Kabuki

April 16th

2069

Around midday the following day, Sophie rode into Watson, heading straight for Lizzie’s. Riding through Kabuki and Little China, she noticed a distinct drop in the number of Tyger Claws, though she had no idea why. There was also a tenseness throughout the sub-districts. The war, maybe? Or is something else going on?

However, she realised she’d probably be able to get information about the odd vibes from the Mox, considering she was on her way there already. She pulled up across the street from the braindance bar and hopped off her bike.

Sophie approached slowly, somewhat nervous to meet with Rita considering the way she behaved the last time they spoke. She couldn’t tell if luck was on her side or not as she caught sight of the woman almost immediately. In response to her nerves, she found her new arm flexing slightly as she clenched her hand.

Rita was out front, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, a cigarette hanging lazily between her fingers. When she spotted Sophie, her eyes lit up, and she straightened immediately, flicking the cigarette away. An expression of clear disbelief appeared on her face as she took a few steps forward.

“Sophie!? Is that you?” Rita exclaimed, seemingly unsure if her optics were working properly. Before Sophie could react, Rita had closed the distance and swept her into a tight hug.

Sophie froze, her muscles locking up as Rita’s arms wrapped around her. The embrace was sudden and unexpected, given the younger girl had done her best to keep her relationship with the Mox woman strictly business related.

She stood stiffly, unsure of what to do with her hands. The idea of returning the gesture felt strange, but the alternative of pulling away seemed just as bad, if not worse. After a moment, she settled for awkwardly patting Rita’s back with her organic hand.

When Rita finally let go, she stepped back, looking the younger girl over with a mix of concern and curiosity. Her eyes landed on Sophie’s new arm and they widened. “What…What happened?” She paused. “Actually, never mind. You can tell me later.” Her face briefly grew serious.

“I was worried about you!” She said softly, confusing the teen. “When I got to the night market and saw that bloodbath…Where were you?”

Sophie’s gaze dropped to the ground, trying to hide the shame she felt. Even if she wasn’t sure why, the woman was clearly worried about her and she had wanted to apologise anyway. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I, uh, made a lot of mistakes that night. I was reckless and angry but I should’ve listened to you when you said you’d bring help. That’s part of why I’m here, actually.”

Rita studied her for a moment, then sighed, her shoulders relaxing. “Well, you’re alive. That’s what matters. But damn, kid, you scared the hell out of me. You better tell me everything that happened that night, ‘Kay? Oh! Before I forget, we also found some people in a van. Did you uh…forget about them?”

She flushed but nodded in response and there was a brief silence before Sophie spoke again, her voice slightly hesitant. “I’m glad you rescued them. I would have myself but I was pretty injured. Anyway, that’s not what I’m here for. I want to work with the Mox. As a merc, y’know?”

Rita blinked, clearly surprised. “Seriously? You turned down my offer to join us when we first met. Said you didn’t want to make friends or something like that.”

Sophie winced at the reminder. “I did. But… things are different now. I’m willing to try working with others, for now at least. And I want to hunt the scum of this city. The scavs and such. Figured the Mox could help me with that. ”

A smile appeared on Rita’s face and she opened the door to the club. “Well, let’s not waste any time, then. Come on.” She gestured for Sophie to follow her inside.

From the main lobby, she could see into the main area of the bar due to an issue with the door. The interior was dimly lit and the neon signs added a burst of colour to the walls. Even during the day, there were a few Mox members scattered around, nursing drinks and chatting in low voices. Her observation was interrupted as Rita led Sophie to the side and through a door.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

Susie Q, the Mox leader, was seated behind a cluttered desk as she read something on the computer in front of her. She flicked her eyes up as the door opened, taking note of who had entered. She leaned back in her chair, her expression curious. “Rita,” she greeted, her gaze shifting to Sophie. “And the girl Rita’s interested in befriending. I was under the impression you were dead.”

“Suz! Don’t tell her that!” Rita said, blushing slightly as she stepped aside to let Sophie enter the room fully. “This is Sophie. She wants to work with us. As a merc.”

Susie raised an eyebrow, gesturing for Sophie to take a seat in a nearby chair. Sophie hesitated for a moment before sitting down, though her posture made it clear she wasn’t particularly comfortable with the situation.

“So, what kind of work are you looking to do?” Susie asked directly, staring into the younger girl’s eyes.

Sophie met her gaze as she replied. “I want to hunt the filth this city is rife with. Specifically, I hate scavs and anyone like them. And before you ask, I won’t tell you why. I have my reasons to hate them.” Contrary to the reaction she thought she’d get, Susie gave her an understanding look.

“I won’t ask for more details. Just know that you’re not the only person who’s suffered at their hands. Many of our members have experienced similar situations.”

Susie paused and looked at her for a moment, then leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk. “Rita’s told me all about you, from the first time you showed up wanting to be paid for every Tyger head you provided. After what you pulled at the night market last week, I dare say I’m impressed. I’m not concerned about your skills.”

Sophie nodded and the Mox leader continued, “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the Tygers are looking for you. More specifically, Suko Takeshi. I’d steer clear of the gang as a whole for a while if I were you. Rita can explain the details later.”

Sophie’s expression hardened, but she nodded. “Understood.”

Rita chimed in, speaking to Susie. “Don’t go scaring her Suz!” She turned back to Sophie. “If it’s scavs you want to hunt, we can make that happen. Plenty of those bastards need to be put down.”

Susie nodded in agreement. “We’ll start you off with that. But there’s another option too. You could join the Mox officially. Be one of us. You’d still be going after the scavs, but you’d have some other duties too.”

Sophie shook her head almost immediately. “No, thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I work better on my own. I’d be willing to act as an external member or something similar. Someone that you can give the gigs you don’t want traced back to the Mox.”

Susie leaned back again, studying her. “Fair enough. We’ll see how you do. I assume you’re fine with Rita as your handler? I don’t have the time to be acting like a fulltime fixer.”

Sophie gave a small nod of acknowledgment, and the meeting came to a close. As they left the office, Rita walked beside her, smiling happily and patting her on the shoulder.

“You did good there,” Rita said as they descended the stairs. “But hey, there are some things I need to tell you. Let’s grab a drink and talk.”

Sophie glanced at her, noting the subtle shift in Rita’s tone. She was curious but didn’t press. Instead, she followed Rita back down into the main area of the bar, interested to see what was so important.

They sat down and the bartender quickly arrived with a drink for Rita. He gave her a questioning look and she waved a hand, declining the silent offer of a drink. She had no interest in drinking, not when it could get her killed. The thought made her stop for a moment. Am I paranoid? No way, right?

“So, you and I will be working a bit closer from now on. I’ll be responsible for giving you appropriate gigs, and providing you some support.” She scratched her head, “to be honest though, I don’t have any fancy connections. Hope that’s okay.”

“Mmm, it’s fine. I’m sure I’ll be able to figure things out. Is that all you wanted to talk about?”

“Oh! No, sorry.” She took a moment, then posed a question. “So, you remember that conversation we had about how the Tygers work. Specifically, about Suko Rei and his father, Takeshi?”

“Yeah. What does Rei have to do with this? He’s already dead. I should know, considering it was me that did it.”

Rita sighed in response. “That’s exactly the problem. Takeshi found out immediately that his son was dead. How did that happen?”

“Well, Rei had me pretty much down for the count. My arm was gone and I was exhausted. Then he got a call from Takeshi, I think. I’m not sure if he was just an idiot or if he was arrogant but he didn’t try to restrain me or anything. While he was distracted, I jumped on him and tore his throat out with my teeth.” The description of the events got a wince in reply.

“Fuck, that’s…well, I’m glad we’re on the same side. Anyway, Takeshi knows his son is dead and that he was going after the person responsible for killing a large number of Claws. You’re lucky that you killed his subordinates, considering they seem to have been the only other people involved in his hunt for you.”

“So Takeshi doesn’t know it was me that killed Rei?”

“That’s right. That’s a good thing. To make things better for you, there’s trouble on the horizon. I’m sure you noticed that Watson felt odd, right?” Sophie nodded. “Well, the Tygers and Maelstrom are both moving pretty aggressively. Far more than usual.”

“A gang war? Now? With the Unification War going on?” The teen couldn’t wrap her head around the reason a gang war would erupt during such a dangerous time.

“That’s what it looks like. Now, a war between the Tygers and Maelstrom is good, for you and for the Mox. Right now, Takeshi can’t dedicate resources to finding his son’s killer. That doesn’t mean he won’t be keeping an eye out for you, just that it won’t be a large-scale search. I’d highly recommend gearing yourself up as much as possible. As soon as this fight ends, that bastard will be hunting for you.”

“Alright, I can see why that’s a good thing. And thank you for the advice. What does it mean though for, y’know, this whole situation between us?”

“Not much to be honest. The Mox will definitely take any opportunities we can get to hit the Tygers when they’re distracted, but most of our attention will be focused elsewhere. On groups of scavs and such. That all sound good?”

“Definitely. Anything else I should know?”

“Hmm, not that I can think of. I’ll let you know if something comes up though.” Suddenly, she slapped her hands on the benchtop. “Alright, enough of that! I want to know what happened that night! Tell me everything!”

“Eh? Uh, well, originally I was just…”