"WHAT ABOUT YOU? YOU GOT YOUR HEAD BLOWN OFF? SURELY YOU CAN HELP HER NOW!?" Maine desperately demands, still applying pressure to the rapidly paling Dorio.
"M-my shit doesn't work like that... It's a personal implant..." Ori breathily utters. He'd questioned the nanites but they were useless here, to work outside his body they had to be in contact or in the immediate vicinity of the Injector, even if he did Inject them into Dorio they'd need to do a full body scan in order to not immediately kill her.
Despite acting as a single consciousness, the nanites were singular existences, from their point of view he'd essentially be throwing them into a minefield and told to fix a single defective mine within a ten-mile radius. They'd be more likely to liquefy her organs than heal her.
"YOU LYING SACK'A SHIT! YOU JUST DON'T WANT NONE OF US IN ON THAT CHROME YOU GOT, AIN'T THAT IT!?" he angrily accuses in response to Ori's refusal. "DON'T THINK I FORGOT WHO'S FUCKIN' FAUL IT IS THAT GOT US IN THIS MESS! THOSE CORPO FUCKERS ARE AFTER YOU!"
Ori scowls, "They're not just after me! They said they were after seven people, and you'd be stupid to think any of us weren't included in that!... I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. We should get her to a doc quick and maybe she can be saved-"
"We can't stop nowhere right now! Those goddamned AVs are still on our asses! Three of the NCPD ship already got shot down!" Falco shouts from the front.
Maine just grits his teeth and puts his full attention on Dorio, applying enough pressure to her chest to break a couple ribs. "Lose 'em and find somewhere then! We're not letting her die like this!"
"C-chill out, Maine..." Dorio says despite the blood dribbling from her lips.
"S-shit... Dorio..."
In the background, David catches Lucy's eyes but she shakes her head. He wanted to reassure Maine but he was more likely to get punched in the face right now, ignoring the fact they were still in a police chase.
------------------------
Falco skids off of the bridge into Watson and speeds down the southernmost road of Little China, he'd barely avoided one police blockade already, but with how close they were to the NCPD HQ he doubted they'd make it through the next, even with their focus still mostly on the AVs following hot on their trail.
He'd tried to make a getaway through some lesser-known alleys and tunnels, but they'd already been cordoned off by both automated turrets and NCPD patrol cars. Even now three cars were following from around three blocks away, ready to kick the shit outta them if they dared stop.
Despite Maine's assistance, there wasn't any possibility of stopping. "The best chance for her making it through this right now is giving her to the cops! We can break her outta prison afterwards!"
"Fuck that! You heard the kid! Arasaka is hunting us too, whaddya think'll happen if they capture her!?"
"So you're just gonna let her bleed out! She don't have time and we ain't stopping soon!"
"M-Maybe we should surrender too?" David speaks up and everyone turns a glare at him for even suggesting it, "I mean! We'll have a better chance of helping her from the inside, right? 'Cuz it looks to me like we're being run straight outta the city!"
"Don't be fuckin' stupid! You know what they do to people like us!? They'll tear that fancy spine outta your body and dump you in a cell with Tyrone the sphincter inspector! I'll put it in a way you'll understand, WE'LL ALL BE FUCKED!" Pilar shouts.
"But she's gonna die at this rate!" David waves a hand at Dorio.
"David. That isn't an option." Lucy states in a cold tone. "There are fates worse than death."
Pilar quickly nods, "Like getting to know Tyrone!"
"Shut up about that already, we get it!" Rebecca growls.
*BOOM!*
A nearby car explodes almost upturning the truck, forcing Falco to drive on two wheels. Some of the group are thrown to the side but Maine forces himself and Dorio to stay put.
"I-I don't wanna go out like that... T-this suits me fine..." Dorio quietly rasps out.
"You dying at all don't suit me!" Maine shouts, "STAY WITH US, WE'LL FIX THIS!"
"HELL! THERE'S A BLOCKADE OUT FRONT AND THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE GETTIN' THROUGH IT!" Falco shouts from the front.
"Leave it Maine, we both know I'm done..." she reaches up and palms his face, smearing blood over his cheek, "Was fun while it... Lasted..." her hand drops and her eyes stray, and Maine could feel her heart stop beating...
"FUCK! STAY WITH ME! DORIO!... DORIO!"
"WE'RE GONNA RAM 'EM! BRACE YOURSELVES!" Falco repeats.
Maine stares at Dorio's body and grits his teeth hard enough to draw blood, "FUUUCK!" he suddenly roars, standing and opening his arm cannon towards the front windscreen, "OFFF!"
With that he fires, blowing out the window and launches a huge explosive at the blockade, blowing up three patrol cars in an instant. Falco drives straight into the fireball, crashing into one of the wreckages but the truck's weight allows them to push through it, albeit with everyone getting thrown around again.
When they exit the smoke the group found themselves headed down the bridge back into Japantown, much to everyone's confusion. "Why're we heading back in!?" Christy shouts as she pulls herself off of the floor covered in Ori and Dorio's blood.
"The kid was right! The city's a no-go! We gotta get out and lose the heat!" Falco states with squinted eyes due to the shot-out window.
"It isn't like we can do anything else!" Rebecca adds.
"Just do it..." Maine says, dropping next to Dorio's boy and laying a hand on her shoulder.
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
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*Chk!*
*Chk!*
*Chk!*
Ori grunts as he tears out the last of the abandoned building's wiring, tearing a dozen or so feet straight from the infrastructure. He bundled it up and shoves it into the duffle bag at his hip with a sigh, "Should be enough...?"
It'd been a week since they'd been run outta the city, Arasaka was as relentless as their reputation suggested, enough that they were still being chased even after they passed the state line. They were lucky AVs had a limited range due to how much fuel they used, forcing Arasaka to employ good old cars, trucks, and other vehicles.
Thankfully, Arasaka's grip didn't extend over the entire desert, even their satellites weren't all that useful due to the almost constant sand storms. While these did obscure the from sight, it was also heavily waring on Falco's truck, which led to why Ori was scavenging materials now.
They had started to run out of fuel a couple days in, but Ori revealed his strange talent of pissing CHOOH2. He probably should've explained himself instead of straight up pissing into the fuel inlet, the 'Falco punch' he'd received was almost on the level of Maine.
The only real problem with that method was their other lack of supplies, food. As you could probably expect, food in the desert was stupidly hard to find, especially so after all the Corpo Wars tore previously inhabitable land apart. There was only so much nuclear radiation the environment could take before it simply gave up.
He required enough food for several men to keep refuelling the truck as he had, and the only reason they hadn't all died yet was that they'd stumbled upon a small Nomad caravan that'd 'donated' their materials.
All in all though, no one was happy with the situation. Sleeping under the stars in the desert was only fun once every few years, it certainly didn't stand up multiple days in a row. Add the almost daily sand storms which forced everyone to huddle inside Falco's truck and the discontent was serious.
Glaring up at the hostile sun, he hefts his duffle bag and makes his way over to the temporary camp the group had made. David was sat with Lucy as she tried to pick up stray signals, the lack of any nearby transmitters had essentially deafened them to anything happening on the Net, as a Netrunner Lucy was like an amputee, and only David's close company had helped her reconcile the loss of an important sense.
Rebecca and Pilar were out also scavenging for shit Falco had put on the list, they'd driven over a piece of scrap metal a day ago which'd punched a hole into the gas tank dwindling their also small reserves.
He spotted Maine sitting by himself on a rock under the sun, habitually clasping and unclenching his fist as he stared at it. The guy hadn't been the same since Dorio's death, while everyone had been affected to some extent, she was Maine's lover first and foremost.
They'd managed to bury her on an unnamed hill three days in, but the funeral had been cut short by a small fleet of Arasaka vehicles, which they'd barely evaded thanks to a dust storm. Maine had said he was fine when asked, but Ori was seriously worried about him.
Something vital they lacked was Immunosuppressants, which were a requirement for anyone with extensive Cyberware. David only needed small doses every now and then, same with Lucy, but Pilar, Rebecca, and most of all, Maine, required regular doses to keep themselves running.
That wasn't to say they'd die without it, but over time the effects would start to add up. The Nomad caravan had a small amount in stock, but the amount Maine used was quickly biting into their supply.
Letting out a sigh, he walks past Maine and to Falco who had his upper body buried under the hood of his truck. "I found some cables."
"Hm? Ah, good. Strip the insulation from 'em and hand it to me." the man replies, not even looking at him.
Ori nods, dexterously stripping the materials with his Monowire, the monomolecular string easily completing the job. "How's it looking?"
"Mmph, patched up the hole in the tank but it's a half-measure. Battery's almost dead, there's no coolant, and I'm pretty sure the damn engine's started to melt... So, better than I thought we'd be doing." he summarises.
"To be fair, I didn't think we'd make it out of the city. The thing'd probably be a ton-lighter if we removed all the lead they shot at us from it."
"Heh, you're probably right, but I'm unsure if those bullets are helping hold it together." he jokes and pulls back, slamming the hood back down. He wipes some oil from his face with his now filthy shirt and surreptitiously glances around the campsite, "How's the crew doing. Been too busy to ask, even if I wasn't, I don't think going anywhere near Maine is a good idea right now. He and Dorio weren't sweethearts, but a loss is a loss."
Ori shrugs, leaning against the searingly hot truck, "We need Immunoblockers. I trust them but I'd rather not have potential Cyberpsycho's at my back. I remember Regina saying trauma could kick-start it, something like losing a loved one... That's ignoring the risk of their bodies rejecting their implants, David and Lucy are probably okay, but Rebecca and Pilar are chromed up to the gills."
"What about you? You're not exactly 'ganic? 'Least, never seen a regular guy piss fuel." he queries lightly.
Ori rolls his black-plated wrist, "I'm highly compatible with all my chrome, I'd probably die of old age before my body started rejecting it."
"If there's anything left of your body, we all saw you get blasted, no way anyone but a full-borg could survive that!" a voice from the back of the truck makes itself known.
"Not dead yet, huh, Christy?"
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
ShinAmazake
Kingsprovince
Faruk Ereng
Daniel
Peter Evans
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