Ghost in the City

V

V sighed grimacing at the feeling of her insides swirling and shifting. Fucking BioMon was doing it’s best to keep her stress down, but Jackie just had to call at the worst fuckin’ time.

Jenkins was going to kill her when he found out she wasn’t following up on the new Militech Prototype Sandy, and instead was out trying to help out a non affiliate.

She exhaled, giving herself a moment to just breathe as the hacking shard downloaded everything it could from the Kang Tao system. Maybe this data would balance things out? It wasn’t like even someone in Counter-Intel got access to a unit database like this.

Fuck that had impressed her. A fourteen year old kid broke through Kang Tao security, without even jacking in? What the hell had she even done? Probably some netrunner wizard shit.

V shook her head, she never could wrap her head around high level netrunning. Sure she knew how to ping a system, and do some data breaches, but any good ICE would keep her right out.

The shard pinged as the laptop suddenly froze and shut down.

“Looks like they finally noticed.” She grabbed the shard out of the laptop and tucked it away. Patting it for a bit of comfort. Please be enough for Jenkins.

“Alright Jackie I’m good, you took care of that boo boo?” She demanded as she walked out, of the little warehouse backroom. Noticing that the kid was gone. Good. She hadn’t liked that smirk the kid had sent her. Brats like that always wanted to poke their nose into shit.

“I’m bandaged up, C’mon V don’t baby me. Where’s Motoko?”

“Don’t know, told her to split.”

“V! Motoko’s a good shooter. Hell girl is sneaky as shit. We could have used her.”

“I don’t bring along people I don’t know, Jack. Besides, she’s just a kid. I don’t want some street brat getting in the way.” Jackie sent her a look telling her he was about to argue, but she sent him a glare instead and he backed down. Instead the Van started moving. Heading towards their destination.

Good. She was already on borrowed time and didn’t have the desire to deal with any more bullshit from Jackie right now…

No. She shouldn’t think like that. Jackie was a choom, maybe the only one she had. And he had saved her fuckin’ life. He had proven to be trustworthy, the only person in her life that was. She shouldn’t think like that at him.

Her life in Counter-intel was making her twitchy about everyone. She let her implants calm her down even more. She needed a clear head and she relaxed a bit as the rush of chemicals hit her blood.

Quantified Satori was going to harp at her for overuse again.

Dammit.

She put her life coach out of her mind. She had Kang Tao to annihilate. The idea almost got her excited. She had been behind a desk for too long.

“Jackie, you got anything bigger than that peashooter you run with?”

“I don’t need anything but my baby, you know that V!” He practically squawked at her in outrage.

“Jackie for fuck sake. Get a bigger iron! At least a Yukimura if you have to have a damn handgun.” She snapped at him, her Biomon beeping at her about her blood pressure.

Fucking piece of shit, the Biomons job was to control her blood pressure not hers!

“Buy the top of the line Arasaka stuff huh? Can’t take the corp out of the woman eh?” Jackie teased and V just huffed cause he was sort of right, but then the thought hit her.

She shouldn’t have snapped at him. He didn’t deserve that. Even if she had yelled at him so many times about how his low firepower was going to get him killed…

He should get a fucking Overture or something. Brawly fuck!

She took a breath and let it out. She had to say something. She had been quiet for too long. He might think she was actually angry at him. Or he might be angry himself. He wasn’t saying shit. Fuck. C’mon V, you stupid bitch. Say something to break the tension…

“Oh but I don’t like revolvers Chica I always run out of ammo.” She mocks in his voice, literally as she used her chrome to emulate him for a second. Jackie looked to her for a second and then started laughing. Long and loud Jackie broke into near giggles at her. She felt herself relax.. She hadn’t pushed too hard. Hadn’t pissed him off for the last time leaving her alone.

It was okay. She hadn’t messed up the one good relationship she still had.

“We’re here Chica. You ready?” He called suddenly and she realized they were.

“Always.” She rolled her eyes, pulling out her Shingen and linking in. Immediately the reticle followed her eye. Smart system ready. But she also pulled her sidearm. The Kenshin with the big silencer just like she enjoyed. “Just roll up on the entrance. I’ll get us access.” She said knowing Jackie would know what she meant.

They had pulled this maneuver back on the border. Hell it was how they had gotten out of that mess.

“You still using that overdesigned piece of scop? Should get a real pistol. Nue are good.” Jackie teased and V seriously considered beating him over the head with her extremely expensive, Arasaka Handgun.

“It’s still the best handgun on the market!” She hissed quietly at him, as they were getting close.

“Maybe if you want an ugly piece of shit.” He argued practically giggling. Fucker was riling her, but it… Well it felt good. You didn’t have these sorts of conversations with people during an Arasaka Op.

She was either in charge so they shut their fucking mouth and did what she said, or she was being ordered around by Jenkins or someone even higher up, so V kept her mouth shut.

Fuck she missed doing work with Jackie.

She sometimes worked with other mercs, but they were either intimidated by her. The black suited Arasaka enforcer. Like they should be.

Or they were assholes treating her like corpo scum. Jackie might rag on Arasaka, but when he laughed he was laughing with you.

She closed her eyes and opened them. Dropping her emotions a bit more.

It had been a long time since she felt this happy.

As the van pulled up to the checkpoint of the old Kang Tao warehouse, which in reality was just one of their drop off points. One of the few places Arasaka weren’t bullying them like the helpless bitches they were, out of. Kang Tao were so far down the totem pole, they had to operate out of a fucking ‘abandoned’ warehouse for their more black op pickups.

It was time. The Van stopped at the guard entrance, and V was ready. Crawling across Jackies stupid lap. Pistol right up against the glass.

Jackie waited for her nod, and rolled the window down. Letting her send four silenced rounds with unerring aim into the Kang Tao guards face. After a few seconds she matched Jackies growing smile as no alert came out. The Kang Tao vans tinted scan proof windows protecting them from the security even noticing the shots as V shot still within the cab.

“Give me a second to turn the damn turrets and Cameras off.” She said as she peaked out of her side window at a security camera through a tiny gap, her eyes scanning, and she activated the security system Daemon she had.

She had no idea how it worked.

She had no idea what it did exactly. But it turned off cameras and turrets on a network without her having to do anything herself, which was by definition the best Quick Hack she could ever have. One that didn’t need her to sit there and beat her head against ICE.

Fucking puzzles gave her a headache. Sure it was expensive, but being part of Arasaka meant she got the best goodies.

After a few minutes the camera system at the checkpoint powered down as did the turrets.

“Good work Chica.” Jackie offered as he slipped out of the van and nearly crawled into the guards window looking for the switch to open up the dividing bar blocking them.

V snorted at the sight of her big chooms ass shaking around barely held in by his jeans as he struggled to find the right switch. Jackie was practically crawling into the little window.

“Jack. We gotta get you into the gym more choom.” She whispered to him teasing.

“Hey! You know the chica’s love a little- Oh, hold up. Found it!” He grunted a bit as he finally got himself out of the window as the bar rose up and slipped into the truck to drive onto the property.

“Alright Jack, it’s real now. So watch your shots, and your head. Let’s try to get through quiet at first then fast. Maybe we can get in and out before the snipers they probably have set up get us.”

“I remember that plan V. We tried that plan last time. It didn’t go so well Hermana.” Jackie teased, even if he was in game face.

But V couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed even through the biomon dampening everything.

“The garbage chute worked!” She hissed back.

He turned to look at her just as he was about to slide out of the van, having parked in a shadowy corner of the lot where a few other vans were parked out.

Not a good sign, but Jackies look took all of her attention. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.

“Not a word!” She told him with a glare. Sure leaping into a trash chute hadn’t been her greatest plan, but it had worked!

“Heh. You pulled that out of a movie. Still can’t believe we survived. I swear I still got bumps on my ass from the landing.”

“You landed on me.” She reminded him. As they both gathered together at the side of the warehouse checking around to make sure no one was there.

“Yeah, but Hermana, you’re all chrome! You broke my ass!”

“I’ll break your ass alright choom. Now shut up.” She demanded as they moved. Jackie easily fell into lockstep. The two had only been on a few gigs together, but honestly that’s all it took. She knew his tells by now. He knew hers.

And she trusted him.

They went into the warehouse unlike the one they were in a half hour ago it was brightly lit, a few men in Kang Tao uniforms or armor hanging around, all of them helmets off relaxing, joking, and drinking from vending machines or office coffee.

Jackie was behind her. So V was the tip. Jackie would cover up the slack. Helmets off? Stupid mistake.

The Kenshin came up first. She charged the shot letting the capacitors reach their limit before firing the first time, then swiveled perfectly on target, body and aim exactly where she wanted it to land. Robotic.

She used to like firing guns. Had been damn good at it. But the Arasaka chrome used a skill chip integration. It wasn’t as good in all circumstances, but it could load up a set of moves and perform them perfectly in a blur.

For an operative that was too useful to pass up. Not that she had a choice. Everyone got the standard package after all.

Now it was just targeting, and letting the chrome work. Bodies started dropping, but it took a moment before the Kang Tao noticed. A moment longer than they had, because the second one of them did notice her Shingen came up. The reason she used smart weapons. The skill chipped chrome was good, but unable to adapt.

Smart weapons mitigated that factor. She started firing, Jackie right behind her, His Nue covering her back as she waded in, Flowing from cover firing right over it, and sending Kang Tao guards scurrying into the shadows.

It didn’t save them.

She tugged a grenade out of her pocket now that she didn’t need the Kenshin and threw it exactly where it needed to bounce into that particular corner. It activated quietly the GASH Anti-Personnel grenade was her favorite. Instead of big loud explosions you had lasers chopping everyone into bits. Ending another threat.

All was silent for a moment after as she scanned the area, her optics counting the corpses confirming all of the people she had seen were now on the floor confirmed dead.

Seemed so. She didn’t relax, she could have missed one. “Jackie. Confirm we got all of them maybe, find the package they took back from the boys, but we need to get out of here. No way we didn’t set off an alarm.”

Jackie walked off, gun raised as he checked his corners, he might be a reckless street merc, but he was still a merc.

She checked the floor as well as starting from the opposite side.

“Hey V, I found it!” Jackie called out, coming back gun at his side and a big metal case held in hand, a sinister grin on his face. “Gonna fuck these guys for the shit they pulled.” Jackie practically growled. But V was fighting her own urge. Every inch of her Arasaka Counter-Intel training was telling her to neutralize the non-affiliate his usefulness at it’s end and take the case.

She ignored that insanity. Pushing every piece of that thought away.

This was a favor returned. This time Arasaka would just have to buy the info from Padre, like the rest of the world.

Even it if would have been a nice notch in her profile.

She nodded to Jackie no sign of her inner thoughts on her face. Turning around and heading towards the door, it was time to get out of here.

Just as she reached it, her chrome reacted, activating her sandy, which caused the Acrobatics skill shard to force her into a roll towards the nearest cover without any thought from herself. Which meant she vanished just as heavy fire burst through the opened entrance way that would have sprayed her down.

Reinforcements were here. Fuck.

Fuck! That fast? Not possible! This was a fucking drop off spot! Not a hub! Kang Tao couldn’t just keep a full company of troops here! Arasaka, Militech, all of the big players wouldn’t allow it!

Unless this was the team meant to come by and secure the case they were stealing because it might actually be important.

Fuck.

“Jackie?” She asked after her sandy turned off. The sandy cool down had her huffing and puffing as she instantly felt overheated and sick.

“I’m alright V!” He yelled back from behind a support pole. Good. Shit. She peaked and ducked back letting a few rounds bounce off the wall before sticking a hand over the edge of the wall and firing. Her Shingen held the lock for a few seconds and putting some rounds down got her some cover. She leapt, rolling away from the entrance and gaining actual mobility.

“Ideas V?” Jackie asked, having fired a few rounds himself while she moved.

“See any trash chutes?” She demanded and the laugh that escaped him helped a little. Even if it was the realization they were in deep shit.

She peeked again. No lock engaged at her quick glance, they were behind cover now. Armored and carrying heavy weapons.

“Maybe a back entrance?” Jackie called and V shrugged he had been the one to look back there.

“You see any?”

“Nope!”

“Well that’s fucking helpful then isn’t it!?” She snapped at Jackie but he just shrugged and then ducked back, going to see what he could find while V held the entrance.

She just sighed, peaking and firing two rounds to scare a few brave Kang Tao back into cover.

They would hold for a while. At least until they had enough men. Or an AV. Fuck Kang Tao AV would definitely be on it’s way.

“Anything!?” She called out and Jackie’s head peaked out from the back of the warehouse.

“It’s all solid back here!” He replied as he then started moving back towards the entrance slipping cover to cover. Dodging a few ringing shots.

Great.

She peeked out, snapped off a few more shots that might have hit, or not. The Kang Tao armor wasn’t complete garbage. More than capable of saving them from a couple rounds.

“Got any smart ideas Chica?”

“Bum rush them?” She offered sarcastically. It took a moment to realize Jackie didn’t respond back and as she looked over her shoulder the look on his face! He was actually considering it. She reached around and grabbed an old bolt and chucked it at him. “We are not bum rushing them!”

“Owe! Hey I was just considering it. No harm in that right?” He patted his head where she had donked him.

“It’s too bad you guys sent away your backup huh.” A new voice spoke from inside! She spun her Shingen up searching. Where!?

“Motoko?” Jackies voice caused V to only slightly relax what? The kid?

“Sup Jackie.” The voice was suddenly clear and its origin appeared as a hand waved over the edge of the catwalk above them, well out of sight of either of them and from the entrance way. Suddenly a purple head of hair poked over making V realize the girl had been…

Just fucking laying on her back? Directly above her. V realized with a chill. “You want help now?” Then, she was sure just to piss her off there was a crinkle and the girl stuffed a chip in her mouth.

“Hah! You enjoying your break Motoko?”

“Hey don’t blame me for letting you guys have all the fun, I try not to interfere in gigs I’m not invited for. Want some?” She offered the bag of chips to Jackie who despite being in a firefight, seemed to delight in the situation and nodded. The kid rolled it up and tossed it over.

“We aren’t eating right now! What the fuck Jack! What’s the kid doing here!?”

“Don’t know! You followed us Motoko?”

“Technically you followed me. I was there when you got the location, remember? I left first. You old guys are slow. But seriously? You want some help? I accept payment in eddies, and fun adventures.” She said in a teasing tone, and Jackie just started cracking up.

“Hermanita. If you can help us out a bit I’d love it! You have something in mind?”

“Already breached the gonks' defenses. I’ll blind the whole group we mop up and get out of here. They're all talking about an AV coming in to just blow holes in the building until we die. So let’s do it quick fast, alright?”

“Fuck.”

“Fuck.” Jackie and V both uttered together looking at each other and Jackie grinning at the synchronicity of the statement.

“Do it. How long will they be blind?”

“Please. This is my shit.” The girl said, suddenly slipping almost off the edge of the catwalk. Revealing she was actually wearing Kang-Tao Armor. “They’ll never see again.” And with that ominous reveal, the purple haired girl hanging from her knees from the catwalk upside down just turned towards the doors. The open doors that had a full Kang Tao squad outside of.

The squad that she should be in full view of, and she started firing.

“You waiting for me to count down or something chooms?” She asked while still firing, holding a Copperhead of all things. Ugh. A Nokota, and Militech chrome arms? Fuck this girls equipment offended V at every level. Using those shitty corps equipment.

But she put that aside, as Jackie was already moving, running out the door looking to kill the group blocking them from leaving.

So V didn’t hesitate. She followed even if it meant she was about to die. Yet, she didn’t. As she raced out there were no gun shots. The Kang Tao guards were seemingly trying to shoot, but nothing was happening, and none of them were pointing in the right direction anyways.

They were blind.

She charged, fired her Shingen as fast as she could until it was dry and then holstered it.

Then she leapt and her Mantis blades slipped out. For just a moment V actually felt like herself, as she sliced through gonks that needed to die. This was the one piece of chrome that wasn’t controlled by Arasaka chipware, and mandates from the on high, and all sorts of bullshit. Jenkins had okayed her request for them only after she had proven herself reliable.

Now if only she could get Jenkins to allow her to carry her fucking LMG around! Stupid operator pistol bullshit was so fucking boring!

Her poor baby wasn’t ‘Arasaka’ enough for Counter Intel. So she was always stuck with these fucking pea shooters.

But these thoughts were in the back of her head as she ripped and cut through helpless blind Kang Tao guards until the entire blockade at the entrance of their little black site was dead.

It felt good.

Then it was over. And her implants soothed her enjoyment into that morass of just existence.

“Whew! That was pretty lucky hey V?” Jackie asked, smiling in that dopey way as she calmly closed her arms back up. The blood would be cleaned and mess would be cleaned with the internal systems without her input.

“Lucky. Your street kid followed us.” She grumbled then jerked as she turned around and the girl was right there. Seemingly having been checking out her blades.

“I was here first. Technically! Since I found the info and arrived first you followed me.” She said… Teasing. “I like your mantis blades, always thought about getting a set. My Condor were sort of an emergency buy. I know you are going to say something something Arasaka, but what’s your best suggestion for a set?” She asked surprising V but before she could even process Jackie cut in.

“Ladies, before we meet and greet? Let’s get out of here before more Kang Tao show up.” Jackie begged.

“Oh yeah.” The kid said, and then surged away bouncing up and over a Kang Tao Van leaping right over the fence. The sudden movement caused V to jerk a bit nearly trying to shoot at what startled her. She grumbled at the kids sudden moves looking at Jackie for some commiseration.

“That kid…” V started and Jackie chuckled.

“She kind of grew on me too. C’mon. Let’s grab this one and delta.” Jackie said and only V’s desire to not get killed by a combat AV kept her from arguing.

Growing on her? Not even a little!

She shook her head and focused. They still needed to get out of here.

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