The silence was untenable as everyone sat uneasy on account the information V had just saddled them with. Their next job had to do with a former 'Saka operative codenamed The Ghostrunner. The implications of a name like that in a city where reputation was king, and form often overtook function as a necessity, were enough to make your shit curdle and your asshole pucker.
V let the information percolate and stew for a bit before she continued, "Kazuo worked Counterintel as a sweeper. Probably one of their top agents in that department..."
Ky jumped in, "Wait, 'top counterintel agent'? What does this guy have that Smasher didn't?"
V flashed back to her solo match with Smasher as a wince crossed her face. Everyone saw it, including Ky, who retracted inward as he leaned back and silently admonished himself. After several seconds, she stifled a laugh into a snort as a smirk crept up and she said, "Adam Smasher was effective if you didn't care about leveling an entire city block. Kazuo was more about precision. Most of his targets never even knew he existed, much less that he was in the same room with them."
Miz knew the point was fast approaching, but she asked the question anyway as she leaned forward and exhaled smoke through her nostrils, "So what's his deal? What's Blue want with him?"
The holographic display shifted with a flash of V's eyes, and the striking and somewhat handsome headshot zoomed out to a full-body display, showcasing Kazuo in a fitted Arasaka suit as she answered, "There was a skirmish at Arasaka Tower in 2076, headed up by David Martinez and what remained of his edgerunners' crew. They were betrayed by a Militech-backed corpo fixer named 'Faraday', and Martinez's output was kidnapped. He went over the edge, raiding Arasaka tower and taking on Smasher by himself. Smasher ultimately won, but not without a ton of collateral damage."
Everyone's eyes widened as they all glanced at David's jacket hanging above the booth, and V continued, "Kazuo was on standby, but a Trauma Team AV sent for Faraday went crashing into the side of the building. Kazuo was nearly killed in the process, and his only option for survival was undergoing a full-body conversion on the spot."
Another flash of V's eyes, and the image shifted from Kazuo in a suit to some type of 'borg ninja body with what appeared to be a space helmet for a head. If not a helmet, at least a full face mask dotted with multiple thin optic beams, all flashing red. Everyone's face bore the same look of unease as V spoke again, "As you can all probably guess, Kazuo didn't take to the conversion well, so Arasaka kept him pretty heavily sedated and on a strict regimen of immuno-blockers. When they pulled out, somebody forgot to take the family pet with 'em. And with their absence, his supply of sedatives and blockers dried up."
Max broke her silence and asked, "Wat make Blue t'ink de killin's in Watson have anythin' ta do wit' Kazuo?"
V cut to Max as her eyes flashed blue one more time, cutting to a streetcam capture as she said, "Consider what we know. The killings only take place in proximity of the 'Saka Waterfront, and the attacker is unusually precise, preferring to only use a blade. Kazuo Shimada was a wizard with a katana."
Everyone focused on the streetcam footage, their eyes widening again. It was already over almost as soon as anyone realized they were under attack. The figure moved like a blur of light between more than a dozen Militech operatives, leaving only spews of blood painting the barrier walls in his wake as the bodies collapsed one after the other. Finally, the body appeared, still as the water's surface on a calm day. Within seconds, the body moved again, the streetcam footage freezing the frame with a clear shot of the attacker. He was hooded, and the rest of his clothes were torn, but there was no mistaking it; this was Kazuo Shimada's 'borg body.
Pops gave a whistle as V alternated the display between the frozen frame and the full-body readout and said, "I wish like hell it wasn't him, but proof is in the pudding, right?"
Max's eyes narrowed as she said, "Rewind da stweetcam and play again?"
V obliged, rewinding the footage as everyone leaned in to see what Max might have caught. The attacker was never actually visible until after all the operatives were already dead, but the light bounced against something as he moved through them. Ky's eyes widened as he said, "Optic camouflage... son of a BITCH."
Max leaned back, her face hard as stone as she crossed her arms. V nodded and said, "...and since his body is mostly chrome, not likely he'll pick up on thermal scans... it's a pickle, no doubt about it... but I may have a solution for that."
Everyone perked up as V swiped her hand, bringing up a technical readout for a hand grenade. It wasn't a model any of them were familiar with, and they all cocked their heads in curiosity as V started on her new topic of conversation, "Got a lead on an experimental UV grenade. It's non-lethal, but it coats a fifteen-meter radius in a chemical compound that activates under ultraviolet, meaning it'll light up like a Christmas tree."
Everybody smirked, but nobody wanted to say it, deferring to the de facto class clown to make the remark; after several seconds, like clockwork, Ky leaned in with a shit-eating grin and said, "You know what else glows under UV light?"
Miz and Max both yelled in tandem, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!", leaving V beside herself as she covered her mouth and tried to stifle another laugh. It was a losing battle this time.
Ky pressed his luck as he kept going, "No seriously, what's the base of the compound? Color me curious."
V shrugged her shoulders disingenuously; she knew, but sure as shit wasn't going to tell him. Max tried to steer them all back on track as she offered a bit of netrunner insight, "De grenades mebbe are a good backup plan, but I may have un ot'er option."
Along with everyone else, V perked up again, and they all leaned in to see what Max had to offer as she said nothing, but closed her eyes for a few seconds. Suddenly, everyone's heads rang in response to something they couldn't quite describe. It almost felt as though someone were knocking on a door. Max kept her eyes closed as she smiled and continued, "I may no' have my eyes, but I ca' see you all clear as day."
Miz narrowed her eyes before she smiled and said, "You pinged us all just now, didn't you?"
Max nodded, her eyes opening to show a solid blue as she answered, "If I ca' see you, I ca' hack you. Otreman, I can sen' a ping out and see wha' I get back."
V nodded, impressed, but not without her reservations as she said, "That's good, but once you do that, he'll know where you are."
As Max locked eyes with V and the blue glow subsided, she said, "Ping is piti range, woul' have ta be in de same room, so no mo' risk than we deja takin'."
Miz cut in, "Either way we go, Kazuo's got the tactical advantage. We're on his turf, and we have to get close enough that he'll know exactly where we are long before we have a chance..."
A look of curious concern crept on V's face as she asked, "So... what are you tryin' to say?"
There were looks all around, met with either nods of approval or shrugs of what the hell, before Miz answered with a devious smile befitting a merc, "I'm saying you've put us through worse, but the payout better be up to snuff."
V's eyes flashed blue as she smirked and fired back, "Because of the risks associated with this job, I've been cleared to pay you half now, half on completion. This is the stuff of legends we're talkin' about, here. A chance to take out an elite 'Saka operative."
Miz's HUD flashed with a transfer of ā¬$125,000, leaving her momentarily speechless as Ky cut in, "I remember someone once told me when I first got here, 'In Night City, you can be...come...', ah shit, how'd the rest of it go...?"
Curious and finding his chance to jump in, Pops spoke for the first time in a while, "What's your blue-eyed beau's interest in this job anyway?"
V looked away, her face bearing a look of disgust as she confessed, "Blue's got a vested interest in seeing that Militech succeeds in its takeover of the Arasaka Waterfront. Something about a strengthened logistics front for PacRim expansion."
Pops had a skeptical smile on his face, "Sounds like Blue's got many fingers in many pies... ah hell, jobs this lucrative and ludicrous tend to stink of corpo backing anyhow."
Max asked another burning question, "Wha's our timin' fo' dis one?"
V answered that question by posing another to Miz, "New arm, right? Vik did the work, guessing recently?"
Miz wrinkled her nose and said, "This afternoon, yeah."
"He's going to raise hell if you don't show up for your check-up tomorrow", V jokingly chided as she stretched her arms out on the couch, slouching provocatively as she continued, "This can wait a day or two, especially with Pops and Max already having knocked out one job today. But don't wait too long. Blue might snap if Kazuo attacks another escort."
Miz cut back in as she said with all the authority she could muster, "We'll have him out of your hair soon enough, babe."
V blushed again, hard, as she lit another cigarette while watching the crew excuse themselves. She didn't move from the couch as she called out, "Heya Miz..."
Turning to face V, Miz nodded and said, "Yeah, what's up?"
Something, anything to fill the void, come on, V thought before she said, "I'm sorry I've been scarce these last few weeks. I don't want to burn you all out on the simple shit, ya know? You're worth more than that to me." NO! BAD! WRONG WORDS, STFU!!!
Miz smiled as she approached and took a seat on the edge of the table, their faces only a foot away from one another. She looked in V's eyes, finding the ulterior motive as she blushed before trying to keep calm and collected, "H-hey, we like having a fixer who looks out for us. It's a welcome change from what we were dealing with before."
Before she could stop herself, Miz placed her hand on V's as she followed up, "But don't ever worry about calling us. We're here for you, for the Afterlife."
V could feel a swell of emotions rising in her chest, only hoping her face did a better job of hiding it as she said, "Crew sure, but what about you?" HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND?!
Miz's eyes gave a split-second reaction, but it was enough of a tell to make V's heart skip a beat. She quickly tried to keep cool and laugh it off as she stood up, "Hey, if ya have to ask..."
To add insult to injury, Miz jokingly pinched V's cheek as she casually sauntered off. V dropped her head down, hoping her hair would hide the burn in her cheeks as she turned, admiring Miz's natural sway before... OH SHIT, HE CAN SEE YOU...
Billy smiled and nodded to V with a wave as he turned to walk alongside Miz, carefully placing his arm around her. All the crew stopped off for a casual goodbye to Rogue and Claire before exiting together, leaving V alone in her booth as she downed the rest of her beer in almost a single gulp before releasing a sharp sigh. Smooth move, you fuckin' gonk.
--
[Some time later - Lower Levels, Japantown Markets]
Miz stood by the window enjoying a smoke and watching the hustle and bustle passing by, having already changed and ready for bed. Her mind was a flurry of activity, replaying the meeting at the Afterlife over and over. She didn't want to overthink it, but she couldn't shake it loose; there was a spark between her and V. Billy could tell something was off, but he wasn't sure what, and he didn't want to ruin the mood. They'd been doing so well together, but he couldn't shake this feeling. He decided to take his chance as he approached Miz from behind, gently placing his hands on her shoulders as he said, "You alright, Em?"
It was enough to knock her out of the trance she was in, and she panicked slightly, almost feeling guilty for a reason she couldn't explain. She placed the cigarette down in the ashtray on the table as she turned to face Billy. She considered her words carefully before saying, "D-did V seem... off to you?"
Billy nearly jumped for joy, if this is all it was. He laughed nervously, trying to contain himself as he said, "You noticed too, huh?"
Miz's eyes widened, "Wait, what did you see?"
He smirked as he debated in his own head whether to even say. He ultimately decided to just come out with it, "As you were leaving, after you sat down with her alone, she was staring... like... right at your ass the whole way until she caught me watching."
Miz blushed as she buried her head in his chest with a groan, "O-o-oh no-o-o... shit."
Billy wrapped her up tight as he continued laughing. She pulled away after a few seconds as she looked up and said, "It was weird how flustered she was getting early on, but I thought maybe she just felt bad about not being in touch for so long... but when I sat down with her, I saw it in her eyes."
"She's hot for you, Em", Billy said with a smile, "I mean, I can't really blame her."
Miz narrowed her eyes and wrinkled her nose. He wasn't helping, but he had a point; but it also wasn't entirely a one-way road. That's really what had Miz so sideways, trying to sort through what she felt. But how would Billy handle it if he knew? There were no secrets between them, and she wasn't about to start now. She braced herself as she said, "I guess what's got me all scrambled is, I-I'm not sure how I felt when I looked in her eyes..."
Billy smirked, but pulled away slightly, collecting his thoughts. After several seconds he said, "I think, or maybe I hope, that you were just caught up in the heat of the moment?"
Miz met his eyes as she asked, "Y-you're not upset?"
With a hug, wrapping her up tight, Billy answered, "Miz, you're the love of my life, and you're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on... of course someone else out there is going to find you attractive. But you're also human. And V is... she's something all by herself."
Miz wrapped herself around Billy as she said nervously, "I-I won't lie, she's fucking hot."
"So when are you going to invite her for a threesome?", Billy asked with a chuckle, eliciting a playful punch to his stomach from Miz as she said, "Shut the fuck up, you gonk."
They shared a laugh and held each other for a while longer.
--
[The next day - Crew's lockup, South Watson]
Ky was hard at work, prepping the truck for their upcoming job. Max was closeby, jacked into a terminal as she inspected and checked her cyberdeck and equipped hacks. She had so many choices, but only so many slots to accommodate; six, to be exact. Ping was an absolute must, as she would be blind without it. Short Circuit would cause electrical damage, and could possibly short his systems briefly, but if he was running any type of 'Saka ice, his systems would likely reject a low-level hack; still, better safe than sorry. Cyberware Malfunction was another good option, if only to temporarily disable his optic camouflage and any reflex boosters; from the brief footage they'd seen, the Ghostrunner didn't appear to be equipped with a Sandevistan, but enough time on the edge would teach any gonk that appearances were deceiving. Synapse Burnout was a personal favorite of Max's, used for figuratively lighting people's heads on fire with nerve damage, causing them to lose complete control of their own bodies for a short amount of time; she usually combined this with a quick short-circuit to completely zap their cyberware, causing smoke and sparks to fly. System Collapse could be a good last resort if they were able to wear him down; it was a multi-threaded attack that would actually crash multiple implants at once, possibly rendering him immobile for the final kill-shot.
Max smiled as she had one last slot open, choosing her own custom ICE as a failsafe. Not likely the Ghostrunner was packing his own cyberdeck based on what they'd seen, but it never hurt to be prepared. She punched a few buttons on the screen and watched as the visual readout of her selected quickhacks fell into place on her cyberdeck.
In the main room of the lockup, Miz and Billy were hard at work prepping iron to take with them. Everyone had their own sidearms, but it was always a good idea to bring an assortment of shotguns, submachine guns, and Ky's favorite Kyubi along for the ride; just in case. Miz had a lit cigarete hanging from her mouth as she was loading rounds into magazines and stacking them neatly. She looked to Billy with a smile as he worked across the pool table from her, slamming shells into his own Crusher and a stripped down Tactician pump-action. He returned the smile with a wink before darting back to the task at hand.
This touching family moment was cut short by a private holocall ringing in Miz's head, and she panicked slightly at the caller ID. Billy noticed and asked, "Hey, everything okay?"
As Miz's eyes flashed orange, she answered, "V's calling. Be right back." Uh oh.
Miz jumped up from her seat, walking into the other garage with the bikes as she answered as casually as possible, "Heya, boss!"
V replied, her voice smooth, "H-hey, Miz. How's things?"
Miz narrowed her eyes, not giving an inch, "Same as they were when we left yesterday. What's up?"
Several seconds of silence passed before V answered, "I-I wanted to apologize... for yesterday. I felt like I came off all wrong. Just, seeing you all again reminded me how much I like having your crew around."
Miz scoffed, "Even Ky?"
V fired back, "Yeah, could probably do with less of 'im, but take the bad with the good, right?"
Miz chuckled, "He has his moments, just like the rest of us."
Neither of them were sure of what else to say. Several seconds of awkward silence passed before V tried to speak, Miz cutting her off bluntly, "Billy caught you staring at my ass on the way out."
She could feel V's cheeks burning two blocks away on the other side of the call, picturing V hanging her head in her hands, "Oh, shit!"
Another several seconds passed before V collected herself and said, "I-I'm sorry... look... he's really lucky to have you."
Miz poked her head around the corner as she watched him work, "And I'm really lucky to have him..."
Apparently having found her confidence, V continued, "What you two have... it's special. It's a rare thing in Night City... I had something like that... once."
Miz could hear the tinge of pain in V's voice, and she softened her attitude as she asked sincerely, "...Judy, right? That was her name?"
V confirmed, her voice slightly shaken, "...yeah. She was a real one. I'd give anything to go back, to have what we had again."
Miz could feel a swell of emotions in her chest, and in that moment all she wanted to do was hold V tight as she said, "You can have that again, if you can find the right person... but I don't think that's what you need right now."
V's tone changed to surprised as she asked, "W-what do you mean?"
Miz laughed as she answered, "V, I saw the look in your eyes yesterday. You wanted to mount me right there on the table."
The silence only confirmed Miz's suspicions as she continued, "You need a good fuck, more than anything."
The edge returned as V shot back, "Yeah? Ya know where I can find one of those?"
"Not what you pay me for, babe", Miz shut her down with all the grace of a howitzer.
An honest laugh burst from V as she said, "Wow, full contact, alright..."
Miz giggled as the slightly older merc continued, "Hey, stay safe out there... I mean it, all of you. And... thanks for being a choom just now. I needed that."
As her eyes clouded over slightly, Miz said, "Don't mention it. We'll talk after the job's done."
The call dropped, leaving Miz beside herself with burning cheeks as she bit her bottom lip. Why did she feel like this? It wasn't a romantic attraction... lust, maybe? She shook her head as she walked back into the middle room. Billy's eyes cut to her briefly, as he said quietly with a smirk, "So how's our little lovebird doin'?"
Miz said nothing, but her eyes flashed orange as she pinged a holocall directly to him, causing him to look up and say nonchalantly, "I'm right in front of you, babe."
Her face went blank as she stared him down, and he chuckled and answered, "That bad, huh?"
Miz replied, "You were... joking... last night, about the threesome, right?"
"A-are you... joking now?", Billy asked as he stopped working, placing the shotgun on the table as he locked eyes with Miz.
She smirked and answered his question with another question, "Say we weren't together, but you knew V. Would you?"
Billy's eyes widened and his skin flashed pale white for second as he wondered what kind of trap he was about to fall into. Miz cut him a break as she reached across and held his hand with a gentle smile. Somehow, this eased all his anxieties and he answered honestly, "Were I not madly in love with you already... yeah, I think I'd make a pass at her. Like you said, she's fucking hot, and it could be a fun one-time thing."
Liv's words from way back flashed in Miz's mind, Honest to a fault, that boy., and her smile grew wider as Billy asked, "W-would you?"
"Hell yes, I would!", Miz nearly spat. Even though this conversation could go ten different ways and still end in an argument, she was happy knowing there were no lies or secrets between them as she took a chance, "W-what if... what if it was... a one-time thing?"
Billy's anxieties had just quelled before his eyes shot wide open again and he dropped the shotgun he had resumed working on. Ky poked his head around the corner from the garage and asked, "Hey, you okay?"
Billy turned his head and called out, "All good, brother. Butterfingers, that's all."
Like clockwork, a clean rag flew overhead, landing on the table next to Billy as Ky disappeared, apparently satisfied with that answer. Billy chuckled before he was reminded that Miz had just sideswiped him with a hypothetical of biblical proportions. He cautiously met her eyes as he asked a dumb question, "W-what exactly are we talking about here?"
Miz blushed with a giggle and looked away before meeting his eyes again as she playfully teased his hand and asked, "What... if... we... asked her... to join us?"
"Are... are we really talking about this?", Billy shook his head, trying to knock something loose before he asked, "Where?!"
"Well, there is that back room with the shielded glass... where we all suited up for the H10 gig?", Miz answered hesitantly. With a response like that, Billy knew she wasn't joking. He could feel a light tremble in her hand as she continued, "She needs to blow off steam in a bad way. Might as well be with two people she trusts, right?"
Billy had to admire her candid attitude about it all, but he was still in shock of disbelief that they were even having this conversation. He stumbled for words as he managed to muscle out, "I-I don't even know how to answer that... I mean, I'm not against it, as long as you're comfortable with it..."
Miz could see he was about to suffer a nosebleed as she let him off easy, "Think about it, but not now. After the job, maybe?"
He gave a sharp sigh of relief as he said, "Probably not a terrible idea to wait 'til we're all back in one piece before we start talking about this again..."
Miz couldn't help but feel nervous, hoping she hadn't just driven a wedge between them by bringing this up. Billy picked up on it as he reached for her hand and said out loud, "It's all good, babe. I'm actually okay with it, really."
As timely as the angel of death, Ky dropped a wrench on the table with a heavy clang as he asked, "Okay with what?"
They both gave him the side-eye before Billy answered, "Miz was worried I'd think she was copy-catting me with the new arm."
Ky narrowed his eyes, noticing the flush in Miz's cheeks as he said, "Yeah, whatever. Keep your secrets."
They all shared a laugh as heavy footsteps trailed in from the garage. They knew it was Pops, but they were on alert nonetheless. He moseyed in to the room, barely breaking a sweat as he carried an equipment crate in both hands before setting it on the table. Billy looked up with excitement as he asked, "Grenades?"
Pops nodded, taking a drag off the lit cigarette hanging from his mouth as he answered, "One rush order o' experimental UV grenades, all present an' accounted for."
Mirroring his sophomoric comments from the day before, Ky feigned disgust as he stepped back with his hands raised and said, "Man, I'm not touching those unless somebody gets me two pairs of gloves..."
Pops chuckled and shook his head as he walked over and climbed the stairs, "Be right back, nature's a-callin'."
With methodical precision, Billy unlatched the lid on the crate, removing it carefully as he admired the new toys. Five grenades were neatly packed alongside five single-eye ocusets with integrated lights. They all surmised that the ocusets were likely to pick up on the traces of the UV compound produced by the grenades.
Miz reached in, picking up one of the ocusets before affixing it to her right ear. She carefully plugged the probe into the interface socket behind her ear as the entire unit came to life and produced a dull glow otherwise invisible to the naked eye. She had a look of wonder on her face as she scanned the room. Her eyes locked on the far wall for a few seconds before she ruined the moment, "Alright, which one of you animals has been fuckin' on the couch?!"
Billy and Ky both laughed, shrugging their shoulders to feign innocence. Truth be told, though no one would admit it out loud, all present company had soiled that couch at one point or another. Pops laughed as he descended the stairs and leaned against the table, looking inside the crate as he said, to nobody's surprise, "I'll let y'all handle the gadgets."
Ky laughed as he pointed to Miz, then Billy, then over in Max's general direction of the garage as he said, "Called it? Called it? Definitely called it... yeah, color me surprised there, hoss."
Pops faked a step forward with a clenched jaw as Ky took a step back, readying his fist with lightning speed as he said, "Hey man, don't take me back to how we met!"
A smile crept on Pops' face as he remembered fondly and fired back, "Wors' mistake I ever made..."
Everyone shared another laugh as Ky crossed the table and gave Pops a heavy pat on his shoulder, "Yeah yeah yeah... my turn to wreck the porcelain."
Everyone, even Max from the garage, audibly groaned; business as usual.
--
[Some time later - California & Pershing, Arasaka Waterfront, North Watson]
The sun had set behind the long-dead Konpeki Plaza Tower, painting the sky in an almost beautiful pall of reds and oranges against Morro Rock in the background. The crew's truck made a similar approach as they had during their first job together in the Waterfront complex. The mood was even more tense than before. A true cyberpsycho was not a trifling matter. Even as ruthless and reckless as feral Maelstromers were, they still had some regard for their own wellbeing. Cyberpsychos had no such inhibitions; their humanity was often so long gone that they no longer held any concern for themselves or other human life.
In rare cases, a cyberpsycho could be rehabilitated back to a somewhat normal life, but that was also assuming MAXTAC hadn't painted them against a building. MAXTAC themselves were rumored to just be 'psychos with badges on a short leash, but they operated with relative immunity to the consequences of their actions. The crew had to wonder why MAXTAC wasn't dealing with this themselves. More often than not, the NCPD was more than willing to bend over and do the bidding of their corpo masters.
The truck rolled to a stop at the corner intersection of two roads, met with the massive and rising walls protecting the complex from the outside... and a massive fucking hole blown through one of the loading dock doors. Ky couldn't help but be skeptical as he said, "Well... tha-a-at's convenient..."
Pops leaned forward to look out the front windshield, "Yeah... might be we park a block down, under some cover, and proceed on foot?"
Ky smirked as he had already shifted into gear, the truck rolling forward as he replied, "Good thinkin', hoss."
Ky made the turn from California onto Pershing as he scanned for somewhere hidden and out of the way. They couldn't risk whoever blew that hole in the wall finding the truck. Finally, Ky smiled as he slowed and turned before reversing, guiding the truck carefully into a tucked-away alley. He left 30 feet to the street in front of them, hoping it would be enough.
Pops opened the trunk doors, hopping down before Miz and Billy followed. They met Ky and Max around the front, checking weapons and suiting up. All except for Pops had affixed their UV ocusets, the dull glows casting near-invisible silhouettes against the ground. As Miz adjusted her jacket, Ky smirked and said, "Ya know, the blades are a good look for you."
"Yeah, that's totally what I was going for", Miz scoffed before giving a playful punch to his arm, "Thanks, man."
Pops took the lead as he turned and said, "I guess we're going through the big-ass hole?"
Ky couldn't help himself, "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!"
Everyone collectively groaned as Ky laughed to himself, and they crossed the empty street to move parallel to the walls. This side of Watson was as close to a ghost town as you could get, but they still stepped carefully and deliberately, scanning every possible surface and ledge for anything that could pose a threat.
For reasons she couldn't explain, something told Miz to stop, keeping a few paces back from the rest of the crew as she looked up to a ledge protruding from a watchtower behind the wall, at least fifty feet off the ground. She caught a glimmer of a figure kneeling, watching them, before it disappeared into thin air. She could swear it was the same figure she saw during the Dashi parade, and every part of her was suddenly on edge as she rang a crew-wide holocall, "Eyes up, we're not alone."
Pops asked the pertinent question, "You catch somethin'?"
"Can't say", Miz answered, now unsure of herself as she continued, "I caught a glimpse of something on the watchtower, but it disappeared before I could get a good look..."
Billy added his two cents, "Sounds like optic camouflage to me."
Max broke her silence for the first time since leaving the lockup, "No' likely 'im blew a hole in 'is own wall..."
Pops followed up, "Nah, more likely someone, or several someones, managed to breach the wall. I s'pose we'll find a nice pile o' bodies not too far inside."
Miz chuckled as she added, "And V was trying to make sure nobody else got caught up in this mess."
They were all in silent agreement as they gathered around the crudely-blown hole in the wall, peeking inside and clearing the immediate area before carefully entering, one after the other.
The night sky had now fully engulfed them, quashing any twilight left. They were in the dark, but not alone. They continued further in, careful to check every angle around them. Unconsciously, they all formed a protective circle around Max as they pushed forward, rotating their pattern every few seconds. Without Max's netrunning abilities, this job was over before it began. Her eyes were a solid blue as she scanned anything she could find. This entire complex had been dead and dark for over a year, so not likely anything was still connected to the net. She held off on sending a Ping, not wanting to give their position away just yet. It likely didn't matter. If Miz saw what she thought she saw, the Ghostrunner already knew exactly where they were, and had the full advantage against them.
They reached a corner of two high walls, a left turn being their only option for moving on. As Pops rounded the corner, his ears, and everyone else's, perked up to the sound of flies buzzing. Shit.
Sure enough, as they approached an open door to a warehouse on their left, they were met with a strewn-out pile of bodies, all cut to pieces and resting in pools of blood. The walls inside were streaked with claret. No smell had set in yet, but it wasn't likely too far off.
Pops stopped for a moment as he looked further inside, trying to find anything that might give them a clue. It was a gory mess, no doubt, but nothing of actual substance to their current objective.
Miz's ears perked again to the sound of passing air, almost a distant whoosh. She narrowed her eyes, glowing red as she scanned around them. She placed her hand against the far wall; she could just barely feel vibrations in the concrete surface. Footsteps, he's close.
She pinged everyone in the call to stay still as she tried to listen, to feel, everything going on around them. She closed her eyes for a split second as her head dropped. Every hair on the back of her neck stood up as she tracked another whoosh. In an instant, she heard the near-silent impact of two feet behind her as she drew her wakizashi and spun around. She was met with a glowing red blade, the heat irradiating from it as her right arm had done the heavy lifting, blocking an overhead strike. The blade swung back before flying forward in a horizontal slash, to which Miz blocked and countered, meeting nothing but air. She heard another rush of air trailing upward, and she craned her neck to try and follow. The blade had gone dark. As quickly as he was there, he was gone again.
Miz turned to Max as she said on the holocall, "Any old time, babe."
Max smirked as everyone trained their eyes out and above, watching carefully. Her eyes flashed blue for an instant before they all heard the ping in their heads. Max's eyes narrowed as her head craned up to a ledge. She saw the yellow outline in her HUD of a crouching figure on a ledge, his head tilted to the left like a curious cat. She sent the data out over the holocall, the figure appearing in everyone's HUDs as they looked up.
Pops wasted no time, raising his revolver up as he trained down the sights, causing the outlined figure to jump to his right and scurry behind a wall. Miz could hear the impact of his footsteps fading away; he was running.
Pops let loose a perturbed grumble, causing Billy to lean in and whisper, "What, you thought it was going to be easy?"
"Keep mouthin' off, pup", Pops fired back with a smirk.
Max tried to track the Ghostrunner, but the signal was lost between the multitude of concrete walls and metal buildings. To Billy's point, this wasn't going to be easy, or quick. Miz was finally cooling off as she sheathed her blade and stepped closer to the crew. They kept still for a little while longer before deciding together it was safe to proceed deeper into the complex. They'd had a taste, now it was time for the full meal.
--
[One hour later]
As the edgerunners delved deeper, they'd been lucky enough to have no further encounters thus far with the Ghostrunner. He was definitely creeping about, Miz having caught a few instances of rushing air and light footsteps in the distance. The crew was in awe of just how big the complex was from the inside; walls upon walls upon warehouses upon loading docks. Many of the warehouses still had shelves stocked with equipment left behind in the wake of Arasaka's rapid departure; it was a veritable goldmine, leaving Ky just a little salty that they'd likely not be able to grab anything in short order.
Before long, they arrived at a large warehouse with a caved in roof. For whatever reason, this particular building was in more disrepair than the others, and there was a dull glow emanating from inside. Everyone took positions carefully against the exterior wall as Ky took the lead on peeking around the corner for a better look inside. There were several 55-gallon drums dotting the space, each with a fire burning, the smoke billowing up and out through the open areas of the damaged roof.
His eyes darted up as he heard a skittering sound, watching as the Ghostrunner jumped down, landing with a soft impact in the middle on the warehouse. He remained on one knee for several seconds, his head turning slightly in the direction of the crew as his grainy and artificially modulated voiced echoed all over with a heavy Japanese accent, "Who dares disturb my sanctuary?"
The scratch and hiss of his voice sent shivers down everyone's spines as they tried to stay out of sight. He blurred for a moment before disappearing completely as he continued, the voice bouncing off of every surface, "There is no honor in what you do... do not be deceived by the Company's motives."
The crew all looked to each other with confusion on their faces before the Ghostrunner reappeared in the middle of the warehouse, crouching down and holding his head as he spoke again, "So this is what a lifetime of loyalty to Arasaka is worth? They send yet another pack of goons to put me down like a wild beast."
Pops and Ky both had UV grenades at the ready as they silently counted down to one another, Three, two, one!
They pulled the pins and released the primers, throwing the grenades as far as they could into the warehouse. The Ghostrunner twitched for a second before he spun around with his glowing red blade in hand. He swatted each grenade with the broad side of the blade, almost batting them away as they knocked against the walls before combusting. The Ghostrunner spoke again as he faced the open entrance, "What toys are these?! Have you no respect for the old ways?"
Billy quietly muttered to himself, "Fuck this", and he pulled his grenade before stepping and throwing it far up. In a single move, he unholstered his Molniya and took aim as he tracked the grenade's arc before firing a single shot. The impact rang against the metal case of the grenade as it exploded in mid-air, showering the area in the UV compound, including the Ghostrunner. Ky decided that was their cue as he activated his ocuset and aimed around the corner, releasing several controlled bursts from his rifle at the splotchy but glowing figure in front of him.
The Ghostrunner stood casually as he deflected each burst with little effort. His "face" focused in on Ky, his optics shifting and articulating across the smooth and translucent surface of his mask. After several seconds, he spoke, "You dishonor me, and you dishonor yourself, if this is how you choose to fight."
Pops couldn't help himself as he fired back, "Says a man who hides in plain sight and kills others without a chance to defend themselves!"
"Why should I keep my honor when no one else Arasaka sends seems to care for their own?", the Ghostrunner asked before continuing, "Show me one worthy opponent in this wretched cityscape wasteland."
Miz's eyes narrowed as Billy's eyes went wide. They had the exact same thought, and to very different conclusions. Billy shook his head no, to which Miz nodded. If they had any chance in subduing Kazuo Shimada, it rested in Miz's lap to give them the opening they needed. She stood up as she spoke quietly, "Max, be ready on my signal...", and she stepped into view of the Ghostrunner as she unsheathed both blades and stood ready.
You could almost hear the excitement in the Ghostrunner's voice as he said, "...so you have chosen... death..."
His blade glowed red again as he charged forward, skirting along the ground at high speed as Miz braced herself. Showing no signs of stopping, he readied his blade for a horizontal slash. As the strike came and he passed, Miz deflected and stepped to the side like a matador dodging a raging bull. The meeting of their blades sent a series of sparks flying into the air. Miz leapt back, readying herself again as the Ghostrunner stopped and turned on a dime to her. He took a few steps forward as his voice relinquished its echoing hold on the space as he said, "You may just be a worthy opponent after all... it's a shame that Arasaka is sending you to your death."
Miz spoke sternly, "Arasaka pulled out of Night City over a year ago."
They began circling one another, watching each other's movements as the Ghostrunner rebuked her, "Your lies fall on deaf ears, child. I know the Company's ways. They believe I've failed them, and so they will put me down before I can cause further harm."
He nearly caught Miz off-guard as he charged to her, leading with a cross-slash, an outward slash, then an overhead plunge. Miz caught his blade coming down with her own, bracing herself with all her strength to hold it as she was now inches away from his "face". He spoke again, "How much did they pay you to take me out? The same as all the rest?"
Miz's eyes widened as she finally understood. The Ghostrunner truly believed everyone he had killed in the last several weeks were 'Saka agents sent to kill him. He really had gone 'psycho. She braced her left arm as she struggled to hold him before adjusting the blade in her right hand to an under-grip. Her teeth were gritted as the sweat formed on her head and neck. She readied her right arm and crossed his "jaw", expecting a shattering crunch. Instead, there was only a metallic clank, but the attack had its intended effect anyway as the Ghostrunner staggered and stumbled back.
Miz dove out of the way as she called to Max, "NOW!"
Max stepped into sight, her eyes solid blue as she tracked the Ghostrunner before a flash of red pulsed. He grabbed his head as an ear-shattering artificial shriek rang out, followed by several arcs of electric energy from his cybernetic joints. The short circuit had worked. Ky and Billy both stepped into the warehouse, unloading their weapons. The bullets tore at the Ghostrunner's clothing, leaving tattered fragments, but otherwise bounced off of his body with little effect outside of some cosmetic scoring and scratches. This was not the way.
After several more seconds, the Ghostrunner disappeared from their 'ganic sight. The ocusets were still tracking him, but the traces of the UV compound were showing signs of dissipating. Max took her opportunity and pinged him, broadcasting the location to the rest of the crew. They could see him well enough, but the challenge was actually tracking his movements. He was bouncing from wall to wall to rafter to ledge faster than they could turn their heads, which was likely by design; keep them dizzy and preoccupied. After a time, his screams turned into a devilish laughter to accompany the rushes of air as he leapt and bound through the inside space.
In an instant, there was no trace of him inside the building. Everyone was on edge, standing still, each scanning everywhere their eyes could see. There was almost an eery calm and quiet over the warehouse. Pops narrowed his eyes as he looked up before raising his revolver and firing a single shot. The large-caliber shot punched through the roof before ringing out as metal met metal. The next sounds were a series of rumbling thuds before a loud crash against the ground.
The crew knew they weren't that lucky; no way that was the end of it. Their skepticism was only confirmed as the Ghostrunner appeared at the entrance to the building, a fresh dent in his chestplate, and what they could only describe as a nearly robotic growl emanating from him. His shifting optics were focused, sharp and pointed, and solid red.
Pops wasted no time as he trained down the sights of his revolver and fired five more shots, each as loud as the last. The Ghostrunner deflected all of them with little effort before charging forward again. Pops didn't flinch, and he showed no intentions of stepping out of the way. As the Ghostrunner approached, Miz landed in front from a charged jump and blocked his power strike with her own blades. She attempted a short slash with her own wakizashi, but it was blocked by the chrome of the Ghostrunner's arm as he deflected outward and countered with a solid jab to Miz's exposed ribcage. She was staggered and lost her footing, dropping to one knee as her block against him broke.
He raised his sword overhead with another laugh before a loud blast rang out with a thunderous crash. His head turned, but it was too late. Billy had dropped in behind and planted the barrel of his Crusher against the Ghostrunner's raised arm. Chromed as he was, he still had exposed joints and tendons. The multiple projectiles from the shot had torn through the exposed elbow or otherwise embedded themselves in the chrome plating of his cybernetic limb. He tried in vain to actuate and manipulate his arm as it dropped and dangled, held by a few loose wires and leads. There was a trail of white synthetic blood running from the "wound" as the Ghostrunner ripped loose the remaining connections and severed the lower arm completely from the rest of him. He threw it down as he braced his left fist, the panels articulating and arcing with energy. Pops grabbed Miz and dove out of the way, Billy jumping back in the opposite direction to stay clear.
The Ghostrunner knelt down, his fist meeting the concrete with a sphere of electrical energy and a concussive blast. He was left standing in a crater of his own making as the last arcs of lightning dissipated. Max was the farthest away from the attack, and so was the first to recover as she knelt behind a stack of crates and peeked around. The UV compound had all but disappeared, but she still had a ping track on him as her eyes flashed red again. She watched her HUD carefully as the cyberware malfunction quickhack was uploaded. The Ghostrunner knew something wasn't right as he attempted to activate his optic camouflage. He was only met with a glitching flicker as parts of him flashed between visible and translucent.
Max wasted no time as her RAM recovered before dropping a combination synapse burnout and another short circuit, causing the Ghostrunner grab his head with his remaining arm and scream again as he dropped to his knees. Before long, Billy approached from behind as he planted the barrel of his shotgun against the exposed innards connecting the neck, back, and collarbones. He lightly squeezed the trigger before the Ghostrunner spoke, this time with a brief glimmer of humanity, "S-See what they make you give...?"
Billy released the trigger as he leaned down to listen. The Ghostrunner was resigned to his fate, having fallen to his knees, his shoulders sagged as his head hung forward. Miz walked up to him, still on edge, but with a softened demeanor. In his current state, she could almost see his 'ganic face saddened and smacked with shame at the dishonor of his defeat. He continued, "S-See what they take from you...?"
Miz took a chance as she knelt down to listen further. The Ghostrunner kept going "They take... and they take, with no thought of giving back. It never stops."
Miz felt a sadness welling up in her as she continued to listen to him, the others gathering around as he said, "Even when I lost my body, they found a way to take more from me. They took my humanity... they took my sanity... until I ceased to be useful... and they cast me aside."
They all sat in silence for almost a minute before the Ghostrunner spoke again, "I am no more. I am nothing. I serve no purpose. Put an end to this suffering... please."
Billy's jaw clenched, and he raised the Crusher again before the Ghostrunner rebuked him, "L-Let the girl do it..."
Miz's eyes widened as she met Billy's, and then everyone else's. Why me?! What the fuck makes me so special?
She hesitated before the Ghostrunner craned his neck to look at her as he motioned with a finger to an exposed cluster of "nerve" wirings in his throat and uttered a single haunting and rattling word, "Ple-e-ease..."
Miz sniffled as she nodded, picking up her wakizashi from the ground as she placed it carefully against his throat. With her free hand, she braced his head as she silently counted down. Bracing the head turned into a gentle caress as she brought him forward and the blade broke through with a sickening mechanical crunch; servos and wires were severed, producing a whirring sound as his systems gradually shut down. With all of his remaining strength, he clutched at the bottom of her jacket and pulled as he whispered, "T-Thank you... child..."
With his last words, Miz felt the last bits of life leave as his arm fell limp and his body became dead weight, causing a stream of tears to shoot down her face. It was done. Kazuo Shimada was no more. She sat for a while, holding his body as she tried to quell a mix of anger and sadness inside of her. What he had to endure, what he had experienced, was something no human should ever be subjected to.
Pops stepped up and spoke softly, "Miz, Iā"
"He never had a choice...", Miz cut him off, her voice trembling through gritted teeth, "T-They never gave him one..."
Billy tested the waters as he placed a gentle hand on Miz's shoulder. She didn't shrug him off or pull away, she just closed her eyes and let the tears fall. After a time, she brushed her cheek against the hand before Billy fell to his knees and wrapped her up from behind. They stayed like this for several more minutes before she finally let go of Kazuo's machine body and they exited the complex together.
--
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to say something.