Sophie walked out of Lizzie’s Bar at a brisk pace. Rita had come through with a job, however the contents had the young thief feeling an immense anger. Apparently, a new group of scavs had started operating out of Little China. The Mox weren’t entirely sure where their den was, but they had some leads. Thus, Sophie was on her way to investigate and hunt down their little nest. It would take some time, especially if she wanted to be thorough, but the info she had would narrow down her search considerably.
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Night City’s casual chaos entered Sophie’s ears as she bunkered down in her Shion. An entire day stalking the streets of Little China had yielded enough clues to find one of their vans, a vehicle used to grab people off the street and take them back to their human harvesting shop.
With honking horns and loud music as the backdrop, Sophie sat outside an old, decrepit warehouse in Little China. Her small hands rested on the wheel as she stared at the building in the distance. I need to get closer. She slipped out of the car and quickly moved to the other side of the street, scaling an abandoned construction site for a better vantage point.
The warehouse itself was a rusting hunk of steel and grime, nestled among graffiti-tagged walls and the skeletal remains of old, broken factories. She scanned the scene, letting her eyes move between entrances, guards, and vehicles. Inwardly, she was incredibly thankful for the zoom and tagging function her Kiroshi Optics carried. It allowed her to track the number of scavs she saw and find hidden pathways she could use for her infiltration.
The main entrance was guarded by two scavs. One was armed with a shotgun, though she wasn’t sure what type. He was pacing around nervously. Meanwhile the other leaned casually against the wall, smoking and laughing at some crude joke while on a holocall, his eyes glowing. A side entrance saw occasional traffic, mostly Scavs unloading crates from a battered van. Sophie didn’t want to know what was in the crates. She was positive it wouldn’t be anything good.
Her sharp gaze followed the van’s path until it turned into an alley around the corner. There, a loading bay opened into the side of the warehouse. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to see what they loaded into the van and she could only hope it wasn’t people. The alley was less guarded thankfully, just one distracted scav with glowing optics scrolling through her messages.
Finally, Sophie’s attention shifted upward as she searched for a way inside. The second floor had a smashed window, barely illuminated by the flickering overhead lights inside. From her vantage point, she saw no guards on the upper level. While the broken glass of the window made her nervous, it would be the best way in.
Her higher vantage point allowed her to spot a stack of metal crates near the side of the building. From there, she could jump to a ledge, then shimmy up a series of pipes to reach the window. The knowledge in her head clicked into place, a map of the upcoming climb forming in her mind. She was incredibly grateful for the considerable amount of new information her intermediate skills provided. She wouldn’t have found that path otherwise. As she confirmed her route, she received a surprise system message.
New Mission
Data Retrieval: You have spent the last few months doing basic work and odd jobs in Night City. Now, you have your first proper gig. Steal the required data from the Scavenger den.
Optional: Don’t raise any alarms.
Difficulty: Hard
Rewards: 2000 M-Coins, 3000 Eurodollars, 4 levels in Master Thief
Bonus Reward: 1 level in Stealth (Intermediate)
Satisfied with the rewards, Sophie put the message out of her mind and began her operation. She crept towards the metal crates, hoodie pulled tight over her head to prevent any of the guards from seeing her pale face. She crept past, the guards at the main entrance missing her as she pushed further into the area. She scrambled onto the first crate, her small hands gripping the edges as she pulled herself up. The metal was cold and wet from recent rain, but Sophie moved with relative ease, following the advice of her knowledge skills.
From the crates, she jumped up to the ledge. Her fingers caught and scraped on the rough concrete, but she ignored the stinging pain as she hauled herself up, legs swinging briefly before finding purchase. She didn’t pause to catch her breath, instead pressing onwards to her goal; the pipe hanging above.
Gripping the pipe with both hands, she pulled herself up and began to climb, her small frame making the ascent look almost effortless. However, even with her small size, the pipe creaked under her weight and for a moment, she froze, heart hammering heavily in her chest. But it held, and Sophie was able to continue upward until she finally reached the window.
She eased her way through the shattered window, accidentally adding a few tears to her clothes. The small thief ignored it and slipped inside, landing with a quiet thud on the floor. Sophie pressed herself against the wall, listening for any signs of movement. Only when she heard nothing in her vicinity did she move on into the main area of the warehouse.
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The air inside was thick with decay. Sophie wrinkled her nose as the stench of rust, oil, and rot filled her lungs. It was the worst thing she had ever smelt and she nearly gagged as tears threatened to burst out of her tear ducts. From her elevated position, she could see the heart of the Scavenger operation below.
The ground floor was a horrific demonstration of humanities brutality. Discarded limbs; both cybernetic and human, were piled haphazardly in bins. Bloodstained benches lined the walls, surrounded by trays of tools more suited for torture than surgery. She spotted more than one object that looked like a cleaver. On a different wall, dozens of cages held captives. Squashed in like cattle, their moans of pain were audible even over the voices of their captors. The scavs’ efficient, callous behaviour as they went about their grim work was horrifying.
Sophie’s fists clenched at the sight. Her blood boiled in anger, but she forced it down. She was too weak. Her current skills weren’t enough to actively save the victims. For the first time, she lamented the fact she didn’t pick a class with a combat focus. As her thoughts spiralled, her Thief’s Instinct alerted her to something.
Moving through the upper level of the scav den, Sophie kept her profile as small as possible. She ensured her steps were as silent as possible while sticking to the shadows. Her eyes searched for some kind of central building, knowing that’s where she would find the data she needed. At the same time, she kept an eye out for whatever had triggered Thief’s Instinct. She managed to locate a room that looked like an office first. It was on the other side of the second floor, where she currently was. Its glass front overlooked the gruesome scene below.
Creeping closer, she was blocked by a glass door that required a key card. If she had access to netrunning, it would be easy to get in. Unfortunately, she’d have to find a key card herself.
Poking her head over the second floor railing, Sophie’s eyes zero’d in on a specific scav. Her Thief’s Instinct suggested he had value. Checking him over, she saw a keycard clipped to his belt. That was what her trait had been alerting her to. He was in an easily accessed position, down some stairs from her current position and watching over the ground floor operations.
She waited until his back was turned, then darted in. She was slightly concerned, due to the position of the card at the front of his pants. However, Sleight of Hand, the new skill that came with Master Thief, showed its value. Her small fingers unclipped the card in one fluid motion, completely unnoticed. Immediately, she retreated into the shadows so that the man wouldn’t turn around and spot her suddenly. Even with Ghost active, she didn’t want to risk the man having organic eyes. Her heart raced as she moved back toward the office.
The keycard worked, and the office door hissed open. Sophie slipped inside, and it closed behind her quietly. The room was cluttered with garbage, half-empty bottles, and stacks of blood-streaked paper. An old, dusty terminal shone faintly on the desk, its screen covered in dirt.
She inserted her personal link, a freebie from Vik, into the terminal and initiated the download. Data flooded the screen; maps of victim transport routes, hunting zones, and communications. While it downloaded, Sophie examined what was on the computer, quickly discovering that this scav operation was far bigger than originally thought. Luckily, the data would be more than enough for the Mox to dismantle their operation.
As she finished copying the files, footsteps sounded outside. Sophie stiffened, eyes darting to the door.
Sophie ducked and rolled under the desk, holding her breath as the door creaked open. A scav stepped inside, cursing under his breath as he searched the room.
The young thief stayed perfectly still, heart hammering in her chest. The scav’s boots stopped a few centimetres from her hiding spot, but he didn’t look down. After a tense minute, he left, slamming the door behind him.
Sophie let out the breath she was holding. She wouldn’t be able to get out the same way she came in. She needed a different path. Looking around the room, Sophie eventually glanced at the ceiling. There, a slightly open skylight was visible.. A series of steel beams crisscrossed above her, leading to salvation.
She climbed onto a filing cabinet and leapt to the first beam. Her hands caught it easily, and she swung her legs up, balancing on the narrow surface. In the warehouse, the scavs continued their gruesome work, entirely oblivious to her presence.
Sophie moved swiftly, jumping from beam to beam with expert precision. Each landing was near silent, though her movements were rather strained. The gap between the beams was quite a hurdle for her body’s current size. Finally however, she reached the skylight and pushed it open, escaping the bloodied warehouse.
The roof was a maze of vents and antennas. However, it offered a brief reprieve from the gruesome area she had just escaped from. The cool night air washed over her as she caught her breath. She surveyed her surroundings, spotting a drainpipe on the far side of the building.
Sophie slid down the drainpipe, her small hands gripping tightly as she descended. Halfway down, a scav stepped into the alley below, lighting a cigarette. She froze, pressing herself flat against the pipe.
Eventually, the scav muttered something under his breath, taking a long drag before flicking the cigarette away. He disappeared into a side door, and Sophie continued her descent, landing softly on the pavement.
No guards were present as she dashed out the alley. She beelined straight for her car and, once in, set a course for Lizzie’s. As she drove in silence, she sent Rita a heads up that she’d be arriving soon.
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Sophie walked out of the Mox stronghold with Rita.
“Y’know kid, that was really well done. Sneaking in and out of a heavily guarded place like that isn’t easy. You’re a damn talented thief. I appreciate what you’ve done today.” Rita spoke, then gestured around her as dozens of Mox arrived and flooded into Lizzie’s. “That info will make dismantling their operations a breeze. Go get some rest Soph. You’d earned it.” With a wave, the bouncer quickly disappeared back into the bar, leaving Sophie to wander back to her car.
Mission Complete
Data Retrieval: You have spent the last few months doing basic work and odd jobs in Night City. Now, you have your first proper gig. Steal the required data from the Scavenger den.
Optional: Don’t raise any alarms.
Difficulty: Hard
Rewards: 2000 M-Coins, 3000 Eurodollars, 4 levels in Master Thief
Bonus Reward: 1 level in Stealth (Intermediate)
She felt the familiar rush of knowledge as her stealth skill levelled up before opening her full status page.
Name: Sophie Mortimer
Age: 6
Class: Master Thief - Lvl.5
Profession: Available
Traits
Ghost, Thief’s Instinct
Skill
Sleight of Hand: Lvl.1
Parkour (Intermediate): Lvl.1
Stealth (Intermediate): Lvl.2
Thievery (Intermediate): Lvl.1
Cyberware
Chronos Sandevistan: Unavailable (Reach eight years old or install more cyberware) (God)
Kiroshi Mk.1 Optics (Common)
Store: Available
Inventory: 1m x 1m x 1m
M-Coins: 2000
Y’know, maybe I should get myself an apartment. Sleeping in my car is getting really tedious. I wonder if Misty has something available?