Chapter 96

Nox

 

“It’s nothing like you’ll find anywhere else. It’s not some shock jock gore shit. This is an edgerunner, doing a real gig. A professional!” He commented practically slapping his bag as he talked the guy into it.

“Yeah kid I know. I heard about the Boat Heist.” The man offered, rolling his eyes as he looked around. He wasn’t the first customer Nox had that hadn’t been super comfortable buying peddled BD’s, X or otherwise, off the street from a street kid.

 

But Nox had prime shit now. Motoko’s BD’s were unique enough that word of mouth got around. It wasn’t everyday someone could feel an actual professional at work.

 

Nox was super thankful that Motoko had wanted to hide her body and shit from the BD. It let him sell to people that wouldn’t buy a BD from a teenagers perspective normally.

 

“Well I got one here for you. As well as the back log of that Edgerunners other works. Some are pretty low key, but I assure you, once you finish you will know what it’s like to be a-”

“An Edgerunner. I’ve heard your push already kid. Just show me what you got.” The older man demanded and as Nox held out a copy of all the BD’s he thought he could push on the older guy. Eddies and Shards traded hands, and the man disappeared. Leaving Nox with an easy couple grand.

 

He loved this shit. The Boat Heist had been on the news, so he could easily push for high end XBD prices for it. And that led to people wanting more of Motoko.

 

Money was flowing in, more money than he had ever expected.

 

As always he made a note in a program he kept on his agent of how much he made, and how much he would owe Motoko for her cut.

 

It was small time honestly. Motoko barely even noticed when he sent her updates on how well everything was going. Judy his only other person he had to pay mostly just wanted him to bring her more caffeine.

 

The eddies were just flowing in, and Nox was even considering hiring a guard just to make sure no more trouble happened.

 

*Ringing*

 

Judy? He thought hearing the call and checking the caller ID.

 

*Hey Jude, what’s up?*

 

*FUCK!* He winced, at the loud noise. He had an internal agent now. A very useful piece of chrome he had purchased with some of the profits, but it meant he couldn’t lean away from the phone. *THE FUCKING FUCK NOX. FUCK!*

 

*Jude?*

 

*UGH. I can’t believe I did this shit! Nox you are so lucky you’re a Mox. If you weren’t I would be kicking your ass right now! Motoko’s last BD was fucking! Fuck. My heart literally won’t stop fucking pounding, and I can’t get the feeling of literally… Fuck… At least she warned me first. But I need bigger warnings than this!*

 

*Hey, Hey Jude. Calm down, what’s going on?*

 

*Ugh. Motoko dropped a new BD on my desk.* And at that Nox was cheering literally jumping in the air and whooping audibly as he rushed to pack his shit.

 

New content! Fuck he was gonna make more eddies! Running into that beautiful girl was the best thing that ever happened to him in his entire life!

 

*I’m on my way! Did you finish it?*

 

*Yeah I fucking finished it Nox! I wou- Sorry.* Judy went quiet for a minute. *I’m still dealing with the aftershocks of the virtu, I still feel angry. Just come by, and bring me a few cans. I’m out thanks to editing this bitch.*

 

*On my way Jude. On my way.*

 

She hung up and Nox was whooping as he ran down the street. He was going to jump in his crappy car that he had bought with the eddies and run it all the way to Lizzies. Everything was going perfect today!

 

—–

 

“Rip and Tear. Until it’s done.” His mouth formed the words even as he was gasping for air. His head still hurt, and his ribs ached, but everything else just felt like fire and hate as he glared down at the last Scav. At the last monster he had ripped apart.

 

The transition was sudden like the BD cut off in a weird spot and suddenly Nox was Nox. He wasn’t a murder machine glaring down at the corpses of the fucking SCAVS! No he was laying on his back with Judy looking over him.

 

“Fuuuuuuuuck.” He whimpered, despite the pain being gone. The rage and anger and hatred, but it left his nerves feeling raw as he rolled off the chair and nearly face planted. He was gasping for air he realized, and he wondered for a moment if he was going to be sick?

 

“Yeah. I may need to tone that down a bit.” Judy offered. He had shown up and she had been twitchy and quick to anger and now he knew why. He felt the same way, but there was also… He rolled over and just laid on his back. Sucking in air and letting the cool floor of Judy’s workshop cool him down.

 

“Jesus fucking christ.”

 

“Yeah.” Judy replied and even handed him a soda as she stood over him. “You alright?”

“Just processing. I wasn’t… Is Motoko okay?”

 

“I called her. I could only stay in the virtu for like a minute before I pulled out at first. I called her then. She sounded normal. Apologized and stuff. Still not sure if she is actually…”

 

“Yeah… Yeah… Fuck.” Nox had felt the cool calculated control Motoko exuded probably more than anybody. He sold the damn BD’s after all. He watched them often enough to make sure he could explain them to buyers.

 

He knew that Motoko was a killer. Absolutely unhesitatingly murderous when she wanted. The facade of her chipper happiness disappeared when it was time for her to kill.

 

But now he wasn’t sure what the real Motoko was.

 

Was it the nice teenager that would help out a boy getting beaten. The cold calculating Solo?

 

Or the Monster of rage and hate hidden within?

 

“So yeah. That’s a thing.” Judy offered as she took a long sip of her drink. “I’m thinking of sicking Rita on her.”

“Yeah.”

 

“I’ll never get the feeling of brains out of my nails.” She told him and Nox had to agree. He had seen a lot of XBD’s. That was definitely the first time someone had stuck a thumb through someone’s eye.

 

“It was fucking preem though.”

 

“It was the most uncomfortable virtu I have ever edited.” She retorted instantly.

 

“Preem work.”

 

Judy just laughed as he ignored her complaints. She wasn’t really mad. Judy might pretend all she wanted, but she loved BD’s and XBD’s as much as anyone. Hell he still slipped her some of the shit coming out from the big names so she could rip it apart and see what they had done. Improve her own craft. She’s a connoisseur.

 

And he had caught her a few times just enjoying a BD here or there.

 

“Fuck. I’m gonna sell that BD.” He muttered realizing what he had on his hands.

 

“Not until after I tone it down a bit.”

“Don’t. Leave it.” He decided. He would explain that it was more raw than normal. It was better this way. No one would forget the BD… “The Only Thing They Fear Is You.” Nox had come up with the names of all the BD’s Motoko had dropped off until now. But fuck, if she had come up with the best name possible for this BD.

 

Anyone who scrolled this BD was going to feel like it was the damned truth.

 

—–

 

My agent ringing in my head woke me up in the middle of my nap.

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“Blargh?” I asked aloud as I blinked my eyes and sat up. I had spent the entire previous day playing with Hiromi, traveling the city shopping for clothes and just hanging out with my choom. Then I spent some of the night doing some debugging work that Yoko had set up for me. Getting through some of the backlog of service requests that were piling up in my inbox.

 

But now it was early-late. And I was actually muggy. Not something I usually deal with.

 

Realizing I hadn’t actually spoken into my Agent I shook myself and did it again.

 

*Hello?*

 

*Hermanita, It’s Jackie! Sorry about calling you so late, little choom, but I have a problem, and I need a netrunner. Uh I already tried Bug but she cussed me out. Can you help?* Jackie blurted out, and instantly I could tell he was stressed. Talking too fast, and almost stumbling over his words.

I blinked as I tried to process the question before grunting a bit as I rose up. *Yeah, Jack, I can help. What’s the deets?*

 

*I got a computer system here that has information I need, but I can’t get in. I’ll send you the address?*

 

*Sure I’ll be on my way.*

 

*Thanks Hermanita.*

 

I rose to hurry and get dressed. Noting that Jun was sleeping in his bed so I went stealthy so I wouldn’t disturb him.

 

Slipping out of the apartment I rushed down the stairs using the movement to get my blood pumping to help wake me up.

 

I hated being groggy, but I wasn’t going to blame Jackie. He had called me!

 

I raced across the street to the parking garage. Jackie actually relied on me! I was inordinately happy about the fact.

 

I checked the address and set it to my GPS and started driving, actually going a little faster than normal through the city.

 

—–

 

The address took me to an old warehouse in Santo Domingo. I pulled up to the open gate and frowned.

 

Multiple vehicles were inside, and I could see dead bodies lying on the ground.

 

Not just that. Some of the bodies were wearing armor. Orange Armor. Kang Tao? What were Kang Tao gonks doing here? What was Jackie getting himself into?

 

I parked and turned off the engine.

 

Time to move.

 

The chainlink fence protected a dirty lot, covered in old garbage including a fire pit and some old ratty chairs.

 

Obviously the abandoned lot had been taken over. Now the question was, what was going on?

 

I slipped through the gate, staying in cover from the sightlines of the entrance to the warehouse that had its bay door open as I came up on the first normal body.

 

Tino? I checked the markings and it was the same sort of tats and markings a tino might use, but it wasn’t quite right. The body was wearing a bandanna around the neck with a weird symbol on it.

 

Offshoot street gang? Maybe just a few Tino kids forming their own gang to fuck around? But why the murder? Kang Tao being involved was a bit much for what I would expect from a street gang.

 

I looked over the wounds and frowned.

 

Big rounds. Five rounds center mass. Someone took this kid out brutally. Kang Tao hadn’t been interested in talking.

 

Burya now firmly in my hand, because this was sketchy I rushed up to the warehouse’s entrance, peeking in.

 

It was empty except for a Kang Tao Van parked in the back.