Stray Cat Strut

Chapter Fifty - Sans But Lucratif

Chapter Fifty - Sans But Lucratif

Chapter Fifty - Sans But Lucratif

Non-profits can be easily split into two broad categories:

Corporate non-profits, which are usually run by the PR, propaganda, or public image department of a company, though the non-profit itself will be its own entity on paper. These exist to make the main company appear more family friendly or somewhat concerned with the communitys welfare.

Community non-profits, which are usually run by members of the local community, and who exist solely to take care of an issue that a few members of the region have decided to champion in their own time and with their own funds.

More often than not, the community based non-profits will fold once they begin to encroach on a corporate non-profit. They cannot be allowed to steal the good image that a corporation is paying large sums to maintain.

--Quote from a Discourse on Challenges of the Modern Community, 2039

***

It took a minute to convince the secretary that yes, I was a samurai, and no, I wasnt at their little non-profit to murder or ortherwise harm Peter. I was beginning to suspect that she had something of a crush on the man we were looking for.

Peters office is back here, she said as she gestured to the back, the bangles on her wrists jingling with the motion.

Lead on, I said.

So, you two both samurai? Like, for real-real?

I shook my head. Just me. Lucy heres my friend.

Yes, Im Cats friend, Lucy said.

I shot her a look, but she was wearing a shit-eating grin that promised future teasing, so I decided that Id wait a while before explaining myself.

Peters office at the back wasnt anything special. This wasnt someone that had a fancy set up, either because he didnt have the budget for it, or because he didnt want to look like he had the budget. Then again, if Myalis suggested that he was working off of a shoestring budget, then I trusted her.

The girl knocked on the offices glass door. Peter, you have some highbrow guests here.

Oh, Im highbrow now, Lucy said.

You were always high maintenance, I replied offhandedly.

I had to suppress the urge to jump as the door opened and Lucy pinched my rear at exactly the same time. A man stood in the entrance, tall, with a chiseled sort of jaw and bright eyes. His hair was a little untidy, but in that sort of shampoo commercial way, and he had just a hint of a five o clock shadow on. Hello? he asked.

Heya, I said. You got a minute?

Whats this about? he asked. Im sure I can make some time for you, but I am rather busy right now.

I nodded. Thats alright. Just need a couple of minutes. My names Catherine, but folk call me Stray Cat. Im a samurai based out of New Montreal. I had some, uh, stuff that might interest you.

He stared at me for a moment, then turned to the woman next to me. Can you do me a huge favour and text Martin about my five o clock, tell him somethings come up and that Ill be with him as soon as I can. He knows that I wouldnt put him off for anything that isnt important.

Hey, sure thing, Peter, she said before backing off. She eyed Lucy and I before leaving.

Sorry, please, come in, he said as he backed into the office. The table had some trinkets on it, and a few random pages stacked off to the side. It wasnt the biggest of offices, but there was room for a pair of mismatched chairs in front of the desk, and a bookshelf to the side filled with boring-looking texts. Peter moved behind the desk and clicked his laptop shut. Im sorry, this isnt my office, Im borrowing it for the day. Im on the move too much to have my own, really.

You move around a lot? I asked.

He laughed self-deprecatingly. All the time. People take you a lot more seriously when you show up in person, which I suppose you know, being here now and all. He gestured to the seats, and I pulled one out for Lucy before taking the other.

Look, I didnt want to bother you too much, but someone told me you were the guy to talk to, so I figured Id take my shot, you know?

Uh, sure. I get a lot of people that get referred to me. Im a bit of a problem solver. Or at least I try to be. Never had an actual samurai asking for help though?

For all that he carried himself with confidence, there was just a hint in his voce that he wasnt as sure as he would have liked to be. Hey, it takes all sorts, I said.

So, whats the issue, and how can I help? Peter asked.

Have you heard of the problem with the sewers? I asked. He shook his head. Alright, well, the long and short of it is that a gang was living down there. They took care of the maintenance, mostly, and in exchange theyd get some stuff. Kind of a weird symbiotic relationship, you know? See, to live in the sewers you need a lot of special augs and a heap of modifications to your body. Its not pretty.

I can imagine, Peter said.

I nodded along. So, after that last invasion, these Sewer Dragons, thats the gangs name, started to kidnap normal folk off the streets to make up their numbers. Now, Gomorrah and I--thats another samurai I work with--we took exception to that and may have destroyed the gang.

Thats good? Peter asked. He was obviously looking for the problem.

Its alright, I said. The problem is the people we saved. We have something like two hundred people that were chopped up and given prosthetics against their will. Were talking two hundred pairs of legs, a load of internals, probably a heap of other medical issues, and a whole lot of trauma, I imagine.

Thats more serious than I expected, Peter said. What do you plan to do with all of them? Are you helping them?

Were doing what we can, but right now were kind of torn. We either try to save these two hundred or so people, and dont get me wrong, we totally can save them. Or we focus on fixing the sewer system before everyone in the entire city has to live without any water and no flushing toilets.

Peter leaned forwards, elbows on the table. Thats going to hit the poor hardest, he said. Everyone in the lower-middle brackets wont be able to afford bottled water if the prices jump, and theyre the ones more likely to rely on public utilities for their water.

Its a pretty big mess, I said. Were trying to get things fixed before it really goes to shit, but it might be a close call. And no, before you ask, we cant really just... samurai the problem away. Or we could, but not well. We just dont have the resources to patch everything.

It was a bit of a sour point, but Id gone over it with Myalis. Even with drones and automatic systems in place, I wouldnt have the points needed to fix the entire sewer system. Maybe if it was just one issue. Some problem with acidic water, or if we needed new filters. There were plenty of smaller issues I could take care of. The machine back home could make the materials to fix some parts of the system, but not at the speed and not at the quantity needed to fix everything.

Maybe Deus Ex could do it, drop a hundred thousand points into something huge to fix everything, but I wasnt there yet, and the more points I spent on this problem, the fewer I had to use in the next incursion.

Ive basically thrown the issue on some up-and-coming political sort. And if he doesnt fix things... I dont know, I guess Ill make him drink sewer water until he changes his mind about fucking with the lives of everyone in the city. We dont need a riot because the waters gone bad.

Peter pursed his lips, then shook his head. Youre overestimating peoples ability to be violent.

Huh? Lucy asked.

People that will be violent will be violent in response to something immediate, something happening in front of them or thats making them angry then and there. But for bigger picture things... Do you know how many dirty politicians were killed in their homes by normal people? Corrupt cops? Theres a cop thats currently on paid leave living two floors up. Hes literally home right now.

Whys he off? Lucy asked.

Got caught touching a suspect inappropriately, after about thirty complaints like that. He also shot and killed some kid a few months back. He was told to do a search of some apartment and he broke into the wrong place.

And no ones done anything? I asked.

People arent inherently violent, Peter said. Samurai are the exception. And... and Im going on a tangent, Im sorry. What did you need help with? This water things going to get a lot of good people killed, Ill do whatever you need me to.

***