Neon Cogs: Chapter 4 (Patreon)

When Hiro said they needed to stock up before going on a run, she expected them to raid one of the armories inside the building. She did not expect to be dragged straight into Hiro’s personal workshop. The workshop wasn’t what Rebecca expected to be. It wasn’t some heavily defended room on the top of the tower or a secret room which could only be accessed through a hidden passageway, but rather was some out of the way nondescript room with an equally bland door. She would have missed it even if she knew which floor the room was with how all the doors looked alike. The only difference she found was how ridiculously thick the door was when it slid open. It honestly looked more at home in a bank than for a random room.

“Sorry about the mess, I haven’t cleaned up yet.” Hiro said as he led her inside. She could feel her eyes twitch at the mess she found herself in. It was a small room, barely any bigger than her own apartment but it was stuffed to the gills with all the tools and materials anyone would need in making weapons and chrome and a couple more that she couldn’t figure out the use for.

There were literal rocks, strange black rocks mind you, but there were rocks sitting there on one of the desks. She was confused at that. Even the doll of the weird hooded skull face borg and the black dragon looked reasonable but rocks? She couldn’t guess on what it was for.

“Hiro… remind me one day to drag your ass here and clean up with you.” She replied with a low growl. Yes, Her brother would kill for the chance to have access to half the tools and materials just laying around here but he’d also be as likely to shoot Hiro for not arranging things properly.

“Yeah, hah. Really sorry about this. Just let me find my tools before we go. You can take whatever gun you want from here.” Hiro then said as he headed for a corner hidden behind one of the shelves stock to the brim with more chrome than the shelves of a back alley ripper doc or a techie.

That got her grinning like a loon. Given pretty much free reign to take what she wanted, she looked around trying to find something that suits her. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately to some, there were no guns similar to the one she had on her but there were other guns that caught her attention.

She let out a small gasp in surprise as she found not one, but several Lasguns inside a bin like some cheap gun in a Budget Arms shop. “You have these here!?” She asked excitedly as she fished one out and held it in her arms. She thought she’d never get her hands on one of these. It was a weapon that took Night City and the rest of the world by storm.

Relatively lightweight, extremely durable and quite powerful with a decent rate of fire, few came close to offering what the Arasaka managed to squeeze into the frame of the Lasgun. Sure you could buy an LMG but those were heavy and you can use a lighter rifle but those lack the punch the Lasgun could throw. There was her gun which was strapped to her thigh, but that was one weapon she wouldn’t compare to anything. Everyone she knew wanted one of these with how reliable they were. She didn’t know how his people figured out a way to scale things down from a backpack down to a small brick but she had to give props to them for doing what was once considered impossible. Rumor had it that you could toss them in a fire and it’d charge the battery, but those were just rumors right?

“Which one? You have to be specific here cause there’s a lot of stuff in here!” Hiro shouted back before cursing as she heard the sound of something metallic hitting the ground.

“The top shelf stuff Arasaka sells in... Oh wait, Forgot who you are for a brief second.” She palmed her face as she remembered who she was with. Of course he’d have dozens of these just laying around like some common firearm.

“Huh, I thought the Bolter hadn’t been released… wait, why are you holding that paper weight?” Hiro replied as he came back wearing a large heavy bag. He looked at the gun in her hands in confusion. She gasped in shock and stared right back at him in disbelief at what he just called the Queen of the Streets as she hugged the gun close to her chest.

“Paper weight!? These are Lasguns. Literal laser guns with enough power to put most guns out on the street to shame and one that doesn’t require you to lug around a power pack. How can you call this paperweight?” She asked in bafflement as the literal top shelf stuff Arasaka gun shops had, which were usually under lock and key, was looked upon like it was some cheap disposable Slaught-O-Matic.

“Eh, they’re nothing special.” Hiro replied dismissively as a mechanized tentacle reached out from behind him and grabbed another gun from one of the shelves.“Sure they’re rugged as hell and easy on the logistics but they’re nothing special? Like, the gauss pistol I gave you is a literal work of art…Lasguns though… bottom of the barrel.” He explained before offering the bulky gun to her.

She looked at the gun in his hands and the one she was holding before sighing as she slung the lasgun over her shoulder before taking what was offered to her. It was big and had a bit of heft to it, but the large bore as well as the equally brutally large bullets inside the magazine were something she approved of. “You know… I shouldn’t be surprised at this point. I’m still taking this one.” She said as she spun the heavy gun and aimed at an armor stand in the corner holding a half finished armor clearly meant for a girl. Hey, if they were bottom of the barrel, she was going to take one.

Hiro snorted out in amusement and shook his head before replying.“Sure. You can take as many as you want. As for the bolter, you won’t be disappointed! Adam loves this a lot with all the bullet mods you can have loaded here. We’ll be releasing this to the public by Monday next week.”

“You know, I’m not sure if should be excited or horrified that Adam fucking Smasher loves this gun.” She replied with a chuckle. Her life truly had become an absurd comedy, but she wasn’t going to complain right now. She was saving up for one of the heavier guns she’d found in a Budget Arms store and kitting it up but now, she was far more armed than even seasoned solo. Truly Hiro was a man after her own heart.

“So, ready to kill some stray Scavs, Maelstrom, and Voodoo Boys?” Hiro asked as more mechanized tentacles slipped out of his back, each tipped with an assortment of weapons. She grinned as she cocked the bolter in her hands. She was going to enjoy this. It was her civic duty to rid the streets of those scum after all. Maelstroms were psychos, the Voodoo Boys doomed a venture that could have helped the city, and the Scavs, well she was going to make sure that she aimed to make them suffer.

“Oh before that, can you wear this, by the way?” Hiro asked as he offered her a bracelet made of dark stones. She felt her cheeks heat up again as she looked at the jewelry before looking up at him. It looked vaguely ancient Egyptian in a theme with green glowing rune and a weird ankh with four side prongs and a horn atop it.

“Guns and Jewelry? You certainly know how to spoil a girl but, I’ll have to say no on this one.” She replied with a smirk. She was honestly feeling overwhelmed with all the gifts here. She felt she was taking advantage of him and she didn’t want to come out as a gold digger.

“It’s a nondescript Trauma Team beacon. If it ever senses something on your vitals or if it’s taken from you, it’ll call in every single Trauma team to your location.” Hiro explained as he bashfully looked away. She bit her lips as she mulled over the choice. A trauma team pick up was valuable, life was precious and a literal second chance was something most fixers offer up as a reward. Against her pride, she gave in.

“Ok fine. I’ll take it but not because it looks pretty or anything.” She replied as she reached out for the bracelet. The moment she put it on, however, things started going weird. Vertigo hit her like a truck as her senses suddenly felt sharper. She could taste colors, hear objects, and see sound. “Hey Hiro, you sure this isn’t a BD to give you synesthesia?” She asked.

Hiro blinked as he said, “Let me check that… must have added something.” He replied as he took apart the thing with the mechanical arms before putting it back together after replacing one bead out of it. “Here, try this.” He said as he gave it back to her. She was a bit leery at it now, but she took the risk anyway and wore it. Thankfully, she didn’t start feeling weird again.

“Hey Hiro, you know if you wanted to fuck, you could have just asked instead of trying to put something weird in there.” She teased him to see his intentions. The way he turned red and blustered in embarrassment was an amusing and relieving sign.

“Becca! Don’t say it like that!” He replied all flustered and hot about it. Well, that was certainly a surprise to her. She pegged him for someone a bit more free when it comes to sex but to think that he was a shy one? Things might get freaky once she cracked that shell open.

“Hey, I’m not the one that kept sneaking glances on my ass and chest.~” She replied as she sauntered past Hiro, making sure to give a bit more sway in her walk as she did so. Leaning against the open door, she then said, “Hah, you are adorable. As much as I like a good lay, that’ll have to come later because I’m itching to pulp some Scav’s head with these babies.~”

“Y-yeah. Follow me, the garage is this way.” Hiro replied with a gulp before he led her out of the room. She took note of how he walked a bit faster. Someone was certainly excited about things.

Becca smirked as she skipped along while following him. It was all too easy now that it was her turn to do the teasing. She was going to have some much fun teasing him now that she knew how easy it was to get him hot in the collar. Adorable and horny, almost like a bunny really. She just had to ask Susanna if he had any spare male joytoy costumes in the back.

-x-x-x-

One elevator ride later, Rebecca would find herself in the parking lot housing all the cars of various high ranking execs and important people for Arasaka. There were a lot of high end sports cars around with their sleek design and flashy yet tasteful looks that employed gold, but not to the level of tackiness that the Valentinos had, and then there was the ever so classic Chevillon Emperor that looked powerful with its big boxy design and heavy set of wheels.

“So, where’s Adam’s tank? Or does he use an APC?” Rebecca wondered as she looked around. She wasn’t seeing any heavily armed vehicle. No guns, no visible missiles, no nothing. She didn’t see anything that vaguely resembled what she thought Adam Smasher would take out on a ride.

“It’s here somewhere. Let me just…” Hiro raised the keys of Adam’s car and pressed the remote key. The sound of a car unlocking nearby made her turn and what she found completely baffled her.

She expected a tank, or a gun on wheels, not an old fashioned muscle car. Despite being a normal car, it fit its owner to a T. It was large, imposing and powerful with the large engine block she knew was sitting behind that hood. Its large boxy appearance made it look like it could take a beating before it even got scratched. The missile launcher visible beneath the light was the only tell tale sign that this was something that Adam would definitely ride in.

“Wait, that’s Adam’s car?” She asked as she walked around the beast. There was a humanoid robot attending to it, washing it diligently… and it looked like it had just finished washing away the last traces of blood off the car.

“Damn it. Shoo! Bad bot! Go back to the maintenance closest.” Hiro cursed out as he scolded the robot who froze before straightening up and walking away. “I don’t know why but that Servitor keeps washing Adam’s car…” He shook his head in dismay. Ah, that certainly explained why Adam wanted them to run over someone.

“Anyways, yeah. Surprising isn’t it? Modified this beauty for him. You know, I half expected him to bring a tank hull when he said he wanted his ride repaired, not this.” He laughed out as he opened the door and hopped in. It was obviously modified to allow Adam to fit inside, which made Hiro look even smaller in the seat but he had his tentacles to hold the wheels and operate the car.

“Surprising? Yeah, nah. I’m at a loss for words here. Like wow, it looks good.” She said as she traced her hands around the car. She might not know cars, unlike her brother, but she could appreciate one well enough.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go!” He asked as he opened the other door for her. She didn’t have to be told twice as she followed his suit and the two were off without any more delays. They blasted off the exit at the side of Arasaka’s tower and headed straight for the main highways.

They were certainly well beyond the speed limit as Hiro recklessly drove past the other cars on the street with almost manic glee. To the other cars, they were merely a blur as Hiro just floored it. She laughed in glee as they headed straight for Pacifica. The unfinished towers and its surroundings in the distance slowly getting larger

“Hey Becca, man the turrets. We’re going in guns blazing!” Hiro shouted as they neared one of the entrances to Pacifica. A panel flipped open in front and she was greeted with the weapons system of the war rig. She plugged herself in and found herself in control of every weapon in the vehicle. There were guns aplenty, missile launchers, chain swords and something called a phosphex thrower. She didn’t know what it was, but she'd find out soon enough.

“Fuck yeah!” She shouted as she armed the machine guns in front of them. The windows in front of Hiro adjusted to show the street ahead even as the guns obstructed parts of their vision. Up ahead, there were a couple of cops barring the entrance and they were already pointing their weapons at them. Hiro only smiled as their car went faster.

The pigs scattered as they recognized which car was heading their way. “Becca! Activate the chain swords!” He shouted as he aimed their ride straight towards the opened gates of Pacifica.

She cackled as she deployed the swords hidden behind the bumpers. They slipped out of their hidden compartments and lined themselves in front of them like a demented cow catcher. The roar of the saw blades could be heard over the sound of their car and the howling wind and sound they produced when they touched the cars in front of them was indescribable. They smashed through the cars and shredded them, metal tearing and parts flying as they sliced through without pause or slowing down. Nothing could stop them.

Pacifica was the most dangerous place in Night City. It was the home of the most hardened criminals Night City had to offer. Gangs vied for dominance over the area, but the Voodoo boys were firmly entrenched inside. The tall buildings and the central stadium served as bastions for them. They controlled this part of town and they did not take lightly to outsiders.

Their entrance didn’t go unnoticed as the various gangsters in the middle of a fire fight started turning their weapons on them instead of their rivals. Rebbecca made sure to answer accordingly as she opened fire. Gyro rockets started blasting out of the turret in front, pepperring them with explosive fire. Hiro swerved around, catching various Voodoo boys in his chainsword bumpers, shredding them in a crimson shower of gore and offals. Blood sprayed everywhere as they were sliced and diced into ribbons by the spinning saw blades in front of the car.

Even amidst the carnage, Rebecca couldn’t help but roll down the window and add her own fire to the mix. She laughed out loudly as she fired her Bolter pistol and Lasgun in tandem. The Bolter gun kicked like a mule but the sound, oh the sound was glorious. The heavy thundering bangs followed by the subsequent explosions of what sounded like cluster grenade mixed in with the loud of crack of the very air itself flash fried echoed across the street mixe

Hiro spun them around, letting her fire at everyone and everything before her clips ran empty and her gun ran too hot to fire anymore. “More! I want more!” She shouted as they painted the streets red. Hiro whooped out with her as he nodded and headed deeper inside the combat zone.

It wasn’t just Voodoo boys that they found in the Zone. While the gang ruled the area, that didn't stop others from trying to make temporary enclaves inside. While she and Hiro were slaughtering people left and right, they still picked who they targeted. Maelstrom gangs were rendered down to scrap metal as they passed by. The ever so opportunistic Scavs who flocked around the dead and dying like vultures became giblets under the heavy firepower of her ride. The Voodoo boys, on the other hand, became the main target of Hiro in his quest to paint their car red.

Heavy ordinance was leveled against them, but Adam’s car kept on giving out surprises. She wasn’t going to deny that she screamed when she saw someone firing a rocket at them, but the car merely shrugged it off as the unscratched hull glowed a brief green. “Iron Halo bitch!” Hiro shouted as he turned their ride and rammed the bastard against a wall.

The man was torn in half as the car’s bumper started eating through flesh and the concrete wall behind it. The brutality was a nice touch but she wanted a bit more boom rather than slash. “Hey Hiro, what’s this phosphex thrower here?” She asked as Hiro pulled back and drove straight for the central plaza.

Hiro’s grin sent shivers of excitement up her spine. “It’s a surprise! Don’t fire till I say go and when you do, don’t stop!” He shouted as he sped through the road. Barricades? Blown up cars? Nothing could stop their rampage as they tore through them like they were rice paper.

The central towers loomed up ahead as the amount of lead aimed at them kept ramping up to the point that the Iron Halo flickered and the glass cracked, yet it held. The damage was merely cosmetic and the surprise they had from suddenly bursting onto the scene without so much as a warning was helping sow confusion and fear amongst the ranks of these bastards.

Slamming his foot down hard on the pedal, Hiro started his loop around the central district where the gunfire was at its heaviest. “Becca now!” Hiro shouted and Becca slammed her metaphorical fingers on the trigger. White flame washed around them as everything started to burn. Men, guns, the road itself burnt as they passed through like a comet of destruction.

She felt like she came a bit as she kept firing even as her view was obstructed by the sea of fire. She held no mercy for anyone out in the road now, especially past midnight. No civilian in their right mind would ever venture out in the open inside the Combat Zone, so she fired away without pause. She laughed at the carnage as they looped around the central area before zooming off.

-x-x-x-

After that, things started to die down as they ran out of targets and ran dangerously low on ammunition. Fuel, however, was not an issue with the backup battery inside the car. “Fucking Nova, no fucking amazing” She whispered out in a hoarse voice. She screamed her voice out in her excitement. She’d racked up more bodies today than in the last few months combined.

“Hah yeah… I need to make a BD of that. I might just use that for a game I’d been meaning to get published.” Hiro replied as they cruised through the highway in Night City. They’d just left Pacifica an hour ago and were just going wherever. They were up all night killing people left and now the first crack of dawn peaked from the horizon.

“Hey Hiro, can we go to the Badlands? I want to show you something.” Becca then said as she watched the light of dawn reach up the night sky. With how fast they were going, they still had some time to get to the place before the sun rose. Hiro nodded as he took the next exit and headed for the outskirts of the city.

They left the city soon after and now they were out in the wild. The car handled the rough terrain as well as any road. “There, right at that hill. I wanna show you something!” She pointed excitedly at a nearby hill. Hiro drove off the road and headed straight for the hill.

They were just on time for the sunrise when they got to the top. “Come on, it’s almost starting!” She shouted as rushed out of the car with Hiro in town.

“H-hey! What’s with the hurry- Oh…” Hiro asked out as the sun started rising up the sky. The plains below were soon illuminated by the sun’s light. The dark sky slowly changed colors and soon the light blue sky of dawn dominated above.

“I know right? Best view you’ll ever get around here. Bro used to take me out here when I was younger.” She said as sat down on a particular boulder. It was nice and flat, just perfect to sit on for two people while watching the sun rise.

“Used to?” Hiro asked, concern or maybe confusion evident in his voice.

“Hadn’t had time since… well, forever. Just been too busy in the endless rat race.” She replied as she basked in the feeling of the rays of the sun against her stark white skin. It was peaceful out here, away from everything. There was just her, Hiro, and the wilderness.

They watched the sunrise together in peace and quiet, occasionally making small talk as they sat there. They’d had a wild night and this was a nice way to destress and cool off. “Hey Becca?” Hiro then asked as Rebecca took a peek at him.

“Yeah?” She asked as she kicked her feet.

“What’s your dream?” Hiro asked out while he stared out at the horizon.

“What’s with all the sappy stuff all of a sudden~?“ She snorted in amusement as she turned towards him.

“Come on, just humor me here.” Hiro answered back with a soft smile on his face.

She hummed for a bit, thinking if she should tell him before nodding. “Ok, I’ll tell you. Don’t laugh ok?” She made him promise as she looked at him seriously.

“I won’t.” Hiro turned towards her with a nod.

“I want to be a mother. I want to settle down with someone and raise children. Shooting things is fun and all but you have to stop once in a while and a family sounds like a good way to remind me that I have more to live for than simple violence.” Rebecca replied, letting it all out and telling him her innermost desire. The other Mox kept saying it was adorable and she just hated all the cooing’s and aww’s she received from them.

Hiro suddenly burst in a fit of giggle making her brow twitch. “Damn it you gonk! I told you not to laugh!” She shouted as she punched him lightly on the shoulder.

“Sorry sorry, I didn’t expect it at all.” Hiro replied as he raised his hands in self defense. “I just didn’t expect something like that. I thought you’d go with a comfortable life or something.”

Rebecca snorted at that. “A comfortable life is boring. I want some action and hardship in my life along with the joy and laughs. There’s no ups if there’s no downs you know? Do you know how much of a pain it is raising someone? Yeah, having to cook for Pilar and the others is a pain in the ass but it’s fun, fulfilling even.” She admitted. Cooking Eezy Beef was an art she wanted to keep honing.

“It’s a nice dream.” Hiro replied and she raised her fist once more. “No really, I swear! It’s cute, kinda like you really.” he added as he slowly lowered his hands.

She blushed as she looked away with a huff. “You better mean that, mister.” She growled threateningly at him. Was having a family that funny of a dream?

“Well since you shared yours, I’ll share you mine” Hiro then said. That got her to turn back towards him. She waited for him to answer only for him to point up at the sky. She looked up a bit and wondered what he meant about it.

“You… want to go to space? Don’t you go there like every holiday or something?” She asked. He was certainly wealthy enough for the ride up there.

“No, I want to explore space.” Hiro explained and things made a whole lot more sense to her now. “To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!” he then quoted unashamedly.

It was now Rebecca’s turn to laugh. “Really, Star Trek?” She asked as she wiped a false tear off her eyes.

“Hey it’s a classic for a reason. Oh yeah, forgot to add that I want to shoot some aliens in the face if I ever find that they’re like the Cardassians.” Hiro then added with a nod.

“Yeah, Fuck those guys. If you ever find some baddies out there, I’m sure turning them inside out would be fun.” Rebecca agreed to that. There was certainly going to be conflict up there and it’s best to be armed to the teeth when they meet them. Can’t have them thinking that humanity was just easy prey that would roll over the moment adversity faced them.

“Well. It would be more fun if I had someone with me.” Hiro then said as he stared back at her. She rolled her eyes before she suddenly reached out to the back of Hiro’s head and pulled the lovable idiot in for a kiss. There was some hesitation at first but slowly he relented and allowed her to lead as she locked lips with the boy.

After a long and passionate kiss, Rebecca pulled back with a grin as she left him breathless and flushed from arousal. She certainly still had it in her. “Well, exploring space and raising a family sounds like it could work well together.” She whispered into his ears while her hands danced down below. She certainly liked what she was feeling down below but she had enough fun for the day. She was far too exhausted to have any more excitement and teasing the hell out of him was way too fun. She was definitely going to ride him, but that would be for another time.

She stretched a bit to work out her sore shoulders. Firing those guns certainly was a hard task and she’d need a good long rest. Her bed called her she wanted to know if her brother suddenly choked on a spoon or something. This was the longest she’d left him all alone. He’s probably starving by now.

“Hey lover boy, let’s go. Don’t want to be caught out here when the heat starts ramping up.” She called out as she sauntered back to their blood-caked ride. The gore coating the hull of the war wagon remained fresh despite how long it had been since they killed all those people and Rebecca did not want to know how that was a thing.

The ride back home was an uneventful ride and she liked it that way. She’d had enough excitement for the day. ”Hey Hiro, I had a great time. Think we can have a repeat of this… next week?” She asked as she thinked long and hard about when they could do this again. They both had lives to live and she did not want to get him in trouble for the fun they had. He was an uptown boy, she was a downtown girl, but they could certainly make this work.

“I’m going to look forward to that. Getting to stretch my legs after being cooped up in my lab for so long is refreshing.” Hiro replied with a smile. Hiro getting a taste of the Solo lifestyle? Well that was certainly something Rebecca thought as she shook her head and chuckled.

Rebecca stepped out the car and immediately felt something was off as she heard strange sounds coming from the tarp covered hole where her apartment was. She frowned as she headed for her apartment and the closer she got, the more she wished she did not go back home.

“More daddy~! More!” A female voice screamed out through the door as Rebecca stood there frozen in shock. Was her brother with another woman in the house?

“Oh god! It’s so deep! Right there! Keep hitting me there!” Another female voice called out making Rebecca gag. He was with two girls?! She ran out of the apartment but not before she heard her brother’s voice.

“Yeah hehe,~ Pilar’s right here for you girls!” Pilar’s obnoxious voice shouted before it faded as she burst through the exit of her apartment.

Thankfully, Hiro was still there and was talking to someone. She walked up to the car and knocked hurriedly. Hiro canceled the call as he turned towards her in confusion. He unlocked the door for her and she jumped right back in as she sat down and covered her face. “Did… something happen? Should I call trauma team?” he asked before she waved him off.

“Take me anywhere, just anywhere.” She groaned in mortification and horror.

Hiro quickly caught on to what happened and he howled out in laughter as he drove off back to the tower. She slept in Hiro’s room that day before she came back to her apartment. For days after that incident, she couldn’t look at Pilar’s eyes.

-x-x-x-

Kiwi woke up with a scream as she flailed around the silken bed she found herself in. She pulled at the first thing she found, a fluffy pillow, and covered herself as she looked around the luxurious apartment she found herself in. She didn’t know where she was or what happened. The last thing she remembered was how she got smashed enough to start flirting with Adam…

She groaned as she flopped back on her, or rather Adam’s bed, and covered her face. The memories of the night hit along with a headache from a nasty hangover like a freight train for her poor brain. It wasn’t just her brain that she found aching but the general area between her legs.

“Fuck… did I just get fucked by Adam Smasher?” She laughed out half hysterically as a blinking message in her interface caught her eye. They were the typical messages from her crew and people she knew but two stood out from the rest. One was from Adam Smasher while the other was from her ward, Lucy. She opened Adam’s message first.

‘Foods in the fridge and the bath’s behind the stairs. Don’t get locked out, not my apartment. Burrowed it from some Arasaka corpo.’ It read. She scoffed at that as she rolled to the side of the bed and tried getting off but found her legs were made of jello.  

“Fucking pig. If the sex wasn’t worth I’d have half the mind to leave something nasty here.” She growled out as she limped towards the bath to get cleaned up. She might be pissed off, but she was satisfied. Adam certainly had experience in spades.

It took ages to reach the bathroom but it was well worth it as she helped herself to as much water as she could. She let out a sigh in relief as steam filled the bath. She felt her aches melt away as enjoyed every drop under the shower.

Turning her attention to Lucy’s message and ignoring everyone else's message for now, she started reading it. The large amount of eddies suddenly deposited in her account started worrying her as she kept reading the message over and over again.

“To Kiwi,

It’s inevitable that we would soon part ways but I didn’t know it would be this soon. I’m sorry I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to you. You were my mentor, and more importantly my mother, for the longest time and it hurts for me to leave now but I really have to go. Thank you for everything that you taught me. I wished we had more time together. I’m leaving you a fraction of the egg nest I built up as a thank you and as a request to not pursue me. Please, for my sake and your safety, don’t. Good bye.

From your loving daughter, Lucy”

Kiwi took in a deep breath as she leaned against the wall before slowly sliding down. Looking up at the light above her, she cursed out “Damn it Lucy… We could have worked something out with Arasaka so you’d no longer have to run from your past…We’re this close to corpo immunity.”