Cyberpunk - The Fall of Icarus

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Not wasting a second, I closed the distance between myself and the mercenary, delivering a downward strike with all my strength. The impact left a noticeable dent in his body. He tried to retaliate, swinging wildly, but something stopped him, and he suddenly collapsed onto his back.

As the cyberpunk hit the ground, my attention shifted to a security guard aiming a weapon at me. Using the ballistic calculator embedded in my bracer, I quickly calculated the trajectory of the likely shot and rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a burst of gunfire. Rising to my feet, I turned toward the source of the shot and saw another punk sprawled in the doorway, clutching desperately at the gaping wound in his neck.

Turning back to the convulsing borg, I stepped closer and delivered a crushing punch to his chest. The force from my power gloves, amplified by my inhuman strength, left a small crater beneath his body. His chest armor crumpled inward, unable to withstand the blow. No matter how resilient the borg might have been, these injuries were a death sentence. His hand weakly reached toward me as if to speak, but I wasn't interested in any last words. I ended it with a single shot to his eye.

"Protect the civilians. I'll deal with the ones outside," I barked at the men who had approached, momentarily dropping out of my acceleration state.

They didn't respond verbally, but they heeded my words, cautiously surrounding the downed borg. Without wasting more time, I sprinted outside, scanning the area with a quick, practiced glance. A handful of gang members lingered, assessing the situation, but they wisely chose to retreat. Chasing them down wasn't worth it, so I turned back, stepping over the body of the punk who had been clutching his throat.

As I re-entered the restaurant, my eyes immediately went to our table. Lucy and Roxy were safe, sitting next to Vega, who looked calm and composed. Kiwi was absent from the group, but a quick sweep of the room revealed her. She was tending to a young woman who had been shot earlier.

"How many casualties?" I asked one of the security guards, who was observing Kiwi as she worked.

"Thanks to your intervention, only three people were injured. Fortunately, they're all alive. Trauma Team has promised to arrive within minutes, so I'd advise you to return to your table to avoid causing them any stress," the guard responded politely, dipping his head slightly in respect.

"Kiwi, do you need help?" I called out to her as she injected a regenerative serum into the injured woman.

"Two waiters are also wounded, but their injuries seem minor," Kiwi replied with a shrug, briefly glancing over her shoulder.

"We'll be fine. Thank you for your concern," said one of the waiters behind her, bowing slightly as he held his injured arm.

"Well, so much for a peaceful outing," I sighed heavily, heading back to my companions.

The thrill of the fight was fading, replaced by the realization that what was meant to be a simple family outing had turned into a full-blown firefight. All I could think was how utterly exhausting Night City could be.

***

"Not injured?" I asked gently, scanning the girls for any signs of harm.

"No, Dad. We're okay," Lucy answered, her voice a little shaky.

"They're stressed, no doubt about it. I need to calm them down somehow." Without much thought, I pulled both girls into a tight hug, settling them beside me. They wasted no time wrapping their arms around me, pressing their faces into my sides to shut out the outside world.

"Vega, was it you who hacked the mercs?" I turned to the blonde, who had been silent until now.

"No, I was just holding back their netrunner. They handled the rest themselves," Vega replied with a soft smile, winking at the two pairs of curious eyes peeking out from their hiding spots.

"I see… Thanks for your help." I placed my hands on the girls' heads, gently ruffling their hair.

"Mm-hmm," Lucy murmured softly, not resisting my affectionate gesture in her usual stoic way.

"This is Trauma Team. Please step away from the client," a loud voice barked as a corporate paramilitary unit stormed into the room, swiftly taking control of the space.

"I administered a dose of second-tier regenerator and stopped the bleeding," Kiwi said calmly, raising her hands as she stepped away to avoid provoking the heavily armed medics, who were always on edge.

"Thank you for your assistance, ma'am. The corporation will compensate for the damages," one of the Trauma Team medics responded after a quick scan of the patient's vitals via her personal port. Satisfied that she was stable, they lifted her onto a stretcher and carried her toward the exit.

How they planned to compensate anyone wasn't clear, but if the corporation truly wanted to, finding us wouldn't be hard. Honestly, we weren't exactly hiding. Most of Arroyo already knew about our clinic, and at this rate, it wouldn't be long before the rest of Night City did too.

Not long after the Trauma Team left, the police arrived. MaxTac — the city's elite police unit — stormed in, commanding everyone to freeze. The restaurant's security guard intercepted them, spending a tense minute explaining the situation. Eventually, the officers calmed down and stopped scanning everyone in the room as a potential threat.

"Sir," one of the MaxTac officers said, turning to me, "as someone directly involved in the incident, we require your statement for our records." He paused, and a voice issued from his helmet: "Recording, file number 2421."

After a series of clarifying questions, I felt drained, like a squeezed lemon. It took every ounce of effort to avoid saying too much. Honestly, I hadn't wanted to get involved in the first place, but the cyberpsycho had made it clear that staying uninvolved wasn't an option.

"Thank you for your cooperation," the officer said abruptly, his tone shifting to something unexpected. "Have you ever considered working for the Night City Police Department? We could use skilled operatives like you."

"Thanks, but no," I replied, offering a polite smile as I delivered my refusal. "I'm quite satisfied with my current line of work."

"Understood. In that case, sorry for the inconvenience. Team, pack it up. Let the cleanup crew handle the rest," the officer said before turning on his heel and leading his squad out.

"What a crazy day," Kiwi muttered, letting out a deep sigh as she slumped back into her seat.

"So much for a family day off," I grumbled, running a hand down my face to temper the frustration bubbling within. "Waiter, the check, please." I gestured to the same server who had attended us earlier.

"Sir, we've been contacted by management, and they've instructed us to extend their sincerest apologies. Additionally, your meal — " The waiter began, but I raised my hand to cut him off mid-sentence.

"The check, please," I repeated firmly.

The young man hesitated before shaking his head, signaling that the meal had already been covered.

"In that case," I said with a small nod, "thank you for the delicious food."

***

September 3, 2066

Alex Mitchel (Volkov) POV

"This is Nancy Hartley, bringing you the latest on Channel 54 News. Additional details have emerged regarding last week's incident at the 'Thousand Miles' restaurant in central Night City. The orchestrated chaos aimed to create a violent scene with mass casualties, ultimately tarnishing the restaurant's reputation. Thankfully, due to the active intervention of certain patrons present at the time, a tragedy was averted.

"Unfortunately, we cannot reveal further materials regarding the identities or appearances of those who thwarted the attack, but I've managed to uncover some exclusive details. Those interested can find more on my personal Samurai group page.

"Additionally, the names of all involved perpetrators have been released, and the police are actively pursuing remaining gang members. The NCPD urges the public to assist in locating Lyra Kenwood, Martin Kennedy, and Vadim Kinski."

"Well, a week of coverage is longer than I'd hoped," I muttered, switching off the holoprojector in my workshop and leaning back in my chair.

"What now?" Kiwi asked, her gaze fixed expectantly on me.

"Nothing," I said, closing my eyes for a moment. "They'll chew on the story for another week or two at most, then it'll blow over. Thankfully, Galina had the right connections in the department. Most of the sensitive information's been scrubbed clean, and what's left will keep the public gawkers satisfied with their voyeuristic tendencies. Sure, it cost me a decent chunk — 15,000 eddies — but it's a small price to pay for keeping a low profile. Wako helped too, of course. She's not about to let her golden goose wander around unprotected."

"So, no need to worry?" Kiwi asked, casually plopping herself onto my lap and resting her head on my shoulder.

"Attention's been drawn, no doubt about that, but I doubt it's enough to pique anyone's interest upstairs."

"I hope you're right," she murmured, brushing her fingers gently along my cheek, her tone soft but laced with concern.