The sound of a slow ticking clock accompanies Zaunya and Brian as they pace back and forth right past each other in the small motel room... they occasionally glancing out the windows checking the roads. The restless, chaotic nature of their personalities have bubbled to the surface of their being... forced confinement is something neither of them can snarf during a time like this. Needless to say... its better than getting clapped in an open field.
The black smoke rises in the sunbaked badlands above the distant embankment where the burned Colby Butte lays to rest. The various remnants of Brians past continue to shed... left behind in charred smoke.
Its clear that the pair have again had several conversations before this point and are on edge. Often times... anticipation and calculation can be more daunting than just making a move.
The accumulating series of events that have driven these two to where they are now feels less like an end and more of a beginning. Regardless of the actions they take.. the people they kill.. the enemies they create... they find themselves at each other's side for better or for worse. They're intelligent.. therefore their instincts are to question everything... even the nature of consistency.
I mean... who even are these people to each other... Night City is the city of dreams after all... not trust; However, as time goes on... actions speak louder than any words or principals. They haven't been honest with each other from the beginning... however circumstances have forced the pair to do so... for the sake of survival.
"How much longer are we going to sit on our asses..? We're running out of smokes." Zaunya complains.
"I just got some more from a choom downstairs." Brian says handing her a pack of Death Styx brand cigarettes.. the black box. "-And not yet... if they did a postmortem, which they DID.. then they'll have been combing the entire city nonstop... the race to keep this bottled started as soon as that green juice went up in smoke. When nothin' comes up, they'll-"
"-Start looking on the outskirts.. probing nomads, shaking down shacks, turning over old rocks." She says opening the black pack.
"And when that happens-" He asks leading... unable to help himself... the exact same way he used to lead Marilyn through thought processes. A quick flash of her smiling face staring deep into his eyes hits him like a speeding Supron.
"-We'll be trading places." Zaunya responds nodding her head and finishing his sentence. The synergy of the moment gives her some much needed levity... but causes Brian to retreat into a much less relatable topic. He abruptly shifts subject to something a bit more confrontational.
"Your Sandy."
"Huh?"
"Back at the warehouse... the after effects you suffered after using it weren't common with high-end chrome like that being chipped. Been told they usually do their best to tailor the specs directly to the associated user... symptoms I saw of yours are often associated with neurological instability. Did the-"
"-Klepping a sandy from a Petrochem exec via decapitation isn't going to yield the most ideal results. When Audrey chipped it, she told me it wasn't a good idea at all... that I would probably have to do something about it eventually."
"But..?" He asks leading.
"Body acclimation. Started to get better over time to the point where she saw no reason to do anything. Just told me not to use it too many times a day; pretty easy compromise if you ask me."
"Speaking of your ripper friend... I know for a fact shes not doing work like this for free." Brian says gesturing at himself. "What does she want for... this." He points at his own body as if it were a set of new clothes.
Zaunya raises her eyebrows and looks away from him... almost having completely forgotten the debt.
"This... corpo she used to run with has something of hers... we need to klep it."
Brian turns away laughing in disbelief. "From terrorism to extortion... You're fuckin' psycho girl-"
"-I KNOW who he is and where we can find him... snake got his fangs ripped out and now hes on the outs with his corp... works for this small time PetroChem affiliate company. In these kind of corpo circles they can lose influence and power just as quickly as they gain it... saw it happen an endless amount of times."
"Item of interest. What is it."
"A kiroshi Oracle."
" 'A' Kiroshi Oracle...? So you mean just one..?"
She looks at him without responding... He takes a deep breath and raises his eyebrows before shaking his head and turning his back to her.
Later that night... like birds released from a cage, they finally leave their motel room together as Brian takes lead. The sounds of their boots thump down the stairs with weight one after the other before making it down to the dirt and cracked pavement. The lack of ambient lighting gives the environment around them a damp, dusk landscape illuminated by moonlight as their boots crunch dirt and kick gravel. They pass by several strays and vagabonds before turning a corner at the opposite end of the motel and head down its stretch.
Brian B-Lines it up to a Galena G240 parked on the side of the motel and smashes the driver's side window open with his elbow creating a loud bang causing Zaunya to jump slightly. He reaches into the car and unlocks it from the inside before stepping to the side and holding the door open for her. Without words, he gestures her into the driver's seat which she does with startled hesitation. The Galena speeds off into the night toward the bright, glowing neon cityscape towering above them off in the distance... awaiting their return.