\/ Night City Stories \/ Chapter 6 - Buried Skeletons

"...Busy Day?"

Brian turns around to see the woman in black he found in his backyard from the prior evening, sitting in the now dimly lit house. With that jet black Nue pointed at his skull sponge, she sat comfortably on the living room couch adjacent to the kitchen area and his father's chair. Instinctually, Brian makes some quick and familiar observations before raising his eyebrows and tilting his head slightly showing his deep neck wound that ran up to his jawline. She raises her eyebrows in slight surprise before speaking through her black leather facemask with a femanine yet fairly gruff tone of voice

"VERY busy day i see." The woman looks Brian up and down noticing his condition and the urn. The woman then glances around the house while Brian stands there silent before continuing.

"Y'know, i almost thought this place abandoned. I was gon-"

"Are you alright..?" Brian interrupts.

The woman raises her eyebrows again shocked and chuckles before gesturing at him. "Am i alright..? Ha"

"You didn't look it last i saw you..." Brian looks down and away slightly while wrinkling his eyebrows before continuing. "To be frank...I haven't been able to get it out of my head..."

"Where is it?" The woman asks while squinting her eyes and nodding her head up.

Brian lets out a tired deep breath "...Where's what?"

The woman pauses, crossing her long legs, rubbing the tight black leather together before continuing with that feminine and gruff voice.

"You know...I gotta be honest...it wasn't easy getting the spec on you."

Brian's posture shifts slightly as he grows more attentive. She continues.

"Your records spotted...barring several mediocre run-ins with NCPD i'd say its pretty vanilla...No more...current living relatives" She glances at the bloodied lazyboy. "And no known associates either.."

Brian wrinkles his eyebrows while continuing to look at the woman. Almost attempting to check her condition...several quick flashes of how she looked when Brian found her in his backyard rush through his mind. The woman shifts her weight on the couch, switching her crossed legs and setting her Nue down next to her.

"You said it yourself...vanilla." Brian dismissively responds.

"Mm.. that was before digging." She rests her back up against the couch in an even more passive posture.

"You've done several gigs...no record of who for. Few and far between but big scores nonetheless. The only real pattern to emerge was the lack of traces found in the work..." She scratches the back of her head. "It just got me thinking...who the hell does this guy have scrubbing data for him...? Must be good." A brief pause as she thinks passes by. "You F.I.A?"

Brian scoffs and smiles while putting his hands on his forehead, turning and looking away, responding in a ridiculing tone "F.I.A..." he chuckles condescendingly.

She continues. "Randomness and inconsitency. That something you use to your advantage?"

Brian now completely dissinterested in what shes saying or talking about turns his back towards her to reach onto the counter for his pack of smokes. While doing this, the woman, still looking at him, tilts her head up slightly and pauses...almost preparing for what shes about to say next.

"Marilyn Parker."

Brian immediately stops mid motion and glances back toward her over his shoulder. The pattering rain hitting the windows takes over the brief dead silence...

"Sister to one Evelyn Park-"

Brian turns and snap draws his Lexington pointing it directly at the woman. She gasps as her eyes open wide. The spinal column of the woman fires triggering her sandevistan. She flashes behind Brian yanking one of his arms behind his back and slamming him head first into the kitchen counter pinning him to it as his Lexington goes flying. The force pressing against Brian feels like the weight of a car as he hopelessly struggles against it.

"Struck a nerve?" She says through her teeth as she holds Brian down feeling him resist. Brian's open wounds begin to run again as his blood begins to leak onto the sleeve of the woman's black leather Kuomori. She continues talking through her teeth "Wanna tell me about her? Cuz i couldn't find SHIT...why is that hm!?"

Brian slowly begins to stop struggling and resisting as the blood loss and force leads to a ringing in his ears muffling and distorting the woman's demands and questions...He passes out.