Standing at the corner of the street, I watched inside the garage that has been taken over by the sixth street. 'Six street. The only thing Six Street and I agree on is our opinion on Holt.' Hell, it actually really hurt me when I took that job for Muamar, the one where I had to destroy those servers running those holt smear campaigns. Maybe I won't do that one this time. Shelving the thought, I turned towards the silent, glitchy rockstar who was smoking a cigarette while trying a little too hard to look cool. I mean, for whom?! It's not like anyone else can actually see him!
I think he heard my thoughts because he just flicked his cigarette and gave me an annoyed look before asking, 'So what's the plan?' pointing to the garage before us. Thinking about it for a few seconds, I just said, 'Knock hard and fast, and leave chaos in your wake.'
Nodding his head, he said, 'Then I'll just sit back and relax.' and disappeared.
Hacking the camera I quickly saw how many explosive or hackable devices were in the shop…. There were a lot. Taking full advantage of them, I started hacking them one by one whenever someone was within range. One by one, I heard loud explosions and screams from where I was standing outside on the street. In the end, there were two guys left, so I pulled out my shotgun and calmly walked in.
The guys who were alive were just that—alive. Killing them here was a mercy kill. After finishing them off, I looked around and found the car that I was supposed to klep. But only authorized personnel could drive it. Sighing, I made my way towards the office, made an ID, and looked around for any information as to what led to this situation in the first place. It turns out that one of the guys that I just flatlined downstairs was the husband of the woman Estavaz was having an affair with. And when the husband found out, he came and took over the garage. Now I feel a little bad for killing this guy.
Shaking my head and cursing myself a bit, I got in the car and simply drove off. The car was nothing special, if I'm being honest, but just the fact that it is completely untraceable was a big plus.
Reaching the destination I looked around for the mentioned garage, which I found pretty easily. "Here, nice ride," I said as I jumped out of the car. "Six Street will be looking for this beauty." I finished looking at the guy who was sitting on the stairs as if he didn't have a care in the world, but I could tell by his tense shoulders and a bit fidgety eyes that guy was scared, but he was hiding it quite admirably.
"Thanks, and I know I'm leaving NightCity today. And I'll probably pawn this thing along the way." He said this with a smile as he got up and walked towards the car. "It's like Uncle Estevez always used to say: if you have to choose between someone else's ass and a ride, always choose the ride."
"Hmm, smart guy." I threw it behind me as I walked out of the garage. Looking around, I spotted a car, and instead of calling one, I just jacked it.
We were almost downtown when Johnny appeared on the passenger side. 'Well, now we can go and meet Rouge." I said I was relaxing a bit in my seat. 'God knows we have kept her waiting long enough.'
'We?' Johnny asked incredulously, 'You are the one who's got some sort of problem with her.'
'I don't have any problem with her; I'm just having some fun with the elderly.' I said with a small, amused grin.
'Elderly?!'
'How old is she again?'
'Doesn't matter; she can still take on ten of you!' yeah right….. Well… maybe…
'Doubtful.' I murmured
'There's a reason she's the queen of the afterlife V. It doesn't happen by mistake.' To be honest, I can't really disagree with that. I have seen firsthand what she can do, both from Johnny's perspective and my own. 'She's probably the only living legend in this line of work.' Johnny said this after taking a drag of his cigarette. Now that is something I can disagree with.
'There's another, you know'
'Is there?' He asked with raised eyebrows. Humoring me. 'And who might that be?'
'You're sitting in her head, rockerboy.'
'Don't ki-' Whatever he was about to say was cut off by the sound of bullets bouncing off of the car we were in. Instinctively ducking a bit, I looked around us and saw a Maelstrom car on our tail. "For fuck sake!"
Taking out my own gun, I fired two black shots and drove onto the freeway, away from the city. Less of a chance for an innocent bystander to get hurt or for the police to get involved.
Judging by the number of bullets that were bouncing off of this car, I knew that it would not survive for very long. 'I'm jumping out of the car!' I told Johnny, while looking for a safe place, to slow down a bit.
'Are you sure?' I heard his voice. It's actually pretty creepy to hear his voice without a body.
'It's about to explode! Obviously, I'm sure!' I said it one last time before doing a handbrake turn while shooting at the Maelstrom bitches. Once the car came to a stop, I immediately jumped out of it while flinging a grenade towards it. The resulting blast gave me enough time to take cover and get my bearings, but the same goes for these metallic fuckers. Looking around, I saw a camera on the street corner, hacking it. I watched the entire scene from an aerial perspective, which was pretty sweet because now I could see every single hackable object near them.
"Peace, brother, peace!" I shouted from behind the cover and watched them all get confused for just a second, which was all I needed to hack and explode their cars. "A piece of you there, a piece of you here!" I shouted and laughed as I came out of the cover. Looking around, I could see a lot of body parts lying around, detached from their respective bodies. Still, there were a few who were still alive, which was, of course, fixed by a simple bullet through the head.
I was almost about to leave when I heard another groan from behind a car.
Looks like I missed one. Walking towards the source of the noise, I found a live one; in fact, this one was relatively fine. It looks like I shot him while jumping out of the car, or maybe a ricochet hit him.
I was almost considering leaving him alive when he opened his mouth. "You won't leave this place alive, you bitch!! You will pay for what you did to Royce!!"
Rolling my eyes, I simply took control of the car that he was leaning against and drove it over his legs. "You were saying?" I asked once his screams died down a bit, hoping that he would do the smart thing and keep his mouth shut, but of course that wasn't the case. I mean, he was a maelstrom, so I really shouldn't be surprised by it. "You thi-" this time I completely drove over him. "Sorry, what was that?" I asked once he regained his breath again. He was really scraped up now; the signature Maelstrom eye was almost falling out. I wonder if he could even see out of that thing. I almost thought that this was it when the fucker started speaking again. "You just wait and sigh." I just backed up the car on him and said, "You really need to speak up here, dude." I was genuinely hoping he wouldn't But when have I ever gotten what I wanted?
"You won't escape, mal-" This time I just took out my shotgun and blew his head off.
"To be honest, it's better when you don't speak." I murmured, stowing away my gun and calling for my car.
'Don't you think you're getting a touch too sadistic with your kills, V?' I heard Johnny asking me, turning around, and I saw he was leaning against a street light. He really needs to stop sneaking up on me like this.
'It was a maelstrom! Do you really feel any kind of compassion for them?' I asked him incredulously, to which he just gave a disappointed look and said, 'No, but you didn't have to do that either.'
I guess I could understand what he's saying.
I was looking around and waiting for my car to arrive when a voice from right behind me startled me: "You know he's right." Jumping up in fright, I immediately aimed my gun at... Death… sighing I just holstered my gun again and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm always here," he said, crouching down next to the guy I just flatlined. Well....that is a bit of a stretch. More like a roadkill. "Whenever someone dies, I'm the one who takes their soul to the afterlife, and I'm not talking about the bar, but the actual afterlife."
"You weren't there for me."
"Because I had no intention of taking you to the boiler room," he said, standing up with a teasing smile on his face and flourishing his hands around.
"Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you about that, actually." I said that after finally seeing the vigilante rolling in sight, we should probably get the hell out of here. And I guess death reached the same conclusion. "Can we go somewhere? I'm afraid the rozzers are about to crash the party," he asked, looking a little frustrated, while the only thing I could offer him was a look of confusion. "Who?" I asked.
"The Police V"
"Rozzers? Seriously?" I asked, getting in the car, and gestured to him to do the same.
"What? It's what we call them!" he said defensively, following my lead. Shaking my head, I just shifted a gear and slammed on the gas. Distantly, I could hear the sirens singing in the off-key harmony of a manic-depressive choir, and by the time they'd get here, we'd be long gone, and the only thing they'd find were dead maelstroms.
….rozzers "I've never heard that word before." I said, thinking out loud a bit, and my question was answered by Johnny, who was sprawled in the backseat of the car. 'It was used back in the old days. Usually by the English.'
"Johnny is right," Death said, nodding his head in agreement. I really need to call this guy something else.
"I take it that you can see him." I asked, glancing at Johnny in the mirror, who just lit another cigarette like he had no care in the world. Well, to be fair, he doesn't really
"Of course I can see him! I'm the one who sent him; remember." Death exclaimed with a smile on his face before clapping his hands in excitement while asking. "Where are we going, by the way?"
"Lizzies."
"Ah lizzies! I remember the place!" He said, looking out of the window, "I mean, I still go there almost every other month or so. Usually when someone gets too excited from watching a BD, or when someone gets a little too excited and then pays the price by the hands of mox."
He finished just as I parked my car in the parking spot. Getting out, I looked at the sign and gently said, "Apart from El Coyote Cojo, this is the only bar that I like."
"Hmm." Death didn't comment on it; instead, he just focused on a spot on the pavement before turning around and saying, "You know, I was here when it was Elizabeth's time." It took me a second to realize who he was talking about: "She was a good person, but a lousy bartender, if I'm being honest." He said as he was walking towards the bouncers standing at the entrance, and judging by the looks on their faces, they heard him too.
Sighing, I just nodded my head in greeting and said, "Hey, Rita."
"Hey there, dollface." She, like usual, just gave a very cool reply....just a simple greeting that she always gave me....standing there with her studded bat and-
'Your crush is showing V' Johnny said it from beside me, snapping me out of my daydreams. Blushing, I just exclaimed, 'fuckoff, Johnny!'
Judging by the looks I was getting from death and two bouncers, the blush on my face was a little too noticeable. Damn, I really have to do something about this. I mean, what would happen when I'll meet Aurora again?!
Shaking the thought, I just cleared my throat and looked at Rita expectantly, who, of course, just smirked at me and then turned towards death. "If you know about Lizzie, then I assume you know about rules too. But just to make sure, no toch-" She was in the middle of the usual speech that first-timers get when death cut her off with a dismissive wave and said, "I can assure you, my dear, I have absolutely no interest in any of the girls in there. I'm just here to have a drink with my friend here," he said with a smile, waving his arms towards me.
"Is that right?" Rita asked, turning towards me, to which I just shrugged and said, "Don't worry, he's my responsibility." and began dragging death in.
"Your responsibility?! Let me tell you something, young lady! "Shushing him, I just continued dragging him in while waving at the mox standing behind the counter. "It's fine; let's just go inside."
Sulking, he followed me, but that immediately changed the moment we entered the bar; he went from being an angry child to an excited kid on Christmas. Smiling in amusement, I just dragged him to the bar and greeted the man behind the counter. "Hey Mateo." who, in return, just straightened up with a smile and, with a nod, greeted me. "Hey V, what can I get you and your friend?"
Before I could even think of something, death jumped in with an excited "Something strong, but sweet!" snickering at his antics, I just shook my head and turned to Mateo. "Just a glass of real water, please." Nodding, he turned towards the shelf while Death raised his eyes and asked, "Not drinking?"
"You saw the shit I was in a few seconds ago." I said, shaking my head, "I almost always have to keep my head clear."
"You know? I don't envy your life at all."
"If it was easy, then everyone would do it." I said that and watched as Mateo placed my drink in front of me.
"I guess that's one way to see it," he said thoughtfully before taking a sip of his drink. I watched as his eyes lit up in delight, and suddenly he took a big gulp and almost finished all of it. "So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked, gesturing to Mateo for a refill.
Shaking my head in amusement, I just leaned back in my seat and asked, "Johnny said that you were planning this before I even died."
Nodding his head, he replied, "Oh yes! I started planning this whole thing ever since that son of a bitch took over his own son's body!" he exclaimed, lightly smacking the counter. Alarmed, I looked around us to see if anyone heard this idiot, but to my surprise, no one was looking at us. "Oh, don't worry, no one will hear us." Death said as Mateo gave him his refill and immediately turned around.
Right, a fucking eldritch entity. Shaking the thought away, I again asked, "But how did you know that I would agree to do this?"
"Oh, I didn't!" He said it with a startled laugh. "I hoped, but I also thought of some contingencies."
"Like?"
"like sending Yorinobu Arasaka back." That would be a horrible idea. "Or someone of your caliber, but usually people like you are the kind of people that I don't feel comfortable giving extra time to, if I'm being honest."
Damn, that was almost sweet. "I almost feel honored. Almost"
"Anyways! You managed to save one! And with minimum damage too!" he said. He did not exclaim while waving his hands around, but something about his wording really rubbed me the wrong way.
"Stop saying it like that. It's like you're describing an object, not a person." I said it with a small frown. In return, all I got from him was a confused head tilt. I just leaned back and watched him try to piece together what the problem was, and a few seconds later he understood what I was trying to say, I guess. "I guess I can understand that." shrugging his shoulders, he said, "From my position, all of you start to look like... I don't know how to describe it, but humans are definitely not important to me."
"You're a deity who's responsible for us! We should be important to you." I exclaimed, looking at him incredulously.
"I mean, my job is to just pluck them off this earth after their demise." He said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture, "If you want compassion, then go to someone else. Like God."
That short circuited my Brian for a quick sec: "God is real too?"
"Yup. a sadistic little bitch, but they are real too."
Damn, I have absolutely no idea why I'm so surprised at that, but it is still shocking to hear that.
"Who's older between you two?" I asked after a few seconds.
"Who knows?" he said, shrugging his shoulders with a small smile. "We're both so old that none of us can remember. But in the end, I will reap them too."
...what??
'Really? You reap god?' Johnny asked from where he was lying on the counter, but now even he was interested.
Turning towards him, death just gave him a very chilly smile and said, "Oh yes, Johnny, one day, God will die, and I will have to be the one to reap them."
"And what'll happen next?"
"You don't need to worry about that," he said in a dismissive way, before continuing, "this world will be long gone before that happens."
"Well, that's morbid." I was a little disturbed as I watched him finish his drink. To be completely honest, it shouldn't be this surprising. I'm sitting beside the grim reaper, so god must be real too, but it does raise a few questions. Number one, what about other entities, like angels and devils, or fate?? Are those real too? If so, then what about fuckin' free will?
Before I could go down this rabbit hole any more, I was distracted by a voice behind me: "Hey V."
Turning around, I saw Judy, who looked like she just came from her den. "Hey, Judy." I was greeted with a smile and a small wave of my own. Slipping into the seat beside me, she just gestured to Mateo and turned towards me before sparing a quick glance towards death. "Who's your friend?" she asked, nodding towards him. I was just thinking of the best way to explain the presence of the fucking grim reaper when he cut me in the middle with a "Scratch, Mr. . scratch my dear." in what he thought was a charming tone, but seriously?? Scratch?? "Seriously?! Mr. scratch?!" I asked, doubling down on the counter in laughter. On the other side of the counter, Johnny was laughing with me, which was causing me to laugh even harder.
Looking at us, death just pouted like a child. "What? It was cool."
"Sure it was." I said, still snickering, trying to control my laughs.
Giving us an amused look, Judy asked, "Soo. Am I disturbing you both?" while taking a can of Nicola from the counter.
I was about to say something when death once again cut me off again and said, "Oh no, I was just leaving; these are on me," while petting... no more like thumping me on the back, "I'll see you around," and with that, he casually walked away, while cheerfully waving at the people in the bar on his way out.
"Interesting guy," Judy said with an amused huff. She had no idea that scrawny fucker was more powerful than Adam Smasher in his prime, which was pretty evident by the way he just gave me a few pats on my back, but to me, it felt like someone was punching me with all their strength. Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I just turned back to the counter and gently said, "He's my client."
"Mercenary work?"
"Yup," I said, nodding my head, before turning towards her and asking, "Anyways, how's Evelyn?"
"She's... okay, still a bit shaken up, but doing better every day." That is probably the best I could've hoped for. "You should go and see her some day; she's still staying at my house."
"I just might." I said it with a gentle smile. It would be good to see Evelyn again.
"Listen, V., I was thinking about something," Judy said, pulling me out of my thoughts. And my first thoughts were, "FUCK!" SHE IS GOING TO TRY AND TAKE OVER THE FUCKING CLOUDS AGAIN!!"
"Really?" I asked with as much of a straight face as I could manage. Inside, I was trying to think of ways I could either dissuade her from going down this road or ways to actually win this time. I have to say that the first option looks really good right now, but I know for a fact that Judy will never go for it.
"Yeah, but it'll take time." Well, more time for me to actually come up with another plan to actually make this work. "I actually have a different favor to ask you." she said, turning towards me.
"Okay?" I asked, a little intrigued. As far as I know, I never got a job from her.
"This is not just from me; this is from the mox." Well, I never got one from Mox either, actually.
Nodding, I just said, "Go ahead," and I leaned back a bit.
"We want you to flatline someone," she said without any hesitation. Clearly, Judy doesn't know how to actually talk about these things, because no one in their right mind would just say that they want someone to kill someone, and that too is so fuckin' loud. Quickly, I looked around to see if anyone was either hearing us or was close enough to accidentally hear us, but it looks like no one is paying any attention, except for Mateo, who also quickly turned away. Nodding, I put my hand on Judy's shoulder, pulled her a little close, and gently said, "Judy, for these kinds of things, you need to go through fixers first."
It looks like she got my message because she also replied in a hushed voice, "We did! We contacted Regina Jones this morning."
"Really." I asked, trying to remember if Regina ever gave me a job from Mox before, but I just came up blank; maybe someone else did it, but anyway, I just nodded and said, "Then I'll talk to her about this. And if it is in my power, then you can be assured that you guys won't see the light of tomorrow's day."
"Alright, okay." convinced, she nodded and leaned back in her chair.
Thinking the conversation was over, I went to stand up as I said, "See you around, Judy," but I was pulled back down by her again "Wait V!" I really had to control myself here, because anyone else in her position would've been moaning on the ground with a broken arm. Taking a deep breath, I looked at her and sat back again.
"Just one request." She said with a nervous look,
"Yeah?"
Leaning close, she looked around for a sec before whispering, "Give him a public execution. Please."
Okay… That is not something you hear every day; usually the contractors want everything to be hush-hush, and some even pay extra for the stealth kill, so obviously this raises some serious questions, but I know for a fact that this request doesn't come from the mox; it came from Judy. So I asked, "Does this person deserve it?"
And I watched as her face turned from nervousness to one of pure hatred and anger. "He deserves the worst than that, V."
Looking at her for a few seconds, I nodded and said, "Consider it done," before standing up. With a quick pat on her shoulder, I walked out of the bar towards my car. Getting in the car, I stepped on the gas and started making my way towards the northside. Regina usually deals there, so the target must be somewhere there too.
Once I was on the open road, I dialed Regina, leaned back in the seat, and waited for her to pick up, which she did a few seconds later. "Regina, how's the biz?"
"As good as it can be," she said, a little distracted by something. After a few seconds, she just muttered something under her breath before giving me her full attention. "Now don't get me wrong, I love to talk to you, but is there something I can do for you?"
"Yeah, I just left Lizzies and talked to some mox there. And they offered me a job."
"Did they now?" she asked in a cold voice. It was no secret that fixers hate it when the client try to go above a fixer's head regarding a job, especially when they were already middlemen in the equation, so I quickly backtracked and said, "They also said that they contacted you about it."
Nodding, she just sighed and said, "Yeah, they did, and believe me, it is a good one. I would've put up one myself in a few weeks."
"It's not always that a fixer gets involved like this." I said, tilting my head in confusion, "Who is this guy?" I asked, looking out of the window; it was almost eight or nine, the perfect time for a hit.
"Jotaro Shobo." Regina said it in a sort of intense tone, probably expecting me to give her some sort of reaction, but if I'm being completely honest, I've never heard of this guy. "Shobo? I think I've heard of that name somewhere."
Blinking in confusion, she just stared at me for a few seconds before saying, "If Night City had a contest for the most rotten-to-the-core piece of human garbage, Jotaro Shobo would stand a pretty decent chance of winning."
"Seriously?" Now I'm wondering how I've never heard of this guy. Oh, I don't know, because that sounds like almost every other night city resident out there? What exactly makes this guy so special??
Looking at my confused face, Regina began, "Jotaro is a high-ranking Tyger Claws ganger who, thanks to his intelligence, loyalty, and ruthlessness, quickly made his way up the pecking order. He rules his lackeys with an iron fist and is never late with his cut for the bosses, who repay him with protection and turn a blind eye to his various 'hobbies'."
"Hobbies?" I don't like the emphasis on words like that.
"One of them includes recording braindances, and anyone who's played them calls him the devil of Kabuki."
"That's not ominous at all." or cliche, if I'm being honest,
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you haven't heard of this guy before." Regina said a couple of seconds later, shaking her head in wonder, to which I just said "Yeah-yeah." with a dismissive wave before asking, "Now where would I find this devil of yours?"
"in Kabuki's Ho-Oh club"
"Alright," I said, nodding. I was about to hang up when I remembered Judy's request and asked. "By the way, One of the mox's requests was to give this guy a public execution."
"I'm not surprised." Regina said with a simple shoulder shrug, "If you can, then do it." Okay, now this is really bizarre; usually Regina insists on a silent job.
"Does he really deserve it?" I asked incredulously. Who exactly is this Jotaro character that everyone wants his blood so badly, and if he's as bad as these guys say, then why have I never heard about him??
"Yes," Regina said with a determined nod, to which I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "Alright. You'll receive the news of a road kill then."
"Appreciate V." Nodding, I was about to hang up when Regina quickly said, "And remember! The club will be heavily protected by tygers, so take care."
"Thanks for the warning," I told her with a smile and hung up. Taking a deep breath, I checked this ho-oh club on the net and turned my car towards it. It was not a long drive; to be honest, I was almost in the neighborhood when I ended the call, so it was a pretty short ride there.
Reaching the destination, I parked my car and got out of it. Looking around the place for a second, it was a pretty ordinary place. Shaking my head, I made my way towards the club, if Regina was right, then a guy as high up as Shobo would mean added security, locked doors, and a lot of thugs with itchy fingers. Nothing I haven't dealt with before.
I walked straight in, playing it Bogart like I've done a hundred times before, and grabbed a seat.
"Hey," the bartender greeted me before coming towards me. Looking around, I gestured to him to come closer and asked him, "Hey, I was told that I can get some BD's here." clearing my throat, I lowered my voice before saying "some particular kind of BD's."
Looking at me for a second, the bartender just laughed loudly before saying, "Then you heard right, we got everything you can ever want. And I mean neuron-firing types of things." in a very jolly tone, not caring who might hear us. But looking around, I could see that even if people heard us, they wouldn't really object if the look on the customers and the guards was anything to go by.
"And... how rough can they get?" I asked, and in return I got a very enthusiastic "Honey, let's just say that none of the participants ever leave alive!" well….. It looks like Judy and Regina were both onto something. Oh well, it's not everyday that I get to empty an entire fucking nightclub by myself. I'm gonna enjoy this.
Activating my cyberdeck, I scanned the guy and asked, "Really?" While sifting through the quick hacks I had in my arsenal before landing on the perfect one and uploading it, after which I took out two flashbangs and got them ready.
"Yup! Grade A stuff!" he exclaimed before leaning on the counter and continuing, "People from all over the world- What the fuck?!" He didn't get very far before straightening up and pulling out a gun and pointing it against his head. "Hey! I'm hacked! I'm ha-" was all he could shout before blowing his own brains out. I love the suicide quick hack.
I was just admiring the kill and getting ready for the next part when guards came running towards me and exclaiming, "What the hell was that?!" One of them turned towards me and started shouting, "You!! It was you, wasn't it?" attracting everyone's attention. Every single guard pointed their guns at me before I could even blink.
Smiling, I just sang "Caught me." before throwing the grenades in their direction. "消灯!!" I shouted before taking out a power shotgun. Mowing down these fuckers was easier than I could've expected, but the main problem came from the fact that there were so many of them! "How many of you fuckers are here!" I shouted as I made my way towards the next corner. Another problem with this place was that it was so bloody confusing! I was just trying to find a way up when a metal door behind me slammed open and a guy rushed out, firing at me with unity while shouting, "You won't leave this place alive!". Thank God my armor held up against the small caliber; otherwise, it would've been a little embarrassing. Annoyed a bit at the pain, I turned towards the guy who was a little too close to me than I was anticipating, punching him in the face. I took out a frag grenade and stuffed it in his mouth before pushing him down the stairs and watched him tumble down. Before he could get his bearings back, the grenade in his mouth blew up, taking everyone in the range with him. Hmmm, he reminded me a bit of Bozo, if I'm being honest.
Walking through the metal door, I continued upstairs and was almost about to turn a corner when the wall near my head exploded. "Fuck me!" I exclaimed and backed away from the room a bit. Uploading a ping into a nearby electronic item, I saw that there was just one guy inside, standing with a shotgun.
"Do you have any idea who you're fucking with!?" He shouted as he fired another shot, and this one ricocheted towards me a bit. Dodging that, I took out a flash bang and began cooking it "We're the tyger claws! We wi-" Before he could continue, I threw the nade in and heard a loud bang before bursting into the room with my gun trained on the guy. I saw that he was a bit disoriented but still very conscious of his actions. Without wasting a second, I uploaded a knockout quick hack and took cover. Just as he got ready and raised his gun, his body violently twitched and sparked before he was out cold.
"Why do you all feel the need to do fuckin' monologue?" I asked rhetorically, panting a bit, before looking around the, frankly, very clean apartment. Apart from all the blood and dead bodies!! "Holy fuck" was the only thing I could manage seeing a body on the stretcher; I mean, the girl was completely mutilated. Looking around once again, I saw that there was a computer. I quickly made my way to it and checked the mail and files on it.
'This scum really deserves it' Johnny whispered with a seething rage as he looked over my shoulder.
"Now I get why they wanted a public execution." I said as I straightened up and holstered my guns, "One that I'll be happy to provide now."
'And how are you planning to get him in public?' Johnny asked as I made my way towards Shobo. Without saying anything to Johnny, I just scanned Shobo and got all the information I needed: "Body armor, loads of it." I whispered as I bent down to pick him up, while saying, "He'll live through the damage."
'What damage?' Johnny asked, looking at me curiously with a cigarette in his hand. Without saying anything, I just tightened my grip on Shobo before throwing him out of the window and watching as he roughly landed on the street below. 'That... is surprisingly creative.' Johnny murmured, looking a little impressed. I just gave him a dismissive wave before saying, "If you think that's creative, then I'll tell you about how I improved Netwatch's security someday."
'You worked for Netwatch?' He asked with curiosity, to which I just said, "Next time."
Waking out of the club, I saw that there were a few people who were looking at the place with barely disguised curiosity and a little bit of fear, especially when they saw Shobo land in the middle of the road, who was still moaning and groaning in pain. Walking up to him, I kicked him in the stomach, "Still alive, mother fucker!?" I shouted to gain his attention and watched as his eyes got wide. Within a second, he got up and hobbled away from me as fast as he could, which admittedly wasn't much.
"How long and where will you run?" I asked, slipping out my monowire from my wrist. His rough painting and very bright white suit were attracting a lot of attention from almost everyone. Good.
Flinging the mono wire towards him, I wrapped it around his legs before yanking it as hard as I could, making him fall on his face. "Please! Let me go!" He shouted in fear and desperation, begging for his life as I walked towards him. Somewhere in the background, I heard the crescendo of the police sirens, mixed with the murmuring of the crowd. It was almost as if the city was screaming after me, "What? I thought this was your favorite thing!" I asked again, laughing as I uploaded an overheating quick hack.
I watched Shobo wither in pain as he ran out of fight in the middle of the street, with people watching us, and steam boiling out of the sewer grates like all the fires of hell were burning high beneath us.
There was no glory in this; the good and the just were like gold dust in this city. I had no illusions. I was not one of them. I was no hero. but dealing with crooks like this does bring a smile to my face.
"No! No please! I will get you anything—power, money! Whatever you want!" He was still begging for his life when he should've been saying his goodbyes. He was just trying to buy more sand for his hourglass. I wasn't selling any.
Flinging the wire once more, I wrapped it around his neck and pulled it towards me while kicking his face in the opposite direction. I watched with satisfaction as his head ripped apart from his body and went flying in the crowd, spewing blood everywhere.
Looking at the crowd one more time, I retracted the wire back into my wrist, and without sparing the body a single glance, I lit it on fire and called my car.
It was parked pretty close, so it got here pretty fast. After cleaning my shoes, I got in and got out of there before the cops got anywhere near there.
After a couple of minutes of silence, Johnny finally appeared in that passenger seat and kicked up his feet on the dashboard. 'This'll do wonders for your image,' he said, lighting a cigarette.
"I didn't even think about that, if I'm being honest," I murmured as I rested my elbow on the window and leaned back a bit.
'But the tygers will be on your ass now.'
"Let them come."