Cyberpunk: Asuka Vektor

After successfully kleping the Rayfield Caliburn, Asuka, Jackie, and Sasha were in high spirits. They had dropped off the sleek, stolen car at El Capitan's garage in Santo Domingo, and now, they were celebrating outside in the dimly lit back lot, laughing and talking. Jackie was swinging a bottle of synth-beer, and Sasha had one hand on her hip.

Asuka stood by, leaning against a car, her arms crossed, her grin wide. It had been a good job, a clean hit, and they’d gotten paid. There was nothing better than that feeling—eddies in their pockets and the satisfaction of a job well done.

Suddenly, the mood shifted as the rumble of motorcycles echoed from the street. They all turned, eyes narrowing as three Six Street gangoons rolled up, their jackets emblazoned with the telltale Six Street logo. The gangoons dismounted, swaggering over with the kind of arrogance that came from thinking they were tougher than they were.

One of them, a guy with a mohawk and a particularly obnoxious sneer, pointed towards Asuka, his eyes lingering on her pink chrome before shifting to Jackie and Sasha. “Well, well, what do we got here?” he said, his tone full of condescension. “A couple of gonks from the neighborhood, thinking they can roll up in our turf?”

Asuka rolled her eyes, her arms still crossed, her smile fading into something more dangerous, her eyes narrowing at the gangoons. She wasn't in the mood for this kind of crap, especially not after such a good day. “You lost, choom?” she asked, her voice carrying a sharp edge. “Because unless you want trouble, I suggest you keep moving.”

Another Six Street gangoon, a heavier guy wearing bulky body armor, laughed, stepping forward, his eyes leering at Asuka. “Nah, I think we found exactly what we were looking for. Besides, love the chrome, doll. Makes you stand out like a damn two eddies ugly joytoy,” he said, his voice dripping with mockery.

The insult hung in the air for a moment, and Jackie winced slightly, knowing exactly what was about to happen, Asuka would not react to much to being called a joytoy, but a two eddies one and even ugly. Before he could even say anything, Asuka was already in motion, her fist flying forward, her cyberarm moving faster than the gangoon could process. The punch landed square on his jaw, and the gangoon's eyes rolled back as he crumpled to the ground, out cold.

The others hesitated, their hands moving towards their guns, and Jackie stepped forward, his shotgun already coming up. But one of the gangoons was faster—he pulled his pistol and fired a shot, hitting Asuka right in the stomach.

The bullet made contact, but it didn’t do much more than that—it was too light to penetrate Asuka's subdermal armor, and she barely flinched, her expression changing to one of annoyance more than pain. She looked down at the point of impact, then looked up at the guy who shot her, her eyes narrowing. “Oh, you really shouldn’t have done that,” she muttered.

Jackie didn’t waste any time—he raised his shotgun, aiming it at the closest gangoon, and fired. The shotgun blast echoed through the empty street, and the gangoon was thrown backward, hitting the pavement hard, clearly out of the fight.

Asuka could see that some of the remaining gangoons had heavier power—one of them carrying an shotgun, another with more armor. She activated her Sandevistan, the world around her seeming to slow as her reflexes heightened, her movements becoming a blur. In an instant, her Mantis Blades ejected, the sharp blades extending from her cyberarms, gleaming in the neon lights of Santo Domingo.

She dashed forward, her Mantis Blades slicing through the air. The gangoon with the shotgun barely had time to think before Asuka was on him, her blade cutting through his weapon, then through him, her movements precise, efficient, deadly. She spun, her eyes catching sight of the next target—the one in the bulky armor. Her blade struck out, slicing through the armor as if it were nothing, her Sandevistan making her seem almost untouchable.

Meanwhile, Jackie was dealing with the others, his shotgun roaring with each pull of the trigger. He took hits—light rounds that barely slowed him, the bullets ricocheting off his subdermal armor, leaving him unhurt.

The final two gangoons tried to take cover behind their car, their panic evident in their movements. But Sasha was ready—she’d kept her distance, her eyes focused, her cyberdeck connected, her fingers twitching as she initiated the short-circuit hack. In an instant, the two gangoons convulsed, their bodies shaking uncontrollably as the electric shock pulsed through them, before they finally collapsed, their weapons clattering to the ground.

When it was all over, the street was silent, the bodies of the Six Street gangoons lying sprawled around them. Asuka straightened up, her Sandevistan deactivating, the rush of speed fading as the world returned to its normal pace. She looked around, her Mantis Blades retracting with a soft metallic click, her eyes meeting Jackie's.

“Gonk-ass Six Street never learns,” Jackie said, a grin spreading across his face. He gave Asuka a nod, clearly impressed. “Nice moves, chica. Always good to see the Sandy in action.”

Asuka smirked, brushing some dust off her pink chrome. “They started it. And, honestly, that shot? Barely felt it,” she said, patting her abs where the bullet had hit, a look of mock disappointment on her face. “They gotta try harder than that.”

Sasha came out from behind the car, her cyberdeck retracting as she shook her head, her lips twitching into a small smile. “And here I thought we were just gonna celebrate without trouble. Guess I should know better by now.”

Asuka shrugged, walking over to Jackie and Sasha, her grin never fading. “Hey, it’s Night City. You know how it is—can't have a quiet celebration without some gonks showing up to ruin it.”

Jackie laughed, slinging an arm around Asuka’s shoulders, pulling her in for a quick hug. “That’s why we stick together, right? No one messes with our crew and walks away from it.”

Sasha nodded, her smile widening slightly. “Damn straight. Now, how about we actually get to celebrating, huh? We still got those eddies from El Capitan, and I don’t know about you two, but I could use a drink.”

Asuka laughed, nodding in agreement. “Alright, alright. Drinks are on me, chooms. Let’s get outta here.”

As the celebration in Santo Domingo wrapped up, Asuka, Jackie, and Sasha mounted their rides—Jackie on his ARCH, Sasha on her bike, and Asuka on her pink Yaiba Kusanagi. The sun had long since set, leaving the city draped in neon glow, with flashes of headlights and city lights creating a chaotic but somehow beautiful nightscape. The trio sped out, their bikes roaring as they weaved through traffic, high on the success of the night.

But then, as they rode through the dimly lit streets, the familiar, heavy rumble of engines approached from behind. Asuka's HUD picked up three incoming vehicles, red markers indicating a threat. She looked back, her eyes narrowing, the familiar insignia of Six Street emblazoned on the sides of three black sedans roaring towards them, the windows already rolling down, barrels of assault rifles pointing out.

“Shit, Six Street's back,” Asuka growled, her voice coming through the comms. “They want round two.”

Before Jackie or Sasha could respond, the sound of gunfire echoed through the empty streets, bullets ricocheting off the pavement around them. Jackie swerved, avoiding the shots, while Sasha ducked low, keeping her bike steady as she tried to maneuver out of the line of fire.

But Asuka noticed something else—these gonks weren’t just firing wildly at all three of them. Their shots were focused, their target clear: Jackie. Her mind raced, and it clicked—this wasn’t just a random attack. They were after Jackie, and it had to do with his Valentinos ties. The rivalry between Six Street and Valentinos had always been there, but this was something else—a hit.

“Hold tight, chooms,” Asuka said through gritted teeth, activating her Sandevistan. The world around her seemed to slow, the noise fading into a dull echo, her perception sharpening as everything around her became almost crystalline. She twisted her bike, the Yaiba roaring as she accelerated, shooting forward, threading between traffic like a pink streak of lightning.

She split lanes between the oncoming traffic, darting to the side of the Six Street cars, her heart pounding as she reached the back of the convoy. They hadn’t even noticed her move yet, their focus locked onto Jackie.

The two cars in the front accelerated, trying to box in Jackie, forcing him towards the side. Sasha was still behind, doing her best to keep up and not get caught in the chaos. Asuka saw her chance—the cars had moved close together, leaving just enough space between them for her to slip in. She pushed the Sandevistan again, her body reacting as if time itself had slowed for her.

She leaned forward, her Mantis Blades ejecting from her arms, the pink chrome glinting in the dim light. In one swift motion, she moved between the two cars, her blades slicing through metal, tearing into the frames of both vehicles as she rode between them. Sparks flew, her blades tearing into the tires, and she heard the screams of the gangoons as she cut through, her heart pounding with each precise movement. The cars buckled, their frames twisted and broken, the tires destroyed as the drivers lost control. The vehicles veered off to the sides, the bodies inside slumping as the cars crashed into barriers.

The last car kept its distance, seeing the chaos ahead but not having enough time to react. Jackie saw it coming, his expression hardening as he pulled out his shotgun, twisting his bike to the side to get a better shot. He fired, the sound of the blast echoing through the empty street, the buckshot slamming into the windshield of the Six Street car, shattering it.

Sasha was right behind, her thoughts directing the hack. She connected to the last car’s systems, her commands overriding the onboard computer, causing the steering to lock, the engine to stutter and finally die, forcing the car to slow. Jackie took another shot, this time hitting the engine block, and the car burst into flames, careening off the road.

Asuka turned her bike around, slowing just enough to let Jackie and Sasha catch up, her Mantis Blades retracting with a mechanical click. Her breathing was steady, her mind still buzzing from the Sandevistan rush, but a smile tugged at her lips as she saw Jackie pull up beside her.

“You good, Jackie?” she called out, her voice full of concern despite the grin on her face.

Jackie nodded, a breathless laugh escaping him. “I’m fine, chica. Those gonks didn’t know who they were messing with.” He glanced at Asuka, shaking his head in disbelief. “But you—you were like a goddamn blur out there. Remind me to stay on your good side, yeah?”

Sasha pulled up beside them, her expression a mix of worry and relief. “Seriously, Asuka, you gotta stop being a show-off,” she said, her voice stern but with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Asuka shrugged, her smile widening. “Okay, okay,” She turned her bike around, nodding towards the road ahead. “Now, let’s get the hell outta here before more of those gonks show up. I think we’ve made enough noise for one night.”

Jackie laughed, revving his ARCH. “Yeah, let’s blow this joint. I could use a drink that doesn’t come with a side of lead.”

Asuka, Jackie, and Sasha rolled up to El Coyote Cojo, the familiar bar sign offering a sense of comfort after the chaos they'd just faced. The hum of their engines died down as they parked, the adrenaline of the last encounter still fresh in their veins. They dismounted their bikes, and Jackie gave a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his neck, the tension slowly leaving his body.

As they walked towards the entrance, they spotted Padre and Mama Welles standing outside, deep in conversation. The two older figures looked serious, their faces lined with concern, their eyes casting frequent glances toward the street, as if on the lookout for something—or someone.

Jackie raised a hand, calling out as they approached. "Padre, Mama Welles!" he said, his voice carrying a mix of familiarity and weariness. He had a slight smile on his face, but his expression hardened quickly as he added, "Got a question for you, Padre. What the hell's going on? Why’d we just get jumped by Six Street in Santo Domingo?"

Padre turned, his face serious but softening a little at seeing the trio. Mama Welles gave Jackie a quick hug, her eyes filled with a mother's concern. She patted him gently on the cheek, her gaze shifting between Asuka, Jackie, and Sasha, taking in their slightly disheveled, combat-worn appearances.

“Dios mío, what did you get yourselves into this time, niños?” Mama Welles asked, her voice filled with worry. "You look like you've been in a fight."

Jackie let out a breath, nodding. "We did. Six Street came after us hard. Targeted me specifically, felt like."

Padre frowned, glancing at Jackie, then at Asuka and Sasha, before nodding slowly, as if he'd expected this to happen sooner or later. "Yes, I heard about some of what’s been happening," he said, his tone calm but filled with a heavy sense of understanding. "The war between the NUSA and the Free States... it’s shaken everything up, even here in Night City. And Six Street, well, they've always fancied themselves as protectors of the 'real America,' but with the war, they've gotten bold, I belive they started to work with militech. They’ve become more aggressive, more willing to go after anyone they see as a threat to their vision."

He paused, his eyes meeting Jackie’s directly. "And right now, they’ve decided the Valentinos are that threat. They’re making moves, pushing into areas they normally wouldn't, especially places like Santo Domingo. They think this war makes them untouchable because of militech, that they can expand their influence and drive out anyone they don't like."

Jackie clenched his jaw, his fists balling slightly. “So they’re just gonna come for us now? Just because of my Valentinos ties?” He looked frustrated, his voice carrying the edge of exhaustion. “It’s bad enough out there with all the other gonks trying to carve out a piece of the city. Now we gotta watch our backs even more?”

Mama Welles laid a comforting hand on Jackie's arm, her voice soothing. "Mijo, things are changing everywhere, and not for the better. But you’re strong, and you’ve got good friends beside you." She glanced at Asuka and Sasha, her eyes filled with warmth. "You just need to be smart. Avoid Santo Domingo for a while. It's their turf now, or at least, they think it is."

Asuka sighed, leaning against her bike, her Mantis Blades retracting fully, her pink chrome catching the light from El Coyote’s neon sign. “Guess we’ll have to lay low for a bit then,” she said, her tone frustrated. “We got no interest in being caught up in some turf war.”

Padre nodded, his gaze shifting to Asuka, his eyes filled with understanding. "That would be wise, Asuka. Santo Domingo is volatile right now, especially for anyone with ties to the Valentinos. The best thing you all can do is avoid their hotspots, keep your heads down, and wait for the storm to pass. Six Street wants to prove something—they want to show they're strong, and they're using this war as an excuse to take territory. Best to let them think they’ve won a few battles until they get bored or overextend themselves."

Sasha frowned, her fingers tapping restlessly on her cyberdeck, her eyes narrowing. "But what if they come looking for us somewhere else?" she asked, her tone serious. "I mean, if they're feeling emboldened, what’s to stop them from pushing into places like Heywood?"

Padre let out a long breath, his expression darkening slightly. "If they do, they’ll have more trouble than they can handle. The Valentinos aren’t just going to let them march in. But until then, it’s best for you three to keep your distance. I’ll do what I can to keep you informed, to let you know where it’s safe."

Jackie nodded, his jaw still clenched, the frustration evident in his eyes. "Alright, Padre. We’ll keep our heads low. We ain’t looking to start a war—not one that ain’t already here, anyway."