Ghost in the City
Chapter 44

I did the smart thing after waking up the next day and stayed inside.

I was really lucky, without my ability to fall asleep at will, I definitely wouldn’t have managed to get much sleep. The constant NCPD sirens throughout the night meant when I finally did wake up, it was to a groggy Jun drinking some caffeinated drink he had grabbed out of a vending machine while watching the news.

Me though? After eight hours I was perky.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I chirped at him as I rose up and stretched.

“No.” He grunted as he took another sip as I sat up and stretched. Then I hopped out and cleaned up a bit before grabbing my new testing laptop.

I settled onto the couch cross legged right next to Jun as I slotted my cord in, and went to work on another set of ICE.

“What are you doing?” He eventually asked, distracting me a bit, but I kept myself from getting booted out of the Breach.

“Netrunning training! I’m getting used to breaching through ICE.” I told him with a smile, one eye on him, the other taken over by a screen displaying the ICE countermeasures.

“Huh.” He offered, turning back to the news and taking another sip of his drink.

Silly Jun. I would have to get him a pair of earmuffs or something, if he kept having trouble sleeping.

I was practically buzzing though. I really wanting to go out and do something, but knew it was a bad idea. So instead I fell back on what was my favorite activity when I was stuck inside.

Grinding!

Although…

“Hey Jun?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you mind if I mess with you a bit?” I asked only to have Jun slowly turn towards me, mouth still buried in the can.

“Whatever you are thinking… No.” He responded after a moment deadpan.

“Aww.” I whined at him. “You don’t even know what I was thinking.”

“And I know I wouldn’t enjoy it so no.”

“I just wanted to send my quick hacks at you for practice. You probably have better ICE than most people I would see on the street…. Right? You do have ICE right?”

“I have the ICE provided for me, and my ECM.”

Oh right. The tattoos were actually not just tattoos but a ECM system the Tyger Claws preferred.

“Preem.” I told him. “So can I quick hack you? It’s just Ping.”

“No.”

“You are boring when you are sleepy.” I grumbled at him, but went back to my Breaching…

Of course. He might not even notice… I looked towards him out of the corner of my eye and just before I managed to send the Quickhack his hand reached out and grabbed my face covering my eyes.

“Ow ow ow ow!” I hissed as he squeezed a bit.

“I said no.”

“I give! Surrender!” I whined not really wanting to start a fight with my laptop in my lap.

Plus Jun was obviously grumpy right now. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to mess with Grumpy Jun.

He let go and I sighed as he gave me a single look before turning back to the news.

“Fine. See if I ever act as a Netrunner for you. You’ll be like ‘Motoko! My beautiful and genius little sister, please save me by hacking into this evil mainframe!’ And I’ll just be like ‘No way you jerky faced older brother! You didn’t believe in your glorious and slightly eccentric little sister!’”

“I would never say that. More like Annoying brat.” Jun replied and that I couldn’t allow that. So I kicked him which unfortunately was a mistake.

Grumpy Jun had no chill.

“Okay if I offer a cease fire can I at least reach my laptop?” I mumbled into the couch from beneath Jun.

The jerk had literally sat on me, and knocked my laptop out of my lap in the scuffle. So I wasn’t even able to grind! Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Trapped beneath my stupid heavy brother who was definitely eating too many burritos.

The fatty.

I managed to swivel my head a bit and catch his eye. Then I realized to my horror what I was seeing. Those weren’t my Nii-chans eyes. They were the eyes of a Cyberpsycho.

Jun was too far gone.

“No.” He told me smiling the look of a monster as he reached down and continued to poke my face.

I couldn’t even retaliate! He had managed to pin both my arms while I was still playing around!

“My Vengeance… Will be legendary.” I told him but he didn’t seem to mind.

A few minutes of my pleading getting nowhere, we were both interrupted by the door to the apartment opening.

My inability to grab a gun and do anything was the only reason I wasn’t pointing my Lexington at whoever walked in without knocking.

“Akari. The door was closed.” Jun said grumpily as he glared towards the door which is when Alari appeared in my view.

First she looked at Jun, then down to me, then back up at Jun.

Then she sat.

The bitch sat on my struggling legs.

“Vengeance.” I mumbled into the couch because I couldn’t even kick or wiggle with two heavy borg asses on me.

“Now now Jun boy, you should really knock on the door before entering my apartment. Got any more of those?” She asked, pointing towards the can of soda Jun was drinking.

“Akari.” Jun growled out.

“Oh fine. You are as always boring. Far too serious. But getting better since your cute little sister came around. How is she by the way? Not too flat?” She asked, but the fact I could see her wave her hands over her own plastic tits told me she was making a double joke.

“At least mine are real!” I hissed. “OW!” I yelped as she took a sharp nail and poked the bottom of my foot that was trapped under her plastic ass.

“Oh I’m sorry I thought I heard a-”

“Akari. Don’t stab my sister.” Jun said, sounding totally done with this as he stood up.

Freeing me.

“C’mon Jun b-” That was as far as Akari got, now freed I rose up, arching backwards, my knees digging into the couch as I slammed a bit into Akari’s side grabbing her shoulder wrapping my arm around hers and then flexing to literally toss her over my shoulder and off the couch.

Her absolutely shocked yelped was glorious as she went flying and landed off the couch in a massive thud.

“That’s for calling me flat.” I huffed a bit as I rolled a bit to get onto my feet. The Borg woman laying on her back staring up at me with a dropped jaw.

“Yeah Motoko does that.” Jun called out as he grabbed a soda and we both heard the hiss as it popped open.

Then he just started drinking.

“Don’t mind me. Carry on.” He offered waving his hand.

Asshole.

Akari though, instead of getting up and going on the assault, just started laughing.

“You really are a fearless little thing aren’t you? Last time I nearly went off on someone they started running away every time I met them from then on. Look at you, willing to literally throw me around? Jun, your cute little Imouto is gonna either get herself killed, or become a monster.”

“I’ll be a monster!”

“More like get me killed.” Jun and I said at the same time.

I just snorted at Jun being a jerk as Akari rose up chuckling still. “It’s kinda nice to be treated like a normal person again. Just be careful little Imouto.” Akari said and she was suddenly beside me her arm over my shoulders. “You might set me off some day.” She whispered into my ear.

“Akari!”

“Fine, fine. I’ll leave her alone. You big overprotective brother you. Fujimura-Sama is calling everyone in.” She said and Jun quickly put his can down.

“When’s the meeting?”

“Now?” She asked, sounding innocent, but Jun sighed as he instantly rushed for his room. Hurriedly getting dressed and ready.

“You should come too little Imouto. This isn’t a war meeting, so they are likely shutting down our little headquarters. The excuse of the gangwar keeping the dojo closed isn’t going to fly much longer.” She offered poking my nose with her thin claw like chrome.

Seriously Akari had this thing, where she had to be constantly poking or prodding, or stabbing someone.

“Sure.” I said shrugging as I slipped out from her claws and started getting dressed, if not as quickly as Jun.

A few minutes later I was following after Jun as he stalked to the dojo, trying to pretend he was put together, and not grumpy, running on barely any sleep.

Akari as usual, being annoying, but not to me this time.

Inside the dojo the main room was full.

The entire Kamikaze group were here, most were sitting seiza around as Fujimura stalked around. A few couldn’t sit that way thanks to wounds, or simply how their legs worked. But otherwise that was the room. The only one that wasn’t was Sensei.

He stood against the far wall. I decided to do like him, resting up against the wall, and not joining the group.

I didn’t want to let them think I was one of theirs anymore than they already did.

“NCPD have already done much of our job for us. Maelstrom has been pushed back. They were caught unaware by the return of the cops.” Fujimura called out suddenly as Jun slipped into a spot, Akari settling in nearby. There were nodding heads and sharp grins from the group at that.

“There has already been communication from the Maelstrom leader Brick.” He called out but this time only a few of the Kamikaze looked pleased. Jun most of all was now frowning.

“Yes. That means there will likely be an end to this war with Maelstrom.” Fujimura called out and I could see Jun’s tension ratcheting up.

“That does not mean we will stop killing them of course.” Fujimura added his eyes happened to be passing over Jun. “But the full out assault to push back the Maelstrom is over. We won. There will still be plenty of blood for those of you with grudges. But it does mean that the Kamikaze will no longer act as a fast response unit. You will all return home. Duties will come slower, and in smaller groups. You bled for your people. Kamikaze!” He said something at the end.

Something in japanese, that I just couldn’t figure out.

Stupid America brain. I only knew two languages, English and bad English.

But all of the Kamikaze offered a bow, as Fujimura did the same. Huh.

The rest of the little Cyberpsycho party was pretty boring. Fujimura went around to the group, some of them were told they would be returning to previous jobs as there was no reason to keep the entire Kamikaze group together during a peace time.

Jun wasn’t one of them.

Instead he was told the Dojo apartment could be his if he liked, but otherwise, he was free to return home.

The Jammer wasn’t needed anymore, and everything was going to sort of…

Go back to normal? If anything could go back to normal. If I thought I was feeling a little confused about all the changes that were happening. Jun looked like someone had tugged the rug out from under him down a massive flight of stairs.

He was just kinda… Staring into the distance.

I walked over since the borgs were milling around or wandering out of the room, and plopped next to Jun. I didn’t say anything. I didn't need to. He was feeling lost. His goal pulled out from under him. It’s okay Jun. We can figure out what to do next.

Together.

—---

I followed Jun around for the next while as he finally stood up and headed back to the apartment. Once he was inside he made to move back to his room but I finally spoke up.

“Jun!” I called out loudly enough to startle him.

“Motoko?”

“Take your time. Get some sleep, and don’t worry. We will figure everything out. I’ll be here when you are ready to talk.” I told him before walking over and flopping on the couch. He watched me for a minute before snorting, and then turning and walking back inside his room.

“Idiot.” He said as he entered his room, but I let that pass.

I was totally going to wake him up in a day or two by jumping on him. Let him get settled and not think about the revenge that was coming.

Until then I had some grinding to do. I really wanted another point in intelligence. It was time for the system to properly acknowledge my brain!

I spent the rest of the day grinding out alerts, but it was coming in a lot slower, plus Jun kept interrupting me with watching the TV which kept drawing my attention away from my grind.

—--

Another afternoon passed with me grinding away trying to get enough Intelligence alerts.

When suddenly my head started beeping.

I was getting messages. I looked at the small list of messages, some from Hiromi, mostly just talking about how boring her classes were.

But I got a few from Nox, and one from Judy as well!

*Nox: Got some clients lined up. No sales yet, like you said, but I’m putting out feelers!*

*Nox: Managed to snag a few more kids interested in your gigs, haven’t gotten any responses back yet!*

*Nox: Hey! Haven’t heard from you, that Jammer again? Gave someone a sneak peak, interest was super high! Even managed to get him on the line all four BDs.*

*Nox: Big day today! Word is getting around! The NCPD coming back is making things hard though. Might be slow sales at first. Since it’ll be dangerous to get around. Shame. If we could have the BDs on the market now all the people stuck at home would have something to check out. Haven’t heard from you…*

I nodded along at Nox’s messages. I would have to send him a text letting him know the jammer was down… Well for once I might want to hold off on that just yet, he was a Mox. So I continued on reading the other messages.

*Judy: Motoko, I feel like I was a bit bitchy last time we talked. Just wanted to make sure you know, you are welcome with the Mox. Regardless of your TC connections. I was just freaking out a bit.*

Oh. That was kinda sweet of Judy. I didn’t really feel that I couldn’t. I mean she had just been threatened by the TC with kidnapping. I’d be a little uncomfortable too.

As I was browsing through the sudden deluge of messages, Jun came out of his room. “Jammer is down.” He said suddenly as he walked past the couch towards the fridge pulling out a drink and hammering it down.

“Yeah, I just got a ton of texts. I’ll have to call Hiromi!”

“Do it after, pack up first. We're… going home.” He said and I actually whooped as I jumped off the couch. It would be sorta nice to return to normality, that and the jammer was such a massive pain in the ass!

I hurriedly gathered up everything, arms overflowing with my treasures, as I raced it down to the car.

It took a few trips.

With that Jun slipped onto his Kusanagi, my Quadra ended up being stuffed with junk that Jun had gathered since he left since he couldn’t carry it on his motorcycle.

Then we raced home.

Well Jun did. I followed the traffic laws, and at the first red light that Jun blew through I lost him.

Seriously Jun. I don’t care if your butt is made of metal, you are on a motorcycle, drive safely!

Finally I reached home.

I parked out on the curb, where Jun was waiting. I stayed with the car to make sure nothing got klepped as Jun ran up and down the stairs toting everything inside.

Then I parked in the garage and headed inside.

Home.

The streets were crazy busy, I couldn’t help but notice as I crossed the street, even more than usual. It’s like with the NCPD returning everything that hadn’t wanted to leave their homes were now on the sidewalks. That and I supposed with the curfew no one wanted to be caught outside after dark when the NCPD were feeling more trigger happy than normal.

I walked through the throng of people, some heading towards the Cherry Blossom Market, some to other shops down the street, and some just hanging out.

It was nice. The tense atmosphere of the city was gone, returned to this constant mishmash of people.

I ran up the stairs and entered the apartment to hear Jun shuffling around in his room. I peeked in and saw him going through a backpack of stuff. Slowly taking it out looking it over, running his fingers over the items and then putting them somewhere around the room.

It felt like a personal moment so I went ninja and slipped into my room without him noticing.

Ninja skills were useful for something other than on gigs!

Inside I shut the door and looked around. My bags and stuff were in a pile at the entrance.

I walked inside. It felt… Odd to be here. This had been my room since I woke up here in Night City. It wasn’t quite nostalgic, but it felt good to be here. I decided not to unpack anything yet, instead I walked over and flopped onto the bed.

I lay there for a bit just sort of taking in the familiar ceiling.

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