Chương 7: Chapter Seven
(Rhino P.O.V)
Rhino sighed at the position she had found herself in as she stood beside her boss while overlooking the rowdy crowd that gathered around—not like it's a bad one as looking at it from an outside perspective, Rhino got it good.
Unlike in atypical situations like this, where Rhino had to come out with the rest of the Pack to stand as support, she would normally be spending her day training at the gym for an upcoming underground match or warming up by knocking out motherfuckers, who thought themselves up as some hotshot.
You know… Her usual kind of thing.
Unlike packs like the Leopards or the Hyena bastards, the Apes—her pack—weren't much vested in the merc business
They aren't exactly like the rest of them… It's not like the Apes wouldn't take on gigs if they were given one, but, unlike most other Animal gangoons, the Apes weren't scratching for eddies—not with the ones they normally make from their underground fights anyways.
And THAT puzzled Rhino to no end as she didn't get why her Pack Alpha would give the Hyenas the time of the day by coming to listen to the sick shit they were spewing.
The Apes weren't total thrill seekers all things considered.
Anyway, coming here means the Apes are now indisputably involved in the Animals' politics—not like there's much politicking to do—and it also means stepping on that hammer-wielding monster's tail.
Ugh…
This just ain't the Ape's MO…
Rhino sighed and ran a hand through her head.
"What's the matter, champ?" Upè, the much larger black man asked, "Not feeling the vibe that's been going around for quite some time?"
With a shaky huff, Rhino shook her head.
"Doesn't feel like fucking much to me, Alpha."
Rhino looked around and huffed.
"All I see here is just another day in the life of an Animal gangoon."
Upè laughed at that.
"But it's the life we live so we shouldn't be expecting anything more than that."
Scratching her cheeks, Rhino moved closer to her Pack's Alpha.
"So… If you don't mind me asking what's the big deal in coming to this fucking farce of a meeting? It ain't like Katz's plan is 100% foolproof and last time I recall, going against the Sasquatch with this kind of number is fucking suicide."
"Hmm~ seems like our prize fighter's finally getting some muscles in the number 6 pumping. Wanna prize or something?"
"Come on, Boss. I ain't THAT dumb."
Upè smirked at the look on Rhino's face.
"Seriously, give me that look elsewhere and... Ugh, it's giving me the fucking jibbies in a good~ way… Now, about your question, let me turn this around and ask you one of my own: don't worry it'll all come together. What makes an Ape so dangerous in the animal kingdom?"
Ah~ there it is again?
The question her Alpha asks but never bothers to answer.
"Well, I don't know…"
Rhino shrugged.
"Maybe it's because they're fucking good at beating their chest with arms that can pound some poor gonk to a bloody chunk or total a small ride."
Where was her Alpha going with this?
"You're not wrong. But not exactly right." Upè replied.
"See, Apes are fucking dangerous in the sense that they're among the few feral animals with the kind of intelligence that's closest to Humanity. It ain't just about the power behind their fists that makes them one of the most dangerous creatures in the animal kingdom… It's their mind—how they see, process, and react to things coupled with their flesh-rending strength."
'Hmm?' Rhino raised a brow, 'Sure didn't expect that.'
While it would explain the tenets behind Upè's actions, that still did not explain his reason for THIS action…
"So… What does that gotta do with us being in this fuckhole, Alpha?"
"Every. Fucking. Thing, my prized fighter. Just as the Apes learn and adapt by observing their surroundings, so do we adapt by observing ours. I can already see the signs that things are going to change—real big—and it ain't due to some machine gun cunt-sucker, Katz."
Now that got Rhino's attention.
From what Rhino could recall, Katz IS the Alpha of the Hyena Pack; which simply means he is their leader.
The brains and (un)seen hands behind this gathering.
But what Upè just implied meant that there's something strange going on within the Hyena's hierarchy.
Dropping her voice, Rhino asked.
"So you're saying Katz ain't the one running the show, right now?"
"As if."
Upè scoffed.
"If he were, we wouldn't be having this many people gathered around."
"But if he ain't the ringleader, then who is?"
"The one who came to meet us."
"The one… You mean, Pepe."
Rhino trailed off as her eyes widened in realization.
"That Valentino fucker? You've gotta be fucking shitting me. Heh, always had the feeling there's something fishy about that guy. So what'd he say that convinced you to come around?"
"That, Rhino, is for me to know. Besides, it's not like I'm casting in my lots YET; I'm simply here to sit back and enjoy the show."
"Whelp, you're the Alpha."
With that concession, Rhino withdrew and went back to relaxing against the wall, with a relieved sigh.
Upè was many things—an idiot, though? He was not;
He always had this strange quirk of seeing the broader aspect of things, almost like some premonition superpower. So for Upè was giving the Hyenas—or rather Pepe—the time of the day means, the fucker had truly done something to make this proposal worthwhile…
'Hah~ well, it's not like me to worry much anyway.'
Rhino has always and will always be a brawns kinda woman, and at the moment her brawns were telling her to chillax.
.
.
.
But that thought merely lasted till a calm and profound voice drew the attention of everyone inside the warehouse.
"ANIMALS… TO ME."
What happened next was like fucking magic.
The raucous warehouse populated with poser-themed gangsters silenced becoming like some kind of graveyard.
Rhino blinked in shock.
Jesus .H. Christ…
Not even the Sasquatch, herself, could do something like this in an instant.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
Rhino couldn't begin to explain the phenomenal power behind those words and the weight they carried. But as soon as Rhino heard that voice, the only thing her instincts screaming for her to do next was… OBEY.
Unable to ignore the tinge that had coursed through her spine, the Ape gym's Champion Boxer along with the rest of the Animals turned towards the upper floors—from where the voice came from—and saw PERFECTION incarnate.
Kachan…!
Something within Rhino broke—or rather, something within the Boxing Champ had taken root.
Adoration? Adulation? Admiration? Worship? Idolization?
The feeling didn't matter because as of that moment, something within Rhino whispered to her that it didn't matter what the PERFECT stranger was going to say next, she would follow him for life…
Whether the thought scared and excited the local boxer was a thought left for the future Rhino.
ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ
⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎
COWABANGA…!
Let it be known to all that before becoming a sci-fi-eldritch Demi-God, I wasn't exactly smooth at Public Speeches…
Oh, who am I kidding?
I was AWFUL at Public Speeches.
The one time my homeroom teacher back in middle school called me out for a short recital… Heh, on that day I had gained the epithet, The Stammering One.
Sounds cool right? Nope, to me, it sounds painful.
So yeah, I readily admit that I am aware of my shortcomings when it comes to matters relating to Public Speeches.
But this time, things were a whole lot different.
Standing before a crowd of cold-blooded killers, I strangely felt nothing—nothing except; dissatisfaction at the unutilized potential, recognition at the potential that gathered before me, and gratitude at the 'gonk' Katz for making my mortal ascendancy begin much, MUCH, easier.
God, it's like I'm a whole new kinda beast…
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(Manny P.O.V)
Manny observed the room, noting people of interest and infiltrators from outside parties.
It was that easy to pick up their minute reactions and compare them to the normal reactions of the Animals present, before letting his final deductions handle the rest.
But since when did Manny know how to do that?
Just chuck it up to an aspect of your Primarch capabilities.
"My… Chooms. I know you're all because you've been promised one thing or the other… Promises of eddies. Promises of preem gigs. Promises of a nova rides… Promises of elevation to a better life."
Manny huffed.
"But I don't need to fucking spell out what it'll take to get all that, or do I? Since we're all abiding citizens of the great Night City… Not to mention, the plan is a total flop right from the very start."
Despite the silence, Manny didn't need his Psyker's abilities to notice that tensions had shot right through the roof.
Many eyes narrowed in suspicion, contemplation, and anger while harsh whispers revived the once soundless Warehouse as the Animals tried to make Heads and Tails of what Manny said.
The seeds of doubt have been planted—but not yet, sprouted.
With a slow yet confident gait, Manny strode towards the middle of the edifice—where every living eye in the house could see him.
"Raid a classified MILTECH Base. Klep some pretty 'important' files. Sell them to the Corpo's known rival in Night City. Make a cool 6.5 mil. Ride off to the fucking sunset… Ain't a bad deal if you ask me—from the surface that is. But ever bother asking yourself this little question; if those files were that big of a deal, why the hell are the Animals the ones hearing about it?"
Manny had expected to feel affronted by the Animals due to his rather impertinent inquiry, however, he surprisingly felt contemplation and anticipation.
'Goes to show they were more than the groggy voice bastards from the show.'
Keep on pressing.
"Look, I'm gonna give you guys the harsh loving truth: while the Animals may be the face of inhuman power in the form of ganic flesh. You guys aren't exactly~ Ninjas… This means the Animals aren't exactly synonymous with the word: subtle…"
Manny challengingly stared at the eyes of the gathered mob.
"And I don't need to start spelling out what a gonk move it'll be to attack a base with 6.5 mil worth of deets head-on, or should I?"
Silence… Yeah, Manny expected that.
From the games, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime, and Scuffle from before, the general image portrayed to Manny was that the Animals were a mob of loudmouth bodybuilders.
These weren't the kind of people ANY cyberpunk thinking megacorporation would entrust with a mission of this magnitude.
Catching the eye of a bulky ponytail woman—the leader of the Leopards from Pepe's info—whose face was currently creased in thought, Manny subtly sent this question.
"In the end, we're left to ask ourselves: could this be some false deets by some motherfucker or were the deets spread as BAIT for some willing leadhead to nab on?"
Still not enough.
"Then again, it's possible that the deets could have come from the right sources… BUT, manipulated ones… Of course, it's also possible that I may be fucking with ya'll. But, heh… You just gotta look at who's running the show… Our very much beloved Machinegun Hyena: Katz…"
The Leopard's Alpha lips instinctively twitched in derision.
Yeah, people don't love that guy much.
Manny motioned at an Animal member, who, from his deduction seemed to be from the Hyena Park.
"You…"
The Hyena in question had a look of confusion on his face before he noticed that every eye in the Warehouse was now on him.
"Huh? U-Uh, me?"
Manny couldn't deny an inkling of amusement at the sight of such a huge man pointing at himself in confusion and trepidation: after all, this was someone who would carry a gun and start spraying it around with an inhuman roar.
Nevertheless, Manny knew that now wasn't the time to be feeling so mirthful.
"So how long have you been running around the streets with Katz?"
"U-Uh… I don't know… M-Maybe, four years."
"Four~ years… Still, a biblical time to form your own opinion on Katz's MO. So mind sharing with the rest of the class on your thoughts on the likelihood of this gig being a total flop?"
The Hyena had the look of someone on the hot seat with the way his eyes darted around in a bid not to answer that question—meanwhile, Manny internally smiled.
Critical shot…
The one crucial aspect of the Animals 'Internal Framework' was their loyalty to their Alphas: in the game, killing Sasquatch means fighting her very much VENGFUL adherents while sparing the Alpha means getting a free pass without a fight.
That spoke clearly of the kind of loyalty and respect shown by these people.
It was unthinkable for an Animal to betray his Pack Alpha—much less slight them.
Unless, of course, they weren't satisfied with their Alpha.
That the Hyena couldn't find the necessary defense for Katz was already a slight betrayal: he has all but directly admitted that his Alpha was an incompetent one.
"HOLD THE FUCK RIGHT THERE, MOTHERFUCKER?!"
A discordant voice pierced the still Warehouse.
Stomping down the stairs was a 7ft Mohawk man with a nose-ring and a very fuming face—Katz—and behind him was Pepe silently following behind with an unreadable expression.
However, to Manny, Pepe's glee was simply too tangible not to be noticed.
"Who the fuck do ya dipshit think ya are? Comin' my place and… Hrrk…!"
Katz's voice trailed off as FEAR overtook his anger.
This was something Manny had noticed ever since he got here.
Maybe it was an aspect of the Emperor or some kind of psychic aura Manny had unconsciously projected. But anytime he is being looked upon with hostility it instantly turns to fear.
Was he messing with their minds or something like that?
Manny understood that knowledge of Warp wouldn't grant him an arcane might on the level of Magnus, and even with his apparent skill as a Pskyer doesn't place him on the level of Big E.
So going by how the Primarchs are always described by mortals, it would be the safer option to assume that this was an aura being activated without his conscious knowledge.
Nevertheless, Manny was going to capitalize the hell out of it.
For the first time in his life, Manny would—UGH—have to be a BULLY.
It's for the greater good.
With that in mind, Manny steeled himself and smirked, looking down at the man who barely reached his stomach.
"Katz, the Machinegun Hyena. The main man behind everything. The one who runs the show… I would love to shake your hand…"
Manny took a sniff at the Alpha—as his face scrunched in aversion.
"… But something tells me doing so would be NASTY for my health safety, if you catch my drift."
The Primarch meant what he said as his senses picked up some funny smell coming from the Hyena Alpha's hands.
Whatever the hell it was Manny knew touching it wouldn't be hygienic.
"Who… Who the hell are ya? Did Sasquatch send ya or something?" Katz asked belligerently.
"Hmm~ you can call me a concerned citizen."
"That's some weird fuckin' bullshit. I mean, ain't it obvious to everyone that ya're the one who's ruinin' the show? Right, ma mighty fellas?"
Unfortunately for Katz, the holler he expected wasn't given as the Warehouse was silent as a graveyard.
"Right guys? Haha… Guys?"
Katz turned to his Park—his Hyenas—who to his greatest disbelief were part of the silence.
They had abandoned him.
It was at that moment, that Manny mentally thanked his stars that he had found Pepe first before starting all this.
Publicly, Katz is the Alpha of the Hyenas, but to the Hyenas: he was nothing more than a figurehead.
It was Pepe who was the true leader of the Hyenas…
His right-hand man…
Now all that's left is to tie this up.
"There's no need to get all jittery here, Katz. We're among friends." Manny said, pacifyingly. "We just wanna know the REAL truth behind this gig."
"Real truth? What real truth? We're just gonna' rob some corpo buildin' and make cool eddies out of it. Ain't that the real truth, eh Pepe?"
"… …"
"Pepe~ don't leave me hangin' like these motherfuckers."
"… …"
"Pepe…?"
Upon no positive response from Pepe, Katz turned to see his henchman sporting a cold look on his face.
"Pe…—"
"Sorry to cut in your romantic stare off. But with you being this obstinate, it seems I'll have to be the bigger man and do you a solid by spilling out the beans."
Manny interrupted with an innocuous smile.
"Getting the deets from MILTECH was the gig. But the reward for its completion came in two choices: receive a cool 2.5 mil OR have a preem sit waiting for you among the Arasakas… Alone."
"Wha-What the fuck are ya sayin'? Me? The motherfuckin' Machinegun Hyena sidin' with the corpos? Hahahahaha, you're one funny guy, armano."
"But it's the truth, isn't it?" Manny shot back.
"Take what you want in whatever way possible: that's been how you roll. You were never satisfied with your lot in the Valentinos, you dreamed big. Sadly, all your plans were a total burst, but you didn't give up—you simply switched sides and struck it out with the Animals. Unfortunately, you still weren't making any desirable progress at all. But now… Now you've got a chance to move up—to enter the BIG LEAGUES—and all you've got to do is do what you've been doing ever since the beginning… Whatever it takes."
Candidly speaking, Manny respected Katz's tenacity to escape his lot in life.
The time spent wandering around Night City told Manny that things weren't easy for the unfortunate. For a City of Dreams, the only thing visible to the Primarch was garbage.
It wasn't wrong to escape such a destiny.
But…
"It isn't that you dreamed too big, Katz…" Manny said coolly. "It's that in your quest to make it big, you used, ruined, and threw away too many lives to reach where you have… Sooner or later, the bill's gonna come knocking at your door whether you like it or not."
Whatever Katz would say next was interrupted by a sudden red spurt from his gut.
It was a carving knife.
"Hrrk…"
Katz looked down with a shiver and reached for the knife edge—only for it to retreat and burst right out of his chest near his heart.
"Pepe, you fuckin'… Bastard."
Blood drizzled from his lips as Katz slowly slumped to the ground.
Meanwhile, the culprit whispered something to Katz that made his eyes widen in surprise.
"It is ya, baby thug… Hahaha… Bill… Bill, huh?"
With blood-tainted teeth spread in a smile, Katz turned to Manny.
"Hell of a bill if ya ask me? So this's how it ends… A stab in my back from a goddamn mama's boy—ain't man enough to do it yaself, big guy?"
Manny gave a slight smile at the obvious taunt.
"It's more than you deserve… And from the way I see it, you don't have much of a choice considering you're 10 years too late."
"Heh…Hehehehe…"
The look on Katz's face was one who had accepted his lot—albeit unwillingly.
"Ah~ seems I won't be getting that nova ride I'd always dreamed of having. Looks like ya're the winner of this round, baby thug… I'll be waitin' for ya in Hell. For all of ya—but mostly ya'. Don't keep me waitin' for too long."
"Yeah, don't you worry?"
A knife went up as Pepe looked down at the object of his vengeance.
"… I'll be seeing you soon enough."
The bloodstained steel went down—and the Hyenas lost their Alpha.
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It… It was my first time intentionally planning the death of another living being—not a videogame character or some antagonist from my fan comics, but an ACTUAL living being.
I suppose I ought to feel remorse for what I'd just done.
But no: all I felt was a sense of accomplishment at the removal of an unwanted variable.
Despite it all, I knew that sparing Katz was an option I was entirely capable of yes, I could make his life a living hell—but in the end, the Machinegun Hyena would still be among the living.
But that would simply be courting Murphy with my knowledge of Warhammer.
Primarch were demigods, created to lead mankind across the galaxy and establish an everlasting empire.
But they failed…
Disregarding the devices of the ruinous ones, the beings who brought down the Primarch weren't the Chaos Gods themselves, or some big bad Daemon Entity from the Warp.
It wasn't even the goddamn WAAAAGGGHHH! Bastards.
It was their fellow man: the lowly mortals.
Trickery. Jealously. Hatred. Pain.
It took on various emotions in the heart of man, manifested within man, and with those emotions, Man fell Gods.
Despite being a Primarch, I still won't call myself perfect. But at least, I want to call myself smart.
Sparring Katz wouldn't be the smart thing to do.
Discounting the fact that it wouldn't sit well with Pepe, there was a possibility however minuscule that Katz would betray me.
And I don't want to risk it.
End of story…
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Sighing, Manny regarded the corpse for a moment before returning his gaze to the people in the Warehouse.
Time waits for no man—not even a being forged with the energies from an eldritch dimension.
This time allow me to guide your words.
"You wake up with an iron in hand and a promise of violence in your hearts. You begin the day not knowing if you will return lying back on your beds or in some backyard gutter. You take on gigs with the unwilling knowledge that you're simply an insignificant pawn in Night City… Even how you'd flatline isn't decided for you."
The Primarch smiled sadly.
"I call such a way of living: pitiful. Night City may be known as the City of Dreams. A place where all you gotta do to make it big is to simply have what it takes… Heh, but we all know that's nothing more than a lie we just have to accept. Night City promises to make us shine like the stars in the night sky, but what they don't want to tell us is that those lights are ephemeral. The stars may shine brightly, but those lights are nothing more than the last cries of an echoing star…"
Manny ambled towards the Alpha of the Leopards—whose face sported a tear cascading from her right eye—placing a hand on her shoulder and supportively nodded.
Reading her mind to understand what she saw that made her so emotional was reasonably doable for Manny, but doing so would only make what he would say next seem fake.
"Unfortunately, I won't be painting any promises or dreams this evening. I'll be letting my actions do the painting for me. But I can promise you something that Night City has never promised you. A purpose…"
Something thrummed within the Warehouse, as everyone's eyes took on an unfamiliar gleam—it was a gleam of hope.
"Animals, I ask you this: place your life in my hands and I guarantee a life worth living. That each time you take up your iron it would be for a cause greater than primal violence. That your rage and passions will be dedicated to more than just proving yourselves to be Beasts in a Concrete Jungle."
The Animals buzzed in excitement.
"Night City promises a life of glittering stars! But I guarantee you the Everlasting Sun! A fiery light that will Burn Bright and Never Die. So rise… Rise and cast off that mantle of the Animals…!"
Every soul within the Warehouse stood up as one.
"And roar…" The Primarch said with a still tone. "As the Helios Fury."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎
What followed was an earthshaking roar that announced the birth of a Global Powerhouse in Night City.
⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎
(Rhino P.O.V)
[… But I guarantee you the Everlasting Sun! A fiery light that will Burn Bright and Never Die…]
Those words were simple…
Anyone could stand up and say it.
But hearing the PERFECT being say those words, himself, made it sound like a mandate upon reality.
Never had Rhino's heartbeat this loud and fast in expectation… Every day of her life has been spent training so that she could earn bigger eddies.
… So that she could make it to the top of Night City and glitter like the stars in the night sky—however fleeting it may be.
It was her lot in this godforsaken life.
But now—NOW Rhino sees an opportunity to become a part of something bigger than her.
'Burn Bright and Never Die, huh?'
A look at her Alpha—no not Alpha—at Upè who had upped and feverously joined in the war cry all but told the boxer of where the Apes would be casting their lots.
.
.
.
Night City's gonna change and Rhino's going to be amongst its heralds…
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