I sat down next to Luna after searing up some syth pork. Looked and tasted like Pork baloney. I stirred it in with my rice as the house descend into some sort of peace. Luna was quite as she ate sneaking glances at me and the girls. Each of us in radically different attire. Right as I brought my first spoon full there was a pounding at the door.
I growled as I stormed towards the door grabbing Rose along the way. I swung it open Rose firmly pressed against the head of a man in a two piece black suit with a red tie and gold trim. He was shorter then me taller then Luna or Rebecca maybe around Sparks height. His hand rested apon a cane and the handle of a Nova Revolver stuck out of his jacket his eyes where strange one was a normal ganic eye and the other had a scar going threw it with a cyber optic with a candy skull. His face was shaved with only a sharp short mustache and his hair was curly and would probably reach his shoulders it was pulled back in a tight short ponytail. The only piece of jewelry was a signet ring with two gemstones, Rubies, set into the eyes of a gold and onyx skull.
Standing beside him are 6 chromed out Valintinos in fancy three piece suits like my own just including the traditional sports jacket. Each of the Valintinos raise their own guns pointing them at me. "It seems we got off on the wrong foot my friend," the jovial voice of the center man said. "I'm Ricardo Rosario Renato Francisco Valintino. One of the Five Current Heads of the Valintinos. I believe I own you a debt of blood. I wish to settle the accounts."
"Big brother!" Luna cried out from behind. I sighed lowering my Rose.
"Do you want fish or Pork?" I asked as I started walking back into the kitchen.
"Wait out side," Ricardo said to his men as he stepped inside my apartment. "I'll take pork. It's probably Biotechs new synth real meat carnivore pork slices anyway. And I quite like it."
I look down at the pack and sure enough he's correct. With a sigh I dice up a slice and throw it in the pan with some salt and herbs. Luna actually spoke up before me, "Brother Harper saved me! He killed all the Tigers that tried to take me. But they killed Reynaldo! They killed my best friend!" She cried holding on to her brother like a life line.
"Don't worry I'll make sure to find who put them up to it and massacre them." He said softly petting her hair.
I set the bowl of hot baloney and rice infront of them and grabbed my own bowl again and quickly started eating. "You don't need to look or investigate. Two Gonk fucks who like making Torture porn and Cybersyco XBDs out together the whole pie." I shoved more food in quickly swallowing. "Names where Jimmy and Jotaro. Jotaro planned to do some pretty fucked shit filming it to break you and her Jimmy bank rolled it wanting to make you sister a Cybersyco and have her set lose on your neighborhood. Said he'd even pay extra if you gunned her down." I popped a shard and handed it over. "Here the details I found on them and in the van."
He with a grim expression slotted the shard and began to browse the unmistakable horrors on it. His face became more and more serious and his tan skin slowly turned pale and even slightly green. His hands gripped the counter so hard the Stone began to crack. "I'll kill them!" He growled beyond enraged.
Spark called from the couch, "Aren't you in the middle of a bloody war with 6th Street or has one of yall finally backed off?"
"No we are still in that bloody fude and we have Malestrum pushing in from the north." His voice was a low growl.
"Sounds like you need some mercs." Rebecca called back happily as she was already texting her old Mox contacts.
His face seemed to understand a second later as it clicked. "Harper would you be willing to track down and kill both these men?"
"Yeah. I was kinda already planning to in Jotaros case. Scum like that is in the same category as Scavs and they all deserve to burn." I said as I set down my empty bowl. "Will need to pick up some new clothes at Sparks place for. My Vest need professional help and my dress shirt is ruined."
"Oh I can help with that actually. Luna can you go get the bags from Carlos?" She nodded running out side in her short heels.
She came back with a duffel bag and a briefcase. He pushed them towards me and smiled as I took them. I opened up the duffel bag first. First was a red Dress shirt with black roses going up the arms. The material was different from my old shirt stretch like latex but soft and smooth like silk. "That's a special material that Arasaka makes it has no kinetic absorption but it is armored to rate two. Combined with with subdermals you could probably stop a few rounds from my Nova or even those Pulsar that ripped Lunas guards to shreds. There's a matching pair of black dress pants made of the same material. It would sustain you for a few minutes with normal Subdermal armor's kinetic absorption. All the elites of the Valintinos where these." So an armored shirt that would keep me alive a few seconds longer under smg and handguns that weren't tech. I then pulled out a black vest with some heft to it. It was nearly a perfect copy of my current vest from the the red rose patterns and trim. "That's is a custom vest made by the Valintinos tailor. Tungsten and titanium based alloys are wieved with a soft Kevlar and gel bad rapped in a kinetic resistant silk made by Militech. It would complete stop most power weapons out right even under sustained fire." I set it with the shirt and find the pant he was talk about and set them with the rest of my clothes. I then pull out a pair of black dress shoes. "Those are simply a good pair of shoes with hidden compartments in the heels and if you click the heals together a small knife will pop out the front. It has a poison mod chip so do be careful." I finally pull out a long English petty coat. Blood red with black roses on the back, sleeves, and Front. "This like your vest is armor to the hell and back. It should stop a few charged shots from even a tech rifle like the Achilles but wouldn't help much against a tech sniper. The longer coat means it will even be able to cover your thighs. As an added bonus the clothes are resistant to water and blood most things will slide right off the specific kinetic silk and velvet. Making it easy to keep clean even with all the bloody work. This is my first gift if thanks."
My curse was quite. Greed which has been angry since I bought my arm and new home had been throbbing in my head was now quite as death. It seemed to realize that the new out fit was worth more then everything we had made and done so far. I glanced at the case wondering what other wonders lie a head. Slowly i reached out and opened it. Inside was a disassembled Achilles and Overturn.
"The Achilles there is been modified to fire EMP shots so on top of being one of the best Borg killing rifles in the world it fires electric round on none charge and EMP on charged rounds so you can nock out your targets allies Cyberware for about 30 seconds. The Overturn is fitted with a special barrel allowing it to fire explosive rounds and it's equipped with a Fire Element shard. Their names Are Storm and Ember." These weapons now had everyone's attention as they are more expensive then the net worth of the entire team. Rebecca was literally salivating as she approached form the couch. Storm was blacked out with Golden roses etched in like lightning bolts. Ember was black with a flaming rose design. Apparently they heard about my thing with the flower.
"To finish out my gifts." My eyes flashed as 500,000 dollars appeared in my bank account. My heart nearly stopped. My curse was screaming in joy at the number. Begging to be this mans friend. "Now own to business. I want these men who targeted Luna Dead. I want them to die slowly but I can't have them making problems after death so kill them quickly. In return I'll have 4 more suits made and I'll pay you 2 million per head." My heart stopped again and Sasha straight up fainted. 4 million eddies for two kills. That's a million per team member. This was beyond huge. "Do we have a Deal, Rose Butcher?"
And just like that my whole train of thought about bathing in money ended. "Rose Butcher?"
Surprisingly it was Ricardo that answered. "Oh Sasha found out after killing Sasquatch and the mess you left at Gustoves you where given a nickname. The Rose Butcher." Spark said still awestruck from the couch.
"Well i guess it could be worse at least the nickname goes hard." I rubbed my face as reached out a hand. "Consider the contract taken. We will hunt them."
"And we will gut them." Rebecca continued back to looking at my new toys. Which I was apparently putting together off hand. I felt with each bolt and screw my information of the weapon become more and more complete.
"Good Luna let's Go. Our friends need to get ready to murder people." Ricardo spoke softly.
"Okay. By guys! I'll come visit!" Luna said. She sounded oddly excited about it even know she only spoke with the girls for like 10 minutes and spent the rest the time sitting quietly in my company.
"Sure thing sweetie!" Spark told the younger woman.
"I'd enjoy that princess!" Came the snarky reply of Rebecca now holding my new Achilles I had put back together. This is as going to be fun.
—-Mox Bar—-
It was decided that the group would split up. Spark in her Quadra went to Jig-Jig street to check in with a fixer about information. Me and Rebecca went to check out her old friends in the Mox. One of her Friends Judy had her finger on the BD seen and had a bone to pick with one of the two monster's we where hunting. We took the MCart system which was a trip homeless sleeping on the cart, two cops sat with a dead body between them. Sasha said we couldn't use her bike since I was cursed when it came to vehicles.
After two stops and a short walk we stood infront of a night club slash joy toy BD brothal in the middle of the day. When we walked up a few Tigers where making problems. I held Rebecca back from killing them an walked over to a pile of loss debri grabbing a pice if rebar. I stepped up and swung to the heavens clocking the leader hard enough to bend the bar around his chrome dome. He dropped like a Marinette with his strings cut. The other two smoothly drew their iron but Rebecca already had her pink and blue Lexington pointed at the one on my right, then she drew from the back of my waist Ember and pointed it at the one on the left the middle guy found his arms rapped in wire with a metal spike press against the under side of his jaw.
"Oh fuck your that Rose Butcher Guy," my victim said a look of pure fear crossing his face.
I looked at them and at my attire and then at Rebecca. "I thought Spark said that name only just started getting used by some of the fixers?"
"No Sasha told me and her that it was being passed around on the Afterlife Official page. Along with it being used by and passed around by most major gangs open chatter." She was having two much fun especially seeing how scared the Tigers where.
"Why do you a two bit grunt know my new nickname hours after I learned about it?"
"Well the animals without Sasquatch have already started breaking up under the under bosses. And several of those underbosses put out bounties. Large bounties. Jotaro thought you couldn't be all of that so he wanted to capitalize on you and bring you in to get all the bounties with a XBD. He new one of your friends visited here often."
I laughed hard then I think I have the entire time I have since showing up. "Oh god this is perfect. Rebecca Flatline those two." Before they could do anything Rebecca painted the ground with there brains. I look up at the door guard, "I'm so sorry we came to say high and find some information but minion of our target showed up. Now we made a mess anything we can do to make it up to you?"
The purple haired Cyborg smoke show blinked surprised. Then blinked again, "Let me get Judy and the Boss but I think we want in on killing Jotaro."
"Well go get them I'll make sure we have the information when you get back. Sorry ahead of time for the mess." She ran off as the man peed himself. The wires began to tighten cutting the skin but not the muscle. Then he others one quick movement all the skin from his arms and hands was gone. Pink muscle and blood was introduced to the toxic air of Watson. He screamed all the way up until Rose was shoved threw his teeth into the back of his mouth. "You are going to tell me what I want then I'll wake up you boss if your information matches I'll let you live if it doesn't I'll shoot you and just take the information by hacking his personal communicator." The man's eyes flashed as I got the address. I kicked the other guy a few time till he woke up. My wire slither around his neck. "You fuck head Rose Butcher here my wire is around your neck I need the exact location of your boss or I'm going to start skinning you like I did your boy." I nooded to the man still crying and choking on Rose. His eyes widened as he looked green. One quick data drop later the locations match. My gun leaves one mouth and my wire returns to my arm. "Rebecca do they deserve to live?"
"No they work for a rapest!"
"Well I promise to not kill them to the grunt. Guess you'll have to do it." I stated coldly as a cruel smile breaks Becs face.
She raised her Lexington and shit the boss as the grunt spoke up begging, "You said you wouldn't kill me. You'd let me go."
"No I said I'd let you live," Becca shot him between the eyes, "never said anything about her or the Mox inside." I turned to see a alt woman with short green hair and half her head shaved and a black woman dressed like a high class joytoy which I guess she was.
"Hello I'm Susie Q. Welcome to the Mox bar. I believe we have Biz?" The black woman said introducing her self.
—-Ho-Oh Bar—-
Me and Rebecca leaned against a van across for the alley entrance to the Club and studio of one Scum bag. Judy who was using this weird head set to film everything I saw sat inside the van. It was actually her own van. Sasha was on her way over with her own kit and Spark was out securing permission from the local fixer. Storm rested cradled in my arms waiting for the time to begin and open fire. I tried to bypass their security and even with my skill at hacking and coding my cyberdeck just couldn't keep up and i couldn't do anything with out the ice rebounding and melting my cyberdeck in my head killing me.
As I was thinking about upgrading my Deck I heard Sasha's bike as she pulled up parking behind the van. She was in her net runner suit still since it was apparently the latex leather equivalent of my shirt and slacks. He pink jacket which had more protection was zipped up and she was checking over her pink Omaha. Slung across her back was a Smart Rifle a Sidewinder. After finishing the checks on the pistol she seemed to be checking her nails before blades seemingly came out of her fingers. The blades where maybe a half inch and the seemed to be able to be charged with electricity. It was fucking awesome. My eyes sparkled with wonder as I watched her check them over.
"Wow I've only ever seen you like that when we eat at the Cojo or this morning with your suit,"Rebecca giggled as she bumped our elbows together.
Sasha looked at us hearing her and sees me staring we both look away quickly blushing but for very different reasons. "I was just fascinated."
"It's a custom Cyberware I made. Based them off tiger or bear claws. I can even channel an over heat or short circuit threw them." Electricity dance across the nail blades again as she raised it before turning red hot channeling thermal. "They can cut threw most security panels and threw most armor and even most security bots."
"Their amazing! I've been thinking of coming up with something similar but using my wire."
"I could send to the blue prints and an early skeletal model." She offered.
"I'd love that." I said as Sparks Quadra pulled up and parked infront of the van. She got out with her jacket in her hand. She had a new sight instead of the Single Overture she had two Nue's.
She slid on her jacket, "Shall we?"
"Im ready let's get to the murder!" Rebecca said in a manic giggle.
I looked at Sasha who's blush was dieing down, she gave a nod. With a sigh I clicked off the safety of the Achilles in my arms Storm hummed in excitement. Rose rested comfortably under my suit jacket and Ember rested in the back of my hip encase I or one of the others needed it. Several mags where in the mad holders on the inside of the jacket and several spares where in my pocket space. I spoke evenly as I took the first steps. "Lets make this quick. No civilian casualties no Tirger Claws left breathing."
(Quest Begin! Monster Hunt! Kill Jotaro Shobo! Changing the future! Reward 1x Rolls! 1x Vehicle Rolls! Good Luck!)