Cyberpunk: Asuka Vektor

The scavenger den was a grim, dingy mess—a maze of rusted metal and flickering neon lights. The walls were lined with stolen chrome, ripped straight from unwilling victims. The stench of death and decay clung to the air, mixing with the coppery tang of blood that made Asuka’s stomach churn. They were deep in the belly of this disgusting lair, and the only way out was to wipe every scav off the face of the earth.

“Time to clean house,” Jackie muttered, cocking his shotgun with a loud, satisfying click-clack.

Asuka gave him a tight grin, her Mantis Blades already extended from her forearms, the sleek chrome glinting in the dim light. “Let’s make it quick. This place gives me the creeps.”

Without another word, they stormed in.

The first wave of scavs barely had time to react. Jackie led the charge, blasting the door off its hinges with a well-placed shot from his shotgun. The scav standing behind it didn’t even have a chance to scream before Jackie’s next shot tore through his chest, sending him crumpling to the ground in a spray of blood.

Asuka was right behind him, her Mantis Blades flashing out with lethal precision. One of the scavs lunged at her with a machete, but she danced out of the way with inhuman speed, her blades slicing through the air. In a blink, they were buried in his torso, cutting deep into flesh and bone. She twisted, pulling the blades free with a sickening shlkt as the scav’s body dropped to the ground in a lifeless heap.

“Two down,” she quipped, her breath steady as her heart raced. “How many more, you think?”

Jackie fired another shot, hitting a scav dead-center as he rushed into the room. “Not enough,” he grunted, reloading his shotgun with practiced ease. “Keep ‘em coming.”

The scavs didn’t back down. From deeper inside the den, they heard the shouts of more gang members, scrambling to defend their hideout. Gunfire erupted from the shadows as a hail of bullets tore through the air. Asuka ducked behind a pile of crates, while Jackie used his bulk to shield her as he laid down suppressive fire.

“Watch out!” Asuka shouted, seeing a scav with a heavy machine gun aiming straight for them.

Jackie dove for cover as the bullets tore through the crates they’d been hiding behind. Asuka’s cybernetic limbs twitched, her reflexes kicking into overdrive as she leapt to the side, dodging a few heavy rounds. But several of the lighter-caliber bullets pinged off her body, deflecting harmlessly off the sleek metal of her cyberarms and legs. A couple hit her torso, but she barely felt them, thanks to the subdermal armor installed beneath her skin.

“Subdermal for the win,” she muttered with a grin, moving fast to flank the gunner.

As she darted from cover, two more scavs rushed her, guns blazing. She sidestepped a barrage of bullets with fluid grace, her Mantis Blades flashing in the low light. The first scav got too close—just where she wanted him. With a vicious spin, she slashed upward, her blades slicing through his neck in a clean, brutal strike. Blood sprayed as his body fell, twitching as it hit the ground.

The second scav screamed, leveling his pistol at her, but Asuka was already moving, a blur of chrome and speed. She drove one of her Mantis Blades straight through his chest, the force of the blow sending him crashing into the wall behind him. She twisted her arm, and the blade cut deeper, shredding his heart in one final, fatal move.

She pulled her blade free, watching the body slump to the floor. “That’s four,” she said to herself with a smirk.

Meanwhile, Jackie was making short work of the remaining scavs. His shotgun roared again, the deafening sound filling the room as he blasted another scav off his feet, sending him flying into a stack of rusted pipes.

A heavy round pinged off the ground near Asuka’s foot, and she spun around, spotting the scav with the machine gun taking aim at her again. This time, the bullets wouldn’t just bounce off. She barely managed to dodge, throwing herself into a forward roll as the gunfire tore through the space she’d just occupied.

“Gonna need to take him out fast,” she muttered, her eyes narrowing as she calculated her next move.

“On it!” Jackie shouted from across the room, catching her signal. He surged forward, firing off a round to cover her advance.

With the machine gun distracted, Asuka pushed off with her cybernetic legs, launching herself into the air with inhuman speed and agility. She vaulted over a pile of scrap, coming down hard behind the gunner before he could react. Her Mantis Blades shot out, cutting through the cables of his machine gun and rendering it useless.

The scav whirled around, eyes wide with fear, but it was too late. Asuka was already on him. She drove both blades into his back, the force of the strike pinning him to the ground. The scav let out a gurgling cry before going still, blood pooling beneath his body.

Jackie gave her an appreciative nod as he finished off the last scav with a point-blank shot. The room fell silent, save for the distant hum of machinery in the background.

“That’s all of ‘em,” Jackie said, wiping sweat from his brow. “Nice work, chica. Those Mantis Blades? Still freak me out every time.”

Asuka retracted her blades, flexing her cybernetic fingers as the adrenaline began to fade. “You’re just jealous they’re more stylish than that shotgun of yours.”

Jackie laughed, patting his shotgun affectionately. “Style’s one thing. Power’s another.”

Asuka smirked, glancing around the scavenger den. “Well, this place is officially cleaned out. What now?”

Jackie grinned, slinging his shotgun over his shoulder. “Now? We grab whatever eddies they’ve got stashed here, and maybe a drink or two to celebrate. Then we get the hell outta this dump.”

Asuka couldn’t argue with that. After all, they’d earned it.

The air outside the scavenger den was a welcome change from the grim, suffocating stench inside. The sun had set, and the neon glow of Night City cast long shadows across the street as Asuka and Jackie emerged from the building, covered in dirt and dried blood, but victorious.

Asuka rolled her shoulder, testing the flexibility of her cybernetic limbs after the intense fight. Her organic parts, covered by subdermal armor, ached slightly from the lighter bullets that had struck her, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

Jackie let out a low whistle, wiping his hands on his pants as he slung his shotgun over his shoulder. “That was one hell of a job, chica. Feels good to clean out that scum.”

Asuka nodded, taking a deep breath of the night air. “Yeah. Place was a nightmare, though. You see all that chrome they ripped off people? Sick bastards.”

“Scavs are always like that,” Jackie muttered, shaking his head. “But hey, we did what we came to do.”

She gave him a small smirk. “Let’s see if Wakako’s happy about it.”

Pulling out her holo, Asuka tapped in Wakako Okada’s contact and waited as the call connected. A moment later, the elegant and businesslike voice of Wakako filtered through, calm and collected as always.

“Ah, my dear Asuka,” Wakako’s voice purred, smooth as silk. “I take it the job is done?”

Asuka grinned, glancing at Jackie, who was smirking back at her. “Yeah, it’s done. Scav den is destroyed. Cleaned them out like you asked.”

Wakako let out a satisfied hum on the other end. “Good. Very good. The client will be pleased to know that those vermin have been dealt with.”

“They were packing more heat than we expected,” Jackie chimed in, crossing his arms. “But nothing we couldn’t handle.”

“Of course,” Wakako replied smoothly, clearly unfazed. “I wouldn’t have assigned the job to you if I thought you couldn’t handle it. I trust my mercs to be competent.”

Asuka smiled at the praise, though she knew Wakako never gave out compliments unless they were tied to business. “So, client’s happy?”

“Very satisfied,” Wakako said, her tone a little warmer now. “And, of course, that means your payment will be ready shortly. I’ll have the eddies transferred to your accounts by morning. As always, you’ve earned it.”

Asuka and Jackie exchanged a glance, the thought of fresh eddies hitting their accounts already lifting their spirits. “Appreciate it, Wakako,” Asuka said, still catching her breath from the battle.

“You’re both becoming quite dependable, you know,” Wakako continued, her tone a mix of approval and calculated interest. “It’s good to see such young talent rising in the ranks of Night City’s mercenary circles. Keep this up, and you’ll have no shortage of work.”

“Always good to hear,” Jackie replied with a grin. “We’re ready for whatever comes next.”

“I’m sure you are,” Wakako said, her voice smooth and businesslike once again. “Now, take a moment to rest. You’ll need it before your next gig.”

The call ended with a soft click, leaving Asuka and Jackie standing in the cool night air, the neon lights casting colorful patterns across the street. The rush of the fight still lingered in their veins, but the exhaustion was starting to set in.

Asuka stretched, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease slightly. “Wakako seems happy. That means we’ll be eating good for a while.”

Jackie grinned, his broad frame relaxing as he leaned against a nearby wall. “Damn right. And that means drinks are on you tonight, chica.”

Asuka rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at her lips. “Fine. You earned it.”

They started walking, the dark streets of Night City alive with the usual chaos—gangs, mercs, and corpos all blending into the city’s pulse. But for now, they had a moment to breathe, to relax after a hard-earned victory.

“Where to?” Jackie asked, glancing over at her.

Asuka thought for a moment, then grinned. “How about back to Lizzie’s? Feels like I need another round to wash off the scav stink.”

Jackie laughed, giving her a light punch on the arm. “You read my mind, chica.”

The neon lights of Night City blurred as Asuka and Jackie walked through the dark streets, heading toward Lizzie’s.

Jackie glanced at Asuka as they made their way down the bustling street. “You know, chica,” he started with a grin, “I gotta say… you were right about getting that subdermal armor.”

Asuka raised an eyebrow, smirking as she flexed her cybernetic fingers. “Oh yeah? I mean, I did tell you it was worth the eddies.”

Jackie laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, well, tonight proved it. You were takin’ bullets left and right back there, and you barely even flinched.”

Asuka chuckled, rubbing her side where a few rounds had pinged off her armor. “Not gonna lie, it stung a bit. But without this subdermal shielding? I’d probably have a few new holes in me right now.”

“Shit,” Jackie muttered, still grinning. “You and your chrome upgrades. Gotta admit, though, they saved our asses tonight.”

Asuka shrugged, though her smirk remained. “What can I say? You gotta invest if you wanna stay alive in this city. Besides, the old man knows his stuff.”

Jackie nodded in agreement. “True that. Man’s a wizard with chrome. But still, you’ve been makin’ some smart moves lately.”

“Smart moves, huh?” Asuka teased, bumping her shoulder against his. “Coming from the guy who runs into every fight headfirst with nothing but a shotgun and pure guts.”

Jackie let out a loud laugh, the kind that echoed through the street and drew a few stares. “Hey, it works! You keep your fancy blades and your armor, I’ll stick with Ol’ Reliable.” He patted his shotgun with pride.

Asuka rolled her eyes, though there was a fond smile on her face. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever keeps you alive, big guy.”

They continued down the neon-lit streets, the familiar hum of Night City’s nightlife growing louder as they neared Lizzie’s Bar