I called the Galena to me, and parked the van near Vik's. It'd be as safe there as anywhere right now.

The Probes were a little more cheery. They scanned my new cyberware.

Beep, beep, "Executor has new parts." Scuff said to Fix, who responded, "Better now, can see thoughts." They wobbled and danced around me.

"Hey!" Mildly annoyed by their antics.

They gave a rapid series of beeps that I figured for laughter.

After a quick stop at Lizzie's to get another "Information Special" from Sinnamin, I had the detes of the Faceman. Carver, yeah just Carver.

I also got Sinn's story. Found out why she was different from the other Moxes.

She was inducted to the Animals when she was young, so young in fact I had to take a few calming breaths. She described the casual brutality, and the "Dominance Plays".

Sigh. I really was starting to hate ALL the gangs.

Her pack was raiding a Corpo shipment. She didn't even remember whose convoy. Probably didn't care at the time, it was just another chance to fight. To prove her worth.

In the fight, she got dropped. After taking a few more losses, her pack scattered. She faded out, sure she was flatlining.

Came to later on a Scav's table. They were already elbows deep into her guts. Trying to pull her biomodded glands out.

Then Rita and some of the other Moxes came through while searching for some of their missing girls.

Sinn felt she owed them and joined the Mox. Still, she really hated dancing, and wanted to be out smashing skulls.

I laughed and wished her luck with that.

Everybody's got a story.

I setup a meeting with Carver the next day. A simple get together at Tom's Diner.

I arrived early had a very mediocre burger like meal. The fries were okay though. Doubtful they were real potatoes, but starch was starch, right.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Just to get stiffed. I waited around a couple of hours. Had a disappointing milkshake adjacent thing, then left.

I got a call almost immediately.

"Alright, now that we have had a look at you, what kind of work are you looking for?"

The voice was empty soulless. Likely artificial. Different from the one that arranged the meetup.

"Mostly wetwork right now. Have some drones I'm testing."

"A Techie, okay." I had to hold back a snort.

"I have a good starting job for you, a group of gang wannabes bothering a neighborhood. Put them down, send a message. Detes attached." The line closed.

The info I was given was for a new development north west of the Northside Industrial District. Called New Town, or the Three Corp Zone.

It was a joint venture by three of the mid-tier Corps. Ganthrope, Hallsback, and Riener. Educational Materials, Software Development for NETarchitecture, and Robotics Research, respectively.

The district was centered on their new headquarter buildings. Three tall skyscrapers twisting around each other. While smaller than the Buildings of the City Center area, they were quite impressive.

However, looking at the picture, I was sure that there was no way that could actually work. Then again the Megabuildings already defy my understanding of physics, so why not?

While construction on these crazy towers was almost complete. The housing and business zones had long since been finished, were already occupied and functioning as intended.

Now supposed gangers were trying to hustle in on folks. My job was simple, find the gonks and zero them.

There didn't seem to be that many of them and they mostly hang out at one house, they had, "liberated".

I slid into the Galena and headed that way.

I played with the radio a bit and found a station playing something called Mixed Genre Hardcore. Heavy deep rolling beats, good enough for me.

It helped clear my head and get me psyched up at the same time.

I left the North Industrial District and was surprised by what I found out.

New Town was almost nice, even by my old standards. It felt kind of like a college town, there was an energy in the air.

There was a broad six lane highway leading into it. You'd first find yourself in the business section. Shops, Restaurants, so on and so forth.

Everything was so clean and new, it served as a vision of what Night City might have looked, once upon a time. I saw NCPD patrolling, and order seemed to be well maintained.

Hmm. How did a Gang, especially wannabes get into this zone? Why hadn't the cops dealt with them?

The whole time I'm headed down that main thoroughfare the almost finished Skyscrapers loomed over everything. I hadn't noticed it at first but not one other building was over five stories. This made the whole thing feel more like a vanity project for those Corpos' Boards.

Once I had passed around the TriCorp Plaza, I hit the residential areas. They were for the most part, very snazzy apartments. Though the occasional walled and gated Mansion could be seen.

I found my turn off and zipped through the neighborhoods until I got to the address listed as the gang's hangout.

Ah, that was why the cops hadn't charged in.

The assholes had taken over a Mansion.

A Mansion guarded by turrets and bots and drones. Not many, but enough to be a problem.

Whew, this was maybe too much.

I shrugged it off. Nah, we do it slow and steady.

I parked up the street by an empty lot, we had a few hours till dark. So we'd settle in and observe who goes in and out.

I hated waiting.