Chapter 62

I decided to spend the rest of the day playing around with my new quick hacks, but I still had my chooms messaging and chatting with me throughout the day.

 

Hiromi was mostly complaining about school, but she had put out some feelers to her new ‘contacts’ about any Scav info.

 

Ichi hadn’t found much from the old TC guys, but they had apparently liked his gumption to clean up the scavs, and Ichi told me that they would start asking around.

 

Malcolm was just enjoying having some eddies and his parents were super happy with him coming home with thousands of eddies for a job. After they fussed and worried he had done something the NCPD would arrest him for anyways.

 

Well that and showing off his new Mantis Blades. Seriously, he kept sending pictures of him posing with them every half hour. It was funny but a little embarrassing.

 

But I was once more distracted happily with a new program to work on. I started with Weapon Glitch, mostly because being able to mess with someone’s weapon in a fight was an automatic I win button.

 

And I wanted to make sure I knew how to use it, and defend against it if needed.

 

So I dug into the code, and instantly started figuring out how the program works, and how badly coded it was.

 

Another mess of programming. Although in this case I noticed something interesting.

 

It was purposefully coded badly.

 

The idea was so weird it took me hours of double checking before I was convinced.

 

Unlike Ping which was a rather simple program, and was just an extension of net infrastructure. Weapon Glitch had obviously been designed by someone really really smart to specifically do what it said.

 

But if I used my old metaphor for programming being the design of weapons. Someone had created a magical super sword for themselves, and then started making some lesser copies to sell around.

 

The only reason I noticed it is because of all the experience noticing bad code thanks to Debug.

 

There were sections of really smooth code in the program. Stuff that I didn’t have a chance of copying myself, but then they would be hampered with really horribly written code that forced memory leaks, or loops in the process.

 

So while I doubted I could reach the equals quality yet, I definitely could fix some of this nonsense.

 

The fact the program used so much ram to activate, could easily be lowered with a few fixes.

 

And that is when I realized what the original must have looked like. A program that could be used multiple times in a row to completely disable the weapons of an entire group. Instead of using a ton of ram to disable a single weapon.

 

Yeah I wanted me one of those. But the thought of walking into a group of gonks and just wiping their ability to shoot at me in a glance was pretty cool.

 

So I settled in to get to work. And very quickly I started getting XP alerts. A new program and problems to fix? Yeah that was all working towards a grind.

 

—–

 

I was a chunk through the next level to programming when I took another break when Jun came home seemingly in a rush. Barging in having obviously been moving fast.

 

“Motoko. Get dressed.” He said suddenly as he stood by the door and I looked away from the laptop screen I had been staring at for the last half dozen hours.

“Eh? What’s up Jun.”

“There’s a party. You’re invited. C’mon.” He said simply nodding his head towards my room as he rushed right past it into his own room, and I could hear him grabbing some junk.

 

“Party?” I called out curiously wondering what Jun was on about.

 

“It’s a big party to commemorate the end of the war. 6th St. agreed to the cease fire completely. So it’s over. Kamikaze are invited… And Fujimura-Sama asked me to invite you as well.” He offered and I had to blink a bit at that.

 

Did I want to go to a TC party?

 

No. Not really.

 

Did I care if Fujimura invited me?

 

No. Not really.

 

Jun must have seen the look on my face because he smiled. He had something planned for sure.

 

“There will be food. Good food. Just come, you don’t have to do anything. Just enjoy the food… Even if you don’t want to be with the Tyger Claws anymore, you are still one of us.”

 

I blinked.

 

Jun you sneaky bastard. You were trying to improve my opinion of the TC by having me eat their food.

 

I mean it was sneaky enough to work, but I doubt it will change my opinion of the gang.

 

“Fine, but only because free food sounds kinda preem.” I agreed and Jun smiled a little as he nodded, reaching over and fluffing my hair which considering he had on Real Skinn actually felt kinda nice.

 

Onii-chan headpats were pretty good.

 

“Let me get cleaned up.” I told him, waving his hand away. I couldn’t just let him think I liked it when he patted my head after all. I would have to mess with him soon to make sure he understood.

 

But I got dressed in my normal clothes and followed Jun out into the night.

 

What could go wrong?

 

—–

 

“And this is my sister Motoko.” Jun introduced me to another high up TC guy. Seriously I had seen so many Yakuza wannabes they were all flowing together into one Super Yakuza.

 

But none of that mattered.

 

Suuuushi.

 

Okay coming to the party was a good idea. I stuffed another synth-sushi into my mouth despite Jun trying to introduce me to someone.

 

Because fuck them. But Sushi tasted goooood.

 

The Yakuza guy nodded to me but turned back to focus on Jun. No one that Jun had mentioned to me had even taken a second look at me so far which was good. Because I was far more interested in the snack bar.

 

Which is a way to say I was basically just camping it forcing Jun to stand awkwardly next to me as I snacked.

 

He didn’t have to. I told him he could go hang out in the party, but he was acting kinda skittish. Apparently all of these yakuza types were ‘important’ and ‘powerful’ or whatever. I didn’t care. Free sushi.

 

But it wasn’t just TC guys hanging around.

 

There was a detachment of 6th St. ‘soldiers’ hanging around as they chatted with the TC leaders.

 

This was a party to celebrate an end to the open conflict between the gangs after all.

 

Open conflict anyways. Of course the gangs would still happily kill each other in the dark and deny responsibility.

 

But overall it was boring. The party was taking place in one of the skyscrapers in Japantown. Apparently it acted as a club that the TC owned when it wasn’t in use by the gang.

 

Of course tonight was a private event.

 

“Kusanagi. Kusanagi.” A familiar voice spoke up interrupting my snack and Jun was already offering a bow.

 

Fujimura to my surprise looked a bit different, he had definitely lost some chrome. He gave Jun a nod in return before looking towards me.

 

Dangit, he actually wanted to talk to me didn’t he? I sighed internally as I finished chewing my sushi and swallowed. “How’s it going?”

 

“It’s a shame the war ended when it did.” He suddenly said out of nowhere. “If you had been dragged into a few more battles, they wouldn’t be ignoring you. They’d be seeking you out for their own benefit like they do your brother.” He said suddenly surprising me as he looked around and took in the people around us.

 

“I like it this way. It would be annoying to be bothered by them. I mean I get to stand here and eat Sushi, so it all works for me.” I offered with a shrug.

 

He snorted unhappily. “You don’t have the burn for more. You lack of ambition… Disappointing. Kusanagi, try to drag your sister into her potential it would be a waste if she simply wallows as she is.” Fujimura says to my surprise. It was a backhanded compliment, but a compliment all the same.

 

What a weird guy.

 

“Yes Fujimura-Sama.” Jun agrees but I know my brother pretty well at this point. He was agreeing just to agree. But Fujimura wasn’t entirely done.

 

He turned to me again and gave me a long look over.

 

“Girl. I’m no fool. You may wish to separate from the Tyger Claws. I’ve seen many like you. Thinking that they don’t need the Tygers protection anymore. It won’t matter in the end. Someday, you will find yourself in need of friends, and we will still be there. Perhaps then you will remember who truly are on your side.” Then he just walked away.

 

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I decided to just stuff more Sushi in my mouth. Crazy Cyberpsycho TC leaders talking nonsense at me.

 

—-

 

“I don’t feel great.” I muttered to Jun as I walked out of the bathroom.

 

“I warned you to stop eating so much sushi. You made yourself sick.” He told me without a hint of sympathy as he led me back into the ballroom where the party was taking place.

 

It wasn’t my fault! The sushi was so good. But now my stomach was really not happy with me.

 

Okay it was my fault. I’m adult enough to accept that I literally ate myself sick.

 

“C’mon we can leave early and head home.”

 

“Yeah… Sorry Jun-Nii.” I muttered struggling not to puke. Okay definitely my fault. Stupid Motoko. Real stupid.

 

But it was sooo tasty!

 

I shook that thought away my stupid brain not knowing when enough is enough. Jun guided me through the party, and apologized to a few of the TC higher ups as we passed. Jun covering for me, saying I just wasn’t feeling well, and not that I made myself sick by eating too much.

 

Eventually we entered the elevator down to the garage at the same time as another of the big TC guys.

 

Honestly I could see the Neon Yakuza tattoos crawling over his suit up the back of his neck and across the back of his hands.

 

He spoke to Jun while his date, a beautiful neon goddess that was definitely a Doll fussed over me. I could literally see the Doll chip Cyberware starting just behind her ear going down her throat. The gold engravings glinted against her pale skin.

 

It was pretty, if you know the fact it was literally a pseudo mind control thing didn’t make it kinda disgusting.

 

Although I was pretty sure it was the woman in truth and not the programming as she hummed over my back and even gave me a little back rub as I rested my head against the cool chrome of the back of the elevator.

 

Ugh too much sushi.

 

Stupid Motoko, acting like a child and overeating. Dumbass.

 

The elevator stopped with a jolt and the four of us walked out. Jun guided me along as the TC guy and the Doll both left arm in arm, an expensive looking car pulling up for them with a beep.

 

Which is when everything went wrong.

 

I felt it. That sense shooting up my spine. Danger Sense.

 

A glint in my periphery. The smell of blood. A noise of a heavy footstep on concrete. Too heavy to be normal.

 

“DOWN!” I screamed and kicked out Jun’s knee so we went tumbling just in time to avoid the barrage of machine gun fire above his head.

 

The TC guy was also lucky. The moment I screamed out, he had moved, jumping into the car with the instincts of a man who had heard screams to move before. And it had saved his life.

The poor Doll wasn’t as lucky, she went down with a cry and the splattering sound of meat.

 

An LMG was pumping rounds towards us aiming to kill us all. No, I realized thankfully, aiming for his target. The TC Leader who was now hiding inside his car and trying to get it started even though his car was getting hammered with bullets.

 

But Jun was going to get up soon, and no doubt Jun and I would be a target the moment we did.

 

Everything went slow. My mind focused. I only had one chance to survive this.

 

Jun only had one chance to survive this.

 

My mind blazed, my eyes burned. I attacked.

 

It had been a long time since I had done any Quick Hacking, and never with an offensive program like this.

 

I could barely see the man himself, just his hulking outline as he fired from the shadows of the garage, right next to a car that had an open trunk. The fucker had been in the trunk of a car. Probably just sitting and waiting for his target.

 

Smart fucker.

 

But in just a moment I was done. His ICE resisted but it only lasted a few moments before I was in. His LMG suddenly sparking as its electronics shut down causing a jam in the receiver as it tried to double load a round.

 

Stupid Jun! He was still holding onto me not realizing the attack was over. And the moment it took me to try and push him away was too long. Because I had quick hacked him, no way he didn’t realize I had been the one to shut down his toy.

 

I looked up Just in time to see the attacker just ‘appear’ in front of us.

 

Fucking Sandevis-

 

I didn’t even get a chance to quick draw before he laid into Jun and I with a kick.

 

No, it wasn’t a kick. A kick would just hurt. This was like being struck by a moving vehicle.

 

We were sent flying. While in the air I had a moment to be happy that Jun was mostly okay since he was mostly borged as well, even if he got rocked into the concrete wall beside the elevator.

 

I on the other hand was 90% squishy meat even if I had desperately tried to block the kick with my arms.

 

I went flying down the garage, rolling along the concrete. The fact he had kicked me in the stomach meant I had left a trail of my previous meal all across my path.