Northside

October 20th

2069

The cool night air carried the scent of oil, a constant reminder of Watson’s industrial nature. Sophie perched on the edge of a rooftop, her shadow blending seamlessly into the jagged silhouette of the building behind her. Across the street, was her target: a squat, fortified structure with Maelstrom’s signature aesthetic. Wires snaked along its walls, and red neon lights bathed the exterior in an eerie glow.

Her optics zoomed in on the trio of guards stationed outside. Two stood on either side of the entrance, heavily chromed and armed with tech rifles, their glowing red optics sweeping the street. The third leaned against the wall, smoking a cigarette. He bore Maelstrom’s typical cyberware enhancements; half his face was a mess of wires and metal, his remaining eye glowing faintly in the dim light.

These weren’t regular Maelstrom goons. According to her information, they were all experienced and well equipped. Sophie was fully aware that infiltrating the building would be the hardest job she’d ever done.

That was why she’d spent the better part of two hours observing the building, noting the patterns of the guards. Every 30 minutes, the trio rotated positions, momentarily creating a gap in their coverage of the area. It wasn’t much of an opening, but it was enough.

Her gaze shifted away from the guards, tracing the exterior of the building. The roof was her destination. From there, she could infiltrate the building and eliminate Cain Burch.

A netrunner buried deep in the Net, Cain was orchestrating attacks on Tyger Claw facilities, and Rita had made it clear: he had to go. Specifically, he had to die by Tyger hands. Or at least look that way. Sophie smirked at the thought beneath her menpo. Killing Cain would likely result in an escalation of the current Tyger-Maelstrom war, exactly what the Mox wanted.

To reach the building’s roof, Sophie mapped out her path. A series of abandoned cargo containers leaned against the adjacent building, creating something almost like a staircase. From there, a broken fire escape led partway up, and a series of ventilation ducts bridged the gap to the target building.

She waited patiently for the guards to switch positions, her hands resting lightly on the edges of her rooftop perch. When the trio began their slow rotations, she moved. Her body seemed to flow down the building like liquid until she was almost at the street level.

Her boots hit the ground silently and she weaved through the shadows cast by flickering streetlights. Reaching the cargo containers, she leapt onto the lowest one, her cybernetic arm absorbing the impact and helping to haul herself up. She moved quickly, even along the uneven and dented containers. The process repeated itself until she reached the topmost step of her improvised staircase.

The fire escape ladder proved itself slightly challenging, though she had plenty of experience climbing such things. Rust coated its edges, and several rungs of the ladder were missing entirely. She grabbed onto the railing and the metal groaned under her. But she moved swiftly, her body hugging the wall to minimize noise and present a smaller profile.

At the top of the fire escape, she paused, crouching low to scan the building’s perimeter. There were no signs of movement. Satisfied, she crossed onto the ventilation ducts, her feet landing lightly on the narrow metal surface. They creaked faintly, but she adjusted her balance and the ominous sounds stopped.

Finally, she reached the top of the building. The ledge of the roof was just above her, and Sophie crouched low, waiting for the perfect moment. When the guards below resumed their usual positions, she leapt upward, her chrome hand gripping the edge of the roof effortlessly. She hauled herself up in one smooth motion, rolling onto the rooftop without a sound.

As she stood, her senses screamed a warning. Her optics caught the faintest glint of metal; a sniper rifle barrel, partially obscured by the edge of an industrial vent.

She froze, her body blending into the shadows of the rooftop. The sniper was positioned near the far corner on the opposite side of the roof, his attention focused on the street below. His glowing red optics watched the area, on guard for any potential threats.

Sophie exhaled slowly, her mind racing. The sniper was a problem. If he spotted her, her mission would end before it began. She needed to take him down, and quietly.

She moved low to the ground, her footsteps silent against the rooftop. She paused behind the industrial vent and waited for him to move. The sniper remained oblivious to her presence, his focus entirely on the street below. A few tense minutes later he began to move, migrating to the other side of the roof.

Once he stopped moving and settled into his new position, Sophie approached from behind. She drew her knives from their sheathes as she approached.

Once she was close enough, her arms snaked around him and her first blade plunged into the side of the sniper’s neck, severing critical neural connections and preventing him from making a sound. He stiffened, augmented reflexes firing too late. However, Sophie was fully aware that such a wound wouldn’t kill the man, not with the heavy-duty chrome he possessed.

With a brutal twist, Sophie drove her second blade into his side, piercing an organ. Sparks erupted from his torso as his body convulsed. She withdrew her bloodstained blade before plunging it back into his chest over and over again.

She pressed him forward, pinning him against the vent to muffle the sound of his death throes. His body slumped, lifeless, and Sophie withdrew her blades, wiping them clean on the sniper’s jacket. The brutal bladed kill was performed in a style close enough to the Tyger assassin that Sophie believed it would stand up to scrutiny.

Her attention turned to the fallen sniper rifle. She picked it up, recognising it as a Nekomata. Mentally, she celebrated. It was a rare find, at least in her experience and it was something she’d been wanting to get her hands on for a long time. She quickly stashed it in her inventory before moving on.

Sophie crouched near a broken skylight, peering into the building below. The glass had been shattered long ago, leaving jagged edges framing the opening.

The main floor was wide-open, filled with makeshift barriers and industrial equipment. Red lights pulsed occasionally, casting deep shadows across the room. It was chaotic everywhere; random wires snaked across the floor, flickering monitors displaying streams of incomprehensible code, and graffiti covering every available surface.

She counted five guards immediately. Two were near the center of the room, discussing a heavily modified van. Another leaned against a support beam, fiddling with something too small to identify. The remaining two were patrolling the far end, their movements lazy. It was a far cry to the vigilance the sniper had displayed prior to his death.

Sophie scanned for more. A flicker of movement caught her eye. A sixth guard emerged from a side room, speaking briefly with one of the others before disappearing back inside.

Six guards. Possibly more in the rooms she couldn’t see. Sophie’s lips pressed into a thin line. This is going to be hard, she thought to herself. Just gotta take things nice and slow.

She studied the layout, memorizing the positions of each guard and possible cover. The room’s design offered plenty of hiding spots, but it also created countless blind angles where she could be spotted or ambushed.

Satisfied with her assessment, Sophie slipped through the broken skylight, landing lightly on a thin beam just below the roof. She crouched low, her body cloaked by the shadows as she balanced easily on the narrow surface.

The beam creaked faintly under her weight, but none of the guards seemed to notice. From her vantage point, she could see nearly the entire room, her optics enhancing the dim lighting to reveal every detail.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Sophie remained crouched on the beam, muscles tense. Maelstrom was not a group she had wanted to deal with so soon, considering how psychotic and dangerous they were. However, her target, Cain, was deep in the building’s basement. The only fortunate aspect of the mission was that it had to be done quietly. She didn’t need to actually fight Maelstrom head-on.

From the beam, Sophie shifted her weight slightly, her boots balancing on the narrow steel. To the side, a catwalk ran along one side of the main room. She adjusted her position, gripping an overhead pipe. With a soft exhale, she swung her body forward, her momentum carrying her across the gap. Her boots landed softly on the catwalk, the structure swaying slightly beneath her.

She crouched low, moving quickly along the metal grating. The sound of her footsteps was barely audible, but she stayed hyper-aware of the noise. Below her, the guards moved in erratic patterns. She’d memorized their previous routes, but it seemed they were keen on making things as difficult as possible for her.

The catwalk led to a separate room overlooking the main area. Its metal door was slightly ajar, and a red glow spilled onto the catwalk. Sophie approached cautiously, her hand brushing against the hilt of her knife as she peeked inside.

The room was a small observation post, filled with monitors showing security footage of the building. A camera whirred quietly in the corner, its lens sweeping back and forth. Sophie froze, heart pounding as she noticed it too late. The camera’s movement was erratic, its mechanisms clearly malfunctioning. She ducked just as the lens swept past her position, pressing her body against the doorframe.

Her mind raced as she figured out her next move. She needed to get past the camera without being seen. The camera’s weird movements gave her an opportunity—its coverage wasn’t consistent. She studied its pattern for a moment, then moved swiftly, sticking close to the ground. The lens swept back just as she slipped beneath it, hugging the wall.

Once past the camera, she exhaled softly and continued into the room. A console hummed softly, displaying a live feed of the guards in the main area. She ignored it and focused on the far door.

It led to a balcony overlooking the main room. Sophie crouched behind the railing, her gaze sweeping the area below. The guards were still performing their patrols, oblivious to her presence. The distance to the floor wasn’t great, but it wasn’t something she could jump without being seen. She spotted a series of pipes running along the wall, offering a potential route down.

Sophie moved silently along the balcony, lowering herself onto the pipes. Her hand gripped the metal tightly as she descended, her body hugging the wall. One of the guards paused below her, his red spider optics scanning the room. Sophie froze, her body still as stone, until he moved on.

Once her boots touched the ground, she moved through the shadows, keeping her profile low. She fully utilised a number of equipment and barriers as cover, ensuring she wasn’t seen by any of the Maelstrom guards. Eventually, her path took her to a staircase leading to the basement.

The basement was dimly lit and the air was heavy with heat. Sophie paused at the base of the stairs, her eyes peering through the darkness. Two Maelstrom goons stood near a reinforced door, their weapons gleaming under the faint red light. Attacking them would draw too much attention, not to mention they were so heavily armed she’d likely die in the attempt. She needed another way in.

Her eyes scanned the room, and she spotted a small ventilation shaft on one side. It was narrow, barely large enough for her to squeeze through, but it would take her past the guards and hopefully into the room where Cain was.

Sophie approached the vent, her movements slow and deliberate. She opened the cover, careful to avoid making any noise, and slipped inside. The shaft was cramped, the metal walls radiating heat from somewhere in the basement. She had to contort her body, her Flexibility the only thing allowing her to navigate the tight space.

The heat was stifling and beads of sweat formed on her brow as she crawled forward. The faint sound of the guards’ muffled conversation echoed through the vents, a constant reminder that she was deep into hostile territory.

After what felt like an eternity, Sophie reached the end of the shaft. She immediately noticed a machine just past the grate that was pumping hot air out of the room and into the vents. Hmm, so that’s why it’s so hot.

Peering through the slats of the vent cover, she saw Cain. He was plugged into his netrunning chair, his body slack, eyes closed. Wires and cables snaked from his chair to the walls, feeding his consciousness into the Net. It explained why there was so much heat being pumped out. He was avoiding a burnout.

Sophie pushed the vent cover aside and dropped silently into the room, immediately noting how cold it was. She approached Cain, who remained completely defenseless. She summoned a regular katana, used by the Tygers, into her hands. With one smooth, practiced motion, she slashed across his neck, severing it cleanly. His head fell to the floor with a dull thud.

She wasn’t done. Sophie drove her katana through his chest, the blade punching through his body with ease. She left the blade sticking straight up, a signature touch meant to implicate the Tyger Claw assassin she was framing. For some reason that she simply couldn’t understand, that was the man’s signature and the reason she was so confident in completing the mission.

Her eyes swept the room, hunting for anything of value. A laptop sat on a nearby table, its screen still glowing faintly. She grabbed it, placing it into her inventory. In the corner of the room, a crate marked with Militech’s logo caught her attention.

She pried it open, immediately identifying a large bag of something. She wasn’t entirely sure what it was but it vaguely looked like cyberware, so she stored it in her inventory as well.

Her final task was to disconnect the building’s camera systems, making her escape easier. A console on the far wall displayed the live feeds. Sophie navigated the interface quickly, her fingers moving quickly. The surveillance system went down, though its reboot system ensured it would return within five minutes. That meant she had five minutes to get out.

Satisfied with her work, she returned to the vent. The heat was just as oppressive as before, but she pressed on, her body contorting as she crawled back the way she had come.

The crawl through the vent felt even tighter on her way back, the heat pressing against Sophie like an invisible hand trying to push her back into the room she had just left. Every bump of her knees and elbows against the metal echoed in her ears, magnified by the silence.

Reaching the end of the shaft, Sophie peered cautiously through the slats of the vent cover. The basement guards were still in position, chatting casually. A relieved breath caught in her throat, though, as she spotted a third figure. A Maelstrom enforcer armed with a shotgun stood at the foot of the staircase. He wasn’t there before.

Sophie’s jaw clenched. Her planned exit was blocked. Going through them wasn’t an option, not if she wanted the frame job to hold. She weighed her options quickly. Her gaze flicked upward, and she noticed an overhead maintenance ladder bolted to the wall, leading to a higher floor.

Carefully, Sophie eased herself out of the vent and she dropped silently to the floor. She hugged the wall, her steps muffled against the concrete. The ladder was only a few meters away, but each step felt like a mile. One of the guards turned his head slightly, forcing her to press further into the shadows and freeze.

The faint red glow of their optics scanned the room lazily before the guard turned back to his conversation. Sophie used the opportunity to move forward, her movements as cautious as possible. Reaching the ladder, she grasped the rungs and began her ascent.

The climb felt agonizingly slow, her arms tensing with every pull. The metal creaked faintly beneath her weight, but the sound was swallowed by the ambient noise of the building. When she reached the top, Sophie pulled herself onto a small ledge, finding herself on the first floor of the building.

Her eyes scanned the area quickly. The floor was mostly empty, save for a few stacks of crates and a narrow corridor leading to the main room she had avoided earlier. She moved silently, her steps deliberate, until she reached a window overlooking the exterior. Relief flooded her chest as she spotted the night sky beyond. She was almost out.

But her relief was short-lived. As Sophie approached the window, she heard the muffled sound of voices from the corridor. The shift change. Maelstrom guards continued their patrols and their heavy footfalls were drawing closer. She froze, her mind racing as she scanned for yet another escape route.

Her eyes locked onto a skylight above her, offering a way up and out. It would take her closer to the roof, but it was her only option. Sophie adjusted her position, climbing onto a stack of crates and reaching for a pipe overhead. With a careful pull, she hoisted herself up.

The skylight was just within reach. Sophie pushed it open slowly, the rusted hinges groaning faintly. She winced at the sound, pausing to listen for any reaction from the guards below. When none came, she slipped through the opening, pulling herself onto the roof.

The cool night air hit her like a balm, but she didn’t have time to savor it. The trio of guards outside were still patrolling the building’s perimeter. Sophie crouched low, moving quickly across the roof’s surface. She reached the edge and peered down, spotting one of the guards near the entrance. He scanned the street, clearly bored but still in the way.

She moved to another side of the building, looking for a way down. Her eyes settled on a series of pipes running along the wall, offering a makeshift ladder to the street below. But the route wasn’t clear. One of the guards was circling toward her side of the building.

Sophie pressed herself flat against the rooftop, keeping her breathing slow and deep as she waited for the guard to pass. The tension was almost unbearable as his footsteps grew louder, his shadow stretching across the wall. Just as he moved past her position, Sophie swung herself over the edge, gripping the pipes tightly as she began her descent.

The climb down was slow, every movement placed as perfectly as possible to minimize noise. Halfway down, the guard paused, his optics flickering toward her direction. Sophie froze, her body crushed up against the cold metal, every muscle in her body screaming for her to move.

The guard seemed to linger for an eternity before turning away. Sophie resumed her descent and her boots finally touched the ground. She ducked into the shadows, her gaze locked on the final obstacle; the trio of guards at the front.

Timing her movements with their patrol patterns, Sophie crept along the side of the building, staying low and out of sight. One of the guards turned abruptly, forcing her to push against the wall and hold her breath. His optics scanned the alley, passing mere inches from her position.

Once the guard turned away, Sophie seized the opportunity, darting toward the street. Her feet moved soundlessly against the pavement as she slipped into the shadows, her heart pounding in her chest.

Her bike was parked at the far end of the street, hidden behind a dumpster. Sophie’s eyes flicked between the guards and her escape route. She waited for the right moment, then sprinted.

Finally, she reached her bike, her fingers gripping the handlebars as she swung her leg over the seat. The engine roared to life, and Sophie shot down the street, leaving the Maelstrom building far behind.

At the same time, she rang Rita.

“Hey Soph. How’d it go?”

“Good, I think. The kill should look convincing enough to intensify the conflict though it may not stand up to intense scrutiny.”

“That’s fine, don’t worry. We just need to muddy the waters, make the conflict last longer. The longer Maelstrom and the Tygers are focused on each other, the more room we have to manoeuvre.” A small pause followed before she continued.

“We really appreciate what you’re doing, Soph. Nobody in the gang has the skills you do. But I am sorry that you have to put yourself in danger like that. You shouldn’t have to.”

“Rita, stop. It’s fine. I want to help the Mox. Or you, at least. You’re a good person” She received an exasperated sigh.

“I know you won’t listen to me so I’ll drop it. Swing by soon though, got something to chat to you about. Oh, and I’ll send you the eddies.”

The call cut out and she received a transfer for 5000 eddies, followed by a system message.

Mission Complete

Assassinate Cain Burch and frame a famed Tyger Claw assassin.

Difficulty: Hard

Rewards: 2000 L-Coins, 2500 Eurodollars

The rewards brought a smile to her face. She finally had enough for all the stuff she’d been saving for.