Act 3: Bloodied Sands

"Sand . . . So much fucking sand!" Keira silently cursed as she continued to trek across the beach of Pacifica, filled with decaying old life guard houses with rotting wood, the once used to be pearly white paint door and walls were now a dark cream thanks to overexposure of the sun. It was her idea to arrive in the early hours of the morning and volunteer for the clean up of the beaches around Night City.

Her attire was her old Nomad gear, an off white shirt, a desert camo jacket with the sleeves rolled up, a khaki brown pair of three quarter shorts which hugged her waist firmly, and finally a pair of brown boots. After a few hours of grabbing and passing any garbage she found the trucks responsible for dealing with trash, guarded by NCPD Swat teams to keep the peace and ward off any gang activity. Of course, with Pacifica being the notorious Voodoo Boy's territory, they kept their distance and watched, with some gang members partaking in the cleanup as their way of showing a level of respect, or in most minds, restraint from causing trouble.

Most of the civilians grouped up, picking and depositing whatever they could find into the trucks, Keira let out a puff of defeat, taking the last three full bags to the truck and recieve whatever eddies she earned. It wasn't much. . . but a thousand eddies would more than cover food expenses for at least a few months. Not that money was an issue for her.

With a heavy sigh and a self pat on the back, the Nomad made her way towards a food and drink stand, her stomach growling for food. It may have been a simple menu of synthetic meat burgers and hot dogs, but it would sustain the appetite.

Grabbing a burger, fries, and a soda, Keira spotted an absent sun lounger to sit on whilst she ate. It was worn out by the passage of time, but just stable enough to use. She stared at the never ending water ahead of her, deeply focused on the waves which moved calmly. Despite her lack of fondness for sand, this was somewhat nice. She sensed a presence approach from behind, hearing a child's attempt to control their breathing so as not to get spotted.

"It's ok." Keira said in a friendly manner, "You don't have to sneak up on me to take food." She turned to see a little boy, no older than ten. His skin was dark, his clothes were just a slightly oversized vest and green shorts. Poor child looked desperate for food.

She passed the carton of fries to him and tore half of her burger and offered it. "I'm Keira."

"I-I'm Casey. . ." The boy shyly responded as he took the food, sitting next to the Nomad on the sand, "Did you take part in the clean up too?" He asked.

Keira nodded, taking a bite out of her half of the burger, "Yeah. Thought I'd do my part. Doesn't pay much but the money isn't what I need." She places the credit chip holding the one thousand eddies on Casey's lap. "So I'll give this to someone who'll need it most." She added with a small grin.

Casey smiled back and the two ate in silence. Like her brother, she was taught to show kindness and often chose to give to those who needed help the most. Although when younger, communication felt difficult for the Nomad, and some things took longer to learn, with her teachers sometimes lacking the neccessary knowledge to guide her. In spite of all the difficulties, she pulled through and even though it costed her alot of mental energy, it was progress no less.

So far, there were no signs of any threats, nor were there anything to be concerned about. Just a Nomad and a kid watching the waves in peace.

"I should probably get back home." Casey said aloud as he stood up, "My mom will be worried, but at least these eddies will keep us fed for a good while. . . T-Thank you Keira."

Keira nodded and smiled, "I'll walk with you. I've had my fill of sand today." She chuckled lightly, walking alongside the young child. With a brief look over her shoulder, her optics spotted a Voodoo Boy watching her from afar. He was a largely built man, most likely in his thirties, his long trench coat covering any cyberware he had underneath. He turned around and walked away, likely calling his fellow gang members off, most likely to avoid any unneeded confrontation.

As Keira and Casey were about to approach the steps, they were greeted by a trio of thugs belonging to the Animal gang, a group known for their heavily modified muscles and often associated with brutality and an unhealthty desire to have unrivaled strength. In the Nomad's perspective, she reads them like open books.

She shielded Casey with her arm, gently pushing him behind herself. One Animal spoke up, his voice deep. "Goin' somewhere Choom?" He asked, his fellow thugs giving her a sinister smirk. The Nomad scanned them, feeling confident that her new hacks could even the odds. All she needed was to wait for them to throw the first punch.

"Yeah I am. That's how walking works." She replied in a friendly manner, obviously laced with sarcasm. The boy behind her snickered. Keira quickly looked at him, giving him an assuring grin that they'd both get out of the situation.

"You tryin' to be funny you skinny little bitch?" The "head" thug if you could call him that asked, grabbing her by the collar. "I'll rip that smile off your head if you don't pay us right now!"

"Fuck this." The Nomad sighed, using her optics to commence a simple shock hack, and with swift movement, she grabbed and twisted the Animal's arm, forcing him to let go. She pushed him away as her hack activated. The sudden surge of excruciating pain threw the thug into a fit of anguish, leaving him temporarily incapacited. Casey quickly moved out of the way, hiding behind a long abandoned and rusted car. He watched through what would be the car's door, it if still had a door to begin with.

Both of the unscathed Animals withdrew heavily modified machetes out of their sheathes, one took the first swing, only for their opponent to side step, using her leg to trip him down the staircase, a childish smile appeared on her lips as he tumbled down. The other thug attempted to thrust the machete into the side of her stomach, only for her to grab his arm, using her free palm to strike under his chin. Thanks to her custom made gorillia arms, not only enhancing her phsyical attacks, but equipped with a mixture of electric and toxic modifiers she dubbed Lightning Sting. This concoction was designed by Keira's ripperdoc, Viktor, a close friend of V.

The thug felt his cyberware malfunction, his optics rendered useless, followed by the sensation of pain within his stomach. It wasn't long until he began to violently vomit out a yellow bile. As the Nomad turned around, she spotted the head thug had recovered, he clearly wasn't happy.

He was pissed. "I'm gonna fucking blow your head off BITCH!"

"NO-"

BANG

Everything went black for a moment. . . The NCPD pulled Keira away, not to arrest her, but to calm her. The Animal thug had fled, leaving his broken and beaten lackys behind. One was violently regurgiating blood onto the steps, which trickled down towards to sands below. The other was being dragged away unconcious. . . Keira pushed pass the police, rushing towards the corpse of a friend she just made. Just a kid who was trying to help support his mother. . .

As day turned to night, Keira found herself at the doorstep of an old trailer, connected to a truck which sat close to the Eden Beach Mega Ride Amusement park. With a double knock, she stood and waited patiently for an answer. The door opened, a woman with similar skin tone to Casey, her hair shaved at the sides. She knew who Keira was, after being given the news of her child's murder. Her eyes looked exhausted, defeated, broken.

She spoke in a near emotionless tone, "He. . . He obviously saw good in you, that boy of mine. The man you're after is inside the Grand Imperial Mall, thinking the VooDoo Boys will keep him safe. He doesn't know that he's being kept there just for you to deal with him."

Keira nodded, "Okay. . ." Her eyes flashed blue as she sent four thousand eddies, alongside the thousand that she gave to Casey. Without another word, she left the mother to grieve whilst she marched towards the mall, pulling out her prized knife that was gifted to her by her dear brother, engraved with a symbol of a fox. There was a deep, dark and violent rage burning within the Nomad's heart, something that felt just as strong as when she took on the Hector Longridge job. No reward would be given, no fixer, and no Max-Tac to deal with the situation.

Just her, her target, and the silent observer who watched in interest through the old surveillance cameras from a hidden location. The Animal paced back and forth, as if he was waiting for someone, most likely was told that someone would escort him away from the territory. Anxiety was high, his thoughts racing through the events of today, a swarm of remorse filled his mind with conflict.

"If that kid wasn't in the way, that bitch would've. . ." He punched through the glass of one of the many abandoned shop within the now baron mall. "FUCK." Blowing out a hot breath of frustration, he continued to walk into the large center, not realising the "bitch" he was refering to was walking slowly towards him.

A step on broken glass caught his attention. She stood there, with no emotion, a knife in her firmly gripped hand. The Animal was tempted to just run, but like a stubborn mule, he was trying to stand his ground. "Y-You really don't know who you're fucking with. . . Unlike those idiots that rolled with me, I won't be so easy to push over! Especially with that little butter knife."

Keira said nothing as she moved slower. She was toying with him, hoping he'll give her a reason to make his suffering worse. "Is it about the kid? Don't tell me you're here to avenge him are you?" Her target asked, "That little shit shouldn't have gotten in the way of the bullet!"

That was all she needed, and with a burst of speed, leapt towards him with a high knee to his face, followed by a swift gut punch. Keira wasn't letting him get a chance at retaliation, using rapid strikes and knife slashes to wear him down. Not wishing to drag things out, she slashed the back of the Animal's legs, who grunted in pain. On his knees, he felt the strength of his lower body recede.

He tried to throw a punch, but it was more like a flail at best. Keira responded by grabbing his head, pulling it back and exposing the neck. Her eyes looked into him with a dark fury inside before placing the tip of the blade to the left side of the throat.

"F-Fuck you." Was all the Animal could say just as the knife penetrated through. The Nomad dragged the weapon across, the crimson spraying over her face as she managed to rip through the throat. Keira didn't care she was covered in blood, she didn't care that this kill was brutal. All that mattered to her was that this piece of shit wouldn't hurt another soul. . .

It was almost eleven at night when Keira returned to her apartment. She didn't acknowledge the strange looks as she made her way home, covered in blood. The bathroom mirror revealed her reflection to her, showing the bloodied face. A moment of silence passed, and she removed her clothes, walking into the shower in deep thought.

She welcomed the hot water with a small smile of appreciation, a calming moment of peace was all she needed. A tear left her eye as she quietly sobbed over the loss of Casey. Even though they just met, the boy was treated like a little brother, making sure he was fed and given the money he needed to help out his mother. It reminded her of how her own sibling would make sure she ate and was looked after whenever he wasn't there to support her.

The night they left the Bakkers. . .

Another day of travel, another day of sitting in a tent in the middle of nowhere. Keira didn't like how she was given the dullest of tasks for the camp. Fix a laptop here, bring a plate of food to the younger teens there, it wasn't her idea of doing her part for her fellow Nomads. The leader of the camp was Kurtis, known for being strict, yet also a man who had no paitience towards the younger members, paticulary he was ignorant of Keira, treating her like a burden and a troublemaker due to her additional requirements. Luckily V and several others ensured that Keira was treated fairly, giving her the chance to prove she could cope.

V was sent out to scout ahead so that they could plan the next move, leaving an anxious Keira in the camp. She barely left the tent, not because she'd rather avoid her fellow Nomads, but rather the condescending attitude she recieved every time Kurtis gave her an order.

She poked her head out to see if her brother had returned, but there was no sign. It was under two hours since he left, and she was beginning to worry. With a deep breath she left her tent looking at her surroundings. The campsite was inside a cave somewhere in the Nevada desert, out of sight and less likely to encounter any rival groups or any other troublemakers. Most of the group were near a large truck which converted into a bar, alongside another truck which served as a base of operations.

Keira approached the bar and was greeted by her ex-boyfriend Axel, "Hey Keir." He said shortening her name, "You want a drink?" he asked.

"Actually I was wondering if anyone has had any contact with V. He should've finished his scouting by now." She gestured to a can of lemonade, and Axel passed one to her. "I swear Kurtis needs to give him a break."

Her fellow Nomad agreed, "Old Man's been more of a dick than usual. Knowing your brother, he probably mouthed off." This made the silver haired girl laugh. The moment of humor turned to silence the minute Kurtis arrived. A brown haired man with grey eyes, an unkempt beard and heavily armoured, Kurtis was not the type to fool around.

"Keira, go and fix one of the cars instead of dicking around."

Keira looked at him, "I just got here and you want me to fix something that I don't even have the parts to?" She silently cursed herself for answering back. Kurtis stepped into her personal space, poking at her shoulder.

"Get. It. Done. If you weren't such an idiot, maybe the cars would last longer." His words struck a nerve. Not wishing to listen to him, or having to smell the stale breath, she walked off, taking a deep breath. Once she was out of earshot, he turned to Axel and said, "I swear if we have to delay our movement because of her. . ."

The Ex-boyfriend was quick to defend her, "Layoff of her Kurt, you know she's doing her best. Instead of putting her on the lowest tasks, why not let her partake in the next scouting mission and let her show you that she's capable." This prompted the leader to snap back in defiance.

"SHE. . . is a liability. Ever since she was kid, she has been nothing but trouble. Not one day does she get through a day without having some sort of meltdown or her getting all excited over childish things."

Keira opened the hood of one of the cars, frowning that the vehicle she was tasked to do was already in good repair. "Fucking idiot." She said aloud, slamming the hood shut. Then her communicator went off, a smile formed as she recognised the name. "V!" She exclaimed.

"Hey Sis." V said, "Sorry I took so long. I'm just about to come back to camp." He could tell Keira wasn't at all happy, "Kurtis being an ass again?" He asked.

She nodded, "I wish he'd stop treating me as if I'm dumb. I'm sorry that I need time to process stuff." It was clear she was getting tired of the belittlement.

"I know. You're not dumb at all, you just take a little more time to understand. Not to mention that you're one hell of a gunner, and can bust through tech like a real pro." V wasn't sugarcoating the fact that Keira was skilled, even at a young age she loved computers and developed the skills through having a few netrunners to guide her.

"I probably should've said this sooner, but maybe it's time for us to leave the pack behind. Kurtis isn't gonna change, and it'd be better for you without having an old prick talk down to you."

The thought of running more independently terrified Keira, but also excited her. Sure she could stay, but what would she benefit from it? "How soon can we leave?" She asked.

V answered quickly, "Between tonight or whenever you're ready. We'll take my car and choose for ourselves for once."

"And if Kurtis tries to stop us?"

"Then you can tell him to go fuck himself."

Keira smirked with a giggle, "I'll see you soon V. In the meantime, I'll just prepare myself. Gonna grab a drink first." The made the brother chuckle, "See ya soon Wolf." She hung up before he could finish saying goodbye. A wave of confidence flowed through her as she went back to the bar, now realising that she no longer had to be treated differently from the rest.

Upon reaching the bar, she waved to Axel, who placed her unopened can of lemonade for her. Kurtis scowled in annoyance, "I thought I told you to go fix up the cars?" he growled out. Keira grabbed her can, opened and sat down on the bar stool, taking a sip.

"They're in good condition, just don't cross the wire or it'll fry the engine." She answered, "Also you shouldn't scowl too much, your face will stay that way." This made a few of the other Nomads snicker, even Axel suppressed a snort.

The leader stood up from his seat, "You wanna say that louder?" He asked threateningly, but Keira wasn't gonna stop. In fact, she was finally standing up to him.

"You clearly heard me Kurtis. I actually have a few requests of my own. One, you quit treating me like shit, two, you get off of everyone's back and start treating them with respect! Oh and finally, you should educate yourself once in a while and stop being such a condescending prick!" She didn't realise how angry and loud she was being, but she didn't care. She had enough of being a verbal punching bag.

Kurtis then grabbed her by the collar of her jacket, with face like thunder. His grip tightening as his temper rose. "Now listen here you little bitch. You don't get to make demands, you don't get to talk back to your superior that way, and you, are nothing but a troublesome pest. Of all the mistakes in this world, your mother giving birth to you was the biggest-"

The headbutt that came was a swift one, one that Keira didn't expect herself to do. Without thinking she threw a punch, which pushed Kurtis back. Of course being a bigger person, he was quick to recover. His nose was gushing with blood, and clearly he was furious that someone of his own clan fought back. As the duo were surrounded by the on looking clanmates, V's car had just arrived. He spotted his sister blocking a barrage of kicks and punches as best as she could, despite her opponent being stronger. It all came to a halt when Kurtis feigned a move before punching her in the gut and grabbing her by the throat.

"I'm going to choke the life out of you, you stupid, little, freak!" He roared out as his grip around her neck tightnened, ignoring the shouts from fellow Nomads to stop. Just as Keira felt she was about to pass out, V sucker punched Kurtis, letting go of the girl who coughed violently, trying to regain her breath.

V pulled his leader up from the ground, and began to punch his face in, with each punch, he grunted in an almost blind rage. After the fourth punch, he grabbed Kurtis by the collar. He looked at him in the eye, "Now you listen to me Kurtis. My sister is not stupid, nor is she little or a freak. . . She's my family. What's gonna happen is me and my sister are leaving you behind." He took a look at Keira, who recovered and did a thumbs up that she was ok. "If I ever see you again Kurtis. I'm gonna bury you. . ."

That night changed everything. V and Keira just up and left their old clan behind, without a second thought. Not a single goodbye was given, but that didn't matter. The siblings were free to go where they wanted to, free to live how they wanted to. . .

"Where do we go V?" Keira asked quietly. Her brother looked to her and smiled back at her.

He simply said, "Wherever we want to go Keira."

After a long time of reminiscing the past, Keira turned her shower off, fully cleansed from the blood. Her clothes however were better off being disposed of. With her shorts, vest and sandals, she tossed the dirtied clothes into the garbage outside her apartment. After that, she leaned over the stone railing and took in the air. It was a weird smell, almost like burning dust, but it wasn't the worse thing to inhale. She pondered what her next move could be, was it time to take on new challenges? All she had to do was make a call to Rogue and start from there.

"If I'm gonna do this. . ." She said to herself, "I'll need to get stronger, and I'll need something for those to remember me. . . What do I do?"

The answer was on her wrist, the symbol and nickname she was proud to have. Perhaps it was time to ask for a favour from Viktor, one that she had in mind but never felt the need for it.

Until Now. . .

End of Act 3

Author's Notes:

And thus her journey as the Fox begins!

With this chapter, I wanted to show how she was treated differently when she was with the Nomad Bakker Clan, as like many Neurodivergent folks such as myself, there's always one person who doesn't understand or refuses to understand the likes of Autism, ADD, ADHD, etc etc. There's never a place for discrimination, no matter the disability, race, gender, sexuality and so on.

Thank you all for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter!