The Gig

It was a brand new day. The sun was still rising and the cold atmosphere left moisture on the ground and car windshields. Rain was threatening to fall on Night City once the sun went down. 

VROOM

A lone engine screamed amidst the concrete jungle. Two wheels zoomed past cameras, buildings, and civilians. It was a Yaiba Kusanagi, a beautiful black sportbike with red highlights. Some customization enhanced the look and performance as well. 

Red reflective tape outlined the rims' edges giving off a cyberwheel appearance. The race tires bit into the street as it pounded toward its destination. The shift of each gear caused fire to spit out the exhaust. Popping noises resounded whenever Lei eased up on the throttle.

Lane splitting in between cars at over 130mph, the other drivers assumed the biker had a death wish. The drifter was used to high speeds and was most comfortable during these moments. She felt safer going fast than staying still. Such was the philosophy of most sportbike riders. 

The bike slid as she exited the highway, rounding the corner. Only the call of smoke and a trail of red light showed traces of her location. The overpass was coming up quickly, causing Lei to shift gears and slide into a descending path. 

At over 70mph, she descended the roundabout path in a full drift slide. The wheels were burning rubber. Her engine screams were most definitely heard by the client now, due to proximity. The path eventually straightened up and revealed light at the end. It only took a few seconds to come out into the open area. 

Another perfect slide and Lei was perfectly parked beside a Militech armored truck. Meredith could be found standing in front of the hood, eyeing the bike and the drifter with a raised eyebrow. She showed no signs of intimidation. 

Of course she wasn't intimidated. That was because two massive cyborgs protected her with pistols and carbines at their hip. The Kusanagi engine cut off with a small whisper. Only then did Lei step off the bike and approach the woman guarded by two muscle men.

"I assumed you would be late. Guess I was wrong. 7am on the dot. You move fast." Meredith commented. 

The Millitech woman was still dressed in a business suit that ended in a pencil skirt. Her slim legs were on full display that was eventually stopped by black high heeled red bottoms. Classy.

"I actually was running a bit late. Not really a morning person." The drifter spoke blandly.

"Did you rush to get here? Now I feel special." Meredith joked. Of course, there was no smile on her face. 

"So, what's the gig?" 

Stout raised her hand as if telling Lei to stop. It seems she didn't want to speak on that yet. For whatever reason. 

"Not yet. Need to scan you to make sure you're clean."

"Going through my social security? I don't think so." The cloaked drifter denied. Meredith frowned. 

"If you want to take this gig, you must submit to a background check. Don't worry, just making sure you aren't from another company trying to get an inside scoop."

Lei didn't respond yet. Johnny glitched beside the truck and raised his hands with the 'I told you so' look. She rolled her eyes behind the visor. 

"Alright. Fine. Just know that I'll be able to tell if you pull anything funny." Lei said. 

One of the Borgs immediately approached the drifter and pulled the jack from his wrist. The drifter took the jack and chipped into the back of her neck. They were connected. Meredith took that time to speak. 

"Did you come alone?" She asked.

"Yes." Lei answered. The Borg's eyes shone a bright orange.

"Truth." He called out a second later. Meredith nodded before continuing. 

"There was an intel leak four days ago about one of our convoys. The problem has already been dealt with but I must know. Were you involved or do you know anyone related?" 

"No."

"Truth." The Borg declared. 

"Are you currently working for or doing a gig for any other party at this exact moment?"

"No." 

"Truth."

"Alright." Meredith waved her hand. 

The Borg removed his jack and stepped away. Each of the Millitech operatives seemed to relax a bit. The tension eased up a little. Lei smiled slightly. Meredith observed her smile while lighting a cigarette. There was a small moment of silence.

"Alright, you're clean."

"Should I be celebrating?" Lei quipped.

"Shut the fuck up and listen. Here's the spill." Meredith said. This woman didn't fuck around.

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

"Biotechnica." She stated firmly. After that, she took a puff of her cig. Johnny immediately glitched onto the hood of the truck, legs dangling off the edge. He was shaking his head. 

'I'm telling you, Loralei. This corpo shit will end with you in a ditch. It doesn't matter how tough you think you are. They always find a way.' He commented. 

'If that's how you truly felt, you wouldn't be asking me to burn down Arasaka.' She countered. 

'Touche.' 

"They've made a prototype stimulant called JT-311. Millitech wants the formula. YOU…are going to get it for us. Top floor of the Night City Biotechnica HQ, CEO's desk. Klep the info, put it on this data shard, return it to me. You know the pay." Meredith explained. 

"Where do we meet up after?"

"Confirm that you have the info then I'll send you the meetup spot accordingly."

"Preem."

"You have two days."

"I'll finish it tonight." Lei casually stated while stretching her limbs. Meredith once again raised an eyebrow. 

"Do you consider this gig too easy? Don't look down on their security." She demanded. 

While Stout made it sound as if she was looking down on the drifter, the reality was that she wanted this gig to succeed. As such, she didn't want the merc to go in overconfident. That would only make it worse for both parties. 

"I'll handle it."

"Don't disappoint me, Drifter." She threatened.

"Not possible. You'll be more than satisfied."

The Millitech lady waved her hand again. This prompted the Borgs to enter the truck. It was time to leave. Before Lei could step away, Meredith pulled her around the corner. Away from prying eyes. 

"Take off the visor. Let me see the face of my merc." She demanded with her arms crossed. Lei tilted her head. 

"Isn't there an unwritten rule about prying?" The drifter responded. 

"I thought you would leave me more than satisfied? Was that just hot air?" 

'Ahh shit. She's already flirting.' Johnny's voice resounded. 

Only then did Lei realize. She then casually took off the visor, revealing her empty eyes and fluttering lashes. Meredith's expression didn't change but her gaze roamed. 

"I did say that…and sometimes hot air works wonders." Lei commented. Stout's gaze finally stopped on her lips. Again.

"You spew a lot of nonsense from that mouth." 

"My mouth can do other things too."

There was another moment of silence as the two eyed each other up. It was hard to break that poker face. Meredith's corporate life made her tough as nails.

"Hmph…Alright. Show me that you can complete a job." The lady finally said. She immediately headed back to the armored truck without looking back.

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

Lei put her visor back on and returned to the Kusanagi. She planned on taking a look at the Biotechnica building before infiltrating later tonight. The engine came online with a beautiful purr.

VRMM

…

…

…

Night had fallen…and as promised, there was torrential rain to accompany. It was also incredibly windy. The Biotechnica corporate building stood tall amongst its nearby neighbors.

The inside of the building was empty. Like a specter, the drifter appeared on the first floor. She quickly turned to the cameras while in bullet time…just to realize that they were already off.

'Wait…the whole camera network is offline. Is someone else infiltrating?' She thought. 

Expanding the scope of her scan, she finally noticed outward signals being jammed. No data could leave this building in a digital manner. Her body blurred again as she accelerated up the floors. The building truly was empty. 

Upon reaching the top floor, she found the CEO's room to be locked. Her gaze landed on the electronic door. The drifter didn't hesitate to send a ping even with the possibility of being noticed. 

Multiple nodes appeared in her vision and were outlined throughout the building. More importantly, the outline of a human figure appeared on the other side. Seemed to be hacking into the mainframe. Lei digitally forced the door open causing the figure to jump in surprise. 

A black and pink colored pistol was trained on the drifter's head. The figure appeared to be another woman, wearing a tight fitting bodysuit under a pink crop top jacket. Her black hair was styled in an angled bob. Wide blue eyes had pink rings surrounding the pupils. Facial augments gave her the appearance of a cat.