Orbital Elevator

Entry into the city didn't have any complications. It was the opposite in fact. Millitech and Santeau Group were both littered around the city. This was a joint protective measure. Both groups were peaceful on the surface, but small skirmishes in the shadows revealed their true intentions. 

A Millitech operative had pulled Lei to the side after entry. A duffle bag was handed to her alongside a clearance of security. In this city, she had access to anything Millitech owned. It was quite a boon and definitely a Meredith tactic to ingratiate the drifter to her cause. 

The first thing Lei did was stash the bag in a Millitech owned suite. Immediately after that was exploration. Lei wasn't a gambler, but she did enjoy watching others do so. Many wealthy citizens would huddle around black jack, roulette, and poker tables. 

Throughout this entire time, the sickly girl didn't stop observing the orbital elevator. More things could be gleaned now being in the city and close up. First things first…the tower was huge. Not in height, but in width. It had to be. 

The elevator itself was a circular platform. It was like the ground floor of an office building that moved up floors. Even the offices and rooms around it were structured in a roundabout. Like a narrow, curved pathway cut off into rooms. All placed on the edges of the elevator shaft. 

Vehicles and other heavy cargo would be ferried up the tower. Who knew what the purpose of such a thing was. A slow, pulsing, blue light went up the tower with symmetry. Almost resembling an airport strip. 

This was to avoid any potential aircraft incidents. They would see the tower from far away. Especially at night. The last thing to note was how long each trip took. It was almost 30 minutes in between each rise to the top. Lei made all of these observations throughout the day. 

The supply tower beside it…that was less beautiful to look at but the design was identical. There was no ceiling for this building. Instead, the top closed like a garage door. Interesting design choice but maybe it had its uses. Aircraft possibly. 

Alright…Alright…Lei formulated a means of escape in under a few seconds. The possibility of it succeeding though…less than 30%. She'd have to make it work.

"The tailwind tomorrow will be moving at around 40 mph. Breeze itself will move me off target 10.73 meters. Possible variations…backdraft. 30mph. Margin of error is 62.18 meters…" She mumbled unconsciously. The numbers in her mind were answering her conjectures. 

'I don't know what mathematical mumbo jumbo you're vomiting, but it sounds like you're planning to jump off the tower.' Johnny commented. He looked at her with a frown. She was sounding more and more like an AI sometimes.

'Correct. It will be a long fall. About 25 minutes of falling. Maybe more…All depends on what happens during.'

'Jumping from the top? From the stratosphere? You have balls of steel.'

'No other way to get down. There's only one way in and out.'

…

…

…

The time had come. A new day. The sun had barely risen to the sky, making it early morning. 7am. With a calm and empty gaze, Lei observed the tower from the shadows. 

The entry point was…ridiculous. Fully armored soldiers with advanced weaponry littered the area. Security bots as well. The place was filled with military vehicles that had been reclaimed and repurposed. Different varieties of tanks. Humvees with mounted LMGs. Armored AVs. Gunships patrolling the air. Anti-air missile turrets. Anti-air gatling turrets. Minotaurs.

KSSHHHH

Lei released a powerful breath through the mask. The breather amplified the filtered sound…it reached a few of the soldiers who were patrolling. Suspicious glances went toward the shadows. The sickly girl had to time this right. 

Once the elevator came back down…it was go time. A wealthy man in a blue suit approached the checkpoint. There were 3 different security checks, from weapons to ID and special clearance. Almost 30 minutes went by before he was let through. Then he waited for the elevator. 

'Last chance. Is this what you want to be known for?' Johnny asked. 

'Enough with that. Trying to focus, Johnny.'

The elevator could finally be seen coming down, each floor lighting up with a blue light whenever it passed. 5,4,3,2…The wealthy man waited for the doors to open, then walked inside. It was time. Lei immediately stepped out of the shadows. 

Under the cloak, her left fingers were curled into a claw…the masked girl's senses reaching out toward the elevator. The wealthy man clicked on one of the top floors but the elevator didn't move. Instead, it made a weird noise. Almost as if it COULDN'T move. 

That's because it really couldn't. Not until Lei deemed it so. As she approached the checkpoint, guns were immediately pointed at her. Her eerie demeanor and steady approach brought suspicion. Not to mention her breathing. 

"STOP! Present your special clearance, ID, and standby for scanning!" The nearest soldier exclaimed. 

"............."

Lei reached into her cloak and pulled out the hilt of her beam saber. As she twirled it along her fingers, several more guns were pointed at her. The anti-air gatling turrets slowly turned to face her. 

"Remove your weapons! One more step and you WILL be eliminated!" The soldier roared.

"............"

The patrolling gunships turned to face Lei. Several soldiers were speaking into their earpieces. Most likely informing the higher ups of the tense situation. The tanks and armored vehicles aimed at the drifter. 

"There is the world…and then there is me." Lei commented. Her mechanized voice made them sweatdrop. 

VRRRMMMM

At the end of the hilt's twirl, the beam saber ignited with full force. Everything within 5 meters gained a red tint, and embers of plasma started wafting through the air. The hilt immediately extended into its full length. The swordstaff was revealed to the public eye.

Her body tilted forward as she prepared to dash-

"FIRE!"

Heavy artillery, laser projectiles, heavy caliber bullets, quickhacks, viruses…EVERYTHING was launched toward the drifter all at once. 

Lei accelerated. Her body disappeared with only a red afterimage to announce her departure. Arriving in front of the first soldier, her dancing swordstaff brought her into a twirl. A beautiful uppercut slash was the result of this momentum, cleaving right through the man's jaw and nose. 

She didn't stop to look, instantly moving toward the next victim. The next soldier. Her beam saber pierced his heart but the momentum sent him flying backward. Lei used his corpse as a launchpad and leapt high into the air. Her body flipped before straightening out and soaring over the weapons checkpoint. 

The hang time allowed her to see just what exactly loomed ahead. It wasn't pretty. An endless amount of soldiers, gunships, tanks, and everything else. They were all unloading their payloads where Lei used to be. A crater was the end result of such a bombardment. 

First things first. The anti-air nuisances. Lei's feet touched the ground and she accelerated again. Her blade effortlessly cut through a tank's barrel, and she stood over the hatch. Stabbing down through its roof, the man in the cockpit was roasted and melted. 

Another acceleration. Obliterating an entire line of security robots, she slid to a stop in front of an anti-air missile turret. A swing and it was done. She moved on to the gatling that was shooting at her red trail. 

BOOM

The missile turret finally exploded, knocking over a minotaur and several soldiers. Lei was still focused. Jumping onto the gatling. Her left hand gently touched the automated gatling, and she gave it an order. 

'With me.'

Just like that, the weapon started blasting at the gunships above. Lei accelerated again. Always moving. Always killing. More and more explosions resounded throughout the large space. The citizens of Las Vegas could hear it. Corporate suits in skyscrapers could see it from miles away. 

Gunships were falling one after the other. They crashed into the ground and obliterated their own forces before exploding. Screams were drowned out over the constant sound of gunfire. Heavy caliber bullets. Explosions. 

"She's too fast!"

"We need reinforcements!"

"The orbital elevator is under assault!"

"It's only one person!"

"Ahahahahaha! AHAHAHA! Die, bitch! DIE!" A delirious soldier screamed while unloading his mounted HMG.

"Finally, some action!" A veteran soldier commented before activating his Sandevistan. Several other veterans went with him. 

Each of them pulled out vibroknives and dashed toward Lei. As bullets flew through the air and surviving gunships fired back, melee took place. Several veteran soldiers vs the drifter.

VRMMM

The swordstaff danced in her hands as she flipped, twirled, and sidestepped. Cutting down two soldiers, grabbing an arm and slashing another soldier, flipping over the arm and breaking it. The rippling beam saber slashed through cyberware, armor, and flesh like butter. 

Spinning under an overhead slash. Pulling out the Burya and firing down at his foot. Coming back up for a powerful round slash. It didn't take long before the veterans were down to only three, their figures blurring across the battlefield as they chased Lei.

Backflipping over a traveling tank shell, she cut through the mounted HMG that hadn't stopped firing. Even as the soldier fell to the ground in two pieces, his psychotic laughs didn't stop. Not until he finally died. 

Then there were the minotaurs. These walking weapons were struggling to follow Lei's trail. They could only catch a glint of red before going offline. 

By the time everyone was fully invested in the battle taking place, half the automated weapons were targeting their own people. Lei had gotten more used to her abilities since acquiring them…and they would be put to use. It was much more convenient than a cyberdeck. Especially during close combat. 

Being able to just raise her hand and demand that things happen…it was a new experience. Perfect for this type of situation. Lei closed her fist and willed every single piece of machinery in a 20 meter radius, those that had the necessary capacity, to explode. 

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM KABOOOOM

The beauty of it. How easy it was to do. Lei marveled at herself. Watching the explosions in slow motion…at her speed…it was just…beautiful. There wasn't another way to describe it. 

Before these dangerous but beautiful explosions could affect her, the drifter finally dashed into the elevator, ignoring the wealthy man who was shaking in fear. Time returned to normal, and the doors closed. 

Finally. The elevator was going up. Loralei deactivated her beam saber and exhaled. The mechanical hiss of her breath made the man jump in fright while turning to the sound. His eyes widened upon seeing the new person who suddenly appeared. 

"Please don't kill me!" He cried out.

".........."

"I have a family! A wife and two kids. Please!"

".........."

"Is it money? I'll give you-"

"Can you shut up for a second?" Lei interrupted with a grunt. 

As the city became smaller and smaller, the drifter reached into her belt and grabbed a gadget. It immediately grew to a larger size once it was out. They were bombs. Explosive charges. 

Every 30 seconds, Lei would toss one onto the wall where it would stick. As this happened, the man looked on in horror. He knew he needed to get out of this tower. Immediately. 

"Don't worry friend. Once I step off you are free to go. Be quick about it though…if you want to live, that is." Lei commented. The man nodded his head quickly. 

Several minutes went by as she did the same thing over and over. Throwing charges onto the wall. Las Vegas itself had become a dot on the ground. That didn't mean the danger was over. Reinforcements would definitely be waiting on the ground. Not to mention any security that was at the top. 

The speed of the elevator increased the further up it went. As she looked out through the one-way glass, she marveled at how high they were. The clouds were appearing below as the platform rose above. The geography below couldn't be seen anymore. 

By the time they reached the top floor, the tower was covered in charges from top to bottom. The man stood there silently while waiting for her to step off. Lei waved to him before exiting through the doors. The man heaved a sigh before clicking the button down. 

'Letting him go? Even though everyone else inside this building is going to die?' Johnny commented. 

'Hey, don't think too hard about it. Ask and you shall receive. Since he asked, naturally I'll let him go. Closed mouths don't get fed.'

'And everyone else? They are clueless. Have no idea what happened on the ground.'

'...They won't feel a thing. Why are you caping so hard for these corpos?' Lei questioned. 

'I'm not. Just want to know your thought process.'

'Uh-huh.'

Lei casually walked through the rounded rooms. Workers everywhere. Office people. Ignoring the weird glances due to her eerie appearance, she looked for the final set of stairs. How many floors did this tower have…like 600? People would have to be suicidal to take the stairs all the way down.

It didn't take long to find the stairs. As the drifter made her way up, she heard two voices conversing near the wall. Two figures were looking out the one-way windows. Two women, wearing their own unique clothing. All black of course.

The first woman had long brown braids that went down to her back. An angled bone structure resembling a japanese origin. Two katanas rested on her hip. She looked just like the other woman. The only difference was that this girl had short white curly hair. A short white braid went down the side. This woman seemed much colder…much more calculating. Only one katana on her hip. They were twins.

"Look, Nana! It's like an ocean of clouds. The radiation doesn't exist up here." The braided girl spoke up. 

"...Mnn. Glad we were able to see this before reaching Night City."

"Hmph. Think we'll find that cruel bitch there?"

"...It's the only place I believe she'd be. Only place nearby with the possibility of curing her. It's big enough. Advanced enough."

"Can't wait. Your guesses are never wrong." The braided girl stroked the handle of one of her katanas.

"Keep your head on straight, Emi. Following her trail won't be easy." Nana stated.

"Tch. My head is clear, damnit." Emi growled.

Hearing these voices, Lei went up the stairs a little quicker. How unlucky…damn. She could feel goosebumps. This was NOT ideal.

'Never seen you avoid someone so fast. You know them?' Johnny asked. 

'Old friends…' Lei answered.

'Didn't sound like old friends.'

'Enemies. They're hunting me. Have been for years.'

'Why? What did you do?'

'...........'

'Not gonna tell me?'

'No.'

Lei reached the final room. After raising her hand, access was granted. The doors slid open with a gentle hum. What appeared before her were terminals. Old fashioned ones. Not only that. Old computers. Books. Papers. Documents.

Without wasting time, she started scanning everything she could. A datashard was placed into the terminals. ICE? Who gave a damn. A single thought and the machinery accepted her demands.

A few minutes went by as everything was copied and downloaded. The walls were still one-way glass. An endless expanse of white and blue was all she could see. 

"Winds have changed slightly. Variance of 4 mph. Margin of error decreased by 2 meters. Now 60.18 meters." She muttered. 

'Hope you remember which side the supply tower is on. Don't want you jumping off the wrong way.' Johnny couldn't help but joke in this situation. Lei ignored him.

After 10 minutes, the process was complete. The datashard was grabbed and an explosive charge was placed on the terminal. These books were history. No pun intended.

Lei backed up toward the right side of the room. Raising her modified Burya, she fired at the other side. One shot. Two shots. Three shots. Four. A large hole appeared in the wall, the outside air seeping in. It was just large enough for her to dive through. 

KSSHHHH

She took a deep breath, her mind preparing for what was to come. This would be the most dangerous thing she'd ever done. Another deep breath and she started jogging. It soon turned into a sprint…then she jumped. 

Immediately, the doors were sliced open as Nana and Emi entered the room. Their speed rivaled that of a Sandevistan. Of course they would hear the gunshots. Everyone on the top floor heard it. Their eyes met those of the drifter's…and recognition dawned on their expressions. 

Nana's expression went from recognition to cold blooded calm. Emi though, she was different. Her expression transformed into one of unbridled rage. A deep fury. One that promised a sweet revenge. Alas, it was too late. 

Loralei was already out in the open air.