I decided to spend the next few days quietly. No jobs. No running around with Hiromi, although she was at school for the next few days anyways.

I was still sort of coming to terms with my own ability in murder, and I thought some time away from missions where I had a gun in my hand was needed to sort myself out.

The plan was simple. Stay out of trouble and pretend to ‘recover’ from the gig, so I would mostly stay out of sight of anyone that knows me.

Lot’s of things kept me occupied though. Crafting for one. The gig I had just accomplished. Everything in between.

Plus it didn’t help that I had a lot of time on my hands as I drove back out into the desert. Part of the desire was pure XP grind. Being able to really gun the engine on my Quadra Type-66 was amazing. Leaving me giggling at points as I caught some air, or came around a corner of a dune a little too fast and drifting a little.

Little XP alerts came in, but it wasn’t a lot. I wasn’t doing anything truly crazy.

But I was on my way to get something I had left behind.

I soon came up to the location. Slowing down as I came up to the wreck of Scorpion's ride. Or at least pieces of it. The Aldecaldos must have already come by from the look of it. The car itself was gone, but I could see bits and pieces of metal left behind.

Plus the GPS told me this was it.

I came to a stop and started searching. The desert didn’t like giving back what it had taken and after a long hour or searching that area of the desert I finally found it.

Like hell I was going to leave behind my HMG! I love that thing! I shot it out of a moving car! It’s like I was in an action movie!

Its barrel was all I could see as I was sticking out of the desert, and as I slowly dug it out I winced.

“Poor girl.” I could instantly tell how bad of a condition it was in.

You see. I had a very special alert from the night before.

With a grin I once again looked at my menu.

*Crafting skill level up!*

I managed to get Crafting 1 from sewing that last night. Although I had stabbed my finger more times than I really wanted to admit.

I remember thinking that Breach was the most information dense of any of the skills I had taken so far.

I was wrong.

Crafting made Breach seem like elementary school math compared to Calculus. It was so dense, with little bits of knowledge in how to craft tons of things. Explosives, weapons, clothes, armor, vehicles, everything. Plus tool knowledge for tons of pieces of equipment, and the instincts on everything from making something to unmaking it.

I could also feel a big blackness in the knowledge like it was reaching for knowledge that wasn’t there at points. Knowledge I already knew would be Engineering.

Two sides of the same side. Crafting was doing it by hand. Engineering was closer to design work or maybe understanding more complicated crafting? I guess I would find out when I unlocked it.

Even without the knowledge though, I could feel the sort of impact it will have on my understanding of tech.

It was kinda exciting.

I realized quickly last night that sewing wasn’t going to give me much experience, even if it was really useful. I still needed to figure out a way of making patches for my Leotard. I might need to buy a new one, or just buy a Netrunner suit to cannibalize.

Still I had a feeling I would know a good way to do it once I explored Crafting a bit more.

But between Crafting and Gun Nut, I had a solid understanding as I pulled my HMG free of the desert. I knew she was dead. When she had been thrown from the car, she had hit something solid, a rock probably. There was a good chunk of her receiver smashed in. Her barrel didn’t look too bad, visually, but Gun nut told me it wasn’t straight anymore. The pieces that let the barrel slide back after firing and be pushed forward with a spring were wrecked.

I sighed as I held her up. Coming all this way only to find out she had died. It was sad.

Not a waste, but just… sad. She had really done work against the Wraiths, and we would have chewed them up if not for the car crashing.

I hefted her up and felt the sand pour out of her. I had come all this way. It would be wrong to just leave her though.

I nodded. I wouldn’t just leave her. “I’ll fix you someday. Who knows. Maybe I’ll even be able to give you a nice upgrade.” I told the gun as I shook her out a bit.

“Bitches do love cannons after all.” I muttered giggling a little at myself as I carried her back to the car. She would sit in my passenger seat while I drove home.

Well… not quite home.

I had learned more than just how to craft from my level up. In fact I learned what was probably the most important part of crafting.

Deconstruction.

I now knew how to take something apart to get at the useful bits.

Which gave me an idea. Especially since I now had wheels.

In the morning I had gone down to the market to the same repair lady that had once basically called me an idiot for not knowing about the map function in my eyes.

She was kinda a bitch, but she was closeby.

“Tools?” She asked looking up from… Oh I recognized it now. It was an internet port for home use. Hook your TV or other devices into it to watch TV or get local web.

“Yeah. I’m looking to get into scrapping, repair, and maybe some tinkering. Best place to get tools for it?” I asked, earning an odd look from the lady. Thankfully I guess getting my haircut and colored made me look different enough she was willing to talk.

“I’ll give you a kit sure, thousand eddies.” She offered brazenly as if it was just a thing.

“That’s robbery for a tool kit. But I’ll tell you what. I’ll pay a thousand, if it’s a complete kit. If everything I’ll need is inside it. If it isn’t… Well I know where you work.” I said, trying to put on my coolest stare.

“Don’t go trying to threaten me, kid. Market security will be more than happy to have you thrown out.” Something about the way I spoke seemed to work as the woman sounded a little spooked despite her tough words to the contrary. But after a moment she nodded. “But yeah. I’ll make sure it’s a complete kit. 1000 eddies.”

A minute later I watched as she started putting a variety of tools from kits that she was selling into a single box. Although a few of the electronics she placed inside looked like personal equipment, something she looked at shrugged and threw it in.

I really couldn’t tell now if she was scamming me. But, well better to just get what I need and lose some eddies than have to spend a few days going to different stores trying to find the basics. Besides, if I found out later she scammed me.

I did know where she worked.

“Here. This is everything someone doing some scraping, salvage, or repair needs. I’m not here to teach you so if you don’t know what something does, that’s on you.” She offered, handing me the tool box.

“Thank you.” I agreed. My eyes going blue as I transferred the funds. A thousand bucks seems like a lot, but tools are always expensive.

I had hurried home and after opening the box and poking around. It took me a while to check over everything, but my Crafting 1 knowledge dump did give me an idea of how almost everything works. Some of the stuff was esoteric.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

With that done and a firm understanding of what tools and things I had. I was actually pretty sure the lady hadn’t screwed me over. Overcharged me? Sure. But she had put in just about everything I would need.

With that I went into my room and put on some older clothes, things I wouldn’t mind ruined, I found an old pair of gloves that I think once belonged to Jun, and an older pair of boots.

The glitzy ugly things I had no problem with ruining.

Then I took my toolbox out to my new car.

I had headed out to scrounge over the battle site. Not much had been left, and I was lucky to find my HMG still left over, but not my SMG. That was a pain. So instead of wasting more time. I settled my HMG in the seat, walked around to the driver side, patted my car's hood, and started up her engine with a roar.

“Let’s go to the dump!”

—--

“Oh god it stinks.” I whined as I climbed another pile of trash looking for electronics, or anything else I could take apart.

Seriously, why did I come here!? Who was the idiot that said I should come to the dump!? I’ll kill them!

No wait Motoko murder was still wrong against anyone not a scav, or a Wraith, or a bad guy in general.

Was telling someone go to the dump an evil act?

As I almost slipped and felt my foot fall into something wet and gooey, I decided yes. Yes it was.

Too bad the evil person was me. I did this to myself.

Puking a little in my mouth I continued to work. If nothing else there was a lot of stuff here to scavenge.

I had already found a ton of stuff to work with. I didn’t have any grand plans, honestly I was mostly looking for stuff I would definitely be able to fix, or at least take apart for parts to fix something else.

Grinding my Crafting skill was less about making something useful right now, and more about making something at all.

Really my big goal was just not to spend any money on this… Well any more money.

Eventually I could even make grenades and such. I did have a bunch of them from that Wraith guy I killed. Crazy bastard was practically covered in them, I had klepped them all, and there were even some parts to make more.

I just wasn’t going to try until I was sure I wasn’t going to blow my face off.

But until then I was looking for good scrap.

And trying not to puke.

I grunted as I slowly came back down the side of a trash pile with an old laptop in my arms. It had a bullet hole sure, but I could get a ton of stuff out of it.

Which is when I looked to my left and stopped.

No it couldn’t be.

I looked around and I realized this area did look… familiar.

I dropped the broken laptop. Focusing instead on what I was looking at.

A fridge.

A very familiar fridge.

I walked over and with a hesitant hand I lifted the lid.

Immediately I closed it ran a few feet away and lost my lunch.

Oh god that smell!

Yep. That was a decaying Rache Bartmoss. As I heaved out my guts my brain was processing what I had just found.

V had found him in 2077. But it was still 2075. Had no one found him in two years? Really?

I finished clearing my mouth and hurried back this time I opened the fridge without breathing I reached in and grabbed his Netdeck.

Quickly took a picture of the inside of the fridge, and slammed it shut.

Then I ran away. Gasping a dozen feet away as I tried to breath without smelling rotting corpse.

The Netdeck still smelled too though. I shivered hurried back to the car. I was gonna stuff this in the trunk and not open it again until I had a plastic bag or something to seal it in.

Fuck. I had found Rache Bartmoss.

—--

So I now had a plastic bag with Rache Barmoss’s netdeck sealed inside, hidden in my room.

That was… Gonna be something I deal with later. No way I had the ability to check the insides without having my brain melted.

And honestly? I didn’t trust Nix. In the Game you take it to the Afterlife where a Netrunner called Nix hacks into it. He nearly gets brain fried but you rescue him.

Afterwards he tells V there wasn’t really anything interesting inside, gives you some special Quickhacks and sends V away right after.

Rache Bartmoss basically created Netrunning. He was… The greatest. Period.

I always got suspicious in the game dealing with Nix. He always treated V like an amateur even after saving his life.

So I was going to skip that entire thing. I’ll grind up my skills and crack the netdeck myself someday.

Until then?

Well I thought about talking to Wakako about the fridge, but… It will keep. Literally.

If no one would have found it in two years I think it’s safe where it is. Especially since I already took the valuable bit.

So I pulled out my haul from the dump and grabbed my toolbox.

Time to get to work.

First My HMG was settled onto the living room table to get a good cleaning and going over, once it was at least clean I set her in my room for now.

Then considering that leveling Technical Attribute was just as slow as Intelligence, I decided to combine them. While I was slowly taking apart the old electronics and other toys I had found. I was also listening to my Mother's Netrunning guide, and hacking the radio.

*100 Technical Attribute XP Gained*

—---

While grinding hacking was kinda boring in a way since for the most part it was just going through code as you tried to slip through the security. Grinding Crafting was more interesting.

Like sure it was slow, but you were getting more than just the XP.

Every time I took apart something I was getting equipment for more stuff in the future. I was finding neat little surprises inside expensive pieces of equipment that still worked despite the ruined exterior.

So it kept my interest a lot longer. Although even so I did get bored eventually.

Stretching, I decided to stretch my legs and grab a meal. Besides it had been a few days of playing around with tech I hadn’t really talked to anyone since I got back from the Badlands.

So I started sending off everyone I knew a text.

*Hey Hiromi, still in school? Is it at least interesting?*

*Ichi, how’s work? Are you still stuck at the club for extra protection?*

*Dr. Vik. It’s Motoko, haven’t had a chance to talk to you since we met up. I hope the chrome has been useful. I’ve actually been looking for some stuff, I was wondering if you could help? I need to update my optics, I’m thinking Kiroshi. Let me know if you have any deets on where I could get a set? Thanks Vik.*

With that I felt at least that I wasn’t hiding away from the world entirely.

Even if I did things kept changing.

The Claw-Strom gang war had been expanding. Mostly I’ve been kept up to date on the news which I would let play while I was taking stuff apart.

The war had spread. It was becoming a full out gang war. Because when you are shooting people on the streets sometimes you get some collateral.

Right now The Valentino’s were shooting both sides whenever they came into their territory. Turns out someone well loved in the Tino’s had been killed in the crossfire between Strom and Claws.

Tino’s were pissed.

6th St were also shooting on sight, but purely to keep Claws, or Strom from moving into their territory.

This of course meant the Moxes were started to buckle down as well. The Claws getting hit hard which made them hyper aggressive.

Mox girls and boys were paying for it. So they were arming up as well.

The entire north side of the city was turning into a warzone.

Damn.

I was firmly staying out of it. Other than Jun I had no connection to the entire trouble.

Which reminded me. I sent out one more text message.

*Jun. Please still be alive.*

I hadn’t heard from Jun in a while. Once again he was not responding to texts or calls.

So with that done I headed outside. I was just buying my routine mystery meat skewer when I got a text in return.

*Hiromi: I’m free bitch! We going partying!*

*Sorry Hiromi. I’m not really up to a party tonight. Glad you are free though.*

*Hiromi: Uuuuugh you are the boringest crazy person I have ever met!*

*Hey, I'm not crazy!*

*Hiromi: Scav Den. SOLO.*

*Which I did fully trusting that I could do it and survive. Mostly.*

*Hiromi: Hence the crazy. Any news about Jun?*

*Nothing.* I sighed as I walked around the block mostly just to do something other than stand around as I got some ‘fresh’ air.

*Hiromi: I’ll ask around some of the Claws I know. I know the war is getting pretty bad, so he’s probably just busy.*

*I hope he’s just busy. I really do.*

*Hiromi: Alright enough about bad stuff. What have you been doing? I talked to Ichi and he has been jobless since his glorious Shobo-Sama is keeping everyone close to the club. So I know you haven’t done any jobs with Ichi. No more scav dens right?*

I didn’t know how to respond, technically I hadn’t hit a Scav den.

Technically.

*Hiromi: RIGHT?*

*Not a Scav den. I did some work for Wakako involving a nomad. It kinda blew up.*

*Hiromi: WHAT THE FUCK MOTOKO! I’m coming over!*

*Okay I’m just walking the block.*

I laughed a little. It was nice to talk to Hiromi even if she was very… Hiromi. She was my best Choom after all.

I ended up getting back to the apartment and camping out waiting at the entrance for Hiromi to show up. The roar of her Kusanagi was something I could hear long before I saw her, and I was groaning because I could tell she was speeding like crazy.

“Hiromi… Slow down you gonk.” I grumbled as I waited for her to come around the corner nearly drive into a lamppost, miss it by a bit and skid up onto the sidewalk in front of the apartment.

“MOTOKO!”

“Hello Hiromi. Do we need to talk about speed laws?” I asked but she ignored me as she jumped off her bike and started looking me over. Her hands poking and prodding.

“I’m fine.” I told her earning a glare from Hiromi.

“You did something stupid again!”

“It was a gig! An official gig! It went bad when the Raffen Shiv showed up. But it turned out alright.” I told her with a shrug. “Well, except my new baby got destroyed. They got pissed when I was firing the HMG out the side of the car and we ended up flipping. My HMG Died Hiromi. I’m Sad.” I whined a bit at her.

“What the fuck Motoko! You… That’s fuckin’ Nova. You fired that big ass thing out the side of a car? A moving car?” She asked suddenly perking up as I gave her a tidbit about the story.

“Oh it was way more Nova than that, they were behind us so I opened the passenger door rested the gun against the door and was firing backwards halfway out the car.”

“That is the preemest shit I ever heard. You crazy girl!” She pulled me into a massive hug squeezing as hard as she could. “I’m gonna have to stick to you from now on, cause you are gonna get flatlined doing such preem shit.”

“It wasn’t that bad. C’mon let’s park your bike in the garage… I want to show you something.” I grinned as I urged her back to the bike and hopped on patting the seat infront of me so Hiromi would get on.

She did, looking like she wanted to keep hugging me or lock me away in a dungeon so I could stop doing ‘Preem shit’ and get killed.

When we pulled into the garage Hiromi parking right next to my car which was in Juns spot. Hiromi was actually grumbling about it as she parked next to his spot.

“Who’s in Jun’s spot?” She grumbled to me and it was only by pulling her back that I stopped her from kicking my car as she got off her bike.

“I am.” I told her once I pulled her back as I walked up and opened the driver's door. “Want to go for a drive?” I teased her as I slipped inside.

“Bullshit. This is a Wraith car, it even has their markings on it.”

“Yeah I need to get it repainted. The previous owner won’t mind.” I hinted as I cocked my head to the passenger door.

“Wait, you're being serious?” She asked, suddenly looking from me to the car.

Which is when I started it up. It roared to life.

Hiromi happily jumped into the passenger seat a moment later looking around as I closed my door and pulled out.