"Get the fuck outta my sight, you thieving piece of trash!"
A limp body was mercilessly tossed out back of the ramen shop and into the dank side alley. The furious line cook's chrome arm was powerful enough to give the street rat a fair bit of air time before they came crashing down amongst the rest of Night City's refuse. The forced landing was softened somewhat by a pile of smelly black garbage bags. Weeks old rancid synth meat and noodles oozed out from tears in the plastic.
Delta groaned, the putrid assault on the senses rousing the street kid. The constant ringing between the ears was soon paired with immense pain throughout the youth's brain box.
"I catch you tryin' to sneak a free meal from under my nose again and I'll be adding your ass in with the next batch of broth!" A door slammed shut, cutting off much of the light into the alley. Only the dim rainbow glow of distant neon lights from the main street still shone down into the shadows, like a kaleidoscope, the colours shifted and swirled as foot traffic moved by the narrow opening.
No one out there even cared to lift an eye at the scene taking place in the shadows, even though Delta knew they could have heard the shouting.
Unless lead was flying out of the alley it was a non issue for them. The crowd kept marching on.
Background noise... That's all I am to them... The young woman grumbled as she tried to stop her head from spinning.
In Night City only a dull headed gonk would ever care about anything besides themselves and their eddies. That's how you survived NC; you kept your head down and nose glued to the gutter. You step outta line, mess with someone else's biz and soon your cyberware is in the hands of black market Scavs, what's left of your body rotting under the California sun in some landfill.
You didn't look up, you didn't fight back, and you didn't dream of a better life. You try, and always some bigger city predator will gladly snuff you, if only for the laugh.
The street rat pulled themselves up and dusted off the slime. All in all, it wasn't too bad, at least the cook hadn't used the iron on his hip. Frying pan grease was a lot easier to clean off than blood. A lot less painful too.
The leather coat was ruined, but that had been the case long before Delta had picked up the old Samurai jacket. Full of ancient blood stains and more stitches than fabric the dark brown rockerboy band jacket had seen better days. It fit it's current owner well.
Great… And it took me forever to clean this jacket too…
A twinge along her cheek reminded the rat that they didn't escape completely untouched. A grimy hand reached up to caress the growing welt under their cerulean blue eye. Ah fuck! The stinging caused a salty tear to form. That gonk didn't need to hit me with his chrome fist...
A rumbled shook Detla's core, being punched out must have knocked the hunger out of her, if only for a moment. She was still starving and now back at square one, with added bruises for her troubles.
With a tired sigh the seventeen year old resolved herself to continuing her search. Guess I'll have to find some scop elsewhere…
Leaving the confined unlit passageway behind Delta entered reemerged back into the world at large. Light blue eyes had to squint, as they adjusted to the comparative blinding vista of Night City's street life.
Signs of every type and colour flashed above each store. TV screens and projections danced a dazzling display, marketing their wears to an all consuming populace. The sky above weren't safe either, as they too glistened, mile high sky scrapers were only out matched by the holo ads that soared ever upwards.
Delta didn't have time to idly gawk at all the light pollution, not since she was still technically outside the noodle joint she'd just been kicked out of moments ago. She had to keep moving. Only way to guarantee safety really, don't stick in one place for too long looking like an easy gonk, or else you'll become someone's next target.
The walk Delta took through Watson was as to be expected, especially late at night. The light show above only reached so far down below. The real heart of the city took place in the shade of those titanic buildings... And what a twisted heart it was.
Vices of all kinds took place on the murky twilight of the metropolis; Gangs roamed the streets, stalking their turf for fresh victims. Low rent prostitutes sold their bodies as Dolls, slaves to the behavior chips the Dollhouses implanted inside their heads, stripping them of their original personality. XBDs exchanged hands from dealer to nervous corporate drone, almost as fast as the synth drugs they peddled. Even a few cases of assault and murder. All the while fat crooked cops sat back and watched it all without lifting a finger.
Thankfully the neon signs and flickering street lights above only lit up a fraction of the surrounding crime ridden burrow of Night City. The worst of the cesspit was blissfully covered and hidden away by ever stretching shadows.
Delta navigated these streets as only a lab rat in a maze could; trapped, and one wrong turn from being bisected by a cyberpsycho... Still, she pressed on. Her hunger driving her need for survival.
Noisy TV advertisements pinned on each building squawked their company jingles on repeat, selling sex, drugs, and over processed junk foods. Delta had to look away from those last ones, she didn't need to be reminded of the empty hole inside her. If only she had a few eddies she could maybe get a burrito XL...
If only she wasn't eddiless...
Hours past, lights in stores flickered off as the owners locked up for the night. Most of the easy spots to grab a bite to eat were now closed, only the vending machines and stores with staff well equipped to deal with thieving hands were still open.
As Delta walked past a brightly lit night club one of the guards posted by the door began eying the lone girl up. The older man called out to her in a mockingly flirty way, offering her a 'free trial of the goods' if she came inside. Delta quickened her pace to avoid the chromed man's leering gaze. Even if he was honest about giving her something off the restaurant's menu it wouldn't be worth lowering herself to... that.
Delta shuddered. She'd rather starve than degrade herself.
Picking something from the dumpsters wasn't really an option either, at least not one she could take without running the health risks of diving into potentially toxic trash. Only the most seasoned homeless knew where the 'good treasure troves' were. It'd take more than a single night to find one of the safe(r) garbage bins to scrounge from in this part of the neighbourhood.
With her options depleted Delta had to face the hard facts... Grabbing something to eat would have to wait until tomorrow when the easier marks unlocked their doors... The girl cursed her luck for the thousandth time.
Maybe the others back at the camp had something scrounged up?
Delta hated having to rely too much on her small family for something like this, especially when it was hard enough for each of them to find their own scop... But they would always share if she'd ask... Which was precisely why she hated doing so.
The band of homeless folks that had become her family looked after her as one of their own, they would gladly give her what little they had.
But... That wasn't right.
One must bring something to the table to take part in the day's bounty. She was young and should be the one supporting them... Instead she was a burden on them.
She tried to do her part, she really did! But, with a lack of marketable street skills, aside from thieving, she couldn't bring them anything... Even then, she'd failed. Earlier she'd tried to snatch some left over food from the ramen shop, only to come up empty handed and with a shining new bruise.
...She was a poor thief, and an even hungrier fool...
A growl followed by a painful cramp along the teen's stomach nailed home how she'd failed to even take care of herself, let alone attempting to pay back the few souls that had shown her some humanity.
With a heavy sigh Delta trudged her way back through the streets towards the groups camp. With empty hands and an empty stomach... She wasn't sure what those three would say, but she was sure to think up a suitable excuse by the time she arrived back home...
=͟͟͞͞=͟͟= ΔvΔvΔ =͟͟=͟͞=
The sound of a heavy open handed smack followed by sadistic laughter came from around the corner. Delta halted right before she returned to her home, dread freezing her to the spot.
The girl breathed in sharply. She knew that type of laughter... It belonged to the type of character best to be avoided in this hell city. Ganggoons...
"N-No! NO! PLEAS-" A man's begging was cut short as the sound of metal slicing both the air and flesh cut him off. A gurgling noise could be heard as the unfortunate soul began drowning in his on blood.
"Phuahaha! What's the matter? Huh!? Cat got your tongue!?" The Japanese woman's mocking voice felt robotic, as if emitted through cheap speakers set into a plastic mask.
Delta felt a new wave of terror wash over her, one of her least favourite gangs had shown up on her family's door step. Jesus fucking Christ! It's the Tiger Claws! What are they doing here?!
Nervously Delta inched closer to the wall, she had to see what was going on in her home... And if anyone she knew was or about to become the Yakuza's latest stress relief toy...
Peeking from around the corner corner a pair of light blue eyes anxiously surveyed what was up ahead.
A few meters away was a disused basketball court on top of a roof, normally home to the group of friendly bums that had set up shop there. The familiar scaffolding and rickety bridges connecting the roof to other buildings was unmistakable. What shouldn't have been there was the dozen or so people, half of which were cowering on the ground while the other half was acting like they were the new kings of the court.
Spying multiple bright colours and tattoos amongst some of the goons wore confirmed Delta's suspicions; Tiger Claw gangoons were holding up a group of helpless residents for a quick shakedown, each tattooed gang member dressed in flashy Kitch apparel. They came in a myriad of bright greens, neon pinks, and florescent blues. The cyberware they grafted onto themselves looked menacing, as sharp spikes and blades jutted out from under their clothes. One of which was still dripping blood, as the woman with the mantis blades sticking out of her arm towered over the man she'd mutilated. The poor bastard's lower jaw hung by a few sinews, jets of bright red arterial blood spilling out onto the basket ball court. A moment later he fell over dead.
"Awww, and I was hoping he'd last longer..." The Tiger pulled her face into a frown, before doing a one eighty and brimming with manic glee. "Oh well! We've got plenty more left to flap their gums! Ain't that right?"
The rest of the hostages whimpered, shying away from the psycho as much as they could while still held at gunpoint.
The remaining group of victims weren't who Delta had expected to find in her home however. They weren't even homeless by the looks of them. In fact they seemed more like your average passerby, nothing special, but at least had probably been able to afford a shower in the last month or so. They didn't belong within the camp or any that the teen could recognize... Which left the dreaded question of where the actual tenants of the camp were...
Where was her family...
None of them were on their knees amongst the live hostages... Delta desperately scanned the scattered old nylon tents, cold pits crushing her lungs as she saw each of them torn up and empty.
Looking at far corner of the ruined basketball court caused Delta's heart to stop.
There, amongst the discarded trash were multiple corpses laying around in pools of their own blood. The corpses' tattered clothing, individually unique sense of dumpster fashion, were unmistakable. Even as they all lay face down, limp, in positions that nobody alive would make... She could recognize them at a glance... She really wished she hadn't...
Uncle Xio… Gramp Gramps… Old Lady Ann…
Those three cold bodies stared back at her.
Gone...
Only a few hours ago their faces had been full of life, smiles missing most of their teeth had wished her luck in her day's foraging. Now they hung open, thick red liquid seeping out of their mangled faces. These three been some of the only friendly faces she had known in this hell hole of a city... And now they were gone...
It was these elders that had found her, abandoned and left to rot by the shore of Watson's riverbank. They'd saved her, clothed her, and fed her until she could stand on her own. Even when she'd professed that she had no idea who she was, or that she had no idea on how to survive inside the city they'd listened, each of the old coots tried to comfort her in their own ways.
All of them had taken pity on her, a lost child alone in the city of dreams and death... The three old codgers had practically claimed her as their own on the spot. For the last year together they had shown her how to survive this concrete hell. Granted Delta had been clumsy and couldn't do much for them, but still they had been warm company in this dark world. Some of them even treated her like their adoptive grand kid they never had...
Now they were gone... In an instant they were snuffed out...
Probably murdered for entertainment, as she knew they didn't have anything of value that the Tiger Claws would want.
Delta's chest tightened as hot grief flooded into her. Scalding tears ran down her cheeks, washing away some of the soot stuck to her skin. A hiccup wracked the street rat's body, she wanted to wail and moan their loss, but her hands covering her mouth stopped her from making too much noise.
Unfortunately, one of the Tiger Claws must have had an upgraded hearing implant, their ear catching the slightest vibrations in the air. Her braided cyan pony tail swishing like a serpent, as her head snapped to where the mewling noise had came from. The cyborg immediately spotted Delta's murky pale head peaking from around the corner.
Aiming her smart pistol in Delta's direction the gangster barked a command in Japanese. The girl flinched, but she didn't understand what the monster was saying. Irritated, the yakuza shouted again to her, this time in stilted English ordering her to come out.
I'm as good as dead now, with any luck they will at least make it quick… She'd see her family again shortly...
With shaky legs the street rat complied, shuffling out of the safety of the concrete pillar with her hands held high above her head. When the woman with gun saw her fully she merely laughed and waved the rat away with the barrel of her gun. Dismissing her.
"Get the fuck out of here rat!" The Yakuza chuckled, shaking her head dismissively. "We've got enough mice to toy with for now!"
...W-what?...
"Scram already! We're busy over here! We'll play with you some other time, I'm sure!" The neon haired woman cackled, turning back to watch one of the men start beating someone over the head with a nailed bat. The small crowd of psychos cheered as more blood began to flow.
The gangster hadn't even bother to catch Delta among their current lot of victims, dismissing her entirely... Why?
The answer was dead simple of course; she had no eddies and looked it too. She'd only be good for a swing or two of their bat before they'd grow bored...
Delta felt boiling shame at that, she wasn't even worth a bullet to these monsters... Not even for shits and giggles…
She should have carried on then, continued walking the streets like a zombie In hopes of finding either edible trash or a new place to curl up in to sleep the hunger away. Just like every other night in this city, and every other from then on. Tired, alone, and starving to death.
It's what Delta's fate was, to be a rat among trash, and to die like it too.
A gunshot followed by a woman's scream drew Delta's attention back to the courtyard. One of the hostages was on the ground screaming their throat raw, a fresh bullet wound bled from their thigh.
"Anyone else feel like wasting our time? Huuuh!?" The mohawk Tiger Claw taunted the rest, each of whom trembled at the sight of the bleeding woman. Maybe she was their choom, but they were powerless to do anything to help, so they stayed put, trembling... Waiting for their turn to be butchered.
Delta really should have made like her namesake and gotten the fuck out of there. She couldn't do anything for these people, they were dead already and just didn't know it yet... Just like her family stuffed into the far corner.
It was just another fact of Night City, best not to get too attached to living a long life here...
But then, as the mohawk kicked the screaming woman again something disastrous happened: Her and Delta's eyes met.
For a horrible microsecond they communicated. Without saying anything the stranger pleaded with the street kid, to do something, anything, to save her from the monster leering above her... Begging to live...
"̷P̷-̷P̷l̷e̷a̷s̷e̷!̷ ̷A̷-̷A̷n̷y̷b̷o̷d̷y̷.̷.̷.̷ ̷H̷e̷l̷p̷!̷"̷
A long forgotten memory suddenly flashed in the back of Delta's mind, of a similar set of desperate eyes searching for salvation where none was to be found.
"̷D̷-̷D̷o̷n̷'̷t̷ ̷s̷h̷o̷o̷t̷!̷
A voice she didn't recognize pleaded to her. It came alongside a splitting migraine that tore through neurons like wildfire. Delta gasped in agony, the sudden splitting headache caused her to become disorientated, wobbly feet shuffled closer to the edge of the platform. Grubby hands clutched at the railing for support as the world began to spin.
₮ⱧɆɎ'ⱤɆ ₲Øł₦₲ ₮Ø ĐłɆ ł₣ ɎØɄ ĐØ ₦Ø₮Ⱨł₦₲
₮ⱧɆɎ'ⱤɆ ₩Ɇ₳₭... JɄ₴₮ Ⱡł₭Ɇ ɎØɄ...
₴Ø...₩Ⱨ₳₮ ₩łⱠⱠ ɎØɄ ĐØ?
Another voice whispered inside the panicking girl's head. It was soft and loud, curious and reprimanding, it judged the street kid's inaction while stating the obvious. More noises soon followed suit, like a dam finally breaking they poured out. They each spoke in a different manner, their scratching noises followed through with their own flavour of pain.
ຟill thēฯ Şlip คຟคฯ t໐໐? ...เ ฬ๏ภ๔єг
þå†hê†ï¢! Çåñ å wêåklïñg lïkê ¥ðµ êvêñ Ðð åñ¥†hïñg rïgh†?
it'Ş ค rēคl Şhค๓ē, th໐Şē ຖ໐๖໐໓iēŞ คrē ໓໐ຖē f໐r... ๖นt คlคŞ, it'Ş f໐r thē ๖ēŞt if ฯ໐น วนŞt ໓iŞคppēคr คŞ ຟēll...
Ðð ¥ðµ êvêñ kñðw whå† †ð Ðð? Çåñ ¥ðµ êvêñ £ïgh†? ñåh, ïñ †hå† ¢å§ê ¥ðµ mïgh† å§ wêll þµll †hê †rïggêr ¥ðµr§êl£!
thēฯ ¢คຖ't ງēt คຟคฯ ຖ໐ຟ, ๖นt ฯ໐น Ştill ¢คຖ...
Static etched across Delta's vision, lines of scrap code that should have been purged long ago reared their ugly heads. Pops and crackles broke her hearing momentarily, it felt like her eardrums were about to burst. Immediately two hands clasped over her throbbing ears. It didn't help, she could still hear the world falling down around her...The pain was becoming unbearable, forcing a feral scream out of spasming lungs.
The last of the voices boomed inside Delta's cranium, ripping the last shred of sanity the girl clung to. It dripped malice and condemnation with every syllable.
Y̶̢̛̦͓̲̩̳̫̝͔̍͑ó̶͔͇̗͖̯̗̆́u̴̧̍̋͆̇͘̚̚ ̵̡̢̛̱̬̳͇̯̖͍̜̐͂̉̀̌͝ǎ̵̖̜̺̹̿̑̚l̷͔̰̆̊̄w̸͉̣̖̬̝̰͓̅͊̓͆̔ḁ̶̼̑̂́̒ȳ̷̦̦͑ș̶̪̙̿̋ ̶̡̮̣̟̦̦̳̦̞̖͊w̵̱̯̻̪̏̑́̈̒͆ĕ̶̱̳̘̳̔͗̍̑̌̑̿̚͝r̷͙̣͍͈͖͇̣͇̤̽ë̶̡͙̺͖̭̟̼ ̵̨̧̨̱̥̻͔̖̦͓͌̅͊̈́͐̉̕͠͝ȧ̷̡̡̛̻̦̘͛̉̈́̿́͒̈́̃ ̸̛̪̿̊̆́̒̓͘̕c̴̢̨͈̗͖̘̙͔̅̋̿͊̈̆͠ơ̴̭͖̼̘̘̪͍̼̺̋̋͋̐͘̕͜ẃ̸̨̜̹͍̍͛́ǎ̶̻́͊̔̀̋̾r̶͇͍̤͍̃͊̒ḍ̵̻̹̳̼̝̺͇͋͆̏͝ͅ▓▓▓▓▓▓
Lightning arced in the edges of her blurry vision. The tortured girl squeezed her eyes tight, shutting herself off from the world as it came crashing down around her.
Fuck... Fuck! FUCKING F̴̂̉͆͒Ú̶̦̰̄̓̉C̶̡͎̓̑̽̾̀̎̎̈́͝͝K̵̳̯̣̽̈́͜͜͠!̵̛͙̞͕̲͈͔̌͊̒̍͛͜ͅͅ!A̷͍̘̟͗̉͊̈͗̈̃̓͝͝E̷̜̖̺̮̗̖͗̐̀̚Ẹ̶̛͎͖̥̩̫͐̊̈́̀̐͝A̴̢̡͚͇͉̫̪̙͓̋͆͌Ą̷̢͓͚̪̠̝̍̉̏͂̂͝͠ä̵̭̇̈̓́̕Ą̷͚̃̄͆̋ͅI̷̡̗̠͋̄͗̈́͛̌̚̚͘í̷̦̙̈́̽͗̄͌Ǵ̵̮͂͊͆̃̔̀͠Ĥ̶̢̲̹̼̰̱͔̣̒Ḩ̵̟͕͕͉̑̓̔̑̀̌G̵̡͙̻̫̦͍̈́͆F̴̣͕̙̰̰̞̞͊̈́͐͗́̾͘!̵̛͙̞͕̲͈͔̌͊̒̍͛͜ͅͅ!̶̧̡͙̻̮̐̈́́̉̔̄͜!̵̠̓͂
=͟͟͞͞=͟͟= ΔvΔvΔ =͟͟=͟͞=
The next thing Delta knew she was alone.
Hot lances spiked throughout the girl's body, but she was still alive... Barely. It felt like her whole body had been lit on fire, every nerve ending howling out in agony. Through, when a trembling hand reached up to cover her face only smooth healthy skin greeted her.
Flicking her eyes open Delta noticed a few things had changed. No longer was she on top of the open roof, but instead she had been tucked away into some dark space... Which was merciful for her splitting migraine.
Her vision still swam, sparkles floated inside her blue eyes, every single one of the motes of light was like a pin stabbing into her head. But, there was enough clarity to see details of the area she now found herself in... She didn't need her eyes to know what kind of place it was, however. The smell already gave it away.
She'd been dumped in a dingy back alley. Again...
Bags full of abandoned and rotten trash lay beneath Delta's prone form, the smelly plastic sacks cushioned the street rat from the wet concrete below. Unlike the ramen shop this variety of trash smelt less like greasy take out food and more like sweaty old laundry. The blinking neon sign above her head read that she was in fact behind a seedy motel... Best not to get comfortable in this trash, least she found a used needle poking her through the bags... Not to mention the revulting amount of bodily fluids soaked into the old bed sheets.
How she even got here… That memory was left blank. But, the pain in her back and the familiarity of this particular enclosed space told her she was in the alleyway right below the courtyard several stories up.
Pale blue moonlight shown through the gap in the rooftops high above... The girl idly marveled at the height she'd traveled from, which had been quite the distance to freefall. Lethal even... Thankfully, the old bed covers crammed into a dumpster had broken her landing somewhat.
Delta tentatively flexed her skinny limbs, slowly stretching them out over the black bags. Good, nothing was broken... Just sore all over...
Must have blacked out after coming across those Tiger Claws… Then I fell over the railing, or maybe they even tossed me down here...
The parts she could recall came crashing into the street kid. She remembered seeing what had happened to her friends… The blood... The bodies... The savage butchery of her only family. The horrible scene flashed before her eyes, causing the wretch to take in shuddering breath. Her eyelids burned as they became wet once more.
T-they're gone... Delta realized with agonizing clarity. She felt like puking her guts out. Hot embers had lodged themselves inside her chest, making breathing difficult. They're gone...
There wasn't anyone around in the alley to see the small frail body writhe in agony. No one to care to check the pathetic wailing coming from the trash heap.
=͟͟͞͞=͟͟= ΔvΔvΔ =͟͟=͟͞=
It must have been an hour later before Delta finally pulled herself back together. The homeless teen's body ached in more ways than one, her spirit perhaps the most broken part of all.
Fuck... So this is what true rock bottom feels like, huh...
Delta debated giving in right there and there. Yet, when she thought of Ann, Xiao, and Gramps... what would they think about such an act? The thought of letting them down one last time soured the notion.
Sitting around like an empty husk amongst the refuse wouldn't get her anywhere either, and it certainly wouldn't find her anything to eat. The gnawing hunger that she'd suffered through all day came back with a vengeance It seems crying your heart out burns a lot of calories.
Going back up top to search the camp for something edible wasn't an option, as those Tiger Claws would likely stick around committing unfathomable acts... And Delta wasn't ready to see the bodies quite yet...
The back alley of the motel didn't have anything to offer as well. Not at least in the bags full of used condoms and sweat stained bedsheets... She would have to get out and onto the street to find sustenance. For that she'd need to face her first hurdle... Getting up.
The street rat's whole body ached beyond measure. Sore joints popped and cracked as Delta experimented in reanimation. Moving too suddenly caused jolts of pain, tendons strained, bruises throbbed. It wasn't pretty.
It took some further motivation from her grumbling stomach, but eventually Delta was starting to make her way back towards the main street. The lights and sounds of traffic guiding her out of her hell.
"I can't stay here..." Delta grumbled to herself. She was almost in the clear, shuffling baby steps towards anything that was better than being dead... "I just need to avoid crossing paths with anyone dangerous and I should be f-"
A chuckle, light as a synthfeather, echoed along the graffitied walls. It might as well have been a death knell, considering what type of person it belonged to. The boyish laughter sent a chill down Delta's spine, cutting the young woman's mantra off and freezing her in place.
Caught off guard the street rat swished her head back and forth in a panic, unkempt greasy hair flailing about in an attempt to find the source. At first the alleyway had seemed abandoned, somewhat safe even... But now they weren't alone amongst the trash heap.
"My my! I couldn't have said it better myself." The disembodied voice purred, "Danger lurks in the most unexpected of places..."
"W-who the fucks there?!" The street urchin growled at the shadows. She was all bark and no bite, a strong breeze would have knocked her off her wobbly feet, yet she'd been through too much tonight to just roll over now. "S-s-show yourself!"
"Up here... Doll face."
Delta followed the mocking laughter as it trailed to the night sky. High above the confining walls of the alley to the open air. There, several stories up, was a boy dressed in a dark grey suit... A Corpo suit.
He sat with his legs dangling over the edge of a roof, lazily kicking his polished shoes back and forth to some unknown rhythm. The boy had a wide Cheshire grin plastered over his face as he eyed Delta from afar.
"You found me!" The boy giggled, obviously not bothered in the slightest by the death glare he received. "Looks like I lost that game of hide and seek!"
Something about the glint in his bright yellow irises unnerved the street rat, the pair of almond shaped eyes shone, as if they reflected all light. Human eyes didn't do that, ganic ones at least. They peered down at Delta with excited amusement.
With a final swing of his legs the well dressed boy fell from his perch, Delta thought the Corpo had decided to end it all, but unfortunately he merely kicked off of several walls on his way down in order to slow his decent. With a final leap the boy flipped effortlessly in mid air, landing in a gymnastic flourish amongst the trash. Uncannily he never got his suit dirty, it remained unsullied even as he stepped over the plastic waste bags towards a wide eyed Delta.
The fact that he managed to keep himself clean of filth, unlike herself, irritated the girl to no end, especially as she noticed he made a point of picking a single speck of dust off his cuff.
It was then that the street rat noticed the Arasaka Academy's logo stitched to the lapel. A Corpo brat. Big league Corpo too, not like the cheap suits that commuted across the bridges out of Watson. No, he was among the ranks of Night City's apex predators.
The Corpo kid must have seen her ogling the patch. "Is there something there? Oh thank you, too kind! I missed a spot it seems." He in turn dusted it off, as if to polish the threads, not that they needed to shine so brightly. His mocking grin told her he was just doing so to highlight the insignia, to draw attention to his birth right.
Never had Delta seen a cat in real life, but from the stories passed around a fire barrel this feline looking child was what she expected the almost mythical panther to appear as.
Dark, lean, and full of playful malice.
There was also an undeniable beauty, perfection in his appearance, cultured in enough eddies to buy a space station. Delta wanted to look away, but his confident attitude along with the perfect symmetry of his features drew her in. It was all underlined by a sense of danger, though, as if he was born from both dreams and nightmares alike.
Jet black hair darker than the evening sky fell around his head in loose waves. Lightly olive skin, perfect with no blemishes upon his face curled as he grinned, revealing perfectly white teeth. Delta didn't miss the pairs of elongated canines. His eyes were cybernetic too, a bright yellow that drew in the light around them, she swore she saw his eyes narrow into slits, but as he stepped further into the neon glow of the motel sign they appeared normal again.
Aaand they were eyeing the rat up like a prime cut of synthsteak. "Ripper got your tongue? What's got you whiter than a bag of sythcoke?"
Delta felt sweat drip down her brow as she nervously edged closer to the street entrance. Even touching a hair on a Suit was as good as a death sentence. They held the reigns in this cursed city, a single word and she'd be unmade in an instant. He probably had enough chrome chipped in under the skin to put MAX-TAC to shame if his parents were rich enough. If his little leg tricks as he fell were any indication he might have a cannon or scythe hidden somewhere too, he certainly could afford the best. Any second now he could pop one out and slice her to ribbons before she could blink.
The thought of becoming minced meat forced a shudder out of the girl.
The sneering face of the Tiger Claw woman crossed her vision. She at least had her weapons on the outside, for all to see and flaunt, this kid on the other hand kept his hidden. You never knew what could be aimed and ready to peel your skin off with just a thought. Delta eyed the Corpo's legs, his pants seemed to have normalize legs beneath, but there was nothing 'normal' about this creep.
Normally full blooded Corpos never showed their faces this deep in Kabuki, they stayed closer to the ritzier neighborhoods of Night City, like Corpo Plaza or Westbrook. But, rumors had been spreading that a few of their hellspawn had taken to 'playing' with those unlucky enough to catch their attention. Delta gulped down the bout of anxiety that threatened to overtake her as she stared down the rich cyberpsycho.
"P-pardon me... Didn't mean to disturb your evening, Sir..." She tried to duck out of the enclosed space, twisting on her heels as she sprinted for the exit.
The next second she swore, as before her it appeared as if the Corpo had materialize out of thin air. He casually leaned against the wall directly in Delta's path. The shock caused the girl to yelp as she fell backwards, toppling over a trash can to spill in her wake.
"Oh? Going so soon?" The boy purred, sadistic glee written all over his face. He knew he had her trapped like a rat in a cage. The sick fuck was enjoying this.
The freak leaned down over his prey, humming to himself as he eyed her over. She could hear her heart hammering away inside her chest. Delta felt sick.
"I thought the two of us could share a bit of the evening, pass the time together... Make up for all the lost time after all these years!" The grin the boy wore seemed to have lost a bit of it's malice, though his body was still uncomfortably too close.
Delta eyed the Corpo devil before her as if he'd started growing a second head. "I-I'm sorry... What are you on about?"
"I'm talking about having a good time! Just the two of us! Last time we met... Was under rather difficult standards." A sad twinge crossed the yellow eyes, "I kept looking for you afterwards... But now fate finally allowed us to meet once again."
"W-Wuh?" Delta felt so lost. "Wh-wha- I don't even know who you are, you creep!"
The awkward silence that accompanied after Delta's out burst spoke more than she ever could. The Corpo seemed to catch onto the other's bafflement. Cocking his head to the side his brow begun to furrow, as the confusion seemed to spread.
The Corpo took a long pause, eying up the trash stained, malnourished, and skittish homeless girl before him, as if finally seeing the real her for the first time. "You... You're not really her... Are you?"
"N-nnoo?...I... I'm certain we've never met before!" Delta stammered.
Slowly the boy nodded to himself. "Hmmm, so it seems..."
"...Does that mean I can... go now?"
"Not in the slightest." Came the instant reply, crushing Delta's hope of being set free from the madman. He snickered at the look of defeat etched across Delta's dirtied face. "Oh, don't look so down in the dumps." The teen couldn't help but cringe at the horrible pun made at her expense.
The dark haired boy firmly planted an arm on the wall above the girl's head, further trapping his prey under him, as he leaned in Delta caught a wiff of the expensive cologne from around his neck. "So here's the deal... I'm... Umm, ah yeah, a bit new in town. And, I'd like to hire myself a street guide to tour the city with. You seem... Perfect for leading me through this part of the city. I'm sure you must know all the best little secrets hidden under the surface... So, what do you say, little doll?"
He was toying with her now, she knew it. He kept calling her a 'doll', which meant he saw her as a piece of meat to fuck over, like the girls who worked in the Dollhouses. He'd take advantage of her powerlessness and commit any number of unspeakable acts, before leaving her corpse to rot where no one would find her… Much like the Tiger Claws did to her family above...
Fucker got tired of watching XBD virtus and wanted to try it for real I bet…
She didn't understand why it had come to this, she didn't have anything to her name. She was homeless, dirty, and didn't have the looks to even make it as a joytoy. How she had gained this cyberpsycho's interested she couldn't understand, it frightened her to be this close to him.
A growl from Delta's stomach answered the Corpo's question for her.
=͟͟͞͞=͟͟= ΔvΔvΔ =͟͟=͟͞=
Delta stared down at the fresh bowl of noodles as if her life's meaning was held within the simmering broth.
Enticingly savory smells assaulted her senses... Her mouth was watering.
"Please let me know if there's anything I can get for you sir!" The young waitress smiled a little too hard, clasping her hands together after depositing the steaming bowls down in front of the two teens.
"That will be all." The raven haired boy brushed the attempt at curtesy off, not even looking at the girl, who flinched slightly at the harsh tone in his voice. "Begone."
The waitress twitched one last time, before quickly bowing her head... Not low enough it seemed, judging by the brief crumpling of the boy's brow in annoyance at the faux pas. But, he didn't comment further on it. The poor server immediately scurried away, putting as much distance between herself and the prickly Corpo.
Delta eyed the boy sitting across from her wearily, half expecting the same sharp tongue to be applied to her as well...
The Corpo's cold demeanor clashed with the excitement he'd displayed earlier. When he'd practically dragged Delta all the way from that alleyway to this place he'd been brimming with barely contained joy... All for reasons Delta had yet to decipher. He'd still kept up this chummy attitude with Delta since their meeting in that trash heap, as if they were some long lost friends, even after she'd made it quite clear they'd never met before... It really creeped her out.
The way he'd changed his tune, how he'd gone from... that, to a snappy and demanding brat when he wasn't dealing with her... Now he'd shown his true colours. She was right all along, he was still a Corpo at heart; Self centered, greedy, and dangerous beyond reason.
Yet, as the two yellow eyes turned back to her the frost seemed to melt around him. He gave her a small boyish grin. Delta felt a chill run down her spine.
"It's no Embers, that's for certain." The boy laughed, but the joke went over Delta's head completely... She'd never even heard of the name before. Must be some sort of Corpo hangout... In which case she'd make sure to avoid it like a leaky radioactive waste container.
This tiny ramen shop on the other hand had attempted the unachievable; to cater to this childish Corpo's unreasonably high standards. Not that the rich boy in question would appreciate the efforts from the late night staff working with zero notice. But still, they tried. They had instantly rolled out the red carpet as soon as they saw the Arasaka Academy logo come through the door.
Unfortunately, this restaurant never had someone with pockets carrying enough spare change to buy a luxury yacht, and it showed...
The floor was sticky, wrappers and dirt had only been swept to the side and not yet removed. Paint was peeling from the walls, covered up with out of date posters featuring rigged boxing matches and products that had already been pulled from shelves due to too much toxicity to even be tolerate by the masses... This place was supremely unhygienic and falling apart, but Wan-Min Ramen had some of the best synth-steak and factory farmed shrimp noodles in Night City... Or so Delta had heard... She hadn't eaten anything as remotely fresh.
The rest of the late night crowd inside the dive kept to themselves, mostly. This late at night nobody wanted to mess around with strangers unless they had a death wish. Several whispered amongst themselves, cursing that a Corpo had stepped in on their nightly haunt.
When the waitress had kicked a group of old men from the only 'clean' table in order to seat them Delta had thought there would have been a brawl right then and there. Yet the hostess had seemed confident in getting them the best seating available.
Using her familiarity with these regulars she'd persuaded them to leave the comfier leather bench seating in return for a few more rounds on the house later on. Some still complained, but no one went and outright did anything about it though, thankfully. The previous occupants shuffled off, merely grumbling in their new dingier seating about how this was just one more thing to add on a long list of things that the Corpos had stolen from them.
There were also a few who silently glared at the street rat as well, they turned their noses up at the sight of an even dirtier creature than themselves... If Corpos were at the top of the food chain then those without anything besides the rags on their backs were lower than the lowest.
Delta had been used to these glares in the past, but now the contrast between the disgust at a rich kid being a jerk got vs her very existence being an affront... It somehow stung that even if she did nothing she was still not welcome anywhere.
Well... That wasn't entirely true, there was A reason for some of the hostile looks she got.
As Delta had meekly followed in the stranger's footsteps further into the familiar scop shop a pair of eyes tracked her from behind the counter.
The line cook in the back grunted in disgust at seeing the thieving rat he'd caught before return. His deathly glare bore into the street kid from over the counter, burning a hole in the back of her neck. Whenever Delta looked over his way he seemed to be polishing his chrome fist, as if tossing her out hours before had contaminated it. She recalled the threat he'd made to her after giving her a beating...
...The bruised cheek he had slammed the metal arm into stung even more now...
Her captor had somehow noticed this silent interaction. When he saw who it was that was giving their table the unwanted attention he tossed his own fiery glare back at the sourly cook. The brute of a man clicked his tongue, frustrated he was unable to kick the thief out a second time with the boy now covering for her. The cook gave one final look at street rat, silently warning her not to try anything before moving back to finish up his meal prep.
The boy then shifted back to his casual attitude, as if nothing had ever happened. His fake smile as synthetic as the menu's protein... If he expected to be thanked for 'protecting' her from an asshole then he was gravely mistaken... You're just as big of a jerk as he was.
Now, as Delta stared down at the food set before her she pondered just how much the world she had known had been destroyed.
Fate had given what she'd wanted... But at an unbelievably high cost.
How did I end up here again? ...What sin did I commit to suffer like this?
"Well, eat up!" The boy laughed, smiling despite the depressed company sitting across from him. Picking up the chopsticks for his own bowl he took the first bite out of the shrimp on top. "You're going to need your strength, if you're to show me around. I wouldn't want you to fall over again in the middle of our tour!"
The street rat gave the Corpo another weary glance. She didn't see him put anything into the soup, but then again he could have paid off any of the staff to drug it for him. Her hesitancy must have been too obvious, as he smirked from across the table.
"It's not drugged… At least not anything I put in it."
"…That doesn't make it any better."
With a shrug the boy reached over and swapped their bowls around. "Better?"
"No..."
Contrary to her reservations the ramen had vanished almost as soon as it was offered. Like a dam bursting open Delta's repressed starvation kicked aside any misgivings she previously held.
Noodles practically went flying with the speed that the famished girl ate them. The sweet and salty broth went unbelievably well with the strips of seasoned synth-steak. Adorable little shrimps couldn't run for their lives fast enough as the great devourer consumed them one by one. There were also these crunchy green and orange things cut into shapes within the broth, which may have been vegetables, a luxury item in of itself in NC, but without ever having eaten any in the past Delta couldn't have said for sure.
The teen's zero table manners were an affront to god, but the hunger she'd held for so long didn't give a damn about what anyone else would think of her at that moment. With near feral energy Delta devoured the rest of the meal.
By the end the bowl was picked clean.
The young woman wouldn't admit it, but it was honestly the best meal she'd had in recent memory. The first time she'd had a hot meal that wasn't stolen or out of a vending machine. Taking a can of Realwater Delta washed the last taste of the meal down. She felt satisfied, finally fed, and content.
The afterglow didn't last long, as with her basic need met her mind became less foggy. Clarity brought her back to reality real quick.
Damnit... I don't know what contract I've signed with the devil to get such a good meal... But it was worth it.
The Corpo had stayed silent all the while, watching the feeding frenzy from across the table with bemused interest. He'd barely touched his own meal, instead merely sitting back on the bench. As he lounged in a relaxed pose a black truss of his hair had come loose, dangling above his admittedly handsome features.
Much like how she had surmised at back in the alley Delta had to admit he was a dangerously pretty boy, only now within the light of the restaurant she could confirm it.
His soft tanned skin and silky black hair seemed to put him almost always in a dim lighting, yet that only highlighted his more prominent features. The most striking of which were his cat like eyes; cybernetic of course, but made so well they seemed as if he should have been born with them. The slight reflective sheen to the golden parts shone out against his darker features.
Noticing now inside the light Delta saw he wore just a tiny bit of makeup around the edges, the deep red eyeliner cut a sharpness into his half lidded eye.
...When he's not talking or being a jerk he's not that bad to look at. Delta took another sip of the can to try and hide her glancing across the table.
She wasn't as smooth as she thought she was however, as the next time the girl looked back at him his grin grew even wider... Somehow, it was if he could read her thoughts.
"I can't read your thoughts though," golden yellow eyes twinkled mischievously as Delta nearly spat out her can of water. The flustered glare he got in return only made him chuckle. "You mumble sometimes, might want to watch out for that. But, I'll be honest, your reactions are kinda cute too."
Delta felt some heat reach her face, and it wasn't because of the kimchi.
"Say, I've never got your name doll face." The boy leaned forwards, propping an elbow up on the table so he could rest his chin atop his fist, "I know it's a bit late for introductions, but you can call me Ryuji."
"…Delta."
The Corpo blinked a second in surprise, his bright eyes going a bit wider as he raised his brows. "…Are you telling me to get lost? Didn't think I could offend you that much with just a simple question." Ryuji placed a hand to his heart, as if wounded.
Dirty brown hair shook back and forth as the girl denied it. "No! I-I mean… My name is Delta."
Ryuji relaxed again, though he seemed a bit more interested in his companion across the table now. It was probably the first time he looked like he saw her not as an object, to mess around with, but maybe as another person. "Huh, with an odd name like that there must be a story behind it, right? Or, perhaps there were Alphas and Betas too?" Then the moment was gone, and the annoying mocking smugness returned.
Delta wanted to tell this creep to fuck right off, but seeing as how she owed him for her meal she'd at least hold her tongue… For now. "No, not that I'm aware of at least... It's just me."
Ryuji hummed at the info, but he mercifully didn't press the topic.
"Well Delta, now that we're fed and introduced I think the next order of business." Flicking his eyes over the ratty old clothes she wore. The smell of rancid garbage had been ignored until now, but it seemed he could deny the horrendous oder no longer. His features scrunched up in mild disgust. "...And I'd have to say it's to get you cleaned up. Can't have half of Night City slam their doors on us if you're to be my guide tonight."
=͟͟͞͞=͟͟= ΔvΔvΔ =͟͟=͟͞=
MAC-TAC was swarming all over the place before Regina Jones arrived.
Gunships and smaller drones flittered about the night sky, their harsh electronic buzzing and blue lasers shot out into the darkness, scanning every single crevice. Weapons running hot, in case they'd found hostiles. A small army of men and women in black and blue scoured the area blocked off by holo tape. Forensic teams did their grim work of picking up evidence from among the dozen plus dead bodies. Some of the fresh recruits into the NCPD had to step outside the cordon to empty their guts along the pavement.
She couldn't blame them, the scene was an absolute bloodbath. Regina had seen everything when she was still a Media, and even since she'd changed careers into a Fixer she'd seen even more still.
...But this? This made a Scav haunt seem downright childish by comparison...
Tiger Claw bodies were strewn about the upper rooftop basketball court. Or rather, at least what was left of them. What remained had made it hard to even tell that these poor fucks had belonged to the Japanese biker gang, only the few shreds of tattoo ink on the mangled flesh remained, but it was enough to recognize the distinct patterns of the art they painted their bodies with.
Their arms and legs had been ripped clean off while the victim was still alive, judging by the massive puddles of deep crimson dotted around. Each one was left with a destroyed limb or two still attached... If only to allow them to attempt to crawl away. Their decapitated body never went far, judging by the red smeared streaks along the ground.
Every one of the gangster bodies were missing their heads, when their killer had deemed fit to end their suffering... They were all found in short order. The rest of the mutilated Tiger Claws could be found skewered above on top of a chain link fence that surrounded the rooftop basketball court. All of them placed in a neat row, eyeless sockets watching. This was cruel brutality beyond even what most Cyberpsychos could commit... It was like a monster or demon had ripped through the homeless camp.
All in total Regina counted thirteen Tiger Claws, and ten civilians stiffs.
Those civilians had seemed a bit odd to the Fixer, something didn't seem right about them... It wasn't until she'd noted that they hadn't been butchered in a similar way did it click. Some had been shot or slashed, but none of them had their limbs ripped out. They were just bystanders, caught in the crossfire.
If any witnesses had survived they were either long gone or held within NCPD custody. No cameras were in the area, so the truth wouldn't see the light so easily.
Damn... This is a right fucking mess...
Still though, it irked the former Media to have NCPD crawling around her neck of the woods. It was her home, and while the cops had their right to intervene in Watson matters she hadn't been fed into their own info loop. Bad etiquette to leave the local Fixer out in the cold. She needed answers, Corpo Gods save any soul that wouldn't give it to her straight.
The one eyed Fixer marched up to the cordon line where a couple of NCPD's bright and blues huddled around a squad car sipping cheap coffee. They turned their heads up at the sound of Regina's approach, haggard expressions etched on the faces. One of the younger badges was about to tell her to buzz off before one of the officers that Regina recognized placated them with a wave of her hand.
"Regina Jones... For what do I owe the pleasure of this late night visit." Lt. Sara Krakosky, the badge unfortunate enough to be forced into a TV interview with Ziggy Q greeted the fixer with a strained smile. "Out for a stroll tonight?"
"Cut the crap! You're not dealing with the media, you're dealing with me." Regina's only eye bored into the former NCPD's Spokesperson. "You weren't cut for bullshitting your way outta a paper bag then and you sure as shit aren't now. Now spill."
The Lieutenant's mouth gaped open before she closed it shut, this happened a few times as the cop floundered, trying to find the right words. She repeated the process enough times Regina almost believed she was talking to one of those plastic fishes some dingy bars had hung up on the wall.
"There was a Cyberpsycho attack… Though I think you could already guess that part. We're doing evidence gathering and clean up now."
Regina nodded, then pointed to the hovering AVs still lurking overhead. "Then why the hell is MAX-TAC still floating around like flies on shit? Do you have the psycho bagged or not?"
Lt. Karkosky didn't need to answer that, as over the squad car's radio came what the Watson Fixer needed to hear. "Attention all units. Please be advised, the Perp was last seen in Kabuki at Wan-Min Ramen. Witnesses say they have one youth in-" The disgraced badge finally reached in and twisted the dial, ending the broadcast.
Sara's face was beet red as she extracted herself from the window. Regina's held nothing but a polite grin. She'd gotten what she needed.
"I'll be in touch if anything from my network pops up. Until then, I'd advise you to keep your eyes peeled, Lieutenant. The streets aren't nearly as friendly as certain mega celebrities."
Regina left the poor woman to seethe, she had to act fast before MAX-TAC burst in to create another bloodbath. Bringing up her holo she went through her contacts list before selecting a Solo she knew could be discrete.
"It's Regina, I've got a job I think would be right up your alley. Sending you the deets now."
Author's Notes:
Going through the game, and especially after watching Edgerunners, I really felt that there wasn't enough stories here centering around your average citizen of Night City. Or at least, from their view on their bleak little world.
I started writing this on Ao3, which is where I will be more consistently updating, but I figure why not post this here too? I'll only be posting the chapters I feel are completely finished, as going back and forth to try and correct things on multiple sites can be a headache. Not that I can compare it to the one I seem to be giving Delta here haha!
As V you can run around at super speeds and slice anyone that gets in your way. The other guy going about his own business has no power against the Corpos, seeing no choice but to go along with their plans, or else they might disappear. Not gonna say I'll be breaking down those societal barriers, but outlining them instead. It's like going into the head of one of those poor pedestrians and seeing what makes them tick... And what they'll put up with before they snap.
Edgerunners started out like this, but David got a lucky break with the Sandistvan and then proceeded to remove himself from the bottom rung with it. I would have liked it more if they carried on that part of the plot, but what can you do with only 10 episodes? Hopefully we'll get more content like Edgerunners, but in the meantime I'd like to see where our little street rat runs off to!