Josue lived and breathed tech, whether it be during his life as a Nomad or his time outside of it in Night City and beyond. If it uses tech, there's a high chance Josue can repair it, upgrade it, or even recreate it. He's fought, built, and done all he felt he could and finally moved on. Then, with his memories scrambled from the 'Lost Months', he steps into Terra.
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Neon Knight (Cyberpunk/Arknights Crossover)
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User Total 501aris/N0ct15 2 Threadmarks Reader mode
1.1 Neon Light
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501aris/N0ct15
Your first time is always over so quickly, isn't it?
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A/N: Hi, I'm 501aris, or Solaris... or Solar. Some of you might recognize me, some of you might not; that's fine. On Ao3 and FF, I write stuff, mostly normal stuff, but also NSFW when I'm feeling it, which I might post here. First off, though, I'm gonna be posting this slowly, since I write... a lot... like 10k long chapters, and I'm gonna be posting it here in smaller, more manageable bits. Regardless, welcome to my crossover of Arknights and Cyberpunk.
With that, let me give you some extra information:
With that, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
A man brought up a palm to his nose, stumbling out of an alleyway, snorting as a glob of blood fell on the floor while he groaned. "Ergh." He said in disgust, looking at the blood before shaking his head to get rid of the lingering dizziness as he spotted a set of stairs and stumbled towards them. With a sigh, he sat down on the stairs and brought out a handkerchief, cleaning up his right knuckle before moving to his nose.
His Biomonitor displayed its information on his right cybereye, Chyron displaying the results of his scan, his Skinwatch keeping time as he grunted. "Two days." He noted out loud, Chyron displaying his name on the report of his biometrics and general health.
Josue 'Tiger' Mondragon
Two days, nearly three, since his last gig in Night City. It has been two days since his final flourish against the cartel that killed his Nomad Family all those years ago because of his love for music. Well, there was also the rivalry they had with the Mongooses and the tech they stole from Arasaka, so maybe it was just a coincidence. Except he knew it wasn't.
His last gig was his and his ally's final attack against them, where he went in and killed the leader of the Calmecac and destroyed all operations within Night City and a few outside of it. He, a Nomad turned Tech with a love for music, managed to destroy a nearly century-old cartel. It was all so… absurd, in a way.
Regardless, he did what he had to, and he left. He got his revenge, and there wasn't anything left in Night City for him, so with a final flourish and concert while being chased by Arasaka forces, he left Night City proper.
Before promptly flashing away and appearing in an entirely new, but weirdly familiar, city. Or… at least that's what he thinks; his memory is pretty fuzzy on that end, especially regarding time. He could feel the difference and called it the 'Lost Months'.
Not familiar as in recognizable, but that Lungmen was eerily similar to Night City, from all the neon lights, the large buildings, not to mention…
The sound of running footsteps made Josue sigh as he tucked the handkerchief into the pocket of his leather jacket, a light armorjack vest under it, and stood up, pulling the sleeves to the elbows, with a patch on the back of his jacket. The patch said 'Northern Tigers', denoting his Family before they all died. Even now, he wore it with pride in an entirely different world.
Correct. He's no longer in Night City on Earth; the evidence of such a thing appeared while Josue ran a diagnostic on his body.
His cyberlegs, replacing both legs after Adam Smasher crushed them, are in good condition, reinforced to be unbreakable and with thickened myomar strands keeping them far stronger than normal. Same for his singular left cyberarm, outfitted with the same reinforced nature as his legs and the same strands that it's had since he found it in that fateful job all those years ago. His right arm's frame and Subdermal Grip are in good condition, with his cybereye still operational. His Skin Weave was fine at the moment despite the nature of the residents of this place, whose voices caused him to turn.
Evidence one walked out, looking like an Exotic with cat ears before being followed by someone with dog ears as they looked around, "Where-! There you are, you-!" He doesn't finish as Josue lays him out with one punch, using his right hand and a little bit too much force.
Back in Night City, when he was considered a Night City Legend before appearing in this new world, Josue was probably one of the strongest out there, capable of laying out even some of the most armored individuals with one punch with his meat arm. Even if it is outfitted with an internal frame for a certain weapon, it doesn't increase his strength, only dispersing the force and recoil of the weapon hidden in a shoulder holster under his jacket.
The man he punched tried to get up but was laid out again by a second before a third one finally knocked him out as he stepped back, arms up in a boxing stance, bobbing on the balls of his feet as he chuckled, "C'mon, wanna get back for your bitch of a leader?"
The Exotics glared as one of them spoke up, "You think you have any right to say that? You're a coward!"
"Wanna come closer?" Josue goaded, glancing around to ensure no one was going to blindside him, "I can show you how 'cowardly' I am directly." He said, raising his leg in the shin kick, he used to get the leader of these gangoons onto the floor and then beat him up with a few chairs in a bar he was playing at. Granted, they were harassing the lady serving drinks, so he thought the gangoon got off lightly.
His little gangoonlets didn't think so. "You coward!" One of them yelled as they tried to circle him as he lunged at them before stopping mid-lunge. The gangoon fell back as Josue burst into a bout of laughter, pointing at the cat Exotic as he leaned on his knees.
"Who's the coward now!?" Josue goaded as he was hunched over and held onto his knees while laughing uproariously. "You should've seen your face." He said while he straightened up and flinched, bringing both hands up, "Ah~! Hahaha!" He mocked, punctuating it with laughter as the gangoon's face flushed as he scrambled back to his feet.
"You won't be laughing once you're cut into pieces!" One of them yelled as they brandished knives, axes, and even a bow as Josue shook his head.
"Please." He said, reaching back and brandishing a bottle. "All I need is this bottle for you chumps."
"Give that back!" One of them yelled, dashing as Josue still couldn't believe how outclassed he'd have been once upon a time.
For a long while, Josue didn't like cyberware; he wasn't against it, he had a cybereye and his Interface Plugs after all, but he always prided himself on his skills and natural strength. Then Adam Smasher crushed his arm and legs, and a lot of things went out the window. He always tried to limit himself, relying more on his skill and strength for such things.
He leapt forward and stood on a hand, lashing his leg forward in a scorpion kick in a capoeira form. The axe-wielding exotic reeled before being swept off his feet by Josue's crouched form. Josue hopped up, spinning and landing a heel kick to the Exotic's chest, his cyberleg and his own strength causing them to cough as he spun off and backflipped onto his feet.
He was always a performer, even when he was a Nomad, going into dangerous areas for a copy of old music and playing it for his Family and whoever would pay him. It might have gotten him into trouble, but damn if he didn't love doing so. It's a good thing he learned capoeira, a dance-like style, but…
The other four gangoon surged forward, one of them let their arrow fly as it hit his shoulder, stabbing into the padded leather but not piercing. It was shot from a wooden bow with a wooden arrow; it's not very good, and the gangoon barely looked coherent enough to use it, probably boosted out of his mind at the moment. The other two didn't care; they just knew that he was shot with an arrow, and, usually, that hurts. A lot.
One of them swung a sword, and Josue stepped out of the way, using the base of the bottle to knock a second gangoon in the head before returning to the one who swung, shoving his shoulder against them before pushing them back. The third tried to swing at him, but he raised the bottle of alcohol in his hand the same way an exorcist would at a spirit or a Samurai fan their paraphernalia, warding off the spirit, women, and, in this case, the thug as he stops before he could break the bottle.
The one whose back he had, circled his arm around his neck, trying to choke him and stab him, while the first Exotic charged. Josue raised his legs, kicking with both feet at the first gangoon's chest and causing the one who was holding him to fall back as he rolled back and turned to the archer.
Ripping out the arrow from his jacket, he rolled, evading the next one and popping open the cork of the alcohol, before stabbing one of the gangoons in the stomach. He took a chug, drinking some of it and keeping the rest in his mouth as he used his shoulder to maneuver his newest human- well, Exotic shield, and reached for his lighter.
His shield yelped as he used the bottle to knock him over the head, knocking them out while he let go of the arrow. Dashing the final stretch, he lit his lighter and spat out the alcohol in his mouth with the lighter in front of him. A burst of flames bloomed out and covered the archer, frantically trying to put it out as he turned to the others.
"A-Arts!" They yelled as Josue rolled his eyes, "Y-You-!"
He dashed once more, kicking the inside of their knee as they fell to the other before Josue sent a knee into their face, knocking them to the floor. Finally, he knocked out the last one with a swing of the bottle.
The archer in flames continued to yell as Josue went over and knocked them out, too, with a single well-placed punch to a pressure point. He nodded to himself, looking at the chaos he wrought as he got to his favorite part.
He patted down the archer, taking his arrows and his cash, Lungmen Dollars, or LMD, as he put them away, and moved to the others. Doing the same, he took all of their cash and sellable valuables as he slipped the cork of the alcohol he had after taking a drink.
It was pretty good, all things considered.
So, of course, it had to be ruined.
"LGD, get on the ground!" Someone yelled, drones lighting up his form, while Josue sighed as men and women moved. They pointed weapons at him as he put his arms up and followed the order of the lawman.
His hands are forced behind his back, forced on the pavement with the usual roughness he was used to back home, his cheek rubbing against the pavement. One of the officers placed a knee on his spine instead of ramming it, so it's somewhat better. He could feel their probing hand as they removed his weapons, the one in his shoulder holster confiscated, his belt unbuckled, removing it to show a knife and a revolver, a Colt 'Peacemaker' on it, before forcing his Fabrica De Armas M-2012 off his back.
Slowly, he was practically stripped as all the weapons he kept hidden were revealed and forced off him until he was forced to his feet to see who was arresting him this time.
As is usual in this world, she was beautiful, but unlike the first woman that arrested him, who was stern and unrelenting like a dragon, like the horns she had, or laidback but dangerous like the green-haired oni that arrested him on his second day, this tiger was beautiful, resembling a young lady of an Exec. She had a pair of tiger ears atop her head, one being hidden by a beret, her striped orange and black tail denoting it to be a tiger's, with her brown hair curled into a pair of drills, her green eyes lit up with pride and stern disapproval.
"So, you're the one causing the ruckus?" She noted while inspecting him.
"So, you must be the pussy bitch Ch'en talks about?" Josue asked, her eyes widening before they narrowed.
"That bitch!" She yelled as he internally laughed as he was forced to his feet and into a cruiser. The door closes as he's then driven to the LGD's office. At least the donuts are pretty good.
Josue Mondragon stared at the one-way glass, separating the officers from the interrogation room, looking at his reflection as he noted how bruised his face was.
He was Latino; as such, his features were Latino, light brown skin with wide brown eyes and short curly brown hair, EMP Threading reached from the corner of his eyes and met at the bridge of his nose as he looked at the handcuffs in his hands. He could easily break out, but it isn't the third day yet. They took away his vest and jacket, along with all his holsters, so his previous statement of being armed was now a lie as he sat in a white shirt and some jeans.
With a twist of his wrist, he checked his Skinwatch and nodded. He'll wait, breaking his record of consecutive arrests with different officers. The last record was him being arrested twice in a row by different lawmen.
Slowly, he shifted his hand, revealing a paper clip. He subtly unfurled it before huffing in amusement. This is probably the last time, so he might as well be quick about it.
Meanwhile, Swire stomped through the office of the LGD, looking for the Chief as her ears and tail stuck out. When she found the room she was looking for, she burst in, "Ch'en, you bitch! What are you telling our suspects!?"
Inside, a woman with blue hair and horns atop her head peeked from behind her monitor, a derisive look on her face, "What are you talking about, Swire? Have the hardships of normal life finally gotten to your brain?"
"Afternoon, Missy." Hoshiguma, the green-haired oni, started acting as the mediator before it even started. "How was your patrol?"
"It was fine until the end." She grumbled, "A bar brawl that spilled out into an alley, someone was stabbed, the others have concussions, and they even used Arts, according to the one that woke up."
Ch'en and Hoshiguma paused as they looked up, "Arts?"
"Yeah, but he had some alcohol with him." Swire pointed out as she huffed, leaning beside Ch'en's desk. "I think he just spat some on them, and they didn't know alcohol was flammable."
"Huh," Hoshiguma said, something poking at the edge of her mind. "Is that it?"
"Well," Swire started, holding up a hand to her chin, "according to the officers, he kept complaining about the cruisers, calling them unwieldy hunks of junk, and his weapons were strange."
"Strange how?" Ch'en asked, a familiar feeling coursing through her as Swire continued.
"He had guns, but none of them had any Originium," Swire answered with a shrug, "we had one of our Sankta run a few tests on his revolver, and it wouldn't fire!" She said before rubbing her face, "Then, the other fired fine, but didn't leave any casings, and finally his last weapon smacked the Sankta in the face and sprained his wrist!"
Slowly, Ch'en's brows narrowed, and Hoshiguma chuckled as Swire tilted her head. "What's with those faces?"
"You-," Ch'en growled, getting to her feet and pointing at Hoshiguma. "Lock down everything! I don't want anyone leaving, even for their child's birth!"
"What!? Are you dumb?" Swire asked as Ch'en was already out of the office, and she followed despite being confused.
"Missy." Hoshiguma started, joining Swire, "The man you speak of has been arrested once for each day for the past two days, three now if you count today, and has escaped each time."
"Huh?" Swire asked, "That's impossible, my drone should be there in case he tries."
Hoshiguma shrugged, "Trust me, I'd know, he escaped mine and Ch'en's sights, we were the ones to arrest him the first two times, after all."
Swire blinked at that as Hoshiguma alerted the building, and she rushed into the room, just to make sure he was still there.
Ch'en was already there, tapping her forearms and huffing, while Swire noticed the officer who had been there previously wasn't there anymore. "You're here," Ch'en noted out loud while Swire noticed her drone still afloat. "I'll let you off with a warning this time since you didn't know, but look." She said, opening the door to the room as Swire peers in and pauses.
After all, the officer who was supposed to be on the other side of the one-way glass was unconscious, sitting in the chair Josue was supposed to be in, while Josue was nowhere to be found. "Hah?"
"Shit… C'mon, let's go to the evidence room and the garage." Ch'en said as Swire jerks up as she follows after Ch'en.
"I understand why he'd go to the evidence room," Swire starts before asking, "but why the garage?" Various ideas go through her mind, none of them good.
"To modify them," Ch'en answered as Swire sent her an incredulous look. "Don't look at me like that. It's been two- no, three days since he's been brought in, and the cruisers he modified on that day still haven't been cleared for use again. None of the technicians can understand exactly what he did. Just that they're running smoother than before."
"Huh?" Swire asked as Ch'en grimaced.
"Get that stupid look off your face and call your drones already!" Ch'en yelled as she turned, "I'll head to the evidence room. He's probably already grabbed his weapons, but it'll let me circle into the garage. We'll encircle him, understand?"
"Right," Swire answered, the two separating as they made their way to their respective positions. Once there, Swire brandished her flail, her drones spreading out while her voice rang out. "Come out with your hands up, you're being arrested for tampering with government property, assault, and resisting arrest!"
"Hey, what are my rights!?" Someone yelled as Swire turned in the direction of one of the cruisers, and some of them had the hood open. "How do I know how I can fight these unlawful charges against me?"
Swire bristled before making her way over, "Just make your way out, and I can assure you, you'll be treated well."
"Fuck no!" He yelled, a certain amount of vitriol in his voice that even surprised Swire. "Last time I trusted someone who said that, I was beaten to an inch of my life." Despite the worrying words he said, Swire made her way through the garage and stood in front of the entrance to the building while her drones scanned the area.
She couldn't help but notice how dark the tints on the cruisers are, not that she doesn't know they're usually pretty dark, but… they're way darker than before.
Then, a crack rang out, Swire recognizing the gunshot as the nearest car by her began to spew smoke in her direction as she leapt to the side. The smoke barely hit her as she brought a hand to her mouth.
The gunshot came from behind her as she turned, hearing the sound of footsteps as she got up. "Hey, stop right there!" She yelled while running, Josue peering out from a cruiser, a radio in hand, as he grinned.
"Well, there we go." He said, sitting back down inside the cruiser as he fiddled with the radio. Once he was done, the only thing the LGD would be able to hear if they tried to radio each other would be static. Satisfied, Josue exited the cruiser, closing the door as he opened the loading gate of his Peacemaker, removing the spent casing and loading another one before closing it. Slipping the gun into its holster, he made his way to the cruiser with the open hood, closing it before making his way to the area where Swire ran out.
Since Ch'en was now on his trail, close shaves won't cut it. He would either evade her completely or he would be found. So he had to leave then and there as he reached for his bag, stopping by a bathroom as he grabbed a pack of makeup and grabbed a uniform he swiped.
Not his biggest skill, admittedly, but hiding his notable EMP Threading was easy as he managed to make them disappear and made his skin tone lighter before slipping on some glasses. With that, he made his way out and headed towards the exit briskly, looking like a man with a bone to pick, so when Swire passed by, he performed a salute. "Miss Swire."
"At ease." She said, huffing, "I'm not Ch'en. Did you see anyone on your way here?"
"No." He continued, stiffly like an officer with a chip on his shoulder, "It's just been me, though…" he trailed off, embarrassed, "I might have had something bad for breakfast so..."
Swire nodded, "Then you're free to go to your station. Stop by the Medical Office for some stomach medicine. Ch'en wants everyone in their stations."
"Right. Thank you, Miss Swire." He said, walking off as Josue walked away, and Swire did the same, making his way to his 'position'.
He reached the reception's office, slipping off random clothes and slipping on others in the blind spots of the cameras until he resembled the civilian he is.
"You! What are you doing?" Someone asked, and Josue jumped, fidgeting.
"Er," he started, anxiously looking away as the officer seemed pissed, "I-I was here to pick something up that was stolen, and the officer leading me told me to come here."
"Detective, that's enough." One of the officers interjected, "Hoshiguma is calling you; he's a civilian, let him through."
The Detective paused before he relented with a nod. "Alright, you're right." He said before turning to Josue, while continuing. "Go ahead, or else you'll have to stay here longer."
"R-Right." Josue started, anxiously, as he made his way to the front desk and made his way out to freedom.
After cutting through the swath of Media, Josue slipped into an alley, removing the uniform before grinning. "Done." He said, looking at the things he reclaimed, as in all of his guns, his bag, the alcohol, and the knife, hidden under the uniform until he removed it. He changed into his normal uniform as he stretched.
Leather jacket back on with light armorjack vest, holsters in place, and assault rifle hidden and grenades in place, he slips into the neon alleys of Lungmen, wondering what he'll do once he gets home.
A/N: With that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you'd like to read more, check this out if you're interested, which should offer links to my FF and AO3 to read the up-to-date Neon Knight, and to support me if you're interested.
Now, for some extra info:
With that, let me give you some extra information:
To explain, Cyberpunk RED has something called Role Abilities, which replace classes in the TTRPG. The Role Abilities that will be used are a Nomad's MOTO and a Tech's Maker ability since Josue is a Nomad and a Tech. In essence, a Nomad can use any vehicle in a Family's Motor Pool, depending on their Moto rank, the higher the rank, the better vehicles they have access to and even upgrades to those vehicles like making a car capable of flight or adding missiles. Meanwhile, A Tech's Maker ability is simple, giving them the ability to fabricate, replicate, or fix anything. Keep in mind, I'm oversimplifying things, but these will explain Josue's general abilities and his capabilities. I hope.
A man brought up a palm to his nose, stumbling out of an alleyway, snorting as a glob of blood fell on the floor while he groaned. "Ergh." He said in disgust, looking at the blood before shaking his head to get rid of the lingering dizziness as he spotted a set of stairs and stumbled towards them. With a sigh, he sat down on the stairs and brought out a handkerchief, cleaning up his right knuckle before moving to his nose.
His Biomonitor displayed its information on his right cybereye, Chyron displaying the results of his scan, his Skinwatch keeping time as he grunted. "Two days." He noted out loud, Chyron displaying his name on the report of his biometrics and general health.
Josue 'Tiger' Mondragon
Two days, nearly three, since his last gig in Night City. It has been two days since his final flourish against the cartel that killed his Nomad Family all those years ago because of his love for music. Well, there was also the rivalry they had with the Mongooses and the tech they stole from Arasaka, so maybe it was just a coincidence. Except he knew it wasn't.
His last gig was his and his ally's final attack against them, where he went in and killed the leader of the Calmecac and destroyed all operations within Night City and a few outside of it. He, a Nomad turned Tech with a love for music, managed to destroy a nearly century-old cartel. It was all so… absurd, in a way.
Regardless, he did what he had to, and he left. He got his revenge, and there wasn't anything left in Night City for him, so with a final flourish and concert while being chased by Arasaka forces, he left Night City proper.
Before promptly flashing away and appearing in an entirely new, but weirdly familiar, city. Or… at least that's what he thinks; his memory is pretty fuzzy on that end, especially regarding time. He could feel the difference and called it the 'Lost Months'.
Not familiar as in recognizable, but that Lungmen was eerily similar to Night City, from all the neon lights, the large buildings, not to mention…
The sound of running footsteps made Josue sigh as he tucked the handkerchief into the pocket of his leather jacket, a light armorjack vest under it, and stood up, pulling the sleeves to the elbows, with a patch on the back of his jacket. The patch said 'Northern Tigers', denoting his Family before they all died. Even now, he wore it with pride in an entirely different world.
Correct. He's no longer in Night City on Earth; the evidence of such a thing appeared while Josue ran a diagnostic on his body.
His cyberlegs, replacing both legs after Adam Smasher crushed them, are in good condition, reinforced to be unbreakable and with thickened myomar strands keeping them far stronger than normal. Same for his singular left cyberarm, outfitted with the same reinforced nature as his legs and the same strands that it's had since he found it in that fateful job all those years ago. His right arm's frame and Subdermal Grip are in good condition, with his cybereye still operational. His Skin Weave was fine at the moment despite the nature of the residents of this place, whose voices caused him to turn.
Evidence one walked out, looking like an Exotic with cat ears before being followed by someone with dog ears as they looked around, "Where-! There you are, you-!" He doesn't finish as Josue lays him out with one punch, using his right hand and a little bit too much force.
Back in Night City, when he was considered a Night City Legend before appearing in this new world, Josue was probably one of the strongest out there, capable of laying out even some of the most armored individuals with one punch with his meat arm. Even if it is outfitted with an internal frame for a certain weapon, it doesn't increase his strength, only dispersing the force and recoil of the weapon hidden in a shoulder holster under his jacket.
The man he punched tried to get up but was laid out again by a second before a third one finally knocked him out as he stepped back, arms up in a boxing stance, bobbing on the balls of his feet as he chuckled, "C'mon, wanna get back for your bitch of a leader?"
The Exotics glared as one of them spoke up, "You think you have any right to say that? You're a coward!"
"Wanna come closer?" Josue goaded, glancing around to ensure no one was going to blindside him, "I can show you how 'cowardly' I am directly." He said, raising his leg in the shin kick, he used to get the leader of these gangoons onto the floor and then beat him up with a few chairs in a bar he was playing at. Granted, they were harassing the lady serving drinks, so he thought the gangoon got off lightly.
His little gangoonlets didn't think so. "You coward!" One of them yelled as they tried to circle him as he lunged at them before stopping mid-lunge. The gangoon fell back as Josue burst into a bout of laughter, pointing at the cat Exotic as he leaned on his knees.
"Who's the coward now!?" Josue goaded as he was hunched over and held onto his knees while laughing uproariously. "You should've seen your face." He said while he straightened up and flinched, bringing both hands up, "Ah~! Hahaha!" He mocked, punctuating it with laughter as the gangoon's face flushed as he scrambled back to his feet.
"You won't be laughing once you're cut into pieces!" One of them yelled as they brandished knives, axes, and even a bow as Josue shook his head.
"Please." He said, reaching back and brandishing a bottle. "All I need is this bottle for you chumps."
"Give that back!" One of them yelled, dashing as Josue still couldn't believe how outclassed he'd have been once upon a time.
For a long while, Josue didn't like cyberware; he wasn't against it, he had a cybereye and his Interface Plugs after all, but he always prided himself on his skills and natural strength. Then Adam Smasher crushed his arm and legs, and a lot of things went out the window. He always tried to limit himself, relying more on his skill and strength for such things.
He leapt forward and stood on a hand, lashing his leg forward in a scorpion kick in a capoeira form. The axe-wielding exotic reeled before being swept off his feet by Josue's crouched form. Josue hopped up, spinning and landing a heel kick to the Exotic's chest, his cyberleg and his own strength causing them to cough as he spun off and backflipped onto his feet.
He was always a performer, even when he was a Nomad, going into dangerous areas for a copy of old music and playing it for his Family and whoever would pay him. It might have gotten him into trouble, but damn if he didn't love doing so. It's a good thing he learned capoeira, a dance-like style, but…
The other four gangoon surged forward, one of them let their arrow fly as it hit his shoulder, stabbing into the padded leather but not piercing. It was shot from a wooden bow with a wooden arrow; it's not very good, and the gangoon barely looked coherent enough to use it, probably boosted out of his mind at the moment. The other two didn't care; they just knew that he was shot with an arrow, and, usually, that hurts. A lot.
One of them swung a sword, and Josue stepped out of the way, using the base of the bottle to knock a second gangoon in the head before returning to the one who swung, shoving his shoulder against them before pushing them back. The third tried to swing at him, but he raised the bottle of alcohol in his hand the same way an exorcist would at a spirit or a Samurai fan their paraphernalia, warding off the spirit, women, and, in this case, the thug as he stops before he could break the bottle.
The one whose back he had, circled his arm around his neck, trying to choke him and stab him, while the first Exotic charged. Josue raised his legs, kicking with both feet at the first gangoon's chest and causing the one who was holding him to fall back as he rolled back and turned to the archer.
Ripping out the arrow from his jacket, he rolled, evading the next one and popping open the cork of the alcohol, before stabbing one of the gangoons in the stomach. He took a chug, drinking some of it and keeping the rest in his mouth as he used his shoulder to maneuver his newest human- well, Exotic shield, and reached for his lighter.
His shield yelped as he used the bottle to knock him over the head, knocking them out while he let go of the arrow. Dashing the final stretch, he lit his lighter and spat out the alcohol in his mouth with the lighter in front of him. A burst of flames bloomed out and covered the archer, frantically trying to put it out as he turned to the others.
"A-Arts!" They yelled as Josue rolled his eyes, "Y-You-!"
He dashed once more, kicking the inside of their knee as they fell to the other before Josue sent a knee into their face, knocking them to the floor. Finally, he knocked out the last one with a swing of the bottle.
The archer in flames continued to yell as Josue went over and knocked them out, too, with a single well-placed punch to a pressure point. He nodded to himself, looking at the chaos he wrought as he got to his favorite part.
He patted down the archer, taking his arrows and his cash, Lungmen Dollars, or LMD, as he put them away, and moved to the others. Doing the same, he took all of their cash and sellable valuables as he slipped the cork of the alcohol he had after taking a drink.
It was pretty good, all things considered.
So, of course, it had to be ruined.
"LGD, get on the ground!" Someone yelled, drones lighting up his form, while Josue sighed as men and women moved. They pointed weapons at him as he put his arms up and followed the order of the lawman.
His hands are forced behind his back, forced on the pavement with the usual roughness he was used to back home, his cheek rubbing against the pavement. One of the officers placed a knee on his spine instead of ramming it, so it's somewhat better. He could feel their probing hand as they removed his weapons, the one in his shoulder holster confiscated, his belt unbuckled, removing it to show a knife and a revolver, a Colt 'Peacemaker' on it, before forcing his Fabrica De Armas M-2012 off his back.
Slowly, he was practically stripped as all the weapons he kept hidden were revealed and forced off him until he was forced to his feet to see who was arresting him this time.
As is usual in this world, she was beautiful, but unlike the first woman that arrested him, who was stern and unrelenting like a dragon, like the horns she had, or laidback but dangerous like the green-haired oni that arrested him on his second day, this tiger was beautiful, resembling a young lady of an Exec. She had a pair of tiger ears atop her head, one being hidden by a beret, her striped orange and black tail denoting it to be a tiger's, with her brown hair curled into a pair of drills, her green eyes lit up with pride and stern disapproval.
"So, you're the one causing the ruckus?" She noted while inspecting him.
"So, you must be the pussy bitch Ch'en talks about?" Josue asked, her eyes widening before they narrowed.
"That bitch!" She yelled as he internally laughed as he was forced to his feet and into a cruiser. The door closes as he's then driven to the LGD's office. At least the donuts are pretty good.
Josue Mondragon stared at the one-way glass, separating the officers from the interrogation room, looking at his reflection as he noted how bruised his face was.
He was Latino; as such, his features were Latino, light brown skin with wide brown eyes and short curly brown hair, EMP Threading reached from the corner of his eyes and met at the bridge of his nose as he looked at the handcuffs in his hands. He could easily break out, but it isn't the third day yet. They took away his vest and jacket, along with all his holsters, so his previous statement of being armed was now a lie as he sat in a white shirt and some jeans.
With a twist of his wrist, he checked his Skinwatch and nodded. He'll wait, breaking his record of consecutive arrests with different officers. The last record was him being arrested twice in a row by different lawmen.
Slowly, he shifted his hand, revealing a paper clip. He subtly unfurled it before huffing in amusement. This is probably the last time, so he might as well be quick about it.
Meanwhile, Swire stomped through the office of the LGD, looking for the Chief as her ears and tail stuck out. When she found the room she was looking for, she burst in, "Ch'en, you bitch! What are you telling our suspects!?"
Inside, a woman with blue hair and horns atop her head peeked from behind her monitor, a derisive look on her face, "What are you talking about, Swire? Have the hardships of normal life finally gotten to your brain?"
"Afternoon, Missy." Hoshiguma, the green-haired oni, started acting as the mediator before it even started. "How was your patrol?"
"It was fine until the end." She grumbled, "A bar brawl that spilled out into an alley, someone was stabbed, the others have concussions, and they even used Arts, according to the one that woke up."
Ch'en and Hoshiguma paused as they looked up, "Arts?"
"Yeah, but he had some alcohol with him." Swire pointed out as she huffed, leaning beside Ch'en's desk. "I think he just spat some on them, and they didn't know alcohol was flammable."
"Huh," Hoshiguma said, something poking at the edge of her mind. "Is that it?"
"Well," Swire started, holding up a hand to her chin, "according to the officers, he kept complaining about the cruisers, calling them unwieldy hunks of junk, and his weapons were strange."
"Strange how?" Ch'en asked, a familiar feeling coursing through her as Swire continued.
"He had guns, but none of them had any Originium," Swire answered with a shrug, "we had one of our Sankta run a few tests on his revolver, and it wouldn't fire!" She said before rubbing her face, "Then, the other fired fine, but didn't leave any casings, and finally his last weapon smacked the Sankta in the face and sprained his wrist!"
Slowly, Ch'en's brows narrowed, and Hoshiguma chuckled as Swire tilted her head. "What's with those faces?"
"You-," Ch'en growled, getting to her feet and pointing at Hoshiguma. "Lock down everything! I don't want anyone leaving, even for their child's birth!"
"What!? Are you dumb?" Swire asked as Ch'en was already out of the office, and she followed despite being confused.
"Missy." Hoshiguma started, joining Swire, "The man you speak of has been arrested once for each day for the past two days, three now if you count today, and has escaped each time."
"Huh?" Swire asked, "That's impossible, my drone should be there in case he tries."
Hoshiguma shrugged, "Trust me, I'd know, he escaped mine and Ch'en's sights, we were the ones to arrest him the first two times, after all."
Swire blinked at that as Hoshiguma alerted the building, and she rushed into the room, just to make sure he was still there.
Ch'en was already there, tapping her forearms and huffing, while Swire noticed the officer who had been there previously wasn't there anymore. "You're here," Ch'en noted out loud while Swire noticed her drone still afloat. "I'll let you off with a warning this time since you didn't know, but look." She said, opening the door to the room as Swire peers in and pauses.
After all, the officer who was supposed to be on the other side of the one-way glass was unconscious, sitting in the chair Josue was supposed to be in, while Josue was nowhere to be found. "Hah?"
"Shit… C'mon, let's go to the evidence room and the garage." Ch'en said as Swire jerks up as she follows after Ch'en.
"I understand why he'd go to the evidence room," Swire starts before asking, "but why the garage?" Various ideas go through her mind, none of them good.
"To modify them," Ch'en answered as Swire sent her an incredulous look. "Don't look at me like that. It's been two- no, three days since he's been brought in, and the cruisers he modified on that day still haven't been cleared for use again. None of the technicians can understand exactly what he did. Just that they're running smoother than before."
"Huh?" Swire asked as Ch'en grimaced.
"Get that stupid look off your face and call your drones already!" Ch'en yelled as she turned, "I'll head to the evidence room. He's probably already grabbed his weapons, but it'll let me circle into the garage. We'll encircle him, understand?"
"Right," Swire answered, the two separating as they made their way to their respective positions. Once there, Swire brandished her flail, her drones spreading out while her voice rang out. "Come out with your hands up, you're being arrested for tampering with government property, assault, and resisting arrest!"
"Hey, what are my rights!?" Someone yelled as Swire turned in the direction of one of the cruisers, and some of them had the hood open. "How do I know how I can fight these unlawful charges against me?"
Swire bristled before making her way over, "Just make your way out, and I can assure you, you'll be treated well."
"Fuck no!" He yelled, a certain amount of vitriol in his voice that even surprised Swire. "Last time I trusted someone who said that, I was beaten to an inch of my life." Despite the worrying words he said, Swire made her way through the garage and stood in front of the entrance to the building while her drones scanned the area.
She couldn't help but notice how dark the tints on the cruisers are, not that she doesn't know they're usually pretty dark, but… they're way darker than before.
Then, a crack rang out, Swire recognizing the gunshot as the nearest car by her began to spew smoke in her direction as she leapt to the side. The smoke barely hit her as she brought a hand to her mouth.
The gunshot came from behind her as she turned, hearing the sound of footsteps as she got up. "Hey, stop right there!" She yelled while running, Josue peering out from a cruiser, a radio in hand, as he grinned.
"Well, there we go." He said, sitting back down inside the cruiser as he fiddled with the radio. Once he was done, the only thing the LGD would be able to hear if they tried to radio each other would be static. Satisfied, Josue exited the cruiser, closing the door as he opened the loading gate of his Peacemaker, removing the spent casing and loading another one before closing it. Slipping the gun into its holster, he made his way to the cruiser with the open hood, closing it before making his way to the area where Swire ran out.
Since Ch'en was now on his trail, close shaves won't cut it. He would either evade her completely or he would be found. So he had to leave then and there as he reached for his bag, stopping by a bathroom as he grabbed a pack of makeup and grabbed a uniform he swiped.
Not his biggest skill, admittedly, but hiding his notable EMP Threading was easy as he managed to make them disappear and made his skin tone lighter before slipping on some glasses. With that, he made his way out and headed towards the exit briskly, looking like a man with a bone to pick, so when Swire passed by, he performed a salute. "Miss Swire."
"At ease." She said, huffing, "I'm not Ch'en. Did you see anyone on your way here?"
"No." He continued, stiffly like an officer with a chip on his shoulder, "It's just been me, though…" he trailed off, embarrassed, "I might have had something bad for breakfast so..."
Swire nodded, "Then you're free to go to your station. Stop by the Medical Office for some stomach medicine. Ch'en wants everyone in their stations."
"Right. Thank you, Miss Swire." He said, walking off as Josue walked away, and Swire did the same, making his way to his 'position'.
He reached the reception's office, slipping off random clothes and slipping on others in the blind spots of the cameras until he resembled the civilian he is.
"You! What are you doing?" Someone asked, and Josue jumped, fidgeting.
"Er," he started, anxiously looking away as the officer seemed pissed, "I-I was here to pick something up that was stolen, and the officer leading me told me to come here."
"Detective, that's enough." One of the officers interjected, "Hoshiguma is calling you; he's a civilian, let him through."
The Detective paused before he relented with a nod. "Alright, you're right." He said before turning to Josue, while continuing. "Go ahead, or else you'll have to stay here longer."
"R-Right." Josue started, anxiously, as he made his way to the front desk and made his way out to freedom.
After cutting through the swath of Media, Josue slipped into an alley, removing the uniform before grinning. "Done." He said, looking at the things he reclaimed, as in all of his guns, his bag, the alcohol, and the knife, hidden under the uniform until he removed it. He changed into his normal uniform as he stretched.
Leather jacket back on with light armorjack vest, holsters in place, and assault rifle hidden and grenades in place, he slips into the neon alleys of Lungmen, wondering what he'll do once he gets home.
A/N: With that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you'd like to read more, check this out if you're interested, which should offer links to my FF and AO3 to read the up-to-date Neon Knight, and to support me if you're interested.
Now, for some extra info:
Reinforced Cybereye(with Hardened Shielding on the right eye).
Internal Cyberdeck.
Skin Weave.
Synthskin*(Both arms, light up tattoos)
Skinwatch*
Reinforced Cyberarm(Left arm with Realskinn over Hardened Shielding and thickened myomar strands)
Reinforced Cyberlegs(Both with Realskinn over Hardened Shielding)
Internal linear frame(Right arm)
Subdermal Grip(Right hand)
Interface Plugs.
Enhanced Antibodies(Permanent, don't cause Humanity Loss)
*Fashionware doesn't cause Humanity Loss.
Internal Cyberdeck.
Skin Weave.
Synthskin*(Both arms, light up tattoos)
Skinwatch*
Reinforced Cyberarm(Left arm with Realskinn over Hardened Shielding and thickened myomar strands)
Reinforced Cyberlegs(Both with Realskinn over Hardened Shielding)
Internal linear frame(Right arm)
Subdermal Grip(Right hand)
Interface Plugs.
Enhanced Antibodies(Permanent, don't cause Humanity Loss)
*Fashionware doesn't cause Humanity Loss.
1.2 Neon Knight
New
501aris/N0ct15
Your first time is always over so quickly, isn't it?
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2026
- Messages
- 2
- Likes received
- 5
A/N: I'll try to keep these little notes short, don't really like making them long.
Ch'en sat on her desk, pinching the space between her brows, as, for the third time, Josue Mondragon evaded capture once more, which should be impossible. This is their home turf. How did he slip out unnoticed?
What's more is that one of their uniforms is missing, so how he escaped should be obvious, but on her count, no one was wearing it, but parts of it were thrown in trash cans heading to the front desk. Then there was the gunshot that Swire heard, the only one that he's ever shot, and the empty canister of some… smoke grenade, which is impossible. Ballistics, filled with Sankta experts, couldn't identify the weapon used, other than it couldn't be the assault rifle, nor could the core be Originium. The weapon that broke the wrist of the Sankta and smacked them in the face was immediately out of the question.
The only one who was using any form of Arts in that room was Swire.
That thought scared her. Shaking her head, she returned to the reports of the officers, as some things stood out. First was Swire's interaction with an officer who, in her words, 'resembled her in bearing, standing, and attitude' and a Detective's interaction with a civilian coming to 'pick up something', which is strange since nothing was cleared to be returned to anyone.
She palmed her face and groaned, "That fucking dumbass."
At least a part of the problem has been solved, and then comes the next one. How? How was he able to fool Swire? Where did he get a gun? Where did he get good enough to walk out of the police stations he's being arrested in without raising an alarm? Especially since he didn't have any form of identification on him.
The questions continued to pile up, and the answers weren't getting smaller. She'll have to put out a warrant for his arrest. With the marks on his face, he wasn't exactly the most subtle, and with this whole debacle, she'll need to. It shouldn't be too hard; it's one man.
The sound of Wu-Tang Clan rang out within a vehicle, an unfamiliar sound to many in Terra, but one Josue was intimately familiar with via his actions as a Rockerboy.
Slowly, Josue sat on his bed in the main area of the kombi, his mind supplying the various instruments within. He stood at the tail end of the kombi, a small section cut off to act as a small bathroom and shower behind where he stood, leaving around twenty-five feet of extra room, around the size of a school bus. To his immediate right, there was a small kitchenette with a stove and a fridge of a similar size beside it. Further down, there were more tables where a Terminal rested along with the Communications Center, monitors behind the main terminal showing various angles outside, if it was turned on, among other details. There was also a different terminal for the sleeping Agent. His eyes landed on the floor, where he could see small indents on the floor where one would reach down and use them to reveal the chairs along with the mounts on the side, further beside the terminal.
To his left, on the other hand, he could see a table pulled down, hanging off the wall, revealing a multitude of tools and a workbench with other distinct things, a 3D Printer being one of them, mostly for ammunition and the like, whether it be caseless or cartridges. Beside that was his electric guitar and another heavy weapon mount, the weapons themselves hidden inside cases. Then, there was the Zonda Parallax in the middle, glinting under the light of the kombi as he ran his hand over it. He remembers working hard to be able to buy it.
Shaking his head, he inspected other things, like the gun locker by his bed, the various cases he could instinctively point out as heavy weapons he'd collected, and he could spot the Malorian he took from Adam, the event being filmed by a Media as Eran found out and offered to make him a weapon. Josue was never good at coming up with a weapon, so he opted to get the Malorian modified to fit him instead of Johnny Silverhand. Something Malour seemed a bit disappointed at, so he asked for a bow instead.
Well, he got it, the compound bow made in space uses less strength, makes virtually no sound, and has the power to pierce most armor. The Malorian 'Flyswatter', christened as such when he used it to shoot down a fly by accident. Its actual name is the Vortex, but everyone called it the Flyswatter.
Regardless, it's hung up at the moment, probably the most expensive decoration and most combat-capable weapon he has, as he stepped back and looked around more. There's something else, but he leaves it in its case since it's never been his style.
It was always something he liked doing, a sense of pride blooming from within as a Nomad, especially when it came to opening the compartments hidden within to reveal the bevy of old weapons he's found over the years and bought, practically a small armory for a small army with the ammunition to match.
Sitting down on the worktable, he returned to maintaining his weapons as he was before lying down on the bed. It was a calming thing, but it did get bothersome on occasion. He's been here for three days, has been arrested three times, has played in two bars, and has mugged at least ten different people who tried to fight him first.
It was similar to Night City; there was always someone looking for a fight, especially since he's on the outskirts. Unlike Night City, where the closer one got to the center, the higher someone's chance was to, well, die.
The outskirts of Lungmen were part of the slums; no one had the good sense to come out here, and those who lived within had the 'good sense' to stay there, since most of them were 'Infected', but some just didn't have the money or the papers to go in. As such, criminals tended to converge in the area, Josue being one such person, as the actual 'slums' looked actually livable, even for the Infected.
That said-.
He jumped, someone, slamming their fist against the side of the vehicle, supposedly camouflaged, as a voice continued, "Hey~. Tiger~."
With a frustrated groan, he made his way over and opened the door used for his heavy weapons to see the grinning mercenary otherwise known as 'W'. Beside her-. "God-. W! What'd I tell ya about bringing corpses?"
The 'corpse' groaned, and Josue sighed, "I'm not a doctor, go to a hospital or something." He said, despite reaching inside for a bag full of medical supplies as he hopped down. Reaching under the kombi, he brought out a table. "Lay him on it." He ordered as she hummed.
"You say that, but you're always so willing." She noted, doing as he said while he glared at her. Her short gray hair swayed, and her red eyes glinted in amusement with the grenade launcher behind her and the gun behind her.
"I'm serious, W, I genuinely won't be able to treat anyone else like this any time soon." He said, pointing at the gashes on the man, looking like a sword made them, slipping out the Medscanner, and scanning the man.
"Well, what're you doing with the money I give you then?" She asked as he injected an anesthetic into the horned mercenary. She grinned, keeping her distance, "Let me guess, you've been visiting one of the bordellos?"
"I can't." Josue reminded her as he spread his hand at the abandoned warehouse where his kombi is located. "Forget an anesthetic, I won't be able to get alcohol to substitute as an anesthetic without an identity. As far as anyone in Lungmen cares, I'm an immigrant, and stealing from a hospital is a good way to get everyone and their mother on your ass." He pointed out, using scissors to cut off the mercenary's clothes. Opening it to see his injuries. "Clean, whoever did this was looking to kill and knew how. Good thing too."
Slipping some surgical gloves and a mask, Josue began recalling his brief stint as a Paramedic, where, for some fucking reason, he was the only one who knew how to use most of the equipment within an ambulance. Most, not all, that came later with experience and actual Medtechs explaining things to him.
Regardless, he got to work, stitching injuries, monitoring their vitals, and making sure they're fine as he does so.
Soon, he was done, removing the gloves and throwing them in a biohazard can he keeps in case something like this happens. "He'll live." He said, bandaging the injuries as he adds, "He'll need time to recuperate the blood he lost-."
"Blah, blah, blah." W interrupted, "He's a Sarkaz-."
"And he'll die if he doesn't rest." Josue reminded her as he leaned against the opening of the kombi. "Look, W, you know I'm not the man for this. With how much you pay me, you can get anyone to patch your men up with better proficiency than I can. Go to them, private or not, anyone is better than I am."
W's eyes widened, slowly looking at him before bringing up a hand to her mouth and giggling, "Wow, I didn't know you were this naive."
Josue rolled his eyes and retorted, "And this naive dumbass is the only reason you and four other people aren't six feet under."
It was a whim, a feeling of wanting to help, that made him move to assist W, which ended up in their little situation, or the beginnings of one. Despite it being three days, W has seen him each day, the first when she woke up from her injuries, the second when she came to pay him, and today. Already, he's kind of regretting it.
"Yeah, yeah." She said, flashing a bundle of LMD at him. "Here. Your payment."
Grabbing it, he counted it and nodded. "Yup, all here. That's it, or are you looking for something else?"
"What are you, a merchant?" She asked, and Josue shrugged.
"Maybe. Depends on how I'm feeling." He responded, leaning against the opening of the vehicle. "So, what do you need?"
"Well~, if you're offering." She trailed off as she leaned in, trying to look into his kombi, only for a spark to remind her what happened last time she tried to pick her way into the kombi. "Got any explosives?"
"EMP, mines, grenades, flashbangs, smoke grenades," he listed off, turning back and showing them in his hands, "what do you need?"
Before he could answer, something hit the outside of the kombi as he cursed. "Fuck, W!"
"I thought we lost them, oh well~." She says, eyeing his explosives, almost excited. "Seems like we'll have to fight~."
"Yeah, no." He said, grabbing the mercenary and placing him inside away from the ensuing firefight, opening one of the compartments, and bringing out a Nomad 7.62 Bolt-Action rifle reminiscent of a Winchester M70. Pulling the bolt, he saw it was loaded before closing it. Grabbing some magazines, he closes the door behind him. W was beside him as she revealed an M4 rifle; she aimed and fired in bursts. It's dark out, after midnight, but nearly morning as he goes prone and aims.
Everything disappeared as he looked for a target, finding them and taking a deep breath as they stepped out, the crosshairs of the scope on his chest before it climbed up slightly.
The location of the warehouse he's in leaves a lot of buildings open to take potshots at him; it's an abandoned manufacturing plant with buildings around that allow a direct view of his warehouse. For some, being in such an area would be a horrible idea if the warehouse had any more holes. For Josue? Who's prone under his kombi with a sniper rifle and with only one way to enter or shoot in from?
A Solo he knew put it best, 'We're not surrounded, but in a target-rich environment'.
Pulling the trigger, the man's head burst as he fell. Cycling the bolt, he moved to the next target, looking through the roofs and the windows as the ones charging at him on foot paused. Josue lets the bubble pop as he releases a breath, and he hears W laugh. "Nice shot, Tiger!"
"Thanks, your aim is shit," Josue noted as a spray of ammunition forced the rival mercenaries behind cover. He spotted another sniper and swerved and fired, their head bursting and falling. "So, who are they?"
"Well~," W started, no longer firing, the sound of a magazine being replaced ringing out, "they probably didn't appreciate their warehouse of contraband being blown up."
"I wouldn't either." He added, while the buttstock of the sniper rifle hit his shoulder and took out another sniper. "I don't see any more snipers."
"I think you took them out," W noted as she stepped forward. "I think they ran."
"They'll be back…" Josue trailed off as he removed the magazine, placing another one in and opening the kombi. "Fucking 'ell, shit's been stuffed." He grumbled, sitting at the entrance.
"Those were some good shots," W noted, same grin in place. "Good gun too, you take it off someone from Laterano?"
Laterano? "I'll leave that to your imagination." He answered, his cybereye flashing blue as it scanned the area and rested the rifle over his shoulder. "What now, because I'm not gonna lie, we have someone who's injured," he starts, pointing to the man on his back, "you, and me. And I'm not sure that's enough to hold them off."
"Then, we won't," W said, as Josue turned to her in confusion. "We didn't just walk over here." She responded, extending her hand and waving them inward. Josue does so, gently picking the injured man up and depositing her in W's arms as she makes sure he's not gonna drop him. "We've got a ride. Don't worry," she said, winking at him, to his frustration, "this won't be the only time we see each other." She 'assured' him as she ran off, disappearing for a few seconds as Josue sighed.
After all, the people who attacked W were still there; they might think she's still there, so he needs to make his way around. He only has one mode of transportation, though.
He glanced at his Parallax and sighed while replacing his Peacemaker with an M1911. It's been a while since he went on a joyride. With that thought, he gets on it and revs the engine, the familiar hum of the engine calming him as it usually did.
The door opened thanks to Tlaloc, the Agent, suggesting a route as he decides to take it, after all, he'd been confined to a certain part of Lungmen due to his nature, despite being somewhat of a Rockerboy.
So, with a twist, the motorcycle flew out into the open, practically purring at a sedate pace of around fifty miles per hour, even if everything in Josue wanted to gun it to its complete three hundred miles per hour.
He weaved in and out of obstacles, slowing down to hear the enemies begin to try and get him as they call it in. To goad them, he aimed his M1911 back and fired, missing purposely as he tried to catch the casings, occasionally failing and occasionally successful as he drove off.
He could hear the hum of the cars driving after him as he waited for them to get closer before increasing the speed. Always right in front of them, never letting them catch him, not like they could.
Josue swerved into the main road of the city, taking in the sights of the neon city, not Night City, but its splendor far more… vicious, in a way. Night City is, at all times, radioactive, whereas in Lungmen, there's a chance you'll become infected and lose it all. Not to mention everything happening that Josue simply doesn't know.
Still, if he ever felt like it, he could just take to the Open Road, it's in his blood after all. For now? He'll just find out what this city has and enjoy it.
An arrow nearly hit him as Josue aimed and fired at the tires of the vehicle, their tires popping as they swerved to the side, and he cackled. A good ride always left him in a good mood, and W was a tiring woman to talk with on the best of days.
He continued looking around, enjoying the sights on a soft ride, something that the vehicles of Terra, as he's been told it's called, probably don't agree with. He could see the various buildings of Lungmen, the various places he could get in trouble with, and so much more.
Glancing back-Ah shit.
"This is the Lungmen Guard Department, pull over!" Someone in a cruiser yelled as someone on a motorcycle began closing the distance between them.
"Josue." Hoshiguma started as Josue nodded in a greeting.
"Hoshiguma, right? Good to see you again." Josue answered while leaning forward, forearms on the handles of his bike.
"The feeling is mutual, but I don't think Missy or Ch'en feels the same." Hoshiguma pointed out as Josue shrugged. "So, it'd be good if you could pull over."
"And what, get arrested?" He asked in disbelief. "I'm fine. Even if you did, I'd just come back in a few days after being exiled or whatever."
"Yeah," Hoshiguma admitted, "But Ch'en hasn't gotten a good night of sleep, and now Missy is looking to catch you."
"Really?" He asked, whistling, "Two beautiful women coming after me constantly? Sign me up." He said, revving the motorcycle.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Hoshiguma warned, patting her bike, "She can go pretty fast."
"That a challenge?" Josue asked, and Hoshiguma shook her head.
"More of a warning." She warned him as Josue shook his head.
Perfect.
While he chuckled inwardly, he began to speed up as Hoshiguma followed. The speedometer began to climb on both of the dashboards of their bikes, eighty, ninety, one hundred, as Hoshiguma followed easily. There was a slight smirk on her face as she chased after him.
It continued to climb, one hundred and ten, a hundred and twenty, a hundred and thirty. Hoshiguma is beginning to have trouble as the speedometer only continues to climb as he looks ahead.
One-forty.
One-fifty.
One-sixty.
One-eighty.
Two-hundred.
Hoshiguma desperately tried to stop him as the speedometer could go further, and Josue's blood was boiling for release.
So, he revved it, the speedometer climbing as he weaved in and out of traffic, the surroundings blurring as he pushed the bike to its utmost limit, and it purred in return. Almost as if wishing for him to go faster, to find that ceiling, break it, and continue going.
But fun can't last forever. He began to slow down, already having escaped the people after W and the Lungmen Guard Department. Slowly, he began to take in the cityscape once more at a more idle pace, driving through it as he spotted something he found interesting.
It was a scrapyard, it's fairly well-hidden too, and it's got a few cars he could see; some of them were in fairly good condition, but his interest was elsewhere. Mostly, the singular light turned on in the building as Josue led his motorcycle and turned it off, humming as he read the name. 'Scrappy's Scrap Yard'.
It was full of a bunch of interesting things, vehicles, and other appliances, while he made his way inside the gate. He ran a hand over the frame of the car, opening the hood as he noted that parts of the engine were missing, making it inoperable, but not incapable of being repaired. Closing it, he inspected inside the car and couldn't help the Nomad in him scoffing at how many good parts the Statics were wasting.
Still, he circled the car and began to realize something. He made his way to the hood and opened it again.
He could work with this. Yeah… Yeah!
Everything would have to be handmade, but Josue was a Tech for a reason. Making an engine from scratch was going to be easy, and if he could make a few rooftop gardens…
The ideas were spinning as he grinned.
Well, that was until someone put a sword to his spine. "Don't move."
Josue glanced at the glass of the windshield, spotting an old bull, a tall man with narrowed green eyes and graying hair, aging as he pointed a long sword at Josue's spine. A… Forte, if he remembered right.
Josue slowly put his hands up and asked, "So, you're Scrappy?"
The man didn't answer for a second before doing so, "Scarp. Scrappy isn't around anymore." He hissed as he lowered the sword. "So, are you looking to buy or sell?"
Slowly, Josue turned, watching the Forte in a pair of slacks and a button-up shirt, putting away the blade with ease. "Well, buy, mostly." Josue answered, looking at the car, "Though, I was wondering if we could talk inside, or wherever you'd like." He started, Josue's eyes almost glinting innocently in the night, as Scarp paused while looking at Josue for a long, long moment.
The silence stretched to uncomfortable lengths until, as Josue was about to break it, the man spoke. "Come, do you like tea or coffee?" He asked, turning and leading Josue while he thought about his answer.
"I'll have whatever you're having." He answered as Scarp nodded, leading him to the small building as he opened his home to Josue.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Check this out for more things, if you're interested.
Ch'en sat on her desk, pinching the space between her brows, as, for the third time, Josue Mondragon evaded capture once more, which should be impossible. This is their home turf. How did he slip out unnoticed?
What's more is that one of their uniforms is missing, so how he escaped should be obvious, but on her count, no one was wearing it, but parts of it were thrown in trash cans heading to the front desk. Then there was the gunshot that Swire heard, the only one that he's ever shot, and the empty canister of some… smoke grenade, which is impossible. Ballistics, filled with Sankta experts, couldn't identify the weapon used, other than it couldn't be the assault rifle, nor could the core be Originium. The weapon that broke the wrist of the Sankta and smacked them in the face was immediately out of the question.
The only one who was using any form of Arts in that room was Swire.
That thought scared her. Shaking her head, she returned to the reports of the officers, as some things stood out. First was Swire's interaction with an officer who, in her words, 'resembled her in bearing, standing, and attitude' and a Detective's interaction with a civilian coming to 'pick up something', which is strange since nothing was cleared to be returned to anyone.
She palmed her face and groaned, "That fucking dumbass."
At least a part of the problem has been solved, and then comes the next one. How? How was he able to fool Swire? Where did he get a gun? Where did he get good enough to walk out of the police stations he's being arrested in without raising an alarm? Especially since he didn't have any form of identification on him.
The questions continued to pile up, and the answers weren't getting smaller. She'll have to put out a warrant for his arrest. With the marks on his face, he wasn't exactly the most subtle, and with this whole debacle, she'll need to. It shouldn't be too hard; it's one man.
The sound of Wu-Tang Clan rang out within a vehicle, an unfamiliar sound to many in Terra, but one Josue was intimately familiar with via his actions as a Rockerboy.
Slowly, Josue sat on his bed in the main area of the kombi, his mind supplying the various instruments within. He stood at the tail end of the kombi, a small section cut off to act as a small bathroom and shower behind where he stood, leaving around twenty-five feet of extra room, around the size of a school bus. To his immediate right, there was a small kitchenette with a stove and a fridge of a similar size beside it. Further down, there were more tables where a Terminal rested along with the Communications Center, monitors behind the main terminal showing various angles outside, if it was turned on, among other details. There was also a different terminal for the sleeping Agent. His eyes landed on the floor, where he could see small indents on the floor where one would reach down and use them to reveal the chairs along with the mounts on the side, further beside the terminal.
To his left, on the other hand, he could see a table pulled down, hanging off the wall, revealing a multitude of tools and a workbench with other distinct things, a 3D Printer being one of them, mostly for ammunition and the like, whether it be caseless or cartridges. Beside that was his electric guitar and another heavy weapon mount, the weapons themselves hidden inside cases. Then, there was the Zonda Parallax in the middle, glinting under the light of the kombi as he ran his hand over it. He remembers working hard to be able to buy it.
Shaking his head, he inspected other things, like the gun locker by his bed, the various cases he could instinctively point out as heavy weapons he'd collected, and he could spot the Malorian he took from Adam, the event being filmed by a Media as Eran found out and offered to make him a weapon. Josue was never good at coming up with a weapon, so he opted to get the Malorian modified to fit him instead of Johnny Silverhand. Something Malour seemed a bit disappointed at, so he asked for a bow instead.
Well, he got it, the compound bow made in space uses less strength, makes virtually no sound, and has the power to pierce most armor. The Malorian 'Flyswatter', christened as such when he used it to shoot down a fly by accident. Its actual name is the Vortex, but everyone called it the Flyswatter.
Regardless, it's hung up at the moment, probably the most expensive decoration and most combat-capable weapon he has, as he stepped back and looked around more. There's something else, but he leaves it in its case since it's never been his style.
It was always something he liked doing, a sense of pride blooming from within as a Nomad, especially when it came to opening the compartments hidden within to reveal the bevy of old weapons he's found over the years and bought, practically a small armory for a small army with the ammunition to match.
Sitting down on the worktable, he returned to maintaining his weapons as he was before lying down on the bed. It was a calming thing, but it did get bothersome on occasion. He's been here for three days, has been arrested three times, has played in two bars, and has mugged at least ten different people who tried to fight him first.
It was similar to Night City; there was always someone looking for a fight, especially since he's on the outskirts. Unlike Night City, where the closer one got to the center, the higher someone's chance was to, well, die.
The outskirts of Lungmen were part of the slums; no one had the good sense to come out here, and those who lived within had the 'good sense' to stay there, since most of them were 'Infected', but some just didn't have the money or the papers to go in. As such, criminals tended to converge in the area, Josue being one such person, as the actual 'slums' looked actually livable, even for the Infected.
That said-.
He jumped, someone, slamming their fist against the side of the vehicle, supposedly camouflaged, as a voice continued, "Hey~. Tiger~."
With a frustrated groan, he made his way over and opened the door used for his heavy weapons to see the grinning mercenary otherwise known as 'W'. Beside her-. "God-. W! What'd I tell ya about bringing corpses?"
The 'corpse' groaned, and Josue sighed, "I'm not a doctor, go to a hospital or something." He said, despite reaching inside for a bag full of medical supplies as he hopped down. Reaching under the kombi, he brought out a table. "Lay him on it." He ordered as she hummed.
"You say that, but you're always so willing." She noted, doing as he said while he glared at her. Her short gray hair swayed, and her red eyes glinted in amusement with the grenade launcher behind her and the gun behind her.
"I'm serious, W, I genuinely won't be able to treat anyone else like this any time soon." He said, pointing at the gashes on the man, looking like a sword made them, slipping out the Medscanner, and scanning the man.
"Well, what're you doing with the money I give you then?" She asked as he injected an anesthetic into the horned mercenary. She grinned, keeping her distance, "Let me guess, you've been visiting one of the bordellos?"
"I can't." Josue reminded her as he spread his hand at the abandoned warehouse where his kombi is located. "Forget an anesthetic, I won't be able to get alcohol to substitute as an anesthetic without an identity. As far as anyone in Lungmen cares, I'm an immigrant, and stealing from a hospital is a good way to get everyone and their mother on your ass." He pointed out, using scissors to cut off the mercenary's clothes. Opening it to see his injuries. "Clean, whoever did this was looking to kill and knew how. Good thing too."
Slipping some surgical gloves and a mask, Josue began recalling his brief stint as a Paramedic, where, for some fucking reason, he was the only one who knew how to use most of the equipment within an ambulance. Most, not all, that came later with experience and actual Medtechs explaining things to him.
Regardless, he got to work, stitching injuries, monitoring their vitals, and making sure they're fine as he does so.
Soon, he was done, removing the gloves and throwing them in a biohazard can he keeps in case something like this happens. "He'll live." He said, bandaging the injuries as he adds, "He'll need time to recuperate the blood he lost-."
"Blah, blah, blah." W interrupted, "He's a Sarkaz-."
"And he'll die if he doesn't rest." Josue reminded her as he leaned against the opening of the kombi. "Look, W, you know I'm not the man for this. With how much you pay me, you can get anyone to patch your men up with better proficiency than I can. Go to them, private or not, anyone is better than I am."
W's eyes widened, slowly looking at him before bringing up a hand to her mouth and giggling, "Wow, I didn't know you were this naive."
Josue rolled his eyes and retorted, "And this naive dumbass is the only reason you and four other people aren't six feet under."
It was a whim, a feeling of wanting to help, that made him move to assist W, which ended up in their little situation, or the beginnings of one. Despite it being three days, W has seen him each day, the first when she woke up from her injuries, the second when she came to pay him, and today. Already, he's kind of regretting it.
"Yeah, yeah." She said, flashing a bundle of LMD at him. "Here. Your payment."
Grabbing it, he counted it and nodded. "Yup, all here. That's it, or are you looking for something else?"
"What are you, a merchant?" She asked, and Josue shrugged.
"Maybe. Depends on how I'm feeling." He responded, leaning against the opening of the vehicle. "So, what do you need?"
"Well~, if you're offering." She trailed off as she leaned in, trying to look into his kombi, only for a spark to remind her what happened last time she tried to pick her way into the kombi. "Got any explosives?"
"EMP, mines, grenades, flashbangs, smoke grenades," he listed off, turning back and showing them in his hands, "what do you need?"
Before he could answer, something hit the outside of the kombi as he cursed. "Fuck, W!"
"I thought we lost them, oh well~." She says, eyeing his explosives, almost excited. "Seems like we'll have to fight~."
"Yeah, no." He said, grabbing the mercenary and placing him inside away from the ensuing firefight, opening one of the compartments, and bringing out a Nomad 7.62 Bolt-Action rifle reminiscent of a Winchester M70. Pulling the bolt, he saw it was loaded before closing it. Grabbing some magazines, he closes the door behind him. W was beside him as she revealed an M4 rifle; she aimed and fired in bursts. It's dark out, after midnight, but nearly morning as he goes prone and aims.
Everything disappeared as he looked for a target, finding them and taking a deep breath as they stepped out, the crosshairs of the scope on his chest before it climbed up slightly.
The location of the warehouse he's in leaves a lot of buildings open to take potshots at him; it's an abandoned manufacturing plant with buildings around that allow a direct view of his warehouse. For some, being in such an area would be a horrible idea if the warehouse had any more holes. For Josue? Who's prone under his kombi with a sniper rifle and with only one way to enter or shoot in from?
A Solo he knew put it best, 'We're not surrounded, but in a target-rich environment'.
Pulling the trigger, the man's head burst as he fell. Cycling the bolt, he moved to the next target, looking through the roofs and the windows as the ones charging at him on foot paused. Josue lets the bubble pop as he releases a breath, and he hears W laugh. "Nice shot, Tiger!"
"Thanks, your aim is shit," Josue noted as a spray of ammunition forced the rival mercenaries behind cover. He spotted another sniper and swerved and fired, their head bursting and falling. "So, who are they?"
"Well~," W started, no longer firing, the sound of a magazine being replaced ringing out, "they probably didn't appreciate their warehouse of contraband being blown up."
"I wouldn't either." He added, while the buttstock of the sniper rifle hit his shoulder and took out another sniper. "I don't see any more snipers."
"I think you took them out," W noted as she stepped forward. "I think they ran."
"They'll be back…" Josue trailed off as he removed the magazine, placing another one in and opening the kombi. "Fucking 'ell, shit's been stuffed." He grumbled, sitting at the entrance.
"Those were some good shots," W noted, same grin in place. "Good gun too, you take it off someone from Laterano?"
Laterano? "I'll leave that to your imagination." He answered, his cybereye flashing blue as it scanned the area and rested the rifle over his shoulder. "What now, because I'm not gonna lie, we have someone who's injured," he starts, pointing to the man on his back, "you, and me. And I'm not sure that's enough to hold them off."
"Then, we won't," W said, as Josue turned to her in confusion. "We didn't just walk over here." She responded, extending her hand and waving them inward. Josue does so, gently picking the injured man up and depositing her in W's arms as she makes sure he's not gonna drop him. "We've got a ride. Don't worry," she said, winking at him, to his frustration, "this won't be the only time we see each other." She 'assured' him as she ran off, disappearing for a few seconds as Josue sighed.
After all, the people who attacked W were still there; they might think she's still there, so he needs to make his way around. He only has one mode of transportation, though.
He glanced at his Parallax and sighed while replacing his Peacemaker with an M1911. It's been a while since he went on a joyride. With that thought, he gets on it and revs the engine, the familiar hum of the engine calming him as it usually did.
The door opened thanks to Tlaloc, the Agent, suggesting a route as he decides to take it, after all, he'd been confined to a certain part of Lungmen due to his nature, despite being somewhat of a Rockerboy.
So, with a twist, the motorcycle flew out into the open, practically purring at a sedate pace of around fifty miles per hour, even if everything in Josue wanted to gun it to its complete three hundred miles per hour.
He weaved in and out of obstacles, slowing down to hear the enemies begin to try and get him as they call it in. To goad them, he aimed his M1911 back and fired, missing purposely as he tried to catch the casings, occasionally failing and occasionally successful as he drove off.
He could hear the hum of the cars driving after him as he waited for them to get closer before increasing the speed. Always right in front of them, never letting them catch him, not like they could.
Josue swerved into the main road of the city, taking in the sights of the neon city, not Night City, but its splendor far more… vicious, in a way. Night City is, at all times, radioactive, whereas in Lungmen, there's a chance you'll become infected and lose it all. Not to mention everything happening that Josue simply doesn't know.
Still, if he ever felt like it, he could just take to the Open Road, it's in his blood after all. For now? He'll just find out what this city has and enjoy it.
An arrow nearly hit him as Josue aimed and fired at the tires of the vehicle, their tires popping as they swerved to the side, and he cackled. A good ride always left him in a good mood, and W was a tiring woman to talk with on the best of days.
He continued looking around, enjoying the sights on a soft ride, something that the vehicles of Terra, as he's been told it's called, probably don't agree with. He could see the various buildings of Lungmen, the various places he could get in trouble with, and so much more.
Glancing back-Ah shit.
"This is the Lungmen Guard Department, pull over!" Someone in a cruiser yelled as someone on a motorcycle began closing the distance between them.
"Josue." Hoshiguma started as Josue nodded in a greeting.
"Hoshiguma, right? Good to see you again." Josue answered while leaning forward, forearms on the handles of his bike.
"The feeling is mutual, but I don't think Missy or Ch'en feels the same." Hoshiguma pointed out as Josue shrugged. "So, it'd be good if you could pull over."
"And what, get arrested?" He asked in disbelief. "I'm fine. Even if you did, I'd just come back in a few days after being exiled or whatever."
"Yeah," Hoshiguma admitted, "But Ch'en hasn't gotten a good night of sleep, and now Missy is looking to catch you."
"Really?" He asked, whistling, "Two beautiful women coming after me constantly? Sign me up." He said, revving the motorcycle.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Hoshiguma warned, patting her bike, "She can go pretty fast."
"That a challenge?" Josue asked, and Hoshiguma shook her head.
"More of a warning." She warned him as Josue shook his head.
Perfect.
While he chuckled inwardly, he began to speed up as Hoshiguma followed. The speedometer began to climb on both of the dashboards of their bikes, eighty, ninety, one hundred, as Hoshiguma followed easily. There was a slight smirk on her face as she chased after him.
It continued to climb, one hundred and ten, a hundred and twenty, a hundred and thirty. Hoshiguma is beginning to have trouble as the speedometer only continues to climb as he looks ahead.
One-forty.
One-fifty.
One-sixty.
One-eighty.
Two-hundred.
Hoshiguma desperately tried to stop him as the speedometer could go further, and Josue's blood was boiling for release.
So, he revved it, the speedometer climbing as he weaved in and out of traffic, the surroundings blurring as he pushed the bike to its utmost limit, and it purred in return. Almost as if wishing for him to go faster, to find that ceiling, break it, and continue going.
But fun can't last forever. He began to slow down, already having escaped the people after W and the Lungmen Guard Department. Slowly, he began to take in the cityscape once more at a more idle pace, driving through it as he spotted something he found interesting.
It was a scrapyard, it's fairly well-hidden too, and it's got a few cars he could see; some of them were in fairly good condition, but his interest was elsewhere. Mostly, the singular light turned on in the building as Josue led his motorcycle and turned it off, humming as he read the name. 'Scrappy's Scrap Yard'.
It was full of a bunch of interesting things, vehicles, and other appliances, while he made his way inside the gate. He ran a hand over the frame of the car, opening the hood as he noted that parts of the engine were missing, making it inoperable, but not incapable of being repaired. Closing it, he inspected inside the car and couldn't help the Nomad in him scoffing at how many good parts the Statics were wasting.
Still, he circled the car and began to realize something. He made his way to the hood and opened it again.
He could work with this. Yeah… Yeah!
Everything would have to be handmade, but Josue was a Tech for a reason. Making an engine from scratch was going to be easy, and if he could make a few rooftop gardens…
The ideas were spinning as he grinned.
Well, that was until someone put a sword to his spine. "Don't move."
Josue glanced at the glass of the windshield, spotting an old bull, a tall man with narrowed green eyes and graying hair, aging as he pointed a long sword at Josue's spine. A… Forte, if he remembered right.
Josue slowly put his hands up and asked, "So, you're Scrappy?"
The man didn't answer for a second before doing so, "Scarp. Scrappy isn't around anymore." He hissed as he lowered the sword. "So, are you looking to buy or sell?"
Slowly, Josue turned, watching the Forte in a pair of slacks and a button-up shirt, putting away the blade with ease. "Well, buy, mostly." Josue answered, looking at the car, "Though, I was wondering if we could talk inside, or wherever you'd like." He started, Josue's eyes almost glinting innocently in the night, as Scarp paused while looking at Josue for a long, long moment.
The silence stretched to uncomfortable lengths until, as Josue was about to break it, the man spoke. "Come, do you like tea or coffee?" He asked, turning and leading Josue while he thought about his answer.
"I'll have whatever you're having." He answered as Scarp nodded, leading him to the small building as he opened his home to Josue.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Check this out for more things, if you're interested.