We met up at the NCART terminal next to the shopping center.
-so how we getting down there. Not exactly any subway terminals we can use- T-bug sent.
-So, thats is actually the easy part, I ent through satellite photos of the area looking for old metal grates. I did some research into subway systems. As a common design element they need some form of ventilation both for breathability and to reduce air pressure build up caused by the train otherwise people would constantly be getting high winds on the platforms. Now Night City doesn’t use a subway system, so finding grating in the area of where they were making one is a good indicator where it would be.
J led T-bug to a back alley where they found a rusted out grate partially still covered in rubble.
Once they cleared enough to fit through J produced a small cutting torch and proceeded to cut an accessway before breaking a bunch of small chem lights and dropping them down where they landed a dozen meters below.
-you have got to be kidding me. There is no way we are going down there.
Tying a steel braided rope to a nearby dumpster J responded -don’t be such a baby. You do more dangerous things all the time with Jackie.
-From my home in a comfortable chair, not in a dark cavernous chamber filled with possible run off from a nuclear explosion and years of other toxic waste. This is how at least four horror Vids start, and those are just the ones I’ve watched.
-T-bug get serious, it’s just a short drop from a rope and then we can go on a cool adventure to find lost treasure… Look if you are really that uncomfortable we can just forget about this, I can cover it back up and we can make a day of it doing some shopping.
-You sure? You’d just let this go?
-Sure, if your really that uncomfortable I can just drop it
-Fuck, ‘sigh’ let’s get this overwith
-Really?
-Yeah, you’d probably just go do it without me and how would I explain to Haru when he finds out his crazy sister was eaten by a Rous.
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J didn’t even give her the dignity of looking sheepish as she gazed smuggly back
-Probably
“T-bug,I’m afraid I’ve been thinking”
“A dangerous pastime”
“I know. So don’t take this personally, you know you and Jackie are like family, and Haru is family… your not really chooms you know.”
“That kinda hurts, J”
“I mean your all like older… not really my peers right.”
“Stick the knife in deeper, there J, what’s next going to twist it by calling us out of scope next”
“You know what I mean, I mean I don’t really have any chooms my own age. Pepe was really the last one I talked to and he’s been ghostin’ me. I think Jackie may have put the fear of god in him if you know what I mean. So now, I’m just the brilliant…”
“Careful about that ego” T-bug interjected
“Bratty little sister you all have to look after.”
“Yeah, I get that. It’s hard to fit in sometimes”
“Yeah, it really really is. So I was thinking I could make some friends.”
“That’s not why you had me get those corpsicles was it” Her visceral reaction showing that she was only half joking and secretly dreaded the joke was more on the mark than she meant it to be.
“What no, I was just after Bartmoss’s deck” J responded offhandedly caught off guard by revealing something she didn’t mean to. Getting a look of horror on her face when she realized what she had said.
“Wait, what did you mean?”
“Yeah so I was thinking that you could help me find some talent which I could use to form my own crew. It’ll be awesome. We'll do merc work. Run missions, hack stuff, and defend our turf. First we gotta get some turf but that’s a gimme.” J pushed on trying to distract from her slip
“That’s awesome. Wait don’t try to distract me by spewing stupid bull shit!”
“Well now who’s being hurtful?”
“And who’s still deflecting? We will get back to plan, J makes friends later, what do you mean Bartmoss’s deck?”
“Ok, so I kinda found Bartmoss. I got his deck connected to a quarantined virtual OS. Also found a little girl in a medical cryo coma…”
“Sad but back to Bartmoss”
“...and a carbon plague source”
“Tell me you got rid of that one immediately!”
“Nope. I want to harvest and reprogram them for nanotechnix”
“Fuck you better be careful. Wait… you did it again, stop distracting me!”
“I don’t know what you're talking about by the way I’m detecting a private network. Signal seems to be getting stronger I think we’re getting closer to the source”
“We will come back to this later J. Don’t think you can just skip over finding Bartmoss’s gear.”
They grew quiet as they approached the network's source, behind what appeared to be a large roll down protective store gate, located in what could have once been a subway bodega or a security office.