An hour of spiraling thoughts ended with a decision to go to the Gym.

Punch stuff until I feel better, it was the only option.

I wasn’t violent!

Usually.

The machine was so useful. I was glad I found it. Even with XP slowing from just punching a machine, it was really nice to punch something that actually responded and changed, it let me fall into the zone as my mind was taken up with the challenge of getting my punches to connect. Even if the machine was actively blocking with its extra arms, trying to push my punches to the side to miss.

I fell into the rhythm, trying to outsmart the machine, sometimes when I succeeded I would be rewarded with XP. A perfect system. Endorphin rush every time I got an alert. Satisfying my addiction.

“Not bad kid.” A voice startled me as I was adjusting the difficulty up again. “You got a good strike. Where you train?” The massive man that spoke was probably 6’7” or taller and he was at least four times as wide as me, his massive muscles shifted into gorilla arms half way down.

He wasn’t the same guy that had first drawn me into this room, but there was no ending to the amount of massive men and women in the room at any one time. They were shifting constantly. I just didn’t pay attention to them mostly.

“Uhh.. here?” I said looking at the machine and then back to him. Having to crane my neck up a bit.

“No I mean who taught you to fight, you go to a boxing Gym, or a Dojo?”

“No. I come here. I like the machines.” I added after a second.

“Hoo? Really? No one taught you?”

“No?”

“Huh. Not bad. Give it a few years and you might get an invite to some of the rings. You should find a coach. Check out Tripple Extreme Gym some time. It’s In Rancho Coronado, just gotta prove yourself a bit, and you will be welcome.”

“I’m not really looking to join a gang.” I tell him bluntly. “I’m sure the Animals are cool and everything, but not my scene.”

“Hah! You knew that right off. Good head on you. Well I suppose it was obvious. Think about it. No better place to get some real strength.” He chuckled patting me on the shoulder hard enough to nearly knock me off my feet before turning and heading off.

I wasn’t really interested. I didn’t even really want to fight hand to hand. But now that it was brought up. It might be a good place, and mostly safe place to get some XP.

But did I really want to become a Pit Fighter?

No. But a part of me that whispered XP, made the idea more tempting than it should be.

—--

I was getting anxious again. I was doing some grinding on the stupid Baby's first Cyberdeck again. Since I already went to the gym today and I just…

Didn’t want to go outside.

But it wasn’t quick XP, and continued silence from Jun was making me nervous.

At least I had gotten to the point I could breach our radio and turn it on or off or even change the volume from the couch.

So that was cool. I guess.

I eventually got bored at the highly technical work before flopping back on the couch.

Someday I would be a scary netrunner that could make people blow their own brains out with a look.

That day is not today.

Unfortunately nothing else was going on. Ichi didn’t have any jobs. Shobo was keeping everyone close in case there was another attack on his club.

Hiromi was out of touch again.

I wish Jun was here. That way everything would be ‘safe’ again and I wouldn’t have to feel this need to rush.

Maybe I should try to make some eddies?

I sighed the only thing I could think of was to kill. I’m not sure if it was the city, where murder was just the fastest way to doing most things, or if it was me. The urge to kill to get what I wanted.

I needed something to do with my hands. I realized. Exercise was fun, but it wasn’t giving me any XP now unless I went to the Gym, but I still needed an indoor hobby.

Maybe one that wasn’t Netrunning…

Well there was a skill I hadn’t done anything with yet. I realized.

Crafting. Or Technical Ability… But I didn’t have a lot of eddies to start something like that. I groaned.

Money or XP. Both were hard to get without doing something… Wait.

“If I want a job, I can just get one.” I reminded myself. Fixers were a thing. Hell. Wakako was over in Jig-jig street. Which I could almost see from my apartment window.

I stood up. Sure I was a kid. And she might not even see me… But it was something. Something that I wanted to try!

I grinned as I got ready wishing I had found the rest of a cool outfit, but at least I had my cool jacket and gloves. I suited up, unfortunately leaving the Burya. I didn’t have a holster, or ammo for it.

Outside the sun was shining through the small sections of the city that could see the sky, and I jogged down the block and crossed the street.

Then I took a right down Jig Jig Street.

The place was just how I remembered it from the game. Dark, seedy, full of people looking to do bad things.

I think I was probably the youngest person there. But that was fine. I wandered the streets until I found it.

A pachinko parlor. The only reason I remember the exact location of Wakako was because of how funny it was. One of the most powerful Fixers in Night City hangs out in a tiny room with a TV in the back of a Pachinko den.

I entered, noticing the woman at the counter eyeing me up.

“I’m wondering if Wakako has a moment.” I asked the Neon haired girl who raised an eyebrow at me.

Being fourteen kinda sucked.

But I held my gaze.

“Doubt it. If she isn’t already in contact with you, you aren’t on her radar.” The girl eventually offered even going so far as to lick her finger and turn the page on the magazine she was reading.

“I’m aware I’m not on her radar. That’s why I’m here.”

The woman sighed looking me over. “Do you have any idea how many Street Kids we get coming in here?”

“A lot.”

“Yeah, a lot.” The woman finished as if that was the end of it.

“I bet a lot of them ask to be tested too. A gig to prove that they aren’t hot air.”

“Save me from irritating overconfident children.” The woman muttered at me before her eyes went gold. A few moments later she nodded and then she looked at me. “Go on in. If you want.”

I nodded pleased. It seems I was right. Wakako couldn’t only hire people that are the best of the best.

Sometimes you needed street rats.

I turned to the left and walked through the door way blocked only by the weird beads that people seemed to use here instead of doors.

It was a cozy little back room, an executive style desk and Wakako. The Fixer of Japantown.

The older woman was casually looking over to the tv that was to my right as I entered giving me a single glance assessing me and then going back to the TV.

“Thank you for seeing me.” I say with a little bow to her. She had been high up in the Tyger Claws. Well her husband… Husbands, had been.

“Don’t tell me your name. I don’t want to know it.” She said simply, and her eyes went yellow. A text came in. “Finish the job, and return then maybe I will bother to learn your name. Or don’t. The door.” She offered simply a very brusque quick interview.

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I could kind of respect it.

I didn’t say anything more. Just turning and leaving.

I had my job.

I ended up on the street before I looked at it.

A man had an info shard. Wakako wanted that shard. Simple.

No other information other than where the man potentially was and a picture of him.

That’s it. No orders about how she wanted the job done, or anything.

I understood. Most street kids would probably go loud. Cause a riot.

The smart ones would go quiet klep the shard and get out. Hopefully without causing an uproar. Wakako wanted to know what kind I was.

I could do that.

—-

I ended up grabbing Jun’s bike as the guy was hiding out across town. I ended up finding a parking lot a few blocks away and stashing the bike before continuing.

A light jog to warm up and I was there. I slipped behind a parked car as I scoped out the old auto shop. The garage door was open, but it was obvious it wasn’t open for business. No, a group of Valentino’s were hanging around. Some were using the garage to work on their cars, it was still doable, except for one thing. A guy was outside in the parking lot, sitting on the hood of a car and drinking a beer while the radio played.

Damn. This wasn’t going to be easy.

I started looking for entrances without finding much. The auto shop had a big office side to it, two stories tall connected to the three door garage, but again. There were… Eight cars parked out front? That was potentially a lot of people to get caught by.

But I had a chance.

The back of the lot was covered in a high fence. It might have barbed wire around it, but I had parkour. I could definitely reach the roof from another building next door.

That was my entrance.

I moved. Moving across the street as naturally as I could before starting my climb up. An old burned out car, to the AC unit of a warehouse, to the roof. Keeping low I crossed the roof of the seemingly abandoned building heading closer to the roof of the auto shop.

As I was getting close my new view let me see a hiccup. A security camera.

On the back of the building keeping an eye on the back yard which wasn’t empty. It was full of cars. Newer cars. All of them missing pieces.

I guess the Tino’s were using this place as a chop shop.

But I could get through. I just needed to find an entrance where the camera couldn’t see. While also avoiding making any noise, or letting the Tino’s out front notice I was on the roof.

Easy.

First step. I waited and when the music hit its crescendo. I leapt from my roof to the next. Landing as quietly as I could, which still wasn’t really quiet. I waited, for a minute and then another.

Nothing. I started moving, crawling across the roof staying low. Letting the noise of the radio and sounds of the mechanics at work hide me away as I crawled across the roof until I reached the office building side. No windows opened out to the roof of the garage which was irritating. No they were on the front and back of the second floor of the office, making my job… Difficult.

I scooted towards the back of the building keeping an eye on the camera so I was out of sight when it looked away from me. I looked around for an entrance I could use.

There was a back door, but it was right under the camera.

No go.

I grumbled quietly. Why wasn’t this as easy as the games? Where was the obvious secret door? Or the window that was always left open?

Right. This was ‘real’ and not a game. I calmed myself down, took a few breaths and started looking around again. The camera was well placed. Giving it a solid view of the entire backlot. Which I suppose was the point. Why would someone put a camera down that only looked at half of what they needed it to?

I had to go back. I crawled back towards the front of the shop peeking over the ledge.

Yep, that was a Tino sitting on a car right in front of the building. No way I could use the front of the building while he was there.

Dammit.

I was just about to give up entirely, I would just have to call Wakako back, when I got the alert.

*Ninjutsu skill level up!*

*1 Perk Point Gained.*

I felt it flow through me, allowing me to adjust my position just a tad to make it a little harder to notice me as I slipped back down.

A perk? That could work. I opened up the list in the shadow of the second floor laying down on the roof completely hidden from the ground.

I had been hoping for something cool. Phase into shadows. Or invisibility. Or something amazing. But nothing that mystical showed up. As usual my perks were more knowledge based, more surgical in what they gave than Ninjutsu as a whole.

I did find the one that I really liked, as it was the one most likely to save my life in an emergency.

Danger sense. A moment's alert before you are seen.

For a thief that could be really useful.

I picked it without another thought going back to my current problem.

I had to get in, find the target, and find the shard.

As I was still figuring out a path inside a new vehicle pulled up. I glanced over the roof and watched as… Was that Dexter DeShawn? It was! I recognized that fat backstabbing asshole anywhere!

He was too far, and the radio blocked the voice but the guy that had been waiting out on the hood of the car was chatting with him, and over the course of a few minutes something changed hands.

I couldn’t tell if Dexter was given something, or if he gave something.

I really hope that wasn’t my shard. Thinking quickly. I took a picture of the handoff. Even if my eyes weren’t Kiroshi’s like V’s I could still take pictures. I just couldn’t scan. See through walls. Smart Link… Okay you get the point, My eyes were civilian eyes.

Which also reminded me that old Motoko had likely lost her eyes to the scavs… God. I am really glad I don't have her memories now. Remembering Scavs tearing your eyes out? I shuddered.

Dexter got back into his massive car and drove off. And to my pleasure the guy who had been waiting outside? He went inside.

The front was clear!

While I didn’t want to get to the front door. The front of the building did have a window. I krept over to the front edge of the roof looking down just to make sure no other straggler was around. Nope. Everyone was inside. I could just see the boots of some guy under a car as he was working on it.

Perfect. I stood and snuck over to the point where the second floor of the office and the mechanic shop met, and looked over to see the window on the second floor. Peeking in was awkward but I was able to see it looked like the boss' office, and it was empty. I reached out to test the window.

I grinned. It wasn’t locked. It slid as I pushed my hand against it and pulled.

Now was the hard part. It opened towards me. Which meant to reach the opening I would have to jump. I sighed. Thankfully Parkour was there. And after a moment of looking it over I had the path.

I leapt feet first. Grabbing the bottom of the window sill heaving up wards. Letting my shoes hit the window sill on the opposite wall to give me half a second of grip and keep me from flying out into nothing, I rolled sideways forcing myself into the window.

I did land with a thump. No helping it. But I tried to keep it as quiet as I could. I quickly checked the room looking for any hiding spot just in case, but there really wasn’t much.

So I waited. Wondering if I was going to have to leap back out the window. Instead it was quiet. And slowly I untensed. Then I started searching around. I needed the info Shard Wakako wanted. I went through the drawers of the desk and then around the room.

Nothing.

I took a deep breath and moved to the door, opening it a crack to see out. The floor was a bunch of desks put together like cubicles. But it was empty. No computers on the desks or anything. The place was abandoned. I slipped out, checking every corner of the room as I did. No one had been up here in a while I realized. So I moved towards the stairs. The staircase in the back of the building was an open design, the entire first and second floor were basically one massive room, just with a floor in the way. I peaked my head over the steps peeking through the top stairs to see the floor below.

And the man sitting at an old corner desk, a new laptop open as he typed away.

Target found.

But so was the man that had been waiting for Dexter outside.

Fuck.

“Well is it what we need?”

“It is. Everything I said. See! I am good on my word. You get what you want. I get out of here.”

“Well Choom, a deal is a deal. Start getting packed up. We will roll once we get confirmation.” The man said with a pleased smile as he slapped my target's shoulder heavily.

“T-thanks.” He grumbled, not sounding thankful at all.

What the hell was going on? Wakako just wanted an info shard, but this guy was about to bail! I narrowed my eyes. The Valentino to my relief left the room after that heading back into the shop. Saying something in spanish as the door shut.

I moved.

I had to. I didn’t have time to play around anymore. Not if I was going to complete this gig.

The target was still buried in his laptop tapping away. More than distracted enough for me to get close.

The noise from outside would keep any noise from inside muffled enough.

I hoped.

I came up behind him as silent as death. Ninjutsu was more than just stealth. It also had info on how to disable someone. Combined with Grapple. My arm came around the Target's neck with all the force I could. A hard jerk to startle to disrupt breathing and then a solid force against his carotid. It wasn’t oxygen that knocked people out with a neck grab.

It was blood flow.

He struggled of course he did. His hands flailed at first and he kicked out kicking the table a few times.

“Relax. I’m not here for your life. Go to sleep.” I whispered into his ear as I slowly pressured him down to the ground. His attempts at ripping my arm from his throat failed.

He wasn’t chromed, and I had a solid hold.

Very soon his struggle died out and he went limp. He wasn’t faking. Ninjutsu told me. I let go.

*250 XP Gained.*

*Level up achieved!*

*One Stat Point Gained.*

*One Skill Point Gained.*

I blinked back the alerts. Now wasn’t the time. I went to work, searching the man I took every shard he had on him just to be safe, then since I kinda wanted to fuck up Dexter DeShawn. I took not just the shard that he had dropped off, but the Laptop my Target had been working on.

I took everything.

I was probably screwing this guy over pretty bad. I admit, but I was probably also causing trouble for Dexter. Which I would accept as a trade off.

Cause fuck that guy. He is just as bad as Faraday. That’s a fixer that needed a bullet to his head.

I hurried back upstairs in a rush. My goal the open window. Once I was there I peeked out. No one out front still. Good. The laptop was a pain in the ass. And I had to slip it into my pants and shirt using my belt to tighten it down to make sure it didn’t shift as I climbed out the window, and using Parkour fell down grabbing the window sill breaking my fall and then falling the rest of the way.

I landed with a thump, but it wasn’t that bad.

Cat-Like coming in clutch.

I quickly dashed around the corner disappearing from sight.

Gig complete.

—--

I walked into Wakako’s a few hours later with a backpack that I had stopped at home to grab. Seriously bring a bag when on a mission Motoko you idiot.

I would never tell anyone that I had to ride home with a laptop stuck in my pants. Not comfortable.

I walked past the girl at the front. Simply going up to Wakako’s ‘doorway’ and knocking gently.

“Get in here.” She said simply and I did so.

“You got the shard?”

“And more.” I answered opening the backpack and placing the shard that I was pretty sure was the info shard she wanted onto the table along with the laptop and the shard that Dex had dropped off.

“Hmm and this?” She asked only after she took the first shard and slotted it into a slot on her desk.

“As I was entering something interesting happened.” I forwarded her a text with the image of Dex doing a handoff.

“Oh?”

“The shard in the laptop is the one he handed over. The computer belonged to the target. Not sure what the whole situation is, but the target was making a deal to leave the city, in exchange for something that Dex handed over. Considering your ‘brief’ didn’t mention a timeframe. I figure something is going on. Either you appreciate the info, or it’s useless. Either way. You got what you wanted.”

“Correct. I did get what I wanted. As I always do. Motoko Kusanagi.” She said obviously dropping my name.

If she expected me to react I didn’t. A good pair of eyes could scan people and get their NCPD database instantly.

“I suppose that means I’m interesting enough for you to know my name.”

“A clean op. You handled it like a professional. I like that in my Mercs. Here is payment. Your name is added to my contacts. I will be in touch.” She gave me a serious look as her eyes suddenly glowed blue. A deposit in my account came through. Five grand. I looked surprised for a moment before nodding.

“I look forward to it.” I said as I turned and left.

I felt…. Better. Productive. I could do this.