\+/ Tales From Night City \+/ Chapter 33 - Rat and Mouse
The heavy weight of Zaunya's boots on carpet slowly thump one after the other as she paces back and forth in front of the window of the apartment. The cigarette smoke casually makes it's way out of the open window into the Night City air. Her shadow plays peek a boo with the curtains as she struggles to maintain her patience... feeling as restless as she did back at the motel. Idle hands is often the devil's playground... especially for someone using the weight of time's past like a spear on the front lines like she is.
The place is dead quiet... no foot traffic in or around for sensory distraction... just her against the mind.
With her arms crossed tightly... she hears various voices begin to echo in her head... starting with her mom's:
"Remember... whatever they want... whatever they ask... the answer is yes. Ok?"
She hears Brian's voice: "tch... as capable as you are... You're lost".
She hears Audrey's voice: "This isn't just your fight anymore."
She runs her fingers through her long black hair... gripping it tightly while slowly pacing back and forth. Her heart pounding in her ears... the tension in her shoulders and neck becoming unbearable.
She hears Nicholas' voice: "What did they do to you huh... What did they take."
The feeling of powerlessness brought about by a lifetime of serving and the instinctual need to do something about it bares down on her. The traumatic events of time's past begin to flood back into her mind untamed... as the tension builds within.. she grits her teeth and hits her own head several times with the palm of her hand. Her pacing increases vigorously as the voices in her head grow louder and louder.
She hears Nicholas' voice echo a final time: "BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY DO!!...THEY ONLY!!! TAKE!!!!"
Zaunya's tension reaches it's peak as she hears the front door to the apartment abruptly slide open. She snap draws her jet black Nue and points it directly at Brian as he enters.
He stops in his tracks after entering and stares directly at Zaunya pointing iron at him. He lowers his eyebrows and tilts his head up slightly at her without saying anything.
She lowers her Nue while closing her eyes tight and breaking eye contact with him... he picks up on her energy before speaking... his voice deep and mellow.
"Any move you make... involves a thought... an action that reverberates throughout the city... Intentionally doing no action... often the hardest part."
Zaunya looks up at the ceiling and takes a deep breath. The tension release causes her to drop her Nue to the carpeted floor with a heavy, weighted thud... she covers her face with her hands.
"Waiting... is a skill in itself... to be studied... learned.... mastered." He says slowly approaching her.
He gets right in front of her as they both look at each other briefly. He reaches down and picks up her jet-black Nue before looking her deep in her eyes and pausing.
"...Waiting ends today." He confirms in a deep tone before placing her Nue back into her hand. She looks up at him and into his eyes.... the two share a brief silence.
Sometime later in the day they find themselves in Heywood... sitting in the Galena G240 parked strategically scoping out El Coyote Cojo and the surrounding neighborhood. The sunny streets are busy and in full swing as Night citizens go about their day in a cesspool of chaos they've long become numbed to. Overworked blue collars on lunch breaks they have no intention on coming back from... corpo rats running around doing grunt work... dirt kids ditching school posted on the block while mercs comb the streets like bounty hunters.
We pick up on the pair toward the end of a conversation.
"Talked to Mama Welles. Gave her the description you had... was right on the money. Apparently the rat is overstaying his welcome... shes at the end of her rope with him n' his 'goons'. I guess makin' more racket than a janky servo... deterring regulars and-"
"hahaha geez; 'rat'..? You really are a streetpunk aren't you... How's that 'climb to the top' working out for you huh? That chase to become a legend." She says prodding.
"Legend's a title they give to sorry gonks who bit off more than they could chew... Only way to it's in a hole in the ground... often end up there before you ever even get close." He sees a quick flash of Graves' bloodied corpse in his arms in the R.E.O facility... His lifeless face rested permanently in a gaze.
"Ha... yup. A street punk through and through."
"Is that right." He mutters staring out the driver side window.
"Mercs don't question. They simply do what they're told to do for eds... incorporating as little discretion as they can along the way. Not you though huh... You're a whole different... kind of something aren't you."
"Interested in pickin' my brain... probably flow better over a drink instead of a stakeout-"
"-Heh. I disagree." She snap responds giggling.
"Mama Welles gave me a time window she usually sees them at-" Brian's kiroshis glow blue briefly as he checks the time "-which is about now"
"So what's the move?"
"They'll more than likely be there." He points at the Coyote bar.
"We'll be there." He points at an apartment complex across the street from the bar.
"Mama Welles did us one better... big mouth gave up his room number a few nights back. Apparently had the nerve to invite her over to his place. Ha... guy really is fuckin gonked." As he continues to articulate the deets, the pair of them suddenly see the corpo amongst the heavy foot traffic. He carries an energy of no nonsense with a bitter scowl... feeling the locals are hardly even worthy of his presence... even as he lives among them. Projecting his insecurities of inadequacy with every step he takes... sticking out like a neon thumb with his escort of degenerate looking huscle as they make their way into the Coyote.
"THERE HE IS!" Zaunya shouts as she quickly puts her black leather facemask on and opens the passenger door to start to get out. Brian quickly grabs her forearm causing her to stop and look over at him.
"The less your masked face is out in public the better. Stay here."
"WHAT?"
"Think they're the only ones that stick out around here...? Petrochem is scanning the entire fuckin' city right now.. any significant moves involving corpos are gonna get sharper looks... All it takes is the wrong set of eyes on you and we're done and-"
"-Brian." She says in exhale with a low tone looking him in the eyes. She feels his energy.
He opens his mouth to respond instinctually but quickly catches and stops himself... the look in his eyes imply a subtle level of fear as he breaks eye contact with her. He lets go of her forearm and slowly pulls his hand away.
"Lets go." He says opening the driver side door of the car.