Soldier Ants
"Alright, this looks like something I can patch up." Robin looked at the damaged pistons of the motor before him. "How did you manage to get this thing so damaged after a week? I've seen less work from everyone here than you in the last week alone." Robin pulled the piston apart before getting the pieces he needed.
Ever since his fame as a good mechanic spread to some edgerunners, Robin had his pick of clientele. Well, that would've been a generous thing to say as most of his edgerunner clients just wanted a cheap fix up and often tried to screw him over. But among those, there was Falco. A nice man that seemed to have come out of a classic Western film of the good ole days. Not only did he get paid a fair wage for his services but Falco's car was one of the best machines put together. Every time he worked on it, Robin felt like a kid putting a new toy together.
"What can I say, business is booming as of late and you're not trying to rob me," Falco shrugged. "Plus, Becca hasn't stopped singing your praises."
"Rebecca has been… talking about me?" Robin stopped working. "That can't be right. Right?"
"You must've done something to get that girl to notice you." Falco lit a cigarette. "Guess the whole none-chrome knight in shining armor swept her off her feet."
"With the amount of ammo she was shooting and her short fuse?" Robin couldn't believe it. "I'm not sure if that was the case. All I did was make sure we didn't get shot in the back. Didn't have a gun or anything."
"Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to be packing more heat than Rebecca," Falco said. "That girl has more spunk than a chihuahua on crack cocaine. Though it makes sense with the crew she and I run with."
"You work together often?" Robin asked.
Normally, Robin would've kept his mouth shut about something people tended to want secret. But information was valuable when you were down in terms of firepower. One of the things he learned about being smaller than a mouse for two years was to learn who was your neighbor. And in Night City, all his neighbors could waste him in an instant if he wasn't too careful. It was a good thing to know who was friend and who was a foe if he wanted to survive more than ten minutes.
"Yep, mostly when Maine needs a quick getaway driver or the best guy to deliver a package safely," Falco said. "No offense to the big man but he isn't exactly subtle with the wheel."
"Too much chrome?" Robin asked.
"In Night City, is there such a thing?" Falco put out his cigarette. "Which is why you should consider getting a piece. Nothing big, maybe something that'll keep the bigger jerks from popping your brains for the hell of it."
"You don't have to worry about me, Falco. I'm a survivor." Robin closed the hood of the car. "It should work smoothly now. The breaks are good for at least a year before you need to change them."
"Thanks, Rob. But I'm serious, you need a piece if you're going to the city," Falco said. "Heard the Tiger Claws have been getting rowdy lately. Pleasure doing business with you." Falco transferred the Eddies to Robin's account.
"Drive safely, Falco." Robin cleaned his hands as Falco drove off.
Once Falco was a safe distance away, Robin closed the door before he turned to his workshop. He pulled up his gear and continued working on it. His fight with the punk rockers and his meeting with Rebecca had made him see he was a bit outgunned. The average Edgerunner was packing more than one gun and some were bigger than his own blaster. Not to mention their chrome could easily turn his head into a squashed tomato. His Firebite had plenty of stopping power, but he needed something to help him out when things got serious.
It was time to expand his arsenal for any future fights against Edgerunners and Arasaka goons. Looking over all his tools and equipment, he needed to plan out his gear to fit his fighting style. He didn't have enough resources to make himself a tank, even if he did have working blueprints for a robot ant to fight with. Nor did he possess the time or chrome to arm himself like Adam Smasher. Not to mention the Pym Particles messed with the chemicals and the particles in a person, so having chrome was a big no.
One of the things he and the doc had learned during their sabbatical was the effect the Pym Particles had on chrome. The particles affected the subject's biology and particles to change their size and density on a molecular level. That included the chemicals in the person's body and as such any chemical imbalance within the subject could be affected by the particles. People with large amounts of chrome in their bodies had different chemicals in their systems that helped regulate their chrome so the body didn't reject them, and it was those chemicals that the Pym Particles didn't like very much. Exposure between the particles and those chemicals led to the subject to quickly develop short episodes of cyber-psychosis. They didn't go full on psycho, but it made them dangerous.
"And the last thing the world needs is a crazy dangerous psycho armed to the teeth that no one can see," Robin whispered as he went over his blueprints. "Maybe I could build some melee weapons. Like a stun baton or something that can send electric shocks down their chrome pieces. I'll look into fixing the Pym Particle problem later."
Robin picked up a few pieces of metal, checking them for their weight and any imperfections that could hinder it. He swung them around, imitating a few samurai films he'd seen in the past. They all felt like they were missing something. He needed to try it on a target to see how they felt when fighting. Tying up some pillows and wood together, he put up a fake enemy with the arm section capable of spinning to better reflect movement. The temptation of drawing Adam Smasher's face was there, but he needed to stay focused. Taking off his jacket, he cracked his neck to loosen up.
"Let's try this out." Robin pulled out his two sticks.
Picturing an armed individual, Robin swung his right stick at the dummy's hand. Then he countered the incoming blow from the other side with his left stick. He ducked under another right swing before hitting the dummy's head with his stick. His mind pictured different thugs and goons attacking him with similar weapons to his own, helping him counter and prepare. He added kicks to the dummy's stomach and face a few more times before ducking and blocking the attacks with his new weapons.
"Okay, good. Not bad," Robin panted. "Let's see how it works with a few more tricks added to them. Maybe have the voltage ready to fry some circuits if I need to." His mind raced with ideas before continuing the practice.
He struck and kicked the dummy over and over, hoping to get more used to the weapons. The weight felt nice and they were pretty sturdy in comparison to some of the pieces he had seen. All he needed to do was alter the two sticks to be better for his fighting style while shrunk. Jumping like he'd do in his shrunken form, Robin swung at the dummy's head, taking it off with it.
The dummy's head bounced on the ground before being stopped by a foot.
"So, this is how you spend your time, huh?"
Robin turned around to see the smirking Rebecca giving him a smile and a friendly wave. Her sudden arrival made him drop his sticks on his feet. Wincing from the pain, he snatched the two pieces of metal as Rebecca walked up to him with a devious smirk on her face.
"H-Hey, Rebecca," Robin said. "What brings you here?"
"Well, you don't call, you don't write, I was starting to wonder if you were avoiding little old me," Rebecca leaned forward, letting Robin take a peek inside her hoodie.
And despite her height, she was all grown up. Rebecca might've liked her body and how her chrome made her look, but there were some aspects that she wanted to keep according to her age.
Robin looked away, as a blush spread through his face. He picked himself off, clearing his throat to save some face. He hadn't felt that flustered since high school. It had been well over two years since he was with a woman after all. But Rebecca had seen him blush, if her evil smirk was anything to go by.
"See something you like, choom~?" Rebecca asked. "I certainly do." She eyed him up and down, making sure to take in everything that he had and was at that moment.
Robin noticed that he was indeed sweating and showing off more muscle than he normally did. Which in turn made his blush all the more noticeable. He needed something to save whatever was left of his dignity. Anything at this point would be a godsend.
"C-Can I help you with something, Rebecca?" Robin asked.
"Well, I was wondering about you. You intrigue me," Rebecca admitted. "Most guys I meet are punks that have more chrome than brains or they are corpo chums. Yet here you are, a completely organic fella working machines and training to beat up people when the easiest thing to do is get a piece and pump them with some lead." Rebecca pulled out her pistols and took aim at the practice dummy.
"Well, I'm… more of the belief that chrome isn't the answer to everything," Robin said. "Besides, I don't plan on getting into any gunfights in the near future, so I won't be needing a gun."
"But if you do get into a fight, you'll pull out your fancy metal sticks and beat someone to death with them?" Rebecca asked, hopping into his work seat. "Free advice, you should add some edge or extra oof to them. Most punks might fall for a quick whack here and there, but there are those that won't let you get anywhere close to them with a metal stick. But don't worry, I got you covered."
"How so?" Robin wiped the sweat off of himself.
Rebecca handed him a phone number. Based on her smile, it had to be hers or at least he assumed it was.
"Are you offering to be my personal bodyguard?" Robin asked.
"Nah, that's the number of a guy that'll get you some nice guns for the right amount of eddies," Rebecca shrugged. "You caught my attention and I'm curious as to who you are, Robin. Bet there's a story behind why someone that's 100% meat is skulking outside Night City. And I want to hear it."
Robin didn't know what to say at that moment. The truth was clearly not the way to go. He could've just played it off and said he just was a nomad who needed to take a break, but that would've raised more questions. Most people barely noticed him and that anonymity had been his best weapon. But now, this woman was looking at him straight ahead. If she got in too deep, then his mission would be compromised. He could lie and say something interesting enough to buy himself some time to get her to forget him.
But did he want that?
"Excuse me, Robin, are you busy?" Pepe walked in through the door before noticing Rebecca. "Oh, are you with a client? I can wait."
"No, we were just talking," Robin said, inwardly thanking his arrival. "What's up, Pepe?"
"I came to ask for a favor, ever heard of the Tiger Claws?" Pepe asked.
"They're a crazy band of edgerunners that take just about any job to run wild and wreck shit up from what I've heard." Robin put on his jacket. "They're punks trying to model themselves after the yakuza or something along those lines."
"Nah, they're more a bunch of dumbasses that think they're anything more than punks." Rebecca crossed her legs, resting her cheek on her hand. "What about them?"
Pepe wasn't sure what to make of the petite woman but shrugged it off.
"Some of my friends and other allies say they got some kind of weapon." Pepe explained. "Lately they have been linked to some incidents involving quick hit and runs, with the one in a highway being the latest. It took the life of an important corpo of Militech and some people got caught in the middle a few days ago. I was hoping you could investigate them and see if the rumors are true and what exactly they have."
Rebecca seemed to hear everything as a wide grin spread on her face. It was a request most people would ask for a special net-runner like Kiwi or someone with plenty of muscle like Maine. And yet, this guy was asking a fully organic dude with no connection to any gang or crew. She knew that coming here would be interesting and she was not disappointed one bit. There was only one thing that could make things better for her.
"I'd be sure to compensate you for your time if you find anything," Pepe added.
And there it was.
"Not that it doesn't sound like a profitable proposition, Pepe. But how do I know that your friends aren't trying to just get rid of the competition?" Robin asked. "It isn't news that the Tiger Claws are a thorne in people's side on a good day, but for them to be more dangerous and an actual threat is a bit of a stretch. You got anything backing up those claims?"
Pepe pulled out a tablet from his coat. He unlocked it, pulling up a video for Robin to see.
"One of my buddies took this picture from a scene of a fight between the Tiger Claws and some other crew." Pepe handed Robin the tablet, letting him see what it was.
The picture was blurry, but it showed something that stood out like a bright red stain. The video played, showing a gang hitting an armored truck in the middle of the street. Then, it showed five red bolts taking out five of the gang members in quick succession until only one remained. Turning in the direction of the bolts, the last gang member fired desperately to take out their attacker. But just as quickly as the bolts, something bashed into the gang member and the truck at super speeds turning the truck over and the gang member into mush.
Robin has to wince at the video. Yeah, that wasn't normal. It fitted the Tiger Claw MO but there was no way that they just up and found something like that. If they got their hands on a weapon like that, then someone had to have given it to them. It looked like he'd have to look into this, especially if someone as hot-headed as the Tiger Claws were using some strange super piece of tech and/or chrome. His encounter with the so-called "Next Johnny Silverhand" and his wind making guitar pointed to this being one of Arasaka's dealings.
"We'll take it." Rebecca jumped on Robin's back.
"Huh?" Robin snapped. "What are you-?"
"Robin, who is this girl-young lady?" Pepe looked at Rebecca guessing that she had her body tuned up by her chrome. "Is she with you-?"
"She's-" Robin was cut off by Rebecca wrapping her surprisingly strong legs around his stomach and arms around his neck.
"The name's Rebecca, I'm what you'd call Robin's damsel." Rebecca winked at Pepe. "You see, Robin saved me a couple days ago and I was wondering how to repay him. And seeing as you're about to send him after some very dangerous people, being his bodyguard might do the trick. But I don't work cheap. 50% of whatever you'll pay him."
"Wait, that's not-she's not-" Robin struggled to get the words out.
"Very well. His usual fee split two ways," Pepe said.
"Deal." Rebecca and Pepe shook hands.
"This is the address of where the attack took place. You know the rest, Robin." Pepe handed him a paper with the address on it.
"Yeah, yeah." Robin groaned, rubbing his stomach and neck.
As Pepe left, Robin turned his sights onto Rebecca who waved at Pepe like a little school girl. Part of him wanted to kick her out of his garage, but considering he was going to take the job regardless, he held back. What he could get angry for was her taking half of his usual fee for herself.
"What do you think you're doing?" Robin asked. "Didn't you say you weren't gonna be my bodyguard or anything?"
"Relax, I figured that you could use the backup. The Tiger Claws aren't exactly the most talkative or reasonable bunch," Rebecca said. "And since you don't have a weapon other than these sticks, I figured you could use some firepower to cover your tight ass."
Robin was about to snap before looking at his own butt. Shaking his head, he got back into the conversation. This girl was getting a little too chummy for his own nerves, plus he needed to work alone if things got rough and needed a change of clothes.
"I'm not planning on getting into any kind of fight. All I'm gonna do is find some information, maybe take some pictures." Robin scratched the back of his head. "Once Pepe has his info, his friends will do what they need to do. It'll be dull, besides, I work alone."
"Yet, you are doing the work." Rebecca cut him off. "That guy claims to know Edgerunners and other crews here and there, but you're the guy he goes to for this? The guy with no chrome and no crew? Suspicious."
Robin just rolled his eyes, trying to play it off as just being lucky. Or unlucky depending on how she looked at it. But he did have stuff to do and it seemed like she would be tagging along with him. Even if he did tell her to go away, she would just tail him like a stalker. Letting out a sigh of frustration, he resigned himself to allowing her to be his plus one. And on the bright side, she was actually cute on the attractive side of things.
"Let me grab my things." Robin turned to his workshop.
Rebecca gave him a big anime smile while putting her hands behind her head. She had come over to get some much needed and desired information to satiate her curiosity. And now she got herself something that would make the crew very happy and would not be boring. A double win for her and a cute guy to boot. It wasn't like she was a drooling horn dog like her bro, but this guy seemed to be interesting enough to hold her attention and have a fun time with. Maybe there would be something more for her and Robin, but until then, she'd hang out with him a little. If only to find out why he kept himself in such a strange position.
No one that was purely organic would come even close to Night City and this guy was jumping right into the city's troubles. At least not without a very, very good reason to risk possible certain death or being labeled an undesirable. Rebecca knew that everyone hid their true intentions in Night City for some reason or another. It certainly was hard to forget when someone like Kiwi constantly reminded everyone not to trust anyone. And yet, she liked to live life like herself no matter what.
"I hope you're not boring, Robin. That sweet reward will be worth it." Rebecca smirked as Robin pulled up the last of his things.
"This is gonna be a long day." Robin sighed.
Robin walked through the streets of Night City, heading towards the address that Pepe had given him. However, he had to do so while dealing with Rebecca walking right beside him asking him questions. Most of them were pretty mundane and easy to answer without much subterfuge, and at times she would just mumble some song she was listening to. It wasn't annoying or anything like that, but it didn't help him with being as stealthy as he'd hoped. Part of him did wonder if this was all a ruse to start up a conversation instead of playing 20 questions.
"Okay, so what are you gonna do with your cut of the job?" Rebecca asked. "Maybe get some chrome in you? Or maybe buy some new nuts and bolts for Falco's ride?"
"There were some new boots I was hoping to buy and some parts that I was running low on, but I'll make due with one or the other." Robin shrugged as they waited for the light to turn.
"Jeez, make me feel bad about taking a cut. Don't worry, if you promise to be more talkative I'll treat you to some dinner." Rebecca patted his back. "But seriously, what will you do with your half? How much is the job anyway? I bet you charge through the nose for what you need."
Robin looked up as the light turned green.
"Around 500 to a 1000 Eddies an hour," Robin replied before something caught his eye.
"Not bad, choom." Rebecca whistled. "This girl is gonna eat well tonight. Guess you're not doing too bad for yourself, huh? Now I really am interested in what you plan on doing with all that money." Rebecca continued walking only to bump into Robin. "Hey, what's the big deal?"
Robin pointed upwards at a camera that looked like it had been broken in two.
"Oh, a broken camera, that's too bad I guess." Rebecca shrugged at the busted piece of surveillance.
"Take another look at where we are." Robin pointed to the area. "More specifically, in that direction." He pointed to the area where the police were still looking over the scene of the crime.
Rebecca raised an eyebrow at how fast and easily they made their way to the crime scene. Usually, her brother would get them lost and they'd spend at least an hour looking for where they were supposed to go. Yet Robin had gotten them in less than an hour and had not even checked if he was going in the right direction. She looked back at the chrome-less man only to see him looking over the ground and the nearby area. It was weird to see someone just act and move without any chrome and yet get results.
"Okay, so what can you tell me of this area?" Robin asked.
"Huh?" Rebecca looked at him funny. "What about it?"
"Usually, hit and run jobs happen between two rival crews/gangs. This wasn't so much about the money as it was hitting the others." Robin looked up at the camera. "The camera's brand new, maybe it got a better look than the video."
"In that state? You'll be lucky to hack it, let alone find anything." Rebecca pointed out.
"Maybe." Robin looked around. "Wanna earn your cut?"
"Sure, who do you want me to shoot?" Rebecca asked as Robin picked her up.
"Just try to snatch the camera."
"Wait what-?!" Robin tossed Rebecca up in the air.
She fumbled in the air before catching the camera from the wall it had been set up on. She screamed as she headed down. But before anyone could see her, she was snatched and pulled into an alley by Robin.
"Nice catch there." Robin commented, giving her a smile.
Rebecca just kicked his face.
"What the hell was that?!" Rebecca jumped on top of Robin and proceeded to beat him up. "You think you can just toss me around like a fucking doll, asshole?! No one tosses me around and gets away with it!"
Robin regretted it immediately with every kick and smack from her. Even holding up his arms to defend his face wasn't doing much to help his situation. He did try to avoid the busted camera and hitting a lady, even if the lady had the temper of a wasp or a hornet. Thankfully no one had seen or heard them as they were fighting in the alley like a couple.
"Hey, hey, I'm not proud of myself about it, but I needed to snatch the camera," Robin admitted. "Please, don't bust it any more than it already is."
Rebecca stopped her onslaught. Blinking twice, she remembered she had the camera in her hands. Looking it over, it didn't look like it would make anything useful. Not like she could hack it or anything like the hag Kiwi. Though it did make her wonder why the guy under her had asked her to snatch it before anyone could look at them.
"Oh yeah, I forgot I had this thing. So what's the big deal with it?" Rebecca tossed it to Robin. "Looks pretty busted, doubt it even works."
"Maybe, but these cameras have a 72 hour memory of everything they record before sending it to the main computer to store it," Robin said. "I'm hoping that this'll give me an idea of what happened yesterday."
"How do you plan on doing that? You're not a net-runner from what I can tell," Rebecca looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "No weird shit in your head."
Robin pulled out his phone before plugging it into the camera. The screen lit up with a view of the street before Robin's eyes. Rebecca rushed to his side as he started to fast forward up to the moment that the attack had happened. The video showed the truck full of Eddies being hit by four cyberpunks on high speed motorcycles before being taken out by the blaster rays and the strange high speed attack that destroyed the camera. It was more brutal than the other video due to the proximity, but at least it did give them a clearer look at what had happened and who had been hit.
"Those are Steel Dragon, one of the gangs that Pepe makes deals with and helps as a middle man," Robin said. "They're probably the ones that asked for this job to be handled."
"I've heard about those guys, they're what's called Go Gangs. They're all about speed and racing and pimping their cars to do some nova stuff." Rebecca pretended to drive a car. "Guess they were taking out that transport full of Eddies for some modifications. They're also pretty much rivals to the Tiger Claws."
"That would explain why they were hit and the money was all left there for the police to get," Robin said.
"Alright, case closed! And it's only-" Rebecca looked at the time, only to snap at how early it was. "Are you kidding me? This job took only an hour and a half?! We could always just buy our time before cashing in. Dang it, I didn't even get to shoot anyone." She pouted at the quickness of the job and lack of action.
"It's not over yet, we still need to find the weapon the Tiger Claws supposedly used for the hit." Robin explained. "I bet you'll get to shoot someone eventually."
Robin almost saw her little tantrum as cute. But he knew better than how the job worked. They were far from finished and they had to get to work. His eyes went down to the screen as he hit pause on the brief moment a black blur rushed to the last Steel Dragon. It was barely visible, but it was still there. He did his best to clear up the image for anything that could give them a lead.
The picture was cleared as best as it would be, and it didn't disappoint. The image was still blurry but he could make out the silhouette of a strange new ride and a rider. It looked like it was floating off of the ground and it looked like it had jets on the back of the rider's seat. There was no way that this was a tuned up motorcycle that someone from the Tiger Claws could have gotten ahold of.
"We know that no one could find any tire tracks from the attack, and it was mostly aimed at the Steel Dragons," Robin said. "We better talk to them and see if they know something. I don't suppose you know any of them, Rebecca?"
Rebecca looked up in thought before sighing.
"I know someone but he's such a bore. Do we have to?" Rebecca groaned. "Can't you pull some super gadget or top secret trick to track down these idiots?"
"Do you know where the Tiger Claws call their home?" Robin asked.
"Not at the top of my head." Rebecca dropped her head in defeat.
Robin patted her head, trying to calm her down despite the beating she'd given him earlier. He took one more look at the picture he'd fixed up, trying to deduce what had fallen into the hands of the Tiger Claws. So far, he knew it was a vehicle, probably a prototype from one of the major corporations, and they had either stumbled upon it and found it useful for a joy ride and were now using it to take out their competition. And the more targets they took out, the more open and dangerous they would become. He needed to find them and put them down before something bad really happened, like them turning their sights on his home and his fellow neighbors.
They were good people, and he would defend them if he had to do so. It wasn't part of his plan, but the life and community he was slowly becoming a part of was worth more than he'd ever admit. The idea that he was actually getting a life from being deemed dead was a far off dream for some time. Yet it was now slowly becoming a reality that he had to live and face all the challenges that came with it. It was good to know that he was arming up and had an army backing him up. Even if it wasn't the kind of army that most would ever consider or believe.
Robin followed Rebecca as they had to ride the monorail to their next stop on the other side of town. Unlike their first trip to the scene of the crime, this one was full of talk and chatter between them. Mostly the talk revolved around different places that she pointed to. Spots like bars, clubs, restaurants and shops for parts and other machine bits that she knew were good spots. Robin could've sworn she was just trying to show off and tell him of spots where he could find her if he was ever in the city.
"And that spot over there has some of the best milkshakes," Rebecca said. "Been going there since I was little. Though my bro got banned after he threw up on the owner's car. And you can guess where all those sweets went, right?" She gave him a lecherous smile looking down at her body.
"At least no one thinks you're a little kid," Robin replied.
Rebecca frowned at his reply. Yeah, she got mistaken from time to time given her height and it often led to some ass kicking, but that wasn't it. The guy was willingly pulling back from the conversation, acting like it didn't bother him.
"So, what is your deal, man?" Rebecca asked.
"What do you mean?" Robin asked. "I think we established my character already."
"Yeah, you're the mysterious fully organic mechanic that lives just outside the city and does odd jobs from time to time," Rebecca sighed. "But that's it. Almost everyone here has more chrome than you and you walk about and around like you own the place. But you don't even have a gun, not a real one than the one you use for work. Back when we first met, you didn't even seem all that scared about the crazy rocker punks."
"I was terrified, I just know how to hide it." Robin's eye caught a light blinking on Rebecca's neck.
He looked around, narrowing his eyes as he scanned for anyone that looked suspicious. There was a net-runner trying to go for an easy score. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out one of his new sticks.
"Hey, I get it. Everyone here is hiding who they are," Rebecca said, not noticing her wallet being swiped. "You just seem like a contradiction."
The pickpocket net-runner was about to snatch the wallet, only for Robin to grab it before him. The punk looked up to see Robin, only to get a metal stick to the face.
Rebecca turned to look at the downed punk before looking at Robin.
"Let's just say that I like to live dangerously." Robin handed Rebecca her wallet.
She touched her neck, feeling for her wallet only to find it missing. She growled, looking at the pickpocket with rage and a desire to kick and stomp. As the punk cowered, Rebecca kicked him right where the sun don't shine before stomping him over and over again. The girl was cursing up a storm that scared the other passengers.
Luckily, it was their stop coming up and Robin managed to pull her off of the man before she could actually shoot the man.
"And you better pray that I don't see your sorry ass again!" Rebecca cursed like a sailor.
"You certainly don't have a kid's vocabulary, Rebecca," Robin chuckled.
"At least I got you to chuckle. How did you do that? The whole sensing crap like that?" Rebecca asked. "You psychic or something like in those Alchemax comics?"
"I just… know how to watch my step. That's one of the tricks in this city, isn't it?" Robin pointed out. "Since there's no computers on my brain, I'm practically invisible to most net-runners. You're right, I don't have chrome, which means I need to be quicker and with more tricks than everyone here, and that often means being alert."
"Well, next time, I'll try to do that." Rebecca smirked. "Come on, the guy's place ain't too far from here. Though, you might wanna pull back on the bashing with that stick."
"I'll try." Robin hid the metal stick in his sleeve once more.
Rebecca walked next to Robin with a smile on her face. She'd gotten something surprising out of the guy at last. He wasn't pretending to have all the answers, he was living his life knowing it was in danger. He knew that he was at the bottom of the food chain and still stuck to his guns. That she could respect. Hell, she might even like the guy more. It was like she was talking to the real Robin after all this time. He was crafty and tricky, but kept himself humble. The smartass talk was definitely a plus in her book too.
But he was definitely someone that she wanted to hang out with. And another plus, he was good looking.
Soon enough, they arrived at a dingy looking bar. It looked like a classic biker hangout with most of the guys inside being full of members of the Steel Dragons. There were many speedy bikes with dragon motifs sprayed on them and more than a few rowdy customers drinking and talking.
They entered the place, quickly earning some eyes on them.
"That's our guy." Rebecca pointed to a man eating a burger. "Name's Butch, he's a mechanic so you be cool."
Robin wasn't sure if that was a jab at him or if it was just something that would be a problem. But he shrugged it off. There were more important things to deal with, like all the Steel Dragons looking at them with very unfriendly faces.
"I'll try to." Robin slipped in his portable ant communicator as they walked towards Butch.
However, just as they were about to talk to him, five other Steel Dragons cut them off. They were big, armed to the teeth and wore the classic biker look with a few weapons visible to the naked eye.
"You two ain't Steel Dragons, what's your business here?"
"Oh, I just wanted to have a little chat with my friend Butch, so please let me and my friend pass." Rebecca smirked. "Okay?" She put on her best friendly face.
"You and your meat friend ain't talking to no one unless you're Steel Dragons."
"I don't know, she'd make a cute biker chick for my ride. He he he."
"What are you doing hanging around this meat sack, when you could be hanging with the big dogs?"
Rebecca's eye twitched in anger. These creeps were asking for an asswhooping and she was going to deliver it. She reached into her coat to grab her gun, only for Robin to put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, um, guys." Robin stepped up. "Have any of you had trouble with your bikes lately?"
"Yeah, what of it, meat?" They snarled at him.
"It's just, some of your bikes looked like they were leaking something and-" Robin sniffed the air. "You guys smell that?"
The Steel Dragons smelled it too. They looked up to see some smoke peaking by the door of their bar. In a split second, every single one of those bikers ran out, leaving Robin, Rebecca and Butch alone. Rebecca couldn't understand what had happened and how he'd managed to pull it off, but she was certain that Robin had done some quick thinking before a fight broke out. She looked at him while trying to discern his next move.
"What?" Robin asked. "Fires do happen without human interference."
"Yeah, I'm just wondering how you pulled it off in less than ten seconds," Rebecca said. "You wouldn't happen to have a Sandevistand somewhere, right?"
"Nope. Not even sure what that is," Robin said. "Excuse me, Mr. Butch, we have some questions."
"Huh? Hey, Becca! Finally decided to join up and become a Steel Dragon?" Butch smiled as Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Man, you picked one hell of a time to join up."
"No, Butch, not joining the Steel Dragon no matter how many times you ask." Rebecca sighed. "My buddy and I are looking for the Tiger Claws. You know where we can find them?"
"Oh, those guys. That's something that's been going around lately." Butch's tone shifted to a more somber one. "I take it you've heard the rumors. It's no secret that we have a rivalry going on between them and us. But they suddenly have gotten something to hit us and hit us hard."
"All we know is that they've gotten pretty bold as of late. And this might be the reason." Robin showed Butch the picture from the video. "Do you recognize it?"
Butch looked at it, narrowing his eyes to see the better picture. However, he recognized it slightly.
"Oh damn, they actually stole one of them," Butch said. "I thought they were all scrapped. Oh so that's what they were doing on the outskirts."
"You recognize it?" Robin asked. "What is it?"
"A weapon. A few years ago, Militech worked with some other company in something they called the Speed Striker that they planned on handing to the EuroAsia Union for a big buck. This thing was supposed to be as fast as a speeding bullet and was armed with energy shields for some nasty battering attacks and blasters." Butch explained. "But the project was scrapped."
"Why they scrap it? Sounds like a good business venture," Rebecca commented.
"Don't know the details, but apparently it was too unstable to mass produce," Butch said. "Wires often got crossed, they took a lot of energy to make it work, I don't know. They only made like three or four of those."
"You mentioned the outskirts, what happened there?" Robin asked.
"We were doing some racing like we usually do. But then there was something," Butch explained. "We spotted a few Tiger Claws being led by one of their lieutenants, a man named Oboro. They looked like they were just blowing up junk for the hell of it. We told them to buzz off, bullets started flying and they then left with their tail between their legs."
"Or at least it looked like that." Robin narrowed his eyes. "Where does this Oboro guy hang out?"
"They have a spot near the redlight district, that bastard is thirsty 24/7 when he isn't playing with some of his swords," Butch said. "But I wouldn't recommend it. That guy hates meat and you're not exactly packing anything to keep him down."
Robin nodded in understanding before heading out with Rebecca tailing him.
As they passed the bikers putting out the fire, Rebecca couldn't help but wonder what their next move was. Obviously, it wouldn't be going after the Tiger Claws with the dangerous and unstable machine that was being driven by a crazy guy. And at the same time, Robin was making his way towards the district where the guy and dangerous weapon were supposed to be. Which raised a few red flags on her head, and it wasn't just because of the district.
"Hey, you heard Butch. This guy has no love for people with no chrome and you're walking into his backyard?" Rebecca asked. "Why? You got what you needed, right?"
"I have some answers, but not all of them," Robin replied. "If this guy has such a weapon just for kicks and is hitting other gangs, it could start a big fight and I don't want that to happen. Plus, I still need to verify if this Speed Striker is the real deal."
Rebecca raised one of her eyebrows at him, wondering if he was being serious or just messing with her. But that was it. She could tell that he had other plans by just heading there. It made no sense to her as to why he was going into the tiger's den without a big gun and a lot of ammo, but thankfully he had her. If things got crazy, at least she could take out a few of those gonks before they had to high tail it out of there. There was a chance that they could steal a car and shoot their way out if they had to. If it happened a third time then it would be a pattern for their next date.
"Well, then it's a good thing I'm coming with you." Rebecca skipped ahead of him.
"It could be dangerous," Robin said, trying to dissuade her.
"Says the guy with no chrome," she replied. "Don't worry, kid, I've got you covered." Rebecca pulled out her two guns before putting them back inside her coat.
Robin sighed, knowing that things had just gotten even more complicated. It wasn't crazy complicated, but at least he always had his costume with him at all times.
The Tiger Claw outpost looked like a junkyard mixed with a shinto shrine. There was a small temple where the Tiger Claws kept all their vehicles, a stack of junk they'd repurposed for a statue of Oboro and a fully stocked bar with a fireplace in the back. They were all dancing and celebrating their day of being complete menaces to the city. There were some members getting tattoos, others drinking and others fighting with swords and guns. Overall, not a very welcoming sight for any trespassers.
"Well, that place looks like it has bodies buried in the back." Rebecca watched through a pair of binoculars as Robin looked over for signs of Oboro. "Whoever did their set up was a complete psycho. Who puts a fountain and a fireplace in the same spot? That's just disgraceful."
"I've seen worse outdoor decorations in gardens, but at least that helps us find our guy," Robin said. "Oboro at nine o'clock."
Rebecca turned to look at him.
"I meant in the hobo camp." Robin rolled his eyes.
"Well say it like that next time." Rebecca turned to spot the man they were looking for.
Oboro was a skinny tall man with large chrome hands, and feet. He wore a samurai helmet on his head, covering his head while letting his rat-like face fully visible. He was dressed in a classic Japanese monk robe with a necklace made out of gold beads, and two long swords on his back, and a short blade on his side. If there was one thing to say, it was that he dressed very poorly.
"Guess dress choices weren't really a thing when considering if you're a dangerous driver," Robin said. "The Speed Striker must be behind the shrine, that's where they seem to be parking all their rides." He spotted a pair of Tiger Claws driving out of the shrine and the compound.
"Good to know, so what's the plan?" Rebecca asked.
"I go in and look around, take some pictures if I can," Robin explained. "If I'm not out of there in thirty minutes, call the police. Or if you hear me screaming in pain and fear."
"Yeah, you're not the screamer type." Rebecca watched as Robin made his way down the roof. "Hey, no one would say anything if you backed out now. Well, maybe some, but fuck those guys."
"You worried about me? Don't worry, they won't see me coming." Robin winked at her before sliding down the fire escape.
Rebecca couldn't help but blush at the simple action. Shaking her head, she tried to clear her head but there seemed like there was no denying it. She was worried about him. The mysterious and interesting man was in her mind and she wanted to know more about him. There had to be a way to learn more, even if she had to beat him up to do it. Maybe a date or two would do the trick. She smirked at the thought of being on top of him before shrugging.
Robin landed on the ground, using his portable communicator to call upon a small army to aid him. He wasn't surprised by the sheer amount of ants coming towards him in drones. Even in such a dilapidated and forsaken city, these little warriors knew how to fight and survive in this environment.
"Alright gang, time to make our move." Robin pulled out his costume. "And maybe try out some melee weapons while we're at it."
Mounted on one of his flying ants, Robin made his way inside the compound. He and his small army made their way across the whole compound without so much as making a noise. He used this to look at all the different toys and bits he could use in case he needed to cause a distraction and leave quickly: There was a big canister of alcohol not far from the fire pit, a few loose electrical wires around the karaoke bar and more than a few weapons just lying around.
"Man, these guys don't need a crazy weapon, they need a maid." Robin spotted Oboro laughing as a woman laid on top of him.
He flew into the shrine just as another member was parking their bike inside. That's when he saw it. The Speed Striker in the middle of the garage. It was a hover bike with two front rods with anti-gravity generators, two blasters at the front and a large engine at the back. It was made up of yellow metal and a spray painted tiger on the sides of the big engine.
"So, this is the infamous Speed Striker, huh?" Robin muttered. "Well, it does look like Militech's work. But this thing looks way too good to have been in storage for some time. Time for a closer look." Robin landed his flying ant before he started looking over the cables and the circuitry.
It was very well put together. The cables and the light steel held the whole thing together with energy coursing through it like a constantly working engine. It was a marvel of engineering that made for one impressive machine. The burst of energy and ignition would make moving in this beast a ride unlike anything the Tiger Claws could find on their own. But it had a double edge to it that cut it down to size. The steering and control panels could barely make up for the speed it had. And the energy it consumed meant that it required a lot to keep it going for long periods of time.
"Well, if I tear apart these cables, I should take this out of commission without anyone being the wiser." Robin grabbed a few of the cables, only to hear the doors opening up. "Shit. Someone is here."
Robin poked out his head and spotted the man Oboro himself walking with his lady by his side and another Tiger Claw next to him. They were talking in Japanese, but thankfully thanks to the helmet and some words he picked up here and there, Robin was able to understand them. Not an easy thing given that they were all really drunk. And some of their words were slurring.
"(So boss what shall we do after hitting the Steel Dogs at their home base? Hit some of our other enemies?)" The Tiger Claw cackled.
"(You're thinking way too small my brother. Why hit some fools when we could hit big time. I say we hit all those trade routes the mega corporations use to bring their goodies into the city.)" Oboro laughed. "(Soonish, I shall rule this city and all will kneel before me and the Tiger Claws.)"
"(But, Oboro-sama, what about the settlements outside Night City?)" The woman asked. "(Don't they-they live outside the city and n-n-near some of those routes? Hic.)"
"(Oh yeah, I forgot about them. Mmm, oh well, they'll die anyway,)" Oboro giggled. "(Why should a tiger feel the need to care for the needs of the sheep and the rats?)"
Robin's fist balled at the words of the man and how he thought of the people of his community, of the people that he lived with. His words would not be left unpunished. He turned to the cables and the controls as an idea popped in his head. Commanding the ants around him, he instructed them to move to the different controls. Their mandibles chewed and bit through the different cables as he made it all the way up to the controls. With a strong tug, he turned on the ignition, lighting up the shrine as the machine hovered above the ground before Oboro and his companions.
Robin commanded the ants to trigger the blasters. The ants connected the cables, firing the blasters at the people before them. The fired bolts tore through the other rides and scared off Oboro and his allies. As the three Tiger Claws ran in fear, Robin connected the speed cables with the help of his ants.
"Okay, nice and sLOOOWWWW!" Robin was almost knocked back as the Speed Striker ran out of the shrine knocking back and running over a member of the Tiger Claws. "Turn!"
Robin pulled the cables, commanding the ants to do as he did. He turned the crazy fast vehicle before it could crash against the walls of the compound. The speed of the stolen discontinued motorcycle made it hard to steer, but they did what they could against the strong pull and tug of the Speed Striker. He wrapped his arms around two of the cables, using them like a pair of reins to move and direct two wild horses. Grunting and pulling his whole body into it, he made the Speed Striker take a sharp turn, hitting one of the Tiger Claws. He bent to the right, grounding his leg down to make the turn. He spotted the bar, narrowing his eyes as the Tiger Claws all pulled out their own guns. His ants followed his command and fired upon the Tiger Claws and their compound, blowing up everything the red blasts struck. Panic spread like a fire as the faulty electrics lit up like a Christmas tree, the alcohol caught on fire, and the explosives blew up half of the compound.
The cables picked up fire around Robin. Stepping back, he saw the flames spread as the vehicle crashed against the walls of the compound entrance. He commanded his ants to leave the Speed Striker. With one mighty leap, Robin was blasted off and away from the vehicle with a loud boom. Screaming and wincing in pain, he grew back to his normal size before he connected with the ground.
"Ow, that hurt." Robin groaned after he stopped rolling. "Next time, I'll just make it blow up and call it a day." He got up to his feet as he watched the onslaught of his actions.
But he didn't have long to ponder, jumping back to dodge two swords aimed at his face. Before him stood Oboro, hurt and burnt but very much alive and angry.
"(You did this!)" Oboro swung his katana's at Robin.
Robin drew his two metal sticks to fight his opponent. No better time to try out his new toys than with a life or death battle. He ducked under the first swing of the blades, swinging his stick at the man's exposed side. Landing a blow on Oboro's ribs, he attacked him once more with his sticks. Holding up one of his sticks, he parried one of the blades, leaving the Tiger Claw open for a punch. He parried and blocked the sword swings, looking for openings. And with a swift parry, he attacked with his two weapons. He struck Oboro in the stomach and the back before kicking him back. Only for Oboro to grin in a sadistic manner.
"That's not good," Robin muttered.
Oboro pressed a button on his swords, making them vibrate with ferocity. And like a wild animal, he pounced on Robin, bringing his two blades down on him. Robin rolled out of the way as the statue behind him got cleanly sliced in two. Oboro didn't stop, using his chrome to move faster and deadlier than before. Every leap and step was like that of a real life tiger's, forcing Robin to roll and move out of the way. He shrunk down in the space between the blades, running on Oboro's arm. With a strong jump, he kneed the cyberpunk in the face. Growing back up to his normal size, Robin swung one of his sticks, only for Oboro to block it with his forearm. The Tiger Claw swung his blade at Robin in retaliation from the blow to his face. Robin got up holding one of his sticks, but as soon as the blade connected with the metal, it was sliced.
Robin fell back, narrowly avoiding the blonde before looking at his sliced weapon. He rolled out of the way of another blade swing. Instinctively lifting up his other stick to strike, this time he struck the short sword on Oboro's hip. As it flew out of the Tiger Claw's reach, Oboro sliced the other stick in half.
"That's just cheating." Robin grunted as Oboro held him at sword point. "I thought you guys were all about a fair fight."
"(What does a mongrel know of a 'fair fight'?)" Oboro pulled back his blade to strike.
Robin used this chance. Shrinking down, he fell on top of one of his flying ants. He jumped from its hide down to the short wakizashi samurai sword with a black handle and guard. Growing back to his normal size, he grabbed hold of the sword, holding it up like a samurai.
"Apparently more than you, (asshole)." Robin unsheathed the blade, activating it.
Oboro rushed at Robin while Robin did the same. He jumped up, bringing his swords down on Robin. But just as his swords were about to connect, Robin shrunk down.
Using the space between them, Robin flew straight to Oboro's face, landing an uppercut punch. He grew back to his normal size, swinging his wakizashi sword down on Oboro's arm.
The cut was swift and clean.
The Tiger Claw lieutenant dropped down in pain, holding his arm. But his cries were cut short when Robin struck him in the back with the butt of the sword.
Robin looked at his new sword before turning it off.
"Oh yeah, this is much better." Robin sheathed the blade.
Oboro struggled to his feet, grabbing a broken bottle. He let out a warring scream to kill Robin with, but was cut short by a shot to the face.
Robin turned around to see Rebecca holding up her pistols, one trained on him.
"Now, we're even, choom." Rebecca sheathed her guns, smirking like a kid. "Saw you having all the fun and wondered what was going on. Hey, you wouldn't have happened to have seen a guy running around here too right? Kinda handsome, scar on one of his eyebrows, fully organic?"
"Handsome?" Robin asked in a deep voice. "Sorry, I was busy taking these guys out. But I'm sure your boyfriend is fine." Robin shrunk as Rebecca gasped at his words.
"He's not my boyfriend, you invisible jackass!" Rebecca called out with a slight blush.
"So after they started shooting and blowing up, I went out by the back and hid while everything was going crazy." Robin explained back at his workshop.
"Man, you're a slick dude, my choom. But man, you missed out on an awesome fight!" Rebecca swung her legs while sitting on his couch. "The Ant-Runner was there and he was kicking ass left and right. Also, I saved him. No big deal."
Robin couldn't help but smirk. She had fun and he knew it. It was a big deal to him and it was a good thing for him. He had gotten a new weapon and soon enough his pay day.
"Excuse me, Robin." Pepe stepped in.
Speaking of.
"Pepe, you got my message?" Robin asked.
"Photos and all. Good to know that the Tiger Claws don't have that weapon any more." Pepe shook Robin's hand. "I can't thank you enough."
"Yeah, yeah, he's pretty chill and with massive balls," Rebecca said. "But what about my cut of this adventure?"
"Right, here you go." Pepe dropped a bag full of scrap metal, a bag full of some food and drinks and a couple Eddies.
"Huh? What's this? A picnic?" Rebecca asked.
"Yeah, probably should've told you that there are other ways of paying around these parts." Robin looked at the reward. "So, instead of Eddies, I often tell people that food, drink, and scrap metal for me to work with is acceptable. You pick what you want first if you want."
Rebecca gave Robin a blank stare of annoyance. Her dreams of lots of expensive food were dashed faster than a snowball in the desert. And she didn't even get much action when the fight started.
"I'm going to hit you now." Rebecca pulled back her arm.
"Fair, but you can't deny you had some fu-ACK!" Rebecca punched him in the stomach.
"Next time, I'll pick the rewards, price and the mission!" Rebecca jumped on Robin, beating him up once more.