Cyberpunk: I'm Not a Scavenger - Chapter 22: Robbery (Patreon)

The sun was setting, and the sky was growing dark.

In the parking lot beside Redwood Street Psychiatric Hospital, Shinya Suzuki stared at his brand-new car, now covered in graffiti. He was shaking with rage, his eyes bloodshot.

"Those filthy paupers! I'll kill them!"

Someone had sprayed a huge fluorescent middle finger across the windshield of his previously stylish Quadra Turbo-R V-Tech. The finger had a bizarre shape that was somehow even more insulting. The rest of the car was covered in filthy street slang.

"Where the hell is security?! Are they all dead?!"

As a relative of the hospital director, Suzuki had never considered the other employees worthy of his attention. Saying he looked down his nose at people hardly did his arrogance justice. He wasn't much to look at, either, and his foul mouth had made him thoroughly unpopular.

He wanted to go back and yell at the guards, but he couldn't bear the thought of everyone finding out and laughing at him. So he swallowed his anger and cleaned the car himself. After all that effort, it was barely fit to drive, and plenty of marks remained if anyone looked closely.

"Baka! Baka! When I catch you, I'll put you in the electric chair!"

Muttering to himself about the things he'd do to the culprits, Suzuki floored the accelerator and tore out of the parking lot.

He failed to notice that one of the security cameras had already turned to follow him, its indicator blinking a faint red.

"Target confirmed. White lab coat. Access card is most likely in his right pocket."

"Copy. Time for the show."

Suzuki's early finish to the workday had completely lost its appeal. All he wanted was to reach his club and vent his frustration.

He drove out of Santo Domingo, crossed the bridge over the sea, and entered Heywood. As he turned left at an intersection, several sharp gunshots sounded ahead.

Pulling over, he leaned out to investigate. A line of Valentinos vehicles blocked the road, with the gang facing off against another group in the middle of the street.

Fuck! Those damned gangsters. Filthy lowlifes!

Suzuki cursed them inwardly, but that was as far as his courage went. He had no intention of confronting them.

He turned around impatiently and took a secluded side road. The pavement was terrible, and the route passed through an underground tunnel notorious for its poor signal reception.

He wasn't concerned. His car had an alarm, and he held a Platinum membership with Trauma Team. If anyone injured him, a rescue squad would arrive in under ten minutes.

In fact, he almost hoped someone would try something. He'd just installed a new combat chip and hadn't had a chance to test it.

The tunnel's ceiling lights were falling apart. It looked as though nobody had maintained them in years, and the roadway was unusually dark.

Then a warning sign came into view. Its glaring red and blue lights flashed incessantly, making his eyes ache.

A short distance beyond it, a battered Archer Hella EC-D stood across the road, its hood half raised and white smoke pouring from the engine.

Jackie, wearing a disguise, was bent over the front of the car, pretending to work on it with a wrench. He cursed constantly, looking every inch a driver having the worst day of his life.

"Fuck! Did I step in dog shit when I left home? Everyone can go to hell!"

Suzuki leaned on the horn. The shrill noise echoed down the tunnel, but the man by the car didn't even look up.

First someone had vandalized his new car. Then he'd run into a gang standoff. Now some broke bastard with a wreck for a car had the nerve to block his way!

The succession of insults finally pushed him over the edge. He kicked open the door, grabbed a short baton, and stormed toward Jackie.

Suzuki regarded himself as a member of high society and hadn't installed much cyberware. But he worked out regularly. Surely he could handle some penniless street rat who couldn't even afford a decent meal.

He was going to teach the bum a lesson and enjoy every second of it.

"Asshole! Who told you to park this thing here?!"

Without waiting for an answer, he swung his baton into the car window. The sound of breaking glass improved his mood enormously.

"Do you know whose way you're blocking? I can have you and this piece of junk hauled straight to the scrapyard!"

He raised his baton again, this time aiming for Jackie's head. Before he could swing, Jackie caught his wrist in an iron grip.

Jackie straightened up, revealing the massive build the car had concealed. Suzuki stared at the dangerous-looking man towering a full head above him and swallowed hard.

For the first time, he sensed something was wrong.

He glanced at his signal indicator. Normally this tunnel gave him at least one bar. Today, there was nothing.

"S-sumimasen! I'll pay for the damage. Just let me get the money from my car."

He bowed repeatedly and backed away, slowly slipping a hand toward his pocket.

"Keep your hand where I can see it."

A cold, electronically distorted voice spoke from behind him. A hard metal gun barrel pressed against the back of his skull.

"Hey, boss. How about lending us boys a little spending money?"

Suzuki nearly burst into tears. He'd rather have had something else pressed against him than a gun.

"Hand over everything valuable. Watch, sunglasses, wallet. Move it!"

The robber raised his voice.

"Take your clothes off, too! Don't try anything!"

Suzuki hurriedly removed his watch and wallet. At Pantheon's order, he reluctantly took off his lab coat, then began removing the rest.

Jackie accepted the coat, fished the access card out of its pocket, and discreetly signaled to Pantheon.

Pantheon had just started to relax when he noticed Suzuki reaching for his trousers.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Easy, man. If that's what you're after, I'll cooperate!"

All his life, Suzuki had been the one pursuing others. Now the tables had turned. He was embarrassed, but to his own surprise, he was also feeling a strange thrill.

"Who the fuck told you to take off your pants?!"

Pantheon was at the end of his rope. Night City really was far too depraved!

Oh, so that's what he meant. Suzuki nodded in sudden understanding.

He crouched slowly and reached for Pantheon's thigh.

Pantheon couldn't take another second. He kicked Suzuki flat on his back and turned toward the Quadra.

"Don't take the car! I just bought it on credit!"

Suzuki reached helplessly toward the retreating robber, unable to stop him.

"Netrunner, unlock this car."

As much as the man disgusted him, Pantheon climbed into the car to keep up the appearance of a genuine robbery. Perhaps Suzuki had gotten into his head, but he could have sworn there was a strange smell inside.

"Got it."

Lucy wasn't even trying to hide her laughter.

If an ordinary car was a lump of coal, this Quadra Turbo-R V-Tech was a diamond. Even Pantheon, now thoroughly prejudiced against its owner, had to admit it.

Jackie closed the Archer Hella's hood, tossed the still-smoking smoke grenade onto the ground beside Suzuki, and got behind the wheel. Then he drove away.

Shinya Suzuki was left sprawled on the roadway, weeping as the taillights vanished.

"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Even now, he believed he'd been the victim of an ordinary roadside robbery. He had no idea what sort of surprise the missing access card would bring him.