Chapter 141
Yeah, alright, fine. Malcolm grumbled as he took off the control band and huffed at all of us. It had taken a bit of urging to get him to actually stop stomping around in the Minotaur.
So, The reason we are still here, and not heading straight back to the city. I found something. The reason the Wraiths were able to down the Arasaka AV? The specific one loaded up with high end equipment?
I noticed Hiromi perk up at that, although information wasnt part of the gig her dad had sent us on, she was always looking for a bonus.
Well the reason we are waiting here is because I called in V, she works for Arasaka Counter Intel. Because under the substation we were at, there was a Militech listening post. I dropped the bombshell, and I could tell Malcolm and Ichi were just kinda taking in the information without much response, but Hiromi went still.
Wait A listening post!?
Yeah. Full tracking, conversations, AVs, hell. They were even tracking space lift offs. I think it was made just before the Unification War. To track Night City. But then Arasaka came back, and they either forgot about it Or just left it running in secret.
Fuck. Hiromi cursed as she took that in. Wait you said Counter Intel? She isnt going to like, flatline us right?
No, I trust V. Shes good people Mostly. Just let me do the talking and pretend you dont know anything. But you deserve to know whats going on. Youre my team after all.
Arasaka Counter Intel Good people? Malcolm faux whispered to Ichi who just elbowed him to shut up. Ichi obviously realized that with Hiromis reaction it must be a big deal.
Okay so what does that mean for us? Ichi asked and I shrugged.
Honestly? Depends on V, and her boss I guess. But something like this? Tracking Arasaka air traffic to even keep an eye on their secret AV stuff? Yeah this is super big. Either huge payday Or they try to quiet all of us. I answered with a shrug.
I didnt think V would go along with that, but it was something I had to consider. Fucking Night City.
I should call my dad then. He can-
No! Hiromi. We dont know what the listening post can pick up. No calls about this. I waited until we were here before I even sent a text to V and it was super vague. I cut Hiromi off urgently.
She looked grumbly for a moment before nodded. Yeah thats smart, but Ill call him in an instant if some CI bitch starts making trouble! She says and I just laugh, because Corpo V was such a bitch!
But she was a likable bitch.
Okay. Motoko this is your Choom. Ill leave it to you. Hiromi decided with a nod and I smiled in relief.
Thanks Hiromi. I promise she wont disappoint. I think we should tell your dad once we head back into the city. Bringing Counter Intel is just smart, so getting your dad up to speed, we could spread the rep for the find a bit I think?
Hmph! Of course! Dad is the one that created this gig, so anything we find should go to him first!
So Thats it right? Malcolm cut in. After Hiromis exclamation. I looked to him curiously but shrugged my shoulders.
Yeah that was the whole thing.
Great! Dibs on finishing my turn with the kill bot!
Its not a kill bot, its an Arasaka Brand Minotaur! Hiromi snapped, but everyone ignored her.
Aww. I wanted my turn next. I whined.
Oh well. It was going to be mine soon regardless. Someone had to go into the programming, clear up all the Arasaka back doors, and Wraith trash, and then repaint it so it didnt have Arasaka all over it.
I was thinking Blue, and white?
Heh.
---
I did finally get another turn to play with the Minotaur, and then had been kicked off by Ichi when my time was up without preamble.
It had switched between all of us until we had nearly drained the CHOOH2 tank. In the end we put it away and switched, at Hiromis demand to start categorizing our loot.
I was just finishing packing up a crate that was now actually ordered instead of just stuffed with junk when I heard the revving of a large engine pulling up to our side of Dakotas garage.
For some reason things around here had been quiet since we brought out the Minotaur and had it stomping around.
The Chevillon Emperor pulled up and I relaxed, noticing not only the familiar redhead at the wheel, but that there were no Arasaka markings on it.
Hey guys! Vs here! I called out deeper into the truck as I jumped down and hurried over noticing V didnt look pleased, her sunglasses dipping down her nose showing me a glaring set of glowing optics.
Kid. Not sure what the fuck this is all about, but I want answers, and fast.
Let me get in, and lets talk. I told her. Waving at my chooms who were wondering what to do as I ran to the other side of her big ass truck.
Never been in one of these. I slipped into the truck noticing the interior was expensive. Like super expensive. I shook it off and only when the door was closed did I start. Pulling out the shard from my socket and handing it over.
Found something while on this Arasaka gig. Finding the loot from an Arasaka AV that was taken down in the badlands. Everything went smooth, found the guy who did it, started clearing him out Only he was acting weird. Holding up in a place that he had no reason to settle. Turns out. He found a Militech NUSA listening post, Unification war era, thats been watching NC ever since. Including Arasaka flights in and out of the city. As I spoke V had slipped in the shard and was looking at the pictures of what I had taken that I had saved just for her.
Jesus Christ.
Yeah. I have no idea if anyone is actually still listening, or its just all automated, so I couldnt make any direct calls about it. I gathered some data, and brought you out.
Vs eyes blinked after a few more moments and she looked at me. You called me. Why? You could have just turned this into Mitsunashi, and been done with it.
Because last I checked V, finding a NUSA listening post is a Counter Intelligence thing, and it would be a huge win for you Right?
She looked at me for a while, an intense look, her optics practically whirling as they seemed to try and find something.
Yeah. Itll help a lot. At least itll keep Jenkins from flatlining me for running out of the city suddenly. He probably thinks Im going off reservation or something. Im going to need to see this listening post.
Yeah. Thats why I called you before we went back to the city. My ride or yours?
As much as I would prefer it. Lets take yours. Too easy for this thing to be traced back to Arasaka. V muttered as she stepped out, and I followed. Hiromi walked up and I waved her up.
Taking V back to the substation. Sit tight for a bit?
Maybe Maybe there is such a thing as too much loot? I whispered to myself before just shaking it away.
No, not that was obviously some sort of heresy. More loot was always better.
I just want, like the biggest cheeseburger. Malcolm aired with a sigh.
I wouldnt mind a burger. I agreed and looked to Hiromi and Ichi who either shrugged or nodded.
Preem.
We just have one last thing to do, Im afraid. I mentioned earning a new round of moans as I pointed. What are we doing with this thing? Hiromi?
Uuuugh. She moaned at me. As the leader of Section 9- Hey! She flinched at my kick, but she was smiling at me teasingly regardless. As the manager of personnel, of Section 9. Vehicles obviously fall under our vehicle and driver specialist. So Ichi what do we do with this thing?
Nope, thats not my gig. Im the Light vehicle, and transport specialist. Heavy vehicles are out of my wheelhouse. Malcolm! This i-Ow!
Dont even. Malcolm grumbled having punched Ichi in the shoulder. I have no idea what to do with a truck that big. That thing is huge. Sell it?
Maybe we should keep it? If we do more badlands gigs like this I mean. We needed the transport lift. I offered, but Hiromi just groaned at me.
We dont have any place to put it! Look at that thing!
Park it out in the badlands somewhere?
Thatll just get it klepped Malcolm. Ichi answered instantly. Maybe Maybe we just buy a space for it? I mean there are industrial spaces Hiromi couldnt we like Rent it to a transport company?
The girls eyes squinted. Yeeees? She answered eventually very unconvincingly. Just find a place for it for a few days. If it gets klepped then its just one less problem for us.
Oh! I can fix that actually. I muttered reaching into the back of my belt. Before the gig had started I had bought two new pouches, one for my TachiCama, and one for my Trackers.
I popped a tracker out and flashed it to my chooms before walking up to the Behemoth and finding a good hidden spot, basically climbing on top of the truck and finding a place it would secure in nicely, before returning.
What was that?
I made a tracker! And a little camera! I call these TachiCama! I proclaimed revealing my cute little spy cameras! See they got cute little grabby hands! And the color scheme is sooo cute! I gushed as I offered it to my chooms, definitely not stuffing it into their faces with a bit too much force.
Thats Preem? Motoko. Ichi replied first looking to Hiromi and Malcolm for backup, but Hiromi was just smiling, and so Malcolm was the next to comment.
Sooo Spy Cameras huh? Thats useful. Can I get one?
I made enough for everyone! I got a set of tracker and TachiCama for everyone! I was on a bit of a binge with stuff just before the gig. Oh! I have them in my trunk! I ran to the Quadra and found the box of stuff I had brought along. I had meant to give it to everyone, but the long drive had had it slip my mind.
After passing out the new equipment, I sat back down and smiled as my chooms looked over the new gadgets.
Alright, I see how these would be useful Why not just buy some though? Hiromi asked, and I just rolled my eyes. Of course Hiromi would want to just buy some off the shelf stuff.
Cause, since I bought, crafted, and programmed them. I know they are safe. Ill make some improvements eventually. I want to make a Daemon to run the Tachikoma so they can actively look around and maybe even crawl along walls Yeah. That would be pretty useful. I remembered Star Wars had little spy droids that were incredibly effective every time they appeared, but almost never did because they were too good.
I wanted that sort of thing!
But then again eventually I would have Tachikoma!
Okay so We have a tracker on the truck. We leave it somewhere mostly secure for now and call it good?
Im literally just going to park it out on the street. Fuck driving that thing around any more than I have to. Ichi you need to learn how to drive a Behemoth! This is a command! I pointed at him, and he did a snort laugh, but he nodded.
Alright. Ill get some practice or something Honestly. Motoko since you know how. You can teach me.
Ehhhh. I hate teaching thoooough. I whined, but I did eventually deflate and nod. Alright. Ill give you a run down. Lets go.
Wait now?
Ichi. We gotta move it, and Fujimura will kill us for leaving that thing in his lot. Now or never. Cmon! Faster we finish, the faster we can go for burgers!
--
Ichi only stalled out, twice, and rammed into a fence three times! Not bad! It wasnt Fujimuras fence, so no one really cared.
Burgers were a delight and we all left a massive mess in the booth of sand and dirt, but I dropped a big tip as well as paying, and the waitress seemed to forgive us.
After that, we all finally split up. Hiromi with the loot for her dad, headed home. Malcolm, to go get his new car properly repainted, and Ichi just went home, with a to go order for his Grandma. I even paid for it, cause thats just sweet.
I went home. Immediately walked into the shower and just. Sat there. I had taken off my belts and holsters, and my boots but everything else was already so dirty, that a little water wasnt going to hurt it.
Slowly I stripped out of the muddy jeans. My uncomfortably sand filled Leotard, and everything else leaving me to finally feel free of the desert for the first time in two days.
Another reason I couldnt be a nomad. I didnt know how Panam did it.
Motoko?
Jun! Im back! Taking a shower!
Alright! Take your time! Jun sounded happy through the stupid beads as he walked back to the living room and I finally got around to washing myself clean. Soaps and shampoo lathered up to clean me all over.
Once I was fully done. I grabbed my stuff and chucked it into the washer, my holsters would need some attention later, but for now I was pulling the brat card and just leaving them on the floor. A towel and a hurried trip across the apartment later to my room. I got some new clothes and finally felt like a human again.
Stepping out of my room to see Jun still on the couch, as I dried my hair was nice and I plopped down next to him, and before he could say anything I burst into chatter. Telling him everything about the gig, even about the listening post.
The whole time he was a good listener. Not talking, but made interested noises as I explained the fights and the interesting bits, until the very end.
That sounds like a crazy couple days Imouto. He finally decided on, then he reached out and patted me on the head, and I wasnt going to refuse any attention right now. I slumped over and settled my head on his thigh, using the towel as a pillow and demanded more attention.
I would sit through one of Juns stupid tv shows right now. For him of course. He sometimes needed some physical affection.
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