Chapter 17

Ichinose
The night after the Scav Den Raid.

Ichi was drinking. What else could he do? He just made more eddies in a few hours of work, than he had in any span of days working for Shobo-Sama.

But he knew he couldn’t do the same job that Motoko had done. He talked to the older Tyger Claws when he was playing gofer, or doing odd jobs for them. They often liked to talk. About previous gigs they had done. Of the firefights they had been in.

So he knew exactly how dangerous it was to hit a scav den. Sure if you were properly borged out, you could do it. Scavs often weren’t the best fighters, or the best equipped.

But they were all armed, all ready to murder you. Gunfights sounded cool until you were in one and the other guy was firing back.

“What’s up kid, you’ve been glaring at the bottom of your drink since you got back.” One of the very same older Tyger claws asked as he plopped his can of Asahi on the table beside Ichi. “Seriously, you look like you’re going to kill your beer.”

“Hatake… I took a gig from a friend today. And…”

“Ah. You lost someone? Went bad?”

“No. No the opposite. It was over before I even got there, I was just… The cleanup crew. Nothing more.”

“Huh. So you made some easy eddies. What’s got ya down?”

“The friend that called me into the job. She’s… Ugh. It sounds so stupid. I’m jealous! She went from being in the hospital to running jobs that I couldn’t pull off. She is younger than me! How does a fourteen year old clear an entire scav den by herself!? I don’t get it!”

“By herself? You sure?That’s…”

“Yeah I’m sure, she didn’t even call us in until it was all over. We are supposed to be her chooms. I mean if she said she was going to try and hit a scav den I would have had Hiromi sit on her, because it’s dumb!”

“Ah I get it. She did something impossible. Something beyond what you think you could do.”

“Yeah.” He grumbled glaring at his beer.

“Well kid. I’ll be honest. A kid your age? A fourteen year old able to do a job like that? That ain’t normal. She’s an edgerunner for sure.”

“I know. She…My goal was to be an edgerunner, not her. Motoko never wanted that before, and now? She is already doing it.”

“Don’t be stupid kid. You don’t want to be an edgerunner. They burn bright, but only a quarter as long. Your choom? She’ll be dead before she’s twenty. Hell if she is already doing this shit? Before sixteen. Don’t live your life like that Ichi. Burn slower, and longer. Trust me. As a guy in his forties. I’ve seen a lot of chooms, men and women better than me at fighting, but also better than me at dying.” Hatake offered taking a swig of his beer.

“I don’t think I can help it. Feeling jealous.”

“Yeah, well. Just remember becoming an edgerunner has a cost. That level of skill. That willingness to put your life on the line?” Hatake shook his head. “If she is your choom, then do your best to help out, but make sure you know the line. Edgerunners don’t always realize what is dangerous for normal people. The closest I ever got to getting flatlined was when I backed up an edgerunner choom. Got shot up for my trouble.”

“What if I want to do that? Become an Edgerunner. Make it big, and prove that I’m not just a Gofer?”

Hatake sort of nodded his head for a moment before sighing. “Then be ready to be used up kid. Used like a tool. Used as a weapon. Being a gofer aint bad. At least you know you’ll come back home after a days work. Instead of being thrown into the trash because it’s convenient.” Hatake sounded like this advice was personal. That this advice came from experience.

Ichi wasn’t sure if he could accept it though. To give up on his dream of making it big. Of becoming more.

—–

I grunted as I heard the trucks drive off. This storm was starting to piss me off.

With shaky hands I reached into one of my thigh pouches and pulled out a max doc. I had found a few of them in the scav den, and since I now knew how useful they were, they were standard kit.

I huffed it and a moment later my body didn’t feel like I was dying.

I grunted as I sat up, crawling over to a nice rock that I could rest against as I caught my breath.

Getting thrown from a fast moving car into the desert? Not fun. Smashing into a rock on the way? Ow.

Getting shot again? Double ow. I winced as I reached behind me and felt the hole in my Netsuit. Yeah the bullet had gone right through.

Fuck.

I was gonna have to start crafting soon just to repair my clothes. Why did people keep shooting me! I sighed. Coughing a bit at just how much dust was swirling around me. I could barely see through how thick it was getting.

And it was starting to get hard to breathe.

I rose up unsteadily, and then even less steadily as I nearly fell. My leg wasn’t great. I messed it up when I went flying from the car. Worse, the wind was getting strong. I fought against it as I climbed back up the hill towards Scorpion’s car.

Might be able to take shelter inside until this storm was over.

I clambered up the hill and just at the top I tripped.

Coughing a bit I pulled myself up and realized I had tripped on a corpse.

Oh yeah. The guy I stabbed. Instantly I noticed something I needed. Rising up and heading back to grab the goggles from his head. After a minute of struggling to get them clear enough of dust to see I put them on and while it wasn’t great. At least I could open my eyes.

Then I grabbed the guys dust mask.

It was gross. But as I put it on, I could breath a lot easier.

I continued searching him, gotta get loot after all. I smiled as I found my knife. That went into my sheath. A little more digging I did find my pistol as well. I was honestly super relieved. That had been a gift from Jun. I didn’t want to lose it.

Okay. I could see, breath, and I had a weapon.

Let’s get to work.

——

Scorpion’s car was a wreck, even if I did have the key shard I wouldn’t get it moving.

I sighed. As I looked outwards. I knew the general path. My eyes GPS meant I knew exactly the direction to get back to the wayhouse.

So since I didn’t find anything of value. I started walking. Trudging through the desert. First I would get to the wayhouse. Then I would start searching for the Raffen base.

I had considered just sitting tight, hitchhiking back to the city.

But I had been hired for a job.

The Solo’s guide had mentioned that some gigs would blow up in your face. That you would have to make a decision about what kind of Solo you wanted to be. The sort that once the job gets out of control walks away. The ones that lived long lives, but were never respected.

Or the one that when shit blew up they stood up and got to work.

Considering how pissed I was? Yeah. I think I’m the kind that got to work.

It took almost an hour to reach the wayhouse. Trudging against dust and sand up and over dunes. I noticed that the trailer with the motorcycle that was what caused all of this was gone.

Connor was going to be answering some questions next time I saw him.

I hauled myself inside. Taking a moment to pull off the dust mask and the goggles. I headed into the bathroom and found the sink. Running water.

Thank god.

I washed my face allowing my eyes to stop aching from all the dust for the first time in over an hour. Then I washed the goggles and the dust mask as best I could.

Drying them a bit. I wiped them down and put them back on.

I felt like I could actually fight now. I did throw a bandage that I ripped out of an old sheet around my shoulder. Didn’t want people to see the hole that was still there even if it was mostly closed after the Maxdoc.

Ow.

I was just getting ready to head back into the storm, to stumble around in the direction of where I had seen the sand trails the Raffen vehicles had left as they chased us, but I heard it over the howl of the wind.

A car.

I slipped into a dark corner, behind the door Unity ready.

The engine cut off, and I could hear cursing but I didn’t hear the engine start again. Instead I heard it. Someone coming up to the door.

Someone opening the door.

Someone stumbling inside.

Someone familiar.

“Fuckin’ storm. Fuckin Frank! My bike! Bastard klepped my bike.” He moaned as the door closed behind him as he took off a mask and goggles like the set I had, and spat dust out of his mouth.

I struck, a kick right to the back of his knee, arm hooked around his own.

Ow. My shoulder wasn’t happy with the movement.

But it worked, sending him slamming into the floor on his back. I settled on his chest. With my Unity pressed against his mouth.

“What the fu-Ack!” He squealed when the barrel of my unity slipped past his teeth.

“No talking.” I said simply as he stilled. Feeling my gun in his mouth did a great job shutting him up. “I have two questions for you Connor, you are going to answer them very clearly. Because otherwise you get to repaint the floor. Did you set up Scorpion?” I asked as I gently pulled my gun out from his mouth.

“No! I told him! I told him he was late! If he had shown up at the time I told him it would have been fine! He was supposed to be here yesterday! Frank and the others were busy there was a boxing match everyone was watching! But Scorpion was late!”

“Alright. I’ll give you a pass on that. Next question. Where did they take Scorpion?”

“It’s an old gas station nearby! Here! I can send you the location! Just don’t kill me!”

My eyes flashed as I received the text with the GPS coordinates.

He was right. It was close. “Now get ready, you are giving me a ride.”

“No.” He squeaked out. I pushed the barrel of my Unity just a tad deeper against his face.

“No?”

“I can’t! They’ll know if I get close! They have sensors all over the desert looking for vehicles. If I bring you close they’ll kill us. Both of us! I already need to get out of here!” He whined pathetically at me.

I sighed. “Fine.” I stood, up and stepped back into the storm. Leaving Connor on the floor to his fate.

Sure I could have waited. I could take a nap and get my leg back into shape, but I wasn’t sure how long Scorpion had before the Raffen killed him. I don’t remember super well the Raffen missions from the game, but I do remember they weren’t gentle on their captured people. I didn’t have time to take a nap.

So I pointed myself towards the GPS marker I set up and started trudging. Hopefully I would actually find them, and not just be led into a trap.

—–

I was in luck.

The little setup that looked like it used to be a gas station with a few little stores all around it was now covered in Raffen Shiv markings. Mostly “Wraith” graffitied over the old concrete that I only could barely make out in the storm.

I settled against the wall letting myself think this through. I found them. Scorpion was inside, along with a small army of Raffen.

Since I was here, alone, with someone I needed to rescue. I had to do this right.

The Wraith that I had killed before, Both the one on the Bike that I had blow apart with my baby… Which was now long gone.

Dang. I just realized my poor HMG was somewhere in the desert. Dammit. I shook it off focusing back on my current issue.

Between the biker and the Wraith I had stabbed to death I had leveled up. That meant I had two stat and skill points.

So I spent them.

Cool 8, and Ninjutsu 7. I had been planning on spending my points on Intelligence and Breach, but in this case. I once more needed stealth on my side. So I dropped both points.

I shivered a bit as it felt like my mind grew a little bit colder. No more like I was just that much more capable of ignoring anything but my objective. Pain, emotions, fear. All of it simply frozen solid.

I rose up to my feet. Ignoring the limp I had been battling with the whole way as I walked around the edge of the brick wall covered in graffiti.

I slipped into the compound like a ghost. It was almost startling how simple it all felt. To move without making a sound. The storm which I had been fighting through the entire path was simply accepted. Instead of fighting it I let it flow through me. Helping instead of hindering.

My senses felt sharp as I started hunting.

I had no idea how many Wraiths there were in the compound. So I would simply have to clear them out. One at a time.

The first thing I found wasn’t a victim.The feeling of my danger sense was what alerted me. Told me I was about to be seen. I slipped backwards instantly looking around the corner of the building I had just walked out from. It was a camera. Set up in the ceiling looking out over the center of the little bundle of buildings. I smiled as my eyes shifted to gold. I started breaching. It took a few minutes, but when it was done. I was through. Then I sent my Ping Quick Hack.

My eyes shone as I got small little alerts over my hud telling me general where everyone was. It wasn’t like in the game. I wasn’t seeing people through walls. Instead it was like a little icon showing me generally where they were.

But it didn’t matter.

I saw enough. The Wraiths were all connected to the security system. I could see the few wandering around, but most were bunkered up to wait out the storm.

My first Victim was quickly chosen.

A tarp covering a door to keep the dust out of a smaller room that had their security systems. I peeked in through the window knowing exactly where to best do so to remain unseen.

There was one man inside, grumbling to himself about the dust as he watched some TV on one of the monitors. The rest showed only dust.

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I crawled in without even ruffling the tarp, With Ninjutsu 7, I no longer felt like a kid playing hide and seek. No, I had training. Years of reflexes and instincts, muscle memory and not quite memory, but just an understanding of what to do.

The man was eating some instant noodles. I let him finish slurping his last bite, chewing it and swallowing before my knife slipped through his throat. He gurgled weakly for a moment, his arm trying to reach for an alert, or trying to save himself.

I didn’t let him.

*100 Ninjutsu XP Gained.*

*500 XP Gained.*

*Blades skill level up!*

Hmm. Blade 4. Nice.

I reached behind my neck and grabbed my connection port. Pulling the cord free I clicked it into the computer system.

Breaching the system directly… It was harder. Breaching a single camera’s security was easy. Breaching into an actual security setup? If I hadn’t just murdered their security guy I had a feeling I might not have even succeeded. I could see the computer sending an alert popup about an intrusion. Even as I worked.