Neon Cogs: Act 2 Chapter 4 (Patreon)

Act 2 Chapter 4

“Mmm~ Right there” Sombra moaned out while Rebecca was forced to watch. She could have simply got up and walked away at any time as Kiriko was watching as well but she just couldn’t look away when this bitch was flaunting everything she had at her input! Her shapely body, her bigger chest, and her devilishly good looks, this girl just pisses her off so much. She was determined to get Hiro so here she was, sitting there all throughout as Hiro’s Mechandrite got inside the Latina, making her moan out even louder.

“Ms. Sombra, as lovely as your voice is, I do have to ask you to quiet down. I am working on your chrome and any distraction can prove to be quite dangerous,” her input lightly scolded the Valentina as she squirmed on the operating table while Hiro’s mechanical tentacles were inside her chest cavity, attaching wires to her spine. It was a grizzly sight and with the cramped space of Hiro’s own lab, it made it look more like a back alley operation than a custom fitting.

“Just shut up Sombra so we can get this over with!” she growled out, wishing the girl could just stop with the teasing and the moaning for one second. Oftentimes, she wondered if Sombra really actually wanted Hiro or if she’s looking to get a rise out of her to get her attention. Either way, she was just too…insufferable and immature.

The younger girl blew raspberries at her before firing back, “Well, I wouldn’t be in this operating table if a certain someone didn’t get us both in trouble.” Yes, it was technically her fault but there was a certain danger to every job and a girl like her should be familiar with it. Her eyes soon wandered over the girl's scratched up body.

While Sombra’s injuries were easily patched up by Trauma Team once they arrived at the scene, there was still the matter of Sombra’s now missing hand as well the things she saw. With the desperate situation they were in, she had to do some stuff she shouldn’t have shown so now they were bribing her.

She gets a whole new arm and some chrome while she remains quiet about all the stuff about her messing with her hand.  She had to give props to the girl for choosing to remain awake throughout the operation. All that was keeping her from screaming in pain were some pain meds that Hiro brewed up but this smells way too much of machismo… or would it be marianismo but wouldn't her being manly be quite opposite that of being feminine? She shook her head as she glared at the girl.

“I saved your life twice already! You wouldn’t even be here if I didn’t heal your stump,” she reminded the girl. With her hand lopped off, she was bleeding a lot. She had to act quickly else she’d lost far too much blood. Trauma Team is good but they’re not miracle workers.

“Ah yes, that little fun thing where you mangled my stump,” She hissed out as she gave her a glare of her own. Rebecca rolled her eyes at the girl for whining about a little pain. “God damn, that hurts you know. From how it looks, we’re just back at how we started off,” the girl then argued.

“I know you two have your differences but maybe now is not the best time…” Kiriko said diplomatically, clearly hoping to ease tension but Sombra started it in Rebecca’s eyes and she will have her peace!

“Oh come on babe~ A little bit of horseplay wouldn’t hur- ow!” the girl winced as Hiro’s tentacle suddenly jerked lightly, probably hitting something quite important there, as Sombra pouted. “Ok, jeez, you didn’t have to poke me that hard Doc,” she mumbled out as she settled down.

Rebecca sighed in relief as the loud mouthed Valentina finally shut up. Without all the distraction, Hiro can finally do his magic as his mechanical tentacles worked in concert, each doing their job from slicing through flesh and attaching new chrome. Old implants were pulled out as new ones took their place.

It wasn’t just her hands getting upgraded as almost every aspect of her was improved straight from Hiro’s pocket. It was a fair deal for what she was getting and what she had to hide. She and Hiro really didn’t want such knowledge popping up especially with what lurks underneath. While humanity now has yet to develop sensitivity to the warp, all it takes is one fool diving in too deep and they’ll have a cult somewhere popping up preparing humanity for the slaughter. With all the psycho’s around, it’ll be hard separating the insane from the possessed.

As she was getting pieced back together, Sombra then piped up which gave Rebecca some pause, “So, you’re really a witch huh? Who would have known.”

Well, she couldn’t exactly fault her for calling her a witch as her powers were kinda freaky. With a snap of her fingers, flames danced atop her finger. Without armor or any visible chrome on hand and away from the heat of battle, she could clearly see the flame appearing seemingly from thin air.

“Yeah yeah, It’s how I burn people,” she answered her truthfully. It’s not like showing more would hurt as they already have a deal.

The girl’s eyes widened at the open display of power before averting her eyes. “Remind me to never touch your fire ever again cause I swear I heard screams whenever I stare at them,” she told them as she did her best not to look at the open flame.

Rebecca quickly snuffed the fire before she glanced over to Hiro, wondering if Sombra was also sensitive as unlikely as it was. Thankfully he shook his head in negative which had her sighing in relief. It was one thing to teach the girl the ins and out of being an edgerunner and another to teach her about being a psyker. It’s not like she knows it well enough and Hiro, while knowledgeable about it, does not have experience or the ability to gain said experience with his weird soul.

“Is there a way to make someone into a Psyker or do you have to be born as one?” Sombra prodded, probably wondering if she could get it. It was a shiny new gun but it was… something Rebecca wanted to rely on.

“While the power of one seems tempting, it’s for the best that you’re not a psyker,” Hiro warned Sombra which made the girl look at her. She shook her head, agreeing with Hiro that such powers were not something they should meddle in.

“Trust me on this one Sombra. I enjoy the power but god damn is the consequence of slipping up horrible,” Rebecca replied as a shiver of fright ran up her spine. As calm as the sea of souls were, it had its dangers which was partly why she sticks to her party tricks. They were easy to use and didn't require her to dig in too deep and too often. “Ever watched that ancient film called the Exorcist?” She then asked as the film came to mind.

The girl blanched at that as she replied, “Forget I ever asked.” Rebecca nodded in appreciation. The girl at least had good taste in movies.

It was pretty quite after that with small talks interspersed throughout the operation just to stave off the boredom. While her upgrades were extensive, it didn’t take for her operation to finish. As the last connection was placed, the latina’s new hands finally moved.

Purple circuits glowed as they were turned on to full power for the first time. A shiver ran up the girl's body as she stood up and tested out her new chrome. As her eyes glowed, some of the mechandrites attached to the operating table twitched before they fell slack again but despite the failed attempt, she was already grinning ear to ear.

“I see that you like new upgrades,” Hiro replied with a smile as he washed his hands while Kiriko along with some Servitors packed up the tools and wiped away what little blood was spilled in the room. “Any tightness and discomfort in your movements, Sombra? It’s best we get it sorted now rather than later,” he told her as he walked behind her, ignoring her nakedness, and poked at her back.

“Ohhh, I like this. I like this alot,” Sombra purred as she stood there, unconcerned with her lack of clothing as she marveled at the chrome that was now part of her body. Rebecca had to admit, purple suits her well, far better than the default red that most Arasaka tech use or the green that her own personalized tech used. “It’s perfect. I feel like a whole new me!”

“Well, this has been a rather fun playdate, I still have some places to go,” Sombra replied as she started picking up her clothing to get herself decent. She wasn’t too surprised that the girl went commando under what little clothing she wore. Turning to Hiro, she then asked  “So stud, any meds I need to take or anything you need to remind me about my new chrome?”

“Oh nothing of that sort, your chrome is quite biocompatible. There’s no risk of rejection unless I seriously mess up,” Hiro replied confidently as he stretched, popping the joints in his back. “You might start to feel a bit sore and heavy once the localized anesthesia wear off but it shouldn’t last for too long,” he then added.

“Oho? You know, maybe I should recommend my relatives to you. I was awake the entire time but I barely felt a thing!” The Valentina replied, complimenting Hiro for his work.

“While flattering, I’m not sure they can afford my rates,” Hiro replied with an easy smile while Rebecca snickered.

“Try me,” The girl challenged as she stared back confidently. Hiro gave Rebecca an amused look before nodding as he sent her the itemized list of all the things placed inside the girl. She couldn’t help but whistle as her eyes scanned the list. “What? I know it's expensive but it shouldn’t be that expensive,” the latina asked.

Rebecca leaned in and whispered to her the grand total which had the girl choking as she looked back at her in surprise. “T-that much?” She asked her, eyes pleading to tell her it was all some kind of joke but Rebecca only shook her head. The girl winced as the cost of her operation/bribe sank in. If she were to renege on the deal, she might find the support that Hiro provides for her chrome to suddenly not be available and with it being a custom fit, she’d be hard pressed to find someone to work with it.

As much of a bribe it was, it was quite the effective leash as well. Of course, Hiro’s creations were of high quality and wouldn’t break down to simple use but in a high risk environment that most Edgerunner thread in, physical damage caused by gunfire or melee weapons were unavoidable. If she were to break the deal, she had to give up her life as a mercenary; something she’ll never give up if she’s just as much of an Edgerunner as she is.

“Well, I’ll be off then! Bye!” The girl all too hastily replied as she slipped her shoes on before, struggling to get them on as she hopped out of the room. Just as she left, she peeked from the entrance and shouted, “Oh, before I forget, all three of you still owe me a date!”

With those parting words, she finally left, leaving her with Hiro and Kiriko. Rebecca sighed as she looked away, pouting as she sat by Hiro. There was an uncomfortable silence between them as Kiriko excused herself to get some coffee and tea, leaving her there as she tried to work up the courage to talk to Hiro about her little job.

Finally mustering the courage, she started, “Sorry about what happened… I kinda fucked up there.” Admitting she fucked up was uncomfortable but it was the truth. Even if the job's intended job was supposed to be easy and not too dangerous, she still somehow got herself in a firefight which ended up making her call upon him for help. “I shouldn't have been too hasty and maybe I should have backed away instead of heading straight in but the answers were just there and I couldn’t help it.”

Even if it was a job that was finished, It still dragged the company's eyes on the situation. She could have easily backed away but she had to stay, she had to finish what was started. She got too hasty and well, it almost landed her in some deep shit. “Yes, I captured some of the people involved but was it really worth all the danger I placed myself through?” she said, pointing out her mistake as she sighed out.

“Sorry about the dinner date as well, I kinda promised that in the heat of the moment,” She then said as she pulled her knees in close. Hiro kept quiet which had Rebecca’s stomach turn as she shrunk into herself only for her to squeak in surprise as she found his hands wrapping around her, pulling her in a tight hug. The words he told her next eased her of all her worries and doubts.

“I’m just glad you're ok,” He whispered to her and she felt relief as she let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding and clung to Hiro for support. “It doesn’t matter if you stumble a thousand times. So long as I’m around, I’ll be there to help you up,” he reassured her as she sagged against his hold.

She then felt a hand atop her head as Kiriko gazed down upon her with a warm smile. “You worry too much Rebecca-san,” she told her, making her blush as the bubbly but surprisingly mature Kunoichi joined in with them after she placed down their drinks at a nearby table. “From the report young Martinez gave, you managed to uproot quite the malignant weed that had started to take root in the organization. As of now, the head of security is personally interrogating them.”

“Unfortunately…” Rebecca muttered darkly as she was reminded of what happened after Arasaka got there. Adam’s apprentice was surprisingly restrained and merely cripple them, providing quite a lot of people to interrogate. Unfortunately, Faraday was far too smashed up to piece back together.

“It would have been easier if they just gave us these people and have Kiwi root inside their minds but nooo, Asshole had to butt in our business and take them all. Would be way faster with all the upgrades she’s getting and it’s extremely suspicious especially when it’s one of theirs involved,” she complained.

As it was company matters, Yorinobu and his faction decided to swoop in and take over the investigation. All those people were gathered up by their men and with the little hold that Hiro’s faction had in the security division, they simply couldn’t out politic

“It couldn’t be helped. They have the authority to seize them and perform the interrogation for the company,” Kiriko then said in dismay. This was exactly why Rebecca wanted this to be off the records but things went south so fast that it just couldn’t be helped.

“As much as I hate it, Kiriko is correct. The fact of the matter is, this isn’t personal business anymore. It has become a company matter,” Hiro sighed as he leaned against her.

“Which means ass covering time,” Rebecca grumbled as she remembered who she was spying on was affiliated to. It rankled her that Yorinobu could just take the prisoner but that was how things were inside the company. Hiro might have some political capital to throw around but so does that man as well. It’s wrong on so many levels yet there were really few things she could do.

“As crude as that sounds, yes,” Hiro said as he yawned loudly before he closed his. It was a long day and they could use some rest. As she was about to get up, she noticed that her input had fallen asleep on her shoulders.

Smiling softly as she watched over her man, she then whispered, “Hopefully, they wouldn’t bungle it up too much.” Afterall, it was all she could do now as Hiro’s side fought for them. As confident as she was in the streets, the corporate snake pit was not a field of battle she was familiar with. She had to rely on those far more experienced oot her so she hoped and prayed that things would work out.

-x-x-x-

Unfortunately for Rebecca, it seemed that the universe decided to spit upon her efforts as soon as Yorinobu Arasaka started speaking. “We didn’t find anything,” The man replied unflappably, causing the normally already quiet board meeting to a much deeper silence. Even Hanako looked at her stone faced sibling. Rebecca had to hold herself back lest he actually shoot the man.

“Can you repeat that? Maybe I just misheard it but did the head of the security division say that they have investigated themselves and found nothing wrong?” Michiko questioned him, glaring at him for such a brazen attempt at lying. His employee was caught red handed, there must be something but he claimed that he found nothing.

The man sneered as he gestured for his assistant to distribute physical copies of his report on the matter to the various board members. Seeing the pale looks of some of the board members, it didn’t take a genius to realize that the man brutalized his captives. She gritted her teeth as she saw the state of some of the men. They won’t be able to talk even if they want to.

“The actions of the individual affiliated with the company caught in Ms Rebecca’s impromptu raid is but the actions of a rogue element. Nothing more, nothing less,” the man insisted as he leaned back against his seat. “Before you are the logs of everything we found. We made sure that they’re bled dry of any information that could be remotely linked to the company.”

“Bullshit!”

Harsher words were thrown around as what was supposed to be information that could help nail who was truly responsible for the debacles that company recently experienced only caused more division. Rebecca couldn’t help but feel bitter about it but that was how things were in this situation. They simply were unable to do anything despite the obvious horse play involved. They could call them out but from all the data that they release, even as rough as the netrunners and investigators were with their interrogation, all were within company policy.

“Thankfully, we did manage exactly who’s responsible for the leaks made so far. While we don't know the methods they’re using, we now have a face to our problems,” the man then said as the image of Lucy appeared before her eyes.

“Kushinada, Lucyna. Age 21. From what little we could gather, she’s effectively a ghost inside Night City. Little contact, scrubs her trace well and a recluse in all but name despite her edgerunning gig. She’s a woman who likes to hide many things but one thing she can’t hide is her involvement in Project Deep Dive,” The man said as he started breaking down everything they knew and what they could gather about her former comrade.

Project Deep Dive? Was Lucy involved with Arasaka in more ways than a simple grudge? As Yorinubo gave those within the boardroom a quick rundown on information, she began to see a tiny glimpse on what pushed Lucy to act so irrationally. She couldn’t help but grit her teeth at the reminder of how brutal and callous Corporations can be. As much Hiro does his best to change things now, it doesn’t really change what happened in the past.

“So a skeleton from your closet came haunting us in the present. How fitting don’t you think Auntie?” Michiko spat out as the room got heated once more.

Rebecca simply tuned out the shouting match soon after as she gritted her teeth in frustration. While she now understands Lucy a bit more, she still can’t quite forgive the girl. Why didn’t she trust them? She spat upon the bond of their group all because she was afraid. Kiwi will not like this one bit.

By the end of the meeting, one thing was decided and that Lucy was far too dangerous out in the street. A dangerous net runner capable of breaking into Arasaka and even disabling some of their defenses, it was all too much for the giant to ignore. It didn’t take long for her face to be plastered everywhere. She was a dead woman walking as a bounty was now placed upon her head for anyone to take.

“That stupid bitch. If you didn’t run, things wouldn’t have been this way. Now your head’s forfeit. I swear I’ll get Kiwi to spank her ass once I get my hands on that girl,” Rebecca growled as she followed Hiro back to their room.

-x-x-x-

“Huh?! You want me to go where!” Rebecca shouted in outrage as her input rightfully cowered before her. She gritted her teeth as she narrowed her eyes at Hiro who held up his hands diplomatically. She was actually looking forward to hunting down Lucy but now Hiro threw her this spanner seemingly out of nowhere.

“J-Japan but I really need this Becca. I really do!” Hiro replied diplomatically but she was not having any of it. Yes she fucked up but pulling her and her team off the street and in the other side of the world? “Things are moving faster than I anticipated and I might need some extra firepower when things come to blows. Besides, it shouldn’t take more than a week or two,” he reasoned.

“If somebody’s going to drag that bitches ass back here then it’ll be either me or one of the crew!” She fumed as she looked away and crossed her arm. “I swear, if you’re doing this to push me out of danger…” She mumbled with a pout but Hiro’s hands soon wrapped around her and it was getting harder and harder to stay mad.

“I’m not. Rebecca, please listen,” He begged her, making her pause as she reluctantly looked back at him. Taking a deep breath, she sighed as she lent him her ears.

“As much as you know about Lucy, there are things far that we need to deal with before we continue our pursuit,” He started as he held her closely. She could feel her tense shoulders relaxing under his hold as he continued, “I… I don’t like this as well Rebecca but as much as we need to react, we need to be proactive with our actions. This shipment could be essential to finally taking pacifica and breaking the two gangs. Without them, our enemies can’t use them as a guise to hide their movement.

Rebecca’s frown deepened once as she was quickly reminded of the war between Arasaka and two unruly gangs. As much bluster as the gangs had, they’re quickly being placed in the back food but that doesn’t mean they can bounce back. If Arasaka were to falter, the infection that are these gangs could spread once more. They could scatter and lick their wounds.

“Also, as much as I hate to admit it. I feel like Arasaka’s conflict will boil over,” Hiro admitted as sighed out in frustration. “My father’s seriously messing things up. He’s behind all this, I can feel it but like what happened earlier, he’s good at covering his tracks,” he complained.

“With Arasaka being stretched, there’s not enough scrutiny on my father’s way. The war as it is is far too much smoke screen for covert action and it is a blunder on my part so I best remove it entirely from the equation,” Hiro reasoned.

Rebecca sucked in a deep breath before shaking her head and sighing. “I hate it when you make a good point,” she admitted, relenting to his points. “Fine, I’ll guard that shipment since we obviously can’t trust your father’s side with anything. That man really needs to go,” she grumbled.

“We still don’t have any direct proof yet,” Hiro reminded her as his hands reached up to shoulders and massaged them, making her groan out in pleasure. Hiro does really know how to get on her good side when he wants to. “But don’t worry about it. Everything will be alright,” he reassured her

“I’m really going to miss sleeping by your side,” She whispered. She could scarcely imagine being away from him for so long but he needed this so she will make sure he gets this shipment whatever it takes.

“I’ll miss you too,” He whispered back with a kiss to her cheeks. “As much as I need this shipment, if things go badly, I want you to let it go. I’d rather have to deal with things under armed than lose you,” he instructed her, making her smile as she leaned up to capture his lips.

Pulling back, she whispered, “I love you too.”

-x-x-x-

Kiwi liked to believed she wasn’t a sentimental person but as she stood there, watching Rebecca and the others board a private plane, it seemed more and more that she was lying to herself. She could go with them, leave this place for a bit and join them but out there in the city is someone she was supposed to be responsible with. She can’t go with them, not when her stupid daughter was still out there causing so much trouble. That girl, causing her so much grief, sometimes wondered what kept pulling her back to her.

“Are you really staying, Kiwi?” Rebecca asked, breaking her out of her reverie as the world came into focus once more. She gazed down at the shorter girl wearing such formal clothing, a kimono of all things. She sure has gotten far hasn’t she? “I don’t want to butt in but is this about…?” the girl prodded before trailing off, hesitating near the end.

Kiwi simply nodded as she answered honestly, “Yes, it’s about Lucy and I don’t really mind. She dug her own grave but I’d rather have it by my hands that placed her there.” She basically raised her in this world, she can’t someone else have her now that she’s actively being hunted down.

Kiwi didn’t even get a chance to react before all the sudden, a warm set of hands wrapped around her waist and held her tightly. She blinked, realizing how tense she was as her shoulders sagged in defeat. “... God damn it. You know I hate this mushy touchy stuff,” she mumbled but the young Mox didn’t really listen to reason not her own.

“Screw that, you need a hug,” She fired back as she stubbornly clung to her, so much like how Lucy did when she first tried to rob her. She simply shook her head as she gave the smaller girl a pat on the head. “Spank Lucy for me will ya?” Rebecca then told her as she pulled away.

“Oh you bet I will. She’s been way too unruly these past few months. Somebody has to discipline her,” Kiwi replied before gesturing at the plane whose engine started to ramp. “Now go on before the plane leaves you. I think they’re about to take off,” she shooed her making the girl panic as she noticed her ride moving.

“Huh-! O-oy! I’m still here!” She shouted, doing her best to call their attention despite how loud the engines were. Thankfully, they really weren’t going to leave her.

Kiwi shook her head as she watched the girl board the large jet before its engine pivot as it pushed itself off the ground and flying off into the setting sun. She stood there, seeing them become naught but a speck in the distance until they disappeared in the horizon. By then, it was already quite dark in the private airfield.

Sighing, she looked at her back to see the imposing form of her input in all his chrome’d up glory. The way he stared at her with those red unblinking eyes should have made her run but after all this time, all she felt was a strange sense of comfort. As he walked up to her, his footsteps a mere pitter patter despite his large size, she spoke up, “If you want to scare me, you better step up your game big man.”

She swore she heard him snort as he reached up to her before suddenly placing his hands upon her shoulder. A shiver ran up her spine as she locked up, her body tensing as heart started to beat faster before heat bloomed inside her core. She grimaced as she looked away as she lost their little game again.

She hated how he toyed with her but she learned well enough that the beast can show affection, as twisted as it is. She was her pet, a woman wrapped around his hands, dreading the day he’ll turn against her. This could have been Lucy’s fate, scared of what’s to come but unlike her daughter, she learned that she can work with these bonds and thrive in it. If only she just stayed…

“Your daughter, the Company wants her head,” He growled out, reminding of what she needed to do.

“I know. I tried my best but I failed. I couldn’t save her,” She admitted as she reached for her pocket and pulled out a cigarette. Lighting it up and taking a long drag, she added “Don’t worry about what happens next. I won’t hesitate when the times come”

“I will take her alive,” Adam then added, making her pause as she processed what the man just said. His voice remained grating, mechanical, but it didn’t have the menace it usually held. There was no blood lust in his tone, there was only annoyance, a far cry to his usual mood when out on a hunt.

Kiwi looked up at him in disbelief but Adam was not one to joke. “Thank you…” she choked out in reply as a sense of elation filled her veins. Lucy didn’t need to die, she could live which meant she could slap her until she’s satisfied.

“Don’t thank me. The young master simply wants the girl alive.” With those words, her input walked away, gesturing for her to follow. The sound of a car’s alarm switching in the distance told her he came there to pick her up. As she walked up to catch up to him, she wondered if he really does care. He probably doesn’t… but it doesn’t hurt to hope especially when she sat atop his lap.