92
"So that's the place Jackie." I told the older man as we pulled up to the Scav den.
Ichi and Malcolm weren't far behind. Hiromi wasn't here this time, but that's because she was at school, and super bummed that I had decided to hit this Scav den without her.
Instead I had asked Jackie if he wanted to join.
"Huh. You sure Hermanita? Doesn't look like a Scav hole."
"Yep. I've still got all their cameras infested. I've already looped the outside cameras so no worries on them spotting our approach! But yeah I can see them inside. Here, I'll cut you into the feed." I told him and he nodded as I hooked up our call to show the live feed inside the old office building.
Jackie had actually chipped in a new set of optics, and they had a connection speed high enough for me to direct video him.
Thank fuck.
"Not too many of them. Should be easy enough." Jackie offered and I nodded along.
"Yeah normally I go slow and take them all out quietly, but considering how small this group is." I shrugged. "Loud and quick?"
"That's my normal style Hermanita." He said, throwing me a big smile.
"Great. I'll add a tracker into your sight for each of them. Let me get my iron, and let's take this place out." I said as I stepped out of the Quadra waving to Ichi who was parking just behind me, I went to the trunk of the Quadra, popping it open.
I really needed to do some work on this.
My trunk was a mess. Guns, and ammo, quite a bit of the ammo now loose and rattling around reached my eyes, and I noticed the weapon I was actually going for was stuck behind the big case my Uragan was resting in. Still needed to put that away. Temptation to use it was a bit too much for normal gigs.
I winced a bit. My Poor Nekomata was jammed behind the Uragan case as well. Okay tonight I was going to take a break from everything and organize my trunk space. This was embarrassing.
But I didn't grab my Nekomata, or Uragan. Instead I grabbed another weapon that would suit this fight.
I usually relied on my Burya, because of stealth, but if we were going to hit them hard, then I was going to use something that would keep up with me.
I pulled my Nokota D5 Copperhead out of the trunk. The assault rifle was something I had picked up at some point… Was it the first Scav raid? I wondered…
I couldn't remember!
I laughed to myself, I had collected so many weapons I had forgotten where half of them had even come from! I loaded up holding the rifle correctly, in a way that I would be able to quick-aim it monstrously fast if I needed, and then I turned to Jackie.
Jackie still just had his Nue.
"You want something a bit bigger?" I asked him, pointing at my trunk, but despite looking a little tempted he shook his head.
"This is my shooter, I won't need another for a group this small."
"Alright. Let's go then!" I said bouncing a little as I started moving towards the gate that blocked off the entrance.
The gate was locked, and I didn't even want to open it up yet considering how old it looked I'm sure it would be noisy.
Or trapped.
So I quickly leapt right over it, easily turning my leap into a front flip letting me land on the other side without a sound, as I fell to my knee, gun raised.
I felt so cool.
I did my best to ignore Jackie's grumbling as he clambered as quietly as he could over the fence.
It wasn't that quiet.
Thankfully the Scavs inside didn't notice. Once he landed with a thump beside me, I raced off towards the entrance. Rifle held to my chest as I kept low and reached the entrance. I knew from the cameras that no one was inside, but it was good practice to always double check, so I was peeking into the entrance and waving Jackie behind me as I moved in.
That and it felt cool to be all tactical about it.
Not that I was going to admit that to anyone.
The office was two stories, and the Scavs were set up on the second floor. The elevator of course would be too loud, but the stairwell was easy enough to reach, and their security wasn't exactly there to help them anymore.
I smiled as I tugged on the door and it opened, locks already disengaged.
"Nice work Hermanita." Jackie whispered and I threw him a smile as we headed up the stairs. Just for fun I leapt, touching the concrete wall of the stairwell and then bouncing up and over the stairs skipping the whole stairs problem. In just a moment I was at the second floor door, waiting for Jackie to follow me up at a much slower pace.
Okay, the Serano may just be the most 'fun' Cyberware I've installed. That included the Cyberdeck.
Cyberspace was fun, but jump good was cool.
"Alright Conejita, let's take it slow for poor Jackie." He whispered when he caught up, and I chuffed soundlessly at him. Even if I had no idea what Conejita meant. Then I blinked and I was looking through the camera that showed the other side of the door.
The Scav group was small, only six chooms.
I sent the data to Jackie watching him perk up as he could see the lines targeting each Scav shooting through the wall.
His surprised look turned into a dark smirk.
I nodded and then slammed into the door.
No stealth on this run.
This was a firepower run. Hadn't done this… Ever.
Rifle raised up I fired four rounds punching through the drywall and suddenly the light I had been using to aim winked out.
Shooting through walls was the best.
Jackie was moving Nue raised as he slammed into a door already firing at the gonk that was on the other side.
My Copperhead barked right alongside him.
While Jackie was rushing the entrance making a big noise my gun was just slamming rounds through the thin walls.
It was childsplay, and I enjoyed the noise of the alerts popping up in my head.
The actual fight only lasted a few moments. Between Jackie who killed two guys practically the moment he bum rushed the room proving he wasn't a joke as a solo at all, and then my rifle shooting through the walls the Scavs died without much fight.
"You okay Jackie?"
"Just a scrape Hermanita. Won't even need to see Vik. Got stopped by my jacket." He chuckled flexing his right bicep where a round had definitely nicked him.
I nodded pleased as I went through the area making sure we hadn't missed anyone. Only once did I need a double tap on a Scav that was trying to crawl away, leading a pool of blood behind him.
"All clear!" I called out, pleased at the whole thing.
I hadn't really needed Jackie, but it wasn't about needing help for this gig, it was about setting up a relationship.
This was the first time I had shown Jackie how useful it would be to have me on a gig.
I had setup the location. Got numbers and targeting data. Solved basically everything to get him right where he needed to be to do the most damage, and most importantly!
"Ready for us?" Ichi called out from the stairwell.
"Yeah come on up. I'll get the elevator working!" I called back to him, earning a confirmation in turn.
"So now what?" Jackie asked, looking around at the few crates of chrome that was now all ours.
"We wait around while Ichi and Malcolm load up. Just make sure no Scavs show up and ambush us, and then we go home, have a party, and let Hiromi sell the chrome, we get our cut and prep for the next gig." I told him and he blinked at me before laughing.
"You got yourself a nice little system then eh? Who registers the bounties?" He asked and I frowned confused.
"Bounties?"
"On the gonks? Most of these guys have a few hundred eddie in bounties you know?"
"Oh yeah… The bounties… That I totally register… with the NCPD… Right?" I winced as Jackie gave me a look.
Then he burst into laughter.
What!? I don't usually concern myself over a few hundred eddies! Plus you have to call the NCPD for that!
"You never registered bounties?"
"Nope. Well I called the NCPD once on a Scav den, but I was just letting them know there were bodies there. I delta'ed right after.
"Heh, jeeze, you clear out a Scav den in seconds, but then you go and say things like that. Reminds me you're still a kid." Jackie chuckled, but I wasn't laughing along with him.
Dammit. This was supposed to be my chance to show how useful I was!
I sighed and shook my head. At least I had my four alerts for XP to tide me over.
*500 XP Gained.*
*500 XP Gained.*
*500 XP Gained.*
*500 XP Gained.*
—--
To my surprise Jackie actually stuck around after we loaded everything up. He even helped out loading the chrome which went much faster with his strength. Thanks to his work we were done at lightning speed and on our way out of the den.
As we drove away Jackie made the calls to the NCPD bounty office, letting them know about the corpses, what they were up to, who they were, and that meat wagons would be needed.
Then as we dropped off the loot at the TC owned storage lot that was still under our control. Jackie still stuck around.
I was watching as Jackie joked with some of the TC enforcers hanging around getting laughs out of the entire group despite there being a large 'tino shaped Jackie in the middle of their turf.
"What's got you so focused?" Malcolm asked as he walked past me with an arm full of guns. Formerly Scav iron.
"Jackie. I expected the TC guys to be more aggressive about him."
"Well he did come in with you, and he's pretty friendly. Plus the fact he looks like he could take all of those guys at once means they probably don't want to cause problems."
"Yeah I guess, but I don't think they are afraid of him, they are just enjoying his banter." I chuckled as Jackie's story ended with him throwing his arms up to mimic an explosion and all the guards laughed. I just shook my head.
Jackie really was the type of guy to make friends with anyone.
"Alright Motoko! All done." Ichi said, walking up pushing the hand truck he had just unloaded into the storage unit.
"Jackie! We are all stored up!" I called over to the older man and he nodded to me, telling the guards one last joke as he walked through them and joined up.
"All done then huh kid?"
"Yep! Now we just need Hiromi to set up the sales, and Ichi and Malcolm will help haul stuff around. Thanks guys." I said turning to the two that had to haul heavy crates of stuff around, both scoffed and laughed at me.
"We have the easy part, you have to go flatline gonks. Want to hit the club tonight?" Ichi asked and I shrugged, but before I could say more Jackie was there.
"Of course little Chiko! Hermanita, how about you all come by the El Coyote eh? We didn't party together last time, but my Mama owns the Coyote, so why don't you three come by and we can celebrate!"
Malcolm and Ichi were already nodding, looking interested, but I was more surprised that Jackie actually invited me.
Well us.
But last time he hadn't been very interested in celebrating. We were just a bunch of teenagers after all.
"Sure Jackie. I'll come, you guys?"
"Yeah, always nice to celebrate on the boss's dime." Malcolm said specifically, throwing me a teasing look.
"Now, now Malcolm, Hiromi isn't here-Ow! Motoko!" Ichi grumbled rubbing his shoulder where I slugged him.
"I'm calling Hiromi and specifically telling her you guys are cut off from any alcohol on our tab." I threaten them hand on my hip and chrome finger wagging, with something that doesn't really exist, but both boys plays along and whined to me.
Jackie just laughed.
—--
El Coyote Cojo was a 'tino bar. As we all walked in I felt my nose wrinkle a little at the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke.
Just like most bars here in the city.
Gonna need some chrome lungs at some point just to avoid the second hand smoke.
"Nice place." Malcolm offered as he swaggered in and up to the bartender, who quirked an eyebrow at Malcolm walking up to look at the drink menu.
"Let me get a Diente Dorado. I'm not paying tonight after all!" He said choosing the most expensive drink on the menu.
As Ichi, Jackie and I walked up Jackie got a few calls from regulars and he was smiling and relaxed. This was his place after all. He settled into the seat. "Pepe! Take care of my little chooms alright?"
"Sure Jackie. Diente Dorado coming up."
I dope slapped Malcolm, but let him order his stupid drink that had literal gold flakes in it.
Probably tasted disgusting.
"I'll just get a soda. I think there was a Nicola machine over there." I told the boys, Malcolm and Ichi already familiar with my no alcohol thing.
"What? Hermanita you don't want a drink?" Jackie asked, surprised at my words.
"Yeah I don't like drinking." I told him as I slipped off the bar stool and wandered over to the back of the bar to get a drink.
It took me two tries to get one that I could drink.
NiCola Classic tasted like cough syrup. I was not someone who could recreationally drink cough syrup so that was an instant pass.
With a different flavor that I could stomach I joined the boys that were happy with their own drinks as Jackie was talking to Pepe about the gig.
"They all started screaming as I bashed in the door. I flatlined two of them right quick, but by then, the rest were already done. Chica could shoot them straight through the walls!"
"The walls were just drywall, it was an old office building, it wasn't anything spectacular anyone could have done it." I added as I took my seat, Pepe chuckling at the story as Jackie kept trying to hype it all up.
"What's all this?" A new voice called out and from the front came in a woman that I sort of recognized. Jackie's shout just confirmed it.
"Mama! Come meet my little chooms! I've told you about Motoko here already yeah? The girl is more dangerous with an iron than anyone would expect from a teenager, and these are her chooms, Malcolm and Ichi, good kids, they helped gather up all the eddies!" Jackie said with a boisterous laugh.
"Oh this is the girl that works with Wakako?" Mama Welles asked as she looked me over.
I waved a little from around my soda.
"My little chooms. This is Mama Welles, the owner of El Coyote, and my Mama." Jackie said leaning back against the bar.
"Well if you are chooms with my Jackie, you are all welcome here. Pepe don't overcharge them yeah?"
"You got it." The bartender offered with a nod.
"You've been doing work with my Jackie?" The woman asked me and I nodded, throwing up a thumbs up.
"Yeah. We both go to the same ripper, and Jackie wanted work with Wakako, who I already work for! So I asked Wakako if we could do some gigs together to see if we click. I've been looking for someone with a more aggressive look. Can't rightly intimidate some gonks if you are half their size." I deadpanned waving my arms at myself.
Mama Welles laughed a little. "The one thing god gave my chico was an intimidating frame." The woman offered nodding along.
"What! Mama, god also gave me my baby blues, and a sweet voice yeah?"
"Of course dear." Mama Welles agreed without doing anything of the sort. I snorted into my drink as Jackie was teased by his mother.
This was nice.
Still wasn't sure it was a bar I would want to relax at all the time, but then again. I wasn't really interested in bars in the first place.
—-
We hung around El Coyote for a while drinking and swapping stories, it was nice.
Jackie felt a lot more accepting of me now, and I was tempted to ask what had changed. The last time we finished a gig he hadn't been interested in celebrating, but now he was.
So maybe I had finally reached a point he felt I was worth being friends with?
I didn't know, and I didn't want to ask because that just felt a little weird.
Still I drove home, gig complete and feeling pretty good about murdering some more Scavs.
I had some time, no gigs set up for the next while. Other than helping Hiromi sell even more of our chrome, I had nothing else planned.
So it was time to play!
I rushed into the door only to stop because Jun was home, and he wasn't alone.
"Ah! Look Jun your cute little sister finally came home. How terrible to leave her big brother all alone at home!"
"Akari you were here the whole time." Jun grumbled as he sat on the couch to my surprise he was on a laptop that wasn't mine, and reading something.
"Hey Jun, what's Akari doing here?"
"Rude." The borg grumbled and her narrowed eyes told me she was probably going to stab me at some point tonight.
"Akari failed to finish a task for Fujimura-Sama, so I'm- Ow."
"Don't tell her that! Just tell her you are helping me!" Akari hissed after stabbing Jun with her pointy feet.
"Akari fucked up and I'm helping."
"That's even worse!"
"Okay." I chirped, deciding to ignore that entirely. Unfortunately Akari was taking up my spot on the couch, it wasn't like the apartment was big enough for so much sitting room. Grumbling I went into my room and got more comfortable taking off my boots and collecting some things I would need before heading out.
Jun was still working while Akari fucked around, not helping…
"Jun do you need help?"
My brother looked up slowly from the laptop, his eyes a little blood shot which was impressive cause those weren't natural eyes, but his optics.
"Yes, please."
"Hey! I'm helping!"
"Yes I need help thank you Motoko." Jun repeated, ignoring Akari.
"Okay." I said, then because it was fun. I leapt doing a flip and landing on the back of the couch behind Jun and Akari. Both borgs jerked at my sudden move but Jun relaxed with what I could tell was a roll of his eyes even if I couldn't see them anymore as Akari slowly lowered her feet. I rested against Juns back, my chin on his head as I looked at what he was working on.
"Budget report?"
"Akari is supposed to be watching over a business for Fujimura-Sama."
"I am! I took out three guys that were stealing!" The woman whined.
"She didn't do the paperwork." Jun said grumbling as he continued looking over the budget reports.
"Dot." I spouted gibberish, pointing at a number that wasn't right, Jun looked it over sighed and quickly fixed it before continuing down the file. "Why did Fujimura give this gig to Akari if she can't do it?"
"Ugh. Don't say it like that! I can do it! I just… Didn't!"
"She was supposed to learn about the company and get better at management, improve her usefulness to Fujimura-Sama."
"Okay you are ignoring everything I'm saying, and I get you're siblings, but it's starting to piss me off."
We continued to ignore Akari as she grew irritated.
"Okay I know you guys didn't go through 200 lamps. So I'm guessing this is drugs here?" I asked, pointing at some of the numbers that were obviously off.
"I can't confirm." Jun said with a motion that had me rolling along with his shrug.
"Okay well. I'm sorry to say Jun-Nii, I don't have the experience to help you with this one." I inform him, patting him on the head as I stand up and with a quick leap land back on the apartment floor.
"Thanks." He grumbles and I couldn't help but giggle. He was trying to help his choom, but sometimes you gotta let your chooms live with their mistakes.
Instead I reached over and grabbed my laptop and music box.
I really wanted to finish this stupid thing!
I popped open the laptop and started programming, doing my best to ignore Akari doing everything in her power to get attention.
Two days. Of programming and I was…
Done.
My music box, or at least the code was ready. I just needed to finish putting it all together.
I flopped back onto the couch and just groaned. You would think coding something like this would take less time than a Quick Hack, and in some ways you would be right, but this was sorta… Complicated. A quick hack only did one thing, this box needed to be flexible.
I ran through my head what parts I would need and that list started to grow.
But it would be worth it. This was my pet project. Sure it was a glorified toy, but it was important for me to finish it anyways.
I got up to get dressed, stopped and realized I hadn't showered in…
Okay so it's been two days. I wince as I was very thankful that Jun hadn't noticed. If he thought I wasn't taking care of myself he would be upset.
I took a quick shower, and then realized I really needed to eat.
Okay downside to be constantly inspired. I was gonna have to start setting alarms if I was going to code anything.
I finished getting dressed and headed downstairs. Meatstick stall guy was outside the apartment like usual and I ended up devouring a few of them before I felt better. Now that I was properly taken care of. It was time to get back to it.
To finish the box I really needed some specific supplies. I headed out driving to the music shop I had bought my guitar from.
As I walked in the first few chords of Never Fade Away played above me.
Something that still made me chuckle a bit. Johnny would be rolling in his digital grave if he realized that Samurai were practically corporate jingles now.
I walked right through the many instruments laying around until I found what I needed.
A synth keyboard.
I popped my personal link into the slot to check if it had everything I needed.
"You obviously know what you want." A voice called out and I looked up to see the sales person. The guy looked like a forty year old rocker stuffed into a corporate uniform.
His bushy beard completely covered the lanyard with his name on it.
"Yeah, just checking the code to see if this is the one I need."
"Oh? Looking to make some digital music huh?"
"I just need to replicate a lot of different instruments." I offered and he nodded before pointing above me.
"If you want a wide selection you want the Digi-tizer. The E-Numeral you are looking at, has a real wonky brass selection." He offered pointing to another Synth.
"Oh. Thanks." I muttered pulling out of the synth and moving to the next, after a few checks including running a few riffs on the keyboard because I had the ability and it was fun I nodded. He was right. The Brass notes sounded better.
"Damn. Was that Chippin In? Rare to see a kid these days know the classics." He said and I just smiled with a shrug.
"Samurai were good. Johnny might be a bit of a bastard, but he knew his music."
"Hah! Spoken like a true Rockerboy. You lookin to take the Digi?"
"Yeah, I'll take it. Thanks. I'll take that amp and a few bits and bobs as well. You guys don't happen to have a holo emitter?"
"Oh? Looking to make some bitchin visuals too? Unfortunately not. Instruments and supplies only, but I know the place my band bought one. Just don't tell the bosses I told you to buy from them." He said with a wink and I laughed at that, and made the promise.
—--
Back home I was taking up 90% of the couch, and 100% of the table as I worked everything together.
The synth had a personal link port, so with the coding of that, and literally ripping the instrument apart and hooking it into my music box, I now had the ability to play just about any instrument purely through my link.
To save size, I kept the speaker, and amp as separate items, but there was another thing I needed to hook directly into the system
Three holographic display emitters.
They were a cool piece of tech, a lot of places used holographic TVs, the tech was well used, and it didn't take me long to hook them into the music box, a bit of soldering a bit of fitting things together, a bit of adjustment to the power links and they were in.
Once I finished it, I sat back enjoying the alert telling me I got a few blips of XP for my Tech Attribute. But not a level up.
I really needed to work with tech more. It was too useful to ignore.
But I ignored that because it was done!
Well part of it anyways.
The code was complete.
The hardware was put together.
But now I had to actually create what I wanted using what I had.
First thing, I went into my room and dressed up. Brushed my hair. Did some makeup, which took a while because I hadn't exactly practiced doing any makeup since I woke up. But I managed it. Making my eyes pop a little. Wearing a clean leotard and even cleaned up my jacket before slipping into it.
Okay then I went back out and had the music box actually record what I looked like. Standing still as the emitter slowly ran a scan over me. Creating a 3d image of myself, that it could add into whatever holographic display I wanted it to show.
Of course right around then I realized I would need images of the instruments as well.
Dammit.
I rushed back to the music shop. Carrying in my music box, I ended up dropping a couple hundred eddies, to the music shop guy to let me take scans with all the instruments, particularly the best quality, or coolest looking ones.
—--
Once more back in the apartment I was ready to start my first test.
I decided on a song and went to work. Plugged my personal link into the music box, and started with the most important part.
The music.
With my guitar in my hands mostly just to let my hands play over the notes, I started recording a track.
The sound of the guitar played back into my head sounded great, any error was easy to cut the correct chord back in, and I was off. Finishing the song with the guitar without any issue. I had played it a few times with just that already.
Then I switched to drums. Mentally creating the track. Using the Synth to recreate the noise of the drums as I played through the song adding in the drums to the guitar track.
Something I couldn't do without all my Rockerboy knowledge. I had never touched a drum set before outside of playing around in a past life, or while getting scanned in this one, yet I knew exactly how to use the Synth to create a digital track. What notes and how to get the sound right. It all flowed together.
Then I had to stop and do some work on creating unique sounds because some of the sounds used in the song weren't instrumental, I had to use my own programming skill to alter the Synths programming even further, to give me the ability to create entirely new sounds. Sounds that had only existed in my head.
Again and again, I played through the song until I had every beat sounding as perfect as I remember thanks to Perfect Musical Memory.
Guitar, drums, electronic, even the ending roaring vocals I managed myself. Every sound of the song pulled together completely from my brain, through a machine interface.
I loved the future.
And it was all silent as a grave outside my brain.
As I put the song together no neighbor heard it. It was just for me, and me alone.
—--
I hid behind my new stack of mess on the table when Jun came home, purposefully pretending I wasn't able to see his judgemental look as I continued to put the display for the song together.
I ignored him when he came out later as well, as I was still editing the holographic display to match up.
I was watching a visual of what it would show on the laptop as I edited it mostly with my neural connection which was really really tough, but as long as I took it really slow, I could get better accuracy than going through it by hand.
The three emitters would all have their own image to display, and the track was finished, both with the guitar track baked in, and one without. Just in case I wanted to do a live play of the song.
And slowly it all came together.
Holographic tech was old hat to Cyberpunk. With my own computer skill it only took me a few hours to fill in the seven minute track.
Then finally it was ready. A single program with a completed version of a song that I recreated. Every note, every sound, every roar just how it was in my head.
I sat back blinking, realizing what I had just completed. That my music box was finally… Finally done. That it was working and everything was how it should be.
But I was way too hyped up to not do something. I stood up but stillled, unfortunately I was too embarrassed to just go out and start playing!
People would see me!
So I decided to fall back on my usual solution when I felt an urge to move.
Murder!
When I sold my debugging services to the netrunners, my trade had been knowledge on Scavs. Locations, holdouts, favorite bars.
Anything.
Everything.
Whatever they had.
While not all of them had direct Scav den locations. A few did.
Sure I could wait for my chooms… But it was late… Well early, the sun would be coming up soon.
But they might notice I was being weird! No one can know! If it goes bad the Scavs will all be dead anyways!
So I popped a shard into the music box, recording a copy of the song, quickly took a moment to etch the name of the song onto the shard, and went to grab some gear.
Considering the nature of the song…
My Carnage was selected. I didn't use a shotgun often enough. I loaded one of my attachable pockets full of shells and looked around… What else could I take?
Katana was an option and I considered it. But I had to shake my head. It would be a little more finessey than I was going for tonight. This music wasn't sword fight music, not unless you were carrying a greatsword or something.
Another time. Another song.
I did reach over into the medkit that I had been putting together from stuff I've collected. I grabbed all the MaxDocs I had and stuffed them all over the place, hooking them into whatever place I could. I was looking for a brutal fight tonight. Had to make sure I would walk away in the end.
I stepped out of my room right into Jun, who reached out and put a hand on my Carnage to stop me.
"Motoko?"
"Yes, this is Motoko?"
"What are you doing?"
I opened my mouth to answer and didn't have a good enough answer.
"Murder?"
He frowned at me. "Details."
"I know of a Scav den, I'm gonna go murder them… I uh, finished a song so I wanted to do a BD of me murdering a bunch of Scavs while I rocked out to it… It's gonna be cool." I explained trying to get away but Jun wasn't having it.
"That's… Motoko you are the weirdest person I know… I'm coming with."
"No way!" I denied instantly. "It could be embarrassing! You can't come."
"Motoko you aren't hitting a Scav den without backup."
"Why? I usually do!"
"You usually have your chooms with you… I don't even know how you keep finding these dens, they are usually hidden."
"Internet." I said smiling dopily at being able to pull out an old meme.
Jun didn't get it.
"Why don't you call your chooms then?" He argued and I grumbled, I had already explained that I didn't want them to see!
"Fine! I'll call in Ichi and Malcolm after I'm done to loot everything down. Now you don't have to follow me." My perfect reasoning delivered I moved to step around him.
He didn't accept my reasoning.
—--
"This is so embarrassing." I muttered as I parked the Quadra in the parking area for Megabuilding H11.
"I'm just here to make sure you don't get in over your head." Jun told me completely uncaring about how much I whined at him that I didn't need supervision while murdering Scavs.
"I called Ichi and Malcolm. They'll help!"
"You said you didn't want to call them in until afterwards. I don't want you in a firefight without someone to back you up. It's common sense Motoko… The fact you are so skilled and keep forgetting that is gonk brain shit." He grumbled at me. "You want me to trust you to fight, I do. But that doesn't mean you skip basic shit."
I huffed, but didn't really have a response to that.
Fucking Jun. Using common sense and shit on me.
I don't want common sense. I want action!
Whatever. I was a badass merc! Jun babying me would be water over my back!
I stepped out of the car and did the same thing I had done the last time I hit a Scav den in a megabuilding.
I found an elevator and went up to the floor above the one that I had been told was the den. Jun followed me around much to my irritation.
When I was there I circled the floor, searching for the usual signs, and while there weren't a bunch of emptied apartment buildings like there had been in the last one, they still had a whole section of the building cut off with trash and refuse.
"That's them." I told Jun as I pointed to the corner section of the building. This late at night the whole thing was bathed in red light and shadows, but it was still obvious where the Scavs lived.
"Sure you don't need any help?" He asked, sounding more vicious than usual, but I shook my head.
This was my murder, get your own!
"Just sit tight and watch." I told him instead, poking a finger into his side that he slapped away.
Then I focused, first I knelt down, and could just see a camera the Scavs had set up. As usual they loved putting up their little security system. Too bad they sucked at it.
My eyes blazed as I breached into the camera, nearly instantly slipping through the ICE and then moving through the security system.
There were four cameras hooked up around the place. None of them showed the actual ripper room, but that was just common sense. But one of the Scavs could be seen, resting on an old couch as he smoked a cigarette, and watched TV.
I pinged him, letting the program unspool and slowly slip through the Scavs system to all of his buddies.
I smirked as the group all highlighted in my vision.
Okay. There were quite a few of them. This was a big den, and it was late.. Or early. So I guess they were mostly here resting.
It didn't matter. I was already in their system. Weapon Glitch was prepared. My personal version of Weapon Glitch had been completed, and was ready for its baptism.
The war will soon begin.
I smiled. I was ready. I shushed Jun and waved him a bit away before closing my eyes. When I opened my eyes it would be go time. What was the movie term? A single take? I was going to clear this Scav den in slightly less than seven minutes the song would last. No fuckups would be tolerated. This was going to be pure adrenaline if I did it right!
I smirked to myself. Hopefully the Scavs could last long enough.
Then I exhaled ice.