A Chance Encounter

After equipping myself with anything I would need for today's outing, I ripped out of the lot with the force of a badland dust devil and tore onto the roads of Pacifica.

At this point, the incredible ocean view had grown old and I now felt more nostalgic of my start here. But not trying to wipe out cuz I was stuck in my own head, I snapped out of it and got back to tearing through the common roadblocks that were to be expected for where I am. 

My bike roared in approval at the calming speed of 125 MPH I was hitting, while swerving and evading anything that came my way as I made my way towards my favorite bar in all of Night City. It was located downtown in a back alley, sketchy as it is, it lands itself by a few corpo-populated mega buildings. It's right in the perfect location for some poor bastard stressed out cuz they have something they shouldn't. 

My pupils dilated as the fluorescence of the approaching city clamored my view of the horizon and anything behind it. 

' A city you feel you can't get past is right on the money huh...' 

I scorched some of the road as I flew down the bridge into the city of dead dreams. It was a love-hate relationship with this place for me. Here I could do anything, but at the same time, anything can happen.

I learned that the hard way. But I'm back anyway because it would just be a waste of a chance not to indulge myself when everyone else's cup is in the punch. It took a couple of last minute turns, and almost slamming into some poor bastards mei mei to get to my back alley destination.

I hopped off of my bike and equipped the short-circuit lock that would electrocute anyone dumb enough to touch my baby. I kicked the kickstand down as I walked over to the entrance of the bar. Lit atop the entrance was a neon sign that read,  Fastlane.

I pushed the door open to see a couple of familiar faces who I knew were regulars due to the couple of times I'd been to this bar. Some disgraced corpos that have to be homeless so their past faults don't catch up with him, the trio of barely scrapping by veterans playing dice or cards and then there's Tommy, the bartender who's just as drunk as whoever he's serving, dude brews a mean moonshine though.

The drunkard bartender also happened to owe me a favor or two.

I shoot the choom a quick confirmation text that it's me through the holo as I grab a seat at the corner of the barstool. He nods in understanding, already knowing the drill.

" Hey choom, what made you come back from paradise and into hell again? Glad to see ya tho, you almost had a guy worried for ya." The man's breath reaked of Vodka yet he didn't even slur a syllable, a high functioning alcoholic at its best.

I chuckled back, " Tommy, we both know that if I ever went down it would be loud and on every news channel out there. But besides that I need to get back in biz and I'm ready to cash in that IOU you promised. "

The man sighed in resignation, most of the drubks he promised those too would forget but it didn't seem so bad to the guy when he responded. " What, want a jug of my special brew? But knowing you ..."

Instead of responding I called him on the holo for a non audible conversation.

" Need an access point that can get to a subnet for Biotechnoca. One that doesn't see constant use." My thoughts rang aloud only to our ears. And his responded back.

" You know I'm not good with this netrunning shit you-you try to explain. But a facility I heard got shut down recently might have what you're-you're looking for."

I quickly shoot back the natural response, " So-so where the hell is this facility?" The man shook his head, "Nah, choom-choom, just picked up a name from a guy who got laid off from it. Said it was called something like-like, uhhhh...."

I deadpanned at the older man from behind my mask, "Well, will ya-ya spit it out already choom." Finally my anticipation was answered as it clicked and came back to Tommy.

" Ahhh, yeah, some place called-called Repla-Ware. They used to be a base for body replication therapy before-before it shut down. " Hmmm, a place where DNA was stored and replicated, definitely needs access to there own subnet to keep info like that 'secure'. Well from anyone 'cept them of course.

But I still had a pretty pressing question...

" Did ya know why-why the place got shut down? The gonk bring it-it up at all?" He shook his head and hit back " Nada holmes, he didn't bring it up while he was getting wast-wasted."

I sighed IRL and disconnected the holo call. Both of our optics went back to how they look normally as I stood up from the bar stool.

I gave my goodbyes to the old friend and was told to 'stay safe out there being a dumbass or whatever' good old Tommy for sure.

I exit the Fastlane and started walking to my bike. Just before I turned the into the back alley I had hid my bike in I heard an eccentric voice describing it.

" Older model, but damn how did they even fit all these specs to somthin from the 20s? And this lock is fuckin solid as a bitch too."

...

DA FUQ WAS HE FUCKIN WIT DA LOCK FOR?!?

My hand flew and drew out my Overture faster then I could blink, ready to turn this fuckers brains to chunks on a wall.

Before the mohawk having punk could even turn to my footsteps, a shining silver barrel was press up to the side of the piss-sniffers skull.

All that rage turns into cold calm as I finally let my thoughts be verbalized as even the city seemed to shut the hell up for a sec.

"Touch the bike if you volunteer this head of yours as a new paint job."

The lanky shit stain was dumbfounded at how fast his situation had escalated faster then he could react. He broke out into a cold sweat, put his hands up and turned around to look at who the hell ran up on him that fast.

But when he did I got full view of the little shits face I realized that this was someone familiar. Pale white skin, a black gravity breaking mohawk, and a black and red tech visor over his eyes.

The glint of his hands in the poorly lit alley let it all click and come back to me.

Good now I can terrify this piss-sniffer, maybe even...

Yeah that'll work...

" Is that the Pilar? The one that got outta maelstrom and they didn't even hunt your golf club built ass down. I wonder what I could get for someone like you... I heard Royce wouldn't mind a little help tying up a loose end." He gulped and looked even more nervous, " N-nah choom I'll just get outta ya way,"

*Click*

A pin hit the floor.

I closed the gap again with my kerenzikov, tying him up with my monowire and hacking in to the techie's cyberware, and before real-time caught up with me I gripped the trigger on the flashback he tried to detonate.

*Grrrmble*

Damn, this shit makes me so damn hungry every time.

Sifting through his memory coprocessor was a snap, and what I found intrigued me.

He had just left the Maelstrom gangoons after a fallout with Royce, he only didn't get turned into a bullet sponge because he was Brick's right-hand techie. Hadn't even caught wind of where his little sister was, still too skezzed off glitter to care about where he left her. Or that she had run away too trying to find him.

He knew about it but didn't even make an effort to get his shit together to reconnect.

I shook my head at how familiar the estranged sibling thing was around here.

Letting the dude's restraints fall I took the gun away from his head and put it back in my jacket as I hopped onto my bike taking the kickstand up to.

" Nevermind you fuckin junkie, go find something better to do with your time, like idk find that lil sis of yours?"

Horror was written on his face at the thought that I knew about her and seeing my previous display, had the abilities and a reason to flatline em both. It wasn't even a farfetched thought in this city to end a bloodline over some wheels. And on top of that Maelstrom bounties usually paid in new tech or favors from a bunch of metal mouth bootleg smashers.

Too bad they aren't anywhere near dangerous enough to be of any use though as a well-placed EMP and some will just flat out die because of how many implanted organs they have.

" The fuck do you know! Huh?! Think your better than me or something. " It struck such a sore note he forgot how I almost turned his squid body ass into calamari.

The techie had some balls but that didn't change much. As I responded, " That you should stay in your lane, now catch this vibe check."

I revved the engine and let the cripple movement daemon loose on him locking his ass in place for a few before tossing the flashback right into the guy's still-stuck face.

" Peace, choom."

"MOTHERFU-, *Pssh Pop*." Another scream was heard as his optics had their artificial retinas toasted, the bastard wouldn't die though, just needed a replacement set. 

I cackled from over my shoulder and rode out of the now blazingly bright alley to finally get back to why I came all the way out here so close to that corpo shit hole. To spread some art! As nice of a crime as you can get to in night city. 

Well time to start trying to find this fuckin lab to get some cash, papa needs some new chrome!