“Hey Jun… Hey Akari.” I mumbled the second half as I got home, and was surprised to see we had visitors. Akari and Jun were sitting around the couch but neither were watching TV.

Jun threw up a waving hand for a moment, but Akari didn’t say anything, which was… Odd.

“Okay what’s going on?” I demanded towards the two very distracted people. Oddly distracted.

“It’s nothing Motoko. Why don’t you go to your room for a bit.” Jun said, while he very obviously cut off Akari from speaking.

I frowned but Jun looked firm and I nodded. “Alright. I’ll leave you to your plotting… Don’t get in over your head, if you need help just let me know.” I demanded, only when Jun nodded did I head into my room and flop on my bed.

I kinda wanted to do more Rockerboy stuff, but… If Jun and Akari were that serious I didn’t want to be annoying…

That meant I only had one more inside skill that I could work on.

I stood up and headed for the desk in my room, covered in boxes of my scrap and tools, it had been laying there since I moved in. Time to get to work.

While Jun would yell at me if I did any work on explosives. That wasn’t all I had.

I pulled out my Lexington and grabbed some tools and after digging around I found some gun oil.

Let’s do some maintenance on my poor pistol that was worked so hard today, and then I would see about doing some work on it in general. Maybe a silencer?

Maybe I should upgrade from a Lexington to a Nue, or something? Put a silencer on that?

I ended up shaking my head. My Lexington would do pretty well with a Silencer, but I liked the fact it was full auto.

I ended up pulling the shard that had Mitch's information on how to make his silencer goop for the Overwatch and refreshed myself with it.

“That could be a fun project.” I muttered as I finished putting the Lexington back together after giving it a full cleaning, it had needed that pretty badly. There was a lot of buildup in the barrel, and some of the parts were wearing down, but mostly the barrel. That ammo I bought for practice today was shit. Oh well. It was cheap, and it was good reflex practice.

I hummed to myself as I looked over everything I would need for a silencer, I had some of the stuff, but Mitches Nanite goop that would auto repair the Silencer as it was used was too useful not to want to mess with.

Even if this was going to be a silencer I could fit on and off at will unlike the attached barrel of the Overwatch.

I needed… Well a few additional tools. Making nanomachines wasn’t an easy job, as I started writing down what I needed I realized I really couldn’t do a silencer like Mitch’s. Like… At all.

I tried to figure out how to make the nanite goop, and despite my best efforts I just… Didn’t know how. Sure I had the instructions but what Mitch had written down considered someone already knowing how to work some things that I didn’t.

It had been a while since I had run into something that I just outright didn’t know.

“So I need to level Technical Ability first, I’ll make a more standard silencer to get by until later.” I decided with a mutter to myself, as I pulled out pieces and then had to sigh.

I didn’t have the parts for the electronic baffler.

Sure I could make a bog standard silencer, but it wouldn’t be silent. The fact Cyberpunk tech had nearly perfect silencers was something the modern world wasn’t even close to copying.

Okay I needed to go to an electronics store… And probably a tinker place too, because I could use some extra scrap metals if I wanted to make more than just one Silencer.

I needed more stuff to build if I was going to level tech after all…

Okay I was going to mod some of the rest of my weapons. I mean I couldn’t mod my Burya with anything. At least not with my current knowledge. But the Copperhead I’ve been using could fit a silencer…

Heh that could be pretty fun. Going into a gig all tactical and stuff? I had sort of done it with Jackie that one time we hit Scavs together.

Ah, that was fun. Killing Scavs with the chooms.

I quickly brought up a second CAD design for a silencer to fit a Copperhead. The Copperhead was easy, but the Lexington? I would have to modify the barrel, or make an entirely new barrel for it.

That just meant more work though. More work meant more XP!

After a few designs I had my list of parts I needed. I had even gotten a tech XP alert just for designing the parts!

I left my bedroom noticing that Akari and Jun were still chatting, a tablet in front of both of them that they were looking over.

I shrugged.

They would let me know if I could help, or not. “I’m hitting the store. Be back in a bit.” I called out as I left.

As I walked through the halls I heard Rockerboy Neighbor playing again. I hummed along to the music, actually recognizing the song that she was playing now as one from her set, and headed into the elevator.

—--

Tech stores were actually pretty common in Night City. So I didn’t end up having to go very far from the apartment to find a store that should have what I wanted. After a few minutes of browsing and filling up my arms with everything I would need I was back in the apartment. Ignoring Jun and Akari’s continued meeting in the living room, as I went to work.

First I set up the 3d Printer with steel feed to begin creating the silencers physical frame. Once that was started I rolled over to an empty section of the bench and pulled out the electronics I needed.

The Electronic Baffler was an interesting bit of tech. Using vibrations it basically countered the noise of the bullet leaving the barrel entirely.

Turning what should be a suppressor, into a true Silencer.

It wouldn’t silence the bullets themselves once they left the barrel of course. A piece of metal breaking the sound barrier was still a piece of metal breaking the sound barrier, but there were ways to get around that.

Close shots would keep it from making too much noise, and… Well messing with this noise baffle was giving me ideas for a quick hack.

Or maybe just an upgrade?

Noise Canceller? No, I would probably end up having to do the reverse. Noise Bang? I considered the name. Sure, it wouldn’t be stealthy, that way, but if I blind and deafen someone that would pretty heavily disable them.

I added it to the list of future ideas, and continued putting together the electronics of the small vibration dampener. Powered with a small battery, that was all integrated into the silencer.

I rolled my chair back over to the 3D printer, and pulled out the steel Silencer that was now finished. I replaced it with the barrel of my Lexington. Which was just having the tip of the barrel adjusted to let the silencer be screwed onto it.

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With that being prepared I moved the Silencer onto the workbench and started sanding down a bit of the exterior where the steel was sharp. I painted it. Leaving it a matte black.

Then I popped open the small section of the silencer, and started putting in the electronics and battery.

Once that was done I sealed that up. And placed the completed Silencer on the desk.

“Cool.”

Yeah it was cool. Silencers were cool. I rolled back over to the 3D printer the barrel was almost done, and I just tinkered with my Lexington, getting it ready for the barrel as I let it finish.

Then as the noise of the printer ended I grabbed the still warm barrel, and slid it into place. Then grabbed the Silencer and screwed it on.

“That’s fucking cool.” I muttered. I made sure the lexington was empty before drawing it up, and then putting it down, getting a feel for the pistol's new weight.

Then I tried to put it into the holster and realized a problem.

“Silencer doesn’t fit.”

—--

I stepped out of the room deciding to take a break. I had an idea on what to do about the silencer, but that would happen later. I walked out to get a drink out of the fridge and noticed Jun and Akari were both gone.

I hope they were okay, but…

It created some good news, it meant it was Rockerboy time!

I ran back into my room and grabbed my guitar and Music box and dragged them out to the couch. Plugging my personal link into the music box, I was ready to do more music!

I actually had a pretty good idea for a song that I wanted to add to my collection!

This time it would be heavy electronica. I would barely need my guitar this time. A challenge. Like how The Only Thing They Fear made me push beyond just normal instruments.

But it would be worth it.

I went back to my room and grabbed the speakers as well, hooking them up so I could physically hear the sound instead of just relying on my agents Cyber Audio Suite.

Slowly the noise started filling the apartment. Thankfully this apartment was so big, the acoustics were much better than the old one. I wouldn’t disturb every person in the building like our last apartment, so I didn’t feel bad about doing some song writing.

I mean, if Rockerboy Neighbor did it, then I could too!

Yet even with the challenge of going far more electronic than my usual songs, I barely struggled in putting the song together. I already knew it after all.

I had listened to it at least once. So I knew every chord. Every beat.

“Rise… They will remember you. RIIIISE!” I recorded having finished the instrumental part, now I was just recording the vocals. Altering my voice for each different singer so it actually sounded like a team of people in the song.

Ah man. Rise was such a nerdy song! I was so happy no one would ever know I was remaking a fucking video game championship song.

It was so catchy though!

“Push through hell and RISE! RISE!” I belted out. Totally into it, as I listened to the song both aloud and through my agent. Checking for errors that I would need to adjust.

I finished another vocal track and turned only to instantly yelp and lose my balance from the couch.

“Jun! You jerk! If you were here you should have said something!” I demanded throwing an empty can of soda at him.

He just reached out and grabbed it out of the air before it could hit him. Akari standing beside him was looking about half as excited as she normally was.

“That was nova Toko! I like your other song more though.” She offered and I turned to glare at Jun again firmly pointing.

“You wouldn't know about any of the songs if not for this gonk!”

“If you were trying to keep it a real secret, putting it in a BD probably wasn’t a good idea.” He said as he pushed me aside with a gentle bump of his hip that still sent me stumbling. Akari and Jun both took a seat on the couch, a tablet pulled out that they both ducked their head into.

“Okay seriously what is with you two?”

“Nothing.” Jun offered but I wasn’t going to take that.

Both Akari and Jun were worried about something.

“Bullshit. What’s going on?”

“TC business Imouto. Nothing you want to get involved with.” Jun said cutting off the conversation and I hesitated. Because he was right. I didn’t want to get involved in TC business.

“Fine, but whatever it is, even if I don’t want to get involved, if you need help tell me.” I threw my hands up then and took a few steps towards my room, but I didn’t want to do anything in there right now…

I walked out of the apartment instead.

Time to workout a bit.

—---

“If only half the worthless gonks that come to me for a bit of muscle have half your dedication.” John offered as I was once more pushing myself.

“You probably say that… To all the… Kids that show… some effort.” I spoke in between squats and the old man barked a laugh at that.

“Yes, but that only makes what I said even more true. Haven’t seen your brother come back.”

“Jun… Is doing some work… Right now… I’ll remind him… Soon.”

“Excellent. Fujimura wanted me to keep an eye on his little chrome soldiers.”

“Rude.”

“Heh. Been around as long as I have, seen how many of those chromed out morons lose themselves and you stop feeling much sympathy.”

“Well… Jun is… Pretty solid now.”

“Yeah, I saw that. Kids got a good head on his shoulders. That won’t save him if he keeps chroming out. And he will if he doesn’t get some damn exercise. That’s one of the biggest excuses. Not strong enough.”

“Heh.” I couldn’t help but chuckle because I had heard that before. Maine. David. Both of those morons said the same thing.

“Still don’t blow out your knees, this is the second day in a row I’ve seen you belting out those squats.”

I sighed internally and nodded. Finishing my last rep before racking the weights. This is why I didn’t want someone trying to ‘train’ me. They might notice I didn’t respond to shit the same way a normal person would, my legs weren’t tired the day after exercise, because I healed completely with a nap.

“Thanks for the talk.” I offered, and reached over to grab my Burya and shoulder holster that I had removed while training.

“Hey hold up kid. I didn’t come to chat with you to talk about your brother or poor training methods. I have a kid your age that I’m training. But she’s getting a bit out of hand. She doesn’t have anyone her age bracket to challenge her.” John explained and I instantly felt my face flatten.

“You’re kidding right. You want me to what? Become her rival or something?”

“Heh. A rival would be good, but I don’t expect that, you probably won’t win. I just need a challenge. Something to push her. To make her realize she can’t just coast by on her talent.” John offered, and it was with absolute surety that the man pulled out the ‘I know you won’t win’ card, just to get me to agree.

But fuck it. I was bored, and I could use some Street Fighting XP. Not that I was going to make it that easy.

“What’s in it for me?” I asked, and the man smiled.

“Well for one. Access to a better gym than this place.”

“Meh.” I replied instantly as being watched while I worked out was kinda the problem.

“Heh, fine. Do this and I’ll make it worth your while with some eddies. Say three hundred?”

Three hundred eddies was pocket change. But I wasn’t going to try and squeeze blood from a rock. “Fine.”

“Alright. C’mon kid.” He waved me to follow but I didn’t.

“Motoko.” I informed him simply with a frown. Thankfully he picked what I was putting down a moment after.

“Fair enough, C’mon Motoko, let's go meet Hayato.”

This time I followed. Out of the Gym area, then down the red neon steps that led up to the buildings. I thought for a moment we would get in a car, but instead John just took a left and turned into a small section that had a bunch of elevators.

Then we skipped those too!

There was a path on the right that hugged the building and we went a ways down before he turned in and entered into a heavily inset door.

If I wasn’t fully armed and dealing with TC thugs I might have started to get a little concerned at this point, but the door opened into…

Well a little gym. A hole in the wall gym. I didn’t know this place was here, then again. I didn’t know a lot of shops in the area.

Gomorrah. Was the large name painted across the wall.

And as we walked in I noticed there was an area in the middle that had mats and standing on the mats was a girl around my age. At least I think she was my age.

She was about my height. Maybe a little taller, I realized as she was wearing pads for her feet rather than shoes and I was still in my boots.

But it was the tattoos that covered arms and back that made me realize this wasn’t just an average girl. No teenager with more Tyger Claw tattoos than Jun could be normal.

The pure asian features were interesting as well. Straight black hair tied up into a bun and ponytail was an odd sight, because it was natural.

Just normal natural hair was kinda weird in Night City. Especially one with the money this girl obviously had.

The quick scan I did told me she also had a lot of chrome.

Including a Kerenzikov.

She was obviously impatient. Her body language dripped with how annoyed she was. So when John rounded the corner and she saw him she instantly started speaking, almost too fast. Her words came out in a rush that sounded almost sped up.

And she was cussing in Japanese.

So I understood exactly zero of it, other than she was upset.

I think I heard a baka in there as well?

“Hayato.” John responded, cutting her off, and she went silent while glaring. “This is Motoko. She’s going to be the one you fight today.”

“You bring me to this trash heap, leave me for hours and then expect me to fight some…” The girl cut herself off as she took me in fully.

Sure I had been exercising, but I was still fully armed.

I went nowhere without my guns now after all. I looked her over as well, and made my decision.

I pulled off my jacket and threw it over a chair near the entrance letting everyone see how armed I was.

A few moments later I hung my shoulder holster over the chair, and placed my Lexington and holster on the seat as well. My knife was dropped on it as well, and then I took a moment to drop my pouches on the chair as well, ammo, ammo, Maxdocs, ammo. All placed on the chair leaving it rather full of my equipment.

I sat on the chair next to it, and started taking off my boots as well.

“Who is this?”

“Motoko Kusanagi. You may have heard of her brother. The Oni of the Kamikazi.”

“Huh those Cyberpsychos?”

“Jun-Nii is doing really well actually.” I offered as I was finally free of my boots and stepped onto the mats.

“I’ve never heard of her. I don’t care if her brother is famous. That has nothing to do with her.” The girl argued snootily and I couldn’t help but chuckle. So true. I wasn’t an Oni like Jun, always relying on brute force and stuff…

The fact he called me a gorilla was long erased from my brain.

“And I did not bring her here for her brother's accomplishments.” John replied and I got to watch a second of the girl basically going through emotions that would normally take a few seconds before she scoffed.

“I am Hayato Nakagawa.” She said, speaking as if I should recognize the name.

I didn’t of course, nor would I somehow feel dumb for not recognizing some random teenager. So I was just going to deal with this like I deal with everything!

“Nice to meet you Hayato-chan! Let’s beat each others faces in, until we both feel better!” I chirped as I started hopping around a bit to limber up as I brought my hands up in a boxing stance.

My words seemed to do the opposite of creating comradery as the girl’s face shifted into the look of someone stepping in dog shit.

“If I must!” She growled and I could tell she was about to charge before John raised a hand and stopped us both.

“Gloves first Motoko. Over there.” he pointed and I noticed a rack with spare gloves and foot pads. I made a noise of pleasure as I had never gotten to fight someone with pads before! I quickly hopped over and took out a pair for hands and feet.

This was going to be fun!