\+/ NOTE FROM SYBERWARE \+/
What's up everybody... hope you're all doing good these days in our crazy modern world of flailing mediocrity. Before you jack in, I wanted to let you know that I've tried somethin' a little different with this chapter chooms... I have written it to the timing and pace of a song. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND playing the song i've included in this chapter and starting it at the same time the characters do if you want the full experience. So kick back, get warm n' comfortable... This was a tough one to write...
Stay safe out there choombas... don't go flatlinin' nobody..... that don't deserve it that is. -Sy
\+/ Tales From Night City \+/ Chapter 52 - City of Dreams
Netty's deep, labored gasps for air slowly come under control as he gradually re-gains his motor functions. The mental and physical exhaustion catches him off guard as he continues to breathe deeply. His skin feels as if its on fire... almost as if his body started to bake as sweat drips from his hair and forehead. He comes too... realizing he's in BugBear's arms... he looks up at her as she looks down at him in a flustered panic on the floor, in the middle of the large basement.
They're next seen in his living room. He wipes his face and the back of his neck with a towel trying to cool off... he holds his head in exhaustion while she slowly paces about with angst.
"How did you find me." He asks groggy from his couch.
"What, Did you think you could hop an Ncart and run here faster than I could ride..? Deading Brian's tracker isn't gonna be enough to stop me from finding you.."
"Then... how did you-"
"-Doesn't matter. Netty... tell me what's going on. W-What the fuck happened in there? Your neuro connection was-"
"-A runner contacted me when we were on our way to the meet... a damn good one at that. They... they used an old panic ping me and one of my chooms setup ages ago... thing was a fuckin' exact one to one copy... how the fuck did they even get the spec for it...? Shit, why would they...? god.. i never saw it coming." He says in a defeated tone.. completely disappointed in himself. "They could've did anything to me in there... they must've initiated the program AS SOON AS I entered... must've had it timed to trigger or... maybe after one of my inputs... thats gotta be the reason I wasn't able to catch it. Fuckin' smart that..."
"The runner... who was-"
"-Couldn't get a scan on em. Masked themselves well. Completely distorted. No spec. No trace... impressive... but not enough. My scraper program logs any activity i interface with no matter what... i'm gonna have to look back through this."
"Scraper won't be enough if they're any good at covering their tracks... but I guess it could be a start." She responds continuing to pace about the room.
Her eye catches a very nice, vintage sound system parked in the living room. She slowly approaches it, searching for the interface to turn it on.
"True... god... i just don't know..." He says in exhale... putting his hands over his face and sinking back into the couch for a moment. "Listen, we need to head out though." He says getting off the couch.
In that moment, BugBear finds the switch for the sound system. Upon turning it on, she hears Gregory Issac's 'Night Nurse' begin to play on the radio. (Press Play Here)
"Oh my god... I love this song..." She exhales and starts to move to the music. Matching its tempo.
"Hey, we gotta get goin-"
"-Come here..." She whispers softly... gently yanking him toward her while dancing. The music plays as the following events transpire in complete silence:
Brian, Zaunya and Audrey pull up to the meeting spot... they stop before a bridge overpass and exit the vehicle approaching Audrey's contact.
Netty joins her in moving to the rhythm of the music... the palms of their hands connect.
Brian glances over his shoulder and sees a car racing toward them. Audrey gets shocked in the neck with a stun baton sending her to the ground unconscious.
BugBear and Netty lock eyes... continuing to move to the music... pressing against the palms of each other's hands.
Brian snap draws his Nue and opens fire, running toward the animals tying Audrey up. Zaunya draws her Nue and triggers her sandevistan. She turns tail, flashing up to the driver side window and places 4 shots into the drivers face and kicks the steering wheel, sending the car careening full speed into a palm tree and exploding.
Netty and BugBear continue to dance... staring deep into each other's eyes... naturally matching each other's rhythm.
Zaunya feels a sharp pain in her spine... her head snaps back and her eyes close tight. The pain quickly dissipates as she looks over to see a netrunner get auto traced.. revealing her location. She flashes up to the runner and blows her brains out... she stands over her watching smoke and brain slowly leak out of her head.
BugBear and Netty continue to dance to the beat, slowly inching closer together... they lace their fingers.
Brian fires and a ganger catches a bullet to the head. He's then rushed from the side but quickly hip tosses the charging animal slamming him to ground hard. He yanks upward snapping his arm and fires two rounds into his face before letting go... he raises his Nue with both hands and steps over him... continuing to fire.
As BugBear and Netty inch closer together, she turns her back to him... their bodies connect for the first time.
Brian takes a slug to the back before turning and dropping the shooter instantly with a headshot. He's then grabbed from the side and bear hugged by a huge merc sending his iron flying.
Netty wraps his arms around her waist from behind... feeling her soft, toned curves sway and push up against him.
The Animal squeezes Brian with full force trying to crush his body. Brian frees his left arm from the grip and uses it to push the animals face away before drawing his knife and shoving it down his throat. He yanks it back out causing the animal to release before stabbing his face and neck repeatedly while blood squirts violently onto his own.
BugBear leans her head back onto his shoulder with her eyes closed tight... an intense expression of pleasure on her face... they continue to move to the pace and rhythm of the music.
An animal rushes Zaunya, slamming and pinning her up against a concrete wall caving it in and closing her Kiroshi's tight. She re-opens them as they glow a neon green and emit a bright green flash.. frying the looking animal's kiroshis and completely blinding him. He lets go of her as she confidently steps toward him and headbutts him hard, caving in his face... her long black hair flails wildly as she drops him... she then stomps her boot through his face crushing his skull in a splattering explosion.
Netty buries his face into her neck from behind as she reaches for the back of his head.
Zaunya is abruptly yanked backwards by her neck and slammed to the ground with augmented force. She's dragged over to where Brian has been subdued... brought to his knees covered in blood, nearly unconscious.
The warmth of Netty's house comforts the pair as their bodies sway and move connected together.
The ganger slams Zaunya hard and pins her head to the ground as she screams something in an intense panic at Brian then the Ex-Tyger.
BugBear turns around in Netty's arms toward him as the pair nearly touching faces continue to sway perfectly timed to the pace of the music in pure ecstasy.
The Ex-Tyger approaches Brian, placing the barrel of his iron to his forehead... Zaunya's eyes open wide as she screams at the top of her lungs in a desperate panic with her head pinned to the ground.
As the tempo of the music begins to fade... Netty and BugBear return to earth. Their dancing slowly stops... they look deep into each other's eyes with disbelief in a full embrace.
"We have to go..." He whispers in a deep tone.
The pair slowly... reluctantly let go of each other.