The first few days after the declaration of war from the NUSA were quiet in Night City, people nervously waiting for someone else to make the first move. The Militech complex had been abandoned, seemingly overnight, correctly having read the winds that came with the announcement of Militech supporting the NUSA, scavengers and hopefuls soon descending upon the now empty complex hoping to strike it rich on whatever scraps remained.
That wasn't to say that my agent was quiet, no I had been receiving text after text for bodyguard work - those I passed onto Michiko as I had zero desire for that kind of work - a few offers to assassinate Meyers that I outright ignored - getting across the country in the middle of a war to assassinate her in a place with zero contacts, nope! -, and a few folks who didn't get the message that we were operating under Truce. I passed those names off to Wakako to be dealt with by the Fixer collective.
The first ones to do something stupid, predictably, was Maelstrom, the current leader of the chrome heads decoded now would be a brilliant time to raid the NoCal Military Base. They didn't succeed of course, and now, it was open season on Maelstrom.
Of course I did my civic duty and took my own shots on Maelstrom, taking out a small handful of their lieutenants as they attempted to stand their ground against the terrifyingly coordinated efforts of NCPD, the NoCal army regulars and an assortment of Edgerunners. Hell, I had even been coordinating with a sniper from the army and a CQC specialist from Danger Gal to take them out.
Of course the ones to get the 'claim' on the Maelstrom leader was the NCPD, a back end deal to show the citizens that the law enforcement would keep them safe. But hey, it got me the number for Erik Lergensson, the sniper from the Army, something told me he may be looking for work after the Unification war.
As for the cat girl…
"Nyahehehe~" Caitlyn the Catgirl giggled as she pressed her rather… substantial chest against my back as I lay prone on a rooftop overlooking a Scav Den.
"Stop trying to distract me, Caitlyn," I grunted in irritation as the girl giggled again as she climbed off of me, looking over the tablet that was being fed information from my hacks.
Yup, I was officially 'adopted' by her. With the blessing of Michiko apparently. "Don't worry kitten~ I was just trying to help you destress." she literally purred in my ear as she took position next to me, her green hair pooling around her from beneath the hoodie she was wearing over the skintight bodysuit that hugged her curves as her golden eyes scanned the building. "Mmm, five scavs on the top floor, three on the second and two at the entrance."
Spoiler: Caitlyn the Danger Gal
I nodded as my ping program fed me the information on the scavs and the assorted electronics within the building, letting me build a partial map of the building layout. "Getting an active signal from the second floor," I murmured. "Got a living one I think."
"Hmm? Guess there's a role for me then, nya~" Caitlyn grinned as she stretched out, shedding her oversized hoodie to show off her exposed and obviously augmented arms, her eyes seemingly slitting as she leant forward into a runners pose, allowing my optics to link with her own. "Try to keep your eyes off my ass Kitty~!"
I restrained a growl as she leapt from the rooftop, her augmented body bouncing off the walls and fire escapes as she made her way towards the Scav hideout. I wasn't sure where Danger Gal got their cyberware, but they certainly were top of the line and contoured for their bodies, rather than just slapping it in.
Taking a breath I waited for Caitlyn to get into place as she slipped up to the building, she knew my preference for quiet operations and keeping at range, but her and her Mantis Blades? She loved the thrill of close combat, still though, she let me piggyback off her internal agent to begin breaking into the camera system, using her as a relay for my signal.
Once I was in I took a quick moment to assess the building before stopping at the 'butcher's' room. Remember the opening gig where you rescue Sandra Dorset? Yeah… seeing it through a 2D screen was very different from seeing it through your own eyes.
Yeah, Scavs had a special place in my heart. Prey.
I lined up a shot on the guy who was facing the door with a bored expression, highlighting the man whose back was turned for Caitlyn to target.
Half trigger, my rifle begins to charge.
Caitlyn gets her signal to begin her attack. Blades sprouting from her arms as her smile becomes bloodthirsty, the girl throwing herself forward towards the door.
Full trigger, the projectile screams as it shatters the door and kills the scav watching the door, his partner only just starting to flinch from the noise before the catgirl crashes into his back, her blades cutting his head from his body.
"Two moving for the stairs, another seems to be setting up," I informed through our link as Caitlyn began to run towards the stairs.
A brief pause before a crack signalled the end of the man attempting to grab an HMG of some kind.
Caitlyn leapt up the stairs, her legs letting her clear the distance with ease as she stabbed into the man who turned to look back at his friend as my shot ripped through him. The second man was unable to react in time as, with the natural grace of a feline, she twisted and lunged at him with her bloody blades.
Shouting came from the upper floor as the five upstairs finally began to react. "Mines on the stairs… disarmed," I announced as I flicked through the camera feeds before settling on the top floor. "Optic ICE broken, blinding. Three… two… one, they're blind."
Even as I spoke I took aim with my rifle, charging the shot as they began to panic and shout, as Caitlyn smashed through the door my rifle barked, taking out the scav that didn't have implanted optics as the catgirl turned into a bloody blender. "All hostiles eliminated," I let out a breath as I pulled back from my rifle. "Pinging the live signal, mind checking them, Caitlyn?"
"For Kitten? Always!" The girl chirped, and like a switch was flipped she was back to her happy go lucky self, what did it say about my life about the fact that I wasn't worried about the possible mental issues of the girl that was scarily good at CQC without a Sandevistan.
Nothing good anyways.
But, the signal that I had been getting was a living person, an unlucky corpo suit from the looks of it given the quality of their cyberware. A brief moment to deactivate the shard jamming their Trauma Team alert, and a minute of waiting for them to show up and we were on our way.
"Seriously though, Cait, you don't have to keep following me around," I grumbled as I drove through the city, sending a text to the Padre about the completed job. "I am perfectly capable of handling those jobs myself."
"Nyahehehe, of course you are kitty~" the Gal replied with a smirking grin as she stretched out in the passenger seat. "But I wanna follow you around. Besides, I claimed you!"
I barely withheld a groan at her statement as she looked at me with that damnable smug grin of hers. "You keep saying that, what the fuck do you mean when you say that?"
"It means you're my human and no one else's~" she purred, again literally, as she leaned over to rub her cheek against my shoulder. "And I'm your personal kitty cat~"
I let out another groan, seriously, this girl just made no sense!
--
Caitlyn giggled as Claire's face scrunched up in that most adorable of ways when her head was spinning around in figurative circles. She hadn't been expecting much when she had been placed with a pair of snipers to act as their close range guard, and while Erik had been impressive enough, it was Claire who captured her attention.
The white haired young adult was an artist with that Nekomata of hers - best sniper rifle, just with that name alone! - not to mention when she combined it with her Netrunning and sneaking skills. A shudder ran through her at the memory of just how efficiently she operated, smoothly calling out targets, relaying information and coordinating a small team, all the while sniping one target after the other.
And she didn't even seem to realise just how damned impressive that was. Caitlyn had Netrunners piggyback off her agent before, she had them direct her in combat, but never had they been so precise about it. Never had she seen a sniper so casually snipe through walls like they weren't even there. She could see why Michiko was interested in investing in her.
She could see why the Fixers started taking notice of her, why the NoCal army started talking about pressing her into service. Because on her own she is terrifying, but leading a squad? She was a nightmare.
And since Claire seemed to have not realised it, Caitlyn decided that meant it was up to her to keep her from being abducted! Thus, Claire was now officially Caitlyn's adopted human! She even bit her to confirm it! It definitely didn't have to do with how cute those robot cat ears made her look. Or with how delicious the food she made was. Or even how she seems to know just the right spots to scratch was!
Really.
… really really!
Watching Claire from the corner of her eye as the sniper's eyes began to glow with an incoming call to her agent. Caitlyn couldn't help but admire the way she held herself, the confidence she projected with just the way she squared her shoulders or the way she kept her cool as threats were slung her way.
And yet, for all the badass Solo she was, Caitlyn had also seen the human that she was underneath all of that. Most anyone else would have just ignored the person that had yet to have been cut up by the scavs, yet she didn't.
Most Solos would be worried about letting someone like Caitlyn into their own home, but after a week of working together, Caitlyn practically lived there now after Claire learned she had no fixed home of her own outside of the Headquarters.
For all that Claire projected herself as a badass Solo, she really was something of a miracle for Night City. A kind and compassionate human being.
So, Caitlyn claimed/adopted her, all so that she could protect this precious and secret little miracle that blossomed in the cesspool that was Night City.
Caitlyn turned to face her as she blinked, the glow of her eyes ending as the call ended. "Another job?" She questioned with a smirk.
"Of sorts, Militech just dropped a fucking team of spec ops into Pacifica," she grumbled with a scowl as she turned the car around. "Rogue is assembling a team to help NoCal push them out. Apparently I'm to be their support and sniper."
"Well, let's get to the Afterlife then!" Caitlyn announced with a giggle. "And give these NUSA pricks a proper Night City welcome!"
"You mean hold them at gunpoint, rob them for all their worth and toss them in the gutter for the scavs to find?" Her human questioned sarcastically, sending Caitlyn into another fit of giggles.
"That's what I said, wasn't it?" The Danger Gal replied with a grin as Claire rolled her eyes in response, muttering under her breath.
Truly, Caitlyn's human was the best human! And she will slaughter anyone who tries to take Claire away from her! Even if it was Smasher himself!I kept my face set into a neutral as I strode into the Afterlife, Caitlyn following at my heels as she hummed a cheery tune of some kind. Sharing a glance with me the catgirl slid past me and hopped over to the bar to pester the bartender with a mischievous smile on her face as I began to make my way towards the Queen of the Afterlife.
Rogue Amendiares, one of the living Legends of Night City and the Queen of Fixers, having quickly risen to the top from a combination of her rep and the sheer number of contacts she's garnered over the years. While I didn't have much respect for the games she played with people's lives, I did have respect for how far she got with her own efforts.
The woman nodded as I approached, gesturing for me to take a seat in the booth. "You're early," she noted bluntly, drawing a shrug from me.
"We were in the area," I offered casually as I sat down. "Figured it would be best to hear the briefing before loading equipment."
"Hmm, smart," Rogue nodded approvingly. "The Gal going to be following you through this?"
"What can I say, she followed me home and refused to leave, my own fault for feeding her," I took it as a personal victory when Rogue's lip twitched in amusement. "But yes, she is rather insistent about following me around, and she is very skilled at what she does."
"Well, your crew then," Rogue shrugged a bit. "I will wait for the others to arrive before we begin the briefing properly, I don't want to repeat myself. But still, that gives me time to ask you a question. Why? Why this path, why become a Solo, and Edgerunner, because you are most definitely not doing it for fame, not with how you operate. With your parents you could have easily worked your way up to a cushy Corpo Job and not have to work half as hard as you are now."
I paused for a moment as I considered her question and how best to respond to it. "Choice," I said finally. "Sure, I need to put more effort into my job than if I took that Corpo path, but it was still my choice. It is my own choice whether I take a gig or not, my own choice if I succeed or fail."
"Choice hmm," the Queen snorted softly before nodding. "Far from the worst reason I've heard of this job."
I followed her gaze as her eyes flicked to the entrance to the Afterlife, a tall, broad shouldered man in a long coat with an inner blue lining and dark clothes underneath. His short black hair was slicked back and the yellow tint of his glasses made it difficult to discern his eye colour. Honestly, the katana clenched in his hand wasn't needed for me to recognize the man as a Street Samurai.
Spoiler: Street Samurai
"Ah, welcome, Hiashi," Rogue commented, giving an impromptu introduction for me. "This here is Kat, she will be a part of the squad, we are just waiting on two more."
"Greetings, I have heard of you, Kat," the man bowed his head slightly towards me, his face might as well have been made of granite with how much emotion he showed.
My mind raced for a moment before it pinged a recognition of Hiashi, I had heard of him in passing, a Street Samurai of passing skill who had even managed to cut a Sandevistan user mid movement without activating his own. "I have heard of you as well," I nodded back in response as he took a seat, letting the booth lapse into silence, Rogue no doubt sending and receiving messages as she coordinated the different Edgerunners.
Hiashi was certainly a big name to have in this team, especially considering that we were going to be going against what was likely a NUSA supported Militech spec ops with a squad of FIA agents acting in the background using them as a distraction.
A frown creased my lips as I considered said FIA agents, Solomon Reed, Alex and So Mi, plus whoever else came with them. Hanson, if I got the chance was going to be missing his head, full send no looking back, but those three.
Fuck, this being real and not the game made my gut twist as I knew more about them than anyone else could, their sins and their benevolences. Letting out a breath I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the seat, the familiar footsteps of Cait sounding near me before she plopped next to me, resting her head in my lap.
I swear, this girl knew exactly when my thoughts began to twist and turn. Letting my hand rest on her head as I forced myself to relax, I came to terms with the fact that… Well there was no reason for them to try and spare me, just like I had no reason to try and spare them. I was going to have to play this by ear and hope for the best, most likely shooting canon in the face as I went.
"Ah, and here are our remaining members," Rogue announced, making my eyes snap open as I turned my gaze to the pair that entered into the club/bar. One man and one woman, the woman was… notable to say the least, short cut blonde hair with long bangs and dark eyes, her musculature making her stand out from the crowd despite the somewhat delicate features on her face. The heavy HMG she was carrying seemed to weigh nothing in her grasp as it did little to stop her smooth gait.
Spoiler: The Woman
The dark skinned man next to her seemed tiny in comparison. The heavy coat he was wearing seemed to drown him in it, his long dreadlocks pulled into a ponytail as several pieces of cyberware poked out beneath his jacket and the glow behind his blue eyes was a distinct sign of implanted optics.
Spoiler: Techie
"Good, quick introductions, this is Hiashi, Kat and Caitlyn, you three, these are Arnold and Grace," Rogue rattled off as we nodded to one another. "Getting to the point, Militech had dumped a fat shit in the form of spec ops teams in Pacifica. Obviously, several people do not like this, and while NoCal has started to engage them, many want additional support, which is where your team will come in. You will be providing specialist support for the NoCal Military and taking out targets of interest as they appear.
"Upfront pay will be ten grand each, and NoCal is willing to provide material support, within reason," she had sent a look for the heavily muscled Grace who huffed in response. "When either this war ends, or the spec ops are dead or have ran off, you will each be paid an additional hundred grand."
That… was a lot of money, but considering they were smack dab in the middle of what was to be the future corpo playground? Made sense they would throw money at it to make it go away.
"I know you are all strangers, mostly, to one another, but for this team I was Kat here to be taking the lead on things," my eyes snapped to her, managing to keep the disbelieving stare from my face.
"This Danger Gal poser?" The large woman rumbled irritably, sending a snarl my way, her arms twitching in irritation. "Is this meant to be some kind of joke?"
My eyes flashed for a moment as I quickly accessed the net and pulled up a profile on Grace, my eyes narrowing as I took in the former Animal. "If by joke you mean something like your disastrous gig for the Padre? Then perhaps she is," I shot back, meeting her gaze, even as Cait tensed up under my hand, her forearms no doubt parting under her jacket as she prepared to leap forward. "I suppose she wants me to run things because I am able to keep an eye on the entire battlefield through a mixture of my rifle, my Netrunning and my Optics.
"Considering your modus operandi is to simply charge forward guns blazing and Rogue wants the job done and not dead Mercs, it falls to me to make that happen."
My cybernetic hand inched for my Metel as the larger woman growled angrily, in the corner of my eye I could see Hiashi shift slightly in his seat, doubtless ready to leap into action as Arnold backed away with a nervous smile.
Grace leaned forward as she reached for her HMG slowly, her eyes raking across my form before grinning. "You're ready to plug me fulla holes with that hand cannon of yours, aren't you?" She questioned as she exposed her teeth.
I shrugged a bit. "It's either that, or I stop scritching Cait here and let her rip you to shreds," I countered unflinchingly, Cait shiting a bit to show her narrowed eyes as metal glinted out from the cuff of her jacket. "I could go either way really."
"Hmph, you have spine at least," she grunted as she stepped away from where she was attempting to lean over me. "Fine, she leads."
"Glad that's settled without having to clean up my bar," Rogue drawled, her ryes glowing as she sent me a text containing a set of coordinates and a contact number. "That's where the NoCal is setting up base in Pacifica, and the deets for your point of contact, Major Barnes. Talk to him if you need materials and he will supply you."
I nodded as I patted Caitlyn's back, drawing a pout from the girl as she pried herself away from my lap. "Do you all have your own vehicles?" I questioned, Grace and Hiashi nodding as Arnold shrugged with a sheepish smile.
"I don't usually travel for my work so…" he admitted with a chuckle.
"Bike"
"Motorcycle"
Grace and Hiashi spoke up simultaneously, drawing a soft snort from me.
"Right then, you can ride with me and Caitlyn, the back seat is a bit cramped but we can get you to fit," I announced as I began to head towards the exit. "We will also link Agents, go over everyone's skill set as we make our way to Pacifica. Anything you guys need to pick up?"
A shake of the heads confirmed that they didn't, exiting the Afterlife showed me the bikes that were obviously Grace's and Hiashi's. Hiashi taking a seat on the sleek Yaiba Kusanagi as Grace's own frame caused the suspension to sink on her Arche Nazare.
Shifting some of my equipment around in the back seat of the Quadra made enough room for Arnold and we were soon off, weaving through the partially empty streets of Night City. Hiashi and Grace took the lead with their nimbler vehicles as I connected our agents.
"Alright, for myself I am Claire, callsign Kat, I am usually a Solo operator, I rely on stealth and make use of Netrunning and Sniping as my primary means of combat," I began as we drove, my hud showing projections of the four other members of the squad. "I am decent at close range with my pistols and sword, but prefer to stay at range."
"Nyaha~ I'm Caitlyn, and I get in nice and close like to snicker-snack all the guys going after my Claire using my Mantis Blades!" The girl sitting next to me in the car cheered.
In the reflection of my rearview mirror I saw Arnold sending Caitlyn a confused look as he mouthed the word 'snicker-snack'. "I am Hiashi, I prefer to work in close quarters and make use of my sword, I do have a Sandevistan but prefer to limit its usage as much as possible."
"Grace, I work with heavy weapons like my HMG," the large woman informed in a blunt manner. "I got plenty of sub dermals and such chipped in so I should be good against most small arms fire."
"Right, I'm Arnold, I mostly word with tech and building stuff. You need a weapon modded or something built, I can do it," the dark skinned teen behind me informed me with a weak chuckle. "I suppose I'm a decent shot with a Copperhead though?"
"Right, rough battleplan in case things go to shit," I announced as I took down the details on my hud. "Hiashi, Caitlyn, you are our mobile flankers, disrupt formations and open lines of sight for Grace. Grace, you will be the hammer, when Hiashi and Caitlyn get them off balance hit as hard as you can for as long as you can before you need to take cover. Arnold you will provide cover for me as I cover the others with my rifle and quick hacks. Questions? Suggestions?"
"Hmph, all that right off the top of your head?" Grace questioned with a chuckle. "Nah, nothing from me."
"For a rough plan it works in an emergency," Hiashi nodded in agreement.
Of course Caitlyn simply draped herself on me as she rubbed her cheek against my shoulder and Arnold just nodded in agreement, looking nervous.
Letting out a sigh I focused on my driving as we made our way to Pacifica. Welp, time to see if I can derail Phantom LibertyPacifica was in the process of being evacuated, to my mild surprise. I had half expected the workers to have been forced to continue to work even as the bombs were dropped on the city. But, I suppose it made a modicum of sense that they would have them evacuate as they still care about public optics. Even in cyberpunk corporations are obsessed with stock numbers
But our little convoy was slowed by the fact that the roads of Pacifica were rather… packed with how many people had lived out here while building the corpo playground, that wasn't even mentioning the Haitian Refugees or the hidden away Voodoo Boys. The sharp pops of gunfire echoed through the district, both from the spec ops team and from opportunists as we drove deeper into Pacifica, towards the area that would become known as Dogtown.
The NoCal Regular Army had already begun setting up a base camp as we approached, the guards on duty letting us pass by, although they were keeping their fingers close to the triggers of their rifles and had several turrets tracking us.
My fingers itched to test the ICE protecting their hardware and software, but that would definitely set the wrong tone for the meeting with Major Barnes and our cooperation going forward.
My optics pinged as the ID for Barnes popped up in my field of view, a quick zoom in showed me a shaven haired, dark skinned man who stood nearly 6 ft in height, his arms and torso bulging with government paid cyberware as he scowled at our approaching convoy. "He thinks we're stepping on his toes," I commented over the linked Agents with a scowl. "Expect bullshit."
"You're not just gonna take it are you?" Grace questioned with a growl as her Nazare came to a stop, Hiashi pulling up alongside her as I stopped behind them.
"Of course not, while cooperation would be beneficial, we can do our work separately if need be," I announced as I shut off the engine to my Quadra. "So if he starts shit, we'll operate as we see fit."
I hid a frown at the chuckle that came from Grace, something about this whole gig was twigging my paranoia hard, and it had nothing to do with the possible butterfly effects I will have on canon. Either the Universe didn't give a shit about me and things will happen no matter what I do, or my presence alone has thrown things off the rail entirely.
Even so, something didn't feel right as I stepped out of my Quadra and began to walk towards the Major. It was like my instincts were warning me of something that I had forgotten about, that feeling of something important on the tip of your tongue. Unfortunately there wasn't anything I could do about it right now, so I needed focus on my current job.
"Major Barnes, we're the specialist team sent in to support you," I announced as we walked, Rogue wanted me to take the lead for the team, that meant I was to be the 'face' of the team. "What is the situation?"
The large man glowered at me, the way his shoulders shifted and his teeth clenched gave all the warning I needed about an incoming rant, likely mixed with a heaping helping of insults.
"Before you waste your time and ours with a pointless rant in an attempt to assert dominance or some other inane dumbfuck reason. I will politely remind you that we are here to do a job and get paid at the end of it," I snapped out, narrowing my eyes dangerously at him as the members of this ad hoc crew I was leading took their cue to step closer to me. "So let's not waste our time and just get this over with."
For a moment I thought the man would ignore me and start his ranting, only for him to stop as he met my gaze. For a long moment we stared at one another before the fight seemed to leave the man. "R-right, of course," he coughed for a moment. "Unfortunately, the hostiles are… more numerous than we expected, they seem to have been slipping people into Pacifica for a long time before paradropping their main force into the area."
He gestured to a table set up with an enlarged map of Pacifica with a large chunk of it glowing red, a bit larger than what Dogtown would become, but it was easy to see the shape of it already. "They took over Serenisands district, they're making use of what was once going to be the Black Sapphire and Heavy Hearts before the explosions put an end to construction efforts in the district," the Major explained as the holographic terminal began to show troop composition and minor amounts of equipment.
"They're taking advantage of the wall they built to block the district off," I grimaced, sure, walls could be bypassed or destroyed, but that requires a concerted effort that the enemy could exploit. "How much have they reinforced it so far?"
"Too much, it's why we think they've been there longer than they should have," the Major informed with a grunt. "They set up a fortified position right under our noses in our backyard, and we can't ignore them because they could strike out whenever our backs are turned."
"I'm guessing they either have been stockpiling equipment and supplies for a long while or are able to airdrop supplies past yours and Night City's air defence network," Hiashi spoke up as he studied the map. "And with Militech pushing up through South California…"
"We have a time limit before things go pear shaped," Barnes confirmed before gesturing to the table. "That's the situation, got a miracle to pull out your ass?"
I snorted in response, rolling my eyes as I studied the map, frowning as I took in the lack of information. "We need to get more information about what they're doing and how they're set up," I scanned through the buildings surrounding what will become Dogtown and a combat zone at large. "Drones were shot down?"
"Shot down before we could get any good visuals on them," The Major confirmed, staring at me.
I hummed in response. "No good vantage points to look in either…" I let out a sigh as I shook my head. "A fucked situation, but we're going to need to slip in ourselves if we want eyes on the situation."
The Major blinked as he gaped before I turned to Grace, Hiashi and Arnold. "How comfortable are you with being unnoticed?" I questioned seriously. "I don't plan on sticking around, but many hands make for light work."
Grace grimaced as she shook her head as Hiashi shrugged and Arnold weakly chuckled. "Right then, Grace, Arnold, you're on standby," I announced, looking at the pair who nodded in agreement. "Caitlyn, Hiashi and I will attempt to infiltrate the Militech controlled zone, Major, I need any cameras you have in reserve that can be quickly set up and deployed."
The Major's eyes widened minutely as his mouth opened for a moment before nodding. "Right, I'll get our Netrunners to reinforce the ICE on them as well," he said before his eyes began to glow.
I turned back and began to study the map of the area as I began forming a plan on how to get past their security and up the wall.
--
I frowned as my Stalkers highlighted the sole camera that was positioned at this position, it was weird, there were too few of them, the ICE protecting them was solid, no doubt about it, and they covered a large area of the wall. But the number of them just didn't feel right, something was definitely twigging my paranoia nerve. But unfortunately, if I wanted intel for this mission, I would need to get it myself.
Thankfully, scaling the wall itself will be little issue for the three of us, thanks to some of the equipment provided by the NoCal army, peeking over the edge of the wall, I was again struck by that uncomfortable feeling of paranoia. Grimacing, I pushed it to the side as we scaled down the wall, leaving us within Dogtown, a tense moment of waiting for a trap to be sprung passed before we started moving.
"Right, we're splitting up here," I spoke to Hiashi and Caitlyn over the linked Agents, ensuring the connection was secure and encrypted. "Get the cameras into place, the best places you can find, don't worry about total coverage, just places facing critical junctures."
"Gotcha~" Caitlyn cheerily called back as Hiashi nodded, the two of them splitting off from me as we moved deeper into the partially ruined, partially built resort.
Getting into the bare structures that were likely to be a hotel of some variety I began climbing up the building, scaling through the different floors through collapsed ceilings and climbing up defunct elevator shafts. Thankfully, while like everywhere else in Pacifica, there were people that chose to live in the shell of what was to be Dogtown, they rarely went higher up than the lower two or three floors, and with there being no stairs and no working power, there were zero signs of habitation up on the eighth floor.
Coming up to the frame of a window, giving me a good view over the area, Militech soldiers moving around, carrying equipment, or just talking with one another. The locals were most definitely keeping a long berth from the soldiers as they went about their days, desperately clutching at what little food they had before things were locked down here.
I set up one of the cameras that I was carrying, linking up with it as I focused its cone of vision on what looked to be the entrance for a supply depot before connecting it to a solar panel to keep it powered. My gaze flicked to where Songbird's 'apartment' had been in game, the zoom of my optics activating as I peered towards it, but I was too far away to make out any details at this distance.
I briefly pondered getting closer and seeing if I could get surveillance of her, but if I did that it would increase the chance of her finding the camera network entirely, so I put it out of mind for the time being and began moving towards my next point. Thankfully, I had a handy new tool that let me do that without climbing, namely a grapple gun integrated into my Kaijin arm.
The compressed air launched the anchor in near silence and my reinforced bones and muscles around the shoulder were able to handle my weight as the motor in the arm pulled me across to the next building. It was far easier for moving around the area, plus, not many people looked up, and those that did often were blinded by the glare of reflected light, or simply ignored the brief glimpse they did get of me, dismissing it as a trick of the light.
Really, one should never underestimate the laziness of a soldier, special forces or not, especially when they feel safe. My eyes narrowed as I scanned the base of the Black Sapphire, taking in the soldiers moving about, running my eyes up the tower. Unfortunately, there was no good vantage point for the upper floors where they were likely to set up their main operations, and Heavy Hearts had no clear view inside of it.
Still, the tower was a good place to keep an eye on, especially for Targets of Opportunity or even keeping an eye out for the coming and goings for officers and the like.
The next camera was to be pointed at the arena that was going to become the Black Market of Dogtown, likely the primary stockpile for all the heavy Militech equipment, tanks, missile trucks, hell, given the size of the place, I wouldn't be surprised if they had assault choppers and attack AVs.
"Hiashi here, cameras set up at the two entry points," the street samurai informed. "The final one is set up overlooking what looks like a marketplace of some kind."
"Nyehehe, mine are lookie-lookie in on their barracks~" Caitlyn informed cheerfully, giggling the entire time. "And their-their chow hall~! The scop they're eating looks nasty."
"Setting the last camera up myself, I think they're storing heavy equipment in the arena," I informed as I got into position, scanning over the area, just in time to see them roll a Basilisk into the garage. "Scratch that, chooms are definitely storing equipment in there."
"Feed is coming through on our end," Arnold informed over the radio. "Scanner on the camera is working, linking it with the NoCal bounty database, getting returns already."
"Understood, final camera set up, returning to exfil," I replied as I began moving back towards where we entered. "Hiashi, Cait, meet me there."
"Hai."
"Gotcha-gotcha!"
I held back a smirk, gig was never finished until you were in the clear. Still though, I felt like I was forgetting something. It was really starting to get annoying, and if it was something stupid, I was gonna be pissed.
Knowing Night City though? It was gonna bite me in the ass, hard.
Fuck.I frowned as I flicked through the recorded camera feeds, running them at triple speed, seeking something, anything to help explain these random bouts of paranoia that were popping up these last two days, but nothing I saw gave me that push to remember what it was I was forgetting. "See anything of use?" Major Barnes questioned, his own eyes flicking through the footage.
"Nothing that stands out to me," I grunted before something caught my eye. "Wait one," I murmured before rewinding and replaying the footage, frowning as I watched the footage play again at normal speed. "Take a look at the footage starting at… 14:20:35. There's a pair that don't look like they belong in the area, especially in what seems to be a homeless camp."
The Major's eyes flickered as he began inspecting the footage, watching as a pair of well dressed, cleanly cut peeps entered into a nigglingly familiar building. "They don't belong there," he commented in agreement. "The Rippers they brought along rarely leave the arena, they're definitely not soldiers, and they're too clean for locals."
Something suddenly clicked in my head, Cynosure, Militech's black ops site where they had a captive Blackwall AI. "Major, I'm starting to think the explosion that shut down this area wasn't an accident," I commented, shutting the feed down as our eyes met, the large man frowning heavily as he nodded.
"And a lot more makes sense on why Militech had been so insistent on handling the clean up, doing their part for Night City my chromed ass," he grunted, folding his arms. "Black site of some kind, weapons research?"
I shook my head in response. "The kind of weapons research that requires a blacksite are better off done either in the middle of a desert or the ocean," I countered with a frown. "I think they were doing something stupider but slightly more containable, either biological or digital."
"Fuck!" Barnes cursed loudly, my team looking looking over with concerned expressions. "Can't send you in there either, it will be a goddamn turkey shoot if you get caught."
I nodded in agreement. "And with the main Militech army closing in, we can't afford forcibly breaking in either," I sighed in agreement, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Might have to be something that will have to be put on hold for of we win this thing."
I grimaced before shaking my head. "And no offence to your runners, but if it's a digital black site, we may want Netwatch support for this shit," I groaned. Yeah, Netwatch had a semi bad rap for being a corp, but… when you saw the shit that Blackwall AIs could do, when you lived in the fallout of their rampage through the Old Net and saw the damage they did… you saw the reason they were needed.
It also reminded me of why the Voodoo Boys were fuckass gonks who needed lead in the brain. You don't fuck with the Blackwall, period.
It was all fun and games sticking an AI infused cyberdeck into your head until it became fucking reality. No way I was gonna risk having an AI near my meaty bits.
"No offence taken," Barnes grunted. "Let's… let's keep it quiet for now, it could cause a panic that we don't need to happen in the middle of a war."
"Agreed," I nodded in response, not missing the brief gleam of greed that flitted through the Major's eyes as I looked down at the map of North California, arrows representing the different prongs of the Militech/NUSA forces as they approached, if they pushed into Night City it would be a fucking massacre, fortified Night City was not.
Guns? Yeah there were plenty of them between all the gun vendors, Corporate Security, the gangs and even the private citizens.
But an army? The NoCal Armed Forces were tiny when compared to even just the NUSA Armed Forces. Sure there were plenty of Edgerunners, Corpo Security and Gangers, but an organised military grade response from them? Unlikely.
It was why NC had needed Arasaka intervention, namely their super carrier and organised 'security force', because Arasaka was one of the few Corps that could go toe to toe with Militech and possibly win.
"Whoever is in charge of things in there is a paranoid fuck," I grunted in annoyance, I haven't seen hide nor hair of Hanson, the main either smart enough to go full uniform when walking about, or paranoid enough to not leave his shelter.
Barnes blinked as he nodded in agreement to my comment. Good, he didn't seem to notice that I noticed that he was now likely to stab me in the back, probably wanting a nice big fat paycheck for the Cynosure info. Unfortunately it was hard to backstab someone who was expecting it. But that would be for later, like when a tungsten spike tore his heart, lungs, diaphragm, parts of his stomach and a chunk of his spine from his body. For now, we needed a way to break this goddamn deadlock of a siege inside of a siege.
But considering the fact that they had a small mechanised division in the walled off section with a pair of Basilisks watching each entrance? Not an easy task.
"Unfortunately, I don't see much of an option other than to slam into the gate with our own armour," Barnes informed with a shake of his head. "There's only so much a team like yours could do hitting them from within. Do you think you could take out at least one of the Basilisks on guard duty?"
I grimaced in response, Military grade ICE was no joke, and that wasn't even accounting for any enemy Netrunners, much less Songbird if she chose to turn away from whatever the FIA assignment in the area was. On top of that, the armour was far to thick for even my enhanced Nekomata to piece easily, especially when you consider that it was a fucking tank in a world with railguns.
But… if I had more magnetic coils and some help from Arnold. "Maybe…" I replied, tapping my finger against the table as I began pulling up a roughshod blueprint, pulling Arnold into the design. After a moment of surprise the techie soon began adding into the design, helping fill the gaps.
My eyes narrowed as something niggled at me again before I brushed it off for now. "Gonna need a few things and… two or three hours to build something," I said after another moment of planning. "It'll be a slapdash job, not likely anything permanent, but it will work."
"Send the list," Barnes nodded, his eyes glowing as he read the file over before barking out to the quartermasters. It was good to know he was professional enough to set his greed for the black site to the side until things were finished at least.
--
Hiashi hummed as he looked over his sword, inspecting the cutting edge for any imperfections that could impact its performance for the coming assault. A smirk played over his lips as he found nothing across the edge of his beautiful Aka Joō, for too long they had been idle.
Not that he could blame Claire or the Major for their caution, after all, their enemy surrounded themselves in a shell of spikes that would stab if grabbed carelessly. But, a part of him was glad they were finally going to be going on the offensive, his eyes flicking over to where Claire, Arnold and one of the NoCal Army Techs were building the platform that would enhance the power of Claire's Nekomata.
He held back a snort at what she called a 'slapdash' effort as the military tech was unsubtly recording the entire building process, likely to attempt to sell later. He should impress upon the young man the value of deleting the footage later.
They were a team after all, and while trust was hard to come by in Night City, efforts should be made to earn it at the very least. Claire was doing her own part with how careful she was with them, she wasn't giving them stupid orders or lording her position over them. No, she was keen on how to best use them, sending Caitlyn and himself to handle a few of Militech's more… daring squads that were attempting to breach their siege.
She even understood and made use of Grace's urge for violence by setting her up in a position to make use of that HMG of hers, shredding through a group of Militech jeeps that were making a run for the zone. And even now, wanting to make a proper push into the Militech controlled zone, she was making use of them in the best ways possible.
She trusted himself and Caitlyn to harry the enemy forces, she trusted Grace with drawing attention and slamming into their distracted forces, and she trusted Arnold with watching her back.
Trust was rare in Night City, it was something they all understood. Trust was something that could get you receiving the tender mercies of Scavs looking for a quick buck on your organs and chrome.
Trust could get you killed.
So when it was given to him, however little it was, he treated it the exact way the person giving it treated the trust he gave them. Claire cherished the trust, so he would do the same and entrust his back to her. It was only fair after all.
He looked up at the victorious sound from Claire as she stood up from the mount for her Nekomata, looking it over with a grin as Arnold inspected the final product with a critical eye before giving it his own nod of approval.
Of course they would have to move it into position overlooking the main gate, but that was minor in comparison to the role it would serve in the upcoming battle. Because not only will it serve as the mount for the Nekomata, hopefully allowing the rifle to punch through the heavy armour Militech will bring to bear, but also would serve as a pseudo server for her netrunning.
Hiashi let a smile grace his lips as they began working on separating the mount from the base for easier relocation. Yes, he didn't have to worry about his back, so long as her eyes were facing it, he would be safe.
Strange feeling a certainty like that in Night City. But he would not let it make him complacent, after all, all it took was one mistake and that complacency would be the noose from which he hung.
He began polishing his katana once again as he began another system check of his cyberware. The first step to ensuing your survival? Ensure your equipment is in order.
--
I let out a breath as my stalkers highlighted the assorted targets on the other side of the gate, using data relayed by the cameras to aid in marking each target. "Kat here," I announced over the Agent. "I am in position, all checks are green."
"Hiashi; Caitlyn and I are ready," the Samurai reported as my Hud lit up with their PoV, Caitlyn herself using a chest mounted camera due to the fact she lacked proper cyber eyes.
"Nyahehehehe" I held back a smirk at the girl's eager giggle as her Mantis Blades extended from her forearms, the girl herself looking ready to pounce on the soldiers beneath her.
On the opposite side was Hiashi, standing in a seemingly casual position with his katana still in its sheath, apparently the blade having a deep red glow when unsheathed making it… noticeable.
"Grace here, I'm with the regulars, they're getting all twitchy like," the large woman announced, her PoV giving me a clear view of the assortment of soldiers from the regular army, and they were indeed… twitchy. "Think they're hopped up on stimulants and such trash."
Surprisingly, Grace hated recreational drugs, like… viscerally hated them. Suppose I should be thankful she wasn't ripping the army apart for their own usage of it.
"At your back," Arnold informed, his PoV shoeing the mined stairs as he looked down them.
"Barnes here, we wait for your signal Kat."
Letting out a breath I lined up the shot on one of the Basilisks guarding the gate, unfortunately, I had no official blueprints to work with, only a still with possible weak points and known points for pilots and engine location.
I took in a breath as I lined up with the spot where the main pilot was located. The Basilisk required two linked pilots to operate, one to handle the soft for moving the thing and radar, the other handling weapons and ICE.
Half trigger, charge start up, breath in.
I could feel the prickling of my hair as the air was charged by the magnetic rails, a slight vibration running through the frame before the absorbers suppressed it, letting me correct my aim.
My shot was the signal, the shot that would kick things off.
Breath out, full pull.
The air cracked the passage of the tungsten spike before the screech of metal on metal was heard as it ripped through the Basilisk. Things kicked off as the signal was given, shouts were heard as chaos erupted.
And now, I was neck deep in a war.Rogue sighed as she rubbed her temples, reviewing the briefing on the op she sent the newly assembled crew on, anger boiling deep within her veins at the information that one of the agents she handpicked for this turned out to be an FIA plant. One who almost managed to nab one of the other Edgerunners in the crew, and arguably the most important one.
The Danger Gal was useful but a broken woman who didn't even see herself as human, riding that edge of psychosis, cyber or otherwise, only being held together by Michiko's efforts - for what reason the woman did so Rogue had no clue - and her attachment to Claire Yumikaze.
Hiashi was a decent swordsman and good at keeping his mouth shut while Grace provided decent muscle. No, the real treasure of that crew had been Claire.
She was smart, unnervingly so in some ways, she was quiet, professional and most importantly she had a diverse skill set. She didn't over specialise in one facet of Edgerunning, she didn't chrome herself to the gills, and she could lead.
Rogue could count on one hand how many Edgerunners she knew that could actually lead a crew, not just gather and keep them together with their charisma, but actually direct them. Keep them on task, keep them alive, and accomplish the objective.
Sure this gig wasn't a success, no matter what Major Barnes' replacement said, but if it hadn't been for the FIA agent, it would have been a resounding success. She still deposited the full amount into their accounts though - keeping 'Arnold's' share for herself of course - as she once again reviewed the footage lifted from the girl's optics.
It wasn't BD material, wasn't scrolled with one of the recorders, but damned if it didn't make for fascinating watching, her HUD flashing with hacks being traded with the FIA Netrunner as she exchanged gunfire before bringing out that sword of hers to get into CQC with the Agent.
"Nix, do me a favour, spread the footage lifted from her optics," Rogue ordered her Netrunner who looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "She earned her five minutes of fame I think. When you're done with that, come see me, we have some FIA moles to hunt and rip out."
Those NUSA dogs were going to regret cross her, she was the fucking Queen of the Afterlife and Fixers. If they thought they could pull a fast one on her and get away with it? Well… let them think that until her knife found its way to their jugular.
--
Michiko frowned as she read over little Caitlyn's report, the poor dear was frightfully worried about Claire's safety. It had been a gamble when she pushed for Caitlyn to be assigned to Claire during that Maelstrom hubbub, but she was glad to see it was paying off in spades.
She still remembered finding that poor girl, naked and drenched in blood, shivering in the rain and surrounded by the shredded corpses of the Biotechnica agents that had been sent to retrieve their 'test subject'. She had coaxed the poor girl much like one would a cat - yes she saw the irony in that statement - under both the literal and figurative umbrella of her protection.
Even so, her mentality had never truly recovered, she had learned to speak, maths and all the other necessities that a person needed to function. Yet… she still never considered herself 'human', she never broke free of the indoctrination that Biotechnica subjected her to for their experimental bioaugmentation procedures.
She instead took on the pseudo mentality of a 'cat', at least the one she saw from the other girls of Danger Gal. It was why she pushed her and Claire together, because the girl desired an 'owner' that Michiko could not be, especially not with the pressure to 'rejoin' Arasaka mounting. Not with her bastard of a grandfather's corporation mobilising to 'rescue' Night City from Militech.
The coward Rhyne went begging to her grandfather to save his position of power over the city in spite of everything that had happened to push them out of the city in the first place. The fat bastard was probably going to welcome Militech back with open arms as well, likely seeing the money rolled in from the bribes from either side.
She didn't want Arasaka to get their hands on little Caitlyn, not after what she went through with Biotechnica. So, she was permanently attached to Michiko's latest investment on 'long term bodyguard duty'. Thankfully, Claire should be pulling through in short order, girl was smart enough to upgrade her Trauma Team to Gold at the very least.
She hummed as she looked back at the report about Claire's cyberdeck being fried and nearly taking the poor girl's brain with it. At this point her 'rejoining' the company in some shape or form was inevitable - and she was already in talks with the Hato faction, the most palatable one - she could add in some demands for her willingness.
Claire was going to be on Arasaka's radar, she likely already was, when they made landfall in Night City. But if Michiko showed that the Edgerunner had connections with her, that should head off the worst of their attempts to draw her in and keep them on the more subtle side. And she has been hearing good things about the cyberdeck they were prototyping…
Something to consider anyways, she had to do what she could to protect her investment, especially if her grandfather forced her hand and her little kittens needed to find new shelter.
--
*Video opens up with a compilation of fights, stylized letters slowly spelling out 'Epic Runner Wins' with different effects before the video smash cuts to a young looking man with black hair and green eyes*
Dachimachi: WHAT IS UP NIGHT CITY!!!!!! It's ya guy Dachimachi with another episode of Epic Runner Wins! I know things are tense with everything happening in Pacifica right now, and I know some of you have been concerned about the absolute cannon that was apparently being fired down there.
Well, worry no more! Those shots were from the subject of today's winning Edgerunner!
See, our pals in the illustrious NoCal military *Dachimachi winks at the camera* were having trouble with the Militech goons holed up in the quarantined area in Pacifica - hey you conspiracy nuts give your suggests down below why they really want to be there, I got money riding on Myers porn stash being there - and they were having trouble with a narrow entrance with fucking Basilisks watching the entrance!
So, what does our daring Edgerunner do? She takes a Nekomata, mounts it to a some kind of capacitor mount, and starts sniping tanks and helicopters with what became a - and this is a quote from gun nut professionals I consulted - gyaddayum Naval Cannon.
And while that is baddass all on its own, it gets better. I ain't gonna ruin this for y'all, so just take a look.
*Video Plays before cutting back to Dachimachi*
Yeah that's right boys and girls, you saw out girl here, cut a bullet. And I have confirmed with some of my contacts in Afterlife, she does not have speedware!
That's right, no Sandy, no Keren, just natural talent and a good arm it seems!
Now, some of you may be wondering, who is this badass of an Edgerunner and why have we not heard from her before? Well, long and short of it, we have heard of her before, remember the Edgerunner Fail of the borg pissing his pants? Yyyyyuuuuup! The mysterious and cold Kat!
*A quick clip of said incident plays as Dachimachi laughs hysterically*
Who I should remind is not a Danger Gal poser, and apparently actually has one as a part of her crew!
No, our girl here is a sniper, cold and true! But I'll be damned if she doesn't have claws with that sword of hers!
But, that will be all for now folks, and this video is definitely going to be in the Year's end best of the year, hell it may end up being Best of All Time!
Remember folks, don't piss off the Runners, never know when you'll have a tungsten spike hurled at you faster than you can blink after all!A groan escaped my lips as consciousness slowly began to return to me, my head ached so much as I shifted a bit in the no doubt hospital bed I was laying on. That damnable beeping of a vital monitor rousing me from the peaceful blankness of unconsciousness. Prying my eyes open, I winced at the light in the room before a blur of green hair hovered over me. "Claire?" Ahh… Cait's voice really didn't suit being so worried and fearful.
I did my best to put a smile on my face as I looked in her direction as my optics adjusted properly to let me see the fearful and worried expression on her face. "Hey there pretty kitty," I blamed the drugs they pumped me with for those words.
But I was treated to the sight of a pretty blush spreading across her cheeks as a small smile of relief came across her, an amused chuckle breaking the nascent moment before it could flourish. "You really do need to be more careful there dear," my mother said as she came into view, her hand threading through my hair for a moment as she looked over me in concern. "Should I see the other guy?"
"Well… there should be two of him now," I blithely retorted with a groan escaping my lips as my head throbbed my hand finding its way to Cait's head as she nuzzled into the crook of my neck. "What's the damage?"
"Other than the damage to your deck, not a whole lot, thankfully," my mother informed with a nod, the crinkle in her eyes no doubt taking amusement in Cait's cuddliness. "Afraid there is no salvaging the deck."
I gave a one arm shrug with the arm that Cait wasn't cuddling. "Fucking black op Runners," I sighed as I looked around noticing a few messages on my phone, notable ones from Rogue and Michiko. "How long was I out?"
"A day, like I said, not a lot of damage, you did nearly give your father and I a heart attack when the Trauma Team Notice arrived," she informed me with a patient look. "Not to mention when the video went online."
A cold pit clenched in my stomach. "Video?" I questioned weakly.
My mother snorted. "Apparently someone from Afterlife lifted and distributed the video," she informed with a shake of her head. "Looks like anonymity is shot in the foot."
I let out a growl of frustration, fucking Rogue, how I wished to give her an earful for that! "My team?" But… revenge later, more immediate concerns now.
"They're fine, the samurai is waiting outside," Caitlyn informed, her voice muffled from where she was buried into my neck. "The Animal went off after dropping me off."
I nodded in response, letting out a small sigh of relief. It was one thing to have a team member flatline because they turned against you, it was another to have a death on the team because of incompetence.
"I have to get back to work unfortunately, but I am glad to see you awake and cognizant, dear," Mom said, patting me on the shoulder. "And Caitlyn, darling?" the Danger Gal rumbled a bit as she turned, letting one of her eyes peak out at my mom. "Thank you for looking after my daughter."
I could feel Caitlyn vibrate a bit in happiness as she nodded before returning to cuddling me, I could feel her lips stretching into a happy smile as she pressed her face into me. Looking back at my mom I caught a wink and my agent pinged with a text; 'I wholeheartedly approve!'
A flush came across my face as I scowled at the door my mom disappeared through. Damned woman.
Still, my arms wrapped around the catgirl cuddling up to me, it was rather nice cuddling with her after all.
--
Thankfully, it was easy enough getting myself discharged from the hospital, apparently the worst damage I would see from my brain nearly being boiled was very minor long term memory loss, likely some haziness when it came to some of my older memories - pretty sure canon was kicked to the curb with my 'arrival' anyways - and a warning to not install a new cyberdeck for at least a week.
It was strange, not having one, like having a piece of myself missing, little instinctual things like accessing minor subnets just… didn't happen. Like having an itch in my head.
But, it did give me time to go over the different texts I had gotten, over half of them were from BD artists wanting me to scroll my work for them, into the bin those went. Three quarters of the remaining were junk gig offers, people wanting to get me to do their gigs for pennies, to the bin with those.
The remainder were more serious offers, but I passed on those for now while I was recovering, no way I was going into a gig with a chunk of my toolset missing. Rogue had been informing me of gig completion and forwarding the payment for it, a small note about the fact that she was using my vid to put the FIA on check only slightly mollified me.
And finally, Michiko, giving me her well wishes, and a request for a face to face meeting in a few days after I get out of the hospital. Our meeting had been officially scheduled for tomorrow, the woman telling me to make sure I wore something nice for the restaurant.
Concerning, but still, mom ensured that I had a few pieces of clothing that fit the bill when I set out as an Edgerunner, just in case. But, for now my attention was focused on Hiashi as he sat across from me. "So, Caitlyn is Caitlyn, and she pretty much adopted me," I commented, getting a confirming giggle from the catgirl as she stretched out on my couch, her head on my lap as I scritched behind her ears. "So, why are you following me around now?"
Hiashi's lip quirked in amusement, his gaze flicking down to Caitlyn who smugly looked back at him. "You are worthy of trust," he replied simply with a nod. "That is a rare thing in Night City, not simply something to walk away from so casually."
I raised an eyebrow in response, a faded memory of words rising up, no idea who said them but, the gist was you couldn't trust anyone in Night City. Ah… right, I had been partially operating by old world rules despite having lived in Night City for two decades now. Amazing how those little things you just don't think about can crop up on you.
So for someone to show basic amounts of trust to another, here in Night City? No wonder Caitlyn followed me around like a lost kitten, my eyes flicked down to the girl for a moment before flicking back up to Hiashi, conversation for later.
"So, you basically want to form a crew with me then?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow, the man nodding in agreement.
I pursed my lips in thought, having a crew was… different then what I wanted, I had wanted to keep to the background, remained unnoticed until I had enough contacts and rep to get started as a Fixer. But now with that damned video leaking out…
Fucking Rogue, blowing my plans out of the water without even trying.
There was no stepping back into the shadows, not without a heavy hit to my reputation that would see Fixers avoiding me. "Alright then," I nodded finally. "When a job comes up I'll get a hold of you, chances are when I fully heal we'll start seeing some bigger jobs."
Funny to think about that respectable Fixers, people who send people into the meat grinder on a daily basis, have more care for their 'employee's' health than a majority of the corps.
Then again, a dead Edgerunner was a piss poor one, an injured one could still be useful though.
"That is understandable," Hiashi nodded in agreement, a smile coming across his features. "I look forward to working with the two of you in the future."
Life was certainly throwing lemons at me, too bad life wasn't around for me to beat it over the head with the sack of lemons it dropped in my lap.
--
Y'know, I was really wondering if life was trying to tell me something. It was a strange experience stepping out of my Quadra, Caitlyn having insisted on driving me and opening the door for me. Strangely enough, it wasn't because of my recent injury, but that didn't click until we had arrived where Michiko wanted to meet me.
Embers.
Yyyyup.
I had recognized the area as soon as Caitlyn pulled up, letting my face settle into a 'Resting Bitch Face' that most Corpo elites used, realising that the Danger Gal was helping me send a message of 'I am Important'.
Thankfully, I was dressed for the part, it was a dress that I had been planning on using for my work as a Fixer, might as well start using it now with my rep.
A gold and black kimono wrapped around my body, only briefly showing my legs as I stepped from the Quadra, the detached billowing sleeves doing a good job of not only hiding my hands, but keeping a pair of my knives from view. The four inch heels added to my 5'7'' height, making me seem taller and more imposing as I strode towards the entrance of Embers, Caitlyn settling into position behind and to the right of me.
Spoiler: the 'Future' Fixer, Claire
The bouncers guarding the entrance stiffened as my gaze locked onto them, a part of me enjoying the fact that I, a slip of a girl, could intimidate them so easily, and approached them. "Uhh… reservation?" The braver of the two bouncers questioned, making my gaze lock on him specifically, something he seemed to regret.
"I am here for a meeting with Michiko Sanderson," my reply was clipped and to the point, making the man squirm as he nodded quickly.
"Floor 25, ma'am," he hurriedly replied, the elevator unlocking to allow me entrance to the establishment.
I strode into the familiar elevator that had brought V to meet with Hanako, the start of so many ends for the mercenary and the ghost they carried within them.
I had no idea how I felt about V, there were so many different kinds of people they could be. A nice ex-Corpo, a selfish Nomad, an asshole Street Kid, male, female, something between, so many possibilities.
Of course I looked for them, under Vincent, under Valerie, under Victor, Victoria and so many other V names, but… I had no clue what I was looking for. Good luck finding Nomads in the system, and ik Night City alone there were thousands of people with names starting with V.
Jackie Wells? Easy, I knew his home, I knew his history, he was easy to find. V though? Nothing to start from, and zero leads. I guess, I would just have to wait and hope zeroing Dexter would push Evelyn to not getting the job done by V.
I blinked as the elevator came to a stop, slow classical music piping in as the doors opened, allowing me to step through as the maitre'd greeted me and gestured me towards the only occupied table before making himself scarce.
Yup, Michiko was just that rich, and all without grandpappy Saburo's help.
"Claire, I am glad to see you on your feet," the woman greeted me in her usual bubbly manner as she stood up and hugged me tightly. "You certainly gave little Caitlyn here a fright with your state, and girl this dress is amazing! You gotta tell me where you got it later~!"
I curled my lips a bit in a smile as I let myself relax minutely in the private space. "Gave myself a fright admittedly," I sighed with a shake of my head. "Never thought that I would have to fight off a NUSA black bag attempt like that."
"Hmph, they have a lot to answer for, that is for sure," she said with a nod, her eyes narrowing for a moment before smiling again and gesturing for me to sit down. "So, while I would love for this to be a casual get together - which we need to actually do soon - unfortunately this is a business meeting, well, business first anyways, then we can start getting… casual."
I rolled my eyes at the saucy grin she threw my way with a wink. "Got a gig for me? I hate to say it but it may have to wait a bit…" I admitted with a wince, feeling a small pulse of pain from where my old Seacho had been.
"Oh goodness no! You are still healing young lady! Little Caitlyn here would never forgive me if I sent you to jobs like you are now!" Michiko looked affronted by the suggestion as Caitlyn nodded in agreement, sending a smug look to Michiko's two bodyguards who giggled. "But, the first piece of business is connected to how you do those jobs though, and one kinda leads into the other."
I raised an eyebrow as Michiko accepted the package from one of the bodyguards as another one appeared from the kitchen, bringing a small platter of sushi for us. "So! I heard that your Cyberdeck wasn't up to task against the FIA Netrunner, unfortunately," she commented, giving me an understanding smile. "And I know good cyberdecks are hard to come by."
"Unfortunately true," I nodded regretfully. Good cyberdecks were either just not available commercially, or prohibitively expensive, Netrunning was a game changer after all and every company wanted to maintain their competitive edge. "Been looking at options, but unless I get paid three times more than what the last gig paid… well I would just be trying to make use of at least two generations old tech."
"It truly is a difficult position," Michiko nodded in understanding. "But… that leads me to this, which kind of combines both pieces of business. First… Arasaka is en route to Night City, they're bringing the Kujira and they are expected to arrive in two days' time."
Air escaped my nose as I sighed, nodding my head in acceptance. "Makes sense, they are the only ones capable of going toe to toe with Militech and they want their foothold in the states," I commented with a sigh, it didn't matter what I did, there would have been no stopping Militech's march on asserting dominance over all of North America, no matter how large that landmass was. "Let me guess, Rhyne went begging and pleading to Saburo."
"Pretty much," Michiko's bubbly persona dropped a bit as she scowled at the thought of the man. "But, with Arasaka returning, that bastard Saburo is going to want to 'bring me back to the fold'."
Another grimace passed my lips, I had almost forgotten, Michiko was the pillar the Hato progressive faction of Arasaka rallied around, no matter how small it was. "Unfortunately, I don't think I can remove that issue," I said with a regretful smile.
Even killing Saburo wouldn't work, even with Yorinobu's desire to tear Arasaka down… the chaos that would follow from the collapse of one of the world largest Megacorps?
The Corporate Wars would look like a joke in comparison.
"I don't expect you too, this was something that was unfortunately inevitable, my grandfather loves having control over his 'legacy' far too much to let me remain free as I have," Michiko sighed, making me blink in surprise at the vulnerability she was showing in this moment. "But, I don't intend on being his little pawn to dance in his or Yorinobu's palm, which is why I had the people courting me for their internal faction send me this."
My eyes widened as Michiko opened the box, inside lay a gleaming brand new cyberdeck, the mark of Arasaka emblazoned on it with the letters 'ACD-X281' imprinted into it. "Wh-what?" I stammered, my eyes taking in every detail of this decidedly not market cyberdeck.
"The Arasaka Gen'ai prototype cyberdeck, you might have heard about the Phantom that is supposed to hit the market soon? This is what that deck is based off of," Michiko explained, her lips curling in amusement at my shock. "Of course, I had my girls go through and remove any of the backdoors they could find, and encourage you to do the same, but as I understand it, this is probably one of the best cyberdecks you will find."
I swallowed dryly, even Caitlyn and the other Danger Gals seemed shocked by the cyberdeck she just revealed. "Michiko, I'm flattered of course, but… why? What are you wanting in return?" Of course I was going to question this gift horse in the mouth, because something like this a prototype cyberdeck likely packed with more features than most commercial models could even dream of accomplishing.
She nodded, her eyes gleaming in approval. "I fear in the coming years I will be finding myself relying on your skills," she announced, her face dropping into a frown. "The faction that has been courting me is the progressive faction in Arasaka, wanting to find a better way to operate than how my father has been since inheriting control of the company.
"I know you have been wanting to remain largely away from corporate politics, but unless I can oust Yorinobu and Hanako as successors to my Grandfather, no matter who inherits, chaos will follow," she sighed, placing a hand over mine with an open and honest expression of pleading. "I hate my grandfather, far more than most realise, but I know that if Yorinobu destroys Arasaka like he is plotting, chaos will engulf the world."
I couldn't tear my gaze away from Michiko's emotional brown eyes as she wordlessly begged me to help her. I let out a sigh as I slumped a bit. "Okay," I gave her a smile, the older woman sagged in relief. "But! I can call an op off, no questions, no arguments, if I think things won't work, I don't want to end up tripping the trigger on the fifth corporate war."
Her lips curled into a smile as she nodded. "Of course, that's why I want you to help me, you're smart enough to know when to back off," she informed as she sat back. "It's hard to find an Edgerunner that isn't chasing the 'Legend'."
I let out a huff as I crossed my arms. "I'm still trying to figure out how to get revenge on Rogue for releasing that footage," I grunted with a scowl, making her giggle in amusement.
"It is good, to see you making friends, granddaughter," an elderly voice spoke in japanese made Michiko freeze for a moment, a knife already in my hand and ready to throw, Caitlyn in front of me with her Maintis blades released, hissing in threat as the other Danger Gals raised their weapons towards the speaker. "Put those weapons away, can a grandfather not meet with his granddaughter and her friend?"
My eyes widened as, out from the kitchen, with a younger Goro Takemura hovering protectively near him, strode Saburo Arasaka, in the flesh.Oh, I was tempted, I was so very tempted to just say 'fuck it' and throw my knife… but no, that would not solve anything at all. I touched Caitlyn's shoulder as I slid my knife back into its sheath. My friend growled slightly for a moment but soon retracted her blades and stepped back to stand behind me defensively. Michiko raised a hand, causing the girls with her to slowly stand down as Saburo approached the table, Takemura quickly pulling a chair over for him to sit.
"Thank you, Takemura-kun," the elderly man said as he took his seat, I took that as my cue to slowly ease back into my own seat, keeping a close eye on the two men. "You have found yourself quite the shinobi to ally yourself with, granddaughter, had she been any less disciplined, I would likely have been dead before she thought to stop herself."
"I… am surprised you are here, Grandfather," Michiko bit out formally as Saburo helped himself to one of the samples of sushi. "I… I did not hear of you leaving Japan."
"Hmph, people always see me as a doddering old man, forgetting that everything within Arasaka is under my purview, escaping the notice of the cameras is no small issue," I was surprised when he showed a humorous smile on his face. "I am sure the division devoted to shadowing me is just now realising I am not where their tracker says I should be."
"That… is rather daring," I commented in Japanese, keeping an eye on Takemura. "Coming to one of the most dangerous cities, even without Militech besieging it, no doubt wanting to take a shot for your head."
"Do you think I managed to craft my company to what it is now without taking risks? Without being daring? It is dangerous, yes, but when my granddaughter made a request for a recently complete prototype I thought it would be worth the risk to see what she was planning," he replied, turning to face me with a sharp gaze. "I am quite aware of her feelings for me, and I can even acknowledge them as justified, but all the same I need to ensure that she was not about to do something foolish."
I saw Michiko's nostrils flare with anger for a moment before she composed herself as Saburo ate another roll of sushi, a pleased hum escaping his lips. "Honestly, you have pleased me more than you could know," he smirked as Michiko's eyes widened. "Did you really think that I didn't know of Yorinobu's ambitions? Of course I did, but Hanako is far too passive, far too… weak to take the seat, she would be just as disastrous if she took control."
He took in a breath as he leant back in his chair. "I kept a close eye on you, of course, and I must say I was impressed with how you raised yourself above the rabble, even with everything set against you because of my name," he nodded to Machiko. "Hate me all you wish, but that is why I wish for you to return to the fold, you are capable of usurping your uncle's position of power," his eyes flicked to me as he smirked. "And the fact that you are already arming an ally to assist you in this, only proves that you are worthy for the task."
"Even if she wishes to change what Arasaka is?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes at the old man, how I wished I could call him on the Relic and being able to just jack a new body for himself. "Even if it means your company becoming something you don't recognize?"
A bark of laughter came from the old man as he grinned at me, his eyes sharp behind his glasses. "Do you think I fear change, child? As long lived as I am, do you think that I am not aware of the fact that change is inevitable no matter how hard you fight against it. Would I be happier if she would keep the company going in the current direction? Of course I would, but I accept the fact that my granddaughter is not me, she has her own values and will steer Arasaka according to those values."
"Surprisingly accepting of you," I replied, trying to gauge the man's honesty.
"Of course it is, but all the same, accept it I will," he smiled smugly as he took off his glasses to meet my gaze directly. "After all, my legacy is secure in her hands. No matter how history portrays me, no matter how Michiko, Hanako or Yorinobu feel, my legacy will endure in her hands."
Michiko cursed as she scowled at the smug old man as he took her glare in stride, looking at the cyberdeck sitting on the table between us. "You made a good choice with this particular cyberdeck, granddaughter," he commented, picking it up to look it over, I blinked as I found a text from an unknown number sending me a number of files of the deck. "I should not need to mention my displeasure of what would happen should something similar to this enter the market, should I?"
"Wish for death, burn and salt the fields of my family, ect. ect." I snarked before I could stop myself, drawing another bark of laughter from Saburo, you know what, fuck it. "You are planning something."
"Of course I am, I would be a piss poor scheming bastard if I wasn't," he smirked in return. "I am always planning something, often the same plan changes several times. Like if the person Michiko was working with was like Smasher, I would have never stepped out, because it would prove she was just like Yorinobu, no ability to think or plan past herself.
But no… you brought a shinobi into your council, perhaps not the way I would have, but again, you are not me," he turned his gaze to me as his grin widened. "I look forward to seeing what you two accomplish, but if you make a mistake and expose your plans, do not expect me to lift a finger to help you."
He let out a chuckle as he stood up, giving the two of us another look as he smirked. "Good luck," he said as he moved towards the kitchen once more, Takemura falling into step behind him.
Both Michiko and I were silent for a long time, Caitlyn pushed herself against my back as she buried her face into the crook of my neck, my hand reaching up to comfort her as her body shook slightly. "I'm sorry," Michiko whispered, bowing her head. "God I am so sorry… I didn't think… I thought…"
"It was bound to happen eventually," I grimaced before offering a smile. "Not backing out now if that's what you're afraid of."
Michiko sighed, rubbing her face with her palms for a moment before righting herself and giving me a smile. "Thank you, Claire, I promise, I'll do everything I can to make sure you make it through this," she promised with a firm look. "If you need anything, tell me and I will get it for you."
I gave her a grateful smile, surprising the older woman by pulling her into a tight hug. "We'll both get through this," I assured her before pulling away. "And yeah, I may have a grocery list I could use some help on."
She gave a dry chuckle as she smiled. "I'll see what I can do," She breathed out as she put her peppiness back into her face and smiled. "Thank you, really Claire."
I glanced back at Caitlyn for a moment, the girl was still shaking a bit from our encounter with Saburo, and for a while now I've been knowing what she wanted from me. "Could use your help with one small thing though," I said before my eyes glowed as I sent her a message.
A moment passed as she read it before a smirk crossed her face and she nodded. "I can definitely help with that," she assured with a grin, some of the stress she had been feeling easing from her features as she began to relax slightly.
Mentally I let out a heavy sigh of my own. Goodbye anonymity, I will miss you.
--
Caitlyn watched her human as her glowing eyes flicked about, no doubt reading what the monster had sent her when he crashed the meeting as she worked on her new cyberdeck, a small frown was on Caitlyn's face as she watched her work. She wasn't very happy with Michiko right now, dragging her human into Arasaka politics like this, but… Claire decided to help her because that's who Claire was.
So it fell to her to make sure Claire wouldn't die from the monster's meddling. She repressed a shudder at the memory of the monster's eyes, eyes so very like the dark ones who poked and prodded her, who subjected her to so much pain and suffering.
She shook her head, refusing to fall into the trap of that darkness, Michiko freed her from them, Michiko helped her find her human, she was no longer Experiment number 4531, she was Caitlyn. She was Claire's, even if Claire didn't fully realise it yet. Her human could be so dense sometimes.
But that's okay, Caitlyn was patient.
The tone of the doorbell cut off her line of thought, her claws almost leaping from her arms instinctually before she stopped herself. "Can you get that, Cait?" Her human requested as she fiddled with some part or another. "Working on something delicate here."
"Of course~!" Caitlyn sang in response, agilely flipping to her feet as she skipped towards the door to their shared home, a quick check of the camera had her raising an eyebrow at the sight of one of her fellow cats on the other side. "Hello sister!"
Caitlyn smiled as she opened the door, getting a cheery smile and greeting in return, all of her sisters were just so nice and bubbly with her! And they were never afraid of her even when she came back covered in blood!
"Hey hey sister~!" The other girl greeted in turn, holding up a package. "Michiko-sama asked me to get this to Claire ASAP, can you pass it along?"
"Well duh, of course!" Caitlyn nodded in agreement, accepting the package, and a hug from her sister before the other Danger Gal departed for her next task - the all important coffee for Michiko!
Caitlyn gave the package a curious look before shrugging as she skipped back to her human who was finishing up playing around with her cyberdeck for now. "Who was it?" Claire questioned, glancing up.
"One of my sisters, dropping a package for you off from Michiko!" Caitlyn informed, passing it over to Claire as she accepted it.
"Wow, surprised she got it to me so quickly," Claire blinked in surprise, making Caitlyn curious as she placed her chin on Claire's shoulder, nuzzling her as she watched Claire open the package, she froze, a breath being sucked in as her eyes widened.
"Is that…?" she questioned hesitantly.
Claire giggled a bit as she picked up the collar, a small tag bearing Caitlyn's name on it as the white haired young woman turned to face her. "It is," she nodded in confirmation. "Look, Cait, I know that you… something happened to you, and it left you damaged," Caitlyn winced a bit before relaxing as Claire cupped her face in her hands, one of smooth and chilled metal, the other warm and soft flesh, both utterly representative of the human that took Caitlyn in. "You don't have to tell me what happened, but if it is with me you feel safe, then know I will never abandon you."
Caitlyn sniffled as tears welled in her eyes, it was so unfair of Claire, doing this to her, putting her through this emotional rollercoaster of a week. Tears began to fall freely as Clair pulled her into a hug, letting the broken and damaged girl cry into her shoulder as all those emotions that were thought lost beneath the mask and time welled to the surface and erupted.
And as the scream of Arasaka jets and the roar of their AVs passed overhead, announcing the arrival of the Megacorp's army to aid Night City, the two women remained entwined with one another, drawing comfort from one another, for as long as they needed to.