Sewers
February 11th
2069
As soon as she woke up, Sophie got to work with her first project. Her hideout needed more than the rusted grate that barely hung on its hinges. Luckily, she had enough scrap to create something far more resilient, even though she hoped it wouldn’t be needed. It would, admittedly, also only block off one of the entrances. That was all she could do however, considering the other entry points were far larger and would require more resources.
Her pile of supplies lay spread out across the floor and so she began identifying the scraps she needed for the gate.
Sophie crouched beside the small pile of scrap metal sheets she’d gathered and quickly selected the sturdiest one. It was heavy and dented in places, but perfect for what she needed. Beside it were the hinges she’d scavenged.
"Right," Sophie muttered, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Let’s get this gate up."
She quickly removed the original gate, something that proved frighteningly easy, considering it basically fell apart with a sharp screech. Fantastic, glad that was keeping me safe last night.
She began by measuring the scrap metal sheet against the entryway, using a piece of scrap metal to mark out the correct dimensions. Grabbing the pliers and metal shears from her toolkit, she set to work. The metallic screech of the shears echoed through the tunnel, making her cringe every few moments and listen for any signs of movement. She didn’t want to take any chances until she was more secure.
After trimming the sheet, Sophie got the battery powered drill and made holes along one edge to attach the hinges. She carefully aligned the hinges with her markings, fastening them with screws. When the new gate was ready, she hoisted it up and positioned it against the entryway. Sweat dripped down her face from the weight, but she was able to secure it in place, bolting the hinges to a frame she’d cobbled together with her scavenged metal pipes.
When the final screw was tightened, Sophie stepped back to examine her work. The gate wasn’t perfect, evidenced by the slight creak when pushed, but it was solid and heavy. The weight reassured her. She tested it a few times, opening and closing it before realising she didn’t actually have a way to lock it. Okay, I need to find a lock when I go out today. In the meantime, she wedged her toolbox against it, praying it would be enough to hold it closed.
With the gate built and somewhat, Sophie turned her attention to the rest of the hideout. She didn’t have the resources to make anything else, nor the energy, but she could plan. Picking up the sharp piece of scrap metal she’d used to mark the gate, she began outlining spaces on the ground. On one side of the circular chamber, she scratched a rectangular boundary into the concrete.
"Bathroom," she said aloud. "Eventually."
Next, she moved to the side where her bedding and gear was. She marked a larger square. "Living area," she muttered, imagining a place where she could actually relax in a modicum of comfort, rather than sitting around on the floor all the time.
Finally, on one of the far sides, she marked a massive section. "Storage and gear," she declared, mentally picturing a miniature armoury and shelves where she could organize her belongings.
“Whew,” she said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. “Alright, shooting practice time. I’ll go get my subdermal once my stomach has finished healing.”
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A bit over an hour later, Sophie stood outside the 2nd Amendment store she’d found on her first outing into the city. It was slightly intimidating, considering she’d be walking into a place likely filled with a bunch of gun enthusiasts. However, she refused to let that stop her. She squared her shoulders and walked in.
The store was far, far quieter than she had expected it to be. Looking around, she spotted a gun range that was separated from the main lobby, which was the main thing she’d been hoping to find. It was completely deserted though, which she found a bit confusing. There were a handful of shelves that held different equipment to one side, while the other was a desk. There was a piece of glass, covered in a wire mesh, between where the customer would be and the clerk. The only way they could interact was through a small hole in the bottom of the glass, barely large enough to fit a rifle through.
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Behind the desk was a man. He had long, grey hair and a pair of glasses. He’d looked over after he saw her and his eyes started gleaming, though not in a bad way. He gave her a blindingly bright smile.
“Hey there missy! How ya doin’?” His voice was cheery as he spoke to her, which Sophie found a bit odd. Most people in Night City tended to act fairly neutral to strangers, if not downright hostile.
“Uh, I’m okay?” She replied, despite her confusion.
“Great! Now, what can I do for you today?” Sophie walked over to him, swinging her bag off her back. She set it down on the counter and reached in while replying.
“I’m looking to sell some stuff and I wanted to ask about the gun range.” She started pulling out a variety of handguns, around a dozen in all. She already had one of each and considering she desperately needed more cash, selling her spares was a great way to earn more.
“Oh, not often I get someone who’s selling. It’ll be a fair bit below market price, just so you know.” He picked up a Tamayura and inspected it. “Market price for a regular version like this is around 1500. I can pay half, if you’re okay with that. Same for the others.”
Sophie almost let out a small squeak. That much!? She kept a calm look on her face, despite her internal joy. “That’s fine with me. Are you open to buying any others that I bring?”
“Sure am. Nothing broken though. I can do repairs for them but I won’t buy broken guns. Now, let me run everything through the system…Alright, you got a few Unity’s and some Tamayura’s here. I can do 7,500 eddies for the lot, considering they’re all in pretty good condition. Sound good to you?” He flashed her another smile, but Sophie was too busy trying not to hyperventilate. 7,500!? That’s more than all of my savings! I need more guns to sell!
“That’s fine,” she said, giving him a small smile in response. “I was also interested in the gun range? Can you tell me a bit about that?”
“Oh, sure!” His eyes lit up. “For a couple hundred eddies, you can rent out a lane and use your own guns and ammo to practise. Or you can pay a cool thou’ and you can use any of the store’s guns, and our ammo. Just be careful not to break anything, or you’ll be paying.”
“Hmm, in that case, I’d like to use the store’s gear. Just take the cred from what you were gonna pay me.”
“Sure!” A few moments later, Sophie received a transfer for 6,500 eddies. “Do you need any help with your practice?” He waved his hands around, “I’m not busy and I love teaching people.”
She thought about it, then decided it would probably be helpful. She’d still be careful though, just in case the man had different ideas. “Yeah, that’d be great. I’m…Sarah, by the way.” No way am I gonna give some random guy my real name. Not when I’m doing my best to keep myself hidden. At the same time, something was off about him, she just couldn’t tell what.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. I was too excited. I’m Ricky. Come on over, I’ll help you get set up.” The man, Ricky, made his way out from behind the desk and over to the gun range entrance. He unlocked it and ushered her in, pausing to grab a large metal case before following her.
She picked out a lane and waited for him. He placed the case down and opened it up, revealing an assortment of weapons. “So, what do you want to practise with?” Sophie looked at all her options. There were a number of pistols, including a Nue, that interested her. There was also a Copperhead, a Militech Crusher and a DB-4 Igla shotgun.
She was interested in using all of them, considering her Basic Gun Combat skill gave her the basic knowledge to use everything. However, in her current situation, pistols were her best friend. “I think I’ll stick with the Nue. I’ve got some experience with it but I need to practise with it.”
“Sounds good! Why don’t you show me your normal stance, fire off a couple rounds. I’ll help you make some adjustments and give you some tips.” So, she settled into her normal stance. Left foot slightly forward, knees bent and holding the pistol straight forwards. “I assume you’re a beginner? Your positioning is pretty good, although you’re a bit stiff. That’ll just take practice to fix though. Fire off some shots for me?” He pressed a button on one of the walls and a target flipped down from the ceiling.
For a brief few moments, the range was filled with the sound of gunfire. Once the magazine was empty, Ricky pressed a different button and the target moved closer. He examined it, then stepped away with a strange look, somewhere between impressed and baffled. Sophie glanced at it and, as expected, over half of her shots had hit the general centre of the target. However, a couple had outright missed, evidenced by the lack of a bullet hole. That’s probably why he gave me a confused look.
“Right…At least you’re hitting the target most of the time?” She gave him a dry look and he coughed.
“How do I improve my aim? I feel like I’m not accurate at all right now.”
“Well, you’re not controlling your recoil very well, which is affecting each following shot. You’re trying to, but I believe you don’t have the proper muscle strength to do it?” She nodded. “Well, that’s one of your problems. You’re shooting as if you’re an adult. That’s fine, but you’re still a kid. I think you’re also overthinking things. Let me show you.” Huh, that makes sense actually. I’m used to shooting in my original, older body not my current body.
He moved to the next lane and dropped a target down. He grabbed one of the pistols from the case and smoothly emptied the magazine at the target.
He reeled it in and Sophie examined it. The entire bullseye was shredded, with not a single bullet out of place. “What the fuck…?” She breathed. “How did you do that?” He gave her a smile and told her to get back into her shooting position.
“So, let’s start with…”
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Ricky watched the strange, quiet girl named ‘Sarah’ walk out of his store. He slipped back behind the desk and retrieved one of the pistols she’d sold him. His optics zoomed in on the faint specks of blood that had splattered on it. He checked the rest, finding similar patterns on most of them. He smiled. Well now, ain’t this an interesting little mystery. Mediocre aim, yet able to flatline people with barely any issues. He recalled the slight scent of blood oozing from the girl’s stomach.
I wonder if you’ll be swallowed up by the city or if you’ll be a good choice for them. I’m excited to see where you go,‘Sarah’.