Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG

Chapter 177

”How’s it look?” A call came from above, causing me to lose focus as I glanced over my shoulder. Renold and Hampton stood at the uppermost balcony, the latter of which waved down to us.

I checked the diagnostic report one last time. I’d already run it several times. The old wiring was on the fritz, causing me to run several diagnostics from different terminals scattered around the place. “Nova. Just some slight fixes to the stuff on the roof, and I'll be able to get it back up and running!” 

“Chek. C’mon up when you guys are ready! We found what looked like a mechanic shop on the floor above.” Hampton turned away from the balcony, pausing momentarily to give one more order. “Be careful though. There are signs of something small living in the ducts. We didn’t find it, but it might try to ambush.”

”Roger.” Lia answered, popping a thumbs up to the duo before they vanished back into the hallways above. She turned to me with her typical grin. “Are you ready to go, Zuku?”

I clicked around a few more times on the terminal, pausing slightly as I found a map of the news stations broadcasting towers scattered around. Looked like New Tress Radio was quite prolific in this state before it fell and the FSA swapped to a more united city-state type of governance. Doubt that knowledge would ever be useful, but it was seared into my brain now thanks to Eidetic Schematic.

As I clicked off of the terminal and closed everything down, I used Technical Expertise to take a scan of the terminal. The thing was ancient, though I figured it would be a good idea to start cataloging everything with the combination of Technical Expertise and Eidetic Schematic. Never know when a certain bit of know-how on putting something together would help.

I repeated the process of scanning all the tech around to get into the habit. I also hooked up one of my last picks into the computer console so I could access it remotely with my deck. It’d make it easier to fix things up top if I didn’t have to come and go from the roof.

With everything that I needed to do done, I nodded to the other two. “Chek. I’m good to go.”

“Then let’s blow this popsicle stand!” Lia clapped her hands, flinching slightly as the noise echoed. A hand shot up to rub at her temple, though she still seemed to be in a daze as she grossly overshot and smacked herself upside the head.

“Careful. Still concussed.” Yonrow dodged by her staggered form as he moved to take the lead. “Moving.”

We moved toward the hall, our pace slowing way down as I struggled to keep up with the group. The stim Yonrow used on me was damn strong, but it wasn’t a miracle by any means. The stimulus and numbing effect had already started to wear off, making every step extremely painful.

Lia slid back next to me, keeping her SMG in a neutral position as she braced my hurt side like a crutch. “Hey, thanks for the save earlier. And for knocking me back into awareness.” 

“No problem.” I offered the woman a bright smile, to which her face flushed red slightly as she glanced away. “Now you’ll have to put up with me a bit longer though.”

The magus laughed lightly as she shook her head. “Trust me, you aren't trouble at all. Escorting you is practically a joy ride compared to ole Frank.”

”Is he really that bad?” I’d heard a few mentions over the week I’d spent at the camp, though it was in passing. Most people hardly seemed to even think about him.

She shuddered slightly. “He’s just really annoying. He has no combat capabilities. And he’s sooooo slow. It takes him forever to finish a job. We once had to wait three days in the middle of the Outlands for him to fix a Prowler after we were attacked by massive scorpions.”

”Massive lecher too.” Yonrow commented as he glanced over his shoulder at us. A look of disgust passed over his face. “Constantly asked me to draw scenes.”

That… makes sense. The captain mentioned Frank was incapacitated by messing around with a faultily repaired joybot. Did he not test it before he tried to use it? Mechanics 101: Always test your newest creation before actually putting it into use. Not following such a simple rule was just asking for trouble, though there were a few situations where I could see bypassing it when in a time crunch.

There was a moment of silence, only ruined once we reached the staircase. Lia helped me up the stairs. “Hopefully his last ‘accident’ will invoke some change in him. That old bastard really just needs someone to kick him in the rear.”

”Why haven’t you found someone else yet?” I asked.

”Well… the company has hired about a dozen other techies since I joined. Most of them tend to not live long in the field.” She shrugged as we reached a landing. “Dangers of the job. For having no combat skills, Frank is insanely good at staying alive. Been with Captain Roger since before Ms. Alexandria got me this job.”

Ms. Alexandria? Athena? She seemed to be quite tied in with this PMC company. I wonder how she met Captain Roger? They all had a distinctly military vibe to them… maybe they’re all former soldiers of the FSA? Expats tended to join mercenary companies in this day and age, so it wouldn't be too surprising.

We went silent as we headed up the stairs to regroup with the other two. I spotted the tracks they were talking about as we went up. Small paw prints here and there that didn’t match the giant hawk, as well as ventilation grates pulled off and bent out of shape. It looked like it had quite a bit of strength despite its size.

I bent over and checked a print in some loose sand as we passed by one such peeled-off ventilation shaft. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but it looked like some weird mix of a cat and a rat. Hopefully, it was just a vermin that wouldn’t cause any trouble.

Eventually, we met back up with the rest of the squad. They waited for us at the top of the stairs. “Come on. The shop is this way.”

The mechanic shop they mentioned was full of parts, most of which were covered in dust. There were some fresh boot prints from where Renold and Hampton came in, but otherwise, the room looked as though it’d been sitting abandoned for a long time. Even the plants kept away from here, leaving plenty of perfectly good tools untouched.

”This what you looking for?” Hampton asked.

”Chek.” I looked over the various parts, mentally calculating what I would need. It’d take quite a bit of work to convert everything into usable parts for the APC, but nothing too complicated. Could probably go ahead and do that here if I had all the tools.

“Okay. Lia, stay here with her. Renold and Yonrow, let's clear the roof while they're down here.” Hampton nodded to us. “Ladies. Keep close contact.”

Lia slapped her hands to her mouth in fake shock. “Oh my. You never ask me to talk. Don’t take that back now.”

”Then don’t make us regret it.” Renold smirked. “Might be hard for you.”

”What the heck? Is it gang up on Lia day or something?” The Magus pouted as she looked around.

Yonrow gave her a long, slow look. “Isn’t every day?”

”That’s it! You guys get outta here. At least Zuku appreciates me!” Lia pushed Yonrow towards the door. 

Ah, camaraderie. Kinda wish I had a group like this. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been in the cards. Mira was the closest thing, though she was gone most of the time on one adventure or another. As for why I hadn’t had much luck with others? A combination of paranoia, bad timing, and the fact I was more of a lone wolf. Maybe one day though? Then again…

I went ahead and started to mess around with the parts, gathering what I needed to fix the APC and the broadcasting tower of New Tress Radio. There were a few heavy items, but for the most part, everything I needed was quite light. At least, for the broadcasting tower.

The diagnostic reports indicated problems with the wiring more than anything, though I'd have to see when I got up there. No telling how damaged the programs in those terminals were. For all I know, the broadcasting towers could've been taken right off the roof by a rogue sandstorm.

After a while, Hampton called through the comms, “Roof is clear. Need help carrying stuff up?”

”Do we?” Lia asked me.

I checked over the piles of stuff. ”Should probably take it all up so we can zip it across from the roof.”

Lia answered the comms. “Of course we do, gonk. We’re both injured. Zuku said to bring it all up so we could zip across too.”

"We're coming back down."

— — —

I was a bit worried about making the repairs themselves when I first got up there since the diagnostic reports could be grossly inaccurate after all this time. Not even worth the worry. Compared to modern stuff, repairing ancient broadcasting equipment wasn’t even an issue. 

The repairs to the broadcasting tower were quite easy. Replaced a few wires, swapped out one of the control consoles with a spare, and then I was basically done. We’d have to set up an antennae back at base camp to get connected to it, but that wasn’t an issue. There were enough backups in the mechanic shop to take care of that.

Getting the stuff across was a bit of an issue, though with a bit of ingenuity and some clever usage of pulleys, it was quickly solved. The real issue was getting across without hurting myself further. Again though, pulleys solved that. We used it to modulate my speed so the impact wouldn’t hurt me too badly. 

Then we used the same strategy of pulleys and rope to get the loot down to ground level for the Prowler. By the time we were loaded back up and heading for camp, I was dead tired. And my legs were seriously hurting to boot. 

The distant sun had already sunk low to the horizon, casting deep shadows across the entire city. The plants rustled in the gentle wind, though that gentleness was lost as they all moved like some great monster. 

The infrastructure, still kept on after all this time, came to life with its haunting array of holograms and broken advertisements. With the New Tress Radio building,  it’s surprising this city still had electricity running through it. “How’s all this still running, anyway?”

“That would be Triton and his group,” Renold replied. I was half expecting Hampton to say something, but the guy passed out once more in the passenger seat almost as soon as we got in the car.

”Triton?” I’d heard the name a few times before around the camp. 

Renold pulled down a side street, dodging past several cars cluttering the path forward. “Yeah, they’re a group of scavengers holed up here. Been here since the fall, and the Second Reckoning. Or whatever they called it.”

”Sounds ominous…” Second Reckoning. Sounded like some kind of great disaster. Was it why there were plants everywhere? Or was the greenery already a feature of New Tress City even beforehand? They were quite rampant, so they must’ve been here for a long time, right? Then again, they were greatly mutated. No telling what kind of weirdness the plants around here had.

Lia joined the conversation. “Oh, you have no idea. They’re a bunch of weirdos, and that’s coming from a Magus with a double elbow mutation.”

”Oh?” Weirdos how? Other than living in a ravaged city, I guess. Can’t always just get away from circumstances though, so I’ll withhold judgment for now.

”Yeah, they practically worship the plants here. Super weird cultish shit.” Lia shuddered. I was right there alongside her. Worshipping plants sounded awfully similar to the Circle. 

Were they the same as the Circle? “They have a bunch of Adepts in their group?”

“I didn’t see any. Looked like a bunch of mundane people to me.” Lia shrugged. “Then again, they could’ve been Adepts in disguise.”

Maybe they weren’t the Circle then. Lia had half a step into the Aether, so she would've noticed had they been Adepts. Maybe it was just a bizarre coincidence. Or rather, maybe it was to be expected. I could see a plant worshipping cult pop up just about anywhere considering how rare it was to see them in bulk on this continent. 

The Prowler went quiet as we coasted along the ruined city. Aside from the consistent throbbing in my legs, it was quite peaceful. I found myself drifting ever so quickly off to sleep. Hopefully, when I woke up, my legs would be back to normal.