Chapter 9

An hour of spiraling thoughts ended with a decision to go to the Gym.

Punch stuff until I feel better, it was the only option.

I wasn’t violent!

Usually.

The machine was so useful. I was glad I found it. Even with XP slowing from just punching a machine, it was really nice to punch something that actually responded and changed, it let me fall into the zone as my mind was taken up with the challenge of getting my punches to connect. Even if the machine was actively blocking with its extra arms, trying to push my punches to the side to miss.

I fell into the rhythm, trying to outsmart the machine, sometimes when I succeeded I would be rewarded with XP. A perfect system. Endorphin rush every time I got an alert. Satisfying my addiction.

“Not bad kid.” A voice startled me as I was adjusting the difficulty up again. “You got a good strike. Where you train?” The massive man that spoke was probably 6’7” or taller and he was at least four times as wide as me, his massive muscles shifted into gorilla arms half way down.

He wasn’t the same guy that had first drawn me into this room, but there was no ending to the amount of massive men and women in the room at any one time. They were shifting constantly. I just didn’t pay attention to them mostly.

“Uhh.. here?” I said looking at the machine and then back to him. Having to crane my neck up a bit.

“No I mean who taught you to fight, you go to a boxing Gym, or a Dojo?”

“No. I come here. I like the machines.” I added after a second.

“Hoo? Really? No one taught you?”

“No?”

“Huh. Not bad. Give it a few years and you might get an invite to some of the rings. You should find a coach. Check out Tripple Extreme Gym some time. It’s In Rancho Coronado, just gotta prove yourself a bit, and you will be welcome.”

“I’m not really looking to join a gang.” I tell him bluntly. “I’m sure the Animals are cool and everything, but not my scene.”

“Hah! You knew that right off. Good head on you. Well I suppose it was obvious. Think about it. No better place to get some real strength.” He chuckled patting me on the shoulder hard enough to nearly knock me off my feet before turning and heading off.

I wasn’t really interested. I didn’t even really want to fight hand to hand. But now that it was brought up. It might be a good place, and mostly safe place to get some XP.

But did I really want to become a Pit Fighter?

No. But a part of me that whispered XP, made the idea more tempting than it should be.

—–

I was getting anxious again. I was doing some grinding on the stupid Baby’s first Cyberdeck again. Since I already went to the gym today and I just…

Didn’t want to go outside.

But it wasn’t quick XP, and continued silence from Jun was making me nervous.

At least I had gotten to the point I could breach our radio and turn it on or off or even change the volume from the couch.

So that was cool. I guess.

I eventually got bored at the highly technical work before flopping back on the couch.

Someday I would be a scary netrunner that could make people blow their own brains out with a look.

That day is not today.

Unfortunately nothing else was going on. Ichi didn’t have any jobs. Shobo was keeping everyone close in case there was another attack on his club.

Hiromi was out of touch again.

I wish Jun was here. That way everything would be ‘safe’ again and I wouldn’t have to feel this need to rush.

Maybe I should try to make some eddies?

I sighed the only thing I could think of was to kill. I’m not sure if it was the city, where murder was just the fastest way to doing most things, or if it was me. The urge to kill to get what I wanted.

I needed something to do with my hands. I realized. Exercise was fun, but it wasn’t giving me any XP now unless I went to the Gym, but I still needed an indoor hobby.

Maybe one that wasn’t Netrunning…

Well there was a skill I hadn’t done anything with yet. I realized.

Crafting. Or Technical Ability… But I didn’t have a lot of eddies to start something like that. I groaned.

Money or XP. Both were hard to get without doing something… Wait.

“If I want a job, I can just get one.” I reminded myself. Fixers were a thing. Hell. Wakako was over in Jig-jig street. Which I could almost see from my apartment window.

I stood up. Sure I was a kid. And she might not even see me… But it was something. Something that I wanted to try!

I grinned as I got ready wishing I had found the rest of a cool outfit, but at least I had my cool jacket and gloves. I suited up, unfortunately leaving the Burya. I didn’t have a holster, or ammo for it.

Outside the sun was shining through the small sections of the city that could see the sky, and I jogged down the block and crossed the street.

Then I took a right down Jig Jig Street.

The place was just how I remembered it from the game. Dark, seedy, full of people looking to do bad things.

I think I was probably the youngest person there. But that was fine. I wandered the streets until I found it.

A pachinko parlor. The only reason I remember the exact location of Wakako was because of how funny it was. One of the most powerful Fixers in Night City hangs out in a tiny room with a TV in the back of a Pachinko den.

I entered, noticing the woman at the counter eyeing me up.

“I’m wondering if Wakako has a moment.” I asked the Neon haired girl who raised an eyebrow at me.

Being fourteen kinda sucked.

But I held my gaze.

“Doubt it. If she isn’t already in contact with you, you aren’t on her radar.” The girl eventually offered even going so far as to lick her finger and turn the page on the magazine she was reading.

“I’m aware I’m not on her radar. That’s why I’m here.”

The woman sighed looking me over. “Do you have any idea how many Street Kids we get coming in here?”

“A lot.”

“Yeah, a lot.” The woman finished as if that was the end of it.

“I bet a lot of them ask to be tested too. A gig to prove that they aren’t hot air.”

“Save me from irritating overconfident children.” The woman muttered at me before her eyes went gold. A few moments later she nodded and then she looked at me. “Go on in. If you want.”

I nodded pleased. It seems I was right. Wakako couldn’t only hire people that are the best of the best.

Sometimes you needed street rats.

I turned to the left and walked through the door way blocked only by the weird beads that people seemed to use here instead of doors.

It was a cozy little back room, an executive style desk and Wakako. The Fixer of Japantown.

The older woman was casually looking over to the tv that was to my right as I entered giving me a single glance assessing me and then going back to the TV.

“Thank you for seeing me.” I say with a little bow to her. She had been high up in the Tyger Claws. Well her husband… Husbands, had been.

“Don’t tell me your name. I don’t want to know it.” She said simply, and her eyes went yellow. A text came in. “Finish the job, and return then maybe I will bother to learn your name. Or don’t. The door.” She offered simply a very brusque quick interview.

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I could kind of respect it.

I didn’t say anything more. Just turning and leaving.

I had my job.

I ended up on the street before I looked at it.

A man had an info shard. Wakako wanted that shard. Simple.

No other information other than where the man potentially was and a picture of him.

That’s it. No orders about how she wanted the job done, or anything.

I understood. Most street kids would probably go loud. Cause a riot.

The smart ones would go quiet klep the shard and get out. Hopefully without causing an uproar. Wakako wanted to know what kind I was.

I could do that.

—-

I ended up grabbing Jun’s bike as the guy was hiding out across town. I ended up finding a parking lot a few blocks away and stashing the bike before continuing.

A light jog to warm up and I was there. I slipped behind a parked car as I scoped out the old auto shop. The garage door was open, but it was obvious it wasn’t open for business. No, a group of Valentino’s were hanging around. Some were using the garage to work on their cars, it was still doable, except for one thing. A guy was outside in the parking lot, sitting on the hood of a car and drinking a beer while the radio played.

Damn. This wasn’t going to be easy.

I started looking for entrances without finding much. The auto shop had a big office side to it, two stories tall connected to the three door garage, but again. There were… Eight cars parked out front? That was potentially a lot of people to get caught by.

But I had a chance.

The back of the lot was covered in a high fence. It might have barbed wire around it, but I had parkour. I could definitely reach the roof from another building next door.

That was my entrance.

I moved. Moving across the street as naturally as I could before starting my climb up. An old burned out car, to the AC unit of a warehouse, to the roof. Keeping low I crossed the roof of the seemingly abandoned building heading closer to the roof of the auto shop.

As I was getting close my new view let me see a hiccup. A security camera.

On the back of the building keeping an eye on the back yard which wasn’t empty. It was full of cars. Newer cars. All of them missing pieces.

I guess the Tino’s were using this place as a chop shop.

But I could get through. I just needed to find an entrance where the camera couldn’t see. While also avoiding making any noise, or letting the Tino’s out front notice I was on the roof.