Section 1: Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

It all started in 2016. A young girl leaves home for the first time, going to visit her sister in the big city. Her sister told her of a thriving city, opportunity waiting around every corner. Her sister lied. Now she's finding out that Night City is really "The City of Broken Dreams".

Prologue

A woman sobbed quietly as her world collapsed around her. Stacks of AV disks surrounded her, their stored figures floating around her head as she slowly fell to pieces. No matter how hard she tired, she could not make the figures balance. The cred comp seemed to simply not want to cooperate. With a savage swipe, she swept everything to the floor. The cred comp shattered as it slammed into the old battered American refrigerator in the crappy kitchen of their shitty two-bedroom hovel. All the woman say was another figure to add to the outgoing column of their monthly spreadsheet. She collapsed on the kitchen table, the world blurred by the tears spilling from her eyes. The future wasn't bright, but what in this world was?

Part 1: Movin' On

(June 27th, 2016) Mazetech Corpfarm #327, San Benito County, California

Alexa Markov stirred in her sleep, something pulling at her subconscious mind. An unnoticed battle between her subconscious mind and her need to sleep was being waged. Alexa's eyes fluttered open as sleep finally lost that last finger's grip over her. Her gaze floated over everything in the room, still in that semi sleep haze trying to pick out something that was out of place, trying to pinpoint what had woken her. Nothing appeared different. Her eyes rested on the red LED like display of the dataterm showing the time. It was about two o'clock in the morning. Thumping her pillow, she settled back down, closing her eyes again. She heard a noise in the corridor outside her room. Alexa's eyes snapped open as she listened to footsteps pass the door. Without even thinking, she flagged them as her father's steps. She pushed back the sheets covering her and quietly made her way to the door. Holding her breath, she turned the door handle. It opened noiselessly. She opened her door a crack, checking the hall. Noone! Tiptoeing along the corridor, she can't help but see the light from the kitchen spill out into the hall. Pressing herself against the wall and the kitchen doorframe, she listened, hardly breathing, to the noises coming from the only lit room in the house.

Edging forward, she could just about make out two figures in the room, reflected in the glass of the kitchen window. A distorted image in the window took a few seconds to decipher. Alexa watched as her father took her mother into his arms. She could just about hear her father trying to soothe his wife. He was whispering quietly in Elena’s, her mother’s, ear, and his hand was smoothing her graying hair as she buried her face in his chest, mumbling unintelligibly into his robe. Alexa struggled to hear what her mother was saying. Her body was shaking as she sobbed out her problems. Alexa couldn’t make out much. She listened instead to her father’s soothing voice. He was repeating phrases like ‘It will be alright’, ‘We’ll be alright’, ‘We’ll get through this, we always do’, and ‘Don’t worry’. Something was up and Alexa suspected it was something big.

She listened closer; she tried to pick out what her mother was saying. She could only make out a few words, given her mother’s emotional state. Something about bills, finance, not adding up. Everything clicked into place in her mind. It had been something she had never really given much thought to. Ever since their family had been kicked out of the corp farm she had grown up in, things had been tight, but she hadn’t expected to find her dad comforting her mom while her mom had an emotional breakdown. Alexa’s mind started checking off a list of possible ways to help with this situation. The most obvious was to get a job and contribute to the household. That was out of the question. Her dad had been lucky to get a job here as it was. There was nothing going in this dive and even if there were, the competition would be lined up around the block. There seemed to be only one other option left for her.

Alexa made up her mind and quietly sneaked back to her room. She made no noise as she closed over the door again. Pulling out a chair, Alexa sat in front of her dataterm. Baring her arm, she picked at an almost invisible imperfection in the skin. A rectangle of skin pulled away from the rest of skin on her arm, revealing a set of interface cables in a recessed metallic compartment in her forearm. Taking one of the cables, she pulled it until it started to grow. When it was long enough to comfortably reach the corresponding socket in the dataterm she stopped. Clicking the cable into place in the dataterm, she thought one single word, ‘Connect’. A dialog box appeared on screen welcoming her. She mentally called up the menu system. She was one with the computer; it echoed every thought she had. Thinking about her email brought it to the screen, another thought entered her username and password. Simply looking at a section of screen started a new mail. Alexa took a moment to think up the wording for this important message. Taking a deep breath, she started the mail.

Ana,
Things are bad here. Mom is crying in the kitchen. Dad is comforting her. Things have gotten real bad ever since Luka double-crossed us. There isn’t enough cred to pay the bills for the three of us so I had an idea. I’m going to follow in your footsteps. I’m coming to Night City. That’s okay, right? I reckon it will be easier on them. Mail me back as soon as possible, k Sis?!
Luv,
Alexa

Reading over the mail she mentally clicked the send button. Well, that was it, one way or another, she was going to join her sister in the land of opportunity, Night City. She figured that reducing the number of mouths at the table would go a long way to helping her parents survive on a paycheck a quarter the size of what they were used to and half the size they needed. Rent would go down as well, because they could move to a smaller apartment for just the two of them.

Alexa unplugged the interface cable and pressed a button in the recessed compartment. The cable was slowly pulled back inside by a small servomotor. She made sure it was sitting back in place, before smoothing the skin back over the plugs. Again, it was virtually impossible to tell that she was wired.

She settled back in bed. It could be hours before Ana answered. She also needed to be rested before she broached the subject with her parents tomorrow morning. Filtering out the soft murmuring still coming from the kitchen, Alexa let sleep reclaim her. Pictures of the perfect city that Ana had described to her filled her head as she dreamed about how her future was going to plan out.

(June 27th, 2016) ‘Kyr i Vikati’ Turf, Combat Zone, Night City, California

A shrill sound alerted her to the fact that she had new mail. She touched the hot spot on the screen to bring up her mail. Bringing up the on screen keyboard she entered her username and password. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth when she saw whom the mail was from, her little sister. Anastasia Markov, Ana to her friends, Tsarina to the gang she was aligned with, waited for her mail to load, anxious for news of the world she regretted leaving behind. She read the message, her heart falling as the words locked themselves into sentences. Silently repeating ‘No’ again and again, she thought back to the mails that she had sent to her little sister telling her how great life in the City was, how many lies had she put into those letters to make Alexa think she was doing okay out on her own. Nothing could be further from the truth. She had to stop this. She couldn’t condemn her sister to the same life that she had. Alexa would have to hang in there a while longer.

Hitting reply, Ana tried to think of the words that would somehow make it better, like she wasn’t turning her back on the only people in the world who loved her. A blank screen appeared in front of her. Running through possible messages in her head, she finally decided on something to say.

Lexa Honey,
I wish this was easier to say but let me start by saying that I wish that I was a strong as you, but I’m not. I wish I could talk my way out of anything like you, but I can’t. I learned that the hard way. I got myself into some trouble here and I can’t figure how to get myself out. I’d love see you but it wouldn’t be safe. I’m sure that things will get better soon, honey…

A hand brushed her short blonde hair away from the back of her neck. Shivers ran down her spine as she felt breath on the back of her neck. She hadn’t heard him come in. She had been too involved in writing the mail, letting her sister down. Her whole body was trembling as a man read her letter to her sister over her shoulder. A hand reached around her and deleted all her hard work. A hard voice whispered in her ear, breath tickling against her ear.

“Tell her you’d be delighted to have her come and stay with you.”
“No Johnny…” Ana started.
“Dusk,” he corrected.
“I’m not having her come stay, it’s no life for a sixteen year old girl.” Ana stuttered slightly, afraid to meet Dusk’s eyes.
“Send the message, Ana, don’t make me ask again.” Dusk almost bit out the words, his voice even harder than usual.
“No, Dusk, I can’t!” She struggled to get the words out.

The hand that had been holding back her hair wrapped itself around her blonde locks. Ana’s hands flew to Dusk’s wrist, tears springing to her eyes. With a hard pull, Dusk pulled her backwards and up, her feet leaving the ground for a few moments. Pain swept down from her head in waves. Ana was forced to stand on her toes to try and keep her feet on the ground. Taking tiny steps to keep her balance, she was forced to turn and face Dusk. His blond hair was falling over one of his dark brown eyes. His six and a half foot frame was tensed and seemed ready for anything. She was looking him straight in the eye and didn’t see his fist hurtling towards her stomach. Ana’s feet left the ground as the force of the blow rocked her like a boxer’s punch bag. Releasing his grip on her hair suddenly, she had no time to brace herself for the impact of hitting the ground. She crumpled up, sobbing quietly to herself as she held her stomach. A few hairs fluttered to the ground as Dusk brushed off his hand.

“Now, do I have to ask you again?” His voice had returned to its calm, hard state.
“No Dusk.”

Limping slightly, she took her place in front of the dataterm. Dusk settled down beside her, again brushing her hair back. Ana flinched slightly as Dusk pressed a kiss against the side of her neck. There were times that Ana couldn’t remember what had attracted her to Dusk, and other times, he seemed to be a totally different person, the person she had fallen love with.

“Don’t worry honey,” Dusk started. “I’ll tell you what to write.”

Ana nodded, not looking at anything but the computer screen. She started typing whatever Dusk told her, the only noise she made being answers to some of Dusk’s questions as he decided on the response.

Lexa,
Of course it’s okay to come visit. We’d be delighted to have you. I’ll have a bus ticket waiting for you at San Benez station. Just ride to the terminal in Night City and I’ll meet you there.
Luv,
Ana

As soon as the email was finished, Dusk reached over and pressed send. Ana closed her eyes, cursing herself silently. If only she could stand up to Dusk, if only she had held out longer, if only she had never gotten involved with him… The world is full of ‘if only’s. Dusk stood, looking down at Ana.

“That wasn’t so hard was it?”

Dusk used a single finger to raise her chin. Ana’s eyes stayed downcast. Her stomach still ached. Pain still ran down her leg. Her scalp throbbed in time with her heartbeat.

“No Johnny!”
“Dusk, not Johnny. Do I have to remind you of everything, Suka?” Anger seeped into his voice.
“No Dusk.”
“Now,” Dusk started in an almost artificially calm voice. “Get into your room and wait for me. I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.”
“But Dusk…” Ana started.
“You know it’s for your own good, baby.”

Dusk stroked her face and turned his back on her. Ana nodded and started for the bedroom. Dusk ordered a single journey bus ticket over the dataterm before following his input to their bedroom. An evil smile crossed his face as he turned to close the door behind them. A click told any eavesdroppers that the door was locked. The only things escaping that room that night were Ana’s cries and muffled screams.

(June 27th, 2016) Mazetech Corpfarm #327, San Benito County, California

Alexa rolled over, trying to ignore the incessant ringing of the dataterm alarm. Pulling the covers over her head, she could still hear the sound. Finally giving in, she started getting up, rubbing her sleep filled eyes and bringing the room into its usual focus. Wandering over to the dataterm, Alexa turned off the alarm, enjoying the silence for a second. She checked the screen to see if Ana had replied. She saw the familiar new mail icon at the bottom of the screen. Biting her lip in fear and anticipation, she clicked on the icon pulling up her mail. Interminable seconds passed as the message loaded. Alexa had not even considered that Ana would turn her down, but that was all that was running thru her head. She need not have worried. Her sister had come thru. Now the only thing was to tell her parents her decision.

(June 27th, 2016) ‘Kyr i Vikati’ Turf, Combat Zone, Night City, California

Ana woke the next morning, barely able to move. She ached all over. She edged out of the bed, trying not to wake Dusk. She grabbed a sheet from the floor and wrapped it around herself as she quietly made her way from the room. She went to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She sat down on the toilet seat and buried her face in her hands, crying. It took her a while to gather the courage together to look in the mirror and see how bad it was this time.

Drying her eyes, she stepped up to the cracked mirror that half hung above the broken down sink in the bathroom. She could see reddish purple marks stretching around her neck, reflected a dozen times in the glass slivers. She could see a dozen bruises on her stomach. She looked down to see a line of faint yellowish bruises starting to appear on her thigh from where she hit the ground last night. As she reached down to touch them, she saw more marks on her wrists, matching in color with the ones on her neck. He had been rougher than usual last night. She tried to justify the reasons behind his actions in her mind, maybe he had a tough day, maybe she had acted that dumb yesterday. He claimed he loved her but sometimes she wasn’t sure. Looking herself straight in the eye, she vowed that things would change. She would have to look out for her little sister. She couldn’t let anything happen to Lexa. She wouldn’t, couldn’t let it happen.

Taking out her makeup, she tried to cover the ligature marks on her neck and wrists. To her they were blaringly obvious, but she hoped they would pass by unnoticed. She didn’t need a talking to about her choices. For better or worse, she still loved Dusk, and for better or worse, she couldn’t make herself leave him. Every time she thought about it, she remembered the time that she tried that over a year ago. She hadn’t been able to walk for three weeks. But she resolved herself that she was going to be strong for Lexa. She wasn’t going to let Lexa see this side of her, if she could possibly help it. She just had to make sure that she didn’t do anything wrong, so that Dusk didn’t feel that she needed reeducation. Her mind made up, she raided the food store to bring Dusk his breakfast, a can of Smash and some of the left over pizza from last night.

(June 28th, 2016) San Benez Bus Station, San Benito County, California

Alexa sat on the small wooden bench outside the San Benez station, her ticket clutched in her hand. The talk with her parents had gone better than anticipated. They had simply sat there and listened to her points. They asked her if it was what she wanted to do and she had honestly told them yes. She told them of the Night City that Ana had drawn in so many word pictures in the emails. She spoke mainly to her father, him being the main influence of the family and broke it down to financial terms. She had covered all her bases even before she had even walked into the room. The only point during the conversation that she nearly lost her nerve was when her mother started crying again. Elena started crying because both her babies had left the nest, even though Alexa had not gone anywhere yet. Finally, her father had agreed, not admitting that it would be easier for them to survive with fewer mouths to feed or in a smaller house. He couched it in terms that made it sound that it was time for Alexa to stand on her own two feet, to see what was out there, to follow her own path. Elena seemed to accept that, still not happy about it. In short, it had gone better than she thought it would...

Her eyes were fixed on the horizon as she watched anxiously for the vehicle that would take her to her new life. Plans raced and chased around her overactive imagination, plans for jobs, life, love, forever. A bump on the horizon broke into Alexa’s dreaming. A subtle hint of fear wrapped itself around her spine. All she had to go on was Ana’s letters. Would she fit in? As the dust trail got closer, she had almost talked herself out of going to Night City, but steeling herself, she put those thoughts to the back of her mind. The bus was almost there but was still hidden in a cloud of dust, hints of silver peeking through whenever the wind caught hold of a dusty tendril. A screech of brakes allayed her fears that the bus was going to drive on past. Gathering up the bag that she had packed her few possessions in, she got ready to pass the point of no return.

Alexa could not hide her shock as the bus stopped in front of her. It was definitely not what she was expecting. The silver body was a throw back to the busses of the early 2000’s. But that was where the comparison stopped. The battered, old greyhound bus had been drastically changed. A dented metallic skirt surrounded the bus covering the wheels, a metal box, or that was what it looked like, was welded on to the back. Mounted on that box was a gun the like and size of which Alexa had never seen. It was being manned by a guy dressed in armor, including an army style combat helmet. She noticed some slide away patches on the side of the bus, presumably for more gun placements. She walked around to the entrance of the bus, noticing the skirt was shaped into a ram at the front. She wondered, naively, what they could come across in an environment as hostile and deadly as the NorthCal desert.

The doors looked battered as she stood in front of them. Through the grilled windows, she could see the driver moving his large bulk out of his seat. He gave the door a savage kick and it started to creak open. Bellowing down the bus, he started cursing about shoddy workmanship and screwdriver use. Flopping down into his seat, he held out his hand. Alexa fumbled for her ticket before putting it into the driver’s hand. As he examined it, she took in her sweat stained clothing, his ill-fitting door gunner’s jacket, his surly disposition. Alexa’s face was still flushed from the tirade of curses that he had thrown down the bus. She grabbed the ticket from the driver when he was done. As she made her way down the bus, she heard the driver mutter ‘Fresh meat’. She heard a few laughs from various places on the bus, following the sounds she spotted at least three others in similar outfits to the driver. They must have comms, she thought to herself.

The inside of the bus was no less battered and abused than the outside. The few seats that it had were placed wide apart, large guns like the one manned outside the bus, were positioned at various places along the bus. The men who had laughed at the driver’s comments were sitting around a small table playing some card game. They looked like they had done this trip a thousand times and did not seem worried. They were all in better shape than the driver, bunches of muscles bulging out through their t-shirt sleeves, but invisible under the armor vests they wore. While Alexa would not feel safe with these guys, she did believe that they knew what they were doing when it came to their jobs.

She found a seat on her own and shoved her bag under the seat. Looking around the bus again, she decided to keep her penknife in her hand, she wasn’t taking any chances. Settling down in her seat, she turned to look out the grilled window as they pulled off, watching the station disappear behind them, hidden by the dust trail kicked up by the bus. She regretted that her parents could not have been there to see her off, but her father had only enough money to bribe one of the guards to drop her at the station. She would miss them, but she had to think of what was best for them, for her. No turning back now, she thought, regret tingeing her thought.

Looking around the bus, she took in the faces of her fellow passengers, her eyes never lingering long on each face. One face caused her breath to catch in her throat. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. What was he doing on the bus? How dare he share a bus with her after what he did! That last thought echoed inside her head forcing her to realize how irrational she was being, although it was somewhat justified. The focus of her attention must have felt her eyes boring into the side of his face because he turned to face her. He smiled a little. Alexa realized her mistake as she saw him face on. He was nothing like Luka How could she have been so stupid? Her face flushed for the second time since she got on the bus. Turning away from her mistake, she started kicking herself mentally, telling herself that jumping to conclusions would be her downfall. Looking out the window again, she watched the dust fly by, occasionally interspersed by blobs of identifiable color from unidentifiable objects, gone before they could be named. Almost hypnotized by the yellowish brown swirls outside the window, she started nodding off. This time however, her dreams did not carry her to a hopeful future, but to a painful past.

(August 16th, 2015) BioFarms Corpfarm #84, Starling County, Nevada

Rounding the corner, she almost ran into her father and the customer he was talking to.

“Sorry, Papa!” She said breathlessly.
“Lexa, honey, shouldn’t you be in school?” His voice was trying to take on a scolding quality but his eyes were laughing.

As she started her excuse, a force hit her from behind, pushing her into her father again.

“Sorry, Mr. Markov,” the young man’s voice, as breathless as her own was.
“Lexa, Luka, what are we going to do with the pair of you. We shall have to call the truant officer, won’t we John?” turning to the man he had been talking to.

Alexa knew he wouldn’t do it, but Luka’s face fell at the prospect.

“But … But … Really sorry, Sir. Please don’t call Ms. Jones.”
“Ah so you already know her by name, you know that’s a bad sign Luka, but at least now I won’t have to find out her name.”

Luka’s face fell further. Alexa couldn’t hold a straight face any longer and she started laughing. The laughter spread until it infected both Alexei and the other man. Luka looked from Alexa to her father and couldn’t help starting to laugh. Still laughing, Alexei sends them into the office to wait for him to finish off this business deal. The pair headed off, Alexa teasing him goodheartedly about his reaction.

Alexa had been working with her father in the store for years. He was the farms supply co-coordinator, which meant that if you wanted anything, you had to go through him. He also had a little sideline of getting stuff that wasn’t officially on any of the catalogs. Alexa enjoyed the work. She enjoyed watching the haggling, the negotiations, the inside joke of charging more that the item was worth. It was a job she could see herself doing, especially seeing as her father let her handle those parts of the business. The farm was getting busier and both Alexa and her father were putting in long hours but as the weeks passed most and more jobs were getting pushed to the side, Alexei was forced to think about hiring a third person. Only one name came to mind, Luka. He helped on and off in the store, he knew the basics of the running of the business. Alexa was the only one not happy about it, but she had to admit that it was mainly personal reasons driving the unhappiness. Luka and Alexa had been going out for a few weeks and while they were happy, she was worried about strains thanks to working together. A few days later, she realized that her fears were totally unfounded. The pair got closer. In her daydreams, she started picturing the wedding, the children, and life together.

One night, about three months after Luka started working for her father, Alexa was walking from her house to the social center. She had a date with Luka. She was passing the warehouse when something caught her attention. She saw a light still on inside. Thinking nothing of it, she took out her keycard and slotted it in the lock. The light flickered green and she pulled out the door. It looked a little creepy in the semi-darkness. She heard a noise. Alexa listened closely. It was little more than a murmur from where she was standing. She quietly made her way towards the noise. As she got closer, it got brighter. She could make out a voice. It was echoey but she knew the voice. Another voice interjected, this one familiar but she was not able to put a name to the voice. Listening closely she could make out the conversation.

“Look, I can’t go a cent under 15 bucks,” Luka’s voice rang out.
“Okay! 15 it is then,” the second voice replied.
“You’re sure the old man won’t find out?”
“Trust me!”
“Trust a thief, that’s a new one!”

Alexa’s face hardened as she realized what was going on. Her beloved boyfriend was stealing from her father and undercutting him. She moved closer and closer, until she could watch unobserved. A handshake and a credchip ended the transaction. She waited, fuming quietly. When only Luka was left, she stepped out, not drawing his attention.

“Good deal, Luka?”

Luka nearly left his skin behind as he jumped in shock at her voice. Alexa watched fear cross his face for a second before he composed himself.

‘Gotta work on that, honeybuns,’ she thought to herself, turning his annoying pet name back at him.

“Yeah, it’s good enough.”

Alexa started to walk towards her boyfriend.

“You must tell me what your secret is, oh wait, selling other people’s stuff!”

The words seemed to sting. Face to face now, Alexa looked him straight in the eye.

“Bastard!”

She brought her hand up as if to slap his face, but at the last minute raked her nails over her cheek. Four paper-thin, red lines appeared on his cheek, swelling slowly. His hand touched his cheek, fingers coming away wet.

“It’s just biz, honeybuns, you know how it is?”

A knee found his crotch. Luka crumpled. Turning on her heel, she called back to him.

“You have an hour to tell my father, or I will.”

As soon as she got out of the building, she nearly collapsed against the side of the building, tears streaming down her face. As soon as she felt able, she ran to a spot that only she knew. When she got to her little cubbyhole, she curled up and simply cried. She was shattered. She had no idea how long she lay there, but eventually she had no more tears to shed. Drying her eyes, she cleaned up her face, using a piece of metal as a mirror. She brushed off her clothes and started to walk home. She was wondering whether Luka had actually gone to her father, or whether she would have to break the bad news to her father. Running through what she was going to say in her head, she rounded the corner of her house. Two unfamiliar cars were parked outside the house. Alexa pushed open the front door.

“… Don’t know what you are talking about.” Her father’s voice sounded irritated.
“We’re not accusing you of anything, Alexei, just letting you know. We’ll need your keycards.”
“Of course! Does that include Alexa’s?”
“If you don’t mind…”
“Alexa, this man needs your keycard to the store!”

Alexa was shocked, how did he know she was there? She took out the card and handed it to her father.

“What’s wrong?”
“Mr. Roberts here is going to be looking into the store’s accounts. He’s had a tip off for illegal trading.”

That had been the start of it. Luka had set her father up to take the fall for his activities. The narrow minded officials followed every breadcrumb that Luka laid out for them. Alexa remembered packing up her belongings and putting them into the back of their car. It was a surprisingly small amount, even for a small family. She remembered the last time she saw Luka’s face. She walked over and looking him right in the eye, told him that if she ever saw him again, he wouldn’t live to see the next day.

She finished off with “This ain’t biz, it’s personal, honeybuns!”

Nothing says Thank You like a 9mm to the back of the head, and even that would be too good for that lousy, two-faced snake.

Part 2: Everybody's Lookin' for Something

(June 28th, 2016) Somewhere North of Night City, California

Alexa slowly came awake. Something pulled at her senses. Her eyes flickered open. Sitting right beside her on the seat was the guy that she had mistaken for Luka earlier. He didn’t notice her eyes open, he was distracted by her cleavage. He was panting hard, staring down her top. He was so close that she could smell his fetid breath and see the dandruff flakes in his hair. His hand was on her thigh. He may have been relatively okay from a distance but up close, he turned her stomach.

“Excuse me!” She tried to get his attention.

He looked up. She shivered as she saw the trail of drool running down his chin. He had a manic look in his eye.

“Hello, Darlin’,” he answered, eyes never leaving her chest.
“Would you mind moving your hand and getting the hell outta my seat?” Alexa tried to stay calm.
“It’s a free country, I can sit where I want, darlin’,” his voice made her shiver in fear.

Hiding the penknife in her hand, she extended one of the blades. It wasn’t very big, but she hoped it would be big enough. Wrapping her hand around it, she braced herself for what she was going to do.

“Well, why don’t we make this trip more interesting.” Alexa hoped that her intentions weren’t showing through her voice.
“That’s more like it, darlin’!”

She slowly ran her hand up his leg, pretending to be interested. Reaching the junction of his thighs, she pressed the knife up against his trousers. She was lucky that he wasn’t wearing jeans. She felt the knife tip pop through the fabric. He must have noticed it too, cause he changed his focus. He was now looking down. Alexa calmly informed him that she had a knife at his crotch and if he still wanted use of his equipment then he should retake his seat on the other side of the bus and keep the hell away from her. Alexa watched him back away fast, falling from the seat when he reached the edge.

“Psycho bitch,” he yelled at her, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Pervert,” she called back. “Pick on someone legal!”

After they got over the surprise entertainment, a few smiles and small laughs were noticeable, before they returned to their duties. Alexa settled back down in her seat. She was very careful not to fall asleep again on the bus.

Sometime later, she was disturbed by the armored men. They had put aside their card game and were now putting on heavy armor jackets. They walked over to the gun placements and slid the metal covers off. She watched as each of the guns were pushed forward so that the noses were outside the bus. Alexa was puzzled.

“What’s going on?” she asked the closest guard.
“Coming into Night City, getting ready for it.”

Alexa must have looked puzzled, because the guard just laughed.

“Wow, you really are fresh meat. Hope you wise up real fast baby, for your own sake.”

Alexa looked out the window. The dust had settled, they were on a real road again. Ruined buildings were passed by the bus. A hint of silver caught her eye. The guard opened fire as the first bullet hit the side of the bus. Coming out of everywhere, there were motorcycles, each of the guys on them had at least a shotgun or a machine gun. Riding with one hand on the motorbikes handlebars and one of the trigger, they attacked the bus. The fight was loud, noisy but short. Alexa watched as the .50 cal bullets made short work of bikes, arms, legs, heads. She had never seen such violence. What made it worse was that the guys on the bus were roaring at the drivers of the motorbikes, and cheering when another one went down.

The motorbike gang stopped giving chase after about 15 minutes and 17 members went down. Pulling the guns back inside, the bus rumbled on. The guards were exchanging high fives and comparing kill totals. Alexa was shocked. This was nothing like the world that Ana had described. It was vicious, it was brutal, it was inhuman. She started thinking that it was a mistake to come here.

The smell of gunfire still lingered in the bus as they pulled into Night City station. Gathering her stuff together, she joined the pushing queue trying to get off the bus as quickly as possible. As her foot touched the ground, she took in her surroundings. The station was a plexiglass and plastacrete disaster, its architectural style dating back to the early 1990’s when angular design was in style. It looked to be propping itself up by two unstable pillars. Inside rows upon rows of lockers stretched as far as the eye could want to see. People pushed past each other with no regard for their fellow person, each in a rush to get to some unknown destination. She got off the bus and started walking towards the heart of the building. She kept looking for her sister while taking in every thing around her.

Ana was standing overshadowed by Dusk when she caught sight of her sister. She looked a little dusty, disheveled but good. Her brown hair was caught up in a pony tails and she was dressed in faded denim jeans and a white shirt. She had a single bag on her back. She looked overwhelmed by the whole place. Ana felt really guilty about all the emails that she sent to Lexa telling her how great Night City was. Lexa would soon find out that Night City could be the closest thing to Hell on Earth. Nodding to Dusk, they started walking over to Alexa.

Alexa was staring around her when she heard her sister’s voice behind her. Turning, she went straight into the open arms of her sister. She had not seen Ana for over a year. Hugging her tightly, even with her eyes closed, she noticed that her sister had lost a lot of weight, maybe a little too much. Opening her eyes, she noticed the makeup covered marks on her sisters neck. She wondered what had happened to Ana. She suddenly noticed the hulking guy to the side. She held onto Ana as she turned to face him.

“Lexa, this is Dusk, my boyfriend. Dusk, this is my sister, Alexa.”
Smiling, Dusk welcomed her. “Welcome to the City, kid.”

(June 28th, 2016) Night City, California

Dusk stood head and shoulders above his girlfriend. His face showed too many years of hard life. A long, jagged scar reached from below one of his piercing brown eyes to just hook under his strong jaw. Blond hair, permagelled into place covered her other eye in 3 bold spikes, the rest stood in place as if he had been recently scared. The look on his face made Alexa wonder what could make this man show fear. His eyes traveled from her face to her feet, taking in even the smallest detail. He slowly let his eyes crawl back up until they were again staring her in the face. His mouth twitched into a smirk that seemed to reflect the bus driver's comments, but in a far more primal sense. Alexa blinked and the expression was gone from his face as if it had never been there. She looked over at Ana. Her sister showed no sign of having seen anything.

Ana seemed to be the antitheses of Dusk, when Alexa watched them together. Ana was weak where Dusk was strong, falling apart where he was totally together, submissive where he was dominant. Something was going on here that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Ana had changed so much since Alexa had seen her last. The long, brown hair that had matched Alexa's current style was cropped short to just below her shoulders, it was bleached blonde but not recently, judging by the dark heritage at the roots. Her face was drawn, with too much makeup plastered on. Reddish purple marks half circled her neck, badly covered by the wrong foundation. Fading bruises in shades of yellows and greens decorated her chest and arms, not quite covered by the top, two sizes too small, that she wore. Black and white striped sweatbands encircled her wrists, not quite covering the fading red marks to be found there. Alexa catalogued the injuries, silently wondering who caused them and if Ana looked this bad, how bad did they look? It must have been one hell of a fight, Alexa thought.

Dusk was herding the girls outside, a hand on each of their lower backs as f steering them. He was prattling on about how happy he and Ana were to have her here. Alexa ignored him, it would mean more coming from her sister, not someone she had only heard of today. Ana had not mentioned him once in any of her letters. Alexa assumed that he must be new. To be honest, Ana wasn't saying much of anything since she had been reacquainted with her sister. Dusk tossed Ana the keys. Reaching the car, he rushed in front of Alexa to open the door. Alexa noticed that as he gripped the door handle, his sleeve rode up to reveal a strange tattoo. It was covered again before Alexa could make out the details. Dusk waited until she had slid into the large front seat before sliding in after her, sandwiching her between himself and Ana.

Alexa shifted uncomfortably in the seat as she was squashed between her sister and Dusk. Their thighs were pressed tightly together. Alexa could see no reason why they were all trying to fit into the front seat, there was a perfectly good back seat sitting empty. She looked over to Ana. She was staring straight ahead. Looking over at Dusk, she found him smiling back at her. He had that smirk again. Excusing himself, Dusk reached down to pick something up from the floor. Straightening back up, she felt his fingers brush up her legs thru the jeans. She was about to say something when he stopped. He had a scuffed plastic AudioVisual card in his hand. Smiling he apologized, using the excuse that there wasn't much room down there. Alexa offered to take the back seat, but Dusk knocked the idea as soon as it left her lips, he claimed that it would be easier to point out the landmarks if they were all in the front. Ana turned the key n the ignition and the car pulled off, starting on its journey through the maze of streets to the home territory of the gang that Alexa would be living with for the foreseeable future.

The bus station disappeared behind them as tall, concrete office blocks stretched towards the sky, blocking it from view. The buildings looked empty, abandoned. Alexa watched men shuffle along, battered coats wrapped around them tightly, bottles wrapped in plastic bags clutched tightly in their hands. She saw blankets moving slightly as bums rolled over, seeking shelter in the doorways of buildings that used to be filled with many different businesses. These buildings now only had occasional bubblegum-popping secretaries watching over non-important offices of forgotten businesses. Dusk pointed out buildings, names floating over Alexa's head. She saw drug deals going down in alleys as they passed, hookers walking the streets looking for the next client, muggings at gunpoint in shady streets. The denizens of the city paying no attention to the happenings, just silently praying that it didn't happen to them. Not getting involved seemed to be less of a suggestion that a way of life.

Anonymity stalked Night City, stalking its streets by night and day, its fist firmly around the hearts of the people who called Night City home for whatever reason. Neighbors were strangers. People had stopped looking at people's faces as they walked the streets. Other people's business could only lead to trouble for inquiring minds. Questions were as easily answered with gunshots as with answers. However, in a society as capitalistic and mercenary as Night City was, anonymity was fought by one thing… Greed! No matter how much someone didn't want to listen to your life story, you give him or her enough cred and they would be your best friend, for as long as the money lasted. Everyone walked around with an invisible price tag floating above their heads. Everyone had a price and no one waltzed around the fact. They say honest is refreshing, well, you don't get more refreshing than Night City.

Dusk touched her knee directing her attention to a building on her right. Alexa stiffened again as she felt him touch her. He babbled on about some corp or other, her mind was fixated on the fact that he had not moved his hand away. Every so often, Dusk would move his hand a little higher. Alexa watched him from the corner of her eye. Nothing on his face betrayed any ulterior motive for his actions. He seemed to be genuinely excited to be acting like a tour guide.

Dusk caught the looks that Alexa was giving him from the corner of his eye. He was contented to play tour guide for now, teaching this fresh faced girl about his world. He studied her as he pointed out buildings to the left and right. Half the time, he didn't know what they were, but he spun a story just the same. That was his job after all. Dusk was what was known as a fixer. You wanted it, for a nominal percentage of the cost, Dusk could set you up with your desired item. With the job, came the ability to bullshit, to talk a big fight, to convince people that you were better than them. Dusk watched Alexa's face react to the stories he told. He could feel the heat of her thigh thru the palm of the hand resting on her leg. She didn't seem to be objecting to the physical contact. A little maneuvering and she would be his to control, just like her sister. Dusk's mind wandered off on a perverted tangent as his mouth kept talking about Night City's landmarks.

The buildings along the road changed. Instead of the semi-decent condition buildings that they passed closer to the bus station, they were now passing half wrecked buildings. The surroundings changed from neglected city block to city under siege. Buildings with scorch marks, half demolished, their rubble lining the streets became the standard sight along the streets. Brightly colored graffiti showed your position in the city more accurately than the rusted street signs.

Ana listened to Dusk ramble on about famous gun battles and heated debates among legendary personalities in Night City. To hear him talk, one would swear that Morgan Blackhand was his oldest friend, when she knew that the world famous solo wouldn't look twice at Dusk. Ana was biting her lip to hold back laughter that would not be appreciated. Dusk was trying to impress her sister. In the back of her mind, she wondered why. The small voice telling her to be suspicious was drowned out by another voice telling her that he just wanted to impress Alexa.

Dusk remembered when Ana had first joined the gang. She showed the same fresh faces innocence that Alexa now showed. Her hair had been as long as Alexa's, reaching down her back in long brown waves. He took in every detail of the young girl sitting beside him, from her unmade up face, to the subtle hint of perfume that he could smell from her. It would take a while to break her spirit, but what a commodity she would be. As they neared the place they called home, he decided on a plan of action.

Alexa watched the city blocks degrade, hoping that the neighborhood they stopped in was going to be nicer, less combat-wrought than this one. She was starting to grasp that the fact that life in Night City would not be as cozy as she thought it would be. She had bought into the dream that most people bought into, she had bought into it because she wanted to. Her heart fell as the car pulled to a stop in front of an old three-story apartment block. The top corner of the building was missing. Alexa could not even guess at the reason. The top floor windows were missing completely. The steps up to it were covered in rubbish, empty cartons and broken bottles. Dusk squeezed her thigh.

"Welcome to your new home, kid!"

(June 28th, 2016) ‘Kyr i Vikati’ Turf, Combat Zone, Night City, California

Dusk got out of the battered car, holding the door open for her. She slid out, looking around at her new home. Kids were hanging out on street corners, watching everything but pretending not to. A cat fight was happening just down the street, the under dressed women drawing a crowd of over sexed teenagers, cheering neither woman but hoping for only one result. Shifty drug dealers were trying to look normal but looking too normal to fit in. This was nothing like she had imagined. She bit back tears of disappointment.

She turned back to Dusk and Ana. Dusk was leaning into the car, handing her a cred chip. He leaned further and placing a finger under Ana's chin and placing a kiss on her lips. Ana didn't look overjoyed at the gesture, in fact, an emotion that Alexa couldn't quite catch crossed her sister's face. Ana nodded and started to drive off, waving at Alexa as she pulled off.

Dusk turned to face Alexa again, that smirk on his face again. He walked up the steps in front of the apartment block, stepping over a drunk passed out at the top. Alexa hurried after him, not wanting to get left behind in his unfamiliar territory. As soon as she entered the building, she was assaulted by a foul smell of human waste, refuse rotting. She covered her nose as she followed Dusk through the building, up some stairs and along corridors. Eventually, Dusk stopped, opening a battered door. He held it open for her to walk inside.

The room looked more like a warehouse than a room in someone's home. Boxes were stacked as high as possible, until they almost touched the ceiling, recognizable brand names stamped on the side. A small table, two boxes covered with a piece of steel, stood in the middle of the room. Behind it, a couch, beaten up, stuffing falling out from several places, unidentifiable stains added character to the faded floral fabric. A half smashed dataterm stood in the corner, concrete still clinging in broken lumps to the base, where it had once been anchored to the ground. Even from here, Alexa could see that the keyboard was broken, smashed in the center. Totally out of place was the state or the art vidscreen and projector fixed to the ceiling. A piece of chrome plated wizardry in this grotty room. Alexa took note of the manufacturer and compared it with the brand names on the boxes around the room. Sure enough, they had siphoned it off from the stash. Well, certainly beats buying it, she thought to herself.

Dusk invited her to sit on the couch, telling her that Ana had gone to pick up food. He grabbed a complicated looking remote control and flicked on the projector. A low level hum filled the apartment before quieting down again. A ghostly image appeared on the screen, slowly becoming less transparent as it coalesced into a picture. Two anchorwomen sat behind a desk, smiling thru the latest stories of death and destruction to affect the city. Alexa watched fascinated that the city could have so many facets co-existing together, happily ignoring each other.

Alexa felt Dusk sit down beside her. Alexa paid no attention, she was busy taking in all the details the news reporters were telling her. She recognized a few places as locations they had passed along the drive from the bus station. The couch bounced a little as Dusk moved a bit closer. Alexa sidled over a little bit more on the couch, still not paying him much attention. A mugging, murders, body lotteries, Night City culture was fast going over her head. Another move from Dusk. Alexa shuffled down the couch to match him. She felt the arm of the couch pressing against her leg. She couldn't move any further away from Dusk, but Dusk moved closer to her.

"Where you going, honey, I'm just trying to be friendly."

Dusk dropped a hand onto her thigh. Alexa almost jumped out of her seat in order to get away. She tried to look calm as she walked around the room.

"So, how long have you been going out with Ana?" Alexa tried to get his mind off what he was obviously thinking.
"A little over a year."

Dusk left the couch, starting to walk around the room to meet her. Alexa ran a hand along the boxes, reading their labels, trying to think of something else to say, something else to do. She was worried, she wasn't in control anymore. As she racked her brain for some way to get control back, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Before she could react, she was spun around until her back was against the boxes. Dusk's arm snapped across her neck, pressing on her windpipe. Alexa grabbed at his arm. It was useless! He was too strong. She felt his arm twist and rise. She was forced up on her toes. It pressed tighter. She dug her nails into his arm. She looked into his eyes, the smirk was back on his face and reflected in his eyes. She struggled against him. She felt his other hand touch her just under his other arm. It slowly snaked down, cupping her right breast through her shirt. His hand traveled a little more, she could feel him grasp the fabric of her top. With a strong tug, the buttons went flying, leaving her covered in just her bra. She had never felt so helpless. As the corners of her vision started to turn dark, she got very scared. Soon, it would be too late to fight. She had to do something now. She could hear Dusk fumbling with his belt buckle.

Alexa kicked out. She did not connect with anything. She kicked out again and again, just before the last smudge of colour left her vision, she felt her leg hit some thing. She didn't particularly care what she hit as long as she hit something. She hit again and again. Her leg slipped on the last stroke and slipped northwards. As she felt solid contact, she felt Dusk's arm slip and she crumpled to the floor. She watched the colour of the room return to normal. Dusk was curled up on the floor, hands buried with his crotch. She struggled to her feet. Pushing off from the boxes, she struggled to run. She was panting hard, trying to get her breath. She moved past Dusk to the door. She suddenly found herself staring at the floor. A hand was wrapped around her ankle. She was being pulled backwards. Her head was dragged backwards. She rolled over. She saw her hair wrapped around Dusk's fist. She swiped her hand at Dusk's face. Her nails caught the side of his face. Her hair slipped out of his hand as it went to his face. She crawled on hands and knees to get away from Dusk. She got to her feet, watching behind her as she flung open the door. She ran down the stairs. Dodging obstacles on her way, all she cared about was getting out of the building. She could hear Dusk's footsteps coming behind her above the pounding of the blood in her ears.

(June 28th, 2016) ‘Kyr i Vikati’ Turf, Combat Zone, Night City, California

She burst through the outer doors of the building. She tripped over the drunk sitting out front and found herself watching the ground come up to meet her. She rolled down the steps. She put a hand on the ground to push herself up, but it wouldn't take her weight and she crashed down again, holding her arm in agony.

There had to be someone around to help. Someone had to be watching. Please let someone be watching…

A hand wrapped it around her hair pulling her up, arching her backwards. A second hand wrapped around her throat. She was being dragged upwards to stand on her feet. Dusk moved off, not allowing her enough time to actually get to her feet. Her feet dragged behind her as she struggled to get her footing. Her hands were wrapped around the hand in her hair. She dug her nails in, dragging them through his skin. Dusk stopped dragging her long enough to slap her, hard, across the face. Alexa tasted the metallic twang of blood in her mouth. Tears rolled down her face.

Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!

"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" Her voice rose from a whisper to a scream.

She started beating at Dusk with one of her fists. She had to get away. But how?

"Dusk!" A voice shouted out behind them.

Dusk ignored it, continuing to drag her up the stairs.

"Johnny!" The voice shouted out again.

Dusk stopped, turning, dragging Alexa with him. Alexa lifted her head to look at where the voice was coming from. A guy stood in the middle of the street, his hands in the pockets of his red and black leather pants. He looked at Dusk from over his mirrorshades. Standing beside him was another man, this one much younger, dressed in torn, black jeans and a battered T-shirt showing one of the more famous Chromatic Rock bands.

"I don't think the girl want's to go with you, Johnny." The voice was calm and smooth.
"This ain't your business, Rage. Stay out of it!" Dusk snarled back.
"So, who's the girl, Johnny? Haven't seen her around before."
"This is none of your business." Dusk's voice turned into a scream.

The guy in mirrorshades moved closer, sauntering up at his leisure.

"Let her go, Johnny!" The calm voice, Rage, took on a hard edge. "I said to let her go. I'm not going to ask again."

Alexa dropped as he released her hair. She fell to the ground. A sharp pain ran up her arm. She looked at her palm and found a large piece of glass protruding from it. She pulled it out. Looking at the ground, she found it covered in pieces of shattered glass. Just to her left, she saw a long sliver. She moved slowly to wrap her hand around it. The blood from her palm made it slippery and hard to hold onto. She gripped tighter. She looked up at him. He was still talking to the second guy, or arguing.

She took a deep breath and drove the glass into his leg. He screamed. His leg buckled but he didn't go down. She hit out, striking it again, driving it in deeper. Dusk buckled and his knee crashed down on the step. Alexa got to her feet. She took the opportunity to kick him, again and again. She caught him in the jaw, snapping his head to the side. Dusk dropped. Dusk slid down the steps, coming to rest with his body on the bottom step. She didn't care whether he was dead or knocked out. She collapsed to her knees on the steps. She was drained totally. She started sobbing, kneeling, propped up against the small wall at the side of the steps. At the corner of her vision she notices the two guys walking towards her. She searched around for another piece of glass. Wrapping her hand around it, she got herself ready for whatever was going to happen.

The guy with the mirrorshades walked over and pushed Dusk with the toe of his boot. Dusk didn't move. He looked up at Alexa. Her long brown hair was hanging over her face in disarray. Her formerly white shirt hung open. Blood from her split lip stained her shirt. Dried blood was splattered over her chest. Her hand was split open from the glass and she didn't know if she had the strength to get up. Alexa watched as he smiled. She examined his smile for any hint of anything that shouldn't be there.

"Nice job, girl. You handled it well. I'm impressed! I'm Rage. And you are…?" He left it hanging.
"Alexa Markov." She was very wary of this apparently, good-natured stranger.
"Well, Alexa, what do you say we get you cleaned up?"

He held out a hand, waiting to help her up. Something about him made her want to trust him. She took the hand, letting him help her up. Just as he let go, she buckled again. She felt his arm snap around her waist holding her up. He caught one of her arms and draped it around his shoulder.

"First rule of the combat zone: Learn who to trust and who to avoid! It's a horrible rule, but you sure learned it today, Alexa. Just don't forget it."

Rage helped her down the steps bypassing Dusk's incapacitated body. Alexa turned and spat on him. As a gob of spit ran down his face, she started streaming curses at his unmoving body. When she started, Rage could barely hear her, but by the end, it would have been tough for anyone a few streets away to ignore her.

"Idi obsosi tayevo papu, kak ti delayesh den, ti shluha yebanaya!"

Freeing herself from Rage's grip, she kicked Dusk once more, connecting solidly with his side. She felt faint. Wavering slightly, darkness started to claim her. She felt a hand touch her skin before the world faded from her awareness.

Part 3: Some of Them Want to be Abused

(June 28th, 2016) 'Kyr i Vikati' Turf, Combat Zone, Night City, California

"The Sharks have to be stopped! That's the second time this month they have had a run come into our territory. Have everyone watch out for anyone in shark colours. The kids can watch the borders and report back if they see anything, 'bout time they earn their keep. Make sure everyone knows to bring the bastards to me. I want to personally 'reeducate' them on gang boundary lines."

A stong, tall, brown-haired man walked down the street, his face set in a mask of hatred as he gestured wildly while talking to a second man. They walked in the middle of the street, not worrying about traffic, both knowing that nothing more than an occasional vehicle would ever make its way down these streets. The road was deceptively deserted, only rubble moving occasionally as the drunken dispossessed slept under their cardboard blankets in any sheltered spot they could find, let you know that you were never truly on your own in this city. As night fell, they would move on, leaving the streets in favour of quieter spots while the gang members retook their turf and continued on the road to decadence that they were on, partying into the early hours, living on an inverted schedule.

Rage and Kern were talking about the recent problems that they had been having with a rival gang, deciding on a course of action that would discourage further acts of defiance, when a sound grabbed their attention. Human nature being what it is, they turned to see what had caused the noise, hands slipping under clothes to caress the grips of their guns, getting ready for the worst. A door slammed into the small wall at the side of the steps leading up to a building to their left. A woman was tumbling down the steps, her long dark hair fanning out behind her, her shirt flying open. Another person crashed through the doors before the woman had stopped tumbling. He managed to avoid the drunk on the steps which she had obviously not been expecting. He stepped down the steps, very deliberate in his movements. All three men watched as the young woman, hair now hiding her face, attempted to push herself up. She crashed to the ground again, her wrist giving way as she tried. She cradled her arm with its mate. With a shake of her head, her hair parted to reveal a panicked face, looking around frantically for something.

The man moved behind her and took a handful of hair, wrapping it around his wrist for a better grip. He pulled it up savagely, forcing her to bend up backwards. Stepping in closer, he wrapped his other arm around her throat. Without waiting for her to get to her feet, he lifted her up further and turned. She was being dragged, her face turning an unattractive shade of red and then purple as she fought for breath, trying to get her feet under her for more leverage. Her hands were trying to grasp the hand holding her hair, she flailed for a few seconds before latching onto it. She must have done something because the man let go of her throat to slap her across the face. Her whole body moved with the force of the blow. Her lips turned scarlet as a trail of blood traced down her chin, dripping onto the open shirt below.

"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" The girl's voice getting stronger with each request.

Kern took a step forward, broken out of his passive watching by the girls pleas. He felt a hand press against his chest. Looking down, he saw that Rage had held out his hand in a gesture to tell him not to take another step.

"Domestic!"

That single word carried more information than it seemed to. It meant that it was none of their business. It meant that they should not get involved. It meant that she was on her own, whoever she was. Kern's hands balled themselves into fists as he realised that he couldn't do anything. He could not go against the rules of the gang with the leader standing right beside him, holding him back. He, also, could not bear to see this woman getting hurt like this, just to appease the guy's inferiority complex. How could he get Rage involved? A plan formed in his head.

"You have to do something, Rage…" Kern started.
"Not my problem, they can sort it out themselves." Rage's voice took on a noncommittal tone but his eyes kept watching what was happening.
"I'm sure Hope won't find out…" Kern played his trump card.
"Find out what?" Rage's eyes finally left the scene playing out before him.
"That you stood by as a woman got beaten on the street. You know how she gets with that sort of stuff."

Rage said nothing. Kern could imagine what was going around Rage's head. There would be no defense against the earbending Rage was going to get from his wife. She definitely wouldn't like the fact that her husband stood by and watched a girl getting beaten in plain sight. Rage may be the leader of the Kyr i Vikati gang, but he would invariably be the one sleeping on the couch. They say that behind every man is a strong woman, Hope was definitely that woman, and the .45 she kept on her meant that no one questioned her authority unless they had a death wish.

"Govno!"

Kern mentally smiled. It confirmed his suspicions, Rage wanted to do something, but could not be seen to be doing anything and going against his own rules.

"Dusk!" Rage shouted out to get the mans attention.

The man continued up the stairs, ignoring Rage. The girl was beating her fists against his leg but did not have the strength to do much about her situation. She was still being dragged around even though she was still resisting.

"Johnny!" Rage shouted again, hoping that the use of his real name, rather than handle would break through to the guy.

The man looked around, trying to figure out who was calling him. He seemed surprised to see Rage and Kern standing in the street.

"I don't think the girl wants to go with you, Johnny."

Rage tried to keep his voice calm, but Kern could tell that Rage's anger was starting to bubble over. He didn't like being ignored.

"This ain't your business, Rage. Stay out of it!" Hostility dripped from Dusk's voice as he kept his hold on the girl. He knew the rules better than anyone else when it came to domestic disputes.
"So, who's the girl, Johnny? Haven't seen her around before."

Rage tried a conversational approach, making his whole body relax.

"This is none of your business."

Dusk was getting very bored with this now, he just wanted to get the bitch back inside and do what he had planned since that email had arrived in Ana's inbox.

"Let her go, Johnny!"

Rage dropped all pretense and started to walk forward, not rushing, just leisurely taking his time, making sure that Dusk knew that it wouldn't be any trouble for Rage to take him down. Dusk made no move to reply.

"I said let her go. I'm not going to ask again."

Rage snarled the last few words, his fists clenching and unclenching. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl being released. He wasn't breaking eye contact with this guy. However, all Dusk could see was himself reflected in the lenses of the mirrorshades, a cold, heartless expression looking back at him.

Kern watched the girl fumble around for a few seconds. He wondered what she was doing. A sliver of light caught the shard of glass in her hand and he knew what she planned. Even after all this, she still kept fighting. He saw drops of blood running off the glass as she gripped it. Her face was set in a wild expression as she swung at his thigh. Dusk's face changed from the cold mask that it had been to a mixture of surprise and pain. He looked to be on his way down before he managed to catch himself. The woman drove the glass in again with even more force behind it. Dusks knee buckled bringing him to his knees. As he was going down, the woman pushed herself up using every ounce of strength she possessed. He could see her pain written all over her face. She raised her leg and kicked him. She caught him in the leg, the stomach, the side, anywhere she could. With one final strike, she caught his jaw. The force spun Dusk's entire upper body. Kern could have sworn that the entire scene happened in slow motion. Dusk's head snapped around followed by his upper body. Trails of spit and blood streamed out to the side, colliding with the wall. Dusk hovered there for a second before starting his descent to the steps. His knees were dislodged from the place they had been and his body slid down the steps until he was at the bottom.

The woman stood for a few moments before her knees buckled and she crashed down on the steps. Hair, again, hid her face as she let the glass fall from her hand. Her shoulders bounced as sobs wracked her body. Both Rage and Kern started towards her. Kern noticed her hand start to search for another piece of glass. She found one and wrapped her hand around it again. Almost instantly it was dyed red. The girl was a mess. Her hair was hanging in knots, looking as if it had not seen a brush in days. Her blouse was streaked with red. Her lip was covered in congealed blood. Only her bra covered her chest from onlookers. She looked wild, like she had nothing to lose. Her eyes traveled up Rage's body coming to rest on his face. Rage smiled but not in the perverted way, he was totally genuine.

"Nice job, girl. You handled it well. I'm impressed! I'm Rage. And you are…?"

Rage held out his hand. The girl waited a moment, examining his face before answering.

"Alexa Markov."

She was still wary of him, her body language screamed it.

"Well, Alexa, what do you say we get you cleaned up?"

She took his hand, letting him help her to her feet. Kern could see that an internal battle still raged inside her over whether or not she should trust him. As she started down the steps her knees buckled. Rage caught her firmly around the waist. With his other hand, he draped her arm around his neck.

"First rule of the combat zone: Learn who to trust and who to avoid! It's a horrible rule, but you sure learned it today, Alexa. Just don't forget it."

Kern smiled. Rage must have been impressed to be sharing one of his patented survival rules.

Rage helped Alexa down the steps. She shrugged off his arm, staring down at Dusk. She spat on him. It landed on his cheek and started to run down his face. The first curse was under her breath, almost inaudible but as she started to realize what he had done, or tried to do, the volume increased. Rage winced as her cursing reached its apex.

"Idi obsosi tayevo papu, kak ti delayesh den, ti shluha yebanaya!"

She started to raise her leg. Rage stood back a little. She swung, hitting the prone body so hard that Dusk was almost turned over with the force. As her leg started its descent both Rage and Kern saw her start to wobble. Kern started towards her but Rage was far closer Stepping behind her, he braced himself to catch her as she fell backwards. As she fainted, Rage caught her in his arms. Bending slightly, Rage picked her up effortlessly. Turning he found Kern standing behind him, a concerned look on his face.

"Take her back to my place and make sure she's okay. This one has fire. Wonder who she is…"

Rage passed the unconscious girl to the other man.

Not looking up from her face, Kern replied, "See you later, bro!"

With that Kern turned and cradling Alexa, started walking down the street to the apartment Rage lived in.

Rage watched Kerns retreating back for a few seconds. He turned, staring down at Dusks unconscious body. Bastard's making a mess on my street. He turned and went up the steps. Nudging the drunk at the top of the steps, Rage was rewarded with yet another stream of curses.

Kneeling down, Rage spoke to the drunk. "Move on, old man. It's going to get busy here!"

Mumbling, the drunk roused himself, and without a word of thanks, went down the steps and off down the street. Rage opened the door to the building and walked inside. He banged on the first door he came to. Mumbling voices answered him.

"Get up! I gotta job for you!"

It wasn't long before two men appeared at the door. Both looked as if they had just been woken up. Behind them, Rage could make out more people in the room, most still passed out from last night's partying. Rage beckoned the two men. Pushing open the door, Rage pointed at Dusk lying on the street.

"Clean that up. I don't care where you put him, just make sure he's out of the way for a few hours. Give him some time to cool off. Don't, and I mean don't, kill him. I may want to talk to him later."
"Sure thing, Rage… Anything else you want done?"
"Dusk is seeing someone, right?"
"Yeah, he's seeing Tsarina."
"She about?"
"I know she left with him earlier but don't think she came back. Dusk came back with some other girl and she headed off, as far as I know…"

The sleep deprived man looked at his friend for confirmation, which was quickly received.

"Wait around for her and when she brings back that piece of shit she calls a car, bring her to me."

Both guys nodded.

"Thanks! I'll make sure you two get a bottle of the special brew later."

The men broke into smiles. That, in itself, was enough of a reward for being woken up at this awful hour of the day.

Rage walked out of the building and down the steps. He didn't even spare Dusk a final look as he walked past him.

He thought back over the fight he had just witnessed. He had to admit that the girl could fight. He wondered first where she was from and who she was. If she was Russian, she could make a valuable addition to the gang. He would have to have a talk with her, when she woke up of course.

(June 28th, 2016) 'Kyr i Vikati' Turf, Combat Zone, Night City, California

As Kern looked down at the girl cradled in his arms, he could not believe that a few minutes earlier she had taken down a man twice her size. She looked innocent under the dirt and dried blood on her face. He took in her long, brown hair and her beautiful face as he carried her down the street. He wondered who she was and what she had been doing in this part of the city, hooked up with street scum like Dusk. He could see the pulse flutter in her throat, strong and steady.

He walked through the streets, not really watching anything. He knew that he wouldn't be touched. The gang was like a family, they never touched their own but may whatever Gods they believe in help strangers walking this gang's turf.

Walking in the door to Rage's apartment block, Kern stopped outside an unmarked door. Lifting one of his feet, he kicked the door three times in quick succession. Listening for footsteps on the other side of the door, he tracked the progress of the apartments other occupant. The door opened to reveal a woman dressed head to toe in slightly abused biker leathers. Her hair hung in dark, wet strands over her face and shoulders, a towel in her hand. Her darkly hooded eyes took in the whole scene. Her lips, painted with black, twisted into a smirk.

"Collecting strays are we?" Concern mixed with laughter in her voice.

She stepped back out of the way, leaving the doorway free as she continued to rub her wet hair with the towel. Kern walked in and placed Alexa carefully on the couch. He fixed her shirt, covering her chest. He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Looking up, he sees Hope standing looking at him, smiling.

"So, why is there a stranger on our couch, Kern?"

Kern stood up, going into the kitchen. Calling back over his shoulder, he told her all about the incidents of the last half hour, how they had come across Dusk beating the crap out of her, her almost losing the fight before they intervened giving her the chance she needed to get the upper hand. While telling Hope all about what Alexa had been through, he had been filling a bowl with water. He turned back to walk back to Alexa, he saw Hope strapping on her guns and sliding her knife into the top of her boot. He hastily dropped the bowl on the nearest hard surface, not noticing the water splash over the edge.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Kern stepped between Hope and the door.

"Get the Hell out of the way, Kern. I'm going to take that bastard out!" Hate filled her voice as she almost spat out the words.
"Rage is handling it!"
"That guy deserves to die. I'm not going to let him away with it."
"Wait for Rage to get back, he may already dealt with Dusk!" Kern tried to placate Hope. "Just wait for him to get back, please!"
"Fine, but if he's not here in the next five …"

The door opens, distracting Hope from the rest of her sentence. Rage walks in closing the door behind him. He takes a quick look at the girl on the couch, before walking over to his wife and kissing her. Kern shakes his head and goes back to the job that he had assigned to himself before the fuss with Rage's wife, his sister-in-law. He started carefully cleaning the dried blood from Alexa's face. By the time that Rage and Hope stopped kissing, most of the blood had been cleaned off. Rage's lips were tinged with dark lipstick.

Wrapping his arm around his wife, Rage asked, "How is she?"
"She should be okay when she wakes up."

Kern finished washing off the dried blood and dirt.

"So did you finish the bastard off?" Hope asked.
"No, I had some guys clean him off the street."
"You left Dusk alive after he beat up a girl on the street?" She was incredulous.
"You know that I don't agree with what he did but face it, we need him."
"We do not need a woman hating bastard like that!"
"Who got you the gun you have tucked into your waistband?"
"That's no excuse, Rage."
"We can't kill him!"

Drawing the knife from the hidden sheath in her boot, she smiled a malicious grin, weighing the knife in her hand, ideas appearing and fading as grisly alternatives raced around her mind.

"Just give me five minutes and I will prove you wrong."

Standing up, making himself look his wife in the eye, he tried to make his voice as hard as possible.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear. You will not touch him!"
"You don't tell me what to do!"
"Yes I do!"
"What?!"

Disbelief and rage crept into her voice.

"Yes I do tell you what to do when it comes to this gang, yes I do!"

Her face darkened under the black makeup she wore. She could not believe that Rage was essentially pulling rand on her over that misogynistic cunt. Hatred bubbled up through her. Rage, the person she loved most in the world was taking Dusk's side against her.

A knock on the door disturbed her dark musings. Hope threw her knife at the doorframe, embedding it in the timber. Walking to the door, she flung it open, making it bang off the wall and bounce back. Plaster fell to the ground behind the door.

"What?" she demanded.

She tugged hard, almost savagely, on the knife, pulling it free from the wooden frame. The figure on the other side of the door looked petrified. He had heard the stories of Hope, the female version of Death who stalked the streets, but he hadn't expected to have to face that side of her. Suddenly his mouth was dry and every word that he went to say died before being spoken. Taking a deep breath he mustered courage.

"Rage wanted to see Tsarina…"

From somewhere beyond the very angry woman guarding the doorway a voice rang out telling Ana to come in. Hope turned her back to the door and walked back into the room, cursing softly.

"Sure, invite the whole world in…"
"ENOUGH!"

A flash of red ran through Rage's hair as he reprimanded his wife. Turning back to the doorway, he saw Ana standing uncertainly on the doorstep, pizza boxes stacked on one hand as she took in the scene. Her eyes ran over the enraged face of Hope, the saddened face of Rage, the concerned face of Kern and the bloody rag in his hand. Her eyes came to rest on the unconscious body of her younger sister. The pizza boxes fell to the ground forgotten as she ran to her sisters side.

"What happened to her? Who did this to her?"

She kept firing questions, no one was answering them, each question fading into silence as three pairs of eyes watched her until no more questions came to mind.

"Do you know her?" Kern broke the silence.
"She's my little sister, Alexa. Please, what happened to her?"

A tear welled up in her eye, balancing precariously before starting it's run down her cheek.

"She was beaten up!" Rage finally answered the question.

Panic crossed her face.

"Where's Dusk? He was supposed to be looking after her, protecting her. Where is he? Is he okay?"

She flicked between each person in the room. Rage didn't know how to break the news to her.

"It was Dusk."
"What was Dusk?"
"Dusk attacked your sister. He's responsible for this!"

Her face was puzzled, as if she didn't understand a word he was saying.

"No! No, he can't be! He didn't… You're lying!"

Ana was shaking her head emphatically as if the words wouldn't catch up with her ears if she kept moving it.

"You're wrong, he wouldn't do something like that! He's not like that!"
"I was there, I saw it! It was Dusk!"

Ana got to her feet, indignation shining through on her face. She stood toe to toe with Rage.

"He couldn't do a thing like that! He's a good man! He's a good man!"
"I watched him beat up your sister."
"No! No …"

Ana went weak at the knees, falling against Rage's chest, beating her fist off his chest as the other supported herself, using his shoulder as a grip, denying the charges with every strike.

A moan behind her made her swing around. She watched Alexa's eyes flutter open. She looked around her, not recognizing her surroundings she looked like she was starting to panic. She was trying to back away from Kern but she was already back against the couch. Ana took a step forward. Alexa's eyes locked on her sister's face, panic draining from her face again. Ana walked forward, falling to her knees beside the couch. She took her sister in her arms and started rocking her back and forth. The sisters comforted each other as Rage, Kern and Hope looked on, tears rolling down both sisters' cheeks.

"Lexa, honey, what happened?"
"It was Dusk!"

Alexa searched her sister's face, looking for her reaction. She watched her face switch from concern to a mask of denial. Shaking her head, she tried to dispel the words that her sister had told her. Alexa could almost see the thoughts running through her sister's mind.

He wouldn't do that. What did she do? Why did he have to hit her? He must have had a reason. No, he couldn't do that. Is that why he sent me for pizza? Did he plan it? No, he couldn't have. Deep down, I know he is a good person! He couldn't! She's mistaken! She must be…

"No, that's not right? You must be mistaken!"
"So I mistook his hand hitting me? I mistook his fist punching me? I was imagining him trying to rape me, too I suppose!"

Hope's face darkened as her temper flared again. Her fingers tested the edge of her knife as she thought about the slowest and most painful way to cut Dusk's miserable existence short.

Rage watched everyone's reaction, trying to keep his own temper in check. Another ripple of red ran through his hair, his eyes momentarily flashed the same color. He saw Kern's reaction of barely veiled hatred. He saw Alexa's indignation. Ana's face was a mask of denial. His wife's was much like Kern's but less veiled. He moved closer to her, moving behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

"I'm sorry, baby. I love you," Rage whispered in her ear.

He lightly place a kiss on her neck, just under her ear. He felt her relax in his arms and placing one of her hands on his and squeezing it gently.

Alexa's mind was working overtime, putting together parts of a puzzle. Suddenly, it clicked into place.

"He did it!"

Her eyes opened in enlightenment. Everything fitted together.

"He did that to you, didn't he?"
"I don't know what you are talking about?"

Ana's hand flew to her neck on reflex, wincing slightly as she touched the angry, red marks.

"He beats you, doesn't he?" Alexa persisted.

Ana looked panicked.

"No, of course not!"

Her words sounded hollow, like she had said them too many times before.

"Well then, how did you get the marks on your neck?"

"I … eh … I was … That's none of your business."
"Your boyfriend tried to rape me and beat me up when I refused to just stand there and take it."
"He …" Ana was frantically searching for something to say.
"How long have you been with him?"
"A while, about a year I suppose," Ana was slightly puzzled at the question.
"Why did you never mention him in your emails, Ana?" Alexa's voice dropped to a whisper.
"I did. I'm sure I did! I had to…"

Alexa didn't say a word, just shook her head. She watched the truth dawn on her sister's face, cracking through the mask of denial that she had worn for too many months.

"Oh my God!"

Ana got to her feet, fumbling backwards. Tears ran in rivers down her cheeks. She almost fell over obstacles she didn't even see. Her back touched the wall, blocking her escape. Looking around the room, she saw everyone watching her.

"Sorry! I'm sorry!" Her voice barely audible.

Throwing the door open, she ran through it and down the corridor, banging off walls as tears clouded her vision.

Alexa watched her run through the door, suddenly realizing that there were three people in the room with her. Looking from one to the other, she forced a smile.

"Uh… Sorry. I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Alexa!"

Rage moved forward, unwrapping himself from his wife.

"I know, we met earlier! I'm Rage."

He turned, indicating the woman now behind him.

"This is Nadezhda, my wife." Both Rage's face and eyes lit up as he introduced her.
"Pretty name," Alexa said, looking straight at her.
"Thanks, it means…" Hope started.
"Hope, I know!"

Raising his hand again to point towards the room's other occupant, Rage introduced the last unknown face.

"This is Kern, my baby brother and the one that has been taking care of you since you collapsed."

Alexa turned to face her apparent saviour and smiled.

"I guess I should thank you!"
"You're welcome, it's not every day I get a chance to help a pretty girl."

Alexa blushed at the compliment, finding it hard to meet his eyes. She lowered her head and for the first time noticed that her blouse was open. She remembered Dusk ripping it open. The blush spread as she tried to wrap both sides together to cover herself.

Rage and Hope watched the pair blush at each other, both avoiding each other's eyes and smiling at the little things. Rage coughed, attracting their attention.

"That was a good fight, took a lot of courage to stand up to Dusk!"
"Thanks!"
"You got guts, girl, I'll give you that!"

A little smile played at Alexa's lips.

"Everyone reckons I got too much of my Dad in me, I reckon I have just about enough."

Rage stared at her for a second, before starting to laugh.

"I reckon you do!"

The smile stayed on his face for a few seconds before a dark thought tugged at the corner of his mind.

"It's a pity that Tsarina, Ana, doesn't have a little more of your father in her."

The smile faded from Alexa's face. She couldn't help thinking about her sister and how she could have ended up in a situation like this.

The silence was interrupted as sound trickled in from the outside world. Laughing voices interrupted the brooding that each of the rooms occupants had descended into.

“Sounds like the party is starting out there!” Hope remarked, breaking the Alexa’s brooding. “We should probably go out there,” she said to Rage. Turning back to face Alexa and Kern, she asked “Wanna come out and see what life was meant to be like in Night City?”

Alexa’s lost look prompted her to voice the comment that usually went unspoken.

“A Party!”

Rage laughed, pulling Hope close and kissing her again.

“You don’t have to go out there, you know…” Kern said quietly to Alexa.
“No, it’s okay, I think I want to see!”
“Are you sure you are feeling up to it, Alexa?”
“I’m fine!”
“Are you sure, you were out of it for a while!”
“Kern stop crowding the girl, if she says she’s okay, then she probably is okay. Help the girl up!” Hope threw in from across the room.

Kern got to his feet beside the couch as Alexa moved into a sitting position, her vision swaying slightly as she reoriented herself. Taking Kern’s offered hand, she got to her feet, bracing herself against him as the world settled back into it’s stationary position. Looking up, she saw a concerned expression on his face. She tried to banish it by forcing a smile. It didn’t work very well. Kern wrapped his arm around Alexa’s waist to support her.

Walking slowly, limping slightly, Alexa and Kern followed Hope and Dusk out the apartment door. The smell was the first thing she noticed as she walked down the hallway. Even before she got to the outer door of the building, the awful smell of gasoline mixed with tire rubber and rubble from the streets assaulted her nostrils. Looking up at the man who had adopted the role of her protector, she examined his face for signs that he had registered the horrid smell but nothing was evident. Moving outside, she noticed that the scene had changed drastically from what she had seen this morning. The street in front of the building was populated with people. A bonfire threw its light into most of the larger places but could not reach into the multitude of nooks and crannies that were only invisible when night cast its dreary shadow over the city. These streets would be dark, if not for the fire in the middle of the street, as the flickering streetlights were incapable of lighting the way on even the brightest of nights.

Alexa stopped at the top of the steps, surveying the scene. Girls barely older than herself danced around the bonfires, short skirts flaring up as they turned and twisted lost in the music blaring out of a boom box. Gangs of men sat on steps of the buildings around, passing bottles back and forth between them. Children, or what would have been classed as children back on the farm, were sneaking around, stealing half drunk cans of beer and smash, and running away to compare prizes and drink the spoils of victory. Everyone there was having a good time, reveling in the nightly debauchery, everyone that is except Ana. Alexa saw her sister leaning against the side of a building, half hidden in the shadows. Kern followed Alexa’s line of sight until he saw what she was looking at. Squeezing Alexa’s waist to get her attention, he gestures over to Ana, asking if she wanted to go over and talk to her sister. Alexa nodded and she started down the steps with a little help.

A ripple ran through the members of the gang, whispered rumors running through the gathering. One girl broke free from a small group of whispering girls and ran out in front of Alexa and Kern.

“We heard you handed Dusk his ass! Way to go, girl!”

Alexa forced a smile and thanked the girl politely, her mind divided between the events with her sister and wondering about a society that respects a person because they won a fight. Having said her piece the girl faded back into her group of friends to. no doubt, discuss the exaggerated events of the evening and add their own twist to the almost fictional happenings.

Walking on, Alexa approached her sister. She saw the tear stains still evident on her sisters face. Turning to Kern, she put a hand on his chest.

“I have to do this alone, Kern.”

Kern’s face was worried.

“Please!”

Kern’s face softened a little and he smiled.

“I’ll be over there. I’ll wait for you!”

Making sure she was okay, Kern gave her a squeeze to reassure her and went to stand against a building just out of earshot, giving her privacy to talk to her sister alone. Alexa smiled once over to him before limping over to her sister. She felt awkward. How could she broach the subject again? She knew that it would be the last thing that Ana wanted to discuss. She stood in front of her sister, biting her lip as she tried to think of something to start the conversation.

“I’m sorry, Lexa…” Ana started, making up the distance and embracing her sister, holding her close. “I never thought that he would do that, or even try it… You have to believe that… Oh my God, Lexa, I would never have left you alone if I had any idea what he was going to do to you. You believe that right? You’re my little sister, I’m supposed to be watching out for you, but I wasn’t. I am so sorry, Lexa.” Ana’s eyes were wet and wide as she begged for her sisters forgiveness.

“Of course I believe you, Ana.”

What else could she say, her sister was at her lowest? The image of her sister was cracked, shattered beyond redemption. Ana had always been the strong one. She remembered the day her sister left, full of dreams of a wonderful life in the big city. She was determined to make a name for herself, to be more than a stock girl in her father’s warehouse or a laborer in the farm fields. She had wanted to be famous, a world renowned brain-dance star, or a hard nosed corp dealing with the heads of all the big corps and having them in the palm of her hand, someone that kids looked up to and idolized. Somehow the dream had shattered and Ana had ended up here and in the clutches of a bastard who beat her when she didn’t fall into his ideal of the perfect woman. She had degraded from strong role model to broken woman, a shell of her former self. Alexa could not help but forgive her sister mainly because to do otherwise would further damage her sisters psyche and Alexa could not bear to cause her sister more pain.

Alexa hugged her sister close, whispering in her ear, “I love you, honey. I’m here for you whenever you need me. Don’t forget that.”

The touching moment was suddenly shattered by a shout cutting through the merriment of the night and bringing it to an abrupt stop.

“ANA, GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE NOW!”

Alexa felt her sister stiffen. Looking around she saw Kern straighten, no longer leaning against the wall. Another shout rang out. The boom box had been turned off. The only sounds were the crackle of the fire and the shouting of an enraged man. Before she noticed, Kern was standing with her and Ana, ushering them quickly back to where Rage and Hope stood.

Alexa watched Hope's face darken as her fists clenched and unclenched. Rage was watching calmly, standing slightly in front of his wife. A shape appeared from behind the bonfire. The limp gave the figure’s identity away, even if his voice had not already. Random gangers moved out of his way as he made his way up to the steps in front of Rage’s apartment block.

“I want them back.” Dusk spat the words out, making sure that everyone heard him.
“No!” Rage was looking at the ground, his thumbs hooked in the belt hooks of his trousers. The word rang out as clear as Dusks words.

The crowd seemed to hold their breaths as they watched this confrontation play out.

“This is none of your concern, Rage. They are staying with me and I’m taking them home now. You can either get out of the way or …”
“Or what? You beat me up? Or is it only women you fight?”

Dusk glowered at Rage but did not respond.

“Ana, it’s time for you and your sister to come home now.”

Alexa felt her sister take a step forward, almost involuntarily submitting to Dusk’s will.

Taking a step forward, Alexa threw back, “We are not going anywhere with you until they build snowmen in Hell.”

“You heard her Dusk, she doesn’t want to go with you. Go home!”

Rage turned his back on Dusk, making his way back up the steps with Hope, as if he expected Dusk to just go home, following Rage’s orders. Instead, Dusk was following him up the steps. His eyes were fixed on Alexa and Ana, not taking in anything else. He looked surprised when his view was suddenly blocked. Looking up he saw Kern standing in front of his goal. Dusk’s face was a mask of hatred as he looked at Kern.

A fist flew out and Kern crumpled to his knees in agony. A savage blow to the side of the neck threw Kern out of the way as if he were nothing more than a rag doll. The side of Kern’s head hit the concrete wall at the side of the steps and he slid down, unconscious and bleeding. Alexa flew to his side. At the same time Dusk reached out and grabbed Ana’s arm, dragging it and her down the steps.

Rage whirled, his eyes and hair flashing red before settling to pure black. Dusk flung Ana behind him. She landed in a heap on the ground behind her boyfriend. Alexa cradled Kern’s head in her lap as she watched Rage walk deliberately down the steps, Hope behind him.

In a very low voice, Rage said, “I told you to go home!”

Looking Rage right in the eye and pointing to Ana, Dusk replied, “Not without that bitch!”

With lightening speed, Dusk launched a punch at Rage’s jaw. Rage blocked it easily. Dusk tried for another punch but was easily blocked again. However, Dusk was not quick enough to block the finger that Rage had hooked over the top of his ribcage, just above the sternum. Rage drove the finger into the pressure point. Dusk’s knees buckled as he fell trying to get away from the pain Rage was causing but Rage followed him to the ground with that single finger. Rage stepped back.

“Leave before I get seriously pissed at you, Dusk!”
“I want her,” Dusk pointed to Alexa, still cradling Kern’s head, as he started to regain consciousness.

Panting, Dusk struggled to his feet. He tried to step past Rage to get to Alexa but Rage sidestepped putting himself in the way. Dusk took another swing at Rage. Rage again blocked it with ease before driving a fist into Dusk’s stomach. Dusk doubled over with the force of the blow, his face meeting Rage’s knee. Dusk stumbled backwards and down off the steps. Rage followed and before Dusk could scramble to his feet, put a boot on his throat, keeping him in place.

“Get the fuck out of my sight, Peshka, and if I see your face in the next couple of days, they will be finding your body in dumpsters all over the city.”

As soon as he was released, Dusk started scrambling backwards, trying to get away from Rage. Dusk scrambled backwards, trying to get to his feet.

“ANA! ANA! Don’t make me call you again or the last time will seem like a kiss compared to what I am going to do.”

Fear washed over Ana’s face. She looked up at her sister. Alexa was shaking her head.

“Ana, you can’t go back to him.”
“I have to.”
“No, you don’t Ana.”
“I’m sorry, Lexa.”

Alexa realized at that moment that her sister’s will, her spirit had been broken and that she would probably never get her sister back. A tear ran down her cheek as she watched Ana run after the retreating figure of Dusk until they disappeared behind the flames.

“You can’t just let her go like that,” Hope seemed pissed.
“It was her own choice, nothing I can do. She didn’t ask for help.” Rage’s voice reflected the defeat he felt, even though he had won the fight.

Kern moaned and opened his eyes. His head throbbed but he seemed fine otherwise. He started to struggle to his feet but the world started to turn black around the edges. Alexa stroked the side of his face.

“I think it’s my turn to take care of you, Kern.”

Rage knelt down beside Alexa, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“I’m really sorry about Ana. I didn’t think she would go back to him.”
“Neither did I, but she chose to.”

Kern struggled to his feet again, happy murmurs going through the crowd. Alexa helped him to his feet.

The boom box was turned back on but no one was dancing this time. They had broken up into little groups, whispering, casting glances at the four standing on the steps and in the direction that Dusk had vanished. Understandably, no one was in the mood for a party right now, but alcohol would take care of that.

Kern and Alexa were propping each other up as Rage and Hope held each other close, surveying their patch of the combat zone.

“Em… I was just thinking…” Kern started. “You don’t have anywhere to stay… Look, no strings, if you wanna crash in mine…”

Alexa looked him in the eye, searching for duplicity out of habit, not really expecting to find any.

“Okay, thanks, but one condition…” Alexa started.
“What’s that?”
“Call me Lex!” Alexa smiled.
“Sure thing,” Kern smiled back. “Welcome to Night City, Lex.”

(June 29th, 2016) ‘Kyr i Vikati’ Turf, Combat Zone, Night City, California

Alexa Markov lay in Kern’s bed, alone, staring up at the ceiling. The days events churned in her mind as she tried to imagine what had turned her sister from the person she had been to the person she was now. She could not help but wonder what the future would hold for her in the city of shattered dreams.

Kern lay on the couch. His head still throbbed from hitting the concrete earlier. He could not shake the feeling that he had failed. Dusk had tossed him aside like a sack of garbage and no matter how many times Rage tried to assure him that it was just the adrenalyn rush, he could not rid himself of the feeling. He would have to step up his training with his brother. He resolved not to let it happen again.

Rage lay with his wife in his arms thinking over what had happened. Alexa could fight, no proper training but she had potential. She had been cornered but she didn’t freeze. She was Russian so getting her into the gang would not be a problem. He would make an offer to her in the morning.

Hope lay in bed, her husband’s arm wrapped around her waist. She was plotting revenge. Rage had forbidden it but there must be someway to take the bastard out without her husband finding out it was her. She would not allow his crime to go unpunished, it was just a matter of deciding the punishment.

Anastasia Markov lay beside Dusk, not daring to move in case the movement woke her boyfriend. She had cleaned his wounds, stitched his leg and listened to him rant about Rage’s interferance in “matters that were none of his concern”. Dusk scared her, but she was more scared of what he would do if she ran away. He would not let her escape, he would hunt her down. There was no doubt in her mind about that, he had done it before.

As dawn hit the combat zone, the alcohol fueled parties ended, the party goers crashing out on whatever floor space they could find, their inverted schedules telling them to sleep during the daylight hours and wake when night once again stalked the combat zone.

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