Cyberpunk 2021

April 14, 2021. 21:50. Vancouver.

This has got to be the most wild team composition ever. It's like something straight out of a game. I blink at the odd collection of edgerunners assembled here—a solo, nomad, netrunner, techie, fixer, and rocker. I stare at Remi a little bit longer than I should. Actually, it's just the rocker. What the hell is he doing here? Will he even be useful?

Luckily, Wissen immediately jumps into his debriefing, cutting off my thoughts.

"Now that everyone is here, I'll explain the details of tonight's mission." Wissen points at Dante. "Dante is a member of the Neapolitan Camorra." I cross my arms and relax my shoulders while listening. It doesn't look like many of us here know what that organization is, except for Mister, who raises his hand.

"One of the largest mafia organizations in Europe, correct?"

"Indeed. Dante is a friend of mine and has requested aid in a very delicate manner." Wissen then steps to the side to let the mafia man speak.

"I doubt any of you care about the context, but it may be beneficial to know I'm one of the chosen successors to lead the Camorra." Ahhh, a runner-up for the godfather. He certainly fits the stereotypical mafia image. "However, many within the organization don't believe I'm capable, and so I've been tasked with acquiring this 'railgun' as a means to prove myself."

Dante's eyes have a hard glint, his hands moving in sharp, deliberate gestures as he speaks, every bit the mafia prince he claims to be. I'd bet his confidence is a survival tactic—whether the others buy it, who knows. Dante then looks at each of us one by one for a few seconds. "That's where each of you comes in." Wissen's eyes glow blue as Dante begins to pace back and forth. "Each and every one of you has your reasons for being here—or so I've been told by Wissen."

Wissen nods, placing his hand on Dante's back as he retakes the role of speaker. "Earlier tonight, a vendor claimed to be selling an Autumn Blade railgun. Many of the local street gangs were invited to bid for it. What started as a civil auction quickly turned into a violent fight for the railgun." Wissen's eyes pulse blue as he speaks, dimming and brightening in a rhythmic pattern. "You will be paid handsomely to get your hands on the weapon. The methods you use to acquire the railgun are of little concern, as long as you deliver results. You'll each be paid seven thousand eddies." That explains why each of us is here. Now it's my turn to raise a hand.

"Since we're dealing with gangsters, that's already a risk to us. I say bump it up to ten thousand for extra insurance. Plus, we may need it for additional supplies." Dante raises an eyebrow and looks at me with surprise. Wissen nods to my request while my teammates look at me in disbelief or amusement.

"Fair enough reasoning. I'll adjust the payout accordingly."

"Thank you."

"Any other requests?" Wissen waits for a response, but no one speaks up. "Excellent. I'll create a group chat with everyone and send the address for where to get started. Dante and I will remain here, but we'll keep an eye on incoming calls or messages in case you need help. We want this done properly, with minimal complications. If you need a ride, let us know; otherwise, we'll assume you have other methods of transportation. Good luck." I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket. Wissen's eyes finally stop glowing, and his shades return to a simple black without the blue hue.

I stretch my arms and take a deep breath. Alright, guess it's time to move.

Wissen and Dante exchange a look, then head into a nearby building to talk in private. Damn, bringing just a handgun won't be enough if I'm going into a firefight. I pull out my phone and look at the location. Imperial Landing Dock, Richmond. Damn it, that's a bit far from here. I'm about to click my tongue in annoyance when Shock grabs my attention.

"Okay, guys, sooo, how should we get there? By the way, Artemis, that was, like, pretty ballsy." She looks at me as she says that last part. I nonchalantly shrug in response while scrolling through an app I use to call my vehicles remotely.

"To be fair, we go way back, so it's easier for me to negotiate." A few four-door vehicles and trucks appear as selectable options. I spend less than a minute scrolling before selecting the truck I was using earlier. Tetra slides into my view.

"So, uh, how do we plan on getting there?" Remi asks as he returns to his bike, slapping his helmet back on with a quick, practiced motion. "I can take one more person." He points to the back seat of his ride.

There's a moment of silence, and then a lingering gaze between Azure and Remi. Neither says a word, but something unspoken passes between them—something I can't quite place. I narrow my eyes, raising an eyebrow in their direction. Azure's eyes narrow slightly, her lips curling into a faint, unreadable smile. Remi's gaze holds steady, unflinching, almost like they're testing each other. The moment stretches, neither willing to look away, until finally, Azure shrugs with that easy, unaffected grin and heads over to him.

"I'll go with you."

Mister then chimes in. "I can arrange a ride for the rest of us." Tetra nods and gives a quick thanks, while Shock claps her hands with excitement.

"Slayyy, perfect!" I shake my head in response to Mister's question.

"I'll drive myself—I've got some equipment I want to bring." Mister starts walking toward the end of the alleyway, and a car engine hums in the background.

"Sounds good. We'll see you there." Tetra and Shock follow after him.

My eyes follow my team as they head to their respective rides. Interesting bunch. I lean against the wall and wait for my ride.

…

23:00. Richmond.

"Well, this is boring as hell," Remi says, kicking a can on the ground. Yeah, no kidding. I'm seated on the hood of my black truck, staring out at the bloody aftermath of a car-strewn parking lot. The docks stretch out under low, flickering lights, shadows pooling in every corner. In the distance is the harbour and several warehouses for import and export. Orange cranes are off to the right, while closer to my left are pools of blood and scattered bullet casings.

The tang of salt and rust hangs in the air, mixed with a faint metallic scent of blood and gunpowder. It's clear that a firefight broke out; nearby vehicles are riddled with bullet holes. I tilt my head in confusion and curiosity at the absence of dead bodies. Someone was here recently, and it wasn't just the gangs.

The lack of police presence doesn't surprise me, considering how far we are from downtown, where most of the police are stationed. Despite Mayor Gestalt's best efforts, the city can only progress so much in so little time. That's not to shame or judge his work; he's done a lot to aid the housing crisis both economically and logistically in Vancouver by having corporations help out with tax breaks and loans. Memories of my mother's stressful financial situation when I was much younger surface. It's thanks to him that we were able to survive until I finally got a job. He's the one pushing for a better future for the city's invisible people. Damn shame that Richmond is beyond his reach, though. Maybe things will change once he becomes Prime Minister.

I glance at the time on my phone, hoping maybe more time has passed than I thought. Unfortunately, it's only been thirty minutes since we arrived. A cold dock wind sends a cool breeze my way, blowing my hair all over the place. Annoyed, I tie my hair with a rubber band from my shoulder bag and pull my hood up. As much as I'm happy to help Wissen out, a part of me wishes I were home, working on the Porsche I stole. Instead, I start recalling any important details the team might've missed.

The entire team arrived earlier, only to find an empty lot and warehouse. Since then, we decided to split up. We're in the middle of nowhere—a literal slump with little law enforcement. The local area here is roughly 'controlled' by a group inspired by the Mox from Night City, a gang of abused sex workers, sexual minorities, and general rebels supporting their cause. They're called the 'Velvs,' or Velvet Fangs. As for the other gangs, the only ones I'm really familiar with are the Dead Kings, given that I live closer to them. I sigh to myself, tapping my fingers along the truck hood.

Shock and Mister went to nearby buildings with security systems to see if they could grab any recordings, while Azure and Tetra searched the vacant area for anything we might've missed earlier. Remi and I are waiting here as backup in case things go south. Fortunately for the team, there's no need for me to do anything at the moment. Unfortunately for me, there's barely any action so far. I'm no security system expert, and my current job isn't talking to people; it's babysitting. I groan and hop off my truck.

"For fuck's sake." Remi looks at me with a mix of boredom and curiosity as I land. I'm going to freeze my ass off if I keep standing still.

"What up?" He puts his hands in his pockets, continuing to pace around.

"Nah, just bored out of my mind right now." I turn my head from him to the nearby bullet casings. "Weird as hell that there's no bodies. Wasn't this a few hours ago? Cops ain't here, but someone moved the bodies."

"Dunno." Remi shrugs, leaning against a chain-link fence. "Not exactly what I had in mind for my evening."

"Same, I was hoping to chill out for tonight."

"You got some other jobs to do later?"

"No, not really. I finished another mission earlier today." At this point, Tetra and Azure finally return, and I call out to them.

"Anything?" Azure shakes her head.

"Nothing on our end." Damn it. Hopefully, Mister and Shock found something. Tetra speaks up after Azure.

"Yeah, the warehouse had nothing that we didn't see already. The nearby area didn't have anything either." I frown and start tapping my foot on the ground.

"Great. So we're stuck here waiting for—" Suddenly, all of our phones ring, and I'm the first to pick up.

"Hello?" I put my phone on speaker so the others can listen in. Mister's electronic voice comes through on the other end, crisp and formal, sounding more like a business meeting than a raid plan.

"Hello. Shock and I made some discoveries." Why is this guy so formal? "The gangs involved tonight are the Dead Kings, the Byte Raiders, the Blak Dragoons, the Banshees, and the Melders. It doesn't seem like the GTown Boys or the Velvs are interested in this." Hmm, I guess that makes sense; GTown Boys are farther away from here, and the Velvs wouldn't care. "Shock was able to acquire data—some Dead Kings members managed to grab a large briefcase while fighting off a bunch of the others. After that, it was complete chaos: gunfire and explosions all over. The ones with the railgun barely managed to escape." I can hear Shock shouting in the background.

"Tell them the cameras didn't catch where the car went! Tracking it down would take too much effort and time."

"Ah, yes, Shock says trying to track down the Dead Kings via the cameras would be too inconvenient." I shift uncomfortably, recalling my earlier encounter with two Dead Kings members. I'm not particularly keen on a rematch with them; thankfully, this time I can shoot. "We know who took the railgun, at least. I suggest we go straight to the source and try to negotiate for it." Damn it. I raise an eyebrow as I look around at the others, then respond.

"So, you think we should head to Dead Kings HQ?"

"Yes."

"Shit." Never mind, I'm not going guns blazing in there.

"Or options are to either trade it off or steal it." At this point, Remi speaks up.

"Is this a bad time to say that the Dead Kings hate me?" The whole group goes silent for a few seconds. Wait, why do they hate him? I blink at him in surprise while Azure places her hands on her hips, an amused look on her face. Tetra breaks the momentary silence.

"Wait… what?"