Chapter 17 –
"Welcome to N54 News. I am Gillean Jordan. Our top story tonight, the frozen container yard in Watson's Industrial Northside continues to baffle authorities."
Do these news channels have nothing better to report? I mean I get it. Cryo-weapons! Ooooh, fancy~! Move on please, I would appreciate it very much!
Anyway… Empathy was just as jampacked as it had been last time. The queue of people waiting to get in was yet again spilling out onto the streets. The music was thumping. I could feel it even through the windows of my car, almost overpowering the speakers.
"Earlier today, the NCPD released its preliminary analysis of the bizarre incident at a container yard in Watson, where an entire shipping lot was found encased in a thick layer of ice. They have confirmed that the ice is indeed, a thick sheet of ice. Beneath the frozen surface, authorities have confirmed the presence of what they are describing as 'charred and mangled corpses' Corpses that have been identified to have been primarily that of a chapter of the Tyger Claws."
So, the badges attempted to analyze the ice and confirmed that it really was ice. Good for them! Also, no mention of the Scavengers under there from N54? If anything, there were more of them there than the Tygers.
Dammit, there was no place to park here this time either! Looks like the side alley it is for me, yet again.
"Investigators have ruled out all known chemical processes to be the cause of the formation, as the frost appears to have formed almost instantly and with extreme intensity. Cryogenic weaponry do not exist in the market, despite prior attempts by various corporations, raising further questions about what, or who, was behind this."
I pulled into the side alley and parked behind the club's dumpster. There were a couple fucking behind the dumpster that I accidentally placed under the beam of my headlights. I killed the lights before they could realize that I'd exposed them…. Eitherway, I don't think they cared much.
"In an effort to uncover the truth, the NCPD has reached out to corporate experts for insight. Militech's R&D division has been officially requested to provide consultation. However, when contacted for comment, Militech representatives declined to respond."
Militech declined to comment, which really means they're scrambling to figure out what the hell just happened. Give it a week, and I bet they'll be shopping for mercs, or send their own teams, to hunt down whoever made that ice, because that's a hell of a lot more effective than playing detective on their own.
Dammit, another thing to be on the lookout for.
"For now, this remains an unsolved mystery, leaving citizens and officials alike wondering, what kind of technology could create such an effect? Who was behind the innovation into Cryogenics useable in deployable weaponry, and more importantly, what does it mean for the future of armed conflict around the world?"
What does it mean for the sales of their protective Cyberware, they mean.
"In other news, Insider sources in Militech are allocating more funds into the development of their Svalinn product line of Thermaskin. The next generation Svalinn 9-F Thermaskin syn-skin implant is set to be released in early 2077. Initial testing shows that it can withstand temperature shifts ranging from -220°F to 700°F."
And there's the attempt at capitalization of a potential new market by the corporations. That was a very quick response from Militech, I have to admit.
Did they have a line up of implants meant to withstand such cold just for the heck of it? I need to look into the Svalinn series of Syn-skin implants, and other such products from other corporations.
Either way, I don't think they're capable of withstanding sudden temperature shifts, and the thermal shock thereafter, as my weapons can induce. Besides CETN-3 can drop temps below 350°F instantly, so they have a ways to go before they are anywhere near being able to stand up to these yet.
I killed the engine and stepped out into the alley ignoring the pair fucking away just a few paces away from me.
I reached into the trunk of my car, grabbed the wolf helmet, and donned it over my head. The reinforced plating settled snugly, the cool interior of the alloy pressing against my skin. My vision remained clear through the mask, the world tinged slightly darker through its tinted ceramic.
The crate of weapons for the rest of my crew sat beside it, alongside the Cyberware of the patients that I needed to repair. I hoisted the weapons case up, the weight settling comfortably in my grip, and shut the trunk with my elbow.
Just as I did so, a heavy familiar pressure built up in the back of my head. The vibrant galaxy materialized in mind's eyes. A large cluster of stars moved closer to my soul, and a single star pulsed. The star grew brighter, and brighter and fucking finally it flowed into my soul.
…. The forge has given me a hammer, and an Anvil. Delivered somewhere inside my pocket dimension.
Right.
Okay, it's much more than a mere hammer and anvil, of course it is. This particular set can smash fucking atoms together if I wanted it to… if I had some way to channel the energy from such a thing away from forming a small rapidly collapsing star at the center of whatever I was working on. Which includes the mass of such a thing, the gravitational distortion it would cause, the heat it would generate….
I …. can only use this thing to its full potential in the void of space. There are other uses of this, I can probably improve my Katana, and anything else I forged to some degree but to bring out the true potential of this hammer and anvil….
Right. I am sure it'd be useful somewhere down the line.
Hopefully.
Sighing, I turned to head to the club, and spotted a familiar dark leather jacket near the entrance of the alley. Rebecca. She was leaning on the wall, dozing between wakefulness and sleep.
I adjusted my grip on the case and strode toward her. "Rebecca? What are you doing here?"
She jolted at the sound of my voice, then groaned in pain massaging her temple in her giant cybernetic hands as she peered at me suspiciously for a few long seconds.
But then, just as fast, her expression shifted. Her mouth parted slightly, her brows lifted, and a wide grin broke across her face.
"Zain? Holy shit! Where the hell did you get that mask?!" She pushed off the wall, stepping closer, eyes gleaming as she took in the wolf-shaped helmet. "Fuckin' preem as hell! What, you tryna one-up the whole edge factor, I have to say, I'm digging the wolf motif! 'Cause damn, choom, you're pulling it off… even if it is very Corpo in style, I like it!"
I shifted the crate in my arms slightly before answering. "Thanks! I made it. Protection for my face, seeing as we're heading into a firefight. Again."
Rebecca's grin was still wide, but I caught the slight twitch of her brow as she rubbed at her temple with two massive fingers again.
"And that's why everyone gets subderms these days," she exclaimed, shaking her head slightly, "Good idea, though. That mask'll keep your face from gettin' blown off. Looks pretty fuckin' nova too. Much better than your bandana. Why didn't you bring this last time?"
"I would have brought this, but it wasn't ready last time," I adjusted the crate in my arms. "Anyway, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside? It's cold out here."
She yawned stretching, and winced slightly "I'm waiting for you, gonk-brain. Where else would I be?"
She was clearly in some form of discomfort.
"Hey, you alright?" I asked in concern.
Rebecca sighed, rolling her neck like she was trying to work out a kink.
"It's just a hangover," she muttered. "Slept through almost the entire damn day. After last night…" She trailed off, shaking her head again.
Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Ohhh, that reminds me," she said, snapping her fingers. "Did you go see that ripper choom of yours? Vik? How are those poor gonks now? They doin' better?"
I nodded, shifting the weight of the crate slightly in my arms. "Yeah. I was able to help two of them already, and Vik handled one of the patients on his own. The Cyberware for the rest is in the trunk of my car, I'll be heading back after fixing them up tomorrow, once all this is dealt with."
Rebecca sighed, rubbing her temple again before dropping her hand to her side. "At least that's one thing that's going good today."
I glanced at her as we bypassed the massive line stretching outside the club's entrance. "Why? What's wrong?"
"Just my crew…" She scoffed, kicking a stray can out of her way as we approached the door. "I wanted to go out and use that preem shotty you gave me yesterday, y'know? But turns out we're not gonna be taking any gigs for the next couple weeks. Some big job's coming up with one of our old fixers, so everyone's gotta sit tight."
I hummed in understanding as we neared the entrance. The bouncer, the same one who had stopped me last time, stepped forward to block our path, arms crossed. His gaze flicked between us, lingering on my wolf mask and the case in my arms.
He made to stop me as he had last time but I interjected. "We have a reservation under Ethan Kim."
The bouncer narrowed his eyes slightly, then tapped the datapad attached to his wrist. As his eyes glowed orange.
Finally, he nodded "Go on in. Sir. Ma'am."
Rebecca clicked her tongue in annoyance, as we walked by "Who's he calling Ma'am!"
She shook her head in annoyance, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
She sighed and continued speaking.
"Anyway… on top of that, Wakako's not givin' me shit for solo work, no matter how much I ask. The crusty old hag! Even Regina's a no go!" She threw up her hands in frustration. "Can't even get a quick solo gig these days. There's nothing to do! How am I supposed to properly 'mire my new shotty if there's nothing to fuck up with it!"
I nodded as we strode past the receptionist, heading toward the security gate leading into the main dance floor. "Well… in that case, I suppose you can properly try it out now. The scavs will give you plenty of opportunities to fuck shit up tonight!"
The second bouncer at the security gate had stopped me last time because of my weapons. This time, I was carrying an entire case full of them, plus ammunition.
Becca had gotten her weaponry past him by provoking him to do something about it. He had backed off, knowing that a fight was not worth the risk. Becca could take out more dudes, twice his size than him, that this club could hire as huscle while half asleep and he could sense that with just her chrome.
I was wearing almost pseudo military styled clothes this time, and the mask that I was wearing was very intimidating up close. He wouldn't be able to recognize me through it either.
I can bluff my way through just like her. Using Ethan's connections would be sufficient to sell it appropriately.
Hopefully, he wouldn't remember Becca from last time. She had slyly robbed his sockets for all the creds he had been worth after all.
The bouncer at the security gate took one look at me, then at the case in my arms, and immediately shifted to block my path. His cybernetic optics flickered briefly, scanning me as the scanners at the door flared red.
"Sir," he said, voice edged with suspicion. "Care to explain why you're bringing a case full of weapons and ammunition into this club?"
"No. Step aside," I met his gaze through the wolf mask and tried to seem firm. "I have been invited here by a corporate associate of this club."
The bouncer's optics flickered again, no doubt trying to pull up facial recognition data, but the mask rendered him blind. His expression remained impassive, but I caught the faintest flicker of hesitation as he searched through his data pad instead for reservations.
A beat passed. Then, he relaxed.
"Ah, Mr. Fanghorn's guests." He nodded once, stepping aside. "My apologies. Please, step right in."
I gave him a curt nod in return and walked through, Rebecca striding in lazily beside me.
Guess he didn't remember her after all… or didn't put two and two together that it was her who had robbed him blind. Dumbass.
The club was just as last time, bathed in a haze of neon blues and pinks, the pulsing bass of music guiding the almost naked dancers on the floor rhythmically as they were being ogled by the patrons all around them.
Rebecca let out a low whistle, glancing back toward the security gate as we moved deeper into the club. Before she could say anything she winced.
"Ughh, this place is too loud" she shook her head off the pain and smirked, tilting her head toward me. "Still, that was much better than the last gonked time."
She grinned, nudging me lightly with her elbow. "Dropping a corpo name and gliding in like you own the place. You're learning well, you mister fuckin' big shot, you. Whose style did you copy? Your old man or someone?"
I wasn't doing myself any favors here. Her theory of me being some corpo's kid is just growing at this point.
"…Actually," I said after a beat, I needed to trust her, if I wanted her help. "I wanted to talk to you about that."
Becca arched an eyebrow, her smirk slipping into something more inquisitive. "Oh? What, something happen again?"
"No, no… Nothing happened…" I started but then stopped myself.
"…Well. My neighbor did try to place bugs in my apartment and spy on me, so there's that." I shrugged. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about. It's about Wakako and Susie, and how I want to deal with them."
Rebecca had stopped mid-step, staring at me.
"Hold the fuck up." She grabbed my sleeve, pulling me back slightly. "Backtrack, choom. What do you mean your neighbor tried to bug your place?"
I waved her off, shaking my head.
"That's not what I'm worried about. I think she's an idiot anyway." I adjusted the crate slightly, my voice unbothered. "I caught those stupid bugs immediately. I mean, she tried to give me a damn bugged plant as a gift. Real amateur shit. I'll manage that easily enough."
Rebecca stared at me for another second, then snorted, shaking her head.
"Alright, fine." She rolled her shoulders, then arched a brow at me. "So… what do you wanna talk about?"
I glanced around, and toward the upper lounge where Ethan and the others were likely waiting. This club was not the place to discuss this.
"Not right now," I admitted. "We need to deal with this op first. But after this is done, maybe we can sit down and talk?"
Becca gave a lazy shrug, hands sliding into her pockets. "Sure. Come over to my place after this, and we'll talk."
I hope I can come clean to her about my predicament, without giving away the forge. I don't really know how I would do that, but I have to try. I want to clear a lot of the misconceptions between us. From all of my friends for that matter.
I don't really want to lie to Becca, or to Archie, or to any of my friends.
But I don't want to tell them about the forge either, or the fact that I'm actually from a distant few decades in some different past.
Lying is very easy, lying while telling the truth is fucking difficult.
I really should have had some sort of story readied out for things like this. Especially about my past. Something plausible, but in my infinite wisdom I hadn't gotten one down. Never really considered the work it would take to hide this from people close to me. Let alone the powers that would scrutinize me in so much detail as could be.
Really, what did I expect from a surveillance state like this future was.
Though to be honest, I had no idea how insane the things the Forge would teach me, that it would give me would turn out to be.
If tomorrow, it decides to give me something equally as insane, or even more so, like the Warehouse or something else that I can't really hide the effect of, I will have no way to adjust my lies to fit whatever that would be into the hundred others I have already told.
Heck, if I used the hammer and anvil it's given me right now to it's full potential right now, I am sure whoever survived the resulting explosion would have at least some questions as to how I did it.
Lying while making room for the insanity of the forge is even more difficult.
We arrived at the lounge, and the door slid open with a quiet hiss.
"…We need to get this right with him if we want it to work for them properly," Ethan was saying, his voice edged with the kind of urgency.
Archie spotted us first, her cybernetic eyes flickering slightly as she peered up at us, me in particular.
For a moment, she didn't seem to be able to place me given what I was wearing, but finally she exclaimed "Zain! Damn! Is that you?"
I will worry about how to lie to my friends properly later.
I laughed at the similar reactions from Archie and Becca. "Like my new look?"
"Do I?" She asked "It's pretty damn nova! It reminds me of that mask from Bushido Eleven! What's it called again, Ethan?"
"I can't remember, it's a very old movie. The choom who wore it hacked the SovOil president, or something is all I know." Ethan commented admiring my mask as well.
Bushido series of movies were something I wanted to eventually sit down and watch.
I shook my head chuckling, taking pride in the gaze even if I felt a little awkward at the praise. "I didn't really base it off anything. I just like Wolves, and thought it'd look cool." I said.
"You should see the movie, or heck the BD of it if you can! That mask looks a lot like that!" She said as Becca stepped in beside me, her gaze flicking around the lounge.
The holoprojector in the center of the room displayed the shots of the drone footage Yoko had scouted for this shindig. Sweeping aerial shots of the Scav hideout nestled deep in the rooftop slums of Allen Street in Watson.
A few half-finished bottles of Centzon were scattered across the table, some with glasses still half full. Archie and Ethan must've been here a while then.
Rebecca glanced at the room. "The hag's not here yet?"
Before anyone could answer, Yoko's voice rang out from the speakers of the holoprojector, sharp and clear. "I am here, thank you very much."
Rebecca huffed, while Archie smiled apologetically.
"She's setting up over at a motel nearby. Got on call just a few minutes ago" Archie explained, leaning back in her seat. "Said she'll need to be jacked in directly if she wants to avoid the problems we had last time."
That was smart. If she could hack and be away from the fight entirely, she wouldn't be in any trouble from anyone wanting to rush her location.
I nodded, stepping forward and placing the weapons case onto the table with a solid thunk as I took a seat removing the mask for the time being. Becca plopped down beside me, stretching out with a sigh.
Ethan leaned forward, his eyes flicking between me and the case I had placed on the table, barely concealing the anticipation in his tone. "Are those the cryo weapons you made for us?"
His excitement was almost infectious, and Archie shifted in her seat, leaning in excitably as well. That's when I finally caught the change in her appearance. She had gotten new hardware, fresh enhancements integrated seamlessly into her frame.
Chrome was lining her entire body, and I couldn't help myself from focusing on it this time.
Thread-like lines wove faint pulsing blue patterns along her synthetic skin, an intricate network running partly subdermally along parts of her body. EMP shielding. A personal Faraday cage embedded within her flesh, reinforcing her against electronically targeted hostile system shutdowns.
Even the faintest disruption wouldn't be able to fry most of the core parts of her electronics now, such as the IR capable Kiroshi optics, or the neuroport attached to her skull.
But that wasn't all.
She had her skin laced with subdermal chrome almost all over. Augmented with a well hidden fine-meshed array of projection nodes, strategically placed to support active holographic imaging. A fully integrated optical camouflage system. Given the right conditions, she could vanish into her surroundings, distort her silhouette, or throw off most targeting systems in a pinch.
Then, there were the mantis blade and projectile launcher in each of her arms. Extra layers of reinforced padding wrapped around her wrists and forearms. Shock absorbers, likely to dampen recoil and impact damage. Beneath the plating, her skeletal structure had been reinforced with an intricate metallic framework, powered by servos and microrotors embedded deep into her augmented musculature.
Archie caught me staring and grinned, flexing her fingers slightly. "Like my new implants?"
I nodded, taking in the extensive modifications. "Yeah, they're... very extensive."
Before Archie could respond, Ethan coughed irritably, crossing his arms. "Choom! The weapons, please!"
I shook my head slightly, sensing the same kind of enhancements in him, minus the arm mods. He had gone for a similar level of protective augments, the same intricate network of semi subdermal threading running beneath his skin alongside the optical camo.
Up till now, apart from the optical cybernetics, and neuroport, I hadn't seen any chrome on him.
He had gotten an upgrade recently too then. If I remembered correctly, Zetatech had repossessed the implants he had gotten working for them, and this was likely the first upgrade since.
"Right, my bad." I nodded at him apologetically, turning back to the case. With a click, I unlatched it and flipped the lid open.
Inside, nestled within the case, lay three weapons. Each bore the same distinct light liquid-clear blue finish of the alloy that my weaponry were now made of, accented by cyan-blue tubing running along their frames, feeding directly into the chamber of each weapon.
"I didn't know what kind of weapon you'd want the tech augmented into," I said, glancing between Archie and Ethan. "So, I made the best judgment I could."
Archie reached forward first, eyes widening slightly as she picked up the revolver. It was a piece of work, that I had modelled off her mother's Overture. Modified to take twenty rounds in a single canister.
A high-powered custom revolver fitted with a massive rotary canister angled over the handle which held the charging port. The cryogenic fluid was injected separately, fed from a small cartridge loaded at the port that laced each bullet with the freezing compound before it was fired.
Archie turned it over in her hand, inspecting the cyan tubing that lined the barrel. "Preem! This thing's got the right weight and everything!"
"It fires twenty rounds from one canister," I explained. "It'll shoot 44 caliber rounds, but if you want the cryo tech to work properly, you'd need a hollow point. Don't worry, I got the ammunition with me this time. It's in the case."
Ethan had already reached for his weapon, an assault rifle, based on his choice of weapon in the previous shootout at the container yard.
It functioned similarly to Archie's revolver, with a standard magazine for bullets and a separate charging port near the stock where the cryogenic fluid was loaded. Cyan tubing ran along the length of the weapon, leading into the chamber where the rounds were injected with the fluid.
Ethan let out a low whistle, fingers tracing the tubing. "Damn, Zain. This is some fine work. Best I've seen, even from Zetatech!"
That was high praise indeed. I could feel the blush creeping on my face, so I moved on.
"For Yoko, I put together an SMG. Has a standard mag, like your AR, Ethan." I nodded to Ethan's AR and continued explaining to Yoko on the holo projector "Just like the separate charging port near the stock. I'll have to hand this off to you later, Yoko."
Ethan was already checking the rifle's holo sights, nodding in approval. "How's it supposed to work?"
I indicated to the magazine port, then gestured at the rifle's charging port.
"It takes a separate cartridges for the cryogenics, apart from a standard magazine. They slot in here," I pointed at each respective loading mechanism. "Bullets and fluid are loaded separately in each weapon. Just make sure the cryo cartridge is locked in, or you'll be firing normal rounds."
I let them examine the weapons for a few moments before continuing.
"These do not have any homing capabilities however, and I didn't give them the alternating burn inducing rounds either. That would require more time to engineer than I had on hand." I explained apologetically.
Even my own SMG had taken a downgrade in that angle, though it made up by being capable of firing bullets that dealt the impact equivalent to bloody grenades because of the heavenly engravings on them. The ice it could build up on top of that…. I didn't need to have fire rounds to shatter my enemies at all.
And … my SMG could home in on tagged enemies even now.
The weapons for my friends don't have that though.
"That's fine, we asked for the cryo-tech anyway. We got we wanted" Archie grinned savagely waving me off. "We're gonna have fun with these. The Scavs, that fucker Jae-Hyun won't know what hit him when we roll over them with these bad boys."
I chuckled, feeling a deep sense of pride over their reactions on my creations, and reached into the case again, pulling out one of the cyan-blue cryo cartridges. The translucent casing glowed faintly under the club's neon lights.
"These are the cartridges for the weapons," I explained, setting one down on the table where the others could get a better look. "They're standard across all the weapons, so no need to worry about compatibility. Each cartridge should last for approximately 500 rounds."
Silence.
Then, all at once, the room reacted.
Ethan's jaw tightened as he sucked in a breath through his teeth, his fingers curling slightly around the rifle. Archie blinked rapidly before letting out a low, impressed whistle, turning the revolver over in her hands like she had to reassess it entirely. Even Yoko's let out an audible on the holoprojector "What the fuck?" from wherever she was jacked in.
Rebecca just smirked, giant arms wide as she leaned back into the couch, clearly enjoying their reactions.
"500 rounds?" Ethan finally managed, tilting his head as if he misheard. "Per cartridge? Did I hear you right?"
"Yeah. I made sure the tech would be sustainable for a long time. If you ever run out, you can ask to me to make more, for a price of course." I nodded, letting that sink in "I don't know how often you'd have to use these, but I don't want to make you guys have to come to me every other week for these."
Archie shook her head in disbelief, a slow grin forming on her lips. "Holy shit. I knew you were going to be getting us some preem tech, but this…."
I shrugged. "I figured if we're using them tonight, I needed to be as thorough as I can."
Yoko groaned from the holo. "Now I'm regretting not being there in person."
Archie snickered, rolling the revolver between her hands before eyeing the cartridges again. "Wait, how many of these cartridges have you got for today?"
I tapped the case. "I've got four each for all of you. On me. So today should be pretty easily covered."
"That's two thousand rounds!" Ethan let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Holy blistering frozen ballsacs! That's a lot of rounds!"
Yoko sighed dramatically. "If someone tries to gonk us and steal these, I swear I'll fry their brains myself!"
Ethan was still looking at the rifle in pure wonder. He tested the weight again, shouldering it with a satisfied nod. "Damn, Zain. You really outdid yourself."
I exhaled, leaning back slightly before clearing my throat. "Alright, before you all start getting too attached to those, I'm gonna need to see some eds."
Rebecca chuckled under her breath, watching with amusement.
Archie and Ethan leaned back on the couch. Yoko remained silent.
Ethan tilted his head, eyeing me with mild exasperation.
"Right, right. I forgot that you're doing biz here. Still, you haven't given us a price tag" He tapped a finger against the rifle in his hands. "How much?"
"Twelve thousand each," I stated, turning to the holotable I added "Yoko, I'll get you your SMG later, so you can hold off for now."
The woman's voice came through amused "For a moment I thought I'd have to device a way to entice you over… maybe another in-depth look at my Cyberware, perhaps?"
I ignored her.
Becca leaned forward, pulling out her shotgun and placing it on the table "I dunno about the rest of you, but I got my money's worth with this thing! I can't wait to properly put it to use today!"
Archie peered closely at Becca's shotgun taking in the detailed finishing and personalization I had done on her and commented "Someone got extra attention for their gun. I see how it is!"
I shuffled in my seat sheepishly "I, uhm, I would've done more work on yours too, but I was running out of time. I did as good a job as I could, making sure the quality is the best, but I couldn't put in work on the detailing for each of you individually.'
"No, no, don't worry. I get it~" Archie said slyly looking at Becca, then she shook her head, "These things look preem as hell as they are. I can see why you're going for such a high price tag. It's almost as much as some really good implants. I would've done the same if I could do work like this!"
…. Right.
Becca was looking at me soulfully, and for the life of me, I couldn't refute Archie at all.
Ethan let out a low whistle and nodded at her words. "I figured you would go for that. That's upper-tier market pricing."
Right, better to focus on justifying the price!
I shrugged. "Considering these don't exist in the market, I'd say that's more than fair. You're getting prototype-tier hardware with custom cryogenic integration. If a corpo got their hands on something like this? They'd be selling these for at least triple the price."
Ethan hummed in thought, nodding slowly.
"Yeah, no choom, I get it. This kinda tech? My old colleagues at Zetatech would've clawed each other's eyes out for a chance at reverse engineering it. Let alone what other Corps would do to each other, for the same" He glanced down at the rifle, running a hand along the tubing. "Still, pricey."
I nodded, but didn't argue. I wasn't going to lower the price.
Ethan then snapped his fingers, as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh, right, that reminds me. I got the eds for that gold bar you gave me."
I raised an eyebrow. "Already?"
"Yeah, I offloaded it to a fixer I know. Muamar Reyes. We've uh… had similar situations to deal with, so we're tight!" His expression turned a bit more amused. "He was very interested in figuring out where I got such a high-quality sample out here. I told him it was a nomad contact who was looking to sell, but I wouldn't be surprised if he starts digging into it more."
Right. Another thing to be looking out for. Another fixer who'd want to find me for some reason… Even if this one was someone Ethan considered trustworthy, I don't want to deal with this right now!
Dammit! At least, there's no real history that he could dig up about that bar of gold that he could use to trace me. Unless he finds some other means to find me, I should be alright.
This fixer doesn't know that I can produce the cryo-weapons, so there's no need to worry about that at least. Still, this is another potentially powerful person who will be searching for me.
I didn't let my panic at that show on my face, and body language however. Thank God, Ethan didn't tell his friend about me!
Ethan shrugged, his Kiroshis flickering as his optics glowed blue.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as he did so, and both Archie and Rebecca's eyes glowed blue as well.
I pulled my phone out and I saw the transaction message from Marmur bank.
TRANSFER RECEIVED: 99,771.6 €$
"He valued it at 8127 eds an ounce, I've taken out the commission's you'd offered all of us from that and sent you the 12 thou for this beaut with it." Ethan said. "And I won't be surprised if Reyes finds out about whatever op out in the Badlands you smuggled it to NC from."
That valuation was a little less than what I would have haggled for, but close enough. It was what, some 100 eddies an ounce less than what I had found online?
I could agree to that.
This fixer looking for me though….
I sighed shaking my head. "He can dig all he wants. He won't find a damn thing."
Hopefully.
Ethan let out a soft chuckle. "Confident."
I nodded. "We covered our tracks well. There will be no loose ends there."
Unless this Muamar Reyes has connections with the eldritch entity of the forge, he's not finding out where I got the gold from.
Finding out that I was the one who wanted to sell it though… if he does somehow sus me out, hopefully it won't be anytime soon.
Archie's fingers tapped against the table once before her optics glowed a faint blue. A second later, my phone buzzed again. Another transaction.
TRANSFER RECEIVED: 12,000 €$
I glanced at her and nodded in confirmation.
I finally had about 130k in the bank. A lot of money to handle a lot of future problems hopefully.
Ethan let out a breath and stretched.
"Alright. Now that we're all adequately armed and armored for the Op," He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Let's have a look at what we're dealing with tonight, shall we?"
The air in the room shifted. The levity that we had been treating this faded.
Right. I had been keeping my nerves under control too, keeping my mind off the impending operation, staying cool as long as possible. But now, it was time to get down to the brass tacks of what we were going to be handling.
Archie was the one who reacted visibly. Her entire frame visibly straightened, her jaw tightened as her expression hardened. She didn't speak, but she didn't have to. Everyone knew why she was here.
"Right, let's get this show going then." The holoprojector flickered, the visuals shifting as Yoko's voice came through the speakers. "Jae-Hyun's main hideout is in the rooftop slums on Allen Street. The drone footage I captured gives us a detailed view of the area."
The display cycled through a series of aerial shots. Rusted rooftops crammed together, barely held up by reinforced beams and scrap metal plating. Narrow alleys, makeshift pathways and bridges connecting the rooftops, a highway to the North, and another to the West.
"Damn," Rebecca muttered, shifting forward for a better look. "That's a tight area. And heavily packed with people."
"Exactly," Yoko agreed. "Unlike the last time, this is gonna be a lot trickier. The entire zone is surrounded by civilians in the slums. Homeless, squatters, other gangoons, all packing some kind of iron at least. If we're not careful, we could be mowing down innocents."
…. I do not like this one bit. This is not something I had anticipated.
Of course, the scavs were using the squatters living around them essentially as meat shields.
Is there a different way to get at Jae-Hyun… Lure him out maybe?
With what though?
Guy's entire operation is set there. We do not have any information about him specifically. He is probably already on alert as it is, his second in command being taken out just a few days ago.
Luring him out is a no go. He won't fall for it. Not without something compelling to make him. That would need more intel, more time that I didn't have, maybe Archie and the others could be convinced to hold off….
It would serve me better if we didn't go through with this tonight, it would mean there won't be more attention on my tech than what I was already facing… But at the same time I wanted to go out and put an end to the scumbag that had killed my friend!
Dammit!
I don't even know if I can convince Archie to not take a shot at the man today! She's hell bent on getting him for her dad as well!
Shit, tonight would probably also mean that my friends would also have people looking for them for my tech!
Maybe I could talk her into postponing this till we do have a better opportunity to do this? Better intel specifically about Jae-Hyun?
"Shit, civilian casualties is not something we want on our hands at all." Ethan sighed, rubbing his chin. "That complicates things."
I need to see what the rest of my friends can devise to handle this and decide.
"Not unless you want the badges up our ass," Yoko added. "We're in Kabuki now, not Northside. This is my home turf, and the NCPD actually does respond sometimes out here. If things go too loud, we'll have patrols within the hour."
That got a sharp glance from Becca. "What kind of response are we looking at? It's Kabuki, so they're not that quick sending out any kind of squad."
Would the NCPD even care if its some slums, and a scav hideout in the middle of it that gets into a firefight? I don't think they would send a response worth much if any at all.
An hour was doable.
The civilians though….!
"If the NCPD take this seriously, which they probably will as soon as it gets out that there's cryogenic weapons involved, we'll have a lot of shit on our hands. So, it won't be anything we can deal with." Ethan commented after a measure of contemplation. He shook his head "It's not even anything we want to be dealing with at all!"
"I will be jacked into the subnet directly this time and will monitor all chatter and calls from the area. Hopefully I will delay them long enough so you guys can get out." Yoko assured, "But yes, we don't want to be dealing with added complications from the badges at all."
Right.
My weapons were necessary in making sure we can actually pull this off. Taking on a group as large as the scavs probably were would mean we'd need to even the fire power.
Chrome was the obvious solution, and Archie had kitted herself out very thoroughly. But even so, my weapons would be needed to guarantee success in case the scavs had some sort of 'Fuck you' level of enhancement in some of their own.
But my weapons introduced a complication of their own as well. I shouldn't forget about their involvement either.
The entire damn city was looking for these. If there was even a hint of chatter, a call to the cops that they were being used tonight, we might be looking at some serious response from the NCPD, or if it got really out of hand, even the corporations.
This was going to be a real problem if things got too loud. That wasn't the case in Northside, where no one gave a damn about a few Scavs getting dropped, and my cryo-tech was an unknown. This time, in Kabuki would be another matter.
Rebecca shook her head sharply, drumming her fingers against the table. "Yeah, no. This ain't sitting right with me."
Ethan looked over at her. "What isn't?"
"The civvies, choom. This ain't some back-alley warehouse or container yard like last time!" Becca gestured at the holo, her jaw tight "We're talking innocent gonks out there, slummers, families. Gonks just trying to get by. The second bullets start flying, they're either caught in the middle or running scared… or if they're packing they'll start shooting back. And if a scav decides to slip into that chaos? We'll lose 'em fast."
That hit harder than I wanted to admit. I had already been thinking the same thing, but hearing Becca say it confirmed just how bad the risk was.
Two major complications we need to worry about.
"Damn it." I ran a hand through my hair, staring at the projection. "You're right. If even one of those scavs gets out into the crowd, this whole thing spirals out of control. We're not just talking collateral damage, as bad as just that is! We're talking about them, the scavs using civilians as cover, hostages, distractions. We can't let this spread into the slums. Honestly, I say we do this some other way. Maybe somehow make Jae-Hyun to come to us?"
"No!" Archie denied immediately and vehemently "We aren't getting a better chance than this! We don't have any intel to make him somehow come to us! We can't hope to have everything perfect set up for us. I am not giving Jae-Hyun another day in this fucking world!"
…. Right.
That was… not what I had expected from Archie.
Ethan's expression hardened. "That complicates things, but it doesn't change the objective. The scavs usually operate near civilian locations. It's their entire modus operandi! If they get out, they get out. We are after one guy here, Jae-Hyun. We do not let him walk away. The rest can fuck off!"
… I'd rather we don't let any scav run away. And it doesn't solve the problem of the innocent people around them!
"It does change how we handle it," Becca shot back. "Look, I've been on jobs where gonked civvie casualties were a risk, but we always planned around it. We gotta do the same here. Otherwise, we're no better than the gonks we're dropping."
Thank you, Becca!
Silence settled for a moment.
Archie leaned forward, her fingers tapping a slow rhythm against the table. "Then we contain them. We make sure no one gets out."
"How?" Ethan asked. "We can't be everywhere at once."
How indeed… there was a long, uncomfortable silence between us as we all wracked our brains.
I sighed, my mind racing through possibilities. "We …. could use the cryo weapons. Before we even engage, we freeze every bridge, every walkway, every goddamn exit we can. No one slips past us."
Becca nodded slowly, processing my idea in her head. "Yeah, cut 'em off first. If they try to make a break for it, they're either slipping on ice or running straight into us. We keep them boxed in, and we don't let this run outside."
Yoko hummed over the speakers, impressed. "Smart. I can keep an eye on movement from the subnet, and my drone, but physical barriers? That's on you guys. I'll call out any runners or gonks who boost over the ice before they get too far."
… I still want to postpone this entire thing to a later date, get a perfect set up. Somehow. I do not want to go in with civilians involved.
I would also appreciate not facing the added spotlight on my tech this would generate…. But… Archie is right. We can't hope to have everything set up perfectly for us in situations like this, and Rafael's killers needed to be put down!
Dammit all to hell! We are doing this!
Ethan ran a hand through his hair, sighing sharply. "Alright, so we have to keep it controlled, hopefully we can manage that. Let's talk their positioning then, figure out how we're going to do this. We've got buildings on Cartwright Street, and there's Bellevue overwalk overlooking the slums, both decent vantage points. Could give us good eyes on the area to shoot in from."
"Not good enough," Yoko countered.
The projector zoomed in, overlaying a thermal scan of the hideout. Most of Jae-Hyun's turf was covered. Sheets of scrap metal, tarps, some reinforced concrete plating, and barbed wiring.
"They've got it fortified, no clear sightlines from above. You won't be able to shoot at anything after closing the exits." She spoke.
Archie narrowed her eyes at the holo. "Means we can't rely on shooting them like fish in a barrel. Can't blind fire into the area 'cause of the slummers. We need to close the edges first, and then move in."
"Exactly," Yoko confirmed. "You will have a view of their outer edges, but anything deeper inside? No dice. You're looking at a tight, enclosed fight once we're inside and have boxed them in."
Rebecca sighed, tapping the table. "And if they see they're losing?"
"They'll run," Yoko answered immediately. The holo adjusted again, marking multiple escape routes. "Jae-Hyun's got paths leading into the surrounding slums. He knows the terrain better than we do, if they scatter, we're not catching them. You will have to ice those exits first thing this goes down."
Ethan clicked his tongue. "The main points of exit are out to the highways, either onto Cartwright or Trinity. They could boost over to them, if they have the chrome. East and South are blocked by the bay."
"Right, there's two directions for exits." Yoko agreed.
The feed highlighted Sutter Street and the surrounding area to the northwest and another leading westward onto an overpass.
"If they decide they can't win, they'll book it to the roads and vanish into the city. No way to track them if they do. They'll be out of the subnet, and I can't track them without risking Netwatch on my ass."
"So, what's stopping them from just running immediately?" Rebecca asked.
Yoko's voice came through smug. "That's where I come in."
The display flickered again, overlaying hostile tags, thirty-one in total. The markers were scattered across the tight maze of buildings, red outlines shifting as the drone continued scanning. Some Scavs had been marked with skulls, meaning chrome-heavy.
"Jae-Hyun's crew is thirty-one strong, at least the ones I could identify. Varying levels of cyberware on all of them, some just basic implants, others fully loaded. Mantis blades, mini missile launchers, monowire and all that. On top of that, they've got four drones running security, and two netrunners backing them up."
Ethan groaned. "Of course they do."
I tapped the table. "How bad are the runners?"
Yoko's voice darkened slightly. "Bad enough that I'm taking them out first. No mistakes this time. I'm not letting anyone break my chain."
I didn't miss the tension in her words.
She'd gotten countered last time, her chain of hacks being blocked by ICE deployed by a Claw runner and subsequently traced her location sending in some gangsters to take her out.
"There isn't a chance of you getting traced to the motel is there?" I asked, hopefully the motel wasn't that far from the area. If she really did get in trouble, I would want to be nearby to be able to help.
"Why?" Yoko asked teasingly after a beat, "Worried about little ol' me? That's sweet. If you really wanna make sure I'm safe, there's room for two in my bath if you'd like. I can even teach you more netrunning, while we're at it."
This fucking woman!
"Just answer the question, Yoko." I sighed "I don't want to see you getting hurt because we were not careful. The claw runner had traced you last time, I don't want to see that happening this time, now that you'll be far away to call in back up."
"Don't worry," She said after a moment, losing the teasing edge "I have masked my location as thoroughly as I can. No silly little scav runner is finding me here of all places."
"Right, now that we have all the info!" Rebecca interjected, voice annoyed and barbed. "what's the plan, how are you going to stop them from running the moment we start firing? How are you planning on dealing with their runners?"
"I'll hit their runners hard and fast before they know we're coming, I should be able to break through their ice with the gear I have backing me this time, and give them no room for counterattacks." Yoko said as the projection marked out the scav runners.
"The second they're out, I'll do what I did last time. I'm scrambling every piece of chrome the rest have got, make their implants glitch, cyberware go haywire, shut down their optics, set em on fire and all that good stuff. I don't want a repeat of what happened with Uppmann." She crowed gleefully.
Once again, I am reminded of how fucking scary a lone runner could be.
If she could pull it off, this was the right move. A fight with the scavs with their chrome would be ten times worse than one without. The more cyber-dependent they were, the more Yoko could cripple them before the fight even started.
I leaned forward, rubbing my chin. "So, you take out the runners, and the drones. We ice the exits, and move in. That's a better plan that I can get behind."
… at least better than doing this later entirely, with lesser odds for civilian casualties in the way.
But a perfect plan probably doesn't exist. There will always be complications in shit like this.
Ethan was right, Scav haunts will always be in the middle of areas with high number of innocents around them.
Archie leaned forward, her fingers tapping a steady rhythm against the table. "We box them in. We've got the cryo weapons, so once Yoko's fried their chrome, we freeze every bridge and exit from the outside."
Ethan nodded. "Good. We go in twos, I-"
Becca cut in. "Zain's with me."
… Becca?
Archie glanced at her, then at me. "You sure?"
"Yep, Zain will be with me"
"Why?" Ethan asked curiously.
Becca looked at the holo, shifting in her seat.
"Look, this mission's already risky as hell. Six-to-one odds if Yoko's got their runners and drones covered. I can take those odds! Hell, I have taken those odds before. And with Zain's bullshit cryo-tech? We can win this clean." She jabbed a finger toward me.
"But let's not pretend like this isn't a big risk for him. You two? You're chromed up, you can take a hit and keep going. Zain?" Her expression hardened. "He's putting his ass on the line for you, Archie. The gonk's got no chrome. A stray bullet will zero him if he's not careful. And I am gonna make sure that doesn't happen."
The room went quiet for a beat.
… I feel so guilty now.
I am the most armored of us all here, but they don't know that!
How to tell them that the bullshit ability of the Forge essentially made me bulletproof because of my clothes?
I was wearing essentially a tank on my body. Kevlar meshed with Carbon Fiber and Boron based polymers essentially made me into a small tank. They're not evident to anybody not looking at my clothes in very fine detail either, unless somebody takes a high magnification Kiroshi to take in my clothes they're not going to know.
And even then, they'd never figure out the Forge's blessing on my clothes enhanced their protection to really insane degrees…
And if shit got too difficult, I always had the rock skin potion on me.
… I can't tell them about all that. Not only will I be putting my life in danger, but theirs by association of the knowledge as well!
I fucking hate this!
"I-I …. Thank you for looking out for me, Becca" I finally stuttered out lamely in the end.
"You're a gonk." She looked at me, deep in my eyes and nodded "You know the risks too… I know you don't like implants and such, you're not getting them… so, I will look out for you wherever I can."
I gulped down the growing guilt in my gut, and just nodded in appreciation.
Archie sighed, then gave a small nod in agreement. "Alright. Becca and Zain take Cartwright, use the Bellevue overwalk to get an angle on them. It's got a high vantage point on the other side. If we need to adjust, you'll be able to track their movements before they scatter."
"Fine by me," Becca said, adjusting her shotgun in her lap finally looking away from me. "I'm just itching to give this thing a shot."
Ethan ran a hand through his hair. "We need to finish this quick. Grab Jae-Hyun, deal with the scavs, while making sure we're careful about the civies and get the hell out. We can't stay around like we did last time."
Right, can't be losing focus due to my confusing emotions!
The NCPD will probably be coming this time. Can't stick around no matter what.
… god, I have become a criminal! I scoffed internally. Vigilante is probably closer description.
Hope you're proud Mom!
… right, can't be thinking of home.
"Yeah," Archie agreed. "We go in clean, fast, and make sure we don't leave any openings."
Yoko's voice came through again. "Remember, I'll be watching the subnet, monitoring chatter. If I catch a whiff of the badges gearing up for a response, I'll let you know immediately. But the second that happens, we bounce. No hesitation."
"Understood. No one gets sloppy." Ethan tapped his fingers against the rifle. "Is there anything else we're missing?"
I need to get these guys to hide their faces.
"Yeah." I leaned forward. "Everyone needs to cover their faces."
Becca raised an eyebrow. "The hell for?"
Archie tilted her head. "We don't need to wear protective gear like you, so why?"
Ethan answered before I could "He's worried about the attention we will have because of the tech."
I nodded. "Exactly, Look, you all saw the news. Every asshole in the city is already looking for my cryotech. If we get spotted, and someone IDs you with those weapons? That's a lot of unwanted attention coming your way. The last thing any of you need is a fixer, a corp, or some badge deciding you're the lead on where this tech is coming from."
There wasn't a worry about them getting identified by street cams, I could sense all of their Kiroshi's had built in lens disruptors, but the people, the other civilians who live around those slums… they'll see them and one of them is going to talk.
Becca frowned, glancing at her shotgun. "...Shit. Didn't think of that."
Archie tapped her revolver against the table, jaw tight. "You think people are really gonna start coming at us just because some gonks caught a glimpse of us using these?"
"I think it's not worth the risk," I said simply. "There's already enough of a spotlight on these. No need to add your faces to it."
Ethan sighed, nodding in understanding. "Alright. I'll see what I can do about that. I should have a mask in the back of my car."
Archie groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Dammit. My camo can scramble my silhouette, but full concealment's a bitch in a close fight. I'll need a mask too in case the charge runs out!"
Becca looked worried. "I don't have anything to hide my face… I don't really use a mask in fights at all."
"You can use my bandana, it's in my car too" I patted my mask. "I have this for myself."
A silent agreement settled over the room.
Ethan looked around. "Anything else?"
"Then let's move." Archie cracked her knuckles, an excited savage glee clear on her face.
"I'll erase the footage of this entire conversation as well, in that case" Yoko added after a beat. "I am in the clubs systems, I can make sure that nobody comes looking through here."
…. I hadn't thought of that either.
"Good call, Yoko" Ethan complimented. "We're on our way, keep on comms. And cover our tracks yeah?"
"Don't worry, I'll watch out for you all." She said.
Competent netrunners like her, are scary individuals.
Thank God, Leah doesn't seem to have been cut from the same cloth as Yoko.
I put in the ear piece to keep on comms with the rest, and pulled my mask back on, the alloy plating settling over my face.
I reached for Yoko's SMG, paced it back in the case and closed it with a quiet click, locking it. The others took their weapons, Archie's revolver, Ethan's assault rifle, Becca's shotgun as they readied to leave.
Ethan rose first, rolling his shoulders. "Let's do this."
Archie stood right after, her movements sharp, controlled.
Rebecca stretched, flashing a wide grin at me. "Finally. I've been waiting to break this thing in. That took a lot longer than I thought it would!"
We left the lounge together, pushing past the waves of dancing patron, crowds ogling the nearly naked dancers swaying to the music of the club.
The bouncers and receptionists at the club bid us a good evening inviting us to come back anytime, as we left.
The night air hit cool against my mask as we stepped out into the streets.
Becca and I turned toward the alleyway beside the club where my car was parked. Archie and Ethan peeled off toward Ethan's car.
I unlocked my car, sliding into the driver's seat as Becca leaned back into the passenger's side, propping her shotgun on her lap.
The city lights blurred past as I followed Ethan's car, the soft hum of my engine filling the quiet space between Becca and me. She hadn't said much since we left Empathy, just tapping her fingers idly against her shotgun. I could tell she was watching me, though.
A minute passed before she finally spoke.
"You good, choom?"
I kept my eyes on the road. "Yeah. Just thinking."
"Ugghhh, I can't read your fucking mind!" Becca groaned. "What are you thinking about?"
I exhaled slowly. "The civvies."
She shifted in her seat, adjusting her grip on the shotgun. "….. Right. Yeah. Same."
Silence stretched between us for a beat, the distant roar of Night City traffic filling the space.
She sighed, rubbing at her temple.
"Look, I get it. This shit ain't clean. Never is. But you don't let it freeze you up." She tapped her cybernetic fingers against her knee, metal on fabric.
"Back with my, we have jobs where the lines get really blurred. You don't wanna hurt bystanders, but you also don't wanna be the gonk hesitating when a some gonk's got a piece pointed at your head. Shit moves fast. And when it does?" She turned to me, eyes sharp. "You commit."
I gripped the wheel a little tighter. "Right, I know that. I didn't hesitate last time. I can commit."
"Yeah. You commit. Last time, there were no such gonked problems like this. Now? Tonight? Keep a cool head, don't panic, you make a call and you own it. No second-guessing, no 'what ifs.' Civvies get caught up in the mess, you do what you can, but you don't let it shake your aim. And if it really gets bad?" She smirked slightly. "You make sure the fucker responsible gets it worse."
That… helped. In a way. Not that it made the whole situation any less fucked, but it was solid advice.
If I let doubt creep in, it could cost us more than just some collateral damage.
Not that I was letting it get to that point at all.
"Thanks, Becca," I murmured.
She gave a lazy shrug. "Hey, you're my choom. Ain't gonna let you gonk yourself up over this. 'Sides, this shit's just another day in NC."
The weight in my chest didn't fully ease, but at least now it was manageable.
She stretched again, propping her boots up on the dash, only for me to immediately shove them off.
"The hell?"
"No scuffing my ride."
She rolled her eyes. "Gonk. I thought we had a moment there! 'Sides you didn't have an issue last time!"
"Last time, this wasn't my car!" I retorted good naturedly.
She placed her feet back on the dash, daring me to stop her. I didn't.
It was fun teasing her though.
I reached for the radio, flipping it on. Static crackled for a moment before the speakers settled on a low, throbbing bassline. The voice of Growl FM's DJ cut in:
"And we're back with your midnight soundtrack, Night City. Whether you're out on the prowl or just trying to make it through another sleepless night, we got something for you. Up next, this one's an oldie for you folks! Samurai, 'Black Dog.'"
Becca grinned. "Oh, hell yeah."
I smirked, nudging the volume up just a little. The heavy riffs filled the car, and for a moment, the tension between us loosened, just enough to breathe.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
(A/N)
I had to cut this chapter in half, I was going for even more in this. A lot of the first part of this was supposed to be covered in the last.
Hopefully, after this arc ends, I'll have better faster moving chapters in general.
Anyway, this needed to be touched upon. Not all missions are going to be clean, and expecting scavs or anybody for that matter to be waiting in ideal conditions like the container yard is foolish.
There are several things that Zain is over looking even now.
Besides, Archie and this crew, are being smart planning out all missions. David's edgerunner crew often has well planned missions too. (as we can see from the Totentaz mission in a quick dialogue between David and Kiwi, iirc)
But not all missions are going to be as planned out as these are. Heck, most of V's gigs are just them showing up, or getting a contract from a fixer and going in blind. There's usually no lay out mapping, planning to deal with issues or anything else.
V is just built like that.
The only few times, that I remember, where V's missions are planned are Konpeki Heist (disastrously planned as that was), some Panam missions, some Phantom Liberty gigs, and missions, some of the ending missions. I'm probably missing a few, but you get the idea.
Most of the rest are going in blind.
I covered as much of the necessary details as I thought were essential. More pressure building, more loose ends he's leaving out.
Rolls for this chapter:
Domain: Facilities: Magical
Cosmic Anvil (DC - All-Star Superman) (600CP)
A gift from New Olympus delivered straight to your doorstep, Jumper! This anvil and hammer are capable of smashing atoms together to form miniature suns, and with a bit of work, even miniature planets. Potentially, you could make them even bigger, or even 'life-sized'...though this will take weeks or even months of work and it's recommended to do so somewhere within space.
Zain opened with 550 points, earned 50 by the time of roll. Used all, and closed with 0 points.