Cyberpunk: Asuka Vektor

Asuka and her crew had taken a short break, stepping out of their vehicles for a moment to stretch and catch their breath after the chaotic escape from the missiles. The cool air of the tunnel provided a much-needed respite, the dim light casting long shadows against the walls. Asuka was scanning their surroundings, her optic enhancements still active, her instincts sharp. That's when her optics picked up on something—a few figures creeping along the walls of the tunnel, moving slowly, silently, with something in their hands.

Her eyes narrowed, her mind immediately going into overdrive. She turned to Sasha and Ted, her voice calm but urgent. “Sasha, Ted, back in the cars. Now.”

There was no hesitation, Sasha nodded and quickly pulled Ted towards Pink Kitty, both of them climbing inside. Asuka noticed a strange canister in the hands of the approaching figures, the realization hitting her just as they opened the canisters—poisonous gas began to spread through the cave, its pale mist seeping out, coiling and spreading.

Jackie and Asuka remained outside, both of them having the benefit of cyberlungs—high-end models that filtered toxins and kept their bodies going even in this kind of environment. They exchanged a knowing look. This wasn’t just some random ambush; Lazarus had sent operatives after them, and they were serious about ending it here.

“Keep it quiet,” Asuka mouthed to Jackie, gesturing for him to move into cover. They both crouched down beside their vehicles, waiting for the intruders to enter deeper into the tunnel.

The figures continued their advance, three of them now clearly visible in Asuka’s optics—fully geared, each of them moving with precision. These weren’t just random hitmen; their movements were methodical, professional. Asuka felt her heart beat faster, adrenaline kicking in.

She signaled Jackie, pointing out her target. He gave a nod, understanding immediately. Asuka drew her Malorian, her grip steady as she lined up the shot, Jackie mirroring her, his RT-46 Burya at the ready. They waited until the three intruders were fully inside the tunnel, their silhouettes clear against the dim light.

Crack!

The sound of simultaneous shots echoed through the cave, Asuka's Malorian and Jackie's Burya firing almost at the same instant. The first Lazarus operative fell, the combined power of their shots tearing through his helmet, his body crumpling to the ground with a heavy thud.

But there was no time to celebrate the hit. Asuka activated her Sandevistan, the world slowing around her as she moved. She surged forward towards one of the remaining operatives, her body a blur of pink and chrome. As she closed the distance, she noticed the glint of chrome on her target—he activated his own Sandevistan, though she could tell it was a bit slower compared to hers.

The Lazarus operative raised an AR, its muzzle flashing as he sprayed bullets towards her. Even in slowed time, Asuka felt the impacts—several rounds hit her, but her subdermal armor held strong, absorbing most of the damage. It stung, but it wasn't enough to stop her.

She raised her Malorian, firing a shot at him, but he dodged, moving swiftly to the side, his Sandevistan giving him just enough speed. The shot went wide, ricocheting off the tunnel wall. Asuka's eyes narrowed in annoyance. She holstered her Malorian and extended her Mantis Blades, their metallic sheen catching the faint light as she leaped towards him.

The operative saw her coming, his eyes widening in shock. He swung a shotgun from his back, the barrel aiming towards her, but Asuka anticipated it—she twisted her body, moving just out of range before his finger could pull the trigger. The strain of his Sandevistan was evident, and just as she expected, it flickered and deactivated, his enhanced speed abruptly gone.

A smile spread across Asuka's face—a wicked grin as she saw the fear in his eyes. Without hesitation, she jumped, her Mantis Blades driving forward. He tried to raise his weapon again, but he was too slow. Asuka's blades pierced through his chest, the sharp edges slicing through armor and bone. She felt his body go limp, his breath escaping in a final gasp as she pulled the blades out, letting him drop.

She turned just in time to see Jackie engaged in a struggle with the final operative. The Lazarus merc was well-trained, his movements tight, but Jackie had an edge—those Gorilla Arms, the powerful augmentations giving him an almost unfair advantage. The two of them wrestled, but it was clear Jackie was overpowering him. With a grunt, Jackie managed to throw the operative to the ground, pinning him. Without missing a beat, he drew back his fist, the Gorilla Arm’s hissing as he brought it down with all his strength.

Crunch.

The operative's head caved in under the blow, his body going limp beneath Jackie’s weight.

Jackie stood up, panting slightly, his eyes meeting Asuka's across the darkened tunnel. He gave her a lopsided grin, wiping a smear of blood from his face. “Guess they weren’t expecting us to put up this much of a fight, huh, chica?”

Asuka retracted her Mantis Blades, a smirk crossing her lips as she nodded. “Yeah, they thought they could just walk in and take us out. They underestimated us, sending only 3 gonks.”

Jackie nodded, glancing over at Pink Kitty, where Sasha and Ted were watching from the window, Sasha's eyes wide in anticipation. Asuka gestured for them to stay put for a moment, her eyes scanning the tunnel, her instincts telling her to make sure it was clear before they moved.

“Alright, let's clear this gas and keep moving,” Asuka said, her tone firm. “We’re not out of this yet, but we’re sure as hell not going down easy.”

---

The tunnel slowly gave way to open air, and Asuka pushed the Javelina forward, the roaring engine echoing off the concrete walls as they emerged back into the night. Ted, still visibly shaken but managing to keep himself together, quickly pointed ahead, his voice a shaky blend of nerves and hope.

“Keep going straight, then take the left fork. From there, we’ll be near the wall,” he said, leaning over slightly to look out the windshield. Asuka nodded, her eyes locked ahead, her instincts on high alert. They were in open terrain now—vulnerable.

Suddenly, Asuka's optics flashed a warning—two incoming vehicles, heavy armored ones, closing the distance behind them. She glanced at her rearview mirror and recognized the familiar markings. Lazarus. They were coming hard and fast.

“Got company!” Asuka barked into the comms, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the armored vehicles gaining on them. The sleek Javelina could outrun them in terms of speed, but not in firepower. “Jackie, let’s keep them off us!”

Jackie’s voice crackled over the comms, a laugh mixed with adrenaline. “On it, chica!”

She watched in the side mirror as Pink Kitty suddenly surged forward, Jackie slamming the pedal to the floor. He steered directly into the first armored vehicle, ramming its rear end, the entire vehicle jolting forward as Jackie’s beast of a truck hammered into it. Pink Kitty's heavy plating gave it a serious advantage, and the armored Lazarus vehicle swerved, struggling to keep control.

Out of the second vehicle, however, a woman emerged, climbing up onto its roof. Asuka's optics zoomed in, seeing her movement—a Sandevistan user, just like her. The car accelerated, the woman balancing herself on the roof, her eyes locked on the Javelina.

“Damn it,” Asuka muttered, watching as the car got closer, the woman preparing herself to jump. The second she leaped, Asuka activated her own Sandevistan, the world slowing as her vision zeroed in on her.

She drew her Malorian, pointing it upwards, her optics highlighting the precise spot where the woman was about to land. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears, her finger squeezing the trigger.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The Malorian roared in her hands, bullets slamming into the roof of the Javelina, making small puncture holes that were nothing compared to the destruction the rounds were causing to her target. The woman landed, but Asuka had already anticipated her moves, firing round after round, the bullets tearing through her body before she even had a chance to react.

The Sandevistan flickered, and the woman’s eyes went wide, her body slumping as she lost control. Asuka watched with satisfaction as the woman’s dead body rolled off the roof of the Javelina, her last expression one of disbelief.

“Do you think I don’t know how to counter that trick?” Asuka smirked, muttering under her breath as she looked at the damage. The holes in her roof weren’t too bad—easily fixable. “That I’m a damn pro at,” she added, a sharp grin on her lips.

The remaining Lazarus vehicle, though, was still a threat. Asuka knew she needed to make a move. She made a quick maneuver while using her sandy, pulling the Javelina behind the vehicle. She activated the turret, her hands moving fluidly over the controls as the twin barrels roared to life, the heavy rounds slamming into the Lazarus vehicle's rear, sparks flying, armor plating tearing away.

Jackie, meanwhile, had managed to finish off the first vehicle, ramming it until it lost control and went skidding off-road, the metal crunching as it flipped over. He now turned his attention to the car Asuka was firing on, driving Pink Kitty right up to it. The turret rounds had already done considerable damage, the armored vehicle struggling to stay on course, and Jackie took advantage, accelerating and slamming Pink Kitty into the side of it, the impact echoing through the night.

The combined onslaught of Asuka’s turret fire and Jackie’s ramming was too much. The armored Lazarus vehicle skidded, the driver losing control as the front axle snapped. It flipped violently, its momentum carrying it off the road, rolling end over end before coming to a final, smoking stop, debris littering the ground around it.

Jackie whooped through the comms, a mix of exhilaration and relief. “Hell yeah, chica! That’s how we do it!”

Asuka grinned, her heart pounding, the adrenaline still surging through her veins. “Nice work, Jack. Let’s keep moving. We’re not far from the wall. Ted, you still hanging in there?”

Ted’s voice came over the comms, shaky but grateful. “Yeah... yeah, I’m still here. Thank you, really.”

Asuka smirked, her grip tightening on the wheel as she pushed the Javelina forward, the open road ahead of them now clear—at least for the moment. "Save the thanks for when you’re out of Night City, choom. Let’s finish this."

As they sped across the open terrain, the sound of rotors cut through the night air, an ominous sound that made Asuka’s eyes flick to her rearview mirror. Her optics picked up the outline of a helicopter—a Lazarus chopper, bearing down on them, its machine guns lighting up the night as it opened fire. Bullets tore through the air, a deadly storm of lead.

“Shit!” Asuka growled, twisting the wheel hard, the Javelina swerving sharply as the rounds pounded the ground around them, kicking up dust and debris. Pink Kitty, trailing close behind, was built like a tank, and the heavy armor plating took the brunt of the barrage, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off its reinforced frame.

Sasha's voice came over the comms, tense but focused. “I’m getting the launcher. Hold tight!”

In the back of Pink Kitty, Sasha scrambled, her fingers moving deftly as she unlocked one of the weapons storage compartments. She pulled out a shoulder-mounted launcher, her eyes narrowing as she prepared it. She climbed to the back hatch, opening it with a swift motion, the cold night air rushing in. She took aim, her optics locking onto the helicopter, its shape moving in and out of the spotlight.

“Come on... just stay still for one second,” Sasha muttered, her finger hovering over the trigger. She pulled it, the missile shooting out with a blinding flash. It streaked towards the helicopter, but the pilot was ready—the chopper swerved, the missile narrowly missing, exploding harmlessly in the distance.

Sasha gritted her teeth, loading another round. “Alright, let's try this again,” she hissed, locking onto the target once more. She fired, the missile cutting a fiery path through the night. But this time, the helicopter deployed its own countermeasures—decoy flares bursting out, causing the missile to veer off, detonating uselessly.

Jackie's voice came over the comms, his tone carrying a hint of frustration. “Alright, time to bring out the big guns. Sasha, get back inside. We’re going with the Sure Shot!”

Sasha quickly moved back into Pink Kitty, locking the back hatch behind her as Jackie reached forward, his fingers moving over the console. The Militech Sure Shot—a missile system newly mounted on Pink Kitty, that costed shit tons of eddies. A lock-on beep filled the vehicle, the crosshairs lining up with the helicopter on the screen.

Jackie grinned, his eyes narrowed. “Alright, let’s see you dodge this.”

He fired, the missile roaring out of Pink Kitty’s launcher, streaking towards the helicopter. The pilot tried to evade, the chopper banking hard to the left, but the Sure Shot lived up to its name—tracking and recalibrating mid-flight. The helicopter activated its missile protection, launching flares, but the Sure Shot was designed to counter that. The missile adjusted, avoiding the decoys and slamming into the side of the chopper.

There was a massive explosion, fire engulfing the helicopter’s frame as it spun out of control, smoke trailing behind it as it fell, disappearing behind a distant hill.

Jackie let out a triumphant shout, his fist slamming into the console in excitement. “Hell yeah! That’s how we do it!”

Asuka grinned, her eyes focused ahead now, a sense of relief washing over her. “Nice shot, Jackie. Now let’s keep moving.”

As they approached the unfinished part of the wall, Asuka’s optics picked up a new problem—Militech units. Several cars and drones had formed a barrier across the only route through, their headlights glaring like the eyes of some great beast waiting for them.

“Barrier ahead,” Asuka said over the comms, her voice steely. “We’re gonna need to hit it hard.”

Jackie’s response came without hesitation, his grin evident even through his tone. “Got it, chica. Hold on tight.”

Pink Kitty surged forward, its heavy frame accelerating, its engine roaring as Jackie pushed it to its limits. Asuka stayed close behind, the Javelina hugging Pink Kitty’s rear, using the bigger vehicle as a shield.

The Militech drones and cars began firing, the flash of gunfire lighting up the dark, but Pink Kitty barreled forward undeterred, slamming into the barrier with full force. The armored vehicle crashed through, drones smashed under its massive tires, the impact sending Militech operatives diving for cover.

The Javelina followed close behind, dodging the debris and wreckage, keeping pace with Pink Kitty as they forced their way through the barrier, the sound of metal crunching beneath them.

Once they cleared the barrier, Asuka accelerated, the Javelina pulling up alongside Pink Kitty. “We’re through!” she called over the comms, her grin fierce. The open desert stretched ahead of them, nothing but the occasional rock formation breaking the flat expanse.

Ted, in the passenger seat, let out a shaky breath, his face pale but his eyes wide with awe. “I can’t believe it... we made it through.”

Asuka glanced at him, her grin softening just a bit. “We’re not out yet, choom. But we’re getting there. Just keep it together a little longer.”

Ted nodded, the hope in his eyes shining through the fear. “Right... right.”

The convoy of the Javelina and Pink Kitty tore through the desert, leaving the wreckage and chaos of the Militech blockade behind them.