l...l
Chapter Fifty
September 3rd, 2077
Night City, Northern California
NCPD Headquarters, City Center
Cyrus was escorted through the halls of NCPD HQ, his gaze held firmly to the ground. Avulsions and old blood stains coated his body, and even in his confined state, drops of crimson stained his seat.
The MAXTAC medic's only applied a negligible amount of bandages to his wounds, preferring to let him bleed out rather than risk stabilizing his condition enough for an escape attempt.
Cyrus's injuries weren't severe enough to hinder any escape attempt, but the amount of rifles pointed at the back of his head made even him hesitate. It certainly didn't help that the bindings keeping his arms and legs firmly in place were coursing with debilitating electricity.
Since Cyrus's days scavenging for food on Ferax's streets, pain had become a close friend. The feeling manifested itself in a variety of ways, but no matter what the circumstances, it was a familiar sensation.
And damned if he was feeling it droves right about now.
He was confined to a chair encased inside a sophisticated containment cube, and its material was a dense metal that most likely contained some form of titanium.
Regardless, he was in an extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable situation, which his captor enjoyed watching. Melissa Rory and the rest of her crew were tasked with transporting him to the NCPD's heavy containment zone, which housed the department's most dangerous inmates.
Commissioner Fawlter wasn't stupid enough to put him in holding with the other prisoners. Otherwise, the police department would need a thousand body bags by the end of the night.
Every nerve in Cyrus's body screamed for him to leap into action and pound on the MAXTAC officers who dared to imprison him. His mind demanded action, but his body disobeyed him with the constant stream of debilitating voltage coursing through his veins.
Cyrus' skin felt like needles were puncturing straight through his muscles and burrowing into his bones, and each burst of electricity sent a high-pitched shudder through his brain.
The MAXTAC officers seemed to enjoy his suffering, and Cyrus prayed for a moment that the voltage would knock him out so he wouldn't have to listen to them gossip.
"I don't know about you guys." Sergeant Reynolds knocked his knuckles against his containment cell. "But I still can't believe we got him."
"The only reason we did, was because he wasn't in that supped-up armor of his." Master Sergeant Sharpe quipped back from the rear of the formation. "If he had it, we wouldn't be rolling him into the isolation chambers."
"It almost takes away the legitimacy of our hunt." Aliya Siegfried interjected with a bitter tone. "If he wasn't at his best, then can it really be called a victory."
"You're fucking kidding me, right?" Aliya's twin sister spat out. "We did the job, and this fucker is done and dusted. It makes no difference to me how it happened, only that it did happen. As far as I'm concerned, we won fair and square, and the next time I see this asshole, he'll be one of us."
Amanda Siegfried knocked her fist onto the chamber, and Cyrus shot her a narrow glance of contempt. The twin gave him a middle finger and a condescending glance that put her at the top of his shit list when he got out.
"You're as short-sighted as ever," Aliya countered."This city practically worships Cypher. You don't think his followers will try to break him out?"
"No one gets out of here, sister." Both twins exchanged narrowed looks and were rearing for another one of their patented arguments when Sharpe stepped in.
"Enough!" The Master Sergeant sought to break the tension before it escalated. "If none of you can keep your discipline in check, then keep your mouths shut. The job isn't done until we reach the isolation chambers."
The two went quiet for a moment before Reynolds cut into the silence with a curious tone. "Cypher's got you spooked, doesn't he?"
"More than you know, Reynolds." Sharpe readily admitted. "I've met Cypher's type when I was in the army. Unquestionably lethal and without fear of the consequences his actions bring. Commander Enyala sees an asset she can use, but I only see a wild dog off his leash."
"Relax, Sharpe." Reynolds placated his superior, once again earning Cyrus's ire, but this time he went a step further and aimed for a spot right above his head. "See, he's as harmless as a fly right now, and he won't be moving any time soon. So take a breath and accept the fact that this is probably the last time he'll want to kill you."
"I'll relax when he's out of our hair." Sharpe retorted with a narrow glance that sent Reynolds in faux retreat. "I don't know what Lieutenant Rory sees in him."
At this point, Cyrus was beginning to make a few exceptions to his no-killing cops rule.
Rory tuned out her companions, content to lead the convoy in silence while they bickered amongst themselves. The group passed a junction of holding cells belonging to supermax inmates from almost every gang in Night City, some of whom belonged to the now-defunct Tyger Claws and Maelstrom gangs.
They didn't recognize the newest addition to the supermax cells, but sooner or later, the prison rumor mill would start churning out that information, and Cypher would have a target on his back should he ever enter general population.
The convoy reached the MAXTAC section of the heavy containment zone, and a pair of impregnable titanium doors swung open, revealing encroaching darkness.
Rumors constantly plague the supermax inmates of what goes on behind those doors. Some people believe it's where MAXTAC operators go to relieve themselves of their bloodthirsty tendencies, torturing the inmates inside until their fill has been satisfied.
Others are under the impression that they keep good behavior inmates locked inside away from the rest of the animals that make up the maximum security quarters. However, the truth is far more sinister, and a great many inmates refuse to believe that the guardian angels of Night City could ever stoop so low.
Behind those impregnable walls are horrors intended to shatter a person's body and mind until they are nothing more than a sack of flesh ready to be molded into one of the NCPD's most ruthless killers.
Commander Enyala remained just outside the doors, her gaze never leaving Cyrus's crimson glare as he drew closer. Rory stepped off to the side, joining her commander as each woman consumed the majority of his vision.
"Welcome to your new home." Enyala's venomous tone echoed across the corridors. "I will be expecting much from you in the coming days, and I look forward to our next meeting under more…pleasant circumstances."
"I wouldn't be so sure..." Cyrus bit out, earning a cheshire grin from Enyala and Rory alike. "When I get out of here, I'm going to kill both of you. That much you can be sure."
"Then I look forward to the attempt." Enyala waved the convoy on, watching with interest as the Headhunter rolled into the isolation chambers under heavy guard.
As a fresh voltage of electricity burnt through Cyrus' skin, he snarled with contempt. His vision was blurred by pain, but he could see the encroaching darkness creeping ever closer.
Survival was his only instinct, and now it was up to him to endure everything these fools could throw at him.
Cyrus's life was now in the hands of those he held close, and he had to trust the people he summoned from the howling dark to execute what needed to be done.
Otherwise, he would die in this god's forsaken prison.
September 4th, 2077
Night City, Northern California
Bloodhound Sanctuary, Northside
CODE BLACK PROTOCOL IS ACTIVE…
ALL OPERATIVES ARE TO CEASE CURRENT OPERATIONS AND RETURN TO BASE…
When the code black protocols were triggered, a warning flashed across Iwasaki's HUD while he and Sparrow were on reconnaissance duty in Vista Del Rey.
Only four Bloodhound were in the field at the time of its activation. The rest of his brethren were running through a training simulation, getting the new blood up to speed.
Iwasaki and Vulture immediately abandoned their recon mission and exfiltrated back to the hideout to find Ocelot anxiously awaiting their arrival. He was expecting to hear back from their Sensei at some point during their journey home, but his communication device was off the grid.
"Any word from Cypher?" The concern in Iwasaki's voice was palpable, and when Ocelot shook his head in negative, his mood did not improve.
"Falcon and Sparrow made it out of Wellsprings along with Acadia, but Cypher's still missing." Iwasaki cursed under his breath and made a beeline towards their command station. Vulture lingered behind, sending a narrow glance towards his fellow Bloodhound.
"Are you telling me they left him behind?" Ocelot shrugged his shoulders in uncertainty.
"All I know is Cypher not on comms, and he's not on the transport."
"Fucking MAXTAC." Tiger joined Vulture and Ocelot's tense conversation after ascending from the lower echelon of their hideout where the training rooms were located.
The new blood were receiving an education on fire team tactics by Jaguar and Leopard. Both Bloodhounds proved to be brutal taskmasters in this lesson, and for the moment, their recruits would be preoccupied with surviving their latest trial.
It wouldn't last long though, sooner or later, everyone would figure out that Cypher was MIA, and it would be up to each Bloodhound to find him. The mere idea that their Sensei may be dead didn't even cross their minds, and he wouldn't allow such a thing to occur.
Iwasaki sat into the command chair, plugged his interface into the workstation, and tried to access the Night City's telecommunications servers.
However, with the NCPD activating their Long Night Initiative, the city's telecom network was severed, and an information blackout consumed every corner of the city's core districts. If Iwasaki was going to figure out where Cypher was, he needed accurate information inside Heywood, which meant establishing a direct connection to the NCPD servers.
It was a risky maneuver, but Iwasaki was confident in the program Cypher apparently installed into the workstation to assist their cyberwarfare capabilities. Iwasaki didn't know the program's designation, but it was awfully lifelike compared to most AI programs he'd run into.
"Program, access NCPD telecoms network and commandeer the CCTV cameras." An avatar that closely resembled a military-aged woman in combat fatigues appeared out the corner of Iwasaki's vision.
The Bloodhound waited for the familiar robot-like acknowledgment from the artificial program, but all he received was a narrowed look that put him on edge. Iwasaki shook his head and once again pressed the artificial entity for a response.
"Program, are you receiving me?" His thoughts were thrown into turmoil as the ethereal woman rolled her eyes in amusement, and he immediately sought to disconnect from the workstation.
"Oh no," Iwasaki's limbs locked up with a wave from the avatar's left hand."You and I are overdue a much-needed conversation, Bloodhound."
With a snap of the finger, Iwasaki found himself hanging in the shadows, with nothing but pitch darkness wherever he turned.
This...thing was not like any other software he had encountered before, and he was beginning to suspect Cypher of misleading him about his artificial assistant.
Iwasaki could still feel an invisible vice-like grip keeping his limbs in place, and with slight trepidation, he called out into the darkness.
"What are you?" A blink later, the ethereal woman emerged from the darkness with a smile gracing her holographic features.
"My name is Chamber, and I need your help getting my boy back." Iwasaki's brows furrowed in confusion.
"Your…Boy?" Chamber answered his confused inquiry by materializing CCTV camera footage where a large contingent of MAXTAC surrounded a man pinned to the muddied ground by a Berserker.
"I need your help getting Cypher back." Her voice had an emotion in it that Iwasaki could not place. It was a somber, almost despondent sensation, laced with potent anger.
Far too human for his tastes, but something told him that silence was the better part of valor in this situation.
"Say I want to help you," Iwasaki replied tentatively. "How do I know that's really Cypher? I've never seen him outside of his armor, and I don't even know what he looks like."
Chamber had picked up on Iwasaki's unstated comments. The Bloodhound didn't know much about his Sensei, and there was no reason for him to put his life in the hands of an AI he didn't know or trust.
Chamber pursed her lips in thought and ignored the urgings of caution that Cyrus always placed upon her. Her safety was his highest priority, but in that same breath, she cherished his safety as well.
Cyrus' circle of trust was small, and the Bloodhounds were not among them.
Maybe it was time to extend an olive branch towards the very people that had time and again risked their lives fighting alongside Cypher. This wouldn't be the first time she went against her caretaker's wishes of secrecy, but Chamber had the inkling of a feeling that her current situation was the exception to the rule.
Iwasaki watched the emotion play out in Chamber's eyes. An internal struggle broke out within those ethereal orbs for a brief moment before she finally came to a resounding conclusion.
"It's time for an education, Bloodhound." The invisible grips on his limbs disappeared, and she approached him with a steady gaze. "And I hope you have time for it."
"I have all the time in the world." Iwasaki's intense amber orbs matched Chamber's ghostly eyes that held a spec of amusement.
"Be careful what you wish for, Bloodhound…." The AI seized Iwasaki's skull, her fingers digging into his scalp with such ferocity that he screamed a terrible noise.
Foreign memories of otherworldly creatures clouded his senses, and standing atop piles of alien corpses was the very man he called Sensei.
"…Because you just might get it."
Iwasaki's mind flashed with recollections of a period when mankind reached for the stars wondering in their ignorance what toiled in the darkness.
Inevitably, and then the great beyond sent something back.
"Your destruction is the will of the gods, and we are their instrument!"
Iwasaki awoke with a scream, frightening his companions, who were anxiously leaning over his near-comatose body. Falcon and Sparrow arrived at the hideout shortly after he interfaced with the workstation, and his Bloodhounds had been trying in vain to rustle him awake for the past ten minutes.
"Iwasaki!" Sparrow was the first to reach for his outstretched arms, which he had raised in an apparent attempt to defend himself. "Calm down! Calm down! Falcon, get over here!"
Tsutsumi shoved past Tiger and Vulture, who had bombarded him with inquiries as soon as the trio had made it to the hideout. He arrived just in time to prevent Iwasaki from delivering a hysterical jab to Sparrow's throat, snaking an arm around his elbow and pinning it to the interface chair.
"What the fucks wrong with him!" The remaining Bloodhounds quickly swarmed their delirious leader, each seizing a different limb to prevent Iwasaki from injuring them or himself.
Vulture attempted to pin Iwasaki's left leg but suffered a nasty heel kick to the mouth in the process. "Fucking Christ! Why the goddamn face!"
"Can it, Motozawa!" Ocelot admonished his companion even as he struggled to keep Eagle's right leg pinned. Tiger waited in the wings with Acadia by his side, not wanting to jeopardize his fellow Bloodhounds' efforts to hold Iwasaki in place.
The Siren had been trying to reach her mother for the past hour, but all she received was static. Eliza was keeping to herself at the worst possible time when she needed her mother now more than ever.
When Acadia turned her gaze to the hideout entrance, she saw Luna seated at attention, awaiting Cypher's return. Nobody had the courage to inform the Warhound that her master had disappeared.
They weren't sure what her reaction would be, but with each passing second, reality began to settle into Luna's mood. She had practically bonded to the Spartan after the loss of her family, and now with Cyrus missing, she was back to square one.
Acadia often wondered if he truly knew the impact he had on the people around him.
"What's the problem?" Tiger's voice rustled Acadia from her thoughts.
"Nothing." She was quick to respond, drawing a curious glance from the Bloodhound. "It's been a long night, and knowing where this night is heade-"
Acadia's brain short-circuited when a word came out of Iwasaki's mouth that he should never have known about.
"Covenant! Harvest! Actium!" Acadia rushed towards the hysterical Bloodhound shoving Falcon to the side and pinning him into the interface chair with one arm.
"What did you just say." Impossibly Iwasaki's arms seized up, and he turned ever slowly towards Acadia with a blank expression.
"You have been called upon to serve." She watched the madness consume his mind. "You will be the protector's of Earth and all her colonies."
Acadia seized Iwasaki by the scruff of his shirt and brought him close enough for her indignant stare to consume his vision. "How do you know all of this."
She was not prepared for his following words.
"Chamber."
Iwasaki slipped into blissful unconsciousness, leaving Acadia and his Bloodhounds to stand among one another in confusion.
Sparrow was the first to speak up. "Who's Chamber?"
"Uh, that would be me." All eyes trailed to spectral entity taking shape upon the workstations connected war table. The Bloodhounds stared on in pure bewilderment that could be summed up in a few words by Vulture himself.
"What the fuck?"
Acadia growled out a resigned exhale.
Tonight was all kinds of fucked up.
Night City, Northern California
The Estate, North Oak
Illabye – Tipper
Eliza sat in her backyard for the tenth time that month, mindlessly staring at the beacon of light that was Night City. Her azure eyes idly swept the horizon, a mirror reflection of her thoughts as they remained frozen for hours on end.
The once-venerable Matriarch of the Siren Order had slipped into seclusion, and with each passing day, she appeared to slide deeper into melancholy.
She was completely lost, and no amount of effort from Liana or her youngest daughter awoke the Matriarch from her stupor. She had become almost fragile to touch after Isabel's execution.
The death of Eliza's oldest daughter, while painfully needed, was a severe blow to her psyche system that Liana wasn't prepared to handle. The loyal Siren hoped that Acadia would visit the estate to bury the hatchet with her mother, but she had yet to arrive.
Acadia had officially entrusted the task of reestablishing the Sirens to the Elder council while she traveled to the surface to train under her...Cyrus.
Cyrus.
A name that was supposed to belong to a dead man somewhat responsible for her Matriarch's languishing state. Liana didn't know the details, but Cyrus's sudden return from the grave and his subsequent hand in Isabel's death had shaken Eliza to her core.
She rarely reacted to stimuli from the outside world. Liana occasionally caught Eliza performing the bare minimum such as eating, sleeping, and bathing herself, albeit slowly.
Eliza did nothing other than these essential tasks, and her behavior greatly concerned Liana and Selena.
"She's listening to that song again." Eliza's youngest daughter whispered into Liana's ear as the pair looked upon her mother. "I…I don't like that song."
"Yeah…" Liana let out a weary sigh. "So do I." She could not blame Selena in the slightest. Eliza's favorite song had a unique tune that she could not get enough of.
Despite its origins, it had an unpleasant and sinister tone that was supposedly intended to put a toddler to sleep. Liana couldn't understand the particulars of such an eerie tune, but Eliza hadn't listened to it since before Isabel's rebellion.
Ever since Cyrus resurfaced, the tune had been played at the estate in a near-constant pattern. During each listening session, Eliza had a pair of dog tags belonging to Cyrus wrapped around her right hand.
It was clear that the Matriarch dearly missed her friend? Partner?
Again the details went unspoken and unsolicited.
"Liana." A tug at her sleeve drew her attention away from the brooding Matriarch to an openly concerned Selena. "Is mommy ok?"
"Your mom's fine, pumpkin." Liana ruffled the little tyke's hair with an easy smile. "She's just…going through the motions. I'm sure she'll be back on her feet in no time."
She tried to take Liana's words at heart, but a single glance towards her mother snuffed away any hope of comfort. There was regret in her mother's eyes every time she looked down at her Uncle's dog tags.
Selena was young, but she wasn't naïve enough to ignore the reasons for her mother's behavior. No one told Selena what happened to Cyrus after being sent to bed, and her mother silenced any attempt to find out with a cutting glance.
At first, Selena assumed that it had to do with Isabel. She had never met her older sister, but Acadia and Liana had assured her that Isabel was a bad person who had done a lot of horrific things.
Selena had no choice but to believe her sister's words, no matter how painful it was to learn that one of her siblings was a horrible person.
Liana let out a deep exhale, withdrawing to the estate all the while shooting Eliza a disappointed glance. Selena lingered a bit longer, torn between approaching her mother and staying still before opting for the latter.
She didn't know how long she stood there for, but after what seemed like hours, her holo view received an unexpected call from Acadia. Selena's face turned brightly at the prospect of conversing with her older sister but also soured when she realized that Acadia hadn't been home in weeks.
"Acadia!" Selena spoke with joy that turned somewhat bitter. "Where have you been?!"
"I've been…." Acadia struggled with her words. "…Busy. Look, pumpkin, I'm in a hurry. Is mom there? She's not answering my calls, and I can't get ahold of Liana."
Selena took a few steps back and giggled when she found her caretaker sprawled out on the luxury couch, snoring her troubles away.
"She's sleeping." She informed an irritated Acadia. "What do you need mom for?"
"I need her help. Can you tell her to answer her damn phone, please?" Selena was alarmed by Acadia's pleading tone, and being the dutiful sister she was, Selena dashed over to Eliza with haste hopping over lawn chairs and other porch decorations with ease.
Eliza was in the midst of a long-forgotten memory when her life was far simpler with killing Covenant while Cyrus stood by her side. The memories were rarely enjoyable, but there were a few instances where her time spent among Cyrus and Casey was…pleasant.
"…Mother." The dainty voice of her daughter snapped Eliza out of her stupor.
"Yes, sweetling?" A handheld phone was outstretched towards Eliza, who looked on with curiosity.
"Arcadia needs to talk to you." Selena piped up, her eyes filled with such concern that it broke Eliza's heart to know that she was the reason. "She said it's important."
The anticipation of speaking with her daughter did not improve Eliza's mood. Acadia had disobeyed her instructions to keep a respectful distance from Cyrus, but she could not blame her errant offspring.
Her twins had grown up on stories revolving around Cyrus and the deeds he committed alongside her. Eliza used him to exemplify what they should strive to emulate in a world that only seemed to cherish corruption.
It was a shame that Isabel only seemed to mimic the brutality her Uncle was renowned for.
Eliza reached for the holo view slowly, beckoning Selena inside before bringing the communication device to her ear.
"Acadia?" Eliza queried, expecting to listen to her daughter for the first time since Isabel's execution.
However, the voice that responded belonged to a soul that she'd hoped never to hear from again.
"Eliza." The Matriarch's azure orbs brimmed with an unreadable emotion.
"Chamber." She bit out with no small amount of dissatisfaction. "Why are you calling me?"
"I need your help." Years ago, Eliza would have rejoiced that the pretentious AI had finally capitulated and asked for support, but time had dissolved such childish grudges to some extent.
It was no secret that both women heavily disliked one another at one point during their partnership in Reaper Team. That dislike turned into grudging respect over time, but neither Eliza nor Chamber would ever truly get used to one another.
"Why do you, of all people, need my help? Where's Cyrus?" It took every fiber of Eliza's being not to come off as bitter. She wouldn't give Chamber that satisfaction of knowing she could elicit such a response even decades later.
He was the only reason they could tolerate one another, and he would once again need to be the catalyst to their reunification.
Just not in the way Eliza would want.
"Cyrus has been captured."
Her fingers nearly snapped the holo view in two.
Eliza's muscle's tightened, her eyes narrowed with sheer determination, but her voice remained even and unabated. Only those who truly knew her understood that this was the pretext to a fury that could be contained.
All reservations and concerns about the unwanted connection between her family and her spartan past faded into the atmosphere as a fire pooled at the bottom of her stomach.
"Where is my armor?" Chamber hesitated for but a moment, but Eliza's eyes blazed with a fury that only a Spartan could feel.
The Matriarch of the Siren Order was gone.
Only the Spartan remained.
Eliza stormed into Cyrus's lair an hour later, looking for the one thing on the planet that would satisfy a growing need.
Her MJOLNIR.
She found her baby hooked up to a mass of workstations alongside Cyrus's MJOLNIR. The Mk V(B) helmet seemingly stared back at her with contempt, its golden visor boring into her soul in an almost distasteful manner.
Eliza abandoned her armor after Isabel's rebellion, and this was only the third time in years she'd laid eyes upon it. The plasma marks were a stark reminder of the responsibility that lay unfulfilled and forgotten.
You don't deserve this. Eliza felt her MJOLNIR silently criticize its former bearer.
I know, but I need you. The Matriarch could not bear her own inadequacies, and it brought her crawling back to the supposed source of what she accused as the cause of all her troubles.
And so does Cyrus, but the question remains. Are you going to leave him behind too?
Never.
Time to find out, Spartan.
It didn't matter what Eliza needed to do to get her brother back, and as her hands grasped the familiar texture of her MJOLNIR, she felt her nerves settle for the first time in years.
The helmet was the final piece to the puzzle, and Eliza released a heavy breath when the familiar smell and taste of filtered oxygen graced her senses. Her heads up display lit with a pleasant hue, and the ethereal avatar of her once loathed AI came to life.
"How's it feel?" Chamber inquired, running through her armor's diagnostics.
"Like home." Eliza flexed every muscle in her body, enjoying the shift of her nanocomposite bodysuit practically molding to her skin.
Damn, did it feel good to be back.
"Don't get too comfortable," Chamber warned. "We still need to head for the sanctuary and figure how the hell we're going to get Cyrus out of NCPD HQ."
Eliza had no concerns about the AI's capabilities. Despite their tense relationship, Chamber was damn good at her job.
She proceeded to the Bloodhound Sanctuary, working out the kinks that had built up during the previous seven years of inactivity over the several dozen kilometer distances between the two safe-havens.
The Matriarch arrived at the Sanctuary in the middle of the night, nearly giving the Bloodhound commander called Eagle a heart attack. Eliza recalled that he and seven of his companions fervently followed Cyrus into the catacombs without batting an eye.
The next few days would prove whether or not her brother's faith in him was just.
She used to enjoy the crippling fear of Nightstalkers and Bloodhounds, who wandered around claiming they were the most dangerous creatures on the planet.
That was no longer the case when Eliza crash-landed onto the shores of Los Angeles almost three decades ago.
For now, they had work to do.
Night City, Northern California
Aldecaldo Territory, Badlands
With a furious pull of her arm, Panam yanked on the doors of her habitation pod. In her opinion, the last few days in the Badlands had been as terrible as it could get.
When word came down that she and V were needed back in camp for a meeting, they had just finished raiding a Wraith encampment south of the highway.
The war had finally come to a conclusion but not in the way Panam had wanted. Saul signed off on a peace treaty with Dogkiller and the rest of his psychopathic gang without consulting the other Chieftains. The Aldecaldos got their old territory back and then some, but it didn't matter in the long run.
The Wraiths were still a massive issue to contend with, and it was only a matter of time before the next war with the raffen would kick off.
Panam couldn't blame Saul for seeking a resolution considering the stalemate the war had fallen into, but he could have at least kept everyone in the loop before he came to his decision.
She had just finished a very passionate meeting between the Aldecaldo Chieftains that left her stressed the fuck out and pissed the fuck off. V tried to ease her stress by being her usual positive self, but Panam wasn't exactly looking for positivity.
She was looking to punch someone straight in the jaw. When the meeting was adjourned, Panam stormed back to her habitation pod pissed as hell, leaving V to keep Mitch and the rest of her inner circle occupied.
Panam wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone in the clan right about now, rolling into bed and trying to sleep the night away. Nomad politics were going to be the death of her at this rate, and she was in sore need of a vacation away from all this nonsense right about now.
V showed up about an hour into her slumber, mindlessly scanning the television and leaving Panam to herself. The Merc knew when to push her buttons and when to let the Aldecaldo cool herself down.
Panam awoke from her nap, somewhat refreshed yet sporting a nasty headache. V popped in to hand her some painkillers and water before popping off back to the living room.
"There's a lockdown happening in Night City," V mentioned offhandedly. "You don't mind if I crash here for the night, do ya?"
"As long as you sleep on the couch." Panam received a playful shove in response before V took her chin and leaned in, closing the distance between them.
The kiss was a pleasant surprise to Panam as V's supple lips were suddenly pressed onto hers, and she surrendered herself to the sensation.
Their chaste kiss turned into a deep exchange, tongues playfully teased one another as before V broke their embrace with a pleased grin. Both women had their blood pumping and hearts beating with heavy emotion, but an element was missing to their pleasure that needed to be rectified.
V reached for Panam's holo-view and tossed it into the Nomads lap. "Call him up."
"Do you think he'll know what we're talking about?" Panam teasing inquiry elicited a bark of laughter from V.
"I doubt he's ever had a booty call in his life, P," V replied with a pleasant smile. "Tell him it's an emergency, and we are in need of his tool."
Before taking up her holo-view, Panam watched V saunter into the living room, relishing the exaggerated swing of her hips. She was in dire need of some stress relief, and knowing Cyrus, he probably was too.
Panam hardly had time to think when the phone call was promptly accepted. Cyrus's calming and neutral tone, which made her skin quiver in a good way, was what she wanted to hear.
What she got was something entirely different.
"Panam." The Nomad didn't make a habit of speaking to the trusty AI. Their relationship was more acquaintances through Cyrus at this rate, and while Panam didn't dislike Chamber, that didn't mean she was gung ho about her.
Still, it was very jarring to hear Chamber's voice when she sought to speak to her caretaker.
"Um, hi Chamber." She said with a questioning glance. "Where's Cyrus?"
"We need you to come in." The AI avoided the question like the plague, immediately setting Panam on edge.
"Chamber, what the fuck's going on?" Panam's attention was ripped away by V calling out to her. The Aldecaldo immediately jumped from her bed and stormed into the living room, searching for the Merc when her eyes fell upon the N54 broadcast with a haunting sentence scrolled across the bottom.
CYPHER IN CUSTODY. MAXTAC OPERATION IN HEYWOOD LEADS TO THE VIGILANTE'S ARREST. MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW.
V's amber orbs lit with fury, and her first instinct was to rip the holo view from Panam's arms and burn a hole through Chamber's skull.
"What. The fuck. Happened."
V and Panam brimmed with a palpable rage that threatened to engulf the entire landscape. The pair departed the Aldecaldo encampment with steam coming out of their ears and a silent promise to inflict retribution against MAXTAC.
Commander Enyala and her followers made the mistake of awakening a sleeping giant that Cypher had been nurturing.
Bloodhounds who once took lives in the name of profit or misguided loyalty now walked under Cypher's banner with a renewed purpose.
A Spartan who was bloodied and broken under the weight of duty to an entire species now bore the same armor she once discarded.
As the news of his imprisonment reached the citizenry of Night City, mass demonstrations calling for his release began to flood the avenues and towering structures of Night City. Whispers of rebellion threatening to consume the ranks of the NCPD reached the ears of politicians, corporate executives, and common citizens alike.
Commissioner Fawlter made the mistake of believing that Cypher was little more than a Vigilante with a small yet fanatical following. The truth was far more dangerous to his ilk.
Cypher was now the beating heart of the forgotten, and his influence had reached every corner of Night City. From the rundown districts of Watson to the sprawling landscape of Charter Hill and to the suburbs of Santo Domingo, everyone felt his presence touch their hearts.
And there was not a heart in Night City that was not pulsing with fury.
A reckoning was coming to Commissioner Fawlter and his corrupt department of sociopathic officers, and it would come in the form of a Spartan fueled by fury.
None would be found wanting.
Ladies and Gentlemen. Grab your rifles and pitchforks it's time to go to war.
This MAXTAC Arc is gonna be a doozy and I can't wait to show you all.
Also, I have chosen a cover song for the entire fic, it was a tough choice and maybe the song is dated but the lyrics kind of follow what Cyrus was experiencing in the early parts of this story when he was more jaded and closed off. I will add it to the first chapter for people to listen too.
Hollywood undead - Take Me Home
If you didn't know this Fic is one week away from being a year old its anniversary is December 20th. This story came about because I had a forlorn heartache playing Cyberpunk 2077. The game was a gem story-wise and it both left me wanting more and broke my heart to see that its release went so terrible.
Finishing that game's story is the only reason I started writing this fic among others. So no matter what, CD Projekt Red's story writers are to thank for making such amazing characters that enticed me to begin this journey.
I am going to be working my ass off to do as much writing as possible to get this MAXTAC arc released to the public to meet the deadline. It's a tough sell but I'm more than willing to try.
Thank you all for joining me and please, stay safe out there.
Reviews:
Guest: The vote has actually ended with the DXD story being a weekly update. However, a Skyrim one is in the works and will come out when it is ready.
DannyPhantom619: Thank you good sir and Infinite is a fantastic game!
devildogg237:
Bairo: Fun game with friends, great and enticing story 10/10 would recommend.
MarauderPrime12: Thank you sir or ma'am!
human dragon: You are one of many and I am happy that this story has kept you interested for at least a year.
Next Chapter: December 20th or earlier.
The next chapter is available on my Pa t re on for those who would like to see it. The Link is below.
www .(p)at (r) e o n. co (m) /Cypher1597 (remove the spaces and () to access