Cyberpunk 2077: Hyper Light Drifter

COUGH COUGH 

Lei leaned against the wall while experiencing a small episode. Nothing she couldn't handle. There's been worse. Blood seeped through the fingers covering her mouth and dripped onto the floor. 

As soon as the red liquid touched the ground, it would glitch into ones and zeroes, disappearing like an anomaly. Scattering like pixels. It was fortunate that nobody was there to notice…well besides the crackheads and junkies. 

'Can't wait to have a body. I'd rather not live on the Net for eternity.' Johnny commented.

'Do you know if you were buried or not?' Lei asked mentally.

'We can always ask Rogue.'

'...So you don't know. Alright.' 

'Are you being a bitch right now? Or is this just you?'

'Relax. Just let me die for a moment.' 

Lei gasped for breath as she let the feeling run its course. Her heart sleeve and breather definitely helped a lot, slowing down the rate of these moments…but that didn't mean it was gone. Five more minutes went by before the merc could stand up straight again. 

As she reached her full height, slight differences in her gear were revealed. There was less…weight…to her clothing. Wearing only a skin-tight black nanoweave suit, her feminine figure was emphasized much better under the cloak. Silver plated shin guards, another thin silver plate over the toe section of her heeled combat boots. Silver armguards, a collar guard, and a holstered Burya on her left thigh to finish.

Not too much protection but the cloak and plating would have to do. The previous gear was beginning to feel too heavy, as Lei's physical strength grew weaker. Not to say she was getting worse overall. It would just bite at her stamina a bit more. Therefore, this was the solution. 

"You okay?" A feminine voice spoke up. 

Lei, who was wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, jumped up. A young Korean woman stood beside her. Black hair with purple highlights stopped at her shoulders. It was a smooth cut with sharp angles. What made it weird was that she wasn't real. She was a hologram. 

"......................" 

The sickly girl spit out one more glob of blood before equipping her breather. A fully purified breath of air was inhaled and the exhaled air was filtered through the machine, reverberating across the alley. The Korean woman raised an eyebrow. 

"I see."

"...You must be Songbird." Loralei guessed.

"The one and only."

'She doesn't look like much. Probably a netrunner.' Johnny commented. Songbird turned to Johnny and nodded. 

"Correct."

'Oh shit, she can hear me?'

"I can hear you. Drifter, you can speak with me the same way you speak to him."

'Mentally, you mean.' Lei tested her statement. Songbird nodded again. 

'Yes, I connected to your neural link for this.' She revealed. Drifter immediately frowned. 

'How? Nobody should be able to breach my systems from afar.'

'A scrambling device can't stop the Blackwall.' Another revelation. Loralei couldn't help but rub her temples. 

'So this is what you meant. We've both gone past the Blackwall, though you use it like a weapon. Pretty dangerous…To everyone.'

'Very dangerous…but I have no choice.'

'No choice my ass. You're a walking nuclear bomb to Night City.' Johnny spoke up. Songbird frowned at the man. 

'One problem with me connecting to the neural link. Two projections at once is overloading your link. Sorry.' 

The Korean woman touched her ear, making Johnny disappear. This caused Loralei to get a bit irritated. She didn't like people fucking around within her own systems.

'He's fine, he can still hear you. Just can't talk.'

'...Well? Let's talk.'

There was a moment of silence as Lei waited to hear what this woman wanted to speak about. After a few seconds, Songbird shook her head. She then gestured to the surroundings. 

'Not here. Let's get you in Dogtown first.'

'Why? Can talk just fine right here.'

'I know that you don't trust me. Just hear me out first.'

'...Haven't answered the question.' Lei commented. 

As she stepped out of the alleyway, she turned to see the large walls that separated Dogtown from the rest of the city. Barghest soldiers were everywhere. Each of them wore military-grade gear covered in green spray paint. A long line of civilians were waiting at an entryway. It was basically a border checkpoint. Minotaurs and drones everywhere.

'I'm running out of time, Drifter.'

'Meaning?' Lei countered.

'I'm on a plane. It's been hacked, and is projected to crashland within Dogtown's borders.'

'Woah…Was it bad luck?' Hearing the question, Songbird smiled.

'Maybe. But it gets worse. The plane is Space Force One. I'm sitting with the president of the New United States of America. Rosalind Myers.'

'...And?'

'The president. Of the city you're in right now…'

'Okay…' Lei didn't give a reaction. Eyes still empty. Songbird couldn't help but frown. 

'Ummm…I'm serious. You're my only contact on the ground.'

'I believe you.'

'Then you just don't care.' 

'No. Aren't you a netrunner? Just hack it back.'

'I would need more time than I have. So you're just gonna let me die?'

'...I could.'

'I know about your illness. Your vitals are right here. I can get a cure with the Blackwall at my disposal.'

'Relax, Songbird. I'm just fucking with you.' Lei joked.

'You weren't. Not until I gave you incentive.'

'I really doubt you can cure me. You don't know the half of it.'

'Is it not worth trying? What if I can?'

'What if you can't?' 

'Then I'll find another way to pay you back.'

'...Siiigh.'

'Is that a yes? I need you, Drifter.'

Lei shook her head and walked to the back of the line. Songbird followed close behind. Wearing a black Netrunner suit under her jacket, the masked girl thought this Korean girl looked quite cute. Unfortunately, Lei forgot she was linked in mentally.

'I see.' Songbird commented.

'...You heard nothing. So are you just walking me in?'

'Not unless you have clearance to get past the checkpoint.'

'Is it something special?'

'Yes. Or you had to already be a Dogtown citizen.'

'Then no. I don't have clearance.'

'Let's find another way then.' Songbird commented before disappearing. 

About five minutes passed as Lei waited in line. The checkpoint was extremely slow and thorough. Made sure everyone wasn't a threat to those within. Definitely professional…but now it was an obstacle. Annoying.

It took another few minutes before Songbird returned. The hologram pointed to a specific area. Looking over, a slightly open garage door could be seen behind the checkpoint. 

'There's our way in. It brings us underground through an abandoned path.' She declared. 

'................'

The masked merc didn't waste another second. Time slowed to a crawl as Lei jumped on top of a military jeep, leapt on top of the weapon scanner, flipped over several soldiers and rolled under the garage door. 

She was in. Time returned to its normal speed. Due to the overwhelming stimuli, Songbird groaned. Only then did she close the garage door with her remote hacking. 

'You move fast. Faster than a Sandevistan. Arghh…Please tell me in advance next time so I can turn off the sensory link.' The Korean woman complained. 

Ignoring the complaint, Lei observed the vast darkness ahead. A few steps forward was a bottomless pit. It looked like an abyss. Directly above were elevated platforms connected to walls and pillars. It seemed that the play was to climb higher. 

'This doesn't look promising.' The drifter commented.

'A skyscraper was planned to be constructed here. That's why they dug so deep underground. Also why these platforms are here. Everything is pretty old, so watch your step.' Songbird responded. 

And so the long trek began. Careful jumps and light steps were the way to go this time around. Lei casually strolled across a platform that started breaking apart. A few more seconds and it would collapse into the abyss below. 

Not even caring, she lazily stepped onto a nearby rafter. Then she started to figure out her next direction to reach higher up. As this went on, the two women were conversing. 

'So you want me to save you from the plane?' Lei asked. Songbird shook her head.

'No. I'll be fine. I want you to save the president. All of Barghest will be coming after her once the plane crashes.' 

'I didn't come here for the president. I came here for you.'

'Yes…I know. We'll have a long talk about the Blackwall and how I can help. But first-'

'But first help me while I move you around to get what I want.' Lei interrupted. Songbird grew silent. 

'........................'

'I've dealt with your kind before. Smoke and mirrors, all of you.' The drifter stated.

'Drifter-'

'The longer you string me along, the quicker I bail. Remember that.'

'It's not like that! Damnit, just listen to me…we're both going through similar shit. Can't we connect over that? You carry yourself with confidence. I see it in the way you walk, talk, and act. I know you have skill.'

'Exposing myself to the president of all people is a quick way to a dead end, Songbird.'

'She'll be indebted to you. Especially if you're as skilled as I'm starting to think you are. Just the way you snuck past the checkpoint. You made it look too easy.'

'Changing your plans since I'm not an easy target?' Lei mocked. 

The merc didn't like it when she didn't have the full picture or all of the info at hand. Especially since there was a bounty on her head. Loralei didn't expect Songbird to know about Las Vegas. Well…at least not know it was her. Not until she used her beam saber.

'No! Drifter, stop doing that! Stop making me out like that! Stop it! Please…Damnit!' The Korean woman started to get frustrated.

'Fine. We'll leave it at that for now.'

There was a long stretch of silence as Lei parkoured her way to the top of this empty plot. After more than a few masterful maneuvers, she landed at the end of a collapsing path. Another garage was ahead, and it seemed like this is where she needed to go. With a loud creak, the contraption started to move. Courtesy of Songbird.

'...If I have to get on my knees and beg you…I will.' She finally spoke after about 20 minutes. 

'I'd like to see that. It would make me feel quite good.' Lei quipped.

'Good…like emotionally? Sexually?'

'Both.'

'So my begging will get you off. How fucked up are you?

'Not a single person in Night City isn't fucked up. My kinks are quite tame, don't you think?'

'Still weird but…sure. Until I find out some crazy shit you did in the past.'

'Well in that case…I'm beyond saving.' Lei admitted. 

Songbird would make the Las Vegas connection as soon as there was a battle. What mattered was what would happen afterwards. Loralei didn't know. Would this young woman turn into an enemy? Future betrayal? 

'I'm curious now. Gonna tell me, or do I have to look you up?'

'You should just drop it and focus on the task at hand.' Lei suggested. 

'So I have to look you up. Got it.'