Interior decorations
Six heard a loud bang and turned around, crouched, arms at the ready, Mantis blades, poised, the door kicked open, one last threat. Six lunged forward and grabbed the body, slamming into the wall, the soft flesh, bending, imprinting under the weight of their metal claw. The Dog's bark grew louder, halted by a light slap. Jade smashed the butt of her pistol into the back of Six's head. The static faded with their body seeing the maid outfit. Six dropped Axle on the floor, as they gasped for air, turning around, their voice raspy.
"Usually how you greet your rescuers?" Six shook their head, retreating back into the apartment. A pool of blood leaked into the hallway, Axle followed, stepping over the bisected corpse. The walls and floors were all given a new crimson paintjob. Jade stepped inside and covered her mouth, the smell of gunpowder, brought back memories, mixed with the scent of a sewer from the bodies on the floor. She stepped on something that burst under her foot. She covered her mouth and felt herself gag, the burning of what little she had to eat climbing up her throat. Jade retreated in the corridor. Axle placed his hands on his hips and whistled.
"I like what you've done with the place." Axle ventured forth to the walls of refrigerators. The one closest to him was already propped open by meat bag's dented head, Axle pulled them out of the way, searching inside the fridge, viewing a bloodied hand sticking out of an ice box, no eyes to be seen. Everything to make the apartment homely had been replaced with things that belonged in a back alley surgery, the couch was a steel operating chair, where a dining table would be was various computers around it, monitoring the corpse splayed onto. Dead. Six checked their body, had their blades done this? The cuts were there, but the amount of blood was too little to happen to fresh meat. They looked across the main room. Tables turned into cover, split in two, wardrobe's throne around and a smashed window. Six stuck their head out to see a body in a red pool. Six held their head, bumping through a door. The pressure exerted itself on their temples. Their ganic brain, was the only part that could ache. It made the sensation a fresh pain, stubbing one's toe, they were prepared; the feeling had grown unfamiliar to Six. Axle kicked a severed head across the room.
"You went psycho huh?"
"Self-defence." Six grabbed a weapon, assimilating what they could into an arsenal. "I can't go psycho." Axle nodded and stepped towards the corpse with the biggest gun, taking cred chips and searching for key cards, pulling one out of the boss' pocket. The one closest to the most decorated weapon was usually a safe bet.
"And how's that?"
"Tanaka monitors our brains; we get sent into therapy if we show signs.'
"You had your hands around my neck. That's not a sign?" Six-pointed to his head.
"The off switch. Tanaka would have turned me off."
"Tanaka or Arasaka."
"Both. You're in no danger, my aggression spikes or my berserk goes haywire, Tanaka takes care of it. If you're scared, you can back out. You wouldn't be the first." Axle looked at what had been looted from the bodies, golden rings, credit chips and bracelets with some kind of rock in them, fake or genuine it could be pawned for a profit. The borg did all the hard work.
"People like me aren't meant to live long anyway. Your work will make me rich, and when it's my time, it's my time. Just know. I ain't going down without a fight. So, until those Fancy eyes start seeing me as a target, They can help look for what we came here for."
"This was just one job." Six's optics darted around searching for eyes. A safe behind a poster, tearing off the Bushido XI poster.
"And I can get you more. Think of the money we can make."
"And Jade?"
"She's not cut out for this life. you and I though." Axle threw a credit chip to Six. un-locking the safe where the smaller, more expensive cyberware lay, chips, Memory boosts, visual cortex supports, bio-mon's. Axle swiped them all, placing them in his pockets. "We are. Where is our buyer?"
"I'll think about it, while you take us to Japantown."
"I'll even drive you there, can't use public transport like that?" Axle gestured Six's naked shell.
"What's wrong?"
"Where are your clothes?"
"I don't need them."
"You definitely do, and you need a wash, ya' look like you've been murdered."
"I see your point." Six stood and grabbed the least bloody body and Axle heard a shower, heading outside where he was met with Jade raising a gun to his head, He yelled out and took cover. Peaking out, a shot hadn't been fired, Axle raised his hands and Jade was aiming past him
"Sorry, thought. Thought you were Six. Has he?"
"He's not psycho." Axle's figure took up the door frame. He looked back, hearing the rain of water, that would have to hide a whisper, even if the thing had augmented ears.
"The bodies." Jade's eyes looked past Axle, waiting for the dark goliath to take up the entirety of the frame, their red eyes piercing through the dark. Axle reached for her weapon, lowering it. The weapon still quivering in her hands, the bottom of her shoe bloodied the stains on the carpet. Axle looked over his shoulder nodding his head.
"The Corp has an off switch, but it's Saka pulling it. Second thoughts?"
"Nothing but." Jade holstered her weapon. "You got an alternative way to make money fast?"
"Not unless you wanna' kill and judging by your reaction. I'd guess no." Axle held up the eyeballs. "You wanted these." Jade recoiled. Axle grabbed a surgical glove from the apartment, dropping the eyes in the glove and offered them to Jade. "We work, well togeter. Thinking of doing this in the future?" The figure behind Axle listened. Jade pushed against the wall, hoping to just phase through it, but there it was. A figure obscured by the dark, the red glow where eyes should be un-blinking, towering over man. Six stepped forwards, having found his clothes. Stepping into the light, Six looked human. He looked between the two, noting Jade's reaction.
"You're scared?" Jade nodded her head, Six observed over his shoulder, scanning for any frightening material, there wasn't even any masks or Halloween memorabilia that they could see. That only left one conclusion, Six pointed at himself. Jade nodded again. Six's arm dropped as the organic computer ran through what made Six scary, their appearance was hand-crafted to be appealing. Six's face emulated a smile, revealing perfectly white straight teeth, seen on actors and actresses. "Better?"
"Ain't you." Axle was halfway to the elevator. "What you did." Jade stuck close to Axle, as Six decided to take the steps. Footsteps heavy, head low. The mission was not a failure but Jade was well. Jade had come to rescue Six and they scared her. Outside the two were silent, only the noise of speeding cars on the highway added to the ambiance, on the side of the truck. Axle offered Jade a cigarette. She took a large drag without coughing. Six stayed out of Jade's vision. Axle between the two was the first to speak.
"Alright. I got an idea. Anyone want to hear it?"
"Does it involve selling my unconscious body?"
"That worked didn't it?"
"Why should I trust you?"
"Money." Axle turned towards Jade, she was still staring at the floor. "One where The doll."
"Not a doll. The name is Jade." She managed to speak up.
"You need a driver, right?"
"No. This, this is just for tonight." Jade clenched the bag, as she hugged herself. "Look it's whatever, thanks for the drive, Axle. Six...I just. I have to go." Axle reached inside his coat for the shotgun.
"Now I gave you those eyes, under the idea we'd be a partnership. If you want to terminate your partnership with the three of us. I'm sure Six and I will happily split those eyes half." Jade looked back, eyes wide. Staring down the shotgun. Her jaw is tight. She had to pry it open to speak up.
"Bastard."
"That's Night City Doll." A hand clasped on Axle's shoulder, Six was already behind him, the red glowed brighter than before, launching Axle into the alleyway. Axle's body smashed into a garbage bin as he screamed in pain. The glint of a silver barrel raised through the shadow of night city, The steel finger, caressing the trigger. Axle looked up at the end of the barrel and laughed, resting against the dumpster. He pushed himself up and raised his shotgun. "She's going to leave you Six, She's scared of you. Once she gets her cash, her reputation. She's gone. Me though. So long as the money keeps coming in, we're partners."
"My mission was to keep Jade safe until she finds somewhere to live. Arasaka keeps their promises."
"Six." Jade spoke out. The optics never left Axle for a second. "Leave him be. He's not threatening me anymore." Six holstered their weapon, walking closer to Axle. They stood up and tried to run only to be grabbed by Six, and dragged to the truck, slammed into it.
"You said you'd give me a rise to Japantown you're taking Jade as well."
"Alright, Alright." Axle was in the car, Six to his side. The second time he was driving with a gun in his side. Axle, looked in the rear view mirror at Jade, silent staring out the window with the red targets on him. Directed over the bridge towards Japantown.
Axle waited outside the truck as the sun began to rise on jig jig street. The last stragglers were being thrown out of bars, onto the floor to have the day to deal with their hangover and vomit on the floor, the ladies of the night were dealing with their last clients. The adult stores had bars over their windows and doors behind cages. It was never silent, nothing in Night city was. There was still the odd suit taking a shortcut when it was safe, or a robot sweeper, but compared to the filth last night, The three could wander through the street without rubbing shoulders with anyone else, it was however much harder to not step on the litter, kicking empty beer cans up the street. It had been a Friday night after all. The punks were still outside Fingers clinic. They retreated into the corner. The waiting room was empty, which meant Six didn't have to argue with anymore dolls. Fingers rubbed his eyes, yawning.
"You know what time this is?"
"It's the morning." Jade held up the bag, Fingers held out a hand expectantly, receiving the two bloodied optics, waiting for Jade to place them in his hand. Fingers laid them under a machine, looking through the microscope, made to help with circuitry and minute movements of cyberware. Fingers leaned back in their chair, spinning around, clapping his hands. "Good for more than barging into my surgery. Their fool's gold. Expected from a Valentino, but Kiroshi optics are gonna' still fetch a price." Fingers retreated to their room, returning with solid physical eddies. Untraceable. Six raised a brow, taking the paper. They held it up and flopped the paper. They placed it on the counter. A few thousand…a few thousand for eyes. That was to split. Jade kissed the money and looked up to the ceiling, a silent prayer on her way out, hiding the cash from the sleeping residence f the bottom floor.
"I'm gonna find somewhere to crash." Jade went through the door and froze. Axle was outside Fingers' clinic "What do you want? Jobs done guys…I got enough for rent."
"And what about food?" Axle had his hands in his pockets. Six's scanners couldn't detect a weapon. "Hear me out."
"You threatened me."
"Bad move. I knew. Didn't know your Corporate dog was loyal. He's dangerous though. He can earn us a lot of money, and I can drive. A third of the jobs the corp can do is more than what I get working on my own. You need food and water to keep alive, and from what you've told me, you need money fast. Let me help. Where we heading?"
"Megabuilding H-8." Axle bowed, mocking a chauffeur, opening a door for Jade. Six pressed their foot down on the truck making it's suspension squeal.
"Nothing Funny." Axle performed a mock salute as Six rode shotgun.
Past the outline of an S.C.S.M and towards the machine met with in large red letters across the screen. 'No vacancies.'
"Screw you!"
Jade kicked the machine, and it notified her it would call the authorities if the vandalism continued. Jade raised a middle finger to the camera, taking a seat on the steps, placing her head in her hands, the bags all too obvious. A weakness of the body growing tired.
"I just need a place to sleep that too hard?"
"Motel's always got rooms." Axle walked past the stairs to his truck. "I'll help take you to one, as an act of goodwill."
"There's no goodwill for threatening someone." Jade pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine, take me to a motel. Just until I find a place to live. I'll listen, but I won't agree." Six watched out the window, the neon lights dying down as everything had a faded glow to it, with dawn. The sunlight revealed the dirty windows of the motel. Axle parked up in front of it, the well-dressed ladies inviting men in had vanished, to reveal a building with a cloudy glass door. Jade stepped into the lobby, unfortunately, there were more empty rooms than occupied, she paid the machine, for a key to be deposited. The third floor with a broken elevator. She had to walk around each floor to the stairs, the top floor had carpet in the corridor that Jade lost a shoe in, sticking to…something. She groaned and had to manoeuvre through the minefield of trash, heading to a room at the end. 311. disgustingly pink room. There was at least a shower, though the tiles had mold between them, with a constant plip coming from the bathroom every few seconds. A part of the ambient noise, along with the moans from the room next door, was only interrupted by the sounds of angry honking from the road above. Jade lifted the duvet of the red heart-shaped bed to reveal stains and a spent condom. She shuddered and let go of the duvet. She took a deep breath in, Axle behind her.
"Axle's idea isn't sounding too bad. If Six is in."
"Money's always helpful."
"So we exchange numbers?" Axle held out a phone, Six added their number, wirelessly, sending it to Axle while Jade gestured her outfit.
"Buy a burner phone. The borg can call me?" Axle showed Six their number, Six's inbuilt communications adding it to their contacts.
Six retreated outside, with Axle who placed a cigarette in their mouth. Six paused, from the door.
"You think this can work Nomad?"
"What options do you got corpo?" Axle took a long drag from the cigarette, their eyes looking to Six's hands, still with a faint tint of red on them. "I saw the bodies. The way you killed them. I know. It's all about efficiency for Corp's Least words, least bullets used, I've seen cyberpsycho aftermath. Exactly like those scav's tonight. Lucky I didn't tell Jade"
"Told you. I'm not psycho."
"I know you ain't. You got it out of your system. You can do it again tomorrow, even get paid for it." Six shook their head, pacing to the corner, not listening to Axle's last words, the sound of a dog in the distance barking.
Author's note
Another chapter down. I'm tempted to get the cyberpunk board game.
On a more related story note, these edits were made at 1:A.M never a good idea, but I wanted to add some spice and Drama. Like drama.