The cult doth welcome Tern into its most august ranks. May their labor prove fruitful and honor the machine spirits. Or else.
-----
Michael 'Magos' Sobronov
"Not one for small talk, are you?" I asked after a good minute of silence passed.
The half asleep, barely present V shot me an annoyed glare before holding back a yawn "'m tiiired."
Her relief at finally seeing a way out had lasted her for all of three seconds before it was replaced by the realization she had to get through the day as she was first.
She let out a long exhale before slapping her legs and getting up in one fluid hop "I should get going, before someone starts paying attention."
"Isn't this place the 'designated clandestine meeting point' anyway?" I asked dryly, slowly getting up as well.
"Yes." She nodded seriously "Which is why everyone has eyes on it 24/7."
Crossing my arms, I asked "And you wanted us to meet here anyway, why?"
"Because its just business as usual." She shrugged "You got scrambling tech, right?"
'I do sincerely hope that was a fucking rhetorical.' I felt myself twitch but didn't show it "Yes, obviously." Even outside of that I had already manually removed any identifiable trace of myself from the localnet.
"Then we have nothing to worry about." She waved me down tiredly "People meet here so often the different intelligence agencies barely pay attention anymore."
"So why are you in a rush then?" I asked.
"Because I don't want some gonk skulking around seeing me and asking questions." She grumbled "I'm too tired to deal with that."
"Don't want to end up pushing someone's head into a wall?" I half teased.
She blinked before answering completely seriously "Cleanup is annoying."
"Ah." I nodded amusedly "That's fair."
Her lip twitched upwards ever so slightly "See you later, M."
"Later, V." I returned "Remember." I spoke up as she turned her back "The moment you get done with work you drag your ass to H11-"
"And use an autopilot instead of driving manually, yeah." She interrupted with a backwards wave "I got it."
Hearing the almost childish irritation in her voice, I couldn't help but shake my head.
But as she finally disappeared from my sight, I found my mirth leaving me and I moved on to the original reason I came here.
It wasn't a needed step, or even a logical one.
But I simply couldn't stop myself.
...I suppose I simply felt like considering my options before making the decision.
Shaking my head at the poor excuse, I left the park plaza, giving the Arasaka tower a wide berth before approaching it from a different angle, hacking my way through some minor perimeter security and slipping into the corp's territory without a trace.
Which is how I found myself skulking in a particularly dark corner of a mildly busy, but supremely lavish, corpo-exclusive street leading up to a large building attached to Arasaka's tower.
Arasaka Academy.
Touted as the best place to get a middle/high education in Night City, and probably the place I would have inevitably ended up had I not been born a deformed human nugget.
And all too happily at that...
It all looked so incredibly underwhelming from where I was standing now.
Expensive personal cars driving to and from the surrounding parking area, parents or more often than not personal servants of some form or another walking the teenagers to school...
And the usual rowdy idiocy of my hormonal kindred that followed as they were finally left alone.
It was morbidly funny I supposed, how very human the diabolized corpos could be outside the sight of the 'common' masses.
The corporate undertone was still there of course, and I had no doubt they were already starting to backstab each other as practice, but beyond that all I saw was a bunch of gonks being gonks, and not the walking excuse everyone outside the corporations used as to why they didn't strive for more than they were born with.
'The sheep are called sheep for a reason.' I decided with a shrug and finally saw what I had been waiting for.
Out of a no doubt ridiculously expensive car stepped a familiar face.
It had been years since I last saw him, and it showed. He had gained some height, definitely by way of a bio-treatment, and lost most of the baby fat from his face, but it was still definitely him.
Nicholas Werner, the closest thing I ever had to a friend growing up.
'At least he lost the stupid fucking mohawk.' I chuckled inwardly, pointedly ignoring the fact his hair was still that eye-watering shade of pink.
I expected to feel something, seeing him after so long, either rage or regret or even happiness, something!
...But all I ended up feeling if it could even be called that was a mild sense of recognition.
It was unsettling, if I was being perfectly honest.
But after even the smallest amount of introspection, it was not particularly surprising.
In the short period of time I was unbound from the chair, I had met true friends, people who would take a bullet for me just as I would, and already have, for them.
And a rich kid without a care in the world I was hired to tutor and then ended up playing stupid videogames with could simply never measure up to that kind of standard.
I stood there observing him for a while longer, watching as he made reassurances to his serious looking driver before the man ultimately nodded and drove away, leaving behind a downright giddy Nicholas who made it a point to mess his own perfectly groomed hair before rushing over to the rest of the Arasaka heirs.
Unable to stop myself from making an amused eyeroll at the sight, I settled on a decision.
Within a split second I was past his security.
[SavingGrace.exe uploaded]
"That should keep you away from home and in a comfy hospital bed for a while." I mused aloud 'And well out of my way.'
He had done nothing to me, and so I had no reason to extend my revenge to him.
...Though a petty part of me noted how he would be facing a grand struggle once Neville's fortune was ripped away from him by Arasaka for one stupid excuse or another.
Corpos didn't really do inheritance if the inheritor in question wasn't already highly positioned in the corporation.
Satisfied with that, I gave myself a slight nod and began walking away.
Only to nearly walk through a pair of what a quick scan confirmed to be a mother and her soon, a pair that looked distinctly out of place despite the son's Arasaka Academy uniform.
I would have simply ignored them if not for the immediate flash of recognition in the son's eyes.
"Holy shit, you're M-!" He went to call out.
But was promptly dragged aside by his mother "Apologies sir." The redheaded Latina interrupted guardedly, the flash of fear in her eyes impossible to miss.
"And to you as well, Ms. Have a pleasant day." I said flatly, and turned to leave, but not before flicking her a message.
[Ensure your kid doesn't tattle. I don't need rumors of my location being spread.]
The woman visibly paled by words appearing in her eyes seemingly out of nowhere, but before she could respond I was already walking away.
Or at least pretending to, as I immediately slinked into a nearby alcove, increasing my Audioreceptors' sensitivity as I did.
"David, Mijo." Gloria Martinez addressed shakily "What was that?"
"The most nova shit ever, that's what!" The gonk immediately exclaimed and began excitedly recollecting all the rumors he knew about me like a kid talking about his Christmas presents "-And then I saw a video of him cutting a fucking Biotech mech in half, with a sword! It was all over the net!"
Probably should not wear signature clothes if I didn't want to be recognized, who would have fucking guessed?
"David." The mother repeated sternly "What did I tell you about getting involved with that life?"
"Not to." He grumbled "And I wasn't!" He added before she could scold him further "It was literally everywhere, so I just um... gave it a look. That's right."
She gave a long sigh at that "Forget about it and focus on your future, Mijo. I don't break my back every day just so you can live with your head in the clouds, or to see you get yourself shot in the street one day."
I could practically hear him wince.
"Yeah." He said, nodding jerkily "I'll uh- I'll not waste my chance mom, I promise."
"Good." The woman nodded "And David, don't tell anyone about who or what you saw."
"But-"
"Don't." She repeated "I'm serious."
"Fiiine." He half sighed, half whined, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
Content with that, I reduced my audio sensitivity again and left for real this time.
Still though, my passing thoughts refused to completely ignore the duo.
The son must be at least somewhat intelligent if he managed to get in on a scholarship program, even if that intelligence was evidently nowhere near maturing, but he was also visibly lacking in motivation beyond his parent's pressure to see things through.
And speaking of the parent, the woman wore an EMT jacket, and not even one from the actually respectable Trauma Team EMT but some minor district level meat shop in Arroyo, with a reputation for being closer to a scav operation than an actual business.
And a quick background search confirmed the father was thoroughly out of the picture.
Which meant the woman was trying to push her child through Arasaka's private school for corporate heirs with only a single paycheck and whatever she could scavenge and sell without getting caught.
It was almost impressive, in a morbid sort of sense.
What a cruel, cruel woman.
-----
I had just returned home about an hour ago and was compiling all the data I got from both V and Shobo's stash when I heard my mother calling from upstairs.
"That smells delicious." I said as I strolled into the kitchen in lieu of a greeting "What did you make?"
Still busy at the stove, she only half turned as I walked in "I got my hands on some actual bacon and eggs." She said proudly "It was surprisingly cheap."
"Surprisingly cheap usually means someone is trying to cheat you." I pointed out dryly and started setting the table.
"True." She chuckled "But the seller owed me a favor. I saved his aunt from a bunch of Tyger Claws a year back and he promised me a discount whenever I wanted one."
"Something tells me he wasn't expecting you to use it on real food." I mused.
"His loss." She shrugged "Should have been more specific."
"Eh, he probably still earned a chunky profit anyway." I shrugged.
"Probably." She agreed easily enough "What were you doing this morning?"
"Went to the park for a quick meetup." I said, allowing myself a small satisfied smile "Finally managed to get my hands on some important information."
"Hm." She hummed vaguely as she finished with her work and finished setting the table.
The smell was heavenly.
"So." She said as we began eating "You are finally moving against Werner."
Had I fleshy reflexes I would have choked then.
Instead I only blinked slowly "And how exactly did you come to that conclusion?"
"A mother has her ways." She merely smirked before turning serious again "So, are you?"
"Did you search through my things?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Michael." She looked at me sternly "Even if I was that pathetic-"
I held down a wince.
"-I couldn't get past your protections if I wanted to."
"Ah." I looked away feeling a touch awkward "That's... yeah, that's fair."
"Also it is what I would do." She said softly, though her tone carried a weight that made it anything but soft "The moment I could, I would do my utmost to rip that disgusting bastard into pieces."
I didn't know exactly what to say to that, so I said nothing.
"Which is why." She went on, looking me in the eyes "I am coming with you."
"No." My response came before I even fully registered her words "Fuck no."
She merely raised a single eyebrow "Did I give you the impression I was asking, Mikey?"
"What-" I went to rant but stopped myself "Look, mom. You are-"
"Unstable?" She interrupted, eyes narrowing "Broken?"
"Rendered temporarily fragile." I corrected weakly.
She seemed just as unimpressed with my choice of words as I was as her second eyebrow joined the first.
"Look-"
"You can't stop me Mikey." She interrupted, voice still perfectly soft "And you know it."
Realizing this was going nowhere, I decided to change my approach even if it made me feel disgusted with myself "And what if you lose it in the middle of the job?" I asked, my eyes narrowed "What then? Is ripping the fucker to shreds worth our lives?"
Her answer came after a few seconds of thoroughly terrifying glaring "No." She said "But I'm still going with you."
I went to slam my hands on the table in frustration.
But she spoke up before I even raised my hand, though calling it a furious hiss would be closer to the truth "Michael, he killed my husband."
Feeling the wind disappear from my sails, I simply lowered my hands and sighed.
What exactly was I supposed to say to that?
"Look, son." She said, making me look back up with her right hand "I'm feeling much better, and you can't spend your life looking over me like I'm about to break at any moment."
"And how can you be so sure?" I asked feeling both helpless and irritated "What's to say it isn't just your anger talking and you are committing protracted suicide?"
"Well, son." Her tone shifted and I found myself blinking as she smiled "I suppose you will just have to trust me on this."
"Tsk." I clicked my tongue and looked away.
She made a vaguely triumphant noise and returned to her food.
Like she didn't just ask me to risk her life needlessly...
'Alright Michael, enough moping.' I grumbled internally 'You can't win, so you just have to make sure your fears don't come true.'
Yes, much better.
Not even a minute passed before I came up with a plan of action.
"I'm updating your subdermals and armor plating." I told her "And I'm giving you a full software optimization."
"There he is." She smiled at me "Much better."
Feeling like a scolded child, I just kept grumbling and returned to my food.
Fuck those eggs were good.
---
The Corpo
The constant twisting of her vision seemed to only grow worse with each step she took, making her nearly stumble into the almost jarringly well appointed waiting room of Magos' clinic.
Within moments, the doors to her left opened and she entered the clinic proper.
The equipment within looked to be as close to state of the art as one could find outside of an actual corporate base, at least to her eyes, and was filled to the brim with what she could only guess were custom pieces the cyborg had built on his own.
And speaking of the metal man...
He was currently hunched over a ripper's chair, setting up a series of fluid containers filled with some kind of grey goo alongside a number of injection needles and shiny clean scalpels.
Stopping what he was doing the moment he heard her enter, he straightened himself back up and turned to face her with and eerie half-grin on his face.
"Ah, V." Magos waved "Welcome, welcome."
'Said the spider to the fly.' Her mind supplied on its own.
And as if by invitation, she saw something on Magos' back twist before a trio of coiling snake-like limbs covered in blades, drills, and pincers emerged from under his coat, all of them moving with a terrifying fluidity and precision and joining his arms in the 'welcoming' gesture.
Before she realized it, she had taken a step back.
"Don't you worry." The cyborg rubbed his hands, his voice taking on a mildly deranged tinge in her mind "I'll have you back to 100% in no time."
Valerie gulped.
-------
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