Cyberpunk: Asuka Vektor

The clinic was dimly lit, a mixture of sterile lights and the neon glow. Asuka stood beside her father, helping him out with the tools as they worked on Maine, who was sitting in the chair, looking a bit uncomfortable but stoic as always. Viktor glanced over the data on Maine’s cyberware, his brow furrowing slightly.

After a moment, Vik looked up at Maine. "I see you’ve got some military-grade chrome from Militech. You a soldier before?" he asked, his tone casual but curious.

Maine nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yeah. South America. Ran ops down there."

Viktor made a small noise of understanding, his eyes going back to the data. He worked quietly for a moment before glancing back up. “Who’s your ripperdoc?” he asked.

Maine shrugged, shaking his head. "Don't really have a specific one. Just go to whoever's around when I need it," he replied, his tone indifferent.

Vik looked at him more closely, his expression stern. “Well, you should start coming to me from now on,” he said firmly.

Maine raised an eyebrow, curious. “Why's that?”

Vik sighed, shaking his head. “Because whoever’s been doing your installs has been doing a shit job, that’s why. And it’s not just that—you need new cyberware, too. Something more compatible with your system.” He pointed at Maine’s cyberarm, his voice steady. “Take your arms, for example. That mix of explosive launcher and gorilla arm—it’s old, faulty. Puts a lot of unnecessary stress on your nervous system.”

Maine frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. “It works well enough,” he said, though there was hesitation in his voice.

Vik tilted his head, his eyes sharp. “Does it?” He raised an eyebrow. “I bet it gets stuck sometimes, right? You go to use it, and it doesn't respond properly. It blocks, doesn’t it?”

Maine didn’t answer, but the slight tension in his jaw was enough of a confirmation for Vik.

Vik crossed his arms, giving Maine a level look. “I’m telling you this because I know what’s coming if you don’t take care of it. The faulty installs, the outdated chrome—it’s putting more stress on your system than you can handle. You’re more prone to cyberpsychosis like this. You need proper installs and better-quality chrome if you want to keep your edge and not lose your mind in the process.”

Maine looked away for a moment, clearly processing what Vik was saying. Asuka watched the interaction silently, her eyes flicking between her father and Maine. She knew Vik wasn’t one to sugarcoat things, especially not when it came to something this important.

Finally, Maine stood up, his movements slow and deliberate. He looked at Vik, giving him a nod. “I hear you, Vik. I’ll think about it,” he said, his voice a bit more subdued than usual.

Viktor nodded, his expression softening slightly. “You do that, Maine. My doors are always open if you need a proper tune-up,” he said, his tone sincere.

Maine glanced at Asuka, giving her a small nod of farewell before he left the clinic, his heavy footsteps echoing as he walked away.

Asuka looked at her father, a slight smile on her face. “You think he’ll actually come back?”

Vik shrugged, a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips. “Maybe. Maybe not. Guys like Maine, they’re stubborn. But if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll be back.”

Asuka nodded, her eyes lingering on the door where Maine had left. She hoped he would listen.

---

Stepping out of Vik’s clinic, Asuka found herself wandering the streets for a while, taking in the sights and sounds of the chaotic, buzzing city. She had planned to stop by Misty’s shop, but she soon realized Misty was out running errands or taking care of some of her own mysterious business.

Instead, she noticed a group of familiar faces—homeless men she'd seen around the neighborhood before. Only, there was something different. Last week, they were begging without any physical handicaps, and now they had bandages, slings, and makeshift crutches. She paused, tilting her head with an amused expression.

“Hey, weren’t you guys just regular homeless last week? What’s with the veteran look now?” she called out to them, her voice dripping with playful sarcasm.

One of the men looked up, recognizing her immediately. He gave her a sly grin, shrugging. “You know how it is, Asuka. We’re businessmen, trying new strategies. Gotta keep up with the market, ya know?”

Asuka laughed, shaking her head in amusement. “Well, good luck with that. Hope your new ‘business model’ works out for you.” She gave them a wave and continued down the street, the laughter of the homeless guys trailing behind her.

A few blocks later, she caught sight of a situation that made her pause. A monk—clearly unwilling—was being harassed by a group of Maelstrom gangoons. They were trying to drag him, probably to force some chrome on him. Asuka’s eyes narrowed.

“Hey boys,” she called out, her voice sharp, carrying over the noise of the street. The Maelstrom members turned to face her, their aggressive demeanor faltering as soon as they recognized who was approaching. “Leave the guy alone. You don’t force chrome on people who don’t want it.”

The Maelstrom gangoons exchanged uneasy glances. They knew who Asuka was, and the last thing they wanted was to get on her bad side. With a few grumbles, they let go of the monk, backing away before turning and heading down the street, leaving the monk standing there, visibly shaken but unharmed.

The monk turned to Asuka, bowing slightly. “Thank you. You have saved me from a fate that would have stripped me of my beliefs.”

Asuka waved her hand dismissively, a casual smile on her lips. “Don’t mention it. Nobody should be forced into something they don’t want.”

The monk looked at her, staring at her pink chrome, his eyes filled with curiosity. “But tell me, why did you choose to chrome up? Why embrace the machine?”

Asuka looked at him for a moment, considering her response. “You know, just like you guys want to become Buddhas or find some enlightenment, I guess I wanted to become something else too. A mechanical Buddha or something.” She said it with a grin, but her eyes carried a hint of sincerity.

The monk stared at her, clearly not understanding what she meant, his expression puzzled. Asuka couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “I’m kidding,” she said, her laughter echoing down the street. “It’s a necessity for my line of work. And honestly... it makes me feel better.”

The monk nodded slowly, still looking somewhat confused, but there was a sense of respect in his eyes. “To each their own path,” he said, his voice calm and accepting.

Asuka gave him a thumbs-up, her smile genuine. “Exactly. Stay safe, alright? And get out of Watson is not safe for you here.”

The monk bowed once more in gratitude, and Asuka walked away.

Asuka was making her way through the streets of Watson, the usual blend of neon and chaos that made the district what it was. But as she rounded a corner, her eyes landed on something that immediately soured her mood—a fat guy, head fully wrapped in some VR gear, and an automatic onahole strapped to him, going at it right there in public.

She grimaced, her face twisting in disgust. It was a rare sight in Watson—people had more sense around here, especially knowing how Maelstrom often dealt with anyone too careless or just outright gross. But in Santo Domingo, she had seen scenes like this more frequently, and it never failed to make her want to deck someone.

Without a second thought, she strode over, her boot swinging out in a swift, hard kick to the guy's side.

He yelped, his VR-induced fantasy coming to an abrupt and unpleasant end as he fell to the ground, clutching his side. “W-What was that for?!” he stammered, his face flushed, half in pain and half in embarrassment.

Asuka stood over him, her hands on her hips, her expression a mix of disgust and exasperation. “Go do that under some bridge, you gonk,” she snapped, her voice cutting through his whiny protest.

The guy looked like he wanted to argue, but one look at Asuka's cold stare made him think better of it. He mumbled something under his breath, struggling to get up, before quickly waddling off, dragging his VR gear and the offending gadget with him, disappearing into an alley.’

Asuka let out a sigh, shaking her head. “Fucking Night City...” she muttered to herself, her mood already on the downward slide.

---

After the unpleasant encounter, Asuka decided her mood for a walk was officially dead, and she returned to her apartment. The door opened with its usual mechanical click, and as she stepped inside, she found Lucy lounging on the couch, a controller in her hands, seemingly focused on a game.

Lucy looked up as Asuka entered, arching an eyebrow. “What are you doing back so soon?” she asked, her tone casual.

Asuka sighed heavily, plopping down on the couch beside her. “I was out for a walk, y'know, trying to clear my head... until I saw something gross,” she said, her face twisting in irritation at the memory.

Lucy paused the game, looking over at Asuka with a smirk. “What did you expect in this shithole? You think Watson is any better? Heywood and Corpo Plaza spoiled you, Vektor,” she said, her voice laced with humor. “You should’ve known better than to expect a clean stroll in Night City.”

Asuka snorted, her expression softening a little. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Guess I let my guard down. And, hey, don't call me spoiled. It's not my fault those places have... less public weirdos."

Lucy grinned, her eyes going back to the screen briefly before she glanced at Asuka again. “Why don’t you go hang out with your output, then? Bet she’d cheer you up.”

Asuka leaned back, resting her head on the couch, her chrome fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest. “I wish. Judy’s busy right now, grad stuff, you know? She’s graduating early and started her new job at Cloudtop as a BD technician. The good part is that once she's done, she'll have more time to hang out.”

Lucy nodded, her expression thoughtful. “That’s good. She’s a smart one, I like her. Makes sense she’d get ahead.”

Asuka smiled, a hint of pride in her eyes. “Yeah, Judes is something else.”

There was a moment of silence before Asuka sat up suddenly, her eyes scanning the room. “Hey, where’s Sasha?”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “She’s in her room, glued to another one of her Japanese dramas. For someone who hates corpos, she really loves those corny shows,” she said with a chuckle.

Asuka’s lips curved into a mischievous grin. “Oh, really? Let’s go annoy her. She could use a break from all that melodrama anyway.”

Lucy looked at her, a matching grin spreading across her face. “You know, that sounds like a great idea.”

Asuka and Lucy crept up to Sasha’s door, exchanging a glance before bursting in with gleeful energy. Without a word, they jumped on Sasha, pinning her down on the bed and starting to tickle her mercilessly. Sasha’s eyes widened in shock before she burst out in laughter, squirming under their relentless attack.

“Stop! Stop, you assholes!” Sasha managed to gasp between fits of laughter, trying to push them off but failing miserably, her attempts weakened by the tickling.

Asuka paused for a moment, smirking as she watched Lucy continue her tickle assault. “Whoa, Lucy, look at you go,” Asuka teased, raising an eyebrow playfully. “You’ve turned into a real bad girl, haven’t you? Where’s my shy little netrunner, huh?”

Lucy grinned, her eyes sparkling mischievously as she ignored Sasha’s protests, her fingers digging into Sasha’s sides to make her squirm even more. “She’s still here,” Lucy said, her tone dripping with mock innocence. “She just found out this is more fun.”

Sasha was practically crying with laughter, twisting and kicking her legs in a futile attempt to get away. “I swear to god, if you don’t stop, I’m gonna hack both of you!” she managed to wheeze out, her laughter almost uncontrollable.

Asuka finally took mercy, holding up her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I think we’ve tortured her enough.” She chuckled, giving Lucy a gentle nudge.

Lucy paused, looking down at Sasha with a playful smile before pulling away, letting Sasha catch her breath. Sasha shot both of them a mock glare, her face red from laughing so hard. “You two are the worst,” she said, still panting, her voice filled with a mix of annoyance and lingering laughter.

Asuka flopped onto the bed beside her, grinning. “Yeah, but you love us anyway,” she said, sticking her tongue out at Sasha.

Sasha rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” she muttered, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips.

Lucy sat on the edge of the bed, her own grin fading into a softer smile. “We figured you could use a break, Sash. You’ve been locked in here all day.”

Sasha sighed, nodding a little. “Alright, you got me. Maybe I did need a break. But next time,” she added, pointing at both of them, “no tickle attacks. Seriously.”

Asuka and Lucy both laughed, nodding in agreement. “Deal. But only if you promise not to get too lost in those corny dramas,” Asuka teased, nudging Sasha’s shoulder.

Sasha just groaned, rolling her eyes. “Fine, deal. But don’t think this means I’m letting you off easy next time.”