Cyberpunk: Asuka Vektor

It had been a few days since Viktor had patched them up and delivered his stern but well-meaning lecture. Asuka and Jackie had stayed low, just like they’d promised—for a while, anyway. But now? Now, they were celebrating... something. Neither could really remember what, exactly. Maybe it was just surviving the week. Either way, the night had descended into a blur of neon lights, cheap liquor, and bad decisions.

They stumbled out of the bar, barely able to walk straight, arms slung around each other for balance. The glow of the city's massive holograms and streetlights reflected off the polished chrome of Asuka's newly repaired cyberarm. They wandered into a nearly empty parking lot, where a few other mercs were standing around, watching them with bemused expressions.

“Jackieeee…” Asuka slurred, her sky-blue irises flickering as she tried to focus. She swung her arm out dramatically, nearly knocking Jackie off balance. “Y’know what we need?”

Jackie, equally plastered, blinked a few times, trying to figure out if the spinning world would ever stop. “Whassat, chica?”

“A damn car! A big one!” she declared, throwing her hands up as if she were presenting the grandest idea in the world. “Like one of those Militech trucks we almost klepped!”

Jackie doubled over, laughing so hard he nearly fell over. “A Militech trucks? Chica, we can’t even drive in a straight line!”

The group of mercenaries loitering nearby watched the scene unfold, exchanging glances but making no move to interrupt the trainwreck that was Asuka and Jackie’s drunken antics.

Asuka, fueled by the alcohol and a complete lack of self-preservation, staggered over to a parked car—a beat-up old Quadra Turbo—kicking it with her foot like she was about to claim it. “See this? This is it. This is our ride, Jackie!”

Jackie squinted at the junker. “That thing? That thing wouldn’t get us two blocks before it broke down, chica.”

“Nuh-uh!” Asuka protested, crossing her arms. “It’s... it’s got character.” She tried to stand tall, pointing at it like it was a top-tier Corpo vehicle. “Look at it. It’s, uh... sleek, and... fast. We can klep this baby and drive it into the sunset.”

“Into the Badlands?” Jackie asked, still giggling like a schoolboy. “You gonna drive it?”

Asuka nodded sagely, clearly too drunk to be reasonable. “Damn right, I am.”

But before she could even reach for the door, she stumbled and fell flat on her backside with a clatter, her cyberlimbs giving out beneath her. She burst out laughing, lying on her back in the middle of the parking lot, arms sprawled out. “Okay... okay, maybe I won’t drive. But I’ll ride. I’m a damn queen, after all.”

Jackie, clutching his sides from laughing so hard, staggered over and helped her up, barely able to stand himself. “You? A queen? More like the queen of bad ideas!” He grinned widely, his smile as goofy as ever. “But I gotta admit... I’m havin’ a good time.”

The mercs in the parking lot couldn’t help but stare, some shaking their heads, while others chuckled quietly at the sight. One of them, a tall, lean woman with an augmented eye, leaned over to her friend and muttered, “Look at these two. Think they’ve had enough?”

The friend shrugged, smirking. “Nah, they’re harmless. Besides, I wanna see where this goes.”

Asuka and Jackie, oblivious to the audience they’d attracted, were now leaning against the Quadra, toasting with invisible drinks. “To… survival!” Asuka shouted, raising an imaginary bottle into the air.

“To not dying in the Badlands!” Jackie added, mimicking her gesture, though he nearly lost his balance.

“To… Vik! And his amazing… arm repairs!” Asuka grinned, wiggling her cyberfingers dramatically. “He’s a damn miracle worker.”

They both dissolved into laughter again, completely out of control, their voices echoing through the empty parking lot.

Asuka hiccupped, then looked at Jackie with a mischievous grin. “Jackie… what if we… stole a real truck?”

He stared at her, wide-eyed, as if she’d just proposed the most brilliant idea in the world. “Chica, you are crazy.”

But before they could get any further with their harebrained scheme, one of the mercs finally stepped forward, clearly amused but feeling the need to intervene. “Alright, you two,” she called, crossing her arms. “Time to cool off before you actually try to klep something and end up in the morgue.”

Asuka blinked at the merc, trying to focus her bleary eyes. “We’re... we’re fine! Totally fine.” She stood up straight, wobbling slightly, but managed to maintain her balance. “Aren’t we, Jackie?”

Jackie, leaning against the car for support, gave a sloppy thumbs-up. “Yup. Totally fine.”

The merc chuckled, shaking her head. “Sure you are. Just maybe call it a night before you do something stupid.”

Asuka squinted at her, then turned to Jackie. “She thinks we’re gonna do something stupid.”

Jackie snorted. “She’s probably right.”

“Yeah,” Asuka admitted, swaying slightly. “Probably.”

They stood there for a moment, both of them staring at the mercs, until Asuka finally sighed, the drunken bravado fading. “Alright, fine. Maybe we’ll just… sit here.”

With that, she plopped down on the curb, crossing her arms, pouting like a child. Jackie joined her, the two of them sitting side by side in the parking lot like a pair of rebellious kids who’d just been caught sneaking out past curfew.

The mercs shook their heads, amused, and went back to their business, leaving Asuka and Jackie to stew in their drunken haze.

“You know…” Jackie said after a few moments of silence, “Vik’s gonna kill us if he finds out about this.”

Asuka smirked, resting her head on his shoulder. “Eh, he’ll get over it. He always does.”

“Yeah, but he’s right, you know. We gotta start taking things a bit more seriously.”

Asuka rolled her eyes, though her tone was softer now. “Yeah, yeah. Rookie gigs ‘til we’re ready, I know. But right now? I’m just enjoying the break.”

Jackie chuckled, resting his head against hers. “Yeah. Me too.”

And so they sat there, side by side, drunk and laughing, watching the neon-lit city around them as the world moved on without them for a little while.

Across the parking lot, a group of mercs leaned against a heavily armored vehicle, watching the spectacle unfold. Among them were Maine, Dorio, and Pillar, all taking in the scene with varying degrees of amusement.

“Do you see the Latino guy with that chick with the pink arms and legs?” Dorio asked, nudging Maine with her elbow. Her deep voice was filled with amusement as she nodded toward Jackie and Asuka, who were currently swaying side by side on the curb, laughing about something only the two of them could understand.

Maine grunted, crossing his massive arms as he watched them. “Yeah. They’re a funny bunch, alright,” he said, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Drunk off their asses and still actin’ like they own the place. Reminds me of us, huh?”

“Maybe back when we were still rookies,” Dorio chuckled, shaking her head. “But those two? They’re green. Way too green to be pulling off stunts like that.”

Maine nodded, still grinning. “Can’t lie though, I respect the hustle.”

Before either of them could comment further, Pillar—who had been unusually quiet—suddenly perked up, his glowing yellow optics widening as he focused in on Asuka. His jaw dropped slightly, a crooked grin spreading across his face.

“Holy shit…” he muttered, his gaze locked onto Asuka’s figure as she shifted slightly, her curvaceous form highlighted by the streetlights. His eyes traveled from her long, light-brown hair and big boobs to the cybernetic pink limbs that shimmered under the neon glow, and finally down to her wide hips. “If those things are natural… then she’s my goddess,” he said in his usual sleazy, perverted tone, practically drooling as he ogled her.

Dorio rolled her eyes, clearly used to Pillar’s antics. “Seriously, Pillar? You’re disgusting.” She crossed her arms, giving him a sharp glare, though it didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest.

Maine snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. “Careful, Pillar. You keep starin’ like that and that ‘goddess’ of yours is gonna break more than just your pride.”

Pillar let out a low, lecherous laugh, eyes still fixed on Asuka. “I’m tellin’ you, man. Look at her! The chrome, the curves… she’s like a damn dream! And that attitude?” He whistled. “Bet she’s got a mean streak, too. I love it.”

Maine raised an eyebrow, clearly amused but also a bit exasperated. “You really don’t know when to quit, do you? First sign of beauty and chrome, and you lose all common sense.”

Dorio huffed, shaking her head in annoyance. “She’s not even looking at you, Pillar. You’re wasting your time.”

Just as she said that, Asuka—perhaps sensing the attention on her—turned her head toward the group. Her sky-blue eyes landed on Pillar for a brief moment, and though her vision was slightly blurry from the booze, she seemed to catch on to his ogling.

She squinted at him, a lazy but unmistakably annoyed expression crossing her face. “Oi!” she called out, her voice slightly slurred but still loud enough to carry across the parking lot. “You got a problem, choom?”

Jackie, ever the loyal friend, immediately perked up and followed her gaze. He blinked, then spotted Pillar staring at Asuka like a hungry animal. “Hey, hey, hey, you seein’ this guy?” Jackie muttered to Asuka, barely able to contain his laughter. “Think he’s got a thing for you, chica.”

Asuka snorted, not entirely flattered by the attention. She stood up, though she wobbled a bit on her feet. “You wanna get a closer look at my chrome, choom?” she shouted across the lot, flexing her cyberarms in an exaggerated motion. “I’ll show you what they can do!”

Pillar’s sleazy grin only grew wider as he heard her challenge, clearly undeterred. “Oh, I bet you will, baby. I bet you will.”

Dorio groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “You’re gonna get yourself killed one of these days, Pillar.”

Maine, still leaning back with a smirk, gave Pillar a playful shove. “She’s right, you know. If you’re gonna stare, at least have the balls to back it up.”

Pillar chuckled, taking a half step forward, but Dorio quickly grabbed him by the back of his jacket, pulling him back before he could make any more of a fool of himself. “Alright, enough. Let them have their night.”

Asuka, still swaying slightly, gave Pillar one last glare before flopping back down on the curb next to Jackie. “Creeps,” she muttered under her breath, resting her head on Jackie’s shoulder.

Jackie, still laughing, gave her a light pat on the back. “Don’t worry, chica. You’ll scare ‘em off just by being yourself.”

Asuka grinned lazily, her annoyance already fading as the effects of the alcohol took over again. “Damn right I will.”

From across the lot, Maine shook his head, still chuckling at the scene. “Night City, man. Never a dull moment.”

“Tell me about it,” Dorio said with a sigh. “Let’s get outta here before Pillar does something else stupid.”

As the group of mercs made their way toward their vehicle, Pillar cast one last glance over his shoulder at Asuka, still wearing that lecherous grin. “I’m tellin’ you, she’s somethin’ special…”

Maine gave him a light smack on the back of the head as they walked away. “Keep dreamin’, Pillar.”

As the night continued on, Asuka and Jackie remained in their drunken haze, the brief confrontation already forgotten as they went back to laughing and joking.