Rejoice! For the cult welcomes the mighty AxAi87 to its venerable ranks.
You menials may look forward to an extra portion of soilens veridiens during today's ration allotment.
------
The Rockerboy
What the fuck was his life anymore?
"Oh this is rich." He let out one final pained chuckle as he wiped his face, and stared up at the blank faced corpo toy soldier the old bitch got her hands on "Can't even blow my own brains out without someone butting in."
The borg didn't react except for slightly tilting his chrome head "I wasn't aware Kerry Eurodyne was a little bitch."
He was already on his feet and swinging by the time his brain caught up "Shut the fuck up you tin fucking can!" He barely even registered the sting as his fist struck the metal face "You don't get to come into my fucking house!" Another strike "Take my fucking gun!" Another "And project your fanboy bullshit!"
He was breathing heavily now, the pain in his arm no longer possible to ignore as he hissed and covered his clutched fist with his other hand.
"Maybe I'm a bitch." He said bitterly "But at least I didn't sell my body and soul for a chrome shell!"
The blood-smeared face of the cyborg remained expressionless "Are you done?"
"No I'm not fucking done!" He snarled "What? Not even going to pretend you aren't some corpo slave Rogue loaned out to keep me nice and behaving? Can you even say it?"
"Now who is projecting?" Instead of getting angry, the borg's bored voice turned amused if anything.
Knowing exactly what was implied, he exploded again "Fuck you!"
"Riveting retort." The borg drawled and caught the swinging hand, and like one might treat a pouty kid, tugged at the arm until the mangled hand was in front of his face and quickly sprayed it with something.
Kerry barely managed to keep himself from groaning in pain as the cold stinging sensation spread all along his limb.
"For your information you are completely wrong." The borg informed him as he did something to the hand "I just didn't care about your dumbass opinion enough to correct you."
Kerry made another tired laugh at that, hiding a wince as his hand arm was shoved back at him "Whatever you say, tin can."
"Hand should be fine now." The borg told him.
"Can't have the investment not able to play." He scoffed as he rubbed the rapidly healing skin, and getting no response he felt himself deflate, letting out a deep sigh as he slowly walked over to his drink cabinet.
He set the bottle down on the low table alongside two shot glasses.
"Done pouting?" Asked the murder machine now leaning against a nearby pillar with his arms crossed.
"Eat shit and sit down." Kerry flipped him off.
The borg did as he was asked, slowly lowering himself on the floor opposite him.
Somewhat calmer, Kerry couldn't help but stare at his own blood still covering the chrome face "Not gonna wipe that off?"
"Are you kidding?" The cyborg asked "To the right freak, this bit of paint is worth a fortune."
Kerry shuddered and promptly decided to change the subject "How the hell did you get in here anyway?"
"Your security is dogshit." The borg informed him "There is a good reason Rogue hired me to keep your insides inside."
"If you're gonna jerk yourself off about 'running the edge' like the best of them you can shut the hell up." Kerry scoffed, pouring the whiskey into both glasses and shoving one at Rogue's pet chromefucker.
"Don't flatter yourself." Was the response he got, alongside a light thud of plastic hitting wood as what looked like a business card landed on the coffee table "Mere money wouldn't have been enough to make me go all the way to Europe."
Kerry whistled as he looked the card over, turning back to the cyborg just in time to see him down his shot through a maw straight out of an old horror vid "She got me the whole ass package, huh?"
"Only the best for Night City's favorite cheerleader." The borg, or Magos as he had just learned, drawled back.
"Fucker." He cursed and downed his own drink, speaking only after a few silent moments "So what now? You gonna stay here to make me go play circus monkey?"
"Throwing another tantrum already?" The borg's response was as calm as it was unamused.
Forcing down another spike of anger, Kerry glared "And what else does a man do when he can't control anything about himself anymore?"
Two golden eyes shone with mockery "You're the corporate sellout here, you tell me."
"Great." Kerry sighed "At least I'm not the only clown here."
Magos clicked his tongue "You obviously can't tell the corpos to fuck off without wasting everything you achieved, or at least most of it."
'Thanks for reminding me.'
"So you go after the next closest thing."
"And that is?"
"It was the manager who fucked you." The borg's mouth appeared again as he grinned, or smirked, Kerry wasn't sure "So you make him into an example."
"I'm not going to fucking kill him!" He protested immediately.
"Even if he sold your ass and blackmailed you?" The golden eyes narrowed.
"I'm not some psycho." Kerry frowned "He is going to get replaced anyway."
"With someone else who will just sell your ass again." Magos shrugged, completely uncaring about how much his casual dismissal irritated his VIP "You've been in the big money for ages, but somehow you still think you can avoid the power plays."
"You going to say something actually useful or do you plan on just talking shit?"
"Well you have to send some kind of message." The borg hummed "Otherwise you are just asking to take it up the ass again."
Kerry's frown deepened but then he remembered Donny bragging about his newest buy a week back.
He was on his feet before he finished remembering the conversation, a mostly filled bottle of whiskey in his hand as he started walking to his garage "You said you were paid to keep me alive, right?"
"About sums it up." The slowly rising cyborg nodded.
"Then pack up. I decided to take your 'advice'."
"So long as I don't have to listen to any more of your bitching."
He threw the tin can a middle finger and kept walking.
Then he paused and grabbed another bottle.
Michael 'Magos' Sobronov
"Need me to hold that up for you?" I asked as I looked over the 'disguised' rockstar wobbling under the weight of my rocket launcher.
"Nah, relaaax. I got it." He grit his teeth, aiming the four barrel weapon at a top of the line bright red Caliburn, a vehicle so utterly overpriced even my VIP would wince at paying for it.
A vehicle belonging to his manager, and sitting right outside of his high end Charter Hill home.
"Eat shit Donny!" Kerry shouted and depressed the trigger, loosing a cycling swirl of rockets at the unsuspecting vehicle and almost managing to miss with every single one.
The security fence in front of the house detonated, sending imported dirt and grass in each and every direction and only batting the car aside.
Before I could mock him for his ineptitude though the car suddenly let out a piercing whine of gas escaping through a tight, and then detonated, setting whatever hadn't been blown up on fire.
'Passable.'
"Feel better now?" I asked the grinning musician.
He didn't seem to notice me for a few moments before absently nodding.
"Good." I said, and promptly dragged him off and away from the balcony we had... requisitioned from its absent owners.
I ignored the man's protests as I essentially ragdolled him away from prying eyes and back to my van.
He nearly toppled over as I set him down "What-" He choked on air for a split second "What the fuck was that?!" He demanded with a glare.
"You decided to do this in the middle of the day." I informed the gonk "In Charter Hill."
He took a sharp breath and glared up "And you couldn't have told me to wait?"
"And listen to you bitch and moan for half a day? Do I look like I have that kind of patience?"
"Don't look like much of anything." He muttered and downed another gulp of his drink.
He had already gone through the first bottle, and this one was nearing its end too.
The fact he managed to keep it with him was both horrifying and impressive.
"You wanna punch anyone else in the face, or can we get going?" I ask the drunk rocker.
He gulps down the rest of the drink and wipes his mouth "We can go, just stop by Caliente's. I need some coffee after this shit."
Quickly finding the address I nod "Sure thing."
-----
Kerry turned much more tolerable after getting his frustrations out in a more productive manner, but by the time I had dragged him home the whiskey had already started hitting him hard and he barely managed a half hearted rehearsal to 'reward' me (dumbass still thought I was a fanboy) before passing out in the bathroom.
After having made sure the grown ass man was nice and tucked in, I found myself leisurely driving back home with the sunset.
"Good call on provoking him, Logos." I say aloud as I mentally typed out a curated report for Rogue.
[Attempting to reason with someone during a mental break would have been counterproductive.]
"Still felt weird to act that familiar with someone I don't know." I shook my head "Definitely not my thing."
[Limiting options based on 'vibes' is also counterproductive.]
"No shit." I huffed, and viewed the return message I got from Rogue "Looks like we are flying out early in the morning. And we'll be meeting some old friends too."
[I recommend making sure Mr. Eurodyne is actually present before takeoff.]
"...You know, the fact that is a reasonable concern bothers me more than it should." I muttered.
[The weakness of the flesh displayed once more.]
I hissed as I reflexively sped up and nearly rammed into a nearby car "Oh you did that on purpose."
He knew how I got around the topic. Of course he did, he was in my head.
[I will neither confirm nor deny this statement.]
Increasing the music volume to banish that line of thinking, I floored the gas on purpose this time and made for home.
------
The next morning came far too quickly despite the utter lack of sleeping involved, and I spent none of it on preparations save for the ten minutes I needed to pack everything up.
"You're sure you don't want us to come with you?" Mom asked as she pointlessly checked over my freshest and most protective coat.
"We'll be boarding at Orbital Air with a world famous musician in tow." I shook my head "I'll be hiding my features as much as I can and frankly, I don't want you anywhere near that kind of clusterfuck."
"What? Think we're scared of some fangirls?" 'Becca grinned from nearby, still perfectly snug in one of my hoodies despite her increase in height.
"No reason to risk things."
"Yeah, yeah." She pouted, shoulders slumping "No point in painting targets on our backs."
"Don't worry." I smirked down and poked her "I'll be back before you know it."
She perked up "And you will bring us all of the things!"
"Some of the things." I corrected "I don't even want to imagine the level of overpriced the Swiss are capable of reaching." Just imagining a souvenir shop aimed at the ultra rich made me shudder in primal terror.
She narrowed her eyes "Mmmh. Fine. But it has to be something good."
Mock bowing I declared "As the lady commands."
She nodded in smug satisfaction before she stopped pretending and enveloped me in a hug "Try not to have too much fun without me, Mike."
"I make no promises." I chuckled.
Mom was the next to hug me "Come back safe."
"Now that-" I straightened my spine "I can promise."
I made one final round of checks on my gear, and set out to see the world.
-----
Finding the team Rogue had prepared for me was as simple as walking into the Orbital Air Center and following a few directions to a separate room. Even if the local security was understandably less than enthused by my presence.
At least they were professional enough to point me along without urinating.
"Mr. Sharpe." I nodded at the old Englishman as I approached the duo Rogue had unsurprisingly chosen.
He looked pretty much the same as he did when I first met him, and every time after that. Dressed in a dapper three piece suit, and groomed to something approaching perfection, and with a posture that must have been repeatedly downloaded directly into his brain.
"Ah, Mr. Magos." He smiled genially "It has been some time."
"Too little." My other teammate snipped in, though something told me that was mostly in reference to Sharpe.
"Ms. Kimigawa." I greeted her next "I see you are adapting to NC's particular style."
The merc assassin, whose hair was now highlighted by neon green, and whose clothes were now far more colorful than the previous combination of black on black, scoffed "Used to stick out like a sore thumb so something had to change."
"You looked like you were trying to sneak in somewhere." I point at her "No wonder you drew eyes wherever you went."
"I'm afraid that must simply be our dear Ms. Kimigawa's natural charm at work." Sharpe's moustache twiched in a way to indicate him smirking, and ignoring the woman's glare he went on "Has our charge already arrived?"
Mentally pinging Logos, who then pinged Delamain, I got the answer in less than a second "He's almost here." I said, waving for them to follow me "Best we go and make sure no one tries to jump the fence and cop a feel or something equally degenerate."
"Probably wise." Sharpe hums and follows along.
Kimigawa does the same, though with a lot more silent grumbling.
The scene outside was perfectly peaceful however, at least when compared to my expectations anyway.
The massive crowd that had gathered to catch a glance of the local rocker legend was kept thoroughly out of the way by way of an actual electric fence, and to top it all off there was a small platoon of guards watching them like hawks.
The road was kept equally clear, and soon enough the AI run taxi passed by the checkpoint, though not without a pair of particularly enthusiastic fans slipping through what I quickly identified as a fresh crack in the fence.
They were quickly rewarded with a beanbag to the chest each.
I'd pity them if not for the fact they consciously chose to compete for the day's Darwin award.
Well, ascribing consciousness to them might be a bit too generous, I admit.
The Delamain cab parked right next to us and I already felt a mild headache coming on as I saw Eurodyne on the back seat, head slumped backwards and audible snores just barely catching on my Audioreceptors.
'Might as well get this over with.' I sighed internally "Hey Del. Care to let us grab Mr. Eurodyne? We are on a bit of a timer, I'm afraid."
"You are expected Mr. Magos." The AI said and the doors on the back opened on their own.
I reached in to shake the man awake, but all I got for my trouble was an annoyed mumble of "Five more minutes."
Slowly looking back I saw an amused Sharpe and a facepalming Kimigawa, and decided I'd had more than enough of the little shit.
Which is to say I promptly pulled a suddenly very awake Kerry Eurodyne out of the cab by the scruff of his collar and dragged him into the air center.
Absently, I wondered if V was having a less irritating time of it on her end.
The Corpo
Walking through the Japan Tokyo HQ was like visiting a different planet when compared to the NC tower, and that was saying something. Everything was massive, and so utterly sterile she could confidently guess she was on the moon base and probably be right.
Still, she wasn't given any time to sightsee and was redirected to the boarding area almost the second her flight landed.
Keeping hold of that familiar disappointment from showing on her face was second nature by now, and after waiting for the scanner to do its thing she confidently stepped onto the launch pad, only to immediately stop dead in her tracks.
"You look like a cut of fuckable meat." The deep growl came from the skull faced head suddenly looming above her "Are you?"
-------
The cult hereby intervenes in your powerstone stonks.
There is no escape.
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