UR'S ANGELS, PART II [BABYLONIAN DEVILS]

LUCYNA KUSHINADA

"Nyaa~, she's waking up!"

The return to consciousness was abrupt, breaking Morpheus' grasp as effectively as a shot of adrenaline. Maybe it was, because my heart was pounding and my lungs couldn't seem to get enough air.

"Easy milyychka."

I instinctively lashed out with an attack script, in blind panic. The resulting yowl and laughter followed me as I crawled away with heavy limbs. That meant that whoever had grabbed me didn't know about my internal deck, so I still had a chance of defending myself. Gonk move though, I'd given up my trump card in the opening salvo. Just to be sure though, my hands drifted up to the back of my head, but found only the seam of synth scalp, now oddly comforting.

Wait, hands?

I brought both arms in front of my face, flexing both hands in bewilderment. I'd been on the receiving end of some street justice after I'd been caught klepping food and eddies out of a SCSM. So how was this possible? Limbs didn't just... grow back. Which could only have meant I'd been operated on, again. Oh drek, they found me. A good ending was as likely as Adam Smasher becoming a newtype of man, and turning a new leaf for a life of societal uplift while globetrotting in harem protagonist adventures. I didn't want to go back, please no.

"Maybe she's brain damaged, or just slow."

"Shut your ugly mouth, before I shut it for you! You, you... ripoff! Identity theft is a serious crime!"

"Heh, try it, pipsqueak. I'd eat your for breakfast."

The exchange snapped me out of my stupor, and I quickly crab crawled away from the woman who had slowly been edging towards me. Pale skin with a few seams, but no blemishes, my mind jealously filled in. Dark hair in a short bob, as curt and professional as the facility's techs. But somehow, it wasn't cold. The smile on her face faltered slightly, as she glanced behind her briefly towards a bickering pair of dark haired girls, before her attention turned back towards me, "Ignore them, da? I'm Sasha."

I stayed quiet, and still, "W-what's going on? Where am I?" My mouth was dry, and my head hurt. My tongue felt like it was too big for my mouth. I flinched at the bottle that landed in front of me. It had landed upright, bounced once, but didn't tip over.

One of the dark haired women crowed in triumph, pumping her chrome arms into the air, "Booya!"

The other snorted, "Really? Nobody says that anymore, grandma. How much did those rejuv treatments cost ya?"

I ignored their bickering, and took the bottle with only a slight tremble. It was clear, but I didn't really care. The faint hiss of air when I broke the seal sounded like heaven, and the taste nearly rendered me catatonic. The sweet nectar was otherworldly, truly divine.

When I finally came up for a gasp of air, it was with a bit more lucidity. Alright, I had to approach this logically now that it was clear I wasn't in any immediate danger. We were in a large room, decorated with extravagantly clean lines, which intrinsically pleased a distant part of me. There was a table with food and other refreshments, beside which the boisterous girl with chrome arms was standing. She saw me looking, and gave a cheerful smile and wave, as if she knew me?

I'd never met her before in my life.

On one of the few comfortable looking couches was the other woman, the oldest of the three, but still relatively young. She was dressed similarly to the others, and was reclining with an air of disinterested boredom, and didn't acknowledge my presence. The last woman, the suspiciously friendly one, was still nearby, watching me carefully, "What's the last thing you remember?"

Last thing I remembered? I was... I was... going to sleep in a dumpster. To avoid the acid rain, to hide from prying eyes, and dangerous intent. Everyone in this place had a dangerous intent, I'd learned that quickly, and the hard way. It's how I'd lost my arm, and replacements didn't sprout from the ground.

Very few things did. And people that had offered help? I shuddered at the memory of the disgusting ripper on Jig-Jig. Help was never free. So how had I ended up here? Those fears reared again, and I was on the brink of hyperventilating. I didn't want to go back into the dungeon. I'd only just escaped.

"Quit crowding her! She's clearly not taking this well."

"I don't know how you're taking it so well, we all just got drugged and kidnapped."

"Pff, I didn't get drugged, I was just asleep!"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that, baba."

"Oh, and I'm sure you're the expert on drugs, Commander Lawncare. Aren't you supposed to be in rehab?"

"It's Lieutenant Mower from Militech's Section 8, and shut the fuck up."

"Both of you shut up. We need to figure a way out of here."

"Sasha, if I knew you were such a bitch, I woulda focused on saving Lucy here instead."

The mention of my name snapped me out of my spiral. The one by the refreshment table saw me looking and waved cheerfully again. Again, she'd spoken as if she'd known me. Known the others too, but I didn't know any of them, "A-ano..." I coughed to clear my throat, and ducked my head slightly when the others all turned to look, "How did you know my name?"

The attention shifted toward the girl in question, and I nearly sighed in relief. Once all eyes were on her, the girl struck a ridiculous pose, legs in a wide power stance, and fingers splayed over her face, "I'm a warrior of love and justice! Motoko Kusanagi!"

The older one snorted, "Fairy Grandmother, more like. And answer the damn question, because I wanna know where we fuckin' are."

Sasha rolled her eyes, "Well, it ain't the mall?"

It seemed the others were curious too, but Motoko was saved from answering by a door opening, and a woman stepping into the room. Dressed in a dark set of business attire, her blonde hair was in a practical short cut, and she was tapping at a tablet. I could see the others tense as she made her way into the centre of the room, and swept her eyes across us. A cold and clinical gaze, which I was very familiar with. And I suddenly realized that the others were in the same situation I was, and we were back at square one.

Her voice was clipped, "Good, you're finally awake. We would have done this in a slightly more professional manner, but time is of the essence. You requested that I find a group of overbearing and overemotional humans, and thus, here you are."

Motoko interrupted, "Wait, who? I didn't request anything from you, Sandra. And now that I think of it, don't you work for Night Corp?"

The supposed Sandra blinked, in surprise. It seemed that she wasn't the only one who was taken aback my Motoko's seeming omniscience. The blonde corpse shook her head, "I guess you can say I work for Night Corp and their subsidiaries, however, it was You who requested your presence."

The younger teen nodded, "Right, me, I didn't do that."

"No, You."

"Me?"

"No, You. Are." I could hear the grinding of her teeth, "I hate teenagers!" She pointed towards one wall, and a second later, the holoprojector along it fired up, before it fragmented into a cascade of light. The motes whirled, and a moment later solidified into an angular face with pointed ears, which was about 12 feet tall. A face which was inhumanly beautiful, but which I recognized. I didn't follow much social media, or know the latest pop-culture, but even I could recognize the most viral multimedia sensation of the age: UR, the CEO of Ziggurat.

Their voice boomed out, with that familiar honeyed tone, so pleasing to the ear, "Welcome, humans!"

My jaw clicked shut, in time with the others. Motoko was the first to speak up, "Uh, who are you?"

UR seemed pleased by that, as their focus narrowed on the youngest among us, "I Am You."

Motoko gasped, "Me? From the future? I turn into a hot androgynous elf? Preem shit." She shook her head, "Wait no, that's against the rules! Answer the question!"

The digital face looked at her with concern, "I just said."

She wasn't having it, "You just said what?!"

"I did not say what, I said You."

"That's what I'm asking you!"

"And You is answering."

"Shutup!" Mower grabbed her before the younger teen could lunge at the hologram, teeth bared. A moment later the goblin-creature calmed down, and looked at Sandra, "You!"

The holographic face spoke up, "Yes?"

I could hear the grinding of teeth, "Not you, her!"

Sandra looked up from her tablet in surprise, "Me?"

"Yes you!"

Sandra and You exchanged worried looks, before Sandra spoke up, "I'm not You, you are you, and You is You."

UR nodded as if to punctuate the statement, "I AM YOU ARE."

Motoko started vibrating in agitation, "And I'm about to start whooping your old elf ass cause I'm sick of playing games! You, me! I'm about to kick everyone's ass around here! Her!"

Sandra flinched, and Mower gave Motoko shaken baby syndrome, "Calm down. We're already breaking DMCA regulations by monetizing a fan parody and are at risk of a C&D. Jackie Chan's a Kang Tao sympathizer, and if he gets wind of this, they'll shut us down. You're lucky this ain't the Mouse, they won't just let it go."

Motoko simmered down, "Yeesh, fine. Take it easy."

I coughed lightly, "A-ano, Motoko-san, this is You Are, the CEO of Ziggurat. They have a very big following on the Garden."

Lt Mower snorted, "Yeah gonkass, what rock have you been living under?"

Motoko puffed out her cheeks in anger, fists clenching, "Ruuuuude!" Was it all an act, to get people to drop their guard? Maybe Mower was on to something with the rejuv treatments. I had actually grown up underground, with little experience of the sun and sky, and even I knew who UR was. How didn't she? Something didn't add up.

A huff came from Sasha, "Can someone come back to Earth to pick me up? I'm totally lost."

UR laughed, a musical sound, "It's simple, my dear. You yourself, have quite the bone to pick with Securicine, and it's makers." UR left her in shocked silence, turning to Lt Mower, "Lt Mower was one such victim of bad batch, and was abandoned by her corporate sponsors." Those damning eyes settled on me, "Lucyna was a victim of another such megacorporation, and one might say Motoko was a victim of opportunity by a third. I have brought you here, fixed what could be fixed, and offer you a chance to strike back. You are faster, stronger, and dare I say, smarter now."

And just like that, the lock on systems I didn't even know I had fell away. I scanned through the wall of notification that flashed across my vision, on the technical specifications of what chrome had been added to my person. I flexed my new hand, and I could feel the line of tightly coiled fire within, death wide as a single molecule. Sasha's own eyes glowed, as she flicked open clawed fingers. Mower's tech-gogs had dropped down, and I could see her shift slightly, body blurring in a wave of digital camouflage. Motoko herself stood still, almost frozen, but I could see her eyes flicking quickly, as if she were reading something.

"Take one of these Power Morphers. With them in hand, you will be able to call upon your personalized ACPA."

Motoko was the first to move as she dove upon an array of four devices in bold, neon hues, "Gimme gimme!" She paused though, right before her hands grabbed one, as she crouched, deep in thought, "Wait, this is an important decision! What colour do I choose, they all look so cool..."

While she was deliberating, Lt Mower waltzed over and grabbed the blue one, "Easy choice."

Sasha snagged one too, "Pink, cute."

I looked at the remaining two, green and yellow. Yellow was safe, neutral. For some reason, linked to a distant memory of comfort, maybe. Hesitantly, I reached out, and when Motoko didn't move, I took it. It fit well in my hand. The younger teen took the last Morpher, "Green? Wait a second... I'M NOT A GOBLIN!" She screeched the last, as Sasha and Mower to burst into laughter, and I couldn't help but crack a small smile too, carefully hidden behind a hand. My eyes darted to the side, and landed on the snack table. It was right there in arms reach, undefended, and I could see what looked like a pack of Popcorn Kibble. I liked Popcorn Kibble.

When the others finally recovered, Motoko crossed her arms, "Hold up. There's only four of us! I know my tropes, and there's always supposed to be a fifth! If I'm gonna be part of your magical girl sentai team, I demand a fifth member."

UR glanced at Sandra, who simply sighed as her shoulders drooped, "The fifth member was actually the first, and has already been poached. You may encounter them eventually, but they might not be an ally."

Mower rolled her eyes, "So what's stopping us from just walkin' out? You rig our chrome to blow, or something?"

The sound the holographic face made was one of disgust, "It was both expedient, and optimal to get you synchronized. So please, don't debase me or you. "

"So, just you?"

I flinched when they all turned to look at me. Why did I say that?! The slapping of metal palms brought everyone's attention to Motoko again, who had a resolute expression on her face, eyes fixed on me, "That settles it. If anything happens to that precious gumdrop, I'll kill everyone in this room, and then myself." Fucking hell, what did I get myself into?

The little one was psychotic, the old one was a neurotic drug addict, and the nice (and pretty, a jealous part of my mind added) one probably had an ulterior motive. Not to mention the fact that we'd been hand picked by a international media superstar, who had our chrome replaced without consent, and wanted us to form some sort of Team Monster. We were now on a Megacorp's payroll, even if it was a relatively unassuming one like Night Corp. What could I dig up about it, I wondered...

Sandra interrupted the awkward moment and my contemplation both, "If I could get everyone's attention, please?" She gestured to another wall, where a projection of Night City appeared, and highlighted a section of Japantown, "It looks like the YBRG is on the move. Beyond their use of Emerald City, they seem to have acquired some sort of bioweapon, and are rampaging through Japantown, killing indiscriminately. If they aren't stopped, current projections have them depopulating Night City within 48 hours."

Mower slapped a fist into a palm, grin all savage teeth, "What are we waitin' for then? Let's fuckin' party."

"Nyaa~ So exciting!" Sasha seemed to agree, "There are less than thirty of them, so this should be lehko!"

I glanced at Motoko, who caught my eye and winked, "I ain't turning down free XP."

I really didn't know what that meant, but I wasn't staying in this strange place alone. At least the others seemed to be in the same situation, so I might be able to get some sort of social or physical cover out of them. It's why gangs existed, right? Did that make me a gang member? Were we in a gang now, or we just corporate employees?

Why would a megacorp invest so much into a few people? I was so caught up in my thoughts, I nearly bumped into the others, when we piled into the elevator. The ride was made in awkward silence, as everyone fiddled with their equipment. When had they gotten equipment, and why didn't I get any? Sasha caught me looking, and smiled that kind smile, "Just the gear I had with me from before. You really think we're gonna get ACPA?"

I shrugged, "I uh, I don't know what that is." I'd not had much on my person, other than my poncho. Even these clothes were newer than anything I owned, so that was preem, all things considered.

Motoko's shout in a confined space had us wincing simultaneously, "It's a giant fuckin' robot! How cool is that?"

Even the surly Mower seemed pleased though, "Nova as fuck, I'll tell you that. Almost wanna test it out right away."

Sandra : It might be difficult to fit in the transport if that's the case. Best save it for when you hit the ground. Here is an instructional manual while you wait.

A moment later, I got an information packet. I spent the rest of the elevator ride quietly reading through it, before the doors disgorged us onto the roof, where an AV was spooling up. A brief glance out at the horizon showed that we were on the western edge of the City, atop a strangely shaped skyscraper that overlooked the bay.

Sandra : The air transport will deposit you at a nearby landing zone. Your mission is to clear Japantown of hostiles, while minimizing civilian casualties.

I climbed aboard with the others, clipping myself into the harness after a moment of difficulty.

Mower : What kind of hostiles are we dealing with in the LZ?

Sasha : The Yellow Brick Road Gang is a posergang with three types of members. Lion exotics that are buff as hell, think like the biggest, meanest of the Animals. Then you have the Tinmen, chromed out boosters that just want to kill, a bit like Maelstrom. And finally you have the Scarecrows, cyberninja that strike from the shadows with blades and fear, kind of like the Tyger Claws.

Motoko : Sounds like a fun time! This is gonna be great!

It didn't sound like a fun time at all, and I started to feel a bit of apprehensive dread for what was about to happen. Fuck, fuck, I wasn't ready for this! I didn't want to go into a combat zone! I could barely defend myself, and that was with my deck! Realspace fights weren't anything like net fights! There hadn't been enough time to process all the new chrome either!

Sandra: Get ready, you're about to do a hot landing!

Mower : Hell yeah! Grab a rope ladies, and feel the burn!

She unclipped her harness, and dove out of the side of the AV, which was steadily losing altitude. I could see the whipping of a length of nylon rope, trailing behind her falling form. Motoko let out a grunt of frustration, "Damn, she got the drop on us, the cheater! Let's go, before she kills all of them! My fuckin' xp!"

She followed after, and I was left with Sasha, trying to parse what the hell she was talking about. The woman tilted her head towards the open hatch, and offered me a rope. A moment of hesitation was all I had to give. I couldn't live my life in constant fear. The others had spoken for me, shown me at least a bit of kindness. UR had outfitted us with what looked like preem chrome, and I apparently had a giant mech suit I could summon when I hit the ground. With the last thought, my mind was made up. Might as well make the best of the insanity. It would be pretty nova, and I managed to get Popcorn Kibble out of it. That alone was worth it. A moment later, and the wind was whipping my hair wildly as I fell out of the AV in tandem with Sasha.

I couldn't help the scream that escaped my lips. The landing was arrested by the automatic break, and ejected me into a semi-awkward stumble on the pavement. I could see all manner of figures running around us, causing mayhem. There were lion exotics, ripping into civilians with tooth and claw, while chromed out killborgs blasting at crowds with heavy machine guns or automatic shotguns. Cyberninja covered in rags and syn-straw were leaping nimbly through the carnage, picking off the brave few that stopped to fight back, and the defender's numbers dwindled against the hoard. It seemed that for every fallen, they'd shift, and a moment later, a copy of their killer would rise.

Was it some sort of super cyber-retrovirus? Like the Carbon Plague which had melted people over the age of 20, nearly 50 years ago? Sandra mentioned we had 48 hours before the entire City was overrun. This was bad, really bad.

The Yellow Brick Road Gang had started to take notice of us, and their numbers closed in from all round. Motoko grinned, striking a ridiculous pose again, Morpher grasped in both hands, "Lets do it!" The others all struck poses of their own, and I reluctantly joined them. Why did the instruction manual call for poses or verbal commands, again? Stupid elf.

"HENSHIN!"