Chapter 4: Road Rage
Falco got back to his house to feel something wrong here. He draws his Unity pistol to walk inside to check the area. He goes into his living to see someone sitting in a chair. "Good day Falco, I need a favor of you," a female voice said as Falco clicked the lights on to see NUSA President Myers sitting there with a strong smile.
"Madam President," Falco said as he was forced down by Myer's FIA Agents to take the gun out of his hand and force him onto the chair.
"I am going to cut to the chase. Where is Lucy?" Myers asked.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Falco gets slapped by one of the agents.
"Don't lie to me. We know you are chatting with your old teammate Lucy on the Moon. Where is she?" Myers gives him a final warning.
"You will not find her. Let her live in peace," Falco said as Myers' agents grabbed his laptop to see the emails to see Lucy was located in the Luna city of Wells.
"Interesting, the small domed city on the far side of the moon. Perfect, thank you for the information," Myers draws her gun and puts a bullet into Falco's head. "One loose end is gone. If I can't get Songbird back, then I will get the next best thing. America will rise from the ashes even if I have to burn the world to do so," Myers feels determined to make America the only superpower like it was in the past.
Elsewhere Panam and V are talking about their plans for the clan to be called by Mitch on the radio. "Guys, I got something you wouldn't be able to believe," he said as the duo were puzzled by this.
"Who is it?" Panam asked.
"She says she is a mutual friend of a man with blue eyes. She said you would know this" Mitch said as V remembered Mr. Blue Eyes.
"Interesting, we will meet with her at the entrance," V said.
"I got a bad about this?," Panam said,
"Keep your guard up," V said as they walked over to the entrance of the camp to see a lone woman sitting on a rock with the dusty wind blowing against her hair.
"V, the legend in the flesh. I am Michiko Arasaka," Michiko said as she had her striking blue hair and simple clothing covered in a cloak.
"The granddaughter of the Saburo himself," V is dumbfounded by this as Panam draws her pistol and aims at her.
"What the fuck are you doing here? You want revenge against V?" Panam demanded.
"No, far from it. I am here to seek help badly," Michiko said.
"Very weird for this to happen. Let's at least humor her," V said as Panam held her gun but still had her finger on the trigger. "What do you want?" V asked.
"I need help taking down my uncle Yorinobu. This is of great importance," Michiko said.
"Oh, this is just a power struggle. I am not interested," V said.
"I can help deal with your problem with Myers," Michiko drops a bomb that catches their attention.
"How do you know that?" Panam asked.
"I have many connections with the NUS government. My contacts tell me they didn't like all the extreme measures she did like the attack on Night City Space Port or dropping the Crystal Palace into the ocean. These terrorist attacks were made by the NUS military. She must be brought to justice," Michiko said.
"So that is it. Helping you take out your Uncle for power?" Panam asked.
"No, to bring true reforms and peaceful change to the Arasaka company to put it down a better path because if not my uncle will set off a fifth corporate war to destroy Arasaka while dragging millions to their deaths along with you all," Michiko said as this raises alerts in their heads.
"Seriously killing Arasaka by dragging the world into another war," V said.
"Yes, he hated his father and his company. He is willing to drag the world into chaos to hold onto his foolish desires. Once we deal with my Uncle, we will deal with Myers. Net positive for everyone," Michiko said.
"What do you think?" V asked Panam.
"Emotionally I want to shoot her but she has a point. We will work for her, for now until Myers is dealt with. She has been hounding us for months, that needs to end," Panam said.
"Okay, we will help but once our deal is done. We will part ways," V said as Michiko felt happy about this.
"Thank you so much, I will keep in touch," Michiko said as she went over to her motorcycle to drive into the distance.
"Come to think of it, she looks very beat up," Panam said.
"Must have been ousted by her uncle. She seemed happy for our help," V said.
"V, she is still Arasaka," Panam said.
"In Night City, things are not what they seem. There are layers to these things," V said as he remembered his friendships with Goro, Reed, and Alex who were opposing sides to him despite becoming friends with them.
"You do make interesting friends in the weirdest ways," Panam teased him.
"Hey I got that natural charm," V said in a light tone as Panam laughed at this.
"Okay, supreme gentleman. We need to tell the others about this. We finally got a lead on who to get rid of Myers off our backs," Panam said.
"That's what matters in the end. The clan's safety comes first," V said as Panam nodded her head in agreement.
"Yeah, I heard Cortez completed his mission. Took Rebecca and taking her back right now," she said.
"Good, it will take a while to get back," V said as Michiko was driving off on the open road to go to a nearby motel to hide from Arasaka agents trying to kill her. Ejay1990
"My bastard uncle is hunting down everyone attached to my faction. I understand they will hesitate to work with me due to my family's dark past. V and his clan are my only shot at pulling Arasaka away from this dark path that can further send the world into chaos with millions in the balance," Michiko said as she reached the abandoned motel to go inside to see her gear there.
Her combat suit from her old days as a security operative along with her custom Katana, Nue suppressed pistol, and Nekomata Tech Sniper Rifle. "Well, I need to prepare before more assassins show up," she thought to get ready with her partnership with V to get a message about something interesting happening in Night City.
Elsewhere back with Cortez, Rebecca, and Klunk on the open road. They are going towards the Nomad camp. "How long is this trip?" she asked.
"It's going to take half a day to get to our location. Better get comfortable," Cortez said as Rebecca heard her stomach groaning with her sporting a blush.
"I am pretty hungry after all that action. Can we make a pitstop?' she asked.
"Sure, some snacks would be nice right now," Cortez said as he could see on the GPS that there was a gas station nearby.
"Hopefully, they will not track us down," Klunk said worriedly.
"No worries Tin Man. They have to worry about their leader being dead along with DreadZone being defunct. They wouldn't care about us," Cortez said.
"Nova, I need a burger. That would be nice. Being eating shit for ages," Rebecca said.
"Like it's any different in Night City at the street level," Cortez said.
"Yeah but at least, it varies with the options you know," Rebecca said.
"Indeed, only the ultra-wealthy can get their hands on good quality," Klunk said.
'That is why Panam wants us to do farming and raising cows on the range. Being able to make our food is key for truly living out here," Cortez said.
'So, what's the plan with the Aldecaldos?" Rebecca asked.
"Well, Panam wants to find a place where we can settle down and take roots. Truly independent from governments and corporations," Cortez said as Rebecca was impressed with Panam's ambitions.
"She seems like a true dreamer. Pretty rare these days," Rebecca said.
"Yep lucky to have her as the boss. She is in charge of the civil stuff while V is in control of the combat stuff in protecting the clan's interests which is where we come here. The Heavies, we use our skills and weapons to safeguard the clan. Direct controls from the two," Cortez said.
"Interesting. Blowing shit up for my chooms is what I live for," Rebecca said.
"That's the spirit," Cortez said as Klunk scanned the area for any hostiles.
"Hopefully those bugs will not show up. They give me the creeps," Klunk said.
"Indeed, they are another line of mistake from Biotechnica," Cortez said as Rebecca was confused by these terms.
"What are you guys talking about?" she asked.
"Miss Rebecca, there are sightings of these bug-like creatures who were made in a lab from Biotechnica. They broke up and breed pretty fast adopting to the badlands of NUS. Hives are everywhere," Klunk said.
"Sounds bad, I beat their wings sound disgusting," Rebecca cringes at the thought.
"They do and it's very annoying," Cortez said as they saw the pitstop to see several cars there. "The hell is going on here?" he wondered.
"I scan multiple people inside. The owner is being robbed," Klunk said as Rebecca is beyond pissed.
"All I want is a burger but they have to piss in my cereal," Rebecca said as she grabs her shotgun and her auto pistol. "Little guy, you are with me," Rebecca said as Klunk clung to her back.
She felt the dust brushing against her half-naked body to walk towards the pit shop in just her underwear. "I will keep the car warm," Cortez said as she could easily handle herself.
Rebecca kicks the door to aim her pistol at the punks inside. The criminals look over to see a very short woman aiming her gun at them, They laugh at her to mock her height and lack of clothing.
"Seems like this little pup wants some trouble," the leader said as his head popped like a balloon with gore spread everywhere.
"I want my burger and you will die for denying me this," Rebecca sets her pistol on full auto to take out half the enemies inside.
"Kill that bitch," the gangsters fire their weapons with Klunk using his mini thrusters to make her dash backward and sideways to avoid their line of sight.
"How many are there?" she asked as she leaps on top of the building.
"About 6 still inside," Klunk said to use his scanners to detect the thugs.
"Thanks, little guy," she said switching to her Guts to see one of the thugs outside. She leaps over the edge and crashes on top of the enemy to stomp his head crushing it. She dashes forward to use Guts to turn a thug into a pile of body parts.
A thug lunges at Rebecca but she uses her Gorilla Hands to punch him with enough strength to send him flying into a rusted car breaking his spine on impact. She slides towards another enemy and uses Guts to transform him into piles of red dog meat.
She grabs the other woman to use as a meat shield to deflect shots from herself. She tosses her broken body at the other thug and gets killed on impact. "All clear," Klunk said.
"Cool," Rebecca checks on the shop clerk inside. "You good?" Rebecca asked.
"Yes I am good, thank you for that. Those Wraiths are such a bothersome bunch," the shopkeeper said.
"Well, I just want some burgers," she said.
"Oh well, I will give you a 50% discount on anything in the shop," the shopkeeper said as he found it weird that this short half-naked woman just killed a bunch of Wraiths.
"Thanks, Gramps," she said as she bought all the snacks and food she could carry in the bag to head back to the car. "Yo, I got a bunch of goods. Let's delta out of here," Rebecca said.
"Cool, what you got?" he said as he put the car on autopilot to head for the location.
"Burgers, jerky, chips, sweet fries and wraps. Got some drinks too," Rebecca said as Cortez looked happy to see some fries and burgers.
"Looking pretty good, great taste," Cortez said.
"Goodness, I needed this. Bismarck gives me crap for so long," Rebecca said.
"Yeah I get what you mean," Cortez said.
"Most of that food is made of synthetic materials," Klunk said in a fact-of-matter tone.
"Doesn't matter to me, if it tastes good. It tastes good," Rebecca said as she happily ate her burger.
"Your way of thinking is quite simple and to the point which itself has pluses," Klunk said.
"Thanks, not much into big thinking. I just go with the flow and see what happens. You two can think of the bigger stuff," Rebecca said as the duo enjoyed their snacking with a drone watching them.
Myers has a smile to observe through the screen. "Seems like he has gotten a new henchwoman. Send in the Rhino along with support," Myers said to make V's life as miserable as possible.
Rebecca turns on the radio to listen to smooth synth music. "This is Pacific Dream radio station. They got some amazing atmospheric tunes that put me in the mood," Rebecca said.
"Excellent taste. Hear this all across the west coast of NUS," Cortez said as he looked in the side window to see something.
"Cortez and Miss Rebecca, we got in trouble. Militech drones, Rhino," Klunk said.
'Rhino?" Rebecca asked as they saw a big 8-wheeled armored drone going at high speed toward them.
"Strong APC-sized drone made by Militech. Made to be highly mobile and packing serious heat with that machine turret on top," Cortez said as the Rhino deployed drones as support to open fire on the truck. "Rebecca, there is a machine gun on the back loaded with explosive rounds," Cortez said.
"You got it big guy, I will cover you," Rebecca said as she got into the back to see a sheet of metal rising in the back to act as cover. She picks up the big gun MA70 HB LMG loaded with 80 rounds of explosive ammo. "This is what I am talking about. Time to turn this into the scrap heap," she said as she let it rip lots of explosive-tipped heavy rounds hit the drone to do some damage to make It move out of Rebecca's line of sight.
"Rebecca, the drones," he said as the drones defended the fast drone and drew away Rebecca's fire. "Tin Man, take the wheel. I need to take out those drones," Cortez said as he focused his visions on the targets.
"Oh course, I have your back," Klunk said as he plugged into the truck to take control of it to begin reacting to the wave of bullets trying to tear down the vehicle.
Cortez begins to make a flying drone explode with a Quickhack and then another one crashes into the Rhino doing some damage. Rebecca is ducking to avoid getting hit as she wields her machine to pepper the robot with exploding bullets wearing down the speedy wheeled robot.
Rebecca takes a few hits but she shakes it off to turn her gun onto the drone's wheels managing to damage one of them. "Oh shit, it has backup," Rebecca said to see drones shaped like motorcycles called Rollers show up to support it. Their side-mounted machine guns fire onto the truck with the armored hull holding up.
"Things keep getting worse," Kluck said.
'Yeah the usual thing happens," Cortez said dryly as he had to focus on the flying drones and the Rollers. Rebecca's explosive barrage is ripping the Rollers apart easily with Cortez causing the Rollers to crash into the Rhino to begin damaging its armored hull.
"Just die already you piece of junk," she fires her last rounds to finally destroy the Rhino becoming a flaming heap. They finish off the rest of the drones that were burning on the side of the road. "Finally," she said to drop the machine gun to go into the side door to sit beside her partner. "Damn Choom, that was crazy," Rebecca said.
"Yeah, that is Myers' MO. Determination as always to get what she wants," Cortez said.
"All this to save America?" Rebecca asked.
"That is the thing. America has been dead for a long time. The democracy it was once is a thing of the past and Myers is too stubborn to admit it," Cortez said.
"Well, at least there is a lot of action. Glad to have you by my side, big guy," she said kissing him on the cheek.
"Getting sweet on me, Spitfire?" he teases her.
"We go well together and all this proves that," Rebecca said.
"Also, it's nice to have good company on missions like this," Cortez said as Rebecca felt her cheeks getting red.
"Nice, I will do a kickass job," Rebecca said as Klunk gave control back to Cortez.
"Nice job, you two. This will only get more interesting," Klunk receives a call from V. "Message from the boss," Klunk said as both Rebecca and Corte talk with V.
"Hey, good work," V said.
"Likewise, Rebecca is in the chat too?" Cortez said as Rebecca was so excited to meet him.
"Hey there, I am Rebecca. I am your biggest fan, you are so Preem," Rebecca tried not to fangirl out but failed hard.
"It's nice you know my work. I heard about you Rebecca from Falco. We need good ones like you in the clan. Any problems, coming back?' he asked.
"Well Myers sent Rhino along with other drones to take us out but we managed," Cortez said as V looked serious.
"Gee, things are getting weirder. We have met with a new client who happens to be the granddaughter of Saburo. Michiko Arasaka," V said as the three were deeply shocked by this.
"Seriously why?" Rebecca asked dumbfounded by this.
"She wants our help to get rid of her uncle Yorinobu to prevent him from triggering a corporate war as a means to destroy Arasaka in exchange for helping take down Myers," V said as Rebecca whistled.
"Gee, never thought I would be helping an Arasaka. Can you trust her?" Rebecca asked as the last time she fought them directly it ended badly for her.
"I got a feeling. Both she and Yorinobu are not like Saburo but their methods are the same. Make Arasaka less of a threat to the world meaning it's a win-win for us and everyone else," V said.
"Make sense, I trust your boss," Rebecca said as she grabbed a beer from her bag. "Yo big guy, you want some?" she asked as Cortez raised his eyebrow.
"Rebecca I am driving here," Cortez said as Rebecca looked around and saw the road looked dead.
"Choom, there is no one here. What are you being afraid of being pulled over by the pigs via drunk driving," she joked.
"I need to focus," Cortez being stern about it.
"Oh well, more for me," Rebecca said as V laughed at this.
"I know you and Panam will make fast friends," V said.
"She is quite the handful but she does brighten the mood," Cortez said.
"Yes, Rebecca is quite interesting. A bit on the loud side but understatedly nice," Klunk said as this set off Rebecca.
"What do you mean understatedly nice?" she questioned him.
"Well, there is more to you than being a violent drunk tomboy," Klunk said which sounds more like a backhanded comment.
"We'll all those are true," Rebecca with a bit of smugness in her cute yet rough voice.
"Anyway, I will be glad to meet you when you get back to camp. See you there," V cuts off the comms.
"Well, we got all day. Time for me to buzz out," she pours the beer into her mouth to gag on it. "Damn it, this one taste like piss," Rebecca said disgusted and then she drinks it anyway.
"Wait how would you know that?" Cortez asked in a teasing tone.
"Better you don't know," Rebecca said as the three went down the road to head for the Aldecaldos camp in Northern California.