Dreaming of Atmosphere Read Online Free Page B

heavily populated area and needed to distinguish between hostiles and civilians. Our benefactor was a part time asset of the Kanto Intelligence Agency, and he helped us install the app, mask it from command and allowed us to do our jobs without endangering innocent bystanders. I didn't see the need to uninstall it once I'd mustered out. It's only useful in a friendly network system, and discretely hacks into local surveillance feeds to gather data on possible threats nearby. I'm sure it has a few other uses too, but how do you get someone to show you how to use an illegal app without admitting you have one?
    I gave Max a nod and we walked to the entrance to the station sector, past the usual assortment of street vendors and commuters. We joined a queue of people waiting to pass through an airlock that led into the sector proper, and soon we were in a large compartment that must have once been a hangar bay or other large storage facility. This was a sector called Millard's Quarter, and it's what passed for the red light district of the Corus Cluster. It was early, so the usual clientele were mostly absent, just daytime traders and travellers were about. A few shady characters congregated in small groups, eyeing people who got too close, or perhaps casing them for later on. Several bars were open, but were not yet competing for the loudest din or the most colourful lights, and crowds weren’t at their shoulder-to-shoulder density.
    The air in here was warm and smelly, like sweat or unwashed bodies. Not unusual in a space station with a high population density. There was also a melange of cooking smells, as the various bistros and bar grills did their thing before all people wanted was liquid nourishment. Maxine and I pushed our way through the area, soon arriving before a bar with a narrow entrance, but with a large palatial facade that could only be described as garish. True to its theme, a large sign flashed with the words 'The Crystal Lounge' overhead and we went in.
    Inside was interesting, all the walls were made to resemble natural rock formations, as if we were moving into a cave system. Cleverly placed lights lit our way, making it appear dark, but without making it hard to see where we were going. A small counter was unmanned, but displayed several flyers informing us of live performances or other events taking place soon. We passed the dimly lit counter and made our way into the Lounge main bar.
    The Crystal Lounge itself was a large grotto-like cavern, with a round central bar servicing a dance floor and several booths arranged in a tiered fashion surrounding the bar. All about were dozens of protruding crystal formations, as if they'd grown in the cave. The effect, and the ambiance, was almost surreal. It wasn't hard to imagine that I was actually deep inside a cavern filled with crystals. The crystals themselves caught and refracted subtle lights, and splayed them out across the visible spectrum at all angles.
    The dance floor was empty, and only a few people other than the bartender were in the Lounge. Music, from last year's charts, played from hidden speakers, not too loudly, so people could still carry on a conversation.
    “Show time. There's Isaac. Go grab a beer.” said Max. I complied, stepping through a writhing hologram of undulating water to get to the bar.
    The bar tender eyed me off, guess he wasn't used to serving people this early. He looked even surlier once I asked for a water. Not only was I making him work, but I wasn't handing over any money to the establishment either. His maudlin mood didn't inspire me to leave a tip, my subtle way of saying go screw yourself.
    I sipped my sourly served water and scanned the man that Maxine had walked up to, and then widened my search for any accomplices. I noted that the water tasted somewhat bad, and placed the tumbler on the bar counter. There! I spotted two guys near the rear secreted into a booth, both paying particular interest to my Captain and Isaac