Friday Night Firefight: A Cyberpunk Isekai

When I thought about Jotaro Shobo, for some reason Anna Hamill’s name kept surfacing in my mind. It was strange because she had a relatively minor role in the game. She only appeared in one mission where Regina hired V to persuade her to drop an off-the-books investigation. Depending on V’s choice, Anna could end up dead, go berserk and attack a police precinct, or make a home for herself among the nomads.

It was odd that such a minor character in Night City kept resurfacing in my thoughts when I thought about how to tackle one of the worst monsters in the game.

Regina definitely knew how to gather her information. The next morning, she sent over a file filled with info about Anna Hamill, and I started perusing it immediately. Every little scrap of information I read revealed a little more about Anna’s true character.

She had once been on the fast track in the NCPD. She was held up as a shining example of what an officer could be in Night City, graduating at the top of her class and receiving high-profile postings. Everywhere she went, she was seen as a paragon of virtue, an officer that others should aspire to emulate. But given the pervasive corruption within the NCPD, it was only a matter of time before her career began to stall.

Corrupt officers and superiors, viewing her as a political threat, sidelined her with mundane patrol assignments. Precinct captains allied with gangs and megacorporations obstructed her investigations. Ambitious cops tarnished her reputation with rumors and backbiting.

Eventually, she was relegated to Watson, one of Night City’s poorest districts. The higher-ups couldn’t just dump her in Pacifica, where failure and death were almost certain, as she still had too many eyes on her. Instead, they assigned her to a neighborhood where they knew she couldn’t make any significant arrests.

Kabuki was the beat that no cop wanted. It was a Tyger Claw stronghold where honest officers faced ambushes orchestrated by corrupt colleagues. In the file Regina sent me, it noted that Anna had been struggling to crack a smuggling case in Kabuki, facing obstacles from precinct higher-ups and little to no confidential informants on the streets. Regina was even kind enough to let me know which cops were taking bribes from which gangs to stall Anna’s investigation.

The most valuable piece of information Regina provided was the location of Anna Hamill’s apartment. I had considered staking out the streets of Watson to ‘bump into her,’ but I figured leaving a note in her locked apartment was a much simpler way of catching her attention.

Anna lived in a small one-bedroom in Santo Domingo. I took an NCART train to the neighborhood and jimmied the lock on her back door. Inside, I taped a note to her fridge, then quickly exited and headed back to Watson.

The note said for her to meet me at Joe’s Diner, dressed in civvies. I temped her with information pertaining to her Kabuki investigation, hoping that the break-in and promise of valuable intel would be enough to pique her interest.

At Joes, I chose a corner seat – the same one where V had their first real conversation with the Johnny engram. That made me giddy, and I couldn’t help but grin as I took my seat. Despite everything Night City had thrown my way, there were still brief moments that made it all worthwhile. I idly considered touring the city now that I had some money and wasn’t constantly on edge about my identity being exposed to every gang in the city. I pulled out my notepad and a pen and started jotting down ideas for places to visit that I might recognize from the game.

I ordered a burger and made myself comfortable in the booth. According to Regina’s file, Anna’s shift should end soon. She’d return to her apartment, find the note I left, change into some civvies, and then meet me at Joe’s I figured I had about an hour to kill.

Right on time, an hour later, Anna strode into the diner and glanced around. I had to shake my head at how unmistakably cop-like she still appeared, even dressed in normal clothes. She carried herself the same way every cop in Night City did, almost stomping on the ground as if it were a protester committing the crime of side-eyeing them. Sure, Anna was better than Officer Kirk and some of the other badges I’d encountered in Night City, but she still embodied the type of cop I’d come to despise during my time in the city. Doubts about my plan started to creep in, but I shook them off and waved her over.

Her surprise was evident when she saw me motioning her to the seat across from me. It likely stemmed from my youthful appearance. I was 19, but I was cursed with a baby face that made it look like I should be starting high school. I was growing tired of people calling me a kid and underestimating me because of how young I looked. Not for the first time, I wondered if this meeting would have gone better if I had scanned one of the older homeless in the alcove and used my face implant to ‘assume’ their identity.

Anna walked over and sat in the seat across from me. I tried not to bounce in my seat when I noticed she was seated exactly where Goro Takamura sits when he meets V after V heals from the whole near-death experience thing.

Near death?

I mean, V technically did die. The relic restarted brain activity and that’s what led to the Silverhand engram trying to take over V’s body. What would you call that? A mostly-dead experience? The line from The Princess Bride about Wesley being ‘mostly dead’ popped into my head and I had to stifle a laugh.

Anna gave me a once over as she sat down and then snarled out a, “start talking.”

“That’s not how this is going to go. I’m offering to help with your investigation, not follow your orders.”

She narrowed her eyes, clearly contemplating whether she should drag me out of the diner and take me to a dark corner where she could beat the information out of me.

“You broke into an NCPD officer’s home. We can sort this whole thing out at the precinct where I can throw you into a holding cell. I bet you’ll be talking by nightfall.”

I gave her a puzzled look before mimicking a child’s higher pitched voice. “Your honor, I have no idea why she arrested me. I was just sitting in the diner when this lady kidnapped me, claiming she’s a cop. And she accused me of breaking into her apartment. I live in Watson and don’t have a car. Why would I head out to Santo Domingo?”

I dropped the act and gave her a flat look. “How much do you think the media would love that story? Anna Hamill, once the bright future star of the NCPD, caught harassing random street kids.”

She huffed and glanced out the window. “Fine. What do you want? You said you had info that could help my investigation. Or was that a lie and you called me out here just to mess with me?”

“Let me answer your question with a question: who is Jotaro Shobo?”

She shook her head and shrugged. “My guess is, with a name like that, he’s a Tyger Claw.”

“The fact that you have to guess shows how deep in the weeds you are with your investigation. He’s not just a Tyger Claw; he’s the Tyger Claw in Watson. One of the most influential Tyger Claws around, and he’s not even a boss. He’s part of the business arm of the Claws.”

The way she looked at me, I could tell she’d never heard of him before. She had that look that said, ‘I think you’re making shit up.’ Which was understandable. In the game, Jotaro Shobo was connected to a bunch of missions in Watson. Shards lying around pointed to his involvement in a whole rack of crimes in and around Kabuki, from human trafficking to murder to smuggling and the glitter trade. But I also knew that his name was kept out of the mouths of most people unless they were high up in the Tyger Claws.

Everyone was just too afraid of the man to rat him out.

“You’re investigating a smuggling ring in Kabuki. That’s Jotaro’s work. He’s real interested in ‘human resources,’ as he likes to call it,” I explained. “The problem is that you’ll never touch him or get any info on his operations because he’s as protected as a Tyger Claw can get. He’s got a superpower that makes him useful to almost every big name in Watson: he makes boatloads of money.

“He’s in charge of all the smuggling in Watson. He’s got his fingers in the glitter trade, the flesh trade, chop shops, gun running, everything. He’s also one of the most reprehensible individuals around. The fact that you’re investigating Kabuki and haven’t come across his name is a testament to his influence. Nobody wants to cross him.”

“But you have info about him. You can point me in the right direction and help me put him behind bars.”

“Won’t work,” I said. “He makes money for the Claws. They use that money to pay off politicians, judges, and pretty much everyone in the NCPD. You don’t understand how many people are in on it. If, by some miracle, you were to get anywhere with your investigation, either the NCPD shuts you down, the Claws show up at your door with a bunch of guys with shotguns, or someone hires an elite-tier merc to make you disappear.”

“That’s not how it has to go down,” she pleaded. “You give me info, and I can protect you. I know enough good, honest cops that we can put together a case and lock him up. You’ve got to trust me.”

I sighed and shook my head. She wasn’t getting it.

“Let me put on my prophet hat for a second. You’ve just heard about Jotaro Shobo and you’ve got no evidence with which to go after him. So, you start poking around Kabuki. Maybe you get lucky and find a couple of vendors or joytoys or randos willing to talk because you con them with a promise you’ll protect them and that no one will know they talked to a badge. You get your information, write your report, and sent it up the chain of command to your bosses.

“Problem. Your boss is on Jotaro’s payroll. He calls you into his office and yells, ‘what the hell are you doing Anna? This isn’t your case. Hand it over to Vice or someone.’ Then he takes your report and gives it to Jotaro who sends hit squads to track down everyone you talked with. The next day, you’re relegated to meter maid duty, the meat wagons pick up five or six dead vendors and joytoys in Kabuki, and everyone else gets a harsh lesson on why it’s a bad idea to trust the NCPD.”

I watched her face closely as I monologued at her. She still didn’t seem convinced. It was like she wasn’t even listening to me, so sure that she was right and I was wrong. Her faith in the NCPD was misplaced, and I couldn’t figure out how I could explain that to her.

“It doesn’t have to go down like that. I told you, I know enough good, honest cops who can protect you. I can protect you. We move you out of Watson, stow you in Santo Domingo or something. The Tyger Claws don’t head over there.”

“Have you not listened to a word I said?” I asked. “You’re still thinking that the NCPD helps people.

Maybe there were a few people like her on the force – cops that wanted to do good and defend the citizens of Night City from its horrors. But there were so few of them that they couldn’t stem the tide of corruption within the NCPD. River Ward was a good cop, but the end of his quest chain showed what happened to good cops in Night City. His partner was taking bribes to cover up crimes, and IA went after River. He ended up getting drummed out of the NCPD.

“I know how to protect you. I can hide your name, your identity. All I need is some intel I can use to get this Jotaro guy.”

“Anna Hamill, once considered a rising star in the NCPD, was gunned down today when she drew her service weapon on members of NCPD’s Internal Affairs, who were attempting to arrest her on corruption charges.”

Anna looked like she’d been slapped by my sudden outburst. She tried to say something, but I quickly interrupted.

“Ms. Hamill’s meteoric rise through the ranks of Night City’s police department came under scrutiny in recent years due to alleged ties to organized crime. Members of the NCPD’s Watson precinct, where Ms. Hamill had been stationed for the past two years, claim it was an open secret in the NCPD that she was on the take. ‘Other cops didn’t want to go to IA because there were rumors she was connected to Maelstrom and they’d disappear anyone who challenged her.’”

She had gone quiet as I continued my monologue. “That’s how they’re going to play it. Your bosses will leak quotes to whatever media they control, and everyone will eat it up. Good cop gone bad. Video at 11. Media, cops, average joes, everyone will believe their story because it’s happened time and time again.”

She mumbled something I couldn’t quite hear before speaking up. “You said you’d help with the investigation, but now you’re telling me you can’t.”

“Nah. I’ll help with Jotaro. But it’s not going to be with the NCPD.”

I paid the bill and left the diner, making sure Anna followed as I walked toward Lizzie’s. Instead of stopping at the alcove, I brushed past and went straight to the front door where Rita stood in her usual spot.

“Hey, I need to speak with Susie.”

Rita gave me a look that said, ‘and what makes you think that’s going to happen?’

“Tell her it’s about Jotaro.”

Rita’s eyebrows shot up at my mention of the Devil of Kabuki. She gave Anna a once-over and asked, “Who’s the badge?” When I explained she was with me and was helping with Jotaro, Rita shrugged and led us inside to Susie’s office.

We were left waiting for a few minutes. Anna seemed like she wanted to ask why we were at the Mox HQ, but she stayed quiet. Finally, Susie entered with Rita at her heels. She took one look at us and rolled her eyes.

“Please tell me I’m not wasting my time,” she mumbled. “You know where Jotaro is? And let me guess, you want a ton of eddies before you’ll tell us.”

“This is Anna,” I said, pointing to the cop who seemed caught off guard by Susie’s brusque demeanor. “She’s gonna work for you for two weeks. After those two weeks are done, I’ll give you Jotaro. Oh, Anna. I forgot to tell you, but you’re going to have to stay here with the Mox.”

They both erupted in shouts and complaints.

“What is this bullshit?” Anna screamed. “I’m here because you said you’d help with my investigation. I’m not gonna be a joytoy in a Mox dive.”

“You’ll give him to me?” Susie asked incredulously. “I know I should have had Rita throw you out.”

I held up my hands to stop their shouting. “Give me two weeks, and Jotaro will be dead.”

“Two weeks? We’ve had people looking for him for years,” Susie yelled. “Nobody knows where that monster is. And even if we did, we’re not sending some kid after him. And we also don’t need another useless mouth to feed around here.” She directed that last bit to Anna, who bristled at the attention. The cop in her was demanding she put Susie in her place, but I stepped in.

“I know exactly where Jotaro Shobo is. And you’re right, you can’t send a kid after him half-cocked. He’s got twenty Tyger Claws around him at all times.” I powered through because I could see she was getting ready to demand Jotaro’s location. “And you can’t go after him either.”

“The hell we can’t,” yelled Susie.

“Ok, let’s play it out. The Mox gather a bunch of shooters and storm the—” I almost said ‘club he’s holed up in’ “—Jotaro’s spot. But then you end up with a bunch of dead Mox, the NCPD pissed at you, war with the Tyger Claws, and his organization would still be alive and kicking.”

Susie huffed but listened, running through the potential costs of Jotaro’s death. She turned back to me and asked, “What about her? What do we do with her while waiting for you? What does she bring to the table?”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Susie was really pissing me off, but Night City had jaded me enough over the past three months to understand why she was acting this way. She was trying to look out for her people, just like everyone else in the city.

Fred was trying to look out for the homeless in North Watson – despite the risks Mor and Deng kept pointing out to him. Mor was trying to protect the people in the alcove. For Susie, taking care of her people meant ensuring they stayed out of sight of the rich and powerful and the stronger gangs. But if she couldn’t see what Anna brought to the table, she was an idiot.

Anyone could pull a trigger. Hell, I was proof enough of that. I could barely hold a gun straight, but it was enough to let me kill Choki. Anna had NCPD training. She’d be cold-blooded in a gunfight. She wouldn’t be some terrified kid whose hand shook while aiming and praying for a hit.

“Institutional knowledge. That’s what she brings to the table and why I brought her here.”

“What?” asked Susie.

“She knows about NCPD procedures and how they operate that will help when it comes time to take out Jotaro,” I explained. “It’s pretty easy to gather knowledge in this city, but there’s some things you can only learn by being on the inside of certain organizations. NCPD procedures are one of those things.”

I had a small plan on how to break up Jotaro’s operation, but it required a badge’s help. I could have tried to get River Ward to help me out, but I remembered that in the beginning of his quest chain, he was somewhat reticent to break the law. I was hoping Anna would be more willing to do some shady things if I could deliver her one of the worst monsters in Night City.

I turned to Anna because I saw she was starting to steam over the fact that Susie and I were talking about her and not to her.

“I need you to stay here with the Mox. I’m about to start poking around, and I can’t have you investigating as well. I promise that I’ll tell you everything I know in two weeks. If you don’t like what I have to say, I’ll turn over all my information to you and even swear to testify about Jotaro Shobo.” I didn’t add that I would also tell Susie and the Mox where to find Jotaro and he’d be dead long before Anna arrested him.

When she nodded her head in agreement, I left Susie and Anna to figure out how they’d work together.

Now I just needed to scope out Jotaro’s entire operation in two weeks. Should be easy enough.