Neon Cogs: Chapter 8 (Patreon)

Rebecca had faced down gangers armed to the teeth, seasoned solos with better equipment, and even cyberpsychos with more chrome than sense; but nothing could have ever prepared her for what she was dealing with right now. There she was, seated inside one Arasaka Tower, with Hiro beside her as they tried to deal with a highly irate and livid Michiko. They squirmed in their seats, afraid to even look up and meet the woman's eyes, as she scolded them.

“What the fuck were you two thinking! You think going out on a mission is a joke!?” the woman shouted as videos of their escape from a burning warehouse played in a loop behind her. “You really had to do it when Adam was busy guarding your other shipment. Of all the hair brained schemes you’ve had over the years, this might be far the most boneheaded and suicidal of them all!” She added as he threw her arms up in the air as she paced in front of them.

“I’m sorry…” Hiro whispered only to flinch back as the older Arasaka gave him a wide eyed glare.

“I thought I raised you better than this! If you really wanted to go out in the streets, you should have waited till Adam was done with his job for our faction and Revere.” Michiko growled out as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sorry wouldn’t be enough to bring you back if you had been hurt that night!” The older woman really wasn’t holding back her words.

Rebecca raised her hand to catch the woman's attention. “In his defense, it’s kinda my fault for not warning him enough.” She tried reasoning. She had been far too caught up with the possibility of showing Hiro the fun that she experienced in a firefight and didn’t consider how green he was.

“There’s no need to cover for your input Rebecca when you’re in hot water as well. I just have to drive this lesson into my wayward charge’s head before I move on to you.” The woman calmly replied, making Rebecca glance away from the intense look of disappointment and anger that came down on her. Gone was the easy going woman she met at the party, now standing before them was one of the board members to the prestigious and cutthroat Arasaka company.

“I’ve called your grandfather and he wants to have a talk.”  The woman then said, making Hiro jump up his seat with a look of wide eyed horror and hurt from his aunt’s apparent betrayal.

“What! No! You can’t do this-” He shouted only for Michiko to hush him, stopping him right on his tracks.

“I can and I will. As your direct superior, I believe it is in your best interest that you meet with your grandfather. If my subordinate won’t listen to my words of wisdom then maybe his grandfather can get through his thick skull.” She fired back, putting her proverbial foot down, as she leaned in close. Hiro glared at her yet Michiko did not flinch. Instead, it would be Hiro that backed down first as he looked away, a grimace on his lips.

“He heard everything about your little escapade. He has some choice words about your actions and he wants you to come back to Japan as soon as possible. You will have to deal with the old man. You dug this grave, now go lie on it.” Michiko hissed out as Hiro backed away and plopped down on his seat with his forehead resting against his palm.

With Hiro pacified and cowed, Michiko now turned her attention to Rebeccea; who found it even more unpleasant as she broke into cold sweat. It felt like she was in the presence of a tiger who found a foolish human wandering into her territory. She was a dead meat and she knew it and now it was her turn to face the music.

“As for you my little solo, oh I have so much I want to say.” Rebecca jumped slightly and tensed as she felt the older Arasaka’s hands resting on her shoulder like the clawed talons of an eagle clutching its prey. Her hands felt clammy while her throat tightened. Instincts flared as she felt the need to get up and run but it was far too late now.

“Did you know just how much danger you placed my precious nephew in? Do you?” She asked as she leaned in close and whispered into her ears.

Rebecca clenched her fist as she shook her head. She was angry, yes, but not at Michiko but at herself. “No, I didn’t think it through.” She admitted with a heavy heart. She had been god damn stupid in that fight and even if nothing bad happened in the end, something almost did and it all fell squarely upon her shoulders.

“Exactly, you didn’t think and that’s the problem. You’re just as bad as his father. You think with your crotch, damned the consequence!” Rebecca sucked in a breath as she took it all, letting the other woman speak out her mind.

Hiro took offense at that as he spoke up “Auntie-!”

But Michiko was firm with her stance, refusing to even budge a bit. “No Hiro, she needs to hear this.” She rebuked him. He looked conflicted but Rebecca had him back down after she gave him a soft smile and gentle shake of her head. This was her punishment and she was going to take it, even if it hurt.

“I thought I found someone that he could rely on, a close confidant to keep him from doing something stupid, a lover to ground him but instead I have a bitch that only brought out the worst in both of you.” Rebecca nodded, gritting her teeth as she forced herself to listen. She was frustrated, she knew that she fucked up, yet those words hurt a lot.

“Where was the cocky girl that promised that she’d be the best output huh? Was that all just bravado? You forgot that this isn’t all fun and games girl, and you're playing with my boy's heart and life.” Michiko asked pointedly, reminding her of the promise she made and how she had failed her in that regard.

“I thought you were the one but then you brought my boy into a god damn friday night firefight. Rebecca, I’m fucking disappointed.” Of all the words she threw so far, that one stung the most. She couldn't help but look down and clutched the hem of her jacket as an overwhelming sense of shame bubbled up from her chest.

“Lucky for you, however, I’m a merciful woman and I know a girl who learnt her lesson when I see one. Disappoint me once more, I'll be putting a bullet between your eyes.” Michiko replied as she pulled away from Rebecca. She could only nod slowly as she accepted what little mercy she was given. Words would be meaningless right now and all she could do moving forward was to show that she really did learn.

The two sat there silently after their scolding. She wanted nothing more than to leave now and sulk a bit with Hiro but Michiko was far from over with them as she dropped one last bombshell before she left them. The older Arasaka prepared herself a glass of scotch before suddenly saying, “Oh and one more thing, your Grandfather wants to meet your output so good luck you two.~ Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other business to attend to.”

They were left gobsmacked as the woman drank her scotch before leaving them without so much another word. “Fuck,” Hiro ever so eloquently put it, echoing her sentiments to the situation.

“Shit… what the fuck are we going to do?!” She asked in mild panic. She wasn’t prepared for any of this to happen just yet. Meeting the emperor was the last thing she wanted to do now of all things.

“She didn’t give us a date so I can reasonably delay it if work gets involved.” He reasoned out, allowing her to breathe out a sigh of relief.

“For a second there, I thought we have to meet the emperor now.” She replied as she sank into her comfortable seat. The plush bean bag in the modern looking office was a good send for her frayed nerves. She felt like she could just sink in and forget about everything.

Hiro hummed as he got up and paced around, “We can make this work. All you need is to impress him enough; so that would mean learning to be the ideal japanese woman which involves learning the language, simple etiquette, as well as get you a proper dress for the occasion which would be the easiest funnily enough.” He then said as he listed out the things that they needed to work on. She would have been elated with the chance to try on new clothes for Hiro if not for the spectre of what was to come.

“Yup, seems easy enough. I just have to learn a whole nother language as well as a whole new set of societal norms in one month… fuck this is going to be a tough month isn’t it?” Rebecca groaned out as she rolled on to her belly and stared down at the polished floor. It wasn’t impossible per say with all the language chips they could use to have her learn the language, but remembering to use it while acting as immaculately as possible under that kind of pressure was just something else.

“There’s no other way,” Hiro replied with a shake of his head. Scratching the back of his head, he then confessed to her, “I’m going to be honest with you… grandpa is racist but he’s getting better?” The forced smile he had stretching across his face wasn’t a good sign by any measure.

“Why does that not fill me with confidence...” She noted, feeling even more uneasy, “And I’ve seen enough Arasaka adverts to know your grandfather's backstory. He’s fucking ancient and his values are as well. No need to sugar coat it for me,” She then pointed out, gesturing at the large image of his grandfather on one of the rolling adverts beaming up to the very heavens.

“Ok I admit it, he’s still a raging asshole, especially if you offend him which you can easily do with how critical he can be to those who he does not see as one of his people, but he’s not unreasonable. He can be made to see the other way. Just look at me.” He conceded before gesturing at himself. He really wasn’t the most stereotypically japanese of people with how he looked more in place in Night City itself rather than Tokyo. There’s a chance but it was a slim one at best

“At least we know that he can be reasoned with, right? I just have not to fuck this up. No pressure.” She chuckled out with a shake of her head. The odds were stacked against her but it had always been so anyways, so why worry now? Getting up from her seat, she then rolled her shoulders as she looked at the advert ahead, “So, when do we start?” She asked, ready to face the challenge up ahead.

-x-x-x-

“I’m really sorry choom, but I’m going to have to extend my leave for a bit. I’m kinda being forced to meet the Emperor?” Rebecca explained, trying not to squirm as the tailor measured her. It was all so formal in this shop that it’s stifling. She had rattled off her measurements because she damn well knew that was it for her but nope, this had to be perfect so the seamstress had to take her measurement the old fashioned way.

“Holy shit, you’re really going to meet your in-laws this early?” Maine asked on the other end of the line with shock coloring his tone.

“Yeah, that's what I thought and marriage is still not yet on the table.” She corrected him, pouting as his teasing yet blushing at the image his words invoked. She shook her head, earning her a light swat by the stuffy old seamstress. It was far too early for her to think about wearing a bridal gown.

“Well, good fucking luck on that one. The guys fucking ancient and so’s his values. He’d probably be scandalized if he saw your ankle.” Maine jested making her roll her eyes.

“Hardy harr harr,” She replied, unamused by his usual antics, “But yeah, that's why I need to prepare as much as I can. I’m even getting a kimono just so I can get used to moving around in it!” She half-shouted. Was all of this really necessary?

“I’ll need all of this done by the week after this.” Hiro ordered casually as an Arasaka representative talked with the cashier about the payment for her rushed custom order.

“Girl has thick birthing hips. Pay extra.” The seamstress replied in broken yet understandable english. She did not know if she should take that as a compliment or an insult especially with all the looks she had been getting from the other girls getting their own kimono fitted. Did they think she was fat?

“I can speak Japanese?” She replied even as her tongue prosted at the unfamiliar language. She winced at the look of disgust the woman gave her.

“You say things right but you sound wrong. You used language chip. Practice more!” The woman shouted at her, scolding her for butchering the language.

“Done.” And just like that, an extra hundred eddies were exchanged between Hiro’s aide and the shop’s cashier.

Maybe it was her jet lag addled mind talking but taking a direct flight from Night City to Kyoto to get her size for some custom kimono seemed a bit excessive and she hasn’t even talked about how she had to pick 4 patterns for each season or rather 5 since outer space isn’t considered a season but apparently there’s a right color and design choice for going to space. All in all, she was getting a wardrobe’s worth as she’d get 5 formal pairs as well as 5 casual pairs for other occasions.

“Say no more. Besides, the crew does need a break. Might actually put some of the chrome down as well to spend some time with Dorio.” Maine’s voice proved to be a worthwhile distraction as she tried hard not to think too much about her current situation. That way lies the path to madness.

“You taking off your chrome? Damn choomba, what the hell did you eat?” She laughed, wiping away a tear as she smiled softly. “You don’t have to do this for me Maine but… yeah, thanks. I really appreciate this” she then added. It had been quite a year for them already. From just some random solo team off the street to one funded and equipped by a corpo. Yes, they sold out in a sense but hey, they were living the dream. She sucked in her breath as she felt the tailor's tape measure dig into her ribs. Yup, definitely living the dream here.

“Hey, this is long overdue, and it’s not like we’re in the rat race here. We can have our downtime whenever we want and wherever we want.” He reasoned out and she couldn’t find any fault in that. They were as free as someone could get, which was one of the allures of being a solo.

“Hope you two have a good time. Send a postcard will you?” She asked playfully as she let out a breath of relief as the hag finally loosened up the tape measure as she wrote it all down on paper. She knew this was an old shop but did they have to be this old fashioned?

“I should be the one saying that to you!” He barked out in laughter. “Before I forget, our crew finally got another netrunner. You’ll definitely like having her around.” He then said which had her grinning out like a loon.

“Fucking hell, finally and another girl? I can’t wait to come back.” She exclaimed out loud, earning her another swat from the old bitch. Oh sue her, she had reason to celebrate especially with that piece of news. Not having a netrunner on the field with them was a handicap.

“Heh. Anyway, that's all I have for now. Good luck.” With those words, the line finally cut leaving her without distraction. Thankfully, her seamstress was done with her as well.

“Did we have to fly here?” She asked. Yes, feeling real silk against her skin was a different experience altogether but this was something else. “I mean, your grandfather will probably have heard about this.” She pointed out in japanese. Well, the seamstress did say she needed to practice so might as well keep at it.

“Oh he knows, but I’m officially on business here.” He replied with a smug smile on his face. Hiro was more than happy to help her along as he responded in kind. The translation package that was bundled with the language chip was coming in handy.

“We only flew here to buy formal wear…” She deadpanned as she stared at him.

He kept smiling as he nodded at that. “Exactly, purely business there! This is his favorite shop. From what I’ve heard from Aunt Michiko, Grandma used to frequent this place.” He replied and she could see the logic behind his actions now.

“Best model!” The seamstress suddenly shouted from her work station as she started working on the fabrics she had chosen. Both of them laughed at the woman's outburst as they walked out of the hole in a wall shop. Hidden in one of the many streets of the ancient city of Kyoto. Stepping into the street outside felt like she was stepping into a portal to another time.

While Night City was a city that screamed of modernity and progress, Kyoto was a stark contrast to it as its architecture and street layout harkened to an age long forgotten, an age before the corporations and even modern technology. Sure there were street lights and electric poles, but it didn’t take away from the rustic charm the city possessed.

Then there was the air. She didn’t notice it when they landed here, but the more she breathed it in, the more she noticed how her lungs didn’t clog up with phlegm and how easy it was to just… keep breathing. “Well, this is certainly a nice change of pace from the smog and acid rain.” She noted as she watched a pair of hannya mask wearing delivery drones fly by above them. Well, people here certainly doubled down on the mythological aspect of their aesthetic.

“Cleaning up Japan was definitely worth it. We still have to deal with acid rain, especially when the westerlies are blowing, but for the most part we have clean air and clear skies.” He said, making her look up to see the blue sky up above with large fluffy clouds as he led her down the busy streets. People were giving her looks, but she ignored them. It wasn’t like she’s the only one with the wild hair color around; there’s a girl with bubblegum pink hair walking just a few feet from them!

“I have plans to clean up China, which is where most of the pollution is coming from, but any effort I make would be for nothing with the local megacorps fucking things over. At Least Korea is not a lost cause with Arasaka’s partner there.” He explained further as she nodded along. She wasn’t in the know for corpo stuff, but it sounded Arasaka was doing well.

Looking around, she observed just how clean everything was. It wasn’t just a facade that people brought up to hide the shittiness festering underneath but a genuine look. People looked more curious of her than afraid while they walked with their heads up high. They didn’t look like they were on guard most of the time and some were even oblivious to their surroundings as they bumped into each other. There weren’t any pigs around either, which was really weird. Maybe this was just the Arasaka part of town but there were also other megacorps around so why weren’t they warring against each other? It was all so utterly alien but in a good way.

She watched as a group of kids chatted with each other as they carried trash to a designated trash collection point. Well, that’s something you wouldn’t see in Night City, “Will Night City ever have a turn?” She asked jokingly as she looked back at Hiro.

He hummed, frowning in concentration as if he was seriously considering the question before he nonchalantly answered, “Within next year once the cleanup of Pacifica is finished.”

She gaped at him for how he sounded while answering her. It was as if he was talking about fixing a broken door or cleaning the air filters of an apartment, “You’re kinda making it sound like you have plans to take over Night City. Besides, we did rile up the Voodoo boys badly over in Pacifica; I’m not sure they’re going anywhere, anytime soon.” She recalled, remembering that night pretty well and the Voodoo Boys showed why they weren’t something you could mess with casually. They were like rats and cockroaches, evading the Arasaka strike teams and picking their fights. It was a game of cat and mouse between the gang and the megacorp with the city as the Arena. Sooner or later, she swore those guys were going to cause a lot of trouble.

“I wouldn’t be much of an Arasaka Scion if I did not, would I~?” he questioned her teasingly, making her chuckle. He got her there, he was still an Arasaka, after all, and there was something about Night City that drew them in.

“You know, having you at the helm wouldn’t be half bad.” She speculated, wondering what it would be like. He was by far the most relaxed and easy going corpo she knew. She knew Gloria was having a fun time working for him, even if the woman was stressed out from the uncharacteristic kindness Hiro showed, but he did have other subordinates that were definitely unsavory.

Her attention was caught by a nearby news bulletin blasting from an old ham radio inside a food stall, “Tommorows weather will be rainy due to westerly winds so morning commuters are advised to take precaution. Rain will be mild with a slight breeze so commuters are advised to bring their raincoat with them to avoid acid burns. This reminder is brought to you by our partners in the Arasaka Weather Station, Stay Safe! Now back to more news on Nippon Daily…” the reporter declared. It didn’t sound right but she couldn’t put her finger on why. That was until she noticed the word the woman used.

“Wait… did that news reporter say that there would be rain tomorrow? Shouldn’t it be a chance of rain?” She pointed out, wondering why the hell were they confident with the weather of all things.

“Oh she definitely said there will be rain. Oh hey, they’re selling Ikayaki here! Two please!” He confirmed before his attention was caught by what the food stall was selling. He walked up to the borg manning the stall who pulled out two squid skewered on a stick and roasted them over open fire.

Well, she was definitely hungry and not even the tentacles were going to stop her from eating! It was times like this that she wanted to experience the most with Hiro. Yes, she was away from the action but this was a nice change of pace. It was definitely relaxing at the very least.

“So, ready for your tea ceremony lessons once we come back home?” Hiro then asked her, making her let out a disgruntled groan. And just like that, her peace and quiet was gone.

“Damn it, I thought you forgot about that.” She moaned out in despair. Why did they have to make such a simple ceremony be so complicated?  Why didn’t they put sugar in such a strong tea? It was almost unpalatable for her and it was a wonder why Hiro enjoyed the ones she made, “You’re a sadist, you know that?” She pouted, making him laugh out loud. The things she did for love.

-x-x-x-

Halfway across the world, back in Night City, a certain David Martinez was facing a whole different problem. The boy sighed as his hangers on kept following him even as he took the train back home. His thought of using the train to shake them off might have been a curse as more of his classmates joined him just to experience it. Were they really this far removed from normal life that he had to guide them step by step?

“Like oh my god Martinez, how long have you been keeping this from us? Who thought traveling home could be fun. Sure I could talk to Suzan through the net but talking with her in person is far better am I right?” one of his groupies prattle on, fraying what little patience he had.

Still, it wasn’t all bad when his old “friend” Tanaka was roped in as well. He grinned at him as the other boy gave him a glare. Of all the new friends he had, who knew that he’d miss having someone honest around. At least he knew that the guy still hated his guts. Turning away, he yawned as he closed his eyes and let time slow down around.

Things came to a crawl as movement felt like he was trying to swim through molasses. People slowed down to a barely coherent drawl while everything went into stand still. He let out a breath, feeling the control his new augment gave him. It wasn’t the flashiest of augments but damn was it powerful. While most chrome enhanced the body, his chrome enhanced the mind and with it came what his mother boss calls “Bullet Time.” He was definitely in bullet time alright.

+Mental Acceleration at 28%. Stable,+ droned out his voice inside his head.

Getting used to the VI, or machine spirit, or whatever you called it, took him some time but it was godsend once he started using it. It felt like he could have two instances of his mind at once but not quite. At least it wouldn’t be quiet while he had a little break from them. The brief time he had in the confines of his mind allowed him to center his mind and relax so he could deal with them once it was done.

+Danger! Danger!+ Shouted his machine spirit in warning as he noticed something on the edge of his vision. He turned towards the direction where his chrome was pointing at him and his eyes widened as the highlighted outline of a gun and a vest full of bombs could be seen strapped to an angry goon.

He cursed as the man raised his gun up in the air and started shooting, “Get down on the ground now!” He shouted as the people inside the train screamed and shouted in terror. “Nobody moves and nobody gets shot!” More gangers pulled out their guns as things quickly devolved into a hostage situation.

Some people tried to fight back only for them to scream out in pain as they were paralyzed by netrunners and then subsequently shot in the head. He pulled down his classmates as he shielded them from the sight of the ganger.

His heart hammered inside the chest as he noticed the unmistakable tattoo of the Voodoo boys on the man's neck. He was now in a hijacking situation and their captors just so happened to be in the gang who was at war with his school's parent corporation. “Fuck…” He breathed out as his mind raced for answers with his augment giving him the details of what he was facing up against. The weapons specs, path of danger along with predictions of a few seconds in the future was overlaid in his vision.

The bloody picture painted by his mind when the Voodoo boys finally noticed them only made him worry even more. “Oho? What do we have here? A bunch of little corpos away from their bodyguards. Seems like our intel was right.”

“Boys, round them up. Don’t rough them up… too much.” The man laughed as he and his classmates were rounded up.

Forced to kneel in front of a camera with their hands behind the back of their head, the gangers made their intentions clear. They were to be the bargaining chips for a deal they were trying to broker with Arasaka. There was a lot of bad blood as Tanaka was beaten to a bloody pulp. He was the first one to be taken in front of the camera.

He knelt there as he kept running simulations, trying to find a way out of this situation. The more data he gathered, the more accurate his simulation became and soon a path became clear for him. The gangers were confident, not even bothering to tie them up after taking their guns. They merely surrounded them with guns, trying to cow them in fear but that would be the last mistake they’d ever commit.

He was at the back of the group but, unfortunately for him, he had a gun against his head. There were three other guards and a lone netrunner with them. All of them of haitian descent and they were drugged up to the gills with their dilated eyes and their lack of fear. They were ready to die today.

“You took from us our comrades, our fellow soldiers, widowed our friends and made orphans of their children. Now, you shall all feel our pain.” The man declared as he leveled his gun at the broken Tanaka. He could just not act, let him fire and just end the boy’s life so he’d only be facing 4 other guns that were ready to fire… but he was not that kind of person. Fuck the low chances that his mind was throwing at him. He just had to make those low chances a reality.

+Mental Acceleration at 200% Overclock initiated. Impulse acceleration initiated. Countdown before permanent damage: 5 seconds,+ Warned his implant as things became blue tinted. Those five seconds were all he needed.

He forced his hands to move as his heartbeat raced to his chest. Every last fiber in his body screamed as he moved faster than he could normally do. In the first second, he moved his head to the line of fire before grabbing the man's hands. He guided the man's hand as he panic-fired, spraying bullets but missing every last one of his classmates before he shot one of his friends.

As he pulled down, he drove his elbows to the man's armpits, deadening the man's grip as allowing him to use the man as cover for the subsequent shot. He felt burning in his thighs as he was shot but there was no damage to any major blood vessels. He powered through the pain as he pushed the man forward so he could make a grab for the pistol that was falling down his slackened grip.

His hands gripped the Budget Arms Slaught-O-Matic and felt the weight it had, 20 rounds from his estimate. More than enough. With the dead man falling over a shrieking classmate of his, he was now open for fire but so were they.

He aimed at their heads before pulling the trigger. One bullet each but the disposable gun had more than enough firepower to kill them before they could even process it all. The last thing they’d see was his gun as he fired at them. He shot them one by one, feeling the recoil of the gun with each pull of the trigger. Each shot warped the barrel further, forcing him to take aim at them and ensure he killed them all. For a brief instance, as he aimed at the last one standing, he hesitated. He almost did not shoot the netrunner until his augment highlighted her fingers going for the pin of a grenade. He had to shoot. He let his chrome guide him, forcing him to relax his stance as he fired off the last shot ending the life of the last hostage taker. It was all over in 5 seconds and time went back to normal.

+Overlock Ended. Seek Medical Attention Immediately,+ Reminded his chrome just as color returned to the world around him.

The heads of the remaining goons exploded, showering them all in a rain of gore and brain matter. His grips slackend as the after effects of his acceleration came into effect. He fell down screaming as his muscles had literally torn themselves apart to allow him to move at such speeds. His body felt like one giant bruise while his mind felt like it was on fire but he was ok, he knew he was ok.

“Call Trauma team! Now!” Shouted Tanaka of all people as his world became pain. He wished he was knocked out but his mind kept him lucid, he’d be awake long enough to see the Trauma team burst through the train's windows to take him away. The pain was horrible but it was worth it. Nobody was going to die on him so long as he could have a say.

While his heroic act of bravery would catch the eyes of the city, a particular Borg found something more in him. He had just finished escorting the transfer of manufacturing equipment necessary for the production of his advanced weaponry when a call for him to save some brats was sent out. He was preparing for a slaughter, aching to finally stretch his limbs after weeks of monotonous work, only for his job to be called off by the most unexpected of things.

The large metallic man watched the video over and over again, seeing how utterly ruthless the boy was with his action. This boy’s movement was fluid and seamless as no ounce of force was wasted in useless flourishes. It was cold, calculated and executed with machine-like ability. “Interesting” growled out the borg as he stood up from his desk. Who would have known that his little act of “charity” would bear fruit so soon.