Chapter 104

“Holy fuck.” I whispered. Staring as actual deja vu struck me.

 

I had gotten some deets from Wakako about this location. After I cleared out her gig location which was a waste of time. Only three Scavs working in a small cell, but she had at least started selling me more info.

 

Considering one of the places I hit had already been cleared out maybe an hour before me. I realized Wakako was being sneaky and selling me the locations the TC knew about.

 

Whatever. It didn’t matter to me.

 

But I had pulled into an underground parking garage for this apartment complex, stepped out and walked to the elevator, and it was only as it opened did it strike me.

 

I knew this place.

 

I had been here before. Many times. The elevator was old. Covered in graffiti. Old metal that looked rusted and stained.

 

But I knew where I was. This was the same Elevator that V and Jackie would walk into in a few years to rescue… what was her name? Sandra something?

 

The first gig.

 

And I was staring at the entrance to it all. I checked the information. Floor 15. I didn’t know if it was the same floor as V went to in the future, but it didn’t matter.

 

I pushed the nostalgia away.

 

I stepped inside.

 

The ride up was quiet, the elevator did stop on the fifth floor suddenly. The doors opened revealing a normal looking man that made to step in before stopping when he caught sight of me.

 

Our eyes met. Then slowly the door shut without him making a move to enter.

 

Kinda rude but alright.

 

It continued on ever upwards then it opened.

 

A very familiar hallway.

 

The room I was looking for was 1237, and as I approached I knew.

 

This really was the first gig. Somehow I was here two years early clearing out a bunch of Scavs.

 

Wait didn’t they come back to this place again after V cleared them? Was I going to have to go back and check on all the previous Scav dens to make sure they didn’t come infest the place again!?

 

Once again I shook it off. I stood before the door.

 

It opened with a look. The security far too weak to stop me.

 

The familiarity hit me. The first room was beaten down, but mostly used as a kitchen. A table and food left out. To my surprise the place was quiet. No pounding music, or anything. Just an eerie silence.

 

I moved to the doorway to the next room. Peering in. A ripper lab. But no bodies were left around. It was kind of quiet.

 

I nodded. This wasn’t the first den tonight that had gotten word of what was going on. That had realized that the TC were hunting Scavs dens. I had found one just before this den that had been completely empty. Whatever Scav group that had held it abandoning the merchandize at the threat.

 

I stilled before I entered the room. Something struck me as wrong. My eyes flashed into a scan and after a few moments I found it.

 

A laser.

 

Huh the Scavs had some brain cells after all. They had placed a fucking mine of all things in the little hallway.

 

I remembered the last time I had tried to defuse a mine and scowled a bit.

 

Fine! I leapt easily avoiding the trigger and landing in the next room. Old blood, but no bodies. Yeah they probably were a bit too busy to go klep some people. What with the whole territory searching for them.

 

I moved. Eyes flashing in scans constantly to make sure I wasn’t walking into another trap.

 

The next room to my disappointment was empty as well. But I knew this place. So I didn’t follow along. I moved towards the outside porch laughing as I followed the edge, and instead peeked in through the windows, uncaring that I was fifteen stories off the road far below.

 

The main room that I remembered had been secured up. Crates and couches set up to give cover. I quickly pinged the first gonk I could see, and hummed as the web of connections grew before my eyes.

 

The connections to what I guessed were mines at the entrances were ignored.

 

Not any danger to me.

 

I moved. Jumping along the edge of the building until I reached the second outer porch. To my delight someone was out there, smoking a cigarette.

 

I dropped a Weapon Glitch on the entire group as I leapt landing behind the gonk who was sitting in a crappy lawn chair. I prepped my leg bringing it really far back and then let it all out.

 

His scream echoed long and loud as he went over the edge.

 

Then it was on.

 

I moved both hands full of gun as I leapt inside. Gonk number one got four Lexington Rounds into his chest, dropping him. The next got a single shot through a wall. Burya as always dominating any lesser weapons as that one round was all I needed.

 

Then I came up to my feet facing the little main room that had all sorts of defenses set up.

 

The Scavs weren’t slow. Weapons were raised. Triggers were pulled. Nothing happened. And then their eyes went dark.

 

I tore through them. A monster gunning them down without hesitation. Their little pillbox of crates and armor turned into their tomb as I simply walked around the exterior and put bullets into bodies.

 

I reloaded whenever needed, hands a blur. Rapid Reload turning the act even while dual wielding into a blur of movement, and action.

 

This group of scum wasn’t even worth drawing my Katana this time.

 

I checked with a ping after I killed all the ones in front of me. Only the static mines and things registered back, but I wanted to be sure.

 

No survivors. So I started walking through the building checking every room, just to make sure.

 

As I came upon the back door to the little Scav den, only then reminding me that I didn’t have to walk through the ‘front’ entrance. I scoffed at myself as I opened the door and stepped out casually wiping some blood off of my arms when I noticed it out of the corner of my eye.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

 

I blinked.

 

“Motoko?” Jun asked as he, Akari, and two other men I didn’t know were all piled in front of the main door to the Scav den looking like they were about to breach it.

 

“Heeey Jun.” I greeted, feeling a little weird. Was it weird to walk into my brother in the middle of something like this? I mean… It kinda felt weird.

 

“Motoko!” He roared and charged at me and I yelped, instantly my mind realizing that if I ran for the elevator Jun would catch me.

 

Well fuck it I turned back into the den and ran.

 

Instantly I realized the problem.

 

Mines.

 

“Fuck.” I growled, drawing my Burya and firing a single round ahead of me. Wincing as the explosion nearly sent me back a step, but that at least cleared the path.

 

“Motoko!”

 

“I’m fine! Just watch for mines! They thought that would be enough! Bunch of gonks amiright?” I called back as I broke out into a run.

 

“Motoko!” Jun roared and I was getting serious Resident Evil vibes. Was Jun a Nemesis now only able to yell out the name of his target?

 

I ran to the patio and skidded to a halt as I turned, seeing Jun approach.

 

“What do you want Jun? I’m kinda busy.” I called out and he stalled at my sudden discussion, his face twisting into confusion before he glared at me.

 

“This is dangerous! You are coming with us! We can- MOTOKO!” He yelled in horror as I turned and just jumped.

 

Nah Jun. I don’t feel like being babied right now. Scavs to kill and all that.

 

The patio was fifteen floors up. And it overlooked a street far far below. But across the way were more buildings, and apartments.

 

My leap took me out into the clear sky between them.

 

The air rushing past me was exhilarating as I leapt from the patio across the gap between buildings.

 

It was a far jump. Crossing an entire street in a single leap. But I could make it. My ankles gave me incredible hops and I still had Parkour and Cat-like to handle the landing.

 

I hit the ground and rolled skidding to a stop and then I turned.

 

Jun was across the way. And a few floors up.

 

Our eyes met.

 

“No.” I told him simply. Not that he could hear it. Then just to prove the fucking point. I walked up to the edge, and leapt off that too.

 

A single floor down I landed, and then bounced down to the next.

 

I was about thirteen floors up.

 

Thirteen jumps? That wasn’t exactly a problem.

 

I left Jun far behind. Even if he took an elevator I would still be on the ground long before he could catch up.

 

Down I went, Parkour’s instincts guiding me into a delightful drop down the side of a skyscraper.