Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Nox

Its nothing like youll find anywhere else. Its not some shock jock gore shit. This is an edgerunner, doing a real gig. A professional! He commented practically slapping his bag as he talked the guy into it.

Yeah kid I know. I heard about the Boat Heist. The man offered, rolling his eyes as he looked around. He wasnt the first customer Nox had that hadnt been super comfortable buying pedaled BDs, X or otherwise, off the street from a street kid.

But Nox had prime shit now. Motokos BDs were unique enough that word of mouth got around. It wasnt everyday someone could feel an actual professional at work.

Nox was super thankful that Motoko had wanted to hide her body and shit from the BD. It let him sell to people that wouldnt buy a BD from a teenagers perspective normally.

Well I got one here for you. As well as the back log of that Edgerunners other works. Some are pretty low key, but I assure you, once you finish you will know what its like to be a-

An Edgerunner. Ive heard your push already kid. Just show me what you got. The older man demanded and as Nox held out a copy of all the BDs he thought he could push on the older guy. Eddies and Shards traded hands, and the man disappeared. Leaving Nox with an easy couple grand.

He loved this shit. The Boat Heist had been on the news, so he could easily push for high end XBD prices for it. And that led to people wanting more of Motoko.

Money was flowing in, more money than he had ever expected.

As always he made a note in a program he kept on his agent of how much he made, and how much he would owe Motoko for her cut.

It was small time honestly. Motoko barely even noticed when he sent her updates on how well everything was going. Judy his only other person he had to pay mostly just wanted him to bring her more caffeine.

The eddies were just flowing in, and Nox was even considering hiring a guard just to make sure no more trouble happened.

*Ringing*

Judy? He thought hearing the call and checking the caller ID.

*Hey Jude, whats up?*

*FUCK!* He winced, at the loud noise. He had an internal agent now. A very useful piece of chrome he had purchased with some of the profits, but it meant he couldnt lean away from the phone. *THE FUCKING FUCK NOX. FUCK!*

*Jude?*

*UGH. I cant believe I did this shit! Nox you are so lucky youre a Mox. If you werent I would be kicking your ass right now! Motokos last BD was fucking! Fuck. My heart literally wont stop fucking pounding, and I cant get the feeling of literally Fuck At least she warned me first. But I need bigger warnings than this!*

*Hey, Hey Jude. Calm down, whats going on?*

*Ugh. Motoko dropped a new BD on my desk.* And at that Nox was cheering literally jumping in the air and whooping audibly as he rushed to pack his shit.

New content! Fuck he was gonna make more eddies! Running into that beautiful girl was the best thing that ever happened to him in his entire life!

*Im on my way! Did you finish it?*

*Yeah I fucking finished it Nox! I wou- Sorry.* Judy went quiet for a minute. *Im still dealing with the aftershocks of the virtu, I still feel angry. Just come by, and bring me a few cans. Im out thanks to editing this bitch.*

*On my way Jude. On my way.*

She hung up and Nox was whooping as he ran down the street. He was going to jump in his crappy car that he had bought with the eddies and run it all the way to Lizzies. Everything was going perfect today!

--

Rip and Tear. Until its done. His mouth formed the words even as he was gasping for air. His head still hurt, and his ribs ached, but everything else just felt like fire and hate as he glared down at the last Scav. At the last monster he had ripped apart.

The transition was sudden like the BD cut off in a weird spot and suddenly Nox was Nox. He wasnt a murder machine glaring down at the corpses of the fucking SCAVS! No he was laying on his back with Judy looking over him.

Fuuuuuuuuck. He whimpered, despite the pain being gone. The rage and anger and hatred, but it left his nerves feeling raw as he rolled off the chair and nearly face planted. He was gasping for air he realized, and he wondered for a moment if he was going to be sick?

Yeah. I may need to tone that down a bit. Judy offered. He had shown up and she had been twitchy and quick to anger and now he knew why. He felt the same way, but there was also He rolled over and just laid on his back. Sucking in air and letting the cool floor of Judys workshop cool him down.

Jesus fucking christ.

Yeah. Judy replied and even handed him a soda as she stood over him. You alright?

Just processing. I wasnt Is Motoko okay?

I called her. I could only stay in the virtu for like a minute before I pulled out at first. I called her then. She sounded normal. Apologized and stuff. Still not sure if she is actually

Yeah Yeah Fuck. Nox had felt the cool calculated control Motoko exuded probably more than anybody. He sold the damn BDs after all. He watched them often enough to make sure he could explain them to buyers.

He knew that Motoko was a killer. Absolutely unhesitatingly murderous when she wanted. The facade of her chipper happiness disappeared when it was time for her to kill.

But now he wasnt sure what the real Motoko was.

Was it the nice teenager that would help out a boy getting beaten. The cold calculating Solo?

Or the Monster of rage and hate hidden within?

So yeah. Thats a thing. Judy offered as she took a long sip of her drink. Im thinking of sicking Rita on her.

Yeah.

Ill never get the feeling of brains out of my nails. She told him and Nox had to agree. He had seen a lot of XBDs. That was definitely the first time someone had stuck a thumb through someone's eye.

It was fucking preem though.

It was the most uncomfortable virtu I have ever edited. She retorted instantly.

Preem work.

Judy just laughed as he ignored her complaints. She wasnt really mad. Judy might pretend all she wanted, but she loved BDs and XBDs as much as anyone. Hell he still slipped her some of the shit coming out from the big names so she could rip it apart and see what they had done. Improve her own craft. Shes a connoisseur.

And he had caught her a few times just enjoying a BD here or there.

Fuck. Im gonna sell that BD. He muttered realizing what he had on his hands.

Not until after I tone it down a bit.

Dont. Leave it. He decided. He would explain that it was more raw than normal. It was better this way. No one would forget the BD The Only Thing They Fear Is You. Nox had come up with the names of all the BDs Motoko had dropped off until now. But fuck, if she had come up with the best name possible for this BD.

Anyone who scrolled this BD was going to feel like it was the damned truth.

--

My agent ringing in my head woke me up in the middle of my nap.

Blargh? I asked aloud as I blinked my eyes and sat up. I had spent the entire previous day playing with Hiromi, traveling the city shopping for clothes and just hanging out with my choom. Then I spent some of the night doing some debugging work that Yoko had set up for me. Getting through some of the backlog of service requests that were piling up in my inbox.

But now it was early-late. And I was actually muggy. Not something I usually deal with.

And slowly a virus was put together that would add in access information.

Hermanita?

Gonna take a bit Jackie. Dont rush me. Im going as fast as I can. I mumbled, never tearing my eyes from the laptop as my vision was filled with data.

I was literally writing a virus in real time as I sent bytes of it into a new system. A virus that would then need to put itself together after.

I heard it then, as I was going an engine rumbling into the lot. An over tuned absolute monster of an engine.

Also I recognized that noise. A Kusanagi?

Jackie? If I need to move away from this Ill lose progress.

No worries Hermanita, I said I called in some backup yeah? The fucking calvary is here. Jackie said with a laugh as he stepped out of the office behind me, but I was focusing on getting into this system.

Stupid Kang Tao Security.

A new voice called out behind me.

Whos the kid? A woman's voice behind me asked and Jackie responded a moment later.

Motoko. Good kid, shes a netrunner. And a Solo. Shes hacking into the Kang Tao system to find out where they ran off to.

Fuck Jackie. You got some street kid to try and break into corp sec? You might as well just put a bullet in her head now. Or not I guess, The fucking kid isnt even plugged. How is she supposed to Breach?

I ignored the woman, even if I really wanted to turn around and give her a piece of my mind, but there was only one way to really shut someone up.

Do something they already dismissed you from being capable of.

The virus was coming together. I was sending the data that was basically restructuring the data in the laptops node that would activate once it was complete.

Hey, easy Hermana! Motoko isnt some scop kid. Ive done gigs with her. I told you I started working with a solo for Wakakos gigs yeah? Well thats her.

Fourteen? Fuck me. Seriously a little TC brat? She suddenly said, and I realized she must have scanned me. Pulling up my data.

Like you have much room to talk there Hermana. Jackie suddenly teased and since there was an almost echoing silence I could tell Jackie was getting glared at.

Jack you know I got your back if you need it, and hell going after Kang Tao for that piece of tech you said the kids found is something Im all for. But it looks like theyve already cleared off. Ill help cause some trouble for you, but I cant storm a Kang Tao office.

I know, I know Choom, just give Motoko a bit, shell find out where those fuckers went and we will track them right down.

The womans scoff only told me what she really thought of that.

Im in. I said suddenly as I stood up and stretched. Fuck that took forever.

What?

I turned around to face Jackie and his choom only to blink.

I knew that face.

I fucking knew that face!

I went cold, to keep myself from wanting to immediately spaz out.

V.

That was female V. Standing in front of me in a corpo suit was definitely Female V. The red hair, the shaved left side. Even the EMP threading was the same going from her cheeks up over her eyes.

Youre still on the login screen. How is that in? She demanded, instantly harsh and criticizing.

Wow she was a total bitch.

Was it weird that I always loved that about her while playing the game?

I smiled.

Username: USUCK, all caps. Password: colon uppercase-D. I took a step away and waved at the laptop earning a surprised look before she walked over and typed away.

The Kang Tao login screen gave way to the actual desktop.

Fuck me. V Whispered as she quickly hit an icon on the desktop and a bunch of future excel sheets popped up. Oh Im taking this. pulled a shard out of her socket and went to plug it in.

Hold up. I demanded stopping her from putting it in.

What? She demanded a glare and a twitch of her hands that told me she had stopped herself from striking out at me. Hair trigger much?

You put that in, and they will notice. Right now the access isnt being deleted because its not doing anything. Find out where the stuff we need is first.

To my surprise the woman continued to glare at me, as if she was deciding whether to listen or not.

Cmon V. Padre gave me a gig to hunt these pendejos down. Gig first yeah? Jackie backed me up, and smiling at the woman in that way of his.

Fine. She grunted and instead started typing away as she pulled up a program that after a few moments of watching her navigate made me realize it was dispatch information.

Who went where. It was limited to this group though. Which was actually good security.

I got them. They are at a drop site that Kang Tao like to use. Whatever it is they found Kang Tao want to get it out of the city. We arent too late, but we have to move. She looked over her shoulder to Jackie, her red hair hanging over just one side of her head blocking her face from my sight before Jackie nodded, throwing her a thumbs up, earning a scoff but only then did she plug the shard she had into the laptop.

It began trying to download anything and everything it could.

Alright while this downloads Jackie, go grab the Kang Tao Van, we can use it to get close without them realizing their chooms are zeroed. V demanded even snapping a finger at Jackie to get him to move.

Aye Hermana, Ill get our ride.

And find a medkit before you bleed out you dumb fuck gonk! She yelled suddenly, and I could hear Jackie chuckling a little.

They were so cute! If I didnt already know they werent into eachother like that I would absolutely ship them.

Alright kid, time to clear off. V said suddenly reminding me she was also a turbobitch.

What, you dont want a netrunner backup?

Dont know you. Dont need you. She said instantly. Clear off.

I thought about it. Considered arguing, but in the end I turned and walked out with a smirk on my face. I dont remember agreeing to work for her either, Jackie was my choom so it wasnt like I was just going to let him head into this kind of shit without some backup. Walking through the warehouse and then out into the dirt lot, a splash of color caught my eye

Yeah. That could work.