Chapter 161

“Nova! Absolutely qualitatively nova! I’ve been sooooo bored.” Sasha whined at me, with a laugh throwing her arm over my shoulders only to wince. It was her chrome arm she had used, and there were obviously some issues with it.

 

“Still getting used to it?”

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” She said a little too fast as she slipped her arm away from my shoulder and instead pulled a shower curtain away from what I was definitely not expecting to see.

 

“An Ice Bath?”

“Yeah! I’m gonna jump on the net obviously. Want to join me?” Sasha asked, her eyebrows moving in a waggling wave.

 

“I mean, I could go to my netrunner den I guess. I don’t use a Ice bath. I have a chair.” I said as I walked over and crouched down by the bathtub. It was already full of half melted ice cubes, I could tell it would be absolutely freezing.

 

I really didn’t like the idea of using this method.

“You have a netrunning chair?” Sasha asked surprised and I nodded.

 

“Yeah I had a gig from Wakako to kill this guy. He was a runner, good too. Had a bunch of equipment, since I flatlined him, I took it for myself. Big server, Chair, everything I needed.”

“You have a server!? How big!” I shrugged and sent her the details on the server set up and I looked up to see her choking on nothing.

 

“N-Not fair! Sasha doesn’t have a server! How does her Kohai have one!” She whined childishly which had me laugh at her.

 

“You really don’t have a server? Why not?”

“Eh. I’m not a data runner. The only data I grab is for a gig, or to immediately trade out.” She answered calmly, the childish act disappearing. Then as suddenly as her calm answer appeared it disappeared. “Waaa! Maine! My Kohai is bullying me!” She whined loudly towards the stairs and then ran up the wooden steps.

 

“What?”

 

Then I blinked realizing I could hear her faux crying up the stairs that she had taken two at a time. I hurried after her, mostly because I was so confused.

 

Is this what it was like dealing with me, when I was being a little shit? No. Everyone liked when I was a shit.

Except Jun of course, but he doesn’t count.

 

I made it up the stairs and blinked as Sasha was sitting on the couch besides Maine looking up at him with big crocodile tears in her eyes.

“-Need a server! I can’t be bullied by my cute little Kohai! Just a little one is okay!” She begged and Maine took a sip from his beer.

 

“Maybe when you’re older.” Maine offered cooly. The look of outrage on Sasha’s face at the absolute burn from Maine had Rebecca start cackling and Dorio’s chest started heaving as well.

 

“Maine!” She eventually squawked out in outrage, slapping the larger man’s chromed out arm, but that did less than nothing.

 

“Don’t get upset when someone teases you back.” He retorted and she huffed crossing her arms, but her chrome one didn’t move as easily, and she sort of flubbed the whole thing. Looking down at her arm. A change went over her face.

 

I don’t think Sasha was handling her loss that well.

 

“Next time I have to flatline a netrunner, I’ll keep an eye out for another server for you?” I offered and my words startled everyone in the room but Rebecca who just looked thoughtful and then nodded.

 

“I gotta admit, Kitten, klepping everything after wiping a place, even the stuff bolted down, certainly made for a nice payday.” Rebecca agreed and I nodded, throwing her a thumbs up.

 

“It’s not klepping Becca! Once you kill them it’s looting!”

 

She looked at me, I looked at her, and we both broke into cackles of laughter.

 

“‘M I missing something here?” Maine asked, and Becca nodded.

 

“Yeah. While you guys have been out of touch. Kitten here called me up and asked if I wanted to join in on a gig. Let me tell you Maine. The payday took a few days, but when it came in? Way more than I ever made working under you. Maybe I’ll find myself a new crew.” Rebecca said but her tone showed she was teasing.

 

Even so Maine and Dorio both looked shocked while Sasha was just curious.

“You took a gig?” Dorio managed to ask first and Rebecca nodded.

“Wiping Scavs. Honestly the way Kitten here ran the gig it was… Pretty smooth. I still want a chance to play with that Minotaur.” She said, turning to me.

All I could do was huff. “So do I. Ichi basically stole it! I’m the one that had to fight it while some Raffen gonk was using it while trying not to damage it cause… I mean it’s awesome.”

“Wait wait. A Militech Minotaur?” Maine asked, his sun glasses instantly sliding down his nose to lock eyes on first Rebecca and then me.

“Yeah. The gig that got me into the Afterlife? They shot down an Arasaka AV and captured a bunch of stuff, including an Arasaka brand Minotaur. It’s mine now… When my choom isn’t stealing it out from under me.”

“It was nova to have on that gig though. When you jumped on the back of it for mobile cover? Fuck it was preem. Made me jealous that I didn’t think of it.” Rebecca offered and I smiled because it had been fuckin cool.

 

“You just… Used a Minotaur against Scavs?” Maine asked, sounding a bit shell shocked.

“It was a big base. They were a major group. Selling XBD’s of the people they murdered out on the market. Lots of eddies involved.” I answered. “It was pretty effective in drawing attention, letting us wipe them out while they pissed themselves at the mech.”

 

“And Becca you went on this gig?”

“Yep! Actually was one of the four solo’s. Right up front.. Well second line. The Kittens brother is the Oni. You know the Tyger Claw one with the rep.”

“Kamikaze or something right?” Dorio asked, looking worried. Between Rebecca and me. “It was okay?”

“Jun isn’t a cyberpsycho.” I butt in quickly. “He had some problems, he uh… Lost someone important to him and went a bit wild, but he’s actually stabilizing really well.”

Becca kinda snorted. “He seemed fine outside of the fight, but when shit got wild so did he. I get why they call him the Oni now.”

 

“Yeah Jun is still a moron.” I agreed, and Becca just scoffed.

“He’s an older brother, are they ever not morons?”

“Nope.” I said and we both looked at eachother with shared tooth filled grins.

 

“Right.” Maine muttered seemingly a little lost.

 

“Well it was nice to be treated as part of the team at least.” Rebecca suddenly added, rather directly, and Main stiffened.

“You are part of the team.”

“Maine… You don’t ever use me as a shooter. I can do it.” Rebecca added and Maine and her both stared at each other for a moment before Maine looked away.

“We’ll talk about it for the next gig.” He offered, and Rebecca didn’t look like she was going to accept before shrugging.

 

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Ah! My Kohai is so skilled! She’s even got Rebecca on her side!” Sasha interrupted rising up and to my surprise pulled me into a tight hug. Squeezed tightly at least with one arm into her chest. “I’m soooo proud!”

 

“Wha!”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

 

Then before I could even start struggling I was pushed away.

 

“We should go on a dive together! I want to see how good you are!” Sasha demanded and I blinked.

 

She smiled.

 

I shrugged. “Okay? Sure, sounds fun.”

“Yay! You can use the extra Ice bath… Unless you want to join me in mine.” Sasha teased me with a big smile, but I scoffed and chuckled before remembering and stilling.

 

“Ah I can’t today. I just got this Neural Link chipped in, and my ripper has me on a few days of rest before I can do anything heavy with it. So… Couple day rain check?” I offered and Sasha looked at me like I was crazy.

 

“You actually listen to that nonsense?” Maine asked suddenly, his rumbling voice cutting off whatever Sasha was about to say. “If you’re tough you can handle it. Never seen someone actually listen to that garbage.”

 

I instantly frowned. Deeply.

 

I turned from Sasha and marched right up to Maine. Maine that even if he was sitting on a couch was still nearly twice my height.

 

“Taking care of your health isn’t weak! And ignoring doctors’ experience with medical matters doesn’t make you tough, it makes you dumb! I chipped in a new Neural Link, and a Sandy and was told to give it a few days to make sure it settles into my nerve endings. Of course I’m going to wait. Otherwise I could burn out or injure myself, making myself weaker over time!” I snapped at him practically poking him.

 

Maine didn’t appreciate that though, and reached out, pushing my finger off him, which I let him do without complaint.

 

“Careful kid, don’t go poking me like that.” Maine rumbled out, but I had made my point and turned away from him.

 

“Hey Becca, I think I’m gonna head out. Sasha. Call me in a few days and we can do that net dive okay?”

“Sure Kitten.” Sasha offered and Rebecca nodded, but didn’t say anything, as my leaving was watched over by a silent grumpy Maine.

 

I don’t think I liked Maine very much,

 

—–

 

I got home and flopped onto the couch. Jun wasn’t around so I had the place to myself. I didn’t really feel like doing much just yet. My neck had a weird tenseness that made me feel like I wanted to crack it, but couldn’t. The larger Neural link didn’t diminish my range of movement, but it did make me feel all stiff.

 

So I did what I always did when I felt a little annoyed.

 

I grabbed my guitar. I had to go easy with my Neural Link so direct programming with my cyberdeck was out, but I could still work on a new song.

 

I lay there on my back tapping on my guitar as I ran through all the songs I knew, which one did I want to play right now?

 

Strumming a few notes here and there as I considered, before I could even figure it out, the door opened, and I sat up to see. Jun and… Alice. Rockerboy girl herself.

 

They walked in, although it was obvious to me that it hadn’t been planned. Jun was looking a little awkward as Alice followed along behind him.