Ghost in the City
Chapter 33

William “FrostGuard” Frost

FrostGuard was pretty pissed. A fuckin jap was tearing up the boys. Damn Tyger Claws were attacking in the middle of the night with fuckin ninjas!

He had only seen the one. Just one, and a kid at that. The girl was fast. After Jackshift had called out everyone had grabbed a weapon, but Jack hadn’t lived long after that.

Good kid Jack, bit stupid, but he did right in the end he put out the alarm.

But now Frost had a fuckin ninja jap killing everyone. There were only six Strom left. Everyone else FrostGuard had called didn’t pick up. Hell even Byte wasn’t picking up.

Fuckin Ninja already killed their Netrunner. Fuck. Brick was gonna be pissed. Byte had been important. Not every gonk on the street can act as a serious Netrunner.

“Stay close!” He yelled out as he forced his Ajax to keep aiming around the dark room. Bitch had disappeared as soon as the boys started calling out for her.

Then she cut the fucking lights!

If they were any of the other gangs it might have worked, but the Spyder Optics the Maelstrom chipped into every member could see in the dark just fine.

Except, somehow she had disappeared. One moment he was staring at her as she raced off into the side of the garage, and then next his optics simply couldn’t keep track of her, or more like she had simply shifted into smoke and disappeared.

Fuckin bullshit.

Some sort of Optical Camo? He wasn’t sure, hadn’t seen any of the usual shifting from that.

“Where the fuck did she go!?” RustProof called out and Frost snorted at the panicked tone as some of the fuckers lost their cool. Firing blindly into the darkness.

They were panicking. Frost realized right then that if he stuck around he was just as likely to get shot in the back as he was the front. He started shifting back towards the entrance, optics wide to look for her. She had to still be here right?

Maybe she had just delta’d once she got spotted?

Possible, but Frost wasn’t going to count on it. He had already sent out an alert, all he had to do was survive until the response showed up.

“H-hey! Where did StickShift go?!” RustProof called out suddenly as he spun around, and Frost looked around his Ajax following his sight as he looked to where Oil that fuck had been standing.

He wasn’t there anymore.

Realizing what had happened Frost let instincts from the war take over. He shifted and fired, shattering the Radios that had been filling the garage with music the whole time.

The music that had covered the ninjas assault.

The sudden quiet was almost oppressive and Frost, Rust, and the other two remaining Maelstrom all quickly gathered together in a group guns out. Even if Frost and his Ajax was the biggest piece among them.

He sighed, realized they were all cluttering him because they wanted him to save them.

Cowards.

But he didn’t know what to say, so instead of trying to take control of the idiots, he continued backing up towards the door. Hopefully they will be able to hear her now.

But the garage was quiet besides the whispering and clanking of the idiots surrounding him.

Fuck this. Frost kept walking backwards towards the door. Yet nothing was moving. Just a quiet that had settled on the garage.

Finally he reached the door and with one hand burst it open as he hurried outside the other four right along with him.

Outside it was quiet, and Frost caught his breath for a second as he looked around. OilSlicks post on the ground floor was knocked over as he had come running at the alert, but Frost hadn’t seen TriggerFinger. He looked up but other than the faint sound of his TV playing, he wasn’t around.

Dead then.

Damn she had snuck up on that old war dog?

“Alright. C’mon stay together you idiots!” He barked as his little group had started splitting apart, but his call brought them back together. “We hold out here. She can’t sneak up on us here, we just have to wait for reinforcements. See how this ninja bitch likes trying her hand against forty of us!” He yelled the number. If the Ninja was still here, hopefully the idea of forty men all hunting her would scare her off. Even if it wasn't likely he would receive that kind of response. Hopefully the Jap didn’t know that. Then with a few pointed fingers and barked orders, he had everyone in place.

There were only two ways out of the Garage, well three if you counted the massive roller doors. Otherwise it was the roof, and the ground floor door that they had just walked out of.

She was trapped in there. All he had to do was keep the place secure until more guns showed up.

At least that is what he thought.

He turned around to look over everyone making sure everyone was where they should be. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

When a gunshot startled everyone as the gonk he had sent up onto the roof to watch the roof access came falling off the edge of the roof falling with a splat as he had a massive hole in his chest.

“Damn Gonk!” He cursed him for being stupid enough to get shot. His Ajax came up and peppered the roof, causing the others to join him. If she was up there, they only had to hit her once!

Four Maelstrom unloading on the roof had to be enough!

He flipped his empty magazine out and grabbed his spare from his jacket pocket.

He would be out after this. Dammit. He wasn’t exactly loaded for war while he had his feet up inside the safe house!

“Anyone see her?” He roared which slowly caused everyone to stop firing as they all reloaded but all he got back was shaking heads.

“Well don’t just stand there! Go-” he was cut off as a gunshot rang out, one that he recognized this time.

TriggerFingers Sniper Rifle. Fuck.

One of the boys, head still shaking, suddenly only had a spray of blood in place of his skull. Slowly he flopped down onto the ground.

Ajax raised he started firing towards where the gunshot had come from, but as his round bounced off concrete he realized what had happened.

The bitch. She was shooting through the walls!

“She’s shooting through the walls! Move! Don’t stand still! Her optics can’t lock you if you keep moving!” He roared out and it was only barely enough to save OilSlick as he shifted and moved just in time for a round to punch through the wall of the garage.

The bitch had gone back inside?

Fine!

He roared as he rushed back into the door, he wasn’t going to stand around and get ripped apart. If she was running around with a Nekomata it would slow her down, they weren’t exactly the most mobile weapons considering how long and heavy they were.

He kicked the door back open his optics again cutting through the darkness as he searched for her. A flicker of movement and he opened fire his Ajax barked again and again as he filled the area with bullets.

She disappeared again jumping behind the Van as he stopped firing waiting for her to appear only to realize she had somehow vanished!

“Hey Gonks! She is on the run stay together!” He roared through the walls as he rushed not to follow her, but to the little office he had taken over when they claimed this old garage as a base.

He keyed open the door and slipped inside, quickly grabbing his old vest that had his extra mags and slipped into it, all the while shifting around to make sure she couldn’t pop him through a wall.

Of course a moment later gunshots started echoing around. Tiny blips of his buddies' peashooters, and the big echoing retorts of the Nekomata.

He ran to get back outside, but by the time he kicked the door open again it was quiet.

They were dead. OilSlick well on his way to being an OilStain as he bled out.

“Bitch! Come on then! You’ve cut down these gonks! You think you’re hard!? They are chaff! I’ll rip you apart!” He roared out as he kept moving searching for her. How does one ninja jap do this? Kill his entire squad?

He really wished his reinforcements would show up already.

It was pure luck in the end, the faint hint of something glinting in the corner of his optics he immediately dove into a roll bringing up his Ajax and firing. The shot from the Nekomata missed him by inches. She was back on the roof, hiding in TriggerFingers little shack. He lit it up, not stopping the automatic fire until his mag was empty and he quickly reloaded and started firing again.

Nothing. He waited, unable to see well if she was still in there, but not willing to climb the ladder that would take him up to the roof.

He waited, and it was only when his optics spotted blood that he started to relax.

“Got ya huh bitch?” He called out with a chuckle as he kept his rifle up. Never relax until the body is confirmed dead. Usually with a double tap.

But with how many rounds he had punched into the little shack she would have to be dead. Surely.

A gunshot and he grunted back as the round slammed into him, his Subdermal and chest rig barely stopping the round from blowing a hole through him, but it still knocked him on his ass. He rolled instantly rushing for cover.

How the fuck was she still alive!?

“How are you still alive!?” He roared rising and once more unloading a magazine into the shack, this time he didn’t stay still. Using his gunfire to keep her pinned as he climbed up onto some of the old oil barrels that had been laying around since before they moved in.

He kept firing as he rose up, enough to actually see into the shed even as he continued firing into his mag emptied.

He looked in.

Where was she? TriggerFinger was there, looking pretty awful thanks to all the rounds that had ripped through him, but he didn't see the ninja.

Wait.

Wait!

If TriggerFinger was dead, why was there an arm sticking out from his body pointing a handgun right at Frost?

The round punctured through this time. His vest wasn’t able to stop a second high caliber round, and his subdermal failed.

He died before he hit the ground.

—--

I coughed up blood as I pushed the corpse off me. “Ow!” I whined as I poked the multiple holes in me. Most of them in my legs, one unfortunately in my chest where my poor Leotard had finally given up, unable to stop the bullets. Unfortunately while I was small enough to hide behind the bulk of an armored borg as rounds hammered into my hidey hole. Even the borgs armor had to give up eventually. A few rounds penetrating few had slammed into me as the fucker with the Ajax just kept on firing.

Jerk.

I yanked my med pocket open and grabbed a MaxDoc. Quickly inhaling it I instantly felt better.

“That was the second one I had to burn.” I reminded myself. I only had one left on me. This last borg was way more skilled than I expected. Plus he had actually taken a Nekomata round to the chest, Even if I hadn’t had time to charge it up. It had just been a normal round which was the only reason he hadn’t died.

I grunted as I pushed the corpse off me. “Thanks Choom.” I told him despite how horrible his corpse looked now, he had really saved my tail.

“I really like it more when I just kill them all without them noticing.” I grumble as I grab the fallen Nekomata and head towards the side of the roof. I winced a bit as I dropped down to the ground level. My legs still sore. I guess one MaxDoc didn’t cover everything. I thought about using another but I wasn’t bleeding anywhere.

Better to save it.

I sighed, as much as I wanted to call Ichi and try to have him come help loot this place to the bedrock I knew I didn’t have time.

The Strom leader had mentioned he had called for help.

“Quick loot Motoko.” I told myself with a deep breath as I quickly ran to the first body. As my hands danced through pockets I called my car which drove from down the street to stop in front of the open gate. I grabbed the guns and anything else I could find and hold in my arms as I raced to the car and dumped it into the passenger seat before rushing back for more.

Two runs to grab everything outside, and I headed in. Considering the time limit I raced upstairs first, Netrunner was number one priority.

I wanted to see if he had any netrunning stuff!

As soon as I hit his body I unfortunately gave up on stealing his Netrunning suit.

I didn’t have time or desire to strip a corpse like that right now. Instead I started popping shards out of his skull passing them into my pocket. I did check his skull and he did indeed have a netdeck…

I considered yanking it. I could. It would take a few minutes, but I could totally do that.

But something about ripping chrome right out of someone's body… It didn't sit right with me. If I had more time maybe I would call in the calvary and they would probably do some ripping, but I let it go. Instead I focused on his gear. I plugged into his computer and yanked the data into a shard. I would go over it later, but hopefully it would have some information on where I could find the Spider Ripper, and the Bastard.

Then as I started grabbing more goodies, I heard an engine outside.

Instantly I went cold as I dropped everything and headed back to the roof. Whoever was showing up was about to get ripped apart. I had only heard one engine.

That meant the numbers were doable. More loot?

More loot.

I crept along the roof. Whoever it was was walking around the courtyard, they were slow, cautious. I couldn’t hear any conversation, and only one set of footsteps crunching into the gravel.

Only one? Well it didn’t matter.

I reached the edge, but I missed them by a second. They had just walked into the building below me.

I went full cold just so I wouldn’t make a grunt of pain and dropped. Falling into a silent crouch just outside the door.

My Katana was already flashing, red edge arcing through darkness to give me just a few more points of XP.

I stilled.

My breath came out in a soft pant.

“Jun!?” I cried out, causing him to jump practically out of his skin, his own Katana coming up to as if to defend only to realize I was standing literally behind him, my Katana inches from taking his head.

Jun shrieked in a hilariously girly voice, but once he realized who it was he gasped in shock. “Motoko!?”

Gonna remember that one for later, that scream was hilarious! but now wasn’t the time for that.

Because Jun’s face hardened and he was glaring now. “Motoko! What do you think you are doing!?”

“Murder?” I answered honestly before my mind could catch up with my mouth. I clamped my mouth shut as my answer seemed to knock the wind out of Jun’s anger. I looked around, knowing he must have already seen all the dead bodies. All the people I had murdered.

We were both silent, staring at each other for a moment before I lowered my shoulders sheathing my Katana. “Okay let’s be honest. I mean… Is this even the worst thing you ever caught me doing?” I asked, hoping my former pre-coma self really was the hellion I suspected she was.

Jun did not in fact agree.

His exasperated expression only lasted a moment before it turned to anger. “What are you thinking? What are you even doing? You could have died! You are still recovering! You are… What? Chasing Maelstrom around the city!?” He roared after a sound of pure frustrated anger as he turned and hammered a fist into the wall of the garage. The poor garage did not stand up well.

“How did you even find me?” I interrupted his battering of the poor garage.

“I followed your tracker! What else would I do when you sneak out in the middle of the night!”

I blinked. “I have a tracker?” I frowned. That was… Not okay.

“Of course Oka-san gave us both trackers when we were kids.” He answered simply going silent for a moment at the mention of our mother. “You don’t remember.”

I felt my lips down into a frown. The idea that I had some tracker in me was… I really didn’t like it. At the same time it wasn’t Jun’s fault so I just breathed it out. I would get back to that later.

Before I could even start on what was next though. We both heard it, engines.

“We need to go.”

“Let’s run!” We both said to each other before rushing towards the exit. The engines were too close.

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