PeaceMaker 03
Well-known member
Great update on the story, I like the granny driver jokes.
Ghost in the City Cyberpunk Gamer SI
- Thread starter Seras
- Start date
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- Tags
- cyberpunk gamer self-insert
Blasterbot
Well-known member
Granny Driver Motoko to the rescue! Safest driver in Night City even if her quadra hits 180 at some points.
*Rebecca barges into her apartment*
"HEY BRO CHECK OUT THESE SICKASS CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS I FOUND"
Carrot of Truth
War is Peace
Blasterbot
Well-known member
The other half is Violence.
Chapter 113
Seras
Well-known member
“You guys don’t have to wait around. You could go check on Malcolm…” I offered as we entered the basement of the Straight Lane Apartments, where all my netrunning stuff was kept.
“Malcolm is asleep, and Dr. Vik doesn’t want us bothering him. Besides, we can help you like last time. Go through data while you keep up the hunt.” Ichi replied and I didn’t have a response for that.
I felt bad that my chooms would be hanging around me while I was basically sleeping, while leaving Malcolm alone. Especially with how antsy Ichi was to help.
“It’s fine Motoko. The sooner we find these fucks, the sooner we kill them and let Malcolm sleep like a baby.” Hiromi reminded me and I nodded as I clambered onto my netrunning chair. I pulled out the chair's connectors and fitted them into my leotard so the biomonitors would keep an eye on me, and the coolant could flow then rested back.
“Okay. I’ll see you later.” I told them and closed my eyes.
Only to open them in my blank lobby space.
It only took me a moment to adjust and then I was off. Zipping through the city in a blur as I used the IP address of all the systems I had been scanning back at the attack site to practically teleport there.
Then I set foot onto the netscape and went to work. First I accessed the cafe that was across the street. Breaking through their ICE with only a few moments of work since their system wasn’t especially well protected. I ignored the connection to the other netrunner I had noticed before, and instead accessed their camera.
Only five minutes into entering the net I got my eyes on the fuckers that shot Malcolm.
It was hard to miss.
The four street thugs all charging through the alley, one still holding a pistol in his hand as they clambered into a rust bucket Archer Hella.
Then they took off with a jerky motion as they seemed to forget to release the parking brake before slamming the gas.
Part of me was still furious at these fucks but…
Malcolm? Really choom? You trusted that these fucking gonks had a fucking Supercar for sale? They didn’t look like they had XXL burrito to their name.
I sent a note for Ichi to ask Malcolm for more details on why he trusted these guys in the first place. These guys were just thugs. Chaff.
I refused to believe Malcolm was that stupid…
Okay he had gone without backup. So maybe he was a little brain dead, but I refused to believe he was this stupid.
But they had given me what I needed. A direction.
“The Archer Hella we are looking for is heading East on Lele. Towards… Pardey? Yeah. Is there a freeway connection there?” I asked my team as I started going down the street, checking if there was a good corner store with a camera on the intersection.
*No freeway connection there They would have to go south and then get on from the Republic Way connection.* Hiromi replied after a moment and I nodded.
Okay Let’s cut down on what paths they could take, and track them home.
—---
Two hours later I pulled out of the net to take a break.
I hadn’t exactly eaten today and Hiromi and Ichi were both getting hungry.
We had tracked the fuckers through Charter Hill, Into Heywood of all places. I had thought they might be connected to the Tinos. But then as they moved through the area they turned east.
Into Arroyo. Then into Rancho Coronado.
6th St?
I lost them multiple times in the area. Unfortunately the industrial parks giving way to suburbs, cut out a lot of my ability to snoop.
“Oh. Thanks Ichi!” I Chirped as I finally opened my eyes to reality to see Ichi had obviously gone on a food run at some point.
“No problem. There wasn’t much we could do to help there at the end.” He said stuffing a piece of some noodle dish into his mouth.
“Yeah. Rancho Coronado is a bit of a dead zone.” I grumbled. Sure there were still security cameras in the area, but they were few and far between, and worse some were pointing just at the front door, or at places I couldn’t use.
“So what do you think?” Hiromi asked and I grumbled a bit as I sat and stuffed my own little meal into my mouth so I wouldn’t have to speak at first.
“Rancho is 6th St. If the guys fled there, they are probably 6th St. Or maybe they are an offshoot gang or something. We either go and start hunting them down, or maybe see if we can’t use some diplomacy? Reach out to 6th St. Might be able to find out who they are that way?”
“You think 6th St. Would give up info on one of their own to us?” Ichi asked, obviously skeptical, and I shook my head.
“No I don’t. Which means we are probably going to have to hunt them down, in the middle of gang territory… This is gonna be a pain.”
“We could try and lure them out?” Hiromi asked and I shrugged.
“I don’t think that will work Hiromi. However Malcolm contacted them, they aren’t going to respond through those methods. Especially if they suspect Malcolm isn’t dead. Think about it. They wanted his eddies. If they have even a single braincell they will realize a teenager flashing that kind of money probably has people that will kill them to get a paycheck.”
“Ah true… They’re gonna suspect someone is coming to kill them.”
I blinked.
“Yeah. They will. They will suspect someone is going to try and hunt them down… Hiromi you are very smart.” I told her, and she looked questioning at me.
People in Night City were pretty direct. Normally if something like this happened, and Malcolm was some Corpo kid. They would hire a merc. The merc would try to hunt them down, succeed or not, and that would basically be it. Once the merc failed to find them… Then the fuckers would be safe from retaliation. Wasn’t like a merc was going to get paid if they found them a week after pissing off the guy hiring them by failing.
Hiromi continued to look confused at my words. But while she hadn’t said anything genius herself, it was actually very accurate. If they suspected someone was coming for them… Then that’s what we would show them.
“We are going to trick them. They are probably hiding right now. Deep in some hole. It won’t be easy to find them, and even if we do, we will have to deal with 6th St. getting involved… But if we convince them that they got away with it? If they think they are all clear, they will stop hiding. Then we won’t have to hunt them down through 6th St. territory. We will just invite them to a nice little deal and remove them then.”
“So you go and pretend to look for them?” Ichi asked and I shook my head.
“No, I won’t be a good choice, I’m weird cause I’m so young besides, I was trying to take a break this week anyways. Better to get someone that looks like a merc, give 6th St. Exactly what they suspect to see. That way they won’t react strongly. Just another merc searching for someone for a bounty before giving up.”
“So we hire someone to pretend to look for them just to give up?” Ichi asked looking a little unhappy with it.
“Exactly. We hire a merc for an easy few days, of fucking around in Rancho Coronado, pretending to find our boys. And then he gives up, once he stops showing up. Obviously he couldn’t find them and so everyone in the area will know that he gave up and that solves the whole problem.”
“Wait but who? Are you going to ask Jun or Fujimura-sama to hire a merc?”
“Nah. I know a guy.” I said and grinned as I started making a call to Jackie. A week or so contract to hang around Rancho Coronado, eat on my dime, and make a half hearted attempt to find the four gonks? Jackie would probably be all for it.
Plus it was a perfect excuse to go home and relax for a while like I planned before Malcolm got shot.
I breathed in, and out. Yeah. I still needed that break.
—--
After making a call and setting up the whole situation with Jackie, he ended up agreeing, laughing the whole time at the idea.
I was just glad he was willing to do it, for less than normal merc money. I mean, sure I could pay him fully, but this should be a pretty safe gig. Although I did offer a hazard pay if 6th St. did try to jump him or something.
Until then we all went to Viks.
“He’s still sleeping.” He assured us patting Ichi on the shoulder as the boy had instantly walked over to Vik for an update about his best choom.
“Is there anything we can do?”
“Just keep quiet and let him rest. He’ll be fine. Everything is stable, and he is mostly just recovering blood and healing a bit. I shot him up with Quick Heal and everything. The boy’ll be on his feet in a week like nothing happened.” Ichi gave out a shuddered sigh at the words, his shoulders almost trembling as Vik patted the Section 9 jacket that we were all still wearing.
I mouthed a thank you to Vik as Hiromi and I braced Ichi. Hiromi pressed her forehead against the side of his head, while I reached over and ran a hand through Ichi’s dark hair.
“I’ll be okay.” He said a little grumpily a few moments later when he realized both of us girls were being gentle with him.
“We know.” I said and Hiromi agreed. Ichi stood straight. Annoyingly taller than I was and wiped our affection off of him like it was covered in cooties.
He would be okay, and so would Malcolm.
—--
I flopped onto the couch at home a few hours later.
Vik had eventually sent us all home to rest, agreeing he would text us when Malcolm woke up.
Rolling sideways I looked at the new holo TV and stared at it. It was too high up. The old TV was just on a table across the room and was a little above head height when on the couch. The Holo TV had the display way up towards the ceiling.
It made my neck hurt to look so high up while sprawled out.
Probably some corpo plan with Biotechnica to sell more Bioware necks to people or something.
I rolled my face into the couch.
Maybe a good eight hours of sleep would help?
I faintly felt a thump of bass through the couch. Reaching down I placed a chrome finger against the floor, even with the carpet I could feel the faintest hint of vibrations there.
Rockerboy neighbor was playing again.
My guitar was over there… It would be something to do. Get out some of the frustration I’ve been dealing with.
I fumbled across the couch without actually getting up until I reached my guitar and flopped onto my back so I could rest it on my stomach.
That didn’t really feel right either…
In the end I rolled off the couch. Laying back on the carpet, feet resting on the couch like I was sitting backwards.
Yeah, that felt better. Everything felt upside down to me right now. Stupid Night City. Stupid Scavs. And Jun. And fuckers shooting my choom.
It was an annoying fact that as much as I wanted to just play in Night City like it was a video game, if I did that people I loved would die. Or I would.
My hand strummed a chord. Then because I simply knew which chord to use I changed it and then strummed the beginnings to a song.
“You don’t want to hurt me.”
Edgerunners was right about one thing.
“We’re only here once. Why blame yourself?” Major Crimes, by Health. It suited my mood at the moment.
—--
“Motoko! I’m hom- Whoa!” Jun yelped as I poked my head over the couch. It had been a few hours of sad songs, and I was surprisingly feeling a lot better.
“Hey Jun.”
“Jeeze don’t scare me like that. Oh playing some songs?”
“Yeah I’ve been feeling a little down and stuff with everything. So I’m letting out the bad stuff. It’s going okay.” I chirped as I laid the guitar on the couch and flipped up to see what Jun was up to.
He had a bag of something that didn’t smell like XXL burritos in his arms.
“Yeah I noticed… How’s your choom?.”
“Malcolm will be okay. I got him to Vik in time.” I said, not mentioning how absolutely terrified I had been that I wouldn’t be in time. That despite everything I would make it. I was suddenly so incredibly grateful for my system once again.
I wouldn’t have to worry about nightmares.
“I’m glad… I uh… Got you something.”
He said and to my surprise he opened the bag and it was…
Ramen.
The Ramen we always bought from the shop in Sakura Market. The Ramen stand that wasn’t super far from here, but more than far enough you wouldn’t just stop by for Ramen that could get closer.
“Jun?”
“I noticed you’ve been upset, and then today happened too.” He said simply as he settled the Ramen bowls on the couch center table. “I know I pushed you into moving. I think… I wouldn’t have done it, if I didn’t think it was the best idea at the time. For safety, and just how big it is, but I know I pushed you on it.” He said, before closing his eyes and breathing in and out, as if calming his mind. “So I wanted to do something to make you feel… Normal.”
He pushed the Ramen over to me and I looked at it.
Jun was such a gonk I thought, definitely not seeing him through a bit of blurriness around the edges of my vision.
“You are such a gonk.” I told him as I walked over and threw my arms around his neck. I wasn’t crying Jun was crying! He had faulty chrome for his optic lubricants! It was raining inside! I got something stuck in my eye!
Ignoring the fact I could poke my Kiroshi and not really be bothered by something like that.
Stupid Jun!
“Thank you for going along with it, and just… I’m sorry it wasn’t what you wanted. Hopefully we can make this place our home. And you’ll end up loving it even more. It certainly smells better.” He muttered the end and I laughed, definitely not choking a bit on a sob.
“The carpet is nice too!” I informed him.
“The Fridge is bigger.”
“Oh the bathroom has better hot water!”
We went on and on telling each other good things about the new apartment, falling into the little game without even needing to discuss it, pure sibling comradery in action.
It was nice.
I even forgave him for the already cold Ramen when I tried it. Turns out his Kusanagi isn’t exactly great for keeping Ramen warm on the cooling nights of Night City.
I ate it anyway though.
—--
“What are you doing?” I asked Jun in the morning. I had slept, but Jun as usual slept in, but then to my surprise he came out of his room dressed in…
Well athletic clothes?
“Hitting the gym.”
“You?” I couldn’t help but ask in surprise. Jun was…
He was a lazy teenager given chrome muscles. He didn’t exercise. At least not that I’ve ever seen.
“I go to the Gym!” He hissed every bit the offended teenager, but then hesitated before admitting “Sensei told me I’ve let the normal muscles I’ve got left grow a bit weak. So I’ve been informed to workout until he is satisfied.”
I blinked. He looked away grimacing, because we both knew what was going to happen next.
“Pffft! Can’t be a big scary Oni if you are fat!” I mocked in delighted laughter making Jun’s shoulders slump at my words.
“I knew it. I knew this was going to happen, but I answered anyways. Why did I answer?” Jun muttered to himself but I heard him.
“So where you going? Is there a good Gym around here?” I asked because honestly… I could use my downtime to get another Body level…
That actually sounded like fun. I’ve been a bit in the dumps, but exercise was good for that!
“There’s a TC Gym, yeah. Want to come?” He offered and I instantly frowned at him. I really didn’t…
On the other hand, if there was a Gym in the building I wouldn’t have to pay for that corpo Gym anymore!
Wait… I haven’t been there in months! Shit I had to cancel!
Fucking Gym membership!
“Sure.” I agreed, heading into my room with a quick flip over the back of the couch to get changed.
—--
The Gym was actually just outside the apartment complex. There was a little path and then what used to be a basketball court? Or maybe a tennis court. I couldn’t tell, but now it was full of workout equipment.
And TC grunts using it.
Jun walked in without a moment's hesitation. Because to him these were his people. I took a moment to scope it out a bit first. Looking over the group. There were currently about five people using the equipment, all of which gave Jun a greeting as he entered.
I idly wondered how it worked. Were these guys Fujimura’s people as well, or just well aware that Jun was Kamikaze and so being careful?
In the end it didn’t matter. I didn’t get the greetings Jun did, but no one bothered me as I found some free weights and loaded some pounds on the pole, before settling into a corner to do some squats.
I started with squats mostly so I could keep an eye on the area. I would have to switch to something else eventually if someone noticed that I was going overboard. There were too many people around for me to just work through a single machine or exercise until I got my alerts.
“You a new kid?” A rough voice asked and I looked up into an old man's face. Greyed beard and old Chrome. It was the first thing I thought when I looked up into his eyes.
This was a man that survived in Night City. He was shirtless as he had obviously been exercising, the wraps on his hands reminding me that I had seen him on a punching bag a few moments before. Old Tattoos stretched across his chest and back.
This man would be a Yakuza if he wasn’t very obviously a Tyger Claw.
“Yeah, just moved in.” I informed him as I continued my reps up and down.
“Then you’re the Kusanagi girl! Well you got good form. Keep it up. I’m John, this is my gym. If you need a partner for anything ask me. I’ll help, or find someone who can. Don’t break anything, no fighting in the gym. Good?”
“Perfectly.” I offered the old man. As I continued up and down. I needed to push myself if I was going to get a Body alert.
Or eventually a level up. I was still a long way off. Not enough really pushing my body to the limit since I stopped actively exercising.
The older man watched for a moment before nodding seemingly pleased at my exercise and then turned to walk off. A few moments later he was critiquing a teenage boy for fucking around with his own free weights.
It always made me wonder what I should feel when someone among the TC treated me normally. These were the same guys that worked with Jotaro.
That committed horrible crimes.
I sighed. This was Night City I suppose.
“Malcolm is asleep, and Dr. Vik doesn’t want us bothering him. Besides, we can help you like last time. Go through data while you keep up the hunt.” Ichi replied and I didn’t have a response for that.
I felt bad that my chooms would be hanging around me while I was basically sleeping, while leaving Malcolm alone. Especially with how antsy Ichi was to help.
“It’s fine Motoko. The sooner we find these fucks, the sooner we kill them and let Malcolm sleep like a baby.” Hiromi reminded me and I nodded as I clambered onto my netrunning chair. I pulled out the chair's connectors and fitted them into my leotard so the biomonitors would keep an eye on me, and the coolant could flow then rested back.
“Okay. I’ll see you later.” I told them and closed my eyes.
Only to open them in my blank lobby space.
It only took me a moment to adjust and then I was off. Zipping through the city in a blur as I used the IP address of all the systems I had been scanning back at the attack site to practically teleport there.
Then I set foot onto the netscape and went to work. First I accessed the cafe that was across the street. Breaking through their ICE with only a few moments of work since their system wasn’t especially well protected. I ignored the connection to the other netrunner I had noticed before, and instead accessed their camera.
Only five minutes into entering the net I got my eyes on the fuckers that shot Malcolm.
It was hard to miss.
The four street thugs all charging through the alley, one still holding a pistol in his hand as they clambered into a rust bucket Archer Hella.
Then they took off with a jerky motion as they seemed to forget to release the parking brake before slamming the gas.
Part of me was still furious at these fucks but…
Malcolm? Really choom? You trusted that these fucking gonks had a fucking Supercar for sale? They didn’t look like they had XXL burrito to their name.
I sent a note for Ichi to ask Malcolm for more details on why he trusted these guys in the first place. These guys were just thugs. Chaff.
I refused to believe Malcolm was that stupid…
Okay he had gone without backup. So maybe he was a little brain dead, but I refused to believe he was this stupid.
But they had given me what I needed. A direction.
“The Archer Hella we are looking for is heading East on Lele. Towards… Pardey? Yeah. Is there a freeway connection there?” I asked my team as I started going down the street, checking if there was a good corner store with a camera on the intersection.
*No freeway connection there They would have to go south and then get on from the Republic Way connection.* Hiromi replied after a moment and I nodded.
Okay Let’s cut down on what paths they could take, and track them home.
—---
Two hours later I pulled out of the net to take a break.
I hadn’t exactly eaten today and Hiromi and Ichi were both getting hungry.
We had tracked the fuckers through Charter Hill, Into Heywood of all places. I had thought they might be connected to the Tinos. But then as they moved through the area they turned east.
Into Arroyo. Then into Rancho Coronado.
6th St?
I lost them multiple times in the area. Unfortunately the industrial parks giving way to suburbs, cut out a lot of my ability to snoop.
“Oh. Thanks Ichi!” I Chirped as I finally opened my eyes to reality to see Ichi had obviously gone on a food run at some point.
“No problem. There wasn’t much we could do to help there at the end.” He said stuffing a piece of some noodle dish into his mouth.
“Yeah. Rancho Coronado is a bit of a dead zone.” I grumbled. Sure there were still security cameras in the area, but they were few and far between, and worse some were pointing just at the front door, or at places I couldn’t use.
“So what do you think?” Hiromi asked and I grumbled a bit as I sat and stuffed my own little meal into my mouth so I wouldn’t have to speak at first.
“Rancho is 6th St. If the guys fled there, they are probably 6th St. Or maybe they are an offshoot gang or something. We either go and start hunting them down, or maybe see if we can’t use some diplomacy? Reach out to 6th St. Might be able to find out who they are that way?”
“You think 6th St. Would give up info on one of their own to us?” Ichi asked, obviously skeptical, and I shook my head.
“No I don’t. Which means we are probably going to have to hunt them down, in the middle of gang territory… This is gonna be a pain.”
“We could try and lure them out?” Hiromi asked and I shrugged.
“I don’t think that will work Hiromi. However Malcolm contacted them, they aren’t going to respond through those methods. Especially if they suspect Malcolm isn’t dead. Think about it. They wanted his eddies. If they have even a single braincell they will realize a teenager flashing that kind of money probably has people that will kill them to get a paycheck.”
“Ah true… They’re gonna suspect someone is coming to kill them.”
I blinked.
“Yeah. They will. They will suspect someone is going to try and hunt them down… Hiromi you are very smart.” I told her, and she looked questioning at me.
People in Night City were pretty direct. Normally if something like this happened, and Malcolm was some Corpo kid. They would hire a merc. The merc would try to hunt them down, succeed or not, and that would basically be it. Once the merc failed to find them… Then the fuckers would be safe from retaliation. Wasn’t like a merc was going to get paid if they found them a week after pissing off the guy hiring them by failing.
Hiromi continued to look confused at my words. But while she hadn’t said anything genius herself, it was actually very accurate. If they suspected someone was coming for them… Then that’s what we would show them.
“We are going to trick them. They are probably hiding right now. Deep in some hole. It won’t be easy to find them, and even if we do, we will have to deal with 6th St. getting involved… But if we convince them that they got away with it? If they think they are all clear, they will stop hiding. Then we won’t have to hunt them down through 6th St. territory. We will just invite them to a nice little deal and remove them then.”
“So you go and pretend to look for them?” Ichi asked and I shook my head.
“No, I won’t be a good choice, I’m weird cause I’m so young besides, I was trying to take a break this week anyways. Better to get someone that looks like a merc, give 6th St. Exactly what they suspect to see. That way they won’t react strongly. Just another merc searching for someone for a bounty before giving up.”
“So we hire someone to pretend to look for them just to give up?” Ichi asked looking a little unhappy with it.
“Exactly. We hire a merc for an easy few days, of fucking around in Rancho Coronado, pretending to find our boys. And then he gives up, once he stops showing up. Obviously he couldn’t find them and so everyone in the area will know that he gave up and that solves the whole problem.”
“Wait but who? Are you going to ask Jun or Fujimura-sama to hire a merc?”
“Nah. I know a guy.” I said and grinned as I started making a call to Jackie. A week or so contract to hang around Rancho Coronado, eat on my dime, and make a half hearted attempt to find the four gonks? Jackie would probably be all for it.
Plus it was a perfect excuse to go home and relax for a while like I planned before Malcolm got shot.
I breathed in, and out. Yeah. I still needed that break.
—--
After making a call and setting up the whole situation with Jackie, he ended up agreeing, laughing the whole time at the idea.
I was just glad he was willing to do it, for less than normal merc money. I mean, sure I could pay him fully, but this should be a pretty safe gig. Although I did offer a hazard pay if 6th St. did try to jump him or something.
Until then we all went to Viks.
“He’s still sleeping.” He assured us patting Ichi on the shoulder as the boy had instantly walked over to Vik for an update about his best choom.
“Is there anything we can do?”
“Just keep quiet and let him rest. He’ll be fine. Everything is stable, and he is mostly just recovering blood and healing a bit. I shot him up with Quick Heal and everything. The boy’ll be on his feet in a week like nothing happened.” Ichi gave out a shuddered sigh at the words, his shoulders almost trembling as Vik patted the Section 9 jacket that we were all still wearing.
I mouthed a thank you to Vik as Hiromi and I braced Ichi. Hiromi pressed her forehead against the side of his head, while I reached over and ran a hand through Ichi’s dark hair.
“I’ll be okay.” He said a little grumpily a few moments later when he realized both of us girls were being gentle with him.
“We know.” I said and Hiromi agreed. Ichi stood straight. Annoyingly taller than I was and wiped our affection off of him like it was covered in cooties.
He would be okay, and so would Malcolm.
—--
I flopped onto the couch at home a few hours later.
Vik had eventually sent us all home to rest, agreeing he would text us when Malcolm woke up.
Rolling sideways I looked at the new holo TV and stared at it. It was too high up. The old TV was just on a table across the room and was a little above head height when on the couch. The Holo TV had the display way up towards the ceiling.
It made my neck hurt to look so high up while sprawled out.
Probably some corpo plan with Biotechnica to sell more Bioware necks to people or something.
I rolled my face into the couch.
Maybe a good eight hours of sleep would help?
I faintly felt a thump of bass through the couch. Reaching down I placed a chrome finger against the floor, even with the carpet I could feel the faintest hint of vibrations there.
Rockerboy neighbor was playing again.
My guitar was over there… It would be something to do. Get out some of the frustration I’ve been dealing with.
I fumbled across the couch without actually getting up until I reached my guitar and flopped onto my back so I could rest it on my stomach.
That didn’t really feel right either…
In the end I rolled off the couch. Laying back on the carpet, feet resting on the couch like I was sitting backwards.
Yeah, that felt better. Everything felt upside down to me right now. Stupid Night City. Stupid Scavs. And Jun. And fuckers shooting my choom.
It was an annoying fact that as much as I wanted to just play in Night City like it was a video game, if I did that people I loved would die. Or I would.
My hand strummed a chord. Then because I simply knew which chord to use I changed it and then strummed the beginnings to a song.
“You don’t want to hurt me.”
Edgerunners was right about one thing.
“We’re only here once. Why blame yourself?” Major Crimes, by Health. It suited my mood at the moment.
—--
“Motoko! I’m hom- Whoa!” Jun yelped as I poked my head over the couch. It had been a few hours of sad songs, and I was surprisingly feeling a lot better.
“Hey Jun.”
“Jeeze don’t scare me like that. Oh playing some songs?”
“Yeah I’ve been feeling a little down and stuff with everything. So I’m letting out the bad stuff. It’s going okay.” I chirped as I laid the guitar on the couch and flipped up to see what Jun was up to.
He had a bag of something that didn’t smell like XXL burritos in his arms.
“Yeah I noticed… How’s your choom?.”
“Malcolm will be okay. I got him to Vik in time.” I said, not mentioning how absolutely terrified I had been that I wouldn’t be in time. That despite everything I would make it. I was suddenly so incredibly grateful for my system once again.
I wouldn’t have to worry about nightmares.
“I’m glad… I uh… Got you something.”
He said and to my surprise he opened the bag and it was…
Ramen.
The Ramen we always bought from the shop in Sakura Market. The Ramen stand that wasn’t super far from here, but more than far enough you wouldn’t just stop by for Ramen that could get closer.
“Jun?”
“I noticed you’ve been upset, and then today happened too.” He said simply as he settled the Ramen bowls on the couch center table. “I know I pushed you into moving. I think… I wouldn’t have done it, if I didn’t think it was the best idea at the time. For safety, and just how big it is, but I know I pushed you on it.” He said, before closing his eyes and breathing in and out, as if calming his mind. “So I wanted to do something to make you feel… Normal.”
He pushed the Ramen over to me and I looked at it.
Jun was such a gonk I thought, definitely not seeing him through a bit of blurriness around the edges of my vision.
“You are such a gonk.” I told him as I walked over and threw my arms around his neck. I wasn’t crying Jun was crying! He had faulty chrome for his optic lubricants! It was raining inside! I got something stuck in my eye!
Ignoring the fact I could poke my Kiroshi and not really be bothered by something like that.
Stupid Jun!
“Thank you for going along with it, and just… I’m sorry it wasn’t what you wanted. Hopefully we can make this place our home. And you’ll end up loving it even more. It certainly smells better.” He muttered the end and I laughed, definitely not choking a bit on a sob.
“The carpet is nice too!” I informed him.
“The Fridge is bigger.”
“Oh the bathroom has better hot water!”
We went on and on telling each other good things about the new apartment, falling into the little game without even needing to discuss it, pure sibling comradery in action.
It was nice.
I even forgave him for the already cold Ramen when I tried it. Turns out his Kusanagi isn’t exactly great for keeping Ramen warm on the cooling nights of Night City.
I ate it anyway though.
—--
“What are you doing?” I asked Jun in the morning. I had slept, but Jun as usual slept in, but then to my surprise he came out of his room dressed in…
Well athletic clothes?
“Hitting the gym.”
“You?” I couldn’t help but ask in surprise. Jun was…
He was a lazy teenager given chrome muscles. He didn’t exercise. At least not that I’ve ever seen.
“I go to the Gym!” He hissed every bit the offended teenager, but then hesitated before admitting “Sensei told me I’ve let the normal muscles I’ve got left grow a bit weak. So I’ve been informed to workout until he is satisfied.”
I blinked. He looked away grimacing, because we both knew what was going to happen next.
“Pffft! Can’t be a big scary Oni if you are fat!” I mocked in delighted laughter making Jun’s shoulders slump at my words.
“I knew it. I knew this was going to happen, but I answered anyways. Why did I answer?” Jun muttered to himself but I heard him.
“So where you going? Is there a good Gym around here?” I asked because honestly… I could use my downtime to get another Body level…
That actually sounded like fun. I’ve been a bit in the dumps, but exercise was good for that!
“There’s a TC Gym, yeah. Want to come?” He offered and I instantly frowned at him. I really didn’t…
On the other hand, if there was a Gym in the building I wouldn’t have to pay for that corpo Gym anymore!
Wait… I haven’t been there in months! Shit I had to cancel!
Fucking Gym membership!
“Sure.” I agreed, heading into my room with a quick flip over the back of the couch to get changed.
—--
The Gym was actually just outside the apartment complex. There was a little path and then what used to be a basketball court? Or maybe a tennis court. I couldn’t tell, but now it was full of workout equipment.
And TC grunts using it.
Jun walked in without a moment's hesitation. Because to him these were his people. I took a moment to scope it out a bit first. Looking over the group. There were currently about five people using the equipment, all of which gave Jun a greeting as he entered.
I idly wondered how it worked. Were these guys Fujimura’s people as well, or just well aware that Jun was Kamikaze and so being careful?
In the end it didn’t matter. I didn’t get the greetings Jun did, but no one bothered me as I found some free weights and loaded some pounds on the pole, before settling into a corner to do some squats.
I started with squats mostly so I could keep an eye on the area. I would have to switch to something else eventually if someone noticed that I was going overboard. There were too many people around for me to just work through a single machine or exercise until I got my alerts.
“You a new kid?” A rough voice asked and I looked up into an old man's face. Greyed beard and old Chrome. It was the first thing I thought when I looked up into his eyes.
This was a man that survived in Night City. He was shirtless as he had obviously been exercising, the wraps on his hands reminding me that I had seen him on a punching bag a few moments before. Old Tattoos stretched across his chest and back.
This man would be a Yakuza if he wasn’t very obviously a Tyger Claw.
“Yeah, just moved in.” I informed him as I continued my reps up and down.
“Then you’re the Kusanagi girl! Well you got good form. Keep it up. I’m John, this is my gym. If you need a partner for anything ask me. I’ll help, or find someone who can. Don’t break anything, no fighting in the gym. Good?”
“Perfectly.” I offered the old man. As I continued up and down. I needed to push myself if I was going to get a Body alert.
Or eventually a level up. I was still a long way off. Not enough really pushing my body to the limit since I stopped actively exercising.
The older man watched for a moment before nodding seemingly pleased at my exercise and then turned to walk off. A few moments later he was critiquing a teenage boy for fucking around with his own free weights.
It always made me wonder what I should feel when someone among the TC treated me normally. These were the same guys that worked with Jotaro.
That committed horrible crimes.
I sighed. This was Night City I suppose.
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Chapter 114
Seras
Well-known member
I used Jun as a measuring stick. Switching to a new exercise whenever he did. Since despite all his chrome, my brother was a bit out of shape. Too many burritos.
My calves and thighs were burning but it felt good because I had gotten a few Body alerts as I exercised as well!
Then considering most of the stuff was already claimed I walked up to the punching speed bag. The small bag wasn’t my usual go to for exercises, but that actually worked to my benefit. I had done punching machines and such before, but never a speed bag.
Although with my chrome arms I wasn’t sure if I would actually get much out of it. I wasn’t exactly working muscles with my arms, but I wanted to try it anyway.
Plus it was free.
I stretched my legs bouncing a bit to work out the tired muscles as I walked up and hit the bag. It flopped fast, too fast.
I had vague memories of seeing people use the thing in the past, and I had even seen John use it as I walked in.
I held back and struck it again. It bounced and flopped much more controllably.
“Better.” A voice startled me and I looked back to see the old TC man himself. “Three count. Like this.” He informed me, walking up and striking the bag once, letting it three times before he struck it again, and instantly there was a balance.
He stopped right after. “Try again.”
I shrugged, a tap of my fist, and I waited. Then struck again. Then again. I got the pace down nearly instantly.
“Good. Now sw-”
I had already switched hands, starting to shift which hand struck the back, constantly changing the number of hits, and adjusting.
“Huh. You pick things up quick.” He complimented, and I shrugged as I moved.
“I know how to fight pretty well, used some punching machines before, just never a speed bag.” I informed him.
“Show me.” he demanded as he walked over behind the speed bag for a set of mitts. He slipped them on and waved me over.
I sighed. I was kinda just wanting to do my own thing. But I shrugged and walked over.
And then we started, I punched out and struck his mitts as he moved, and I moved with him, following him around striking the mitts even dodging his telegraphed swipes as I fell into the rhythm, and I could see him testing me. Starting slow before going faster and faster, telegraphing less and less to see where I stood.
Finally I had to block his mitt as I leaped back to keep from getting smacked in the face and he nodded. “You’re not bad kid. Who trained you?”
“No one really. For this anyways. Sensei at the Deravaja Dojo worked with me on some sword stuff.”
He scoffed at my words as he looked me over. “Well you either had years of training or you’re a natural.”
“The second actually.” Jun said suddenly as he walked over and pulled me in by the shoulder.
“Ew! Jun! You sweat beast! Gross!” I cursed at him as he had pulled me right into his stinky armpit.
Jun of course realizing what he had done just laughed at my horror as I wiped at my shoulder.
“Kusanagi.”
“John.” Jun greeted back, before nodding his head at me. “My sister is a genius. Most of the time anyways.”
“Gonk.” I retorted, flushing a little at being complimented. I mean. If you were going by how quickly I could learn something thanks to my system, I would be a super genius. But I also kinda wasn’t. So it was a bit embarrassing to be complimented for something that wasn’t really true, but something I couldn’t really argue.
“Huh. Well she gots some good hands.” John offered complimenting my punching skill.
But I couldn’t let that setup go. “Bought them myself.” I retorted a little sarcastically earning a blink from the older man before he actually let out a deep chuckle.
“Got me there kid. Got me there. You done already Kusanagi?” John asked and Jun shrugged. “I can’t wear myself out. I have work tonight.”
Both of us looked to Jun with eyes filled with disappointment.
“Don’t get fat Jun-nii.”
“I’m not fat!” He actually shouted and everyone looked at him. Jun had that moment of realization that he had spoken a little too loud. “I’m not fat.” He poked me with a finger, but in the end he did turn around and go work on a treadmill sort of thing for a while.
—--
“Have fun?” Jun asked as we both headed up on the elevator.
“Exercise isn’t really fun to me.” I answered. Sure, I had eventually forgiven John for bothering me when he pulled me into some more exercises that had pulled another Body Alert from my system. I enjoyed the results, but the act itself was mostly just drudgery, if not for Cool keeping me on task, I probably would have stopped long before even Jun.
Although… It was kinda nice though to get my muscles burning again.
“Heh. You had a happy look on your face though?”
“I did not!”
“Ah I see. John is married you know?”
“Wha? JUN!”
“What? You like olde-” I punched him instantly for daring to utter such lies!
“I do not like older guys!” I yelled as the elevator door opened and into the face of the woman that was standing there.
The woman was wearing a cool leather like jacket neon lights lighting it up in a strobe effect, her hair glowing to a musical beat that she was also nodding her head to. She had a guitar strapped over her back, and as I looked on she blew a bubble of pink bubblegum and popped it.
She was, in one word, cool.
And probably Rockerboy neighbor.
“Nice guitar.” I offered, unable to say anything else. I recognized the model from the music shop, although I couldn’t remember the name. I wasn’t exactly an instrument hound after all.
“It does what I need.” She muttered cooly, hip cocked to the side and looking us over. Although I noticed her eyes were mostly on Jun.
“Jun, right? You just moved in.” She greeted, her eyes practically flashing.
“Yeah. Nice to meet you.” He said, still fighting off chuckles at my previous yell.
“Preem. You should come see the show sometime.” She offered and reached into her guitar bag and pulled out a leaflet. “TC get a discount.” She added and Jun took the leaflet. I stood up on my tiptoes to take a look.
Huh. Apparently the girls band, Violent Hemorrhage was playing at a club not far from here. There was a picture of the girl herself obviously the lead on the leaflet.
“Cool.” I muttered, because it was pretty cool. I wonder what kind of music she played? Maybe we could jam together some time? I haven’t had the chance to play with someone else yet.
“I might show up.” Jun offered and the girl smirked, and I instantly realized she was flirting.
Gross! She was flirting with Jun!
Why were all of these girls interested in Jun!? He was a burrito addict! And he throws his socks everywhere!
“What kind of music do you play?” I asked, looking towards the girl, and she just scoffed.
“Should be fairly obvious, no? The Violent Hemorrhage play NeoRock Electrosmash.”
“What the hell is NeoRockSmash?” I asked instantly because suddenly I felt like I was in the mid 2000’s again and everyone was talking about New Rave Hyperpop Synth-Electroclash. Or something similarly gibberish.
The girl looked like she was going to say something biting, but Jun was right there, and she smoothed out and instead just spoke with the most syrupy sweet voice. “Maybe just stick with pop.”
Okay cool girl. First off? No one tells me to listen to pop music.
Secondly, this means war.
My narrowed eyes obviously spoke my intent because she just rolled her eyes and looked to Jun. “See you around Kusanagi.” She said, sounding very sultry and she sashayed into the elevator past us. Pointedly almost rubbing against Jun as they nearly jostled at the entrance, and then.
The elevator shut.
“I don’t like Rockerboy Neighbor.” I said instantly. To make sure Jun wasn’t getting any weird ideas.
Like sexual interest.
“She’s a bit rude, yeah.” He agreed and I smiled at him for saying what I wanted. Jun could find way better girls than her! Even if she was cool!
And she had that don’t fuck with me attitude that was pretty awesome. Stupid Cool Rockerboys.
But I would rather Jun get with Akari… Or Rita! Rita was a good choice! Better than Cool rockerboy girl.
I was gonna wipe that stupid smug smirk off her face. I decided right then.
“I’m gonna go take a shower and practice.” I told Jun and started for the apartment.
“Practice what?” He asked, following after as I stomped off.
“Music of course!”
—--
Of course it was only mid shower that I remembered that Malcolm was injured and I took a moment to cool my irritation at Rockerboy girl to put that to the side, so I could get ready and go to hang out with Malcolm. Because my choom was more important.
Of course I wasn’t the only visitor as I stomped down the stairs to Vik’s clinic.
Ichi had finally been told to go home that morning apparently, but Hiromi was there when I stepped down into Vik’s clinic.
“Motoko!”
“Hey Hiromi. Hey Malcolm, how you feeling?” I asked as I walked over to where the two were hanging out. Pulling off my Guitar and setting my Music box to the side so I could give some hugs to my chooms. Malcolm still rested on the Ripper chair Hiromi pulled up next to him with a tablet in her hands. It only took me a moment to realize the two of them were playing games.
Aww. Hiromi had come to play videogames with Malcolm!
I kept the laughter of delight on the inside as I pulled up a chair to watch the two playing the game.
And instantly wanted to die.
The game was shit. Garbage. Full of microtransactions, and the screen was at least 40% ads built into the hud.
I could feel my soul leaving my body as the two were happily playing as if this was acceptable.
I couldn’t make heads or tails of the actual gameplay. It looks sort of like a farmville clone? But there weren’t plants, instead I realized what it was when Hiromi pulled up a menu and I saw the name of the game.
“Corporate Commander?”
“Yeah! It’s fun. You run a startup corp and have to survive and grow and stuff. Malcolm and I play it sometimes, I figured with him stuck in a chair it was a perfect time to finally kill that bitch Excel Corp!”
“Hiromi, they are obviously more than willing to throw thousands of eddies into the game. I don’t think we are going to beat them today. Or ever.” Malcolm seemed to remind Hiromi who pouted and looked angry at the game.
Huh, Hiromi was pretty competitive.
“Motoko! Since you are here, you should join Mitsunashi Industries! We could use a few more Subsidiaries!” Hiromi said, smiling with a big grin.
A feeling struck me. I looked to Malcolm.
“Hiromi, are you using the fact Malcolm can’t run away to force him to help your video game company?”
“No! Never! Malcolm is a proud member of the Mitsunashi Industries Conglomerate!”
“That’s exactly what is happening.” Malcolm offered instead never taking his eyes off the tablet he was playing on.
Hiromi’s jaw dropped as she spun towards Malcolm. “Malcolm!” I couldn’t restrain my laughter as Hiromi looked absolutely offended at the reveal.
But the fact she ended up looking a little embarrassed after a moment told me it was probably pretty close to the truth anyways.
Malcolm looked up and threw me a wink though. So obviously he was cool with it.
“Hiromi…” I trailed off meaningfully and she flushed a little red at the disappointment in my voice.
Then I just smiled and threw an arm over her shoulders. “Silly gonk.”
“You’re the gonk.” She mumbled but left it at that.
“What’s with the guitar and stuff Motoko?” Malcolm asked and I smiled as I pulled away from Hiromi and grabbed my stuff.
“Well obviously with my choom laid up on a ripper chair he would need something to help stave off the boredom! So I figured I could play some music while we hang out. Any requests?” I asked him and he perked up a bit at the idea.
Then Hiromi cut him off. “Wait! You’re gonna play for Malcolm!? You made such a fuss when I got you to play for Jun and I! Motoko! No fair!”
“Malcolm is injured. He gets special treatment Hiromi.” I reminded my choom which she just puffed her cheeks at me pretending to be annoyed and then we both burst into giggles as one.
Malcolm mumbled something I didn’t catch, but it sounded like “These two gonks.” And then he spoke louder. “I don’t care. I just want to see you play something. You’ve been all secrety about it.” He told me and I laughed. That was pretty true.
Fine.
“Okay I have some a few songs I think you’ll like.” I said as I grabbed my music box and plugged in. Nirvana should be pretty on point for Malcolm, and I already had Smells Like Teen Spirit finished.
So I settled in and after a moment my hands hit the chords. I was doing my best to ignore my chooms both staring at me, as the emitters started up and the drums slammed into the intro.
As I played through the song Malcolm seemed into it, nodding his head, while Hiromi was fully engaged, eyes wide which I noticed as I finally looked up from my guitar and our eyes met, her face flushed in excitement as I sang for the crowd of two.
“Ow.” Malcolm said, suddenly hissing and wincing as he shifted and moved to hold his side.
“Malcolm!” The song ended instantly music box turned off, as I stood up, but he waved me off.
“I’m fine. I just jerked a bit! I’m okay. Heh. Good song Motoko. I was getting into a bit too much.” he replied and I sat back down with a sigh. Whew.
“Maybe something more low key?” I asked and Malcolm and Hiromi both shook their heads, Hiromi standing up and pointing.
“Finish the song Motoko! Better yet! Start again! Repeat! Put it on loop!”
“Pfft. Ow, Hiromi don’t make me laugh so hard.” Malcolm gasped struggling not to laugh so hard it hurt him.
“I wouldn’t mind hearing it from the start as well.” A new voice called out.
“Hey Vik!” I chirped, waving as the ripper finished walking in. He had been resting against the entrance way listening as the song finished.
“Motoko, I remember you mentioning picking up the guitar as a hobby, but that was good work there kid.” He said as he walked over and grabbed his chair rolling over to us once he was down.
“Well. I’m still learning and everything.” I demurred, but Vik’s dad energy wasn’t going to let me go that easy.”
“Nonsense, that was excellent. What song was that? Never heard that band before.”
“Ah… The song was Smells Like Teen Spirit. Uh… No band. I mean. I don’t have one.”
“Wait! Motoko! You wrote that yourself!?” Malcolm asked, gasping and I didn’t say anything. I mean, it wasn’t like I could say it was Nirvana.
They don’t exist here.
And saying I wrote it was… Yeah that made me uncomfortable. So I didn’t say anything.
“I’ll play it from the start for you Vik. But just… Don’t tell anyone okay? It’s embarrassing.”
Vik literally just laughed at me, but he had a big smile so I forgave him. Then I started playing again.
“Load up on guns, bring your friends!”
—--
It was still a little embarrassing to play songs in front of people, but Malcolm liked the music, and him being hurt was more important.
I had taken a few breaks from time to time working on making new songs to my chooms surprise, as I put together an entire song in just an hour or so before putting on a rendition of Lithium Flower.
But then I got a call from my current contracted merc. “Hang on guys. Got a call.” I told my chooms who were distracted with their games anyway.
*Hey Jackie! How goes?*
*Hoh. Easy enough Hermanita. An easy gig is an easy gig. Went around flashed pictures of your targets. Got a whole lot of run around stories, but I’ve spent most of the day eating burgers.* Jackie broke into a laugh at that and I smiled along with him.
Jackie had of course been the merc that I thought of first when I needed someone to be visibly snooping around Rancho Coronado. Jackie was the perfect fit. Big enough that no one would want to fight him while he was asking questions, friendly enough that the few that did would end up letting it go, especially when he would be very visibly lazily following the requirements to find the gonks.
Spending most of his time eating food and hanging out.
*You sure you don’t want me to actually try and find these gonks? I’ve had a few people hint they wouldn’t mind letting me know for a certain amount of eddies. Apparently your targets aren’t well liked. Even if one of them is the nephew of some important choom in 6th St.* He said suddenly and I had to frown at that.
I hadn’t considered that it might be easy to find them. That 6th St. and the people in the suburbs might not like the gonks. And one of them was highly connected. That did complicate things.
*Tempting.* I finally admitted but shook it off. *If you can get the info cheap, then I wouldn’t mind. I’ll even throw in a bonus, but I don’t want you to push too hard.*
*Yeah Hermanita I remember your plan. No problem. I’ll keep letting everyone think I’m just not that interested, and if I do end up with their location then I’ll let you know. How’s little Malcolm holding up?*
I smiled at Jackies question, he had been pretty mad when he learned Malcolm had been shot. I guess for Jackie just a single gig and then a bar trip was enough to make them chooms.
*Malcolms okay. Looking better already. Vik says he’ll be back on his feet by the end of the week.*
*Good. Glad to hear that Hermanita. Alright then. I’ll update you again tomorrow, but I got a beer and a burger with my name on it.* He said, sounding cheerful as the call disconnected.
—--
Eventually Malcolm's mother came into the clinic and despite Hiromi and I’s best efforts to stick around to enjoy the look on Malcolm's face, we did eventually have to leave.
Malcolm's mom was super embarrassing for him. I think if we hadn’t left he might have just finished himself off to save himself the trouble.
Unfortunately Hiromi needed to head home.
“I have homework I’ve been putting off, and well, Malcolm is a good excuse but my teachers won’t accept it, and then my ‘rents will be on my case.” She whined at me as we walked over to our cars.
“I get it. We’ll meet up soon! Once Malcolm is feeling better we should all go out and have a night to relax.” I offered and Hiromi seemed to perk up.
“Yeah! I’ll get through this week and then it’ll be a party night! I’ll find out if there’s anything going on this weekend! Be prepared Motoko! Because I’m going to drag you to the preemest places!”
I just laughed as Hiromi hopped onto her bike and drove off with a waving arm behind her.
I slipped into the Quadra and decided to head home.
I was still taking a break from anything, murdery related and so I was gonna go flop on the couch. Maybe do some more coding work?
No. I shook my head. I’ll go hit the gym some more. I could use some mindless exercise time. It had actually been…
Relaxing.
My calves and thighs were burning but it felt good because I had gotten a few Body alerts as I exercised as well!
Then considering most of the stuff was already claimed I walked up to the punching speed bag. The small bag wasn’t my usual go to for exercises, but that actually worked to my benefit. I had done punching machines and such before, but never a speed bag.
Although with my chrome arms I wasn’t sure if I would actually get much out of it. I wasn’t exactly working muscles with my arms, but I wanted to try it anyway.
Plus it was free.
I stretched my legs bouncing a bit to work out the tired muscles as I walked up and hit the bag. It flopped fast, too fast.
I had vague memories of seeing people use the thing in the past, and I had even seen John use it as I walked in.
I held back and struck it again. It bounced and flopped much more controllably.
“Better.” A voice startled me and I looked back to see the old TC man himself. “Three count. Like this.” He informed me, walking up and striking the bag once, letting it three times before he struck it again, and instantly there was a balance.
He stopped right after. “Try again.”
I shrugged, a tap of my fist, and I waited. Then struck again. Then again. I got the pace down nearly instantly.
“Good. Now sw-”
I had already switched hands, starting to shift which hand struck the back, constantly changing the number of hits, and adjusting.
“Huh. You pick things up quick.” He complimented, and I shrugged as I moved.
“I know how to fight pretty well, used some punching machines before, just never a speed bag.” I informed him.
“Show me.” he demanded as he walked over behind the speed bag for a set of mitts. He slipped them on and waved me over.
I sighed. I was kinda just wanting to do my own thing. But I shrugged and walked over.
And then we started, I punched out and struck his mitts as he moved, and I moved with him, following him around striking the mitts even dodging his telegraphed swipes as I fell into the rhythm, and I could see him testing me. Starting slow before going faster and faster, telegraphing less and less to see where I stood.
Finally I had to block his mitt as I leaped back to keep from getting smacked in the face and he nodded. “You’re not bad kid. Who trained you?”
“No one really. For this anyways. Sensei at the Deravaja Dojo worked with me on some sword stuff.”
He scoffed at my words as he looked me over. “Well you either had years of training or you’re a natural.”
“The second actually.” Jun said suddenly as he walked over and pulled me in by the shoulder.
“Ew! Jun! You sweat beast! Gross!” I cursed at him as he had pulled me right into his stinky armpit.
Jun of course realizing what he had done just laughed at my horror as I wiped at my shoulder.
“Kusanagi.”
“John.” Jun greeted back, before nodding his head at me. “My sister is a genius. Most of the time anyways.”
“Gonk.” I retorted, flushing a little at being complimented. I mean. If you were going by how quickly I could learn something thanks to my system, I would be a super genius. But I also kinda wasn’t. So it was a bit embarrassing to be complimented for something that wasn’t really true, but something I couldn’t really argue.
“Huh. Well she gots some good hands.” John offered complimenting my punching skill.
But I couldn’t let that setup go. “Bought them myself.” I retorted a little sarcastically earning a blink from the older man before he actually let out a deep chuckle.
“Got me there kid. Got me there. You done already Kusanagi?” John asked and Jun shrugged. “I can’t wear myself out. I have work tonight.”
Both of us looked to Jun with eyes filled with disappointment.
“Don’t get fat Jun-nii.”
“I’m not fat!” He actually shouted and everyone looked at him. Jun had that moment of realization that he had spoken a little too loud. “I’m not fat.” He poked me with a finger, but in the end he did turn around and go work on a treadmill sort of thing for a while.
—--
“Have fun?” Jun asked as we both headed up on the elevator.
“Exercise isn’t really fun to me.” I answered. Sure, I had eventually forgiven John for bothering me when he pulled me into some more exercises that had pulled another Body Alert from my system. I enjoyed the results, but the act itself was mostly just drudgery, if not for Cool keeping me on task, I probably would have stopped long before even Jun.
Although… It was kinda nice though to get my muscles burning again.
“Heh. You had a happy look on your face though?”
“I did not!”
“Ah I see. John is married you know?”
“Wha? JUN!”
“What? You like olde-” I punched him instantly for daring to utter such lies!
“I do not like older guys!” I yelled as the elevator door opened and into the face of the woman that was standing there.
The woman was wearing a cool leather like jacket neon lights lighting it up in a strobe effect, her hair glowing to a musical beat that she was also nodding her head to. She had a guitar strapped over her back, and as I looked on she blew a bubble of pink bubblegum and popped it.
She was, in one word, cool.
And probably Rockerboy neighbor.
“Nice guitar.” I offered, unable to say anything else. I recognized the model from the music shop, although I couldn’t remember the name. I wasn’t exactly an instrument hound after all.
“It does what I need.” She muttered cooly, hip cocked to the side and looking us over. Although I noticed her eyes were mostly on Jun.
“Jun, right? You just moved in.” She greeted, her eyes practically flashing.
“Yeah. Nice to meet you.” He said, still fighting off chuckles at my previous yell.
“Preem. You should come see the show sometime.” She offered and reached into her guitar bag and pulled out a leaflet. “TC get a discount.” She added and Jun took the leaflet. I stood up on my tiptoes to take a look.
Huh. Apparently the girls band, Violent Hemorrhage was playing at a club not far from here. There was a picture of the girl herself obviously the lead on the leaflet.
“Cool.” I muttered, because it was pretty cool. I wonder what kind of music she played? Maybe we could jam together some time? I haven’t had the chance to play with someone else yet.
“I might show up.” Jun offered and the girl smirked, and I instantly realized she was flirting.
Gross! She was flirting with Jun!
Why were all of these girls interested in Jun!? He was a burrito addict! And he throws his socks everywhere!
“What kind of music do you play?” I asked, looking towards the girl, and she just scoffed.
“Should be fairly obvious, no? The Violent Hemorrhage play NeoRock Electrosmash.”
“What the hell is NeoRockSmash?” I asked instantly because suddenly I felt like I was in the mid 2000’s again and everyone was talking about New Rave Hyperpop Synth-Electroclash. Or something similarly gibberish.
The girl looked like she was going to say something biting, but Jun was right there, and she smoothed out and instead just spoke with the most syrupy sweet voice. “Maybe just stick with pop.”
Okay cool girl. First off? No one tells me to listen to pop music.
Secondly, this means war.
My narrowed eyes obviously spoke my intent because she just rolled her eyes and looked to Jun. “See you around Kusanagi.” She said, sounding very sultry and she sashayed into the elevator past us. Pointedly almost rubbing against Jun as they nearly jostled at the entrance, and then.
The elevator shut.
“I don’t like Rockerboy Neighbor.” I said instantly. To make sure Jun wasn’t getting any weird ideas.
Like sexual interest.
“She’s a bit rude, yeah.” He agreed and I smiled at him for saying what I wanted. Jun could find way better girls than her! Even if she was cool!
And she had that don’t fuck with me attitude that was pretty awesome. Stupid Cool Rockerboys.
But I would rather Jun get with Akari… Or Rita! Rita was a good choice! Better than Cool rockerboy girl.
I was gonna wipe that stupid smug smirk off her face. I decided right then.
“I’m gonna go take a shower and practice.” I told Jun and started for the apartment.
“Practice what?” He asked, following after as I stomped off.
“Music of course!”
—--
Of course it was only mid shower that I remembered that Malcolm was injured and I took a moment to cool my irritation at Rockerboy girl to put that to the side, so I could get ready and go to hang out with Malcolm. Because my choom was more important.
Of course I wasn’t the only visitor as I stomped down the stairs to Vik’s clinic.
Ichi had finally been told to go home that morning apparently, but Hiromi was there when I stepped down into Vik’s clinic.
“Motoko!”
“Hey Hiromi. Hey Malcolm, how you feeling?” I asked as I walked over to where the two were hanging out. Pulling off my Guitar and setting my Music box to the side so I could give some hugs to my chooms. Malcolm still rested on the Ripper chair Hiromi pulled up next to him with a tablet in her hands. It only took me a moment to realize the two of them were playing games.
Aww. Hiromi had come to play videogames with Malcolm!
I kept the laughter of delight on the inside as I pulled up a chair to watch the two playing the game.
And instantly wanted to die.
The game was shit. Garbage. Full of microtransactions, and the screen was at least 40% ads built into the hud.
I could feel my soul leaving my body as the two were happily playing as if this was acceptable.
I couldn’t make heads or tails of the actual gameplay. It looks sort of like a farmville clone? But there weren’t plants, instead I realized what it was when Hiromi pulled up a menu and I saw the name of the game.
“Corporate Commander?”
“Yeah! It’s fun. You run a startup corp and have to survive and grow and stuff. Malcolm and I play it sometimes, I figured with him stuck in a chair it was a perfect time to finally kill that bitch Excel Corp!”
“Hiromi, they are obviously more than willing to throw thousands of eddies into the game. I don’t think we are going to beat them today. Or ever.” Malcolm seemed to remind Hiromi who pouted and looked angry at the game.
Huh, Hiromi was pretty competitive.
“Motoko! Since you are here, you should join Mitsunashi Industries! We could use a few more Subsidiaries!” Hiromi said, smiling with a big grin.
A feeling struck me. I looked to Malcolm.
“Hiromi, are you using the fact Malcolm can’t run away to force him to help your video game company?”
“No! Never! Malcolm is a proud member of the Mitsunashi Industries Conglomerate!”
“That’s exactly what is happening.” Malcolm offered instead never taking his eyes off the tablet he was playing on.
Hiromi’s jaw dropped as she spun towards Malcolm. “Malcolm!” I couldn’t restrain my laughter as Hiromi looked absolutely offended at the reveal.
But the fact she ended up looking a little embarrassed after a moment told me it was probably pretty close to the truth anyways.
Malcolm looked up and threw me a wink though. So obviously he was cool with it.
“Hiromi…” I trailed off meaningfully and she flushed a little red at the disappointment in my voice.
Then I just smiled and threw an arm over her shoulders. “Silly gonk.”
“You’re the gonk.” She mumbled but left it at that.
“What’s with the guitar and stuff Motoko?” Malcolm asked and I smiled as I pulled away from Hiromi and grabbed my stuff.
“Well obviously with my choom laid up on a ripper chair he would need something to help stave off the boredom! So I figured I could play some music while we hang out. Any requests?” I asked him and he perked up a bit at the idea.
Then Hiromi cut him off. “Wait! You’re gonna play for Malcolm!? You made such a fuss when I got you to play for Jun and I! Motoko! No fair!”
“Malcolm is injured. He gets special treatment Hiromi.” I reminded my choom which she just puffed her cheeks at me pretending to be annoyed and then we both burst into giggles as one.
Malcolm mumbled something I didn’t catch, but it sounded like “These two gonks.” And then he spoke louder. “I don’t care. I just want to see you play something. You’ve been all secrety about it.” He told me and I laughed. That was pretty true.
Fine.
“Okay I have some a few songs I think you’ll like.” I said as I grabbed my music box and plugged in. Nirvana should be pretty on point for Malcolm, and I already had Smells Like Teen Spirit finished.
So I settled in and after a moment my hands hit the chords. I was doing my best to ignore my chooms both staring at me, as the emitters started up and the drums slammed into the intro.
As I played through the song Malcolm seemed into it, nodding his head, while Hiromi was fully engaged, eyes wide which I noticed as I finally looked up from my guitar and our eyes met, her face flushed in excitement as I sang for the crowd of two.
“Ow.” Malcolm said, suddenly hissing and wincing as he shifted and moved to hold his side.
“Malcolm!” The song ended instantly music box turned off, as I stood up, but he waved me off.
“I’m fine. I just jerked a bit! I’m okay. Heh. Good song Motoko. I was getting into a bit too much.” he replied and I sat back down with a sigh. Whew.
“Maybe something more low key?” I asked and Malcolm and Hiromi both shook their heads, Hiromi standing up and pointing.
“Finish the song Motoko! Better yet! Start again! Repeat! Put it on loop!”
“Pfft. Ow, Hiromi don’t make me laugh so hard.” Malcolm gasped struggling not to laugh so hard it hurt him.
“I wouldn’t mind hearing it from the start as well.” A new voice called out.
“Hey Vik!” I chirped, waving as the ripper finished walking in. He had been resting against the entrance way listening as the song finished.
“Motoko, I remember you mentioning picking up the guitar as a hobby, but that was good work there kid.” He said as he walked over and grabbed his chair rolling over to us once he was down.
“Well. I’m still learning and everything.” I demurred, but Vik’s dad energy wasn’t going to let me go that easy.”
“Nonsense, that was excellent. What song was that? Never heard that band before.”
“Ah… The song was Smells Like Teen Spirit. Uh… No band. I mean. I don’t have one.”
“Wait! Motoko! You wrote that yourself!?” Malcolm asked, gasping and I didn’t say anything. I mean, it wasn’t like I could say it was Nirvana.
They don’t exist here.
And saying I wrote it was… Yeah that made me uncomfortable. So I didn’t say anything.
“I’ll play it from the start for you Vik. But just… Don’t tell anyone okay? It’s embarrassing.”
Vik literally just laughed at me, but he had a big smile so I forgave him. Then I started playing again.
“Load up on guns, bring your friends!”
—--
It was still a little embarrassing to play songs in front of people, but Malcolm liked the music, and him being hurt was more important.
I had taken a few breaks from time to time working on making new songs to my chooms surprise, as I put together an entire song in just an hour or so before putting on a rendition of Lithium Flower.
But then I got a call from my current contracted merc. “Hang on guys. Got a call.” I told my chooms who were distracted with their games anyway.
*Hey Jackie! How goes?*
*Hoh. Easy enough Hermanita. An easy gig is an easy gig. Went around flashed pictures of your targets. Got a whole lot of run around stories, but I’ve spent most of the day eating burgers.* Jackie broke into a laugh at that and I smiled along with him.
Jackie had of course been the merc that I thought of first when I needed someone to be visibly snooping around Rancho Coronado. Jackie was the perfect fit. Big enough that no one would want to fight him while he was asking questions, friendly enough that the few that did would end up letting it go, especially when he would be very visibly lazily following the requirements to find the gonks.
Spending most of his time eating food and hanging out.
*You sure you don’t want me to actually try and find these gonks? I’ve had a few people hint they wouldn’t mind letting me know for a certain amount of eddies. Apparently your targets aren’t well liked. Even if one of them is the nephew of some important choom in 6th St.* He said suddenly and I had to frown at that.
I hadn’t considered that it might be easy to find them. That 6th St. and the people in the suburbs might not like the gonks. And one of them was highly connected. That did complicate things.
*Tempting.* I finally admitted but shook it off. *If you can get the info cheap, then I wouldn’t mind. I’ll even throw in a bonus, but I don’t want you to push too hard.*
*Yeah Hermanita I remember your plan. No problem. I’ll keep letting everyone think I’m just not that interested, and if I do end up with their location then I’ll let you know. How’s little Malcolm holding up?*
I smiled at Jackies question, he had been pretty mad when he learned Malcolm had been shot. I guess for Jackie just a single gig and then a bar trip was enough to make them chooms.
*Malcolms okay. Looking better already. Vik says he’ll be back on his feet by the end of the week.*
*Good. Glad to hear that Hermanita. Alright then. I’ll update you again tomorrow, but I got a beer and a burger with my name on it.* He said, sounding cheerful as the call disconnected.
—--
Eventually Malcolm's mother came into the clinic and despite Hiromi and I’s best efforts to stick around to enjoy the look on Malcolm's face, we did eventually have to leave.
Malcolm's mom was super embarrassing for him. I think if we hadn’t left he might have just finished himself off to save himself the trouble.
Unfortunately Hiromi needed to head home.
“I have homework I’ve been putting off, and well, Malcolm is a good excuse but my teachers won’t accept it, and then my ‘rents will be on my case.” She whined at me as we walked over to our cars.
“I get it. We’ll meet up soon! Once Malcolm is feeling better we should all go out and have a night to relax.” I offered and Hiromi seemed to perk up.
“Yeah! I’ll get through this week and then it’ll be a party night! I’ll find out if there’s anything going on this weekend! Be prepared Motoko! Because I’m going to drag you to the preemest places!”
I just laughed as Hiromi hopped onto her bike and drove off with a waving arm behind her.
I slipped into the Quadra and decided to head home.
I was still taking a break from anything, murdery related and so I was gonna go flop on the couch. Maybe do some more coding work?
No. I shook my head. I’ll go hit the gym some more. I could use some mindless exercise time. It had actually been…
Relaxing.
Blasterbot
Well-known member
Hiromi has embraced the corpo mindset properly. when they can't run force them to work for you on the cheap.
Corvus 501
Active member
They're just planning of pulling the same that they pulled on Malcolm. Pretend to be buyers, and ambush them when they show.
They already proved themselves to by dishonest, so no one sensible should trust them, and someone who believes that fear will keep people in line forever is a fool.
Last edited:
Carrot of Truth
War is Peace
Motoko needs to challenge rocker girl to a guitar contest Tenacious D Pick of Destiny style.
Chapter 115
Seras
Well-known member
“Back again? Well you’re more consistent than your brother.” John offered as he noticed me working on a full punching bag. I was ducking and sliding making sure I was working my footing the best I could as I circled the bag. My legs getting a workout with how often I was shifting around and throwing hands.
“Jun’s lazy about exercise. Prefers to just chrome up.” I mentioned in short gasps as I backed off the bag, for a moment and then moved back in a few punches to the side as if I was up close and punching kidneys. I might be fairly out of breath, but I was close to a level up!
“Most kids prefer that. You’ve got chrome arms, but still practice, pretty unusual.” He said and then walked over holding the back so it wouldn’t bounce as much letting me start hammering into the bag even harder and faster.
“Skill and strength aren’t the same.” I huffed out dryly as I looked at the older man who was looking over my form and seemingly finding no issues over my motions as I went wild. Moving as fast as possible as I hammered chrome hands into the bag again and again.
I was just glad I had actually put on the padded knuckle gloves that had been lying around. Otherwise I would have punched right through the damn thing.
“You know how to box.”
“Boxing’s one of the martial arts I actually had someone work with me on. I know an old guy that used to be a pro.” I replied. Even if Vik had only given me the one lesson with Jackie that one time.
It was still the truth and a better lie than nothing.
“You got something driving you. Something on your mind kid?”
“Huh?” I asked as I backed off and did some stretches to cool down a bit. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been out here punching the bag for over an hour. Something is driving you. Need to vent?” The old man offered as he continued to hold the bag for me.
I blinked, checking the time on my system before realizing I had lost track of time.
Oops.
Sure I was tired. I was sweating up a storm and I was pretty out of breath, but that was all minor stuff.
A nap and I would be back to 100% and feeling fine. But no one else knew that.
I shook my head. “I’ve had a lot of stuff happen in the last week or two. But I’m not… I’m not letting it bother me. I just lost track of time.”
“Heh. If I could get half the gonks that I train up to lose track of time like you. My job would be a lot easier.” I didn’t have anything to say to that, and as much as I wanted to try and get that Body level up. I realized I had gone a bit overboard. I took off the gloves and set them to the side as I walked off.
I heard a chuckle behind me, but I ignored it.
Shower and then a nap. That was all I needed.
—--
Waking up refreshed that evening I crawled out of my new bed and looked around the apartment. Jun’s boots were gone. So I was alone.
I sent a text out to the group chat, just to see how Malcolm was doing, and then instantly got flooded by replies.
*Motoko: How’s Malcolm holding up?*
*Malcolm: Doing alright.*
*Malcolm: Ichi’s been smothering me and I just kicked him out of the clinic. So expect some whining.*
*Ichi: Malcolm kicked me out of the clinic!*
*Ichi: I’m not whining! I just wanted to make sure you’re doing okay!*
*HIromi: I’m stuck finishing homework! Motoko rescue me! Also Malcolm and Ichi have been whining about each other all day.*
*Malcolm: We have not!*
*Ichi: The hell we have! Hiromi shut up!*
*Hiromi: See?*
I laughed at the back and forth. It seems everyone was doing okay if Malcolm and Ichi could fight.
*Motoko: Preem. Reminder once Malcolm is back on his feet we are going to have a big party!*
*Malcolm: Yes! See this is what I wanted to hear!*
*Ichi: Yeah alright that sounds good. Know where you want to have it?*
I blinked at that. Then I remembered. I walked into the kitchen and found the flyer.
I sent a picture to my chooms.
*Motoko: Maybe? There’s a bar near where I am that does live music. Want to test it out? Or we could go hit Lizzie’s?*
*Malcolm: Eh. As much as I like Lizzie’s, they don’t like us much. Anyone been to this bar?*
*Ichi: Yeah. I made some deliveries there before the war. Harukiya was nice enough I guess. More of a music bar, than the BD stuff we normally hang at. They have an entrance fee though.*
*Hiromi: Ichi we have money to pay for an entrance fee!*
*Malcolm: You say that like we don’t have eddies. Hiromi beat me to it!*
*Motoko: Then I guess we get to try it out once Malcolm feels better!*
I nodded as the conversation flowed into background noise of messages popping in. I wanted to scope out how good Rockerboy Neighbor was anyways! Stupid cool jerk!
I’d show them! I’d show them all!
But first… I was so close to a new Body level!
—--
The sound of ‘The Only Thing They Fear Is You’ blasted through the apartment as I ran around.
I couldn’t rely on pushups to try and get the Body level so I had decided to use acrobatics. I was currently flipping around the apartment from one wall to the next, ending each set with a cool spinning kick, or a faux superman punch into the air, just to give myself something to do.
It was exercise and actually pretty hard work, since I was sweating up a storm and getting my muscles burning.
Then mid afternoon finally it happened.
*100 Body XP Gained*
*Body Leveled up!*
Body 8!
I stopped my routine as I felt the shudder go through my muscles. Breath in. Breath out.
“I feel amazing.” I whispered as I rushed to the bathroom and the mirror. It only took a few moments of checking my muscles to see the difference. Stronger. I felt stronger. I flexed my abs and grinned as it was definitely visible in the mirror.
Hell yeah! Superhero abs!
I exhaled in relief as I flopped onto the toilet for a moment.
“Sweaty.” I mumbled as I quickly stripped and fell into the shower letting the warm water wash it all away.
Heh. It had been a while since I had tried to grind out a Body point. I still wasn’t exactly the type to exercise all the time, but I had to admit it did feel good. Plus it meant I could grind out Athletics and Street Brawling again! I could go Parkour and get something out of it.
Well other than just fun.
That brought me up short.
Fun.
My system gave me incredible skills. Power. Talent. It let me do so many things… Like hunting Scavs down like the dogs they are.
But all of that was just what I could do. It wasn’t who I was.
Who I was… Was someone who took those skills and had fun with them.
I blinked as I wiped the water off my face. I got out of the shower. Quickly drying off, and getting dressed, adjusting my boots to make sure they were night and tight.
I loaded up my normal gear just in case but I could feel the beat of my heart urging me on.
Quickly running to the music box I copied a song to a shard. I had put together this song because I wanted it, and it had taken forever considering how many non-instrumental sounds it needed.
But complete it was, and now I had the perfect idea for what to do with it.
I headed up to the roof.
—--
The howl of wind blowing between skyscrapers. The stink of the city below me. And the California sky above.
I was on the roof, but I wasn’t as high as I could go. There was another section of the building that had almost japanese styled penthouses. I was sure some high end Arasaka, or TC guy lived up there. I quickly bounced my way up. Climbing along the side of the building, hitting AC units, and piping until I reached the penthouse.
I winced a bit at all the security, but I ended up just worming around it as I climbed over Japanese style tile roofing until I reached the very top.
Okay. It was time.
I blinked in between one moment and the next.
A BD recording began.
I had considered doing a test run first, to find all the right spots, but I trusted Parkour and my own mobility.
We were doing it live. It was just… Better that way.
I pulled a shard out of my pocket, flashed it before my eyes. I was getting call backs to Only Thing They Fear BD. But this wasn’t that.
This one Judy might actually like.
Inner Universe was scratched into the shard.
I pushed it into my port and let my agent play the song in my ear.
And as the notes began, I moved. I ran leaping off the roof to the short wall that surrounded the japanese garden, then leapt again. Completely freefalling into the Night City sky.
For just a moment. I was motionless. Perfectly still. Then I reached out. Snagged a pipe that I was falling past, pulling myself into the building so my boots could slow my decent, slowing enough until I hit an angled roof, where I was able to bleed the a bit more of the falls speed off, as I slid down and then once more I was in the sky.
I landed twenty feet below in a roll on a bridgeway between the buildings. Immediately jumping to my feet as I ran across the roof of the walkway. I could hear people below me wondering at the noise but I ignored them. Leaping off the side Another drop, another rolling landing and I was moving all the way across the street running along the roofing of the buildings across from the new apartment.
I leapt over bits and bobs, noticed the asian lanterns that hung down from the side of the building, noticed the wire they were hooked through and the idea flowed.
I drew my knife as I flowed into a powerslide. Grabbing the wire I slid off the roof. Falling a good three or so feet before the wire snagged.
Then I cut it with my knife. The back end of my blade had wire cutters and in a second I was falling again. Sheathing my knife I managed to wrap the wire around my chrome hands a few times so I had a good grip as I fell.
Above me the pittering noise of the studs drilled into the concrete that the wire had been hooked into popped loose one by one, and then it happened.
The wire at the end was attached to a much stronger cable tie.
And instead of falling, I was swinging.
My stomach flew up into my throat as I flowed through the air. For a second there I was spiderman.
Then of course because this was flying by the seat of my pants. I realized I was about to slam right into one of those concrete walkways.
I reached up, grabbed the wire and tugged myself up fighting the centrifugal force. Shifting my trajectory just in time so instead of slamming into the side I was able to bring my legs up and swing right into the open side window.
I let go of the wire holding on to it would only see me smashing into the roof as the wire caught, but I was still in trouble.
Too fast.
I slammed my boots into the concrete which sent me tumbling, but also pushed me up just enough that instead of slamming into the concrete barrier on the other side of the walkway I went through its window as well, sending me hurtling out the other side in a deadly tumble.
My heart was hammering in my chest. My breath was coming out in a rush. I couldn’t even hear the music over the adrenaline spiking.
But I moved using my chrome to come down on the roof first to protect myself I managed to get myself under control as chrome left trails of sparks across the concrete that I was skimming across
I was very thankful for my boots and pants. Because I could feel the road rash starting to build up where my pants weren’t as armored.
Then I was at the end of the line.
Still sliding. Still going too fast to stop, but the roof ended ahead of me.
So I stopped trying to slow down and instead once more used my boots to slam into the concrete and bounce me up.
I was in the air.
The music was there, and I knew what to do.
The flow of motions that were required to keep me alive flowing through me, and I moved. Reaching out I grabbed a pipe spinning me around it twice as I started falling then letting go. Sending me out once more, but this time at the right trajectory to reach an apartment balcony.
I rolled into the little concrete cube of personal space and then bounced up and into the next, and then again before my speed was under my control and then I was up on the guard rail along the edge of the little rectangular balconies running across them at full speed.
Almost there!
I had fallen quite far at this point. Only a few floors above the street level I was coming to the end of the street. Where it curved, but that was fine. I leapt out and this time I landed on the street lights. They shifted and swayed under my weight, but held and then I was running along the top and then to the light across the road, and then further. I was close to Megabuilding H8 now. I could practically touch it as I ran along, but that wasn’t where I was going. Instead I leapt down. Hurtling from the floor level I had been at, into the gloom.
The noise below me shifted from city streets. To back alley deals. To the sounds of pleasure and anger.
Jig-jig street.
I moved along the rooftops. Staying in the dark. Hidden from view from anyone not willing to look up. As I flowed through the area leaping from sign to sign, from window sill to corner apartment, that I actually rolled into and then out the window ignoring the scream of surprise from the john the Joytoy had been working over behind me.
Then I was just above the street level main entrance to the back alley, and there it was.
I leapt this time not landing atop a street light, but grabbing it and flipping around, then releasing, setting myself on a course, avoiding the giant eldritch statue that was above my target, and landing firmly on the sidewalk right next to the stairs down into Sakura Market. Then I was walking calmly, and steadily. Feeling my heart beating, and my breathing still rushing in and out as I cooled down, to my favorite place. I plopped down at the Ramen place, and since I was still recording didn’t say a word. Just pointed towards what I wanted.
A moment later the Ramen was rolled out to me, and I didn’t turn off the BD until the taste of the broth was on my tongue.
—---
“Ow!” I whined as Vik gave me a look.
“Don’t complain about it, if you are going to do it.” He told me and could only pout a bit.
“What did you even do to scrape down your chrome like that?” Malcolm called from across the room. He was still resting in the ripper chair although he would be heading home soon. His Mom wanted to bring him home to mother him. I had come to see Malcolm after Ramen.
Definitely just for that.
Not because my hands looked like I had run them against a grinder.
Most of the chrome was okay, but at certain points… Well the concrete hadn’t been kind to it, and it felt like I had an exposed nerve. So I had Vik looking it over.
“Nothing! Perfectly normal stuff! Not at all weird or strange!” I denied Malcolm who laughed once before wincing at his side.
“Most of the pads are okay, but I’ll need to replace a bit here.” He said sounding like he was mostly talking to himself, but saying it loud enough I could hear it. He pulled back and rolled across the clinic pulling open a crate and rummaging through it.
A few moments later he comes back with a sealed plastic bag. Inside were basically chrome pieces.
“Let’s see.” He muttered and then unsealed the bag reached in with his ripper gear covered hand and came out holding a piece of chrome. “There we are.” He muttered, resealing the bag and then leaned over my hand a moment later I felt a tickling sensation as he did something and a piece of my palm disconnected, revealing wires and sensors below. Then he placed a new piece of chrome down and had to keep from wiggling as the ticklish feeling surged up my arm.
Then it just soothed away and Vik nodded checking his little monitor device. “Connection is good. Test it out for me.” He mentioned and arm was released and I started poking at the cleaner section of chrome on my palm.
“Yeah. Feels… Normal?”
“Good. Be more careful, okay kid?”
“Yes! Sorry Vik.”
The old ripper laughed at me, before patting my shoulder. “Should be all good. Let me know if you have any problems.”
“Dr. Vektor, is Malcolm ready?” A voice called out and I turned towards the entrance to see Malcolms mom, the woman still looked a little tense after the shooting.
“Let me check his vitals one last time, but unless somethings changed, he’s all set.” Vik assured the woman his calm attitude did help. As he finished patting my shoulder and rolling over to check on Malcolm.
I ended up sticking around to help Malcolm out of the clinic and into his Mom’s car.
He hadn’t liked the fact that I had carried him up the stairs in a princess carry.
The pictures were worth it though.
“Jun’s lazy about exercise. Prefers to just chrome up.” I mentioned in short gasps as I backed off the bag, for a moment and then moved back in a few punches to the side as if I was up close and punching kidneys. I might be fairly out of breath, but I was close to a level up!
“Most kids prefer that. You’ve got chrome arms, but still practice, pretty unusual.” He said and then walked over holding the back so it wouldn’t bounce as much letting me start hammering into the bag even harder and faster.
“Skill and strength aren’t the same.” I huffed out dryly as I looked at the older man who was looking over my form and seemingly finding no issues over my motions as I went wild. Moving as fast as possible as I hammered chrome hands into the bag again and again.
I was just glad I had actually put on the padded knuckle gloves that had been lying around. Otherwise I would have punched right through the damn thing.
“You know how to box.”
“Boxing’s one of the martial arts I actually had someone work with me on. I know an old guy that used to be a pro.” I replied. Even if Vik had only given me the one lesson with Jackie that one time.
It was still the truth and a better lie than nothing.
“You got something driving you. Something on your mind kid?”
“Huh?” I asked as I backed off and did some stretches to cool down a bit. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been out here punching the bag for over an hour. Something is driving you. Need to vent?” The old man offered as he continued to hold the bag for me.
I blinked, checking the time on my system before realizing I had lost track of time.
Oops.
Sure I was tired. I was sweating up a storm and I was pretty out of breath, but that was all minor stuff.
A nap and I would be back to 100% and feeling fine. But no one else knew that.
I shook my head. “I’ve had a lot of stuff happen in the last week or two. But I’m not… I’m not letting it bother me. I just lost track of time.”
“Heh. If I could get half the gonks that I train up to lose track of time like you. My job would be a lot easier.” I didn’t have anything to say to that, and as much as I wanted to try and get that Body level up. I realized I had gone a bit overboard. I took off the gloves and set them to the side as I walked off.
I heard a chuckle behind me, but I ignored it.
Shower and then a nap. That was all I needed.
—--
Waking up refreshed that evening I crawled out of my new bed and looked around the apartment. Jun’s boots were gone. So I was alone.
I sent a text out to the group chat, just to see how Malcolm was doing, and then instantly got flooded by replies.
*Motoko: How’s Malcolm holding up?*
*Malcolm: Doing alright.*
*Malcolm: Ichi’s been smothering me and I just kicked him out of the clinic. So expect some whining.*
*Ichi: Malcolm kicked me out of the clinic!*
*Ichi: I’m not whining! I just wanted to make sure you’re doing okay!*
*HIromi: I’m stuck finishing homework! Motoko rescue me! Also Malcolm and Ichi have been whining about each other all day.*
*Malcolm: We have not!*
*Ichi: The hell we have! Hiromi shut up!*
*Hiromi: See?*
I laughed at the back and forth. It seems everyone was doing okay if Malcolm and Ichi could fight.
*Motoko: Preem. Reminder once Malcolm is back on his feet we are going to have a big party!*
*Malcolm: Yes! See this is what I wanted to hear!*
*Ichi: Yeah alright that sounds good. Know where you want to have it?*
I blinked at that. Then I remembered. I walked into the kitchen and found the flyer.
I sent a picture to my chooms.
*Motoko: Maybe? There’s a bar near where I am that does live music. Want to test it out? Or we could go hit Lizzie’s?*
*Malcolm: Eh. As much as I like Lizzie’s, they don’t like us much. Anyone been to this bar?*
*Ichi: Yeah. I made some deliveries there before the war. Harukiya was nice enough I guess. More of a music bar, than the BD stuff we normally hang at. They have an entrance fee though.*
*Hiromi: Ichi we have money to pay for an entrance fee!*
*Malcolm: You say that like we don’t have eddies. Hiromi beat me to it!*
*Motoko: Then I guess we get to try it out once Malcolm feels better!*
I nodded as the conversation flowed into background noise of messages popping in. I wanted to scope out how good Rockerboy Neighbor was anyways! Stupid cool jerk!
I’d show them! I’d show them all!
But first… I was so close to a new Body level!
—--
The sound of ‘The Only Thing They Fear Is You’ blasted through the apartment as I ran around.
I couldn’t rely on pushups to try and get the Body level so I had decided to use acrobatics. I was currently flipping around the apartment from one wall to the next, ending each set with a cool spinning kick, or a faux superman punch into the air, just to give myself something to do.
It was exercise and actually pretty hard work, since I was sweating up a storm and getting my muscles burning.
Then mid afternoon finally it happened.
*100 Body XP Gained*
*Body Leveled up!*
Body 8!
I stopped my routine as I felt the shudder go through my muscles. Breath in. Breath out.
“I feel amazing.” I whispered as I rushed to the bathroom and the mirror. It only took a few moments of checking my muscles to see the difference. Stronger. I felt stronger. I flexed my abs and grinned as it was definitely visible in the mirror.
Hell yeah! Superhero abs!
I exhaled in relief as I flopped onto the toilet for a moment.
“Sweaty.” I mumbled as I quickly stripped and fell into the shower letting the warm water wash it all away.
Heh. It had been a while since I had tried to grind out a Body point. I still wasn’t exactly the type to exercise all the time, but I had to admit it did feel good. Plus it meant I could grind out Athletics and Street Brawling again! I could go Parkour and get something out of it.
Well other than just fun.
That brought me up short.
Fun.
My system gave me incredible skills. Power. Talent. It let me do so many things… Like hunting Scavs down like the dogs they are.
But all of that was just what I could do. It wasn’t who I was.
Who I was… Was someone who took those skills and had fun with them.
I blinked as I wiped the water off my face. I got out of the shower. Quickly drying off, and getting dressed, adjusting my boots to make sure they were night and tight.
I loaded up my normal gear just in case but I could feel the beat of my heart urging me on.
Quickly running to the music box I copied a song to a shard. I had put together this song because I wanted it, and it had taken forever considering how many non-instrumental sounds it needed.
But complete it was, and now I had the perfect idea for what to do with it.
I headed up to the roof.
—--
The howl of wind blowing between skyscrapers. The stink of the city below me. And the California sky above.
I was on the roof, but I wasn’t as high as I could go. There was another section of the building that had almost japanese styled penthouses. I was sure some high end Arasaka, or TC guy lived up there. I quickly bounced my way up. Climbing along the side of the building, hitting AC units, and piping until I reached the penthouse.
I winced a bit at all the security, but I ended up just worming around it as I climbed over Japanese style tile roofing until I reached the very top.
Okay. It was time.
I blinked in between one moment and the next.
A BD recording began.
I had considered doing a test run first, to find all the right spots, but I trusted Parkour and my own mobility.
We were doing it live. It was just… Better that way.
I pulled a shard out of my pocket, flashed it before my eyes. I was getting call backs to Only Thing They Fear BD. But this wasn’t that.
This one Judy might actually like.
Inner Universe was scratched into the shard.
I pushed it into my port and let my agent play the song in my ear.
And as the notes began, I moved. I ran leaping off the roof to the short wall that surrounded the japanese garden, then leapt again. Completely freefalling into the Night City sky.
For just a moment. I was motionless. Perfectly still. Then I reached out. Snagged a pipe that I was falling past, pulling myself into the building so my boots could slow my decent, slowing enough until I hit an angled roof, where I was able to bleed the a bit more of the falls speed off, as I slid down and then once more I was in the sky.
I landed twenty feet below in a roll on a bridgeway between the buildings. Immediately jumping to my feet as I ran across the roof of the walkway. I could hear people below me wondering at the noise but I ignored them. Leaping off the side Another drop, another rolling landing and I was moving all the way across the street running along the roofing of the buildings across from the new apartment.
I leapt over bits and bobs, noticed the asian lanterns that hung down from the side of the building, noticed the wire they were hooked through and the idea flowed.
I drew my knife as I flowed into a powerslide. Grabbing the wire I slid off the roof. Falling a good three or so feet before the wire snagged.
Then I cut it with my knife. The back end of my blade had wire cutters and in a second I was falling again. Sheathing my knife I managed to wrap the wire around my chrome hands a few times so I had a good grip as I fell.
Above me the pittering noise of the studs drilled into the concrete that the wire had been hooked into popped loose one by one, and then it happened.
The wire at the end was attached to a much stronger cable tie.
And instead of falling, I was swinging.
My stomach flew up into my throat as I flowed through the air. For a second there I was spiderman.
Then of course because this was flying by the seat of my pants. I realized I was about to slam right into one of those concrete walkways.
I reached up, grabbed the wire and tugged myself up fighting the centrifugal force. Shifting my trajectory just in time so instead of slamming into the side I was able to bring my legs up and swing right into the open side window.
I let go of the wire holding on to it would only see me smashing into the roof as the wire caught, but I was still in trouble.
Too fast.
I slammed my boots into the concrete which sent me tumbling, but also pushed me up just enough that instead of slamming into the concrete barrier on the other side of the walkway I went through its window as well, sending me hurtling out the other side in a deadly tumble.
My heart was hammering in my chest. My breath was coming out in a rush. I couldn’t even hear the music over the adrenaline spiking.
But I moved using my chrome to come down on the roof first to protect myself I managed to get myself under control as chrome left trails of sparks across the concrete that I was skimming across
I was very thankful for my boots and pants. Because I could feel the road rash starting to build up where my pants weren’t as armored.
Then I was at the end of the line.
Still sliding. Still going too fast to stop, but the roof ended ahead of me.
So I stopped trying to slow down and instead once more used my boots to slam into the concrete and bounce me up.
I was in the air.
The music was there, and I knew what to do.
The flow of motions that were required to keep me alive flowing through me, and I moved. Reaching out I grabbed a pipe spinning me around it twice as I started falling then letting go. Sending me out once more, but this time at the right trajectory to reach an apartment balcony.
I rolled into the little concrete cube of personal space and then bounced up and into the next, and then again before my speed was under my control and then I was up on the guard rail along the edge of the little rectangular balconies running across them at full speed.
Almost there!
I had fallen quite far at this point. Only a few floors above the street level I was coming to the end of the street. Where it curved, but that was fine. I leapt out and this time I landed on the street lights. They shifted and swayed under my weight, but held and then I was running along the top and then to the light across the road, and then further. I was close to Megabuilding H8 now. I could practically touch it as I ran along, but that wasn’t where I was going. Instead I leapt down. Hurtling from the floor level I had been at, into the gloom.
The noise below me shifted from city streets. To back alley deals. To the sounds of pleasure and anger.
Jig-jig street.
I moved along the rooftops. Staying in the dark. Hidden from view from anyone not willing to look up. As I flowed through the area leaping from sign to sign, from window sill to corner apartment, that I actually rolled into and then out the window ignoring the scream of surprise from the john the Joytoy had been working over behind me.
Then I was just above the street level main entrance to the back alley, and there it was.
I leapt this time not landing atop a street light, but grabbing it and flipping around, then releasing, setting myself on a course, avoiding the giant eldritch statue that was above my target, and landing firmly on the sidewalk right next to the stairs down into Sakura Market. Then I was walking calmly, and steadily. Feeling my heart beating, and my breathing still rushing in and out as I cooled down, to my favorite place. I plopped down at the Ramen place, and since I was still recording didn’t say a word. Just pointed towards what I wanted.
A moment later the Ramen was rolled out to me, and I didn’t turn off the BD until the taste of the broth was on my tongue.
—---
“Ow!” I whined as Vik gave me a look.
“Don’t complain about it, if you are going to do it.” He told me and could only pout a bit.
“What did you even do to scrape down your chrome like that?” Malcolm called from across the room. He was still resting in the ripper chair although he would be heading home soon. His Mom wanted to bring him home to mother him. I had come to see Malcolm after Ramen.
Definitely just for that.
Not because my hands looked like I had run them against a grinder.
Most of the chrome was okay, but at certain points… Well the concrete hadn’t been kind to it, and it felt like I had an exposed nerve. So I had Vik looking it over.
“Nothing! Perfectly normal stuff! Not at all weird or strange!” I denied Malcolm who laughed once before wincing at his side.
“Most of the pads are okay, but I’ll need to replace a bit here.” He said sounding like he was mostly talking to himself, but saying it loud enough I could hear it. He pulled back and rolled across the clinic pulling open a crate and rummaging through it.
A few moments later he comes back with a sealed plastic bag. Inside were basically chrome pieces.
“Let’s see.” He muttered and then unsealed the bag reached in with his ripper gear covered hand and came out holding a piece of chrome. “There we are.” He muttered, resealing the bag and then leaned over my hand a moment later I felt a tickling sensation as he did something and a piece of my palm disconnected, revealing wires and sensors below. Then he placed a new piece of chrome down and had to keep from wiggling as the ticklish feeling surged up my arm.
Then it just soothed away and Vik nodded checking his little monitor device. “Connection is good. Test it out for me.” He mentioned and arm was released and I started poking at the cleaner section of chrome on my palm.
“Yeah. Feels… Normal?”
“Good. Be more careful, okay kid?”
“Yes! Sorry Vik.”
The old ripper laughed at me, before patting my shoulder. “Should be all good. Let me know if you have any problems.”
“Dr. Vektor, is Malcolm ready?” A voice called out and I turned towards the entrance to see Malcolms mom, the woman still looked a little tense after the shooting.
“Let me check his vitals one last time, but unless somethings changed, he’s all set.” Vik assured the woman his calm attitude did help. As he finished patting my shoulder and rolling over to check on Malcolm.
I ended up sticking around to help Malcolm out of the clinic and into his Mom’s car.
He hadn’t liked the fact that I had carried him up the stairs in a princess carry.
The pictures were worth it though.
Blasterbot
Well-known member
Motorola was just jumping off of buildings. perfectly normal teenage behavior. wait.
Judy: "Sure hope this new braindance from Motoko is something normal and not extremely dangerous that will cause my heart to almost explode again."
*starts up yeet.bdc*
Judy: "Goddammit"
*starts up yeet.bdc*
Judy: "Goddammit"
xachariahxx
Well-known member
I thought this chapter was lovely. The story had been drifting into dark places recently, but this was a nice little ray of sunshine of just doing something fun for the sake of having fun.
And it was cool on top of it.
Edit: Well, it was Athletics and not Cool cool, but you know what I mean.
And it was cool on top of it.
Edit: Well, it was Athletics and not Cool cool, but you know what I mean.
I keep imagining this when I think of motoko and johnny meeting, never found time to write a short omake i wanted but maybe it fits the rockerboy neighbor better
Carrot of Truth
War is Peace
I like it and suggested it due to the "battle" in it.
Chapter 116
Seras
Well-known member
I arrived at Lizzies not long after. The saved BD of my parkour performance should be pretty fun. Hopefully Nox would be able to sell it.
Or not. I mean the BD creation thing was more for me than anything.
Unfortunately I was stopped at the door by Rita. I waved a hand at her as I approached but was stopped instantly as she reached out and grabbed my shoulder.
“Mona take over for me?” She called out to another bouncer suddenly.
“Sure Rits.” The other bouncer called back and then I was pushed inside and into the side room by Rita.
“Rita?”
“I want to know Motoko, before anything else. Are you okay?”
I blinked.
“Yeees? I mean I had Vik my ripper do some work on my hands earlier bu-” She shook her head, cutting me off. The borg woman settled both of her hands on my shoulders, even bending down a little so we were at the same height.
“Motoko, I saw your BD. The one with the song, and with you going completely Cyberpsycho on the Scavs.” Rita said dropping a bomb and I winced.
Dammit. Was that still causing me trouble!? That was supposed to have been fun! Well I mean. It was.
Like super fun.
But that was besides the point. I hated when fun things I did caused problems later!
“I’m fine Rita. Honest. I was doing an experiment that night to go along with the song that I wrote and-”
“Motoko.” Rita cut me off sounding really serious. “You sound okay. You look okay, and you aren’t closed off or freaking out, but I’ve seen a lot of people I thought were okay with a smile on their face as they murdered people they loved and cared for.”
“I was just… trying something different. Letting myself get super angry, even forcing it a bit.”
“Kid, you were absolutely wrecked during that BD. If I had been hit half as hard as that Scav punched you, I’d be down for the count.”
“I’m pretty tough! Look.” I said, spreading my arms. “I’m not hurt. All healed up. Vik my ripper does great work. Took care of me. Yes I went overboard. I’ve even… I even admitted that to myself. I did the music and I thought it would be cool to be all brutal like that, but it sorta… The music wasn’t supposed to be that… it was supposed to be the thing that pulls me away from that sort of stuff. That was the whole point. So yeah… I fucked up.”
Rita continued to watch as I sort of rambled before sighing. And then to my surprise she pulled me into a hug.
She was pokey. All the spikes I mean.
“So you aren’t going Cyberpsycho? You mean it?”
“I’m actually doing okay. I mean I’ve been super irritated recently with the Scavs attacking my home, and the move to a new place, and the TC boss Fujimura keeps wanting to get me to admit to being his underling and it’s annoying.”
“If he is bothering you, we can take care of that for you.” She said then and I couldn’t help but feel warm at how quickly she offered to basically fight a TC boss for me.
Rita was good people.
“Nah. He’s Jun’s boss. And he got us a new apartment. Jun is over the moon about it, cause it’s all big and I have a much bigger room now and stuff… It’s just different and I didn’t want different. Fujimura, despite being a little pushy, hasn't crossed the line.”
“Hmph. Well when he does.” She offered and I smiled.
“I don’t think I would want to get the Mox involved in my trouble. But I appreciate it.” Rita scoffed but nodded, reaching out and resting a hand on my shoulder.
“If you need to talk. Don’t forget you have friends here. You aren’t the first young girl to show up here with family in other gangs needing help.”
“I don’t… I don’t need help… Not yet!” I added at her unconvinced look. “Jun is great, and Fujimura is annoying, but he hasn’t pushed past the line… Like I said, a lot of things have changed and it’s just making me uncomfortable.”
“Then remember I’m always willing to listen. C’mon then, you’re here to see Judy right?” She asked as she finally pulled away from me, and I noticed she looked a little uncomfortable herself.
“Yeah! I did a new BD focused around Parkour instead of other stuff. It was preem. I leapt off the side of the building I’m on and made it all the way to Sakura Market.”
Rita shivered a bit as I spoke as she guided me out of the room. “You leapt off a building?”
“Yeah! A couple times.” Rita shivered again and it made me realize something. Rita is afraid of heights. “Probably not a BD for you then.”
“No, no I don’t think so.”
—--
I dropped off the BD with Judy only after swearing this BD wasn’t some gore fest that would make her want to clean her fingers from brain matter again.
Then I was driving back to the apartment flopping onto the couch and wondering what to do next.
I once again heard the faint thump of bass through the floor and knew what I had to do!
I got up and grabbed my guitar and went at it.
I needed more songs. More music! I had to defeat the Rockerboy Neighbor! So I jammed out. Working on some Foo Fighters, because I was already doing Nirvana. Might as well.
But the idea hit me, and I stopped mid way through The Pretender to work on another song.
Think by Kaleida. “I’ll never! Break your heart!” I jammed out, having had some trouble getting the drums for the song right since they weren't normal drums, but I found the right instrument sound eventually.
Now I had a John Wick song!
It took a good couple hours to get the track done, and then I went back to the Foo Fighters.
More songs!
More music!
More levels!
Long into the night. After Jun had come home and gone to bed. While working on tweaking some of the hologram motions. Making me play through The Pretender again, for what felt like a millionth time.
It happened.
*Rockerboy skill level up!*
Rockerboy 8.
“Yes!” I cheered, leaping up onto the couch to celebrate I could feel even more musical knowledge flow into me.
At this point, it would be an actual surprise if I flubbed a chord while playing anything but the hardest songs!
—--
“What are you three doing?” I asked as I was brought into Malcolms apartment.
Around the TV laying around the couches were three teenagers that looked like they were in a full food coma.
“So many snacks.” Malcolm moaned from where he was laid up. His feet up on an ottoman and a blanket over most of him. The many many bags of chips and things that surrounded him told a story. “It’s all Ichi’s fault.” He moaned.
The boy in question didn’t say anything, just continued to stare into the ceiling with a dazed look in his eyes.
Hiromi was here too to my surprise and while she wasn’t as bad as the boys she looked like she got into a fight with a cake and lost.
I walked over and she threw me a big smile as she lay half on the couch and half off.
Leaning down I wiped the bit of frosting that was stuck on her cheek. “You three look like you got in a fight with your snacks and lost.” I told them as I stuck the bit of frosting into my mouth.
Huh. That was almost chocolate.
“Ugh.” Ichi moaned without shifting his dead eyed stare at the ceiling.
“What did you guys do?” I asked, laughing. I had gotten the message that everyone wanted to meet up in the morning but I had been…
Well I was napping after leveling Rockerboy. So after looking at the message and seeing it wasn’t an emergency I went back to sleep.
So I was late to this party.
“It’s Ichi’s fault.” Hiromi informed me, looking up at me with a big smile.
“It’s Hiromi’s fault!” Ichi retorted. “I said I would get snacks. So Hiromi dragged me to this crazy corpo shop. Everything was expensive but they had all sorts of stuff.” Ichi said in turn, still glazed out.
“Saka-Go is a very valuable member of the Arasaka conglomerate that ensures that traveling Arasaka members can always find their home town snacks even across the world.” Hiromi replied, speaking in a cadence that made me think she was repeating something she had heard before.
Of course Ichi and Malcolm both instantly started throwing whatever snack they had on hand at her, so I quickly backpedaled away to avoid the friendly fire.
“H-hey! You all enjoyed the snacks! Don’t give me that!”
“Some of it was good.” Malcolm agreed and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the look Hiromi threw at the crew.
A few chips stuck in her hair as she stood up with all the dignity she could retain and headed into the bathroom to clean up.
I walked over and after pushing some chip bags out of the way settled near Malcolm.
“How you feeling choom?”
“Hey Motoko. I’m actually feeling pretty good. I’m able to get up and walk around now without any pain or anything. Dr. Vector did tell me to just take it easy for another week or so, but that I was good to do normal things. I’ve got a checkup tomorrow to be basically cleared for light stuff.” Malcolm offered with a smile even as he tugged up his shirt a bit showing the scar on his chest and side. Both looked a little red still. But more like irritated scar tissue than recently damaged wounds.
“Healing nicely.”
“Yeah. Hey I… Motoko. It still feels like it hasn’t hit me yet you know? That I was so close?” He offered and I felt the light hearted conversation change as he went serious. “I just wanted to thank you, for saving me.”
“I was just glad I got there in time.” I said honestly. I was once again thankful I didn’t dream if I slept under the system. I really didn’t want to deal with the nightmares I would be sure to have.
“Heh. Yeah. I wasn’t getting through to anyone until I called you. I’m glad… I’m really glad you picked up.”
I nodded and then probably to Malcolms surprise I bent down and drew him into a hug.”We’re chooms! Of course I would do everything I could to save you.”
“Yeah. Thanks Choom.”
“Hey! Hugging Motoko without me!? I refuse!” Hiromi called out as she came back into the living room and instantly rushed over to Malcolms surprise she jumped into the hug pulling Malcolm and I tight.
“I am not doing a group hug.” Ichi called out from the other side of the couch.
“Group hug on Ichi!?” I gasped in delight and after a moment of helping Malcolm up to not jostle him too much, we all collapsed on our other choom much to his irritation when Hiromi just ended up sitting on him instead of actually hugging him.
While we all vegged out on the couch spending the rest of the day hanging out. I sent the text to Jackie to wrap up the gig.
Since Malcolm would be back on his feet soon it was time to put out some bait.
—--
That night Section 9 met up in my netrunning cave.
Even Malcolm was here. Although with some help from the Straight Lane Shooters above. I had found a nice couch and brought that in so Malcolm was able to be comfortable.
Even if his whining about us treating him like an invalid was getting old.
“I’m feeling fine guys. You don’t have to baby me!” He continued to harp as we had set him up with not just the couch, but a table close by he could rest his Laptop on, along with some blankets and things.
“Vik hasn’t given you the all clear yet.” I reminded him and he rolled his eyes.
“Only because I have the final check up in the morning. Really. I’m fine!”
“Here Malcolm, make sure to stay warm okay?” I said purposefully adjusting the blank around his feet so his toes would stay warm.
He faux kicked me that had me laughing, but I did stop bothering him then.
There was a reason we had all gathered here.
Malcolm had originally set up the car trade through a reliable website he went to for car trades, or at least he considered it reliable.
Either way, if the gonks that attacked him were using it, that meant they were just as likely to come back and use it again. So it was time to set some bait.
“Okay everyone. First thing first. Malcolm, let’s check out your car trade site. I’m going to slip in, so we can send the fake car trade out. I’ll be making sure our guys see it.” I grinned.
I smiled ferally as I thought about what was going to happen to these fucks.
“Alright. I’ll set up the actual offer since I know what they look like.” Malcolm agreed and Hiromi and Ichi would be working on backing me up.
I settled into my netrunning chair and took a moment to attach all the connections into my netrunning suit, shivering a bit as the coolant pump started sending ice over my skin.
Then I sat back and since I had it. I flipped the netgoggles over my eyes.
I didn’t really need them, but they were cool.
Then in a blink I was in the net. The entire digital world set out before me.
“Okay seriously Motoko. You need to set up a lobby.” I whispered to myself looking over the blank pillar that I stood on.
But I shook it off and stepped off and into the web.
Unlike when heading to Yoko’s I didn’t have the direct IP. So I had to actually look for the website. I walked along neon lights. The road nonexistent below me. In some places, bad connections. Or old wiring, caused the world to flicker or turn to static, and of course the figures that I walked past were mostly inhuman figures. Daemons, for search engines and things that normal people use.
This world was something I had only touched on the most shallow ends of.
I would have to explore down here more sometime.
But for now I followed along the lines towards the website. Using a Search Engine to basically create a path for me to reach the server I was looking for.
When I got there I had to roll my eyes.
So much spam.
The entire outside of the server was covered in Spam Daemons.
Little goblin creatures that would attack any Daemon or access request and try to flood them with their carried spam.
The first one that tried to attack me was melted with my [HELL FLAME Anh. 2.132] Hack. Watching the Daemon melt into digital sludge along with its spam funnily sent the rest of the pack hiding away.
It took me a moment to realize this was something their creator must have come up with.
No one wanted days of work on their Daemons to be removed because they annoyed a netrunner after all.
So they must have been programmed to ignore anyone that managed to destroy one of them. I would have left it at that but…
*250 XP Gained.*
I grinned and flames burst into my hands as I activated my ICE to slow the Daemons down, keeping the programs from being able to escape into the net as I cut them all down.
1,500 XP wasn’t something I was just going to ignore.
I walked into the server ignoring the flaming chunks of Daemon I left behind.
I stepped into the chipper bright lights of the Server.
It was kinda badly designed though. Instead of the white room having multiple exits to other sections of the server. It was like they hadn’t realized they could section off things and just plopped everything into this one room.
I bet this server lagged like hell when it was in use.
The different sections of the server were set up like… Stands? No, it was more complete than that. As if someone had just taken a massive room and just plopped square rooms in different places.
At least it told me something important.
If this place did have netrunner security. I wasn’t fucking worried.
I walked up to one of the rooms that had admin login on the door. It didn’t take me long to get the door breached open and let me in.
I wrinkled my nose.
“Fuckin Spaghetti code.” I grumbled aloud as I took in the mess of wires leading to different control options.
Definitely not a netrunner because any netrunner worth their salt would see this fucking mess of admin tools and just burn it all to the ground and start fresh.
I spent more time finding the user information than I did breaking into the admin side of the server.
Finally I was able to pull up Malcolms info from this side and find his request looking for a Rayfield Caliburn.
I spent a minute just arguing with myself about wanting to hit Malcolm after.
This site wasn’t a reliable car trade site. Malcolm you fucking gonk. You just searched car traders or something and found a random site didn’t you?
Regardless I was able to see the contact, the one that had confirmed they had what Malcolm was looking for.
Pulling up “NCAutoRepairRC” From the message he had sent Malcolm I noticed something pretty quick.
Assholes had been doing this for a while. About twenty different messages just like the one Malcolm had gotten were sent out from the profile. All confirmed the car they had on hand with pictures that looked normal.
Only the fact I was able to see all of them clued me into the fact they were all taken from all over the city and likely either something they had just noticed on the side of the street and snapped a picture of, or stolen from somewhere else.
Irritated at such a stupid scam, I dug in. They had actually been active a few times since Malcolms shooting. Although they certainly hadn’t sent out anything.
*Okay guys I’m in the site. Go ahead and upload that car trade.* I called out to the team as I settled in to get this crappy site to do what I needed.
A moment later a new advert was added into the sea of requests and trades.
Within a few moments I added a bit of code into the request.
Next time NCAutoRepairRC logged in, they would see the request we just added in right near the top of the new page. No matter how long it took, whether it was tomorrow, or a week from now, our advert would show up as if it was pretty new.
Okay I pulled out walking out of the server and back into the open electronic city. The bait was set. Now we just had to wait for a bite.
----
A/N
Had someone mention a playlist for all the songs Motoko writes/plays. So I made Motoko's Music Box!
Or not. I mean the BD creation thing was more for me than anything.
Unfortunately I was stopped at the door by Rita. I waved a hand at her as I approached but was stopped instantly as she reached out and grabbed my shoulder.
“Mona take over for me?” She called out to another bouncer suddenly.
“Sure Rits.” The other bouncer called back and then I was pushed inside and into the side room by Rita.
“Rita?”
“I want to know Motoko, before anything else. Are you okay?”
I blinked.
“Yeees? I mean I had Vik my ripper do some work on my hands earlier bu-” She shook her head, cutting me off. The borg woman settled both of her hands on my shoulders, even bending down a little so we were at the same height.
“Motoko, I saw your BD. The one with the song, and with you going completely Cyberpsycho on the Scavs.” Rita said dropping a bomb and I winced.
Dammit. Was that still causing me trouble!? That was supposed to have been fun! Well I mean. It was.
Like super fun.
But that was besides the point. I hated when fun things I did caused problems later!
“I’m fine Rita. Honest. I was doing an experiment that night to go along with the song that I wrote and-”
“Motoko.” Rita cut me off sounding really serious. “You sound okay. You look okay, and you aren’t closed off or freaking out, but I’ve seen a lot of people I thought were okay with a smile on their face as they murdered people they loved and cared for.”
“I was just… trying something different. Letting myself get super angry, even forcing it a bit.”
“Kid, you were absolutely wrecked during that BD. If I had been hit half as hard as that Scav punched you, I’d be down for the count.”
“I’m pretty tough! Look.” I said, spreading my arms. “I’m not hurt. All healed up. Vik my ripper does great work. Took care of me. Yes I went overboard. I’ve even… I even admitted that to myself. I did the music and I thought it would be cool to be all brutal like that, but it sorta… The music wasn’t supposed to be that… it was supposed to be the thing that pulls me away from that sort of stuff. That was the whole point. So yeah… I fucked up.”
Rita continued to watch as I sort of rambled before sighing. And then to my surprise she pulled me into a hug.
She was pokey. All the spikes I mean.
“So you aren’t going Cyberpsycho? You mean it?”
“I’m actually doing okay. I mean I’ve been super irritated recently with the Scavs attacking my home, and the move to a new place, and the TC boss Fujimura keeps wanting to get me to admit to being his underling and it’s annoying.”
“If he is bothering you, we can take care of that for you.” She said then and I couldn’t help but feel warm at how quickly she offered to basically fight a TC boss for me.
Rita was good people.
“Nah. He’s Jun’s boss. And he got us a new apartment. Jun is over the moon about it, cause it’s all big and I have a much bigger room now and stuff… It’s just different and I didn’t want different. Fujimura, despite being a little pushy, hasn't crossed the line.”
“Hmph. Well when he does.” She offered and I smiled.
“I don’t think I would want to get the Mox involved in my trouble. But I appreciate it.” Rita scoffed but nodded, reaching out and resting a hand on my shoulder.
“If you need to talk. Don’t forget you have friends here. You aren’t the first young girl to show up here with family in other gangs needing help.”
“I don’t… I don’t need help… Not yet!” I added at her unconvinced look. “Jun is great, and Fujimura is annoying, but he hasn’t pushed past the line… Like I said, a lot of things have changed and it’s just making me uncomfortable.”
“Then remember I’m always willing to listen. C’mon then, you’re here to see Judy right?” She asked as she finally pulled away from me, and I noticed she looked a little uncomfortable herself.
“Yeah! I did a new BD focused around Parkour instead of other stuff. It was preem. I leapt off the side of the building I’m on and made it all the way to Sakura Market.”
Rita shivered a bit as I spoke as she guided me out of the room. “You leapt off a building?”
“Yeah! A couple times.” Rita shivered again and it made me realize something. Rita is afraid of heights. “Probably not a BD for you then.”
“No, no I don’t think so.”
—--
I dropped off the BD with Judy only after swearing this BD wasn’t some gore fest that would make her want to clean her fingers from brain matter again.
Then I was driving back to the apartment flopping onto the couch and wondering what to do next.
I once again heard the faint thump of bass through the floor and knew what I had to do!
I got up and grabbed my guitar and went at it.
I needed more songs. More music! I had to defeat the Rockerboy Neighbor! So I jammed out. Working on some Foo Fighters, because I was already doing Nirvana. Might as well.
But the idea hit me, and I stopped mid way through The Pretender to work on another song.
Think by Kaleida. “I’ll never! Break your heart!” I jammed out, having had some trouble getting the drums for the song right since they weren't normal drums, but I found the right instrument sound eventually.
Now I had a John Wick song!
It took a good couple hours to get the track done, and then I went back to the Foo Fighters.
More songs!
More music!
More levels!
Long into the night. After Jun had come home and gone to bed. While working on tweaking some of the hologram motions. Making me play through The Pretender again, for what felt like a millionth time.
It happened.
*Rockerboy skill level up!*
Rockerboy 8.
“Yes!” I cheered, leaping up onto the couch to celebrate I could feel even more musical knowledge flow into me.
At this point, it would be an actual surprise if I flubbed a chord while playing anything but the hardest songs!
—--
“What are you three doing?” I asked as I was brought into Malcolms apartment.
Around the TV laying around the couches were three teenagers that looked like they were in a full food coma.
“So many snacks.” Malcolm moaned from where he was laid up. His feet up on an ottoman and a blanket over most of him. The many many bags of chips and things that surrounded him told a story. “It’s all Ichi’s fault.” He moaned.
The boy in question didn’t say anything, just continued to stare into the ceiling with a dazed look in his eyes.
Hiromi was here too to my surprise and while she wasn’t as bad as the boys she looked like she got into a fight with a cake and lost.
I walked over and she threw me a big smile as she lay half on the couch and half off.
Leaning down I wiped the bit of frosting that was stuck on her cheek. “You three look like you got in a fight with your snacks and lost.” I told them as I stuck the bit of frosting into my mouth.
Huh. That was almost chocolate.
“Ugh.” Ichi moaned without shifting his dead eyed stare at the ceiling.
“What did you guys do?” I asked, laughing. I had gotten the message that everyone wanted to meet up in the morning but I had been…
Well I was napping after leveling Rockerboy. So after looking at the message and seeing it wasn’t an emergency I went back to sleep.
So I was late to this party.
“It’s Ichi’s fault.” Hiromi informed me, looking up at me with a big smile.
“It’s Hiromi’s fault!” Ichi retorted. “I said I would get snacks. So Hiromi dragged me to this crazy corpo shop. Everything was expensive but they had all sorts of stuff.” Ichi said in turn, still glazed out.
“Saka-Go is a very valuable member of the Arasaka conglomerate that ensures that traveling Arasaka members can always find their home town snacks even across the world.” Hiromi replied, speaking in a cadence that made me think she was repeating something she had heard before.
Of course Ichi and Malcolm both instantly started throwing whatever snack they had on hand at her, so I quickly backpedaled away to avoid the friendly fire.
“H-hey! You all enjoyed the snacks! Don’t give me that!”
“Some of it was good.” Malcolm agreed and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the look Hiromi threw at the crew.
A few chips stuck in her hair as she stood up with all the dignity she could retain and headed into the bathroom to clean up.
I walked over and after pushing some chip bags out of the way settled near Malcolm.
“How you feeling choom?”
“Hey Motoko. I’m actually feeling pretty good. I’m able to get up and walk around now without any pain or anything. Dr. Vector did tell me to just take it easy for another week or so, but that I was good to do normal things. I’ve got a checkup tomorrow to be basically cleared for light stuff.” Malcolm offered with a smile even as he tugged up his shirt a bit showing the scar on his chest and side. Both looked a little red still. But more like irritated scar tissue than recently damaged wounds.
“Healing nicely.”
“Yeah. Hey I… Motoko. It still feels like it hasn’t hit me yet you know? That I was so close?” He offered and I felt the light hearted conversation change as he went serious. “I just wanted to thank you, for saving me.”
“I was just glad I got there in time.” I said honestly. I was once again thankful I didn’t dream if I slept under the system. I really didn’t want to deal with the nightmares I would be sure to have.
“Heh. Yeah. I wasn’t getting through to anyone until I called you. I’m glad… I’m really glad you picked up.”
I nodded and then probably to Malcolms surprise I bent down and drew him into a hug.”We’re chooms! Of course I would do everything I could to save you.”
“Yeah. Thanks Choom.”
“Hey! Hugging Motoko without me!? I refuse!” Hiromi called out as she came back into the living room and instantly rushed over to Malcolms surprise she jumped into the hug pulling Malcolm and I tight.
“I am not doing a group hug.” Ichi called out from the other side of the couch.
“Group hug on Ichi!?” I gasped in delight and after a moment of helping Malcolm up to not jostle him too much, we all collapsed on our other choom much to his irritation when Hiromi just ended up sitting on him instead of actually hugging him.
While we all vegged out on the couch spending the rest of the day hanging out. I sent the text to Jackie to wrap up the gig.
Since Malcolm would be back on his feet soon it was time to put out some bait.
—--
That night Section 9 met up in my netrunning cave.
Even Malcolm was here. Although with some help from the Straight Lane Shooters above. I had found a nice couch and brought that in so Malcolm was able to be comfortable.
Even if his whining about us treating him like an invalid was getting old.
“I’m feeling fine guys. You don’t have to baby me!” He continued to harp as we had set him up with not just the couch, but a table close by he could rest his Laptop on, along with some blankets and things.
“Vik hasn’t given you the all clear yet.” I reminded him and he rolled his eyes.
“Only because I have the final check up in the morning. Really. I’m fine!”
“Here Malcolm, make sure to stay warm okay?” I said purposefully adjusting the blank around his feet so his toes would stay warm.
He faux kicked me that had me laughing, but I did stop bothering him then.
There was a reason we had all gathered here.
Malcolm had originally set up the car trade through a reliable website he went to for car trades, or at least he considered it reliable.
Either way, if the gonks that attacked him were using it, that meant they were just as likely to come back and use it again. So it was time to set some bait.
“Okay everyone. First thing first. Malcolm, let’s check out your car trade site. I’m going to slip in, so we can send the fake car trade out. I’ll be making sure our guys see it.” I grinned.
I smiled ferally as I thought about what was going to happen to these fucks.
“Alright. I’ll set up the actual offer since I know what they look like.” Malcolm agreed and Hiromi and Ichi would be working on backing me up.
I settled into my netrunning chair and took a moment to attach all the connections into my netrunning suit, shivering a bit as the coolant pump started sending ice over my skin.
Then I sat back and since I had it. I flipped the netgoggles over my eyes.
I didn’t really need them, but they were cool.
Then in a blink I was in the net. The entire digital world set out before me.
“Okay seriously Motoko. You need to set up a lobby.” I whispered to myself looking over the blank pillar that I stood on.
But I shook it off and stepped off and into the web.
Unlike when heading to Yoko’s I didn’t have the direct IP. So I had to actually look for the website. I walked along neon lights. The road nonexistent below me. In some places, bad connections. Or old wiring, caused the world to flicker or turn to static, and of course the figures that I walked past were mostly inhuman figures. Daemons, for search engines and things that normal people use.
This world was something I had only touched on the most shallow ends of.
I would have to explore down here more sometime.
But for now I followed along the lines towards the website. Using a Search Engine to basically create a path for me to reach the server I was looking for.
When I got there I had to roll my eyes.
So much spam.
The entire outside of the server was covered in Spam Daemons.
Little goblin creatures that would attack any Daemon or access request and try to flood them with their carried spam.
The first one that tried to attack me was melted with my [HELL FLAME Anh. 2.132] Hack. Watching the Daemon melt into digital sludge along with its spam funnily sent the rest of the pack hiding away.
It took me a moment to realize this was something their creator must have come up with.
No one wanted days of work on their Daemons to be removed because they annoyed a netrunner after all.
So they must have been programmed to ignore anyone that managed to destroy one of them. I would have left it at that but…
*250 XP Gained.*
I grinned and flames burst into my hands as I activated my ICE to slow the Daemons down, keeping the programs from being able to escape into the net as I cut them all down.
1,500 XP wasn’t something I was just going to ignore.
I walked into the server ignoring the flaming chunks of Daemon I left behind.
I stepped into the chipper bright lights of the Server.
It was kinda badly designed though. Instead of the white room having multiple exits to other sections of the server. It was like they hadn’t realized they could section off things and just plopped everything into this one room.
I bet this server lagged like hell when it was in use.
The different sections of the server were set up like… Stands? No, it was more complete than that. As if someone had just taken a massive room and just plopped square rooms in different places.
At least it told me something important.
If this place did have netrunner security. I wasn’t fucking worried.
I walked up to one of the rooms that had admin login on the door. It didn’t take me long to get the door breached open and let me in.
I wrinkled my nose.
“Fuckin Spaghetti code.” I grumbled aloud as I took in the mess of wires leading to different control options.
Definitely not a netrunner because any netrunner worth their salt would see this fucking mess of admin tools and just burn it all to the ground and start fresh.
I spent more time finding the user information than I did breaking into the admin side of the server.
Finally I was able to pull up Malcolms info from this side and find his request looking for a Rayfield Caliburn.
I spent a minute just arguing with myself about wanting to hit Malcolm after.
This site wasn’t a reliable car trade site. Malcolm you fucking gonk. You just searched car traders or something and found a random site didn’t you?
Regardless I was able to see the contact, the one that had confirmed they had what Malcolm was looking for.
Pulling up “NCAutoRepairRC” From the message he had sent Malcolm I noticed something pretty quick.
Assholes had been doing this for a while. About twenty different messages just like the one Malcolm had gotten were sent out from the profile. All confirmed the car they had on hand with pictures that looked normal.
Only the fact I was able to see all of them clued me into the fact they were all taken from all over the city and likely either something they had just noticed on the side of the street and snapped a picture of, or stolen from somewhere else.
Irritated at such a stupid scam, I dug in. They had actually been active a few times since Malcolms shooting. Although they certainly hadn’t sent out anything.
*Okay guys I’m in the site. Go ahead and upload that car trade.* I called out to the team as I settled in to get this crappy site to do what I needed.
A moment later a new advert was added into the sea of requests and trades.
Within a few moments I added a bit of code into the request.
Next time NCAutoRepairRC logged in, they would see the request we just added in right near the top of the new page. No matter how long it took, whether it was tomorrow, or a week from now, our advert would show up as if it was pretty new.
Okay I pulled out walking out of the server and back into the open electronic city. The bait was set. Now we just had to wait for a bite.
----
A/N
Had someone mention a playlist for all the songs Motoko writes/plays. So I made Motoko's Music Box!
Seras
Well-known member
She did! BUT she hadn't actually SEEN the BD before. This is after she actually saw it and is a Biiiit more concerned.