Hmm."
"Don't hum at me." I grumbled at Wakako. "I got the gun out of the place while the police were actively raiding it."
"You were supposed to not be seen."
"I wasn't."
"They know someone broke in."
"Yeah and the guys hidden safe beeped when it was open. Tell your client if he wants to install a safe make sure it's a quiet model."
"Hmm."
I sent Wakako a glare and she puffed on her cigarette before nodding. "It was the best that could be done. I wasn't expecting the police response so quickly."
"Yeah no kidding. They were inside the apartment. I thought you said I'd have some time."
"I did. There was information that was not given to me, that changed the protocol."
"Yeah?"
"The woman that was killed had police connections. Likely an undercover agent. Hence the fast response."
"Shit. So your guy married a cop?"
"Probably." Wakako replied, exhaling some smoke which I leaned away from. Ew. "Baby."
"Hey! I plan on replacing my lungs eventually, but that doesn't mean I want that shit near me. It smells."
"Humph!"
"Humph!" I responded right back as I got up and made a face at Wakako as I walked out.
She sent me a flat look, as I backed out through her beaded door.
Jeeze. What a mess, but at the same time.
I felt myself grinning a bit. It had been really fun.
Infiltration really was my favorite type of gig. As I walked through Jig-Jig street back out to the main road. Slipping into the Quadra that I had left parked, I pulled out into Night City traffic.
I had another stupid band meeting tonight. Considering MSM wanted to start publishing Stand Alone Complex as soon as possible every night was taken up by time in the recording studio, or some sort of band thing. Modeling pictures, and whatever. There was even a conversation that had drifted past me that if our first single did well on the MSM production then we'd have a talk show segment.
Me.
On TV.
I was fairly confident I'd end up shooting someone at this rate. Probably on live TV. Considering I would need to blow off some steam, I turned back into Japantown towards the gun range I liked.
I sent a message out to my chooms if they wanted to join me for shooting, but only got negatives in response, which wasn't a surprise.
Parking, I took out the Tactician Shotgun from the trunk and walked inside. I got some side eyes from the owner behind his bulletproof glass, but when I flashed him the eddies he waved me through and even sent some shells over for me.
It's like the guy knew me or something!
Laughing as I set up and looked over the range. I needed this. Just some good old fashioned grinding of a stat. No chooms to get distracted by, just me, and repeating an action a thousand times to try and make myself just that little bit better.
Time to Grind Annihilation. It was only level 5 after all! Flicking a set of shells into my fingers I quickly loaded the shotgun working on the habit as frankly quick loading a shotgun was a bit different from other weapons, and I should practice it to make sure I wasn't fumbling anything.
Then I brought the shotgun to my shoulder and activated the range.
I breathed in.
And pulled the trigger, I rocked with the bang, pumped the shotgun recentered fired again. Then again. Eight rounds were shot, and eight targets blinked as they registered shots.
I pulled the shotgun away, swiped more shells in my other hand's fingers and slid round after round into the chamber.
A quick pump and I started firing again. Again and again. I let myself fall into the rhythm. Just burning time and stress by following the motions. Each trigger pull sending buckshot into holographic targets. Each little number giving me just a little endorphin rush.
Or at least something like that. It was fun to just hit the targets and see the numbers go up.
But not nearly as much when I got a little alert noise. 100 Annihilation XP, just one more step towards level 6.
I smiled and continued firing, still had half a box left after all!
Fire, pump, reload. Fire pump reload.
Barrel flash after barrel flash.
—--
*Flash*
"Thank you for the picture!" The photographer said bowing politely as she moved on. I actually smiled for that one, she had been much nicer than some of the others that just ran around snapping pictures without a word.
It was lucky my Kiroshi didn't get glare because I'd be blind at this point if not for them.
"Come on Motoko, smile wider and wave. This is our party!" Klein called out, waving at the men and women that walked by.
MSM had decided to throw a party for us, although I had a feeling the party would have happened regardless, we were just an excuse.
Up at the top of one of the skyscrapers in Night City where many of the rich and famous gathered to party.
I'm pretty sure that was the woman that played the titular Watson Whore. Seriously, that show kept coming up with the new season out. It's like it was everywhere… It probably was. I know Jun said it was popular.
I ignored Klein's words and just fell back into the table.
Today was a launch party. MSM had decided which of the singles we'd drop first, and Pretender had been it.
We were technically here just to party, but it was always more than that. We'd be up on stage before the night ended to play the song, and show off, to draw some hype among the rich. Investment strategy is what Alex had described it as.
I just called it lame, but whatever.
"You should just get something to drink and loosen up." Alice offered, and I scoffed.
"I don't drink."
"You can get some food then." She offered, annoyed at me, and I blinked.
Food actually did sound kinda good.
Was there a menu?
No. There was not a menu. But waiters were everywhere, and I waved at one of them that hurried over.
"What food do you guys serve?"
"I'll send you the Menu, but the house special tonight is a Beef Wellington. Real cloned beef!"
I blinked because… That actually sounded fucking amazing. I'd never really had fancy Beef Wellington before, but just real meat sounded good.
I got the blip of the menu offering, and after checking it out, and removing some adware from the program I pulled it open.
Oh… It all looked good. Then I remembered that the tab was on MSM tonight.
"I'll take that, and this sushi platter, and let me get the real baked Potato as well."
"Of course!" The waiter agreed and disappeared.
Real food! Hey there was a benefit to all this after all!
With that distraction over I focused once more on what was going on around the club. People sitting in different booths, most of them seemingly enjoying more than just drinks. It was a den of debauchery and while we were a bit of a showpiece today, it was a nearly lusterless one. Barely anyone outside of the media people going around with cameras even seemed to care.
We were just a minor spectacle among the debauchery. Not that Klein, Alice, and Jared seemed to understand that. The three of them were partying like this was the big time.
We hadn't even technically had our big time debut.
I was about to fall into another pit of bitter irritation at this still being rather un fun all things told when something was placed in front of me, and the scent hit me.
"Oh." I whispered looking over the steaming pile of pasty, real pasty, and beef that was already cut and steaming.
A real potato was put next to it.
Real. Food.
My hand instantly grabbed the knife and fork, twirling the knife around for a moment before bringing it down and cutting a piece free, and that went right into my face.
Heaven!
Aaaaah! So good! Yummy yummy meat! None of the preservative taste of Scop. This was real food that could actually go bad.
As I was chewing, Alex walked over and slid into the booth, his slicked back hair and manufactured smile put me off guard.
"It's almost time, the release of the single on the radio stations is in five minutes. We're going to have you play a surprise run at the same time. This is it, while it might not seem like it if you can impress the people in this room, you are guaranteed stardom.
I chewed my beef.
I didn't want to walk away from the beef.
Oh! Oh! The Sushi platter! It was dropped off in front of Alex, and he reached out to take one when suddenly my knife was embedded into the table in front of him.
I chewed slowly, staring at him with absolute murder.
My sushi.
He seemed to actually have two brain cells and he slowly withdrew his hand. "My Apologies, I thought that was for the table."
"Mine." I mumbled around the beef I was chewing and then went back to eating.
"Well all of you are needed backstage, to get this show on the road.
I frowned as I stared at hot real food.
Fine. Whatever. I'd come back.
I reached over and klepped the other plates on the table and put them over the food to try and keep them hot.
"Yeah let's go." I said then dunked four sushi rolls into my mouth.
Show time.
—--
"Keep you in the dark, you know they all pretend." I crooned, the lights in the club shifting to focus on us, just as an announcer finished introducing us. There was mostly disinterest among the rich. That was fine.
I, unlike everyone else, didn't care if they liked it.
No, I only had one interest, an interest that made the heat in my voice all the harsher as I put my all into the song.
YOU WERE THE REASON I WASN'T EATING GOOD FOOD!
"You're the Pretender! What if I say I will never surrender!?" I roared, before flipping to the guitar and making the guitar they had set up for the gig sing, chrome fingers making every string scream and sigh as the song progressed.
"Yeah, who are you? Yeah, who are yoooou!?" I yelled, letting my voice vibrate just right to get the tone to carry through the entire hall, with the vocal fry.
I whipped off the guitar, and walked away as if I didn't care about them. Because I didn't.
But why was there actual clapping? They did realize the song was literally about people like them right?
I let it go, even as the rest of the band roared and paraded around. Alice called out that they were Stand Alone Complex. She cheered and played up the crowd.
I made a bit of a commotion by just jumping the stage, and flopping back into the booth to finish my meal.
Sigh. It wasn't quite as good as it had cooled a little.
I still ate that shit though.
—--
"Hey, like that was a nova song." I was chowing down on a second course. Real vegetables. My body craved it! When the voice called out over the table.
"Holy shit." Klein whispered looking up at the beautiful blonde woman that was at our table. She looked a little tipsy, but…
I narrowed my eyes.
An act? Ninjutsu gave me knowledge of poisons and stuff, and she only seemed inebriated.
"Like I was totally into it! What if I say I'll never surrender! Yeah!" She did a terrible rendition, but it was… I narrowed my eyes, she knew how to sing, that was purposefully bad.
"You're Maggy Electric!"
"Well I play Maggy on Watson Whore, but I'm Kitty Thunder in real life!" She broke into a giggle, and I just had to wince at the terrible naming sense.
Yikes.
"Holy shit, I love that show." Klein said, sounding star struck, and she sent him a flashing smirk and a wink.
The tough rockerboy nearly swooned.
"Can I get an autograph?" Jared asked, and Kitty giggled as she nodded, but he literally just pulled open his jacket to show his chest.
Without skipping a beat, Kitty pulled out a marker from in between her chest, her top which I was pretty sure only stayed on because of an incredibly strong boob job, barely wobbled as she pulled the pen out. She yanked the cap and signed Jared's chest even planting a kiss of all things on his peck at the end.
And Jared looked like he melted at that. Before anything more crazy could happen as Klein looked like he was about to lose his pants of all things a voice called out.
"Ah, Stand Alone Complex! I see you've met the illustrious and beautiful Kitty!" Alex called out as he walked over and Kitty made a laugh and waved at him as if he was kidding.
"Kitty's newest season is nearly finished. I hear she's always looking for new music though." Alex offered, slyly and I just hummed, as I figured out what was going on.
My music on a show called Watson Whore… Kill me.
I tore into my food ignoring it all.
"Wow you like, really put it away don't you? Don't you worry about like getting super fat? I would worry about that." She suddenly rattled off, and I looked up and finished my bite of real spinach with actual cheese over it.
MSM was going to be paying a pretty penny for it.
"Nah." I patted my stomach which was all rock hard muscle.
"Heh! Even if you get all sculpted out, you can still ruin yourself with fat you know? It looks terrible, the fat all goes to certain spots and you get all blegh!" She laughed loudly almost like a donkey and I just shrugged.
"Not a problem, this is real."
"No shit!" She said, and I noticed her eyes were checking me over, before seeming to realize I was being honest.
High end optics, those.
"Real meat huh? You ever think about an acting career?" She asked, her smile more real than it had been before.
"I'm fourteen."
"Like that doesn't matter-" She started but was cut off.
"Kitty isn't wrong. You definitely have that star power we look for. MSM does more than just music you know? We have-" This time I interrupted.
"Not interested. Plus that's something for Hiromi to talk with, since you know. She's my manager." I said looking at Alex pointedly, his smile went a little brittle and Kitty just drunk laughed again.
"Oh she got you on that one. Not Manager."
"Of course, but Kitty is the star of a hit show. With a word she could get you on as a guest perhaps?" Alex offered, and I could hear the greed in his voice.
"I don't watch it."
"Huh?"
"Her show. I've never seen it. I don't like most TV."
"Oh, my hearts!" Kitty cried out faking an injury and Alex winced.
"But you've heard of it of course, I'm sure you're just busy-"
"I don't have any interest in it. No, even if I could watch it I wouldn't. Sorry." I offered to the woman, but it wasn't very earnest.
She seemed more amused, but Alex was panicking a bit.
"Haha! Well maybe we'll do a fun group project where we watch it, anyways. Kitty-" He was trying to lead her away so I sighed and bit the bullet.
"Hold on. Hey, uh.. My brother likes you show, Jun is into it. You mind if I get an autograph or a picture or something. He'd think that's preem."
"Aww. Sure kiddo! Come in and let big sis Kitty leave something for your brother!" She cheered, dodging Alex's arm to lead her away.
She was clingy, but did give a real autograph and a picture of the two of us in a nearby mirror that I snapped.
"Be careful around him." She whispered into my ear, as we were snapping the photo, her entire body melting into mine to make the picture look a little risque, but I guess that was just kinda her theme.
It was just a whisper, quiet, and sharp.
"Oh I know." I whispered back, as I snapped the picture.
"You don't." She whispered, again patting me on the shoulder, and then she was back to drunk actress and the life of the party.
That woman was a very good actress. I still wasn't going to watch the show she was in. It was fucking weird.
—--
"The numbers are looking very good." Alex informed all of us as we were driving back from the party. MSM wanted all of us traveling together to and from, apparently it built band unity, according to Alex when he described it.
Hiromi had told me the truth though. It meant MSM didn't have to worry about a no show during one of their events.
The fact Hiromi wasn't here beside me was unfortunate. She hadn't gotten an invite so to speak. She had told me it was an expected snub. As only MSM agents had been invited, people like Alex.
Or my new team of stylists and makeup artists.
"Perfect." The woman that was looking over my face apparently, said as she finished fixing my lipstick.
I just sighed, the party was over. Why were they still all over us?
"That's good right? The numbers being good?"
"So far." Alex said to Alice the only one that had responded to his statement. "Right now the song is going over the airwaves, we track listening and interest levels through standard ads, and song requests. The media sites are talking, and we are tracking that. We test the waters a little to see what the fan response is, but that'll take a bit longer."
"Test the waters?"
"We put out some posts on and comments on a few City Net sites, if consumers respond then we know there is interest."
Literal bot posting? Greaaaat.
"And if they aren't good?" I asked pointedly.
"Then the support that Stand Alone Complex has been receiving gets dropped to a lower level until you bring up the interest again." He said sternly, a dire warning. "But we believe in SAC! You have the entire media arm of MSM working to build you into the next big band. So just do your best, and ride the wave to stardom." He offered with a wink, and I just rolled my eyes.
I'd talk to Hiromi about it. Maybe she'd have some idea on how to build our rep some more.
I wasn't sure I honestly trusted MSM to handle it correctly, especially since they were constantly trying to mess with the music.
But we moved through Night City, the lights flashing into the limousine they had stuffed us into as I looked out. It felt weird to be on this side of it all. Dining with the rich and famous. I was so used to being out there on the streets.
It made me antsy. Either way I shook it off. I had done this, and I would use the benefits, but I wouldn't forget who I was.
And as I side eyed Alex in the reflection of the window. And it might be a good idea to start planning an assassination. I'd had my dislike of the man, but a real warning from someone like that?
I'd have to take that seriously.