Sewers

October 20th

2069

The rumble of Sophie’s bike filled the air as she guided it down the maintenance road that led into the sewers beneath Westbrook. The air grew damp and cooler the deeper she went, the faint, distant trickle of water and city noise disappearing.

At the end of the road, she reached the partially destroyed loading bay that served as her garage. Sophie dismounted her bike, parking it in the alcove she had designated for the purpose. As she stepped into the main area, the darkness of the sewer tunnels was replaced by the warm glow of her home’s recently installed lighting.

Over the past six months, she had worked hard to transform her space into something truly livable. The walls, once cracked concrete and corroded metal, were now reinforced with scavenged paneling. Though mismatched in color and texture, the panels fit snugly together and they looked far better in her opinion.

Attached to some of the higher panels was her jury-rigged lighting system. It had been a massive pain to set up, considering her small size. She had salvaged old tube lights and connected them to the generator she’d previously found. Thick, black wires ran along the walls, secured in place with makeshift brackets. The setup wasn’t pretty, but it worked and it meant she no longer had to rely on her optics to see in the dark.

The hideout itself was now divided into multiple sections, a far cry from the open, cavernous space it had been when she first found it. To her left was a small, ‘kitchen’. A salvaged bench served as a counter, its surface covered with a sheet of stainless steel she had scavenged. A camping stove sat neatly on one side, alongside a collection of mismatched pots and utensils.

Above it, shelves lined with basic supplies were secured to the wall with brackets she had fashioned herself. She really only used the kitchen to heat food up or prepare something that was already packaged. Considering the food in Night City was generally pretty bad, Sophie figured her current setup was enough. All she really needed was the ability to eat after all.

On her right was the living area, where a small plastic chair sat against the wall. Its colour was faded and worn, but Sophie had repaired it with scraps of material and duct tape. A low coffee table stood in front of it, cluttered with tools, papers, and an old radio she had managed to repair.

Beside the table was a small collection of manuals, from electrical engineering guides to mechanics. They were the main reason she’d been able to make such large changes to her hideout, though they also weren’t overly detailed which made it hard to go much further.

Further back, the main room extended into a hallway. To the left was her sleeping area. The mattress, though worn, now rested on a set of wooden pallets in much better condition than they previously were. A thin blanket and a sad, single pillow added a touch of comfort.

At the end of the hallway was her training room. Well, what would eventually become one. A jagged tunnel extended into the wall, its end blocked by rubble she hadn’t yet cleared. She had been hammering away at it slowly after getting her hands on the right tools but it was slow going.

Dropping her gear bag next to her table, Sophie sighed. Her first actual encounter with Maelstrom had been stressful but she was proud of the fact she succeeded. She removed her weapons and placed them gently on the coffee table, then unbuckled her chest plate and let it fall to the ground.

Her hands moved with practiced ease, stripping off her netrunner suit until she stood in a bra and underwear. She’d been as careful as possible during her missions over the months but her armour was beginning to show significant signs of damage. I think it’s time to replace everything, huh.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

She grabbed a metal bucket from the corner and filled it with water from a large plastic drum she kept near the entrance. The water was lukewarm, sending a wave of disappointment through her as she splashed it onto her face and arms. Using a rag, she scrubbed herself clean. The lack of running water in her hideout was a constant annoyance. “One day, I’ll get proper plumbing down here,” she muttered to herself.

Once she felt clean, Sophie stripped changed into something more comfortable; a loose, gray tank top and a pair of soft black joggers. The clothes hung loosely on her frame, a welcome change from the tightness of her gear.

She pulled her dark, greasy hair into a messy bun, wincing at how dirty it was. Unfortunately, good shampoo was quite rare, especially when you’re on a budget. Her monthly venture to the public shower was the only time she properly cleaned herself, though she’d been considering switching to tech hair which would clean itself.

She moved her gear over to a mannequin she had found during one of her scavenging trips. The figure was missing its right arm, giving it a lopsided appearance, but it served its purpose well. She arranged the plate carrier, netrunner suit and holsters on it carefully. Her katana was mounted on a custom rack she had put together from scrap metal and above it was a small holder for her menpo, painted black months ago.

The rest of her weapons went into a box beneath her chair, except for a knife and pistol. These she kept close, always within arm’s reach. The knife slipped into the waistband of her joggers, while the pistol rested on the coffee table.

Sinking into the chair, Sophie let her head fall back against the old plastic, her body finally relaxing. The silence of the space surrounded her, a feeling she had come to greatly appreciate. She stared up at the domed ceiling, where the lights flickered faintly. The small imperfection didn’t bother her.

After relaxing herself for a while she headed to the kitchen area, putting together a half eaten box of noodles and an extra skewer she had as leftovers from earlier in the day. She settled onto her mattress, stretching herself into a deep split.

Finding ways to incorporate her training into daily life was important, even if it did make things awkward and difficult at times. For the most part however, it was ignorable. Thus, she stretched, ate and looked over her stats.

Name: Sophie Morrin

Age: 14

Class: Huntress [35/100]

Passives

Iron Will [40/100], Flexibility [49/100], Parkour [40/100], Ambidextrous [25/100]

Skills

Stealth [35/100], Basic Gun Combat [49/100], Investigation [35/100], Basic Bladed Combat [42/100], Basic Unarmed Combat [15/100], Engineering [15/100]

Cyberware

Basic Cyberoptics (Common)

Basic Subdermal Armour (Common)

Basic Wrist Reinforcements (Common)

MoorE Basic Cyberarm (Common)

Store: Available

L-Coins: 26,000

Eurodollars: 100,000

Inventory: 1m x 1m x 1m

The semi-recent addition of the Engineering skill continued to make her happy. It was the reason she’d been able to renovate her hideout so much and it was also the first step towards understanding the blueprint left behind by Dr Morrow. Though she still occasionally felt a phantom pain from the moment she purchased the skill and the massive knowledge influx.

Looking further, she was a bit disappointed that her recent infiltration into Maelstrom territory hadn’t given her a point in Stealth but she wasn’t particularly surprised. As every skill approached the halfway mark they became harder and harder to level.

Sophie had a gut feeling that something would change once a skill reaches 50/100. She’d taken the time to examine each of her skills; more specifically, the knowledge they provided. Every time she gained a proficiency point for a skill, some of the holes in her knowledge were plugged, forming a more cohesive whole.

Of course, all of her skills were fairly basic so the knowledge wasn’t particularly advanced but it did cover the entirety of the skillset. For example, Basic Gun Combat provided her with the knowledge to effectively utilise anything that classified as a gun, even if she’d never actually wielded it before.

Her examination of the skill knowledge however, suggested that by the time she reached halfway to maximum proficiency, there would be no more gaps to fill. In her mind, that could suggest a couple of things.

First, the skill may just provide new knowledge and continue to follow the same path as it previously did. On the other hand, it could mean that a fundamental change occurs to the way she increases skill proficiency.

Then again, I could be completely wrong. Despite the doubts that tried to creep in, Sophie figured that as soon as she got her Basic Gun Combat or Flexibility to the halfway mark, she’d find out whether her theories were correct.

Fully aware that there wasn’t much she could do except continue her regular routine, she settled into bed. As she lay under the thin blanket, she inwardly wondered what Rita wanted to talk to her about.

Maybe something’s changed with the Tygers? She quickly drifted off to sleep when she realised thinking about it wouldn’t do much. She’d head over in the morning to find out what was going on.