By Lazaro

By Lazaro

I’m just gonna post the stuff I have on insta into here, later today will maybe see some new stuff

I’m a figment of your tortured psyche. I say what you’re thinking. ALTERED CARBON | 1.06 “Man with My Face”

Babies First Heist; a short story I wrote up to help get into the mood for the Cyberpunk Red campaign that I’m getting ready for. I hope more people play it, it’s so much fun.

—————

“Yo, Buttonhead hallways closed,” Fu-Yao says dismissively hopping up from the floor pressing towards the center of the hall with Grid. If the junkie noticed them he didn’t make it known. Shouldering through the Teo and continuing down the hall. But a hoyo already had her eyes on them, “Aye, didn’t you hear me? Elevators down, take the stairs you look like you could use the exercise.”

The distance closing second by second, she pushes off the wall and crosses the hall. Putting her body between the door Navarro had just disappeared inside. By the time her shoulders hit the door he’s almost on her, the polymer one shot resting in her hand feels heavy as her grip tightens. Knuckles going white as she adjusts her hands in the oversized sleeves of her hand-me-down jacket as he reaches her.

Then he passes by. Pushing into another room further down the hall without ever shifting his gaze from the floor, only when the door hisses closed behind him does Chiyo let loose a breathe she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. LED text scrolls behind her optics, locking the door behind him. Letting her head lull back and rest against the door frame she eyes Fu-Yao and Grid as they hear back to their positions. “Hurry the hell up Navarro…”

The door to the apartment slides open a few minutes later, Navarro steps through, both his arms wrapped around two black cases stacked so that his chin just barely came over the top. He shoots a smile toward Chiyo, some of the worry on her face melting away. With a whistle down the hallway she took one of the cases only to hand it off to Grid once he arrived. All of them wordlessly heading for the garage elevator. Once inside Navarro smashes B/2 into the console, descending they exchange looks over the haul.

“Two cases?” Fu-Yao opener, “ain’t it gonna make trouble if the Faust see’s it gone?”

“Faust was zeroed when I got there. Something fried ‘em from the looks of it.” Everyone stared wide eyed at him before he continued, “Important thing is we got the cases. Fixer can do what he does best and iron the rest out. Either way, he owes us eddies for the work.” He grates, “We’re almost done, not our fault he was dead. Just play it cool, no one saw us go in or out… no way we can get in trouble.” Each of them sighed, almost in unison, next came the hardest part of the job.

Getting payed.

When the latch popped they filed out of the elevator. However instead of the hum of an engine and the chocking smell of CHOOH2 they had grown to expect when dealing with this fixer, they only found an empty garage. Navarro scanned the surrounding thinking perhaps they were tucked away, but the cars in attendance were either stripped or parts or too low class for the gonk they were expecting. “Chiyo?”

“Already on it.” Lights ran across her optics, her mouth hanging slightly open like anytime she dives. “He’s not picking up. I’ll keep trying-“

“No.” Navarro cut in, “he can get in touch with us.” Possibilities and outcomes, both good and bad, ran through his head. The least worrying and subsequently the one he settled on to keep tensions low was that this was simply him pushing them around because they were kids. “Forget him, let’s go home”

“Not that I don’t agree but how’re we meant to get these passed our parents,” Fu-Yao asked,” they aren’t exactly inconspicuous and my parents are for sure gonna ask questions.” Each exchanged looks before eyes began settling on Grid.

His mom was single, who worked most nights. Grid seemingly made a point in not mentioning her work. Whether it was willing omission or ignorance was up for debate but everyone had their guesses.

Navarro smiled, it was one of those smiles that everyone likes to see, the kind that makes you feel needed. Eyes shining with comradery as he opens his mouth , “Grid…?”

With a sigh of exasperation grid rolls his eyes, “Fine, we have to alternate though, cause I can’t hide em forever.”

Smiling again Navarro sighs, relieved, “Thank you Grid, if we’re lucky we won’t have to worry about switching out. Shouldn’t be more than a few hours, he’s prolly amped out or neck deep in some XBD.” juggling the boxes between his knees he wiped the sweat off his palms onto his shirt. Starting towards the ramp to street level he turns and walks backwards, “Come on, we’ll catch the NCART home.”

With a chorus of groans and laughter they tunneled up into daylight and crowds doing what they did best blending in. If one thing hasn’t changed since the Corporate Wars it’s that if they don’t belong to you and sometimes even if they do, no one gives two shits about kids.

————

As it turned out those ‘few hours’ Navarro had spoken of came and went without any word from the Fixer. They’d been able to sneak the cases into Grids apartment while his mom was clocked out, they found themselves thanking god for nightshifts.

Now it was six in the A.M. and Grid was at Chiyo’s door, she was meant to be up early to make the swap. His mom would be home soon and her parents were to be heading to work. So the elaborate dance continued, using the same knowledge of their parents schedule that allows them to run about freely, they passed the boxes from apartment to apartment.

By the third day however the efforts were beginning to become taxing, with no word from the Fixer the eddies were starting to look less and less appealing.

Stretching out on the couch Fu-Yao looked up and yawned, “Any word? I’m running low on pocket money.”

“A whole lotta nothing.” Replied Navarro, “starting to feel like this whole thing is gonk. How about you Chiyo, anything?”

“Nope. Get this, went down to the market level, you know the crappy ramen stand he always hangs at, no one's seen ‘em in days.”

More groans echo around the apartment, everyone was getting tired of sitting on the cases, no one more than Navarro. To his credit he tried to be rational about it… well as rational as a nine year old can be. It’s not like the cases were the reason they didn’t have money and that they’d stopped getting jobs. It was the fact that they’re Fixer has ghosted. For now he was trying to do what he always did between jobs, relax with his friends around the MegaBlock.

Chiyo was all too busy browsing the NET, scrolling through the latest news and releases, mouthing off about how the newest optics from Arasaka looked beyond Nova, only for the excitement to die when she saw how many eddies she’d have to throw down just to get one installed.

Fu-Yao was all but dead, aside from the occasional chime into the conversation. He was lying face down in the couch cushions and rarely moving. You’d never know it from how he looked right now but he had ambition to matcha Navarro but rarely possessed the energy to go negotiate a job, more the type to be all too happy to turn it over to Navarro to handle.

Grid had been absent from the usual meeting spot and had yet to travel down the two floors that seperated their apartments to grace the rest of the gang with his presence. Navarro and Chiyo were more than happy to banter about augments and Elflines Online, his mere absence was affecting Fu-Yao giving him no one to argue with.

Navarro chuckled to himself as he shifted down the couch to see what Chiyo was gesturing to on the holo in front of her, then the door opened. Fu-Yao shot from the couch, “It’s about time Grid, where the hell have you been.”

“The Fixers dead,” Grid responded as he slipped in. “, someone was talking about seeing NCPD in his apartment, something about the body lottery numbers.” No one was quite ready for the news, looks were exchanged before they all settled on Navarro. “,sounds like we’re not getting payed, huh.”

A slow sigh oozed from Navarro's lips as his skin pulled down after his fingers. “Yeah… yeah. It also means we’re out of a job, gotta find someone else who’s willing to hire us.”

“Damn.”

“This is ass.”

“What about the cases?” Chiyo posed.

That question held more weight than first realized, what did they do with the boxes now. The middle man was gone and the buyer had no way of getting in touch with them.

“We can’t just ditch ‘em yah? Maybe there’s something in it we can fleece for a couple eddies” Fu-Yao shifted on his feet looking around the apartment, “They're here yah?”

A few moments later they had them sitting in the table eyes locked on the contents of the cases.

“This is a joke, you're joshing me, I’m being joshed right now. Right?” Grid said looking around the table, “You guys opened these already.”

“I wish we did, I really do.” Navarro said turning to Chiyo, “,this is just… just-“

“Some Corpo bullshit is what this is.” Chiyo finished. Reaching into the box and retrieving from its depths a Teddy Bear. It was the only thing inside of this case, it had been resting is a specially made nook in the foam interior. “The other case is nothing but accounting updates and communication records and this one has a bear… wish I coulda drained those accounts…. We could all get chipped in and then some…” The final words hung on her lips for a moment, her brow furrowing then came the familiar LED tracing behind her optics.

“Chiyo?”

“Hold up…” she responded a smile creeping up the edges of her lips. “Mr. Bear is packing some serious hardware inside. I wonder if we couldn’t sell…”

“I would appreciate it if you did not sell me-“

Chiyo shrieked as she pitched the bear across the room, retreating behind Navarro as the same slow paced speech came again, “Ow.”

“I-it talked, it fucking talked!”

“This body is designed for harsh treatment, though I must request that you refrain from such foul language. It is not suitable to someone your age.”

“What is happening…”

“Hello friend, I am Twinkle the Teddy Bear my creator was not very creative I apologize on their behalf. I am your friendly child guidance A.I. if you found my reprimand unsatisfactory you may select from a wide variety of options to tweak your experience.” The Bear itself wasn’t much to look at. It didn’t even move when it spoke, it’s hide was made of some faux material even it’s eyes were scratched and cloudy. “Now it is your turn, how should I address you.”

Chiyo’s eyes narrowed, never before had she heard of anything like this on the streets. Especially in such a small body, as far as she’d heard AIs were these dark horrid beings she’d have to dodge and cry about if she ever decided to go beyond the Blackwall. “Chiyo.” She stated evenly, despite her cautious nature her curiousity tended to get the better of her when it came to tech and the NET. The others can’t help but stare at her stunned, Navarro reacted grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the Bear.

“What exactly are you doing, we don’t know what it even is and you… and you just tell it your name? Your real name. That’s like… rule number one.”

“I’ve got this, trust me.” Chiyo interjects before turning back to the Bear.

“Mistress Chiyo I can’t help but note there are several others in the room. Shall I add them to my list of charges?”

Chiyo doesn’t say anything, instead turning and gesturing to the other three to speak up. Fu-Yao jumps at the opportunity, stating his name and laughing as the Bear stated it back to him. “This is the most Nova shit.” He cackles grabbing Grid and pulling him up, “come on man.” Grid doesn’t take much convincing from his other half, a dumb smile creeping across his lips as Fu-Yao continues to laugh.

Chiyo stepped behind Navarro and pushed him towards the Bear, “Come on Feathers, we’re all in this together yeah?”

Navarro biter his tongue, keeping back a sudden wave of nausea, he hated being out of pace with what was happening. And I’m a place like Night City he fought tooth and nail to have any small amount of control he could have. This Bear was fucking that all up.

“What if this causes trouble guys, I mean… this was meant for a Corpo.”

“Then if the buyer shows up looking we tell ‘em the Fixer never showed, we can handle it then, yeah?”

“But-“

“We’re kids Feathers, they’re not gonna ice kids. They’re not the boogy man, they’re Corpo. I bet your ass still believes in Santa too.”

“Glad your all so concerned..” he mutters stepping forward. “Alright, call me Navarro.”

“Very good, you have all been successfully registered. Though I regret to inform you that I can not perform my functions to the fullest as I am unable to detect any bio monitoring systems to pair with: if this is a mistake please consult your physician at the nearest clinic.”

Chiyo smiles lopsidedly at Navarro, “See nothing to worry about, maybe we this thing dan help us run out side jobs. Hey… uh… Twinkles, will you be s me to help me monitor ummm emergency contacts and alerts.”

“With pleasure Mistress Chiyo.”

“Nova, why don’t you tell me what else you can do.”

For the better part of the next hour the Bear listed it’s functions, only stopping to respond to interjections and questions coming from the kids. Without piropee augments or chrome a lot of our monitoring functions were disabled. “I’m sorry to trouble you, but when might I expect you to be able to install your bio monitors so that I might properly monitor your nutritional intake.”

"It's to bad she won't live. but then again, who dose?" -Gaff, Bladerunner

Couldn't find the original artist for the picture if anyone knows please let me know so I can give the proper credit.

Thank you @o-blivia and everyone who got me to 50 reblogs!

"A man who never loves gives no hostage to fortune, to paraphrase a great scientist. " - Takeshi Kovacs

"A man who dosen't love isn't really a man. To paraphrase you." -Quellcrist Falconer

Altered Carbon -The T.V. series.