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Before the chapter, I wanted to thank you all for your comments on the update. Ty Guys, I hope you like the chapter!
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P.o.v Wrench
With 22 out of my 24 men who had come for the meeting, we watched as the ship's crew unloaded one of the containers from the Ebunike, the gift of our generous collaborator, a whole container of military-grade cyberware and weapons, the two things we like the most...
Finally, something good after what happened with Gear...
Once the crew finished unloading the container, they met with the ship's supervisor, received their payment, and left the port, leaving us with the ship's supervisor...
"Your men are taking too long," said Jeremiah Greyson, the supervisor of the Ebunike and the person we have been waiting to meet, the representative of our generous collaborator.
'They are' I thought, not wanting to agree with this jerk Greyson. "No, they aren't. They must be dealing with the rat that sneaked in... they're probably about to come back with their head..." Greyson looked at me disapprovingly, not liking my response covering for the lateness of my men.
'Fuck him!' He doesn't know how lucky he is to be behind the one he is... If it weren't for that, I would have killed him already for his attitude, treating us as if we were his subordinates. "Ahmm," or maybe he knows very well, and that's why he behaves like that...
"How did the meeting information leak? If 'he' finds out about this, he won't like it," Greyson demanded... this little shit! He's tempting fate! Assuming it was our side that leaked the information...
I stared at him, imagining how I killed him hundreds of times, restraining myself in all of them so that it wouldn't go beyond my imagination, remembering who the dangerous person Greyson represented before responding: "It wasn't from our side. We've been under attack all week, and..."
But before I could finish explaining, I was interrupted by Greyson's frightened dog. "Attack? And you didn't report that you have people on your tail! If the Ebunike ends up in danger because of you... Adam will kill us!" said the terrified Greyson, imagining what his boss would do to him. If I'm honest, it made me a little nervous too, imagining it...
But without showing it, I laughed confidently. "Wahehahe! Well, well, it seems like you're a bit nervous, aren't you?" I approached Greyson, grabbing his weak shoulder without Chromo, not understanding why Smasher uses this sack of meat as a subordinate, gradually squeezing it as I spoke.
"The leak didn't come from our side. An annoying mercenary has been hunting my men all week, and we haven't counterattacked yet, precisely out of respect for your boss and to keep a low profile until this meeting. Do you understand, Greyson?" I paused, waiting for the response from the scared and pained face I saw through my forehead implant. I could even perceive his increasing heartbeat...
When he nodded, demonstrating that he understood my question, I continued amiably.
"So don't worry, we won't do anything to 'screw' Smasher. The intruder didn't seem to be armed; I'd bet it was some druggie or a bum who saw us enter and thought they could earn some Eddies by recording anything. Relax, everything is under control! Wahahehahe." I laughed, releasing Greyson's shoulder, thinking about what I would do to that annoying mercenary who has been hunting my men once this meeting ends.
We don't know much about Okami, apart from the fact that he uses one of those robotic pets from that new company... that's why I was thinking of paying a visit to Iron Beast's workshop in the city with my men and kindly inquire about their clients' information...
Just as a smile formed on my face, thinking about how I would get revenge on that mercenary Okami, something interrupted us. Two severed heads fell between Greyson and me, making a metallic noise upon impact, which I mistakenly thought was caused by their implants.
All of us turned our gaze towards the container section of the port, where my men's heads had been thrown. I could only see two intense blue lines emerging from the shadows cast by the containers, but it was enough for me to recognize... "Shit, how did he-?" But before I could finish... from the two severed heads we had overlooked, without notice the grenades they had in their mouths... until it was too late, and they exploded.
When the two grenades detonated, the first one was a stun grenade that immediately blinded and knocked Greyson down. As for me, the problem came with the second explosion. Although I remained unaffected by the stun grenade thanks to my cyberware, the second one unleashed an intense electrical pulse that paralyzed my cyberware and sent me crashing to the ground.
Leaving me as a mere spectator with a vision filled with interference, helplessly witnessing the chaos as one of my men attempted to retaliate by throwing his own grenade. However, just as he threw it... the mercenary, Okami, drew his JKE-X2 Kenshin pistol from his hip and fired at the newly thrown grenade...
The resulting explosion instantly killed two of my men: the one who threw the grenade and the one standing in front of him, both within the blast radius.
At that moment, two imposing Maelstroms suddenly appeared in front of Okami, interposing themselves between him. These two colossal figures were true masses of synthetic muscles and cyberware. Chosen from among my men for their endurance, tested when only 1 out of 5 individuals undergoing extensive enhancements to create them survives, maintaining some semblance of consciousness without going too crazy.
Each of them had the coveted Sandervista combat implants installed in their spinal columns, granting them the ability to slow down their perception of time and move with superhuman agility in that altered state. Becoming the embodiment of Maelstrom ideals as they abandon our weak flesh and embrace the Chromo.
Okami did not back down in the face of the two colossal figures. He seemed almost entertained when the two appeared in front of him. With my vision filled with interference, I couldn't follow their movements as the three of them disappeared, or rather moved so fast that no one present could see them... but did, the results of their fight, with sudden ruptures of the ground, blows that deformed the containers, lampposts severed, or even crushing some of my men when the mercenary brought the fight between my Maelstroms.
The three of them reappeared within seconds, with the two colossal Maelstroms breathing heavily and Okami seemingly neither tired nor injured... sheathing his sword that he had used for defense, and when he finished sheathing it, he said, "My turn" before disappearing.
Appearing in front of one of the colossal Maelstroms and speaking with a serene and synthetic voice, said "Soft Fist." Slowly placing the palm of his cybernetic hand on the chest of the imposing Maelstrom.
Nothing happened... until the armor plates on his forearm opened at a 45-degree angle, still connected to his wrist. The internal machinery of his cybernetic arm roared to life, and with a quick and fluid motion, the plates closed with a resonant snap.
In that instant... fiercely emerging from the palm of Okami's hand a triangular-shaped segment/piston, with such force that it pierced through the metallic framework and reinforced synthetic tissues as if they were paper, leaving a triangular hole in the chest of the Maelstrom before the segment returned to the mercenary's arm.
When Okami withdrew his hand, he peeked his head and looked at the terrified remaining Maelstroms through the hole in his companion's chest. And despite Okami's helmet lacking a mouth, they all swore they saw one, smiling at them as he looked through the hole.
The second colossal Maelstrom, astonished by the brutality with which Okami had eliminated his comrade, raised his heavy hammer high, intending to activate his Sandervista to enter the slowed-down world once more. But before he could react, the mercenary unleashed his next move, grabbing the sheath of his sword with one hand, and placing his finger on the sheath's trigger.
And when he pressed it... the blade shot out at great speed, creating sparks against the sheath. Okami, harnessing the force of the launch, extended his hand and skillfully caught the sword's hilt mid-flight. Performing a powerful vertical slash, combining his strength with the momentum of the throw, that pierced the air with a thunderous whistle as it went vertically through, splitting the colossal Maelstrom into two perfect halves.
A deathly silence filled the air as the remains of the second colossal figure fell to the ground, separated and lifeless. Okami stood tall, wielding his sword soaked in synthetic white blood, staring at the remaining terrified Maelstroms who were paralyzed with fear.
"I'm sorry... but I can't leave any witnesses tonight..." Even lying on the ground, my blood ran cold upon hearing the mercenary's words. Sensing what would happen next when the mercenary slowly walked past my field of vision wielding his sword.
I could only helplessly hear the screams of my men as Okami hunted them down one by one... ending in a massacre even when they tried to defend themselves. Hearing their gunshots and the explosions of their grenades, and then nothing but their screams...
After a few seconds when there was nothing more to hear, knowing what that meant, only the sound of heavy footsteps approaching remained, and shortly after, a strong kick to the back of my head sent me flying towards the unconscious Greyson, causing me to lose part of my consciousness.
-
General POV
"Hey, can I come out now?" Eddie asked, still hiding in the container section.
"Waf!" Eco responded, climbing back onto Sora's shoulder. He had been there throughout the fight, clinging to the back of Sora's jacket like a koala so as not to bother him.
As Eddie approached towards Okami. "Ugh! I know they're Maelstroms, and they're psychopaths and all... but... I feel sorry for them..." Eddie said as he jumped over the separated sections of the Colossus Maelstrom.
"They would probably feel the same way seeing your corpse," Sora replied, approaching the sleeping lovebirds, Greyson and the "Santa Claus" of the Maelstroms, Wrench.
"Well, now that you've got him, will you finally tell me why you've been looking for this guy for 3 years?" Eddie asked.
"None of your business, thanks for your help, you can go now." Okami replied without looking at Eddie, while giving Wrench another kick, freeing Greyson underneath him.
"What? Seriously, you kick me out after helping you find him! When I messed up, you never forgot to mention it, but now that I've finally succeeded, you shut your mouth like..." Eddie looked at Echo on his shoulder and smiled as he finished, "like a bitch," chuckling at his own joke.
Okami, squatting in front of Greyson, turned his head towards Eddie and said, "Good job... now go, Eddie. It's for your own good," disinterestedly, turning his attention back to Greyson and starting to check his body. However, due to the noise of the conversation in front of him.
"What the hell—Ah!" Greyson shouted as soon as he opened his eyes and saw Okami's helmet in front of him. He tried to crawl away, not understanding what had happened after losing consciousness. He bumped into Wrench's body behind him, but he was able to gain a field of vision as he moved away from the Mercenary, seeing the dismembered Colossus and the other one with a hole in his chest, along with the rest of the Maelstrom corpses that were supposed to defend the Ebunike. It brought him up to speed on what had happened.
Greyson, stuttering after what he saw, said, "You, you... don't hurt me, I'm not a Maelstrom. You haven't made an irreparable mistake yet, okay? You don't know who I work for. If you knew, you wouldn't dare to attack this port... He is Ad—" Greyson tried to name his boss as he always did when his life was in danger, but he was interrupted by a slap from Okami's black arm, silencing him and making him bleed from the mouth.
"Shut up, you'll have time to talk when we're alone," Okami said sternly, crouched in front of Greyson, interrupting him to stop talking, not wanting Eddie to get more involved.
Due to the noise of the blow, it woke up the other chromed sleeping beauty, Wrench. Who, upon seeing the situation, burst into laughter and sat on the ground, checking his cyberware.
"Wahahahaheha! Well, kid, You've made quite a mess! I don't know who hired you to hunt us..." Wrench said, not intending to fight but clearly enjoying the situation. "But you've just signed your death warrant... You shouldn't have attacked us here, Wahahha. Whether you kill the piece of shit Greyson, Ahmm, nice to finally say it, or set him free, you've earned yourself a one-way ticket to hell when his boss finds out, Wahahaha..." Wrench said with nothing to hide or worry about now that he thought his life would soon end. At least he would enjoy messing with them.
The first to react was not Okami or Eddie, but Greyson himself, who upon hearing Wrench, thinking he was the one who had gotten him into this mess by attracting the mercenary to the Ebunike, couldn't contain himself and exclaimed "Wrench, you son of a bitch! Stop laughing, all this is your fucking fault, you bastard!" Greyson wanted to reach into the opening of his jumpsuit and draw his weapon to unleash it on Wrench, but he held back, waiting for the right moment to use it...
Wrench ignored Greyson's comment and continued laughing like a maniac until Eddie, confused, spoke up, "Huh? But... we're not here because of Greyson," which made Wrench's laughter stop and puzzled Greyson, who didn't understand why he was the target.
"OKAMI, YOU BASTARD! Is that true?! Have you killed all my men just to get to that miserable Greyson?!" Wrench angrily shouted, seeming like he would lunge at Okami at any moment, showing anger for the first time due to the reason behind his men's deaths.
Understanding that with all the things they had done, there would be someone who hated them enough to pay a lot of Eddies to kill them, probably for a good reason... but upon learning that they were collateral victims and that their deaths were only to reach someone they despised like Greyson... he couldn't bear it.
Okami stood up and looked at Wrench, who was angry for the first time, causing him to smile under his helmet, as he understood Wrench's character a little."Oi, don't be like that. It's true that I came for the 'piece of shit Greyson,' but I'm also here because someone wants your head..." Okami said, strangely calming Wrench until he continued, "...You know what I asked for in exchange for bringing your chromed ass alive to them? I told the client that food would do... for me, the lives of your men and yours have that value..."
"Food?" When Wrench heard the ridiculous price of his life and that of his men, he couldn't hold back and lunged at the mercenary in front of him, who was laughing at him and his dead men. Using the Projectile Launch System on his left forearm, aimed at Okami's helmet.
Meanwhile, beside Sora on the ground, Greyson took advantage of the situation, knowing that he was also the target, and pulled his weapon from inside his jumpsuit.
Eddie, witnessing all of this, only had time to warn by mentioning, "Okami!-" before everything started and ended in the blink of an eye.
Without moving, Sora, with his tattooed left arm and without looking at Greyson, drew Getsuga, turning his arm into a blur that severed Greyson`s wrist. Separating the arm from the hand, that was gripping a weapon that did not belong to him.
The weapon flew, separated from the severed hand that held it passing over Sora's head, who quickly caught it in mid-air with his cybernetic right hand and aimed his father's Malorian Arms 3516 at Wrench's Projectile Launch System that had just fired.
At that moment, everything moved in slow motion for Sora. His breathing calmed as he focused on the Malorian Arms 3516 and the almost... familiar sensation in his hand.
The Malorian Arms 3516, a heavy, high-quality revolver, considered a luxury item with a legendary reputation. It had an ergonomic grip and a distinctive angular design that turned the weapon into an engineering masterpiece.
When Sora pulled the trigger... the cylinder mechanism activated, generating the characteristic sound of metal against metal, which was drowned out by the blast of the 14mm bullet echoing inside the weapon like a powerful roar that foretold the imminent destruction about to be unleashed from the mouth of the barrel.
Sora couldn't help but smile at the thunderous sound and the powerful sensation of the shot that traveled through his arm. Watching as the 14mm bullet shot out of the barrel engulfed in fire, colliding in mid-air with Wrench's projectile, passing through it without any problems, causing it to explode and without changing its trajectory entering through the mouth of the Projectile Launch of Wrench's forearm.
Setting off a chain reaction with any remaining projectiles inside, exploding Wrench's entire arm and scorching part of his torso.
It all happened in the blink of an eye, leaving Greyson and Wrench screaming in pain on the ground before Eddie could even finish warning, "...Watch out!!!"
Ignoring Eddie's warning and Eddie himself. Sora examined the Malorian Arms 3516 in his hand, only to finish a few seconds later, playing with it by spinning it on his finger.
Earlier, he had touched it on Greyson's body but didn't want to steal it like a thief while he was unconscious, so Sora deliberately turned his back on Greyson so that when he attacked him and he defended himself... he could legally claim to be the new owner of the weapon.
Seeing Okami happily playing with his new gun, Eddie remembered what he said about wanting to reclaim something that belonged to him. Having a sudden bad feeling, he asked, with a part of him no longer wanting to know the answer, "Hey... I haven't been looking for this guy for 3 years just for you to get a new gun, right!?"
"Eh? Yes" Sora answered truthfully, reaching his free hand inside his jacket and pulling out his Nue pistol. He handed it to Eco on his shoulder, who held it with her little muzzle. He then swung his Malorian Arms 3516 around one last time before holstering it in his newly freed left shoulder holster, enabling him to draw it with his cybernetic right arm.
Eddie couldn't believe what he said. All of his hard work and effort over the past 3 years, paying for the pact with the devil as Eddie came to call it. Even In which at some moments he had thought he would die... all of it was for... for a damn gun.
With something broken inside him, showing in his eyes that looked dead inside, Eddie turned around and without saying goodbye, walked away from Sora. Leaving the harbor as he cursed himself and.... Okami.
Sora, observing Eddie's departure from the port, smiled silently inside his helmet. He was grateful for the assistance and didn't want him getting more involved with someone like Smasher in the picture.
He squatted again in front of the injured Greyson and retrieved a small matchbox-like package from one of his belt pockets. It contained clean needles, which he used to stop the bleeding from Greyson's wrist.
After finishing, realizing that Wrench wouldn't go anywhere with his injuries, Sora didn't have to worry about him escaping as he and Greyson made their way into the Ebunike, seeking a specific private room on the ship.
---
In the stern of the Ebunike bridge tower, in front of a black armored door.
"Open the door," said Okami, looking at the door and then at Greyson behind him.
"You're crazy!" Greyson quickly replied when he saw the first door the Mercenary wanted to enter... as if he knew...
"Again? How many times have I told you that I don't give a shit if Smasher is your boss... open the damn door," Sora said in response to Greyson's constant remarks since they boarded the Ebunike.
"That's Adam's private room... I can't enter," Greyson replied, looking at the only room on the ship he had never been in.
"Use the ship's master key. The captain should be able to open all the doors with it," Sora replied, recalling a documentary he had seen about life on large cargo ships with thousands of people on board, resembling a floating city.
"Are you kidding me? Do you think someone like Adam would let just anyone freely enter his private room?"
"You know, maybe you're not realizing it... but every time you move your mouth saying you can't do something, you're diminishing your worth, which is inherently tied to your lifespan... when you stop being useful to me, it will also be the moment your life ends... the same deal as with Smasher..." Okami said, staring at Greyson.
"He doesn't..." Greyson tried to deny that his relationship with Smasher was like that.
But he was interrupted by Sora's sarcastic tone and words. "No, you're right, sorry. You're his best buddy, no shit!... Someone like Smasher couldn't care less if you live or die. If you die, he'll probably just see it as an inconvenience and an insult to his name that someone dared to kill his pet..."
"Bastard... he gave me the same weapon you took from me. You know who it belonged to?... you know the Eddies I could get with it?" Jeremiah replied, using Smasher's gift as the cornerstone of his friendship with Smasher, or so Greyson believed.
"And why haven't you sell it? What do you care about Johnny Silverhand's weapon? Are you his fan? Don't you think I knew that? I'll give you the real reason, why you haven't sold the weapon... fear... fear that Smasher will ask for it one day and you won't have it..."
"Smasher didn't give it to you as a gift, but because he couldn't use it himself. As everyone knows that weapons personally made by Eran Malour, the creator of Malorian Firearms Inc, like Johnny's, are like fine instruments. If they're not used, they deteriorate," Okami explained, getting into Greyson's head.
Greyson wanted to deny Okami's reasoning, but he couldn't. In his current state, he was more fearful of Smasher than ever before, given the things that were happening or about to happen on the Ebunike. Just the thought of how Smasher would react made Greyson tremble. He could only respond with a bitter retort, "Fuck you..."
"Tch, the truth hurts. Now open the door, and if you tell me you can't... I'll open it with your head," Sora said, wanting to enter Smasher's private room, which couldn't be accessed or opened from the inside. The room had a private server that controlled it, with the server inside the armored room creating a separate network, making it impossible to access from the outside.
"Let me think... The access terminals are the same as the rest of the ship, and I know them well. I could try hacking the pad to create a false contact on the terminal. That should fool the system as if the reader were reading the access card..." Greyson thought for a few seconds about how to open the door before attempting to remove the casing of the access terminal next to the door with one hand. Unable to do so, he looked at the culprit of his phantom limb and asked with some resentment, "Could you...?"
Okami leaned against the wall, moving his right hand, which Greyson no longer had, and asked, "What? Need a hand?"
"..." a joke that didn't amuse Greyson, who stared at him.
"Hahah, come on, don't be like that... who cut off your sense of humor? Oh, wait... pfhahah... I guess that's why Smasher doesn't like you... I'm sure you didn't laugh at his jokes either..." Sora laughed a little more, then lowered his fist like a hammer onto the pad, dismantling it.
While Greyson was working with one hand on the terminal, Okami asked, "So, when does Smasher arrive in the city?"
"Why do you say that? It's true that he's my boss or was..., but just because I'm here doesn't mean he's coming..." Greyson vaguely replied while still working on the terminal by the door.
Sora, without leaving the subject, replied; "Of course, man! As if-"
But was interrupted by Greyson's serious question, "If I tell you... will it save me?"
"Hmm... no, it wouldn't," Okami admitted honestly.
Which made Greyson's hand trembleas as he heard it and responded sadly seconds later "Then-" unable to finish.
"But it could help make it happen..." For Sora's hopeful comment.
Not knowing whether it was true or false, but not caring, Greyson revealed, "Ada- Smasher is coming in three days. He'll be accompanying Yorinubo Arasaka as his personal bodyguard during his stay in Night City and at the Gala Night, which Yorinubo will also attend." Surprised by encountering Okami's rare and sudden silence... until he couldn't contain himself any longer and...
"Great! Fucking Great! Yorinubo and Smasher are coming... FUCK!" Sora could hardly contain his annoyance, imagining the Gala his mother was forcing him to attend....
While Sora had his outburst, Greyson continued working on the terminal until... "I think I've got it!" he finished changing the inputs of some cables, generating a small spark that turned the terminal screen green, opening the door to Smasher's private room on the Ebunike.
Both Sora and Greyson entered at the same time, with Greyson feeling intimidated by the cold metallic room with black floors and walls that were practically armored glass showcases. But what truly unsettled Greyson was the showcase at the back displaying Adam's backup exosuit, only missing the head to be complete. He felt a shiver down his spine at the sight and wanted to leave the room.
In contrast, when Sora entered the room and saw all the dangerous or illegal weapons, or both at the same time... inexplicably, he started hearing a version of "Ode to Joy" in his head, causing him to exclaim in the face of such a sight, "Merry Christmas!"
Not thinking of leaving the room without taking each of the sad and lonely weapons inside to safety, even if he had to sacrifice himself and take them to his own apartment to protect them!
As he thought about how he would transport all of them in his Yaiba... his happy expression changed. "Shit! I'm going to need help," he muttered while searching for a contact on his Idn who could lend him a hand.
---
In front of the H8 Mega Building in Japantown.
Coincidentally near a certain couple's apartment and their white-haired neighbor.
There stood Turbo's Bar and its extensive parking lot, serving as a meeting point and a place of celebration for a particular group of mercenaries.
In the parking area, two women were sitting, engaged in conversation while drinking and embarrassedly watching the brother of one of them goofing around and entertaining the crowd. As they chatted animatedly, the shorter one received a call on her IDN. Upon seeing who was calling, she answered with a smile and greeted warmly.
["Sup! You've 'fallen' again and want me to come pick up the pieces?"]
["Ha-ha, I almost died, and even though you still don't believe me, I fell from one of the rooftops in Kabuki."]
["If I believed you, Sora... you'd be dead, idiot!"]
["Rebecca... that just shows how tough I am... Hahaha."]
["Yeah, yeah, then to what do I owe the pleasure of the famous Okami calling me?"] Rebecca replied, having kept Sora's identity a secret for three years, even in the face of continuous questioning from her brother and Maine.
["I need your help."] Becoming, therefore, the first person Sora would call when he needed help with something like Merc and vice versa when Maine's group needed assistance and Rebecca called Okami.
["Huh? You, help? And aren't your legs broken?"] Normally, when Sora was injured, most of the time, self-inflicted from his falls while swinging, until he figured out how to do it properly and improved the design of the grapple gun and the different hooks.
["No, they're not. Do you have any job with your brother's friends? By the way, tell them to be careful with whom they talk about me... even if it's Rogue!"] Sora replied, recalling where the information leak might have come from, leading to Rogue knowing their identity.
["Hm, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll tell them. We just finished a job, and we're celebrating... I'm with a teammate from the group, and I'm not going to leave her hanging just to go to help you..."]
["... That hurts, but fine. Teammate, huh? So, a mercenary? Tch... if you trust her, bring her along. I'm not paying you, to either of you! This is a favor; I don't charge for mine... right?"]
["BULLSHIT THAT YOU DON'T CHARGE!"] Rebecca shouted, unable to contain herself and also shouting in the middle of the parking lot.
["Alright, alright, don't yell... come quickly, and if you behave, I'll let you have one."]
["What are you talking about?"]
[BAIT.jpg] In the next moment, Rebecca received a message.
Upon seeing the bait... ["WHERE DO I NEED TO GO?"]
["This address. Bring a car... a big one. You know what!, borrow Maine and Co's car."]
["Okay!"] She said totally possessed by the picture of the weapon wall Sora had shown her, guessing what kind of help he needs.
When the call ended, Rebecca jumped up from her seat and turned to the girl beside her. "Sasha! Come with me. The person I told you about just called, and it seems he need my help!" Rebecca said, smiling broadly, emphasizing the importance of her assistance, displaying a self-assured posture that contrasted with her short stature.
Maine's new team member, "Sasha", responded in utter confusion, "What?"