I was all prepped. I had found the little Scav den that Padre sent me the info for, in the basement of an abandoned building on the west side of Heywood.

I had broken their security. Pinged into their network, tracked their movements in real time as I hung out in the abandoned backlot of the building.

The only signs of use were tire tracks and the fact the old gate had a long curving path through the dirt showing it was still opened from time to time.

I was stacked up on the side of the back door, one hand reaching for the doorknob that I already ensured would open, and the other on my rifle. Ready to breach and begin killing.

Then I got a call.

I almost flinched. Took a single breath, in and out, and checked the caller ID. With a silent hiss of irritation I answered.

*Jun, I’m a bit busy.*

*Imouto. Drop what you are doing. Something has come up.*

I look at the moving figures through the walls outlined in digital glows.

*Bit busy, here Jun.*

*The Maelstrom have reached out to the Tyger Claws about the attack.*

I blinked. I hadn’t forgotten the Maelstrom fucker that sniped at Jun and I. But I had put them on the back burner to focus on the Scavs.

*What?*

*The fuckers… The Maelstrom aren’t happy about the chance of the war starting again so soon. So they reached out. They want a meeting to discuss the attack. They are apparently saying it wasn’t them…* Jun made a noise of frustration that actually came over the call.

But he wasn’t even finished.

*But they are saying they have information on who ordered the hit.*

I hesitated. The Scavs were right there…

But this was more important.

*Where?*

*You remember The bar? Fujimura is meeting the Maelstrom there. Fujimura said you don’t have to be here, but I know you.*

*I’m on my way. I have some questions needing answers as well. Thanks Jun.*

I was gone in a flash. Back over the abandoned lot. Over the wall with just a double hop to clear the barbed wire at the top.

I was slamming myself into the Quadra and taking off as fast as I could.

Answers on who had actually tried to kill me? Tried to kill Jun?

That was worth letting these Scavs live a little longer.

—--

When I pulled into the little market that held Fujimura’s bar. I was surprised to see Jun already out in the parking lot waiting for me.

He didn’t look happy.

I stepped out and I could tell my appearance surprised Jun.

Oh right. My outfit was pretty militarized.

I pulled my techgogs up out of my eyes as I walked up to him. Although I still had my Copperhead in my hands.

I wasn’t intending to show up casually after all.

Jun didn’t say anything as I approached, and I could tell he was partly furious and partly sulking.

“Fujimura kicked you out?”

“No!” He snapped back, but then went silent.

Yep.

“Hard to keep your cool around them huh?” I asked and Jun’s glare at me told me I had hit the nail on the coffin. “Yeah. Just seeing their stupid optics irritates me too. What’s really going on Jun?”

“They aren’t taking responsibility for the assassination. Blaming it all on the sniper. Saying the piece of shit reached out to the Scavs about our home's location without permission. They’re saying the Sniper was actually working with the Scavs entirely. So he was no longer Strom.”

“Yeah? Fuck that. They attacked our home… Twice.” I hissed out.

“That’s what I said.” Jun said, sounding kinda normal actually as he smirked at me. “Fujimura-sama asked me to leave after I said that to their face.”

“Sure.” I nodded. I'm sure there weren't any threats of violence or my gonk brother trying to strangle the Maelstrom involved in any way.

“Alright. I’m gonna go get some answers.” I said and Jun didn’t stop me, instead he just started walking to the bar. Creating a path through the crowd, although considering how armed I was, they were already splitting for me anyways.

Jun stopped at the entrance with an irritated grunt but he leaned his back against the wall of the building at the top of the stairs.

Ah right. He wasn’t allowed in.

I eased up my rifle, making it obvious I wasn’t literally holding my finger on the trigger as I sauntered down. Into the bars gloom.

Instantly I had eyes on me. The bartender. Men hanging out at the bar. Or in the booths along the walls.

Not all of them TC either.

Maelstrom optics locked on me, their twitchy owners already looking ready to start firing.

I took a few steps down, and forced myself to stay calm when it was obvious I wasn’t going to be allowed to pass into the back considering how insanely on guard the Strom were acting when I moved.

I stopped at the bar instead. Unclipping my Copperhead from my rig I placed it on the table moving casually so the Maelstrom I was standing next to would stop reaching for that pistol.

“Hold on to this for me.” I asked the Bartender who nodded slowly and took it to hide it behind the bar, and then I moved toward the back.

The small stairs leading up to the back area with the darkest most private booths were guarded on one side by a man I vaguely recognized. He was one of the Kamikazi Borgs. One of the men I had worked with on that gig so long ago.

Well sort worked with. They had run ahead like assholes.

The other was a big Maelstrom monster. Probably half a ton of pure chrome as he looked me over with his nine eyes.

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“Private meeting.” He grumbled out, sounding more like an engine off its timing than a man.

“I’m aware.” I said, but the Strom shifted, putting himself in the way.

The TC guard tensed, but didn’t make a move to stop him.

Either he wanted to see how it went, or he just didn’t want to create conflict between the two factions.

“I said private. You ain’t on the list.” He rumbled at me, but I barely slowed.

I inhaled and exhaled through my nose for a moment. My first reaction was to give the fucker an ultimatum and then go through him if he tried to stop me, but this wasn’t my place. My gig. I might have been involved, but this was Fujimura’s place, and while I didn’t really feel like I owed him anything.

Jun still worked under him. I should still be polite to my brother's boss…

Polite-ish anyways.

“You just going to stand there, or are you going to tell this lugnut I can go through?” I asked, looking to the TC guard.

The asshole just shrugged.

“Pfft. Like I give a shit what this fucker says. You ain’t on the-Hey!” He grunted as his eyes suddenly went dark.

He made two swipes at me, which I easily avoided and just walked around him.

That was probably going to cause some kind of trouble later, but that was future Motoko’s problem. I heard a crash behind me but I didn’t bother to turn to look. I walked up the steps and over to the only booth that was occupied.

Fujimura. Another man I recognized from the Kamikaze gigs. Across from two Maelstrom.

A big guy and…

My eyes flashed as I scanned her just to be sure.

“Natalie Desanto AKA GearSlot.” I Introduced myself to the group by calling out one of them.

The woman was put together, chromed out and looking pissed and dangerous, nothing like what I had seen from her the last time we met.

“Motoko Kusanagi. AKA Ghost.” She responded back instantly.

I actually felt like blinking at that. That was the first time someone outside the net called me that. Did she look into me to get that name, I wasn’t exactly well known in the city. Maybe something on my NCPD rap sheet had update?

Now I was kinda curious. I would have to check my rap sheet later.

“The fuck is this Fujimura?” The question came not from the Maelstrom man who was looking on with a face I couldn’t pull any emotion from. It was so destroyed. But the Yakuza looking guy sitting next to Fujimura. The one that it only took a moment to gather was someone higher up the totem pole than Fujimura himself.

Mostly because it was the first time I’ve seen a Tyger Claw member not use -sama when saying his name.

“An unexpected guest. Azegami-sama ” Fujimura answered gravely, as he gave me a look that promised trouble.

For some reason the guy was kinda familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.

“Kusanagi. Sit or leave.” Fujimura demanded and I resisted snorting at him as I took a seat. Facing the Maelstrom fuckers only to be forced to blink again.

“Wait. You’re Brick? Aren’t you the Strom leader?”

The borg just shrugged. “I’ve been called that. So you the one huh? The Only Thing They Fear huh? It was a nice Riff. The BD was good. You’re a little too cold during your murders though. There’s some chrome that can fix that. Get you properly heated up.” He offered in greeting and I actually had to stop myself from twitching at the comment.

Disgusting. So digusting horrible utterly disgusting. Of course the Maelstrom would be the fuckers that knew about my BD. The idea of them watching my BD, of being in my ghost?

Disgusting.

Before I could say anything else the TC boss interrupted.

“Now that the interruption is ove-” The noise of someone smashing into something outside the booth interrupted the boss.

“Bitch you fucking blinded me! I’m going to rip your damn head off!”

Fujimura looked right at me, but I ignored him. That couldn’t have been my fault. I was sitting right here.

Fujimura looked at me.

I blinked, but after a moment, he didn’t stop. I relented, turning off the hack. “He can see again. Shouldn’t have tried to block me.” I mumbled the last part, but finally took a seat at the table.

“Heh. You got old EngineBlock good with that one.” Brick said with a rumbling chuckle.

“Good. Now without interruptions.” Azegami started again. His bald head and many tattoos gave him the look of an angry Yakuza, as he growled. “The Tyger Claws accept the Maelstroms' reasoning with this. Considering how recently we were at war it is the decision that this was a rogue act. As long as the requests we have made will be paid in full.”

I listened to the words without exploding.

I wasn’t Jun after all.

I never expected the Tyger Claws to actually protect us to start with. No, the only one that could do that would be me.

When I murder everyone that could harm us. I inhaled and exhaled. Letting the cold soothe back the feelings rushing through me.

“Glad to hear it. Fucking prick causing this kind of trouble. He was a little shit to start with.” Brick offered, but now it was my turn to interrupt.

“I would like to know why he was working with Scavs. Especially since just a few weeks before I rescued her, from a Scav den. Seems pretty fucked up for a choom to work with the fuckers that scaved a choom of his.” I cut in, the booth going quiet for a moment.

I was in luck. It seems Fujimura, and Azegami were both interested enough not to get involved at my question.

“Not a fuckin’ clue. You knew him, yeah? You explain.” Brick looked to GearSlot who just nodded a bit. But her hands were giving her away. Constantly clenching and unclenching, and nearly popping at how tightly she was squeezing her knuckles together. The fact they were some version of Gorilla arms meant she was squeezing tight enough to bend steel.

“CamShaft-”

“No.” Brick cut in, finger raised up so quickly and closely it nearly took off GearSlots head it felt like, as he jammed his finger into her face. “That’s not his name. Not anymore. Fucker betrayed us. He isn’t Maelstrom. Call him by his flesh.”

“Randall.” She offered instead and this time Bricks cut off was a laugh.

“Randall? Fuckin’ hell. Shouldn’t be surprised never met a Randall that’s not a piece of shit.”

“Right. Randall’s always been greedy. After he saw the Scav den he helped pull me out of… Well I can’t be completely sure, but we think he went looking for them. To get some chrome. That last time he spoke to anyone he mentioned he traded information about… You. For more chrome. He didn’t mention who he traded with, but I guess we know now.”

She was looking at me.

“So me saving your life, led to an assassination attempt. I guess I should be lucky that the dumbass was so completely incompetent he and his Scav buddies fucked it up.”

“Yeah.” She growled out looking like she wanted to say more, but she looked to Brick and then the others and instead just stayed silent.

“The failure of this attack is the only reason we are here talking.” Azegami said, cutting in as he put out a cigarette in an ashtray. “Kusanagi. Drop it. The only member of the Maelstrom responsible is dead. Consider this issue with the Maelstrom dropped.” The Boss said. Ordering me, as if I gave a shit at his order.

I could practically feel my neck itch. My hackles rise. Who was this fat bald fuck to tell me that something was dropped?

“Kusanagi.” Fujimura cut in suddenly and I realized that once again Fujimura was the guy they put in charge of all the TC Cyberpsychos. The guy that figures people out and learns how to get them to do what he needs, because he only took an instant to realize that his boss had said something stupid. “Go check on your brother. You will not find the rest of this meeting interesting.”

I considered telling him to fuck off. I was already pissed with this entire situation, but that wouldn’t get me anything.

“Wonderful. Well this has been completely fucking worthless. I guess it’s a good thing for you that I was massacring Scavs, and not hitting your people then.” I said as I rose up, throwing a final threat to Brick.

“Heh, we aren’t Scavs kid. You got some talent there, but you aren’t top shelf yet.” Brick replied with a deep chuckle.

I stopped my turn away. I had been about to leave, but…

I turned enough that I could look at Brick with a single eye. The thought struck me.

Brick was a good leader for Maelstrom. Kept them mostly out of trouble. It was that passivity that caused his usurpation in a few years. If I killed him right now, the TC would be pissed. They would definitely be forced into a war with them. A new Maelstrom leader might just mean they don’t know when to stop. Might not know how to stop another war.

I could pit two troublesome gangs into a war that might end in destroying or at least weakening both.

The thought passed. The positives. The negatives.

Brick knew. His ripped apart chrome face broke into a smile that told me, if I drew my gun he would react.

He might even be fast enough. Pretty sure that big chunk of chrome on the back of his neck was a Sandy, or a Keren.

Either way, he would be fast. Maybe fast enough to survive.

Would the TC help kill him, or try to stop me?

I turned away.

No. When I kill brick, it wasn’t going to be at a neutral meeting.

“See ya around Maelstrom.”

“See ya around Ghost.” Brick called out sounding completely amused at the situation. Used my Netrunner tag as well.

I stepped out of the booth around the very angry Strom borg who was glaring at me with his stupid optics… Only three of them were red.

Why were only three of his optics running? I turned off the hack, which would have removed the Laughing Man disruption and returned vision.

Then I noticed he had some of the optical wires revealed… Had he reached into his own head to try and check for hardware issues?

Gross.

I ignored him though, instead heading to the bar to pick up my rifle when I heard her approach.

“I’m not really in the mood for a chat.” I replied as I turned around.

GearSlot was coming up behind me. The woman was tall. Although most of that was a set of extended legs. I hadn’t really noticed before, but she must have taken being klepped by the Scavs personally. Her arms were Gorilla arms. Legs were some mish mash of combat mods for extreme strength. She was covered in surgery cuts for new Subdermal, and just armor in general.

If she was looking to go Cyberpsycho, she was well on her way… Well Maelstrom. So probably already there.

“Just… Gimme a sec, okay?” She said not quite snapping, but sounding angry. “Fuckin’ hate shit like this. Don’t like meatbags. They give me the creeps, but I owe you. So just… Thanks, alright? I’ve looked into you since that night. Know how you got that chrome. Know you hate our guts, and why. You still helped me get out.”

“Congratulations. Are we done?”

“Fuckin’ No! I’m not doing this well and shit, but listen Ghost, I get it… I’m Strom. Yeah? We got a rep with meat. Everyone hates us, and we know why. We glorify it even. But that doesn’t mean we don’t pay back what we owe.” GearSlot looked uncomfortable before sighing and then I got a text.

Contact information.

“Listen. Contact me if you want… If you ever like… need something from our side of the city. I owe you one.” The spider eyes of the Strom forcefully looked away.

I wasn’t sure what kind of face I was making, but I specifically cooled myself down to look at it clinically.

“Sure.” I finally said, not sure what else I could really do.

“Wrenched up!” She said suddenly her demeanor shifted, her mouth going into a happy smile full of razor sharp teeth. “Hey umm. I saw the BD you made of that night. Well I mean, I’ve seen like all of them by now! I just wanted to say it was hella ripper. Like just the preemest shit. That song that played? Do you like… buzz it anywhere or something? I kinda… Well it’s a good song you know? For me. It’s like the song of freedom! After that night. Everyone digs it, I kinda showed it around and all.”

I held back the shudder of disgust at the idea that my song was popular among the Maelstrom.

Please let this one just be a fucking weirdo. I might really have to murder them all if they actually enjoyed my hobby that I only picked up because of the damage they did to me.

“Not… Not yet. It’s mostly just a hobby.”

“Oh okay! I have a ripped copy from the BD. So I’ll just keep listening to that… The screams of the Scavs don’t bother me… Obviously.” She said her voice losing emotion at the last word.

“Yeah.” I muttered. “See ya around.” I firmly disengaged from the conversation as I made to leave.

“Yeah! Good luck! You know killing the Scav trash!”

I ran into Jun at the top of the stairs. My brother was still glaring at nothing, irritated at being sent away.

“So you heard?”

“This day is so fucking weird. I just had a Maelstrom fangirl over my BD work. Jun I’m going home… Fuck today.”

Jun blinked at me, and considered it himself.

“Fuck today.” He said as well.

We went to our Ramen bar.

Noodles and hot broth soothe difficult emotions.