Weirdos

"Joder! Me cago en Padre! Me cago en Campo!" Mama shouted when I came home to the bar early and told her about my new promotion, "I told you this would happen! Why don't you ever listen?"

"I like it." I told her.

"You like it? You like killing people!" Disappointment and rage resounded in her voice as she yelled at me while I played with my beer.

"Yeah. I'm really good at it. People pay me a lot. Less hours. It all adds up as victory for Juan." I explained while every word made Mama more and more visibly pissed.

A shoe struck my face traveling somewhere above Mach 1.

"Tarado!" she screamed and leapt over the bar top to get in my face, "Listen to me. This path you are on. It's going to kill you. You are going to die on the streets just like your brothers and your cousins. They can paint the neighborhood in the spilled blood of Welles boys. You are the only one that is smart enough to do something else. Please, mijito. Do anything else."

"This is the way I'm going, Mama." I shrugged and chugged my beer before it cold get warm.

"You think you're invincible right now, mijito. But life won't let you keep that mindset forever, and the longer it goes on the worse the end of it will be." Mama shook her head and walked away.

With that wrapped up I stepped out back and called up V.

Big Juan: I'm off early today, going to have a lot more free time now.

V: On the job till six. See you after.

Big Juan: I'll be waiting, Chica.

V: Later.

Walking the back alley to my house saw me up in my room programming the cut outs for my AutoDoc parts. I wanted that beast up and running in the next few days. Just need to find a choom trusting enough to test it out.

I checked my contacts on the Phantom Box and saw a message that came in earlier from VaultGirl.

VaultGirl: Nevermind. Forget I asked.

Checking the previous message made me sigh.

VaultGirl: What do you think of Midnight Lady implants?

Personally, love them. Also personally, would blow away any ripperdoc that would put them in anyone under 18. I just don't think kids should trade out their meat for chrome, especially their sex meat, something that is entirely insecurity based at that point in life. I get it if you're a street warrior and you need to boost to get an edge. Slippery slope, but it might keep you from getting flatlined. Having a cybercock or robopussy isn't going to save your life and can wait until your body is all done developing.

Course my high horse is walking around on the stilts of my Fallout System in this case. Charisma and Endurance will do everything a Mr. Stud can cept vibrate.

VaultBoy: Preem. But not something to get until you've explored ganic with a supportive partner for at least a year. The more the better. Zero anybody that tells you you need it though. Definitely something to get just for your own enjoyment and never on the sly. Doc with a pristine reputation or not at all.

Lucy messaged me back while I was studying one of my subscribed dark web databases contributed to by several Netrunners always trying to get one over on the corporations, governments, and gangs. Basically spend their days fucking over everyone who fucks others over for a living.

VaultGirl: I said forget about it.

VaultBoy: Was still good advice.

I went back to studying until V knocked. We worked together to quickly form a pile of what is a damn fine SCOP version of spicy extra crispy fried chicken.

"What'd you do today?" she asked while we made dinner.

"Got about halfway through building my stealth suit. Got promoted to sicario. Killed a bunch of 6 Street gonks. Got yelled at by mi mama. Designed some parts for a robot ripperdoc. Told a thirteen year old to wait on getting Midnight Lady implants." I informed her in an even tone.

"Well… fuck. All I did was deliveries today. Had some good tacos for lunch." V scoffed, "Did you leave out anything else crazy like … starting the next Corpo War?"

"Funny you should mention that." I chuckled, "Some of my Netrunner associates found out that Militech is putting pressure on the NUSA President to launch a war with the Freestates. They think it'll kick off within a year."

"Just fucking great." V sighed as we dipped the first rack of twice breaded chicken into the hot oil.

"Gonna message Sacramento soon. Got some things I want to build that'll require FU money. They should be in talks with Arisaka right now about silent support. I could really use that Saka scratch to get my Scorpitron Mk II's built." I grinned at the thought of my super stylish tanks taking on the various Militech panzer models.

"Jesus, Juan. You never think little. And Scorpitrons? What the hell happened to the Mk I?" V shook her head in a little exasperation.

"Best not think about the Mk I. Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy. Mk II. Hefty, hefty, hefty." I laughed and pulled the deep fried goodness out of the oil and onto a dripping wrack, "I could build one really nice Mk II if I could bankrupt the Valentinos in the process. That'd really show those Tyger Claws though. Probably get their dicks hard too. Perfect mix of Mecha and Kaiju."

"I… you're the weirdest person. Probably ever." V mused as we plated our glorious meal and I poured us two tequila highballs.

"Normal people don't make it to the top. Not from nothing like us. We're all at the bottom of the ocean. The pressure keeping us down, crushing us. A normal guy if he's lucky and hard, might get his head above water. But a weirdo, one that doesn't crash and burn. He can be flying if he got wings." I told her as we sat across from each other, then smiled, "Amen! Let's eat!"

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On some wise advice I finally figured out how do to auxiliary chapters, and Juan's Character Sheet is not at the top of the story for reference with explained perks.

This one was a shorty chapter as It had been a while since we last saw the women in Juan's life. I think I can get another chapter out tonight. Might be tomorrow morning.

Once again big thanks to everyone that has been supporting me and my family at

ko - fi . com / jmanm

Uda best, homies.