Sewers

April 6th

2069

Sophie went over the last checks on her gear as she looked over her status. It had been a couple of days since she’d acquired her gear and she had mostly recovered after her encounter with the pair of Tygers.

Name: Sophie Morrin

Age: 14

Class: Huntress [5/100]

Passives

Iron Resolve [Max], Flexibility [27/100], Parkour [17/100], Ambidextrous [1/100]

Skills

Stealth [9/100], Basic Gun Combat [15/100], Investigation [9/100], Basic Bladed Combat [10/100]

Cyberware

Basic Cyberoptics (Common)

Basic Subdermal Armour (Common)

Basic Wrist Reinforcements (Common)

Store: Available

L-Coins: 4,750

Eurodollars: 10

Inventory: 1m x 1m x 1m

She still had her free proficiency point and after thinking it over, she dropped it into Stealth. It was an integral part of her skillset and Sophie was slightly concerned it might fall behind if she got too invested in the combat side of her skills.

Stealth Proficiency +1

Stealth [10/100]

The familiar rush of knowledge appeared, making her smile. Some of the holes that were plugged included a couple of methods to avoid multiple enemies at once, which was massively important considering her plans for the night. Sophie was hoping that her aggressive, risky behaviour would pay off with multiple levels across the board.

With all of her system related tasks out of the way, she looked at herself in the cracked mirror.

Her new netrunner suit hugged her figure tightly and it was surprisingly comfortable. Over the top was the new, military style plate carrier. She’d filled it with as much ammo as possible. Of course, she also had a large amount stashed in her inventory, along with a number of spare weapons. However, the plate carrier would allow her to practice with actual methods of reloading. It might also trick her targets into thinking she was out of ammo, when she still had hundreds of bullets in her inventory.

Strapped to both thighs were a pair of knives. She unfortunately only had a singular tanto, so she’d settled with a pair of identical combat knives to avoid creating as many differences as possible in her gear.

For that reason, she also had a pair of Nues holstered on her hips, both bearing silencers. Strapped to her back was the Copperhead she’d taken from the scav den, finally ready to make its Night City debut.

It was for a similar reason as the ammo pouches. If a Tyger saw her with a Copperhead and nothing else, he’d be in for a shock when facing down the barrel of a Satara.

Sophie looked at herself in the mirror for a moment. Guns and ammo for offense, the plate carrier to protect her vitals and the netrunner suit to protect her limbs. But something was missing. Her eyes lit up and she moved over to one of her shirts. Some quick slashes and she had a strip of black cloth, which she tied around the bottom of her face. It wouldn’t stand up to intense scrutiny but it was better than nothing. On the positive side, Sophie thought she looked cool.

“Alright,” she clapped her hands to her cheeks. “All ready. Let’s see what I can do to the Claws tonight.”

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The roar of Sophie’s Kusanagi filled the quiet streets of Japantown as she rode, searching for her prey. Midnight was close and the city was draped in an oppressive atmosphere. It made sense. Already, there were signs that the Unification War would spread into NC and the locals were scared. She was slightly annoyed, as she’d spotted multiple lone Tygers, the type she would normally hunt, yet no groups.

She frowned behind her cloth mask, irritation bubbling beneath the surface. There was a small, niggling sensation in the back of her mind. Something about the Tyger claw presence felt off. Like they were waiting for something.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a flicker of light to her left. It felt familiar, and Sophie felt compelled to investigate whatever it was that had caught her attention. She slowed her bike, pulling over a few dozen meters past the alley entrance.

Sophie killed the engine and swung off the bike, her boots making almost no sound as she focused on being stealthy. With her Nue pistols holstered at her sides and her combat knives strapped to her thighs, she moved toward the alley. She leaned around the corner, peering into the dark space.

Her breath stopped.

A group of five scavs stood around a lifeless body in the middle of the alley. The corpse was mangled beyond recognition, but Sophie felt as if she could sense the immense pain they’d gone through before their life was snuffed out.

The scavs laughed, their voices grating, though their faces were hidden behind the typical hologram mask. One of them stood, holding a bloodied limb, showing it off like a trophy. Another poked at the corpse with a long blade, chuckling with his comrades as if he was proud.

Sophie's chest tightened and her breathing sped up. Memories crashed into her like a freight train; being strapped to a chair, knives carving through her flesh or holes being drilled through her limbs while they laughed cruelly. And the memories of Mia. Her screams, her pleas. The days of holding each other, the only support the other had in that empty, grey cell. Her lifeless form as that one bastard scav carried her past the cage.

The bottom dropped from her stomach and her mouth dried up. The world seemed to blur as her head spun. She staggered from her hiding place and vaguely heard a surprised sound, followed by words spoken as if underwater. She looked up and saw them swaggering towards her. Cocky, completely confident in their behaviour.

Suddenly, a sharp, hot pain erupted in her mind. She screamed. It was deep, agonising and angry.

She wasn’t sure how or when it happened but her Nue pistols were in her hands. The first shot cracked through the alley, hitting the scav still holding the limb squarely in the forehead and shattering his mask. The silencer muffled the sound, but the sudden burst of movement and impact sent the others into chaos.

The second scav barely had time to draw his weapon before Sophie’s next shots blew through his chest. He collapsed in a heap, blood pooling beneath him.

The others scrambled away, suddenly frightened. Sophie refused to let them get away, to give them any pity. They didn’t deserve it. She dashed forward, holstering one of her pistols mid-step and unsheathing a combat knife. The scav nearest to her was fumbling for a shotgun when Sophie slammed into him.

They tumbled to the ground, the teen girl straddling his chest as she drove her blade into his chest and throat over and over and over again. Blood splattered all over her, spurting out of the man’s corpse. She kneeled, chest heaving. There was no time to think, however.

Another scav fired wildly at her, the bullets pinging off one of the alley walls and grazing her arm. Sophie didn’t even flinch, though the sharp pain made her rage burn hotter. She dove into cover, switching her pistol out for the Copperhead still slung across her back.

She leaned out, only aiming in the man’s general direction due to the burning rage running through her veins. A burst of bullets ripped into the shooter, his augmented arm flying off as he screamed. Sophie advanced, her rifle barking as she drained the magazine. When it clicked empty, his body looked like a sieve. The scav fell silent, his body jerking before slumping against the wall.

The last scav tried to run. Sophie saw him bolt toward the far end of the alley, his panic evident in his uncoordinated movements.

“Bastard!” she screamed. “Come back here, coward!”

Reloading her rifle would be too slow, and she wanted to end him up close anyway. To treat him how she and the other kids had been treated. She dropped the gun with a clatter, pulling both combat knives free this time. She sprinted after him, her boots pounding against the pavement.

He reached the end of the alley, scrambling to climb a chain-link fence. Sophie caught him before he could make it over.

Her first knife plunged into his lower back, making him howl in pain. He twisted, trying to throw a punch, but Sophie was faster. Her second blade found his gut, twisting cruelly before she yanked it out.

The scav collapsed, clutching at his stomach, but Sophie wasn’t finished. She straddled him, her blades flashing under the dim light as they sank into his chest again and again. His screams of anguish mixed with her own screams of rage until one side fell silent. Still, her blades continued to move.

By the time she stopped, her hands and forearms were slick with blood. The corpse below her was unrecognisable and the alley was silent.

Sophie staggered to her feet, chest heaving and her vision still tinged with red. She stared at the bodies around her, knives still clutched tightly in her hands.

One of them twitched in a final, pathetic spasm. She stepped forward and stomped on his neck. The sharp crack silenced him for good.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she looked down at the corpse they had been desecrating. What was left of it, anyway. It brought back the memories of being in that cage again, helplessly watching as the corpses of the other kids were paraded past.

“Fucking monsters!” She half screamed, half sobbed as she kicked one of the Scav bodies.

Her hands shook slightly as she sheathed her knives and reloaded her weapons. The slick blood dripped off her body and at the same time, the rage ebbed, giving way to an empty, hollow feeling. Yet beneath the surface, it boiled.

She wiped her face and arms as best as she could, attempting to school her expression again.

She walked out of the alley, her boots leaving bloody prints on the pavement. The city’s neon glow seemed dimmer somehow, the sounds of distant traffic muted.

Sophie climbed back onto her bike, her heart still pumping. She wanted to do more. Scavs or Tygers, she didn’t care. She wanted to kill more, until the bloodlust faded.

She revved the engine and sped off into the night, her only companion the fury that refused to leave her. At the same time, she called Rita. The Mox would have the information she wanted.