22.7

January 17, 2070, at 0003

Santo Domingo, Kendachi Headquarters

Lucy Kushinada gazed at the drop-box icon, shimmering with the neon silhouette of a chicken, ripped straight out of the Net. To the Overseers, it was just another pixel of darkness in an ocean of data. They were oblivious to it, but Lucy? She found it as impenetrable as the black walls of her cage. For a brief second, flashbacks of the fallen trainees engulfed her thoughts. Logic bombs and digital mines had claimed many of them. A gut instinct had made her cautious of this chicken nugget icon; she'd seen too much to be easily fooled.

Yet this icon, this digital beacon, wasn’t another trap. It hailed from a shadowy netrunner, one with an ax to grind against Kendachi and Arasaka. Their determination was palpable, evident from the mere fact that they didn't balk at taking on these corporate titans.

F.F., as the clandestine messages from the box identified them, wasn't alone. They'd called in backup—a Solo. In the chrome-laden underbelly of Noir City, Solos were the legends. Lucy's cynicism had prevented her from getting her hopes up until a message from F.F. popped up, breaching her digital firewall.

Wake up, little egg. Reinforcements are inbound. - F.F.

A shiver coursed down Lucy's spine. The message was her call to action. She knew there were rats amidst the prisoners—snitches who'd do anything to please the Overseers. Identifying them had been her priority ever since she pieced together the grim reality of the camp.

But F.F.? Their aura in the Net was the stuff of legends. When Lucy sought a discreet solution to handle the informants, the enigmatic chicken icon had obliged, understanding the gravity of her plea.

A ping echoed in her cybernetic neural interface as a new file manifested in her Net box. The icon was simple: a cracked egg. Within? A lone file.

Silent Night. -F.F.

Hesitation gripped Lucy, but she meticulously scanned the file for any hint of digital decay: viruses, worms, or AI doppelgängers. She knew the Net box was her portal to the vast digital sprawl outside, but mastering its potential was still on her to-do list.

Confident in its purity, Lucy integrated Silent Night into her Cyberdeck, preparing for the imminent breakout. The night was about to get a lot louder.

The dim lights of the training camp flickered as Lucy activated the Silent Night program. It went to work instantly, subtly manipulating the surveillance systems and weakening the facility's security while cutting her pod out of the network. She couldn’t be easily reached and killed by a simple command now. Guards patrolling the area glanced at their wrist comps, puzzled before slowly leaving one by one. A secondary portion of the program reached out to the four rats she knew and silenced them, forever. They died in their pods, a mercy in her opinion.

As minutes ticked by, Lucy's cyberdeck beeped, signaling an incoming transmission. An encrypted line buzzed to life, "I’m here. We're inside. Location?"

Lucy whispered, her voice barely audible, "Block C, Level 4." Already the guards had completely vacated the area.

"Stay put, little egg. I’m hunting Tessho Yokoi at the moment.” The female Solo replied.

Suddenly, the power cut throughout the compound. Emergency alarms didn’t wail, throwing the facility into disarray. However, no guards rushed past Lucy's cell. It was surreal, as if every guard in the facility had up and left their station and never returned.

It was rather chilling, actually.

Through the Net, a familiar chime rang in Lucy's ear—another message from F.F.: "Almost there."

Acting swiftly, Lucy interfaced with the door's security mechanism, using Silent Night's protocols to bypass its locks. Before she could do anything, a stronger presence pushed her out of the Net and the door slid open silently. Lucy froze in her pod as the Solo stepped into the room. She could hear only silence, as if the woman rescuing them had arrived on graveyard shift.

“This is our chance.” Lucy sent along the common server looking back at the others who had awoken in the chaos. Moments later her pod hissed open. The disconnection from the network made her groggy and she said, "Who... are you?" her voice shaky.

"Solo," The young woman replied softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I'm here to get you out."

After the rest were freed from the pod’s alarms flared to life. Without pause the Solo lead them out making her way quickly through the labyrinthine passages without a sound, Lucy noted there wasn’t any sign of violence. It was eerie. The Solo had cleared the entire building without leaving any trace of violence.

It was a demonstration of power that spoke volumes.

Navigating deftly, they approached the compound's east wing. Stepping out into the transport bay docks a gorgeous figure in sleek combat gear – the Solo was already moving towards a truck. With a nod of recognition to Lucy, she gestured towards vehicle. "Fluffyfeathers did a number on their main grid. It won't be down for long, but it's enough. Follow me."

The group moved quickly through the facility, heading towards a transport truck, its engines humming softly. As they approached, another figure emerged from the cockpit – Fluffyfeathers, the sight of a miniature dragon gave everyone pause except their escort. “I don’t have all day, load up in the back and keep quiet. Shorty, you’re up here with me.” Lucy nodded and entered the side of the cab still staring at the strange creature that was apparently also a pre-eminent Netrunner. The world was stranger than she had known, that was apparent now.

"All aboard," Fluffyfeathers sent to the others through their short beam radio. The effect was akin to dispelling magic as each child hustled into the transport trucks open back. Once all the children were secured, the back of the truck sealed shut and started to move.

As the transport took off, leaving the prison camp fading into the distance, Lucy exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

Free. They were free!

The transport's interior hummed with a soft cyan glow, the quiet punctuated by the gentle vibration of the craft and the soft breaths of the rescued trainee children in the back. As the distance between them and the Kendachi headquarters grew, a sense of disbelief settled on Lucy. Freedom, a concept that had seemed so foreign and distant, was now within grasp.

The female Solo, piloting the transport, tapped a few buttons on the holographic interface, setting the craft on autopilot. Turning back, the sly grin ever-present on their face, they said, "Alright, shorty. Welcome to the Valentinos. They aren’t much, but they kept me fed and helped me become what I am today. I’m Crystal Moss. Don’t spread the name around, the Corpo are searching for me desperately."

Crystal Moss let another pet of hers, a fluffy fat rat, slip through the small opening in the back of the cap to began tending the trainees. The rat somehow handing out water and basic rations. Crystal’s fierce demeanor escaping the camp was replaced by a more maternal side, a stark contrast to her previous bloodthirsty aura. "We need to lay low for a bit. The CorpSec will be on high alert, especially with the stunt I just pulled."

Lucy looked out the glass, her curiosity piqued by the sprawling network of data streams displayed on the transport truck’s interface. "What's the next move, big sister?"

Fluffyfeathers reclined, their eyes scanning the vast digital tapestry before them. "Hunters hunting.”

Moss chimed in, "There's a bar owner I know, goes by the name Mama Welles. If there's anyone who can help us it's them. But they're not interested in taking on burdens without any payment."

Lucy nodded, determination in her eyes. "We are all, very good in the Net."

Over the next few hours, the transport truck evaded patrols, navigating through the neon-drenched sprawls of Noir City. Along the way, Lucy and the team tapped into the underbelly of the digital realm, following whispers and data trails leading to their pursuers in the Net.

Lucy made sure none of them survived the encounters. Silent Night was an executioner’s axe in her hands. She’d had the fear and morality burned out of her in the Arasaka Training Camp run by Kendachi. Those who pursued her were enemies, and there was only one fate for enemies in her young mind.

When the truck finally drew up at the back of a bar labeled El Coyote Cojo most of the kids were out cold. Crystal turned the power off and then waited while F.F. did something to make the entire truck’s code erase itself. “Get the kids out the back and wait for me, ok?” Lucy nodded at the Solo, Crystal, and exited the vehicle. It hadn’t escaped her notice that even though Moss didn’t have a single weapon on her she had still gotten them out. She was also suspiciously clean, like as if her Jinguji clothing was fresh from the cleaning company.

Investigating a Solo’s secrets were a very bad idea.

Lucy decided to let the little stuff pass rather than learn something she shouldn’t. Big sister was amazing, and that was that in her mind.

The noise of Noir City's bustling streets faded as Lucy helped the children disembark from the back. The distinct scent of fried food wafted from El Coyote Cojo, reminding Lucy of simpler times. The back entrance was concealed, revealing only a battered metal door with a faded "Staff Only" sign. Still, the ambiance felt warmer and safer than the sterile environment of the Kendachi camp.

From the door, a raspy voice called out, "Who's makin' all that ruckus, outside?"

A matronly figure emerged, her brown hair streaked in silver-gray and her eyes filled with a life's worth of stories. This was clearly Mama Welles, and despite her no-nonsense demeanor, there was a softness to her gaze as she surveyed the group.

"Hello," Lucy began. "The Solo brought us here."

Mama Welles sighed deeply, "More lost souls. Kendachi and Arasaka really have their claws everywhere. Fucking sickos." She looked over the children, a mix of pity and determination in her eyes. "Alright, get them inside chica. I've got some space in the back. You all can rest up while we figure out the next move. I’ll be frank, unless you join the Valentino, I won’t be able to do much." Lucy nodded and got the children moving.

As they entered the bars back entrance, a mix of raucous laughter and melancholic tunes filled the air. Lucy could sense the weight of the world lifting off her shoulders, even if just for a moment. Mama Welles seemed to be a beacon of hope in a city that often felt devoid of it.

A few regulars exiting the bathrooms ahead glanced over, their gazes lingering a little longer than comfortable, but Mama Welles shot them a look that sent them back to their drinks.

"You little ones hungry? Of course, you are, kids are bottomless pits." she said with a chuckle. "Got some freshly made tamales. I’ll take the hit, since Crystal has already sent me a tidy sum. Enough to cover food, real food. Not cyber-organic or any of that crap from All-Foods."

A murmur of agreement spread amongst the children. Lucy nodded her thanks, taking a moment to appreciate the safety and warmth of the bar. She also noted there was a fully decked out Netrunner room nearby. It was clear Mama Welles wasn’t just a pretty face, she was somebody important.

There was also a gun room, with a lot of guns. Lucy wasn’t sure there were enough humans for that many guns to be honest.

However, it was evident that she and the others couldn't stay for long. Every minute they remained in one place increased the risk of being found. Lucy knew they needed to separate scattering into the city like cockroaches under bright light.

Moss re-entered; her demeanor more relaxed but still alert. "Thanks, Mama Welles," she said, wrapping the older woman in a brief hug. "I owe you one."

"No debts among the Valentino family," Mama Welles replied with a wink. Lucy continued eating her tamale while the two women talked.

Crystal leaned in, "We need to go, soon. As much as I'd love to stay and indulge in Mama's tamales, they are all still hot targets."

Fluffyfeathers, perched on a barstool in the back room and sipping something neon green, chimed in through radio, "Scattershot. Valentino."

Moss raised an eyebrow, "You sure about that, Fluff? It's risky."

Fluffyfeathers smirked, "Invest in future!" A glance at Mama Welles said it all.

Lucy finished her tamale and said, “If you don’t work, you don’t eat. I can work, in the Net."

Mama Welles looked at her and said, “My last Netrunner left for another job. Do you think you can replace them?”

Lucy straightened crumbs falling off her suit to the floor below as she said, “Absolutely.”

“Well, let’s find out then.” Mama Welles said looking at Crystal with a raised eyebrow.