It was always cool and foggy in the city lowlands this early in the morning. Case shuffled from foot to foot nervously, checking his clock reflexively yet again. Would she show? Would it all go smooth? He'd never bought this much at once before but sometimes you just had to keep moving forward to meet all your commitments.

Then, headlights from a few blocks down. A sleek sedan, pale yellow headlamps barely cutting through the foggy gloom. The car pulled closer, a lone occupant as Case expected.

The car slid to a slow stop. Older girl...youngish woman...she unfolded herself from the drivers seat, stood, and turned to face him at the front of the car. Something too pale about her, slight smudges of eyeliner smeared from being left on too long. Silvery piercings glittered under the sodium phosphor glare of street lights, her voice low with a bit of rasp to it, "You Case?" she wanted to know.

"Yeah, that's me," he replied. She shut her door and moved towards the trunk of the car. Case moved around to the trunk too, trying to keep his eyes on her at the same time. The trunk popped and opened revealing a small matte black ruggedized box. A chain sporting a long, oddly shaped tubular key came from around her neck, key going into the box in tight, sharp moves. Now the box lid being lifted to reveal them. Rows of sleek gleaming chrome chips, encased in hard plastic.

"That's all of them?" he questioned, though he could tell by the way they were stacked that it was. A gleam in her eyes just before they narrowed, she considered him for a long moment. "Yeah." was finally her response. Case held one hand out, palm towards her, fingers splayed. With his other he slowly reached, then pinced his portable from a top pocket with two fingers. A quick biometric scan, brief furitive entering of some information, then Case paused and looked up at her. A sharp chirp from the shoulder holster she kept her portable in. She woke the device up, flipped through a few screens, and then smiled wide. "I do believe we've got a deal." She tossed him the chain and key, turned on her heel and headed down a side alley without another word.

"My kinda gal," he thought, climbing behind the wheel and heading out.