Japantown

April 7th

2069

Sophie crouched in the shadows on the edge of the market, eyes trained on the entrance. Her current condition wasn’t promising in the slightest. Not to mention the various cuts and the bullet still stuck in her leg, just the blunt trauma she’d been subjected to during the battle had left marks on her. Everything, from her ribs to her head, ached.

She knew that fighting again, after having relaxed slightly, was a poor option. Thus, Sophie quickly made the decision to try and escape. If she could leave the area without a fight, that would be the best outcome. Unfortunately, the only exit she could use was the entrance. Climbing wasn’t an option as the walls around the market were tall and mostly flat.

She heard the bikes switch off and held her breath, waiting for the Tygers to enter the marketplace. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of herself in a broken piece of glass. The person staring back at her was completely unrecognisable from the person she had been when she left her hideout.

All she could see of her face was a thick layer of blood and a pair of exhausted red eyes. The violent killings, both of the scavs and of the Tygers, had turned her into something that looked like it had crawled out of hell. At some point, the piece of cloth she’d tied around her face had vanished, though she had no idea when. She tried to wipe the blood away but all it did was make things worse, courtesy of her hands that were also covered in it. Sophie took a moment to look at the rest of her body.

Very little of her actual clothes could be seen though she could tell her plate carrier and netrunner suit had sustained significant damage. What surprised her the most though, was how red she was. Her body was in the same, bloody condition as her face though some was her own.

Sophie found it odd how…calm she felt about it. Before her thoughts could spiral however, the Tygers finally arrived. She peeked around her cover, observing them as they entered.

There were four of them and at first, she felt confident she’d be able to take them out if she had to. That impression changed after further observation.

The first, most identifiable member of the group was also the smallest. He was slightly taller than Sophie herself, though she suspected much of it came from the clearly advanced pair of cybernetic legs he sported. His arms too, were cybernetic. His left hand sat lazily on the hilt of a katana as he examined the carnage the hidden girl had caused.

He looks familiar. Have I seen him before? His eyes were covered by some kind of visor, though they also could have been his actual optics. She was still unfamiliar with Cyberpunk’s chrome after all. On the lower half of his face, covering his nose and mouth, sat a plain white menpo. Flowing down his back was a long, red ponytail. The sight of it caused Sophie’s face to pale.

Oh fuck. That’s Suko Rei, isn’t it? Shit, I didn’t think he’d be able to find me so quickly! His appearance matched the photo Rita had shown her when they last spoke. With that information clicking into place, she realised that the other three Tygers, all burly and heavily chromed, were his bodyguards.

The only positive was that Rei’s father, Takeshi, was forbidden from assigning highly skilled guards to his son. At least, that’s what Rita had told her. She took a closer look and realised it was true.

One of them, who Sophie nicknamed ‘Nose’, had a completely flat nose and an arm that clearly contained some kind of hidden weapon. He didn’t seem to be carrying any form of actual weapon, so she assumed he relied on his arm to fight. ‘Muscles’ was the man who seemed to have no chrome at all, relying entirely on his biological form instead.

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Lastly, ‘Guns’. As the name suggested, he was bristling with guns. Automatically, Sophie tagged him as the most dangerous, tied with Rei himself. The other pair seemed to be muscle heads and she assumed they were supposed to be a meatshield in case Rei had to escape.

Even if they don’t look too tough, I really don’t want to fight. Just gotta focus on escaping. Her thoughts were interrupted when Rei spoke.

“She might still be here,” his voice sounded like a distorted growl, likely because of the menpo. “Find the little whore.”

Guns and Muscles broke away from the group, moving in her general direction. At the same time, Rei and Nose moved further away. Nice! I should be able to sneak past just two of them, right?

Carefully, she began to move slowly, keeping as low as possible and sticking to the shadows. The slow, cautious movement caused the pain in her left leg to intensify and she inwardly winced. She was close to her limits but if she wanted to escape, she had to push past the pain.

She made it halfway to the exit when her left foot caught the edge of a broken crate after she didn’t quite lift it enough. The sound of wood scraping against concrete was like a gunshot in the quiet market.

"I heard something!" one of the Tygers, Muscles, shouted.

Sophie froze, her breath catching in her throat. She could hear their footsteps drawing closer and the clink of weapons being readied. Shit!

There was no time to think. Sophie darted into a nearby stall, hoping that the damaged benches would offer cover. She positioned herself in a corner, as far into the shadows as she could. She quietly unsheathed one of her knives and drew her Nue into her other hand. She was fully aware that she’d be found, so she resorted to an ambush.

The first Tyger approached cautiously. She heard him ready a shotgun, telling her that it was Guns. Sophie held her breath, waiting until he was just within range.

Then she struck.

Bursting from her hiding spot, Sophie leaned over the benchtop and drove her knife into the man’s arm, twisting it before yanking it free. He let out a pained cry, his finger twitching and causing the weapon to fire a wild shot into the air before the gun dropped.

However, he quickly recovered. With his left hand, he drew a pistol and spun to face her. He fired and the bullet buried itself in her side after slipping past her plate carrier. She let out a small groan but didn’t let the injury deter her from attacking again.

Her Nue came up and she pumped two shots into his shoulder and chest, successfully disabling his second arm. As he staggered, Sophie utilised her flexibility to slither over the counter before pouncing on the man. She wrapped around him like an octopus and the extra weight caused him to topple.

Without a second of hesitation, she jammed her knife into the man’s optics, sending out a burst of blood and sparks. He immediately went limp and she quickly unfurled herself before rolling away, just as a fist came crashing down.

The attack punched a hole straight through the dead man and Sophie stared at Muscles, the one responsible, in horror. No chrome my ass! He’s definitely got bio-mods! She decisively ran away. If he’s that strong, there’s got to be a trade-off. He’s a normal Tyger, there’s no way he’s got the eddies to get mods for both strength and speed.

Her assumption proved itself correct. Muscles wasn’t necessarily slow, but he was no match for Sophie’s smaller body and sheer determination. Even the pain in her leg was ignored in favour of pushing herself to the limit.

She looked back, catching sight of the huge man lumbering after her. As she ran, Sophie holstered her Nue and let her knife slip back into her inventory. She dove behind another stall, then pressed her back to the wall, facing the direction Muscles was chasing her from.

Moments later, he appeared. The Satara in Sophie’s hands buzzed quietly as it charged. The moment he appeared in her vision, she released the trigger, showering the large man in metal spikes. Some pierced his face but many of them only hit his chest.

Unfazed, she charged the electromagnetic shotgun again. When it was ready, she aimed straight at the bulky man’s head. An expression of pure despair was all she saw before the man’s skull exploded in a shower of blood and bone.

The battle was not yet over though, something Sophie was fully aware of. She turned her attention to the remaining two Tygers, Rei and Nose. The former appeared to be shaking as he stared at the girl that was drenched in the blood of his subordinates. Nose however, had better control of himself even if he was clearly nervous. However, he raised his arm with a resolute expression.

A minigun rose from inside the limb, whirring to life. Sophie’s eyes widened as she bolted. Her eyes locked onto a barricade and she slipped behind it, just as the roar of gunfire erupted. There’s no way it’ll last long. That thing will chew through ammo. There’s a reason only a full-body conversion would have that kind of chrome.

Once again, her prediction was proven right. After just half a minute, the onslaught faded. She immediately poked her frame over, spotting Nose gesturing wildly at Rei. Her Copperhead appeared and she took aim.

The first few shots missed and Nose clearly realised his charge was in danger. He covered Rei with his own body, sealing his fate. Sophie emptied the entire magazine at them, unwilling to spare any chances.

Nose slowly fell to his knees, revealing the young street samurai who’s eyes burned with a mixture of rage and fear. With a shout, he suddenly disappeared and an incredible sense of danger erupted in Sophie’s mind.