"I don't fucking know," Sora retorted with the same expression before changing to a lighter and more animated tone. "At least I managed to wake her up!"
"I don't know if that's been a good thing," Eran said ironically, grateful to be in the infirmary as he injected a sedative into his arm, near the four slashes. Then, he took a tranquilizer and tossed it to Morgan, who injected it into one of the few exposed areas on Gear.
Sora didn't have time to say anything, thinking it wouldn't have any effect due to the cyberware installed in Gear's body: Blood Pump, Universal Booster, and Second Heart, which would neutralize any "harmful" substance instantly.
However, to his surprise, Gear stared at the tranquilizer stuck in her body for a moment before attempting to finish off Jackie, threatening and calling him Wrench one last time before the tranquilizer took effect... although it shouldn't.
"Hmm..?." Sora hesitated, watching Gear unconscious as he and Morgan held her by the arms.
"Are you okay, Eran?" Morgan asked as they brought Gear back to bed.
"Yeah, I'm fine... and you, kid, still in one piece." Eran asked back.
"Yes, how's Gear? What happened to her? Why does she confuse me with... her damn father?" Jackie asked with his pupils shaking, slowly rising from the floor, still recovering from his wounds.
"A Cybersicosis attack?" Eran said aloud, causing a general silence, after the night they had.
"What!?" Eran exclaimed, to the dissenting looks of Sora and Morgan. "According to you, the psychopaths you face aren't the Cybersicosis we know. With all the Chromo she's carrying, plus against her will. With everything that's happened, it may have taken a toll on her brain...
It's documented that during Cybersicosis attacks, the individual's perception is altered..." Eran speculated on why Gear mistook Jackie for Wrench, as he disinfected and closed the wounds on his arm with a small console from the infirmary.
"We won't know until I examine her... Jackie, it's better if you accompany Eran. He needs rest. I'll let you know when I find out something," said Sora with his face uncovered, believing that Jackie's presence could be counterproductive.
Jackie didn't care about Sora's identity; he was only internally surprised by how young he seemed, taking his words with some reluctance as he didn't want to distance himself from Gear again.
Seeing Jackie's hesitation, Morgan added, "Come on, kid, I need a drink, and you could use one too. Let him handle it; he woke her up, didn't he?"
Once everyone left, Sora approached Gear's bed where she supposedly rested. He sat on one of the nearby stools, lit a cigarette, and let the smoke spiral into the still air of the room. After taking a deep drag, he broke the silence with his calm voice.
"Jackie has left; you can wake up now," he said aloud, not believing for a second in the effectiveness of the tranquilizer.
Sora's statement hung in the air until Gear, unable to open her eyes without eyelids, let her multiple cybernetic lenses shine with an intense red, breaking the silence.
Without saying a word, they shared a look that replaced unasked questions. Despite the lack of visible eyes and the loss of facial expressiveness due to cybernetic modifications, Gear had effectively conveyed her emotions without saying a word. After a moment, Sora inhaled deeply, exhaling forcefully.
"So, you want to distance him from you, making him think you're crazy?" Sora asked after taking another puff on his cigarette.
"Have you seen my face?... or at least what's left of it. What future would I have with him?" Gear asked rhetorically, mixing hatred and contempt as she looked at her mutilated and altered body with metal. "It may be tough for him, but it's better this way. Although I'm grateful that you helped me, you shouldn't have... I can't give him a future anymore. He'll be better off without me," Gear said, her metallic voice resonating in the room.
She expressed her sincere thoughts as her metallic hand rested and clawed resentfully the lower part of her chromed stomach, where her... used to be....
Sora remained silent, aware of Gear's cyberware and the parts that had been replaced. Struggling, but understanding Gear's intention to distance herself from Jackie, disgusted by her body that couldn't bear a child for the person she loved.
"My grandmother usually says that everything, except death, has a solution... You've been screwed, I get it, but don't you think you're rushing things? Gear, what you need is a body that you don't hate every time you see it."
"So your solution is... more Chrome?" Gear inquired, raising her tone, her claws digging into the bed frame in response to the Mercenary's frivolous words.
Regardless of Gear's almost violent tone, Sora added, "Sure, a full Gemini conversion, with your original face, and you're good to go, new body, problem solved."
Somewhat disgusted by the idea of more... Chrome... Gear replied, "Are you serious? Do you know what I've lost? No! What they've taken from me. Do you think a cold metal body solves it? I wanted to live a life with Jackie; I wanted to be the mother of his children. I wanted to grow old with him," Gear exclaimed, without eyes to shed tears, only raising her metallic tone to express the emotions she felt.
With a serious tone and staring into her lenses, Sora replied, "So what's the alternative, huh? To die? To wait and be forgotten? It's true that with a chromed body, you won't be able to grow old with him or carry your child within you, but at least you'll be with him when he needs you. Jackie, after this, will become a mercenary, and he'll most likely get into trouble in the future. Whether you continue with him or not after this is none of my business, but if you truly love Jackie, live, don't disappear from his life, recover, and be there when he needs you."
Gear was surprised by the Mercenary's words... 'Why did he care about her or Jackie?' Although she couldn't find a plausible answer to the lingering question, she couldn't help but let his words influence her enough to consider the idea of full conversion or at least part of a conversion, not wanting to lose more of her original body.
"Do you know the cost of those things? Besides, not all minds can handle a body like that."
"After everything you've been through, after having this conversation and hearing your plans with Jackie... Gear, I think you have 'humanity' to spare, and about the price... you haven't realized yet, but you have something very valuable inside you."
"What are you talking about?" Gear asked, not understanding what the mercenary was referring to.
"I mean, with the city as it is, I'm sure there's a corporation willing to pay you an exorbitant amount for the information on the master you have in your head."
"Ah..." Gear exclaimed, understanding it.
Seeing that she had caught on, Sora added, "Exactly. So, shoot? What do you know about the bastard?"
-
15 minutes later, on the dark, poorly lit street in front of the Malarions Arms headquarters.
"Are you serious?" inquired a dark-haired man, a whitish streak showing his age, hands in the pockets of his long black coat that concealed his weapons.
"According to her, yes," replied the person beside him, wearing a helmet with a front illuminated by a simple animation of fine blue and red lines cascading down, paling in comparison to the bright blue stripes resembling eyes on the helmet. As he crouched down and nailed his black hand into the nearby sewer.
"Why does it have to be us? Where's Frost and the rest?" Morgan responded after catching a whiff of the odor emanating from the open sewer, having had enough with the landfill and now, on the same night, having to venture into the sewers.
"They can't come for several reasons. First, it's part of the information Gear has to sell to Night Corp, so I don't want them to know anything. And second, because they can't; apparently, the entire underground is private property."
"Hm?"
"Night Corp's property. They can't enter, even with an emergency exception, or they could lose their badges. And we can't sell Gear's information without verifying it first... what's the matter, Morgan, don't you want to help the girl?"
"Tch... damn it."
"And you're telling me. Come on, after you."
"Are you kidding, kid?"
"It's your job, remember?"
"It's your information!"
"..."
"..."
The reluctance of both became apparent after an instant of staring at each other.....
"Rock, paper, scissors..."
"Rock, paper, scissors..."
Both used their black cybernetic arms at full capacity, smoke emanating from them due to the speed at which they moved their fingers. They even used their Sandervistas, resulting in a chaotic rock, paper, and scissors game, where they kept changing the position of their fingers at lightning speed, reacting to each other's previous moves.
"Those idiots..." As they decided who would be the first to enter, Eran, watching them from the rooftop, insulted them while taking a swig from his flask.
Eran watched as Morgan, after complaining that 'the kid' had cheated, entered first, followed by Sora. Shortly after, a smile formed on Eran's face as he began to hear a beautiful symphony. It was a result of his two creations singing a duet, in the hands of their rightful owner.
The harmonious moment was abruptly disrupted by the insults of the two bozos that have just entered. Cursing the foul smell of the sewer as they battled a dozen Empties lying in wait. After the sound of the final gunshot, signaling the end of the fight, several minutes of silence ensued, capturing Eran's attention.
Until a tremor shook the street, followed shortly by more gunshots that grew clearer and louder as they approached the open sewer grate.
Eran tensed up as he saw Morgan and Sora quickly emerging from the sewer, pointing their weapons in alarm at the small circular entrance they had just exited. The tremors intensified enough to catch the attention of Max Tac inside the building, prompting them to take the elevator and head to the rooftop.
Before they could inquire about what was happening, the five followed Eran's fixed gaze. Instantly, the tremors focused on the sewer from which Sora and Morgan were starting to shoot and release the grenades Eran had allowed them to take from the armory.
However, the noise and tremors didn't cease. The sewer exit began to swell, and the asphalt around it tore as if something massive were trying to emerge. The ground couldn't withstand the violent impacts from below, collapsing and filling the area with smoke, forcing Sora and Morgan to move away to avoid being swallowed.
As they moved, they witnessed something large with multiple legs, converging like a gigantic metal spider with an intimidating green light, shining through the smoke. It carried a massive cannon on its back, its mouth emerging from the smoke with multiple legs extending from the large hole in the middle of the street.
Sora's eyes widened under his helmet as he identified the shape of the imposing machine emerging from the sewers - a Militech Chimera, a relic of the Unification War. However, it had been repaired and heavily modified, with damaged parts replaced by scrap, such as two of its legs or the giant cannon, much larger than the original version.
As the smoke cleared, they could see how turret arms had been attached to each reverse joint of its six legs. The six weapons aimed at Sora and Morgan, simultaneously marking them as enemies with an intimidating green light.
They began firing, evenly dividing the six cannons on their legs, three for each of them. Sora and Morgan were forced to keep moving, as any cover they used quickly lost integrity against the endless succession of gunfire, whether it was vehicles, concrete columns from other buildings, or large metal waste containers.
From the rooftop, the astonished members of Max Tac quickly boarded the AV, piloted by Tech from his helmet, assisted by autopilot. Tech, witnessing the signal shared by the Av's front cameras, could not help but exclaim:, "Oh, shit..." As the Chimera's gigantic cannon pointed directly at them upon takeoff.
The cannon projectile's force pierced through Max Tac's AV on the rooftop, pushing Eran against the [Malorian Arm] building's billboard structure. Simultaneously, the impact sent the AV plummeting directly toward the street and the Chimera that had taken them down.
Despite the crisis, Frost's team reacted as best they could. When they were close to the ground, Blitz grabbed Tech's vest and jumped with the rest of the team from the AV before it crashed. All five fell rapidly onto the street, stunned by the fall and without anything to cover them. They could do nothing as the Chimera's cannon targeted them again and fired in a trajectory that would cause the most casualties.
Unable to move, feeling Blitz and Tech's presence behind her, Melissa crossed her mantis blades, hoping that before her imminent death, she could deflect the projectile enough to save them. In the last moment, though mad, Melissa strengthened her resolve in the face of her impending death...
Before it arrived(The Death), someone else did. In front of Melissa's eyes appeared the same back that thrilled her when she saw it fighting against Smasher, with his jacket fluttering due to the speed at which he had been moving.
So much so that he had to brake by planting his boots in the ground and tilting the rest of his body to the opposite side while grabbing the sheath and hilt of his sword. At the moment the cannon projectile entered the range of his sword, Melissa saw the Mercenary pull the trigger of his sheath, causing his blade to shoot out enveloped in electricity, before becoming blurry and bright, and then disappearing from her view despite using her Sandevista.
The sword became visible for an instant, followed by a trail of blue light materializing the horizontal cut he had just made. It disappeared again in the next moment, along with the mercenary's arms as he changed position and executed a powerful vertical cut.
Before Melissa could process everything that had just happened in less than a fifth of a second, the four perfectly symmetrical parts into which the projectile had split passed within millimeters of the Mercenary, leaving the rest of Max Tac's team unharmed behind him.
"Everyone in one piece?" The Mercenary asked in a tone discordant with their current situation, turning his helmet towards them and performing a half-wink as the off stripe of his left eye of his helmet lit up with a bright blue light. After mimicking the closed left eye of Sora performing his grandfather's vertical cut.
Sora's question was answered by Frost's command, "MOVE!" This prompted the members of his team who could move to carry those who couldn't and get out of the cannon's trajectory. To buy them time, Sora grabbed the robotic ball from his shoulder and launched Eco towards the intimidating green lens of the Chimera.
Eco spread its limbs as much as possible and landed in a cross shape, digging its small claws around the green light. As baffled as the Chimera itself, which had its main lens obstructed, Eco became as ferocious as its adorable puppy form allowed and began scratching the green lens with its front paws, preventing it from marking new targets for the cannon.
At the same time, so that Sora could save them, Morgan was unloading the ammunition from his revolvers, not having time to reload, continuously firing at the six turrets on the Chimera's legs to disable them.
Meanwhile, due to the battle outside, two more people took the elevator. When they came out, Jackie exclaimed, "Old man!" as he helped Gear, holding her/hugging her almost unwilling to let her go unconsciously, and ran towards Eran lying on the ground.
Jackie's attempts bore fruit when Eran opened his eyes, listening to the ongoing battle. While Jackie helped him up, through the interface of his IDn, Eran activated a single turret from the building's security system, marking the Chimera as the target—a special turret. He activated only one turret... because if he used more, he didn't want to be responsible for the cost of reconstructing the street
In doing so, the rails behind the sixth-floor windows began to move. When in position and with its ammunition connected, a single window of the building folded, revealing a single Malorian Flechette Heavy Machine.
Eran was a strange genius in the world of weapons... he had Consciousness. A conscience that tormented him, thinking of the blood that would stain his weapons. A genius afraid of his creations, that was Eran, and for a good reason...
A fear that materialized in the hearts of all present too, when a single turret opened fire, unleashing an innumerable number of flechets, a type of ammunition in the shape of a 4-centimeter-long tungsten spike, each end with a blade of a few atoms...
In less than 5 seconds of firing, the black asphalt and the top of the Chimera's rusty armor, along with its six legs, were covered in silver spikes, creating the illusion of a beautiful silver grass garden...
A garden that disappeared like the illusion it was when Eran said, "Boom!" The voice command detonated the explosive head inside each spike, creating a chain reaction that generated a powerful gust of air that shook the hair of the three on the rooftop.
The explosion was followed by a loud mechanical screech from the Chimera, almost like a scream of pain, as its armor plates fell off, and it used its remaining four legs to retreat from the Malorian Arms headquarters.
In the midst of this spectacle, Gear and Jackie audibly swallowed, looking at the old man with blue hair with a renewed respect as he casually took out his flask and drank contentedly while watching the metal beast flee from his property.
Meanwhile, "Waaf-Whaf," A tenacious bark 'echoed' inside the Chimera. Before Eran's turret fired, Eco hid under the Chimera and, after the explosion, took advantage of one of the gaps in the armor that had come loose to sneak inside...
And now, he was causing as much damage as he could with his small body, biting, slashing, and crushing anything in his path, like a little Kaiju in a city made of chips, cables, and motherboards. Resulting in the Chimera malfunctioning and colliding with buildings and warehouses along the street in Night City's industrial zone
Thanks to this, the rest of the team, consisting of Morgan, Sora, Melissa, and Frost, caught up with them. The Chimera, moving irregularly due to the damage caused by Eco, stopped fleeing and, with difficulty, aimed the large cannon at its back, along with the four turrets on its legs, opening fire against the four.
Morgan and Frost provided covering fire on the turrets to support Sora and Melissa, who continued their charge towards the Chimera.
Unlike before, Melissa didn't stop at the incoming cannon projectile in her path and continued with her violent and direct charge. When the projectile was about to hit her, Melissa tilted her head back and slid gracefully on the ground to dodge it, passing inches from her helmet.
On the other hand, Sora used his grapple to climb a nearby lamppost, using it as a launching point to throw himself at the Chimera. A big smile appeared under his helmet when he activated his magnetic boots and, perched on the metallic colossus, wielded the heavy machine gun on his back, borrowing it from Blitz.
Unleashing a barrage of point-blank bullets on the areas where the Chimera had lost its armor.
Melissa concentrated all her strength in a single, brutal attack. She leaped into the air, spinning her body to channel all the centrifugal force into the Mantis Blade on her right arm. It sank deeply into the green lens of the Chimera, unleashing a metallic flash.
After this, the Chimera couldn't hold on any longer, and its remaining 4 limbs stopped moving. Eco emerged from within and climbed up to Sora's shoulder. From there, he delighted in watching how his human continued firing the machine gun on the Chimera, making sure it wouldn't get up again.
A few minutes later, while the rest of Frost's Max Tac team was regrouping around the downed Chimera, having passed 6 hours since the destruction of the servers, Sora lying on the remains of the cannon, his drowsiness from fighting all night reduced when he saw, from the corner of his eye, the city lights returning to their usual brightness.
And with the lights, the rest of the city services were also restored, such as communications, with Frost and Morgan reacting in the same way when they instantly received calls on their IDs..
"Kid, we need to pick up Gear... we have a meeting with Night's widow," said Morgan after finishing his call with Sienna.
"Now, seriously? Can't it be in a couple of hours?" Sora replied, annoyed, thinking that the night had finally ended.
"Stop complaining and let's go," said Morgan, more serious than usual after the unanswered questions by the current CEO of Night Corp—not because she couldn't or wouldn't, but because she didn't know how to answer them despite her position.
-
12 Hours later.
In the square in front of the headquarters of Night Corp.
---
Guys, this is the author. This chapter was supposed to be twice as long, featuring the start of the exploration of the Night City underground. Unfortunately, I can't extend it further as planned because I need to return my new computer, that is giving me problems. I won't stop writing during this period, as I still have an old laptop that functions, but it will take me more time to complete the chapters, like this one that is yet to be finished. Sorry for the irregular chapters these past two months.
P.S.: I've also taken longer due to the few comments on the previous chapter... feeling a bit demotivated.