The Cult of the Machine most graciously welcomes Blank to its most honored and revered ranks, and assures the rest of the menials that this ascension was achieved through many years of effort and dedication, and definitely 100% not bribery I pinky promise.
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Michael 'Magos' Sobronov
The AV shook violently as I got to work, easily ignoring the increasingly delirious Yorinobu Arasaka's curses as the meds began kicking in and rapidly knocked him out.
He was lucky he didn't end up concussed or else this entire process would have been a lot more awkward for him.
The terrorists grew increasingly persistent as I worked, at first drawing more droids to shoot our ascending craft and then following up with suicide crashes with flying police drones. Unfortunately for them the AV we were in was a luxury model, and so came with both armoring and turrets that quickly took care of such attempts.
"He is stable now." I announced after four minutes of work, my hands not having shaken once "Make sure to keep him hydrated and don't move him around too much."
"Hai." One of the ninjas inclined her head.
"What happened to your medic?" I asked, instinctively turning to V.
The tired Counterintel agent rubbed her closed eyes but before she could answer the looming butcher in the room spoke up in a deep and unmistakably amused rumble.
"First one they went after when they realized they couldn't get the kid. Been a while since the meat was thiscompetent."
Many members of the guard detail bristled in outrage. Whether due to the disrespect aimed at the patient or the seeming lack of care I frankly did not bother guessing.
"Well so long as you are having fun I guess." I deadpanned and got an agreeable huff for my trouble, my tension deflating despite damn well knowing better "Where are we headed now?"
V's eyes flashed as she read something and after a moment of consideration on her face she answered "The Ligurian sea. We need to get to international waters before the EEC starts throwing blame around."
"I doubt whatever happened is enough for them to start shit with Arasaka." I noted.
She held her immediate response back and just said "Better safe than sorry."
'Best if I don't know. Got it.' I decided "True enough. Where do we go next?"
"Quick stop at Morocco for resupply and then straight back to NC." She says "The less time we spend outside of friendly territory the bet-"
[Digital assault detected.]
The Arasaka ninja currently jacked into the nearby wall port went to open his mouth but all he managed was a silent scream before his eyes quite literally burned out of his head and he fell over like a stringless puppet.
I was already moving before the man finished hitting the floor, ripping him out of the mainframe before jacking in myself. I was beyond done with these gonks, and I'd burn as many of them alive as I'd need to to drive the point.
The Butterfly
She felt her frustration dip briefly as she ripped through the sole Arasaka goon guarding the retreating AV's netspace, only for it to return tenfold as the entire mainframe glitched and flickered, her previously overwhelming attack stopping in its tracks before it was flung back faster than she could even begin to react.
She had to abandon her furious second attempt as mere seconds after the other netrunner connected she was discovered and targeted by a small sea of daemons she couldn't even begin to identify.
It wasn't enough to bring her down, or even get close to it, but with each passing second the AV got further and further away, weakening her connection while her opponent would remain unbothered.
'You aren't getting away that easily.' She grit her teeth, hesitating only momentarily before making the choice.
Pulling at the central police station server bank under her control, she ripped the constant command protocol upload from thousands of droids, uncaring for the fact they'd go berserk with the sudden lack of directive, and redirecting the servers' considerable processing power into bringing the damned AV down.
For a brief moment, her jury rigged assault broke through the lines of odd humanoid daemons, reaching the AV's engine controls and sending a thrill of triumph through her mind.
Before something she couldn't even begin to identify shifted on the net, and the constant backdrop of the Blackwall became far less distant, the sudden mental pressure of the AI wall distracting her long enough that when she turned back all she saw from the previously open and vulnerable netspace was an impenetrable data fortress, sprung up from seemingly nowhere.
And in front of that fortress hovered an unfamiliar ICON, a faceless red robed cyborg with glaring red eyes that felt deliberately unnerving, accompanied by a comparatively tiny metal hound, whom he was currently lightly scratching between the 'ears'.
Knowing she'd already missed her shot, Schmetterling sighed and stopped her assault, materializing her own butterfly themed ICON 'near' the other netrunner.
Might as well try to gather what information she could.
[You are the neutral that took down Militech.] She sent [Why protect Arasaka?]
The cowled figure somehow managed to convey looking at her like she was the stupidest person in the world despite not moving or shifting whatsoever [Because you just tried crashing us, you gonk.]
'Gonk. Night City slang.' She caught quickly [A mercenary then?]
[Yes.] The other netrunner confirmed uncaringly [And one you caught up in your bullshit.]
Her response was just as uncaring [It was more than worth the sacrifice.]
[I'm sure believing that makes it easier for you to sleep at night.]
[How quaint.] She typed out [I've not been moralized at by a corpo dog before.]
The odd daemon near the merc netrunner let out a rather lifelike bark at that but she ignored it.
[And I've just about had it listening to a random zealot prattle. Are you done with your pathetic attempts at taking us down or should we keep posturing? Your little probes are cute but let's be real this is a waste of both of our times.]
Each word served to fuel her irritation more and she regretted her message the moment she sent it [You're just lucky I'm tired.]
The complete lack of retort accompanied by a blank stare was worse than any response he could have given her.
[Whatever. Run away with your tail between your legs.] She typed out furiously, and then rather impulsively added [And if you ever get tired of selling yourself for corporate scraps, seek us out.]
The mercenary almost seemed confused for a moment before his relaxed stare shifted into a glare [Die in a fire Euro-cuck.]
As he spoke the same odd shift in the net from before happened again and Schmetterling finally fully looked at the oddly lifelike dog daemon.
Its far too intelligent eyes met hers, and it barked.
She disconnected immediately, feeling a flash of heat in the back of her neck as the lower half of her face began to twitch in pain, and her left eye refused to close no matter how much she tried to make it happen.
For a moment she dared hope that would be it, but then the emergency disconnect feedback caught up to her and she was left curled and screaming, whatever victory she might have felt completely forgotten as all she knew was pain.
Michael 'Magos' Sobronov
'Hope the bitch takes her time burning alive.' I thought as I disconnected.
Logos doesn't wait a second in ruining the fantasy [Unlikely. The scale of attack and the success implies advanced equipment and support infrastructure.]
"I know." I mutter and look the re-purposed rec room over.
Smasher and the Arasaka were gone, alongside four out of seven of the cyber ninjas, while everyone else remained here.
"Anything happen while I was jacked in?" I spoke up.
Kimigawa blinks, only now realizing I was back "The shakes stopped a few minutes back. You got the bastards?"
"As much as I could on the defensive." I said, knowing it wasn't what she wanted to hear.
Her face scrunched up, but I knew she wasn't about to start blaming me, and was just still stuck processing.
For all her complaining, she and Sharpe had gone on dozens of missions together, and she had definitely gotten used to his constant presence. No matter how much she'd claim otherwise he was a close friend, and then he died just like that.
I know I'd already be spiraling if I was in her place.
But the sad truth was that despite having considerable professional respect for Sharpe, and feeling some responsibility for my own failings in his death, we were simply not that close.
And so I decided to do what I can and stood up, patted her shoulder, and tossed the passed out Eurodyne over my own "Let's get him nice and locked into his room so you can get some rest, hm?"
Kimigawa briefly looked like she wanted to protest but then slowly nodded and muttered a "Thanks."
I waved an equally tired V a 'later.' as we left and I spent the next fifteen or so minutes making sure that Kerry didn't accidentally OD while he was trying to escape the reality of the situation through the magic of premium drugs, and then another fifteen reassuring the small group of artists (and fat manager) we rescued that they were (probably) going to be let go whenever we got to our destination.
Their unease naturally came from the fact they'd been herded into a separate room and told to sit and wait by a pair of shot up cyber ninjas, having earned no freedom of movement privileges by way of convenient skillsets like we had.
Even then, the Arasaka goons were following my every move as I stepped out of Eurodyne's room, one of them having taken up the self appointed duty of sending me a scan of Yorinobu's status every five minutes just in case something went wrong mid transit.
I'd almost appreciate the dedication, if not for the constant suspicion that most of them would prefer me either dead now that my job was done, or with my biopod shackled to the company so I was no longer an outsider they owed their jobs and lives to.
Because all of us knew for a fact that everyone except Smasher would have been beyond fucked if they returned without Yorinobu still in the land of the living.
Something told me things were going to be unpleasant for them as is.
After the fact instructions from 'Saka's Night City headquarters meant we didn't end up even fully landing in Morocco, merely pausing for a quick refuel before the AV took right back off with thrusters at full power.
I preferred it that way, as the less time spent around these people the better. Their constant ogling was understandable, yes, but I was getting sick and tired of it after all of the day's stress and so as we were midway across the Atlantic and the first rest shift was done, I decided to make good use of my company contact and promptly shoved V between myself and them.
The Corpo
[Relax Tengu, we are already out of the fire.] She just barely kept her eye from twitching as she reassured the Arasaka operative.
[Your trust in the outsider is... naive, Price-san.] The man sent back but did back off.
"Finally got them off our backs?" M spoke up as the man left hearing range.
Valerie just sunk her face into her hands "Yeah... Would that I could get them off mine."
"So they are this nosey with everyone?"
"Everyone who gets the attention of one of the Arasaka family members." She mumbled through her hands.
"Con... gratulations?" M tilted his head.
"Thanks, I think." V huffed before sitting fully back up "This whole damn thing has been a mess from start to finish."
"Tell me about it." The borg somehow managed to make metal look exhausted "At least you didn't have to deal with a suicidal manchild for days on end."
"No, I had to deal with a homicidal one." She deadpanned "Want to trade?"
Mike just huffed before turning serious "Thanks for not ratting me out at the first opportunity by the way. I owe you one."
She felt her face twist with something approaching discomfort "Its was a shit situation-"
"And you still tried to cover for me." He cuts her off "I won't forget that."
She furrowed her brows "You sure?"
"Just say the word."
The certainty in his tone left her feeling just a tiny bit awkward.
"By the way." He spoke up after a moment "How did your group get out of the state hall anyway?"
Valerie's eyes turned distant as she remembered the attack, how Yorinobu was making a point of wasting the Militech rep's time while Smasher glared him down, and how in the next moment all of them were getting drowned in bullets and killing each other without rhyme or reason.
The only reason they even made it out of the room was Smasher simply butchering anything that so much as twitched in their direction, but even with a one man army on their side they still only barely managed to punch through the cybernetic envelopment and reach the cars, losing two on the way before the last catastrophic loss nearly cost them both their lives and their dignity.
Hell, she probably owed M more than he did her at this point.
Valerie went to say as much but the knowing stare of the borg made her keep it to herself.
They whiled the hours away talking about random things, interrupted only by the constant status updates from Tengu, and a short scare as they flew over Mexico and a Militech air patrol tried muscling in as their 'escort.'
It only lasted for a tense minute, and V knew that with M's netrunning abilities and the presence of Adam 'Fucking' Smasher, the NUSA idiots wouldn't last a second if they tried shit, but it was still nice to avoid a political shitstorm when possible.
Less than an hour after that potential shitstorm, she and M found themselves looking out of a large window just as Night City came into distant view, just as the sun had started to peek from behind the horizon.
Who knew she'd miss this shithole so much?
Michael 'Magos' Sobronov
The Orbital Air Space Center was an image of chaos when we landed. It had been practically invaded by Arasaka and NCPD forces, up to and including a Trauma Team unit waiting ready with a fully stocked medical AV that proceeded to grab Yorinobu the instant we touched down, going as far as to shove the man's own guards out of the way as they went about doing their jobs.
They were appreciably professional, and immediately requested I inform them of everything I used on their patient, except for the fact they did so while lowkey posturing to threaten me.
Thankfully I was saved from having to deal with terminal idiocy when Smasher stomped over to me and just glared the pair of Trauma Team operatives into scampering off.
"Fucking pussies." He growled and turned to stare me down "Keep your schedule open. The kid will want to talk to you. Or don't. More fun for me that way." And then promptly stomped away.
'Well that's definitely one of the ways to tell me I'm officially on the radar.' I groused to myself 'But I can worry about that later.' Quickly typing away a request for a Delamain, I walked over to where the 'strays' were getting processed just in time to witness Donny get dragged off from a hungover Kerry by an Arasaka soldier while Kimigawa was holding the rocker from trying to choke the man out.
'Well at least he is back to being lively again.' I shook my head and then went to check my notifications for the expected response from Del.
Except I found myself staring at something far too terrifying to disregard.
[Missed calls: 121]
Shit.
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The cult demands your toils once again!
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