Welcome to the Team
Now, where did we leave our heroes last chapter?
"NOVA~!"
Oh, right…
Robin thrusted into Rebecca's hot slippery and hungry pussy like a madman. The warmth invited him to move faster and their mixed juices were the best lubricant he could've asked for. The chorus of loud moans and the sight of her large thick ass bouncing and rippling like jello were just the cherry on top for him and his desires. The beauty of his valkyrie was nothing short of a sight for the ages. Her long hair clung to her sweaty back as he continued making love to her like a lover she had not seen in a long long time. And he would not disappoint her in any aspect of their savage mating. Holding her tightly, he thrusted into her with all his might, reaching deep into her as her folds tightly wrapped around his manhood. It was a blissful dream of an experience he didn't want to wake up from and by the way Rebecca was screaming, neither did she.
"Fuck me harder, baby~!" Rebecca's eyes rolled to the back of her skull as she grew a satisfied smile on her face. "Rut me like a cheap back alley whore! Make me yours and no one else's~!" Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she felt her folds wrapping around his manhood like a second mouth wanting his seed deep inside her.
Her hips moved back and forth like a bouncing piston on their own. A primal desire and sense of love had taken over her mind and now she was a slave to her desires. She'd gotten laid before but this time was different. It was more passionate, more savage and every thrust and smack she felt brought her to a more primal state of mind. A mind that had no chrome in it, a pure organic desire to breed and mate like wild animals. Her body responded in kind, with her folds tightly wrapping around Robin's manhood, sucking him deeper into her body. Her breasts bounced and smacked against her chest with every hit her pussy felt. Her mouth opened up and all she could let out were moans and pleas for more.
"More! More! Fuck me more!" Rebecca moaned out. "Spank my ass! Leave your mark there~! I wanna feel you smash my pussy and ass like no other!" Her cheeks clapped before Robin's eyes like a mating call.
Robin's hand pulled back from Rebecca's hips before landing a hard spank on Rebecca's ass. His strike left a mark and made her cry out in pleasure. Repeating his action, his thrusts got harder, hitting her sweet spots. Her folds got tighter with each slap, making him hit the best spots. Her body shook from every spank and thrust combo he landed inside her pussy. She was close to her next climax and he was not far from her. Reaching forward, his hands grabbed hold of her large breasts giving him a better angle. His hips moved faster and faster with each hit landing on her G-spot.
"I'm cumming, Rebecca!" Robin growled into her ear.
"Then fill me up, baby~! I'm cumming too~!" Rebecca's juices squirted as Robin struck her G-spot one last time.
Rebecca's mind was drowned in pleasure. Her body surrendered to the feelings of Robin's strong hands and thrusts as he mated her like an animal. Now drowned in pleasure, her face twisted and turned into a look of pure pleasure and satisfaction that no whore had ever reached. She felt one more hit at her womb's entrance before she squirted her warm juices.
"I'm cumming!" Rebecca came as Robin claimed her lips once more.
His manhood pumped his seed deep inside Rebecca's awaiting pussy. Burst after burst his war seed flowed deep into her. Two years of abstinence were being unloaded into her and her pleased and utterly fucked happy face was telling him that she loved every second of it. His thick seed painted her insides white as they collapsed on the bed. He spooned Rebecca into his arms as her hands grabbed his hands and her large tits.
They remained like that for a while, panting and catching their breath. Sweat coated their bodies as their chests heaved with quick breaths. They looked at each other before snickering.
"Jesus man, you were so fucking wild," Rebecca moaned feeling him still inside her. "You still hard after dumping so much in me? I don't know how I should feel about that."
"Sorry, you're just too gorgeous to not want to keep going." Robin kissed her neck, giving her a hickey.
"I love you so fucking much right now!" Rebecca moaned. "But now, I'm on top." Rebecca fought through the desire to stay in his warm arms before planting herself on his lap.
"And you say I'm insatiable." Robin groped her breasts, giving her a kiss on her nipple.
"Someone has to drain your balls a little~." Rebecca reinserted his manhood inside her pussy. "Oh fuck it is still so fucking big and meaty~! I love you and your cock~!"
Rebecca bounced on Robin's lap, pulling herself up before slamming herself back down with all the strength she could muster. Her hips rolled and gyrated around his manhood, rubbing him from all possible sides. The sounds of his pleasurable moans and the warm feeling of his manhood and their juices mixing up inside of her was the recipe she needed to reach Heaven on Earth. Each strike at her G-spot made her mind short circuit and snap her back to that state of passion and animalistic desires.
Her mind would be fried if she wasn't careful, but she was no coward. She still had one more in the tank and was not going to fall asleep at the wheel. Increasing the speed of her bouncing, she gave Robin a spectacle worthy of his wettest dreams. Her breasts bounced wildly with each bounce, making them look even more tantalizing to Robin's eyes as she tempted him to thrust into her with everything he had. She lifted one of her heavy breasts up to his face, offering it to him with a salacious smile to boot.
"Come on, you know you want to~," Rebecca said with a deep red blush across her face. "Suck on them~."
Robin did. He bit down on her bright pink nipples, sucking on them like a nursing child or a starving man. She tasted strong yet sweet like a perfectly aged shot of tequila with rum. His tongue licked her nipples clockwise and then counter clockwise as his fingers groped her other breast. She moaned loudly as he sucked on her nipple before switching to the other one. His hips helped pick up the pace, thrusting into her from below as she bounced on his manhood. Each strike was met with her folds tightly wrapping around him like a vice, milking him for all that he was worth.
She was sucking him dry with her pussy and he had to do the same with her. Pinching her nipples together, he pressed her boobs into one easy to reach bite. He swallowed both of her nipples at the same time, toppling her over with pleasure. Her back arched from the combined assault and she couldn't hold it in much longer. But he was not that far behind. His cock pulsed and grew, growing heavy with his seed for one more shot inside her warm pussy. The temptation to cum inside her once more was too strong and it only made him kiss and fuck her harder.
"Kiss me, you stud!" Rebecca cried out, seemingly reading his mind. "Fucking smack a sloppy kiss on me before you bust another one inside me~!" She pulled him up to kiss him on the lips.
Despite how much she loved him worshiping her tits and nipples, she loved his kisses so much more. Her eyes drifted to the back of her skull as her arms wrapped around his body. With whatever strength she had left, she pinned him down with her on top of him. Her bouncing breasts rubbed against his muscular chest as their sweat mixed, rubbing off their musks against each other like another form of marking. It was a primal form of fucking that she couldn't get enough of and she loved it.
Her pussy twitched, telling her that the end was nearing like a bitch in heat.
"I'm cumming! I'm gonna fucking cum, Robin!" Rebecca moaned.
"Let's cum together, Rebecca!" Robin felt his manhood growing larger and heavy with his seed.
Their passionate make out session was sloppy and messy. Their tongues wrestled for control as they reached their climax together. They bounced and slammed into each other like wild animals fighting extinction. And with a thunderous scream of passion, they came together.
Rebecca's body burnt up as she felt Robin's seed coming deep inside her, painting her womb. Her eyes rolled back but she didn't break their kiss.
Robin grunted in pleasure as he released everything he had left inside of her. He slowly pulled her down with him before they collapsed on the sweat and cum-stained bed.
"That was fucking amazing~..." Rebecca slurred, panting on top of Robin's chest.
"You certainly were." Robin hugged Rebecca's body against his.
"I think I'm gonna call this one a night," Rebecca passed out from all their action, sleeping on top of the man she loved.
"Me too," Robin yawned.
They drifted to sleep with each other, not caring for what would happen tomorrow.
Rebecca watched Robin packing his stuff into a funny-looking RV he had hidden on the back of his workshop.
"So, you planning on moving?" Rebecca asked.
"Well, not that I don't trust Maine, but I would be remiss if I didn't take precautions." Robin put his equipment into the RV before getting the last of his boxes loaded up. "Besides, with the many gangs after Arasaka's bounty, I'm gonna need a secondary base to keep them guessing."
"You got more places?" Rebecca asked before her eyes landed on a list that fell to the floor.
"Yeah, small ones but considering my needs, no one would consider looking for me there." Robin closed the door before stepping back. "Finished."
"Hey, what are these?" Rebecca held up the list.
Robin looked at the list.
"Oh, my plans for taking out Adam Smasher," Robin said. "I should probably put that away too." He got the paper back.
"I see, I see, I-what?" Rebecca blinked in confusion. "You plan on fighting that bastard again? I thought you were through with him?"
"Not by a long shot, Becca. Not by a long shot." Robin looked at the list and all the plans he'd come up with.
Plan A: Ink Spade Treatment: Take him out from the inside by making incisions in his eyes and sending in the ants.
Plan B: Pillar's Special: Plant bombs inside Adam Smasher's head and take him out from a safe distance.
Plan C: Short-circuit: Release electromagnetic pulse before dismantling the borg.
Plan D: Hot Dip: Send a fake signal that leads Adam Smasher to a smelting plant or a volcano to burn him down.
Plan E: Taking Out the Garbage: Build a magnetize trap that will rip him apart his metal body and mess with his systems.
Plan F: Far From Home: Use unstable Pym Particles to turn him into a puddle of unstable goop.
Plan G: Gi-Ant-Runner: Shrink down Adam Smasher and stomp on him until he's a broken toy.
"So, moving on, what are you gonna do with this?" Rebecca pointed to the large RV. "Not gonna lie, but someone is bound to see it drive off."
Robin only smirked before pressing a button on his car keys. The RV that had been his only connection to the rest of the world for years shrunk down before Rebecca's eyes until it was nothing more than something that could've passed for a small model toy. Robin smirked before picking up the RV like it was no heavier than a toy.
"Ready to go when you are," Robin said with a smirk.
"...You love pulling these stunts, don't you?" Rebecca smirked just as Falco pulled up to greet them. "Time to go to work."
"I'm shaking with excitement." Robin cracked his neck as his new life as part of Maine's gang began.
The next few weeks became a blur for Robin as he got used to his place as a member of the crew. His time was divided evenly between three parts.
One was his day job and keeping up appearances back in the neighborhood he supposedly still lived in.
Robin finished loosening the bolts on the busted motor, only to find the cylinders were full of water.
"Where did you say you got this thing from?" Robin asked his client.
"Well… I ain't gonna lie, it was half drowned by the river," his client admitted with a cheeky smile.
"Well, that's gonna cost extra." Robin started pulling apart the motor pieces.
Two was helping out Falco and Becca on a few assignments, which often involved teaching David the ropes or learning the ropes from them.
"I know how to fight plenty guys, no need to take it easy on me," Robin said as he and David were given boxing gear by Rebecca and Falco.
"We know, but since you and David are the newbies, you gotta spar a few times. Rebecca explained.
"Think of it like teaching the young edgerunner here how to swing a proper punch." Falco sounded a bell for sheer amusement. "And remember, no chrome.
David narrowed his eyes before rushing at Robin. Reeling back one punch, he swung at Robin's stomach. Only for Robin to sidestep him. David tried again and again, swinging his punches like one of those old cartoon characters with noodle arms.
Robin kept his guard up, blocking and dodging the attacks easily. He wanted to think that this was because of his many scraps and fights over the years as the Ant-Runner. But the truth was much more simple than that. His opponent wasn't much of a fighter in the traditional sense. Sure, David could've taken a punk or two with a lucky shot thanks to his Sandevistan. But against someone that was used to fighting bigger and tougher? Not really.
"Okay, I see what you mean," Robin said.
"Just take a swing at least." Rebecca sighed.
Robin dodged another punch from David before turning his body towards him. His eyes narrowed before punching him across the face with a jab.
"You okay, David?" Robin asked.
But David only replied by tackling him to the floor.
"Still think this was a good idea?" Falco asked.
"It's better than either of them taking their chances with me," Rebecca sighed as David fell back, nose bloody.
And lastly, it was doing a few jobs with the gang while keeping his identity a secret. Which…
Robin, donning his Ant-Runner suit, ran with his ants as Maine was having a meeting with a sect of chrome enthusiasts with nothing better to do with their time than to threaten or take over other territories. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the room where Rebecca had been stashed.
"So, what's this all about, punk?" The leader asked. "You the ones Wakako called to tell us to back off? HA!" The machine head's laughter was shared by his fellow gang members.
"You'll be singing a different tune in a second, dog." Maine smirked. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."
"Is that so?" The punk leader cackled.
Robin heard the word, meaning it was his time to shine. Hoping on top of his ants, he flew into the back room without them noticing him. Once inside, he spotted two guards just waiting for their leader to call for them. He sent a couple of his ants onto the thugs biting down on their neck circuitry as he grew back to his normal size. Their eyes short circuited as sparks came out before they could fire or make any noise.
But just to be sure, he punched the first one across the face before pulling out his electric taser from his belt, jabbing it into the other thug's neck. They both fell down to the floor, leaving Robin to make his way to the small fridge that laid behind them. Opening it up, he saw Rebecca all tied up and gagged.
"I take it that your side of the plan isn't going as smoothly," Robin said, only getting muffled snarls and curses aimed at him. "Hang on." He quietly took off the tape from her mouth.
"Jesus, I thought I was gonna suffocate in there. These idiots really suck." Rebecca was pulled out of the fridge before Robin cut her free. "You brought my toys?"
Robin pulled out a pair of green and pink pistols as well as a large shotgun that was as long as his arm.
"Exactly as the lady asked." Robin pressed his hand on the side of his helmet. "They're about done."
"Let's give them something fun." Rebecca cocked her shotgun.
"Hey guys, bring the surprise for our friends here." The leader chuckled as one of his goons knocked on the door.
But there was no response.
"Guess your friends are shy," Maine said.
The leader and all his goons aimed their guns at Maine and his crew, with none of them batting an eye. However before they could pull the triggers, a shotgun blast tore through the door and one of the goons.
Rebecca stepped out, shotgun in hand and a crazy smile on her face.
"Now boys, that's no way to treat a lady." Rebecca aimed her weapon.
With everyone distracted, David activated his Sandevistan. He ran around the room, snatching and taking the weapons of all the other gang members, leaving them weaponless.
Just as they realized they were without their weapons, the rest of the gang started cleaning the house. Maine punched the leader, blowing him up with his left cannon arm along with several of his goons. Dorio fired her shotgun as Pilar fired his own gun at the gangsters. Kiwi short-circuited the heads of the remaining goons with a quick hack and Lucy used her whip to cut them down.
The fight was over in less than a few seconds, with the entire gang giving Robin and David a thumbs up.
Yeah, it was no secret that working with Maine's crew got messy on more than one occasion. But after a couple weeks of running with them, Robin got used to it. He didn't go with them to every job, but he made sure to be there in the ones that mattered. Both to keep on Maine's good side as well as keep an eye on his friends. The only thing he didn't appreciate was the way Kiwi kept looking at him whenever he wore his suit.
Her eyes were always cold and calculating, almost like she was trying to take him apart piece by piece. Not surprising considering that he was probably the one thing in all of Night City she couldn't hack. He knew from Becca that she had a long standing life philosophy of not trusting in anyone. And again, he couldn't blame her for having such a philosophy in a place like Night City and the world as a whole. But it wasn't something he couldn't handle. Some hateful looks or comments kept him on his toes and that was fine by him.
If only there was a way for him to look at dumbassery the same way.
"Hey dipshit! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Pilar snapped.
They were walking back from a job when they ran into a skinny man pissing from on top of a tall metal crate. He looked like a vagrant with unfocused eyes and no awareness of what was going on, muttering something he could not figure out. A sad sight if there was any Robin had seen.
"Pilar, leave the man alone. He's not bothering anyone," Robin said, averting his eyes from the guy pissing.
"You don't get it meat, that guy is pissing on our turf!" Pilar snapped before rushing over to the man himself. "Listen up piss stain! I understand having needs, but this is our street and we don't like stepping on piss!"
Robin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose at Pilar's antics. He turned to the rest of the crew, but none seemed to care much about it.
"Leave him to his own shit, Rob," Rebecca said. "Once my bro has something up his ass, he won't let it go. Bye bye bro!"
Robin shrugged, understanding Rebecca's logic. Pilar was a grown man. A dumbass, but a grown one at that. He didn't need to hold his hand for anything or for any reason. It was easily one of the simplest solutions to leave him to fix his own mess if he got in one.
Robin noticed David lagging back, still keeping his eyes on Pilar and the vagrant.
"Hey, David, come on, we got to-"
Bang!
Time slowed down as the sound of a shot echoed in the yard. Robin looked up at the origin of the sound, seeing Pilar without the top of his head and the vagrant man looking at them with mad eyes. The man's eyes shook a memory to life inside Robin's mind. Those maddened eyes that looked at everything and anything as a threat with nothing but paranoia fueling their every move were just like the ones that Cross had all those years ago.
"He's a cyberpsycho!" Robin cried out as the vagrant aimed his cannon arm at them.
Maine kicked a frozen David away as a missile from the cyber psycho's arm came towards them. The missile exploded sending both David and Robin back and behind one of the crates for cover.
Everyone else did the same, taking cover as the psycho fired wildly at anything that moved. Explosions rocked the yard as everyone was looking for a way to get out of there alive.
"You cock sucker!" Rebecca charged at the psycho screaming and firing at him like a man woman.
"Becca!" Robin rushed out from behind one of the crates, using his portable Ant-Communicator to call for reinforcements.
A horde of ants crawled and flew circles around the psycho's head, biting him and tearing through its cyberwear. But it didn't seem to affect him one bit. If anything the psycho just seemed mildly annoyed by them.
Maine took the chance to shoot his own cannon, but it malfunctioned.
"Come on, not now!" Maine cursed, getting the attention of the psycho.
Robin tackled Rebecca out of the way of another missile. He pulled her behind another crate as she fought to get back out there.
"Let me go!" Rebecca kicked Robin in the face as he tried to keep her from charging.
"Not happening." Robin kept his hold on her as she tried to go out and kill the psycho. "Plus, you're out of bullets."
"No, I'm not!" Rebecca countered only to see she was out. "Fucking hate your fast counting right now."
"Lucy? Where's Lucy?!" David called out.
Robin and Rebecca spotted Lucy hiding right behind the crate the mad man was firing from.
"Shit," they muttered as David saw where she was.
"David wai-" David rushed out, using his Sandevistan to cross the yard in the blink of an eye. "God damn it!"
David made it to the top, glaring at the cyber psycho with all his anger. His gun was ready and his finger was on the trigger. Click. He shot the psycho through the head, blowing his brains out.
Everyone watched as the psycho fell down.
"Lucy, are you okay?" David asked her, the blood of his first kill still on his face.
"Y-Yeah," Lucy replied. "Thank you David." She smiled at him.
David smiled at that, not noticing the psycho was pulling himself back up.
"No you don't!" Robin commanded his ants to destroy all the cyberwear of the psycho's head.
The man screamed as all his cables and cyberware got torn and bit out of his skull. The ants feasted on him like an all-you-can-eat buffet, keeping him away from David. But his pain was short-lived as Maine's metal fist knocked his head clean off.
"God damn it, this is a mess." Maine spat out, looking at his hand. "It's cool, the asshole is dead."
Everyone came out from their hiding spot with Rebecca snatching a shotgun. She fired upon the head of the man that had killed her brother with no signs of stopping.
"You piece of shit! How do you like that?!" She shot it over and over. "Stealing my kill? He was mine to kill! You bastard!" She turned her sights on the corpse of her brother, shooting at his golden hands and knocking what was left of his head clean off.
She spat at the remains of the psycho's head in rage, panting like she'd just run a marathon.
Robin slowly grabbed the weapon out of her hands. The sight of her angry or pissed off was nothing compared to how she looked at that moment. She trembled in rage at how her brother had died. She'd often say in passing that she would be the one to kill her brother one day. But he assumed she never truly meant it. Pilar was her brother and a part of her loved him more than anything. And to see what had happened, it drove her berserk.
"Yo, Rob," Maine said, getting his attention. "Just send David to get Lucy patched up and back to her place, mind doing the same for Becca?"
"I'm fine, Maine. I don't need a babysitter." Rebecca snarled.
"Yeah, I'll take her." Robin handed him the shotgun before they started walking away.
Right, life was never as smooth going as one would hope. And in Night City, good things never truly last as long as people hoped for. Reality had ways to remind people of that kind of stuff in some brutal ways.
Robin and Rebecca didn't talk the whole time they walked back to her place. He didn't want to talk, fearing that his words could make things worse. There was no easy way of talking about what had happened. Sure, people grew desensitized when it became a common occurrence, but when it is someone you knew, someone close, it changes things in ways that hurt a lot more.
Becca opened the door to her apartment and silently stepped inside.
"You want to come in?" Rebecca asked.
"If you want me to," Robin replied.
"I want you to." Rebecca grabbed his sleeve, pulling him inside.
The apartment had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a workstation that stank of Pilar.
"Cozy." Robin said.
"No different than your place." Rebecca walked to the kitchen, pulling out a couple of bottles of hard alcohol. "Want a drink?"
"Um, thanks," Robin replied, only for Rebecca to toss him the whole bottle. "I take it that you don't want to drink from a glass."
"Not particularly," Rebecca replied. "You don't have to play babysitter for me, Rob. I'm the farthest thing from a baby." Rebecca drank from her bottle.
"I know that. But I don't think you should be alone right now." Robin looked at the bottle. "You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened."
"I don't blame myself! I blame my dumbass brother, and that fucking psycho that iced him! I wanted to be the one to kick his ass!" Rebecca kicked over her coffee table. "I should've been the one to kill him."
"Why do you keep saying that?" Robin asked. "I know you don't mean it."
Rebecca glared daggers at Robin before scoffing. She sat down next to him on the couch before she took another drink from the bottle.
"You've run with the crew and been around edgerunners long enough to know that some of us are more remembered for their deaths than how we live." Rebecca looked at a picture of herself with her brother. "I always knew that Pilar was too hotheaded and mouthy to live long. Most of our problems came up whenever he opened his mouth."
Robin couldn't deny Rebecca's words. Pilar's mouth and way of thinking did get them in more trouble than they should.
"I figured that one of these days I would be the one to kill him for being a dumbass," Rebecca said. "But now that he's dead… I miss him… Gonking Pilar! Why couldn't you keep your fucking mouth shut for five seconds!" Tears streamed down from Rebecca's eyes before she buried her face on Robin's chest.
Robin hugged her, hoping to make her feel better. She sniffed and wiped her eyes from any tears.
"If you need time, I'm sure Maine wouldn't mind giving you anything," Robin said. "I can stay if you want me to."
"Yes please," Rebecca said.
It would be a long night. But he would be there the whole time if he had to. Looking at the bottle Rebecca gave him, he decided to give it a taste. As soon as the drink touched his lips, he spat it out.
"What the heck is this?" Robin coughed.
"Oh, that's Pilar's special hooch." Rebecca took another swig of her bottle.
"It's strong enough to jumpstart a car." Robin coughed. "If not to bust its engine apart."
Rebecca laughed at the picture Robin had just described. It was just like her brother buying something bad and pretending to be good to save face.
"Yeah, my brother had horrible taste and horrible timing!" Rebecca laughed. "I can see the guys from the liquor store swindling him with this junk! Ha ha ha!"
The life of an edgerunner was not a safe one, but it had its moments. Few and far they might be.
The next day, Robin went off to meet with Maine to tell him the situation. He didn't like it but he understood it well enough. Seeing her brother get killed off like that took a toll on anyone, so he decided to cut Rebecca some slack and let her rest for a few days. Robin was almost tempted to suggest the same thing to Maine, given his arm's malfunction at the time of the fight. But a part of him told him that wasn't gonna fly.
David joined them shortly after, and he looked to have a more beat in his step than he usually did. Something must've happened after they split. He sat down on the couch as Maine placed Pilar's golden hands on the coffee table.
"What's this?" David asked.
"They're Pilar's, don't you want them?" Maine asked. "Or you just don't wanna take from a corpse you knew?"
"Nah, they ain't my style, plus, Becca probably wants them to remember Pilar," David said. "Honestly, they're kinda gaudy."
"I'll pass them on to her, minus the gaudy statement." Robin picked up the hands before putting them in a bag.
"That's cool, I've actually had my eye on another upgrade." David's eyes drifted to Maine's left arm.
"You serious? This might be a little too much for you to handle, kid. But tell you what, if I flatline you can have it," Maine shrugged like it was no big deal. "That way you get time to bulk up. You know, there's something different about you today, man. Wait, don't tell me you and Lucy…?"
"It's nothing." David shrugged, looking away from Maine, sealing his fate.
"Nah, you two did it. Finally became a man, kid. You got laid." Maine messed with David. "I'm proud of you."
Just as Maine was about to ruffle David's hair, Kiwi walked in as naked as the day she was born. Not a sight that Robin ever grew used to. But he was wearing his costume, so he couldn't be one to judge too harshly. Still if she was deep diving into the web, then he knew she was looking for something.
"So, Kiwi, any developments on the Tanaka front?" Maine asked.
"Nope. Kept poking holes and got the same result. Nothing we can use, he keeps every movement he does downlow," Kiwi replied. "Maybe we should wait for Faraday to give us another opening."
'Tanaka'? That name sounded familiar. Robin remembered that there had been a punk kid named that, could they be related.
"Tanaka?" David asked.
"Don't you remember baby's first grand theft auto?" Maine asked. "That limo was his."
"You know him?" Robin asked.
"No," David lied, only for Kiwi to look him up.
"Wow, here you are with Tanaka's kid. Arasaka Academy and everything," Kiwi said.
"Wha? No way. Kiwi, you're not accusing our David of going to some prissy stiff ass prep school, are you?" Maine poked David's head.
"Full high scoring drop out," Kiwi added. "Straight As all around."
"Damn, no wonder Gloria was always strapped for Eddies," Maine said.
"You two ever hear of a thing called privacy?" David pouted.
"Hey, those movements, what exactly did you find?" Robin asked. "If we know what he goes out for, we can get the information you're searching for."
"Well, he does have a lot of trash and lots of XBDs in his viewing log," Kiwi shrugged.
"Yo, hold up, that sounds like leverage. What's he into?" Maine asked.
"Kinkster but more gore than porn," Kiwi replied. "Some cyberpsycho virtues too."
Robin couldn't help but frown at that. People reliving the last few moments of people going psycho felt wrong and made a pit in his stomach. It was a thrill ride that forgot to mention that it was some poor bastard going crazy before they got put down.
"Lotta BDs by someone named JK," Kiwi added.
"JK? Like Jimmy Kurosaki?" David asked.
Another name Robin had heard while spying. Apparently he was a braindance editor guy that made some intense videos and experiences that people couldn't get enough of. Virtual reality meeting drugs from what he figured.
"You know him?" Robin asked.
"Yep, he's got a cult following. Whatever he gets his hands on, he turns to fine tuned gold 24hrs later. Fresh off the street and piping hot," David explained. "You just can't get edits like his anywhere else, that's what his fans always want and come back for."
"Slow down, David. Or else we'll have to stage an intervention," Robin said.
"I just helped a choom move his stuff." He held up his hands.
"Do you know anything useful?" Kiwi asked.
"He makes custom jobs for the VIPs," David said. "And for that Tanaka has to be there on the spot, in person for the best fine tuning possible. And probably alone."
"Not the worst plan, let's get the ball rolling." Maine smirked.
Maine's middle man came through, Tanaka had a habit of ditching his driver and going out with a special car service called Dellomaine. A very tightlipped car service with no chance of hacking. So, that left them with getting to Tanaka through JK himself. Thankfully, Kiwi found out he had a reservation at a place called Embers. Which was how Robin ended up on David's shoulder as they drove into the parking lot.
"Stop twitching, David." Robin grabbed on to his jacket's collar.
"Can you blame me? I see what you can do in that size, what's stopping you from breaking something?" David asked.
"Relax, I've done this before. Just stick to the script and you won't know I'm here," Robin said. "Think of me like Jiminy Cricket."
"Who?" David asked.
"Forget it. I see the guy," Robin sighed.
Jimmy Kurosaki could've easily been described by the word scumbag. Long hair, baggy clothes, and enough gold and azure chrome in his face and body to make someone think he was wearing a mask. Carrying himself with a hint of smugness, he approached his car by the time they parked.
"Whoa, no way. Are you-?" David played his part. "Are you Jimmy Kurosaki?"
"Who's asking?" Jimmy asked.
"Whoa, it is you! I'm a big fan, man! You know a doc down by Arroyo that pushes your stuff? I help him out with it and man, I gotta say it is awesome!" David kept his attention as Maine approached from behind. "Can I shake your hand?"
"Sorry, but I got somewhere to be," Jimmy said as a small smile grew on his face.
"Oh yeah, I get it. Still a major honor meeting you, choomba." David smiled, not noticing Jimmy reaching for his belt.
It all happened so quickly. A loud screech rang through Robin's ears as David and Maine fell to the ground. He barely had time to clear his head before he fell to the ground holding the side of his head. His head was buzzing as the lights went off.
"An EMP?" Robin groaned as Jimmy picked David from the ground. "Shit!"
Robin fired his grappling hook at the base of the car door as it quickly pulled out of the parking lot. He pulled himself in, grabbing tightly to the metal before climbing up inside.
"Guys, JK sent an EMP and he's taking David, do you read me?!" Robin called out, only to get static.
The comms were still down. Looked like it was up to him. Robin held on tightly as Jimmy drove straight to his hideout.
Robin watched Jimmy Kurosaki plug David into a braindance machine, probably to torture information out of him or something equally as unpleasant. He wasn't gonna wait to find out. He sprinted into the hideout, spotting the piles of garbage and pieces of equipment scattered around the place. The prime location to find lots of soldiers to help him.
"I just hope that EMP didn't fully fry my equipment." Robin called out to all the ants with his helmet.
Slowly, he reached out to all the ants around him, watching them all follow his commands. They gathered around him as he reached out to caress the head of the first one.
"So, it was only temporary, that's good." Robin hopped on the first ant. "Alright, time to send this clown down." He and the ants took off after Jimmy and David.
They flew into the room, using the shadows to cover their entrance. Robin spotted Jimmy giving David a talk, a talk that was shaking him.
"-I'm surprised that you haven't snapped yet," Jimmy looked at the Sandevistan in David's back. "It's not every day that you see someone using such a military grade piece to mow down 27 people, and the guy using it was in the military. I have big expectations for you, my boy." Jimmy started typing away at his workstation.
"Wait, stop!" David cried out.
"I think a couple more runs will-" Jimmy was punched across the face. "What the fu-?!"
Robin punched him across the face once more, breaking Jimmy's nose. Snatching a chunk of his hair, he slammed the head of the BD editor down on the ground. Jimmy tried to get back up only to not see what was attacking him. The punches landed against his face and body like bullets that he couldn't see. Robin continued his attacks, as he commanded his ants to move into position.
Jimmy reached over to his belt, to fry the brain of whatever invisible threat was attacking him. But as soon as his fingers touched it, sparks flew out as ants crawled all over his hands and face.
"What the fuck is this shit?!" Jimmy snapped as the light turned on.
Dorio and Lucy came in, rushing to David and Jimmy.
"David!" Lucy pried his bonds off.
"Lucy, thank you." David sighed as she freed him.
"Hey, what about me? I stopped him from putting you into that shit again," Robin said from his small size.
"Nice work, Ant-Runner." Dorio held her gun at Jimmy's head.
"Ant-Runner?" Jimmy spat out some blood. "That explains the ants. It's a pleasure to meet such a legend. Didn't know he was a buddy of yours."
"Yeah, like an apology will fix everything, gonk." Robin hovered over Jimmy while riding on top of one of his ants.
"Well, in that case I am truly sorry about this next bit." Jimmy closed his eyes as the sound of spinning blades came into the room. "My bad, guys."
They all turned around to see two black drones armed with guns. Dorio aimed her gun at them as she kept Jimmy in a tight grip as the drones circled them.
"It looks like you triggered my security system by mistake," Jimmy shrugged.
"You better call them off or else, I'm using you as a meat shield." Dorio tightened her hold on his head.
"But you won't, because you need me alive or else I'd already be dead." Jimmy looked at Dorio with the eyes on the back of his head.
"Lucy, hack these damn things," Dorio said.
"I'm trying, damn things are not easily hacked." Lucy hacked the drones as best she could, but their targeting system was still keeping them on their scope. "Just need a few more minutes."
Robin and David didn't need any more time.
"I'll give you those minutes!" David used his Sandevistan to run around the drones, firing at them and keeping their attention on him.
But all his shots bounced back against their armored plating.
"Damn, they're bullet proof." Robin called his ants to follow him against the drones. "Hang on David!"
The ants circled around the first drone, messing with its detection. It tried to fire but the ants were too small and moved too fast to keep up with the detection sensors. It was like trying to hit a target in the middle of a mirror house while spinning.
Robin used this chance to jump on top of the drone. Landing on one of its spinning blades, he ran on top of it before jumping down to its body. He pulled out his short sword, plunging it into the bulletproof steel. But thankfully, it wasn't blade proof. With a couple of slices, he made a hole big enough for him to jump in.
The place was full of wires and circuits. Robin grabbed all the cables he could grab hold of. Pulling on the cords and cables, he turned the drone towards the other, ramming it.
David took this chance and started shooting the drones as best he could, emptying his cartridge.
"Yo, Ant-Runner, get out of there!" David called out.
Robin did just that. Jumping out of the drone, growing back to his full size. He pulled out his blaster, aiming it at the damaged drones, pulling the trigger. The blast burnt a hole through them both before they exploded in the air.
"Everyone okay?" Robin asked as he landed.
"We didn't get shot, so that's a plus, choom," David said.
"So you're the legendary Ant-Runner. I assumed you'd be taller. Though that helmet, it really fits the name. I can't wait to see what goes through you bra-" Jimmy was slammed down against the floor with Dorio planting her foot on his head.
"This is the part where you shut up," Dorio threatened.
"Okay, okay, you win. I surrender for real this time." Jimmy didn't bother changing his tone or looking distressed. "White flag, pinkie promise. Hey, net-runner girl. You did pretty well breaking through the barriers of the drones before the Ant-Runner stole your thunder. Never seen someone doing it so quickly. Now, how can I help you?"
"You pull any stunt, and I'll kill you myself." Lucy glared at Jimmy with a look that could kill.
Maine and Kiwi joined them at the hideout and started setting up a plan for what they needed to do.
"You got the plan?" Maine asked.
"Yes, yes, I'll make the call and you'll do your thing," Jimmy sighed. "I know how the edgerunner life works."
Maine scoffed.
"You two, keep your eyes on him at all times." Maine turned to Robin and David. "He twitches, you knock his ass out." Maine left to get the rest of the trap ready, leaving Robin and David in the collection of everything Jimmy Kurosaki had ever edited.
Robin looked at all the stacks liked up on the shelves. It was like looking at a collection of movies or books all lined up for anyone to enjoy them. But he wasn't fooled. Each one of those cartridges was a life of someone that had gone cyberpsycho and killed many more people before being put down. He didn't know how someone could stomach all of this, but there was a market for all this madness.
"I truly am sorry about what happened earlier, but you got to admit you were worth looking into," Jimmy looked at David as he watched the different XBD selections.
"Whatever," David shrugged. "More surprised you're so ready to help."
"I know how Edgerunners operate, plus, this gets me to see how the legendary Ant-Runner operates." Jimmy turned his sights on Robin. "You don't become invisible like most people claim, do you? Man, what I'd give to see into your life."
"Fat chance." Robin was tempted to punch the creep for his attitude alone. "My secrets stay in here." He pointed to his head.
"Well, if there's one thing to note, you must be unhinged in some way. Calling upon insects to aid you and working in the shadows where no one can see you. I can't help but wonder what chrome lets you do that." Jimmy turned his sights back on David as he examined a cartridge. "Re-lived that one too, did ya?"
"Yeah," David replied.
"And yet you installed the Sandy anyway? You really are unhinged, aren't ya?" Jimmy chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Robin narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, the Sandevistan your friend is using was once worn by a soldier by the name of Norris. Took out 27 people before Max Tac took him down, and his last few moments are in that cartridge there," Jimmy explained as Robin looked at David.
The pieces fell into place in Robin's mind. Given it being a military grade piece, a Sandevistan was not something one could easily get ahold of. The only way that David would have gotten his hands on the Sandy was if someone had gotten their hands on someone that was already wearing it. David's mom must've been on the response team to pick up the pieces and smuggled the damn thing to sell to Maine. Robin had to tip his hat to that woman for going to these extremes to help her son. But knowing said son was wearing a piece that might've driven someone psycho was more concerning than anything.
"I'm not gonna end up losing it like he did," David said without a hint of fear.
"Norris was a soldier, he lived and breathed cyberware and even he couldn't take it." Jimmy pointed out. "What makes you think you can handle it?"
"Don't know. Tough to say… it just feels right," David replied. "Like, it's always been a part of me. I'm built different. I just know that."
"Believe yourself to be special?" Jimmy asked.
"Why not?" David replied.
"That's a big gamble, David," Robin said. "There are some bodies that take better to chrome than others. But I've seen plenty that think that makes them invincible and I'm guessing a good chunk of them are lined up before you. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should."
David glared at Robin, almost like he took that as a challenge. His life had changed big time when he installed the Sandy and was finally making his way in the world. And he would see it through to the end. But when he met Robin, it was like he'd met the opposing force that broke the norm he'd lived in for a long time.
"Maybe I've got the balls to go down that path, the one where there are no other choices," David said.
"Bullshit. You always have a choice," Robin replied. "Though, it seems more like you're just drifting. Just a dumb kid that thinks this is a flashy new toy."
Jimmy laughed.
"He ain't wrong, kid. I've seen plenty of cyberpunks and chrome jocks go psycho over the years. Some metal just isn't meant to mix with meat," Jimmy said. "Your organic body, your mind, even your very soul gets pushed to the limit, teetering on the very edge of a knife. And it always ends two ways: either you lose yourself forever or you die. No in-between."
Robin understood what Jimmy was saying. The body could only take so much stress and the mind could only fracture so many times before it all fell apart. All those chemicals combining and mixing inside a person's body could turn volatile at any moment and made the most innocent into monsters. It was one of the main causes of cyberpsychosis. He'd seen it thanks to the Pym Particles and the few people with chrome exposed to them.
His eyes landed on David again. He still looked adamant in his words on how he was built differently. That obstinate fire that followed a trail of gasoline not knowing it was going to blow up was going to be the death of him. But it seemed that David saw him as an annoyance, or someone that stood as the antithesis of everything he knew. Not that he could blame him. Organic with no chrome making bigger waves than most edgerunners without taking anything from anyone. It was like a smaller dog envying the life of a different dog just because he had a different life.
Robin needed to have a civil talk with David at some point before anything happened.
Tanaka's ride arrived at the agreed time.
"Got eyes on Tanaka, he's about to go inside." Robin called through the coms.
"Understood." Dorio replied.
Robin flew down on one of his ants as Tanaka entered the shop. He watched as Jimmy greeted the perpetually scowling man who looked to be more interested in getting his stuff and leaving than making any form of conversation. It was good then that he didn't notice Maine, Dorio and David pulling up around him.
"Mr. Kuroskai, my patience is running thin." Tanaka fixed his glasses.
"Unfortunate is right." Maine cocked his gun. "Would've made our job a whole lot easier if you'd been chin deep in BD titties."
"Who are you?"
"Don't try nothing," Maine said as Tanaka grew more displeased.
"The arrogance," He tried to call for help, but his call didn't get through.
"I'm truly sorry, they have me by the balls here." Jimmy held his hands up.
"Don't even try it." Dorio stepped up. "We got a jammer up."
Tanaka begrudgingly pulled his hands up, almost like he was willing to surrender. but then his palms opened up.
"Get back!" Robin called out!
Needles shot out of Tanaka's hands, forcing Maine, Dorio and David to duck or hold up their arms for cover.
Robin's ant easily avoided the large needles using its size to his advantage.
Tanaka activated his martial arts cyberware, charging at Maine like a master would a large punching bag. Maine's left arm sparked up before Tanaka unleashed a barrage of punches against his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
Robin regrew to his full size, firing his grappling hook at Tanaka's right hand. The claw bit down on the executive's wrist before Robin pulled back on his grappling hook. Tanaka turned to see him, losing his balance before David rushed in, tackling him from the side.
"It's you…" Tanaka let out for only Robin and David to hear him.
Maine took his chance. He reeled back his right arm, landing a devastating haymaker on Tanaka's face.
Tanaka was sent flying to the ground. He landed so harshly that the ground cracked and bent against his weight before falling unconscious.
"What a pain in the ass." Main muttered.
Robin pulled back his grappling hook before spotting something else.
Jimmy Kurosaki held his throat as a needle poked out of it. Blood dripped out from his wound as he started to gag from the blood inside his throat.
"Shit, he caught one in the throat," Maine said as they gathered to see him fall.
"Guess he won't be around to edit his own death," Dorio pointed out.
"Stood there like a fucking gonk and all," Maine added as Robin pulled David back.
"There's nothing to see," Robin said, only for David to pull his arm free.
David took one last look at Jimmy as he gave him a blood-filled smile. One final sendoff with his own ideology in toll.
"Um, guys, Trauma Team is on its way." Kiwi called.
"Shit this guy has Trauma coverage?!" Maine snapped.
"Platinum too and everything," Kiwi added.
"Let's go!" Robin pulled David out as Maine and Dorio picked up Tanaka.
They got in the car as the sound of sirens got closer to them. They drove off, leaving the body of Jimmy Kurosaki to be found by them.
As they drove, Robin couldn't help but shrink down, looking at David and all that he'd been through that day. He had no right to tell him how to live, but he knew that David stubbornly fought against a reality all edgerunners faced. That one day would be their last. He needed to find a way to get him out before his day came. Both for his sake and Robin's own.
Robin needed to plan an escape in case they ever needed it.