hundred metres of shit and piss-"

"Not selling it to me Syn."

"-Sorry, a couple hundred metres of freshly scented roses, unblock a drain and pick up our cash. What's the difficultly?"

<We need to go through a sewer!> Silent was near to tears. She needed the cash. Silent and her Stormer friend, Ramus, had been living lean for a while and she was, literally, on her last couple of credits.

"Look I'm done trying to convince you to do this." Syn announced "This is it. Finito. Take it of leave it. I don't have another BPN right now and if you're not willing to take it I'll find someone who will."

"Leave me out of it." said Stray the squad's sniper. She stood up from her seat and headed for the door. "Close confines aren't my thing anyways, tell me how it goes."

She opened the door of their meeting place and walked out into the raining night of Mort City. Syn watched her leave. He wasn't familiar with Blitz's friend but she had a weird aura around her that made his skin itch. it was not the fact that she had only one eye and a personality as empty as black is devoid of colour, but something just.... freaky about her.

"So... one down." said Syn "More for me."

"Fine. I'm in." Blitz said.

"Great. Awesome." Syn looked across to the red ebon, Silent, and her pet deaf Stormer, Ramus.

[Okay.] Silent signed with her finger and thumb making a 'O' shape.

"Damn and here I thought my share would get bigger. I guess that you're in as well then?" Syn asked the Stormer, who just stared at him. Syn scratched his head and asked again, enunciating clearly and unnecessarily loudly "I. GUESS. THAT. YOU-"

"He's fine with it Syn." Blitz interrupted.

"Great, great, that's just great, here are the details." Syn produced a small notepad soaked through in dirty rain and handed it to Blitz. "Now when you're done called my cell and I'll contact the department and send you your shares."

"Oh no Syn." Blitz said interrupting him. "No, that won't do at all."

"What? What is it now?"

"I have one condition before I take this job off you." said Blitz.

"What? You can't take my share, I got you this job I need this as much as you do!" Syn objected prematurely.

"No, Syn. Not that at all. My condition is-"

"Yes?"

"You come down with us."

"No."

"Then go to hell." said Blitz throwing the soggy notepad back to the Brainwaster "Find yourself another group of janitors to clear your pipes." she bluffed.

"Blitz, come on!"

"Go down or walk. That's my ultimatum. Take it. Or Leave it." she mimicked perfectly.

Syn looked at her and then could not but notice the evil grins of Silent and Ramus next to her. He bluffed when he said he could take it to others, this squad was the only squad who was free at the moment and he needed the cash bad. Very bad. As in knee caps will get broken bad.

"Okay.... I'll go." he said defeated.

"Don't worry Syn." Blitz said getting up and patting him on the shoulder. "It'll be fun."

****

Fun.

If fun counted as walking through sewers, stepping in all manner of vile... things and getting bitten by rats the size of a Stormer's fist fun then Syn was having a ball.

The four of them had entered the sewage works from Suburbia. There was already a team of from the department of sanitation working the the sector and had isolated the sewer blockage under a large apartment complex near The Perimeter Wall.

A full week. A week of back flow plagued the area. All drains, toilets, sinks and baths were overflowing with foul smelling water floating with god knows what. The previous team that was sent in to clear the blockage was lost and contact could not be raised. After that, a couple of Shivers were sent in to investigate who were also, not surprisingly, lost. So a BPN was issued by the department of sanitation requesting operatives for help.

Blitz, Syn, Silent and Ramus entered from a drainage hatch that was cordoned off by the sanitation department. Shivers and engineers in white enviromental suits and face masks worked the area and were expecting the unlucky few that answered their call. Now they were walking in one of the main arterial outflows of the sewer network under the sector that lead all the waste outwards and downwards. The blockage was six hundred metres from their entry point and all manner of foul stood between. Ramus took point, holding his shotgun ready to blast any rogue pieces of poop that might surface.

The Squad's flashlights was the only source of light in the darkness. The beams cutting through the bleak blackness. Thought Syn wished it didn't.

"This is digusting." He said under his breath, of which he had little of as he was trying to not breath. Ever.

Silent rode piggy back on Ramus. His hands were on his shotgun but that did not stop Silent from riding on his back, arms around his neck and legs around his hips, to avoid walking in the muck. She wore a white face mask that an engineer kindly gave her, the best thing about it was that it was scented. She busied herself adjusting Ramus's helmet-cam and also checked her feed from her own camera.

"Hey! Silent! Stop being so damn lazy and get off of Ramus, walk a little bit why don't you." Syn complained.

Silent turn her head around and held her middle finger up, then signed above her head for Syn to decipher. [He won't let me walk in this shit.]

"What she say?" asked Syn, only able to understand her first hand gesture.

"She say's Ramus won't let her down." Blitz translated. "Really Syn, learn how to sign. I don't like translating for you."

"Yeah? Why don't she learn how to speak? And that's bullshit, she's grabbing on to his back like a leech I bet he wants her to get off him."

Silent just sighed and waved her hands infront of Ramus' eyes.

[Ramus, Syn-] which she signed using a slight modification of arsehole [-is trying to forcing me to get off your back.]

When she finished Ramus swung round smoothly and pushed the snout of his shotgun gently into Syn's face, the flashlight attached to the barrel half blinding him. Ramus growling a deadly threat while Silent glared at Syn from her perch. She gave Syn a sign with her hand he did understand.

"Okay I got it." Syn said, hand up. Ramus snorted his content and lowered his weapon, giving Silent a pat on the head before continuing forwards.

"So how do I get a pet Stormer these days?" Syn asked as they got back underway.

"You need to be a cute little Ebon girl with vocal problems and you have to meet the right Stormer with a hearing deficiency. Personally I think you have the little Ebon girl done; you might not be cute but we could sort out that vocal problem of yours." said Blitz holding her signiature weapon, a BLA 046M Blitzer.

"Thanks, but I'd rather drink piss."

Blitz looked at Syn and cocked back the hammer of her gun.  "Don't tempt me."

****

The scenery did not change as the squad continued on, although the level of muck around their knees did decrease down to their ankles and there were what could be decribed as 'dry' patches.

"Hey that's a good sign yeah? Means we are getting closer to the blockage. Strange I was half expecting a Carrien or Pig along the way."

"And why would you think that Syn?" Blitz asked.

"Well something must have happened to the other teams, they couldn't have drowned down here now can th-" Syn stopped as Ramus in the front halted with his hand up. The Stormer turned around and put his finger on his lips to indicate Syn to stop talking.

[What is it Ramus?] Blitz signed, moving up next to him, then she saw what he was pointing at with his flashlight. Fifty metres ahead there was a figure dressed in white, or what would have been white if he had not been floating down there for the best part of a week. Flies and rats had made their meal of him already and what was left was just a hollow husk of what must have been one of the sanitation engineers. Syn came to the fore and took a look at the floating figure.

"Eww..." he said.

Ramus slowly crouched and slid Silent off his back. She reluctantly dismounted and, with a grim look on her face, skipped from one foot to the other in an attempt to have as little contact with the water sodden ground as possible.

[Me, Blitz, Front. Syn, Silent, Rear. Quiet] Ramus signed quickly and headed forwards past the dead engineer.

"Syn, take the rear." Blitz whispered.

"Shouldn't we call it in?" Syn asked.

"Fifty metres of steel, rock and concrete above us. Who the hell will hear us?"

"Good point."

"Keep your eyes sharp and be quiet. Looks like your guys didn't drown after all."

"Yeah..." agreed Syn looking around. "That would have been a shit way to go."

Further along the arterial they past the other remains of the engineering team. Five in total were slowly floating their way towards them and all were emasticated by hundreds of tiny teeth. It was when they reached a junction that they finally found the two missing Shivers. Fresher than the civilians, both Shivers leaked red blood into the surrounding water and, because of their heavier armour, stayed where they fell.

"Shit what the hell happened to them?" Syn said quietly. He started to walk over to the bodies when Ramus grabbed his collar and pulled him back. Syn landed in the water with a loud splash, under which there was a very faint whirrr and a click.

"Fuck man! Awwww that is fucking ... aww shit.... shit... awww" Syn complaint trying to wipe away the muck without using his hands. "Ramus what the hell was that for?!"

"Shut up, Syn. Ramus just saved your sorry arse. Look." Blitz pointed towards the fallen Shivers. They were face down in the water in the centre of the junction, leaking blood.

"Bullet wounds?" Syn whispered, Blitz nodded. "When do Pigs use guns?"

"Very funny Syn. Maybe they were tired of being bacon." She turned to Ramus and signed [What do you think?]

Ramus shrugged but put his finger to his lips again, [Quiet], then he cupped his hands around his useless ears, [Listen]. Blitz understood what he was getting at. Since the time when he came out of the Vats at Karma his hearing has been completely destroyed. Some defect during gestation that the technicians did not pick up on made it so he will never be able to hear anything ever again. His innate regenerative abilities is also the cause of him not being able to accept implants to replace his hearing, the cancerous growths overwhelm the implants before his body ultimately reabsorbs them.

Blitz closed her eyes and listened for Ramus but all she could hear was the trickle and flow of water that predominated the enclosed space. Silent tapped on her shoulder.

[Click, Click, Machines] she signed. Blitz smiled, Silent's hearing had always been excellent, too bad she did not have a voice to go with it.

"Can you make them move?" Silent shook her head so Blitz turned to the Brainwaster "Syn come here. Think you can make those Shivers move?"

"What do you mean?" asked Syn, suspicious of the query.

"You know that Ebb stuff. Telakon-something or other."

"Telekinesis." Syn corrected "Yeah sure.. what for?"

"Just poke them so they move."

"Okay." Syn replied half formulating already. "But I don't know why you'd-"

The body moved, just a twitch at first but then looked like it was about to stand up. A second later gunfire lit the junction up in flashing lights and echoed defeaningly in the drain. The the body was pumped with dozens of small calibre bullets making little zip-zip sounds as they went past and hit the body with wet splats. The dead Shiver slumped back down, dead.... again.

"Well that was unexpected." said Syn after the echoes of gunfire died away.

"I think there's an automated turret or something around the corner." said Blitz pointing at the junction. "Who wants to take a look?"

"I vote you." said Syn.

"Oh? Are we playing that game? I vote you." answered Blitz.

[I vote Syn] Silent added.

"Syn" Ramus boomed.

"Well, votes up. Three to one."

"Hey wait a minute you can't just... oh fine!" he got up and walked cautiously to the junction. "Stupid piece of... The things I do for this squad and what thanks so I get? I hate this crap." He edged over to the junction and took out his cell phone pointing the device just around the corner and taking a picture with the inbuilt camera. It was a good phone and it cost him a sizable chunk of his wallet, but he'd rather lose a phone than lose his head.

The phone went 'click' and Syn quickly retracted his phone before it could be blasted to bits.
Syn clicked through his menus and sub menus on the phone to get to his picture. When he found the snapshot he just froze on the spot.

"Well, Syn? What do you see?" Blitz asked.

Syn examined the picture more, then could not suppress his laughter anymore. The drain echoed anew with his almost insane guffawing.

"What the hell, Syn?!" sneered Blitz as she dragged him back "Have you gone insane?!"

"Well-" Syn began in between outbursts "You were right, Blitz. It's some kind of automat-" and then he was lost in another episode of uncontrollable laughter. Blitz was getting impatient and grabbed Syn's phone to see what was going on. What she saw was what she could only describe as a failure of epic proportions, even she could not stop to suppress the giggling she could feel building up.

She held the picture up for Ramus and Silent, and what they saw was a minor arterial way, smaller than the drain they were currently in but large enough to support the drainage of the sector above them. That was what they initially saw, the next thing they noticed was the source of the sewer blockage. Right in the mouth of the drain, lodged against one another, were Tek Trex drones. Lots of Tek Trex drones.

No one could stop laughing then. Not even Ramus with his cold, professional demeanor was immune but he kept his reserve but just snorting quietly.

"God damn-" said Syn blinking away tears from his eyes "I've heard of mechanical obstructions but that's just ridiculous."

"Stop it! Stop it!" wheezed Blitz "You're killing me... Come on we have to fix this... this... mess."

"Got any grenades?"

All of them instantly sobered up.

"No, Syn. No grenades, you want to bring the whole sewer down on our heads?"

"Then what do you suggest, Blitz?" Syn replied "We can't just walk up to the drones and pry them out of that hole can we? We'll be perforated before we can even get close."

They hear a tap-tap-tap against the stone wall indicating that Silent wanted to share a suggestion.

[Can't we shoot them free?] she signed.

"Hmm... that could work. Ramus think you can shoot them free?"

[I'll try.] He signed back. Ramus made his way to the junction and swung his shotgun around to corner. Firing blind he unleashed a round down the drain. Metal pangs rang out in the enclosure and Ramus cocked his shotgun and fired again. He took a quick peek, raising his shotgun again just for the light and gauged the damage he had caused.

"Uh." he said.

"What?" Blitz and Syn said together.

"Some got free."

"That's a good thing deaf-head. Drones go free, sewer unblocked. Blitz I thought you said he was a smart one."

Ramus glared at Syn with contempt, he'll shoot him later, but for now he decided to continue in a language where Syn could not contribute.

[Free. Walking around.] he signed.

"I'll deal with them." said Blitz coming to the fore with her Blitzer. She crouched low and very slowly peeked out with her gun raised. She saw the drone. A small Vito drone that Tek Trex manufactured en masse. It was a cheap little automated drone that on its own was relatively harmless. She saw it now, wiggling its legs in the air for a second before managing to right itself and start to scan the surroundings for viable targets.

"Aww.... it looks so cute..." Then she shot it in the sensors, the large calibre bullet tearing into the cheap chassis like wet tissue. The drone buckled before dropping to it's side, lifeless. [Keep shooting Ramus, I'll get the ones that get free.]

Ramus nodded his affirmatives and continued to shoot down the drain blindly.

It was slow going and it seemed that they had destroyed an army of Vito Drones. Ramus got a peek now and again and re-adjusted his aim a bit, Blitz continued to shoot the released drones, being careful not to expose herself to the main body of drones still stuck in the pipe they were trying to clear. Silent caught all the 'action' on camera but got bored after five minutes and decided to play it around their surroundings instead. Syn was leaning against the wall, obviously bored but stifled his yawns with all his reserves of willpower, he still remembered where he was and taking deep breaths was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Hey I think it's clearing up!" Blitz called back.

"Oh that's great, just great." Syn responded.

Then he remembered something. Something very important.

"Hey Blitz. I'm going to take pictures of those floaters we found and head back topside. Seems like you got this under control."

"Sure, Syn. Get our money ready. We'll be waiting for it once this is done."

"That's great. Don't take too long." Syn waved them goodbye and hurried back down the arterial and back towards the exit.

A full week, a week of backflow.

Syn did not want to be there when they freed that blockage. He looked back and could barely make out the flashes of gunfire, he could hear it though and the rythme of booms began to slow.
He didn't start running frantically until he heard Blitz's voice echo down the pipeline.

"Woohoo! It's coming clear!"

****

"So Syndicate, are you telling me that a bunch of Vito Drones were responsible for the blockage."

"Sure as sure." said Syn producing the same photograph he took of the stuck drones. "Pretty funny if you have to ask me."

"I doubt that your squad mates agree with you."

"Oh you don't have to mind them, they can take care of themselves."

"I also doubt being washed away was their primary concern?"

"Well being lost in Downtown for a day wasn't really fun for them but they were only several levels from Suburbia. I suspect they'll be using their share of the payment on soaps and perfumes, but why do you care? Shit happens."

"You're right Mr. Syndicate. I don't care. You did your job admirably so you can find your payment has been transferred to your account along with the bonus for finding our missing personnel. Now if you will excuse me-"

"Actually there was another matter I would like to bring up with you, if you don't mind."

"And what matter is that?"

"More payment." Syn replied coolly.

"You have been paid for your services."

"Oh come on, a hundred credits for the whole squad is not nearly enough to even cover the ammunition that was spent to clear that blockage. And one of our team members lost his Shotgun, the other lost her shoe, and she's pissed."

"I cannot reimburse Operatives for solutions they apply. Any department cannot be held accountable to the ammunition that you needed to expend during the course of your BPN, you know that. And the loss of company property will need to be filed with the relevant insurances department. Good day, Mr. Syndicate."

"Well, I think you can make an exception this time."

"And why is that?"

Syn placed another photograph on the desk, this time of an old underground security hatch, one of many throughout Mort that ensured the sewers were closed systems. This security hatch was rusted and opened.

"There's a lot of things down there just itching for a way in isn't there?  Like those Vito's, someone wanted them to wreak a bit of havoc in Suburbia but got a little... obstructed. Seems like that entrance there was the same one they took to get in and it ain't the only one. I don't think SLA industries will be happy with the... personal cutbacks you've imposed on your department."  Syn flicked another couple of photographs for good measure.

"That's some story there. So, what now? If I don't clean up my act and be a straight little citizen you're going to tell on me?"

"Oh please. I don't care if you're not doing your job. But all that extra money knocking around..."

"So blackmail is your game."

"Blackmail? Please I consider myself a businessman and blackmailing is so crude." Syn leaned in closer with a smile. "Let’s discuss... expenses."