Pitch-Fic (Cyberpunk): Going Viral #1 (Patreon)

Author's Note: So sorry it took so long to get this one out! With the winning prompt being just about the erotic elements rather than the story ones, it took me a while to really come up with something I enjoyed, and I took my time to do so. I settled on using the existing setting of Shadowrun, with which I'm quite familiar and comfortable, and wanted to spend a chapter introducing the team before we get to the nitty-gritty.

As a bonus for the wait, I also made the four main characters in HeroForge to try to do a little mini "Brought to Life," and while HeroForge has pretty limited assets (especially sci-fi/cyberpunk-styled assets) I really think I made them look pretty decent. With more options I'm sure I would have come up with something different, and I don't consider these 100% perfect canon, but, y'know.

[story] [combat]

_______________________________

‭“‬Excuse me,‭ ‬ma’am,‭ ‬I’m not authorized to let anyone inside who isn’t on the Ares invite list.‭”

The tan-skinned troll with the Predator and the monkey suit stood with his arms folded across his chest,‭ ‬his massive,‭ ‬horned head tilted slightly down to regard the three women in front of him.‭ ‬While his size was imposing enough‭ ‬--‭ ‬and there was no way that three-piece wasn’t bulletproof down to the last fiber‭ ‬--‭ ‬he wasn’t alone,‭ ‬either.‭ ‬Two others,‭ ‬a male ork and a female human,‭ ‬flanked the beefy bouncer in full black body armor,‭ ‬both cradling assault rifles that they had yet to properly aim at the three prospective partygoers.

‭“‬Well it seems,‭ ‬then,‭ ‬that we aren’t working with the same information,‭ ‬something I’m sure we could rectify.‭” ‬A bright,‭ ‬clean-toothed grin.‭ ‬The kind of radiating,‭ ‬natural charm that could only come from eyes not yet enhanced by cybernetic replacements.‭ ‬Winter Cherry’s disarming grin caused the troll’s stoic expression to waver,‭ ‬a slight frown tilting cracked brown lips.‭ “‬I‭ ‬am,‭ ‬actually,‭ ‬on the invite list‭ ‬--‭ ‬just not the public one.‭ ‬My name’s Belle Briar,‭ ‬and this is my personal security detail.‭ ‬I requested my name be updated shortly before my arrival,‭ ‬so if you simply check again....‭”

Winter Cherry was an elf,‭ ‬and the party’s face.‭ ‬She dealt with some other problems too:‭ ‬locks,‭ ‬local firewalls,‭ ‬that kind of thing.‭ ‬Didn’t like to get her hands dirty,‭ ‬but wasn’t awful in a fight.‭ ‬It was impressive what someone could do with a single smartlinked machine pistol and the icy disposition of a natural-born liar.‭ ‬There was a reason people called her Winter,‭ ‬and it wasn’t just the long,‭ ‬wavy white hair that spilled down her slender shoulders.

Trying not to give away her endeavor with any kind of facial expression,‭ ‬the pigtailed ork beside Winter sent out a subvocalized whisper through her internal commlink,‭ ‬relaying a message to the van parked a couple blocks away.‭ ‬“Kodex,‭ ‬we need you inside that system yesterday,‭ ‬okay‭? ‬This guy’s starting to crack‭ ‬--‭ ‬Winter’s got him checking the list again,‭ ‬but he doesn’t look too happy about it‭!”

Ame had been a runner in Kyoto for years before coming to Seattle and joining up with the other girls,‭ ‬but she’d become family before too long.‭ ‬A street samurai with more chrome than the van the ladies rode around in,‭ ‬her wired reflexes left her a bit jittery at times,‭ ‬a bit overexcited,‭ ‬but she was as lethal with a blade as anyone.‭ ‬What little Ame lacked in patience or common sense,‭ ‬she more than made up for in raw power.

‭“‬Thaaaat’s aaaaa...‭ ‬negative,‭ ‬Ame,‭ ‬these Ares firewalls are absolutely fuckin‭’ ‬nuts‭!” ‬from the van,‭ ‬the dwarf Kodex swiped through screen after screen,‭ ‬balls-deep in the Matrix in her avatar,‭ ‬which took the form of a shadowy,‭ ‬amorphous creature,‭ ‬barely more than a heap of formless tentacles with the exception of its cartoonish,‭ ‬adorably oversized white eyes.‭ ‬Frantically multi-tasking,‭ ‬she needed to both keep the drone she’d sent out with the group in meatspace functional,‭ ‬try to hack through Ares security,‭ ‬and relay what was going on to an increasingly insistent Ame‭ ‬--‭ ‬and fortunately,‭ ‬Kodex was just the woman for the job.‭ “‬Fuck,‭ ‬I’ve got IC,‭ ‬I’ve got IC...‭ ‬aaand it’s fucked,‭ ‬get‭ ‬dunked on bitch,‭ ‬WOO‭!‬ Alright,‭ ‬name should be in there.‭ ‬Don’t fuck it up.‭”

Tan-skinned and sporting a blue-streaked blonde sidecut,‭ ‬Kodex was the‭ ‘‬woman in the chair,‭’ ‬the one teammate who often stayed behind to take care of things while staying out of harm’s way.‭ ‬She drove the car,‭ ‬did all the hacking,‭ ‬kept up both surveillance and counter-surveillance,‭ ‬and even sent drones along with the rest of the group to serve as her eyes and ears.‭ ‬As long as she had the comfort and safety of her own van,‭ ‬the foul-mouthed dwarf was the proverbial ghost in the machine,‭ ‬the gremlin in the works that nobody expected until she was far too late to stop.

‭“‬...Huh,‭ ‬Belle Briar,‭ ‬you said‭?” ‬the troll grunted,‭ ‬putting up a holographic name list from his commlink and scanning it once again.‭ “‬Turns out you‭ ‬are on here.‭ ‬Must have missed it.‭ ‬Apologies for the hassle,‭ ‬Ms.‭ ‬Briar‭ ‬--‭ ‬go right on in.‭” ‬Stepping aside,‭ ‬he swiped a keycard and opened the maglock to the megacorp tower’s enormous double-doors,‭ ‬ushering the three women and their cloaked,‭ ‬floating drone into the hall that,‭ ‬eventually,‭ ‬would lead to their target.

‭“‬Merda,‭ ‬that was closer than I would have liked,‭” ‬Elisa whispered under her breath,‭ ‬finally dropping the illusion she’d been holding up‭ ‬--‭ ‬one that had twisted the perception of Winter into an Ares-adjacent socialite of middling importance,‭ ‬and had changed Ame and Elisa into bog-standard black-suited corp goons.‭ “‬A little quicker next time,‭ ‬Dex‭?”

“Yo,‭ ‬I’m the one doin‭’ ‬the hard shit,‭ ‬I’ll get it done in good time,‭” ‬Kodex chuckled over the comms,‭ ‬drawing a quiet sigh from Elisa.

‭“‬Well,‭ ‬at least we are in,‭ ‬yea‭? ‬I always hate the bluffing parts.‭” ‬Elisa reached to her chest,‭ ‬drawing a tiny metal pendant shaped like a gecko to her lips,‭ ‬kissing it before letting it hang from its chain once more.‭ “‬Obrigada,‭ ‬mi amigo.‭”

Wrapped in crawling tattoos and sporting a jagged green mohawk,‭ ‬Elisa Vera was the only non-metahuman on the team,‭ ‬a street shaman from Brazil who followed the totem of the Gecko.‭ ‬Focusing on illusions,‭ ‬healing,‭ ‬summoning,‭ ‬and contact with the astral world,‭ ‬she was something of a swiss army shaman,‭ ‬only really lacking in meaningful combat magic‭ ‬--‭ ‬after all,‭ ‬she had a shotgun for those kinds of situations,‭ ‬and so far,‭ ‬it had done the job just fine.

‭“‬You can say that again,‭ ‬yikes‭!” ‬Ame sighed once the group was safely out of earshot from the guards outside.‭ ‬Sounds of the fundraiser taking place could be heard down the hall,‭ ‬but that wasn’t where the team was headed‭ ‬--‭ ‬merely the perfect cover for their heist.

‭“‬We’re not out of the woods yet,‭ ‬though,‭” ‬Winter cracked her neck from side to side,‭ ‬her hand uneasily near her pistol.‭ “‬Kodex,‭ ‬where do we go from here‭? ‬Do you have the floorplan up yet‭?”

“Yyyeeeahhh,‭ ‬yup,‭ ‬one second,‭” ‬came the buzzed reply through the team’s shared comm channel.‭ “‬Sorry,‭ ‬yo,‭ ‬shit takes more than a couple seconds sometimes,‭ ‬sue me.‭”

“Nobody said anyth--‭” ‬Ame began,‭ ‬but was cut off.

‭“‬Okay so you wanna avoid the west side of the building unless you’ve got a mad hankering for whores dee-oovers.‭”

“...Do you mean hors d’ouvres‭?” ‬Winter facepalmed.

‭“‬Whatever,‭ ‬I don’t speak sperethiel,‭” ‬Kodex’s drone dropped its cloak,‭ ‬revealing itself as a jet-black orb around the size of a baseball,‭ ‬a dark blue lens at its front and a nearly-inaudible hum of the internal mechanisms keeping the buoyant sphere aloft.‭ ‬It faced the hallway to the right,‭ ‬then swiveled on the spot,‭ ‬as if shaking its head.‭ “‬Party’s that way,‭ ‬so it’s a no-go.‭”

“Okay,‭ ‬so where do we go‭?” ‬Elisa insisted.

‭“‬According to the brief I got from the Mr.‭ ‬Johnson,‭ ‬what we’re looking for should be in or near room‭ ‬504,‭ ‬but I didn’t get an exact level.‭ ‬We are definitely going‭ ‬up,‭ ‬though,‭ ‬so you’re gonna wanna take a left up here,‭ ‬then go straight,‭ ‬and there should be an elevator.‭” ‬There was a pause,‭ ‬then an audible sigh from Kodex.‭ “‬It’s shut down during the fuckin‭’ ‬fundraiser,‭ ‬though.‭ ‬I’m gonna be busy with cameras so it’s gonna be up to one of you fuckin‭’ ‬wizkids to get it up and running.‭ ‬On a positive note,‭ ‬my scans so far show that security’s mostly tangled up with the party,‭ ‬so there shouldn’t be much resistance.‭”

“Aw,‭” ‬Ame frowned.

‭“‬Alright,‭ ‬then,‭ ‬let’s get this show on the road,‭ ‬ey‭? ‬I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for any...‭ ‬disturbances,‭” ‬Elisa bit her lip,‭ ‬her eyes flashing a mottled green for a moment as she glanced beyond this reality,‭ ‬using her magic to harness her awaken senses and peer into the astral realm,‭ ‬keeping on alert as Winter pressed the team forward.‭ ‬The route appeared to be much as Kodex had suggested‭ ‬--‭ ‬left,‭ ‬then forward‭ ‬--‭ ‬and the squad came upon the deactivated elevator the dwarf had mentioned.

‭“‬Okay,‭ ‬so,‭ ‬uh,‭ ‬who’s...‭ ‬who’s got this‭? ‘‬Cause like,‭ ‬I chop things up mostly,‭ ‬and,‭ ‬uh...‭ ‬yeah,‭” ‬Ame fidgeted,‭ ‬the ork getting increasingly restless with all this walking,‭ ‬talking,‭ ‬and sitting.‭ ‬If she didn’t end up fighting‭ ‬something tonight,‭ ‬her cybernetic enhancements would drive her up the wall with unused energy.‭ ‬Pausing,‭ ‬she reached into her pocket,‭ ‬withdrawing a chocolate bar and taking a quick bite of it.‭ ‬Something to chew.‭ ‬Something to‭ ‬do.

‭“‬Worry not,‭ ‬child,‭” ‬Winter smiled,‭ ‬giving the ork girl a quick,‭ ‬playful kiss on the cheek as she made her way towards the elevator door,‭ ‬opening a holographic readout on her commlink and reaching into her own pocket for a slim faux-leather sheaf of low-tech security tools.‭ “‬I’m more than just a pretty face,‭ ‬remember‭? ‬Elisa,‭ ‬you and Ame watch my back while I try to get this working‭; ‬from what I can tell it isn’t a proper Matrix shutdown,‭ ‬it’s some sort of temporary mag-jam.‭ ‬I should be able to get it open.‭”

“I’ve got you,‭ ‬just try to hurry,‭ ‬okay‭?” ‬Elisa said uneasily.‭ “‬I have a bad feeling about this job so far.‭ ‬Seems too easy.‭ ‬Why wouldn’t they have security upstairs if there’s something worth taking‭? ‬Megacorps like Ares are never that sloppy.‭”

“Yeah,‭ ‬I guess,‭” ‬Ame shrugged,‭ ‬taking another bite from her chocolate bar‭ ‬--‭ ‬not real chocolate,‭ ‬of course,‭ ‬but among the best substitute nutrisoy could offer‭ ‬--‭ ‬and tapping her foot anxiously on the pristine white tile floor.‭ “‬At this point I’m kinda hoping for an ambush‭! ‬Not used to things going this quietly.‭”

“If you don’t get a fuckin‭’ ‬move on,‭ ‬you’ll get what you want real soon,‭” ‬Kodex buzzed in,‭ ‬her drone suddenly dancing erratically in the air.‭ “‬Looks like a patrol’s headed your way,‭ ‬you need to get on that elevator before they see you‭! ‬If someone catches wind that we’re here,‭ ‬this whole place’ll get locked down‭!”

Elisa sighed,‭ ‬giving Ame a long,‭ ‬annoyed look.‭ “‬Happy now,‭ ‬garota‭?”

“...Sort of‭?”

“I’m in‭!” ‬came the hushed call from Winter as she passed the maglock to the hardware wiring,‭ ‬realigning the controls to remove the manual block and summoning the elevator.‭ ‬Footsteps could be heard coming down the opposite hallway by the time Ame and Elisa finally arrived,‭ ‬jumping quietly into the cramped metal box as Winter frantically commanded the doors to close.‭ “‬Shhh.‭ ‬Wait for them to go.‭”

The three‭ (‬and Kodex’s drone‭) ‬sat inside the unmoving elevator for a long moment,‭ ‬holding their breaths‭ ‬--‭ ‬or,‭ ‬in Ame’s case,‭ ‬tapping into her internal oxygen reserves and simply choosing not to breathe‭ ‬--‭ ‬as they waited for the footsteps to approach,‭ ‬pause,‭ ‬turn,‭ ‬and then leave.‭ ‬Even as quiet as elevators were in‭ ‬2072,‭ ‬there was no point in alerting the guards when they were so close to their goal.

Finally,‭ ‬after a long pause,‭ ‬Elisa let her breath go and opened her eyes,‭ ‬their green shimmer fading.‭ “‬They’re gone,‭ ‬we’re good.‭ ‬I watched them return to the party.‭”

“One of these days you’re really gonna have to show me how that clairvoyance stuff works,‭” ‬Ame smiled.

‭“‬Ame,‭ ‬I hate to break it to you,‭ ‬but at this point you’re more wires than ork.‭ ‬There’s no amount of teaching I could do that would see you able to cast even the simplest spell‭ ‬--‭ ‬the spirits only see those grounded to the earth.‭”

Ame’s smile faded to a frown.‭ “‬Oh.‭”

Meanwhile,‭ ‬Winter was punching in the controls to send the elevator upwards at last,‭ ‬heading for the fifth floor in hopes that it corresponded with the room number‭ ‬--‭ ‬a suspicion greatly strengthened by the fact that the elevator refused to entertain that request.‭ “‬Kodex,‭ ‬got a lock on Floor‭ ‬5,‭ ‬probably what we’re after.‭ ‬Anything you can do.‭”

“One second,‭” ‬the dwarf said over comms.‭ ‬There was a pause.‭ “‬Try again‭?”

There was a soft hum and lurching sensation as the elevator gave in to the command,‭ ‬lunging upward at astounding speed through the floors of the building and finally coming to a surprisingly gentle stop at the desired landing.‭ ‬The doors sliding open,‭ ‬Winter sighed contently.‭ “‬Thanks,‭ ‬Dex,‭ ‬don’t know what I’d do without you.‭”

“Eh,‭ ‬you can buy me a beer later.‭”

“Will synthahol do‭?”

“Doesn’t it always fuckin‭’ ‬have to‭?”

“Point,‭” ‬Winter shrugged,‭ ‬keeping her hand at her pistol as she moved cautiously forward,‭ ‬Elisa and Ame just behind her.‭ “‬Alright,‭ ‬sounds quiet up here.‭ ‬Let’s search for room‭ ‬504‭ ‬and hope we don’t run into any surprises.‭”

“Man,‭ ‬not even a‭ ‬little surprise...‭?” ‬Ame pouted.

‭“‬We’re fucking with megacorps now,‭” ‬Winter responded,‭ ‬shooting an annoyed look back at the younger member of the team.‭ “‬Not just street toughs and mob goons.‭ ‬I don’t even wanna think about what we could run into if our intel hasn’t been good.‭ ‬So,‭ ‬yeah,‭ ‬fingers crossed for‭ ‬no surprises,‭ ‬wizkid.‭ ‬Not even little ones.‭”

“Fan out‭?” ‬Elisa arched a brow,‭ ‬to which Winter quickly shook her head.

‭“‬Fuck that,‭ ‬I’m not losing one of you to a turret or stationed goon or some shit.‭ ‬We’ve got time,‭ ‬we’ll use it.‭ ‬Stick together,‭” ‬the elf slipped her automatic pistol from its concealed holster and kept both hands on it,‭ ‬activating the smartlink that connected it to her comm,‭ ‬and as such,‭ ‬the HUD on the inside of her sleek,‭ ‬clear glasses.‭ ‬The three‭ ‬--‭ ‬along with Kodex’s drone‭ ‬--‭ ‬skulked quietly along the hallways of the fifth floor,‭ ‬going past rows of closed doors,‭ ‬offices,‭ ‬and other bright,‭ ‬sterile corporate set dressing designed to look far more boring than it actually was.‭ ‬Finally,‭ ‬the first sign that they were on the right track,‭ ‬was a number painted in black on one of the hallways,‭ ‬not entirely unlike a streetsign:‭ ‬502.

‭“‬Just have to find another to know which direction to head,‭” ‬Elisa allowed herself a confident grin.‭ “‬Maybe this won’t be so bad after all--‭”

“Stop right there‭!” ‬the shaman was interrupted by a booming voice from behind the group as they moved to start heading down the hall,‭ ‬heralding what appeared to be a small squadron of heavily militarized corp security goons who had just taken a turn into the far end of the hallway’s opposite side.‭ “‬Had a feeling some rat fuck shadowrunners would show up‭ ‬--‭ ‬send‭ ‘em to meet Dunkelzahn,‭ ‬boys‭!”

There was a flurry of sudden action as the group of guards loaded their firearms and began to take aim,‭ ‬Elisa pumping her shotgun and Winter aiming her pistol,‭ ‬Kodex’s drone snapping out a quartet of jet-like wings and extending a small taser from its epicenter.‭ ‬Fast,‭ ‬chaotic...‭ ‬for everyone except Ame.‭ ‬For the ork,‭ ‬it was like time stood still,‭ ‬the security team moving in slow motion as she withdrew a pair of katanas from the sheaths on her back,‭ ‬a wide smile spreading across her pretty,‭ ‬fang-filled face.‭ ‬Finally,‭ ‬she got to do what she did best.

By the time Winter had gotten the first shot off,‭ ‬Ame had already crossed the room,‭ ‬severing an arm,‭ ‬then a head in a blur of motion almost too quick to perceive without cybereyes.‭ ‬Elisa summoned the power of her patron spirit to leap up to the wall,‭ ‬then ceiling,‭ ‬clingiing to them with her feet and one free hand as she aimed her shotgun with the other,‭ ‬letting off a massive,‭ ‬deadly slug into the oncoming troop of goons,‭ ‬while Winter let loose a spray of small-arms fire.‭ ‬Getting accidentally tagged wasn’t much of a concern for the hyped-up cyber-warrior,‭ ‬though,‭ ‬as she cleared through the opposing team’s leader,‭ ‬ran up the riot shield of the man behind him,‭ ‬leapt off of that,‭ ‬and in an instant was behind them all,‭ ‬a flurry of spinning steel pushing them up and through the hallway,‭ ‬into the gunfire of her teammates.

‭“‬Hacked their smartlinks‭!” ‬came Kodex’s voice from over comms,‭ ‬the dwarf multitasking as usual,‭ ‬but by the time she’d finished there were no guards left to try to shoot anyone‭ ‬--‭ ‬merely a single blood-soaked japanese ork where they’d once been,‭ ‬idly brushing stray bullets out of the outer layer of her enhanced epidermis.‭ “‬Oh.‭ ‬Well.‭ ‬Hm.‭”

“Happy now‭?” ‬Winter arched a brow in Ame’s direction,‭ ‬and the girl smiled back broadly.

‭“‬Yup‭!”

“Alright,‭ ‬let’s try to find this room and get the fuck outta here,‭” ‬the elf let out a soft sigh as the adrenaline began to drain from her body.‭ ‬She hadn’t gotten hit,‭ ‬not even close,‭ ‬but a firefight was still a firefight,‭ ‬and when you were running the shadows‭ ‬--‭ ‬especially against a big-ticket baddie like Ares Macrotechnology‭ ‬--‭ ‬any tense moment could be your last,‭ ‬no matter how good you were.

‭“‬Hall this way says‭ ‬503,‭ ‬so I think we’re on the right track,‭ ‬yeah‭?” ‬Ame smiled again,‭ ‬ushering the others to her position at the other end of the hall.‭ ‬Elisa dropped from the ceiling to her feet,‭ ‬discarding a few spent shells and slinging her shotgun back into the holster across her back.

‭“‬Nice.‭ ‬Maybe this’ll be easy after all,‭ ‬now that we’ve cleared out the goons,‭ ‬yeah‭?”

“Frag me,‭” ‬Winter groaned,‭ “‬you’re really gonna have to learn to stop saying anything’ll be easy.‭ ‬Best way to jinx a run.‭”

“You believe in jinxes,‭ ‬Winter‭?” ‬Elisa chuckled as the trio made their way down the next hall.‭ “‬And here I thought I was the shaman.‭”

“Well,‭ ‬what can I say,‭ ‬watching you work the last couple years has shown me a lot about what a pain in the ass spirits can be,‭” ‬the elf offered a weak chuckle back,‭ ‬finally coming to a full stop once more when she arrived at the next hallway leading down‭ ‬--‭ ‬the one,‭ ‬ostensibly,‭ ‬on which they’d find whatever they were looking for.‭ ‬504.‭ “‬Plus,‭ ‬it’s simple runner logic.‭ ‬The easier something seems,‭ ‬the harder it’ll be...‭ ‬and nothing’s ever simple.‭”