Morning commuter traffic. Dirtkids being dragged kicking and screaming to school, fathers headed to double shift on two hours sleep, Corpos putting the squeeze on more than loyal fixers- it was a morning like any other in Night City.
An overworked blue collar takes a final look at his son's soccer picture with a tired smile. He slots it back into his truck's sun visor before reaching for his paper coffee cup. Tilting it up, only a drop finds his tongue… it's always only a drop in there. He plants his head back on the seat's headrest... a deep breath sent up to the roof with eyes closed, and the truck door creaks open.
"The hell do you mean there's no liability on the company's part!? The fuckin' thing slammed down ONTO the hood of my fuckin'CAR!!" A low level corpo rat barks at an NCPD officer lighting a smoke.. looking like he doesn't even hear him.
The blue collar steps past them toward a suited property manager stood with arms crossed just outside the entrance of a four story parking garage. On approach, he gathers what the fuss is about. A parking gate arm lay smashed in on a brand new Softsys company vehicle on it's way out. Looks to him like the thing came down with some serious force... but how?
"You the company tech?" The suit asks with hand out for a shake.
"True enough. What happened." The blue collar responds finishing the handshake.
"Tch.. no clue." The suit steps toward him so only the two can hear. "Wasn't here but the gonk claims the arm raised up like it normally does when he leaves. Halfway through he just hears a loud crash… thought he got rear ended by another car till his roof started denting in from the force. Said it was pressing down."
The techie's eyebrows wrinkle with confusion. He's serviced this particular parking structure for some time now… the dented in hood is obviously strange but 'pressing down'..? That stood out to him. These things have resistance thresholds that can't be crossed. He takes a last glance back over his shoulder at the whining corpo as he whips out his laptop.
He pulls the personal link to the laptop and squats down. As he reaches for the port, his peripheral picks up the red light on the gate arm. Its brighter than ever… but the arm's smashed? Wires sticking out severed. Another odd occurrence he shrugs off… this day's long past over and he's just getting started on this thing.
A light shake of the head, and he jacks in. The bright red light on the gate arm immediately cuts off, snatching the techie's attention. Now dead like it should've been.. his laptop in hand grows slightly warmer. Before his mind can get working on it, he's interrupted by an impatient voice.
"Got anything?" The property manager stoops down by his side, lazily glancing at the laptop screen.
"Gonna have to take logs to parse through before diagnostics on this one. Gotta leave the thing up for a day or two while I process."
The property manager clicks his teeth before an aggravated sigh.
"Alright, gonna ice this guy. Keep me posted." The suit turns to walk away as the techie squints at the data feed pulling the parking gate arm's logs. They flood in with a volume that shouldn't even exist as he holds it there waiting for it to complete.
Finally back at home in the early morning hours, the techie's son lay sound asleep with his soccer ball at his side. Finally out of his coveralls, he checks the logs on his laptop with a sharper eye. Whispering to himself under his breath.
"These aren't just action logs from the gate… a lot of em are… communication pings. With the… parking gate booth..? I mean sure they communicate but the interaction is simple. Open, close- up, and down- but these pings…? They're complex. Not just error data outputs, there's structure to them… repetition. Just the... same ping over and over again- the hell does this even mean?"
A steady gaze at his laptop screen shows a countless series of what looks like random character inputs- as if a cyberpsycho got their hands on a keyboard.
He plops back into the chair stumped with a deep exhale. The palms of his hands press to his head as he leans back. The property manager's words lingering. "Pressing down huh-"
"-Dad..?" His son stirs awake. Yanking away his attention.
A shirtless Netty slides open his front door, the sunlight he's nearly forgotten the feeling of pierces him blindingly.
"Brian?" He rubs his eyes groggy to a towering Brian stood at the door, bandages and patchwork caked all over his face and body. He looks down at Netty, a scowl on his face that's been through the gauntlet.
"H-holy shit choom- you good?"
"Got the next step for ya." Brian's tired monotone mutters, presenting a white sack with blood seeping.
"Shit." Netty mumbles looking at it. "Tygers really took a chunk huh?" He asks looking Brian up and down.
"Bit of underestimation on my part… nothin' we couldn't handle. Crew's solid."
"And the rookie solo?"
Brian breaks eye contact.
Looking down, he feels the fire of her embrace on his chest… the tension she pressed into him... her screams from the night prior… they echo at the back of his mind. Weighing on Brian exhausted.
"...She held her own." He nods. The boys sharing a moment.
"Netty?" BugBear's soft voice calls from inside. The sound of her barefeet thumping on hardwood floor slowly approach with arms crossed. He glances back over his shoulder.
Brian leans over slightly to get a look at her past Netty. He's never seen her with her hair fully let down quite like this. A thin tight tank-top, short shorts; The pair exchange a nod in greeting… seeing his reassuring face.. feeling his energy… pulls worry from her in a way you don't find in the streets.
"Rip what you can from this… gonna need it.Shard's jammed in one of the ports too by the way… see what you can do wit that. Buzz me asap with the deets cuz that's our next move… no later than tonight though dig? No time-Gotta move on this lead asap."
Brian leans again, looking Beatrice up and down briefly.
"...Make it tomorrow morning." He mutters turning to leave. A final nod of confirmation before Netty slides the door closed.
Netty turns and meets eyes with Beatrice. Hers quickly shift to the blood dripping sack in his hand. She stretches, really making her curves pop as she yawns up toward the ceiling.
A close up of Kahuna's disheveled head frozen in fear slowly zooms out. Battered and bruised with what looks like the force and impact of sledgehammers… dried blood caked on the deeply lacerated face. BugBear sits rested on her knees hunched over, jacked into it with Kiroshis flowing with code.
"This is a real bitch… been in the heads of my fair share of corpos but booster gangers toting ice like this is almost unheard of." She mutters with lowered eyebrows on focus.
"Gotta have some preem shit tucked away. Remember, only need the essentials." He responds pacing by, yanking his yellow hoodie on.
Netty's holo suddenly pings with a brief text message as he turns from Beatrice to open it.
=Hope you haven't forgotten. VDBs today. Grab the kit we left you and head over to the meet. Sending coords for both now. Don't be late.=
The text promptly deletes itself… a definitive answer for him on who sent it.
"Shit." An exhale just loud enough for Buggie to hear.
"What's up?" She looks up from the head.
"Mind's buzzin'… gonna check up on the gang before tonight." He looks back at her. "Could grab a pizza on the way back?"
"I'm starving." Beatrice grunts with a giggle.
"I'll snag one then." He smiles, finishing getting ready.
He beelines it to her. A firm, goodbye kiss becomes a prolonged one of passion… turning into a warm embrace neither want to let go of. A rare place to find yourself in Night City… warmth and affection… withers away at the killer instinct... with love left to do all the heavy lifting. A potentially fatal trade that sends most in the know running in the opposite direction.
"...Stay safe." She mutters seriously into his eyes.
"Buzz me if ya run into any obstacles." He makes his way to the door.
A last look over his shoulder as he continues down the block and makes a turn. He pulls up his cyberpunk yellow runner interface trying to pinpoint the coordinates for this kit Spider wants him to deliver.
"Alright, where the hell did they leave this thing." He mumbles.
As he makes his way through his logs for the deleted deets, the digital worm he was gifted wriggles right onto the tab.. glitching and distorting the entire interface with a chaotic flicker.
"What the fuck- goddamnit!" He grunts, fed up with the tidius process he has to take to navigate around this thing. Never really was one for puzzles… regardless of how many his dad used to throw at him. Figuring this thing out is going to take tapping into a state he's long happily left behind. He hops off the busy Ncart headed south.. having wrestled with this spiky bug the entire time. Having to write the coords down on his own arm by hand like its the stoneage, he uses them to arrive to his destination.
Head on a swivel, he does a few laps around the drop point… a brief scan of the neighboring networks before he makes his way to the metal slabbed garage door. A brief quickhack is exacerbated by the worm but he gets it open.
"What the!-" He jolts with wide eyed confusion at the sight.
BugBear stood inside with arms crossed and eyes half-lidded looks right at him. Before he can even stumble over his words she steps past him to outside.. tossing a key she found back over her shoulder.
"Kit's in the trunk."
"B-Bear??"
"Explain it on the way." She dismisses headed to her bike.
The sound of Beatrice's yellow Arch Nazare Racer hums with a steady buzz as Netty maintains a firm grip around her waist… headed to the meet. They speak through comms over busy midday traffic.
=Bear.. how did you-=
=-That mystery text of yours came in pretty early this morning. Should probably be a little more subtle with your unread text U.I just casually floating in your face when you don't open em soon enough.Those wheels that kit of yours was in was an unmarked… traced its slips back to a Pacifica resident… deceased… and the Voodoo Boys you'll find in that part of town've been more than busy these days from what I hear. Most of their street running activity's gone dark… their movements've been far more concentrated these days- at least with their runners.=
Netty opened mouth, catches himself… well on his way to a typical response he's quickly learning is just completely wrong. With little to no information… not only is she moving better through this than him already, she's ahead. With his current handicap… it starts to sink in just how much he needs her right now. Finding himself holding the nervous unease way worse than she is.
His grip on her tightens.
=…..Thanks Bear.= He exhales. A surprise response she didn't come close to expecting, causing her to glance back at him with helmet on.
=J-just… eyes open ok?= She reiterates… headed into the unknown without a second thought... Netty at her back.
Beatrice rolls the bike to a stop… they hop off a few blocks away overlooking an abandoned lot down in Pacifica… home to a level of trauma inflicted that neither have forgotten. They weren't there for the worst of it... leaving them feeling violated… emptied as they willingly let their guards down for only a moment. As if something had been mangled and ripped away… scratched and clawed for to retrieve. They light smokes… pacing about the rooftop of an isolated parking garage.
"We're early to-"
"-Good. So spill." She demands.
He hesitates...with a light shake of the head he opens his mouth to respond but is cut off.
"..Y'know… when I first met Zaunya... me n' Audrey had been chooms for a while back then... met at a Valentino block party years ago doing chrome tats. She um… she actually… caught me… pulling an inventory database on Audrey's shop. Got into the inventory of chrome she had stored for later klepping. Serious motherload at the time too...Audrey made the mistake of showing off to me on a drunken night. Zaunya was on me from the jump.. a quiet unraveling before a pretty harsh scuffle and.."
She takes a deep breath with eyes closed… a light shake of the head.
"Look- point is, even then… even among treachery there was reprieve… reason superseding the righteous." She nods with conviction… turning to face him. "Remember what we said to each other?"
"Bear, I don't want-"
"-This isn't any different Netty… shit's changed. With everything going on..? Not gonna let you keep me jacked out on this anymore. And the crew would-"
"-You remember the datakrash… well… Netwatch and the Blackwall wasn't the end of it. Apparently wasn't even the beginning."
"...What?"
"The runner that contacted me back when we were headed down here with Audrey, the one that made me split. It was Spider Murphy Bear.... when I touched the black wall? She was there… she saw me do it."
Their eyes meet in silence, dumbfounded… tampered by lifetimes of netrunning experience.
"She uh… god- can't even believe I'm sayin' this shit out loud. She's involved with... 'forces'… entities beyond the black wall that've lived ON Bear… runners of the forgotten age are still!-"
"-Spider Murph?- Netty.. how is that even possible? Beyond the wall isn't habitable… its in a state of degradation- a state of decay."
He takes another drag of his smoke, stepping to her with a lowered tone.
"Not anymore- Look- I've seen it… Bear. I've seen the wall- and what it looks like these days is nothin' like what it used to be.. what we came up learning. Shit's changed in all that time.. and its only gonna accelerate."
Beatrice breaks eye contact… taking another heavy drag. She crosses her arms during a pause.. the servos in her head beginning to turn.
"...S-so… activity before it means-"
"-Activity beyond." His eyebrows raise with a slow nod.
A break in the conversation as the information swirls... lets the wind pick up… distant city chatter and shouts. She mutters with emotion.
"Why didn't you-"
"-BECAUSE HOW THE FUCK!!-" He purses his lips as he turns… eyes closed tight.. hands pressed against his head. He checks his tone. "Look… this ain't a run I want you part of Bear… completely uncharted territory- too dangerous."
She scoffs. A serious look on her face into his eyes. "Whether I'm part of it or not- you know our drill. What's your why. Netaniel." She nods upward, calling him out his name.
The question's thrown at him like an undeniable punch. The presence of their leader's ethos- their crews ethos… felt and used like a honed blade. Tried and true in it's ability to pry toward truth.
Netty scoffs as his eye contact flees. On his back foot… he manages to dodge the bullet… stepping toward her with a facade of conviction.
"Psh.. my why? How bout a shot- a true shot at the major leagues. An opportunity to dive headfirst into the forefront of a new netrunning era no runner this day's ever gone.
A fucking run beyond the edge."
Their eyes reconnected, his words stab at her with an appealing force. 'A run beyond the edge.' Words that'd make even the most conservative of netrunners salivate at the thought. What could it possibly entail.. the gravity… the ramifications… the accolades on a runner's jacket. The sheer venturing into the once thought intraversable unknown.
"I… I don't like this Netty." Her voice soft with concern as she crosses her arms. "I don't want-"
"-Good. Don't want you gettin' involved beyond today anyway."
"Netty.. Audrey's been snatched by the fuckin' mega corps. You see the pace Brian and Zaunya've been pushing on it- they're losing their fucking minds.You saw her biomon data just like I did! Don't even wanna… THINK about what they're doing to her- And all this today is for what? Spider Murphy!? How the hell do you even know its really her?!... thought she was dead."
"Flashed me her sig."
"Could've been spoofed." Her arms and voice raise.
"...Not hers." He mutters with absolute conviction.
Her eye contact breaks, quickly feeling the absurdity of her reaching theory.
"W-well.. even if true, who do yougot runnin' point for you out there?"
"Haven't been yet and tch... nobody."
"Netty that's a deep dive. Into fuckin'… old net architecture?? You can't just do it alone."
He doesn't respond… flustered... unable to find words. Often times its those around us that make us see the things we become blinded to for one reason or another. She catches his mind before he's able to spiral… a deep step toward him with a lowered tone.
"Cmon babe. Focus- Voodoo Boys. What is this drop. What do we have on us."
He glances at the back of Beatrice's bike toward the kit.
They lay the case down on hot asphalt… each take a knee getting a closer look.
"Damnit… shit's encrypted." BugBear mutters scanning the thing with focus for a while.
"Y'know, I've always been one to hold the door for my lady. I'm sure this'd be even simpler." He smirks.
"Shut up." She glances midhack with a squint.
A brief ordeal and the thing cracks… a few beeps and whirs accompany a green light as it pops open.
"Chipware." Netty reveals as they look down at a pile of unmarked silver chips. Serial numbers scratched off.
"They're already wicked and tinned… completely unmarked too. How the hell do you think they sort em? Just strap a VDB down with some restraints and cycle em through?" She giggles before a drag of her smoke.
"Mm.. probably got the other end of the encryption on their side so they'll be able to tell. If the kit's lost to the streets... can control n' track each one down instantly too."
"Hm. Preem work honestly. Really lends to this whole thing bein' legit." BugBear mutters.
"Last I had an ear for chips, what's hot these days has been changin' a lot. Those Taste-Eez and SomaWare sleep chips the blue collars go crazy for been coolin' off since corps started goin' proprietary.Now n' days only thing that really moves on the street is-"
"-Combat chips… berserkers. Pretty sure they've harvested the limits of most hand to hand martial arts with these things by now too. Iron body conditioning, the works. Never really appealed to me… pretty high risk-low reward." She adds.
"Yup… and dependin' on who's tuning em you never even know what the gonks bothered to cover. Neural burnout, tremors- broken bones.. tch.. even remember hearin' about this sewer tech that went full blown psycho from overuse." He looks over at Bear, their eyes meet."Turns out he'd only just got it. Remember those chemical fires in the sewers a while back? That was him."
A brief pause as they both stare down at this small case of chips under the beaming sun with idle cigarette smoke wafting.
"Yeah, well… won't be me slottin' one of these things." She dismisses as he closes the case. They stand up headed back toward the bike. "And what are we supposed to be getting for all these."
"Didn't get that far in your snooping huh? Nothin' in return for em, just a payment for what they already gave up so should just be a dropoff."
"A dropoff they couldn't do themselves huh- and 'snooping'?" She scoffs smiling. "That's what you're gonna call it?"
"Mm.. why don't ya go ahead n' hold onto me a little tighter. Think I'm startin' to feel cold." He giggles taking a shoulder punch.
"Y'know maybe I should slot one of these chips so I can kick your ass."
"Eh, Brian and Carter've numbed me in the gym enough so, should be nice for both of us."
He yanks a laugh out of her.
"Save it for post-biz gimpy… kiroshis open. Its showtime." She dismisses as they hop on the bike.
The bike skids to a halt under the hot sun. The pair hop off, kit tucked under arm firmly like a basketball in Beatrice's grasp; Netty at her side with hands in yellow pockets as they head into the lot.
Litter flutters gently in its expanse… graffiti sprayed on stacks of shipping crates rested on the blacktop… a smashed stolie picked clean in its final resting place with all tires and windows missing.
"Well we're definitely not early anymore."
"Double checked the time… unless I'm losing my shit there wasn't any-"
Netty's cutoff as a figure walks out from around the stack of shipping crates.. they all freeze at the sight of each other.
Surprisingly he sees a kid. No older than he and his friends were once upon a time. He's got an urban street getup… tattered jeans, short straight hair under a skullcap beanie- a few face piercings, he looks weathered… like the streets had been sculpting him since birth. Only thing he was really missing was a skateboard… Netty spots the outline of a cyberdeck tucked under the kid's shirt. Almost a spitting image of himself in time's past. A rookie runner? Here? Mixed in something like this? Immediately on guard, Netty steps forward.. gently ushering Beatrice behind him with an arm.
Everyone sits in the awkward silence with eyes trained some thirty yards away from each other.
Netty breaks it with a shout across the lot… he nods up... his eyebrows wrinkled.
"YO!"
The kid hesitates like he's afraid to have his voice heard… he manages to get something out.
"A!"
"….SUP?!"
"….What's up?!" The kid shouts back.
Another pause sits between them back at square one. Netty's face crinkles with confusion as he presses the kid with his look expecting more words... the kid silently stares back with wide-eyed unease.
Netty takes a brief look at their surroundings before back at the kid.
"....NTK?" Netty finally shouts.
"JESUS- FUCK!" The kid sharply exhales in relief. Netty doesn't respond as they approach with a steady pace.
The kid gets a good look at them as they close distance. Nothing at all what he expected… far more intimidating. Netty's lanky frame steps toward him with a weight and density you don't find in your typical street runner. Even a rookie to cyberware can spot the chrome him and his woman step with. The deep twin scars below Netty's eye strike a nerve in the kid's spine as his back tightens… gazing at the youthful face of a street running veteran. A netrunner marked with a face full of near misses and unknown stories.
Looking up as they stand before him… it was like Netty was ten feet tall. He struggles to maintain eye contact as his nervous energy gets the better of him.
"S-scared the shit outta me choom, didn't really know what to expect but uh… I'm-"
"VoodBoo boys recruitin' pretty damn young these days." Netty says flatly.
"Tch please… look at the eyes. No booster ganger in there." Beatrice crosses her arms.
"S-sorry but… are you… ar-are you really NTK?"
"You're the drop point huh." He responds flatly.
"J-just pickin' up on a favor. I get this done n' I'm the one that's owed."
"Favor for who." BugBear asserts.
The kid stammers… hesitant to answer.
Netty gestures… BugBear holds the kit out for the boy to grab.
"Woah woah, I don't want that, got nothin' to do with that." The kid raises palms with a step back.
Beatrice and Netty glance at each other. The kid continues.
"I uh.. I'm supposed to just get a verification from you then delta. It's on the-"
"-Verify what? Listen- you even supposed to be here kid?"
He quickly reaches into his hoodie pockets.. Beatrice draws iron clicking the safety... her wrist snatched firmly by Netty with a skin slapping pop. The kid jolts with wide eyes… yanking his hands back out.. raised in fear shaking.
"Easy kid." Netty gently gestures him to pull out whatever he's got as Beatrice gently re-tucks her iron.
He pulls out what looks like a silver flashlight at first glance… but no, it has a screen, a few wires and buttons on it.
"The fuck is that? A pipebomb?" Netty squints.
"Sig scanner choom. Homebrewed. You can just give it a glance with your private key signature."
"Tch.. forget about it kid. Don't got one chipped yet? That job's ennies."
"Aint got the space for it just yet. And hey- the thing's old but it works. Tried it myself on the way over here."
They stare flatly at the kid without a response... keeping him off balance.
"uhhm.. i-its clean?" The kid stammers.
Netty grabs the device, the weight of his hands making the kid jolt. Fiddling with the buttons he gets it on. His eyes flicker blue for a quick private key signature scan before quickly tossing it back to him.
The device beeps.. Netty's 'NTK' signature appearing on the screen makes the kid's eyes light up with awe.
"HOLY SHIT!!! NOVA!!!" The kid looks up at Netty. "Choom!! You're a fuckin' legend!! The Dynalar and Biotechnica runs!? Shit! I cracked that WHOLE puzzle you guys made for that Cytech thing not that long ago.Comms these days are still buzzin' about your spot on the wall too!! Saw some pics but didn't really think legit y'know- had to go see for myself after I figured out how Netwatch was monitoring the thing. The encryption you used to lock down that spot was no fuckin' joke by the way choom.. almost got cooked. Defintely my biggest run yet-H-Hey! Been on your moves for a shit ton now!Did you really-"
"-Focus kid, where's this supposed to go." Netty presses, gesturing at the kit.
"Oh, uh.. before I left VDBs told me this scanner should ping your next stop. Guessin' that's your drop point?"
Netty clicks his teeth. "Third partyin' this hard in public's pretty fuckin' lame even by netrunner standards."
"Heh, you know how the game is these days. Anonymity's all but gone. Gotta cling somehow." Beatrice smirks. "So, you supposed to just roll with us? This bike only seats two."
Before the kid can stammer the device in his hand starts beeping. He looks down at the screen.
"Well shit, won't have to go far, thing's pingin' right here." The kid looks up and over at a large shipping crate some twenty yards away as their eyes follow.
The kid trails behind as all three head for the crate, noticing a pin lock on it's door. Netty's eyes glow red as he promptly tries to quickhack it. His interface promptly distorts as the spiky worm wriggles its way all over it flustering him. BugBear glances over at him.
"...Want me to get it?"
"Nah- I got-... damnit!" He blinks shaking his head off balance.
The series of beeps on the kid's scanner rapidly increases… he looks down at it.
*BOOM!!!!*
A smoky explosion flinches Netty and Beatrice, the kit tucked under her arm slams to the asphalt.. skidding as chips go flying. Before they can even glance in the kid's direction, the shipping crate doors are kicked open with crashing force. A catchnet is fired.. wrapping itself around Netty, slamming him to ground as he struggles to clear his vision compromised by the worm.
"DROP THE FUCKIN' GUN! HANDS UP!!" A voice shouts through the smoke, running up with rifle pointed at Beatrice. Her eyes wide, she drops her iron… seeing Netty struggle being tied up by two as the other dreadheaded Voodoo Boy jogs up to her.
"HEY! HEY! CHILL! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS-" Beatrice shouts with hands up as they approach.
She's smashed in the face with the rifle buttstock.. shrieking on impact as she spins, sent to the ground with force. He places a knee firmly on her back as she wriggles underneath him. She hears their thick accents in the struggle.
"Who the fuck is she?? That's NTK over there right?! Bag him!! That's who we need!! Get the others on the holo! NOW!!" The ganger yells to his partner struggling with Netty.
As Beatrice struggles underneath his planted knee, her eye catches a lone silver chip within arm's reach… shining under the hot sun. She grits her teeth… reaching for the chip and slotting as the ganger snatches her wrist. He rolls her over, pinning both wrists to the asphalt as she frantically struggles under his grasp.
"AAGGHH!!!! NETTY!!!" She shrieks in a feral panic before…
A deep, gasping inhale... her eyes widen… her head snaps back.
Her resistance completely stops... the ganger palm grips her face with one hand and presses the barrel of his rifle to her cheek with the other. Screaming demands she can no longer hear.
Her mouth agape… Beatrice's eyes begin to flicker blue.
Without any thought, her body moves on it's own. She throws her legs up and around the ganger's throat and arm, sinking in a triangle choke that nullifys his grip on the rifle. As it plops to the asphalt his struggle to release her leg's grip is hopeless. He chokes, desperate for air as he falls underneath her transitioning into a mounted triangle. With the lock secured, his fading vision looks up at a tranced Beatrice… her kiroshi's wildly flickering blue before heavy punches rain down on his face.
One of the gangers struggling to tie Netty up glances over at Beatrice on top of his choom… her strikes steadily caving in his face with each impact. He sprints over… an attempt to tackle her at full speed sends him flailing over her back as she stands up. He scrambles to his feet drawing a machete.
He looks at her approaching with a steady pace... her steps toward him almost robotic... like she's being remote controlled. Before he can he lunge forward with a swing, she pivots sharply with a single step… snatching his wrist and cranking it back with refined technique. She palms the back of his head before shoving his face into her striking knee over and over again sending blood gushing from his face to the sunbaked asphalt. Crushing mandible bone… combines with the sound of heavy impact on flesh knee after knee.
Netty shoves the final voodoo boy distracted by her onslaught off of him. Ignoring Netty, he raises his rifle and unloads a flood of cracking rounds at Beatrice. She uses the ganger's dead weight in her grasp to quickly tuck and roll under it.. catching the heavy rounds with his back. Netty scrambles out of the net and to his feet, snatching the barrel with one hand... a follow up elbow frees the gun grip. He outmuscles the bosster ganger in the struggle before shooting him free of the gun dropping him. Netty sends a final round through his head, re-silencing the parking lot.
He breaths heavy… adrenaline racing followed by relief. A final check of the dead surrounding Voodoo Boys before a look up at Beatrice as she approaches. Rifle under one arm, he raises the other to receive her embrace.
"Fuckin close babe.. thanks. I didn't even-"
Beatrice punts the rifle into the air... sending it flying through the clear blue sky.
Before Netty's shocked face can utter a word, she's on him. A series of refined strikes quickly drive him back with guard up… each thrown with intense force lacking any remorse. "B-Bear! It's me!! S-STOP!!" He shouts in a panic as she pushes the pressure… a leg kick, an overhand right, a wheel kick, switching up her timing… it just doesn't stop as they start to get through his guard and light him up, finishing with a front kick sending him to his back, skidding across the asphalt in a familiar way.
With the wind knocked out of him, he gets a look up at BugBear approaching with an unflinching steady speed forward.
He sees the flicker in her kiroshis… a woman he's embraced in ways you don't with any other marching forward with eyes locked on him. The contrast is intense… traumatizing… the woman he loves… coming after him with every intention of taking his life. He mutters something in disbelief at the sight.. overwhelmed by the image.
Snapping out of it, he rises to his feet and takes stance with purpose. Slipping a series of heavy strikes drives him back… he catches a kick thrown at his head and holds on for dear life. The pair tumble to the ground as she immediately scrambles for position. Netty feels her refined technique gripping at his limbs as he feels the submission sinking in almost inevitable. He uses his weight to roll over and shove her off using both legs. With the short distance created he scrambles across the asphalt reaching for the netgun. He turns onto his back and fires at Beatrice in the middle of diving on top of him. The force of the net launches her a few yards back as she falls to the ground. Her limbs strike and flail about with ridiculous speed trapped in the net, overclocking the combat chip struggling to fight the net off of her.
Netty dives on top of Beatrice gritting his teeth. He sits atop of her, struggling to pin her limbs down as he presses all of his weight down to her body… tucking her arms under his legs. Pressing his head down on her face as she tries to bite, he frees a hand and frantically yanks for the combat chip slotted in her neck. A few more tries without looking with weighted intensity and he snatches the thing out.
Beatrice immediately gasps deeply… her head snaps back with eyes wide open… the blue flicker in them now gone. She comes too with sharp breaths… Netty working to cut her free of the net.
"NO!!" She screams.. flailing in a feral panic… feeling the Voodoo Boy still on top pinning her down.
"ITS ME!! BEAR!! LOOK! LOOK! Its me! Its me.." He shouts.. his arms wrapped around her tight, sat on the hot asphalt in each other's embrace. Her breathing slows with intensity as her mind catches up… the shaking in her hands uncontrollable as she weeps in a confused panic. "BEAR! Hey!.. Shh; shh.. its ok.. its ok.. I'm here. I've got you… I've got you." He whimpers… his voice frantic and whispered as he holds her tight… feeling the deep pain she inflicted on his body.
With Beatrice in his arms… he looks over to settling dust clearing above the kid.
Another sight struggles to register with his mind.
The kid's face lay frozen in shock… blood bakes on the blacktop… streaming from a missing arm detached at the shoulder. His beanie long gone, his ribcage exposed… cyberdeck in pieces. Netty helps support Beatrice's weight as they make their way back to the bike.
Netty stops mid stride as BugBear continues.
He stares down at the kid's remains with a look hard to read… stoic empathy? A sight that in the not too long ago would've driven him to knees... a traumatic burden to eat away at his morality over the course of time. Instead finding only reassurance in a life he's chosen. Playing the game in this city's streets is no different than venturing out into the ocean… an unyielding force impossible to tame. Where any single mistake can be your last.
A final scan with his kiroshis reveals a netrunner handle not even encrypted yet… the handle of a kid like so many others... soon forgotten…. 'Trace'.
"N-Netty… Netty we have to go." Beatrice mutters in pain staggering back to him, unable to pull his gaze from the remains.
A life taken before it could ever truly get start-
"-NETTY!! there could be more!!" Her voice cracks.
He finally looks up at her… words at the surface hes unable to articulate. A final look down from each of them that grips their minds… they stagger back to the bike.
Later that night, we find ourselves on a dead street. No foot traffic, no wheel traffic. A weekday that the Night City nightlife seems to have taken off. The lights of a warm lounge bleed out into the cold dark streets… the heavy whistling of a strengthening wind presses the windows with animosity. The chills simmer as we enter… a wide spattering of Night City locals have found refuge from the elements just outside. Where just one more drink and just one more smoke are now more welcome than ever.
Gina winces hard in pain.. rotating her neck she gingerly touches at her injuries... lacerations, bullet wounds, the works. Carter abruptly slaps her on the shoulder with a heavy hand making her silent shriek before reaching for his glass on the bar counter.
"Squared away rook?!" He raises with a smile before sipping his drink. "Think we got a couple more maxdocs in the van out back if ya think you can stomach em. Honestly been a while since I've had to heal up with the Night City remedy." He says raising his glass of Blue Grass on the rocks. "Probably for all of us honestly." He thinks out loud before another sip… a wince of pain as the liquer finds its way through his bruised internals.
Gina takes a heavy chug of her full bottle of Joe Tiel with an aggressive stare foward. Carter picks up on her energy… feeling it radiate off her among the gentle lounge piano and mellow idle chatter. She looks him up and down briefly.
"Seem like you're doin' pretty fine to me… minimal scarring, no lack of fatigue." She mutters
He smirks, gesturing with the glass. "Chromes' preemwave. Few more of these n' a hard sleep should get me back up to a hundred percent." Another sip.
"Percs of a merc huh... I mean, geez… where'dya get it? Look like you should have your feet kicked up in some Afterlife v.i.p corner booth after robbing Peter to pay Paul. No interest in the real risk of just runnin' solo huh? Not really complete without a back to stab?" He looks over at her audacity as she continues. "And y'know, its always cracked me up just how much you type like your names ringing out there. Almost like ya'll are just beggin' to get bent over by the powers that be. How does that work exactly? The higher you climb, the sharper the stick they jam up your ass? Sounds familiar." She giggles before another sip.
Carter takes the trivialization to the chest. Holding his cards tight. "...And what about you huh. Least my path's paved with shine for my own jacket long as I can ride the edge. Maybe even a job or two that leaves a mark on what's left of this town. You booster gangers are about as nameless as the corpos you scrap with... about as expendable as the gangs you flatline." He claps back.
Gina takes another swig of her bottle. "Tch… Tyger Claws, Araska corpos… mean fuck all to me. I'm a blade. Do you know what that means… Carter."
He doesn't respond… a deep look into her eyes before she looks forward.
"Means i've forgone any semblance of what it means to be a conventional street samurai. All that matters is the craft… the blade. Who you are when you cross steel will never be who you are when you pull a trigger. A journey of discipline and self discovery blossoming with each draw.. each life or death engagement with those in the know. My fa-" She catches herself. A sharp glance at Carter noticing he's paying close attention. She sips the Joe Tiel, effortlessly re-centering herself… a slow nod. "….My coach- was… a true blade. A master of the craft. Wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him."
She opens her mouth to continue but stops herself… a firm look at him as she shifts subject.
"Look- my time with the claws wasn't all just piss in the wind. Did manage to scrape together some leads from Kahuna's fat orbit. They drip fed me… and they were good at it… the harder the gigs got, the less they were willing to tell… before I knew it, I was stuck. Most felt bunk anyway and… haven't gotten around to the prep needed for the others. Guess.. I don't know… maybe just felt a little too close to the edge."
Their eyes meet again… chemistry causing neither to want to look away.
"Not.. really seein' anything out of order." Brian mutters uncertain on the otherside of the lounge sat with Zaunya. His eyes flicker blue as his personal link scans her chrome for signs of ripper repair needed. Her diagnostics so intricate it makes his head spin. She casually sips her drink as Brian disconnects. He rests beside her… each sharing in the quiet space of recovery after inhuman surges of adrenaline. No people watching to do… no impending hazards… nowhere to be... almost a more dangerous prospect than the aforementioned with these two.
"Wish we had her here." He mutters.
"Only a matter of time." Zaunya responds flatly.
"Mm." Brian takes a sip of his glass.. a prolonged look out at the lounge "…..then what."
She doesn't respond. Another steady sip of her glass.
They sit in the silence of each other's company… the steady piano.. the mellow saxophone… the clinking of ice in glasses.
"Temperance… never too late.... Or is the play just one suicide run after the other."
She gets up and storms out of the lounge... the thick leather of her trench flapped behind her. A brief glance from Carter and Gina as she passes.
Brian finishes his glass and storms out after her.
Back into the darkness of the cold streets they find themselves. To them… the same level of warmth.. the same level of comfort they'd find just inside.
He watches her from a distance. She shouts back over her shoulder… her voice grating with emotion.
"I never wanted you apart of this. Never wanted ANY of you apart of this-"
"And what is this. Zaunya..... huh?….. Have you ever even taken the time to-"
"-IT'S A FUCKING PROMISE! Brian." She quickly turns around with direct eye contact. "Forever now they've gotten away with the unthinkable. The amount of suffering they've CAUSED!! The suffering they've made ME CAUSE!! To th-the DEFENSELESS!! And we're meant to just sit here and take it for a lifetime huh- no…" She storms up to him.. her voice intensely lowered. "No…. The scourge of rats responsible for keeping this alive- I'm going to find them- and I'm going to FUCKING KILL them." She grits in his face.
He catches her intensity.. a deep look into her eyes unwavering. He purses his lips together… taking a step back with a slow nod. He turns… clasping his hands behind with back straight. Zaunya looks out into the street.
"…...Alright... say we do gut PetroChem…. chop em down at the knees in surrender at a cost. How long you think before they're staggerin' back to their feet. Spinnin' this whole collapse in their favor somehow." He turns to face her. "…...How do you kill an enemy that can't die."
Her eyes meet his as she turns.
Sitting in the silence of each other's gaze… she utters a whisper… a tone unfamiliar but all too certain.
"…...guess we're gonna find out."
She steps past him headed back into the lounge. He watches her as a text message comes in.
=Claw dome's cracked… got a lot to cover.=
A pause while Netty types...
=Tonight or tomorrow?=
Brian closes the text... sending a deep breath out into the quietly cold streets.
He turns to enter the lounge.