Cyberpunk: Asuka Vektor

The next day, Asuka and Jackie were hanging out in an empty lot on the edge of Heywood, the perfect spot for Asuka to show off her newest chrome. The sun was bright, the air filled with the usual hum of Night City's chaos in the distance, but here, in this little corner of the city, they had enough space to themselves.

Jackie leaned against his ARCH Nazare, his eyes following Asuka as she stood a few meters away, clearly excited. She crouched down slightly, then launched herself into the air, executing a double jump that left Jackie staring, his mouth open in surprise.

"Chica, that’s... That’s seriously preem," Jackie said, his eyes wide, his face splitting into an amused grin as Asuka landed gracefully in front of him.

“Oh, that’s not even the best part,” Asuka said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Without warning, she extended her mantis blades, the chrome glinting in the bright light. The blades slid out smoothly, the edges razor-thin, almost vibrating with energy. Asuka did a couple of quick swipes in the air, each movement precise and controlled.

Jackie let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. “Those... damn, those are slick. Where’d you score these?” he asked, pushing himself off the bike and walking closer to get a better look at the blades.

Asuka retracted the blades, the mechanisms sliding back into place seamlessly, and turned to Jackie, a grin forming on her face. She leaned in, lowering her voice in an imitation of Jackie's swagger. "I have a way with the ladies, Jackie," she said, mimicking his deep voice and waggling her eyebrows.

Jackie let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head. "Yeah, alright, alright, chica, no need to rub it in," he said, still chuckling. "But seriously, how'd you bag this chrome? We’re not talking small change here—this is primo stuff."

Asuka shrugged, her smile turning into something a little more genuine, though still teasing. “Alright, alright, if you gotta know,” she said, leaning closer and dropping her voice even more, “it’s from my new sugar mama.”

Jackie raised an eyebrow, a playful grin spreading across his face. “Oh, sugar mama, huh? Didn’t know you were into that. Who we talkin’ here?”

Asuka’s grin grew wider, and she said it simply: “Hanako Arasaka.”

Jackie’s eyes widened, his grin dropping into a look of pure shock. “Wait, wait, hold up. You’re telling me... Hanako Arasaka? The princess of Arasaka? How the hell did you...?”

Asuka laughed, leaning back with her hands on her hips, clearly enjoying his reaction. “Oh, you know, Jack,” she said, putting on an exaggerated impression of him again, “‘I just got a way with the ladies.’ We ran into each other at Embers, I laid on the charm, and next thing you know, I'm getting fancy gifts delivered to my dad's clinic.” She shrugged, still grinning. “She likes me, I guess.”

Jackie stared at her, shaking his head in disbelief. “Dios mío, chica. You really went and hooked up with the Arasaka princess?” He paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, before breaking into a wide grin. “You got bigger cojones than I thought, Asuka. I mean, we always knew you like to flirt with danger, but this? This is a whole new level.”

Asuka winked at him. “Yeah, well, don’t spread it around, alright? Last thing I need is everyone knowing I’m getting chrome from the Arasakas. Especially not anyone who might take issue with it.”

Jackie gave her a mock salute, his grin still firmly in place. “You got it, Asuka. Lips are sealed.” He paused for a beat, then added with a laugh, “But damn, this takes the cake. I gotta give it to ya—you make my life seem boring by comparison.”

Asuka smirked, nudging Jackie in the ribs. “You just wait, Jack. With these new upgrades, we're gonna be pulling even crazier gigs. And you’re coming along for every single one of 'em.”

Jackie grinned, shaking his head. “Oh, I wouldn’t miss it for the world, chica. Not with you running the show.”

With that, Asuka extended her mantis blades one more time, doing a few fancy swipes before retracting them, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Jackie hopped on his bike, revving the engine, while Asuka readied her Yaiba.

Asuka made her way to Joe's Diner to meet Sasha. She spotted the young netrunner sitting at a booth, idly scrolling through something on her cyberdeck while sipping a cup of synthetic coffee. Asuka slid into the seat across from her, her new chrome catching the light as she moved, glinting with an undeniable shine.

Sasha looked up from her screen, her sharp eyes catching sight of the new limbs. Her expression softened for a moment as she took in the intricate details—the polished metallic pink, the subtle silver accents, the elegance of the design. She smiled, an approving nod accompanying her words. "Those are... impressive, Asuka. Beautiful work. Elegant, even," she remarked, her voice carrying genuine admiration. There was no curiosity in her tone—Sasha knew better than to pry into the sources of shiny new chrome in Night City. If Asuka wanted to tell her, she would.

Asuka grinned, stretching out one of her arms, letting the limb's polished surface glint under the overhead lights. "Right? I was thinking the same thing," she said, turning her arm slightly, admiring the craftsmanship. "They’re preem, Sasha. They make everything I had before look like rusted junk.”

Sasha chuckled, shaking her head. “Glad you like ‘em. You deserve the upgrade, that’s for sure. Besides, knowing you, you’re gonna make these look good in the field, right?”
“You know it,” Asuka replied with a wink.

After some idle chit-chat and a quick bite to eat, the trio—Asuka, Jackie, and Sasha—geared up and headed out. Their destination: an old scav den in a run-down corner of the Watson district. From the info they'd gathered, it was supposed to be a simple job—a cleanup, nothing too challenging. But they knew better than to underestimate the scavs. Even an easy gig could go sideways fast in Night City.

They approached the den, a decrepit building with peeling paint and shattered windows. The entrance was barricaded, but the scavs were sloppy, leaving a few weak spots. Sasha stayed outside, connecting to the building's security system through her deck, her fingers dancing across the keys, hacking into the cameras and automated defenses. "I’m in," Sasha's voice came through Asuka's comms. "Disabling cameras now. I’ll keep an eye out for surprises."

Asuka gave her a thumbs-up, even though Sasha couldn’t see it, then exchanged a glance with Jackie. He stood beside her, his shotgun resting on his shoulder, a confident grin spread across his face. “You ready to rock, chica?” he asked.

“Hell yeah,” Asuka replied, her grin matching his as they both moved to breach the entrance.

The inside of the den was filthy, the stale smell of oil and blood hanging in the air. The scavs were scattered throughout the room, some hunched over scrap parts, others standing around with half-empty bottles. The moment they entered, chaos erupted. Jackie was the first to fire, his shotgun booming as he took down a scav in the corner, bits of cyberware and blood flying.

One of the scavs fired back, the bullet hitting Jackie in the shoulder, but he barely flinched. The shot pinged off his subdermal armor, leaving nothing but a light scratch. He grinned, his eyes filled with that adrenaline-fueled spark as he moved forward, unloading another round, his heavy frame barely slowing as he waded through the scavs.

Asuka, meanwhile, was on the move—her new legs propelled her forward, her reinforced tendons giving her the power to leap across the room, clearing obstacles and getting up close before any scav had time to react. She landed on one of them, her mantis blades extending in an instant, slicing through his arm like it was paper. The scav barely had time to scream before she followed up with another quick slash, ending it.

“Keep it coming!” she shouted, a manic grin on her face as she moved to the next target. Her speed made her almost untouchable—she leaped and dodged, her body twisting effortlessly to avoid the poorly-aimed fire. A scav raised his pistol, but Asuka was already on him, her blades plunging into his chest before he could pull the trigger.

Outside, Sasha monitored the feed, her eyes darting from one camera to the next, fingers moving quickly as she shut down the scav's security systems and redirected any alarms to buy more time. "You’ve got another group moving in from the back hallway—five of them," she said through the comms.

“On it,” Jackie’s voice came through, sounding almost gleeful. He turned toward the hallway Sasha had indicated, waiting for the scavs to come through. The moment they rounded the corner, he pulled the trigger, his shotgun roaring and taking out the first two instantly. The others scattered, trying to take cover, but Jackie was relentless, closing the distance with heavy steps. “C’mon, you pieces of shit!” he taunted, firing again.

Asuka moved in tandem with him, their rhythm almost like a dance—Jackie’s brute force and Asuka’s speed and precision complementing each other perfectly. She leaped again, flipping over a barricade and coming down on another scav, her blades slicing through his neck. The rest of them tried to flee, but it was futile. Between Jackie’s relentless advance and Asuka’s lightning-fast attacks, they didn’t stand a chance.

In less than ten minutes, the den was clear. The scavs were dead. Asuka stood in the middle of the room, her mantis blades retracting as she took a deep breath, her eyes meeting Jackie’s.

“That all you got?” Jackie called out, panting slightly but grinning from ear to ear.

Asuka laughed, giving him a mock bow. “Not bad, Jackie-boy. Not bad at all.”

Sasha’s voice came back through the comms, a mix of humor and exasperation. “Alright, you maniacs, wrap it up. I’m not getting paid to watch you two show off all day. Let’s regroup.”

With that, they moved through the room, grabbing what they could from the scraps—eddies, parts, anything worth taking before heading out to meet Sasha at their regroup point.

Stepping out into the sunlight, Asuka spotted Sasha leaning against the wall, her cable still hooked into a portable terminal. She looked up at them, giving a wry smile. “Nice work. Though I gotta say, you two always make it a bit... theatrical.”

Asuka gave a shrug, her grin never fading. “What can I say, Sasha? If we’re gonna take ‘em out, might as well look good doing it.”

Jackie nodded, wiping a bit of grime off his chrome arm. “Gotta give ‘em a show. Keeps ‘em scared.”

Sasha shook her head, her smile widening just a bit. “Yeah, yeah. C’mon, let’s get out of here before some gonk decides to check out what happened.”

After the gig, Asuka, Jackie, and Sasha contacted Padre to let him know the job was done. Padre, as always, was cool and collected, offering them his standard line of praise mixed with a hint of caution. The eddies hit their accounts soon after, and Asuka's eyes gleamed at the sight of the balance. But there was something else she was itching for, and that was the chance to show off her new chrome.

Naturally, it was party time.

This time, it was another parking lot party in Santo Domingo, one of the usual spots where mercs, joytoys, and edgerunners gathered when they weren't busy putting their lives on the line. Neon lights from the cars and bikes lit up the night, music pounding out of portable speakers, and the air was thick with the scent of synth-booze, Night City’s finest and cheapest form of celebration.

Asuka, with her new cyberlimbs gleaming under the flashing neon, was loving every second of the attention. The other mercs and gangoons were giving her glances, some admiring, some wary, but that was exactly how Asuka liked it—standing out and drawing eyes.

She and Jackie strolled through the lot, with Sasha trailing slightly behind, her demeanor more reserved but a small smile playing on her lips as she watched Asuka and Jackie be their usual selves—loud, bold, and fearless.

The familiar voice of Maine echoed out as they approached a group of Edgerunners, the massive solo standing with his arms crossed, his presence dominating even in a crowd like this. "Well, well, look who decided to show up again," he said, his voice a mix of amusement and genuine warmth.

Standing beside Maine were the usual suspects—Dorio at his side, Pilar already ranting about something, and Rebecca, the smallest but most volatile of them all. Rebecca's eyes immediately narrowed as she spotted Asuka, and she smirked, her stance shifting in that way that suggested trouble was coming.

“Oh, look who it is,” Rebecca sneered, her high-pitched voice cutting through the music. “Big boobs strutting around with her shiny new chrome.” She took a swig from the bottle in her hand, her eyes glinting mischievously. “What’s the matter? Got tired of the old junk and decided to pretty yourself up some more?”

Asuka rolled her eyes, her lips curling into a smirk as she stepped up to Rebecca, her posture loose but clearly ready. “Jealous much, kindergartener?” she shot back, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. She leaned forward slightly, her mantis blades flicking out just a bit, the chrome glinting in the neon light. “Maybe if you’re nice, I’ll let you take a picture, so you can see what real preem chrome looks like.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened, and she stepped closer, her grin turning feral. “Oh, you wanna go? Right here, right now?” she spat, her eyes wild, the energy around her practically crackling.

Jackie groaned loudly, stepping between them with an exaggerated sigh. “Ayy, come on, chicas. Not this again. We came here to party, not to scrap in the damn parking lot!” He looked between Asuka and Rebecca, his hands out to keep them from getting any closer. “Becca, why don’t you chill? And Asuka, c’mon, you’re better than this, right?”

Dorio stepped forward as well, wrapping an arm around Rebecca's shoulders, pulling her back a bit, her voice low but firm. “Becca, enough. Not worth it.”

Rebecca huffed, shaking off Dorio’s arm but not stepping any closer. “Yeah, fine. Not tonight. But I’m watching you, Big boobs,” she said, pointing at Asuka before turning away, muttering under her breath.

Asuka just smirked, her blades retracting, her stance relaxing as she gave Jackie a wink. “All good, Jack. Just keeping things interesting.”

Maine shook his head, letting out a booming laugh. “You two are like fire and gasoline, every damn time.” He looked down at Asuka, giving her a nod. “But gotta say, chica, those upgrades are something else. You pull off a gig with that chrome yet?”

Asuka crossed her arms, her smile smug. “Oh, you know it. Took down a whole scav den with Jackie here, barely broke a sweat. These beauties,” she said, flexing her cyberarms, “cut through those gonks like butter.”

Maine let out a whistle, clearly impressed, while Pilar muttered something under his breath about how unfair it was that Jackie got to hang with the cool, beautiful girl while he was stuck with the rest of the crew. Dorio gave him a firm elbow to shut him up, and Sasha shook her head, leaning against a nearby car, clearly amused by the whole thing.