Sophie focused on the small holoscreen in front of her. It was currently June of 2070, meaning there was an important event currently being reported on.
“Reports state that the Arvin Accord has just been officially signed, ending the Unification War after around one and a half years. The war was primarily signed due to the appearance of an Arasaka supercarrier in the Del Coronado Bay. The NUSA, backed by Militech forces, did not wish to escalate their conflict into a true corporate war.”
So, the Unification War is over. And as expected, Hansen has refused to leave, instead bunkering down. It was a monumental moment for Night City, as many things would soon change, not to mention the emergence of Dogtown, Arasaka being allowed back into America would have repercussions across Night City.
With her thoughts churning, she turned to the only other person in the room. Well, the only conscious person.
“What do you think Vik? You worried about Arasaka’s reappearance?” The man paused for a moment, the tools he had stuck in Sasha’s arm no longer moving.
“Honestly kid? Not much. Don’t get me wrong, things will change. I’m sure many of them will be terrible but at a certain point, having four or five mega corps in the city isn’t going to make much of a difference.”
“Yeah. Yeah I guess you’re right.” Sophie shook her head to clear her thoughts, wandering over to where the ripperdoc was continuing to install new chrome for Sasha. “By the way, I wanted to ask about some new chrome for myself.”
“Go ahead, I’ll try and give you some good advice.”
“Thanks Vik. I wanted to know how long I should wait before I get anything new done? It’s been about six months since I came back nearly dead and you had to chip in my lungs and liver.”
“Well, everyone’s different. Some people should be waiting over a year to get anything done. Others can handle rapid installation of specific cyberware up to a certain point.” He paused, giving her an assessing look. “Your situation is a bit weird. Normally I would never say a kid should have so much chrome but you seem to take to it like a duck does water.”
“So? Does that mean I could be getting some upgrades?” Her eyes shone, clearly eager about the prospect of new chrome.
“It depends on what you’re looking for. You got anything in mind?”
“I’ve got a few things actually. I was hoping you could source a better set of lungs and a decent cyberdeck. However, I’d really like some bone replacements and some leg modifications. Would that be possible?”
“That’s definitely doable. With the sudden end of the war, there’s a flood of new implants that were produced but not needed. The lungs and bone replacements should be easy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Arasaka throws out some of their lower level cyberdecks. What kind of leg modifications were you thinking?”
The girl had been thinking about it quite a bit actually but had struggled to choose. “Well, I’d really like to be able to move around better. Faster sprint speed, higher jumps, that kind of stuff. Oh! Some Lynx Paws would be fantastic as well.” Vik looked at her strangely.
“Why the hell would you need Lynx Paws? You have any idea how quiet you already are?” The comment caused Sophie to blush in happiness.
“I might be quiet already but I’d prefer to make sure of it. Also, the extra weight of the new chrome would make being stealthy a lot harder. The Lynx Paws would help with that.” Vik sighed.
“Alright, I’ll have a look around, see what my contacts can find. It might be expensive though, so be prepared for that. Before I start looking though, do you know if Sasha here has anything that she wants to chip after all of this?” He waved his hand at Sophie’s unconscious friend.
“Hmm, what’s she getting right now? She didn’t give me any details.”
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“She’s got herself a new deck and some accompanying netrunner chrome. Standard things like extra RAM. I’ve also put in a couple of heatsinks. That way she’ll be able to throw around larger hacks without the risk of getting fried.”
“What about her arms?”
“Well, a new piece of chrome recently hit the market. They’re similar to mantis blades but they create a long blade on each finger. They’re called ‘Rippers’. Oh, she also asked for a bit of cosmetic work, so I’ve installed some threading.”
I guess she’s destined to be cat-like. I wonder if I should suggest she gets cat ears? Sophie thought about Vik’s original question.
“I guess I’d like her to have a bit more protection. She’s a little squishy at the moment. Actually, a set of Lynx Paws for her as well would probably be fantastic. She might deny some of it but I’d rather she have the option available.” Vik nodded.
“Well, I’ll put out some feelers, see if I can find what you’re looking for. Don’t forget though, if you can get your hands on chrome you want I’ll chip it for you. Saves me the hassle after all.”
“Sure Vik. I appreciate it. How long till the kitten wakes up?”
“Not too long now, I’m just doing some final checks on the Rippers.”
“Alright, I’ll leave you to it then.”
-----------------------
Later that day, the two girls grabbed a gig from Rogue. It wasn’t anything that difficult, just a routine data acquisition job. However, both of them were eager to do it, each for their own reasons. Sasha wanted a chance to test out her new chrome, although she wasn’t able to use her Rippers. Sophie, on the other hand, was excited because she could tell that her class was on the verge of being completed.
Queen of Thieves had been a pain in the ass to level, considering it really only leveled when the younger girl took on specific jobs. Hence, when they finished Rogue’s gig, Sophie was ecstatic to receive the message that she had maxed it out.
Queen of Thieves has reached level 100!
Class: Queen of Thieves has reached maximum level.
Queen of Thieves Trait: Escape Artist has been unlocked
New Class available!
She pulled up the description.
Trait: Escape Artist - You are able to escape any situation more easily.
The trait was admittedly a bit of a let down. Sophie tried her best to ensure that she was never caught, meaning the trait would hopefully see very little use. However, it was better than nothing. She decided to hold off selecting her next class, opting instead to spend the evening at Lizzie’s with Sasha.
It was early in the evening when they arrived and the thief was pleasantly surprised when she met Rita at the entrance. She was excited to introduce her to Sasha, knowing they had never met. However, something weird happened when she tried to introduce her two friends.
“Soph, who’s this cutie you’ve brought with you? She your girlfriend or something?”
“Rita!” The girl blushed, trying to explain. “She’s my partner!” The bouncer’s cheshire grin grew, much to Sophie’s despair. “Not like that!” She whined. Behind her, Sasha giggled. Sophie turned and stared daggers at her. “Tell her it’s not like that!”
The netrunner stepped forwards, introducing herself.
“Sasha Yakovleva. I suppose you could consider me something like Sophie’s older sister?”
“Hmmmm? Oh honey, you really think you deserve that title? If anything, I’m her big sister.” The two older girls began bickering about who was more deserving to be Sophie’s older sister, much to her shock.
“Alright! Enough, both of you.” The youngest of the three girls spoke, her stern voice struggling to hide the amusement she felt. Immediately, her two older friends grew embarrassed. Once they had recovered, Rita introduced herself.
“Rita Wheeler. Sophie considers me her big sister. I’ve been looking out for her over the last few years.” Sparks began to fly between them again, much to Sophie’s dismay. Eventually, she had to push her netrunner friend into the bar, leaving behind a grumpy bouncer who took her anger out on anyone unfortunate enough to cross her path.
They spent the rest of the evening at the braindance bar, chatting about the past and the future. Sasha seemed oddly keen to show off her new chrome, specifically the Rippers. Sophie jokingly commented that she should get cat ears installed, then sweatdropped when the older girl began to seriously consider it.
Eventually, the thief voiced a request.
“I was thinking of getting a cyberdeck installed soon. Any chance you’d be willing to teach me?” Sasha’s face visibly lit up.
“Of course! What kind of deck are you getting? Oh! You’ll also need to pick up some soft’. I can take you to my normal spot if you’d like?”
“That sounds great! I was kinda hoping you’d be able to give me some advice on what deck to get. Just remember though, I’m not looking for anything super high end. I don’t intend to focus on netrunning, that’s your realm of expertise.”
“Well, you’ve got plenty of eddies. I’d skip past the basic versions then. Maybe the Stephenson Tech MK.2? It handles quickhacks really well, which is a good quality for a learner. Unless you plan to go deep diving into the old net immediately?” The look the experienced netrunner gave her was one of warning, seemingly of the belief that Sophie would do that. I guess I do have a track record of doing stupid stuff.
They reached an agreement to go shopping the following day. However, as they left the bar under Rita’s grumpy stare, Sasha received a call. A few minutes later, she turned her teary eyes towards Sophie.
“I’m gonna be homeless!”
Sophie rolled her eyes at the dramatic behaviour before prompting the girl to explain.
“Apparently my apartment complex is being bought by a corp. It’s being torn down and rebuilt on their orders. My landlord said I had to be gone by tomorrow night. What am I gonna do!?” The pitiful look on her face returned. Sophie sighed in exasperation.
“Come on then. Let’s go get your stuff. You can crash at my place until we work something else out. You don’t mind sharing the bed again, do you?”
“Thank you Sophie! You’re the best!” The younger girl complained to herself. Why do I feel like I’m the elder here?