Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077

2-in-1-chapter

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"I still can't believe he got caught… maybe someone else, but Saul?"

Leo turned his head and glanced at Panam, who was frowning deeply. "Didn't you say before that he wasn't the same as he used to be?"

"Yeah, but…" Panam thought back to Saul's past feats. "Running civilians across the border under heavy fire, hijacking PetroChem fuel trucks, opening the valves, tossing in a few grenades—lighting up the desert so the kids could watch the fireworks…"

Panam let out a sigh. "That was the Saul from the past."

"That's how it is. Everyone has their younger days."

"Like how Achilles, fighting under Agamemnon in the Trojan War, was the very image of might and glory—his name alone made armies hesitate, and those who didn't ended up cut down. Yet when his great allies were gone and it was his turn to stand alone, the once-invincible Achilles was no longer what he had been. Back when he fought under Agamemnon's banner, he seemed untouchable; he could never have imagined how worn down and cornered he'd be years later, facing his final battle."

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After another few dozen minutes tearing across the Badlands, Bob, sitting in the back, suddenly leaned forward, eyes lighting up. "We're almost there. The Raffen Shiv camp is just ahead."

"Alright, we'll park here and go the rest of the way on foot. Don't want them spotting us."

"Should I bring the drone?"

Leo considered it. It might not be needed, but if it was, coming back for it would be a hassle. He nodded. "Bring it."

Panam found a spot that blocked the line of sight, parked the vehicle, and the three of them got out, moving forward cautiously.

A cement plant came into view.

Using his tactical goggles, Leo scanned the entire complex. The plant's layout appeared in full detail before him.

His guess was right.

The Raffen Shiv holed up in the plant numbered close to three hundred.

The Aldecaldos had around five hundred, which on paper was more, but the Shiv's gear clearly outclassed the Aldecaldos.

They had more than one automated turret—one mounted on the outer wall, another inside.

Heavy machine guns and grenade launchers were set up on the rooftops, giving them a clear angle to fire down on any attackers.

Leo sent the scan data to Panam and Bob.

Both were visibly shocked.

Bob blurted out, "What the hell, how do they have so much gear?"

Panam's expression darkened. "Glitter. The Shiv are working with city gangs—the gangs make Glitter, ship it to the Shiv, and they move it to other cities."

Judging by their level of armament, the profits from trafficking Glitter had been enormous. Which meant they couldn't be left alone.

"Can you locate Saul?"

"In the basement of the plant, but he's alone."

"And the others?"

Leo shook his head.

Panam cursed under her breath.

"Right now, the priority is getting Saul out. Since we know where he is, can we find a route that bypasses the Shiv entirely, sneak in, and get him out?"

"Yes. Look here."

Leo pulled out a laptop, uploaded the scan from his tactical goggles, and traced a line on the display—straight from the outside to the basement where Saul was held.

"There's a pipeline here. The Shiv haven't trapped it, and no one's guarding it. We can use it to reach Saul."

Panam frowned. "Could it be a trap?"

"No."

Every image his tactical goggles captured was real—never once had they been wrong. If the enemy had set up anti-surveillance interference, the feed would have been blocked outright. Since it wasn't, this was genuine.

"Then let's go get him now."

Leo stopped them. "You two stay out here. I'll go alone."

"No way," Panam and Bob said in unison.

Panam opposed the idea because she was Leo's subordinate—there was no way she'd let her boss take the risk while she sat back.

Bob's objection came from pride. The person they were rescuing was the leader of the Aldecaldos; as a born-and-bred Aldecaldo, he couldn't let an outsider do the saving while he hung back.

"I get what you're both thinking, but now's not the time to argue. I can move faster and stay hidden alone. You'll be more useful out here keeping watch."

They couldn't refute that. For infiltration, one person was indeed more agile than three.

Besides, Panam was an exceptional sniper—sending her inside would be wasting her abilities. Out here, she could cover him far better.

Bob, though not a sniper, was an excellent drone operator. From above, his drone could be Panam's eyes, watching over the entire plant and tracking the Shiv's movements.

And while he wasn't unskilled with a gun, combat wasn't his specialty. Going inside with Leo would make him more of a liability than an asset. Out here, he could actually help.

After parting ways with Panam and the others, Leo came down from the ridge and made a wide detour, approaching the cement plant from another direction.

Outside the plant there were surveillance cameras, but the Raffen Shiv guarding the place were sloppy. While there were many cameras installed, their coverage left plenty of blind spots.

Using his tactical goggles, Leo easily mapped a route through those blind spots until he reached the large drainage pipe that led directly into the sewers.

The pipe's entrance was wide enough for a person to crouch and move through. A heavy iron grate barred the way, secured with a thick padlock.

Drawing Muramasa, Leo cut clean through both the padlock and the grate, then stepped inside.

The pipe was short; its far end opened directly into the basement where Saul was being held. A camera was mounted inside, and Leo drew his kinetic pistol, fitted with a suppressor, and put a single round through it before stepping out of the pipe.

The shattered lens hit the floor with a soft clink.

Truth be told, Leo was a little annoyed.

The Raffen Shiv's security was so sloppy it gave him a clean, unobstructed route straight to the target. Under other circumstances, he might have taken the opportunity to drop a few of them for the extra points, but deliberately stirring up trouble just to make the job bloodier went against his professionalism. They'd handed him a quiet path on a silver platter, and he wasn't about to compromise the mission just to pad his score.

Besides, Nigh City was always in need of some cleanup, and one stroll would bump up his points.

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In the dim basement, Saul sat tied to a chair. His condition was poor, and the signs of abuse were obvious.

Just as Leo had guessed, Saul's neural link security level was too high for the Raffen Shiv to crack, so they had resorted to old-fashioned methods. Saul, however, was tough—despite the beatings, he had refused to give up anything.

"Saul."

Leo walked up to him and called out.

"You… you… you…" Saul stirred at the sound, struggling to lift his head and look at Leo. Whether from the beating or the poor lighting, he didn't recognize Leo at first—instead mistaking him for one of the Raffen Shiv.

"Where's my cigar? Fuck, I told you before… cigar, strong liquor on ice, and two girls to make me feel alive."

"Cigar and liquor, sure. But as for the girls—best skip that kind of hollow entertainment."

Leo pulled out a top-grade pneumatic injector and fired it into Saul's chest.

Saul jerked as the injector discharged, and a spark of life returned to his eyes. He finally saw clearly who stood before him.

"It's you? Mr. Leo?"

"Hello, and welcome back, Saul."

"You… why are you here?" Saul's voice was still hoarse, his mind only now beginning to clear.

Leo began untying the ropes that bound him. "Why else? To get you out."

He patted Saul on the shoulder. "Alright. Whatever you have to say, save it for later. This isn't the place to talk."

Leo had infiltrated the plant—not the kind of frontal assault the likes of Militech might stage. He hadn't taken down a single Raffen Shiv inside yet. If they lingered too long and got spotted, the situation would turn bad fast.

Saul clearly had a lot to say, but this wasn't the time.

He stood, rolling his wrists to work out the stiffness. "Alright, let's go."

Leo gave him a look. "Can you still walk?"

"They roughed me up, but they didn't break my legs. Don't let my appearance fool you—give me a gun and I can still fight."

Leo nodded, drew a loaded kinetic pistol, and handed it over. "Come on. This way."

Leo led Saul back the way he had come. A few minutes later, they reunited with Panam and Bob.

When Saul saw them, his face was one of disbelief, as if waking from a dream.

"That's… it? We're just… out?"

He had expected a bloody, drawn-out firefight. But this—this was nothing like what he'd imagined.

"Saul?!"

Panam and Bob were just as stunned, nearly thinking they were hallucinating.

Saul spread his arms and embraced them both. "Panam, Bob—it's good to see you."

"Same here, Saul. You have no idea—when we found out the Raffen Shiv had taken you, the whole camp was in chaos. Carol and the others were ready to take everyone and storm their base outright."

"Good thing they didn't."

Saul's mind flashed back to what he had seen when he was first brought to the cement plant.

Perhaps out of confidence in their own strength, the Raffen Shiv hadn't even bothered to put a hood over his head, allowing him to see firsthand just how much firepower and gear they possessed.

"Mr. Leo, the Aldecaldos will never forget the help you gave us today. If there's ever anything you need from the Aldecaldos, just say the word."

Leo gave a slight nod. "Alright—when the time comes, I won't hold back from asking."

After the rush of adrenaline and excitement faded, Bob's expression grew tense. "Since Saul is safe, let's get out of here quickly."

They were still close to the Raffen Shiv's camp. If the gang discovered that Saul was missing, they would certainly send people to search for him. They needed to return to the Aldecaldos' camp before that happened.

"No. Before we go back, there's one more thing to take care of." Leo pointed toward the direction of the cement plant. "You don't want to leave the Raffen Shiv as a lingering threat, do you?"

The Raffen Shiv were the general name for the road bandits—pests like cockroaches, impossible to wipe out completely. But this group occupying the cement plant was different. Not only were they sworn enemies of the Aldecaldos, but they also had far more wealth and equipment.

If they simply left now, what would happen when an Aldecaldo patrol crossed paths with the Raffen Shiv again?

It was a problem that needed to be solved.

There was no leaving it alone.

The three stared at Leo with wide eyes.

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