A crowded block of quiet users in the night.
Shadowed vagrants linger around a dark alley and surrounding sidewalk… huffing gases and coughing lungs.
A blood red Herrera Outlaw kicks up street debris.. speeding by in a hurry. The engine a steady rumble.
"Corpo bitch just upped n' disappeared. Her and that huscle she toted? Both MIA."
"Hm… even after all that shock n' awe… tch.. doesn't matter. By my calculations her time left on this soil will be spent waiting to be buried in it." Aces dismisses.
"Shit, talked to some chooms on the block earlier today. Marcus' a flatline boss. Never made it outta the ripper clinic... Santo's officially up for grabs."
"We'll get to that later.. for now closing this corporate saga is priority one. Such a shame as well… could've gotten on quite well with the right ear for ambition."
They skid down a quiet street in Watson...two Villefort freights quickly following behind the Outlaw finish the turn.
"This one should be simple enough. A gutter rat down in Arroyo picked through a freshly crashed Quadra T sixty-six not too long ago. Fishing for chrome, he came up with a lone shard… countless deets... photos of a mother and daughter along with a.. more than close friend… all corpo. Digging a bit further got us our location of interest AND our target, one… Zayta Gatlyn."
Aces' convoy skids down another street before slowing their speed on approach.
"It's a true wonder why these corps never consult the streets on such matters. Could've saved a great deal of time and investment. No bother.. by all accounts the dame is quite the chromejock... hence the numbers and extra provisions we've brought tonight. A quick pick up to rinse our hands clean of this mess before the... real.. work can-"
His voice trails off as a bright orange glow steadily fills the car's dark interior. A look of shock and unease washes over his pristine face.
He looks up the street on the slow approach… the fire department of night city at work with badges looking on with the end of the block holo taped off. They get several glances from cops waving them to a detour.
"Boss?" The huscle behind the wheel mutters.
"T-turn here- turn here." Aces mutters back gesturing.
The convoy maintains a steady pace… giving them a long hard look at a steady inferno emitting from Audrey's hideout. Whispers of marvel and confusion simmer through the fleet of gangers as the flames aggressively reach for the sky.
"Whatever the hell this is… was- Its… its up in smoke… and so is our biz with it." A voice as unsteady as we've ever heard.
He gulps… the scale of what he's found himself in the middle of tactically sinking in. The layers… the level of unseen factors moving past him at breakneck speed… feeding his perspective as he locates his true place in it. It grips his chest realizing just how over his head the moving pieces are on an ever evolving field. He never even made it to the board to begin with.
"Get Anna on the holo. This is a... neon web we'll have... n-no further part in." He mutters certain as he watches the orange flames of a closed chapter grow smaller and smaller.
The crew's modified Villefort roars like a beast, screaming down a dark Night City freeway. The glowing cityscape a backdrop as they make their way to Arroyo.
Carter giggles watching TuckTuck struggle to keep his balance steady as he instinctually curls into a ball to catch his fall to the unfamiliar turbulence in the van. Dim streetlights bleeding through the tinted windows.
"And your Netrunner was able to just... find him?" Gina asks
"That's on ice right now. No time to be sittin' on our hands. Got somethin' else you gotta take care of."
"...'I' have to take care of?" She catches.
Brian smirks. "Sharper than your blade I see. If what you're sayin's straight.. then your tiger den's bound to have more meat."
"Uhh… place's definitely a well of information sometimes but.. Yuki never really hung around."
"Meanin' he had even sharper eyes on him I'd bet. Streets never slip on an in to that corpo bankroll."
"Y-yeah but-"
"-Heh, cmon… Mercs've never had a problem gettin' hands dirty-" Carter smirks.
"-Hey, I don't really got a problem with these guys. Ichiro was-"
Carter and Brian laugh as Gina glances at each.
Carter glances to the back seat. "What? Wit all that chop suey you left layin' back in that fuckin' alley? Don't think the word 'problem' quite cuts it. Don't matter how many solids you've done em doll… the getback'll be at top of the chart."
Brian hooks around another corner with busted streetlights. " 'Specially with wounds this fresh. Covered in all that alley blood? Oh yeah, you're a juicy one for em alright. Sure they can't wait to get their paws on you."
The sentiment sinks into her psyche in the mellow rumblings of an engine steady at work. She says nothing.
A lit cig is dropped to gravel and stepped on in the night as headlights approach.
The heavily reinforced van door slides open as everyone hops out and Gina scans their surroundings. A dead-zone… no surrounding activity.. somewhere in Arroyo you don't want to be.
Her eyes catch a waiting figure. Another tall one. The lanky silhouette of an imposing woman shrouded in moonlight… her long hair at her back fluttered in the breeze. Gina can feel the intense energy radiating off this woman she can't even make out. Her presence just stood alone like that as the crew approaches… it intimidates her… "...Who the fuck is this?" she thinks… her throat tightening with unease.
"Anything new here." Brian asks.
"No." Zaunya responds, taking a moment to greet Netty and Carter.
"And the den." Brian presses.
Zaunya looks over at him…
A flashback begins.
Having taken the time to slowly walk about their home and reminisce on time's past… Zaunya patiently sits in the pitch black darkness of Audrey's hideout just… waiting. Far longer than instructed to. The dim moonlight bleeding into the living space.
A final drag of her smoke… gently placing it on the arm rest of her chair. A series of quick heavy thumping steps up the staircase to the apartment rumble the building.
Remaining seated… her black leather facemask is firmly re-fastened… a stoic gaze on her face she only keeps in the dark.
*BOOM!!!!!*
The front door blasts open.. sending it flying across the living room and crashing out onto the fire escape… several flash bangs and smoke grenades soon follow.
Zaunya doesn't flinch… the concussive force of pressure sending her hair with it as smoke gradually fills the space.
Several operators coated in black storm inside with pointed iron… pairs of green night vision Kiroshis file in.
Sat in the smoky darkness… Zaunya's kiroshis glow a golden yellow.
Flashes of light spark from the fire escape balcony from a flood of gunfire and engaging cyberware. Screams of pain ring out amongst feral panic as the operators frantically shout to each other.. overwhelmed by the speed and power of her onslaught. Neon green hues of light purge... bloody chunks of dismembered meat fly out the windows with kinetic force amid deafening gunfire and primal death-throes. Firey explosions of desperation are triggered in attempt to flee.
The violence slowly subsides with pleads for life and double taps.
A short time later in the pitch black darkness… a lone operator slowly stirs awake.
Coughs of pain and deep inhales as they look about with blurred vision.
A tug of the arms is met with restraint… she quickly looks to see her limbs taught… held firmly by wires tied to Audrey's bed… a familiar hold. They gasp… a frantic squirming while helplessly held down… abruptly stopping to the sound of Zaunya's voice.
"Petrochem." Her gruff voice utters, grabbing the operators attention in the dark room making her flinch. The steady smoke from the scrap slowly subsiding throughout the hideout.
"Was… was my life once. Everything I've had… anything I've ever been."
Another yank at her restraints in a frantic panic as Zaunya starts to slowly pace back and forth at the foot of the bed. Her tall, lanky figure shrouded in darkness purges smoke and electricity from overclocked implants... within a flood of moonlight from the new hole in the building leading out to the fire escape.
"I can still hear them… the… Trauma Team autopsying her. Their… th-their orders to scrub-"
"-F-Field Six! I-I have her! S-send kill team NOW! Field Six!! D-Do you copy!?" She shouts to jammed comms.
"I can still… feel… feel it pressing… on my back." Zaunya whimpers. As if talking to only herself.
The operators breathing intensifies. "Gatlyn.. l-listen to me-"
"-It… it won't s-stop... pressing on my back-"
"-Gatlyn. D-Dawning Perpetualis is over." She struggles to mutter through sharp breathing. "P-Petrochem's shutting the entire fucking thing down- IT'S A RINSE!!" She shouts.
Zaunya stops pacing with a look over at her.
The operator nods feeling a breakthrough… her eyes widen laid in her restraints.
"It's.. It's over… Gatlyn- th-there's nothing left in the operation- resources tapped for the project! It's a full rinse Huh? Th-the B… B Eighty-Four! PRESCA!! A-Audrey Presca right? She's still alive. I can… I-I can take you to her! I know where they're holding her!!"
Zaunya's heavy steps, slowly approach her from the side of the bed.. the operator clenching with fear.
"G-Gatlyn.. please. It's… It's over. I can hel-"
Zaunya slowly climbs onto the bed… straddling atop the well kitted corpo. The bed squeaks with an intensity as Zaunya rests her full weight on top of her… freezing the operator in fear… wincing for whatever was to come.
Zaunya leans in close… ensuring a deep gaze. A slow whisper with a high pitch.
"Look in to my eyes." She squints.
"This isn't over… until I make it over."
The tone… the conviction buried in that statement leaves the corpo speechless. Zaunya holds the gaze firmly… before slowly climbing off of her.
A final look down… and she makes her way for the door… sliding it closed.
"F-FIELD SIX!! DO YOU COPY!!? FIELD SIX TO COORDS ON THE-"
A sudden wiff of Choo2 catches her nose, abruptly silencing her.
She quickly looks to the door… thick smoke bleeding through the cracks as the headboard she's tied to grows warmer and warmer. She looks to see the very walls bubbling and blistering to an intense heat. She shakes violently… desperately trying to free herself from the restraints.
"AGGHHH!! N-NO!!" She flails wildly to a slowly approaching inferno tearing down the very walls of Audrey's room.
"FIELD SIX!!!! FIELD SIIIIIIIIIIIIXX!!!!!" She screams at the top of her lungs… buried beneath the sounds of a burning building as Zaunya watches from the street.
With a final look… she turns to walk away. Ending the flashback.
"Gone… yeah. Cooked." Zaunya nods under her breath to Brian with assurance.
Brian nods. "Hm. Shame… gonna miss the place. And what about the-"
"-Who's this." Zaunya quickly deflects, looking over at Gina, making her flinch in place.
Carter smirks. "Heh.. little Tyger Claw we plucked durin' the Hanten gig. I tell ya, these booster gangers are some of the-"
"-Booster ganger?" Zaunya mutters, briefly looking Gina up and down.
"Sure you got your street glasses on choom? This one's corpo." She dismisses.
A collective grunt of stammered confusion emits from the boys… Gina's gut tightens.
"Corpo?" Brian squints in disbelief. "How do-"
"-Look at her posture… the way she's standing… how she walked over here just to name a few. Those fortified ankles of yours standard issue or a gift?"
"Zaunya-" Brian insists.
"-Ripped em from an Arasaka highrider once upon a time. One of my former bosses chooms in the middle of rotating back to the world. He didn't need em anymore." Gina shrugs.
"Arasaka..?" Brian mutters as Zaunya steps past him.
"Zaunya." She greets with a half smirk and a hand out to shake.
"Gina." She catches the firm shake with a smile. The tension in her shoulders subsiding just enough to shift attention over to the sheer weight and density of Zaunya's hand.
With their hand's connected, Zaunya suddenly turns the wrist over.
Both ladies look down at a subtle scar on Gina's wrist.. Zaunya rubs her thumb over it several times before Gina releases with discomfort.
"You're not on safety watch. You OTR?" She assumes.
"Uhm, no. Clean break. Well.. clean-ish."
They both giggle.
"Heh.. well, explains the rookie record. From corpo to merc huh… sure that's a story." Carter's eyebrows raise.
Gina shrugs. "Yeah, not really one worth mentioning in the streets I've learned."
Brian nods… taking a mental note. "Let's delta. Long night ahead."