Cyberpunk Edgerunners IF: Going to the Moon with Kiwi, Not Lucy - Episode 4

A sharp pain shot through his spine. The emergency staircase of Megabuilding Zeta, where Kiwi's safehouse was located. Three more steps to the fourteenth floor. David Martinez leaned his weight against the rusted handrail and let out a heavy breath. The last job had been a complete disaster. He'd walked right into a trap, nearly got beaten to a pulp, and in the end, she'd saved him with her monowire. That night, under the overpass, he'd shouted that he'd stick with her until he repaid his debt—words that now, in hindsight, made him cringe with embarrassment. (*But back then, I really meant it.*) A warmth spread through the center of his chest. Her cold, ice-blue eyes. Her perfectly calculated support. And that faint smile she'd shown him that day. "[excited]Alright!" He pumped himself up and sprinted up the last three steps. In front of room 1407. The grimy hallway was as silent as ever, the dying fluorescent light flickering unreliably. David clenched his fist and knocked three times on the iron door. Beside the door, the lens of a small surveillance camera whirred softly as it focused on him. "[cold]You came back again." An ice-cold voice streamed directly into his brain. A communication hack. "[serious]Of course I did! I'm the one who said I wanted to be your apprentice, and you said you'd test me, but you never said I passed!" A few seconds of silence. He heard Kiwi let out an exaggerated, heavy sigh. "[sarcastic]...I've never seen enthusiasm like this before. An idiot's passion really is uselessly hot, isn't it." "[excited]Fine by me if I'm an idiot! I wanna get strong like you!" A *click*—the sound of the lock disengaging. The heavy door slowly swung inward. The room was as sterile as ever. Monitors covering the walls, cables slithering like snakes, and Kiwi standing in the center of the room with her arms crossed. Her pink-and-blue two-tone bob cut glowed faintly in the pale light of the monitors. The ice-blue cyber-eye peeking through the gaps in her bangs was cold and beautiful, like a sculpture of ice. Today she wore a loose black off-shoulder knit and distressed shorts. The monowire launch port on her left wrist glimmered subtly, asserting its presence. Just seeing her like that jolted all of David's senses awake at once. (*She really is beautiful...*) A feeling like his heart was being seized. But he couldn't let an awkward silence settle in. "[serious]So, what's today's test? Don't tell me you're gonna make me run around a parking lot again?" "[cold]No. This time, it's live combat." Kiwi tossed a data chip at David. "[cold]Infiltrate a small-scale deal site for Chromejaw's crew and extract the transaction data. Three hostiles. Location's behind Lin's food stall in the Watson district. Time limit: ten minutes." "[excited]G-got it! Leave it to me!" He answered with gusto and spun on his heel—and that's when it happened. "[cold]You're not seriously planning to go dressed like that, are you? Your spine's at its limit from continuous Sandevistan use. Did you forget what Viktor told you at the clinic the other day?" David's feet stopped. Her voice, devoid of warmth, still carried a certain sharp edge. "[sad]...But this is all I've got. It's my only weapon." "[cold]Then use this." Kiwi pulled a rugged handgun from under her workbench and tossed it to him. A heavy *thud* as he caught it. "[surprised]Th-this... you serious!?" A weighty revolver. Twelve-point-seven millimeter caliber. The kind of piece that wouldn't go for less than five thousand eddies on Night City's black market. "[cold]If you die, it throws off my plans. This is insurance." Kiwi turned her back and sat down in front of her monitors. She said nothing more. David gripped the handgun tightly. Even an idiot like him could tell—this was her way of saying "be careful." Behind Lin's food stall. During the day, this alley was slightly more tolerable, but at night, it became the most lawless stretch in all of Watson. A stench like rotting garbage mixed with synthetic fragrances assaulted his nose. The walls reflected colorful neon lights that flickered painfully against his eyes. David hid in the shadows and held his breath. A dead end up ahead. Three men stood around a small attaché case. Chromejaw's low-level grunts. One had a large blade-like cyberware arm, another carried a light machine gun. The man in the middle, the leader type, had both arms replaced with bulky chrome prosthetics. His heart pounded loudly. Tension made his palms sweat. (*Alright... this is a test. I've gotta show Kiwi I can do this.*) He gripped the revolver she'd lent him. No need to use the Sandevistan yet. Three hostiles, but he was hidden in the dark with the element of surprise. David took a deep breath and burst out. "[angry]Don't move!" *Boom.* He fired one warning shot from the revolver into the ground. Sparks scattered, and all three men jumped. "[scared]G-gyaah!" "[angry]Who the hell is this brat! Waste him!" The chrome-armed leader charged. His movements were fast. But to David, who'd grown accustomed to the slow-motion world of the Sandevistan, every move was telegraphed. First shot. Aimed at the leader's right leg. Hit. The knee joint of the prosthetic erupted in sparks, and the massive body lost its balance. Second shot. He blew through the shoulder of the man trying to bring up the light machine gun. The man screamed and dropped his weapon. Third shot. The blade-arm man swung down at him—David ducked at the last second, narrowly avoiding it. As a counter, he drove the revolver's grip upward into the man's chin like an uppercut. The man's eyes rolled back as he collapsed. The leader staggered but still swung his fist wildly. David dodged by a hair's breadth and put his last round into the base of the man's arm. *BOOM!* An ear-splitting blast. The leader slammed into the wall and crumpled to the ground. "[panting]Hahh... hahh...!" His breathing was ragged. But he'd taken them down. "[cold]...Well, not bad." Kiwi's voice resonated directly in his mind again. Apparently, she'd been watching the whole time through a surveillance camera or something. "[excited]Heh heh, how's that! I can do this too, see!" David grinned and gave a thumbs-up—and that's when it happened. At the edge of his vision, a section of the leader's chrome arm—the one he'd supposedly taken down—split open with a *click*. A small antenna shot out from inside. "[serious]...What the?" "[scared]You idiot, destroy it now! That's an emergency satellite link! Right now, all your data is being transmitted to his employer!" Kiwi's voice trembled with panic for the first time. David hurriedly raised his revolver, but it was already too late. *Bzzt.* The antenna sparked and went dead. Back in room 1407 of Megabuilding Zeta, David's shoulders slumped. "[sad]...Sorry. I screwed up at the very end. I got the transaction data, but that 'employer' you were worried about... he's got my face now." Kiwi glared at her monitors, her fingers flying across the keyboard. Her profile was even sterner than usual. "[cold]The transmission destination is the Royal Pacific, an abandoned hotel in Pacifica. No doubt about it. That's Phantom's nest." "Phantom...!" Something cold raced through David's entire body. Kiwi's former partner—the dangerous psychopath hacker who called her his "masterpiece" and stalked her relentlessly. "[cold]Your face and combat patterns are completely known to him now. He knows about your Sandevistan use too. Next time you fight, he'll definitely have countermeasures ready." "[angry]Dammit... this is all because I screwed up!" He clenched his fists and ground his teeth. She'd finally given him a chance, and this is what he did with it. He hated his own stupidity from the bottom of his heart. Kiwi pulled her hands away from the keyboard and slowly turned to face him. "[sad]...No. It was my mistake." "[surprised]Huh...?" Her voice lacked its usual icy sharpness. It was as if the soft core she'd kept locked deep inside had surfaced, trembling faintly. "[sad]I never expected a low-level Chromejaw grunt to have such an advanced satellite link. Phantom already knows I'm working with someone. I'm the one who dragged you into danger." She lowered her head slightly, hiding her expression in the shadow of her bangs. "[whispers]If you stay involved with me any longer, you really will die." At those words, something pulsed violently deep in David's chest. Not fear. Something hotter. An explosion of emotion. "[angry]Don't give me that crap!" David stepped closer to Kiwi. Her shoulders flinched. "[angry]I decided I'm gonna repay my debt to you! Whatever happens to you, even if that Phantom bastard shows up, I don't care! I'm never gonna abandon you, no matter what!" He was almost losing track of what he was saying. But he couldn't stop. "[serious]Yeah, I'm an idiot, I drag you down, I rely on the Sandevistan way too much. But, but still... you're way too scared to rely on anyone else!" Kiwi's ice-blue eyes widened. "[crying]You've always thought it's better to be alone than to expect something from someone and get betrayed! But when I look at an idiot like you, I can't just keep saying that! So... so trust me!" Silence fell over the room. Only the hum of the monitors and the distant wail of a police siren could be heard. Kiwi stared up at David, her mouth slightly agape. Her cheeks were faintly red. The lens of her cyber-eye probed deeply into David's pupils, as if searching for something. "[whispers]...Do you seriously understand what you're saying right now?" "[serious]Yeah, I understand. I want to be the man who stands beside you." Kiwi let out a soft breath. It was a sigh that seemed both exasperated and somehow resigned. "[sad]...My coffee went to waste. It's completely cold now." "[surprised]Huh? Coffee?" At the sudden shift in topic, David blinked in confusion. Kiwi picked up the mug she'd left sitting on the workbench. The pitch-black liquid, about half-full, didn't have a single wisp of steam rising from it. "[cold]I'm making a fresh pot now. ...You'll have some too. After a conversation like that, a normal stomach won't hold up." Kiwi stood at the small kitchen counter and began operating the rugged coffee maker. Her back seemed just a little less tense than before. David did as he was told and sat down on a folding chair. A short while later, two steaming mugs were placed on the workbench. Black coffee, so bitter it hit like a punch. Cheap stuff made from synthetic beans—couldn't really call it good. But for some reason, it soaked into his body so deeply it almost brought tears to his eyes. "[whispers]...Now that Phantom knows I'm working with someone, he won't hold back next time. We can't just sit around waiting. We go to him—we crush his nest. Are you ready?" David gripped the mug tightly. The heat stung his hands. But right now, that felt good. "[serious]Yeah, of course. That's what I'm here for." Kiwi took a sip of her coffee, and her lips relaxed just a little. "[gentle]...Prepare yourself. Starting tomorrow, I'm training you for real. It's going to be hellishly brutal." "[excited]Heh heh, bring it on!" David Martinez drained the cold, bitter coffee as if it were the finest liquor. Outside, the sea of neon glittered and flickered the same as always. But each individual light looked sharper and more vivid than ever before. The fight was almost here. Yet strangely, he wasn't afraid. A single cup of coffee she'd brewed for him had set his heart ablaze. Before this heat cools, I'll end it all. These chains called the past that bind her—I'll shatter them with my own two hands.

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Episode 4

Name: Cyberpunk Edgerunners IF: Going to the Moon with Kiwi, Not Lucy
Author: Novelia

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