Making It in Night City

I followed after Panam, walking in the direction of a gathering crowd. I weaved my way through the collection of Aldecaldos, returning some nods and 'good lucks' to Nomads that recognized me. Once I broke through the small army, I saw Saul standing in the back of a truck, using the trunk as a makeshift podium. To his left, my right was Bob, Ted, Carol, and Cassidy. On the other side were Scorpion, Mitch, and Panam. When Panam saw me, she quietly waved for me to come up front. I quietly made my way to Panam and stood next to her.

Saul noticed me slotting myself and addressed the group after confirming everyone was in attendance.

"Alright, everybody. QUITE DOWN!"

Saul yelling an order saw an immediate effect as the rabble calmed down and silence settled in. Say what you want about Saul, but his people listened to him.

"All of you should know what's going down, so let's keep this short and sweet. A small group will be sneaking in ahead of the main assault. Those of you in the assault team, DO NOT start anything before those in charge give you the go-ahead. A lot of this attack is hinging on our ability to sneak in. I don't want this all going to shit because someone got trigger-happy."

If you are reading this, it means that you are reading a novel stolen from the original author. If you want to support me, the original author, and read ahead for free, you can find me on scribblehub under SPS4.

I could see some guys and gals, probably younger than me, who was so energetic I swear they were shaking with excitement. It was perhaps good that Saul made sure to temper their eagerness early. Wouldn't want the gig being exposed because someone got uppity. This nervous energy was in stark contrast to the older members, especially the Vets. The Vets stood with stony faces and quiet confidence, seeming rigid like stone sentries yet relaxed simultaneously.

"I shouldn't have to explain the importance of what we are about to do, but I still want to mention one thing. We're fighting for our future, but what's the point of winning if you aren't alive to enjoy it? Be careful, stay alive, and keep an eye out for each other."

Saul paused for a second, letting his words settle in. This wasn't some hit-and-smash ambush or side gig they picked up while in the city. The outcome of tonight would likely decide the fate of their clan. There was also another message: lose focus, and you die. When Saul felt he had given sufficient time for everyone to understand, he wrapped the meeting up.

"You all know your groups. Gather up and get a head count. You are all adults, so I'm not going to baby you. If you're missing anyone or need anything, get it sorted out. We're wheels up for our first positions in fifteen minutes."

Short and sweet, just like he said. Honestly, I was kinda glad he didn't give some kind of super long, cringy speech. Having said his words, Saul jumped from the truck and walked over for a quick conversation with Bob, Teddy, Carol, and Cassidy. Mitch and Scorpion bid a quick goodbye to Panam and me before strolling to the Basilisk. Once Saul was done talking, he turned around and made eye contact with me and Panam. He gave us a quick nod before leaving to join Mitch and Bob.

Using this lull, I looked at my skills. Taking care of Zaria has bumped me up another two levels. I put the attribute points I got into Body, bumping the level to 15. This gives me a bit more health and stamina, which should come in handy with combat, and also closer to some perks that increase my damage output and reduces incoming damage. The two perk points I had were used to pick up level two in Momentum, which gives me a 15% movement bonus every time I get a kill.

Right around the same time I finished faffing with my skills, Bob, Teddy, Carol, and Cassidy walked over to us. Cassidy, Bob, and Teddy chatted up Panam while the old silver fox stood beside me, giving me a pat on the back. 

"How're you feelin', kid?"

"As good as a sane person can before raiding a group of violent nomads, so not bad, I guess."

Cassidy chuckled at that before leaning on the car we were next to. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his worn-out jeans and opened the top. Cassidy pointy the cigarettes at me, offering to spot me a smoke.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Not a smoker."

Cassidy shrugged his shoulder as if saying, 'your loss' before pulling a single stick out, lighting it, and putting it in his mouth. He took one long drag and puffed out a cloud of smoke.

"I like you, kid. You have a good head on your shoulders, and your heart seems to be in the right place. If we both make it out alive, remind me to take you out for a drink."

Having finished her conversation and overheard Cassidy and me, Carol spoke up.

"You know, that's the kind of talking that tempts fate to do something mean. You oughtta know better than that, Cassidy."

Cassidy smirked before making a fist and rapping his knuckles across the wood grips on his revolver.

"Knock on wood."

The old timer then stopped leaning on the car and stretched.

"I figure it's about time we get into our rides. Panam, we're following your Beast before going on foot to the sewer entrance, right?"

"Yup. We'll park a few hundred yards out before hoofing it to the compound. Everybody ready?"

Some nods, yeahs, and a yes went out while I confirmed I was good to go with a thumbs up.

"Alright. Everyone radio in once the convoy starts moving," Panam then turned to me and motioned for me to follow her, "Come on, Basil, let's go."

Everyone then spread out, each going to their vehicles, while I followed Panam and shuffled into the Beast with her. As the heavy bulletproof doors thudded shut, the outside world was cut off. The sound of people talking and cars starting was blocked out, and it was like we traveled into our own personal universe. This was interrupted by a warbled static over the radio, followed by Saul coming over the comms.

"Everyone ready to leave?"

A chorus of affirmatives responded.

"Good. Switch to your group's channel and move out."

The darkness of night was suddenly pushed away as dozens of headlights came to life and shone across the desert. The abandoned landscape was then quickly filled with the sight of packs of vehicles kicking up a dust storm and the sound of rumbling engines. Panam took her truck out of neutral and drove slightly off to the right of the larger group.

The second we started moving, Bob, Teddy, Carol, and Cassidy came over the radio, letting us know they were following us. Looking behind me showed four pairs of headlights, confirming what was just verbally communicated.

Turning my head back around, I focused on Panam, scrutinizing every inch of her. She might seem calm and collected at a glance, but I noticed her white-knuckling the steering wheel and her tensed jaws upon further inspection.

I could understand why she felt so stressed. I would probably be the same if I was involved in what could make or break the livelihood of several hundred people. I sighed before putting my hands on her thigh and tried to give it a reassuring squeeze it.

"I'm not going to tell you to calm down, or there's nothing to worry about because I know you care too much to calm down, and I would be lying if I said this wasn't risky as hell."

"Not helping, Basil. There better be a 'but' coming."

"Buuuut, we've prepared as best we could. You double, triple, and quadruple-checked the plans. Everyone, including Saul, said it was as good as it would get. Don't lose focus, and knock it out of the park like we all know you can and will do."

Panam spared me a glance before a small smile came across her face.

"Thanks."

She let a hand fall on top of mine and caressed it before putting it back on the wheel and refocusing on the road. 

Our little pack crept further and further away from the larger group until they were just specs of headlights far away. The drive wasn't much longer after that. A few minutes later, we could see the vague shape of a concrete compound and dim indoor lights framing windows and showing that the place was occupied. 

Panam turned off her headlights before slowing down, pulling behind a large rock formation, and turning off the ignition. Everyone else followed and parked under the cover before cutting their headlights and engines. When I got out, I felt the dry desert air against me again and took a deep breath to enjoy the cool night temperature before focusing back on the matter at hand.

There are two entrances, one for the train to come in and out, which is currently plugged by a container, and another for pedestrians and vehicles. The compound was separated into two main buildings. The larger one in the center was the depot, where the train would come in and load up on the cement and materials mined and mixed from the quarry. The second, smaller building was situated right next to the regular entrance and was a garage. The remaining free space was occupied by cargo crates, cement hardware, and a small power station.

Peeking out from the boulders, I used my Ping quickhack. The scan showed roughly two dozen scavs wandering outside the main buildings, on top of the roofs, and either patrolling or stationed at a sentry point. Sadly, Ping didn't show anything inside, presumably because the network inside and outside are separate.

While I was sussing the area out, everyone else got out of their car and gathered behind me. Bob was the first one to ask for a sitrep.

"So, Basil. How's it lookin'?"

I turned around and took in the sight of five heavily armed Aldecaldos. Everyone had their weapon of choice ready and looked ready to raise hell.

"Roughly twenty or so Shivs roaming outside. They seem to have split the networks inside and out, so I can't get a good read of what's happening within the buildings. I doubt it's more than the dozen or so we've been expecting, so we should be good to go still. We'll know what's happening in the rest of the place once we get into the basement, and I get my hands on a device we can hack into."

"Then what're we waitin' for? Let's get goin'."

Teddy asked to get things started before racking his shotgun rather cinematically. I suspect that is why he did it, and apparently, Carol did as well. Living up to her name, "Agony Aunt Carol," she slapped Teddy on the back of the head, admonishing him for trying to show off.

"What did you do that for?" 

Carol then pointed at the ground where a shotgun shell was.

"You already had something in the chamber, so racking that was just a waste of ammo, wasn't it? Stop peacocking and get your head in the game."

Teddy sheepishly picked up the buckshot on the ground and decided, smartly, to keep his mouth shut this time. Cassidy chuckled at the younger man before patting his back in a comforting manner. Carol sighed before looking at me and asking me to lead the way.

"Come on then, and let's get started. Basil, show the way."

Since I didn't want the same treatment, I got to work immediately and led the group toward the base. With the help of Ping, I was able to pretty easily avoid the roaming patrols and stationary guards. Sneaking up to the eastern side of the compound near the substation, we were soon greeted by the sight of a tunnel closed off by bars.

Grasping onto the slightly rusted metal, I gave the gate a good pull to get it unseized. I stepped inside, pausing for a second to ensure no one was down here with me. After I was sure it was just me, I turned around and waved for the Vets just outside to follow me in. Once inside the tunnel, we closed the gate behind us and moved further in.

The tunnel had some pooled water on the ground, giving the surrounding air a slight dampness that contrasted greatly with the desert weather. The light from the lamp at the entrance and the moon from outside quickly faded away, and by the time we made our first turn, it was pitch black. I grabbed my flashlight and turned it on to illuminate the way forward. After walking for another bit, we could see a corner and light coming from around it.

Once we made it past that corner, we were greeted by a short passage with wired fencing on one side. At the end of the path was a vent cover. I could hear the sound of muffled techno music in the background, which could be good or bad. Good, because any sound helps mask our break-in, bad because if I could hear music, then that meant most likely there were people close.

I looked back to ensure the Vets were behind me and put a finger to my mouth to make a 'shushing' motion. After everyone understood my message and nodded, I got a hold of the corrugated vent cover before creasing it slightly and pushing it out of the way.

This led us to the basement, where you would find and rescue Saul in the game. The cellar was presumably also the boiler room since in the center of it were three large water tanks, and connected to them was piping that led everywhere. To the right of the wall where we were located was a metal staircase that went up to a small room that overlooked that area.

Popping my head out to get a quick look, I saw one Shiv sitting at the table, not paying attention and looking at the computer. Ducking in, I turned to the Vets and then made the hand motion for 'one there', 'I'll go', 'you wait'. They all nodded again, understanding what I was trying to say.

First, I used the opportunity to Ping the guard, showing that other than her, there were three more people further in the underground storage area. Two seemed to be trying to find something on the shelves while one was hunched over a bench working on something. The Ping showed further up on the ground floor that there was another eleven Shivs. Six were on guard at various points in the building, while the other five sat in a rectangle as if in a meeting.

The latter five were most likely Caesar, the new Wraith leader, and the lieutenants under him. Our primary goal here is to find and cut the head off the snake, so we need to identify if Caesar was in that group as soon as possible. I activated my Optical Camo first, quickly making my way up the stairs and to the door separating me from the lone watchmen. 

Before I swung the entrance open, I activated my Sandivistan so the guard would have less time to react. While the door slid open slowly, I raised my HJSH-18, glad I bought a suppressor before this, waiting for the target to present itself. The first thing I saw was the bright green mohawk sported by the woman sitting at the table. Her feet were crossed and kicked up on the table while looking at the screen with a cigarette in her mouth.

I could see the music coming from the computer. It was no longer muffled without the door in the way, but time had slowed down, and instead, it was now warped into a warbled mess. In terms of the natural world, the woman would have noticed me pretty much immediately. But in my slowed-down world, she was ages too late. I put her head, with her quirked-up eyebrow and upturned eyes, in the center of my sight and pulled the trigger.

Following the muted bang of my rifle, her head snapped back violently, her feet coming up off the table and pushing her chair off balance. Before she could fall over, I ran up and put a hand on the back of the chair to stop it from dropping. When my Sandivistan ran out, I stood quietly, ready, waiting for something to go wrong and for someone to notice what had just happened. When that didn't happen, I returned outside and gestured for the Vets to come up.

They quickly filed into the room and settled around me. Once I was sure both doors were closed, I gave them an explanation of what I could gather.

"The Ping shows there's another thirteen behind those doors. Three are in our immediate vicinity, in the underground storage area. Upstairs there's another ten, six on guard, five sitting around in a meeting."

Since this was Panam's op, she went into leadership mode and took over the reins.

"Ok, step one is to take care of the three closest to us. Basil, what's their exact location. I'm assuming we can't sneak past them?"

"Nope." I shook my head, "The only way up is to go through the storage area."

I looked through the walls at the highlighted enemies, who were still more or less in the same spots.

"Two are to the left. They're either looking for something or taking stock. The other is on the right sight and seems to be working on something."

Panam nodded before continuing.

"Go it. Teddy and Bob, you two care for the ones on the left. Cassidy, you got the one on the left. Do it quietly. Once we've gotten rid of them, we'll confirm that Caesar and the other leaders are here. If they are, we get into a good position, call in the attack, and ambush the meeting. Sound good?"

We were all happy with the plan and said so. Before we left this room, Panam radioed Saul to let him know that we'd successfully made it in, how many enemies were inside, and that we are confirming if Caesar was on site. The message was received, and we quietly made our way outside.

Once we were in the second room, I pointed to the left, where we could see two shivs. Bob and Teddy nodded, understanding that those two were their responsibility. I then looked at Cassidy and motioned towards a small alcove covered with an opaque plastic separator. 

I watched as Bob and Teddy each got out a large knife and slowly crept up on their target. At the same time, Cassidy slowly unwound a garrot wire and wrapped it around his hands before slipping into the alcove. Teddy and Bob timed their attack, simultaneously grabbing their targets' heads so they wouldn't have time to react to each other's situation. Bob and Teddy covered the Wraiths' mouths before stabbing the neck multiple times.

The two Wraiths tried to scream, but their slit windpipes only allowed a horse gasp-like sound to come out. Their struggle got weaker and weaker until their body slumped lifelessly. Bob and Teddy gently laid their bodies down and quickly returned to the group.

Meanwhile, a slight kerfuffle could be heard as Cassidy worked on his 'problem'. The Shiv must have put up a fight as we listened to the sound of something metal being pushed off, then the clanking as it hit the concrete floor. Everyone froze on the spot, tensed that the sound might have alerted the Wraiths upstairs. We held our breaths, ready for shit to go down, with only the sound of the struggling Shiv in the background.

I waited, one eye looking out for enemies, the other watching the vague outline of Cassidy and the Shiv struggling like some kind of ripoff Hitchcock film. Thankfully, no one came down to check on their buddies, and we all relaxed when the Wraith finally stopped trying to fight back.

Cassidy dropped the body and tucked away the wire he used to choke the Shiv to death. Instead of immediately coming out, he stood still. After a few more moments, he turned around, parting the plastic cover, and asked Carol to come over with a whisper and a solemn look on his face.

"Carol, come take a look at this."

For that split second, when Cassidy made way for Carol to walk in, I could sneak a peak at what was inside, and my stomach sunk. Inside the dimly lit alcove was a large metal workbench, but instead of some mechanical thing being worked, there was a corpse cut open in various places in a blatant attempt to extract the poor thing's cybernetics. Her head was missing the eyes, and there was a large hole in the side of the head. All limbs had been cut off, and only the torso with an open cavity where the abdomen and stomach would remain.

The other Vets and Panam also got a good look, and apparently, Panam was able to recognize who it was.

"Oh god, I think that's Cyndi."

Teddy winced while Bob covered his eyes with his hands before slowly dragging them down to his mouth, revealing a look of terrified realization and sadness.

"Who's Cyndi."

Not knowing what was happening, I asked Panam to fill in the gaps.

"Cyndi is- was Carol's niece. She ran away a while back, and we've been looking for her since. I can't imagine what Carol is feeling right now."

When Carol and Cassidy finally came out, Panam rushed over and hugged Carol, asking questions in a hushed voice. Given our situation, it was a short affair. However, whatever Panam said must have worked since Carol ended the conversation with a small smile. It was admittedly pained and slightly sorrowful, but a smile nonetheless.

Despite not having any personal connections with Cyndi, it was still a stark reminder of what this raid meant for the Aldecaldos. This, for them, is an existential issue. The Wraiths stole paying gigs from the Aldecaldos and were notorious for targeting the Nomads in other violent ways. Panam's truck was when I was first exposed to that, and now the results were again out in the open for me to witness.

I wasn't so naive as to think that the Aldecaldos were a completely innocent party. I mean, Aldecaldos mainly make their money from human trafficking and smuggling, after all. But at least when they smuggle, it's only weapons and supplies, not drugs and harvested cyberware. And their human trafficking operation is completely limited to helping cross the border, not so they can sell those people into inhumane working conditions. Maybe one day, the Aldecaldos won't have to resort to any illegal work, and hopefully, killing Caesar and pushing the wraiths out of NC will be the first step toward that future.

We carefully sneaked up the stairs and edged toward the main floor. The building comprised two levels, a large ground floor with a track running through the center and a walkway along the walls leading to an office higher up. Crates and machinery could be found scattered throughout, alongside a few empty train cars and one large shipping container. 

Using Ping, I could mark a camera, which again spotted all the enemies around us. The guards have slightly shifted in their position. Other than having moved, they were all accounted for, and everything has stayed the same for security. The five in the meeting were still in the center, right next to the track, where they set up a fold-out table next to where the train would have parked if the complex was still operational.

In the background, I could hear the gruff voice of several people talking.

"So that's the issue about Jae-Hyun settled. Moving on to what we need on the medical front, Skips, give us a rundown."

Another man then took over and started listing off the demands.

"Ok. The big 'uns that we need are limbs and exoskels. We got enough parts to repair 'em if they're a bit shit, so not picky 'bout the condition. We also need 'sum chip sockets and processors to start chopping the cred chips we got from that hit on those corpos. The last thing is bio adapter and optics. These we need ta be in workin' condition."

After 'Skips' finished giving his report, the first gruff voice took over and gave orders.

"See if our ripperdoc contacts help with the optics and bio adapters. Hit up the ones that owe us favors first. The rest we should be able to pick it up from Scavs."

While they were talking, I scanned the individuals, looking to confirm that one of them was Caesar. I checked the obvious target first, the big guy that looked like the leader, sitting at the end of the table with everyone around on the sides. Happily, this was our man.

Caesar was massive. At least six and a half feet tall with muscles so big one has to wonder how he moves at all. Cybernetics and tattoos peaked out from under his old battered leather trenchcoat. Honestly, Caesar looked more like a part of the Animals than he did a Shiv. I looked at Panam right next to me and whispered to her that we had got our guy.

"Caesar is here. He's the big bald guy in the meeting."

Panam nodded, then pulled up Saul on the comms.

"Saul, we got a positive ID on Caesar. Start the attack now. We will use your strike as the signal to start the ambush on our end."

She stayed on for a few more seconds, nodded while saying yes, then started telling us what to do next.

"Alright. Saul says we'll know when to start when the Basilisk starts shooting. Basil, give me an idea of where the guards are."

"All the guards are on the walkways above us. Two on our side, one in the office to our right, one near the fans on the left, and two more on the opposite side. I can see the two on our side with my hacks, so I can eliminate them."

"Sounds good. Everyone slowly makes your way out of this stairway and get some spacing between us. Be careful to stay behind cover so no one spots you. Each of you gets out a grenade and prep it. The second the attack starts on the outside, throw the grenade at the leaders. If we're lucky, we get them all in one fell swoop right at the start."

Everyone knew what to do and started to tiptoe to different points. Cassidy stayed low and hid behind a crate with Carol. Teddy crawled further left and crouched next to a pallet of barrels while Bob went next to a concrete pillar and stood up. Panam decided to stay by me, right next to the stairs, under the walkways, so when shit hit the fan, I could shoot up through the thin metal floor and into the two Wraiths on our side.

Everyone had taken a grenade out and awaited the first sign to chuck them over. The tension was thick, and my heart rate was gradually picking up. I stayed crouched, one hand grasping onto a grenade, the other holding my Arasaka HJSH-18.

*THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP*

I could feel my heart beating harder and harder against my chest. The blood circulates faster and rushes to my ears, causing me to be able to hear the rhythmic bumping. It was loud enough that I was scared that it would give away our position. Time ticked away as I sat there, waiting for anything to happen, and then it did.

It started as soft bangs, which then transformed into the unmistakable sound of rounds whirling toward us before hitting something and causing an earth-shaking explosion. The metal walls shook and amplified the incoming noise to such a level as if a thunderbolt had just struck the roof right next to us. The night sky outside the window on the other side was momentarily pushed away as a giant fireball spilled a blinding orange glow into the structure. The Basilisk canon must have struck one of the natural gas or oil tankers outside, causing the detonation and flames. Or more likely, the train engine had done its job and blew a big hole in the defenses.

The glass vibrated until it couldn't take the abuse anymore and shattered into a million pieces. While the Shivs were distracted by the fireworks outside, the strike team and I pulled the pins from our grenades and threw them at Caesar and his underlings. The little balls of death sailed through the air, one landing on the table while the others scattered around the foot of the Shiv leaders.

Caesar was the first to notice the grenades. Using his sharp wits, Caesar grabbed the one closest to him, which happened to be the one on the table, and flung it across the building away from him.

"It's a fucking ambush! Don't just stand there, you gonks! Get the fuck to cover!"

While Caesat scrambled for cover, I turned to the right, dropped onto my back, shouldering the HJSH-18, and fired through the floor of the walkways into the underside of one of the Shivs above us. The HJSH's bolt reciprocated like a sewing machine, chambering and splattering the Shiv with projectiles. I watched the bullets fly through the Shiv's foot, traveling upwards and striking the shin, knees, and body. The Shiv collapsed, no longer having functioning legs to hold the body up. Being cautious, I aimed at Shiv's head, sending a burst into his neck and skull.

His buddy next to him must have realized that I was shooting from below them and broke into a full sprint away from me to the left, ducking and weaving between cover. Cursing under my breath, I ran after him, firing on the move thanks to having invested in the Multitasker perk. Eventually, one of my rounds caught the Shiv in the back, causing him to lose balance and face plant.

He stopped moving briefly before crawling forward by dragging his body with his arms. I aimed at the struggling Shiv's head and put him out of his misery as I did to his buddy. Just as I finished the second guard, a round whizzed past my face, barely in front of my nose. I crouched down and hid behind a large machine resembling a supersized stapler. Rounds rained down on the other side of me, thankfully being stopped by whatever I was taking cover behind.

Looking around me, I saw the Vets firing away, brass shells ejecting out of the chambers and falling to the floor, creating little puddles of spent casings. Peeking around the corner confirmed that the grenades had managed to kill two of the leaders. One was missing both legs and covered in scorched black marks. The other Shiv was flung a dozen feet away, facing down lifelessly with similar burns. Sadly, Caesar wasn't one of them.

While our firefight was developing inside, the battle outside turned into a full-blown war. Sounds of screams, gunshots, and cannons were paired with the occasional bright flashes as something blew up. The sound and light traveled into our building, echoing and mixing with the sounds and visuals of our own skirmish.

I caught a glimpse of Caesar returning fire from behind one of the vacant train cars. Taking quick aim, I pulled the trigger and fired a few shots until I heard the familiar *click* of the magazine running empty. One of the bullets caught Caesar in his right shoulder, jerking the man backward but not doing much more than annoying him.

Looking up, he caught the metaphorical and literal smoking gun in my hand and screamed in irritation. He brought up his own gun, a Constitutional Arms M2067 Defender, and returned fire at my position. I got back in cover just in time to see the bullets ricocheting off where I was, creating sparks and slamming into the wall opposite me. 

"Stop fucking HIDING!!!"

Caesar's ruff voice made his vexed yelling share more commonality with an animal roar than a human's. I took out another frag grenade and pulled the pin, waiting for a gap in the suppressing fire to throw it. Before hurling it over, I quickly pushed my other hand out of cover to flip him the bird. Then I lobbed the F-GX roughly in his general location. 

Another loud *boom* soon followed, accompanied by a pained scream. Hoping I got Caesar with that, I peeked around to sadly find the corpse of 'Skips' instead, the Shiv that had the list of chrome they needed. The good news was that counting 'Skips', we had killed six of the eleven Shivs. It seems our strategy to strike outside at the same time as inside has worked out, and reinforcements were too busy dealing with the main assault force to come help.

One of the Wraith guards on the walkway popped out from cover and tried to do something. Cassidy took this chance, leveling his revolver, pulling the trigger, and drilling a hole into the Shiv's head. The Shiv then fell forward, the body falling over the railing and dropping right in front of where Caesar was hiding.

Seeing his dwindling followers drop dead all around (and on top) of him must have convinced Caesar that this was a losing battle. Chucking away his LMG since it was too hard to run away with, Caesar started scanning for a way out. Having found his ticket, in the blink of an eye, Caesar zipped around at super speed, running straight for the large exit in the side of the building. The movement was continuously faster, like a Sandivistan, so it must have been a Kerenzikov.

"Basil! Caesar's making a break for it!"

Panam also saw Caesar running and yelled for me to get after him, presumably because I was the only one with superhuman speed as well.

"Yep. Already on it!"

Using my Sandivistan and Optical, I chased after Caesar. Optical Camo made me a hard target to spot, so I quickly left the warehouse without any issues. Once outside, I paused momentarily and looked for where Caesar had run off. To the left was the front of the compound, where most of the fighting was still occurring. I could hear the *plunking* sound as the Basilisk fired off grenades, followed by equally spaced sounds of things blowing up. 

Things seemed to be going great for us. I could already see the Aldecaldos having gotten a foothold in the compound and the Shivs hiding behind cover while being pinned down by constant fire. Corpses and burnt-out husks of demolished vehicles could be seen strewn across the battlefield. I hoped that none of them were Aldecaldos, but I knew better than to be that optimistic.

Moving on, directly in front of me was a small excavator next to a pile of rocks, and on the right was a large crane and a road leading to the quarry. I caught a glimpse of Caesar shambling past the crane and down the hill to the water-filled quarry before turning left and disappearing behind the terrain. 

As I was about to race after him, I heard a rumbling engine to my left. Looking back, I saw a Wraith Quartz drifting through the dirt, kicking up a dust storm. The bright headlights show in my direction, getting larger and larger as the vehicle barreled towards me. I ducked just in time to avoid becoming a human paste and watched as the Quarts ran headlong into the crane.

The car went from speeding to a dead stop instantly, lifting the rear axle several feet into the air before gravity dragged it back down. The front of the car crumpled like a can of soda, and the glass shattered all around. The horn and the alarm turned on simultaneously, and the sound combined into the world's most chaotic music performance. 

The passenger side swung open, and a Wraith stumbled out, trying and failing to stand up and falling off to the side. Deciding that I couldn't waste too much time on them, I ran up, put a few shots into the Wraith that escaped and dumped the rest of the mag into the car.

Jogging down the slight incline, I could spot small blotches of blood leading to the left where a natural dirt ramp connected to a cliff. Guessing that Caesar must have hopped onto the ridge to hide, I hurried over and started trying to scale it. With both hands grasping the ledge, I pulled myself up and looked on top. Seeing no one was there, I hoisted myself up with all my strength, struggling but eventually succeeding, carrying myself and all my kit over.

Once I made it, I stayed on my hands and knees for a second, taking a few long inhales to stabilize my breathing and heart rate before continuing. As I was recuperating and about to get up, I heard the sound of footsteps and looked up, only to see the top of a boot flying at me. The next thing I felt was a hard impact on the side of my head, rocking my world and making me black out for a split second.

When I gathered myself, I felt a stinging sensation on my cheek and a deeper throbbing pain in my head and nose. The wet sense above my lips and on the side of my face confirmed that I was bleeding from the kick. While I was trying to recover, a familiar gruff voice came from the direction of the kicker.

"You're the gonk that shot me in the shoulder, aren't you?"

I could see my rifle a few feet in front of me and lunged for it. As I was about to get my hands on it, another blow hit me, sending me off course and rolling onto my back. I could feel the steel-toed boots dug into my side and the sickening *crack* sound as my ribs broke. That knocked the wind right out of me, and I wheezed, trying to get some air back into my lungs.

While I was wracked in pain, Caesar walked over to my weapon before kicking it off the cliff and into the pit.

"That's dangerous, you know? You could seriously hurt someone with that."

Caesar then approached me, kneeling and flipping me over before clasping one of his large hands over my throat and squeezing. This was the first time I got a really good look at him. His face was covered with spider tattoos. An extensive web centered on the back of his head stretched out and covered all the way to his eyebrows. His eyes were a creepy pitch black, lacking any noticeable sclera, making it hard to know where he was looking.

"You thought you accomplished something here, didn't you?"

His hands further tightened, so much so I could now feel the calluses grating against my skin. My left hand grasped onto the arm, choking me, trying to claw and pry it off of me while the other reached for his face. Sadly, he had too much reach on me, and I couldn't quite touch his head from where I was.

"You might have killed some goons, but I'll be back. And when I return, it won't be with weak, pathetic fools that would die in a silly battle with a rag-tag team of Aldecaldos."

I was in a weird situation. Having someone starve my brain of oxygen was precarious. It caused me to slightly panic, but I was finally recovering from my brain being jostled from that first kick. Quickly devising a plan, I stopped trying to reach Caesar's ugly mug with my right hand and instead wrapped my fingers as if holding a gun.

Caesar paused for a second, a look of confusion replacing his smug grin when he saw me smile. That confused look was soon replaced by shock and fear as my empty right hand suddenly had a revolver. I had pulled my Overture out of my inventory and into my hand, which was in the perfect position. The next thing he knew, there was a flash and a bang.

I watched in satisfaction as the round dug dead center into Caesar's forehead. His head was violently thrown back, and I got a wink of reprieve when I could breathe again. Bad, apparently, I was happy too soon.

My moment of achievement was short-lived and replaced with horror as the grip tightened around my neck again. At the same time, another hand grabbed onto the barrel of my revolver and pointed it away. Caesar's head slowly turned back to me, and the smug grin was now replaced by a feral smile, baring his teeth at me.

My revolver was yanked out of my hand. Caesar studied it briefly before looking back at me, staring at me as if I was a mouse and he was the house cat pinning me down.

"That was a neat trick..." 

Caesar said while raising the revolver over his head by the barrel like a hammer. He then swung it down, clobbering my skull with the pistol grip.

"But..." *SMACK* "It..." *SMACK* "Won't..." *SMACK* "Work..." *SMACK* *SMACK* "Again..."

The repeated hitting with my own pistol had done a real number on me. One of my eyes was completely swollen shut, blood was flowing all over my face, and there was no doubt in my mind that I had at least a concussion. Being so brutally beaten and unable to breathe finally got to me, and my arms fell since I didn't have the strength to struggle anymore.

Seeing that I wasn't putting up a fight anymore, Caesar got off me and stood up. He rubbed his forehead where he got shot, pulling bits of lead and copper out of his skin.

"You think you're the first to have tried to kill me by shooting me in the head? You don't get to where I am without at least that level of insurance. But credit where credit is due; you definitely got one over me. But now, let me show you my own magic trick."

He then reached into his long trench coat, gripping something and slowly pulling it from behind his clothes. A ray of moonlight shined down upon us, showing that Caesar had taken out a one-handed axe. Even in my current state, I could tell I wouldn't like what he had in mind.

All I could manage was to weakly raise my right arm, palm open, trying, begging him to stop. Caesar simply kicked my arm to the side and stepped on the wrist, pinning it down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, watch as I cut through this man's arm."

He then raised the axe overhead and swung it down, cleaving right through my shoulder, severing my right arm from my body. 

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHH"

I screamed in pain as the edge sliced through my muscles and bones. I could feel in excruciating detail as the axe made its way through my body, disconnecting more and more of my limb until I could no longer feel anything but an acute pain overpowering my body and senses.

"Won't be able to flip me off with that hand anymore, will you?"

Caesar chuckled darkly before raising his axe again. When it came down this time, it was on my right knee. I couldn't see it, but from the sensation of the tendons splitting apart and the cartilage being crushed, it seemed that he had just cut off one of my legs as well.

I was in unbelievable pain at this point. My mind was faint and lightheaded, my forehead was covered in a cold sweat, and the world was swirling around me as if I was being flushed in the toilet.

"Next time, we won't go easy on the Aldecaldos. We'll kill all your men, use your women as playthings, and when we finally break their minds, we'll carve them up for parts alive. You should have just sta..."

Caesar's words faded into the background, and everything around me darkened. In my last moment, I imagined the world he was drawing. All the friends I made were savagely slaughtered in their homes. The women, including my beloved Panam, were herded like cattle and brutalized. Raped until she lost the light in her eyes, the same light I've fallen so deeply in love with, and then having all her organs and chrome ripped out and collected as spare parts. Her body would then be dumped into an unmarked mass grave, never to be found and given the respect it deserves.

That thought of her potential fate angered me. That anger kept growing until it boiled over into wrath. I could feel my heart pumping again, and the fading pain was brought back into sharp focus. My one good eye flung open, and I saw Caesar standing over me, seemingly enjoying his moment of victory. 

But it's not over yet... It's...

"NOT OVER YET!!!"

Screaming at the top of my lungs, I summoned my trusty katana into my left hand and swung the blade across his face with all the strength I had to spare. The tip of the blade connected with his face, cutting into it and cutting right through the mouth and cleanly through the other side.

My swing created a large gash that spanned almost from ear to ear through the mouth. Caesar's mouth gaped open like a crocodile, and I could see all the way through to the start of his through. The man fell back on his ass, unable to believe what had just occurred. While he was still stunned, I pushed myself up with my one arm, barely being able to keep my balance and not tip over.

I pushed off with my one good leg and pounced at him again. This time, I summoned my Militech Crusher shotgun into my hand. My body torpedoed into his, pushing him over and allowing me to jam the Crushed right into the newly enlargened face hole.

For a split second, despite his eyes being pitch black, I could see into his soul and feel what he was experiencing. The only emotion that was left was pure unadulterated fear. A primal fear, probably identical to what I was experiencing a few short moments ago. A feeling only reserved for when you know your life was forfeit. But unlike him, I didn't savor it.

Instead, I pulled the trigger. There was no sound, no smell, nothing. I don't think I had enough blood in my system for those senses to work correctly. Only the vague feeling of recoil every time I pulled the trigger. A hole was blown through the top of Caesar's head, and pellets flew through his skull, carrying bits of gore and brain matter out. Only when there was no more ammo did I finally stop. 

Confirming that Ceasar had finally died, I slumped onto my back and stared into the night sky. The clouds had cleared, and I could see the bright moon and surrounding stars shining down upon me. As everything went out of focus and my consciousness dwindled, someone approached me. The person crouched down next to me, getting close enough for me to see who it was. 

It was Panam. Tears were streaking down her face, causing her mascara to create long black lines. Seeing a bit of snot from one of her nostrils, I chuckled, thinking how she was such an ugly crier and that this was probably the most unattractive, she's been while with me. 

More people gathered around us, and I was faintly aware that I was receiving medical attention. However, I doubt its effectiveness at this stage. And in those last moments with her by my side, I was strangely content and happy. Panam was here, and she seemed safe. A smile crept across my face, and then everything went dark.