Ghost in the City

The Quadra purred as I pulled up to the Ho-oh Club.

I almost preferred Lizzies…

No, I actually don’t. I sighed to myself why did my chooms all want to hang out in sleazy clubs and bars?

Well at least they were BD clubs, and not… Clouds.

As I stepped out Hiromi happily bounced out a moment after as she had been in full energy since we left her apartment. I noticed the damage to the club had been fully repaired, in fact there were now more concrete barricades blocking part of the tunnel entrance to the club.

I guess Shobo or whatever his name is, had done some work increasing the defenses of the club.

As we entered, the place was actually pretty packed. Plenty of Tyger Claws hanging around drinking and having a good time, alongside some civvies.

I guess the gang war ending was spreading around, and now everyone wanted to blow off some steam.

“Is Ichi or Malcolm here yet?” I asked Hiromi and she shrugged looking towards our normal table that was occupied by some random people.

“Let’s check the bar?” I asked, and she was already walking that way as I kept up. The bartender nodded to the two of us, ready to take our orders.

No one cared about serving alcohol to minors in Night City. Especially not a gang hangout like this.

“Hey, we’re looking for Ichi. Has he come in yet?” I asked the bartender but got a shaken head.

“Haven’t seen him girls. You want something to drink?”

“Yeees!” Hiromi instantly jumped and started ordering something extremely alcoholic. I just ordered something fizzy.

“I’ll text him.” I tell her as she is already happily watching her drink be made.

*At Ho-oh.*

Then since I didn’t get an immediate response I settled into the stool at the bar besides Hiromi who was already happily chattering with a few of the Tyger Claws sitting at the bar.

Hiromi is gonna Hiromi I guess.

A few minutes later I got an update from Ichi.

*Ichi: Runnin’ a little late. Malcolm and I had it out a bit. Be there soon.*

I blinked.

“Ichi says he’ll be here soon.” I told Hiromi who turned away from the Tyger Claw guy she was chattering at that was visibly getting irritated at her chatter.

“Preem! Bout time we’ve been here forever already Toko!” Hiromi whined at me, and she purposefully made her voice annoying as she leaned into me.

And that I guess was just enough. The Tyger Claw sitting beside Hiromi that she had been annoying for the last few minutes pounded a fist into the table.

“Will you shut the fuck up you punk! You’ve been blabbering away! Fuckin’ punk brats thinking they are hard shit ruining my buzz!” He snapped, rising up. His buddy on his other side was also standing up.

Which is when I slipped past Hiromi, stepping in front of her.

I didn’t say anything, just making sure that I was between Hiromi and this gonk.

“Hey fuck off yourself then you gonk!” Hiromi instantly replied. I guess her previous scare wasn’t affecting her at the moment. Made sense. This was our club too. She had been going here for a while.

While she and the gonk got into it, I stayed between them. My increased vision took it all in. The two gonks, the Tyger Claws in the club all looking quite ready to jump into a fight. I noticed a few of the old timers, the ones that had been coming here before the war look over, and look like they were going to get involved, only to sit down as the emotions of the club turned against us.

This wasn’t the same club Hiromi and I were used to. The Tyger Claws were more on edge.

I guess the war hadn’t been easy on them.

It wasn’t just Hiromi that was getting looked at angrily. Hiromi wasn’t as decked out as she usually was, a lot of her TC gear left at home. She was almost… Dressing down from her usual. But I wasn’t wearing anything that marked me as Tyger Claw.

I didn’t even have my Katana on me.

This could get dicey.

Diplomacy, or shock and awe? I considered my options. Even as Hiromi kept barking back at the guy, obviously getting pissed at how he was acting like she was an outsider. She was even making fun of the guys dick at this point. Which definitely wasn’t going to calm things down.

This was gonna go bad swiftly. I could see how everyone was reacting. Hiromi was definitely playing with fire.

But fuck them. Hiromi and I weren’t TC, but she had done plenty of jobs with Ichi, who was. And I? Well I did fight with the Kamikaze… Even if I definitely 100% wasn’t one of them! At all!

The first guy grabbed a beer bottle. But not to take a drink. He grabbed it around the top, ready to smash it into what must be in his eyes, a pair of punks.

Eh.

I was no good at diplomacy anyways.

I waited. Just staring. Ready.

And the idiot set me up perfectly.

With one hand still holding the bottle, he reached out and grabbed at the collar of my jacket. Probably trying to throw me to the side so he could smash Hiromi with the bottle.

I looked at his hand holding me up, practically hauling me off my feet. Then back at him.

Then my hands moved.

Street Brawler wasn’t something I used much but I had spent a good chunk of time grinding it. Hadn’t had much need for it, as getting close was only my goal from stealth.

But it was very satisfying when I pulled an Alita.

I had always wanted to do that.

One of my arms gripped his forearm twisting just so as my fingers dug in, weakening his grip and letting me pull in closer.

Putting his neck into reach.

My grip was instant and unrelenting, and then since I now had him by two points it was child's play to shift him. I might not be very heavy, but my Chrome arms gave me plenty of torque.

The bar rocked as I went ahead and doinked his head off the bar. Which unfortunately didn’t break, the noise echoed through the bar.

And then… Well I guess it was time for a bar fight.

His buddy swung at me, but I was a master of improvised weapons!

I stole the beer bottle his buddy had been holding, and ducked his fist. A moment later he had a bottle smash into his face.

Then with a smile of pure happiness on my face, I simply fell into the rhythm.

Because more and more Tyger Claws were coming at me. The fights were perfectly clear. My emotions, despite raging inside, kept completely in check with Cold Blood.

Not that I wasn’t utterly enjoying myself. I always wanted to be in a bar fight.

But I didn’t make it unscathed.

A chair was smashed into me.

I took a few punches from a martial artist Claw.

Some crazy gonk smashed a bottle into my arms which peppered me with little bits of glass.

But as much as they gave, I returned.

Chair gonk was smashed in the face with a flying bottle that I stole from Hiromi as she was standing on the bar cursing everyone one out and to my utter delight was double fisting her middle fingers to the entire room.

Stirring up shit in the middle of an outnumbered bar fight? That was my crazy bitch alright.

Martial artist fucker knew how to fight, and he was even better than me. His longer arms and legs also helped. But he managed to slip in and started beating on me. Cold Blood fully active was the only reason I wasn’t crying out in pain as he managed to slam a few good fists into my face.

But a Martial Artist wasn’t always a good Street Brawler. So when I grabbed a stool, I threw off his assault, and then it was my turn.

“I don’t want no trouble!” I yelled out happily, purposefully playing up the chinese accent, and not sounding at all like that was true. While screaming that out I used the stool to keep catching his fists until I managed to tangle him up just right and smash the flat rim into his nose sending him to the ground.

Bottle guy got his neck grabbed after smashing the bottle on my arms, because he got too close and a flying knee broke his face.

I felt a grin on my face, as I was getting alerts for not just body, but a full level up from Street Brawler!

Street Brawler 6! Just for a bar fight? I would have to do this more often!

But then one of the gonks ruined it.

He pulled iron.

The room went still as the bastard drew his pistol with a japanese shout at me.

Everyone was waiting to see what would happen.

Everything went still, but I wasn’t intimidated. The unkept fucked up rusted piece of shit Lexington wasn’t the piece that was going to flatline me not today, not ever.

So I reached up, put a thumb to my nostril and blew out a glob of blood before speaking. “Careful. I’m armed too.” I warned him as I gently opened my jacket with my left hand showing the Burya in its holster. “Don’t turn this into a gunfight.”

“Bitch! You think you can come in here! Fuck with us!? I’ll sell you on the street as a whore! I’ll turn you into a fuck-”

“Enough.” The voice cut through despite the man yelling and every Tyger Claw in the bar stiffened, as Jotaro walked into the bar proper from the back. “What exactly is happening here?” He demanded looking around, first towards his guy that had his gun out, then towards me.

Listen it wasn’t my fault I was surrounded by groaning Tyger Claw men, they shouldn’t have started it.

“Listen, I don't want no trouble.” I offered despite my own brain telling me to just stay quiet.

But dammit I never got a chance to make such perfect Jackie Chan references before, so I guess my mouth was going to take its chances. It was also pulling into a smirk at the words. Seeing the gunman lowering his weapon, waiting for Jotaro to say something, I took a few steps back and settled against the bar. Hiromi was looking at me in shock from over the bar.

She had totally bailed over at the gunman pulling his pistol. Smart girl.

I threw her a smile and turned back to the boss.

He looked pissed. I flashed him a smile when he turned to look at me.

What can I say? A fight actually put me in a good mood. At least until the dumbass decided to pull a gun. I was still ready to quickdraw my Burya in an instant if he decided to raise that pistol back up.

“Clean this mess up. All of you. Does this look like a fighting pit?” Jotaro demanded and he was definitely pissed, his eyes kept flashing to the non Tyger Claw people that were cowering in the corners trying to avoid getting dragged into a gunfight.

Ah I guess, he wasn’t happy about potentially losing customers over this.

Only after all the Tyger Claws started cleaning things up and returning the club to order did he stalk over towards me.

“And you? Do you think you can walk into my club, and cause such a commotion?” He said only after fully entering my personal space, his voice a hissed whisper.

“Listen choom. This guy decided to start the fight, I’m on the job protecting my client, so this is his fault not mine.” I tell him idly poking my boot at the poor gonk whose face now decorated the bar.

Jotaro’s eyes narrowed. “It is… Kusanagi? Is it not? I remember the face. Do you think that what you have done here will go without punishment? Do you think this sort of disrespect will be tolerated?” The man was pissed. I could see it in his eyes. The hatred and wrath.

“Disrespect?” I questioned coldly, wondering what the hell he was talking about.

“That’s right. My club! This place is under my control, nothing happens here without my permission.” He reaches out and snags my jaw.

And puts himself at about four seconds away from losing the hand. I was gonna start collecting Tyger Claw fuckheads hands if this kept up.

“And I didn’t give you permission to beat my men, to damage my club. I think this will cost y-”

“Motoko! Oh! Shobo-sama!” Ichi suddenly called out as he rushed over having probably seen someone looming over me, but not realizing it was his boss. Malcolm just behind him looked confused at the whole situation.

Funnily enough both boys looked a little ruffled too. Like they had just been in a fight.

Fucking gonks.

“Hey Ichi. Hey Malcolm.” I mumbled out a bit, the gonk still had my chin in his hand.

“Ichinose. You’re choom here, caused a commotion in my club.” Jotaro said, trying to sound calm and collected, but there was an edge to his voice. This guy was crazy, I realized.

Ichi hesitated for a moment as Jotaro looked at him, as if he wasn’t sure what to say.

I didn’t hesitate.

“Perhaps you should remind your people not to pick fights with teenagers then. It might end up embarrassing for them.” I said pointedly. I didn’t like the way Jotaro was looking at me and Hiromi.

It was making my trigger finger itch.

“Motoko! Be polite to Shobo-Sama! You know he is important to the Tyger Claws! Even if you are with the Kamikaze you shouldn’t pick fights.” Ichi suddenly said almost too quickly to be natural.

That was weird.

I wasn’t a member of Kamikaze… I wasn’t! But Ichi knew that. I had told him that last time. And the way he said it, it was like…

“Kamikaze?” Jotaro asked, and he finally let go of my chin. While I was trying to figure out what was going on, Ichi managed to snatch the initiative.

“Indeed Shobo-Sama. Motoko works with the Kamikaze. I saw her assisting them in an assault just a few nights ago. Her brother Jun is also a member. You may have heard of him. They have started calling him the Oni?” Ichi offered loudly, something about the way he was talking…

“Stupid name.” I muttered, my mouth as always free to do as it liked as I thought.

But Jotaro must have heard the name, because suddenly he was standing up straight, and acting affable.

“I see, I see! Then this isn’t just someone causing trouble, but an honored member of the Kamikaze. I see. I will ensure my men learn not to pick fights with our honored warriors.” He said chuckling fakely.

He wasn’t happy though. His eyes never stopped glaring at me, even as he started calling out to everyone to clean everything up, in his own words. “The show is over! Let’s return to celebrating!”

Ichi hovered beside me as I kept my eyes on the man, who was walking around a bit settling things back to normal. Malcolm settled into a stool that he picked up beside the bar, looking to Hiromi who only gave him a shrug.

“Motoko!” Ichi whispered into my ear. “What are you thinking! Do you want to end up flatlined!?”

Ah. I see. Ichi was actually afraid of his boss. He didn’t just not want to piss him off for his job or something.

No, that was real fear. That was why he threw the Kamikaze name around.

“I wasn’t in any danger. If it came down to a gunfight, I would be alright.” I assured him, but I couldn’t help but wonder why he was so afraid. Jotaro was probably one of the least dangerous guys in the club, he didn’t have the movement of a fighter. “What was the deal there? Your boss seemed pretty… Unstable there, and you’re scared of him.” I asked, whispering quietly.

“Shobo-sama is extremely talented in managing businesses, but he has a dangerous reputation for a reason.” Ichi whispered to me.

I turned to look at Hiromi who was still hanging out on the other side of the bar looking a little spooked at the sudden bar brawl turning almost gun fight. I flashed her a smile and a thumbs up, which earned me a whispered “Gonk” in return.

But she did crawl back over the bar and settle into a chair next to Ichi Malcolm and I. Malcolm was doing a great job actually. Despite everything settling down his head was looking around the room, and I could see the way his hand kept close to the pistol hidden in his jacket.

“Doesn’t strike me as the dangerous type… Not exactly a fighter.” I mentioned, Jotaro was soft. He didn’t have any of the muscles, or movement of a fight. I could tell. Every inch of him was the rich man used to sending others to die.

“Shobo-sama can be plenty dangerous. He is very useful to the Tyger Claws. Every business he takes over starts making massive profits… He gets away with a lot because of it.” Ichi answered before he sighed and took a seat at the bar flicking a finger at the bartender who obviously recognized him.

The bartender had returned now that everything had calmed down. The moment the fight started, he had rushed for the back.

Smart guy.

He dropped off a bottle of beer for Ichi, and then started passing a few more to Hiromi and Malcolm. I refused one that he offered me, and instead just ordered another fizzy drink.

My first one was laying on the floor.

Hiromi kind of fussed over me, trying to put a wet cloth up to my nose that had been bleeding a bit, but I was waving her away.

I’d be fine with a shower and a nap.

But then the four of us all sort of become aware of each other.

“It’s been a while since we have all been together.” I mentioned, with a chuckle and my declaration had the whole group sort of relax.

“Yeah no shit! To the four of us!” Hiromi offered, instantly raising up her bottle which the boys hesitated but it was with a resigned air that they brought their bottles up. My can clinked among them.

“It’s been a hell of a time for all of us.” I started realizing what we all needed. “Did you know I got my arms chopped off? It sucked. How about you Hiromi?” I immediately pinned the next target for sharing.

It took her a moment as she was mid swig making her choke a bit as I threw the attention at her.

“Wha-? Motoko!”

“C’mon choom. Share! You’ll feel better after. We’ve all been through some real shit.”

“What? Motoko I… Nothing happened to me!”

“C’mon Hiromi. You told me. How long have we all been friends? I mean. I only remember so much, but we are all chooms.”

“You have to be kidding.” She hissed at me, her eyes shooting from me to Malcolm and Ichi, who were looking on confused. “I’m not telling them!”

“Why not? Chooms are chooms even through the hard times Hiromi. If they don’t respect you… No if they make fun of you, or treat you badly, because of something bad that happened, then at least you know they aren’t your chooms. Better to know, then to find out at a worse time. C’mon everyone… This whole thing, the war? It’s been rough on all of us.”

I looked to Malcolm, then Ichi.

“When I got chipped with these arms, I went totally crazy. All I wanted to do was kill Maelstrom. I was so angry, and hurt, and all I could think about was taking out that pain on the ones that hurt me… but I don’t live for them. I live for me. To have good days. To have bad days. But they are mine.”

I opened my mouth, but I didn’t have anything else to share. I just… I just wanted to share with my friends?

“Fine! Fuckin gonk with your stupid smile!” Hiromi almost roared, drawing some attention but we were far enough away from everyone that no one could overhear as she slammed back the last of the beer chugging it down. “I ran out one night. My ‘rents been keeping me locked up, but I went out anyways to prove how hard I was… I ended up crashing my bike practically pissing my pants, and hiding in the trash… I wasn’t even the one being shot at. But I realized I’m just a poser. Motoko… She already told me to just be me. So there. I’m not brave enough to run out there when shit gets real.”

She immediately looked like she wanted to take another swig of beer but she was empty. I let everyone process what she said. Then before anyone could say anything, I elbowed Ichi.

He looked to me.

Then over my shoulder. To Malcolm.

“I ran trucks. It sucked. People died. I, I caused people to die, because I wasn’t fast enough, or smart enough… It made me cold. Because if I cared? Then I wouldn’t be able to keep doing it. I ended up causing a fight with my best choom because I was… Because I was scared and angry, and lashing out, and… I couldn’t be there for him when he needed me. I… I’m sorry Malcolm. What I said. Really… I wish I had been there for you choom.”

Malcolm had an utterly hilarious expression on his face as it looked like he was holding back tears.

“I went out with my best choom. We were gonna make eddies, prove our rep. But shit got real. Getting shot at? That ain't something anyone is ready for. A guy that was guiding us got flatlined. Died in my arms. I… I tried to get my choom to go to the hospital, to a ripper… But he was already dead, and… Ichi you were right. He was already dead. I knew that. I just couldn’t accept it. I freaked on you when you refused.”

The two chooms were both teary eyed and then suddenly I was pushed aside a bit as two guys hugged it out, back slapping each other and hiding tears.

Adorable.

Once they were settled I had moved over to let them sit together as they knocked back the beers. I decided to break the tension.

“I killed a guy with a knife in my teeth. It was after they cut off my hands. They threw me into this pit and forced me to fight to the death… But I did it with a knife in my teeth. It was preem.” I told them out of nowhere, earning shocked looks from the group.

“Yeah? Well I ran over this Maelstrom borg with the truck, Malcolm was there.”

“Oh yeah! When you did that I was hanging off the back and as we drove by I was flipping the Borg off, and telling him to suck my-”

“That’s so not fair… All I did was trick that gonk Tomaru into loading up an XBD in the middle of class.” She grumbled, but instantly both of the boys were on her.

“Deets!”

“C’mon Hiromi! I want to hear about you burning this corpo gonk!”

“I’m interested as well.” I told her with a smile.

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