Ghost in the City

Susan Shinama. She was a contact for Wakako. The type that would slip into gangs and send her information. Quite literally a spy.

And right now she was in deep shit.

Someone had caught her, or at least she had sent a message saying someone had blown her cover, and then she had gone radio silent.

That meant Wakako needed her recovered, and the best part? I didn’t even need to go do netrunning crap to find her! Wakako had her location.

I had almost gone straight there, the urge to potentially get some xp incredibly tempting, but I had taken a breath, and actually remembered what Jun would say if he found out I ran off by myself without even gearing up.

So I drove home, raced up to the apartment, got armored up, and then switched to the Quadra as I drove to where Susan had gone missing.

It was… A night club.

It felt almost cliche, but she had picked up a gig at a night club run by the Valentinos.

El Jefa. It wasn’t like the usual tino bars. The quiet sort of dive bar, Like the Coyote.

No, this was more of a strip club, or a BD bar. The entrance was a set of stairs set into the ground floor of a building that was crowded by other businesses, a Strip Mall. The information Wakako gave me was pretty complete, but it wasn’t like I was going to walk into the entrance in broad daylight.

I pulled up to a parking space, and was doubly glad that my Quadra had armored everything, So I was able to see out, but no one could see in.

With Wakako’s information I was already in the perfect spot. Right across from me, just over a bunch of plants and junk in the middle of the strip mall's main path was the entrance. Disappearing down into the darkness, but the reason I had parked here? My eyes locked onto a camera just above the entrance, and after a careful moment to breach as quietly as I could, I was in.

The camera didn’t pan. Just locked in place above the entrance to the club, but of course it shared the system with all the other cameras in the network. I made to swap over, but mentally stilled.

The server I was in? I wasn’t alone.

Very slowly I did everything I could to diminish my presence on the network. The quality of the camera image dropped in quality, sending me far less data so I wouldn’t show as large as a blip.

Then I switched to the next camera, and waited. I couldn’t swap rapidly through the network without creating additional drain.

So I was staring at the next camera, the bottom of the stairs, an entrance way into the club. A few people walking in. Stopping to pay, and then going in.

I waited for a while just letting the load of the camera be normalized before finally switching.

Next camera was in the club proper. There wasn’t the massive dance floor I would see in most TC clubs. Instead it was smaller booths, some set up like BD booths, with a fully closing door. It reminded me of the Heavy Hearts. Private rooms to spend private time in.

The club was a strange shape. A sort of curved hallway that led in a big circle. In the middle there was an elevator. Which was interesting. I wonder where that led. But as I swapped camera’s I noticed another room that was sort of like the VIP section.

Ah, I found someone on my info sheet. Julio Hernandez. The man that was in charge of the club. If nothing else, he would know where Susan is.

But then I stilled as I switched to the next camera and I found my current difficulty.

There was a security room that had a netrunner jacked in.

I watched him for a few minutes. I couldn’t poke any further into his current actions without alerting him, but at least I knew where he was. First floor, through a security door.

Now how was I going to get to him?

This club had two entrances. The main club entrance with the stairs, and the elevator, which I wasn’t sure where it connected to.

I tapped a finger on my knee as I pulled out of the camera system as quietly as I had entered it. How did I want to handle this? Susan was inside somewhere, and I couldn’t find her without getting rid of that Netrunner somehow.

I was staring at the entrance to the club when I saw it.

One of the workers there walked up the stairs, pink heels clicking. Pink plastic miniskirt, her top nearly see through. She looked exhausted as she headed out and towards the parking lot…

“Well that’s certainly an option.” I muttered considering it.

On one hand infiltration. On the other stripper clothes…

Ah who was I kidding. Doing a stealth infiltration was always hilarious. I hurriedly pulled my gear off.

Time to stealth run this bitch.

—--

“Stupid lady stilts.” I mumbled as I walked back onto the strip mall.

Melody would wake up eventually with a bit of a shock, being almost naked and all, but I had stuffed her into her own car, and left her with a grand in eddies as an apology.

Wearing this stripper outfit was a bit awkward, the worst part was Melody had a much bigger chest than I did, so I had to stuff the damn top.

It was super embarrassing, especially since my muscles made the rest of the outfit stretch.

I really felt like I was going to tear my way out of it.

This was a stupid plan. I decided as I reached the steps down.

I took a second, adjusted my stance, to add a sexy sway, shifting into Sexy Motoko voice so I wouldn’t get called out stupidly, and sauntered down anyways.

The Stealth Daemon I had uploaded on breaching the camera system should help keep the netrunner from noticing me until it was too late.

The steps led into the entrance lobby, and I walked right through it. The worker only looked up to notice me as I was already through the door on the way into the long halls that made up the club.

I took a left and continued on my way. There weren’t a lot of guards around or anything, this was a club after all. I walked past guests sending a flirty smile as I was called out to, by a guy way too drunk for me to want to deal with.

“Sorry darling!” I called back, walking right past him then around the corner.

Security door spotted.

Realizing I was going to have to figure out a way through I walked past before smiling and stepping into one of the side rooms. This one was empty, and I stepped inside using the lack of line of sight to turn around and start slowly hacking through the security door across the hall.

I was slowly hacking my way when someone walked into the room I was in.

“Ah. Someone already got this room… Wait, I don’t know you.” She asked, looking me up and down.

“I’m new, covering for Melody.” I said with a warm drawl thanks to my Sexy Motoko voice on full blast! I just needed to get this woman to go away and keep hacking the door at the same time.

“Hmm, well don’t slack off. C’mon start cleaning up already we need this room ready for the next customers.” She said haughtily and I smiled despite wanting to do anything but, as I turned and started gathering up the leftover garbage, mostly empty bottles, as the older woman threw her long pastel pink hair over a shoulder and started helping.

“I’m surprised they hired a new person, I mean, I guess it makes sense, we lost Susan.” She sighed, shaking her head, and I twitched at that.

“Oh? Someone decided to find better work?” I asked teasingly.

“Pfft. Please. No, Susan did something, not sure. They dragged her downstairs last night.” She whispered, giving me a serious look. “So make sure you don’t fuck around. The boys treat us alright, we aren’t joytoys after all, but they find you fucking around they’ll replace you too.” She said enunciating ‘replace’ heavily.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I nodded along seriously, playing into my roll as I continued to help clean up. Grabbing bottles and trash and even using some wipes hidden in the seating that ‘Mariana’ showed me.

Then it happened. I reached out, and she did the same for a bottle, and our hands bumped into each other.

I didn’t notice it right away, but as I pulled up the bottle I looked at her, and I knew.

My arms, I had covered them in the plastic jacket thing, but my hands were still visible. A girl working at this sort of place would have Synthskin, or chrome that looked pleasing.

My Condors were military issue completely out of place.

She looked at me. I looked at her. I considered what to do. She must have realized it as well.

“You aren’t covering for Melody.”

“No. Melody is sleeping in her car right now. She’ll be fine.” I answered simply, still holding the bottle…

The door to the room was closed. I could knock her out, and these rooms were soundproof for a reason.

She realized what danger she was in. She swallowed and I could see her mind running through choices.

“Relax. I’m not here for you.” I offered, but it didn’t help.

She made a break for it trying to scream for help.

I was on her a moment later, long before she reached the door. Her hands reached out at empty air, scrambling to open the door as I locked my arm around her throat. She gasped and then twitched as I pressed just the right way.

Huh. It’s been a while since I did a lot of takedowns, but my Condor actually made it a lot easier.

I brought her to the ground as I considered what to do..

I dropped a Optica reboot on her and then just stuffed her into the corner.

That should keep her out of trouble for a while. Especially since these booths were sound proofed.

Now that I had some time to actually work, I refocused on the door across the way.

Forty uninterrupted seconds later I was through. Taking a moment I casually walked out of the room, no one was looking down the hall, and I walked across. The security door opened as I approached and closed behind me.

“Hello.” I whispered to the netrunner. Poor guy had no idea what was about to happen to him.

Luckily for him, I had learned something important a while back from Blazed. Netrunners tended to have a code around each other. This guy didn’t look like he was Valentino, probably just a rando. Hired on to watch their stuff in exchange, for security to surf the net without worrying about his body.

His poor defenseless body. I almost giggled as I walked over. I wasn’t going to kill him, but he definitely wasn’t going to appreciate what was about to happen.

I found the system his net chair was hooked into, and with a few presses began emergency booting him.

Being forced out like that would be disorienting, as his mind was pulled right back into his body uncontrollably.

Then just before he would have woken up, I reached over and yanked his connection.

He spazzed out. If I had done that without forcing the boot he would’ve had a stroke. But I was being nice.

Then while he was absolutely defenseless I sent a gentle and non-lethal Short Circuit.

He spazzed out worse as electricity started frying him, jerked out moans escaping him randomly as he was rather completely rendered helpless.

I was just about to get into the system to find Susan when I noticed it.

An xp alert.

I looked right towards the netrunner seeing he was still alive and frantically checked the alerts before seeing what it was, and relaxing.

*250 XP Gained.*

*250 XP Gained.*

*Level up achieved!*

*One Stat Point Gained.*

*One Skill Point Gained.*

*250 XP Gained.*

“That’s right. I get XP for knockouts! I realized I had just gained enough for a level up! Suddenly feeling much much better about everything. I walked over and patted the netrunner on the head. “Just for that, I’ll not trash your stuff.” I told him not that he heard me, as he was still unconscious and jerking randomly as the short circuit caused another surge.

“I almost feel bad about the headache you’re gonna have.” I explained and then turned to get back to work. I accessed the system and since I was in the security center that meant it was all open to me. I added myself into the elevator security with a thought, and checked for additional security cameras.

There were none. Whatever was down stairs was going to be entirely up to me to handle.

Adding in a few adjustments to the security system for the future I was ready to go.

Walking out without a care having direct access to the cameras meant I could walk through the whole place without anyone seeing me. The elevators opened as I approached and I slipped in.

Flipping up the plastic skirt I had been wearing I pulled out my Unity and a few mags from my thigh where they had been hidden.

Adjusting everything to be easier to work with, I slipped the silencer onto the barrel while whistling a few notes and just waited for the doors to open to the sub floor 2.

They opened to a well lit hallway and carpeted floors. Some sort of office space. I walked out slowing as I came to a set of windows looking into the hallway, old blinds failing to properly hide what was inside.

First room was an office. A desk and computer with a guy glaring at the screen.

I considered moving past him. I considered just opening the door and popping him, but honestly?

I walked over hiding my pistol in the the small of my back and knocked.

“What?”

“It’s Melody from upstairs?” She called out waiting. She could hear the man get up and stomped to the door.

“Dumb bitch! What part of ‘don’t come down here’ was too hard to understand?” He demanded as he slammed the door open.

“Sorry Sir. I was told to, by Mr. Hernandez? He’s been trying to reach you?”

“What? My Agent is fine! What shit is this?” He demanded and turned around to head to his desk.

The door closed behind me with a click as I was already on him. Slipping out of the heels I slammed a foot into the back of his knee at the same time as I wrapped my arms around his throat.

He struggled for a few seconds, but he didn’t have the chrome to protect his throat, and with my chrome arms, there was no chance of really resisting. A few seconds was all it took. The blood interrupted to his brain and he passed out.

I dropped him and dropped a reboot optics on him too.

Mostly just cause it was funny.

*250 XP Gained.*

I smirked as I turned and strutted back out. The next office was empty, and I strolled past, then down the hall I came across my prize.

A hidden party room. The VIP of VIP spaces.

The place made me want to gag, it was gaudy and looked cheap, but it also had a stripper pole surrounded by couches, and handcuffed to the pole hanging limply, was Susan. I grumbled, she had definitely been beaten.

I glanced around. Getting eyes on everyone inside. Eight guys? That’s a lot for just watching a kidnapped girl, but I realized after a moment of watching, no. It was two guys watching Susan, and the other six partying.

But any threat these people might have been was already gone.

I had eyes on them.

Weapon Glitch was activated, disabling weapons in the room as I sauntered over to the door. Stopping just before entering, how did I want to handle this?

I considered guns blazing. Extra XP would be nice, but this wasn’t an assassination. I sighed and nodded, entering the door, and striding in. I was noticed as the door opened, but I walked in casually straight towards the two hanging around Susan, like a working girl just coming in with a message, I leaned in behind one of them like I was going to whisper in his ear.

The man even tilted his head to hear what I was going to say, and instead got a pistol against his throat.

“Evening gentleman. You have something of mine.” I whispered to him, and I could see the way his eyes flicked from me to Susan.

“You’re crazy. You can’t just wander in here like this.” He said voice level, but incredibly tense. I could see his buddy realizing what was happening going for his gun.

That of course caused the other guys that were just here having fun to go for their weapons, but I had confirmed all of their weapons were glitched out already.

“You boys are all very very lucky.” I explained, keeping the gun right into the man's trachea. “I’m not here to kill you all.” I offered out with a smile and a sultry tone.

“What do you want?” The man I had at gunpoint asked after a moment, I could see the boys start moving surrounding me.

“Susan here is a package, I’m here to collect. She comes with me, we both part happy and with all of our blood on the inside. Sounds good?” I offered cheerfully, almost hoping they refused.

“Fuck no. You aren’t going anywhere.” One of the boys called out confidently. “Look around bitch!”

“Yeah I know. That’s why I walked in here without any fear. You’re missing at least a dozen guys to make it a more fair fight.” I offered haughtily, practically daring these gonk gangsters to come at me.

Wait… No, that was exactly what I was doing. I should have walked in, dropped a short circuit on them and moved on.

Why was I talking to them?

Ah, because a part of me wanted to punch someone. I rolled the thought around in my head for a second and sighed.

Dammit.

“Get the bitch!” Too late to fix my situation. The boys' guns clicked empty, but the fact they were about to fire caused the two actual men in the room to flinch. The one in my arms wasn’t going anywhere, but the other moved to leap out of the way when nothing happened catching him by surprise.

Well then.

I squeezed his neck feeling him slump practically instantly, and then I rose up.

Mine was the only gun in the room that still worked.

“Surrender.” I offered, and that only made the boy who had been calling the shots angry.

He threw his gun at me, which I jerked to the side to avoid and he pulled out a knife.

I really wished I was still wearing my gear now.

It was the only thing I could think of as I moved in to counter the attack. I slipped my gun in between my tits so I could use both arms. His knife swept horizontally out, but I blocked his wrist with my forearm, avoiding the blade as I reached out. He was pretty strong. A big guy. Worked out, or had some bioware to buff him up.

But he was an amateur, and his wrist bent nice and easily backwards as I pressured him, his knife fell out of his hand with a cry of pain, and I snatched it out of the air before it hit the ground, flipping around, I used his arm to slam him into the couch and brought the knife down with brutal force.

Right through the collar of his jacket and into the couch.

“Now boys. As much as I enjoy a good dance, you aren’t nearly ready to be my dance partner.” I offered, slapping the boy on his ass as I turned towards the others, most had hesitated when their choom started swiping a knife around. The others had been ready to jump on me to help, but when I had the knife they had also hesitated.

Boys playing gangster. Sure I had no doubt they would kill me given a chance, but risk to them? They were cowards. Here for the fun, not the danger.

They milled around me, not sure what to do without their leader.

So I made the decision for them, pulling the gun out and leveling it right at the back of the dumbasses head.

“Unless you want to let this dance continue to play out?” I asked and the room stilled.

This guy? I wasn’t sure who he was. Not important to me, but the other guys around his age had all been following his lead. He was definitely the leader of this little group.

Other than the other guard. The one watching Susan. He was on his feet, still clutching his pistol, but he was watching me with a controlled glare.

“Alright.” One of the boys said, arms raising up. “Chill choom. No need to get worked up yeah? Carlos? Tell her to take the girl and get out of here.” He called out, but Carlos wasn’t listening. Practically snapping as he was trying to get the knife out of the couch with little success. He had almost no leverage from his bent over angle.

“Carlos?” I called and pushed the barrel against the back of his head. “Your choom asked you a question.”

“Fuck off… Take the bitch!”

“Excellent! See how easy that was?” I offered cheerfully as I stepped away, gun still at the ready and moved over towards Susan.

“Where are the keys for the cuffs?” I asked, and the guard took a moment to pull them from a pocket and chuck them at me.

Catching them easily with one hand as the other pointed my gun. I threw him a wink and took a few seconds to pop Susan loose.

She fell and I caught her. The girl was still unconscious, face beaten in. I wasn’t surprised she wasn’t awake.

I hefted her up over my shoulder with a bit of work and looked around the room. Everyone was still standing looking pissed, but not sure what to do.

“Boys.” I offered a farewell as I walked out the door, and then hurrying to the elevator.

Thankfully I had already infested the security, so the elevator was already open and waiting to send me up to the next floor.

I could practically see the calls being sent out from the boys as they called the men upstairs to let them know what was going on.

The elevator doors closed and I prepared. Checking the camera systems through the direct access I had to their security seeing the people upstairs were already frantically moving towards the elevator.

Then before the doors opened I dropped Optic Reboot on the entire place. I watched through cameras as men previously hurrying towards the elevator stumbled and tripped over each other.

The doors opened and I sauntered out, glad I wasn’t wearing those stupid lady stilts anymore. I should have just kept my damn boots on. Going barefoot was so weird in Night City I was constantly worried I was gonna step on something gross.

I walked out, only slowed a little by the stairs that took me out of the club.

Then I hurried over to my car, ignoring the looks people sent me.

Packing Susan into the passenger seat, I was off not long after.

*Wakako. Package retrieved.* I spoke as soon as Wakako picked up.

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