# "The Chips are Down"



## simetradon (Aug 29, 2012)

A short and rough draft of a story for Chaos 6010, titled "The Chips are Down", although it could fit within WH 40K:


The rain beat down on the neon-lit streets, and I pulled my synthetic leather coat tight around me. I watched people scurry to and fro, from my vantage point in the doorway of some out-of-business restaurant, probably closed due to a number of health code violations they couldn't bribe the inspector into overlooking.


Maybe an hour passed, more likely two, before my contact decided to show. He stumbles out of the hovercab with the grace that only an experienced addict could accomplish. His eyes might have been bloodshot, if they hadn't been replaced with a chrome visor. I wasn't sure if the stain on his plastic pants was either semen or vomit. He cavorted up to me, in an almost visible haze of cigarette smoke, the smell of alcohol, and stripper glitter.


The sound of errant gunfire down the street caused me to duck, but he didn't pay attention to it, either because he was too wasted or jaded to care. His shaking hands, covered in rings and shift-ink tattoos, reached into his jacket pocket, and finally emerged with a small plastic baggy. He handed it to me, exchanging it for a wad of crumpled bills I had counted and recounted, making sure that I had the exact amount. He barely glanced at the wad before unceremoniously jamming them into his pocket. The transaction was wordless, and after he had the money in pocket, he stumbled down the street, in search of either his next high or his next client.


In my nearby apartment, a cramped corner room overlooking a brick wall and a barren patch of asphalt, I set the package down on the yellowed counter, next to my keys and a small 9mm Geeza I kept for protection. My coat was thrown over the back of a one-armed office chair, dripping rainwater on the stained carpet, while my boots stood sentry by the door. I sat there on the threadbare fold-out couch, sipping some old bottom-shelf whiskey, and tried not to stare at the counter top.


It had been almost a month tracking down what I had been looking for. A couple of dealers had promised that they were capable of getting their hands on it, but some simply took the money and ran, and others simply coming up empty handed. A small fortune had been pissed away in my search, and hope was slowly replaced by despair, until tonight.
I opened the package carefully, my hands steadied by the alcohol, and I took a deep breath as I poured the contents into my waiting hand. A pair of shiny red chips, their surfaces a little faded and scuffed, but they both appeared intact. I gingerly picked one up, sliding it into the empty port behind my ear.


A translucent menu overlaid my field of vision, giving me full access to replay the security camera feeds from that night...


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## VixusKragov (Feb 21, 2012)

Love the setting you've described. All the tiny details really build a great picture of the environment. Cliffhanger on the end is well-played, I can't wait for the next part


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Very cyberpunk so far.


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## Ambush Beast (Oct 31, 2010)

*hello*

Okay... where is the rest? Must have more soon. Good job.


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