Ghost in the City

Stats decided for now, it was time to make some calls, and get some contacts. Information was crucial if I was going to send a message to the Scavs.

First I sent a text to Regina.

*Motoko: Been a while. Looking for any information on Scav locations. I’ll do any gigs that require clearing out Scavs for free as well.*

I didn’t get a response back instantly so I moved on. Considering what I was going to do, I sent a text to Wakako.

*Motoko: Going to be reaching out to more Fixers for more Scav deets. Don’t get mad!*

Good. Wakako can’t get mad now! Definitely! I definitely wasn’t going to get a weird shit assignment from her the next time I reached out…

Definitely.

Okay time to call a choom.

*Hello?*

*Oh sure Hermanita, what’s up?*

*Scavs attacked me and my brother at home. We’re fine, but I’m not taking it sitting down. I’m hoping you might put me in touch with Padre? I’m doing gigs that involve Scav hunting for free right now, and paying for any additional Scav dens he might know about as well.*

*Whoa whoa, hold up now Hermanita. You got attacked at home? Shit! You should have called me. You need a safe place to crash?*

*Jun has TC connections, so we have a few of their thugs hanging around keeping an eye on the place. But I’m looking to just remove the problem if I can.*

*Ah little choom, that’s not gonna happen. There are thousands of Scavs in Night City. If not more.*

*Well I cleared up half a hundred last night, so I think I’m making a good push for it already.* I said bluntly. Jackie was cool, but I was kinda sick of everyone treating me like a teenager.

Okay Hiromi. I get it. Maybe having a rep does come with some side benefits too.

*Jesus Hermanita.. Really?*

*Yeah Jackie. My brother Jun was running around with his group of killers and wiping out dens too. So Night City lost a lot of scum last night. But I’m not done. They attacked me in my home Jackie. So can you help me out?*

*Alright. Yeah I’ll reach out to Padre. He’ll want a face to face.*

*That’s fine Jackie. I’m doing prep for tonight anyways.*

*You need another shooter? I’ll watch your back if you-*

*No. Jackie. This is for me. Thanks though. If I ever run into some trouble or something, I’ll call you. But this is me working through the many angry emotions that being attacked at home has given me.*

*Heh, well can’t say I don’t understand that. You’re good Motoko, Solid. Even V thinks so. But don’t go thinking that makes you invincible. Be careful. Walk away if you have to.*

*I will Jackie. I don’t intend to get flatlined by these scum. Listen, I need to go. Let me know what you hear from Padre?*

*I’ll call him right away Hermanita.*

*Thanks Jack.* We hung up not long after and I sighed relieved.

Then I got a text.

*Wakako: I expected you would reach out for more. Just remember who your fixer is when this is all said and done. And don’t be a fool. Be careful who you take gigs from.*

I couldn’t help but snort. Statement of prescience. A threat. And a warning to be careful. Wakako had such a funny attitude to everything.

*Motoko I won’t forget, and I’ll be careful. Thanks Wakako.*

—--

I headed out not long after.

Stopped for a moment as I walked through the lobby as the flirt smiled and stood up when I walked by.

“Motoko! Hey. Going out? Need anything? We’re here to make sure nothing happens after all!”

“I’m good, thanks.” I said blowing past him. Since I was planning on buying some ammo, I called for my Quadra and not my Kusanagi.

“You sure! We all know how to shoot. I’m not bad! It’s always good to have someone watching your back yeah?” Flirt offered and I did my best to ignore him as I stopped to grab some lunch from my favorite Meat stick guy.

The old man gave me a stilted smile, mostly because of the thug looking over my shoulder.

Why was he taller than me? This was bullshit. I should cut off his fucking legs for being taller than me. Idiots are always taller than me! Wasn’t he asian!? He should be short!

Fuck I was asian too. Dammit.

“Thanks. Keep the change.” I told the old man as I grabbed my food and since I was getting used to all this future tech my Quadra was already pulling out of the garage and parking on the street nearby.

“Really Motoko, Fujimura-sama gave us this gig to watch you and your brothers back! You should rely on us- wait!” He called out, but I was already sliding into the car.

Not dealing with that right now.

I stopped at the gun store I had originally bought the holsters for my guns at. Picked up as much ammo for my Burya as I could.

It wasn’t exactly a common cartridge, and even with only the four round magazines I had been running low. With a new box I was topped up for a good while.

“Not everyday I see a kid using a monster like that. You be careful kid, that thing can break chrome just as easily as bone if you aren’t careful.” The owner offered as he pushed the ammo box across through the slow in the bullet proof glass at me.

“Been using the Burya for a while now. I know how to handle them.” I reply without any heat. This guy didn’t know me. I wasn’t going to get angry at someone just worrying about a kid running around with a wrist breaker.

I paid for my ammo and headed home to drop off the extra.

—--

I blew past the kids in the lobby, rushing up the stairs with my arms full of my ammo. I was going to really prepare for tonight.

Jun was right, getting shot sucked, and a lucky shot could hurt. So I was going to armor up.

The armored Section 9 suit was a good starting point. I know Night City gonks found wearing ‘too much’ armor on the streets was something to be made fun of for. What was it… Doughboy? Yeah Doughboy or Doughgirl if you were caught wearing too much protection.

But I didn’t care. I was here to murder a lot of people, and while going out in my normal outfit was comfy. There were times I should prepare for actual fucking war.

I slipped into my room, Jun still sleeping. I put on the armored pants and adjusted my boots. Slapped the longer sleeved coat over my leotard. But that was only half done. Going around the couch I grabbed my piece of equipment.

The Kang Tao armor had been painted to match my colors, and in less bright orange. I hadn’t done much to adjust it to my size fully yet, but it was still good enough.

I threw on the main chest rig. Securing it with deft hands as it tightened down more than enough to work.

A few minutes of adjusting my holsters to give me ease of access, and finally my Netgogs over my face to complete the outfit.

I checked myself out in a mirror.

Honestly the style might be different, but I certainly looked like the Major in some of her Black Ops outfits. It soothed me in a way. Even if I wasn’t just in my leotard and cosplay outfit. I still looked like Motoko. I still looked like me.

I stopped to check in on Jun. He was still asleep. Good. I would have some time to get shit done before he woke up then.

I headed out. Taking the stairs and walking past the thugs watching the door. Ignoring the way they startled when they saw me.

Just because I was armored up, and holding my Copperhead, clipped to my new vest.

The flirt didn’t follow me this time as I walked right past him. My Quadra was already waiting for me on the street outside the apartment.

I slipped in. Jackie had already pulled through. I had gotten an invite. Time to go see Padre.

I had received a message from Jackie telling me where to go. It was just surprising that Padre had agreed so quickly, and where I was going. I guess Jackie was pretty well known about the Heywood boys.

The location according to my map was a basketball court down in Heywood.

It didn’t take me long to drive through the city, and even less time to find the right spot. It was the graffiti that clued me in.

A giant picture of Padre on the wall was kind of a clue. There was a ton of it. Pictures on the walls of the building all covered in Christian iconography, or just Padre in some way. His name, his face.

Weird, but hey I live in a place covered in graffiti tigers so…

I had to drive down the road a ways to find a place to park, but unfortunately I stopped then realizing I had fucked up a little.

Everyone walking by, or hanging out around the area were wearing normal clothes.

I was very much not.

I was wearing a cyber soldier's outfit. Armor and weapons galore.

Dammit. It would be so embarrassing to have everyone thinking I’m coming to attack Padre. Or if they think I’m a doughgirl…

My resolve firmed. I had a plan.

—--

Padre AKA Sebastian Ibarra

Sebastian clapped quietly as another basket was made. The boys were having a good game today. The two teams competing against each other were friends. So there was no worry of bloodshed, or violence.

A rare thing indeed.

He checked the time in his agent for a moment. Jackie had reached out to him, a rare thing indeed. The boy was too independent, too set on his path. Yet the respect remained. Sebastian remembered when the boy decided to leave the Tino’s. Another rare thing.

But Jackie was so well liked, there wasn’t much trouble over it.

But he had agreed to meet this little tiger that Jackie had fallen in with. Mostly out of respect for her help saving Jackie during the gig the boy had fallen into.

Kang-Tao was still pushing into his territory in anger at losing the data. Unfortunately as most things, it had passed through his hands quickly, and straight into the hands of their enemies.

So he was no longer a threat. No longer worth spending the resources to kill. Not that it stopped them from sending a few kill teams after him to cause trouble. They just knew it wouldn’t succeed. It was the growling of an injured wolf after all.

But even an injured wolf could kill.

Which is why Sebastian was out and about acting like nothing was threatening him. Still. A tiger coming into the lair of the wolves of Heywood was always a dangerous thing.

Sebastian had of course pulled up the information he had on the girl. It wasn’t much, although some words to a netrunner he knew that sent him data gave him a fuller view.

A dangerous young girl indeed. Jackie had told him that she had destroyed an AV. Disabled an entire squad of Kang-Tao. And yet it was still difficult to believe.

But Sebastian was not a man who disbelieved what the information he had confirmed was true told him.

A dangerous tiger wanted to meet him, and he knew why. Wakako had been difficult as always, but she answered the question he wanted to know.

A Scav hunt. It wasn’t the first time some angry young killer had come up to him wanting all the information on Scavs.

It wouldn’t be the last. The Scavs were rats, but like all rats, when you corner them, they become vicious things, full of teeth.

This girl would learn as all young ones did.

Or die.

A noise came from behind him.

Directly behind him.

Directly behind him where no one had been. He was sure of it. Only a single row of the old bleachers he was sitting on, and a brick wall.

He always sat here. To ensure his back was protected.

A faux cough. As if someone was trying to get his attention.

He turned, standing behind him was a woman. Arms resting back on the guard rail at the top of the bleachers standing casually and trying to not seem like she was threatening him.

“The fuck-Padre!” Miguel his guard reacted, having done the same thing Padre himself had. It was only his hand rising up to calm Miguel that kept a firefight from breaking out.

Unfortunately the shout of his guard had caused a disruption to the festivities.

“Please calm yourselves. Just a planned meeting.” He called out to a few of the ‘Tino that were around him, they too reached for guns before slowly calming down.

“Sorry about this. I was trying to avoid notice.” She muttered, with a sigh and Padre realized why Wakako had described the woman as odd.

It wasn’t everyday Padre was reminded how easy it would be for a true assassin to remove him.

Impressive.

“Think nothing of it, child. You are Motoko?”

“Ah yeah sorry forgot about the gogs.” She said reaching up and pulling the tech gogs upwards showing off her very youthful face. Jackie had told him that the girl was young.

He had almost forgotten what with having someone actually appear behind him without warning.

“Motoko Kusanagi. Thank you for meeting me, Padre.” She introduced herself politely and he nodded, waving her forward to sit beside him for one, and so he wouldn’t have to twist his neck so much to look at her.

She slipped into the seat next to him adjusting the rifle she had strapped to her chest with an unconscious motion before her hands ignored it.

He had seen killers who could barely stop touching their weapon. It was a habit of young killers too nervous to stop adjusting the weight of a weapon, and old killers who were twitchy too ready to defend themselves.

It was rare he found a killer capable of being utterly calm.

Jackie? Where did you find this one?

“How can I help you?” He asked instead his eyes mostly returned to the game, although he never truly stopped watching her out of the corner of his eyes.

“Any information on Scavs you have, or can get. I’ll pay in eddies or work.”

“Yes Jackie said as much. You realize it’s a fool's errand? If wiping out the Scavs could be done. Someone would have before.”

“If you have an infestation you don’t kill a few of them and call it done. You don’t stop until everyone is dead, never to return.” She replied with a casual shrug. “They started it. Which is actually true.” She added quietly as if she had forgotten that for a moment.

“Then I will give you the information. Heywood Scavs have no function in our community. They take and steal and offer nothing back. But I will not assist you further. This war you are starting on, will only cause trouble if I move further.”

“That’s fine. Just the location of them is enough for me. And I don’t care if no one joins me, or if everyone rises up against them. I just want them dead.”

“I think it will be closer to the former than the later child.” He offered, almost wanting to laugh at the idea of the city actually acting to remove the Scavs.

Even when he was younger the city couldn’t work together to remove any of the truly vile gangs.

Sometimes they died, but it was usually the act of a single gang, or a few working in concert to remove them utterly.

The damned clowns for instance. Padre whispered a prayer to the almighty that the Bozos no longer haunted the streets of Night City.

“It’s my personal Crusade Padre.” She added suddenly as she rose up. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes. I won’t stop trying to remove them. I don’t think I can.”

“Take the wisdom learned from the crusades then child. Rarely do they end well for those involved.” He answered and she gave him a nod at that. “Very well. I will offer you a few locations I would like cleaned up. If you still wish to know more afterwards. We can talk price.”

He sent her the file he had on a few Scav locations here in Heywood. Perhaps he would send her a few gigs as well if she succeeded. She certainly showed her competency to him today.

Wakako had been holding out on him, he decided.

“See you around then Padre.” She said and disappeared into a leap that launched her to the second floor. The apartments had small overhangs, and she easily reached the second floor, and then with a leap and then another she disappeared over the building faster than Padre could have moved that distance on the ground.

“Padre? Do we do anything about her?”

“No, Miguel. She is not a threat to us. Some children will do whatever task is set before them. Some make their own. That young woman has created her own crusade. There is no point in getting involved.” He waved his man down and returned to the game.

An interesting child indeed. He would have to put together a meeting with young Jackie sometime.

—--

“Nailed it.” I told myself as I slipped into the Quadra to drive off.

I had slipped up the building next to my car and then managed to reach Padre with absolutely no one knowing. I had accidentally startled him a bit by landing behind him on the bleachers, but at least no one would think I was a dough girl!

I opened the file he had sent and felt a smirk crossing my face. Padre had certainly come in clutch. There were a few different locations, that he had some Scav information, and a few rumors put together pointing to some potential spots.

Looking out the window I glared. It was still the middle of the day. It was easier to hunt them during the night, but they also could be hunting themselves.

I shrugged. I had pretty good armor. A full magazine. And a location full of soon to be dead men.

My Quadra started up with a rumble and I was gone.

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