Author note:
RATED M for MATURE.
I do not own Cyberpunk 2077, just an avid game fan. Truely Cyberpunk was well created on its own by veterans within CD Projekt Red. My plan for this story is to continue onto the V/Judy Nomad ending eventually. I did not want to directly start there as it just feels like too big of a jump from V's entire background. I will be rewriting missions and jumping ahead here and there before completely taking my spin on things. Please enjoy! :)
My calloused hands pressed cold glass into this cubbyhole and my head swam with confusion.
What the hell changed? We haven't made a mistake.
"This doesn't fix our problem, T." my choom wheezed in frustration climbing in after me.
I was with him in frustration. We need to get gone. Hiding in a hole.
We were quite literally backed into a corner when we should have been scrambling with our life-changing klep.
Not a second later, our exit doors open, and the empire's son, Yorinobu in a dress suit, strides into his sweet, frustration souring his face and fists.
I didn't care. I didn't care because I saw a metal gorilla-sized man if you could even call him a man. The only human patch that was left was on his face. He was a giant machine the size of a construction mech suit but it was his entire body. How is this guy not a psycho?
I do not want to take him on.
"Bodyguard," I thought out loud, oops, luckily it came out as a whisper. I'll have to thank TBug for this hidey-hole after all.
"Worse, Adam Smasher. Night city legend.. a bleak motherfucking one too…" Jackie uttered in disbelief.
Suddenly aware of how loud my breathing was it became half hitched, not a full breath, god forbid we were heard breathing. Sweat dripped salty into my eyes stinging. In this small cubbyhole behind the TV, I could smell my choom sweating the same. I've heard that name as childhood boogyman stories growing up in the streets. I didn't think I would be hiding behind TV glass from him... With how much bigger Jackie was than me I doubt he could even take a full breath in this squeeze.
"Suburo Arasaka? Yet another fuckin bootlickin legend," Jackie awed as my heartbeat roared in my ears, eyes darting from Empire walking in and his son Yurinoba sitting on the couch and Adam Smasher towering by our exit door.
"Shush, I doubt this cubby is soundproof!" I hissed at Jackie, very aware I was so soaked with sweat that I might as well be pissing myself and nobody would know the difference.
As the Emporer paced and Yorinobu sat on the couch, my abilities auto-translated the Japanese they were speaking. Bitchin of his father not meddling in his affairs as another bodyguard walked directly to our glass TV cubby, inspecting it until he was already on us.
"Oh fuck," Jackie startled and pressed tighter.
"Shhh!" I hissed through my fingers, grabbing my mouth from a hell of a started scream. I didn't even notice this guy until he was on us!
"Leave us." The Emporer ordered the man in front of me.
"But arasaka sama, I haven't done a full inspection." Loyal dog
"This is my son." the Emporer's gaze pierced his son.
"Of course, should I retrieve what we intended…"
"I will handle it, you may go"
The personal guard dog bowed without another word, ponytail swishing away from us.
Unaware I was actually holding my breath until Adam smasher and the dog was told to dismiss. Thank you, Mother Holy.
Intended… the dog and the empire must be talking about the relic box Jackie was currently grasping, our klepped merch from the room. Now we just have to wait for this conversation through and hope they don't send a search squad right away for it.
"Close," Jackie remarked to me.
"Too close… if he had sniffed us out…" I didn't want to think of it.
"But he didn't, now caliente," Jackie reassured, squeezing my arm. He's right. We still have this in the bag now, we did the hard part, we just have to leave.
"Un-fucking-believable…. Saburo Arasaka…" Jackie marveled again. I'd given up shushing him, they haven't heard us whispering this low so far and… honestly I may not have a running mouth like Jackie but I was secretly in awe as well. This dude has the whole city in his pocket.
"Did you think I wouldn't know it was taken from me?" Emperor Arasaka slowly addressed his adult prince.
"Actually, I didn't think of you at all. Ever." Yuburo leaned into the couch resting his arm on the back, "You see that's your problem, you think the world revolves around you. Arrogant."
I rolled my eyes, God, family drama from two arrogant people who have it all. They don't know what it's like slumming for eddies to eat a few times a week.
"Yorinobu-"
"Why did you come? To humiliate me? To permanently see to it that your son knows his place?" He was practically yelling.
"The nail in the wall that protrudes gets hammered…"
"Can't think of anything original to say?!" Yorinobu stood suddenly, throwing up his hands and shaking his head in disgust all the while pacing.
"And do you think it 'original' we sell our greatest achievement to these westerners… our future to these barbarians!?" Irritation mixed with exhaustion was finally showing through on the Emporer's poker face.
His son chuckled, "Our future? Ours? You are mistaken, you have only ever cared about yourself…" he pointed at his father, "and your sick schemes!" Afterward, he put his hands on his hips staring at the floor in anger.
Saburo grasped his hands behind his back, "I knew this day would come. That sooner or later your impudence would finally cross the line." He now stood in front of his son who looked at him now.
"There is much which I could forgive you, but treason? No." The Emporer stared down the young man, who gritted his teeth, "I'm just glad your mother did not live to see this, the heart should break but once."
Hearing enough disappointment the prince lunged at the old man's throat with both hands. Surprised, the old man stepped backward and Yorinobu slammed him against the glass in front of us.
"Oh s-shit…" Jackie stuttered, almost speechless for once.
The Emporer put his hands up, surrendering to his son. Yorinobu took his hands off the Emporer cockily, "You shall never have to forgive me for anything again."
The empire tried to caress his baby boy's cheek. Yorinobu jerked away from his hand and gripped his throat once more.
"Ah-aurghh—ahhh!"
Feeble with age, the 158-year-old fart tried to push his young son away, gasping for any broken air. But his face continued to change colors from blue to purple as Yorinobu just leaned in further almost watching for his eyes to finally become dull. Saburo Arasaka's arms lost any fight left and dropped to his sides as his body slumped toward the floor. Only then did the new Emporer let his hands go and stumbled away in a daze looking back and forth to his father.
"Fuckkkk me..." Jackie cursed.
Yep. We. Are. Fucked. Saburo Arasaka is dead dead, and we just happened to be klepping him the night of it. This place is about to be on full lockdown for anybody to blame and I'm sure his precious son won't fess, probably his first murder despite running the Steel Dragons!
Yuriobo shook his arms out taking a couple of deep breaths, obviously trying to think of a cover and ultimately sat on the coffee table.
"That's that. We are done for," No shit Jackie. I looked at him squeezing the box. He's a little slow on brains but my choom had guns and then some duel pistols he used many times to save my butt.
I then stared down the dead man and squeezed my eyes shut. No fucking way. Yorinobu finally kneeled towards his father…"I wish… I wish to put the hotel on lockdown."
"May I ask why?" A room AI asked, as Yorinobu now caressed his father's cheek. "Saburo Arasaka has been murdered."
"Attention! Code red initiated throughout Kapeki Plaza, please remain in your rooms and follow directions from staff," the AI blared and echoed as we went into darkness aside from the blinding red emergency lights.
"What happened?" The guard dog yelled running into the room as Adam Smasher strode in.
"My father has been poisoned!"
"Poisoned? I doubt-"
"What's your job Takemura!?" He screamed in his face, as he blocked Takemura from walking any closer to the body.
"I don't follow.."
"It's a simple question, answer it," The shit stain seethed.
"To protect… to protect the head of the Arasaka family."
"I do sincerely hope you'll do a better job of your duties from now on…"
"Forgive me Arasaka-sama, I shall do better from now on," And the dog followed him with Smasher walking out of the now empty room.
Our only chance is TBug hacking these doors open remotely.
Speak of the devil, TBug's dark chocolate skin and shaved blonde head appeared on my left peripheral Kuroshi Optic, "What the hell just happened?"
"Yorinobu…just offed Saburo!" I scrambled out of this now coffin cubbyhole
Jackie behind me, "His own pops!"
"Know what this means? Security is going to swarm this room-this whole building in seconds! Oh my god, we are so FUCKED!" TBug slammed her computer desk.
"Bug, get us out of here now!" I demanded.
"Give me a sec!"
"We don't have a sec! Fuck!" My choom cried.
We are all dead.
"Okay, okay, I have something! Window now! Should be unlocked" TBug trembled. "Should see a ladder… oh fuck. No. no. No. not now!" I dashed for the window that wasn't opening.
"I've been made! AHH- Ahhhurgg…" Tbug's death cry glitched off in my eyes. Nothing was left from Bug as her screams echoed over the static and lost connection.
Fuck.
I slammed my fist against the window.
"BUG! Jesus maldito Cristo! We lost bug!" My choom cried.
I pressed my forehead against the window and slammed my fist again, "FUCK!"
I heard a metallic click and opened my eyes in fear that turned into salvation. The window was open.
We ran out onto the patio into the cold windy rain.
We are in a locked-down Plaza of the dead Emperor in the dark without a net runner!
"Fucking major leagues! Happy now Jackie?!"
We rounded the corner and pressed against the glass and a one-inch ledge scooting toward the ladder.
"You can do it, Jackie, just don't look down…" he encouraged himself, "YEP! That's fuckin high!"
A flying AV loomed toward us.
"Shit is that trauma!?"
"If it is they are too late! Let's hope they didn't see us!" I spat out rainwater and focused on inching even faster.
The AV rounded the corner again blinding us with a spotlight.
"SUSPECTS IN VIOLATION OF SECURITY PROTOCOL!" Boomed the AV.
"Time to bail!"
We leaped together off the roof just in time as gunfire rained from the aircraft. Sliding down the curvature of the roof with bullets following towards a skylight.
SHMASH!
I tried to catch the floor coming at me and instead smacked face-first into the metal grates.
