"You sure they'll keep 'em distracted?"
"Those two may be brain dead, but they make a hell of a racket. Have the whole hive's peepers on 'em long enough for us to check out what they've dug."
Grey wasn't entirely convinced. Vic and Error were just a short circuit shy of the scrap yard, but no one else in the gang modded for heavy hitting, whether taking or giving, like they did. Ters had a direct link to the markets installed in his head, along with some scanners and assorted sensors. All those implants made him the go-to guy for a quick smash and grab like this. Get the muscle to smash, and Ters would tell you what was worth grabbing. Grey was along to help him take whatever they found worthwhile, but wasn't much use outside of general labor.
Grey was an unmodded, a pure organic human with no implants to speak of. The others belonged to a local gang, Cos Techa, which required it's members to mod themselves one way or another.
Grey worked with them from time to time, but was simply hired help. Having another member of the gang meant another split in the spoils while Grey simply worked for a flat fee. He'd lost out on some major scores before, but never came up short when a bag wasn't what they expected. It was good enough for him.
"Maybe we'll find something good and finally get ya chipped up, Grey." Ters chuckled. "Been workin' with us so much you might as well be part of the gang, but y'know you're missing something."
"You're the one missing something, Ters. Your whole damn brain." Grey shot back, a crude smile on his face. Thankfully, Ters laughed. Vic would have been furious, while Error…probably wouldn't have even heard him. Guy had so much trouble with his tech that his error logs were never clear, hence the name.
Grey had no issue against those who modified themselves, nor against the practice itself. He just never found a reason to chip up. He got by just fine with his own flesh and blood, so why change what wasn't broken?
Ters didn't comment further, but the lights on his bionic eye flickered as he got a message. "Boys should be start-"
A thunderous boom rang out, shortly followed by a strong aftershock. The ground trembled for several seconds before quieting down.
"Time to rock, let's move flesh-boy." Ters shot up from where he and Grey had been laying low in the tree line and made for the mountains ahead of them. Today's smash and grab was a bit different from usual. No high tech security, no guards with top notch implants or droids ready to drop them with an emotionless laser blast to center mass.
Grey would rather have that than what they were facing now.
Ters had gotten word about an Intrepid nest, a race of hive insects with a penchant for digging, much like ants but these arthropods were large enough to take down an unmodded human with ease. They were attracted to metals in the earth and often busted into high tech facilities to gnaw on the metal walls. These hidden facilities weren't always abandoned, and few were able to escape one the hive got inside.
This colony must have found something really old. Not a sign of civilization to be seen for days, no hidden doors that Ters could pick up. Just an open crag on the side of the mountain, teeming with an army of insects the size of a bear. Grey was glad they were blind, or they might have seen them long before Vic and Error set off a seismic charge to shake the ground below and draw them to another side of the mountain away from Grey and Ters.
As soon as the shockwave hit the hive they went into a frenzy, some shot back inside the tunnels, others went straight up the mountain side. Very few remained to guard the entrance.
Grey and Ters slowed as they got in range of their senses. A running human would show up clear as day, the vibrations being collected by follicles on the Intrepids head. But at a walking pace, even a brisk one, humans went under the radar well enough.
Still, going into the dark tunnels filled with these bugs was a risky venture. Thankfully, the seismic charge had two jobs. Bring the Intrepids to the decoy team and give Ters data on the tunnel's layout.
-Data's still compiling for the lower levels, but should be good to go by the time we hit the wall.- Ters' communicated to Grey via his earpiece. While Ters could talk through the communicator piece with his thoughts, Grey was limited to gestures in the presence of the Intrepids. He wasn't going to take the chance that they'd pick him up by speaking.
Ters didn't seek out a reply and kept walking, giving a wide berth to any Intrepid in their path. Grey kept a close eye on the opening ahead, where several Intrepids clustered. With each step closer the duo took the less Grey trusted his heart not to give them away with it's pounding.
Twenty meters. Fifteen meters. Ten. Five.
Ters slowed dramatically and Grey followed his cue. With slow, delicate steps they tried to sneak between the gap between two of the bugs, only a meter or so. If Grey didn't know Ters better he'd say he was trying to get them both killed. Not just for this pathing but for the job as a whole. Grey had demanded double as soon as he said the words 'Intrepid hive', but now he was wondering if even quadruple was worth it or if he should have shot the modified man in the spot.
With each step forward he was thinking the latter option was better. Ters could patch up the hole in him easy enough, but Grey would never get back the years of life this stress was costing him.
Ters motioned for Grey to wait then began to pass between the insects. He shuffled past them without issues, making it seem almost easy. Once clear of the Intrepids he made some space before turning back and giving Grey a wry smile.
-Waitin' on you, Fleshie.-
Grey decided that he'd shoot Ters as soon as the job was over. The cocky bastard.
Alright, Grey. You got this. If a brainless punk like Ters can do it, you can do it better.
Grey inched forward, holding his breath in case these things could smell, willing his heart to slow. Rebellious thing that it is, his heart only quickened. Grey pulled his arms close to himself and slipped between the oversized arthropods, close enough he could see the tiny hairs on their carapace, close enough that one of their antennae almost whacked him in the face.
One step at a time he slipped past the Intrepids without a sound until what felt like an hour later he reached Ters and felt safe enough to let his breath out. He didn't relax though, because now he was between a group of guardian Intrepids and the entrance to their hive.
Between a rock and a hard place.
A hard place full of giant bugs with saw-like teeth that could cut through high grade steel.
Ters chimed in over his comm, -Do me a favor, mate. Get yourself a new beater when you get the chance, never worry about a stuttering engine again.-
Ters tapped his chest lightly, laughing at Grey in silence.
Of course this rustbox has a heart implant, probably just as scared as I was.
Grey did his best to mime where Ters could shove it, and pointed towards the tunnel.
-Haha, alright. Compiling is complete. Bugs found something big down there, but the seismo didn't go through the walls. Doesn't look like they've gotten inside either so whatever we find just might be intact. Let's go, I've got a path.-
The next hour was a slow trek through the dark, with Ters providing light from his eye. Several times they had to backtrack around a grouping of Intrepids or cram themselves into a crack in the wall as they passed by.
Grey wanted to ask how much longer this had to go on for, but without speaking or Ters looking back at him he couldn't communicate.
Mercifully, Ters rang in his ear, -'round this bend is a big chamber, biggest I've got on map. More than likely the Queen's room-
Ters turned back to Grey, nearly blinding the man with his eye light. -No other way about it, fleshie. Every tunnel leads here, including the one we want.-
Grey pointed down the tunnel, then drew a line across his throat, and only a fool could mistake the meaning.
Going to the Queen's room is suicide.
-Y'got any ideas of your own, then?-
Sneaking through was out of the question, the whole chamber would be filled to the brim with Intrepids. Fighting their way through would take a small army of modifieds.
Grey pointed back to the surface then clasped his hands together and moved them apart.
-Another seismo?-
Grey nodded and made a squeezing motion then pointed down towards the Queen's chamber.
-You want a focused one? Ah, focus the blast and it might reach down here, good thinkin', Grey.-
Ters paused for a moment, trying to reach out to the decoy team on the surface.
-Signal's bunk, we're too deep. I'm gonna have to back track. No, you stay here. I ain't going far and I need you to keep an eye here and give a shout if any of them come this way. Yeah, I'm serious. Find a crack or something. Soon as you think it's clear head for the tunnel, don't wait on me.-
Ters turned to go but Grey grabbed his arm. Grey pointed at his eye. Confusion crossed Ters' face for a brief moment before realization. Ters twisted his ring finger, turning on a beam of light at the top and popped it off with a small metallic clink.
-Old implant from before I got the eye. Battery is good for fifteen. See ya in a bit.-
Ters gave a quick salute and began his walk in search of signal, leaving Grey with alone with a pathetic amount of light.
Bugger me.