Watson

April 18th

2069

Sophie raced down the streets of Watson towards Northside. The early evening lights of Night City bathed the industrial buildings in hues of orange and violet while the wind whipped through her hair. However, Sophie’s attention was on her surroundings. Her contact with Rita had been brief; just enough to relay the possible presence of scav activity in the area and a need to investigate.

As she slowed her bike near an abandoned lot, she scanned the area with sharp eyes. At the same time, she wished she had a better set of optics to work with. Northside was a maze of crumbling warehouses, dingy alleys, and silent streets, making any form of investigation difficult and offering a perfect hideout for the kind of vermin she despised the most.

She killed her bike’s engine and dismounted, walking it into a shaded corner before engaging its anti-theft system. The distinct beep echoed softly before silence returned.

Her netrunner suit clung to her like a second skin, covered by her plate carrier. The plain white menpo on her lower face hid a wild, excited grin. When Rita had called about scavs, her first reaction had been anger. However, she realised it provided an opportunity to exact retribution on the city’s scum. That thought had changed her anger into excitement. She’d enjoy bringing about their deaths and she saw nothing wrong with it.

A quick check of her inventory and body confirmed everything was in place: Nues, knives, and her katana, all easily accessible. Her inventory held a large stash of ammo and an assortment of other weapons. The type that she would hopefully only need if she encountered Maelstrom. She was in their territory after all. She took a deep breath and slipped into the shadows.

Sophie’s investigation started with a methodical sweep of the area. She crept through alleys and vacant lots, careful not to draw attention to herself. The first block turned up little of interest. Abandoned machinery, broken glass, and graffiti covering nearly every surface. The tags were mostly local gang symbols, though Sophie caught glimpses of Maelstrom’s distinctive techno-nightmare designs.

While she was confident in handling scavs or Tyger grunts, Maelstrom was a different story. Even though they only numbered slightly more than 1000 members, almost all of them were borderline cyberpsychos. Dealing with a group of crazy, chromed out gangers wasn’t something she was keen on doing.

Rounding a corner, she spotted a pile of discarded clothing near a chain-link fence. Something about it seemed off. They were too clean for the location and they appeared to have been removed in a hurry. Sophie crouched beside it, running her eyes over it. There was nothing. She moved on, but she filed the observation away in case it mattered later.

Further down the street, Sophie’s instincts flared when she spotted a black van parked in an alley with tinted windows and no license plates. She approached cautiously, keeping close to the wall and drawing one of her silenced pistols. A quick check of the van’s interior revealed it was empty, though the faint smell of ozone lingered. It suggested recent use of high-powered tech.

“Something was here,” she muttered under her breath, slipping back into the shadows.

Moving away and continuing on, she stumbled upon a shattered tablet. Judging by the water damage, it had clearly been there for some time. Nearby, a jacket lay discarded in the dirt, riddled with holes and stained dark red. Signs of violence were everywhere, but nothing confirmed scav presence until she stumbled upon a more deliberate clue: a blood-streaked handprint on the corner of a building.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She searched around the area until she finally found a clue. A faint trail of blood leading away from a dumpster behind a run-down factory. Sophie followed the trail to an adjacent building, where a broken door hung loosely on its hinges. Peering inside, she noted the scuffed floor and signs of recent activity; a few empty cans, a half-burned cigarette, and fresh boot prints in the dust.

The trail led her to a small, two-story building further down the street. Its windows were shattered, and the exterior was riddled with bullet holes and scorch marks. Sophie settled into a hidden vantage point and watched. Minutes turned into nearly an hour, and then her patience was rewarded.

A trio of figures approached the building. They walked like they owned the place and she had to admit, it wasn’t far from the truth. The NCPD rarely made any moves in Northside, aside from the occasional patrol car to keep up appearances.

However, their identities were clear considering the holographic masks they wore. For a moment, Sophie’s anger flared but she pushed it down, channelling it into a cold desire to inflict as much violence on them all as she possibly could.

She continued observing them, noting the seemingly random selection of cyberware they each bore and the weapons they each carried.

Sophie waited until they entered before pulling up Rita’s number. She dialed and the woman picked up almost immediately.

“I’ve found them,” Sophie said quietly. “Or at the very least, I’ve found some of them. They’re in a small building, two stories. I’ve sent you a pic of the place. At least three just went inside, but I think there might be more.”

There was a pause before Rita responded. “Do you think you can get in by yourself? I won’t tell you not to but you’ve only recently recovered after the Tyger incident. You can also wait for me. I can be there soon with backup.”

“I can get in myself,” Sophie replied.

Rita sighed audibly. “Just be careful, Soph. If something happens, get out of there. I’ll be there in a bit.”

Sophie didn’t waste time. “Mmm. I’m going in.” She hung up, then stared at the building, searching for a way up. Stealth told her that starting from the top of a building was often a good way to infiltrate.

The corner of the building had a dirty drain pipe extending from the ground to the roof. Sophie tested it with a firm tug, and when it held, she began her ascent.

Her chrome arm proved its worth immediately. The lack of strain in her right arm compared to her organic limb made the climb significantly easier and for the first time, she understood just how big the difference was between flesh and metal. However, she still had to rely on her legs to find purchase against the uneven wall.

The pipe creaked ominously, so Sophie moved slowly, minimizing the force she put on the old metal by pressing her feet into small, uneven gaps in the wall. She kept her movements slow considering that was the best way to remain quiet as she scaled the building.

As she neared the second floor, she spotted a narrow ledge running along the side of the building. She shifted her weight, one hand gripping the pipe while the other reached for the ledge. With a burst of effort, she hoisted herself onto it, crouching low to avoid being seen through the boarded-up windows.

From her new vantage point, she could see into the building through a gap in the boards. The room below was messy, cluttered with scavenged chrome and broken furniture. Two scavs stood near a table, arguing over something though Sophie was too far to hear what. Another sat in a corner, fiddling with a weapon.

She scanned the rest of the building, picking out movement in the far corner of a different room. A fourth scav paced near a staircase, occasionally glancing up as if expecting someone to descend.

Her instincts told her there were more. Sophie shifted her position, inching along the ledge until she found a spot where the roof sagged inward slightly. With practiced precision, she leaped upward, catching the edge of the roof with her hands.

The corrugated metal was still slick from recent rain, but Sophie’s grip held firm. She swung a leg up, rolling onto the roof and lying flat against the surface. After catching her breath, she crawled toward a skylight, peering into the buildings from above.

There, she saw the fifth scav: a woman standing guard near the entrance, a shotgun slung over her shoulder. Five confirmed targets, two of which were isolated from the others. They’d be her first targets.

Sophie’s gaze shifted to a crossbeam running the length of the building. It was sturdy enough to hold her weight and offered a vantage point directly above the scav near the staircase.

Carefully, she cracked open the edge of the skylight until she could fit through before slipping inside and landing softly on the beam. The air inside was thick with the stench of oil and blood. She perched silently, her dark clothing blending into the shadows. Part of her felt like the white menpo stood out too much and she resolved to paint it as soon as she finished with the scavs.

Below, her targets continued their activities, oblivious to the small shadow lurking above. Sophie’s heart pounded in her chest. Her hands clenched as she planned her next move.