Never Fade Away: Likewise (ch. 48) (Patreon)

“Sheeeet, was Nora right or was Nora right? Y'all see the feeds lighting up when L came down in that ball of fire? Goddamn! Got a pic of when he landed - might make it into a poster or something.

But that's the future. Back in the now, plans are brewing now that L’s back, but I won't be saying much on the radio. Check at the Afterlife for deets. If you can't find someone who knows something, then just prepare - it won't be subtle when we start pluckin’ feathers.

Now, let's take a look at the past. Specifically, the part that's screwing us over now.

The European Space Council. The gonks who left Earth damn near defenseless.

These guys got an early edge in space, and started making things like these big ass railguns called Mass Drivers as early as 2020, when they were just the European Space Agency. Pointed down, of course.

These things are pretty damn devastating. So much so that when some blue-collar types rose up and took over some stations they were working on, as well as a few Mass Drivers… they were able to bring everyone down on Earth to the negotiations table. At gunpoint. And that's how we got the Highrider Confederation.

And how the ESC got so damn twitchy about anyone else having Mass Drivers. Or anything like ‘em.

You can see how that worked out.

Anyway, here's a relatively recent ditty called Devil's Gonna Come by a group simply called ‘Extreme Music’.”

~

"We are on our own," Rogue Amendiares began the third ever meeting of every major faction in the city. And this time, the turn out was greater than the previous two combined. As if her gaze was drawn by a magnet, Rogue looked to Kurt Hansen in the flesh -- he sat directly across from her, his feet clicked up as he gave the impression that he was as relaxed as could be. She saw through it easily. There was no way Hansen was as relaxed as he liked to pretend. Otherwise, this wouldn't be the first time in seven years that he left Dog Town.

"It is an unfortunate reality that neutrality has its own difficulties," Padre replied, the aged fixer taking a deep breath of cigar smoke. Rogue was almost sorry to see him do it. She hadn't seen Padre smoke once in the past thirty years. As he released the cloud of smoke, Rogue saw that everyone caught the double meaning. This wasn't the time to stay on the sidelines.

"Only if you don't have what it takes to stand on your own two feet," Hansen replied, his tone dismissive. He was playing hard to get and Rogue knew it was going to cost an arm and a leg to get him on board, but he would get on board. Barghast, overwhelmingly, was the most unified and structured force left in the city. There were only a few thousand of them, but Rogue knew that two thousand soldiers would slaughter ten thousand gangsters. He had the weapons, the implants, and the drugs they needed to give the aliens an eviction notice.

Padre inclined his head to Hansen, "Then we must stand. I speak with the voice of the Valentinos -- we shall fight." Rogue never had any doubts about Padre being on board. He was always one of the most level-headed. He knew when to bend and when to stand. No, she never had any doubts about Padre, and his word was gold. It was the others that she had her doubts about.

Rogue leaned into her chair, knowing that when it came down to it, her voice was the most diminished. After all, every other Fixer in the room was one that was affiliated with a major gang in some capacity. What gave Rogue her strength was her connections and favors, none of which could be called in at the moment. Still, she had the clout to bring everyone to the table -- Padre for the Valentinos, Wakako for the Tyger Claws, El Capitán ended up representing 6th Street, while a newer face was sent to represent the Animals.

Angie. She didn't look like an animal, even if she was the number two in the gang. Pink hair, sculpted face, wearing a tanktop without a bra underneath it -- she was certainly a sight when you expected the Animals to look like a slab of muscle with skin that was pulled a little too tightly around it. However, appearances were deceiving and Rogue read her file. Angie was outfitted with top of the line bioware. She might not look like it, but she was easily stronger than the two gonks that looked like they were one bad flex from popping that she brought with her.

"My people yearn to return to their homeland. They were brought here to maintain a presence in Night City, but my Tyger Claws are from Japan." Wakako replied, and that also wasn't a surprise. Japan shipped in a thousand Claws so they wouldn't lose their territory in a neutral city, but they weren't born here. They didn't care at all for Night City. It wasn't a surprise that they wouldn't be willing to die here. Still, they needed the numbers.

"If they want to try their luck over open ocean, I say let them jump ship," Angie remarked, throwing her arms back over the back of the chair she sat in. There was a smirk in her voice. "Not sure what good they would do anyway. L kicked their daddy and his wallet off world, so I imagine the Claws would be every bit as fucked in Japan as they would be here."

Wakako twitched at the reminder. Angie was right, the Tyger Claws were dead. Only they were dying slow in comparison to the quick death L gave their Night City branch in the Graveyard.

"The Aldecaldoes and the Raffen managed to sort their shit out," Dakota Smith, the Mad Coyote, said. She sounded every bit as annoyed as Rogue felt, though Rogue suspected that mostly had to do with the fact that she had to enter the city. Dakota had been in the game for thirty years now, and Rogue was nearly certain that this was the first time she had stepped foot in Night City since she became a Fixer. "Be nice if you could too."

Hansen gave Dakota an even look, "Can we expect the noble Nomads to cut and run like the Claws?" He asked, needling her. A front, Rogue knew. Hansen was one of the biggest gun dealers on the west coast. He got a number of airdrops into his city, but he and Dakota had a longstanding arrangement for smuggling guns in and out of Night City.

Dakota let out a huff, "Depends if they feel like it's worth staying. This whole invasion seems focused on cities, so plenty are tempted to ride out into the badlands." She was looking for a bribe, essentially. A big one. The Aldecaldoes numbered more than ten thousand, but they only had an odd five or six hundred near the city. The Raffen Shiv, on the other hand, had closer to a thousand in the immediate vicinity.

Then one of the two unexpected guests spoke up, "I believe that could be arranged," Yorinobu Arasaka spoke up, his tone so smooth butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. He'd lost a lot of the Corpo attire that Rogue usually saw him in over the past couple of decades. Still wearing silk shorts, but she recalled what the iron dragon sigil looked like. As he spoke, he grabbed a six pack of unmarked cans and set them on the table that they all were arranged around. "L-san has provided me with these. His GN Drives."

Hansen was quick to reach out to snag one, his interest apparent. "These the things that could power a district?"

Yorinobu smiled, "One of them will meet the power requirements for the city." He answered, earning a lot of sharp looks. "We were provided six… well, to quote L-san 'You idiots will probably break them.'" That… that didn't sound like L. Well, it did match his direct bluntness, but…

Rogue was caught by the all too recent memory of L looking down at one of the kids he swore to protect. How his face twisted into a snarl that had no right being made by a human. The metal slab screeching as his grip tore at it. The hate that burned in his eyes and dripped from his voice…

It reminded her all too well of Johnny. And that same hate got him killed.

"L is staying in the city, then?" Muamar Reyes questioned, sounding far more interested in the conversation. Rogue could feel the scales tipping in the way that she wanted them to. L's presence was that big of an equalizer -- it made an alien invasion go from utterly hopeless to winnable. His tech was that good. More than that… he already beat the unbeatable once already.

Yorinobu knew it too. "He will. For the time being, at least." He wasn't giving too much, knowing that if he did, then maybe the pressure to commit wouldn't be so great.

"I suppose that means we can count on that poser gang of his," Rogue remarked. The Ls' didn't have a single thought in their head that they didn't think L gave them. Which made them rather simple to predict -- if they saw L fighting, then most of them would fight. If they didn't see L… well, then they would hide. Either way, that was another odd two hundred fighters that they could use.

Hansen took his feet off of the table and leaned forward. "I'm willing to fight for the greater good again," he said with a nasty smile. "If I can get a few things that I want." And there was the catch. No one was surprised. Least of all Yorinobu.

"I understand, however, L gave me a message in case it became relevant. 'I have not forgotten my promise. You can die to the Turians or you can die to me. Or, I suppose, you could put some iron in your mouth and escape that way.' His words, of course." Rogue felt the moment that the air stilled in the room and Rogue's heart clenched. Those words… that threat. That reminded her of Johnny.

"He really thinks he's in a position to make those threats?" Hansen growled,and since he missed the last meeting…

"You vastly overestimate how much he cares for this city. We are blessed with his presence because his people live here. If we get in the way of their safety, L would zero every single one of us with his bare hands without giving it a second thought." Rogue answered, making Hansen regard her coldly. "So, you heard him. You can die to these aliens -- the Turians, as they're apparently called… or you can die at his or your own hand."

Padre touched the stylized V on his forehead, "This news is… less than ideal." He admitted -- the Valentinos hadn't changed their stripes when L delivered that threat. To change or die. They must have hoped that it was an empty threat. One they didn't take seriously, but now they were forced to because L had thoroughly proven that you can trust him to do one thing -- kill his enemies.

Surprisingly, it was Angie that spoke up. "If that's the case, then we do what he wants," she said, sounding less than pleased. "He's the alpha of the city when it comes right down to it, and you're all lying to yourselves if you think differently." It was a primal way to look at it, but then again, their gang were called Animals.

"If L is fighting, then that should convince most that the fight ain't a lost cause," Dakota seconded.

"I can make no promises at this time, but I can put forth a course of action towards the leadership," Wakako gave a nonanswer. That wasn't surprising, even if it was disappointing.

"6th Street is always going to protect these streets. Never even in question," Muamar replied with an easy going smile. That was a significant chunk of the city right there. Maelstrom… as far as Rogue could tell, the Turians had focused on them, and if they weren't all dead then they were about to be exterminated. The Voodoo Boys went to ground entirely after the aliens flooded into Pacifica. She didn't know if they were dead or just in hiding.

"My mercs are on standby," Rogue spoke up, bringing her glass of tequila to her lips. While the megacorps had pulled out of Night City, there had been a number of high profile Corpos that got left behind. With a little finesse, she had a few hundred top tier mercs under her banner. Quality over quantity.

Hansen felt the wind shifting against him. And he was smart enough to understand that he and his crew would be made an example of if he didn't get on the right side of the line. With some reluctance, he nodded his head. "Fine. Barghast is in this merry alliance." Perfect.

Then it was their second mysterious guest. A man without a name.

"Night Corp shall back your efforts," Mr. Blue Eyes said, his voice emotionless while his eyes shone a bright blue. The very last megacorp left in the city, and that was entirely because they were based in Night City. It was a very rare thing for Rogue to not have information ready to be pulled at her fingertips, but Mr. Blue Eyes was a true ghost. No name, no point of origin… Rogue didn't even know how long he had worked at Night Corp. "If we may begin in earnest, I have surveyed the city," he began.

Then the hologram projector that he shouldn't have access to changed to display a map of Night City. Large swaths of it were marked blue, with a handful of places marked red. Watson and Pacifica were mostly red. However, in the surrounding area outside of Night City there was a far greater concentration. The aliens' positions. This was… rather great data to have. And it was more thorough than what she had managed to gather.

"The Turians have allocated an army of twenty thousand to the capture of Night City," Mr. Blue Eyes began. "This army is reinforced by an estimated five thousand mechanized infantry and three combat vessels for air support. In addition, at their base of operations, they have begun the layout of artillery pieces." He explained, painting a rather grim picture. He was also neglecting to mention the ship that hovered overhead in orbit.

In short, they had just about all that they needed to level Night City if they wanted.

Night City had a population of around seven million. With the gangs, they had roughly six thousand somewhat organized fighters if she was being generous. If they could organize some kind of militia, then maybe they could swing the numbers the right way. However, the biggest issue was the fact that the Turians had a clear air advantage. More than once, on the cusp of victory, an airstrike got called in that savaged the defenders. And the attackers, because the Turians weren't above blowing themselves up as a final fuck you.

"A three pronged attack should do the trick. Only issue being the artillery," Hansen voiced, leaning forward. "Barghast will hit the birds in Pacifica," he decided. "But we need to hit them at their main base. And give the ship in the sky something to shoot at while we cut them out." He was quick to volunteer because he wanted to claim the rest of Pacifica for himself.

Given the circumstances, Rogue was tempted to let him just have it.

"L is aware of the main encampment. The bulk of the army is there. He will handle them in addition to providing the distraction for the ship overhead," Yorinobu informed, and that was… that was a lot to throw on the shoulders of one kid. There were roughly ten thousand soldiers in reserve at the encampment, in addition to whatever else they were building to soak up some losses.

Hansen seemed annoyed, "If he has a plan, then why not say that?" He grumbled, but wasn't displeased. The suicide run had been handed off to someone else after all. Rogue looked at the distance between Night City and the main encampment -- a good mile of empty space. Any sneak attack would be discovered long in advance, and those artillery pieces would blow whatever they sent to simmitherines. Getting the ship above to shoot at you too?

"Watson shall be my responsibility then," Padre voiced.

"With a little help," Rogue swiftly offered. Padre inclined his head to her…

And with that, the plan to end the siege of Night City began to take shape.

…

Sometimes, Lucy truly hated how at home she felt in the Deep Net. That sensation of becoming purely digital, of becoming weightless and floaty… it was a magical feeling that not even an ocean of bad memories could take from her. She opened her eyes, her gaze drawn to the border of the Net. The Blackwall. On the other side of it was… hell. The Old Net. A hellscape of feral AIs infected with R.A.B.I.D.S., the greatest creation of Bartmoss and his final gift to humanity. He was the best there was, but any Netrunner that loved the craft hated the man. Anyone that knew enough about how the Net used to be hated the man.

The Blackwall was every bit as daunting as the first time she saw it. A massive wall that expanded endlessly with thousands of AIs clawing at it, trying to get through.

Lucy looked away -- she wasn't here to go beyond the Blackwall and steal secrets from the old Data Castles of the Old Net. She was here for something else entirely. A call to arms, if she had to call it something. A call that went out to every single Netrunner in the world, asking that they venture to a single location in the hopes of pooling their resources. Like it or not, this wasn't something that could be solved by hiding in the Net and hoping that it resolved itself.

"Are you ready?" Lucy asked, and it was difficult to look at L. A Deep Dive was something fundamentally different than a normal jack-in or uploading a quickhack. The technology that was embedded in her body allowed the human brain to interpret and visualize raw data. When she looked down at her own hands, due to her own mental preconceptions of what she was supposed to look like and her avatar, she looked like herself.

L, on the other hand… he didn't bother with an avatar and due to his own ICE…

If beyond the Blackwall was hell, then L would be the Devil.

His form was ever changing due to the Skeleton Lock, rippling like a lake underneath a still outer layer. He was black as the void itself, red light marking some degree of contrast. To her perception, Lucy saw a pair of devil horns protruding from his skull while his mouth was filled with jagged teeth. L was terrifying in a way that she hadn't felt since she was trying to avoid notice of AIs as a child. L looked down at his claw tipped hand, opening and closing it a few times. Was this really his first Deep Dive? "Are you sure you can trust this invite?"

She wasn't. "It's unlikely that it's a trap. Something like this…" she trailed off, looking out to where their destination was. The eastern part of the Net -- the part that encapsulated Japan and everything on the east coast of the Americas -- was almost picturesque. Between Night City and Japan was a digital sea, and if she looked closely, she could see the digital fish swimming through open space. Their destination, however, laid between the main servers in Japan and Night City. A neutral ground. Or, as close as they could get to one. "No one would be stupid enough to try to trap this many Netrunners."

"I'll take your word for it. Let's go then," L replied, his voice terse. He was angry. No, that was a vast understatement. What L felt was murderous wrath, more intense than anything that Lucy had ever seen, but he kept it in check with cold focus. Lucy offered a hesitant nod before she moved them across the Net. Speed was near instantaneous when you were moving through the open net, and with a single step, Lucy brought them to the Data Castle that the meet had been set up at.

It looked like Night City. Or, rather, it looked like what Night City could have been. What Richard Night had envisioned-- a utopia of a city. The buildings were tall, stretching high into the sky as digital fish swam between buildings, cherry blossoms fell through the air like a gentle rain. All the while, hundreds upon hundreds of Netrunners took the same step that they did to arrive in the city.

"What the fuck is that?" Lucy heard someone remark, and a glance revealed it to be a woman. Her avatar was that of a kitsune, complete with nine tails. She openly gaped at L, who strode through the streets, paying no mind to his surroundings. A quick look at her tag marked her as Foxxy. A relatively established runner in Night City.

Most avatars were… basic, when it came right down to it. Enough to obscure your real identity, but no one looked like L did. The runners gave him a wide berth as he marched forward to the city center, where a spiraling hologram was raised up. Only instead of adverts, it was a connection to the other nets out there. Netwatch broke it up into a dozen regions or so, with some regions being broken up further by particularly powerful groups.

When they arrived at what would be the city center, Lucy saw a sphere of platforms around a central portal. She didn't perceive any traps in it, even if she did see a number of troublesome people.

B@d. A rather unassuming man in a raincoat with a blank mask on leaning against the railing as he watched the data exchange. He was a sleeping legend in Night City -- a runner that routinely poked Arasaka, and he had been for nearly forty years.

Another was Nix, who appeared as his normal self. The Afterlife Netrunner. While he wasn't strictly a Legend, you didn't get trusted by the Queen of the Afterlife by being average.

There were others too. BugBe@r. Laughing Man. Ghost. Just to name a few. Others she knew by reputation -- Tyger Claw runners, Maelstrom, even Scavs. They all gathered around, talking and debating. Lucy saw hundreds of transfers as every single one of them were analyzing and poking the scraps of foreign code. There were even Corpo runners participating, or merely keeping watch. Lucy's gaze slid to a bird that was perched on a streetlight, but she moved on.

L approached the central portal, uncaring how everyone turned to look at him as he walked by before he touched the glowing orb. He transferred a packet and the info spread.

"Would you look at that?" Lucy heard Nix remark, stepping down towards L. "You already cracked it, huh?" He said, taking a copy of the packet. "What took you so long?" He joked and Lucy watched him analyze the contents. To her eyes, it was as if he were flipping through a book.

Anyone else would have picked up on the joke. "I had to program a translator. It was tedious," L answered.

"Well… fuck me," Nix muttered. L didn't just include a translator for the language the aliens spoke, but for their code as well. More than that, he even gave a rudimentary breakdown on how to hack their systems, complete with a program to serve as an example. The reaction inspired others to brave the portal, each of them pouring over the files and inspecting them. In a moment, Lucy heard the conversation shift from how to crack the language to how to craft spells and daemons.

L simply walked away, marching back towards her. Lucy was surprised to find herself being dragged to an upper balcony to look over the runners that were examining the code, L leaning over the side to watch it happen. "Sorry," he apologized, and that was something she didn't expect to hear from the Devil himself.

But she knew exactly what he was apologizing for. "You can't take the blame for an alien invasion," Lucy replied, looking up to the sky to see the fish swim. It had been brief, but she got to see the moon.

And it had been everything that she'd hoped it would be. At least, initially. David was with her, their lives were at peace, and she had a taste of pure happiness. Joy and freedom that she never found on Earth. Then the kids started testing boundaries when they learned that saying no wouldn't be punished by death. Then their days became filled with a thousand and one different battles, and they went to bed more exhausted than they ever had been after a gig. Still, it had been the best kind of exhaustion.

They had been happy.

Now, David was recovering from a surgery that had turned most of him chrome and they were in another battle.

"I'm sorry that it didn't last," L replied, his voice low and heavy. "After they die… we'll leave. We'll go somewhere else where we never have to worry about this stuff ever again."

Lucy smiled in response, but she didn't believe him. She couldn't.

Since he won his freedom, L had fought in a war that only grew in scope. And no matter what he might think…

L would never stop fighting.