Act 1: Throat Full of Glass and Familiar Faces
The Kiss Kiss club's opening night was packed as expected, with the que slowly getting longer. Keira was thankful that she was closer to the entrance as the bouncers let many partygoers go through without issue. Whilst many wore revealing outfits, fancy shoes, and probably hiding some sort of illegal substance to get high with, she donned a more punk styled fit.
A dark blue vest with a stylish bright neon yellow outline of what appeared to be a cyberised werewolf in the center hugged her body. Following a colour code, she wore a sleeveless blue and yellow punk jacket, with silver studs on the shoulder, the trousers were made from an old netrunning suit, repurposed for casual use ,and finally she wore steel toed boots which were a size smaller so that they wouldn't slip if she needed to run.
Approaching the bouncer, she stood still as he scanned her with his eyes. Not looking directly at him, she focused on the chevron patterned tie he wore around his neck, silently admiring the details.
The burly man smiled as he moved to the side, "In you go madam, and welcome to the Kiss Kiss club." he said. Keira nodded as she entered, keeping her internal annoyance to herself.
"Madam? Never been called that before. . . I don't like it." She thought as she walked down a small staircase, noticing how the lights were a dimly lit pink, most likely telling her the kind of party she was about to enter.
It wasn't any different from any other gang owned business, the poles, dancing cages, the cheap urine flavoured beer. Just another wannabe gang's delusions of grandeur, thinking they'll be the next big hit. With the dancefloor occupied and bar filled with patrons, it was clear that Keira would have to deal with the target discreetly and away from prying eyes.
The music blared nothing but your average electro pop, the lights were flashing like crazy, and the smoke from the machines covered the dancefloor. This was a sensory nightmare for the young Merc, but she hid her distaste, focusing on the mission at hand. The first thing she decided on was the bar, maybe perhaps the barman may know of her target's location. She made her way past the crowd and sat on a vacant bar stool, the barman was quick to approach her.
"What can I get you?" He asked, sporting a smile. Keira looked at the blue glass bottle behind him on a shelf, recognising it as Vodka, she pointed to it without saying much, the barman acknowledged and grabbed it, along with a shot glass. "You want anything else on top of that?" He asked as he poured.
His patron nodded, "Does a Hector Longridge come here for the VIP treatment? I heard he's quite the lady's man. . ." She said before grabbing the shot and downing it in one go.
The barman was quick to answer, "If you go upstairs, and use the password "Red Flower", you'll get into the lounge and if you're lucky enough, Mister Longridge might consider taking you to his office. Afterall he doesn't just come here for the VIP treatment, he owns the place." With the new information, Keira sent some eddies to thank him, silently repulsed by the mere thought of having to get close to her target, especially upon reading the details of his crimes.
"Barman's on Okada's payroll. . . Glad she said she'd help." She thought as she manuvered past the dancing crowd, eager to climb the neon pink steps to the upper floor. Upon reacing the top, she looked over the railing and watched the crowds lose themselves to the music. With the speakers blaring out loud enough, this would be the perfect cover in case things got out of hand. Then she procceded towards her destination.
Two heavy looking bouncers guarded the VIP door, both in sharply dressed suits and looked prepared to tear anyone in half. Taking a deep breath, Keira approached them with a smile, ready to speak the password.
One bouncer looked at her and asked calmly, "Can we help you miss?" Despite the intimidating appearence, his voice was that of a gentle giant. The young lady was quick to respond.
"Red Flower. . ."
Both bouncers looked at each other for a second and nodded, moving out of the way for her to enter. She silently thanked them, entering the room with the first task to scan for her target. The client who told Keira that he'd be hard to miss wasn't joking, he had a severely scarred face, with additional burn marks on his neck. The crimson red business suit hugged his long and lanky frame. On each side he held a woman by their waist, showing his supposed dominance. Just by his looks, you know a sinister aura emitted and the women with him were either oblivious, or they were keeping their fear inside.
Keira and Hector locked eyes, both analysing each other. "Well aren't you a different kind of lady." He said, "I have to admire someone with a killer look."
She gave a feint smile, secretly readying herself for the danger. "It's better to look unique than to look cheap and stale. No offense to the ladies present." Hector let out a deep laugh, the women gasped at Keira's insult.
"Is this goth looking bitch serious!?" One said aloud, standing up and looking ready to take a swing. "You wanna say it louder?" She raised her voice and took a step closer.
Keira smirked, "Go ahead. Take a swing at me. There'll be nothing left for your ripperdoc to fix when I've ripped you apart." This made the lady back down quickly, which prompted Hector to nod admirably.
He stood up from the leather couch, puffing out smoke from his cigar. "Now you're the kind of lady I like. It's not often I get to meet someone with a backbone." He said as he approached, taking a closer look at Keira.
"Keep it together Keira." She thought to herself as she felt his eyes analyse her. Though he was fixated on her body, he kept his hands to himself, either out of politeness or restraint.
"You got a name?" Hector asked, "Because you're exactly the type I need in this business."
"You can call me whatever you want, execpt late for dinner." Keira answered, awkwardly shuffling her feet and hiding her embarrassment. This made Hector laugh, clearly amused by the response.
With a wave of his hand, he signalled the two girls to leave the VIP room, who glared at Keira before departing. This left both the Merc and her target alone in the room, the sudden atmosphere shifting to a grim tone. With a swift scan, Keira noticed the room was soundproof, most likely to ensure Hector's victims couldn't scream for help, or worse.
The man towered in height, his lanky frame was clearly one of his ways of tricking anyone who tried to resist him. "So tell me. . ." He spoke in a darkened tone, a sinister grin slowly grew on his disturbing face. "How much?" He asked, slowly walking towards with his cigar in hand.
Keira knew what was coming next, but if one thing her dear brother taught her, is that you never back down, even when cornered. With a sudden dash, she raised her fist and aimed for the stomach. Remembering that Hector's body wasn't entirely cyberised. With a heavy grunt, he dropped onto his knees. Not letting him get a chance to recover, she followed with a knee kick to his face, swiftly grabbing his arm and twisting it.
"WHO THE FU- AGH!" Hector yelled out as he struggled to break out of the hold. Clearly this young lady wasn't the easy pickings he had hoped for.
Keira then snapped his arm, letting him howl in agony before grabbing the other arm and repeating the process. "Fourty two. . ." She blankly stated, "Fourty two women were brutally murdered by you." Her target looked up, barely managing to suppress a grunt of pain.
"Wasn't just murder was it Hector?" She asked, knowing full well what atrocities he was responsible for. Grabbing a bottle of vodka from the table, she smashed it before grabbing him by the collar of his suit, letting the sharp ends of the bottle touch his throat. "This is for the families that you sent their broken bodies back to."
With a thrust of her hand, the bottle penetrated Hector's neck, now lodged into his throat. Choking on both his blood and the glass, he was hoplessly looking at Keira as if pleading for mercy. But she merely looked at him with nothing but distaste. Not wasting anymore time, she gave one last kick to the face, the sound of broken bone would make a regular civilian sick, or at the least, cringe in horror. Hector collapsed with a thud, his vital signs dropping at a accelerated pace.
It took a moment for Keira to snap out of the trance she was in. It wasn't the first time she killed, and it was likely not the last. Not wishing to stay any longer, she moved towards the next room, the office space. It was like every gang's supposed base of operations, a complete mess. Focusing on the computer, she was eager to jack into the device and hack her way to uncover the needed files to shut the nightclub down. What she found would be more than enough evidence to send to her client. Hector recorded every murder he commited, turning them into snuff films to sell off to depraved customers. . .
"Time to shut this hellhole down." Keira thought after sending the files to her client, also sending the footage to the NCPD so they could raid and shut down the newly opened club. With her job done, her next objective was to leave before anyone noticed Hector's corpse. The window to the right lead directly to a small alleyway, thankfully just a small drop, not that it would hurt her.
Sometimes it took alot out of Keira just to even go out for the day. Sometimes she wouldn't be bothered by the massive crowds, the busy traffic, the loud sounds of chatter, music, the electric buzzing from old air vents throughout the city. Tonight however was pushing herself to a point where she felt like she was suffocating, but she wasn't showing her discomfort. For now, she had to brave the storm as she got away from the cursed nightclub, not wishing to be there when MaxTac were going to show up. It was a long run, but she managed to find a moment to catch her breath.
"I have to breathe. . . I have to breathe. . . I have to. . ." Keira suddenly crouched down, clutching her head as if she was in pain. Her rapid breathing, her eyes unable to focus on the surrounding area, the sudden sense of panic flooded in. It wasn't often, but when she masked herself for too long, it would lead to a meltdown. She couldn't suppress the need to scream in panic, crying in distress and without someone to calm her nerves.
"V. . . Help. . . I need you. . ."
For a full five minutes she brokedown, no longer crouching, but rocking herself back and forth against the graffiti painted walls. She pushed herself too hard, but what was important was that she did it. It wasn't easy, but the gig was done. With a deep but struggled breath, she stood up, shutting her eyes for a moment before opening them to find herself outside Misty's Esoterica in the Little China district of Night City. She felt a sudden sense of relief when the door opened to her. Upon entering the store, she was greeted by two familiar faces. Mama Welles and Misty Olszewski.
Misty approached Keira with concern, noticing the blood on her clothes. "Are you okay Keira?" Her soft and gentle voice asked the shaking Merc, who felt her eyes water.
"T-tough day at the office. T-that's all." Keira tried to feign a smile after a poor attempt of a joke, but her shaking was evident and her body couldn't control it due to the earlier meltdown. Misty was quick to take Keira's hand and lead her through to the back of the shop, with Mama Welles following behind.
Misty's apartment was pretty much designed in the same style as her store. Dreamcatchers, incense sticks, bookshelves filled with spiritual works, and rugs adorned with symbology. With her clothes being cleaned and after a hot shower, Keira sat on a couch wearing spare pyjamas, with a cup of hot choco in hand. Mama Welles sat next to her, quietly analysing the young Merc in curiosity.
"You remind me of him." She said with a small but notable smile. Keira nodded, not making eye contact, knowing she had more to say. "Your brother spoke little of you, but when he did, it was nothing but pride in his voice." This made the young Merc smile.
Misty soon joined the two, placing a lit lavender incense stick on the table. "This always calms the mind." She said, "How do you feel?"
Keira inhaled the scent of the lavender stick, feeling a sense of peace in her mind. "I'll be okay. . . Guess I pushed myself too hard today." She spoke with a relaxed smile.
"Dios Mio Keira, you've taken on too much work this time. I know you're doing some dangerous stuff but please be mindful that you don't always have to take on the largest bully in the yard." Mama Welles was firm but kind, and a little firey whenever someone close to her puts themselves at risk. "I swear it's like when Jackie decided to join the Valentinos."
Misty nodded, silently remembering how her beloved Jackie Welles made some crazy decisions in his upbringing and later life. "We should pay a visit sometime. Would you like to come with us Keira?" She asked, rubbing Keira's shoulder.
"I'd like to do that with you. Jackie was a good person. His cooking however. . ." Keira couldn't help but chuckle at fond memories of terrible cooking and god awful puns.
Mama and Misty laughed alongside her, the positive vibe calmed her down. "I'll get some rest for now, then I'm off to meet a friend. She'll be worried if I don't come and see her."
"Only if you're ready Keira. I'll leave you some coffee and a snack so that you'll be ready to go out. But promise us that you'll slow down instead of doing gig after gig." Misty's soft voice could calm a lion, her caring nature and understanding eased Keira's mind with minimal effort.
With a goodnight to both Misty and Mama Welles, Keira laid her head on the arm of the couch with a small pillow. Before she went to sleep, she decided to give her friend a call. After three buzzes, there was an answer, and Keira could only smile at the person in question. "Hey. . ." She whispered.
Claire Russell smiled back, resting her head on her own pillow. "I heard MaxTac raided that new night club and the entire gang got wiped out faster than I can say your name. Rogue's sending the eddies to you asap." She said, keeping her eyes on the caller.
"I'll tell her thanks in person. I was actually wondering if we're still on for tomorrow, since you don't start work at the Afterlife until later." Keira silently hoped she'd say yes. Her mind was racing with thoughts that only she and Claire knew of, the kind that involves a long hour session of "yoga" as Keira would call it.
Claire giggled, "You know I can't say no to you. Especially when you've got those cute puppy dog eyes." She poked her tongue out in a playful manner, "Just remember that you may need help walking out when we're done."
"Oh you fucking wish Claire." Keira replied, sharing a giggle with her close friend. "You know. . . I'm glad we've met. When V told me about you and what happened with that Sampson guy, I knew I'd like you from the get go."
Claire nodded, "Yeah. . . It wasn't easy giving up racing. Much as I wanted to wipe Sampson off the face of the earth, I knew it's not what Dean would've wanted. . ." She briefly looked sad for a moment, but was quick to bounce right back. "I'm glad we met too Keira. You should get some rest, because you'll need plenty of energy for tomorrow."
Keira agreed, "Way ahead of you Claire. Sleep well ok?" Her friend winked back.
"You too Fox. Sweet dreams." Claire used Keira's nickname, which made the young Merc stim a little. She shut her eyes and smiled before drifting off into a deep sleep.
With a short break from gigs, Keira was eager to spend some time with her friend. Amongst other things she loved doing. . .
End of Act 1
Author's Notes:
So in this tale, Keira and V both entered Night City as Nomads. Whilst she wasn't involved in the Arasaka tower incident, she was behind the scenes, working alongside different fixers and meeting new friends. Whilst living in a small camp located in the Badlands, she took on Wraith gangs and worked alongside Dakota Smith, preparing her for the big city.
The friendship between Claire and Keira is platonic, but also one of intimacy without romance. ( Friends with benefits in other words. ) Next chapter will not include detailed lemon, but rather heavy implications so you can imagine it whatever you want.
Until Next time folks!