Chapter 7: Greasy Piston
The El Coyote Cojo was a bar in Heywood, mostly used by the Valentinos, one of the biggest streetgangs in Night City. It was run by Guadalupe Alejandra Welles, who, by coincidence, was also the mother of the broad guy, named Jackie Welles, who had saved Judy and V back on Jig-Jig street.
Judy was sitting at one of the bar's tables on the second floor, sipping for over an hour on the same glass of beer. And it wasn't even half-empty at the time. Mostly, she pondered and hoped that V was alright.
Out of nowhere, Jackie sat down beside her, sighing "Jesucristo, what a mess!"
Judy could only scoff out a faint "yeah," but didn't say anything more to that. She was mainly worried about V and asked "How's V?"
"She's alright," he answered, which instantly filled the young BD-techie with relief. "Vik patched her up again. Luckily the bullet missed any vital organs. And that lil' girl… Well, V's jacket took the bullet. So, just a big bruise. Vik now tries to remove that doll-chip. Poor thing."
"Thanks!" Judy then said truthfully. Once again she was astonished that someone had helped them without wanting anything in return.
"Ai! We're family, y'know. Any friend of V is a friend of mine." the broad guy announced, his big, paw-like hand hitting her back. "Listen, V told me everything and you can stay at my place for the moment. Nobody knows it and you're safe there, 'cause this is Valentinos territory, and nobody, not even a corpo, has anything to say here."
"Pft," Judy scoffed again, "what about the money on our heads? You sure, your Valentinos friends won't sell us out?"
The broad guy then leaned closer and spoke quietly. "You see that old man over there?" He pointed at a half-bald, old man, who was sitting a few tables away. "This is Padre, head of the Valentinos and the main fixer of Heywood. He knows me and V. We both have already done gigs for him. And as soon as V's picture showed up, he contacted me and gave me 24 hours to find you two, after I promised him to do some gigs for him for free. Of course he didn't know where you were, so - since there was money on your heads - I also called Wakako and she then told me where you might be."
So, only thanks to V's good connection to the fixers and friends they were still alive. But where were her friends standing? Was Jackie just a merc like V, or was he also a gang member?
"So… are you a Valentino, too?"
"Was. But after seeing cousins and a brother die in the gangwars and catching a bullet myself, I started to think about my future. I wanted to make my own destiny, y'know. And you? Any affiliations?"
"Nah, I always was some sorta loner. Gangs just creeped me out with all those stupid codes 'n' shit. Clouds was under the control of the Tyger Claws, but I never joined those fuckers. Then I thought about joining the Mox. Y'know, help them to free dolls and prostitutes from those disgusting assholes. But…"
"Don't be fooled, chica. Valentinos, Mox, Tyger Claws… They all have the same goal: power. You wanna change something, then fight for your cause, not someone else's."
His words made sense. Judy had always been very idealistic, dreaming of a perfect world that would never exist. V had told her that not that long ago. That her stupid ideals would get her killed. But was it that bad? Since meeting this strong, female merc, her view on the world had somehow changed. Yes, she had safed that young doll and still wanted to find Evelyn, but she also wanted V to be safe and sound.
An inner struggle began. The events on Jig-Jig street had shown her how dangerous it was to search for Evelyn and how easy it could get people flatlined. V had been injured and the young doll almost killed. Maybe V had been right all along? Maybe it was just madness to look for Evelyn? Alas, they've come up so far with nothing more than a gonk name of the person who had bought her. Piledriver Billy… What a fucking gonk name was this anyway? Along streetgangs it sometimes was common to give each other such nicknames, so… Maybe Jackie knew someone by that name, even if it was a very big longshot.
"Hey, Jackie. Does the name Piledriver Billy ring a bell?"
It could've been nothing more than a trick question or a nonchalant question you would ask while drinking one beer too much. A question that could be ignored or made fun of. But the way Jackie froze told Judy that she coincidentally had hit a nerve.
Her fist hit the table they were sitting at, so hard, that it almost left a dent on it, while everything on it jumped at least an inch high.
"How could this happen?" Miss Crown yelled, eyeing the other three persons that were sitting at the table, one of them being Adolfo. The others were Lieutenants of Kang-Tao. "We sent in three teams. THREE! And you weren't even able to catch two trapped women. Two! TRAPPED! Women!" She once again let her sight sway over the other three men. "Anyone?"
"Incompetence," Adolfo answered immediately, earning angry gazes from the other men as they thought it was about them. "This gonk of a Puppetfucker tipped us off with his gonk actions. He thought he could do this alone…now he's dead."
"How comforting…" Miss Crown scoffed as she slowly calmed down. "And what now? Time's running out and we can't afford any more of that shit."
But Adolfo stayed calm. He even smiled victoriously as he said "At least we now know where they're heading next."
All eyes were on him as he told the present persons what he had found on the Puppetmaster's computer and that V and Judy were searching for Evelyn Parker. Finding out who Piledriver Billy was and his whereabouts would be the easiest part.
They were sitting in Jackie's little hideout. A garage in an alley not far away from the bar that the broad man had made his home. One part had stayed a garage, where he always trained and tinkered on his new bike, an ARCH Nazaré, the other part had a makeshift bed and desk, and even an aquarium. Everything was just spartan, but seemingly way better than living at your mother's place. Especially, since Jackie was dating Misty, who his mother wasn't very fond of.
After V's wound had been treated, Misty had brought her over from Vik's place. And now the four of them were sitting together, while Jackie told his story.
"Piledriver Billy… Just hearing this name sends a shiver over my body. A Maelstromer and a sadistic piece of shit on top of it," he told, taking a deep breath. "He's notorious for raping women while they got chromed up by his chooms. Back when I was with the Valentinos, he and his gang went on raids, kidnapping young women and girls off the streets. Most were found mutilated and broken, weeks later. It was during fighting off such a raid when I had caught a bullet. I heard that he and his gang once had been tricked into an ambush. Most of his crew got killed and the raids stopped. He now runs a sick amusement place, called Greasy Piston."
"Pft, figures," V scoffed, shaking her head. "So, the chances are pretty high that we'll find Evelyn there."
"Then what're we waiting for? Let's go!" Judy urged, already jumping up. But stopped and looked at the others as they didn't move. A soft touch by V eventually told her to sit down again.
"Escucha, chica, Maelstromer are very dangerous. They don't like when somebody's sniffing around their turf, comprendido."
"Jackie's, right, Jude," V supported Jackie, yet giving her friend an understanding glare. "Jig-Jig street was already a close call. This time we need to be more cautious. This is why I'm going alone."
Once again, Judy jumped up and exclaimed "No fuckin' way! That's just insane!" which, again, switched everyone's attention towards her. And surprisingly, it was Jackie who took her side this time.
"Ai, she's right, V. Messing around with Maelstrom is already a bad thing, but doing it alone is an insanely bad idea, y'know."
"See!" Judy then confirmed. "So, we team up and get Eve outta there."
Yet, neither V nor Jackie were enthusiastic about this plan, which caused Judy to frown at them. Especially at V, who then said "Judy, I want you to sit this one out."
Misty had silently watched the conversation and quickly realized that V and Judy were about to have an argument. So, she patted Jackie on the shoulder and signed him to give them some privacy to sort things out.
The door had barely closed as Judy jumped up again and whisper-yelled "What the fuck, V?! I know what you wanna do, but, for once, can you please drop this self-sacrifice-shit! You just got shot and still you wanna do everything alone. Why? Evelyn's my friend. MY responsibility. So, just why?"
Now V got up as well and walked up and down, thinking about the right words.
"For over a year I've done random gigs for various fixers. I've killed and saved numerous people. But did anythin' of this matter?" she said with a heavy voice, turning and closing in on Judy. "No, it didn't. For every killed villain, a new one took its place. For every saved person, another one dies a few streets away. It's a constant vicious circle with no winner and no loser. Jackie wants to be famous, but…" She paused, inhaling deeply. "One day, everyone's luck will run out, and I don't want that. I wanna take that piece of luck and run." She then tenderly touched Judy's cheek, brushing with her thumb over her soft skin while gazing deeply into her eyes. "Every gig was just a blurry, strange face behind a pile of Eddies. But you… You're real. You matter to me. I think that keepin' you alive will be the first and only true chance to stick it to those fuckers, who think that they can shit on the small people. And…"
V paused again, her eyes now welling up, while Judy was still frozen, stunned by those words and the soft touches. Unexpectedly, the ever so strong merc turned away and wiped with her flat hands over her own face.
"You should stay with Misty and lay low for the next 12 hours," she mentioned a bit more coldly than intended. "As soon as we've got Evelyn, I'll contact you."
As V and Jackie left the garage, Judy stayed behind, kind of lost and alone, her friend's words still buzzing in her mind. Did she really just tell her that she mattered to her? Even as she drove with Misty back to the blonde's shop in Watson, she kept on pondering.
"She likes you, y'know."
Misty's voice brought Judy back from her deep thoughts. They were now in the blonde's esoteric shop, where incense candles were spreading a pleasant smell. The blonde was sorting through her inventory, shifting them around to increase the Feng Shui of her shop.
"Hmm…?" Judy, who was sitting in a comfy chair, simply hummed, now focusing on Jackie's girlfriend, who now closed in on her and softly touched her hand.
"When she looks at you, she gets the same glow in her eyes like Jackie did, before he asked me out for the first time. For people like her and Jackie, it's hard to show feelings. They defy death every day, yet can't manage to ask out a gal. So funny."
Had it been this what V had wanted to tell her back at Jackie's place? That she had feelings for her?
As the backdoor to Misty's shop opened and Vik walked in, Judy was just glad for the distraction from this awkward conversation about her feelings with a person she barely knew.
"Hey Vik, how's the girl doing?" Misty, who was still rummaging through a bunch of esoteric stuff under the counter, asked, eventually putting a stack of cards on the table.
"Resting," the ripper doc answered. "I removed the doll-chip, but it wasn't easy. Whoever implanted it, had been an amateur. She's lucky that there wasn't any severe damage to her brain."
"Thanks, Vik!" Judy said with relief as she heard the good news. She was just happy that the girl was safe now.
"No, I should thank V and you for getting her outta there," he, however, replied. "Can't even imagine what this poor thing would've gone through, if you hadn't been there."
"I always sensed the good in you," Misty added with a smile. "An aura of light surrounds you, and it gets stronger when you and V are together."
"Pft, aura of light…" Judy simply scoffed in disbelief, shaking her head. "So, what now?"
"That's a good question," the broad man replied, resting his hand on his hips. "I don't wanna throw her out and back on the streets. But she also can't stay at my place."
"Me and Jackie will take her in," Misty then added while lighting a new incense stick. "I already talked with him about it. She can live at my place, go to school and work here in my shop."
"A'right. I'll give you a holla as soon as she wakes up. I bet she'd also want to thank her savior," he replied with a wink towards Judy, who took it with an appreciating nod. The ripper doc then took his leave again, giving the two women their privacy again.
Taking a small stool, Misty sat down beside Judy, took a necklace with a crystal on it and waved it around the punky woman with closed eyes.
"Hmm…your Chakra is out of balance. Something's bothering you."
"No shit," Judy scoffed, swiping the blonde's hand beside. "Listen, Misty. It's nothing personal, but actually I don't believe in this esoteric stuff. So…"
But instead of being offended, Misty chuckled and shrugged with her shoulders.
"You're not the first and won't be the last. Most people don't believe in spirits and nature anymore. It took a lot to convince Jackie that I'm not crazy, but there's something to it."
"Then why bother with this shop if most people think that it's bullshit?"
Softly, the blonde touched her hand and gave her another smile, answering "Few people still believe, and with every person who stops, the art will die more and more, until it's entirely gone."
"And V?" Judy asked curiously, almost chiding herself for being so obvious. "Does, um… Does she believe it."
"She's skeptical. Actually, she sees it pretty much like you. Thinking that it's bullshit, but still staying friendly and open."
Again, Judy scoffed while her mind shifted its focus back on V. Her appearance. Her voice. Her character. Her…body. And especially that she was - again - risking her head for a cause that wasn't even hers.
She started to become restless, her legs shaking up and down, nervously.
"Fuck this!" she eventually muttered, jumped up and wanted to leave.
Misty was entirely taken aback by this sudden move. "Where are you going? V said…"
A bit more harshly than intended, Judy spun around, exclaiming "I'm tired of waiting, okay! V's out there, risking her neck, while I sit here and listen to this…this…"
"Crap?" Misty completed, causing the other woman to lower her head. "Judy, V didn't tell you to stay put, because she thinks that you might be weak, but because she doesn't want you to get hurt out there. She and Jackie are a good functioning team. They can rely on each other blindly, as long as both stay focused. Your presence would be a distraction, because V would put your safety above everything."
Knowing that Misty was right, but also being desperate, Judy returned to the cozy chair and slumped down with a heavy sigh.
"Then what should I do? I know that I'd be a distraction, but…I also got this weird feeling in my guts."
"Hmm…I could lay the cards for you."
Tarot, seriously? Once again, Judy had to fight down the need to just make fun about Misty and her beliefs. But on the other hand, what did she have to lose? Plus, any distraction was welcome.
With a nod, she confirmed the proposal and watched how the other woman put a small table in front of her and brought forth a stack of cards.
"Okay, now ask your question," Misty said, mixing the cards.
"Um…should I follow V?"
Misty stopped mixing and laid down the first card.
"The Magician," she announced, before telling its meaning. "It stands for confidence and a strong will. You know the right answer. But it's reversed, so it can also mean overconfidence, which could get you into trouble."
"Pft, yeah, that's me," Judy scoffed in confirmation, and watched the next card.
"The Star. In this position it symbolizes hope and optimism for your way ahead. But it can also mean trust in others."
Hope and optimism. Yeah, that was something Judy never had much. People cheated and betrayed. She had experienced this more than just once, a Mantisblade between her ribs being the crescendo for now.
The next card got put on the table.
"Death. The end of a journey, but not necessarily death itself. It could mean a change or that a certain way of life ends."
"Um, duh! I'm about to leave the city, so…"
"This isn't meant for you, but the people on your side. And it doesn't have to be a bad sign, necessarily."
V! Judy knew it. This feeling in her guts. Something bad was about to happen, and she needed to stop it! What did these other cards say? Confidence and hope? Yup, she would take her chances with that.
"Fuck this!" she hissed and jumped up again, throwing over the table. Misty knew that there was nothing she could do to stop her, so she let her go.
The cards that had already been laid out were now lying on the ground, mysteriously in the same order, but now The Star was reversed. In order to finish the Tarot, Misty pulled the last card.
"The Fool," she mentioned quietly, and realized that something bad was about to happen.
Once again, V checked the pistol, a Tsunami Nue, which Jackie had given her as a replacement for her own lost gun.
"How did you convince your mom to give us her car again?" she asked nonchalantly, smiling wryly.
"I told her that I'll bring it to the next shop to iron out those bullet holes from Jig-Jig street."
This answer caused V to chuckle as she thought about their task ahead. Even in a best-case-scenario, bullets would eventually fly.
"But you know that you can't stuff bullet holes with other bullets, right?"
Jackie now joined in the laughter, and then added "Don't worry, V. I wanna buy her a new one anyway. Got a big gig on the hook, y'know. Lotsa Eddies and fame for the taking. Wanted to ask you about it a few days ago."
"Sorry, Jackie," she replied, shifting her gaze out of the window. "But my time in this city's over. Once we get Evelyn, I'll bring Judy to the airport and then head into the badlands. Dunno if my clan will take me back, but…"
"Lo sé. Las familias son complicadas. But, why don't you go with this hermosa chica? She seems to like you."
Sighing heavily upon the mentioning of Judy, V replied "I like her, too, y'know. But for the moment it'll be better if we go separate ways, so they can't track her."
"We're here," Jackie then said off-topic as he parked the car. "It's that building over there."
He pointed at a very rundown, old industrial building. One of numerous buildings of the same quality along this street. The only difference was that it was pretty much crowded by Maelstrom members, who were recognizable by their oversized, red-glowing optical enhancements.
"So, how're we gonna do this?"
"Para ser honesta, we shouldn't do anythin'. Maelstromers everywhere. We stand out like colorful dogs. V, esto es suicidio."
At first, V didn't say anything. She was frozen, staring into empty space.
"They're here," she mentioned suddenly, leaving Jackie puzzled. "They try to hack me, but…"
After another few seconds, she huffed out deeply and began to breathe heavily like she had been running miles.
"I blocked 'em for the time and cut all my connections," she eventually said, looking at her friend. "Jackie, I want you to go back to the Coyote Cojo. You're safe there. If you think you get followed, try to get rid of 'em."
"V…" he tried to intervene, but got immediately stopped.
"Jackie, if they catch us together, they will use you to break me."
"V, if they're watching us, then they already know me. If we stay together, we can at least fight 'em together."
"Who said that I wanna fight 'em?" V eventually mentioned with a wry smirk and got out of the car, leaving an entirely puzzled Jackie behind.
The violet-haired woman walked along the street, towards the brothel. Her healing gunshot wound was still sore, but it wouldn't handicap her much. She felt that she was being watched, until the enemy was revealing itself.
A man and a woman walked right towards her, and out of the shadows of some alleys ten enforcers emerged.
V stopped right in front of them, her hands relaxed buried in the pockets of her jacket.
"I already wondered when the uber-bitch would finally show up," the merc said with a smirk, not showing any kind of fear, which caused Miss Crown to give her a sour expression. "And your lil' netrunner can stop the try to hack me, since I cut myself from the net."
"You gave us quite a headache, Miss-"
"No names! Just V," V cut her off, then glanced at Adolfo. "And it was actually him, who I gave a headache."
Being insulted by this woman, Adolfo already wanted to pull his gun, but got stopped by Miss Crown's slight hand move.
"You got some giant lady-balls, I must give you that. And on top, you're very skilled. So, here's our final offer to join us. You'd earn more money in a month than as a merc in a year."
"Tempting offer," V replied with a scoff, adding "Let's assume I'd take it, would you leave Judy and everybody else I know in peace?"
For a moment, it seemed like the leader of the assassins was considering V's indirect condition, but eventually just chuckled and shook her head. "You're in no position to set the rules. This offer is an admiration of your skills and the waste it would be, if I kill you. We will cut all loose ends, eventually, with or without you."
Since the merc had already predicted this outcome, she slowly pulled out her gun and held it in front of her, the muzzle aiming down the street at no one of the assassins in particular. She just hoped that the enforcers would keep their nerves.
Already having a victorious smirk on her face upon the assumption that V would drop the gun, Miss Crown signed everyone of her men to relax. A big mistake. Because V just said "Have fun!" and fired a shot, which hit one of the Maelstromers down the street.
Activating her Sandavistan, she ran down the closest alley while hell broke loose behind her.
Jackie's big, paw-like hand hit the steering wheel repeatedly as he was still chiding himself for leaving his best friend alone with this dangerous situation. What would Misty think of him?
He was just about to turn around as he got an incoming call from his girlfriend.
"¿Qué pasa, niña hermosa?"
"Jackie, is V with you? I can't reach her."
"Ai, preciosa, she, uh… She's lookin' for an entrance and shut off her implants, so that she wouldn't get picked up by sensors."
"Damn! Listen, Judy's on her way to you, and… I couldn't stop her. She doesn't even answer my calls "
"Mierda," Jackie cursed, his hand hitting the wheel again.
"Jackie… I also laid her the cards, and… It doesn't look good. If the cards are right, then she'll get herself and others in big trouble."
For a moment, the tall man stayed quiet, pondering about what to do next. V was cut off, probably already searching a way into the club. Judy didn't answer, and she also didn't have a car, either. Finding her was as good as impossible. The only chance he had was to wait in the club's vicinity and intercept her before she could get herself in danger.
"Listen, preciosa, I'll call you as soon as I find her."
"Alright. And Jackie… Take care, okay. The cards showed that her actions will have a big impact on people around her."
"Will do, hermosa chica. Bye!"
Jackie terminated the call and turned the car around, ready to patrol the streets in order to find Judy.
Right after this one shot had been fired, the streets turned into a warzone. Maelstrom members were flooding onto the streets, attacking everyone who wasn't part of their gang.
Ophelia watched all of this from a roof of a nearby building, where she had taken position to overlook the street and give support to the troops on the ground from a safe distance, if necessary.
She had tried to hack this other netrunner, but couldn't do it since she had deactivated her chips. And now, she had vanished in an alley, out of her sight.
Ophelia was an Afro-American, lanky woman, with short-cut hair, wearing a Netrunner-suit and a jacket over it. She was a top-tier netrunner, hired and enhanced by Kang Tao after passing several schools and the accompanying exams.
Normally, she used to work for internal affairs or had some small covered operations that required her expertise. Nonetheless, she always worked in the background, keeping her distance from the heat, though she had received combat training.
Being in the field and that close to the action was a rare experience. An experience she wasn't very fond of.
She scanned the surrounding area, trying to find the target. But so far, she hadn't come up with anything. Sirens could be heard in the distance now, signing that time was running out.
"Still nothing," she said through the com and hacked into the CCTV camera of an old industrial building. But except for some shooting persons, there was nothing else.
Suddenly, she felt cold steel on her throat, bringing her back from the net into the realspace.
"One word, and I'll cut your throat! And don't even try to call for help, 'cause I know if you do it," a female voice hissed quietly from behind, and right away Ophelia realized how she was getting hacked and most of her cyberware deactivated.
"And what now?" the black-skinned woman scoffed. And though she respected this woman for her ability to sneak at her from behind, she also felt angry about her.
"You help me, you'll live. Easy-peasy."
"My help? Why?" Ophelia replied, relaxing a bit since - for the moment - she had no possibility to escape anyway.
"Your chrome's tenfold above my pay grade. Plat-cyberdeck with a shitload of RAM. You can hack several targets without breaking a sweat, and that's exactly what I want you to do." Slowly, both walked together towards the edge of the roof. "I'll go down there, straight towards that building. You're gonna shut down every fucker in my way until I'm inside. Think you can do that?"
But Ophelia just chuckled and shook her head. "And how will you make sure that I won't let you hangin' or shoot you, once you're down there."
Pressing the sharp blade even deeper against the ebony woman's skin, V just whispered "Because it's no fun for a runner to simply shoot another one. You wanna hack me and let my head explode. You wanna fry my synapses. You wanna erase my soul. Isn't that the real netrunner-game?"
Ophelia gulped hard. So hard, that her skin got graced by the blade's edge. V was right. Killing someone with a gun was brute and barbaric. But dueling another runner in the net. Defeating him with your iron will. That was true art, and just thinking about this let a shiver of excitement run through her body.
"Deal!" she eventually huffed with a ping of arousal, being surprised that the blade and V had already vanished in the shadows again.
She took a peek down the streets, where the confusing gunfight was still going on. Then she spotted V, who was crouching behind an already entirely, with bullet holes, riddled car. Their sights met for a short moment, and then, she began to run.
Realizing that her chrome was working again, she immediately began to hack and eliminate every Maelstromer who was in V's way.
Cheap implants started to short-circuit and burn, guns failed, heads exploded, friends were starting to shoot at friends. Ophelia was performing a concert of pain and death. A real art of killing.
She had just killed the last two Maelstromer as she focused on V, ready to hack and disable her. But like the violet-haired woman had expected this move, she turned around and immediately began to attack her short-term ally.
What a laughable try! A foolish endeavor to duel with a top-tier netrunner.
A smug smile appeared on Ophelia's face since she claimed herself as already victorious. She would upload her hacks onto the target way faster then her opponent could. She would win the struggle of minds and skills.
Or would she?
Suddenly a fast filling loading bar appeared in her sight.
A pre-installed hack? A neuro-virus? Or had she simply used up the entire capacity of her cyberdeck?
Her ICE cracked in no time, and agonizing pain followed, making her scream, right before her brain began to burn to cinder.
Judy was walking through the northern, mostly rundown part of Watson. Her head was covered by - from a street vendor bought - hoodie. She tried to stay cool, but her eyes were still panicky scanning her surroundings.
Garbage was laying everywhere, buildings were crumbling under the merciless teeth of time, industrial structures were abandoned or housed by the scum of society.
She felt so unsafe, literally naked. Especially without V.
'This is why I have to find and help her!' she told herself and kept going, ignoring all the skeevy people she was passing.
She had taken the bus to the closest stop of the brothel and was now walking the rest. She must be close now.
Minutes ago, a gunfight had started somewhere, and the closer she came to her destination, the louder it became, causing her to fear the worst. But even worse was the fact that she didn't have any gun to defend herself, if necessary.
She was just about to go around a corner as a few bullets were whizzing by her face, missing it only a few inches.
Startled and her adrenaline rising, Judy gasped a loud "Fuck!" and took cover. After a moment to calm down, she glimpsed cautiously around the corner and witnessed a massive gunfight.
Several dead were already plastering the street, buildings and cars were riddled by countless bullet holes, curses and commands were yelled. And even though it was pure chaos, Judy managed to spot V, running through the battle. Combatants were falling left and right from her like being hit by an invisible force.
Before she entered one of the buildings, she turned one last time around, looking at someone or something for a short moment, before she kept going.
Judy just wanted to use the chance to follow her as a car stopped with screeching tires right beside her.
It was Jackie, who yelled through the open window "C'mon, chica loca, get in!"
"No, I need to help V!" she yelled back and started to sprint towards the building where her friend had vanished.
But before she could get too far, Jackie's car cut off her way, and immediately bullets began to impact into the chassis. She hid behind the vehicle, Jackie joining her.
"Motherfuckers!" he cursed and began to return fire. "We need to get outta here! V can take care of herself."
Maybe he was right. Maybe it was just foolish to think that she could help her friend. She didn't even have a gun. There was just nothing she could do, as disappointing as it sounded.
Judy was just about to agree to retreat as loud sirens were mixing into the battle sounds and the NCPD joined the combat.
Not being fond of the police, the Maelstrom members immediately opened fire at the police cars, greeting them with a bulletstorm.
Knowing that they would soon be in the crossfire, Jackie grabben Judy by her arm and dragged her into the closest building, ramming the main door down with his shoulder.
"Maldito infierno, it's a war out there," the tall man mentioned calmly as he reloaded his pistols. "C'mon, Judy, let's find a way outta here." And as Judy wanted to protest again, he got serious, chiding "Listen, chica, I know that you're head over heels into V. But right now, you're causing more trouble than being of help, you got that. We need to get you back to-..."
As the sounds of even more Sirens, mixed with the jets of several AVs sounded, Jackie just gasped "¡Jesucristo! MaxTac…"
Her Mantisblades sunk deep into a Maelstromer's chest, before she pulled one out again and severed his head from the shoulders.
Right beside her, Adolfo shot another enemy right in the head with his revolver, turning it into a mash of blood and metal.
Miss Crown let her gaze sway around. The streets had turned into a warzone, thanks to one little shot. They had tried to follow the merc, but she had been fast and out of reach as more gangbangers had approached and cut them off. Forcing them back to their original position.
"We need to fall back!" Adolfo yelled over the noise. "Or we risk to get encircled"
"FUUUCK!" the Asian woman yelled and was about to give the order as she witnessed how the target was crossing the street while every enemy in her way was falling.
"Ophelia!" she spoke through the com, but got no response. "Ophelia, she's there, on the street! Hack her, for fuck's sake!"
But nothing happened and she vanished into the building. It was now more than probable that Ophelia was dead. A top-tier netrunner, flatlined by a simple merc. She needed this woman, no matter the cost!
She activated her Sandavistan and sprinted towards the brothel, killing every gangbanger in her way with her blades.
"Caren, goddammit!" Adolfo called after her, right before he saw that MaxTac was closing in. "Fuckdammit! Fall back, everyone! Fall back!"
MaxTac. The apex predators of the NCPD. Heavily armed and equipped, and chipped to the teeth.
Judy had never seen them live in action. It was always on the news when MaxTac had brought down another Cyberpsycho or ended an overboarding gangwar.
Now she witnessed through the window how they mowed down everyone, who had been crazy enough to still resist or hold a gun in their hands. Bullets were just deflected by their armor, nothing could stop them. And soon, it was quiet and the entire street plastered by numerous corpses. Blood was flowing along the curb and down the next drain.
"Dios mío," Jackie gasped as he looked out of the window as well. "They just flatlined 'em all within minutes." Then, he looked at his mother's car, seeing it burning in the middle of the street, which caused him to let out another deep sigh.
"Alright, show's over. Now, how do we get into that fuckin' club?" Judy asked, already looking around, which caused Jackie to lose his patience.
"We don't, chica. Don't you get it? Out there isn't your regular badge, who you can impress with your culo. This is MaxTac. They don't ask, they don't talk, they don't hesitate. They just shoot you if you pose a threat. So, we'll stay put and once we get a chance, we'll leave and head back to Misty."
"But what about V?" Judy exclaimed, walking up and down. "We need to help her!"
Now the tall man stepped forward and grabbed the smaller woman by her shoulders, yelling "Why, chica? Why do you wanna help her? You can't shoot, you can't fight. So, why do you think that she needs your help? If Wakako hadn't told me that you're in trouble, I wouldn't have been on Jig-Jig street to help you. You would've died. And this time, there's no one to bail you out."
"Then I die tryin'!" she shot back, freeing herself from his grasp. "It's my fault that V's down there! That she's risking her neck. If something happens to her… If she…if she dies, you think I could live with that? So, yes, I can neither shoot nor fight, but I do what I can to help."
Jackie looked into her watery eyes for a moment, his anger dissipating with every second as he saw the determination within them.
"You got some cojones gigante, chica!" he eventually sighed and shook his head in defeat. "But it still doesn't solve the problem of how we get across the street without getting annihilated."
"Hmm…" Judy hummed as her mind was searching for an idea. Eventually, she remembered something from her youth. "C'mon, big guy! I think I know how we get across."
Quickly, she was leading the way downstairs, until they were searching around the vast, dark production hall. The sun had already set and so they had to use the infra-vision of their optic implants.
"There!" the young woman suddenly said, pointing towards a small, metallic hatch on the floor. Jackie opened it with some difficulty before they both stared into a black hole.
"So, what's that?" the Hispanic man asked suspiciously.
"A maintenance shaft," Judy answered and told "Right after we moved from the badlands into the city, I called two places my real home: the junkyard and old industrial places like this one, because there, I could find all the spare parts I needed for my tinkerin'. The best parts were in buildings that were still used, but they were also guarded by cams, security 'n' shit. The maintenance shafts of an industrial complex link all of them. Power, water, data lines…they all go through here, from building to building. Not secured and by most people forgotten."
"But also very small," Jackie mentioned as he looked at the tunnel that was stuffed with cables and pipes.
"For you, probably. I, however, should still fit through it. And if I'm right, this leads right under the street to the club. Let's just hope they didn't seal it."
"Or booby trapped it," he threw in, pulling one of his guns out and reaching it to Judy. "Here, chica, it's loaded. I'll wait here and cover the exit. If there's trouble or you can't get through, you come back, okay?"
"Got it. See ya later, big guy!" Judy returned and let herself glide into the entirely obscure tunnel.
Right after V had entered the building, there was a first checkpoint. But it was deserted since their former occupants were probably involved in the battle outside. Still, she remained cautious as she kept going, her gun ready.
Most of the building was rundown, but that was probably just a facade. Like most underground clubs, it was hidden in the basement of such buildings, and of course she found some, with light strings decorated, stairs that were leading downstairs.
At the bottom, was a heavy metal door, which just opened as a Maelstromer stepped outside. Two quick headshots let him hit the floor.
Knowing that her presence was now revealed, the young merc quickened her pace. She kicked open the door, which hit another gang member, who wanted to see what was going on, right in the face, sending him to the ground. Two shots later, he was dead as well.
At first sight, the Greasy Piston looked like every common brothel: A giant room with bright lights, loud music and a bar with some private stalls on the side. In the back, there were probably the private rooms and jerk-off-boxes for the average BD-user.
But in detail, the real horrors of this place could be seen. Operating tables and tools, both blood smeared, were in the private stalls. Instead of only sex toys, cheap implants were laying around. Corpses of freshly abused and mutilated women scattered over the place. The stench was breathtaking. This wasn't a house of pleasure, but of torture and death.
Some Maelstromers, who were still watching their BDs while jerking off, probably hadn't even noticed the commotion outside. Another one was still busy operating on a woman while having sex with her. No wonder with this loud music.
Disgusted by this picture of inhuman violence, V had to gulp down her bile. She would've loved to shoot each and everyone of these sick bastards, but that wasn't her mission at the moment. No, she needed to find Evelyn Parker and then get out.
The guy who had been busy with the prostitute turned towards her with a quizzical gaze. At least, that was how V interpreted it, since every Maelstromer had these huge, red-glowing optics in their face.
But this wasn't the time for hesitation. She shot him in the head and moved on. Yet, this one shot was too loud, even for the music, and alarmed everyone in this club.
V began to gun down as many gang members as possible, but they were too much. The whole room was soon filled with dozens of gunshots.
Soon, there were at least 20 Maelstromers in this room, all of them armed.
V had taken cover in one of the stalls, trying to return fire, but it was impossible in this bulletstorm. Desperately, she tried to find an exit, but there was none, except for a small hatch on the ground, which was locked tight. Only a prostitute with blue hair, and a naked body that was perverted with countless cheap implants was in there with her. She was strapped to one of the operating tables. Fresh scars were showing that she had been operated on not long ago, and the sperm on her body that someone used to have pleasure while doing it.
Suddenly, the bullethail stopped and a mechanical voice - which is very common for Maelstromers - chimed.
"A'right, meatbag, you had your fun. Now come out or we'll bomb da shit outta ya."
Her plan had been working so far, but now it was over. Her luck had run out, eventually. She was stuck with no possibility to escape. Her ammunition was almost spent and she was already exhausted from using her Sandavistan before. Even hacking her way out wasn't an option, since her Cyberdeck was limited and there would be too many targets to hack. So, the only viable options were to either die or to give up and hope for another chance to turn the tide.
"Alright, I'm comin' out!"
She threw the gun out of her cover and slowly got up and walked towards the enemy, her hands up. The Maelstromers were now leaving their cover as well, victoriously closing in on the unarmed woman.
One of them was tall and lanky. He had four arms, whereas two were cybernetically enhanced and the other two entirely artificial, instead of hands they had tools and instruments like the gloves of a ripper doc. From his appearance and the authoritarian aura that surrounded him, he most likely was the boss of this club, Piledriver Billy.
He stepped forward, his mechanical voice hissing "Look what we got here, boyz! A juicy piece of 'ganic meat."
"I'm here to make a trade," V said as she tried a diplomatic approach. But it only caused the Maelstromers to laugh out loud.
"A trade?" Billy scoffed, grabbing the violet-haired merc by the collar of her jacket. "You come here, bang up my club and then you wanna trade?" His other two hands were grasping her clothes as well and ripped them apart with a strong pull, revealing her bare chest. "Lemme tell ya what, I'm gonna take you as compensation for the damage you caused!"
V just felt disgusted and furious as the gangbangers were eyeballing her breasts and lustfully chuckling.
Piledriver Billy pulled her even closer, his bad breath whiffing into her face. "I'm gonna add your nice lil', 'ganic tits to my collection. I'm gonna fuck you while I'm takin' 'em off. And once I'm done with ya, the boyz gonna have a shot at ya, too. You'll beg to die, 'coz I won't give ya the luxury of anesthetics. On the contrary, I'm gonna keep ya awake all the time. You'll regret having come here, you lil' cunt!"
There weren't many occasions V had ever been terrified. But recalling that poor, mutilated prostitute, she was afraid that she was about to share the same fate. Just imagining to end up like a braindead, chopped up zombie, who gets raped time and time again, was so horrible that V would've loved to shove a shotgun in her mouth and pull the trigger.
Sadly, she neither had a shotgun nor the possibility to decide her own fate as she got dragged to one of the operating tables under vicious cackling of the Maelstromers. Not even her screamed protests and flailing limbs were slowing it down in the slightest.
Her rescue, however, came from someone entirely unexpected. Someone, who she never wanted to be in debt with.
"Alright, gonk brains, fun's over. Hand her over to me or bear the consequences!"
Quizzically, the gang members shifted their gaze to the person who had spoken. It was Caren Crown, who was standing in the middle of the room, her arms crossed.
"And who the fuck are you?" Billy questioned while every other of his friends, except the two that were holding V down, turned towards the new threat.
"I'm the one you don't wanna mess with, fuckface," she replied and pointed at V. "I just want her, nothing else."
"But you won't get her either, bitch!" another voice chimed, and Miss Crown and especially V were entirely surprised that it was Judy Álvarez, who was pointing with a gun at everyone. Which heated the entire situation to the boiling point.
"Are ya bitches gone totally crazy?!" Piledriver Billy exclaimed furiously. His, at the crotch, armored trousers opened automatically, but instead of a penis, a long metallic phallus emerged, which then changed into a gun. Along with that, his crew raised their guns as well. "This is my house. My rules are the law, so fuck ya, ya lil' whores!"
The situation was about to escalate. But to everyone's surprise, the blue-haired prostitute, who once had been strapped to a table, was suddenly walking through the scenery, mumbling some confusing words and drawing everybody's attention.
She approached Piledriver Billy who was gazing at her quizzical and then, out of a sudden, grabbed his head like a vice and ripped it off cleanly. Out of horror and entirely taken aback, his men didn't hesitate and gunned her down.
"EVELYN!"