No matter how hard Mia pushed the idea into the back of her mind, she was currently being held hostage by a group of unknown mercenaries. Mia tried to remember as much as she could about her uncle. His smiles that weren't smiles, his lies, his looks of disdain for her...
-If I tell you everything I know about my uncle, will you guarantee to let me go back alive and keep me informed about Yumi?
The people around her looked at each other for a moment before Cyclops answered.
-As long as it doesn't put us in danger, you'll have to stay here.
-For how long?
-Worst case scenario... Tomorrow.
-That's fine by me.
-No holo, no distress call, no tracer.
-I don't have one of those.
-That wasn't a question.
-...How to prove my good faith to total strangers.
-... you can't. You have so many relatives and contacts around you in Keng Tao that we can't even be sure you didn't sell us out alone.
-I don't have that many people around me.
-Your uncle is your direct boss, your colleagues have affiliations with your father, other members of your family, businesses they run in China as well as here. I have more than a dozen people all around you with whom I can play connect the dots like constellations guiding me to you. But for Mr. Gong's daughter, it can't be that many people?
As Cyclops explained, images appeared on the screen, all of the people she came into contact with on a daily basis. Her boss, colleagues, even the man she rode the elevator down with. Of course, Mia didn't believe the man's words for a moment.
-Of course I have links with these people, they're my colleagues, I work with them. I don't know whether they were placed there especially.
Her audience were clearly not convinced, shrugging and sighing. Mia knew what she could and shouldn't say, so she might as well use it, even if it meant embroidering her story a little.
-Okay. As I told you, my uncle and I were not having a good time. More than once I had remarks, proof and even saw for myself that my uncle was sleeping around.
-Bad husband, we know all about it.
-Did you know that he also liked men? A big taboo according to my aunt in the family. So much so that only my father, my aunt and I knew.
-How that helps us?
-You wanted to know about my uncle. To do that, we need to talk about the Gong family. My family is a traditional one. Where men rule and women bear children. My father may not be at the top of the totem pole. But he's high enough, too high for some.
-Your family sounds charming, but if you came to the facts.
-How would you keep the power you inherited and still do what you want. Simple you lie.
-An arranged marriage, between your aunt and uncle...
-You catch on fast. With this plan, my father not only had my uncle renounced any claim to be ahead of him in the Gong family by marrying a commoner, but they'd also found a way to cover up his homosexuality. As for my aunt, let's just say she got a place she could only have dreamed of in exchange for her silence.
-And Yumi in all this?
-Let's just say my aunt had to make... sacrifices...
Mia, in the center of the room surrounded by her spectators, couldn't decipher their expressions, but the disgust was more than obvious. Even if what she'd just said was mostly fantasy, she knew about her uncle's homosexuality or rather bi-sexuality, that her aunt's marriage was undoubtedly a cover-up or a way for her father to make sure Tubiki never got in the way of his march to the top. As for the rest, she didn't know what to say.
-Okay, arranged marriage, rotten family we get it. Why Yumi might be important.
-Imagine you're part of an important family that puts men on an equal footing. Unfortunately, one of your sons only has a daughter with a commoner from Night City, not even from the same country, let alone the same background. What would you do to make sure the daughter and wife disappeared so he could remarry?
-Why now and especially since it killed him in the end it misses the mark if you ask me...
-My father is dominating his department. Slowly becoming a power of his own in Night City Keng Tao. One of his bases, his loyal uncle he holds under his thumb. My uncle has never done anything against him for obvious reasons. But... Perhaps one situation might have helped him act. Kidnapping his daughter, for instance.
-But it might have nothing to do with your family then. Anyone can organize a kidnapping and blackmail your uncle. It reduces all of Night City to just its criminal elements.
Malik remarks made sense compromising Mia's attempt to gaslight them. Mia sank into her story, trying to invent her own reasons. Things she'd imagined, assumed but never researched.
-Why hadn't he called on my father, like if I'd been blackmailed normally he'd have run to my father's skirts? If someone is blackmailing him, it means that the entity in question had more than Yumi, being either external by being of the same level or higher than my father or internal to the Gong family. Knowing how to bend him.
The group was silent before Janissa broke the silence.
-It's not that it's not useful, it's just complicated. You're tying our brains in knots for nothing. You've got proof of who did this shitshow or not.
-Supposition and facts are the only things I can give you...
-Nothing in consequence.
-You approached me, I'm telling you what I know. I'm a woman who disobeyed my father. I have access to nothing, because I made one of the only choices I've ever made for myself, to owe him nothing. You can't imagine how happy he must have been to see me comming crawling into his office and ask for help. Yes, he's going to tell me all the family secrets he doesn't want anyone to know. See, I can be sarcastic too. I'm telling you that powerful people can be behind you depending on what you've gotten into with my cousin, they're all assholes with a motive in the back of their heads, who'll watch you croak with a smile on their face once the job's done. That's all the information I can give you.
Mia was red-faced and out of breath, and out of patience too. The people around her were silent, no doubt judging her or chatting behind her back via holo.
-You wanted information, you got it. Now I want to know your connection with my cousin.
They looked at each other for a second before Cyclops spoke.
-These ladies and gentlemen were hired to find her after she was identified in a prostitution ring. In a very short time, they will intervene in the premises where Yumi is supposed to be held.
Mia looked at the eye. Was this a joke? She turned to the other members, all confessing with their silence.
-Prostitution...
Mia felt herself retching. It only took a second for her body to revolt on its own at the word. Her stomach churning, she put her hand on her stomach but held back from vomiting in front of them. It must have been obvious because the guy on the sofa invited her to sit down. She remained standing.
-How could she?
-Your uncle was found in a... special place. Do you know how he was found? Yumi was supposed to have been there, a girl who was there testified that Yumi was there too. We followed the trail and found a place. That's all we can tell you.
-When will you be taking action?
-... Soon. They can't talk about it, as you'd expect.
-Then why did you come to me?
-Chance. If we'd came across an empty apartment, it would have been the same thing.
-What's your price? My father will double any amount to find my cousin.
-Easy, now. I don't think you understand. This is a job. Reputations are at stake. Unless you give them all something to live on for the rest of their lives, no one here is going to sell out to a corpo. Besides, as you said, we don't know why Yumi is in this situation. We were counting on you to give us some information so that we don't go in blind.
-In that case, I'll make you a new offer. Give me the address where you leave Yumi once you've paid. I'll take care of the rest.
-You?
-You think I can't do it?
-Not at all. You would have died if we hadn't stepped in. Besides, who told you that's all we were on this job?
Mia was silent. Maybe she should call her father after all. As for Yumi, she was sure he'd help. At least they don't look hostile yet.
-Don't worry about me. You can contact me if you're leaving Yumi with someone or somewhere. I'll take care of the payment and you won't have to do anything else.
-They won't take that risk when it comes out, because it always does. No contractor is going to want to work with them if he's going to get stabbed after the job is done.
-You...
-NO. We had the conversation we needed to have...
The people around her began to stand up together. Mia felt fear welling up inside her. As the people around her began to move, Mia couldn't help herself, she had to keep talking.
-So what now?
-Now they're off to do their jobs. Their boss just called them. The operation's about to start and they can't be late.
-And me?
-You're staying with me. Until I get a holo or the sun comes up... Yes, that should be enough.
They started for the door, while the young man left the mechanical spider he'd been carrying on his shoulder on the kitchen counter, facing Mia. Mia was confused as to how they could think that a netrunner could stop her from following them or calling for help. As she thought this, the group headed for the door, leaving her alone in the living room. She watched them as the door opened and each of the mercenaries stepped aside, letting one person through almost as if she had the plague.
Standing in front of her was a person shorter than Mia, with a large hoodie covering his entire face, revealing only his eyes via vertical claw marks, through which two blue eyes looked down at her. In front of such an ordinary person, Mia guessed that she was facing Cyclops and found it laughable that she had to deal with the babysitter of their group when they were on their way to save her cousin, a cousin she should be saving herself.
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Turning her head, Cyclops saw the robot on the counter, picked it up before turning around and forcing it into the hand of the junky who had it in the first place. Without further comment, the others left, Cyclops watching intently as the young man left. Mia remained silent as the voice of the modifier, Cyclops, resounded from both the TV and the person in front of her.
-Want a seat? We‘ll be here all night.
******
As the rest of the group made their way back to the van, Janissa could only lament the fact that they'd done it all for nothing. But Malik contradicted her.
-We didn't do all this for nothing.
-A yes? A family obsessed with archaic traditions killing each other, corrupt corpos agendas and a smoking story about her own father and uncle. I don't know what we've learned.
-We've learned that by the time we have Yumi with us we'll probably be in extreme danger.
-...
-Don't you believe me? Listen to my story and tell me what you think. An entity blackmails Tubiki with X number of things, whether he's gay or has dipped into Keng Tao's money it doesn't matter. His wife Sayako is informed only to disappear or run away, thinking she'll be killed or used for blackmail, if not dead, simply to send Tubiki a message. For some reason Tubio finds him dead after Tubiki tracks down his daughter. An authority finds this story and wants to take advantage of it. Yumi becomes an object of value for X party realizing that Hiro was vulnerable via Yumi. This brings things to us.
-I still don't get it.
-In the best case scenario, we either get Yumi back and give her to her uncle Hiro or Sayako. In that case, either we leave alive with our eddies, or they kill us to find out that a Corpos' niece ended up in prostitution and don't want to have that hanging over their heads.
-And the other possibility?
-If it's another of those entities Mia was talking about and we end up dead when we save Yumi.
-What's the difference?
-If Pat works for Sayako or Hiro, we'll have a chance to live. When we get to the hideout, we check the vans and bags we'll be taking on the mission for any tracers. If we extract ourselves, I don't want us to be ambushed.
-Okay, once we've completed the mission, we keep our finger on the trigger at the hideout, ask for our money and set sail together as a group. Anything else to say before we get there?
-Watch out for Clash. He's been multiplying his contracts lately, and with the chrome he got, it must be expensive to maintain, plus I wouldn't be surprised if he killed us all if the opportunity arose. After Pat and S4nd0t, I think he's the most dangerous.
-Fantastic...
*****
At the hideout
Around the table Clash, S4nd0t, Pat and the rest of the crew were waiting for them. Not dwelling on them, Pat once again introduced Yumi and their objective. He outlined the location, the various access points to the facilities, and the individuals they might come across.
The summary was clear and concise: all these people were the scum of society, and no one will mourn their deaths. More, they'll kill you if they can. Shoot first and ask questions later.
The group will split in two. One will go through the big door, the other through an exit that S4nd0t has spotted in the plans. If the small door leads nowhere, the second group joins the first and forces its way through from the front. It's best to avoid a hostage situation.
-Wouldn't it be better if we tried to infiltrate first?
-That's the point, we want to draw their attention away from their hostages as much as possible. When the first shot is fired and the infiltration fails, the first group will do as much damage as possible upstairs.
The building was divided into three parts. Offices, a garage with a storage area and a basement with a freight elevator. After surveillance, there was nothing on the upper level to suggest that they were keeping people here. Clem asked a question that concerned the whole group.
-For the others, if we find other people... What are we going to do? We're not just going to leave them here?
-Once the mission is completed on our side, the NCPD will have many, many calls. One of which will be a trusted person on the other side. People will move, and it won't be our problem but Night City's.
Once the group's conscience was clear. Pat distributed the roles. Group 1 in charge of the frontal assault. Pat, Wang, Clash, Malik as driver. Group 2 Janissa, Aria, Samir, Clem, Donovan, Tubio as driver. Aria spoke up.
-Can Clem drive?
-Arrange yourselves as you like.
Clem looked at Aria sideways but said nothing. Aria thought that, depending on what they saw inside, it would be better to have Tubio than Clem.
The groups left and Clem confronted Aria in the van, who defended herself. The men said nothing, leaving the women of the group to deal with their own problems as the van moved towards its destination.
The journey ended in silence as the groups took up their positions. Pat and his group remained on standby, ready to launch a full-scale assault on the building at the first sign of trouble.
Clem remained at the wheel of the van. Samir would open the doors and connect to the system giving S4nd0t a way inside. Aria will be Samir's bodyguard, Janissa and Tubio will go inside and have to find Yumi and get her out, Donovan acting as doctor will stay with Samir and Aria until the lead duo find their target. Samir and Aria will provide cover if needed.
The “abandoned” warehouse was surrounded by a wall, but a door to the basement was outside the perimeter at the back, in a squalid alleyway amidst the garbage. With no apparent security, Tubio's group emerged and began their approach. After moving several garbage-filled containers and finding the door. Samir knelt down and began to inspect the door. Tubio narrated what they were doing to Pat and the rest.
-We're at the door.
-We're also in place. S4nd0t. You synchronize us. From now on, it's the ones doing the deeds who do the talking. S4nd0t will take control of speech once in the system. No unnecessary discussion.
Samir spoke.
-Door unlocked.
Tubio pushed Samir aside as Janissa announced their entrance. A dark, tattered room. A table with papers and other garbage, shelves spread out around them, empty and dusty. In their holo, S4nd0t confirmed that this room was only used to store materials for the next room.
Advancing towards the second door. His holo voice continued to guide them.
-You're on level -2. In front of you will be a machine room, opposite will be the door leading to the service staircase. Camera in the latter...
This time, the door didn't need anyone to open it, and Tubio and Janissa silently stepped inside, behind dusty machines, nothing lit, so Tubio advanced with his shotgun Departure. Looking around, the room was as abandoned as the first. Continuing to comment on their progress, the group. Tubio opened the door - a staircase on his right leading upwards, nothing else. Slowly, the group climbed up one floor. Pointing out the lack of cameras, S4nd0t retorted that he only had blueprints and his information might not be perfect. The building was old and had undoubtedly undergone many alterations. Hence the need for Samir to get him into their system.
Tubio in point Janissa with her assault rifle, Aria and finally Samir. The group climbed the stairs to the next landing. 2 doors, one on the right, the other on the left. Positioning themselves at the first door, they were about to open it. When noises from opposite drew their attention. Pointing to the next door, Tubio and Janissa were about to open it when a man opened the door.
Tubio didn't hesitate. The gun went off. BAM. The flash, the blood, the man gasped at the impact, losing his balance and collapsing to the ground. The group was silent for only a second before Aria shouted into the holo.
-Shots fired, we're moving through the left door!
-Roger, attacking.
*****
Level 0
Clash wasn't one for subtlety - he knew the importance of the element of surprise - but once the storm was on his doorstep, he knew he had no reason to be silent.
Walking along the sidewalk, Clash came to the opening where a gate once stood. Rounding the corner, he entered the property. The inner courtyard used as a parking/dumping area up to the building was clear, while two men sat smoking on a concrete block used as a blocker. Seeing the intruder, one of them stood up to insult Clash's mother before dying. Clash, with his secondary weapon, shot the ill-bred man in the head before firing two more rounds from his Nue at his friend, still seated. The latter took the bullets before bleeding to death.
New screams, this time from inside, resounded. Clash took out his rifle and prepared himself. If they didn't know they were there now, they did.
******
Level -1 staircase
S4nd0t was giving live information to the group, notably that Clash had entered through the main portal and had started hostilities above.
Tubio ignored the body of his victim, stepping over it and continuing into the neon light of the new corridor that opened up before him.
Janissa followed, but Aria turned towards the door on the right. Announcing what she wanted to do and separating, she opened the door with a terrified Samir behind her. They needed to find Yumi quickly, if she'd ever been moved only their data could give reliable information, but to do that they needed to get into their servers, and with the situation deteriorating the sooner the better.
Donovan retreated down to level -2, huffing and puffing in stress, checking his lexington and removing the security. Waiting nervously on the last landing to be called up.
******
Level -1
Tubio stood up along the left wall, Janissa to his right doing the same. The corridor was dark, despite the dirty lights on the ceiling. Various doors presented themselves to them, but the first one was open, telling him immediately where he was when he looked inside. An operating room. The small rectangular room had medical instruments and numerous dried bloodstains on the floor, giving the impression of an operating table. Going inside, Janissa remained at the entrance. He went to check the inner door but found it blocked. Remembering that he didn't have Samir with him, he swore at the situation.
S4nd0t reported his situation to Samir, who replied in turn. They were also busy.
Behind Aria, Samir followed her through the left door and immediately a woman lunged at Aria, knife in hand. Aria fired a burst from her D5 Copperhead, causing her to exhale her last breath in an instant. Pushing on, she needed only a minute to reach the first door. Samir opened it, leaving Aria with her weapon raised to calm another hero on the other side. But behind the latter, Aria could only freeze. Bodies, or so she thought at first. Motionless on the floor, several women cowered in the corner of the tiny room for those who could.
The room was tiny, oozing sweat and filth, with no furniture other than pipes coming out of the walls. Clinging to these, the women had their limbs bound in chains. They had been stripped naked, their chromium-plated limbs removed. Some lay motionless on the floor, while others moaned in fear, reassuring each other. Aria quickly scanned their faces, not recognizing her target, and stepped back before closing the door on them.
Samir hesitated to say anything, but decided to keep his mouth shut. But reporting their findings, S4nd0t encouraged them to continue towards the other rooms. Recalling Tubio and Janissa to help them.
*****
Level 0
While Clash made the show in front. Pat and Wang forced their way in from behind. Ignoring the cameras, they went through the wall and fell in front of the back door. Pat, dressed in combat gear, used his strength and chrome arms to force the door open. Stepping inside. Arriving in a mini hallway with a view of desks. He could see to the left but not to the right, with the windows facing to the right. Pat could see a staircase going up to the floor, but not the main warehouse separated by a wall and a door in front of them. Wang went to the right and Pat secured the left. Pat kept his gun raised as Wang opened the door at the corner of the building to a cleaning room. Pat with his M251s Ajax saw three chooms coming down to be shot at. Pat received them warmly. The windows shattered as shots rang out in their direction. Killing one man and wounding another as they took cover behind the walls. Wang closed the door to join Pat in the exchange of gunfire.
Clash had taken cover behind a container, with several people in the loading bay firing at him from every conceivable angle, garage doors wide open. Clash, acting as a diversion, only fired sporadically to keep them focused on him. Even though Pat and Wang's new front made their heads spin.Clash knew how to aim and didn't miss the opportunity to shoot a woman who got up in the open to look. Charging his Militech M-179E Achilles Clash fired a charged shot, tearing off the woman's leg who screamed in pain. Hiding again and repositioning himself, Clash was unbothered as he had counted the enemies he had left alive.
One of them ran alongside the other side of the container a youngster with a mohawk and a sword. He rounded the corner and charged Clash, shouting. Clash swung his weapon behind his back to face him. The young man charged, swinging the blade with inaccurate aim and finally hitting the container. Clash having avoided the attacks and letting him run out of steam, He grabbed the man's arm, twisting it with force. Clash felt the assailant weak in his grip, so with one arm, he pulled violently, sending him to the ground, making him almost drop his weapon. Clash pulled his arm, still holding the katana, up to fist him in the face, sending him to the ground stunned, and as he tried to make sense of the world he was in, he discovered a boot coming straight at his face. A disgusting crack resounded, Clash then took back his weapon to fire into the building as if nothing had happened.
*****
Level -1
Tubio and Janissa returned to the staircase, the gunfire above now more obvious and the quantity impressive. But as Janissa passed the corpse of their first victim, a shot flew over Janissa creating a spray of plaster that sent her ducking and diving into the open door opposite.
More shots followed, but she was already under cover. Tubio passed Departure firing at a man who had descended the steps to continue shooting. He turned but Tubio was already pulling the trigger. Shooting him in the chest. But no sooner had he hit the ground than two others fired at him from higher up.
Staying under cover, Janissa watched him as he reloaded. They were blocked.
*****
For her part, Aria continued to look at room after room. All belonged to categories. Humans here were treated like cattle, sorted like commodities. A room for women, one for men, some with chromium remnants, some old, others much less so... At the end of the fifth door of frightened people Aria could only notice Samir haggard behind her. Although she didn't know what to do for them either. Next door but one, and this time a cold draught passed through the door, hitting them both. The smell of decay rose and Aria felt vomit rising in her throat. Samir covered his nose at the smell, neither he nor Aria ready to see what was inside...
Aria stepped inside. Weapon raised, she watched in horror as freezers stretched wide and horizontal, with the soft sound of static in the air, dozens of them lined up along the walls in a room that was far too large and far too full. Aria didn't need to look inside, Samir dared. Lifting the lid, Samir released it, closing it after a single glance inside. They didn't stay a second longer.
One more to go, Aria reported back to S4nd0t and the rest of the group before heading for the last door on this side of the staircase. More gunfire rang out as insults came from behind Janissa, who responded with gunfire. Aria opened the last door. Only to find a make-up room. A room with a mirror, clothes, make-up, beauty products, even a shower in the back. Aria understood and once again felt like throwing up. But she saw something else. A relay.
-Samir, get over here!
But as the situation developed, Tubio heard shouting behind him. Obviously, the other exits had to be at his back...