Chapter 1: New Player in Night City
3rd POV:
It is the year 2075. Night City is going about its usual business. Extortion and exploitation at every level. Suffering, despair and crushed spirits encompass the spirits of every citizen. A City of crushed hopes and dreams,sucked dry by corporations and used as fuel to elevate themselves to even greater heights. One where crime is abundant and corruption runs high in all facets of Night City. Safety a luxury that only the corporations can afford.
But not everything was horrible. In the dregs of the underworld far removed from all the gangs and the scavs lived a certain group of people. A people called Edgerunners. Basically mercenaries that worked with fixers to take on gigs requested by the citizens of NC. Most Edgerunners took the gigs that were mostly in favor of the innocent, with only a few taking on the ones that screw over the innocent. All Edgerunners however lived for the dream. To make it into the major leagues and gain entrance to the Afterlife.
Or so Jackie Welles would like to believe.
He was making his way over to the den of some scavs. Regina Jones, a fixer in Watson, has contacted him with a gig. Apparently the scavs saw an opportunity to take some kid to clep his cyberware. A single mother in her grief, sold everything in her possession and requested the last thing to see before she departs from this earth to be the death of the ones responsible for her sons demise.
All in all it was a big gig, worth 50.000 Eddies. Most Edgerunners did not take on this gig, because the scav group was quiet big, but Jackie Welles always knew that if one wanted to make it into the major leagues you had to be brazen, so he took on the job.
Soon enough he arrived at the location of the scavs den. Jackie set out to scout the den before he would engage them. Regina already gave him the info on the number of scavs, but he first needed to know where the scavs where positioned before engaging them.
He needn't have bothered.
By the signs of it the scavs where engaging with someone else in a fight, judging from all those gunshot sounds. Jackie pulled out his pistols and carefully entered the building. Upon seeing the first three corpses, he immediately dialed Regina.
''Regina here. Is the gig done?''
''Did you hire someone else for this gig? The scavs are engaging in a fight currently. I just stumbled upon the first three victims. It ... It is a fucking bloodbath, hermana. Deaths brutal enough to make me wanna puke.''
''No, I did not hire anyone else. Keep the line open, I'll also have my netrunner connect to your Kiroshi. Or do you want to retreat? Understandable, this was not within the mission parameters.''
''No. I'll proceed.''
An explosion rang out. Screams were heard. Jackie made his way slowly towards the source of the noises. The closer he came to the noises, the more bodies he stumbled upon. Each death being more brutal than the last. One had his guts ripped out with no other damage. Another had his arms ripped off and was hung by his entrails on the ceiling, choking him to death. Another was nailed by a lamp through his throat on the wall.
''Jesus Christo. Regina whoever our guy is does not fuck around. Each death is more bruatal than the last. I am getting closer to the noises. Keeping you appraised of the sitch.'' Jackie informed Regina.
Soon enough Jackie found himself in a big hall. Bodies were litering the place. Some smoke was coming from another room. He was looking at the door the smoke was coming through as a scav missing his legs came crawling through. Jackie instinct told him not to shoot him. Another scav flew through the door and impacted the wall with enough force to explode.
The scav crawling came up on another body and looted the SMG from it. He turned around and waited for his attacker. ''Come out you bastard. Come out I say.'', the scav screamed.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the hall as a figure emerged from the fog. He had a black mask with neon orange eyes and over his head he wore a hood. The scav wasted no time in trying to kill him and started shooting the SMG. The neon eyed man used his double edged sword to deflect all bullets. Jackie suspected a sandevistan. Soon enough the bullets run out and the hooded man was upon the scav pinning his head between his boots and the concrete, but not killing him.
Jackie instinctively pulled out his pistols and aimed them at the swordsman, when he pointed his sword at him. In retrospect Jackie wanted to kick himself, he just saw him deflect all bullets from an SMG, no way could his pistols match a SMGs fire rate. And if he had a sandevistan there was no way he could match him.
''Name?'', the swordsman asked. His voice sounded slightly robotic, but whatever voice modulator he used did a pretty bang up work, because he sounded almost human if one didn't pay attention. In Jackies honest opinion, that only made the man more terrifying, as if something was wrong with him.
''Jackie Welles'', Jackie replied.
''Affiliation?''
''Edgerunner'', Jackie said.
''Purpose?''
''I was hired by a ... concerned mother with killing all these scavs for taking and killing her son. What is your name?'', Jackie dared to question.
''...Nexus'', Nexus answered as he cut of the scavs arms and used the nearby boiler to heat up his sword and cauterize all wounds, before sheathing his sword. He took the screaming scav by the hair and hosted him on his shoulder. Nexus turned around and started walking off. It was clear to Jackie that Nexus wanted to interrogate the scav for info. If the man weren't a scav Jackie would feel sorry for him.
''Wait. What about the reward? You did a...'', Jackie began before getting interrupted.
''You keep the reward. I care not for it'', Nexus said without stopping. Soon enough Nexus dissappeared behind a corner.
Jackie collapsed against a wall and slid down. He felt like he barely escaped death today.
''Regina did you catch it?'' Jackie asked.
''I did.'', came the reply.
''Know who Nexus is? It felt like staring death in the face. Whoever he was, he was all biz.'', Jackie inquired.
''No, never heard of him. Whoever he is, he is new in the biz. Quite the impactful image he has sent. Competent and dangerous. Desirable qualities in the underworld. I'll have my Netrunner disconnect from your Kiroshi. Though you may not have done the gig you will still get the reward. You have heard the man. Zipping you the Eddies. I will stay in touch with you, regarding this mysterious man. See ya.'', Regina said, before hanging up on the holo.
Soon enough Jackie saw his account get 50.000 Eddies heavier.
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Some weeks later Jackie parked his motorcycle in his garage and made his way over to El Coyote Cojo. He sat at the bar and greeted Pepe.
''Hola, Pepe. How is my favorite bartender doing?'', Jackie greeted happily as he took on a seat at the bar counter.
''How you doing, choom? I'm doing good. What will you have?'', Pepe greeted fondly. Pepes family and the Welles family were on quiet the friendly terms since they were neighbors.
''Agh, choom. I'm doing good. Did a gig some time ago. Earned me 50.000 Eddies. Was lucky that Jesus Christo watched over me that day. Felt I barely escaped death. Give me the usual, Pepe.'', Jackie explained.
''Damn, Jackie. Care to share the detes?'', Pepe inquired while giving him a beer mixed with lemon and tequila.
Jackie took the drink and started recounting :''Gig was from a mother. See, her son was taken by scavs to clep his chrome.''
''Damn. May God watch over him''
''Indeed. Was tasked with clearing out the scavs. Came up to their den, wanted to scout out the area. Reconnaissance, if you will. Needn't have bothered. There was someone else engaging them. So I entered the building. It was a damn slaughter house. Would almost feel sorry for the poor fellas if they weren't scavs. Each death was more brutal than the last. Stumbled upon Nexus, that is what he called himself, killing off a scav by throwing him into a wall with enough force to make him explode in a shower of blood. Then he took one living scav with him to interrogate him. Asked him about the reward, told me to keep it.''; Jackie finished his story by taking a sip of his beverage.
''I don't know Jackie. The Almighty works in mysterious. I mean taking on a scav den by yourself. Sounds to me like God kept you alive by sending this Nexus to that den first.'' Pepe admonished.
Jackie grimaced:''Maybe your right, hermano. Mama would certainly blow a gasket if she were to find out. Don't tell her''
Pepe laughed as he nodded.
Another bartender watching the TV asked Pepe to turn up the volume as the music was interrupted by an urgent News session. Pepe being curious himself, complied.
''We are interrupting the normal programms to deliver an urgent and imporatant News session to all Night City citizen. Since yesterday, the NCPD has been hunting down a dangerous criminal. One that has introduced himself as Nexus. Here is how he looks like. Nexus has declared war on the scavs and has been hunting them down since yesterday with absolute impunity. The NCPD however has branded him a criminal for not only the sheer environmental damage he has caused in his war against the scavs but also for being suspected to have stolen prototype tech from corporations. We are asking citizens to give the NCPD any hint about the whereabou...'', the newswoman stopped for a second, clearly communicatimg on the halo,'' We just received information about Nexus' whereabouts. MaxTac is on their way to apprehend this criminal. A news helicopter has been given permission to record everything.''
The news switched over to the news helicopter following after MaxTac. It seems they have yet to arrive at Nexus' location.
''Well, poor fella.'', the one who requested Pepe to raise the volume said. Most customers in the bar agreed. They all understood the line about 'stolen prototype tech' was a lie and some corpo wanted to get his hands on him.
Jackie however had a different feeling and said :'' No. Poor fellas.''
The customers noticed this exchange and were now even more intrigued, therefore they quickly paid more attention to the news.
Soon enough MaxTac arrived at a burning run down building. The news helicopter used their flashlight to light up the site and look for Nexus.
A wall crumbled down as someone was thrown through it. Out of the fire emerged Nexus completely undamaged. He stopped short of the corpse upon MaxTac orders and slammed his sword down resting his hands upon its grip, as if it were some cane.
''You are being arrested. You are instructed not to resist.'' MaxTac ordered as they parked the helicarrier on the ground and jumped out. Jackie had to admit the sensor devices the news stations employed to pick up sound from far away were quite good.
The MaxTac agents surrounded Nexus slowly. Nexus looked completely unconcerned.
''Angela, Mike, Micheal, Doro, deactivate his chrome'', the commanding MaxTac officer said. Nexus did nothing as they attempted to hack his chrome.
''He...Fucking shit, he has none!'', one of the netrunners screamed.
All devices running on electricity went out. Jackie quickly run out and confirmed his suspicions before reentering the bar.
''All lights in Night City are turned off.'' Jackie informed the denizens in the bar.
The people stood around with no one saying anything. The implecations of what just happened where frightening. Either Nexus truly had no chrome, yet was still able to perform feats like these. Or his chrome was lightyears advanced compared to what the best had to offer, to the point his chrome appeared invisible.
The lights were out for not even a minute before they were turned back on. Everyone quickly looked at the screen hoping to see the aftermath of the standoff.
The saw the entire MaxTac platoon that was sent to aprehend Nexus lying dead in the streets. Nexus was no where to be seen, clearly having made his escape during the blackout after killing MaxTac.
''Jesus Christo, Jackie. I take back what I said. You're lucky to be alive after encountering him.'', Pepe reconsidered. No one said anything in regards to that.
But everyone in NC knew that they just witnessed the birth of a legend.
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