OG: Chapter 20

I didn't wait for the blast from the Grenade I shot out of the air to clear before leaping out of V's Ao Guang, clearing the open hatch of the Kombi and tucking and rolling as I hit the pavement. I came up to one knee and began firing as I did so. Ten Millimeter rounds charged with Electrical Energy shot out from the Autogun Part of my Hurrican Model Xipe Totec, punching through Animals and perforating the Gangoons dumb enough not to take cover, which was a fair number of the Scopsuckers.

Two of the Gangoons turned the second that I came up firing and tried to charge me with sledgehammers, mind you, their Juiced Up Bodies would make those viable weapons. Unfortunately, whatever Wetware they had for Subdermal wasn't up to the task of dealing with my Xipe Totec, and they were the first to be Zeroed, going down to a quartet of Ten Millimeter Bullets to the brainpan. I immediately switched up targets, hitting one of the Animals Gangoons that had dropped his machete in favor of an oversized revolver. A Techntronika RT-Forty-Six Burya. Not a bad piece of Iron, reliable as all hell. I put a trio of shots through the Subdermal of that Gangoon's chest, hitting his heart as I zeroed him.

Shotgun Eddie popped up from behind the Engine Block of a Kaukaz Volkhov Armored Truck and I immediately put the remaining five rounds left in my clip downrange, hoping to Zero him. He wasn't your average Leadhead, though apparently, unlike some of these Gonks, because he immediately abandoned trying to shoot back in favor of ducking back down. I dunno how he managed to get into cover behind that truck, though, because of how much Juice he was clearly on. The Gonk was at least half again as massive as the rest of these Gangoons. He managed, though, and my rounds managed to fly just over his head.

I moved to grab a clip from the combat harness to reload with. Seeing this, an Animals Gangoon tried to zero me with a Millitech Mark Thirty-One Heavy Machine Gun. That was some pretty Preem Iron, normally that sort of thing was mounted on a vehicle or mount of some kind, but this Gangoon must've been on enough juice to be able to manhandle the thing solo. Unfortunately for him, just cause the Ten Millimeter was out of rounds didn't mean my Iron was useless. I hit the second trigger on my Xipe Totec as he turned to fire and the Plasma Round blasted out of the underslung Launcher, flung forward by magnetic fields beyond the science of the Corpos of this world. The HMG Gangoon didn't have a chance, no Subdermal was going to stop this. Hell, most Full Borgs didn't mount armor that could deal with this. The HMG Gangoon was blasted apart in a shower of gore and cooked meat.

That caused the Animals Gangoons to withdraw to a nearby alleyway with gobsmacked looks on their faces, as they seemed to not know how to deal with my Iron's Plasma Launcher. That in turn was enough breathing room for me to finish reloading, as well as enough for me to be reinforced by Jessie Nyan and Erica Nightly, the former of which had a look on her face that was just as Gobsmacked as the Animals seemed to be by my Plasma Launcher.

"That's some Nova Iron, what do I gotta do to get me one of those?" Questioned Jessie Nyan.

"You're not ready for one of these yet, Chica." I chuckled.

"What are we waiting for? Let's Slammit On already!" Grumbled Erica Nightly, somewhat impatiently.

"I don't give a fuck if he has a Laser Gun! It's just one Gonk! Zero him and let's get going!" Snarled Shotgun Eddie from the alleyway where he and his remaining twenty or so Gangoons had retreated.

"Fair point, sounds like these Leadheads are starting to wake back up." Nodded Jessie Nyan.

"Sure, just one thing. Where did V and Jaquito get off to?" I queried.

"They were about to back you up, parked, and got outta V's Kombi even, but V got a call from Suzie Q. The Tyger Claws are trying to take advantage of this fight. They had to bombshell to make it over to the Hot Tin Roof in Contested Territory out near Jig-Jig Street." Answered Erica Nightly.

"I guess it was too much to hope the Tyger Claws would sit back and let us and the Animals Slammit On without interfering, huh?" I asked.

"Apparently." Shrugged Jessie Nyan.

As she said that, however, a shout was heard from over near the Alleyway where the Animals had gone off to and suddenly the Animals Gangoons were charging out of the Alleyway, Iron out and ready to Slammit On. We tabled the discussion for later in favor of getting back into it with Shotgun Eddie's bunch of Leadheads. One of the Animals tossed another grenade and time slowed down for me as I began to work out the angles once again. Running the numbers on how to do this, I came to a conclusion for a preem shot, time speeding up as I sighted down on the Grenade and Fired.

Shooting the grenade mid-flight resulted in a shower of high-velocity flechettes raining down on the front rank of Animals Gangoons while they charged us. Juice and Subdermal didn't help the three closest to the blast, and they went down, zeroed like so much bloody meat. The two on the outskirts of the blast were wounded, but that's where the two Newbie Solos came in, Erica Nightly and Jessie Nyan putting rounds into them from their Iron to finish the two other Gangoons off. The five behind them, however, hadn't taken much in the way of damage from the Grenade and opened up on us with their own Iron.

I dashed away in a serpentine pattern, firing my Xipe Totec back at the Animals. Their shots never touched me, even the ones using the Submachine Guns and Shotguns missed me. Each of my rounds hit on target, however. I zeroed a pair of Gangoons with spots tattooed on their arms in a cheetah pattern as they tried to Adjust their Millitech M-Two-Twenty-One Sumbachines to actually hit me. Another fired his Rostovic DB-Two Satara at me, forcing me to leap into the air to avoid the double-barreled blast from the shotgun. Behind me, the armored glass windows of a Thorton Colby shattered from the powerful blast. In retaliation, I flipped around at the apex of my jump and fired a trio of rounds straight down into the top of the Shotgun Gangoon's Skull, landing behind him as he fell to the pavement, zeroed.

Behind me, Erica Nightly went down after taking a burst of rounds from an Animals Gangoon's Constitutional Arms M-Twenty-Sixty-Seven Defender Light Machine Gun. Fortunately, the Light Carapace I'd made her saved her life, deflecting the rounds, though she'd have a hell of a bruise across her tits till she got to a Medtech. Jessie Nyan Zeroed the Machine Gun Animal with her Militech Lexington, emptying the clip of her Iron into the Gonk. She immediately had to duck a pistol whip from one of the other Animals Gangoons, coming up while drawing her Kukri and disemboweling the Gonk. I put a pair of rounds into the last Gangoon that had charged us from behind, reloading my Xipe Totec as Erica Nightly got to her feet.

"Some. . .armor." Huffed Erica Nightly.

"Yeah, it's pretty Preem." I smirked.

"Erica! You're alive!" Exclaimed Jessie Nyan.

"Talk later, reload now. It won't take the others long to charge out. That alley goes nowhere, it literally just leads to a courtyard, if the map I pulled off the Cathouse's Net is right." I insisted.

"Right." Nodded Jessie Nyan.

Indeed, I'd had my cranial implants hack into the Local Net the second the Animals Gangoons retreated, jacking in remotely via the one, still-functioning Camera. I had initially done it to gain control of the Camera System to ensure that there was at least no visual record of me having used my Plasma Launcher but got curious about where that alley Shotgun Eddies' Boys retreated to lead. It turned out that the Alley led out into a Courtyard that was full of apartment blocks on three sides and the alleyway on the fourth, meaning that unless the Animals could think well enough under fire to try chancing the sewers, they'd have to come back out this way just to leave.

Sure enough, the remaining Animals came charging out of the Alleyway moments later, firing their Iron and forcing me to dodge, my enhancements both chemical and cybernetic working overtime to avoid the shots. Jessie Nyan and Erica Nightly both dove for cover, Jessie taking a hit to the thigh armor in the process. Fortunately, the short Carapace Tassets deflected the round. It was the hit to the calf she took from an Animals Gangoon's Tsunami Kappa Pistol that had actually taken a chunk out of her. I hadn't had time to make anyone but V, Jackie, and Myself the full blot of Carapace Armor.

Jessie landed hard behind cover with a cry of pain, causing me to stop playing defense and fire back at the Gangoon that'd winged her in the calf, zeroing him with a shot right through the left eye. More shots ensued, zeroing more Animals Ganoons, taking out two with Shotguns and one with another Millitech Heavy Machine Gun. Erica Nightly popped up, having recovered from being smacked into the chest armor, firing both of her Millitech Sherrif Heavy Pistols, zeroing two others. Of course, she got hit again, this time in the spaulders by a shotgun slug fired from Shotgun Eddie as he came out from around the corner. She fell back, the sheer force behind the slug probably dislocating her right shoulder even with the armor.

I growled, firing at Shotgun Eddie, janking to the side to dodge shots from his remaining Gangoons. The Scopsucker managed to avoid my first few shots, putting his remaining Gangoons between me and him as he did so. The poor dumb Gonks were cut down, leaving just me and Shotgun Eddie. Unfortunately, my Xipe Totec clicked empty and I'd neglected to reload my Plasma Launcher after the first shot. Shotgun Eddie grinned as he saw me reach for a magazine, leveling both shotguns that he was wielding akimbo at me.

Time slowed down as I began to run the numbers, working out all the angles. Unfortunately, the battle and my dodging had taken me away from cover and Shotgun Eddie was still far enough away from me that he might get shots off even if I tried jumping toward him to melee. It was my best option, though, and as time sped back up, I leaped for all my enhancements were worth just as Shotgun Eddie hammered down the triggers of both his shotguns. A solid alloy shotgun slug passed through the space I'd been standing just moments previously, punching through the thinner skin and into the engine block of a parked Mizutani Shion even as the incendiary shell that followed set the car alight with an explosion that rattled the glass of half the shops on the street.

I landed near Shotgun Eddie, drawing a fighting knife from my harness as Shotgun Eddie leveled his Slug-Spewing Iron in my direction, janking to the side to just barely avoid the shotgun slug, which cracked the pavement from the force it'd been shot with. I surged forward, sidestepping the textbook Muay Thai thrust kick that Shotgun Eddie launched my way, before coming in at him from a forty-five-degree angle and surging up with my fighting knife for his throat. He dodged my thrust, but I turned it into a cut, slashing out to the side and biting deep into his neck. Whatever subdermal he had was thin enough on the neck to allow for him to turn his head easier and my knife cut through it just deep enough to nick his Jugular vein. He fired an incendiary shell into my chest at point-blank range in the process, blasting me back even as the force of the blast ripped my knife out of his neck in a spray of arterial blood.

My ribs ached but between my alchemically treated carapace cuirass and my cybernetically and chemically enhanced body, that was all it was, just pain. I was still good to fight. Shotgun Eddie, meanwhile, dropped his Slug-Spewing Iron to slap a meaty, frying pan-sized, hand to his neck in a futile attempt to stop the blood loss. I got to my feet even as he sank to his knees on the pavement, dropping his remaining Iron and looking up at me with a gobsmacked expression.

"Unbelievable." He muttered.

"Believe it Pendejo." I spat, leveling my Xipe Totec at his head.

One pull of the trigger later and Shotgun Eddie was Zeroed, slumping down on the pavement. I collected his Iron and any Eddies he had on him, no pun intended, before heading over to Jessie Nyan and Erica Nightly. The pair were huffing and puffing, Jessie had a wounded right leg, and Erica had a fractured collarbone from the sheer force behind those shotgun shells, but both would live.

"Hang tight, I'm gonna see if I can't grab a MaxDoc or something for you two." I nodded.

"Right. We'll just do that." Grumbled Erica Nightly, putting pressure on Jessie's Gunshot Wound with a single hand.

I rolled the remaining Animals, searching for MaxDocs. I found one quickly enough after checking my fourth corpse, but I didn't find another till I checked the twelfth. Of course, I didn't just grab MaxDocs, I also grabbed any Eddies or important shards they might have on them too. By the time I'd gotten both MaxDocs, I was up to forty grand, managing to snatch a shard that allowed me to remotely drain sixteen grand out of a hidden slush fund that someone had set up for Shotgun Eddie. I didn't believe he could do that himself.

By the time I returned and handed off the MaxDocs to Erica Nightly and Jessie Nyan, I'd also picked up the keys to a trio of Vehicles. The Kaukaz Volkhov, a Custom Thorton Merrimack Truck, and a Quadra Type-Sixty-Six Avenger. As I handed the keys to the Avenger and Custom Merrimack to Jessie Nyan and Erica Nightly respectively, though, I got a call from Punchin' Judy.

"Punchin' Judy, you all right?" I questioned.

"Yeah, Ernie. I'm fine. Couple of the Girls running security didn't make it, but everyone else did. Thanks for the save, by the by." Answered Judy.

"De nada." I smirked.

"Look, I just thought you oughta know, we made it to the closest safehouse while you and your group were handling the Animals. It's got a Police Scanner in it. You've got maybe five minutes, six tops, before the store is crawling with Badges, Ernie. You guys need to bombshell now" Frowned Judy.

"Thanks for the heads up, we're bombshelling now." I sighed.

"No sweat, you really saved my ass back there." Brushed Off Judy.

"Anything you want gone from the systems in the Cathouse, now's the time." I offered.

"You're in?" Queried Judy.

"Judy, I've been in for a couple minutes now." I smirked.

"Then hit the self-destruct before you leave. The first thing Suzie Q had me do was put a Deadman's Switch in the systems of all our operations just in case. Only problem is that this attack came so fast I didn't have time to arm it." Insisted Judy.

"Will do. Tell Suzie Q that I'm headed out to clean up whatever Jacquito and V left of the Tyger Claws Gangoons that hit the Hot Tin Roof. I'm sending the two Newbies back to base, though." I informed.

"Right. Will do, but you need to bombshell now." Reminded Judy.

"Already on it." I agreed, hanging up.

At the same time, I hit Judy's Self-Destruct remotely using my Cranial Implants. Then I moved back to where Erica Nightly and Jessie Nyan were standing up. I nodded at the two before motioning to the pair of cars that I'd handed them the keys to.

"Bad news, the Badges are almost here, we need to bombshell. Take those two cars to El Moto Cielo, ask for Juan or Chela, and tell them Ernesto sent you and that he wants them to do a Sixty Special on those two cars. They'll know what it means. You'll both get around twenty-four grand Eddies out of the deal." I nodded.

"Right. We'll just head out." Nodded Jessie Nyan.

"What about you?" Asked Erica Nightly.

"I'm gonna head to the Hot Tin Roof and back up V and Jacquito. With any luck, we'll be finishing up there around the same time you're finishing up at El Moto Cielo. Now ghost off and get to it." I intoned.

And with that we broke away from each other, Jessie going in the Custom Merrimack while Erica went in the Avenger, both heading the opposite way from where I was headed in my purloined Volkhov. By the time I was out of the area, I could hear the sirens in the distance. We'd made it out just ahead of the Badges, good thing too, because with over twenty bodies dropped in one instance, anyone left behind was definitely getting arrested.

As I hopped onto Sagan Street, I realized how smooth this Armored Truck drove. It had military-grade armor on it too, and would be able to handle anything short of an Anti-Tank Missile hitting it. Plus the mount on the crossbar for a Heavy Machine Gun, which didn't have anything mounted to it at the moment, but could be repurposed to mount something easily. I was probably going to wind up keeping this truck and suping it up with my Forge abilities. Even if I got nothing else out of today, this would be worth it for that.

As I turned onto Sagan Street, heading toward the Hot Tin Roof Club, I had no idea that before the day was out, I would also be picking up a preem new Melee weapon. After all, I would once again be facing off against Takeda Ken when I arrived at the Hot Tin Roof, with his electric mono-katana.

And this time, I did not intend to let him escape. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the next chapter. Shotgun Eddie has been handled and the Japantown Animals are about to be run out of the district with their tails between their legs, to turn a phrase. In the meantime, Big E is heading to the Hot Tin Roof Club to back up V and Jackie who are dealing with the Tyger Claws, who weren't exactly willing to sit on the sidelines while the Mox were busy with the Animals and decided to hit another one of their clubs while the Mox were distracted.

At any rate, the next chapter will involve dealing with that Tyger Claw attack, along with the next appearance of Takeda Ken, Tyger Claws Samurai. I'll also have a character sheet updated for Big E before then as well.

Stay tuned. . .