ALL NOVEL Malorian Firearms, Inc
Seconds before the tremor shook the city, in the attic of Tower Parkway, Sienna was wrapping up her report to Miriam on the discoveries made by Lazarus agents regarding the Master and the dangerous code it was using.
Richard Night's hologram, accompanying Miriam, began showing signs of malfunction. His image became blurry and distorted, alarming Miriam. Leaning towards the hologram, she asked with concern, "Richard, dear, what's happening?"
Richard's hologram made an effort to communicate, "It've found it, that thing has infiltrated one of 'his' servers. I'm trying to reject it, but—" before he could finish, his signal abruptly cut off. This left Miriam uneasy and distressed, prompting Sienna to immediately contact Night Corp and find out what was happening.
"Yes, of course!" Sienna nervously responded.
However, before she could make the call, Richard's damaged hologram reappeared. The digitized figure of Richard Night showed obvious damage, with parts of his body formed by floating code fragments. The wounded hologram exclaimed, "Evacuate all server buildings immediately; they were its initial targets!"
Richard's face turned concerned as he looked towards Miriam and continued, "That entity... that 'Master' has taken control of the GeoFront system. I've managed to protect the Megabuildings with civilians and some key buildings in the city center, but the rest are under its control..."
The shocking revelation and the naming of the "Geofront" system by Richard's hologram gripped Miriam's old heart, fearing what would happen next. At that precise moment, a tremor shook the city, gently rocking the tower's attic.
Sienna, connected to the Night Corp control center, received real-time information about sudden seismic activity in ten different locations in the city, precisely where the 10 buildings hosting the servers controlling the city were located.
An indescribable feeling washed over her as she learned how the ten buildings began to crumble, crushing or trapping most workers who hadn't been able to evacuate. The destruction of the servers triggered the flickering and failure of the city's system, plunging most services into intermittent states by overloading the servers still active in the Night Corp headquarters.
The magnitude of the crisis became evident in the darkness shrouded the skyscrapers and streets of the city, disrupting life throughout Night City and its citizens.
-
[Industrial Zone of Night City]
Meanwhile, after escaping from Landfield and Morgan's Rayfield Caliburn was seriously damaged...
Thanks to Eco's efforts to get in touch with his new friend Ai, despite signal interference, four Delamain taxis appeared from different streets, converging around the damaged three-wheeled Rayfield Caliburn.
Positioning themselves on both sides and in front and behind, they pushed it to keep it moving. These autonomous cars were part of a private network that allowed them to operate even in the current "exceptional" conditions of the city.
As the Delamain taxis arrived, Morgan shot through the windshield and leaped onto the hood of the moving Caliburn. However, when he tried to pull out Mathew, who had disconnected his father's helmet, leaving control of the Caliburn to the surrounding Delamain taxis, the pursuing "Empties" jumped onto the roofs of the five cars, pouncing on Morgan before he could get Mathew out.
Sora reacted immediately. He jumped onto the roof of one of the surrounding Delamain taxis and delivered a brutal knee strike to one of the two Empties on the taxi's roof, pushing the other, causing both to fall off the vehicle.
Next, without wasting time, Sora aimed and opened fire with his black Malorian at the Empties that Morgan was struggling with while protecting Mathew. The smart bullets serpentined through the air before hitting the heads of the Empties, eliminating them.
Free from interruptions, Morgan grabbed Mathew, clutching his backpack, by the collar of his coat and tossed him to Sora on the roof of one of the taxis, causing a role reversal where Morgan drew his revolvers, starting to dispose of the Empties around him with rapid and precise shots.
When Sora caught Mathew by his coat, Eco barked, "Waaf, Waf!" Delamain's artificial intelligence responded with a nod. "Sure, no problem." Following Eco's request, it separated the taxi they were on and opened the passenger door.
With Morgan covering them from the remaining Empties, Sora threw Mathew into the taxi and stuck his head upside down through the passenger door. He looked at the pale face of Delamain's avatar on the screens inside the taxi and said, "Get the kid out of here, take him to the Hotel Continental!"
Sora closed the door and jumped onto another taxi, helping Morgan get rid of the remaining Empties, while the Delamain taxi with Mathew separated from them at the first exit it found.
Leaving the sparsely populated area of Night City's industrial zone, Morgan and Sora continued their escape through the chaotic city streets. The remaining three Delamain taxis stopped pushing the wrecked Rayfield Caliburn and took positions around Morgan and Sora, forming a kind of improvised escort.
With the city plunged into darkness, a large portion of the population/criminals engaged in a massive assault on any store within their reach, plunging most of Night City's streets into a state of anarchy. Nevertheless, they were left astonished when they saw two mercenaries on the roofs of two Delamain autonomous vehicles crossing the streets at high speed.
The sight of the mercenaries, along with the sound of bullets whistling through the air, surprised the onlookers as the two mercenaries faced the Cybersycos pack following them.
Relentlessly, the Empties attacked without mercy, targeting any civilian/criminal in their path. They jumped onto the first cars in their path, seizing control of the vehicles through the black cylinders and taking civilians hostage inside their own cars."
Observing the situation, Morgan frowned, and a "Tch" escaped his lips. Quickly, he ordered Delamain's artificial intelligence to turn around the block and return to the sparsely populated area of the city's industrial zone where they had been before. Knowing it would be impossible to reach Night Corp's headquarters while being pursued and the Empties continued taking civilians as hostages or ruthlessly attacking them if they got in their way.
Back in Night City's industrial zone, Morgan recalled the headquarters of an old friend, an armed fortress with its own generator installed. He transmitted the address to Delamain, while Sora, using the nanobots in his spine to slow down his perception of time, precisely shot at the black cylinders on the cars and the accompanying Empties.
This causes the Empties to change tactics, stopping them from trying to take control of the cars. Instead, they use the cylinders directly on the cyberware of the drivers, complicating Morgan and Sora's task of destroying the cylinders without causing collateral damage
Returning on the same route, the number of Empties waiting for them multiplied, forcing them to change their direction several times until they were ultimately blocked. This caused the three Delamain taxis to abruptly stop, following their programming that prevented them from inflicting harm on any human being, regardless of their condition.
Faced with the impossibility of the autonomous vehicles, Morgan and Sora prepared to make their way through the crowd of Empties surrounding them. But at that moment, a shrill alarm suddenly echoed above their heads. Looking up, both were blinded by a white spotlight from the AV descending upon them.
Simultaneously, a red hologram, bearing the cautionary word [WARNING], was projected onto the ground around them. In a matter of seconds, five figures descended from the aircraft, all of then donned in the distinctive Max Tac uniform, their sleeves aglow with a chilling purple pulse.
Their helmets, equipped with two sets of three lenses, moved independently, scanning and marking all visible enemies within each Max Tac agent's HUD. With half of their faces exposed, the various expressions of the 5-member Max Tac team became evident amidst the Cybersycos horde.
From a predatory smile adorning the Mantis Blades user's face to a serious and unyielding expression from the team leader, the range of emotions was palpable. Conversely, there were also signs of unease, such as the Netrunner's, who nervously reacted to the unsettling/dangerous code unveiled during the initial scan, connecting all the Cybersycos around them.
Immediately and without uttering a word, the Max Tac agents sprang into action. The most corpulent of them, identified as "Blitz" on the back of his vest, emitted a metallic sound as his exoskeleton, covering only the lower part of his body, as it whirred into motion. He advanced ahead of his team, sweeping the area with his Power Light Machine Gun, connected to his exoskeleton by a robotic arm, to prevent the collateral damage.
The slender figure known as "Tech" took an elevated position on one of the Delamain taxi roofs. From there, he sequentially fired his Nekomata Tech Sniper Rifle, neutralizing several long-range cyberware-equipped Empties aiming at them.
As if holding back, the Mantis Blades user, "Psycho," turned to the cool-headed team leader labeled as "Frost." He responded with a subtle nod, prompting her to lunge forward like a hungry predator towards the enemies.
Engaging her Mantis Blades in a frenzy of slashes, she was saved from imminent attacks she couldn't evade by the last member of the team, "IQ," who hacked and halted the Empties' makeshift cyberware, despite its peculiar code, before they reached his 'Psycho' companion.
With no intention of standing idly, Morgan and Sora joined the fray, forming a united front with the Max Tac agents. The heavy-hitting agent 'Blitz,' with his MA70 HB, became the focus of suppressive fire. Everyone, except for 'Psycho,' and 'IQ,' who covered an entire flank by themselves.
As the battle progressed, backed by the heavy cannons of the NCPD AV hovering above, they managed to reduce the number of Empties at the cost of blood – that of Agents 'Blitz' and 'Tech,' both wounded in the intense confrontation. Despite the Master's firm determination to eliminate Morgan and, especially, Sora, it had no choice, given the significant loss of his Empties, but to issue the retreat order.
Upon receiving the order, the Empties scattered in all directions, running towards alleys and nearby rooftops or entering the sewers. In the midst of the retreat, Sora noticed a particular Emptie, quickly identifying her by her red cyberware. Without hesitation, Sora launched himself towards the agent called 'Psycho,' or as he knew her, 'Melissa' and with an agile kick, swept Agent Rory's legs, causing her to fall and miss her frenzied attacks with her Mantis Blades against... Gear.
Acting like any other Emptie, Gear took the opportunity given by Sora to follow the Master's order and escape. Using her cybernetic claws, Gear swiftly climbed a nearby wall, running across the roofs of the nearby factories.
While Morgan holstered his revolvers and approached to 'Frost,' the leader of the Max Tac team, who was assisting his injured comrades, to express gratitude for the help and seek information about the current city situation, he was interrupted by Sora. As he using his grapple to follow Gear, he shouted, "Morgan, I'll be right back."
Agent Rory, infuriated at losing her prey, wanted to follow Sora, but before she can, due to her condition, Melissa had to look back at her team leader. Surprisingly to her, Frost nodded again, granting permission for her to follow the Mercenary, Mistakenly thinking that she would provide assistance to him.
Running across the rooftops of the factories, chasing Gear, Sora unleashed his grapple and launched a fragment of rope made of nanobots with two spheres at each end.
After entangling her legs, Gear fell abruptly to the ground, and like a wounded animal, tried to free herself with her cybernetic claws. However, Sora's nanobot-made rope quickly reconnected over and over again, thwarting Gear's attempts to break free.
While Gear struggled, Sora, after running his black cybernetic hand over the blade of Getsuga, tinting its edge metallic blue, made a swift cut through the air in front of her. This seemingly harmless cut caused Gear to fall unconscious to the ground, like a puppet with cut strings, due to how Sora literal cut the Master's signal controlling her.
While Sora crouched to check Gear's condition, Melissa, who was following him, noticed his seemingly unprotected back and realized they were alone. Unable to resist, she lunged toward him with her Mantis Blades raised.
Feeling the danger at his back and after evading Melissa's sudden attack with an agile flip, Sora confused asked, "What the hell are you doing, bitch?"
Melissa, undeterred by Sora's tone, responded with a smile as wild as it was seductive, and while moistening her lips with her tongue, replied; "I couldn't help myself.... Seeing your back reminded me of when I saw it fighting Smasher... "She said remembering the seductive back and the battle that excited her, and not only mentally.
Without giving time replied, Sora could only sigh with exasperation as Melissa's Psycho launched into him another frenzied dance with her Mantis Blades.
[A few minutes later]
The AV had landed in the middle of the street and Morgan was sat at the entrance puffing on one of his stogies. He engaged in a conversation with Frost, the leader of Max Tac, who had already tended to his lightly wounded comrades and was sharing information about the city's current situation.
In the midst of their discussion, Sora emerged from one of the nearby alleys, carrying Gear unconscious under his left arm, bound from top to bottom with his grapple cable. Simultaneously, with his metallic right arm, he was pulling another cable, dragging Melissa, also bound from top to bottom.
Surprisingly, Melissa seemed to be enjoying being bound, although she couldn't wipe the blood staining her face, a result of Sora's singular attack – A punch that stopped her madness and broke her nose.
Upon seeing them, Morgan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Boy, is that how you got your girlfriend?" at Sora, who was carrying two women bound, unlike Frost, the leader of the Max tac team, who, aware of Melissa's personality, wasn't surprised to see her tied up with a bloodied face.
Without changing his expression, Frost said, "I apologize; I hope she didn't cause you any trouble. Since her reconditioning after the Cybersycosis attack, Melissa's personality has been... let's say, altered."
Hearing the serene tone of Max Tac's team leader, accustomed to having Melissa on his team, Sora exclaimed, "I can only pity you for being the one to control this crazy bitch... Anyway, do you know what the hell happened in the city?"
In response to the question, Morgan replied, "Remember the ten columns of smoke we saw? They were from the server buildings that control the city collapsing."
"WHAT!? How the hell did that happen?" Sora asked, surprised by the news.
"No idea. For now, Night Corp wants us to focus on tracking down the culprit while they try to regain control of the city somehow. Do you think the girl will help us?" Morgan asked, aware that the highly modified woman Sora carried under his arm was the same girl from his story from before.
"I don't know yet. I need a safe place where I can examine her. Are we going back to Night Corp?" he inquired.
"No, that place must be swamped trying to fix the server mess, and by the eyes of the master still on us, it seems that thing hasn't given up on killing us yet. Let's go to a friend's HQ a couple of blocks from here," Morgan said, noticing how Sora twisted his helmet. He added, "Don't worry; you'll like where we're going."
"Whatever you say. Shall we?" Sora responded, pointing his thump at the waiting Delamian Taxis.
"Yes, but Frost's team has kindly offered to take us. They'll stay with us as reinforcement until we resolve the situation," Morgan said, standing up and entering the AV. Meanwhile, Frost grabbed Melissa without untying her and carelessly tossed her inside the AV.
Learning that he would have to endure the 'Psycho' of Melissa all night caused Sora to look at her, who was seductively smiling at him from the floor of the AV, making him click his tongue in annoyance as he also boarded the AV, carrying Gear under his arm
-
On the rooftop of an old, six-story reinforced building with an almost abandoned look—except for the flickering red neon of [Malorian Firearms, Inc] that illuminated it—the sound of Max Tac's AV landing resonated throughout the building.
More than 30 Malorian weapon turrets activated, menacingly pointing towards the AV and the Max Tac agents who cautiously emerged. However, when Morgan stepped forward and shouted at the security cameras in his casual tone, the situation took a drastic turn.
"You lazy bastard... open the damn door and let us in!" Despite Morgan's provocative words, a hoarse and annoyed voice emerged from the speakers, surprisingly tinged with a hint of joy: "[Morgan, is that you? What the hell are you doing in Night City? I live here precisely to avoid seeing your face. I bet it's your fault the city is in this state!]"
"Yeah, it's me, and i can't deny that I am related to the problem, but... it wasn't me! Let us in for fuck's sake... or do you want me to tell your daughter where you're hiding?" Within seconds, the turrets relaxed instantly, and the elevator doors opened automatically.
With a wry smile, Morgan headed towards the elevator, saying, "Welcome to Malorian Arms headquarters," gesturing with his hand for the others to follow.
The elevator didn't stop on any of the six floors of the building but descended to one of the basements. As the doors opened, the floor was clean, thanks to a couple of Robot R MK.2s roaming around. Yet, the room was surprisingly silent, with most lights turned off, leaving only those that seemed to guide them illuminated.
Morgan advanced through the corridors, reaching a set of large armored doors. With a gesture, he greeted the cameras in the hallway, causing the doors to open, revealing a spacious room that served as both a tool-filled workshop and a cozy apartment with a bed, a small kitchen, and what seemed to be a leather armchair with headphones connected to an old music player, near a shelf with a large vinyl collection.
In the center of the room stood a 70-year-old man with spiky blue hair, the owner and creator of Malorian Arms, none other than Eran Malour. Eran was possibly the world's best gunsmith and a close friend of Sora's father.
"Hey, Morgan, you bastard! If you're planning to drag me into your shit, you better leave right now!" Eran exclaimed, not appearing too thrilled to see Morgan. However, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift slightly at the sight of his old friend.
Just as Eran was approaching Morgan, he abruptly stopped upon seeing the mercenary accompanying him. Despite living in seclusion, Eran recognized the helmet, especially due to the recent news of the mercenary facing Smasher at Richard's anniversary Gala.
Due to the woman under his arm, his jacket opened wider than usual, revealing a few inches of the handles of his two weapons. Eran's mind froze for an instant upon recognizing them.
Though they were only a few inches, Eran didn't need more to recognize the weapons he had created himself. Moreover, having the complete pair, just what his father wanted, left Eran with no doubt about the true identity of the mercenary before him. All of this caused Eran to fall silent and stare fixedly at... the son of his friend Johnny.
"Hmpt." It wasn't until Morgan, aware of what was transpiring in Eran's mind, cleared his throat to correct his friend's behavior, given the Max Tac team accompanying them. When Eran regained composure, Sora also closed his jacket, concealing his two Malorian pistols.
Eran glanced briefly at the five figures from Max-Tac accompanying them, two of whom appeared slightly injured. He turned to the man who seemed to be the team leader and said, "Just as you exit, the infirmary is to your right. You'll find everything you need to treat your comrades there."
Without giving him time to respond, Morgan turned to Frost and added, "Go and tend to Blitz and Tech. I'll stay here to talk to the slacker so he doesn't kick us out."
Frost said nothing and simply nodded before leaving the room with his squad. Unexpectedly, and confusing Eran, Sora also went with the Max-Tac team to the infirmary, even though he would have liked to stay and meet the owner of Malorian Arms. However, he had more pressing matters at hand, quite literally.
With only Morgan and Eran left in the room, Morgan approached where Eran kept the alcohol and poured himself a drink. Eran, unable to contain all the questions in his head, blurted them out all at once.
"Well!? Are you going to tell me what the hell you're doing here, accompanied by... 'his' son? And when the hell did that bastard Greyson kick the bucket? Was it his son who did? Is that why he fought Smasher at the Gala? When Johnny told me his plan, I thought he was insane, but for his son to really reclaim his weapon from whoever killed him... 'crazy father, deranged son' indeed!" exclaimed Eran, only pausing to catch his breath.
"Uh, it's a long story," replied Morgan, smiling at Eran before taking a sip of his drink. "Do you want to hear it?"
"OF COURSE, DAMN IT!" exclaimed Eran, exasperated by Morgan's obvious question, but... For the first time, he felt relieved for having gotten drunk and letting slip that request from Johnny to the man who was drinking his alcohol without permission in front of him.
Surprisingly he felt light too, knowing that two of his cherished creations had finally ended up in the hands they were meant for.
-
About 40 minutes later, Tech and Blitz emerged from the medical capsules in the infirmary, and the five-member team gathered, all wearing the lightweight uniforms beneath their standard-issue armor. They took the opportunity to take a short break.
"How are you all feeling?" inquired the team leader, Frost.
"No issues, sir. My combat efficiency is back to 100%," reported Tech, using an almost robotic vocabulary.
"Very human, Tech," Blitz said ironically before adding enthusiastically, "All good, sir, ready to shred more Cybersycos!"
"I'm glad to hear that. IQ, have you managed to contact Sergeant Hammerman?" Frost asked the team's Netrunner.
"No, the performance of the communication is intermittent. When it works, there are too many calls for looting and emergencies flooding the NCPD network. I've only managed to send a message through the encrypted network and received a response that sounded like the Sergeant: [Continue with your 'DAMN' work]" IQ replied, not taking his eyes off the pad embedded in his cybernetic arm.
Amidst the almost unsettling silence from her, Frost approached Melissa, who was staring fixedly at the other two individuals in the infirmary.
The mercenary had removed his helmet to connect directly with the woman he had captured through the ports in their necks.
He kept his identity hidden by covering half of his face with the circular scarf he wore. When he lifted it over his face, the scarf illuminated with animated robotic maws that seemed familiar to both Melissa and the rest of the team when they saw them, as if they had seen them before.
"Do you think he'll be able to wake her up?" Melissa asked, well aware of what it's like to regain consciousness after a Cybersycosis attack.
"I have no idea about the Mercenary's capabilities in that field. But, according to the information Night Corp shared with the Ncpd, these Cybersycos are not the ones we're accustomed to" replied the team leader in his characteristic cold and emotionless tone, which earned him his nickname.
As they watched Sora and discussed about Gear's condition, a frustrated exclamation of "SHIT!" echoed in the infirmary. Sora had once again failed to reactivate the minimal brain activity left in Gear after cutting off Maestro's signal.
Gear's brain had shut down, showing no signs of improvement, leaving only minimal activity... truly seeming 'Empty.'
Frustration and guilt blended within him. 'I should have finished that fucking thing when I first encountered it in Landfield and taken Gear with me. But now... it seems too late' thought Sora as he observed Gear's inactive state.
As he rubbed his tired eyes, a call from an unknown number with more digits than usual interrupted him.
["Hello?"] Sora inquired upon accepting the call from the unfamiliar number.
Upon hearing the somewhat dejected voice on the other end, the person exclaimed, ["Sora! Is that you? Have I finally managed to establish the signal? Good job, Luna!"]
["Judy?"] Sora said, surprised to hear a voice that instantly cheered him.
Despite the next words the voice spat out ['Where are you, you bastard? Do you know how worried I was? Are you okay?'] Which ended with a clear tone of concern.
["Yes, I'm okay... but what number did you call me from? I thought the communications were down."]
["Do you have something to do with that, don't you?" Judy became instantly suspicious of Sora before sighing and adding, [" I hope you will tell me what happened. Well, I managed to call you with Luna's help. She created a high-priority number, but the signal could cut out at any moment. But as long as you're okay with that, it's fine. Now, are you going to tell me, what's wrong with you?"]
["I managed to rescue Gear"] Replied Sora.
["That's great! But from your tone... it doesn't sound good,"] Judy responded, initially upbeat but losing her enthusiasm as she spoke. Knowing Gear from the stories Sora told her about his work as a Mercenary to help her sleep, sometimes achieving the opposite effect.
["Yeah, she's not well. If I had known... I should have taken her when I first saw her."] Said Sora exposing his guilt
["..."]
While Sora spoke to Judy, his expression and posture relaxed, prompting Max Tac agents to wonder, especially Blitz, who exclaimed aloud, "Hey, is it just me, or does the Mercenary seem to be talking to someone?"
"Impossible, not even IQ can connect. How could a mere Mercenary?" replied Tech, showing skepticism.
"He's not a 'mere' Mercenary," commented Melissa, addressing Tech.
This sparked Blitz's complaint, "Here we go again. We've all heard your story about the Gala and the battle against Smasher; you don't need to repeat it. But still, it really seems like he's on a call."
IQ, slightly wounded in pride by his colleagues' conversation, averted his gaze from his pad and focused on the Mercenary. Seeing him genuinely distracted, as if he was really immersed in a call, IQ couldn't resist the temptation and took advantage of the Mercenary's apparent distraction to scan him.
However, instead of obtaining data about his cyberware and activity, something inside the Mercenary stared at him with a cold and violent look. And It wasn't just a simple stare.
IQ felt as if an invisible presence was warning him. It didn't come from the Mercenary but from something else inside him. Something big, something that left IQ pale and struggling to breathe. Cold sweat ran down his back and face, making him feel vulnerable and exposed, as if he had stuck his head into giant maws before they closed, crushing him.
This dangerous threat didn't subside until IQ stopped scanning the Mercenary the next instant, drawing the attention of the team leader, Frost, who noticed IQ's condition: pale, sweating, and struggling to breathe.
Earning a confirming question about his condition from him; "IQ, are you okay?"
"Yes," exclaimed IQ startled, "It's just—" Unable to finish as someone interrupted him. While looking at the culprit of Arc's sudden activity.
"Oi, you guys, if you're done whispering and don't have anything else to do, I need you to go pick someone up in your fancy AV." Sora abruptly stood up and approached them after his call with Judy was cut off suddenly, but not before helping him and giving him a small hint.
Four out of the five Max Tac members reacted the same way, looking at the fifth member of their unit and team leader. Frost, with all eyes on him, didn't refuse but instead asked, "Is fetching this person related to the mission, Mercenary?"
"The wrong person is trying to wake her up" Said the 'Mercenary' cryptically, while holding back his urge to smoke.
"What do you mean?" Melissa asked.
"She needs an anchor, something to make her pop-up. Create some response, any response, even if it's minimal. From there, maybe we can boost it and hopefully get her brain to reboot its activity," explained Sora, gesturing with his hands or toying with any objects in the infirmary as props for his explanation.
Adding with a lower, almost inaudible tone, the unfiltered content of his mind pondering a way to wake up Gear, "Or cheer her up with some simple words from someone special." Recalling his conversation with Judy.
With all eyes on him, Sora "Hmpt" cleared his throat as if he hadn't whispered anything, he concluded, "So that someone like Blitz understands, 'she's asleep and needs her 'prince's kiss' to wake her up.'"
"Kiss? I was following until you got to the metaphor." Said Blitz scratching his head.
"That makes no sense. If her brain has no activity, then it means she has brain death! No friend, boyfriend, or family with words of encouragement will magically make her recover." Exclaimed Tech, finding the Mercenary's idea as foolish as it was improbable.
"I would agree if her brain inactivity were caused by some damage or a known factor, but her brain is perfectly healthy. Even the parts without activity still have their neurons alive and kicking.
Besides, this is a 'bridge no one crossed.' We know practically nothing about the code that caused her state, let alone the long-term effects of using it. So, unless you have a better idea than taking her to the morgue. I suggest you don't waste time and go get the person I mentioned" Responded Sora, causing Tech to doubt his earlier harsh verdict.
Due to the way the Mercenary was expressing himself, Frost asked; "Mercenary, are you serious?" Needing a straightforward confirmation.
"I am" Sora replied seriously, looking him in the eyes.
Frost stared into the mercenary's exposed eyes and, after seeing no lie or doubt in them, grabbed his standard-issue armor and weapon, and said; "Let's go," prompting everyone to do the same.
As they were about to leave, Sora handed him a chip, saying, "Take it. It has his address. The man you need to bring is named... Jackie Wells."
As the five unit members exited, Sora added, "Don't forget to say hi to his mother."
-
Meanwhile, Morgan had finished "convincing Eran not to kick them" and now they both sat on comfortable leather sofas, smoking and drinking while letting Sora track down the Master.
"So, not only did he find his father's corpse, something none of us—Johnny's ex, you, me, or anyone else—could find, but he also took down Greyson and blew up Smasher's ship, sending him for a swim?" Eran asked, confirming everything Morgan had told him so far.
"Yep" Morgan replied casually, more focused on savoring the excellent alcohol Eran was sharing with him, the first time it happened, celebrating Eran's good mood.
After hearing his response, Eran whistled in amazement before adding, "Fuck! Johnny was dangerous, but 'his' kid is no slouch either."
"That's thanks to who raised him and the things his mother did before he was born. Johnny had good instincts and pulled himself out of the hell of the War of Central America, making him as capable as he was dangerous. But his son is on another level for his age."
"Who raised him?" Eran asked curiously, taking a puff from the stogie that Morgan had shared.
"His grandfather," Morgan replied with a sly smile, knowing that Eran's next question was inevitable.
"Grandfather"? Of the mother's side? All of Johnny's relatives bit the dust" Eran assumed.
"More or less. I'm still not entirely sure why or how, but the grandfather, you know him, is—Musashi Hata-" Morgan couldn't finish...
When Eran abruptly stood up with his drink in one hand and his Stogie in the other, shouting, "WHAT THE FUCK! RED ONI FROM ARASAKA!? HO-HOW, Hmpt, how is that possible?" While Eran hadn't met Musashi in person, he certainly knew about Arasaka's Red Oni.
"What, surprised?" Morgan responded with a pleased smile at Eran's reaction.
"How the hell am I not going to be surprised that his grandfather was the damn bodyguard of the mummy of Saburo... are you sure he's his son?" Eran quizzed. Speaking of Saburo as if he knew him.
Morgan merely nodded in response.
Realizing the implications of Morgan's answer, Eran made his deduction, "So, Johnny fuck with Arasaka in a way we didn't think of? Is that why he hates them, even before what happened with Cunningham?"
Thinking the same, Morgan, recalling the person Sora came to the Gala with, and added; "I don't know the story of the mother, but from what I suspect... Johnny, that bastard, really fucked an Arasaka."
"..." After a hard time processing it, Eran rhetorically asked; "Can you imagine how Saburo's old dog would react if he found out?"
Prompting Morgan to jest; "Maybe it's the last nail he needs to be put in the coffin, hahahah." Making Eran laugh too, "Hahahaha."
While they laughed, the bottles of alcohol and the glasses on the table between them clinked, even causing a photo of a young, pale woman with long blue hair dressed in a simple white suit, looking bored, to fall off the table. At the same time, it wasn't just the room that vibrated, but the entire building trembled slightly.
Morgan, alarmed by the tremor, thinking the Master was attacking them again, asked; "What the hell is that?"
Recognizing the familiar vibration he had experienced about 50 minutes ago, Eran approached the nearest pad to check the building's cameras and security system. Seeing the AV taking off from the rooftop, he exclaimed, "How the FUCK did they activate the elevator?"
Before Morgan could ask what that meant, the person who had hacked into the system controlling the building and activated the elevator for Max Tac to make his request, opened the door. Having granted himself privilege within the system.
Approaching the two astonished old-timers, with his face uncovered, he sat comfortably on one of the sofas. Without saying a word, he lit a cigarette, took a long drag. Then he drew and placed his two Malorians, one silver and one black, carefully on the table in front of his creator.
With the cigarette between his fingers, he pointed it at himself, at Eran, and at the pair of Malorians on the table, while saying, "I imagine Morgan has briefed you, so let's get to the point. I'm the son of the terrorist who requested you to make these weapons."
Seeing the black-haired youth who took control of the room just by entering and gestured with his cigarette while speaking, Eran couldn't help but open his eyes wide, momentarily seeing a dead man instead of the boy.
This only intensified what Eran felt when he saw his two creations on the table in front of him after so long, which he always thought had an improbable fate... but in the end, they found it just as 'he' wanted.
All of this caused Eran's emotions and memories to take hold of him, reaching out to grab them and check their condition. However, Sora's threatening look with his bright eyes made Eran stop before touching them.
Understanding his mistake, Eran turned his gaze back to the son of his old friend and asked, "May I?" Upon asking, Sora nodded and relaxed his gaze on him.
-
In the current state of the city, with its malfunctioning lights and practically collapsed security and communication systems, looting spread like a plague throughout the metropolis.
The NCPD had deployed 70% of its available forces to secure the zero district, including the corporate center and the North Oak mansion sub-district. The remaining 30% was tasked with handling the rest of the city, excluding Heywood, where they rarely ventured, and Pacifica, where they didn't directly intervene.
Surprisingly, despite this, Heywood stood as one of the safest districts amid the city's chaos. This was because none of the criminals in Heywood dared to rob their own district, especially considering the presence of the Valentinos.
However, this changed due to the NCPD's remaining 30% forces attempting to secure the rest of the city. This led the criminals to migrate to Heywood, knowing that the NCPD wouldn't follow them there.
This compelled all Valentinos to mobilize in order to control their district, forcing Heywood business owners to defend themselves against both looters and attacks from rival gangs holding grudges against the Valentinos.
For instance, the Maelstroms attacked one of the businesses in Heywood in retaliation for recent losses within their ranks, which were caused by a mercenary hired by the owner of the small bar they were raiding
The bar owner, the regular bartender, an injured Valentino, the owner's son on crutches, and their small robotic pet were barricaded behind the bar. They defended themselves as best as they could until the lone Valentino among them was wounded, forcing them to take cover behind the bar as a last resort.
At the height of the chaos, when four of the eight Maelstrom members assaulting the bar approached the counter to eliminate those behind it, "Arturito", Jackie's robotic pug pet, jumped onto the bar.
Though small, Arturito was a proud Iron Beast Robot Animal, and as such, he raced across the bar, barking bravely. Then he leaped onto the nearest Mealstrom, biting and hanging onto the collar of his shirt, smashing his head against the bar and incapacitating him.
The Mealstroms were taken by surprise, thanks to Arturito. Taking the opportunity Pepe Najarro, the regular bartender at "Coyote Cojo," took the shortened Rostović DB-4 Igla he kept behind the bar, and shot neutralizing another Mealstrom, paying for it with a shot to one of his arms.
The owner, Guadalupe, busy tending to the wounded Valentino, tried to prevent her son from moving. However, seeing him grip his weapon tightly, she doubted he would listen much longer.
That moment arrived when the Mealstroms began firing at Arturito. Though he managed to evade the initial shots, Arturito ended up getting closer to the weapons aimed at him.
Just as they were about to open fire on Arturito, and Jackie was emerging from behind the bar to intervene, an alarm rang out alongside the characteristic and menacing whirr of a certain type of AV descending just outside the bar.
Everyone inside the bar froze. Within seconds, five pairs of footsteps were heard approaching the bar's entrance, chilling the blood of everyone as they realized who they were. But most notably, the Mealstroms, who aimed their guns at the bar's door.
In this sudden stillness, Arturito seized the opportunity, leaping onto a chair, then onto a table, and from the table onto the face of one of the Mealstroms, biting the lenses of the Cyberware on his face, making him scream.
The sudden scream and Arturito biting the face of one of their comrades startled the nervous Mealstroms, who aimed their guns at Arturito. Missing the entrance to the bar of the 5 pairs of footsteps.
When the Mealstoms saw the Max Tac unit. They made their final mistake by aiming their guns at the newcomers, instantly being taken out by Frost's team that had just arrived.
A few seconds later, Jackie said/asked, "Thanks?" As confused as he was grateful for the sudden appearance of a Max Tac unit at his mother's bar. Meanwhile, Arturito hopped onto one of the remaining stools and positioned himself beside Jackie.
Seeing the Robot pet like the Mercenary's, Frost took a step forward and said, "Are you Jackie Wells?"
Before the puzzled Jackie could respond, a protective mother emerged from behind the bar. After having left Pepe attending to the injured Valentino. "Why are you looking for my son? He hasn't done anything wrong for Max Tac to be after him!" exclaimed Guadalupe.
Identifying herself as "the mother" prompted Blitz to ask aloud, "Is that the mother we're supposed to greet?" earning him a rib jab from IQ and a particularly icy look from their team leader.
Blitz's perplexing comment led Guadalupe to inquire, "Greet? What's going on? What are you doing here? Don't get me wrong; we're grateful for the help, but it's strange for the NCPD to enter Heywood, and more that the Max Tac does, looking for my son"
"..." Unaccustomed to dealing with civilians, Frost slowed his response, causing Melissa to answer in his place, "Don't worry, Mrs. Wells. We're working to find the one responsible for the city's current state, and your son can assist us in that."
"I'm sorry, but even if I knew someone capable of doing something like this, I wouldn't tell the NCPD anything" Said Jackie aware that what he had just said could get him arrested. Therefore, he left his weapon and approached the five members of Max Tac with his crutch ready for whatever might come.
"You're mistaken. Amid the incidents tonight, the Mercenary we're collaborating with captured a highly modified Caucasian woman, aged 20-25, with Maelstrom-like red Cyberware features. The Mercenary has sent us to pick you up; he believes—"Frost was unable to complete his attempt to clarify the situation as Jackie, seemingly oblivious to his injuries, charged towards him.
Gripping Frost by the vest, and pleaded for answers, urgently asking, 'GEAR! Is she still alive? WHERE!?'"
In response to Jackie's erratic behavior, the rest of the team reacted in kind, gripping their weapons, though they refrained from raising them as Frost signaled them to "Stand down."
"I don't know the woman's name, and her condition is... uncertain. But the Mercenary known as Okami believes that if it's you, she might awaken.
If she can, she might be able to tell us about the person responsible for what's happening in the city," replied Frost, allowing Jackie to continue holding him, noticing how the grip loosened intermittently as he spoke.
After regaining composure and letting go of Frost, Jackie, staring at him intently, said, "One thing before I go with you."
"Speak," Frost inquired.
"Can Arturito come along?" Jackie asked, pointing to the Pug sitting at the bar.