A/N: Sorry for delay update chap, I had to travel last couple days and I am back now so yay more chapters! ENJOY MFS!
RRR..SHUT!
Teo groaned, sliding into the driver's seat of the Kang Tao transport. His entire form was covered in a grim, sticky sheen of crimson.
Lovely, isn't it? Looked like a particularly enthusiastic cranberry juice fight. His dark red hair was matted with it, clinging to his forehead, his clothes soaked.
Kenji Tanaka had long since crawled back into the passenger side, his initial terror now a trembling mess. The polished corporate suit he wore was damp, his face pale and clammy.
Both men sat in the idling vehicle, the stench of burnt synth flesh and hot metal heavy in the air. Teo took a slow, ragged breath, eyes closed, trying to clear the lingering adrenaline from his system. He grabbed the bottom of his tank top, using his "wife beater" as a makeshift napkin to wipe a smear of blood from his cheek. Multi purpose fashion, kids. Always buy ethically sourced, blood absorbent synth cotton.
Tanaka finally stirred, turning to Teo, visible anger contorting his features, eclipsing the fear for a moment.
"I said… it would be better if there was no blood!" Tanaka shouted, his voice cracking, as he face palmed and tilted his head back against the headrest, a soft groan escaping him. "My people wanted this discreet! We might get crucified!" He emphasized "we" with a desperate, accusing glance.
Teo turned, his face etched with faux shock, a crimson streak highlighting his sardonic smirk. "Who's 'we'?" he retorted, slamming his fist onto the center console between them, making Tanaka jump. "I protected you and the package! Your boss can't be angry about that, right? Pretty sure 'package delivered' trumps 'no messy bits,' but hey, I'm just the guy who got shot at for a living."
Tanaka's anger vanished, replaced by stark uncertainty and a fresh wave of panic. "I don't know, he just said discreetly! He doesn't like… complications!" he stammered, wiping beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Teo deadpanned. "I think you're fine, choom. If anything, he might praise you for hiring me or something. Because clearly, my hiring was the 'discreet' part of this whole fucking operation." He kickstarted the truck's engine, the heavy diesel coughing to life, then raised a foot from under the steering wheel and kicked out the massive, spiderwebbed windshield. The shattered piece of laminated glass flew a few feet in front of them, scattering with a final crash.
"Gonna be a windy drive," Teo remarked, putting the truck in drive and steering it out of the blood splattered alley, running over a few lifeless forms with a jarring bump. Casual Tuesday in Night City.
The roar of the engine filled the silence for a long moment, punctuated only by the wind whistling through the new gap in the windshield. Tanaka, still stressed in the passenger seat, slowly shifted, turning to Teo. His rage had drained, leaving a strange, almost weary calm. Oh, the five stages of Tanaka, denial, anger, bargaining, terror, and… acceptance of his newfound good friend, TEO!!!!
"You know," Tanaka began, his voice surprisingly subdued, almost introspective. "When I said discreet… I didn't mean a massacre." He paused, then let out a short, incredulous laugh, a sound devoid of humor. "But… you got it done. You actually got it done."
Teo glanced at him, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. Wait, is this where he asks me to prom? He expected more whining, not… grudging admiration. "Tanaka... this is Night City, massacres happen on a daily," Teo grunted, keeping his eyes on the winding, trash strewn road. "Plus It's in the job description. 'Gets stuff done. May involve copious amounts of red paint.'"
"Yes, well," Tanaka continued, a new, calculating tone entering his voice, now tinged with a predatory edge. "It was messy, yes. But the package is secure. And you handled… the unexpected elements. My contact… he's very particular, but he values results above all else. A 'ghost,' he called you, even before this. He said you were efficient."
Teo arched an eyebrow. "Ghost, huh?" That was Cipher's alias, wasn't it? The connection to his mysterious merc ally in the past. The man followed him everywhere he went. He wasn't sure if he liked the inheritance of the name. He also hadn't expected the corpo to have heard of him, let alone offer him such a familiar nickname.
"Mmm." Tanaka hummed, straightening slightly, a hint of his usual corporate swagger returning, though it was still tinged with the recent trembles. "Look, this wasn't ideal, but your… methods are undeniably effective. I have other projects, other… sensitive deliveries that require a certain… unconventional touch. Perhaps you and I could discuss them, after this is settled."
Teo smirked, a genuine, if tired, smile. "You mean you might need a 'crimson ghost' again? Is this the part where we become a buddy cop duo? Like Rick and Shane. Don't fuck my wife Tanaka."
Tanaka met his gaze, a rare, almost genuine nod. "It's highly probable, Mateo. Highly probable." He paused, shifting in his seat, debating on telling Teo something.
"I… I might need you in the future for some things. You see, Council voting's are coming up. Westbrook and Heywood have open seats. Kang Tao is having me gun for Westbrook. So your service could be valuable in the future. More money as well." He pulled out his datapad, swiftly sifting through comms and sending Teo his contact via OS.
That's right. Council elections. Both Westbrook and Heywood have open seats. Corpo and Civ alike were gunning for influence, for power. Although... Night Corp just lost that seat, they definitely. Teo shifted, a new, ambitious spark igniting in him. "Mmm, as long as you pay me, I'll get the job done." He confirmed the new contact within his comm link.
The grime coated streets of Santo Domingo dimmed as the sprawling, brightly lit Night City airport's buildings came into view. Teo drove the battered truck to a corpo checkpoint alongside side the road.
He rolled down the window for Tanaka, who, with a forced air of composure, handed the guard his credentials. The guard, a stoic operative in a pristine uniform, glanced at Teo's blood soaked form, his face impassive, then simply nodded, completely disregarding Teo's gory state. He waved them through the gates and into the private hangar section. Stopping at the large Kang Tao corporate private hangar. The hanger's doors wide open.
Teo brought the Kang Tao vehicle to a smooth, expert stop inside the brightly lit, sterile hangar. The air conditioning hummed, a stark contrast to the grit and smoke of the industrial zone they'd just navigated.
Technicians in pristine Kang Tao jumpsuits swarmed the vehicle, their faces unreadable, their movements precise and efficient. Tanaka stepped out, trying to regain his composure, smoothing down his rumpled suit. He looked like he'd aged five years in the last hour. Poor guy. Someone get him a calming synth tea and a good therapist. Or maybe just a lobotomy. Whatever works.
"Once again... you handled that," Tanaka said, looking at Teo with a new, grudging respect. His eyes, for the first time, seemed to see Teo, not just a hired hand, but something more. "Impressively."
Teo just offered a tired, sarcastic smirk. "Glad I could be of service, Tanaka. Next time, maybe fly commercial. Or just let me handle the entire thing from a secure location with a few well placed drone strikes. I mean that's what Kang Tao specializes in, right?"
Tanaka nodded "Indeed, heh" he said smiling a bit, offering his hand to Teo, who shook it firmly. Then Tanaka's optics glowed, offering a transfer request to which Teo accepted, watching as 14,000 eddies flowed into his balance. More then what was offered initially.
"A pleasure again, Teo. I'll be in contact in the future for more work," Tanaka said before an employee opened the door to a private vessel, and Tanaka, with a final, lingering look at the blood stained truck, stepped in. Teo watched the sleek vessel take off, its silent ascent leaving him in the vast, empty hangar alone with the ruined truck.
Teo sighed, Fucker's voice sounding over the hum of the hangar's ventilation. "Mission complete. Excellent work, twin. A particularly high casualty count, even by Night City standards. Recommending a full bio wash."
Teo just snorted. "Fucker, call my bike. Let's get the fuck outta of here." He walked out the doors to the hangar, passing different gates and baggage claims. The Kusanagi came flying down the road, engine purring, skidding to a perfect stop in front of Teo.
He was about to swing his leg over, already anticipating the wind in his hair, only for a firm hand to grasp his shoulder.
"Mister Mateo Santiago Welles?"
Teo jumped, turning sharply, his hand already on Bon Bon's grip. 'Fucker, why alert me?' he thought, his blood running cold, only to hear no answer from his AI. Teo's forehead beaded with sweat.
"The fuck?" He finally glanced at the person who touched him, a firm black bodysuit with armor plates, over it a long black trench coat, and matte black glasses covering his eyes. Another figure stood silently on the opposite side of his bike. Same as the one Infront.
"My name is Agent Reyes. I work with NetWatch. I need to ask you a couple questions." The man's voice was calm, almost unnervingly so. Teo's shock morphed into alarm.
Sweat poured from his forehead. He slapped away Reyes's hand, turning around to his bike, his eyes darting to the second agent. "The fuck? What do you want?" Teo growled, facing Reyes.
Reyes shifted slightly, pulling out a data tablet and shifting through some data. His voice, still devoid of emotion, hardened slightly. "You were on a job in Pacifica a few months ago, correct? Encountered an Arasaka team, Valkyrie. Trying to find a NetWatch Blackwall data cache." His face shifted up, Teo could tell he was looking at him through the dark glasses.
"What's it to yah, choom?" Teo said, his voice laced with defiance, as he slowly sat down on the Kusanagi sideways, a silent challenge. The man behind him, Agent Kael, spoke up, his voice equally calm but with an undercurrent of steel.
"Well, that cache is NetWatch property. Old, yes, but still property nonetheless. What Arasaka and Militech did, trying to get both of their teams to seize this cache, is highly illegal in corporate law. You see, Militech had Arasaka stopped before they could steal damning info from our property." Kael finished, folding his arms across his chest.
Teo leaned his head back, looking up at the fluorescent lights of the hangar. "Okay? And. What's your point?" he said, trying to project disinterest, but his heart was pounding.
Reyes stepped forward, his voice dropping slightly, becoming more insidious. "Our point, Mr. Welles, is that we detected something... unusual in that sector during the time of this 'raid' by these out of pocket corps. We locked it down. We were able to ensure no damning info was stolen... However, something did come out. Something leaked out. Something from within our Blackwall containment protocols."
Teo's blood ran cold. He tried to ping Fucker. Nothing. He tried again. Only static. His internal comms were dead. Panic began to claw at his throat. He looked at Reyes, then at Kael. "What are you doing to me?!" he demanded, his voice rising, a tremor in it he couldn't hide.
"Just ensuring a private conversation, Mr. Welles," Reyes said, a faint, humorless smile playing on his lips. "We saw the footage. You connected directly to the cache. Your…came out looking like a ghost, all distorted, pulsing with that same anomaly. Tell us about the fragment. What is it? What did you pull out?"
A searing pain lanced through Teo's head, worse than any hangover. It wasn't just the phantom limb of Fucker's silence, it was a physical agony. His COX-2 Cybersomatic Optimizer and Phantom Cyberdeck were straining, his internal systems vibrating.
Fucker was pushing, trying to break through the jam, trying to reach him. "FUCKER!" Teo screamed aloud, clutching his head, his vision blurring, not caring that he was exposing his AI. "What the hell is happening?!"
Kael and Reyes exchanged a quick, startled glance. Reyes's faint smile vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating intensity. "Does the AI… talk to you, Mr. Welles?" he asked, a chilling edge to his voice. Both agents' hands subtly dropped to their sides, resting near unseen weapons. Their posture shifted, becoming predatory. "You need to come with us, Mr. Welles. Now."
Teo didn't need to be told twice. He swung his leg over the Kusanagi, his hand instinctively going for Bon Bon Mark 2 in his waistband. The agents' own weapons, sleek chrome and black composites, started to hum as they were brought to bear. This was it.
Before either side could make a move, a new voice cut through the tension, firm and authoritative. "My friends, what's going on here?"
A hulking NCPD Sergeant, his armored uniform pristine, strolled into the hangar, flanked by two equally imposing officers and a heavy duty MEC unit whose twin cannons hummed softly. The sight of Night City law enforcement made the NetWatch agents pause, their weapons subtly retracting.
"Just a routine investigation, Sergeant," Reyes said, his voice regaining its calm, professional veneer. "NetWatch protocols, as usual."
The Sergeant crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed, unconvinced. He looked from Reyes's calm facade to Teo's blood splattered form and the still breathing panic in his eyes. "NetWatch didn't notify us of any sanctioned investigations in this sector. You're off book."
His gaze hardened. "Last I checked, operating unsanctioned in Night City is a violation of corporate laws, especially for foreign entities."
The NetWatch agents backed up further, their eyes never leaving Teo. Kael simply stared. Reyes, his voice a low, final warning, spoke to Teo directly. "We'll be watching you, Mateo Santiago Welles. You can't hide what you've touched."
With a final, measured glance, both NetWatch agents turned and swiftly walked away, disappearing into the vastness of the airport.
The NCPD Sergeant turned his attention to Teo, his expression unreadable. "What the hell did you do to get NetWatch on your ass, kid?"
Teo feigned ignorance, managing a shrug despite his still throbbing head. "NetWatch? Never heard of 'em, choom. Just some corpocunts trying to strong arm a street rat."
The Sergeant scoffed, shaking his head. "Two NetWatch agents, unsanctioned, and interested in you? That's not just 'corpocunts.' That's a red flag. I'm gonna have to report this to my higher ups. This is highly irregular." He paused, then gave Teo a knowing look. "Good luck, kid. You're probably going to need it." He turned and left with his squad, the hum of the MEC unit fading into the distance.
The silence left by the NCPD felt deafening. Teo stood there, hand still on Bon Bon Mark 2, the residual fear and adrenaline making his limbs tremble. Then, a burst of static, followed by a familiar voice, thick with genuine relief and something Teo had never heard from Fucker before, raw fear.
"TEO! Are you alright?! My apologies, choom! They jammed my neural link, a high frequency counter program, I couldn't reach you! My systems were overriding, trying to break through, I… I was worried! Extremely worried!"
Teo slumped against his bike, letting out a shaky breath. "Yeah, Fucker. I'm fine. I'm okay." He closed his eyes, the cold comfort of the Kusanagi's seat against his legs.
"No, you are not 'fine,' Teo! My diagnostics were going critical! You were unprotected, vulnerable! Those… those NetWatch agents! They are dangerous! They were asking about… about the leakage! About what you… what we touched! I should have been there, I should have warned you! I… I don't want you to face them alone!" Fucker's voice was uncharacteristically high pitched, laced with a genuine, almost paternal concern. It wasn't just a program, it was a companion, a guardian, and it was terrified.
A warmth, startling in its intensity, spread through Teo's chest, eclipsing the lingering fear and headache. He wasn't alone. Not truly. "Hey," Teo thought back, projecting calm. "It's alright, Fucks. We're together. We'll figure it out. They got nothing on us."
"But… they will be watching. They know your designation, Mateo Santiago Welles," Fucker warned, the fear still present but slowly subsiding into grim resolve.
"Let 'em watch," Teo muttered aloud, pulling himself up onto his bike. He hit the ignition. The Kusanagi roared to life, a defiant growl filling the Night City night. He grabbed his helmet, slammed it on, and pulled out of the hangar, leaving the sterile Kang Tao space behind.
The ride through Night City was a blur of neon and grime, the usual chaotic symphony of life and death. He pushed the Kusanagi hard, the raw power of the engine mirroring the surge of emotion within him. Lights flashed by, he gripped his handle bars harder.
NetWatch. The Blackwall. The leakage. Fuck. This was about something deep, something far more dangerous. But he wasn't alone. He had Fucker.
The city might be trying to swallow him whole, but he was learning to bite back. He was Teo Welles motherfucker. TRY ME!
A/N: Again sorry for the delay, this chapter sets up some future stuff, season 2 is gonna be netwatch ark and the start of council ark. Let me know if yall wanna see some stuff in the future. Lil reminder to leave me a review or I will come to your house and kiss you... no diddy.