How'd she dress? Did she go full silverhand? pull an angus young and steal hiromi's uniform?
Ghost in the City Cyberpunk Gamer SI
- Thread starter Seras
- Start date
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- cyberpunk gamer self-insert
Chapter 210
Seras
Well-known member
The bar wasn’t the same japanese themed bar I had watched the Violent Hemorrhage play at last time. It was actually more like a dive bar.
Jeez. Were they struggling to get gigs or something?
I shrugged it off as I found a place to park and just settled in. Alice drove slow so I had time, which is of course when I recognized a very familiar Caliburn in the lot.
Smirking, I got out and headed over, to see Malcolm trying to play up his coolness by leaning against his car as some of the club goers were standing around checking out the expensive car.
I decided not to interrupt as he was definitely flirting with a girl right now.
Good luck Malcolm. I mentally offered him as I turned around.
I knew Hiromi would be here, with everyone as well, but it was still embarrassing to have all my chooms show up.
Felt like some weird school recital where your parents appeared.
I shook off the odd thought and instead decided to start unpacking.
“Hey! Motoko.” A voice I recognized called out as I grabbed my guitar out of the trunk.
“Hey Jared.” I greeted the other band mate. The guy was decked out in Rockerboy gear, his hair flashing in a pulse with his heartbeat and sticking up in a mohawk.
“You got your stuff?”
“Got it.” I offered as I hauled the Orphean out of the trunk along with my amp and gear.
“Preem. Come on, I’ll show you our space.” He offered and I nodded following after as he led me to the back of the bar and through an employee only door that was propped open.
Inside was a back room that was messy and covered in old Brosef bottles and a few Rockerboy types sitting around.
“Let’s get the gear checked, we’re on in thirty.” He explained and led me over to where the other member of Violent Hemorrhage was sitting next to his gear. His drums mostly put together and just waiting to be transported out onto the stage.
“Hey kid.”
“Klein.” I greeted back and he flashed me a smile, that was that. Now just time to wait for the big show…
I plopped my amp down and then put my guitar in my lap. I had played with the Deluze through the week to get a feel for it, and I couldn’t complain. She sounded preem compared to my off the shelf guitar I had bought back at the start of my musical grind.
Hilarious that I hadn’t even thought about upgrading. Maybe that was why I was so willing to go along with this…
Yep. That was it, definitely no other reason.
—--
“Next up is Violent Hemorrhage!” The club owner called out, and the lights went on, showing us to the club.
It was a dive bar. Probably slightly up scale from the Red Dirt bar I had played in before, but this certainly wasn’t a high end joint.
But that all went out of my mind when Alice sauntered up to the mic.
“Our first song! Bloody Cry!” She roared out and a few of the crowd cheered.
I shrugged and as the drums began, I looked down to the guitar in my hands and breathed in and out. Cold suffused my veins.
And I played. The song was scop. Repetitive noise, and shitty screams interspersed with Alice trying to sound sensual.
It honestly reminded me of what Evanescence would sound like if it was written by an idiot, and performed with someone that only knew how to sing through autotune.
But I wasn’t thinking right that minute. I was just playing, letting the song rumble through the Orphean strings.
It wasn’t any real effort to play, so I played, doing everything I could to keep my face away from the crowd as I just played.
It was practically effortless, the songs were simple, and with my chrome arms I could have played the songs forever without getting tired.
There just was nothing to it. But despite how nice it might be, it was also boring.
Repetitive music with no real soul.
And then after a half dozen songs it was over.
Alice cheered towards the crowd who clapped, Hiromi and my chooms most of all, but then it was just a casual walk off stage. Of course Rebecca was howling the loudest. Good old Rebecca, always quick to be the loudest supporter in the room.
But unlike when I played the Red Dirt, I just felt… Kinda bored.
Where was all the excitement? The Anxiety, the tension of playing music in front of people. I wasn’t even embarrassed, just… Bland.
“You did great!” Alice cheered towards us as we fell off the back stage and into the back room dropping the start of our equipment down in a pile. “We can do this without Carmen!”
“Do what without me? Play shit dives for the rest of your life?” A voice interrupted and I looked over and narrowed my eyes…
Yep I had no idea who that was.
“Carmen.” Alice hissed.
Well now I had a name… Had we met before? I ignored the back and forth just focusing on my head. I remember the name I think. Wasn’t he at Denny’s place the first time? The one that was being scoped out by some music guy or something…
I shrugged. Whatever, I focused back around me on the argument taking place.
“And you pull some bitch to take over guitar? C’mon! Don’t think I didn’t notice the girl playing my guitar as well!”
“You fucking left it after breaking it, don’t blame us for giving it away.”
“Whatever. I don’t need that scop anyways! Simon hooks me up with everything I need, and Tessa is with me!” He yelled out, and Jared I noticed looked ready to throw some hands but just looked away in the end.
Ah. Drama. This is what I didn’t want to deal with.
“Hey! I don’t know you lot, but unless you want to get up on stage and play, get out of here!” A much older guy came around the corner calling out glaring at the stand off between former bandmates.
I shrugged. Set was over, my gig was done. That was… Way less fun than I had kinda secretly hoped it would be? Sure, I still felt the butterflies up on stage, but even if I would never admit it, partially even to myself, it had been fun to get up on stage and sing my heart out.
Violent Hemorrhage just didn’t quite reach what I was looking for.
“Pfft as if I’d play some shitty dive bar like this! Get a fucking clue!” Carmen threw a finger at the bar owner who looked pissed at the response.
“Oh get that arrogance out of here Carmen, even if you held a set here, you’d be booed off the stage before you made it to your third song! You’re a hack!” Alice cussed loudly, suddenly getting close to the bigger guy.
Shit. Was I gonna have to flatline this guy? I didn’t really want to, but Jun liked Alice. Ugh. Nah, looks like she was alright, Jared, and Klein were both standing beside Alice looking pissed.
Cool they’d take care of it, and so I turned around to pick up my stuff and get out of here. Hiromi and everyone were probably wai-
“Please. I just listened to your shit set, you still can’t sing. You still can’t play the drums, and that new bitch can’t play the guitar!”
“The fuck you say?” I asked, hissing as I turned back around.
Carmen, this Rocker Boy wannabe turned from Alice and gave me a once over up and down.
“Get lost kid. The adults are talking.”
Huh. I pushed down on the urge to simply flatline this gonk and go home to a nice nap.
I considered instead how to best roast some stupid corpo wannabe rockerboy…
“Go back to your studio and sing a song for Mr. Studd Ads or whatever it is you do. The real musicians are here.” The words came out of my throat raw and cold. Exactly how I wanted them.
From the way his jaw dropped, and even Alice turned to look at me in surprise…
Well it hurt my feelings when it happened, I can completely imagine how much of a burn it would be.
“You little bitch!”
“Yeah yeah, whatever loser. Go back to your corpo ads.” I shooed him away with a silver hand waving for him to go.
“Whoa!” One of the boys he’d walked in with grabbed him as he made a motion at me, and I almost wished he had missed. I’d have loved to take this guy apart.
Calling me a kid… Just because I was.
Asshole.
“Fuck you bitch!”
“I guess I hit the mark then. When is your Mr. Studd jingle coming out?” I asked, and Alice snorted, unable to hold it in.
Carmen stopped fighting against his boy and instead shifted, doing something I didn’t expect.
He opened up his jacket and showed off an ostentatious Malorian in his jacket.
It took about three seconds as he was trying to show off how cool he was to disable it. “Wow. I’m so scared. Like. Totally.” I told him flatly, just begging for him to pull on me.
It’d make the bullet that would go through his head super satisfying.
But then something happened I hadn’t exactly planned.
“Hey! Drop the threats or I’ll take out the trash.” A thick voice called out, and one of the security guards for the club stepped around. The guy was an animal, with arms wider than Carmen's torso and he looked ready to prove that fact.
“Fuck off rent a bitch. I’m not the bottom scop wannabes you deal with.” He said flipping off the animal that only raised an eyebrow and waited, obviously the guy was used to drunk assholes. He looked at me but then turned to Alice and the others. “That’s right. I almost forgot, but you’re all nothings. Playing dirt holes and worthless trash heaps. You’re nothing, and will never be anything but nothing.”
“Fuck you!” Alice shouted rising up but her bandmates held her back. “You stepped on our backs to get where you are! You’re the fucking wannabe!”
“Please I have a career and eddies, and no one is coming to listen to your Violent Regurgitation.” Damn, if it wasn’t the asshole saying that I’d be tempted to snort. That was kinda funny.
Carmen turned and brushed past the idiots that followed him around as he left. Well that was that.
“Fucker!” Alice hissed, turning to kick at an amp knocking it over.
“Hey, kick your own amp.” Klein muttered, but it sounded like he didn’t have his heart in it.
I just stood there, watching this crappy band splinter apart even more. On one hand, I didn’t really care. On the other, for the reason the band splintered because of that asshole?
It kinda pissed me off. Ugh, this stupid shit.This is why I didn’t want to deal with bands and people and stages!
I looked towards the stage, the empty stage and the sound of people outside. There wasn’t another act tonight. That’s how shitty this fucking dive bar was. It wasn’t even that late. The owner would just put on a radio station or something for the rest of the night.
The sigh that left me was full bodied, what a disappointing night after the excitement of my first gig. Was this what it would really be like? Playing shitting songs without emotion or care?
“Alright well… It was a nice… Night.” I said looking at Alice who wasn’t quite crying, but was obviously emotional.
“Yeah.” She offered a bit weakly, but to my surprise Jared gave me a legit nod.
“Thanks for coming out. Think about that offer, we’d be happy to play with you again.”
“Yeah.” I said in a similar tone to Alice because that probably wasn’t going to happen, this hadn’t exactly filled me with happy fun feelings.
I went to grab my kit, my guitar in one hand and my Amp in the other hefting both up without issue when I suddenly heard something that left me with a full body shudder of absolute horror.
The radio had turned onto the stage. I turned slowly wanting to stare in horror because… That was me.
“I feel stupid! And Contagious! Here we are now!” Smells Like Teen Spirit came out, then shifting into the final bits of the song and to my even worse horror. People seemed to like it, but it was ending and so most didn’t show any attention.
“I gotta get out of here.” I muttered, shuddering in horror, but then I heard it.
“Motokoooo! Encore! Whooo!” Hiromi screamed at the top of her lungs from inside the club as the song ended, and…
My eyes flashed.
I hacked into the system and turned it the fuck off. No more radio, and then because fuck it, I spun and tossed my Amp onto the stage. It squealed as it went rolling across the way and suddenly the club went quiet as it stopped at just the right spot.
My music box joined it a moment later sliding out to stop just as it tapped the side of the Amp.
The whole confusion was obvious and I could see the club owner coming out from behind the back wondering what the fuck was going on, but I moved stepping out onto the stage.
There were no bright lights, although it was bright enough. I could see the crowd clearly as I stepped out, Cool, the only thing keeping my face from heating up as I walked up to the microphone still there on stage.
As I passed my Music Box woke up, and even as the lights above me dimmed a little, as I hacked in, and took control, it started sending out the holograms on the stage.
“The fuck?” I heard the owner say as I walked up and stopped at the mic.
“If you all are going to be forced to listen to my songs, since I’m here, at least you’ll listen to them live. This is Smells Like Teen Spirit.” I spoke using my most sexy of sexy voice to mask my own anxiety.
The tinny chords echoed out over the room, as I started and I could see Hiromi lighting up like Christmas came early as Malcolm and Ichi both inside now perked up, while Rebecca looked up from a drink in absolute surprise.
I had a brief moment to wonder how Malcolms flirting had gone before I started singing.
It was easy. Almost absurdly so, to get back into the rhythm, the feelings these songs gave me, like sliding into well worn jeans, and I shared that emotion with every note.
Teen angst, something I was well aware of considering I’ve gotten to experience it twice now, and so the sound of Nirvana through my throat and guitar echoed out, and the club partied.
This was a rock club after all. What dive bar wouldn’t get into a rendition of Smells Like Teen Spirit?
I hadn’t planned on doing a solo act tonight, but dammit if I wasn’t going to do it! It was less embarrassing to hearing my own song playing at a club I was currently at on the radio… Probably.
“A Deniaaaaal!” I finished, and even as the crowd cheered for the song the next on the set list was already queued up and going.
And so I sang. Rise went well, as I put myself into the song. That desire to rise, to grow to be more than what I was!
“Push through hell, and! RIISE!” I sang letting my voice fry letting that desperation in.
I took a moment pause after finishing, I was sweating, the room was hot, and I’d been playing now for a while. Hiromi as always was there and tossed up a bottle of water for me just like she had last time.
I took a moment to drink before pouring some over my hair and tossing it away, along with my jacket a moment later.
“This Ffffire!” I called out, and then started jamming out giving the intro riff my all really flourishing it as I reached the vocals and crooned out the lyrics.
The frantic energy of the song ending had the club go quiet before once again I got the excitement and cheering from the crowd, but I didn’t start the next song, instead I brought the mic in, and said something I really needed to say.
“This next song is going out to all those wannabe asshole Rockerboys that give in, that become corporate stooges, those that end up serving, ‘The Pretender!’ I said, and started playing again.
I played with all my rage when it came to the aggressive sections. Really throwing my all into it, because fuck Carmen and all those like him! Fuck Dick ads, and asshole old washed up crusty fucking has been Rockerboys!
Fuck them all!
I had to stop and cool off for a second to put myself in a different mindset for Let you Down.
But I took a breath and breathed out arctic and then started playing Sasha’s Song.
When I finished I stood there before the crowd. I was tired, and my throat was tired. Yeah that had probably been a little brash…
At least I got the feelings out.
“That’s the set for tonight.” I rumbled into the mic feeling much calmer.
“Encore!” Hiromi screamed wildly from her position and to my surprise there were more than a few shouts for the same. It spread until more people were calling for more.
Fuck.
I blinked, staring across the groups of people. This was a dive bar, there was no sea, and it wasn’t even that packed…
“Motoko! Encoooore!” Rebecca shouted standing on top of a chair and waving her arms.
Jeez that girl.
“You guys want more?” I asked, and the crowd of people shouted back that they indeed wanted more.
“Well, I have a few other songs, but I’m not sure what’s really ready to play…” I trailed off but Hiromi shouted.
“Something new!” I rolled my eyes at her shout and just considered it. Something new huh?
What hadn’t I showed Hiromi? Would could I play without any real accompaniment, and what could I do with just a guitar. Acoustic cover?
Well, I did know of one Acoustic cover, and Dave Grohl was one of my favorites.
“Alright, This is something new, bit slower paced since I don’t have a full set for it. It’s called… Everlong.”
A soft few chords shifted into a gentle repeated pattern.
“Hello, I’ve waited here for you… Everlong.” I crooned softly, which was actually nice because I didn’t have to strain my throat anymore and just sank into that familiar song.
It was… A love song, of sorts, and so I crooned to the room of rockers and partiers. A love song not just to a person, but to the loss of love.
Despite being a chill song, I played my heart out. Trying to let every ounce of emotion drip through my lungs onto my tongue.
“The only thing I’ll ever ask of you, you got to promise not to stop when I say when.”
And then it was over. I breathed out and took a moment as I took off my guitar wiping a hand through my sweaty hair. I lifted it into the air.
“My name is Motoko, and this isn’t the last you heard of me!” I called out, not arrogantly, but angrily. Because fuck this music culture!
But the people reacted in a way I probably should have expected.
They cheered.
---
A/N:
Sorry it's been a bit and my schedule is still completely off. I've just felt like complete Scop (Heh Cyberpunk joke.) this entire week. Allergies, and family drama and more. Has just left me feeling compeletely creatively bankrupt. Hopefully after this, I'll be able to break my writers block and start feeling better to get back into the groove of things. It's only been like a week, and I'm already missing writing a bunch, but I just end up staring at a page.
Anyway, here is a fun GitC chapter as an apology!
Jeez. Were they struggling to get gigs or something?
I shrugged it off as I found a place to park and just settled in. Alice drove slow so I had time, which is of course when I recognized a very familiar Caliburn in the lot.
Smirking, I got out and headed over, to see Malcolm trying to play up his coolness by leaning against his car as some of the club goers were standing around checking out the expensive car.
I decided not to interrupt as he was definitely flirting with a girl right now.
Good luck Malcolm. I mentally offered him as I turned around.
I knew Hiromi would be here, with everyone as well, but it was still embarrassing to have all my chooms show up.
Felt like some weird school recital where your parents appeared.
I shook off the odd thought and instead decided to start unpacking.
“Hey! Motoko.” A voice I recognized called out as I grabbed my guitar out of the trunk.
“Hey Jared.” I greeted the other band mate. The guy was decked out in Rockerboy gear, his hair flashing in a pulse with his heartbeat and sticking up in a mohawk.
“You got your stuff?”
“Got it.” I offered as I hauled the Orphean out of the trunk along with my amp and gear.
“Preem. Come on, I’ll show you our space.” He offered and I nodded following after as he led me to the back of the bar and through an employee only door that was propped open.
Inside was a back room that was messy and covered in old Brosef bottles and a few Rockerboy types sitting around.
“Let’s get the gear checked, we’re on in thirty.” He explained and led me over to where the other member of Violent Hemorrhage was sitting next to his gear. His drums mostly put together and just waiting to be transported out onto the stage.
“Hey kid.”
“Klein.” I greeted back and he flashed me a smile, that was that. Now just time to wait for the big show…
I plopped my amp down and then put my guitar in my lap. I had played with the Deluze through the week to get a feel for it, and I couldn’t complain. She sounded preem compared to my off the shelf guitar I had bought back at the start of my musical grind.
Hilarious that I hadn’t even thought about upgrading. Maybe that was why I was so willing to go along with this…
Yep. That was it, definitely no other reason.
—--
“Next up is Violent Hemorrhage!” The club owner called out, and the lights went on, showing us to the club.
It was a dive bar. Probably slightly up scale from the Red Dirt bar I had played in before, but this certainly wasn’t a high end joint.
But that all went out of my mind when Alice sauntered up to the mic.
“Our first song! Bloody Cry!” She roared out and a few of the crowd cheered.
I shrugged and as the drums began, I looked down to the guitar in my hands and breathed in and out. Cold suffused my veins.
And I played. The song was scop. Repetitive noise, and shitty screams interspersed with Alice trying to sound sensual.
It honestly reminded me of what Evanescence would sound like if it was written by an idiot, and performed with someone that only knew how to sing through autotune.
But I wasn’t thinking right that minute. I was just playing, letting the song rumble through the Orphean strings.
It wasn’t any real effort to play, so I played, doing everything I could to keep my face away from the crowd as I just played.
It was practically effortless, the songs were simple, and with my chrome arms I could have played the songs forever without getting tired.
There just was nothing to it. But despite how nice it might be, it was also boring.
Repetitive music with no real soul.
And then after a half dozen songs it was over.
Alice cheered towards the crowd who clapped, Hiromi and my chooms most of all, but then it was just a casual walk off stage. Of course Rebecca was howling the loudest. Good old Rebecca, always quick to be the loudest supporter in the room.
But unlike when I played the Red Dirt, I just felt… Kinda bored.
Where was all the excitement? The Anxiety, the tension of playing music in front of people. I wasn’t even embarrassed, just… Bland.
“You did great!” Alice cheered towards us as we fell off the back stage and into the back room dropping the start of our equipment down in a pile. “We can do this without Carmen!”
“Do what without me? Play shit dives for the rest of your life?” A voice interrupted and I looked over and narrowed my eyes…
Yep I had no idea who that was.
“Carmen.” Alice hissed.
Well now I had a name… Had we met before? I ignored the back and forth just focusing on my head. I remember the name I think. Wasn’t he at Denny’s place the first time? The one that was being scoped out by some music guy or something…
I shrugged. Whatever, I focused back around me on the argument taking place.
“And you pull some bitch to take over guitar? C’mon! Don’t think I didn’t notice the girl playing my guitar as well!”
“You fucking left it after breaking it, don’t blame us for giving it away.”
“Whatever. I don’t need that scop anyways! Simon hooks me up with everything I need, and Tessa is with me!” He yelled out, and Jared I noticed looked ready to throw some hands but just looked away in the end.
Ah. Drama. This is what I didn’t want to deal with.
“Hey! I don’t know you lot, but unless you want to get up on stage and play, get out of here!” A much older guy came around the corner calling out glaring at the stand off between former bandmates.
I shrugged. Set was over, my gig was done. That was… Way less fun than I had kinda secretly hoped it would be? Sure, I still felt the butterflies up on stage, but even if I would never admit it, partially even to myself, it had been fun to get up on stage and sing my heart out.
Violent Hemorrhage just didn’t quite reach what I was looking for.
“Pfft as if I’d play some shitty dive bar like this! Get a fucking clue!” Carmen threw a finger at the bar owner who looked pissed at the response.
“Oh get that arrogance out of here Carmen, even if you held a set here, you’d be booed off the stage before you made it to your third song! You’re a hack!” Alice cussed loudly, suddenly getting close to the bigger guy.
Shit. Was I gonna have to flatline this guy? I didn’t really want to, but Jun liked Alice. Ugh. Nah, looks like she was alright, Jared, and Klein were both standing beside Alice looking pissed.
Cool they’d take care of it, and so I turned around to pick up my stuff and get out of here. Hiromi and everyone were probably wai-
“Please. I just listened to your shit set, you still can’t sing. You still can’t play the drums, and that new bitch can’t play the guitar!”
“The fuck you say?” I asked, hissing as I turned back around.
Carmen, this Rocker Boy wannabe turned from Alice and gave me a once over up and down.
“Get lost kid. The adults are talking.”
Huh. I pushed down on the urge to simply flatline this gonk and go home to a nice nap.
I considered instead how to best roast some stupid corpo wannabe rockerboy…
“Go back to your studio and sing a song for Mr. Studd Ads or whatever it is you do. The real musicians are here.” The words came out of my throat raw and cold. Exactly how I wanted them.
From the way his jaw dropped, and even Alice turned to look at me in surprise…
Well it hurt my feelings when it happened, I can completely imagine how much of a burn it would be.
“You little bitch!”
“Yeah yeah, whatever loser. Go back to your corpo ads.” I shooed him away with a silver hand waving for him to go.
“Whoa!” One of the boys he’d walked in with grabbed him as he made a motion at me, and I almost wished he had missed. I’d have loved to take this guy apart.
Calling me a kid… Just because I was.
Asshole.
“Fuck you bitch!”
“I guess I hit the mark then. When is your Mr. Studd jingle coming out?” I asked, and Alice snorted, unable to hold it in.
Carmen stopped fighting against his boy and instead shifted, doing something I didn’t expect.
He opened up his jacket and showed off an ostentatious Malorian in his jacket.
It took about three seconds as he was trying to show off how cool he was to disable it. “Wow. I’m so scared. Like. Totally.” I told him flatly, just begging for him to pull on me.
It’d make the bullet that would go through his head super satisfying.
But then something happened I hadn’t exactly planned.
“Hey! Drop the threats or I’ll take out the trash.” A thick voice called out, and one of the security guards for the club stepped around. The guy was an animal, with arms wider than Carmen's torso and he looked ready to prove that fact.
“Fuck off rent a bitch. I’m not the bottom scop wannabes you deal with.” He said flipping off the animal that only raised an eyebrow and waited, obviously the guy was used to drunk assholes. He looked at me but then turned to Alice and the others. “That’s right. I almost forgot, but you’re all nothings. Playing dirt holes and worthless trash heaps. You’re nothing, and will never be anything but nothing.”
“Fuck you!” Alice shouted rising up but her bandmates held her back. “You stepped on our backs to get where you are! You’re the fucking wannabe!”
“Please I have a career and eddies, and no one is coming to listen to your Violent Regurgitation.” Damn, if it wasn’t the asshole saying that I’d be tempted to snort. That was kinda funny.
Carmen turned and brushed past the idiots that followed him around as he left. Well that was that.
“Fucker!” Alice hissed, turning to kick at an amp knocking it over.
“Hey, kick your own amp.” Klein muttered, but it sounded like he didn’t have his heart in it.
I just stood there, watching this crappy band splinter apart even more. On one hand, I didn’t really care. On the other, for the reason the band splintered because of that asshole?
It kinda pissed me off. Ugh, this stupid shit.This is why I didn’t want to deal with bands and people and stages!
I looked towards the stage, the empty stage and the sound of people outside. There wasn’t another act tonight. That’s how shitty this fucking dive bar was. It wasn’t even that late. The owner would just put on a radio station or something for the rest of the night.
The sigh that left me was full bodied, what a disappointing night after the excitement of my first gig. Was this what it would really be like? Playing shitting songs without emotion or care?
“Alright well… It was a nice… Night.” I said looking at Alice who wasn’t quite crying, but was obviously emotional.
“Yeah.” She offered a bit weakly, but to my surprise Jared gave me a legit nod.
“Thanks for coming out. Think about that offer, we’d be happy to play with you again.”
“Yeah.” I said in a similar tone to Alice because that probably wasn’t going to happen, this hadn’t exactly filled me with happy fun feelings.
I went to grab my kit, my guitar in one hand and my Amp in the other hefting both up without issue when I suddenly heard something that left me with a full body shudder of absolute horror.
The radio had turned onto the stage. I turned slowly wanting to stare in horror because… That was me.
“I feel stupid! And Contagious! Here we are now!” Smells Like Teen Spirit came out, then shifting into the final bits of the song and to my even worse horror. People seemed to like it, but it was ending and so most didn’t show any attention.
“I gotta get out of here.” I muttered, shuddering in horror, but then I heard it.
“Motokoooo! Encore! Whooo!” Hiromi screamed at the top of her lungs from inside the club as the song ended, and…
My eyes flashed.
I hacked into the system and turned it the fuck off. No more radio, and then because fuck it, I spun and tossed my Amp onto the stage. It squealed as it went rolling across the way and suddenly the club went quiet as it stopped at just the right spot.
My music box joined it a moment later sliding out to stop just as it tapped the side of the Amp.
The whole confusion was obvious and I could see the club owner coming out from behind the back wondering what the fuck was going on, but I moved stepping out onto the stage.
There were no bright lights, although it was bright enough. I could see the crowd clearly as I stepped out, Cool, the only thing keeping my face from heating up as I walked up to the microphone still there on stage.
As I passed my Music Box woke up, and even as the lights above me dimmed a little, as I hacked in, and took control, it started sending out the holograms on the stage.
“The fuck?” I heard the owner say as I walked up and stopped at the mic.
“If you all are going to be forced to listen to my songs, since I’m here, at least you’ll listen to them live. This is Smells Like Teen Spirit.” I spoke using my most sexy of sexy voice to mask my own anxiety.
The tinny chords echoed out over the room, as I started and I could see Hiromi lighting up like Christmas came early as Malcolm and Ichi both inside now perked up, while Rebecca looked up from a drink in absolute surprise.
I had a brief moment to wonder how Malcolms flirting had gone before I started singing.
It was easy. Almost absurdly so, to get back into the rhythm, the feelings these songs gave me, like sliding into well worn jeans, and I shared that emotion with every note.
Teen angst, something I was well aware of considering I’ve gotten to experience it twice now, and so the sound of Nirvana through my throat and guitar echoed out, and the club partied.
This was a rock club after all. What dive bar wouldn’t get into a rendition of Smells Like Teen Spirit?
I hadn’t planned on doing a solo act tonight, but dammit if I wasn’t going to do it! It was less embarrassing to hearing my own song playing at a club I was currently at on the radio… Probably.
“A Deniaaaaal!” I finished, and even as the crowd cheered for the song the next on the set list was already queued up and going.
And so I sang. Rise went well, as I put myself into the song. That desire to rise, to grow to be more than what I was!
“Push through hell, and! RIISE!” I sang letting my voice fry letting that desperation in.
I took a moment pause after finishing, I was sweating, the room was hot, and I’d been playing now for a while. Hiromi as always was there and tossed up a bottle of water for me just like she had last time.
I took a moment to drink before pouring some over my hair and tossing it away, along with my jacket a moment later.
“This Ffffire!” I called out, and then started jamming out giving the intro riff my all really flourishing it as I reached the vocals and crooned out the lyrics.
The frantic energy of the song ending had the club go quiet before once again I got the excitement and cheering from the crowd, but I didn’t start the next song, instead I brought the mic in, and said something I really needed to say.
“This next song is going out to all those wannabe asshole Rockerboys that give in, that become corporate stooges, those that end up serving, ‘The Pretender!’ I said, and started playing again.
I played with all my rage when it came to the aggressive sections. Really throwing my all into it, because fuck Carmen and all those like him! Fuck Dick ads, and asshole old washed up crusty fucking has been Rockerboys!
Fuck them all!
I had to stop and cool off for a second to put myself in a different mindset for Let you Down.
But I took a breath and breathed out arctic and then started playing Sasha’s Song.
When I finished I stood there before the crowd. I was tired, and my throat was tired. Yeah that had probably been a little brash…
At least I got the feelings out.
“That’s the set for tonight.” I rumbled into the mic feeling much calmer.
“Encore!” Hiromi screamed wildly from her position and to my surprise there were more than a few shouts for the same. It spread until more people were calling for more.
Fuck.
I blinked, staring across the groups of people. This was a dive bar, there was no sea, and it wasn’t even that packed…
“Motoko! Encoooore!” Rebecca shouted standing on top of a chair and waving her arms.
Jeez that girl.
“You guys want more?” I asked, and the crowd of people shouted back that they indeed wanted more.
“Well, I have a few other songs, but I’m not sure what’s really ready to play…” I trailed off but Hiromi shouted.
“Something new!” I rolled my eyes at her shout and just considered it. Something new huh?
What hadn’t I showed Hiromi? Would could I play without any real accompaniment, and what could I do with just a guitar. Acoustic cover?
Well, I did know of one Acoustic cover, and Dave Grohl was one of my favorites.
“Alright, This is something new, bit slower paced since I don’t have a full set for it. It’s called… Everlong.”
A soft few chords shifted into a gentle repeated pattern.
“Hello, I’ve waited here for you… Everlong.” I crooned softly, which was actually nice because I didn’t have to strain my throat anymore and just sank into that familiar song.
It was… A love song, of sorts, and so I crooned to the room of rockers and partiers. A love song not just to a person, but to the loss of love.
Despite being a chill song, I played my heart out. Trying to let every ounce of emotion drip through my lungs onto my tongue.
“The only thing I’ll ever ask of you, you got to promise not to stop when I say when.”
And then it was over. I breathed out and took a moment as I took off my guitar wiping a hand through my sweaty hair. I lifted it into the air.
“My name is Motoko, and this isn’t the last you heard of me!” I called out, not arrogantly, but angrily. Because fuck this music culture!
But the people reacted in a way I probably should have expected.
They cheered.
---
A/N:
Sorry it's been a bit and my schedule is still completely off. I've just felt like complete Scop (Heh Cyberpunk joke.) this entire week. Allergies, and family drama and more. Has just left me feeling compeletely creatively bankrupt. Hopefully after this, I'll be able to break my writers block and start feeling better to get back into the groove of things. It's only been like a week, and I'm already missing writing a bunch, but I just end up staring at a page.
Anyway, here is a fun GitC chapter as an apology!
PeaceMaker 03
Well-known member
Thanks for the chapter.
Carrot of Truth
War is Peace
Need to plagiarize some Soundgarden now, Well that or some Deftones, Minerva is peak.
Definitely this!
Chapter 211
Seras
Well-known member
“She’s okay.” Hiromi assured everyone as I sat face down on the table in the back of the club. The cool towel over the back of my head helped, but…
AAAAAAAAAAAAH!
What had I just done!?
“Well, normally I don’t let randoms steal my stage, but damn if that wasn’t an act. Hell, pretty funny to be playing some amateurs songs only for her to be there.” The owner of the club mentioned laughing a bit.
“Well if she’s on the radio, and she sent your club pounding, she’s not an amateur is she?” Hiromi argued a bit hotly.
“Heh, maybe, maybe not. Solo act didn't do her any favors, but she at least knows how to play and sing. Wish I could say the same for most of the live bands I pull in.”
“Well maybe we can talk about another gig, say next friday night?”
“Hmm. I might be tempted.”
“Hiromi.” I said rising up and rubbing the damp towel over my head. “Leave it.”
“Okay Motoko, but think about it.” She needled just a little and I nodded…
Honestly other than the embarrassment, and the desire to curl up in a ball and scream… I felt better than I did after finishing with Violent Hemorrhage. At least, at least I could admit I felt some pride from the songs now. And not just a bitter boredom.
“I liked the new song.” Malcolm offered, as I took in the fact both boys were sitting across from me. The first time I realized they were even here. Jeez. I’d really been freaking when I finished up.
“Yeah it’s… Well I played a more acoustic version, but it’s a rock song actually.” I stood up. “I’m gonna head out. I’m tired.” I decided, and Malcolm and Ichi sort of checked each other before shaking their heads .
“I think I’m going to stay for a bit.”
“Me too.” Both boys confirmed, and there was definitely a hint of excitement.
“Don’t get robbed or worse.” I ordered and then picked up my equipment, and headed for the back door.
“Hey wait up!” Hiromi called out and I hummed as she held the door open for me which did help out.
The parking lot was half full, people hanging out doing drugs that would get them kicked out, or just saying goodbyes, but I ignored that and popped the trunk on the Quadra to throw my equipment inside.
“Hey, Motoko.” Alice called out, the boys with her just outside of her little van as they both walked over as they saw me.
“Jesus what is all that?” Jared asked as he looked into the trunk and saw my ordinance.
“Work equipment.” I answered jokingly, as I threw everything inside and closed up. “What’s up Alice?”
“Fuck, just… Let us work with you.” She asked, begged, and kinda demanded. All of it was there. A need.
“What?”
“You need a band, you’ve got the songs, you got the talent, but solo acts aren’t gonna get you what you need. We got a drummer, a Bass, and I play guitar… You can sing. Better than me, I’m fucking done playing… I want to be more than just some scop no life band. We’re all dedicated, we all play.” I realized that these three were serious.
“Listen that-” I started off uncomfortable at the idea of what Alice was saying.
“We can talk about it, but now isn’t the best time.” Hiromi called out saving me like usual. “Here’s my number. I’m Hiromi Mitsunashi, Motoko’s Manager. I’m sure we can have a few practice sessions, see if you’re a good fit for Motoko’s songs and style before we lock anything in.”
I turned to look at my corpo, and couldn’t help but relax a bit.
Of course Hiromi would see the situation and just hammer through it in her most corpo style.
“Ah.” Alice muttered as she reached out and took the card.
“Preem. I’m getting out of here.” I decided and started to do just that. Heading straight for the driver seat. I wanted to get far away from this club.
“I’m coming too!” Hiromi called out and I just shrugged as she climbed in.
“I’m not really heading home, want me to drop you off?”
“No way!” She cheered, smiling and I just shrugged. “Wherever you’re going is fine with me!”
Alright, I guess… Yeah that works.
—--
“When you said you were tired, I wasn’t expecting this.” Hiromi muttered.
“I am tired, but I feel… Too wired to really relax, so I’m doing this.” Then I struck and she deflected the blow and retaliated.
I’d ended up at the dojo, figuring that swinging a stick around for a while would help me calm down.
Hiromi had followed me inside, and now I was facing her with shinai in both our hands.
It had been a long time since I’ve seen her really use a sword.
I struck out a few testing pokes, and she retaliated, and then responded in kind, the clack of the shinai filling the empty dojo as only a few people were still around exercising at this time of night.
Hiromi responded competently, but I recognized quickly that despite her practice with a blade, she wasn’t a Musashi. She was competent enough though, and so I decided to enjoy the motion of my body. I felt my shoulders relaxing from the tension I’d had on them, and my face broke into a smile.
“Don’t smile like that while whooping my ass Motoko, it’s making things difficult!” Hiromi eventually gasped out, and I chuckled as we stopped clashing.
“You’re doing fine. When's the last time you really practiced?”
“It’s been a while. Too long obviously, if you can beat me now. Ugh.”
“That was fun, thanks Hiromi.”
“Yeah yeah, you seem better… Want to talk about it?”
“I-” I started only to stop so I ran my fingers through my hair scratching at my scalp. “I don’t know. It was unexpected. Jumping up onto that stage, no time to plan and just playing…
It felt good. Better than playing for VH. Better than playing some boring song that had no soul. Eh. I was being a bit toxic, the VH songs were still songs, still written by a bunch of young musicians wanting to play through soul out.
It just kinda wasn’t good.
Ugh, I felt like some stuck up asshole. Maybe I just wasn’t into whatever genre VH played.
“You were amazing up on stage you know?” Hiromi offered and I just… It was nice to hear. I liked being good at things, but it felt so weird to do musician stuff.
“Thanks.” I decided to say but then held out my Shinai. “But you need some practice.”
Hiromi looked from me to the Shinai and her shoulders slumped.
“Go easy on me.”
“Never!” I cheered and we began again. The movement and action, carefully tracking Hiromi’s attempts to bat my shinai away from poking her continuously, was quite fun.
It… Was a nice stress relief. I could be good at this without the feeling of anxiety. I could just let my body move, my brain didn’t need to worry.
I saw it, Hiromi was tricky. She lashed out with her blade below my vision, well it would be if not for my Kiroshi, and I tapped it twice, once on the top to knock it away and then another lower done causing her to stumble.
Then tapped my blade on top of her head.
“Boop.”
I laughed at her stupified look as she glared at me for a moment.
And then I stilled.
*100 Reflex XP Gained*
*Reflex Leveled up!*
I felt my muscles tense and relax, a shift in how I held myself, and Hiromi seeing me stalled out for a second lashing out.
I bent backward almost casually, and then stepped past her, my shinai not even raised as I spun with her as she tried to swing down on me, Another duck to the side and the blade went past without even ruffling my hair.
And then again.
“Okay, now you’re just being mean.” Hiromi huffed out as she stopped swinging. I reached out before she could react and lifted her up and spun around.
“Hahaha!” I cheered happily ignoring Hiromi’s squeak of surprise before setting her back on the ground. “Hiromi, you’re the best.” I told her.
Reflex 10 was… Huge. I’d finally done it! I could grind out Handguns, or Blades! And all the other skills!
Maybe I’d finally take the time to grind out Driving as well, that skill had been on the back burner for a while…
Hmm Blades first.
“Again?” I asked eagerly as I took a few steps back and held my shinai out, but Hiromi just huffed and hugged herself. Her face was a bit red, did I surprise her that much? Was she angry because I had beaten her?
“I’m good for now Motoko. You seem to have cheered up.” She said, and I blinked…
I guess I had.
—--
We left the Dojo not long after and I drove Hiromi around to grab some food and we just ate it while parked laughing at drunk people stumbling out of clubs and puking all over the sidewalk ruining any hope of them being cool.
“Look at that one!” I cheered as a lady completely bent over in half, her massive stilt heels keeping her upright and she puked basically backwards through her own legs.
“Gross!” Hiromi cackled as she stuffed some fries in her mouth.
I grabbed some and joined her, both of us laughing at the disaster people.
“Thanks Hiromi.” I said after a while as we ate.
“What?”
“For saving me when Alice asked to join ‘my’ band. I don’t even have a band!”
“I thought you wanted to be called Stand Alone Complex?”
“That’s!” I looked away. I had said that. “It’s different when it’s just like a solo band name, and an actual band name.”
“Honestly Motoko I don’t really get your discomfort. I mean it’s funny, and cute, but you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You rock.”
I didn’t know how to explain it. I had no talent with music before. In my last life, I was tone deaf. I mean sure I wanted to play the guitar or something as much as the next teenager, but I was no good.
“I just… You remember when you first heard me sing and I was super bad?”
“Yeah! That was hilarious!”
“... Mean.” I mumbled and Hiromi just laughed for a moment as she leaned over and poked at my cheek.
“It’s funny because you got good so quick. Don’t pout.”
“Yeah, but whenever I sing, whenever I go up on stage I feel like that person that couldn’t sing. I know up here, I can do it.” I said poking at my head for a moment, and then I looked over and caught her eyes. “But I feel like I’m about to sing my heart out and show my emotions and just end up laughed at.”
“That’ll never happen. You’re so good now, no one will laugh at you.”
“Yeah I know… But my heart doesn’t. When I played with Violent Hemorrhage it was like… I didn’t care, it wasn’t my music, I had no attachment, so I didn’t care that it kinda sucked, and I didn't feel much. But then I played my songs and I felt so much more. It was better, I liked it, but it also makes me feel anxious.”
“But you liked it?”
“Yeah. A lot more than playing for VH.”
“Well I’ll never stop trying to get you to play more. You’re too amazing. I want to see your name right there.” Hiromi said, pointing out the window. There in the distance at the top of a building was one of the giant ads.
Right now it was playing an ad for Lizzy Wizzy.
“Right there?”
“Right there. I’ll make sure of it. When it happens I’ll bring you right here and we can watch it together.” Hiromi said confidently, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’ll cry.”
“I’m willing to accept that.” Hiromi said almost stuffily, so I poked her just below her ribs making her squeal. “Nooo!”
“I guess I’ll just have to keep playing music so your little idea comes true.”
“That’s right! I promise! So you can’t make me a liar Motoko!” Hiromi offered back and I couldn’t help but laugh at her.
“You’re such a corpo! Making me live up to a promise you made.”
“I’m your manager, that’s my job. Gotta whip the talent into action.” She teased me and I just laughed along with her.
It was… Nice. To think about the future like that.
“Well you’ll have to schedule stuff around my mercenary contracts.”
“Pfft. They won’t be able to afford you, once you get going.”
“I like doing it though.” I countered, and she scoffed.
“Fine, I’ll just set up a group to watch your back. We can call them Section 9, or something, a couple idiots, one with a car, the other with a car that he doesn’t know how to dri-”
We both stopped and started cackling wildly, as Malcolm still had a tendency to lose control of his Caliburn.
“Really need to get Malcolm some lessons.”
“Yeah really.” Hiromi agreed. “Oh look! He’s losing it!”
We both turned to watch another drunk or drugged guy stumble out of the club and after a few moments blew chunks over his expensive boots.
Hiromi and I laughed at his misfortune.
—---
With Reflex complete, I had a new grind to get through. I had a goal, one I’d wanted to do since I first picked up a Katana.
I was gonna deflect bullets. I was gonna do it!
The dojo had been fun the night before, but it was empty even Sensei wasn’t around, but today was a bright day and I was going to get this shit done.
I drove the Kusanagi out of the apartment's garage enjoying the feel of her under my legs as I cut into an empty spot in traffic, my signals alerting everyone which way I was going, and I accelerated to the speed limit.
Yeah, a nice morning drive was perfect.
It felt like it had been a while since I just drove my Kusanagi around. I was always in my Quadra for the extra space for everything.
The californian wind in my hair felt great even if it was more chilly than normal since winter was definitely here.
Stopping at a red light, I sat up and stretched a bit as I waited, looking around as I took in all the people living here in NC. The sidewalks were packed, and I had to wait a long while even after the light had changed for people to finish crossing.
Lot of people wandering around today. I guess it just meant it was a good day.
No gang wars or the like heating up. The 6th Street, TC thing had calmed down and so NC was… Well as peaceful as it ever got right now.
The way cleared I hit the gas accelerating faster than I would since I was at the front of the pack. Shooting off until I hit the speed limit and I matched it, still more than enough to fly down the tight NC streets.
The dojo came up sooner than I would have liked. If not for my eagerness to jump into a grind I’d have just driven past and continued on, but it was time to work not play.
I parked next to the other batch of Kusanagi, all of them with the stupid upgrades, or alterations. Why they’d destroy a beautiful Kusanagi with all that junk I will never know.
I headed inside, and quickly found what I came here for.
“Sensei.” I greeted the stoic man as I headed straight at him.
“Kusanagi.”
“I need a sparring partner, someone to push me to my absolute limits for as long as I can take it. Please.” I asked, actually giving him a bow as I did so.
He was quiet as he seemed to consider what I’d just said. “Very well. Gather your blades.” He ordered before turning to the room, and releasing a single shout. Not a word but just a noise that stilled everyone even me for a moment at it’s force. “A challenge has been issued. The one who cut down Musashi will be faced. Come forward.” He called out his voice loud enough to echo around the entire room.
Well. I had wanted a challenge
I took the shinai and gave them a single flourish to feel their weight before approaching the mats.
Already not just students but some of the Tyger Claw full gangers that hung around walked over to join.
Time to get to work.
—--
“Do you need a rest?” Sensei asked as another of the students stumbled away. I’d learned quickly that this was full contact sparring not kendo.
The Shinai were struck full force and I’d matched it, quite a few bruised limbs or faces had stumbled off the mat away from me over the…
I focused on my system. Been about an hour and a half? Not bad.
But to answer Sensei’s question I shook my head, I was sweating from the exertion, and my chest was working faster, but I was controlling my breathing, and my body was more than ready for more.
“No. Next.” I demanded and he nodded looking pleased as the crowd that had only grown larger as I continued to beat every challenger.
There had been some trouble. Some had their feelings hurt, but sensei had been quick to fix that, and some of the TC guys had shut up the rest.
I was known well enough now that what I was doing was seen more as something cool, than as insulting.
The crowd was quiet for a moment as everyone seemed to try and figure out who to bring out next, but then Sensei himself stepped forward and faced me.
We began without a word, his single shinai against my dual wielding. He stepped forward and struck and our match began. I’d fought him before, but I was much more competent now. My body easily deflected his quiet powerful blows, and my skills were high enough that he wasn’t just teaching me but actually facing me fully.
The clack of our Shinai was quite loud, a repeated noise as I swung and stabbed and deflected. Forced back, before shifting my style a bit to focus on more fast paced swings.
Back and forth, and neither of us actually got a hit on the other. Sensei was truly a skilled Swordsman. It made me wonder what he was doing at this small dojo instead of as some Arasaka ninja or something, but then again.
Who says he wasn’t?
I wasn’t the only person that moonlighted as something else.
But I was also tired, hours of fighting was enough to drain anyone, and I miss timed a defense and got a bonk on the head that sent me stumbling back a bit.
“I believe that is my win.” Sensei offers out, noticeably more out of breath than normal.
“Heh!” I offered him with a smile because he’d gotten me another XP alert. “Seems so… Again?” I offered and I noticed he actually seemed surprised.
“Still more?”
“Yeah? I’m close. I can feel it.” I told him, lying, but it was accurate enough.
“I see. Then you will face the challenge again.” He called out and everyone looked surprised but eventually one of the first boys I’d fought stepped forward and bowed to Sensei and then me.
Oh we were going through the whole thing again?
Okay.
I grinned and raised my blades.
The other guy swallowed and raised his.
—---
A towel dropped over my face wasn’t exactly the most comfortable thing.
“Thanks.”
“You hit your limit. There is no shame in it, but do not overdo it again. You gain nothing from this.”
“Oh, I gained a lot.” I spoke through the wet towel. I felt rough. Muscles in my chest and back that were attached to my arms were really sore. I reached up and dragged the towel off. The cool towel was actual heaven as I ran it over my forehead and across my cheeks. Couldn’t run it over the back of my neck for relief as that was all chrome now.
I hadn’t reached the level up I’d sought, but swinging my sword until I dropped put me a good way towards it.
“But not what you came for.” He stated, and I looked up. I sat up with a groan, my abs were killing me.
“No. I’m close though.”
“Then you will come back when you have recovered.” He demanded and I couldn’t help but smile at his words.
“Yeah I’ll do that.” I agreed as I slowly rose back to my feet. Ow. I still felt like I had a big bump on the top of my head. Sensei really had to strike the same place twice in a row?
“Recover before you attempt to drive. I will not condone you dying in such a way.” He told me, surprising me as he turned and walked away.
Huh.
I think… He kinda liked me?
“Finally up Motoko?” One of the boys I’d fought twice called out as I stared at Sensei’s back.
“Uh, yeah, not feeling so overheated anymore.”
“C’mon then, we’re grabbing some lunch from the stalls. It’s on us, as thanks for the lessons.” The much older guy smiled at me happily and I had a serious sense of disconnect because usually the TC guys were glaring at me at this point.
“Sure?”
AAAAAAAAAAAAH!
What had I just done!?
“Well, normally I don’t let randoms steal my stage, but damn if that wasn’t an act. Hell, pretty funny to be playing some amateurs songs only for her to be there.” The owner of the club mentioned laughing a bit.
“Well if she’s on the radio, and she sent your club pounding, she’s not an amateur is she?” Hiromi argued a bit hotly.
“Heh, maybe, maybe not. Solo act didn't do her any favors, but she at least knows how to play and sing. Wish I could say the same for most of the live bands I pull in.”
“Well maybe we can talk about another gig, say next friday night?”
“Hmm. I might be tempted.”
“Hiromi.” I said rising up and rubbing the damp towel over my head. “Leave it.”
“Okay Motoko, but think about it.” She needled just a little and I nodded…
Honestly other than the embarrassment, and the desire to curl up in a ball and scream… I felt better than I did after finishing with Violent Hemorrhage. At least, at least I could admit I felt some pride from the songs now. And not just a bitter boredom.
“I liked the new song.” Malcolm offered, as I took in the fact both boys were sitting across from me. The first time I realized they were even here. Jeez. I’d really been freaking when I finished up.
“Yeah it’s… Well I played a more acoustic version, but it’s a rock song actually.” I stood up. “I’m gonna head out. I’m tired.” I decided, and Malcolm and Ichi sort of checked each other before shaking their heads .
“I think I’m going to stay for a bit.”
“Me too.” Both boys confirmed, and there was definitely a hint of excitement.
“Don’t get robbed or worse.” I ordered and then picked up my equipment, and headed for the back door.
“Hey wait up!” Hiromi called out and I hummed as she held the door open for me which did help out.
The parking lot was half full, people hanging out doing drugs that would get them kicked out, or just saying goodbyes, but I ignored that and popped the trunk on the Quadra to throw my equipment inside.
“Hey, Motoko.” Alice called out, the boys with her just outside of her little van as they both walked over as they saw me.
“Jesus what is all that?” Jared asked as he looked into the trunk and saw my ordinance.
“Work equipment.” I answered jokingly, as I threw everything inside and closed up. “What’s up Alice?”
“Fuck, just… Let us work with you.” She asked, begged, and kinda demanded. All of it was there. A need.
“What?”
“You need a band, you’ve got the songs, you got the talent, but solo acts aren’t gonna get you what you need. We got a drummer, a Bass, and I play guitar… You can sing. Better than me, I’m fucking done playing… I want to be more than just some scop no life band. We’re all dedicated, we all play.” I realized that these three were serious.
“Listen that-” I started off uncomfortable at the idea of what Alice was saying.
“We can talk about it, but now isn’t the best time.” Hiromi called out saving me like usual. “Here’s my number. I’m Hiromi Mitsunashi, Motoko’s Manager. I’m sure we can have a few practice sessions, see if you’re a good fit for Motoko’s songs and style before we lock anything in.”
I turned to look at my corpo, and couldn’t help but relax a bit.
Of course Hiromi would see the situation and just hammer through it in her most corpo style.
“Ah.” Alice muttered as she reached out and took the card.
“Preem. I’m getting out of here.” I decided and started to do just that. Heading straight for the driver seat. I wanted to get far away from this club.
“I’m coming too!” Hiromi called out and I just shrugged as she climbed in.
“I’m not really heading home, want me to drop you off?”
“No way!” She cheered, smiling and I just shrugged. “Wherever you’re going is fine with me!”
Alright, I guess… Yeah that works.
—--
“When you said you were tired, I wasn’t expecting this.” Hiromi muttered.
“I am tired, but I feel… Too wired to really relax, so I’m doing this.” Then I struck and she deflected the blow and retaliated.
I’d ended up at the dojo, figuring that swinging a stick around for a while would help me calm down.
Hiromi had followed me inside, and now I was facing her with shinai in both our hands.
It had been a long time since I’ve seen her really use a sword.
I struck out a few testing pokes, and she retaliated, and then responded in kind, the clack of the shinai filling the empty dojo as only a few people were still around exercising at this time of night.
Hiromi responded competently, but I recognized quickly that despite her practice with a blade, she wasn’t a Musashi. She was competent enough though, and so I decided to enjoy the motion of my body. I felt my shoulders relaxing from the tension I’d had on them, and my face broke into a smile.
“Don’t smile like that while whooping my ass Motoko, it’s making things difficult!” Hiromi eventually gasped out, and I chuckled as we stopped clashing.
“You’re doing fine. When's the last time you really practiced?”
“It’s been a while. Too long obviously, if you can beat me now. Ugh.”
“That was fun, thanks Hiromi.”
“Yeah yeah, you seem better… Want to talk about it?”
“I-” I started only to stop so I ran my fingers through my hair scratching at my scalp. “I don’t know. It was unexpected. Jumping up onto that stage, no time to plan and just playing…
It felt good. Better than playing for VH. Better than playing some boring song that had no soul. Eh. I was being a bit toxic, the VH songs were still songs, still written by a bunch of young musicians wanting to play through soul out.
It just kinda wasn’t good.
Ugh, I felt like some stuck up asshole. Maybe I just wasn’t into whatever genre VH played.
“You were amazing up on stage you know?” Hiromi offered and I just… It was nice to hear. I liked being good at things, but it felt so weird to do musician stuff.
“Thanks.” I decided to say but then held out my Shinai. “But you need some practice.”
Hiromi looked from me to the Shinai and her shoulders slumped.
“Go easy on me.”
“Never!” I cheered and we began again. The movement and action, carefully tracking Hiromi’s attempts to bat my shinai away from poking her continuously, was quite fun.
It… Was a nice stress relief. I could be good at this without the feeling of anxiety. I could just let my body move, my brain didn’t need to worry.
I saw it, Hiromi was tricky. She lashed out with her blade below my vision, well it would be if not for my Kiroshi, and I tapped it twice, once on the top to knock it away and then another lower done causing her to stumble.
Then tapped my blade on top of her head.
“Boop.”
I laughed at her stupified look as she glared at me for a moment.
And then I stilled.
*100 Reflex XP Gained*
*Reflex Leveled up!*
I felt my muscles tense and relax, a shift in how I held myself, and Hiromi seeing me stalled out for a second lashing out.
I bent backward almost casually, and then stepped past her, my shinai not even raised as I spun with her as she tried to swing down on me, Another duck to the side and the blade went past without even ruffling my hair.
And then again.
“Okay, now you’re just being mean.” Hiromi huffed out as she stopped swinging. I reached out before she could react and lifted her up and spun around.
“Hahaha!” I cheered happily ignoring Hiromi’s squeak of surprise before setting her back on the ground. “Hiromi, you’re the best.” I told her.
Reflex 10 was… Huge. I’d finally done it! I could grind out Handguns, or Blades! And all the other skills!
Maybe I’d finally take the time to grind out Driving as well, that skill had been on the back burner for a while…
Hmm Blades first.
“Again?” I asked eagerly as I took a few steps back and held my shinai out, but Hiromi just huffed and hugged herself. Her face was a bit red, did I surprise her that much? Was she angry because I had beaten her?
“I’m good for now Motoko. You seem to have cheered up.” She said, and I blinked…
I guess I had.
—--
We left the Dojo not long after and I drove Hiromi around to grab some food and we just ate it while parked laughing at drunk people stumbling out of clubs and puking all over the sidewalk ruining any hope of them being cool.
“Look at that one!” I cheered as a lady completely bent over in half, her massive stilt heels keeping her upright and she puked basically backwards through her own legs.
“Gross!” Hiromi cackled as she stuffed some fries in her mouth.
I grabbed some and joined her, both of us laughing at the disaster people.
“Thanks Hiromi.” I said after a while as we ate.
“What?”
“For saving me when Alice asked to join ‘my’ band. I don’t even have a band!”
“I thought you wanted to be called Stand Alone Complex?”
“That’s!” I looked away. I had said that. “It’s different when it’s just like a solo band name, and an actual band name.”
“Honestly Motoko I don’t really get your discomfort. I mean it’s funny, and cute, but you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You rock.”
I didn’t know how to explain it. I had no talent with music before. In my last life, I was tone deaf. I mean sure I wanted to play the guitar or something as much as the next teenager, but I was no good.
“I just… You remember when you first heard me sing and I was super bad?”
“Yeah! That was hilarious!”
“... Mean.” I mumbled and Hiromi just laughed for a moment as she leaned over and poked at my cheek.
“It’s funny because you got good so quick. Don’t pout.”
“Yeah, but whenever I sing, whenever I go up on stage I feel like that person that couldn’t sing. I know up here, I can do it.” I said poking at my head for a moment, and then I looked over and caught her eyes. “But I feel like I’m about to sing my heart out and show my emotions and just end up laughed at.”
“That’ll never happen. You’re so good now, no one will laugh at you.”
“Yeah I know… But my heart doesn’t. When I played with Violent Hemorrhage it was like… I didn’t care, it wasn’t my music, I had no attachment, so I didn’t care that it kinda sucked, and I didn't feel much. But then I played my songs and I felt so much more. It was better, I liked it, but it also makes me feel anxious.”
“But you liked it?”
“Yeah. A lot more than playing for VH.”
“Well I’ll never stop trying to get you to play more. You’re too amazing. I want to see your name right there.” Hiromi said, pointing out the window. There in the distance at the top of a building was one of the giant ads.
Right now it was playing an ad for Lizzy Wizzy.
“Right there?”
“Right there. I’ll make sure of it. When it happens I’ll bring you right here and we can watch it together.” Hiromi said confidently, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’ll cry.”
“I’m willing to accept that.” Hiromi said almost stuffily, so I poked her just below her ribs making her squeal. “Nooo!”
“I guess I’ll just have to keep playing music so your little idea comes true.”
“That’s right! I promise! So you can’t make me a liar Motoko!” Hiromi offered back and I couldn’t help but laugh at her.
“You’re such a corpo! Making me live up to a promise you made.”
“I’m your manager, that’s my job. Gotta whip the talent into action.” She teased me and I just laughed along with her.
It was… Nice. To think about the future like that.
“Well you’ll have to schedule stuff around my mercenary contracts.”
“Pfft. They won’t be able to afford you, once you get going.”
“I like doing it though.” I countered, and she scoffed.
“Fine, I’ll just set up a group to watch your back. We can call them Section 9, or something, a couple idiots, one with a car, the other with a car that he doesn’t know how to dri-”
We both stopped and started cackling wildly, as Malcolm still had a tendency to lose control of his Caliburn.
“Really need to get Malcolm some lessons.”
“Yeah really.” Hiromi agreed. “Oh look! He’s losing it!”
We both turned to watch another drunk or drugged guy stumble out of the club and after a few moments blew chunks over his expensive boots.
Hiromi and I laughed at his misfortune.
—---
With Reflex complete, I had a new grind to get through. I had a goal, one I’d wanted to do since I first picked up a Katana.
I was gonna deflect bullets. I was gonna do it!
The dojo had been fun the night before, but it was empty even Sensei wasn’t around, but today was a bright day and I was going to get this shit done.
I drove the Kusanagi out of the apartment's garage enjoying the feel of her under my legs as I cut into an empty spot in traffic, my signals alerting everyone which way I was going, and I accelerated to the speed limit.
Yeah, a nice morning drive was perfect.
It felt like it had been a while since I just drove my Kusanagi around. I was always in my Quadra for the extra space for everything.
The californian wind in my hair felt great even if it was more chilly than normal since winter was definitely here.
Stopping at a red light, I sat up and stretched a bit as I waited, looking around as I took in all the people living here in NC. The sidewalks were packed, and I had to wait a long while even after the light had changed for people to finish crossing.
Lot of people wandering around today. I guess it just meant it was a good day.
No gang wars or the like heating up. The 6th Street, TC thing had calmed down and so NC was… Well as peaceful as it ever got right now.
The way cleared I hit the gas accelerating faster than I would since I was at the front of the pack. Shooting off until I hit the speed limit and I matched it, still more than enough to fly down the tight NC streets.
The dojo came up sooner than I would have liked. If not for my eagerness to jump into a grind I’d have just driven past and continued on, but it was time to work not play.
I parked next to the other batch of Kusanagi, all of them with the stupid upgrades, or alterations. Why they’d destroy a beautiful Kusanagi with all that junk I will never know.
I headed inside, and quickly found what I came here for.
“Sensei.” I greeted the stoic man as I headed straight at him.
“Kusanagi.”
“I need a sparring partner, someone to push me to my absolute limits for as long as I can take it. Please.” I asked, actually giving him a bow as I did so.
He was quiet as he seemed to consider what I’d just said. “Very well. Gather your blades.” He ordered before turning to the room, and releasing a single shout. Not a word but just a noise that stilled everyone even me for a moment at it’s force. “A challenge has been issued. The one who cut down Musashi will be faced. Come forward.” He called out his voice loud enough to echo around the entire room.
Well. I had wanted a challenge
I took the shinai and gave them a single flourish to feel their weight before approaching the mats.
Already not just students but some of the Tyger Claw full gangers that hung around walked over to join.
Time to get to work.
—--
“Do you need a rest?” Sensei asked as another of the students stumbled away. I’d learned quickly that this was full contact sparring not kendo.
The Shinai were struck full force and I’d matched it, quite a few bruised limbs or faces had stumbled off the mat away from me over the…
I focused on my system. Been about an hour and a half? Not bad.
But to answer Sensei’s question I shook my head, I was sweating from the exertion, and my chest was working faster, but I was controlling my breathing, and my body was more than ready for more.
“No. Next.” I demanded and he nodded looking pleased as the crowd that had only grown larger as I continued to beat every challenger.
There had been some trouble. Some had their feelings hurt, but sensei had been quick to fix that, and some of the TC guys had shut up the rest.
I was known well enough now that what I was doing was seen more as something cool, than as insulting.
The crowd was quiet for a moment as everyone seemed to try and figure out who to bring out next, but then Sensei himself stepped forward and faced me.
We began without a word, his single shinai against my dual wielding. He stepped forward and struck and our match began. I’d fought him before, but I was much more competent now. My body easily deflected his quiet powerful blows, and my skills were high enough that he wasn’t just teaching me but actually facing me fully.
The clack of our Shinai was quite loud, a repeated noise as I swung and stabbed and deflected. Forced back, before shifting my style a bit to focus on more fast paced swings.
Back and forth, and neither of us actually got a hit on the other. Sensei was truly a skilled Swordsman. It made me wonder what he was doing at this small dojo instead of as some Arasaka ninja or something, but then again.
Who says he wasn’t?
I wasn’t the only person that moonlighted as something else.
But I was also tired, hours of fighting was enough to drain anyone, and I miss timed a defense and got a bonk on the head that sent me stumbling back a bit.
“I believe that is my win.” Sensei offers out, noticeably more out of breath than normal.
“Heh!” I offered him with a smile because he’d gotten me another XP alert. “Seems so… Again?” I offered and I noticed he actually seemed surprised.
“Still more?”
“Yeah? I’m close. I can feel it.” I told him, lying, but it was accurate enough.
“I see. Then you will face the challenge again.” He called out and everyone looked surprised but eventually one of the first boys I’d fought stepped forward and bowed to Sensei and then me.
Oh we were going through the whole thing again?
Okay.
I grinned and raised my blades.
The other guy swallowed and raised his.
—---
A towel dropped over my face wasn’t exactly the most comfortable thing.
“Thanks.”
“You hit your limit. There is no shame in it, but do not overdo it again. You gain nothing from this.”
“Oh, I gained a lot.” I spoke through the wet towel. I felt rough. Muscles in my chest and back that were attached to my arms were really sore. I reached up and dragged the towel off. The cool towel was actual heaven as I ran it over my forehead and across my cheeks. Couldn’t run it over the back of my neck for relief as that was all chrome now.
I hadn’t reached the level up I’d sought, but swinging my sword until I dropped put me a good way towards it.
“But not what you came for.” He stated, and I looked up. I sat up with a groan, my abs were killing me.
“No. I’m close though.”
“Then you will come back when you have recovered.” He demanded and I couldn’t help but smile at his words.
“Yeah I’ll do that.” I agreed as I slowly rose back to my feet. Ow. I still felt like I had a big bump on the top of my head. Sensei really had to strike the same place twice in a row?
“Recover before you attempt to drive. I will not condone you dying in such a way.” He told me, surprising me as he turned and walked away.
Huh.
I think… He kinda liked me?
“Finally up Motoko?” One of the boys I’d fought twice called out as I stared at Sensei’s back.
“Uh, yeah, not feeling so overheated anymore.”
“C’mon then, we’re grabbing some lunch from the stalls. It’s on us, as thanks for the lessons.” The much older guy smiled at me happily and I had a serious sense of disconnect because usually the TC guys were glaring at me at this point.
“Sure?”
Carrot of Truth
War is Peace
He hasn't asked her to start calling him Grandpa yet but I feel like its coming.
Chapter 212
Seras
Well-known member
I slurped the soba noodles as the Tyger Claw guys around me all joked and chattered about whatever their discussion drifted to.
The Soba was good, I’d had noodles here before, but it had been since Jun and I stayed at the Dojo, so it was a good memory.
The weirdness of all these gangsters joking around me without issue was a bit strange.
“Did you see his face, when she just locked his blade and slapped him in the face with it?”
“Oh, shit I was howling inside. Couldn’t actually laugh in front of sensei, but if I didn’t have some chrome, I think I would have broken a rib.”
The boys all laughed and joked as if they were normal people and not well, murderers and gangsters.
What a weird situation.
I slurped my noodles, and looked over. Men that would happily do terrible things to others were joking and acting normal…
It reminded me of a song.
“You’ll never know the murderer sitting next to you.” I half whispered and half sang before stuffing my face with noodles.
“What’s that?”
“Hmm?” I asked, looking up before quickly swallowing the mouthful. “Nothing, just a song stuck in my head.”
“Oh that’s right. I heard the Oni mention it, you’re a Rockerboy too right?” I blinked at the tattooed man that was probably ten years my senior who seemed to talk to me like he would his own kid sister.
Fucking weird.
“Yeah something like that. Alright. I’m done. Thanks for the meal boys.”
“Anytime Yurei!” One of them called out and I winced at the name before waving and heading out.
The situation with the Tyger Claws was… Different now.
Was it Fujimura, the fact I was working with Hayato, or just my general actions?
Either way I was too tired to train anymore without a nap so I slid onto the Kusanagi, and enjoyed the way my girl rumbled to life.
Another thing to consider, but not worry about at the moment.
The streets were busy as I slipped into the traffic, and I ended up caught in light after light. The slow stop and go traffic gave me plenty of time to consider what I should do from here.
Probably needed to set up the next Section 9 training day. Maybe some sniper training? I bet I could get an Ashura and train everyone in using it, giving Section 9 some low level sniper support if needed?
I was just about to start moving again when gunshots rang out, and like many of the people in cars around me we ducked down. I took cover on the other side of the Kusanagi, as I was already drawing my Burya ready to fire, but the bullets were coming my way.
A gangoon came stumbling down from a building, his feet practically slipping and failing to catch the steps as he held a Unity up towards the door before just rocketing away with the gun pointed in the general direction of the doorway as ran.
I considered taking a shot.
He was right there. Probably some gangster causing issues. It was free XP.
The Burya was out and pointed and his stumbling run wasn’t enough for me to miss but…
I holstered my gun as two goons stumbled out of the entrance. Some minor gang I had no idea of, shouting and cursing at the running man.
Yeah, not any of my business. I slipped back onto the Kusanagi and hit the gas.
Just another day in Night City.
—--
I was tinkering with some songs at home, I’d had plans for something big, but it turns out that even with my memory getting the whole thing put together was a big mess.
So I was mostly putting off that and playing with the song that had popped into my head at the noodle stand.
“All my friends are heathens, take it slow.” I crooned as I strummed the chords. Heathens was a great song, and it really fit the dangerous gangoon lifestyle. I had no doubt it would be popular if I ever played it.
I hesitated mid chord.
Would I play it? I shook off the thought. That was a problem for future Motoko.
Instead I kept playing the song, recording it into my music box as I suddenly got a call.
I checked the number and frowned.
That wasn’t someone I expected to see again.
*This is Motoko.*
*Kid. It’s Bishop from the Afterlife. Got a situation. You open for work?* Bishop. The Afterlife merc and his Edgerunner team I’d worked with a while back. Bishop the solo that reminded me a lot of someone trying to be Morgan Blackhand too hard. Mira the Sniper Exotic… Stupid exotics. Sam? It was Sam something, their corpo front, and Hakase the Street Samurai.
*I’m kinda just hanging out, what’s the sitch?*
*Sam got klepped trying to have a meeting with a corpo contact. The meeting didn’t go well. We need to bust him out. We’re on a time limit, before Ion Frontier decides he isn’t worth trying to get info out of. I remember you’re good at sneaking around.*
*Pay?* I asked, instead of what I really wanted to say which was hell yes.
Rescuing a gonk from some corpo sounded like fun.
I was already setting my gear aside, and reaching for a maxdoc. My muscles were still sore from earlier, but a maxdoc, would make up for not taking a nap.
*I’ll pay at the Afterlife rate, with hazard pay.* I hummed, because frankly I had no idea what that was like, but I was already in my room grabbing some stuff. Copperhead? It was bulkier, but corpo security tended towards body armor. All the better to take out any street kids causing trouble.
No.
I looked at the two Katana I had resting against the corner of the room. My older Thermal Katana, and the much higher quality, but also more brittle Musashi blade.
Infiltration Ninja?
*So you in?*
*I’m in.* I agreed, grabbing my Thermal Blade, I liked the brutality of it more. Sliding it into my belt.
I turned and headed out to the living room, and slipped on my boots.
*Where are we meeting?*
*I’ll send you the deets. Talk to you when you get here kid.*
*Yeah yeah.* I grumbled as the call cut off, and I hurried out of the apartment.
Time to have some fun!
—--
Normally I would have taken the Quadra but traffic was still pretty rough right now, and with a time limit I couldn’t just amble along.
My Kusanagi roared as I lane split, and then cut into a turn lane as they had a green and then cut over to keep going straight.
The maneuver had me laughing a little.
*100 Driving XP Gained.*
An alert meant it was well done I guess? Either way my unsafe driving cut off at least a few minutes from the drive as I pulled off the street and into an alley that my GPS was guiding me towards.
The small pack of vehicles and familiar faces father inside meant I didn’t hesitate in driving right up.
“I’m here.”
“Good timing.” Bishop offered and Mira, despite how she had acted last time just gave me a single nod before turning her eyes back up to the sky. The joking shark girl was gone, instead a much more worried woman took her place.
We were in an alley that connected a lot of office buildings, and the one she was focused on was probably where the target was.
“Got any data on this Frontier Ion?”
“Ion Frontier. They’re a small corp. They produce some of the EMP equipment for Militech. They’re not big, but we were on a gig to pull some data from their server. Sam got grabbed while he was holding an above board meeting with them. He got an alert off.” Bishop started explaining as I arrived.
“Can you get us in?” Mira asked, and I shrugged, as I looked up at the building.
“Do you have blueprints or anything? What floor the corp is on?”
“Seventh.” Hakase offered, while Bishop handed me a shard. I slotted it, and instantly firewalled it and checked it over verifying it was clean before I accessed it.
Hmm. They controlled all of floor seven, and it had security, turrets, and goons. Nothing like Kang Tao, or Arasaka, but big guns, and at least some military surplus.
Of course this data was old. I could practically taste the netrunner who had pulled this data, some little net rat grabbing data from everything and anything they could get their hands on. The way the data was formatted meant for quick infiltrations and grabs.
I unslotted the shard and tossed it back to Bishop.
“Okay, I can help with this. Instead of getting you all in. I can get in and get to him, but it’s the exfil that could be sketchy.” I offered as I looked at the group. Hmm. A Sniper, a Solo, and a Samurai. Another Netrunner would make this more comfortable, but I’d deal with what I had.
“Are you sure? We can’t take any risks with Sam.” Mira asked, and I waved her off.
“Infiltrating is my speciality. You want him to get out and fast? Without the corp that captured him just finishing him off when they notice you try to rescue him? Then I go in alone.” I stated the fact as confidently as I could as I met the woman's eyes.
“We’ll hold the lobby. We can lock it down and give you an exit.” Bishop offered already formulating some sort of plan.
“No.” I denied instantly. “If I’m infiltrating the moment anyone in that building gets a whiff something is up, they’ll lock it down or worse. Mira is already looking at our exfiltration point.” I said and everyone looked to Mira who had looked back down, then she looked back up.
“No fucking way.”
“Fucking way.” I denied as I looked up at the large glass windows. The buildings were tightly packed next to each other, and would be more than capable of giving sight lines. There were even old fire escapes on the other building.
I was already off. A single bounce hit a concrete wall and then another had me over the guard wall around the building and I was off, with another jump I hit the bottom of an old fire escape, and with a bit of muscle got the ladder to descend to let the others follow.
“Seventh floor.” I reminded them, not wasting any more time, as I jumped off and headed towards the building’s back door. Time to infiltrate a corpo building!
The rear door was just like every rear door, locked, but that barely slowed me down. My Kiroshi scanned the door and confirmed a security trigger. If the door opened it would let out an alarm, but I didn’t even have to do anything to disable that, I popped open the security pad and licked two fingers, and a moment later the door unlocked, I quickly checked inside the long hallway wasn’t empty unfortunately, and I just huddled down fingers pressed against the pad keeping the lock from activating and watching through the tiny crack as the worker of the place walked down the hall and then into one of the rooms.
Once he was gone, I slipped in, noticing the foil taped over the security system that would sound the alarm in case anyone opened the door.
Workers making sure they had rear access no doubt, likely a smoke break if the cigarette butts littering the alley told the story correctly.
I was in with a whisper, I crept down the hall and checked into the room the worker had just left. Breakroom. Perfect. I went past and right into another door that said employees only. The workers were rent a cops. The cheap kind. Nothing better than greeters at the front desk. So I wasn’t worried about them, but unfortunately, this wasn’t just a motel or something. Corpo rented space meant security was tighter.
I needed a jack in point. Something in the building, so I could slip into their security. Unfortunately the room I was in was nothing but a storage room. There wasn’t even a computer, or security access point.
I flashed my Kiroshi as I started scanning. They had some security obviously, where did they keep their security room?
Not on the ground floor, which is already impressive for building security. Someone knew what they were doing… I turned around and after checking slipped into the hallway and went back the way I came.
Only one way forward.
I opened the breakroom, and sauntered in like everything was normal. The casual movements gave me the few seconds I needed to approach the worker. He looked up from his coffee and then back down, and then jerked up just as I reached him.
One hand around his mouth giving me half a second to muffle his shout as my arm wrapped around and secured his larynx, I leapt a bit to get the right grip so I was practically monkeying on his back, but he choked out his cry for help and as I adjusted my grip I cut off the blood to his brain and he dropped. I made sure he didn’t break his skull on the way down and laid him out.
*250 XP Gained.*
“Sorry buddy.” I whispered as I started undressing him while grabbing his ID shard which would give me access to the elevator.
I ended up tying him up as best I could with the crap in the breakroom and stuffing him in one of the cupboards around the room. That should at least slow him down when he woke up.
I headed out, and pulled the security guard’s cap lower over my face as I walked past a security camera, and towards the elevator.
My finger hovered around the 7 for a moment, but I ended up hitting 2 instead.
The shard Bishop had given me, had shown there was a set of stairs on the seventh floor. There just weren’t any matching stairs on the bottom floor.
Definitely a fire hazard but the exact sort of security concern NC cared more about.
The elevator opened and it hit what I expected. It was a large room that had doors connecting to multiple different businesses. I walked around for a moment as if just doing checks as a security guard, until I found what I was looking for. The black “Security Only” Letters on the door told me I’d found what I was looking for. I tapped my badge against the security panel and the door unlocked.
I stepped in, and instantly I was moving. The small security room wasn’t empty, and the second rent a cop never even got time to yelp as I wrapped my arms around the second guy.
*250 XP Gained.*
I looked around the room and grinned. Here was the security access point. I pulled the Katana out from under my jacket and in my pants and put it to the side as I secured the second guard with his own belt and pants and then stuffed him into a corner.
Now let's find out what kind of security we’re dealing with here.
—--
Mira Carcharodon
“See anything?” Bishop asked, and Mira just snarled at him, showing her teeth. They were stuck up on the stupid fire escape while Sam could be tortured to death and the only thing she could see was a fucking hallway.
“Get a new pair of Kiroshi if you can’t see the same shit I am!” She snapped and Bishop stepped back a bit, but all of them were tense.
“Peace. She will succeed, or she will fail. We will act when the time is right either way.” Hakase offered and Mira rolled her eyes.
He’d heard that from some old mystic and often repeated it in slightly different terms whenever the chance popped up.
“Where is she? What’s taking so long?” Mira whispered, but then stalled out because someone sauntered down the hallway. Someone that didn’t fit. “That’s her.” She whispered and Bishop jerked to look. Watching as our infiltrator walked down the hallway calmly without trying to sneak or anything until she hit a door, she looked it over for a second and then knocked…
“Did she just fucking knock? How is that sneaking around!?” Mira hissed and Bishop had no answers as the door obviously opened, a moment later there was a blur and the girl was no longer unarmed as her Katana was out and having just finished a cut.
“A fine cut.” Hakase muttered the blade obsessed gonk, sounded seriously impressed. Mira could just make out the blood as the girl walked into the room.
“I guess she’s doing okay then.” Bishop whispered and Mira took a breath. Okay. The kid was good enough to be in the Afterlife. Trust in that.
—--
The slump of the body hitting the floor would have alerted the other two guards in this security room that something was up, if I hadn’t already moved through the room.
Thrown knife, into Guard two. He was stupid enough not to have his helmet on, and the knife thunked into the back of his head, as the Katana slipped through the spine of gonk three.
*500 XP Gained.*
*500 XP Gained.*
*500 XP Gained.*
I drew out my blade, and retrieved my knife as I walked over to the security terminal.
The second floor mall cops had some of the building security, but this floor was a black wall to their systems, but between their data, and the shard that Bishop had given me, I’d had everything I needed to get around up here.
Corporate office’s weren’t exactly black sites. It wasn’t hard to slip onto the floor through the stair access and head straight for the security office. With these three gone, and the security terminal, I should be able to disable all the rest of their defenses.
I looked over the gonks for a moment.
Yeah the armor was crap. Old Militech stuff, but I doubted they’d even bothered to change the inserts since they bought them. On top of that, these guys weren’t ex-soldiers. Just hired goons.
I slipped into their network without any trouble. Old Militech firewalls. Nothing that would slow me down, especially not from inside the network.
I blinked my eyes and had access to all the camera systems, as well as the personnel ID’s.
Hmm. The data shard from Bishop had mentioned the corpo that Sam was coming to meet, and… There he was. Alongside two other security guards.
Well now…
I pulled out of the system and walked back out to the hallway. I was clear for now so I checked out the window. I could see Mira, and the others looking at me but I ignored them. I could take the elevator, the stairs, or right here. The window wasn’t bullet proof, we were too high up for that to really be needed.
My Katana heated up as I slowly poked it through the glass, cutting out a weak point I could use.
I could see the three of them watching me, probably thinking I was crazy as I cut through the glass to weaken it for later.
Once I was satisfied I headed back and turned a corner. Slowing a bit to stay silent as I approached an open room.
There were two more inside. I did a quick peek and then I was across the door without anyone noticing and moving on.
As much as I wanted the XP, no point in killing a bunch of civvy workers. Sneaking around this office was kinda odd, but now that I had vision on everyone it was a simple job to just keep moving.
Finally I reached where I needed to go. A hallway that had a locked and secured door. Two security guards outside, and another couple in, along with the man that had last been with Sam, so probably he was inside.
I loosened my Katana in the sheath and then simply activated my Sandy.
Everything slowed as I rushed out down the hall. A blur of motion that the guards' organic, or cybernetic eyes were just starting to catch when I reached them. I skipped the first guy, instead my cut as I pulled my Katana from the sheath went through the second guard just under his helmet and all the way out and through.
The return cut had me bouncing a bit back slicing through the second guards throat before bringing it back around and stabbing through.
The quiet gasps as both men died and slumped to the floor was quiet, but I still waited to see if there was any motion from inside.
Nothing.
*500 XP Gained.*
*500 XP Gained.*
I took a breath, let the Sandy cycle a bit. The warmth on my neck telling me I’d be getting close to my limit soon.
I took the moment I had to check the guards.
Again shit quality equipment. Nothing worth even looting at this rate, although I took a moment to adjust the Ajax the guard had been carrying up against the wall that would come in handy.
Then I rose up and opened the door.
—--
Samuel Perry
This had not gone as planned.
He spat blood, truly Hanson hadn’t changed at all from when he was just an up and comer.
“Now my old friend, you know I don’t like doing this, but I need to know what gonk fuck shitstain thinks they’re going to steal from me? Just give me the name and I promise I won’t just throw you in the trash. As a respect for an old boss.”
Hanson was lying of course. The moment he cracked he would get a bullet and a quick toss into the nearest trash can.
Hanson had always been a piece of scop.
He breathed out, painfully, his ribs were killing him. His Pain Editor was working, but he didn’t want to turn it on fully.
The fact was, letting it hurt meant that Hanson was enjoying playing with him, and if he thought it wasn’t working, worse things than just pain would be in his future.
“Just tell me Sam, that’s all I want.” Hanson lied with a smirk that wasn’t even trying to hide that fact.
C’mon Bishop. I have enough contacts, I’m valuable enough to get out of here. C’mon Mira, I know you like me. Force that cold bastard to come rescue me.
The door opened, and for a moment Sam didn’t really register it. Why would he? It wasn’t the first time the guards had swapped out, or Hanson had left to take a leak.
But then as Sam opened his one good eye, he couldn’t help but blink at what he was seeing.
Who was that?
There was a blur of motion that Sam had to slowly replay in his mind to understand.
She stepped in, and cut with her Katana, drew a knife and tossed it at another guard, before spinning around using the guard she had just cut down as a shield to draw close and cut off the arm of the third.
His scream was silenced before it could even begin. And as Hanson reached to pull his pistol suddenly a Burya of all things was pointed at him, as the girl had simply followed the motion her blade still stuck into the second guard’s chest where she had cut into him from shoulder to chest.
There had been no hesitation. Just a single constant movement that left death in her wake.
“Don’t.” She offered simply as a Burya pointed at Hanson’s head.
“H-Hey we can talk about this!”
“Sam. Nice to see you again. I’m your extraction, are you able to move?” The sound of a confident woman cut off Hanson entirely, and it was a cut off.
Hanson for once in his life had a brain and shut up as Sam blinked weakly.
“Shoot him.” He said instead of answering her question and to his surprise the sound of a Burya echoed out through the room making him flinch and Hanson splattered across the wall.
“Are you able to move?” She asked again as she finally pulled her sword out of the dying guard, and holstered her pistol and sword in a single movement.
“Yes.” He hissed, but he was still tied to the chair. She gathered her thrown knife and quickly cut his bonds, and Sam rose before almost instantly falling forward into a much smaller body that hefted him a bit.
“I’ll take that as a no. I’m afraid that my shot has set off the alarms. This isn’t going to be an easy path for you. Here, put this on.” She plopped him lightly back into the chair and a moment later put something on his head… One of the Guards helmets?
“Alright time to go.” She said and hefted him up into a shoulder carry that knocked the air out of him, but to his surprise she started moving just a moment later.
He really wanted to tell her he could probably walk, but she didn’t seem to care. Grabbing one of the guards Ajax at the door and instantly firing down the hall. Sam couldn’t see anything other than her back as she started jogging which hurt, but he could hear a scream of people not used to being shot at.
She hurried on and then around a corner. And again firing every once in a while and sending people screaming.
“Okay hold on.” She ordered a bit strained as he heard gun shots the rest of the magazine going off, and the sound of shattering glass. “This is going to hurt.” She said and he wondered what she meant, before he managed to just see past her and…
“No no no!” He managed to gasp out, but she didn’t stop as she raced for an open window and leapt.
Her shoulder plowed into his stomach as she leapt and that hurt,. But then they were weightless for a while before suddenly they slammed into something metal and very painful.
“Ow.” She muttered after a few moments when to his surprise they didn’t keep falling despite the fact he was looking down at a long drop. “Hold on.” She grunted, he moved up a bit and then more and then he was thrown over a metal railing landing painfully, but…
“Sam!” Mira was there grabbing at him and Bishop and Hakase too.
Fuck. The woman rolled over the railing and then slammed into the ground next to him. She was breathing heavily and she rose wincing as she grabbed her ribs.
“Not doing that again.” She muttered as she stood.
“Let’s go!” Bishop ordered and he and Hakase grabbed him and then there were a lot of stairs, but he was free.
The Soba was good, I’d had noodles here before, but it had been since Jun and I stayed at the Dojo, so it was a good memory.
The weirdness of all these gangsters joking around me without issue was a bit strange.
“Did you see his face, when she just locked his blade and slapped him in the face with it?”
“Oh, shit I was howling inside. Couldn’t actually laugh in front of sensei, but if I didn’t have some chrome, I think I would have broken a rib.”
The boys all laughed and joked as if they were normal people and not well, murderers and gangsters.
What a weird situation.
I slurped my noodles, and looked over. Men that would happily do terrible things to others were joking and acting normal…
It reminded me of a song.
“You’ll never know the murderer sitting next to you.” I half whispered and half sang before stuffing my face with noodles.
“What’s that?”
“Hmm?” I asked, looking up before quickly swallowing the mouthful. “Nothing, just a song stuck in my head.”
“Oh that’s right. I heard the Oni mention it, you’re a Rockerboy too right?” I blinked at the tattooed man that was probably ten years my senior who seemed to talk to me like he would his own kid sister.
Fucking weird.
“Yeah something like that. Alright. I’m done. Thanks for the meal boys.”
“Anytime Yurei!” One of them called out and I winced at the name before waving and heading out.
The situation with the Tyger Claws was… Different now.
Was it Fujimura, the fact I was working with Hayato, or just my general actions?
Either way I was too tired to train anymore without a nap so I slid onto the Kusanagi, and enjoyed the way my girl rumbled to life.
Another thing to consider, but not worry about at the moment.
The streets were busy as I slipped into the traffic, and I ended up caught in light after light. The slow stop and go traffic gave me plenty of time to consider what I should do from here.
Probably needed to set up the next Section 9 training day. Maybe some sniper training? I bet I could get an Ashura and train everyone in using it, giving Section 9 some low level sniper support if needed?
I was just about to start moving again when gunshots rang out, and like many of the people in cars around me we ducked down. I took cover on the other side of the Kusanagi, as I was already drawing my Burya ready to fire, but the bullets were coming my way.
A gangoon came stumbling down from a building, his feet practically slipping and failing to catch the steps as he held a Unity up towards the door before just rocketing away with the gun pointed in the general direction of the doorway as ran.
I considered taking a shot.
He was right there. Probably some gangster causing issues. It was free XP.
The Burya was out and pointed and his stumbling run wasn’t enough for me to miss but…
I holstered my gun as two goons stumbled out of the entrance. Some minor gang I had no idea of, shouting and cursing at the running man.
Yeah, not any of my business. I slipped back onto the Kusanagi and hit the gas.
Just another day in Night City.
—--
I was tinkering with some songs at home, I’d had plans for something big, but it turns out that even with my memory getting the whole thing put together was a big mess.
So I was mostly putting off that and playing with the song that had popped into my head at the noodle stand.
“All my friends are heathens, take it slow.” I crooned as I strummed the chords. Heathens was a great song, and it really fit the dangerous gangoon lifestyle. I had no doubt it would be popular if I ever played it.
I hesitated mid chord.
Would I play it? I shook off the thought. That was a problem for future Motoko.
Instead I kept playing the song, recording it into my music box as I suddenly got a call.
I checked the number and frowned.
That wasn’t someone I expected to see again.
*This is Motoko.*
*Kid. It’s Bishop from the Afterlife. Got a situation. You open for work?* Bishop. The Afterlife merc and his Edgerunner team I’d worked with a while back. Bishop the solo that reminded me a lot of someone trying to be Morgan Blackhand too hard. Mira the Sniper Exotic… Stupid exotics. Sam? It was Sam something, their corpo front, and Hakase the Street Samurai.
*I’m kinda just hanging out, what’s the sitch?*
*Sam got klepped trying to have a meeting with a corpo contact. The meeting didn’t go well. We need to bust him out. We’re on a time limit, before Ion Frontier decides he isn’t worth trying to get info out of. I remember you’re good at sneaking around.*
*Pay?* I asked, instead of what I really wanted to say which was hell yes.
Rescuing a gonk from some corpo sounded like fun.
I was already setting my gear aside, and reaching for a maxdoc. My muscles were still sore from earlier, but a maxdoc, would make up for not taking a nap.
*I’ll pay at the Afterlife rate, with hazard pay.* I hummed, because frankly I had no idea what that was like, but I was already in my room grabbing some stuff. Copperhead? It was bulkier, but corpo security tended towards body armor. All the better to take out any street kids causing trouble.
No.
I looked at the two Katana I had resting against the corner of the room. My older Thermal Katana, and the much higher quality, but also more brittle Musashi blade.
Infiltration Ninja?
*So you in?*
*I’m in.* I agreed, grabbing my Thermal Blade, I liked the brutality of it more. Sliding it into my belt.
I turned and headed out to the living room, and slipped on my boots.
*Where are we meeting?*
*I’ll send you the deets. Talk to you when you get here kid.*
*Yeah yeah.* I grumbled as the call cut off, and I hurried out of the apartment.
Time to have some fun!
—--
Normally I would have taken the Quadra but traffic was still pretty rough right now, and with a time limit I couldn’t just amble along.
My Kusanagi roared as I lane split, and then cut into a turn lane as they had a green and then cut over to keep going straight.
The maneuver had me laughing a little.
*100 Driving XP Gained.*
An alert meant it was well done I guess? Either way my unsafe driving cut off at least a few minutes from the drive as I pulled off the street and into an alley that my GPS was guiding me towards.
The small pack of vehicles and familiar faces father inside meant I didn’t hesitate in driving right up.
“I’m here.”
“Good timing.” Bishop offered and Mira, despite how she had acted last time just gave me a single nod before turning her eyes back up to the sky. The joking shark girl was gone, instead a much more worried woman took her place.
We were in an alley that connected a lot of office buildings, and the one she was focused on was probably where the target was.
“Got any data on this Frontier Ion?”
“Ion Frontier. They’re a small corp. They produce some of the EMP equipment for Militech. They’re not big, but we were on a gig to pull some data from their server. Sam got grabbed while he was holding an above board meeting with them. He got an alert off.” Bishop started explaining as I arrived.
“Can you get us in?” Mira asked, and I shrugged, as I looked up at the building.
“Do you have blueprints or anything? What floor the corp is on?”
“Seventh.” Hakase offered, while Bishop handed me a shard. I slotted it, and instantly firewalled it and checked it over verifying it was clean before I accessed it.
Hmm. They controlled all of floor seven, and it had security, turrets, and goons. Nothing like Kang Tao, or Arasaka, but big guns, and at least some military surplus.
Of course this data was old. I could practically taste the netrunner who had pulled this data, some little net rat grabbing data from everything and anything they could get their hands on. The way the data was formatted meant for quick infiltrations and grabs.
I unslotted the shard and tossed it back to Bishop.
“Okay, I can help with this. Instead of getting you all in. I can get in and get to him, but it’s the exfil that could be sketchy.” I offered as I looked at the group. Hmm. A Sniper, a Solo, and a Samurai. Another Netrunner would make this more comfortable, but I’d deal with what I had.
“Are you sure? We can’t take any risks with Sam.” Mira asked, and I waved her off.
“Infiltrating is my speciality. You want him to get out and fast? Without the corp that captured him just finishing him off when they notice you try to rescue him? Then I go in alone.” I stated the fact as confidently as I could as I met the woman's eyes.
“We’ll hold the lobby. We can lock it down and give you an exit.” Bishop offered already formulating some sort of plan.
“No.” I denied instantly. “If I’m infiltrating the moment anyone in that building gets a whiff something is up, they’ll lock it down or worse. Mira is already looking at our exfiltration point.” I said and everyone looked to Mira who had looked back down, then she looked back up.
“No fucking way.”
“Fucking way.” I denied as I looked up at the large glass windows. The buildings were tightly packed next to each other, and would be more than capable of giving sight lines. There were even old fire escapes on the other building.
I was already off. A single bounce hit a concrete wall and then another had me over the guard wall around the building and I was off, with another jump I hit the bottom of an old fire escape, and with a bit of muscle got the ladder to descend to let the others follow.
“Seventh floor.” I reminded them, not wasting any more time, as I jumped off and headed towards the building’s back door. Time to infiltrate a corpo building!
The rear door was just like every rear door, locked, but that barely slowed me down. My Kiroshi scanned the door and confirmed a security trigger. If the door opened it would let out an alarm, but I didn’t even have to do anything to disable that, I popped open the security pad and licked two fingers, and a moment later the door unlocked, I quickly checked inside the long hallway wasn’t empty unfortunately, and I just huddled down fingers pressed against the pad keeping the lock from activating and watching through the tiny crack as the worker of the place walked down the hall and then into one of the rooms.
Once he was gone, I slipped in, noticing the foil taped over the security system that would sound the alarm in case anyone opened the door.
Workers making sure they had rear access no doubt, likely a smoke break if the cigarette butts littering the alley told the story correctly.
I was in with a whisper, I crept down the hall and checked into the room the worker had just left. Breakroom. Perfect. I went past and right into another door that said employees only. The workers were rent a cops. The cheap kind. Nothing better than greeters at the front desk. So I wasn’t worried about them, but unfortunately, this wasn’t just a motel or something. Corpo rented space meant security was tighter.
I needed a jack in point. Something in the building, so I could slip into their security. Unfortunately the room I was in was nothing but a storage room. There wasn’t even a computer, or security access point.
I flashed my Kiroshi as I started scanning. They had some security obviously, where did they keep their security room?
Not on the ground floor, which is already impressive for building security. Someone knew what they were doing… I turned around and after checking slipped into the hallway and went back the way I came.
Only one way forward.
I opened the breakroom, and sauntered in like everything was normal. The casual movements gave me the few seconds I needed to approach the worker. He looked up from his coffee and then back down, and then jerked up just as I reached him.
One hand around his mouth giving me half a second to muffle his shout as my arm wrapped around and secured his larynx, I leapt a bit to get the right grip so I was practically monkeying on his back, but he choked out his cry for help and as I adjusted my grip I cut off the blood to his brain and he dropped. I made sure he didn’t break his skull on the way down and laid him out.
*250 XP Gained.*
“Sorry buddy.” I whispered as I started undressing him while grabbing his ID shard which would give me access to the elevator.
I ended up tying him up as best I could with the crap in the breakroom and stuffing him in one of the cupboards around the room. That should at least slow him down when he woke up.
I headed out, and pulled the security guard’s cap lower over my face as I walked past a security camera, and towards the elevator.
My finger hovered around the 7 for a moment, but I ended up hitting 2 instead.
The shard Bishop had given me, had shown there was a set of stairs on the seventh floor. There just weren’t any matching stairs on the bottom floor.
Definitely a fire hazard but the exact sort of security concern NC cared more about.
The elevator opened and it hit what I expected. It was a large room that had doors connecting to multiple different businesses. I walked around for a moment as if just doing checks as a security guard, until I found what I was looking for. The black “Security Only” Letters on the door told me I’d found what I was looking for. I tapped my badge against the security panel and the door unlocked.
I stepped in, and instantly I was moving. The small security room wasn’t empty, and the second rent a cop never even got time to yelp as I wrapped my arms around the second guy.
*250 XP Gained.*
I looked around the room and grinned. Here was the security access point. I pulled the Katana out from under my jacket and in my pants and put it to the side as I secured the second guard with his own belt and pants and then stuffed him into a corner.
Now let's find out what kind of security we’re dealing with here.
—--
Mira Carcharodon
“See anything?” Bishop asked, and Mira just snarled at him, showing her teeth. They were stuck up on the stupid fire escape while Sam could be tortured to death and the only thing she could see was a fucking hallway.
“Get a new pair of Kiroshi if you can’t see the same shit I am!” She snapped and Bishop stepped back a bit, but all of them were tense.
“Peace. She will succeed, or she will fail. We will act when the time is right either way.” Hakase offered and Mira rolled her eyes.
He’d heard that from some old mystic and often repeated it in slightly different terms whenever the chance popped up.
“Where is she? What’s taking so long?” Mira whispered, but then stalled out because someone sauntered down the hallway. Someone that didn’t fit. “That’s her.” She whispered and Bishop jerked to look. Watching as our infiltrator walked down the hallway calmly without trying to sneak or anything until she hit a door, she looked it over for a second and then knocked…
“Did she just fucking knock? How is that sneaking around!?” Mira hissed and Bishop had no answers as the door obviously opened, a moment later there was a blur and the girl was no longer unarmed as her Katana was out and having just finished a cut.
“A fine cut.” Hakase muttered the blade obsessed gonk, sounded seriously impressed. Mira could just make out the blood as the girl walked into the room.
“I guess she’s doing okay then.” Bishop whispered and Mira took a breath. Okay. The kid was good enough to be in the Afterlife. Trust in that.
—--
The slump of the body hitting the floor would have alerted the other two guards in this security room that something was up, if I hadn’t already moved through the room.
Thrown knife, into Guard two. He was stupid enough not to have his helmet on, and the knife thunked into the back of his head, as the Katana slipped through the spine of gonk three.
*500 XP Gained.*
*500 XP Gained.*
*500 XP Gained.*
I drew out my blade, and retrieved my knife as I walked over to the security terminal.
The second floor mall cops had some of the building security, but this floor was a black wall to their systems, but between their data, and the shard that Bishop had given me, I’d had everything I needed to get around up here.
Corporate office’s weren’t exactly black sites. It wasn’t hard to slip onto the floor through the stair access and head straight for the security office. With these three gone, and the security terminal, I should be able to disable all the rest of their defenses.
I looked over the gonks for a moment.
Yeah the armor was crap. Old Militech stuff, but I doubted they’d even bothered to change the inserts since they bought them. On top of that, these guys weren’t ex-soldiers. Just hired goons.
I slipped into their network without any trouble. Old Militech firewalls. Nothing that would slow me down, especially not from inside the network.
I blinked my eyes and had access to all the camera systems, as well as the personnel ID’s.
Hmm. The data shard from Bishop had mentioned the corpo that Sam was coming to meet, and… There he was. Alongside two other security guards.
Well now…
I pulled out of the system and walked back out to the hallway. I was clear for now so I checked out the window. I could see Mira, and the others looking at me but I ignored them. I could take the elevator, the stairs, or right here. The window wasn’t bullet proof, we were too high up for that to really be needed.
My Katana heated up as I slowly poked it through the glass, cutting out a weak point I could use.
I could see the three of them watching me, probably thinking I was crazy as I cut through the glass to weaken it for later.
Once I was satisfied I headed back and turned a corner. Slowing a bit to stay silent as I approached an open room.
There were two more inside. I did a quick peek and then I was across the door without anyone noticing and moving on.
As much as I wanted the XP, no point in killing a bunch of civvy workers. Sneaking around this office was kinda odd, but now that I had vision on everyone it was a simple job to just keep moving.
Finally I reached where I needed to go. A hallway that had a locked and secured door. Two security guards outside, and another couple in, along with the man that had last been with Sam, so probably he was inside.
I loosened my Katana in the sheath and then simply activated my Sandy.
Everything slowed as I rushed out down the hall. A blur of motion that the guards' organic, or cybernetic eyes were just starting to catch when I reached them. I skipped the first guy, instead my cut as I pulled my Katana from the sheath went through the second guard just under his helmet and all the way out and through.
The return cut had me bouncing a bit back slicing through the second guards throat before bringing it back around and stabbing through.
The quiet gasps as both men died and slumped to the floor was quiet, but I still waited to see if there was any motion from inside.
Nothing.
*500 XP Gained.*
*500 XP Gained.*
I took a breath, let the Sandy cycle a bit. The warmth on my neck telling me I’d be getting close to my limit soon.
I took the moment I had to check the guards.
Again shit quality equipment. Nothing worth even looting at this rate, although I took a moment to adjust the Ajax the guard had been carrying up against the wall that would come in handy.
Then I rose up and opened the door.
—--
Samuel Perry
This had not gone as planned.
He spat blood, truly Hanson hadn’t changed at all from when he was just an up and comer.
“Now my old friend, you know I don’t like doing this, but I need to know what gonk fuck shitstain thinks they’re going to steal from me? Just give me the name and I promise I won’t just throw you in the trash. As a respect for an old boss.”
Hanson was lying of course. The moment he cracked he would get a bullet and a quick toss into the nearest trash can.
Hanson had always been a piece of scop.
He breathed out, painfully, his ribs were killing him. His Pain Editor was working, but he didn’t want to turn it on fully.
The fact was, letting it hurt meant that Hanson was enjoying playing with him, and if he thought it wasn’t working, worse things than just pain would be in his future.
“Just tell me Sam, that’s all I want.” Hanson lied with a smirk that wasn’t even trying to hide that fact.
C’mon Bishop. I have enough contacts, I’m valuable enough to get out of here. C’mon Mira, I know you like me. Force that cold bastard to come rescue me.
The door opened, and for a moment Sam didn’t really register it. Why would he? It wasn’t the first time the guards had swapped out, or Hanson had left to take a leak.
But then as Sam opened his one good eye, he couldn’t help but blink at what he was seeing.
Who was that?
There was a blur of motion that Sam had to slowly replay in his mind to understand.
She stepped in, and cut with her Katana, drew a knife and tossed it at another guard, before spinning around using the guard she had just cut down as a shield to draw close and cut off the arm of the third.
His scream was silenced before it could even begin. And as Hanson reached to pull his pistol suddenly a Burya of all things was pointed at him, as the girl had simply followed the motion her blade still stuck into the second guard’s chest where she had cut into him from shoulder to chest.
There had been no hesitation. Just a single constant movement that left death in her wake.
“Don’t.” She offered simply as a Burya pointed at Hanson’s head.
“H-Hey we can talk about this!”
“Sam. Nice to see you again. I’m your extraction, are you able to move?” The sound of a confident woman cut off Hanson entirely, and it was a cut off.
Hanson for once in his life had a brain and shut up as Sam blinked weakly.
“Shoot him.” He said instead of answering her question and to his surprise the sound of a Burya echoed out through the room making him flinch and Hanson splattered across the wall.
“Are you able to move?” She asked again as she finally pulled her sword out of the dying guard, and holstered her pistol and sword in a single movement.
“Yes.” He hissed, but he was still tied to the chair. She gathered her thrown knife and quickly cut his bonds, and Sam rose before almost instantly falling forward into a much smaller body that hefted him a bit.
“I’ll take that as a no. I’m afraid that my shot has set off the alarms. This isn’t going to be an easy path for you. Here, put this on.” She plopped him lightly back into the chair and a moment later put something on his head… One of the Guards helmets?
“Alright time to go.” She said and hefted him up into a shoulder carry that knocked the air out of him, but to his surprise she started moving just a moment later.
He really wanted to tell her he could probably walk, but she didn’t seem to care. Grabbing one of the guards Ajax at the door and instantly firing down the hall. Sam couldn’t see anything other than her back as she started jogging which hurt, but he could hear a scream of people not used to being shot at.
She hurried on and then around a corner. And again firing every once in a while and sending people screaming.
“Okay hold on.” She ordered a bit strained as he heard gun shots the rest of the magazine going off, and the sound of shattering glass. “This is going to hurt.” She said and he wondered what she meant, before he managed to just see past her and…
“No no no!” He managed to gasp out, but she didn’t stop as she raced for an open window and leapt.
Her shoulder plowed into his stomach as she leapt and that hurt,. But then they were weightless for a while before suddenly they slammed into something metal and very painful.
“Ow.” She muttered after a few moments when to his surprise they didn’t keep falling despite the fact he was looking down at a long drop. “Hold on.” She grunted, he moved up a bit and then more and then he was thrown over a metal railing landing painfully, but…
“Sam!” Mira was there grabbing at him and Bishop and Hakase too.
Fuck. The woman rolled over the railing and then slammed into the ground next to him. She was breathing heavily and she rose wincing as she grabbed her ribs.
“Not doing that again.” She muttered as she stood.
“Let’s go!” Bishop ordered and he and Hakase grabbed him and then there were a lot of stairs, but he was free.
Smooth gig choomba, bet that gets her some cred
Just a bit.
Yes, but Vik is going to be upset (tm) with her for cracking her titanium ribs.
Loving it! Can't wait for more!
Loving it! Can't wait for more!
Chapter 213
Seras
Well-known member
I ended up following the group to their ripper, in some upstairs clinic. Sam was put into a chair and instantly filled with drugs which had the man relaxing and falling into a listless sleep.
“Thanks again.” Bishop said to me, as we all watched the Ripper go over Sam scanning and looking him over.
“It was fun. Don’t get to sneak into a corp office like that very often.” I said simply before looking at the older man. His eyes hidden behind a set of glasses might give him some protection, but I could see the relief in them even so.
“Still. It was an emergency job. I tried a few others but everyone told me no. So thanks. We all appreciate it.”
“Eh, it was a job and I said yes.” I offered and grinned as I looked at all the XP alerts. It’s not like I wasn’t double dipping here. I was getting paid twice.
“An emergency job… The offer is still on the table. We’d be happy to work with you.”
“I appreciate it, really, but like I said last time I’ve got my own crew.” I shrugged as I pushed off the wall I’d been leaning against. “This was fun, feel free to call me if you need some help but I’m not really a joiner. Later Bishop.”
“Motoko.” He waved goodbye back and I headed out. That was fun, the XP especially so, but I didn’t like the idea of working with Edgerunners.
They were all crazy.
I jumped onto my Kusanagi and started driving, not sure where to go. I wasn’t sore anymore, after a sneaky Maxdoc on the drive over, but I felt a bit mentally tired.
Training all morning followed, by doing some music work, only to get called into a rush job. It’d been a busy day.
I headed home.
Even if Traffic was rough once again.
Night City traffic never ends.
—--
“Motoko. Welcome home.” Jun offered from the couch, which I instantly walked over and slumped over it.
“Hey Jun.” I yawned and laid down to watch whatever trash Jun was binge watching today.
“Long day?”
“Yeah. I fought the entire Dojo today. I asked Sensei for some hard practice, and he basically had me fight everyone.”
“You challenged the Dojo?”
“Hmm?” I asked, opening my eyes, I’d closed them because I was tired.
“The Dojo, with Sensei. You challenged the Dojo?”
“I guess? He called it that. I’d just asked if he would find someone to spar with me. I needed a push to go past my limits.”
“How far did you get?”
“How far?”
“Through the challenge?”
“I don’t know?” Was this an actual thing? It sounded like a thing, and I hated things. “I just fought everyone twice.”
“Twice?”
“Well I fought Sensei, and he beat me cause I was tired, but I wasn’t like, tired tired, you know? So I asked for more, and Sensei said the challenge was happening again.”
“Motoko… Challenging the Dojo is how the students at the Dojo determine their place in the hierarchy. You fought Sensei?”
“Yeeeeah?”
Suddenly a big stupid gorilla hand was on the front of my face and Jun was mashing me into the couch. “You’re so unaware! That’s a huge deal.”
“It’s just a Dojo!”
“The Deravaja Dojo is not just a dojo.” Jun countered and then sighed, looking at me with pity in his eyes.
Which was unacceptable! Only I got to pity a sibling! Mostly for his shit taste and lack of awareness! How could a guy with so many girls after him, barely notice!
“Idiot!” I grumbled fighting off his hand, and then shooting up a kick over my head which he dodged.
“Hey no kicking!”
“Then don’t start shit!”
To my surprise Jun stalled out for a second, and despite looking like he was about to start throwing hands, he instead nodded.
“Alright sorry. Shouldn't have grabbed your face.”
I stared at him, eyes wide, taking in every detail.
This was a trick. Jun didn’t have the brain power to stop from being an idiot. What was wrong here.
“You look like a startled cat.” He said flatly, and I shot up, sitting up so I could climb up onto the back of the couch and narrow my eyes at him.
“You’re acting weird.”
“I just don’t want to fight. I’m… Proud of you and stuff.”
My eyes narrowed even more. Something was sketchy here! This wasn’t like Jun at all. I climbed over the back of the couch and glared at him with just my eyes in case I needed to dash for the exit or something.
“What are you freaking out for?” He said grumpily and I just continued to glare at him over the back of the couch.
“Who are you and what have you done with Jun?” I demanded and Jun just stared at me for a moment before his face shifted into a glare. Then he threw a pillow at me.
I of course dodged it! I’m too fast!
“Stop being a moron!”
“You can’t trick me! Jun doesn’t have the brain power to stop himself!”
“I’ll show you brain power!” He roared and jumped over the back of the couch. I of course laughed in delight as he tried to grab me, as I bounced around and soon pillows were fired from both of us as we attempted to get the other.
Jun was puffing and he finally had his arm wrapped around me holding me up sideways. “Finally… Caught you!”
“I’m just tired and decided I was done playing.” I informed him instead. “You're missing your show.”
“What? Aw fuck! I wanted to see this episode Motoko!”
“Don’t blame me. Just re-watch it.”
“It’s not a recording! This is a new release!”
“Ugh. Then just find a copy of it.”
“I wanted to watch it now!” Jun yelled and then slumped and dropped me on the couch and grumbled a bit as he headed for the kitchen…
Ugh fine. I guess it was my fault.
“Alright, fine. I’ll go get you a recording of it. Just chill.” I stood up and headed out. Stupid Jun. This was totally his fault, and not mine at all.
—--
“Satisfied?” I asked as I yawned and really wanted to go get my eight hours.
“Very. Thanks Motoko.. Even if it was your fault I missed the show.” Jun added because he was a butt.
I just ignored him and rolled over on the couch.
“Going to sleep now!”
And then did just that. Closed my eyes and set myself for eight hours.
I blinked awake, and noticed the sunlight coming in through the curtains. I had a blanket over me. Jun must have wrapped me up.
I stretched and yawned, feeling so much better.
Sensei would expect me over again…
Well fuck that for now. I didn’t feel like fighting the entire dojo especially since Jun had hinted there was more than just letting me get some training in.
Seriously, why does everyone have to make things more complicated than they needed to be! I just wanted to sword fight people without it being like… A thing.
I looked around and noticed Jun’s boots were at the door so he was still home.
Yeah breakfast sounded good.
I quickly got dressed and headed out, jogging a bit to find a ramen stand and getting enough for two before heading home.
Things felt normal in Night City today. No unusual amounts of random shots echoing off the buildings, and people were moving around and acting normally. So no gang war, or random issue popping up.
I carried my bowls of Ramen home and up to the apartment.
“Jun! Breakfast!” I called out as I dug in, and soon enough Jun blinking sleepily stepped out of his room, hair completely sticking up on one side making me snicker, but chose not to tease him as he flopped down and started eating.
It was a quiet breakfast for a while until Jun opened his mouth. “Motoko, you shouldn’t eat so much Ramen, it’s not good for you.”
I felt my jaw drop as I stared at the audacity of this bitch!
“Coming from your burrito filled ass I don’t want to hear that!”
“Do as I say, not as I do. Ah, I’ve achieved wisdom.” He said sagely, and considering how much I was tempted to dump the rest of my ramen on his head. I think his ‘sage wisdom’ was a bit more lacking than he expected.
But I wanted to eat my food so I just ignored him and finished slurping up my noodles. Hmm… I should get some more songs ready. I’ve been playing with a few different tunes, but most of them are half finished.
I tossed my trash, and grabbed my guitar and prepped my music box.
“Going to work on a new song?” Jun asked, with a smile and I scoffed, before nodding.
“Yeah. I was… Well I was invited to lunch with all the dojo guys after I fought all of them, and it made me… Well listen to this.”
I didn’t have everything finished, but I started the music box for some of the backing track, and pulled up the guitar.
“All my friends are Heathens, take it slow.”
I started singing, and gently tapping the chords. The snare and drums kicked in, but still lightly, as I got into the groove. I didn’t have the drum track finished, but, if I did this, and this I could keep playing and just loop some of it…
“But after all I’ve said, please don’t forget.”
I hit the drop and stopped.
“Hold on.” I said as the music stilled.
I rushed into my room and found my carnage, emptying it out I brought it out.
“Motoko?”
“It’s empty. Let me restart that section.” I told Jun, as the drums kicked back in, and I started singing again. But this time on the drop.
I cocked the Carnage, the heavy mechanical grinding noise of a carnage came through very clearly, and I nodded.
Yeah the Carnage was definitely the instrument of choice for the cocking noise.
“You might be one of us!” I crooned out the last lyric, as everything went silent.
That came out pretty well. Of course I still need to actually record all the tracks. The drums could use an actual drum set, I might need to get a few hours at a studio to clean it up, but the new DeLuze had a much throatier purr that just sounded so much better than my old guitar.
Jun though was quiet and as I looked up from my stuff to see him. I saw him leaning back and trying to look cool…
“What’s with you?”
“That’s gonna be my song from now on.”
“It’s my song.” I denied him instantly.
“Nope. I’m stealing it. It totally fits me.” He argued and I resisted smacking him over the head with my Carnage that was still in reach.
“You aren’t nearly cool enough for that song!”
“Watch me!” He taunted, and I just scoffed and flipped him off instead. Before we could actually start fighting any further a knock at the door had both of us looking up.
“I’ll get it.” Jun offered before I could say anything and since I still had my guitar over my shoulder I couldn’t just bounce past him to open it.
“Oh Alice.” Jun greeted with a happy smile, and I could see the woman shift from whatever was on her mind to Jun.
“Hey Jun, I was hoping to see you today… But uh. I’m here to talk to your sister.” She admitted a bit embarrassed and Jun just smiled and opened the door for her.
“Alice.” I greeted a bit awkwardly, as I realized this was that thing.
The band thing.
“I heard you playing. Sounded preem.” She offered as she walked over and awkwardly took a seat after a moment. “Uh. You uh, thought about things?”
“The band thing.”
“Band thing?” Jun interrupted and I was actually thankful, because this was super awkward!
“After the last gig… It didn’t go well… No, I mean, the music was good. Motoko knows how to play, but uh… Violent Hemorrhage is on life support. The band is falling apart… So, after I heard Motoko play a solo performance, I asked her if she wanted some backup. We can play her songs and stuff… Jared and Klein are good on drums and Bass, and I can Sin-Well, I can play guitar.”
Oof. That catch was rather telling wasn’t it.
I ran a hand through my hair trying to avoid the atmosphere. I really didn’t want to deal with this.
“Well that sounds great! Motoko is super talented, but she’s been trying to do everything on her own. She’ll need an actual band to play. And Alice, you and your band are great. Sorry to hear you guys are going through some scop.” Jun offered sympathetically, and Alice soaked up the sympathy like a flower soaking up water.
Which was nice for her, but didn’t really fix things for me.
“I’m not sure I really want to do the band thing Jun. It’s… Awkward.”
“You’re shy about the weirdest things.” Jun instantly shot back and I felt my hackles rise up.
“I’m not shy! I’m an awesome badass! Look how cool I am!” I waved at myself.
Jun looked me up and down then snorted.
I was reaching for my Carnage to start beating a dumb brother's head in when Alice spoke up.
“I think I get it. It took a long time before I decided to turn my music into a career. Before that I just played and sang for myself and my family. But if I can say Motoko, you obviously love it. Playing music, getting up on stage.”
“I don’t know if I do love it.” I denied, but the girls knowing look was hitting a bit too close to home. I didn’t need her telling me what I liked!
I just thought… It was exciting sometimes.
“It’s not like you have to listen to us… Violent Hemorrhage as a band is done. We’re falling apart at the seams, but we can be your backup. It’s better that, then nothing.” She admitted with a rather painful sigh. “Listen. I’m a musician. I’ll do music work for cheap. I’m not ready to give up on my dream of being a musician.”
I stayed silent, as Alice finished her offer, and I could see Jun looking from me to Alice, and seemingly waiting to see what I would do.
My hand went through my hair.
What to do about this?
There was a large part of me that wanted to deny her right now. Part of it, I just wasn’t sure if she could keep up.
I had a lot of songs, different genres and more that I wanted to play and I wanted them to be perfect.
But…
There was an element to a band that I would always be missing.
So instead I played the opening chords to Heathens.
“Copy that.” I told her, and offered her the guitar.
If she wanted in, then she could help.
She blinked and nodded. Taking my DeLuze, and throwing it over her shoulder. Soon she started the chords, and I clicked when she flubbed it.
“Do this instead.” I guided, and soon she got it, and so I readied the music box, set up the drums that I was controlling through my connection, and the apartment was filled with music.
Did I want a band?
No. Did I need one? Also no, but should I get one if I was going to play music on stage again?
Yeah. I probably should. It was a bit of a bitter pill to admit to myself that I wanted to be on stage again. That I liked it.
I didn’t appreciate my nose being pushed into something I was trying to pretend didn’t exist.
Fine, whatever. I’d whip this band into shape, and we’d play some music soon.
But first I needed Alice to prove she could play this song.
—--
“So you decided to accept?” Hiromi asked, practically buzzing. I’d picked her up after school and I was driving her home while we chatted about the Violent Hemorrhage issue.
“Yeah. I wasn’t sure, but okay don’t give me a look or say anything I know… I liked getting up on stage. It’s embarrassing and I feel like I want to die every time I think about it, but when I was up there playing music, it just… clicked.”
“Okay I won’t say anything. Eeeeee!” She instead squealed which was just as bad, but that was Hiromi after all.
“Yeah yeah… Anyway, I agreed to bring Alice and her bandmates on.”
“I’ll get a contract set up.”
“Do we really need that?” I asked, and instantly quailed at the look Hiromi sent me.
“Of course! What happens if you write a song and perform it, and blow up, but they argue that it’s their song? A contract will make it clear that the music you perform is yours and they are just musicians attached.”
“Well if they do well, I don’t mind them getting something Hiromi.”
“Ugh. You’re so nice… Fine I’ll make sure they get something, but they still won’t be able to claim the copyrights! That stays with us!”
“Us?” I asked, smirking as I stopped at a light and looked Hiromi over.
“Of course! As your manager, I’ll be in charge of handing out the copyrights to new businesses looking for your music.” Hiromi said, eyes twinkling and a distant look in her eye.
Pretty sure she wasn’t even thinking about the here and now, but was instead drooling about all the eddies she’d make in the future through business deals.
That’s my Hiromi though. So I rolled my eyes and focused on the drive home.
“We’ll need to have a meeting. So they can all get on board.” Hiromi said out of the blue and I just hummed, Corpo’s were gonna corpo.
“I’ll message Alice about it.” I accepted. My eyes flashing as I sent off a text to do just that. I got a message back really fast. “She says she's good now. The whole band is with her.”
“Excellent! Tell them… No, we should make them meet us someplace.” She muttered and it took me a second to realize why she’d said that.
“Hiromi, this isn’t some mega corporate deal. It’s Alice and a couple of street Rockerboys.”
She looked at me for a moment or two before nodding. “Right. No point in needing an advantage, we already have all of the advantages anyways!”
Sure Hiromi, whatever helps you justify it.
“Want to stop and get food?”
“Oh yes!”
“Thanks again.” Bishop said to me, as we all watched the Ripper go over Sam scanning and looking him over.
“It was fun. Don’t get to sneak into a corp office like that very often.” I said simply before looking at the older man. His eyes hidden behind a set of glasses might give him some protection, but I could see the relief in them even so.
“Still. It was an emergency job. I tried a few others but everyone told me no. So thanks. We all appreciate it.”
“Eh, it was a job and I said yes.” I offered and grinned as I looked at all the XP alerts. It’s not like I wasn’t double dipping here. I was getting paid twice.
“An emergency job… The offer is still on the table. We’d be happy to work with you.”
“I appreciate it, really, but like I said last time I’ve got my own crew.” I shrugged as I pushed off the wall I’d been leaning against. “This was fun, feel free to call me if you need some help but I’m not really a joiner. Later Bishop.”
“Motoko.” He waved goodbye back and I headed out. That was fun, the XP especially so, but I didn’t like the idea of working with Edgerunners.
They were all crazy.
I jumped onto my Kusanagi and started driving, not sure where to go. I wasn’t sore anymore, after a sneaky Maxdoc on the drive over, but I felt a bit mentally tired.
Training all morning followed, by doing some music work, only to get called into a rush job. It’d been a busy day.
I headed home.
Even if Traffic was rough once again.
Night City traffic never ends.
—--
“Motoko. Welcome home.” Jun offered from the couch, which I instantly walked over and slumped over it.
“Hey Jun.” I yawned and laid down to watch whatever trash Jun was binge watching today.
“Long day?”
“Yeah. I fought the entire Dojo today. I asked Sensei for some hard practice, and he basically had me fight everyone.”
“You challenged the Dojo?”
“Hmm?” I asked, opening my eyes, I’d closed them because I was tired.
“The Dojo, with Sensei. You challenged the Dojo?”
“I guess? He called it that. I’d just asked if he would find someone to spar with me. I needed a push to go past my limits.”
“How far did you get?”
“How far?”
“Through the challenge?”
“I don’t know?” Was this an actual thing? It sounded like a thing, and I hated things. “I just fought everyone twice.”
“Twice?”
“Well I fought Sensei, and he beat me cause I was tired, but I wasn’t like, tired tired, you know? So I asked for more, and Sensei said the challenge was happening again.”
“Motoko… Challenging the Dojo is how the students at the Dojo determine their place in the hierarchy. You fought Sensei?”
“Yeeeeah?”
Suddenly a big stupid gorilla hand was on the front of my face and Jun was mashing me into the couch. “You’re so unaware! That’s a huge deal.”
“It’s just a Dojo!”
“The Deravaja Dojo is not just a dojo.” Jun countered and then sighed, looking at me with pity in his eyes.
Which was unacceptable! Only I got to pity a sibling! Mostly for his shit taste and lack of awareness! How could a guy with so many girls after him, barely notice!
“Idiot!” I grumbled fighting off his hand, and then shooting up a kick over my head which he dodged.
“Hey no kicking!”
“Then don’t start shit!”
To my surprise Jun stalled out for a second, and despite looking like he was about to start throwing hands, he instead nodded.
“Alright sorry. Shouldn't have grabbed your face.”
I stared at him, eyes wide, taking in every detail.
This was a trick. Jun didn’t have the brain power to stop from being an idiot. What was wrong here.
“You look like a startled cat.” He said flatly, and I shot up, sitting up so I could climb up onto the back of the couch and narrow my eyes at him.
“You’re acting weird.”
“I just don’t want to fight. I’m… Proud of you and stuff.”
My eyes narrowed even more. Something was sketchy here! This wasn’t like Jun at all. I climbed over the back of the couch and glared at him with just my eyes in case I needed to dash for the exit or something.
“What are you freaking out for?” He said grumpily and I just continued to glare at him over the back of the couch.
“Who are you and what have you done with Jun?” I demanded and Jun just stared at me for a moment before his face shifted into a glare. Then he threw a pillow at me.
I of course dodged it! I’m too fast!
“Stop being a moron!”
“You can’t trick me! Jun doesn’t have the brain power to stop himself!”
“I’ll show you brain power!” He roared and jumped over the back of the couch. I of course laughed in delight as he tried to grab me, as I bounced around and soon pillows were fired from both of us as we attempted to get the other.
Jun was puffing and he finally had his arm wrapped around me holding me up sideways. “Finally… Caught you!”
“I’m just tired and decided I was done playing.” I informed him instead. “You're missing your show.”
“What? Aw fuck! I wanted to see this episode Motoko!”
“Don’t blame me. Just re-watch it.”
“It’s not a recording! This is a new release!”
“Ugh. Then just find a copy of it.”
“I wanted to watch it now!” Jun yelled and then slumped and dropped me on the couch and grumbled a bit as he headed for the kitchen…
Ugh fine. I guess it was my fault.
“Alright, fine. I’ll go get you a recording of it. Just chill.” I stood up and headed out. Stupid Jun. This was totally his fault, and not mine at all.
—--
“Satisfied?” I asked as I yawned and really wanted to go get my eight hours.
“Very. Thanks Motoko.. Even if it was your fault I missed the show.” Jun added because he was a butt.
I just ignored him and rolled over on the couch.
“Going to sleep now!”
And then did just that. Closed my eyes and set myself for eight hours.
I blinked awake, and noticed the sunlight coming in through the curtains. I had a blanket over me. Jun must have wrapped me up.
I stretched and yawned, feeling so much better.
Sensei would expect me over again…
Well fuck that for now. I didn’t feel like fighting the entire dojo especially since Jun had hinted there was more than just letting me get some training in.
Seriously, why does everyone have to make things more complicated than they needed to be! I just wanted to sword fight people without it being like… A thing.
I looked around and noticed Jun’s boots were at the door so he was still home.
Yeah breakfast sounded good.
I quickly got dressed and headed out, jogging a bit to find a ramen stand and getting enough for two before heading home.
Things felt normal in Night City today. No unusual amounts of random shots echoing off the buildings, and people were moving around and acting normally. So no gang war, or random issue popping up.
I carried my bowls of Ramen home and up to the apartment.
“Jun! Breakfast!” I called out as I dug in, and soon enough Jun blinking sleepily stepped out of his room, hair completely sticking up on one side making me snicker, but chose not to tease him as he flopped down and started eating.
It was a quiet breakfast for a while until Jun opened his mouth. “Motoko, you shouldn’t eat so much Ramen, it’s not good for you.”
I felt my jaw drop as I stared at the audacity of this bitch!
“Coming from your burrito filled ass I don’t want to hear that!”
“Do as I say, not as I do. Ah, I’ve achieved wisdom.” He said sagely, and considering how much I was tempted to dump the rest of my ramen on his head. I think his ‘sage wisdom’ was a bit more lacking than he expected.
But I wanted to eat my food so I just ignored him and finished slurping up my noodles. Hmm… I should get some more songs ready. I’ve been playing with a few different tunes, but most of them are half finished.
I tossed my trash, and grabbed my guitar and prepped my music box.
“Going to work on a new song?” Jun asked, with a smile and I scoffed, before nodding.
“Yeah. I was… Well I was invited to lunch with all the dojo guys after I fought all of them, and it made me… Well listen to this.”
I didn’t have everything finished, but I started the music box for some of the backing track, and pulled up the guitar.
“All my friends are Heathens, take it slow.”
I started singing, and gently tapping the chords. The snare and drums kicked in, but still lightly, as I got into the groove. I didn’t have the drum track finished, but, if I did this, and this I could keep playing and just loop some of it…
“But after all I’ve said, please don’t forget.”
I hit the drop and stopped.
“Hold on.” I said as the music stilled.
I rushed into my room and found my carnage, emptying it out I brought it out.
“Motoko?”
“It’s empty. Let me restart that section.” I told Jun, as the drums kicked back in, and I started singing again. But this time on the drop.
I cocked the Carnage, the heavy mechanical grinding noise of a carnage came through very clearly, and I nodded.
Yeah the Carnage was definitely the instrument of choice for the cocking noise.
“You might be one of us!” I crooned out the last lyric, as everything went silent.
That came out pretty well. Of course I still need to actually record all the tracks. The drums could use an actual drum set, I might need to get a few hours at a studio to clean it up, but the new DeLuze had a much throatier purr that just sounded so much better than my old guitar.
Jun though was quiet and as I looked up from my stuff to see him. I saw him leaning back and trying to look cool…
“What’s with you?”
“That’s gonna be my song from now on.”
“It’s my song.” I denied him instantly.
“Nope. I’m stealing it. It totally fits me.” He argued and I resisted smacking him over the head with my Carnage that was still in reach.
“You aren’t nearly cool enough for that song!”
“Watch me!” He taunted, and I just scoffed and flipped him off instead. Before we could actually start fighting any further a knock at the door had both of us looking up.
“I’ll get it.” Jun offered before I could say anything and since I still had my guitar over my shoulder I couldn’t just bounce past him to open it.
“Oh Alice.” Jun greeted with a happy smile, and I could see the woman shift from whatever was on her mind to Jun.
“Hey Jun, I was hoping to see you today… But uh. I’m here to talk to your sister.” She admitted a bit embarrassed and Jun just smiled and opened the door for her.
“Alice.” I greeted a bit awkwardly, as I realized this was that thing.
The band thing.
“I heard you playing. Sounded preem.” She offered as she walked over and awkwardly took a seat after a moment. “Uh. You uh, thought about things?”
“The band thing.”
“Band thing?” Jun interrupted and I was actually thankful, because this was super awkward!
“After the last gig… It didn’t go well… No, I mean, the music was good. Motoko knows how to play, but uh… Violent Hemorrhage is on life support. The band is falling apart… So, after I heard Motoko play a solo performance, I asked her if she wanted some backup. We can play her songs and stuff… Jared and Klein are good on drums and Bass, and I can Sin-Well, I can play guitar.”
Oof. That catch was rather telling wasn’t it.
I ran a hand through my hair trying to avoid the atmosphere. I really didn’t want to deal with this.
“Well that sounds great! Motoko is super talented, but she’s been trying to do everything on her own. She’ll need an actual band to play. And Alice, you and your band are great. Sorry to hear you guys are going through some scop.” Jun offered sympathetically, and Alice soaked up the sympathy like a flower soaking up water.
Which was nice for her, but didn’t really fix things for me.
“I’m not sure I really want to do the band thing Jun. It’s… Awkward.”
“You’re shy about the weirdest things.” Jun instantly shot back and I felt my hackles rise up.
“I’m not shy! I’m an awesome badass! Look how cool I am!” I waved at myself.
Jun looked me up and down then snorted.
I was reaching for my Carnage to start beating a dumb brother's head in when Alice spoke up.
“I think I get it. It took a long time before I decided to turn my music into a career. Before that I just played and sang for myself and my family. But if I can say Motoko, you obviously love it. Playing music, getting up on stage.”
“I don’t know if I do love it.” I denied, but the girls knowing look was hitting a bit too close to home. I didn’t need her telling me what I liked!
I just thought… It was exciting sometimes.
“It’s not like you have to listen to us… Violent Hemorrhage as a band is done. We’re falling apart at the seams, but we can be your backup. It’s better that, then nothing.” She admitted with a rather painful sigh. “Listen. I’m a musician. I’ll do music work for cheap. I’m not ready to give up on my dream of being a musician.”
I stayed silent, as Alice finished her offer, and I could see Jun looking from me to Alice, and seemingly waiting to see what I would do.
My hand went through my hair.
What to do about this?
There was a large part of me that wanted to deny her right now. Part of it, I just wasn’t sure if she could keep up.
I had a lot of songs, different genres and more that I wanted to play and I wanted them to be perfect.
But…
There was an element to a band that I would always be missing.
So instead I played the opening chords to Heathens.
“Copy that.” I told her, and offered her the guitar.
If she wanted in, then she could help.
She blinked and nodded. Taking my DeLuze, and throwing it over her shoulder. Soon she started the chords, and I clicked when she flubbed it.
“Do this instead.” I guided, and soon she got it, and so I readied the music box, set up the drums that I was controlling through my connection, and the apartment was filled with music.
Did I want a band?
No. Did I need one? Also no, but should I get one if I was going to play music on stage again?
Yeah. I probably should. It was a bit of a bitter pill to admit to myself that I wanted to be on stage again. That I liked it.
I didn’t appreciate my nose being pushed into something I was trying to pretend didn’t exist.
Fine, whatever. I’d whip this band into shape, and we’d play some music soon.
But first I needed Alice to prove she could play this song.
—--
“So you decided to accept?” Hiromi asked, practically buzzing. I’d picked her up after school and I was driving her home while we chatted about the Violent Hemorrhage issue.
“Yeah. I wasn’t sure, but okay don’t give me a look or say anything I know… I liked getting up on stage. It’s embarrassing and I feel like I want to die every time I think about it, but when I was up there playing music, it just… clicked.”
“Okay I won’t say anything. Eeeeee!” She instead squealed which was just as bad, but that was Hiromi after all.
“Yeah yeah… Anyway, I agreed to bring Alice and her bandmates on.”
“I’ll get a contract set up.”
“Do we really need that?” I asked, and instantly quailed at the look Hiromi sent me.
“Of course! What happens if you write a song and perform it, and blow up, but they argue that it’s their song? A contract will make it clear that the music you perform is yours and they are just musicians attached.”
“Well if they do well, I don’t mind them getting something Hiromi.”
“Ugh. You’re so nice… Fine I’ll make sure they get something, but they still won’t be able to claim the copyrights! That stays with us!”
“Us?” I asked, smirking as I stopped at a light and looked Hiromi over.
“Of course! As your manager, I’ll be in charge of handing out the copyrights to new businesses looking for your music.” Hiromi said, eyes twinkling and a distant look in her eye.
Pretty sure she wasn’t even thinking about the here and now, but was instead drooling about all the eddies she’d make in the future through business deals.
That’s my Hiromi though. So I rolled my eyes and focused on the drive home.
“We’ll need to have a meeting. So they can all get on board.” Hiromi said out of the blue and I just hummed, Corpo’s were gonna corpo.
“I’ll message Alice about it.” I accepted. My eyes flashing as I sent off a text to do just that. I got a message back really fast. “She says she's good now. The whole band is with her.”
“Excellent! Tell them… No, we should make them meet us someplace.” She muttered and it took me a second to realize why she’d said that.
“Hiromi, this isn’t some mega corporate deal. It’s Alice and a couple of street Rockerboys.”
She looked at me for a moment or two before nodding. “Right. No point in needing an advantage, we already have all of the advantages anyways!”
Sure Hiromi, whatever helps you justify it.
“Want to stop and get food?”
“Oh yes!”
This continues to be an amazing read, loving it. Working on another reread of it while dealing with more health issues with my dad.
hope he gets better soon then.
A song Motoko's new band should play
Carrot of Truth
War is Peace
Chapter 214
Seras
Well-known member
I clicked onto the Comm call we were all using as I looked away from rechecking the scope. *Check in.*
*All clear.*
*Nothing here either.*
*Same as before.*
I nodded and continued to scan the area. It was Section 9’s work day, and we’d gotten a bit of a different gig than normal.
Fujimura was our client this time. Apparently a few too many of his shipments of product had been hit, a bit too routinely.
Shipments of drugs of course, but I was doing my best not to think of that. Either way, he’d wanted a group off the TC radar, as he suspected another internal issue. Basically he thought he had a mole, so he was doing the old tell different people different things trick.
Rebecca and Hiromi were across the street, hanging out inside a shop, snacking and chattering away.
Malcolm and Ichi were both in vehicles, Ichi was in his box truck, and set up down one side of the street, and Malcolm in an old beat up clunker was down the other. If there was an attack they’d either block the street, ram them, or just start shooting.
While I was sniping.
One hundred feet off the ground, dangling upside down from a walkway between two buildings.
I had planned on something a bit closer to the ground, but honestly, this was the most out of sight location to snipe from.
Blending in among the shadows of the bottom of the walkway I side eyed the strap that was my fail safe. Luckily there was a bunch of piping under this thing that I could cling to, and strap myself into.
Hanging by my legs from some old electrical conduits wasn’t the most comfortable thing, but no one could argue that I wasn’t in the most literal overwatch position of my life.
Far down below was a row of street shops. Including the TC’s little drug operation.
It was quiet, I reached over to the bag I’d carried up here, and fiddled around without looking away from the ground, grabbing a soda.
I’d been up here for a while, so as I’d learned from the few other times I’d done any sort of overwatch stuff. Bring snacks.
My eyes narrowed as I stilled.
*We’ve got movement. Hiromi get secure.*
I listened as everyone confirmed and moved to their positions. A trio of Tyger Claw vehicles had just pulled in, but Fujimura had been very clear. No one should be arriving here unless they were the traitor.
I quickly checked my scope, and took a few pictures through the amplified image and sent them to Fujimura.
*Motoko: Movement, and people.*
*Fujimura: They are traitors, take them out.*
*Fujimura: Where are you taking this image from?*
I ignored his question as I realized I wasn’t in position, hand not on my rifle, and holding a can I couldn’t easily get rid of…
Well actually. I took aim, this wouldn’t be an easy shot. Narrowing my eyesI tightened my legs to keep myself stable and fired my shot.
The Ni-Cola went flying through the air, freeing my hand, as I adjusted and brought up the Nekomata.
Malcolm and Ichi would be moving into position, while Rebecca opened her bag with her HMG she would be opening up with from across the street.
I took aim… Then adjusted a bit so I could watch the can.
“Come on… Come on!” I whispered, waiting as it sailed down and down and-smacked into the ground at one of the idiot's feet.
Fuck.
Okay it was fine, no one would ever know. I took aim, charged my rifle and fired.
The Nekomata slug nearly instantly smashed into one of them from above.
*500 XP Gained.*
I shifted and fired again.
*500 XP Gained.*
The rest scattered, but Rebecca was soon joining in, and the Tygers took cover from her, meaning that they were easy pickings from me.
We didn’t take long to clear them out. One of them jumped into his Shion, escaping from Rebecca’s HMG by driving as erratically as he could until he came back up onto the street.
I tracked him the whole time. Nekomata on target just waiting, and then Malcolm was there slamming into the side of the Shion… Honestly that was a bit of a mistake probably, that Shion would be good loot.
But Malcolm opened up with his Shingen and I watched the smart rounds battered into the damaged glass, and then… Well considering the car just sort of drifted until it hit a post from there Malcolm got him.
Nice.
*Check in.* I called out just to make sure.
*I’m fine.*
*Not even a scratch.* Rebecca and Malcolm called out, and Hiromi and Ichi both checked in just after.
*Great. I’ll let Fujimura know, let’s lock our loot down. Ichi bring in the truck… I’ll be down soon.* I said as I looked around my little hidden space, grabbing my little bag I put it on my back, and tightened it down while strapping the Nekomata down a bit more as well. Then I slipped out, hanging a hundred feet above the street by my hands. I slowly monkey gymed my way down towards the building, and then slipped onto the small ledge at the end, and used that to slide along until I could jump fully onto the walking path.
I adjusted my netgogs, so I could ignore the people that were looking down over the side to try and find out where the gunfire had been coming from, ignoring the gasps I turned and headed into the building where I had already set up an elevator access key.
Not long after a quiet ride down to the ground level I met up with everyone.
To my irritation NCPD actually showed up.
To my relief Hiromi was already throwing paperwork at them and the two cops seeing the carnage didn’t look very interested in pressing into things.
I walked past, to meet up with Hiromi getting a bit of a startled jump out of one of the officers as they hadn’t noticed me approaching from behind.
“Got everything here?” I asked, and Hiromi nodded.
“Yes, everything is in order. NCPD are just verifying.” She offered with a smirk, and I knew she would be fine.
Hiromi had done a ton of paperwork in setting up Section 9 as a merc company. The fact we had actual paperwork and weren’t just a group of street kids meant we were already a step ahead of the norm.
Walking over I caught up to Rebecca who was keeping an eye on Hiromi, but hiding her HMG under a small barrier so the cops wouldn’t notice it.
“Everything good?” She asked me and I nodded.
“Yeah Hiromi has got it. How’s clean up?”
“Not great. The cops got here quick. We didn’t manage to get the good stuff just yet. Malcolm and Ichi managed a few chips, and the weapons. We might lose the vehicles.”
“Maybe.” I agreed and walked on, to check on the boys. Both of them were sitting in the back of Ichi’s truck and I noticed a pile of boxes and things stacked up just behind them…
“What’s behind the boxes?”
“Nothing. Especially if it’s a cop asking.” Malcolm told me with a smirk, and I couldn’t help but snort. The two HMG’s that were in the back of the Van just in front fo the boxes would make a pretty firm fuck off, for anyone that wanted a peek.”
“Alright. We might go light this time, but I’m going to see what Hiromi can do.”
“You got it.” Ichi agreed, already looking bored, but pleased.
This would be good eddies for us.
Now it’s just time to wait.
—--
“Uuuuugh.”
“Sorry.” I told Rebecca who was hissing and spitting in irritation at the NCPD.
“It’s fine. Whatever.” She grunted as she continued to kick out with her legs like she was killing someone.
Hiromi had got us out without issues, but the bodies, and vehicles had gone straight to the Lotto. Well the bodies and cyberware anyways, I’m fairly confident those cars would end up sold back to the TC or something.
Either way we got out with some loot, and we had completed a gig, quick and easy eddies were my favorite.
Especially when I got to kill some gonks for XP for it.
We were set up down the street, having left the crime scene as the cops called it once everything was cleared up just to avoid any officers deciding to search us, or something.
“I’ve spoken with the client, payment has gone through, he is very happy.” Hiromi called out as she stepped out of the Quadra that she’d been camping in.
“Hell yes!” Rebecca was the first to jump up and shout. Her previous bad mood completely disappeared as she laughed into the air as Hiromi started passing out Eddies.
“Well that was fun. Glad this wasn’t like a multi day thing again.” Malcolm called out stretching as he threw a soda into the trash. “We wanna have a party tonight?” He asked, but the general sense was pretty meh.
“While this gig was easy it wasn’t like we did anything super cool.” I offered, only to get jabbed in the ribs by Rebecca.
“Says the insane girl that was hanging from the sky!”
“Yeah that was pretty cool.” Ichi added, “And Malcolm flatlined a gonk.”
“Hell yeah I did!” Malcolm laughed thankfully unbothered by his murder.
“Sorry everyone! Motoko already agreed to something if we finished fast enough! Right? Right? You’ll still do it? You aren’t too tired?” Hiromi jumped on me, literally jumping on my back as she hugged me tightly and begged.
“I’m not too tired. So I guess I’ll still go.” I agreed and Hiromi cackled in my ear as she kicked her feet.
“What’s got Hiromi in such a good mood? Eddies?”
“Motoko is going to finish a new song! It’s gonna be a hit! We got Violent Hemorrhage to help play it! I’ll call Alice.” Hiromi said and out of my extended vision I could see her eyes go yellow as she made a call.
“When did you get close enough to just call Alice?” I whispered, even if I knew. Hiromi had forced the poor VH guys into a meeting for a contract.
The fact they’d all signed had been surprising to be honest, but well… I had a band…
I exhaled, not even bothered by Hiromi’s weight as she continued to hang from my back and giggle into my ear as she spoke to Alice.
“New song?” Malcolm asked, looking interested and I just shrugged.
“It came to me the other day while I was hanging out with a bunch of Tyger Claw guys after I hit the dojo. I got it all ready, just need to play it all out, and record it.”
“Huh. Mind if I come?” He asked and I blinked and instantly nodded.
“Course you’re always welcome, Malcolm.”
“Oh me too! Me too!” Rebecca called out and I turned around to see her jumping up and down on the back of Ichi’s truck. “I mean… If that’s cool, like Malcolm.”
“Rebecca, Choom, you’re always welcome as well.” I said and then I slumped. As I felt my cheeks redden. They were going to hear me play again. With other people!
“Aww, Strings is all shy!” Rebecca teased and I just walked over ignoring that Hiromi was still on my back and picked her up, tucking her under my arm like a piece of luggage.
“Wha-Hey! Put me down!”
“Kids shouldn’t talk shit unless they want to face the repercussions.” I told her, and she wiggled, disrupting Hiromi a bit who slapped my shoulder.
“I’m older than you!”
“Details details.” I offered airily, as I walked around a bit just to prove that Rebecca was completely trapped.
Heh. No wonder Jun picked me up like this so much it was funny…
He can never know.
—--
We arrived at Denny’s music studio. Honestly we could probably go somewhere cheaper, but something about the place really called to Hiromi, so here we are.
A bunch of street kids, half the age of normal men and women that would walk these halls. Luckily Hiromi had already paid for our time, and so there was no issue with security or the people already here. I did get like usual an upraised eye as I moved to the room we had rented.
I stepped in and noticed that thankfully it was already full. Alice and her chooms were already here.
Jared, Klein, Alice.” I greeted as I stepped in and settled my music box and my DeLuze to the side.
“Motoko, and chooms.” Alice greeted, her two chooms nodded as they looked over my chooms.
There was tension, as two groups met each other and realized there would have to be some relationship but no trust yet…
That actually fit the song we were going to play all the better… Hmm.
I might have to figure out some way to use that, for now I nodded at the three. “Okay I got a song all set, I’ll need drums, bass and guitar, I’m going to be doing a lot of synth and some piano work. Hiromi, can you get a keyboard, and drums from the instrument room?”
“Yes!” She cheered and instantly reached over to grab Ichi and Malcolm and pulled them out.
I looked back over the three. “Any questions?” I asked and the three all looked to each other and then to me.
“A few.” Alice decided to speak and I nodded. As I headed into the recording studio.
“Alright, well, get asking. Rebecca, chill anywhere.”
“Hell yeah I will!” She said smirking as she took a seat on top of an amp looking around the room.
“So you already have a song? Prepped?” Alice asked me as I started hooking up the music box, into the system.
“That’s right. You ever walked into a room, and sat down next to someone you realized was super dangerous?” I asked her, and she blinked before rolling her eyes.
“You know my Uncle.”
“Exactly. The song is about that. Let me play what I have so far.” I set it up and soon the guitar track for Heathens began.
What I didn’t have was a good recording for vocals, so I grabbed one of the mics, and started singing.
“All my friends are heathens, take it slow.” I crooned, going through the first stanza along with the guitar track, before stopping, as Malcolm was carrying in a drum set and I went to help him.
“That's definitely a sound. Not quite my usual.” Klein said to me as I moved and I shrugged.
“The song is already done, I just need to play it. You guys wanted a job, so you’re saving me some time, that's all.” I explained and the three all looked at each other.
“And we’re okay with that. Hiromi already talked about Eddies, so we’re in.”
“Cool.” I said, smirking as I looked over the three. “Listen, I get this is a bit out of the usual for you, it is for me too. So… We’re just here to test things out. See how it goes.”
“Not for us Motoko.” Alice said, and I looked up at her in surprise. “This is serious for us. All three of us are musicians first and only. We need work, and we need a band. For us? This is as serious as it gets.” She said looking at her chooms who nodded in agreement with her.
“Well… Okay.” I said a little lamely looking at Rebecca who just snorted at my look.
“Actin’ all shy again Strings?”
“Shut up!” I hissed at her, before sighing, as Hiromi got back. “Hiromi, I forgot, can you grab the Carnage out of the trunk of the Quadra? Go ahead and unload it first.”
“The Carnage?” Hiromi asked, and I nodded.
“Yep!”
The carnage was a real piece of shit grinding and grating when it was pumped..
Klein started setting up the drums, thankfully we all got to work, and soon it was time to start making music.
Klein on drums, Jared on Bass, and Alice taking main guitar, while I did synth and vocals. It was… Weird.
“Alright. We’re going to get the drums down first, let’s start on the opening.” I started and basically guided Klein on what I wanted. It took a few times, but he was competent enough to get started.
Jared was already strumming along to the track I’d had playing along, and I basically wandered between the three as Alice joined in, showing them what I wanted, making adjustments.
Putting together a song in a different way.
And I winked at Rebecca nodding her way at the right times as she cocked the Carnage. I did have to remind her not to cackle afterwards, but she was into it, and soon the song started coming together.
It wasn’t quick. I definitely could have finished a full track by myself faster, but…
If I ever wanted to play live, then I’d need a band that could play with me.
I was… Satisfied with Alice and her band… My band.
It had been a few hours, and I sat back taking a drink that Hiromi had ordered from upstairs, as we all listened to the mostly completed song. It was getting there, a few adjustments, some alterations, some flubs fixed, enough that the non-Rockerboys could hear the full song and get the idea.
“Ooh, I like this one.” Rebecca said smirking casually still holding the carnage and cocking it along with the song.
“Well, all of you are mercs with plenty of kills under your gun. I’d be surprised if you didn’t like the theme of the song.” I told her, casually, purposefully making sure Alice and her chooms heard and they all realized.
I’d sent a message to my chooms earlier. So they all played up the fact. Smirking and Ichi even winked at Alice, although she rolled her eyes, her two chooms didn’t.
Good. It might come out in their playing a bit if they felt that same emotion, and of course it was also useful for them to know I had a crew of mercs.
Sure they might still just see kids, but a gun was a gun. Hopefully it would keep everyone honest.
—--
The next morning I was looking through the fridge, realizing it was full of Jun’s stupid burritos and realized I would have to go out for food again.
Grumbling, I stretched and started getting ready. Noticing my Tachikoma was racing along in the video game I’d set up. They were getting better. They weren’t just crashing constantly and actually following the track.
I popped open my system as I left the apartment, checking everything over as I hit the elevator and headed down.
“Huh?”
Why did I have a Stat Point?
I had zero yesterday I was pretty sure.
I looked over the entire character sheet.
Level 21
Body 10(18) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 8.
-Athletics 8
-Street Brawler 8
-Annihilation 5
Reflex 10(16) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 6.
-Blades 9
-Handguns 9
-Assault 8
-Driving 7
Intelligence 13 (14) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 4.
-Breach Protocol 12
-Quick Hacks 9
-Programming 13
Cool 10
-Ninjutsu 10
-Cold Blood 8
-Rockerboy 9
Technical Ability 8 (12) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 4.
-Crafting 6
-Engineering 7
1 Stat point.
8 Skill point.
Perks.
Ambidextrous Blades 2
Quickdraw Handguns 2
Gun Nut Assault 2
Parkour Athletics 2
Grappling Street Brawler 2
Drive By Driving 2
Cat-like Athletics 5
Cool Nerves Cold Blood 2
Danger Sense Ninjutsu 2
Wall Breaking Breach Protocol 2
Cyber Security Quick Hack 2
Recoil Reduction Annihilation 2
Cyber Ninja Ninjutsu 5
Fearless Chill Cold Blood 5.
Improvised Weapons Street Brawler 5
Parry Blades 5
Robotics wizard Crafting 2
Drifting Driving 5
Rapid Reload Handguns 5
Design Wizard Engineering 2
Rifle Ace Assault 5
Ghost touch Breach 5
Perfect Musical Memory Rockerboy 2.
Debug Programming 2
Siren Song Rockerboy 5
Hacking Wizard Quick Hacks 5
Inspired Programmer Programming 5
A.I. Whisperer Programming 10
Slam Fire Annihilation 5
Enduring Builds Crafting 5
Robotics Engineering Engineering 5
Strong Breach Breach Protocol 10
Ninja Running Ninjutsu 10
Cyberware:
Arasaka Corporation Cyberdeck ‘Shadow’ Mk.4 *Adaptation ‘Shadow’ Mk.4 0/0*
Kiroshi Mk1 *Adaptation Kiroshi Mk1 1/2*
Militech Condor *Adaptation Militech Condor 5/5* (1 Stat Point Redeemed.)
Arasaka Smart Link System. *Adaptation Smart Link 0/0*
Arasaka Ex-Disk *Adaptation Ex-Disk 0/0*
Militech-Armalite Ballistic Guard *Adaptation Ballistic Guard 1/2*
Serano Air-Groove Ankles *Adaptation Serano Air 1/1*
MoorE Titanium Bones (Shoulders, back, and ribs. +Legs, Pelvis, and Ribs.) *Adaptation Titanium Bones 0/2*
Biotechnica Muscle and Bone Lace *Adaptation Muscle and Bone Lace 0/0*
Arasaka ODA Neural Link Mk3 *Adaptation ODA Mk.3 1/2*
Dynalar Sandevistan Mk.2 *Adaptation Dynalar Sandevistan 2/4*
Near the end I finally saw it. A shift in adaptation, and a little message next to my Condors.
“Point redeemed… Huh?” I hadn’t expected that. Sure I’d lowered Adaptation before, but… So if I pushed a bunch of adaptation points into a stat before I’d settled it, I could get those points back?
That was honestly a huge relief, even if I had decided a long time ago to just accept losing them, getting some points back?
Hehe!
What should I level up? I’d done my Sandy last time… Ugh, the deal I’d decided was Adaptation and Stat, but I was really tempted to put another point into my Sandy now!
The elevator opened and I headed out, half skip in my step as I was quite happy with the update. No, I should stick to stats for now. Besides I had a lot of stats maxed out without using a stat point…
Do I level Intelligence, or start pushing another stat beyond 10?
I instantly looked at Cool, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any of the cyberization for Cool to go beyond 10 anyways.
My eyes drifted to the small hud that I had for my Kiroshi, it was pretty early, but Vik would be awake by now… Did I want to go on a new cyberware hunt?
I sighed and shook it off, no. I would need more stat points for more adaptation for that. What I needed more than anything was cold hard numbers.
The idea sent a thrill up my spine.
Numbers? Numbers I could do. I dropped the point into Intelligence. Enjoying the nice 14 (14) number listed.
I had plenty of skill points, and I could easily pump up my netrunning now, even Programming could go up!
But more importantly, I had a lot of netrunning stuff I’d been putting off including the IP of an old server I could explore, and the Netrunning arena, which I’d been basically ignoring for a bit.
I’d been planning on focusing on my blades for a bit, but…
Well! This was fine too! Let’s get some lunch, and bug one of the chooms to come watch over me! Time to dive into the net!
*All clear.*
*Nothing here either.*
*Same as before.*
I nodded and continued to scan the area. It was Section 9’s work day, and we’d gotten a bit of a different gig than normal.
Fujimura was our client this time. Apparently a few too many of his shipments of product had been hit, a bit too routinely.
Shipments of drugs of course, but I was doing my best not to think of that. Either way, he’d wanted a group off the TC radar, as he suspected another internal issue. Basically he thought he had a mole, so he was doing the old tell different people different things trick.
Rebecca and Hiromi were across the street, hanging out inside a shop, snacking and chattering away.
Malcolm and Ichi were both in vehicles, Ichi was in his box truck, and set up down one side of the street, and Malcolm in an old beat up clunker was down the other. If there was an attack they’d either block the street, ram them, or just start shooting.
While I was sniping.
One hundred feet off the ground, dangling upside down from a walkway between two buildings.
I had planned on something a bit closer to the ground, but honestly, this was the most out of sight location to snipe from.
Blending in among the shadows of the bottom of the walkway I side eyed the strap that was my fail safe. Luckily there was a bunch of piping under this thing that I could cling to, and strap myself into.
Hanging by my legs from some old electrical conduits wasn’t the most comfortable thing, but no one could argue that I wasn’t in the most literal overwatch position of my life.
Far down below was a row of street shops. Including the TC’s little drug operation.
It was quiet, I reached over to the bag I’d carried up here, and fiddled around without looking away from the ground, grabbing a soda.
I’d been up here for a while, so as I’d learned from the few other times I’d done any sort of overwatch stuff. Bring snacks.
My eyes narrowed as I stilled.
*We’ve got movement. Hiromi get secure.*
I listened as everyone confirmed and moved to their positions. A trio of Tyger Claw vehicles had just pulled in, but Fujimura had been very clear. No one should be arriving here unless they were the traitor.
I quickly checked my scope, and took a few pictures through the amplified image and sent them to Fujimura.
*Motoko: Movement, and people.*
*Fujimura: They are traitors, take them out.*
*Fujimura: Where are you taking this image from?*
I ignored his question as I realized I wasn’t in position, hand not on my rifle, and holding a can I couldn’t easily get rid of…
Well actually. I took aim, this wouldn’t be an easy shot. Narrowing my eyesI tightened my legs to keep myself stable and fired my shot.
The Ni-Cola went flying through the air, freeing my hand, as I adjusted and brought up the Nekomata.
Malcolm and Ichi would be moving into position, while Rebecca opened her bag with her HMG she would be opening up with from across the street.
I took aim… Then adjusted a bit so I could watch the can.
“Come on… Come on!” I whispered, waiting as it sailed down and down and-smacked into the ground at one of the idiot's feet.
Fuck.
Okay it was fine, no one would ever know. I took aim, charged my rifle and fired.
The Nekomata slug nearly instantly smashed into one of them from above.
*500 XP Gained.*
I shifted and fired again.
*500 XP Gained.*
The rest scattered, but Rebecca was soon joining in, and the Tygers took cover from her, meaning that they were easy pickings from me.
We didn’t take long to clear them out. One of them jumped into his Shion, escaping from Rebecca’s HMG by driving as erratically as he could until he came back up onto the street.
I tracked him the whole time. Nekomata on target just waiting, and then Malcolm was there slamming into the side of the Shion… Honestly that was a bit of a mistake probably, that Shion would be good loot.
But Malcolm opened up with his Shingen and I watched the smart rounds battered into the damaged glass, and then… Well considering the car just sort of drifted until it hit a post from there Malcolm got him.
Nice.
*Check in.* I called out just to make sure.
*I’m fine.*
*Not even a scratch.* Rebecca and Malcolm called out, and Hiromi and Ichi both checked in just after.
*Great. I’ll let Fujimura know, let’s lock our loot down. Ichi bring in the truck… I’ll be down soon.* I said as I looked around my little hidden space, grabbing my little bag I put it on my back, and tightened it down while strapping the Nekomata down a bit more as well. Then I slipped out, hanging a hundred feet above the street by my hands. I slowly monkey gymed my way down towards the building, and then slipped onto the small ledge at the end, and used that to slide along until I could jump fully onto the walking path.
I adjusted my netgogs, so I could ignore the people that were looking down over the side to try and find out where the gunfire had been coming from, ignoring the gasps I turned and headed into the building where I had already set up an elevator access key.
Not long after a quiet ride down to the ground level I met up with everyone.
To my irritation NCPD actually showed up.
To my relief Hiromi was already throwing paperwork at them and the two cops seeing the carnage didn’t look very interested in pressing into things.
I walked past, to meet up with Hiromi getting a bit of a startled jump out of one of the officers as they hadn’t noticed me approaching from behind.
“Got everything here?” I asked, and Hiromi nodded.
“Yes, everything is in order. NCPD are just verifying.” She offered with a smirk, and I knew she would be fine.
Hiromi had done a ton of paperwork in setting up Section 9 as a merc company. The fact we had actual paperwork and weren’t just a group of street kids meant we were already a step ahead of the norm.
Walking over I caught up to Rebecca who was keeping an eye on Hiromi, but hiding her HMG under a small barrier so the cops wouldn’t notice it.
“Everything good?” She asked me and I nodded.
“Yeah Hiromi has got it. How’s clean up?”
“Not great. The cops got here quick. We didn’t manage to get the good stuff just yet. Malcolm and Ichi managed a few chips, and the weapons. We might lose the vehicles.”
“Maybe.” I agreed and walked on, to check on the boys. Both of them were sitting in the back of Ichi’s truck and I noticed a pile of boxes and things stacked up just behind them…
“What’s behind the boxes?”
“Nothing. Especially if it’s a cop asking.” Malcolm told me with a smirk, and I couldn’t help but snort. The two HMG’s that were in the back of the Van just in front fo the boxes would make a pretty firm fuck off, for anyone that wanted a peek.”
“Alright. We might go light this time, but I’m going to see what Hiromi can do.”
“You got it.” Ichi agreed, already looking bored, but pleased.
This would be good eddies for us.
Now it’s just time to wait.
—--
“Uuuuugh.”
“Sorry.” I told Rebecca who was hissing and spitting in irritation at the NCPD.
“It’s fine. Whatever.” She grunted as she continued to kick out with her legs like she was killing someone.
Hiromi had got us out without issues, but the bodies, and vehicles had gone straight to the Lotto. Well the bodies and cyberware anyways, I’m fairly confident those cars would end up sold back to the TC or something.
Either way we got out with some loot, and we had completed a gig, quick and easy eddies were my favorite.
Especially when I got to kill some gonks for XP for it.
We were set up down the street, having left the crime scene as the cops called it once everything was cleared up just to avoid any officers deciding to search us, or something.
“I’ve spoken with the client, payment has gone through, he is very happy.” Hiromi called out as she stepped out of the Quadra that she’d been camping in.
“Hell yes!” Rebecca was the first to jump up and shout. Her previous bad mood completely disappeared as she laughed into the air as Hiromi started passing out Eddies.
“Well that was fun. Glad this wasn’t like a multi day thing again.” Malcolm called out stretching as he threw a soda into the trash. “We wanna have a party tonight?” He asked, but the general sense was pretty meh.
“While this gig was easy it wasn’t like we did anything super cool.” I offered, only to get jabbed in the ribs by Rebecca.
“Says the insane girl that was hanging from the sky!”
“Yeah that was pretty cool.” Ichi added, “And Malcolm flatlined a gonk.”
“Hell yeah I did!” Malcolm laughed thankfully unbothered by his murder.
“Sorry everyone! Motoko already agreed to something if we finished fast enough! Right? Right? You’ll still do it? You aren’t too tired?” Hiromi jumped on me, literally jumping on my back as she hugged me tightly and begged.
“I’m not too tired. So I guess I’ll still go.” I agreed and Hiromi cackled in my ear as she kicked her feet.
“What’s got Hiromi in such a good mood? Eddies?”
“Motoko is going to finish a new song! It’s gonna be a hit! We got Violent Hemorrhage to help play it! I’ll call Alice.” Hiromi said and out of my extended vision I could see her eyes go yellow as she made a call.
“When did you get close enough to just call Alice?” I whispered, even if I knew. Hiromi had forced the poor VH guys into a meeting for a contract.
The fact they’d all signed had been surprising to be honest, but well… I had a band…
I exhaled, not even bothered by Hiromi’s weight as she continued to hang from my back and giggle into my ear as she spoke to Alice.
“New song?” Malcolm asked, looking interested and I just shrugged.
“It came to me the other day while I was hanging out with a bunch of Tyger Claw guys after I hit the dojo. I got it all ready, just need to play it all out, and record it.”
“Huh. Mind if I come?” He asked and I blinked and instantly nodded.
“Course you’re always welcome, Malcolm.”
“Oh me too! Me too!” Rebecca called out and I turned around to see her jumping up and down on the back of Ichi’s truck. “I mean… If that’s cool, like Malcolm.”
“Rebecca, Choom, you’re always welcome as well.” I said and then I slumped. As I felt my cheeks redden. They were going to hear me play again. With other people!
“Aww, Strings is all shy!” Rebecca teased and I just walked over ignoring that Hiromi was still on my back and picked her up, tucking her under my arm like a piece of luggage.
“Wha-Hey! Put me down!”
“Kids shouldn’t talk shit unless they want to face the repercussions.” I told her, and she wiggled, disrupting Hiromi a bit who slapped my shoulder.
“I’m older than you!”
“Details details.” I offered airily, as I walked around a bit just to prove that Rebecca was completely trapped.
Heh. No wonder Jun picked me up like this so much it was funny…
He can never know.
—--
We arrived at Denny’s music studio. Honestly we could probably go somewhere cheaper, but something about the place really called to Hiromi, so here we are.
A bunch of street kids, half the age of normal men and women that would walk these halls. Luckily Hiromi had already paid for our time, and so there was no issue with security or the people already here. I did get like usual an upraised eye as I moved to the room we had rented.
I stepped in and noticed that thankfully it was already full. Alice and her chooms were already here.
Jared, Klein, Alice.” I greeted as I stepped in and settled my music box and my DeLuze to the side.
“Motoko, and chooms.” Alice greeted, her two chooms nodded as they looked over my chooms.
There was tension, as two groups met each other and realized there would have to be some relationship but no trust yet…
That actually fit the song we were going to play all the better… Hmm.
I might have to figure out some way to use that, for now I nodded at the three. “Okay I got a song all set, I’ll need drums, bass and guitar, I’m going to be doing a lot of synth and some piano work. Hiromi, can you get a keyboard, and drums from the instrument room?”
“Yes!” She cheered and instantly reached over to grab Ichi and Malcolm and pulled them out.
I looked back over the three. “Any questions?” I asked and the three all looked to each other and then to me.
“A few.” Alice decided to speak and I nodded. As I headed into the recording studio.
“Alright, well, get asking. Rebecca, chill anywhere.”
“Hell yeah I will!” She said smirking as she took a seat on top of an amp looking around the room.
“So you already have a song? Prepped?” Alice asked me as I started hooking up the music box, into the system.
“That’s right. You ever walked into a room, and sat down next to someone you realized was super dangerous?” I asked her, and she blinked before rolling her eyes.
“You know my Uncle.”
“Exactly. The song is about that. Let me play what I have so far.” I set it up and soon the guitar track for Heathens began.
What I didn’t have was a good recording for vocals, so I grabbed one of the mics, and started singing.
“All my friends are heathens, take it slow.” I crooned, going through the first stanza along with the guitar track, before stopping, as Malcolm was carrying in a drum set and I went to help him.
“That's definitely a sound. Not quite my usual.” Klein said to me as I moved and I shrugged.
“The song is already done, I just need to play it. You guys wanted a job, so you’re saving me some time, that's all.” I explained and the three all looked at each other.
“And we’re okay with that. Hiromi already talked about Eddies, so we’re in.”
“Cool.” I said, smirking as I looked over the three. “Listen, I get this is a bit out of the usual for you, it is for me too. So… We’re just here to test things out. See how it goes.”
“Not for us Motoko.” Alice said, and I looked up at her in surprise. “This is serious for us. All three of us are musicians first and only. We need work, and we need a band. For us? This is as serious as it gets.” She said looking at her chooms who nodded in agreement with her.
“Well… Okay.” I said a little lamely looking at Rebecca who just snorted at my look.
“Actin’ all shy again Strings?”
“Shut up!” I hissed at her, before sighing, as Hiromi got back. “Hiromi, I forgot, can you grab the Carnage out of the trunk of the Quadra? Go ahead and unload it first.”
“The Carnage?” Hiromi asked, and I nodded.
“Yep!”
The carnage was a real piece of shit grinding and grating when it was pumped..
Klein started setting up the drums, thankfully we all got to work, and soon it was time to start making music.
Klein on drums, Jared on Bass, and Alice taking main guitar, while I did synth and vocals. It was… Weird.
“Alright. We’re going to get the drums down first, let’s start on the opening.” I started and basically guided Klein on what I wanted. It took a few times, but he was competent enough to get started.
Jared was already strumming along to the track I’d had playing along, and I basically wandered between the three as Alice joined in, showing them what I wanted, making adjustments.
Putting together a song in a different way.
And I winked at Rebecca nodding her way at the right times as she cocked the Carnage. I did have to remind her not to cackle afterwards, but she was into it, and soon the song started coming together.
It wasn’t quick. I definitely could have finished a full track by myself faster, but…
If I ever wanted to play live, then I’d need a band that could play with me.
I was… Satisfied with Alice and her band… My band.
It had been a few hours, and I sat back taking a drink that Hiromi had ordered from upstairs, as we all listened to the mostly completed song. It was getting there, a few adjustments, some alterations, some flubs fixed, enough that the non-Rockerboys could hear the full song and get the idea.
“Ooh, I like this one.” Rebecca said smirking casually still holding the carnage and cocking it along with the song.
“Well, all of you are mercs with plenty of kills under your gun. I’d be surprised if you didn’t like the theme of the song.” I told her, casually, purposefully making sure Alice and her chooms heard and they all realized.
I’d sent a message to my chooms earlier. So they all played up the fact. Smirking and Ichi even winked at Alice, although she rolled her eyes, her two chooms didn’t.
Good. It might come out in their playing a bit if they felt that same emotion, and of course it was also useful for them to know I had a crew of mercs.
Sure they might still just see kids, but a gun was a gun. Hopefully it would keep everyone honest.
—--
The next morning I was looking through the fridge, realizing it was full of Jun’s stupid burritos and realized I would have to go out for food again.
Grumbling, I stretched and started getting ready. Noticing my Tachikoma was racing along in the video game I’d set up. They were getting better. They weren’t just crashing constantly and actually following the track.
I popped open my system as I left the apartment, checking everything over as I hit the elevator and headed down.
“Huh?”
Why did I have a Stat Point?
I had zero yesterday I was pretty sure.
I looked over the entire character sheet.
Level 21
Body 10(18) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 8.
-Athletics 8
-Street Brawler 8
-Annihilation 5
Reflex 10(16) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 6.
-Blades 9
-Handguns 9
-Assault 8
-Driving 7
Intelligence 13 (14) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 4.
-Breach Protocol 12
-Quick Hacks 9
-Programming 13
Cool 10
-Ninjutsu 10
-Cold Blood 8
-Rockerboy 9
Technical Ability 8 (12) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 4.
-Crafting 6
-Engineering 7
1 Stat point.
8 Skill point.
Perks.
Ambidextrous Blades 2
Quickdraw Handguns 2
Gun Nut Assault 2
Parkour Athletics 2
Grappling Street Brawler 2
Drive By Driving 2
Cat-like Athletics 5
Cool Nerves Cold Blood 2
Danger Sense Ninjutsu 2
Wall Breaking Breach Protocol 2
Cyber Security Quick Hack 2
Recoil Reduction Annihilation 2
Cyber Ninja Ninjutsu 5
Fearless Chill Cold Blood 5.
Improvised Weapons Street Brawler 5
Parry Blades 5
Robotics wizard Crafting 2
Drifting Driving 5
Rapid Reload Handguns 5
Design Wizard Engineering 2
Rifle Ace Assault 5
Ghost touch Breach 5
Perfect Musical Memory Rockerboy 2.
Debug Programming 2
Siren Song Rockerboy 5
Hacking Wizard Quick Hacks 5
Inspired Programmer Programming 5
A.I. Whisperer Programming 10
Slam Fire Annihilation 5
Enduring Builds Crafting 5
Robotics Engineering Engineering 5
Strong Breach Breach Protocol 10
Ninja Running Ninjutsu 10
Cyberware:
Arasaka Corporation Cyberdeck ‘Shadow’ Mk.4 *Adaptation ‘Shadow’ Mk.4 0/0*
Kiroshi Mk1 *Adaptation Kiroshi Mk1 1/2*
Militech Condor *Adaptation Militech Condor 5/5* (1 Stat Point Redeemed.)
Arasaka Smart Link System. *Adaptation Smart Link 0/0*
Arasaka Ex-Disk *Adaptation Ex-Disk 0/0*
Militech-Armalite Ballistic Guard *Adaptation Ballistic Guard 1/2*
Serano Air-Groove Ankles *Adaptation Serano Air 1/1*
MoorE Titanium Bones (Shoulders, back, and ribs. +Legs, Pelvis, and Ribs.) *Adaptation Titanium Bones 0/2*
Biotechnica Muscle and Bone Lace *Adaptation Muscle and Bone Lace 0/0*
Arasaka ODA Neural Link Mk3 *Adaptation ODA Mk.3 1/2*
Dynalar Sandevistan Mk.2 *Adaptation Dynalar Sandevistan 2/4*
Near the end I finally saw it. A shift in adaptation, and a little message next to my Condors.
“Point redeemed… Huh?” I hadn’t expected that. Sure I’d lowered Adaptation before, but… So if I pushed a bunch of adaptation points into a stat before I’d settled it, I could get those points back?
That was honestly a huge relief, even if I had decided a long time ago to just accept losing them, getting some points back?
Hehe!
What should I level up? I’d done my Sandy last time… Ugh, the deal I’d decided was Adaptation and Stat, but I was really tempted to put another point into my Sandy now!
The elevator opened and I headed out, half skip in my step as I was quite happy with the update. No, I should stick to stats for now. Besides I had a lot of stats maxed out without using a stat point…
Do I level Intelligence, or start pushing another stat beyond 10?
I instantly looked at Cool, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any of the cyberization for Cool to go beyond 10 anyways.
My eyes drifted to the small hud that I had for my Kiroshi, it was pretty early, but Vik would be awake by now… Did I want to go on a new cyberware hunt?
I sighed and shook it off, no. I would need more stat points for more adaptation for that. What I needed more than anything was cold hard numbers.
The idea sent a thrill up my spine.
Numbers? Numbers I could do. I dropped the point into Intelligence. Enjoying the nice 14 (14) number listed.
I had plenty of skill points, and I could easily pump up my netrunning now, even Programming could go up!
But more importantly, I had a lot of netrunning stuff I’d been putting off including the IP of an old server I could explore, and the Netrunning arena, which I’d been basically ignoring for a bit.
I’d been planning on focusing on my blades for a bit, but…
Well! This was fine too! Let’s get some lunch, and bug one of the chooms to come watch over me! Time to dive into the net!
PeaceMaker 03
Well-known member
Seras,
Thanks for sharing your art with us.
Thanks for sharing your art with us.
more numbers make Motoko's Brain go Brrr.
Possibly some movement towards getting nanotech knowledge for crafting the Overwatch silencer?