Chapter 6: Late Night B&E

  Cal had just arrived at his apartment aled into the couch whe a call from Wakako Okada. He was tempted to leave it unanswered, but he knew doing so would be a mistake. She hadn’t respoo any of his requests for work up to this point and she probably never would if he gave her the cold shoulder right now.

  “I am ied in a car that has retly… disappeared.” She said as soon as Cal answered. Silence hung in the air for a moment as his heart began to race.

  ‘FUCK. Who did I steal that Thrax from?’

  After the brief pause, Wakako tinued.

  “I need you to firm the location of the vehicle aurn with it’s navigation data as well as a package hidden underh the spare tire before dawn.”

  “What kind of car are we talking about?” Cal asked, hoping his voice did not betray his emotions like his rag heart currently was.

  “A blue Mizutani Shion MZ2.”

  He released a deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding at that moment and thahe heavens that you unicated with subvocalizations during holo calls. It was almost like unig via text, but you could push your ihrough to vey emotions more clearly. That said, you didn’t have to and hiding your emotions during a call was almost as easy as feigning them entirely. Most low to mid level eetings took pce remotely via ference calls for this very reason.

  “I believe you will find it at a building on the south side of Heywood uhe prote of some Valentinos.”

  “Valentinos? I’m actively trying NOT to get involved in gang politics right now. Why do you want me specifically for this job?”

  “Precisely because you are not involved. You are more likely to go unnoticed due to your ck of affiliations.”

  Cal instantly knew what she wasn’t saying was “and because you’re expendable” but he didn’t bring that up.

  “ I take the car too?”

  “No. It is better if they never know you were there at all. In fact, you will receive a bonus if you mao aplish yoals without attrag any attention to yourself.”

  “Ok… so should I ask who it is is I’m actually stealing from?” he asked. This job stunk worse than fish left out in the sun and he was tempted to turn it down ht.

  “No, you should not.” Was the only response he received, deepening his hesitance.

  He sighed and sidered his options. He could turn down the job, but he couldn’t really afford the hit his reputation with Wakako would take from it. That’s why he answered the call in the first pce. He was retively unknht now and if he was going to cut ties with Dex in the near future, he’d need all of the support he could muster. Relying on El Capitán alone for jobs was just wouldn’t cut it. He khe man would rise to bee a well known fixer, but right now his business moving stolen cars was his primary focus. If their retionship ever soured or the man ran into a dry spell and didn’t need Cal’s services, he would be in trouble.

  “I still don’t uand why you tacted me for this job. I’m good at stealing cars, not sneaking around and stealing FROM them.”

  “Call it an audition. I have no use for petty thieves. If you want to be more than an errand boy, this is your first test.”

  “Fine. Sehe deets.”

  “Wonderful. I look forward to hearing of your success.”

  ‘This has bad news written all over it…’ he thought to himself.

  A moment ter a message came through with the relevant info. He almost wao ask for runner support to remotely knock out any cameras and open locked doors, but that would require him to give them access to his system to rey quickhacks; something he was loath to do. It was also likely that Wakako would just turn down the request, deeming him unskilled and not wanting to risk the ce of her involvement being discovered if everythio shit. The whole thing stank of mitigating damages.

  Before leaving his apartment, Cal grabbed a rge square brown and bck scarf he picked up during his shopping spree the previous day and ed it around his head and face like one would a Middle Eastern shemagh. He ed it loosely so that he could pull it down around neck, ready to be redeployed but currently making him look like a hipster instead of someorying to hide their face. His makeshift masks were a temporary measure and this would allow him to blend in easier if he ever did have to openly run around the city while trying to hide his identity. Bacvas just scream “Thief” and wearing one would draw more attention than waving around his pistol. This way he’d have turly s out scarves or find ohat were overly on, but the one he had would work fine for the time being.

  --------------

  It took Cal over an hour to arrive at the coordinates sent by Wakako. He could have made it there faster, but he wao avoid being recorded by as many cameras as possible. He even took a roundabout route to try to throw off anyone who might try to track him from the cameras he couldn’t avoid on his way there. Cal po take a different route bae after he pleted the job, ROB willing, and if everythio shit and he had to run… well he’d just have to cross that bridge if he came to it.

  ‘No pn survives first tact with the enemy.’

  He mao blend in with the other pedestrians on his way to the location aually made his way toward a building oher side of the street buzzing with Valentino activity.

  ‘Wonderful. I already feel the bullet wounds…’

  The building was four stories tall and looked to be mixed use. The front side of it butted up to the sidewalk and housed a small restaurant as well as a shuttered eleics shop on the ground floor. Iween them was ay double door frame leading te set of stairs leading both up and down. From the signage on the front of the building, there appeared to be two other business in the building, but the rest of the space was likely either apartments or, judging by the Valentinos milling about, space the gang used for any of their various activities.

  Cal walked up to a small noodle cart on the sidewalk as he tinued surveying the building, a bowl to eat at the small ter to appear more natural. The noodles were rubbery and the broth tasteless, but he didn’t e here to eat. The Valentino building was built against it’s nearly identieighbor on one side, but there was an alley on the left down which Cal assumed he’d find the Shion. It wasn’t parked out front, thankfully, so he figured the car was either in the alley or secured in a garage located around back. He only hoped that he could find it while evading any security measures they had set up.

  Cal tinued watg the ings and goings of the building’s octs as he tried to finish his tasteless snack, but he didn’t make any profound discoveries. There didn’t appear to be anything special about the building from the outside and the gang’s movements were irregur at best. Thankfully there didn’t appear to be any kind of patrol, but there was always at least one gang member posted up at the entraaking note of anyone who entered or exited. He didn’t see any cameras set up oerior of the building, but walking in through the front door did not appear to be an option if he o gain access. Simirly, the Valentinos hanging out on the sidewalk would likely question or harass him f to ehe alley.

  Having seen enough, Cal finished his noodles and thahe vendor as he doubled back dowreet and tur the end of the block. He was looking for a back alley that possibly ran behind all of the buildings on that street and was relieved when he found just that. The only problem was the thing was absolutely riddled with cameras, posed to capture the movements of anyone brave enough to deviate from the main street. He didn’t know if all of them were active, but even one of them capturing his face could bee a big issue. He didn’t really have any other options though.

  Steeling his resolve and dawning his shemagh, ervously started down the alley. He kept his head down and his eyes up as he tried to walk with a slow and casual gait to appear like any of the other st pedestrians that braved the alley. He wasn’t sure how successful his efforts were, but now was the time for a, not ption.

  Cal wrinkled his nose and tried to ighe smell wafting off the rotting garbage that lihe alley. If this were a nicer part of Night City perhaps the alley would be , but in this part of Heywood it wasn’t surprising to see piles of discarded trash and long abandoned vehicles strewn about the area. That’s not even ating for the putrid puddles that he tried to step over or walk around as Cal forced himself to disregard their potential ins. He was gd that to have a face c that filtered even a fra of the odors present.

  He had yet to spot the blue Shion as he approached the rear of the target building, but he saw that just left of the batrance was a roll up stted gate that appeared to lead down to a parking area. He couldn’t do anything about the camera that he saw through the garage door c the entrance, but there was an illuminated pad between the door and gate that could only be the access point to unlock either one.

  Cal sloroached the door and reached out to the pad, trying to keep his hand steady as the tension he felt tio rise. He would have been surprised that there weren’t any Valentinos back here were it not for the basic security measures and general unsanitary ditions. Cal was essentially forced to e back here and he wao escape the foul odors as soon as humanly possible.

  As his hand made tact with the pad, Cal dove into it’s system and quickly triggered the gate to rise, opening his path downward. He briskly walked uhe gate, hugging the right wall as he passed uhe camera and made his way downward into the garage only pausing as he started to hear muffled sounds ing from within.

  ‘Of course it couldn’t just be empty… that would be too ve.’

  L himself into a crouch, Cal tried to stealthily take in the garage level and it’s dimly lit tents. The left wall of the ramp tihe short distao what would be the front side of the building where a few parking spaces could be found. Only one was occupied and they all had barely intelligible worn away “Reserved” signs painted on the wall in front of them. The st space was o a curb that delied a small nding where Cal found the staircase. The other side of the nding mirrored this side, only instead of weling cars it appeared to have been turned into a makeshift living area taining couches, speakers, and a number of drunken, jovial Valentinos chatting away.

  Cal could only silently curse while he soled himself with the fact that he wasn’t here to steal any of the cars. He just had to slip in and out unnoticed. He was surprised that none of the gangsters noticed him opee to the garage, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth and instead just tinued his skulking.

  The wall he was currently croug against e the bottom of the ramp and appeared to return to the rear wall of the building along with a row of parking spaces. The arrows painted on the ground indicated that traffi the garage was inteo turn right at the bottom of the ramp and make a circuit around the two rows of spaces that straddled the tral support pilrs, finally passing by the stair case nding aing via the ramp where he still hid.

  Cal hadn’t seen any cameras in the garage, but the phti that there could easily be more thahat remained hidden in a dark er of the ceiling or the other side of one of the structural pilrs. Sing the cars scattered throughout the garage, he was relieved when he saw a Shion matg Wakao’s description parked about half way down the middle row of cars on his side. It was still easily visible from the gang member’s hang out spot, but he’d be able to beeli back up the ramp if they spotted him. He wasn’t sure how they’d react if he was discovered, but he wasn’t too keen to find out.

  Staying low and slinking towards the car, Cal’s heart rate rose with every step. He could feel his blood pressure rise, almost weighing him down physically and choking him with ay. It seemed like ay passed as he crept across the open spad made his way down the line of cars towards his target. He had no idea how he would retrieve the package without being discovered so he first made his way towards the passenger door, quickly unlog it and slipping inside. He wished the car had manual doors he could try to quietly open and close, but thankfully the automatic door had cycled quickly and quietly despite it’s long travel distance.

  He was slightly relieved that the car had a dark tint c all of the gss, giving him a moment to catch his breath and calm his nerves. In the dim light of the garage, the interior was almost imperceptible through the tint allowing Cal to ect his personal link to the ter sel and began copying the navigation data to the empty shard he had brought to store it.

  Luckily, in addition to the cover he was afforded by the tinted windows, the car’s security system was still disabled making his job just the ti bit easier. That didn’t mean the rest of this gig would be easy though and he was still dreading his final task. He almost wao abandon rec the package in favor of saving his own hide, but he’d already e this far and he’d be damned if he didn’t at least try to plete it.

  Hearing a small beep indig the data had been successfully copied, Cal took a deep breath and steeled his resolve before quickly exiting the vehicle. He peeked over the hood to see if his movements had drawn any attention, but he appeared to be in the clear so far.

  Staying low, he crept to the back of the car and cursed as he popped the rear hatd kept it from opening more than a few ihe thing was absolutely massive and if he just let it open pletely as he rummaged around for the package he would surely be noticed. The hatch would rise up like a fg practically begging the gao e over to iigate. As he peered in through the small crato the trunk he marveled at the abundant spaside. The main for the car ended just behind the driver and passenger seats, making the trunk absolutely massive. You could easily fit several bodies inside which gave Cal an idea.

  He opehe hatch just enough to reaside and move the floor liner off of the spare tire before crawling into the trunk and closing himself ihe interior itch bd he didn’t have any kind of light source to illumi which forced him to clumsily fumble around until he found the ter lug holding the spare tire in pce. Quickly unscrewing it, he lifted the tire with one hand as he searched underh for the cealed package. He khat if anyone even sidered the possibility of something hidden in the car this would be one of the first pces they checked, but he quietly cheered for joy when his fingers brushed against a small regur package.

  He didn’t o see it to guess what he’d found. It seemed like the package air of shard taihat were ed up and bound together with some kind of pstic. He didn’t dare to un them and check their tents, knowing that would likely result in some form of punishment at the hands of Wakako or one of her many associates. Now he just o escape and deliver his spoils.

  Pocketing the package, Cal repced the tire and maneuvered it’s cover ba pce before he prepared to exit the trunk. Just before he exited, he heard footsteps approag apanied by a barely audible versation that caused him to pause and curse.

  “Where are we going for the meeting?”

  “Javier’s pce.”

  “Oh? I hope his sister’s home HAHAHAHA!”

  “Shut your trap pendejo.”

  “o be so testy hermano. Just trying to lighten the mood. You’re too serious these days.”

  The voices became louder and louder until the bottom dropped out of Cal’s stomach as he felt the doors to the Shion open before the duo ehe vehicle.

  ‘what. The. FUCK!? Out of all the fug cars in this garage…’ Cal cursed as he felt the car reverse out of it’s parking space.

  “What did they want this car for anyways?”

  “Hell if I know. Santino said t the car, so we’re bringing the car. Ask him yourself if you want to know more.”

  “Fuck that. I like my face arrahe way it is.”

  Cal tio listen to the two Valentinos talk as he tried to e up with a pn of escape.

  “Huh? Why is the gate up?”

  “You think I know? This building is falling apart. System is probably going to shit just like the cameras did st week.”

  “Whatever. The gate is closing just fine. Call the boys ahem to sweep the garage for anyone sneaking around and we’ll have Joake a look at it tomorrow.”

  Cal’s mind was clouded with fear as he tried to e up with a way to get out of this mess. There was no way he was getting out of this trunk unnoticed and he couldn’t wait to slip out when they got to their destination. From the sound of it, this car was being delivered to someone and Cal didn’t want to be irunk when that person decided to do a once over on their new acquisition. They’d probably just shoot him dead then and there before driving to the dump to ditch his body. His mind was flooded with a dozen other ways they’d kill him or torture him for information as he felt the car pull out of the garage and make a few turns away from the building. The driver and his passenger had tiheir versation while listening to some music, but Cal had stopped listening pretty quickly as his mind struggled to cope with his current predit.

  He had to escape and he had to do it now.

  He didn’t hesitate when he felt the car slow and stop.

  Cal threw operunk’s hatd jumped out before he could even take in his surroundings. He tried to hit the ground running, but he tripped on his exit and fated into the hood of an Archer Hel that was stopped behind the Shion.

  “Fuck!” Cal screamed as he grabbed his nose and tried to look around through his watering eyes.

  He could tell they hadn’t made it too far from the building, but he had no idea where he was. All he knew was that the cars around him were stopped in traffic, waiting at a red light, and he didn’t have any more time to think. Now was the time to RUN.

  Getting ba his feet, Cal scrambled over the hood of the Hel as he heard the two men shouting behind him. He didn’t have time to look back or try to parse what they were saying, he just o RUN.

  He pushed off hard as his feet hit the ground oher side of the Hel and he ran like his life depended on it, because it probably did. He pushed his way through the scattered onlookers as he barged down the sidewalk, vaguely reizing some of the Spanish curses being hurled in his dire. He didn’t pay their threats any mind at the moment. Curses were better than bullets right now.

  His heart was beating so fast that it soon started to push any needless distras out of his mind. Whatever wasn’t drowned out by the adrenaline ushed to the edges of his perception as he focused ohing: RUN.

  So Cal ran.

  He ran and he ran.

  Cal ran until his throat burned and his legs threateo quit.

  He ran with such fervor that the only thing that went through his mind was where he would ru.

  He ran down streets.

  He ran down alleys.

  He ran through markets and pzas.

  He ran until he colpsed against a dumpster and regained a sembnce of rationality. Looking around, he was receiving plenty of strange looks, but none of them appeared hostile and no one ointing a gun at him. At least, not yet.

  That was good.

  He still wasn’t vinced he had lost his pursuers so thinking quickly, he removed his shemagh and tucked it inside his coat before removing that as well and draping it over his arm. He o be less reizable.

  Cal tasted blood and he realized that wasn’t just from overexertion. He reached up and prodded his tender nose before pulling back fingers dabbled in blood.

  ‘great…’

  He pinched his o stem the bleeding before making his way back to the sidewalk to try to blend in with the crowd. He had no idea where he was, but he knew ohing: There was still a long night ahead of him.