Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Priapus, Beans
The Celestial Punk
Chapter 06: Moving Day
— Luis Ibarra —
100cp granted, 300cp total
Feat achieved: Become Famous, 200cp granted. 500cp total.
Famous, huh?
Shaking my head, I continue working on my project. As soon as Rosita was safe, V got us the fuck out of there and back home.
Odd how I'm already calling this place home. Still, having my own workshop is pretty fucking nova. I like Raul, but working in a Valentino chop shop means anything I make, they see.
I had to hold back because I was well aware that if I got too impressive, then Raul wouldn't be able to excuse not recruiting me to his bosses.
"Did you even sleep last night?" V asks as she enters my garage, looking amused as she leans against the doorframe.
"I got a couple of hours, but I've got too many ideas floating around my head for that," I explain with a shrug. "Plus, a lot of the stuff left behind was usable for my projects."
"Fair enough. I can't blame you for getting antsy now that you've got your own place to work," V agrees easily, heading over to look at what I'm working on. "A robot?"
"A droid. And no, I can't explain why the distinction is important," I admit with a laugh. I think it has to do with the source of this technology. I don't know what 'Star Wars' is supposed to be, but it insists that they're called droids.
"Fair enough. What is it for?" V asks, examining the somewhat small humanoid frame. It'll be like four feet tall when I'm done, rust brown with a strange dome shaped head with a single 'eye'.
"It's a pit droid. You said it yourself, we need to grow big and fast. This guy, and the others I make afterwards, are going to be my extra hands around the workshop so I can make things much faster," I explain. "I've got a lot of ideas, but not enough time in the day to make them all. After last night, it's only a matter of time until we get some unwanted attention sniffing around here."
"I know. I've done my best to muddy the waters, Padre too, but we're working on borrowed time that's going to run out sooner or later," V agrees with a frown. It's a race. We have to become big enough that they can't do anything about us. "You said you had some ideas about security?"
"You remember the scanner I made for the back of the truck? I've moved it down into the basement area and I'm going to make a much bigger relay for it. I don't want anything bigger than a fly being able to approach this place without us having its exact location, loadout and movements," I explain.
"Send me a list of things you need. After buying this place, we aren't doing great on money but the sooner we're secured the better," V orders. She takes control like that often, but neither me nor Jackie are the leader type. "Are you willing to upgrade some of Dakota's drones? I can get her to supply the parts and pay well for it."
"I'm game. She's a good person to have on our side," I agree easily. Once I've got my pit droid up, I'll be able to do this shit twice as fast.
Chop-shop work, junking, dismantling and moving parts around. There's a lot of somewhat unskilled work to do that I just don't have the time for. Well, I say 'unskilled' but this fucker is going to be on par with some of the Aldecaldo techies. Maybe not Panam or Iris, but the programming is going to be enough to do all the tedious work.
"Preem. I'll set it up. Jackie and I are going to hit some of the NCPD subcon jobs in the area. I want you to keep working here, get as much as you can working and message us if you see so much as a single person heading toward the base," V says. Despite being 'left out' I'm not going to cry over not joining them in hitting down Wraiths.
"Same as before? Take their shit and sell it to Dakota?" I ask.
"Obviously. I'm taking everything not nailed down," V laughs before pausing. "Do you think you could extract their cyberware?"
She wants to scav the scavs?
"…hard maybe," I admit, looking around. "I don't exactly have the tools for it, but I'm pretty sure I could do a better job than the Scavs. If we want to do this with any frequency, we're going to need to set up a proper clinic for me to work in."
Fucking butchers, nothing but brute force methods. I bet they break half the shit they scav. I'm not going to cry over harvested scavs.
Live by the sword and all that shit.
"Like I said. Make a list of everything you need and leave the rest to me. If nothing else, we can head into the city and hit a scav den to steal their tools. Won't be professional standards but they'll have enough to start," V says. Honestly, if I have their gear I can probably upgrade or build my own version. "Ha, there's that look again. Thinking of making your own Ripperdoc gear?"
"I'll need to do some research, and having some gear to start with would help a lot, but yeah," I admit. "You got a plan for what to do with the cyberware we klep?"
"Whatever we don't want to keep, either for use or for parts, we can sell. Jackie thinks Vik would be interested, and Dakota would be too since it's hard to get good cyberware in the badlands. Nomads usually settle for whatever they can get their hands on. Besides that, I'll do some research and see if we can make contact with some other Ripperdocs," V explains.
Yeah, I'm glad to leave all that shit to her. Sounds exhausting.
"Sounds like a plan. So, I get to work bringing this husk of a building back to life while you and Jackster greet the new neighbours?" I joke, getting a grin from her.
"Pretty much. Oh, Jackie wants us to help him move his shit into his new pad tonight. For someone who wasn't sold on this plan at the start, the idea of living with Misty has him giddy," V snorts.
"They spent the night there last night. Misty loves the view, Jackie loves the location. Apparently it's still got good chakra, whatever the fuck that means," I laugh. They definitely fucked on every surface. "Raul says he's got a truck we can borrow for the furniture. Honestly there's not much I want to take anyway. I could probably fit everything I want to keep in the back of the Merrimac."
At most, maybe I'd want to take the bed so I have a proper bed here but… we're looking to make so much money if this goes well. Do I really want to disassemble my bed, move it all the way out here, just to reassemble it. It's not even that great of a bed. It's the same one I've had since I was like 12.
I'm a fucking edgerunner, now. The Saint of Heywood. I can buy a new bed.
"That little?" V asks, giving me a raised eyebrow. Unlike the same gesture coming from Jackie or Misty, it's not sympathetic or worried, simply questioning.
"All the furniture can be replaced, I'm not attached to any of it. Wouldn't fit the decor of the new place anyway. And you can fit a lot into a Merrimac," I shrug. "My clothes, my BD wreath and my tools. That's kinda all I really want. Maybe some of my parents' stuff to put into storage. The rest is replaceable."
"Fair enough. If you're sure," V agrees easily. "I'll message you when it's time to get ready for the move. Lemme know if anything shows up, yeah?"
Giving her an easy nod, I get back to work. If I can get this droid up and running, doing the wiring is going to be much easier.
— Later —
Lounging in the living room of my- Jackie's place, I raise my beer bottle and tap it against Jackie's as he makes his toast.
"So, you two are moving straight in?" I ask, getting a pair of nods from the couple. Considering I've made three trips back and forth from Misty's apartment with basically everything she owns, I'm not overly surprised.
Seriously, she owns so much weird stuff. And so many clothes.
"I've cancelled my lease. It's paid up for another week but I don't plan to stick around," Misty agrees easily. "And no, Jackie, we shouldn't burn it down."
Ignoring Jackie's grumbled Spanish, I suspect her old landlord is probably going to run afoul of the Valentinos at some point in the near future.
"You sure you don't want any of that stuff?" Jackie asks, nodding to some boxes.
"The fuck am I going to do with my parents old clothes? Dad had a gut, and I don't think I'd pull off Mom's skirts. I'm keeping some of their stuff, but keeping old clothes and bedsheets is just weird," I wave off. I'm donating the clothes and other knickknacks, while everything that actually means something is in the back of the Merrimac. Padre will see that it ends up in needy hands. He's good at this kinda shit. I'm keeping their wedding rings and mom's favourite necklace, along with a few extra pieces.
Honestly, it feels good to not have one room I don't want to even acknowledge. If I'm moving, I don't want to drag all the baggage with me, just enough to fill up a storage box under the bed.
"Told you you should have gotten out of here months ago," Jackie points out, noticing my look.
"And if I had, you wouldn't have ended up moving in. Things happen for a reason, and all that," I shrug as I take a sip of the beer Jackie got for us. Ugh, why does he like this shit?
"Hehe, fair enough," Jackie agrees. "To a new start."
"To this," V adds, which I think is some inside joke given her grin and Jackie's curse.
"To us," I counter. Misty copies mine as the other two squabble for a moment.
"So, how'd your project go?" Jackie asks.
"Pit is up and running. Had to head down to the salvage yard to buy some missing pieces but it'll be worth it. I've got the little guy scrapping all the shit that was left behind. For a midget, he's damn strong," I explain happily. "He'll be a good second set of hands in the garage as well. I've ordered him to do the usual work on the car you guys grabbed. I'll check his work when I get back, make sure he did it right and doesn't need his programming redone."
"Wait, he's already up and running? He was in pieces on your workbench this morning," V points out.
"I work fast," I shrug. "If he goes well, I'm going to make a handful of them."
Showing Misty and Jackie the picture of my admittedly goofy looking droid, I accept the praise as I explain what else I did.
We've got electricity in the base, but not water yet. I've laid out the plans for water, plumbing, heating and everything else needed to make it go from a hideout to an actual home.
Using the Omnitool to make a full 3d hologram of our new home, we spend some time planning out what exactly we want to turn each building into. The secondary building is my garage and workshop, with a room upstairs that I intend to make into my new bedroom, but the main building is, at the moment, a large open space. It's going to take work to make it into an actual home with separate rooms, and we need to block out the giant tunnel that just goes right out of our basement.
Or hide the exit better and secure it so we have a secret exit.
But once I've got a few more droids up and running, the work is going to be far more manageable. First the essentials, then the defences. I'm going to turn that factory into a fortress.
A very comfy fortress.
[Tai Chi Master] - 200cp, 300cp remaining
Source: Touhou Project: Parasol Paradise
You can see the auras, or Qi, hidden within every being, giving you a myriad of useful information about them that you might not have known otherwise. Additionally, you become much more proficient in controlling your own Qi, as well as other inner energies.
I don't think anyone misses the wince I have as my power decides it's time to get more things. I blink rapidly, getting concerned looks from all three as I look over them and the sudden glow they have around them.
V is dark and cold, her true self hidden behind walls upon walls. There's a vulnerability there that she'd never admit to, a want to be able to come out of the walls that years of betrayal and backstabbing have forced her to build and hide behind.
Jackie is Jackie. Big, bright and brash. A protective flame, burning bright and fast. A part of him doesn't even care if he burns out, as long as he leaves some scorch marks to be remembered by. There's a need to be something more than just another Welles boy.
And Misty, the brightest aura of the three. Her belief in the occult is no game or hobby but a keystone of her entire life. She hates Night City and the way the world is, so she looks for answers in tea leaves and tarot cards.
"Luis?" Jackie asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I… I don't want this. I don't want to peek behind the curtain like this. If I can see to the core of everyone I meet, I'm going to end up with more walls than V in a week.
This is more Misty's thing.
Transfer [Tai Chi Master] to Misty Olszewski?
[Yes] [No]
…I can do that? My power hums, telling me that I can, and that I can take it back. Yes, then.
"What-" Misty gasps.
"Ah. I… uh, should have said something first, huh?" I ask, seeing her staring at us with the same shock that I had, mixed with far more awe. I wonder what she sees in me.
"What's happening?" V asks, frowning.
"I got something new. Like my healing. I didn't want it," I explain with a frown. "And I was thinking that some aura sight shit was more Misty's style. Then, I realised I could just… give it to her. Kinda did it without thinking."
"Your powers are growing? I thought so, but I wasn't sure," V admits. "And you can share them?"
"And you chose me?" Misty asks softly.
"I don't know why they're growing. The more we succeed, the more they grow, but I don't know their origin. I didn't think I could, until now," I admit. "And yeah. If there's anyone in the world I'm going to trust with some mystical aura sensing shit, it's you, Misty."
Misty gives me a look, which feels a lot more piercing that I just gave her the ability to see my very aura.
"Look. I'm a Techie. I like machines. I like droids. I like cars. I like things I can handle with a wrench and some duct tape. The healing stuff… well, it's too late to hand them off to someone else. I don't like occult weirdness. Doesn't make sense to me. Doesn't fit me. If I got something that's all sneaky and hacking, I'd give it to V. If I got something that works better for someone charging down our enemies with heavy weapons, I'd give it to Jackster. I keep the tech stuff," I say. "We're a team, right? If I can share the goods, there's no reason to hog stuff that doesn't fit my role."
"I'm not technically a part of your merc team," Misty points out softly, her eyes a little… heh, misty.
"Sure you are. You're Jackie's babysitter," I counter, getting a laugh and a punch in the arm from Jackie.
"Hell yeah, babe. You're totally one of us," Jackie reassures her. V snorts, but I can see the wheels turning. Even from the glimpse I saw, I know she's got ambitions way beyond just being mercs. Even now she's making deals and contracts everywhere she goes.
She wants the power she used to have back, but without the strings of corporate life. Funnily enough, I do trust her. Mutual self interest is a hell of a thing. There's a part of her that's warring against the idea of someone getting such power and sharing it. It just doesn't work in her corpo mind, but she's adaptable and after a moment she smirks.
"So, we just need to keep succeeding until you've got enough magic tricks for all of us?" V asks with a sly smirk.
"Then, we take Night City by the balls and don't stop squeezing until we all have everything we could ever want," I confirm just as easily. "Still, baby steps for now. If nothing else, people will be looking to me for the weirdness and Misty having the ability to see any weird auras lurking around Haywood only helps. I don't trust that corpos would go for us directly."
"Fair concern. I've talked to Padre about making sure Mama Welles has some extra eyes on her and the bar, but Misty could be a target as well," V agrees. She really is on top of things, isn't she? "So, what does it look like?"
"Like I'm seeing peoples' very souls. The lies we tell others, and ourselves, stripped away and our true center laid bare," Misty whispers.
"Like I said. Too spiritual and weird for me," I say with a shudder. "I'm not built to see the world like that. I'd go mad in a week."
"…you know you can turn it off, right?" Misty asks. "I can stop if I focus."
"I stopped by throwing it at you. Worked for me," I snort, getting a soft amused sigh.
"Thank you, Luis. Truly," Misty says, placing her hand on mine for a moment. "Are you curious what your aura looks like?"
"Some questions are better left unanswered," I snort, sipping my drink.
[Black Boxing] - 200cp, 100cp remaining
Source: Warhammer 40k - Squats
While certain red-robed rats of Mars always trying to get their grubby mechadendrites on your stuff is annoying, messing with them is endlessly entertaining. You can easily tweak your work to be nearly impossible for others to duplicate. If you're feeling particularly spiteful, you can build in some cross-connections so anyone trying will blow themselves up.
[Robotics] 100cp, 0cp remaining
Source: Star Trek: TNG
A combined study of mechanical engineering, and computer science. You learn how to make a wide array of machines, and you could even figure out Android or Borg technology if you studied it enough.
"Your power again," V asks. I nod. I really should be more careful about zoning out, but most will just assume I have something on my cyberoptics.
"I got some new tricks to make it basically impossible to replicate my tech, and a lot of ideas for new stuff to build," I admit, my mind zoning out for a moment.
A replicator could go crazy if I build a good enough power source. And a proper Holodeck would put my BDs to shame. I could even make a fusion reactor but make sure I have all the power I need but the parts- I could make them with a replicator but I don't have the power for it. Ha, I need the power for a replicator but to make a good power source I need the replicator.
A smaller power source could power a smaller replicator. Replicate the pieces for a proper power source, then make a full scale industrial replicator. We need to snowball before the Corpos come for us, and this might just be it.
But before I'm comfortable making something like that, our base needs to be much, much more secure. My healing power might be interesting to the corps, but the knowledge in my head is far more dangerous.
It's the kind of thing the corpos would start another corporate war over. Just for one of the tech bases living in the back of my mind, let alone all three.
Star Wars. DC. Star Trek. They'd destroy the city and everyone in it to get their hands on my knowledge. I notice Misty giving me a concerned look, realising that my aura must be showing my concern. I take a breath and give her a short nod.
"That's going to be necessary. As a former Counter-Intel girl, I can assure you that we have maybe a month, if we're lucky, until your tech is in corpo hands," V admits.
"I'll have them bring all the vans to our new garage, so I can install some new security in them and ensure that they can't be copied or even really studied," I nod. "But enough on that, we're celebrating these two finally getting their own place. To Jackie no longer living in his Mama's spare room!"
"Hell, I'll drink to that!" Jackie agrees as our bottles meet. "And stop looking so grumpy. Your carbonated shit is still in the fridge. And I've got some great tequila to mix it with!"
Needing no further prompting, I push my bottle over to him as I go to get a far better drink.
Tonight is a night of celebration, after all.
— Next Morning —
Waking, I curse Jackie with my every functioning brain cell. Why do I always let him egg me on to drink way more than I can handle?
At least I'm waking up in my own bed for once. Jackie and Misty insisted that they were keeping this room as a guest room, and that I was free to use it whenever. I think I told them that was dumb and to turn it into a gym for Jackster or something. Or was Jackie moving his weights to the new base? Ugh.
A soft weight beside me makes me blink. I can't say this is the first time waking up next to someone else after a night with too much booze, but my options last night were in short supply and I don't think we invited anyone else.
The shape shifts, sitting up with a long yawn as V, topless, stretches and looks around the room slowly before her eyes fall on me.
"Morning," V greets, uncaring of her bare breasts being on display. "Enjoying the view?"
"Did we-" I mumble, getting a chuckle from her as she lays back down, resting her head on her hand.
"Nah. There's only two beds here and I didn't want to sleep on the couch," V answers easily enough. "I'm not surprised you don't remember. You tried to out drink Jackie."
"Mrhgle," I mumble into my pillow. I'm not sure what I was trying to say but it was probably a slur aimed at Jackie.
"Disappointed?" V asks in amusement, stretching again as her movement causes her amazingly perky tits to jiggle. "You can look. I didn't put this much work into my body to be shy."
"Bioscuplting?" I ask, curious despite myself. It's not uncommon, but it's also expensive to get good bio-sculpting work and V's body is a work of art. Nothing looks synthetic.
"Yup. Arasaka has a deal with New-U and offers very discounted biosculpting for counter-intel agents since changing our looks every other week can help a lot. I made good use of it," V admits with a shrug. "Honestly, not an inch of this body is natural."
"Doesn't make it look any less appealing," I point out, sitting up myself as I realise something.
...okay, I sleep topless but where are my pants?
"Apparently not. You're grabby in your sleep," V agrees with a cocky smirk. "It's a good job I was already planning to seduce you, or I might have gotten offended at how handsy you were getting."
"Seduce me?" I ask in amusement at her being so blatant.
"Obviously. I'm a corpo at heart, and you are my ticket to regaining my power and wealth. My best bet is to make myself as useful to you as possible, and while I've been doing a good job so far, honeypots exist for a reason," V explains simply.
"Ah, of course. Though I think outright telling the target that they're being honeypotted is a bit of a unique strategy," I point out.
"Well, you're a unique target," V replies with a grin. I snort at that, flooding us both with golden light to clear up the hangover. Jackie is on his own.
Wait. Ah, the aura reading. She is worried about how much I saw, and Misty is seeing, so she's going with full honesty to prevent me from feeling like she's untrustworthy. She really is adaptable.
"So, how much do you actually remember?" V asks in amusement as I focus.
"Jackie got out his lucky charm tequila bottle. Had some crazy story about it being one of the first made by Jesus de Abajo or something," I mumble, rubbing my head. "I think he made me a tequila and NiCola that was one part NiCola and ninety-nine parts tequila. Why do I keep letting him make my drinks? It's all blurry from there."
"You don't remember playing spin the bottle?" V asks with a sly grin. "We used that tequila bottle until Jackie spun it too hard and broke it."
"Of course he did. And I don't remember a damn thing," I admit. "Wait, what should I be remembering?"
"Me and Misty making out, topless, for a start," V says with a sly grin. "That girl has definitely had a girlfriend or three before. You got a lap dance. And there's a reason your boxers are missing. I think they're on the kitchen counter."
"…from who?" I ask, but V just giggles. Frowning, I reach over and flick her nipple, getting a yelp of surprise. "Oi. Answers."
I'm right to assume she doesn't take offence, just giggle more as she slips out of bed. Unlike me, she's still wearing her underwear, if that tiny thong can be called underwear at all.
"Come on. I can smell breakfast," V says, grabbing her clothes from where they are neatly piled. She doesn't get drunk, does she? I don't even know where my clothes are.
…and I just moved all my clothes to the new place, and didn't leave any spares here.
V, mercifully, returns with my boxers and trousers.
No really, who the fuck did I get a lap dance from? Is she just fucking with me?
…was it Jackie?
Heading out of the bedroom, for what might be the last time in a long time, I spot a dustpan with broken glass in it sitting on the windowsill for some reason. Wait, was V telling the truth?
"Good morning!" Misty says, far too chipper for this early hour of… 11am. "I'm making synth scrambled eggs. They'll be ready soon."
"Luis- my head-" the voice of the damned groans as Jackie tries to sit up from where he's laid out on the couch. "Please…"
Walking past him, I roll my eyes and flick him in the forehead, sending some healing energy into him. He's lucky I like him.
Heading toward the kitchen area, I pause as I clear the counter. Misty is wearing one of Jackie's t-shirts, which is unsurprising. Before I walked around the counter, I assumed she was wearing it and her pyjama pants.
The long legs and thick thighs on display suggest otherwise. Humming to herself as she cooks, on a stove that hasn't been touched in like a month since I sure as fuck didn't use it, she dances slightly to the music coming from the radio, the shirt doing nothing to cover her curvy ass. She is wearing panties, black and lacy with parts being almost translucent.
Remembering that I'm ogling Misty, I shake my head and thank myself for only giving Jackie a nudge as he's still face down on the couch but V certainly didn't miss that as she gives me a raised eyebrow and that oh-so-familiar smirk as I walk past Misty to grab something from the fridge before lumbering over to the counter.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" I ask with a stretch. "…and where is my top."
— Bonus Scene — Judy Alvarez
"Judes, relax," Evelyn sighed, seeing her still glaring at the BD wreath.
"I am relaxed!" Judy countered angrily. She lasted all of a second before she sighed, acknowledging that she was full of shit. She was very much not relaxed. "You know this is serious."
"Jude, you're one of the best BD Techies in the city. Why are you getting so heated because you found someone who might be better than you?" Eve sighed again, not seeing the issue.
Judy flushed at the praise, but she couldn't shake her annoyance.
"Because I'm new to the Mox, who hired me for my skills as a BD Tech. This is the worst time for the fucking Valentinos to be putting out their own BDs that are better than anything I can make," Judy sighed. The Mox and Valentinos weren't exactly enemies, because the Valentinos would crush the Mox if it became a fight and everyone knew it. The Mox were the smallest of the gangs, and the Valentinos were arguably the strongest.
But having this… Raul guy running his own BD club was cutting into Mox profits. The Mox recorded all their own BDs, but now the Valentinos were getting in on the trade and Raul had access to one fucking wizard of a techie.
"Be honest. Are you upset you got beat, or that the other techie uses such a dumb pseudonym?" Evelyn asked in amusement.
"…I almost wouldn't mind, but what the fuck do you mean I'm losing to 'HeyWoodYouSuckMyBalls'?" Judy whined, glaring at the copy of HeyWoods latest BD. "Either way, Susie is pissed. Profits are down, and unlike the Mox, the Tinos have the resources to make more BD Dens."
"Okay, okay. Since I'm such a nice girl, I'll do you a favour. I have some contacts, I'll see if I can track down your arch rival," Evelyn giggled.
"And what? He's almost certainly a Tino with a name like that, and his avatar looks typical Valentino. We touch their techie, they burn the bar down," Judy pointed out with a grunt.
"But aren't you curious to know who is beating you, and how? Evelyn pointed out in that sly voice she got before doing something stupid.
For once, Judy didn't feel like trying to stop her.
Fucking HeyWood.