บท 5: Sketchy

It felt like an eternity had passed before Rogue finally appeared. Mostly due to the drifter's unlimited access to speed. Sometimes things felt dragged out to the extreme. Regardless, Lei clinked her glass with Klepto before walking over to the booth Rogue now resided in.

A personal bodyguard covered the entrance to her little cutout area. Shades on and the whole shabang, the drifter couldn't help but wonder how they see in such low lighting. She hadn't even reached the fixer before Johhny appeared. He glitched onto the table beside Rogue and kicked his feet up on the table.

'Look at her. A bit older, but just as hot as she always was. Tough as nails too. I bet she still has that flame inside. That drive for perfection.' He commented.

'Tougher than me?' Lei responded mentally. Johnny clicked his tongue.

'There's no way to determine that, dumbass. I haven't seen you in combat, nor in high risk situations. How do you expect me to answer that?'

'It was just a joke. Do you have to be so mean?'

'I've only known you for a few hours. Only thing you've got going for you is speed. Maybe a little hacking. Don't joke about being better than one of my inputs. Gonk.'

The bodyguard raised a hand to stop the drifter. Only then did his eyes light up with a blue color. Most likely sending a message to Rogue behind him. Her eyes lit up as well before glancing at Lei. After a bit more scrutiny, the bodyguard stepped aside.

"I've never seen you around here." Rogue said. Lei sat across from her.

"Wouldn't expect you to."

"Are you new? If so then I'd definitely know who you are. I'm the one that allows newcomers to enter…How did you get in?" Rogue continued. Her body was tense.

"...I have my ways." Lei gave a vague answer. The fixer frowned. Her eyes lit up in blue.

"So do I."

Immediately, turrets ejected from the ceiling above and pointed at the drifter. The surroundings grew quiet as people became aware. Guns were drawn and pointed at Lei. The whole club had turned hostile.

Lei traced Rogue's call over to a closed off room. It was on the far side of the club. A netrunner was in there, a competent one. The reading came up as Nix. All of this was in bullet time, allowing the drifter a medium of understanding.

"I never said I was new to…this." Lei gestured to her surroundings. "I'm just new to Night City. I wouldn't recommend attacking me. Your friend that you have on speed dial…Nix, right?" Her words gave Rogue a bit of a scare.

"......................" Still, she waited to hear the rest.

"I could zero him before he even attempts anything. These turrets mean nothing. These people mean nothing."

"Hard to believe…That you could kill us all and walk out of here alive? A bluff like that won't work here. Give me a reason not to zero you right here." Rogue said. Lei shook her head.

"It isn't a bluff…but I'll play your game. I have a great reason, actually. Someone you know wants to talk to you." The drifter took off her infovisor, revealing her facial features.

Rogue was surprised to see the emptiness in Lei's eyes, wondering if she was on the edge of cyberpsycho. Taking the infovisor, she scanned it for any malware. Only once it came up clean did she put it on.

The first thing she saw through the lens was Johnny sitting right beside her. He was kicking back with his hands behind his head and feet on the table. The arrogant man looked over at Rogue before speaking.

"You look like shit."

"Oh, fuck off!" She exclaimed before yanking off the visor.

She then waved her hand, causing the surrounding mercs to holster their weapons. The turrets powered off and went back into the ceiling. Rogue couldn't help but rub her temples.

"What kind of fucked up joke is this?" She questioned.

"It's not a joke. I've been talking to your ex-output all day. He's survived through an engram. A personality on a chip. A chip that's now in my visor."

"Fucking A." Rogue sighed with exasperation. She wasn't trying to deal with this shit.

"Feel free to talk to him a bit. I'll wait." Lei smiled with mirth. Her expressions slightly creeped the fixer out.

"Not yet. Not now. I'm not ready for that." She declared.

'Damn. You hear that, Johnny?' Lei mocked.

'Don't fucking push it. I know we'll have our talk.' Johnny commented.

"You're talking to him right now, aren't you?" Rogue guessed.

"That's right. Even though I don't have the visor on, I'm still connected to it."

"Of course. Most are always connected to their infovisors. So? Why are you here? What do you want?"

Lei sat up and placed her arms on the table. Her expression turned serious. She then pointed at the visor.

"I need your help, Rogue. Johnny and I have plans. We need a safe place where I can dive into the net and go past the Blackwall."

"...You want to go past the fucking Blackwall. With Johnny. Are you both insane!? Safe place to dive…hahaha! There's no such thing." She responded. Lei shook her head.

"Let me rephrase. Looking for the safest way to dive into the net. With intentions to go past the Blackwall."

"There's no safe way to do such a thing, but I get what you're trying to say, A way to lower the endless risks. Alright, I can dig around…IF you help me with something first. My help won't be free either."

"How much?"

"Two things. My help will cost 15,000 credits as well as a gig to make sure you're up to snuff."

"Credits…done." Lei easily wired the money over. With her skillset, it was easy to acquire more funds.

"Received." Rogue confirmed.

"So? What's the gig?"

"It's not an easy one. Nobody wants to pick it up and I'm having a hard time handing it out. Johnny won't like this either."

"Spill."

"Millitech is looking for a solo merc." The fixer revealed. Johnny immediately sat up.

'This gig already reeks like a pile of shit. Corp gigs are always a dead end. Don't do it.' He said.

'And not get Rogue's help?' Lei quickly responded.

'She'll help us regardless. Rogue takes care of her people. After seeing me, she already considers you one of hers. Unconsciously.'

'Doubt it.'

"I take it Johnny isn't happy?" Rogue spoke up. It was easy for her to tell when they were communicating.

"Not happy at all. Do you know why Millitech needs a merc? How much are they paying?" Lei asked. The fixer shook her head.

"I don't know the reason. You have to meet with the client for details. As for the payout…50,000 credits."

"Damn…50k for an unknown solo merc. That's sketchy as fuck."

"Will you take it?" Rogue asked. Lei didn't even think about it.

"Sure. Send me the deets."

'You're brain must be filled with a steaming pile of shit. Or maybe you don't have one.' Johnny commented.

'Stop judging.'

"Great sending the deets now." Rogue said.

Lei received the new contact on her display. There was no picture for the profile but the name said Meredith Stout. The drifter would give the woman a call after leaving the place.

"Got it. I'll be back soon." She stated while getting up.

"Come back alive. I still have to speak with that bastard. Take my number." The fixer said. After adding Rogue's number, Lei left the table with her infovisor back on.

'Looks like you still got it, Johnny.'

'We both knew it wouldn't end like that. Rogue and I got a lot to say.'

'Noted.'

Lei made her way out of the club. When the door slid open, the bouncer was shocked to see her. He remembered everyone he let through…and this suspicious cloaked figure did not come through. Drifter ignored him and called the client.

RING RING

"Stout here. Start by telling me how you got this number."

Her face popped up in the live cam. There was a type of cigarette in her hand. Her camera was filled with smoke. That didn't take away from the woman though.

Meredith's hair was slicked back, with a cyber implant streaking past her left eye and cheek. Wearing a sleek and prim business suit with gloves, the woman looked like a corpo through and through. A bit of an older woman. Not as old as Rogue, but maybe 10 years less. An attractive maturity.

"You needed a solo merc? You found one. I've come to help the hot corpo lady with her gig." Lei said.

The lady only raised an eyebrow at the flirt while observing the drifter from her side of the screen. She took another puff of her cigarette and blew it into the camera. Only then did she speak again.

"Fine. First exit off Skyline driving towards the N.I.D. Storm channel under the overpass. Meet me there tomorrow. 7am bright and early."

With those words, Meredith cut the call. Lei smirked a little as she headed back home. Johnny appeared next to a street rail and watched the cars pass.

'If I knew any better I'd say she was actually considering your obvious flirt.' He said. Lei kept her smirk.

'When she blew smoke into the camera, she looked at my lips. Good attempt at hiding it though.'

'Damn. Never would've thought I'd see two women scissoring before the week is out.'

'Language, Johnny.'