Ghost in the City

Was it weird that the strangest part about waking up with Hiromi gripped around my waist was that we were in a bed and not on an old couch.

“Unfamiliar ceiling.” I mumbled looking at the white plastic of the beds roof section, this being one of the weird all in one Cyberpunk beds rather than the couch or my old bed at the apartment.

I blinked as I realized I hadn’t set myself an eight hours like usual, but something had actually woken up, and it wasn’t Hiromi’s snorting snores in my ear.

“Ah. The Rockerboy is at it again.” I mumbled. The faint rumble of bass coming through the walls had woken me up.

After a bit of wiggling I managed to work my way free of Hiromi’s death grip, getting her attached to a pillow instead as I got up and stretched.

I hadn’t done the insta sleep so I was actually a little drowsy still. I grunted quickly as I stretched out my back.

Quietly I padded out to the living room and noticed Jun’s boots were by the door. I guess… Okay that was slightly useful in quickly determining when my gonk brother was home or not.

He must have come in pretty late. I hadn’t even heard him…

Okay, I was going to put some of my own security up. The old apartment had been small enough that if anyone entered I would notice even if I was asleep, but now if I was in my room. I might not notice at all.

It was full of XXL Burritos.

Full.

“Time to canon ball a fucking gonk.” I determined and headed to his room. His door swished open and I saw that Jun was passed out in a mess of blankets.

Jun was a messy sleeper.

He was about to become a whole lot messier as I prepped myself with a few stretches and then I leapt.

Elbow dropping onto him.

Gently. I didn't really want to hurt him.

The loud “Oof.” That burst out of him meant I had achieved my goal.

But Motoko was no fool! I had learned from my previous mistakes!

I instantly got up and delta’ed.

The angry Oni roared and rushed after me, struggling to free himself from his blanket bindings. I easily made it to the living room before him and I only had a moment to decide a strategy. ꭆаΝȎΒȧ

Couch? Not deep enough to hide.

Kitchen? Too full of Burritos.

My room? Obvious choice Also full of potential weakness with Hiromi. She would likely help Jun just because. Or Jun would use her as a hostage. Neither were acceptable.

The roar of the Oni behind me urged me on. I leapt across the room rolling and turning to see him rumble out of his room, red eyes bloodshot and angry.

“MOTOKO!” He roared, as he charged.

Unfortunately for him. I was a Ninja.

I charged back, leaping just in time to miss his grasping hands, and planting a foot right onto the top of his head letting me get just a bit more distance away as he spun in rage to catch me.

“Too slow! Nyayaya!” I taunted wiggling my tongue at him. The Oni raged and chased, but there was one benefit of our bigger apartment.

It had a higher ceiling.

I was able to continue to leap away as he chased, planting my foot right on top of his head as many times as I could until finally I tired out the beast.

Not that I wasn’t worn out as well.

“How… About a… Peace talk?” I offered breathing heavily as I rested against the wall near the couches. Jun was over by the kitchen where I had just left him once again face resting against the fridge.

“Motoko! Why!?”

“Why? You need to ask me that you gonk!? Open the fucking fridge!”

“What’s wrong with the fridge!” He demanded back opening it and looking around, seemingly making sure his burritos were still there. “Looks fine to me!”

“You fucking moron! You filled OUR fridge full of your stupid Burritos! You can’t even eat that many before they go bad you gonk!”

“XXL Burritos are good for three months, Motoko. You should know that.” He replied in a tone saying I was the moron for not knowing and accepting this as fact.

“Oh my god, how often have you eaten three month old Burritos!?”

“What?”

“I think I’m gonna be sick!” I mumbled at the idea. They already tasted awful, what would old XXL burritos taste like?

Of course that was my mistake. I took my eyes off the Oni.

A moment later two impossible to budge arms wrapped around my chest and held me tight against him.

“Caught you.”

“Yeah but you’re the one that eats those things. So I think I’m still the winner.” I told him.

Jun didn’t like that.

Jun will remember that.

“Hey. What are you doing?” I demanded as Jun started moving. “Jun? Hey Jun! Hiromi! My Brother has gone Cyberpsycho! Look at the fridge!” I demanded to Hiromi who we must have woken up as she was blinking sleepily at the fact Jun was carrying me across the apartment.

Then he took me into the bathroom.

“Hey! He-ey! Jun! Don’t you Da-Eeeee!” I squealed as Jun carried me right into the shower and hip checked the shower controls.

Jun didn’t seem to mind the freezing cold water as he held me right into the blast for a long while as I struggled to free myself.

—--

“You okay?”

“F-f-f-fi-n-ne!” I chattered at Hiromi as she rubbed a towel around my shoulders. Jun was a madman!

He stepped out of his room rubbing a towel over his own hair and looking like he had won a million bucks.

The grin on his face was something I swore to remove in the most annoying fashion possible.

“Y-o-ou kno-w-w th-this m-means war!” I snarled at him but Jun had won the battle despite my surgical initial strike.

“You okay Hiromi? We didn’t wake you too early with the roughhousing did we?” Jun asked and to my irritation Hiromi giggled.

“No Problem Jun! I got an interesting show out of it after all.” Jun just smirked at her, as he headed into the kitchen and to my disgust grabbed a burrito for breakfast.

“You want one?”

“N-NEVER!” I chattered but Hiromi shrugged and accepted breakfast. I couldn’t even look at her after.

That burrito probably gave her super cancer! Ignore the fact I’ve eaten them from time to time in the past! That was the past!

“What XXL burrito Corpo has you in their Pocket Jun-nii? Just tell me and I’ll make them disappear! We can buy you some new tastebuds!” I begged him but instead of answering he just chucked one of the burritos at my head, and I was too cold to dodge.

I glared at him as the burrito thankfully didn’t splatter across my face but definitely crumpled against me deforming around my face.

“That’s disgusting Jun.”

“Eat your breakfast you brat.”

—--

The doorbell rang not long after. Hiromi was already gone, needing to go to school today, and Jun was just eating his second XXL burrito of the day.

Disgusting.

I quickly put my laptop to the side. A slight push with my feet put me into a handstand on the back of the couch and then I was back on my feet and walking towards the door, room for doing cool gymnastic stuff was, I would admit another small benefit of the new place “I’ll get it!” I called to Jun who didn’t look like he was making any attempt to get the door anyways.

Jerk.

I for once wasn’t actually armed. Even I didn’t sleep with my gun holsters on me, but I had done some of the basic prepwork last night. Right next to the door was my Carnage shotgun, which I prepped with my left arm, gun pointing downwards but ready and opened the door with my right hand.

As soon as I saw who it was, I was tempted to raise the shotgun up. But Jun would get angry.

“Fujimura.”

“Kusanagi.” He greeted me in turn, to my surprise he was alone. Probably the first time I had ever seen him somewhere without at least one or two of the Kamikaze at his back.

“Fujimura-sama! Come in!” Jun said as he had stood up quickly. Probably realizing I had no intention of actually inviting the guy inside.

I didn’t grumble, but I thought about it real hard as I stepped away and put my Carnage back against the wall for next time.

He stepped in and walked over to Jun.

“Junichirou. How are you settling in?”

“Very well Sir! The apartment is perfect for us. Thank you again.” Jun replied, even offering a little bow.

“Good. If you have any problems you know I am down the hall.” He said and then took a seat on the couch.

But before I could get annoyed at him just sitting down as he liked, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Wait, you live here too?”

“I own this entire floor.” He stated simply. Hmm. He was kinda a dick, but I couldn’t deny that it fit. He could fill the floor with people that would protect him and offer them homes all at the same time.

Fujimura struck me as the kinda guy that would do one thing with multiple benefits.

“Kusanagi. Sit.” He demanded and I realized that he was talking to me.

Instantly my hackles rose up. I was going to give him exactly what I thought about him ordering me around in my own ‘home’ but I noticed Jun looking at me with a stupid pleading puppy dog face.

“Fine.”

I settled onto the couch. “What do you want Fujimura?”

“Your rudeness during the meeting you barged into has been noted. Kusanagi.” He said to me and I just ran an eyebrow up at him. Like I care? He seemed completely unbothered by my lack of reaction.

“Word was put out among our connections for information on who exactly was involved with the assault on your home. The Scavs that attacked you assaulted you with their entire group. They are gone. That should be the end of that problem.” He offered and I could see Jun relax with a sigh.

“Wait, why would that be the end? If the Scavs are willing to attack us once why not do it again. We obviously pissed them off… I pissed them off.” I acknowledged my own responsibility in this.

“You are young, and lack the understanding of why Scavs still exist in this city.” Fujimura replied back instantly. Then seemed to realize that Jun was looking to him wanting to better understand the situation as well. So the older man let out a faint breath that could be a sigh and continued. “You think of them like the Tyger Claws. Or perhaps the Maelstrom. That is incorrect. There is no leader of the Scavs. There are hundreds.”

“Right. They are fragmented to make sure if one group gets wiped out it doesn’t hit the rest, but that-”

“Incorrect. They are fragmented because many of the groups you call Scavs have no relation to each other at all, never have, and never will.”

“But then how do they work together? They all wear similar things! Act the same, hell most of them I’ve run into speak russian!”

“Many Russian immigrants find their ability to earn eddies in Night City difficult. So they group with like minded men and become another nest of rats. Similar to others but with no true connection between them.”

“Copy cats… You are telling me every group of Scav is just a copycat of the idea? They…”

“Not all. The Russian Bratva started the concept of the Scav in Night City many years ago, but since then? Yes. Even many who are born within Night City will call themselves Scavs. Will speak Russian even if they are not a native speaker.”

It struck me then.

I knew this. I knew what this was. The fact struck me like a fist.

It almost made me dizzy at just what I was dealing with. “Stand Alone Complex.” I whispered aloud.

Multiple people with no association, all working towards a common goal, copying a criminal.

That Scavs weren’t a gang with a leader I could murder and be done with it. They were the dispossessed looking to make eddies, and copying something scary to protect themselves. Putting on a mask to easily describe themselves…

“Hmm?” Fujimura prompted, hearing my whispered words.

“Nothing. Just an explanation that I wasn’t expecting. How do you kill a group that pops up without any central control? A completely random group of people all committing horrible crimes?”

“You don’t. You send out the exterminators from time to time to clear out the infestations and then move on.” Fujimura said, and I couldn’t help but look up because, the way he said it.

That wasn’t an irritating old man explaining things to a kid.

It was… Gentle. Or as gentle as a man like Fujimura could ever do.

“Let it go Kusanagi. Kill them when you find them. Exterminate them when you can. But don’t dedicate your life to something that will never end.”

“That’s stupid. Even if it's a Stand Alone Complex. There are ways to fight back! I just have to make the idea of Scavs so toxic that no one will ever use it again.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized it, but the truth of them made me nod. “I’ve already started a way to do it. I kill them and every time I do, I send out a BD. I can show the city. Over and over. That being a Scav will just get you killed. Quicky. Brutally.”

Fujimura didn’t speak for a while, just watching me with a flat face.

“I told you most Scavs are without leadership, but don’t think that means all of them are. The Bratva will not ignore you. They will destroy you swiftly, and without compromise.”

I had nothing to say to that. Bombing. Snipers. An actually competent kill squad.

I wasn’t invincible, and worse yet, my chooms were either.

Why was this so hard?

“Of course that is only if you continue to work as you have been. Alone. The Claws make it a point to remove Scavs from our territory whenever we find them. This is something the Bratva is already aware of, and they do not often settle in our territory for this reason. You’re path to be an edgerunner won’t bring you what you desire.”

I met his eyes and had to admit.

He was right.

If I tried to do this like a Night City Edgerunner. I would end up dead. My chooms would die, and likely everything would go to shit.

If I tried to join the gangs, my path would be different, but I would just be a disposable tool.

If I joined a corp, that’s just another flavor of gang.

I knew all the paths that someone in Night City could take. I knew the downward spirals they all inevitably fell into…

Could I avoid the same trap?

I stood up and just walked back to my room. I didn’t want to deal with Fujimura anymore. I had things to consider.

—--

I ended up taking a nap. Eight hours passed in a blink, but in the end it made me feel better. It made me feel more in control.

I walked out into the living room to an empty apartment. Jun obviously was at work or out, and I just didn’t want to deal with the quiet. I turned on the TV and ignored the stupid shows, but at least it created some noise.

The couch didn’t make much noise as I flopped on it. Not like our old one that squeaked, or poofed out air depending on where you landed.

Was it weird that despite this apartment feeling closest to something from my last life, that it now felt foreign?

The apartment had carpet. My feet tapped out an arpeggio as I thought.

I think I had to stop for a while. Too much had changed all at once, and between the Kamikaze and my own actions we had done a pretty good job of wiping out a whole lot of Scavs.

There would always be more.

Well there would be more until I killed them all and salt and ashed the very idea of being a Scav in Night City.

But until then. I needed to slow down. For my own sake.

Besides, I could use the time to gather more Scav den info.

No. I stood up then as I realized what I was doing. Obsession was something I had always had a… Well I wouldn’t call it an issue exactly. But it could be. And right now it was.

We were safe. The Scavs wouldn’t have any idea where we lived, and we had protection. I would do some work on the security today, and then… Then I would stop thinking about Scavs for a few days. Minimum.

I reached over and grabbed my Guitar. I wasn’t good with sitting and doing nothing. So I would just make music for a while instead.

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