Blood and Bytes (Revna x Delryth)

[Revna]

It all started what seemed like an eternity ago but was in all reality just a few months ago. Another clan has approached Bella’s, her family the Ashclaw clan, had accepted. Bella did not agree with how the new family wanted to run things and after looking over the sunset she decided she would finally try her luck in night City. After all, if you could make it night City, you were set for life and then some. That was the plan, go to night City. Make it big, cash out and head back to the desert with the sunrise ahead and a full tank.

That was the plan and then it started to go sideways. Bella agreed to kill her mark, some entry level corpo who saw too many things. The night had started in her tiny apartment just right on the edge of Watson. Big enough for her queen bed, her clothes and even a one eye cooking area that held a tea kettle. It was dirt cheap and people never seemed to come around the very edge of Watson. Too close to other territories for a lot of people, Bella didn't really mind and they left her alone.

Taking her bike, she went over to the apartment of one Sierra Wilkson. Her mark lived in a tall apartment closer to the city center where most corpo rats lived. A fake delivery got her into the building and soon she was up flights of stairs. Usually only using the elevator if she absolutely has too. Her cybernetic enhancements, attached from the knees down, grant her remarkable speed and agility, making the stairs honestly a faster and safer option anyway.

Dark burn-red hair, fading to black at the tips, framing her face yet long enough that she had to bring it into a sloppy bun that still had trelasis of hair randomly going down her neck. She moved quickly up the stairs until the 6th floor before going into the hall of her mark. Getting into the apartment was not hard, finding her mark was equally as easy since she was in the shower. Almond-shaped pale brown almost tan eyes gleamed with a hint of technology, allowing her to identify and mark threats. Her gun synced with the ware in her eyes, triple checked to make sure everything was silent and shot.

How the fuck Sierra survived that gun shot was beyond her but as she was ready to leave the apartment, the trauma team’s lights and sirens sounded as they landed on her balcony. Annoyance flashed through her as she quickly moved to hide in the apartment, only having one chance to attempt this again before she was behind police security. The trauma team moved quickly, grabbing the woman and heading back out. Only once she was sure to have an escape route of the front door, she took her shoot as the trauma team attempted to take Sierra out to her balcony; one had seen her and shit, making her jerk clipping the women in the spine and without Bella’s realization, missing anything extremely important before she fled the scene all together. The bullet missed but ricocheted, coming back and hitting her in the inside of her thigh. All she could do was hope the woman died in the hospital as she fled with blood dripping down her mech. Which, of course, was not her luck as Sierra made it to the hospital and was saved. Burning her a bit in night City on top of not getting paid for the job, she now nurses a slice in her thigh. The bullet was warm enough to sear the skin enough for a thin angry red burn sliced into her creamy pale thigh.

Spending a week doing minor bullshit jobs to essentially start her street cred over again while getting her new alteration to finally stop hurting in a pair of pants. Finally a half decent job comes on the board but it is a two man team. Something about finding and retrieving a BD, but it could get complicated which is why it was worth a cool quarter a million credits. Even split in half that would set her up for a year, plus a tempting bonus if the job became more complicated. Bella could handle complicated just fine, it was the teamwork that would be a challenge.

Since coming to Night City, the thought of trusting another was non-existent which one needed to get the job. With how desperate she was, plus the completion would really ramp her credibility, she called her contact and set up a meeting. There was already another person and they would all be meeting to go over the job once she was approved to do the job. She had just enough time to go over to the bar for the meeting; which went over quicker than she expected once they saw her upgrades plus her nomadic history. The job wasn't supposed to be that hard, a bit of research here, a little theft there. A regular Thursday night in Night City.

With the meeting over, information was exchanged and she received the number for her teammate. Flicking a message with a time and place to meet, knowing better to say much else and ending with the code word; Deliverance. The meeting of her teammate was in an hour, giving her time to make her way over and even brushing out the curls that softly ringlet without it being even a medium coil. More waves than curls themselves. Making herself half presentable, she finally made her way into a different bar on a very different side of Night City. One didn't do their business in one place. Standing at 5'3"; Bella was short but mighty with voluptuous curves that made her seem softer than she actually was, she entered the bar an looked around. Quickly messaging her new teammate that she has arrived and to look for the fire fox.

A fire fox tattoo ran up from her knee, up to her hip and settled on the curve of her abdomen which was all visible thanks to the smaller pair of black shorts that really only covered her thighs and rode a bit higher on her hips. Her mech calves and ended in a pair mid calf black biker boots. Topped with a loose black tank, some random logo on it that she barely paid attention to. Soft, full lips that often curl into a confident smirk and a small, slightly upturned nose that adds to her unique charm which held small chains on the ridge of her nose; pierced into her skin. An eyebrow ring glittered in the bar’s lights as she looked around, softly clicking her tongue piercing against her porcelain teeth that held small gems in her slightly extended fangs. A fox like woman between her hair, almond tan like eyes and the small bits of eyeliner she used to make her eyes shine.

 

[Delryth]

Derrick Taylor had been a member of trauma team for years now and had appreciated all the perks and benefits that it granted. It paid well for a start, something that most jobs in the city couldn’t hope to do. It also gave medical care which essentially equated to a wage bump with how expensive medical bills tended to be in Nightcity. All in all, he was content with his life and knew that he had the kind of job that would open up a good career path that actually put him into a position where he’d one day be able to return and live a comfortable life with enough eddies to see his days through. Another thing most people didn’t get to do.


That was until the incident at least.


He’d been less than a month or two away from the promotion that he’d been earmarked for. He was going to be a lead, the lead of his own team which came with a substantial pay bump. Rather than gearing up and following another’s lead, he was going to be the one calling his shots and have his own team. He’d been so close until that little bitch had ruined everything.


The call had been routine, the kind of call they got several times a day. Nightcity was dangerous and every other callout was going to some hot zone with a couple of gonks or gangoons waving guns around. They were usually no issue. Most fled the moment they saw the trauma team transport’s lights knowing that the doctors inside didn’t fuck around. They shot first and asked questions later. Those that were dense enough to try and fight ended up flatlined.


This day he was serving as one of the security specialists rather than his usual role as an ET. He manned the machine gun on the side of the transport and the moment they landed he and the other security officer took point. They raced out of the transport equipped with their pulsars followed by the two ET’s with pistols. He burst through a door and saw the target on the ground. He raised his gun and sprayed shots towards the other person in the room making them duck for cover while they recovered their client.


Everything seemed to be going well as they turned to bail and that was where it went wrong. The bitch had taken a desperate shot and caught the client in the back. Derrick had known things were wrong straight away. He raced back into the doorway to try and put her down. The lines of the cyberware visible on his face glowed a bright blue, his optics trying to spot her. He took several shots though he knew he missed. He glanced to the side and his optics gave another target. He fired several shots at a nearby pipe causing them to ricochet around the corner. He heard the hiss and then tuned back into his radio. They called to leave. The team pulled out and got the client to the nearby hospital.


They’d saved her at least but their performance, upon review, hadn’t been satisfactory. The customer had been paralyzed due to the bullet she’d taken. The cover she paid for assured that no further damage would occur once trauma team were on the scene. She was a powerful individual with a lot of sway. Trauma team couldn’t lose the entire team so they’d needed a scapegoat. Derrick wasn’t sure why it was him that was chosen but within a week, thanks to her, he’d lost his job, his pension and his insurance.


He had enough savings to last a few months but he knew he couldn’t rely on that for too long, not with the bills he had. He’d been blacklisted from most of the corps where his skills would likely have gotten him a job either in security or a private medical team which also meant the chances of him finding a job with anything close to similar benefits went out of the window. As a parting gift one of his former team members gave him a chit with contact details in case he ever got “desperate enough to look for gig work”.


He’d spent weeks trying to find work and it was either not worth his time for the eddies they were paying, turned him away after doing a background check or told him that he wasn’t what they were looking for. Eventually, he got to the stage where he had no other options. Bills were mounting up and he knew that people didn’t survive long in Nightcity once they fell into debt.


The number got him in touch with a middle-of-the-pack fixer who went by the nickname “Frost”. He didn’t know or care why they got that nickname, he wasn’t bothered by asking too many questions. He did a few small-time gigs for them at first. Klepping some gonk’s files for his first and then busting out teen who’d gotten caught up with the Tyga Claws and had been held for ransom. The jobs were easy enough and they paid enough eddies to tie him over.


It wasn’t long before the fixer had determined that Derrick Taylor wasn’t a suitable name for a merc and had soon been gifted the nickname Detox. As much as he protested it at first the nickname soon stuck whether he wanted it or not. After another few weeks, he stopped fighting it and just accepted the street name.


Frost had gotten in touch with a new gig that was offering a high payout. Two fifty gs. Enough to let him breathe a little easier for the year. He knew full well that a big payout also meant that the gig was going to be a risky one. It wasn’t a simple gig, it had multiple parts to it that were going to take a while to get through. Not only that but he wouldn’t be working alone. Frost had insisted he had a partner on this and shared half the eddies.


After a brief exchange with his tentative partner, he prepared to meet her at the designated spot. He dressed in simple clothes that, while they weren’t expensive, were obviously not cheap and practical. Black combat slacks over dark brown boots. His shirt was a light grey colour with a small neon blue star symbol in the left corner. His arms were decorated with grooves that made it obvious he packed some kind of cyberware. He was in his late twenties and his face had started to mature. He sported a neatly trimmed goatee that trailed along his jawline. He had cool grey eyes and neatly cut slicked-back hair that was practical and presentable. His face also had several notable grooves showing the chrome he’d had fitted. Optics along with a port on the side of his head.


He made his way towards the bar and quickly looked at the building once before deciding to head inside. Inside he instantly began to look over the customers gathered and noticed that it was busy enough to help avoid notice and yet not too busy that it was crowded. He’d only been told the basics. He was looking for a fire fox. With the help of his optics, he scanned the clientele quicker than if he just had organic eyes. It didn’t take long for him to see what he was looking for.


He made his way over towards her table and slipped into the seat opposite her and said in a low tone. “Deliverance”. He settled his gaze upon her and his eyes narrowed on her. He scanned his databank briefly and confirmed what he thought. It was her. She was the one who’d fucked up his life. He stiffened before her and his face turned into a sneer. “What the fuck? This some set up?”

 

[Revna]

'Deliverance'

The code word spoken made her focus on the man in front of her. The bar was barely lit and people were drinking, talking, loud enough that it would be hard to hear much of their conversation as long as they kept it at a reasonable volume. As she looked at the man in front of her, the tech in her eye zoomed and ran his face. He seemed to recognize her just as her own software locked in on him as well. Her own pretty face turned into a scowl and anger.

His accusation of this being a set up only annoyed her further and made her eyes narrow and blazed; "why would I set you up?! You are the one who wrecked my last big gig! Do you have any idea the eddies and rep you cost me?!" Voice filled with venom but barely loud enough for him to hear let alone anyone around them.

Getting up, she placed her hand on the table edge to lean against as she got up. "I don't know what game this is but there isn't enough eddies in the world for me to play it," snarling softly she shot daggers at him.

Just as she was about to fully attempt to leave, a text came in from the fixer asking if they had meet yet. More than anything she wanted to give this fixer a piece of her mind but she knew doing so would limit her job list and she had only just started to get back to where she was before running into him previously. Sending a last scathing look, she pushed off the table to leave. Denying this job would cost her already, she didn't need to make it worse. Of course it would be him costing her another job, she thought viciously.

 

[Delryth]

Derrick still wasn’t entirely sure he bought it, it was too much of a coincidence that, of all people, he’d ended up paired up with her. Perhaps the fixer knew what was up, perhaps this wasn’t an accident at all and he’d arranged to pair the two of them up because of their past. The thought didn’t sit right with him and it made a hot anger smoulder inside of his stomach at the thought of it. Still, what could he do? He needed this gig, it was a big pay off and he couldn’t afford to start slipping now, not when he was starting to make this whole shitty situation work.

“Never heard of trauma team? It’s our job to keep people alive when gonk edge runners like you try to flatline clients who pay their medicals.” He scowled again and gave her a look of distaste. “My heart fuckin’ bleeds for you. I had a good thing going before you fucked that up.” He watched as she stood up and pushed away from the table and simply sat and watched her. He could just make the eddies himself without her and not split them two ways. Instead of watching her leave he looked towards the bar and considered what he was going to drink. He wasn’t leaving here until he’d at least knocked something back.

 

[Revna]

Annoyance and anger filled her, she wasn't told that the dumb bitch had any medical. She was supposed to be a nobody, just some random button feeder who tried their luck. Nails dug in where her hand was but she kept her lips tightly shut as she gave a look that could kill. At the end of the day, she should have double checked herself. The clan would have. It was a bad op and she was more to blame than anyone, part of her knew this but it was so much easier to blame others and right now easy was the best option.



A flicker of 'good, suffer as I have;' flashed across her face but went just as quickly as it came. With nothing stopping her, she went outside. One of the nice things about nightcity was that it was almost always busy. Even at 3am, busy with bustling bodies trying to make their life work here. It made it easy to blend in. Now was no different, bustling bodies allowed her to duck into a side street and call the fixer. It was only a ring or two before they answered, "heeey!" An overly friendly greeting as their face flickered in their vision; "how did the meeting go? He's great right? Perfect for the job!"

"Absolutely fucking not," she seethed in the exact opposite of his cheery tone.

The call went silent for a moment, she has a temper. One she usually kept mostly in checked but she was called the fire fox for a reason and it wasn't just the tattoo the ran up her thigh. "Be-" he paused when she cleared her throat, "fox. What is the problem? He is good! He will help get the job done easy! Plus he has medical experience-"

"I know. That's the problem. We can't work together, I can do this on my own or I can find someone else." Her tone left no room for argument, her answer was final.

"Then I'm giving it to him," caused a snarl and enough anger through the phone she could hear their voice tremble for a moment. "You know I like you fox but I've worked with him more, I know he will get the job done. Besides," the cheery tone returning, "it would look sooo good if you could work with him! The fire fox can put work first can't it?"

"Fuck you," she hung up but they both knew she would have to figure it out. He was right, fire fox was work first.

"I fucking hate when other people are right," she muttered as she kicked a trash can; denting it harshly thanks to her mechanic calf and foot.

'So?' Came the message, simple yet she could almost feel their victorious smile behind it. 'fuck you, you owe me' her reluctant acceptance.

'The eddies always do the talking, I will set you as a solo after this. I will even make sure to not snub you of the best jobs!' really a help to the fixer than her and she knew it but at least it meant this would be the last time she would have to be a team player. Part of her ached to be a part of a team again but she shoved it down, closed her eyes and let the emotions calm before opening them again. Shaking it out, she gave the garbage another dent before going back inside. Quickly making her way back to the table.

"Let's just get this mission done so we can both be done with each other," she declared her return, only looking at him until their gaze met before going back to her seat and glaring at the table.

More like a pissed off teen at the moment, she let her nail trace the dig from earlier. "It's not a set up, I don't care about your shit and you don't care about mine. We both care about getting this job done, getting our eddies and heading back to our own person hell's. So for now," she offered a hand and looked up but her face was dark and tightly controlled; "I can't work with someone who will let me die just to spite me. So for now I will look after you and I hope you're professional enough to know if I do die that just means you let another job die on your watch;" she couldn't help but dig at him.

 

[Delryth]

In the time that Fox had left the bar Detox had gone and gotten himself a drink not sure if that was the last he was going to see of her or not. Part of him hoped that it was and he was somewhat confident that he could manage the gig on his own anyway. What was one extra person going to do? She was just a merc, could she have any vital skills that were crucial to this gig? Fuck it, if she did it didn’t matter, if he needed to he could find another edgerunner wanting a cut of the eddies, how hard could that be? Mercs weren’t exactly a dying breed in Nightcity though he was starting to find that good ones were. People paid a premium for those that could be relied upon, something he was working hard towards. He still treated the whole merc economy with his trauma team mindset, like it was a steady professional job rather than how some of the more eccentrics did and he knew some of the fixers appreciated that.

He returned to his table with an old-fashioned which included some of the not-terrible bourbon from the bar. The cherry inside seemed completely luminous and gave the dark amber drink a shimmering appearance. He returned to the same table, sat down and brought the drink up to his lips to sip from it. He let out a satisfied sigh as the taste washed over his tongue. How often had he drunk in the past few months? Three… four times a week? At least. It was strange that while you could be struggling to find cash for bills and essentials there always seemed to be enough left over for a drink. Like 98% of Nightcity, he didn’t have much of a kitchen. He’d seen how lavish the Corpo’s kitchens could be when he’d had to recover clients from them after a heart attack and yet he like almost everyone else bought every meal in… unless he just fancied cup ramen.

The doctor pulled out his phone and began flicking through a few news articles on it to pass the time. Maybe another two or three drinks wouldn’t hurt before he could leave and confidently tell Frost that she’d bailed on him. It was probably better for everybody as she seemed wild and unpredictable. They were both traits he hated in people. He preferred to know the kind of person who had a gun at his side. Trauma team was one job where you learned to trust and rely on your team. Right now it was only himself that he could trust.

He was just about finished with his first drink when he saw her walk back in and he let out an internal groan. He managed to force a smile onto his face as she sat down opposite him which came more easily when he saw how much she’d struggled to do it. “You came back. I take it Frost had a few things to say and you backed down and decided to play nice?” He took a long final swig of his drink and grinned further. “Who knew you could be such a good girl.” He placed the glass down and looked at the woman hoping that he’d managed to get under her skin.

He gritted his teeth for a moment as she mentioned his previous job with Trauma team. “She didn’t die.” he corrected and tried to quickly hide the annoyance that had crept back onto his features. “Some of us are professionals, we take the job seriously. Not all of us are wild mercs who don’t know how to play as part of a team. I’m assuming that’s why you run solo anyway. Because, you don’t play nice, because people don’t fuckin’ want you?”

 

[Revna]

The good girl comment pissed her off more than most of their conversation, she had seen what good girls got. Nothing. That's what they got and she wasn't going to be that girl who broke themselves for someone who would eventually just use the good girl. No, fire fox was not a good girl by any standards. Her face remained empty as he dug at her desire to be by herself, a smirk came to her lips as she eyed him. "I run by myself because I have done the team thing and it blows up in your face every. Single. Time." She kept their eye connect as she said it and chuckled softly, "if I want it. I could have it, but why would I want it? I would have to share my eddies with some ingrate who always puts most of the work on me anyway. Plus," she let the predator smile take over as she was enjoying their game for once; "I've never been fired or removed from a team." The only close call was that job, but even then; she was given half the eddies as the women did pull her nose back after the incident.

Shrugging it off, she sat back in the chair and watched him. The fox has a temper, sure, but once you got passed that harsh guard. Her loyalty was unmatched; it took everything to leave her family when they merged. She had cried when she left, a feat that not many possessed. It was clear she was thinking about something as even though her gaze was on him, it was distant. Clearly thinking about something else, it was only a loud crash of glass breaking did she come back. Eyes snapping into focus, her eyes dilated as the tech in her vision spotted where the glass fell before coming back to him and sighing clearly ready to be done with their pissing match. The memory of rising sun on her back as she looked at her family one last time before driving to Nightcity faded and so did her desire to keep their game alive.

"We can keep pissing and moaning if you like, or we can get this job done and pray this city is really big enough to not see each other again. I only came back to prove that nothing," eyes flashing down the body she could see before looking back into his eyes, "is worth losing eddies over. I play nice when you give me a reason too, until then."

Another shrug rolled her shoulders, "we don't have to play nice for eddies. Just get the job done and move on, hopefully you will be my last teammate." The word teammate came out icy but with the smallest bit of sorrow than unless one knew her; would nearly undetectable.

 

[Delryth]

Detox toyed with the glass in front of him, passing it from hand to hand as an idle gesture while he listened to her with a sneer back on his face. “Yeah, sure it does. Depends on the person, some people just aren’t made for teamwork.” He had a quick chortle at her next words as though confirmed what he was already thinking. “Can’t imagine you being on a team long enough to be fired or removed. First time for everything, kit.” He found it easy to brush off that comment aimed at him as he knew the context was different, it was nothing to do with the team, it was corpo bullshit that got him fired… though being reminded of his loss of job wasn’t exactly a pleasant job. “I get fired and fall to the dredges where you reside.”

He drummed his fingers on the table while he let her have whatever mental trip she was having. He raised the glass again and drained what last remnants of his drink still lingered in the bottom of the glass. Finally done with it he placed it down and pushed the glass off to the side in a gesture that made it spin a little. Finally, she’d gotten over her moment and looked back towards him to speak again. It was then that he realized just how annoying he found the sound of her voice, he couldn’t stop himself rolling his eyes.

“Love the sound of your voice, huh? You’re too verbose.” His head tilted towards the side as he got what she was trying to say. He could work with her or almost anybody for a stack of eddies. Money was always more important in this city. “Don’t care if you want to play nice, not going out of my way to appease you. Don’t worry, I don’t see you having a queue of future teammates waiting for a gig.” Finally having his last barb he settled down with it. “I agree, get the job done, earn the eddies, and delta the fuck away to our next separate gigs.”

 

[Revna]

Nails dug into the table but her face went blank and unreadable, he didn't know her background and she had as much interest in sharing it with him as he did sharing his history with her. "As you enjoy yourself talking just as much," her eyes rolled and the only sign of annoyance being a tick in her jaw.

Letting the table go, she clicked her nails against the increasing slashes. "Good, glad we can agree to focus on the job than." Clearly going into job mode, she crossed her legs and leaned back into the chair; eyes looking more past him than at him.

"All we need to do is locate the BD, get in, get out and delta. Turn it in and move on, that shouldn't take more than a day or two. Do you have anything helpful to locate the BD or am I going to have to find it?" Swinging her gaze to his, she arched a brow.

Even if he was a possible good teammate, she was used to doing most of the work herself. It's why she didn't want to do any more teamwork ops, at least until she found her own crew or possibly another family. The history of working with the people of Night City has taught her quickly that most were all but useless at the level she was currently at. Giving the expectation that he was just as useless.

 

[Delryth]

“I’ve got a good voice” he answered with an arrogant smirk. It helped seeing how much he was under her skin, almost as though it was, in some way, payback for the position he now found himself in. He hadn’t realised that he could be so petty, especially with somebody like her but it seemed like today was a good day for learning more about himself.

Seeing her attitude shift, however, did something for his own. He followed suit and wiped the smirk from his face. He looked at her with his business face and gave her a nod of agreement. “Let’s do just that.” He shifted his position so he looked less relaxed and far less casual now. He leaned against the table on his forearms and knocked his empty glass towards the side of the table.

“This won’t be a professionally produced BD, fair chance it’s raw, not tuned. Probably won’t be easy to get through so we need to keep that in mind. Always a chance we’ll need BD scroller to make it something we can use and get intel from.” He drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully and found himself thinking of having another bourbon.

“Heard of the Phantoms? Booster group, sometimes find ‘em in Southside. Got a turf war going with the Givers of Pain. Choomb of mine gave me a tip. Got a safehouse location. From what my source says there’s a good chance the mid-level gang miniboss there will likely have the BD in her collection there, apparently loves raw sick BD’s, that and trophies. If not she’s probably going to know where it is. I know someone who can help us with the BD if we need it after we get the BD and it’s jacked up.”

 

[Revna]

Watching him shift to business was helpful, most couldn't put their temper away for a job. Mentally giving him a small point towards better than worse, even if that annoyed her deeply. Shrugging off her own mental process, she refocused at the task at hand. Crossing her legs, real knees balancing on each other while one machinal foot swayed softly as she paid attention to him. Taking mental notes, if they could get the BD, she could make it viable. That was her most used talent in the family, taking raw and usually quiet damaged BD's and turning them into useful information. "If we get the BD, I can do the rest;" she commented to let him know she could turn it into something they could use. "Special talent as it so happens," she gave a genuine small smile of pride in herself.

As he spoke of the gangs, that's where he lost her. She knew of bigger players but nothing of the smaller gangs or their fights. Helpful, she thought with a small frown. It was nice to have to work with someone who was actually helpful, she was just fully annoyed on who it was. Something she would have to get over, at least for this job and she knew it but got right now she still inwardly pouted. "So we have a few scouting options it seems," looking to the side of him again; she checked the time.

"It's almost midnight, where would this mini boss be right now?" Very used to sneaking in, her small frame was actually quiet stealthy.

 

[Delryth]

Seeing her attitude change to match him was something reassuring. On the job he’d seen her on she seemed a little… sloppy? He wasn’t sure. There was something about her that had screamed, while she may have been good at her job, she wasn’t a professional. Not in the sense that he considered himself to be. It was normal he’d found with a lot of mercs. The free nature of the job and gig economy led people to follow less strict rules of etiquette that working a contracted job tended not to. The fact that she could be like this also pissed him off, it made it harder to just blanket dislike her.

The second thing to piss him off was the fact that she stated she was good with BD’s. He didn’t want to give her any credit and was more than happy to use his contact but… if she could do it it meant not having to pay a fee to his contact. It made sense and he hated it. There was no real reason to hate it except for some competitive rivalry that he felt towards her and he knew it. Knowing it didn’t mean controlling it.

“Not sure about that. An educated guess would be either at her place or with her choombs in the safehouse. A lot of the turf war has been taking place at night so it’d make sense for her not to be taking the night off. Fuck, chance she’s out fighting.” He considered it for a moment as he thought it through logically. “If you want to get to work today then we can always hit the safe house. If she isn’t there we get to see if the BD’s hidden there. If she happens to be there? Same plan but we can use our iron and see if she’ll give up its location. The Phantoms pack chrome though so if we do it then we have to be prepared for that.”

He drummed his fingers once more on the table in a rhythmic tune just to have something to do with his hands. “Or we could wait, do some real recon and figure out our next move. Don’t mind either. Used to gong into risky situations with limited intel thanks to my last job.”

 

[Revna]

Following the job they had first met, though on the other side of each other, she had reconned more than ever. Thanks to that job, she wasn't exactly eager to be caught with her pants down again. "I want some recon, even if it's just me scouting the building and watching for a few hours. I can use my gear and hack into any cameras they have. Eyes on the inside and all," she looked at the table and let her fingers on her left hand trap random patterns against her knee as she thought.

Deciding to give a half truth without revealing a ton about herself, she tilted her head as she worked the hard drive in her eyes to do a bit of recon on the person themselves; "you may know a ton about what we are walking into. At least the gang themselves and apparently their storage, I know nothing and I'm not about to walk in completely blind like that."

Pausing as data came in about the woman, showing her face and the plethora of wanted crimes as well as a slew of crimes she had already been booked for. Typical gang crimes of village, weapons and drugs. "Do you want to halo the address and I can meet you after my own recon?" She gave him an out, or did she give herself an out?

Either way, she gave the option for him to essentially fuck off for a few hours at the minimum. "I came on bike," she shrugged as she finally moved her vision from the table to him and her fingers finally stilled; "give me an hour. I can halo if they are all out. I'm sure a quick hack can tell me who's in the building."

 

[Delryth]

Detox tapped the side of his head twice and a moment later the firefox would get an alert that he was trying to send her something. The moment she accepted she’d receive his contact details. He then took out a shard from the side of his head and placed it on the table before her and nudged it closer to her side. “Location’s on there. Same with some of the intel I have on the gangs. Save you pulling it up yourself.”

His eyes lost the shimmering glow they had while he was using his neural implants and rolled his shoulders to fight off the stiffness he felt settling in. “Got a few things to take care of, wasn’t sure you’d be ready to move so soon. Recon sounds more like your thing anyway.” He stood up and used his thighs to shove his chair back to a screech that was mostly muffled by the ambience of the bar.

The merc took a step towards the door before stopping and glancing back towards her. “Oh, I’ve already checked if they have medical cover. I know it’s something that normally slips past you. They don’t, then again it’s no surprise with them being some gangoon.” He smirked at her again and went to gently pat her shoulder in a mock consoling gesture. “Don’t get yourself flatlined before I get there.” With his last words, he marched off towards the exit without really waiting to hear what she inevitably retorted with.

 

[Revna]

Accepting his contact information, Bella stored it in her contacts under the name Detox, with his nickname set to display as "Asshole" whenever he called or texted. A smirk tugged at her lips, a small amusement at her own little joke. Despite his abrasive demeanor, she found herself surprised by the valuable intel he provided on the gangs. An eyebrow arched in mild appreciation as he pushed his chair back and stood, announcing that he had other business to attend to. Just as she was about to give him a point for being better than expected, he turned and egged her on with a teasing remark.

A sneer crept onto her face as she looked up at him, instinctively flinching away when he patted her shoulder. In response, Bella shot him the middle finger as he walked away, erasing that fleeting point of goodwill from her mental scorecard. With a sigh, she finished her drink and rose from her seat, determination settling in her chest. She made her way toward her bike, the familiar hum of its engine promising freedom and adventure. With a quick twist of the throttle, she sped off toward the warehouse coordinates Detox had provided, ready to dive into the shadows of the night and uncover whatever secrets lay within.

~*~​

Crouching in the shadows across from the gang's warehouse, her mechanical eyes whirring as they scanned the building. With a thought, she activated her hacking interface, swiftly breaching the outdated security system. Within moments, she had full access to the surveillance network. Cycling through camera feeds, Bella confirmed the warehouse was nearly deserted—only a handful of members remained. Fingers twitched as she sifted through the digital landscape, searching for clues.

Diving deeper into the system, Bella hacked into the main computer network. She combed through files and communications, looking for any mention of the BD or secure storage locations. A encrypted message caught her eye—something about a "special package". Could this be the BD? Unfortunately, the exact location remained unclear. Continuing her digital reconnaissance, mapping out the building's layout and noting the positions of the few remaining members. She identified two potential locations for the locked storage area but couldn't confirm which, if either, held her prize.

As Bella prepared to disengage from the system and plan her next move, a notification flashed in her augmented vision—motion detected on a nearby camera feed. A gang member was heading towards her position. Quickly terminating her connection and pressing herself against the wall, her mechanical legs coiling in preparation to flee. Fuck! She thought as she looked above to see if she could simply just jump up before spotted. Close to the warehouse but not exactly on the property, she cursed at her bad luck of them reconning just beyond their property.

 

[Delryth]

Derrick had no intention of going anywhere else, he just wasn’t sure what to think of his new partner just yet. While she’d seemed a little more competent than he gave her credit for he still wasn’t convinced she wouldn’t just fuck up the basics due to overeagerness or that confidence that she held about her. He’d seen many a talented gonk fall victim to some nobody’s iron because they weren’t careful enough and because they held too much stock in their skills. Usually, people got lucky once or twice and assumed that’s how it always went. Detox knew all too well it was that one time when luck swung the other way that mattered.

He arrived a while after her and parked his car not far from the location near where he saw her bike. He got out, checked his smg and his sidearm and then set off after her sticking to the shadows and keeping his distance. Sure his time in Trauma team was more about breaching and clearing an area but being quiet when he needed to was a talent he developed out of necessity. Sometimes the quiet route was the easier and more efficient one.

He got eyes on Bella as she worked and knew that from where he was she couldn’t spot him. His netrunning skills were nothing on hers but he could tell when she broke through their cyber defences. It was far quicker and easier than he’d seen anyone do before. Okay, he begrudgingly accepted that she knew her away around a firewall. He could see the concentration on her face and tell how serious she was taking this. The Firefox was trying to get all the intel she needed to make this gig as smooth as possible.

He saw the problem before she did. One of the gangbangers was heading towards her either by fluke or because he’d picked something up, Detox couldn’t tell. He could tell she hadn’t noticed when he had though he continued to watch for a moment to see how she’d handle it. It became obvious soon enough that by the time she noticed she was going to be cornered. Sure, she knew how to handle a gun but in that situation the odds were fifty-fifty at best.

He pulled out his lexington and screwed the silencer into place before setting off to intercept. He had to be quick but that was never an issue for him. He raced down the street without needing to worry about getting out of breath. The chrome he packed made sure his blood flow was far better than any unaugmented goon. Oxygen got where it needed to be quicker. Blood moved faster. It took a lot to fatigue. He rounded the corner just as the man noticed Bella and gave a startled sound of surprise. He levelled the pistol towards the man’s head and pulled the trigger dropping him before he’d have a chance to register what happened. Detox darted forward and caught him before he fell.

“Careful. After all that at the bar, it’d be a waste for you to get yourself zeroed before the gig even started.” There was a smugness to his voice as he dragged the body over to a dumpster bin and hauled him inside.

 

[Revna]

Everything happened so quickly her brain was barely able to wrap around it. The world seemed to slow down and speed up simultaneously, each second stretching into eternity yet passing in a blur. Just as the man turned the corner, his eyes barely meeting hers, her mechanical legs coiled, ready to launch her to safety. But before she could move, the sharp crack of a gunshot shattered the tense silence.

In that fraction of a second, Bella's enhanced vision caught a glimpse of Detox behind the man, his arm extended, the muzzle flash of his weapon illuminating the dim corridor. Relief and shock mingled in her veins as she realized the bullet wasn't meant for her. Still, the sudden violence sent adrenaline surging through her system, every muscle in her body pulled taut like a drawn bow.

Forcing herself to remain still, inhaling deeply, the scent of cordite stinging her nostrils. She began counting down from five. With each number, she focused on relaxing her overstressed muscles, which had begun to ache from prolonged tension. As she reached "one," Bella exhaled slowly, and was just fully coming back by the time he spoke again.

On one hand, she knew she should be thankful. He did just save her life, after all. But on the other, that smug look on his face taunted her in a way that made her fingers itch to slap it off. "I could have easily handled it," she retorted, her pride bristling. And it was true—between her augmented legs and her own sharpshooting skills, she would have made it out of the situation.

It also would have created far more noise than his intervention, a fact they both silently acknowledged. Right now, though, she had no interest in giving him any bonus points. Her eyes swept over him, taking in every detail with her enhanced vision. She tilted her head, keeping her voice low and soft as she moved closer. The tension between them was palpable, a mix of irritation and grudging respect. Pausing her approach, she raised an eyebrow, her arms crossing in a gesture that unintentionally accentuated her cleavage. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had something to go do?" Her tone was a challenge.

She could piece two and two together just fine, but she wanted him to admit it. The unspoken accusation hung in the air between them—he had been spying on her. Augmented eyes locked onto his, daring him to lie or deflect.

 

[Delryth]

There was something about seeing Bella pissed off or flustered that seemed to grant Detox immense satisfaction in a way nobody had before. It surprised him just how much he enjoyed being under her skin. He’d never realised he was the petty type, yet here it was, irrefutable proof that he enjoyed pushing someone's buttons as much as possible. He wondered if it was something he’d eventually grow tired of though a large part of him assumed that he wouldn’t.

He kept the silencer on as he stashed the gun back into its holster and turned to give the Firefox his attention properly. He noticed the breathing exercises and momentarily wondered who had taught her them. It wasn’t all too dissimilar to what he’d learned during his training for Trauma team to deal with nerves and adrenaline dumps.

“Uhuh, sure you did,” His cocky voice said that he didn’t doubt that she could kill him but that he too knew what it would mean. Noise. Attention. A hot zone that meant she’d have to work quickly and finish what she was doing here or delta the fuck out of here. Either way, it would mean increased security which would only cause the two of them more problems than anything else.

“Yeah… I didn’t” he admitted with a lazy nonchalant shrug. “I just wanted to see how badly you’d fuck up if I left you alone.” What he said had barbs on it but roughly translated to “I wanted to see if you were as good as you made out.” The fact that he’d been spying on her didn’t bother him in the slightest, he felt no shame in it nor in the lie he’d told before following her.

“I suppose you could have done a worse job… though that depends on what you found out. Any good deets from cyberspace?” He turned over his shoulder to check that they were still good where they were and not in a position where another gonk was seconds away from walking in on them.

 

[Revna]

She struggled to suppress the fire he seemed to relish igniting within her. Any other time, she might have let that impulse take over, but now they were mid-mission, dangerously close to their target, with other foto gonks still roaming the area. This wasn't the right moment for personal conflicts. Annoyance simmered in her chest as she focused on her breathing, inhaling deeply through her nose and letting the air escape slowly through slightly parted lips. They didn't have the luxury to lash out at each other; it would only complicate their job.

"I didn't need you," she retorted, her voice sharp in response to his casual admission of spying on her. Her tone was cold, intended to cut deep. She rolled her eyes at his half-hearted compliment and turned her gaze away, trying to shake off the tension building in her muscles. With a determined exhale, she dove back into her cybernetics, data flashing across her enhanced vision as she scanned the files.

"There are a few emails about the BD that sound like ours. They scheduled a meet a few days ago," she reported, pausing for effect as she closed her cybernetics with a flick of her wrist. Half-turning toward him, she continued, "They've listed several potential storage spots. Hell, it could still be on her."

A moment of silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant hum of the city—a chaotic blend of sirens, chatter, and the ever-present thrum of machinery. "Do you want to check in there now?" she asked, glancing at the building ahead. "There are very few gonks around; we could easily slip in and check those spots." Her eyes landed on a lone thug patrolling nearby, noting how he turned away from their hiding place without getting too close. The tension between them remained palpable, but they both knew that time was ticking and their mission came first.

 

[Delryth]

Derrick let her keep talking, he could see the telltale signs that he was pissing her off, more nourishment for him. He kept that “Sure you didn’t" he remarked as the smirk on his face as she persisted in telling him just how much he hadn’t been needed. His expression was part patronising and part amusement, one he was starting to feel he’d be wearing a log around her. It didn’t matter if she had tried to make that a jab at him, it had only strengthened his viewpoint.

As she switched back to business mode it took every ounce of his self-control to do the same and not land one final quip. He’d save that for another time. He turned his attention back towards the building as though making a second assessment of the place. He noted the one gonk on patrol and knew that getting past him would be no issue. Worst case he’d end up getting zeroed and stashed away somewhere else.

“We’re already here, makes sense to scope the premises. Might get lucky and find our target still inside without her. A simple in-and-out job. Seems stupid not to.” He rolled his shoulders and flexed his fingers as though fighting off a stiffness that was settling in.

Detox set off several steps towards the building before glancing back towards her to beckon her to follow with a finger. “Come on.” He beckoned her like he’d seen people do to dogs in flicks. Like the majority of people in the city, he’d never seen a dog in person thanks to Night City having exterminated every animal be it bird, rat or wild dog within a hundred-mile radius. The only ones that persisted now were the pets of wealthy individuals. His smirk was back though he didn’t wait to see her reaction as he darted across the street.

He kept an eye on the guard to make sure he remained looking the other way, one hand by his hip ready to draw iron if he was spotted. Thankfully he wasn’t as he made his way to the side door which looked as though it was barely used. If there was an alarm he assumed that his partner had already hacked into it or would be the time he pulled out an electronic lockpick. He placed it over the physical lock and the device clicked and whirred for a few seconds before the lock clicked open. He drew his handgun now and slowly eased open the door and held it open for her to head inside.

“After you.”

 

[Revna]

His words caught her attention, though she stubbornly refused to look at him directly. She nodded in agreement; they both knew this was an opportunity neither wanted to waste. As he prepared to move, her instincts kicked in—a remnant of her nomad upbringing. The familiar feeling of working as a unit washed over her as she mirrored his movements, becoming almost an extension of him. Letting him move forward first, though the beckoning made her regret that choice, she followed close behind like a shadow. Close enough to react quickly, yet giving him enough space to maneuver.

They approached the building, hugging the shadows rather than exposing themselves. Bella, not typically one for unnecessary violence, preferred stealth. It kept jobs quieter and cleaner. As they neared their target, she swiftly hacked the security system, disabling cameras for a ten-minute window—ample time to infiltrate most of the property. By the time he reached the door, she'd already silenced the alarm. He made quick work of the lock, drawing his handgun and offering for her to go inside first.

Inside, only a handful of gonks patrolled, their movements lazy and unfocused. His words drew her from strategizing, and she responded with a soft "mmhm," moving past him.

She lowered her stance, making herself a smaller target. Her mechanical legs, designed for stealth, carried her silently as she activated her cybernetic eyes to monitor the few cameras she'd reactivated for surveillance. As she moved deeper into the building, her glowing irises scanned for threats. Spotting a lone gonk in an adjacent hallway, she moved quickly with calculated approach. With predatory grace, she crept forward, her enhanced reflexes allowing her to move faster than the human eye could track. In one fluid motion, she wrapped an arm around the guard's neck, applying precise pressure. The gonk's eyes widened briefly before rolling back, unconscious.

Catching the limp body, Bella prevented any noise. Her eyes darted around, landing on a malfunctioning vending machine—a common sight in Night City's neglected areas. With surprising strength, she pried open the front panel and stuffed the unconscious gonk inside, arranging the body to resemble a slumped maintenance worker. Satisfied, she turned to Detox, waving him forward. Her lips moved in a silent whisper, enhanced by her subvocal implant: "We should be clear until the stairs. Stay sharp." Though she was clearly very used to working on her own recently.

 

[Delryth]

Detox could appreciate the professionalism of Bella’s movements and her attitude. There was a grace with the way she moved and he knew that she’d had some serious chrome work done. It made him realize just how much of a surprise it must have been for her when his team had scratched her gig. She was used to getting the job done and being successful. Failure wasn’t something she tasted often and that struck a chord within him. He was the same. He got the job done too.

He followed after her quietly. While his chrome served a different purpose he was adept at stealth, there was a need for it in some gigs when pure brute force wasn’t an option. A lot of his chrome however was geared towards two things. Medical work being the first. He was fitted with diagnostic optics, and various tools in his arms and hands that worked as defibs. That along with several neural components aided his work. The second was combat. It had been his primary role in Trauma team. Stamina, resilience, durability, lethality. The things needed to perform his duty. Much of the chrome had been corp sponsored and, while they hadn’t insisted on its return he had found himself with a fat bill to pay off the work he’d had done.

He watched as she sprang towards the unsuspecting gonk and took them out only able to follow what had happened thanks to his chrome. He didn’t wait for her to stash his body away, nor for her to speak. While she was dealing with the vending machine he passed her with his iron aimed at the corridor ahead. He tapped her shoulder as he passed as an indicator that he was going on ahead.

“Got it.”

He made his way to the corner and peeked around just to be cautious before racing down it. He repeated the process at the next corner and noticed the stairs. He heard Bella catching up to him as he closed in on the stairs and made short work of ascending them. He saw the door at the top open just as he reached the top of them and held a hand up to indicate for Bella to wait. He waited for the poor gonk to step into the stairwell and closed the distance. One hand went to his mouth while the other pressed against his chest and he sent a non-lethal shock of electricity from his palm into him quickly incapacitating the gangoon. He moved the unconscious man towards a pile of boxes haphazardly piled in the corner of the room and began to stash him behind them letting Bella take point again as he did.

 

[Revna]

Once the body was stashed, Bella quickly rejoined Detox, her movements seamlessly mirroring his as they navigated the labyrinthine corridors of the building. The synergy between them was palpable, a testament to their shared experience and mutual understanding. They moved like shadows, fluid and silent, their footsteps barely audible against the cracked concrete floors. As they approached the main office, they ascended the stairs with practiced ease, their senses attuned to every creak and groan of the aging structure.

At the top of the stairs, they encountered a lone armed guard patrolling the office area. Detox raised his hand in a silent signal for Bella to pause. With precision honed from countless missions, he swiftly incapacitated the guard with a non-lethal stun, watching as the man crumpled to the floor in a deep, enforced slumber. Bella observed Detox move the unconscious figure out of sight, tucking him away behind a stack of dilapidated crates that served as makeshift storage.

With Detox handling cleanup, Bella slipped into the office itself. The space was a chaotic blend of gang culture and makeshift organization—a far cry from corporate polish. The walls were plastered with graffiti and peeling posters that advertised long-forgotten events and faded gang insignias. A flickering neon sign buzzed sporadically overhead, casting an erratic glow across the room. A battered desk sat in the center, cluttered with discarded takeout containers, empty energy drink cans, and a mishmash of high-tech devices that looked like they had seen better days.

Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on an old but functional computer terminal nestled among the disarray. She approached it with purpose, her fingers dancing across the keys in a blur of motion as she hacked into its systems. Her eyes glowed softly with an electric blue hue, reflecting her immersion into cyber world. As she delved deeper into emails and text messages, she would have to trust Detox to stand guard as she dived.

"Fuck," Bella hissed in frustration after a few moments, her voice tinged with annoyance. Though her body remained in the physical world, her mind was still partially tethered to cyber one. She turned slightly towards Detox, conveying both urgency and irritation.

"They have it on them," she explained, referring to their target—the elusive braindance file. "And they’ll be back in a few hours at best, tomorrow morning at worst." Her words hung in the air like a challenge yet to be faced. With a sigh of resignation, she slowly exited cyberspace and turned fully to face Detox.

 

[Delryth]

Derrick followed after his partner and slipped past the office door once she’d entered. He pulled it closed after her and leaned against the wall near her so that he could see shapes and colours through the distorted glass panel window on the door. A quick look at Bella told him she didn’t need his help. This was her domain, and he could comfortably leave her to take care of it. He on the other hand still had work to do, he’d watch their six while she worked.

He alternated between looking around the cluttered office and watching the door. Fortunately, the place seemed pretty quiet and so far nobody had found any of the incapacitated gonks just yet. If they were lucky they could klep the BD and delta out of this place. Maybe they would get lucky and wrap up this gig in just a matter of days? His hopes for that were interrupted by Bella’s curse.

The merc turned his head towards her with an eyebrow raised. He walked over to her and placed several fingers on her arm to check her temperature. He couldn’t tell if she was wearing a netrunning suit and he knew how dangerous it was to dive without one. He’d seen his fair share of fried runners who didn’t have the gear or an ice bath. She was hot but nothing to be concerned about just yet. Hopefully, she was quick.

“‘Course they do. There was no way fate was going to give us things easy.” He sighed and went back towards the door, a hand pressed against it. “So we come back… or ambush them. Don’t like the idea of waiting for hours for the best. Security will be tighter after we took down some of their goons. Can you leave a message? Arrange some kind of meet-up or some shit that they think is from somebody high up. Let’s us choose a place and a time.”

 

[Revna]

The absence of her high-grade net running suit left her vulnerable to the system's brutal feedback. She could feel the heat surging through her neural pathways, chrome-laced synapses firing wildly. Knowing she needed to jack out before her brain fried, she quickly composed an encrypted email, routing it through half a dozen dark net relays. The message directed the targets to an abandoned warehouse in the industrial zone, a few klicks from their current location.

As she forcibly disconnected, a hiss escaped her augmented vocal cords—a sound born of both searing pain and a disturbing pleasure as the heat crawled across her skin and engulfed her cranial implants. Another nanosecond, and it felt as if her neural processor might melt down. She yanked the data jack from her temple port with a spark, jerking back as if hit by a shock baton. Eyes squeezed shut behind their optic enhancements, she shook her head, trying to recalibrate her senses to meatspace.

Once her systems stabilized, she turned her chrome-rimmed gaze to her partner. "They'll meet us at the warehouse. I've ghosted their comms; I can monitor without maintaining a hard link." Her vision swam, digital artifacts clouding her augmented sight like neon-tinted static.

She blinked rapidly, engaging her ocular implants' reset sequence. Keeping her body angled towards the holo-display until her visual feed cleared, she finally pivoted to face him and rose from the worn synth-leather chair. "They should show in a few hours, tops. We need to find a dead zone to lay low. The warehouse I picked is in a grid-dark sector nearby."