" Fuck! Fuuuuuck! That bitch ripped it off! Hurry up you bastards! " - guy in expensive suit kept screaming.
" Captain I see at least 20 tangos and few cars. We can't stay here any longer! They will definitely call for back up!." - I quickly said in my comm while trying to not get shot from few doped bodybuilders with heavy machine guns.
" Hold your position. Jorg is almost done with lady and Sam have stabilised second client. I have highlighted priority targets try to kill as many of them as you can otherwise take off will be rough."
" Acknowledged" - quick side glance and Smart Link got marked priority targets.
Ok. Now or never. I quickly aimed my SMG at made 2 short burst. I heard few screams which quickly changed with sound of bullets hitting concrete wall that I used as a shield.
" Cap, I am pinned here. Gonna use smokes and EMP here. Be ready on count 3" - using mag stripe to hold the rifle I quickly got two grenades. First goes smoke to create a hindrance. Second to jam some of their portable turrets and grill unlucky bastards implants.
"1...2...3 Now!" - quick throw of smoke grenade everyone starts firing at smoke screen in hope to get me. But I just wait till bullets stop hitting my concrete shield wall. Finally, I try to remember to find good place to land EMP grenade. This time I tried to throw it parabolically to land behind enemy cover and as close as possible to turrets.
" Brace for impact" - I shout counting time till EMP strike.
With zapping sound enemy turrets went offline while enemies started screaming in pain or anger, depending on level of their luck. That's good opportunity to kill as many of them as possible.
I get out of my cover and start firing non-stop till magazine is empty which gets quickly replaced thanks to Automatic reloading system. I was able to empty two magazines before enemies recovered and unleashed hail of bullets at me. I could feel the vibrations of every bullet hitting the wall behind me with my back. Feels like a I am sitting on those masseuse chairs in airports.
From such strange though in the middle of a firefight I chuckled.
" Stop laughing Berkut. We are almost done. Prepare for quick evac under high intensity firefight." - Ron's voice in comms quickly made me get back into serious mood. But I couldn't resist from saying inside my head - No shit Sherlock. I can feel all the intensity here with back and ass.
" To Trauma Team Alpha Bravo 07 we have another high priority coverage client requiring immediate evac. According to readings condition of client is critical. You are the only one close enough to make it within 2-3 minutes requirement. Client is 56 meters, update 60 meters away from and keeps moving further from your position." - dispatchers message made me curse. We have just managed to recover two clients and now we have to go deeper into enemy territory and the worst part of it that now we are going into Voodoo Boys turf. We have just survived repelled Animals and now to deal with another gang. Great for first shift and great start of my career.
" Fucking amazing. Ok the plan is the following. Pilots start taking off with medics and provide as with air support. Me and Berkut will go after our client. I turn on our trackers and targeting device. Berkut with this crap I cannot use my main weapon so this time you will act as vanguard and I will highlight targets for flyboys. Prepare to dash after I throw few smoke grenades. Clear?!" - Rob quickly come up with a plan and start assigning roles.
" Roger" - we all replied and I started waiting for order to run. Few loud bangs followed with hissing sound and I heard - " Run Berkut now" via comms.
While dashing towards an alley I have felt something hitting my back. I almost fall down but managed to keep running and slide on my knees like in CoD into the nearest alley.
" Good job Berkut. We have broken contact with those bastards. Our rally point is 30 meters further on a west. Regroup there and we start search for client."
" Can dispatcher keep track of our client. It was mentioned something about increasing distance last time." - I replied running towards rally point.
" Let me check. Now keep running I be there in 10 seconds." - Ron replied.
Few moments of running with all the heavy equipment made me start sweating a bit but finally I made it to rally point. Following standard practice I went to nearest observation point with good cover.
Just when I wanted to start moving towards vintage point I heard quick steps behind my back. I automatically prepared to fire at possible tango when I realised it is Ron.
" Dispatcher said that tracker is on but target is now somewhere 200-300 meters on the west north."
" They are probably waiting for pick up cause main road is not so far away from here if I remember correctly."
" Yeah, so we have to hurry up. Time to use stims."
" I hate that crap. After my blood stops burning from it my intestines start burning afterwards."
" Stop bitching around and inject army's favourite soup."
" Aye, aye."
I opened small pouch with few stims and quickly injected one of them right into my neck. I start feeling energy bursting inside of me and urge to move.
Without wasting anymore time we started chasing our target. One minute of combat run and we saw a half a dozen dudes carrying a guy in expensive fur coat.
" No time to call for air support and we may shoot the client so only smarts this time."
" Wait. Look some cars are coming here."
" Motherf.....I am calling our flyboys to crash them down. But still we have to make it quick. Grab the client and run back here. This is our evac point now. Do you have flashbangs?"
" Only one left and frag grenade."
" Shove that fucking frag up your ass. Now let's get going, flyboys are ready to wreck havoc on cars."
I have nodded and started highlighting targets for smart weapon.
" Throw flashbang and then cover me while I go and pick up a client and bring him here."
No more words needed and after reaching 20 meters I throw flashbang and give command to seal the helmet. Screen goes dark and sound sensors are in safe mode.
Loud bang for enemies and almost unnoticeable pop sound for me. Well time to take them all down. Few quick bursts and most of them down, except one nifty guy in long leather jacket and dreadlocks. He made it to concrete pavement road wall. Ron run as fast as possible and was only few meters away from client. But whilst carrying him, he will be in a very vulnerable state so I kept shooting hoping to win him enough time to fall back.
One mag, two mag, three mag. Shit, I am almost out of ammo for my main weapon. Luckily Ron reached evac zone and flyboys stopped mowing down enemy cars with their machine guns. Time to get the hell out of here.
I start running back when I sense how my cyberware start acting weird. Fuck, that Voodoo cunt managed to hack into my cyberware.
" Ron, my brains getting fried up, netrunner is here. Need help."
" Keep running I am gonna initiate countermeasures protocol once I can reach you."
I have felt how my head is going to explode and implants felt like metal rods getting heated up to magma degree.
I saw aerodyne but then my legs went limp and I just fall down. Next few seconds were slow agony moments for me that felts like hours. But all of sudden I was able to move normal and felt ok except for slide headache.
" Berkut get back in here. We have already wasted too much time." - Ron's voice was like god's ordering me from heavens.
Sprinting at my maximum speed I quickly hopped into aerodyne.
" All in! Lets get the hell out of here."
Aerodyne started roaring and I kept breathing trying to recover from netrunners attack.
" Thanks Ron. But I haven't known that you are netrunner yourself." - I thanked Ron for saving my ass.
" Hahaha. I am too rigid to be netrunner. It was Sam who got rid of hacks, viruses and other shit that Voodoo Boy used on you while I made a good shot from our emergency anti-netrunner device." - he pointed at Tsunami Ashura sniper rifle.
" Yeah, quite a fitting name for device that can reach bastard even half a mile away behind steel wall."
" Now let's get our clients to hospital."
" YOU BASTARDS GET FRANCOIS OUT OF THE HANDS OF THAT BITCH! " - client yelled and I wondered what the fuck happened and who is Francois.
" We can't do it here. Her implants got damaged and jammed. If we try to do to something here your genitals may get crashed into pulp. Please wait till we arrive to hospital. There they can safely extract it and bring it back to you." - Jorg calmly explained while making almost invisible quick shot of tranquilisers. Client went silent and now we could relax for a bit.
" Yo Jorg. What happened with them."
" Idiot asked his colleague to give him a hand job while watching a fight. But she got a bit excited and squeezed a too much. Moron panicked and used hidden taser on her. Her implant got damaged while she fell unconscious. But the problem is that she still had his thingy in her grip and while falling down she ripped it off. And Francois is name of his little pecker. While you were getting another client I had to listen how to important is he for him and that I must no matter what save it and put it back where it belongs." - my jaw just went downwards. So all this commotion that caused firefight was due to two idiots having extra fun?!!
Damn I hate corporates. I have though that rich kids in uni were one hell of degenerates but this world shows me new records of stupidity and candidates for Darwin's award.
" What about our last client. Any info about him?"
" Not him, rather her. She is famous drag queen Londa Iron Ass. She was also amongst the guests but today for unknown reason she went in incognito without her sidekicks and bodyguards. I guess she made something stupid to bring ire of Voodoo Boys. She is famous for her sharp tongue and ability to get her ass into a lot of trouble. But usually she makes it out." - Jorg kept speaking while injecting micro doses of tranqs to our hand job victim.
" Well this time her Iron Ass had some extra holes and few dents. Hey can you check my back. I had felt a hit." - I laughed at this situation.
" Yeah no probs. I will charge you just 50 percent above the average." - Jorg smiled and took out a combat knife and acted as if it was a lancet.
" Bastards, you know that I will earn only half of standard pay until I get rid of debt and still charge me for that?!!" - I started getting angry at his price list.
" Ok I will give you 0.50% discount on my services." -- he said with such tone as if he is offering something highly valuable.
" Screw you. I better do it myself I saw how to do it in Internet."
" Haha, good luck. I will visit your grave and take a piss on it. Then I will add a little text saying - dumb idiot that trusted internet videos."
" Arrrgh, I will just wait till get back to base. Shift is almost over anyways." - I turned to Ron who was just smiling at our trash talk.
" Ron, our time in paradise is over. To be honest I prefer sinful Night City than this place."
" Not only you. But I am sure we will be back here again in a month or even less."
" I want to retort on that but my gut feeling tells me you are right."
" Yeah, also congratulations on your first shift. You did good there today."
" Thanks. Now I just wanna see my paycheck."
" Hahah, you are really becoming true Trauma Team member."
I just smiled at him and looked at Pacifica at dawn. What a beautiful and yet horrible place. But the same goes for the rest of a Night City. Beauty and the Beast of modern world.