Dogtown's wall wasn't easy to breach.
Whether it was flooded underground tunnels or hand-dug passages, they'd all been walked by "criminals" trying to avoid the NCPD and corporations.
The usable routes were either filled with underwater mines or, if you managed to reach dry ground, littered with Militech landmines. Those mines were quality stuff—left in the river for over a decade and still capable of blowing you to kingdom come.
Everyone complained about Dogtown's massive walls. Whatever Militech had done underground here was anyone's guess, but those barriers were built to last.
Still, Dorio's connections came through. The four of them paid a thousand eddies to ride into Dogtown with a construction debris truck.
As for Sasha, she'd be guiding them from her little nest in Japantown while running interference against the opposing netrunner.
"That's the plan. When the job's done, exit through the opening on that side. Once shots are fired, you've got thirty minutes."
The fixer selling them passage pulled open the truck's cargo hold, set the timeline, and left.
Rebecca was irritated. "Thirty minutes? What if that slippery bastard runs?"
At that moment, everyone's phones lit up with Sasha's cute cyber-cat avatar. She was adjusting her equipment on her end, taking a deep breath.
Maine frowned slightly. Of everyone on this crew, he worried most about this kid who never liked expressing her feelings.
"Having trouble, Sasha?"
She shook her head. "The opposing netrunner is pretty sharp. Once I grab Barghest's data files, you take out the problem and extract."
"Stay safe."
Everyone exchanged reminders, waiting for the rattling truck to deliver them into the warlord Hansen's den.
Rebecca let out a long sigh, her pink-yellow optics blinking.
For some reason, she had a feeling something was going to happen today. The usually carefree girl loved nothing more than emptying her gun in a firefight, and bullshitting with her crew before a job.
Then Dorio patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry. We're just here to deal with a problem for the crew."
"Smile."
This powerful woman—short blonde hair, radiating a kind of restrained magnetism—was solid. One punch could explode a heavy bag. That same fist, pulled slightly, also found its way to Maine's face whenever he got too handsy.
Maine liked her. And she'd silently watch his back during missions whenever he pushed too hard.
In short, a badass woman who'd make a hell of a partner.
Maine twisted aside a piece of rebar sticking out of a concrete block, his hand "casually" landing on Dorio's shoulder. Rebecca felt the hand on her own shoulder grow heavier.
"I was thinking, after this job, we should all go do something fun, you know..."
As he spoke, Maine's hand started wandering again.
WHAM!
Sunglasses askew. Blood trickling from his nose.
Rebecca's eyes said two words: Entertaining.
The tension in the truck finally eased. Rebecca pulled shotgun shells from her belt, tossing them high and smoothly loading them into the big gun she'd brought.
No pistols for this trip into Dogtown. Maine had found her a decent shotgun with some stopping power.
She could make those shells dance—little fingers juggling multiple rounds at once.
She loved the solid weight of a gun in her hands. With her green hair tied in twin tails, people often mistook her for someone's lost kid.
Pilar was the most annoyed of the bunch. His latest "research project" was only halfway done, but this cleanup job required everyone. Especially since it involved his sister.
As the truck stopped, everyone waited silently for the door to open.
A Barghest soldier pulled it back and found himself staring at the massive Maine, a tough-looking woman with an unfriendly expression, a loli, and some lunatic with extra-long arms.
He swallowed and walked away.
"Let's go, people!"
The sunset painted Dogtown's sky blood-red, the light slowly sliding toward the west.
[INCOMING CALL: Hamster]
"Yo. If you can hear me, say something."
Ethan nodded. "All good."
"Alright, shut up. Find a good position. Hearing your voice pisses me off!"
Ethan cradled his rifle and found a decent vantage point on the rooftop of the derelict building above Hamster's hideout. He ignored the curses in his earpiece.
He kind of wanted to lean in and whisper to Hamster: Your chip is really useful, by the way.
Through the Nekomata's scope, the motel was bathed in faint green light. This scope highlighted anyone in the vicinity and could precisely identify moving targets.
Ethan ran through equipment checks per protocol. Half a day of simulation had been enough to get this former Barghest soldier certified for sniper duty. As for reliability...
Last-minute sharpening still puts an edge on the blade!
"Big baby, I'm counting on you."
His cybernetic hand interfaced with the rifle, uploading weapon data to his optics.
And then the gun gave him another pleasant surprise—it was compatible with attachments.
This beast might well be his most powerful weapon for a long time to come.
Night fell.
Dogtown residents on the back hills burned garbage in fire pits, clusters of them sitting on busted couches drinking cold beers.
Organ harvesters cruised the streets on motorcycles, either picking up new work or scoping out marks.
When they had money, they didn't bother with people who had minimal cyberware. They preferred corporate dogs and cyberpsychos.
In the distance, Heavy Hearts' pyramid tip shot a green laser into the sky, igniting the night. A crescent moon appeared.
2075. The lunar colony should be finished by now, right?
Ethan wanted to spend 250,000 eddies on a trip to space someday. See what the moon looked like. Experience something his old life never had.
Just as he was letting his mind wander, Hamster's voice cut in. "They're here. The other side's started pulling data."
"I don't know what that old bastard Hands told you, but on my end, the fake data uploads automatically at the twenty-minute mark. You need to hold the defensive."
Ethan lay prone on the rooftop, hand resting lightly on the trigger.
"My position's been compromised. Stay sharp!"
Hamster's voice grew heavier. Ethan felt the invisible pressure too. Zetatech turrets plus himself—twenty minutes should be manageable.
But these edgerunners were fierce. Especially Rebecca's marksmanship—Ethan knew firsthand. If not for the Barghest vehicle's reinforced windshield, those depleted uranium rounds would've decorated his face.
As headlights crested the hill road, a car fishtailed hard in front of Hamster's hideout.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
The Zetatech turrets opened fire without warning, shredding the door and wall, spraying the car with a torrent of lead. The wall might as well have been paper.
Maine and crew bailed out and immediately returned fire!
The motel became ground zero for chaos. Dogtown residents scattered in every direction. Barghest comms lit up with reports of a firefight in the back hills!
Breathe.
Ethan exhaled slowly. His scope locked onto Maine's head.
Then he shifted to Dorio. Pilar.
Finally, Rebecca. She'd circled around the pickup truck, hauling what looked like a heavy machine gun ripped from a Barghest exo-frame, muzzle flash reflecting off her manic expression.
One by one, their [PANELS] popped into his vision.
These legends—the ones who'd one day challenge Arasaka itself—were about to die under a sniper's crosshairs in the dark?
Ethan breathed deep, tracking them, forehead beaded with sweat.
"FUCKING SHOOT, ETHAN! That crazy bitch is about to wreck my turrets with that HMG!"
Hamster was clearly deep in a brutal netrunning battle—he practically growled the words through clenched teeth.
"Shit!"
Ethan cursed.
Veins bulged on his forehead. He swung the barrel, aimed without hesitation—
Straight at Rebecca.
Hummmmm—BANG!
The rifle's charge completed. A blue bolt erupted from the muzzle, streaking toward Rebecca as she stood there spraying rounds.
PLZ THROW POWERSTONES.
300 , 500 , 1000 for each milestone 1 Bonus Chapter.