Chapter 2: A new gig.

Words : 2318 Updated : Sep 9th, 2025

Chapter 2 of "Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System" begins unfolding events: Dante closed his eyes and let the cold water wash over his face. His morning... Continue reading!

Dante closed his eyes and let the cold water wash over his face. His morning shower lasted longer than usual, a sign of his struggle to get his thoughts in order. Not that it helped—he still spent the next ten minutes staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Light blue eyes stared back at him, faint dark circles surrounding them. The cuts littering his pale skin had long since faded, leaving behind barely noticeable traces. His bright red hair gathered in sharp spikes the instant it was rid of its dampness. That part was a lost cause as no amount of combing would fix it. A sigh escaped him when he finally noticed the stubble on his chin. He reached for the razor on the sink and froze at the sight of his hand. A scene from the dream he had earlier flashed in his mind. His skin appeared to be torn around the same spots, but unlike that time, the gaps were more uniform. Glistering metal plates covered his knuckles and lines traced the gaps between his joints, dividing his skin into elegant geometric shapes. Months had passed since he got his fists reinforced yet it still surprised him every time he saw it. He shaved and brushed his teeth then trod to the next room where he put some clothes on, making sure to equip his armpit holster and gun right after. He hadn't done his laundry in a while so his options were limited, to say the least. A couple of minutes later, he was looking at the nearly empty interior of his refrigerator. He hadn't shopped for groceries as well. Another task to the list of stuff he didn't feel like doing. Just when he thought he would have to eat his breakfast outside, his OAM -Optic Augmentation Module- came to life, showing him a notification of the message that had just arrived. Dante's left eye twitched. He stared at the notification, superimposed over his field of sight, and pressed his lips into a thin line. A single thought summoned a translucent window showing the rest of the message. [Gaspard: Get your ass here. We got a new gig.] Not a single person alive would be thrilled to hear from their boss first thing in the morning, not that any other time would be different. Dante made a habit of turning off his OAM whenever he was home so it was only now that he noticed it was already 11:17. Left with no choice, he grabbed a half-empty nutrient pack, slammed the refrigerator door shut, and walked out of his apartment, but not before putting his jacket on. The door automatically locked behind him. Walking to the southern end of the corridor, he composed a quick message while trying to ignore the sugary taste of the jelly he squeezed out of the pack. He sent the message out with a thought then turned off the AR interface, leaving only the small digital clock at the top corner of his field of sight. Dante climbed some stairs, turned right, walked another corridor then turned left. Another corridor and a right turn later he found himself climbing another set of stairs. Garbage and filth littered the floor. The walls, on the other hand, were covered in graffiti. From the looks of it, it has been months since the janitor drones were sent out to do their jobs. The owners must've thought that leaving things as is was far cheaper than risking the glorified roombas being stolen. The city block being built like a maze made it a sweet spot for those looking for cheap parts to sell. It took a few more turns and a lot more stairs before Dante reached his first stop. Surprisingly, only two other people were in the elevator when he got to it. Neither paid him any mind so he did the same, pressed the button for the top floor then waited in the corner. "BREAKING NEWS!" The blissful silence was shattered by an enthusiastic voice. Dante glanced to left despite himself. Instead of walls, the elevator had multiple screens stacked on top of each other. Most of the time they showed nothing but ads, but in some rare cases a news segment would play. "Today, and right before the sun rose on the coastal city of Vetrograd, the Legion of Valor completed a successful raid on the command center of the Crimson Fang. Several prominent members of the notorious terrorist organization have been neutralized, including many of its Enhanced Individuals. The raid was the result of a joint-" Dante lost interest faster than he could blink. The reporter made it seem like an important event, but in truth, it was just another Tuesday for the world's self-proclaimed protectors. Hearing about their glorious achievements gets tiring after the fourth time in a single week. The elevator came to a stop on the roof of the Megacomplex, and its doors opened facing the metro station built into the structure. The 12:00 train had just arrived so Dante quickly made his way inside and sat down. Public transportation was for those who couldn't afford a personal vehicle. The passengers were mostly students and a few elderly, but from time to time, one would come across a few thugs looking for an easy target. Two stations later, Dante stepped out onto the road. The train was as it was when he had stepped onto it a few minutes earlier, only now it had some purple-faced bums snoozing in the corner. Navigating through the roads of Hollowgrid was a pain, to say the least. There was no sign of urban planning in this part of the city. Buildings stretched up and spread out however they wanted. Some stacked containers and called it a house, others opened shop in trucks with engines that had long since been ripped out. The words concrete jungle couldn't even begin to describe the landscape, and just like a real jungle, predators were lurking at every corner, waiting for prey to wander into the right alley. One might think a young man walking on his own was an easy pick, but unlike the idiots on the train, no one stepped in Dante's path. He arrived at a narrow alley cramped further with stacked crates and old dumpsters. Making his way to the back, he climbed down a small set of stairs and opened the metal door at the end. "Fucking finally!" A shout came from the inside. "Took you long enough." Someone added in a slightly irritated voice. Walking into the dimly lit room, Dante placed a hand on his mouth and pretended to yawn. He paid no heed to Maria, the blonde woman who was sitting on the bar counter with a bottle in her hand, nor did he acknowledge her younger brother, Marcel. He turned to a nearby table where old liquor bottles were left to collect the dust. Sofas were placed in a circle around it, and on one of them sat Gaspard, a bulky black man wearing a sleeveless biker jacket. His head was shaved clean, and the lines running along his arms showed they weren't entirely flesh and bone. Right beside him was Ricardo, a lanky fellow with a very colorful mohawk. His most distinct feature, however, was the optic implant taking the upper half of his face. The bald man shook his head and sighed. "Boy, get yourself a bike or something. You can't keep us waiting like this each time." "Yeah, yeah," Dante said. "Like that would have changed anything." "It's not on him, Gaspard." Mohawk guy said. "Some of us got stuff to do. You can't expect us to drop everything and come whenever you call." "Oh shut up. We all know your broke ass got nothing else to do." "That doesn't give you-" "Alright, gentlemen, knock it off." Mattia stepped in, defusing the argument before it could take off. He brought a half-burnt cigarette to his mouth and took a puff. "Now, what's this about a new gig?" Gaspard stared at him with a frown. When he saw the siblings walk over, he clicked his tongue and grabbed a tablet device that was sitting beside him. "It's more of a favor I'm doing for a friend." He tapped the screen a couple of times. "Before you say anything, yes, we are getting paid." "Then what's the catch?" Maria asked. Everyone was ready to walk out the moment they heard the word favor and their feelings didn't change when the leader confirmed it wasn't free labor. "It has to be done tonight." Gaspard drew his lips into a line. "You got to be kidding me." The exasperated sighs illustrated everyone's feelings on the matter. Gaspard placed the tablet on the table at the center. The screen displayed an ordinary QR code. Dante stared at it for a couple of seconds, and when his OAM scanned it, a few images appeared in front of him. The first showed the portrait of some man, while the second had a heavily customized car. Just when he thought they had a bounty on their hands, Dante saw the bulky suitcase in the third image. It looked more like a vault with a handle, something built to withstand gunfire and explosives. "The fellow's name is Jerome Barberin, a solo who's mostly active in the south. He's smuggling something at the request of some bigwigs from the Center." Gaspard explained. "The gig is simple. We ambush him at the drop point, get the goods, get out." Silence fell for a few seconds until Mattia's husky voice broke it. "Who's the client?" "A friend," Gaspard answered. "Didn't I tell you already?" An indirect answer meant that whoever came to them didn't wish to be known. "I meant the recipient." Mattia puffed another cloud of smoke. "And do we get to know what's in the package?" Gaspard seemed to contemplate for a few seconds before answering. "Some low-level executive from Eidolon." Dante's ears perked up when he heard the name. "I'm guessing he's just stuck doing some errands," Mattia said. "Most likely." Gaspard nodded. "Let us hear the pay first." Said Marcel. "We can decide how bad it stinks after that." "80K upfront." Gaspard closed his eyes. "We get another 120K if the package is delivered." "Ugh..." Maria scrunched her nose. "It sure does stink." A total of 200K for a one-off didn't sound bad, but coupled with the close deadline, the whole matter just smelled bad. The fact that it involves that corporation didn't help at all. Mattia tossed the butt of his cigarette and stepped on it. "You still haven't told us what's in the suitcase." "I... wasn't given the details." The hesitation in Gaspard's voice showed his uncertainty on the matter. "All I know is that it's some relic someone dug up recently. It might be just some collector's item." "Possibly..." The briefing was done, and the silence returned. All that was left was choosing whether to take the gig or not, or so it should have been. The offer was made on such a short notice—they wouldn't be having this talk if they still had a choice in the matter. "I don't like this, Gaspard," Mattia said. "If your friend really wanted this item he should've contacted us days in advance. We don't even get to choose the time or location." Ricardo cackled. "We obviously weren't his first choice. The other crew must've bailed on him last minute." "This Jerome guy is clearly a piece of work," Maria said. "I'm more interested in the package," Marcel said. "What do you say we keep it for ourselves? We might get a lot more than 200K for it." No one took the suggestion seriously, seeing as it would damage their reputation. Trust wasn't something mercs could afford to lose. Gaspard listened in silence as each one gave their opinion. The last one was Dante, who seemed to be in deep thought when he turned to him. "What do you think, kid?" Snapping out of his thought, Dante looked the bald man in the eye, taking a few seconds before speaking up. "I say we wait till the package in the corpo's hands. They'll likely lower their guard, thinking it's safe once the handover is done." The others turned to stare at him, concern coloring their expressions. Only when Ricardo smacked his knee and broke into a fit of laughter did the tension in the room die out. "The newbie doesn't give a damn." Marcel chuckled. "I... think I'm getting old," Mattia said, smiling. Relief was visible on Gaspard's face as he exhaled. "The pay is great and all, but it's nothing compared to the doors it would open to us. Not just better gigs, but gear and enhancements as well." "Yeah, we get it already." Ricardo waved a dismissive hand. "You don't need to sell it to us." "Alright," Mattia took out a pack of cigarettes and stared at it. After a second of hesitation, he sighed and put it away. "We might be short on time but we still need a plan." A holographic map appeared at their center and the cohort began discussing their options. Dante listened attentively, only voicing his opinion when asked. The others had their own thoughts about the gig, but he himself didn't care all that much. Eidolon being involved was enough to make him interested, and if it allowed him to mess with them, that was all the reason he needed.

Chapter 2: A new gig.

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