A top down view of the round coffee table in the living room slowly spirals as they gather around it... pulling up chairs and settling into the space.
One of the primary culprits that makes such a lawless pit of chaos like Night City so hard to stomach is often two fold: too few ladders out... and the undying lack of cooperation. A cybernetic arms race looms over it's citizens caught in the crossfire... scratching and clawing just for another day above ground. Frantic power grabs conducted by everyone from high-class corporate executives reaching for that last rung on the ladder, down to scop-tier street punks clutching onto their last enny. Factors like force and momentum often lead the charge with malice and treachery at the wheel. Regardless of the players involved... all it takes is one misstep... one miscalculation... a single crack in the tempered glass of your persona's like blood in the water for the sharks. Fleeting trust... the seed catalyst that can uproot and decimate some of the most formidable of entities-
Zaunya, Brian and Audrey sit around the coffee table calmly smoking.
-However... those able to garner trust... strike fear... inspire loyalty... or dare to love; create power. Power that just might keep you breathing a day longer as the scattered remains of any day's events take their toll. In Night City... there's only action. The ones you choose to take can go on to shape the very foundations of the cityscape... etching your mark alongside all those who have come before you. Dead or alive.
"This isn't gonna be your run of the mill smash and grab. Like i said before... guy was well on his way to the top of the corporate foodchain before he stepped on somebody's loafers on the wrong day. That means hes sure to have stray huscle... stray resources." Audrey says as Zaunya and Brian attentively listen. The conversation flows as she continues.
"A choom of mine used to be close with his sister. He let me know that she told him, he'll be staying in heywood across the street from The Coyote in some apartment complex.. top floor... Didn't get the exact one."
Brian picks up after taking a drag. "Its a dense area... A lot of foot traffic. Should be easy enough to blend in... use a simple cover even if we need to. That area of Heywood is usually pretty active so... there's gonna be a lot of eyes combing the streets. Fixers often have as many scopes scanning out there as your average street slinger."
"When they've had a taste of the high life like this one... corpos get comfortable with not being on the streets pretty damn quickly. Flying high above the crowds in their AVs to and from every destination... wearing corpo huscle around like fashionware... handlers making sure they never have to lift a finger. Soon as all that gets stripped away they're left feeling naked... vulnerable... like a Kabuki Joytoy at the TotenTanz." Zaunya adds.
Brian nods in agreement looking over at her. "They stand out."
"Well, by all accounts he's still committed to the high-lifestyle even minus the eds. Apparently hes been restless... regularly hitting bars in the area to rant about the corps while drinking his sorrows away... preachin' what ifs... guys completely gonked." Audrey scoffs
"Then we're better off catching him outside. The closer he is to his nest the safer he becomes." Brian says as Zaunya nods in agreement. He continues.
"You said hes on the outs with his corp... doesn't mean they're not still up his ass. He'll most likely still have have at least some sort of tail from em... making sure he's not saying or doing the wrong things to or with the wrong people. Based on this situation as a whole with the given context... there's no rush. We'll take the time to gather info and pick our moment."
A brief pause in the conversation causes Brian to shift subject.
"Audrey." He says causing her to look over.
"I need a favor... need your eyes and ears on Petrochem while this shit's goin' down. Contact me if you hear anything new about the explosion aftermath. We came back a bit earlier than we probably should've. There's a burned Butte we stashed out in the badlands... and they've got to have several witnesses from Arroyo that had to have seen SOMETHING. Probably lookin' to squeeze an eddie out of em by now... let me know as soon there's any beat."
"You got it." She says in a flat tone... taking another drag of her smoke.
"I mean it. Anything at all. As soon as you hear about it, we need to know... Corps move quick when bloods in the water." Brian says nagging.
"Take me for a fuckin' gonk? Heard you the first time."
"Thanks Audrey.." He says as he stands up. "I'm gonna go sort through some of our gear."
Brian walks to one of the bedrooms... Audrey and Zaunya get up and head out onto the fire escape to finish their cigs.
With their forearms rested on the iron railing of the fire escape, the thick white clouds of smoke whisp in the gentle wind; complimenting the bright, white moon light as they share a silence together... neither wanting to speak first. Its almost as if they know what each other are going to say and are both just waiting for each other to say it.
"You don't have to do thi-"
"Zaunya..." Audrey whispers in a tired tone shaking her head.
"I'm serious Audrey.... Th-This... this isn't your fight-"
"-And what the FUCK do you know about my fight huh!?!?" She shouts under hear breath while quickly turning to face Zaunya catching her off guard... Being sure only the two of them can hear each other.
"You split Zaunya... Who do you think they came to after what you did huh...? Do you- do you think they believed me...?" She says in a lowered tone... squinting her eyes and looking deep into Zaunya's.
Zaunya breaks eye contact as Audrey continues.
"You know and understand their structure and protocols better than anyone... when they find out your hands are on this-"
"-Audrey PLEASE!!" Zaunya says gritting her teeth and pleading.
"There's no going back Zaunya... Whether you want it to be or not-" She stops and glances back gesturing toward the direction Brian is in.
"-This isn't just your fight anymore."
Audrey takes a final drag of her smoke and flicks it over the fire escape... she turns to walk back into the apartment leaving Zaunya at the rail.
She stops in her tracks and looks down with her back toward Zaunya... she pauses... deeply buried emotions clawing back to the surface... she turns to face her.
"....Y-You..... you know what your mom said to me?..... the last time i saw her."
Zaunya quickly turns around and looks at Audrey in her eyes.
Audrey gets choked up... struggling to speak the words as the emotion builds on her face.
"S-She..... she told me to make sure you don't lose yourse-" She cracks as tears begin to run down her face... she rolls her eyes as she wipes them away while gritting her teeth in anger and turning to walk away.
Zaunya turns back toward the fire escape... looking out into the silent, moonlit glow of Night City.
Her breathing grows heavy as a single tear runs down her cheek... she slams her fists down onto the thick iron railing leaving behind a caved in dent... cutting to black.