章 168: Poor Decisions
*BANGBANGBANG!*
*BOOOM!*
The battle raged on, but soon enough the Tyger Claws were forced back as the Mox took the street. Ori lets out a long sigh as he parks outside Lizzie's Bar, stepping past the corpses of people he both knew and didn't.
"Crystal, what's it look like?" he questions, wanting to know how bad the attack was.
She shakes her head, touching her cheek which was profusely bleeding from a large gash, "Dunno yet, but too many died to make it 'good'. Bearable might be the only answer I can give." she mutters.
"Where's Q and Judy?"
"Susie's on the roof, Judy's probably still in the basement." she mutters.
Ori's about to go see how Judy is but quickly turns when the sound of a motorbike sounds out. It speeds down the road but stops in front of the bar, the driver hopping off as all the nearby Mox aim at them.
"I-... Come in peace...?" Sasha awkwardly says as she takes her helmet off.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed!?" Rebecca angrily shouts, "Turning up on a bike after a Tyger Claw raid!?"
"I don't have a car..." Sasha sheepishly admits.
"Leave it, she'll be smarter next time." Susie states as she steps out from the front door of the club, her shirt and jacket covered in blood. "Thanks for coming, we'd probably still be fighting if you hadn't."
"Course! You may be a bitch but I know my roots." Rebecca huffs, drawing glares from nearby Mox.
"Go wait with Judy, I'll grab the others and we can talk plans." she states, walking past the Mox and Tyger corpses to the nearby buildings.
Rebecca tilts her head at the other two, "You don't think she'll have us charge into Japantown, right? I don't think the Mox have the numbers for it..."
"Doubt she'd be leader if she was that reckless." Ori mutters as they step into the club, only now noticing that the interior was much like the outside. Bodies of both Tygers, Mox, and club patrons lay strewn about the floor, bullet holes covering the place.
Tygers had obviously blitzed the place without warning, barging into the club and slaughtering everyone they could, following it afterwards with raids on bikes.
They make their way to Judy's lab and find her struggling to wrap bandages around her shoulder where a bullet hole lay, still seeping blood. "Shit, Judes are you alright!?" Rebecca exclaims, running over to assist.
"What's it look like? Nah, one of those fucks got me at the bar... Shit, there should've been a warning, someone should've noticed!" she scowls.
"I was about to say, shouldn't someone have seen a bunch of Tyger Claws marching over the bridge...?" Sasha questions.
"Obviously! But we didn't hear shit!" Judy loudly responds.
The door to the lab opens and Susie steps in with some Mox at her back, "If things couldn't get worse, we lost almost half our guys in that attack alone." she spits, looking thoroughly enraged at the situation.
"Half...?" Ori parrots, that was fucking huge. Enough that the Mox might just die out from this alone.
Judy rests her face in her hands, "How else was this supposed to go... It's our hundreds vs their thousands. We stand no chance, even if they ignore us Maelstrom might stick their noses in."
"So, what? We're not gonna pay them back for this?" Rebecca angrily asks.
"How're we gonna do that? With who? With what weapons? We'd have to take the whole gang and leave-" Susie pauses, along with Judy who has their eyes flashing with data. "Shit."
"They're attacking our businesses." Judy spits. "Kidnapping the working girls and trashing everything else."
"You want us to go deal with them?" Ori inquires, not forgetting the Tyger's part in his sister's kidnapping and Casinha as a whole.
Susie chews on the inside of her cheek for a couple moments before eventually nodding, "If you can, Judy, send them the locations. I'll see if I can get some Mox volunteers to help out..." she sighs, "If there's any left."
Rebecca grins, "Don't worry Q, we'll get this done and you can think about what you're paying us with."
"Yeah... Pay..."
-----------------
The rest of the day was essentially Ori and crew running around Kabuki killing Tyger Claws and putting out fires. Half the market had been destroyed, any business even slightly affiliated with the Mox vandalised, the less said about the kidnapped girls the better.
Even after the few groups of Mox that Q managed to send out, there wasn't much else to be done. The Tygers had done the damage they wanted and left, leaving them to pick up the pieces. This was only made harder with the numerous Trauma Teams, NCPD squads, fire departments, and other authorities attempting to restore order.
Ori, Rebecca, and Sasha returned to Lizzie's Bar with scuffs and injuries to show. They went to Judy's lab and found the techie and Susie in a heated discussion on how to proceed from here. Susie seemingly wanted to try and team up with Maelstrom in order to counterattack the Tygers, but Judy justifiably thought that was a retarded idea.
Honestly though? There was no good way of dealing with the situation. Not one that Ori could see anyway... Only compromises that may or may not blow up in their faces horribly.
"We'd be giving those psycho-fucks free reign to do what they like in Kabuki, Q! Don't go there!" Judy pointedly exclaims.
"What choice do we have? Unless you think trying to contact 6th Street or the Valentino's is any better?"
"Both are definitely better than Maelstrom! At least then we'd know how they would betray us! Maelstrom? They might be fine, or they might try and kill us all for no reason!"
Ori coughs into his fist as he and the others enter the lab, "We've cleared the place of Tyger Claws, but the damage is huge..." he states, sitting down next to Judy, "I think I know where we can get some help though, even if I'm reluctant to accept it..."
"Who's that then?" Susie sceptically inquires.
"Wakako Okada, she contacted me about some civil war happening in the Tyger Claws. I'm betting the guys she was talking about are responsible for the attack..."
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章 169: Sass
"Wakako...?" Susie utters distastefully. "That fuckin' leather bag of shit? Don't tell me you actually believe anything that hag said?"
"Whether or not I believe her is irrelevant. To me there's a pretty high chance of infighting," he pauses, remembering the few short talks he'd had with Fujino about the state of the gang, "I don't know her other than her rep, but apparently she's trustworthy enough, according to Rogue and some of my other contacts." Ori explains.
"What is your beef with her anyway?" Sasha inquires.
"She was the husband of one of the Tygers that helped start the raid, that bitch is probably complicit." Susie seethes.
"Ain't this the gal whose husbands suddenly go missing when it suits her...?" Rebecca questions.
"Rumours," Judy makes quotations with her fingers, "But I think we should see where it leads. We don't have to agree to anything but it's definitely better than relying on Maelstrom to not go crazy and suicide bomb us..."
...
Susie palms her face, gripping the Cybernetic portion that covered everything above her nose. "Fine, we'll talk to her. But we make no deals until we're certain she's not lying through her dentures."
Ori nods, "Alright, I'll call her, after that it's up to you guys to negotiate it..."
*Beep!*
"Ah, Zombie, I don't suppose you have reconsidered my offer after. Recent events." Wakako drawls through the call, looking terribly smug as she does so.
"Me? No. But I have some friends who'd like nothing but to get back at some mutual enemies of yours."
Wakako steples her fingers and smiles, "Of course, who am I to dismiss such close friends of yours? I assume you are with them now?"
He nods, "I'll link the call." he states, having Judy's computer screen display the call.
"Ah, the group of whores and miscreants, how unexpected." she sneers.
"Fuck you, Tyger-bitch." Susie scowls.
"Very witty rebuttal, Miss Quinn. My apologies but I am finding myself questioning the utility of garnering your help. I'm aware your group is now in dire straights, lacking all resources mentionable, aside from prostitutes, but unless you plan to combat the enemy with disease-laden women, I sincerely doubt our cooperation would mean overly much..."
"Stop chatting shit, Wakako. I'm sure there's some Japanese proverb you could apply, but you've got a group of very fucking pissed people ready to help fuck up your enemies, don't throw this chance away trash-talking them." Ori sharply retorts.
Susie folds her arms, "Before we do anything I want proof that you or your side aren't responsible for the attack."
Wakako tilts her head slightly, "And what evidence would satisfy you? Perhaps communications between the perpetrators admitting such? The list of men and women who participated? Perhaps their heads would suffice?" she drawls as reading out a shopping list. Ori wasn't sure what evidence she could provide that'd quell Susie's anger either, considering almost everything could be fabricated with enough effort.
"All of the above, but for now, us meeting face-to-face will do. Bare minimum escorts." she states.
Wakako quietly chuckles, "Yes, making myself vulnerable in the middle of a Civil War in which I am already in danger is so very intelligent. I'm sorry, but if that's your final offer then I'll have to refuse."
"We can do it outside Watson and Westbrook if that'd help?" Ori presses, "My crew'll help keep watch with whoever you both bring." he offers, glancing at Rebecca and Sasha who nod in agreement.
"I am most touched by your earnestness, but if Miss Quinn refuses to settle then no agreements will be made. It is I who holds the strongest position here, as you both well know."
"This is not just about strength, the public's sentiments are with us. The Tygers burned down more than just our property, they destroyed half of Kabuki Market too. If you don't make an effort to separate yourselves from them you'll be treated the same." Judy interjects.
Wakako nods, "I agree, but what good is publicity here? Will it bring your people back from the dead? Pay for the damages? Will they fight for you?" she sniffs humorously, "Not likely. A certain patron of my counterpart would like to see this settled as quickly and cleanly as possible. There will be no riots this time." she promises ominously.
Rebecca blinks, "Whaddya mean? Why would anyone care what the Corpo assholes say? No one cared last time."
"They will care when stories of how you mistreat, abuse, and enslave men and women to work in your establishments. True or not, the sheep will follow the shepherd if his bell rings loud enough, and his grass green enough." Wakako explains, with everyone present well aware of who she is referring to.
"You think they'd rig the media? There's no way they'd be able to pay off everyone." Crystal quietly remarks from the side, running a hand through her hair in thought.
"I don't think. I know. They have invested much into this city, and the prospect of losing their most useful attack dogs is not one they would just lie down and accept. Their pockets run deep enough to afford such paltry expenses."
"If you're so sure of the odds, what's your angle in going against them?" Susie challenges.
Wakako shrugs lightly, "To put it simply, I do not hold their values. And the influence I would gain from removing the other side of the board is too enticing to pass."
Judy frowns, "I recall a rumour about your grandson..." she trails off.
Wakako's polite expression drops into a sharp frown, "I'd be careful with your words, Miss Alverez. You cannot handle any more enemies than you currently possess."
"So, are we doing this or not?" Ori questions, bringing the discussion back to the matter at hand.
Susie continues staring at the screen, as if throwing the decision in Wakako's court. "Hm. The matter of security aside, if I am to agree to this I would like a personal pledge from yourself, Zombie, that you would assist in these matters."
クリエイターの想い
Niggross
Niggross
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